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Dataset card Data Studio Files
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{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "James T. Kirk, Leonard \"Bones\" McCoy", "Fandom": "Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by spookykingdomstarlight", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-11T00:00:00", "words": "2,088", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Soulmates, First Kiss, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Trope Subversion, Pining", "Relationship": "James T. Kirk/Leonard \"Bones\" McCoy", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "Soul Exchange", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
The way Bones talked about it, having a soulmate was the worst possible blight upon a person’s life. “Damned things,” he’d say when he was feeling particularly sentimental or self-hating or plain bitter, like now, always while scrubbing his thumb back and forth across the ink-dark mark on his wrist, still as vibrant as the day he’d met her, the ex-wife, “put a target on your back like nothing else.”Jim still wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that. And a request for clarification just couldn’t push its way past his teeth, got stuck in his throat when it ever got that far usually. This time it got as far as the tip of his tongue, so close. Jim was a man who wanted to know everything, but this was always the one thing he didn’t let himself have.“You’re lucky, Jim,” he added sometimes, if he was feeling selfish, too, at least in Jim’s opinion. It was often accompanied by an appreciative, longing glance at Jim’s unmarred skin. Confusion always followed that sort of glance, confusion and a longing ache that wouldn’t fade for days, its own sort of mark. “You’ve got a choice.”Most of the time, Jim clapped Bones on the shoulder, dug his thumb into the solid muscle that stretched across his scapula and topped up his glass with whatever brand of scotch Bones had liberated from Chekov’s never-ending stores of it. This time, he only refilled his own and drained a good portion of it with one swallow, his arm brushing against Bones’s as he raised and lowered the glass.Even through multiple layers of fabric and too-brief contact, Bones’s body radiated comforting heat. Jim would curse him for that if he could.“So you’ve said,” he answered, unusual. A fragile hoarseness gave his tone a deprecating quality that he could fully blame on the burn of the alcohol instead of the formless, directionless frustration that tingled under his skin. And though he might know the truth, he didn’t have to acknowledge it to Bones, not unless Bones asked.Bones didn’t ask.Under different circumstances, at any other time, Bones would’ve questioned him up and down the ship for sounding like that.There was nothing he could do about any of it, his own issue or Bones’s; these things just happened sometimes. The lack itself didn’t bother him. After all, he could handle a few funny, pitying looks from people who didn’t know the first thing about him. It was the niggling sensation that he was missing out on something that ninety-eight percent of humanity and seventy-six percent of the galaxy overall took for granted: that bothered him.They’d talked about it once, he and Bones had, and Bones had assured him he wasn’t missing out on anything. It was back at the Academy. And Jim had lost a boyfriend to the boyfriend’s newfound intended and Jim had been kind of pissed about it despite them both knowing from the moment they met that their relationship was merely a stopgap—at least for the boyfriend. The memory of it was worn now, the focus lost except for Bones’s part in it. At the time, he’d buried the sting of betrayal beneath his happiness on Allen’s behalf, but he’d only managed to hold onto it long enough to make it back to the dorms, back to Bones, who’d immediately asked what was wrong and offered to give Allen a piece of his mind when Jim spilled the whole thing to him. He’d appreciated the support then no less than he wished things could change now.“Jim,” he’d said once the bluster of his affront had given way to sympathy, “you’ve got more than enough imagination to figure it out and you bury yourself in enough books that you probably got a better idea than most about how it is and if you’re worried about physiological differences, don’t. I know you’ve read the studies, too. It’s all just a lot of metaphysical bullshit. One of those fundamental rules of the universe that nobody understands and can’t pinpoint with the scientific method. It doesn’t make you feel any different. There’s nothing wrong with you. There’s nothing special about these damned things. I reckon you wouldn’t want one if you had one.”The poets Jim read said otherwise. The memoirists writing about how they didn’t find their soulmates until they were one-hundred and sixty, who’d been sure they’d be ’mateless forever, said otherwise, too. But maybe Bones was right. Jim had loved before, after all, and every time he found something new to wonder at no matter how short-lived the connection or how empty many people considered his assignations to be. The love written about in poems and novels wasn’t utterly foreign to him. Hell, he loved right now and most days it was the best decision he’d ever made. Jim loved and loved and loved and it was enough.Bones was here, after all. And home was the Enterprise. With Jim. His soulmate was back in Georgia, trying to get along with someone else last Jim’d heard.The sphere of ice in Jim’s drink tinked against the thick wall of the glass surrounding it. Now empty, that ice spun easily around the bottom as Jim, fingers around the rim, moved the glass in a thoughtful, circular motion. It took a few tries to get the words out around the sudden dryness in his throat that made a desert of his mouth, but get them out he did. “You’re free, too, you know. It’s a big universe out there.”“What’s the point?” Bones answered, staring down into his own glass before rolling his eyes and glancing up at the ceiling. Holding onto the counter before him, Bones stretched and leaned back into the empty space behind him, something he did every time he grew thoughtful. They met like this, in Jim’s quarters or Bones’s, just about every night, just the two of them. This, too, was enough for Jim. Even when Bones was despairing over an unchangeable past.Jim turned slightly on his stool, his knee knocking against Bones’s. “You’re not lonely?”Brow arching, Bones pursed his lips and gave Jim the gimlet eye he was so well known for inside the medical field and outside of it. Disdain filled the space between them, occupying the room like it was its own distinct entity. It could crowd out the pair of them if it wanted to. “Who has the time? And anyway, I’ve got you, don’t I? That’s been a damned sight better than all this soulmate business, I can tell you that much for nothin’.”That much Jim trusted was true even if he also trusted that Bones didn’t know quite how much that meant to him. “I’m serious,” he said, cajoling, a bit teasing. In all their years together, this particular conversation had never progressed this far. Now that Jim was in for a penny…Bones just snorted. And though Jim wanted to be annoyed at Bones’s nonchalance, he couldn’t be anything other than amused, his affection for his best friend too deep and sure to stumble under Bones’s cynicism. The worst of Bones’s impulses only ever struck glancing blows, could do no truly lasting damage. Luckily for Jim, the same was true in reverse. Otherwise they’d have been in a world of trouble long, long ago. “You mess up with your soulmate, what chance is there with anyone else? People look at you differently. They don’t want to give you a shot and why should they? Soulmates are supposed to be sure things. You fail at that, you might as well fail at everything else, too. Maybe somebody should do a study debunking that crock of horse manure.”“I don’t look at you differently,” Jim pointed out. It seemed important to speak the words while he was saying them. But once they were out, he wasn’t so sure. His stomach twisted up and his chest tightened and he knew he was making a mistake now, pushing things too far too fast like always.The room seemed to shrink around him, everything suddenly too close as Bones stilled. And Bones wasn’t an economical guy in the slightest. Not ever. He threw words and motions around like they were the galaxy's best renewable resource. He didn’t do stillness, not unless it was really, really important, at which point, he could give a statue a run for its money.“Say again, Jim?” Bones’s voice took on a deceptively light quality, perfectly cordial and perfectly distant.Jim hated it. He glanced past Bones to the viewport through which the blue, coruscating lights of the warp field through which they were travelling were visible. Though a snappy comeback waited to be spoken, this wasn’t the time for jokes. He did as Bones asked.His voice didn’t crack in the repetition.At least if it all went wrong, he thought, they’d have seen this through to the end and they’d never have to speak about it again. For a moment, Bones did nothing more than furrow his brow. His eyes fell to his hands, open on the counter, and he took a deep breath.“You saying what I think you’re saying?”Jim swallowed. “Yeah, Bones. I am.”Bones tilted his head, considering. “Huh,” he said finally, pinching his lower lip between his thumb and index finger. Looking over at Jim, he smiled faintly, playful if Jim wanted to be optimistic. Jim tried not to take it as a good sign, but telling that to the rest of his body didn’t work too well. It hummed with barely concealed anticipation regardless. Every inch of him wanted to move forward, take Bones in his arms, kiss the sense right out of him. Bones’s eyes twinkled then and that did nothing to soothe Jim’s desires. “You don’t care that…?”He lifted his wrist and twisted it this way and that in illustration.“Not even a little bit,” Jim said, earnest.“Okay.” And with that, Bones’s smile stretched wider than Jim’d ever seen it grow before. There were dimples from that smile and Jim couldn’t stop himself from twisting his chair even more, his knees settling on either side of Bones’s, while he pulled Bones forward instead. Bracketing Bones’s cheeks with his hands, he pressed a kiss against Bones’s mouth, a clear declaration of intent. He would definitely be kissing Bones again, it said. As early and often as Bones would allow it.When Bones growled low in his throat as Jim tried to pull back, Jim took it as a sign that Bones wouldn’t mind early and often in the slightest.Bones tasted like the scotch he’d barely drank and a little bit like the replicated garlic they’d had with dinner and right now Jim couldn’t imagine anything better than that, wanted nothing more than to keep chasing that flavor for the rest of the night.So he did—or put in his very best effort at it. In any case, he wasn’t at all sure how long they were at it when they finally stopped.Marks showed up when you first met your soulmate, so when they parted for air, Jim’s lips tingling from the light graze of Bones’s stubble against his mouth and jaw, Jim wasn’t surprised when no swirling, delicate discolorations showed on his wrist to confirm what his heart already knew. That didn’t stop him from being disappointed anyway. And Bones noticed, wrapped his fingers around Jim’s wrist and tugged at toward him, covering the spot where that proof would have gone.“Hey.” He squeezed at Jim’s tendons and along the protrusion of bone on the outside of his hand and pressed his mouth against Jim’s pulse point. His breath ghosted across Jim’s skin. The warmth of it lingered. “This shit right doesn’t matter. You matter. And anyway, biology’s not always right. We’re us. Far as I’m concerned, that trumps these things. I don’t need a glorified tattoo to tell me I’m supposed to care about you.”It formed a brand that no one could see, those words, the ferocity of them, but even though the words left no concrete evidence behind, Jim would’ve sworn they felt as real as what he’d always imagined a mark would. Jim wondered at the sensation, reveled in it. For the first time ever, it didn’t matter that he lacked this one thing.What Bones said? How he felt? How Jim felt? It was enough.Truly, it was all finally enough.
11037375
Friendly Persuasion
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Other", "Characters": "Tom Paris, Chakotay (Star Trek)", "Fandom": "Star Trek: Voyager", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by DeltaS", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "623", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“Do it.”For once I was the one giving an order and it felt good. And for once, he didn’t give me that slow-burn glare, that ‘you know better than to speak to me like that’ look. His eyes still bored into mine like a photon blast but I refused to give him an easy target; my gaze didn’t waver. His words were just as pointed. “I suppose you think you have all the answers? As I recall, your track record isn’t exactly filled with winners. And just how do you think you have any business in giving me advice?” I know I let out a snarky chortle before continuing – was he so naïve as to think that something of this magnitude wouldn’t affect all of us as much as it would him? For once I kept my mouth shut. Better to let him work it out for himself, although I knew that someone had to give him an initial push. He paced around the perimeter of his ready room while running fingers through that ever-perfect hair of his. I’d never seen him this nervous before. His breathing was coming in shallow pants and I swear I could see sweat droplets starting to pop out on his face. He stopped in mid-stride; anguish pinched his face. “I don’t know, Tom. What if she says no? What I’m asking is tantamount to insubordination or maybe, in her opinion, even treason.” “And what if she says yes? You never know until you try.” I was beginning to like this self-tortured Chakotay. “What the hell – who knows? She may have been wanting this for months, too.” Chakotay’s face softened into an almost unperceivable grin. “You may be right but she doesn’t know how to go about it. Damned Starfleet protocol and all.” His expression reverted to its previous vexed state. I was getting impatient. I had to get him to act while his emotions would carry him all the way. “Yeah, yeah; we’ve heard that story a million times. But as she herself has said so many times, it’s different out here. We’re on our own, we have to make decisions that would seem infeasible back in the Alpha Quadrant. And she’s miserable; you’re miserable; we’re all miserable! Life will be better for the whole ship if there’s just some kind of action about the situation.” His back strengthened; he appeared to be getting his resolve back. “You’re right – it is up to me. As first officer, I’m supposed to advise her on actions that would be best for the crew, in spite of what her personal feelings are or how uncomfortable they make her.” “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” I grinned as I gave him a reassuring slap on the back. “That’s the Chakotay I know and love!” His eyes darkened as his hand reached for his comm badge. “Don’t push it too hard, Mr. Paris.” “Right,” I gulped, quickly letting my hand drop. Our relationship had never been the type that buddy movies are based upon. But he followed through with his initial resolve as opened the comm link. “Kathryn… er… Captain – we’ve got to talk.” He nodded with determined assent as she invited him to her ready room. Firm steps propelled his quick exit into the hall. This was going to be a life-changing event for all of us. If Captain Janeway agreed to Chakotay’s proposal of allowing an ‘accident’ to happen to that petulant, supercilious former drone that made all of our lives a living hell. Hmm. All it would take would be for the outer hull doors to somehow open while Seven of Nine was regenerating in the cargo bay that was her ‘home’ and the force fields fail and…
11064462
Drawn From the Sea
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Other", "Characters": "Starscream (Transformers), Wheeljack (Transformers), Ratchet (Transformers), First Aid - Character, Skyfire (Transformers), Pharma (Transformers)", "Fandom": "Transformers - All Media Types", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by espioc", "chapters": "2/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "5,502", "Additional Tags": "Starscream is a mermech, Everyone else is either human or a transformer, take your pick, i won't exclusively say human formers, Slow Burn, experimentation on a humanoid, dubious research habits, Interspecies Romance, pharma being a dick, Merformers", "Relationship": "Starscream/Wheeljack", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Why he let himself get dragged onto this God forsaken ship, Wheeljack would never know. He knew what the water did to him, and yet, Skyfire had still managed to convince him that going on this mission was “worth it.” Wasn't feeling too worth it now, after puking for the third time in three hours. Skyfire pat his groaning partner on the back with a sheepish smile. “perk up, Wheeljack,” he tried. “We're almost done.” Wheeljack managed to turn his head from the sea to glare at his partner, still heaving in heavy breaths. “Sky,” he huffed. “You ever dragged me out here again, I'll contaminate your samples.”  The much larger man chuckled. “I'll be sure to remember that next time. Now come on, we're getting ready to bring in the sensors.” Wheeljack groaned for a moment before he managed to shove himself from the bar and join his partner on the other side of the boat. He helped Skyfire pull in and take the data from the last few sensors their team had set in the water a few months ago. No that Skyfire needed any help. He was a big enough and strong enough man that he could easily reach every mini booey without assistance, and of he fell from the boat there was nothing Wheeljack could so to save him. When one looked at Skyfire, it was likely their first thought would be he was a wrestler, or a Strong Man. Maybe even a boxer. An ex-army man was also a fair guess. Some people had even assumed basketball player purely on height alone. No one, to Wheeljacks knowledge, had ever assumed this massive red haired man was a biologist. Skyfire told everyone it didn’t bother him. His team knew better. Wheeljack, on the other hand, looked like nothing. He could have been anything, a store clerk, a tour guide, a geologist. He was a biologist, make no mistake, but the most average looking man alive tended to look as though he could have the most average job in existence. Of course, though, if anyone tried to call Wheeljack “average” on a personality level his team would be quick to correct. Wheeljack, along with being a biologist, tended to dabble in inventing, and the things he built rivaled the greatest minds. Unlike his colleagues he wasn’t great at fixing things, he was more keen to destroy them, purposefully or not. His private lab was blackened with old scorch marks from the many explosions he’d caused over the years. Wheeljack helped Skyfire haul in the last booey. He was beginning to feel sick again by the time they pulled the data chip. He groaned, doubling over at the edge of the boat and preparing himself from the sickness to come. It never came, though, as he was suddenly interrupted by a sight in the water. A net. It was a loose net. “Hey!” he called over to Skyfire before reaching in and pulling at the thing. “There’s a loose net over here!” Skyfire was by his side in an instant helping his partner to haul in the ocean hazard. It was much heavier than anticipated, and neither were expecting to pull anything out of the water right along with it. The two scientist stood stunned, unable to wrap their heads around the flopping creature tangled up with the net they’d just pulled onto their boat. They stared for a long while in awe, watching it struggle before Wheeljack finally found his senses. He smacked Skyfire in the arm with the back of his hand, trying to knock him out of it. “We gotta help it,” he finally said, then rushing over to the tools and grabbing a knife. He rushed to the squirming creature trying desperately to free itself from it’s prison. The creature hissed as the human as he approached. Wheeljack ignored the sign of aggression and got to work freeing it from the net. “Wheeljack!” Skyfire called, still standing where he was. “Be careful,” he warned cautiously. “It could hurt you.” Wheeljack ignored the warning and cut the last rope. The creature was up in an instant, swiping at it’s liberator with sharp claws. Wheeljack fell back, out of reach from the hostile beast. The black fins lining the creature’s head flared as a sign of aggression as it bared it’s teeth. Wheeljack watched it carefully as he lifted himself to his feet. He noticed something warm trickling down his calf. That’s when he noticed that the deck was covered in blood, spilling from a large wound on the new found sea creature’s tale. The wound started as a gash on the tail, and evolved into a smaller opening up and around the chest and neck. “Sky,” he breathed, still in shock. “Sky, we gotta help it! Get the sedative!” But Skyfire still seemed stuck in a trance. Just staring at the struggling creature bleeding out on his boat. “Skyfire!” The roar broke him from his gaze. “What?” he asked quietly before everything caught up with him. “The-- right, right! Sorry,” the large scientist stumbled about his ship and managed to dig out the sedatives they kept on board. “Come on, hurry up, it’s killing itself!” Wheeljack urged, watching as the sea creature’s struggle just made it bleed faster. Skyfire was back with the poke stick seconds later. He handed it over to Wheeljack, not trusting his own aim. Wheeljack quickly got to work trying to jab the creature with the sedatives, staying a safe distance away. The bleeding beast swatted the attacker away, hissing at the needle. Wheeljack maneuvered it away from a grab and managed to jab the creature in the neck. They watched anxiously as the beast began to slow it’s writhing. It took almost a minute before it was fully down. Calm and still, but not knocked out. They didn’t have any tranquilizers on board. The creature stared at at them through slitted red eyes. It scowled at them as it’s chest moved up and down in heavy labored breaths. It’s gills flexed in search of water. “Can-- can it breath?” Skyfire asked carefully, his eyes never wavering from the amazing sight. “It..looks like it…” Wheeljack trailed off. “Check for a pulse,” “It’s gills are still moving, I think that’s pulse enough.” “We need to get her to the facility,” Wheeljack declared, pushing his colleague to his feet. “Hurry up and drive the boat!” “Her?” Skyfire questioned slowly. “I’ll figure it out! Just get going!” Skyfire rushed off to the controls. Wheeljack was knocked around when they took a quick turn and booked it full speed back to shore. Wheeljack managed to crawl to the limp creature. He looked it over for a moment, studying it’s features and looking for any indication of sex. It eyed him as he stared. Wheeljack took note of the white belly, chest, and tail. It was a slender creature with smooth skin and a long tail attached to a more human esque upper body. It’s red arms sprouted blue fins, while it’s head housed a pair of black fins that sprouted off from the side and out from the top, both bleeding into a gray face. Wheeljack would almost be inclined to call the creature beautiful, had he not still been in shock that it existed in front of him in the first place. Black clawed hands rested lightly on it’s belly, staring with hatred at it’s captor. Wheeljack had yet to figure out the sex of the beast, and so decided to move closer. He noticed two slits on the front of it’s tail, one of which he could assume housed some level of genital. He was about to touch one but took pause after looking at the creature’s face. It was no longer staring at him, but had instead turned it’s face straight ahead, staring at the sky with something similar to stoic determination. Wheeljack rested a hand over the slit, but kept his eyes on the creature’s face. He watched as it squeezed it’s eyes shut before opening them into slits, all stoicism falling away as a sullen, pained look twisted it’s features. The scientist pulled his hand away as if he’d been burned. He looked down at the slit, realizing what he’d just done. He shuddered at the thought. “I’m sorry,” he apologized quietly. The beast merely hissed at him. “Hey, I said I was sorry. I didn’t mean--” Wheeljack suddenly remembered he was talking to a fish. He let out a small sigh, trying to regain his composure. This was all too strange. All too sudden. One minute they’re going on a routine mission, the next minute they’ve discovered a new species and are rushing back to the facility to treat it’s wounds. But that’s not all they would do. They’d take blood samples, and DNA samples, fin and scale samples. They would scan it and probe it and prod it and study it. It was unlikely an amazing creature such as this would be let back into the water without first investigating to see if there are any more. They’d no doubt mark it before release. If they ever released it. “I’m...gonna go with female,” Wheeljack said, shoving himself to his feat so he could look and see where they were in the water. They were just approaching the docking area. Wheeljack hoped Skyfire had enough wits about him to radio the shore and tell them they had an injured animal on board, and they’d need a transport to medical. To Wheeljack’s relief that was exactly what Skyfire did and soon they were loading the injured beast onto a truck and rushing it into the medical center where Ratchet and his team were ready. As soon as Ratchet saw the creature he’d be operating on his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “What the hell is this!?” “We don't know, all we know is it's hurt,” Wheeljack answered, helping Skyfire get the creature onto the operation table. “How am I supposed to operate  when I don't even know what it is? I could hurt it.” Wheeljack clamped a tight hand over his friend’s shoulder. “Just do whatcha can doc. You’re the best surgeon in here.” The two scientist were cleared out  a second later, leaving the doctor to his work.    Wheeljack waited impatiently outside the medical bay, waiting for news about the sea creature. Skyfire waited with him, seeing that his friend was reluctant to leave their discovery. After nearly four hours Ratchet came storming out of the room wiping his hands. He went right to the waiting scientists. “You’re little discovery will be fine,” he said, probably harsher than he meant to. “It’s all cleaned up and in the healing pool. Now would one of you mind telling me what the hell happened on that field mission? It was a routine data collection! What did you two do!?” “We just pulled in a net, doc,” Wheeljack answered quickly. “We were just getting a loose net outta the water an’,” he gestured the door to the operating room. “That came up with it.” “It’s humanoid,” Ratchet practically whispered. “Do you have any idea what this could mean? If this gets out it could have catastrophic results.” Skyfire stepped in. “But just think about the possibilities, Ratchet. This is a whole new species. The likes of which we’ve never seen before. We’ve hardly even considered that The human evolution pegged straight off a creature of marine decent. This could be the missing link.” “Or a freak of evolution,” Ratchet snapped. “You two need to understand, if this gets out people will go hunting. This stays within the facility, between me you and my doctors, understand?” “A’ course doc,” Wheeljack assured. “We’ll do all the research, no one outside the team will get a peep of it.” Ratchet took in a deep breath. None of this felt right. “Fine,” he agreed reluctantly. “But no tests until it’s fully healed, understand?” “She,” Wheeljack accidentally corrected. Ratchet lifted a brow. “Pardon?” Wheeljack suddenly became sheepish. “I... we think it’s a she.” “It’s hermaphroditus, if you must know. Call it whatever you like I suppose.” Wheeljack decided not to linger on it, and instead got right on to the next question. “When can we see her-- him...it.” Ratchet shrugged. “Tomorrow she should be calm enough for you to visit, if you’re so inclined. I can’t guarantee she’ll be happy, though, considering your new discovery seems quite sentient. As soon as it woke up in the pool it started screeching.” “Screeching?” Wheeljack snipped in surprise. “Well that’s a new one.” Ratchet huffed. “Yeah, I’m sure you’ll get an earful tomorrow,” he sighed. “But for now I suggest you two head home. Or back to the lab...wherever you sleep now.” Wheeljack almost laughed. “I’ll--we’ll ah...we’ll be back tomorrow,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “God, I need a nap,” he wave a dismissive hand, wandering away from the other two. “I’ll be in my lab of anyone needs me.” “Don’t fall asleep in your chair,” Ratchet called after him. “Work table it is then.” Wheeljack called back, turning a corner. He sighed, running his hands across his face. This was too much. Tomorrow didn’t promise to be much better.    Wheeljack didn’t like sleeping at the facility, despite how often he did it. He was woken up by Skyfire the next day early in the afternoon to go take a look at their catch from the other day. At first Wheeljack didn’t know what his partner was talking about. A humanoid fish? What could he possibly be-- Oh. Right. That. That happened. Wheeljack had almost assumed he’d dreamed it. Fell over on the boat and knocked his head, or fainted from sea sickness. That’s what he’d hoped had happened when his memory brought back the image of a writhing, hissing, creature from the deep. One with hands and arms and claws and teeth. Red, white, blue and gray. Wheeljack remembered. He remembered it too vividly for comfort. Reluctantly Wheeljack managed to heave himself off the desk and make it to a bathroom to freshen up before going to meet with First Aid at the recovery pool. Skyfire had been nice enough to bring Skyfire a change of clothes. Always thinking ahead. Wheeljack was still groggy when they finally got going, but he was over it by the time they got there. First Aid met them by the door. “Don’t get close to the pool,” he warned. “And try not to slip, there’s water all over the floor.” Wheeljack rolled his eyes. “There’s always water all over the floor, Aid, you don’t need to tell us.” “No no, you don’t understand--” he lead them into the pool room where half the water had been drained from the pool and deposited on the deck. “There’s water all over the floor.”   And more water was being added. Every few seconds the restless creature trapped in the much too small pool would make a great show of thrashing the water out of it’s pool. Wheeljack also got a nice earful of what Ratchet had referred to as “screeching.” and it turned out the doctor had not been exaggerating. The beasts high pitched primitive screams echoed throughout the pool when it stuck it’s head out of the water to voice its protest. The sound was comparable to that of a Howler monkey, but at a much higher octave. “She’s extremely aggressive. Which turns into an even bigger concern when we consider that fact that she has opposable thumbs.” First Aid explained as they took a turn around. “Aggressive as in ‘has hurt someone’ aggressive?” Wheeljack inquired, keeping a cautious eye on their prisoner. “Tore up three of the handler’s legs. They needed stitches , and not a few.” Wheeljack hummed with consideration. “Have you considered moving him to a larger pool?” “We have, but unfortunately our largest healing pool is occupied at the moment,” First Aid came to a stop at the end of the pool a safe distance away from the edge. “She likes to throw herself out of the water and swat at you, so we don’t get too close to the edge. We won’t be able to run any tests or monitor her efficiently if we can’t get close,” his gaze turned to Wheeljack. “We were kind of hoping you could try.” Wheeljack pointed to himself, brow bending with confusion. “Me? Why me?” First Aid shrugged. “Well, considering the sentience we’re under the assumption that to get close we must first gain trust . She seems to understand us pretty well, our actions, what we’re saying, which means she probably knows you’re the one who cut her loose from the net. You’re further ahead than any of us.” Wheeljack scoffed. “What? You think I can tame it or something?” “Not-- tame necessarily. Just...gain it’s trust. You’re the one who’s going to be studying her anyways so,” another shrug. “May as well.” “What? But Skyfire--” The larger man began to shake his head. “Sorry Wheeljack I--” he became sheepish. “I quit the project. Whatever you find out about it I won’t be taking any part in.”  Wheeljack was taken aback. “You what? But-- we’re partners--”  “On other things. But not this. As amazing as it is, it’s just...it’s too much for me.” “Sky, I’ve seen you reach inside of a half unconscious sharks mouth to get a hook out of it’s throat. How is this too much for you?” “It just doesn’t feel real. It feels...unnatural, and just...just too human for me.” “Too human!?”  First Aid stepped between them for a second. “I’m going to get her medical record, remember not to get too close,” he reminded before slipping through the double doors and leaving the two partner’s alone with their discovery. Wheeljack’s gaze immediately shot to Skyfire as soon as the door was closed. “What do you mean, Sky? Why aren’t you helping me with this? This is our discovery.” “No, this is your discovery Wheeljack. When--” he huffed out a sigh. “When I look at it, I see one of us. I can’t just...I can’t just experiment on something like that! Study it like it’s some common fish ,” He spat the words as if disgusted. “If we’d pulled it up dead it’d be a whole ‘nother story. But we didn’t ,” he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Wheeljack, but I just can’t go through with this one.” Wheeljack pinched the rim off his brow, breathing out a sigh. “Alright,” he finally said. “I…” another sigh. “I understand,” he forced a smile. “More danger for me I guess.” “Well, try not to get hurt.” “No promises. I mean look at him,” they both turned their attention to the scowling creature eyeing them from the other end of the pool. “He hates us.” Skyfire shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe it’ll grow to like you.” “I doubt he’ll grow to like any’a us.” First Aid returned with the medical file and handed a copy to Wheeljack. “There isn’t much of course. We took some blood, but that’s about it.” “No scales?” “She doesn’t have any. It’s more like shark than anything else.” Wheeljack nodded. “When will I be able to start runnin’ my test.” First Aid hummed with consideration. “Two weeks, give or take. Hopefully by then the would will have closed itself all the way.” Wheeljack turned his attention back to the pool. “Well alright then. I guess I’ll see Screamer here in two weeks,” he tucked the report under his arm and headed for the door. “Until then I’ve got other things to do. I hope you don’t mind if I sneak in here a few times to get him used to my presence, First Aid."  The nurse shook his head. “No, not at all. Just make sure you don’t get too close. And maybe bring someone with you. I don’t feel comfortable having you deal with this creature alone.” “Yeah, I’m sure I can manage that,” then Wheeljack slipped out, barely getting into the hallway before he let slip his frustrated scream. Alone! They wanted him to research the damn thing alone ! He paused, leaning against a wall in an attempt to calm himself.   At least it promised to be interesting. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Starscream raced through the water, his tail flicking at a mile a minute as he desperately tried to outswim the beast quickly catching up to him. Starscream weaved in and out of the rocks, trying to get somewhere where Shockwave couldn’t reach. That big red Optic was warm against Starscream’s tail. Starscream’s gills worked rapidly as he tried to pick up his pace.Starscream looked around. Anything. He needed anything. Something. A crevice to hide in, something. With not a crevice in sight Starscream spotted the next best thing. An arch, just big enough for him, and not nearly big enough for Shockwave.Starscream used every ounce of energy he had. In one swift move he made a b-line for the arch and bolted right through. Shockwave, in all his rage, followed. He was immediately caught in the tight space. One arm still swung out, just out of reach of Starscream.Starscream stopped, keeping a safe distance away.“Ha!” he laughed. “Nice try one eye-”Before Starscream could finish that thought a huge pair of black claws swiped over his tail that sent Starscream toppling backwards. Shockwave rumbled. He pulled himself from the arch and swam away back to his nest.Starscream groaned, his vision blurry. Black and blue blood spilled out into the water. He ran his hand through it, caressing it with his fingers before the world went black.  Starscream bit at his prison. He swiped weakly with his claws and flicked is tail. On the inside his stomach rumbled. Starscream put a hand to it and curled up. There wasn’t a fish around for miles. Just empty ocean and nowhere to go. Stasrcream shuttered, trying to flick his tail. Everytime he moved it just bled more. Starscream could feel himself fading. He tried to tear the ropes to no avail. Starscream faded in and out of consciousness. Sometimes when he woke up it was dark. Sometimes the sun was right above his head.Starscream sighed. He vibrated his vocal cords sending a signal as far as he could. It was a bad idea, but the only one he had. Even if a predator rolled up and snapped at him Starscream was almost sure to talk his way out of it. Unless it was one of those Sharkticons, those brainless brats couldn’t be reasoned with.Starscream waited, letting his thoughts wander. He didn’t want to waste any energy, but he also didn’t want to waste any time. Maybe if he was lucky he’d come across an island where he could wash up and drag himself up on shore and stay there until he was healed enough to start making his way back home. An island would help him find his bearings at least. Maybe there’d be some fruit or leaves he could eat. Starscream wasn’t one for lounging on islands like some other cons were, but that didn’t mean he’d never done it. Nor did it mean he was unwilling to, especially in this state. He could bite the heads off of lizards and snakes and make a good meal for himself.Starscream slapped his lips together just thinking about it.A shadow fell over him. Starscream furrowed his brow, watching as the sun was blotted out by something large. Starscream cocked his head and flicked his tail. At first he was curious. But soon found the thought of a larger beast in his vicinity a terrifying one and tried to swim away.There were voices above the water, muffled and foreign. Starscream flicked is tail again but made it nowhere with the heavy net weighing him down. Before he knew it something was dragging him in. The beast, it was grabbing him, taking him by the net as if it were it’s own. Starscream was met with a white flash and a heavy slump onto something hard and cold.Starscream squirmed and struggled, squinting at the sun in his eyes. There were voices. More voices. Starscream recognized the pitch, and language. Land creatures. He was in the mits of land creatures. What ugly beings. Starscream hissed at them, keeping an eye on the two legged beasts. There was a shorter one and a taller one. The shorter of the two moved quickly. He grabbed a knife from somewhere and rushed to Starscream’s side.Starscream hissed louder, flaring his fins in a desperate attempt to keep the land creature away from him. Starscream rattled his vocals in a warning when he noticed the land creature was taking the knife to the net and not Starscream’s skin.As soon as his limbs were free Starscream swiped. The land creature fell back, dropping the knife on he cold surface they stood on. He stared at Starscream for a moment and Starscream hissed, tugging the rest of the net off his body. He flapped his tail, trying to roll over but finding he couldn’t.The ground creature was speaking again. What an ugly sound that came from their mouths. It sounded like gibberish. Starscream caught a few words before he was being assaulted by a needle on a stick. Starscream tried to swat it away but that little land creature was too quick in Starscream’s weakened state. The needle went into Starscream’s neck, surely killing him.In a matter of moments Starscream’s limbs began to feel heavy. His hands came to rest on his belly, his head slumped and limp. Starscream blinked slowly. He could still make sound, but his vision was blurred and blotched.The land creature was sitting beside him. He was talking to the bigger land creature. Before Starscream knew it he was being touched. He tried for a hiss but it came out weak. Instead he stared ahead.At this point there was very little use fighting. Whatever would happen would happen. Who knew what the land creature would want. Probably to cut him open, tear him into pieces or take advantage of him like the animals they were.Starscream’s worst fears seemed to be coming to fruition when the land creature put a finger to Starscream’s mating slit. Starscream squeezed his eyes shut, expecting the worst.The land creature quickly pulled his hand away. Starscream stared at him through slitted eyes.“I’m sorry,” the Land creature said.Starscream hissed at him.The land creature spoke to him again. As time wore by Starscream could feel his heartbeat slowing. His vision, blurred already, was blotted out entirely. Despite his best efforts he could no longer keep his eyes open.Not fully unconscious but not totally there Starscream recalled nothing but hands. Land creatures blunt fingers were touching his skin. Starscream wanted to gag, but soon found himself drifting off into a dark abyss.  The water was not fresh. Despite their best efforts it was disgusting, contaminated by land creature germs and chemicals. Land creatures. What simple, mindless souls. Starscream screamed. It was a noise he would often use to scare away people who got too close to the Decepticon nesting ground. Starscream had learned such a sound when he was just a fry, and was more ept at using it than anyone else in his grade school class.It hadn’t helped him make friends, but it was certainly helpful now. Starscream’s vocal chords were strong, but out of practice. Most calling sounds were used for mating, a ritual Starscream had never taken part in. Finding a mate was far from his mind when there was an entire ocean to behold.Of course, there was no ocean now that Starscream was trapped in this prison.A few people had attempted to enter Starscream’s cell but Starscream was quick to take care of them. He waited wading in the water. Swimming in circles. Then, as soon as they were close enough, Starscream flung himself onto the water covered floor and swiped at the intruder’s legs. Many were taken out in one attempt, a couple were trickier to get the drop on.Of course, Starscream managed.They were bringing him fish. Fish stuck in it’s own goop, plucked from some sorry spot in the ocean the day before, in all likelihood. Land creatures truly were disgusting.Starscream hated swimming in circles. But it was all he could do in the water they’d let him in. it was suffocating. There was no room to move, to breath, to flip, to anything. It was like swimming in a pool of his own waste. Unpleasant, and downright gross.Starscream was stuck there for almost two days before a familiar pair of land creatures came for a visit. They were lead by another small land creature who held a board in his hand that he put a stick to quite often.They spoke in their primitive language, gargling something almost like words from their mouths as they wandered around the pool. Starscream watched them carefully, waiting for an opportunity to strike.They stepped back towards the door before Starscream got the chance to dig his claws into them. It sounded as though they were talking about him. From what little Starscream understood of their language he deciferred that one of them would be back. The one they called “Wheeljack” it sounded like.Starscream emitted a low noise, dipping back into the water. He flicked his tail and splashed water onto the deck. They would have to refill the pool soon. Which hopefully meant more land creatures to prey on.Starscream let himself drift to the bottom of the pool. He laid on his back and looked up at the ceiling, resting his hands over his stomach in a futile attempt to sate its rumbling.It had been almost four days since he’d eaten now. The smell of the fish they brought him was repulsive. It made him want to purge even if there was nothing in his stomach to throw up.Starscream knew how long he could go without food. His species could go up to a month on reserved fat before the body started eating itself away.Which meant these animals had a month to either bring him some real food or set him free. As much as Starscream wished for freedom he had doubts these simple minded creatures would be so merciful. Clueless numbskulls. They acted as though they were the only ones that existed in this world.Starscream didn’t dwell on the thought. His body was still heavy and weak, his tail aching from where they had so crudely sewn him back together.Starscream drifted to sleep, keeping his head fins flared.  Starscream did not like this so called “Wheeljack” Land creature. He was very stupid. All he did was sit in a corner all day with a flippy thing that he put a stick to after staring for a very long time.Starscream had tried to get rid of him. He splashed water on the land creature, flung himself onto the deck and swiped. But this Wheeljack was undeterred.Sometimes he would attempt to talk to Starscream. But Starscream ducked under the water whenever that happened. That language would eventually make Starscream’s find fall off it he had to listen to it. It was like smelling something sour whenever they spoke.Starscream had taken a rest from screaming. He just didn’t have the energy for it. That didn’t stop him from hissing and growling at the Wheeljack.The Wheeljack was undeterred, apparently, and ignored Starscream’s blatant threats. Did this land creature know nothing?Starscream sunk back to the bottom of the pool. At least the land creature’s filters worked. The pool bottom felt like polluted beach rock. It was a tacky color too. Land creatures had absolutely no taste.Something moved the water. Starscream jerked to attention. Before he could get to the surface he watched something small and round float to the center of the pool.It was a ball.Starscream poked it with his claw, not getting too close. When it seemed safe to touch he grabbed it and quickly swam to the surface. With his head above water he chucked the ball back, smacking the Wheeljack in the head.The Wheeljack seemed undeterred.He threw the ball back. Starscream let it land in the water before picking it up and throwing it at the Wheeljack’s head again. This time the Wheeljack caught it and immediately threw it back.Starscream caught it. For a moment he stared at it, the gears turning in his head. He side eyed the Wheeljack and crushed the ball in his hand. Once a mere shred of its former self Starscream threw it in the air and dove, smacking the crushed up ball with his tail. It smacked the Wheeljack right in the head.
11027793
Houndin For You
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Maxine \"Max\" Caulfield, Chloe Price (Life is Strange), Justin Williams (Life is Strange), Joyce Price, David Madsen, Ryan Caulfield, Vanessa Caulfield, Kate Marsh, Victoria Chase (Life is Strange)", "Fandom": "Life is Strange (Video Game)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by wiresandchains", "chapters": "6/6", "completed": "2017-06-04", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "17,757", "Additional Tags": "Fluff, First Meetings, Alternate Universe, they meet on a bus, its not very romantic, what the heck is a summary?, (i lied it's actually kinda romantic), Lesbian Sex, Smut, Angst, army vet chloe, photographer max", "Relationship": "Maxine \"Max\" Caulfield/Chloe Price", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Greyhound", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“Hurry up Bulldog, we’re gonna miss the damn bus!”“Coming!”Chloe, jogging, catches up to Justin. With one hand she holds her khaki duffle bag propped up on her shoulder, her other grasping her Greyhound tickets. Destination: Portland.Justin steps onto the bus and hands over his tickets. “Thanks,” he mutters when the driver clears him.Following close behind, Chloe smiles as she hands over her own tickets. “Thanks,” she repeats and turns after Justin.“Where do you wanna sit?” Justin asks, eyeing the seats.“Anywhere dude, I’m spent,” Chloe replies, shrugging.“Right,” he nods to himself and looks around.A short, brunette girl catches his eye; sitting quietly in the back of the bus, her gaze resting outside the window she’s seated next to.“Aha,” Justin smirks and struts his way forward.With a groan, Chloe follows. “You’re impossible dude, seriously? We’re barely back in the states for a day and you’re already on the prowl.”“Give me a break,” he scoffs. “I spent four months sitting in the middle of a desert staring at your ugly mug each day, I’m desperate.”“Pfft, whatever,” Chloe dismisses him with her hand, choosing instead to fall into a seat in front of the brunette.As Justin approaches, the brunette girl shoots him a smile. “Can I help you?”“Oh, I was just wondering if this seat is taken?”“Nope,” she replies and then shifts in her seat, hugging the window closer to allow Justin to sit down.“Thanks,” Justin says as he sits down, placing his duffle underneath his seat. “Uh, so what about the weather, huh?”“It’s nice,” the girl replies with a smile. “I’m not used to the heat though; rain is more my type.”“What I wouldn’t do to get some rain right now,” Justin agrees with a nod. “I’m Justin, by the way.”“Max,” the brunette states with her smile constantly present.“Sun’s nice though, I guess I’m a bit used to it - Sacramento born and all,” Justin continues as he stares outside the window, spotting the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. “Damn, San Fran never fails to amaze me.”“Me too,” Max replies as she spots the landmark herself.“Californian girls never fail to impress either,” Justin teases as he looks at Max.Max giggles and shakes her head, speaking, “I’m from Oregon, not California. Thank you though.”Chloe shoots a quick glance to her side, spotting Justin hit a metaphorical stone wall.“Ah, Oregon… right,” he mumbles and then looks away momentarily. “So, what were you doing in California if I may ask?”Chloe groans internally, taking a moment to plug in her earphones. With a flick of her finger, she shuffles her playlist and places her head against the lukewarm glass of the window beside her. Get a hint, dude - jeez. Momentarily the heavy opening riffs of Mötley Crüe’s - Kickstart My Heart echo out in her ear, drowning out the conversation going on behind her and her thoughts all at once. As the bus jolts to a stop, Chloe jolts awake from her short nap.“Yo, Bulldog,” Justin speaks up as she stands from his seat. “My stop.”Standing up with a smile, Chloe pulls Justin into a hug. “Gonna miss you dude.”“Not gonna miss you, that’s for sure,” he jokes - earning himself a punch on the shoulder. “Ow!”“Screw you.” Chloe moves back into her seat, watching her friend pick up his duffle and place it over his shoulder.Justin walks his way down the aisle, followed closely by Chloe. “Hit me up when you’re in town or something, I’d love to show ya around.”“Sure,” Chloe nods and pats him on the back. “Doubt I’d have a reason to head down to Cali though.”“You never know,” he continues as he steps off the coach, shooting her a quick glance. “Mi casa su casa, you’re always welcome to come and visit.”“Dunno,” she runs her hand over the back of her neck. “Maybe. I’ll have to see my old folks first - would be nice though, thanks for the offer.”“Yeah,” he smirks and then looks up at the sky with a frown, droplets of rain beginning to make their way down. “Great, I wanted rain and here it is.”Chloe laughs and then shoves him away from the coach playfully. “You get the sun sometimes at least, last I heard Oregon was in the middle of a freak snowstorm.”“Snowstorm?” Justin raises a quizzical eyebrow. “Global warming, that’s what that is.”Rolling her eyes, Chloe speaks, “Yeah, whatever you say dude. Anyway - keep safe and call sometime, m’kay?”“Sure,” Justin replies and hoists his duffle up to correct it. “If I have time between my numerous dates, I’ll see about it.”With a groan, Chloe turns around and makes her way back onto the Greyhound. “See ya dude.”Justin waves her away with a smirk. “Yeah, see ya.”Back on the bus, Chloe realises that quite a few more people have entered - most the seats are now taken. Making her way back to the seat, she slumps herself down and places her head against the window again.“Hey,” Max says as she makes a move to grab her camera bag from in between her legs. “Do you mind if I sit next to you?”Chloe raises her eyebrow. “Sure, I don’t mind,” she shrugs and watches.Max makes the quick transition, sitting herself down comfortably - her bag in between her legs again. “Thanks.”“No problem,” Chloe replies and then looks up above the seats; spotting the onset of the last passengers boarding.Whilst they wait quietly for the coach to start, Chloe notices that the seats behind them are both taken - bringing a question to the forefront of Chloe’s mind about whether or not Max chose to sit next to her rather than another stranger.“So, your friend told me a bit about you whilst you slept,” Max begins with a smile.Meanwhile, the coach jolts forward and sets off.“He did, did he?” Chloe screams internally as she immediately unfurls Justin’s plan. Justin. “Yep, said you were from Arcadia Bay,” Max continues with her smile, staring at Chloe. “I went there during my senior year, attended Blackwell Academy.”“Woah,” Chloe shoots her a quick glance. “You went to Blackwell? When?”“Oh… 2013?” Max wonders for a second, bringing a finger to her lips.Chloe watches the small gesture, doing her best to not bite down on her lip. Okay, that’s cute. That is adorably cute. God hella damnit. “Right. I finished that hellhole in 2012,” Chloe replies and then looks away in an attempt to stop the oncoming blush. “Whole town is a wreck.”“I thought it was nice,” Max scrunches up her nose and looks around the bus quickly. “Lots of good places to photograph.”“Photographer, are you?” Chloe smirks.“Yep,” she giggles.Chloe screams internally at how perfect the giggle actually sounds.“So, you’re from Oregon?” Chloe asks and looks at her, spotting the freckles peppered on her face. “Where from?”“I was born in Olympia, lived in Portland for a few years,” Max smiles (and subsequently incognito melts Chloe’s heart at how perfect that is too). “When I was 12 I moved to Seattle though, my dad got a new job offer so we packed up and left.”“Cool,” Chloe looks away to hide her ember hot face. “I’ve lived in Arcadia my entire life.”“Oh, that’s so cool-”“Nope,” Chloe shuts her down rather rudely. “Place is a hickhole, one of the most conservative backwaters in the US of A.”“Didn’t seem like it when I was there,” Max shrugs and looks away again. “I’ve always wanted to live in a small town like that.”“Why?” Chloe raises an eyebrow.Max shrugs again. “Dunno. I guess I like the appeal of the small, tight-knit community like that. Besides, some of the views there were amazing too - especially the lighthouse.”Chloe smiles. “Yeah, that was an upside in living there I suppose. The lighthouse was my chill out zone whenever I got pissed off and needed to vent.”“There was also this really cool junkyard-”“American Rust,” Chloe cuts her off and laughs. “Sorry, I know what you’re talking about. I used to hang out there too.”Squinting in concentration, Max jumps up in her seat as she remembers. “Oh my dog! I remember now - there was a small cinderblock hut there with writing on the wall!”“Chloe was here,” Chloe smirks as she speaks, looking outside her window. “Yeah, that was me.”“Wowser,” Max whispers. “The world is a small place after all.”“Yeah,” Chloe replies and locks her gaze on the passing Sacramento skyline.“There was another name there-”“Rachel,” Chloe cuts her off again and smiles.“Who is she?” Max asks, looking at Chloe.“An old friend,” she speaks and looks back at Max momentarily. “Left Arcadia around the same time I did, moved to LA with her boyfriend. Last I heard she scored big with some modelling gig or something, living the Santa Monica dream or whatever.”“Oooh.” Max forms an ‘o’ with her mouth as she spots the look of hurt on Chloe’s face. “You didn’t-”“No,” Chloe answers. “We had a falling out after our graduation. For years we planned to take a gap year, go on a road trip down the west coast and beyond. Day after we received our diplomas she said that she doesn’t wanna go anymore, I tried to persuade her and we argued - she left. Next day I tried to apologise but her parents said she already left for California.”Max listened, watching Chloe’s face go through a range of emotions as she spoke.“I left for Portland the following day, partied a bit myself, got coerced by some dude to join up and serve the cause,” Chloe finishes. “Four years later, here I am.”Unsure what to say anymore, Max chose to stay silent.Chloe kept quiet for a few minutes before shooting a glance at the brunette again. “So, what about you?”“Huh?” Max raises an eyebrow.“Friends. You got any that you left behind in Portland, Olympia, Seattle?” Chloe smiles as she asks the question.“A few,” Max admits with a sigh. “Most of them I kept up with though, a few still live in Portland so we go out once a while to catch up.”“You live in Portland?” Chloe raises her eyebrow, intrigued.Max smiles and nods. “Yep. I’ve got a job as a photojournalist for a small newspaper, I take independent work on the side though - broaden my horizons and whatnot.”Chloe laughs.“What’s so funny?” Max asks.“Oh, nothing.” Chloe runs a hand over her eyes with a finishing chuckle. “You sound like my mom.”“I do?” Max raises an eyebrow and then giggles.“Yeah. She was always nagging me about the whole ‘broaden your horizons’ crap - told me to go to college, take the gap year and go on the road trip by myself.” Chloe looks down wistfully, giving herself a smile to assure herself. “She wasn’t so fond of my running off to Portland and signing up, but oh well - she accepts it now.”Max smiles and giggles herself, opting to look around the bus for a bit.Chloe constantly shoots her glance at the girl whenever she’s looking away.Deep down, Chloe almost swears that there’s a damn butterfly swarm roaming her nearly empty stomach. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The bus comes to a stop.“Portland,” Chloe breathes out against the window. “One more stop for me.”Max smiles and stands up, grabbing her camera bag. “Does Greyhound even do service to Arcadia?”“Once in a blue moon,” Chloe jokes and gets up after retrieving her duffle.As she laughs in return, Max reaches up above their seats and struggles to retrieve her small suitcase. “Oh, come on-”Chloe steps forward and reaches up, using her superior height (and strength) to retrieve the suitcase with ease for Max. “Here,” she says as she lowers it down to the floor beside them.“Thanks,” Max replies with a blush.“Sucks to be short, huh?” Chloe teases and receives a playful shove from the brunette.“Shut up,” she shoots back and begins to make her way down the aisle. “I’m not short, I’m just fun-sized.”Bursting into laughter, Chloe follows Max with her duffle over her shoulder. “Fun-sized, right.”As the two of them get off the coach, the immediate cold night air hits them like a snowball. Chloe spots a moderately terrifying amount of snow on the pavements and sides of the road.“It wasn’t this cold when I left for San Francisco, what the hell?” Max complains and pulls up her thin hoodie, walking down the pavement towards the exchange building.“Yeah, supposedly there’s a freak snowstorm raging through Oregon for the next week,” Chloe shrugs as she speaks.“Global warming,” Max replies and giggles.Chloe groans. “Right, whatever.”“It’s true!” Max protests and looks at Chloe with a smile.“If global warming is real then how come Oregon is getting a snow storm right now?” Chloe teases with a serious tone, her face stern.“Are you cereal?” Max stops momentarily and looks at Chloe with a mix of frustration and shock. After a moment, she groans. “Oh, screw you dork-”Dropping her serious expression, Chloe laughs. “Oh dude, your face was golden.”“Shush,” she dismisses Chloe with her hand.Approaching the exchange, Chloe immediately looks up at the small monitor displaying Greyhound routes. As ‘PORTLAND-ARCADIA’ shows up, she notices the red writing beneath in similar bold letters - ‘SERVICES SUSPENDED DUE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL’.“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Chloe drops her shoulders as she reads over the message again. “No way.”Max scrunches up her face as she reads the message, looking at Chloe. “Sucks.”“Yeah,” Chloe replies and drops her duffle between her legs, retrieving her phone. “Oh, great - my phone is out of charge too.”Max opts stay quiet as she watches Chloe.“Do you know any motels near here?” Chloe asks, looking down at Max.“Oh!” Max is caught off guard. “Uhm. No. Sorry.”“It’s fine,” Chloe speaks and then looks back up at the monitor. “Figures that Arcadia would be shut off from the rest of the world.”“You can crash at mine if you want…”Chloe doubles-back on her thoughts. What? “What?”Max giggles and shakes her head. “I said you can crash in my apartment if you want, I have a couch.”“Oh,” Chloe looks away, her face burning hot. “Eh, n-no thanks. I’ll just look for a motel-”“I insist,” Max pleads with a smile. “Neither of us know where the nearest motel is, but I know where my apartment is and it’s closer than the nearest motel - trust me.”“I’ll be fine,” Chloe still doesn’t look at Max, instead focusing her eyes on a nearby Greyhound. “Thanks for the offer though.”Max hides her disappointment behind her smile. “Suit yourself,” she shrugs and picks up her suitcase, beginning to walk away from Chloe and towards the city.Momentarily, Chloe looks at Max walking away. Her thoughts clouded, her body cold and her heart beating fast - she makes her decision.“Wait!” Chloe calls out and picks up her duffle, running after Max.Unable to stop herself from smiling again, Max turns around and faces Chloe. “Changed your mind?”“Yeah,” Chloe smiles back. “You sure you don’t mind me crashing on your couch?”“Would I be if I invited you in the first place?” Max rolls her eyes.“Fair point,” Chloe replies and hoists up her duffle again. “Alright - where to?”Max turns around and begins to walk again, rolling her suitcase along. “This way.”Chloe follows close, looking around them every once in awhile. As they leave the exchange behind them, the city starts to rise up around them - a few skyscrapers here, a neighbourhood there. They pass a few clubs and a hospital - to be honest with herself, Chloe has no fucking idea where Max is taking her.“So, when do you think they’ll resume services to Arcadia?” Max asks, breaking the silence between them.With a shrug, Chloe speaks, “Dunno to be honest. Probably a few days at least, Arcadia is a backwater so there’s no point in sending out crews to clear the roads until somebody begins to complain.”“You’ve been in Portland before, haven’t you?” Max continues her line of questioning.“A few times, yeah,” Chloe admits and is secretly grateful that Max is trying to make conversation.“Did you ever walk around the city and see the sights?”“No,” Chloe shrugs and looks at Max, catching her smile yet again. “I just came here for cheap booze, punk concerts and mosh pits.”“Mosh pits, huh?” Max raises an eyebrow and then giggles. “Figures.”“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chloe asks with a playful smirk.“Nothing,” Max giggles and looks away. After a few seconds she sighs and looks back at Chloe. “You just give off a punk vibe, that’s all.”“Right,” Chloe bobs her head and looks around them again. “I was a punk and a delinquent before I joined the forces, still am at heart,” she gestures mockingly to her chest.“I’m sure you are,” Max rolls her eyes and giggles again. “So what kind of clubs did you go to?”“Mostly gay stuff,” Chloe openly admits. “Trying to find a hookup, get a few drinks and chill out.”Max hides her blush behind the thin fabric of her hoodie. “Any luck?”“Once or twice,” she shrugs and looks at the ground. “Just one night stands, nothing permanent.”“Uh-huh.” Max looks ahead and then up at the night sky above.“The girls I was with were mostly turned down by the fact I was in the armed forces. Probably didn’t want a long distance relationship or whatever,” she continues and and sighs. “Whatever, right? Maybe I’ll get lucky one day.”Falling into silence again, they continued to walk down the relatively empty street - only a few bystanders out at this late hour (at least Chloe assumed it was late - her phone was still out of charge).“What about you? Any lucky guys or gals in your life?” Chloe asks in an attempt to resume conversation.Max sighs and shakes her head. “No. I had a boyfriend during college, but that didn’t last.”Chloe doesn’t ask.“Too clingy,” Max answers anyway. “I’m all for cuddling and everything but… I dunno. It didn’t feel right - he was constantly following me around and stuff, never had a moment to myself.”“Creep,” Chloe states under her breath.“Oh, no!” Max quickly shakes her head. “He was sweet, really, it's just that… sometimes I wanted a moment alone but he wouldn’t understand.”Chloe doesn’t say anything, opting instead to look ahead as they approached a set of lights and a pedestrian crossing.As they crossed, the wind picked up - bringing with it fresh flakes of snow and a chilly sting.“It’s cold,” Max mutters and then shivers.With a look towards Max, Chloe drops her duffle and slips out of her camo jacket - one displaying her rank and name on the shoulder. “Here-"“No, I couldn’t-”“Take it,” Chloe shoves the jacket forward and smiles. “Seriously, giving you my jacket in the cold the is least I could do considering you’re housing me for the night.”Max looks at Chloe and then the jacket. Smiling, she takes it and then slips it over her hoodie - instantly being hit with a newfound warmth and a unique scent. “Thank you.”“Don’t mention it,” Chloe says and picks up her duffle, her torso now clad in a tightly-held khaki shirt that glued to her lean, muscled frame.“You’re going to freeze,” Max giggles and looks over Chloe momentarily, spotting her tattooed arms and the well defined muscles. She bites her lip and looks away quickly before she’s spotted.“I’ll be fine,” Chloe shrugs. “Have we got long until your place?”“Not that far,” Max shakes her head as she looks around. “Not that far.” Arriving at the doorstep of her apartment, Max drops her suitcase on its feet and then begins to rummage her pockets for the keys. After a few moments, she retrieves them and unlocks the door - leading Chloe inside.“Home sweet home,” Max mumbles and then giggles, shutting the door behind them.Chloe shoots a glance around the apartment. It isn’t particularly impressive, but it isn’t shabby either. A kitchen/living room combo with two doors which Chloe assumed led to the bathroom and bedroom.“Nice place,” Chloe smirks as she spots the couch. “Is that my queen sized bed for the night?”Max giggles again as she makes her way past to the kitchen, leaving her suitcase near the small island separating the two rooms. “Yep. Make yourself at home, please.”Placing her duffle on the couch, Chloe sits down and lets out a groan of pleasure. “God, so much better than an army cot.”“You want anything to eat or drink?” Max asks as she opens her fridge, looking over her shoulder.“No thanks,” Chloe replies and runs her hand over the back of her neck. “I’m wasted,” she yawns out.“I won’t bother you then,” Max says as walks out of the kitchen. “I’m kinda tired myself,” she continues and then gestures Chloe to stand up.Chloe watches as Max lifts the upper part of the couch and reveals the inside, including fresh sheets, a blanket and a set of pillows. “Nice.”“Everything you should need is here, I think,” she brings up her finger to her lip in thought. “Uhm. Bathroom is on the right, my bedroom on the left.”Nodding, Chloe makes note of the doors. “Got it.”“If you want to have a shower or wash up, go right ahead - I don’t mind.” Max smiles and then makes her way around the couch - grasping her suitcase again. “I’ll go and get changed,” she says and rolls the suitcase behind her into the bedroom - disappearing behind the door shortly.Looking around, Chloe smiles as she takes in the small details - the polaroid pictures plastered on the walls in frames, paintings, a few framed posters for what were no doubt famous photography shows. She opens her duffle and retrieves a set of fresh clothes for the night - a white tank top and some tattered but clean sweatpants.Making her way forward, Chloe stops with her hand on the door - the right door. Rolling her eyes at herself, she grasps the left door instead - shuffling into the bathroom quickly.Taking a quick shower, Chloe washes the bare essentials before jumping out from beneath the water - not wanting to waste it considering she’s only a temporary guest at Max’s place. Putting on her clothes, she runs a hand through her short hair in the mirror - brushing it up to the side to keep the fringe out of her eyes.By the time she exits the bathroom, Max is in the kitchen in a simple t-shirt and a pair of shorts - nursing a cup of some kind of hot beverage, another placed in front of her.“I… I made you some hot chocolate,” she says and smiles. “Dunno if you like it-”“Are you kidding me dude?” Chloe smiles as she approaches. “Who the hell doesn’t like hot chocolate?”Max giggles. “You’re right.”Giving it a taste, Chloe relishes the cocoa flavoured drink as it makes its way down her throat. “This is great - thanks.”“You’re welcome,” Max smiles and then walks around the kitchen counter and Chloe - sitting herself down in an armchair beside the couch.Chloe follows up and sits herself on the couch instead, watching as Max turns on the TV and switches to a random channel displaying the weather. Listening in, Chloe groans. “Jesus, are you serious?”Max scrunches up her nose as she listens to the all-week heavy snow forecast prediction. “Sucks.”“They’re never going to clear the roads to Arcadia,” Chloe mumbles and drops her shoulders, opting to take a drink of her chocolate instead.“You can stay here until they do,” Max looks at Chloe with her smile. “I don’t mind.”“No, seriously - I think one night is already enough hospitality from someone who I met today,” Chloe smiles back, failing to catch the flash of disappointment across Max’s face. “Thanks for this, seriously.”Max nods and takes a sip of her drink. “No problem, it’s nice to have some company here for a change.”Chloe drops her smile as she hears the words. “I thought you said you had friends in Portland?”“I do,” she nods and sips her chocolate again. “They’ve been busy the past few months though, it’s been awhile since I’ve talked to any of them.”“Oh, right,” Chloe looks at her momentarily before looking at the TV instead.“When do you get have to go back?” Max asks, gazing at Chloe again. “If you don’t mind me asking of course.”“Oh, before November - give or take two months.” Chloe nods and sips from her mug. “Yeah, it sucks for me this year - I’ve got the Christmas tour this time round, last year I had three months of lounging around between November and January.”“Sounds fun,” Max giggles.Chloe groans and shakes her head. “If your idea of fun is hanging around with your old folks for three months in the most boring town in the USA, then sure - it’s fun.”“Sounds fun,” Max repeats and giggles again.“Yeah,” Chloe laughs and then looks at Max. “What about you? What do you do during the holidays?”“Oh, nothing much,” she admits with a shrug. “Last year I stayed with my parents in Seattle, this year it’ll probably be the same. Occasionally I went out with my friends to do Christmas shopping and whatnot, just hang around and catch up.”“Cool.”“Not at all.” Max scrunches up her nose and giggles. Looking at Chloe for a few seconds, Max bites the bullet. “So, you never mentioned if you had any relationships in the past.”“Hm?” Chloe hums and swallows an uncomfortably large gulp of the hot chocolate, ignoring the pain it leaves on it’s way down. “Never.”“Never what?” Max raises an eyebrow.“I’ve never been in a relationship,” Chloe admits and then looks away - embarrassed.“Oh.” Max looks at the TV, unsure how to continue.“Like I said before,” Chloe speaks up again after a few moments. “It’s mostly been one night stands, never anything solid.”Max stays silent, busying herself with the TV instead - only absently watching as she allows her thoughts to calm down.“You never told me what you were doing in California,” Chloe asks with a smile, taking another sip from her mug.“Visiting a friend,” Max smiles back and looks at Chloe again. “She runs an art gallery in downtown San Francisco, her parents bought it a few years ago when they were expanding.”“Ah,” Chloe nods and then switches her gaze to the TV - finishing her mug of chocolate.“Refill?” Max asks with a smile as she finishes her own, leaning forward towards Chloe’s mug.With a shake of her head, she declines. “No thanks - it was great though, thanks for that. I haven’t tasted hot chocolate in months.”Max giggles and stands up, taking Chloe’s mug with her and looking at the clock on the wall. “It’s late, I should be getting to sleep - I’m sure you’re tired too.”Chloe yawns, prompting a giggle from Max. “Yep, you got that right,” she says and chuckles. With her peripheral vision she watches as Max walks into the kitchen and places the two mugs in the sink, walking back towards the living room.“Goodnight,” Max says with a smile and a half-wave, shuffling towards her bedroom.“Yeah, goodnight,” Chloe replies and smiles - watching Max disappear behind the door again.Groaning quietly, she lowers herself down on the couch and turns the TV off - tucking into her blanket and absently looking up at the ceiling. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Chloe wakes up to Max sitting nearby, staring at her with a mug in her hand.“Morning,” Max speaks and smiles. “I made you coffee,” she gestures to another mug on a small table nearby.“Mhm,” Chloe hums and sits up, looking at Max momentarily. “How long have you been watching me sleep?”“I was n-not watching you sleep-,” she stutters and blurts out. After a moment, she speaks again. “Shut up-”“I’m kidding, relax,” Chloe chuckles and leans forward to take her cup of coffee. Giving it a taste, she smiles as the bitter flavour hits her and she takes a whiff of the deep aroma. “How’d you know I like black coffee?”Max shrugs. “I guessed.”Chloe nods and takes another sip, looking at the TV showing a weather broadcast. “Great. I take it that the weather isn’t any better outside?”Getting up to check outside her windows, Max shakes her head and drinks her coffee. “Nope. All I see is white.”“Have you got a socket anywhere?” Chloe asks as she retrieves her dead phone. “I’m going to charge my phone and look for motels-”“Chloe, I was serious yesterday - you can stay as long as you want,” Max declares again but gestures towards a socket nearby. “I really don’t mind.”“I shouldn’t,” Chloe replies and drops her gaze into the black void that is her coffee. “You probably have work and stuff, I don’t want to intrude-”“I still have a week off,” Max quickly speaks up. “It’s fine, seriously.”Giving it a moment of thought, Chloe looks up and wiggles her eyebrows playfully at Max. “Fine, but only because you can’t seem to get enough of me,” she finishes with a wink.Max groans but then smiles. “You’re right - I can’t.”Chloe laughs and sips her coffee, thinking nothing of the comment. Max makes her way back to the armchair and sits down, flicking through the channels until it lands on a random one showing a rerun of House.“Good choice,” Chloe smiles and shoots a glance at Max.“Thanks,” she replies and absently drinks from her mug, watching the TV.“So, what do you want to do today?” Chloe asks. “I mean, we can stay here if you want - I really don’t mind-”“No, no, it’s fine,” Max speaks and looks at Chloe. “You did say that you’ve never seen Portland, didn’t you?”“Bits of it,” Chloe shrugs. “Mostly the nightlife, never the parks and sights and all that crap.”Max smiles as she curls her legs up beneath her in the armchair. “Good. I’ll show you around then. I mean… if you’d like-”“I’d love it,” Chloe announces a bit too eagerly (not because she wants to see the sights, but because she gets to see more of Max - which a sight itself, she admits).“Good,” she continues and sips her coffee again, staring back at the TV. “We can go to the Waterfront, maybe the Washington Park - oh! - the Oregon Zoo too, that’s pretty awesome-”Chloe simply nods and listens with a smile, watching Max speak.Out of her peripheral vision, Max spots Chloe staring and looks back at her momentarily.The two share a gaze for a few seconds before breaking apart awkwardly.“Y-yeah - the zoo would be cool,” Chloe speaks to break the silence, taking another unnecessarily large gulp of coffee and promptly burning her esophagus, screaming internally but keeping her exterior composed.“Okay,” Max replies and stands up, finishing her beverage. “I’m going to go take a quick shower.”Max leaves her mug on the kitchen island and enters the bathroom, locking it behind her with an audible click. Having a few moments to herself, Chloe gets up from her make-do couch bed and plugs her phone charger into the nearby socket, walking over to the windows, leaning against the frame and staring outside at the snow afterwards.Minutes pass as she absently hears the TV in the background mixed with the sounds of the muffled shower, her eyes reacting to small movements outside in the snow. Occasionally she sees a car pass, maybe two, sometimes a pedestrian or a family with children. Somewhere along the line she finishes her coffee, but doesn’t realise it and sips from an empty mug like an idiot.Eventually she decides to change into some fresh clothes - a simple black and gold shirt with the U.S Army branding, some jeans and a set of her dog tags around her neck. Waiting for Max, she checks her phone and thanks the higher powers for fast-charging.“All ready?” Max asks as she exits the bathroom with a towel, wiping her still wet hair and wearing a fresh set of clothes herself.“As ready as can be,” Chloe smirks and pockets her phone, grasping her army jacket from where it was left the night before. “Where are you taking me first?”Max gazes at the clock on her wall, her face scrunched up in thought. “Probably Washington Park, the zoo opens in an hour - we can knock out two birds with one stone I guess.”“Cool,” Chloe replies and watches Max get her things.Giving her apartment one last look over, Max checks her camera bag before nodding. “Okay, let’s go.” When they arrive at the Oregon Zoo it’s almost 10:45AM and the place is deserted.“Oh man, are you cereal?” Max groans with her hands on her hips, staring at the closed gates leading into the zoo. “Ugh, I guess I should’ve predicted this with the snowfall and all.”Chloe nods and looks at the gates herself. “We could climb over, sneak in.”Max shoots Chloe a shocked gaze. “Oh! I c-couldn’t… uhm, I d-don’t-”“Relax, I’m kidding,” Chloe teases and laughs when Max frowns. “Besides, the place is probably under surveillance 24/7 - security and everything.”“That would be a problem too, yes,” Max admits and looks back at the gates. “Well, that sucks. Sorry, I guess - I should’ve expected that heavy snowfall would keep the zoo closed.”“It’s okay,” Chloe shrugs and looks behind them at the sprawling park they’ve yet to explore. “There’s an entire park we haven’t even began to walk through.”“You’re right,” Max quickly replaces her expression with a smile, taking a few steps towards Chloe and then looking around. “Uh… where to go, where to go…”Chloe shoves Max forward lightly with her shoulder, nodding in no direction in particular. “Let’s just walk and see where we end up, how about that?”Max nods and sets off, closely followed by Chloe.They walk past numerous couples holding hands, hugging and kissing. Each time they pass, Chloe shoots a sideways glance at Max - always catching her with a rose tint on her freckled cheeks. Each time Chloe tries to hold in her laughter, failing miserably and causing Max even more embarrassment. The further they get into the park, the more snow and less greenery they see - walking nearby numerous ponds, lakes and streams (including a half-frozen waterfall, causing a few “wowsers” to escape Max’s mouth much to Chloe’s silent delight).“So what about music?” Chloe continues their conversation once they leave the waterfall. “You don’t strike me as someone with refined music tastes-”“Excuse me?” Max glances at Chloe with a look of hurt on her face. “Since when have you become a music tastes critic?”“Oh, come on.” Chloe laughs. “You look like you’ve never listened to anything harsher than Nickelback-”“Rude,” Max looks away, “and for your information, I quite like Nickelback.”Chloe’s jaw drops momentarily. “Nu-uh. No way. Nada. No siree. You didn’t just say that.”“I did,” Max holds her head up high.“You’re joking.” Chloe watches Max hold her posture and expression. “You’re not joking.”“Nope.” Max shakes her head as they continue to walk. “I like Nickelback.”Momentarily Chloe pulls out her phone and points it at Max. “Can I get that on video?”“Sure,” Max smiles and turns towards the phone - raising both her hands immediately and flipping the double-bird towards Chloe. “How’s that for a confession?”“Ouch,” Chloe laughs and puts her phone away again. “Forget I asked.”“I’ll try, but don’t think I’ll forget you making fun of my - refined - music tastes.” Max hides her hands back into her pockets.“But seriously,” Chloe continues and looks at her again. “What do you listen to?”“I’ll tell you but under two conditions.”“Name them.”“One, you won’t laugh-”“I swear.”“-and two, for every band I mention, you must mention one of your own,” Max finishes.Chloe bobs her head in agreement to the terms. “Sure, I can roll with that.”“Bright Eyes,” Max starts.Chloe immediately bursts into laughter.“Screw you, game over.” Max looks away again and scoffs at Chloe’s inability to contain herself.“Sorry,” Chloe apologises through short bouts of laughter. “Dude - you listen to exactly what I thought you would.”“Screw. You.” Max continues to look away.“Wolfmother,” Chloe shrugs as she speaks, looking ahead at the path.“Wolfmother,” Max repeats and shoots her a glance.“Wolfmother,” Chloe repeats again, staring back at Max. “Come on, don’t tell me you haven’t heard of them.”Max shakes her head and looks down temporarily. “Uhm. No?”“Woman? Joker and the Thief? Victorious?” Chloe blurts out an array of song names, receiving a shake of the head from Max with each one. “Seriously?”“Nope,” Max shakes her head again. “Never heard of them.”Chloe sighs and puts on a serious expression. “I don’t think this relationship is working out.”Max laughs and knocks herself sideways into Chloe. “Didn’t realise we were in a relationship.” “Oh,” Chloe grasps her chest, just above her bust. “How you wound me so.”“Dork.” Max laughs again.Continuing down the path, they spend a few minutes in silence again - using the opportunity to look around at the sights of the park around them. Again they pass another handful of ponds and lakes, including a particularly large one that stretches a few hundred feet.“Local Natives,” Max speaks again.Chloe nods a few times. “Offspring.”“Fleet Foxes.”“Audioslave.”“Cage the Elephant.”“Queens of the Stone Age.”“Bon Iver.”“Kyuss.”“Mastodon.”Giving her an immediate glance, Chloe’s mouth was agape once more. “Hold up.”“What?” Max furrows her eyebrows as she stops and looks at her.“Mastodon?” Chloe asks in disbelief.“Mastodon, yes,” Max nods and shrugs. “What’s so weird about that?”“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait. Wa-it. Wayyyyt.” Chloe repeats far too many times. “Mastodon? Are we thinking about the same Mastodon here? Crack the Skye, Emperor of Sand? That Mastodon?”“Yes…?” Max keeps her eyebrow raised. “What’s wrong?”Chloe snorts and resumes walking. “Hella hardcore, Max.”“Surprised?” Max smirks as begins to walk beside Chloe again.“Impressed too,” Chloe bobs her head, surprised and impressed. “Didn’t figure you had it in you to listen to anything that heavy.”“Just because I prefer to listen to indie rock doesn’t mean I don’t like heavier genres like metal too,” Max rolls her eyes as she speaks. “Though Mastodon do have some pretty hardcore stu-”Before she can finish a snowball hits her in the shoulder, stumbling her sideways at its sudden impact.Chloe laughs as she watches Max’s stunned expression, giving herself a few moments to recover before bending down and grabbing another handful of snow from the side.Max springs into action and dodges the next projectile by sidestepping awkwardly, proceeding to run away towards a tree for cover. Unable to reach the tree in time, a snowball smacks her in the back and sprays stray snow up the back of her neck, causing her to shriek in surprise.“You’re so going down!” Max shouts from behind the tree.Another snowball whizzes past and clips the side of the tree, spraying snow sideways. “Come and try me!”Gathering her own projectile, Max peeks out momentarily - catching Chloe distracted with loading her own ammunition. With a trained throw, she hits her in the chest and causes her to shriek in surprise. “Gotcha!”In her moment of triumph, Max barely dodges the retaliatory strike against her. “I’ll get you back!”Max giggles and rolls another snowball, ignoring the sharp, chilly sting on her bare hands. Peering from behind her cover, she spots Chloe spotting from behind a rock. “Take this!”Chloe kneels behind the rock as the snowball flies over, tossing her own over blindly.Watching the attempt, Max uses the opportunity to run away from her cover and change positions - slamming her back against another tree nearby with a loud giggle. Preparing another snowball, she peeks out and surveys the battleground. It takes her a few moments to realise Chloe isn’t there anymore.Then she is.“Surprise!” Chloe yells and smacks a handful of snow around the side of the tree, catching the side of Max’s face.“OH!” Max squirms as the snows manages to fall in between her scarf and down her neck, instantly sending unpleasant shocks through her body. “Oh my-! You asshole!” Chloe bursts out in laughter as she watches Max fumble around in an attempt to shake off the snow, sputtering out an array of colourful swear words that do leaps in terms of showing her dissatisfaction with what Chloe had done. “Sorry,” Chloe laughs as she brushes off some snow from herself. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear me sneaking around the other side of the tree.”Max rolls her eyes as she shakes down her scarf. “Not fair,” she mumbles and wraps the scarf around her neck again. “You’ve got all kinds of military training and wumbojumbo - I don’t.”Holding her hands out beside herself, Chloe offers up her body for a free hit. “Hey, if ya want-”“I don’t need your pity,” Max turns her head away and gives herself one last shake. “I know when I’ve lost.”Chloe snorts and hides her cold hands in her pockets. “So you admit you’ve lost?”“Yeah,” Max mutters and drops her gaze down to her hoodie - finding wet patches all over. “Great. Now I’m wet and cold, what a splendid combination.”“Glad to know I made you feel that way,” Chloe teases and wiggles her eyebrows.Max groans and reclines her neck, hiding her cheeks in her scarf. “I regret allowing you to stay at my apartment.”“Ouch.” “Here,” Max says as she hands over a mug filled to the brim with hot chocolate.Chloe smiles and accepts graciously, taking a long sip to cut some slack off the top (she’d rather not waste hot chocolate in an accidental spill for it is a precious resource in her eyes). “Thanks,” she replies and curls her legs up underneath herself.Sitting down on the couch herself, Max brings up the remote and begins to mess around with her cable box. “I think I should have Netflix... - aha! - there it is.”“Sweet,” Chloe smiles and waits for the program to authorise Max.“You got any interesting shows to watch? Movies?” Max asks, absently browsing through the recommended tags.“Not really, no,” Chloe shrugs and sips her chocolate. “How about Sons of Anarchy?”“Hm?” Max gives her a glance and then looks back at the TV, spotting the show in question. “Oh, right! I only began watching this recently, never got past the first season.”Chloe smirks as she notices the episode up next. “Oh, it’s good. I’ve devoured the entire thing over like three weeks on base.”“Uh-huh,” Max absently hums out as she sets the episode, throwing the remote down beside them. “Don’t spoil it.”“No promises,” Chloe teases and takes a sip, leaning back in her position and staring at the TV.As the episode kicks in neither Chloe nor Max speak, focusing instead on the plot being delivered on the screen. Occasionally Max makes comments about things happening, causing Chloe to either correct her or laugh in return. Chloe shoots temporary glances in Max’s direction during the quieter, personal moments between Jax and Tara.“What’s your family like?” Max blurts out halfway through the episode.Chloe raises an eyebrow and takes a sip from her mug. “Uhm. Alright? I dunno. What do you want me to say?”Max shrugs. “You said your mom wasn’t so fond of you joining the armed forces.”“Yeah,” Chloe replies and drifts her finger in a circle over her knee. “I remember she used to call me every few days crying and telling me to come home,” she continues and looks up at the TV absently. “Eventually she got over it, thanks to my step dad constantly assuring her. Dude’s a rock, seriously.”“He sounds cool,” Max bobs her head and looks over at her window, noticing snow falling outside yet again.Chloe snorts in reply, shaking her head. “He’s alright. He was an asshole when I was in my punk-slash-juvenile-delinquent phase, but I didn’t really help by being an asshole back. We fought a lot, performed shouting matches every day and caused my mom to tear her hair out at how we were constantly at each other's throats.”“What changed?” Max asks, curious.“I guess I grew out of it,” Chloe admits and puts her mug down on the table. “Figured that I should probably act my age and be mature rather than act like an asshole around the clock.”“You being mature,” Max giggles and hides her smile by drinking. “Funny.”“Hey, I can be mature when I want!” Chloe protests and reclines against the armrest, looking back up at the TV. “You probably wouldn’t like him at first, he’s all discipline and no fucking about.”Max chuckles. “I can see why you butted heads.”“Har-har.” Chloe rolls her eyes. “He’s… alright once you get to know him. Grows on you in a kinda way. Just thinking about how I treated him makes me feel bad, dude was a combat vet and had issues with PTSD and just… fitting in, I suppose. I acted like an asshole,” she finished with a shrug.Focused on the episode on the TV, Max nods quietly - unsure what to say herself. Eventually she states, “I’m sure he’s forgiven you,” and sips her chocolate to shut herself up for the remainder of the show.Chloe nods and glances at Max momentarily, looking back at the TV - her hands playing with her mug.Allowing the show to drone on, Max focuses herself on the plot again whilst Chloe absently looks at the TV - mind deep in thought as she shoots glances at the nearby window, finding the snow falling heavier than before (no complaints there).Before long, the anticipated scene comes as Chloe spots it with a smirk. “Oh, my favourite bit.”Max watches as Chloe shoots her an innocent smile, looking back at the TV. “No spoilers,” she whispers again and sips her chocolate.Whilst Tara gets busy with her stalker ex-boyfriend, Chloe bites her lip. The scene plays out and displays the woman freeing herself, promptly wounding the ATF agent and locking him in her bedroom. A scene skip later, Jax is present and takes the gun from Tara - watching over Kohn. Suddenly, he mouths off and promptly gets shot mercilessly in the head by Jax, causing Tara to scream and bury her face in his jacket.Chloe grins as they themselves begin to make out, ignoring the dead body nearby in a morbid but kinda romantic scene.“Oh,” Max whispers and feels her cheeks burning hot at the display of yet another intimate scene. “Right. That’s why it’s your favourite scene, h-huh?”“Yeah,” Chloe speaks under her breath, turning her head to the side.Max meets her gaze halfway.“Max…”“Y-yeah?”“Look out-”“Shit!” Max hisses as she accidentally lets her grip slip on her mug, pouring the remnants of her hot chocolate over her hand. “Motherfu-”Chloe acts immediately, springing from her seat and grasping Max’s hand (and also ignoring the fact it sends a jolt of unknown compositions through her system). “Cold water, quick.”Max doesn’t resist as Chloe drags her around the couch and towards her kitchen, shoving her hand underneath the sink and pouring cold water over her scalded, red hand. “Ohw, f-fuck - that hurts.”“This’ll help,” Chloe assures with a smile - gripping Max’s hand underneath the stream of water.“I know,” Max mumbles and then places her now empty mug on a nearby counter.“There,” Chloe continues as she slowly pulls Max’s hand from underneath the water. “Should be better, yeah?”Max nods and smiles, grabbing a paper towel to dab away the water on her hand slowly. “Thanks,” she mumbles.“Glad to hear my army medic training is paying off,” Chloe grins and runs a hand through her hair.“Army medic? You never said that,” Max smiles and makes her way back to the living room with another bundle of towels.Chloe chuckles and waits for her to finish wiping away the spilled drink, offering to throw the paper towels away. “Yeah, you thought I was just your regular, run-of-the-mill grunt? Nu-uh, this girl is smart,” she muses and playfully points to her head.Watching as Chloe sits down on the couch again, Max giggles. “So you’re not like… directly involved in combat?”Chloe shakes her head as she returns from the kitchen. “No, I’m still directly involved in combat - I just have the extra task of keeping my squad patched up if any of them misstep and get wounded.”“Have you ever done that?” Max asks and grabs the remote again.“A couple of times, yeah,” she sighs in reply. “Nothing fatal - thank God - but it gets brutal sometimes. Gruesome.”“Gross,” Max shakes her head and navigates back to the Netflix main menu again. “I couldn’t do that.”“Not many can,” Chloe admits.Scrolling through the selection of movies, Max gestures to the TV with the remote. “Uhm. What do you want to watch now?”With a twinkle reminiscent of a child on Christmas day, Chloe spots her movie. “Bladerunner! Hella yes, that’s like the best sci-fi movie ever made.”“It’s alright,” Max sheepishly agrees and turns it on. “I always kinda fall asleep when I try to watch it though.”“You’re not falling asleep this time, nu-uh.” Chloe snatches the remote from in between them and pumps up the volume.“Chloe!” Max protests at the sound levels. “I have neighbours, turn it down!”Grumbling, Chloe turns the volume down to satisfactory levels. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Chloe walks out of the Starbucks with two cups of coffee, some illegible scribbling on the side where the barista had attempted to write her name between the dozen of customers she was serving.“Here,” she says as she hands over one of the cups to Max with a smile. “Latte.”Max smiles and graciously takes the cup. “Thanks.”Turning back down towards the waterfront, the two of them begin to walk again.“So you never told me much about your parents,” Chloe speaks and takes a sip from her cup.“Not much to tell.” Max shrugs. “My dad is an engineer, mostly designs stuff to be built around the city - not that glamorous.”Chloe drinks her coffee again. “Bet it pays well.”“Modestly,” she replies and looks over the approaching waterfront. “We lived in a nice house I suppose.”“Well my stepdad is a security guard at Blackwell-”“David Madsen?”“...David Madsen.” Chloe raises an eyebrow. “You get into trouble whilst attending that place?”“No,” Max giggles, “He was just known around campus as a… prick?”Chloe’s sudden laughter puts Max at ease. “I can think of less uncouth words to call him, but sure - he was, and probably still is to many kids, a prick.”“Also what was with that pornstashe? Looked like a total creeper,” Max sips on her coffee and smiles.“He got rid of it years ago, last I saw him he was clean shaven - you can sleep easy now.” Chloe chuckles and adjusts her jacket. “What about your mom? What’s she do?”“Oh, she’s a secretary in the same company my dad works for.” Max stops as her eye catches a good shot. “Can you hold my coffee for a sec?”“Sure.” Chloe reaches over and grabs the cup, taking a step back to let Max work.Bending over slightly, Max brings up her digital camera and snaps a few pictures of a passing boat on the Willamette. Checking her photos afterwards, she smiles and turns her head to the side - catching Chloe unawares as she herself looks around. Max lifts the camera up again and takes a candid shot of the army vet.“Am I a good subject?” Chloe asks with a grin when she hears the shutter click.Max smiles and checks the photo. “Very,” she says and lowers her camera back down, taking back her cup.Resuming their walk alongside the waterfront, Chloe shoots occasional glances at Max. “My mom works at a diner-”“Two Whales?” Max asks immediately.Chloe just laughs. “Yeah, that’s the one.”“Best waffles I’ve ever tasted,” Max admits and sips her coffee. “Delicious.”“You know, I’ve inherited some of her cooking skills… I could make you a waffle if you want?” Chloe asks with a smile. “Consider it part of my thanks for allowing me to stay over.”“I’d love it.” Max sips her coffee and smiles. “I’ll judge your waffle-making skills.”“Your wish is my command.” Chloe bows and elicits another giggle from the brunette.“I should have all the things needed at home to make a waffle, unless you have a secret ingredient?”“Nope.” Chloe shakes her head and looks out over the river. “Only secret ingredient are these,” she continues and wiggles her fingers. “They’re good at more than one thing too.”Max blushes and quickly sips her coffee. “I’m sure they are.”Chloe smirks at her successful attempt of making Max blush again, looking ahead of them afterwards. “So what about photography? You’re pretty impressive from what I’ve seen.”“I’m okay.” Max shrugs. “Not award-worthy or anything, mediocre at best.”“Don’t slam yourself dude,” Chloe says and knocks her elbow into Max gently. “Seriously, you’re hella talented.”“You really think so?” Max looks up at Chloe as she asks the question.“Oh yes,” Chloe nods a few too many times. “I don’t know much about photography and art and all that hipster crap, but your pictures… they’re amazing. Just trust my opinion.”“Right.” Max laughs and drinks from her cup. “You don’t know anything about photography but I should trust your opinion? Okay.”Chloe snorts. “I’m like an all-knowing guru - seriously, ask me anything dude.” She holds her arms out in a gesture. “Anything.”“What’s the name of the process that created the first self-portraits?” Max asks with a smirk.Giving it a second, Chloe frowns. “Did I mention that I flunked photography?”Max bursts out in laughter. “Daguerreotypes.”“Da-what-now?” Chloe waits for a few seconds before running to catch up with Max. “What the hell are those?”“A 19th century word for selfie,” she replies as her laughter subsides.“Whatever dude.” Chloe sips from her cup and sighs, looking over the Willamette River with a smile. “Thanks for showing me this place. I’ve never actually seen Portland by day, it’s actually pretty cool.”“It grows on you,” Max says with a smile. “Plus there's a whole bunch of weird, craftsy stuff you can buy from the gifts shops here and the people are weird sometimes too, but like I said - it grows on you.”Chloe nods and continues looking over the view, a wide smile on her face.Giving it a second, Max bites her lip but looks up and speaks, “Chloe?” she asks.“Mhm?” Chloe hums and looks down at the girl. “What’s up?”“Do you want… do you want to go to a bar, or a club or something today? Just hang out a bit in some place that isn’t my apartment?”“Sure,” Chloe bobs her her as she replies. “We can do that if you want. Hell, if you want to go to a bar or club then let me choose - I’ve got some cool places that I’ve been to. Unless you’ve already got something in mind?”“No.” Max smiles and shakes her head. “You can choose where we go, I don’t mind.” “Chillax, Max,” Chloe says as she leads the two of them forward down the corridor.Max nods to assure herself, hearing the increasing volume of the pounding music coming from up ahead.Reaching the end of the corridor, Chloe and Max walk into the main room of the club - revealing crowds of people already dancing away the night, groups skulking away in corners with drinks and individual couples sitting in various booths dotted around.“Wowser!” Max speaks over the loud music.Chloe laughs and continues walking forward towards the bar. “It isn’t as packed as I last remember it, but it’s still pretty busy!”“I can see that!” Max replies and does her best to keep close to Chloe, looking around them the entire way to the bar.“What can I get ya?” A voice calls out nearby.Max looks at the barman, noticing Chloe leaning against the bar already, glancing in her direction. “What do you want Max?”“Uh,” she begins and then tries to remember the last time she ordered a drink at a club. “Margarita?”Chloe smirks and then turns her head towards the barman. “Margarita and Sex on the Beach.”“Comin’ up!”“How do you like it?” Chloe asks over the noise, leaning in slightly.“Cool!” Max nods. “I’ve never seen a club this packed!”“It’ll get crazier the longer the night goes on, don’t worry!” Chloe smiles and ever-so-slightly jerks her hips every few seconds to the beat of the music.Max spends the time leaning against the bar herself and looking around the bar, noticing a few faces looking back at her with smirks and curious glances. Catching a few of the gazes directed their way, Chloe shifts herself closer to Max - returning the gazes twice fold with a stone cold expression. Max doesn’t think much of Chloe’s movements, and if anything, she’s glad that the girl is closer to her.“One Margarita and one Sex on the Beach!”Chloe takes out a few bills and hands them over, grabbing their drinks. “Here!”Retrieving her glass, Max smiles. “Thanks!”“Let’s go find a booth somewhere, we can talk there!” Chloe says over the electric beat, walking away from the bar.As Max follows, the same few faces begin to look away one by one - noticing her companion and her particularly roguish demeanour. Finding a secluded booth in one corner of the club, they sit down on opposite ends.“How many times have you been to a club?” Chloe asks and takes a sip of her drink, appreciating the instant taste of alcohol.“A few,” Max admits and runs her finger over the rim of her glass. “Mostly with friends, once with my boyfriend.”Chloe does a damn good job of not gritting her teeth, choosing to smile like a maniac instead. “Cool, cool.”“What about you?” Max looks at her and sips from her glass.“Too many fucking times,” Chloe laughs as she let loose a bit in the atmosphere permeating the club. “I told you earlier, my late-teens consisted of me waking up, eating and heading to a party for the day.”Max smiles and listens.As the conversation continues, the two exchange countless stories and situations they’d had found themselves in over the years. With each smile and laughter shared, the two move closer to one another, the alcohol giving them the small boost of courage to eventually sit side-by-side comfortably.“How about a dance?” Chloe asks and gestures over to the crowd moving in rhythm with the beat.“Sure,” Max replies and stands up, shuffling out of the booth.Taking her hand into her own, Chloe smiles as she begins to drag Max behind her. “Come on hippie, I wanna see how you get down,” she shoots behind her over the music, giving the girl a wink.Upon reaching the dance floor, Chloe immediately gets into her carefree spirit - swaying and jumping to the beat of the music as her hands pump into the air. Max takes a little while to get going, but before long she’s following Chloe’s example of not giving a shit - allowing herself to sway, jump and shuffle to the heavy EDM beats being played out of the speakers.When the music moves onto even harsher drops and rhythms, Chloe uses her chance to move in closer to Max - beginning to vaguely grind, shove and bump against her every once in a while, adding a wink or a smirk to help her along. Seeing her advancements, Max responds in kind - laughing and giggling every time she loses her balance and is caught by Chloe.“Hey,” Chloe shouts over the beat when they’re close together again. “Want to go and catch a few more drinks?”“Sure!” Max nods and grasps Chloe’s hand, leading them both back to their booth. By the time they arrive back at Max’s apartment it’s 2:31AM, the building is eerily silent and empty except for the giggles, snorts and bouts of laughter from the two girls struggling to make their way up the stairs.“S-stop shoving me,” Max pouts and then giggles, grasping onto the wall to calm herself down.Chloe laughs and jumps past Max, jogging up the stairs. “I’ll see you at the top!”Max squeaks and falls into pursuit. “No! You’re so gonna be last!”Racing up the stairs, the two of them once again erupt in laughter before reaching Max’s apartment door at the same time.“Draw,” Chloe concedes and smiles, slumping herself against the wall beside the door.Max nods and reaches into her camera bag, rummaging around for the keys. “C’mon,” she whispers in frustration before smiling and pulling out a set of keys. “Gotcha.”“Stop talking to yourself dude.” Chloe snorts. “Weirdo.”“Shush you,” Max mumbles and tries to put the keys in her lock. Missing the first time, she tries again - missing again. “Ugh,” she sighs and concentrates, trying to do it again. She misses, again. “F-fucking sh-”“Give it here,” Chloe interrupts her and steps forward, reaching for the keys.“No, I can do this-”“Give it over, c’mooon.” Chloe stands directly behind Max and reaches over her, grasping at her hands in an attempt to take the keys. “Maax-”“Stop it you dork.” Max giggles and pushes herself against Chloe, forcing the taller girl to stumble backwards. “My place, my keys-”Before she’s able to finish her sentence, Chloe pushes against her again and grasps her wrist, using her other hand to grab the keys. “Let go you hippie-”“No!” Max giggles and pulls down as hard as she can, not letting go. “You let go!”Growling, Chloe pulls up harder. “Give them here-”Max twirls around in her place and slams her back against the door, giggling wildly as she uses her other hand to try and help. “Chloee-”Going silent after a few moments, they find themselves incredibly close - bodies almost touching as their eyes rest on one another. Max thinks for a second, then bites the bullet again for the second time this week - she stands on her tiptoes and gives Chloe a quick kiss on the lips.Turning frigid, Chloe simply stares at Max as the girl bursts into another set of giggles - yanking the keys out of Chloe’s hands. “Got ‘em!” Max exclaims and turns around quickly, her cheeks burning as she tries hard to continue to fake her giggle. “Ohw!”Chloe spins Max around and presses her against the door. Looking down at her, she notices her reddened cheeks and the surprised expression on her face. Bringing one hand up, she cups Max’s chin and leans in - kissing her.Fireworks burst in both their chests as they meet for a second time, much longer than the first chaste peck. Hearts pounding, they breathe out in unison and feel the hot sensation against their skin momentarily. Tilting their heads, Chloe scrapes her teeth against Max’s lower lip and pulls - giving her enough wiggle room to - quite literally - wiggle her tongue into her mouth and begin exploring.Clashing their lips together for a few more moments, they break apart with a heavy breath.“Wowser,” Max whispers as she stares up at Chloe. “I want more,” she continues and pulls Chloe down into another kiss.Chloe grins and takes the keys from Max’s hand, slotting them into the lock as she stares down at the girl kissing her the entire time - turning them and opening the door.Quickly making their way inside, Max slams the door shut behind them before turning towards Chloe. Looking her up and down temporarily, she pounces forward and wraps her arms around her neck - kissing at her soft lips with wild fervour.The keys drop out of her hand as Chloe is assaulted, quickly drifting her hands down to Max’s hips and then further - taking a hold underneath her thighs and lifting her up, guiding the legs around her waist whilst her own lips get busy with Max’s.“Mmh,” Max moans quietly as Chloe bites her lip. “B-bedroom.”“Working on it,” Chloe mumbles out between the kisses.Crashing through the bedroom door in an instant, Max laughs and holds on for her life as Chloe sways side to side momentarily - recovering fairly quickly. “Dork,” she whispers and uses one hand to cup her cheek - kissing her again with intent to bruise them before the night is over.Lowering her down to the bed, Chloe looms over Max and dives into another kiss, scraping her teeth across her lip again - causing the brunette to let out a quiet whimper. “F-fuck,” Chloe breathes out and moves her head down to brush her lips along her jawline instead, “Fuck, you’ve no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.”“Since you met me?” Max teases and gasps when Chloe bites softly against her neck, sucking on the spot.“Mhm.” Chloe nibbles at her neck again and sucks, producing another hickey.Tugging at her shirt, Max whimpers quietly to get Chloe’s attention. “Off. Take it off.”Obeying, Chloe slips her own shirt over her head quickly and throws it to the side - revealing her bra, tattooed arms and her toned muscles.Giving it a quick glance, Max bites her lip. “Wowser.”“Like what you see?” Chloe teases and leans backwards slightly to flex her arms.“Showoff.” Max giggles and drapes her hands around Chloe’s neck again, pulling her back down into a passionate kiss.“No fair,” Chloe mutters. “You take yours off too.”Max nods and grabs at her shirt, trying to lift it up over her head in a futile attempt due to her bottom position. “Help me then-”Chloe smiles and drags the shirt over Max’s head, revealing her own bra and freckled chest. Shooting her a quick wink, Chloe lowers herself down over her Max and begins to kiss across her bust, grazing her teeth across the fabric of her bra.“Chloe,” Max gasps out as the girl tugs at her covered nipple with her teeth. “Please-”Understanding, Chloe immediately drifts her hands up underneath the fabric and brushes over the perky mound, causing Max to let out a hearty moan. Wanting to do more, Chloe slips her hands behind her back and searches for the clasp desperately. After a moment of struggle, she unclasps the bra and quickly pulls it off Max - revealing her breasts to her as she throws the piece of cloth to the side.Helping Chloe with her own bra, Max’s hands immediately shoot up to her breasts and begin to caress them slowly - sensually - causing Chloe to close her eyes temporarily and let out a quiet ‘Fuck” under her breath.Scrambling off the bed, Chloe smirks at Max as her hands drift down to her jeans - unbuckling the belt slowly to tease the girl. “Hurry uuup,” Max whimpers and hits her fist against the bed a few times to show her discontent. “Come here.”Grinning wide, Chloe slips out of her jeans and panties at once - fully revealing herself to Max. Her grin grows even wider when she notices the bewitched expression that the brunette holds whilst staring over her form. Crawling back across the bed, her hands tug at Max’s own jeans. “Out,” she whispers and tugs again.Understanding, Max pops a few buttons and pulls down her jeans slightly, watching as Chloe drags them all the way off afterwards, bundling them up and throwing them in a random direction. “Chloe-”“Hush.” Chloe giggles as she crawls all the way up again, stopping short of Max’s chest and looking down at her legs. “Open up,” she huskily whispers and places her hands on her knees, pulling them apart slightly.Max nods and opens her legs wide, exposing her sex to Chloe as one of her hand drifts up to her strawberry-blonde hair instead. “Please, Chloe-”“Impatient.” Chloe giggles and lowers herself down between Max’s legs, immediately giving the girls clit a kiss and smiling when she hears the instant gasp she receives in return. Giving it another soft, yet longer kiss, she run’s her tongue along the length of her folds immediately afterwards - causing Max to jerk her hips momentarily. “Wow, you’re really looking forward to thi-”Before she’s able to finish her sentence, Max uses the hand in Chloe’s hair to pull her back down - moaning loudly when she feels the tongue slip between her folds and snake its way inside. “Chloe,” she whispers and pulls her down again when she feels the tongue dart in and out. “Oh my g-god-”Chloe smiles and pulls Max’s legs further apart, leaning her head against her thighs as her tongue licks and darts across the girls aroused sex time and time again. Her breath hot against her skin, Max bucks her hips the closer she comes to her release - one hand pulling at Chloe’s hair whilst the other grasps at the sheets.With masterful movements, Chloe feels Max’s walls begin to tighten around her tongue in a few moments - prompting her to bring up one hand below her chin and slip two digits inside, pumping along with her tongue as Max moans, mewls and whimpers. Arching her back, Max’s body shudders for a few moments and then falls limp.With her shit-eating grin, Chloe lets her tongue trail across Max’s body up to her collarbone - opting to leaving a series of kisses along it before she comes face to face with her. “How was it?”“W-wowser,” Max breathes out and opens her eyes.Chloe yelps in surprise when Max clamps her hands on her shoulders and flips her over onto her back, straddling her with a swift movement. “Wow, is it my turn now?” Chloe teases and wiggles her eyebrows.Max giggles and lowers herself down, shutting her up with a long kiss before moving down to her jaw and kissing along the full length of it. Biting at the skin beneath her neck, she sucks and nibbles again - leaving her territorial mark like an animal whilst her hands constantly run across Chloe’s breasts.“F-fuck, Max,” Chloe whispers and moans when she feels a pair of lips envelop her hardened nipple.Running her tongue over the taut mound, Max smirks when she hears yet another moan escape Chloe - proud of herself for being the cause of the pleasure-filled sound. Scraping her teeth against her nipple, Max nibbles and pulls it back - hearing Chloe let out a mouthful of expletives that would make a sailor blush.Moving further down, the brunette keeps her hands working on the breasts whilst she begins to kiss her way across Chloe’s pubic mound, ending with a drawn out suck on her clit. “Fuck!” Chloe groans and thrashes her legs to the side, desperately grasping at the sheets beside her. “Fuck, Max!”With her own grin present, Max follows Chloe’s earlier example - firstly licking across her folds softly and then darting inside, drawing shapes and figures inside her like she's an artist and Chloe is her canvas. A tall, tough, muscled, human canvas - but a canvas nonetheless.“Oh my... f--fuck, s-shit, shit, shit-,” Chloe mewls out and arches her back as Max keeps working at her with skill, bringing up her thumb to rub circles over her clit at the same time. “M-Max, I c-can’t-”Max smiles as she can feel the walls contract around her tongue, shortly followed up by Chloe’s guttural moan and the bucking of her hips, body trembling, lasting for seconds before she falls limp and silent in the same position the brunette was in minutes before.“Jesus - fucking - Christ,” Chloe whispers and hears the giggle from underneath. “Girl, have you experience with this or what?”“Some,” Max admits as she cuddles up beside Chloe with a smile. “I was saving it for someone special.”Chloe keeps a straight face briefly before letting a smirk work up on her lips. “Well I guess I’m a lucky girl, huh?”“You could say that, yeah.” Max giggles again and leaves a kiss on Chloe’s collarbone. “Mm, I’m tired,” she whispers and yawns on cue. “Let’s go to sleep.”Nodding, Chloe leaves a kiss on Max’s forehead and smiles. “Let’s go to sleep.”“G’night,” Max slurs a little and buries her face in Chloe’s skin - falling asleep rather quickly.Chloe lingers for a few more minutes, lost in her conflicted thoughts. You idiot. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Max wakes up the following morning, Chloe’s gone.“Oh no,” Max whispers to herself as she runs around her apartment, desperately trying to put on some clothes at the same time. “Oh no you don’t. You are not running, not now-”Freezing in her place, she spots a small post-it note stuck to the kitchen island. Upon approaching, she brings her hand to her mouth and stifles an anger-filled sob working up. ‘was fun, have to go back to arcadia. thanks for everything, keep safe. -chloe’ “You stupid-,” she whispers and shakes her head, sniffling loudly and wiping away her eyes. “No. I am not giving you up,” she continues and rips the post-it note off the island, shoving it into her pocket.Barely throwing her jacket on, Max storms out of her apartment and slams the door shut - not bothering to lock it. Racing down the stairs, she realises that she’d actually put on some PJ bottoms rather than pants - but at this point? She couldn’t care less if she was running out in her nightshirt to chase after Chloe.Running out of the building, she shoots a glance to the left and then the right. With intent to kill, she turns to the left and begins to sprint towards the Greyhound exchange at the far end of the city. Smoking her fourth cigarette in a row, Chloe keeps a quick pace to her step as she walks on the sidewalk. With a scoff, she prematurely throws the cigarette down and immediately reaches for her pack again - withdrawing another one and sparking it up.“Hey, watch where you’re goin’!”“Sorry,” Chloe mumbles as she crashes shoulders with somebody. Not bothering to even look up, she just shrugs it off and blows out some smoke nervously - her hands shaking as they hold onto the cigarette. Idiot. Idiot! Complete and utter moron. Chloe sighs and pulls the cigarette out, giving it a quick glance over. Watching as the embers burned away the tip, some ash falls down and snaps her out of her daze. Looking around, she finds herself somewhere in downtown Portland.With a look over her shoulder, she sighs and quickly crosses the street - continuing on her quest to reach the Greyhound exchange in time for the morning routes to… somewhere. Somewhere, anywhere but here. Picking up her pace after the next few blocks, she’s almost sprinting to ensure she’ll reach the coaches in time.After another 15 or so minutes of jogging, she finally comes upon the large square filled with various vehicles and buses - early morning crowds pushing and pulling through each other to reach their respective coaches. Giving another glance over her shoulder, Chloe quickly makes her way into the main brick building holding the various ticket booths.Looking up at the monitors displaying the routes, Chloe brings one hand up to her lips and taps away - thinking. Seattle? No, there's nothing for her there. Arcadia? Still unreachable. San Francisco? Too expensive for a return trip. Sacramento… Justin! Approaching one of the booths, Chloe quickly purchases a one-way ticket to Sacramento - her time being set at 10:45AM. Glancing at her phone, she has roughly 30 minutes worth of waiting. Hopefully it’d be short enough to avoid Max - that is if she’s even looking for her after yesterday.Sitting down nearby her stop, Chloe keeps looking around nervously - eyes hunting for the head of chestnut coloured hair anywhere in the crowd. As minutes tick away, she finds herself tapping her knee nervously, hands sweating as she can’t find anything to do to make time go quicker. Opting to keep herself busy with something, she brings up another cigarette and sparks it up - exhaling smoke to the side at regular intervals as her fingers constantly run down the length of the cig.The gruelling wait gives her some time to think. Just what was she doing? What was this… constant pressure in the back of her head? Why was she so nervous to suddenly be leaving, no longer content with staying with Max after the past few days? Ever since she saw her on that bus, her mind had been haywired and all over - going back and forth on the topic of establishing a long-term relationship or keeping this to a one-night stand (even though it was more than that).Chloe couldn’t. Being a combat trooper, there was no way her job was safe - she’d never want anyone to worry over her if she was sent overseas, Joyce was bad enough as it was. There was also the fear of abandonment, perhaps a hint of jealousy knowing that somebody she likes would be all on their own half a world away, meeting with their friends and mingling with… other people that might take an interest in them. No, no, no - that wouldn’t do. That wouldn’t do at all. The loud hiss of the stopping coach knocks Chloe out of her thoughts. Looking up she sees the flashing letters ‘PORTLAND-SACRAMENTO’ on the electronic display on the front. Finishing her cigarette, she hoists up her duffle and hesitates.“Chloe - Elizabeth - Price!”Chloe suddenly regrets telling Max her middle name in her drunken state last night.“Just - where - do you think you’re going?” Max exclaims, her voice betraying her anger as she stands still with her jacket wrapped around her arms - her keys noisily jangling as she shoots her hands around in a gesture. “Where?” Chloe pulls her head up and looks up at the sky briefly. “I… S-Sacramento.”“What?” Max takes a step forward and sends a deadly glare at her. “Why?”“I… I c-can’t Max.” Chloe shakes her head. “I can’t stay,” “Why?” Max repeats, still angry yet with a hint of sadness. “Why can’t you stay?”“Too dangerous,” she breathes out and still doesn’t look at her.“Chloe-,” Max begins but finds her voice lost. Bringing a hand to her forehead, she just shakes her head. “Was I just another one of your infamous one-night stands? Was that it? Was I j-just a f-fucking thing on the side?”Chloe grits her teeth and regrets saying anything about her past encounters. “No.”“Sure fucking seems like it!” Max shouts and catches the attention of nearby bystanders.“Max, don’t say that.” Chloe turns and finally faces her, noticing the puffy red eyes and streaking tears on her freckled cheeks. “You’re not any of that-”“Then what am I?” Max asks quietly. “What am I to you Chloe?”“S-shit, I don’t know.” Chloe throws one hand up into her hair. “I don’t know Max.”As even more heads turn towards them, Max snorts and shakes her head. “T-typical. Just when I think that I f-finally found someone, they j-just leave.” Chloe has the urge to smack herself in the jaw with a quick right hook but doesn’t act upon it. Not wanting to linger or hear the pained cries anymore, she takes a way out. “I’m s-sorry Max. I’ve got to go. Keep s-safe, yeah? Live a good life and all that.”Max watches through tearful eyes as Chloe turns to the side and steps onto the Greyhound. She hopes that she might hesitate, perhaps turn around and at least smile - give her something to remember her by. Chloe simply hands her ticket over and disappears in the aisle between the seats.Running her shaking hand through her hair, Max cries and turns on her heel - spotting a few heads turned towards her with assuring smiles. Jumping in her spot, she feels a few hands give her pats on the back and a few squeezes on her shoulder, a stray “It’ll get better” or a “Keep strong” directed at her in passing.Max leaves in tatters, cold, miserable and alone.Chloe watches her disappear into the morning crowds with an aching heart and her own set of tears. “That was quite a display out there.”Chloe jumps in her seat as the voice speaks up next to her. Looking up, she spots an elderly gentleman gesturing to the seat next to her. She nods and watches as he sits down beside her. “Wasn’t meant to be,” she mumbles and places her head against the window again. “I tried to catch an early bus to avoid it. Guess I was too late.”“Who was that?” He asks and looks at her. “Oh, I’m Alexander,” he smiles and extends a hand.“Chloe,” she says and shakes his hand.“Girlfriend?” Alexander raises an eyebrow.“No. No, nothing like that.” Chloe smiles at the assumption and looks out the window again, watching the passing buildings as the bus begins to mull through downtown Portland. “Just somebody I met recently.”“Ah,” he bobs his head and chuckles. “Let me guess - you both fell in love?”“Huh?” Chloe glances at him in confusion. “I… I don’t-”“You don’t know,” he nods and smiles. “I know the feeling.”“You do?”“Yes,” he continues and sighs quietly. “I was a young man once, around your age,” he chuckles again, “I served in the military too. Vietnam, during the Tet Offensive. Lost a lot of good friends in the Battle of Huế.”Chloe nods. “Afghanistan. FOB Geronimo.”“Ah.” Alexander looks around briefly. “Marine or Army?”“Army.” Chloe smirks and lifts up her dog tags. “I doubt I’d make it in the USMC.”Alexander laughs. “I wouldn’t be so sure, you look like somebody who’d be determined enough to pull through.”“Maybe,” she replies with a smirk.“I knew a girl like her once.” Alexander looks ahead with a blank stare. “Met her on leave in Galveston, took her out for a drink - one thing led to another and we ended up in the same room by the end of the night.”Chloe chuckles and looks away, focusing on the buildings outside again.“I think, think, that I was as conflicted as you. Scared that’d I’d die, leave her to mourn me as well as countless others in my family. Jealous she’d find someone else whilst I’d be gone, serving my country and all,” Alexander confesses quietly. “I knew there was something that I felt towards her, but I wasn’t sure.”Listening, Chloe glances at him momentarily and sees the flash of regret across his eyes.“I left before she woke up, wanted to catch a Greyhound to my buddies place in Dallas - leave before we’d get too invested, y’know?” Looking down at Chloe, he smiles and bumps his elbow against her. “Like your brunette, Nancy caught me before I left. I was stupid and let her go - boarded that bus and left her teary eyed at the exchange. Didn’t look back. It hurt for a long time and I spent years beating myself up over it.”“Did you ever meet her again?” Chloe asks, shifting in her seat to better look at him.Alexander nods with a smile. “Years later after the end of the war. Came home a broken man, scarred with the things I’d seen. I went to the same bar we’d gone to years ago and there she was... with another.”“Oh.”“It wasn’t quite as sad - haha - I’d gotten over her after a few years, it didn’t hurt that much. She saw me and we exchanged a few words, went out for a coffee the next day. We talked, I said my apologies and voiced my regrets. We hugged and left it at that - never saw her again,” he finishes with a sigh. “I moved to Portland, lived here my entire life. Met my wife here, had two sons and they’re both off living their own life across the country. Funnily, after our last meeting, she was always on my mind through the years… just lingering. Staying there - my feelings had all but passed, but her presence was still there.”Chloe nods and looks down at her duffle.“My point in telling you this,” he holds up his finger as he talks, “is that you should never pass up on somebody who clearly cares for you.” Alexander smiles again and points to his head. “Years on from now you'll look back at this moment with regret. The thing in the back of your head, that pressure? Your heartbeat increasing every time you see her smile, hear her laugh and say things to you? It’s exactly what you think it is.”Of all the places Chloe had been to, she’d never expected to meet a wise, old sage on a Greyhound.“Don’t allow your fears and worries to control you - live a life of ‘oh wells’ rather than ‘what-ifs’,” he finishes. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to be get back to my seat.” Huffing loudly, Chloe ran up the stairs two steps at a time - duffle dragging behind her and leaving a loud thud with each step it kept hitting, her other hand holding onto a large bouquet of flowers she’d purchased only a few streets away from the apartment building.Arriving at the door, her bag slides across the floor and hits the wall with another thud as her hand shoots up to knock on the wood instantly.The wait was painful - it lasted a whole ten seconds, each passing moments lasting roughly an eternity in Chloe’s head as she thought about what she would say.When the door finally opens, it presents Max in the same clothes she’d been wearing at the exchange - PJ pants and all - with glazed eyes, puffy red bags underneath and a tissue in her hand.“Chloe…?” Max asks quietly, her face flashing a look of hope before descending into an angry scowl. “W-what do you want?”Chloe puts her forearm against the doorframe and leans her weight on it, sighing. “Max - I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave, I was confused and scared - only did what a coward like me would do and that is run away.” Choking up for a second, she breathes out. “I realised that over these few days we’ve spent together, just exploring the city and getting to know one another… the entire time I think I was actually falling for you. You’re funny, cute and intelligent… and - wow - hella talented with your tongue.”Max blushes furiously and wipes away some tears.Chloe bites her knuckle as she stares down at the brunette briefly. “I guess… I guess what I’m saying is that I like you, Max. I like you, like… - like - like you, get me?”Surprisingly, Max nods.“It took some old dude recalling a tale from his ancient past to me before I opened my eyes,” she continues, “I care for you Max. A lot - that’s why I wanted to run. I didn’t want you to deal with the possibility that I could… die on one of my tours. I was jealous too, perhaps you’d find somebody better for you whilst I’d be gone and… and-”“Chloe.” Max reveals her smile from behind her tissue. “I like you too. Like - like - you. I care for you. I think you’re perfect for me. You may not be perfect in a literal sense, sure, you have some rough edges-”“-thanks-”“-but you’re perfect for me. That’s all I want - I’ve never felt this for anyone else before you, nor will I feel it for anyone after you, if there even is an after.” Max sniffles and looks at the flowers. “Are those for me?”“Uh-,” Chloe hangs up briefly before she holds the bouquet out. “Yes. For you.”Taking the flowers, she gives them a quick sniff and giggles - hiding her smile behind them. “Thank you.”“So,” Chloe withdraws her ticket she’d purchased earlier - ripping it in half. “I kinda wasted $120 and I have nowhere to stay the night,” she throws the torn paper behind her, “do you mind if I…”“Get in here you dork.” Chloe barely manages to catch her duffle with her hand as Max drags her inside. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Time flies like a rock or something.Hopelessly in love with one another, Chloe and Max figured that they had to spend as much time together as a deadline loomed on the horizon - Chloe’s redeployment. After spending another week together in relative peace, exploring Portland and heading out to more bars and clubs, ending their nights in hedonistic rituals filled with passion and lust - they’d noticed that time had begun to advance at a frighteningly quickening pace.Max, at first, was rather cautious about introducing Chloe to her friends. What would she say? That after all these years, she’d actually been a closet lesbian, or maybe just bi? Chloe threw aside those fears and eloquently told her to be “whatever, because fuck labels”. First came Warren, Max’s co-worker who had for quite some time been displaying an interest in courting Max himself. It wasn’t her first choice - rather Chloe’s - an attempt to crush any and all rivals in the upcoming future (even though Max reassured her time and time again that she wasn’t interested in him).Warren was disappointed, obviously, but Chloe quickly tried to reconcile relations by inviting him to a strip club (an idea Max vehemently opposed and as such made Chloe relent). Settling on going to a bar instead, they took a while and got to know each other. It wasn’t long before Chloe and Warren would share conversations every time they saw one another at Max’s workplace (because Chloe insisted to pick her up everyday despite not owning a vehicle in Portland, relying on public transportation instead).Second was Kate. Max had, metaphorically speaking, washed Chloe’s mouth out with soap to ensure she wouldn’t let too many expletives slip on their tea date. Kate, bless her soul and loving heart, was overjoyed (over the phone) with the news that Max had finally found someone perfect for her. Her joy quickly crumbled and turned to concern when Max had arrived with Chloe to their tea date.“Max, are you sure?” Kate asks her whilst Chloe is ordering tea at the counter. “She doesn’t look… safe?”Max simply laughs at that and thanks her for her concern. “Just get to know her a bit, you’ll love her,” the brunette replies and leads them to their table.As the tea date went on, Kate found herself entranced with Chloe’s tales of early youth and her kindness whilst serving abroad, descriptions of various cultures she’d encountered over the years whilst in the army. Telling her all about how they met, how they fell in love with one another, Kate could swear that somebody slipped far too many sugars into her tea for it was all too sweet.When Chloe goes to pay for everything, Kate slips her hand over Max’s. “She’s the sweetest thing. I’m happy for you,” Kate says and gives her nod of approval.“Thank you Kate,” Max smiles, “that means a lot,” she finishes and gives her friend’s hand a squeeze.With Kate’s approval in the bag, Max was confident that her third and final friend would pose no challenge at all.Juliet Watson, Max’s boss, third and final friend, was a gossip queen. In an angry phone call only days after Kate’s tea date, Juliet demanded to know whether the rumours that Max was dating another girl were true. Under pressure of scrutiny, Max told her the truth and had to promptly hang up lest she wished to go to the ER with bleeding ears (Juliet's scream was very loud). Calling back almost immediately, Max found herself invited to a girls night in Portland the following week - an invitation was also extended to Chloe but she refused, having already arranged a night out with Warren in an attempt to “get him some” as his self-designated wingwoman.So came the day of their outing a week later. On a quiet night - Juliet, Max, Kate and Dana (an acquaintance of Max and Kate but a friend of Juliet’s) all gathered at a small club in downtown Portland. Dressed to impress with a spaghetti strap dress, Juliet led her pack of girls inside and sat them all down in a VIP booth - a courtesy extended to her by the club owner for posting favourable reviews in her newspaper. With drinks ordered and the first wave quickly consumed, the girls were tipsy by the time the conversation moved to Max’s mysterious girlfriend.“So what’s she like between the sheets?” Juliet asks and bites her finger playfully, staring at Max.Kate giggles loudly but quickly pipes down when she realises her volume, covering her mouth with a blush. “S-sorry,” she slurs out and sips her wine.Indulging, Max smiles. “Wild,” she says loud enough for the group to hear.“Do tell,” Juliet continues and leans forward, sipping her drink.With a bit of confidence stemming from the alcohol in her system, Max smirks as she runs her finger over the rim of her glass. “Some of the things she does, that she taught me… G-God, I never knew they were possible,“ she bites her lip and giggles. “Don’t get me started on that tongue of hers either-”Juliet shrieks and pumps the air excitedly, the group bursting out in laughter afterwards.Max came home late that night, assisted by Juliet and Kate, and was met with her girlfriend waiting patiently - watching an episode of something on Netflix. Upon seeing her state, Chloe simply laughed and thanked the two girls for helping her get home. Before leaving however, Juliet managed to whisper “Very hot, I approve” into Max’s ear somewhere along the way - causing her to giggle uncontrollably before Chloe managed to calm her down.With all her friends approval gained, introductions made, Max was happy with how things were going between her and Chloe. Then came the heavier topics.Parents were an instant conflict between them. Max had wanted to take Chloe to Seattle to introduce her to her parents, but Chloe was adamantly against pulling either of their parents into the relationship yet. It led to their first argument and their prompt apologies to one another, descending into a night of watching movies and eating ice cream (which Chloe had acquired after spending an hour wondering around looking for a 24/7 at 3AM). Deciding that parents were a no-no for now, they agreed to wait until Chloe would return from her next tour of duty before delving down that rabbit hole.Speaking of her tour of duty - the date approached. Clinging closer and closer with each passing day, Max wasn’t sure just how she’d cope with having Chloe away from home. Attached at the hip by this point, Max was questioning Chloe’s career choice. Another argument, another make up instantly afterwards and another night of ice-cream consumption (which this time was actually acquired by Max at 2AM instead). In the end, they came upon an agreement - this deployment would be Chloe’s last. Upon her return, she’d quit the forces and instead look for a stable job in Portland to be with Max and perhaps finally ‘settle down’ as it were.Then just like that their time had run out. “Baby, don’t cry.”Max nods quietly and then buries her face in her neck again, hands wrapped around her waist. “O-okay.”“You’ll see,” Chloe begins as she kisses her forehead, “I’ll be back before you know it.”Max nods again, but then cries anyway.Chloe sighs and pulls her closer, lazily looking around her - their - room. Having moved in with just her duffle, things were pretty much still the same as a few months ago. Their dirty clothes in one pile in the corner, the wardrobe was slightly more packed than usual due to the addition of Chloe’s stuff, the decor unchanged - except now it was all theirs. A place to call home, their apartment, away from Seattle and Arcadia.Chirping birds outside the window notified them that morning was still coming, as much as they hadn’t wanted it to.“I’ll m-miss you,” Max whispers and squeezes her harder. “So, so much.”“I’ll miss you too,” Chloe replies and burrows her face in her chestnut hair. “I’ll hella miss you.”Max sniffles and rubs her nose quickly. “You’ll c-call, right?”“I’ll call every time I’m allowed. I’ll write to you too, so better start checking that mailbox everyday.” Chloe smiles when she manages to make Max giggle. “You’ll write too, right?”“Everyday,” Max whispers as she nods. “Not missing a beat, nu-uh.”It’s Chloe’s turn to giggle as she squeezes her. “I love you,” she says under her breath and kisses her forehead. “Love you so much.”Max sobs harder than before. “Don’t g-go. Stay. Stay with me, please, baby, don’t go.”“Just this first and last time, Max.” Chloe smiles as she presses a soft kiss into her hair, sniffling herself. “We agreed I’d quit after this tour-”“Before,” Max whispers and shakes her head repeatedly. “Quit before, b-baby, please-”“I can’t Max, you know that.” Chloe replies and kisses her forehead again. “I can’t just quit right before a deployment. I promise this is the first and last time you have to deal with this, j-just… don’t cry. You’re going to make me bawl too.”Max continues to cry anyway and buries herself even further into Chloe, her entire world revolving only around her girlfriend at this moment in time. “I l-love you.”Chloe nods and quickly brings up one hand to wipe away her own tears, drifting it back around Max afterwards and pulling her in as close as she can.As the morning light lazily floods in through their window, the only sound occupying the room is the quiet whimpers and sobs originating from Max - crying, letting her tears fall as she holds onto the person she loves the most.“Hey,” Chloe whispers after a few more minutes. “Hey, shh, it’s okay,” she says as she kisses away her tears and brushes her hair aside. “Let’s get up, shower and I’ll make us waffles okay? With whipped cream and strawberries, just like you love them.”Max sniffles and rubs her nose, briefly nodding her head. “O-okay. Okay.” Standing with Max underneath her arm, Chloe waits. The entire time she hears the sniffles and quiet swear words mouthed out by her girlfriend beside her, each time responding with a squeeze to bring her closer - leaving an occasional kiss on her forehead. Beside them lays her duffle, packed with all her essentials and personal military gear already.“What am I going to d-do without you here?” Max whispers as she stares out over the square they’re standing in. “I’ve literally nothing to do.”“Hey, hey,” Chloe looks down at her as she speaks. “What about Kate? Warren? Juliet? They’re all your friends, just… go out and get wild, you know? Have fun.” Chloe yet again kisses her forehead, more so out of habit at this point because she knows that it doesn’t actually do jack to calm down Max. “You world doesn’t have to come to a standstill because I’m gone for a few months.”“But it will,” she whispers back. “It will come to a standstill Chloe.”Chloe processes the words and simply looks over the Greyhound exchange - blankly switching between the dozens of faces mulling about in the crowds. Her heart pounding, aching, she sighs and presses her lips to her temple. “Just this one time baby. A few months and I’ll be back for good, okay? Just hold on and keep in contact, it’ll be like I’m still here.”Max sniffles and wipes her eyes for the umpteenth time today. “I didn’t know it’d be t-this hard.”Chloe snorts. “That’s what she said.”Slamming her meek fist against her chest, Max giggles and snorts herself. “Perv,” she mumbles and buries her face in Chloe’s jacket, her hand idly playing with the set of dog tags resting on her chest.Noticing, Chloe smiles and used a hand to lift her dog tags over her head. “Here,” she says and places them over Max’s head instead, resting them around her neck. “Keep them.”“Won’t you get in t-trouble?” Max asks as she looks down at small plates.“Who cares?” Chloe shrugs. “It’s just dog tags, they’ll make me another set.”Max brings up the small engraved plate and reads over the stencilled text with Chloe’s details. “T-thank you,” she whispers and quickly wraps her arms around her girlfriend's neck, standing on her tiptoes as she kisses her.With a satisfied hum and smile, Chloe breaks them apart and places their foreheads together. “I’ll think about you everyday, write you letters, talk to you whenever I’m allowed.”“Me too.” Max smiles and pecks her lips. “Oh, and if you miss so much as one day, one day, between your letters, then - hoho -, Chloe Elizabeth Price - I will be pissed-” “-uh-oh-”“-and I will travel to your damn base and give you a scolding n-not even your mother could equal.” Max frowns at Chloe briefly and then smiles. “Okay?”Chloe laughs and then nods. “Hell hath no fury like Max Caulfield scorned.”“Exactly.”Laughing together, the couple stands nearby the exchange and waits. Eventually, a coach rolls to a stop next to them - flashing “PORTLAND-SAN FRANCISCO” on it’s digital display.“Hey,” Chloe begins and she pulls Max around to face her, “I’ll miss you, okay? I promise to write everyday, call whenever I can - keep my stupid, big head down long enough to survive so I can come back to you.”Max can’t help but cry, throwing herself into Chloe - getting picked up in the process as they embrace. “I’ll m-miss you. W-write, call and keep you big head down, o-okay?”Chloe laughs through her tears and quickly spins them around, causing Max to shriek and giggle into her camo jacket. “I promise baby. I’ll be back before you know it, j-just… stay safe and have fun, okay? Give my best to Kate, Warren and Juliet too.”Max nods as she’s put back down, running a hand over her eyes to wipe her tears.Waiting for a second, Chloe looks down at Max and then brings up a hand to cup her chin - leaving her with a long, passionate and lingering kiss filled with the taste of tears and the promise of a better future. Grazing her teeth against her lower lip, Chloe enters her mouth with her tongue and brings up her other hand to pull Max further into their kiss.It's perfect - everything that Max needs at that very moment. It's a promise in itself, an oath, an unspoken vow of trust that Chloe will be back and she will be alive and well. Wanting it to go on forever, Max frantically pushes herself into the kiss, causing Chloe to stumble backwards with a giggle.Breaking away, they place their foreheads together.“I promise I’ll be back,” Chloe whispers, each word a half-kiss as theirs lips brush together.“Go,” Max mumbles with a smile. “Go before I change my mind you stupid, big headed idiot.”Chloe laughs and pulls Max into one last hug. Over her shoulder, she spots an elderly gentleman walking by and smiling in their direction - Alexander. He disappears into the Portland crowds as quickly as he shows up.“I love you,” Chloe gives her one more kiss as she pulls away.Max nods and sniffles, stepping back. “I love you too.”Hoisting her duffle up, Chloe gently takes the set of dog tags around Max’s neck into her hand and brings them up to her mouth - giving them a kiss and smiling at her. “For luck, and something to hold onto when I’m not there.”Turning on her heel, Chloe steps onto the Greyhound and flashes her tickets quickly. Once approved, she walks down the aisle to her usual seat near the back - sniffling as she sits down beside the window and looks outside.Already Max is standing right below where Chloe is sitting - waving and sending her kisses the entire time they wait for the bus to leave. Quickly blowing her hot breath over the window, Chloe writes ‘I <3 u’ on the glass and sticks her tongue out. Max giggles and waves again, wiping away some tears.In time, the bus slowly rolls forward. Chloe watches as Max disappears, constantly waving towards the coach carrying her girlfriend away.When downtown Portland begins, Chloe already hears her phone buzzing.-Max: i miss uMax: :(Chloe: calm ur tits bitchChloe: aint even out of portland yetMax: call me in sf?Chloe: roger-Plugging her earphones in, Chloe shuffles her playlist and places her head against the window.Momentarily, Blink-182’s - I Miss You begins playing.All she had to do was keep her head down for a few months, that’s it. Don’t take any unnecessary dangers, idiot - it’s simple. - Don't waste your time on me. You're already the voice inside my head. I miss you, miss you. -   fin?
11001138
The truly perverted
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), Midoriya Izuku, Mineta Minoru, Yaoyorozu Momo", "Fandom": "僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Lorastrak11", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-25T00:00:00", "words": "1,465", "Additional Tags": "Math, class 1A attempting to deal with nightmare called math, actually it was just me procrastinating, oops exams are tomorrow, well hope you enjoy", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Milky way - planet Earth - Japan - UA high school - class 1A dorms. That is the fated dorm where perhaps the most friction was ever exerted on a pencil. Forceful scribbling of graphite against paper. Just after the information was put down a now almost used up eraser made the information disappear into oblivion. Due to the number of times that the information was erased the paper ripped under the strain. Luckily it wasn’t the question paper but an extra that Izuku took when he realised he couldn’t just mumble his way out of the problem.Now you might be wondering what has Midoriya Izuku the fourth ranked boy in class 1A in such a slump. Now 4 out of 20 might not sound genius like. But please consider not just brawn was needed in a hero school sure the physical exam was used to determine which department the student goes in, but the written portion, that decided if you actually got in. (if they get like 0 points on the physical they ain’t getting in though)For an examiner to eve look at your test you need at least 70% to actually get in you need roughly 80%. So not only were the students in the school incredibly fit, heroic and good looking, they were also very smart. Being in the school puts you on a level of an above average genious. Ranking in top 5 in a class (any class) means you’re nothing short of a genius, So why was Midoriya Izuku stuck on a question worth only 3 out of 100 marks. It only had part a and b, part a being worth 2 marks and part b one mark. Izuku was usually good with math, he loved statistics and he knew he needed it in heroics more than one can expect. So pray tell why was he stuck on a question that was likely to come on the exam only two days away!He’s been stuck on it for 20 minutes already. But his determination couldn't bring him to stop trying. After about a minute more of mumbling he finally gave.“Aghhhhhh I can’t do this why is calculus so impossible anyways!!! (Mumbling mode ON) I mean part one was fairly easy I only had to use trigonometry. There wasn’t much calculus in it so there is probably more in part b, otherwise it would just be in the trigonometry package. But then again Sir Aizawa made the package he probably wants to keep us on his toes, so maybe it is mainly trigonometry. No it can’t be I can’t apply it at all. The only thing I had to do in part A was use a trig identity and differentiate some parts nothing too hard or impossible. I just had to let f(x) = 3 cos 2x + sin^2x and then prove that the differentiated equation is equal to f’(x) = -5 sin 2x. They even gave you the answer, to give you a chance to attempt b even if you didn't understand a. But I don’t get it!!!!!”“Fine I give up math, you’re officially the hardest villain I fought so far, except maybe the hero killer, but really he didn’t beat him so does it count. AGHHHHH stop mumbling to yourself Izuku, why am I mumbling to myself about having to stop mumbling I need help. And I don’t mean mental. I can ask Momo or Iida since they scored better than me in math, well Kacchan did too but I’d rather leave that stone unturned.”So our aspiring hero went of on a quest to find someone that can help him battle this monster of equation. Luckily for him Momo, Iieda and Todoroki were in the general area attempting the same question as him. “Midoriya, do you get question 5b in the question booklet” came a shout from Ieda along with some weird gestures. “Yeah it just doesn’t make sense” and so the four most mathematically inclined students of class 1A minus Bakugou sat down and attempted the math question.  Constant mumbling and pencil scratching was coming from the biggest table in the common area. The other less mathematically inclined students simply stared. “I don’t understand half of what they’re talking about” “Not like I do Eijirou”“Aaa I didn’t expect you to Denki, you’re last place you placed worst than Mineta.”“11 other people placed better than him and quite frankly you did too, Mr 15”“I could never compare to you Mr 20”“Whatever I could always beat you in a battle of true manliness”“Oooooh so my little Denki thinks he can use those fancy big words on me now hus” And the brawling began…Elsewhere in the common area Jirou and Tsuyu joined the heated debate. After 10 more minutes someone unexpected came crawling out of his room. “Does any of you fucking useless fucks get question 5 fucking b. It’s fucking shitty and I don’t really expect that any of you guys actually fucking get it, since you all have fucking shit for brains, but i’m fucking asking because I will not fucking place third again. EVER”Like possessed the whole study group turned to him at the same time. Depression clear in their eyes as they stared at the question. So nice and innocent fine black ink surrounded by white paper;‘ (5b) In the interval pie/4 3pie/4, one normal to the graph of f has equation x = k. Find the value of k.’ And so Bakugou Katsuki ever the proud joined the table. ‘Sometimes he thinks, you have to use those little shits to climb to the top’It didn’t take long for the rest of the class who were originally only intending to study the night before the exam to start. Soon everyone (but Mineta) were at question 5b). That was of course only after every question before was thoroughly explained by the gentle Momo, loud Iida, a bit too much information Izuku, stoic Todoroki and swearing Katsuki. When the class of 1A famous hero highschool finally gave up and admitted that math is more difficult and complex than any villain out, an hour has already passed. On one question (+ explanations). “We tried everything. From trig identities, to quotient rule, to looking at material that comes later on in the course. Heck even the internet doesn’t have an apparent answer’ The rest of the class slowly (and in depression) nodded towards Momo. “We can just ask a teacher tomorrow” “Yeah let’s do that” But then the unexpected happened…“Did I miss anything all you lovely boo.. I mean classmates are hanging around the table without me.” came the rather questionable question from the shortest member of class 1A.”Iida ever the responsible was quick to reply;“We were just studying calculus for the exam tomorrow, why didn’t you join us, we WERE quite noisy”The girls looked quite grossed out by the statement. “I was studying on my own, since I thought better grades could help me get the boo.. I mean better at being a her” The girls again looked grossed out. “But I won’t have time tomorrow because Sexxtitta (a porn star) is doinga live performance.”Despite still being slightly disturbed Momo, quickly jumped at an impossible thought that came to his mind. “Wait ‘better grades’ so he didn’t study much last time, even though he placed 9th”Same/similar thought occurring in everyone's heads came to one striking conclusion.‘COULD IT BE THAT MINETA IS ACTUALLY REALLY SMART!!!!!!’“Wait Mineta so you understood question 5b”, As Iida asked the question the whole class looked at Minet with …. Expressions???“Question 5 let me see…. Oh that one it’s only worth 3 marks it was quite easy”OK now the whole class was wide eyed. “Simple what simple they’ve been stuck for an hour and he dare say simple. HOW THE FUCK DARE HE”“You just had to add pie/4 and 3pie/4 and then divide them by 2.”After about a minute of jaw picking, answer checking and internal shrieking the whole class finally erupted in turmoil. “OH YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME”Without knowing quite what was happening Mineta was suddenly tightly hugged with a pair of… pair of… boobs planted in his face. He knew that size and shape from his observations, it was Momo, but because it was so sudden the local pervert had no time to react.From that moment forward Mineta completely forgot about the question that was asked. He did later wonder why so many people came to him with math. He just wishes the girls didn't ask the guys to ask him. No way would he answer them. “HE WANTS BOOBS DAMMIT” Well he did get them once….
11023779
Crush
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Adrian Chase, Barry Allen, Prometheus (DCU), The Flash - Character, Oliver Queen, The Arrow - Character, Team Flash (mentioned), Team Arrow - Character", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by RandomWeirdCat", "chapters": "4/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-03T00:00:00", "words": "2,790", "Additional Tags": "Adrian takes a liking to Barry, Bisexual Barry Allen, Mayor Oliver Queen, Protective Oliver, Adrian isn't married but Doris is a close friend, What Was I Thinking?, What Have I Done, Adrian knows about the Flash but doesn't know his identity", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Adrian Chase/Barry Allen, Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "The Flash (TV 2014), Arrow (TV 2012)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Adrian Chase walked into the DA, he opened a door and ran straight into someone, he knocked some of the papers the man was holding all over the floor. "Are you okay?" The man asked, Warmth spread through Adrian's chest. Adrian ran into a rather cute brown haired man, he had amazing eyes and he was taller than Adrian. "I should be asking you that, I ran into you." Adrian replied, he almost couldn't take his eyes off the man.  "W-well I'm fine." The man bent down and picked up some papers, Adrian kneeled down and helped.  "I'm Adrian Chase by the way."  The man looked up and smiled, "Barry Allen." They shook hands and Adrian handed the papers to Barry. "Thanks." Barry stood after getting all the papers in order. "No problem, are you new around here? I haven't seen you before." Adrian asked "Oh um, no, I'm only visiting a friend of mine for a few days." Barry Kind of reminded Adrian of a puppy.  "Alright, so maybe we'll run into each other again?" Adrian said, a small smile was on his face. "Maybe!" Barry had a smile on his face as well, suddenly, Oliver Queen, the man Adrian hated the most in life came up from behind Barry. "Hey Barry, I see you met Adrian." "Yeah! We kind of ran into each other." Barry replied, he looked at Oliver and then Adrian.  Adriam felt the warmth in his chest disappear, "You two are friends?" Adrian asked, keeping his eyes on Barry. "Yes, he's the friend I was talking about." Barry said, his smile hadn't left his face. "Oh, that's nice..." Adrian's eye twitched for a small moment, he doesn't know why he's feeling so possessive all of the sudden.  Oliver turned to Barry, "We should probably go. We have...To go get Felicity those papers... See you later Adrian!" Oliver pulled Barry away, Barry waved to Adrian and Adrian waved back. Adrian wished to go with them but just watched them walk. Adrain turned and began walking away, he had a feeling He'll meet Barry again Very soon... ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Adrian sharpened his sword and daggers and arrows, he had heard rumors of The Arrow and The Flash. They were working together. Adrian heard how's fast the Flash was but wanted to see for himself Adrian stood ontop of a building and watched as Thugs fought the Two Vigilantes. The Flash's costume was red and had a lightning bolt symbol on his chest. Adrian could barely keep his eyes on the Flash. Prometheus threw down a shuriken at The Red speedster when he stopped moving. The Flash looked up at Prometheus. "Well that's one way to get my Attention." Arrow also looked up, he quickly shot a arrow at Prometheus. Prometheus dodged Easily and seen out of the corner of his eye that the Thugs were trying to escape. Arrow looked at the Thugs then Flash, "You take Prometheus and I'll get them!" He shot arrows at the Thugs as they tried to leave. Flash picked up the shuriken and ran up the building, he stood across from Prometheus. "So, I take it your Prometheus?" The Flash asked. "Indeed I am. And you are the Flash." Flash nodded and flipped the shuriken. "Cool shuriken, did you make these or buy them at a Bad guy's store?" Adrian smirked from under his mask. "Made them." Prometheus replied calmly, Flash hummed, "Cool, how about you let me take you to jail and than we can talk more about them?" Prometheus chuckled. "I'd rather not be carried by you." The thought was funny as he could picture them. The Flash nodded, "I can't help but think you sound like Darth Vader and My buddy Arrow mixed together." Prometheus took out his katana so the Flash questions. "What? Was it something I said?" Flash speeded over behind Prometheus and Prometheus swung his arm, only to have it caught and his katana grabbed. "Did you make this too?!" Maybe this wasn't the best of ideas... Prometheus kicked the Flash's feet and tried to back up but Flash grabbed his arm and yanked him down. Prometheus rolled on the ground and got up, he threw shurikens at the Flash but he just dodged them and threw some back.  Prometheus ran at the Flash and tried to grab his Katana but Flash held it up.... Prometheus hates to admit it but he's too short to reach it. Flash chuckled but soon stopped when Prometheus uppercutted him in the stomach.  Prometheus jumped and grabbed his blade, he swiped at Flash and only sliced a little of the suit. Flash ran around him, making it so Prometheus couldn't see him anymore.  Prometheus stopped trying to look at the Flash and grabbed some kunai's and threw them outwords. The Flash stopped when one almost hit his face. Prometheus took the small distraction to try and tackle the Flash. Flash moved out of the way. That was a mistake on both parts. Prometheus didn't notice how close they were to the edge and The Flash didn't notice as well so when Prometheus flew off the top of the building.  Flash moved so quick he had slowed time. He quickly grabbed Prometheus by his arm and pulled him back over the Building. Time started again when Prometheus grabbed onto the Flash and they both went down on the roof. The Flash couldn't seen Prometheus's eyes but the same couldn't be said for Prometheus. Adrian felt the same Warmth in his chest just like a few hours ago, those eyes....They looked familiar. Barry felt his cheeks go red, probably not as red as his suit but definitely Red. "Uh..." Prometheus shook his head slightly and pushed Flash off of him. "We will meet again." Prometheus threw down smoke bombs. Barry coughed and speeded his arms to clear the smoke. Prometheus was gone. The door to the roof opened, Oliver looked around. "What happened? Where's Prometheus?" Barry blinked. "Ask the Smoke. I have no idea." Oliver rolled his eyes and sighed. "Stairs are still annoying." With Prometheus, he threw down his Katana and his weapons. He growled and punched the wall. Those eyes. They couldn't be, could they? ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Adrian had just thought about last night, his arm had a slight bruise on his arm from where the Flash grabbed him. He held his arm slightly and turned a corner, only to run into someone. "Oof!" Adrian fell on top of someone, he looked down and seen that he fell on top of Barry! "Oh sorry!" Adrian blushed and got up, he smile and helped Barry up. "We really should stop meeting like this." Barry said. Adrian didn't let go of his hand and asked, "Yeah. How've you been?" Barry smiled, "I've been good, I've almost finished working with Oliver. I just got out of a Meeting with him. How about you?"  "Oh, Im good. What were you and Oliver in a meeting about?" Adrian finally let go of Barry's warm hand, Barry thought for a second."A work thing. WhereStat Labs and Star City were trying to do something about the Meta's and all the bad guys." Barry hoped that was a good explanation without giving a ton away. Adrian nodded. "That sounds interesting, hope things work well." Barry grinned, "Me too but for now...Do you think you would like to go and grab something to eat?" Adrian's thoughts cleared of what happened last night and all of his blushed. "Y-yeah, sure..." Adrian said happily. Barry turned and held out his arm, "Let's go!" Adrian laughed and glanced at Barry's arm, he wrapped his arm Barry's and they both started laughing.  Barry began to sing a little toon. "We're off to see the wizard...." Adrian finished his sentence. "The wonderful wizard of OZ." They grinned and Barry sighed. "Oh I've seen that too many times."  "Same here." They skipped a little and  contained their laughter, people began looking at them. Barry almost started singing the whole damn song if not for Oliver looking at them amused as they left.   Barry and Adrian sat and watched people going by, Barry sipped his drink from Big Belly Burger. "That guy looks like he's going to go run a marathon." A guy in a orange jump suit was running down the sidewalk. "Look at him!" There was a guy in green hoodie, "I feel like he's gonna come up to us and say, 'You have Failed this city'." Adrian laughed, wishing that Oliver was here to see them both mocking. Barry laughed, he almost spit his soda. Oliver would kill them both! "This is probably one of the best lunches of my life." Barry said chuckling, making fun of Oliver was always funny. Adrian blushed and laughed, "How many Lunches have you had?" Barry paused.  "Hmm... A few with my friend Iris...A few with another friend Cisco...My stepdad anddd my other friends." Barry finished his hamburger and threw the wrapper in the bag.  "Well don't I feel special." Adrian smirked, both of their phones went off. Adrian and Barry checked their phones. "Oliver needs me." Barry said. "I've gotta go too. See you around?" Adrian said, hope in his voice. "Yeah, definitely. See you around Adrian." Barry got up and walked rather quickly away. Adrian watched Barry like a hawk.  Evelyn had news on the Flash. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- As Adrian punched the nearest table he yelled out, Barry was the damn Flash after all. Adrian knew he should of prepared himself for this, the signs pointed to Barry, him working with Oliver, the Flash coming into town when Barry did, the eyes... Yet it still pissed Adrian off, enough to put on his Prometheus suit and grab his weapons. He need to let off some steam. Maybe fighting Barry would ease the anger. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and drunk the bottle. This wasn't going to end so well. Prometheus jumped down the roof, he slaughtered a few drug dealers and maybe let a building blow up... So what? He turned to a running bloody dealer and threw a metal star at him. There was a gust of window and the the star was caught. Perfect. "You know, throwing stuff really isn't nice." The Flash tried to joke. Arrow was next to him, he shot an arrow at the dealer and stuck him to the ground. Adrian looked Barry in the eyes... His anger flared, this adorable sassy speedster! "Well Flash, I don't really care." Arrow shot three arrows at him, he dodged and threw a star at the other, Flash ran and punched him. He punched him to the other side, his version blurred before his hand Shot out and grabbed Flash. Prometheus also dodged Arrow's attack and his punches. Adrian was somewhat drunk and still was beating Oliver, Ha. Oliver got tripped from under his feet and Adrian kicked him away. When Prometheus turned to the Flash he almost fell into him, his footing wasn't that well. He growled and swung at Flash, he grabbed a blade and tried to slice at him. Barry simply dodged and grabbed Adrian's wrist. Flash twisted and threw him back near Oliver, Oliver grabbed him and slammed his back into the wall. After this Adrian was going to get even more hammered. Prometheus punched Arrow in the gut and elbowed him in the head. Prometheus threw Oliver into Barry and jumped, he threw more stars and Kunais at the two. Adrian didn't care if he was kind of drunk, he avoided Barry's hit by stabbing his sword into the wall and using it as a way to kick Flash back. His head started to spin, he really shouldn't of done this, wasn't he supposed to be smart and cunning? Oliver rolled on the ground, his head also was spinning. Barry went to grabbed Prometheus when Prometheus actually grabbed onto his shoulder and leaned. When Adrian grabbed Barry he was trying to stay steady. Flash was momentarily confused by the sudden hand on his shoulder and no attack. Prometheus took the time to punch him to the ground and threw a smoke bomb down at the ground. A few seconds later Adrian almost forgot he actually needed to move and not just stand there. Adrian ran away and returned to his 'Lair'. He might have stolen a few beers and more whiskey. Hours later when Adrian was out of his costume and was stumbling down the road, he kind of forgot which way was home. His hands fumbled for his phone and almost hissed at the bright light. Adrian went through the names and called the one who made him like this. Barry Allen. "Hello?" Barry's voice echoes through the phone for a minute "Barryyyy...I need some help please." Adrian said, his words were sluggish and slow. It was, Adrian checked the time, 3 at night and Adrian was lost. "H-help meee, Im lost and not in NeverLand!" Adrian said looking around. Barry rubbed his eyes and hummed. "Adrian? Are you drunk?" That was a million dollar question at the moment. Adrian giggled, "Maybeee~! I just need you to help meee!" Adrian hung up and sent Barry his location. Sooner than later Barry arrived in a car, "Adrian?" Adrian smiled the best he could at the moment. "Barry! Sugar hey! I was just on the phone with you and now here you are!" Barry smiled and got out of his car, or rather Oliver's car. Barry walked over to Adrian. "Your hammered." Barry asked. Adrian laughed. "A little, Yeah." "Come on." Barry put Adrian's arm over his shoulder and leaded him to the car. Barry set Adrian down in the seat and did the seat belt. "Adrian where do you live?" Adrian shrugged and looked out the window. "I think somewhere near here... My phone has the location incase something happened or someone else has my phone...I can't read it though." Adrian says with a hiccup. Barry rolled his eyes and reached for Adrian's phone but Adrian pulled phone away. "First! I need a kiss on the cheek!" Adrian declares as if he was on top of the world. Barry shook his head, blushing bright red. He leaned over and kissed Adrian's cheek softly. Adrian purred, he cried out when Barry grabbed his phone. "Nooo." Barry looked at the coordinated. Adrian was really prepared for all problems. "There!" Barry drove to the house. Adrian's eyes widen. "We found my house! Cool!"  Barry opened his door and walked over to the drunk man. "Come on." Barry pulled Adrian, which Adrian started to complain about. "Im a princess! Carry me!" Barry wished to just run Adrian in and get him to bed but started to laughed. "I thought you were the handsome prince?" Adrian's cheeks reddened more as did Barry's. Adrian hummed and nodded. "I'll be the Prince, you'll be the Princess!" Adrian knew that wasn't true...Barry's more of a prince than him. "Yeah, sure." Barry kept pulling Adrian, he found Adrian's keys and opened the door. Barry didn't flip on the lights until they got upstairs and in Adrian's room. "Come on." Barry leads Adrian to the bed and puts him down. Adrian flops down and laughs. "If you wanted me in bed this quick you could of asked~" Adrian says, he sits up and takes off his coat along with his shirt. He flops back down and Barry seen some scars along with Adrian's Abs. Blushing Barry went to turn around and leave when Adrian suddenly threw his shirt at Barry. "Stay? At least until I'm asleep." This was going to come back and bite Adrian in the ass later but he's drunk, what does he care? Adrian rolled over so Barry could sit down, Adrian threw off his Shoes and closed his eyes. He could almost laughed at this, he probably will tomorrow! Prometheus, the Throwing Star Killer was drunk next to the Flash, The Scarlett Speedster. "Barry?" Adrian said without opening his eyes. "Yeah?" At the bottom of Adrian's stomach he felt pure sadness, after everything this wasn't going to be the same anymore.  "I'm sorry." He meant those words. Barry smiled, "For calling me?" If only that was it. "Y-yeah." Adrian leaned into the pillow and drifted off but not before hearing a quiet, "It's Okay." From Barry. After about forty minutes Adrian was passed out, head buried in the pillow. Barry slowly got up from the bed, careful not to make any noise and tiptoes out of the room. Barry ran outside in a 'Flash'... His puns were worst than Leonard Snarts. Barry gets in the car and drives, Adrian's probably not going to be happy with the Hangover.
11053953
Two Words
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger", "Fandom": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Beachmomma77", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "2,221", "Additional Tags": "Ministry of Magic, Post Hogwarts AU, Secret Admirer, Redeemed Draco Malfoy", "Relationship": "Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
I do not own Harry Potter.December 16thMonday mornings at the Ministry were mostly frowned upon by the employees, as they still longed for the weekend. From the moment Hermione Granger entered the building, she had been caught in the middle of a slew of tired looking colleagues who were mindlessly making their way to their respective offices. This used to scare her when she started working at the Ministry three years ago, but now she has become used to the Monday morning rush. It seems that getting caught in the tide, so to speak, magically lands her inside a crowded elevator, and up to her office. She had prepared herself to take on the day with her Monday game face on. Armed with a frown and eyebrows furrowed, she confidently stepped out of the elevator on Level Five, and right on to the rich and enticing aroma of freshly brewed coffee…?“Morning, Granger!”There, by the guest lounge at the waiting area of the International Magical Cooperation office, sat a dashing Draco Malfoy. Hermione felt her heart flutter and her cheeks turn several shades of red. She had been secretly checking out the blond Ministry lawyer since he moved to the International Magical Office of Law six months ago, after having spent two years as an Auror. The fact that he always chose to wear a muggle suit and tie did not help her curb her fantasies. This, however, was not a fantasy. She was standing a few steps away from her dreamland Romeo, looking like a dolt. She cleared her throat, gave him a nod and said, “Excuse me.”Draco watched unabashedly as the Deputy Department Head of the International Trading Standards Body, walked straight to her office, her hips swaying gracefully from side to side. It was rather strange for the former Slytherin to be openly eyeing a lady in public. Only this was no ordinary lady. This was Hermione Granger - golden girl of Gryffindor, the brains behind the Golden trio, the youngest ever Ministry Department Deputy… and the sole reason he’d decided to leave his Auror career to move to the Level Five.If he were to be honest with himself, he’d probably liked her since fourth year at Hogwarts; however, things were different then. Now, especially after the highly publicized break up from her fiancé Viktor Krum, he knew he had to make a move.And why not? He was Draco Malfoy, the smooth operator, the ladies’ man. There had yet to be a woman who didn’t succumb to his charms. He played the game and played it well yet, all he managed to say to the witch who stole his heart were two words. Two words and a charmed galleon. He sighed, and took a sip off his coffee. He didn’t even like the stuff he bought it every day but she did. And in the hopes that she might just notice he drank it and ask him to go get coffee one day.On cue, his charmed galleon heated up. He reluctantly fished it out of his pocket and read, “They’re beautiful!” He smiled, picturing how her eyes must’ve twinkled with delight upon seeing her office filled with a hundred red roses.Hermione twirled in delight. Inside her usually dull and grey office were about a hundred red roses, beautifully arranged by her window, around her desk, and on top of her vertical cabinets where she kept most of her files. On her desk was a vase that had several roses in it, and below it, a note that simply read, “I’m sorry.” She blushed, and held the note close to her heart. She thought back to the first gift she had received. For almost three months, she’d been receiving presents from a mysterious sender a secret admirer, if you will.It started in October - the 8th to be exact - when the Minister sent for her as soon as she arrived. When she’d been told to take her boss’s place as the Guest Speaker for the Magical Trade Convention, she cursed Magnus Fletcher for getting Dragon Pox two days before the said convention. She came back to her department, and requested for the documents from his secretary a blonde witch who had more breasts than she had brains. As expected, his secretary didn’t have a clue what Hermione needed. Hermione did her best to stop herself from throwing a hex her way, before she stomped out of the room and started muttering about uncaring colleagues. She spent the entire morning scouring the archives for the files she needed to create her presentation for the convention. When she returned to her small office at noon, she opted to skip lunch and start reading the files, writing her notes in the afternoon, and revising in the evening. She had no idea how much time has passed her by until she had woken up at the sound of a loud thud coming from the hall. Someone must’ve peeked into her room. She sat up, and rubbed the back of her neck. It was ten thirty in the evening. She shook her head upon realizing that she had not only lost track of time, she had also foregone eating lunch and dinner. Just when she heard her stomach rumble, she spied a tray that had a plate full of tiny sandwiches, s cones and jam, and a steaming pot of tea. Beside the ceramic pot was a single white lily, a note, and a galleon. The note read, “I care.”She found out two days later that the galleon was charmed. Thank Merlin she didn’t use it to buy the new Nifflerskine notebooks she saw at the stationary shoppe down the street. She took the galleon out, pointed her wand at it, and the words “Good luck!” appeared on the galleon.Frowning at the galleon, she wordlessly cast an Aparecium and asked, “You are?”“An admirer.” The galleon revealed, and shortly after, “A friend.” ”“We’re friends?” she thought, pointing her wand again at the galleon.The galleon had glowed, “I suppose.”She frowned at the galleon, imagining how the person on the other end could be smirking as they wrote. She looked around, scanning the room for anyone suspicious. The galleon lit up again.“You okay?”“I’m nervous” she confessed, feeling a little strange at pouring her heart out to a complete stranger. She should’ve taken her cue from Ginny, although the galleon was declared safe by the Curse breakers at the Magical Artifacts office.“Don’t be” her admirer answered. “You’re amazing.”She blushed. “Thank you,” She responded, “program’s starting.”“Later then.” The galleon revealed one more time before it she kept it safe in her bag.This has been the way of it for the past few months. Hermione received notes and gifts including her favorite chocolate bars and candies, the Nifflerskine notebook she’d been raving about, the newest set of quills from Flourish and Blott’s signature design series, books on Alchemy, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, and flowers, lots and lots of flowers. She’d gotten carnations, African daisies, peonies, tulips, wildflowers… but never roses. Roses, according to her admirer, meant something more. Something deeper. And as much as he was ready and eager for her to find out who had been pursuing her all this time, he claimed he wasn’t sure if she was ready to accept him. When she insisted on knowing why, he faltered. He chose not to respond to her that day. Nor did her respond to her the day after, nor two days after that. Before she knew it, she had been desperately trying to get an answer out of a galleon that wouldn’t light up.There were no longer messages to brighten her day. Everyday she’d wake up wishing for anything she could look forward to, and then she’d end up fighting tears as she entered her dull grey office with nary a sign that he had been there. She could’ve sworn that weeks went by slower, and each day she had to fight the urge to send him a message. Why bother, she rationalized, he’s probably found someone new to bug.And then the Ministry Ball announcement came out on the first week of December. Hermione stood beside her best friends Harry and Ron when Kingsley made the announcement in the Ministry’s atrium. it would happen on the 20th of December at seven in the evening. Partners were required. The last words rang in her ears repeatedly. Just her luck - she had no boyfriend, no potential date, and she had successfully scared off her ‘admirer’. While the crowd all talked excitedly, Hermione tried to slip into her office as quietly as she could before a treacherous tear would slip from her eye. She thanked Merlin it was a Friday, which meant she could spend the weekend in bed with a tub of ice cream and a few good movies to drown her misery. Two more weeks passed without her galleon lighting up once.Monday found Draco pacing back and forth in his office, glancing at the clock that read six a m. It was the week of the Ministry Ball, and he hadn’t heard from Hermione for two whole weeks. His nerves were shot and it didn’t help that the witches on the fifth level could give Rita Skeeter a run for her money. The stories they casually exchanged ranged from ridiculous to utterly bizarre, but they might just be true. And if they were, Viktor Krum had finally gotten back together with Hermione. He had to act fast. He had to apologize. The word felt foreign in his mind and on his tongue. Draco Malfoy didn’t do apologies. He had to try though, there was nothing else to do. And so he put his plan into action, and had spent the last three hours waiting for her to step off the lift.After the brief interaction, and the tugs at his heartstring upon knowing that she loved the roses, he strolled back into his office. He sat on his desk and took the galleon out once more. “You there?” he asked silently, pointing his wand at the galleon.“I am.” Came her reply.“Miss me?” he bravely asked.“Not really,” she lied.“I did,” he confessed.“You sure?” she taunted.“You doubt,” he said.“Prove it,” she dared.“Ministry ball?” he countered.A pause and then, “See you.”He sighed in relief, and went about his usual business a little more chipper than usual. He could've sworn he’d seen a skip in Hermione’s step that afternoon too when they made their way to the Minister’s office for their monthly read out.The day of the Ministry Ball arrived, and Hermione was a gorgeous mess. She sat on the steps leading to the Ministry's garden. It was fifteen minutes passed seven in the evening, and she had been waiting for him since she’d arrived. They agreed to meet at seven o'clock, but he was obviously not going to show. She sighed, playing with the hem of her emerald green she listened to the band playing a sweet slow song. She smiled at the familiar tune as she caught a loose thread at the hem of her gown and tried to pull it off. She absentmindedly hummed the notes of the song that was playing. She smiled sadly. The band was playing her favorite song, and here she was with not even a single person to talk to. She wiped a tear from her eye. Her invisible admirer wasn’t going to show. She’d managed to make a fool of herself once more.“May I?” She sat up straight when a voice brought her back from dreamland. She slowly turned her head to see who her invisible admirer was once and for all. Her eyes widened in surprise.“Draco Malfoy?”He smiled at her, and offered his hand for her to take. “That’s me,” he said, playing to their unwritten rule of using only two words. “You’re my…,” she trailed off. “Yes, Madam,” he said, lifting her right hand to give it a kiss. She felt her heart beating faster. Draco Malfoy Saying to their the man she had been harboring secret feelings for washer invisible admirer. “Prove it.” He smiled, still not letting go of her right hand as he used his other hand to pull something out of his trouser pocket. “Charmed galleon.” He replied as he gave her a wink. She blushed profusely. He sighed. Hermione was “I’m sorry.” a vision in green. If only she’d look at him, instead of looking away. She looked at him, quizzically. “What for?” “You’re disappointed,” he said. “I’m not,” she responded, entwining her fingers with his. “I’m sure.” He smiled. “I love you,” he whispered, as he bent towards her to capture her lips with his. Before their lips met, he felt her smile and whisper back, “That’s three words.”Draco laughed out loud before he caught her lips, and allowed it to movein sync with his, as if communicating the feelings, they had initiallyfound hard to put into words. There, in the ministry’s garden, with their friends and colleagues watching, Draco and Hermione shared their love story with the rest of the Magical community. Using a charmed galleon. And two words.
11050893
Diamond In the Bluff
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Jesse McCree, Hanzo Shimada, Genji Shimada, Jack Morrison, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes", "Fandom": "Overwatch (Video Game)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "1,280", "Additional Tags": "Jesse/Hanzo - Freeform, #Gayyyyy, #Jack/Gabriel, #Farm?, #Fluff?, #PTSD, #help", "Relationship": "Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Jesse sat on his old wooden porch, a cup of coffee in one hand and the morning post in the other. He shifted through the various letters and bills, ignoring anything he found boring. Sighing, he looked down at his dog, Bailey, laying beside Jesse. A soft meow caused Jesse to look towards the bushes, only to discover his cat, Rusty, sitting in front of them. He smiled at the old cat."Come here, Rusty." he patted the porch beside him, and Rusty padded over, taking a seat next to Jesse. The orange cat allowed Jesse to scratch his ears, before slinking off into the bushes again."What do you think, Bailey? Time to go inside?" Jesse turned to his dog, who perked up at the mention of her name. She stood up, her black and white tail wagging back and forth as she watched Jesse with her blue eyes."Yeah, me too," Jesse said, standing. It took an effort, his bones complaining as Jesse stood. He stretched for a moment: he hadn't been able to sit properly for to long without getting cramped, ever since his days in the army.It had been years, so many years, since then. Jesse was still young, but his body had taken a beating or two while there, leaving him with the curse of cramps if he sat for to long. Jesse made his way inside the small house. It was a two story home, with four bedrooms and two baths, the house was practically a mansion to Jesse. It was only him and his animals, so the other three rooms were always unoccupied, kept neat only when Jesse decided to clean the dust off of things. Jesse walked into the large kitchen, setting his now empty mug into the sink and tossing the letters he had just previously gone through on the island. Jesse heard the sound of an engine, and then a minute later a knock sounded on the door."Jesse, you home?" came a familiar voice on the other side of the screen door. "Yeah," Jesse called, "come on in." he waited a few moments for the other man to appear from the entryway. When he did, Jesse tipped his hat to the man."Fine morning, ain't it?" Jesse commented. Jack grinned at him, seeming to be excited about something."Indeed it is, Taylor just called. She's pregnant." Jesse grinned at the beaming man."Congratulations, Jack! Gabriel must of been pleased," Jesse said. Jack nodded, going over to Jesse's fridge and grabbing a beer. Jesse raised his eyebrow's in surprise at the older man, but quickly recovered."She's due in June." Jack said. Jesse congratulated him again, and sat in the kitchen with the older man as he talked to Jesse."Have you heard from Lucas?" Jesse asked him, taking a sip from his own beer. It was only seven-thirty, but Jesse didn't care. He didn't think his liver cared much, either."No, not since last fall. Gabriel says he's just planting his roots, that sort of thing. I think it's a load of bull," Jack shrugged, seeming to compose himself."Shall we get to work?" Jack asked Jesse, not waiting for a reply as the older man walked outside and towards Jesse's big red barn."Hello Deliah, Ruby." Jack said to Jesse's two horses, nodding his head at each in turn. Jesse smiled, Jack always acted like the horses were human, instead of horses. Jesse didn't mind, though. It made no difference to him."I'll start with the stalls, you get Margret going." Jesse ordered, to which the older man nodded and went off in the direction of the pasture, where Jesse's cow, Margret, was. Jesse set to work cleaning out the stalls, talking to his two horses as he did so. When he was finished with the stalls, he started to groom the two horses, making sure they were clean and well-fed. By the time he was finished with all that, it was noon."Well," Jack said, coming back inside the barn. He was covered in mud, and Jesse couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Jack glared at him, but grinned. "I managed to get some milk from her, though I think she might be upset with me. Or you. Either one," Jack said, setting a pale of milk down on the floor of the barn and wiping his hands on a stray rag Jesse kept handy in the barn. Bailey came running inside, tail wagging as she happily carried a red rubber ball in her mouth. Jesse chuckled, and took the ball from her, sending it flying through the air moments later. "Bailey certainly seems happy this morning," Jack commented. Jesse nodded."It would seem so," he said, turning back to his two horses and checking the water was full.Later that day, when Jack had left to go home for the night, Jesse made his way inside. He shut the screen door, making sure the t.v. and lights were all off downstairs. As he went into the kitchen, he grabbed a glass from one of the cupboards and went to the sink. As he turned to head back towards the staircase, the pile of unopened letters caught his attention. He decided to go through them, if at the very least to see whether any were important or not. He sifted through them, reading each address. As he got to a letter in a yellow envelope, the address written in the left-hand corner caught his eye. It was sent from New York. Curious, he set aside the other letters and opened this one.His breath caught in his throat as he read the name at the very bottom of the letter. His eyes scanned through the letter, it's contents lost as his thoughts raced. Calming himself down, he read through the letter, slowly.Jesse,I have been traveling for many years now, as you probably have guessed. I didnot expect to write to you, not after..what had happened. But here I am, sittingin this cramped, tiny hotel room, trying to decide what would be best to sayto you. I'm coming to visit, on the sixteenth. I hope I am not troubling you to muchwith this,  Hanzo Jesse's hands trembled as he read and re-read the letter, over and over, making sure he hadn't missed something. Hanzo was coming to visit, and soon. He glanced at the calendar on his wall. Today was the fifteenth, which meant that Hanzo would be here...Tomorrow. Sucking in a breath, Jesse dragged a hand down his face, his body suddenly feeling much more tired than before. Why was Hanzo suddenly coming to visit? It's been years since they had seen each other, ten at least. Jesse had lost track, it was easy to forget about time out here. Sighing, he rose from his seat at his island. He hadn't even realized he had sat down, much less that his legs were trembling. Would he even be able to get upstairs?As if on cue, Bailey came over to him, cocking her head to the side as if to say 'everything okay?'Smiling at the black and white dog looking up at him, Jesse made his way to the stairs, setting the letter on the table in the hall before climbing upstairs. Once in his room, Jesse took off his jeans and shirt, and then climbed into his bed. Bailey jumped up a moment later, resting her head on his chest, as she always did. Without meaning to, Jesse fell asleep, his head full of little memories in dream form of his time with Hanzo.
11040516
Vanshaj
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Kattappa, Amarendra Baahubali, Devasena", "Fandom": "Baahubali (Movies)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by avani", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-18T00:00:00", "words": "4,809", "Additional Tags": "Character Study, Backstory, Father Figures", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Be it found in prince or pauper, Kattappa knows, pride must come before a fall. He has seen the proof of this a thousand times before. A boy, newly grown comfortable with the feel of bow or mace or sword in his hands becomes complacent, and all too confident of his skills -- and in that lies his death. Prince Baahubali is no exception. The same problem does not afflict his brother: there is a hunger inside Prince Bhalladeva that renders him never satisfied with any of his triumphs. Kattappa cannot bring himself to disapprove: many a great warrior has been stirred to new heights by the restlessness and impatience he finds in the elder prince. But the younger? Baahubali laughs and delights in his ability and that, before anything else, must be curbed for his own good. This is what brings Kattappa to the royal pavilion at daybreak, to intrude upon the family as they break their fast. Bijjaladeva notices him first, mouth twisting into his habitual sneer."Come to beg for scraps, dog?" The jibe is an old one, and so easy to ignore. Kattappa folds his hands and addresses the Queen Mother. "Your pardon for disturbing you, Lady, but I have need of the younger prince. With your permission...?" Prince Bhalladeva snickers and nudges his brother. Prince Baahubali says nothing. "You have no need to ask it," pronounces the Queen Mother. "You are his teacher, and a teacher's rights over his student are no less than a father's over his son. Baahu!" The prince looks up at that, eyes wide and serious. "Go with Kattappa. Do as he says." With a final reverence to his mother's feet, Prince Baahubali rises. They walk in silence together until the prince realizes that they are approaching the armory. He peers curiously around, but ever obedient, he does not let his steps slow. Something in Kattappa softens; quietly he says, "We've come to collect your new sword, my prince." Encouraged, Prince Baahubali asks as they enter the room: "Should I not use my own sword? Mother had it made only for me, she said, and anything received from her hands can have no flaws." Kattappa knows this well. The Queen Mother had commissioned her sons' identical swords from the finest smiths in the country, crafted to be both light enough for a boy's hand to grip and sharp enough for a man's hand to use. Such a sword would not be sufficient for what he had in mind. "That sword was given you as a sign of your right to rule, my prince, by the grace of Queen Mother Sivagami. This sword you must earn." With that, he lifts the weapon he describes from its place of pride, where it has enjoyed a well-deserved rest for a decade. No dust dares settle on the handle despite all these years, and the blade, when he draws it, is perfectly balanced. He hands it to his student, and Prince Baahubali stoops slightly under the unexpected weight. He blinks in surprise and uses an unprecedented second hand to hold it level. "First position!" Kattappa booms. Prince Baahubali does his best, but his steps are unsteady and the sword tips precariously. "Second position!" Worse, if possible, than the first. Kattappa takes him through the fifth before deciding that has been enough; Prince Baahubali's brow is damp with sweat and furrowed with confusion. His arms shake slightly with fatigue. "That's enough," Kattappa says, not unkindly. "It appears you are not ready yet." And, hopefully, now cognizant of the fact that more challenges exist in the world than even his strength and skill can face. Kattappa holds out a hand for the sword, but the prince's fingers linger over the handle; his thumb traces the horse-head as though trying to commit it to memory.He releases it reluctantly. Kattappa, objective fulfilled, bows his head. "Let me return you to your meal, my prince." Prince Baahubali follows, but his shoulders sag with disappointment. Kattappa pays this no mind: pride must always come before a fall, and his prince can be no exception.* Later he only wonders that he had not predicted what follows sooner. The responsibilities of a servant of Mahishmati are numerous, and on many days, Kattappa is taken from the task of training his charges by matters concerning the nation's security and meetings regarding the palace's protection. He might say it disrupts his intended schedule for his pupils' lessons more often than he'd like, but a slave has no right to like and dislike any task given him: his duty is to obey without question. On such a day when his attention is needed elsewhere than the training yard, Kattappa is released earlier than planned, but his students have already scattered to play or swim or whatever else young men do with their leisure. His steps turn, therefore, to the armory instead; more than a few blades needed sharpening, and he had meant to review the care given to the bowstrings for weeks now. He does not intend to find an intruder already present. Prince Baahubali shuffles his feet guiltily and lowers the sword with which he has been practicing, that same sword that had given him such difficulty when Kattappa had stood in this chamber with him last, now used with ease and precision. He kneels to pay the respects due a teacher from his student; Kattappa's skin crawls with discomfort nonetheless. Kattappa's hand stays at his side, incapable of giving the prince the blessing he expects. "Forgive me, Kattappa," Prince Baahubali blurts before Kattappa can speak, rising to his feet. "I shouldn't have taken the sword without permission. But I only wanted to see if it would be easier if I only tried again." "Was it?" Kattappa asks, curious despite himself. "No." Baahubali meets his eyes squarely. "But the time after that, it was, and easier still after that, and every time after." "You have no need to ask for permission to use what is already yours, my prince," says Kattappa gently, and when Baahubali stares, uncomprehending, goes on: "That sword belonged to your father. And now that you have proved your mastery of it, it is yours." Baahubali draws in a breath, looking at the weapon with new reverence. "Father's," he whispers, and stops, considering. "Did he use it often?" "It was never far from his hand." He is not yet content. "Did he--did he intend that I should have it?" There is a deeper question etched on his face, but Kattappa cannot read it. He can only reply with what he does know. "No one else has a right to it," confirms Kattappa, and Baahubali, unsatisfied but silent, studies the sword once more. Kattappa expects that will be the end of the matter, but as he prepares to leave, is surprised to hear the prince's voice behind him. "The sword you carry, Kattappa--was that your father's?" Kattappa considers. "He used it before I did, yes." It is not quite the same thing; he does not think Prince Baahubali will be able to tell the difference. "Will you leave it to your son?" the prince persists. "No," says Kattappa, more sharply than he intends. "I will have no son." He will not condemn another innocent life to the burden of slavery; he will not repeat his father's mistake. The promise of his ancestors will die with him, and the sword that they have used for generations to serve Mahishmati will rust and shatter at last. Baahubali frowns. "If you did, though, and he earned the right to use your sword, would you be proud?"Only then does Kattappa see the mute appeal in the boy's eyes. He has seen the same expression as Baahubali watches Bijjaladeva fuss and fawn over his son while hardly deigning to acknowledge his nephew's existence; he wonders idly if Baahubali would have asked the same question of his uncle, or if he would have already known he would only be rebuffed. Truth be told, Kattappa is unsure how much time Vikramadeva, good man though he was, would have been able to take from the demands of the state to spend with his son, but in this moment, the truth is not important. Gently, Kattappa says: "I would." Baahubali says nothing but holds the sword closer before excusing himself. They do not speak of this encounter ever again, but not three days later, the prince interrupts him at this meal and begs him to feed him. "Uncle," says Baahu, and Kattappa's heart surrenders.* Future generations will never believe that the rout of the Kalakeya horde was complete before the sun reached its zenith, but there it is; victory, prayed for and planned to the last detail, had come down to this alone: every square inch of spare silk available in the entire camp, Baahu's uncanny ability to rouse hope in the hearts of the routed, and a single lucky stroke from Bhalladeva's mace. In the aftermath, Kattappa looks to Baahu first. As soon as he sees him, still breathing, still beaming despite his brother's success, Kattappa can bear whatever else is to come. Bhalladeva was raised alongside Baahu, after all, and has been judged to be his equal by all the ministers and priests of the court. A lifetime of his rule will be no punishment--but it would have been better, had it been Baahu. He tells himself this as he watches Bijjaladeva crow; he almost believes it. As always, he ought to have had more faith in Queen Mother Sivagami. She sees more clearly than do others, speaks with the voice of the country--and awards the kingship to he who truly deserves it. Kattappa's heart soars. Without quite meaning to, his gaze fixes on Bijjaladeva's face, twisted as it is with impotent rage. Years of insults and humiliation, and today Kattappa has been compensated for them all: for now his Baahu will be king, not Bijalladeva or Bijjaladeva's son, and Kattappa's joy knows no bounds. He finds Baahu in his tent, having escaped the congratulations of courtiers long enough to clean his sword. Kattappa is not surprised he excused himself for such a seemingly trivial chore; Baahu uses his father's sword almost exclusively these days, his previous blade relegated only to formal appearances in court, and insists on caring for it himself instead of having the servants of the armory see to its maintenance. He doesn't look up at Kattappa's approach, but a slow grin spreads across his face. "And you said I was wasting my time coming up with foolish tricks, Uncle," says Baahu, shaking his head in mock outrage. "They say wits wander with age, but I wouldn't have expected it to take effect so soon." Kattappa bows, low and humble. "I should have known better than to doubt you, my King." Baahubali does look up at that, eyes so wide for an instant Kattappa thinks he might have been eight years old once more. "Don't do that, Uncle," he says, voice earnest. "I'm still only your Baahu." He grins. "Or must I waste my first order as King declaring that you stop acting like a foolish old man?" "If I am a foolish old man," Kattappa grumbles out of sheer habit, "then perhaps you would give me the respect due your elders for once." Baahu relaxes and returns to the task of cleaning his weapon. Kattappa watches him work in silence, with fondness he does not bother to disguise. But he cannot tarry too long. The battlefield must be scoured for survivors, and the full extent of the losses accounted for. "Your father would be proud of you today, Baahu," he says as he leaves, knowing without having to look how Baahubali's face will brighten at the words; and adds, quietly: "I am proud of you." He does not need to feel any regret at the words; guilt does not need to burden his shoulders. A slave is to possess nothing but duty: not family, not weapons, not even self-respect, but to love the future king of Mahishmati is to love Mahishmati itself. Love has no worth in and of itself; he is innocent of any wrongdoing. * "...aren't you ashamed, just standing there?" The Crown Princess of Kuntala--leave it to Baahu to fall hopelessly in love with the heir to the one kingdom which has historically shared a frosty relationship with Mahishmati--frowns, and Kattappa prays for inspiration, a half-lie, one that won't damage matters too much when the truth inevitably comes out. "My nephew," he hears himself say, and continues without letting himself consider further. His nephew is a simpleton--for what else could you call a man who refused to reveal his true identity, one that would easily impress even the isolationist Kuntalans-- sent to learn his life's craft by his mother. And something more: a promise of eternal devotion, that's it; hardly an exaggeration, given how Baahu has been mooning about. "If you take him in, Crown Princess, he will utter your name in thanks until his dying breath." Kattappa has never lied before. For Baahu's sake, he hopes it is convincing. Fortune must be with him. The Crown Princess accepts.The Kuntalan royal guard is exceptionally efficient. Under ordinary circumstances Kattappa would approve wholeheartedly, but not when having to keep up with their pace when preparing for travel while keeping up his charade. Baahu slips away to ensure their horses will be cared for, and Kattappa gathers up the bundles of their clothes and belongings, hoping a soldier's practicality will be mistaken for poverty. The Crown Princess nods at him as he returns. "You may put your things in the palanquin," she tells him. "Won't you have need of it, Crown Princess?" She shakes her head. "I prefer travel in the fresh air when possible," she says, and as she speaks, he notices the open chariot waiting for her. She frowns, apparently in genuine concern due to his age. "Unless you would prefer to ride in the palanquin yourself? It is some distance to the palace, and you must be tired." He hears a familiar exhalation of breath behind him. As though Baahu needed another reason to sigh over her! "This body of mine is used to hard work, Crown Princess," he tells her gently. "I will walk alongside my nephew." She leaves, but not before giving the bundles in his hand a sidelong glance. No matter; she can hardly come to any conclusions from such a small thing. They make good time, reaching the palace by noon. The Crown Princess disappears within, but not before giving instructions that the two new arrivals be shown to their quarters. These, much to Kattappa's surprise, turn out to be in the palace kitchens but far more spacious than their equivalents in Mahishmati. He and Baahu have two cots between them, and a window besides --likely this largesse is only because of the fewer number of servants who have to be housed in the palace, but nonetheless Kattappa suspects it has more to the do with the royal family's kindness. That generosity extends to the guardsmen, who insist on carrying Kattappa's and Baahu's things to the kitchens themselves; Kattappa can only follow and pray they will not recognize the weight of armor. At last, it is done; the guardsmen retreat and Kattappa can be free of the threat of discovery for now. Baahu seems supremely unconcerned; he takes his sword and, having rejected the spaces under their cots or beneath their mattresses as far too obvious, tucks it away in the rafters. That complete, he strolls from the chamber, apparently gone to see if he can discover where Princess Devasena might be found. He doesn't even stay to discuss what plans he has made, if indeed he has any in mind: Kattappa suspects he would be perfectly happy to live in these kitchens for the rest of his life if it meant he could see the Crown Princess every day. All Kattappa can do is call behind him helplessly. A gardener, overhearing him, laughs. "That's a difficult age, sir," he calls up. "Young men are always too sure of themselves to heed anyone else." Kattappa shakes his head. "He has always been headstrong," he says. "My sister's son--she has spoiled him terribly. She's raised him to think of himself as a prince." The gardener nods in sympathy. "I have three nephews myself." He smiles. " But there is no denying I love them more than any I might have had myself, scamps though they are." Kattappa considers. The Crown Princess is already suspicious; is it not more prudent, and more in keeping with Baahu's wishes, to further the masquerade? No matter that it feels natural to speak of Baahu as his own, to laugh and and joke and share stories of childhood memories with the gardener that shouldn't be a slave's to treasure. The responsibilities of a servant of Mahishmati are numerous, he reminds himself, and sometimes more unorthodox than others. This is merely one more of them. * Another responsibility, it seems, is patience under the most trying circumstances. In vain does Kattappa hope that Baahu, having won his bride, no longer feels the need to woo her. If the trip from Kuntala to Mahishmati so far is any indication, Baahu's fascination with his Devasena shows no signs of decreasing. Perhaps he is right, and Kattappa understands nothing of romance, but even so Kattappa can see no reason to stand on deck staring at each other in the midst of choppy waters, ruining their finery when everyone else had run for shelter.Fortunately the Crown Princess's attendants have more sense than she. They shepherd her below in early afternoon to don dry clothes, and Baahu, his sodden tunic exchanged for a new one, stands at the bow. Kattappa approaches him after a moment's thought. When they return to Mahishmati, things will change between them. Baahu will be King, after all, and a married man besides; Kattappa will be Mahishmati's servant once more. Wiser, he reflects, to accustom himself to such a fate already. Instead Baahu smiles to see him, and all Kattappa's noble resolutions are forgotten. "Uncle," says Baahu, "what was my mother like?" For years Kattappa has anticipated this question, for who else could Baahu ask? His mother's attendants had all died or left the palace by now, and most of the courtiers had paid scarcely any attention to the young queen for the scant years she had lived. The Queen Mother would remember her sister-in-law, true, but a mother's love can be jealous, and Baahu would never risk having her feel slighted in favor of the woman who had given birth to him. "She was a princess of high lineage," says Kattappa. "Well-mannered and gracious. Mahishmati celebrated for days when she arrived in our city to marry your father." Baahu looks out at the river."But what did my father think of her, and she of him? Were they happy?" Kattappa blinks. Truthfully, he had never considered such a thing. "It was an excellent alliance for Mahishmati," he offers. "I am sure your father must have been pleased." Vikramadeva might have been pleased, but at the moment his son appears rather less so. He shakes his head, though, and rests a hand on Kattappa's shoulder. "Not much longer, though, before we reach Mahishmati and explain everything to Mother. And then you'll have a better story to tell, someday." Unlikely; who else would even think to ask difficult questions about the past other than Baahu? Kattappa is about to point this out when there is a flurry of activity at the other side of the boat: the Crown Princess has reappeared on deck. Unsurprisingly, Baahu's gaze fixes past Kattappa, back onto her. "Go on, then," says Kattappa, struggling to keep his tone gruff instead of indulgent. "My old bones need to rest before we land in the morning." Baahu obeys, but laughs. "Don't think you can fool me, Uncle. Your old bones will outlive us all." Kattappa has never seen him so happy before. He prays that happiness will do nothing but increase, in the days to come. *What is that stray wish but a bitter reminder as to why slaves shouldn't be given the right to grant blessings? True to his words, Baahu shows not an instant of sadness, not when his brother ascends the throne in his place, not when his wedding is sparsely attended only by those who dare risk the anger of the absent King and Queen Mother, not when all the power and prestige that an heir to the crown enjoys is pulled from his hands. Kattappa's heart is as unprincipled and weak as his body is well-trained and strong; it flinches at every new blow to Baahu's pride even as his body keeps him silent. And still Baahu smiles. The reason for this becomes clear as the months go by, when his wife announces she is with child; Mahishmati's heir, in Baahu's lineage as it should be! If only Baahu had been King, everyone would celebrate the news as Kattappa does. Now, with an unmarried King on the throne and a Queen Mother who still hasn't forgiven her son his initial defiance, it portends nothing but disaster. But Baahu smiles, and Kattappa can spare him this much, at least. "A daughter, I think," says Baahu, and Kattappa relaxes. In Queen Mother Sivagami's wake, a girl-child would have as much right to the throne as her brother; but to the hidebound conservatives who preceded her, a girl-child would be perceived as much less of a threat to Bhalladeva. They are walking back to the palace, Baahu's training of his soldiers complete for the day--sooner than the norm at late afternoon, a fact Kattappa attributes to Devasena finally conceding that the advanced stages of pregnancy make it difficult for her to oversee practice alongside her husband. And none too soon; Kattappa suspects that if she had her way, she would bear her child on the battlefield itself. As they pass the Shiva Temple, they are forced to stop. The royal retinue is emerging, and the Queen Mother, at its head, is deep in a discussion of how best to arrange the Rama Navami celebration that are soon to come; the thought of the seemantham Devasena is due weeks before that must have slipped her mind entirely. Kattappa looks to Baahu, fearing the worst, but apart from a respectful bow to his mother, unacknowledged as has now become usual, Baahu continues with their conversation as before. "...and for a boy, Devasena favors the name Mahendra." Queen Mother Sivagami's steps falter, but whether at the reminder of her grandchild or her daughter-in-law, Kattappa cannot be sure. "I'm not sure why; I still think Shivu's an excellent name for a boy, don't you agree, Uncle?" Kattappa forces himself to chuckle as though entirely at ease. "Whatever you decide, Baahu, if your child is anything like you, we'll hear his name often enough echoing through the halls. You don't remember the trouble your poor mother had with you, making sure you were fed with her own hands when you only wanted to run and play." The Queen Mother's retinue passes along at last, and the way to the palace is clear. Baahu doesn't move, however. For once, his shoulders stoop; his expression is longing. Kattappa opens his mouth, but no words emerge. In the end, it is Baahu who comforts him. "Spare me the long face, old man. Mother will come around once the baby is born, you'll see." Only later, when the Queen Mother mentions in passing the next day that a hall in the palace is to be set aside for her daughter-in-law's seemantham, does Kattappa think to wonder exactly how much of that encounter had been unintentional on Baahu's side. He sighs with relief; Baahu is still fighting, in the small ways that he can, and it is enough to keep hope alive in Kattappa's breast. * All hope is struck a mortal blow the afternoon Queen Mother Sivagami banishes her son and his wife, when she decrees that their old chambers be closed and barred for eternity; it dies in the evening, when King Bhalladeva orders that their belongings be taken out and burned. This is what leads Kattappa to commit the first crime of his life. He smiles ruefully; liar, thief--what else won't Baahu make him? The journey to the quarries is not a short one, even by horseback, but Kattappa considers himself lucky that enough townspeople had overheard Baahu's plans to be able to tell him where Baahu had gone. Kattappa will be needed back in Mahishmati by daybreak; he has no time to waste searching in vain.When he enters the village, it does not take him long to seek out Baahu's little family. There they sit on the veranda of one of the cottages given the workers in exchange for the labor - Baahu, his Devasena, Kumar Varma, nobler by far than Kattappa expected, and Devasena's ladies-in-waiting. Dust already coats their clothing; they hold the meager rations the government provides its employees in their hands. Kattappa closes his eyes. Better that he had died in battle against the Kalakeyas than have to see such a day. Better that Baahu had died then, a hero, than to be reduced to such circumstances. "Uncle!" Baahu might have been greeting him in the palace courtyard, or within the throne room. "I didn't expect to see you here so soon. Come and eat with us." Kattappa's limbs are heavy, but he manages to obey. He casts a disapproving glance at Baahu's plate, and Baahu clucks his tongue. "Don't start fussing so soon. You've always known I thought your food tastier than ours." Kattappa casts a pleading glance at Devasena. "Lady Devasena," he begins, "you can't--" She laughs. "It's certainly better than anything I could cook myself," she says, "and so I have no complaints." As she speaks, Baahu discreetly slides some of the rotis from his plate onto hers. Without looking, however, she replaces them. Their gazes lock, and grudgingly, deliberately, she accepts a single roti. Turning back to her ladies-in-waiting, Devasena speaks, her voice gentle: "And as for you--Kumar Varma will return to Kuntala in the morning. He will, I am sure, be happy to escort you to your families with my compliments, or, if you would prefer to stay in the palace, my sister-in-law would be pleased to accept you into your service, and so--" She is cut off by a series of protests from both her ladies-in-waiting and Kumar Varma, all loudly proclaiming that they have no intention of going anywhere. Devasena's expression hardens and her chin lifts; and Baahu, grinning, beckons to Kattappa to rise. "That may continue for some time," he says, as they leave the growing argument behind. "Better to speak here, in peace." "Yes," says Kattappa, reaching for the treasure he had stolen back for Baahu's sake. "I came to give you this." He holds it out, and Baahu reaches for it instinctively before halting. "It was Mother's decree," he says, "that I leave the palace, in the state that I was at the moment, taking nothing with me." "And so you laid the sword she gave you at her feet and renounced it as she asked," Kattappa reminds him, "but this is your father's legacy, Baahu. No one can take that from you." Baahu reaches for the sword, thumb tracing the horse-head tip with fondness and familiarity. "He was dead before I was as old as our child is now," he murmurs. "He never met me, even at my mother's seemantham." It is an old wound, perhaps the oldest he has; pity he has never spoken of it before. Or perhaps he has, and Kattappa has never been able to understand him before now. "But I am more fortunate than he was," Baahu continues. "My child will know me, will know how much they are loved. You'll have to look after Mother and Mahishmati from now, Uncle." He turns to study Devasena, still surrounded by her Kuntalan well-wishers, more closely; his eyes are tender. "My path lies elsewhere." This is your doing, a voice deep inside Kattappa speaks. He was meant for the throne--he could have fought for it--and instead you dragged him down to your level, you dog. "Don't look so tragic, Uncle," says Baahu. "We'll see each other soon, when my child is born. I'll be waiting." * But: "Baahubali must die," speaks the Queen Mother that terrible night, and Kattapa closes his eyes in resignation. A slave has no right to love, or pride, or a son of his own. He only wonders that he had not predicted the cost sooner.
11062368
Promotion Lucky Charm
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Oh Sehun, Kim Joonmyun | Suho", "Fandom": "EXO (Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by clinquantstars", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "48", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Kim Joonmyun | Suho/Oh Sehun", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Hello everyone! Lucky Charm is back for our 2017 round! This time, we're holding an exchange! Better hurry and sign up if you love seho and would like join in this challenge!! Click this link below to see more info on our page!  >> LUCKY CHARM 2017 ROUND PAGE <<
11085381
every step away from me
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Sirius Black, Regulus Black", "Fandom": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by hapaxlegomena", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-03T00:00:00", "words": "2,896", "Additional Tags": "Incest, Sibling Incest, Soul Bond", "Relationship": "Regulus Black/Sirius Black", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "Soul Exchange", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
"As brothers, you have to look after each other," Mother says. "And by that, I mean that you have to look after Regulus."Sirius scowls. He already looks after Regulus, but Mother telling him to do something just makes him not want to. He feels like all the portraits are looking down on him disapprovingly from the parlour walls."I will, Mummy." It feels rebellious to call her Mother in his head even though she insists on being called Mummy, so he always does it. He wishes she'd draw back the curtains. It's always so stuffy in the parlour. "But what about next year, when I'm at Hogwarts?" He's not trying to get out of looking after Regulus - well, maybe a bit; he is awfully clingy - but he likes the idea that he's found a flaw in her instructions."You can look after him then by paving the way for him," Mother announces. She has an answer for everything, as usual. "You should make friends with the other nice Slytherins," and by nice she means well-connected, "so that he has an easier time of things when he arrives." She lowers her voice a little: "He's not like you, Sirius."No, Sirius has to admit, Regulus isn't like him."Look what Auntie Lucretia got me!" Regulus races up to him when he finally gets out of the parlour and away from the audience with Mother. He's holding a little figurine - a toy. It's of a woman in a neck ruff and robes of black and purple velvet."It's Elizabeth Burke!" Regulus announces proudly. The toy puffs out her ample chest and strides about proudly on his outstretched palm. "She was Headmistress of Hogwarts four hundred years ago. She was one of our sort.""What, soulmates with her brother?" Sirius leers. The figurine looks scandalised."No!" Regulus scowls at him. "Her mother was a Black, and she believed very strongly in Toujours pur.""Must have been rough for all the Muggleborns.""Oh, probably." Regulus doesn't seem unduly upset by this prospect. "D'you want to take Betelgeuse for a walk? Only it's awf'ly nice outside."Sirius would do anything to get out of this house and away from the exceptionally grotesque stuffed house-elf head mounted just behind the parlour door, so he agrees.Betelgeuse is a dog so extraordinarily unsuited to them as a family that Sirius sometimes thinks that Abraxas Malfoy gave her to them as some kind of jibe. Deerhounds are simply not suited to London, acre-sized garden or not. But Sirius and Regulus have spent many happy hours throwing sticks for her to fetch or directing little magically engineered rabbit-shaped toys for her to chase with her great galloping gait.Frankly, Sirius thinks as he opens the door and breathes the fresh air of central London, Betelgeuse is probably his favourite member of the family. He loves her even more than Uncle Alphard. He might not love her more than Regulus, but that's different.Regulus isn't an optional love. Their fate was set as soon as Sirius, in his father's arms, was lowered into Regulus' cradle to meet his new baby brother - and his finger came away with a little black mark where it had touched his brother's newborn cheek, now freshly dotted. On Sirius it looks like an ink stain, and on Regulus like a mole; but close examination would reveal their magical signatures woven into each other's flesh.It might be different if Sirius remembered any of this. He knows what it's supposed to feel like when you meet your soulmate for the first time - the spark, the warmth, the feeling of absolute rightness and safety - and maybe he really did feel like that at that moment when he was a little over a year old. But he doesn't remember it now. How can he possibly be of one soul with Regulus, of all people?Regulus has taken out that horrid figurine of Elizabeth Burke and is happily playing with it while Betelgeuse trots along at his heel, anticipating the joys of the park. Sirius hates Auntie Lucretia. Sometimes, alone at night when Regulus hasn't crept into his bed, he thinks he might hate Regulus a bit too.They exercise Betelgeuse for an hour, throwing sticks and letting her bound after them until she's nearly out of sight, her great long, powerful legs blurring with her speed. Regulus idly fiddles with his new toy in one hand, and Sirius vindictively thinks that if he doesn't put it away right now then Betelgeuse will definitely become his favourite member of this awful family.That night, Regulus is tracing the edges of Sirius' hipbones over and over as they lie together on Sirius' four-poster bed. He's said before that he likes the contrast between soft skin and hard bone, the little hollow beneath. He's ten now; it's not surprising that he's starting to be curious about his brother's body. Sirius clears his throat."When I go up to Hogwarts, it'll all have to be different, you know." Regulus looks up, big black eyes alert in his pale face."Why?" Sirius shifts uncomfortably and Regulus holds his hip to keep him where he is, the two of them tucked up together."I mean...I don't think we should spread it about.""There's nothing wrong with it," Regulus insists stubbornly. His fingernails are digging into Sirius' hip."I know," says Sirius, even though he's not convinced, "but it's not usual, and I don't want people to tease you." Regulus hates being teased or mocked. No-one likes being laughed at, of course, but it drives Regulus absolutely wild. And Sirius knows the potential for embarrassment will put him off.Sure enough, Regulus flushes blotchily at the thought, and agrees. His fingernails release the tender skin of Sirius' hip, and he slowly strokes the red crescent marks left behind."But you'll still treat me the same, won't you?" he asks piteously. "You won't be horrible to me, just so no-one suspects?""Of course not," Sirius promises, and hopes he's not lying.So he goes up to Hogwarts in September and doesn't admit that he's already met his soulmate. It's easy: nobody asks. It wouldn't be surprising if somebody did - he knows other people who've met theirs early, before Hogwarts age - but nobody does, so he doesn't have to lie. He prefers not lying. Regulus lies almost compulsively, and it drives him mad."I'm going to be in Gryffindor," announces James Potter, sitting opposite him on the Hogwarts Express. They're third cousins, but they've not met before: Fleamont and Euphemia don't mingle with their sort, despite being Purebloods. Talking with him feels thrillingly naughty, though all James had done was to ask if he could share Sirius' compartment. He's much better company that Rodolphus Lestrange, whom Sirius has managed to leave to Bellatrix and Narcissa's untender mercies."Slytherin, I 'spose." Sirius isn't too keen. Apparently the Common Room is underground and dark and damp, and it just sounds like an extension of home but with even less privacy. Apparently Gryffindor is in a tower and you can see the Quidditch pitch from some of the dormitory windows, which sounds much better than the Slytherins' occasional view of the Giant Squid.James wrinkles his nose."No, mate, you don't want to be in Slytherin," he says with the boundless confidence of an unchallenged Pureblood scion. "Come be in Gryffindor, with me!""I don't think you get a choice," says Sirius, but he cherishes the possibility anyway, all the way to putting on the Hat. Father and all his aunts and uncles say that Gryffindor's where they put all the stupid people who spend all their time playing up and being rude (as opposed to Hufflepuff, where they put all the stupid people who would never do anything of the sort and also never amount to anything). It sounds a lot more fun than Slytherin, and a lot nicer.The Hat, it seems, is listening - or perhaps it sees something in him already, the defect in his character that Mother is always complaining about, the one that makes him like Andromeda and Uncle Alphard, because he quickly ends up with bigger fish to fry than hypothetically being asked about his soulmate.He isn't disowned, but it's a near thing. His mother's Howlers are outright pyrotechnic. He laughs and cracks jokes with the rest of the Gryffindor table when they're done and lets the hot stomach-cramping fear subside. Once, he catches Andromeda's eye at the Slytherin table and she gives him a secret smile.Worse is Regulus' letter.What if I end up in Gryffindor too? he writes in big, childish scrawl. No chance of that, Sirius thinks. Or what if I'm in Slytherin so we're in different houses? Why didn't you tell them there has been a mistake?Because, Sirius doesn't write, there was no mistake at all. He writes a deliberately bland letter to his parents, then a slightly more personal, conciliatory one to Regulus, reassuring him that it won't matter if they're in different houses. Only slightly, though: there's no guaranteeing Mother won't read it.He doesn't miss having Regulus sneak into his bed: he always nicked the covers. But the four-poster in the first-years' dormitory does feel strangely large, and he's glad for the hot water bottles the house elves put between their sheets through the winter.I dream of you all the time, writes Regulus not long into the Michaelmas term, when all the red and orange leaves are falling from the trees to form great piles that the sixth-years enchant to trap passing firsties. Do you dream of me?Sirius does. There's no narrative, nothing he can grasp on waking; but in his dreams, there's always someone with him. He even dreams when he's awake, feels the brush of a phantom hand down his arm in Potions and nearly drops the whole bundle of mugwort he's supposed to be chopping straight into his cauldron. He knows it's not a ghost. He knows that touch, the size of the that hand, the imprint of those fingertips. In some dreams there's a whole body, and he knows that too.Sometimes, he writes back, and is vague about the specifics. There are some things Regulus isn't ready for.Shortly before Christmas, he gets a letter with more smudges than usual.I miss you so much & have to see you & I need you, reads one line. I have a special present, will show you tonight, reads another.Even knowing there's a lock on outside Floo calls within Hogwarts, Sirius half-expects Regulus' head to pop up in the common room fireplace while he's doing his Charms prep. Instead, there's a strange ticklish sensation on his forearm, like the brush of a feather or finger.For a moment, Sirius thinks James has put some sort of horrid creepy-crawly on him in revenge for teasing him about how Lily Evans won't give him the time of day - or even shake his hand to confirm whether they are, as he insists, soulmates. Then he realises that he knows that touch. Regulus has always loved to trace things on his skin and make him guess what they are - usually without much success, because Regulus' artistic skills leave something to be desired.He excuses himself to the gents' loos, and pulls back the sleeve of his robe. There, on his pale arm, is a green curlicue letter: R.There's more tickling on his thigh. He hitches up his robes to find another R appearing in glimmering emerald, bigger and more ornate than the first.After that, they appear all over, like moles. Sirius is thankful for the way his school robes button all the way to the neck. There's no set pattern: he might be in a lesson or on a broom or eating dinner or just chatting, and some part of his body will start to tingle with the sensation of Regulus writing his initial in his best copperplate.Regulus' last letter before Christmas: Whenever I write an R, it means I love you & you're mine. For the last week of the Michaelmas term, Sirius goes all round Hogwarts with who he belongs to written on his skin. He can't tell if he likes it or not. A couple of times he catches himself staring at his soulmark, the inky splotch on his finger. Such a small thing.When he steps through the door of 13 Grimmauld Place, it's like nothing's changed. Kreacher takes his suitcases, Mimi takes his cloak, and Regulus clings tightly to his arm. All around them at the station, people had been hugging and kissing each other after their first term at Hogwarts - How common, Mother had said - and Regulus had just looked at him with burning eyes and not touched him until Father told them to hold hands for the Side-Along Apparition. Regulus had taken his arm like a lady would a gentleman's instead, and he still hasn't let go.Sirius manages to break free of the hold by excusing himself to the toilet, but when he goes into his bedroom - everything is, naturally, already unpacked - Regulus is lying in wait."Show me," he insists. Sirius, about to take off his school robes, hesitates inexplicably."Regulus-" Regulus seizes his wrist. His grip is surprisingly strong. He's growing up - literally, they're eye-to-eye."Show me, please!" He pulls back Sirius' sleeve, but his forearm is bare and Sirius has to help him unbutton his robes and pull them over his head so he can find the mark he's left on Sirius' shoulder, the great looping green R."I wrote it on myself, see?" Regulus explains, tracing the letter. "It sinks into my skin, and it appears on you." He looks up through his lashes. "It only works for us." Soulmates, he means. "Do you like it?"Sirius clears his throat. He can't look Regulus in the eye, so he looks at the little irregular splotch of his soulmark instead, just underneath his eye. What was I trying to do, he wonders, when I did that? What was I trying to touch?"Y-yeah. Yeah, I like it." It's not the uncomplicated joy of sausages and mash for dinner, but knowing that Regulus was at home thinking of him, longing for him, makes him feel warm in his chest and stomach and hot in his head. Regulus is his brother, his soulmate. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. They might even manage one whole week before getting on each other's nerves.Very shyly, Regulus leans foward and presses his mouth to his initial. He's kissing it, Sirius realises. He's kissing my shoulder. He's very aware that he's down to his underpants and socks.When Sirius doesn't pull away, Regulus clutches for his hand - cool in Regulus' burning fingers - and brings it up. Sirius doesn't realise that he means to kiss the soulmark until he's doing it, sucking so gently with his lips at the tiny black mark on his finger.Something happens inside him, something big, something magical. Regulus doesn't let go as Sirius lurches forward, Regulus' face coming closer and closer, until he can press a kiss against the little mole on Regulus' cheek with its tiny lines of an infant's fingerprint.It's no different from the rest of Regulus' skin, but Sirius knows he's touching it because Regulus' whole body jerks and he feels it rattle through him, the hot clenching force holding both their shuddering bodies right there in his bedroom, the feeling of union.They collapse onto the bed, still holding hands. Sirius' legs are wobbly and Regulus is panting. He looks shocked. He might not even know what just happened: the first time, Sirius had thought he'd wet himself."I didn't know that would happen," Regulus whispers."Me neither," Sirius mumbles. He feels kind of sticky, but mainly warm and content. He just wants to stay like this, wrapped up with his brother's body. He's bony and as hot as a furnace, and for once Sirius hopes he'll come and sneak into Sirius' bed tonight.Regulus stirs enough to give him a kiss on the mouth; just a little one, like they did all the time when they were small. Sirius wouldn't do it when people were watching, but Regulus would bounce and pucker up and beg until Sirius pulled him into the cloakroom or behind the greenhouse and gave him the longed-for kiss.Will they still do that at Hogwarts? Will Regulus catch his eye across the Great Hall and they'll slip off to the lake or the boys' toilets? Sirius tries to imagine it, and fails."It'll be alright, you know," Regulus murmurs with half-closed eyes. "At Hogwarts. It won't matter that we're in different houses. It doesn't matter that you're in Gryffindor." Sirius wonders what has been said over the dinner table in his absence. "I keep telling Mummy, you're still one of us."It does matter, of course, that he's in Gryffindor. It's changed everything. Sirius thinks of James and the rest of the Gryffindor table and the way they'd all accepted him so casually; of the house elf heads and the permanent cold in this house that goes beyond weather or season; and something in his heart closes up. He can't tell Regulus, but he's not been one of us for a long time.
11002989
I have loved you anyway
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Jack Zimmermann, Eric Bittle, Shitty Knight, Kent \"Parse\" Parson", "Fandom": "Check Please! (Webcomic)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by palateens", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-26T00:00:00", "words": "1,576", "Additional Tags": "Polyamory Negotiations, Break Up, Angst with a Happy Ending, roses don't mean I love you but I'm sorry does", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Shitty Knight/Jack Zimmermann, Eric Bittle/Kent \"Parse\" Parson, Eric Bittle/Kent \"Parse\" Parson/Jack Zimmermann", "Series": "Grand Larsony", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "M/M, Multi", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
The last time Jack kissed Bitty it was a Tuesday morning. The Falconers were playing the Bruins that night. Jack knew what to expect from a match up with Kent—a lot of sharp checks followed by some pleasant one liners during the post-game interviews. He expected to find Kent waiting outside the locker room for him. He didn’t say a word as Kent lead him to the docs. It was unpleasantly warm for November. They kissed roughly, without preamble. Then Kent gave him a lift home. Bitty was already there, paying bills while he waited for a blueberry crumble to cool. They watched a movie before bed. As if Jack and Kent hadn’t been within an inch of dropping gloves during the third period. This is what they did now; this was their new normal. Jack was drifting off to bed when it hit him how eerily similar his life felt to his days in the Q.He couldn’t wait to crash and burn again. He got up, packed an overnight bag and drove to Boston. He crashed on Shitty and Lardo’s couch. Bitty called frantically the next morning. Jack promised to explain everything when he got home. He assumed it would be easy untangling Kent from their lives. He’d probably understand, and Bitty always wanted what was best for Jack. He’d see reason.Bitty sat there quietly as Jack explained his concerns. He frowned, but nodded.“If that’s what you need, sweetpea,” he remembers Bits saying. “We’ll figure out how to make things work with the three of us from now on.”Jack never counted on Bitty wanting to stay with Kent. He remembers his anxiety rising as he tried to keep himself together. He was desperate for Bitty to see things his way, to cut ties with Kent. They were better off without him. He’d been nothing but trouble for years and years. He doesn’t remember exactly what he said, only that Bitty disagreed and things escalated.He remembers the look of disgust that Bitty gave him as he told Jack, “I think you should leave.”He drove back to Boston in a haze. It took him three months to text Kent asking to pick up his things. It took him another six to be in the same room as Bitty again. When it finally happened, it was at a viewing party for the Cup finals (neither the Bruins nor Falcs had made it passed the second round). Kent had invited Shitty or Lardo (or maybe both), telling them to bring Jack if they wanted.Jack’s eyes followed Bitty the entire time, mesmerized by how poised and…happy he looked. He watches as Bitty plays the perfect host, the apple of everyone’s eye. He tried once to make awkward conversation with Eric, trying to break the ice.“I’m sorry,” Bitty interrupted him tersely. “I can’t do this.” He walked briskly to the bedroom, slamming the door behind himself.Kent wasn’t too far away. Jack could faintly hear him muttering “what did you do this time?” as he rushed to see what was wrong with Bits. At some point, they emerged from the bedroom (their bedroom, Jack thought somberly). Bitty was pleasant and lively for the rest of the party. He and Kent said goodbye to every guest on their way out, Jack included.“I’m glad you came,” Bitty said as he shook Jack’s hand. His voice shook, his eyes were wet and they wouldn’t meet Jack’s gaze. But he knew when Bitty was lying, and that wasn’t one of those times.He went home that night (because he’d made permanent residence in Shitty’s apartment) wondering how he’d gotten so far away from everything he thought he wanted. Then again, he had Shitty. Jack always had him in one way or another.Jack tried not to think of Bitty. He tried not to miss him with every fiber of his being. The way he could turn a mundane afternoon into a dance party. The way he always had a solution or a promise to talk things through until one could be found. The way he was so patient and kind yet passionate and unwavering when he believed in something. Jack pretended he didn’t miss Bitty during the offseason when they were supposed to go visit his parents in Georgia. He told himself, and Shitty, he was fine with not having Bitty’s cooking to help him bulk up, or his pb&j sandwiches before games. He ignored the way Lardo asked if he was going to fix things already. (As if the solution were simple; as if he would take advice from someone who resigned themselves to being a waitress indefinitely.)When Lardo left Shitty, Jack didn’t think much of it. They’d been on a downward spiral ever since Shitty and Jack started dating again. When she returned to officially dump him, she had a few choice things to say. Most importantly, that it didn’t matter what she or anyone else wanted—Jack always got what he wanted. It stung more than he wanted to admit at the time. The more he thought about it, the more he realized she’d been one person in a long line of causalities in his love life. When she left for good, Shitty cried in his arms for two hours. He never blamed Jack once.That’s when Jack realized how much he’d taken Shitty for granted, again. He carried Shitty to bed, trying not to think of how many times he’d expected him to revolve around Jack. He fought back a panic attack as he ticked through the number of hearts he had broken over the years—Holster’s, Ransom’s, Bitty’s, Lardo’s (twice), Kent’s (five times), and Shitty’s (too many to count).Shitty pulls himself together eventually, smiling at Jack like he molded the universe out of clay. But even the universe was capable of mistakes. He gets out of bed the next morning wanting to be a better person, the kind of person who deserves to be taken back time and time again. Maybe he’d never get Bitty back, but he couldn’t lose Shitty.He starts with Kent. They talk, actually talk this time. Because it’s Kent, he flips Jack off before storming away. And because it’s Kent—once Jack catches up to him and apologizes—he crumbles almost instantly. Jack and Kent are a lot of things: messy, enthusiastic, and sometimes volatile. But in ten years, Jack’s learned that they always find a way back to each other. Kent helps him mend fences with Bitty. It’s not a lot, and there’s days where one of them will call the other just to argue, but it’s a start. He keeps reminding Shitty how much he loves him. He tries to listen more. He makes sure to apologize to Ransom and Holster the first opportunity he gets. Those aren’t simple conversations, nor do they provide perfect closure. But it’s a start.Ransom, Lardo, and Holster talk about polyamory as if it’s something Jack could manage eventually. As if they hadn’t spent years miscommunicating, all of them. But the way Bitty asks about how to prioritize relationships gives Jack hope.A month passes after All Star Weekend, and they still haven’t talked. Jack mulls over the idea of being the one to break the silence.“I was thinking…” he starts one evening while he and Shitty are reading in bed.“About what?”“Working things out with Bits,” Jack explains wearily.“Finally,” Shitty groans, but it morphs into a laugh.“We should talk—”“Well yea, we abso-fucking-lutely should.” Shitty crinkles his nose, setting his book down on the nightstand. “I really wanna be like ‘cool, go to him’. But we have a shitty track record with that sorta plan, pun not intended.”“I know,” Jack acquiesces. “You need to know you matter more to me. It doesn’t matter if Bits wants me. I’m not leaving.”Shitty’s mustache twitches, his blinks rapidly a few times. “Come here,” he grabs the collar of Jack’s shirt, yanking him closer. Shitty kisses him the way teens kiss each other at the end of movies. He always has, and Jack will never get sick of it.He tells Jack not to go running off to Bitty’s apartment. But it’s a ten-minute drive from their place, and he’s nothing if not impulsive about love. He knocks loudly on their door. To his relief, Bitty answers it quickly with a tired glare.“Jack Laurent Zimmermann, do you have any idea what time it is?”“I’m sorry. I just—”“Bits, let him in already,” Kent shouts from somewhere in the apartment.Eric rolls his eyes, moving out of the way for Jack.He gestures to the couch, exclaiming over his shoulder that he’s making tea. He comes back a few minutes later explaining the water needs some time to boil. Bitty takes a seat not too far away from Jack on the couch.“You know this was romantic six years ago,” Bitty grumbles. “Now it’s…you remember what a phone is right?”Jack balks. “I thought you liked it.”Bitty smirks amusedly. “Honey, I like roses just because. Not just because my boyfriend can’t get his act together.”He nods. “I want to fix things. I want us to be ok.”Bitty reaches out, taking his hands gingerly. He puts them in his lap, as if they were more precious than gold.“Me too, sweetpea,” Bitty murmurs earnestly. “Me too.”
11055240
Everyone Loves Seokmin
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Jeon Wonwoo, Lee Seokmin | DK, Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Kim Mingyu, Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Choi Hansol | Vernon, Xu Ming Hao | The8, Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Lee Chan | Dino, Boo Seungkwan", "Fandom": "SEVENTEEN (Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by leeseokmin", "chapters": "12/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "37,032", "Additional Tags": "Smut, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, its always time for some seokmin lovin, Fluff but mostly smut", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Jeon Wonwoo/Lee Seokmin | DK, Lee Seokmin | DK/Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Seokmin | DK, Kim Mingyu/Lee Seokmin | DK, Lee Seokmin | DK/Yoon Jeonghan, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Lee Seokmin | DK, Lee Jihoon | Woozi/Lee Seokmin | DK, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Lee Seokmin | DK, Boo Seungkwan/Lee Seokmin | DK, Lee Seokmin | DK/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Choi Hansol | Vernon/Lee Seokmin | DK, Lee Seokmin | DK/ EVERYONE, Kim Mingyu/Lee Seokmin | DK/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan/Lee Seokmin | DK", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
They were backstage when Wonwoo had gently placed a finger to his lips and wrapped his fingers around Seokmin's lean wrist. The members were too preoccupied with carefully taking off microphones and wiping the sweat from today's performance away to notice Wonwoo leading Seokmin almost silently out of the dressing room door, away from the racket of 11 boys and into the long corridor outside. There were a few staff members around; a tall man wheeling a cart of lighting equipment, two serious looking women walking purposefully in the opposite direction to them, but no one Wonwoo recognised."Wonwoo-Hyung, where are we going?" Seokmin asked, almost nervously. Seokmin knew they should be staying with the group but the warmth of Wonwoo's fingers pressing into the sensitive skin on the inside of his wrist prevented him from asking again when Wonwoo didn't give a response. They were almost halfway down the stretch of corridor when Wonwoo glanced over his shoulder to check if anyone was near, but all the staff from earlier were nowhere to be seen. Seokmin could swear he saw Wonwoo smirk for a fraction of a second before sharply making a right turn into an adjoining hallway. A dusty fire exit seemed to be the only thing the small area led to, Wonwoo wasn't thinking of sneaking out, was he? Seokmin briefly considered the possibility of sneaking away with Wonwoo and getting lunch together and as nice as the idea was, Seokmin's conscience wouldn't allow it. "Hyung, we should get back...""Don't worry, we don't have anymore schedules for today. We'll be fine, they won't even notice, promise." Wonwoo smiled, and Seokmin couldn't bring himself to argue with that. Wonwoo grabbed the handle of a closet on their left, so plain it was almost impossible to notice if you weren't looking for it, but Wonwoo had always had a keen eye. He'd noticed the door from the main corridor on his way to the stage earlier. He turned the handle with ease, relived the door wasn't locked."Eh?" came a surprised squeak from behind Wonwoo. 'So we're not sneaking out?' Seokmin wondered "Wonwoo-Hyung? What-" Seokmin didn't manage to finish the question as in one fluid motion Wonwoo yanked open the door, spun him and Seokmin inside and pulled the door shut behind him. The next thing Seokmin knew, two hands were grasping at his shirt collar and a pair of smooth lips were pressed against his own, pressing his shoulder blades against the closed door. Wonwoo pushed closer to him until the two were chest to chest. Seokmin couldn't think. Wonwoo was kissing him. Wonwoo was kissing him. His brain was in a daze but his muscle memory filled in the gaps and took over, Wonwoo pulled back for air but Seokmin's lips automatically followed to pull him back into the kiss with a sigh. Seokmin's long fingers gripped at the delicate fabric of Wonwoo's shirt as Wonwoo's hands clasped the back of Seokmin's neck pulling them both in deeper, Wonwoo's tongue slid into Seokmin's mouth easily, drawing a surprised shudder from the younger. The air in the small closet seemed to be heating up by the second, Seokmin felt like his heart had never beat so fast in his life, he pulled back to gasp for air, the taste of Wonwoo still on his lips. Wonwoo took the opportunity of a break in the kiss to bring his hands to Seokmin's hips. He quickly dove back in, pressing his lips below Seokmin's jawline with enough force to push Seokmin's head back against the door. Seokmin bit his lip to stop a sigh escaping as Wonwoo worked his way down his neck, tightening his grip on Wonwoo's sides. With each press of Wonwoo's lips to the soft, sensitive skin Seokmin could feel his breathing getting heavier, his knees getting weaker. Seokmin didn't know how much more of this he could take, his head was pushed all the way back against the door to give Wonwoo the easiest access, soft lips starting to dip below the neckline of Seokmin's shirt, causing the younger boy to gasp at the sensation of Wonwoo's tongue pressed against his collarbone. Wonwoo's mouth brushed against the expanse of smooth tan skin before he couldn't resist anymore and bit into it. "Fuck," Seokmin breathed. He felt so fucking good. He rolled his body forward, trying to eliminate all space between Wonwoo's body and his. He needed friction. He needed to be closer. He needed Wonwoo to bite him like that one more time. He needed-It was at this point Seokmin's mind managed to realise what was actually happening. He was grinding on his Hyung in a random storage closet only two corridors away from the rest of the group. What the fuck. He shoved Wonwoo off of him, holding him by the shoulders, leaving a wet, red mark just above his right collarbone. "Wh-what are we doing?! We could get caught! Why-" "You know exactly what's going on. Don't pretend like you haven't noticed." Wonwoo said straightforwardly, without breaking eye contact for a second. With the slither of light slipping in through the frame of the door Seokmin could see the strong angles of Wonwoo's face, but he could also see Wonwoo's swollen lips, his smudged eyeliner, his messed up hair and goddamn, he looked good.All Seokmin could do is tear his eyes away from Wonwoo's unyielding gaze because Wonwoo was right. He did know. For weeks now it had been obvious, how they kept slipping past easy skinship into lingering touches. It wasn't hard to notice the long looks they gave each other and how Seokmin couldn't hold eye contact for too long sometimes without blushing. Both of them could see though the easy excuses they both used to sit a little closer, to touch a little more, to whisper into each others ears even when there was nothing important to tell."Come on Seokmin-ah, don't be shy" Wonwoo teased, bringing his hand up to Seokmin arm, which was still holding Wonwoo back. "Haven't you thought about this before? I have." Wonwoo pulled Seokmin's arm away allowing him to close the gap between them once more, sliding his hands into Seokmin's back pockets. "Seokmin-ah, can you sing one of those high notes for me?" Wonwoo whispered, his hot breath on Seokmin's skin. The air was heavy with tension and sweat as Wonwoo drew back to look Seokmin in the eyes, and that was what did it.Seokmin threw himself forward, hands tangling into Wonwoo's hair, teeth almost clashing in a messy kiss, but Wonwoo was quick to reciprocate, pulling Seokmin closer from his grip on the younger's ass and grinding down aggressively enough to make Seokmin softly moan into Wonwoo's mouth. Seokmin bit Wonwoo's bottom lip needily, dragging it between his teeth, rolling his hips back to Wonwoo in a desperate attempt not to lose the friction. Soon enough the rhythm of their hips had the two of them panting, almost gasping for air, chests rising and falling in near-unison."Hyung, please..." Seokmin whimpered, hooking a finger into the top of Wonwoo's trousers. Wonwoo didn't need to be asked twice and the remaining buttons on Seokmin shirt were quickly undone, exposing his toned torso. Wonwoo ran his fingers down Seokmin chest, trailing down his stomach, pausing briefly before undoing his belt buckle and letting his trousers fall to the ground. Wonwoo undid the buckle on his own belt with speed before dropping to his knees."Wonwoo-Hyung? wh?-Ah!" Seokmin slapped a hand over his mouth before he moaned loud enough for anyone who could be outside to hear as Wonwoo sucked a wet patch through the thin cotton of Seokmin underwear. "Sh-shit, Hyung-" Seokmin almost wheezed as Wonwoo slid the underwear down past Seokmin's knees. The first skin on skin contact left Seokmin's head reeling, if Wonwoo's lips had felt soft on his neck, they felt practically silken now. Wonwoo only just brushed across the tip, leaving tiny and teasing kisses, each one pushing Seokmin a little closer to the edge.Wonwoo wrapped his lips around Seokmin's cock and slowly sucked forward, lightly dragging his teeth to keep Seokmin just on the border between pleasure and pain. Wonwoo used his tongue to keep just the right amount of pressure on Seokmin as he pulled back agonisingly slowly. Seokmin was already using one hand to support himself while the other slipped into Wonwoo's thick hair ,gripping it as lightly as he could, trying with every ounce of self control not to buck up into Wonwoo's wet mouth. Wonwoo kept his movements slow, painfully slow, Seokmin was taking deep breaths but he wasn't sure whether it was pleasure or torture at this point."Hyung please- fuck- god please" Seokmin practically begged Wonwoo. Wonwoo seemed to understand, he gripped Seokmin's thick, firm thighs and picked up the pace, looking up at Seokmin with dark eyes, Seokmin wondered if he was ever going to see anything more attractive than this again in his entire life. The way Wonwoo was looking at him was intensely sensual and it had him falling apart at the seams. Seokmin had to take his hand out of Wonwoo's hair to muffle his own moans, which were getting progressively higher pitched and louder as Wonwoo got faster and faster, his cum-slicked lips smoothly taking more of Seokmin in with each movement. Seokmin knew he wasn't going to last much longer like this."Wonwoo-Hyung, wait- please-" Seokmin managed to gasp. Wonwoo slowly pulled off Seokmin with a pop, looking up at him with confusion. "I want you to feel good too Hyung... I- I want to come with you inside me... please Hyung,"If Wonwoo's face wasn't already flushed, Seokmin would say Wonwoo was blushing at that, he leaned down to kiss him, despite the taste of himself lingering on Wonwoo's lips. Wonwoo stood up to face him, snaking his arms around Seokmin's lower back, leaning in to whisper in Seokmin's ear."Can I fuck you, Seokmin-ah?" Wonwoo questioned, feeling a shiver run down Seokmin's spine at the raw honesty."Please." Seokmin replied running his thumbs over the soft skin on Wonwoo's hips. Wonwoo moved Seokmin over to a low stack of boxes and lifted him up onto them, Seokmin's back resting against the wall. The light leaking in through the door illuminated Seokmin's form, shirt half hanging off his shoulders, thighs and lips parted, chest rising and falling in anticipation."You look beautiful." Wonwoo whispered, just loud enough for Seokmin to hear, and Wonwoo didn't realise Seokmin could get an redder, but apparently it was possible as Seokmin flushed an even deeper shade. Wonwoo's fingertips danced down the back of Seokmin's thighs before coming to rest with a firm grip on Seokmin's prominent pelvic bones, allowing him to pull their hips closer together. Wonwoo quickly reached over to where his trousers were laid across a speaker to retrieve a small tube from out of his pocket, pulling the cap off with his teeth. He smeared some of the slick liquid onto his fingers, Seokmin was already biting his lip in anticipation."Wonwoo-Hyung..." Seokmin pleaded, grasping at the front of Wonwoo's shirt, riding his hips up needily. Wonwoo slipped one finger, then two, into Seokmin, making the younger boy gasp at the cold sensation and the stretch, leaning his head back against the wall behind him. Seokmin grew harder as Wonwoo scissored his fingers, the stretch almost burning. "Wonwoo-Hyung, please, hurry-" Seokmin let out between breaths."Are you sure?" Wonwoo asked between peppering kisses on Seokmin's jaw line as his free hand rolled on a condom. All Seokmin could do was nod, chewing his lip hard enough to hurt at this point. "Alright."Wonwoo aligned and slowly entered him, not wanting to push too hard, Seokmin's eyes were screwed shut with one hand fisted in Wonwoo's shirt, the other covering his mouth to try to control his whines which were getting progressively louder as Wonwoo pressed deeper. Wonwoo let out a deep sigh when he was completely in, Seokmin's heat wrapping him right to the base, the back of his shirt was already see through with sweat."Fuck, Seokmin you're so tight." Wonwoo muttered as they breathed in each other's air, his hands gripping Seokmin's hips hard enough to leave bruises. "Wonwoo. Please. Move." Seokmin managed to get out through gritted teeth. That was all the permission Wonwoo needed, he rolled his hips with enough force that Seokmin had to wrap his arms around Wonwoo's neck to stop hid back slamming into the wall behind him. Wonwoo breathily cursed between soft moans, muffled by the skin of Seokmin's neck. With every thrust Seokmin let out high pitched moans, fingernails digging into the nearest available skin as Wonwoo's hands slid down to grip handfuls of firm ass to change the angle he was entering and oh. Wonwoo was now hitting Seokmin in just the right place with every slide and Seokmin was seeing stars, coming undone with every hit, painfully hard and dripping with precum. Wonwoo was just as close to his release, the sound of skin slapping on skin driving him nearer to the edge."Fuck, Seokmin I'm so close-" Wonwoo bit into the sensitive skin above Seokmin's collarbones. Seokmin wrapped his legs around Wonwoo's waist and groaned through closed lips to try and control his volume. "Seokmin-ah, don't hold back, let me hear your voice." Wonwoo said gently, but firmly. Seokmin shook his head, anyone walking past could hear, he couldn't. "C'mon baby, sing for me." Seokmin didn't know if it was Wonwoo's husky voice, his lips brushing against his ear or that Wonwoo called him 'baby', but Seokmin couldn't hold himself back for another second. Wonwoo thrusted back into him again and Seokmin cried out, throwing his head back to the wall."Ah sh-shit Hyung! Harder! Please, fuck" Seokmin begged, and Wonwoo couldn't say no to that. Wonwoo pinned Seokmin's wrists against the wall either side of his head and licked a stripe up his throat before biting the soft skin under his earlobe. The face Seokmin was making had to be illegal but Wonwoo wanted to push him further, he was determined to make Seokmin come first. "Wonwoo- hung please I'm so close I- Ah!" Seokmin was cut off as Wonwoo lowered one of his hands to Seokmin's cock, pressed flush to his stomach. Seokmin was agonizingly overstimulated, Wonwoo's coarse palm pumping his dick and Wonwoo's cock slamming into him in increasingly erratic thrusts, both of them losing their rhythm as they drew closer and closer to release. Seokmin had started slipping down the wall, unable to hold himself up anymore, eyes fluttered shut and cheeks flushed. Shallow sighs escaped through his parted lips, shirt fallen from one shoulder. "Seokmin-ah~" Wonwoo teased "Come for me, baby". Seokmin braced himself against the wall, his back arching towards Wonwoo, coming in hot spurts over Wonwoo's palm with a cry worthy of a main vocalist. Wonwoo wasn't far behind, collapsing onto Seokmin's shoulder, biting a red mark into Seokmin's skin to control his groan. Wonwoo's thigh muscles twitched with the intensity of his orgasm as Seokmin's legs wrapped tighter around Wonwoo's back.They rode out their rhythm until they slowed to a stop, chests pressed flush against each other, breathing heavily with Wonwoo's head resting on Seokmin's shoulder, sweat dripping down their foreheads and necks, eyes shut and lips swollen. Bruises had started to form around Seokmin's neck and hips in the shape of Wonwoo's mouth. "Fuck," Wonwoo sighed "That was...fuck." struggling to form a coherent thought."Yeah, I was thinking the same" giggled Seokmin, pressing a kiss to Wonwoo's forehead, making Wonwoo smile softly. "We should get back, they're probably wondering where we got to.""Mmmdon'twanna" mumbled Wonwoo, pressing his lips to Seokmin's collarbones sweetly."Hyung, we gotta go" whined Seokmin, pushing Wonwoo's fucked out form off his chest, groaning at the weight. Seokmin laced their fingers together and dragged Wonwoo onto his feet, "Get dressed quickly and maybe I'll sit next to to you in the van home~" Seokmin teased with a peck to Wonwoo's lips, pulling him out of his daze.A rushed five minutes later spent making themselves look presentable and trying to hide the fact that Seokmin had the beginnings of a deep purple bruise on the underside of his jaw, peeking out from his now creased shirt. They sprinted out the fire exit to sneak round the side of the building, managing to slip into the group as they were getting into the vans. "Where did you guys get to?" Chan asked when he noticed them standing behind him."Eh? We were here the whole time...?" Wonwoo responded innocently, Seokmin was an awful liar so he was thankful for Wonwoo's natural coolness in this situation."You must have just been on the other side of the room in there, I didn't notice you," Chan mumbled, but shrugged it off. Ah, the advantages of thirteen members. The boys climbed into the two vans, Wonwoo and Seokmin getting in through the back doors before slumping into the rear seats, Jihoon sleeping to their right. Seokmin rested his hand on Wonwoo's thigh and Wonwoo placed his hand on top, gently smoothing his thumb over the back of Seokmin's hand. The younger smiled without opening his eyes and Wonwoo rested his head on the window, listening to Seokmin's light snoring and quiet sleep-talking. Wonwoo peeked his head over the chair in front of him to make sure no one was looking, but as expected everyone was sleeping or at least appeared to be. Wonwoo lightly pressed a kiss to the top of Seokmin's head, before closing his own eyes to get some sleep too. Less than 2 seconds into his eyes being shut he felt warm lips press to his cheek, and opened one eye to see Seokmin smiling back at him. Wonwoo pulled Seokmin in by the collar to feel that sweet smile against his own lips."I wasn't really sleeping." Giggled Seokmin, quiet enough not to wake anyone else on the bus. Wonwoo smiled back at the younger boys grin, fondness crinkling his eyes, squeezing Seokmin's hand affectionately. "Get some rest, I'll kiss you all you want when we get back." "Promise?""Promise." Wonwoo whispered onto Seokmin's lips before they settled back into sleep, hands still intertwined. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Jeonghan was a natural flirt, this much had always been obvious, skinship came so naturally with him that  Seokmin never thought twice when Jeonghan slid his hand into the back pocket of Seokmin's tight black jeans. It didn't seem out of the ordinary whenever Jeonghan snuck up behind him and wrapped Seokmin in a backhug, hooking his chin over Seokmin's shoulder. When there was no space left on the sofa Jeonghan comfortably sat on Seokmin's thighs, and nothing really seemed out of place. What Seokmin did notice however, was that sometimes Jeonghan lingered. Seokmin wasn't sure if this was just his imagination or not but sometimes the thought Jeonghan slipped  past affectionate touches and into... somewhere else.Jeonghan was always very open about his affection for Seokmin both on and off camera, Seokmin was 'his fool', always making him laugh, playing along with his teases and jokes. Jeonghan loved the attention Seokmin gave him, calling him 'prettiest' and 'Angel-Hyung', playing with his hair, even telling him he had beautiful eyes right in the middle of a broadcast once. But it was that kind of genuine and honest appreciation that made Seokmin so lovely.Seokmin had finished up with vocal practice early today and while he would normally head over to the dance studio to practice choreography, he also knew that no one in the dorm had eaten anything but leftovers for the past two days, so he decided to sneak back to the dorms and cook something to surprise everyone when they got back. He jogged down the stairs and out the building, thinking through the list of recipes in his head.  Seokmin didn't particularly enjoy cooking, especially for 13 people, but it was relaxing sometimes, especially when the dorm was quiet like this. Seokmin kicked off his shoes in the entryway and padded over in his socks to the kitchen, pulling off his hoodie and chucking it onto the sofa as he walked past.Humming to himself as he got the ingredients out of the fridge and started boiling the water, there was a pile of dishes waiting to be washed but Seokmin knew Soonyoung and Vernon hadn't cleaned up in months so he planned to bother them to do it when they got back. Seokmin began slicing up the vegetables, muttering to himself that the knife was too blunt, when he felt a pair of cold hands on his sides. The knife dropped onto the counter with a clatter as Seokmin yelped and span around, ending up face to face with a giggling Jeonghan, who looked a little too pleased at how easily he had managed to get Seokmin flustered."Hyung! You scared me! What are you doing back?" Seokmin asked curiously."Did you forget? I had a meeting at the company today so I wasn't at practice, cant you tell?" Jeonghan laughed back, and he was right. Jeonghan was wearing an oversized blue and white pinstripe shirt , buttoned to the neck, half tucked into turned up black skinny jeans. 'These were definitely not practice clothes,' Seokmin thought to himself, Jeonghan looked good, his blonde hair had been pushed back by the wind which somehow only made him look better. Seokmin felt a little conscious in his half-clean khaki tracksuit bottoms and loose white vest top, it was pretty hard not to be at least a little intimidated by how pretty Jeonghan was sometimes. It wasn't that Seokmin was unhappy with his own looks, but looking like your average teenage boy while standing next to Jeonghan, who was looking like some kind of untouchable marble statue, he couldn't help but compare."Right, I remember. You look really nice today by the way, that shirt suits you." Seokmin replied happily, grinning at Jeonghan before turning back to the vegetables to try and hide the blush on his cheeks."I'll give you a hand, pass me the spare knife, I'll help you cut these up." Jeonghan offered, sliding over to the counter next to Seokmin. He reached to take the knife from Seokmin's hand, and there it was. The linger. Seokmin knew he wasn't imagining how Jeonghan slowed as he took the knife, allowing him to brush his fingers against Seokmin's palm. Seokmin's eyes followed Jeonghan's movements, each one seemingly precise and careful, naturally elegant. Seokmin felt hypersensitive to Jeonghan's touch, the contact of Jeonghan brushing against his bare arm with every movement of the knife. He tired his hardest to ignore the shivers the touch sent down his spine and focused on his own cutting when he felt two fingers swipe across his cheek."Wh-?!" he brought a hand up to his face, only to find a stripe of obnoxiously red sauce painted across it. To his left Jeonghan was biting his tongue to stifle his giggles, fingers dipped in red, looking way to proud of his own joke, Jeonghan looked very innocent sometimes, but at this moment his expression could only be described as 'guilty, and pretty pleased about it too'.Seokmin took slow steps towards Jeonghan, who was shuffling backwards away from him, dipping three fingers in the sauce as he moved. Jeonghan's back hit the opposite counter."Seokminnie nooo, please nono" Jeonghan whined insincerely as Seokmin closed in on him. Seokmin grinned down at Jeonghan who let out a small squeak as three red lines were smeared across his forehead. Seokmin laughed at his work, eyes crinkling shut in amusement, allowing Jeonghan to swiftly dip his hand in the open packet of flour sitting on the side, and swipe it directly onto Seokmin's other cheek, leaving a neat white handprint on the side of his face. It was Jeonghan's turn to laugh as he ran and ducked behind the breakfast bar, he peeked over just enough to see Seokmin coming at him with a hand of flour. Jeonghan's high pitched laughed bounced off the kitchen as he attempted to escape from Seokmin, but the younger boy managed to catch his wrist in one hand and used the other to smother the handful of white powder onto Jeonghan's left cheek, leaving a handprint to match his own.The two of them couldn't hold in their laughter at each other's ridiculous appearances, vegetables forgotten on the opposite side of the kitchen. "Ah! Jeonghan-Hyung! Your jeans!"Seokmin gasped, seeing the streaks of white powder that had inevitable ended up on the black fabric, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mess your-""Don't worry about it Seokminnie~ I'll throw them in the wash now and they'll be clean by tomorrow, no worries." Jeonghan assured Seokmin, before peeling the stained trousers off and chucking them into the almost full washing basket a few feet away. It wasn't unusual for the members to walk around the dorm half dressed but Seokmin felt his cheeks heating up at the sight of Jeonghan in only the oversized shirt, the top few buttons popped open, he looked almost... seductive? He was finding it hard  to tear his eyes away from Jeonghan's legs, smooth muscle, but toned, 'is it strange to think they look soft?' Seokmin wondered."Ah, let me get that off your face," Seokmin mumbled, quickly changing the subject. Jeonghan shut his eyes, allowing Seokmin to wipe the mess off of him, carefully but quickly. "All done!" Seokmin smiled, handing Jeonghan a tissue to return the favour. Jeonghan took a step closer, pressing himself against Seokmin as he cleaned up his face, causing the darker haired boy to blush at the proximity. Smirking at the reaction, Jeonghan purposefully took his time, dragging his fingers down Seokmin's jawline slowly under the pretence of cleaning before reaching out to take Seokmin's hand. "What-?""Let me get that for you," said Jeonghan softly, referring to the red sauce which still stained Seokmin's fingertips. Seokmin gulped as Jeonghan took two of Seokmin's long fingers into his mouth. Lips pursed around Seokmin's fingers, Jeonghan sucked gently on the digits, all Seokmin could do was watch with wide eyes. Jeonghan was so attractive like this Seokmin felt dirty just looking, he licked his own lips, unsure of how to proceed."Jeonghan-Hyung, I-" Seokmin stammered, but Jeonghan was already reaching past Seokmin, to the counter the younger was pressed against. Jeonghan swiped sugar along his plush bottom lip, the small crystals glittering against the soft pink."I think you missed a spot."Jeonghan near-whispered, leaning in closer to Seokmin. It took a second to realise what Jeonghan was asking but Seokmin's body had figured it out before his mind did. Jeonghan's lips tasted painfully sweet, even without the sugar, Seokmin took Jeonghan's face in his hands, pulling him closer until both of their weights were pressed against the counter. Jeonghan moved his hands to Seokmin's waist and Seokmin took this as a signal to deepen the kiss, opening his mouth and tilting his head without breaking apart once. Seokmin kissed hungrily, almost desperatley, he'd thought about this for a long time and now Jeonghan was actually here. Kissing him. It felt like heaven. Maybe Jeonghan really was an angel after all?Seokmin's hands dropped to Jeonghan's hips , slipping under the thin fabric of the oversized shirt, feelint the smooth skin peeking out from the waistband of Jeonghan's underwear and teasingly dragging his nails over the more sensitive areas just to feel Jeonghan's muscles tense up. Seokmin used his firm grip on Jeonghan's small hips to flip the two of them until it was Jeonghan pressed up against the counter. A sigh escaped jeonghand lips as Seokmin ran his hands down the backs of Jeonghan's thighs, he lifted the older boy up onto the counter with little difficulty, before moving back in with a kiss to the side of Jeonghan's neck. Jeonghan almost groaned, hooking his arms over Seokmin's shoulders as the dark haired boy peppered kisses slowly down Jeonghan's neck all the way to his clavicles. Without moving from where he was sucking a harsh mark into Jeonghan's graceful  collarbones, Seokmin's hands moved from their grip on Jeonghan's smooth thighs and undid the small blue buttons on Jeonghan's shirt to leave him in just a small pair of black briefs, with the shirt hanging off his slim shoulders."Seokminnie..." Jeonghan keened, tugging at the fabric of Seokmin's vest, desperate for more skin on skin contact. Pulling away to leave a damp mark blemishing Jeonghan's shoulder, Seokmin whipped his own shirt over his head, discarding it carelessly on the floor. It was Jeonghan's turn to stare, pausing to take in Seokmin, it wasn't the first time he'd seen Seokmin with his shirt off, but it was the first in a context like this. Jeonghan experimentally ran a finger down Seokmin's torso, watching firm muscles twitch under tan skin at the stimulation, every touch felt electric to Seokmin right now."Jeonghan-Hyung, please, stop teasing," Seokmin breathed out, desperation tinting his voice. Jeonghan understood and wrapped his legs around Seokmin, pulling himself forward until their hips met. The friction even between layers of fabric was enough to make him gasp. Jeonghan swiped his tongue over his thumb before bringing it to Seokmin's nipple, rubbing the warm wetness across Seokmin's sensitive skin."Sh-shit" Seokmin choked as Jeonghan pressed his lips to the soft skin below Seokmin's ear while keeping up the merciless teasing on his nipple. Seokmin's hands gripped at Jeonghan's ass and tried to close the near nonexistent space between them, causing his own erection to brush against Jeonghan's."Hah, seokminnie- I want it.." Jeonghan whispered needily into Seokmin's  ear. If Seokmin's face wasn't red before, he certainly was now."J-Jeonghan-hyung? Wh-? I-" Seokmin spluttered, cheeks flushed and no longer sure where to put his hands, Jeonghan's body draped over him."Seokmin-ah" Jeonghan purred, dancing his fingers over Seokmin's waistband. "I want you to fuck me, can you do that for me?" punctuating the question by dragging Seokmin's lower lip between his teeth. All Seokmin to could bring himself to do was gulp and nod his head. "I want to hear you say it seokminnie~ can you do that for me?" Jeonghan repeated, smirking up at him."Y-yeah. I can do that. I can do that for you." Seokmin replied, uncertainty shaking his voice. Jeonghan gracefully unwrapped his legs from Seokmin's torso, looking at him with half lidded eyes and parted lips, an expression too lewd for a face that angelic."Bottom cupboard to your left." Jeonghan said quietly, but firmly, making his urgency obvious. The bottom left cupboard contained the spare bathroom supplies, the ones they didn't have space for, unopened bottles of bleach and packets of wet wipes and endless spare cosmetics. Pushing past the layers of bottles at the front, Seokmin found a decent sized bottle of lube at the back, next to a small string of condoms. By the time he'd fished them out Jeonghan had already slid his underwear off and tossed his shirt to the floor. Seokmin almost gasped. Jeonghan was breathtakingly beautiful like this, Seokmin was almost hesitant to touch him in case this was all just a dream, it wouldn't be the first time. Taking the initiative, Jeonghan guided Seokmin's hovering hands to his own waist, taking his soft lips once more but softer and gentler than before to reassure the younger boy."You don't need to be nervous," Jeonghan murmured in between kisses, "I want you Seokmin-ah, touch me as much as you want." Seemingly in response, Seokmin slid his hands down from Jeonghan's petite waistline, following the smooth curve of his hip, to press Jeonghan's delicate thighs apart. Seokmin spread a generous amount of lube onto his fingers and positioned them below Jeonghan's entrance."is this ok?" Seokmin asked, Jeonghan only responding with one more slow, sweet kiss, but that was confirmation enough. One finger slipped in easily enough, all the way to the knuckle. Seokmin curled his finger inside Jeonghan, making the elder dig his nails in to Seokmin's shoulders with a soft whine. But when the second finger was added Jeonghan whimpered. Seokmin had always had pretty hands with long, careful fingers and it was making Jeonghan weak as they slipped in and out with little resistance, stretching him open."God, Seokmin your fingers- Fuck-" Jeonghan panted, already feeling overwhelmed, arching his spine to get the perfect angle for Seokmin  to hit the right spot with each movement. Jeonghan felt his resolve wear away as he begun rocking his hips to match Seokmin's actions, gripping the countertop for support, trying to force Seokmin deeper, to give him more. Seokmin could only stare awestruck as Yoon Jeonghan started riding his fucking fingers letting out needy moans that went straight to Seokmin's already hard dick."You look so gorgeous right now, you know that?" Seokmin praised, curling his fingers one more time just to make Jeonghan shudder."M-More..""What?""Seokmin I need more, I'm ready so please- fuck- please just fuck me." Jeonghan begged, already too close to the edge just from Seokmin's fingers. Seokmin discarded his tracksuits and underwear in one motion and rolled on a condom quickly, all too willing to comply with Jeonghan's request. He aligned himself with Jeonghan, who hooked his slender arms around the back of Seokmin's neck. Seokmin inched forward slowly, not wanting to hurt Jeonghan, who bit his lip harder and harder as Seokmin pushed further, only releasing when he felt Seokmin was all the way in."Shit,, you're so tight." Seokmin breathed into the crook of Jeonghan's neck, before sliding out slowly until only the tip remained. He took it as slow and gentle as he could bring himself to go, "Is this ok?" checked Seokmin."It's... amazing. Just-" Jeonghan panted, "Just move.". Seokmin didn't wait another second, rolling his hips upwards into Jeonghan, making the elder cry out shamelessly. Seokmin let out small 'hah' sounds with every thrust, every muscle tensing and twitching. Their pace increased exponentially as they both gradually lost their ability to control themselves. Jeonghan scratched long red marks down the expanse of Seokmin's large, smooth back, stretching from his shoulder blades downwards, parallel to his spine. The tight heat was almost overwhelming for Seokmin, who was losing rhythm, dissolving into increasingly erratic movements as he drew nearer to his climax."Jeonghan-Hyung... I'm- I'm so close-" Seokmin moaned, but he was determined to make Jeonghan feel just as good as him. Seokmin's long fingers stroked the length of Jeonghan's dick, making the older throw his head back with a noise that would put most porn stars to shame."Fuck, Seokmin, don't stop" cried Jeonghan, bucking his hips up to meet Seokmin's hand, desperate for more contact, he was so close.They came together, Jeonghan streaking cum onto him own torso, near screaming in bliss, Seokmin with Jeonghan's name on his lips. Their pace fell as fast as it rose until Jeonghan was leaning against the wall behind him, Seokmin slumped against his chest, both breathing heavily and heads spinning with exertion and pleasure. The two of them looked around at the mess of the kitchen, the flour spilt all over the floor along with various knocked-over kitchen implements that lay among the discarded clothes, the vegetables forgotten about on the side. They looked back at each other, a little guiltily, and fell into giggles. Seokmin grinned and pressed a small kiss to Jeonghan's cheek, the lazy affection coming naturally to them, Jeonghan smiling softly at the younger boy and running a hand though Seokmin's dishevelled hair which was now sticking up in all directions."If you cook and I clean, we should have time for another round before everyone gets back." Smirked Jeonghan, half teasing but also half serious if Seokmin was up for it."Sounds good to me," Seokmin laughed back, "But I think we both need to clean up before we can touch anything in the kitchen.". This gave Jeonghan another excellent idea."You're right, Seokminne. Wanna go shower with me?" ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- At 179 centimetres tall, Lee Seokmin was by no means 'short'. But standing next to a whole 185 centimetres of Mingyu, Seokmin didn't exactly feel like the tallest person in the world. He stood under a shop entryway, sheltering from the rain while Minghao bought drinks for the three of them inside. The rain had started coming down increasingly heavier since the three of them had stepped under the shelter, and was rapidly approaching the point Seokmin would describe as 'torrential', hammering down on the small roof covering their heads. A cold wind blew tiny droplets near horizontally, dampening the left side of Seokmin's black hoodie sleeve and making Mingyu's white long sleeve shirt stick to his skin. Mingyu squeaked at the sudden chill and shuffled closer to Seokmin, trying to hide behind him despite the 6 centimetre height difference making him need to crouch a little. Seokmin laughed at Mingyu's attempt before spinning round and rubbing the boys arms with his sweater covered hands to try and warm him up."Aish, how the hell are we gonna get home in this?" Minghao complained, stepping out from the shop. Seokmin and Mingyu shared a look, they both knew Minghao would never willingly get wet, especially not in his new jacket, it wasn't that the jacket wasn't waterproof but Minghao was very protective of his clothing as a self proclaimed 'fashion icon'. Seokmin hooked his arm around Minghao's left arm while Mingyu grabbed Minghao's right, confusion flickered across Minghao's face for a second before realisation of the situation settled in. Minghao tried to pull away but his attempts were futile, Seokmin and Mingyu stepped forward in unison out of the protection of the shelter, dragging a violently cursing Minghao behind them. They ran away laughing from the now-damp Chinese boy who was actively threatening murder on them, Seokmin could feel his fringe sticking to his forehead and water seeping through the fabric of his hoodie as the rain continued to pummel down. Mingyu's canines flashed as he grinned happily by Seokmin's side, droplets of water sliding off his strands of black hair, slowing to let Minghao catch up with them. Mingyu hooked his arms around their shoulders, letting Minghao begrudgingly ruffle his hair, the shorter boy chuckling at the antics of the other two. Thunder started to rumble in the distance, prompting them to jog as the rain got even harsher."Yah! If I get hit by lightning its gonna be your fault!" Minghao joked, pulling his jacket over his head as a mild attempt to protect himself."Yeah but what if you get superpowers? What do we get then?" Seokmin responded with a giggle."Yeah! Will you protect us Hao?" Mingyu joined in, causing Minghao to roll his eyes."If I had lightning powers, both of you would get zapped first." smirked Minghao, before speeding away from them. They managed to avoid lightning strikes and made it back to the dorm building, Mingyu and Seokmin yelling at every clap of thunder on the way. Once they managed to get up the stairs, leaving a trail of small puddles behind them, they stumbled into the entry way, kicking off their sodden shoes."Dibs on the first shower" called Minghao, already halfway to the bathroom, much to Mingyu and Seokmin's dismay, who were left dripping onto the laminate floor.Mingyu shook the water off of his hair, much like a puppy. An oversized, muscular puppy in an almost entirely see through white shirt. Seokmin noticed the fabric clinging to Mingyu's torso, his tan skin stuck to the translucent fabric and suddenly he felt a lot less cold than he did a second before. Seokmin's black jeans were soaked to his thighs, making the muscles underneath twitch with the chill, tensed and shivering. Seokmin's thighs were impressive even when they weren't in damp, skin tight jeans and Mingyu has always been aware of this, but right now he was really struggling to resist the urge to reach out and grab them. He distracted himself by wringing out his still-dripping shirt, oblivious to how much of an effect this action had on Seokmin, who was unintentionally staring as Mingyu revealed his hipbones, peeling his shirt from his abdomen. Seokmin stripped off his socks and threw them with surprising accuracy onto the radiator a couple of feet away, wiggling his toes in the little puddle created by Mingyu's wrung out shirt."Watch out!" yelped Mingyu as Seokmin (inevitably) slipped. Mingyu shot forward on instinct and caught Seokmin just in time to stop him from slamming his head into the wall, arms wrapped tightly round his waist. Seokmin looked up after the initial shock of the fall, only to see Mingyu's lazy half smile shining down fondly at him."Th-Thanks.." Seokmin said, more quietly than he intended, suddenly incredibly aware of their proximity, the droplets rolling off of Mingyu's hair falling onto his own. The moment of silence stretched past comfortable into something unspoken, neither of them pulling back from their position, feeling each other's slight shivers with their chests pressed flush against each other, separated only by damp layers of fabric."Showers free." Called Minghao, strutting out of the bathroom with a towel slung round his waist. The advantage of sharing a dorm with thirteen people was that everyone had now learned how to shower very efficiently, as most of the time a couple of minutes is the only time available."Do you wanna go next?" offered Seokmin, finally stepping away from Mingyu."Na, you can go ahead, I'm gonna look for something to mop this up with." Brushed off Mingyu, giving Seokmin a nudge in the direction of the bathroom."There's spare paper towels under the sink." advised Seokmin before closing the bathroom door behind him. Tearing off his damp clothes and stepping under the warm water was blissful as he felt the chill seep out of his body. Seokmin ran his hand through his hair when his thoughts decided to intrude on him, specifically, thoughts of Mingyu and his goddamn white shirt. The way his arms flexed as he wrung out the soaked fabric, the way his tan skin contrasted perfectly against the white, the way his nipples were so painfully obvious-Seokmin stopped himself as he felt the thought travel straight downwards. He couldn't, not now, not with Mingyu literally waiting right outside to use the exact same shower. After washing his hair as fadt as he could and hopping out of the shower, Seokmin grabbed a towel and unlocked the bathroom to go find some dry clothes."Mingyu! I'm out the shower" called Seokmin."Gotcha!" Mingyu replied from where he was throwing out a wad of soaked paper towels. Seokmin wandered into his room, glad everyone else was still out so he could change freely, grabbing his half-clean adidas tracksuits and a shirt with some English writing that he was pretty sure belonged to Seungcheol at one point. He wandered out and fell lazily onto the sofa, scrolling mindlessly down his phone, considering bothering Minghao but knowing he was almost definitely already lying down with his headphones on. Seokmin's wet hair dripped down his neck, the towel around his shoulders protecting his shirt neckline. He heard the bathroom door click as the latch was unlocked and all Seokmin could think was 'for the love of god do not look up', before almost immediately, looking up. Mingyu leaned out with a towel wrapped around his waist, bubbles of shampoo still in his hair."Ah, Seokmin! Is there any spare shower gel in the cupboard? The bottle just ran out." Mingyu asked, apparently not aware he was nearly naked and wet and causing Seokmin to suffer. Nevertheless Seokmin managed to drag his eyes away and find a bottle of shower gel in the cupboard, he padded over to Mingyu, who gave his ever-so-charming smile as he took the bottle from Seokmin's hands.Suddenly, it was another one of those moments when Seokmin realised how small he felt next to Mingyu, looking up at him with his broad shoulders and chest on display. Mingyu cocked his head, questioning what Seokmin was staring at so intensely, water still dripping down his torso."You're too tall." muttered Seokmin, almost too quiet for Mingyu to hear."Wh-?" Mingyu didn't manage to finish the question as Seokmin took the towel from around his shoulders and hooked it round the back of Mingyu's neck to pull him down into a kiss. Seokmin was on this tip-toes to allow his lips to meet Mingyu's in a relatively chaste kiss. Slow, gentle and sweet. Seokmin pulled back and descended from his tiptoes, releasing his hold on the towel round Mingyu's neck. For a long second, Mingyu stood, dazed, a little unsure of how to respond in this situation, before he leaned down to kiss Seokmin again, a little messier but just as meaningfully.Mingyu cupped Seokmin's face with his free hand, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss, pressing forward until Seokmin could feel the cool water droplets from Mingyu's chest seeping through the front of his shirt. Seokmin smelt like citrus body wash and cheap shampoo and everything familiar and Mingyu couldn't get enough as he felt rough palms slide over his hips, pulling his forward. Seokmin shuffled backwards, guiding the two of them over to the edge of the sofa, hands and lips still all over each other, until the backs of his knees hit the armrest. Mingyu's towel lay forgotten on the other side of the room, the taller boy now only in a thin pair of underwear, leaving little to Seokmin's imagination.Seokmin allowed himself to be pushed backwards, landing with a thump as his back hit the cushions of the sofa, Mingyu wasting no time crawling over him. His knees rested either side of Seokmin's hips, holding himself up on his hands, his arms framing Seokmin's flushed face. Looking up at Mingyu, seeing the water rolling down his neck, Seokmin suddenly felt very exposed despite being the more clothed one of them by a long way."You ok?" Mingyu checked, breath heavy. Seokmin only nodded in response, hair splayed out on the soft cushion beneath him, chest rising and falling in anticipation. Mingyu took this as a signal to move forward, leaning down and digging his sharp canines into the smooth expanse of Seokmin's neck."Ah! Gyu-" gasped Seokmin, his hands flying to Mingyu's hair, fingers easily sliding between the wet strands. He could swear he felt Mingyu smile against his skin at his reaction. Mingyu sucked the skin between his teeth, biting gently just to feel Seokmin squirm slightly beneath him, the shorter boy biting his lip in an unsuccessful attempt to quiet the high pitched noises escaping from him. Seokmin could feel himself growing harder, stretching the fabric of his tracksuits. His resolve crumbled away and he bucked his hips up, grinding into Mingyu making him release the grip his mouth had on Seokmin's neck. Mingyu used his hips to press Seokmin down into the sofa, his hardness painfully obvious through the thin fabric of his underwear, this breath hot against the damp mark left on Seokmin's neck. Seokmin could hardly move, pinned under the weight of Mingyu, who was damn-near humping Seokmin into the cushion. All Seokmin could do was pant at the friction that was currently overwhelming him, reducing him to a whimpering mess, begging for more contact.Seokmin pushed Mingyu up and shuffled into a sitting position, allowing him to pull his shirt off. Mingyu couldn't help but stare at Seokmin's toned upper body, still straddled over Seokmin's lap, hands now resting on Seokmin's waist. Mingyu smiled up at Seokmin through his mussed up fringe, half getting in his eyes, half sticking straight up and Seokmin couldn't help but smile back. Mingyu grinned mischievously and in one motion managed to whip Seokmin's tracksuit bottoms off."Ah! How did you-?! I was sitting down! You were sitting on me!" Seokmin yelped at Mingyu, who now kneeling in front of him, looking at the tracksuits in his hand, apparently also somewhat confused at how he had achieved that."I didn't want to be the only one in my underwear, ok?" argued Mingyu, although somewhat distractedly as holy shit Seokmin's legs. Seokmin noticed the staring and pushed Mingyu back by the shoulders until he was sat back against the sofa. Mingyu couldn't tear his eyes away as Seokmin pulled his underwear off, before hooking his leg over and straddling Mingyu's lap, arms lazily hooked around the taller boys shoulders. Mingyu's hands hovered uncertainly over Seokmin's legs, suddenly overly conscious to touch him, testing the waters of this new level of intimacy."It's ok." reassured Seokmin, simply and straightforwardly, pulling Mingyu's hands down onto his strong thighs, prompting the other boy to grip and the smooth muscle."You know, you look amazing like this." Mingyu said honestly, eyeing the pretty bruise forming on Seokmin's neck from earlier, "Your neck, your shoulders, they're so pretty? And then your thighs? Seokmin, your thighs."Seokmin gave Mingyu one of his signature blinding smiles before kissing the dazed expression off of his face. Pulling the fabric of Mingyu's underwear down without breaking the kiss was easier than Seokmin expected to be, and now their equally hardened cocks brushed against each other with every motion of their bodies, slick and hot and painfully addictive. Mingyu whimpered with every roll of Seokmin's hips, hands sneaking up Seokmin's thighs and around to grab his perfectly curved ass. Both of them knew they could finish like this, rubbing against each other until the friction tipped them over the edge, but that wasn't what either of them were thinking of. Seokmin broke their kiss after what seemed like forever and leaned to pull a small tube from the pocket of the crumpled tracksuits."Knew I'd left it in there." Seokmin mumbled, handing the lube to Mingyu who had a pleased smirk plastered across his face. Mingyu slicked his fingers with the cool liquid before reaching back round to gently press into Seokmin, one digit, then two slid into Seokmin, who bit down on his bottom lip to stop himself from gasping at the cold sensation. Mingyu hurriedly scissored his fingers, knowing he'd finish before they'd even begun if Seokmin kept making  those noises, small, high-pitched whines of pleasure with every movement of Mingyu's fingers."Mingyu I'm fine, I'm ready, just do it." Seokmin pleaded. He positioned himself above Mingyu, carefully lowering himself, hissing at the stretch, Mingyu was by no one's standards 'small' and god did it feel good. Mingyu let out a sigh as he bottomed out, completely wrapped up in Seokmin, his fingers now leaving indents on Seokmin's thighs. "I'm gonna move, ok?" sighed Seokmin into Mingyu's ear."Yeah, fuck, you feel so good Seokmin... shit." escaped through Mingyu's gritted teeth. Seokmin slowly began to rise and fall, slowly at first, fluttering breaths escaping through pink and swollen lips. Thrusting upwards, Mingyu met Seokmin with every movement, skin slapping on skin creating harsh smacking sounds that echoed through the room. They moved erratically, unrhythmically, sacrificing smooth movements for fast pace, both of them pushing themselves to the limit to feel more of this near-ecstasy. Seokmin's cries increased in volume as he felt the heat pooling in his stomach, his muscles tightening and tensing, Mingyu could feel himself coming dangerously close as well.When he could feel Seokmin's nails digging into his shoulders Mingyu knew he was seconds away, he pulled Seokmin in and kissed him through his orgasm, neither of them sure who came first. They drew away slowly, trying to drag the moment out longer. Then they kissed again. And again. And then again until they lost count, sitting together naked and sweaty and goddamn blissful."Ey Seokmin, we gotta get up. Gotta like? Shower or some shit? Yeah. That." Mingyu mumbled, a little dazed, a little exhausted, but mostly really goddamn pleased with himself."You're the one with the jizz on your abs, you gotta shower more than me." Seokmin whined back"Shut up, you're still sweaty. And you're still sitting on my dick." Chuckled Mingyu, resting his head on Seokmin's shoulder, hearing him snort a laugh back. They sat there for what felt like too long, lying against each other in comfortable silence, feeling the rise and fall of each other's chests, exhaustion still seeping into their muscles, making standing up seem like a herculean task."Gyuuuu~ I wanna go to bed," Seokmin said sleepily, adjusting his position, allowing Mingyu to finally slip out with a small gasp of relief."Seokmin you're gonna have to give me at least like, 20 minutes before I can go for round two.""No like, to sleep."Mingyu looked briefly at the clock wonkily nailed to the opposite wall, "You wanna sleep at 2 in the afternoon?" he questioned."Do you not wanna sleep right now?" Seokmin asked back, words slightly muffled as he buried his face in the crook of Mingyu's neck. Mingyu considered the question for the moment and damn, Seokmin was right, sleep kinda sounded like the best thing in the world right now. "Ah! Gyu! What-?!" Seokmin yelped as Mingyu promptly picked the smaller boy off of his lap and hoisted him into the air, holding him in his arms a little like a princess. Mingyu only grinned in response, canines flashing as he walked towards the bedroom, careful not to hit Seokmin on the doorframe on the way in. Seokmin was dumped unceremoniously onto the bed, laughing at Mingyu's antics. The bed creaked as Mingyu lay down beside Seokmin, pulling the covers up over the both of them and shuffling down until they were face to face, resting on the same pillow. Seokmin's arm lay across Mingyu's chest, two pairs of long legs tangled up under the covers, fingertips touching ever so lightly. And they stayed just like that, smiling in their sleep. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The clock seemed to be ticking slower than usual in the run up to 2pm, the clock itself didn't make a ticking sound but just seeing the hand twitch round in his peripheral vision had Jihoon impatiently tapping the surface of his desk, unable to focus on the rhythm pumping out of his headphones. His mixing software sat idle in front of him, the track he'd been working on that had seemed so promising as he had started creating it was beginning to sound stale and repetitive, it was taking a lot of effort to not slam his head into his keyboard in frustration. He tipped his head back, trying to draw inspiration from the blank squares that stared back at him from the ceiling, running a hand through the bleached ruffles of his hair. He slumped back into his chair, facing the monitor again, squinting at the shitstorm of files cluttering his desktop, he was going to need glasses if he kept this up.He needed inspiration, Jihoon thought to himself after a solid 10 minutes of tapping out failed melodies, he just needed something to spark an idea and this whole song will fall together, but sadly. Nothing clicked. Well, nothing except the clock as it struck 2:05. 'He's later than usual...' Jihoon thought to himself. Every day for the past two or three weeks, around 2pm, a certain distraction would sneak into Jihoon's studio with a coffee in each hand and a brown paper bag with some kind of sweet snack inside held between his teeth. Jihoon could never be too mad as the paper bag had the logo of his favourite bakery on and maybe he forgot to eat sometimes. There are worse distractions than Lee Seokmin and the best pastry this side of Seoul.Right on cue, he heard the studio door click open behind him, the silence broken by upbeat humming, Jihoon didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The brown paper bag was released from between Seokmin's teeth and landed with a small thump on the desk."Why don't you just hold the bag with your hands? You could hold it as well as a coffee, you got big hands." Jihoon muttered, slipping his headphones to around his neck."I do on the way here, but I gotta use one hand to open the door when I get here, so coffee in one hand and bag in the mouth. Solution." Seokmin answered with a smile."Thank you for this though, I forgot breakfast this morning.""Eh?! You've been up since 7:30 and you haven't eaten?! You gotta take better care of yourself, what if I hadn't come?""I knew you would" smirked Jihoon, biting into his newly acquired cinnamon whirl, "God, this is good, you always get the best stuff.""The aunty in there likes me." Seokmin grinned proudly, "She says I seem polite and wholesome.""Yeah, that's because she hasn't seen you getting ready for morning practice. Your whole 'morning-zombie' this isn't what I'd call 'wholesome'" Jihoon laughed at Seokmin's expression of mock offense. He took a sip of his coffee only to discover, this was definitely not his coffee, his was black and this one tasted more like pure sugar and cream more than actual coffee. "Bleh, you gave me your coffee, switch back."Seokmin had apparently also taken a sip as he scrunched his face up like he'd just bitten into a lemon. "Take back your battery acid." Seokmin said, handing over Jihoon's cup, "So what's the problem today?""Eh?""Your eyebrows are all scrunched together, you only do that when you're stuck on a song. What's the problem?" Seokmin asked casually. Jihoon couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, Seokmin acted silly, but he always noticed the smallest things in Jihoon, he could always tell when something was up."I just... I just can't find the right rhythm, every time I think I've got a melody it clashes with the bassline I've got already and I just- yeah. I guess I'm just stuck because I can't think of anything new." Jihoon sighed dejectedly. Seokmin was listening intently, wide eyed and still a little sweaty, he must have just come from practice. Jihoon had always loved that about him, he would always listen even if he didn't 100% understand or relate."Let me take a listen." Seokmin said, jumping out of his chair and walking over to the desk. He plucked Jihoon's headphones off and put them on then leaned down to look at the monitor, one arm slung over the back of Jihoon's chair to keep him balanced. The loose shirt Seokmin was wearing gaped forward, exposing his pronounced collarbones and the top of his chest, Jihoon found it hard to look away. Seokmin was so... striking. All sharp angles and high cheekbones and smooth muscle, his hair pushed back under the headphones and his eyes shut in focus made him look like a goddamn model. Jihoon could feel his face heating up, he knew he was staring, and Seokmin's arm draped inches away from his shoulders wasn't helping. He was never one for skinship but Seokmin had gradually worn him down, and he had to admit Seokmin's shoulder was the perfect height for leaning, and it was kinda nice that he could hear Seokmin's heartbeat when he hugged him. The kids affection was addicting, and Seokmin was always happy to give."It's really solid! I like the bit where the beat increases a bit like 'badadadada', it's like a racing heart! Who is Jihoonie's heart racing for eh?~" Seokmin teased, grin plastered across his face as he nudged Jihoon's shoulder playfully. It was no good trying to fight down the blush, how could Seokmin do this to him? Make him like this? Smiling at him like that and making him feel all?? floaty?Jihoon looked up at Seokmin, who still had Jihoon's headphones round his ears. Melodies are difficult, Jihoon thought to himself. Melodies are difficult, but Lee Seokmin is not, he's straightforward and honest and kind and goddamn gorgeous. Jihoon wrapped a determined hand around the headphone cable and pulled hard enough to bring Seokmin s face low enough for Jihoon to kiss that goofy grin off of his lips.Jihoon was unhesitant to grab the back of Seokmin's neck with one hand, opening the taller boys lips with his own, the angle was awkward, but he didn't care. Jihoon pulled back, dragging Seokmin's lower lip between his teeth as he did, looking up though hooded eyes to see Seokmin staring back wide eyed."Hyung?! Wh-?!" Seokmin spluttered, face rapidly turning pink. Jihoon only smirked and pulled him back in with only more enthusiasm."Seokmin, I want this. You do too, don't you?" Jihoon asked mere centimetres from Seokmin's lips, his usual bluntness making Seokmin's pulse increase rapidly."Wh- What do you mean?" Seokmin near-whispered, pupils blown wide under the studio lights.Jihoon smirked, leaning in to whisper into Seokmin's ear, "I mean you've come here every day for the past 3 weeks, at almost exactly 2pm every time. And I think the reason is the same as the reason I've been letting you distract me so easily." he pressed a kiss to Seokmin's temple, "I think you know exactly what I mean. And that's why your hands on my leg.". Seokmin quickly pulled his hand back off Jihoon's thigh, unaware of when he put it there in the first place.Seokmin tried to wrap his head around Jihoon's words, they were all true, he did bring coffee as an excuse to see Jihoon as often as possible. He was amazing, he made Seokmin feel like he was walking on air, but Seokmin had never previously considered acting on this feeling, near certain Jihoon was oblivious to it and would definitely not return it even if he did know. Seokmin's train of thought was cut off abruptly by Jihoon tapping his forehead, perhaps a little more aggressively than intended."Ey, stop over thinking! I like you! I think you're handsome and nice and want to kiss you! It's not complicated! You like me too right?" Jihoon said exasperatedly, he wasn't one to show insecurity but his voice definitely had a slight wobble on the last sentence, blush creeping onto the tips of his ears.Jihoon's simple honesty always helped Seokmin put things into perspective and as soon as reality settled in, Seokmin didn't need to think about anything anymore. He finally took the initiative and ever so gently tipped up Jihoon's face to press a chaste kiss to his soft, pouty lips, eyes fluttering shut. A beat of silence passed as the air of the studio felt heavy with tension and asking, dust floating under the lights seeming to still as neither of them dared to even let out a breath. A split second that felt like a lifetime later, the dam broke and Jihoon kissed Seokmin like a flood, the force taking all the air out of his lungs until he could only breathe in the other boy.Jihoon locked his arms around Seokmin's shoulders, trying to pull Seokmin closer, there was far too much space between them at this awkward angle, and Jihoon was becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of contact. Locking his hands onto the front of Seokmin's shoulders he pulled himself up and pushed Seokmin down in a flash, the sudden switch of positions making the younger boy yelp in surprise. Jihoon wasted no time in climbing up onto Seokmin's lap, the chair creaking at the unexpected weight, sliding on its wheels as Jihoon pushed Seokmin further back into the chair until he was leaning back into the seat. He could feel Seokmin tentatively fiddling with the hum of his shirt, unsure of how to progress, touches still light and fleeting despite the enthusiasm he kissed Jihoon with."You don't have to be so gentle with me you know, I won't break." Jihoon muttered between kisses, placing Seokmin's hands firmly on his thighs, as endearing as Seokmin's shyness was Jihoon wanted more. Pushing back Seokmin's shoulders Jihoon moved down to dig his teeth into Seokmin's exposed neck drawing a gasp from the younger, his grip tightening on Jihoon's thighs, pulling their bodies closer. Seokmin was red faced and breathing heavy, his timidness melting away under Jihoon's lips, gently starting to roll his body against Jihoon's, undoing the buttons on the smaller boys checked shirt with long, delicate fingers. Jihoon felt the pop of each button coming undone and pulled away from the soft pink area not forming  on Seokmin's neck, decorating the area just above his collarbone. Jihoon's hands clawed at the back of Seokmin's shirt, dragging fistfuls of the fabric upwards and over Seokmin's head, throwing it over the desk behind him. Even through the layers of clothing that remained on, Jihoon could feel Seokmin getting harder beneath him with every second passing, he gave an experimental roll of his hips, grinding down into Seokmin mercilessly. The younger bit his lip in a failed attempt to hide the moan he couldn't help but let out. Pulling back and rolling the chair away from him slightly, Jihoon slid down between Seokmin's legs and onto his knees without once breaking eye contact."H-Hyung... I- Ah!" Seokmin got cut off by Jihoon rubbing at the obvious hardness at the front of Seokmin's jeans with a small smirk on his face. Jihoon made quick work of Seokmin's jeans, undoing them and throwing them over his shoulder with little effort, leaving Seokmin in only his underwear and blushing furiously as he looked down at Jihoon who was now teasing him with a line of kisses along the inside of his thigh. Seokmin felt Jihoon's hot breath against his sensitive skin as his underwear was taken off smoothly, sliding off his long legs."Jihoonie- I... fuck." Seokmin couldn't form a coherent sentence but Jihoon knew exactly what he meant and wrapped his link lips around the tip of Seokmin's dick. Throwing his head back against the chair, Seokmin cried out as Jihoon's lips slid down agonisingly slowly, hands flying to grip lightly at Jihoon's hair. Jihoon took as much as he could, palms holding apart Seokmin's thighs as he slid between them, he picked up the pace gradually, savouring Seokmin's throaty moans with every movement, which were affecting him more than he'd like to admit. Seokmin was thick, Jihoon was almost gagging with every bob of his head. He pressed his tongue to the underside of Seokmin's dick, making the younger boy whine and grab at the armrests of the chair, trying to dig his nails into the fake leather. Jihoon lightly dragged his teeth along Seokmin's length when he pulled back, adding a little bit of pain to the pleasure which only made Seokmin more weak, jaw clenching in the effort of trying not to come right then and there, as tempting as it was to come all over Jihoon's pretty face, he was selfish, he wanted more. "Hyung- I'm not gonna last- please..." Seokmin whined, Jihoon looked up at him, lips parted and slick with precum and saliva. He understood what Seokmin was saying, he too was beginning to feel himself straining painfully against his jeans. Jihoon stood and turned to his desk, bending slightly to reach into the middle drawer, bulling out a small blue tube."Ah!" yelped Jihoon as he felt firm hand grip his hips from behind, "Seokmin...". The taller boy reached over and took the tube from Jihoon's hand. Jihoon spun and pushed Seokmin back against the desk, carelessly pushing papers and random biros onto the floor, allowing Seokmin to hop up and sit on the smooth surface and Jihoon to climb on top of him. Seokmin squeezed the cool liquid onto his fingers, reaching around to Jihoon's entrance, making the smaller boy twitch at the cold sensation. Jihoon whined impatiently as Seokmin stretched him out, scissoring his fingers as fast as he could without hurting Jihoon."Seokmin please, I'm ready, just do it." gritted Jihoon, sliding Seokmin closer to him and positioning himself above Seokmin painfully hard cock. "Ready?" Jihoon breathed out, Seokmin only nodded, biting down on his lower lip. Jihoon grunted as he lowered himself, knowing that he probably should have stretched out more first as the stretch burned, but the burn felt so good, inching down until he completely enveloped Seokmin, white spots dancing across his eyes. Large hands gripped at Jihoon's ass hard enough to leave bruises on the pink tinted skin, Jihoon leaned into Seokmin's neck and whispered into the skin just under his ear. "Move." The command sent a tingling sensation through Seokmin's body, his eyes wide and cheeks flushed, but still he rolled his hips to match Jihoon's rhythm. Jihoon controlled the pace, rising up and down, drinking in Seokmin's sweet moans every time he sunk back down onto him. Threading his hands into Seokmin's hair, Jihoon yanked as hard as he dared, making Seokmin cry out in pleasure as his head was pulled back, exposing his neck for Jihoon to appreciate."Jihoonie- fuck..." Seokmin whimpered as the smaller boy bit into the sensitive skin below his jawline, hands still gripping at Seokmin's hair. He was on the border of pain and pleasure and he felt so good, he didn't have words. Jihoon picked up the pace of his hips, rolling against Seokmin with vigour."Seokmin. Harder." Jihoon growled into his ear, thighs straining at the exertion of riding Seokmin as hard as he was. Seokmin started to buck his hips up to meet Jihoon with every thrust, finding the sweet spot that made Jihoon curse and dig his nails into Seokmin's shoulders. The desk shook and rattled as Jihoon rode faster and harder, bashing against the wall. Jihoon was thankful the studio was soundproof as Seokmin let out a high pitched moan as Jihoon drove his closer to the climax, the smaller boys nails running down his back leaving red trails over his shoulder blades, his hands gripped at Jihoon's ass so hard that he was sure it had to hurt a bit. Jihoon could hear himself almost growl as Seokmin started hitting harder the closer he got to finishing."Jihoonie- I'm so close, I'm gonna-" Seokmin bit his lip to muffle a loud whine from punctuating his sentence. Jihoon was equally as close to the edge, feeling himself clenching tighter around Seokmin.Jihoon leaned in and whispered "Don't hold back your voice, I want to hear you, baby." And that finished it for Seokmin. Seokmin came almost instantly, he arched his back and moaned so loud and high pitched that Jihoon couldn't help but be a little proud of himself for making it happen. Jihoon wasn't far behind, spraying onto Seokmin's stomach yelling a long string of "fuck"s . They rode out the orgasm, slowing down and letting their breathing return to normal, Jihoon fell onto Seokmin's shoulder, smiling to himself despite the disaster they'd made of his studio space. Seokmin's heartbeat was so loud Jihoon could still hear the rhythm of it slowing down from the fast pace of earlier. The beat was strangely, calming? Almost like a melody rather than a steady pace."Hey, Seokmin."" Hmm?" hummed Seokmin, eyes closed in relaxed bliss."I don't think I'm stuck on that song anymore."Seokmin opened his eyes at that. "Really? I'll make sure to bring you coffee more often then." He giggled, grin forming."Mmmhmm, I'm gonna need you to keep coming ok? No arguments." Jihoon said in mock-seriousness"Whatever you say Jihoonie~ " Seokmin laughed. Jihoon adjusted his sitting position, allowing Seokmin to slip out with a small hiss."But first, you're helping me clean this mess." Jihoon smirked, gesturing to the chaos of the room around them."Ehhhhh" Seokmin whined, falling back against the desk."or...?"Jihoon thought aloud, crawling over Seokmin who was splayed out horizontally. Seokmin raised an eyebrow, wondering where Jihoon was going with this. "... we could recharge real quick then you can let me tie you to that desk chair?" Jihoon said suggestively, nodding in the direction of the black leather chair from earlier, still looking a little wonky from their previous escapades. Seokmin could only nod, suddenly too flustered to look Jihoon straight in the eye. Jihoon laughed and reached for his coffee to take a sip. "Bleh, its gone cold." he muttered, immediately putting it back down, he turned back around only to be met with Seokmin's lips straight away. The kiss was gentle, not hurried or desperate, just slow and just right. Seokmin tasted cold coffee on Jihoon's lips."Your coffee tastes like shit" Seokmin whispered. Jihoon only kissed him again. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It wasn't difficult to work out what the situation was. Only Seokmin, Hansol and Seungkwan were left in the dorms, the rest of the boys out on what they referred to as "important errands" or "company meetings" or other generic excuses to leave. It was also approximately 52 minutes until Hansol and Seokmin's birthday, the three of them were lazing around, Seokmin furiously tapping at a rhythm game on his phone while Hansol and Seungkwan played against each other at a heated game of mario kart either side of him on the sofa."NononONONO THAT'S CHEATING!" yelled Seungkwan as Donkey Kong, Hansol's character, knocked Rosalina, Seungkwan's character, straight off of Rainbow Road and into the abyss. Hansol only laughed as he skidded round the corner into 1st place while Seungkwan fell to 8th, cursing under his breath."Last lap! Give up, you're never gonna catch me!" Hansol cackled, eyes not leaving the screen for a second, he could see the finish line and was completely focused. Until Seungkwan's ringtone started blaring. Hansol yelped as he slid into a banana, getting overtaken by second place, "Hey that's gotta be unfair!" he protested."Too bad~" Seungkwan teased as he hit pause and answered the call. Seokmin and Hansol could hear muffled yelling through the receiver as Seungkwan's face dropped. "Hold on let me go into the other room first!" hissed Seungkwan as  he walked over to one of the bedrooms and shut the door behind him. Hansol and Seokmin, now left on the sofa, shared a look then top toed over to the closed door and place their ears along the crack to listen in."What do you mean the cake isn't here yet?! It's less than an hour to go!" said Seungkwan in the loudest whisper possible, "You need me to pick it up?! But who's gonna distract them?!". There was a long pause of Seungkwan gently pacing up and down the room. "Fine! I'll leave now and go pick it up, give me half an hour.". Seokmin and Hansol threw themselves across the room and onto the sofa by the time Seungkwan stepped out of the bedroom, so they looked as if they hadn't moved at all."Sorry guys I've just got to... pick up my jacket... left it in the practice room yesterday. Yeah. I'll be back soon." Seungkwan was not a good liar, his face had turned bright red and he could barely look in their direction. But Hansol and Seokmin played along nonetheless."Oh yeah sure, go ahead, we'll wait here." Seokmin said, stifling a grin."Yeah, take your time." Hansol smiled, elbowing Seokmin in the side, watching Seungkwan turn and walk out the door. As soon as the door shut behind him the two of them collapsed into laughter, Seokmin falling onto Hansol's shoulder, something like this seemed to happen on every birthday. Seokmin sighed and rested his head on Hansol's lap."It's a good thing we have the same birthday Hansollie~ otherwise they would have left me here all alone." Seokmin said in mock-distress. Hansol blushed heavily at the nickname, he wasn't always a fan of it, but Seokmin made it sound so sweet, as well as the fact that Seokmin was lying across his lap like an oversized puppy. Easily flustered as he was, Hansol could feel his face turn pink when the older boy smiled up at him, was it weird to want to run his hands through Seokmin's hair?"I think I'm gonna change my shirt, they're probably gonna try and take pictures of us..." Seokmin wondered aloud."Eh? You look fine?" questioned Hansol, ruffling Seokmin's fringe with his fingers.Seokmin chuckled "But we're gonna be in pictures together, and you always look so handsome, I've gotta try and compete". Hansol nearly choked on air at that, "Wh-What?!" he spluttered, and if he wasn't red before he certainly was now. Seokmin only laughed at his reaction, hand reaching up to pat Hansol's cheek."You get embarrassed so easily Hansollie, it's cute..." Seokmin mumbled, smiling affectionately at Hansol, who couldn't help but smile back. There was a pause that Hansol felt lingered a beat to long before Seokmin rolled off the sofa and off of his lap. Seokmin hummed lightly as he shuffled to his bedroom, leaving Hansol alone in the living room, still feeling a little flustered. Taking his mid off of it, Hansol reached for the remote to turn off the television, having given up on his mario kart victory, he pressed the red power button once, then twice, the five more times before realising the remote was probably out of batteries. After checking the draws, the TV stand, under the table and behind the sofa cushions and having only found 3 dead batteries and an empty packet Hansol concluded that there were no new batteries in the living room."Hyung! Do you have any batteries in your room? The ones that fit the remote." Hansol called, hoping Seokmin would have some in his bedroom, as he clicked out the old ones and placed them onto the table."Uhhhhh yeah, I've got two of the little ones." Responded Seokmin."Yeah, those ones are good." Hansol said as he fiddled with the battery pack cover, hearing Seokmin walk into the room from behind him."Here you go~" Seokmin smiled, placing his hand on Hansol's shoulder, offering up the two batteries with the other. Hansol jumped at the contact, not realising how close Seokmin was, when he turned their faces were mere centimetres away from each other. Hansol felt his heart jump in his chest at the sudden proximity, hand moving to take the batteries but eyes not leaving Seokmin's face, until he looked down and realised Seokmin was completely shirtless. Hansol nearly squeaked, he quickly turned to the batteries, trying to push them into place, how had he forgotten Seokmin was halfway though changing? He fumbled trying to get the batteries in, nearly dropping them."So what were you thinking of wearing?" Hansol asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.Seokmin hummed "I was thinking the black shirt, you know the one big neck and the white writing near the bottom?""You wear that one all the time!" Hansol laughed,"Yeah, but don't you think it looks good?" Seokmin teased. And he was right. Hansol really did like the shirt, the neckline was wide and it showed all of his collarbones. Hansol definitely thought it looked good."Yeah," Hansol muttered, tuning his face back to Seokmin, eyes flicking over the others collarbones, "It does look good on you.". Hansol licked his lips unconsciously, ears burning. Seokmin's hand reached over and took the remote from where Hansol still had not put the batteries in, not breaking eye contact, electricity ran though Hansol's palm as Seokmin's fingers brushed over it, he was hypersensitive to the contact as unspoken words hung in the air around them."Here, let me." Seokmin near-whispered, voice soft as his long fingers fixed the remote with ease, not even needing to look. Stepping closer to Hansol, Seokmin turned off the television and tossed the remote onto the beanbag near them, quieting the game music's cheerful background noise. The silence was now piercing, with only them in the dorm and neither of them saying anything to break the razor thin wall of tension that sat so heavily between them. Hansol could feel his pulse quickening, how could Seokmin call him the handsome one when Seokmin was so effortlessly charming? All Seokmin was doing was looking at him and yet... Hansol didn't know what to say. Seokmin was normally one of the easiest to talk to, conversation came naturally, yet now- Hansol was speechless.Seokmin chewed on the side of his own lip, a nervous tic. Hansol decided to do what he always did with Seokmin, do what felt most natural. Hands coming round to meet at the back of Seokmin's neck, Hansol pulled the two of them closer together, clashing teeth slightly as their lips crashed together. Seokmin released a small surprised noise but moved his hands down to Hansol's waist, palms warm even through Hansol's red hoodie, pulling the fabric slightly to bring Hansol closer. They fell into perfect balance, giving and taking the right amount, with a little tinge of desperation visible with each movement, Hansol's lips were sweet and soft but his teeth were hard and sharp and he dragged Seokmin's lower lip between them, pulling the tender skin out to give just the right tinge of provocation. They moved back slowly, briefly separating for Hansol to throw his hoodie over his head and to the floor, falling back over the arm of the sofa, Hansol hit the cushions with a thump. He shuffled back allowing Seokmin to climb over after him, pinning Hansol between his elbows, kissing along his cheek, then moving to the sharp line of his jaw, then dragging his teeth over Hansol's exposed throat, making Hansol let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Rolling his hips up, Hansol made Seokmin gasp as they ground together through thin layers of fabric, grabbing the waistband of Seokmin's jeans, Hansol pulled Seokmin down to meet him with more force. Seokmin responded with a sharp nip to the skin above Hansol's collarbone."Fuck..."  breathed Hansol, visibly hard now, the curls of his hair falling in his face, flushed and breathing hard. Pulling away, Seokmin pushed Hansol back until he rested against the arm of the sofa, Seokmin between his legs. Seokmin's hands skimmed the skin of Hansol's hips, just above his waistband, feather light touches sending fire through Hansol's body. Teasing Hansol, Seokmin dipped his fingers below the waistband, snapping the elastic, making Hansol draw in a sharp breath."Hyung- stop teasing me." Hansol whined, hiding his flushed face with his arm. Seokmin smiled up at Hansol, enjoying the younger boys embarrassment a little, Hansol was just really cute like this. Seokmin pulled Hansol's waistband until his cock sprung free, already looking painfully hard. Starting at the base, Seokmin licked a stripe up the vein on the underside on Hansol's dick all the way to the tip, Hansol tipping his head back and covering his mouth with one hand to stop a lewd groan from escaping."Hansolllie~" Seokmin said, licking a bead of precum away, "It's only us two here, you don't have to be quiet, I don't mind if you're loud.". Wrapping his lips around Hansol's length, Seokmin hummed as he slowly sucked his way down as far as his gag reflex would allow, looking up at Hansol who was gripping the fabric of the sofa cushions, digging his nails in hard. Seokmin started out slow, dragging his teeth gently along the skin making Hansol release high pitched whines with every bob of Seokmin's head. Gradually the pace increased, Hansol was straining at the effort of not bucking up into Seokmin's wet mouth, his small whines becoming heavy, deep moans. Hansol could feel the heat pooling in his stomach, spots dancing behind his eyes."Seokmin- Wait- I'm gonna cum-" Hansol stuttered, Seokmin hummed in  acknowledgement, but didn't stop. Hansol was seconds away."Nn- I wanna- with you.." Hansol managed to moan. That made Seokmin slow."What do you mean?" Seokmin asked, voice a little hoarse, saliva and precum slicking his lips.Hansol's ears tinted pink, "I mean, I want you to feel good to... I want you to cum as well...". Hansol could barely keep eye contact, it had sounded a lot smoother in his head. Seokmin's eyes were blown wide, he hadn't expected Hansol to say that, but it was... sweet. Seokmin tilted Hansol's face back towards him and leaned in, gentler than before, to kiss him, slow but tender. Breaking the kiss first, Hansol leaned over to the low table, and pulled a small bottle of lube from the drawer."Found it when I was looking for the batteries earlier." Hansol explained, before pulling off the cap with his teeth."Do you want me to-?" asked Seokmin, raising his eyebrows, but Hansol was already squirting the cool gel onto his own fingers. Reaching round, Hansol easily slid one finger into his own entrance, flinging at the cold sensation, but soon relaxing into it and slipping in a second finger. Seokmin watched on wide-eyed, he leaned back against the other armrest of the sofa and slid off his jeans to palm himself  though his underwear, Hansol just looked so good clenching is teeth and biting his lip at the stretch, Seokmin couldn't help but watch. Pulling his fingers out Hansol crawled over Seokmin and yanked off his underwear, straddling his hips. Looking up at Hansol, Seokmin placed his hands on the younger boys thighs, smooth muscle tensing underneath is palms as Hansol lowered himself onto Seokmin, breathing heavily as the stretch burned gently as he slid down. Once Seokmin was all the way in, Hansol collapsed onto his chest, resting the weight of both of them onto the sofa, the heat and pressure making their heads spin. Hansol dragged his lips along Seokmin's neck before whispering in his ear."You can move, I can take it." In response Seokmin rolled his hips up into Hansol, moving one hand from Hansol's thighs to his ass, pulling Hansol in closer to let him go deeper, the other hand sliding up Hansol's already-stained shirt, rubbing his thumb over Hansol's nipple."F-Fuck" Hansol moaned as Seokmin teased him,  his ass bouncing faster, desperate for more friction. The pace increased exponentially until Seokmin had to move away from Hansol's nipple to hold onto his ass with two hands just to keep the rhythm, Seokmin moaning louder each time Hansol slid back down him, faster and harder than the time before. Seokmin used his grip on Hansol's ass to pull the younger boy forward, changing the angle to hit the sweet spot that made Hansol cry out in pleasure, throwing his head back and arching his back into a perfect curve."More, Please- fuck- More." Hansol groaned, digging his nails into whatever his hands met, which in this case happened to be Seokmin's skin. Hansol dragged his nails along Seokmin's torso leaving thin red lines along the curves of his muscles, making Seokmin tighten his grip, pressing bruises into Hansol's ass."Hansollie, I'm so close-" Seokmin moaned, biting down on his own lip, eyes squeezed shut. The rhythm started falling apart as they both came closer to their peaks, loud and messy, they grabbed onto whatever they could to keep going harder and harder, Seokmin eventually digging his teeth into Hansol's neck, making the younger curse loudly and dig his nails into Seokmin's broad back. They both came fast and hard, Hansol riding out through the orgasm, slowing down gradually, spurting onto Seokmin's stomach. Stretched out on the sofa, they came down from the high, breathing settling back to a normal rate, Hansol playing with Seokmin's hair absentmindedly, but both quickly realising they were both uncomfortably sticky. Avoiding the temptation to shower together, they both cleaned up before lying in almost the exact same position as before, just as naked, but less sweaty, Hansol still fiddling with Seokmin's hair.Seokmin hummed in related bliss, leaning into Hansol's touch, he felt he could have stayed like that all night, until his ringtone buzzed. Seokmin looked at his phone, two missed calls from Seungkwan. He had forgotten the time."Ohhhh shit!" Seokmin swore, turning his phone to Hansol to show him the time, it was already a minute past midnight, they were meant to get there at midnight. They both sprung off of the sofa in unison panic, Seokmin running into the room and grabbing the nearest clothes available to put on and throwing some at Hansol too, who was trying to sort his hair so it didn't look like he'd just been fucked on the sofa. Getting dressed and ready in under 2 minutes, they hurriedly put their shoes on by the door, shoving their feet in without undoing the laces, Seokmin reached for the door handle when Hansol tapped him on the shoulder."Hey," said Hansol, making Seokmin turn back to him. Seokmin was met with soft lips pressing against the corner of his mouth. "Happy birthday." smiled Hansol, ears tinted pink. Seokmin grinned happily and took Hansol by the hand. "Happy birthday." he laughed, and they ran out the door, hand in hand. By the time they made it to the practice room they were definitely out of breath. Opening the door, 11 voices shouted "SUPRISE!"and handfuls of streamers were thrown over their heads, the colourful ribbons catching on their hair and draping over their shoulders."Only you two would be late to your own birthday." sighed Seungkwan, shaking his head as they all sat down around the small pile of food and cola in the middle of the room, making everyone laugh and Seokmin and Hansol blush profusely. The group sand an out-of-tune happy birthday as Joshua lit the candles on top of the vanilla iced cake, Joshua being the only one trusted to use fire without accidentally burning down the practice room. At the end of the song Chan yelled 'make a wish!' as they blew out the candles in one go, which was surprising given they had put enough candles for both of their ages put together onto one cake.20 minutes later, everyone was spread around the room, Hansol and Seokmin choosing to stay by the cake with Chan and Minghao. "Oh, Hansol-Hyung? Isn't that Seokmin-Hyung's shirt?" Chan asked innocently, noticing the white writing along the hem. Neither Seokmin nor Hansol had noticed until Chan mentioned it, having rushed to run out of the dorm, and although sharing clothes between members wasn't strange, they couldn't help but blush a little given the circumstances."Yeah it is, I like it so he let me wear it as a birthday present, right Seokmin-Hyung?" Hansol grinned. Seokmin nearly choked on his cake trying not to laugh, but nodded in agreement anyway. "C'mon Chan, let's go put on some music." Hansol said, changing the subject as he dragged the youngest over to the speakers, winking at Seokmin as he left just to tease the older boy a little."You shouldn't have given him that shirt." Minghao muttered, smirking at Seokmin."Eh? Why not?" Seokmin tilted his head in confusion.Minghao put his cake down and leaned over to whisper into Seokmin's ear, "We can all see that bigass bite mark on his neck with a shirt like that."Seokmin paused for a second, computing what Minghao just said to him, before promptly turning bright red and burying his face in his hands with a groan. Minghao seemed unbothered, continuing to eat his cake while Seokmin died of embarrassment next to him.After Seokmin had gotten over the initial embarrassment, the rest of the party was a success, only ending when they got a call from the managers reminding them of morning practice tomorrow. They all filed out of the practice room, Seokmin and Hansol lingering at the back of the group. When he was sure no one was looking, Seokmin leaned in kiss Hansol, quickly and quietly, like a secret even though he was pretty sure everyone already knew, smiling against his lips. Without needing to say anything, Hansol slipped his hand into Seokmin's and they walked out, side by side. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Seokmin had never had the best timing in the world, but this was a new level. Humming along to the music coming out of the earphones slung around his neck, Seokmin padded across the dorm floor, hunting for a phone charger which has a cable that wasn't all torn up at the end. There were only two bedrooms left to check, most of the boys were piled up in the living room or the largest bedroom, so Seokmin assumed they were empty. The door was a little stiff, not swinging open easily when Seokmin turned the handle, this should have been the sign for him to move along, but Seokmin thought the door was just... stuck on something? He did not think someone had put a box in front of the door on purpose to act as a makeshift barrier while the lock was broken. With a little shove, the door opened slowly, Seokmin slid through the gap in the doorway, skipping two songs of his playlist, tapping at his rapidly dying phone. Looking up, Seokmin realised he was not alone in the room, Joshua was splayed out on the bed on the further side of the room, eyes fluttered shut and pouty lips parted, head tilted back against the cushions, one hand twisted in his shirt and the other down the front of his tracksuit bottoms. And he had apparently not noticed Seokmin enter.Seokmin knew the right thing to do would be to back out of the room as quickly and quietly as he could, but he didn't. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the rise and fall of Joshua's chest, the elegant line of his neck, the gaspy breaths escaping his lips. Joshua always seemed so composed, so neat, seeing him like this with cheeks flushed and hand moving erratically under the fabric, Seokmin was entranced. Joshua bit back a small moan which snapped Seokmin out of his reverie, the younger boy backing out of the door as quietly as he could, face burning up, stumbling into the corridor.'What the fuck did I just do?! Ohhhhmygod what did I do?!' Seokmin's internal monologue yelled, he felt creepy, but even as he could sense the guilt in his gut, he couldn't get the image of Joshua out of his head.This was how Seokmin found himself, two days later, standing outside the dorm with the key in the lock, not knowing if he should open the door. He knew it was only Joshua in there and since 'the incident' Seokmin had been unsure of how to act around Joshua. Eye contact had been near impossible, physical contact even worse, Seokmin felt a mixture of guilt and... something else every time Joshua was near and he didn't know what to do about it. Joshua, none the wiser, had been his usual funny, sweet, self, but Seokmin was sure that he had to be picking up on something. It's not like Seokmin had tried ignoring it, forgetting about it, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary that he had seen, all guys do it, but Seokmin couldn't stop thinking about the perfect curve of Joshua's neck or how his sweet voice sighed out such gentle sounds or how he'd like to hear it aga-Seokmin violently shook the thought out of his head and near-slammed the dorm door open, kicking off his shoes into the pile in the entryway. Pulling his earphones out of his ears and dangling them around his neck, Seokmin looked around for any sign of other people in the apartment, but no one could be seen, it was almost silent, a rare occurrence in a place which housed thirteen rowdy boys. Wandering over to the fridge to inspect what leftovers were available to microwave, Seokmin sang to himself, he had taken to singing English songs in an attempt to brush up before the USA leg of their tour, his vocabulary was ok but he needed to work on his pronunciation. Tapping on the counters, Seokmin shuffled around the kitchen floor peeking in the cupboards for any snacks as he went, singing loud enough not to hear anyone walking up the corridor and into the room. An arm hooked around Seokmin's shoulders making him jump fast enough to whack the back of his head on the open cupboard door."Oh my god are you ok?!"squeaked Joshua, gently grabbing Seokmin's head and tiptoeing to inspect the top of his head, "I didn't mean to sneak up on you, I thought you heard me come in!"."It's fine Hyung, I promise." Seokmin reassured, rubbing the back of his head, giggling a little at how flustered Joshua was, before realising how close Joshua was to him. Joshua's oversized grey shirt was slipping off his delicate collarbones as he reached up over Seokmin's head."As long as you're ok, sorry for surprising you." sighed Joshua, ruffling Seokmin's hair, but Seokmin was struggling to look him in the eye again, Joshua was normally so easy to be around, Seokmin wasn't used to this awkwardness. Seokmin didn't realise how much he looked at Joshua before and now he was almost hyperaware, Joshua has always been beautiful, his soft eyes and pouty lips, high cheekbones and sharp jawline, he was mesmerising. Seokmin knew that Joshua could tell something was up, cat-like eyes looking up at him questioningly, fringe falling over his face. Feeling his cheeks heating up under the inquisition, Seokmin looked down at his feet, unconsciously trying to escape the situation."Seokmin." Joshua's voice made him tense up, but he didn't look up. "Seokmin, look at me.". Swallowing his nerves, Seokmin looked back at Joshua who seemed almost... concerned? "Is there something wrong? You haven't seemed... yourself." Joshua's genuine worry made Seokmin's heart clench, but he didn't know what to tell him. "Are you... avoiding me? Did I do something?" Josh mumbled, taking a step closer to Seokmin, resting a hand on the taller boys arm."No! Honestly you didn't do anything I just..."spluttered Seokmin, he couldn't bear to make Joshua feel bad, not over something as silly as this. "I... I accidentally walked in on you the other day when you were... busy" Seokmin couldn't say it outright, embarrassment getting the better of him. There was a pause where Joshua tried to work out what Seokmin was implying, but after a beat he figured it out and fell into Seokmin's shoulder laughing."You had me so worried I had upset you! Ah Seokmin, trust you to get flustered over something like this, I'm not mad, you can just forget about it." Joshua giggled, eyes crinkling in amusement. Seokmin however, was not relived by this, he was glad Joshua wasn't creeped out but he didn't feel at ease, and it showed. "Seokmin-ah! It's ok! You don't need to look so stressed, was I making a weird face or something?" joked Joshua, leaning back against the counter in his usual relaxed manner."Eh?! No! I just- you looked pretty!" Seokmin blurted out, ears flaming with his face hidden in his hands."...oh" Joshua looked taken aback, he hadn't expected Seokmin to say that."I'm sorry! I know that's weird I just-" Seokmin was interrupted by Joshua stepping closer to him, away from the counter."It's not weird, just... unexpected. You thought I was... pretty?"Seokmin mumbled "Shua-Hyung is always pretty.", one hand still covering his face, not looking at Joshua enough to notice he was blushing almost as much as Seokmin himself. Reaching up, Joshua gently pulled Seokmin's hands away from his face, establishing eye contact without saying anything, the moment of silence stretching out and wrapping them up in uncertainty. Joshua's tongue slicked over his lips, eyes flickering over Seokmin's mouth. Placing his hands on Seokmin's firm chest, Joshua leaned up, slowly and carefully, almost unsure of his actions, but Seokmin moved down to meet him halfway. Joshua's lips tasted like cherry balm, the kiss was gentle, barely a feather light touch of the lips but Seokmin felt like all the air had been stolen from his lungs when Joshua pulled back from him. After what felt like forever, Seokmin reached up to cup the side of Joshua face in his palm."Hyung, can I kiss you again?""You don't have to ask." Joshua pulled the front of Seokmin's shirt towards him impatiently, crashing them together, harsher and harder than before, Seokmin returning the enthusiasm almost immediately, moving his free hand to wrap around Joshua's slim waist, the warmth of his skin seeping through the grey fabric. Joshua tilted his head, slipping his tongue between Seokmin's lips, reaching up to wrap his arms around Seokmin's neck to pull him tighter. Seokmin moved his hands to the small of Joshua's back, accidentally pulling up the hem of his shirt at the back exposing the dimples at the base of his spine, Joshua hummed into Seokmin's mouth as the younger boys hands brushed the exposed skin.Seokmin slipped his strong thigh between Joshua's legs, pressing into his crotch and pushing him back against the counter, Joshua let out a high pitched sigh, closing his eyes at the friction. Seokmin had to pause, because that was the face. The face that had been swirling round his head for days, but now it wasn't from the other side of the bedroom, it was mere centimetres in front of him and he made it happen."You're so gorgeous." Seokmin sighed, leaning in to kiss the side of Joshua's neck, sucking on the smooth skin, occasionally nipping at it with his teeth. Joshua was grinding down on Seokmin's thigh needily, trying to remove any space left between their bodies, feeling himself becoming overwhelmed already. Joshua pushed Seokmin's chest back gently, feeling the chill when Seokmin's mouth left his neck."Seokmin-ah, do you want to go to my room?" Joshua whispered huskily, looking Seokmin directly in the eyes, making sure Seokmin knew exactly what he was asking of him. Seokmin nodded and that was the only approval Joshua needed. He pulled Seokmin by the front of his shirt down the corridor before walking backwards into the bedroom, tugging Seokmin in behind him, and throwing off the thin t-shirt, letting it land on the other side of the room. Seokmin returned the favour, stripping off Joshua's loose grey shirt with ease. Joshua's waist was slim and delicate, but there was taut muscle twitching under his smooth tan skin, the curve of his figure was effortlessly provocative as his hips swayed with almost feline movement as he walked Seokmin backwards until the younger boy flopped back onto the bed. Quickly following, Joshua crawled after and straddled Seokmin's wide hips, letting Seokmin's hands settle on his waist before leaning down to kiss the younger boy once more. Using his position to his advantage, Joshua ground his hips down onto Seokmin's, making him grip tighter on Joshua's waist, biting back a sigh. Joshua's spine curved gracefully as he rhythmically rolled his body against Seokmin's, who lay with swollen lips and dishevelled hair beneath him, dragging Joshua's lower lip between his teeth. Seokmin could feel the front of his jeans stretching painfully as Joshua rubbed against him, the friction between them blissful with every clash of their hips.Without warning Seokmin rolled over to pin Joshua beneath him, taking control of the pace. Joshua's graceful collarbones were on full display as Joshua tilted his head back, giving Seokmin full access to bite into the sensitive skin above the bone, not too hard, but hard enough to make Joshua moan when Seokmin sucked on the sensitive area. Seokmin sat back to pull Joshua's jeans all the way off, then his own, chucking them into a pile at the foot of the bed, before leaning back in to leave a line of kisses along the column of Joshua's neck, listening to Joshua's soft whines as Seokmin's hands roamed all over his body.Joshua gently pulled Seokmin's face away from his neck, tipping his chin up so they were face to face. "Seokmin-ah, I want to make you feel good... can I do that for you?" Joshua breathed, running his fingers over Seokmin's jawline. Seokmin visibly gulped at the question, insecurity obvious on his face, he knew he wanted to, but couldn't help overthinking the situation. "Please?" whispered Joshua, looking at Seokmin with his soft eyes and swollen lips, and how could Seokmin say no to a face like that? Seokmin nodded and Joshua leaned over to the bedside drawer to pull out a bottle of lube and handed it to Seokmin, who wasted no time flipping the cap open and squirting the cool gel over his fingers. Lifting his hips off the mattress, Joshua made it easy for Seokmin to slide the first digit in, the length already making Joshua tense a little. As the second finger followed Joshua could feel the stretch already, Seokmin's long fingers putting pressure in all the right places, Joshua sank his shoulders into the mattress, tipping his head back and biting his lip, he felt like he could finish from just the sensation of Seokmin gliding his fingers in and out, rocking his hips with the movement."Seokmin, I'm ready- please..." Joshua pleaded, how desperate he was evident in his voice, and Seokmin was equally impatient, after watching Joshua moaning and grinding off of just his fingers, Seokmin was now almost painfully aroused. Hooking Joshua's legs around his waist, Seokmin aligned himself with Joshua, one hand on Joshua's hip and the other on his thigh, grip tight on the toned muscle. Seokmin pushed inside, slowly at first as he felt Joshua tense up around him, not wanting to push too hard and hurt Joshua, sighing as he bottomed out."Hyung? Is this ok?" Seokmin asked, seeing Joshua's scrunched up face, his hands clutching at the sheets behind him."Yes- God yes- just... move." Joshua whined, white spots dancing through his vision on the border between pleasure and pain as the stretch burned but it burned so good.Seokmin fucked slowly. Savouring each movement, punctuating each roll of his hips with a kiss to Joshua's neck or a stroke to his thigh. He took in all of Joshua's reactions, the way the older boys soft moans became high pitched cries every time Seokmin angled just right, the way his pretty hands gripped so tightly at the bed sheets, the way his lips would sigh Seokmin's name when Seokmin's teeth grazed his neck. Seokmin couldn't get enough."You're so beautiful like this." Seokmin whispered into Joshua's ear, nipping the earlobe as he did. He felt Joshua shiver beneath him at the praise, arching his back off the bed. Seokmin rolled deeper as he bit another mark next to the already reddened patch on Joshua's neck, smiling to himself when he heard Joshua mewl underneath his touch."Seokmin, more..." Joshua groaned, unable to form a full coherent sentence. Seokmin was more than willing to comply, he picked up the pace, going from smoothly rolling his hips to snapping them into Joshua. Joshua gave up his hold on the sheets in favour of wrapping his arms around Seokmin's neck, holding on as Seokmin sharply thrusted into him. "God- right there!" Joshua cried, a tinge of his American accent creeping into his voice as Seokmin grabbed Joshua's hips for more leverage, finding just the angle Joshua wanted. Seokmin could feel Joshua tightening around him as he approached his release, the hot, wet pressure making him see stars, his fingers digging bruises into Joshua's sides."Hyung, I'm so close-" Seokmin whimpered into the crook of Joshua's neck, rhythm falling apart. Seokmin wrapped his hand around Joshua's cock, and Joshua was done for, coming hot and thick over Seokmin's hand with the prettiest moan Seokmin had heard in his life. Seokmin came barely seconds later as Joshua tightened around him in his orgasm, the pressure pushing Seokmin over the edge, riding out the wave before slowing to a stop and near-falling on top of Joshua in exertion, resting his head on Joshua's shoulder.They lay there, breathing heavily, Seokmin's hand resting on Joshua's chest, feeling his heartbeat return to normal. Seokmin shuffled upwards until he could reach Joshua's lips, kissing him lightly, almost innocently, smiling against his mouth,"You know, you really are beautiful." Seokmin mumbled, almost casually, as if it was the most natural thing to say. Joshua playfully kicked Seokmin's leg in response, pulling a pillow over his face to cover his blushed cheeks, Seokmin was so naturally charming, Joshua couldn't help but smile. After a couple minutes, Joshua rolled out of Seokmin's arms, despite the boys complaints."I'm going to run a bath, ok?" Joshua said, walking towards the door."Nnnooo come back to bed." whined Seokmin, pouting at the loss of Joshua's boy heat next to him."Really? I thought you might like to come in the bath too... but ok..." Joshua teased, smirking at how fast Seokmin perked up at the idea. Seokmin rolled out of bed so fast he almost fell to the floor, hopping over to Joshua and wrapping his arms around the smaller boys waist."Alright handsome, let's go." Joshua laughed, lacing his fingers with Seokmin's and walking out together. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Isn’t it too hot to be wearing that?” came a cheerful voice from behind Seungcheol, recognisable sing-song tone making him spin around to face the boy who had just walked through the door. Seokmin smiled, leaving the door open behind him as he walked over to where Seungcheol sat at the desk on the other side of the room.“Had to look professional, even if it means being a little warm.” Seungcheol smirked, gesturing to the crisp black suit and tie he was wearing. It wasn’t his normal attire but he had just had a meeting with his boss about solo schedules and it couldn’t hurt to make a good impression.“I thought your meeting ended a couple of minutes ago, whatcha still doing up here?” Seokmin questioned, leaning back against the desk, poking the wheel of Seungcheol’s chair with his foot.“I just had to finish signing a few things, so they left me the keys to lock up the office afterwards, they probably just wanted to get home early,” Seungcheol sighed, spinning his chair in a circle, chucking the pen on the finished pile of papers, before wheeling in front of where Seokmin stood. Seokmin thought Seungcheol looked like some sort of businessman or CEO like that, a sense of power radiating from him despite the fact that Seokmin was the one standing over him. Seokmin felt almost pinned back against the desk with Seungcheol looking up at him like that.“So did you come up here just to visit me?” Seungcheol teased Seokmin with a chuckle.“Well I was in the building, I thought it might be nice to walk back to the dorms together.” Seokmin smiled, but Seungcheol could see the tips of his ears turning pink. Cute. Seokmin was always too sweet.“Eh… so you didn’t come here just for me?” Seungcheol grinned cheekily, wheeling closer in his chair, Seokmin was fun to tease. Seungcheol could tell he was succeeding in getting Seokmin flustered as the younger boy just laughed at the question without meeting his eye.“You look so serious in a suit, like a businessman.” Seokmin said, changing the subject quickly, fiddling with Seungcheol’s tie. Seungcheol really did look good, Seokmin glanced up and down, taking in the whole ensemble, wondering if suits were meant to be that tight, clinging to Seungcheol around the biceps and shoulders, threatening to burst around his thighs. The sight was enough to make Seokmin want to reach out and run his hands over Seungcheol's muscles, the man was effortlessly attractive, Seokmin couldn’t help but let his mind wander.“A business man? Like an office worker? or like the boss?” Seungcheol asked, eyes following the line of the tie up to where Seokmin was twirling the material around his long fingers. The motion made it impossible for Seungcheol to look away, wondering if Seokmin would pull a little harder…“Hmmm… the boss.” Seokmin smirked, knowing he was inflating Seungcheol’s ego a little, seeing the older boy puff out his chest a little at the remark, not that his chest needed to be pushed out anymore, the shirt buttons already straining.“The boss, huh? Sounds hard, can you be my oh-so-helpful assistant?” Seungcheol grinned wolfishly, wrapping a hand around the strong muscle of Seokmin’s leg as he wheeled closer.“You need an assistant? What do I get in return?” Seokmin joked back, pulling on Seungcheol's tie. Seungcheol licked his lips a little, looking Seokmin up and down, the boy was wearing a knitted, low v neck sweater over a thin white t-shirt, both a little too big for him, sleeves hanging over his hands a little. Cute, really cute, the oversized clothes making his broad frame seem smaller, hair slightly fluffed up today just to complete the look. Eyes travelling down, Seungcheol noticed Seokmin’s jeans. They weren’t strange, just normal blue turn ups but Seokmin's legs, the jeans looked like they were about to bust open at the seams with how tightly Seokmin's thighs were squeezed into them.“I had to borrow jeans, mine are all in the wash.” Seokmin explained, red faced, having noticed Seungcheol's staring. Shuffling in the seat, Seungcheol felt something sharp poking his leg, pulling it out of his pockets he remembered he still had the keys to the floor, the bunch of about 8 keys jingling in his hand.“I don’t remember which of these is which…” Seungcheol mumbled, not realising he was speaking aloud until he heard Seokmin giggle above him. “Ay! Don’t laugh! Fine, Assistant please check which one of these is which!” Seungcheol said in mock-offense.“Yes, Sir.” Seokmin laughed, grinning at Seungcheol's forgetfulness, but playing along anyway, grabbing the keys from Seungcheol's palm and spinning to walk over to the door. Seungcheol watched as Seokmin walked away, hips swaying, he had liked hearing Seokmin call him ‘sir’ in that honey sweet voice of his, even if he was only joking. It made Seungcheol tense up, pulling at his collar, which suddenly felt all too tight, licking his lips once more. Seokmin's sweater was sliding off his left shoulder, revealing the smooth skin just next to his neck, he was so unaware of how alluring he was being which only frustrated Seungcheol more. He couldn’t deal with this teasing any longer.Seokmin was about three tries in, trying to slot the all-too-similar keys into the lock, but no luck yet. Suddenly he felt two hands slip around his waist from behind, making him jump and almost drop the keys.“Ah! Hyung, you shocked me! I didn’t even hear you come over.” Seokmin gasped, Seungcheol simply hummed behind him, dragging his eyes over Seokmin's neck. “Hyung? What are you doing?” Seokmin tried to say casually, but his voice cracked halfway through the question, face tinting red at the proximity, the firm grip of Seungcheol's palms running over his waist and hips.“Seokmin-ah… you really don’t know what you’ve been doing? Such a tease…” Seungcheol sighed, pressing his chest against Seokmin's back.“Wh-?”“Don’t you think I look handsome today?” Seungcheol interrupted, taking the keys from Seokmin's hand.“Y-Yeah. You look really handsome.” Seokmin stammered. He was now extremely flustered, he really wasn’t expecting Seungcheol to be so dressed up when he came to see him, the too-tight suit combined with his dark hair falling into his eyes was incredibly hot. Cheol really did look powerful, and now Seokmin was close enough to feel the heat from his skin and it made his knees weak, the strong hands pulling at his hips made Seokmin's pulse race. Seungcheol slid the correct key into the lock at last and clicked the door shut in front of Seokmin“Seokmin, you know you look so good right now.” Seungcheol whispered to Seokmin, letting his lips brush Seokmin's ear. “Did you look all cute like this on purpose? Did you wear these jeans because you know how good your legs look in them?” muttered Seungcheol, letting his lips travel down Seokmin's neck, not touching just brushing, light as a feather. “Sitting on my desk? Pulling my tie? Then calling me ‘sir’? Don’t you see what you’re doing Seokmin?” Seungcheol near-growled, deep voice sending shivers down Seokmin’s spine. Seokmin couldn’t lie, he knew exactly what he did, but Seungcheol had been looking up at him with those dark eyes and grabbing his thigh, looking like some goddamn CEO, teasing Seokmin in that husky voice of his, what else could Seokmin have done? It was just natural.  “I might have… had an idea of what I was doing. But- I couldn’t help it!” Seokmin stammered, covering his face with the back of his hand, failing to cover the blush on his cheeks.“Couldn’t help it?” Seungcheol questioned, pausing his wandering hands briefly.“I- I just thought you- in the suit… you looked good. It took me by surprise…” Seokmin couldn’t continue, already beyond embarrassed. Seungcheol was taken aback by this, he hadn’t realised how worked up he’d managed to make Seokmin, the younger boy melting under his touch. Pulling sharply back on Seokmin's hips, Seokmin turned his head to meet Seungcheol's eyes, one beat of silence passed, then two, Seokmin dragged his eyes down Seungcheol's body once more, licking his lips with words unsaid, shirt slipping further off his shoulder with every breath he took.Seokmin bit his lip and Seungcheol snapped. He grabbed Seokmin's prominent hipbones and pulled their bodies together with little gentleness, digging his teeth into the soft, tempting skin in the crook of Seokmin's neck, diving in with enough force to press Seokmin’s front roughly against the locked door. Seokmin cried out, bracing himself against the door as Seungcheol ground his hips against the soft curve of Seokmin's ass.“Ah! Hyung!” Seokmin gasped as Seungcheol bit further up Seokmin's neck, marking up the sensitive skin with sharp bites and harsh sucks. Strong hands grabbed Seokmin's slim waist and flipped him, slamming his back against the door with a thud, Seungcheol wasted no time in jumping back into Seokmin's neck, listening to the pants and small whines the younger boy released with every movement. Seungcheol pressed his leg between Seokmin's, feeling Seokmin already hard against his thigh. He heard Seokmin nearly choke at the sudden sensation, hands gripping at Seungcheol's biceps, nails digging into the fabric of Seungcheol's suit. Seungcheol threw off Seokmin's jumper, letting it fall to the floor, slipping his hand under the thin, cheap fabric of Seokmin's shirt, feeling the soft skin under his palms. Rocking his hips, Seokmin grinded down on Seungcheol's strong thigh, back and forth, desperate for any friction, Seungcheol moving his thigh against the motion to add the pressure. Seokmin was whimpering, painfully hard, clawing at whatever he could just to stay standing up as all the blood rushed from his head, Seungcheol just watched as Seokmin fell apart riding Seungcheol's thigh, high pitched noises driving Seungcheol crazy.Taking a step back, making Seokmin groan at the loss of contact, Seungcheol removed all paper from the top of his desk with one swoop of his arm, letting all the paperwork flutter to the floor. Seungcheol kissed Seokmin, plush pairs of lips pressing gently against each other as Seungcheol walked Seokmin over to the desk, only stopping when he felt his legs hit the edge of the table. Tugging Seokmin's lower lip between his teeth, Seungcheol's hands glided over Seokmin's lower back, pulling up the fabric of his shirt before tearing it off.Seokmin pulled away from Seungcheol's grasp and slid gracefully down onto his knees, hands fiddling with Seungcheol’s belt buckle, pulling at the thick strap of leather. Seungcheol braced himself back against the desk, looking down at where Seokmin was undoing the zipper of his trousers, the sight was almost too good. Seokmin pulled Seungcheol's cock free from his underwear, wrapping delicate fingers around the thick length.“Fuck- Seokmin…” sighed Seungcheol, tossing his head back, eyes falling shut, breath quickening. Seokmin wrapped his lips around the tip, flicking his tongue teasingly over the slit. Slowly dipping his head, Seokmin sucked along the length, taking as much as his gag reflex would allow him to. Seungcheol's hands threaded their way into Seokmin's hair, gently tugging on the thick black waves, trying carefully not to pull to hard despite the urge to grab at the strands. Seokmin moved agonisingly slowly, taking his time listening to Seungcheol groan and hiss above him, testing his limits and his patience. Seungcheol's fingers got tangled in the locks of Seokmin's hair and he accidentally pulled harshly, yanking Seokmin's head back towards the tip, he was about to apologise until he heard Seokmin moan around his dick. Experimentally, Seungcheol gave another sharp pull, and Seokmin had to pull his mouth off of Seungcheol just to groan.“You… like that?” Seungcheol said curiously, tilting Seokmin's face up to look at him, lips swollen and dripping with precum. Seokmin didn’t meet his eyes, but he nodded. That was all the confirmation Seungcheol needed, opening up Seokmin's mouth with his thumb, Seungcheol slid slowly back into the wet heat of Seokmin's mouth. “Tell me if it’s too much ok?” Seungcheol whispered, more than willing to give Seokmin what he wanted, but not wanting to hurt him. He fisted his hands into Seokmin's hair, feeling the vibrations around his cock when the younger moaned at the sensation. Controlling the pace now, Seungcheol pulled Seokmin towards him, bringing him deeper than before, pushing Seokmin to the limits of what he could take. Seungcheol could feel himself hitting the back of Seokmin's throat with every bob of Seokmin's head, Seungcheol's restraint was crumbling away with every movement. When Seokmin dragged his teeth carefully along Seungcheol’s cock, Seungcheol's resistance finally fell. Gripping as tight as he could in Seokmin's hair, Seungcheol started thrusting upwards into Seokmin's mouth, hearing high pitched whimpers with every tug. Seungcheol could feel himself coming to the edge, fucking Seokmin's pretty mouth raw, riding the wave of heat pooling in his stomach. Crying out and nearly falling back against the desk, Seungcheol came, Seokmin sucking him off through his orgasm, warmth spilling into his mouth. Seungcheol couldn’t believe his eyes as Seokmin swallowed without hesitation. Fuck, that was so hot. Seungcheol had just came yet he could already feel a twitch at Seokmin's dazed, fucked out expression, licking the remainder off of puffy lips.“Fuck, Baby you did so good.” Seungcheol panted, flush faced, pulling Seokmin's face up to kiss him, uncaring of the cum lingering on his lips. Seungcheol kissed across Seokmin's face to whisper into his ear, “Let me make you feel good too, ok?”. Seokmin's eyes widened in surprise, he didn’t think Cheol would still be ready to go. “What? You thought I wouldn’t be able to go again?” he smirked, “Seokmin-ah, don’t underestimate me… I want more than just your mouth.”Seemingly effortlessly, Seungcheol picked up Seokmin by the thighs, allowing the younger boy to wrap his legs around Seungcheol's waist. Seokmin yelped, clutching at the fabric of Seungcheol's blazer to stop himself from falling back, feeling fingers pressing bruises into the backs of his legs. Landing with a thump, Seokmin was dropped into the desk, back against the hardwood surface, looking at Seungcheol between his legs. Seungcheol slid his blazer off his shoulders, letting it drop to the floor, chest threatening to burst through his shirt as he undid the strained buttons and loosened his tie.“Baby, do you want me to be gentle? Or do you want a little more?” Seungcheol asked, voice soft, almost a whisper, his fingers dancing down Seokmin's thighs, making their way slowly towards the waistband. Seokmin mumbled, too quiet for Cheol to hear. “You don’t have to be be embarrassed, tell me what you want.” Seungcheol said sweetly, peeling the jeans off of Seokmin (seriously, how did he squeeze into those?).“More… You can be more rough if you want…” Seokmin said, though slightly muffled by his hand coving his face in an unsuccessful attempt to hide his embarrassment. As much as Seungcheol was sweet by nature, hearing Seokmin say he wanted him to be rough sent a fire through Seungcheol, he wouldn’t have expected something like this from Seokmin of all people, but he certainly wasn’t complaining.Seungcheol finally did what he’d been wanting to do since Seokmin walked in with those goddamn jeans on. He leaned and bit into the soft flesh of Seokmin's inner thighs, sucking on the smooth skin until he was satisfied with the red mark decorating him. Seungcheol left mark after mark, each one further up the inside of Seokmin's thigh than the last, teasing the younger boy with each inch closer to where he was rapidly hardening in his underwear. Seokmin was laid out flat on the desk, breathing heavily and biting his lip in an attempt not to cry out.“You’re gorgeous.” Seungcheol sighed, running a hand over the fresh marks, noticing how Seokmin was holding back. Seungcheol smacked Seokmin's thigh, not too hard, but hard enough for Seokmin to gasp in shock and pleasure, arching his back off the table. “Let me hear you baby.” Seungcheol hummed softly, delivering another slap. Throwing off Seokmin's underwear, Seungcheol slapped once more, but this time on the curve of Seokmin's ass, leaving a red tint on the soft flesh. Seokmin was now falling apart under his hands, squeaking at every smack, thighs twitching with anticipation.“Please… more…” Seokmin pleaded.“More what?” Seungcheol responded, clearly playing dumb.“I want you- Hyung- I want you inside me.” Seokmin breathed heavily. And how could Cheol argue with that?“C’mere, I want to try something.” Seungcheol asked, gesturing for Seokmin to sit up closer to him. He slipped his tie off from around his neck and grabbed Seokmin's wrists. Winding the strip of black fabric around Seokmin's wrists, Seungcheol took care not to tie it too tight, tying it off with a double knot. “Is this ok? I can take it off if you don’t wanna-“Seokmin cut him off with a small kiss to the side of his mouth, letting Seungcheol's hands drift to his hips. Seokmin loved how easy it was for Seungcheol to manhandle him, the older boy easily flipping him around so he was on his knees, propped up on his elbows, facing away from Seungcheol. Before Seokmin could even think, he felt the cold sensation of Seungcheol’s finger smearing lube around his entrance. Seungcheol did not have small hands by anyone’s standards, so when he slipped his fingers into Seokmin, Seokmin was already feeling the burn from the stretch, already pulling at the constrictions on his wrist. Seungcheol scissored his fingers and Seokmin was breathing heavy, hips unconsciously rocking back and forth against Cheol, but it wasn’t enough. Pulling his fingers out, Seungcheol left Seokmin gasping for more.“Seokmin-ah, can I fuck you?” Seungcheol said, voice husky, gently smacking the top of Seokmin's thigh once more. Seokmin knew exactly what to say.“Yes, Sir.” Seokmin purred, arching his back to give Cheol a painfully good view. Seungcheol took a good two seconds to process what Seokmin had said, not quite able to believe his ears. Lee Seokmin just called him ‘Sir’. Fuck.Seungcheol slammed into Seokmin, previous slowness forgotten, pulling Seokmin's hips towards him with enough force that Seokmin nearly slipped off the desk. Seungcheol slapped once, then twice on Seokmin's ass, just to hear him cry out, hips stuttering for a moment.Seungcheol pounded into Seokmin, who was moaning higher and louder with each thrust. His arms had given out, falling with his face pressed to the desk, his restricted wrists making it even harder for him to support his own body weight. The only thing stopping Seokmin from falling completely was Seungcheol's iron grip on his hips, holding him up as if he weighed nothing. Seokmin was overwhelmed but he wanted more.“Hyung- p-please… harder-” Seokmin begged, voice cracking halfway though. Seungcheol kept one hand on Seokmin's hip, holding him in place, while the other pushed Seokmin's torso down, deepening the angle, pushing Seokmin further down into where he was near-collapsed on the desk, moaning progressively louder.“Ah! S-Shit- Right there!” cried Seokmin, thighs shaking with the effort of keeping himself up. He was so close to the edge, white spots danced across his vision, he wanted to touch himself so bad, but knew he couldn’t with his hands tied like this. The pressure was almost painful.Seokmin saw stars when he finally reached his release, and Seungcheol wasn’t far behind, coming with Seokmin's name on his lips. Seokmin's legs finally gave out and he collapsed flat onto the desk, near-wheezing, Seungcheol fell back into the desk chair, shirt fully open but the back was now soaked through with sweat.After a minute of catching their breath Seungcheol stood and helped Seokmin sit up again, freeing his wrists.“Baby, you were amazing.” Seungcheol whispered, burying his face in Seokmin's neck, wrapping his arms gently around him. “You looked so beautiful with me inside you… next time I wanna tie you to the bed so I can see your pretty face more…”“Next time?” Seokmin perked up at that.“You think you can get rid of me now? No way, you make me crazy Seokmin~ My pretty Seokmin-ah~” sang Seungcheol, cuddling into Seokmin like an oversized koala. “But for now, put your clothes on and we can go back and shower, ok?”“Yes, Sir” Seokmin giggled, as Cheol threw a shirt directly at his head. “I’ll get dressed, and you can work out which one of the keys unlocks the door.”8 minutes and too many tries later, they made it out the room, Seokmin on Cheol’s back under the excuse ‘my butt hurts and it’s your fault’, laughing down the corridor, forgetting to lock the door behind them. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Seokmin knew Junhui wasn’t doing it on purpose, but it was still frustrating. Junhui had picked up a habit of pouting, not for pictures, just in general, when he didn’t realise he was doing anything. The reason that this had been driving Seokmin crazy was because before, Seokmin had not noticed how pretty Junhui’s lips were, and now he couldn’t stop noticing it. They were just so plush and pink… and the moles just above them… he couldn’t stop his mind wandering…Shaking his head free of the thought, Seokmin pulled his attention back to the conversation going on around him, everyone was sitting around on break in the practice room, most munching on a snack as they chatted amongst themselves. Zoning back in, the conversation had switched to new hair styles, with the concert coming up everyone was anticipating some exciting new changes, wondering who was going to end up with unnaturally bright hair this time.“I wanna try something crazy… like pink!  Or orange!” Soonyoung grinned, pulling at his currently black hair.“Orange would definitely be… dramatic.” Laughed Seungkwan, before turning to Seokmin, “Are you ever going to change your hair? I feel like you haven’t left the black-brown zone since we debuted.”. Soonyoung nodded in agreement.“I had blue for a bit!” Seokmin protested.“But it was so dark, and you only had it for like a week.” Seungkwan countered, pointing at Seokmin's clearly black hair.“He’s right, we all wanna see blonde again.” Said Jun, inserting himself into the conversation, sitting down on the floor between Seokmin and Soonyoung.“Bleaching hurts my scalp, plus it makes my hair really… floofy.” Seokmin mumbled, rubbing his head self-consciously.“Eh? I thought it was cute!” teased Jun, ruffling up Seokmin's hair to mimic the blonde puff that was his predebut hair, despite the younger boys whining.Smoothing down the mess, Seokmin moved the conversation on, “What colour do you want to try?” he asked Junhui. Jun pouted as he thought it over, brows creasing in concentration, Seokmin died a bit inside. That goddamn pout again. How was Jun so cute? Seokmin always admired Jun’s cool aura on stage, everyone agreed he did ‘sexy’ well, so how? It had to be unfair to do both. Sighing to himself in admittance, Seokmin had a crush, there was no denying it.“Purple.”“Eh?” Seokmin had zoned out again, and took a moment to process Junhui’s reply, “Oh! Yeah, purple would suit you well I think.”“You really think so?” questioned Jun, tilting his head in doubt. Nodding aggressively in affirmation, Seokmin turned to Soonyoung, who began nodding in unison with him, Seungkwan sighing at the two of them and their ridiculousness. Practice started again and Seokmin let the conversation slip to the back of his mind as he focused on the choreography, which was proving harder than expected. He was pretty sure Jun kept glancing at him, smirking when he caught his eye, and honestly it was making it very hard for Seokmin to concentrate. He caught sight of his red face in the wall sized mirror, red because of exercise of course, he was not blushing. And he was definitely not blushing because of Wen Junhui and his Stupid Beautiful Face.  Two days passed in a blur of concert preparations, they’d seen the outfits they’d be wearing the whole tour and honestly Seokmin could not be more excited, but despite the energy running high, nothing too unexpected had happened yet, everything was feeling really… smooth. Most of the members were out together getting something to eat, Seokmin would have gone but had gotten stuck looking for his passport, he found it not too long after they left, but too long for him to bother trying to chase after them. He didn’t mind too much, the dorm wasn’t often quiet, so he appreciated it every once in a while, being able to use his laptop without headphones was not a regular occurrence so he made the most of it while he could. Despite the chattering of the film playing on his screen, Seokmin heard the latch of the door click open, was someone back early?“Hey!” Seokmin called out, not getting out of bed to see who it was. Turning his attention back to the movie, Seokmin didn’t notice anyone walk into his bedroom, eyes trained on the screen. Seokmin nearly fell off the bed with a yelp when someone suddenly hopped onto the mattress next to him.“What you watching?” grinned Junhui, seemingly pleased with himself at how he’d managed to startle the younger boy. Seokmin looked at Junhui once. Twice. Three times. He knew something unexpected had to happen and honestly, this shouldn’t have been unexpected, this always happens before big events. Junhui sat next to him with a wild mop of bright purple hair and Seokmin was really struggling to process it.“You! Your hair!” Seokmin stuttered, struggling for words. It wasn’t easy to form a cohesive sentence with a real-life anime prince sitting in your bed.“What? Don’t you like it? I thought you said would it would suit me.” Junhui pouted. Seokmin could tell Junhui was teasing. Jun knew he looked good and Seokmin knew he knew.“It does! I was just surprised, I forgot hair colouring was gonna be happening around this time.” Seokmin smiled.“If you think this is bright, wait till you see what Soonyoung’s getting tomorrow, the stylist told me what he’s doing.”“Orange?”“Orange.”Seokmin sighed, he wasn’t surprised, Soonyoung never was the ‘subtle’ type.“Is your hair ok though? You had to bleach it a lot, right? Its not gonna fall out or anything?” Seokmin asked, half joking half genuine concern.“Don’t worry, it actually doesn’t even feel dry, must’ve used a good conditioner this time. Here, feel.” Junhui laughed, grabbing Seokmin's hand and placing it on his newly-purpled head. Seokmin ran his hand through Junhui's hair and Jun was right, it was surprisingly soft, and the way Jun smiled softly at the gentle touch made Seokmin's heart beat a little faster. Seokmin didn’t even realise he was lingering until Junhui poked him lightly in the side.“Sorry I didn’t mean to stare! I just-!”“Don’t worry~” Jun said cooly, “It’s cause I look handsome, no?” he smirked, only half playing, natural flirtiness coming easily to him. Seokmin genuinely did not know how to answer in this situation, he could feel his face heating up, so he decided to play along.“You always look handsome Hyung~” grinned Seokmin. It was Jun’s turn to be stuck for words. The silence lingered, it wasn’t uncomfortable silence, just unspoken. Seokmin's eyes flickered over Junhui's lips, only for the briefest of moments, but not fast enough for Junhui to miss it.“You keep doing that. For a while now.” Jun near-whispered, careful not to break the delicate atmosphere balanced around them.“Doing what?” questioned Seokmin, tilting his head.“Looking at my lips.” Jun said, and made Seokmin realise his ‘subtle glances’ may not have been as subtle as he thought, his face flushing, embarrassed that Jun had been much more aware than he’d let on. “Don’t be embarrassed… I was looking at you too.”Seokmin hadn’t expected that.“What? Don’t be surprised. When I noticed you looking I started pouting on purpose.” Jun laughed softly, enjoying Seokmin's wide eyed expression.“Wh-?! Why?” stuttered Seokmin.“Isn’t it obvious? I like it when you look at me.” Jun hummed as if it was the clear answer, leaning in towards Seokmin, one hand resting on his thigh. Seokmin leaned away slightly as a reflex, heartbeat accelerating. “Hmm? Why are you moving away?”Seokmin didn’t know. He wanted this, and Junhui was right there, but he couldn’t dissuade the doubt clinging to his subconscious.“Don’t overthink this, I like you, Seokmin. And I think you like me too.” Jun sighed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Clearly on-purpose this time, Jun pouted at Seokmin, pursing his lips just to tease the younger boy. “You don’t need to be shy, Seokmin-ah~ As cute as it is, I’d rather you kissed me instead.” Jun whined, and Seokmin really couldn’t argue with that. Seokmin leaned in and Jun met him halfway, with enough enthusiasm to push Seokmin back, far enough that he had to cling to Jun's shirt just to stay upright, and he swore he could feel Jun's satisfied smirk against his lips.“I can’t believe you teased me for so long… pretending you didn’t know I was looking… being all pouty and cute…” Seokmin mumbled before pulling Jun in for another kiss, a little harsher than the last.“You know you liked it~” Jun grinned confidently, biting his lip cheekily as he slipped his hand round the back of Seokmin's neck.“Mmm true…” Seokmin hummed, smiling up at Jun, who looked all too pleased with himself as he hooked his leg over to take a seat in Seokmin's lap. Jun dragged his index finger under Seokmin’s jawline to tilt his head up, giving Jun the perfect angle to lean down and steal Seokmin's lips once more. Seokmin's hands settled on Junhui's hips, falling into a rhythm against each other’s lips, but Seokmin could feel Junhui growing restless above him. He pulled away from Junhui, looking up at him, his slick lips as perfect and plump as ever, parted lightly and a little pinker than usual, his constellation of moles dancing over his face, purple strands of hair falling over his hooded eyes.“You look so good.” Seokmin muttered, not realising he was speaking out loud, a little awestruck, eyes moving from Junhui's lips to his eyes to his neck and back to his lips again because they really were so tempting. Jun slid elegantly off of Seokmin's lap, pushing the dark-haired boy back against the headboard, Seokmin was just about to question it when Jun swiftly undid his jeans and pulled Seokmin's cock out of his underwear, already half hard at the sight of Wen Junhui between his legs. Jun looked up at Seokmin with his deep brown eyes, shadowed by fluttering lashes, as he licked a stripe up the underside of Seokmin's dick, before wrapping those lips, those lips Seokmin loved so much, around the head. Seokmin could’ve honestly came right then.“Don’t shut your eyes, look at me. I like it when you look at me.” Jun murmured, repeating his earlier confession, before sucking almost right down to the base. Seokmin nearly choked just watching.“Fuck, Junhui- you’re goddamn gorgeous like this…” Seokmin groaned, using all the effort he had not to buck his hips up into Junhui's mouth. Pulling up slowly, Junhui hummed, sending vibrations that went straight to Seokmin's abdomen, making him release a high pitched sigh, tipping his head back till it hit the wall. Junhui continued to pick up the pace, then slowing down when he felt Seokmin getting too close to finishing, keeping him on the edge but never pushing him over. Seokmin's hands grabbed at the soft purple strands of Junhui's hair, tightening his grip when he felt himself hit the back of Junhui's throat. “Ha- Fuck…” Seokmin whined as Junhui pulled off, dragging his tongue over the tip as he did.“Seokmin-ah,” Jun growled, pushing himself up until his breath was on Seokmin's neck “I can finish you off here…” wrapping his fingers daintily around Seokmin's length. “Or… we could take it further.” Jun whispered, brushing his lips along the line of Seokmin's neck.Seokmin, a little hazy from being edged to his limit, was suddenly back in focus. “You mean…-?” asked Seokmin, the pink flush on his cheeks deepening, pulling his lower lip between his teeth.“Only if you want to but… I can make you feel good.” Jun nipped the skin of Seokmin's jaw between his teeth, his hand giving a teasing stroke.“I wanna… please-” Seokmin whimpered at the touch, digging his nails into the skin of Junhui's back.“What do you want, hm? Tell hyung~” teased the older boy, smirking at Seokmin's flustered expression.“Junhui-Hyung- please… I want more,” Seokmin could barely get the words out through clenched teeth, unsure of how much longer he would be able to last with this teasing. Junhui gave in with a smirk, taking Seokmin's lips with his own, slipping his hands under Seokmin's shirt, pulling up the hem until Seokmin broke the kiss to allow the shirt to be thrown off , Junhui's own shirt following soon after. Seokmin took the opportunity to give an experimental lick to Junhui's nipple, not knowing how Jun would respond. Junhui fucking mewled. Seokmin literally paused in shock, Junhui's face turned bright red.“What? You surprised me!” Junhui stuttered, not meeting Seokmin's eye. It was Seokmin's turn to smirk now as he brought his lips back to Junhui's chest. “Ah! S-shit.” Junhui gasped, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, arching his back until he was sat almost straight up on Seokmin's hips. Brushing his thumb over Junhui's other nipple, Seokmin pulled Junhui closer to him by the waist before sneaking his hand down to palm the front of Junhui's jeans. Seokmin felt Junhui shiver under his touch, biting back a deep groan at the overstimulation, moving his own hands to undo the zipper that was currently constraining him, gasping as the fabric barrier between Seokmin's hand and his cock was now cone, leaving him completely at Seokmin's mercy. The younger boy moved to wrap his hand around the both of them, but Junhui hastily stopped him, “Seokmin, I won’t last…”. Thinking about it, Seokmin knew he wouldn’t either, instead moving to try and kiss Junhui, but from Jun's elevated position on Seokmin's lap, Seokmin was having trouble reaching.“You’re too high up, sitting on me like that…” Seokmin whined, he wanted Jun just that little bit closer...“Why don’t you push me down then?” Jun said huskily, and if his words weren’t suggestive enough, his expression certainly was. Seokmin tentatively pressed his palm against Junhui's chest, pushing him backwards until he lay against the mattress, purple strands splayed out around him, stomach twitching with anticipation as Seokmin pulled off his jeans, and then his own. Reaching under the bed, Seokmin pulled out a small tube of lube, flicking the lid open before squeezing the gel onto his long fingers before sliding a finger into Junhui, pressing down to the knuckle. Junhui clenched around his finger with a groan, before relaxing, allowing another to fit in beside it.“Seokmin. Enough, I'm ready.” Jun said between sharp breaths as Seokmin scissored him open.“Are you sure? I don’t wanna hurt-” Seokmin stuttered.“I’m sure. Just do it.” Jun maintained eye contact, biting down on his lower lip. Seeing Seokmin's unsure expression, Junhui pulled him down and whispered in his ear, “And if you’re gonna fuck me, you can make it hurt a little, I won’t break.”. Seokmin groaned as he felt the words travel straight downward, Junhui's deep voice making him ache with arousal. Seokmin pulled Junhui's ankles over his shoulders and aligned himself with Junhui's entrance and gently pushed forward, making the older boy hiss as he stretched around Seokmin. Seokmin moved slowly, rolling his hips, gripping Junhui's thighs to pace himself.Junhui's back arched off the mattress, grabbing the sheets either side of him, angling his hips to take Seokmin as deep as possible. Seokmin pulled out agonizingly slowly, until only the head was left inside, before pressing back in. Keeping his thrusts slow and deep, Seokmin was driving Junhui insane, the older boy canting his hips up to try and urge Seokmin to pick up the pace, needily rocking against him to try and get more friction.“Fuck- Seokmin, more.” Junhui groaned, clenching his jaw. Seokmin complied, gasping as he slammed into Junhui, the smack of skin on skin punctuating Junhui's soft moans and heavy breathing. Pressing his fingers into Junhui's thighs hard enough to leave a bruise, Seokmin cried out as Junhui clenched around him.“Ah-! Hyung! You’re so tight- shit-” Seokmin whimpered, thigh muscles twitching with exertion. Junhui whined with each thrust, running his hands through his own hair, his legs slipping from Seokmin's shoulders to wrap around his waist.“Harder-!” Junhui gasped, tightening his legs around Seokmin's torso, pressing them closer. Seokmin fell forward, burying his face in Junhui's shoulder, pinning the older boy between his arms, Junhui running his hands into Seokmin's hair, gripping just hard enough to hurt a little. “Fuck, Seokmin you’re so thick… you feel so fucking good.” Junhui growled, rolling his hips to grind against Seokmin, making the black-haired boy nearly sob at the stimulation, attempting to stifle the high-pitched whine into Junhui's shoulder. ““Look at me.” Junhui said, only half asking, tugging on Seokmin's hair to tilt his face up towards him, Jun sucked Seokmin's lower lip between his teeth, before covering Seokmin's lips with his own.“Hyung,” Seokmin sighed against Junhui's lips, “You’re so pretty…” peppering kisses on Junhui's moles, “You feel so good…”. Seokmin pushed his weight down onto Junhui, thrusting against the sweet spot that made Junhui feel like he was on fire. Junhui used the momentum to flip them, so he had Seokmin trapped between his legs, riding down onto Seokmin's cock with no restraint, desperate to hit that spot again, making them both cry out as Junhui bottomed out around Seokmin. Diving forward, Junhui dug his teeth into Seokmin's neck, soft lips sucking over the reddening area, Seokmin's increasingly high-pitched whimpers became cracked moans as Junhui fucked himself faster and faster onto Seokmin, friction becoming near unbearable.“Haa-! Fuck, Seokmin- There!” Junhui cried, voice shaking as Seokmin hit him once, twice, three times in the perfect place. Falling against Seokmin's chest, their pace fell apart, thrusts becoming erratic and messy, begging for release.Arching his back of the mattress, Seokmin came crying out Junhui's name, hands struggling to grip at the sweat stained sheets, Junhui following quickly, digging his nails into Seokmin's skin with a throaty moan, cum splattering onto both Seokmin's and his own torsos. Riding down from his climax, Junhui sucked tiny kisses along Seokmin's jawline, sweat slicked strands of purple hair tickling Seokmin's chin. Eventually Jun flopped down next to Seokmin, curling up like a cat along the younger boy’s side, legs tangled together.“We should clean up…” Seokmin hummed, but made no effort to move from his position, running a lazy hand through Junhui's hair.“But the bathrooms so far… and you’re warm.” Junhui pouted, looking up at Seokmin, with big round eyes. He knew exactly what he was doing, and Seokmin knew too, but Seokmin was whipped. Sighing in defeat, Seokmin kissed Junhui, lightly and sweetly.“If you keep making that face, I'm gonna have to keep kissing you.” Seokmin said, feigning annoyance but failing to hide his giggles.“Oh nooo…” Junhui laughed sarcastically, grinning up at Seokmin like he’d just won a prize.“Can’t kiss you from the shower though~” smiled Seokmin, rolling off the bed and wandering off to clean up. Junhui sighed and flopped his head onto the bed until he heard a call from the corridor, “Unless of course you wanna come with me?”. Junhui rolled his eyes, but went to follow Seokmin anyway, because honestly, Junhui was whipped just as bad. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Seokmin considered himself a pretty decent dancer, he obviously wasn’t performance team but he was confident enough to call himself a ‘good dancer’. But from where he sat now, watching Minghao, he thought to himself, this is that a natural dancer looks like. Minghao’s movements were smooth and fluid and seemed as natural to him as breathing, hitting every beat near flawlessly until the song faded out. Minghao had convinced Seokmin to stay late and practice with him, Seokmin wasn’t sure why he’d agreed, but Seokmin often found it hard to say no to Minghao.Seokmin chucked his now-empty water bottle to the corner of the room and jumped up to join Minghao in front of the mirror. “Ready to go again?” Minghao asked, stamina apparently endless. Seokmin nodded, but he wasn’t really sure, the choreography he and Minghao were learning was definitely… different from what he was used to. Hansol had played the song around Minghao claiming it to be ‘an anthem’ and Minghao had been determined to learn a choreography immediately after. Performance unit had danced to all kinds of songs, but Seokmin wasn’t so used to the RNB style beat, nor the moves that went with it. “Oi, what’s up? Is something wrong?” Minghao asked, noticing the stiffness in Seokmin's posture. Seokmin thought about lying and saying nothing was wrong, but he knew it was useless to try and lie to Minghao.“Its just… this song-” Seokmin tried to explain without sounding too ridiculous, “It’s really… y’know”. Minghao raised an eyebrow as Seokmin gesticulated, trying to show what he meant. “It’s like…? Sexy? Yeah. And you do that really well but I feel like I look awkward… or something like that.”. Minghao looked him in the eye for a solid five seconds, then burst out laughing at him.“Is that what you were worried about? I thought it was something serious!”, seeing Seokmin's frustration, he continued, “Of course it’s going to look awkward if you feel awkward. You’ve gotta be confident, half of sexy is attitude. You gotta know you’re sexy.”. It was Seokmin's turn to laugh now, Minghao speaking like a wise old sage about being sexy was really something. “Yah! Don’t laugh! I’m being serious, you’re sexy Seokmin, own it.”. Seokmin wasn’t laughing anymore, he felt his cheeks heat up, suddenly having to turn back to the mirror. Minghao turned on the music, and Seokmin tried to focus on the beat coming through the speakers, ‘Be sexy. You can do it.’ he told himself, but couldn’t help but feel the awkwardness in the movement of his hips as he moved. Suddenly he felt a pair of hands on his hips and Minghao was right in front of him, too close for comfort. “Loosen up.” came Minghao’s soft voice, barely inches from his face. The music continued playing as Minghao guided Seokmin's hips to the beat, showing him the smooth rolling motion that felt so foreign to Seokmin, but with Minghao's hands either side of his hips felt almost, natural. Minghao moved to stand behind Seokmin. “Try it again.” He said, eyes trained to the motion of Seokmin's waist as Seokmin tried to repeat the move on his own, “Almost… just, like this-” Minghao mumbled, placing his hands on Seokmin's waist and demonstrating the motion behind him. Seokmin felt himself copy the motion, Minghao's firm hands keeping him in rhythm, and looking at himself in the mirror, Seokmin did think, it looked pretty damn good. He didn’t think about the fact that he was basically grinding on Minghao, or how his hips were so much wider than Minghao's yet they seemed to fit together perfectly.Minghao walked away to restart the song and Seokmin couldn’t entirely see his face, but was Minghao blushing? Seokmin put it up to exercise making him red faced. Round 2 of the dance was significantly better, Seokmin's movements were looser and more natural but halfway through he paused the song because something was wrong and he couldn’t place it at all. Minghao looked at him like it was obvious. “You’re being shy, Seokmin. Shy with me.” Minghao stated, stretching out his shoulders, “This is a pair dance but you’re barely touching me, and your expression shows it too, you need eye contact.”“But! It’s just…” Seokmin stuttered, he’d never been known to shy away from physical contact but this was a different situation, and he didn’t know how to deal with it at all.“Don’t think about it so much, just think of me like someone you’re really attracted to.” Minghao concluded.“What?!”“Like sexually.” Minghao laughed, as Seokmin turned a violent shade of pink. The problem Seokmin had was that he had always thought Minghao was attractive, how could he not? Minghao was all toned body and round eyes and cheeky smiles and when he danced? Seokmin was gone. The problem was Seokmin spent all his time hiding this fact. Seokmin cursed his past self for agreeing to this practice. “Ah, Seokmin you’re so cute, blushing over that. You’re too pure.” Minghao teased, restarting the track with a wink, “But let that go for now, I know you can.”Seokmin took a deep breath, it’s just for a dance, he could let himself go for a dance. The music started and Minghao couldn’t help but smirk at the mirror, Seokmin's change in demeanour had made all the difference. Seokmin rolled his body to the beat like he had someone to impress, putting a little more into every move, not shying away from the more seductive movements, if anything doing more than necessary. Minghao spun on the spot and Seokmin slid into position behind him. This is where Seokmin had frozen up before, shying away from Minghao, this time was different.Seokmin pulled Minghao's arm up to hold the back of Seokmin's neck, Minghao pushing his hips back to grind against Seokmin. Seokmin knew this was dangerous territory, the temptation to grind back into Minghao was great, Seokmin had to bite down on his lip to stop himself. Minghao spun to face him and Seokmin grabbed his waist, Seokmin's head knew this was the choreography but his body was yelling at him to pull Minghao closer, closer, and Seokmin was sure he wasn’t imagining the look in Minghao's eyes, the way he licked his lips. Minghao dropped to the floor in front of him, Seokmin following after, both of them refusing to break eye contact, to move too far apart.Seokmin knew the next move was the last, they had never normally done this move, bailing out before the end and starting from the top, but again, this time was different. Seokmin pulled Minghao up from the floor and into his arms, off the ground, Minghao wrapped his leg around Seokmin's hip and his arms around Seokmin's shoulders. Seokmin span them around until Minghao's feet hit the floor. Minghao bent back and let Seokmin dip him. The music faded out behind them, but neither of the dared to move, mere centimetres from each other’s faces, breathing in each other, their bodies pressed together. If Seokmin let go now, Minghao would probably hit the floor.“I told you you could do it.” Minghao murmured, eyes flicking up and down Seokmin's body, not wanting to break the atmosphere that heavily surrounded them.“If it wasn’t you… I don’t think I could’ve.” Seokmin confessed, tightening his grip on Minghao's waist.“…why?”“You know why.” Seokmin near-whispered, not daring to say the words out loud. Seokmin swore he could hear his heartbeat in the 5 seconds of pin drop silence that followed, pounding against his chest.Minghao was the one to break the wall, he grabbed the front of Seokmin's shirt with both hands and slammed their mouths together. Minghao pushed Seokmin back until his back hit the mirror, pressing him against the cool surface, Minghao coaxed Seokmin's mouth open, slipping his tongue inside, deepening the kiss. Pinning Seokmin's arms to the mirror, he sucked at Seokmin's lower lip, pressing his knee between Seokmin's legs. Seokmin gasped at the pressure, feeling Minghao smirk against his lips at the reaction, only pressing harder in response. Kissing along Seokmin's jaw and down the length of his neck, Minghao left a trail of red marks, pressing Seokmin's arms harder into the glass of the mirror, his hips impatiently rocking up towards Minghao.“Yah, Seokmin, I told you earlier, not like that.” Minghao whispered, moving his hands down to grab at Seokmin's wide hips, “Do it like this.” Minghao guided Seokmin, repeating the motion from earlier, but this time a thousand times closer, Minghao naturally angling himself to give Seokmin as much friction as possible, both of them instinctually trying to remove any and all space between them, hungry for physical contact.Seokmin mumbled Minghao's name, hands tugging at the fabric of Minghao's shirt, a breathy plea for more. Slipping his hands under the band of Seokmin's tracksuit bottoms, Minghao gripped Seokmin's ass, grinning at how Seokmin squeaked when Minghao harshly squeezed the soft flesh. The mirror steamed up around them, sweat and heavy breathing clouding the shiny surface, “Shit, Seokmin, your ass is amazing.” Minghao growled into the sensitive skin below Seokmin's ear, brushing his lips over the spot teasingly, feeling the heat of Seokmin's flush at the compliment.Minghao suddenly span Seokmin, pressing the boys front against the mirror, Seokmin was about to question it when Minghao ground against Seokmin's ass, pulling Seokmin's waist to push against him harder. Seokmin could feel Minghao growing hard against him, and Seokmin couldn’t deny he was in the same predicament, and Minghao's hands sneaking towards his crotch weren’t helping. “Fuck Seokmin, you're already like this? From just me rubbing up on you?” Minghao teased, palming at Seokmin's already half-hard bulge. “You want me to touch you that bad?” Minghao's soft voice rolled over Seokmin, sending shudders down his spine. Seokmin whined as Minghao slipped his hand inside his boxers, wrapping his hand around his dick, “You’re so sensitive Seokmin, it’s cute.” Minghao smirked.“Hao… please- I can’t-” Seokmin panted, hands trying and failing to grip the mirror for support, not quite forming a sentence, but doing the best he could. Minghao knew what he was trying to say, Seokmin slid down to the floor, letting his quivering legs collapse under him and leaning his back against the mirror, Minghao followed, enjoying the view of Seokmin moaning and twitching under his touch, continuing to pump his fist over Seokmin's cock. Minghao leaned forward to whisper into Seokmin's ear.“I can make you feel better than this, you know? You want more than this, don’t you? I can do that for you.” running his free hand along Seokmin's thigh, holding eye contact to let Seokmin know exactly what his words were implying.“Not just me, I want you to feel good too...” purred Seokmin, words confident but the tips of his ears betraying how flustered he really was. He pulled Minghao closer, tugging on his shirt until they were pushed up against each other, Seokmin ran his hand down Minghao's torso, not stopping as he followed the trail down the boys toned abdomen, before pulling Minghao free from his shorts. Shuffling forward, Seokmin pressed himself against Minghao, wrapping his large hand around the both of them, rubbing the hard lengths together.“Shit-” Minghao groaned, leaning his face in Seokmin's shoulder, breath hot against smooth skin. Both already leaking, Seokmin's hand slid easily over the slick skin, slowing down teasingly, only to pick up the pace again, Minghao needily thrusting up into his palm, Seokmin knew he wasn’t going to last long like this. “Fuck- faster, Seokmin.” Minghao growled, lightly sucking the skin of Seokmin's neck as encouragement, “Mmm, you look so pretty with your neck marked up like that…”. The red marks from earlier were blossoming into faint bruises, “My pretty Seokmin~” Minghao continued, revelling in the flustered whimpers Seokmin made when he praised him.“Hao… I'm gonna cum-” Seokmin gritted, hand pumping rapidly, no longer thinking, head fuzzy as heat knotted in his abdomen. Neither were sure who came first, Seokmin moaning as Minghao panted his name, both spurting over Seokmin's hand. Rocking hips up against each other to try and get as much as they could, riding out the wave of heat between them.Once Minghao could feel his legs again, he wandered over to the boxes in the corner that kept all the shit people left in the practice room, and pulled out a small tube. He smirked at Seokmin's wide eyed expression. “I told you I could make you feel better than that, and I plan to.”“Hao…”“What? You think I can’t get you hard again?” Minghao grinned confidently, dropping to his knees, pulling Seokmin away from the mirror. Minghao spun Seokmin so he faced the mirror, sitting in between Minghao's knees, facing away from him. Minghao pulled Seokmin's shirt off, before pulling his bottoms the rest of the way off too. Seokmin looked away from the mirror, embarrassed, but Minghao tilted his head back up “Watch yourself for me, baby”.Minghao pushed two lubed up fingers into Seokmin’s entrance, placing his other hand over Seokmin's broad chest. Scissoring and stretching Seokmin open, taking his time, letting Seokmin get more and more wound up by Minghao sliding in and out but never deep enough, before wiping the excess lube over himself. Seokmin bent over onto his hands and knees, Minghao running his fingers along his spine. “So pretty, all bent over like this for me…” Minghao smacked Seokmin's ass, then once more when he saw how Seokmin's dick twitched. “Already getting hard again? Just from watching me spank you?” Minghao smirked, smacking again, harder this time. Minghao was just as hard, listening to Seokmin groaning at his fingers inside of him, feeling Seokmin gasp at every touch, but he wouldn’t admit it.“Hao- Aah!” Seokmin cried“Does it hurt? Do you want me to stop?”“God, no. Just-”“Just what?” Minghao hummed, knowing the answer but unable to resist dragging it out a little longer.“Just- just fuck me please, please.” Seokmin begged, pushing his hips back towards Minghao, and that was a pretty irresistible invitation. Minghao pushed deep into Seokmin, hard and fast, with no warning, Seokmin dropping to his elbows. Seokmin saw himself in the mirror, back arched, moaning under Minghao's touch. Minghao noticed, making eye contact through the reflection.“You look pretty, don’t you baby? Taking me so good.” Minghao said, delivering another smack to Seokmin's ass, just to hear the boy under him gasp. “Say my name.”Seokmin panted Minghao's name between breathless gasps and stuttering moans, Minghao running his hands over the redness appearing on the soft skin of Seokmin's ass. “You should see yourself from here, you’ve gotta be illegal…”Minghao's sharp hips snapped against Seokmin, slapping against the sensitive skin where he’d been spanked. Seokmin's elbows were shaking with the effort of trying to hold his body up while Minghao ruthlessly pounded into him from behind, Seokmin only got more vocal, inhibitions wearing away in the haze of the heat, throaty moans becoming high pitched cries and desperate whines mixed in with soft ‘fuck’s and ‘Hao’s.“Fuck, the noises you make… they’re too sexy, Seokmin. You're driving me crazy.” Groaned Minghao, lightly smacking Seokmin's thigh, before gripping it to pull Seokmin in tighter. Seokmin's face in the mirror was a sight to behold, slick, plump lips parted, eyes trying to stay open but fluttering shut with every thrust. Minghao pressed down on Seokmin's lower back while supporting him with a firm grip on his thigh, allowing him to roll his hips up into Seokmin at an angle that made him melt. Seokmin's elbows gave out beneath him, pressing his face into the floor.“Fuck- Hao, right there- please-.” Seokmin cried, tears or overstimulation pricking at the corner of his eyes as Minghao brutally slammed into him again.“You want it baby boy?” Minghao purred, dragging his nails along the inside of Seokmin's thigh and over his ass.“Yes! Yes- God, please I want it so bad-” Seokmin pleaded, rocking back on Minghao needily, Minghao's honey voice calling him ‘baby boy’ had Seokmin weak. Minghao pulled Seokmin in by the soft flesh of his ass, fingertips leaving bruises, fucking him open mercilessly. Minghao leaned on top of Seokmin, pinning him further down onto the floor, Minghao reached his hand forward to grab Seokmin's hair, pulling his head up to face his reflection.“See how cute you look? So needy~” Minghao teased, “You're so cute taking my cock, baby boy. You wanna cum?”. Seokmin could only nod his head, words not forming properly on his lips. Minghao snuck his hand around Seokmin, dancing his fingers around the base of Seokmin's dick, making the boy whimper beneath him. “Say it, Seokmin.”“Please-” Seokmin sighed, “I wanna cum, Hao,”. Minghao knew he was reaching his limit too, his muscles aching for release. Wrapping a delicate hand around Seokmin, Minghao rolled his hips into Seokmin once, twice, three times before Seokmin was cumming with a cracked cry, Minghao following almost immediately, growling against Seokmin's skin, second orgasm hitting him harder than the first, the burn of overstimulation making him gasp.Minghao fell next to where Seokmin was already collapsed on the floor, slinging his arm over Seokmin's shoulders, both of them sweaty, but too dazed to care. Seokmin mumbled into the floor “That was- that was just-?”“Wow.” supplied Minghao.“Yeah, wow.” Seokmin laughed, making Minghao smile softly at him. “I think this is much more of a workout than I was planning for practice today.”“No way, I reckon next time we can go for three.” Minghao said confidently.“Eh?! Not everyone has your crazy stamina, you know!” Seokmin reached for his discarded sweatpants, sliding his phone out the pocket, and opening the unread notifications from the group chat. [8:45] Mingyu: hey uh seok nd hao, can u bring my jacket back from the practice room Mingyu: I went 2 go get it earlier but uhhhh Mingyu: u were otherwise occupied yknow Seokmin groaned, sitting up and scrolling through the 47 other messages that mainly consisted of ‘WHAT’ or ‘OOOOOOO’.“What’s wrong?” Minghao asked, Seokmin just handed him the phone. Minghao couldn’t help but laugh scrolling through the chat.“Why are you so unbothered?! Ah! This is so embarrassing…” Seokmin mumbled holding his face in his hands.“Why would I be bothered? Now everyone knows this ass is mine.” Minghao grinned wolfishly, punctuating his sentence with a smack on Seokmin's butt. Seokmin just groaned, but couldn’t help but smile at Minghao. “Alright, let’s get this place cleaned up and go home… I'm hungry, do you wanna get pizza on the way back?” sighed Minghao.“Pizza sounds great.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Seungkwan and Seokmin had always got on, you’d hardly ever one without the other, always making each other laugh or playfully bickering over something trivial. Sharing the main vocal position, people expected competition, or even hostility between them, but honestly their relationship was just really supportive. But this was most of the time, right now Seungkwan was mad at Seokmin. Mad enough to have not talked to him for three days now. Seokmin hadn’t done anything intentionally, but he caught a cold about a week ago, nothing serious, and he was over it now. Seungkwan, however, had caught the cold off of Seokmin and had lost his voice.“You should have told me you were sick!” Seungkwan had half-yelled half-wheezed. That was the last thing he’d said to Seokmin before going quiet. Seokmin knew he wasn’t the only one who was getting the silent treatment from Seungkwan, he’d been ‘resting his voice’ by not talking to anyone at all, but Seokmin felt a little personally attacked when Seungkwan wordlessly glared at him.Honestly, his voice was probably recovered, but Seungkwan was taking no chances, not wanting to risk his throat as a vocalist. Humming to himself, Seungkwan felt his throat was definitely clearing, he’d drunk enough water as well as taking as many soothers as he could, but he still refused to speak, especially to Seokmin, he knew Seungkwan got sick easily, what if it had been bad?Despite Seungkwan's best efforts to avoid Seokmin, the older boy caught him in the kitchen after practice once day, everyone else was out, so there was no one else for Seokmin to even try and talk to. Seungkwan had been avoiding Seokmin as much as he could, it was hard to be mad at him when he was around, it was natural for Seungkwan to laugh and joke with Seokmin, or to casually wrap an arm around him or link their hands together. It was hard to not to what felt so natural. So when the two of them were caught alone for the first time since they’d stopped talking, Seungkwan wasn’t sure what to do with himself.“Seungkwannieee…” Seokmin whined, trying to drape himself over Seungkwan, ignoring Seungkwan’s attempt to shrug him off, “You can’t still be mad…  you know I didn’t mean to… your voice is fine now right? C’mon its weird for you to be quiet for this long~”. Seungkwan just huffed and turned away from Seokmin, strutting off into the living room, hearing Seokmin's socked feet padding along behind him, Seokmin was not easily dissuaded. Suddenly Seungkwan felt two sharp pokes to his sides, right where he was extremely ticklish.“Yah! What are you doing?!” Seungkwan wriggled away from Seokmin, who was grinning, looking a bit too pleased with himself.“I knew your voice was better.” Seokmin giggled, plopping down onto the beanbag in the corner of the room. “Come sit with me, c’mon~”“I'm still mad at you, don’t do that again.” Huffed Seungkwan, but the pink tint on his ears removed the conviction from his words. He let Seokmin pull him down onto the beanbag next to him, pulling out his phone to scroll mindlessly through Instagram, vaguely aware of Seokmin watching the screen along with him.“M’cold…” Seokmin mumbled.“Literally one hundred percent your fault. You're wearing shorts in November, what did you expect?” replied Seungkwan, not looking up from his phone. Suddenly Seungkwan felt himself being pulled into Seokmin's lap, “Eh?!”“You’re warm.” Seokmin stated simply, wrapping his arms around Seungkwan's waist. Sighing defeatedly, Seungkwan relaxed into Seokmin's arms, humming absentmindedly.“I’ve missed your voice” Seokmin sighed, resting his head on Seungkwan's shoulder.“…I missed talking to you too…” Seungkwan muttered, turning away from Seokmin to hide his reddening cheeks. Seokmin lightly dug his fingers into Seungkwan’s side, making the younger boy squeak.“Hehe, you're so ticklish Kwannie~ It’s cute.” Giggled Seokmin, Seungkwan glared at him but couldn’t hide his blush. Seokmin just laughed, letting his head fall into the crook of Seungkwan's neck. Seungkwan jumped as he felt cold hands slip under the hem of his light pink shirt, he batted at Seokmin's arm but it was too late, Seungkwan fell into fits of laughter, squirming as Seokmin mercilessly ticked his sides.“Hyung! Stop!” Seungkwan pleaded, almost out of breath from laughter. Seokmin eventually let up, laughing at Seungkwan's flustered face, cheeks flushed and hair ruffled out of place. “Yah! I told you not to do that again!”“Couldn’t help it, you look really cute today… I like the shirt.” Seokmin said, hands still underneath the soft cotton of the pink tee, wide neckline skewed, falling off to reveal Seungkwan's collarbone.“If you're trying to make me less mad at you it’s not working.” Pouted Seungkwan, pushing Seokmin's arms away, but there wasn’t any force behind it.“You're not mad… c’mon you know love meee~” Seokmin teased, squeezing Seungkwan tighter, smiling as the other half-heartedly tried to wriggle out of his grip, before giving up with a deep sigh. “Hey, don’t ignore me again… I thought you said you missed talking to me?”“You're unbelievable.”“Love you too Seungkwannie.” Seokmin grinned up at Seungkwan with his signature smile, cold hands now warm against Seungkwan's skin.“Idiot…” Seungkwan muttered. He grabbed the front of Seokmin's shirt and pulled him up to press their lips together firmly. For a second Seokmin froze, but then he melted, sliding his hands around to Seungkwan's lower back, pulling him tighter. Seokmin slid his tongue along Seungkwan's bottom lip, tempting him to open his mouth, Seungkwan responded in kind, pressing deeper towards Seokmin, running his hands over Seokmin's broad chest. Seokmin's hands explored the skin of Seungkwan's hips, running his palms over the curves, feeling Seungkwan sink into his touch.Seokmin kissed along the edge of Seungkwan's mouth, across his soft cheeks and down his jaw. Seungkwan shivered, grabbing at the front of Seokmin's shirt, shuffling closer in Seokmin's lap. Moving down from Seungkwan's side, one of Seokmin's hands slid to Seungkwan's thigh, rubbing over the rough material of his jeans, fingers running over the sensitive area on the inside of his leg. Seungkwan's breath hitched when the warmth of Seokmin's palm travelled a little too far up, while Seokmin brushed his lips over Seungkwan's throat, sucking red marks into the skin of Seungkwan's neck. “Ah- Hyung-” gasped Seungkwan, only making Seokmin grip tighter.Seungkwan pushed Seokmin back, before swinging his leg over to straddle Seokmin. Smirking slightly, Seokmin leaned back in to Seungkwan's lips, pulling him closer with the firm grip on his hips. Seungkwan's arms were draped over Seokmin's shoulders as soft kisses escalated to tongues and teeth and Seungkwan’s hands running through Seokmin's hair, not even pausing for breath. Needily grinding against each other, Seokmin took Seungkwan's ass in his hands, squeezing it hard enough to make Seungkwan yelp, Seokmin smirking, a little too pleased. Seokmin could feel Seungkwan growing hard in his lap, and honestly, he could feel himself being affected just as much, the ache between his legs increasing with every movement Seungkwan made on top of him. Pressing Seungkwan towards him, Seokmin rolled his hips against Seungkwan gently, nothing fierce, but enough to make Seungkwan let out a high pitched sigh against him. Seungkwan pushed back with as much force as Seokmin had given, rutting his hips against Seokmin with enough pressure to make them both hiss. Seokmin noticed the red area growing on Seungkwan's neck, and sunk his teeth back into where he had before, a little harder, just enough to make Seungkwan cry out, fingertips grasping at Seokmin's shoulders.Their hips seemed to fit together perfectly, falling into an easy rhythm, Seokmin's hands explored up Seungkwan's torso under his shirt, pushing the fabric up and over his head, Seungkwan would’ve blushed, but was too distracted my Seokmin's mouth moving down to the soft skin above his collarbone. Seungkwan's hips moved faster, needily chasing the friction between their bodies, grinding on Seokmin's lap, Seungkwan whined every time Seokmin brought his hips up to meet him.“Ah- Seokmin- shit…” Seungkwan groaned as Seokmin fiddled with the button at the top of Seungkwan's jeans, accidentally brushing over the fabric of his underwear.“Seungkwannie? Baby? Can we move to your bedroom?” Seokmin said between heavy breaths, Seungkwan only nodded, not trusting his mouth to speak right now. “Alright, hold on.” Seokmin grabbed Seungkwan's by the thighs and picked him up with a smirk. Seungkwan yelped and quickly wrapped his arms around Seokmin's shoulders.“Put me down! I'm too heavy for this!” Seungkwan squeaked, but Seokmin carried him all the way to the other room before putting him- a little gracelessly- down on the bed. Seokmin followed, pulling Seungkwan's jeans and underwear the rest of the way off. Seungkwan couldn’t pull his eyes away as Seokmin stripped off his top, then unbuttoned his jeans, pulling them down past his hips teasingly slowly. Seokmin leaned down between Seungkwan's legs dragging his lips along the sensitive curve of his inner thigh. Seungkwan was breathing hard, eyes fixed on Seokmin, who wrapped his lips around the head of Seungkwan's dick, fluttering his eyes shut, Seungkwan had to bite back a groan at the sensation.“Don’t be quiet, I want to hear your voice.” Seokmin said, holding eye contact with Seungkwan as he sunk his lips down, taking most of Seungkwan into the wet heat of his mouth. Seungkwan couldn’t help but let out a cry, digging his fingers into the bedsheets to prevent from bucking up into Seokmin's mouth.“Sh-Shit- Seokmin-” gasped Seungkwan, arching his back off the bed as Seokmin bobbed his head, taking Seungkwan deeper to hit the back of his throat. Seokmin hollowed his cheeks as he pulled up, drawing out a long moan from the younger boy, voice cracking slightly. Pressing his tongue along the underside of Seungkwan's cock, Seokmin moved faster and faster, having to hold Seungkwan's hips down with one hand to stop the instinctive bucking to Seokmin's mouth. Seungkwan nearly sobbed when Seokmin pulled off agonisingly slowly, running the tip of his tongue teasingly over the slit, holding eye contact with Seungkwan as he sunk back down, all the way to the base, humming vibrations that shook all the way through Seungkwan's body. “Fuck, Seokmin- wait- I'm gonna cum,”“Do it then.” mumbled Seokmin, voice confident.“Nn-Not yet. Please. I want- I want you.” Seungkwan's voice cracked on the last syllable, and that made Seokmin pause.“Say that again?” Seokmin asked, licking a bead of precum from his slicked lips.“Wh-what?” Seungkwan questioned, Seokmin crawling between his legs, bringing their faces closer together.“Say it one more time. Please.”“…I want you, Seokmin-” Seungkwan was cut off by Seokmin pressing his own lips softly against his, not hurriedly or forcefully, just sweet.“You’ve got me.” Seokmin whispered against Seungkwan's lips, one hand gently cupping Seungkwan's cheek. Seungkwan was so distracted, lost on the feeling of Seokmin's skin against his, so when he felt cold liquid against his entrance, he couldn’t help but flinch. “Relax, I’ll take it slow.” Seokmin purred, sliding a first finger into Seungkwan, the younger boy breathing deep to accommodate him, only tensing slightly as a second finger followed. The stretch ached, Seungkwan dug his fingernails into Seokmin's shoulders, squeaking as Seokmin nipped at the underside of his jawline.“Ah- just do it already- please.” Seungkwan managed to groan out.“You sure?” Seokmin didn’t want to risk hurting Seungkwan. In response Seungkwan simply wrapped his legs around Seokmin's waist, skimming his fingers over the nape of Seokmin's neck.Seokmin pressed into Seungkwan, painfully slowly, thighs shaking with the effort of restraint. “Fuck…” Seokmin growled, voice low against Seungkwan's skin, “You're so tight-”. Seungkwan bit down on his bottom lip in an effort not to cry out, wrapping his arms around Seokmin like he needed him closer, trying to close the imaginary space between them.“Hyung…” Seungkwan whimpered, barely audible, shivering as Seokmin's hands glided over him. Running from his thighs over the curve of his hips, along his delicate waistline, slipping in between where his back was pressed against the bed and travelling back down.“You look so gorgeous like this.” Seokmin said, rough voice contrasting his soft hands in a way that made Seungkwan melt into his touch, “Are you ok for me to move?”. Seungkwan nodded, eyes squeezed shut, but Seokmin wasn’t satisfied with that, “Say it for me, Seungkwannie.”“Hyung, please.” pleaded Seungkwan, rocking his hips up against Seokmin to urge him on. Seokmin began to thrust into Seungkwan, sharp enough to make the younger boy gasp, the sudden friction burning in the pit of his stomach. Gasps turned to shameless moans, Seungkwan was never known for being quiet and he certainly wasn’t now, crying out in pleasure with every roll of Seokmin's hips, ‘fuck’ and ‘Seokmin’ and ‘please’ being repeated like those were the only words he knew.“I missed hearing your voice Seungkwan, you sound so good…” Seokmin murmured into Seungkwan's ear, feeling Seungkwan clench around him at the words, Seokmin continued, “I like the way you say my name, you make me crazy,”.“Seokminnie, please-” Seungkwan's voice cracked“If you want more, you just have to tell me.” Seokmin brought his lips to Seungkwan's, temporarily quieting the needy whining.“More. Please, more.” Seungkwan pleaded, throwing his head back as Seokmin's skin slapped against his own, Seokmin's muscles twitching with exertion. Seungkwan tensed up around Seokmin purposefully, the tightness dragging a long, high pitched moan from Seokmin, who near-collapsed onto Seungkwan, hips still moving but the arms that had held him up had given out.Seungkwan rolled the two of them over, putting himself over Seokmin, straddling his lap. Seokmin looked up, a little awestruck, to Seungkwan sank down on top of him, face flushed pink, red marks littering his neck and collarbones, lips swollen. Seungkwan looked like sex and Seokmin was gone. Seungkwan bounced on Seokmin's lap, the new angle filling him up till he groaned, Seokmin's hips canting up to meet him with each movement.“Harder-! God, harder…” Seungkwan gasped. Gripping Seungkwan's thighs Seokmin pulled Seungkwan down with every upwards thrust, clashing their bodies in the middle to make both of them moan obscenely loud.“Seungkwan- baby… you're so good.” Groaned Seokmin, fingers tightening around Seungkwan's thighs, pressing bruises into the soft flesh of Seungkwan's curves.“Seokminnie, sh-shit, I don’t know how much longer I can last-” Seungkwan whined, rapidly losing rhythm, moving faster and more erratically, pushing the both of them to the limits, desperately needing release. Seokmin pulled Seungkwan down to messily try and press their lips together, Seokmin couldn’t get enough of Seungkwan's kisses, greedily chasing Seungkwan's mouth. Seokmin captured Seungkwan's lip between his teeth, dragging it out as he pressed as deep as he could into Seungkwan. “Ah-! Fuck, there, right there!” the younger boy cried out, near-chanting Seokmin's name as he pushed down as hard as he could, desperate for Seokmin to hit that spot just once more, “Hyung I'm so close, fuck, I'm so close-”. Seokmin found just the right angle and in one, two, three thrusts, he had Seungkwan shaking, quivering through his orgasm, letting out the loudest, highest and downright filthiest moan. And it was the hottest thing Seokmin had ever heard in his life. Seungkwan rode Seokmin out as he came, hard, gasping out Seungkwan's name, digging his nails in to leave crescents along Seungkwan's ass. Seungkwan fell face first into Seokmin's shoulder straight after.They lay there, sweaty, sticky and panting for far too long, the both of them high out of their minds, Seokmin's hand fiddling with Seungkwan's hair of its own accord.“You know what?” Seokmin finally said.“What?”“I think I should get you mad at me more often.” Grinned the older boy. Seungkwan immediately whacked him round the face with the nearest pillow.“What was that for?!” laughed Seokmin, rolling to be face to face with Seungkwan.“…idiot.” Seungkwan replied, but his voice was filled with nothing but fondness, he tilted his chin up to kiss Seokmin's cheek. Seokmin responded by taking Seungkwan's lips again in what was meant to be a kiss, but ended up as both of them smiling against each other, giggling like fools.“I'm only joking, I couldn’t deal with you ignoring me again.” Seokmin said, making his best ‘sad’ face, which wasn’t too convincing, but Seungkwan appreciated the effort.“I don’t think I could either…” muttered Seungkwan, not looking directly at Seokmin.“Awww, you did miss me!” Seokmin smiled, wrapping his arms tightly around the blonde, tangling their legs together.“Yah! Get off, you're all gross and sticky!”“So are you though?”“…shut up.” Seungkwan muttered, but didn’t pull away from Seokmin's arms, letting their breathing fall into tandem as he sneakily wrapped his arms around Seokmin's waist.“Love you too, Seungkwannie.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Sharing clothes had never been strange in the dorm, no one questioning it when they found their clothes in someone else’s closet rather than their own. Seokmin had been numb to it since Soonyoung stole his underwear predebut, nothing much could faze him after that, but recently Seokmin had been… noticing something. He’s wasn’t sure if he was imagining it or not, but he felt like he was missing more clothes than usual, and he was pretty sure he knew who was behind it.“Soonyoung-Hyung!” Seokmin called out, he needed to run to the convenience store and his last clean hoodie had mysteriously disappeared. If Seokmin was correct about the clothes thief, he’d find it somewhere in the catastrophe of Seungkwan and Soonyoung’s room, it just had to be one of them, and he felt like it was Soonyoung, he didn’t know why but he just… did. As used to it as he was, whenever Seokmin saw how his clothes fell a little too large on Soonyoung, sleeves covering hands and necklines slipping off of shoulders, something in his chest jumped. Soonyoung was such a big presence, on stage on off, so when Seokmin's clothes made him look a little… small, the contrast made Seokmin feel strange. He couldn’t explain it, but it made his pulse race and his face heat up and he couldn’t stand it.“I’m pretty sure he’s got he’s headphones on, but he’s in his room.” said Jihoon from the sofa, where he was sprawled out next to Jeonghan, not bothering to look up from his laptop.Seokmin clicked open the door to Soonyoung's room and sure enough, Soonyoung was laid out on his front in bed, headphones on, scrolling through YouTube aimlessly, wearing Seokmin's hoodie. “Hyung!” Seokmin tried to get Soonyoung's attention to no avail, instead choosing to flop directly on top of him. Soonyoung would’ve fallen off the bed with a yelp if it wasn’t for the weight on top of him, knocking his headphones off. “Soonyoungie-Hyuuunng! That was my last clean hoodie!” whined Seokmin.“Ahhh, sorry, I was cold earlier, so I just grabbed anything.” Soonyoung grinned and ah, Seokmin couldn’t be mad when Soonyoung giggled like that. Seokmin huffed and rolled off Soonyoung, curling up next to him, letting Soonyoung wrap an arm around his shoulders. “If you’re going out you can borrow one of mine, they’re in the closet.”“But I'm comfy now… this is your fault.” Seokmin grumbled, doing his best to sound annoyed, which still wasn’t all that convincing. Despite the protests of his body, he managed to drag himself away from Soonyoung's warmth, Seokmin pulled open the closet, sliding the hangers to find something to wear.“They’re not hung up- let me show you.” Soonyoung sighed, rolling out of bed. “If you go behind the hangers, there’s boxes.” Soonyoung demonstrated, pushing the clothes to the side and slipping under the rail to reach a stack of boxes, piled high with jumpers.“Wait a second… that’s my sweater, isn’t it?” Seokmin questioned, ducking in behind Soonyoung, pulling the soft grey jumper from his hands, before noticing the two shirts hung up to his left. “These are mine too, no? Hyung! This is why I have no clothes left.”“Ehhh I can’t help it, they’re just more comfy… your shoulders are big so all your clothes fit oversized… its nice.” Soonyoung said, and Seokmin couldn’t tell in the shadow but was Soonyoung… blushing? It was probably just his imagination.“Cheol-Hyung has big shoulders too!”“But you're much easier to steal fr-.” Soonyoung began, but was interrupted by the closet door swinging shut behind them. “Ah, it does that on its own.” He explained before Seokmin could question it. “It’s really dark, watch out for the hangers on the floor…” Soonyoung advised, and Seokmin, of course, almost immediately caught his foot in a hanger and slipped backwards. Seokmin would’ve hit the floor like a sack of bricks, if it wasn’t for a tight grip on the sides of his shirt holding him up. Soonyoung's hands held up Seokmin's weight, pulling the two of them inevitably closer, proximity only exaggerated by the cramped space and the darkness, they could see each other, but not much else.“Th-thanks… Soonie?”Soonyoung paused, swallowing at the nickname, he liked it when Seokmin called him that. “Yeah?”“Why’d you keep taking my shirts?” asked Seokmin, quietly, not stepping away. Soonyoung knew Seokmin had asked him before and he’d brushed it off, but he was finding it more difficult to come up with an answer at this particular moment. Instead Soonyoung took a step forward, pushing Seokmin's back against the surface behind him. The movement brought a new air of tension around them, the atmosphere seeming to tighten its grip around the two. “Hyung?”“Because I like it. And because you like it too. Don’t you?” stated Soonyoung, not letting Seokmin break eye contact.“W-what do yo-?”“You know what I mean.”“Soonie… I-” Seokmin's sentence was left unfinished, the words shoved aside by Soonyoung’s lips crashing against his own. Gripping the back of Seokmin's neck, Soonyoung dived forward impatiently, pinning Seokmin further into the wall, elbows awkwardly bashing the edges of the confined space. “Mmph-! Hyung-!” Seokmin gasped between Soonyoung's lips, the logical side of his brain yelling to pull back, but unfortunately it was being drowned out by the heat of Soonyoung's hands pulling him in closer. Soonyoung grabbed Seokmin's wrists, pulling his hands to Soonyoung's hips, knowing Seokmin wouldn’t have made such a move without a little prompting.Seokmin's hands trembled slightly, dizzy off the heat of Soonyoung's body, feeling the fabric beneath his palms, it didn’t feel like shorts at all, Seokmin pulled away. “Hyung…? Is this just underwear?”“Yeah, why?” Soonyoung responded casually. Seokmin felt his whole face turn bright red, he’d thought the boxers were just strangely patterned shorts, and logically, it shouldn’t have made a difference whether they were or not, but the idea of Soonyoung in nothing but his hoodie and underwear had Seokmin sweating. Soonyoung was right earlier, Seokmin did like Soonyoung stealing his clothes, more than he was aware of.Seokmin pulled Soonyoung back in at the waist, hands sliding under the hoodie to curl around Soonyoung's lower back. Soonyoung responded by wrapping his arms around Seokmin's shoulders, pulling him in harder, more aggressively, spurred on by Seokmin's reciprocation. Soonyoung shoved his tongue into Seokmin's mouth, wet and hungry and hot and everything that should’ve been gross but really just made him want more. Seokmin's hands scrabbled over Soonyoung's back, leaving thin red scratches behind, they were both shamelessly desperate, sloppy and messy and just thirsty for contact.Soonyoung pulled back only to bite into Seokmin's lower lip, dragging it between his teeth, sliding his hand up through Seokmin's hair, pulling Seokmin's head back with a little more force than necessary, making Seokmin release a soft moan under his grip. Soonyoung hovered his mouth above Seokmin's neck, teasing him, if only briefly, breath tingling with promise. Seokmin had to free up one of his hands to muffle the cracked whine caught in his throat as Soonyoung sucked the sensitive area below Seokmin's jawline, digging his teeth in not too hard, but hard enough for Seokmin to feel it.  Seokmin rolled his hips up, making Soonyoung gasp enough to detach from Seokmin's neck, Seokmin took the opportunity to reverse their positions, letting Soonyoung fall against the wall, pulling Seokmin back in after him. Seokmin's eyes had adjusted to the darkness and oh was he glad they had, Soonyoung stood between his arms, eyeliner smudged and hair mussed, fringe falling into his eyes, lips puffed and pink. Seokmin's breath was stolen.Seokmin allowed himself to be dragged back on by the front of his shirt, Soonyoung kissing him like he was challenging him to kiss him back harder. Seokmin took the challenge, pressing his thigh between Soonyoung’s legs, using his hold on Soonyoung's back to grind the older boy down onto him. Soonyoung whimpered, face falling into Seokmin's shoulder, Seokmin had even shocked himself at how effective that was. Repeating the movement once more, Soonyoung cried out, a second too late at muffling it with his hand. The both of them went dead still, remembering they were not the only ones in the dorm and it’d be hard to explain away Soonyoung's leg wrapped around Seokmin, pinned to the wall inside a closet in just his boxers, let alone the scratches and bite marks. The bedroom door clicked open.“Seokmin-ah, if you're still going to the store can you get us drinks?” Jeonghan called, walking through the door of the room. Soonyoung and Seokmin held their breath, only a thin closet door separating them from the bedroom.“Huh? They’re not in here?” wondered Jihoon, scanning the room.“No way… I thought I heard something just now, did they go out without us noticing?”“But they would’ve had to walk right past us.”Jeonghan shrugged, “I don’t know about you, but I was napping.”“I wasn’t really looking either… they must’ve already gone. Let’s just go to the vending machine downstairs.” Jihoon sighed, turning out of the room, dragging Jeonghan behind him. Seokmin sighed deeply as he heard the door shut behind them as they left, relaxing the tension in his shoulders. Neither of them moved for a minute, the frantic speed of before lost, but replaced by something sweeter.“Your clothes smell like you… its nice.” Soonyoung whispered, breaking the silence, they were alone now but it didn’t feel right to say it loud. “And you look at me different when I wear them. Good different.”. Seokmin had guessed Soonyoung had noticed, but hearing him say it still made him freeze for a second. “Your heart is beating so fast.”“It’s always like that with you.” confessed Seokmin. Soonyoung smiled, hooking his fingers on Seokmin's waistband to pull him closer, letting Seokmin's lips meet him halfway.“Hey. Let’s get outta here.” Soonyoung mumbled, wrapping a hand around Seokmin's wrist. Ducking under the clothes rail, Soonyoung dragged Seokmin out behind him, squinting as their eyes adjusted to the brightness. Out in the open in the new light Seokmin almost felt exposed, the outside of the closet reminding him that this was real life, this was actually happening, he wasn’t just dreaming this time. Soonyoung seemed to sense his worrying, Seokmin had a tendency to overthink sometimes, the older boy wrapped his arms around Seokmin's waist, walking them backwards together. Soonyoung had originally planned to dip Seokmin coolly onto the bed, but Soonyoung had mildly underestimated Seokmin's weight, and ended up not only dropping Seokmin, but falling down himself. Smooth.Although it wasn’t the original intention, seeing Seokmin giggle underneath him, Soonyoung didn’t feel too embarrassed at the mistake. Soonyoung pulled off Seokmin's shirt before he could protest, smirking slightly at the now-blushing boy beneath his hips. Trailing his fingers down Seokmin's torso, Soonyoung teased his fingertips under Seokmin's waistband, enjoying how the youngers breath hitched at the touch. Seokmin folded his legs, allowing Soonyoung to pull off his trousers and underwear easier, covering his red face with his hands, peeking up and Soonyoung through his fingers.“Seok… don’t be shy. Let me make you feel good, ok?” Soonyoung purred into Seokmin’s ear.“…I wanna make you feel good too…” Seokmin slid his hands down Soonyoung’s hips, dragging down his boxers slowly, nipping at Soonyoung's ear. Shivering, Soonyoung moved to lift his hoodie off, but was stopped by Seokmin shaking his head. “Leave it on, it looks cute on you.”. Soonyoung blushed, but kept it on anyway, like most people, he wasn’t very good at saying no to Seokmin.Soonyoung flipped open the lube, spreading a generous amount over his fingers. “Do you want me to-?” Seokmin offered, propping himself up on his elbows.“Nope.” Soonyoung interrupted firmly, pushing Seokmin back down before he was even fully sat up, “I’m gonna ride you till you scream Lee Seokmin, don’t even think of trying to convince me otherwise.”. Seokmin had no arguments there. Soonyoung stretched himself out despite Seokmin offering to do it, Seokmin was pretty sure he was just teasing him, rocking his hips and holding eye contact but not letting Seokmin touch him, it was agonising, Seokmin appreciated the view but just watching wasn’t enough. Soonyoung took his time, keeping Seokmin pinned between his thighs, he could see the younger boy growing restless, and Soonyoung was starting to feel the same with Seokmin pressing up against him with every rut of his hips.“You definitely ready?” Seokmin double checked, as eager as he was, he wouldn’t ever risk hurting Soonyoung. Nodding, Soonyoung lowered himself down onto Seokmin, legs quivering with effort, breathing deep and slow.“God, you're thick-” Soonyoung sighed, bottoming out, Seokmin could only whimper in response, digging his fingers into Soonyoung's thighs. “I’m gonna move, ok?”Soonyoung was never one for holding back, and this held true now, rolling his whole body, back arching almost painfully, weight grinding down onto Seokmin. The tight heat had Seokmin melting into the mattress, using his grip on Soonyoung's hips to urge him on, biting his lip to hold back a needy whine.  “Soonyoungie-Hyung, please more.” Seokmin pleaded, starting to rock his hips up to meet Soonyoung, muscles twitching with restraint. Soonyoung leaned forward, hands on Seokmin's torso for support, arms shaking, his hips picking up speed, spurred on by Seokmin's high pitched moans. The smack of skin against skin punctuated Soonyoung's movements as he rode Seokmin harder and harderSoonyoung dragged Seokmin up by his shoulders, making him sit up straight, allowing Soonyoung to wrap his legs tightly around Seokmin's back. Seokmin responded in kind, bringing his arms around Soonyoung's waist to run his hands over Soonyoung's lower back, occasionally dipping to grab at Soonyoung's ass. The older boy gasped, throwing his arms around Seokmin's shoulders, pulling him in for a messy but enthusiastic kiss, moaning into Seokmin's mouth when the younger drew his waist in sharply, thrusting up.Soonyoung's nails scratched red runways into Seokmin's shoulder blades, running up to his hair where Soonyoung's fingers sank into the dark strands, controlling Seokmin's head to allow him deeper, pushing forward with enough force to nearly knock them back down.“Harder…” Soonyoung grunted against Seokmin's mouth, catching the younger boys lip in his teeth to draw out a whine. Mustering up all he had left in him, Seokmin fisted his hands into Soonyoung’s hoodie, trying to find purchase to drive harder into Soonyoung.Seokmin couldn’t find words, head spinning and muscles aching, but he felt so good and hot, he was burning up from the inside out and he didn’t want it to stop. Soonyoung's hands in his hair tightened, tilting back Seokmin's head to present the long line of his neck, Soonyoung didn’t even try and tease, sucking the sharp underside of Seokmin's jaw, feeling Seokmin's hips almost falter as he choked out a gasp, overstimulated almost to the point of tears. Soonyoung was just… so much. And Seokmin was taking all he could get.Soonyoung worked down Seokmin's neck, knowing he shouldn’t that it’d leave marks, but he let himself be a little greedy, he just couldn’t help being a little selfish when it came to Seokmin. Seokmin involuntarily pulled Soonyoung in with every bite, and it just made Soonyoung sink deeper onto him, grinding against Seokmin with all his weight. Soonyoung pulled off of Seokmin's neck, lips slick, hand still knotted in the back of Seokmin's hair, clenching around Seokmin but refusing to slow down, only push harder, more desperate than ever to keep Seokmin hitting him just right.“Hyung! Fuck, Hyung-!” Seokmin cried, voice dry despite the humidity making him breathless.Soonyoung pulled the back of Seokmin's neck, bringing them close enough for their noses to touch, “Use my name, Seokminnie.”“Soonyoungie, Soonyoungie oh fuck…” Seokmin sobbed, falling into Soonyoung's shoulder. Tension burned in Seokmin's stomach, his muscles tightening up like they were about to snap.“Sh-Shit-” Soonyoung panted, “Seok- I’m so close…”. Soonyoung tossed his head back, crying out, voice cracking as he came over Seokmin's torso, hips stuttering. Seokmin gasped as Soonyoung tightened up through his orgasm, tipping Seokmin over his limit, Soonyoung's name spilling from his lips, shaking as he clutched Soonyoung’s back, nails dug into the fabric as if it was the only think keeping him grounded.Losing balance, Seokmin allowed Soonyoung's weight to push them over, lying down in a mess of limbs and sweat, blissed out of their minds. Seokmin's heart felt like it was going to burst, taking deep breaths, trying to let his body catch up with him. Soonyoung's hand found his, linking their fingers together, affectionate, even when his brain wasn’t quite up to forming the sentence he wanted.“Minnie? Your hoodie… you're gonna want to put this in the wash.” Soonyoung mumbled into Seokmin's chest once he felt the blood rush in his head die down somewhat.“You can have it back after though, it looks better on you anyway.” giggled Seokmin, patting Soonyoung's ass to punctuate the point.“You came here to find clothes… how did you end up with literally less than you came in here with.” Soonyoung wondered aloud, poking at Seokmin's shoulder.Seokmin laughed, “I'm gonna blame you for that one. Can’t be mad though, this was slightly better than snacks”.“Slightly?”“Pizza rolls are tough competition, Soonie.”“I can’t believe you just compared my ass to pizza rolls. I take back all sex.” Soonyoung whacked Seokmin round the head with the sleeve of his sweater, much to the amusement of the younger.“Hyuuuung! I was only joking! You're way better than pizza rolls! And I don’t think you can do that.” Seokmin pouted, unsuccessfully trying to hide his laughter“Well let’s see if you can make it up to me then.” Smirked Soonyoung, running his hand up Seokmin's neck, expression expectant.Seokmin grinned, “I’ll do my best~”. And kissed Soonyoung once more. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Seokmin wasn’t sure what game was being played, but he was feeling a little personally victimized by it. Mingyu and Minghao seemed to have teamed up to make him extremely confused. and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. It’s not as if they’d significantly changed around him, they just seemed to be a little more. Not like they were hiding something but like they hadn’t told him something yet. Seokmin felt like there was anticipation, but he didn’t know what he was meant to be anticipating.“Eyyy Seokmin~ there you are!” Mingyu grinned, ambushing Seokmin from behind, wrapping his arms around Seokmin's waist in a not-so-gentle backhug, his chest flush against Seokmin, leaning down a little to hook his chin over Seokmin’s shoulder. Before Seokmin even had time to react, another pair of hands pulled him out of Mingyu’s grip by the front of his shirt.“Back off, Gyu.” Minghao smirked, looking smugly at Mingyu, letting Seokmin fall into his arms, not entirely of his own volition. Nevertheless, Seokmin hugged Minghao back, also amused by the slightly dejected look on Mingyu’s face, even if he wasn’t sure why Minghao looked so pleased with himself.“Hao? What ar-?”“Shhh. Don’t question it.” Shushed Minghao, spinning Seokmin away from Mingyu. For someone significantly smaller than Seokmin, Minghao sure had an easy time manhandling him. Mingyu pouted, mumbling about Minghao being too mean to him, but still jumping over to drape himself over Minghao, grinning at Seokmin over Minghao's shoulder. Seokmin couldn’t deny, as confusing as their behaviour was, he wasn’t against the extra affection from the two, it made him feel like a high school kid with a crush. Not that he had a crush on his two best friends, he reminded himself, something he found himself doing more and more often nowadays. He could feel his face heating up, knowing they must be able to feel how fast his heart was racing, Seokmin wriggled out of their grip, laughing it off and wandering off to his room, pretending he couldn’t feel two pairs of eyes boring into his back as he retreated.  Having managed to avoid Mingyu and Minghao for the remainder or the day, Seokmin thought he was safe as he sat on his bed, honestly just ready to go to sleep, when his door swung open and suddenly he was no longer alone or tired as Minghao and Mingyu slinked over to sit down unnecessarily close to him. Minghao was sat in front of him, slightly to his left, while Mingyu was sat behind him on his right, Seokmin felt pinned to his spot. Minghao's blinked almost too slow, moving close enough that Seokmin was sure they could both hear his heart thumping like a drum in his chest. Mingyu wriggled almost impatiently, unable to keep still, a hand running over Seokmin's back“Seokmin…” Minghao's hand slipped around Seokmin's thigh, fingers sliding along the inside of his leg, voice close to his ear. At the same time, Mingyu placed his hands either side of Seokmin's waist, lips brushing feather-light over the nape of his neck. Seokmin wasn’t sure which way to turn, where to focus on, he really didn’t know how to handle the situation at all. But he knew he didn’t want to stop. “Me and Gyu have been talking. We have… an idea. And we want you to be a part of it. If you get what I'm saying.”Seokmin knew exactly what he meant, but genuinely couldn’t believe his ears, this had to be some kind of fever dream. “Wh-What kind of idea?” he stuttered. Minghao smirked, reaching past Seokmin to grab Mingyu's shirt and pull him in, around Seokmin. Never one for beating around the bush, Minghao had no hesitation in shoving his tongue into Mingyu's mouth, making Mingyu let out a surprised moan. Seokmin had had his suspicions about the two of them, but having those suspicions confirmed in such an outright manner was not what he was expecting.Minghao pulled back, wiping the slick from him lips, looking Seokmin dead in the eye, “This kind of idea.”.“Wait! You two-? You are-?”“We’ve thought about it. But… we don’t want it to be just us.” Minghao muttered, drawing close to Seokmin's face again.“We want you, Seok. We have from the start.” Mingyu added, tugging needily on Seokmin's clothes, breathing the words into his neck, shuffling to face Seokmin's front, eyes gentle but still making Seokmin feel like he was burning.“If you don’t want to that’s fine. But if you do…” Minghao substituted the end of the question with a peck to Seokmin's mouth, not pushing just promising. Seokmin thought, this wasn’t a scenario he could have planned for, what they were suggesting, not just two but all three of them, but the way Minghao's hand sat so reassuring on his thigh and Mingyu looked up at him with those big, hopeful eyes, how could Seokmin ever say no to that?Minghao lay back against the headboard, pulling Seokmin with him, refusing to release his lips for a second, other hand dragging Mingyu up too, the taller boy eagerly following, draping his leg over Minghao, letting a hand snake up his shirt to rub over his nipples. Mingyu squeaked at the cold touch, reciprocating by planting a bite on the crook of Minghao's neck, making him gasp against Seokmin's mouth. Minghao shoved his hand down the back of Seokmin's tracksuits, grabbing a handful of Seokmin's ass, smirking as Seokmin shuddered, pulling off Minghao's mouth shakily sigh. Mingyu took the opportunity to fill the gap, capturing Seokmin's lips for himself. Minghao watched, biting his lip as he watched the two of them messily kiss above him, as sloppy as it was, Minghao couldn’t deny it was a hell of a view. Tweaking Mingyu's nipple, Minghao smirked as Mingyu bit down on Seokmin's lower lip in shock, making both of them whimper softly. Mingyu rolled his hips against Minghao's leg, rutting up against him, pushing forward towards Seokmin. Minghao ran his hand down the side of Mingyu's face, threading the other through Seokmin's hair, pressing his free leg against Seokmin's crotch.“Sh-shit- oh my god…” Seokmin groaned, forehead pressed against Mingyu's as the they panted against each other.“Oi.” Minghao grunted, getting the attention of the other two boys, “What do you say...” Minghao ran his thumb along Seokmin's lip, pressing it into his mouth, “…we get you out of these.” Minghao turned to Mingyu, lifting up his shirt with his free hand to expose his chest, his nipples already irritated from Minghao's teasing. Mingyu sat up and allowed Minghao to pull the shirt the rest of the way off, blushing under Seokmin's stare. Mingyu enthusiastically yanked off Seokmin's shirt to match, taking his time, letting his eyes linger on Seokmin's toned body, Minghao tugged off his own shirt, already pulling at Seokmin's waistband. It didn’t take long until Seokmin was stripped down to nothing, kneeling in the middle of the bed, Minghao and Mingyu either side of him, their hands guiding him to lie down.“What-?” Seokmin briefly questioned, but was interrupted my Minghao before he could even finish the question.“Shh, relax. Let us take care of you, ok?” Minghao's voice came out lower than usual, the husky tone sending electricity through Seokmin's spine. Seokmin breathed slow, letting them push him back against the wall, anticipation fluttering in his stomach. Suddenly, Seokmin jumped as Mingyu's canines dug into the soft skin of Seokmin's thigh, sucking on the bite, no doubt leaving a mark behind. Minghao ignored Seokmin's noises as he leant down next to Mingyu, running his lips over Seokmin's hipbone, teasing him with his teeth like he was going to bite the oh-so-sensitive skin just a little to close to Seokmin's crotch. Seokmin had no words, his nails digging into the fabric around him, he could only watch as Mingyu's lips brushed the head of his cock while Minghao licked a stripe along the base. Minghao moved up to meet Mingyu's lips at the top, Seokmin wasn’t sure if they were sucking him off or making out but it seemed like both and he was gone, whining at the slick heat of both their mouths sliding over him. Mingyu sucked as far down as his gag reflex would allow him, Minghao's tongue working the base that Mingyu couldn’t reach, Seokmin squeaked, making them both look up at him and oh he was gone. Mingyu and Minghao looked sinful, wrapped around him, looking up through thick eyelashes, lips wet and swollen.“Fu-Fuck- Gyu… Hao… Oh my god, fuck.” Seokmin cried, his head thrown back, grabbing his own hair in his hands, back all the way off the bed, Minghao's firm grip holding down his hips. Mingyu sucked precum off the tip, smirking at how it made Seokmin squirm, Minghao pushed in taking over Mingyu's position on the tip, his full lips wrapping around Seokmin. Mingyu sucked into Minghao's neck, making Minghao sigh around Seokmin's dick, sinking down as he exhaled. “Hao- Shit-” Seokmin stuttered, looking down at the two boys, eyes shiny, tears welling up in the corners.“Seokminnie, you're leaking so much, its been long?” Minghao drawled, pulling off of Seokmin, licking his lips. Seokmin could only nod, the intense gaze making him melt, Minghao’s hot breath against his hard dick making him desperate for Minghao's lips to get back on him again. “You wanna cum?” Minghao smirked, watching Mingyu run is tongue over the slit, “Go on baby, cum in Mingyu's mouth, you want it don’t you, Gyu?”. Mingyu sucked Seokmin deep in response, Seokmin could feel himself hitting the back of Mingyu's throat, literally pulled into the wet heat of Mingyu's mouth.“F-Fuck-! I'm gonna cum- fuck-” Seokmin swore, voice cracking as he came in spurts into Mingyu's mouth. Mingyu's looked up at Seokmin and god, his stare made Seokmin melt. No one should look that attractive with that much come in their mouth, yet the sight made Seokmin twitch already. Mingyu swallowed, but not cleanly, lips and tongue still covered. Minghao grabbed Mingyu's mussed up hair and pulled him in.“Greedy.” Minghao scolded, covering Mingyu's stained mouth with his own, Mingyu obediently opening his mouth to allow Minghao access. Seokmin watched as Minghao licked the remaining come from Mingyu's face and honestly felt like he needed to pinch himself to check this was really happening right now.“oh my god.” Seokmin sighed, and Minghao looked at him, pleased with himself and how fucked out Seokmin looked already.“That good, hu-?” Minghao started, but was interrupted by Seokmin's lips on his. Seokmin crawled between them, just wanting to kiss them again, it was a little strange tasting himself on them, but how could he not kiss them right now?Seokmin let his hands wander to Mingyu's waistband, tugging at the elastic that did nothing to conceal how hard Mingyu was. When Mingyu realised what Seokmin was doing his eyes widened. “I don’t wanna be the only one to feel good...” Seokmin blushed.“Are you sure? We can stop here if you want.” Mingyu checked, hand gentle on Seokmin's waist. Seokmin shook his head, he was sure about this, he wanted more.“Mmm, you’re still thirsty for it huh, Seok?” Minghao grinned, that teasing lilt returning to his voice as he grabbed at Seokmin's hips from behind, a sharp contrast to Mingyu's gentleness that made his stomach twist in all the right ways. “Mingyu, lie back baby.” Minghao directed at Mingyu, who hurriedly did so, leaning back against the headboard, tossing his underwear elsewhere, laying exposed in front of Seokmin who couldn’t not stare. Minghao’s hand pressed gently between Seokmin's shoulder blades, pushing him forwards onto his elbows and knees, face centimetres from Mingyu's dick.“Don’t be shy, Seokminnie.” Mingyu hummed, running a hand over Seokmin's face as he gave a tentative lick to the slit. Minghao dragged his finger along Seokmin's spine, coming to rest on the curve of his ass. The next thing Seokmin felt was a shock of cold liquid around his entrance, making him flinch. Seokmin had to muster up all his concentration to focus on Mingyu while Minghao skilfully stretched him out, his fingers long and wet and hitting all the right pressure points, his other hand sliding over Seokmin's ass, keeping his back arched and up giving Minghao one hell of a view.“God. You two together… you're illegal, so fucking hot.” Minghao growled, thrusting his fingers into Seokmin harshly three times, hard and rough, before ripping them out completely. Seokmin moaned, nearly pulling all the way off Mingyu, feeling his dick already aching again, already overstimulated from his last orgasm, Seokmin was painfully sensitive as Minghao smacked his ass sharply. “Already hard again?” Minghao purred, “You want me to fuck you, Seokmin? Tell me.”Seokmin hummed around Mingyu's dick, not able to say the words out loud. Minghao reached forward to pull Seokmin's head back, off of Mingyu, his lips popping off with a gasp.“No, I want you to tell me, Seok.”“Hao… p-please fuck me, please-!” Seokmin sobbed, every part of him felt hike he was on fire and he just wanted to be filled, pressing his hips back needily towards Minghao. Minghao gripped Seokmin's hips and pushed in mercilessly, Seokmin's elbows nearly collapsed, already moaning around Minghao who clearly didn’t believe in starting slow. He pounded into Seokmin, for the more lithe one of the two he was powerful, and intended to use every bit of it. Seokmin's mouth fell open, unable to hold back his voice, his expression pornstar worthy, Mingyu couldn’t resist those lips.“Fuck… Seokmin your mouth is so hot...” Mingyu threaded his hands back into Seokmin's hair, pulling him in again. Seokmin almost let his mouth fall onto Mingyu, sliding his tongue along the underside making Mingyu groan. “Shit- Seokmin? Can I fuck your mouth? Please?” Mingyu pleaded, hands already desperately tugging at Seokmin's hair. Seokmin just let his jaw relax around Mingyu, unable to stay in focus with Minghao not letting up from behind, Seokmin looked up at Mingyu, glossy eyed and needy, letting his tongue fall out as an invitation for Mingyu to just do it. Mingyu nearly choked, unable to hold back, Seokmin whimpered as Mingyu thrust up into his mouth, using his grip on Seokmin's hair to hold him still.Seokmin was burning, the harsh, hard snap of Minghao's hips and the quick shallow thrusts of Mingyu had him caving, every time Minghao pushed him forward it forced him to take Mingyu deeper and he felt so full and good, he was dissolving under their touch.“Fuck, Seokmin baby you're doing so good.” Mingyu moaned, tossing his head back as Seokmin cried around him, thick lips slick with precum and saliva.“You like how Mingyu tastes? You’re taking me real good too, so tight.” Said Minghao, noticing the way Seokmin tightened around him as he spoke. “You feel good Seokmin? Getting fucked by us both?” Minghao teased, punctuating with a sharp thrust that made Seokmin nearly choke on Mingyu and made Mingyu gasp. When Minghao talked like that Seokmin felt so dirty, but it just made him want more, he was raw and overstimulated to the point of tears but he just wanted it harder despite his body’s protests.Mingyu bit down on his lip in a weak attempt to muffle his cries, back arched off the bed, eyes scrunched shut like he was lost in bliss. “Shit, Mingyu, you look so good like that” Minghao praised and Mingyu nearly whimpered, fingers lost in Seokmin hair, breath heavy and hot. Seokmin's mouth was hot and pliant and Mingyu was just desperately thrusting up into it, chasing his release, revelling in the whines from Seokmin when Mingyu thrust in at the same time as Minghao. Seokmin's elbows were not holding him up at all anymore, his shaking thighs the only think keeping his ass up towards Minghao, letting Mingyu hold up his head, the tight pull on the strands of his hair turning Seokmin on more than he cared to admit.Minghao grabbed Seokmin's thighs, pulling him in tight towards him, reaching deep enough for Seokmin to pull off Mingyu just to release a lewd, high pitched cry. “God, Seokmin. That noise- so slutty…” Minghao purred, “Make it again for me.”. Minghao yanked again and Seokmin cracked, moaning Mingyu and Minghao's names, lips moving messily over Mingyu, who was too close to care, pumping himself with his fist as Seokmin collapsed beneath him, shaking with every one of Minghao's thrusts.“Shit, I'm gonna cum…” Mingyu panted, tensing up all over. Minghao tugged Seokmin's hair from behind, bringing his face up to Mingyu, Seokmin let his mouth fall open again and fuck if Mingyu didn’t come at that. Mingyu cried out, voice hoarse, staining Seokmin's face, getting most of it in his mouth but still messy as ever. Minghao gave one final push, Seokmin fell face fist onto Mingyu's thigh, grabbing at whatever he could as Minghao came, ramming in one last time, despite being mostly drowned out by Seokmin coming for the second time with loud, stuttering moans of overstimulation and pleasure.Seokmin was a sight, the definition of ‘fucked out’. Face stained with cum, lips red and swelled, eyes half lidded, hair all over the place, bruises decoration his neck and thighs. ‘Still completely irresistible’, thought Minghao, moving over to kiss Seokmin once he could find it in his legs to move, just lightly, before pulling him up to lie next to Mingyu, before squeezing himself in-between them.Minghao wrapped an arm around each of them, pulling them in closer. Mingyu curled onto Minghao's chest like the oversized puppy he was, leaning over it to kiss Seokmin's cheek. Seokmin giggled despite his exhaustion, propping himself up to kiss Mingyu back, joining him on Minghao's chest.“You're heavy…” Minghao slurred, cracking one eye open to half-heartedly half-glare at them, only to be met with a killer pair of smiles. Minghao did his best to look disgruntled, but it was slightly counteracted by him cuddling up closer to them. Seokmin kissed Minghao's jaw, curling into the crook of his neck. All three of them knew they shouldn’t sleep without cleaning up first, but they also knew they were all completely shattered after what was probably the best sex any of them had ever had. And they also knew no one wanted to pull away from the tangle of limbs, the warmth of each other’s arms draped over their waists or their hands combing gently through each other’s hair. No one wanted to pull away from the faint heartbeat sounds in the comfortable silence. So no one did.
11058702
The Blood Running
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by caffeinechesters", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "2,546", "Additional Tags": "Vampire Dean Winchester, Bottom Sam, Case Fic", "Relationship": "Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "Wincest Writing Challenge", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
It was in Santa Cruz when everything went to shit. Sam and Dean were hunting a vampire, well, vampires they found out later.When they first caught wind of the case, Dean joked about maybe Kiefer Sutherland was reprising his role in Lost Boys.“You know, this fang either has a wicked sense of humor or totally clueless,” Dean told Sam while pulling up a diner, “I mean come on, Lost Boys was partially filmed in Santa Cruz!”“Hilarious Dean,” said Sam getting out of the car, “Back to the case, it seems that the victims were all last seen from the boardwalk, near the rollercoaster. You think the vamp is luring them away somehow?”“I don’t know Sammy, we’ll have to stake out the rollercoaster area tonight, cause it’s attacking every couple of days right,” Dean asked Sam, “which means our fang should be there tonight or tomorrow night.”Sam nodded, as they headed into the diner, conversation going from the logistics of the case to Dean shamelessly flirting with the waitress. Sam was at least grateful that this diner actually had some non-greasy spoon menu items to console him about his brother thinking more with his little head than the other one and offered enough distraction to not analyze why he was jealous of the waitress that had more to do with the less than brotherly love he felt for Dean.They spent the rest of the afternoon researching. There was only a handful of family members of the victims that lived in Santa Cruz and they offered little insight to the case, with the same MO of that they last saw them near the rollercoaster, assumed they went to another attraction and didn't notice they were gone until they were leaving the park. By the end of the last interview, dusk was falling. They quickly went back to their room, changed from the fed suits and opted to, well Sam told Dean to, leave the machetes there because of the crowds.They spent an hour on the lookout for anyone suspicious, trying to blend into the cacophony near the amusement park area.“If we split up we can cover more ground,” Dean pointed out, “You take the west side of the park and I’ll take the east side, we meet up in an hour in the center.”Sam agreed and they split. Sam started on the western most part of the amusement park, slowly weaving through the crowds and booths. He got there a little bit before the hour was up, waiting for Dean near the central ticket booth.The hour soon passed and Sam didn’t think too much of it at first; his brother probably got distracted by one of the women dressed in short-shorts and a bikini top. After half an hour, he called Dean and left a voice message. Then voice messages while frantically searching. The park was closing and Sam was no closer to finding Dean. He even went so far to have his brother paged. Nothing. Nobody saw Dean, just like the other victims. Panic had set in. He needed to calm down. He needed to calm down and research where the vamp could be laying up.Sleep wasn't an option in Sam's mind. He looked in his and Dean's notes from the victims' families, the police reports, and coroner's reports. He thumbed through Dad's journal. The morning had come and Sam had compiled a dozen of possibilities of repossessed houses and abandoned industrial buildings in the area. With another cup of coffee in hand, Sam organized the list in order of probability using location to the boardwalk area and how active of an area it was during the day.Sam went back to the local PD first, to see if anything turned up (not Dean he is praying) since last night. Nothing. He grabbed (and gulped down) another coffee on the way to the first location: an abandoned industrial warehouse, which looked to be an auto body shop. He grabbed his machete and dead man's blood and scanned the perimeter, finding that there wasn't a lock on the rear exit. He drew his machete and quietly opened, as much as it would allow, the door. He quickly scanned the entrance and down the hall, staying close to the walls. He spotted a few of the vampires sleeping in former offices, making a note on where they were. He made it down into the work bays, where the old hydraulic lifts and other equipment were slowly rusting away like the building; there he found Dean passed out and tied to one of the old lifts. Rushing over to his brother's side, checking to see if he was breathing, he saw the blood from the bite marks along the column of his throat, inside of his arms, but the thing that stood out the most was the blood around his mouth, but Sam assumed that it was of the vamps mixing her bloodlust and lust. Sam picked the lock on the chains that encircled his waist and held his arms above his head in place, easing his brother's arms down. Hoisting his brother up over his shoulder, Sam looked around to make sure that the path back to the door was clear, grasping the machete in the other hand. He was almost to the back door when one of the vamps came at him from one of the old offices. Sam nicked the vampire on the first try and decapitated it on the second try; by that time the nest had realized that there was an intruder. Sam placed Dean against the wall, getting ready to fight the other ones. In total, there were six vampires, but through the confines of a narrow hallway and having open the door to let the sun streaming in, Sam managed to survive without any bites, effectively managing to get two with dead man's blood, while taking out the others. He finished off the other two fast, paralyzed by the blood. He grabbed Dean again, made for the door, and went running to the impala. It was too bad that Sam didn't hear the slight sizzling of Dean's skin.He sped back to the motel, avoiding the main streets because he didn't need a bunch of tourists seeing both him and Dean covered in blood. He waited for the parking lot to be clear on their end of the motel, and quickly gathered Dean and shot through the lot into their room. He sat Dean down on the chair near the door, shutting the curtains, and quickly went to the bathroom, grabbing the first aid kit, wash clothes, the ice bucket filled with water, and headed back to Dean. Placing the items on the table and grabbed a chair to sit in, he wet the washcloth and gingerly washed the blood from Dean's arms and neck. He noticed that something was off with Dean. He should have bite marks littering his skin there just based on the amount of blood alone but there was nothing. Sam sat up straight, pushing the chair back, when he noticed Dean's eyes were open, watching him."Dean," Sam spoke with horror dawning on him, "Did one of them turn you? I may have enough time to go back there and get their blood if you tell me which one..""Sam... Sammy, I forgot how good you smell as a vampire," Dean murmured gripping chair's arm. "Honestly, I don't know which turned me. The bitch working on of booths was on her break and she bought me a beer on the house. Next thing I know, I'm tied up and turned. It's too late for me anyhow Sammy. They forced a blood bag in me. So, just get it over with. There's no hope for me. I don't want to hurt you.""No, Dean! I'm not going to kill you! You can become Lenore, live off of animal blood," Sam pleaded.Dean wrinkled his nose at that, moving closer to Sam, crowding him against the wall. "That's like going from steak to tofu and for how long Sam? How long will it take me to slip up Sam," Dean began to shout, "what about when you're gone, Sam? Huh? Without you, I'll have nothing to hold on to! All my humanity will be gone! Even if a hunter does get to me afterward, we'll never see each other again! You'll be heaven, I'll be in purgatory." Sam took a deep breath, "Then turn me. We'll be monsters together. We'll keep each other human... we can still hunt, too. And we'll never age and our injuries will heal.""What is this Sam? Sid and Nancy," Dean questioned, "you can't be serious, Sam."All Sam could do, was turn his head, baring his neck to Dean and whispered, "Please". The only warning he got was a growl as Dean lunged forward, biting down near his jaw. Dean suckled the blood from him, lapping up the rivulets with flat tongue, while Sam tried to remain standing. Dean felt Sam starting to sag against the wall he released his bite and picked Sam in a bridal carry. A few steps over, he laid Sam down on the bed, laying his head on the pillow. Sam watched Dean bite his wrist, needle teeth coming out, tearing the thin skin causing the blood to well up. Dean then lowered his wrist to Sam's mouth."Are you sure, Sam? You could still have a normal life," Dean said.Instead of answering, Sam grabbed Dean's proffered wrist and sucked hard. He heard Dean groan as he licked around the closing bite mark, with Dean's free hand grabbing a handful of Sam's hair pulling slightly. Dean managed to pull Sam off, noticing the blood clinging to the bow of Sam's upper lip, the slight plumpness from sucking, and the dazed look in eyes as he laid slightly sprawled looking every bit of a wet dream from Dean's fantasies since he's been a teenager.Dean knelt down on the bed, feeling every bit of cliche, as he bent forward and kissed Sam, nibbling on his upper lip. Sam moaned and grabbed at him, pulling Dean on top of him and grinding up into Dean. He kissed him back, opening his mouth, allowing Dean to chase the taste of his own blood. Sam began to unbutton Dean's jeans, attempting to pull them down along with his boxers. Dean pulled away, gasping, holding Sam down, and said, "Sam, stop. If we do this, we're stuck together. Vampires mate for life, remember?"Looking every little bit of petulant little brother, Sam responded, "I know Dean. I want this; I wanted this since I could remember what sex was. Why do you think I was always jealous of all your girlfriends' and hookups?"Dean looked down at Sam with a Cheshire Cat grin, and doubled his efforts. He made short work of Sam's clothes, kissing, nipping his way down, paying extra attention to Sam's nipples. By the time Dean got Sam's pants off, his dick was blurting precome, leaving a wet mark against his lower stomach. Sam thought Dean was going to suck him off after nibbling on the crease of his thigh and hip, but instead, Dean lifted his legs up and towards his chest. He felt his breath of his hole just a second before Dean flattened his tongue and licked a broad stripe. Sam scrambled to get his hands on Dean's hair, as he kept licking, laving his hole, making the sounds of good eating. Sam gripped tighter, feeling his hole twitching in time with the throb of his dick, as Dean started prodding his tongue inside and feeling scrape of new teeth against his rim."Uh, Dean, please," Sam pleaded tugging at Dean's hair, "I'm gonna come... I want you inside when I do."Sam could feel Dean grin, continuing to fuck his tongue in. Sam tugged hard on Dean's hair, pulling him off."Come on Sammy. I need to prep you," he said lasciviously, then sucked two of his fingers into his mouth. "I wanna make it good for you," he continued as he slid his saliva-slick fingers in and began to thrust slightly, "I wanna just slide right in and rut without having worry about splitting you open."Sam shuttered, his legs were beginning to shake. "Come on, jerk. I can take it. Please just come on and fuck me," he said, "I'll heal right away anyways if you tear me."Dean pulled out his fingers, stood up on his knees, spat in his palm, and jacked his dick as Sam looked down with hooded eyes and licked his lips. He crawled up Sam's body again, leaving kisses and bite marks on the way up. When he reached Sam's lips, he guided his dick to Sam's hole and pushed in. Sam was tight and hot and thank Chuck wherever he was for giving him such a perfect brother as he bottomed out. Sam broke the kiss midway through Dean's thrust, moaning and panting and scratching down Dean's back. He knew Dean was packing, but he felt massive inside. Dean pulled out slightly and thrust back in, picking up speed and angling for Sam's prostate, as Sam worked a hand between the two of them and started jacking himself off in time with Dean's thrusts. Dean grabbed one of Sam's legs and pulled it up and over, opening himself up more, which spurred Dean to go deeper, harder, and hitting his prostate head on. Sam let go of his dick, scrambling to get his hands on Dean to hold on as this new position cause the bed to start thumping against the wall."Dean, Dean.. I'm soon gonna come," Sam moaned, feeling the pressure at the base of his spine building."I'm close, too," Dean breathed into the crook of his neck.Dean thrust into him a couple of more times, grinding down into him, biting Sam's neck as he emptied into Sam. Sam followed soon after, feeling Dean shoot into him, biting, sucking his neck. Dean pulled out of Sam, looking down at his brother completely fucked out. His little brother was a mess: his hair tousled on the pillow, mouth agape, sweaty, bloody neck bared, his come-covered stomach, and his puffy-cherry red hole that was trying to close completely but failing to do so, and the slow leak of come that was gathering underneath Sam."God, Sam... The things you do to me," he groaned, "I wish I would fuck you again, but I'm not sure if I'd want to fuck your mouth or your hole."Sam let out a deep breath, feeling himself trying to clench shut. "Dean, why didn't we do this sooner," Sam asked, "we could've been soon this for years.""Yeah.. well, I would've never acted upon with becoming an incurable vamp," Dean started to say, " but think we'll be able to do this for forever now. You're stuck to me now Sam.""Like we were stuck together before," Sam quipped, "Mmm.. Dean.. I'm hungry.""What am I? Your errand boy? What do want, sweetheart," he snarked back."It doesn't matter as long as you come back to me," Sam responded.
11061891
Stole the Show
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Hunk (Voltron), Lance (Voltron)", "Fandom": "Voltron: Legendary Defender", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by theuniversalfiction (orphan_account)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "750", "Additional Tags": "EMT!Lance, Actor!Hunk, One-Shot, Fluffy, Fluff", "Relationship": "Hunk/Lance", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Stole the Show", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Lance was tired. He’d just gotten off of a twenty-four hour shift that could best be described as complete and total mayhem. There had been two separate incidents where someone had gotten stuck in an elevator, and Lance had the misfortune of working with one particular mulleted firefighter both times. Normally he didn’t have that much of an issue with Keith, but when they were both tired and frustrated all bets were off.Then there had been the little old lady who had somehow managed to trip and fall while she was in the shower, and while Lance totally understood that she honest to goodness hadn’t been able to get up so obviously the water was still running, he also really didn’t want to come out of that bathroom half soaked.Suffice to say that half a shower later Lance felt like a wet cat and he was ready to go home. But no, of course he couldn’t even go home straight away! He’d needed to pick up the dry cleaning as well as some groceries, and it would really be most time efficient to take care of those things on his way home, otherwise he’d just end up wasting his time off that would be better spent binge watching Steven Universe. (He hadn’t watched it yet, but his Tumblr dash had absolutely blown up with something about a pink Lars and Lance was… intrigued.)“God-!” someone yelled, disrupting Lance’s train of thought. There was a loud crash as something fell, and suddenly he was on high alert.Fuck, it didn’t matter if he was on duty or not, that sounded like a person in pain.The screaming continued, loud agonizing cries that twisted his stomach into knots as he spun around, trying to find the source. After too long he found it in a large man laying in the center of the plaza, hands clutching his chest as those terrible, broken noises escaped from him. And no one was doing anything. Everyone simply walked by as if there wasn’t a man in extreme pain lying five feet away, and Lance could feel anger bubbling up into his throat.What the hell was wrong with people? They should be calling an ambulance, making sure this guy got the proper help- not walking past as if this was a normal Wednesday and someone wasn’t dying on the sidewalk.Barely taking the time to look both ways, Lance raced across the street towards the man in distress. He dropped his bags on the sidewalk and fell to his knees next to the man, already running through his mental checklist. “Hey man,” Lance said with an easy smile, “I’m a paramedic so you’re in good hands until an ambulance can get here.”The screaming had stopped - of course all it had taken to help calm him down was someone acknowledging his distress, that didn’t surprise Lance at all - no, the part that surprised Lance was the man’s bewildered expression. As if-The man was shaking with laughter as he sat up. He tried to speak, but only ended up gasping for air. Lance stared at him in shock. What the hell?He was sitting up fully now, one hand held over his stomach as the other pointed in front of him. Lance looked over his shoulder and paled.That was one big camera pointed at them. One heck of a lot of people standing behind it too.“Uh,” Lance said intelligently, falling back onto his heels. “What’s, uh?” He gestured vaguely towards the camera.Finally the big man got his breath back enough to manage, “It’s a movie,” before snorting and bursting into more peals of laughter.“So… you’re okay?”The man sobered and he looked Lance over before smiling. “I dunno, some mouth to mouth might be helpful…”Lance stared at the man’s now sheepish smile, stunned not by the audacity of the flirtation, but by how smooth it had been. So the hunter becomes the hunted then? he thought with a grin.“Mmhmm.” Lance smirked, “What’s your name?”“Hunk…” the man twisted his fingers around awkwardly, suddenly very focused on weaving patterns through the air.“The name’s Lance,” Lance said with a grin, climbing to his feet. “And I don’t normally do mouth to mouth on conscious people, so how about dinner instead? How’s Rolo’s at five sound?”Hunk scoffed, “Only if you want food poisoning. There’s a new Italian place called the Lion Castle off 22nd though?”“It’s a date.”
11022375
Relief
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Ong Seongwoo, Kim Samuel | Punch", "Fandom": "Produce 101", "Language": "ไทย", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by Yulaty", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "1,318", "Additional Tags": "Friendship", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
ถึงจะจับมือแสดงความยินดีกับซามูเอลไปสองครั้งสองหนแล้วแต่ซองอูก็รู้สึกว่ามันยังไม่พอ เพราะอย่างนั้นเมื่อถ่ายเทปนี้เสร็จ จัดการอะไร ๆ เรียบร้อย ได้เวลากลับ ซองอูก็รีบวิ่งวุ่นหาตัวซามูเอลทันที โชคยังดีที่อีกฝ่ายยังไม่กลับ เรื่องวันนี้ความรู้สึกของวันนี้มันก็ต้องพูดวันนี้สิแต่เอาเข้าจริง ทันทีที่เจอตัวซามูเอล ซองอูก็ไม่ได้พูดอะไรมากหรอก เขาแค่วิ่งเข้าไปกอดน้องแน่น ๆ แล้วตบหลัง เด็กหนุ่มหัวเราะ ตบหลังเขาตอบ พึมพำอะไรสักอย่างฟังคล้าย ๆ คำขอบคุณ“ไว้ไปกินเนื้อย่างฉลองกัน” ซองอูโพล่งอย่างไม่มีที่มาที่ไป ทำให้คู่สนทนาขมวดคิ้ว แต่มันก็ถูกแทนด้วยรอยยิ้มในวินาทีถัดมา “แต่อายุผมยังดื่มไม่ได้นะ”“เฮ้ เห็นฉันเป็นคนยังไง”“ก็ฮยองอายุเกินแล้วอะ”“ว่าฉันแก่?”“เปล่าเล๊ย” ซามูเอลตอบเสียงสูง และนั่นทำให้ซองอูกลอกตา ก่อนจะเปลี่ยนเข้าโหมดจริงจัง“ฉันดีใจนะที่นายผ่านมาด้วยกัน”แซมชะงัก นัยน์ตาหม่นลงเล็กน้อยแต่ทว่าก็ยังคงไว้ซึ่งรอยยิ้ม “ผมก็ดีใจ”“ยังไม่ได้แข่งกับนายให้เป็นเรื่องเป็นราวเลย อยากเดบิวท์ไปด้วยกันนะ”“ถ้าเดบิวท์กับฮยอง คงได้แข่งกันทุกรายการที่ไปออกแน่เลยอะ” ซามูเอลเบ้ปากในขณะที่ซองอูยิ้มมั่นใจ เก็กหน้าหล่อ “นั่นล่ะจุดประสงค์”เสียงโทรศัพท์ของแซมดังขึ้นในตอนที่บทสนทนาจบลงพอดี เขารับมัน คุยกับปลายสายด้วยภาษาอังกฤษ แต่ก่อนจะก้าวเท้าเดินไปไหนก็ไม่ลืมที่จะยกมือโบกลาคนที่ยืนอยู่ข้าง ๆ ซองอูมองอีกฝ่ายเดินจากไปแล้วหันกลับไปหาที่นั่งรอเวลาที่จะมีคนมารับบ้าง เขาก้มมองพื้น หนึ่งนาที สองนาที สามนาทีผ่านไป แล้วก็เงยหน้าขึ้นมองไปตามทิศทางที่ซามูเอลเคยยืนอยู่นี่น่าจะเป็นความรู้สึกที่เรียกว่าโล่งใจ
11055060
Quiet Observations
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Evan Hansen, Connor Murphy (Dear Evan Hansen), Heidi Hansen, Zoe Murphy, Jared Kleinman, Alana Beck, Cynthia Murphy, Larry Murphy, Original Characters", "Fandom": "Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by ofshadowsandstars (orphan_account)", "chapters": "13/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "35,845", "Additional Tags": "Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Everyone Has Issues, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Hospitalization, briefly, Mental Health Issues, Getting to Know Each Other, Temporary Character Death, Drug Addiction, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Therapy, Social Anxiety, how did i miss that one it's the whole show, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Evan Hansen & Everybody, Connor Murphy & Zoe Murphy, Cynthia Murphy & Heidi Hansen", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Thirty-eight seconds.That’s how long Connor Murphy was dead.Thirty-eight seconds. Nearly two-thirds of a minute. In that time, his heart stopped, which stopped the pumping of blood throughout his body, which shut down his lungs (among the many things powered by blood flow) and, for a brief moment, his brain. Had it not been for an especially concerned nurse, his brain may not have made it back. Once he had stopped seizing, died temporarily, been revived, and was stable enough to have his stomach pumped with charcoal, the nurse had technically been off-duty for nearly 40 minutes.Nearly two-thirds of an hour.It was three in the morning. She didn’t go home. She went up two floors to where her son was resting. He was the same age as the boy she’d helped save, and in the same pained, fitful, not-quite-sleep that Connor had been in when she’d left. Where Connor had been fighting what was inside him, Evan’s fight left marks. His broken arm, most noticeably, but there were bruises everywhere. He’d hit quite a few branches before the ground caught up with him. Not to mention the concussion.Evan was the only one in the recovery room. Just the way he liked it. There had been get-well flowers next to the bed on the previous day. He hated the smell of them, but he was too nice to ask his mom to move them. Still, when she went home to pick up some clothes for him, she took the flowers with her without a word. The grateful smile on his beat-up face was enough.She curled up next to the bed in a chair not meant to be slept in. She had nowhere better to be. At some time around five in the morning, a new occupant was wheeled into Evan’s room. It was a boy his age, pale and thin and sick and not going home nearly as soon as his roommate. His bedside was empty until just before nine in the morning, when a girl wearing jeans covered in self-afflicted graffiti came in, placed a small stack of books on the table at his side. She took a look at his pale face, made ever more so by the harsh white of the hospital, and the needle in his arm and the tube up his nose and shuddered. Her hand hovered over his, considering a touch, wondering if they were even compatible anymore. If even a touch was too far beyond their reality.Instead, she smoothed out his blanket and rearranged the stack of books so that a book previously in the middle was now on the top. It was the most battered and faded of the group and clearly used to being handled roughly, but she placed it on top gingerly, as if it were made of porcelain.“I’m not sorry,” she said with conviction, looking at the cover of the book. “Not about this.”And then she was gone.Evan and Heidi pretend they saw nothing.Curiosity, however, knows better.  9:21 a.m. “Never took you for one to get in fights, Hansen.”To say Evan was startled is to take it easy on saying the least. There was definitely a yelp involved. He squeaked out a ‘what?’, though he wasn’t sure what he wanted to know.“Your face, your arm. You look like you got beat up. And never once have you gotten beat up that I know of. You’re too quiet even for that. Not that I can see you getting into fights, either, but the process of elimination, right?”Connor’s voice was raspy and drowsy - he had probably only just woken up - and his eyes were foggy, but his observations seemed pretty coherent. Though the fact that he had made observations about Evan prior to that moment was...well, it would be expected of someone with which you had shared classes since the first grade, but seldom did people hold onto those things.“I,” Evan swallowed around the ever-present lump in his throat, “I didn’t get into a fight. I had an accident.” What, like during the fire drill in fourth grade? A dark voice in his head taunted, though this was a completely kind of accident.Not that this had truly been an accident.“Didn’t know they kept people overnight for a broken arm.”“Concussion,” Evan explained, pointing to his temple. “Observation. Just to be safe, they say. Has nothing to do with all the money an extended visit will give them.” The words slipped out of his mouth without consulting the throat lump. Evan wondered if he did have brain damage after all.Connor snorted. “They do like to get away with bullshit fees. Can’t tell you how many times my dad has represented someone suing a hospital for the most random thing. You know insurance only covers certain types of ambulances?”Evan nodded a few times, fighting with the lump. “That’s why I didn’t call an ambulance after my accident. Drove here. I didn’t drive, obviously, not with the concussion and the broken arm. I was out at Ellison State Park and I had to ask one of the rangers to drive me.” Beg was more like it, seeing how pathetic Evan is.“Well, shit. You’re doing that Junior Ranger thing, right?”Evan blinked at Connor as if a bright light had just been shoved in his face. Was he being stalked? How could Connor Murphy of all people have known why he'd be at the local state park?“Back in middle school, we had to do one of those dime-a-dozen icebreaker things on the first day,” Connor began, seeing the confusion on Evan’s face. “Had to list your name and your favorite thing you did over the summer and some other bullshit thing. Kids looked at you all sympathetic when you stuttered out a little thing about going to the park and listening to the rangers talk about it. Still, I could tell that it was something you really cared about. And you always had a sticker from the park on a binder or a notebook somewhere. Now that it’s summer, they have the program out at the park for people who wanna get a taste of rangering. You have to be seventeen to do it officially or whatever, so...educated guess? I figured you wouldn’t go outside without a reason to. No one does these days.”It had been years since even Evan had thought of that particular embarrassing moment; it had been lost in so many worse ones. He only vaguely remembered the first day of middle school aside from the overwhelming feeling of get me out of here that plagued him every second. That did sound like him, though. A few weeks before school had started he had spent a day at the park, walking the hiking trail he’d been on a hundred times as a retired ranger - the husband of a work friend of his mom’s - pointed out different trees and told stories from back in the day. Never once did he expect anything of Evan but curiosity and some attentiveness. It was a good day. The air had been clear and his mind had followed suit.Then again, Evan’s mind had been pretty clear as he plummeted to the ground three days previously. Perhaps not thinking wasn’t all people chalked it up to be.But on that day it had been.“Sorry if that was creepy,” Connor apologized, startling Evan out of his memories. “I remember the weirdest shit. I can’t remember the structure of a cell to save my life, but I can remember the specifics of the story behind why Maggie G gets freaked out even at the mention of a baseball bat. Am I rambling? I think I’m rambling. I need to shut the fuck up now.”There was a beat of silence.“Apprentice Ranger,” said Evan. It was a quiet thought, one that snuck its way around the throat lump.Quiet as it was, Connor seemed to have heard it, because he nodded in understanding. “Apprentice Ranger. My bad. Junior Ranger is that shit you gotta do a scavenger hunt packet for at the national parks. My sister used to be obsessed with them, I think that’s why I mixed it up.”“Honest mistake,” Evan added, a bit louder this time.“Something like that, yeah.” He looked away as he finished the thought, throwing his hair in front of his face with the movement. It had been getting long when school ended the month before, but now it was probably long enough to tie back. Everything else about Connor was long: his limbs, his face, his fingers (with nails painted black as he had been doing since eighth grade), the reach of his glare. The hair suited him.“Hey, you,” Connor whispered, reaching out to grab the beaten-up book at the top of the stack next to his bed. “Long time, no see.”Evan craned his neck to get a look at the cover. The name wasn’t clear, but he recognized the image on it. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. ‘The less interesting Peter Pan, but with racism,’ Jared had called it, not caring about the obvious differences between the stories. Evan had been too tired to argue.Though he didn’t connect with Huck on any personal level, Evan had liked the book well enough when he had to read it for school the summer before. He understood the want to get away, to go somewhere no one could touch you, that had fueled the titular adventures. He could see how a loner like Connor would conceivably enjoy a book like that. Evan was too scared to be irrational and spontaneous like Huck. Connor, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be scared of anything.“I didn’t think my mom even knew I liked this book,” Connor said, holding up the cover for Evan to see. The lightness in his tone was something Evan couldn’t remember ever hearing. He figured that this happier Connor was a bit like a teacher over summer break: you know the other side of them is there, logically, but you’re so used to seeing one thing that even the slightest change is disarming and foreign.Evan was considering telling Connor that it had actually been Zoe that brought the books  (though, in hindsight, she may not have been the one to select them), but the throat lump kept pulling his tongue back into his mouth every time he considered speaking, so Evan decided to stay silent instead of going into his signature stammering. He wondered if the throat lump would go away if he had his vocal cords removed. Would there be a throat lump equivalent if he spent the rest of his life using ASL? Could he just write down things to everyone? It would definitely be easier to not say something stupid if he had time to look over his words before anyone had to see them. He would probably mess that up, too, though.“...Oh.”Once again, the sound of Connor’s voice brought Evan out of his mental rabbit hole. Connor had opened the book and was holding a baby blue post-it note that had been placed inside the front cover. Going by Connor’s eyes, there was a note on it for him. The look on his face was some mixture of surprise, disappointment, and frustration. With a tired sigh, he closed the book and put it back where Zoe had left it on the top of the stack.  9:47 a.m. “Look who’s up,” the nurse said. Evan wasn’t sure if he meant to sound so passive-aggressive and sarcastic. Perhaps he had, seeing how Connor flipped off the nurse without a second thought. “Good to see you, too, sunshine,” he replied, pulling a thermometer out of the pocket of his scrubs. “How’s your throat?”“Feels like someone shoved a bigass tube down there,” Connor growled. The Connor that Evan had spoken to not half an hour earlier was gone, replaced by the angry kid everyone knew. The rasp in his voice took some of the force out of his words, though it made him seem more likely to bite someone. “And I’m hungry as hell. I’m all empty, you know.”The nurse sighed (Evan couldn’t see his face) and stuck the thermometer in Connor’s mouth. He glowered but didn’t resist. “I can get you some crackers or water. And don’t make that face at me, you know you wouldn’t want the cafeteria food even if you were allowed to eat it. Are the fluids doing their thing?”Connor made a vague grumble around the thermometer in his mouth. The machine beeped and Connor all but spat it out at the nurse. To his mild dismay, the nurse held on easily, ignored Connor’s laser-beam glare, and wrote down the number from the thermometer.“Honestly, kid, I’m surprised you’re in such high spirits, considering you were dead less than twelve hours ago.”“The fuck do you mean by that?” Connor demanded, sitting forward with a scowl.Evan willed himself to sink into the bed. He really didn’t want to have to listen to this. He didn’t want to know why Connor was there. Even less did he want to know the gory details. He just wanted the sheets to come alive and wrap in a soundless, person-less cocoon for the rest of his days. Or just sleep forever. Sleeping forever sounded like a really nice idea.No such luck.The nurse met Connor’s eyes with ease. “Exactly what is sounds like. You took too much, you were having seizures, then you weren’t, then your heart stopped. Right when everyone thought you were in the clear, too. If it hadn’t been for squirrel boy’s mom,” he jerked his thumb at Evan, “you might not be alive. She’s the one that saw your breathing stop. She spent the better part of an hour after her shift ended down there with you, making sure you really were in the clear this time ‘round.” The nurse turned to look at Evan. “Are you sure you can’t convince her to stay forever? She does great stuff here.”Evan shrugged, still trying to shrink into the bed. “Not my call.” It’s the only thing she does for herself. I can’t take that away from her.“Well, I tried.” Back to Connor. “I’m guessing you don’t want any visitors, right? Same as last time?” Last time. How many times had Connor been to the hospital? And what for?Connor hesitated, pulling and twisting at the blanket around his hands. Thinking. Debating. “Not until I’ve eaten,” he decided. “Even if it is just a few fucking crackers.”“Tell you what, I’ll get you all the crackers I can hold if you give me a urine sample first. You can even do it in the restroom a few doors down. If nothing else, it’ll give you a few minutes away from the drip.” The nurse pointed to the inside of Connor’s left elbow, where the IV tube was hooked up to a needle port of sorts taped to his arm. It made it easier to change the meds being pumped without having to put in a new needle every time. Evan still had patches of stubborn glue on the inside of his arm from the tape that had been there when he’d gotten his own. He wanted to badly to scratch it off, but his arm was too preoccupied with the cast.“Fine,” Connor agreed, slumping back grumpily.The nurse smiled. “Cool. Give me a minute, alright?”Connor did ultimately give the urine sample willingly. So willingly, in fact, that he threw the - thankfully sealed - sample cup at the nurse (Avery, Evan had finally remembered). Avery either had outstanding reflexes or had been expecting the outburst, because he caught the cup expertly and gave Connor a shit-eating grin. Connor replied with a dark scowl and a strong middle finger.“Get it out while you can, kid,” Avery said, pulling a handful of cracker packets out of his pocket and placing them in Connor’s lap. “Buzz me when you feel like people. Your mom left a couple hours ago, but your sister's been here a little while now.”“She's already been in,” Connor muttered, fiddling with the packaging of the crackers. “While I was sleeping.”“Sh-she was only here a couple minutes,” Evan blurted. Avery turned to look at Evan with an arched eyebrow. Connor glanced up at him curiously with a motion so brief that Evan wasn't sure if he imagined it or not. “Didn't even say anything,” Evan finished, looking down at his cast. I doubt she even noticed that there was anyone else here. She certainly wouldn’t have noticed me. It was horrible to think about his stupid crush on Zoe with her brother lying in a hospital bed not ten feet away. If anything, though, she would avoid him even more than she already did now that she would associate him with her brother lying in a hospital bed. To be fair, she didn’t avoid him; she just didn’t know he existed. So, really, she would have to know about his existence to avoid him, which meant that this hypothetical future-Zoe that he’d just dreamed up actually cared about Evan more than the current one did. In some strange, not-that-great way. Again, association with the hospitalized brother. But hey, it’d be something.He could already hear Doctor Sherman’s voice. You’re overestimating and underestimating at the same time, Evan. You overestimate people’s reactions and you underestimate their capability for understanding. He meant sympathy, not understanding, of course. He meant that Evan could get more pity points if he stopped being such a nervous wreck. Or maybe if he was even more of a nervous wreck. Evan didn’t know how to turn his wreckishness up or down, though - it wasn’t a goddamn dimmer switch - so he didn’t bother with follow-up questions. He wouldn’t need it to begin with if he knew how just to turn it off like Jared had halfway through seventh grade.Well, Jared was a mess, but he wasn’t a freak about it. He was messy in the way a teenager was supposed to be.“So do you want me to send her in or not?”This time it was Avery that cut through Evan’s thoughts. This time, however, his transition out was accompanied by a jerk of his head that Connor almost certainly noticed. Evan cursed himself internally and looked away, trying to find something to distract himself with while Avery and Connor talked. He really shouldn’t have been listening to them this long, to begin with.It was only then that he remembered the bag on the bedside table with his crappy old iPod Touch and headphones. Not earbuds, of course, but the big, clunky ones that covered the entire ear and were only found in computer labs, recording studios, and on people on airplanes. The doctor had said earbuds were problematic even without a concussion, so giant headphones and instrumental music it was. One website had suggested podcasts, but the talking just made Evan sleepy, and the doctor would be in soon to do a final check up on him.So that’s what Evan did. He pulled out the iPod and headphones as quietly as he could and tuned out the other two in the room. It wasn’t his place, no matter how curious he was. Zoe did not end up coming in - at least, not before Evan left. The doctor ran a few final tests before officially releasing Evan shortly before noon. He reluctantly accepted Avery’s offer to help him get dressed (not that trying to get dressed one-handed wouldn’t have been embarrassing in its own right). When he re-entered the room, wearing a real shirt for the first time in what felt like months, what little pride he had was bruised, but he was comfortable. Heidi was waiting in the doorway, holding his bag and smiling warmly. The circles under her eyes looked darker than usual, but Evan figured they probably matched his.“See you around, Hansen,” Connor said as Evan walked by. He was reading one of the books Zoe had dropped off, scratching irritably around the needle in his arm every few minutes.Evan faltered mid-step, knowing he had to reply but forgetting what he had to say. “You too,” he managed, quickly and quietly and distinctly nervous. Probably a good description for how he rushed out of the room, too.He didn’t see the way Connor’s brow crinkled at the sight. Had he, however, Evan would have assumed that he had offended Connor Murphy and would be lucky to make it through the rest of the summer alive. Heidi, on the other hand, saw the look that crossed the face of the young boy she had saved and wondered if that’s how she looked at Evan. Curious, concerned, and with a want to say something more but not knowing what.Then again, maybe she should ask how the boy knew Evan’s name before getting to anything else. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Six Weeks Later Evan didn’t expect to see Connor Murphy before summer’s end, but life was full of surprises. He was at Target with his mom, trailing a few steps behind her as she walked through the aisles, picking out what she deemed necessary. Frozen dinners, mostly, along with a few more polos for Evan because she wanted to splurge and the fabric was just so soft. He needed a refill on his meds, too.They had twenty minutes to wait before the refill was available, so Heidi went to get something ridiculously sugary from the Starbucks while Evan walked through the pitiful book section. What wasn’t redundant teen fiction was self-help books, celebrity autobiographies, and adult fiction that somehow all had the same cover. Maybe a few classics, if one was lucky. Evan snorted when he saw the copies of 1984 wedged in between realistic fiction and Nicholas Sparks. Normally, even the most cliche-looking of books would have their blurb read by Evan if he needed to pass the time, but only having one hand gave him a good excuse to just scan covers and make predictions based on them while still letting his mind wander.It never lasted long. They had an aisle and a half for books, and Evan was a fast thinker. Luckily, the movie section was right next to the books, and it was much less sparse. This, somehow, was more entertaining. Going through and looking at the descriptions of movies he’d heard of but hadn’t seen was somehow more engaging than books.It was the only bad thing about Target.“This is the movie Zoe liked, right?” a woman’s voice asked from the other end of the aisle. Evan perked up slightly at the name Zoe but didn’t turn his head.“That's the one, yeah,” a familiar voice replied. This time Evan did look up. Connor Murphy was standing next to a woman (presumably his mother) looking bored and tapping his foot impatiently. “She went and saw it with her jazz friends a hundred times. Don’t know how you forgot it.”“I didn’t forget, Connor. I just...couldn’t recall perfectly. There’s a difference.”Connor rolled his eyes and huffed. “Right. Forgetting is a sign of age, 'not recalling' is a sign of aging. You’re not old, you’re just getting there. Dad, on the other hand-”“Should we get the regular DVD or Blu-Ray?” Connor’s mother interrupted hastily, pointing to the shelf. “When was the last time we had a family movie night?”“When was the last time hell froze over?”“Do you remember the date of your last snow day?”Evan couldn’t help it. He laughed; it was a good joke. As soon as the sound escaped his mouth, he slapped his hand over it, though that somehow was even louder. He looked down the aisle and caught a glimpse of the pair looking at him. Connor seemed to be resisting a small smile, while his mother looked quite proud of herself. There was a distinctly maternal edge to her smile.“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Evan apologized, tugging at the hem of his shirt with his good hand.Mrs. Murphy gave him a fond smile. “No, it’s fine! Good to know my sense of humor isn’t totally outdated. Not to everyone, anyway.”“Hey, I was gonna give you that one,” Connor argued, the tiniest bit of defensive aggression shining through. “But now no one will ever hear it from me.”Evan looked down at his feet. A small, involuntary noise he’d made had ruined a moment. Typical. Was he really that pathetic? Connor hadn’t outright said that the joke was inherently bad if a loser like Evan had found it funny, but it was pretty heavily implied.“Not that anyone would believe you made a good joke,” Connor added, reaching past his mother to grab the DVD she had been considering. “I’m just not saying you didn’t.”Well, maybe Evan had been wrong. Then again, the original statement had felt directed towards him, rather than the latter, from which he was distinctly excluded.Or maybe Evan was overthinking things and should go find his mom.“There you are!”Heidi’s voice at his shoulder made Evan jump in surprise. There was no involuntary noise this time, but there was a visible tension that overtook his muscles.“It’s just me, kiddo,” Heidi reassured, rubbing Evan’s back. “I picked up the refill and paid for everything there. Ready to go?” Evan nodded, not trusting himself to speak properly. “Great. Oh, hey there.”Heidi stopped in her tracks as she moved past Evan and spotted Connor and his mom. Connor ducked his head and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, clearly wanting to disappear into it. He couldn’t be sure around the curtain of hair, but Evan was fairly sure he saw Connor’s jaw clench.“Hi,” Mrs. Murphy said, suddenly looking much more tired. “Heidi, right?”Heidi nodded, adjusting her bags awkwardly. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Murphy. Especially great to see Connor out and about,” she added hesitantly, reaching out behind her for Evan’s good arm and dragging him away with a polite nod to the Murphys.“Mom?” said Evan, once they were out of earshot of the Murphys. “Mom, you’re hurting me.”Heidi released her grip immediately and slowed her previously frantic pace. She sighed loudly and ran a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry, honey. It’s just...you know what, it doesn’t matter. I really shouldn’t talk about patients to begin with.” Evan nodded in understanding. “Actually, do you know that boy, Connor? I think he goes to your school.”Evan hesitated, trying to find a way to explain his barely-existent relationship with Connor Murphy. “Well, I mean, I’ve had classes with him on and off since first grade, but I wouldn’t say I know him know him. It’s more of the kind of thing where you know who they are but you know absolutely nothing about them as a person, you know? I don’t think I ever talked to him before the hospital, though. He doesn’t,” Evan paused, feeling the familiar twist of painful truth in his gut, “he doesn’t exactly have...friends.”Heidi nodded, lips pressed into a thin line. “He’s a good kid, you know. Just victim to his circumstances.”Evan didn’t know how to answer to that. He just stayed quiet and followed her through Target to the car. Neither of them said a word until about halfway through the drive home, when Heidi blurted, “I yelled at his parents.”“What?” Evan couldn’t believe his ears. His mom never yelled, especially not at strangers.“It just...came out,” she continued. “I’d been talking to Avery and he mentioned how many times he’d seen this kid fall into the same pattern while his parents just throw money on the problem and take no steps to solve it or even consider it and it made me think of how you were and what happened to Mia and…” she trailed off, choosing to focus on the road instead of continuing her story. Evan couldn’t push her to keep talking, not after she brought up Mia.Mia was a blessing and a curse in Evan’s life. She was the reason he was in treatment for his issues, but she was also the reason why his mother held him so tightly. Evan often wished that she would loosen her grip, but he couldn’t imagine what life would look like if she did. He couldn’t exactly tell her to put it in the past, either. That would make him just as cruel and selfish as his dad. He had to be better.“He overdosed on prescription pills,” Heidi said hoarsely, breaking the silence she had created. “You can’t tell anyone this, okay? He OD’d and he was dead for almost a minute and I had to perform CPR while someone ran to get the defibrillator because they thought he was in the clear. And his father was just there in the lobby full of...contempt. This kid has been in and out of the psych ward from overdose after overdose and blatant suicide attempts-”Evan winced. Too close to home.“And his parents were talking like he was throwing a fit. As if he were a misbehaving toddler. I can’t...I can’t imagine what that must be like. So, in a moment of,” Heidi cleared her throat, “poor judgement, I may have lectured his parents about how they were neglecting their son’s mental health. Maybe more loudly than necessary. And public.” A beat of silence. “But hey, I didn’t get fired! And it’s been six weeks since he’s been hospitalized and he looks like he’s got that new-med haze to him. Which, you know, isn’t always great, but it means that something is happening, at least.” Or he could just have found something new to get high on, Evan thought. Though that’s not what she wanted to hear, so he kept it to himself. It was silent on the drive home, save the warm static of the radio.  Later That Day “Holy shit, Evan broke his arm!”Evan groaned internally. Jared. Jared Kleinman. Home three weeks early. As if the day wasn’t uncomfortable enough, now he’d have to interact with his crazy neighbor. The closest thing he had to a friend, and the closest thing he had to a bully. Like Connor had said, he was too much of a loser to even be a target.“Jared, language,” Mr. Kleinman scolded halfheartedly.There was no fence between the Hansen front yard and the Kleinman’s, so Jared just darted across the lawn and got in Evan’s face, totally ignoring his father’s existence. Why wasn’t Evan that lucky?“How the hell did that happen?” he cried. “You never leave the house.” Jared gasped and leaned in secretively. “Did you set some kind of world record and break your arm jerking off?” he whispered excitedly.Evan felt his cheeks go hot. “I-I don’t think that’s even possible.”“Oh, come on, Hansen, let me have some fun!”“I’ve never stopped you-”“Yes, you have. Come on, I’m gonna tell you what I did in Michigan.”Without another word, Jared grabbed Evan’s good arm and dragged him across the lawn, into the Kleinman house, and upstairs to his room. Heidi offered no help, only calling after Evan to ask he be home before dinner. Evan had done this song and dance enough times to know trying to get out of it would be worthless. Besides, Doctor Sherman liked when he interacted with other people, regardless of how miserable they made him. It was better than nothing.Jared did, in fact, tell Evan what he did while visiting his mom in Michigan. In more detail than Evan thought necessary for describing something clearly fabricated. He bit the inside of his cheek at the comment of ‘a girl from Israel who’s going to be in the military’. Military service was required after completing high school in Israel, but it was probably better not to mention it. Evan got by just fine letting Jared ramble and fill the room while he nodded every so often to show he was paying attention.“No, but seriously, Evan, how did you break your arm?”“Ifelloutofatree,” Evan muttered, playing with the hem of his shirt.“I can’t hear you,” Jared said in singsong.“I fell out of a tree,” Evan said, only slightly louder but more enunciated.Jared blinked at him, too shocked for words. “Seriously? Is this like a Parks & Rec Ben Wyatt ‘the calzones betrayed me’ moment for you? Will you ever love again? Shit, I can’t imagine how it must be going outside, seeing all this arbory and having to live with the knowledge that you live on their farts. Must be agony, dude.”Evan shrugged. “It’s been okay since I recovered from the concussion.”“Concussion? Well, fuck me gently with a chainsaw.”“I’d rather not-”“You know what I meant. Was it painful? Did you have a hot nurse - I mean, other than your mom-”“Jared!”“What? She’s a good-looking lady - watching over you in the hospital, caring for your every need?”“I was in the hospital on observation for 72 hours.”Jared frowned. “Why, was it a suicide attempt or something?”Evan froze. “W-why would you think that?” he stammered, feeling his hands get sweaty.“Well, that’s the standard for suicide attempts, isn’t it? They have to keep you at least 72 hours, don’t they.”“Oh,” Evan nodded, trying to remember how to exhale. “N-no, it wasn’t anything like that,” he tapped his leg for a few seconds while trying to remember words. “It was - they were - I just,” he stopped and took a shaky breath, not daring to look Jared in the eyes. “To make sure I didn’t make the concussion worse,” he explained finally. Why had that been so hard? It had been the truth, technically. He hadn’t been there on suicide watch. He wasn’t lying.Jared shrugged and leaned back in his beanbag chair, appearing satisfied with the answer. “So no hot nurse?”“Not unless you think five-foot-tall middle-aged ladies and Avery are hot.” Avery actually was objectively hot, but Evan wasn't going to risk Jared going off on him for something else. Jared wasn't homophobic, but he was a no-holds-barred kind of person when it came to insults. Staying quiet was generally Evan's best bet.“Who’s Avery?” Jared asked, reaching over to grab the controller for his video game console.“The only male nurse on the floor. I think he only just got out of nursing school, too. Though he didn’t really check on me, he was more there for Co-” Evan snapped his mouth shut before he finished the sentence. That would have been a whole different kind of disaster.“More there for what?” Jared asked suspiciously, looking at Evan over the top of his glasses.“The other patients,” Evan responded weakly. “In the recovery room, you know. I was just sitting there, you know. Low maintenance.”Jared still didn’t look convinced. “It sounded like you started to say something else.”“Did it?” Evan asked with a nervous chuckle. “I don’t think so. I knew exactly what I wanted to say, I just got distracted by a,” his eyes darted around the room, “a really fat squirrel that appeared in the window. It’s gone now,” he added quickly when Jared turned to look for it.“Oh, I’m sure it is,” Jared said darkly, gaze not leaving the window. “That fat fucker’s been teleporting in and out of view for months. He loves to taunt me. Was he taunting me? You can tell when they’re doing it with squirrels. They do this thing with their front paws that’s distinctly intended to mock.”“I-what?” Evan was at a total loss for words. His dumb squirrel excuse had worked?The Kleinmans were a weird family.  Two Days Later “So, Evan, what’s new? Anything happen this week?” Doctor Sherman settled into his seat, smiling warmly.“Jared got home from Michigan early,” Evan replied, looking down at his nails. “Asked about my arm. We pulled up right as he was unloading his stuff from his dad’s car, so I got dragged up to play video games for a couple hours.”“When was this?”Evan thought for a moment, trying to remember the day of the week. Everything blurred together in summer. “Tuesday,” he answered, fairly certain of himself. Two days previously.“Any contact with him since?”Evan shrugged. “He texted me a couple times. He dropped off some cookies from his dad. So yeah, I’ve been busy.”Doctor Sherman smiled at the halfhearted joke. “Well, that’s not bad. And you said ‘pulling up’ just then. Did you go out?”“Sort of. We just went to Target to refill my prescription and grab some other essentials. Nothing important. The trip, I mean. Or the fact that I went out on the trip isn’t anything important.” Evan was scrambling again, looking too closely at what he said and feeling the need to elaborate on everything.“So it was uneventful.”Evan hesitated half a second before nodding, remembering the awkward incident with the Murphys and the way his mom had spilled a secret to him on the drive home. He’d promised not to tell anyone, though he wasn’t entirely sure if doctor-patient confidentiality applied to nurses. Still, he had made a promise, and he had made it to his mother. He couldn’t let her down. He was enough of a disappointment to her as it was.“You’re thinking of something,” Doctor Sherman said matter-of-factly, still managing to sound peaceful.“W-well, I’m kind of always thinking of something, aren’t I? That’s kind of the thing with being awake; your brain is up and running and there’s no way to really stop thinking so we’re always thinking of something no matter what’s going on. Even when you’re dreaming, your brain is working to make these dreams, so you’re thinking, but it’s more like being in a movie, because you’re not knowingly in control of your dreams, like there’s some outside force reading your mind and stringing together these hallucinations based on whatever’s been going on recently or something that you’ve been repressing - also a fascinating concept, if you think about it, repression. You’re thinking so hard about not wanting to think about something that it eventually stops happening. Kind of a paradox, really. And it’s not a double-negative canceling thing, either. One is a positive action and the other is negative, so you multiply and you stay with the negative, it’s just a bigger negative. Unless it’s a positive decimal, then it gets smaller, but it’s still negative.”“It’s an addition problem,” Doctor Sherman said, interrupting Evan’s ramble.“It - what?” Evan frowned, trying to comprehend the logic Doctor Sherman had found in his illogical chatter.“It’s an addition problem,” he repeated, still radiating his friendly warmth. “When you add a negative and a positive, you don’t always get a sign change, right? If you add negative three and four, the answer is one. Or if you add negative four and three, the answer is a negative one. Putting together a positive and negative can give you a positive or a negative, depending on relative size. So repression works in the sense that you have a distasteful memory - which we’ll say is positive five - and then the effort of pushing it away, which we’ll say is a negative point-two. It doesn’t get rid of the number right away, but it chips away until it’s small enough to be dragged over the line into negatives or just overshadowed by a different memory, good or bad. It’s still on the number line, but it’s much smaller than the majority of other memories. That make sense?”Evan nodded. He wasn’t in AP math like Jared, but he was good enough to comprehend Doctor Sherman’s explanation. It was uncanny how he managed to make sense of even the most senseless of things Evan said.Though not as uncanny as how effectively Evan had rambled his way out of mentioning the Murphy incident.His time was up. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Merry fucking Christmas,” Connor deadpanned, dropping the grocery bag on Zoe’s lap as he passed. “There’s a thing in there for you.”“Don’t, Zoe,” one of her friends whispered urgently as if Connor couldn’t hear. “It’s gonna be a dead mouse or something.”Zoe gave her an incredulous look. “A dead mouse? In with the shampoo and the hair ties and acne cream,” she listed, pulling item after item out of the bag, “and stress toys and - ooh, Anna Kendrick!” Zoe nearly squealed as she pulled out the DVD box. “That was nice of Mom, I’ll send her a thank-you text. She’ll probably see it in the next six hours.”“God, you’re so lucky,” groaned the same friend from before. “You can do whatever you want because your parents are gone all day, and meanwhile I’m only here because my crazy neighbor offered to babysit my brother for free while she’s between summer internships.”Zoe shifted uncomfortably. “It’s not like I can do anything I want. I have to watch out for Connor, which obviously makes him hate me more. I didn’t even realize that was possible, but at least now we’re both the bad guy. Speaking of, did you see him go upstairs?” She craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of her brother’s whereabouts.“I think he went down the hall,” said a different friend, pointing where she saw him go.“Shit,” Zoe muttered, scrambling off the couch, “that’s my dad’s office.” Not even bothering with her friends, Zoe rushed down the hall, her socked feet slipping on the wood flooring, only to find her dad’s office was still undisturbed.“I’m over here, dumbass,” called Connor’s voice. It was coming from the garage, accompanied by the clinking of someone rummaging.“What the hell are you doing?” Zoe demanded, pushing open the slightly ajar garage door and following the sounds of commotion.Connor did not answer but instead called out “Think fast!” exactly half a second before nailing her on the forehead with a stiff baseball glove.“What the fuck, Connor?” She stepped over the glove and rubbed her forehead irritably. “What the fuck in general! Why are you in here, of all places? It’s just old junk no one uses but Mom is too sentimental to get rid of.”“Looking for some shit,” Connor answered vaguely, digging through a box of old toys.“Whatever for, brother dear?” she snapped, knowing getting angry at him wasn’t going to make things any better, but not having any other emotions readily available.“To throw out of the window in the guest bedroom. See if they can make it into the pool.”“Jailene wanted to use the pool.”“Well, she can find a way to stay out of the line of fire one way or another, can’t she?” He pulled out a handful of plastic dinosaurs. “These will do great, don’t you think? Besides, I know Jailene is always going on about how cute and tiny our pool is in comparison to hers. She’s not gonna ask to use it, so stop wasting your breath on bullshit.”“If I took your advice, I’d be much worse off than I am now.”“I don’t take my own advice and I’m still in a shitty place. I don’t think it’s meant to be taken.” Connor grabbed some toy cars from an adjacent box and dropped them into the messenger bag sitting at his side.“Connor…”“Fuck off, Zoe,” he growled, much less apathetic than he had been a moment before. “I’m not hurting anyone, I’m not destroying property, and I’m not gonna make a scene. I feel like throwing shit, and since I can’t throw lamps or books or chairs or myself out a window without going back to the loony bin, I’m going to hurl old, useless crap into the pool and see how unsatisfying of a splash they make. No harm done. See?”Zoe froze momentarily. Or myself. She was supposed to say something if he seemed like he wanted to hurt himself and meant to do it. But Connor was showing reason, trying to find other ways to satisfy his violent urges without causing damage. Did she have to say something then? It would probably be safe to do so anyway, as her brother had mentioned jumping out of a window, but -Her thoughts were interrupted when Connor pulled out a toy airplane. It was faded and dented and missing a wing and a propeller and had not seen the sun in years, but there it was.After all these years, after all that had happened, they had kept the plane.For a singular irrational moment, Zoe wondered if it still smelled like the grass of the orchard.“You should let Dad have the honor of dumping that one in the pool,” Zoe said quietly, attempting a joke.Connor snorted, setting the toy down next to the box. “He’d fuck it up. He always does.”Zoe opened her mouth - to say what, she wasn’t sure - but was interrupted by Jailene’s voice from the hallway.“Hey, Zoe? You alive out here?”Connor’s jaw clenched as his rummaging slowed.“In here,” Zoe replied, just loud enough to be heard from the hall.“Listen, honey, I gotta head home now. My neighbor has some family emergency and can’t watch my brother the rest of the night. I’ll text you, okay?”Zoe ignored the look Connor was giving her. “Yeah, whatever. What about Lily?” She’d had two friends over. If Jai left, she’d have to bring Lily into the garage or risk being rude. At least Lily wasn’t phased by Connor.“Lily got a call from her mom. She’s heading out, too. I’m gonna drop her off. Bye, Zo.”Jailene didn’t even wait for a reply from Zoe before going back the way she came. Zoe sighed. Maybe she should have just stuck with her jazz band friends after all. Jailene was too much work for too little reward. She clearly only hung out with Zoe because she had nothing better to do while her other friends were on vacation in Cancun or Paris or wherever they went.“You gonna help me or what?” Connor asked, sliding a box across the floor towards Zoe. The box was filled with Barbies, most of them half-dressed and messy-haired. Several were missing limbs - the Ken dolls, in particular, tended to be decapitated.She remembered far too vividly the delight that came from popping off one of the squishy, plastic heads and squeezing. She only stopped because her parents stopped buying her easily decapitated dolls after Connor mentioned her habit to them. Oh, how things had changed. Connor had been able to throw a printer with minimal consequence at age 7, but nine-year-old Zoe had her doll privileges revoked because Mattel made them easy to vandalize.And because Connor had said something.What a difference saying something made. Zoe whooped as the plastic truck bounced off the deck of the pool and hit the water with a plunk before slowly sinking to the bottom, where a number of old toys and random knick-knacks were already living. Most of the Barbies - the first to go - were able to float, and so became unofficial targets.“Who’s next?” she asked, turning to Connor, who was lining up more toy ammunition.Connor held up a Mr. Potato Head doll. “I’m gonna watch this fucker fly. His ass compartment hated me, and you know he’s gonna have a good sink.”Zoe laughed. She did remember countless occasions in which Connor had pulled at the toy’s compartment to no avail before taking to smacking it against the ground until it popped open. Eventually, they stopped storing parts inside the compartment and fit as many as they could together, creating some nonsensical Picasso-esque creation.She was thrown out of her memories as Connor nudged her away from the window as he lined up his shot. Without a second’s hesitation, Connor pulled back his arm and let the plastic potato fly, watching with morbid delight as it arced through the air, bounced off one of the floating Barbies, hit the pool with a splash, and sunk.“I hope that traumatized Barbie,” he said, reaching down to grab another Potato Head.“I think she’s plenty traumatized by now,” Zoe pointed out, shifting a plastic T-Rex between her hands.“What the hell are you two doing?” a deep voice demanded, cutting their conversation short.Connor and Zoe both stuck their heads through the window and saw their father standing on the deck of the pool, arms crossed and looking distinctly not happy with them. His serious demeanor was significantly undercut, however, by the toys scattered around his feet and in the pool behind them.“Blowing off steam?” Zoe supplemented, trying out an innocent smile.“And what, exactly, am I supposed to make of this?” Larry asked, gesturing to the scattered toys.“You’re the one that complains about us not playing like we used to,” Connor called back, his face a mix of triumph and bitterness. “Look, we’re playing with our toys like we used to!”Larry sighed and rubbed his hands over his face in exhaustion. “Zoe, I thought you had people over.”“They had more important things to do,” she replied with a nonchalant shrug, though her tone did not support it. “Besides, I’m doing what you said. See? Connor’s right here.” She pointed to her brother, who raised his hand and waved sarcastically to emphasize her point. “I’m keeping my eyes on him.”Larry, not feeling like debating teenage logic, conceded to himself that did not appear to have damaged anything of importance. He was at least fairly certain that those Ken dolls had been missing their heads already. “I expect you both to clean this up in the next twenty-four hours. Until then, put the screen back on the window and get downstairs. You’re helping me make dinner before your mother gets home.”  Ten Minutes Later “Oh, what to trust me with,” Connor remarked, “the knives, the stove, or the boiling water?”Ignoring the comment, Larry handed him a jar of tomato sauce. “Great. Stove it is,” he deadpanned. “I’m guessing that means I’m on onion duty, too?”Larry scoffed. “I’m not letting either of you go anywhere near the onions. You prep the ground beef.”“My nail polish is chipping.”“Then put on some gloves. At the very least wash your hands. Who knows what those old toys picked up in the garage. We’re going to be giving your mother a heart attack as it is. Better leave it at that.”“Why are we doing this?” Zoe asked suspiciously, filling a pot with water. “You’re home early from work and we’re having spaghetti bolognese like when we were kids. Packed with carbs and meat and grease. Next thing you’re gonna say is that you got a liter of Cherry Coke and we’re gonna watch The Princess Bride while eating dinner on the couch.”“Two liters, actually.”“What?”“Two-liter bottle of Cherry Coke. It’s in the fridge with the ground beef. And if you want to watch something other than Princess Bride, that’s fine by me. So long as it’s funny.”Connor and Zoe shared a confused look. “Have we entered the Twilight Zone?” Zoe asked, genuinely concerned. They hadn’t done anything like this since she was in sixth grade.Larry shrugged. “I had a rough day at work and I didn’t feel like some vegan, gluten-free dissatisfaction at 8 p.m. Sue me. I’m a good lawyer, I can defend myself just fine.”Connor groaned at the last comment. “Nope. If the jokes start, I’m getting the fuck out.”“No beef for you, then.”Connor hung his head in defeat. It had been a while since they’d had real meat, and even with his lowered appetite (thanks, meds), he still craved it. “Fine,” he conceded, “but you’re gonna have to remind me how to do the beef. It’s been like five years.”For some reason Connor didn’t quite understand, his father seemed to take great pleasure in explaining the process to him. He wasn’t laughing or grinning, but he was happy in the quiet way he got, speaking more gently and delighting in patience. Even as his eyes brimmed over with tears from cutting onions, he gave directions calmly and without concern. His ease spilled over to Connor, who stopped fidgeting anxiously and was able to relax into the motion of stirring the meat sauce and the warm smell wafting up. Similarly, Zoe allowed herself to be drawn in by the hypnotic sight of spaghetti swirling around in the pot, becoming more and more like kelp in a tide as the boiling water loosened them from sticks to noodles.A comfortable quiet settled over for the house, likely because each family member was able to temporarily forget that the other was there. Still, even when dinner was done and the Murphys migrated to the living room with warm bowls in one hand and fizzing, cold cups in the other, there was much less awkwardness than usually accompanied such occasions. Zoe hesitated to watch her new movie in front of her father, but if her father and brother could make a meal without losing it with each other, perhaps a bit of crude humor would stand, too. Besides, there was singing, and no matter how tough he tried to be on the exterior, there would always be a part of Larry Murphy that remained a little boy whose favorite days of the year were the ones where he got to see a show on Broadway. He could appreciate a movie about college a capella.Probably. Cynthia wasn’t particularly happy with them when she got home, but did help herself to a small bowl of spaghetti (Zoe had made a batch of gluten-free for her) and saved her complaints until after the movie. Connor and Zoe offered to put away the leftovers from dinner so they wouldn’t have to bear witness to another argument between their parents. It had been such a good evening thus far.Even after everything was stored away in the fridge, the dishes were washed, and the kitchen counter and floor were clean, Cynthia and Larry were still conversing sharply in hushed tones. Zoe, knowing this would go on for a while longer, went into her father’s office and lifted the false bottom of one of the drawers on his desk. Underneath it was a single silver key, hardly two inches long and still glistening like new. Clutching the key tightly, she tiptoed back into the kitchen, where Connor was helping himself to a massive glass of soda. Zoe shook her head but gave no criticism.Connor watched as Zoe unlocked a drawer and pulled it open, cringing slightly at the way the pills rattled inside their bottles as she did. Her brother took several gulps of his soda. It took Zoe a moment to remember which pills were what - her mother usually did this - and Connor wasn’t sure if that was better or worse. Zoe turned and showed him her open palm, where three pills of varying shape and size were resting.“Is this right?” she asked quietly. Nervously. Slightly afraid.A few days after he got out of the hospital, Connor had blown up at his father for getting his nighttime cocktail wrong and then spent half the night pacing his room, occasionally waking Zoe up if he raised his voice or stepped heavily.Connor spent a few seconds too many staring at Zoe’s hand. She’d painted her nails baby blue in the past few days, going by how intact the paint was. Zoe took this hesitation as a sign that she’d done something wrong and began to draw her hand back. Connor reached forward to stop her, and before she could think, Zoe had jumped backward and the small of her back had collided with the granite of the kitchen countertops. She grunted with the impact and the sudden surprise of pain but was otherwise fine.There was no noise from the living room.“Is everything okay?” Cynthia asked, appearing in the kitchen doorway. Her voice was full of concern and her eyes panic. Connor ducked his head, clenching his jaw. The glass of soda wavered back and forth in his hand.“It’s fine,” Zoe assured, straightening and rubbing the sore spot on her back with her free hand. “I was just giving Connor his meds and I slipped a bit, that’s all. No harm done.” She held up the handful of pills for her mother to see.Cynthia nodded skeptically, but let it slide. Zoe wasn’t one to hold back when it came to exposing her brother’s behavior, and there was no good reason why that would change now. “Alright, just had to check. And good memory, sweetie,” she complimented, seeing the right combination of pills. “Connor?”He didn’t raise his head, but he did reach forward and carefully pick the pills from his sister’s palm one at a time and popped them in his mouth, chasing them down with another gulp of soda. After swallowing, he set his glass down on the counter, raised his head, met Zoe’s eyes, and stuck out his tongue.Smiling slightly, Zoe pointed upwards. Connor opened his mouth and showed her the underside of his tongue. Then, without being asked, he hooked a finger in either cheek, pulling his mouth wider for her to see inside. Smothering a giggle at how ridiculous he looked, Zoe gave him a satisfied nod. Connor’s hands dropped back to his sides, where he proceeded to wipe his fingers on the front of his jeans.By now, Cynthia was slightly confused but knew for sure that Connor hadn’t acted aggressively towards his sister. She took over from Zoe in putting the meds away and locking the drawer. “I’m proud of you,” she whispered, looking between her children. They both gave identical nods of recognition and then looked down at their feet.They probably weren’t even aware that they did it.The siblings stayed in the kitchen after their mother walked away, going to put the key back in its hiding place.“I think we’re off the hook for now,” Larry remarked, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. “At least until tomorrow morning when she sees the backyard. I’m taking the Fifth when that happens.” He checked his watch. “Nine-thirty. That’s a reasonable time to go to bed. I’ll see you two in the morning. Don’t stay up too late, alright?” He hesitated. “Well, if you do, keep it on the quiet side. Remember, you’ve got a backyard to clean in the morning.” He passed through the kitchen to give Zoe a kiss on the forehead and Connor a gentle but affectionate pat on the shoulder. It was little, but it wasn’t entirely unwelcome. It was something.Connor and Zoe watched as their father exited the kitchen and climbed the stairs. Their mother followed shortly thereafter, stopping at the base of the stairs to blow them a kiss. Now it was just the two of them, standing together in silence. Not knowing what to do next. The past few hours had been the most unhostile interaction they’d had in several years.“I’m probably not going to want to talk to you tomorrow,” Connor admitted quietly, dumping the last of his soda down the sink. “Not because of anything you did. I’m just...worn out. Today was more than I’m used to. Might take me a day or two to even back out.”Zoe nodded. “Thanks for being honest. It’s cool that you’re aware, though.”Connor shrugged. “Doctor talked about it yesterday. I thought it was a load of bull at the time, but now it makes more sense.”“Time does that.”“Yeah.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “We passed five gas stations on the way here. Why are we at this one?” Evan usually didn’t question Jared’s motives, but this was too strange yet harmless to not say something.Jared gave him an incredulous look. “Um, they’ve got the best candy aisle in town, Hansen. Well, the three best candy aisles, to be more accurate. Come on, live a little! You can get five things, I’m buying.”“Why?” Evan asked again, understanding his neighbor/family friend’s motivations no better than before.“The old dude across the street gave me $300 for fixing his computer even though it took me barely fifteen minutes. Figured I’d treat myself before I put the rest in the bank. College or whatever.”“Not your car insurance?” Evan muttered, more darkly than he had intended.Jared scoffed. “You know how much that shit is? Mom can pay for it.” There was an edge to the latter part of the statement that made Evan want to take a few steps back. “But seriously, any five things you want. Consider it incentive to not shun me after I obliterate you at Mario Kart™ later.”“That doesn’t explain anything. If you're treating yourself, then why am I here?”Jared groaned. “Just grab some junk food and stop overthinking for once, Evan. I’m doing a nice thing. End of story.”Evan blinked at him a few times before saying, “I don’t understand.”“Oh, my god!” Jared cried out in frustration, tugging at his hair. This time, Evan really did take a few steps back. His shoulders hunched, his head lowered, his good hand started tugging at the hem of his shirt, and his teeth bit into his lower lip. Jared saw this reaction, saw how the timid kid he still didn’t know how to reach out to went from uncomfortable to panic mode in the blink of an eye.He was sick of it. Sick of not understanding, of not being understood. Of shouting into the void and getting barely an echo in return, of wearing a pile of masks where Evan got an invisibility cloak, of compensating for the gap in his personality with talk of money and sex and masculine things and nothing serious, ever. He was sick of watching Evan be Evan, who couldn’t hide his disdain for Jared because he had no poker face, who only allowed himself to be pulled around and belittled because it fulfilled the instinctive human need to be around other humans aside from his mother. Sick of watching so many ridiculous sentences spill out of his mouth that when he was honest, he sounded even more insane.Sick of not knowing how to stop.Jared groaned and stomped down the aisle, looking to find the most sour candy he could. He hated sour candies, to be honest, but something about the awareness of the acid in his mouth was somehow calming. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Evan standing exactly where Jared had left him, looking at his surroundings like they were much larger and he much smaller than they actually were. He scratched at his left arm, right above the top of the cast. It was still pure white; no one had bothered to sign it. Evan or Heidi hadn’t even doodled on it. Jared remembered when he was eight and his mom broke her arm, he had spent the better part of an hour drawing random shapes and creatures on the light green surface with a black Sharpie. He’d cried when he came home from school one and the cast had been gone without warning.She hadn’t even taken a picture of the drawings. Not any of them. They were just gone. Jared and tripped and fallen as he ran tearfully towards his room, resulting in a bruised and bloody nose and a pair of broken glasses. Back in the present, Jared pushed his glasses up as he rubbed his eyes.Why was this getting so much harder?“Oh. You again.”Jared’s head snapped up at the sound of Connor Murphy’s voice - a reflex that could be just as beneficial to have as detrimental. Luckily enough for Jared, Connor didn’t notice him. He was too busy talking to Evan. Hold up.Pause, rewind, and zoom the fuck in. Connor Murphy, social outcast, likely drug addict, person who dressed like walking into Hot Topic felt, and terror extraordinaire, was talking to Evan Hansen, the kid so anxious he would spend all day every day in his room if he could. In the ten years Jared had shared classes with Connor and Evan, there had never been even the slightest sign of familiarity between the two, much less anything resembling a conversation. He’d been gone less than two months. What the hell happened in the meantime?“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Connor apologized (since when the fuck…??), almost too quietly for Jared to hear from down the aisle. “I meant,” Connor trailed off, hands waving in a way supposed to finish his sentence. He gave up after a few seconds. Straightened his posture, made an effort to look Evan in the eyes, and tried again. “Hey, Hansen.”“Y-you can call me Evan,” Evan replied hastily, looking at a point over Connor’s shoulder. “I mean, Hansen is my name, too, but it’s not my name name, you know? Like I wouldn’t call you Murphy - unless you prefer it, I don’t know - ‘cause it’s part of your name, but it’s not the part of your name dedicated to you.” Evan trailed off once he managed to look at Connor.“You’re a weird little thing, you know that?” Connor said, somewhere between fascination and amusement. Jared clenched his fist.“There’s putting it mildly.”Jared swore there was an audible thump as his jaw hit the floor. Evan Hansen did not make self-deprecating jokes. Grossly pathetic, somewhat depressing attempts at humor, yes. But Jared hadn’t thought he possessed quite the level of self-loathing required to shit on a shit pile with his name on it.This was supposed to be a quick candy run. Why was nothing ever simple?Connor frowned, cocking his head to one side. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”Jared couldn’t see Evan’s face, but he knew the look that was probably there. Dread, embarrassment, panic. His mouth making an ‘o’ shape, but no sound coming out. Painfully awkward, even for Evan Hansen.“Con, get a move on,” yet another familiar voice said, neither irritated nor particularly pleased.Oh, so Zoe was here, too. And apparently now making public appearances with her brother, something that hadn’t happened since the early days of middle school (for Zoe, anyway, who was a year behind her brother).Zoe sidled up next to her brother and gently bumped his arm with her shoulder. Her already present smile brightened when she saw Evan (again, what the fuck?).“Evan, right?” she asked, pointing to him with a packet of M&Ms. Evan nodded, definitely not trusting himself to speak.“Hansen,” Connor added, shooting his sister a knowing look.Zoe’s eyes widened. “No way. It was your mom that yelled at my parents?”The only words that could have described Jared’s everything in that moment were what in the everloving fuck? Heidi didn’t yell at people, much less filthy rich people with utterly terrifying/unbelievably gorgeous children. Oh, Evan was going to spill so hard later.Evan hesitated, then nodded. “She described it as a,” he stopped to clear his throat, “a lecture. With raised voices. In public.”Zoe laughed. “Yeah, I know. I was there. I wish I’d recorded it.”By this point, Jared was edging closer to Evan, having decided that he would buy Evan the entire gas station if he got the story behind the scene unfolding in front of him.“Do I even want to know what he’s doing?” Connor asked, glaring over Evan’s shoulder at Jared. His standard aggression was back in place, blue eyes trying to turn Jared to stone.“Trying to see if that’s actually your hair,” Jared bit back, instantly on the defensive. “There’s no fuckin’ way it grew that fast. Tell me your secret. Did you take anti-baldness medication when your mom ran out of Xanax for you to steal? Or are you on some weird new back-alley shit that makes your hair grow fast? Is that why you’re wearing a jacket in July? Are your pit hairs a foot long by now?”Connor’s lips were curled into a snarl and he was practically shaking from all the tension in his muscles, but he stayed in place. It was almost more terrifying to see him like this, wound up and ready to pounce, but straining himself with the effort of pushing it all down.“Jared, come on,” Evan plead, turning to face him. “Just this once.”Jared’s stomach twisted painfully. The dozens of possible endings to the statement flew through his brain. Don’t be a dick. Leave him be. Be a nice person. Don’t be you. He stayed frozen in place, not knowing how to pull out the stinger of his words. You can’t pull something back in once it’s been throw to the wind.It was Zoe that broke the tension, leaving her brother’s side, marching past Evan and getting in Jared’s face, eyes alight with anger. She stopped just short of him, taking a moment to clench and unclench her fists and take a deep breath before trusting herself to speak. “I get how you feel,” she said, almost too quiet for Jared to hear. “I understand endlessly more than you possibly could.” She glanced down at her feet in something resembling shame. “But then,” she looked back up and met his eyes, “but then I remember that he’s a person. I don’t know about you, but it tends to do me some good when others treat me like a person, don’t you think?”The pained, angry glare in her eyes made Jared’s stomach clench both in fear and in discomfort, as if he was seeing something he should not. Thankfully at a loss for words, he nodded like a bobblehead, shoving down panic at the way Zoe’s lip curled in repulsion for a brief second before going back to neutral. He dared not glance up to look at Evan or Connor. No, he was an ant and Zoe Murphy was both the magnifying glass and the ray of sunlight.Zoe leaned in towards Jared. “I know you think he’s a freak,” she murmured, “sometimes I do, too. But so does he. He hears it over and over until it becomes his truth and-” she shuddered, “and it gets worse. Don’t put kindling on the fire if you don’t want the flame to rise.” She took a step back and turned up her voice. “Think on that, jackass,” she snapped, grabbing a packet of Red Vines off of the shelf next to her before marching back to her brother and dragging him away to a different aisle.Once they’d been gone long enough for Jared to unfreeze, he shuffled down the aisle to Evan, who was staring blankly at the space in front of him. His right hand was pulling and twisting the hem of his shirt.“Hansen,” Jared said, perhaps a bit louder than necessary. Still, it did the trick, and Evan jumped slightly and turned to face Jared, taking a half step back as he did (personal space and all that). “You wanna head back? We can do stuff another time. Got a whole summer still, right?”Evan nodded hesitantly, darting glances towards the front door of the gas station. Jared patted him gently on the shoulder and led the way out, trusting Evan to hang around in his shadow. There was a brief second where, out of the corner of his eye, Jared swore he caught a glimpse of Connor Murphy raising a hand as if in a wave. He didn’t dare turn his head to look at Connor or Evan.Just like most else, it wasn’t for him. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When he was a kid, Evan had been in the habit of using the peephole at the door every time, even if he knew who was on the other side. Now, at seventeen, he was beginning to think that getting back in the habit of doing so would have its advantages. It wouldn’t have changed the fact that there were three people on his porch when there was supposed to be one, but it would certainly have kept him from opening the door so wide.Every so often, one of his mom’s friends would be getting some sort of takeout or food to-go and offer to bring some over to Evan, knowing how tight they were on real food. This week it was Avery: the handsome, unflappable young nurse that everyone either loved or hated. And who had taken to calling Evan a squirrel after finding out that he fell out of a tree. And who, for some reason that escaped Evan, thought it would be a good idea to show Connor and Zoe Murphy where he lived.Evan had been so taken aback by the sight of the siblings that he had tried to slam the door shut without moving himself, resulting in a particularly painful hit to the side of his leg.“Y-y-yu-you,” Evan struggled to begin his sentence. He took a shaky breath before trying again. “You, uh, you brought more than Mom said you were,” he told Avery, trying to ignore the two teens standing behind the nurse.Avery shrugged and handed him the plastic bag with his dinner. “If you can’t eat it all at once, save it for later or leave some for your mom. That easy. No need to thank me, no need to pay me back. Normally I would’ve just dropped the bag on the stoop and sent you a text, but these two,” he jerked a thumb at Connor and Zoe, “didn’t want to give you a heart attack when you opened the door. I told them me being here wouldn’t exactly lessen their chances, but…” he trailed off, making a face that said ‘what can you do?’ Not lead them here, for starters, grumbled a voice in Evan’s head.True to his word, Avery gave a curt nod and left without giving Evan a chance to thank him, leaving three very uncomfortable teenagers alone on a porch. Evan really wanted to fidget with his shirt, but the arm that wasn’t in a cast was busy with a bag of takeout, so he settled on tapping his foot.It was Connor who finally spoke up. “We wanted to-” he stopped and cleared his throat, “We wanted to say sorry, for what happened the other day. You were,” he winced at his next words, “you were kinda obviously uncomfortable, and we just made it worse. I-I’m not going to blame anything on Kleinman, I’m the one who got him started-”“And I shouldn’t have blown up at him,” Zoe added. Connor and Evan both gave her an incredulous look. What she had done was nothing close to the category of blowing up.“Anyway, we ran into Avery at the store and he mentioned what he was doing and so Zoe suggested…” Connor trailed off, looking down at his shoes, hair falling in front of his face.Evan swallowed around the throat lump. “You guys didn’t do anything wrong,” he assured, fighting the way every muscle in his body was screaming to run inside, close the door, and lock it. God, he must look so tense to them. “Actually,” his brain spat out, not consulting the throat lump (as it had a habit of doing when Murphys were involved, it seemed), “it was a little better for a second there when you talked to me. Kinda, kinda snapped me out of it. Whatever it was, I guess.”Zoe smiled warmly. Connor looked up at him with an optimistic glint in his eye.“Oh,” Zoe exclaimed softly, reaching into the back pocket of her shorts (these had stars on the cuffs just like her jeans) and pulling out a folded piece of paper and extending it to Evan. “Some of my jazz band friends and I are doing a performance at the ampitheatre in Ellison Park tomorrow evening, if you’re interested. It’s not a social event or anything, but Connor mentioned how you like the park and I know even the most indoorsy of us need an excuse to get out of the house every once in awhile. Besides, you’ve run into us Murphys by chance twice this week, why not add a deliberate run-in to even it out?”“You mean other than this one?” Connor commented with a snort.Zoe delivered a playful tap - it was much too soft to be a kick - to the side of her brother’s shoe. “This isn’t a run-in. This is just us being creepy.”“Glad I’m not the only one who thinks that,” Evan added, chuckling awkwardly. Connor looked up through his hair, throwing him a half-smile surprisingly similar to Zoe’s (they’re related  Evan reminded himself). The tension in Evan’s shoulders released slightly.“Don’t come if you don’t want to, though,” Zoe added quickly. “Or if you can’t, obviously. Zero obligation whatsoever. I even wrote it on the note with the time and everything, just in case you needed a reminder.”Evan looked blankly between the folded paper tucked in his fingers and Zoe’s friendly, encouraging smile. He’d spent so long hoping that she would notice him that now, once she actually did notice him, he had no clue what to do. Evan managed to stutter out his thanks and a hasty ‘good night’ before retreating back into the house and slamming the door behind him. He turned the lock with a firm click and rested his forehead against the cool wood of the door, taking a moment (maybe several; time always passed differently when he was panicking) to steady his racing heart, feeling the way it sped up with each inhale and slowed down with the exhale. Evan stayed like this a while, focusing only on the sound of his breath coming in and out and the faint beating sensation in his chest until he was almost drowsy from the exercise.And with that, Evan went back to his room, delaying only to grab a fork from the kitchen. He flopped onto his bed with a sigh of relief, waking up his laptop with one hand as the other removed the takeout box from its bag.It was usually finger food, something Evan could eat one-handed with ease. Avery, of course, was never so considerate where Evan was concerned, so he’d gotten Evan a very heavily packed sandwich. Not something that can be consumed one-handed. Evan sighed and opened the sandwich to pick out its individual contents. Mostly he ate the barely warm steak fries in the box, but he had some of the lettuce and avocado of the sandwich, as well as a few bites of chicken.He just wasn’t much in a mood for food.Red Mountain Dew, on the other hand, was the exact sickly sweet, no-chewing-required sustenance he needed. Evan sucked on the straw steadily as he scrolled through Tumblr, slipping into a timeless limbo of photos and words and brief glimpses into lives too absurd to be real.Not that Evan knew much about living, but he knew enough to be skeptical of certain anecdotes. Every so often his eyes would stray to the folded piece of paper sitting a few inches away from his laptop. After too many nervous glances to count, he finally gave in and reached over and unfolded it. Ellison Park Summer Jazz Concert Tomorrow, 7pm, Lewis Amphitheater Admission is FREE!!!!! IT’S OKAY IF YOU DON’T COME I SWEAR I WON’T BE UPSET YES, I’M SURE!! -- Zoe ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Ellison Park Summer Jazz Concert Tomorrow, 7 pm, Lewis Amphitheater Admission is FREE!!!!! IT’S OKAY IF YOU DON’T COME I SWEAR I WON’T BE UPSET YES, I’M SURE!! -- Zoe Evan couldn’t help but smile at Zoe’s handwriting. Despite clearly being written somewhat last-minute, her handwriting was still easily legible. Slanted and loopy, perhaps, but much neater than most people could manage in a hurry. Really, the fact that she had thought to handwrite him an invitation at all mattered endlessly more than her handwriting, but he hadn’t processed that yet, so handwriting it was.He had to go. He wanted to go - going was a logical next step for normal people - and she wanted him to go, and nothing was standing in the way of him going. He had to go. He was going to go. He’d just tell his mom about it, and she’d drive him. She was off the next night and liked jazz and the amphitheater. No objections.This was something he could actually do.And he was going to do it. ---Evan did not, in fact, end up asking his mother to take him to the concert. He didn’t even mention it to her.He didn’t have to. She came home around 4 the next day, carrying bags of groceries, talking with Jared’s dad. They were chatting about something or another as they came in, the latter setting bags down on the kitchen counter with practiced ease. Evan was standing at the end of the hallway, feeling much too awkward for someone in their own home with people they had known as long as they could remember.“Hey, Evan,” Kip Kleinman greeted, giving Evan a friendly smile. His inherent friendliness always unsettled Evan. This was Jared’s father, after all; there was no way they hadn’t picked up bits of personality from one another over the years. Evan was always waiting for the day that Kip casually made some rude remark about someone or something that made him flinch. It still hadn’t come. “How are you doing, kiddo?”“Oh, pfft, you know me,” Evan exclaimed, trying way too hard to sound casual, “same old, same old…” he trailed off, chuckling nervously.“Is that teen slang for something?” Kip asked, addressing no one in particular. “Because Jared says the exact same thing and I can’t figure out what that is.”“You don’t know what Jared does during the day,” Evan decided.“Is that all it is?”He shrugged. “He’s not going into detail because he didn’t do anything with details any different from the day before. You know he just plays video games, watches cheesy horror movies, and finds weird cat videos to send me, right? That’s literally all he does.”“Well, that explains it. He’s got a job, you know.”“Really?” Heidi squealed, suddenly excited. “Little Jared has a job?”Kip nodded. “He doesn’t start for another couple weeks - he wasn’t supposed to come home from Michigan this early - but it’s there. His idea, believe it or not.”“Where is it?”“Some place at the mall, I can’t remember. I’d have thought he’d want to work at Best Buy or something, but he proved me wrong. It’s one of those places that sells soaps and the like. Can’t remember the name.”Evan frowned. “Lush?”Kip snapped his fingers. “That’s the one! He told you about it?”“I thought he was joking.”“Nope.”Before Evan could even think to reply, Kip kept on talking.“You know, this is totally off-topic, but I was just telling your mom about a concert in the Lewis Amphitheater tonight over at Ellison. Some of the kids from your school’s jazz band, if I’m not mistaken. Jared is staying in, but I was wondering if one or both of you would like to come along. Some jazz and outdoors sounds nice to me.”Evan nodded, trying to contain his eagerness. There were few things in the world quite so wonderful as not having to ask for something, and Evan had not been looking forward to asking for this, much less explaining his motivation for wanting to go.Heidi smiled. “I thought you might like to go. It’s been so long since you’ve been to the park, and I figured if anything you’d just want to wander around the trails. I don’t expect you to actually care about the concert -”“No, mom,” he interrupted, “I want to go to the concert. The amphitheater is big enough that I’ll be fine.”She looked pleasantly surprised. “Well alright, then. Kip was going to stay for dinner, and then we can all go together from here. Is that okay?”Obviously, Evan didn’t say no. Thankfully, Mr. Kleinman wasn’t much interested in Evan, having established that he’d get no more out of him, and so the time spent preparing dinner was used to ask Heidi how things were going at the hospital, oohing and ahhing at her stories, and chattering away about his day at work. Kip Kleinman was a regional manager for Starbucks, and he certainly had the demeanor of someone who spent their life around coffee. They never ran out of the stuff at the Kleinman house.The time between when Heidi arrived and when they left for the park passed both very quickly and far too slowly. Around 5:30, Evan started checking his watch every eight minutes. By 6:15, he was checking it every four. By 6:25, they were out the door and Evan was in the backseat of his neighbor’s prized vintage Cadillac, swiping through his phone while he ignored the adults in the front seat. Well, with the exception of the times when he listened to see if they were talking about him.At 6:42, they pulled into the parking lot at the park. At 6:48, they arrived at the amphitheater. Evan had spent the past six minutes commiserating his failed exit of the car with himself, and as a result had tripped three times. Thankfully, he’d been walking behind his mother and Kip and was something of a master at pretending pain wasn’t there.The amphitheater was more packed than Evan had thought it would be. There were clusters of teenagers scattered around - generally either up in front or more towards the back - as well as a number of middle-aged and elderly couples. Down on the stage, Zoe and a few other kids were finishing setting up, checking instruments and getting everything in order (Evan wasn’t sure what, exactly, that was; he didn’t know shit about music).Despite knowing he wouldn’t sit near any of them, Evan scanned the groups of teens as he slowly descended the amphitheater steps, trying to identify people out of sheer force of habit. He jumped when he felt something bounce off of his shoulder. Evan looked over his shoulder and saw Connor Murphy standing a few rows below, holding what appeared to be a small handful of pebbles.Evan gave him a puzzled look. Connor shrugged. Still somewhat wary, Evan went down to join him.“Were you going to use those all on me?” he asked, gesturing to the handful of rocks.Connor looked at his open palm as if he had no idea how the pebbles had gotten there. “I, uh, don’t really know what I was going to do with them, to be honest.” His head snapped up suddenly. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”Evan frowned. “You hit me on the shoulder with a pebble from twenty feet. When has that ever hurt anyone?”“I dunno. People seem to be extra fragile around me. Anyway,” he barrelled on, not giving Evan any time to process the previous statement, “my parents are gonna want to keep me in their line of sight,” he pointed down to a couple seated down a few rows, “so if you feel like sitting with me, I’m warning you now.”“From what I remember, your mom’s not so bad,” Evan offered, having forgotten how to say ‘nah, it’s cool’. “Didn’t she always make those giant cookies at holidays in elementary school?”Connor shook his head, starting his way down the steps. “Different ginger housewife. She wasn’t a housewife yet at the time, for starters. Was never big on elementary school holiday celebrations, either. And she can’t bake cookies to save her life.” Connor said the last sentence in a slightly raised voice, meant to draw the attention of his parents as they approached. It worked, as a couple - the woman Evan recognized as Cynthia Murphy and a man who was presumably her husband - looked up at the sound of Connor’s voice and gave him two different looks of displeasure.“I’ve gotten better,” Cynthia argued good-naturedly. “They don’t come out burnt anymore.”“Yeah, I’m still not sure how you managed that when you left them in the oven at the same temperature and for the same amount of time as the rest of us,” her husband added.Cynthia shrugged. “So cookies aren’t my thing. I got a Ph.D. in mathematics, not chemistry.” She turned her eyes to Evan. “Hello again, honey. Evan, isn’t it?”He nodded. “That’s right.”“You two going to be sitting together?” asked Mr. Murphy, looking at Connor.Connor nodded. “Yeah, we’re just going to be a couple rows in front of you. Win-win. Bye.” With that, he went down three rows with ease, his long legs carrying him as if he were on stilts. Evan, though somewhat tall, was not made of legs like Connor was, and had to follow behind him somewhat awkwardly, as he always did. Connor settled in a spot two rows in front of his parents, close enough that they could talk to each other if they wanted to and far enough that they couldn’t hear each other if they wanted to not be heard.“People are pathetic,” Connor laughed. Evan gave him a confused look. He pointed at a group of kids from their school sitting near the front. “See those jackasses? All here to hit on Zoe. I guarantee you that any bunch of kids from school here have at least one person that wants to hit on her. Idiots,” he shook his head, looking almost as if he were sorry for them. “It’ll be great to see it blow up in their faces, though.”“W-well, how do you know that?” Evan asked. “Is she,” his voice caught, “Is she seeing someone or…” he trailed off at the incredulous look Connor gave him.“Zoe dating? Fuck, no. My dad had this strict ‘no dating until 16’ rule, and since Zoe’s birthday last month, guys have been going nuts, but joke’s on them.” He leaned forward and pointed towards the center of the amphitheater seats. “See the blonde pair sitting alone?”Evan nodded. He’d seen them on the way down the stairs. One boy and one girl, sitting together, in the middle of it all but somehow seeming like they were in their own pocket universe. The girl looked frustratingly familiar, but the boy was a stranger. Evan said as much.Connor nodded. “Yeah, that’s Lily Applebaum.”Evan could have smacked himself. Lily Applebaum was the wholesome, all-American girl everyone thought existed only in movies. She had been a cheerleader, star member of the debate team, and was the kind of effortless beauty that had people falling on their faces and choking on air. She had graduated back in June. Despite not being valedictorian, she was popular enough and close enough that they let her give the commencement speech.What she had to do with Zoe, though, Evan had no clue.“Okay, and? Who’s that with her? What does Lily have to do with the guys?”Connor tugged and twisted a lock of his hair. “Well, Miss American Pie is the reason why none of these dumbass boys have a chance in hell with my sister.”Evan was sure his eyes bulged out of their sockets. Connor’s laugh at the look on his face only strengthened that belief.“Man, I wish I had a picture of that,” Connor cackled. “Your face is fucking priceless, man. Seriously, why is it always such a shock to people that my sister likes girls? The best ones are the guys who act like the world is imploding, though. They look so damn confused that I just don’t have the heart to tell them she’s not a lesbian. Not that they’d believe me, but,” he shrugged.“So what, she’s bi?”Connor gave him an impressed look and nodded. “Yep. And crushing on Lily Applebaum, though she’d never admit it in a thousand years.”“So who’s the guy, her boyfriend?”“Nope. Her brother.”“Oh. Oh. ”A half a decade later, there were still rumors going around about Ben Applebaum. Ben was a loner, even by Evan’s standards, and had been mysteriously pulled out of school early one day after a fight at lunch. He’d never come back, and Lily stopped hanging out with friends at her house. Eventually, she’d reported that he was being homeschooled, but offered no further detail. The kids that lived in her neighborhood talked about him like he was some sort of Sasquatch or Loch Ness Monster. ‘At 4:15 pm on Saturday the 3rd I saw Ben Applebaum at the window of his bedroom.’ ‘Maggie said she saw Ben Applebaum leaving the supermarket last Wednesday.’ ‘Every Tuesday at 10 am he goes out and gets the mail.’ The list went on and on. Despite how much he hated the way people talked about Ben (who he remembered as being something like a quieter, nicer version of Jared), Evan was still intrigued by the sight of him out and about. It had been five years, after all. “Yeah, she doesn’t talk to anyone when he’s around. Not much, anyway. There goes Zoe’s opportunity, down the drain before it even existed.” “I didn’t realize that Lily’s-” “She’s not,” Connor interrupted, seeing where Evan was going. “Not even a little. Zoe just likes being around her even though she knows it won’t turn into anything.” “Yeah, I get that,” Evan murmured, looking to the stage, where Zoe walked up to the microphone and gave it a few taps. “Hey, everybody!” she greeted cheerily. “Welcome to the Ellison State Park Summer Jazz Concert. I’m Zoe Murphy, from the Five Pines High School jazz band, and I’m here with some of my band friends. We’re gonna get you started for tonight. Alright, enjoy!” There was a round of applause as she stepped back from the mic and to her spot, where she nodded to the drummer, who started them off. It was a tune Evan had heard before, relaxing at some parts and chaotic at others. The bass didn’t feature much in the first number, but Zoe had a solo in the second. Evan found himself transfixed on the effortless way her fingers went up and down the neck of the instrument as her other hand plucked at strings. Her hands somehow functioned in tandem and as separate entities. Throughout the entire song, her foot would be tapping along to the beat, and occasionally her head would join in. She never stopped smiling. Evan couldn’t find it in him to stop smiling, either. It wasn’t a grin, but a small, warm thing that expressed affection and happiness. For the twenty-eight minutes that Zoe was playing, Evan was at peace. The music, fresh air, and hypnotic movement of Zoe’s hands on her guitar had all quieted his mind. Even when the set was over and the amphitheater broke into applause, he still felt warm. “She’s good, huh?” Evan nearly jumped at Connor’s voice. Not because he’d spoken, but because he had leaned in so close to say it. He felt Connor’s breath ghost along the side of his face and caught a whiff of something earthy and sweet, partially masked by mint. Evan nodded his reply, not entirely trusting himself to speak. Connor didn’t seem to notice. He kept watching his sister. The next group was setting up their instruments, and a small cluster of teenage boys had gathered near the stage, all trying to get Zoe’s attention in one way or another. “Desperate bastards,” he muttered. “Fucking pathetic. I bet they don’t even give a shit about the music.” “I didn’t think you’d care so much,” Evan whispered. Connor snapped his head around to lock eyes with Evan, who had brought his good hand to cover his mouth, absolutely horrified by what he just said. Connor kept his gaze on Evan’s face as he breathed in and out heavily through his nostrils, clearly fighting some sort of emotional battle. His eyebrows twitched, his lip curled, his fingers curled and uncurled a fist. After several moments that seemed to stretch into eternity, Connor let out a loud exhale and dropped his head into his hands. “You and the rest of the world,” he grumbled, voice slightly muffled. “I don’t blame you, though. I’m shit at everything, but I’m especially shitty to Zoe.” He put his head back up and ran a hand through his hair. “Let’s go sit up with my parents. I’m sure they’ll have something weird to talk about.” Evan had barely nodded his agreement when Connor stood up and went back up the way they came, plopping down next to his mother in a matter of seconds. Evan took longer, opting to go to the actual stairs instead of climbing up the stone benches of the amphitheater. No one seemed to mind. “Is your mom here with you, Evan?” asked Cynthia as he sat down next to Connor. He nodded. “Yeah, she’s,” he craned his neck to see where, exactly, his mother was, “right down there with Kip.” “Kip,” Cynthia echoed. “What a nice name. Is that her boyfriend?” Evan snorted. “Definitely not. He’s our neighbor.” “The two aren’t mutually exclusive,” Connor pointed out. “Well yeah, but he’s Jared’s dad.” Connor frowned. “Kleinman?” “Uh-huh.” “His parents are split. Mom lives in Michigan. Everyone knows this. Still not mutually exclusive.” Evan was trying his hardest not to roll his eyes or groan at Connor, if not both. “He’s gay , Connor.” “There it is.” “The handsome ones always are,” Cynthia lamented. Evan laughed. Mr. Murphy frowned. “Thea, are you aware how many times you’ve used that word in reference to me?” “What, gay?” she asked, playing dumb. “No, handsome.” “And after what I said just now you’re equating the two?” “Well, no, but,” he stammered a bit, trying to figure out his argument but coming up with nothing. Connor was gleefully recording all of this. “Don’t worry, Larry,” Cynthia said reassuringly, patting her husband’s face, “I always start by calling you cute.” Connor gagged exaggeratedly. Evan laughed hard enough that he almost missed the vibration of his phone in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he had a text from his mother. Those kids from your school are really talented!!! P.S. if you want to leave early it’s ok with K & I. Evan smiled as he typed out a reply. Thanks but no thanks. I’m great where I am. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It took almost forty minutes for Zoe to politely decline her throngs of admirers and make her way up the amphitheater seating to her family, where her parents gave her hugs and Connor hesitantly held out a fist and warmed slightly when she bumped her knuckles with his.“I’m glad you could make it, Evan,” she said, forcing a gap between the two boys so she could sit (despite knowing there was plenty of room on Evan’s other side). “So, does this even things out?”“You forced Avery to take us to his house, Zoe,” Connor groaned. “Nothing is ever going to even that out.”“You what?” Cynthia demanded, now readily concerned.“Dude, it’s Avery. We didn’t make him do anything,” Zoe reminded her brother, rolling her eyes. “Hey, Con, did you see-”“Lily Applebaum?” he finished, seeing through her poor attempt to change the subject. “Yes, yes I did. Her brother, too.”Zoe’s heart sank. Ben was a sweet guy, but him being around meant Lily wouldn’t be able to talk for more than a few minutes, if at all. Zoe knew she was being selfish, but couldn’t bring herself to care. Lily made her feel like a little kid, desperate for the attention of the idolized big kid, clinging onto anything she could get, no matter how small and dissatisfying it may be.“W-well, at least she came,” Evan offered quietly, probably having seen the pathetic look Zoe was sure she was wearing.Zoe smiled. “Yeah, she did,” she agreed, rocking slightly to the right to bump Evan’s shoulder with hers as a form of thanks, careful not to hit his cast. “No one’s signed,” she noticed, frowning slightly.Evan flushed. “Oh, yeah, that. I, uh,” he tripped over some excuses before giving up and just saying, “I don’t have friends.”“Well, we’re going to fix that,” Zoe decided, patting her pockets before going through her purse. “Aha!” she exclaimed triumphantly, holding up a pair of Sharpies.“I thought you’d have more,” Connor admitted.Zoe shrugged. “Tiny purse. Gotta stick to the essentials.”“Weirdo,” he said, grabbing one of the pens and squatting between Zoe and Evan. He held out his hand expectantly, and Evan gave him his arm without a word. Connor, being Connor, wrote his name in massive capital letters, taking up almost the entire length of the cast. Evan grimaced, but said nothing and thanked him nonetheless.Zoe, cleaning up after her brother as always, drew smiley faces in the ‘O’s of Connor’s name, laughing when her brother gave an exaggerated gasp and complained to Cynthia about vandalism. She wasn’t done there, however, because she drew stars around the entirety of the cast, creating inky constellations as she went along. Zoe could feel the boys watching her, but she didn’t want to know what the look on their faces was. Instead, she focused on keeping Evan’s arm still without hurting him as she worked. When she finished and looked up, Evan’s face was one of a pleasant surprise.“How did you break your arm, anyway?” Zoe asked, capping her Sharpie and slipping it into her bag (and pretending she didn’t know Connor had stolen the last stick of gum she’d had in there.)“Dumbass fell out of a tree,” Connor said, popping a bubble dangerously close to Zoe’s hair.“Connor!” Cynthia scolded.Evan shrugged sheepishly. “Well, he’s not wrong. I did fall out of a tree, and it was pretty dumb.”“Dumb ass,” Connor corrected.“I couldn’t feel my butt when I landed,” Evan deadpanned. “So it was more of a numbass thing.”Connor and Zoe both burst out laughing. Cynthia did her best to smother her giggles (she had a snorting laugh that she hated but her family loved) while Larry failed at looking disapproving. At one point, Connor started choking on the gum, but one firm smack from Zoe had it dislodged and on the ground.“That was the last one, too,” he said mournfully, looking at the squishy pink blob on the concrete, still shining with saliva.“That’s what you get for stealing my gum, asshole,” Zoe said gleefully. “Karma’s a bitch, ain’t she?”Cynthia threw her hands in the air. “You two and your obscenities,” she complained. “This is your side of the family, you know,” she told her husband.“I still say it’s from all the swearing you did while you were pregnant with Zoe,” he replied, the sure sign of a common debate.“And whose fault was that?”“Please be dad please be dad please be dad,” Connor stage-whispered. Zoe rolled her eyes.“Both of you,” Cynthia corrected, tugging lightly on Connor’s earlobe.“Boys,” said an unfamiliar voice. “Aren’t they exhausting? And I say that as someone fond of them.”Zoe turned and saw Evan’s mom and a strange man sitting behind them.“Are you actually Jared Kleinman’s dad?” Connor asked suspiciously.The man grinned cheerily. “That I am,” he affirmed, pulling his wallet from his pocket and handing Connor his driver’s license as proof. Zoe read the name over his shoulder: Kleinman, Kip Abraham.“You got a weird name,” Connor informed him, handing back the card“C’est la vie,” he said with a shrug. “Anyway, I never got your name.”“The Creature from the Black Lagoon,” Connor said, not missing a beat.Zoe shoved him. “At best you’re Cousin It.”“Addams Family isn’t an insult.”“Okay, then, you’re Lurch.”“That’s a low blow.”“He’s the tallest, actually.”Connor gave her the finger.“Oh, you want to be Thing?” she asked, voice dripping with mock sweetness. “Why didn’t you say so?”Connor glared at her, his expression so cold it almost burned. Zoe set her jaw and met it with practiced ease. They stayed like that for a moment before Connor stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at her. Zoe made a noise of mild disgust as she wiped spit off her face.“Okay, I deserved that a little bit,” she admitted with a small laugh. She almost missed the look of relief on her parents’ faces.“So is it Ms. Hansen or Mrs. Hansen?” Connor asked Evan’s mom, having already moved on to the next thing.She waved him off. “Heidi is fine. But if you feel like formalities, Miss will do just fine. Thanks for asking, though.”Connor shrugged. “It’s the least I owe you, right? That’s what Avery made it sound like, anyway.”Heidi tensed slightly and her smile took on a hesitant edge. “Oh, no need to think like that, sweetie,” she reassured, “I was just doing my job. Anyone else in my position would have done the same.”“Yeah, but it was you,” he insisted.She looked very tired now. “Connor, I don’t do my job so people will owe me things. Knowing you’re okay is all I need to be sure I’ve done my job.”“Hell of a good job,” Kip added.Heidi all but rolled her eyes. “Basic first aid. We’ve been over this.”Cynthia was frowning. “I’m sorry, but what, exactly are you referring to? I feel like I’m missing something.” Zoe and Larry nodded in agreement.Connor frowned. “What, Avery didn’t tell you? Ms. Hansen’s the one who caught it when I stopped breathing and started CPR. And then stayed past the end of her shift to be sure I was actually stable that time.”By the time he finished talking, Cynthia was looking at Heidi Hansen in a whole new light. There was a sort of awe in her expression, matched with an almost-reverence and watering eyes. She went up and sat next to Heidi on the row above, pulled her into a hug, and began to sob, whispering "thank you" over and over like a prayer. Zoe was torn between looking away and staying frozen, watching her mom pour out the last of her pent-up fear from that god awful night.Connor was looking at the ground, toeing the lump of gum. Zoe swayed to the left slightly and bumped his shoulder the way she had Evan’s. He pushed back ever so slightly and she leaned her head on his shoulder, ignoring the way his hair was tickling the side of her face.“You’ve got a good mom,” she told Evan, tracing her brother’s name on his cast. “Like, a really, really good mom.”He smiled and nodded, saying ‘I know’ in a voice too quiet to hear over the music. Zoe watched a blonde pair, hand in hand, walking up the amphitheater steps, making for the exit. The world seemed to slow around them as if the universe were moving them at a different speed than everyone else. Zoe watched Lily wistfully but decided against getting up to talk to her.Down near the stage, a group of kids from her school was sitting, talking and texting and paying little attention to the music now that Zoe had gone. Her friends she had performed with were among them. You don’t have to be with them all the time, one of them had said as she made a beeline for the stairs, already having long since pinpointed her family.Zoe had scoffed. “I know that,” she said. “I’m doing this because I want to be with them.”She looked past Connor to her dad, who she knew was wearing that small, warm smile that appeared in moments when it felt like everything was going to be okay. Zoe was sure the look on her face matched it well. “Those guys are dicks,” she announced to no one in particular.Connor laughed dryly. “I was telling Hansen the same thing earlier.”“You said they were pathetic jackasses, not dicks,” Evan corrected.Zoe giggled, head falling forward and off of Connor’s shoulder. “Dude, I like you,” she told Evan, pretending she didn’t see the tops of his ears go pink. “You got a phone?” she asked.He nodded, pulled a generic Android smartphone out of his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to Zoe, already knowing what she was going to ask. She typed in hers and Connor’s cell number (and the home phone) without stopping to consider even one digit. She knew them all by heart. After that, she sent a text to herself and one to Connor before putting the phone to sleep and handing it back to its owner.“In case of anything,” she explained. “Anything at all.”Zoe pulled out her phone from her purse, intending to add Evan’s number to her contacts when she saw that she had more texts than she’d expected.  10 Unread Messages Lily Applebaum: I just saw you!!! Well, B saw you and pointed you out to me. Love the new Docs lol Lily Applebaum: You were so good!!!! Ben wants your set list I think he’s a little really super into it (and so am I!!) Lily Applebaum: Okay Ben has had enough we’re headed home. Sorry we didn’t get to talk!! I’ll FaceTime with u tomorrow and gush all over you then!!!! These made up for everything. Her hopeless crush on Lily lived on. Liz J: Why you always gotta disappear like that??? We got a whole bunch of Starbursts for you…!! Come on back! JP: (no subject) JP: (no subject) JP: You looked goooooo oo od!!! Liz J: Update: Starbursts are gone. Your loss.  These…well, she couldn’t bring herself to care in the moment. She was always tired after concerts, never felt like socializing. Unknown Number: Evan  This was the text Zoe sent herself from Evan’s phone. She added the number to her contacts and sent back a smiley face. Connor: Told u  Zoe snorted, shook her head, and began to type. You: * I* told *YOU* he seemed like a good friend. Keep up :p ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Connor Murphy: You free?Connor Murphy: In like 45 mins? Evan had just gotten back from Jared’s house and did not feel at all like human interaction, but he also didn’t have the energy to lie to Connor. You: Yeah I guess. Why?Connor Murphy: Staples is having their back to school deals and my mom has a membership with them still from when she was a teacher. She’s also obsessed w back 2 school shopping it’s weird afConnor Murphy: Anyway Z and I are being dragged off and I was wondering if you’d wanna come with?Connor Murphy: That’s weird as hell idk I just don’t wanna be alone with them todayConnor Murphy: Mom will be more than willing to pay for shit btw I think she gets off on it a little bitConnor Murphy: Zoe says I’ve weirded you out ok typical me see you around maybe never coolYou: I guess I’ll come.Connor Murphy: oh shit you’re aliveYou: I had to text my mom to ask.Connor Murphy: Oh yeah people ask their parents before they do shit I forgot about thatConnor Murphy: K we’ll be there in a bit later HansenConnor Murphy: Oh and Zoe’s driving. God help us all. Evan had to laugh at that. In the week and a half since the concert, Connor had done little more than complain about Zoe’s driving. She was actually quite a good driver - they both were, according to Zoe - but due to Connor’s drug habits and steady C average, he hadn’t gotten a car for his 16th birthday. Zoe, however, had, and she’d chosen a baby blue classic VW Bug that drove Connor up the walls for an ever-growing list of reasons, many of which Evan suspected Connor was just pulling out of his ass for the sake of complaining. Evan had yet to see the car, but he sincerely hoped it would be another day that he got to see it and that today they would opt for Cynthia’s car, the Prius with the tinted windows. Tinted windows that would keep Jared from seeing who he was hanging out with. He’d gotten enough shit for the concert; this would be something he would never live down.He really needed to work on how much he let Jared’s opinions shape his actions. Zoe’s car pulled up in his driveway soon after, and Evan practically leapt into the backseat of the Bug, desperate to get away before Jared mustered up the energy to make inquiries. The only thing standing in his way was Connor, whose legs were taking up the entirety of the backseat as he lounged against his door.“Um…” Evan pointed to Connor’s feet, perched right on the spot where he intended to sit.“Connor, do you mind?” Zoe asked irritably.“Uh, yeah,” he replied, wearing the rude, lazy tone everyone knew him for at school. “Your car has jack shit for leg room.”“You’re the one that invited me,” Evan reminded.Connor gave him an incredulous look. “The fuck are you talking about?” Cynthia said his name warningly. “No, I’m serious! Dad took my phone and had me cleaning the pool all morning, how the fuck could I have invited him?”“Well, it’s a mystery,” Zoe decided, reaching back and pulling her brother’s legs off the seat. “Come on, Evan.”Evan was mildly concerned for his safety but obliged nonetheless. He needed a way to fill his otherwise empty afternoon, and this was the first opportunity that presented itself, no matter how dubious the invitation.“Zoe,” Connor began as they backed out of the driveway, “did you text Evan from my phone?”She shrugged vaguely. “Mine was dead.”“So you did.”“That’s not what I said.”Evan sighed through his nose. He pulled out his phone, opened his texts, and handed it to Connor. “See for yourself.”Connor read through them. “These are from less than an hour ago,” he muttered to himself. Evan watched his eyes narrow in confusion and then widen in realization. “Nevermind, I did invite you,” he decided, handing Evan back the phone somewhat hastily, “I remember now. I’m just a dumbass.” Evan nodded, not feeling like commenting on anyone’s irregular behavior.His phone buzzed.Jared Kleinman: I saw u dude. U kno ur gonna die in the back of Zoe Murphy’s car rite?? Hes gonna eat uJared Kleinman: wait fuck ur sitting next to him DON’T TELL HIM I SAID THAT I’LL GIVE YOU ANYTHINGYou: Shut up Jared.He never texted back. “Connor, are you sure you don’t want a new backpack?” Cynthia asked as they walked through the store’s automatic sliding door. “You messenger bag is getting awfully worn, don’t you think?”Connor spoke with the air of someone who had given the same explanation far too many times. “It works fine, Mom. Besides, It’s vintage.”“It makes you look like the love child of an emo kid and a Newsie,” Zoe snorted.“Let’s get one thing straight-”“That’s not gonna be easy,” Zoe interrupted with another snort.“Shut the fuck up. Let’s establish this for the last damn time: I am not a fucking Newsie.”“Not anymore, anyway.”“You’re gonna die horribly.”“All death is horrible if you think about it.”“I’ve given up on trying to stop them bickering,” Cynthia said, leaning over to Evan. “As long as they don’t start yelling, there isn’t much harm that can be done, I think. I remember my siblings used to argue all the time, and they get along just fine now.”“You didn’t fight with your siblings?” Evan asked.Cynthia laughed and shook her head. “No, I was too much of a pacifist, desperate to please everyone and not get in anyone’s way.”“Nerd,” the Murphy siblings said together, though in distinctly different tones. Connor’s teasing, Zoe’s stating a fact.Evan tugged on the hem of his shirt. “Further confirmation that I’m a nerd,” he muttered to himself, thinking aloud.Zoe and Connor shared a look, both feeling bad. Which, of course, made Evan feel bad for making them feel bad by feeling bad and -“Blanket term?” Zoe offered. “Besides, it’s not a bad thing, we were just giving her a hard time.”Connor snorted. “Boy, that’s a low-ass bar. Where have you been living the last sixteen years?”“Hey, you said it first. Ooh, there’s the pens! Later, dweebs!” Zoe speed walked away, making a beeline for packs of Sharpies.“I’ll never understand why she likes those pens so much,” Cynthia mused, smiling fondly.“Yeah, me neither,” Connor agreed, “it’s fucking impossible to get high off of them. Where’s the fun in that?”“Connor!”“I thought we just established that I’m the first person to admit that I’m the fucking worst.”Really, Evan had met people much worse than Connor. Or at least people who cared less about other’s feelings. He considered saying as much but opted against it. There was something too heavy about it, something that would tip the scale - and he didn’t want to find out in which direction. Instead, he asked Cynthia if she was sure she wanted to pay for Evan’s stuff, too (not that he could pay for it himself; what little he’d made as an apprentice ranger had all gone to his college fund). She laughed and told him of course she did, as well as that she’d already approved it with Heidi. Evan doubted this, seeing how his mother hated admitting how poor they were, but he let it slide.“So, boys, what all do you need? Notebooks, binders, pens, pencils, highlighters - the usual?”“Flashcards,” Zoe answered, dropping four packs of Sharpies into the cart. “Lots and lots of flashcards. I’m taking the PSAT in a couple months, you know.”“It’s really not as hard as they make it sound,” Evan remarked. “I mean, not for me, anyway, and I’m a nervous wreck, so.” He trailed off, embarrassed about having said something like that.Zoe, however, seemed intrigued. “And the SAT itself? Connor refuses to tell me about it.”“I’ve done enough illegal shit, thank you very much,” her brother informed.Evan shrugged. “I didn’t think it was that hard when I took it, but I only got 1300, so it can be deceiving.”Cynthia chuckled. “Honey, I got in the 1100’s and I have a Ph.D. in mathematics from an Ivy League-adjacent university. You did great.”“You like to talk about that Ph.D. quite a bit for someone who hasn’t used it in what, five years? Six?” Connor pointed out.“It’s an impressive achievement! It takes years and years of dedication to earn a doctorate. It’s my pride and joy.”“What am I, chopped liver?” Zoe inquired, pretending to be offended.Cynthia shrugged. “Come on, let’s get your stuff. I know Zoe needs a new pencil pouch, do either of you boys?”Evan thought of his own pitiful, beaten-up, faded cloth pouch he’d had since eighth grade. It had long since seen better days and the zipper tended to get caught. Wanting a replacement but being reluctant to ask, Evan nodded, as if Cynthia would see him from where he was standing behind her.Connor luckily, could. “Evan says yeah,” he informed.Cynthia listed off a number of other school supplies - many of which Evan needed - and Connor passed on Evan’s confirmation to Cynthia, occasionally throwing in a ‘me, too’, until Evan was comfortable enough to speak for himself. Much of the trip ended up being Connor and Evan walking behind Cynthia, who was pushing the cart, while Zoe went off down the aisles and brought back what they needed in a variety of sizes and colors, then going back to return what they didn’t choose and moving onto the next task. The pencil pouch she got for herself, of course, was decorated with a colorful sky full of stars (galaxy pattern, Zoe had called it) and the one she’d picked out for Evan was a soft blue, like her car or Evan’s favorite shirt. The only thing that warmed him more was when Cynthia remarked on how Zoe was like a golden retriever, eagerly going back and forth, full of energy, ponytail swinging behind her.His parents had a golden retriever who’d passed away shortly before Evan turned five. He couldn’t remember much about her, but he could remember softness, warmth, wet kisses on chubby cheeks, and throwing a tennis ball around the front yard until they both collapsed in the shade, out of breath but full of life. Apparently, when Evan had been a baby, she would grab toys from his room and bring them to him. Similar to what Zoe was doing, she would bring a toy, wait for him to either accept or reject it, then either take the toy back or go straight to grab the next. She would do this often until baby Evan took to grabbing the fur around her collar, asking her to stay instead of getting him another toy. One of Heidi’s favorite pictures - one of the few hanging on the walls in the house - was the dog laying down, her nose touching Evan’s as he held either side of her face and grinned.“Personally, I love goldens,” Evan admitted, watching Zoe come around a corner holding a stack of binders in a variety of colors and sizes.Connor made a noise of either of acknowledgment or agreement - perhaps both - but was cut off by Zoe pressing her small mountain into his arms. He gave her a frustrated glare, which she met with a shrug and a remark about him having the longest arms. His face said that he understood her motives and agreed with her reasoning, but was peeved nonetheless.Zoe looked up and down the stack and frowned. “I’m not sure how many I need. My band binder is fine as is, but both the two-inch binders I got last year are dead.”“Well, what are your classes this year?” Cynthia asked.“Math, chem, Spanish, U.S. history, American lit, band. But I’ve got one binder already, so that leaves 5 subjects.”“You need a notebook for chem, not a binder,” Evan mused, trying to remember what his classes from the previous year had been like. “Spanish could share a binder with English, as long as you had a divider and a lot of loose lined paper. History and math I’d say should get their own just for the amount of notes and worksheets you end up with. Oh, and the, uh, the notebook for chem would be better as a five-subject than a three. I made a three work, but only barely, since I have really small writing, so,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.Zoe nodded. “So three one-inch binders or two one-inch and a two-inch?”“Um, the two-and-one. Er, the one-inch and two-inch. The second one,” Evan fumbled out, confusing himself.Zoe nodded and selected three binders from the stack in Connor’s arms. One red, one purple, and a dark green. Connor gave an exaggerated moan of relief as the third was slid out of the stack, hoisting his load above his head as if some great weight had been lifted. He lowered them after a moment, however, instead opting to lean against a shelf to help distribute the weight. He nodded to Evan, who quickly grabbed four one-inch binders, two in light blue, one in orange, and the last in dark grey.“Stole my color, Hansen,” Connor joked, grabbing a single black two-inch binder from the stack, dropping it into the cart, and handing the now much smaller pile back to Zoe. “Go on,” he said, shooing her away with a push to the air. Zoe stuck her tongue out at him but complied.“Connor, are you sure you just need the one?” Cynthia asked.He nodded. “Yeah, all my shit from last year’s still pretty intact. Didn’t exactly get used much.” Cynthia frowned but said nothing. Most people in school knew this to be true. Connor, despite rarely doing homework or participating in class, managed to skate by on C’s because, by some miracle, he did well on tests, even while visibly stoned (how, exactly, no one was sure). Most of his time in class he spent looking out the window or scribbling on scratch paper. His binders and notebooks were spared a good deal of wear and tear. Especially after getting a month’s reprieve back in the spring….But that wasn’t for Evan to be thinking about. Instead, he grabbed some bulk packs of mechanical pencils and spare graphite. Zoe gave him a mock sad-frown when she returned, having been deprived of a chore, but then remembered something else needed and zoomed away.“How does she have so much energy?” Evan marveled.Connor laughed. “Right? I’m tired just looking at her. I swear she’s part Energizer Bunny or some shit.”“Could just be the golden retriever in her,” Evan suggested.Connor laughed harder this time. “Yeah, there’s definitely some of that. Doesn’t matter that she’s allergic to dogs; she’s part golden retriever.”“Zoe’s allergic to dogs?”“Yep,” Connor replied, popping the ‘p’. “Her and my dad both. Start sneezing like a cartoon character who got a faceful of pepper or dust or whatever. They both have really loud sneezes, too. It’s only funny for about two minutes before the noise gets ya.”“Are you talking about my sneeze?” Zoe asked suspiciously, coming back with a pair of plastic rulers.Connor shrugged vaguely. Zoe looked at Evan. The shrug he gave her was less vague. All Cynthia had to offer was a tired roll of the eyes. Zoe seemed to decide against pressing the issue in favor of dropping her cargo into the cart.“I think that’s everything,” she said, looking through the contents. “Binders, notebooks, loose paper, pens, pencils, highlighters, dividers, staplers, bubble wrap-”“I still don’t understand the need for that,” Cynthia interjected.“Wait ‘til you’re having a bad day,” Zoe replied, a slightly ominous edge to her voice, “then you’ll understand. Anyway, I think we’re all good. Guys, you got everything?”Connor sighed. “Yeah, but they’re out of giant jugs of bleach, so I’ll need to find another way to deal with math class - ow!” he cried out, yelping as Zoe socked him in the arm, clearly with more force than he’d expected. He glared slightly and rubbed the sore spot, but said nothing else.Checkout, of course, was slow-going with such a large load, so Cynthia opted to buy each of the teens a soda and let them wait by the store entrance for her to finish up. They were sitting in silence on a metal bench, three in a row, watching other customers move in and out of their line of sight.“You know who I swear I saw earlier?” asked Zoe. “Alana Beck.”Connor raised an eyebrow at her. “And? That girl is everywhere. Crazy overachiever. Puts the Asian kids to shame.”“Connor, we all go to the same school. We know this.”“I know, I just wanted to see if you had a point.”Zoe shrugged. “She changed her hair. It looks nice. Mostly I hadn’t expected to see her around. A couple of the jazz kids made it sound like they had a pretty big death in the family recently. There’s still two and a half weeks until school starts, you know, so I was just surprised that she was out and about or whatever.”Connor blinked at her. “You led with the thing about her hair.”“It looks nice!”He gave no rebuttal and instead took a gulp of soda and muttered something about Zoe having weird taste in girls. Zoe’s retort was an amused “what the hell would you know?” that piqued a corner of Evan’s curiosity ever so slightly.“I have eyes,” Connor offered.“So do blind people,” Zoe reminded.“Not all of them,” Evan added, remembering some of his mom’s stranger hospital stories.“Alright, touché.”They lapsed back into silence from there, sipping at sodas and people-watching some more. At one point, Alana Beck did, in fact, come into view, and Zoe nudged both the boys, eager to prove her earlier point. She had changed her hair, and Evan could see why Zoe chose to point it out. Alana had gone to a different elementary school and transferred to their middle school in seventh grade, where boys and girls alike delighted equally in messing with the mass of natural curls that she kept meticulously. Eventually, she got so fed up with both the kids and the administration’s apathy that she started straightening her hair and keeping it braided or in a bun. The few times she tried a ponytail, it was pulled on and mocked. One boy had even spat gum in it, and had it not been for Jared’s proximity and childhood love of Encyclopedia Brown, she likely would have lost much more hair than she did. The rest of the school day she held her head high and stayed composed despite the torn strands and the occasionally overwhelming smell of peanut butter.From that day on, Jared and Alana had a silent rapport. She came off as the perfect, driven, model student, but struggled as much as anyone. More than once, Jared had put down his video game controller during a game with Evan in order to help her with her homework. When Evan had pointed it out, Jared had made a comment about how she talked less when she was calm, but Evan doubted that to be the full truth. For some reason, neither of them ever chose to admit to their hesitant friendship, instead choosing to use terms like ‘classmate’ or ‘acquaintance’ in reference to one another. The reasoning still escaped Evan.The new hair was nice, though. It was either braids or twists - Evan couldn’t tell from a distance - that hung down most of the length of her back and shone raven in the harsh lights of the store. It wasn’t meticulous curls, nor was it a monotone french braid, but something in between. It suited her quite well. Evan told Zoe that he agreed with her, and it earned him a bright smile.Connor gave a small whoop as Cynthia approached with a full cart and led the way back to the car, clearly eager to leave - a sentiment Evan understood. The ride back to Evan’s house consisted of he and Connor rummaging through the contents of the bags and sorting them based on whom they belonged to. The last item was dropped into the bag of Zoe’s stuff right as the Bug pulled up in Evan’s driveway. Zoe made a remark about perfect timing, looking for a compliment on her driving skills, which Cynthia provided while Connor rolled his eyes.Evan’s goodbye and exit from the car were less than graceful, but he managed to thank everyone without stammering too much and didn’t trip and land flat on his ass as he went between the car and his front door, so it was all a win as far as he was concerned. He even remembered to turn and give the Murphys one last grateful wave after he unlocked the front door and before going inside.Once behind a locked door, Evan kicked off his shoes, dropped the bags on the floor, went straight into his bedroom, and would have fallen face-first onto his bed had it not been for his bad arm. Instead, he arranged himself comfortably on his front with his face buried in the pillow and fell asleep within minutes. It had been a long day. A good day, but a long one nonetheless, and far too full of people.The two and a half weeks until school started back up suddenly seemed like much too little. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Buzz A tired hand reached blindly for the source of the sound. It was a text, of course. The message was displayed on the screen, even while the phone was locked.J: First day, right?A sigh.You: yaYou: youre fuckin lucky i got my phone back last night otherwise i’d get interrogated about who was texting me first thing int he monringJ: lmao you really are still waking upYou: fuck offJ: Have a good day, sunshine!You: fuck noYou: well at least my mom wasn’t the first one to say that to me todayJ: See? Positive thinking!!You: I hope you dieJ: Well it’s an uphill battle.Connor didn’t bother replying. He didn’t have anything to say to that. He didn’t have anything to say to positive thinking or having a good fucking day at school. There was no such thing as a good day of school; it was seven hours of regiment and rigidity and everyone breathing down each other’s throats. The first day was always the worst, though. All the groups of friends were extra tight, the conversations extra loud and buzzing with so much more energy than usual. Just the thought of walking past cluster after cluster of cheery people was giving him a headache. Fuck, where had he left those painkillers? They were going to be needed.He heard the blaring of an alarm clock through the wall. It screamed four times before shutting off, and then there was a loud thump on the wall Connor shared with Zoe. She’d gone back to chucking tennis balls, by the sound of it. Connor’s head was already pounding too much to talk, so he rummaged around in his nightstand and found a tennis ball (she’d probably planted it there). Halfheartedly, he threw it at the wall, groaning slightly when it ricocheted and hit him in the leg.There was a tap on his bedroom door, followed by his mom poking her head in. “Connor, you up?” she asked gently.He grunted. His headache was getting worse.“He tossed the ball,” said Zoe’s voice. From the sound of it, she was at least partially in the hallway.Connor just wanted to burrow back into his blankets and stay huddled until the throbbing in his skull went away. His mother, however, had just been informed that he’d already done something, so that wasn’t going to be happening anytime soon. Still, Connor pulled the blankets over his head and pretended he’d be able to get some more sleep if he wanted it badly enough.Wanting it just made his headache worse.“Connor, I know you’re awake, sweetie,” his mom said gently, poking her head through the door.“Fuck off,” he mumbled, head pounding too hard to speak any louder. “I’m not going.”He could imagine the grimace that crossed her face. “Connor, you know that can’t happen. It’s important that you go to school.”“Nope.”He felt a dip in the mattress as she sat next to him on the bed. “Connor,” she urged, rubbing his back, “I get that this is unpleasant, but you have to.”“It’s hell,” Connor spat, wincing as Cynthia pulled the blanket away from his face, bringing in light his headache really didn’t need. “I’m not subjecting myself to it.”Cynthia sighed heavily and stood up. Too late, Connor realized why she had stood up and grabbed at his sheets right as she yanked them off the bed. He was left on a bare bed, glaring, hair mussed, and head pounding like kettle drums. “Connor,” she began, much harsher than before, “get up.”He obeyed, but threw her the coldest glare he could muster as he did. His feet hit the ground without a sound and he stood up, his expression sarcastically seeking her approval. “I’m up.”“I can see that.”“I’m not going.”“Nonnegotiable.”“I’m going tomorrow.”“Should’ve told me that yesterday. Wouldn't have had a problem with it.”Connor growled and rubbed his forehead, pushing away hair to do so. Arguing was making his head throb even worse than it already had been.“Honestly, sweetie, would it kill to brush your hair?”He shrugged. “I dunno. But hey, if you get out, I might do this magic trick where I change clothes.”Cynthia huffed but complied, closing the bedroom door gently behind her. The second it clicked shut, Connor was across his room, digging through the drawers of his dresser. He pulled out a shirt and pants and tossed them in the direction of the bed before reaching down deep into the bottom of an overstuffed drawer and rooting around until his fingers felt plastic. Connor would have cried with relief, had he thought himself still capable of crying. Prescription painkillers, pills he’d bought off a kid who snuck them out of the trash when his mom threw them out. Connor didn’t take them often - he liked a different kind of high - but still valued them and made sure to keep them hidden. It had been sheer dumb luck that his parents hadn’t found them when they tossed his room after his semi-fatal overdose two months previously.He had six pills left. They were strong drugs, meant to treat serious pain and to be taken one at a time. Connor took two; it was going to be a long day.The rest of his routine was a monotonous blur. Put on clothes, haphazardly do something adjacent to arranging hair, brush teeth, drop backpack and jacket by the front door, put on shoes, go to the dining room for breakfast. Even with a pounding head and slow going, Connor still made it to the table before either his father or his sister. He sighed and ate his cereal slowly, cringing at both the echoing sound of chewing and the feel of cereal he had chewed but did not want to swallow in his mouth. He managed it, gagging slightly as the food slid down his throat. Connor felt like he would rather have his stomach pumped again before eat another bite of cereal, but the growling in his gut said otherwise. He took smaller bites and didn’t let them get so mushy in his mouth.Zoe, as per usual, came down with her nose stuck in a book. She poured way too much cereal and not enough milk into her bowl - she always ended up needing to add more milk to finish - and munched absently as she read. Larry was much the same, but instead of reading, he was checking emails, and where Zoe used too much cereal, he used too much milk.“Back to school,” Cynthia said in singsong. “Aren’t we all excited?”Zoe shrugged. Larry made a vague noise. Connor ate the last of his cereal. His mom repeated the question to him as she cleared his plate. He reminded her that he wasn’t going that day. She sighed through her nose and handed him his morning meds, which he tossed back with the last of the milk, just to see who noticed first.“It’s your senior year, Connor! You are not missing the first day!”He threw his hands up in frustration. “I already said I’d go tomorrow. I’m trying to find a compromise here.”Cynthia turned to her husband. “Are you going to get involved here or are you too busy on your email, Larry?” she asked sharply, edged with frustration and that annoyed sort of exhaustion.Larry looked up and gave Connor a stern look. “You have to go to school, Connor,” he said, doing little more than stating a fact in a vaguely authoritative tone.Connor would have laughed, had it not been for a shrill “That’s all you’re going to say?” from Cynthia.Larry gave her a helpless shrug. “What do you want me to say? He doesn’t listen.” Connor clenched his jaw. Great, Larry was back to referring to him as if he wasn’t there. “Look at him; he’s not listening. He’s probably high.”“He’s definitely high,” Zoe agreed, talking around a mouthful of cereal.“Fuck you!” Connor yelled, lowering his head onto the table. His head was still pounding and his stomach was churning and his heart was racing and god did he wish the earth would swallow him whole.“Fuck you!” Zoe spat back.“I don’t need you picking at your brother right now,” Cynthia admonished. “That’s not constructive.”Zoe’s tone was a mixture of incredulousness and anger. “Are you kidding?”“Besides, he’s not high.”Connor could feel his mother’s eyes on him expectantly. He raised his head and turned it towards her, but he couldn’t find any words. He wasn’t high, not really, seeing as the painkillers had yet to kick in, but he’d taken the pills to begin with, so he wasn’t exactly clean, either. His head was pounding worse than any hangover he’d had, too. There just wasn’t a word for this limbo he found himself in.Cynthia took this silence as him telling her that he was, in fact, high. She sighed raggedly. “I don’t want you going to school high, Connor. We’ve talked about this.”They had, months previously, when getting him off drugs had been his parents’ only priority regarding him. Now the goal was to make him feel ‘comfortable’ and ‘accepted’ and some other bullshit self-esteem-related things. As far as drugs went, they’d managed to cut off most of his supply, but he still managed to get pot on the regular, and they couldn’t stop him if they couldn’t find it.“Perfect,” Connor sighed, standing up. “So then I won’t go. Thanks, Mom!”He left the dining room for the living room, where he flopped onto a couch and tried to soothe his throbbing head by pretending that falling asleep was an option. From the other room, he could hear his family’s activity still. His father complaining about traffic, Zoe discovering the missing milk, his mother pacing helplessly in the way she did when she was frustrated.When he heard Zoe say she’d be leaving without Connor if he wasn’t ready, he seriously considered just staying there on the couch, but some better (or maybe it was worse) part of him managed to get him off and walking towards the door. He was shrugging on his jacket as Zoe approached, looking mildly surprised to see him. Connor flipped her the bird with one hand as the other picked up his bag on the floor. She scoffed and returned the gesture before opening the front door and stomping out to her car. Connor followed, giving her space but not straying too far behind.The Bug had a surprising amount of legroom - a fact Connor was eternally grateful for - and allowed him to sit comfortably in the front, even if Zoe wasn’t feeling particularly fondly of him.“For someone who hates waking up, you sure know how to get an early start,” she muttered darkly, putting the car in reverse and backing out of the driveway.Connor leaned his still-aching forehead against the cool glass of the window. He didn’t say anything to her. Better let her think he’s being the same old stoner brother and not some weirdo getting a migraine from the thought of being around people and noise in an enclosed area.“You don’t smell like pot, though,” she commented, slightly less aggressive than before. “Makes me wonder what it is you took.”“I don’t ever smell like pot,” he scoffed.“You may have figured out dad’s trick for covering up the smell of cigarettes, but you don’t execute it as well as he does,” Zoe informed, clearly feeling quite good about pointing out Connor’s shortcomings.“Mom never comments.”“Is that all that matters to you?” she snapped. “Whether or not you get caught?”Connor made a vague noise. The sudden rise in the pitch and volume of Zoe’s voice had not helped his situation in the slightest.“You were better,” she whispered. Connor turned and looked at her, really looked at her for the first time in days. She looked tired. She looked hurt, like someone had just punched her in the gut. Connor knew that look too well on his baby sister. In fact, it was seared into his brain. “You were so much better.”He laughed hollowly. She said it as if he wasn’t aware of what he was. “Remember there that one Greek myth about the dude that was forced to push a boulder up a hill for all of eternity?”“Sisyphus,” she said sadly. If she was anything like Connor in that moment, she was thinking back to when they were little kids, grabbing every book on ancient mythology in sight just because it was such great material for their games of make-believe. “As punishment for his crimes in life was to push a boulder up a hill in the Underworld in death. Every time he made it to the top of the hill, the boulder would roll back down to the bottom and he’d have to start over. And the boulder’s so heavy that he doesn’t always make it to the top, but the result is always the same: back to pushing.” She spared a curious glance at the side of his face. “Is that what you think you are? Doomed to an endless uphill climb?”Connor shrugged. “I certainly seem to follow a pattern. How much effort is really involved on my part is a different question.”They rode the rest of the way in silence, Zoe focusing on the road and Connor leaning his head against the window with his eyes closed. The meds were starting to kick in, which made his head go from pounding to fuzzy, and in said fuzzy state, he wasn’t able to decide which was worse. It wasn’t until they reached school and he stepped out of the car that he decided that fuzzy was much, much better.Summer was on its last leg, and the air was just cool enough that stepping out of the car and into the morning sun felt like being born again. The pounding in his head was gone and for once the world wasn’t cruel. It wasn’t great, either, but it wasn’t cruel. And really, that was all he needed to convince his brain to get him walking across the parking lot and towards the school gates. The fuzzy feeling didn’t last as long as Connor would have liked. The pounding in his head was gone, but the actions of others twisted his gut. Looks they thought he couldn’t see, eyes and bodies skittering away as he walked past, whispers about where he’d been and what he’d done. A few people tried to greet him or make small talk. Very few of the attempts were sincere. Every look, every failed interaction, every deliberate move away from his existence made his stomach pull a little tighter and tighter until it started to burn. The burn spread from his stomach to his chest, sending needle-like pricks of heat across his skin, making him itch and fidget. Oh, how he wanted so badly to pace or scream or throw something or just submerge himself in ice water until it all went away and - “Hey, Connor!”The voice was friendly, but not in any way genuine. Connor knew this for a fact - he’d heard this voice - this tone - far too many times. Still, for reasons he couldn’t understand, he stopped and looked towards the voice. Jared Kleinman, of course. Jared Kleinman, whose neighbor he’d been intentionally neglecting for a week, who had no qualms about hurling insults like they were poison he needed to drain from his system, who had a somewhat private personal detail that Connor could easily use against him if he so pleased.But he wouldn’t. Even by Connor’s standards, it would be wrong. Far, far too wrong.That being said, there was nothing wrong with Kip Kleinman, only the way others perceived that single piece of him. Connor didn’t see his being gay negatively, so he wasn’t going to treat it as a negative part of anyone. He certainly wasn’t going to advertise it with malicious intent.Jared, on the other hand, was a part of his father that Connor would have delighted in ripping to shreds for the world to see. Not because of the way he talked about quite frankly everyone, but because of the way he was so fake. Connor had spent years suspecting the asshole persona had been an act, but that day at the gas station when he’d seen the doomed interaction between Jared and Evan, everything had been confirmed to him.Still, despite all that went down at the gas station, Kleinman Jr. still felt the need to take another jab at Connor’s hair, this time upgrading from hopeless stoner to teenage terrorist in his description of Connor. Connor knew he looked like a cliche, but still, he gave Jared a withering glare, silently asking him what gave him the right to say that. A joke, Jared said. Connor said he was laughing (he wasn’t). Jared said he was a freak (he probably was) and walked away.His vision was blurry, his skin was prickling, and the goddamn word was echoing around in his skull. Freak freak freak freak freakfreakfreakfreakfreakfreak- Heh. A small sound. Barely audible, barely uttered, barely holding meaning. But just enough meaning to make Connor see red. He pushed past, spitting back the evil word, knocking the sound to the linoleum floor of the hall and stomping away until he found somewhere to be alone and breathe.If someone were to ask him any details about the person he pushed, he wouldn’t be able to summon any whatsoever. They were a being, nothing else. Just a blob of vague color and little sound. Still, he felt guilty for pushing a stranger for what probably wasn’t even a laugh. It wasn’t like he knew who to look for to apologize to, though.By the time he recollected himself, it was almost half an hour after the start of last period. He couldn’t exactly just walk right in. So, of course, like any sensible teenager, Connor pulled out his phone as a way to pass the time.Zoe: wtf is wrong with youZoe: do you seriously resent ppl who see the good in you that much??Zoe: you’re so lucky he didn’t land on his cast oh my godZoe: tell me where you areThe last message was from five minutes previously. He replied honestly. She was there within another five. By then, he’d been able to figure out who it was he pushed.“Would you believe me if I said I didn’t know it was him?” he asked quietly, picking at the paint on his nails.Zoe snorted. “Not fucking likely. What did he even do, Connor? Evan isn’t capable of saying anything impolite, much less do something that would warrant shoving-”“I know, I know, I know,” Connor assured, tugging at his hair. “I was just...I’d had enough, Zo. Everything was just too much, and then there was that last straw - one I’m not even sure really happened at this point - and I fell apart. I was angry and I hurt the one person who doesn’t hate me because I’m that big of a dick, is that what you wanna hear? That I’m making a point to try and get suspended on my first day back? That I want to go back to-” his voice faltered, not wanting to say the next word, not even wanting to think it. He shuddered at the memory.By now, Zoe’s face had gone from one of anger to concern. She extended her hand towards him. He took it, but only gave it a brief squeeze before letting go. He didn’t meet Zoe’s eyes, but saw her nod slowly in his periphery.“Connor…” she began, clearly not wanting to say what she was about to, “I think you should tell me what you took.”He laughed hollowly. “I don’t even fucking know the name. Some super-strength migraine shit. If you’re gonna rat me out, the bottle’s in my dresser. I’ve only got a few left.”“How many did you take?”“Two. I’ve been using it up pretty slowly ‘til now.”Zoe breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay. I’m gonna text Avery before I text Mom.”Avery was technically an ER nurse, but a very specific kind. He was there to talk and interact with people who were in due to mental health issues. Nervous breakdowns, psychotic episodes, suicide attempts, the works. When not on duty at the ER, Avery worked in the adolescent ward at the local mental hospital/unofficial teen rehab center. After Connor’s overdose at the beginning of the summer, Avery had taken something of a special interest in his well-being. He recommended therapists, gave insights on meds that the psychiatrist didn’t or couldn’t (mostly regarding side effects), and, more than anything, helped to defuse situations before they got anywhere near exploding. He hadn’t led Connor and Zoe to Evan’s house that day because they’d made him; he’d done it because he saw a good opportunity for both boys.Up until less than an hour previously, it had been going pretty well.“Better yet, I’m gonna wait and see what he says before I tell Mom anything,” Zoe decided. “Will she kill me? Probably.” She typed out a text hurriedly and sent it, then checked the time on her phone. “Okay, I need to get back to class. You good in here alone?” she asked, putting a hand on her brother’s knee. Connor nodded. “Promise?” He covered her hand with his and nodded again. “Alright, I’m trusting you here. Don’t make me wrong.”“Fuck you,” he murmured halfheartedly.Zoe smiled. “Yeah, I know. Avery might call or text you, so be ready for that. I think you should apologize to Evan, too. Not right now, obviously, but maybe before the end of the day.” She hesitated. “And probably in person.”Connor winced, but nodded. She was right, of course. She always was with things like this.Zoe gave him a brief hug - an awkward, one-armed, unreciprocated thing - before leaving him alone again. Connor slid to the floor and sat cross-legged, picking at his nail polish. That was only entertaining for a few minutes, and so he moved on to his phone. One new message, the screen informed him. He opened the text, assuming it was Avery looking to make him talk through his shitty, shitty day.It wasn’t.EH: I’m really, really sorry about what happened. I hope you can forgive me.Connor slammed his phone facedown on the floor, wanting to get as far from the message as he could. The words were right, but the sender was not. Don’t you dare, Connor wanted to say. Don’t you dare blame yourself for me being terrible.But he couldn’t. Not yet, anyway. He looked up at the clock mounted on the wall of the computer lab. Fifteen minutes until school was over. Fifteen minutes until he had to go find Evan. Fifteen minutes until he found out exactly how painfully good Evan Hansen was.Connor didn’t want them to end. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be a good day, and here’s why. You’ve just gotten through the first day of your senior year, which means there are only 179 days left until you’re done with high school. Well, as long as you don’t count weekends and holidays because that’s a lot farther away than 179 days. Although maybe it’s good that it’s not just 179 days straight because then there’d be no days off and you’d explode from the stress of being around people all the time and maybe that’d be just better than this crappy, crappy day over and over and over again. It didn’t feel like a good day. I didn’t freak out any more than usual (though how messed up is it that I have a usual???) and it all went smoothly aside from the hall issue. God, why did I have to do that? I didn’t even mean to do it and now...did I ruin the closest thing to a friendship I’ve had in years? I figured something was up last week, but I wasn’t sure if it was him or me and now I think it’s definitely me. I shouldn’t have mentioned Mia, I should have stayed far away from personal topics. Did he think I was using him because it got me closer to Zoe? Zoe. God, I wish I could just let go of Zoe. I don’t know her, and she doesn’t want to know me, but still, so much of my hope is pinned on her. I spent so much time wondering what would happen if she saw me for once, and then she did and now I’m so confused and asking myself why did it take trying to die to get me close to her? Especially when it only lasted two minutes. She acted like she cared back there in the hall but it wasn’t really about me, was it? I’m just going to end up going through this year like I do every other, aren’t I? I’m just going to live in the background and do nothing but be no one and nobody will notice or care if I’m just gone. I certainly wouldn’t.   Sincerely, your best and dearest friend, Me. Evan did not mean to press print with the letter so negatively phrased, but he did. With a frustrated sigh, he got up and went over to the printer to grab the letter before anyone saw it. Well, one of the printers. There were three in the computer lab and it was always a bit of a toss-up as to where a document got sent. Because the universe was cruel, his letter was at the last printer he looked at, which was also the only one with a person standing next to it.Safe to say, he was too late.“Dear Evan Hansen,” a familiar voice recited. “Hey, that’s a good idea,” Connor said, handing Evan the paper with a friendly look. “Sending a letter instead of something as thoughtless as a text.” Evan winced. Connor’s face fell. “Shit. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Okay, I did, but I wasn’t talking about you. Well, that’s a lie, too, but,” Connor waved his hands in front of his face as if the movement would wipe away all he’d just said. “Let me start over.”Evan agreed that he wasn’t stopping him from doing so.“Yeah, much appreciated,” Connor replied in his standard dry, sarcastic tone. “Damn, do I always sound like an asshole when I talk? You know what, nevermind that for now.” He took a deep breath. “Look...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take my anger out on you. You didn’t do anything wrong. And it wasn’t personal, either. I would’ve pushed over anyone in that moment.” Connor ran a hand over his face. “This isn’t making anything any better. Man, I’m fucked up. Look, I get it if you never want to talk to me again after this - I wouldn’t want to talk to me, either - but if it makes any difference, I would take it back if I could. I don’t hate you in the slightest, Evan, and I’m sorry if I made you feel that way.”For several beats Evan just stood there, blinking at Connor, who looked very much like he wanted to run away. “I never know what to say when Jared’s around,” he blurted, finally finding the words. “It was awkward and tense and I was nervous, so I’m sorry if it sounded like I was laughing at you, but know I wouldn’t do that because it is the last thing either of us needs.”Connor gaped at him for a moment before speaking again. “It almost sounds like you’re trying to pin this all on Kleinman.”Both boys stared at each other dumbly for several beats before chuckling and then laughing. It wasn’t nervous laughter, but it wasn’t exactly amused, either. Somehow, both recognized the absurdity of the situation they were in and found it in them to laugh at themselves, though perhaps under the guise of someone else. Regardless, it worked, and neither was quite as apprehensive as he had been before.Evan checked the time on his phone. “Oh, I have to go or I’ll miss the bus.” There was a distinct distaste in the way he said it. Connor could tell that Evan neither wanted to go where he was going nor did he want to take the bus to get there. For a moment - somehow already a force of habit - Connor considered offering Evan a ride to wherever he was going. Ultimately, he decided against it, and the two of them said their goodbyes, Evan hastily folding up his letter and shoving it in his jeans as he hurried out.Connor’s eyes lingered on Evan’s back pocket until he turned out of view. Not moving his eyes, he reached into his own and pulled out his phone, feeling not particularly guilty. He hadn’t read the whole thing, but he’d managed to grab a few photos, and hopefully none of them too blurry. He’d seen enough while it was on the printer to know that the letter, whatever its purpose may be, concerned him. “Did I ruin the closest thing to a friendship I’ve had in years?” “Did he think I was using him because it got me closer to Zoe?” “I’m just going to live in the background and do nothing but be no one and nobody will notice or care if I’m just gone. I certainly wouldn’t.” He stood in the center of the room, staring at the words over and over as if somehow they would change. This was how he was when Zoe found him, standing helplessly, unsure of how to go forward.“I made a friend,” Evan blurted, not even giving Doctor Sherman the chance to speak. The raised eyebrow he received was asking him to keep talking, so he did. Occasionally tripping over his words or stammering for a few seconds while his brain caught back up with his tongue, but speaking nonetheless. Talking about the gas station, the way they showed up at his door with Avery, the concert, the back-to-school shopping trip, the texting back and forth that had come to a screeching halt when Evan had made a poor choice at 2 a.m.“You’ve had quite the social life,” commented the psychiatrist, giving Evan an encouraging smile as he finished his story. “I’m impressed. Still, I feel like there’s a piece of the story that I’m missing. Today was the first day of school, after all. Certainly at least one of the Murphys was there?”Evan nodded and did his best to summarize the incident in the hall. Doctor Sherman frowned at the part where Connor shoved Evan to the ground but allowed him to finish the story.Doctor Sherman cleared his throat. “This, ah…” he searched for the word, “slip-up that you say you had while texting Connor. It was a personal topic, I assume.” Evan nodded. “Did you mention your aunt at all? What was her name again? Maya? Maria?”“Mia,” Evan corrected, voice wavering slightly. For someone who had died long before he was born, Mia sure knew how to make an impact on Evan’s life. “H-how did you know?” he asked, feeling the lump in his throat growing, slowly forcing him to choose between breathing and speaking.“Educated guess. I’ll tell you next time, so long as you remind me. I know how much of a touchy subject it is for you, and you’ve clearly already had an exhausting day.” Evan didn’t even try to deny it; his day had been horrible and draining and all he wanted to do was sleep. Sensing this, Doctor Sherman let Evan go a few minutes early, saying, “I think you and the Murphys are going to be fine,” in place of a goodbye.Evan turned on his phone at the bus stop and shoved it back in his pocket as he searched around in his backpack for his headphones. He jumped when his phone began to buzz repeatedly. Evan pulled it back out, wondering if he was getting a call. As it turned out, it was just numerous texts. He wasn’t used to that. Mom: Hope appt went well. Love you!!!Zoe: Glad to hear you worked things out with Connor :)Zoe: You *did* work things out, right?Zoe: If he lied to me I’m gonna have to beat his ass with my guitar.Connor: Is my sister insane or is it just me?Connor: Ah nvm. She is insane. It’s my fault, but I’m not the only one that can see it.Zoe: I knew Avery was cute but when did he get hot????Connor: Holy FUCK Avery has a BEARDZoe: Shit wrong personConnor: Shit wrong personConnor: Please tell Zoe we’re cool she’s holding her guitar maliciouslyZoe: Oh nvm he’s been texting you okay awesome talk later! Evan chuckled as he looked through the texts. He put on his headphones (the most surefire way to keep people from talking to him) before replying. To Heidi-You: Went fine. Waiting at the bus stop now. To Zoe-You: Yeah, I’m pretty sure C and I are at least ok. To Connor-You: You alive? The reply was immediate. Connor: Yep.You: That’s all I needed to know.Connor: Wouldn’t that have been more of a question for Zoe?You: Probably. Too late now. And, lastly, to Avery-You: The Murphys like your new look. Zoe: EVAN Connor: HANSENYou: What?Connor: Zoe is so red omfgConnor: (no subject)Connor: Her embarrassed face is the best istg just look at this shit Evan laughed but didn’t reply. He considered sending the photo on to Zoe, but she had probably seen it already. Besides, the bus pulled up right as the last text from Connor came. He was too caught up in the stress of feeding his crumpled dollar bill into the machine without holding up the line and finding an unoccupied seat away from the questionable people without making any eye contact whatsoever. Once he was in his seat, his headphones were in his ears and music was playing, so Evan simply leaned against the bus window, watching absently as the scenery passed by. Had he not been so terrified of missing his stop, Evan may have even nodded off a bit.But he was terrified, so he didn’t. In fact, not an ounce of tension drained from his body until he was off the bus and inside his house, dropping his backpack to the floor and curling up on the couch. This time, he did doze off and slept peacefully for over two hours before he was woken up by a persistent buzzing in his pants, accompanied by loud, generic guitar music.Evan was still shaking off sleep when he answered the call, so what was meant to be a ‘Hello?’ ended up as more of an indistinct muttering.“Evan?” was the mildly concerned reply. It took him a moment to place the voice.“Oh, yeah. Yeah, it’s me, mister Kleinman,” he assured hurriedly, sitting up to try and wake himself up more.“I was just checking in for your mom, kiddo. She said you haven’t been answering any of her texts and wanted to make sure you’re home safe. If you wouldn’t mind just flickering the lights in the kitchen a few times so I know you’re home, that’d be all I need.”Evan nodded, then remembered that Kip couldn’t see him. “Yeah, yeah. I was sleeping, sorry. Give me a sec.”Rubbing sleep from his eyes, Evan got off the couch and walked into the kitchen. The Kleinman’s dining room window looked in on the Hansen’s kitchen, and Evan could see the outline of a male form in the opposite window. Like Kip asked, he flickered the lights a few times before his neighbor was satisfied and hung up, leaving Evan alone once more. He looked down at his cell, seeing that he had seven texts from his mom, four from Jared, two from Kip, three from the both Murphy siblings respectively, another two from Avery, and one from a number Evan could have sworn he had long since blocked.22 texts in all. Evan was overwhelmed just looking at the number without reading the messages. Still, he was there and had nothing better to do, so he opened them. The seven from his mother were as he'd expected: asking if he got home already, if he was okay, if he wasn’t okay, why he hadn’t responded to her texts yet, and so on. Kip’s texts were expressing concern on behalf of his mother, and Jared’s were expressing confusion on his father’s concern on Heidi’s behalf. Zoe’s messages were all photos of Avery (who did, admittedly, look amazing with a beard), Connor’s were all unflattering selfies with Zoe and Avery that had clearly been taken by the former (given how Connor was in the corner scowling), and Avery’s were thanking Evan for putting up with the Murphy siblings and giving the head-up on his new look.Evan deleted the thread of the single message without bothering to read it. He didn’t want it, he didn’t need it, he wasn’t going to do it. The sender wouldn’t even read a reply if Evan even cared to send one. No, instead he shot off a message to his mom explaining that he’d fallen asleep but checked in with Kip.After finishing up with far more texting than he was used to, Evan trudged back to the couch and lay back down. The few minutes he’d spent up had chased away his sleep, but he was too tired to go all the way to his room to get his laptop. Netflix it was. He pulled up some mid-2000’s sitcom that had been funny to him in middle school but had now lost most of its luster. Still, he watched it with vague interest, smiling at some of the better jokes, rolling his eyes at his least favorite character (honestly, why was that guy the protagonist?), and bobbing his head along to the cheery theme song. Evan made it through six episodes before switching to cable while he went and nuked the Trader Joe’s dumplings his mother had mentioned that morning. The instructions on the bag said they were best prepared on a stove, but Evan had one hand and not enough energy.While the dumplings were in the microwave, Evan grabbed his laptop and phone charger from his room and brought them into the living room. Once his food was done, he had a Millennial's dream setup: TV on, laptop on one side, phone on the other, greasy dinner in lap, and all but sinking into a couch. Evan munched slowly on the dumplings as he scrolled through the list of scholarship essay contests his mom had sent him, Star Trek reruns playing in the background. He stayed like this for several hours before turning off the TV, putting his dishes in the sink, bringing his phone and computer back into his room, and going to take a shower. The warm water made him so drowsy that he almost forgot to brush his teeth, much less take his meds. Lucky for him, Heidi had long since taped a reminder to the bathroom mirror.Evan was out as soon as his head hit the pillow, and he slept heavily but restlessly through ‘til morning, when his alarm blared and startled him out of his sleep. He sat up abruptly, rubbed his eyes, rolled over, and vomited all over the floor of his room. Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be a good day, and here’s why: it’s not. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Connor pretended he didn’t know everyone was watching him. Pretended everyone didn’t watch as he left the classroom, as he made his way through the halls, as he walked into the office, as he made his way towards the principal’s office. He imagined his skin was armor, and that their questioning, curious gazes just bounced off without any impact. It was easier when it was just other classmates, but when the office staff had the same “What did he do now?” looks on their faces, it was a little harder to ignore.He’d only been in the principal’s office once before, back in the spring after he…well, it didn’t matter now. He hadn’t done anything of the like since. The vice principal’s office and he were old friends, but Mr. Howard’s was foreign. The door was ajar, but not open, so Connor knocked hesitantly before pushing it open enough to get his head through.What he saw made him want to turn and run.Heidi Hansen was sitting inside alone, wringing her hands and looking down at the floor. The look on her face was one of exhaustion and distress. There was only one thing Connor had in common with Ms. Hansen, and it hadn’t been to school in three days.Connor cleared his throat, unsure of what to say. Heidi looked up at the sound and gave him a warm smile. The bags under her eyes were darker than last he’d seen her, and her hair was pulled back but still distinctly frizzy and unruly. She looked like she hadn’t slept or showered in days, but the close-lipped smile she gave Connor was somehow bright and alive.“I wanted to talk to you in private, but all the other offices were taken,” she explained, patting the seat opposite her, “so Mr. Howard was generous enough to let us use his.”Still not speaking, Connor nodded and sat down. It would always be a mystery to him as to how administrators got cushy couches while the students had to spend every day in and out of tiny, cramped metal desks. The chair was so padded in comparison to the seat Connor had just left that he wanted to just let himself melt into it. It certainly seemed a much better option to whatever was coming for him.Heidi started talking basically as soon as Connor sat down.“You and Evan are friends, right?” she asked. Her voice was unsteady. He nodded. “You’ve been talking for about a month now. Or texting or whatever?” Connor nodded again. They had started texting a month previously. The fact that they hadn’t texted in three days (and a week before that) didn’t really seem to matter at the moment. “Would you say you’ve gotten to know him? And not just his personality - likes and dislikes - but,” she had to stop as her voice caught in her throat. She apologized as she wiped at her eyes and took a steadying breath. “Would you say you’ve gotten a look at what goes on in his head?”Connor froze. He wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but he could guess it was nowhere ideal. But her eyes were so wide with concern that he couldn’t play dumb, at least not entirely. “What do you mean by that?” he asked, and immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say.Heidi sniffled and wiped at her eyes again as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Connor’s heart sank. He had a pretty good idea what it was. He’d read its contents a few dozen times in the past three days, after all.“He, um, he has this…assignment that he does for his therapist. I don’t know if he mentioned it to you, but long story short is that he writes himself these letters. They’re meant to get him to think positively and face the day better.” She made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “It sounds really stupid when you say it out loud, but the therapist swears by it. Anyway, this is - this is his letter from Monday. The first day of school.” Heidi held up the letter, almost as if she were going to hand it to Connor but decided against it. “In it, he’s not - he’s not thinking particularly positively, and he said something towards the end that really caught my attention.” She took a few deep, shaky breaths before breaking down.She was a quiet crier. Her hand stayed over her mouth, even as her body shook with sobs and tears trickled through and over her fingers. It was so different from his mother, who became near hysterical when she cried. Heidi was doing everything she could to maintain her composure even as she was breaking down, and it absolutely broke Connor’s heart. He remembered the times he’d heard Zoe crying through the wall they shared, trying to hide the sounds with pillows but never quite managing it. On too many of the nights when she cried herself to sleep - often because of Connor - he sat against the wall, listening to her sobs and hating himself. Sometimes he cried with her, others he thought about flinging himself out the window, and at best he was just too stoned to remember what he felt.He’d never been able to help someone who was crying. Even before he got bad, he’d been awful in an emotional crisis. Connor figured he got that trait from his father, who had long since stopped trying to be something he wasn’t. Connor, on the other hand, was young and stupid enough to take a stab at it. He handed Heidi the box of tissues sitting on the principal’s desk and waited patiently as she steadied herself.“I’m sorry I’m such a mess,” she sniffled. “It’s just…it’s not easy. It’s never easy, but it’s worth it. No matter how little you may think of yourself, you’re worth it to your parents, you know that?” She reached forward and patted Connor’s knee. “That’s why I kept an eye on you that night.”“And why you yelled at my parents?” he asked, both genuinely curious and trying to lighten the mood.Heidi laughed and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that too. Everyone needs a push in the right direction every so often. But, uh, getting back to Evan, has he ever,” she choked and her eyes watered, “has he ever mentioned wanting to…” Another shaky breath. “Wanting to hurt himself? In the letter, he made it sound like he’d tried to...to take his own life at some point, or that it was somehow connected to you and your sister and I had to know if he’d told you anything about it.”Connor felt like screaming. Screaming, breaking a window, running away, jumping off a cliff, and never having to deal with another person ever again. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t have this conversation. He couldn’t admit to anything. He didn’t know what he should or shouldn’t admit to. In that moment, faced with an exhausted, terrified, already poised to break down Heidi Hansen, there were only three options that presented themselves to Connor.One: he tells Heidi that he knows what the letter says. He tells her that, at that moment, he’s as informed as she is, but only because he took pictures of Evan’s private letter without his permission. He can’t give her the answer she’s looking for, but he can agree that he’s worried about Evan.Two: tell her only part of the truth. He can tell Heidi that he knows about her sister, and therefore understands why she’s concerned, but doesn’t know anything about any self-destructive thoughts or behaviors in Evan, much less how it would relate to him or Zoe.Three: lie his ass off. Say he knows nothing, that he and Evan haven’t talked about anything deep, but he knows Evan is happy and would never do anything like that. Anything he could possibly think of to get rid of the horrible, horrible look on Heidi’s face. Forget the truth, just make her stop with the sadness.Connor has spent so much time being the bad kid that he doesn’t know what to do. This was a matter of morals, and he was really rusty when it came to compass reading. He wished he had someone here - Zoe, his mom, Avery, hell, even his dad - to tell him what to do, what the right thing to say was, anything. But they weren’t here, and even if they were, there wasn’t enough to fill them in on what was happening. He was all alone here, and he couldn’t even begin to imagine what someone better than him would say.In the end, Connor spent so much time going back and forth between the options that he ended up gaping at Heidi like a fish. Whatever his face was saying, it clearly wasn’t good, because Heidi looked absolutely horrified.“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry!” She launched into a stream of apologies, going on about how inconsiderate she was being of Connor’s feelings and how difficult a subject she’s sure this is for him. She offered to talk about this at a different time, maybe with his parents around, and Connor was too shocked to do anything but nod.This woman was clearly worried sick about her son, but still, she had the heart and the presence of mind to put Connor’s comfort before anything else. She was so selfless it made Connor want to puke. How could he lie to someone like that? More to the point, how could he tell the truth to someone like that?Saying goodbye was an awkward affair. Heidi was going on about getting in touch with his parents between wiping her face and apologizing for not being considerate (which was the farthest thing from the truth, as far as Connor was concerned), and she actually hugged him before she left. Connor couldn’t remember the last time someone had hugged him, and he’d almost forgotten how to reciprocate. It was a pathetic attempt, but at least he’d tried. Heidi gave him one last warm smile before she left, and Connor watched her leave, trying to process what had just happened.This time he walked through the halls, he didn’t pretend to not feel the stares. He held his head down, hunched his shoulders, and kept his hands shoved deep in his pockets. When he reentered the classroom, he shrunk away from the glances that always accompanied the opening of the door. The uncharacteristic behavior, of course, attracted longer looks, but he wasn’t exactly in the mood to snarl at people. Thankfully, the teacher acted as if nothing had happened and launched back into her lecture, stealing back the attention of the class. Connor spent the rest of the period looking at his desk, going over his conversation with Heidi Hansen and trying to figure out what to say. He was like this for the rest of the day: staring off into space, weighing his options in his head, and letting the looks and mutterings pierce his skin. Even on the ride home in Zoe’s car, he was dead silent and barely moved a muscle, even when Zoe played a song she knew he hated.Of course, the second he was in back in his room, Connor exploded.   Lily: Sorry I missed your call!! Are you ok?You: Not really, no. C is flipping out and I can't do shit about it. Help me? Lily: I'll try, but you know Ben’s episodes are different, right?You: Yeah, but how do you deal when all you can do is sit it out until he gets tired?Lily: He's not alone, right?You: Of course not. Dads in there.Lily: Ok had to check. I mean, him not hurting himself is the biggest part, obviously. Have you tried talking to him? I know it sounds fucking dumb butYou: Parental units won't let me anywhere near him after the door incident back in the spring. Pops stopped trying to be comforting ages ago and mom is rattled.Lily: Any clue what triggered it?You: I wasn't sure at first, but he was acting weird in the car and it sounds like mom called Heidi to cancel something.Lily: Who's Heidi?You: Mom of a friendYou: Also the nurse who kinda brought Connor back from the deadLily: GotchaYou: From what I caught she wanted to talk about Evan but it kinda worries me that she wanted to do it here with my parents and allLily: That is weird…You: And E hasn't been to school in 3 days. I guess 4 now.Lily: Isn't it the fifth day of school??You: YepLily: Well damn. I hope he's okay.Lily: (sent photo)Lily: Ben says Hi!You: Hi Ben!!!You: He's got the cutest little face I swear.You: Tell him he just helped brighten my day.Lily: I did. He's thrilled, the sweetheart.You: :)Lily: back on track is C still going?You: He's stopped telling but there's still banging going on up there.Lily: Do you need me to call you? Distract you a bit? Let you vent?You: I'd like that, yeah.Lily: gimme a sec to get to another room, okay?You: of courseYou: you're such a saint I love you so fucking much   From: [email protected]To: [email protected]Subject: Just So You KnowReceived at 1:48 a.m. Hi Heidi,Sorry for the late hour! I sent an email in hopes it wouldn't disturb you.Anyway, I thought you should know that Connor told me (okay, it was a group effort) what happened. Or at least enough so that I can be of some degree of help. We are free all weekend and can meet wherever and whenever you like to. Connor has released a chunk of his anxieties, so I think it will be easier for him this time. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding with Connor. I know what you're going through, and I'm sorry to be putting you in this position.Connor asked that I 1) send along his apologies in addition to my own, and 2) gave you a “heads-up” and let you know that Evan told him about your older sister. I don't know what that means, but I didn't press.All the thank yous in the universe wouldn't be enough for all you've done for us,Cynthia ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Heidi sighed. She’d just ended a phone call, and judging by the look on her face, it didn’t go great. Then again, that had been her face for the past three days, Jared reminded himself. He vaguely wondered if she’d even slept.“Take a fucking nap, Heidi,” Kip called from the kitchen as if he’d read his son’s mind.“I just might be able to,” she admitted with a grimace. “Cynthia just called to cancel, so it looks like I’m free until six after all.” Heidi slumped onto the Kleinman’s couch as she spoke, allowing the softness to consume her.“Not on the couch!” Kip barked, coming out of the kitchen to playfully swat Heidi with a towel. “We’ve got beds aplenty over here. Come on, it’s not that far.” He pushed at her shoulders, trying to force her to stand up, but instead, she just groaned and made herself a dead weight. Jared was really quite amazed at how immature they were being.Eventually, Kip came around to the front of the couch and hauled Heidi up by her arms. She sunk into his shoulder, still trying to play the uncooperative corpse, but Kip was having none of it and pulled her along until she picked up her feet.“Attagirl!” Kip encouraged. “Come on, you don’t even have to take the stairs - guest room’s right this way.”“Mom’s room,” Jared corrected; a reflex.“That too,” Kip agreed, though he and Heidi were already far enough down the hall that his voice was a little muffled.Jared tapped his pencil against the table a few times before going back to his homework. His first week back and he was already swamped with homework. He almost preferred it, though. It gave him something to do, something to think about, something to hold on to. Even his English homework, which he couldn’t stand on the principle that it was English, was better than nothing. There was too much going on in the house at the moment. Usually, after school it was just Jared, so he could sit at the kitchen table and do his work in peace. If his dad was home, he would stay out of Jared’s way and save the ‘how was your day?’ routine for dinner. After school and before dinner was shut-up-so-Jared-can-work time.But with Evan in the hospital, Heidi couldn’t stand to be in the house alone, so she was at the Kleinman house, radiating anxiety (if her relentless pacing was anything to go on) and making noise. Even worse, without Evan, Jared was stuck doing his dreaded English homework on his own. Alana could be helpful if he reached out to her, but her explanations were so long-winded that it was more of a last resort. Besides, she’d been different this week, always walking away when he tried to come up to her. It’s not like they were best friends or anything, but there were sometimes questions he had for her that he couldn’t ask in class, and it was annoying when she just walked away.Kip came back down the hall, holding Heidi’s phone in his hand. “That should guarantee she sleeps,” he said with a cheeky grin, winking at Jared before going back into the kitchen. He always made dinner on Fridays, and he always spent an unnecessary amount of time on it. Even that night, when it was just spaghetti and meatballs, he insisted on making the marinara sauce from scratch. Jared had long since stopped asking why. He’d even offered to let Jared help make dinner for once - an offer he’d turned down. It had never been his job before, so why should it be now?Heidi slept for around an hour and a half, coming down the hall looking bleary-eyed as Jared wiped up the last of his marinara sauce with a roll. He didn’t say anything to her, leaving the talking to his dad. Heidi, however, had spent so much time at the Kleinman house of late that she knew to sit down and help herself without being told. There were no more rolls - a fact that earned Jared an irritated glare which he responded to with a shrug - but still plenty of pasta, which Heidi dug into eagerly. She stopped midway through chewing her first meatball and gave Kip a confused look.“What is this?” she asked, mouth still partially full of meat. “This isn’t beef, and I know you wouldn’t have pork.”“Turkey,” Kip replied with a laugh. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t feed you tofu without telling you. I have a teenage boy. I can’t even have tofu in the house.”“You’re welcome,” said Jared to neither of them in particular, picking up his dishes to take them to the kitchen. He actually put them in the dishwasher for once, but only because the sink was already basically full, and he didn’t shut it all the way. Giving a vague wave as he passed the dining room, Jared went upstairs to his room. Most nights, homework was a strictly dining-room-table-only affair, but with Heidi over so much, he’d had to move upstairs to his room. It wasn’t a worse working situation, per se, but his room is full of constant reminders of things he’d much rather be doing.After ten minutes of trying to focus on his homework, Jared said “Fuck it,” and pulled out his phone. It was Friday night, after all. He had the rest of the weekend to finish it. Still, despite this, Jared found himself staring blankly at the screen of his phone. Normally he’d be spamming Evan with memes on a Friday night, but he couldn’t exactly do that. Evan’s phone would receive it, sure, but Evan wouldn’t see it until he got out of the psych ward, and God knew long that would be.Eventually, Jared settled on watching bad horror movies on Netflix. He was so out of it that some of the cheesy jump-scares actually gave him a fright. The shock of feeling afraid was somehow worse than the fear itself.  “I can’t look her in the eyes,” Evan admitted. “I just feel so guilty about all of it.”“You know none of this is your fault, right? Yeah, so we’re fucked in the head. No one could have seen it coming or done anything to prevent it, certainly not us. It’s all about figuring out how to live with it, right?” Connor was trying to recall what the doctor had said at one of the few family sessions they’d had since his attempt. It was something along those lines. It’s not a blame game, it’s one foot in front of the other.“I’m going to be in here on my birthday,” Evan said, either ignoring Connor’s attempt at comforting or having not heard it at all. “It’s the day before World Suicide Prevention Day.”“What day is that?”“My birthday or - ”“Yeah, your birthday.”“It’s the ninth. They want me in here a week for med purposes, I’ve been here since Wednesday, and my birthday is this coming Monday. That’s tomorrow or the day after, I’m not sure.”“Day after,” Connor informed him. He remembered how time seemed to melt away into nothingness in this place. “It’s still Saturday.” The sun had been all but gone when Connor arrived, and it was already pretty dark outside.“And I thought my weekends were uneventful before,” Evan joked, grimacing slightly.There was a sudden burst of noise from the common room. Connor started slightly, but Evan cringed and leaned towards Connor as he tried to get away from the noise. A male voice said something in a firm tone, and the kids instantly quieted. Looking down the hall at the other people visiting, Connor could see that a few other kids had reacted similarly to the outburst.“There’s a lot of that,” Evan admitted. “I stay in my room and read, mostly. Just to keep away from the noise.”“Yeah, I remember that. They’re not always bad groups, but there’s always at least one kid that reminds you why humanity is the fucking worst .”Evan laughed, and Connor took it as a sign of agreement.After a few moments, Evan’s gaze moved towards the door to the common area and his expression turned much sadder. “It’s the ones that you like that you think would be so much worse, though.”Connor nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. The girls who were more cuts than arms who smiled like the sun and told the others they were beautiful. The girl who punched a wall so hard they thought she broke her wrist but shared M&Ms with her roommate when one of the nurses snuck them to her. The boys who had violent episodes but told jokes that made everyone laugh. The paradox of the people who hated themselves the most loving everyone else so fiercely. Connor remembered those kids. He sometimes wondered how many of them never made it to the hospital.Now Connor was just making himself sad. “Don’t tell me you’re making friends now, Hansen,” he joked.Evan made a sound halfway between a scoff and a laugh. “I think the sky would fall if I did that.”“Personally, I don’t think the sky would fall. Push you out of another tree, on the other hand...well, that sounds like classic sky behavior.” It was a bad joke and Connor knew it. Evan’s laugh was halfhearted.“You know I didn’t fall from that tree, right?” Evan asked quietly. “Well, I did, but it wasn’t an accident.”Connor swallowed heavily and nodded. “I kinda guessed. How far did you fall?”“About thirty feet.”Unable to help himself, Connor let out a low whistle. “Damn, Hansen. You’re more hardcore than I am, and I doubt you’ve ever touched a drug in your life.”Avery, who was walking by, gave Connor a warning glare. Connor flipped him off. He wasn’t a patient anymore; he could do what he wanted. Instead of returning the gesture, Avery pointed at the wall clock. It was almost eight. Time to go home.Having run out of words, Evan and Connor said an awkward goodbye before Evan went back to the common area and Connor left out the door he’d come in through. His mom and Heidi were standing just on the other side, chatting about something or other. Cynthia had taken quite a shine to Heidi, Connor realized. Maybe Hansens were doing some good for their family.Not that Connor would ever tell anyone that. Not yet, anyway. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Evan!” Zoe squealed, throwing her arms around him with little regard for the fact that they were in the middle of the hall at school. Evan felt the eyes watching him and flushed, but hugged her back. “Happy late birthday,” she whispered.Hesitantly, Evan allowed himself to relax into the contact. “Thanks.”Zoe pulled back and gave him a wide smile. “I swear I got you something, but I left it in the car, so if you have time, I’ll give it to you after school.” Evan nodded and looked around. “Connor’s not here,” she informed him.Evan stiffened. “I’m sorry?”Zoe laughed, realizing she’d sounded more menacing than she had intended. “I meant that he’s not nearby. He was fine as of five minutes ago. I’m sure you’ll see him at some point. If anything, I have to drive him both ways, so you’ll see him when I give you your gift.”“Look at Evan, getting all the shit,” Jared teased, coming up next to Evan. “Even three days after. Speaking of, what are you getting me for my birthday this year?”“You’re going to be a legal adult. Get yourself a present, Jared,” snapped Alana Beck, who was walking by. Jared flipped off her retreating form.“She’s got a stick up her ass these days. Like, a bigger one than usual. I think someone changed it out over the summer and didn’t use enough lube.”“Didn’t her grandma die recently?” Evan asked, increasingly irritated with his neighbor/family friend. The look on Zoe’s face told him he wasn’t the only one.Jared gave him an incredulous look. “So what? Old people die all the time. I don’t see why she has to be a bitch to me because of something totally separate.”“You are such a dick,” Zoe marveled. “Like, you’re just a massive, insensitive, self-centered dick.” She gave Evan a sympathetic look. “I’ll see you later, Evan.”Jared snorted as she walked away. “Guess your dream girl’s more like her brother than you thought, dude. Unless you’re into that. In which case, good for you, have a nice life, just don’t invite me to the wedding, alright?”Evan didn’t say anything. Instead, he opted to shrug off the hand Jared had resting on his upper arm and head to class. Just in time for the first bell, too. Not that going to class would be an escape from Jared, but walking away was at least something of a reprieve. --- He hadn’t thought it could possibly get louder, but here he was, proven wrong. He was sitting in a solitary corner of the school, knees pulled up to his chest as he read, turning pages with trembling fingers. Thursdays weren’t supposed to be loud - he’d realized too late that he’d left his headphones at home but thought it wouldn’t be a big deal. Now, hours later, he was very, very wrong. Even as far from the epicenter of activity as he could get, the noise was buzzing in the back of his head. He’d read the same paragraph three times, but looking away meant putting nothing between him and the noise.When the bell finally rang, he wanted to cry. Partially out of relief at the end of the lunch period, yes, but also because the rude blaring of the bell was worse than the collective noise.Hands still trembling, he put the book back in his backpack and stood up. His legs shook worse than his hands as he stood up, but he ignored it. Giving in to the fatigue would just cause a scene. Instead, he did what was expected and put one foot in front of another until he made it to class. He took his seat, keeping his head down.A friend stopped next to him, asked where he’d been at lunch. He answered vaguely, but honestly. The friend asked him if he’d eaten. He answered vaguely. The friend was worried, but had to take their seat when the teacher asked they settle in. As the teacher called roll, he felt the friend’s eyes on him, burning with worry. He wished people didn’t care; it would make it all so much easier if no one cared.He almost didn’t hear his name.“Lee Paige?”“Here,” he replied, an old reflex.He didn’t feel here. --- “I’m glad you’re okay,” Alana said honestly, startling Evan slightly. She didn’t normally talk to anyone.“I-I’m sorry?” he asked, somewhat confused.She leaned in. “Jared told me where you were last week,” she explained, lowering her voice. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she repeated. “My cousin has seasonal depression, and after my grandma died she just blamed herself and it got worse. It was a pretty horrific downward spiral from there, and she had to be hospitalized for twelve days. She said I shouldn’t tell anyone because they’ll think she’s crazy, but you don’t know her, so what’s the harm?”It was all Evan could do to not openly gape at Alana. What was it with this girl and the oversharing? “Uh, thanks,” he managed, trying to pull away from the conversation without seeming rude.She grinned at him and sat back up. “You’re welcome,” she replied, beaming.Evan was kind of weirded out, but he let it be. It was the last class of the day. After this, he could see Zoe - and hopefully Connor, too. When the bell rang and signaled the end of school, Evan got out of the room with uncharacteristic energy and made it to his locker in record time. Fumbling with the lock slightly, he opened it up and exchanged everything he did and didn’t need with slight urgency. The slam of closing it would have made him flinch on any other day. By the time Evan made it to the front of the school, people were still trickling out of classrooms.It didn’t take long to spot Zoe’s car in the student parking lot. He made his way to it with a little less hurry, knowing it could be a little while until Zoe made it out. Connor was there already, leaning against the front passenger door as a cigarette hung between his lips. His messenger bag was thrown haphazardly on top of the Bug and his foot was tapping impatiently as he picked at the paint on his nails.“Hey,” Evan greeted, somewhat nervous. He wasn’t sure why he felt apprehension in this moment, alone with Connor, but was far too familiar with nervousness to call it anything else.“Hey,” Connor echoed, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “You waiting for Zoe?”Evan nodded. “And you,” he added hurriedly, not wanting to hurt his sort-of friend’s feelings.Connor snorted. “Well, you found me. Mission half accomplished.” His tone was dry and he leaned his head back so it hit the car as he spoke. His eyes were faraway, barely covering up some emotion Evan couldn’t discern. “If you’re looking for me to say I don’t care if you like Zoe, it’s not going to happen,” he growled out, not looking at Evan, who tensed up considerably. “I care. It’s not worth shit compared to everything I put her through, but I do care. And I don’t think you’re my,” he gestured between the two of them, “whatever this is, just to get close to her. I’m psycho, not totally irrational.” Evan wanted to laugh at that last bit, but he wasn’t sure if it was intended as a joke, so he kept quiet. “You’re not the first person, and you won’t be the last.” He shrugged. “Who knows, maybe you’ve got a shot. Just remember that I spent a month in juvie for punching Zoe in the face at school in broad daylight, and I care about her.”If Evan was tense before, now he went so rigid he may as well have been literally frozen. Connor had antagonized enough people in the past that if he said anything that could be even remotely taken as a threat, the subject of the threat got the hell away. Anyone who didn’t already know Connor by reputation would end up learning by the misfortune of others, if not their own stupidity.Still, Evan realized that he had never once worried about Connor hurting him. He’d worried about pissing him off, sure, but physical harm had never really been a concern of his. Now, standing alone in the parking lot with a threat hanging in the air, Evan could feel his heart pounding as his breaths shortened and his hands dug into the hem of his shirt. He wanted to curl into a ball, but his muscles were still locked. He couldn’t look at Connor but he couldn’t look elsewhere, and was breathing supposed to be this hard?Evan stammered as he tried to breathe, resulting in desperate, painful gasps. He knew he was having a panic attack, he did, but he couldn’t tell why . One second he was thinking about how Connor had never hurt him and the next he’s falling apart. He got his breath back after a moment, but only so he could start crying.Connor had taken notice as soon as Evan started hyperventilating. Any manufactured malice had fallen away in a heartbeat as he stomped out his cigarette and carefully approached his friend, face painted the picture of concern. He took a few steps closer to Evan, holding his hands out in front of him to show he meant no harm. Connor got close enough to gently usher Evan to around the front of the car, where they were further from public view.Both boys were at a loss regarding what to do. Connor wanted to comfort Evan in some way, but he’d been the cause of this panic attack and could only assume that he would make things worse. Evan, on the other hand, knew what he needed Connor to do, but he was too busy with his panic attack to vocalize any of it. Connor stood next to Evan awkwardly as the latter struggled to get his breath and his voice back. In for four. Hold for seven. Breathe out for eight. In for four. Hold for seven. Breathe out for eight. In for four. Hold for seven. Breathe out for eight. In for four. Hold for seven. Breathe out for eight. Evan repeated this over and over again until his breath stopped coming out in hiccups and he could summon the strength to look Connor in the eyes. He hadn’t been expecting much of anything, but the raw concern in his friend’s face was startling to say the least.“I’m sorry I’m so shitty,” Connor said, in a voice barely over a whisper. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” Connor grimaced. “Well, okay, I did, but I’m stupid and should have thought it through more. Sorry isn’t going to do shit, but I am.”Evan nodded, hiccupping and sniffling. Connor pulled a bandana out of his back pocket and handed it to Evan. He accepted it hesitantly and wiped his eyes and nose. He felt kind of bad about doing it; he knew Connor used them to fidget or pull back his hair, but washing them was always an option, right? He tried his best not to blow his nose in the fabric, but his nose got so runny when he cried that he didn’t have much a choice. Still, Evan felt himself calming. His hand was still trembling, but his breaths were evening out and his heart had stopped pounding. Any trace of aggression on Connor’s part had disappeared, and he was watching Evan apologetically.“I’m sorry,” Connor repeated, once Evan’s eyes stopped leaking. “And don’t say it’s okay, because it’s not.”“You guys okay?” Zoe asked, causing both the boys to jump. She was standing at the driver’s side door of the Bug, looking at them both with concern.Connor looked at Evan. It wasn’t up to him to decide where they stood. Evan nodded jerkily. “Yeah. Yeah, we will be,” he confirmed.Evan was showing clear signs of having been crying and there was an uncharacteristic softness to Connor’s demeanor, but Zoe didn’t press. Instead, she unlocked the car and put her backpack in the backseat, reemerging with a package wrapped in green paper. “Happy late birthday,” she said with a warm smile, holding it out to Evan. He accepted it carefully; the gift was some sort of fabric and the paper seemed delicate. “You don’t have to open it in front of us,” Zoe reassured.Stuttering out a thank-you, Evan nodded and hugged the package to his chest. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, less awkward than before. Both siblings gave him a goodbye and a wave as he walked away, heading over to where he knew Jared would be waiting impatiently with his own car.“There you are,” Jared exclaimed as Evan got into the car. He didn’t even wait until Evan buckled his seatbelt to take off. “I was about to consider putting out an Amber Alert. Where were you?” Evan held up the package as an explanation. Jared’s eyebrows shot upwards. “Oh, shit, they really did get you a gift. What is it?”Evan shrugged. “Haven’t opened it yet.”Jared made a face. “Are you waiting until you get home so you can do something gross with it? Look, I’m with you on Zoe Murphy’s hotness, but I think I might have to stage an intervention for you if you take to masturb-” Evan cut him off with an annoyed rendition of his name. Jared rolled his eyes. “Take a joke, dude.” He smirked, looking at Evan sideways. “It’s actually Connor that gets you off, right?”“Jared!”He gave an amused cackle. “What, it’s not impossible!”Evan groaned. “I can’t believe you anymore.”“Really, I’m just flattered that you believed me to begin with.” The gift from the Murphys ended up being a maroon jacket with the National Park Service logo printed on the back and a leather-bound journal. On the first page of the journal, someone had drawn a pine forest stretching out to the horizon. It was sketchy and done in black pen, but Evan thought it was beautiful. Running his fingers over the image, Evan could feel the telltale indentations that indicated the difference between a hand-drawn image and one printed on. He couldn’t help wondering which Murphy (if any) had taken the time to draw it for him.He tried on the jacket. Not only was it comfortable and warm, but it fit perfectly. Not too tight, not too loose, and with the sleeves just long enough that he could hide his hands in them if he wanted. Evan smiled as he wrapped his arms around himself, letting the comfort envelop him for a few minutes before he returned to the real world. Still smiling from warmth inside and out, he picked up his phone and shot a text to each of the Murphy siblings thanking them. Connor: Happy late birthday. Forgot to tell you earlier since I’m a piece of shit like thatConnor: sorry againConnor: I’m glad you like it tho. The scribbles in the notebook are mine btw. Zoe made me do it, but the idea was mineYou: I love it. Thank you, Connor.Connor: no prob Zoe: what did you say that my brother is trying his damndest not to grin like an idiot??Zoe: OMG DID YOU COMPLIMENT THE DRAWING???? HE HASN’T DRAWN IN AGES HE WAS SO NERVOUS WHAT YOU’D THINK OF ITYou: Why are you screaming?Zoe: Because it’s a big deal. I was sad I couldn’t find any notebooks with trees on the cover on short notice and Con offered to draw a few trees.Zoe: and then it turned into a whole fucking pine forest because he hasn’t really drawn since he started usingZoe: he can’t do faces for shit but he likes nature and scenery and stuff like that. I’ll see if I can find any of his old works to show youYou: I’d like that, but only if he’s okay with it.Zoe: Goody two-shoes :pZoe: I’m glad you two are getting along. Really, I’m glad he’s getting along with anyone, but I think you both needed this. Evan stared at the screen of his phone. She was right, he had needed this. He still needed this. He needed people who listened, people who gave a shit but weren’t hyper-vigilant of him. People who could visit him in the mental hospital and not treat him like he was made of glass. People who drew him out of his comfort zone but respected his boundaries. Friends.  Zoe: You okay?You: Yeah, I’m great. Thanks to both of you.
11020218
Wound of Times Past
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Arthur Pendragon, Arthur (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword), Bedivere (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword), Bedivere, mentions of uther, the mage - Character", "Fandom": "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by ValmureEld (InkSiren)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "1,745", "Additional Tags": "Missing Scene, Whump, Magical Injury, Worry, The Darklands, The Mage and Bedivere working together sorta, Excalibur, fill in, Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, painful memories, Bedivere remembering Uther, Bedivere feeling protective of Arthur", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Legend of the Sword Deserved Better So I'll Write it All Myself", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
There was far more in the Darklands than the engorged fauna, and both Bedivere and the Mage knew it.“What if he doesn't come back?” Bedivere challenged, crossing his arms as he stopped pacing and leaned against one of the portal stones surrounding the place where their only hope had disappeared hours ago. “What are you going to tell everyone if you just lost the king and the sword?”The Mage gave him a side-eyed glance, her eyes narrowing. “If you believe this will be his death then he would not have survived Vortigern in the end, and all would have been lost anyway.”Bedivere bristled at that. “He is more than a chess piece,” he said, the words coming out of his mouth before he realized he'd been thinking them. He'd tried to keep his memories of Uther buried in the middle of all this, to focus on the greater game, but it had become harder and harder. With every unconscious gesture and shadow that moved through Arthur's body Bedivere saw Uther breathing and alive again, and he had to blink away decades of memory to bring himself back to the present. Arthur may have gotten many of his physical attributes from his mother but he moved and sounded like his father.“He is the king,” the Mage said simply. “As his father was before him and if you do not have faith in that and in the sword then you do not have faith in him.” She looked back into the circle where Arthur would, hopefully, reappear.The knight looked away, crossing his arms and pulling his cloak tightly around him. The ache in his stomach did not diminish. “There had to have been another way.”“There was no other way and you know it,” the Mage snapped, fixing him with her flinty eyes. “You would not have agreed to help me otherwise. He must go through this fire or be consumed by the one he has yet to face.”Bedivere bit the inside of his cheek and stared at the ground, breathing out a huff that misted in the evening cool.It was well past dawn when the circle began crackling again, the taste of sea air and a bitterness of smoke and magic permeating the gateway. Bedivere shot to attention, standing quickly with his heart pounding as he prayed that Arthur would be back in one piece at least.The Mage got up more calmly, though her movements were quick as a fox and just as sharp. Arthur, haggard, beaten and just short of being actually conscious appeared in a flash of ozone and lightning, leaning on Excalibur hard like it was the only thing keeping him upright. Turns out that was exactly true, because seconds later he fell onto his back with a heavy finality that scared Bedivere far deeper down than he was prepared for. The Mage knelt quickly at his side, pressing her fingers to his throat to look for life.“His heart beats strong,” she said, and for a moment Bedivere felt light headed. The Mage continued her inspection, leaning over him with an analytical eye and cupping his head between her hands, turning it to inspect the damage done to his right temple and eye. “He is quite injured, we will need to watch him closely.”Bedivere pressed his lips together but knew his disapproval would do no good being voiced again. “I will carry him, if you think it is safe,” he said, kneeling at Arthur's other side, watching his unconscious body continue to breathe hard and deep, like he'd been thrown straight from a battle into oblivion.“He looks as though he's been fighting for his life,” he added, side-eyeing the Mage.“Because he was,” she said without dignifying him with a returned glance. She was busy undoing Arthur's coat and pulling his shirt aside, smoothing her fingers over the bruising and seeping cuts marking his abdomen. Her brow was furrowed in concentration and she tilted her head, flinty eyes tracking everything out of place. Arthur's ribs were heavily bruised and his breathing had begun to slow, a low wheeze in the back of his chest worrying Bedivere greatly.“Roll him onto his side, towards me,” the Mage beckoned, and Bedivere obeyed, turning Arthur with as much care as he possessed, one hand braced behind his head and neck so it would not fall against the stone. He was reminded for a jarring moment of the night of Arthur's birth, when Uther had allowed him to hold the infant and the same care had been needed.The Mage pulled Arthur's shirt up higher, hesitating for only a moment before running her hand lightly along a strange, blackened mark seeping blood and fluid from just under Arthur's right arm. Bedivere's eyes went wide but he didn't let his grip on Arthur jostle or falter. “What is that?”“A shadow wound,” the Mage replied, reaching into her pack and digging out a jar that she quickly unscrewed. She scooped a generous portion of a dusty grey paste into her hand and smoothed it over the injury. Arthur's brow furrowed and he tensed, a small cry escaping him even though he wasn't conscious. Bedivere held him still.“And what is a shadow wound pray tell?” he demanded, unable to contain his anger anymore. It lit behind his eyes, fixed on the Mage. “It looks as though he took the blow from a blade that was white hot.”“Shadow wounds result from facing that which is hidden and preserved in magic. He was not struck, but he did make it to the tower and he saw what happened all those years ago when Uther was slain.”“Seeing would not leave him beaten half to death. What aren't you telling me?”“He did not see alone, he lived in Uther's stead for a moment, feeling what Uther felt. Seeing what Uther saw. The injuries that took his father's life came through the magic to mark him in turn.”Bedivere grabbed the Mage's wrist, stopping her cold. “What?? You knew this would happen!?”She looked up sharply when he grabbed her, her expression dangerous and cold as steel. “It was the only way,” she snapped, pulling her wrist from his grip. “I did not know how strongly he might resonate with the memory but clearly he held nothing back. This salve will soothe the wounds and he will heal. Probably without so much as a scar, but if you prevent me from treating magically what his body thinks he suffered he will follow his father's fate.”They stared each other down for a long moment, but Arthur shuddered oddly beneath them and Bedivere swallowed his fury, nodding curtly and working his jaw. “Fine, then give me some as well. There is a mark particularly bad on his back.”The Mage nodded, handing some over as she leaned across Arthur's hip to see the damage herself. “That was the fatal blow,” she said, smoothing her fingers against Bedivere's to leave more than half the jar's contents on his hand. “You will need to be thorough,” she warned. “I will keep him grounded until you can finish. Disturbing the wound without treating it completely will awaken his body to the trauma and it could prove fatal.”Bedivere hesitated for only a heartbeat before he smeared his fingers across Arthur's back, dipping far as he dared into the slash of a phantom scythe wound. The Mage went back to Arthur's head, cradling it and muttering incantations, stroking her thumbs across his temple in a calculated motion. All at once Arthur gave a ragged gasp, his eyes flying open though they were blank, filled instead with Excalibur's eerie light. In the dirt and wet leaves, Excalibur flared.“Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther Pendragon,” the Mage said clearly, forcing Arthur's enchanted stare up at her. He choked and his body shuddered, and Bedivere worked faster, his heart hammering panic. He knew those sounds. Those convulsions. Death throws were a horrible thing to witness and impossible to forget.“I forbid you to follow the path unto death,” the Mage continued, bending her head so close to Arthur's that their foreheads nearly touched. “I forbid you to depart this land. You are alive. You must stay alive. Fight this,” she said, giving him a little shake. Something that glowed bright like the sword's runes drooled from the side of his mouth and his eyelids fluttered. “Arthur, son of Uther, stay with me. Stay with me and fight.”Bedivere worked the last of the magical ointment as far into the wound as he could, finding with a flood of cold relief that his fingers couldn't reach as deep and the black, sooty nature of the wound was fading. Arthur's whole body was rigid and sweat glistened but after a few horrible moments he fell limp again, his breath rushing out of him in a huff as his head fell back. The Mage caught it, watching intently as his eyes fluttered shut and the light inside them died. It was only after Arthur drew another breath that Bedivere realized with a detached horror that the mark in Arthur's back didn't match the stabbing wound of a scythe, but rather the exact width of Excalibur's shining blade.“He is out of danger,” the Mage said after a few moments, and Bedivere had to get up with an unsteady body and lean against one of the rocks, shaken by the pieces that he'd just put together. He swallowed dryly, watching as the Mage began pulling out bandages and other tools to bind Arthur's more traditional wounds.“I hope this was worth it,” he breathed, shaking his head and wiping away sweat with a trembling hand before retrieving Excalibur and sliding it soundly back into its sheath. He strapped it to his back so he wouldn't have to look at it and knelt at the Mage's side once more to help her bundle Arthur up enough that he could be taken back to the boat.When she deemed him stable, Bedivere hefted Arthur across his shoulders and stood, bearing his king's son back to safety. He knew with a bitter heart that safety was only temporary.Forgive me, Uther, he thought, Arthur's breath warm against his cheek as he trekked on. Pressed hard against his shoulder, he could feel Arthur's heart beating, and the stakes in his mind only grew. Forgive me.
11081301
Ripples
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan, Mouri Ran", "Fandom": "名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by multiply014", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-03T00:00:00", "words": "305", "Additional Tags": "Romance, Angst, Pining, Post-Canon, should be Post-BO", "Relationship": "Haibara Ai/Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
The cool breeze carries the strong scent of the sea, waves lapping the sand beneath red and white slippers. A bunch of birds – Are those seagulls? – sail the blue sky, merging with the wisps of clouds then reappearing only to continue their flight as streaks, then dots, away, farther and farther, farther and farther…“You know,” Shinichi starts, his eyes clouded and his gaze off to the ship in the horizon, “here feels free..”Then why are your eyes sad? I wanted to ask, but I’ve since learned that his dazed spells end much better without prying about feelings.He chuckles softly, “…supposedly.”“Supposedly?” I mutter involuntarily, knowing where this conversation is going.A slight smile graces his face. A guilty one – or is that a trick of the light? – and a longing one – which I hope is just a trick of the light.“Yes, a client,” he sighs. He shifts his focus from the faraway ship to the calm water some paces in front of them.You mean, The Client. Again. Hoping I’m wrong, I question, “Which case is this?”“The case four months ago,” he answers.The Case with The Client, of course. I feel my heart sink, Ah, I shouldn’t have expected something else.He turns to face me and forces a grin, “Let’s go, Ran.”He takes my hand, and red and white slippers leave footprints in the sand. The waves reach the prints and seemingly return them to the ocean, away, farther and farther, farther and farther…I squeeze his hand, Stay, I’m here for you.His gaze remains fixed forward yet unfocused, appearing to the world as if solving the otherwise impossible but really imagining the past, I suspect with chagrin. Not much difference.Drifting away, farther and farther, farther and farther… Don’t go. You continue walking. I follow.
11077200
Victory Is Sweet
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Peggy Carter, Angie Martinelli, Jack Thompson, Daniel Sousa, Jason Wilkes", "Fandom": "Agent Carter (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Onthecyberseas", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-03T00:00:00", "words": "1,108", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Baseball, Diners, Flirting, Bad Flirting, Femslash, Based on a Tumblr Post", "Relationship": "Peggy Carter/Angie Martinelli", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "SSR Confidential 2017", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
The Automat had always been the go-to celebration place after a win, and there was a lot to celebrate today. Peggy, the highest rated shortstop prospect and the only female in the Triple-A minor leagues, hit a walk off home run and sealed the game. The consensus was unanimous that Peggy would be called up the major leagues any day now.After washing the Gatorade bath off and changing out of her uniform, she accompanied some of her teammates, Daniel Sousa, Jack Thompson, and Jason Wilkes to the diner. Stepping inside and climbing into their usual booth, they were surprised to find that their normal waitress was nowhere to be found. Instead a gorgeous brunette came up to them at their usual table. The waitress smiled at Peggy and she flushed at the attention. Her teammates seemed to be under the same spell that she was as they watched the waitress with fascination."Welcome to the Automat," the waitress said brightly, "My name is Angie and I'll be your server today. Can I get you anything?"Before Peggy could order, Thompson spoke up flashing what he intended to be a flirty smile to Angie. "I'll have your finest iced tea babe, with extra sugar. As well as your number." Peggy rolled her eyes at Thompson and saw that Angie was uncomfortable with him."Don't be rude, Thompson," Sousa said puffing out his chest. "You're never going to get a girl by being creepy." Angie smiled at him with gratitude. The four of them placed their orders and Angie walked away."She's gorgeous," Sousa said as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. "I hardly miss the old waitress."Wilkes nodded, "She is." Turning to Peggy, he asked, "What do you think, Peg?"Though she too thought Angie was beautiful, she wasn't about to voice that. She simply replied, "She seems nice," before glancing over at Angie who was talking to the manager over by the kitchen.Angie returned back with their drinks moments later. "Thank you, darling," Sousa said. For a modern man, Sousa could be such old-fashioned at times.Doing her best to ignore his flirty smile, Angie simply said, "You're welcome." She placed a glass of root beer in front of Peggy. "Thank you," Peggy said with a smile.Angie smiled back at her, and Peggy felt her face flush. "No problem, English." Peggy's face flushed even redder as her heart pounded in her chest at the nickname. Angie served the rest of their drinks and said, "I'll be back with your food soon," before walking away."She was totally into me," Thompson declared.Peggy couldn't help but laugh. "It's a wonder you're a decent pitcher with your inability to grasp signals."Thompson scowled at her, "Shut up, Carter.""Make me," she bit back. Thompson reached over to playfully hit Peggy, but accidentally knocked her root beer over. Peggy cursed as the drink spilled into her lap. Wilkes handed her a napkin and she thanked him before using to soak up as much of the drink as she could.She stood up and went to the bathroom. Grabbing a paper towel, she dabbed at her wet clothes in frustration. Once she had cleaned off her shirt the best she could, she exited the bathroom. She didn't see where she was going and bumped straight into someone. "I'm sorry," Peggy said quickly. She saw that she had bumped into Angie and apologized again."It's no problem, English," Angie replied. She looked down at her stained shirt. One of my coworkers might have a dry shirt that is your size.Peggy smiled, "I would like that." She waited outside the bathroom as Angie went into the staff only area. She came back moments later with a blue T-Shirt. "Thank you," Peggy said as she took the shirt from Angie.Angie shrugged with a smile. "It's the least I could do for the Yankees' hottest prospect." She gave her a once over and said, "And I do mean hottest.""Are you a fan?" Peggy asked, blushing at the compliment.Shaking her head, Angie replied, "I'm more of a Broadway girl. But your pretty face is all over the local sports news.""I'd love to go to more Broadway shows," Peggy replied, "I'm normally to busy to go to any."Angie grinned brightly, "You should go if you ever get the chance." Angie's manager called for her and she said apologetically, "I have to go.""Thanks for the shirt," Peggy said. She quickly added, "Sorry about my fathead teammates.""No problem, English," Angie said. She shrugged and added, "I've had worse." She walked away and Peggy quickly changed before rejoining the others at the booth. Wilkes said, "Where did you get the shirt?""The waitress," Peggy replied."Did she say anything about me?" Thompson asked.Peggy rolled her eyes. "The world doesn't revolve around you, Thompson."Their food arrived moments later and Angie grinned at Peggy as she served her, making Peggy blush again. After they were finished, Angie cleared away the plates and brought them the check. Peggy grabbed the check and said quickly, "It's on me."Placing her credit card inside, she handed the bill back to Angie. She returned moments later and handed the check back to Peggy with a wink. Opening the folio she found a phone number written on the customer copy signed with Angie's name and a heart. Catching her eye, Angie winked again.As soon as Angie walked away, Thompson remarked, "She gave you her number. Why did she give you her number?"Sousa elbowed him in the ribs, "Because you're a Neanderthal, Thompson." He looked over at Peggy and said, "Congratulations, it's about time you got laid.""Shut up," Peggy replied, taking the paper and slipped into her pocket as soon as she finished paying. As she left the diner with the others, she couldn't stop smiling. Out of all of her teammates, she had been the one to get the waitress' number. She said goodbye to the others and took a cab home.After debating into the evening, Peggy decided to call the number. She let out a sigh of relief as Angie answered, "Hello?""Hey Angie," Peggy said, "It's Peggy from the diner.""Hi, English," Angie said brightly.Clearing her throat, Peggy asked, "Are you free this Saturday? I have a day off and I thought I might take your advice and go see a Broadway show.""I'd love to," Angie replied. They made arrangements and Peggy hung up the phone. She couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the week at the prospect of her date with Angie.
11041851
Of Dagger Digging
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Yuri Plisetsky, Yakov Feltsman, Lilia Baranovskaya", "Fandom": "Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by daxometry", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "1,646", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Backstory, yeet bitches!!!! starting out w backstory before the actual multi fic!!!! Kill me", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Of Entangling/Of Ensnaring", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
There were three things to know about Yuri Plisetsky; he valued hygiene to the point it sometimes appeared silly, he was quick to anger, and he perceived murder as more of a chore than laundry.The appreciation for cleanliness had been instilled within him at a very young age by his grandfather. Cleanliness was not simply a virtue, but a luxury the Plisetsky family hadn’t always been able to afford. You washed your hands before and after supper, you brushed your teeth in the morning and at night; that was how things were run.Once, as a child, Yuri had awoken from his sleep freezing. The light from the hall, meant to calm his fear of the dark, only cast shadows along his line of books and darkened the depth of his seemingly never ending closet. Shapes were pronounced in the dark, he could make out faces staring jarringly at him, never moving. When Yuri closed his eyes, he only whimpered. Not looking at a monster was worse than staring it in the eye. Yuri dared to dart a single foot out from beneath his covers. When nothing grabbed his leg and pulled him into the darkness, he settled the foot on the ground, gradually slipping from his plush bed until both feet were planted.Yuri’s slight form snuck past his door and ventured the short distance to his Grandfather’s bedroom. One hand lay flat against the dark oak of the door, his other turned the knob slowly. The child tried to prevent the hinges from screeching, gently pushing the door open.“Dedushka?” He spoke softly. A pained noise reached Yuri’s ears. The room was dark from where he peeked inside, and at first he couldn’t tell if his grandfather was inside the room at all. Fear struck through him like an arrow.“Deda?” He hissed more urgently.His grandfather shifted in the darkness, a familiar figure rising out of bed, and relief washed over him. Yuri let the door fall open at the sight of him, letting light from the hall stream inward.Grandfather’s face was pale, as white as the Russian snow that could be seen falling outside his bedside window. His face was twisted into an awful grimace, with eyes squeezed shut and lips puckered tight. Yuri remembers thinking, mindlessly: Dedushka has been eating lemons, before his Grandfather staggered in a way completely foreign to Yuri, and Yuri rushed forward to steady him.“Yura,” He rasped, eyes jerking open in panic. Yuri noted that one of his big meaty claws gripped at his chest, as if his heart would fall out if he didn’t hold it in place himself. Yuuri’s grip on his grandfather’s arm tightened. A sense of awareness seemed to wash over him at the touch of his grandson, finally. It was like he’d noticed him clearly for the first time, wild eyes glazing over.“Dial 103 on the landline,” Grandfather ordered. And then, in the eerily calm fashion only those close to death can manage, he nodded knowingly to himself with a smile.“I’m having a heart attack!” He declared surely, to which a nine year old Yuri had replied, very dumbly, “What?”His grandfather had then proceeded to change his underwear, switch his pajama bottoms for thick snow overalls, and brush his teeth. He’d started to brush back what was left of his hair when a desperate, sickened Yuri began to push him towards the front door. The ambulance finally arrived in the middle of his grandfather insisting it’d be too cold; I’m putting my coat on!There had been a time Yuri’s grandfather spent his last cents on cold, hardened bread he didn’t have the patience to savor. Sourdough turned sour was still dinner, the pipes had frozen over but it didn’t matter because the water was turned off, and every winter yielded cuts and calluses that had no place on boyish limbs. His grandfather’s sense of honor was a living, bleeding thing. After witnessing it first hand, Yuri’s own flame of Plisetsky pride began to kindle.In the following years, it was his pride that kept him strong for his grandfather. After the first heart attack that subsequently required heart surgery, his health continued to deteriorate as they didn’t have the income to keep up with his medications. Surgeries needed were put off, or collected debt, medications doing a fine job of keeping all but debt collectors at bay. Finally, a month before his thirteenth birthday, it all caught up to Yuri and his Grandfather. He had his second heart attack, resulting in a five way bypassing. He was in a permanent room at the hospital, recovery slow. With his only guardian not at home, Yuri was forced to move in with a family friend: Yakov Feltsman, and his wife, Lilia Baranovskaya.The hospitalization wasn’t the breaking point, nor was the move. It wasn’t his Grandfather’s exhaustion despite staying in a bed for most of the day, nor was it the bills he saw one evening scattered around Grandpa for budgeting; the breaking point was Lilia, talking about her career as one of the Bolshoi’s ballerinas.“People who can be reborn as many times as necessary are the strong ones.”  He’d grown up around Yakov. He knew vaguely he and his Grandfather had been in a war together,or something along those lines. Living with Feltsman was different. He had a front row seat to suspicious men, arriving at the house at all hours of the night, business meetings that ended with a surreptitious glance down the hall to make sure Yuri wasn’t around. He knew Yakov carried a gun. He’d heard the whispers of “Papa Feltsman.”He cornered him in his own office one day.“I’ll do whatever you want, if you pay for Grandfather’s operation.” At first, Yakov raised his eyebrows. Then, he gave a deep, bellowing laugh Yuri had only heard him make before in Grandpa’s company. Yuri hissed through his teeth. “I have terms!” He growled. His heart pounded. Yuri’s mask of indifference had broke embarrassingly fast. The conversation felt like grains of sand slipping through his hands already. It felt like his Grandfather, was slipping through his hands.It was like he was hurtling towards a trainwreck; an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.His voice carried, and cracked unforgivingly. “One,” Yuri counted on a finger, “I want full respiration-” Yuri flushed scarlet, “Restoration- Pay off surgery bills, and whatever fancy new meds that get added to the list, and then I want our house back.” Yakov’s nostrils were flaring, he looked scandalized.“I will be in your service for whatever you want, as long as you need, until Deda croaks,” He blurts, eyebrows furrowing. Sand slipping through his hands. Tiny grains impossible to catch.Yakov stood up so abruptly his chair screeched against the floor, and it only felt natural.“Izbalovannyy rebenok,” Yakov spat. He fixed Yuri with an angry, incredulous stare, towering over the child. The words spun around Yuri’s head like tiny tornadoes. Spoiled brat. His throat tightened painfully. His breath wouldn’t come. It was a death sentence, if Yuri had ever seen one. Yakov’s face was screwed up, and Yuri could feel in the roots of his teeth and the cold of his toes and the burn in his eyes the shame. Not shame for what he’d said, but the shame that came with not being believed. The shame that hung like a poisonous gas in the air, burning rehearsed words off your lolling, thick, tongue and burned you from the inside out in the most acidic way. Yuri’s eyes locked with Yakov’s.He was twelve, and he suddenly didn’t have to wonder how someone could kill another person.Instead of storming out, something flickered across Yakov’s face “I’d have paid,” He started, “If I knew your kozel of a Grandfather would accept it.”Then, stone wall. No give. His face was inscrutable; even the perpetually permanent frown carved into the lines of his face gave away nothing. Yuri swore he saw red. When Yuri opened his mouth to speak, Yakov shushed him angrily, despite not looking willing to say anything more.Seconds passed, in which Yakov took his seat again. “We’re... brothers,” Yakov said, like he was testing the words on his tongue. Yuri is confused immediately, but Yakov continues on, troubled and speaking almost as if to himself.“Despite this, your Grandfather has sworn never to be indebted, to me, or any of the Bratva, again.” Yakov’s old bones crack and pop as he stretches back leisurely.“He would not be the one indebted, I would b-” Yuri can’t help but shout."- I could never do that to his trust!" Yakov yells over him.There is no gentle, tentative explanation, just red cheeks and gritted teeth. Seething at each other, Yuri would eventually recognize this is what Yakov Feltsman looks like when he’s grieving.Resolve felt like a bullet in his mouth, metal clunking sharply against the last of his baby teeth. Bitterly, he shoots. “If you do not let me in, I will find business elsewhere.” Yuri crossed his legs. He hoped Yakov felt the acidity of shame upon him. The shame of not believing.“What would your Grandfather say?”“If he’s alive to say anything at all, there would be no debt, only gratitude.” Yuri shot back heatedly, “Papa Feltsman.”Yakov nodded, got up and pushed his chair in, then left Yuri sitting in Yakov’s own office.   Even after avoiding any sign of Yuri for a week, Yuri knew without having to be told what Yakov’s decision would be. He walked into the hospital after school to find a sleeping grandfather, and not a single remnant of their financial devastation could be found despite his siege to the room. With a mixture of relief, and dread knotted tight in his stomach, Yuri had wept.
11040945
Something Interesting
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Dorian Pavus, Male Cadash", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by sainte999", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "813", "Additional Tags": "Short One Shot, Established Relationship, this is really not that good but I needed to write SOMETHING, cadash has a long day, Sass, Dorian is himself, Judging Outfits, based off of in game dialogue, Romance, Stress Relief", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Male Inquisitor/Dorian Pavus, Male Cadash/Dorian Pavus", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age (Video Games)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Inquisitor Cadash had had a long day. With what he expected to be the final push against Corypheus looming on the horizon, the Divine being chosen, having to meet Dorian’s father in a semi-ambush fashion in Redcliffe, the death of Hawke in the Fade... it just kept piling on, and today was no exception. He had gotten into yet another heated argument with Cassandra and Josephine about his decision to let the man formerly known as Blackwall remain in the Inquisition after having re-cleared some overgrown poisonous lizards from a couple water sources in the Western Approach with Vivienne, the Iron Bull, and Cole. He wearily climbed the steps to the second floor of what Varric liked to call the Tower of Secrets, and made a beeline for Dorian’s chair, a kind of mauve velvet chair with a refurbished leather seat, mercifully not full of books this time. He practically threw himself into the chair, back propped up against one arm pf the chair and legs up on the other. He let out a great sigh, rubbing his eyes irritably, and noticed that his boyfriend was nowhere to be seen. Normally, he would get up to look for him, but he wasn’t sure if his feet would cooperate, so he opted for a nap. If someone needed him, they could probably figure out where he was. Realistically, Leliana probably had heard his sigh from upstairs, or one of her birds saw him, or something. She was kind of omniscient. The sun shone mercifully through the window, pulling the color from the glass onto the wood floors. He wondered idly what Dorian would think about them getting a cat together. They could name him something pretentious like Grand Duke Cremisius Porfirio Pavus-Cadash of House Pavus Formerly of Minrathous, and call him Kremcake for short.Cadash jerked awake as his leg slid off of the arm of the chair and his heel hit the floor. “Fuck,” he mumbled, disoriented.“Too much fun in the wastelands without me?” asked a teasing voice. Dorian.Cadash sat up properly and noticed that Dorian had made himself comfortable cross-legged on the floor up against a bookshelf, surrounded in a semi-circle by a few worn volumes and scattered pages of notes. “Fun is a strong word.”Dorian gently smiled and unfolded himself from his position with a soft groan and stepped over his papers to kiss his boyfriend on the head. “You do look awful, amatus.”Cadash grimaced. He felt that anything he said would be snippy on a level that was uncalled for. Dorian wasn’t at fault for most of what weighed on him, and he didn’t deserve to get chewed out for the sky tearing itself open.“Do you want to do something... interesting? Take your mind off of things. Maybe we can pretend that an evil darkspawn magister doesn’t want to destroy you and everyone you love for shits and giggles.”“Not helping, Dorian.”“Sorry. But you do understand what I mean, don’t you?”“What do you have in mind?”Dorian grinned, “Come, we’ll watch your soldiers bash each other with sticks while I critique their uniforms.” Cadash’s legs and feet genuinely felt like aching iron rods. The nap had actually managed to make it worse. “Do I have to walk?”“No, but you will have to stand up for a moment.”Cadash grunted and managed to push himself up, and Dorian quickly swiveled the armchair to face the window. He motioned for his boyfriend to go back to sitting, then disappeared to fetch another chair. Facing this way, there was a clear view of the Skyhold courtyard, as well as the gate through which every visitor and resident came in and out of. Cadash thought briefly that it would be an excellent location to spot the hottest gossip. The ring was installed at first for strictly military reasons, overseen by Commander Cullen, but as tensions grew within Skyhold, Cullen was convinced to open the ring on certain nights for Fight Night, in which almost anyone could challenge another to hand to hand combat. Loser bought drinks. Iron Bull was inevitably challenged time after time, but kept his unofficial-official title as Champion of Fight Night. Sadly, midweek was dedicated to military exercises, but it was entertaining nonetheless with Dorian’s commentary.“Honestly, what is this, Antiva? No, Josephine would never have chosen that shade of green to go with that brown. It looks like what Solas would wear.” He had a point. The training uniforms were, to say the least, a little ugly. “Maybe it was what was cheap at the time?” he offered. “We need to have a little chat with Josephine about our military image, is all I’m saying.” “What do you have in mind?”“Maybe more shirtlessness? Properly tailored pants? I have a couple ideas.”“We’re going to have to increase the budget, aren’t we?”
11097018
Margarita Mix
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Prompto Argentum, Gladiolus Amicitia, Ignis Scientia, Noctis Lucis Caelum", "Fandom": "Final Fantasy XV", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by CrossedQuills", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-05T00:00:00", "words": "5,506", "Additional Tags": "alcohol use, Fingering, Oral, Sex, Mention of toy use", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum", "Series": "Drunken Shenanigans", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
AU where everything’s nice in Insomnia and nothing bad happened and it’s Prompto’s 21st birthday so everyone is at his new apartment getting hammered. Crackfic one-shot dedicated to Sal, a buddy of mine who has been a fan of my writing from way back in high school. He JUST finished the game for the first time so I feel he needs some cheering up. Cheers, Sal!Also, I’m aware the Truth or Dare trope has been done dozens of times. I don’t care, its entertaining every time I read it and has so much potential for shenanigans. No beta reader. Please point out any glaring typos or errors, but otherwise… Here we go. Corny Halloween decorations hung from Prompto’s apartment door as Gladio and Ignis arrived, food in tow, for the photographer’s twenty-first birthday. Sure, the drinking age in Insomnia was 18, but at 21 you could start going into adult establishments like strip clubs too. Noctis had suggested they go to one to celebrate, but the perky gunslinger only shrugged and said he’d rather hang out with his best buddies in his new apartment.Prompto answered the door wearing a ridiculous moogle headband, ears and a pompom bounced around on a spring with every motion of his head. He beamed at them with whiskers painted on his freckled cheeks. “Hey, you guys made it… where’s your costumes?”The advisor and shield looked at each other questionably for a moment. “You didn’t tell us to wear costumes,” Gladio said with a chuckle.Prompto pouted. “Well yeah, but it’s a party and its almost Halloween and…”“Just let them in Prom,” Noctis called from inside the room. “You’re letting all the heat out.”The apartment wasn’t nearly as luxurious the rest of theirs, despite the Crownsguard paycheck Prompto had been collecting for just about a year, but it was cozier than any of the others and had a very respectable view of the downtown market. Noctis mentioned that if the wind was blowing just the right way you could smell the wharf too.“This place suits you, Prompto,” Ignis said as he moved some of the liquor bottles to one side of the bar so he could put the food down. Wow, that was a big bottle of tequila. “Is it a one bedroom?”“Two,” said the gunslinger from the couch. He was finishing up a new game with Noct, who appeared to have chosen some elaborate skeletal face paint and matching sweatshirt for the occasion. “The second bedroom I mostly use for storage and developing film, but there’s a futon in there if you guys wanna crash.” There was an explosion on the screen and dramatic music. “Awww, Noct you cheated!”“No, I know the moves. It’s not my fault you just button mash.” He picked up his glass from the table and downed what was left of the lime green liquid. “Want me to top you off?”“Sure,” Prompto said, handing Noct his empty glass before putting the game controllers away. He pulled out his phone and started playing some music (horrid stuff in Ignis’ opinion) over the Bluetooth speaker system Noct bought him for his birthday and got up to get some food.Noctis pulled out two more glasses and put some ice in them. “You guys want a margarita?”Ignis made a face. “I think I’ll make my own, Noct, I’ve seen how you heavy handed you are with the liquor.”The prince rolled his eyes. “Specks, I think I’ve learned my lesson from my own birthday party.” He held up a stainless-steel shot glass and poured tequila in it before putting one shot in his glass. Followed by a heavy dump of the neon colored margarita mix. “See? I’m measuring and everything.” The royal advisor sighed. “Very well, if you must play bartender I’ll have one.”Gladio was already rooting through the finger food, popping a spinach puff in his mouth before saying. “Make mine a double.” Ignis shot him a look. “What? I’m a big guy, I need to catch up to Blondie and Princess. Looks like they got started without us.”Ignis just rolled his eyes and accepted the salt rimmed glass that Noct slid his way. When they each had a beverage Noctis held his aloft. “To the birthday boy.”“To Prompto,” they all said in unison and took a drink as Prompto turned a slight shade of read from the attention. Several hours later and an intense few rounds of cards later Prompto looked like he was getting restless. “Let’s play something else.”“Like what? Spin the bottle?” Noctis said, his eyes already glassy.Prompto elbowed him. “Noooo,” the blonde slurred. “I was thinking Truth or Dare.”Gladio groaned. Ignis had a similar sentiment, but he withheld it. Clearing his throat the advisor said, “I think that game might lead to some embarrassment, don’t you?”Noctis yawned and rubbed one of his eyes, smearing his face paint across his cheek. “That’s kinda the point Iggs.”Prompto stood up, empty drink in hand and wobbled a bit. “Well, it’s my birthday and we’re playin’ it.”Gladio groaned again. “Can we at least take a vow to not let what happens here exit this room. I really would rather my recruits not get any dirt on me.”“Seconded,” said Ignis.Prompto returned with the entire bottle of tequila and margarita mix. “Fine fine,” he said topping off everyone’s beverage with zero measuring happening. Ignis’ stomach did a small flip at the amount of tequila that went into Gladio’s glass. Prompto finished off the margarita mix between the four of them and put the empty bottle on the table. “What happens at Casa del Prompto stays at Casa del Prompto,” he slurred before plopping down on the loveseat next to the Prince. “Who wants to go first?”Gladio took a swig of his drink and grimaced. He coughed and said, “Six Prom, are you trying to give me alcohol poisoning?”Prompto leaned over and patted a tattooed shoulder, “You can handle it big guy…*hic* I have faith in you.”Gladio shot a look to Ignis and slid the tequila bottle off the table and tucked it next to his feet. “Okay fine, but no more tonight. Only water after this.”Ignis had to admit, despite watching Noctis measure out each and every drink he was feeling much more inebriated than he out to. Maybe he should have eaten more to soak the liquor up. Picking up his tequila laden glass he said, “You should go first Prompto. It’s your birthday.”“Kay,” he sat up a little straighter and looked thoughtful. “Ignis, truth or dare.”“Dare,” he said quickly. He might as well get any physical activity over with before this last drink hit him. It would probably be Truth’s from here on out.“Hmmmmm,” Prompto’s moogle ears were tilted to one side now, adding to the inebriated look. “You take yoga all the time, right? I dare you to show us your best move.”Well that wasn’t so bad. Ignis put his drink down and stood up, only now noticing how much the room spun. He took a deep breath and walked over to a vacant spot of carpeting and made sure there was nothing he could fall on. He glanced over and sure enough all three of them were staring at him. Crouching down he put his forearms on the floor and looked forward, trying to keep the room from spinning. Then, putting his butt in the air he swung one foot forward so it was over his head before getting his balance and slowly moving the other foot up to follow. When he was successfully balanced he looked up a little further until his toes just touched the top of his spiked bangs.Gladio whistled just as his balance gave out and he fell back onto his knees with a bang. Thank goodness Prompto had plush carpeting. The three of them clapped slowly. “Damn, Iggy,” said Gladio. “I didn’t know you could do that.”Ignis sat back down and sipped his drink. Okay it wasn’t so bad. At least the margarita mix was of decent quality. “If you recall I have been trying to drag you all to a class for years.”Gladio shook his head. “No can do, Iggy. I can barely touch my toes.”“All the more reason for you to go. By the way, Gladio, Truth or Dare?”“Dare,” he said without hesitation.Ignis smirked, “I dare you to come with me to yoga on Saturday morning. I might have a pair of stretch pants that would fit you, if you don’t mind a floral pattern.”Prompto and Noctis burst out laughing.“Hell. No.” The shield said and took a particularly large swig of his drink. “Truth.”Ignis contemplated for a moment. Gladio was his best friend and he suspected he knew just about everything about him. “Have you… ever broken the law?”“Once,” the large man admitted. “Dad had a hard-core firewall on the computer at home, back before he let me have a smartphone. So, yeah, no adult websites. And you have to be eighteen to buy adult magazines, so…yeah one day I stole one off a news stand and ran. I think I might have thrown a 5 Gil bill at the guy working there, but who knows if he caught it.”Prompto laughed, “Oh my gods. How old were you?”“Fifteen. Puberty hit me like a freight train and I was desperate. I think I might still have it tucked in my old bedroom somewhere.” Gladio cringed. “I should probably go try and find it before Dad tries to turn my room into a study or something.”Noctis downed what was left of his drink and put the glass down on the table loudly. “Your turn big guy.”Ignis watched as a wolfish grin spread across Gladio’s face as he looked between the prince and the birthday boy. In an instant Ignis knew what he would ask. The logical part of him wanted to stop him, but the drunken side wanted to see how this would pan out.“Noctis, Truth or Dare.”“Uhhh, Dare.”“I dare you to kiss Prompto, like you mean it.”Ignis watched as Prompto turned a deep shade of crimson. Surprisingly, Noctis just shrugged and leaned over. Cupping a freckled cheek in his hand he leaned in and kissed him. Not just a I-was-dared-to kiss, but a real kiss. A few seconds later Prompto was leaning back into it too and a flash of tongue could be seen darting between them. When they broke, Noct’s black and white face paint was smeared all over Prompto’s mouth. When Noctis saw it he just started laughing. When Prompto finished wiping the paint off with his sleeve, Noctis leaned back in the couch and said, “Good enough?”It was difficult to tell who looked more shocked, Ignis or Gladio. This was certainly unexpected. Gladio cleared his throat, “Yeah, good enough.”“Prompto,” Noctis said, “Truth or dare.”The blonde still looked a little light headed. “Truth, I guess.”Noctis bit his lip, “If I were to pull up your internet search history right now, what would be the most recent porn you’ve watched?”If Prompto was pink earlier he turned absolutely crimson now. “Ummm… well…”“We could do a dare if you want.” Noct’s tone indicated he had something very interesting in mind. Prompto must have heard it too.“No, no, I’ll stay with truth.” He swallowed hard. “The last thing I watched was some CGI monster porn.”Ignis and Gladio both choked on their drinks.“That’s pretty vague, Prom,” Noctis said, leaning into him. “Details.”“Well… there was this guy, and he was stuck in a hole in a cave wall and… well… one by one different monsters started to show up and…well there was a Marlboro and a Mindflayer…”Gladio started laughing so hard he had to wipe tears away from his eyes. He almost spilled his drink.Prompto almost looked offended. “Don’t make fun of me, you… you porn thief.”The shield stopped laughing long enough to catch his breath, “No, no, I’ve seen that video. I was laughing during most of it. Did you get up to the part with the behemoth?”Prompto bit his lip, “Yeah…”“Your turn, birthday boy.” Gladio said once he’d regained his composure.“Fine, Gladio. Truth or Dare.”“Truth.”Prompto was prepared for this one. “Do you have any sex toys, and if so, what are they?”Gladio’s eyebrows shot toward the ceiling. “Never mind that. Dare.”“Awwwww,” Prompto whined. “That was a good one.” Pouting, he looked around the room for an idea before his eyes landed on his pantry. “I dare you to eat a Cup Noodle without adding any water.”Gladio chuckled and stood up. “You missed your chance there, kid.” He said as he serpentine his way to the pantry before retrieving a cup and flopping back down on the couch. He crushed the cup in his hand before peeling open the top and popping a large chunk in his mouth with a loud crunch. “I do this practically every day.”Ignis cringed. That stuff was bad enough cooked, but raw? He averted his eyes down to the table before he was sick. His gaze landed on the empty margarita mix bottle and just now noticed the label. “Noctis?”“Yeah?” the prince said, half asleep and leaning onto the back of the couch.“Were you aware that this was pre-mixed margarita in the bottle? As in the alcohol is already in it? You were just supposed to add ice.”Noctis smirked drunkenly. “Noooo, but that explains why I’m shitfaced right now.” He sat up and opened both eyes before closing one to look at them. “There we go, now there’s only one of you.”“Noctis,” Gladio said, “I think I get a double question since you almost gave us all alcohol poisoning. Truth or dare.”Noctis didn’t object. Either he didn’t hear his shield or he was too drunk to care. “Truth… doubly truths.”Gladio crunched another mouthful of freeze dried noodles. Ignis cringed again and sipped his gratuitously alcoholic drink. When it slid down his throat and burned like Ifrit’s fire Ignis pushed the glass toward the center of the coffee table. That was quite enough for one night.“Have you ever hidden anything that wasn’t a weapon in your armiger?”Noctis suddenly perked up and pointed at his shield, “No… but that is a very good idea.”Ignis shook his head, “Gods, Gladio, don’t encourage him.”“Second question,” he looked between the prince and the blonde again. “How long have you two been together?”Noctis elbowed his friend, “Prom, you answer. I can’t do math right now.”Prompto must have been all embarrassed out, because he didn’t even flinch at the question. “Let’s see…” he was counting on his fingers, “two months now, I think. Ever since Noct’s birthday party.”Ignis must have been more distracted with work than usual. How on Eos had he not noticed that?“Iggy,” Noct said, slurring, and bypassing the ‘Truth or Dare’ portion of the game and jumping right for Truth. “Have you ever been caught having sex?”Ignis’ limbs felt fuzzy as he thought about the question. Normally he might be embarrassed at such a tale, but if the two younger party members had drank as much as he thought they did they probably wouldn’t remember his answer anyway. “Not quite, but I came close to getting caught once.” He paused, hoping they wouldn’t prod him further, but no such luck. Prompto was already leaning forward, chin resting in his hands and eyes sparkling at the thought of getting some dirt on the royal advisor.Prompto bit his lip. “Well… go on. I want deets.”Gladio looked like he was paying attention too as Ignis sighed and continued. “It was two years ago. I wound up getting frisky with one of the Glaives after a very hands-on training session and I decided to give them oral in the showers. It wasn’t my best moment of judgement and none of the doors were locked. So, when another Glaive came in we obviously had to stop and blast the water on cold before we were discovered. So, to answer your question, I was almost caught.”Gladio whistled low and hunched forward in his seat. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Iggy.”Ignis chuckled, thankful that they weren’t making a big deal of it. “I’m full of surprises. Well, now I guess it’s my turn. Prompto, Truth or…” It was then that Ignis noticed that Noct was looking a little green and had a thousand-yard stare. “Highness?”Suddenly Noct was covering his mouth as he jumped up and practically warped his way into the bathroom. The sound of labored vomiting followed shortly thereafter. Everyone in the living room cringed as the regular puking turned into a scream-barf. “I got him,” said Prompto. “It’s my fault. I bought the drink mix.”“There’s an elixir in my coat pocket,” Ignis said. “Give it to him with plenty of water.”Prompto fished through Ignis’ pockets before finding it and sprinting down the hall toward his drunken boyfriend. The bathroom door closed, muffling the sickening sounds emanating from within. “You should probably just let him have a hangover,” Gladio said, finishing his own drink and putting the glass down. “If you keep babying him he’ll never learn to regulate his alcohol.”Ignis nudged his leg over and tapped Gladio’s mockingly. “You’re one to talk. I think you put away half the tequila by yourself.”Gladio shrugged, “And I’ve been drinking water all night too. A sports drink and maybe an aspirin in the morning and I’ll be fine. What about you, you lush, I know you would have never told that story about the showers if you were sober.”“Touché,” Ignis admitted. His tongue did feel a bit heavy in his mouth and the room was quite warm, though that might have something to do with the human furnace he was sitting next to. “You did make me curious of one thing.”“Yeah?”“Despite admitting you’ve seen the adult film Prompto mentioned, which seems rather graphic, you didn’t reveal any paraphernalia you might have of your own when asked.” Ignis smirked at the larger man next to him. “I’m curious what manner of oddities you have in your collection.”“Nope. Not telling.”Ignis made his best affronted face. “You wound me, thinking I can’t keep a secret.”Gladio huffed. “Fine, but I want something in return.”Ignis felt his stomach tighten. “Such as?”“I want to hear the rest of that shower story, with details.”The strategist bit his lip. He’d never told anyone that story. “Very well, but no names. You first.”Gladio flushed, equal parts from the alcohol and from what he was about to say. He ran his hands down his face, gathering his nerve. “Alright, don’t tell anyone this shit. Up until recently I really didn’t have any toys. I didn’t need them. I mean, look at me, it’s not hard for me to find a lady for an evening.” Ignis did look at him. The fact that he rarely went wanting for a bedfellow wasn’t a surprise. “But, last year…I bought a dildo online.”Ignis eyes shot wide. “Oh,” was all he said. “And what prompted that?”“Porn, honestly. Some of the girls that do anal look like they have a blast doing it, so one night I got drunk and ordered one. I completely forgot about it until it came in the mail. By then I was just like, ‘well, I have it, might as well see what all the fuss is about’.”Ignis was biting his lip. It was difficult not to picture the scene in his head. Except… “What does it look like?”Gladio chuckled. “Blue… and a lot bigger than the dimensions on the website described. Honestly, I couldn’t throw it out for fear of someone finding it in my trash.”Ignis gasped mockingly. “Oh, the scandal. I’ll bet it was worth it in the end.” His voice unintentionally dropped an octave. “Wasn’t it?”Gladio looked back at him with an expression he’d never seen on the shields face before. His eyes were glazed with something substantially more than alcohol. “It took some getting used to, but…yeah it was.”“Now I see why you took the dare instead. I don’t think those two would be able to look you in the eye after that admission.”Gladio winked. “Oh, but you can?”“You tell me after you hear my story. We might be on par.”“Well, let’s hear it. What started it in the showers in the first place?”“Well, he had been training me in the use of daggers-”“Wait…he? You didn’t say it was a guy earlier.”“Did you suspect that the Glaives had a hidden co-ed shower somewhere? Of course, it was a man. May I continue?”Gladio nodded.Ignis cleared his throat. “The training had been very hands on and honestly we’d been shooting bedroom eyes at each other for weeks when nobody was looking. But we’d kept each other at arm’s length to remain professional up until then. One day we were training late and the rest of the Glaives had gone home for the day, so when we finally finished and went to the showers it was only us. The shower started off fairly normal until I looked over and noticed he was staring at me and hard, and by gods he was handsome. Some force drew us together and before I knew it we were kissing under the hot stream of water.”He noticed Gladio adjust himself in his seat before another wet, heaving sound echoed down the hallway. Both men cringed before Ignis continued.“He took me in his hand and began to stroke. I returned the favor as we kissed, but soon it wasn’t enough. I got on my knees-” Gladio’s breath hitched. Ignis smirked. “-and took him in my mouth. I worked on him for several minutes until his legs began to tremble. But that’s when we heard the door to the locker room open. Thinking fast he turned the water ice cold while I stood up. We missed being caught by seconds.”Ignis noted the rise and fall of Gladio’s exposed chest under his jacket. The strategist wondered if the shield was aware that he was flushed from the tattooed eagle’s beak, all the way up to his hairline. He wondered how far he could undo the bulwark of the man with just his words. It was probably cruel to get his best friend so wound up, but he did ask for it.“After that we went back to his apartment. We didn’t say a word when his door closed, we just began stripping clothes off each other all the way to his bedroom. He had a small bed, but we made due. I resumed where I had left off, but by then he was on a hair trigger. He came down my throat before flipping me over and returning the favor. I must admire his stamina because we fucked all night. I even had to call in sick to work the next day.”Ignis now realized that Gladio’s shoulder was flush with his as the larger man looked over him like he was the best meal he’d ever laid eyes on. The look was more intoxicating than the alcohol they’d been imbibing all night. Slowly, painfully slowly, they leaned in.“Hey, guys.”Ignis nearly fell off the couch as Prompto reemerged into the room.“Oh, sorry Iggy. I know, my bad for the margarita stuff. I thought it was just mix, not pre-mixed. You’re welcome to the futon in the second bedroom. It’s already made up. I got Noct to bed with a garbage can under his chin. He kept the elixir and water down though. I think he’ll be alright.”The strategist pushed his glasses back up his nose as Gladio subtly hid his tented pants with a throw pillow. Ignis cleared his throat. “Thank you, Prompto. Let me know if you need anything for His Highness. We probably should turn in anyway.”“Okay, Ignis. Thanks.”“Oh, and Prompto.” Ignis said before the blonde left. “I’m happy you two figured things out.”Prompto smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Specks,” he said before retreating down the hallway.Moment broken, Ignis stood up and dusted his slacks off before heading to the kitchen for a tall glass of water. Gladio sat for a moment longer before standing up himself. They both didn’t say a word as they made their way to the guest room. Ignis flicked the light on and the room was bathed in a red glow. “What on… oh. That’s right, he develops film in here.”Gladio hummed. “Least the bed’s already made up. Wouldn’t want to figure out a fitted sheet in the dark.” He stripped down to his boxers and slid into the far side of the futon first. Ignis hadn’t brought any pajamas. Normally he left an extra pair at Noct’s in case he had to stay overnight, but the thought had slipped his mind for this evening. Oh well. Stripping down to his briefs as well he folded his shirt and pants and lay them down on the floor just under the futon before placing his glasses on the end table and crawling under the blankets as well.Ignis wasn’t quite sure what had been going through Gladio’s head in the living room, but at that moment he was lying on his stomach, quite still and face buried in the pillow. Ignis deduced that he’d gone to sleep, so he closed his eyes too. It shouldn’t take long to fall asleep, as much as they’d had to drink. Now that he was comfortable he realized that he’d forgotten to turn the red light off. Oh well, he wasn’t getting back up now.He was just thinking about how he must have imagined the look Gladio gave him when the mattress shifted and Ignis felt a warm hand against his ribs. He didn’t move, just in case Gladio was just shifting in his sleep. After a few more moments of no movement Ignis closed his eyes again and nearly drifted when again, there was a shift. This time Gladio’s entire hand was resting on Ignis’ stomach and was very slowly, and very intentionally working its way down.His heart began to hammer in his chest. Should they stop? They were best friends after all and worked together almost every day. If Gladio… if they regretted what might happen then…Ignis gasped as Gladio palmed his hardening cock through his briefs. Ignis tried and failed to contain a moan as strong fingers began to move.Turning his head, he found amber eyes that looked gold in this light only inches from his face. The pupils were enormous as messy hair half covered the shields face. “Iggy… tell me to stop and I will. Tell me you don’t want this.”Ignis found his own hand reaching over and ghosting knuckles across rock hard abs. They trailed down before reaching the elastic band of Gladio’s boxers. Not bothering to pull them down, Ignis reached down to the vent and released Gladio’s member to the air, palming the hot flesh as the shield moaned. That sound was all it took for Ignis to close the distance and capture Gladio’s mouth with his own.Hands abandoned cocks for a moment as they became a tangle of limbs. Hair was pulled as nails raked over skin as they devoured each other’s mouths. Gladio taste like dry Cup Noodle and tequila and Ignis can’t bring himself to give a shit.Ignis’ lips are tingling by the time he broke the kiss. Gladio was gorgeous in the dim lighting. His lips swollen from kissing and his hair in disarray while his cock throbbed in between their bodies. Ignis leaned down and whispered. “Would you like me to show you why all the girls in your porn have such a good time?” A distinctly un-manly noise escaped Gladio’s mouth. “That sounds like a ‘yes’, but first thing’s first.”Ignis leaned over the edge of the futon and felt around for his wallet. When he found it he took out the packet of lube and a condom he kept handy for just such an occasion. He dropped both on the mattress besides them before kicking all the blankets off the bed and sliding his tongue down the washboard abs of the man beneath him. Gladio lifts his hips to let Ignis pull his boxers down. Normally the strategist would take his time with such matters, but right now the shield looks fit to burst and it was delicious.Taking the large member in his hand Ignis worked up some saliva before licking it slowly from base to tip. He repeated this a few times, slicking it up good before sliding the head between his lips. Gladio covered his face with the pillow to keep Prompto from hearing it across the apartment. The noise egged Ignis on as he picked up his pace, letting his hand slide up and down on the parts where his mouth left vacant.When he began to feel Gladio’s thighs tremble he stopped.Pillow in a death grip, Gladio glared down at him, but his expression changed quickly when he realized Ignis was squeezing lube on to his fingers.Leaning down to give Gladio’s thick thigh a slight nip, Ignis slicked up the ring of muscle and inserted a finger easily. “Oh, my…” Ignis smiled at Gladio as the larger man gasped. “You have been using that toy of yours. I’d like to see that sometime.” He whispered as he added a second and third finger, curling his digits just so and making Gladio moan again into the pillow. When he feels he’s tortured the shield enough he withdraws his fingers and tears the condom wrapper open. Gladio watched with rapt attention as Ignis slid the condom on, lubing himself up with slow strokes and what’s left of the packet. “Last chance to turn back.” Ignis whispered and he prays that Gladio doesn’t take his offer.When Gladio reaches up and pulls him down for a kiss Ignis takes that as answer enough and enters him. Gladio moans into his mouth as he sheaths himself to the hilt on the first thrust. If what Gladio said about his blue monstrosity at home was true, then he probably didn’t need to ease him into this. Pulling back he snapped his hips forward hard, smacking his thighs against toned buttocks as he repeated the motion. Gladio had one hand wrapped around Ignis shoulder and the other was covering his mouth as he moaned desperately with every stroke. The sight alone was cracking Ignis’ normally indominable resolve. He could feel his own orgasm coming at him like an avalanche, but he refused to let Gladio out do him.Spitting heavily into his hand Ignis reached down between them and took the thick member in his hands, stroking it quickly with each thrust. “Iggy, fuck… I’m coming… I’m…” At the last instant Ignis cupped his hand around Gladio’s head to catch his orgasm before it could go all over the place. Good thing too because there was a lot of it, some slipped between his fingers onto the chiseled abs beneath him. Without thinking he reached up and put his come covered fingers in Gladio’s mouth, sliding his own orgasm down his throat before he leaned in and kissed him. He could taste the orgasm on the shields tongue and that’s all it took. Ignis came hard as the avalanche hit him.If their lips weren’t together, they would have woken up the entire apartment complex.They collapsed onto each other into a sweaty heap and for the moment just lie there, gasping for air. When the torrent passed Ignis glanced up for some tissues and was pleased to discover that, not only were there tissues, but two bottles of water as well. He had to remind himself to thank Prompto for being so hospitable.Sliding off Gladio he disposed of the condom in the waist bin before handing the shield some tissues to clean himself up. After Ignis took a large gulp of water he leaned down and lazily kissed his friend…coworker…lover…whatever you wanted to call them. “My birthday is coming up in February, just in case you want to come to the party,” Ignis said with a sly grin and Gladio returned it.“I’ll bring the liquor next time.” ~X~X~Well… This was supposed to be a drabble and its been almost 5500 words. Hope you like it, Sal!Reviews feed me in self-worth, don’t let me starve! ;_;
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Apartment 14B
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": null, "Fandom": "D.Gray-man", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by autumntea", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-05T00:00:00", "words": "1,870", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Open Relationships, Polyamory", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Kanda Yuu/Lavi/Lenalee Lee/Allen Walker, Kanda Yuu/Lavi/Lenalee Lee, Kanda Yuu & Lavi & Lenalee Lee & Allen Walker, Kanda Yuu/Alma Karma, Tyki Mikk & Allen Walker, Nea D. Campbell & Allen Walker", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Kanda is desperately trying to shake off his 'so-called' 'significant others' before they reach their shared apartment when they hear the scream.   It’s high-pitched and sounds terrified – nothing that wouldn’t be out of place in a shitty low budget horror flick, much like the one he had just been forced to spend 15-fucking-dollars on because of Lavi’s stupid ideas. Though if you asked Kanda, he would say that most of Lavi's date ideas were all pretty fucking stupid (though, even  he's  got to admit the petting zoo last month had been pretty sick.)    Kanda, Lavi, and Lenalee all freeze at once when they’re in between apartment 14A and 14B and, as one, they all look at 14B, where muffled sounds and thumps now follow.    “Did… Did we just hear someone get murdered?” Lavi asks, looking both bewildered and intrigued, his visible eye gleaming with the clear opportunity for mystery.    From the thumps coming from the room, they can tell that  someone  is still alive in the apartment.   “I don’t… think so?” Lenalee answers slowly, unsure. She puts a hand on her waist, shifts her weight to one leg, and gets one of those overly inquisitive looks Kanda knows all-too-well and, frankly, not something he feels like indulging in today.    “You guys can figure that out if you want to, see ya.” Kanda waves, yawns, and starts walking down the hallway. Just as he reaches the mystery suite, the door bursts open, and Kanda is nearly bowled over by a  significantly  shorter body that comes bursting from the door. Instinctively, Kanda holds his arms out  and catches the body that collides into him and nearly falls.    The body is silm and young, which contrasts the fact that they have long white hair when they raise their head. the first thing they all see is that he's a young man and that he has a jagged red, scar over his left eye. He has bright grey eyes and enough freckles on his face to rival Lavi. He's also wearing a figure fitting long-sleeved shirt and a single leather glove in the middle of a July heatwave.    “Oh, I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” The youth says as he tries to recover his footing. They can also see that this boy is unusually pretty.   Lenalee and Lavi both choose this moment to call out, "Kanda, don't be mean!" and "Woah, are you British?" Kanda, however, can give less of a shit.   “Watch where the fuck you’re going!” Kanda barks, but still lets the other man right himself.    “Oh, well excuse me!” the platinum blond exclaims, clearly taken off guard as he looks up at Kanda, “I didn’t expect anybody to be outside of my apartment and I already apologized!” The older Japanese man opens his mouth to speak, but Lenalee bumps Kanda away.    “I’m sorry about Kanda, he never knows how to shut his mouth. Like, ever,” she mediates before a fight can break out. She sents Kanda one of her fortified looks. And he doesn’t even bark at her, just merely sends her a halfhearted glare. What a sweetheart. “I haven’t seen you around here, though! I’m Lenalee and this is Lavi.”   “Ah, it’s nice to meet you.” The boy congenially says, extending a gloved hand to Lenalee and then Lavi. “I’m Allen and I just moved in… last Tuesday, I believe?”   “You have a really killer accent, man. Are you here from England?” Lavi asks, leaning against the wall casually.   “Technically, I was born and raised in Manchester for a while, yes.“     “Okay, fuckin’ yippee, so why the fuck did you just run into me?” Kanda interrupts, clearly ignoring the fact that he had just ruined what could have turned into a nice conversion.   “If you must know, there’s a spider in my kitchen.” Allen says matter-of-factly, suddenly losing a bit of his previous calm demeanor and gaining a rather panicked look in his eye at the reminder of his own personal eight-legged nightmare.   “You ran away from your apartment because of a fucking spider?”   “Yes, because spiders are actually demons from hell,” He says this so convincingly that all three of them almost want to believe him. Almost.   “Okay, but I don’t a shit about spiders. Go get your mother to kill it for you and don’t run into me next time, squirt.”   ‘My mother?’  Allen mouths to himself before turning back to the brute in front of him, eyebrows creased. “In case you haven’t noticed, this is my apartment. I’m an adult.”   “Yeah right kid, every 17-year-old likes to think they’re an adult. Tell me that again when you’re taller than five feet.”   “Excuse you,” Allen blurts out, affronted. “I’m 20! And I’m not five feet tall!”   “Whoa, really? I thought you were waaaay younger,” Lavi cuts in, looking quite impressed.   “20, my ass. He’s gotta be 18, and I’m being nice.”   “You guys are being so rude right now!” Lenalee chides before turning to Allen with a kind, pretty smile. “You’re so youthful; you’ll have to tell me your secret someday! Do you need any help with the spider?”   Allen sighs, both at a loss and relieved at once. “Yes, please.” He does send a dirty look to Kanda, however.    “I suppose this is my cue then, isn’t it?” Lavi flourishes and takes the time to act like he’s rolling up his sleeves, even though it was only a spider, and he was wearing a crop top with short sleeves anyways. He comically flexes, which gets a chuckle from Lenalee and a bewildered look from Allen. “Just lead the way. C’mon Yuu, I’m gonna need backup.”   “Don’t call me that,” Kanda huffs out for what is probably the billionth time and crosses his arms, “Why do I have to help, this shit is none of my business.”   “Hm, you didn’t strike me as the type to be afraid of spiders.”    “What the fuck?” Kanda balks, staring at the shorter adult in front of him. “You ran out of your fuckin’ apartment because of a spider, squirt. Who the hell are you to talk shit about me for being afraid of spiders, which I’m  not .”   The young British man shrugs carelessly. “I have no problems admitting my fear of spiders. But acting all  pissy  because you don’t like spiders and then talking bad about my fear is a bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”   “Holy shit, that’s such a reach, but he’s technically not even wrong.” Lavi stage whispers to his girlfriend, who merely nods. The two watch heatedly, not wanting to miss what happens next.     Kanda sends his significant others a dirty look before turning back to the darker skinned man, who looks extremely unimpressed. "This is just how I act, kid. I’ll kill the spider and prove I’m not afraid of them.”   “Whoa, I don’t condone the spider killing!” Lavi announces, “but, you can be my lovely assistant, if you do so please.”   “Go jump out the window.” Kanda barges past Allen and into his apartment, ignoring the shorter man’s protest.   “I love it when Yuu talks dirty to me.” Lavi sighs at Lenalee and Allen, following his boyfriend.   “…What?”    “Kanda’s first name is Yuu.” Lenalee clarifies, following Allen into his apartment and letting him close the door behind her. “…Don’t call him that though. Lavi just likes pushing his buttons.”   Allen’s apartment is like theirs, though perhaps a few square feet smaller. Even then, it was probably a bit too big for one person. It’s clear that he’s in the middle of moving still from all the half empty boxes and how unlived in it looks. There is, however, something particularly large and eye catching in the room.     “Nice piano, man. How long have you been playing?” Lavi says, whistling at the pure white piano taking up a bit of space in the living room. Allen hums for a moment; it’s almost musical in nature.    “A few years, give or take.”   “Oh wow!” Lenalee says, looking in awe. “That’s awesome, Allen! None of us really know how to play any instruments.”   “Speak for yourself, Lenalee.” Kanda says, following Lavi into the kitchen, looking awfully tense.   “Is he ok?” Allen whispers when they’re out of hearing range.   Lenalee grins and waves her hand, “Yeah it’s fine, Kanda really doesn’t like spiders, he’s just trying to look tough.”   A clear, “What the hell, Lenalee?!” is heard from the kitchen. The Chinese woman sends Allen a pointed look that clearly says,  ‘see what I mean.’   “I thought that was just him being unpleasant.”   “…Maybe that too, but hey, we have Lavi to deal with all of our spider needs! He thinks they’re too interesting and cool to kill.”   “What the fuck is that?!” Kanda barks with obvious surprise.   “Whoa, this thing is huge!” Lavi’s voice exclaims from the other room. “Do you have anything I can catch it in to release outside.”   “There’s tupperware in the cupboard above the sink.” Allen calls out, before turning his head back to Lenalee. “I definitely see what you mean. How long have you guys known each other?”   “God… It’s been years. I met Kanda when I was around… eight or nine? Lavi transferred into our high school like five years after that.”   “Oh, how time has flown by!” Lavi melodramatically laments as he strolls back into the front room, a tupperware container in his hands.   “Not fast enough, dork.” Kanda huffs, leaning on the wall with easy confidence as if he owned the place. Which he did not, Allen would like to point out.   “Chill out, Yuu.” Lavi says as he nearly struts across the room, briefly taunting Allen and Lenalee by gently thrusting the sealed tupperware container back and forth in their direction as he passes, making Allen jump and nearly collide into Lenalee.   “Lavi!” Lenalee protests, her voice stern as she helps right Allen. “Don’t you ever do that again!”   “Whoa, Lena, chill. It’s not like it’s going to get out.”   “You better make sure it doesn’t, Lavi.”   “Absolutely not! And if it does, I’ll just catch it again. But, I’ll go take care of our fuzzy friend here.” Lavi chimes, enjoying the shudders he gets from Lenalee and Allen. The redhead doesn’t make it too far though, stopping once he reaches the door and turning back to look at the two. “Oh hey, new pal, you wanna come to Jerry’s with us later?”   “Oh, that’s a great idea! What do you think, Kanda?”   “Whatever.” The Japanese man says, yawning again as he makes his way to the door. Today was way too chaotic for his liking and he can see a nap in his near future even though it was almost three o’clock. “I don’t give a shit.”   “Good, because I would have invited him even if you said no.”   “What’s Jerry’s?”   “One of the best places in town. It’s run by one of my brother’s close friends and he’s a great chef! Plus, I work there part time, so we get discounts. You’re our neighbor, should totally come to dinner with us, if you want to.” Lenalee explains, a sweet, enthusiastic smile on her face.   Allen smiles just as sweetly and says,   “You had me at chef and discount.”
11035263
Bear Hug
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Danneel Harris", "Fandom": "Supernatural RPF", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by deadhuntress", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "1,351", "Additional Tags": "Fluff, Established Relationship, Polyamory, Drunk Jensen, Jus in Bello Convention, sleeping, Flirting, Kissing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Hangover", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Jensen Ackles/Misha Collins, Implied JMDV - Relationship", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "M/M, Multi", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Jensen was one of those really affectionate, really cute drunks that are really hard to stay mad at because they’re too damn cute.Misha had known this before today of course, but Jensen had never been so… public with his affection for Misha before, and it had kind of thrown Misha a curveball at their panel earlier today. Usually it was Jensen who tried (and failed) to reign in their intimacy, but with Jensen far past tipsy and threatening to expose their relationship to the whole world, Misha was left to try to keep him in check and do damage control when needed. A quick social media check, though, showed that the fans had not missed any of what happened, and Misha sighed.“You really did it this time,” he said aloud, a smile playing at the corner of his lips despite himself. “Have fun explaining this one.”Jensen, of course, didn’t respond – he was sleeping soundly on top of Misha, body splayed over Misha’s and head resting on Misha’s chest, in just the right place so that whenever he shifted in his sleep, his hair tickled Misha’s chin. He was downright adorable, and Misha shook his head in wonder as he ran his fingers through the short brown hair.Suddenly, Misha’s phone buzzed, and he hurried to silence it when Jensen stirred slightly. After a few moments, Jensen sighed in his sleep and nuzzled further into Misha’s chest, and Misha carefully picked up his phone to see who had texted him. How’s the lightweight? Misha grinned. Danneel. Someone can’t hold his alcohol ;D He received a line of laughing emojis for that. Is that why he drunk texted me to say you wore pink underwear today?Misha held back a laugh. Damn, secret’s out He also texted me a bunch of messages that just said rawr… What’s up with that? Misha thought for a moment. Um. Apparently he has underwear with a bear on them? And a forest scene on the back, which I saw when we got back here. It’s… something.It was a nearly a minute before he finally got a reply. Sorry Mish I can’t stop laughing… I bought those as a gag gift for his birthday and he loves them for some reason. There might possibly be a tiger pair at home too? So I have YOU to blame! Oops :D Did he tell you he showed me them? Onstage? During our panel? He didn’t! Half the fans think he was commando Omg Then he roared at me for the rest of the panel OMG How do you deal with him? Laugh at him, mainly Hmm. I was too busy doing damage control. More than once I thought he was gonna kiss me onstage. That got Misha another series of laughing emojis.Sounds fun, Danneel’s next message said. I’m jealous. Yeah, well, we got back to the hotel and he passed out on top of me. But not before stripping down to just the boxers. I’m trying not to think about the bear conveniently placed over my crotch. OMG Yeah, yeah, Misha replied. Come pick him up. Take him home.Her reply was quick. Haha he’s your problem, babe He’s your husband! He’s your boyfriend! Misha snorted. Fuck you Hmm maybe if you were here… Misha sent a frowny face. Danneel didn’t answer for a few minutes, so he returned to stroking Jensen’s hair. Finally, his phone lit up again, and he held it up to see. Sorry, baby crying. Twins are exhausting. I would imagine. I have enough trouble with my two. Misha smiled at the thought. He’d FaceTimed with Vicki and the kids before Jensen had completely passed out. When he called, they’d been making lunch, so most of the video consisted of Maison drinking a glass of juice and describing in detail the bug she’d caught earlier that day while Vicki tried to cook and keep West from adding anything too weird to the macaroni and cheese. It was messy and chaotic and absolutely perfect, and he couldn’t wait to be home with them.Danneel’s next message was a picture of the twins – down for an afternoon nap – and JJ, who appeared to be reading them a story.Awww, Misha replied. They’re adorableYeah, when they’re sleeping, Danneel responded with a winking emoji.Very true. Misha lifted his phone carefully and pulled up the camera to get a picture of Jensen asleep on top of him in the dim lamplight. Like father like kids, he captioned it before hitting send.He is pretty adorable, Danneel responded. I’m glad you’re there to take care of him.Misha’s smile softened. Me too. <3 Go to sleep, you need it. Text me in the morning. Night! Okay, okay, good night. Give everyone a kiss for me. You do the same when he wakes up. Misha yawned despite himself as he read the final message. He’s getting a lot more than just a kiss ;DDanneel sent another laughing emoji before Misha plugged his phone in and set it on the table. He was just able to reach the switch on the lamp, and clicked it off before settling into the bed and relaxing his head into the pillow. It wasn’t long before he drifted off to sleep to the sound of Jensen’s peaceful breathing.---Misha awoke with a startled grunt the next morning when Jensen shifted in his sleep and stuck an elbow in Misha’s ribs. Misha groaned as the pain went away, blinking in the dim light as sleep faded and he slowly got his bearings.Thankfully, Jensen was no longer sprawled completely on top of him, so Misha was able to wiggle his way out of his boyfriend’s grasp and stumble to the bathroom. Misha nearly fell asleep again brushing his teeth – he really was exhausted – so once he finished, he climbed back in bed and closed his eyes as he curled up against Jensen’s body.The next time Misha woke up, it was to Jensen groaning loudly next to him.“Turn the light off,” Jensen complained, his voice rough and gravelly.“That’s the sun,” Misha responded, not even opening his eyes.“’S too bright,” Jensen grumbled, trying to steal Misha’s pillow to cover his eyes.Misha shoved Jensen’s hands away. “Get off,” he said. “There’re extras for a reason.” Misha closed his own eyes again, assuming that Jensen was grabbing one of the extra pillows to use. Jensen was quiet for a few minutes, so Misha attempted to fall back asleep, but unfortunately, the silence didn’t last long.“Mish?” Jensen’s voice was small and hesitant. “My head hurts.”Misha sighed but gave up on getting any more sleep. He slipped out of the bed and to the bathroom, where there were a few plastic cups on the sink. “You drank a lot yesterday,” he said as he filled one of the cups with water and brought it back to the bed. He’d grabbed a bottle of aspirin from his suitcase the night before, and he set the cup on the nightstand and shook two pills out of the bottle.“Take these,” he said, easing the pillow of off Jensen’s face and helping him sit up. Jensen dutifully swallowed the pills and downed the cup of water, leaning back against the wall when he was finished. Misha fetched another cup of water and Jensen drank that too.“Thanks,” he said, setting the cup down and pulling Misha closer so that he could rest his head against Misha’s stomach. “What would I do without you?”There was a snarky reply on the tip of Misha’s tongue, but Jensen’s expression was loving and his eyes were sincere, so Misha just smiled. “Who knows?” he teased lightly.They were silent for a moment, and then Jensen tugged Misha down onto the bed. “Love you,” he said softly, resting his forehead against Misha’s.Misha’s smile softened as it always did when Jensen let himself be vulnerable. “Love you too.”There would be plenty of teasing to come later, but for that moment, he was content to just kiss.
11099958
Stupid little heart
{ "Archive Warning": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Crowley (Supernatural), Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Reader", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by AlAngel", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-05T00:00:00", "words": "2,177", "Additional Tags": "Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt!Crowley, kinda-panic-attack-reader (be careful if that’s a trigger for you)", "Relationship": "Crowley (Supernatural)/You", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Title: Stupid little heartPairing: Crowley x fem!ReaderWord Count: ~2kWarning: canon typical violence, hurt!Crowley, kinda-panic-attack-reader (be careful if that’s a trigger for you)Request: Hey hey, if it’s okay, could you do a Crowley x reader where she likes him but refuses to tell him but one day he hears her heart race when she’s helping him with his injuries after a rough hunt because she’s nervous and also hates seeing him hurt? Thank you lovie(A/n: This is probably not exactly what the requester had in mind. I wanted to practise writing fight scene and suddenly the whole fic turned darker than intended. It doesn’t feel finished either but I don’t know where to take it from here. || Gif is not mine.)....“Hello boys - and kitten” A smooth British voice you’d recognise everywhere said. Immediately your heart beat speed up a little, a by now almost natural reaction you had when it came to the king of hell. Sure, you’d never really get used to how much your crush on him affected both your body and your straight thoughts, but after months without improvement on the ‘condition’ you recently accepted your fate. You were hopelessly in love with Crowley, bloody king of hell.“We need help” Dean stated barely looking up from the papers in front of him. Sam seemed to not even have noticed the demons arrival his nose was still stuck in a lore book, only his hair sticking out from behind. How they weren’t affected by Crowley was beyond you, even before you discovered your unrequited feelings for him, you had loved his accent. Back when there wasn’t much to like in the king of hell there had always been his voice and quick sense of humour. If you had to pin down the point you started falling for him it was probably the moment he started talking. Damn you would have never guessed you’d ever fall so easily.“When don’t you” Crowley sighted exaggerated, his eyes meeting yours “Pray tell, kitten, why do you still put up with those morons?”“They’d be lost without me I guess”“We are right here” For the first time for hours Sam’s head reappeared from behind the book, his eyes focused on Crowley annoyed.“Samantha!” Crowley just grinned “Don’t be jealous you’re still my favourite.” Crowley even winked which caused another groan from Sam. “So where to, boys?”“Hey!” You snapped as Crowley stepped right in front of you. The werewolf-witch, apparently a thing now (no, we’re not calling it werewitch, Dean!), was a bit more difficult than any of you had imagined even before calling the king of hell in. Centuries old and definitely used to hurters coming after her, there didn’t seem to be an easy solution. The plan had been to corner her, then distract her till someone could get a clear silver bullet shot in. So far you were still working on the cornering though.“Stop complaining, I’m helping” Crowley replied trying to handle a gun while getting both of you out of her spell line. True, you had to hand it to him instead of simply helping out with some spell knowledge his majesty insisted on tagging along. Now he was equipped with a gun just like the rest of you, even though Dean had bitched 20 minutes about not wanting to be around him while armed. Which in turn caused Crowley to start listing all the ways one could kill Dean without a gun. That struck a nerve with Sam and after endless discussions Crowley got the gun and both brothers swore to never let him tag along on hunts that didn’t absolutely need his physical presence.“Didn’t ask for help” You hissed back, trying to get a glimpse at the witch, which turned out to be more than difficult with Crowley refusing to let you past his shielding body.“Doesn’t mean you don’t need it”From the corner of your eyes you saw Sam moving in on the witch. That was definitely jumping ahead of things, from the look of it he was going to stab her with the silver knife out in the open while she was distracted with throwing curses at Crowley and you, no idea where Dean was. Quickly you averted your eyes from Sam to not give his position away, the youngest Winchester could handle himself, you had to worry about distracting the witch enough so he could get the knife through her. Which was not an easy task with Crowley’s new found mission of standing right in front of you the whole bloody time. Well desperate times…You made a run for it, opposite direction of where Sam was sneaking up but also far away from the shielding the king of hell was providing. Immediately you had to duck, red light flying straight over your head. So she noticed you, great. Still crouched you tried to run further, hoping she’d concentrate most of her power on the stupid person who was running without cover. Cover! Looking around you tried to find anything to shield you, but the field seemed completely empty. As the red and green lights of unknown curses came closer and closer to hitting you, you started to like your impromptu plan of diversion less and less. All you had was hoping that Sam saw and used his one chance quick, you wouldn’t be able to hold your zick zack target run up for long.“Duck!” Before you could process the words strong arms pushed you to the ground. With a grunt you landed on your hands and knees, probably scratching both equally bloody. Annoyed you wanted to complain, what the hell, but there was another bright lighted curse coming your way which caused you to completely throw yourself on the ground. After that one last blow you heard a high shriek, inhuman high and your ears rung even after every noise on the field had died down.Warily and for the first time really feeling how tired and hurt you were, you slowly rose to your knees. Sam was standing with the knife in hand next to the witches’ lifeless body still catching his adrenaline rushed breath. You checked for Dean, but your focus was soon caught by something or better someone else. Right next to you on the ground was Crowley, hand pressed onto his unnaturally twisted leg. As you couldn’t avert your eyes from his fingers, dark red blood slowly seeping through them, your heart beat picked up. However it wasn’t the happy excited pounding you came used to, it was a panicked hammering. Without a second thought you crawled over, carefully pressing your own much smaller hands over his.“I’ve got you” You whispered not daring to speak up, already all too aware of how fragile your voice sounded. All your focus was on the wound and how you needed to keep the blood in there, leaving no room for any other thoughts or the chance to look at his face. He got hurt protecting stupid reckless you, the scrawl and anger was too much to handle right now. “It’s going to be fine. Promise.”Your heartbeat was still heavy, echoing through your ears. You knew you needed to focus on calming down, breathing. But you couldn’t. All you could do was stare at the red blood now covering both of your hands.“(Y/n)” The voice sounded distant, you couldn’t even place it. It didn’t matter. The voice called your name again, but you didn’t care. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to get hurt. You…Suddenly you were pulled away, your head was spinning from the sudden movement. The only thing keeping you on your legs were the strong arms wrapped around you.“Bloody hell keep holing her” A different voice snarled “She’s panicking.”The warmth of the arms holding you, grew tighter. It was almost suffocating, but safe at the same time. Your body couldn’t decide whether to push it away or curl up into it.“Listen to me, kitten” The snarling voice turned so much softer “Sam’s got you. It’s okay. Everything will be just fine.”“He’s right” You felt the chest you were pressed against move from speaking “You’re okay. We’ve got you.”“I’ll be fine” Crowley’s voice filled your head, a soft warm feeling spreading all through you, only now realising how much you needed to hear him say that. “Don’t worry, kitten. I’m the king of hell I’ll be peachy in a minute. But I need you to breath. Listen to moose breath.”You listened to Sam, who was still mumbling words of reassurance into your hair, but none of them were what calmed you. It was the British voice right there in your head, only for you to hear, telling you that it would be fine. Slowly you felt your nerves and body relax, deep breaths and Crowley’s constant voice calming you. After a while your heart was still pounding in your ears, but you became more and more aware of the world around you.“Dean’s getting the car” Sam told you still holding onto you “Whatever’s gotten into you we will figure it out. Crowley will be back for help after patching his leg up.”I saw the man I love bleeding out after he tried to protect me, you thought but didn’t dare say aloud. Your crush was for no one to know, nobody business but your own. And you would keep it that way.“You look better” Crowley’s voice was quieter, less sarcastic than usual. When you looked up to meet his eyes you were met with concern and something that almost looked like care “You were pretty shaken earlier.”“I guess I was.” You replied wearily still looking at him as he made his way across the room. For a moment he stood awkwardly in front of the sofa the boys had made you sit on in the living room. They got you a blanket, hot chocolate and Dean even offered some of his beloved pie, it was their way of showing that they were sorry you got hurt even though you technically you didn’t and it wasn’t their fault anyway.“We should talk about this” Crowley finally left his awkward stance to sit next to you. His hands couldn’t figure out what to do, so he seemed to fidget, playing with his palms while not looking at you. Your eyes followed every little movement his fingers made, not sure what he meant.“I’m aware of your feelings” He suddenly said “And it didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened to you back there on the field.”Your mind was racing. He knew? He had never shown any sign of being aware! Hurt and anger bubbled up in you. If he had known all along he could have just said something! Letting him go would have been so much easier instead you had spent months mooning after him.“I’m sorry” He kept going after a pause “I didn’t mean to scare you. I was not thinking straight.”“It’s not your fault you got hurt” You heard yourself say even though there were a billion questions you’d rather ask or better shout at him.“It’s my fault for letting myself have that little moment where you look at me all concerned and caring.” Your eyes wandered up to Crowley’s in surprise, but you couldn’t see the strain that started to show in his voice there. His eyes were closed, however there was an evident shadow over his face. “If it weren’t for your heart beat picking up whenever I come in to see the boys, I wouldn’t have known at all. Took me a while to figure it out from there, you are incredible at hiding your feelings.”“So you really knew all along?”“Mostly” He admitted, his arms coming up to support his head in his hands. He looked vulnerable like you’ve never seen him before. “And still I don’t know what to do with the information. You are a beautiful person, (y/n). But I’m the king of hell, you seem to forget that sometimes. Especially when freaking out over some blood. I’m not the one getting hurt, normally it’s me who hurts people.”“For what it’s worth you never hurt me.”“So far” He shook his head, one hand brushing through his hair “There might come a day when you’re the only way I can get to moose and squirrel. One day I have to hurt you. I don’t want to, but I might have to. Loving me is the worst thing someone could possibly do.”“Says the one who stepped right in a witches spell”Crowley lifted his head out of his hands, he seemed to be more in control of his thoughts now. With a gleam that you couldn’t read his brown eyes locked with yours. “That, kitten, was only so that stupid little heart of yours would keep beating a little longer.”
11037402
Betrayal
{ "Archive Warning": "Rape/Non-Con", "Category": null, "Characters": "Sunstreaker (Transformers), Mirage (Transformers), Bob (Transformers), Unknown Characters", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by SunnySidesofBlue", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "6,790", "Additional Tags": "Evil Mirage, Revenge, Coercion, Emotional Manipulation, Heavy Angst, Hand Job, Blow Job, Immobilisation, Gang Rape, Humiliation, Mocking, Nonconsensual Bestiality, Threat of forced MPREG, (can't happen but the victim doesn't know that), Defamation, Alien Biology, Pain, Genital Damage, False Accusations, Unresolved Ending", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Sunstreaker/Mirage, Sunstreaker/Unknown, Sunstreaker/Bob", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Transformers - All Media Types, The Transformers (IDW Generation One)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "M/M, Other", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
It had started so small – taking over a shift here, do some extra cleaning duty there – and looking back Sunstreaker could not pinpoint the moment when the requests had turned from professional to personal. All his focus at the time had been on being helpful, useful, hoping that some day his brothers in arms would forgive him for his past mistakes and trust him again. He had known that any such process would take time and patience on his part but he had been determined to succeed. That felt like an eternity ago, and in all honesty he wasn’t sure if he had made any true progress at all. Doing extra shifts of monitor duty, washrack-cleaning, inventory and other tedious tasks was, although boring, not a problem. Running errands and basically playing fetch for some mechs was more or less okay, even though he could tell much of it wasn’t strictly necessary and intended solely as a way of testing his limits. The first thing he remembered that was completely personal was when Mirage had asked him to polish his frame after a stint in the medbay. At first Sunstreaker had felt flattered and hopeful – not only was Mirage meticulous about his finish and Sunstreaker being entrusted to work on it seemed like a huge step forward, even though literally everyone knew that the yellow twin was a pro with paint and buffer; The white and blue spy had also suffered personally from Sunstreaker’s act of treason, having been accused of being the traitor himself, and if he was willing to give the yellow twin a second chance it surely must mean Sunstreaker was making progress. After that first time the polishing had become something of a routine and Mirage had started allowing Sunstreaker in his presence even in public, which had had a striking impact on how the frontliner was treated. He still wasn’t a popular mech by any stretch of the word and no one really talked to him, but the hostile glares lost some of their fervor and mechs stopped going quiet and leaving as soon as he entered the room. Then came the orn when during the by now ornly polishing sessions the former noble had retracted his interface panel and expected Sunstreaker to work on his intimate hardware as well. Sunstreaker had stared at him in astonishment, which had quickly morphed to anger and disgust as the former noble had merely smiled down at him. He’d stormed out of Mirage’s quarters without a word. For five orns after that Mirage had completely ignored Sunstreaker’s existence, even going as far as deliberately looking right through him. This had the effect of other Bots, all of whom had been aware of the noblemech’s apparent patronage of the yellow frontliner, suddenly avoiding him as well. The renewed isolation was more than Sunstreaker could deal with and when Mirage approached him on the sixth orn as if nothing had happened he had followed him without a word, doing everything he was asked. As he had feared the polishing soon turned into a hand job. Four orns after that his hand had not been enough anymore and he had found himself with Mirage’s spike between his lips. He had just barely managed to keep from purging his tanks until he was back in his own quarters afterwards, humiliation burning in his entire frame. He vowed never to touch the mech again, social consequences be damned. The decision held for no more than three orns. Just like the polishing, the blow jobs became an ornly routine. Thankfully the noble didn’t seem to have the least bit of interest in actually interfacing and he never actively touched Sunstreaker, for which the frontliner was grateful. Emotional detachment from what he was doing didn’t take long to establish itself and at least he wasn’t alone. That was a good thing, wasn’t it? The next hurdle came the orn when Mirage wasn’t alone in his quarters when Sunstreaker arrived. Sunstreaker had almost turned and left but the look in the former noble’s optics had stopped him. He knew what would happen if he left, and when Mirage calmly informed him that the mech – Sunstreaker didn’t know him by name – was only there to watch he forced himself to believe that one witness to his humiliation was the lesser evil. Even so, his spark had burned with shame as he knelt before Mirage and heard the unknown mech’s fans kick up in arousal. Soon witnesses became a routine, too, and there were usually two or three other mechs present during Sunstreaker’s sessions with Mirage, pleasuring themselves while watching the handsome golden warrior work the former noblemech’s spike with his mouth. Sunstreaker shuttered his optics and took his audios offline to escape the sounds and sight of them but no matter how hard he tried he could not block the flares of their EM-fields or the ozone and static in the air from their overloads. The first time any of them touched him was another moment when he almost caved and fled, only held back by Mirage’s words that a frame as beautiful as his surely deserved to be worshipped, didn’t it? Deep inside Sunstreaker knew that the noblemech was only mocking him but the battered remains of his self-esteem wanted it to be true, longed for any kind of approval, and so he held still as they touched, fondled and caressed him, only his helm moving in rhythm with Mirage’s undulating hips. Then one orn one of them started digging at his interface cover, and this time Sunstreaker did snap, pushing them all away and storming out of the room without finishing Mirage. He didn’t even fully register what he was doing until he’d reached his own quarters, trembling with rage and something else he couldn’t put words on. Once more he swore never to let Mirage or any of his disgusting sidekicks touch him again, no matter what. Eight orns later a rumour start flying around the base. No one seemed to know who had started it but it spread like fire in a refinery. “Did you hear about Sunstreaker? Apparently he tried to take things a bit too far with Mirage in the washracks about a decaorn ago. Wouldn’t take no for an answer. Primus knows what would’ve happened if someone hadn’t walked in on them. That’s why Mirage’s been avoiding him ever since.” “Frag, I knew the mech was a psycho but I had no idea he was that far gone. And to try something like that against Mirage of all mechs, who’s actually tried to be kind to him. What an utter glitch.” And so it went on. The yellow frontliner tried to ignore the whispers and the way mecha either glared at or shied away from him when he met them in the corridors but it happened all the time, a nagging, constant reminder that in spite of his efforts to redeem himself the apparent progress he’d made was nothing but an illusion. All because he’d wanted to cling on to what little dignity he had left and refused to let Mirage’s accomplices use him. A couple of orns later the rumours had reached the higher ups and Sunstreaker was summoned for a talk with the base commander. He spent the better part of three breems listening to the mech rant on about how this kind of behavior was beyond deplorable and anyone capable of committing such an act was utterly unworthy of wearing the Autobrand. The only reason Sunstreaker wasn’t already in the brig was that Mirage had not wanted to discuss the matter and declined to press charges. For every klik Sunstreaker found it increasingly difficult to remain silent. He wanted to scream at the mech that it was all lies, that he’d never touched Mirage except for when he’d been coerced into doing so by the former noble himself, that it was Mirage who’d been taking advantage of him and not the other way around. Even so, apart from a terse ”yes, sir” in response to the officer’s stern comment that he hoped Sunstreaker realized just how serious this all was, the yellow mech didn’t utter a word. After all, what could he say? The commander hadn’t even asked for his version of events or given him any chance to explain and was obviously already biased against him. Any counter accusations against Mirage made by Sunstreaker would only serve to make his case even worse. He returned to his quarters in a cold rage, glaring daggers at the mechs he met on the way, all of whom looked at him with poorly disguised disgust and contempt. He had not been officially confined to quarters but since his pet insecticon Bob was the only creature whose company he currently didn’t mind he rarely left except when he was on duty – which, he noticed bitterly, was now limited only to tedious tasks like cleaning and loading/unloading cargo shipments. Apparently they no longer trusted him with either monitor or guard duty, and since patrols always went in pairs and no one wanted to be alone with the alleged offender that wasn’t an option either. More isolated than ever Sunstreaker tried to tell himself that their opinions didn’t matter, that he’d always been an outsider anyway and didn’t give a flying frag if no one wanted him around; that he didn’t need them and would rather spend any day on his own than being taunted and used by his fellow soldiers. Deep inside he knew it was a lie, that the isolation did bother him and that he was desperate to win their approval, but he refused to listen to that voice. The only time he found a modicum of peace of mind was when he left the crowded parts of the base and withdrew – he refused to use the word ‘escaped’ – to the roof of the complex where he could be alone with the stars, Bob and his thoughts of happier times. And that was where it happened. He’d been on the verge of entering a light recharge, trusting Bob to keep guard, when his battle-honed senses picked up the sound of covertly approaching steps. Quickly he got to his pedes but before he could do anything two shots were fired and Sunstreaker felt his frame lose power and sag back towards the roof surface as a stun blast hit him squarely in the chest, scrambling visual as well as audial input and setting his processor spinning wildly. He felt the slight tremors of the approaching steps and heard someone say something but couldn’t make out the words, nor identify the voice. There was laughter and then someone rolled him over on his back. His vision was beginning to clear but before he could make out any identifying features of any of his attackers one of them shoved a can of spray paint into his face and emptied half of it in his optics, coating the lenses completely and turning Sunstreaker’s world black. “There we go,” said one of the voices with a clearly audible grin and Sunstreaker tensed and tried to growl as whoever it was grabbed him by the chin and turned his helm back and forth, presumably to make sure the frontliner was well and truly blinded. His vocalizer only spat static, a common side effect of stun shots with an EMP charge, and the mechs around him laughed again. “Just look at him: the high and mighty Sunstreaker, finally dignifying us mere mortals with his divine presence. You didn’t really think we’d let you get away, did you? Filthy traitors like you don’t deserve a second chance. The only redeeming quality you have is your gorgeous frame but of course you were too stuck up to share it, even after all Mirage and the rest of us did for you. Well guess what, pretty mech, we’re going to have it anyway. You may tell yourself that your good looks make you special but without them you are nothing and you know that as well as we do, don’t you? So tell me, sunshine, who do you think would care for you if it weren’t for the pretty façade, eh?” The speaker pressed something hard and sharp – a claw, a dagger? – against the corner of Sunstreaker’s left optic, applied some pressure and then slowly pulled downwards, carving a deep scratch all the way down to the yellow twin’s chin. Sunstreaker grunted in equal parts pain and anger and tried to lift his arms to push the slagger away but his limbs wouldn’t obey him. He felt another cut being made on his other cheek, then someone else scratched what felt like a large glyph into his chest plate. He couldn’t make out what it said but was convinced it wasn’t flattering. “Very pretty,” one of the voices said, followed by a snicker from someone else. A pair of hands swept over his chest in a mocking parody of a lover’s caress and another set appeared on his abdomen, sliding suggestively along the edges of his hip armour. The frontliner tried to snarl at them again, wishing he was able to tell them just what Primus forsaken smelting pit they should go and throw themselves into, but as before his vocalizer produced nothing but static. Then someone pushed his legs apart and started fondling the inside of his thighs and yet another set of hands – Primus, how many of them were there?! – grabbed his helm, tilting it backwards as a glossa sneaked in between the yellow mech’s unresisting lips, catching them in a very one-sided kiss. Sunstreaker’s engine revved in protest but there was nothing he could do to stop them. “Hmm, something tells me our lovely avatar of Primus isn’t very happy with our efforts to worship his frame,” the voice from before continued, again to general amusement. “Lucky for him then that we have such an extensive program prepared to demonstrate just how much we appreciate his beauty, eh?” Sunstreaker tried to shut out the cheering and the chorus of ‘frag yeah’ that followed, feeling sick to his core. He had known from the moment the paralyzing shot hit him what was going to happen but that made neither the taunting nor the violation any easier to bear. Someone unceremoniously deprived him of the cover over his interface panel and Sunstreaker felt a pair of fingers probe the entrance of his valve. He tried to force his legs to move, wanting nothing more than to plant his pedes right in the face of the mech molesting him, and again felt furious frustration when his limbs didn’t even twitch. Not being in control was something he hated even on a good orn and being so utterly helpless to protect himself made him feel weak and pathetic. “Anyone’s got any lube? He’s drier than dust in there.”   Some shuffling around was heard and the probing fingers were withdrawn, only to reappear moments later coated in something cold and gooey. They slid in easily this time and even though Sunstreaker certainly felt tense his paralyzed frame was actually limp and unresisting which helped make the penetration painless, albeit far from comfortable given his unaroused state. “Don’t you worry, sweetspark,” one of them said as if they’d read his thoughts, “we’ll get you all wet and warm soon enough.” “What’s he feel like?” “Well, his baseline config is pretty tight so I’d say he either likes being stretched a lot or this thing hasn’t seen much use over the past few vorns.” “Of course it hasn’t,” someone else said, voice dripping with scorn. “After all, who would be willing to put up with him long enough to actually get him into a berth?” “Well, as long as he’s this accommodating I for one certainly don’t mind ‘putting up with’ him,” another voice added in a lewd undertone. "Just imagine how popular he'd be if he was like this all the time!” Raucous laughter met that remark and Sunstreaker felt humiliation burn at his spark, all the fiercer because he knew there was more than a grain of truth in their words. Nine mechs out of ten would probably rather see him splayed out like this, as an object for their sexual fantasies, than spend the time and effort to actually get to know him, and that one exception  was more likely to avoid him altogether than the alternative. “I guess we’ll have to give him a proper stretch then and see if he still remembers how to dilate.” The lubricant-coated fingers were pulled free of his valve and Sunstreaker felt the mech between his legs change positions. Mentally bracing himself the yellow mech struggled to distance himself from his frame as the other’s spike begun working its way into him. The lubricant did a decent job of smoothing the surface friction but the stretch still hurt as the systems that should have helped him adjust to the other’s girth were offline due to his lack of arousal. The only thing that would shift the mechanisms while they were unpowered was pressure, a lot of it, and in such a sensor rich area Sunstreaker knew – as did his assailants – that that would not be a painless procedure unless you were very, very careful. Unsurprisingly, none of them were. The first one only took about half a klik to force himself in completely and the burn from that only worsened as spike after spike followed. Enough of them choose to overload inside him that their transfluid kept keeping friction low but after nine or ten of them had used him – or maybe there were fewer of them and they’d merely started another round, Sunstreaker couldn’t tell – the constant chafing was beginning to wear on his valve lining. The longer the assault lasted the more grateful Sunstreaker found himself that his lack of motor control prevented him from showing much in way of reactions. Like this he could at least keep up a hint of an illusion that he was stronger than they thought him, that they couldn’t break him no matter how hard they tried. The only thing they got as it was was the occasional burst of static from his malfunctioning vocaliser and Primus knew they already made enough of that, mocking and laughing at him every time it happened. He just knew they would have loved to hear him scream and he was no longer sure he’d have been able to stop himself from doing so had he had the ability. He would rather deactivate than give them that satisfaction. After what seemed like an eternity the mech inside him withdrew and no one stepped forward to replace him, and Sunstreaker hoped with all his spark that meant they were finally done with him. He currently lay draped over something that felt like a large pipe, his forehelm against the floor, aft in the air and with sticky, semi-dried fluids splattered all over him, causing his plating to itch. He heard his tormentors talk about the “piece of art” they had created, what a lovely display it was and how they would treasure the memory files and the image captions forever but Sunstreaker felt too drained to really care anymore. He just wished they’d leave him the frag alone so he could lick his wounds in solitude. He had noticed the paralysing effect was starting to slowly wear off; he couldn’t really do more than twitch fingers  and other small, random plates yet but he thought it might only be another half joor or so before he was able to move, albeit slowly, under his own power again. Suddenly it was suspiciously quiet around him and Sunstreaker found himself wondering if he’d zoned out for a moment and missed the sounds of them leaving. He strained his audios and picked up a shuffling sound somewhere behind him but before he could figure out what it was someone grabbed his helm and turned it sideways. The yellow frontliner grunted in protest and flinched as whoever it was gently touched the gouges that had been carved into his face. They were deep and uneven and Sunstreaker knew they were likely to scar unless a very good medic oversaw the repair process. To his surprise he caught the smell of solvent and a moment later a soaked cloth padded his optical lenses, removing the paint that blinded him. It took almost three kliks for enough of it to come off to let him catch a blurry image of what was in front of him, and when it did he first felt icy fear and then searing anger race through his spark. It was Mirage. The mech was smiling at him but it was a cold, mocking smile and Sunstreaker knew the mech had come for the sole purpose of gloating. He was fairly certain that the former noble had not been among the mechs raping him but he had little doubt Mirage was the one who had masterminded the attack. For almost an entire klik the two of the just looked at each other, one smugly, triumphantly superior, the other burning with furious, impotent hatred. Mirage swept his thumb over the cuts in Sunstreaker’s face again, clearly not caring that his fingers got stained by the transfluid left there by the rapists. “Tell me, Sunstreaker, how much do you know about insecticons?” Sunstreaker glared suspiciously at the him while his processor struggled to make sense of the former noble’s question. He knew it had to be part of a threat or an insult of some kind, but unless they were planning to take him off base, dump him somewhere and let him lie there until he was found by the swarm and presumably eaten he just couldn’t figure out what Mirage was driving at with his obviously rhetorical question since he knew full well Sunstreaker couldn’t reply. “They are quite fascinating creatures, actually,” the noble went on in a conversational tone. “Strong and fierce, and despite their limited intelligence they have managed to thwart our every attempt to exterminate them. And they have an interesting ability that we Cybertronians lack: they can create their own young. Apparently their frames somehow form pods out of the fluids produced during interfacing and these globs eventually turn into fully functional insecticons.” Sunstreaker was still failing to see the point of the noblemech’s rambling and suspected the mech was either just messing with him or trying to distract him from something. “Now, the thing our scientists disagree on,” Mirage continued, “is whether the insecticon carrier actually contributes anything vital, chemically speaking, to that process, or if they are merely the vessel for the young to form in. One way of finding out would of course be to have an insecticon try to impregnate something else and see what happens, but as far as I know no such experiment has ever been carried out… yet.” Mirage’s lips curled in a wicked grin and Sunstreaker suddenly felt a shock of disbelief mixed with revulsion and terror flash through him. Surely the mech couldn’t possibly be intending to…! Mirage’s grin widened as he saw understanding in the yellow frontliner’s optics. “Aren’t you proud to be part of such a noble endeavour, Sunstreaker, to help us better understand our enemies? I’m sure you will be remembered practically forever for this.” He gave Sunstreaker’s cheek an insulting little pat and at that same moment the frontliner felt some thing rub against the back of his thighs and heard an all too familiar kind of chirring and clicking of mandibles. It was not possible! Had they really risked their lives to capture an insecticon just for the fun of watching it try to… to impregnate him? Mirage was obviously not afraid so they must have some very reliable way of controlling it but wild insecticons were still incredibly dangerous. And how did they know it wouldn’t just try to eat the frontliner, rather than ‘face him? Then he felt something familiar in the creature’s field and realised it wasn’t a wild insecticon at all; they were using Bob! Sunstreaker had completely forgotten that his pet bug had been with him when they attacked and now they had done something to the insecticon to induce him to – Sunstreaker cut that processing thread before it got any further. He could not bear thinking of it. “It’s not difficult to chemically trigger mating protocols in mechanimals,” Mirage said, still sounding calm and completely unaffected by the atrocity he had set in motion. “In the Golden Age, when Cybertron still had a fauna, we used it all the time to encourage the beasts we wanted to breed, and as I suspected it works just as well on insecticons.” Sunstreaker shuddered as he felt Bob sniff at his aft and tried desperately to summon the strength to move. He couldn’t let this happen, he just couldn’t. “Right now it’s investigating the traces of your previous partners,” the former noble continued, “to see if any of them is a rival it knows it needs to avoid. The smell will also help it determine if you are already carrying, in which case it’d leave you alone, but since we all know you aren’t…” Shut up, SHUT THE FRAG UP! Sunstreaker screamed in his mind, a burst of static echoing his demand out loud. The sound seemed to puzzle Bob who stopped nuzzling his master’s aft for a moment before resuming as if nothing had happened. “Next step will be making sure there is no transfluid left inside you that might contaminate its own… donation,” Mirage pressed on relentlessly, obviously taking great pleasure in the effect his words had on the helpless mech. “I’m told they tend to be very thorough in this.” Sunstreaker once more felt the urge to scream as something thin and wet started flicking around the rim of his valve and he soon realised Bob was licking him. He hadn’t even known insecticons had glossas, and when the strangely shaped but very nimble organ went into his valve he thought he was going to purge. The touches were surprisingly light and didn’t hurt much in spite of the battered state of his valve but the sensation was so utterly wrong , like having a living parasite crawling around inside him. “And now I’m going to back away,” Mirage said and gently lowered Sunstreakers helm to the floor again. “Once it mounts you it’ll view you as its mate for now and anyone venturing too close will run the risk of being attacked. I’d really rather not kill it at this stage, or explain to Medical how I managed to get myself bitten. But we’ll all be close by, never fear. Just relax and enjoy yourself.” With a final, patronizing pat on Sunstreaker’s helm the noble rose to his pedes and slowly moved away. Bob froze for a moment and hissed after him but then returned his focus to cleaning his master’s valve. Sunstreaker fought to keep panic in check as he tried desperately to think of anything that might prevent what was about to happen. He didn’t know how much of what Mirage had said was actually true, but the mere possibility that this might result in tiny insecticons crawling around inside him was enough to nearly make him glitch. He managed to focus his EM-field and push it against the insecticon in a signal that meant ‘go away’. Normally Bob would obey such a command at once but this time all Sunstreaker got for his trouble was a chirr and a nuzzle that sent shivers along his back strut. He tried again and again but the insecticon seemed completely insusceptible to anything outside the influence of the mating protocols and just kept licking Sunstreaker’s valve. The frontliner heard Mirage and the other mechs laugh and make comments from some distance away and cursed them in every language he could think of. As if rendering him helpless and using him as their frag toy wasn’t bad enough, they’d stand there pointing and laughing as he was molested by a heat-driven beast they had unleashed on him. And mecha called him a shame to the Autobrand. His field flared again and he felt what must be Bob’s tiny, armlike second pair of forelimbs gently stroke the back of his thighs in what was probably an instinctual, soothing reaction to the stress the bug picked up in his master’s field. Sunstreaker was torn between absolute disgust at the entire situation and a kind of bitter gratitude that Bob, at least for one of his kind, was trying to be gentle and caring. Unlike his fellow mecha. It took another three kliks before Bob was content with his cleaning but once he was he quickly climbed on top of Sunstreaker, using his powerful front legs to lift his master’s torso and pin it against his chest. Sunstreaker made one last desperate attempt to tear himself free but his limbs were still barely able to move at all and it wasn’t anywhere near enough to break the insecticon’s grip. He heard whistling and cheering from his audience and felt anger and hatred collide with disgust and fear as the sore rim of his valve was prodded once more. Sunstreaker had no idea what an insecticon spike might be like or even how large it would be and he hoped and prayed it wouldn’t cause him irreparable damage. It was something of a relief when the insecticon’s spike slid home and it proved to be fairly similar to that of an average mech both in length, girth and texture. It still hurt but not beyond endurance and the bug seemed satisfied with moving in and out at a leisurely pace, with none of the vigorous pounding he’d been subjected to earlier, and Sunstreaker was grateful beyond words for that small mercy. The calm rocking continued for several kliks and the jeering from the spectators died away as they had obviously hoped for a livelier show. It gave Sunstreaker a small sense of satisfaction, no matter how inconsequential a victory it was in the midst of his suffering. He then felt the pace slow even further until Bob came to a complete standstill, resting heavily on Sunstreaker’s back while he held his spike fully hilted in his master’s valve.  The golden mech almost dared to hope that would be the extent of it, that there was something an insecticon valve would have that he lacked and that was necessary for the mating to be fully consummated. Even though he didn’t blame Bob for his part in this it didn’t change the fact that being unwillingly ‘faced by a beast was disgusting enough on its own but the thought of being filled with its possibly pod-creating transfluid as well was many, many times worse. Unfortunately for Sunstreaker the universe had other ideas for him. Soon after the rocking had stopped Bob’s spike started swelling, first filling the channel it was embedded and then stretching it further until Sunstreaker thought he was going to be split in half.  His vocalizer spat static as he struggled mindlessly to get out of Bob’s grip and away from the burning agony between his legs. He was no longer thinking, only reacting, and didn’t even hear the renewed cackling of the audience as the show got exciting once more. Bob’s strong forelegs held him like a vice though and the yellow mech’s struggles, weak as they were, only served to cause him more pain. On the brink of unconsciousness Sunstreaker felt a shudder run through the frame pressed tightly against his back and then a burning sensation overtook him as the rod inside him began discharging its load, pumping spurt after spurt of transfluid into him. The swelled spike blocked any fluids from escaping, putting pressure even on the innermost parts of Sunstreaker’s valve. Mechanisms struggled to accommodate the intrusion but they were already fully dilated and not designed to handle this kind of abuse. Then suddenly something cracked inside him and a new kind of pain exploded over the yellow mech’s sensor net. With a violent convulsion and scream of raw agony Sunstreaker was plunged into darkness. *** “What the frag was that? Don’t tell me the glitch just overloaded!” Mirage grinned at his partners in crime, all of whom were looking at him for an explanation of Sunstreaker’s reaction. “Oh no, he didn’t,” the noble replied, smug satisfaction in his voice. “Unless I’m very much mistaken our pretty little thing there just experienced a valve rupture. It can happen if something too large for your specs is inserted, or the pressure suddenly surpasses the strength of the overlapping seams when your valve is fully dilated.” “Ouch!” one of the others said emphatically, although still grinning widely in admiration. “Did you know that would happen when the bug fragged him?” “I knew there was a good chance,” Mirage confirmed. “Insecticons have an extra chamber connected to their valves, which will open to receive the donor’s transfluid once the pressure is high enough. To create such pressure insecticon spikes will swell before overload to make sure nothing gets out the wrong way. Of course,” he added with a smile, “their valves have a much simpler but sturdier construction than our kind does so they can’t be damaged by it. Apparently either the swelling itself or the added pressure from the insecticon’s overload was too much for Sunstreaker’s specs.” Someone whistled in awe. “Damn, that’s cool. Does that mean he now has insecticon gunk all over his internals?” “Yep.” General laughter met the simple but satisfied reply. “Seriously, remind me never to get on your wrong side, Mirage. How the frag do you know so much about these things anyway?” Mirage’s only reply was a smirk and: “Trade secret.” “Fair enough. So, what now? We leave them up here and go back to our lives as if nothing happened?” “Not quite yet,” Mirage said, “We’ve got some pre-emptive damage control to do first. While I very much doubt Sunstreaker is going to go and tell anyone about this we want to make absolutely sure that no one will take him seriously if he does. I’d like to stage some pictures that make it look like the two of them are interfacing consensually. Then one or two of you can start spreading the story of how you came up here one night and stumbled across their dirty secret. Show the photographic evidence after some token reluctance and the rumour mill will do the rest. Everyone will be convinced Sunstreaker is secretly having an intimate relationship with his pet and that will destroy any credibility he has left. As long as we clean him up on the outside and add some more scratches to his chest to cover that glyph – that was a stupid thing to do, by the way – there will be no physical evidence implicating anyone but his pet insecticon.” The former noble grinned again. “And I honestly don’t know what would damage Sunstreaker’s reputation more; letting mecha believe he ‘faced the creature willingly, or that he was attacked and raped by his heat-crazed pet and failed to defend himself.” The entire group laughed at the thought. “You really think of everything, Mirage. This is absolutely brilliant!” one of them praised. “What did you have in mind for the incriminating photos?” “We can experiment a bit but at least one like they are now, as in ‘utterly spent after overloading,’ and one with Sunstreaker on all fours with the beast mounting him. I can prop them up while in stealth mode to make it look real. And if that spike has gone down enough to get it out of his valve I’d love to see his lips around it. That’d be the ultimate degradation.” “I love the way your processor works, ‘Raj,” another one said. “Everyone knows he’s desperate for approval but to sink as low as sucking insecticon spike for it…” He chuckled. “He’ll never recover from that!” “Exactly.” “Oh, by the way: is there really a chance the bug may have knocked him up?” Mirage snorted. “Of course not. He lacks the proper nanites to activate the transfluid, as well as a carrying chamber to create the right conditions for the pods to form.” “But he doesn’t know that,” someone else continued triumphantly, “and so he’ll spend DECAORNS worrying that some little glob may remain somewhere in his internals and slowly turn into a little parasite. And he can’t really ask any of the medics or scientists about it, either, without confirming the rumours that he lets his pet frag him. He’s slagged either way.” “Serves him right,” one of the others added. “Yeah, you’ll get no argument from me on that point,” a third chimed in, then made a gesture towards Sunstreaker and Bob. “Think we need to tranq the bug again before we start?”  “Yes,” Mirage confirmed and pulled his gun from subspace. “It’s not really offline right now, just very focused on keeping its mate pinned until all its transfluid has been absorbed.” He went over to the collapsed pair, placed the gun against Bob’s back and fired. He hesitated for a moment, then for good measure shot the prone frontliner as well. He gave a faint, twisted smile, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, then turned to his fellow conspirators. “All right then, come here and help me get them repositioned.” *** When Sunstreaker onlined his chrono informed him that he’d been offline for nearly two and a half joor. His first attempt at moving was met with screaming protests radiating from his abdomen and it took another two breem before he managed to get his arms under him and slowly, laboriously push himself up on all fours. He noted absently that he was no longer bent over the pipe as he had been when he went offline and concluded that they had probably moved him. He wondered briefly what they might have done to him while he was offline but it didn’t really matter - it could hardly be worse than what they’d already done before he lost consciousness.  Movement to his left startled him and even when he saw it was only Bob – now seemingly back to his normal self and acting just like he did when Sunstreaker returned wounded from a battle – it took nearly four kliks for his spark rate to go down again. Curse those rust-ridden slaghelms to the pit! He felt liquid ooze down his thighs and, which was even worse, along some of his internal struts. The realisation that the fluids weren’t only in his valve but in his abdominal cavity as well sent a burst of panic through him. He’d planned to get himself to a wash rack and clean out his valve - with acid if need be - as soon as he could move again but there was no way he’d get rid of all of Bob’s transfluid if it had leaked into other systems. He tried hard not to think of what Mirage had said but the mental image and phantom feeling of tiny buglets crawling round inside him proved too much for him. His frame cramped and he purged his tank, half-processed energon burning his throat and mouth on its way up. Nausea overwhelmed him and he felt his arms start to give, just barely managing to push himself aside enough to avoid faceplanting in the puddle of energon.  He felt drained inside out and had no idea how he was going to be able to get up, never mind somehow make it down from the roof in this state, preferably without attracting anyone’s attention. As a frontliner he had a very high tolerance for pain but even he had limits and the stabbing sensations that tore through his abdomen every time he moved were pushing them. He heard Bob sit down next to him and soon felt the expected push against his hand, which was the insecticon’s way of begging for attention. When that didn’t work the bug lay down and managed to wedge his head in under Sunstreaker’s arm, giving off a distressed, whining chirr when his master still didn’t react. Sunstreaker didn’t know why, after all he’d been through, that tiny sound would be the thing that finally broke him but it was. Emotions he normally kept locked deep inside suddenly rushed to the surface, refusing any attempt at holding them back, and a half-strangled wail rose unbidden from his vocaliser. And for the first time in over 400 vorns, Sunstreaker started crying.
11003850
Under your spell
{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Tony Padilla, Clay Jensen, Skye Miller, Zach Dempsey, Sheri Holland", "Fandom": "13 Reasons Why (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by Sometimesalwayssarcastic", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-26T00:00:00", "words": "7,273", "Additional Tags": "Friends to Lovers, Really long piece of writing, like wow, sorry - Freeform, Based off that one cliche AU when a spell makes everyone fall in love with Character A, and everyone around them start acting interested and all, but Character B acts the same, i had a lot of fun writing this, Skye does magic, La bruja Skye, She's also a low key match maker, love spells", "Relationship": "Clay Jensen/Tony Padilla", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con", "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
The day itself had started out mundane enough.He had woken up at his normal, ungodly hour, had showered, and had even made it downstairs in time to feign excitement about yet another family breakfast that his mother had prepared.From there he had swiftly exited the house, calling a good bye to his mother and oblivious father before grabbing his bike and beginning his trek to school.Most mornings since the release of the tapes Tony had picked him up and taken him to school, however, this morning he was stalled with a doctor’s appointment, making it so Clay was left to his own devices just like the old days.The trip had been relaxing, with the wind blowing through his helmet clad hair – because he was now strictly ordered to keep the protective gear on his head at all times, especially since he had blamed the cuts he had earned from his interrogation of Bryce on a particularly bad riding accident- and the calming sense of freedom that he had experienced in months.On the downside, however, his legs did feel the burn of his recent laziness, though the sensation wasn’t all that bad. If anything it was invigorating – it made him feel alive.It was only once he arrived on school grounds that everything seemed to go to absolute hell.He had simply been locking up his bike when the first bizarre event occurred – he was addressed by whom he assumed to be a female senior. He hair was long and red and her eyes were a lovely shade of olive green, making her rather notable in most settings.At first, when he felt the presence of another, he had presumed it to be Skye waiting for him. So, when he instead rose to regard a smiling stranger, Clay couldn’t conceal his surprise.He’s pretty sure he’s seen her around before – she was a relatively popular girl with the intellect to boot, although she’d never so much as looked in Clay’s direction, let alone went out of her way to stand near him.“Um… Hello?”“Hey! Clay Jensen, right?”“Uh, yeah, that’s me… Is something wrong? Because I-…”“Oh no, don’t be silly, nothing’s wrong! I just… I, uh…” The faintest hint of a blush colored her cheeks as she appeared to struggle with her words, her gaze avoiding his completely for several moments before she seemed to find her voice again, “I think you’re pretty cute, and, well, here’s my number… Use it sometime, alright?”Before Clay had the chance to even wrap his head around the situation a small piece of paper was shoved into his empty hand and, just like that, the girl was gone, disappearing into the slowly growing hoard of students entering the school.What on earth…?The first thought that came to the boy’s mind was that this was all just an elaborate prank – fooling the nerdy underclassman into believing a popular senior would be into him, he really wouldn’t put that form of humiliation behind most of the shitty kids occupying the high school.So, a few moments later, when Clay finally finds the ability to pry his attention away from the direction in which the girl disappeared, he mustered up the courage to check out the sheet. A part of him expected to see something about the lines of ‘In your dreams, loser!’ or words equally cruel. He does not, however, know how to react when he instead finds a name- Alicia-  printed in remarkably clean handwriting followed by a number that Clay could tell was real. On the third line was a small smiley face with the text ‘Call me!’ depicted next to it.That… That was definitely weird…“Is everything alright, Clay?”Jumping for what was already the second time in a span of 10 minutes, Clay glanced from the parchment to meet Sheri’s light, questioning gaze. Her pretty face was scrunched in confusion as her gaze flickered from the note to Clay’s face.“Oh, yeah, I mean, everything’s fine.” He stumbled as he quickly stuffed the paper into the pocket of his jeans and his face took on a light shade of pink. Well, that definitely didn’t look suspicious or anything, “Just picking up some trash – you know, for the environment and all… “His lie was terrible and he knew it, though the girl appeared to gift him with mercy as she merely nodded her head at his explanation, apparently choosing not to pry any further.“So, um, anyway, what’s up?”“I just wanted to spend some time with you, that’s all.” She smiled, that dazzling quirk of her lips that he knew drove a lot of his fellow males crazy, though, for him personally, it was alright. He had seen smiles much more lovely, notably in Hannah and his best friend, Tony… Perhaps he would have given that last comparison a little more thought had Sheri not decided to intertwine their arms at that precise moment, and thus, rendered him speechless. “How have you been lately? It’s been a while since we’ve really spoken…”This time Clay knew his face had to be nearing a tomato at the contact, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as his mind attempted – and promptly failed – to make sense of everything that was happening around him that morning.What the hell was up with the girls at his school today?“I-I’ve been okay… Is there some special reason why you suddenly want to hang out? I mean, not that it’s not okay or anything, it is, but I’m just wondering if there was a particular occurrence that motivated you to speak to me or-…”His prolonged rambling fell short as the sound of soft laughter escaped the girl and he couldn’t help but feel slightly self-conscious at the sound. Was she laughing with him or at him? Because that day he found more things confusing than funny.“You’re so adorable, Clay.” She laughs, gray eyes gazing up at the boy with a certain sense of affection that sent a shiver down his spine, “I guess I just woke up this morning and thought about you and what we almost were… I know you loved Hannah, but, I would like to try and be something to you, like she was…” What? That was it, he really needed to talk to someone – a friend-, or leave, this very instant.“Right, well I- I actually just remembered that I have a thing to do, so I have to go but I’ll see you later!”In one fell swoop Clay detaches his limb gently from the other’s and makes a beeline for the school, racing throughout the hallways until he finally deems himself far enough away so that Sheri could not follow him.He must be dreaming, he thinks as he ducks into the secluded alcove beneath the staircase, though, whether this was a good dream or a nightmare he really wasn’t sure.He means, he likes girls and doesn’t particularly mind gaining their attention, especially from two rather attractive ones at the school, but on the same day so close together? He certainly doesn’t harvest a narcissistic enough nature to believe his personality suddenly managed to become irresistible to girls, but the idea that this all was just some mean prank no longer seemed plausible.After all, the first girl, Alicia, may have been joking with him, but Sheri? Her disposition was too sweet to purposely aim to humiliate him by pranking him. Besides, he knew that she had an inkling of a crush on him before, but she was never that bold; never that insistent.Absolutely nothing going on that morning is making sense to Clay, and his first instinct is to call Tony – to ask him about how he perceives this situation. Maybe he knew something that the other didn’t?However, the moment his shaking fingers – since when had they started shaking? - manage to pry the device from his pocket and click it on, Clay feels his stomach lurch, eyes wide as they acknowledge the numerous texts aligning his normally barren screen.There has to be at least ten of them, some mere numbers and others identified by his contact list as being acquaintances at school. Alex, Jessica, Sheri, but no Tony.Before Clay has a chance to feel disheartened by that find his attention flickers to the nature of the other texts and he very nearly drops his phone all together.They all differ in topic depending on the person, but, essentially, they all inquire one thing – if Clay is free to hang out, or, in cases, ‘go out on a date’ anytime soon.He can’t help but think how screwed up this whole thing is, considering even Alex seemed to be messaging him with the intent of hanging out, though, for once, he wasn’t oblivious enough to miss the silent connotations behind not only his words but the others as well. Did half the school just ask him out over text? Truthfully, he’s not sure if he really wants to know.Wordlessly he sheathes his phone back into his pocket and leans to slump against the wall, his eyes fluttering shut as he heaves a deep, exasperated sigh.Any minute now he’ll wake up in the warm comfort of his bed and he’ll find out that this whole thing was just a bizarre, sugar induced dream. Maybe he and Tony shouldn’t have gotten those late night milkshakes after all…. It’s only when the first bell rings, signifying that first period would begin in ten minutes, that Clay finally works up the courage to flee from his hiding spot and make a beeline for his classroom. As he moves throughout the familiar halls his vision remains trained the on the floor, not wanting to meet the gazes he can already feel burning into his back as he walks past.When he finally steps foot into his class Clay feels the desire to cry with joy. He’d be safe here, he knows, as this particular teacher was strict to the point of inciting enough fear in his students to see to it that no one spoke out of term.He’s slumped in his seat by the time the second bell rings and, while he can still sense the lingering gazes of his strange classmates, he’s correct with his original assumption. No one comes up to speak to him nor do they attempt any other method of communication. The teacher has them complacent and Clay silently thanks him for that.By the time the class is over, however, his peace is blown and he finds a note slipped into his desk by a passing male classmate before he slips from the room.He takes that as his signal to leave and, pausing only to snatch the paper and shove it unread into his pocket, Clay’s off again. Once more his vision is oriented downward, fingers digging uncomfortably into the straps of his bag as he attempts to distract himself from his current situation.It’s only when he sees Tony waiting by his locker that the boy feels relief course through him, that is, until he recalls the strange way everyone seems to be acting. Could it be that Tony would also be affected by whatever it was that was making people so abnormally interested with him that day?“Hey, Clay.” Tony greets the moment the taller of the two makes it to his locker, brown eyes regarding his passively as he glances up from his phone, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”A moment of silence passes between the two as Clay takes to studying his friend, whom had returned to typing something out after he voiced his observation.“Hey…” He ventures slowly, his attention remaining on his friend only until his fingers still and the message he was writing is sent. By the time Tony shuts his device off and looks back up at the taller boy he’s already fiddling with his locker, pretending to have been messing with it the entire time, “…How’d your appointment go?”“Pretty good. The usual shit.”Clay nods at that and moves his head back as he finally manages to pry his locker open.“Cool…”Another look is spared at his shorter friend and, when he glances back with the same, dark eyes as usual, Clay knows that he can relax. The disease plaguing the school that day had, thankfully, avoided Tony.“You know; I was serious about you looking spooked. Is something up?”“Yeah, kind of…” His response lacks specifics and he knows the other wants to press him to explain further, but still he hesitates, focusing on shifting his books around from his locker to his backpack, “It’s just… Do people seem to be acting weird to you today?”A dark brow is raised in response, and Tony takes a second to scope out their surroundings,“Weird how, Clay?”“Just… I think people are staring at me more than usual? And, well… Look.”Shoving one last book into his bag, the locker is shut but Clay remains where he is as he digs the two notes from his pants pocket and hands them over to Tony.“I also got texts like this and I think Sheri tried asking me out earlier?” He pauses to allow the other a moment to reflect on his proposed evidence before continuing, “And I have no freaking idea why.”There’s a pregnant pause between them and Clay can tell that Tony is just as puzzled as he is, which was actually a little reassuring. It meant that, whatever it was that provoked this, wasn’t blatantly obvious.“Wow…” Is all the shorter boy can make out at first, his eyes roaming from Clay to his phone, “That’s… That’s… Wow.”“I know.” He heaves a sigh as he pockets his phone again and rakes a hand across his face. It’s been almost 6 months since the tapes and things were finally returning to normal, or, at least, he had hoped they were. Now, however, he wasn’t nearly as sure about that.  “This seems like some kind of shitty prank, but I haven’t seen anyone laughing yet so I really have no idea.”“When did this all start?”“Um, this morning, I think? When I got here this girl came up to me and gave me her number… Then Sheri talked to me, I checked my phone and saw all the texts, and the second note was given to me by some dude in my first period, and I-…”“Wait, a guy gave you this one?”At Tony’s interruption Clay glanced at the aforementioned note for the first time. It was not vastly different from the one Alicia had given him, as it contained his name – Sam - and number with the addition of a little sentence requesting Clay called him.So that guy’s name was Sam, huh? He could see why Tony would assume it originally belonged to a girl.“Yeah, I guess….” He shrugs, unsure as to what the issue is, “I mean, it’s cool and all, but I don’t get where the sudden attention came from…”“That’s new…” Tony murmurs and Clay understands he’s referring to his own nonchalance with being hit on by a boy, though it’s a topic both know can wait until a later date, “What are you planning on doing?”“With what, the notes and the texts?”Tony nodded.“Well, nothing really. I mean, I don’t really know most of these people and this whole thing is actually pretty creepy…”When Tony goes to open his mouth next the bell cuts him off, alerting both kids that they had lollygagged for too long.“Tell me if anything else unusual happens.” Tony requests before the notes are returned to the taller boy, “I’ll see what I can find out in class.”“That would be great, thanks Tony.” “Will you be okay?”“Yeah… Yeah, I will… Kinda got used to having everyone stare at me during the tapes and all, so I think I’ll be fine.” “Good. I’ll see you later then, Clay.”With one last apprehensive look, both boys moved in their opposite directions, silently counting down the moments until lunch arrived and they could discuss this whole, bizarre day more in depth.The halls are all but deserted as he makes his way to his second period, and the rest of the morning goes without any real hitch. The number of notes and texts he received continued to grow steadily throughout the day and Clay struggled with avoiding more casual conversations with others than normal, but nothing particularly astonishing happens.Then fourth period rolls around.There’s only ten minutes until the bell rings indicating their lunch period and Clay feels antsy in his seat, foot tapping a sporadic rhythm as he silently willed the hands on the clock to tick by faster.Today had been a more relaxed day in his psychology class, making it so the students had a good little while of silent time following the lecture for homework or idle chatter depending on their personality. Normally Clay was among the handful of students utilizing the period to diligently study, and he truly was trying, but his mind would constantly drift to his classmates and the eyes he could still feel glaze over his person every few minutes.He had never realized how much he had enjoyed feeling invisible in the past.“Hey, Clay.”The sudden voice jolts him from his thoughts and startled blue eyes flicker from the antagonizingly slow clock to instead focus on Zach, whom appeared to have taken the seat beside his own while he was zoned out.What on earth could Zach want?“Uh, hey, Zach…” Clay greets slowly, making no attempt to mask the puzzlement he felt at the other’s presence, “What’s up?”Ever since the release of the tapes to the public and the Hannah Baker Trial Clay pretty much ceased all conversation with a few of the eleven others on the tape. They had never really been friends to begin with, and, considering the level of animosity that grew between them all at the expense of the tapes, none were all that motivated to maintain friendships with the others after their sins were brought to light in court. In fact, he muses that this is the first time he’d spoken to the jock in months.“Just in psychology... But you know that already…” Zach laughs slightly and, for a moment, Clay wonders if that is really nervousness lacing his tone. What on earth could the basketball star be worried about in regards to speaking to the shorter boy? It wasn’t as though he still held the leverage of outing the tapes over the others, so he was just back to being the nerdy, weak kid that he always was, “I was, um, just wondering if you’d want to hang out some time? I hear there’s a new Super Hero movie coming out or something and it sounds pretty awesome… Would you want to go together sometime?”It’s at this point in his weird ass day that Clay decides he has had about enough with whatever shitty game the school seems to be playing with him and he’s going to stop it once and for all.“Like as a date?” He inquires with a snicker, his mouth slack and brows raised as he leaned onto his elbows on the table, “Look Zach, I don’t know what game you and everyone else in this shitty school are playing, but I’m tired of it, okay? I get it, you win, you all fooled me into thinking you care. Whatever, I’ll admit that; just give it up.”Near the end of his tirade he spares a discrete glance throughout the room, looking for any sign of another listening in to their conversation. When he doesn’t find anyone he focuses back on Zach and is silently surprised to find the boy’s expression twisted in bewilderment.“What? No, it’s nothing like that. I mean, this isn’t a game? I meant what I said, I promise…” He gulps and runs a hand through black hair as he looks down uneasily, “I learned my lesson with Hannah, I swear. I don’t… I’ll never make those same mistakes again, not when it comes to dating, or being turned down, or anything…”With that being said Zach rises from his chair just as the lunch bell rings, dark eyes glancing at Clay for a moment before he turns towards the door,“I completely understand if you don’t want to, but… But… Just think about it, okay?”Before he has the chance to offer a response of any form Zach’s out the door with the rest of the class and Clay wonders just what the hell kind of alternate dimension he somehow stumbled into.                                                                     -xxx- “At this point you might as well just get ‘Existential crisis’ tattooed on your forehead.”He knows the owner of the voice without even bothering to look up from his spot on the outdoor bleachers. It was currently their lunchtime and, while he would usually always sit together with Tony and Skye at their usual table, he decided that he couldn’t deal with the cafeteria that day. Not when everyone insisted on acting so damn nice and friendly with him.He had texted Tony his new whereabouts and was expecting his presence soon, however Skye was a different matter. He didn’t know where she stood on this whole messed up mindset.“Very funny, Skye.” He sneers, blue eyes rolling in exasperation as the girl moved to sit down by his feet. She appears to be lacking her lunch and Clay wonders briefly why she’d come out all this way without her food, “What? Not going to ask me out or act uncomfortably close to me?”After all, everyone else had been that day, so why the hell shouldn’t she join the fucked up mix?A painted eyebrow lifts at the sarcastic question and an irritating simper lights up dark lips.She found something unreasonable funny, he realizes with suspicion, and he’s not certain he wants to know what that something is.“Pretty full of yourself now, aren’t you, hot shot?” She teases, arms crossing across her chest, “So, I take it you’re enjoying your day of school wide affection?”Clay immediately pauses at the latter question; the sandwich part he had raised to his mouth hesitating inches from his lips as he directs his gaze firmly at his friend.“Wait, how do you know about that?”“What, you’re curious as to how I know that you’ve been hit on all day? Maybe even received some confessions of love?”The mirth drenching her tone was enough to reaffirm Clay’s hunch that the girl was up to trouble, and he cursed whatever gods there truly were that he had somehow been caught in the crossfire.“Skye…”The simple name is uttered in warning and she merely shrugs, evidently not threatened by him in the slightest.“Do you still think my abilities are fake now? You know, I actually did you a favor by choosing this over, say, a spell that made everyone hate you? Or I could have turned you into a frog, that was a fun idea.”“Wait a minute, are you telling me that this is the result of some spell?”The last word is uttered skeptically and Clay’s expression scrunches up in disbelief. He is a man of science and proof, so he isn’t prone to believing the ‘mystical bullshit’, as Tony called it, that Skye claimed to be capable of.But, looking back at the crazy events that had been occurring today, he is momentarily hesitant about outright dismissing Skye’s explanation.“You bet it is. Remember yesterday when you and Tony were making fun of my cards? Well, now I showed you what I can do.”“What you did? And what the hell is that exactly?”“I put a love spell on you. Think of it this way – this spell is makes you the cat nip and every other student in the school a cat intoxicated by the scent. They don’t know why or how, but every student at Liberty high is now in love with Clay Jensen. Oh, but don’t worry, it’s only for the day.”“Are you serious?” His voice raises an octave in annoyance as he fixes his friend with an incredulous stare, “You’re really telling me that you put a fucking love spell on me just because we were teasing you about your cards? We were joking!”“Geez Clay, calm down, it’s a temporary love spell, not the end of the world. Besides, that’s not my only reason for doing it.”“Oh yeah, then what’s the other reason?”“You’re going to have to find that out on your own.”With that comment Skye rose, her head tilting to the side in amusement as she grinned at the exasperated looking boy, “Good luck with the rest of the day, lover boy. I think you’ll need it.” She’s already nearly off the bleachers before Clay manages to work up the ability to speak again, a sudden inquiry popping up in his mind that he absolutely needs answered before the other can leave.“Hold on, Skye, tell me again. Who’s affected by this supposed spell?”“Everyone at our school will be affected, Clay, with the exclusion of you and me.”He shakes his head at that, fingers beginning to beat a tuneless routine on his thigh as he figures out how to phrase his next statement,“No, you’re wrong. I just saw Tony earlier and he was acting like normal, so you must be wrong. Some people aren’t affected.”If Skye’s at all surprised by this realization she doesn’t show it. Instead she appears even more enamored with the whole situation, her smile growing still.“Use your head, Clay. There’s a reason why the spell didn’t make Tony fall in love with you…” At the boy’s blank expression, Skye can only sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose, “You can’t make someone fall in love if they’re already in love to begin with, idiot.”“What are you talking-…”“Figure it out yourself, Clay, and enjoy your day! I’ll see you tomorrow- hopefully.”This time, when Skye turns to leave, she follows through and is out of sight within minutes, though Clay doesn’t notice nor care.He’s too focused on the haunting words she exited with that remain heavy in the air around him, his mind attempting and failing to comprehend the meaning behind what Skye said.The spell she supposedly put on him made every student at Liberty fall in love with him aside from the individual who cast the spell so, in theory, that would imply that Tony would also be attempting to court him, just like the others… Yet, he wasn’t. He was the same, helpful, supportive friend that he had always been. Nothing had changed. “You can’t make someone fall in love if they’re already in love to begin with, idiot.” The line resounds like a broken record in his mind and Clay throws his food out. He’s lost his appetite.Tony wasn’t affected by the spell because he was already in love with Clay…? He continued on like normal without the strange addition of affection because it was an emotion he always felt towards him…?That statement made a little too much sense for his own preference.There was only one way to find out if his suspicions were correct and it wasn’t like he could go back into the school now that he knew what was really going on. All the stares and messages influenced his anxiety to rear his ugly head and there’s no way he can make it to the rest of his classes.So, he spares the looming establishment that was his school one last look before sending Tony a quick text and moving towards where Tony always parked his car.There’s only one way to find out the authenticity behind Skye’s hints and, no matter how ill the thought made his stomach feel, he needed to know if Tony really, truly, had feelings for him.                                                                                -xxx-It’s ten minutes later and far too long baking in the nearly summer sun before a familiar head of raven hair slips through the front of the school and makes its way towards the bright red car.His usual leather jacket is still situated nicely on his broad frame despite the heat, though Clay really can’t say much pertaining to its practicality, as he still insisted on cladding himself in his hoodies too. He supposes that some habits die hard.“Hey Clay,” Tony smiles, the typical greeting leaving his lips almost subconsciously as the boy digs into his coat pocket and, upon removing his keys, unlocks the car, “I got your text, is something up? Skipping class isn’t like you.”“Really, Tony? It isn’t like me?” At the sidelong look Clay directs towards him the shorter boy can’t help but chuckle as he settles into the driver’s seat,“I mean; it’s been a while since you’ve asked me to meet you outside during school hours.”This time it’s the taller boy’s turn to crack a smile, his head shaking as he shuts his door and clicks his seatbelt shut. Tony’s right, but that’s not any real surprise.Ever since the aftermath of the tapes Clay had been trying to slip back into his old school routine. Somehow he had maintained his position on the honor board despite his antics throughout the few weeks he had been listening to the tapes and had since seen to it that he didn’t skip classes anymore.Hannah had gone into that school year with the idea of creating a new, responsible side of her and he knew that she would want the same of him now.“Whatever.” Is all Clay can think to say as his friend backs out of the parking lot and they’re making their way off of school grounds. For a second he considers notifying his mother of his absence at school – as she somehow always managed to find out when he skipped – but ultimately opts against it. There was no realistic way he could explain why he couldn’t be at the school that day and he really just didn’t want to look at his phone anytime soon.“So, I asked around a little,” Tony began when he realized Clay wasn’t going offer any form of explanation for his sudden desire to leave, “And you seem to have gained a lot of attention, Clay.” No duh.Once more the taller boy finds himself hesitating, Skye’s words clouding his mind. He wants to let the other in on his discovery, but is just as equally frightened to.Tony is his best friend and he doesn’t want to do anything that could potentially change that. After all, assuming that he was romantically interested in him just because he was gay seemed rude. As far as he knew Tony did feel infatuated with him that day, he just was nice enough to keep it under wraps as not to scare Clay.But, for one reason or another, his guts tell him that that isn’t the case.“Yeah, I know. Great sleuth work there, Tony.”He’s joking and the slight simper lifting the side of Tony’s lips is hint enough that the other realizes that. They’re comfortable around each other now, really fucking comfortable, actually, and he hates to think that what he’s about to say may ruin that.“Do you have any idea what caused the interest?”As the Mustang turns onto a dirt trail Clay is well aware of where they are heading just like he knows what Tony’s intentions are. He wants to talk, no doubt about the shitty day, and there’s no better place to do that than to visit the cliff that had swiftly become their special hang out location.“Yeah, I think I do…” He admits, purposely dragging out the short sentence so that, by the time he uttered the last word, they were parked and Clay was climbing out of the car. If he was going to ask Tony this, it certainly was not going to be when they were stuffed so close together, “Skye actually told me something that made a lot of sense…”“Skye, huh?” Tony repeats as he follows his friend from the car and plops down on the ledge overlooking the surrounding forest and city. The view is beautiful, he can’t help but think fleetingly as his attention wanders briefly to their surroundings before focusing back on the shorter boy, but there’s no time to dwell on the scenery. “And what exactly did she have to say?”“She… Well, you know how she said she can see the future and how, yesterday, she told us she can do some types of magic…?”There’s a snort and Clay can tell Tony finds the idea about as plausible as he did before half the damn school wanted to confess their love for him.“Yeah, I remember. I told you I know all about that shit.” The paler boy nods at that, his head bobbing far more times than is necessary, but he’s nervous and he can’t bring himself to care about that at the moment.“Right, well… What would you say if I told you that I’m starting to believe some of it?” “What do you mean?”“It’s just… What Skye told me a little before I texted you… She said that she put some love spell or something on me last night that would make every student at Liberty fall in love with me for a day… And I really don’t believe in that crap or anything, but… But it makes an annoying amount of sense, Tony. It explains why everyone was so damn nice to me today…” “Okay…” The shorter boy begins and Clay knows he’s still skeptical about the nature of what he’s saying and he really can’t blame him for that, “Slow down there, Clay. So, what you’re telling me right now, is that Skye put some kind of spell on the school that made everyone fall in love with you? And you believe that?”“Yeah, that’s the gist of it.” He sighs, eyes drifting to study the rock formation pressing into his jean clad thighs, “I mean, I don’t usually believe stuff like that but how would you explain everything that happened today? How would you explain me suddenly getting so popular? Shit, even Zach asked me out!”That last part appeared to startle Tony, as a brown brow immediately shot up and an undecipherable look crossed his tan features.“Wait, Zach asked you out?”“That’s definitely not the point, Tony.” He grumbles, his tone taking on an edge to it that he didn’t mean, “Fuck, I’m just going to come out and ask. Skye said that the spell would affect everyone but the castor and me, but that’s obviously not true. You aren’t head over heels for me, so I guess it didn’t affect you either and I… I’ve been trying to figure out why that is…”His blue eyes flutter shut and he can’t work up the nerve to look Tony in the eyes as he finally expresses the comment he had wanted to inquire of the other the moment he saw him,“And I… Tony, are you in love with me? Because Skye said that a love spell can’t affect someone who is already in love with you and I know it sounds crazy as hell and you don’t automatically just like me because you’re gay and I’m a guy, but I just need to hear your answer. If you don’t than that means that Skye’s just pulling my chain and the school is full of assholes and I really wish you would say something to shut me up...”At the end of his ramble Clay inhales, the string of increasingly fast words escaping him leaving him breathless and sweaty and he kind of hates himself because Tony still hasn’t said a word. He’s too weak to meet his friend’s gaze and instead takes to awkwardly clearing his throat.If there was ever a time he wished he could feel invisible it was now.“Wow.” Is what Tony finally manages to make out, his dark gaze fixed on the blushing boy beside him. Of all the things he had expected Clay to ask him right now it certainly wasn’t that, and, if he was honest, he had absolutely no god damn idea how to respond to that heavy ass question.Did he love Clay Jensen? Fuck, yeah, he did. If he felt like being a sappy little shit he’d say that he had liked the other for as long as he can remember, but, if he was being realistic, he’d say it was more along the lines of middle school.So, yes, he did actually adore the awkward string bean of a kid, but he had spent years avoiding voicing that aloud. He never wanted Clay to feel uncomfortable or pressured to return the sentiments when he was, as far as Tony was concerned, completely straight.But he knows that he’s allowed the silence to transpire for too long when the kid looks like he’s about to shit himself. There’s no point in lying, that’s obvious, and, despite the fact that it goes against everything he believes in, he’s starting to realize that Skye’s magic might not be as fake as he thought.“I… Well, I didn’t expect that…” He settled with admitting, his thumb moving to listlessly rub patterns onto his free hand, “But yeah… Yeah, I do, Clay.”Clay has no idea what he’s expecting to hear when Tony replies. Maybe an indignant negative, or even an offended scolding, that gay guys didn’t just like every guy they met. He does not, however, expect Tony’s confirmation to be so straight forward.So, when his eyes suddenly dart up to meet the tanner boy’s gaze it’s in unconscious shock, his mouth parting and body tensing.“You… You what?”A snicker resounds at the inquiry and a small smirk pulls at the corner of full lips as Tony shakes his head in what Clay muses is a mixture of embarrassment and amusement.“I said that you’re right. I do… I do love you, Clay, so, if it really is some kind of spell that affected everyone today, I… I can see why it missed me.” When Clay goes to speak again a tan hand is raised and the shorter boy takes a deep breath before pressing on. He can’t take back what he said, but he can explain himself.“Look Clay, you don’t have to say anything. I never told you because I didn’t want to complicate things, but…” He releases a breathy chuckle, “But I can see that’s not an issue at the moment. Just know that there’s no pressure. At all. This is something that I have to deal with on my own and I don’t expect you to say anything. Our friendship is important to me and I don’t want to put it in jeopardy…”There’s a flicker of fear in his friend’s eyes and Clay knows that Tony isn’t nearly as calm about this whole situation as he is trying to seem and he admires him for that.No matter what, the shorter boy is always there for him; a strong presence that constantly lends a shoulder to cry on and soothing words without asking for anything in return. He’s always there for the awkward teen, so, to see him there, looking so vulnerable and hesitant, is shocking.“I... I didn’t know…”The possibility that his best friend had feelings for him that surpassed platonic affection had never crossed his mind before and, even now, it felt surreal to think about.He means, Tony is… Tony. He’s a wonderful, wise, dependable guy that would any man lucky one day. He’s everything Clay wishes he could and knows he will never be. He deserves so much more than his emotional ass, yet, somehow, Clay was the one he wanted.It’s bizarre and confusing and, when, the taller boy really thinks about it, Tony really does harvest all the traits that he finds particularly appealing in a significant other. The only thing is that he’s a guy, though that isn’t nearly as big of a turn off as it might have been mere years prior.If there was anything Clay learned throughout the tape fiasco it was that no one was nearly as straight as they seemed, including himself, although he did still prefer females. Tony, he thinks, might be an exception.“I never wanted you to.” Tony says, his tone lower this time, “You never needed to.” “I never needed to?” Clay reiterates in astonishment, eyes narrowing at his friend, “Shit Tony, you should have told me. It wouldn’t have changed anything, I mean, man, you’re still my best friend and I don’t know what I would do without you. I know what it’s like to not tell someone that you love them and… It hurts… It really fucking hurts…”As Clay’s statement escalated Tony knew he wasn’t talking about him anymore and he felt his heart clench. The boy he loves is still enamored with the girl that took her own life, there is no denying that, and he knows he shouldn’t have expected any other response than that. Everything always manages to find its way back to Hannah Baker one way or another.“I… I still love her, Tony… And I still miss her a whole fucking lot.” Tony’s mouth runs dry as Clay speaks and he’s just about to look away when a hesitant hand is placed over his and tentative blue hues meet his own dark ones, “I know she’s gone but… My feelings can’t leave that fast, you know? They didn’t just die with her…. And I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to really, actually get over her, but… I’m willing to try…” “Do you mean-….?”“I mean… I’m still a fucking mess that doesn’t know anything about anything important but… I- I think I can love you… I want to try… If that’s okay? I don’t want to hurt you or make a promise I can’t keep because you deserve the fucking best, Tony. You deserve love and happiness, and I don’t want to be the reason you don’t. find it” Tony can only grimace at that and he begins to move his hands away. He doesn’t want this – this guilt induced confession.“Clay, don’t. Don’t force yourself to say this shit out of guilt or anything. I’m fine with -…” “But I’m not, I swear. I really mean it. I really want to love you, Tony and I think I can… Just… Will you give me the chance to try?” The pleading look lighting blue eyes speaks volumes of truth and Tony can’t help but pull his friend – or maybe more?- into a gentle embrace, his lips pressing ever so slightly against Clay’s temple.Trying – that was all Tony ever wanted. The chance to prove to the other boy that he was worth more than he seemed to believe. He had the opportunity to truly love Clay the way he deserved and he was going to do whatever he had to to help him get through this.They could be actually, really happy together.“Always.”
11025492
Byk
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Sherlock (TV)", "Language": "Čeština", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by Jedovka", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "234", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Sherlock Holmes/John Watson", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
" Je k s sežrání." " Cos to řekl?" " Řekl jsem, že je roztomilej. Na první pohled nic moc, ale když se vrátí z nemocnice mrkni na jeho ruce. V posteli bude famózní." " Jsi pěkně ujetý, víš to?" " Já jsem ujetej? Ty mluvíš s býčí hlavou na zdi." " Jsi bizon, teda býval jsi. Jen pro tvou informaci." Sherlock se otočí a nasupeně odpochoduje do kuchyně. Povalují se tam věci jeho nového spolubydlícího. Bezděky se dotkne hrnku se znakem jeho oddílu, představuje si, zda má někde na těle takové tetování...ne, doktor Watson není ten typ. Doktor Watson je ten typ, který donesl utěrky, protože v kuchyni chyběly, nakoupil plnou tašku čistících prostředků, protože pod drezem to vypadalo, že se schyluje k vývoji nového živočišného druhu, je to prostě ten typ, který není schopen ignorovat hlad a naplní ledničku jídlem místo vzorků...Sherlock se vrátí do obýváku. " Co když opravdu není schopen ignorovat i jiné...potřeby těla?" " Jo, tak to si konečně užiješ. Jsem zvědavej, kam až dokážeš vytáhnout ten svůj snobskej baryton, až tě..." Když se John později toho večera vrátí z práce, najde tu nevšední dekoraci na zdi ozdobenou obstarožními sluchátky. " Slyšel něco,co neměl?" pronese směrem k svému potrhlému spolubydlícímu, když si sundává bundu. " Zatím ne," odvětí Sherlock, ani nezvedne oči od svého počítače. John se usměje a pokroutí hlavou. V posledních dnech má zvláštní dojem, že se ta býčí lebka na něj usmívá.
11046381
Lonely Spirit
{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": null, "Characters": "Canon Character(s), Original Characters", "Fandom": "The Walking Dead (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by WalkerKiller21", "chapters": "2/2", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "334", "Additional Tags": "Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Past Lori Grimes/Rick Grimes, Alpha Rick Grimes, Alpha Daryl Dixon, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Bites, Anal Sex, Knotting, Impregnation, Breeding, Childbirth, Other Additional Tags to Be Added", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Aaron/Jesus/Eric Raleigh/Original Male Character(s), Daryl Dixon/Rick Grimes, Lori Grimes/Shane Walsh, Maggie Greene/Glenn Rhee, Beth Greene/Noah (Walking Dead: Grady Memorial Hospital), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death", "Categories": "F/F, F/M, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Full name: Jasper Silas HawthorneAge: 19 Height: 6"0 Family: None  Alpha ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- -Jasper Pov-                  Sweat poured down my face as I struggled to get to the farmhouse Sophia had Spotted in the Distance. Despite however many days he hadn't eaten, Merle was still a heavy man. "We're almost there." I rasped out as Sophia stumbled Alongside me, clutching her doll close to her Chest.             I headed Merle higher up on my back, not paying any attention to his hallucination induced Ramblings. He'd been going through Drug withdrawal, and recently he'd passed out because of the pain of the loss of his hand. "We're almost there!" Sophia encouraged, excited at the prospect of finally getting some help. Tripping over nothing in Particular, I fell to my knees, irritating the wound in my side.            "C'mon! We're almost there!" Sophia spoke, her little hands tugging on my arm. Merle slipped from my shoulder and fell to the ground with a dull thump. "Don't even know how that damn arrow got in my side in the first damn place......" I grunted, staggering to my feet. Sophia got to her knees beside Merle, trying to wake him up so I wouldn't have to carry him anymore.    -3rd Pov-                   "Walker! WALKER!" Andrea hollered from atop the RV. "Just the one?" Rick demanded as he ran up. "No. There's two and one of them is eating something. I bet I can nail both from here." Andrea spoke, looking through her Binoculars. "No, no, Andrea. Put down the gun." Rick commanded as he, Shane, T-dog and Glenn gathered a few blunt objects.              "You best let us handle this." Shane advised, grabbing a pick ax. "Shane, hold up. Hershel wants to deal with walkers." Rick told him. "What for, man? We got it covered." Shane replied. "Damn it." Rick snarled, grabbing his gun from the RV and taking off after the little group.                   "Sophia?" Rick asked, seeing the little form huddled over the larger, prone one. "Mr. Grimes!" Sophia Gasped, jumping up.
11037492
Recording
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Prompto Argentum, Ardyn Izunia, Noctis Lucis Caelum", "Fandom": "Final Fantasy XV", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by Noriaki_Darby", "chapters": "2/2", "completed": "2017-06-14", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "6,530", "Additional Tags": "Stalking, Non-Consensual Photography, Second-Hand Embarrassment, Obsession, Comedy, One Night Stands, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Scratching, Begging, Biting, Consensual Sex, Face-Sitting, Loss of Virginity, Dirty Talk", "Relationship": "Prompto Argentum/Ardyn Izunia", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
A man of no consequence. Ardyn. Ardyn Izunia. Chancellor of Niflheim. With every encounter there’s always something new to learn about him. There’s only one thing to wonder, “what next?” Whenever the crew would see him again could be tomorrow… or maybe a week… or maybe never. Either way, there’s got to be a way to get more answers. After that one photo Prompto took of him when the crew were on their way to the Disc of Cauthess, some part of him was telling him not to stop. Ardyn said he didn’t mind at all, after all... Prompto had an extra SD card for his camera kept inside of a hidden pocket of his bag. Nobody but him knew that the card was full of pictures of Ardyn; when the Regalia stopped right behind him when they reach a stoplight, when they were following him at the Vesperpool, when he was chatting with Noctis, when he was lounging at his car one night; he even got a close up of him when he was sleeping inside it, snapping more for each time he tossed or turned or yawned, and so much more. So much more... The more pictures he took, the more infatuated he became, Prompto would never forget that one night where while the others were sleeping in their tent, he went out to the campfire just to masturbate. Biting into his shirt, pants unfastened and pulled down just enough for his cock to be out as he sat down on one of the coleman chairs, one hand gripping onto the camera, and the other violently pumping his length as he gazed into the man’s handsome face in the photos. He thankfully wasn’t caught, but he knew he had to be careful if he tries to do that again. When the crew went to Lestallum one day, they stumbled upon Vyv again who wanted some more photos from Duscae. Prompto thought this might be a perfect opportunity to leave the others and venture on his own. If he were to be ambushed by a monster, which he hopes wouldn’t happen, h e would just run as fast as he could. Noctis and Prompto were wandering around town when Prompto finally decided to take the chance. “You sure about that?” Noctis cocked his head to the side. “This might be the first time you’ve ever chosen to leave on your own.” Prompto casually laughed. “Well, he’s asking for photos just from me, right?” Noctis looked at him with a rather concerned expression. “I don’t wanna be drag on you guys. I-I’ll be fine! Besides if Gladio was allowed to leave us for a bit while we were at the Vesperpool, why can’t I?” The expression didn’t leave Noctis’ face, but he finally nodded. “Alright… if anything goes really bad. Just call us, and we’ll try to get to you.” “Don’t ya worry, I’ll try not to be too reckless,” he laughed again and ran off. Noctis watched as he jogged into the streets and disappeared after making a turn. Hours have passed, and the sun began to set, giving the sky a beautiful dark blue to orange red gradient. Instead of heading to Duscae like Vyv requested, Prompto has lingered around in Lestallum, camera clutched onto with both hands, trying to not get into sight with any of the others, in case they were to notice anything suspicious from him. He debated if he even should leave Lestallum and actually search for Ardyn, or wait and take his chances of him showing up again. Prompto arrived at the same spot where he and the others met Ardyn and learned of his name, his first name, at least. The telescope that he looked through with his back turned. The memories of him turning his head and greeting them flashed into his mind. How his heartbeat sped up and pounded much harder. How lovingly deep his voice sounded . How friendly yet mischievous his smile was. How he easily towers over him. How he impulsively started following the Chancellor towards his car while the others awkwardly watched before following quickly after. All of those thoughts came to a halt when he heard familiar footsteps. Somehow, from the little times he met him, he remembered the sounds of his footsteps on the concrete ground. Prompto turned on his heel to see the familiar tall figure from the distance walking past the trees between them. Prompto thought of hiding near one of the benches, but Ardyn didn’t seem to notice him. His camera was still on, and without steadying it, pressed the snapshot button. There was a flash. Prompto’s eyes snapped down at the camera, he forgot to turn off the flash. A nd the darkening of the sky made it illuminate the area even brighter. He looked up to see Ardyn, from the distance, had stopped walking, and had his head turned towards him. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! There was no time to study his image like he had before, he doesn’t know what kind of face he made when he saw the flash. It took one very short movement of the Chancellor turning towards him that Prompto felt shivers across his skin. Think of something, think of something! Prompto turned around and lifted his camera towards the sky, and took another photo, with the flash on. He chewed onto his lip when he felt him coming closer to him. He could tell that he was close when he felt warmth somewhere on his left side. Ardyn was always so warm. When Prompto was up close to him, such as the time at the Vesperpool, he had this urge of just pressing his body against him, face buried into the chest covered by the white fabric, arms snaking beneath the black coat and inhaling his scent. “Prompto,” He heard the voice from behind, he could feel his hot breath touch his ear. Prompto was half resisting the urge of turning around and meeting him in the eyes, but there’s really no escape. “Ah! Hey! Sup! You’re that Ardyn dude? Yeah, Ardyn!” he turned around, grinning widely, ignoring the rising heat in his cheeks, camera hidden behind his back, although that would make things suspicious, so he let his arms slacken to his sides. “What’re you doing here? Shouldn’t you be back in Niflheim doing...y’know… ‘Chancellor-y things’?” “Honestly, I would ask you the same thing. What brings you out here all alone in the dark without your prince?” Ardyn’s lips were curled into a light smile, like he always has been. Then his eyes darted down to the side, at the hand holding the camera. “I’m a bit curious on what prompted you to snap a photo at my direction. Would you mind if I were to…” Prompto bit onto his lip harder as he felt his chest clenching. Oh no. “Take a look at your photos?” That request gave him goosebumps. “Uh, w-why?” Prompto asked, taking note of his stuttering. “There’s no-nothing interesting, I swear!” Ardyn turned his eyes at him, still smirking. Prompto stared back in a mix of fear and on the verge of falling into a trance. “Nothing interesting?” he cocked his head to the side, he must have taken fascination in Prompto’s flustered face. “I can’t know for sure until I see them myself.” He can’t know what he’s been doing with that camera. What would happen once he sees all those photos of him? Would he beat him up for invading his privacy? Would he just back away in awkwardness? Or even worse, blackmail him? Or maybe even… fulfill his deep desires? There was no clear answer. Within all that mystery behind the Chancellor, there could be a side, or maybe sides , of him that nobody else had seen. Prompto’s head snapped away from Ardyn. “Ah, look! I see Ignis and Gladio looking for me, gotta go!” They weren’t there, obviously, but he had to escape. Whatever it took to keep those photos away from him. Prompto sidestepped to give himself an opening and broke into a full legged sprint. All of a sudden, something struck his head, and everything went black. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Prompto woke up, he was tucked in a bed, rather comfortably. He was in The Leville hotel, the same place he, Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio were staying at. His vest was removed, and so were his boots. It’s night out, the sky has darkened even more. The last thing he remembered was his head hitting something, but the pain wasn’t there. Was that encounter with Ardyn a dream? Turns out it wasn’t. There was a weight at the other side of the bed. He turned his head and saw Ardyn, sitting at the the bed. He wasn’t wearing his black coat, his arms covered by the sleeves of his white blouse, scarf ends dangling at his back, the back of the two waistcoats in full view, they were tied together with laces, almost like a corset. His legs were crossed and his head was low. Prompto heard a beep noise, followed by another, it’s from his camera. He’s looking through his photos. Prompto made a loud shriek as he jumped up, making the blankets fly upwards, and lunged himself forward to retrieve the camera. Ardyn yanked the camera out of reach and used his free arm to trap the boy in a headlock. Prompto squirmed and tried to reach out his arm, hand clawing the air. His face was slightly pressed against the Chancellor’s thigh, his musky scent filling up his nose. He smelled so nice, Prompto wasn’t so sure how to exactly describe it, but it was definitely some sort of high quality cologne. He could probably faint from this faster than chloroform. “Hmm, Prompto,” Ardyn said over the boy’s loud grunts. “You claim there’s nothing interesting in this camera; am I not interesting enough? All these photographs of me beg to differ,” he chuckled, pressing a button to turn to the next picture. “Give it back!” Prompto growled, still reaching and curling his other hand into a fist and pounding onto Ardyn’s back. “Give it back, you stinkin’ hobo!” “That’s mean,” He teased. “Did your prince not teach you any manners?” The struggle and howling doesn’t seem to affect him a bit, the arm around his neck did not loosen at all. “This camera is filled with nothing but pictures of yours truly, and you’ve even got ones of me without my knowledge. I’m honestly flattered, you really are a skilled photographer.” Ardyn’s voice was soft and low. Prompto didn’t need to look to know that he was smiling, sincerely this time. Seems like Ardyn isn’t mad at all about being photographed without his consent. In fact, he enjoyed it? It was a bit of a relief, but being caught doing something as creepy as that , it was also so shameful. Although, this was a dream come true; to be this close of contact with him. To be able to hear him sweet talk to him, smell that lovely scent he carries on him, and touch him, no matter how rough it is. His desires are taking over him, persuading him to just give in. Prompto stopped reaching and moved his hand and felt skin brush against his fingers, must be his jawline, judging from the slight stubble scratchings. “What’s this now? You’re submitting to me this soon? I had the slight prediction that you weren’t going to stop thrashing beneath my grasp and I would have to resort to pinning you down to get you to behave; but perhaps there’s no need for that now.” Keep talking… just keep talking. Prompto scooted himself away, releasing himself from the headlock, and adjusting himself up a proper sitting position. There was a pause, the only noise Prompto could hear were his own light pants. “How did you…” Prompto finally broke the short silence, facing Ardyn’s direction, whose back is still turned at him, the arm holding the camera lowered. “H-how did I…I fainted, didn’t I?” Ardyn looked over his shoulder, amber eyes looking straight at him. It was hypnotizing. “Indeed.” “How did I faint? I tried running a-and--!” “You ran head first into that lamp post behind the telescope and lost consciousness.” So that’s what happened. Prompto wasn’t sure if he should be chagrined from what got him here or be glad that he got the chance to finally met him face-to-face, alone, and nobody else around... “Your attempt of fooling me was rather shallow, I must say. Ignis and Gladio were nowhere in sight when you fell. So then, I took responsibility and carried you here.” So he carried him to the hotel, took off some of his clothes, and tucked him into bed. Holy shit. Although, how was he carried? Was his limp body slung over his shoulder? Beneath his armpit? Piggyback? Or, even better, a bridal carry? Either way, just the thought of being held in those arms, Ardyn’s arms, is making him feel a mix of warmth and shakiness throughout his frail body. Too bad he wasn’t awake to fully experience it. “Um… sorry?” That came out more slurred then he thought. “Oh no no. No need to be,” Ardyn said, lifted up his arms to stretch. Is he tired? From having to carry Prompto across the town? “Here.” He handed him back his camera. Prompto sighed in relief as he saw that it was in perfect condition. The screen showed a picture of Ardyn sitting down at one of the chairs in front of the caravan. The shutter blinds framed the picture horizontally, although it was blurry. It was dark, presumably past midnight, one of the caravan lights brightening the area. Prompto was supposed to be sleeping along with Noctis but couldn’t, the image of the Chancellor wouldn’t leave his mind. It was that same night when he reached down to him and almost grabbed his chin, his heart was racing. He was disturbed by the sudden intimacy, but it made him realize how charming he was. He remembered his eyes not leaving him as he continued talking and wandering in circles next to the tables. Prompto’s mind snapped back to reality when he looked up from his camera and saw Ardyn lying on his side on the mattress, head turned sideways, resting on a hand, with the elbow propping him up, his other hand resting on his hip, one leg bent over the other. “What are you doing?” “Posing.” ‘W-what!?” Ardyn chuckled. “I’m posing. For you,” his eyes were closed, but still smiling. Prompto tried to talk, shoulders shaking, his face warming up fast; but what came out of his mouth were barely words. “Come now, we don’t have time to waste here. Do you want more photos of me or not?” Yeah, duh! But those times were different, it was all Ardyn minding his own business, with no knowledge that Prompto was watching him. Here, he’s in front of him, posing, and looking sexier when up close. If only he could just… fall forward and cuddle him like he always wanted to, but that’s too soon. “So uh...” his voice trailed off, lifting up the camera. He snapped one photo; at the same time, he wanted to keep the conversation going. “You’re not… going to… hurt me?” “Why would I?” Ardyn cracked an eye open, not breaking out of his pose. “I-I don’t know!” Actually, he does. “You’re the Chancellor of Niflheim and you look and talk in an evil way like--!” “I don’t do ‘evil things’ all the time, boy,” The hand resting on his hip went up in a ‘ are you kidding me’ way. “Just like any other ordinary person, I also have hobbies.” Another new thing to learn. Prompto pressed the snapshot button again before Ardyn placed the hand back on his hip. “I take long walks, I read books, I chat with people, and I also like to smoke.” He smokes!? From all the PSAs that Prompto has watched during school, smoking does bad shit to people like turning the eyes and teeth yellow and giving cancer. But Ardyn, he looks perfectly fine, his scleras aren’t splotched yellow like his irises, and his teeth are snow white; it’s like the only thing affecting his appearance would be natural aging. Prompto then remembered that one time at the Vesperpool, he kind of broke into Ardyn’s car when he lied to Noctis and Ignis that he needed to leave to pee. Without a roof, it was easy for Prompto to reach forward into the car and open up the cupboard at the front and see its contents: 21 parking tickets, 13 speedings, a chocobo rent bill, a receipt from a liquor store, and some box with thin brown sticks inside. Those must’ve been the stuff that he was referring to. He didn’t take a picture that time, since he needed to get back to Noctis as quick as he could. Why does he remember exactly how many tickets he got? Even he wished he knew the answer. Prompto’s brought his focus back as he took more pictures from different angles. Climbing out of bed to get pictures of his side, and from behind. He kept pressing the button, not pausing to look at the pictures to see if they’re blurry or not. It also was quiet, too quiet… and Ardyn was perfectly still, like a mannequin. Prompto wanted to say something, there was so much in his mind that he wanted to say, but they were along the lines of I wanna sit on your bigass dick so badly , he didn’t want to kill an intimate moment like this. Finally it was Ardyn who broke the silence, grunting as he sat up and moved his legs until he was sitting at the edge of the bed. “Are you tired?” Prompto said without thinking, still looking at his camera, a bit too shy to look at Ardyn. He looked through the LCD display to see that he’s running a hand through his hair. “Yes. I do require sleep as well like any other person, and I often don’t get much.” “You should probably sleep,” with me. “Then…” he nearly dodged the bullet there. Ardyn blinked, then reached out a hand. Prompto was surprised that he did not hesitate as he leaned forward to allow him to stroke his cheek a bit. Already being so obedient without being told to do something. His fingers were rough, but then again, this guy was probably in his 50s, but damn he had to look so gorgeous. Prompto looked back at Ardyn, eyelids half closed, and wanting to kiss his palm. Is it too inappropriate to act now? “Prompto,” Ardyn began talking again, moving his thumb slowly up and down Prompto’s flaring cheek, making him purse his lips. “If you wish for us to fornicate. You could have asked. I would be more than eager to do what you please.” He’s reading his mind. Prompto just stood there, eyes widened. His lip quivered as he tried to find the appropriate words to say. Do whatever you want to me. For a long time, I wanted you! Fuck me dry, dammit! Can I ride you like a Chocobo? Destroy me please, shove that huge dick of yours into me and fuck me until I don’t have a functionable ass anymore… There’s only so much to say. “Fuck yeah,” He beamed. “So many times, fuck yeah! ” Prompto took this chance to leap forward and pretty much tackle Ardyn onto the mattress. Whether Ardyn decided to let Prompto pounce onto him or Prompto really had the strength didn’t matter. Their lips were pressed onto each other, and Prompto’s arms were wrapped around the Chancellor’s shoulders. Ardyn’s hands searched its way up his shirt, but since it was tucked into his pants, he reached down there instead. Prompto felt himself tense up when his hand began rubbing onto his buttcrack over his boxers. It tickled. Prompto had to admit that he never kissed anyone before, not even during high school, or even receive any from his mother, since his parents were barely around. But finally receiving his first kiss and having it be from person he’s been deeply attracted to, it’s hard to believe now if this is reality. It came to him that everything is indeed real when Ardyn began parting his lips. Prompto took the cue and obliged, allowing him to enter his mouth. He felt a hand clasp onto his nape, as if to let himself to go in deeper. The wet tongue went past his teeth and touched his. Prompto heard his own muffled moans, grasping tightly onto the fabric of Ardyn’s blouse. He felt the hand travel further up his back, dragging the shirt fabric along with it. Prompto quickly pulled away from the kiss with a loud gasp for air. Ardyn chuckled, “Cute.” “H-how’s it cute!?” “You’ll learn when you listen to yourself get taken by me,” he said, returning the hand back to his waist, dragging a finger along the belt circled around it. “Now, sit on my face.” Prompto only stared in response in confusion, and Ardyn stared back, with that same enticing smirk he always has. “I believe I was clear. Take your pants off, and sit on my face,” he tugged the belt buckle. “Or do I have to do it for you?” A short ‘uhm’ escaped Prompto’s lips but then Ardyn already acted. The belt was unhooked. Prompto sat up, straddling the Chancellor’s hips, allowing him to undo his pants. Impulsively, he slapped both hands over his mouth when he heard his own light moans after Ardyn slipped a thumb beneath his underwear. “Don’t cover your mouth,” he snapped, pulling his pants and underwear down; and Prompto obliged, removing his hands. When it both reached his knee, Prompto adjusted himself upward, and freed himself from it. His lower half was now completely bare. Ardyn was still lying at his back, his face fixated onto the ceiling. “Come closer to me.” Prompto nodded and moved himself forward until his butt was mere inches above the Chancellor’s face. He’s shaking, he’s never done this before. “Don’t bite your lip either.” Ardyn said, gripping onto his waist and thigh, pulling it closer to him. Prompto yelped loudly when he felt the area just below his hardening cock make contact with his mouth. He’s kissing around it, then he felt something hot and wet teasing the entrance before squeezing its way in. Ardyn hooked his arms over Prompto’s thighs to hold him in place, nails digging into his flesh, preventing him from any kind of escape. Prompto had to fight the urge of covering his mouth, he told him not to, but with his free hands, what was there to do? Ardyn’s tongue squirmed inside of Prompto and his stubble was scraping against his skin, it made him cry out, hands reaching out to grip onto the headboard that was in front of him. A hand moved to massage his growing erection, stroking down until his fingers were in the curls of his pubic hair. Prompto yelped as his legs tense up, feeling his nails press deeper. “A-Ardyn...please!” He moaned, shivering from the waves of pleasure hitting him. Ardyn pulled his tongue out of him, “Please what?” Prompto doesn’t want to say it, he bit his lip, despite what Ardyn told him not to. “F…fuck m-me,“ he choked out through gritted teeth. “Please, fuck me!” Ardyn only chuckled, kneading the head of his cock. “That’s not enough. What exactly do you want from me?” He’s challenging him. Not only was Ardyn Prompto’s first kiss, but also the person who is going to take his virginity. First times aren’t always perfect, Prompto knew that, but to finally be this close to the Chancellor, he shouldn’t bail out on anything. This was his chance, and it shouldn’t be wasted. “I want your…” Prompto took a deep breath. “I want the Chancellor of Niflheim’s dick inside of me… and I want it to cum inside and make a dirty mess out of me!” “Such an eager plea. But how could I simply refuse?” Ardyn scooted himself away from beneath Prompto’s butt, releasing his thigh and cock. Prompto allowed himself to relax on the space where he was resting at earlier, but it didn’t last long when he felt his shirt being yanked from behind. Before he knew it, he was turned around and pinned down onto the mattress, the pillows bouncing up, and one fell off the bed. Ardyn was on top of him, staring down at him, hand wrapped around his neck, but not tightening. He moved the hand to trace a finger up Prompto’s neck, feeling the Adam’s apple move when the fingertip went over his throat and then stopped at the boy’s chin. “Don’t you worry, I’m not going to hurt you.” Prompto could only nod, lips parting to allow himself to breathe. Ardyn withdrew the hand and moved them to the hem of his tank top. “Now, we should get this out of the way.” “No!” Prompto shouted, hands bolting down to grip tightly onto the hem. The Chancellor raised an eyebrow. “What’s the matter?” “I just… I-I can’t let you…!” He trailed off, remembering what he told himself earlier. “Actually, n-nevermind…” he hesitantly loosened his hands around his shirt. He noticed that he still has his gloves and arm bands on, Noctis has never seen what’s beneath it, and neither should Ardyn. The stretch marks all over his body would be okay, sort of, but never as what’s engraved onto his wrist. “No need to be so shy,” Ardyn smiled. “I’ll let you keep your garments on to keep you comfortable. But just for now, allow me to tease you there.” The tank top was hitched upwards, up to his chest, just a little above his nipples. Goosebumps rose in Prompto’s skin when his naked belly was exposed. He was aware that his abdomen was heaving, and Ardyn’s seeing it all. It was hard to resist covering his face. Ardyn lifted up a hand up to his mouth and began pulling his gloves off with his teeth. The image was really alluring. Prompto searched around to see if his camera was nearby to take a picture of that, unfortunately it was nowhere in sight. He must have dropped it onto the floor when he ran into Ardyn’s arms. After the gloves were off, Ardyn sat up straight and opened up the red pouch at his thigh. Most of the time it was hidden beneath the black coat and the many layers of shirts he wore, but nonetheless it must be what he used to carry around small objects such as his car keys and cellphone. He pulled out a small bottle of lube, so the chances of it hurting would be way less. “Hey wait,” Prompto said, and Ardyn looked at him, midway of twisting the cap off. “If I’m going to be naked, you should too.” Ardyn smiled, dropping the bottle onto the mattress. “Fair enough,” and his arms reached behind him to untie his waistcoat. Prompto, of course, watched. Ardyn tossed the one waistcoat over his shoulder and went back to undoing the next one. How many shirts was this man wearing? It was quite hard to tell, but it taking a long while to fully strip only makes things more exciting. After pulling off his scarf, he was down to his white blouse; he looked so bare, after many occasions of seeing him wear all of those layers, it was quite jarring. Prompto was aware that Ardyn was staring at him the whole time as he does this. He could already imagining him asking him ‘ Like what you see?’ and the answer was crystal clear. He finally took off the blouse, and Prompto was amazed to see at what he saw. A rather pale but well-toned bod with red hair scattered across his bare chest, and down his torso. He always guessed that Ardyn would be hairy, and he was correct and certainly wasn’t disappointed. “Oh my god,” Prompto breathed, as Ardyn picked up the bottle again. He chuckled, resuming taking the cap off. “It’s a rarity for me to strip down for somebody. But it seems like you’re in for a treat tonight.” Thank you, Prompto wanted to say, but he was too occupied by the amounts of body hair he has. Gods, it makes his own body feel bare. “I must ask, are you a virgin?” Ardyn broke Prompto’s trance, eyes shifted at him as he poured the clear liquid onto his fingers. Prompto wanted to hide his face, but he had to resist. Instead, he gripped onto the sheets. “Y-yeah… I-I’ve never slept with anyone,” and there he went. His only moments of performing sexual acts would the times he has masturbated, nothing more, nothing less. Having someone else pleasure him was something he always imagined, but never experienced. “Splendid,” Ardyn purred as he moved the coated fingers towards his butt. Prompto’s hole puckered when the cold liquid made contact with it. “Now I would have to make extra precaution not to make this too painful.” The finger slipped in easily, making the gunman moan loudly as he throw his head back from the sudden ecstasy. “Do you hear yourself now? Do you now know why I adored the noises you make?” He said as he moved the finger in and out of Prompto’s ass. Prompto couldn’t bring himself to talk, the repeated gasping and moaning prevented him from forming words. “Answer me, Prompto.” “Yes!” Then, two fingers were inserted in, and the noises continued. “Wonderful. Truly wonderful,” Ardyn leaned forward, opening his mouth to capture a nipple within his lips, his other hand snaking up his side to tease the other. Prompto’s body bucked when the fingertips brush against a sensitive spot inside. He bit onto the sensitive flesh and pinched it the same time, earning him a loud yelp from the boy. Prompto did listen to himself make those noises, just from being fingered. He wasn’t sure how to feel from hearing himself moan out like this, but if it pleases the Chancellor, then he’ll do whatever to make sure he’s pleased all the way. Ardyn stopped teasing his chest and pulled out his fingers. He sat up straight again to work down his own pants. This is it! Here it is! Once his erect cock was out, Prompto spreads his leg wider to give him an easier access. Ardyn grabbed onto the boy’s hips, thumbs lightly kneading circles on the area. “Ah, you really want me, do you?” “Fuck yeah,” Prompto gasped, grasping onto the bunched up tank top that was barely covering his chest. “Ask, and you shall receive,” and the cock was pushed inside. Prompto’s legs closed in against Ardyn’s hips, wrapping around it as an attempt to draw him closer. When it was in deep enough, he gave no warning and immediately began moving. Prompto could not control himself, with the intense pleasure searing through his body, he cried out, and he knew it satisfied the Chancellor. Ardyn leaned downwards until his face was just inches away from the boy’s shoulder, and he sank his teeth into it, drawing out a short scream from him. Prompto’s arms found its way onto his back, clawing onto the naked skin. Ardyn hissed against his shoulder when his nails penetrated into his shoulder blade. He removed his mouth, leaving behind a deep bite mark. Between the slight gap between their bodies, he dug a hand and constricted his fingers around the boy’s pulsing erection, and pumped him as he tried to keep up the tempo of his thrusts. Prompto moaned louder, his nails puncturing the skin deep enough to draw blood. “Yes…!” He cried. “YES!” Never did he thought his stalking would lead to this. To be able to make the man of his dreams, and have him pleasure him in such a way. This could not be a dream, he’s feeling it, everything, from the cock deep inside of him, the hand pumping him, the aroma he’s inhaling, the grunts he’s hearing. It wasn’t long before Ardyn plunged himself as deep as he could and climaxed, inside of him. He stopped thrusting, face buried into the boy’s shoulder. He pulled out of his hole, ignoring the cum that was leaking out, but his hand did not stop. Prompto’s arms slackened and dropped to the side. His voicebox was tired out, letting out light pants as Ardyn moved his hand; he wasn’t sure how loud he was, but he was sure Ardyn was pleased of what came out of him. Soon enough, Prompto came into his hand, sending shivers across his body until he finished releasing. Ardyn rose up, looking at the white liquid spilled onto his hand with a satisfied smirk, then he brought it to lips, and began licking it off. “Hold on,” Prompto was disappointed in himself for not getting a photo of Ardyn biting his gloves off when the chance was there, but this quick moment was similar, more than sufficient acrually. He climbed off the bed to retrieve the camera that he dropped onto the floor. When he returned, he aimed the camera at his direction. “Do it again.” “As you wish,” the Chancellor obliged. Running his tongue up his palm, picking up the droplets of cum dripping down his hand. Prompto pressed the snap button to get pictures of that. Looking at it from the screen made him realize that Ardyn was smirking while looking directly at him. Oh dear, this would be the perfect picture to jerk off to later. When he was done, he reached the hand forward and cupped the boy’s cheek. Prompto lowered the camera and sighed in relief. “You were awesome,” he mumbled. “I know,” Ardyn brought himself closer to him, lips slightly parted, but Prompto slapped a hand over his mouth. “Wait, hold on a second!” he exclaimed. “You just ate my ass and my cum and now you’re gonna make me taste it!?” He heard the Chancellor snort. “Are you afraid of knowing what you taste like?” “N-no, it’s just!” He stopped himself, his face reddening again. “Just go to sleep, dammit!” “I’ll sleep better if you cuddle with me.” “Consider it done!” Prompto relaxed onto the bed, turning off the camera and putting it on the nightstand, pulling the sheets over him. Ardyn climbed off the bed to turn off the lights. The room was immediately shrouded in darkness. Prompto’s eyes readjusted and saw Ardyn’s silhouette approach the bed and settled himself in next to him. He rested his hand against his shoulder, and took a deep breath, letting the scent to fill up his nose, and he drifted to sleep quickly. But not before feeling arms wrap around him, and lips brushing against his forehead. “Sleep well, dear Prompto.”   Prompto woke up sooner than he thought, and saw that Ardyn had his back turned to him. They broke from each other’s embrace some time in the middle of night. Despite wanting to stay longer, he also wanted to return to Noctis. He’s only a few doors away. If he were to stay longer with Ardyn and get caught, Noctis and the others would definitely get furious, and even more once they find out what’s been going into that camera. Prompto got out of bed and circled around it to find his pants, which was pooled around the foot. “Going back?” He heard Ardyn say once he pulled his pants up and the secured belt. “Yeah,” He lifted up his head to see that the Chancellor was sitting up on the bed. “I gotta get back to Noctis, I know I can’t stay with you for long.” “I see.” Prompto continued dressing himself up, and grabbing his vest from the armchair. He knew Ardyn was watching, so he had to not face him, not wanting him to see that he has noticed. When he was done putting his vest and boots on, he grabbed his camera from the nightstand, and head at the door. He paused for a bit, taking one last look over his shoulder. “Will we… will we meet again?” He asked. “Certainly.” “Uhm… When?” “At Altissia, of course,” Ardyn smiled. “Who else wouldn’t be looking forward to Prince Noctis and Lady Lunafreya’s wedding?” Prompto nodded, smiling back. “A-Awesome! I’ll see ya then!” And he exited the room. It didn’t take long for him to search for Noctis’s room. He still managed to remember the number. It was at the floor above and near the end of the hall. Once he found it, he knocked onto the door and waited. The doorknob turned and it cracked open. “Prompto?” Noctis yawned, he was clearly groggy, going by how low and cracky his voice was. His eyes were narrowed into slits from the sudden brightness from the hallway light. “What’re you doing here so early?” “Well,” Prompto cleared his throat. “I tried heading to Duscae but I… I felt kinda lonely. So I decided to come back and maybe see if we can… y’know, go together.” Noctis rubbed an eye, opening the door wider to let him in. “Alright...” Prompto stepped in to see that the hotel room was still dark, Ignis and Gladio were sound asleep in the bed at the opposite side of the room. “By the way,” Noctis closed the door, despite how dark the room was, Prompto could tell that Noctis was wrinkling his nose. “You smell different; like some sort of expensive cologne… and sweat.” “Oh! Uh,” Prompto squeaked. “You see, I ran a lot the past day and I also happened to pass by a beauty store and sampled some cologne. I-it’s for Cindy! I wonder if she likes this kind of smell.” Noctis snorted. “Well, I’m going back to bed.” Somehow he was able to come up with a convincing lie on the spot. Didn’t work for Ardyn, but it worked for Noctis for sure. Noctis climbed back to bed and drifted back to sleep quickly. Prompto wasn’t sleepy, so he went to the bathroom, and turned the lights on. He thought of showering, but it would mean washing Ardyn’s scent off of him. It would be delightful to keep it on him for just a little longer, considering how it’s an extra component of Ardyn that he has taken besides all of those photos stored into that camera. Prompto pulled the toilet cover down, and sat on it with a deep exhale. He pulled out his camera and turned it on. It was low on battery. He pressed the display button, and began looking through the photos he took of Ardyn from the previous night. That encounter won’t be their last, certainly. Ardyn’s going to be at Altissia for the wedding. Prompto, of course, will be looking forward to that. What will he learn about him this time?
11021676
Earth Defense
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Original Female Character--Honey O'Neal, Original Male Character--Jake Bishop", "Fandom": "Original Work", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by AXEe", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "565", "Additional Tags": "Alternate History, Aliens, International Relations, Alien Technology, United Nations, Paramilitary, Military Science Fiction, How Do I Tag, Eventual Romance, May/December Relationship, Older Woman/Younger Man", "Relationship": "Original Female Character--Honey O'Neal/Original Male Character--Jake Bishop", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "Gen, F/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
*** When I was a little girl, my grandfather used to tell me about what the world was like before the Event, about how people used to look up at the stars and wonder if we were alone in the universe, if there was life out there. He said that they used to imagine aliens peacefully landing in the middle of a major cityTurns out they were looking in wrong place. Because, when proof of alien life was finally discovered it didn't land, it crashed in a field outside Roswell, New Mexico.In the aftermath, scientists studied the wreckage of the alien ship, trying to figure out how it worked, what did what exactly, and that was a mistake, because the aliens technology was unlike anything we'd ever seen before, using physics and laws that we still don't completely understand.In trying to dismantle the alien engine core, they accidently turned it on, tearing a hole between dimensions, a rift between here and into what the scientists called 'Null Space'. The rift itself wasn't the problem, it was what came through the rift that was the problem, a swarm of insects that the scientists called 'Null bugs'.By the time planes, tanks, and soldiers finally drove them back through the rift half a week later, Roswell was in ruins, and tens of thousands of people were dead. The government called it the 'Roswell Event', the survivors just called it 'R-Day'.In the aftermath, we rebuilt, we mourned our dead, and we moved on.But only three weeks later, an earthquake ripped through Santa Fe, New Mexico, it didn't destroy the city, didn't even really damage it, just lifted it about half a mile into the air, where it's been ever since. Three weeks after that in a town called 'Tempest' in Arizona any form of combustion, from gas flames to car engines, suddenly stopped.It was then that we realized that Roswell was only the beginning, that it wasn't going to stop.In the aftermath of the Tempest Incident, the world suddenly came together like never before, throwing aside old grudges and animosity like never before. To fight threats from beyond Earth we needed a united front, a single army that would fight for all of us instead of only a few of us.On August 10th 1947, just three months after Roswell, representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union met in San Francisco, to decide what to do. Only three hours later they came out with a unanimous decision, a proposal to create a single, unified, international army. A global defense.The Earth Defense Force was born.Over the next several decades, the EDF faced off against every kind of threat imaginable, from an attempted alien invasion, to a giant undersea monster that ravaged Tokyo in 1953. And we won each time.But the EDF was only as good as its soldiers, so EDF soldiers became rock stars, fear of the unknown became scientific curiosity, and monsters became toys.So, this is the world we live in now, the world I was born into, a world where monsters are not only real, but common, a world where gravity isn't a law anymore but more of a 'suggestion', a world where humanity has largely put aside its differences for the greater good.This is my worldEnjoy your stay, kids...
11042043
a plus plus
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Choi Hansol | Vernon, Boo Seungkwan, Kim Mingyu", "Fandom": "SEVENTEEN (Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "804", "Additional Tags": "slighttt meanie, like it's barely there, not even barely, it is so late, y is hansol like this, lapslock, as always, Uni AU", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "SeungSol - Relationship, boonon - Relationship, Boo Seungkwan/Choi Hansol | Vernon", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
"hansol, you're gonna die. it's like two a.m.," seungkwan's sleepy voice comes from the other end of the line."i know. but you gotta help me. please? mingyu's not here. just me," hansol whines, leg bouncing under the covers as he stares hopefully up at the dark ceiling of his dorm. the line is silent for a moment before seungkwan sighs, "fine. but if you don't make at least an a on this stupid test you're gonna pay.""yes!" hansol hisses, tossing his phone aside and leaning over the side of his bed to haul his organ systems packet onto his lap. he rakes a hand through his greasy bed hair. a minute or two later, he hears soft footsteps outside and the door unlock."oh my god, are you even studying? you're so gonna fail this, hansol," seungkwan's sleep-heavy voice greets him as he shuffles over to hansol's bed. seungkwan peels the covers back to slide underneath, but first whisper-screeches, "omg, is that mingyu's wonwoo shrine? that's so creepy, how do you sleep with that thing staring at you in the dark?"hansol sighs, handing him the packet, "yep. i manage."seungkwan flips through the packet with a cross, tired look on his shadowy face. suddenly an idea comes to hansol and a smirk creeps onto his face."anyway," he says lowly, "i have a game we can play to make this more fun."seungkwan rolls his eyes, meeting hansol's gaze."and what could that be?" he asks dryly."we're gonna quiz each other-""i don't even have to take this test," seungkwan interrupts. hansol pouts, "just wait! for every question i get right, you gotta take something off. for every question you get right, i have to take something off.""that is so ridiculous and lewd," seungkwan stares at him in the gloom. "yeah, but it's fun. and it'll motivate me," hansol protests. seungkwan seems to stare through him for a moment, like he's thinking. "wait. since you should know all the answers, that means i have to strip. and since i don't know any of this, you won't have to. this is so unfair!" seungkwan whines, throwing the packet at him and crossing his arms."um... i'll, i'll ask you first," hansol says, biting his lip, "what's the main purpose of the lymphatic system?""what even is that? i don't know," seungkwan says, pouting."give me that packet," seungkwan says, flipping to the last page where he expects the harder material to be, "what are the organs in the respiratory system?"hansol snickers, "that's easy. pharynx, larynx, bronchi, lungs, diaphragm. guess you gotta strip."seungkwan huffs but sits up anyway and wriggles his sweatpants off, tossing them somewhere into the darkness of the dorm. hansol grabs the packet with one hand and seungkwan's bare thigh with the other. before seungkwan can react, hansol is looking into his eyes, asking lecherously, "what is a penis?""wh- hansol, what the- that's not a question! what-" seungkwan coughs and then starts choking. hansol cackles. "hey, if you get it right, i have to strip.""um... it's an organ that... men... have," seungkwan stumbles with pink cheeks, looking expectantly at hansol. hansol scratches his chin and pretends to be in deep thought. "ok, i'm gonna say that's right enough," he says, sitting up on his knees. he makes a show of taking his shirt off, flexing every muscle he can and shaking his messy hair wildly. seungkwan watches the ordeal with crossed arms and a bored expression, although he is far from bored. he reaches for the packet."what organs make up the integumentary system?" he asks, not really looking at hansol's face, more at his rippling torso. hansol struggles internally for a few moments and seungkwan's heart races wildly as he imagines what taking his shirt off will cause. "uh... skin... nails, fat... lips? wait, no. that's skin. oh, oh, hair!""right," seungkwan rasps. then he smiles, realizing he can just toss off his socks instead of going straight for his shirt."hey," hansol whines, "that doesn't count. take your shirt off." seungkwan holds up a finger, "wait a second, mister hasty. i could've been nice and taken off just one sock, but i took off both of them. isn't that so kind of me?"hansol whines, grabbing the packet from seungkwan's hands and flinging it into the dark abyss of the dorm. seungkwan snorts at this, "you're getting th- that," his voice wavers as hansol puts a hand on each of his thighs and starts nosing around his jaw. hansol's hands move up and up until they're pulling seungkwan's shirt off. seungkwan nestles himself among the pillows with a wanton grin and writhes as hansol licks up his neck. hands looping around hansol's neck, he mutters, "you're going to ace this test."
11002407
Ten Years
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Daphne Greengrass", "Fandom": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by fangroyal", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-26T00:00:00", "words": "1,395", "Additional Tags": "HP: EWE, Past Relationship(s), Minor Angst, Pining, Reuniting, Getting Back Together", "Relationship": "Draco Malfoy/Blaise Zabini", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
It had been ten years since they'd seen each other.After the war, many had returned to Hogwarts to finish out their education, and then shortly after they'd graduated, Draco had decided he'd needed a change of scenery. Wizarding society in the U.K. knew too much about him, he'd said; everyone knew his name, what he'd done, what his family had done. He would never escape it, were he to stay. And so he'd moved to France. Last Blaise had heard, he was playing chaser for the national team's reserves. Of course, that was only what he'd been able to gather from mutual friends; neither had done so much as send the other an owl in that entire time.Ten years, and now Draco was coming back for a visit. He'd done so a few times before, that Blaise knew of. Not that he'd ever been invited, of course. He was kipping at Pansy's for a week, and she'd decided to throw a dinner party, get the old gang back together, for his first night in town."And you're sure he wanted me there as well?" Blaise had asked Pansy, when she'd informed him of the plan."Don't be silly, of course he does," she'd responded hurriedly, as if the very idea was absurd. But really, it didn't feel like it was to him. And he saw the same sentiments reflected in Theo's concerned glance from behind her back.Because it had been ten years since they'd seen each other. And the last time they had, it had been through teary eyes, as they watched the relationship they'd built come crumbling down around them.Blaise had quit smoking four years ago, and he was pretty sure he'd blown through an entire pack just in the last couple days leading up to the party. He'd breezed through Pansy's Floo that evening, tired and annoyed and lacking even the slightest ounce of desire to be there in the first place. He was sure this was going to be hell. Was positive that Draco didn't, in fact, want him to be there, and that whatever interaction they had--if any at all--would be awkward and forced, and both he and Blaise would constantly have to be skirting around their own goddamn friends just to stay out of each other's way, and--And yet, when he'd finally walked into that living room, he'd felt all the air in his lungs slip away from him. Draco was seated on a couch with Theo, a glass of cabernet held on his knee, his opposite arm draped across the cushion behind their mutual friend as they talked. He just looked so perfectly poised, elegant, unphased, and Blaise was shocked that he even still had legs to stand on when Draco finally noticed him and a small, shy smile graced his lips.They ended up sitting across from each other at the dining table, and Blaise spent the meal attempting subtlety. Pushing thirty, and Draco was still the most gorgeous bloody thing to walk this earth. Quidditch had done him well, too, from the looks of it. Blaise couldn't help but steal a glance whenever an opportunity presented itself. But then, he'd always had that effect on him. It was why he'd told him that they couldn't go back to being friends.Initially, he'd wanted to refuse Pansy's invitation because he'd assumed it would be weird, for them to both be in the same room, after everything. He thought that it would've hurt to be around Draco because of the way they'd left things. It hadn't exactly been pretty, how it had all come to an end. He realized now how stupid that had been. No one was treating it that way; it had been ten years since they'd dated, for Merlin's sake, no one cared. They were still delicately stepping around each other, but it had been a long time. It would take more than one night for them to fall back into a friendship. The problem for Blaise was that...he couldn't stop looking at him. And wondering. And hoping. And wishing for something of note to say, just to get Draco to look his way again, too.After dinner, everyone returned to the living room, tossing around the idea of whether or not they should all head out to the pubs, for old time's sake. Blaise decided he needed a moment alone--to breathe, to collect himself, because every minute he spent looking at Draco, he felt like he was falling apart--and headed into the kitchen on the pretense of refreshing his drink.Of course, it would just so happen that Draco was already in there, doing the very same. He was standing on the other side of the counter when Blaise came in, and they both froze, eyes wide, as the door swung shut behind him. The air prickled with tension and things unspoken. Blaise knew he should say something; they hadn't said even two words to each other all night. Instead, he muttered an apology and turned to leave, but stopped when he heard Draco's voice chime in, soft and hesitant:"I'm moving back here."Blaise swivelled around to level a confused stare at the other, whose head was bent, eyes studying his glass. "Yeah?""Yeah. Got transferred to Ireland." Draco smiled to himself as he fiddled with the label on the wine bottle, ignoring Blaise's furrowed brows. "Nothing's official yet, so I'm not really supposed to be talking about it, but it's pretty well set. We've basically done everything but sign the papers.""Have you told anyone else?" He shook his head. "Why are you telling me, then?"Draco said nothing more, but glanced up, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. Blaise felt his pulse quicken. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd taken the three strides that separated him from the counter, pressing against it as he leaned towards Draco on the other side. The blonde didn't back away, but seemed to shift forward as well. Why on earth had he chosen to tell Blaise that, of all people, and no one else? Somewhere inside him, he wanted to think he knew the answer. He closed the gap between them in the hopes of finding out.They both seemed to be taken by surprise by what happened next. Even Blaise, despite the fact that he'd started it. Then a contented sigh hummed at the point in which their lips met. Whether it was he who'd made the sound, or Draco, he wasn't certain. Either way, the resistance he'd expected to be met with wasn't there in the slightest. The kiss was tender, gentle, a little more reserved than either of them were known for--but it warmed him from the inside out, from his head down to his toes. His heart skipped a beat when Draco tilted his head to the side, pressing more firmly against him--at least as much as the counter between them would allow for--and slid his hand across to find Blaise's own and lace their fingers together."I think The Witchery might be nice, it's been forever since we've gone there, and--oh shit, oh Merlin, I'm so so sorry!"Blaise and Draco broke apart as if in a daze and looked to the door, where they could see a flustered Pansy hurrying back out, shooing away a giggling Daphne and a grinning Theo along the way. "So sorry!" she exclaimed again, "We'll, uh, just see ourselves out! Let us know when you're ready to go!" With that, they were left alone once more--and now with the realization of what they'd just done."Well…" Draco finally said, clearing his throat awkwardly. But they were still holding hands, Blaise noticed. And he could see the blush in the other's cheeks, and even after all this time, he wanted to think he knew that meant.Feeling emboldened, he decided to go for it. "You're here for a week, right?" Draco nodded. "Well, then, if Pansy isn't monopolizing your time too much...could I take you out one of these nights?"He smiled, then; not the shy, barely-there one Blaise had seen when he'd arrived earlier, but genuine, lighting his face like the sun. He felt their fingers squeeze tighter together as Draco replied, "I'd like that."
11006268
Khanami
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Higuchi Ichiyou (Bungou Stray Dogs), Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs)", "Fandom": "文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs", "Language": "Русский", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Marianne_Cross", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-26T00:00:00", "words": "1,149", "Additional Tags": "Missing Scene, Romance, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Angst, Awkwardness, Awkward Flirting, Kissing", "Relationship": "Higuchi Ichiyou/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs)", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Годовщина смерти прошлого босса каждый год отмечается всей мафией с большим размахом. Под предлогом поминок почившего руководителя все до самых мельчайших сошек пируют за счет щедрости господина Мори.Ичие появилась в мафии уже при его эре, но до нее доходило множество слухов об отрицательных сторонах старых распорядков. Так что она не могла осуждать бурную радость некоторых коллег, что царила обычно на подобных пирушках.К тому же, старый босс почил в самое волнующее, самое многообещающее время года. В середине весны, когда раскрываются бутоны цветов, когда сердца начинают стучаться чаще навстречу теплу. Когда даже самым угрюмым людям иногда украдкой хочется улыбнуться. И просоленная припортовая часть города опьяняюще подслащена ароматом садов.Но в заполненной людьми и шумом банкетной зале он совершенно не ощутим, и смесь запахов из крепкого парфюма, алкоголя, яств и сигарет кружит голову.Ичие после нескольких порций выпитого совершенно не хорошо и немного неловко. В большинстве своем потому, что ее, так долго продумывавшую наряд, так старательно потрудившуюся над прической и макияжем, никто не приглашает на танец. Словно отчужденность ее личного руководителя, Акутагавы, неким образом перешла на нее саму.Хотя именно нынешним вечером Ичие дала себе нерушимое слово временно не беспокоиться об его интересах и вдоволь повеселиться. Или иначе, не выходя из постоянного напряжения, она своей излишней суетливостью доведет себя до лечебницы.И тогда станет еще бесполезней обычного.Ну вот, снова она думает непонятно о чем! Бесспорно, следует глотнуть воздуха, дав себе передышку, а затем напиться до беспамятства, чтобы все лишние мысли хотя бы на время ушли.По дороге Ичие подмечает, что походка ее уже потеряла твердость. Кто-то неброский галантно приоткрывает перед ней дверь, но теперь Ичие уже не жаждет компании. Раз она явно лишняя – ничего страшного. Побудет и одна, ей к такому не привыкать.Она медленно бредет вперед, нетвердо цокая каблуками. Крупная сакура, растущая на огороженном газончике за парковкой привлекает ее внимание.Отголоски музыки и сказочный свет, орошающий яркое дерево – вот все, что остается Ичие.Но это не так уж и мало. Может быть, однажды у нее появится нечто большее. Разумеется, когда Ичие научится правильно выбирать друзей и мужчин. Пора бы уже, совсем скоро наступит ее ежегодный праздник, прибавляющий год. Да и возраст уже обязывает наконец-то научиться жить.В высоких туфлях непривычно и неудобно. Достигнув цели, Ичие останавливается, чуть прогибаясь вперед, касаясь ладонями гудящих коленей. Видимо, не заметив, все же перебрала. Иначе с чего ощущение, будто она несколько кварталов бежала?Ичие глубоко вдыхает ночную свежесть и яркий, одуряющий аромат. Они немного отрезвляет, но все же Ичие еда не валится с ног, услышав громкое:– Привет!– Вы... – изумленно лепечет она, тут же распрямляясь, глядя вверх, на старую крупную ветвь, где в окружении россыпи мелких цветов удобно устроился Чуя-сан, как на скамейке.Как же это Ичие, при своей тренированности и должности, не заметила его раньше! Просто позор.Впрочем, его сегодняшний костюм почти сливается со стволом. Но теперь, когда он немного выдвинулся навстречу и приподнял в знак приветствия край шляпы, в глаза сразу бросилась яркость его волос и глаз.– Я. – Весело отзывается он, болтая ногами. – Хорошее место для перекура. Не хочешь составить компанию? Хигучи Ичие-чан.Ичие обмирает, принимая чужие слова за шутку. А Чуя-сан, яркий, словно сама весна, едва ли перекинувшийся с ней раньше несколькими словами, хлопал рукой рядом с собой, едва ли не ломая при этом свою еще не зажженную сигарету. И только одно то, что он помнит ее по имени, тут же узнает, наполнило странным волнением. Даже фамильярность Чуи-сана не подавляет его, слишком уж Ичие сложно признать, что ее способны замечать вне рабочих нужд. Но...Вот и первое приглашение за вечер! Неожиданное, от которого, безусловно, нужно немедленно отказаться, вернувшись обратно в банкетную залу. Только вот – почему она стоит, позволяя довольно свежему ветерку трепать свои подвитые на вечер у концов волосы?Ичие зябко поводит плечами, в смущении не зная – как поступить. Собственное платье вдруг показалось ей слишком открытой. А погода – чрезмерно прохладной для таково наряда.– Я не курю, – как-то совсем беспомощна отзывается она, но это ничуть не помогает.– Ну это же просто предлог, – с обескураживающей откровенностью сознается Чуя-сан, тем самым напоминая Ичие, что та не слишком-то искушена в общении с мужчинами, – чтобы побыть с такой прекрасной девушкой. Идем?Комплимент не звучит фальшиво. Столь редкий по жизни, он легко вскружил голову, будто несколько новых порций выпивки. А произнесший его голос звучал так твердо, что Ичие, привыкшая к приказам, невольно ступает в траву. И точеный каблук легко скользит по, видимо, чуть влажной земле. Ноги неловко разъезжаются, Ичие вскидывает руки, пытаясь держать баланс.Вот и все, она смешна и нелепа, сейчас над ней...Но над ней слышится только шорох, не громче шелестящего ветвями ветерка, и мига не проходит, как чужие руки обвивают ее под грудью.От неожиданности Ичие охает, почти повисая на них.– Осторожно, - произносит Чуя-сан прямо над ухом, и его смех тепло скользит по скуле. – Ну, я бы пригласил тебя полетать со мной, – тут же добавляет Чуя-сан.Его руки почти едва ли не касаются Ичие самым неприличным образом, но их твердость и сила до того приятны, что не хочется ничего возражать против их присутствия на себе.Полетать... В это слово включено нечто двусмысленное, но вместе с тем – обещающее то, чего она и искала. Легкость, полное кратковременное забвение, расслабление...Ичие запрокидывает шею, чтобы почти прижаться губами к чужим. Неужто Чуе-сану совсем ничего не стоит стоять на ветке вверх ногами, опираясь ботинками на ближнюю к земле сторону? Что ж, этого не узнать, когда сам не имеешь способности.Дыхание Чуи-сана источает запах более крепкого алкоголя, чем тот, что пила Ичие. А его лицо вблизи кажется слишком располагающим, чтобы вызвать и малейшее опасение по поводу того, что его обладатель сделает что-то насильно и без спросу.– Удивительно что такая девушка одна, – говорит Чуя-сан, и, вопреки благоприятному впечатлению, кончики его пальцев касаются груди Ичие. Осторожно, будто испытывающе.У Ичие лишь губы подрагивают, а все слова возражения застревают в горле.Да, она одна. И так и будет одна, черт возьми, если будет упускать каждый свой шанс!– Ведь холодно, – продолжает Чуя-сан и заразительно усмехается. – А я готов хорошенько тебя погреть. Усажу рядом и сразу сниму пиджак...И не только пиджак, затуманено думает Ичие, шокировано понимая, что хочет этого. Хочет так, что соски уже начинают затвердевать. Слишком сильный жар исходит от чужого тела.Да, Чуя-сан очень горячий. Со своей стремительностью, широкими улыбками и умелыми прикосновениями, тут же подавляющими комплексы. И почти поставившую на себе крест, как на девушке, Ичие внезапно окрыляет его желание до себя.– Холодно, – подтверждает она, сближая их лица. Так, что у Чуи-сана возникает шанс мягко, почти невинно соединить их губы. И он тут же пользуется этой возможностью. – Но теперь я с вами, – продолжает она, все еще позволяя их губам соприкасаться. Так мягко и невинно, будто они какие-то подростки.– Тогда полюбуемся цветами еще немного. А затем отправимся в мою машину, – раздается в ответ, прежде, чем Хигучи легко, словно дитя, утягивают наверх, помогая устроиться на довольно удобной ветке.Но до цветов уже нет никому никакого дела. Когда Чуя-сан страстно целует ее, Ичие успевает подумать о том, что эта весна удалась для нее лучше прочих.А еще о том, что она действительно будто летит.
11020665
Different Beginning
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Okumura Rin, Okumura Yukio, Fujimoto Shirou", "Fandom": "Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by DayLightDove", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "1,602", "Additional Tags": "Family, What-If, Humor, Switched rolls, human!Rin, Half demon!Yukio, One Shot, Challenge Response, Tamer!Rin, Exorist!Rin", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Yukio sighed as he listened to a daily occurrence in his home. He heard the front door open, a scramble to close it alongside a few odd clinking noises, and more scrambling. After that there was the sound of a door closing, a few muffled shouts from his brother, before it finally ended with the door opening and Rin shouting that he was going to start cooking soon.Yukio knew that Rin was trying to hide something from him, for the past few years really. He also figured Shiro knew something about it if his exasperated expressions towards Rin, at least more than usual and usually done without Yukio knowing the reasons why, were anything. He already had a slight idea, it was more of just getting it confirmed for himself."Dinner's ready!" Rin's voice came from the kitchen and Yukio stood up from his desk and left the room he had been working on homework in. Entering the kitchen, he watched as Rin laid out the plates of food on the table and Yukio couldn't deny his mouth watering at the sight. He was about to turn to his brother and thank him for the food when he froze."What are you wearing?"Rin blinked at Yukio's question before looking down at himself and he yelped when he realized he was still in his exorcists clothing. He had been in such a rush to get dinner ready after having had to go on a mission, that he had forgotten to take off his exorcist coat."AH! It's….uh….nothing! Nothing just a new jacket!" Rin stuttered out, racing down the hall to throw it in his room without care before racing back to the kitchen where his brother stood, looking at him with a raised eyebrow."What!?"With a sigh, Yukio shook his head. "Nothing, let's just eat.""I think that's a great idea!" Shiro exclaimed as he entered the room. Rin paled at the sight of him, especially when the two caught each other's gaze and a glint shown in Shiro's eyes.After giving their thanks, they began to eat. Yukio caught Shiro passing a few glances Rin's way and and Rin returning them with a pleading look. Yukio knew they were having a silent conversation and he sighed once more, gaining their attention as he placed his utensils on the table and looked at them."What are you hiding?" He asked, giving each of them a pointed look."What are you talking about Yukio?" Shiro asked, giving him a smile while Rin sat nervously besides him. "We aren't hiding anything?""Really?" Yukio asked, leaning back in his chair and raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. "Then the silent conversation you were having right there was obviously nothing. I'm sure it's just as much of nothing as the coat Rin and you both wear, the books on demons I found beneath Rin's bed, or the odd behavior you two have."Silence.Shiro and Rin stared in horror at Yukio who only continued to hold them under his gaze. Finally Shiro sighed and leaned back as well."I should have known you were too smart to outsmart." He said. "Plus I shouldn't have trusted your brother with keeping secrets from you either.""Oi! I was doing just fine Old Man!" Rin shouted back, glaring at their father figure."Yes, because you're so good at hiding things from us, just like all those fights you get into." Shiro teased making Rin huff."So?" Yukio spoke up. "Will you tell me what you two have been keeping from me or do I just need to pressure Rin later on until he just happens to say something?""Hey!""Now, now, no need to torture your brother. He can get that some other time." Shiro chuckled gaining another cry from Rin. "Alright Yukio, I suppose you're mature enough to know everything. Besides, I figured we wouldn't be able to keep this from you for long anyway." Taking a deep breath, Shiro explained.He told Yukio how both he and Rin were born from Satan and how Yukio had inherited the flames while Rin had not. Rin, having received a temptaint from Yukio as a baby, was able to see demons and Shiro had taken him under his wing to teach him how to be an exorcist when he was seven. Rin had only just became an exorcist, but he still knew more than Yukio. Shiro told Yukio how his powers were locked away so that he could remain human and that as long as they stayed sealed, he would remain that way.After everything was explained, they sat in silence to let everything sink in. Yukio appeared in deep thought before speaking."I figured demons were real, ever since I found Rin's books I thought that." Rin laughed nervously as Yukio continued. "But according to you not only are demons real, but both Rin and I are related to the worst one. That, and you two fight demons for a living.""Yeah, basically." Rin laughed.Yukio shrugged. "I can't say I expected this, but I also can't say I'm completely blown away. Odd things always seem to happen around here.""That would be your brother's fault." Shiro spoke up. "He liked to practice his tamer abilities every so often and since you couldn't see the demons, we couldn't really explain it to you very well.""Not everything is my fault you know." Rin grumbled, deciding to go back to eating.Shiro chuckled, "Yes, but you seem to cause the most problems still.""If you keep talking, I won't cook for you tomorrow." Rin shot back, grinning when he saw Shiro frown."Oh, that's a low blow! You can't take these meals away from me!""Just watch me!""So cruel!""Stop crying will you?! You're the older one here!""But you just took something great away! I should be allowed to mourn!""Gah! Stop it! Alright, I'll cook, damnit!"Yukio watched them with a grin on his face and he let out a chuckle. The news was odd, yes, but his family was already special, so what was a bit more."So," Yukio spoke up gaining his squabbling family's attention. "When can I start training to be an exorcist?""What?!" Rin exclaimed. "No! You won't fight!""Why?" Yukio asked frowning. "I want to be able to fight to."Rin was about to protest once more when Shiro spoke up. "Are you sure Yukio? Once you join, you can't go back. Plus, you risk becoming a demon."Yukio rolled him. "I can take it. Besides, as long as they stay sealed, I remain human. I won't be so stupid as to throw that all away. Rin on the other hand…""Oi!"Shiro suddenly smiled and reached across the table to place his hand on Yukio's shoulder. "Well then, you can start as soon as you want."A shot rang through the clearing as another demon exploded into nothing quickly joined by others. Three exorcists stood in the field, fighting off the horde without breaking a sweat.Yukio reloaded his guns and shot down a demon coming up behind his brother, who was in the middle of cutting one down with a sword. Beside Yukio, Shiro had his own gun out and was shooting down the demons as well. Rin let out an annoyed noise and quickly took out a piece of paper and bit his thumb. Drawing a streak of blood across the paper, a furfur soon joined the salamander that was already attacking.It wasn't long before all the demons were destroyed and Shiro threw an arm over both his boys when they finished putting away their weapons and, in Rin's case, sending away familiars."That's my boys, taking out demons so quickly!""Ah, it was nothing to me." Rin grinned."Yes, it was rather easy. I expected it to be a little harder with how many demons there were, but since they were all low levels, it didn't take much." Yukio commented getting a pout from Rin."Yeah well, I still say you have beginners luck. Plus, you're paired with the old man and me! The best team!""Hah!" Shiro laughed. "I won't deny that last part but for the first one, I think you're still bitter over the fact Yukio finished the school earlier than you did!""No, it really is beginner's luck!" Rin defended. "He's only been an exorcist for a year! He's just lucky!""Whatever you say Rin." Yuki laughed. He looked over his brother and ask. "Hey, you didn't get hurt right?"Rin hummed before shaking his head, used to Yukio asking him if he was hurt ever since he started training to become an exorcist. Honestly, Rin thinks it became worse when Yukio got a meister in doctor and was now able to actually treat any wounds he gets from going head to head with a demon."No," Rin spoke. "Nothing outside of my fingers which were for summoning.""You should probably place a bandaid on those cuts when we get back." Yukio said.Rin waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever mom."Shiro rolled his eyes at his two boys, happy they no longer hand to keep any secrets from each other. He placed his hands on their hands and ruffled their hair as they walked back to the town so they would have a door to get back to true cross. He was happy now. Worried about both of his boys, but happy they were closer than before.Letting his arms return to their shoulders, Shiro smiled.
11010666
Why is there a dragon in
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Lance (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron)", "Fandom": "Voltron: Legendary Defender", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-27T00:00:00", "words": "182", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Lance/Shiro (Voltron)", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Shiro and lance have been dating for about 1 year now. Lance was into arts, sculpting, painting, shoot even danceing (thats a form of art). And shiro...., shiro played music, he's especially good at playing guitar, and piano. Lance just loves listening to shiro's music as he arts and shiro loved just watching lance art. Especially when lance danced because DAMN did hips not lie. Shiro and lance even moved in with each other. But with their perfect little relationship they still found new things about each other. Like shiro was so stunned one day. That day started off so normal, shiro woke up early (6:30am), made coffee, then went out for an early jog. Lance slept till 8 and then they were both getting ready to head out for their daily classes. But then suddenly there was a loud voice, shiro's voice asking "Why is there a dragon in the fidge" he sounded so confused. Lance walked over to shiro holding a small clay dragon in his hands. Shiro looked over at lance who was just giggling at shiro's expression.
11003199
I Miss You
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by pennywritesthings (orphan_account)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-26T00:00:00", "words": "3,176", "Additional Tags": "Explicit Sexual Content, Dom/sub", "Relationship": "Gray Haddock/Reader", "Character": "Gray Haddock", "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
You sighed to yourself, running your fingers through your messy hair. It was almost nine o’clock. You should have been at home with a glass of wine (or two or five), and yet here you were, still at work, trying to finish up editing your section of a RWBY volume five episode. To say you felt stressed was an understatement. And, to make matters worse, there wasn’t even anyone around to make you feel better - you were one of three Rooster Teeth employees still at work. And since that clearly wasn’t enough to ruin any chances of a good mood you had, your boyfriend, Gray, was literally in a different country with your closest friends, Miles and Kerry, doing some promotion in Japan for RWBY. You were so happy that they were having so much fun out there, of course, but god, you missed them. You missed Gray a hell of a lot. It was almost a full hour later when you finally finished editing. You couldn’t even bring yourself to get excited about that, either. Sleeping alone was not something you were used to anymore, and when you woke up, you’d just be going to do the same thing all over again. It was incredibly depressing. And, naturally, there was a car wreck that made traffic even more unbearably awful than usual. It wasn’t until almost midnight that you finally made it back home, and since you had to remain alert while driving, your body felt dead tired, but you weren’t ready to go to sleep yet. Of course. That would have been too fucking easy. You were so frustrated and downright upset that you didn’t even notice your boyfriend nervously chewing at his nails and pacing. In fact, you both noticed each other at the same time, both of you letting out little yells of shock before you dropped all of your things to the floor and enveloped him in a huge hug. It was almost a little too tight, and it lasted for almost a little too long, but it was Gray and god, you had missed him. “What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to get back for another three days.” You were confused, yes, but you weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when that gift horse was exactly what you needed after probably the worst day ever. “I missed you a lot.” Gray sounded more relieved than you had heard him in ages, and it made you break the hug so you could hold his face in your hands, gently stroking his bearded cheeks with your thumbs. “I got an earlier flight.” “God, I love you.” You didn’t know why the hell you hadn’t kissed Gray yet, but that was quickly rectified as you leaned upwards at the same time he reached down. Kissing Gray was pretty much a religious experience - that man always knew exactly what you needed, when you needed it, and how to do it best. Hell, half of the time he knew what you needed better than what you did. “And I love you.” Gray murmured, only breaking the kiss for the two seconds it took for him to repeat the phrase back to you. The two of you continued kissing deeply, his lips caressing yours softly and slowly, and god, the next time he went out of town for longer than a week, you were going with him, damn it. Your gentle touches came to an end eventually, but the two of you remained standing as close as ever, unwilling to move too far away from the other. He stroked your hair with careful, sweet fingers as his sweet baby blues looked down into your own eyes. “You know, you had me worried sick.” Gray cracked a little bit of a smile, but there was still a bit of residual concern in his eyes. “You should have been home ages ago. I had a surprise ready for you and everything.” “I’m sorry, I got caught up in the office longer than I had expected. Editing went rough today.” You murmured, kissing the tip of his nose apologetically. “And then there was the traffic from hell coming home. And even if you tried to call me, I couldn’t have answered, my phone died and nobody had a charger since it was so late at night.” Gray’s eyes softened as you explained in not so many words that your day had been really fucking shitty. “That’s okay, sweetheart. Your surprise is waiting for you in the fridge. I even waited to eat mine until I knew you were home safe. Though, that was mostly because I was worried about you and was feeling too nervous to eat.”You bit your lip, looking down. “I’m really so-”Gray’s finger tilted your chin up and he cut you off with a sweet kiss. “Hey, hey. Don’t worry about it, doll. I’m just thankful that I’m here with you again.” As always, you completely melted and felt less stressed and nervous at Gray’s encouragement, kissing him again nice and slow. “I’m thankful, too.” Gray pulled you in for another hug, rubbing your back with a soft, contented hum, before he pulled away and led you to the dining room table with a gentle hand on your back. Ever the gentleman, he pulled out your chair and pushed it back in for you, stealing a kiss on your temple before he headed into the kitchen and opened up the fridge. Your eyes lit up as you saw he must have ordered from your favorite Pho place before you got home - you’d recognize that container anywhere. “Have I told you I loved you since you’ve gotten home yet?” You called, your heart fluttering as he laughed. You loved his laugh. You loved everything about him, but his laugh was one of your favorite things about him. “Because I love you.” “I love you too, dear.” Gray replied, pouring the pho into two separate bowls, each to be microwaved. You took the brief time Gray was in the kitchen to admire your amazing boyfriend. He had let his beard grow out again. You suspected that was because you had posted on twitter the day he left that you already missed him and his ‘dumb stupid pretty beard’. Not only was he the perfect man physically, but you couldn’t have found a man who would treat you better than Gray Haddock if you tried. He was always, always looking out for you, even if sometimes it made his life a bit harder.He never expected anything in return, either. Every time you did something for him, even if it was something little like bringing him a fresh cup of coffee while he was working on his laptop on the couch on a Sunday morning exchanging a few emails with some companies he did voice acting for and some cons and the like, his eyes lit up and he always thanked you like you had personally roped the moon down for his own enjoyment. The two of you together were what some of the younger kids in the office liked to call a ‘power couple’, but to you and Gray, you were just, well, you and Gray. It was what you did for each other. It came with loving somebody unconditionally. You raised him up and he did the same for you, and neither of you had to ask for it. You just… you loved each other a lot, and that was that.“You okay? You look like you’re miles away.” Gray asked, setting two bowls of pho down and pouring some water for the two of you. “No, silly, Miles is away in Japan, remember?” You could never resist an opportunity for a miles/Miles joke. And, Gray being Gray, genuinely laughed at your dumb joke. “I can’t believe I confused my girlfriend for Miles Luna. I’m horrible, you should dump me.” “I’ll let it slide this time, Mr. Haddock, but only because you brought me pho. And also because I love you a lot.” You teased back, gently nudging his foot with yours under the table. “I love you too, young lady.” Gray beamed. You never got tired of saying it, of hearing Gray say it, or of watching Gray listen to you say it, and he had told you he felt the same way. “A whole awful lot.” The two of you spent just a moment smiling at each other, like cheesy old couples, before you both began to dig into your pho. “So, how was Japan?” “Oh, it was awesome. I’ll forever be in shock that it’s so big there, you know? It’s where anime lives, and they liked our show that much…” Gray shook his head, his eyes bright. “It’s crazy that we’re apart of something so big, you know?”“I do.” And you did. Not a day went by that you didn’t feel lucky beyond all belief that you were in such an amazing spot in your life. Sure, you had your bad days, but so did everyone. You had your bad days, but you also had Gray and your job was phenomenal and your friends were out of this world. “Next time I need to go for work, you’ve gotta go with me. I know you’d love it.” Gray said eagerly. “We’ll find a way, I promise.” You said, holding his hand with your free one over the table. You spent another fifteen or so minutes chatting over your dinner before you finished eating. Since Gray had literally just got off a massive flight not too long ago, you had instructed him sharply (as sharply as you could speak to him, anyway, you were never rude to him) that he was to let you do the dishes. He agreed only on the condition that he was able to hold onto you from behind - as if that wasn’t something you already wanted him to do. So, you spent the next few minutes washing and rinsing the dishes with Gray’s arms wrapped around your waist and his face buried in the crook of your neck. It wasn’t even in a sexual way, he was just enjoying your presence, and you his. Every now and then he’d mumble a soft ‘I love you’, which you returned, but for the most part, the only noise in the room were your hearts beating in sync with each others and you doing the dishes. Eventually, the both of you headed upstairs to the bathroom that was inside of the master bedroom the two of you shared, and began to brush your teeth while you danced to the RWBY volume one soundtrack like a bunch of dorks. When you both finished, Gray went into the bedroom to go lay down while you brushed the tangles out of your hair. You were just slipping out of your shirt and your bra, heading back into the bedroom, when you quite literally ran into the solid mass of Gray’s chest. You looked up slowly, your eyes wide when his hands gently ran up and down your now naked sides. He was eyeing you hungrily, his tongue swiping his lips. Gray never ceased to amaze you with how quickly he could go from sweet, domestic boyfriend to your crazy strong dominant boyfriend who wanted nothing more than to have you scream for him repeatedly. It was like a damn light switch. “What a wonderful sight.” Gray murmured, his hands cupping the undersides of your breasts and giving you a light squeeze, making you release a shuddering breath. God, you had missed being touched by his confident, skillful hands. “Tell me… Were you a good little girl while I was away?”You bit your lip, holding back a moan that threatened to spill from your lips simply from the sheer pleasure you got from Gray’s decidedly lecherous voice. You nodded, squeaking out a quick, “Yes.”Suddenly, Gray’s thumbs pinched your nipples harshly. You did cry out that time, your back arching into his touch. It stung for a brief moment, but then good god, did it feel good. “Yes what?”“Y-yes, sir. I was a good girl while you were away, sir.” You mumbled shyly, looking down. No matter how many times you and Gray did this together, and you two did it often, he never failed to make you blush. You were always worried one day that he’d stop finding it so endearing, but Gray promised you that day would never come. “Mm.” Gray hummed, the noise vibrating on your neck as he pressed his lips to your now burning flesh, thumbs now rubbing soothingly over your now swollen nipples. You sighed quietly at the motion, your eyes fluttering shut in pleasure. “You’ve always been good at following my rules. I don’t suppose I have any reason to believe you’d be naughty now.”You bit your tongue to keep yourself from asking him why he didn’t just get on with it already, since you both had missed each other deeply in more ways than one, but only because you knew any sass could prolong the outcome that you desperately needed, and soon.“And besides…” Gray’s voice trailed off as one of his hands traveled down to your shorts, slipping inside and running one finger over the crotch of your underwear, which was already a bit wet. Gray groaned at the feeling, and so did you. “It would be a crime not to have you now.” You whimpered in agreement, currently unable to make any other noises besides that, but you were able to manage a feverish nod. Gray’s tongue dragged along your neck while his finger swiped lightly once at your clit and his hand still at your breast gripped you firmly, pulling a loud moan from you. Gray chuckled, but you could feel his body tensing. Through his dominant facade, you knew your little noises were driving him crazy, the same way everything he did drove you up a fucking wall. “You know what I’m waiting for.” Gray purred, scraping his teeth along your pulse point before nibbling on you. You trembled at the torturous sensation of his teeth and hands, but you knew this was going to be all you got unless you gave him what he wanted. “Please fuck me, sir.” You pleaded. It wasn’t even a second later that he used both hands to tug your shorts and underwear down and push you to the bed that was a little to the side. You fell back to the plush surface with a yelp, but otherwise remained as still and as silent as a statue, just like Gray taught you, as he got undressed in front of you. “Good girl.” Gray cooed, climbing on top of the bed once you were both equally naked. “Good girl.” Hungrily, his lips captured yours, and you knew exactly what type of night this was going to be. Although you felt like it couldn’t match up perfectly to how the two of you were feeling, ‘desperate’ seemed to be the best descriptor to the way your lips were clashing together. His hands grabbed yours and put them on his body, nonverbally encouraging you to touch him as he touched you. You greedily explored his chest and biceps, trying to make up for almost a week of lost time in just a few short moments while his hands drank in your curves, and then your legs. He tapped the sides of your thighs twice, and you took the hint and wrapped them around Gray’s waist. It seemed like neither of you were willing to stop kissing for jack shit, and that was perfectly fine by you. It meant that you and Gray could both feel each other’s moans as he slowly slid inside of you and began to set up the perfect pace for the occasion - not too slow, not too fast, but deliciously deep and delectably hard. You could feel every single bit of him stimulating your walls, filling you up in a way that you knew nothing or nobody else could. Gray nibbled on your lower lip and rolled it between his teeth as he fucked you, and you opened your mouth for him eagerly. Your tongues met between you, tangling and twisting with each others as you moaned together, his hands gripping your breasts firmly and your nails now digging into his back, leaving crescent shaped marks on his otherwise flawless skin. “Missed you so fuckin’ much.” Gray panted, pulling away from the kiss so that you could both breathe, but you knew and he knew that his lips were going to be occupied shortly. “You’ve got… no idea.”“Pretty sure… I’ve got an idea, babe.” Your breath was heavy, your skin was starting to sweat, and you were going to have to strip the sheets off the bed and put new ones on before the two of you went to sleep because sex was messy, but, quite frankly, you couldn’t bring yourself to give too big of a shit, and you were certain Gray felt the same way. “Watch your mouth.” Gray hissed, slapping the side of your ass, all that was available to him at the moment. You moaned loudly at the feeling, and goddamn, if it didn’t just bring you closer to the edge. Emotions could come later, you just wanted to physically feel him for now. “I’m sorry, sir!”“You’d better be.” Gray growled, fucking you just that little bit faster. “You gonna cum for me, sweetheart? You gonna cum all over my cock?” Gray’s hips angled just that little bit to finally brush right up against where you needed him, and you were sure that if you squeezing him didn’t give him a positive answer to his question, then the way you practically screamed his name was. “Oh, please, Gray, let me cum, please.” You babbled, begging and pleading with him as he sucked a hickey onto your neck. “Cum.” Gray’s voice, usually so sure and steady, was starting to break, and you knew that meant he was nearing his climax as well. “Cum for me, baby girl.” The second his fingers began to rub your clit, you came for him, shouting and moaning and crying his name as loudly as you dared, all while he came inside of you with a loud hiss of your own name. He continued working the two of you through your orgasms until you had both calmed down completely, and only then did his lips return to yours, softly and sweetly. “God… I love you so damn much.” Gray mumbled, pressing kisses now all over your face. “I love you too, Gray. Next time you go away, I don’t care if I have to hide away in your suitcase, I’m going with you.” Gray laughed and nuzzled your cheek, pulling you close while the both of you finally relaxed, completely and wholly content with each other, and so, so incredibly in love.
11064540
To be Normal
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Saihara Shuuichi, Akamatsu Kaede, Amami Rantarou, Ouma Kokichi, Iruma Miu, Yukizome Chisa, the whole gang", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "468", "Additional Tags": "Reader Insert, this is so self indulgent, Sorry Not Sorry, most of the readers relationships end up platonic, most - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair, chisa is here for some reason, reader has bad parents, Alternate Universe - High School", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Reader/Most People, Minor or Background Relationship(s)", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, F/M, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
(Y/n) (L/n) strode through the school gates, shooting a smile at the two guards as she did so. To think she had been accepted to her dream school, "The genius factory" they had called it back in her hometown. It was truly exhilarating, the slightly nauseous yet breathless feeling in her chest constantly reminding her of the place she was in, reminding her of the people who had walked through the very gates she had passed moments ago. It was like a dream ( Y/n)  never wanted to wake from. Skirt swaying with each step, she bounced giddily up the staircase, marvelling at the sheer size of the school building before her. It was glorious, a perfectly symmetrical structure (reminiscent of a castle), placed right in the center of a tranquil garden. It was, in other words, more than she could have ever dreamed of. (Y/n) couldn't help the smile playing on her lips as she walked through the hallways despite the pang of anxiety settled deep within her chest. Today was going to be a good day, she decided. The first day of her new life. As she approached the classroom her chest tightened, and the smile that only moments ago was as radiant as the sun suddenly wavered.  The door loomed intimidatingly in front of her, all of a sudden a lot bigger than it had been 10 seconds ago. Had she always been that small? Maybe it was just nerves (it probably was), but at that moment, (Y/n)'s mood went from excited to dreading. Dreading the moment she would walk through the class door, a thousand eyes following her every move. Dreading the moment she would meet her classmates, her teacher. What would they think of her? A plain girl with a plain face and a useless talent. Her hand gripped the cool metal handle, clammy palms failing to find purchase on the smooth metal surface. "You can do this." She whispered, mouth set into a determined line. It didn't matter what her classmates thought of her (it did). (Y/n) could most definitely, absolutely, 100% do this. She gripped the door handle a little harder, newfound confidence urging her to just open the door, to just give the little push that would kick start her career as a Hope's Peak student. The door creaked quietly as she pushed it open, attracting the gazes of the students inside. (Y/n) suddenly felt microscopic under the scrutinizing looks they wore (or was she imagining that?), breathless all over again. The feeling of discomfort was quickly replaced with horror as, with the well timed clang of metal colliding with her head, she was sent flying, the cold, wet feeling of water soaking into her uniform.What a great start to the year.
11012091
Venado ladron
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Barry Allen, Leonard Snart", "Fandom": "The Flash (TV 2014)", "Language": "Español", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by AnBouwer", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-27T00:00:00", "words": "1,049", "Additional Tags": "thief!Barry, AU, len no es un ladrón, un poco de oc", "Relationship": "Barry Allen/Leonard Snart", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Len, ¿Ya vas a llegar? Después de revisar el mensaje de su móvil supo que iba tarde. Lisa lo mataría por llegar tarde, los emoticones de unas caras enojadas y los de unos demonios se lo decían, pero no era su culpa. Por supuesto que no. Era culpa de su jodido relevo quien decidió no ir a trabajar y él tuvo que esperar a que otro tipo llegara y lo remplazara. Trabajar como guardia de seguridad era pesado, rolar turnos y ser llamado cuando no es tu día de trabajo era una pesadilla.Y dicen que tener un trabajo honrado es mejor, pensó con molestia.Intentó ir lo más rápido que podía a través de la multitud de personas que caminaban en la acera, esquivando transeúntes lentos y distraídos. ¿Cómo podía haber tanta gente justo ahora?Lo que sea. Esquivó a una señora que hablaba ruidosamente por celular, a un oficinista que se tambaleaba cansado y a una pareja con un bebé en carrito. Iba bastante bien, tal vez no llegaría a la hora acordada pero cinco minutos no eran mucha diferencia. Una par de niñas –porque a sus ojos todos los menores de 30 eran niños– escandalosas bloquearon su paso, refunfuño y se alejó de los locales, casi a la orilla de la banqueta pero tampoco era una opción con los autos pasando tan cerca, de nuevo tuvo que volver al mar de gente.Y entonces sintió un golpe contra su hombro, no había sido tan fuerte, apenas un empujón y seguramente la otra persona recibió más daño. Alzó la vista y se encontró con un par de enormes y asustados ojos verdes, había chocado con un chico flacucho y de aspecto frágil.— ¡L-Lo siento! –se disculpó con nerviosismo, agitándose en su lugar. Parecía un pequeño venado a sus ojos. — ¿Estás bien? –Len enarcó la ceja, el niño  se había llevado la mayor parte del golpe y preguntaba si él estaba bien.Todo lo que hizo fue asentir como respuestas y se dio la vuelta para seguir su camino, el niño parecía querer decir algo más pero lo ignoró, un par de metros después seguía pensando en él. Ese venado –incluso le dio un apodo– no estaba mal, tenía la piel blanca y era bastante atractivo, y sus ojos eran muy atrayentes, era su tipo. Aunque se veía bastante joven y a Len no le apetecía ir a parar a la cárcel por acostarse con un menor. Sin embargo, estaban pensando demasiado las cosas ya que seguramente no volvería a verlo.Chasqueó la lengua, ¿Hubiera sido bueno haberle pedido su información de contacto?Sus pensamientos se fueron a un rincón de su mente cuando sus pies se detuvieron frente a una cafetería. Entró en el local y una campanita anunció su llegada, busco con la mirada y encontró a su hermana sentada lo más apartado del lugar junto a la gran ventana que daba a la calle. Ambos movieron la cabeza como saludo, ella sonriendo feliz mente y el con su típica expresión seria. Caminó hacia ella y retuvo el impulso de abrazarla, ninguno era de muestras físicas de cariño, tal vez Lisa un poco más que él pero, joder, habían pasado años desde la última vez que la vio.— ¡Lenny! ¡Llevó siglos llamándote! ¿Por qué no contestas? –no esperaba un gran saludo pero tampoco había esperado eso.—Lisa, es bueno verte también–dijo con voz sarcástica mientras se sentaba.—Pensé que no vendrías.— ¿Y perder la oportunidad de ver a mi molesta hermana? Ya quisiera.— ¿Entonces porque no contestabas tu celular?—Te mandé un mensaje después de tu ataque de emoticones.—Sí y no eres divertido –hizo un puchero falso. —, pero no contestaste mis llamadas.— ¿Llamadas?—Te hice miles –exageraba pero aun así le daba curiosidad, no había recibido ninguna llamada de ella.—No creo, mi teléfono nunca sonó –empezó a revisar entre los bolsillos de su chaqueta. No lo encontró, tampoco su billetera. —Qué carajo…— ¿Huh? ¿Qué pasa?—Me han robado –contestó con voz cruda.Ambos se quedaron en silencio hasta que Lisa estalló en una carcajada.— ¡¿Te han asaltado?! ¡¿A ti?!Lisa continuaba riendo y Len sentía su ira subir. ¿Cuándo demonios había pasado?Oh. Oh.—Ese jodido venado… -siseó, mitad molesto y mitad asombrado.— ¿Venado? ¿Te asalto un venado? –si antes Lisa estaba divertida ahora estaba eufórica. ~*~*~*~*~Barry sabía que era un buen día. Había logrado tres trabajos con una buena recompensa y el último había sido el mejor. No todos los días te topas con un hombre tan atractivo y con bastante dinero para invitar una ronda a todos en S&S, era una lástima que no pudo pedirle una cita.Camino un par de calles sin preocupación, por lo general iba tras presas que se veían apuradas así no notarían que les faltaba algo hasta que llegaran a su destino. La billetera de Len –había visto su nombre en su identificación después de husmear– era sencilla, de color azul oscuro, sólo tenía dinero y un par de papeles con horarios. Nada personal. Su teléfono era otra cosa, por desgracia tenía contraseña, aunque lidiara con eso después. El móvil comenzó a vibrar y un nombre apareció en la pantalla.‘Lise’, se leía. Mejor lo apagaba.Algo vibro en su propio bolsillo, sacó su celular y guardo el otro, era Cisco.— ¡Hey, amigo! –su tonó era animado. — ¿Qué pasa?— ¡Barry! –escuchó ajetreo del otro lado, seguramente estaba en la calle. — Adivina quien volvió a Central.—Wow, ¿De verdad? –Barry estaba feliz, su mejor amigo se había mudado a otra ciudad después de conocer a su actual novia y no se habían vuelto a ver. Tal vez se llamaban o mandaban mensajes pero extrañaba a Cisco.—Sep, Lisa fue a ver a su hermano pero quiere que nos veamos y quiero aprovechar para verte y que la conozcas mejor. ¿Qué te parece?—Suena genial –sinceramente nunca había intercambiado más de cinco palabras con la novia de Cisco pero no le parecía mal la idea. — ¿En dónde nos vemos?—En Jitters –aquello era en dirección contraria, justo por donde había ido Len.Pensó por unos momentos y se encogió de hombros, ¿Qué posibilidades había de que se volvieran a encontrar?—Claro, nos vemos ahí.Barry colgó y caminó de regreso. En efecto, era un buen día.
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Two Teens and a Baby
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Multi", "Characters": "Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble, Jenny (Doctor Who: The Doctor's Daughter), Metacrisis Tenth Doctor, Sylvia Noble, Wilfred Mott, Original Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones", "Fandom": "Doctor Who (2005)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by Donna_Nobles_Knickers", "chapters": "5/5", "completed": "2017-08-15", "published": "2017-06-04T00:00:00", "words": "7,863", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Two Teens and a Baby The Doctor's Secret Plan Part 1Jack got the call from Wilford Mott that Donna was having severe headaches and her body burning hot. Jack called Martha and she called the Doctor. He’d be a while getting back; in an alien jail again. Martha had mentioned to Jack while they waited for the Doctor to return to earth and while trying to cool Donna down, about the Chameleon Arch. Jack got to thinking they could use that to plant all of Donna’s Time Lord DNA and memories into the watch. He searched every corner of time and space for a copy of the watch so they could duplicate it for Donna. He remembers the one from Malcassairo for the Master and finds it near the location the Tardis had been parked at. By the time the Doctor arrived, Jack and Martha had a plan. “It could work.” The Doctor noted. “But I need time to reset the Arch to remove only the Time Lord DNA from a Human body; not change the DNA to human. It’d be complicated.” “What do we need to do, Doc?” Jack replied. “I could use another Time Lord; but you’ll do.” Muttering to himself, “Don’t want to change my Time Lord DNA to human either. Don’t want me in the line of fire or helping my Ginger and merge into her or become human, Martian or horse again. I’ve gotta have a backup plan. Oh, oh…oh, she’d kill me. But it would work.”Martha’s phone rang and she saw Mother flash. It rang twice and then stopped. One minute later, it rang again three times. Martha called her Mum, and heard, “There is a person who placed a Personal for Martha Jones, asking if you know where her Dad and Donna are.” “What?” “It is in the Times Personals on Sunday.” “Hold on, Mum. Gwen, check Sunday Personals in the Times for a message to me. Thanks, Mum; this is just what I need to hear right now. If it’s for the Doctor; it could be his daughter. She’d survived after all.”Gwen came over with a print out of the online ad from the Times. Listing herself as a generated anomaly, she is searching for her Dad’s friend Martha Jones and wants her help finding Dad and Donna. Gwen had already tracked down where to find who placed the ad. Torchwood’s systems had been given a big upgrade with the help of Mr. Smith. Martha kissed the Doctor’s cheek, Jack’s cheek and Donna’s forehead. With instructions to Ianto to literally keep Donna on ice, off she and Gwen went to hopefully find Jenny. Pulling up to a nice hotel in Cheswick, Martha approached the room Gwen had discerned the person was in. Knocking on the door, Martha identified herself for the occupant. The door swung open and there stood a very living Jenny, daughter of the Doctor. Throwing herself into Martha’s arms, she gave her a big hug, which was soon reciprocated by a teary Martha.“Oh, Jenny, your timing is perfect. Amazing you’re so close to where Donna lives with her mum and gramps. Donna’s in trouble and your dad needs another Time Lord to adjust the Chameleon Arch to take the Time Lord DNA out of Donna, before it kills her. If she wasn’t in trouble, you could have run into her on the street by chance.” Jenny reached over to grab her jacket and kip and said “Let’s go.” Down at the car, “Jenny, this is Gwen; she’s a co-worker of mine and knows what is going on. She’s the one who found you. Let’s get you to Dad.” Gwen drove to the Torchwood Tower at Canary Wharf and led the way in to the old Torchwood offices. Once there, Martha revealed the vortex manipulator Jack gave her to transport quickly between London and Cardiff. Once back at the Cardiff Torchwood Hub, Jenny jumped on her Dad’s back and he all but exploded with glee. Jenny looked over at Donna and asked what happened to her Mum. Shocked at her reference of Donna, once he got his voice back, he quickly explained what happened. Jenny pressed her fingers against Donna’s temple and took a small portion of the Vortex within her.Looking up at her Dad, she begin to take over from Jack and in no time, the Doctor and daughter had the Arch set for the experiment. Donna had recovered enough to stand a bit unsteadily on her own. Jenny took a bit more of the Vortex to help. The Arch was lowered to her head and the new watch was pressed into place and the Doctor turned the Arch on. Standing close by as he knew how badly it would hurt, he was able to catch her near the end of the transformation. Something went wrong. They were both enveloped in the whirling gold and when it dissipated, there was Donna standing on her own with a slight tummy bump but no Doctor. Jenny picked up her dad’s sonic screwdriver and scanned Donna. “Oops!” “What do you mean oops, Jenny?” Donna replied. “Well, Mum; Dad’s here but not as we’d expect him to be.” Jack began to snicker. “What’s wrong with you, Jockeyboy?” “I know where the Doctor is, I think!” “Well, where?” Martha caught on and soon so did the DoctorTwo, Gwen and Ianto.“What the Fuck is going on?” Martha started with, “Donna, can you look down?” “Oh, my God; I’m pregnant. What did this skinny rat Martian do to me?” “Dad regenerated.” DoctorTwo replied. “Wait Twoie; when did you get here?” replied Jack. “Just as Mum was having the Arch placed on her head.” From Jenny, “I get it now; Dad regenerated into the only being he could base upon what he and I programed the Chameleon Arch to do. It was set to remove any Time Lord DNA from a human along with the oldest memories. But not set to change any Time Lord DNA to human. And it was set to do all this into one body, we meant Mum.” “Jenny, you and the Metacrisis keep calling me Mum, why?” “You’re the love of Dad’s life. His life’s companion; he’s my Dad, you’re my Mum.” Unknown months of pregnancy hormones catching up and Donna sat on the jump seat and cried. Motioning to Jenny and DoctorTwo, when they reached her; she grabbed them both into a big long hug, crying all over them. “Oh, God; two teens and baby on the way, no husband, so 1970’s here. Wait until I tell your Grandmum; it’ll kill her.” Donna cackled. “So how far along am I?” Jenny showed Martha her findings from the sonic and Martha predicted about 3 months along. “Let’s get an updated scan from the Medbay in an hour or so.” “Why?” “Timey-wimey stuff, Donna.” “Is there something wrong?” “Nothing that I can see from the sonic screwdriver, but I want a better scan from the Medbay equipment.” “Oh, okay. So, I’m carrying the Doctor in baby regeneration?” “Yeah, it looks like it.” “I’m going to need a high speed camera to take a lot of pictures of him. Diaper changes, baths, bare bum.” “Oh, no you don’t, Jockeyboy. I’m not having you embarrass him. It will be embarrassing enough on him with me and the kids taking care of him.”“This is going to be tricky; Mum, Gramps, two teens, me and eventually baby Doc. So I will have to work as a temp again and do it while pregnant.” “Mum, remember I have all of Dad’s memories?” “Yeah …!” “I know about Dad’s bank accounts, all of his investments from the past 3 centuries and he gets paid monthly from UNIT and has accumulated a small nest egg; I’m sure he won’t mind our using it.” Donna grabbed Doctor Two around the shoulders for a hug and kiss on his temple. “That’s my boy! Martha, where are you working from right now?” “Here in Cardiff.” “So for you to remain my OB/Gyn, I should get a place nearby. That will be far enough away to keep your Gran from visiting daily.”“Oi, alien boy two; I don’t like that or Doctor Two or Twoie. You’re my kid, I’m Donna and I’m going to call you Donald. No arguments.” “You never stop; do you, Mum?” “Nope, I’m Super Duper Time Lady Temp here. It’s better than being queen of the world!”Within 48 hours, Donna, Jenny and Donald moved into a posh flat overlooking Harbour Point in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff. Donna and Donald also arranged for a 2 bedroom flat for her mum and Gramps in the same building. Inviting them to visit her; when they arrived, Sylvia was shocked into silence for the first time ever. Donna introduced the kids and explained their relationship to herself and to the Doctor. Donna then explained the technical issues that led to her being here now with some of the memories of the Doctor without burning up. Sylvia’s tongue unstuck and wanted to know where the Doctor was. Donna showed them into the new baby’s room, and the TARDIS parked nearby in a home office. And then she moved to the rest of the explanation. That the Doctor grabbed her before she fell and together they were wrapped in the same spirals that were permanently wiping the DNA from Donna. It regenerated the Doctor into the child Donna was now carrying. It wasn’t the Doctor’s baby; it was the Doctor in baby form.Sylvia stared at Donna, mouth agape. Suddenly she broke out laughing and couldn’t stop. When she finally did; “Knowing this Doctor as I do; this must be the funniest thing that ever happened to him”. Donald broke out laughing at his gram’s comment and agreed, still having the Primary’s memories; it was the funniest thing to ever happen to him; apart from becoming a horse. Wilf was hiding his mouth with his hand, but his body was definitely shaking with laughter. Jenny nudged him but was laughing too. Baby Doctor began moving in a manner that let Donna know he wasn’t pleased.Donna broke up the laugh fest quickly to lay down for her Mum and Gramps the background story; her, Jenny, Donald and Jack came up with. As she and the Doctor had married several times on various planets (which no one other that Donald needed to know about), they stuck with the one they went through in the New Las Vega Casino system. Donna found the paperwork in the Tardis and Torchwood remade one to look like a Nevada US marriage license. Torchwood then infiltrated the license bureau in Las Vegas Nevada and added it to their official records. The Doctor’s backstory is he received a new assignment to a remote area of the planet (nobody’d been in Donna’s womb before) and with Donna’s recent ‘loss of memory accident’, he convinced her to return home and wait for his return. The kids were his from earlier relationships and everyone had decided to settle in Cardiff, near the Doctor’s project office, Torchwood. Her short-term memory loss explained why she couldn’t remember being married or pregnant. Her remembrance now was from therapy sessions with Doctor Ianto Jones, C Psychol, Clinical Psychologist. A easy to set up for Torchwood fix.Two months later, sitting at her kitchen island, Donna is now showing like she is 4 months along. Donald warns her, the pregnancy may advance as a normal Gallifreyan pregnancy, 12 months. The timey-wimeyness of the regeneration may be speeding up the pregnancy so Donna could carry to normal human timespan. After a high five with her favorite son, she sets about checking recipes for the family meals for the week. Donna is taking this down time; living off the Doctor’s money; to learn how to cook; attending Giovanni's Cookery School. Hoping that the Doctor grows up rapidly is something she desires but understands it could take Theta a while to comply. Donald had explained that Primary’s nickname within his family and school on Gallifrey had been Theta. Donna had for the moment decided to use it as the baby’s name; and at least perhaps his middle name.She never discusses with anyone except Martha her role as the Doctor’s snuggle bunny. She and Martha have been honest with each other regarding their individual relationships with Theta; honesty was about all they had left unknown between them, thanks to the Doctor’s…well, his…um…never mind. Martha had long ago gotten over her crush on the Doctor. She was in a relationship with Mickey Smith now. Mickey knew only a bit of the relationship between Martha and the Doctor and later their joint relationship with Donna. He knew more about Rose’s separate relationships with her 2 Doctors. And he wasn’t a fool, he knew Martha had left those feelings behind as she and he got to know each other better.Donna announced to her group of girlfriends her new status a month after the regeneration. She’d already gone through the wardrobe room with Donald; together they found a set of wedding/ engagement rings (worth a fortune it turned out) for Donna to wear to promote her married status with the girls. After meeting at their favorite bar, Donna then set about a meetup at her Mum’s house for the girls to meet Donald and Jenny. The kids had been well schooled in what could be said and what couldn’t be said. She’d convinced both to attend Cardiff Metropolitan University and they were excelling in sports. Majors hadn’t been decided yet. Both events went well and Nerys as usual was the most jealous. She made sure she invited the top Sotheby’s jewelry expert to a little do she had for Donna. Her jealousy knew no bounds once the expert examined Donna’s rings. Rare diamonds several hundred years old from an Indian mine in settings about 200 years old in white Gold. Even Donna and Sylvia were shocked at the value he quoted. Calling Donald from Nerys’s; he explained the stones were a gift to the 2nd Doctor from the Third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso (1543-1588). The Fourth Doctor had returned them to the Eighth Dalai Lama, Jamphel Gyatso in 1781 and these were re-gifted to the Fourth Doctor a year later in the current ring settings. The Doctors had never intended to give them to anyone; until Donna decided to travel with number 10. As Jenny said; Donna was the love of his life…well several lives. Donald confirmed the Doctor had pulled them out of storage and planned to ask Donna to bond with him…at least until the Daleks had brought the 27 planets together.After hanging up on her son, a stunned Donna returned to the main room and confirmed to the jewelry expert and Nerys that the rings had been in the family for several hundred years and had been a gift from a middle Asian ruler to his English explorer friend, Delta Smythe. She’d texted this information to Jack, so he could get Delta’s name in the internet in regards to Indian-Tibetan exploration by Torchwood Institute. Nerys was struck dumb for the remainder of the evening. Donna with Martha’s help had decided to say she had been 5 months pregnant when she moved to Cardiff with the kids. This allowed the pregnancy to advance at its new slower speed to allow a “nine” month delivery. The baby Doctor would be named, John Theta Noble-Smith. Called Theta for short as “Dad” was John Smith. Nerys decided it was time to get pregnant again and ended up using a sperm bank as her husband said their twins plus her other two from the 1st and 2nd marriages were enough. When she announced she was pregnant; he left her for his secretary. The girls had gathered around Nerys, all sympathetic until Donna arrived glowing at 7 months. Donna was the center of attention for the rest of the evening. She brought pictures of the Baby’s room and the rest of the flat along with pictures of the kids and how they were doing at Uni. The best Nerys could do was complain about her two oldest failing their A levels. Smart Donna kept a keen eye on Nerys and was always ready with a hug or arm around Nerys shoulder. Wouldn’t do well to force the center of attention onto herself. They were there to support Nerys after all.That was the night Donna felt the Doctor start to talk to her mentally. His touch telepathy was all…well he was touching Mummy all over, amniotic fluid and such; pressing up as he stretched out. He had some coherency about who he was but was still very confused due to where he thought he was. He stopped talking or thinking when he realized he was in contact with Donna and knew she couldn’t remember him. Donna called Jack and Martha to come over once she got home. The Doctor had talked to her and then stopped. Was anything wrong with him? Donald reminded Donna; that he may be in a confused state and clinging to the idea that DoctorDonna should never remember him. Donna sat in the middle of a sofa and crossed her legs as much as BabyDoctor allowed. Concentrating on connecting to the Doctor; she let him know she was cured and had no more Time Lord DNA. She knew who he was, Jenny was alive and the Meta-Crisis came back. He himself had regenerated into a Baby version and was growing inside her womb. Feeling the Doctor laughing uproariously, Donna got miffed. He told her to pull his other leg and she found one of his small feet and pulled as much as her distended stomach allowed. Theta stopped laughing and Donna felt stunned silence from him. Then she heard “Fuck Fuck Fuck.” To the best of her ability, Donna went over the conversation from immediately after the Chameleon Arch incident. She then told him he was grounded for the use of language. Once she was over being angry for having to give birth to his hopefully still skinny hide, he’d be getting a proper spanking for such language. “Jack’s put you up to this hasn’t he?” “No, this is all on you, baby Martian.” “You can’t spank me, Donna; I’m your … um … well … oh … FUCK!” “Two spankings, Theta.” “Where did you get Theta from?” “Donald.” “Donald, who? Whose been in your bed?” “Our son and not in my bed.” “What son?” “The Metacrisis is back and I’ve named him Donald.” “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” “Three spankings. Jack’s got the whole Tardis wired with cameras to catch every little baby move, gurgle and coo you make! Martha and I will post your little bare bum on the Campanion’s Support website.” “You won’t, I won’t let you.” “How is your few hours old body going to stop us?” “I’m a Time Lord, I’ll just send us back….” “How are you going to reach the console?” “Jenny will help me, my daughter.” “Your daughter’s dating and won’t want to be grounded by me anytime soon,” “Donald, he’ll hel….” “He’s still mad you sent him away to Pete’s World.” “I’ll get, do, make….” “I’m waiting, Martian baby!” “Fuck!” “Oh, I’m going to write a book about raising Martian babies. It will be a bestseller and you and I will be on Oprah and Graham Norton and Loose Women.” “I’m screwed.” “Not until you’re all grown up again, cuddle bunny.”“Donna, sweetheart….” “Listen Alien baby, until you reach the equivalent of age 20 or 40, there is no Cuddle Bunnying to be had between us. That is just … gross, Doctor.”Donna disconnected her link to the Doctor and laughed when she saw the looks on the kids, Jack and Martha. “Well, the Doctor is due for 3 or 4 spankings for the use of bad language. He’s already trying to sweet talk me and has been told it will wait until he reaches adult status.”End Part One! ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Part TwoBaby Pappy Doc Donna is so uncomfortable and the baby link isn’t helping either. The little bastard’s angled himself down the birth canal and appears to be dancing in place. Donna’s spent an hour crying and the kids have called Jack and Martha and Great-Gramps. Donald’s been trying to link to Dad to get him to settle down so Mum could try to get comfortable. Doctor wants to give Donna instructions on how to give birth. After all he’d done this 3 times with his wife on Gallifrey. Jack starts to offer advice on breathing and offering his hand for Donna to squeeze. She threatens to squeeze him down an empty elevator shaft. As her doctor, Martha is just offering the usually doctorly-BF advice. Donna offers to tell Mickey.Donna’s had it, she wants a C-section NOW! Jack takes the Tardis and both kids to visit Sylvia and Wilf to convince them to come aboard and travel to Cardiff immediately. Once Sylvia’s been convinced it is either this or the vortex manipulator or a slow train, and having Donna scream at her over the phone, that she wants her mother now, Sylvia boards the Tardis.“After all these months, I’d thought Donna would have tidied up a bit more. Jack, Donald; can’t you too spiff this up, new, modern equipment?” Says Sylvia. “I’d thought it’d be cleaner.” Wilf replied.“Well, the Tardis is a sentient being just like us. And this is her Grunge look. She has been this way for two Doctors now.” from Jack. Donald added, “Don’t worry, she’s not offended. Donna and the Doctor both love her this way. When she’s ready to change, she will.” “I’m just worried the baby could get hurt running around in here.” “Don’t worry, the Tardis loves the Doc and won’t let him be hurt, regardless of his size.”“That vortex manipulator, could that have got us to her sooner?” Jenny, “Grams you’d be throwing up for a while after using that. It doesn’t do anything to you but leaves you quite sick.” “Well, we’re here now.”, from Donald. “Donna, Donna; Mummy’s here!” “Listen you old cow, get out here and take control! I want a C-section and I want it now! Get this alien OUT OF ME!!”“Donald, go make tea and take your great granddad with you. Martha, there’s a Medbay in the box, right?” “Yes, ma’am.” “Go get it ready, take Jack with you. Jenny, let’s get your mum off the couch and move her to the box.” Once Sylvia and Jenny heaved Donna up, the two human women hugged the life out of each other. “Mummy’s here now. I remember when I gave birth to you. Your grandma Noble was visiting and when my water broke, she gave me such a hug of love that I never again said a cross word to her.” “Mum, you say some of the worst things about her all the time!” “Never to her face, young lady, if you recall.” “Oh, yeah. How is the old bitch anyway.” “Still wallowing like a walrus at the Bayview Retirement Home near Bournemouth. Although that nice manager Harvey Bains called the other day. Needed to make sure her health insurance was paid up. A 102 she is now. Just breathing in air the rest of us need. You should send her pictures of you pregnant with the grown kids and then of the new one. Mention the husband’s in absentia. Could be just what we need and easier than visiting, to just trip her down the stairs.” “Yeah, Mum; that’s a good idea. I’ll do that. AFTER WE GET THE ALIEN OUT OF ME!” “Settle down, Missy; we’re at the medbay.” Few people knew that early in their marriage, Sylvia was a nursing student. At least until Donna came along. She’d hated it but a nice young man, told her on a bus one day, that the health care industry would be booming as more people would be living longer. Working in that field could be financially beneficial. At the next stop the young man in a bow tie and red Fez said “Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Noble” and got off the bus.Once Donna was born, there just wasn’t enough time to continue her studies. And Geoffrey received a promotion, most likely based solely on the fact he was now a father. The accounting firm was a family business and Geoffrey was now in a “family way”.Armed with her feeble studies, Sylvia was actually a decent nurse to Doctor Jones in the Tardis Medbay. She kept a running commentary to Donna to keep her mind off the pain. Her and Geoffrey’s early married life; his hard work and her studies in Nursing. Choosing their home in Cheswick and preparing for Donna’s birth. From Martha, “Donna, the Doctor is too far down the birth canal to do a C-Section. We just need to let this progress naturally.” Syliva, “Is it too soon for her to push?” “Yes, it is.” Donna, “Fuck!” Doctor to Donna, “Language! Earthgirl.” Donna to Doctor, “Please just slide out or this is the last time you’ll ever be in my pussy!” The Doctor took all of 10 seconds to decide a course of action. He was safely delivered naturally within 3 minutes. Using his touch telepathy as he proceeded out, he made sure Donna felt no pain. And as Donna had hoped, he was still a skinny rat alien. Martha assured her no cutting had been needed. With eyes shining, Sylvia hugged Donna, “See nothing to worry about. And as a baby, he’s beautiful my girl.” Sylvia began to cuddle and coo the Doctor; as his face began to screw up for a good loud cry, Sylvia called him the “sweetest little boy in the world.” The Doctor gave in and let his mother in law continue. He’d get back at her later by making sure Grannie Noble lived a bit longer, 110 tops! ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Part ThreeBabbling Doctor “He’s an alien, Mum; his people have two hearts.” “Don’t be ridiculous. What else does he have two of?” “Well, eyes, ears, hands, arms, legs, feet, balls.” “No need to get snarky or crude, young lady.” “If you want to know any other differences, ask Donald.”It had been a month since Theta was born. He cried every time he was bared for bath, changing, etc. And he stopped crying once he was dressed again. Donna had tried to give him formula from the beginning but he wouldn’t take it. She’d hold him close and he’d reach out to touch her and she heard, “Donna, feed me; so hungry. Feed me, please.” She’d try the bottle again and he’d start to whimper. Finally, Donald said, “Oi, earthgirl, just whip those puppies out and let the rat alien nurse.” Donna went to her room, locked the door, released a breast and Theta went to town. When he had his fill of the one, he whimpered again and Donna adjusted him and the other boob so he could finish feeding. Theta got his fill and would send Donna an “Oi, I love you, Ginger!” And a big belch. Donna got a good night’s rest.One day Donna ordered him a bunch of pinstripe onesies. His favorite for a while was the RuggedButts 'Pinstripe' Bodysuit. Then the BrimmerBaby Navy Bodysuit with Blue Pinstripe arrived. This was warm with a blue shirt.“You know if you mash up the potato and add butter with a bit of cottage cheese, he’ll never know it’s not sour cream. Your Gran and I did that with your mum and with you.” “He’s a lot more intelligent than Mum and I were at two months, Gramps. He knows what sour cream taste like and doesn’t like cottage cheese.” Theta looked like he was 6 months old two months after his birth. He wasn’t talking but could reach Donna’s temples easier. He still insisted on nursing every evening. Donna wouldn’t let herself drift off until she heard his loud belch. His favorite thing was wearing one of the cotton tee onesies that looked like the tees he’d slept in and cuddle between Donna’s breasts. As she drifted off, she often felt a kiss against which every boob his face rested against. He always received a kiss on the head from his Ginger.“Nana, Nana!” “Nana, here, my sweet boy. Would you like me to rub your tum-tum?” “Noooo! Nana!” “Mum, he wants a banana. Not his mother in law.” “Well what will he call me?” “Mrs. Noble.” “But I’m his….” “MOTHER IN LAW.” “Oh, well; alright.”Theta had grown to 18 months by 3 months after his birth. As a Time Lord, he had better command of language than most babies at 18 months. He just limited the usage in front of Sylvia. He was still insisting on sleeping with Donna; he’d yet to spend more than an hour in his room any night. Morning and afternoon naps the baby’s room was fine. Those only lasted an hour or two anyway. But when he noticed Donna dragging, he’d whimper to lay down with her in the afternoon. She’d finally refused to whip the boys out for a nighttime feed. Only when he’d seem extremely tired or fussy would she let him nurse and then from just one boob. Or a small amount from both.He was still embarrassed to be undressed by anyone, except Donna or Donald. Although true to his word, Jack had plenty of pictures of the alien running around naked. He’d get away from Donna, Sylvia, Jenny or Donald after a bath and run naked through the Flat. Jack had rigged the flat up with cameras everywhere and had them sent to his computer at Torchwood. He’d forward the pictures on to Martha to post on the Companion’s website. “No, Donna; Banana Pie today; not just a plain banana. I want it in a Pie!” “I’ve made you three this week already, you’ve devoured everyone and I don’t see where your skinny arse could hide anymore.” “I’m growing rapidly and Bananas are my favorite food ever. I want a Banana Pie, Donna”, he whimpered. Donna still panicked when he whimpered, she was so afraid that after only a couple of weeks of his outgrowing the nursing stage, she’d still start leaking when he whimpered. “l’ll make you Banana Muffins, Cake or Pudding. But you have enough Banana Pie this week.” “I’m calling Granni Sylvia; she’ll bring her sweet baby boy a pie! Pffft!” Donna gritted her teeth and texted her gramps to run interference with her mum and the rat alien.He still refused to sleep alone and would occasionally snuggle with Jenny or stretch out with Donald. Boys Night, watching Disaster movies all night long. The Doctor was so showing through now that Donna didn’t fear damaging his brain by letting him watch the Disaster Movies. They were a favorite of his and as Donald was with him, as long as they were together, she allowed it. She started to give him a few smacks for bad language. When she did, she reminded him this was to make sure he didn’t use those words in public places. The last thing he’d want is to have Family Services give him to Sylvia. And to have frequent visits where his changing size would be questioned. “…fix that chameleon circuit if I just tried hotbinding the fragment-links and superseding the binary code with the Block Transfer Computations…” At four months old Theta looks 4 years old. Already his fingers are becoming the long, elegant fingers of the Doctor that Donna so misses. She’s refused to buy him a small pin-striped suit as he’ll only out grown it by the next week. Martha is predicting he’ll start to advance about a year per week. Clothes are very loose and several sizes too big. She buys a new set of jimjams, 2 pairs of underwear, socks and trainers; 2 pairs of jeans and tees every week and by the end of 4 weeks they fit perfectly. Which means he always has one full set that fit for every year he’ll be.Donald on the other hand seems to be getting younger at about the same rate, one year younger for every week. Donna asked Theta if he knew why this was happening. “Even though he is human with one heart, he does have some Gallifreyan DNA in him that is tied to me. As I’m a younger Doctor, his body’s Doctor DNA is adjusting to my DNA. It is not regeneration but it is similar to one. He should stop once I reach age 18 or 20.”End Part Three ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Part FourThe Terrible Tweens“Donna! I need an iPad; order me one.” “What do you need an iPad for.” “Porn.” “You’re seven years old; what do you need porn for?” “To keep me occupied until you’re ready! And I’m 906ish.” “I’ll order you an iPad and the biggest one they have but I’m using Parental Controls to keep you away from porn.” “Then I’ll borrow Donald’s phone to watch porn!” From the smirk on his face, she knew he’d do it, so she texted both the kids to parental lock their phones and tablets against Daddy’s Porn searches.Jenny won’t let her dad sleep with her anymore, even if he is still kid size. Donna thinks it still gross and is afraid of those little hands. With Donald, he wants his sleep; typical young adult male. So Theta has banished himself to his Tardis bedroom as he refuses to use the cute kid’s furniture Donna bought for his bedroom. On their no science class days; he confiscates Jenny and Donald’s science text books to study. Unit has sent over what textbooks they can release for public consumption to him. He’s got a barstool set up at the console and watches all the porn he wants. Donna hasn’t found out yet. Well it is intergalactic, interspecies porn. He doubts she’d even know what she was seeing. He’s also noticed a few changes the Tardis has made to herself. Her exterior paint job seems brighter. Like freshly painted blue. The console room and the halls seem to be less grungy metal and more shiny polished, no, like a burnished pewter. He likes it. He just noticed one of the coral columns is glowing like Spirularia earth coral; white with a pale blue base. Later another column is glowing a bright forest green. After 2 weeks all the walls appear to be more of a burnished pewter metal with the coral posts glowing and reshaping into different coral colors and styles. When Donna, Jenny and Donald finally pop in for a visit; Donna and Jenny like to stroke the teal and bright forest green columns. The next morning, the Doctor notices that all the columns are one of those two colors. Columns throughout the hallways alternate and seem to look good with the burnished pewter walls. The Doctor himself likes the new look but wonders aloud if the console room could be laid out a bit better. He receives a hm hum from the Tardis and sits down in the library and designed several layouts.He leaves it to the Tardis to choose a layout she’s comfortable with but suggests two hidden doors for unisex half bath and the other for the wardrobe. He remembers Donna running back in on the Ood planet to find a warm coat.Next morning, when his 11 year old body wanders in with a chocolat banana crème filled croissant and New Orleans Café au lait with chocolat milk, he sees an ornate wardrobe door to his left of the hall entrance and a glass door to his right. After eating his early breakfast, (Donna will bring him sausage, eggs and English muffin later) he investigates and behind the glass door is the new full bathroom, with large shower, urinal, toilet and bidet. The Wardrobe door hides a walk in area and a large circular spinning rack holding everyone’s favorites coats, including a few new fur coats for Donna and Jenny. A gray copy of his brown Janis Joplin coat is hanging up for Donald. It also has shelves for hats, scarfs and gloves. He found a stack of shelves with a variety of shopping bags from netting to biodegradables.It also has a stair that leads to an interior hall that leads to the full wardrobe room. He likes the short cuts and sees an upper door. Upon opening it he sees a slide pole that sends him back to the main level and doors that appear to be in Donald’s and Jenny’s favorites colors. Ah, the Tardis is adapting to haul his family about now too. He returns to the Console room to find a bigger change. The walls are now striped in Dark and light blue chrome plates. No rivets are showing so Theta thinks each plate was a tongue and groove joint into the next plate. The coral columns are still there in their new colors of pale blue/white, teal and forest green. The metal is still burnished pewter in the dark and light blues. The console interior walls now match the Tardis exterior.He lets out a low whistle when he walks up one of many ramps to the console. The whole thing is in the burnished pewter, the center column is glowing teal green; his hammer hasn’t changed a bit. The knobs and handles are all a Gallifreyan hickory woodgrain, the real wood. Sitting up on a wide 6 x 6 meter pedestal; the edge is framed by a pewter and coral railing system. Partially attached to the 4 meter high railings and supported by coral posts, the new jump seats could still accommodate 3 people each and were now tufted Tardis blue velvet in a softer squishier style. The backs are sturdy and firm and will automatically raise or lower themselves to fit the occupant in each seat section. Four of these jump seats are set up along the railings of the console bay. Two ramps across from each other and steps across from each other form an X for entrance up to the console bay.By the time Donna comes in to bring his breakfast, the changes seem to be in place and Donna is impressed at the new colors and layout. Along the console bay walls are a variety of places. A couple areas are for seating, some extra work stations to complement the console and two corners house book shelves and a comfy chair each. Donna walks around the console itself, caressing as she used to. Donna flips off the porn site. Yes, she knows what interplanetary interspecies porn is. Snuggle Bunny Super Temp number one, remember! She tells Theta she’s going to check food stock in the Galley and he just digs into his breakfast with mm-huhmm. In the Galley, Donna has it out with the Tardis that for all of his 900+ years; an eleven year old boy shouldn’t be viewing porn of any kind, human/earth or interspecies/interplanetary, period. Donna trusts the Tardis to block all forms of porn from their favorite rat alien thief. Donna writes out a few items the Galley is low on and gives Theta a kiss on the top of his head and heads out.The Doctor can no longer get any type of porn anywhere in the Tardis. Not even the Playboy channel on any earth network.End Part Four ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Three months after Donna gives birth, the family gathers at the local church for a brief funeral. Set up by Torchwood; Donald records a brief message as the Doctor to be played for Donna at the service. The tabloid notice lists Theta as a victim of SIDS. Missing from the event is 12 year old Theta, as his presence under this name and age hasn’t been introduced to anyone beyond Torchwood or the Nobles. Two weeks later it is time for the Doctor to advance another year. Donna hears screams coming from the Tardis and calls Martha; who is there in a flash as she was working late at the office. While the Doctor isn’t making any major changes, the pain of this advance is worse than any advance before. Martha asks if she can move in for a few days. She’s concerned it may be time for something big to happen. While he appears to be fourteen, she suspects he may start advancing more than a year at a time from this point. As the Doctor continues to stay in the Tardis each night, Martha, plans perhaps a few all-nighters with Mickey, moves in to her old room on board. She doesn’t have long to wait and it is the first night Mickey stays over. Two days after his painful advance to age 14. The Doctor doesn’t want to disrupt Martha and Mickey’s night together. So he grits his teeth and screams into his pillow. It is the Tardis who hums quite loudly to wake Martha and queues her to his bedroom. When she arrives the door opens automatically and weaving in behind her is a sleepy Mickey. They notice the gold tendrils of the vortex surrounding his still young body. Not able to stifle the pain any longer, they hear a few grunts going from adolescence to adult, each grunt sounding more painful than the last. The Tardis had helped prepare a few pain reducers which Martha had planted in the Doctor’s ensuites. These she grabbed and administers one to him immediately. He breathing mellowed a tiny bit. But the pain was still evident on his face. His body now began to stretch more about every 5 minutes. Mickey keeps count on his watch the amount of time between each point of blinding light. He also texted Donald who with Jenny rushed into the Tardis. Donna being convinced by her girlfriends for a night out to mourn the loss of Theta. As the girls gathered in Cheswick, Donna wasn’t expected back until the next day. Around midnight, Donna thanked the girls, especially Nerys who planned it. Though the idea was in poor taste, Nerys had a lot to deal with. She was near the end of her pregnancy and was huge; triplets this time her doctor had predicted. As Donna turned to leave, she noticed a Mr. Schmidt she’d temped for, he’d started up a dot com company and Donna knew it was doing well. Schmidtty had long been looking for a wife and had tried to come on to Donna a few times after she left his employment. He came from a large family and wanted one of his own too but had contracted Scarlet Fever as a child and was left sterile. Donna said hello and asked how his company was doing. Even better that before; he was house hunting in SoHo. Donna introduced him the Nerys and she knew for Schmidtty it was love at first site. Nerys held back until she saw his watch; and then he pulled out his phone, the best on the market. Nerys was hooked and married before the Triplets were born.Donna hurried away now as she felt something was wrong at home. She called her Mum that she was going straight to the train station; she still had a few hours wait for the next one to Cardiff. No one was answering their phones. It was after 2 by now. When Donna arrived in the earlier morning, Mickey and Martha were asleep on the couches, Donald and Jenny both asleep in their rooms. Donna moved to her room and turned on her bedside light. There stretched out in his familiar gray flannel jim jams and gray cotton tee, was the Doctor. Her Doctor, all 905ish years of him; full grown, all male, all her Doctor. Donna changes into her lilac silk jimjams and a camo lilac tee; the doctor meantime, rolls to his side in the middle of the bed and Donna crawls in behind him. Finally, she cups and squeezes his perfect bum.The Doctor mumbles something that has Donna whacking him with her pillow. He grabs her arm and pulls her over him until they’re facing each other. Not having opened his eyes; he says “I said, ‘Ah my Ginger’. No one else; just you. It was painful and I want to sleep a long time. Shh!”The Doctor pulls her close as possible and tucks her head under his chin. Kisses the top of her head and Donna says “Glad you’re back, Theta. I’ve missed you.” “Mmmm.” He replies.The next morning, Donna wakes alone and not certain he was there as his old self. She grabs her favorite robe, his and wanders into the living room. Finding, Martha and Mickey, Donald and Jenny and even her mum and gramps gathered around the dining table. As she approaches one of the two empty chairs, she hears a loud bang of pots and a “That’s it.” coming from the kitchen. Out pops the Doctor with several plates of food balancing on his arms. The kids jump up to help divest dad of the plates and lays them around the table. The Doctor sits down and see Sylvia nudge her dad and bows her own head. “Wilf, would you like to say Grace?” responds the Doctor. “I’d be happy to, if you wish.” “Please do.” the Doctor says and smiles at Sylvia. Wilf responds with a brief thanks for the food, the cook and the time with family and friends. Confused Jenny is the only one not to say “Amen.” Sylvia gives Jenny a brief education on the family’s religious views and suggests taking a few classes next term on various religious histories. Sylvia, “Donna mentioned when she was introducing us to the situation you two found yourselves in that you had married in the New Las Vega solar system…. I understand situations arise that you can’t collect us every time an alien species forces you to marry. But I’d like to think that considering your relationship, you might want to do something formal for yours and Donna’s family and friends.” Donna’s mouth dropped open, Wilf covered his smile with his napkin, the kids looked shocked. Mickey was smug and Martha lowered her gaze and texted Jack.Under the table, the Doctor removed Donna’s left hand rings. He pocketed one and pulled Donna’s chair back. “I know you and Donald found these in the Tardis wardrobe room. I’d removed them from the vault a couple of weeks before Earth appeared in the Medusa Cascade. Donna, I’ve only deeply loved two women in my life. I married Lenia when I was 110 and she was 90. We had a long wonderful life until the Time Wars and day I sent Gallifrey into stasis. Her allegiance to the President of Gallifrey took her from me and the war took our children from us.
11043873
A Bit Twisted
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Bakugou Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto, Yagi Toshinori | All Might", "Fandom": "僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by Methuselah87", "chapters": "14/14", "completed": "2017-06-26", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "60,183", "Additional Tags": "mutual love, Sex, angry boys finally happy, when will this happen, Threesome, neverending, desperate typing", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“WHAT is your PROBLEM?” Grabbing a fistful of messy dark hair, an iron grip held a body immovable against the hardwood, the owner of the oppressing hand snarling at his victim. “You’re such a runt! You always pick a fight you know you can’t win! Did you come all the way here to fight me in my own house?!” His victim cried out in pain."NO!" Another hand shot up defensively and snagged its attacker’s blond head. This hand was freckled and had considerably less intent behind it but nonetheless it grasped its opponent with the same passionate ferocity, and as the other hand moved as well his attacker snatched it, pinning it to his stomach. “What, then?!” Bakugo cried. He leaned into the hold, using his body weight for more force.“I came for this!” Midoriya grunted and with a strange flick of his trapped wrist, he turned it loose and used it before his opponent could re-wrangle him. But there was no need. Bakugo was frozen. “…What…” He voiced in desperate confusion, “… the fuck… are you doing?” His eyes were trapped between the red angered flush of Deku’s face and the suddenly very vulnerable middle he’d exposed.“I didn’t come to fight you. I came for… something else.” Midoriya’s eyes were locked on Bakugo’s shocked expression. The slightest flicker of that gaze could spell his fate. He also knew that Bakugo wasn’t going to turn him loose until he was good and ready, so instead of matching his grasp he slowly released Bakugo’s hair. He held up his hands up in surrender. His heart was pounding out of his chest - at any moment Bakugo could set off an explosion against his head that would certainly almost kill him, but he’d decided, recklessly, to take this risk anyway. And so here he was with his shirt was lifted almost all the way to his throat. It remained trapped beneath him, and so there it stuck in a half-moon around his white chest.Bakugo’s eyes slid to Midoriya’s and they locked. “What is this?” He demanded. “What the fuck are you doing?” “I… came to offer you… my body,” Midoriya trembled. “What?”  Swallowing, Midoriya shoved down his panic. “I want to fuck.”Bakugo was struck speechless. He’d probably never heard something so ridiculous in all his life. Never before had someone he’d bullied – a boy especially – offered him sex in return for all the torture he’d put them through just by being… him. Something strange and cold coiled in his gut. He couldn’t help himself. He looked at Midoriya’s offering. He looked it up and down searching for the joke or at least one good reason why this should be a trick of some kind, but there was nothing. Nothing but body. His throat dried up. “Look, Kaa-chan,” Midoriya started slowly. “We obviously have a lot going on, you know, between us fighting and you hating me and all. I know that. That’s why I’m here. I…” He was grasping for words now. His carefully prepared speech seemed so weak in comparison to how he wanted to make this sound. “I want to do something for both of us, to end it. The fighting is pointless, you know? We both want the same thing. To be heroes. To help people.”“You want this?” Bakugo motioned to himself with his one free hand, and his tongue felt like a ball of cotton in his mouth. “Around your most vulnerable parts? Are you stupid?” “Yes.”“W-Why?!” Bakugo blurted. “Why do you bully me?” Midoriya countered.“’Cause you’re a twerp!”Midoriya stared him down. “Because I idolized you?”Bakugo eyed his hard expression. “I don’t get you,” he said uneasily. The coiling snake grew, writhing against his belly. “I don’t even do that kinda stuff – I don’t understand what you’re doing.” “I think you do.”Defensively, Bakugo tried to come up with a retort but they all died against his teeth, rattling around, useless Tic-Tacs of ideas dissolving against his gums and making gaping black cavities instead of arguments. Their sickly sweet flavor burned his cotton tongue. His words tumbled into the deep dark cavities and he had nothing. Nothing. Why did he bully Deku? Whatever happened to that bright-eyed kid who used to shower him with praise and tail him like a baby duckling? Those big eyes… They were jaded now.Suddenly, someone was touching him. He blinked and in that split second he’d taken to think, he had lost focus. Midoriya’s hand was attacking again. He had slipped his hands beneath the loose white tank top Bakugo always wore to show off his explosive arms. His fingertips were ghosting against Bakugo’s skin – softly, softly touching his bare flesh, reaching for his body in a show of foreign affection. He was attacking Bakugo with fluttering caresses.In response, Bakugo sucked up a deep breath and arched his body away from those hands. Even with all that air in his lungs he could not find the energy to protest. He was so confused. His head reeled wildly. What was happening? What was this? His sides were erupting with ticklish fireworks but no matter how he squirmed, he couldn’t pin Deku and avoid those hands, too. He struggled to grab both of Deku’s wrists, flailing for them, but missed. The hands pressed determinedly against his skin, pushing, pushing against him. He released a gasp of surprise as warmth spread across his chest.Abruptly, Bakugo stopped squirming. When he looked down he couldn’t see the source of the heat, only those hands splayed against his breast. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates. It took him a minute to realize it was his body’s reaction to all this strangeness. It was enjoying this. Aghast, he cursed desperately under his breath.Deku didn’t move anymore. His eyes were fixated on Bakugo’s expression. “Is this ok?” He asked. “Can I touch you - really touch you?”Bakugo couldn’t meet Midoriya’s eyes. A wrench was clogging the machinery in his head. He hadn’t expected to like these boyish advances. Should he say no? Should he let him go, get up, and just leave now? That was the only way out – Midoriya wouldn’t force him to stay. He could just walk out of his own room and… He tried to move his body but he couldn’t. He was frozen. He got a sickening thought. I don’t want to leave, but… why do I…? “I’m not going to hurt you,” Deku said gently.What an idiot. Of course he wouldn’t hurt him. He couldn’t. He was a weakling. But he liked it, he liked this, what is happening to him? Bakugo’s head must’ve given a few nods in response without noticing because as if on a cue, Deku was touching him and he was breathless. Fingertips brushed his hard abs. They rubbed his back. Bakugo felt his body relax as the hands returned to his chest, making gentle circles over it. Warm shivers rippled up and down his spine; someone was showing him a tenderness he’d never experienced before. His mind clenched. In reality, Deku could hurt him. He could use Bakugo’s vulnerability to –Something sprang up beneath his fingertips. Bakugo’s shock had rolled over into need. He couldn’t take this. He needed something to hold onto. His entire arm was trembling but his fingers eagerly sank into foreign flesh, grabbing at it for stability. It heaved into his touch. Deku was blushing and his eyes were watery and his mouth was a wavering line but still Deku liked that, he liked it a lot, and he wanted more. Bakugo moved his grip up and down Midoriya’s exposed side because he liked it, too. Midoriya was just as soft as he looked and he savored the feeling of his breast moving up and down, shifting his entire torso, humming with his heartbeat.Unfortunately, Bakugo’s other hand refused to loosen its grip on Deku’s hair. It stayed there like a last line of defense against this onslaught of his inner feelings. He bent his head and touched his forehead to Deku’s shoulder, hiding his face. He mapped the space between Midoriya’s hips. His fingers counted the seconds between his belly button and his collarbone. He could spread his hand across Deku’s breast and touch both of his nipples with his forefinger and his thumb. Bakugo shivered as Midoriya’s hands went up his chest again. God, he liked that. He puffed his chest into those hands, forcing himself to think only about how good it felt.And still nothing bad happened. He wasn’t punched. He wasn’t scratched, or bitten, or grabbed. Everything was… ok. He was safe. Bakugo could smell Midoriya’s deodorant which filled his head and made him dizzy. He felt his body reacting as if it were a space heater coming to life in a cold room. He felt relaxed and he felt touched and he lowered his hips, touching them to Deku’s. A swell pushed hungrily against one just like it. Eager, he gave a good grind, only encouraging both swells to harden.Deku’s hand slipped off his breast and down his heaving abs, finding the swell that didn’t belong to him and palming it. Bakugo flinched. Midoriya immediately drew back his hand; he knew he’d been hasty.“Kaa-chan,” he said in a low voice. “Look.”Bakugo drew back to look at Midoriya curiously. He followed the direction of his gaze to the space between their legs and saw Midoriya’s hasty hand pulling down the elastic band of his own trousers, exposing his most vulnerable parts. Bakugo’s pulse skittered around in his veins. Midoriya’s genitals were red, hard, and radiating heat, and when Bakugo hesitantly touched the balls bunched up beneath them he got a gasp of surprise from Midoriya. Bakugo rolled them around in his hand until Deku did it again.“Moron,” Bakugo grunted. “Don’t be so stupid…” He was finally coming out of the fog of confusion clouding his mind. “I told you.” His fingers closed around the stiff cock, which was not much more than average in shape and size, but it was simultaneously soft and hard at the same time. He jostled it loosely in his hand. The texture was familiar. Midoriya gave a soft breath of pleasure instead of replying. “I know you like that,” Bakugo grumbled, tightening his grip. “Don’t be such a wuss. You’re a man. Act like one.”He bent his head, pushing Deku’s chin away with his face. His lips brushed Midoriya’s bared throat. “I bet you’ll finish in five minutes, wuss,” he murmured against his skin, and acted on the sudden impulse to sink his teeth into Midoriya’s neck. The flavor of his skin sank into Bakugo’s taste buds like a shark holding a choice prey in its jaws.Crying out, Midoriya’s hand sank into Bakugo’s hair, this time not yanking it away but pulling it closer. His cock twitched in Bakugo’s hand when he wavered in touching it. Bakugo teased him into being more sexually aggressive, and he fucked into Bakugo’s hand with an erratic rhythm. His body rigid was with tension. Deku secured one hand on Bakugo’s waist as his throat became a pattern of bite marks, tangling his fingers in Bakugo’s blond hair. When Bakugo was done, he ran his tongue over his deep marks; they’d surely all bruise by morning.Deku’s noises became more frequent and intensified in feeling. The harder Bakugo squeezed the louder he got until Bakugo was forced to let go of Deku’s hair. He began pushing that hand over Deku’s mouth and jacking Deku off to the rhythm of his moans and hip thrusts. He focused his grip around the tip until he feel the desperation creeping into Midoriya’s thrusts.“Shhh,” Bakugo hushed him. “Come on - squirt already, squirt!”Midoriya came. He fucked hard into Bakugo’s hand one last time as a short jet spurted from his cock’s tip and wet his blue shorts, and he wet Bakugo’s hand, too. His wild cries were barely muffled by the big hot palm pressing his lips together. His body clenched like a live wire under the explosion of ecstasy in his pelvis and then relaxed, and it was over. Midoriya was dizzy with orgasm. A wave of sexual satisfaction crashed over him. He lay limp with his body throbbing, and he felt Bakugo wipe his hand on his soiled shorts. His limp cock was released.“Five minutes,” Bakugo sneered. The smug look was wiped off his face when Midoriya grabbed him by the balls again.“Do you know how to use these?” Deku jabbed.“Why you little - !” Bakugo knocked his hand away. “Of course I do!”Midoriya kicked off his shorts and underwear and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it away. “Then use it,” he said challengingly, lying naked beneath his biggest rival. “That’s the only thing I came here to see.”Bakugo drank in the sight of Deku’s full freckled glory, his eyes especially drawn to the freckles on the inside of his thighs. He sat back on his heels between those spread legs to contemplate a strategy. He took in the softened genitals, the solid waist, the narrow shoulders… that infuriating expression on Deku’s face. He was going to do this - but touching Deku’s thighs struck fear deep inside him. The coiling snake returned. He knew how to have sex, but honestly he’d never done it before. He just didn’t care much about relationships and with people that was the only way to get laid. So needless to say he’d never gotten laid. He’d especially never thought about sex with guys – but here he was, calculating the best angle for fucking the nerd. No one challenges me, he thought spitefully. Especially not about my dick.He didn’t care if he was a virgin, Bakugo was going to do this right.“You really want me to do this?” Bakugo asked curiously as he worked his fly down and allowed his member to throb in his palm. There was a thick, twisted trail of blond hair leading down his belly to the bush around it, and Deku’s fingers were magnetized to both. Bakugo watched Deku carefully as Deku touched him. His expression had softened. It was no longer hard or defensive - now he looked almost childish, his eyes brimming with need, his trembling lips parted with anticipation. He really wanted this. Bakugo’s cock throbbed at the idea of being wanted.Midoriya looked up finally. What he saw in Bakugo’s face must’ve surprised him because immediately he moved his hand back to Bakugo’s chest, but their eyes locked once more and Bakugo couldn’t find room to care about what it might have been that he saw. Bakugo liked where this was going. He felt really hard, and Deku looked really soft.“Here.” Midoriya slipped something square from his discarded shorts pocket and handed it to him. “It’ll be hard to get in without it.”Bakugo looked disdainfully at the condom. “Why?”“Without lubrication, it won’t get very far,” Midoriya explained nervously.Clearly Deku was afraid Bakugo would toss it and fuck him without it anyway. That annoyed Bakugo. He wasn’t such a horrible person that he’d put someone through that. Besides, he liked this. He wanted it to stay just like it was. Bakugo saw relief blossom in Midoriya’s eyes as he tore open the package and rolled on the condom. He put each of Deku’s legs on his shoulders. “Come here,” he said, and held out his free hand.Midoriya grasped the offered hand, allowing Bakugo to help him balance on his tailbone. Their faces hovered together. Bakugo felt their noses brush, felt the hot flush of Midoriya’s breath on his face, and for the first time he got the overwhelming urge to kiss Midoriya. He held himself back with vicious distaste. Sex was one thing, but kissing meant something he wasn’t ready to admit yet. He looked up at Midoriya’s big green eyes and they shared a glance that said more than words ever could. There was a lot more tenderness there than Bakugo ever expected to see. It made his chest hurt beneath Midoriya’s warm hand.To break off the stare, Bakugo began to work his way inside Midoriya with one finger. It worked. Deku shut his eyes and released a soft moan into the narrow space between them, his body changing its natural stiff tension. His hole loosened. His breathing changed. Deku’s forehead touched Bakugo’s for comfort. And as Bakugo pumped into him deeper, an attractive sound tumbled from Deku’s lips into each breath he released. Bakugo needed him to make that sound – louder. He took out his finger impatiently and moved into place. It was time. Carefully, Bakugo touched the lubricated tip against the hole and pushed it in until it popped inside Deku.Both of them took a sharp breath through their noses as the beginnings of pleasure rippled through them. Bakugo bit his lip as he began to pump his hips, his hand still guiding it, and the more he moved the easier it became. Deku was opening up all around him. He gave a groan as he got in far enough that he didn’t need guidance anymore. The hot, wet walls closed in around his cock and Bakugo was flooded with pleasure. He grabbed Midoriya’s hips and released his terse motions, freeing his body to focus on fucking Deku deeply. He rasped when he breathed through his mouth. Every part of this felt so good. He’d never imagined sex like this before and he was glad for it; this much intimacy was normally repellent to his nature, but there was something to it that he would’ve missed out on if he’d known. It was close affection, it was tolerant, it was… trust.Midoriya’s cries peaked and tumbled into helpless moans. He’s so loud, Bakugo thought, amused. The neighbors were going to come knocking down the door any minute and he didn’t care. He’d do anything to hear those sounds forever. Those moans. He fucked Deku harder, pushing him back against the floor and hoisting his legs up into the air. The harder he fucked the more noises Midoriya made, writhing beneath him, and Bakugo felt a rush of ravenous hunger. His cock was hitting places inside Midoriya that he didn’t even know were there. Every bend in his body shocked his cock with pleasure.“Fuck, Midoriya,” Bakugo groused. You feel so good, he thought, and desperately wanted to say it out loud. But he was a coward. He couldn’t admit to Deku how much he was enjoying this. That would make him seem too vulnerable. Too needy. He was inside a boy, for God’s sake.Spread out on the floor, dizzy with pleasure, Midoriya didn’t seem to notice Bakugo holding back. “Daddy,” he whined softly. “Harder, Daddy…!”Bakugo gave a quick burst of hard thrusts, and those whines evolved into loud moans again. Midoriya was such a mess. Who knew he’d like it this much? No wonder he pushed so hard to get me to lay him, Bakugo thought while pushing very hard to lay Midoriya. He bent over him and pushed his legs open wider. Bakugo’s muscles burned. He wasn’t going to last much longer, and this wasn’t exactly the kind of exercise he practiced. So far his body had adapted well but his legs felt like jelly and his pelvis was itching to climb to climax.Overwhelming needs persisted in their harassment of him; he needed to kiss Midoriya, to be body to body with him, and to come as deep inside him as he possibly could – and he needed it right now. Cursing internally, Bakugo fought against two of those needs, but he was weakened. He had loosened his tightly sealed emotions too much. He was losing control. Now, he really did need to do those things. “Fuck,” he whispered.Midoriya’s body tightened around him, on the verge of another kind of orgasm. Bakugo was mad at himself and he couldn’t believe this little cunt was going to come twice. The tickle of climax suddenly gathered in his balls and there was nothing he could do to stop himself from wildly fucking Midoriya until he came, finally, his seed shooting into the tip of the condom. The orgasm rocked Bakugo, sending waterfalls of pleasure crashing over his head. He was deep inside Midoriya when Midoriya came, too, his body throbbing tightly around Bakugo’s member. For a split second Bakugo felt only the walls of Deku’s body clenching around his vulnerable genitals - all of his other senses vanished.All Bakugo could feel was their bodies together. A loose moan climbed out of his throat and released itself into reality, and he was touching something, and when the world swirled back into tangibility they were lying together on the floor, exhausted. They were body to body, boy to boy. Bakugo realized his arms were around Midoriya and that they were anchored around his neck and around his waist.Midoriya was holding onto him, too. His desperate sex face had slackened into pure bliss. He didn’t seem to mind the sudden weight of someone on top of him. In fact, his breathing came slowly and evenly, like he was enjoying it. His fingers carded along Bakugo’s spine, his nails raking along the tender skin there.Bakugo shivered. His erratic feelings had subsided. Easing himself out of Midoriya, he lay very still. They breathed in unison. Midoriya turned his face to find Bakugo’s, and Bakugo’s last inhibition slipped out of his hands. He kissed Midoriya. The first one was hungry and needy, but the next few were comfortable. Lazy. Their lips drew together. Their tongues touched as they kissed, and Bakugo couldn’t for the life of him remember why he hadn’t wanted to do this earlier. He was such an idiot. So stupid… Bakugo thought to himself.After they’d stopped they just lay together, unsure what to do next. Bakugo couldn’t believe it. He’d gone from holding Midoriya away from him to holding him in his arms, and now he didn’t want to let go. He shut his eyes. No one had ever trusted him enough to be intimate with him, and he suspected Midoriya knew that. He was such a fucking nerd. He always knew everything about everybody. How was he going to protect himself from this? His heart sank as he realized that he couldn’t.Midoriya was staring at the ceiling, carding his fingers through Bakugo’s hair. He had returned to normal. He breathed when Bakugo breathed, but he said nothing for a long time. Bakugo could feel him trying to find the right words to say. “You don’t have to hold back on my account,” Bakugo said suddenly.“Are… you sure about that?” Midoriya sounded wary. “Just say it,” Bakugo grumbled.Midoriya swallowed. “Kaa-chan, that was… amazing.” He looked at him. “I don’t know how you are about it, but I could feel what you felt for the first time. It was intense.”“I felt the same thing.” Bakugo opened his eyes and glanced over Midoriya’s face.“You… really, Kaa-chan, you’ve never been so gentle before.” Midoriya grinned as his words made Bakugo wince.“Shut up.” Bakugo knew it was futile to refute him. Midoriya knew him now. Intimacy did that, apparently. He sat up on his arms, heaving a sigh. “I didn’t expect it to be like that.”“Me either.”Bakugo blinked. “What, isn’t that what you were expecting?”Midoriya rubbed his neck. “A bit, maybe. But not all this. It…” He trailed off, and Bakugo could feel him holding back again.“It what?” Bakugo snapped.“I-It felt better than I thought it would. And… I’d like to do it again sometime,” Midoriya stammered. “I like it and… I like you, Kaa-chan.”“Don’t say that!” Bakugo groaned, rolling off him. He lay on his back with his hand over his face. “God, don’t start…”Midoriya touched his arm. “Listen, I know that you like it too, Kaa-chan. It’s good for you to let that side of yourself show sometimes.”“I don’t think so,” Bakugo retorted.“Because you’re afraid!” Midoriya blurted. “Huh?!” “Listen to me!” Midoriya said sternly. “I’m not going to tell anyone. I’m not going to expose you as this nice guy everyone thought was a jerk. I know now how important it is for you to have this opinion of yourself – but it’s unhealthy! What do you feel now? Do you still feel angry?”Taken aback, Bakugo just stared at him. Actually… “I… no, I don’t.”“Why do you think that is?” Midoriya shot back, but he didn’t wait for a reply. “Because you let yourself breathe! This big scary persona is a big part of you, but you keep the good parts of yourself all caged up until you forget that they exist. Kaa-chan… you’re a good person. No one can take that away from you.” He sighed helplessly. “You’ve got a side to you that is good for you, and… for me, too. It’s gentle. It’s trusting. It’s tender.”Bakugo fell silent. He stared at the floor, conflicting feelings tearing apart his chest.Midoriya studied him carefully. “Kaa-chan. Let me do this for you,” he said quietly.Shaking his head, Bakugo clenched his fists. “No.” “Why?” “Because!” Bakugo cried. “I can’t be like this - I can’t be like this with you!” He was trembling. “I just can’t!”“You’re just…” Midoriya lowered his voice. “You’re scared. It’s ok to be scared. I’m scared, too.”Looking at him through a haze, all Bakugo could think about was Midoriya’s neck, his lips, and his body and how hot and warm it was inside… “No,” he whispered. “No, no, no…”Midoriya knew Bakugo was losing himself. He leaned over and hugged him, kissing his temple. “It’s ok, Kaa-chan,” he murmured. “I’m here for you.”“Shit…” Bakugo whispered. He grabbed a handful of Midoriya’s hair and instead of shoving him away like he wanted, he hid his face in the crook of his neck. “What did you do… to me?” He struggled to talk through the mist drawing over him. “Why do I feel so sad…?”“You’re scared of what you want.” Midoriya put his hand on Bakugo’s chest. “But you need to listen to what you want.”Bakugo clenched his jaw tightly. He was right. Of course he was, fucking nerd. Why was all this stuff so easy for him? “You really like me?” He demanded.“Of course I do!” Midoriya laughed. “We’ve been friends forever! I don’t care how you treat me, I’ll always care about you.”“Even if… we don’t work out…?”Deku shook his head. “Nothing will change how I feel.”His Adam’s apple bobbing, Bakugo loosened his jaw. “Ok. I’ll stop.”“Stop what?”“Stop… being a bully,” Bakugo said. “What?” “Look, if I’m going to… if we’re going to… you know,” Bakugo drew back and looked at Deku with hard eyes. “I’ve got to be better to you. To… everybody.”Midoriya was looking at him with stars in his eyes. “Really, Kaa-chan?”Blushing, Bakugo nodded. This stuff was totally new to him. Who knew feelings could actually feel good? His eyes slid over to Deku. “It’s time for me to change. And what you did just now, for me... this… I won’t ever forget it.” He felt blinded by Midoriya’s brilliant smile. Holding up his hand, he looked away, annoyed. “Chill.”“I can’t help it, I’ve never heard you like this before! It’s awesome! I’ve never been happier!”“Yeah, ok, knock it off, would you?”“Sorry.” Midoriya touched Bakugo’s face. “…Can we do this again? Kiss?”Bakugo turned red. “I guess so…” He shied a bit when they drew together, but Midoriya put in the extra effort to snag his mouth. The sweet, loving way Midoriya kissed him melted Bakugo’s iron heart, and he found himself feeling dizzy. Their lips moved together gently before drawing apart. “One more?” Bakugo muttered shyly. Midoriya grinned. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Slamming the bathroom door, Bakugo dragged his feet to the sink and leaned his palms against the cold white ceramic. Water dripped from the faucet. He listened for the sound of breathing or shuffling feet, but he was alone. His body weight hung on his tensed arms. The black hole that was the drain seemed to lead him down, down, deep into the pipes of the institute, draining away his energy as it did, but he shut his eyes tightly and tried to block it out. On his shoulder his backpack felt like lead so he shrugged it off, not even wincing when it slammed the floor and his ears were assaulted by the following chaos of echoes.It had been almost a month since Bakugo decided to take a vow of silence instead of bullying people the way he had all his life. And it was tough. People in the halls were starting to whisper when he walked by trying to guess what had changed in him, or how it had happened – most of them thought he finally got his ass kicked or that he had lost his voice entirely. Even the teachers were in shock. His classmates were the worst part, though – not a soul gave him an ounce of peace. Electrobuzz or whatever his name was constantly shooting stupid comments his way that bounced off of Bakugo like pebbles. Engine boy’s defense of him always made the situation even worse because, with his long explanations, he seemed to just give people more reason to wonder. And Midoriya… Yes, it was tough. But he was starting to feel different about himself in ways that were hard to describe, and for him, that made everything worth it.Bakugo washed his face. He picked up his backpack and swapped it to the other shoulder, shrugging it on as he stomped out the door. People moved out of his way as he came through but he kept on a straight path to lunch. Nothing paused around him. No one snickered. There were only the stares, and the whispers. He bought an apple and a carton of milk and left the crowded cafeteria. Outside the building, facing the sunshine, he popped a squat by a side entrance door and ate in peace.At first, he’d been afraid of what would go wrong after he slept with Midoriya. Every stranger’s stare drilled into his body. Every whisper boiled his blood. But he realized later on that he was projecting – no one he talked to knew anything about what had happened, and Midoriya himself was acting totally normal. At one point Bakugo thought he’d imagined what had happened. They were so busy prepping for interviews and reading job offers this semester that it was amazing anyone found time to be concerned with Bakugo at all, but he was famous for his obnoxiously loud behavior and when it ceased entirely, people felt the effects. No one tip-toed around Bakugo anymore. Their petty arguments went uninterrupted. And Midoriya, who usually took the brunt of it, was flourishing in his studies. He’d been the first to stop tip-toeing around Bakugo and everyone else had simply followed his lead. No one was worried about Midoriya – but everyone was worried about Bakugo.  Who was he worried about, though? When he thought about it, Bakugo could find himself only worried about his own problems. Everyone was better off without him being a loud mouth. His social standing had increased just by shutting his trap and letting things be. Still, here he sat alone, bottled up with all his grievances. He drained his carton of milk and tossed the apple core into the bushes. Yes, he was still angry. Very angry. But he felt better about it than he ever had when he was yelling all the time. Now, he wasn’t hurting anybody else.The door squeaked open a hair. “Kaa-chan? Are you out here?”“Nope,” Bakugo muttered, his gaze trained upwards. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.“There you are.” Midoriya stepped outside, looking down at him curiously. “I want to talk to you.” Looking at him sideways, Bakugo pulled a face. “Why?”Sighing, Midoriya slid down the wall to sit beside him. He put his backpack in the grass at his feet. “You haven’t talk to me for a month.”“You seemed perfectly fine to me.”“Well, I feel good after what happened – and I feel good about you not bullying me anymore. I’m surprised that you don’t.”“I didn’t say that I didn’t,” Bakugo shot back.“Then what is it?” Midoriya pressed, curling his fingers together. “I told you we could be together. You said that was ok.”Bakugo shrugged. He didn’t feel like talking. A lot of things were bundled up in his heart and it was heavy, sitting hard against his ribs and pressing on his lungs, making it hard for him to speak. He felt Deku’s big green eyes studying him head to toe but he didn’t move a muscle.“If you’re not ready, that’s ok,” Midoriya said finally, and Bakugo swore.“Who the hell are you to tell me what I am?” Bakugo demanded. “Nobody asked you!”“Kaa-chan…”Midoriya’s pleading look broke Bakugo’s heart. He swore again and looked away. “Look, I just need… space,” he managed. “Can you do that? Can you leave me alone for a while?”“It’s been a month!” Midoriya protested. “You can talk to me about this! I haven’t told a soul, Kaa-chan, and as long as you don’t want people to know, I won’t.” He touched Bakugo’s shoulder. “It’s alright to feel mixed up.”“I feel -” Bakugo rubbed his face. “I feel a lot of shit right now.”“That’s a good start.”“Look, I… I don’t want to talk about it.”The wind rushed by, tangling their hair and making their uniforms ripple against their skin. Both of them felt warmed by the sun’s radiant face. Midoriya lowered his eyes. “What about me?” He said finally. “If you keep brooding like this, what am I supposed to feel?”Shit. Bakugo looked at Midoriya’s crestfallen expression with wide eyes. He hadn’t considered that – he hadn’t thought about what opening this door with someone would be like for them. This whole time he’d been stuck on his own feelings…“I thought it went really well,” Midoriya continued sadly. “I thought we were gonna talk, or go on dates, or…” He crossed his arms on his knees and leaned his forehead on them. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I wanted - I’ve never done this before.”Bakugo’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Me either.”Midoriya glanced at him. He said nothing, returning his eyes to the ground between his feet. A tense moment of silence passed; Midoriya’s melancholy played at Bakugo’s heart strings until he couldn’t take it anymore. Bakugo pushed his back against the wall and let his legs slide out from under him, easing to sit on the ground, and let his knees fall open. He stared at his red shoes. “I feel shitty,” he whispered.Midoriya lifted his head. “What? Why?”“Because!” Bakugo snapped. “You’re right! I’m not ready!” He pinched the skin between his eyes as his anger welled up inside. “I wanted this, but I didn’t know what it was gonna feel like, and I… wasn’t ready.”“I’m sorry.” Midoriya’s guilty face turned to the sun. “I didn’t see any other way to get around your anger than to go through it. I shouldn’t have. I messed up.”“Shut up,” Bakugo demanded. “Don’t be sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong. I told you already, what you did… it was… I liked it. I just… mentally, I think it took me a while to cope.” He sighed. “This is so much work.”Smiling, Midoriya leaned back against the wall, glancing him over. “I know. But you’re doing good. Keep going. Why do you feel so bad?”“I guess…” Bakugo groaned. “I’m a total dick. I know I’m a dick. It’s sorta my nature, you know? All my life I’ve been like this. But I feel like the way I’m changing, the choice I made last month… it can’t un-do years of being a total dick. To you. To everyone.” He made a hapless gesture and Midoriya nodded in reply. Wiping his nose, Bakugo shrugged again. “You’re always such a goody-two-shoes. All Might is like your fucking dad or something, he has to be, because no matter what you do people always seem to like you. I’ve never heard you say a bad word against anybody. But that’s not me, I… I just…” He bit his cheek angrily.“Just what?” Midoriya asked quietly.  “I just didn’t deserve to be that way with you,” Bakugo blurted. “I touched you, I kissed you, I was… we were…” He looked down at his hands in his lap; they were trembling. “These hands have caused you so much pain, but still you let me... you wanted me to…” He stiffened as Midoriya’s hand touched his chest and someone kissed his face. Bakugo looked at him like he was crazy. “Why did you…?”“Stop. Stop it,” Midoriya ordered. “You’re right. You hurt me all my life. And it was messed up – and maybe for a long time it might haunt the both of us. But in that moment in your room… when you touched me for the first time, and I stopped being terrified to touch you, too, I felt us… connect. That moment changed everything for us. I forgave you, Kaa-chan!” He pushed his nose against Bakugo’s cheek, grabbing a handful of his shirt and holding him in place. “I’m scared, too - I can’t do this by myself! I need you! Not later, not after you finally justify to yourself what I never had a problem with in the first place – I need you now!”Bakugo stared at him with a slack jaw.“Do you understand?” Midoriya persisted. “Do you understand that?”Blinking, Bakugo managed to nod. He cleared his throat. “Yes. Yes, I understand.”Midoriya nodded wearily and rubbed the front of Bakugo’s dress shirt. “Ok. Good.”“I’m sorry. I didn’t understand the commitment of what I was doing when I told you I wanted to do this. When I… touched you.” Bakugo liked the feeling of Midoriya touching him again; especially his chest. He tried to ignore the fact that he was blushing while he thought about what to say next. Awkwardly, he lifted his hand and tucked Midoriya’s hair behind his ear, his thumb brushing Midoriya’s freckled cheek. “But I feel like I don’t deserve you.”“I don’t care,” Midoriya replied honestly. “I mean, I care about what you think, but we decided to try this out. That means that I think you deserve me. I’m not totally over what happened before but the past is the past and I want to focus on now – it’s time for both of us to put this aside and move on. I’m tired of fighting. Let’s be heroes saving people, helping the world be a better place – together. Because that’s good enough for me.”Bakugo nodded. “Ok, fine, I get it. No more feeling bad. No more fighting. I’ll try to do things your way from now on.”“You better!” Midoriya scolded. “You don’t have to get over the past in a heartbeat. But the more you work on the future instead of worrying about the past, the better off you’ll be. I promise.”“Smartass,” Bakugo muttered, hooking an arm around Midoriya’s neck and pulling him in close. The intensity of his mouth on Midoriya’s surprised the both of them. Slowly, shock melted into need; they started kissing hard and hungry, both of them ravenous after having been deprived of this taste for a month. Bakugo tangled his fingers in Midoriya’s hair, feeling how strong Midoriya’s fingers were as they pressed into his breast. Battling for dominance and clinging to one another, their tongues rolled between their lips, rubbing together. They barely managed to breathe between kisses.Midoriya gasped as Bakugo’s hand reached down the back of his pants and grabbed his ass. It felt just as soft and solid as Bakugo remembered it being; he squeezed it eagerly, working his finger towards the hole between his cheeks. Midoriya undid his belt and his pants to give Bakugo’s hand room to move to where it wanted to go. Then he slipped his hand through the gap in Bakugo’s partly unbuttoned shirt to reach for his breast, and Bakugo fumbled with his only free hand to undo the rest of the buttons. Curious fingers found the tender skin around Bakugo’s nipples and from his nose Bakugo released a hitched breath as Midoriya rubbed the little circle of raised pink skin with his middle finger. Moaning into his mouth, Bakugo struggled to be quiet. He worked one finger into Midoriya’s hole with a rhythm of gentle pumping motions and then both of them were making small involuntary noises. A rush of hormones shot from Bakugo’s nipple to his groin like a spark on a live wire. He shifted his hips to get more comfortable. A lump under his belt buckle swelled up pressing itself angrily against his fly, and he sank his teeth lustily into Midoriya’s tongue.“Can I do it here?” Midoriya whispered against his lips.“God, yes,” Bakugo groused.A hand slipped between his legs. They used teamwork to unlatch his belt, their fingers clumsy with haste and making mistakes, both of them shaking with anticipation. In under a minute Bakugo’s fly was unzipped. Midoriya’s hand was working out the throbbing cock and the shock of being touched sent Bakugo’s heart on a jump-started marathon. Midoriya let his hard member out into the open air clutched tightly in his fingers. Bakugo was caught in a lull of shock as Midoriya’s hand tightened around his most sensitive organ and began to jack it off. He stared at it, watching. His cock looked so red and angry in Midoriya’s big hand. Midoriya held it like he knew how, like he’d wanted to hold it for a long time and he’d finally gotten his chance, and it felt so good to feel him touching it and kissing his throat like this, so sweetly, so hungrily.“Don’t stop,” Midoriya pleaded, and Bakugo snapped out of it. He still had one finger inside his lover. Moving it, he changed his pumping motion, curling his finger to push against Midoriya’s insides as he drew back a little and then pushed hard up inside him in a series of thrusts. The cries he solicited let him know he was doing something right. He pumped more intensely as Midoriya’s hand moved faster and faster; both of them worked their fingers to the bone to please the other as intensely as possible.To stop from making noise they locked lips tightly, breathing rapidly through their noses. Bakugo was feeling really close when Midoriya almost slipped his grip; his insides were clenching around Bakugo and he could tell it was hard for Midoriya to focus. Bakugo plunged a second finger inside him and jacking him off slipped Midoriya’s mind completely. He was on his hands and knees pushing hard against Bakugo’s touch, his pants trapped between his straining thighs as he got fucked from behind. His mouth was open wide. His hands took the full force of his weight, pushing into the grass as he leaned in and out of Bakugo’s thrusting, and Bakugo focused all his energy on being consistent.   “Are you close?” Bakugo grunted.Midoriya moaned as a reply. Pushing his tongue into Midoriya’s mouth, Bakugo forgot about himself as he ravished Midoriya’s insides, pushing him open further and further until there wasn’t room for him to strain open any wider. Then he focused on depth. There was this bend in Midoriya’s body he had reached with his cock last time, and he thought he could reach it again at this angle. He put a good amount of strength into his pushes. To his surprise and Midoriya’s, he hit the bend inside him after a few more tries and Bakugo felt the shuddering reaction as pleasure exploded through Midoriya’s insides. He was right on the edge. Time to give him a little push.Rapidly Bakugo sped up his rhythm, listening to the pitch of Midoriya’s loose moans and using it as a guide to which places he liked better than others. One particular place facing his tailbone made him really loud so Bakugo made that his go-to spot when he was aiming, and after a long stint of loose, rough moaning, Midoriya went dead quiet. Bakugo felt Midoriya’s entire body stiffen around his fingers. It was time.Midoriya’s g-spot convulsed and he came, his cock spraying cum on the inside of his underwear where it had been rubbing. Bakugo fucked him right through it. He fucked and fucked and fucked but he couldn’t stand Midoriya’s desperate moans anymore – he was impossibly loud and someone was bound to come looking – so in one swift motion, he pulled out his fingers and grabbed the back of Midoriya’s head, shoving his own cock into Midoriya’s open mouth. Exhausted and unhinged with orgasm, Midoriya took the whole length down his throat, attaching himself to it by tightening his lips around the base.Bakugo gasped. Biting his tongue to keep from moaning, he grabbed a handful of Midoriya’s hair and began to guide his head up and down, feeling saliva coating his cock in Midoriya’s mouth. It was so tight. They moved together after a minute and it was better than anything his hand could ever hope to do. “Oh… my God…” Bakugo trembled, unable to stop himself. Midoriya was blowing him so hard, how was he going to even come like this? A tongue rubbed against the sides of his member with the bobbing of Midoriya’s head and when Bakugo paused, savoring the suction around the top, Midoriya tongued his tip. The rough texture sent ripples of pleasure skittering right down into Bakugo’s balls. He was going of his mind.“Go easy,” Bakugo begged breathlessly. “Midoriya, please!”But Midoriya had no intention of going easy on him. His fingers were lazily tangled in the coarse blond hairs around the base of Bakugo’s dick and the taste of him reminded Midoriya of their first time. His fingers worked around to toy with Bakugo’s sensitive balls, and four minutes later Bakugo was on the verge of the hardest orgasm he’d had in an entire month. He threw back his head and shoved Midoriya’s head down until he was deep-throating him. Midoriya mercilessly sucked the life from his tender cock. When Bakugo was as deep as he could get, he blew his load. An electric shock of adrenaline clenched his entire body in a cocoon of orgasm and his cry of ecstasy scared the birds from the trees.Midoriya refused to relent. He clung to Bakugo’s cock, sucking even as it throbbed against his tongue. Bakugo came off of that hormone high with a stream of throaty groaning. His body had lost control of itself. He made more noises after that which were so soft and so desperate – he was pleading for more, pleading with Midoriya not to stop, repeating it over and over as little sparks of pleasure rocked his entire groin. He reeled with pleasure, pumping Midoriya’s head until he couldn’t handle any more sucking. Weakly, he pulled on Midoriya’s hair until his cock slipped from between those tight, incessant lips. It bobbed limply against his balls as he himself went slack against the wall, panting. The world spun around him. It was over.“Midoriya,” he moaned quietly.The first thing he felt were Midoriya’s lips on his; the first thing he heard was the sigh of pleasure rushing from his freckled nose; and the first thing he tasted on the tongue of the boy who’d just blown him was himself. His mouth lolled open. The deeper Midoriya’s tongue got, the more he tasted, and he liked it. He really liked it. Anything he wanted, anything, Bakugo was going to give it to him. Midoriya was perfect. Warm hands touched his face and tangled in his hair, pulling him closer to kiss him deeper, and when Midoriya’s tongue slipped from between his lips and they were suddenly looking at each other again Bakugo’s heart was fluttering against his ribcage like a baby bird. Those big, big green eyes were filled all the way up, and Bakugo swallowed.“Midoriya,” he whispered.Midoriya’s voice was steely. “I love you, Kaa-chan,” he said.Both of them leapt a foot in the air as the doorknob to the side door behind them wiggled. In a flurry of hands and buckles, they put their cocks away and yanked up their pants in a desperate attempt to be decent in a matter of seconds. They pulled each other to their feet and hid behind the wall, but they struggled to tuck in their shirts. Their blazers were barely hiding their skewed pants by the time the door creaked open. Bakugo and Midoriya were standing four feet apart as they turned to see All Might standing in the doorway.“There you two are!” All Might boomed, and both boys turned brick red. “You missed a whole class period – your teachers were worried you might have skipped out! That seems to be the case – is it not?”“We’re sorry,” Midoriya blurted, guilt and shame written all over his face. “We were just talking about stuff and lost track of the time! I didn’t realize… how long we’d been out here… Hahaha…”His nervous laughter inched All Might’s eyebrow up on his brow, but the hero did not flinch. “I suggest you do two things – firstly buy a watch, and secondly get back to class before the day ends! Understood?”“Right!” The pair yelped.“Good!” All Might shot them a stunning grin. “Oh, and Bakugo, it’s against regulation to have your shirt unbuttoned. Remedy that before you come back inside!” Then he vanished, the door clicking gently closed behind him.The couple collapsed against each other in relief. “Jesus, that was close,” Bakugo trembled. He tried to fix his belt as Midoriya buttoned his shirt for him. “I can’t believe we just fucked at school.”“Me either,” Midoriya grinned. He left Bakugo’s top two buttons undone as he closed his blazer with one big grey button. “It felt amazing. I’ll be sore all day!”“You?” Bakugo gawked. “My cock feels like it’s been through the garbage disposal!”“Sorry, not sorry.” Leaning in close, Midoriya used exquisite tenderness to kiss him. When it ended both of them were breathless again. They locked eyes. “I ruined my underwear,” Midoriya said suddenly.Bakugo’s slow grin spread across his face. “Take them off.”Midoriya obeyed, baring his ass as he stepped out of his soiled boxers. Bakugo took them off of his hands. Midoriya pulled his pants back up, shuddering, and carefully buckled his belt and fixed his uniform. “I don’t like going commando, but… that was so intense…” Bakugo tucked the boxers into his shirt. “No use worrying about it now. We’ve only got one last class, then you can go home.”“You’re keeping those?”“Maybe,” Bakugo snot back. Laughing, Midoriya shook his head. “We’re a couple of delinquents.”Bakugo grabbed his waist, grinning. “I like it.” Their fingers tangled together.“Will we do this more often?” Midoriya asked hesitantly. “At home, maybe… in bed?”“Yeah,” Bakugo replied quietly. “Yeah, we will.”“You swear?”Holding up their bound hands, Bakugo kissed Midoriya’s knuckles. “I swear.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Sitting in his office on the edge of his chair, loose clothing hanging off him, All Might stared emptily at the computer screen with his hand hovering over the mouse. All around him were posters of heroes and their legacies. His battles and losses, wins and strife decorated the wall behind his desk like a rainbow of his lifetime accomplishments. His hand hovered lower over the mouse. It shook with tremors. His eyes squeezed shut and he withdrew his hand, resting it in his lap next to the other.His computer displayed a frozen piece of video – one that he’d stolen from the academies security tapes last week - and in the PC’s video display box was a screenshot. In all his years of being a hero he never felt such overwhelming internal conflict like this unless it was concerning life or death. Right now, he had a choice to make that would change the fate of two boys forever and, not for the first time for the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure which choice was right and which choice was wrong. No matter how he looked at the situation something had to be done. He could not stand idly by.He flicked the lights off as he left his office, but after he shut and locked the door behind him the computer screen still glowed for a few minutes more. An icon on his desktop that looked like a little trashcan stood out in blue; inside it, there sat one crumpled-up piece of digital rubbish.     Midoriya had his face pushed his face into Bakugo’s chest. He was stretched like a starfish in the bed and his limbs fell over Bakugo, curling around his body so that they were lying flush together. Bakugo was dead asleep with one arm around Midoriya’s neck. His shallow breathing lifted his bare chest, Midoriya’s face with it, and gentle eased back down in a repetition of peaceful slumber.The sheets were tangled around them. A mix of their clothing littered the floor but both boys were in shorts and socks. The alarm clock glowed 8:00AM but no alarm sounded; after the grip of such a night, the day hesitated to be born lest it wake its sleeping babes, but nevertheless born it must be. Light filled the room. Sunlight slanted over the wall from the cropped window and crept along the All Might posters as it inched towards the bed. When it touched their legs one of them stirred, his lungs filling with crisp morning air. Everything swam back into reality around Bakugo as he lay on his back in a strange place. The ceiling was uneven. The sheets were soft. Beneath him, the mattress was worn yet smooth, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember who it belonged to – or where he was.He felt a body protecting him and blinked until the strange shadow in his vision turned into Midoriya’s dark hair. His heart heaved. Oh, he thought, tightening his grip around his lover’s neck for comfort. Midoriya’s breath tickled his light chest hairs. Bakugo tried to remember how he’d gotten here but it was all a blur. He tasted pizza sauce. Weird. He could never afford pizza. Making a face, he groaned quietly as he strained to stretch his aching muscles, rippling along his body in waves of morning stiffness.A soft moan slipped from Midoriya’s lips. He, too, began to stretch, giving a sigh of happiness as he clung to Bakugo in the brilliant morning light. Bakugo carded his fingers through Midoriya’s thick hair with a dreamy look on his face. “Good morning,” he mumbled and his voice was thick with sleep.“Good morning…” Midoriya gave him a squeeze but showed no signs of moving anytime soon. He resonated with thinly veiled need. A rush of endorphins made Bakugo’s head feel like it was full of helium as he realized that Midoriya needed him, of all people, and he took a shaky breath before he knew it.“I love you,” Bakugo said. Shock stiffened him. Had… he just said what he thought he said? A beat of total silence passed – achingly still – then suddenly he found two big green eyes staring right at him.“What?” Midoriya whispered.Bakugo turned rose red, twisting his neck to hide his face from that vulnerable look. “Nothing. Forget it.”“Say it again!”“Shut up,” Bakugo whispered, but his voice shook.“Kaa-chan…” Midoriya pulled himself up a little, pushing his lips into Bakugo’s neck. They dragged slowly along his bobbing throat. “Please…?”Warm shivers ran up and down Bakugo’s spine. “Don’t do that… don’t do that…!” He begged, but Midoriya’s hands pushed against the flesh of his breast and his lips sank into the spaces he had never wanted anyone to touch before; spots behind his ear, his jaw, and just below his Adam’s apple. All were immensely and pleasurably ticklish. He felt a sleepy horniness grip seep into his bloodstream. His genitals pulsated gently, his hands gripped his lover, and he pinned Midoriya’s mouth with his own in a desperate plea for his sanity. Their tongues rolled together lazily.Their lips drew apart only for breath but still Midoriya managed to speak. “Say it again.”“Don’t make me,” Bakugo pleaded. “Come on, it was one time!”Midoriya’s fingers began to toy with Bakugo’s nipples defiantly. He bent to kiss them, grabbing Bakugo’s hips as a rush of hormones stiffened Bakugo’s morning wood. Opening his mouth he leveled his eyes at Bakugo. “I won’t stop,” his lips said, and his tongue slipped over the stiffened pink tips, savoring the flavor of him.“Fine,” Bakugo croaked, shutting his eyes tight against the feeling of his throbbing member. “I love you… I love you…!” Impossibly warm lips closed his mouth for him. They lay in a loving embrace, cautiously touching lest they break the spell cast over them. The only sound was the wet finality of each kiss as they lay in the morning magic.After a long week of talking on and off about how to get together and spend time alone they’d concluded that Midoriya’s house was the safest place to stay. His mom was always watching TV or at work, and their rooms were on opposite sides of the house. So, they’d convinced her that their budding friendship needed some space. She had been happy to leave them alone all night – but Midoriya was too loud during sex, so they’d yet to do anything besides lying in bed. But Bakugo had slept better last night than he had in his entire life; right now, his heart felt like it was full of sunlight.“You sleep like the dead,” Midoriya mumbled.Bakugo watched him sit up. “Oh yeah? Well, you wiggle like a worm.”Midoriya smiled down at him. “You looked so cute when you were asleep… I didn’t want to miss it.”Bakugo propped himself up on his arm. He reached over and pushed sleep crust from the corner of Midoriya’s eye. “Me?”“Mmhmm…” Midoriya hummed.“I think you have the wrong boyfriend.”“Definitely not!”“I dunno, that engine kid you suck off has a naturally dumb face that probably looks cuter than mine.”“Tenya Ida?” Midoriya asked in surprise.“That one.”“No way!” Laughing, Midoriya pinched Bakugo’s cheek. “You’re much cuter! The angry, brooding look suits you, I think. But you… think Ida is cute?”“No!” Bakugo was blushing madly.Midoriya stared at him. “Really? Is it the glasses?” (Then quieter, to himself in his fanboy voice, “Maybe he’s really into nerds…?”)“NO WAY! What about you?!” Bakugo snapped. “Todoroki seems more your type than I do! All I do is blow shit up,” he muttered. “The guy has two-tone hair for god’s sake!“Todoroki?” Midoriya blushed. “I don’t know, I never thought about it…”“You think he’s cute!”“Well…!”Bakugo groaned and fell back, covering his face with his hands. “Why did I even ask?!”“Kaa-chan… it’s ok if you think another boy is cute,” Midoriya said gently. “I like to know about what you find attractive.”“Why?!”“It’s interesting for me.”“Well, I don’t like it,” Bakugo shot back.“I… I like that you have a type.”“IT’S NOT A TYPE!”“You’re my first choice, Kaa-chan, no matter what,” Midoriya pressed. “You know that, right?”Grumbling, Bakugo declined to answer. He didn’t like this conversation. He tensed up every muscle in his body; he had a bad feeling that he wasn’t going to like where this was going.“I’m connected to you.” Midoriya’s mattress dipped as he lay back down beside him. “I can’t say that about anybody else.”Midoriya leaned down, kissing his stomach, and Bakugo gently pulled him away from his morning wood. “Come on, quit it.”“But…”“I don’t want to talk about it, ok?”“Ok,” Midoriya sighed. “I won’t talk about Ida’s glasses, or his big arms, or even his big thighs –” He cried out as Bakugo pinned him to the bed and burst out laughing. He was curled up catlike on his back and Bakugo had his hands pinned over his head. Bakugo, annoyed, scowled down at him. “You love pushing my buttons.”“Old habits.” Midoriya gave him a dopey smile. His eyes were brilliant in the slanting sunshine. Swallowing, Bakugo tried to hold onto his mild anger but it slipped between his fingers as his heart melted all over his ribs, dripping on his insides like acid. Midoriya’s body was so pale and, despite being solid muscle, still managed to look so goddamn cute. His cherry blossom nipples lifted as his breast swelled with breath. Freckles scattered down the center of his chest but there were no hairs. Bakugo liked it better that way. Although he’d never admit it, he was attracted to the boyish way Midoriya looked. Bakugo softened. “You’re cute,” he said in a low voice. “Why are you so cute?” “Me?” Midoriya blushed.“Freckles,” Bakugo muttered. He bent down and flexed his arms as he brushed his nose along Midoriya’s cheek, giving his earlobe a sultry kiss. “So cute.” He spoke gently into his ear.Midoriya shivered. He strained to get his hands back. “Is that why you like me?”“Yeah, of course. Among other things.”“Like what?” Midoriya asked.“You know. The way you are with me, I guess. Your determination too.” Bakugo sighed as he brushed his lips along Midoriya’s throat, making him smile. “You’re so gentle.” “So are you,” Midoriya protested."No." Bakugo breathed in Midoriya’s scent. “I’m not.”“What do you mean? Of course you are. You’ve never hurt me when -”“I’m not gentle,” Bakugo interrupted. “I’m just being careful. I’ve been biding my time… until I’m ready… to strike…” He ran his tongue over Midoriya’s soft nipple and his lover convulsed in surprise. The delicious tang of Midoriya’s skin changed the way Bakugo used to think about bodies. Every inch of him would taste different, and Bakugo was invigorated by the thought that he got to discover every new flavor as time went on. He hadn’t realized how sensuous he could be until they’d slept together. Now, that’s all he thought about.He held Midoriya down as he protested. Already Bakugo knew what his throat and collar tasted like so he moved down, letting his nose push against the heaving body as he searched for his ribs. The ripples of his bone were harsh. He was too thin. Bakugo could tell he had worked too hard too fast to be this strong; he’d teach him how to eat so he could have some padding. Kissing each rib, Bakugo felt Midoriya’s body language changing from surprise to enjoyment, and he grinned. He wanted to take him on his own bed. Soon. He tasted the skin between his ribs, letting it roll across his tongue, and he pinned both of Midoriya’s hands with only one of his so that the other hand could possessively grab his side. He felt ribs there, too.“Bakugo,” Midoriya managed. “Can I have my hands – please?”“Fine,” Bakugo grumbled, releasing him. He began rubbing both of his palms up and down Midoriya’s sides. Lowering himself further, he felt fingers sinking into his hair as he started kissing Midoriya’s belly. He trailed his tongue along Midoriya’s sparse snail trail from his belly button to the waistband of his shorts. He took the elastic between his teeth.Midoriya lay trembling with anticipation as Bakugo slipped off his shorts and underwear, tangling them around his ankles. He gasped as he felt a tongue on his protruding hip bones. Bakugo’s mouth hovered right by his pelvis. The tender way Bakugo flattened his palms over Midoriya’s chest made Midoriya dizzy – immediately after, his lips parted to release a moan as Bakugo began tasting his most tender places.“Shh,” Bakugo scolded. “Don’t want anyone to hear.”Midoriya whimpered as Bakugo swallowed him whole. It was so sexy…! Midoriya used his free hand to hold his own mouth closed, pushing Bakugo’s head down over his stiffening genitals. The gentle sucking and the rough texture of his tongue drove Midoriya wild.From behind the door came a voice. “Midoriya,” his mother called. “I’m going out! Do you boys want anything to eat?”Midoriya took a deep breath. “No, thanks!” He called, his voice quaking.“I’ll bring you some soup! Bye, honey!”A minute later the front door shut and locked, and Midoriya heaved with relief. His mother didn’t deserve to discover her son like this – he was helplessly moaning while being sucked off by his childhood friend. Those mental scars would never heal. When he was sure he’d counted long enough for his mother to get out of earshot Midoriya released his mouth and moaned at the top of his lungs. His moaning cartwheeled into whining, then pitiful pleas, and then escalated into louder cries as Bakugo fondled him in his mouth.Midoriya bucked his hips hungrily. He’d never felt like this before. So much pleasure throbbed from his cock and spread throughout his entire body, and for the first time he was eager to come. Normally it was a messy process when he did it himself, because… he liked to blow his load sort of everywhere. It wash is guilty secret. Nothing got him off faster than the knowledge that he could spray the shower tiles with his sperm, but he was always worried about getting it on the walls or the counter. In the shower it was simple to clean. Anywhere else, and it could amount to a big mess.Knowing that he would come inside someone turned him on way more. His seed would blow hard and fast, and leak down into Bakugo’s belly… He trapped Bakugo’s head with his hand, gripping the bedsheets with the other. He could barely wait.Bakugo, having similar thoughts, was holding Midoriya down by the chest as he sucked the life from his member. He was just the right size and length to fit perfectly in Bakugo’s mouth. Perfect, Bakugo moaned internally. He’d never felt this way in his life – and he never thought he would be able to feel this way. Sucking off a dude had always seemed revolting to him. In fact, bodies in general put him off, but there was something tantalizing about Midoriya’s naked body that he couldn’t resist. He’d been irresistibly magnetized to Midoriya’s nice red genitals.The drag of his cock against Bakugo’s tongue was like heaven to both of them. Midoriya was so close. He’d stopped moaning and was purely fucking into Bakugo’s mouth as rapidly as he could, the tight suction pushing him close and closer to the edge. Bakugo forced himself to take him to the base until it hit the back of his throat. It was that shove that made Midoriya come. Midoriya clenched his body so tightly as a sticky white stream filled Bakugo’s mouth - orgasm shocked through him like lightning, stars clouding his eyes. He was too surprised to even make noise.The satisfaction of coming in someone’s mouth made the throbbing feel even better as Bakugo swallowed his load and gave him another quick suck, but it jolted Midoriya. Collapsing in a heap, Midoriya let his knees fall apart as he lay fucked and dazed on his own bed. He gasped when Bakugo’s tongue touched his balls and the insides of his thighs, too.Bakugo licked his lips. “You came so damn hard… but I can’t taste anything else with your sticky shit in my mouth,” he groused.“Bakugo…” Midoriya moaned.Sitting up, Bakugo worked his hand into the fly of his shorts and massaged himself; he was as hard as concrete. “I’m just getting started.” He jerked his chin and Midoriya obeyed, weakly turning onto his stomach. Strong hands lifted Midoriya’s hips into the air. The shorts fell off his ankles as Bakugo spread his legs, getting up on his knees.Bakugo plunged one finger into Midoriya for a test run, pumping him easily with his loosened muscles too weak to clench around it, and he was satisfied. Midoriya was ready for him. He didn’t even take off his pants, he just grabbed Midoriya’s narrow hips and took aim. Pleasure sparked in his groin as he slid inside. This time, there was no holding back. He fucked with all the power in his hips and once he started, he didn’t stop.The angle, the strength, and the speed of Bakugo’s motions hit Midoriya’s favorite places like a train barreling out of control hits the first bend in a long dark tunnel. Midoriya took up uncouth moaning again. He was so turned on. His body still echoed with orgasm as new pleasure began to fill his insides. He pushed hard into Bakugo’s thick hot penis as it sank deep inside him and he knew in that moment that despite what might happen or who might see, he would do anything to make dead sure that Bakugo finished inside of him. He couldn’t think, couldn’t move. It felt too good.Bakugo’s fucking started to become wild and uncontrollable. Midoriya pushed his face into his pillow and released a torrent of sexually lewd noises he didn’t know he was capable of making, shocked at the capacity of his body to withstand this kind of pounding. But withstand it did. Waves of ecstasy emanated from deep inside him. Bakugo was assaulting his g-spot, and if he came again all the energy would be totally drained from his body, leaving him helpless. He didn’t care. He wanted Bakugo to come. He needed to feel his body wrapped around Bakugo’s cock while it pulsated with orgasm.I’m being so dirty, Midoriya thought guiltily. Mom would kill me if she knew! But he loved it. His genitals throbbed with each skittering beat of his heart, still reeling from their own finale, and he could feel himself finally syncing up to Bakugo’s thrusts. Midoriya was dizzy with pleasure. His fingers tightened around the pillow as Bakugo’s cock hit a bend.The throaty noises that echoed throughout the room were punctuated only by wet slapping sounds and Bakugo’s desperate panting. Positions changed. Midoriya twisted and curved as Bakugo found new ways to push deeper, to fuck harder. The noises changed, too, but the intercourse didn’t stop. They lost all track of time as they committed the most intimate, taboo act that young couple in love could ever commit.Then suddenly the piercing sound of Midoriya’s ringtone tried to shatter their perfect world. It rang on and on, but no one picked it up. Midoriya could barely think straight now. “Harder,” he pleaded, finally right on the verge of coming. “Daddy, please, harder!”Bakugo obliged. The ringtone was pissing him off and he was almost completely spent, but they was both going to come soon and that was all he could think about. He gave a spurt of rapid-fire fucks and he watched the jiggle of Midoriya’s thigh as he held his leg over his shoulder, pinning the other down to the mattress. So cute. So sexy! He groaned out loud for the first time, and suddenly he felt it. That familiar tickle in his balls began to grow. It spread quickly, overtaking him before he knew it, and he gasped as Midoriya’s body suddenly clenched around him. They were coming at the same time. Midoriya’s convulsions set off a chain reaction; he went dead silent for the first time, Bakugo used the last of his strength trying to get off, and then Midoriya dissolved into a gibbering mess as Bakugo fucked him through his hardest orgasm to date.Bakugo himself gasped as the suction of Midoriya’s body milked him. Midoriya’s clenching convulsions squeezed his cock as hard as it could stand. It was more intense than he’d expected and before he knew it he had squirted his come as deep inside of Midoriya as he could get it, tsunamis of orgasm crashing over his head in successive waves. He was unable to do anything except watch as every drop of ecstasy was vacuumed out of his tip. His muscles were screaming. His cock was exhausted. And as Midoriya’s climax faded, they both froze, desperately trying to regain their bearings. It was futile. They were fucked out.  A crash sounded from somewhere in the house but neither Bakugo nor Midoriya had the energy to be concerned. They were too busy catching their breath and staring at each other listlessly. Hormones had ruled them, and those hormones would be their undoing. Unbeknownst to them there was now a guest in the house with them – and before either could so much as react, the door burst open and Tenya Ida was standing in the middle of Midoriya’s bedroom.“MIDORIYA, ARE YOU -” Ida’s bellowing was cut off very swiftly upon his clapping eyes on the bed where there were two very lewdly positioned boys, one of which being the center of his current anxiety. He had no idea he’d missed the worst of it, however, and felt just as violated and horrified as he would have been if he’d caught them in the act itself instead of just its aftermath. “OH MY -!” He yelped, grabbing his hair. “MIDORIYA – BAKUGO ?! DID HE…? ARE YOU…? OH MY GOD!” And in one swift motion, slammed shut the bedroom door.     Midoriya melted onto the couch freshly clothed, showered, and brimming with humiliation. He covered his face with his hands. The secret was out. Not only had Ida seen him totally naked, but now Bakugo was going to end their relationship because someone had found out. He felt horrible.“I’m so sorry,” Ida babbled, perched anxiously on a chair nearby. “All Might told me something was going on with you, and I thought it was nothing at first and just came over to see what was wrong, but I heard you screaming from outside and I panicked, I just panicked, so I knocked down your mother’s front door – God, it’s mahogany – and… and… I just, I wanted to help and I seriously miss-stepped, I ruined your trust, your privacy – and maybe your very relationship! I’m so sorry, Midoriya! I never meant for this to happen! Please believe me!”Bakugo slouched into the room, heavy with exhaustion and topped off with as much fiery anger as he could muster. “Is he still yammering on?” He snarled.“He didn’t mean to. He was worried.” Midoriya reached out and grabbed the end of his shirt, pulling him down alongside him on the couch. To his relief Bakugo didn’t resist sitting almost on top of him; Midoriya needed to be touching him right now for comfort, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to be able to do that. He seemed just as weak as Midoriya was. When he tried to sit up his arms failed him, so he just sank back, scowling in frustration. He was so angry.Midoriya gulped. “Ida,” he said seriously, looking his friend in the eye. “No one can know about this. No one.”Ida nodded vigorously. “I understand. I’ll never tell a soul. Not ever.”“You better not,” Bakugo snapped. “Or I’ll rip your head off!”“Listen,” Midoriya interjected. “We’re not ready for anyone to know about us, not even you. I appreciate your agreement. But this is very serious. Are you sure you can handle it?”“Yes,” Ida piped. “I swear. I mean, I honestly never considered either of you to be homosexual – although I can tell now, what with your boyish looks and Bakugo’s overflowing testosterone – but I can guarantee that no one else has any idea of this.” He slammed his hands together. “Please trust me, and accept my deepest apologies!”“You’ll accept my deepest something if you mess this up, engine-boy.” Bakugo sneered at him. He grunted as Midoriya elbowed him, but for once he fell into a sullen silence instead of exploding. Midoriya knew he was out of ammo.“We forgive you.” Midoriya sighed. A thought struck him. Wait, why did All Might say something was wrong? I’m totally fine. Unless… He paled. He knows. He has to! There’s a slim chance that it’s something more serious that I’m unaware of, but how else could he send Ida at such a perfect moment? Midoriya’s heart leapt into his throat. Was he watching? Listening? Did he call Ida in here to… break us up? Why?!“Hello?” Ida pressed. “Did you hear me, Midoriya? I said he just called me for recon!”“Recon?” Midoriya asked sharply. “He thought this was an emergency?”“He made it seem that way, yes.”“Did you see anything outside?” Bakugo asked.“No, nothing!”“Then that means…” Midoriya whispered. His entire world came crashing down around him; All Might knew that he’d been taking it up the ass and he was so horrified that he was going to break them up permanently, first by sending someone to interrupt them during sex – too late – and then...“Midoriya,” Ida trembled. “I’m really sorry.”“What?” Midoriya muttered, still thinking.Ida shakily pushed his glasses up his nose. “That’s not all. All Might knew I was fast, so he had me arrive before him, but… he’s coming. All Might himself is on his way here right now.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The doorbell rang. God knows why – there was no door – but the sound alerted all three boys that someone had arrived. At the door that was no longer there stood All Might, suited up in hero mode and grinning as normal. He was actually just crouching in the small doorway waving his hand. All three boys leapt off the couch and gulped at the sight of him.“Young Midoriya! I’ve something urgent to discuss with you!” All Might boomed. “Would you send home your friends so we can talk?”Bakugo stiffened. He didn’t like being told what to do. When he looked at Midoriya he saw pleading fear in his eyes that caused him a lot of unease. Why was he so worried about this? He wasn’t going to just leave him like that, freaked out and tired and alone. He grabbed Midoriya’s hand.“What you say to me can be said in front of him,” Midoriya replied.All Might’s shadowed face considered them both. “Fair enough. Ida! I told you to recon the neighborhood, not to bash down the front door!”Tenya Ida began profusely sweating. “I’m sorry, All Might!” He bowed sharply at the waist. “Forgive my haste!”“It’s fine. But right now, I need to talk to these young men.”“Right!” Ida glanced at the couple. “Good luck, you two.” He passed All Might nervously and hit the street, his engine calves blowing smoke as he sped away.Midoriya suppressed his fear. “Please, come in,” he said, and he offered All Might a chair in the living room.“Thank you, young Midoriya.” All Might stepped inside and eased onto the small chair. It groaned beneath his weight. “I’ll have to change back for this conversation. Have you told him?”Midoriya shook his head no.“Good.” In a burst of steam the great hero vanished, and in his place sat the real All Might – an anorexic blond man with piercing blue eyes and haunting features.Bakugo leapt out of his skin. “WHAT THE F-”“Young Bakugo,” All Might interrupted. “I’ll have to leave my explanation for later on account of my current business here, but I trust you’ll keep this to yourself.”Shocked, Bakugo stared at him. “You... you’re…” He swallowed and sank down onto the couch. “Right.”Midoriya remained standing, one hand clutching Bakugo’s fingers and the other hand clenched into a fist. “Why did you send Ida here?” He demanded. “To see if your mother was on her way. I’d hate for her to drop in in the middle of our conversation.” All Might crossed his arms. “But it looks like we have no choice now since he broke down your door. I really didn’t tell him to do that. Why did he do that, anyway?”“He heard me yelling and thought I was in danger,” Midoriya muttered, dazed. He sank down onto the couch. “So you didn’t know we were…?”“Know you were doing what?” All Might asked.Oh, thank God, Midoriya thought.“Boxing,” Bakugo lied.Oh my God, Midoriya thought.“Sure you were.” All Might shifted uncomfortably. “Look, that’s what I wanted to talk to you guys about. I know about you two. I don’t know if it’s a fling or a relationship, but there was footage at school taken of you two outside the building during lunch and I have to say… I’m disappointed in what’s going on.”“What? Why?” Bakugo snapped defensively. He was taunt as a tiger; two people figuring them out in one day, one of them the top hero in the world - who also happened to be their teacher. What else could go wrong? Beside him, Midoriya looked like a statue carved out of marble except for his bright red face and gaping jaw.“Because you did it on school property,” All Might explained. “And also because it worries me. I deleted the video before more than two people saw it – myself and the security guy manning the cameras - but what we did see was pretty intense. Now… Midoriya is my student, but you’re both in the hero course, so that makes both of you partly my responsibility.” He crossed his arms. “Having sex on school property is against the law - this cannot happen again.”“It wasn’t like we planned it,” Bakugo protested.“That doesn’t matter!” All Might snapped. “Midoriya, I can’t believe you would let something like this happen. You of all people know it’s not right.”“I’m sorry!” Midoriya burst.Slapping his knees, All Might leaned forward. “But at school, Midoriya!”“There’s no excuse! I know that!” Midoriya cried. “It had been a hard month and I was feeling really down, and Kaa-chan and I are sort of dating and I was depressed about what was going on so I tried to talk to him but I just… I just…” He rubbed his eyes vigorously. “I know I shouldn’t have. But I just…”“Just what?” All Might pushed.“I just feel so happy when I’m with him,” Midoriya trembled. “I’ve never been able to talk to him before, not like we do now! It’s like… it’s like having my best friend back.” He stared at his lap, rubbing tears off his face. “I’ve never felt like this before. I don’t know what to do with all these feelings - I don’t have anywhere to put them.”Bakugo, pale, stared at him. Sure, shit like this was tough for him to sort out, but he never imagined how hard it must be for someone as empathetic as Midoriya to deal with him, and his abuse, and then turn right around and have sex with that person and entrust them with his happiness. He made a solemn vow to himself to think about Midoriya’s feelings more. He had no choice. If he was going to keep doing this with him, he had to take care of Midoriya. “Izuku,” he whispered. He turned to All Might. “I’m to blame. I started what happened and Midoriya just went along with it.”“I saw the video so I know it was mutual – but I respect you trying to take responsibility,” All Might said. “I was surprised by you the most, Bakugo. I thought you hated Midoriya.”“Yeah, well…” Bakugo glanced at Midoriya as he dried his eyes. “I woke up.” Their eyes met. A smile spread across Midoriya’s face that lit him up like the fourth of July, and Bakugo turned his eyes back to All Might. They were steely. “I did start it. I grabbed him first.”“It’s over now,” All Might sighed. “But I can’t condone this relationship if this will be the result.”Midoriya shrank visibly.Bakugo’s fury flashed to life. “Who the fuck are you to tell us if we can or can’t date?”“You’re too reckless!” All Might boomed. “Both of you!”“I don’t care what we are!” Bakugo roared. “It’s our fucking choice so butt-the-fuck out!”“Kaa-chan!” Midoriya protested.“No, he’s wrong,” Bakugo argued. “We did that one time – once! We made a mistake! People make mistakes every goddamn day, it doesn’t mean they get their right to live revoked!”All Might stared at them. “Your powers are going to act up and you’ll both get hurt,” he persisted.“Todoroki is living proof that quirks don’t interfere with sex. His mom is the ice chick and his dad is always on fire – and they have lots of kids!” Bakugo pulled Midoriya closer by his hand and put his arms around him protectively. “You can’t tell us we don’t have a right to make mistakes! You can’t tell us we don’t have the right to be in love!”Bakugo felt Midoriya curling into him; Midoriya was strong, but hearing that his mentor and lifelong hero disapproved of them being together was probably tearing his little heart to shreds. Midoriya clutched Bakugo’s shirt. His face was hidden in Bakugo’s shoulder. He wanted nothing to do with this conversation - not anymore. He wished All Might would just go away and leave them alone because he could barely stand to talk about their relationship, let alone give them a break, and that broke him. All Might was disgusted.All Might fell silent. He looked from Bakugo to Midoriya and back again, shock showing on his narrow face. “Look at what you’re doing to him!” Bakugo’s voice was low and accusing.“I didn’t have obscene intercourse at a private hero academy!” All Might blurted.“It wasn’t even intercourse! It was oral and third base!”“That doesn’t make it any less obscene!”“Is it obscene because it was mutual?” Bakugo challenged. “Was it because we were a couple caught having a private moment, or is this really because you don’t like your star pupil getting railed by the biggest dick in class 1-A?”A dead silence fell. Nothing moved. No one breathed. Dissing All Might was probably the worst idea Bakugo ever had in his entire life. He knew that. But he couldn’t sit idly by as this man passed judgements on his happiness and Midoriya’s – it wasn’t right. No one was going to tell Bakugo that he couldn’t be with Midoriya. It wasn’t fair to them and their future, whether that be together or not.All Might looked away from Bakugo’s intense stare. “Maybe it is about you.”Bakugo put a hand on the back of Midoriya’s head. “Just say it. You hate queers.”“I don’t!” All Might snapped. “You’re just that hot-headed kid Midoriya saved before he even had any powers and he’s… God, he’s like my son!” He swore quietly in English as both of them stared at him with wide eyes. “I don’t understand why he wants this, but… you’re right. It’s not my choice. It’s his.”Midoriya’s heart ached. “All Might.”Getting up, All Might sighed. “If you won’t listen to me, I can’t stop you. But would you at least promise me you’ll keep that kind of thing at home, indoors somewhere? Without cameras? In this day and age, if anything like that gets leaked it could ruin your careers! I don’t want you to get arrested, either!” He scolded.“We’ll be more careful.” Bakugo monotoned.All Might turned to leave, stomping to the doorway. “And wear a condom for God’s sake!”“Yeah, yeah!” Bakugo held Midoriya in place when he tried to stop him. “Let him go. He’s gotta deal with this on his own.” He whispered. When All Might had cleared the house Bakugo released Midoriya, eyeing the doorway in case he got second thoughts and tried to come back. The last thing he needed to do was make himself look worse in front of Midoriya. He’d already made it clear his choice of boyfriend was poor.To Bakugo’s surprise, Midoriya got up and walked away from him. He watched him go as confusion welled up in his chest. “Midoriya?”Midoriya went into his room slowly, dreamlike, and then swung the door shut behind him. It was all very final. Too final for Bakugo. Had he done something wrong? Was he just in shock? Bakugo crossed the room in two steps and knocked hard on the door between him and his lover, looking at the carpet for any signs of movement underneath the door. “Midoriya, I’m really sorry,” he called. “I know he’s just worried about you and that everything will be ok. I promise.” He paused. After a few seconds passed without an answer, he sighed and rubbed his neck. Maybe he needed some space.Bakugo didn’t understand, what had he done? He left Midoriya alone and went to pick his stuff up off the floor, filling his backpack as he went. Had he pushed too far? All Might was Midoriya’s hero! Why did he have to be so against them dating? Asshole. Bakugo picked up the door and heaved it back into place, checking the bolts. They’d just popped out. He could fix that. He dug around in the kitchen drawers until he found a screwdriver and a hammer, then he set to fixing the door. They’d come so far… he was finally being selfless for once, Midoriya said he was happy when they were together… Now this…? Bakugo straightened the door. He really was a shitty boyfriend, wasn’t he? Picking fights, ignoring Midoriya, being overly angry and selfish… He hammered the twisted plates of metal around the bolts until they were straight again and began to replace the bolts. They went in easy and tight. He moved to the next pair. He had to be better. He had to try harder.Bakugo fixed the door, testing it a few times. Their deadbolt was done for and they’d definitely need new locks, but otherwise they had a working door again. He laced on his red sneakers. He was ready to go; he couldn’t think of anything he’d left behind, but he didn’t want to just go like this. It felt wrong. Quickly he kicked off his sneakers and he walked swiftly to Midoriya’s bedroom door and he knocked on it again, determined to open it if he didn’t answer. “Midoriya! I’ll head home soon!” Silence answered him. Angrily, he pushed open the door, and ran smack into Midoriya.“Ow!” Midoriya cried when their heads collided, staggering back clutching his forehead.“I’m so sorry!” Bakugo shook the stars from his eyes and touched Midoriya’s face. “Are you ok? God, I always do this! I was just gonna say goodbye… I didn’t want to hurt you…”“What…? It was an accident, it’s -”“It’s not fine!” Bakugo blurted.“Kaa-chan?” Midoriya stared at him, one hand over his hurt forehead.“Sorry. I wanted to see if you were… ok. Are you ok?”“I’m… all right. I just need some space to think.”“Ok, good. I’ll go home.”Midoriya grabbed his shoulder as he turned on his heel to go. “Wait! What do you mean about hurting me?”After a minute, Bakugo replied. “Look at what I did.”“What?”“All Might! I yelled at your hero!” Bakugo drew away from him. “It’s my fault for always tormenting you. If I hadn’t been such a jerk, we wouldn’t have needed to date. We’d just be friends. Normal friends, like normal people. I always had to hurt you. I had to have a rival so compare myself to, and eventually it built up so big I couldn’t hold it anymore.”“You haven’t hurt me outside a school match since I saved you!” Midoriya protested.Bakugo stared at him. “You think what I do now is any less abusive?”Midoriya returned his gaze, confused. “You have a bad temper. You’re… doing better. I don’t understand, are you saying you wish we didn’t have to date?”“No!” Bakugo blurted. He flushed. What was he saying?“You’re not doing anything wrong, Kaa-chan. Everything is fine. I came out because I wanted to thank you for sticking up for us.”Bakugo wavered. “I wanted to protect… us.”“You did.” Midoriya studied him. “I… should have said something, but… I couldn’t. You really saved me.”“W-What? I didn’t -”“You did. I can’t stand up to him, Kaa-chan, but you were right. No one can tell us who we’re allowed to have sex with, or… who we can love.”Bakugo looked away.“What is it?”“Nothing.”Touching his arm, Midoriya stepped up close to him. “What is it, Kaa-chan?”“I just…” Bakugo’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I wish you’d love someone better than me.”Midoriya stiffened, his eyes wide.Bakugo glanced at him briefly. “I’m going home.” He moved away from Midoriya’s hand; it slipped away, hanging loosely at his side. Bakugo turned his back on his way to the door. When he reached it, he bent down and laced up his sneakers again. He straightened. “I fixed the door. You’re gonna need a new lock.”“…Thank you. Bye, Kaa-chan.”The door closed tightly behind him.   Bakugo was in the bath when his phone rang. His red eyes snapped over to the counter where it lay blasting rock music not far out of reach. He knew it was Midoriya, but did he really want to pick it up after everything that had happened today? It had been twelve hours without any word from him. Normally they texted a little; small things, you know.Sitting up slowly, Bakugo plucked his phone off his folded towel. “Hello?”“Kaa-chan! You’re still awake!”“Uh, yeah. I guess.” Bakugo glanced at the misted clock on the wall that vaguely read 12am. Was it that late already? He sat back in the tub, careful not to drop his phone. “What’s up?”“I… wanted to see you.”“Now?”Bakugo heard rather than saw Midoriya balk at the idea of being assertive, but he made his boyfriend proud. “Y-Yes!”“I see. Where are you?” “I, uh, I’m down the street at the shop. By your house.”Bakugo’s jaw dropped. “What?!”“I’m buying something to eat and I’m coming over in fifteen minutes bye!”Click. Bakugo stared at his phone. He was dating a moron. Climbing out of the tub, he grumbled as he quickly dried himself and ran his fingers through his damp hair. He was dressed in a white t-shirt and red boxers in under thirty seconds but when he got to his room he had sweats on in only ten seconds more. He spent the next ten minutes throwing around the mess that was his room and throwing away all the garbage he’d built up over the month, lifting seven or eight empty sticky cups to haul them into the kitchen.When he emerged to fill the sink his mother was on her way out. “Katsuki, I’m going to get drinks with the girls from work. I’ll be back late.”“It’s already late,” Bakugo grumbled, and received a backhand for his troubles.“There’s frozen pizza if you’re hungry.”Bakugo rubbed the back of his head as he scrubbed the dishes. “My friend is coming over with dinner.”His mother, a 5’9 blonde vixen and the origin of his explosive spikey hair, turned slowly to look at her sixteen-year-old son. He was fresh out of the bath and washing his own dishes for the first time in a month, desperately trying to look and be cleaner than his natural grunge. She narrowed her eyes. “Is it a girl?” She hissed.“No, of course not,” Bakugo snapped. “It’s Izuku Midoriya.”That only threw her off more. She stared at him. “Ok. Well, don’t burn the place down. I have insurance but the neighbors finally like us – we’ll never have that again after your… interesting… childhood.”“Whatever.”Bakugo carefully organized the dishes on the drying rack and wiped his hands on his black sweats. He was digging in the fridge for something to drink when the door closed behind his mother. Wait… what if Midoriya meets…? He jumped onto the counter, pushing his face against the window to look at the street but it was too late. They were already chatting by the garden door. “Oh my God no!” He whispered.Sliding off the counter, he darted to the front door but his big clumsy feet tripped him up and he went sprawling into the foyer. Not mom! He thought desperately as he pulled himself together. She’ll ruin everything! When he regained his footing, he yanked open the door and there in the darkness stood Midoriya holding a lunch box. His mother was nowhere in sight.“She let you live?” Bakugo demanded.“You’re mom? Yeah, she’s great. I haven’t seen her since we were in middle school.” Midoriya laughed. “She’s not so scary!”“You don’t live with her.” Bakugo stepped back to let him inside. “It’s dark, come in.”“You don’t like the dark?” Midoriya obeyed, taking off his shoes at the step. He stood patiently as Bakugo brushed passed him, bobbing after him into the house. It was nothing like he’d pictured it. Everything was modern and brightly colored, but little messes collected in the key bowl, in the corners, and on the counters where all families show signs of occupying a house.“I don’t like the idea of you alone in the dark,” Bakugo clarified.Midoriya smiled as they went in the kitchen. He spread the table with the things he’d bought; some chicken kebabs, sodas, and sweets with green packages. “You’re such a protective person. Is it just me?”“Probably. I’m selfish that way.” Bakugo tossed napkins onto the table and brought over two plates and forks.“There’s nothing selfish about caring about somebody.”Bakugo pulled out Midoriya’s chair and they sat down. “Yes there is.” He glanced at him. “Thank you for the meal. Why were you at the shop?”Midoriya blushed as he ate. “I was nervous about calling. It took me almost an hour.”“To call me?!” With his mouth full of chicken, it sounded more like, ‘Fofall mehe?’“Yeah!”Bakugo reached over and pushed Midoriya’s plate closer to him. He swallowed his food. “Wuss. I’m your boyfriend. You can always call me.”“Even if… something’s off?” Midoriya asked quietly.Bakugo met his eyes. “Especially if somethings off.”Relieved, Midoriya looked down at his food, poking it. “Can I… talk about it now?”“Yes.” Bakugo polished off his chicken and sat back, cracking the soda open. “Go ahead.”Midoriya put down his fork and clasped his hands in his lap. “Kaa-chan… I want you to know that… even if everybody hates us… being together… or, you know, if somehow more people find out…” He glanced up timidly. “I don’t really care. I started this relationship with you because it was important to me that we stop fighting and start working together by sort of letting go of our anger, and it’s really been healthy for the both of us. I mean… for a while I was scared you didn’t want what to do this because we didn’t talk, but I understand now that I sort of pushed the envelope by challenging you to have sex with me. I know now that you want the same things because… well, because I can feel it from you. I didn’t expect you to be this receptive. Really. I thought we’d just get it all out in one go, but you were so, I don’t know. Hungry. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until we slept together.” He sat back, feeling shy. “I don’t know.”“Yes, you do,” Bakugo argued. “Keep going. What’s your point? Hungry for what?”“Love,” Midoriya said.“I see.”“No one ever treated me like you treated me. It was a new experience for both of us. I was always reaching out to you, trying to make sure you were ok, but I never touched you. Never. You didn’t let me. But I was desperate – I needed to touch you someday. I needed to touch your heart. When I finally did, I understood why I’d been reaching for you all these years and why I’ll always reach for you.” Midoriya’s lips parted. “Kaa-chan… I really love your honesty, your temper, the way you dive into a fight, your whole crazy personality – you’re one of the best young heroes I know, and I’ve always been proud of you for aiming high in your life. But the side of yourself you’ve managed to show me has been much more than all of that combined. You’re amazing.” He leveled Bakugo with his eyes. “I love you. Kaa-chan.”Bakugo’s face was frozen in awe. “Shit,” he whispered.“A+ answer.”“Sorry –! I’m just… Same. Same here.” Bakugo cleared his throat. “I was afraid for all my life that if I ever let you get to me that everything would be ruined. My popularity, my power, my strength, everything. Because I thought you were weak. I was wrong. You’ve showed me more kindness than anyone deserves and I can guarantee it that no matter how you make me feel, I don’t deserve it. I just don’t.” He held up his hand when Midoriya tried to interrupt him. “You can’t change my mind, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it. In fact I appreciate it a lot more because I don’t deserve it. I’m sorry if I ever make you feel like I don’t love every second of being in your presence because I swear to God that I do.” He leaned forward, holding out his hand, and Midoriya locked hands with him. “I’m who I am because you cared about me. Because you were the only one brave enough to face me. Because you were the only person who wanted me to be more than… my anger. I love you, too, Midoriya.”“Call me Izuku,” Midoriya said suddenly.“C-Can I?”“When you said it around All Might, I thought it sounded perfect.”“Izuku.” Bakugo smiled. “Got it.”They leaned across the table and kissed, pulling each other closer with their locked arms. Bakugo rested his palm in the curve of Midoriya’s neck. Midoriya took a handful of his shirt.“Wanna see my room?” Bakugo muttered into his mouth.“I especially wanna see your bed,” Midoriya grinned. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Mom?” Midoriya pushed open the door to his room, rubbing his eyes. He’d just heard the bathroom door slam and that meant she was almost on her way out the door for work, but he’d overslept a little on his plans. The floor was cold beneath his bare feet as he found her in the kitchen pouring coffee. “Hey, can I talk to you?”“I’m just on my way out, Izuku. What is it?”“I’m gay.”His mother dropped her coffee pot and it rolled away on the counter, leaving a river of hot coffee water in its wake. She scrambled to grab it and grab a washcloth to mop it up, swiftly soaking it before it got on the floor. When she finally looked at him all he saw was surprise – no disgust or fear like he’d pictured in his head all month. His heart clenched but she just blinked at him. “Really?”“Yeah,” he said weakly. “I’ve been dating Katsuki Bakugo for almost two months.”“Bakugo? Really?” The even tone of her voice was almost a feign of surprise but with a hint of reality, and Midoriya began to wonder.“Yeah.” He said.“Goodness,” Mrs. Midoriya mumbled. “Didn’t see that coming. You’re such a nice boy, and he’s a bit… rough?” “You could say that.”She looked at him intently. Her eyes shone with caring. “Ok, honey. Thanks for telling me.”“Y-You’re not…?” Midoriya flushed. “Upset?” “Upset? No!” His mother wave her hands avidly. “Of course not! I’m just surprised that you wanted to tell me now, after all those years of chasing Bakugo around as a kid. I thought you’d find another boy before you ever dated him.” Midoriya was horrified. “You knew?!” “Honey, you never were interested in girls! Just in All Might and… Bakugo. I know my own child.”“But I… I never…!”“Of course you never knew! You didn’t care about anything except your career, and I respected that!”“You’re really ok with it?!” She walked over to her son and hugged him tightly. “I love you, Izuku. Just be careful, ok? I’m worried about you and that boy.”All Might said the same thing. Midoriya hugged his mother guiltily, looking away.                         Midoriya’s breath hitched as Bakugo pushed him down onto the twisted bed in the dark, kissing his throat, his hands moving the length of his body. They rut together gently. The best part about Bakugo’s house was that no one ever barged in for fear of their lives so no matter who came and went, no one bothered them. Plus, his mom was always talking loudly on the phone with her headphones on, so she never heard them when Midoriya got loud in bed.Taking Bakugo’s face in his hands, Midoriya kissed it sweetly all over, tangling his arms around Bakugo’s neck as he pushed open Midoriya’s legs and resting his entire body weight on him. They’d been seeing each other every other day for a month. The days apart seemed like they were too long, but with that good space between meetings they were always left wanting more. Midoriya lay back, sated. His fingers moved lazily through Bakugo’s hair. Besides the day he got his powers, he’d never been happier in all his life.“Did you tell her?” Bakugo asked with his lips against his ear.Midoriya grunted. “Yeah, I did. She said she knew. She just didn’t know about you.”“Shit.” Bakugo sighed. “Now I have to tell my mom.”“Are you ready? If you’re not ready you don’t have to,” Midoriya said worriedly. “I know how she is.”“Yeah.” Bakugo glanced at his bedroom door. “I don’t know.”Midoriya squeezed his neck. “Don’t worry about it.” Silently Bakugo held him, hiding his face. His hands curled up behind Midoriya’s head to cradle it in his dangerous palms. They felt soft against Midoriya’s skull. Bakugo was hard – Midoriya felt it – but he seemed reluctant to move away from this position. Protective, as always. Midoriya twisted locks of blond hair between his fingers thoughtfully. “You’ve been somewhat docile lately, Kaa-chan. Is there something on your mind?” “I don’t know how to… ask.”“For what?”Bakugo tensed. “Nothing. Forget it.”Pausing, Midoriya turned his face and touched his lips to Bakugo’s ear. “It’s ok to ask me, come on. I won’t bite.”“I don’t know.”“Yes, you do, come on. What is it? Is it something I’m not doing?” Bakugo went quiet. Worried, Midoriya held his breath. “Is it?”Suddenly Bakugo lifted his torso up, balancing on his elbows as he looked down at Midoriya. It made his pelvis heavier and his concrete member pressed hard into Midoriya’s thigh. His eyes were guarded. “I want to switch. Sometimes. Not all the time.”Midoriya blinked up at him. “Switch?”“You know. Switch.”“Sorry, Kaa-chan, I don’t understand…?”Bakugo swore quietly. “I want you… inside me,” he forced.“Oh!” Midoriya gaped. “Really?”Bakugo put his face to Midoriya’s chest. “Don’t give me that face…”“No, it’s fine, I’m sorry!” Midoriya touched his head. “I didn’t know you wanted me to. I let you lead, that’s why I’ve never tried it the other way.”“Well…” Bakugo groaned as he rolled over onto his side, leaning his head in his palm. “That first time, I felt how much you liked it and I wanted to always make you feel… like that. And I like it. A lot. But…”“You don’t have to explain it to me if you don’t want to.”“I want to explain it,” Bakugo pressed. “Listen… I just want to try. We’ve done everything else, you know? Almost. And I’ve liked it all, but I’ve felt like something’s… missing. I don’t know.”“Ok. I understand.” Midoriya blushed. “Am I big enough?”Bakugo rubbed his thigh. “You’re perfect, shut up.”Smiling, Midoriya looked up into his swimming eyes. “You were so scared to ask. Are you sure you want it?”“Shut up! Of course I’m sure!”Midoriya sat up a bit, leaning close enough to kiss him. “Wanna try it now?”“Can we?” Bakugo asked anxiously.“Definitely,” Midoriya grinned. He pulled Bakugo back on top of him and their hungry mouths met. Midoriya reached between Bakugo’s legs and teased his swollen groin. “Can I have this first?”“Yeah,” Bakugo breathed, moving the fly of his boxers aside. “He can’t stop thinking about you.”“I can’t stop thinking about him.” Midoriya closed his hand around Bakugo’s thick hot member and Bakugo moaned gently. Midoriya jacked it off loosely, the way he liked it, watching his face as Bakugo dragged his lips along Midoriya’s jaw. He stuck his tongue out and Bakugo took the bait. Doing it by hand always took a bit longer to make him come. Midoriya knew it was important for him to be relaxed before they tried switching positions because when they’d first had sex Midoriya had been so turned on by the sight of Bakugo that he’d loosened up quick around the first fingers. He had to make sure Bakugo felt the same way. This was a good start.Bakugo’s body heaved under his touch. He was sensitive down there all the time when they were together like this but he had much more control than Midoriya did; sometimes in class when they sat aisles apart, Midoriya would get hard thinking about Bakugo holding him down in bed. But Bakugo always seemed surprised when Midoriya touched him.Bakugo gave a hard fuck into Midoriya’s hand and pleasure racked his groin. There was no one he trusted more than Midoriya with his body, and it always itched to be touched by him; it was all he thought about when they were apart. He’d always had rough hands pushing him around all his life. Now, he got to feel Midoriya’s touch with the most gentle, loving hands, and he was addicted. These hands belonged to him. He could try to remember how they felt when Midoriya was gone, but nothing compared to that first touch after a day apart. Nothing.Bakugo groaned lustily as Midoriya’s grip tightened. He pumped his hips up and down, hanging his body weight on his arms, and bent his head. It felt so good. His cock was trembling with pleasure. God, he was so spoiled. He’d never sleep with another boy again. Turning his head, he sank his teeth into Midoriya’s lower lip as the other boy came in for a kiss. Midoriya gasped at the sudden pain but it turned him on. Bakugo released him and they battled briefly with their tongues. Bakugo fought hard to push his tongue down Midoriya’s throat and the other boy opened up his throat to take it. So fucking hot… Bakugo thought, rolling his tongue around in Midoriya’s mouth sensuously.He felt a hand on his balls and gasped through his nose. The hand was creeping back further, prodding his body in new places no one had touched before, and Bakugo forced himself not to tremble. He wanted this so badly. He’d been feeling strongly about how it worked between them and how he wanted it to be totally equal, and letting Midoriya fuck him was the last big step. He couldn’t believe it was finally happening.Midoriya’s middle finger prodded his hole and he rolled his hips into it. It sank in. A burst of new pleasure filled him. What was this? Bakugo’s tongue slipped from Midoriya’s mouth and he hid his face as he encouraged Midoriya’s hands to touch him more, drowning himself in it. The finger pumped in and out of him with the motion of his hips. The deeper it got, the better he felt, and the tighter the feeling in his balls was. How could this feel just as good as fucking Midoriya did? He was trembling anyway; he going to come soon.Midoriya funneled all his focus into keeping a tight grip on Bakugo’s cock and at the same time pushing deeper inside of him. He calculated each new move carefully. Suddenly Bakugo released a throaty moan and went quiet and Midoriya pushed hard to jack him off, fighting the intensity of Bakugo’s body. Bakugo fucked hard into both hands as orgasm exploded in his groin. He released another desperate sound, rolling his hips, and he gave one last good fuck into Midoriya’s hand before becoming very still. He poised panting quietly. His seed covered Midoriya’s bare stomach.“How does it feel?” Midoriya asked, continuing to pump his finger in and out of his hole. His other hand hung loosely around Bakugo’s throbbing member in a reluctant attempt to avoid letting it go. Bakugo moaned hard in reply, unable to form words. He spread his legs more. “Here,” Midoriya gently lifted one of Bakugo’s hands and touched it to the lump in his own boxers. “He’s nervous.”Obediently Bakugo slid his hand up Midoriya’s boxer leg and grasped his shy cock, prompting it to stiffen back to life. He rubbed it fondly despite his incoherent state. It wasn’t the size but the shape of his cock that Bakugo liked; it looked gentle, soft, and tasty, but he knew from experience that it worked extremely well. He couldn’t see it under the boxers but he could picture it in his head. Sometimes when he was at home in a bad mood, he would lay in bed and think about Midoriya and his cute penis, and when he woke from his reverie he always felt better. There was something strangely compelling about it. Bakugo was a little worried that he liked a body part so much, but he’d always been fond of his own, so he didn’t greatly concern himself with the idea.From those thought spells he’d formulated the question: what did Midoriya feel when he was inside him? What would he feel if they switched? And his strong affection for Midoriya’s cute penis changed a little. He didn’t just want to see it anymore – he wanted to feel it, too. Right now he was only feeling fingers and already his body was reacting in new ways, radiating from his insides instead of his outsides. Midoriya’s other hand hovered around his exhausted penis. When he jolted a little, it bumped along his palm and its increased sensitivity shocked him. He couldn’t tell if he liked it but what he did like was Midoriya being possessive of his body parts.A second finger poked its way inside him and acute pain shot through his body. “Stop,” he yelped. Bakugo shut his eyes and he froze. He was trembling with agony; his hole was burning and he didn’t understand what had happened. Was it too tight? Why? And how was he going to take a dick if two fingers didn’t fit?Midoriya quickly withdrew both fingers, his face twisted with fright. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, are you ok?” He cried.“I… yeah. That really hurt.”“I-I’ve never done it before, maybe I did it wrong.”“No, I don’t think I was ready.” Bakugo shifted his hips as the pain began to lessen. “It was going well before. Let’s try again.”“Are you sure?”“Yeah.”Midoriya tried to repeat his first motion but this time Bakugo was way too tight. “You’re too tense. Relax.”“Sorry,” Bakugo whispered shakily.“It’s ok, you’re nervous.”“Yeah…”They kissed tenderly. Midoriya rubbed his balls, trying to persuade him to relax. “You’re so sexy, Kaa-chan… I love your body… It’s so hard all over, but right here it’s so soft…” He gave a small moan as Bakugo tightened his grip on his cock. “He’s ready now - don’t tease him too much.”Bakugo slowly relaxed under his touch. They kissed in a lazy fashion enjoying the flavor of each other, and as Midoriya’s finger prodded Bakugo again, this time it went in smoothly. Bakugo opened up his body. It felt just like last time. He focused very hard on Midoriya’s cute teasing and not on the pain he’d been in before. Then he was ready for more. Midoriya felt his urgency as they kissed. He eased in the second finger as gently as he could, pushing against Bakugo’s insides, and this time all he felt was lust closing in around him. Midoriya’s cock twitched.Releasing a small noise of pleasure, Bakugo broke the kiss. “I’m ready,” he said. “Sit up.”Midoriya obeyed. He withdrew his fingers and worked into a good sitting position against the headboard, psyching himself up. He was scared but he had to stay hard for this to work. When Bakugo pulled a condom off the shelf and held his gaze as he rolled it onto Midoriya’s cock, Midoriya got the distinct idea that it was not going to be difficult for him to stay hard anymore. Bakugo sensuously pulled off his boxers; they slipped right to the floor.Midoriya’s heart was pounding and he was as hard as concrete. He grabbed Bakugo’s hips. They moved into position, their bare bodies eager to be physically connected. Bakugo didn’t give himself time to be concerned. He knelt over Midoriya and began to lower himself. Midoriya, holding his cock in place, gently pulled Bakugo forward until he was right on top of it. Then he touched the slick tip against Bakugo’s hole and pushed.It slid right in. Bakugo gave a loose groan as he eased down onto Midoriya’s hips, his hole sparking with ecstasy. He put both hands on Midoriya’s shoulders and pushed down as far as he could get, his tight hole filled with Midoriya’s cock. It was so much better than he’d imagined.“Kaa-chan… oooh…” Midoriya breathed, massaging his hips with both hands. “It’s so tight…”“I know…!” Bakugo managed. God, it was in so deep! He had no idea his body went on that far.  “Fuck,” Bakugo moaned. It was pressing on his insides, rubbing him in just the right way, and he wanted more. Much more. He arched his back and lifted his hips a little before sinking them back down, sucking up Midoriya’s cock again. The tight drag was so good. He released a shaky breath before locking lips with Midoriya and leaning forward in his lap, bouncing his hips up and down just like that. Midoriya moaned into his mouth as he fucked Bakugo.Bakugo had to admit that he was holding back noises of his own. He was suddenly embarrassed to feel so good with a boy inside him, heaving against it with such vigor and touching a boy’s bare flesh this way while he pleased himself. He’d been ok with fucking a boy since it was just like fucking a girl; put the cock in, pound it, finish. But this was different. He was the submissive body now. Midoriya was railing him, slippery condom and all, and it was exciting for Bakugo to come to terms with his sexuality this way – while he was amidst the weakened restraints of his old prejudice about boys liking boys.I’m gay. I love boys, he thought. I love Midoriya - I want to fuck him for the rest of my life. I’d do anything for him. Anything. He let go of his inhibitions. His fear dissipated. He released his desperate pleas into the air between them, begging for more between long, aching moans that shook his core. Horny, ravenous, he rode Midoriya like a bucking bronco, savoring the slapping noises their bodies made and forcing himself to endure a little self-humiliation in the grips of such pleasure.Midoriya was dizzy with pleasure himself. He strained to fuck Bakugo’s roiling hips, so hungry for the hot body on his lap that he was already feeling the twinge of climax in his balls. He grabbed Bakugo’s ass to angle it in a way that made it more pleasurable for both of them and began to picture how hot it would be to come inside him like this without a condom. Don’t do that, he begged his brain. I’ll come too soon!The pound of Bakugo’s body was more than he’d expected it to be. It always seemed easy for Bakugo to hold out a long time when he was inside him, spending maybe two hours and three or four different angles shoving his throbbing member in and out of Midoriya’s hungry hole. But the intensity of fucking this way – the constant squeezing and pressure a cock was supposed to endure until it orgasmed – was so focused in this one area that Midoriya was losing control. He’d been jacked off and sucked off many times before, but nothing compared to being inside someone. It was so demanding - and so intimate! They were connected at the waist and it was him connecting them!Midoriya tried to focus on just the movement of his hips and keeping Bakugo in the right position, but it was all too much; the hot naked body of his lover clinging to him and fucking him, the insides of that body clenching his cock, the noises they were making together… Groaning in frustration, he struggled to hold back but he couldn’t. He released a high-pitched moan and thrust up hard into Bakugo, blowing his load into the condom. Orgasm seized him in its clutches. He was pulsating as Bakugo continued to bear down on him over and over, sending new waves of intense ecstasy to drown his senses, until he thought he was going to lose his mind at the sensitivity of his member.Midoriya finally had to grab Bakugo’s hips and stop him. “I can’t,” he panted helplessly. “I’m done, I can’t do anymore!”“Ok,” Bakugo panted. He moved back enough to give Midoriya’s genitals breathing room and sat back on his legs, exhausted. His heart was thundering. He could still feel Midoriya’s penis inside him, pounding the walls of his insides, and it made him hard again.Midoriya rubbed his face. “Sorry.”Touching himself absently, Bakugo looked at him. “Why?”“I came too fast…” Midoriya groaned, going slack against the headboard. “You’re just so sexy… I couldn’t handle it…”“I am pretty smokin’ hot.” Bakugo smirked.Midoriya reached out and dragged a hand down Bakugo’s body; his hard pecks, rippling abs, and flat stomach bumped against his palm like mountain ranges. “I wish I was hot like you.”“Whoa,” Bakugo protested, grabbing him and shifting to pin him down on the bed. “You’re perfect. You don’t need to change.”Midoriya covered his face with his arms. “I’m too skinny! And I’ve got nowhere near as much sex appeal as you do! You’re buff and confident, and always know what to do…”Bakugo kissed his arms, hard. “You just need to eat more! Gain a little weight! But sex appeal and confidence? That’s my job. You’re the shy cute one – besides, I like you without sex appeal.”Midoriya lifted his arms. “What? Really?”“Did you not know that? I’ve been fucking you this whole time!”“I mean… Then why do you sleep with me?”Bakugo looked at him evenly. After a second, he sighed. “I mean… it suits you.”Sensing something wasn’t being said, Midoriya eyed him. “What does?” He asked suspiciously.“You know.” Bakugo shrugged vaguely.“No, I really don’t get it.”“Moron,” Bakugo whispered, but he bit his tongue.“Come on!” Midoriya protested.“I know, I know, I’m sorry. Old habits.” Bakugo rolled off him and they both lay on their backs.Midoriya propped himself up on his elbow. “What’s the big deal? Is it weird for you to say?”“Yeah,” Bakugo sighed uncomfortably.“Can you try? Please?” Midoriya begged.Glancing at him, Bakugo winced. “You know I can’t resist those eyes. It’s unfair.” He sighed again. “You’re boyish, like a kid. It’s very sexy.”Midoriya was mildly surprised. “Oh. Uh… really? How?”Bakugo reached up and brushed the back of his finger along Midoriya’s cheek. “Your freckles, for one thing. They make you look twelve.”“And?”“And… you’re too skinny, like a kid.”“…And?”“And…” Bakugo cleared his throat. “You act innocent and shy.”“So… you’re into… younger boys?”“No!” Bakugo roared.Midoriya flinched. “Ok, ok! Sorry!”Composing himself, Bakugo forced himself to calm down. “Look, I’m sorry. I just don’t want you to get that idea – it’s not younger boys I like,” he explained. “You still resemble the way you were when we were kids, and I think it reminds me of my childhood with you.”“Oooh.”“Yeah. I just… it was weird for me to admit, you know?”“Why didn’t you just say so in the first place?”“I didn’t know how - I didn’t want to be accused of being a pedophile! If everyone thinks I’m into younger boys they’ll think I lust after underage kids!” Bakugo ran a hand down his face. “I was so mean to you when we were kids… It was so messed up…”“So it was twice as hard,” Midoriya said quietly.“Yeah.”“Ok, I’m sorry I pushed you. I just don’t connect the dots very well when it comes to your thoughts. There’s a lot going on in your head that I didn’t know about.”“Yeah,” Bakugo repeated, more quietly this time.Midoriya touched his arm. “You don’t have to keep it all in. When something bothers you, let it out - we can sort it out together.” Shrugging, Bakugo sat up. “Mom will be home soon.” He winced as he balanced on his tailbone. “Is it always this sore afterwards?”“Usually worse, but it’s a good sore.”“Right.” Bakugo got up and held out his hand to his lover. “Come on, let’s get a quick shower.”They gathered their clothes and slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind them. The day had only just begun. Midoriya thought about the movies, or going out to lunch as he folded his clothes on the counter one by one. He was pretty hungry. Steam misted the mirror when Bakugo turned on the hot water and evened out the temperature to be just below scalding. Midoriya glanced at him as he stood there casually nude. He was really a sight to behold. All those muscles…Bakugo felt Midoriya come up behind him, those freckled arms anchoring themselves around his middle. Big hands spread out across his hard chest. He shivered warmly as he felt Midoriya’s soft genitals press into his ass; even now he could feel their pounding love-making inside him and he wondered if there would ever be a moment where he didn’t. Lips touched his shoulders and the back of his neck. Then Midoriya squeezed him so tightly that it was enough to pull all his broken pieces back together – they aligned into the man he knew he could be, melting into place if only for a minute, and Bakugo turned in his arms. He grabbed Midoriya and kissed him passionately, dragging him into the stream of water. Their mouths moved together under the waterfalls careening down their nude bodies. Their bodies pressed together until it seemed like they, too, would merge together and become one.But the moment passed. The two boys broke the stream to breathe, still clinging to one another, and as they reached for the soap and shampoo to wash off the sweat of sex they stayed together. They took turns washing each other’s hair. They helped each other shower, suds and saliva mixing between breaks, but they did not part. Not even once.An angry knock pounded on the door.“Katsuki!” His mother’s voice pierced their silence with its ferocity. “Get your ass out here right now and explain to me why there are condom wrappers all over your bed!” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Bakugo thought that when this big reveal with his mother happened he’d feel humiliated, or ashamed of himself, or even angry with somebody else. He had no idea why. It just seemed like his own personal reactions sort of followed this pattern and he was trying to prepare for them and the consequences that followed. What he’d decided to do with his sexual life had been totally his choice. He had no one but himself to blame – well, maybe Midoriya a little for getting naked on his floor – but despite his mental preparations for what he was going to feel, what really happened was completely different than what he thought. He didn’t feel bad for himself. He felt sorry for his mother.When he heard his mother’s voice of course he’d been terrified for a split second. He was ass naked in the shower with a boy from his class whom his mother knew pretty well. They’d been together a while, which meant that there were a lot of small suspicious things showing up in their seemingly platonic relationship that would alert his mother. She had every reason to believe now that he was gay with Midoriya. Now with the condom wrappers she was alerted to what was going on, so that meant it was about to go down.Calmly he shut off the water, getting two towels for himself and Midoriya. He dried himself without haste. “I’m coming out,” Bakugo called back to his mother, trying not to keep her waiting. Her anger was only going to get more intense as time went on. He pulled on clean clothes and waited until Midoriya – who was shaking like a leaf – was also dressed before opening the door. His mother was not there. Leaning out, he saw his bedroom door open.“Izuku,” he said quietly, motioning to the front door. “You should go now. I don’t want you to get caught in the middle of this.”“What about you?” Midoriya hissed.“I’ll deal with it. Go.” Bakugo took him to the door and kissed his temple. “Call me when you get home.”“Ok,” Midoriya trembled.Midoriya scrambled to tie on his shoes and grabbed his backpack from the foyer. Bakugo watched him jog down the sidewalk and disappear. He turned back around to confront his mother in his room, but she was already standing at the end of the hall staring daggers into his back. “Mom,” he said slowly.“Get over here right now,” his mother seethed, the fury of the gods burning on her face.Bakugo reluctantly agreed. He stayed a safe distance away from her, nervous to get grabbed. “I can explain.”“You’re having sex? Under my roof?” She exploded. “With a boy?”“Mom, we’re both legal,” he tried. “We’re not fourteen anymore. I’m sixteen – so is Midoriya.” “What?” Wrong approach, he thought.  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you we were dating,” Bakugo tried again. “I knew you’d get mad and I didn’t want to put you through it, so… I just pretended we were friends.”“So it’s not just sex?” His mother groaned and covered her face with her hands. “Oh my god, my son is gay!”“So what?!” “Oh, here we go…”“I love Izuku, I like taking care of him! He’s good for me!” Bakugo yelled.“Oh, so now I’m a bad parent that turned you gay?” His mother’s high-pitched voice hurt his ears.Confused, Bakugo stared at her. “I didn’t say that.”“That’s exactly what you’re saying!” She cried, tears streaming down her face. “You’ve always had such a bad attitude, walking all over your father all your life when he was the one who gave you your quirk, but I know you got my temper! I tried to keep you on the straight and narrow! Now this!” She wept. “I made you gay!”“Mom,” Bakugo argued. “It wasn’t your fault. Izuku has made me better.”“What?” His mother sniffed.Bakugo shrugged. “He understands me. I’m not so angry or sour anymore.”Laughing, his mother dabbed her eyes. “You’re still a smartass, though.”“Yeah well some things never change.” Bakugo sighed. “Mom, I love him. He was the only person I ever really connected with, and being together has been… good for me. I’m sorry I’ve been doing things without your permission. But that doesn’t make you a bad parent. It makes me a bad son.” He rubbed his neck. “Will you forgive me?”She balked at him. “My son? Asking for forgiveness?” Nervously, she wavered. “I can’t believe it.”“What?” Bakugo asked curiously.“He did change you.” His mother swept over and wrapped him in a hug, squeezing him so tightly that he couldn’t breathe. “Of course I forgive you, you’re my baby!” She kissed his wet head. “I just can’t believe you’re gay! When did that happen?!”“Mom!” Bakugo groaned but he hugged his mother.“Sorry, I’m just in shock.” Glancing at the door, she drew back a little. “Did I frighten your boyfriend away?”“Yeah,” Bakugo said quietly. He looked at her. “I’m really sorry. I should have told you.”“You were too scared to,” his mother protested. “I get it. I didn’t mean to get out of control like that – but can you imagine how I feel? I barely see my son and suddenly he’s in the shower with his childhood friend! Talk about a rude wake-up call!”“I get it.” Bakugo took out his phone as it rang. “That’s Izuku.” He answered it. “Hey. Yeah, it’s ok. She’s ok. No, don’t worry about it. Thanks. Thank you, I will. I love you. Bye.” Click. He put his phone away. “I told him to call me when he got back.”His mother eyed him. “I’ve never seen you act so caring. Are you sick? Do you have a fever?”Bakugo swatted away her hand as she tried to touch his forehead. “I’m fine!”“All right! But invite your boyfriend over for dinner, I want to talk to him!” “NO!” “COME ON, PLEASE?!”     Midoriya got up way too early for school today. He knew it, but he couldn’t stop himself from going through his normal routine anyway. When he locked the front door behind him the sun was barely skimming the city. He followed its touch, breathing the fresh morning air, and it was the most relaxing walk he’d ever had. It took him way longer to get to the academy than normal because of his lazy stroll but he didn’t care. Still, he was an hour early.He went into the building among a handful of other kids meeting early for clubs or with teachers. The hallways were long and empty. Sighing, he went into a side hall that had some windows and peered out over the blooming spring. Everything was lush and green. Slipping off his backpack, he let it rest on the windowsill. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Weird, usually Bakugo was either just on time or five minutes early to class, but he always slept in. He opened the text message.Good morning. I was up all night, didn’t sleep, it read. Sick off bad Chinese food mom bought to celebrate me being gay. I won’t be in class today.Midoriya felt a pang of empathy and quickly typed back, I’m sorry you’re so sick! Feel better today. I’ll come by after school and cook for you. Immediately, his phone buzzed again. Thanks. I’ll try to quit being sick by then. Love you. Midoriya smiled at his phone. Love you too! Rest up!He sat back against the window, his eyes on the ceiling. Poor Bakugo. He was glad his mom was ok with him being gay, though. That was really a leap from what they’d thought would happen. Rubbing his eyes, he mulled over what he wanted to cook. Maybe ramen…His mind wandered to other things like meeting Bakugo’s mom now that she knew, bringing their parents together to talk and how it’d go, and then he thought maybe after they graduated that they could get their own apartment somewhere. His heart swelled. Their relationship was going so well. Sometimes Bakugo was still nasty with his temper, but he didn’t hurt him anymore and seemed to really regret doing so to begin with. It was such a big change from how he’d grown up. Two months ago, he would never have imagine being this happy about Bakugo. Now all he could think about was how tender he was. How soft.Midoriya sighed, looking down at his lap. He toyed with a loose string on his jacket. They were really happy together, but… what kind of family would they be? Would they adopt kids? Would they just go without? No, Midoriya thought, blushing. I want to be a dad someday. How would Bakugo feel about being a dad? He tried to picture it. The image came easily; Bakugo teaching their son how to ride a bike, how to play soccer, how to brush his teeth and use his quirk, and Midoriya saw himself right there with him. He saw himself dressing his son in All Might pajamas. He knew just what stories he’d tell him to go to sleep. And if they had a daughter…The bell rang for first class. Midoriya got up, grabbed his stuff and bolted to the classroom. Time had flown by! He sank into his chair, surrounded by all his classmates chatting around him. He said hello but he reserved himself to his desk to continue thinking. He glanced at Tenya Ida, who was also glancing at him; when their eyes met, a flash of understanding passed between them. They were both thinking about the same thing. He swallowed and Ida blushed, turning his eyes to the front. No one else noticed.Midoriya put his chin in his hand, watching the chalkboard. His mind continued to wander, and wander…   “Kaa-chan,” Midoriya said. “You have… another hole!” “What?” Bakugo blurted. “I don’t know!” Midoriya explored the new orifice he’d discovered just behind Bakugo’s balls. It was wet and warm, but not nearly as tight as his other hole. His lover moaned. “Is that ok?” Midoriya asked. They lay naked in Midoriya’s bed; it was late at night, but both of them had felt a rush of hormones and their bodies had moved in sync. The covers hung over Midoriya’s shoulders. He was poised over his lover, about to make love to him. Lying on his back, shock and confusion mixed on his face, Bakugo craned his neck to look but in the darkness of the bedroom he could barely tell Midoriya’s hand from his balls. “Yeah,” he grunted. “That feels really good.” “Should I… Should I use this one?” “Yeah, do that.” Midoriya lowered his hips and eased the tip of his member into the hole. Bakugo made a sound of pleasure Midoriya had never heard before; fascinated, he began gently fucking, paying close attention to Bakugo’s reactions just in case it hurt him and he had to pull out. But the noise only grew more intense. Midoriya groaned and pushed himself all the way it. This was nothing like the other hole. This one seemed to be made for him, shaped to squeeze him just right in all the best places, and he couldn’t resist its charm. Bakugo held onto his ass as he went deeper, writhing against the sheets with his mouth open in a perfectly round O. His face was pink. Midoriya dipped his head to kiss Bakugo’s heaving chest, feeling turned on by the darkness, the urgency, and the possibility of being discovered by his mother at any moment. It was always a risk having sex when they were both noise makers but they couldn’t help themselves. Their hormones were too wild to be restrained. Biting his lower lip, Midoriya put more force in his thrusting. There was a narrow end of this hole that felt really good when his tip hit it and Bakugo convulsed in a burst of ecstasy every time he did. He liked that. He liked it a lot.  “Harder, Izuku,” Bakugo urged him desperately. Midoriya stopped being cautious and began being ravenous. He shoved himself into Bakugo over and over, the loud slapping sound only turning him on more. Bakugo’s moaning took on a whole new intoxicating pitch. He was helpless and weak, spread-eagle beneath his lover. Midoriya pounded Bakugo’s new hole with all the appetite of his lust, but he was suddenly struck by the idea that if he came like this he’d regret it for the rest of his life. The idea clashed wildly in his head with his need to finish his lover; he could never hold out under the clenching strength of Bakugo’s orgasms. If Bakugo came, he came, too. His body just reacted no matter what he did. Should he stop this incredible new experience for safety’s sake? Could he stop himself? No, he couldn’t, he realized. Bakugo was already right on the edge and he couldn’t just leave him like that. It was his job to please him. He’d gotten the warning too late – a few thrusts later, Bakugo was throbbing with orgasm and Midoriya’s tongue was down his throat to muffle the powerful new moans spilling out of him. The sucking motion teased an orgasm out of Midoriya, too, and both of them fucked wildly in the clutches of their hungry bodies, unable to stop or to quiet their desperation. Bakugo went slack before Midoriya, who kept sliding in and out, unable to leave the sweet sucking walls of Bakugo’s insides. Panting, he finally withdrew his bare cock. They were both trembling. “Oh, baby,” Midoriya gasped. “I like that one.” Bakugo groaned in agreement. “Were you wearing one?” “What?” “A condom – you had one on, right?” “No, why?” “No!?” Bakugo sat up, livid. “What if that was a…?!” All the blood drained from Midoriya’s face. “Oh, no,” he whispered. Bakugo began shaking from head to toe. “No. It can’t be. It’s not. It’s not possible.” He scrambled to sit up. “No, no, no no no…” Midoriya grabbed him. “It’s ok, Kaa-chan! Relax! You’re a boy, you can’t get pregnant!” He didn’t believe his own words and Bakugo knew that. They clutched each other in dead silence without breaking eye contact; one minute ticked by, then two. Finally Bakugo withdrew, wrapping his arms around his stomach protectively. “Good God,” he whispered. “What have we done?” Three months went by without incident. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening to Bakugo’s body, so they forgot about worrying and just went back to normal, their momentary panic now seeming trivial. Midoriya was supposed to stop by Bakugo’s house today so he walked over from home. When he opened the door, he kicked off his shoes and left his backpack. Kaa-chan? I’m here!” He called. “I’m in the kitchen!” Bakugo replied. Midoriya swung through the doorway, happy to see him, but when he got within a few feet of his lover he froze solid. His eyes grew wide. The countertops were littered with food, a mess Bakugo’s mother would abhor, and Bakugo himself stood pouring himself a bowl of cereal with a sandwich hanging out of his mouth. And outlined by a close-fitting tank-top, in the place of his washboard abs was a gentle swell. At first it looked like Bakugo had just been eating a lot lately but Midoriya dismissed that idea at once. He’d been around Bakugo for three months straight. He hadn’t eaten anything beyond the normal diet he always kept. This was… “You’re pregnant,” Midoriya whispered. “What? No I’m not,” Bakugo grunted from around his sandwich. He swallowed it in one bite and put the milk back into the fridge, taking his cereal to with him to Midoriya. “Are you saying I look fat?” “Kaa-chan.” Midoriya stared at Bakugo’s lax expression. “You can’t be serious. You never eat like this! How could you have gained all that weight in a week?” Bakugo, miffed, put aside his cereal. “I’ve just been hungry lately, that’s all. No big deal.” Midoriya reached out and touched Bakugo’s belly. It was hard. “This isn’t food or fat,” he exclaimed. “You’re pregnant!” Bakugo’s face lost all expression and color. “Oh.” “Oh? Oh?! How did you not notice you were growing a human inside of you?!” Midoriya cried. “I-I thought I was just gaining weight! I felt bad about it, so I finally gave in to all the cravings I’ve been having…” “Cravings?!” Midoriya’s head was spinning. “Oh, shit!” Bakugo whispered. “I’m so stupid… oh my God…” “We have to see a doctor right now!” Midoriya grabbed his wrist. “Now!” “I don’t want to!” Bakugo cried, yanking his arm away. He was scared, Midoriya knew that, but they had to get to a doctor, they had to! This wasn’t normal! What if he got sick, or something happened to the baby, or… or… He reached out again desperately in an attempt to gain control but the room stretched out until everything was falling away from him. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t touch Bakugo’s trembling figure stuck in the center of the linoleum floor. His body strained. His heart was pounding. “Kaa-chan!” He cried out to him, and everything snapped into perfect reality.The school desk was cold beneath his arms. Every face in the room was turned to him. Panting, his heart racing, his eyes darted around the classroom but Bakugo was nowhere in sight. Oh… because he was sick today, of course. Wait, he was still in school? He’d fallen asleep?! Midoriya turned beet red as everyone in the room began to laugh; everyone except Ida.“Midoriya,” Eraserhead snapped, poised at the board. “If you’re too tired to be here, go home.”“I’m sorry,” Midoriya said shakily, gathering his things. “I’m really sorry.” He darted out into the hallway and down the corridor, making a bee-line for the front doors. He couldn’t just sit there. He had to check on Bakugo – right now!When he arrived at Bakugo’s house he was a total wreck. He banged on the door and doubled over, heaving for breath. He’d run the entire way without stopping. His heart wouldn’t stop pounding out of his chest and he was so worried that it hurt. “It was just a dream,” he forced himself to say over and over. But nothing worked. He was shaking from head to toe when the door creaked open.“Izuku?” Bakugo asked sharply. “What happened? Are you ok?”Midoriya craned his neck to look up. Relief crashed over him when he saw Bakugo’s stomach was flat beneath his loose t-shirt; he looked like he’d just gotten out of bed. Dropping his backpack, Midoriya struggled for breath. “I’m sorry,” he managed. “I’m ok...”“You’re not ok, look at you!” Bakugo grabbed his backpack and his wrist and dragged him inside. “Go lay on the couch!” He demanded.Weakly, Midoriya obeyed. He dragged himself into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. Bakugo shut the door behind him. Midoriya heard the tap running and Bakugo appeared with two glasses of water, which he placed on the coffee table. He eased to sit down alongside Midoriya.“What happened?” Bakugo asked again, reaching out and stroking his thick dark hair.Midoriya shut his eyes. “I… fell asleep in class… had a… nightmare… about you…”“So you left school?”“I… yeah…”“Did you run all the way here?”Midoriya groaned in response.Bakugo laughed. “Izuku!”Midoriya turned over onto his side to face him, wrapping himself around Bakugo’s middle. He pushed his face into Bakugo’s leg. “It really… scared me,” he managed. “I can’t believe you were so worried about me.” Bakugo rubbed Midoriya’s back with slow, rhythmic motions. “Nothing’s wrong, buddy. I’m right here. I’m ok.”“Thank God,” Midoriya whispered.“What did you dream about?”Midoriya fell silent. He tightened his grip around Bakugo, catching the scent of his natural musk from his clothing. What he needed was just a few more minutes of this.Patiently, Bakugo stroked his back, frowning. This wasn’t like Midoriya. He wondered what could have scared him like that. “Sit up and drink some water,” he said.“Not yet!” Midoriya begged.Bakugo’s heart surged. What the heck had he dreamt about?! Poor kid… Leaning down, he kissed Midoriya’s temple, tucking his hair behind his ear. “Everything’s gonna be ok, Izuku, I promise,” he murmured. “Come on. You need to drink something before you dehydrate.”Midoriya took a deep breath. “Ok. Right, ok.”Helping him sit up, Bakugo wrapped an arm around his waist as he handed him a glass of water. “Finish this.” He watched carefully as Midoriya obeyed. “You really ran all the way here, didn’t you? What was so horrible about your dream?”Midoriya gasped for air once he’d swallowed both glasses of water. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “You were pregnant,” he said quietly.“M-Me?!”Midoriya nodded wearily. “It was my fault.”Bakugo was at a loss for words. That was what scared him so much? My health? He thought. “But… I’m not a girl, how…?”“Something happened, and then you know, in the dream… it just seemed so real…” Midoriya rubbed his face. “I was terrified. There was a baby, and you were so scared, and it was my fault…”“Hey, whoa,” Bakugo protested, pulling Midoriya’s hands away from his face. “You really thought there was going to be a baby?”“Yeah…” Midoriya replied pitifully. “I know it’s stupid, and it sounds even worse when I say it out loud, but it felt like it was really happening – like I was there.” He looked at his lover finally with shame in his eyes. “And I was excited, Kaa-chan. I saw you pregnant and… I wanted there to be a baby.”Bakugo wavered back. “… Really?” He asked gently. “With me?”Midoriya nodded. He glanced at Bakugo’s flat stomach. “It’s not possible for us and I know that – we’re boys and we’re just kids and we just started dating, and whatever other reasons there are against it, but I… I just…” He trailed off. His heart hurt deep in his chest like an arrow had been shot through it. There were no words for this strong paternity he felt – that he was still feeling now – for a baby that would never be.Bakugo began to think about what it would be like to be a parent. He had never considered it. He’d been taking his life one day at a time with the single goal of being the greatest hero ever, but now that he considered a squirming baby in his life everything seemed… out of proportion. He considered Midoriya in a new light for the first time. They could get along for a long time. They might even be able to get married and have a family someday. Clearly, that’s what Midoriya wanted, whether it was conscious or sub-conscious, but the question wasn’t about him. It was about Bakugo. Could he fit that role of family man if the need ever arose? Did he want to fit that role? He looked down at his dangerous hands.“I really appreciate how worried you were, and how important this is to you,” Bakugo said suddenly. “But it’s too early for you to be this worked up about it. I know the dream was intense - but relax! Don’t let it get under your skin! Like you said, we’re just kids, right?”Midoriya looked at his lap. “Right,” he said quietly. “Hey, that doesn’t mean it will never happen.”“R-Really?” Midoriya blushed. “Yeah. We don’t know anything about the future – of our careers, our friendships, or our relationship,” Bakugo explained. “I mean we might not be ready right now, but if things go well someday we might be. Maybe. Anything is possible, right?”Midoriya bobbed his head. A small smile spread across his lips. “Right.”Bakugo tangled his fingers in Midoriya’s hair and pulled him in, kissing his freckled cheek. “So chill out, Jesus!”Laughing, Midoriya pushed him off. “Ok, fine! I’m chill!” He snapped his head up. “Oh gosh, are you feeling ok? I know you were sick but I got so carried away…!”“I’m ok,” Bakugo said, waving his hand. “The bad Chinese food is gone. Evicted.”“Are you sure?”“Yeah, it was just a little… morning sickness!”“KAA-CHAN!” Midoriya cried, pouncing on him angrily.Bakugo tumbled with him, laughing his head off, and they landed on a pile on the floor. “I couldn’t resist!” He wheezed.“Not funny!”“What did I look like pregnant? Was I sexy?”“Very,” Midoriya grumbled, pinning him to the floor. “I wanted to do all kinds of things to pregnant you.”“Raunchy!” Bakugo grinned.“I was going to cook something for you, but I think I changed my mind.”“Oh, please cook!” Bakugo pleaded. “Mom can’t cook mac and cheese from a box and there’s nothing but beans in the fridge!”“What’ll you do for me if I cook?”“I’ll blow you. While you’re cooking.”“… Will you do it without a shirt on?”“I’ll do it naked if you make me food.”“A tempting offer. I accept.”Bakugo thrust his fist into the air. “Score!”Midoriya got to his feet and pulled Bakugo up as well. “I’ll make you some of my favorite cream soup - after two bowls you’ll feel strong enough to lift ten men!” He boomed.“I only need to be strong enough to lift one,” Bakugo said, and he kissed Midoriya with all the love in his heart. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “When do you think we’ll be ready to tell everyone about us?”Bakugo had lifted a glass of soda to his lips, but he set it down without taking a sip and stared at it, letting the frosted glass suck the heat from his fingertips. The bubbles constantly streamed against the earthy colored liquid within. Sometimes he wondered how they made stuff like this. Bakugo glanced at Midoriya across the table. “Everyone who?”“Our friends,” Midoriya explained.Both of them were casually dressed and freshly showered, but Midoriya seemed to have put extra attention into his appearance; his hair was dried and brushed carefully, his shirt had a nice pressed collar and he had on new tan trousers and faded English shoes. Looks like he’d been saving up all year to buy something nice to wear. Bakugo, on the other hand, was in a green t-shirt that fell around his torso in comfy waves and black skinny jeans he’d had for two years. He shifted his worn sneakers under the table. “About us?” He repeated slowly. The wheels in his head were turning.Midoriya shyly drew in his shoulders and stirred his root beer float. “Yeah.”“I’m… not really sure.” Bakugo frowned. He pushed his soda glass aside so he could watch Midoriya stir his float. “I’m happy with how things are. No one bothers us, you know?”“Yeah, but we have to do stuff like this,” Midoriya pointed out the corner booth they had in a nice but obscure restaurant all the way across town. “I feel like we’re hiding.”“We are.” Bakugo admitted.“I don’t want to,” Midoriya said firmly.Bakugo nodded. “Understandable.” He leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table and spreading his hands. “But let’s look at it like this: we can keep this a semi-kept secret and not tell anyone, and if we do that, we can date just like this - we have to hide in corners sometimes and we can’t hold hands or kiss in public, but no matter how much time we spend together alone we know for sure that only one person cares at all about what we do. All Might. Even then, he can’t and won’t stop us.” He shrugged. “Or, we can tell everybody. Then we can: talk to our friends about our relationship, hold hands and kiss in public, go on normal dates, and be ourselves completely – but that comes with a price.”“A price?” Midoriya asked nervously.“Yes. If everyone knows, the likelihood of them not approving of our relationship is very high.” Bakugo sighed. “I hate to put it like this, but how many of our friends do you think would really be happy about what we do? Ida and Asui, maybe Uraraka, but who knows. And everyone else? All the people who think it’s gross to be gay or who are scared of gay people - what about them?”“Oh.” Midoriya lowered his eyes and folded his hands in his lap.“So – they find out, and they hate us for no reason,” Bakugo continued. “I don’t have a lot of close friends. If they hate me it’s no skin off my nose, but I know it’s not like that for you. That’s why I don’t think we should tell them. Those guys in our class are important to both of us and they’re good people, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be ok with this. It’s dangerous.”Midoriya was silent. He was calculating the morality of each of his classmates and weighing each of their opinions about gay people in his head to see who was most likely to accept them, but it was too hard. He wasn’t sure. Bakugo put his hands palm-up on the table and reached out to him, and Midoriya snapped from his reverie. He grasped both hands tightly. “I don’t like hiding you,” Midoriya whispered. “I’m proud of us dating. You’re important to me.”“But you can have both as long as it’s a secret,” Bakugo urged. “I don’t want to see you get harassed over this, and I don’t want to be harassed either! God knows we don’t need the bad publicity if word gets out. And… I really don’t want you to lose friends over me.” He added quietly. “Ok?”“No!” Midoriya lifted his fiery eyes. “If they don’t like what we do, I don’t care! They’re not really my friends if they can’t accept me for who I am – and you, too, Kaa-chan! They’re your friends, too!” He shook his head and took his hands away. “I don’t want to sneak around when I have something I should feel proud of! I don’t feel proud like this! I feel like a coward!”Bakugo curled his hands into tight fists. He was visibly holding back his temper; he knew Midoriya was right, that they were hiding and it was cowardly, but he was scared. Scared that things would get out of control. Scared that important people would find out and judge them, and ruin their careers. They were two of the top students in the hero course – what would happen if the media caught wind of their relationship and blew it out of proportion? Entire companies would judge them. Entire countries would judge them. The whole fucking world would judge them!He shut his eyes against the noise in his head and breathed. Slowly, in and out... In and out... I am not mad at Izuku, I am mad at myself because I’m being a coward, he thought, and his anger drained away. “Izuku,” he said finally, halfway composed. “I know this is important to you, but I’m afraid of what could happen.”Midoriya was relieved. He was very familiar with Bakugo’s temper, but he couldn’t restrain his feelings in the face of it. And anyway Bakugo was doing much better at not snapping at him. “Look, I’m scared too,” Midoriya implored. “But this is very important to me because you are very important to me.”Bakugo’s eyes softened. “I know. But it’s a big decision that’ll bring big changes to our lives. We’re in the spotlight right now – we’re about to graduate and have careers of our own. If important people are homophobic, it could ruin our future.”“I don’t want a future run by people who hate me.” Midoriya said simply. “Do you?”Staring at him, Bakugo was taken aback. “What if we don’t have a future after we come out?” He whispered.Midoriya put an open hand over Bakugo’s fist. “No one can stop us from having a future. The only people in the way of us becoming the greatest heroes in history, dating or not, are you and me. If we decide to do something we will get it done. Together.”“Shit,” Bakugo whispered, panic seizing him. Midoriya was right. Why did he always have to be right? Taking a deep breath, he opened his palm and placed it over Midoriya’s, locking eyes with him. “I’ll be damned if anyone calls me a coward.”“Are we doing this?” Midoriya quaked.“Looks like we are.”“Who do we start with?”Bakugo slammed a handful of money on the table and got up. “Everyone.” He grabbed Midoriya and led him out into the open sunshine, tangling their fingers together. His long legs turned sharply and they began walking briskly along the sidewalk.“Where are we going?” Midoriya exclaimed, his face red as a beet. He clung to Bakugo’s hand and stuck close to him as they walked up the quiet street towards the busy part of the city.“To McDonalds,” Bakugo cried. “I’m going to buy my boyfriend a BigMac and fucking no one is going to stop me!”Covering his mouth, Midoriya was torn between awe and disbelief. Happiness welled up between the two feelings and separated them. Bakugo had just been so worried about their reputations, yet here he was determined to make his boyfriend happy, holding his hand in public and diving into the streets of the big city to flaunt him! They burst into the crowd and Midoriya shyly tailed behind Bakugo. Sure, he wanted people to know, but this was so sudden! Everyone was staring at them! He gasped as Bakugo pulled him up into the wave of bodies until they were walking side by side.“I won’t have you acting like my pet,” Bakugo said in his ear. “We’re equals and we’re gonna act like it. Okay?”Midoriya was giddy with adrenaline. “O-Okay.” He hastily put one foot in front of the other, clutching Bakugo’s hand until both of their knuckles were white. People were taking notice. A little girl pointed at them and her mother dragged her away. The crowd was mostly ignoring them, to Midoriya’s surprise, but some began to draw back as prying eyes annoyed Bakugo and provoked his angry scowl.“What are you lookin’ at, huh?!” Bakugo snarled at a disdainful looking man in a suit who was giving them the stink eye. He was so loud that half the people around them jumped. The man in question turned pale as paper and slipped away into the crowd, pushing up his glasses in full retreat. “That’s right!” Bakugo called after him. “Keep your eyes to yourself, old man!”Midoriya was concerned about Bakugo using his temper like this but it seemed to be working. At an intersection, they stopped in a group, and Bakugo only had to bare his teeth once for all of the concerned parties around them to turn their heads and look dutifully away. The longer they walked, the more strongly disapproving glances they got, but no one stopped them. No one called them out. Bakugo was so terrifying that even drunken groups of young boys veered away when they passed.“Huh?! Are you lookin’ at me?!” Bakugo snapped at an overweight woman who stood gaping at them. “You better shut that mouth before I shut it for you!”Midoriya dragged him away as the woman let out a cry and fled. “Kaa-chan, relax. We’re here.”“Good,” Bakugo grumbled. He was losing steam. It took a lot of energy to be this anger after two and a half months of playing placid boyfriend. But he just couldn’t take so many pairs of angry eyes looking at Izuku that way; besides, they weren’t doing anything wrong.They ordered a lot of food and sat down at a normal booth, holding hands over the table as they waited. Bakugo had to scare off a few girls who stopped to snap a picture.“If you don’t delete that, I’ll find you!” Bakugo howled, and the girls ran away screaming.“Kaa-chan, it’s ok,” Midoriya soothed, rubbing Bakugo’s arm. “We made it. I’m really proud of you for doing this - thank you.”“Yeah, I know,” Bakugo grunted. “You don’t gotta thank me. It needed to be done. We can’t hide forever and I knew that. It was just nice while it was… easy.”Midoriya nodded sympathetically. “Yeah.”Their number popped up on the order screen and Bakugo left to get their tray. He eyed the cute guy behind the counter who had big dark eyes but looked too skinny for his apron. Instead of saying something nice Bakugo just grunted when the guy told him to have a nice day. The tray slid gently on the polished table when he set it down in front of Midoriya.“You know I’d do anything for you, right?” Bakugo asked, taking his seat again. When he looked up Midoriya’s face was lit up like the rising sun and his eyes were brimming with stars. “I mean it,” he repeated. “If you ever want something from me, all you have to do is ask.”“Kaa-chan…”“I’m serious. Look, you asked me if we could come out? Well, here we are, big as life!”“True,” Midoriya chuckled.Bakugo leaned forward. “What else? Try me.”“Kaa-chan,” Midoriya whispered. “If I asked you to kiss me, would you?”Bakugo balked. He felt how deeply and irrevocably he loved this boy sitting before him; he could see the hope on his face as plain as day and he knew within himself that he could not refuse, but he could actually feel how deeply and irrevocably Midoriya loved him, too. It was ground-shaking. No. He wanted to do this. He wanted to prove how much he loved him right here and now.He stood up in the booth. He pushed the tray to one side, careful not to knock it over, then he took Midoriya’s face in his dangerous hands but in that moment they couldn’t have chipped a piece of fine China. Their mouths met. It was a tender embrace that normally graced only the darkest and most private places, and Bakugo felt exposed – but much more than electricity passed between them. He felt explosions. Earthquakes. When they drew apart he was breathless but he kissed Midoriya again anyway, just once more, before carefully resuming his seat.When his world stopped shaking he dragged the tray back into the middle of the table. “Eat,” he ordered, breaking open the first box of chicken nuggets. “I wanna lick that BigMac sauce right off your face.”“Y-Yessir,” Midoriya managed. He was floating on cloud nine, his head in the stars, but he was dizzy with it. He fumbled with his food.Bakugo took it from his hands and opened the packaging, spreading it out in front of him like a doting parent. Then he sat back and watched Midoriya eat, popping nuggets into his own mouth one by one. He had been right to order him a BigMac. Midoriya loved American food but he was such a klutz. It was cute watching him try and take bites without pickles and tomatoes slipping out of each end. Bakugo had polished off two boxes of nuggets when Midoriya finished earing that burger, and his face was a mess. Bakugo wiped his hands on a napkin and slid over to his side of the booth. He took Midoriya’s chin in his hand. “Don’t move,” he murmured, and he literally licked the sauce off of the corners of his mouth.“Kaa-chan!” Midoriya trembled, becoming a flustered mess. “Come on! That’s raunchy!”“All right, all right.” Bakugo relented. He handed Midoriya a napkin and sat back, reclining in the booth with his arm slung on the back of the seat behind Midoriya. He used his free hand to devour a large fry. “It’s embarrassing seeing you try to work a burger, that’s all I’m saying.”Midoriya finished wiping his mouth and took a quick look around. Almost everybody was staring at them. “They’re watching us.”“I know.” Bakugo swallowed his last mouthful of fries and picked up a soda. “Keep eating.”Midoriya picked up the other soda and sucked it dry in three minutes flat. They worked through two apple pies, and Bakugo ate the last BigMac to finish off the meal. The massive amount of wrappers on their plate spilled over onto the table. Midoriya meticulously crumpled it to clean up the tray and to distract himself from the whispers going on all around them. Bakugo lounged alongside him, shaking the ice at the bottom of his empty soda casually.“Ready, babe?” Bakugo asked.“Yeah, let’s go.”“’Aighte.” Bakugo got smoothly to his feet, stepping back to let Midoriya pass with their tray.Midoriya tossed their garbage in the center of the restaurant. When the tray was sitting neatly on the pile, spotless, he glanced up again and wished immediately that he hadn’t. A lot of young people were here and none of them looked happy. Some were amazed, and some were cautious, but nobody smiled. He turned on his heel and Bakugo followed him out the door into the night air.“That went well,” Bakugo joked.“No,” Midoriya said stonily. “It didn’t.”    “Midoriya,” Ida called. His voice echoed in the open spring breeze.Turning, Midoriya blinked in the morning sun as Ida ran up to walk with him. “Hey, Ida. Good morning.”“Good morning.” Ida’s uniform was freshly pressed and his hair was impeccably combed, as per the usual. He pushed up his glasses shyly. “I wanted to talk to you.”“What about?”Ida studied him. He looked exhausted and depressed like Ida had never seen him. “Someone said they saw you and Bakugo… on a date last night?”“Yeah,” Midoriya said quietly. Concern knitted Ida’s brow. “Is everything ok?” He pressed. “I haven’t wanted to pry, but… you can talk to me if you want. It’ll stay between us. I swear it.”Glancing at him, Midoriya managed a sad smile. “You’re a good guy, Ida. Thank you.” He sighed. “It’s harder to be around people with Kaa-chan than I thought it would be.” “I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you two.”“It was pretty scary. We walked all the way through the city holding hands and it was… weird. Everyone stared at us. Bakugo got so angry that he was biting at people like a shark, but even when he calmed down, nothing got better. It seems like we had it so good before and I pushed him into letting the secret out, and now…” Midoriya rubbed his eyes. “I can’t sleep. I don’t know if we made the right choice.”“Why tell people? What changed?” Ida asked.“I felt ashamed of myself!” Midoriya blurted.“I see,” Ida said softly. “And you wanted to stop hiding?”“Exactly.” Midoriya stared at his shoes as they walked. The school loomed closer and closer, and his heart throbbed. He wasn’t ready. On the corner he stopped walking. Ida stopped with him, hovering nervously nearby. “What if everyone hates me?” Midoriya whispered.“I don’t hate you, Midoriya!” Ida put a firm hand on his shoulder. “You’re a good friend and an amazing hero! The whole city knows that!”Midoriya shut his eyes. “I can still see those people glaring at me, glaring at Kaa-chan… How can I live like that? Knowing so many people hate what we are?”“Maybe people will be shocked, but hate you? I don’t see how they can.”“What?” Midoriya looked up at him. “Seriously?”“Well,” Ida stammered. “Bakugo’s been sour since day one, but he’s really turned around lately – and you? You’re one of the stars of our class! No one else compares to you or Bakugo in terms of strength and hero capability. You almost beat Todoroki! Who else can say that?! They’d be nuts to not like you!”Midoriya laughed a little, smiling at Ida. “You’re really serious?”“I don’t lie!” Ida boomed. “You’re a great guy, Midoriya!”Midoriya’s heart swelled up with admiration and respect. He held out his hand and Ida shook it tightly, their eyes locking. “You’re a great friend, Ida. Thank you.”“It’s what friends are for.” Ida tilted his head in the direction of the school. “If anything bad pops up, I’ll be sure to douse the flames before it gets too bad. Ok?”“Right. Ok.” Midoriya looked at the toes of his sneakers. Move, he thought. Please move. Ida stepped off the curb, turning to him as he did. “I like knowing that you and Bakugo are together. It means his anger will continue to decrease exponentially – and if he makes you happy, all the better.”Midoriya stared at him. “Really?”“Of course!” Ida smiled. “Who doesn’t want their friends to be happy?”Jumping off the curb, Midoriya hurried to keep up with Ida as they crossed the last stretch of city before the gates of the hero academy.“Midoriya, why didn’t you tell me you were gay?!” Yugo Aoyama exclaimed as soon as Midoriya stepped foot in the classroom. Everyone’s heads snapped around and suddenly they were the center of attention.“W-Well…” Midoriya stammered.“My friends were walking last night when they saw you and Bakugo together! How sweet!” Aoyama exclaimed, his dazzling blond hair and blue eyes flashing. “All my best friends from France are gay! I had no idea there were even gay people in Japan!”Midoriya’s panic made him tremble from head to foot. His head tilted like a carnival ride and he felt like he was going to hurl or die or both, but he still heard Aoyama’s voice like a light in the darkness. “R-Really? Hahaha…” He managed. One person who didn’t hate him!Tsuyu Asui walked up alongside Aoyama, her big dark eyes soft and her long hair tied in a bow at the curve of her back. “I had no idea, either. I’m a little jealous. But how are you dating that Bakugo guy? He’s a walking wrecking ball!” “He’s n-not so bad now, actually…!” Midoriya laughed nervously.“I did notice that!” Asui said, thoughtfully touching her finger to her chin. “Anyway, congrats. You’re the first one in the class to be in a relationship at all.”“T-Thanks!” Midoriya squeaked. Two people!Minoru Mineta, squat and furious, jumped up and down on his desk. “I can’t believe this! That’s so gross!” He cried.“What? Why?” Asui shot at him. Midoriya was paralyzed behind her.“Who could kiss that cannonball?!” Mineta pealed. “He’s all teeth, like a great white shark! Terrifying! Midoriya’s a masochist!”Midoriya was bright pink. “He’s really not…”  “I can’t believe it!” Mineta cried again, ignoring him, and bounced away. “Insanity!” Did Mineta hate him? Midoriya didn’t think so, but honestly it didn’t matter. Mineta’s opinion was never really that important.Koji Koda with his mountainous head, big-lipped Rikido Sato, and grinning Hanta Sero stood in a group in the middle of the room. “Bakugo must be holding him hostage,” Sero joked. “There’s no way anyone could date him on purpose.”“I don’t know, Midoriya’s pretty nice,” Koda countered.“Just seems weird to me.” Sato shrugged. “Bakugo didn’t have any friends, now he’s got a boyfriend?”The girls were in one corner wondering what blackmail Bakugo had over Midoriya, too. Their conversation consisted mostly of death threats and bodily harm that Midoriya’s clothes covered and Midoriya was absolutely shocked. Comments like that came from all over the room. Mezo Shoji and Fumikage Tokoyami were the only two not saying anything – mostly because they barely spoke - and thank God Shoto Todoroki wasn’t here yet, but the rest of the class didn’t seem to care about the idea of them being gay at all. To them it was all about Bakugo.He really has a horrible reputation, Midoriya thought, dazed. He sank into his seat.“Bakugo is the type to show up to a date late on purpose,” Sero continued to joke. “He probably buys flowers for himself!”“Come on, give it a rest,” Ida spoke up from behind the group.Sero raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s your problem?”Ida glared at him. “Whatever they do is none of your business. All I’m asking you to do is drop the jokes.”“Oh yeah? You and what army?” Sero spat.Bakugo walked in at that moment, and Sero turned to stone.Ida grinned at him. “What was that you were saying?” He prodded.“N-Nothing,” Sero muttered, slipping away to take his seat.All eyes were on Bakugo. The voices in the room fell into an uneasy hush as he stalked to his chair and flung himself into it, leaning his feet on the desk. He lifted his glittering red eyes to look at the class. “What’re you morons lookin’ at?” He hissed.To Midoriya’s pure amazement everyone flinched and turned away without a word of protest. The conversations changed; some just got quieter, but no one was being blatantly loud anymore. Sero looked like he’d just seen his life flash before his eyes; Midoriya leaned forward and heard him whispering prayers to himself. He almost laughed. It was so ridiculous! Not only did absolutely no one hate him, but Bakugo was so scary that anyone who did have a problem would jump off a cliff before calling him out! Sure, he might not be as much bark as before, but no one would ever forget how powerful his bite was.Midoriya glanced at Bakugo shyly. He had to be just as worried as he was, but there he sat with his legs kicked up, telling the world to go screw itself. He blushed. It was so cool - why couldn’t he be cool like that? Crossing his arms, he sat back and sank down in his seat, catching a few glances from his curious classmates. He knew it might be weird for a while but Ida had been right. No one hated him at all. He wasn’t even sure that they hated Bakugo, they just didn’t like him.  Todoroki stepped into the room and Midoriya froze solid. Todoroki’s eyes were burning like twin torches, one made of iron and the other made of ice. Anger and anxiety wafted off him in waves. Midoriya stared as everyone moved out of his way. Todoroki stormed to the back of the room without a word and sank into his seat, curled fists resting on his desk.Eijiro Kirishima, his spiked red hair blazing like a flame, was staring at him too. “Todoroki, man, what’s wrong? Did something bad happen?”“Don’t talk to me,” Todoroki snapped.“Leave him alone!” Mina Ashido called from her seat, her pink frown very convincing. “Jeez, sorry… Sue me for being worried…” Kirishima took his seat and everyone else followed suit.Everyone seemed concerned but Midoriya was terrified of Todoroki’s bad mood. What if it was his fault? He started shivering from head to toe; he risked a glance back and saw those eyes burning into him, and he almost had a heart attack. It was his fault! Oh, no! He thought helplessly. Was he mad that they were gay? Was he mad about competing with gay heroes? Maybe it was because he just hated them to begin with and now everything was way worse and maybe…“You’re all rather quiet today.” Eraserhead said as he shut the door behind him. “Who died?”“No one – at least not yet,” Todoroki said darkly, and suddenly Midoriya wasn’t the only terrified one in the room. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Todoroki, that’s a surprise coming from you,” Eraserhead scolded. “Death threats? I thought you’d have a cooler head than that.”Midoriya covered his mouth with both hands. A jab about his father Endeavor?! What?!It shut Todoroki down. He withdrew his hands off the desk and sat with his head bowed, silent. Midoriya felt sorry for him. He had no idea why Todoroki was so angry, but it was a hard blow being compared to your father when you hate his very being. He could feel the negative emotions growing stronger.“Anyway, you’ll have physical evaluations soon…” Eraserhead continued, writing diligently on the board while lecturing about their schedule for the week. The rest of the class said nothing. Everyone was staring at Todoroki. When Eraserhead turned back, they snapped to attention and he frowned. Todoroki wasn’t taking this extra attention very well. He suddenly got up from his seat and left the room, and Eraserhead sighed. “That’s two days in a row,” he muttered, but continued lecturing anyway. Midoriya got up to follow Todoroki. “SIT DOWN!” Eraserhead snapped. “You missed yesterday for a poor reason, do you really want to repeat that mistake?”Midoriya gulped and took his seat. “No, sir!”“All right then.”Eraserhead dove back into the lecture, and when he turned his back Midoriya got sympathetic looks from everyone in the class. They all felt strangely uncomfortable about Todoroki’s threat and his well-being, despite just being the ones threatened. Even Bakugo turned and gave him a long even look laced with appreciation. He knew that if it were him, Midoriya would have bolted out the door, but Todoroki was different. He always a wild card. They just knew that he was their friend – and a good hero. Maybe even a great one.Midoriya resisted the urge to reach out and touch Bakugo’s shoulder; he didn’t want to make things any stranger. His boyfriend turned back to the front and the entire class paid strict attention. Todoroki and his tantrum were not forgotten, however, and when the bell rang for lunch Midoriya was out the door like a lightning bolt. Bakugo watched him go thoughtfully. Packing his backpack, he slung it over his shoulder and followed the direction he’d bolted.    “Todoroki?” Midoriya called in the halls.It was a big school, where did Todoroki go? He left for the outer edges and headed for one of the huge replica cities which was already being prepped for next year’s class. Wandering around the edges, he looked up into the sky and wondered what it would be like to live there. A perfect replica town. Living in a replicated apartment with a little garden and some running water. No neighbors. No cars. Empty.Why was he looking for Todoroki? It was definitely his fault for making him mad – he’d made that clear – so if they met when they were alone, he knew he’d get pulverized. But he just couldn’t let it go. Picturing him so angry, his head and his heart full of hate… Midoriya’s face scrunched up, He hated seeing his friends in pain. Especially if he’d caused it somehow.He lifted his face to the sky. “Todoroki!” He bellowed.“Midoriya,” came a distant voice.Lifting his eyes, Midoriya saw a red spec on the roof of a building. The spec moved. It was Todoroki! Taking a running jump, Midoriya left a dent in the concrete as he used One for All to get to the top of the building. He scrambled at the edge but a hand shot out and he grabbed it, letting it anchor him in place. He released a sigh of relief. “Thanks, I…” He blinked and suddenly realized at the end of that arm there was a very agitated looking Todoroki. Cautiously he stepped onto a safe part of the room. “I was looking for you.”“I noticed.”“Why are you up here?”Walking away, Todoroki stood at the edge of the building, looking out over the replica. Midoriya joined him. He waited patiently for an answer. “Why did you come after me?” Todoroki asked.“I’m sorry, I would’ve come sooner but I knew you were upset and...” Midoriya rubbed his arm nervously. His legs ached with the after-effects of One for All. “I was worried about you.”Todoroki whirled on him. “You’re the one who-!” He cut himself short. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked away, hands curled into fists.“What? What did I do?!” Midoriya cried.“Shut up,” Todoroki whispered harshly. “Just shut up.”Shocked, Midoriya stared at him. “This isn’t about me.”Todoroki shot him a death glare.“This is about Bakugo, isn’t it?” Midoriya asked quietly.“I said SHUT UP!” Todoroki roared, his body bursting into flames as his left side blazed to life.Midoriya gasped and dodged as Todoroki aimed a sharp punch at him. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. He took a deep breath. Think, he thought quietly. He swept to the right and rolled along the rooftop, skidding just out of range as Todoroki shot flames at him. “Todoroki, stop!” He shouted.“Why should I?!” Todoroki blasted him with a fire spiral but Midoriya dodged again. “Can’t you handle my attacks?!”Midoriya hit a pipe sticking out of the ground. He tumbled along the rooftop, hitting his shoulder hard, and he bit his tongue to keep from crying out. “Do you really wanna hit me?!” He cried, rising to his feet.Todoroki stared as Midoriya stood stock still, glaring at him defiantly. He saw Midoriya holding his shoulder and knew he must’ve hurt it. Something strange flashed in his eyes. Sucking in a sharp breath, Todoroki took aim, his flames licking his clothing and devouring his uniform, growing ever hotter – but after a split second of trembling it all went out. He stood, vacant, his clothing smoking and his hand falling limp to his side. Steam slipped from between his parted lips as his icy right side cooled down his body.Midoriya approached him carefully. When he got close enough he put his hand on Todoroki’s arm, putting out a few embers still clinging there, and their eyes met. “Is it because of me and him?” He asked.His gentle tone evoked something in Todoroki. The young man with two-toned hair couldn’t look away but his eyes were screaming so loudly that it hurt Midoriya’s heart. Still, he said nothing. Midoriya sighed, searching those eyes for an answer. “You know you can talk to me. To any of us,” he pressed. “We all care about you.”“Stop it,” Todoroki whispered. “Stop being so kind to me. It’s repulsive to be kind to the unworthy.”“You’re not unworthy,” Midoriya said firmly. “I’ve never seen you be so unreasonable! You just attacked me, Todoroki! What happened to you?” Crouching down, Todoroki sank onto the rooftop, leaning his elbows on his knees. His head was bowed. “I saw the two of you last night.” He voice was hard and uneven. “I saw him kiss you.”The breeze snapped by, whipping their hair all over. Midoriya pushed his out of his face and moved to sit beside him. They weren’t far from the edge. He could see the whole replica from here; no wonder he’d chosen this spot to come and brood. Shifting his legs, he crossed them, glancing at Todoroki. “Did it surprise you?”“Of course it did,” Todoroki grumbled. “You two hated each other.”“Not true,” Midoriya protested.“Just because you’re a goddamn saint doesn’t mean he didn’t hate your guts!” Todoroki blurted. He flinched and withdrew a little more into himself. Obviously he’d let out more than he’d intended to.Midoriya looked at him intently. “He doesn’t hate me now.”Todoroki flung up his hands. “Oh that makes it better!”Glancing over the city, Midoriya felt the sun on his back and he sighed. “Bakugo saw me as the weakest thing in his life for a long time. He treated me like a bug. But when I got powers, when I saved him… he feared me surpassing him.” He leaned back on his hands. “I alleviated him of that fear. He’ll always be angry, but he’ll never hate me again.”“He was cruel to you. Always.” Todoroki shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t understand you, why are you with him?” He demanded.“Because I always admired him,” Midoriya admitted.Todoroki made a face. “He’s a wrecking ball that destroys everything in his path.”“You’re the second person to say that to me today.” Midoriya smiled sadly. “I struggled to be his equal all my life. It took my powers and my affection to do it, but… I finally accomplished my lifelong goal. I got him to love and respect me.”“There’s no doubt that Bakugo is morally sound, and he has incredible fighting prowess,” Todoroki grumbled. “But I don’t see him as your equal. You’re far above him in heart and potential. He’s like a broken record – insane anger, explosions, bad mouthing, and repeat. There’s nothing good about that.”Midoriya turned to Todoroki. “Are you worried about me?”“No.” Todoroki glanced at him. “I question your taste in men.”Blushing, Midoriya stared at him. “Y-You think yours is better?” He managed.“Oh, I know it’s better,” Todoroki snarked. “My taste in men happens to be you!” Midoriya balked. “THAT’S why you’re mad?!” He felt like fireworks had gone off in his head. “Todoroki, you like me?” “Obviously! What, I see some asshole hanging all over you in public, and I can’t lose my temper?”“Watch your mouth!”“Sorry.” Shifting, Todoroki rubbed his face. “… I’m sorry. I know you love him and all. He is pretty hot. I just don’t understand you, Midoriya.” He looked up at him wearily. “Does he really make you happy?”Midoriya’s chest ached. “Yeah, he does.”“Goddammit,” Todoroki whispered.“What?”Todoroki wavered. “I was praying you’d say no.”Midoriya’s heart hurt in a way he never thought it would. He liked Todoroki – he worried about him mentally like he worried about Bakugo, but Todoroki was more grounded. He had a lot to get through in the future and he was ready. Bakugo was just ambitious. There was something deep and vulnerable about Todoroki that Bakugo seemed to lack; there was trauma there, lifelong suffering, and something else.“I’m sorry,” Midoriya said honestly. “I wish you’d told me sooner, but… things wouldn’t have changed.”“I know. That’s why I didn’t say anything.” Todoroki admitted. “Things were so intense between you two. I wanted to get between you and him to take you away, but he… You’ve been latched onto him your whole life. I knew I had no chance.”“But you said you were surprised we were together?”Todoroki clenched his fists. “I was surprised at how tender he was with you. It pisses me off.”“Because you think he doesn’t deserve me?”“He doesn’t.”Nodding, Midoriya smiled. He got to his feet. “Come on, let’s go back to class.”“No.”Midoriya touched his shoulder. “Todoroki.”“No!” Todoroki shrugged him off. “I need to be alone. Go.”“But I…” BOOM! Both of them looked up as a series of explosions carried a figure rocketing through the air towards them. Midoriya gasped. Todoroki scowled. It was Bakugo. He landed in the middle of the roof, grinning like a madman at the both of them. “Having a nice chat with Izuku, Todoroki?”“Kaa-chan,” Midoriya scolded.“No, I’m not,” Todoroki spat. “Take your boyfriend and leave!”“Don’t be such a stiff!” Bakugo sauntered over and put an arm around Midoriya’s waist. “He came up here to get you, and I came up here to get him. There’s no reason to keep pouting up on this roof. Why don’t we all just go back to class now?”Todoroki shot to his feet and snarled. “I will not take orders from the likes of you!”Bakugo eyed him. “It was a suggestion, jeez Louise. What’s your problem?”“You’re my problem!”Bakugo blinked. He looked at Midoriya curiously. “What, is he jealous or something?”Todoroki was steaming. Midoriya put a hand on Bakugo’s chest before he said anything else. “Stop,” he ordered. “Todoroki wants to be left alone. Let’s go, Kaa-chan.”“No, no, wait. Does he like you, too?” He asked in amazement.“Kaa-chan…”Todoroki glared at Bakugo, his teeth bared.Bakugo’s eyes widened. “Does he?”Midoriya nodded silently. He was as pale as paper, his lips pressed into a thin line.“Shit,” Bakugo whispered. “Well, I can share.”Both of them balked at him. “WHAT?!” They cried in unison.“Whoa! Chill out, I’m just saying! I know you like him, and he’s being all Captain Moody about it, so why not just… I don’t know… include him?” Bakugo offered. “I know how it feels to like you. You’re disarmingly nice, strong willed, cute… I can relate.” “You’re saying we both date Midoriya?” Todoroki was aghast.“No!” Bakugo protested. “No way! He’s my boyfriend! But you can… I don’t know! You can kiss him if you want, I don’t mind!”“WHAT?!” They repeated.“Isn’t that like something people do?” Bakugo insisted. “Include a third person?”“A three-some?” Midoriya squeaked.“LOOK!” Bakugo bellowed. “He likes you! You’re attracted to him and me! But he will not be in this relationship! Todoroki,” he said, turning to his two-toned friend. “Do you want to kiss Izuku?”Blushing madly, Todoroki shot a guilty sideways glance at Midoriya. “I…”“Izuku, do you want to kiss Todoroki?” Bakugo continued.“I-I…!” Midoriya stammered.“Do you want to date him?” Bakugo pressed.Midoriya was appalled. “No! I want to date you!”“Then just kiss already!” Bakugo griped. “Jeez, it’s like talking to morons!” He gave Midoriya a gentle shove so that he bumped into Todoroki, chest to chest, and stood back crossing his arms. “I’m waiting!”Todoroki grabbed Midoriya instinctively and they stood like that, eyes locked. Midoriya was dazed and in shock. He felt Todoroki’s wide hands gripping his arms like steel clamps, and both of them turned bright red.“I can’t,” Todoroki growled, releasing him. “He’s not mine to take!”“He doesn’t belong to anybody, he’s a person,” Bakugo corrected. “If he wants to kiss you, he can do what he wants. But he can only do it in front of me.”“Kaa-chan,” Midoriya said endearingly. He was being so good today - he’d come such a long way in two months! - but this was not something Midoriya had planned on. Kiss someone else? Could he? He looked at Todoroki and he saw his anguish, loneliness, and longing battling like crashing waves in his mismatched eyes, and he wanted to make that pain go away. Could he…?Midoriya turned somberly to Todoroki. Reaching out, he took Todoroki’s face in his hands, watching the emotions in his eyes twist his features. He wanted this. Badly. Midoriya felt the strength in his hands as he grasped Midoriya’s wrists to pull them away and pin them at his sides. Arms immobilized, Midoriya leaned in close, feeling Todoroki’s quick breath on his face. Midoriya brushed their noses together. If he really didn’t want this Todoroki could pull away at any time. Midoriya watched him and waited.A second passed. Then two. Todoroki began to tremble with the force of his conflicting will. It seemed like he would never move again when suddenly he nosed forward – it was just a hair, but it was enough. Midoriya tasted his desperate lips. Their mouths moved together, magnetized, and the relief that washed through Todoroki was palpable. He devoured Midoriya. They tangled together, touching shyly; strong hands gripped Midoriya’s waist. He felt a heaving chest beneath his palms that was so different from Bakugo’s but the hunger he tasted was the same. Todoroki wanted him.They parted without kissing again. Todoroki let go, staring down at Midoriya with unreadable eyes, and Midoriya stepped back in a daze until Bakugo caught him. “Ok?” Bakugo grunted. “Better? Or does he need to sleep with you, too?”For the first time Midoriya seriously considered how strung-up Todoroki was with sexual tension and when he looked at Bakugo, he was frowning. “I don’t know. Maybe.”“That’s where I draw the line,” Todoroki said stonily. “I shouldn’t have done that at all!” He withdrew, but Midoriya stopped him.“Wait!” Midoriya cried. “You said Bakugo was hot!”Todoroki froze.“He did, did he?” Bakugo grunted, pleased.“Why don’t we all just… together…?” Midoriya gulped. What was he saying?!“With him?!” They cried in unison.“You just said…”“I know what I said!” Bakugo groaned.Todoroki looked at him up and down in amazement. “You’d let me…? With you?”Bakugo glanced at Midoriya. “I’m willing to if he is. But he’s still my boyfriend!”“I know that!” Todoroki shot back. “I don’t want you two to break up!”“Really?” Bakugo asked suspiciously.“He said…” Todoroki looked at Midoriya. “He said you make him happy. I don’t want to take that away from him. It’s not my place.”“Glad that’s settled.” Bakugo grinned at him. “You’re a virgin, right?”Todoroki turned red from the tips of his toes to the tips of his ears. “Yes,” he cried defensively. “It’s normal to be a virgin until you’re older!”“Relax,” Midoriya cut in. “No one said it was a bad thing. We were virgins two months ago, too.”“So you’ve already…?”“You could say we started off with bang,” Bakugo joked. He choked when Midoriya elbowed him.  Todoroki studied them both, intimidated. “I don’t think I can do this.”Midoriya smiled at him sincerely. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to, but…” He took a deep breath. “I want to. With you, and with Kaa-chan.”Todoroki stared at him mutely.Midoriya held out his hand. “We’ll take good care of you, and we’ll be really safe. I promise.”“Come on,” Bakugo egged. “I look even better naked.”Nervously Todoroki’s eyes darted to him. He was tempted. His arm inched out, grasping Midoriya’s hand with his iron grip. “O… Ok, but… I have a right to change my mind later.”“Always,” Midoriya said sincerely, shaking his hand. “We won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.”On their way off the roof, Midoriya climbed onto Bakugo’s back and Todoroki prepared an ice bridge for himself. Bakugo grinned at him. “I’d say I’ve got something big for you to shove up your ass, but then you might think that I’m joking!” He cackled as he leapt from the roof, using explosions to carry himself and his screaming boyfriend to the ground. Todoroki, eyes wide and face as red as a tomato, raced after them at top speed. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Mom,” Bakugo called out as soon as he walked in the door. He sat down to untie his shoes as his mother’s voice wafted from the living room.“What is it, Katsuki?”“I need to borrow the house tomorrow.”“What? Why?”Bakugo shrugged out of his blazer on the way to his room. “Because I’m having friends over and you’re embarrassing.”“AWW! So rude to your mother!”Bakugo popped his head into the living room. His mother was splayed out on the couch delicately painting her toe and fingernails, wrapped in a satin bathroom like an ethereal goddess. He cringed. “Did I lie, though?”“Fine, I’ll go out with the girls tomorrow. Maybe I’ll leave all weekend!” She pouted.“That’s a good idea, mom,” Bakugo encouraged. “The hot springs would be a good place to show off all that fire-truck-red nail polish.”“You’re RIGHT!” His mother froze. “Wait, are you having a party? Am I not invited?”“Mom, three isn’t a party.”“Oh. Friends from school?”“Yeah.”“Oh, heroes! Cool!” She whipped a finger at him. “If you break anything I’ll cut off one of your hands!”Bakugo lifted his hands and backed away slowly. “Ok, jeez.”He glanced furtively over his shoulder before closing his bedroom door. Then he stopped and listened. His mother showed no signs of getting up to say more, but with her you never knew. He slid over to his bed and knelt on its tangled bedsheets, reaching onto the overhead shelf. It was packed with books and DVDs but he slid out a black box and set it on the bed. He bent over it as it lifted off the top.A few blue packaged condoms littered the bottom along with a mostly full bottle of lubricant, held in place by a satin bag, as of yet untouched. He replenished the condoms with a package he’d just bought from the store across town. There were flavored ones, ribbed ones, and some with sensory gel or whatever from this combo pack and he had to admit he was eager to use them. He replaced the box carefully and hid it among the rest of the junk on his shelf. His sex life had been vigorous with Midoriya. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other, no matter what they were doing, so it was a good thing all of their parents knew. If Bakugo had a yen for every time Midoriya’s mother barged in on them making out he could afford a new suit by now. Here they were never disturbed - but they didn’t have sex as often as he would have liked.They were two happy guys in a good relationship. Still, Midoriya was cautious, and most of the time they just lay in bed talking or kissing for hours instead of fucking. Bakugo had a normal libido. He could go three times a day every day for a month before he was worn out. But Midoriya was insatiable once a week, maybe twice or three times if he got lucky, and otherwise preferred to indulge in different intimacies.That was fine with Bakugo. He loved the kid, he deserved some space. But sometimes he just wanted a bit more. He wondered if it would help to include someone else in their intimacies. Would it make Midoriya more eager? Would they do it a lot if it went really well? To be honest, he was nervous about letting Todoroki anywhere near his boyfriend’s naked body, but that sexual tension between them could really be harmful if he ignored it. Midoriya loved Bakugo. But if Todoroki was a good addition to their bedroom and added more sex to the equation, he could live with that. It was nerve racking and a total turn-on to think about a threesome. If not, at least they got it out of their systems with him around.Bakugo lay back in bed and wondered why he was allowing this. Again and again doubts surfaced in his head, but he swatted them away irritably. He’d already made his decision. Anyway, Bakugo was attracted to Todoroki’s physicality and his intensity. That personality of his was razor sharp and flooded with trauma, but his body was rock hard and he had a really strong grip. His focus would make him good at fucking – at least, when he learned how. Bakugo grinned. He couldn’t wait to teach him.Virgins, he thought hungrily. Delicious. He spent the rest of the evening imagining Midoriya teaching Todoroki, and afterwards he slept like a rock.   Todoroki arrived early the next day. So early, in fact, that Bakugo’s mother had just gotten into her friend’s van and driven off, and Bakugo had to cut his shower short to answer the door for him. He sat back on his heels, grinning at his two-toned friend standing in his doorway. “Eager, are we?”Blushing, Todoroki gave him a sour look. He wore a loose tan t-shirt under a jean jacket and pressed tan slacks. His designer sneakers were sharply white. “I wanted to see how soon I could change my mind.”“Come on in, you can change your mind in the living room.” Bakugo led him inside wearing nothing but a towel himself.Todoroki took off his shoes and padded after him. “Why did you agree to this?”“You’re asking now?” Bakugo laughed. “You have no love for me, and you know Midoriya is attracted to me,” Todoroki pressed. “What good does it do you? I want to know.”Bakugo shrugged. “I just like getting laid.”“Is that all? Really?”“Look… Izuku is really important to me,” Bakugo said. “He’s got needs and wants, too, even if I don’t understand them. Kid’s empathetic. Look at who he’s dating – he turned the school prick into boyfriend material. He likes angry intense guys. I get it.”“That makes you a better man than I am.” Todoroki looked away angrily. “I’d never be that open. If we swapped places, I’d turn you into a pile of ash before you touched him.”“Why are you here?” Bakugo asked seriously.Todoroki aimed an even look at him. “I’m really gay.”Bakugo made a noise of acutely amused surprise. “What?”“Like, really gay.”“A-And?”“And you’re attractive. And I want to get with Midoriya.” Todoroki shrugged as he walked around the living room, admiring the mess Bakugo’s mother had made last night. There were food wrappers and crumbs everywhere. The table was a disaster. “When I said yes, it was because I’d be stupid to give up an opportunity to sleep with Midoriya when I like him this much. But I’m also very attracted to men and… no one will date me. I’m too scary. Midoriya is the only boy that I like who isn’t totally afraid of me.”“I don’t have to ask if you like me,” Bakugo laughed. “But I’m surprised you thought I was hot.”“I’m picky, I’m not blind,” Todoroki shot back.“Well put.” Bakugo waved at the clean armchair outside the mess. “Take a seat. I’ll come back and clean when I’m wearing pants.”“Why wear anything?” Todoroki blurted cheekily, but Bakugo leveled him with his eyes. Todoroki sank onto the chair, wordless. He was shaken. His sass drained away into the floor.Bakugo walked over to him, looming. “I know you’re nervous… but you better watch your mouth. I’m the only reason you can get within five feet of Midoriya, let alone fuck him – and this is my house you’re sitting in.” He said ominously. “Know your place.”He left swiftly. Back in the bathroom, Bakugo changed carefully, giving Todoroki time to stew. It wasn’t every day he got to have this power over him. Todoroki was over him skillfully, and his dad had made him a tiny Endeavor, but today Bakugo was in charge. Everything was under his control. He’d made all the decisions, bought the condoms, and it was his bed they’d be in, so he wasn’t going to take any more shit from this kid.When he was in black sweats, commando, with a bright red tank top over it, he cleaned up his mess in the bathroom and stepped into the hall. Todoroki was standing by the doorway to the living room.“What?” Bakugo snapped.Those mismatched eyes were unreadable. “I apologize. Like you said, I’m nervous and sometimes… I can’t control myself around attractive men.”Bakugo found himself oddly aroused. He eyed the tension of Todoroki’s body casually, hands on his hips. “Oh, yeah?”“Yeah,” Todoroki replied drawing in close. “And another thing. Don’t tell Midoriya, but even though he’s the one I’m in love with, I’m far more attracted to you.”“Why’s that?” Bakugo groused.“Your body is so slender and thick at the same time; there’s something about the way you hold it that makes me think of you as an alpha.” Todoroki’s eyes blazed to life. “I’d like to earn that position - not be handled by it.”Bakugo froze as a hand palmed his groin, massaging it tantalizingly. His genitals throbbed to life. He looked into those eyes and he felt like he’d just locked horns with another bull. Alpha? Who did he think he was? Some kinda…? Some kinda… Bakugo’s lips parted to release a long breath as the hand on his groin kept moving, touching him. Oh, shit. He really liked that. He grinned wickedly. “So that’s how it’s gonna be?” Bakugo and grabbed Todoroki by the hair, pulling his face close.“Fantastic. I love a good brawl.” He kissed him long and hard, tasting on his tongue the healthy breakfast he’d eaten this morning - and the milk he’d washed it down with. Todoroki didn’t weaken his grip but he was dazed when their lips parted. “This is gonna be fun,” Bakugo whispered. He let Todoroki touch his tight thighs and wander over his narrow hips, but when he went for his groin again Bakugo knocked Todoroki’s hand away and pushed him back into the armchair. “Sit, boy. That party doesn’t start until the third puppy arrives.”Todoroki, again quite shaken up, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He watched as Bakugo moved easily around the room picking up trash and wiping off every surface until the room was spotless in under ten minutes. Sitting up, Todoroki eyed Bakugo as he tied up a big bag of garbage and slung it over his shoulder. “Can you go more than once?”“Kid,” Bakugo grinned. “I could wear out you and Izuku back to back all day, and still have enough dick for the girl next door.”Todoroki swallowed. “Have you… been with a girl?”“No. Never got close enough to one to try. But I wanted to, you know, just to get my dick wet.” Bakugo tossed the trash in the trashcan and came back. “Did you ever think you were straight?”Todoroki looked down at his feet. “Never. After my mom gave me this scar, I find myself avoiding women.”“And your dad being himself didn’t dissuade you at all from liking men?”“Look, I don’t make the rules,” Todoroki snapped. “Do you tell Midoriya he has daddy issues?”Bakugo snapped his fingers, creating an explosion loud enough to startle Todoroki. “I said watch your mouth.” He snarled.“Sorry,” Todoroki whispered.“God, you’re cheeky,” Bakugo grumbled.“I just… I wonder sometimes. How it begins.”“It doesn’t matter. Some people know all their lives, some people figure it out over time…” Bakugo moved into the hall with his head bowed. “And some people get a wake-up call.”  Midoriya arrived an hour later - precisely on time. He walked right in and took off his shoes, as was his normal routine, to find them chatting in the living room. They both rose when they saw him. He blinked. “You’re already here, Todoroki?”“I was… nervous,” Todoroki admitted grudgingly.“I told him I’d rat him out if he lied,” Bakugo added.“How refreshing to see you two getting along!” Midoriya chuckled. He wore one of his All Might shirts and khaki shorts, his old sneakers he’d left at the door really gave him a boyish look. He was freshly showered and smelled like his cheap off-brand deodorant.“You need a red baseball cap to go with that school boy look, Izuku.” Bakugo came over to him and grabbed him by the waist, kissing him passionately. They tangled together without remorse. Midoriya clung to him, blushing, and Bakugo swung him over to face Todoroki. “Next!”Todoroki and Midoriya flushed.“Don’t get shy now!” Bakugo egged them on. “We’re about to be naked in the same room together!”Midoriya swatted Bakugo’s hands away. “Give us a minute, I just got here!”Todoroki forced himself to smile. “You look cute, Midoriya,” he said gently.“Thanks!” Midoriya elbowed Bakugo. “See, he can give me a compliment, it can’t be that hard.” Bakugo grumbled and ribbed his injured ribs.Glancing at Bakugo respectfully, Todoroki reached out with his iron grip and took Midoriya by the waist. He brought them together until they were touching. Still, he felt incredibly shy, and he waited with rosy cheeks for Midoriya to make the next move. Midoriya put his hands on Todoroki’s chest as if it were the first time. He didn’t hesitate. When he kissed Todoroki hello, the sincerity and affection in his touch affected even Bakugo. Both of them felt their negative emotions draining away.When Todoroki and Midoriya drew apart, Midoriya was smiling radiantly. “I’m glad you didn’t change your mind. Bakugo, did you go to the store?”“Right after school, babe.”“Good.”“Let’s go, then?” Bakugo urged, his genitals growing impatient with his boyfriend around.“Wait!” Todoroki blurted. When they looked at him he paled. “I…”Bakugo slung an arm over Todoroki’s shoulders. “Come on, Shoto,” he prodded. “Spit it out. We’re all friends here.”“I’m not circumcised,” Todoroki almost whispered.Bakugo and Midoriya exchanged glances. Neither of them had ever seen a dick with foreskin in person before. “It’s ok,” Midoriya piped encouragingly. “Right, Bakugo?”“Totally fine.”“Ok,” Todoroki sighed in relief.Midoriya led the way to the bedroom, Bakugo carting Todoroki with an arm around his neck. For once, Bakugo’s room was clean. The bed was made. Everything was put away. Even his laundry basket was empty, not a pair of dirty socks in sight. It was truly marvelous to behold.“Wow,” Midoriya exclaimed. “I’ve never seen the floor before!”Todoroki looked at him like he was crazy.  Bakugo grinned. “It only took two and a half hours.”“Good boy,” Midoriya laughed, latching onto him. He pushed his hands underneath Bakugo’s shirt. “Now that you know how, I bet you’ll never do that again.”Bakugo kissed him tenderly. “Never.”They kissed for a while, lost in their love, when suddenly they remembered Todoroki. Midoriya glanced between him and Bakugo. “I think we should…?”“You think so?” Bakugo asked.“Yeah.”“Yeah what?” Todoroki asked, standing awkwardly by the bed. The two of them stalked over to him, peeling off their shirts, and he almost had a heart attack. He flinched when shirtless Bakugo came up in front of him like he expected to get punched.“Relax!” Bakugo cupped Todoroki’s groin, mimicking him, and pushed into his personal space intently. “I promise you’ll like this, you horny bastard.”“Why you…” Todoroki grumbled, but Bakugo’s mouth caught his and he lost his breath. They kissed languidly. Todoroki touched Bakugo’s swelling groin.He was a lot tamer with Midoriya around, Bakugo noticed, and he really leaned into being touched like this. Bakugo grew hungrier as Todoroki rubbed his bare chest. He pushed his tongue deep into Todoroki’s mouth, and Todoroki gasped through his nose when Midoriya came up from behind him. Kisses peppered his neck. Wise hands roved under his jacket, and his groin was in Bakugo’s dangerous hand. Todoroki shuddered as Bakugo’s hand teased his member to life. Pleasure came from every side but it was nothing like what he’d expected it to be.Midoriya’s hands slid up to the swell of his chest. “You’re so tall, Todoroki…”Todoroki was blushed so hard his face felt like it was going to melt. He could do nothing but kiss Bakugo and feel the breath filling his muscular chest, falling into a lull as his hormones slowly took over. His jacket was being pulled off from the back. He shrugged out of it, hearing it drop to the floor as Midoriya’s hands returned for his shirt, teasing his nipples with it. Todoroki lifted his arms and broke the kiss with Bakugo to allow the shirt to slip away, drifting cloud-like to the floor, and turned to Midoriya. He couldn’t wait for this moment.Both of them shirtless, he wrapped Midoriya in a tight embrace and kissed him passionately, just like Bakugo had earlier. Except Todoroki had been planning this for a long time. Midoriya melted against him. He touched Todoroki’s bare throat and his collar, his fingertips ghosting down his arms. He was so delicate. So sweet.Bakugo sank his teeth into Todoroki’s neck. Pleasure shocked him, making Todoroki release Midoriya’s mouth, and Bakugo overpowered him from behind by locking his arms into place. Todoroki was too dizzy to panic. Midoriya seemed to have been waiting for this. He sensuously unhooked Todoroki’s slacks and unzipped him, working them off his hips. Todoroki stood shocked as his pants pooled around his ankles and he was suddenly naked.“Good boy,” Bakugo groused in his ear.It was then Todoroki realized he was way out of his league. These two might have only been together two months, but they already were way over his head in their sexual prowess. I’m done for, he thought. And he was right. He watched Midoriya unbutton his shorts and let them fall away, along with his red briefs, and he was helpless at the sight of Midoriya’s cute genitals. Somehow he found himself lying on the bed with Midoriya lying beneath him; he felt Bakugo’s weight bearing down on him. They lay in a pile on the bed. Midoriya’s lips met his own. He reached around his body and held him close, pressing tightly against him. Bakugo’s hand wrapped around his member, teasing it, and it was the first time anyone had touched Todoroki that way. He moaned gently into Midoriya’s mouth. It felt so good to finally be fondled. His genitals were a lot shier than he was, so it took a good grip to stiffen up his member and get it to emerge from his foreskin, twitching and ready to go. But Bakugo was persistent. His hand was firm and tender.They both began kissing and touching him together, making him fit between them like he belonged there. He’d never felt safer. Hands moving, hot breath against his neck, in his mouth… He never thought he’d be able to feel this good. It was amazing. Todoroki drew a deep breath when he and Midoriya parted for a brief moment, rolling against their bodies. Midoriya’s bare stiff genitals rubbing against his stomach and Bakugo’s, still trapped in his sweats, pressing hungrily against his ass. He licked his lips and kissed Midoriya again. The taste sent his head buzzing. His cock pushed against Bakugo’s hand uninhibited by fear or doubt. “He’s ready,” Bakugo said against Todoroki’s neck.Midoriya withdrew from Todoroki. “Ok.”“Want him to wear one?” Bakugo asked.“W-What?” Todoroki stuttered as Bakugo let go of his cock and lifted him up to kneel over Midoriya.“No way,” Midoriya answered. “It’s his first time!”“Ok, good point,” Bakugo said.Todoroki’s eyes widened. “You’re going to…?”“Is that ok?” Midoriya asked worriedly.Todoroki nodded numbly. “I don’t know how long I’ll last,” he said self-consciously.Bakugo, holding him up, nudged him forward. “No one’s judging you. Go ahead.”Todoroki obeyed, lowering his hips over Midoriya’s chest, and slowly sank his member into Midoriya’s open mouth. A gasp escaped from him as hot wet walls closed around his most sensitive organ. He bowed his head. Bakugo let him go and he was on his hands and knees, pushing his cock deeper into Midoriya’s mouth. He moaned hard. Every nerve in his body seemed to fade away except for the ones throbbing with pleasure up and down his groin. Midoriya’s tongue rubbed against his underside, prodding his foreskin.  “You’re a natural.” Bakugo grinned. He sat back on his heels, lowering the elastic on his sweats to fondle himself. He was already pretty hard. Todoroki was pumping erratically up and down, unable to find a right rhythm. Bakugo reached out and took his hips in both hands. He guided him into a smooth, deep rhythm, spreading his legs to give him better balance. Todoroki made a grateful noise as he deep-throated Bakugo’s boyfriend.Bakugo sparked a bit. He didn’t want him to come in there. Midoriya was enjoying himself, tasting foreskin for the first time, but that wasn’t the plan. Bakugo used this free moment to get the black box down. He opened it and let it rest on the floor; from it he pulled out two condoms and the lubricant. Coating two fingers in lube, he pocketed the two condoms. He watched Todoroki’s ass bounce. It was narrower than he thought it would be but he liked being able to see his hole with his legs spread like this. It took decent aim and good timing to get his finger inside it; he pushed gently and Todoroki faltered. He stopped pumping his hips.New ecstasy filled Todoroki’s body. He’d had things in there before, but having a boy’s hands inside him was much better. It curved up to push against his insides and a moan forced its way out of his throat. He had no problem taking one more finger, bearing down on it eagerly. He was already acclimated from a lot of practice.Bakugo could feel that Todoroki had been touching himself this way. He pictured Todoroki masturbating and his cock throbbed in his other hand. “Midoriya,” Bakugo groaned.Midoriya let the cock slide from between his lips. He wiped his mouth as he sat up, watching Todoroki’s sex face slacken and tremble. “Are you ready?” He asked.“Yes,” Todoroki begged. “God, yes.”Midoriya guided him back a little. “Ok.” He lay back, spreading his legs. “Can you find it?” Todoroki stared at Midoriya’s cute genitals. He touched them, fondling his balls, and Midoriya bit his lip. “The hole,” he urged, blushing.“Oh. Sorry, they’re just… cute.” Todoroki glanced up shyly and Midoriya’s was looking at him like his eyes were full of beautiful stars. He blushed. Lowering his eyes again, he prodded for the hole and found it. It was on a sharp angle. “You need to lift…” Todoroki trailed off as Midoriya put both legs on his shoulders.“Like this?” Midoriya asked.“Yeah,” Todoroki swallowed. He was as hard as concrete. This was way hotter than any of his dreams had been.Bakugo’s hand came around his side and handed him a condom. “It’s ultra-thin,” he said from behind him. “We always use them. They’re safe.”“Thank you,” Todoroki said. He opened the package and fumbled with the condom. Get yourself together, he scolded himself. This is what you’ve always wanted! Don’t mess up! He calmed down slowly. Then he put it the right way on his cock, rolling it down over his foreskin, and he grunted as it clenched him. It was a good tight. He heard Bakugo open another package and he blinked. “T-Together?” He managed.Bakugo kissed his back, sending shivers up and down his spine. “I’ve always wanted to shove something up your ass.”“Shit,” Todoroki whispered. This was so hot. He flinched as Bakugo’s hands came around his waist, coating his cock in lube with one long, sticky stroke. He knew just how to squeeze him. Todoroki held Midoriya’s legs with both hands; he looked so sexy spread out for him like this, but Bakugo’s touch sparked his skin. He couldn’t stop thinking about how it was going to feel to have someone inside him.“Go ahead, put it in,” Midoriya soothed.Todoroki’s eyes darted to Midoriya’s. “Right. Ok.” He hesitated. “Can…”“Can you what?” Midoriya asked quickly.“Can I eat you out?” Todoroki asked firmly.Midoriya heaved with surprise. “Really? ...Bakugo?”Bakugo made a noise of surprise behind him. “Go ahead. It’s your body, bro.”Midoriya took his legs down and sat up. He gave Todoroki a long wet kiss, his hand closing around his protected cock. “Can I take it off?” He whispered.“Please do.”Midoriya slipped off the condom and let it drop. He gave a few loose tugs. “Do you want me to blow you after?”“Yeah,” Todoroki breathed. “I… can wear a different condom.”“We have flavored ones,” Bakugo spoke up. “Can we move this along?”“Perfect – right.” Midoriya turned and got on his hands and knees, lowering his torso. “Like this?”Todoroki’s heart skittered as Midoriya bared his ass for him. He’d never been this close to a boy’s ass before – he was so hungry. Grabbing Midoriya’s ass cheeks, he fondled them sensuously. Soft. Round. His hands shifted to Midoriya’s hips and he lowered his face until the scent filled his senses. He leaned forward. His tongue ran over Midoriya’s waiting hole, soaking it in saliva. The incredibly strong taste distracted Todoroki for a second. It was perfect. He was foaming at the mouth, his tongue sinking into the hole, when suddenly, rough hands grabbed his waist. In slow motion, Todoroki felt something wet and rubbery kiss his hole, and suddenly something was inside him. His tongue was deep inside Midoriya when Bakugo’s cock sank deep inside him.Arching against Bakugo’s thick cock, Todoroki moaned loudly as his insides throbbed around it, shutting down the sensible parts of his brain. He rolled his tongue inside Midoriya’s hole, tasting every inch, and Midoriya himself buried his face in a pillow and moaned. Todoroki’s body jerked as Bakugo fucked him. He held tightly to Midoriya in order to not force his tongue in too quickly, but his motions were loose and drunken. Bakugo felt so good inside him. Determined to focus, Todoroki explored Midoriya’s insides. It was totally smooth. He tasted like sweat and body, and Todoroki drank it up.Bakugo absolutely railed him. Todoroki couldn’t focus anymore; he fucked Midoriya with his tongue for another minute before he turned into moaning, writhing mess at Bakugo’s mercy, clutching the bedsheets to anchor him in place. His world swam.“Oh, baby,” Bakugo groaned. “We overdid it.”Midoriya had sunk down onto the bed, turning to watch. “Don’t stop - he loves it.” He sat cross-legged carefully. “I want to do that again sometime.”“Sure, babe,” Bakugo replied. He took a ragged breath and fucked harder. “God, he’s really good.”“Don’t stop on my account.” Midoriya came around to Bakugo, kissing his neck and chest as he fucked Todoroki. He left love bites along his throat and collar.Todoroki was a mess. Bakugo was so big and so hard – nothing compared to how goddamn sexy it was to be so full and so fucked. He gasped as Bakugo made him sit upright on his knees, wrapping him in an embrace. Todoroki groaned deeply as Bakugo fucked him upright, reaching back to wrap an arm around his neck. Midoriya appeared at his front.“Midoriya,” Todoroki moaned. “I’m sorry I couldn’t…”“Shhh, enjoy,” Midoriya soothed, locking lips with him. He toyed with Todoroki’s nipples until he moaned and rolled his tongue into his mouth. He withdrew. “Not a bad taste.”Curving to the sky, Todoroki’s cock rubbed against Midoriya’s side as Bakugo’s fucking gave his body tremors. Midoriya broke their kiss to go for the box of condoms. He chose a strawberry flavored one and took his time rolling it over Todoroki’s twitching cock. Then he got on his hands and knees again and let Bakugo’s thrusting force Todoroki’s protected cock down his throat. He sucked hard on it. A burst of strawberry flavoring filled his mouth.“Oh, oh,” Todoroki cried. He clenched Bakugo’s cock inside him and pushed his cock into Midoriya’s mouth desperately.Bakugo gasped. He clung to Todoroki, nipping at his earlobes angrily. “Easy, easy,” he growled, but Todoroki was beyond reason. He held on for dear life as Todoroki sucked the life out of his member. It didn’t take long for Bakugo’s cock to give a last desperate cry and shoot his seed into the tip of the condom, letting him orgasm. Bakugo fucked wildly until the stars cleared from his eyes and the wild throbbing eased into pulsating. Then he pulled out, panting, and sat back on his haunches as Todoroki grabbed Midoriya be the hair and pushed himself in deep enough to trigger an orgasm of his own.The tickle turned into a tidal wave in Todoroki’s balls. He pumped wildly. Midoriya’s thick hair tickled his fingers as he grasped it. Galaxies exploded in his groin. He came hard into the tip of the condom – which ripped. He was rocked with it, unable to control how hard he fucked Midoriya’s throat, and he released a chorus of moaning.Midoriya swallowed instinctively as Todoroki shot hot cum down his throat. Shit, he thought, Bakugo didn’t want me to…! But it was too late. Strawberry flavoring and sperm slid together down his gullet. He sucked Todoroki, unwilling to let go, and only when the cock shrank away from him did he let release it.He opened his eyes. Todoroki, who knelt panting with his legs spread open, was barely holding himself together enough to stay upright. He was hot and coated in sweat. Midoriya looked down and saw his foreskin retracting over the head of his penis against the clutches of a torn condom. Behind him, Bakugo was glaring at him but looked the same way; he pulled off his own filled condom and tossed it into the trash.Midoriya looked up into Todoroki’s face and saw pure bliss. His heart throbbed. What a handsome boy; it wasn’t his fault the condom broke. His chest was heaving with breath but he looked like he was going to collapse. Midoriya wrapped a hand around Todoroki’s wrist and the two-toned boy came toppling down to the mattress, and on top of him. Midoriya lay back with Todoroki in his arms. He stroked his hair and kissed it, and reached out to his boyfriend to come over. Bakugo obeyed. He lay on Midoriya’s other side and they lay together, exhausted but happy.“His condom broke,” Midoriya said quietly.“What?!” Bakugo yelped.Todoroki seemed to be sleeping against Midoriya’s shoulder. His strong hand was spread over Midoriya’s nude breast, his body curled around him, but he was breathing deeply and totally relaxed.Glancing at Bakugo, Midoriya gave him a pleading look. “It wasn’t his fault, Kaa-chan.”Silence tensed the air between them. Bakugo was trembling with the force of holding in his anger. They’d talked about all this: what they would do, how they’d do it, how far they’d go, what cues to give each other if it was too much, what they wanted and didn’t want to happen. Todoroki coming in Midoriya’s mouth had been top of the list of Do Not Do’s.Midoriya could empathize. It was really a sacred thing to take a man’s seed. He hadn’t planned on it, of course, and neither had Todoroki, so who was there to blame? Midoriya looked at him now and he saw now more than ever why he liked Todoroki so much. He acted so cold, sharp as a razor’s edge, but when he let down his guard he looked… young. And fragile. Midoriya wanted to protect him. He hugged him tightly and looked at Bakugo. “How was it for you? Was it ok?”Bakugo had cooled his head. He sucked in a deep breath through his nose, calmed. “It was good. He didn’t push anything, and we all got good shares I think. Except you didn’t come. How do you feel?”“Good,” Midoriya admitted. “I’m ok. I can finish myself later just to make my hard-on go away, but I enjoyed having both of you. I love the way you interact.”Bakugo cracked a grin and kissed his cheek. “Why?” He chuckled.“You’re two hot naked boys, what’s there not to like?” Midoriya grinned.“Thanks,” Todoroki murmured. He came slowly back to life, groaning as he did. “I couldn’t move, sorry. Too tired.”Midoriya flooded with relief. “How do you feel?”Groaning sensuously, Todoroki buried his face in Midoriya’s shoulder. “So good.”“He got the best part of both ends,” Bakugo grumbled.“Ignore him, your condom breaking was an accident.”“What?” Todoroki looked up blearily. “It broke? Shit…”“It’s fine, it wasn’t the first time,” Midoriya said.Bakugo sighed in frustration. “And it won’t be the last.”Midoriya kissed Bakugo sweetly. “Sorry, handsome.” He smiled when Bakugo wrapped an arm around him tightly, squeezing him and kissing his shoulder. “Forgive me?”“Shut up, of course. Just don’t do that again. Please.”“Sorry, Bakugo,” Todoroki said quietly. “Really.”“Shut up both of you! God, it was such good sex. No reason to be sorry about it.” Bakugo reached over and flicked Todoroki’s nose. “How’d you like my boyfriend?”Struggling to sit up, Todoroki looked at them. “He was amazing. Both of you treated me really well – thank you. I have no words that can make up for this. I know I’m not in this relationship, but… thank you. Really.”Midoriya and Bakugo exchanged a smile. They dragged him back into the hold, kissing his face until he struggled away from them. Their hands tugged at his naked arms and waist so he couldn’t get away but he managed to slip their holds and roll away. They lunged for him. He gasped as he got pulled back down again. Their lovey pestering made Todoroki laugh for the first time since they’d met him and the clear, genuine sound of it melted even Bakugo’s heart. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Midoriya had just finished carefully dressing in his nicest clothes – a suit his mother had bought him for middle school graduation – and he was now brushing out his thick hair, looking at himself from several angles in the mirror. He was blushing already. Tonight was a big night – they were going to a really nice place to eat, out in public where everyone could see. His heart skittered around in his chest but he looked closely at himself and saw nothing out of place. It was almost time. He jumped a foot in the air when his phone rang, answering it hastily. “H-Hello? Kaa-chan?” He managed.“Open your front door,” Bakugo said over the line.“What?” Midoriya looked out of the bathroom and noticed a shadow by the door. “OH!” He was here! Lunging for the front door, Midoriya swung it open to find Bakugo dressed in a suit and holding a bouquet of pink roses. Midoriya turned just as pink. “W-What is this for?”“Three month anniversary, technically,” Bakugo quipped. He offered the flowers to Midoriya, his eyes lighting up as he noticed Midoriya was in a suit. “You… look great. Fantastic.”Midoriya, shocked, took the bouquet in confusion. What did you do with flowers? Oh! Water! “Thank you,” he smiled and motioned for him to come inside. “I’m surprised.”“What? Why?” Bakugo asked. He watched Midoriya carefully as he stepped inside.Midoriya picked one of his mother’s vases from the China cabinet and filled it with water, his hands arranging the flowers with a gentle flourish. “You never seemed the type to splurge,” he admitted. “I’m impressed, Kaa-chan.”Bakugo walked over and chose a rose from the bunch, cutting its stem most of the way off. He fashioned it in Midoriya’s pocket so it would stay snug all night. “I need to step up my game, then.” Their eyes met and Bakugo touched Midoriya’s chin with the crook of his finger. “I told you. I’m trying harder.”Kissing him, Midoriya slid his hands around Bakugo’s waist. They leaned together. When their lips parted it felt like it was too soon. “You’re doing a good job, Kaa-chan, you know you are. Are you…?”“I’m fine.” Bakugo took Midoriya’s hand. “Let’s go.”They left the house together, strolling into the city hand in hand. Bakugo’s other hand was in his pocket. He wanted to buy some kind of transport, but everything in this city was so damn expensive. He’d blow his last yen on this dinner – but that had been the plan. Besides… He glanced at Midoriya, glowing, hair rustling in the cool evening air, and his heart swelled. This was better. He squeezed his hand and Midoriya blinked at him.“I love you,” Bakugo said suddenly.Midoriya stared at him in wonder. “What has gotten into you today?”Blushing, Bakugo shrugged. “I’m not really sure.”Pulling him back, Midoriya kissed his cheek in the middle of the sidewalk, and a few passing people did 180 degree turns to watch. They didn’t notice. Bakugo took Midoriya by the waist and kissed his lips slowly, sweetly. Sparks flew. Time slowed. They parted breathless. Their chests heaved in their pressed suits, eyes on fire, and gradually began to walk again. Midoriya pushed their shoulders together as they went.The restaurant wasn’t far, thankfully. Cool air washed their faces in the crowded city streets. To them, it seemed like no one was staring, but every eye in the city was watching them pass through the throngs of people hand in hand. At every intersection they stood gently embracing, acting natural in the only way they’d grown accustomed to. Kids stared the most. They saw two boys in suits holding hands or touching and their little jaws dropped. Midoriya flashed a young boy a smile when they passed on his way across the street. The boy stared at him as his mother dragged him to the opposite curb.Low, broad and modern with great white billowing curtains, the restaurant welcomed them into its dark belly. Candles glowed everywhere. Soft electric light hovered in glass balls over the tables. There was a long mahogany bar decorated with alcohol bottles and all the waiters and waitresses wore black suits. The couple climbed the velvet stairs behind the host and passed through a long curtain before reaching their reserved table. It was overlooking the city streets. No one was at the other tables, thankfully, and the waiter left them with menus before vanishing.Bakugo pulled out Midoriya’s chair and pushed him in when he was settled. He sank into his own seat, unbuttoning his blazer. “Like it?”Midoriya, mutely, was gazing all around him with magnified fascination and awe. “It’s beautiful,” he whispered.Midoriya was so handsome. Bakugo stared at his freckled cheeks, flushed from the walk, and admired the slender curve of his throat and wrists. The rose in his lapel looked beautiful. He watched him study the room with stars in his eyes.Midoriya caught him staring. He was startled by the love in his eyes. “I’ve never seen you act like this, Kaa-chan.” He blushed and studied his boyfriend closely. “It’s… really nice.”Bakugo stretched out his hand and Midoriya took it. “Do you normally feel like I’m not paying attention to you?”“No,” Midoriya said quickly. “You just… you’re paying a lot of attention today.”Bakugo’s eyes flickered. He tried to speak but nothing came out. Looking at the empty plates before them, he realized that he couldn’t describe this feeling. He resumed staring at his cute boyfriend. “You’re always amazing, Izuku. I’m just… I’m really feeling lucky to have you today.”“I’m glad. But you don’t seem happy,” Midoriya said in a gentle voice. “Why?”“I am happy!” Bakugo blurted. “I’m so happy… I…” He grasped for words.Midoriya’s pleading eyes opened a door in his mind, and everything flooded back to him in full force. Bakugo felt his adrenaline soar. He understood. “I never had anybody who knew me before. Never,” he whispered. “My friend were just other jerks like me who only cared about themselves – and I only cared about myself. You put up with me all our lives. You looked after me. I was so…” Bakugo squeezed Midoriya’s hand tightly. “I was so lonely.”Midoriya was struck into silence. He listened attentively. Bakugo, distraught, rubbed his face with his free hand. “I didn’t think I was lonely. It didn’t feel like it at first. Then as I got older, I realized that no matter what I did, I always found myself alone at the end of every day. There was no one I trusted to understand me and after a while loneliness became a constant shadow in my life. I grew up and it was better, but in middle school… I don’t know. I just kept getting angrier and angrier.”He swore softly. “I just wanted somebody to see passed it. I needed someone to get through to me. I was buried down so deep – that part of me that was vulnerable, that could care about others, was buried long ago. I couldn’t get to it anymore. I was blindly following my ambition when you got powers. Right after I told you to kill yourself that was when you saved me from the mud monster. I was so ungrateful. Such an asshole. I begged for help inside, you saw it in my eyes, and yet…” Bakugo angrily rubbed tears from his eyes. “I can’t believe how fucking nice and tough and good you are, and I can’t fucking believe you like an asshole like me.” His voice trembled. “I’m so lucky. I’m so lucky that you were so good, that you liked me. I’m so lucky to have you.”Midoriya shoved back his seat and came around the table. He pulled out Bakugo’s chair and sat on his lap, wrapping his arms around Bakugo’s neck tightly. Bakugo sank his fingers into Midoriya’s hair and crushed their bodies together. He felt a tidal wave of comfort and safety in the crook of Midoriya’s shoulder.“It wasn’t luck,” Midoriya trembled. “It was love.”Bakugo shut his eyes tightly. “I’m sorry.”Midoriya squeezed his neck. “I forgive you, Kaa-chan.”Soft lips touched Bakugo’s temple, and Bakugo, red nosed and red-eyed from crying, drew back to look at Midoriya’s cute face. It was pinched with sadness; tears brimmed in his eyes, too. Seeing him like that struck a chord in Bakugo’s heart and he struggled to quit crying, wiping his face and taking deep breaths. “I didn’t mean to make you cry, I’m sorry. It’s just that I don’t know how to be like this anymore. I’m figuring it out as I go along.”“I get it, I get it,” Midoriya nodded. “It’s really good to hear you say things like that. It makes me cry because it’s so great! Don’t ever keep stuff like that in, ok? I always want to hear it. No matter what it is.”Bakugo, helpless against Midoriya’s kindness, felt a flood of tears crash over him. He gripped him tightly. “Thanks,” he muttered pathetically, tears streaming down his faceMidoriya laughed through his tears and cuddled him tightly. “I love you, Kaa-chan.”When the waiter tried to come over, Midoriya waved him away, and the young man bolted. They sat holding onto one another for a long time before Bakugo was recovered enough to speak. Midoriya helped him dry the tears off his face. Bakugo blew his nose. “I’ve never been such a wuss before. Thanks for that little ‘unearthing’ of all the feelings I didn’t need.”“I like the wuss,” Midoriya argued. “He’s cuter than angry you. Besides, you aren’t living if you aren’t feeling - it’s not all bad.” He kissed Bakugo’s salty lips.Humming, Bakugo shrugged. “Touché. I guess.”Midoriya touched his face with hesitant fingertips. “Are you ok? Do you want to go?”“No, I want to stay here with you,” Bakugo said, brushing it off. “I’m here to buy you dinner and watch you being super attractive all night, then we’re going back to my place. Mom’s out tonight so I’m keeping you over.”“Oh?” Midoriya perked up. It had been a while since they stayed over; Bakugo’s mom had been home sick from work for almost a month, but now she was back on her feet and just as ridiculous as usual. “I’m glad she’s better! And that I get to see your bed again.” He grinned.“But first we have to eat! I was looking forward to buying you something nice all week – come on, sit back in your chair so the waiter can come out of hiding.”Midoriya laughed and untangled himself from his boyfriend. “Ok, I’m going.” When he sat down he propped open the menu on his lap. “What do they have?”Bakugo grinned wickedly. “I don’t care what they have – I want STEAK!”    “I can’t believe they didn’t have steak!” Bakugo cried.The sun had set long ago, and they’d been at the restaurant talking for almost three hours. The lights of the city burned brightly. Overhead, no stars could be seen, only a vast blotch of blackness as the light pollution hid the galaxy. Midoriya laughed for the thousandth time that night as Bakugo made that livid face of his where his nostrils flared and he pulled his mouth up into a tight triangle.Pushing his shoulder, Midoriya wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. “You had a great pork kebab, what are you complaining about?”“If they put any more olive oil in your spaghetti you could’ve skipped digesting it and just shit it all out at once.”Midoriya died of laughter, bending double in the middle of the sidewalk.“Seriously!” Bakugo squeaked. The sight of Midoriya in an uncontrollable laughing fit tickled his funny bone. He cracked a grin and giggled. “Come on, it’s not that funny.”“AND SHIT OUT ALL AT ONCE,” Midoriya gasped, bubbling with laughter all over again.Bakugo burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking. They staggered down the sidewalk together as their obnoxious laughter bounced off the quiet homes. Bakugo’s house was in sight. Midoriya struggled to catch his breath on the curb. “Oh, my God,” he heaved. “I can’t take you anywhere!”Bakugo used his sleeve to push the tears from his eyes. “Hey, I took you, buddy!”“Touché,” Midoriya giggled. As they drew closer to Bakugo’s house, a small light in the side yard could be seen. They squinted to see what it was. Suddenly Midoriya grabbed Bakugo. “FIRE!” He yelled. “THE BUSHES - !!”Breaking into a sprint, Bakugo left Midoriya in his dust as he raced to the fire, skidding to a sharp stop in its wake. It towered over him. The massive hedge separating the homes was totally ablaze. “Shit,” he whispered. An explosion quirk was no use here! Where was Todoroki when you needed him? Running to the back door, he unlocked it and flew inside. With one huge bottle of water over his arm, he used his explosion quirk to get high up over the fire, dousing half of it with the stream from the bottle. He landed next door completely without water. “Shit!” He hissed.When he raced back around the fire to his house, he was frozen in his tracks by a cry. He whirled around. Midoriya was kneeling in the front of the house behind the main gate he’d run through. Bakugo leaped to his side. When he got close enough, he saw why Midoriya was kneeling and he froze solid.Todoroki, slatheringly drunk, was on his back in the grass behind the gate, struggling to get up. He had frozen Midoriya’s arm to the ground – struggling to free himself, Midoriya was yelling at Todoroki.Bakugo forced himself to move. He used an explosion to shatter the ice around Midoriya’s arm and hoisted Todoroki mercilessly to his feet, dragging him to the fire. “Get your ice ready!” He ordered. Pointing Todoroki at the fire once they were close enough, Bakugo pointed at the roaring flames. “Put that shit out, right now!”“Fine, Christ,” Todoroki slurred. He lifted his arm and with a burst of anger he froze the fire solid until an ice wall nearly fifty feet tall towered over them. Steam and smoke choked them. They fell to their knees, coughing. Todoroki collapsed.Midoriya, his shirt over his face, used One for All to funnel strength into his limbs and drag his friends inside the house. He shut and locked the door. Slowly, the air cleared, and Bakugo was sprawled out, panting on the hardwood floor. His head was spinning. Todoroki, at his house? Fire… ice wall… his mother was gonna kill him! He rolled over and sat up, rubbing smoke from his eyes.“What,” Bakugo whispered, “the FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!” He screamed at Todoroki.A groan punctured the air around them. Midoriya had a filthy Todoroki propped up in his lap and was wiping his face with a wet rag; he’d apparently been sick all over himself more than once, and now the smoke from the fire he’d apparently started further ruined his now unrecognizable clothing. He looked to have set himself on fire in order to burn the hedges. Midoriya, terrified, was white-faced and tight-lipped.Neither of them was in a talking mood. Bakugo unfortunately was. “You come to my house, you BURN my YARD!” He roared. “Of all the God-awfully stupid things you’ve ever - ! No, you know what? I don’t even care. You burn down my house? So what? Get a new one. Not like I have sixteen years-worth of my life sitting around – not like my family needs a roof over their heads or anything! ARRRGHHH!!” He shook his fists. “I should blow you to bits right now!”“Bakugo!” Midoriya snapped angrily. “Look at him!”Stiffly Bakugo lowered his eyes to Todoroki, who looked like he was dying. “Christ!” He bolted to the kitchen and got more water. Coming back, he tipped half of it in Todoroki’s mouth and splashed the rest on his face. “Wake up so I can kill you, you piece of shit!”Coughing on the water, Todoroki swallowed and gasped, coming to life in Midoriya’s arms. “Wha - ?!” He made a guttural sound. “Oh, fuck…”Both of them dodged as Todoroki tossed the contents of his stomach onto the floor beside them. Bakugo waited until he was done to drag him out of Midoriya’s arms. He picked him up, bridal style, and carried him into the bathroom, depositing him into the tub unceremoniously. He used small explosions to remove all his clothing and burned it to a crisp. Then he left to find Midoriya still sitting by the door.Bakugo helped him to his feet and brushed him off caringly. “Go – take off your clothes and take care of Todoroki. Take some of my stuff for you and him to wear once he’s cleaned up. I’ll take care of this.”“But… I…?” Midoriya protested weakly.“I can’t see his face right now, I’m too angry,” Bakugo snapped. “Go.”Nodding, Midoriya touched Bakugo to make sure he was all in one piece, then he walked dreamlike to the bedroom to take off his smoked suit. He was shaken. Todoroki had started a fire! Why? Was he angry about them again? He peeled off his clothes with trembling hands, slowly regaining his senses. What was going on here? He didn’t get it – they’d resolve everything and had a great time last month, what had changed?In a red cotton shirt and his blue briefs, Midoriya headed into the bathroom. Todoroki was lying pale and in the grips of pain in the tub; fire burns and ice burns covered almost a quarter of his entire naked body. Midoriya shut the door behind him slowly. Jesus. What had he done? Kneeling by the tub, Midoriya turned on the water and made it cold but not too cold. He used the showerhead to wash the sick off Todoroki. Lifting the back of his head, he cupped some water and got it into his mouth. Todoroki drank eagerly. He became quickly exhausted afterwards and went very still, like he was sleeping. Midoriya washed his hair and body carefully. In the medicine cabinet was burn ointment – tons of it, thanks to Bakugo – and he meticulously covered Todoroki’s burns with the stuff. He took pains to bind each burn tightly with gauze from the first-aid kid.Dry, clean, and clothed, Todoroki looked like a sleeping child who fell asleep in the tub. Midoriya used his quirk again to lift Todoroki. He left the bathroom cautiously to avoid Bakugo but he was still mopping by the back door so he didn’t notice them moving around. Todoroki gave a gentle moan as Midoriya lay him on the couch. He propped Todoroki head up with a pillow and tucked him in with a blanket; the invalid was in a loose band t-shirt and long sweats, and Midoriya had wrapped long socks around his feet and legs to hold on the bandages. He also put a bucket by his head just in case he hurled again.Satisfied, Midoriya sat on his legs on the carpet, tuckered out. He’d never had to play nurse to anyone except Bakugo before. It was not a fun job, but he was good at it. He studied Todoroki’s face carefully. Alcohol poisoning had probably driven himself to set himself and the bushes on fire. His forehead was cold when Midoriya touched it. Not sick, but definitely in need of rest and water. Todoroki lazily moved his head.“Todoroki?” Midoriya leaned forward, putting a hand on his chest. “Hey, it’s ok. I’m here.”Those drunken mismatched eyes rolled over him. “Midoriya?” He grunted. “What are you doing here?”“What happened, Todoroki?” Midoriya demanded. “You’re very sick, and the bushes are a huge wall of ice! Why did you burst into flames?”Todoroki took in a sharp breath. “Oh, God… my abdomen is killing me…”“You hurled like five times.” Midoriya lifted his head gently. “Try to drink some more water – your body has almost none left after all that mess you made.”Todoroki obediently drank. He choked on a mouthful and Midoriya had to roll him on his side to help him cough it up. Lazily, Todoroki worked his arm out of the blanket and grabbed Midoriya’s hair. A desperately anguished look flashed across his face. “I’m… still alive?”Midoriya paled significantly. “Did… did you want to die, Todoroki?”“Shit… I failed…” Todoroki swore, collapsing onto his back. He passed out again.Loose, pained, he looked like a broken soldier. Midoriya stared at him. Had he wanted to die? “Oh my God,” he whispered.Footsteps padded up behind him. Bakugo, also changed, wiped his freshly washed hands on his black sweats and he paused alongside Midoriya. They both considered the two-toned boy unconscious on the couch. “He looks comfy.” Bakugo grunted.“He tried to commit suicide,” Midoriya whispered. “What?!” “Shh!” Midoriya got up and dragged Bakugo away into the kitchen, pushing him against the cabinets. “He just asked me if he was still alive – and he said he failed because he was!”Bewildered, Bakugo looked from his boyfriend to the living room door way and back again. His eyebrows were high up on his forehead. “You’re joking.” He whispered. “Todoroki? Kill himself?” Grasping Midoriya’s arm, he searched his face. “You treated the burns?”The head of thick dark hair bobbed. “Yes. He’ll be ok. I just… I never thought…”“Why?” Bakugo interrupted. “Why would he do that? He was so happy a month ago!”“I…” Midoriya looked over his shoulder. “I have no idea.”   Everything was throbbing. Burning scorched his nerves, sending waves of agony to his brain. The room was spinning when he opened his eyes and gasped in pain. He was in Bakugo’s living room. He recognized it from a month ago – but how had he gotten here? And why did he feel like he’d just survived a war? Groaning, he sat up, wiggling his injured limbs. He was in so much pain.“You’re up late, sunshine.”Todoroki snapped his head around to see Bakugo sitting in the armchair behind him. “You startled me,” he trembled. “What happened?”“You came to my house in the middle of the night, set yourself on fire trying to die, burned down my hedge, and then turned it into an ice wall.” Bakugo got up and walked over to him, arms crossed. “You wanna tell me what happened?”His words struck Todoroki like an oncoming train. Oh, God. He had tried to kill himself last night – in Bakugo’s yard, no less! He started to shake all over. “I did it… it was me,” he whispered. “I was drinking rice wine, a lot of rice wine… then I remember being the most furious I’d ever been in my entire life. I blamed you for some reason. The rest is… blank. I have no idea why I tried to commit suicide.”Bakugo sank down to sit beside him on the couch slowly. “You could have died – of alcohol poisoning, dehydration, smoke inhalation, or been burnt up by the fire. We saved your life, Todoroki.”Silence fell over the young invalid hero. There was no color in his face. His scar stood out like a harsh splash of soy sauce around his ocean blue eye, his brow knit and his lips parted in shock.Sighing, Bakugo glanced at him, studying his crestfallen expression. “You wanted to die.”Todoroki nodded.“Why?” Bakugo pressed.Swallowing, Todoroki touched his forehead. “C-Can I have a glass of water?” Bakugo handed him the one off the coffee table. He drained it in one gulp. “I… is Midoriya still here?”“You remember he was here?”“Yes. I was naked and cold, he… dressed my wounds. He tucked me in like I was some sleeping child.” Todoroki covered his face with his hands. “God, what must he think of me? Both of you!”Bakugo pulled Todoroki’s hands away from his face impatiently. “He slept in my room last night, but I was here taking care of you. He left to get breakfast a few minutes ago.”“Good. I don’t want him to hear this.” Looking up, Todoroki took a deep breath. “Bakugo, I told my father I was gay a month ago. After we had sex.”“You didn’t tell him we - ?!”“NO! Just that I was gay!”“Oh, shit. What happened?”Todoroki grabbed Bakugo’s arm. “He hired a conversion therapist.”“I’ll kill him.” Bakugo tried to get up but Todoroki yanked him back with all his strength.“No!” Todoroki yelped. “I got out of it!”“How?!”“I left home yesterday. I’m living with a friend of the family who lives nearby. I feel normal now – mentally - but I spent a whole month being told by a professional that I was sick and disgusting and that God hated me.”Bakugo stared at him. “I can’t believe your own father…?”Sadly, Todoroki shook his head. “It was awful. I got drunk on wine last night, alone in my room, trying to cope with it. But I just couldn’t. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that it was your fault – you took Midoriya away from me, and you took my virginity, and I…” He gritted his teeth. “I wanted more so badly! The whole time she was torturing me in ‘therapy’ all I could think about was how happy we were together, and how badly I wanted to do it again. I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it.” Bakugo handed him the bucket and he clung to it desperately. “I barely made it to a month. She brought me to a group a few days ago, and some of the other kids were already talking about suicide – that was what forced me to do something. I picked up my life and left. I asked my mother’s childhood friend for sanctuary. She said I could live with her. But…”“You got drunk and wanted to kill yourself.”“Yes.” Todoroki looked sick. “I drank all three bottles of her rice wine. She’s probably worried sick about me.”Bakugo was quiet for a few seconds before he took a small breath. “What’s her number?”“You won’t tell her, will you?”“What else should I say? ‘Sorry, I got him drunk and burnt him to a crisp’?”“Shit… I fucked up… I really…” Todoroki whispered.Bakugo held out his arm and a marker. Shakily, Todoroki wrote down her number. “If she agrees,” Bakugo said slowly. “I want you to stay here. With me.”Todoroki froze. “What?”“Obviously this woman cannot handle what’s going on. I’m worried about you and I know Midoriya will be, too. We have a guest room dad uses sometimes when he fights with my mom. It’s clean. I want you to live there.” Bakugo grabbed Todoroki by the back of his neck, looking him in the eye. “You need to be around people who love you. Me and Midoriya can be those people.”Tears filled Todoroki’s mismatched eyes. “Just like that? I almost burned down your house!”“I will not have my friends suffering alone. That woman does not understand you. We do.” Bakugo wiped Todoroki’s tears affectionately. “I’m sorry about what she told you. You know she was wrong – there’s nothing wrong with you, nothing at all.”Shaking his head, Todoroki looked away. There were no words.Bakugo chucked him under the chin. “You’re perfect, Todoroki. Anybody who says otherwise is a blind fucking asshole.”“I’m not,” Todoroki said firmly. “I’m scarred, and angry, and so fucking horny all the time… maybe it would be better if I…!” He flinched as a hand approached his face; Bakugo’s thumb ran along the scar around his eye with a soft touch.Their eyes met. Bakugo’s red gaze was steely. “You’re perfect, Shoto. A perfect mess. As people, that’s all we can aspire to be.” He wiped a stray tear that streaked down Todoroki’s cheek. “Get some rest, all right? I’ll call your friend and give her some bullshit excuse for wanting you to live here. I won’t tell her you tried to kill yourself.”“Thank you, Katsuki,” Todoroki whispered. He lifted a hand and Bakugo grasped it.They regarded each other. Todoroki, broken and sick. Bakugo, tense and burning. Spiritually they shook hands; a new bond had been formed a month ago, and it showed its golden strength today. In the foyer, the front door opened quietly. The boys parted.Bakugo strode to meet Midoriya in the hallway. “He’s awake.”“He is?” Midoriya handed him the food. “Put this in the kitchen, please. I want to see him.” He watched Bakugo obey him. His heart was pounding. Todoroki, he thought worriedly. The white socks on his feet made no noise on the carpeted living room floor.“Todoroki?” He approached him cautiously. The alertness and normal stony disposition of Todoroki’s face set him more at ease; still, he was nervous if Todoroki was mentally OK or not. It showed on his face.Todoroki had straightened his back and tensed his posture; now, looking at Midoriya, he felt guilty for pretending to be ok. His body slowly slackened against the back of the couch. The sour, twisted feeling in his gut pinched his features. They searched each other’s faces for the words to say.“How do you feel?” Midoriya quietly took a seat alongside him where Bakugo had just been sitting.Todoroki lowered his eyes. “I’ll survive.”“Thank God. How are the burns?”“Awfully painful.” Todoroki winced as he moved his leg. “I really did a number on myself, but they’ll heal in a month.”Touching the bandages on his arm, Midoriya lifted one to check the state of the wound beneath. It was angry and flaming but the medicine had worked. A mess of antibiotic cream has driven away any chance of infection from a few blisters that had burst. Thankfully, the rest of his body wasn’t as badly burned as his left arm was. He replaced the bandages.“I’ll change them soon. You don’t need the cream anymore - just something to keep it covered.” Midoriya’s hand hovered over Todoroki’s bandages. He lifted his eyes and watched his scarred face turn into a shadow. “I’m not judging you, Todoroki.”Mouth sealed, Todoroki said nothing. He moved his face away from Midoriya’s outstretched fingertips.“When I saw you in the yard, I…” Midoriya trailed off. Did Todoroki remember?Those eyes slipped over to him. Yes, he did.Sighing through his nose, Midoriya looked down at his hands. “I understand.”“No, you don’t,” Todoroki said.“Ok,” Midoriya said quietly. The hardness of his eyes hurt Midoriya’s heart, but he knew that if Todoroki was being cold to him it was for a good reason. He might be scared. Lost. Something much worse must’ve happened than anything Midoriya could imagine, and he respected that. I just wish he could talk to me, Midoriya thought sadly. “…Can you get up?”Shifting his legs again, Todoroki nodded. He held out his hand. Midoriya got to his feet and hauled him up, helping him balance. A hand pushed him away and he stepped away respectfully. He knew Todoroki didn’t want to be touched right now – he was hurt, body and mind – so he stayed a few paces behind him as Todoroki moved into the kitchen. He sat gingerly at the table.Bakugo began to fill Midoriya in on his plans to have Todoroki move in. They ate steadily, allowing Todoroki the privacy of silence as they talked about it. Ideas about their living situations began to agitate Midoriya; he knew Bakugo wasn’t telling him something and it was annoying him. Sure, after this clearly Todoroki shouldn’t be left alone, but live here? Why? Didn’t he have family or friends? Maybe he should go to a real hospital! But no, Bakugo insisted for some reason, and refused to disclose why.Midoriya got angry. He deserved to be involved, too, didn’t he? Halfway through the conversation, still knowing almost nothing about what really happened, he got up and left, locking himself in Bakugo’s bedroom. If they were going to consort without him, fine. He sat on Bakugo’s bed with his back to the door and hugged his knees to his chest, burying his face in his arms. He just wanted to help.  Why couldn’t he be of any use? He ignored Bakugo when he knocked on the door to coax him out, and after that he was left in peace.Good, he thought. They can talk without me. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Midoriya heard the front door open and slam closed; he knew Bakugo had slammed it to let him know he was leaving so he could come out of his room, and he grudgingly appreciated it. He was getting sick of avoiding him. Besides, Todoroki needed his bandages changed. As Midoriya slid to his feet, his hand trailed along the bedsheets, his eyes magnetized to the twisted shape Bakugo slept in. They’d made so many memories here. Was this really worth being petty over? Was it petty to feel jealous?Blushing angrily, Midoriya curled his hands into fists and left the room swiftly. Todoroki was sitting up on the couch with a hot cup of tea in his hands. He didn’t look up when Midoriya came in with the medical kit.“Take off your shirt,” Midoriya said off-handedly.Todoroki choked on a mouthful of tea. His coughing fit scared Midoriya out of his funk, and Todoroki finally caught his breath after Midoriya pounded on his back a few times.“Sorry!” Midoriya lamented.Holding up a hand, Todoroki put aside his tea. “It’s fine. I was just caught by surprise.” With Midoriya’s help the shirt pooled onto the couch alongside Todoroki. He leaned back with a groan.Midoriya’s face was tense with focus. Knowing hands removed each bandage confidently, setting aside the old ones. He used a clean wet cloth to bathe the wounds, washing away any extra cream or oily residue left behind by it.Todoroki watched him work absently. “Do you wish we’d done it again?”“Hm? Do what?” Midoriya clipped a long stretch of gauze and taped it over a spot on his left breast that was blazing red – it was almost as dark as the scar on his face, and Midoriya was worried he’d be scarred all over.“A threesome.”Faltering, Midoriya looked up at Todoroki from where he knelt. That stone face was unreadable. He awkwardly went back to his work, unsure how to react. “I guess so.” He pulled down the edge of Todoroki’s sweatpants to recheck how far down that burn went. It reached all the way down his leg. Sighing, Midoriya sat back. “You might need to be naked for this.”Todoroki looked suddenly uncomfortable. “I…”“You were naked the first time,” Midoriya pointed out. He finished cleaning and replacing the bandages on Todoroki’s arm with meticulous care.“I was unconscious the first time.” Todoroki muttered.Helping him lay back, his left side facing Midoriya, the make-shift nurse gave him a sympathetic look. “Relax. It could be a girl doing this – or a big burly guy, then how’d you feel?”“Much worse.”Midoriya pulled Todoroki’s sweats and boxers around his ankles. He knelt back where he was, cleaning the wet rag in a small basin by his feet. When he lifted it to Todoroki’s hip he noticed Todoroki’s member was half hard. His eyes flickered curiously to the stony scarred face, but Todoroki was very focused on the ceiling. Midoriya went about his work. Why, he wondered, had Endeavor not circumcised him? Maybe because Endeavor himself wasn’t. The whole ‘you’re a clone of me’ thing and all. Midoriya felt so sorry for Todoroki. To have a parent erase your individuality was traumatizing – and the other one threw boiled water on his face? Horrible.The wounds were much angrier looking around Todoroki’s hip and upper leg. It took a lot of careful work to cover them up again; as Midoriya worked, out of the corner of his eye he saw Todoroki was still growing harder. Once Midoriya had finished his hip area he tapped Todoroki’s abs. “You can have your boxers back.”“Hurt too much to move,” Todoroki mumbled shamefully.“Ok. Just relax, Todoroki,” Midoriya said soothingly. He cleaned the rag and kept going. “Talk about something.”“I’d prefer not to.”“Then just listen.” Midoriya mopped up some more cream around a half-healed blister, prodding it carefully until it was clean. “I understand that a lot has happened to you. I respect you, and I respect that. There’s no way for me to even grasp the kind of pain and pressure you’re under constantly so it would be way out of line for me to judge what happens to you.” He paused to get a smooth layer of gauze over a particularly large burn area. “I just want you to know that Kaa-chan and I are always thinking about you.”“What’s that supposed to mean?”“It means,” Midoriya enunciated, “that even though you can be a dick sometimes we still love you.”Todoroki rolled his eyes. “Thanks, dad.”Midoriya shook his head. “You can say whatever you want, Todoroki, but if you ever try and hurt yourself again, we won’t be so tolerant next time.”Todoroki sat up with great effort to glare at him. “Is that a threat?”“It’s a promise.” Midoriya met his glare with equal fire. “You don’t deserve to suffer because of the things that have been done to you. You might feel like you deserve it, but you’re wrong. We understand why you think otherwise and even why you might want to kill yourself, but it’s not right. You have your own future. Your own wants and desires.” He leaned forward to further make his point. “You’re not allowed to die because of someone else’s stupid mistakes - so don’t you ever do this again.”Todoroki stared at him. He was pale.“Do you understand?” Midoriya barked. “Your dad is awful to you and everyone knows it. Don’t let his hatred define your future. If you do… he wins.”“If I die,” Todoroki said quietly. “He loses.”“No,” Midoriya snapped, “you lose.”Lowering his eyes, Todoroki let them wander away. He looked so lost.Midoriya put a hand on the healthy part of Todoroki’s leg. “The only way you can win is by getting better, surpassing him, and becoming your own kind of hero. By overcoming his hatred and turning it into something better. Justice. Peace. Happiness.”“Why are you so goddamn nice?” Todoroki trembled, sinking to lay back again. He crossed his arms over his eyes. “Fuck you, Midoriya.”Smiling, Midoriya took his time cleaning the rest of Todoroki’s leg. His fingers ghosted gently over the gauze where it touched healthy flesh. When he looked up Todoroki was holding down his hard-on, his other arm still thrown over his eyes. His face was rose pink.“You like me playing nurse, don’t you?” Midoriya teased him.“Shut up,” Todoroki grumbled. He was understandably grumpy. The immense pain he was matched only by his attraction to Midoriya.“If Bakugo comes back, I’ll ask him if I can blow you,” Midoriya joked. He helped Todoroki pull his pants and underwear back on, pretending not to notice him adjusting his hard-on in grips of the material. “Did you want to have sex with us all this time?” He asked suddenly.Todoroki turned his head away.Midoriya got to his feet, covering Todoroki with a blanket and moving his tea to that side of the coffee table. He sat back on the carpet. A pile of used bandages littered the floor and the basin of water was clouded, hiding the white cloth that sank to the bottom. Midoriya looked at his feet. “Stupid question. Sorry.” He shifted a bit. “I have to admit, I’m a little jealous.”Todoroki took a long deep breath. “Of what?”“Kaa-chan is so tender with you.” Midoriya shrugged. “I thought he’d only be that way with me.”Finally looking at him, Todoroki lifted his arm to reveal his knit brow. “You’re jealous of me for that? Look at me. Does it look like I’m enjoying myself?”“No, you’re right,” Midoriya admitted. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”“You’re just mad he won’t tell you what happened with me, but… I told him not to say anything.”“What? Why?”Todoroki gave him an even look. “I’m ashamed.”“Todoroki.” Midoriya marveled.“Stop that,” Todoroki demanded. “Would you just say ‘Shoto,’ please?”“Wh… can I?”Todoroki blushed. “You and Bakugo are like... It’s just insanity to let the man who made me call me by my name, but not the two people who actually give a shit about me.”Getting up, Midoriya came to sit by him, careful not to lean against his burns. “Shoto.” He looked at him intently. “You don’t have to be ashamed.”“You don’t know that.”“Look at me. I do.”Todoroki studied his intense eyes. “It’s not Bakugo’s fault.”“Shoto…”“Stop it. I’ve made my decision.”Sighing, Midoriya looked away. He’d been aggravated for no reason. “Do you want to move into the guest room? I don’t know when Kaa-chan’s mom will be home.”“If I did…” Reaching up, Todoroki grabbed Midoriya’s arm. “Would you… lay with me?”Midoriya turned bright red. “Yeah, of course.” He smiled a goofy smile as he helped Todoroki sit up. “I can carry you?” He offered.“No, that’s much worse,” Todoroki retorted.They hobbled to the guest room. It was a small room, a few boxes piled in the corner and thick curtains on the windows, but otherwise comfortable. Midoriya helped Todoroki get under the covers with slow tentative motions. He wondered just how often Bakugo’s parents fought if this room was so well looked after.Todoroki sank gratefully onto the queen sized bed. The cool sheets soothed his soul. “Shut the curtains?”Nodding, Midoriya obeyed, plunging them into twilight. “I’ll be back.” He left to clean up the mess in the living room. It wasn’t much, but when he got back Todoroki looked to be sound asleep. Midoriya paused in the doorway watching him. It was almost like having a moody teenager as a child. If he were Todoroki’s parent, this would have never happened to him. His heart ached for his suffering.“Izuku,” Todoroki called.Midoriya’s eyes widened. Jumping to the bedside, he leaned over him. “Y-Yes?”“You said…”Hurriedly Midoriya lifted the covers and got into bed with him, drawing in close. “Sorry, I thought you were sleeping,” he whispered.Todoroki’s tense body felt Midoriya cuddle up to him and relaxed, his unburned side pressing into him as Midoriya formed a protective human wall. “Thanks,” he said softly. He rested his hand on Midoriya’s leg. “You know that… I’m sorry?”Midoriya reached up and combed Todoroki’s bangs out of his face. “Of course I do.”“I’ve never had somebody worry about me. I don’t like it.”“Because it means you can’t be reckless anymore.”“…Yes.” “Serves you right. Me and Kaa-chan will set you straight, wait and see.”Todoroki grunted.“Shoto?”“Hm?”Midoriya wrapped his arms around Todoroki’s neck and hugged him tightly. “I’m really glad you’re alive.”Silent, Todoroki let Midoriya crush him. He closed his eyes in the dark and let the world wash away; nothing would be better than this moment. Never again.    When Bakugo got back, he had Todoroki’s suitcase in one hand and a bag of food in the other. He set both in the foyer when he took off his shoes. Debating internally, he passed the living room and noticed it was empty. His heart skittered. Where did they go? He went quickly to the guest room, easing open the door to peek inside.They were asleep in bed together. Bakugo glanced over his shoulder at the bags in the foyer. He was torn. Biting his lip, he swore internally. He’d cook later.The floor creaked a little as he slipped inside and gently shut the door behind him, but neither body moved. Bakugo glided over to the bed. They were twisted innocently together like sleeping children, both breathing evenly. He leaned over them. There was room. He lifted the covers and slid in behind Midoriya in the bed until they were body to body. Midoriya shifted in his sleep, groaning softly, and he stretched against Bakugo as he joined them in bed. Bakugo kissed his neck before putting his forehead against the back of Midoriya’s head.Sleep swept him up quickly and easily.   “Pass it,” Midoriya said, and Bakugo handed him a spatula.“I’m starved,” Todoroki said from the table, folding napkins into origami.Midoriya expertly flipped a pancake. “Me too.”“I got something for you to snack on,” Bakugo cracked, and Midoriya elbowed him. “It was too good to resist… sorry…!”“Can I blow Todoroki?” Midoriya asked suddenly.“What?!” Bakugo sputtered.Shrugging, Midoriya continued to flip the pancakes and eggs. “He’s an invalid. It’s charity.”Todoroki burst out laughing.“Well, it is!” Midoriya giggled.Bakugo scoffed. “And what do I get out of this?”“You get to watch,” Todoroki pealed, laughing even harder.Bakugo gave a good-natured scowl. “If you weren’t so sore…!”“What?” Todoroki grinned. “You’d pound me?”Bakugo cuffed his unburned ear. “Cheeky bastard.”“Can I?” Midoriya repeated. “Or you can do it if you want.”“Jeez, fine,” Bakugo grumbled. “W-Wait!”Both laughing, Midoriya and Todoroki held their stomachs, bent over. Midoriya picked himself up to keep flipping the pancakes. “They’re gonna burn! Stop making me laugh!”“Jeez Louise… Where’s mom?” Bakugo asked.“She’s outside on the phone,” Todoroki piped up. He sat back rigidly in his chair as Bakugo slid under the table. “W-What are you doing?”“Blowing you, shut up.”“Now?” Todoroki gasped as Bakugo pushed open his legs. His member swelled against the soft rake of Bakugo’s teeth along the protective material of his sweatpants. “Midoriya…!”“Bakugo, we’re eating!” Midoriya smacked Bakugo’s ass with an unused pan. “Leave the invalid alone!”“But I’m hungry!” Bakugo teased.“It’s done,” Midoriya laughed. “Sit at the table and act human!”Obeying, Bakugo released Todoroki and got up into his chair. “Fine, mom.”“I was trying to keep my appetite up, Bakugo, but now I’m horny.” Todoroki thanked Midoriya as he served him pancakes and eggs. “I can’t even think about how delicious this looks.”“Want me to keep going?” Bakugo asked, stabbing a pancake with his fork.“No blowing at the table, kids.” Midoriya joined them at the table after he made sure the stove was off. “Here, Todoroki, take a few Aspirin. They’ll help with the pain.” They ate ravenously. Having slept through lunch, all three of them were full of energy and famished. Even Midoriya, who ate like a bird, ate two plates of food. After almost everything was devoured they slouched down in their chairs.Bakugo belched. “Thanks for dinner.”Todoroki made a face. “Nice.”“I like this.” Midoriya grinned at them. “It’s like we’re a tiny family. Kaa-chan, am I staying, too?”“Of course you are.” Bakugo lifted an eyebrow. “You think I’m going to live here alone with our only child? He’s a handful.”“You just don’t want to do any of the heavy lifting. I’d like to see you change his bandages,” Midoriya challenged.“No you don’t,” Todoroki interjected. “I have to be naked, remember?”Midoriya laughed. “No, I definitely want to see that!”Blushing, Todoroki pushed his milk glass around on the table. Bakugo reached over and pinched his arm affectionately. “Look at those red cheeks. I like having a kid!”“He’s fitting in well with his gay dads!” Bakugo’s mother said. She grinned as she strolled into the kitchen, brushing her finger along Todoroki’s cheek. “You’re much cuter in person, Todoroki Shoto. Taller, too.”“Thank you.” Todoroki looked at his lap.“Thanks for letting us stay here, Mrs. Bakugo.” Midoriya made up a plate of the leftovers and offered it to her, which she took gratefully.“No problem! Bakugo’s such a quiet child, you know, without a little noise I go a little nuts. Ha!” She snorted. “Have a fun party. I need a long bath and an action movie! VAN DAMN!” Whirling away, she vanished into her room.“My mom’s cracked.” Bakugo piled the dishes together and carried them to the sink.“Your mom’s awesome,” Midoriya laughed.Todoroki watched them move around the kitchen. “We have a really gay family.”“Yes, yes we do. Kaa-chan!” Midoriya squeaked as Bakugo almost dropped a dish. “Careful!”Bakugo was laughing really hard. “Gotta make it gayer!” He cried, doubled over the sink. His soaking wet hands hung over the edge as he cackled. Midoriya came up behind him and wrapped him in a hug.He hung on Bakugo. “I know a way.”They left the kitchen spotless, helping Todoroki back to the guest room. Todoroki lay back in bed, groaning. “Everything hurts.”“You’ll feel better soon.” Midoriya rubbed Todoroki’s crotch and kissed him. “You’re lucky you didn’t burn these.”Dizzy, Todoroki looked up at him lustfully. “Very.”Bakugo popped into his room and came back; he glanced at his mother’s room before shutting the door behind them. “Here.” He tossed Midoriya a banana flavored condom. “Try this one.”“Thanks.” Midoriya eased Todoroki’s sweats down his hips. “Is that ok?”“Yeah,” Todoroki swallowed.Bakugo climbed onto Todoroki’s other side and kissed his cheek. “You relaxed yet?”Todoroki glanced at him. “What will you do?”Reaching down into his own sweats, Bakugo pulled out his thick cock and Todoroki stared at it hungrily. Bakugo grinned. “Watch.” Todoroki felt a rush of hormones and he made a soft sound when Midoriya freed his member from the confines of his boxers. “It’s been a while, go easy.” He shut his eyes and put his head back as the condom stretched over his stiff penis. “Ooohh…”Midoriya was only half listening; he was hard himself. When he bent over Todoroki and began, it was much more relaxed than the first time had been. There was no sense of urgency. All three of them seemed to be moving in slow motion after their big dinner and this was no exception. Midoriya touched Todoroki’s body, his hands snaking up his undamaged half, and as he took him in, Todoroki’s mouth opened and he released helpless moans. Beside him, Bakugo kissed Todoroki’s throat and chest. His hand moved along the length of his own member in lazy motions.Todoroki’s body heaved. Pleasure clashed with the cry of his burned flesh; the Aspirin slowly pulled away the pain, loosening up his body for pleasure. He felt dazed under the weight of this feeling. All of him felt so good that he understood why he’d wanted this again. No matter what they did to him in therapy, no matter what the conversion woman told him, he was in love with boys and his body needed to be graced by boys - or else he’d lose his mind completely. Midoriya touched him, Bakugo kissed him, and Todoroki opened up for them like a flower.  He opened his eyes and watched furtively as Bakugo touched himself. That hard body bent against him, so occupied by his flesh, gaining pleasure by just being there… Todoroki felt his member jolt and he slid his fingers into Midoriya’s hair and pushed him down once, firmly, until the immense throb had passed. Midoriya’s mouth took on a more urgent stance. Todoroki pumped his hips gently. It felt so good, so good…He looked up and Bakugo was watching Midoriya suck him off. A thought struck him. Todoroki had been conscious of his desire for them. He’d allowed it to eat him up inside after their threesome as personal torture knowing he’d allowed himself to enjoy something that would be forever forbidden for him. That sorrow had driven him almost to suicide and then… back in bed with them. Panic seized Todoroki; had he done this on purpose? No, he thought quickly. Subconsciously it’s what I wanted, but I would never do that. Everything he’d done had been because of his father and his feelings of worthlessness, not because of manipulation. Relief replaced panic. How awful would be, really, for wanting this? He was just a lonely kid with absent parents. He leaned over, kissing Bakugo’s throat. I just want them… to love me… Bakugo, surprised, nudged Todoroki’s cheek with his nose. He coaxed his mouth in for a real kiss. Todoroki moaned loosely as Bakugo sucked on his tongue and Midoriya took a tight pull of his member from below. They were so coordinated it was like they were telepathic! Todoroki’s free hand tangled in Bakugo’s hair as they kissed. He tasted his mouth with renewed appreciation for what he may never have again, tenderly enjoying every part of their moving tongues and hot lips and wishing he wasn’t hurt so he could take Bakugo again. He stiffened regretfully. “Bakugo,” he breathed, gripping his blond hair. “Can I stay here?”“What do you mean?” Bakugo asked in a low voice, pausing to look at his face.“Right here. With you two.” Todoroki swallowed. “Please?” He gasped as Midoriya teased his balls and triggered his orgasm. Clenching his entire body with its electricity, the climax flooded Todoroki with endorphins, enslaving him to its tantalizing throb as he shot his seed into the tip of the condom. This time, it did not break. He bucked into Midoriya’s mouth. Bakugo was holding him down with a tongue down his throat to keep his moaning from breaking their sound barrier between this room and Bakugo’s mother’s room. Todoroki clung to both of them with powerful desperation.Drips of the orgasm faded little by little. His body went slack. Then it was over, his genitals pulsating gently, and Midoriya released him. Todoroki’s head rolled into the crook of Bakugo’s shoulder; he panted for air, limp, and felt Midoriya come up to lay beside him.“Do you feel good?” Midoriya murmured in his ear.Speechless, Todoroki nodded. Midoriya carefully pulled the condom off and dropped it in the trash alongside the bed. He tucked Todoroki’s sensitive member back into his pants and pulled the covers over him. Todoroki was still clinging to them. Although it was childish, he felt like a child - so helpless and weak, lying between the two people he felt safest with – and he didn’t want to let go. The couple kissed over top of him before both of them kissed one of his cheeks. For a minute their bodies hummed in perfect harmony, washing away years of isolated emotions and replacing them with a singular feeling of closeness and acceptance and bliss, and Todoroki felt like he was going to cry. A family, he thought. Finally.Then to his dismay, they loosened his grips and slid out of bed, tucking him in alone.Midoriya kissed his temple. “Get some sleep, Shoto.”Gently the door clicked shut behind them as they left him alone in the dark of the night. The silence that followed was devastating. Todoroki shut his eyes against it. Where was the sound of shifting bodies, or the quiet desperate breathing? Where was the warmth of kind bodies surrounding him? He felt ghosts of their fingertips along his entire body still touching him, caressing him in his empty mind, and he couldn’t handle it anymore.The absence of their love crushed him. He broke down crying. Throwing his arms over his face to muffle the sound, he sobbed until all his energy had drained right out of him, pushing his emotions away from him. He cried until he couldn’t breathe – until his body could cry no more. Then he let his arms fall away.He was soaked with tears, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to sleep. Drifting, drifting away on the breeze, his mind faded into blackness. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Bakugo and Midoriya fucked on Bakugo’s tangled sheets. Midoriya’s cries were muffled by Bakugo’s firm hand over his mouth, and they came together, rutting hungrily until they were satisfied. Then they rolled together on the bed. Bakugo held on tightly to Midoriya and buried his face into his chest.A comfortable silence passed. Midoriya’s fingers carded through Bakugo’s hair, his body satisfied and his former jealousy forgotten. But Bakugo’s crushing embrace began to worry him. “What’s the matter?” He whispered.“I love you,” Bakugo quaked. “But I can’t stop thinking about Todoroki.”Midoriya looked down at him. “W-What?”Bakugo sat up. “He… wants to be in this relationship.” He lowered his head. “He begged me to let him in with us.”They both got very quiet. Suddenly, they were listening and all they could hear were weak sobs coming from next door. Their eyes met. Both of their hearts fell through their ribs, clattering into their stomach acid with a splash.Midoriya covered his heart with his hand. “What do we do?”“I don’t know. I just don’t know what to do.”A tense silence passed.“I want him in,” Midoriya blurted.“I…” Bakugo dragged a hand down his face. “I do, too.”“Then he’s in. Right?”“I guess, yeah.” Midoriya lowered his voice. “He needs us, but can we handle…?”“We have to try.” Bakugo grabbed a pillow. “Let’s go.”    That night Todoroki had fallen asleep alone, only when Todoroki woke up in the morning had he realized they’d come back – and that they did love him after all. They ate together, played video games together, and finally at the end of that day Bakugo and Midoriya sat down and talked to Todoroki about a polyamory relationship. Todoroki broke his shell of antipathy to show how accepting he was; he cried in front of them. And that was that. They were dating.A week went by. Some days, Bakugo went to class and Midoriya stayed home with Todoroki. On the flip days Midoriya went to class and Bakugo stayed home. Teachers asked about him, Todoroki’s father couldn’t find him and he was furious, but neither Bakugo nor Midoriya snitched. Todoroki healed more every day. Next week he would be ready to go back to school, but three weeks was a long time to hide where he lived. They had also strained under the swap schedule. It had been hard, but they were tough. Sitting at home with Todoroki, having dinner and making jokes, and lying in bed with him at night talking and kissing… that made it worth it for them. They were protecting something sacred.They all slept in Bakugo’s bed now, and it was the best any of them had ever slept. Right now Todoroki was taking a mid-day nap there, sprawled out over the clean sheets. Watching Midoriya play videogames all Saturday had put him out light a light. Bakugo was cleaning the house under orders from his mother; in order to support two more people under their roof this week, he’d pitched in all over the house doing things his dad usually did. He had also been roped into cooking. Now, he could make more than just rice, even though it was a bit burned.Bakugo finished mopping the kitchen and the halls and sank down at the table to rest. Chores didn’t bother him that much. He was always working out to stay in shape, and this helped him skip his daily trip to the gym. He could stay home with his boyfriends now. Bakugo blushed. Boyfriends. Not one, but two! He rubbed his face. How had he managed that? No one at school would ever buy this story – not in a million years – and he dreaded the upcoming weeks when they’d be at school together, eating lunch together, and going on dates together… Bakugo shuddered. The drama.Glancing at the hallway, he wonder what had possessed him to do this in the first place. Now he had the responsibility of two people’s safety and happiness in his hands instead of just one. He loved both of those boys. But he knew that he couldn’t handle what was about to happen next.Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance. Bakugo got up and leaned out the window, watching the dark clouds roll in from the east. It looked like a hell of a rainstorm was on the way. He shut all the windows and locked all the doors, peeling off his sweaty clothes. A quick shower ended just as lightning cracked overhead and it began to pour down rain.Bakugo dried his hair with a towel as he walked into his room with another towel around his waist. He glanced at the two of them, one mashing on Super Mario Sunshine and the other sleeping soundly, and he smiled. From the closet he pulled out clean boxers and one of Todoroki’s comfy V-neck shirts. Dressing, he returned his towels to the bathroom to dry before sinking to the floor beside Midoriya, watching him play.“How long has be out?” Bakugo whispered.“Three hours,” Midoriya muttered under his breath.“You’ve been here all this time?”“Of course! Blue coins!” Midoriya grinned.Bakugo cracked a grin. “Loser.”“Hey!”They kissed. “Sorry,” Bakugo smiled. “I like it.”Midoriya handed him the GameCube controller. “Do the water balloon level, I hate that level.”“Really?” Bakugo hummed as he scaled the building with the short little Mario and hopped onto the rollercoaster in the theme park. “So… how does it feel?”“What?”Bakugo smashed three balloons in one burst. “Sharing me.”Midoriya leaned back against the bed, smiling. “I don’t mind it actually.”“Surprising.” Bakugo swore softly when he missed one balloon before the time ran out. He started again. “What will we do when we all live in different houses again?”“I don’t know. Maybe just get together like this and… be.” Midoriya leaned against him. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”Bakugo grunted. He got the hard balloons first. The camera toggled in 180 degrees around the screen, swinging up and down all over.“Are you worried?” Midoriya whispered.“You could say that.”“About people knowing?”Bakugo said nothing. He ran out of time again and started over on the game.Midoriya clung to his arm. “Kaa-chan, are you afraid for us?”Bakugo paused the game.“It’ll be ok.” Midoriya said quietly. “We’re together. Right?”“Yeah.” Bakugo rubbed his eyes.Behind them, Todoroki sat up, rubbing his eyes. “He’s right.” He groused. He cleared his throat and moved to the end of the bed, on his stomach leaning down over them. “We don’t have to explain anything to anybody. It’s a private matter.”“Yeah,” Bakugo reiterated. “But it’s going to be a public matter real soon.”“Hey, I’m not afraid of people,” Midoriya said.Todoroki lowered his eyes. “I’m afraid of my father.”“I’m afraid of All Might,” Bakugo said quietly.“He knows?” Todoroki asked sharply.“He knows about Kaa-chan and I,” Midoriya corrected. “But he’s right. All Might will be furious you’re involved now. So the world’s top two heroes are the only ones we have to really worry about.”“And any other heroes against gays,” Bakugo muttered. Midoriya kissed his cheek. “We already saw that no one cared about us being gay – they just thought you were still a jerk. I think if we show them we’re still good people, they’ll be ok with it. Eventually.”Todoroki leaned his face in his palm. “So that means…”“…We have to show that I’m nice,” Bakugo finished slowly.    Midoriya’s phone rang while he was finishing up in the bathroom after dinner, showered and fresh as a daisy. He clicked answer and put it to his damp ear. “Hello?”“Midoriya, where are you now?”It was All Might! Gulping, Midoriya leaned against the counter, a towel around his waist. “W-Why?”“I know you have young Todoroki sealed away somewhere, I just need you to tell me where.”Midoriya rubbed his face. “He doesn’t want to be found – or seen – right now.”“I know that, but I have to see him. The university is concerned about Todoroki and his father has been knocking down walls looking for his son.” All Might checked his anger with a sigh. “I know you’re looking after him, but I need to talk to Todoroki. It’s extremely important.”“I understand.” Midoriya swallowed. “He’s at Bakugo’s house. We’re both looking after him.”“I figured. I’ll be there soon.”“Ok.”The line went dead.Midoriya put his phone aside and quickly rubbed his body dry, throwing on his clothes on his way out the door. He pushed into Bakugo’s room to find him and Todoroki having a quiet conversation. They looked up in surprise when the door slammed the wall.“All Might is coming,” he said gravely. “Right now.”Bakugo paled.“What?” Todoroki snapped. “Why?”“The university sent him to make sure you’re ok. He won’t tell your father you’re here if you don’t want him to know, Shoto. You can talk to him.”Todoroki touched the bandages visible on his neck, the gears in his mind whirling. “Ok.” He got up with a groan and went to his suitcase in the corner, pulling out nice clothes that had gone untouched all week. “But I refuse to look like an invalid when he gets here.” They helped him dress and moved him into the living room. Midoriya handed him a comb as he sat on the couch, hissing in pain. “This better be worth it,” Todoroki grumbled, pulling tangles from his straight hair.“Relax. He said he knew we were taking good care of you.” Midoriya sat with him. “Just… tell him what happened.”“You know I can’t.”“You have to, Todoroki.”Shaking his head, Todoroki handed him the comb. “I can’t.”“Well, think of what you want to say. And… don’t talk about… us.”“As a threesome?”“Exactly.”Todoroki lowered his eyes. “Right.”Midoriya got up and went to find Bakugo, who was pacing by the front door. They exchanged a meaningful look. Both of them were in t-shirts and sweats; Midoriya was wearing all Bakugo’s clothes, and Bakugo was wearing Todoroki’s. They got the mutual panicked thought about needing to change when someone knocked on the front door.Bakugo pulled it open, and there stood All Might, big as life and in a suit. Fresh from a university meeting no doubt. “Hey,” Bakugo said sarcastically. “Fancy meeting you here.”“That would be funny if this weren’t so serious,” All Might boomed.“This way,” Midoriya piped up, and led them both into the living room. He and Bakugo sat on the couch beside Todoroki.All Might squeezed into the armchair. “You don’t look so hot, young Todoroki.”Todoroki’s face was carved from stone. “Very observant.”“We don’t have the luxury of formalities, unfortunately.” All Might studied him. “Tell me what happened. Why are you hiding from your father?”“I don’t have the luxury of honesty.”“Why might that be?”Still, unfazed, Todoroki said nothing.Midoriya touched Todoroki’s leg. “Shoto.”All Might glanced between them. Suspicion flickered across his unfaltering face. “Could you give us some time alone, boys?”Bakugo sighed and got to his feet. He offered Midoriya a hand and his lover took it, allowing himself to be led out of the room. The doors closed behind them. All Might waited until their footsteps had faded to turn back to Todoroki. “I know why you ran away from home.”Todoroki nodded slowly. “I had a feeling you knew.”“That kind of therapy has been banned for years. Your father knew that.”“Yes, he did.”All Might spread his hands. “Would you like to tell me what happened after that?”“Why are you really here?” Todoroki asked coldly. “This isn’t just about me.”“You’re a clever young man.” All Might bowed his head. “Unfortunately, I came here to tell you that on Monady… it will be public knowledge what your father did and who he hired to do it.”“WHAT?!” Todoroki cried.“He was sloppy. There will be a trial, of course, but he did break the law.”Hands clenching into fists, Todoroki struggled to keep his composure. “Everyone will know, then.”“Yes. You’re free to press charges, young Todoroki, but you have done nothing to be ashamed of -”“Everyone will know!” Todoroki snapped.All Might hesitated. “You’re ashamed of what you are?”Todoroki swore softly. “I am not ashamed! They will shame me for what I am.”“I… cannot admit to being tolerant of such things myself,” All Might began slowly. “When I found out about young Midoriya and young Bakugo, it’s an understatement to say that I was upset. I distinctly remember seeing red for a few days. You three are absolutely the stars of class 1-A – the next three pros – and to involve yourselves in this is certainly risky. It is not something that happens every day. And at first it was very hard for me to admit that such things can be… natural. That they can naturally take their course and even be a healthy part of a young man or woman’s life. But in fact that is the case, young Todoroki.” He leaned forward, the chair groaning under his massive weight. “You cannot let yourself be swayed by the masses. Look at Midoriya and Bakugo. The school is buzzing with news of their courting rituals not because they are appalled, but because they are surprised. Certainly that must mean something to you? If young people can be so tolerant…”“It means nothing,” Todoroki droned. “As long as the world knows what I am, my career as Endeavor’s son is over. I will be martyred.”“Only if you let them kill you,” All Might grinned.Todoroki looked up at him, his eyes finally clear.“Todoroki. You are not a dying animal - you are a young man thriving with life and potential. Do not let this onslaught on your person become what you are.”“How?” Todoroki asked. “If it is all they see, how can I keep it from consuming me?”All Might lifted his hands. “By rising out of the ashes.”    The night air was clear and still, as was the sky. Fresh air flowed into the house. Todoroki leaned out the kitchen window and he felt rejuvenated with lungful’s of the night swirling in his chest. He turned to watch Midoriya set the table. Ever since he’d gotten hurt Midoriya had been carefully preparing meals to aid in his recovery; at first the meals were higher in fat, since Todoroki had lost weight all month during his ‘therapy,’ and slowly they had grown healthier and more structured. Now a traditional Japanese dinner was laid out on the table.Rise balls were lined up in the middle of everything, all of them different flavors, and it reminded Todoroki of home. His stomach made an angry noise and he covered it with his hand. “Where’s Bakugo?”“Brooding,” Midoriya smiled at him. “He took a walk to clear his head.”“I’ve never seen him so angry.” Todoroki wobbled to the table and sat.“He would’ve blown the committee to bits if we’d known before. We of all people know what it’s like to be exposed – the only difference being our consent in the matter.” Midoriya poured him a cup of tea and placed it by his right hand. “Don’t wait. He’ll be a while.”Todoroki waited for Midoriya to sit. He pressed his hands together and bowed his head. “Thank you for the meal.”Midoriya bowed back. “You’re welcome.”Taking his chopsticks, Todoroki lifted his bowl of miso and stared at it. Everything looked delicious. Slowly, he put the bowl back down. “I don’t want to eat without him.”Midoriya stopped serving himself sushi. “You didn’t eat all day, Shoto.”Todoroki got up from his chair. “I’ll go find him.”“You really shouldn’t…” Midoriya trailed off as Todoroki hobbled to the front door. He leaned into the hall and watched him painfully slip on some shoes. In another breath he was out the door. Midoriya looked at the table of food and sighed. Maybe he was right.Todoroki shuffled out into the moonlight. He swept the neighborhood streets up and down, but there was no one in sight. It was a quiet place here. If he could stay forever, he’d never complain about anything ever again. Well… he didn’t complain anyway. He made sure his shirt was still fully buttoned and that his slacks were unwrinkled before continuing his shuffle down the street. He moved like a zombie. But for him, it was progress. A week ago he’d been almost totally dependent on others to help him move around. Now he used their help as a luxury.Someone was walking down a side road, and he turned to see who it was. It was certainly a brooding figure, hunched with his hands deep in his pockets and snapping flip flops on his feet. Todoroki smiled. “Bakugo!”Bakugo straightened in alarm. He took his hands out of his pockets and jogged over to him. “What are you doing, buddy?”“I came to get you.”Bakugo cracked a grin. “I mean why are you still calling me Bakugo?”Todoroki turned bright red. “I was, uh… Just in case someone was… around.”“No one is around.” Bakugo sat back on his heels, sizing up Todoroki. “Shoto.”Blushing, Todoroki stared at him. “I…”“Hm?”“I wanted to say… how handsome you are.”Bakugo laughed nervously, flattered. “Why?”“Because when I said it before it was really sexual. I wanted you to know that it’s more than that.” Todoroki cracked a smile. “I don’t think I’ve complimented you at all, actually.”“Hey, you don’t need to!” Bakugo waved his hands. “I’m not that type.”Todoroki gave him an odd look. “Yes. I do. You’re a powerful person and incredibly strong, but nobody knows how kind you are. How tender. That’s really something worth mentioning.”“You sound like Izuku…”“Good. I’m glad for the comparison. Izuku at least appreciates you all the time, but for me it’s more difficult.”Bakugo studied him. “What do you mean?” Todoroki shrugged absently. “I’m not the type. I really do appreciate you for everything you are – and Izuku as well – but I’ve never known how to express it. For me it just sort of is. Before... before he talked to me about you, on that rooftop a month ago… I never had a voice for those positive feelings. It’s strange for me to stand here like this and look you in the eye and tell you how much I respect and love you.” He flinched. “I mean… I…”Blushing, Bakugo rubbed his face. “You really learned everything from Izuku, didn’t you?” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Izuku’s the gushy one, you know, but… yeah. Me, too.”Laughing a little, Todoroki rubbed his sore arm. “It’s really embarrassing for me, all of this. I’m sorry if I made it awkward.”“No, no – I’m the same way. I don’t, uh, always have the words.” Bakugo walked over to him and brushed imaginary dust off his shoulder. “I want you to be ok and I want you to feel better. But I never loved anybody before besides my folks.”“’And now I love two,’” Todoroki added.Bakugo looked up at him. “How did you know I was gonna say that?”Todoroki shrugged. “Because I feel the same way. You and I… we’re not like Izuku, are we? He’s got so much empathy. He loves everybody.”“No,” Bakugo whispered. “We’re not like that at all.”They walked back home together. Bakugo went slowly, thinking, and Todoroki doing his best shuffle. They waved at Midoriya through the kitchen window. Todoroki reached to open the door and Bakugo’s hand closed around his wrist, stopping him. He turned to him in the glow of the porch light. They both looked like they were on fire. Todoroki would have felt more ironic, but he was too enraptured by the look of passion on Bakugo’s face. He froze. Bakugo leaned towards him, hovering close enough to touch, and kissed him in the privacy of the night.Todoroki felt sparks go off in his chest. The powerful affection pouring into him from Bakugo’s every touch was astonishing - hands were in his hair, on his waist, and a hungry body heaved against his. He didn’t care how much his own body ached. He broke down and let Bakugo touch him. The hard chest under his shirt, the one Bakugo stole, and the rippling abs felt so good under his palms. He put a hand on the side of Bakugo’s neck. Todoroki’s hormones got themselves all up in a tizzy when he was kissing a boy this absolutely fucking hot, and all he wanted was to be under him in bed again. His stomach protested; he was still starving, but he didn’t care. He’d let Bakugo have him any way he wanted.Todoroki wondered briefly if he knew how much power he held over him. Of course he does, he thought sourly. Why he didn’t use it more often was beyond his comprehension.He’d felt almost the same as this when he kissed Midoriya for the first time except this was deeper, more personal. He and Bakugo were the same. Both angry, isolated, whether by their own means or another’s. They were identical in their adoration of Midoriya and their bond only grew more profound as they shared this touch of love.Todoroki clutched Bakugo’s shirt when they parted, anchoring him close, and leaned their noses together. Both were breathless. “You don’t have to say you love me,” Todoroki whispered. “I already know.”Bakugo’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He strained on the edge of his emotions, still attempting to distance himself from their intensity, but he could not escape them. Their mouths tangled more firmly this time; it was a grateful kiss. They kissed once more, then twice more, both of them determined to prove the feelings they were unable to voice, and then finally they parted. Both turned at once to the front door.Together they kicked off their shoes, closed out the night, and joined their lover for dinner. Before he said a word they covered his freckled face in kisses. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The next week Todoroki could go to school again. He walked with a limp and there were new scars on the entire left side of his body, but he could cover most of them with the uniform – only his neck burn was visible, and it would fade significantly as time went on. Midoriya had been very quick to treat him. If he hadn’t been so quick there would be much worse scarring than there was. Still, Todoroki wasn’t ready to go home or move out of Bakugo’s place. He hung out in the guest room doing exercises to ease his body back into its regular rhythm.Midoriya felt like he’d overstayed his welcome after a week of five people hogging the bathroom and decided to move back home. He was still there every day after school, they just didn’t get to sleep in a pile anymore. It made all of them a little sad. Bakugo missed Midoriya’s gentle touch in the night; when he kicked off the covers Midoriya always woke to pull them back over him, or to tug his shirt down when it hiked up around his chest in his sleep. Midoriya missed the gentle snoring and mumbling of his two favorite boys in bed beside him. And Todoroki just missed the feeling of family they had together. It was still there, of course, but now things were beginning to drift back to normality and he was afraid of becoming isolated again. He itched when he thought about moving back with his mother’s friend.Sitting on the back porch, soaking up the dim morning sunlight, Todoroki sincerely dreaded going to school today. The questions alone would be overwhelming. And of course he couldn’t get Midoriya or Bakugo involved for fear of giving away his hiding place. He heaved a sigh and looked down at himself. His uniform was pressed and clean. His sneakers were starkly white. Shifting in the chair he got up, slinging his bag over his good shoulder. Since Bakugo had left earlier to avoid them arriving at the same time he figured it was about time he left, too.The streets were a bit busy this morning. Mondays always brought with them vigorous energy as people picked up the slack of the weekend. Todoroki moved through the narrow throngs of people as they passed around him. He moved slowly, taking care not to bump his bad side, but every now and then an impatient body brushed him on their way passed and he’d hiss in pain. Everything was still so tender.He bought a carton of milk once he got to the university and washed down two Aspirin. Eyes followed him. Teachers stopped to ask him where he’d been. Respectfully, he gave a short vague explanation and apologized to all of them for his absence. He certainly had homework to do but so far no one had mentioned his father or having any knowledge about what had happened to him last month. He passed through the halls undisturbed. By the time he’d settled down in the crowded classroom he was already feeling better.Bakugo sat at his desk talking to Midoriya quietly, and he glanced at them as he passed but said nothing. They returned the gesture subtly. Todoroki reclined at his desk with his eyes closed. His body began to hurt less.“Todoroki,” came a sudden voice.“Iida.” Todoroki’s eyes slid open wearily. He changed his attitude once he saw how pale Tenya Ida was. “What’s wrong?”“The news,” Iida said quietly, so no one overheard. “It just aired.”Todoroki’s heart plunged into his stomach. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I see.”“I knew about Bakugo and Midoriya,” Iida whispered. “But you too?”Nodding, Todoroki stared at his desk.Iida sat in the desk beside him. “Before they get here, I need to know. Were you with them all this time?”In the same way, Todoroki shook his head. His hands clenched into fists on his desk as the rest of the class had their phones erupt into buzzing fits. Gasps and mutterings of his name began. He could feel his pulse speeding up.Iida’s eyes bore right through him. “I want you to know that it’ll be ok, Todoroki.”Snapping his eyes at him, Todoroki heaved with anger. “What?” He hissed.“Everything,” Iida managed. “Everything will be ok, Todoroki.”Iida got up and left, pushing up his glasses, and the rest of the class descended on Todoroki like a pack of wolves. He saw pink and black and purple as people flashed before his eyes.“Is it true?! Did your father really hire that woman?!” Mineta cried. “I can’t believe it! Scandalous!”Kaminari made weird hand motions. “Did she use shock therapy on you?”“Yeah, did you have to go to the hospital?” Sero squeaked.Yaoyorozu pushed the others away from Todoroki. “Are you ok?” She faced him from the head of the throng. “Todoroki, are you alright? What happened?”Behind her, everyone else froze. Todoroki lifted his eyes and the confusion in his face shocked them. “What did you say?”“I asked if you were ok,” Yaoyorozu repeated avidly. “Whatever that woman did – it didn’t hurt you, did it?”Hope blossomed in Todoroki’s chest. “I…” He blinked a few times to clear his mind. “No, I’m… alright. Things were rough for a minute, but I had help. I’m ok now.”Yaoyorozu studied him. “You’re hurt.”“I am.”“Why?”“I… hurt myself.”“Because of that woman?”A hush fell. Yaoyorzu watched Todoroki’s face with worried intent. Midoriya and Bakugo watched from the edge of the throng; they looked ready to pounce if anything happened. The others were ignoring them in favor of the massive news alert they’d just gotten about Endeavor’s trial.Todoroki struggled to contain his emotion. His nails dug into the palms of his hands, the intensity of everyone’s eyes boring holes into his flesh. Words escaped him. He worked his jaw but nothing came out.“Guys, back off,” Bakugo interjected angrily. He pushed them back to give Todoroki some breathing room, standing in a way that obscured Todoroki from prying eyes. Everyone stared at Bakugo. He was blushing. “He’s had a rough time - it isn’t right to push him like that.”Sero’s jaw dropped. Kaminari stepped forward accusingly. “Why do you care, you jerk?” He cried. “You hate everybody!”Midoriya held his breath.Bakugo’s flustered expression flickered. Anger rose up in his breast, but in a millisecond was doused in shame, and his lips parted slowly. “Because he’s our friend,” he replied in a low voice.“Not yours. You don’t have any friends,” Sero sneered. The surrounding silence that followed was very telling. The class lowered their eyes.Behind Bakugo, Todoroki got to his feet. “I am his friend.”“What?!” Mineta squealed. “Since when?”Midoriya pushed forward. “I’m his friend, too,” he cried.“Me, too,” Asui said angrily.Iida stepped forward. “I am as well.”Bakugo, wide-eyed, watched in awe as he was surrounded by four of his classmates.Asui crossed her arms. “Bakugo is right, we shouldn’t be harassing Todoroki.”“He’s been through enough.” Iida added.Yaoyorzu bowed her head. “I’m sorry. I got carried away.” She glanced at Todoroki, catching his eye. “After what we just heard, I guess I’m worried about him.”Todoroki was touched. “Thank you.” He flushed and looked away from her. At his side, Midoriya subtly touched his hand. Todoroki grabbed his hand.  Kaminari turned grumpily and he headed back to his desk. “Fine. But I don’t buy it.”Sero sat down facing the front of the room with his group and none of them said a word. Slowly the others followed suit, leaving Bakugo in his human barrier. Asui looked up at him. “Friends are important,” she said to him. “I think it’s time you start making more.”Bakugo smiled at her. “I think I’ll start with the ones I already have.”Asui smiled before returning to her desk. Midoriya released Todoroki’s hand and slipped away, dragging Bakugo back to his desk. They were all seated and silent when Eraserhead arrived.“Jeez, who died?” Eraserhead said.“No one,” Yaoyorzu piped up.“At least not yet,” Bakugo finished, and the entire class dissolved into grins and giggles.Todoroki, blushing, fiddled his pencil as Yaoyorzu leaned over and nudged him playfully. He wasn’t so sure getting an education was worth this much stress.    That night after Midoriya went home, Todoroki left Bakugo to play video games and took a shower. He stood uneasily in the cool stream as it patterned his burned skin, biting his tongue against the pain. He’d been putting this off for too long. Sponge baths couldn’t compare to how clean a shower made him feel. He tried to relax, rubbing shampoo into his hair, and he breathed in the steam.Every day that passed brought him closer to health. He gradually felt stronger and he knew soon he’d be healthy enough to leave. Todoroki glanced at the towels hanging on the drying racks outside the shower. Bakugo’s towel, red, showed the brightest against the other pale colors of his family’s towels – even against his own soft blue towel.He looked down at the swirling drain. He didn’t like feeling uncomfortable with his emotions. Since he was young he’d always had a lot of them, but their torment left him cold and silent most of the time. Now he was brimming. Spilling over. He was fluid pushing at the seams and eager to burst, desperate to release this tension he’d been built up into.Todoroki shut off the water. He dabbed his injured side dry, his two-tone hair slick to his forehead and neck, and carefully dressed when the rest of him was dry. The steam from the shower dissipated when he opened the bathroom door. It was late; already Bakugo’s parents were asleep, and outside the street lamps were warm.He opened Bakugo’s bedroom door to see his boyfriend stretched out on the bed with an arm behind his head. His eyes were closed. Was he asleep? Todoroki quietly closed the door behind him. They’d only slept together without Midoriya one time. Todoroki had been grumpy without him there, and had fallen asleep quickly, but several times he’d been woken by Bakugo’s tossing and turning. He eyed Bakugo’s slender figure. After his first day back at school, Todoroki was exhausted, his heart clenched deep in his chest.He flicked off the lights. He got into bed. But instead of lying down he poised over Bakugo, studying his face. It was too still. Suddenly, Bakugo’s red eyes flickered open. They seemed to glow in the darkness of the room. Neither said a word.Todoroki was frozen. His body ached down to the bone, and yet…Bakugo’s hand snaked up onto the back of Todoroki’s neck, pulling him close enough to kiss. His rough touch was irresistible. Todoroki closed his eyes and felt their mouths moving gently together. His mind swirled with colors he’d never seen before. Lowering himself on top of Bakugo, he lay down, kissing him in an intimate way. Bakugo’s hands snaked up his body and Todoroki faltered, pain shooting up his side. “Not there,” he pleaded.“Sorry,” Bakugo whispered. “It’s been so long since I touched you.”Blushing, Todoroki bit his lip. His body buzzed with desire. Beneath him, Bakugo was visibly restraining himself, and Todoroki wondered if they were allowed to have sex without Midoriya there. He knit his brow.“I want you to touch me,” Todoroki said finally. “Just… not that side.”Bakugo nodded. His hand moved to Todoroki’s chest as he teased him into another kiss. His knees parted until Todoroki lying between them. Swelling with lust, Todoroki felt Bakugo’s member against his pelvis and rubbed it with his body. Their tongues rolled together.Todoroki swore against Bakugo’s lips. “I can’t,” he winced, drawing back. “It hurts.”“Relax.” Gentle hands guided him to lay back on the bed and Bakugo palmed his groin. “I can do most of the work.”Todoroki grabbed Bakugo’s hips. His stiff left side impaired his ability to respond, but his genitals weren’t feeling shy tonight. His heart began to pound. He wanted him now. From the black box Bakugo produced a ribbed condom. He eased Todoroki’s member from his sweatpants and rolled on the condom, making Todoroki moan.“Lay back,” Bakugo ordered.Todoroki allowed his body to relax. He shut his eyes with his head back against the pillow. The noise and feeling of Bakugo taking off his clothes indicated that they were really about to be intimate without Midoriya present. Todoroki took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, so slowly. He felt so hot all over. “Should we?” He muttered. “Is it ok?”Bakugo fondled Todoroki’s genitals. “Relax,” he repeated soothingly. “We’re all dating now. We’ve had sex without you before, and you’re allowed to have sex with him - without me.”“As long as he’s ok with it.” The feeling of a body descending over him made Todoroki tense up, but as soon as he slid inside Bakugo and his hot, tight hole embraced him, Todoroki’s mind blanked.His mouth fell open. Bakugo was way tighter than he’d imagined – he must never touch himself. Why? Todoroki’s eyes slipped open to watch Bakugo, naked, lower himself with tight straining thighs, and Todoroki pressed against them with his palms. Their eyes met. Todoroki’s hands were only inches from where Bakugo was being penetrated. Bakugo pushed against his stiff cock and Todoroki gave a nervous moan.This is why he never did it before – because he wants it like this, Todoroki thought absently.His hands mapped every inch of Bakugo’s body as it slowly fucked him. The hard knees, muscular calves, his sharp ankles – Todoroki let pleasure puncture him like a balloon. His hips moved gently to help as much as he could in his state of immobility, but it was unnecessary. Bakugo moved up and down smoothly and sensuously, without haste. He felt just as nervous as Todoroki was. Maybe he didn’t do this that often. Todoroki had certainly never seen him do this with Midoriya. Despite that, he made no mistakes and seemed to be making absolutely no noise, which was just as unusual.“Are you ok?” Todoroki voiced.“Yeah, just…” Bakugo quaked. He bit his lip as he fucked Todoroki deeper. “It feels really good this way.”“Slow?”Bakugo bobbed his head yes. He spread his hands on Todoroki’s chest and focused on his breathing, and the insane pleasure rocking him. The truth was that Todoroki was bigger than Midoriya; it took less effort to get a deeper, fuller feeling, and it was succulent. He felt helpless against its pull; he had never felt the desire to be pinned down and fucked before, yet that was all he could picture now. Maybe when Todoroki recovered he’d sneak in a private moment for them to do it. He rut into him and gasped in surprise when a jolt of ecstasy shot through him. Maybe they could do this a lot.He must’ve worried Todoroki with his silence. But the way being fucked like this felt was beyond any noise he knew how to make. Blushing, he picked up speed, and began to release some noises he deemed appropriate. Todoroki watched him with rapt attention. Clearly, he was enjoying himself as well, and Bakugo studied his unreadable face. “Still want to be the alpha?” He grinned.“You have no idea,” Todoroki droned, tightening his grip on Bakugo’s hips.Bakugo sat up and arched his back and, teasing Todoroki, he moaned loosely. Bakugo watched the pleasure flicker through those mismatched eyes. Midoriya was an easy read, but Bakugo got a thrill out of reading Todoroki the right way. His body began to clench. A spark deep in his loins told him it was time, so Bakugo focused solely on his own pleasure, rutting against Todoroki more urgently. He was moaning a lot more than he would normally be comfortable with when an orgasm hit him hard and fast. Todoroki’s thrusts drove him wild and he could barely hang on long enough for the other boy to come, gripped in the tight clutches of climax.Suddenly both of them stopped, panting with pounding hearts, and Bakugo felt Todoroki’s cock throbbing inside him. He blushed deeply. That was the first time anyone had come inside him. Also to his surprise, his cock had left a hot mess on Todoroki’s chest. He’d had two orgasms at once.Bakugo took a shaky breath. “How do you feel?”Todoroki, still tense beneath him, looked like he was still experiencing pure bliss. “It’s…” He whispered. “Too tight…!” “Shit!” Bakugo bit his lip as he gently released Todoroki’s member. He collapsed onto the bed alongside him, still buzzing with orgasm, and he watched Todoroki go slack.“Thank God,” Todoroki gasped. “You’re so… tight…!”“Sorry,” Bakugo blushed. “I don’t normally do that.”“I can tell. It was really good, though. Really good.” Todoroki made a noise deep in his throat. “You’re insanely sexy.”“And you’re hung, Shoto,” Bakugo whispered in his ear, kissing Todoroki’s neck.“Katsuki…” Todoroki blushed, his eyes fluttering closed as lips ghosted across his vulnerable throat.Bakugo swallowed as he rested his chin on Todoroki’s collarbone. “When you get better,” he began slowly. “I’d like to play alpha with you. A lot.”“Yeah?”“…Yeah.”Nodding, Todoroki pulled the condom off. He dropped it into the trashcan beside the bed. “I told you I want to earn it. We can play all you want, but when I feel better than I do now, I’ll usurp you – I’ll become the alpha in this relationship.”Bakugo chuckled. “Cheeky bastard.”Todoroki kissed his temple. “I can’t wait to pin you down.”“I can’t either,” Bakugo quaked.They kissed languidly. Bakugo pushed his hand under Todoroki’s soiled shirt, rubbing his breast with hot hands.He drew back suddenly. “I have a question.”Todoroki blinked. “Ok?”“You… What do you masturbate with?” Bakugo asked awkwardly.“I, uh…”“You don’t have to answer, I know it’s weird. I just… sometimes…”“I get it.” Todoroki lifted Bakugo’s bangs out of his face with one hand. “You’re shy.”Flushing, Bakugo snorted. “No!”“It’s ok to be a little hornier than your partner.” Todoroki sat up carefully. “Or in this case, ‘partners.’ If you want to do some exploring on your own, it’s understandable. Get to know your body.” He paused to think. “I used thick markers at first – couldn’t ever keep a dildo around the house – but it wasn’t nearly big enough. Cucumbers aren’t so bad if they’re smooth. Just put a condom on them, that’s what I did.”Bakugo shifted uncomfortably. “Now what do you use?”“Now I keep a dildo.” Todoroki cleared his throat. “But it’s not so easy to get your hands on one.”“You ordered it online, right?”“Yes. But it was very difficult to delete off the books after the fact.”“Recent?”“Very.” Todoroki glanced at his suitcase. “I always keep it with me now.”Bakugo’s jaw dropped. “Even here?”“Want to try it?” Todoroki grinned.Bakugo had never seen him grin before – it was creepy. “No way!”Todoroki shrugged. “It’s clean, I always wash it and use a condom. If you want to use it go right ahead. It’s in the secret compartment on the bottom.”Sitting up, Bakugo looked at him. “I can really use it?”“Definitely. We’re all intimate – it’s no big deal. I can even use it on you if you want.”“N-No!” Bakugo laughed nervously. “I’d prefer the real you.”“Yeah?” Todoroki leaned over and kissed his cheek.Bakugo snared his chin with one hand. “Shut up.”Todoroki took off his shirt and tossed it into the dirty laundry bin. “I’m not dealing with another shirt.”“Good.” Bakugo grabbed the covers and tugged it over them. “Me either.”“You’re not wearing anything.”“That was the joke.”“Ooohh…”They tangled together. Nosing against the other’s cheek, they eased into another kiss, getting one more taste before they fell asleep. It was long and slow, exploring their personal intimacy without fear of prying eyes, and both of them lost themselves in the kiss. There was a lot they had to catch up on. But they were content. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Midoriya woke up the next morning to his mother shaking him and screaming. Jolted from sleep, he staggered into the living room and followed her manic gestures to the television, his foggy mind barely discerning colors from sounds. Slowly, the words reached his brain. Slowly, the images shocked him awake. It was Bakugo’s house – and it was burnt to the ground.  By the time he got there, everything was gone. There were news cameras and firetrucks creating a barricade around the area but the house itself was a charred corpse. Bakugo was gone, and his family too. Todoroki was gone. Someone said no one escaped the fire. Midoriya blocked it out. He was blocking out almost everything since he woke up this morning – everything except the picture of the burnt carcass of the house seared into his retinas.  Endeavor had escaped custody the night of the fire and gone to Bakugo’s home after rumors had circulated in his circle that the other two top heroes in class 1-A, Bakugo and Midoriya, were dating. He’d figured his son would be around the only other gay kids in his class. He’d been correct. All Might had apprehended him at the scene but the state of him seemed to suggest that the boys had no chance when Endeavor initiated a fight with them, but perished immediately in the flames. There was no struggle when they cuffed him in steel girders and Endeavor was still laughing wickedly over the burning corpses of Bakugo’s family on his way back to prison.  Midoriya looked for them everywhere, but Bakugo and Todoroki were gone. They didn’t come home. No one else knew where to look. Neither kid had ever mentioned the thought of leaving, of flying away somewhere or escaping the city at all, and everyone began to jump to conclusions. They were dead, the people would say when Midoriya was around. They’re both dead. Midoriya left school and went home in the middle of class. He didn’t go back the next day – or the day after that.  Midoriya didn’t sleep. He was up all night wandering the city. Every hostel, every hotel or motel or friend of a friend of a friend, said they had only seen Bakugo and Todoroki’s pictures on the news. No one knew where they were. They were both dead, they said. Dead in the fire. Everything felt cold to Midoriya when he returned home at 6am and tried to get into bed. It took him a while to realize it was because he was burning up inside.  Other kids from his class began to show up at night to help him search. It was Asui and Iida’s job to follow Midoriya just in case he did something reckless; pulling him out of a fight became a regular routine for them. He was deteriorating before their eyes. Not one, but two of the most important people in his life were missing. Two people he’d almost taken for granted. And now they were gone.  A week passed. Midoriya’s immune system was worn down by his emotional state and he got very sick. He was bed ridden for almost four days straight on a strict diet of chicken soup and bread, but his ambition burned vividly inside him. In another day he was walking again. The following day he was out searching the city again with Asui and Iida at his heels trying to keep up – but because his body was worn down, he was much easier to catch up to.  Two weeks passed. The bodies in the fire had been identified as Bakugo’s mother and father, but there was no one else. Either their bodies had been turned to ash by the intensity of the fire or they hadn’t gotten caught in it at all. Villains surfaced claiming to know where Bakugo and Todoroki were and All Might pursued each lead with vigorous intent, to no avail. All of their accusations were plies for publicity. Iida and Asui had their hands full. If Midoriya had gotten his hands on those liars he wasn’t exactly sure what he might do.  Endeavor’s trial was over. He was convicted with four counts of murder, on top of his last offense, and sentenced to fifty years of isolated imprisonment. All Might personally sedated him and together with the officials he secured Endeavor in an underground cell made specifically for a fire quirk which was dug far beneath the prison itself. This chapter in the lives of our heroes had finally closed.  At the end of those two weeks, Uraraka and Hitoshi Shinso knocked on Midoriya’s front door. He opened it almost immediately as if it might be one of his missing lovers and he tried to hide the crushing disappointment on his face when it wasn’t. His desperation broke Uraraka’s heart. He let them in; he looked ragged and pale, and over his shoulder a cold cup of tea sat on the coffee table.“Midoriya,” Uraraka said carefully. “Are you doing any better?”“Yeah!” Midoriya lied chipperly. “Would you like to see something?” Shinso asked casually.  “W-What is it?” Midoriya asked nervously.“It’s not far away,” Shinso replied as Midoriya’s brain erupted into fuzzy buzzing. Behind him, Uraraka opened the front door to let Fumikage Tokoyami in. Shinso glanced Midoriya up and down. “I think you should get some rest before we get there, so lie down and sleep, Midoriya…”Four shadows loomed over Midoriya as he sank to the floor, the world fading into sudden darkness.   Someone was stroking Midoriya’s hair. The world was swimming around his body like he was a bobbing boat in the sea and his head was the sail trying to pull him in every direction at the same time. He turned his face away from the light basking his eyelids. It burned. It burned him. Fingers pressed into his scalp and he took a sharp breath through his nose. Everything began to melt together. Voices… walls…“…that look,” Shinso was saying. “I didn’t know how long he’d stay asleep. How was I supposed to know he hadn’t gotten any rest in days? That’s his fault for neglecting his health, not mine.”“We all knew he was neglecting his health! All of us!” Uraraka argued sharply.“It’s not his fault,” Tokoyami interjected.“I don’t care whose fault it was,” came another voice, rumbling from behind Midoriya’s head. “Shut the fuck up! He’s here, that’s what matters.”“Kaa-chan…?” Midoriya muttered in shock. His eyes rolled open but everything was so bright. His head was propped up on someone’s lap, was it…? He lifted his eyes and a shadow of spiked hair blocked out the burning light. “Kaa-chan!” He wept.Bakugo cupped his face and kissed it. “Izuku! Oh my God, you’re ok!”Midoriya lifted his arms and Bakugo dragged him into a hug, twisting on the mattress to embrace him with his entire body. They clung to each other desperately. “You’re alive!” Midoriya cried, running his hands all over Bakugo: in his hair, over his back, making sure he was all in one piece. “Are you ok? Where were you? Why didn’t you come get me?”“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” Bakugo held the worst of his pain at bay by holding Midoriya close. He was dressed in old clothes and had obviously been losing weight; he felt thin in Midoriya’s arms. Their mattress was on the floor. All around them were blank walls and a blank ceiling, reflecting nothing familiar that Midoriya could recognize. Midoriya tried to move his hand again and it was snared by something. He looked down with eyes blurred by tears to see an IV in the back of his hand.“What happened?” He croaked.Tokoyami knelt and gently removed the IV, taping a bandage over where it used to be. “You slept for three days. We had to give you fluids somehow.”Shinso crossed his arms. “I told you to take a nap, not go into a coma, idiot.”“Shut it!” Bakugo snapped. Shinso recoiled.“Oh.” Midoriya tugged on Bakugo to calm him. “Sorry, I… I couldn’t sleep for a while, but... I feel much better now. Thank you, Shinso.”Blushing, Shinso scowled and looked away. Midoriya swallowed thickly, eyeing the others from the protection of Bakugo’s arms. He counted them. Tokoyami, Uraraka, Shinso, Bakugo, and… “Shoto.” Midoriya looked up at Bakugo with wide eyes. “Where is Shoto?”“He’s…”The door opened with a bang and everyone whirled around. Barging in, dropping two heavy bags on the floor, Todoroki fell to his knees at the edge of the mattress. “Izuku,” he panted. “You’re awake!”“Shoto,” Midoriya whispered. He was too weak to move, but he reached out and Bakugo grabbed Todoroki, pulling him down on top of them. They untangled and re-tangled into an embrace for three. Midoriya kissed Shoto’s cheek more times than he could count; Shoto was thinner, too. Bakugo clung to them both with an iron grip.Sobs racked Midoriya’s body. “Thank God,” he wept. “My boys are alive!”   After a few hours Midoriya had the strength to move. He sat between Bakugo’s legs on the mattress devouring sandwiches Todoroki had toasted with his fire quirk, Bakugo’s hands massaging his shoulders and his back. The others were seated around them in the blank room.Todoroki, sitting beside Bakugo, continued to make sandwiches until there were no more materials. There was a very high stack of them on a plate beside the bed. One by one, he picked them up and toasted them, moving them to the next plate. He didn’t eat. Bakugo swallowed two or three sandwiches himself.“What happened?” Midoriya asked between bites. He leaned back and Bakugo snaked his arms around Midoriya’s waist.“We were… in the middle of something… when my father arrived,” Todoroki began grimly.“We were fucking,” Bakugo clarified.Todoroki elbowed him. “His mom opened the front door. So my father barged into the house and he found us.”“Fucking,” Bakugo added. “Shit,” Midoriya breathed.“Exactly.” Bakugo handed him another sandwich and Midoriya continued to eat.“Anyway,” Todoroki grunted. “He was furious. Immediately he set the room on fire and it was a fight for me to protect myself and Bakugo with my ice quirk. I surrounded us with a wall of ice that melted almost instantly. When I tried to reason with him, he only grew angrier.” He lowered his head. “I tried to tell him that I loved Katsuki, and you, too. But he was beyond reason.”“He tried to kill us,” Bakugo said grimly. “His own son, and me.”“What happened?” Midoriya pressed.Todoroki looked down at the burnt sandwich in his hand. “He burned the house down while we were fighting. But he was sloppy. Angry. We managed to save ourselves, but we were no match for him. By the time we slipped away…”“My parents had already gotten away,” Bakugo finished.Midoriya exchanged a glance with the others, who were all equally silent and shocked. The air weighed a lot more than it had before. Leaning into him, Midoriya turned his head to touch his lips to Bakugo’s temple. He grabbed a handful of his shorts. Bakugo said nothing. Beside him, Todoroki touched Midoriya’s arm and shook his head. Midoriya swallowed hard. “So… where did you go?” He asked. “I looked everywhere for you.”“We came here – to the replica,” Todoroki said simply.Midoriya whirled on him. “Seriously?! That’s where we are?!”“I was surprised you didn’t come here,” Bakugo muttered. “Your big brain and all. This is the same building where we talked to Todoroki on the roof.”Todoroki crumbled the sandwich in his hand. “I wasn’t surprised.”“I thought you were…” Midoriya’s words were snatched from his throat.“Dead.” Todoroki finished for him.Bakugo frowned deeply. “But you said you were looking for us.”“He was looking. He was grieving,” Todoroki explained.“What?” Bakugo snapped. “If he thought we were dead, why was he still looking for us?”“A part of him couldn’t let us go but his consciousness was thrown into turmoil. In order to process the trauma, all he could do was grieve our deaths.” Todoroki looked away. “He wasn’t thinking clearly. He couldn’t.”“You’re right,” Midoriya whispered. “So why does it hurt so much right now?”“Because you were wrong.” Leaning forward, Todoroki dropped a burnt crumb into his palm.Midoriya looked down at it. “I’m so glad that I was.”Todoroki watched him. “Your brain just needs time to readjust.”Lifting his eyes, Midoriya gazed deep into Todoroki’s eyes. They were overflowing with emotions. Both of these boys had suffered so much – actually, all three of them had gone through a lot. He was surprised to find himself counted among the damaged. Midoriya glanced at the others. “What happened next?”“They were afraid if Endeavor got wind of their survival that he’d break out of custody and come after them, so they were forced to lay low for a while,” Uraraka continued. “They took some stuff from the university to set up here.”Tokoyami crossed his arms. “But they had no idea what was going on.”“I ran into Tokoyami when I snuck into the university to find a television,” Bakugo grumbled.“He had no choice but to confide in me. And we agreed it was safer to keep their secret until Endeavor was imprisoned.” Tokoyami glanced at Bakugo. “After that I left news updates for them to find. When it was finally time to tell people, we agreed to bring in Uraraka and Shinso to get you here without arousing suspicion.”“Carrying my unconscious body through the city was… inconspicuous?” Midoriya asked incredulously.“We waited until the night, of course,” Shindo interjected. “We’re not idiots.”“We were worried you’d be hysterical when you found out, Midoriya. We couldn’t risk you jeopardizing their secret before they were ready to come out of hiding.” Uraraka got to her feet and walked over to them, glancing at the trio. “They told us all about your polyamory thing – it came up while we were planning. I think it’s sweet.”Seeing Uraraka smile was like watching a flower bloom. Midoriya returned her happiness with grateful energy. “I appreciate that. Thank you. All of you – thank you for your help.”Shinso scowled. “Just be glad I decided to help. I was glad those two were out of the picture – more spotlight for me – but I… I respect you, so.”“What, were you moving in on my boyfriend?” Bakugo growled.“No,” Shinso sneered. “Your career.”“Come say that to my face!”“Kaa-chan, he helped us,” Midoriya protestedLeaning back, Shinso glared at Bakugo. “Hot head.”“Prick,” Bakugo shot back.Todoroki got to his feet. He held out his hand to Midoriya. “Izuku, come with me. I want you to get some fresh air.”“No!” Bakugo cried.“Katsuki, please.” Todoroki said quietly.“He just woke up!” “I’ll be right back, Kaa-chan.” Midoriya kissed Bakugo’s shoulder. His touch soothed the hissing cat that was his boyfriend; and Bakugo deflated.Midoriya took Todoroki’s hand, struggling to stand. He didn’t have to try hard. Todoroki basically acted like his crutch. An arm around his waist, Todoroki led him from the room, his natural gait restored after two weeks of private recovery. He walked smoothly and carefully like a man who knew what he wanted. They climbed up to the roof – which was only around the corner – and Todoroki helped Midoriya sit on the edge of the building, just like the first time they’d spoken here.Todoroki eased to sit beside him. “I wanted to apologize sincerely for what happened.” His eyes were hesitant. “We were traumatized and… like you, we didn’t think straight. Of course we thought about you first, but we couldn’t risk your life by reaching out to you. Katsuki was the one who stopped me from calling your mobile the second we found a working phone.”“It’s not me we need to worry about.” Midoriya looked over the city.“I know. Still.” Todoroki touched his leg. “We both missed you desperately.”Midoriya grasped his hand. “Were you hurt in your fight with Endeavor?”“Yes, but… Tokoyami snuck us in to see Recovery Girl. She was the only other one who knew we were alive.”“So two people knew.”“Yes.”“Why didn’t you have someone come get me?” Midoriya whispered.“I wanted to,” Todoroki said softly. “I hated it - hiding. Katsuki was a mess and we were alone and we… missed you.” He went abruptly quiet.Midoriya looked at him intently. “What are you not telling me?” He asked.Todoroki hesitated. Something sour sat at the back of his throat.Touching his back, Midoriya caught his eye and held it. “Tell me. Please.”“Katsuki, he…” Todoroki’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “He isn’t coping well.”“Tell me what he’s doing,” Midoriya urged him.Todoroki dipped his chin. “He pretended like his parents weren’t dead for a week.” “What?” “Yeah. He kept talking about how he couldn’t wait to go home, that his parents would leap out of their socks to see him alive.”“He… he doesn’t…? How does he not know?”“Katsuki knows they’re dead, Izuku. He saw it happen. My father killed them during our fight – he trapped them in the burning house and fended us away from helping them until they burned alive.”Stricken, Midoriya paled. “You couldn’t save them?”Todoroki shook his head. He, too, was very pale. “Katsuki is the only reason we made it out alive – he and my father were a destructive combo. He was able to prod my father into losing control but Katsuki went insane with grief.” A deep breath filled Todoroki’s lung. “He was broken and enraged, and he almost threw himself into my father’s flame attack when he realized he couldn’t win against his parents’ murder.”“How did you get away?”“I pretended to be hit by one of my father’s attacks and hid. Then I managed to knock Katsuki unconscious. All Might detained my father while I was sneaking Katsuki away from the scene – when we reached a manhole cover, I took him down into the sewers with me. From there I found my way to the university and waited until nightfall. The rest is history.”“Why not just stay at the scene?” Midoriya asked worriedly. “All Might was there, right?”“Izuku,” Todoroki clarified. “Katsuki lost his mind at that fire. I brought you up here to tell you that I’m not sure he can ever go back.”“W-Why?”Nudging his shoulder, Todoroki pointed behind them. Midoriya turned slowly to look at the other half of the replica and the wind was knocked from his lungs; half the city was burned to the ground. Right now there were drones repairing the damage, but it took an entire year to put up this replica. Midoriya gulped. “He did that?”“Yes. As soon as he woke up he tried to kill me, Izuku.”“No. No!” Midoriya cried. “He would never do that!”“He did.” Todoroki touched his scarred face. “What I didn’t tell you is that he took one look at my face, remembered who killed his family, and then he destroyed half the city chasing me down.”“What happened? How did you survive?!”“He was weak after the fight. I pleaded with him, but he was beyond reason so I evaded him the best I could. After the damage to the city was done he collapsed from exhaustion. That was when I went out looking for a television and Tokoyami snuck us in to see Recovery Girl – because Katsuki was on the brink of death.”“Oh, my God,” Midoriya whispered.“Yes.” Todoroki looked down at his lap. “He doesn’t remember that entire week. He spent the rest of it in and out of a coma – and me here, feeding fluids to and taking care of the man who tried to kill me.” He wrung his hands. “He doesn’t understand why I’m so jumpy, but it’s better that way. To him it’s like it never happened. Any of it.”Midoriya leaned back in shock. “And he still hasn’t grieved for his parents?”“No,” Todoroki whispered. He was trembling when Midoriya wrapped himself around Todoroki, squeezing him and hiding his face against Todoroki’s neck. A strong hand grasped Midoriya’s arms around his neck and held them tight. “I’m afraid for him,” he whispered. “I’m scared of what is happening in his mind.”“You’ve done enough,” Midoriya replied evenly. “Which, considering the circumstances, is way more than expected. Kaa-chan needs to deal with this in his own way. When he’s ready, he will cope.” He drew back enough to look at Todoroki. “I’m sorry for what happened with him. His temper is horrible on a good day – after the loss of his parents, it probably hit its peak point.”Wordlessly Todoroki nodded. His face was drawn and colorless.Midoriya squeezed him tighter. “Shoto, when will I be able to take you both home?”“I’m ready,” Todoroki cleared his throat. “Katsuki isn’t.”“Do I want to know why?” Midoriya asked.“He just keeps avoiding it, like it’s an impossibility. Brushing it off and saying we can’t leave when I bring it up in conversation. I know that he can’t face what happened, but I can’t stay here with him anymore. I need to get out.” Todoroki withdrew into himself. “I need to go home.”Midoriya rubbed his back encouragingly. “Where is home, Shoto?”Todoroki looked at him with sad mismatched eyes. “The only place I felt at home burnt to the ground,” he whispered.“You’ll stay with me, then. We don’t have a lot of room but for you and Kaa-chan there’s plenty.” Midoriya sat Todoroki flinch and drew his hands into his lap. “Unless…?”“I can’t do it, Izuku. He tried to kill me.” Todoroki got up and swayed away. He walked in slow circles around the area behind Midoriya. “I love him. But I’m afraid of what’s happened to him.” He rubbed his face. “If he loses control when I’m not on my guard, he’ll kill me. But I can’t stay on guard like this anymore because it is killing me. Either way I can’t.”Midoriya watched him pace for a few minutes. Both of them racked their brains for a solution, but the silence stretched between them. Something strange and unspoken grew out of their chests, infecting their bodies with its dangerous poison, and Todoroki turned to Midoriya with his hands on his hips.“It’s over,” he said. “Us.”“What?” Midoriya blurted, startled. “All of us?”“There’s nothing else to be done.” “Shoto -”“You can’t take care of both of us!” Todoroki cried.Midoriya felt a stabbing pain in his heart. He looked down at his hands and a terrible feeling boiled up inside him. His vision blurred. “You’re with Katsuki,” Todoroki continued. “And whatever I’m feeling doesn’t compare to the trauma he’s gone through. I can’t ask you to choose me over him, so I won’t.” He waved his hand. “Me and Katsuki - you and me? We’re done.”  He was still stalking moodily around the roof when he heard a small sound that froze him in his tracks. He didn’t want to look. The barrier he’d erected between this decision and his emotions was flimsy and eroding, and if he allowed it to, it would break over him like a tidal wave. The sound grew in intensity, spilling over into sobs. Todoroki gritted his teeth but he couldn’t stand his own cruelty. It was too much for his heart to take. He crossed the roof in two steps and fell to his knees beside Midoriya, gathering him into his arms. “I’m sorry,” he croaked. “It’s not your fault. I’m so sorry, Izuku.”They huddled in an embrace until the sky overhead streaked with sunrise and the night faded away like a bad dream. In the first sleepy touches of sunlight, they rose to their feet. The light came through the window like golden fingers as they lit up the replicated room and with one declaration of finality, their solitude was broken.   “I did that?” Bakugo whispered.“Yes, you did,” Todoroki replied quietly.Both boys faced each other on the balcony of Todoroki’s new apartment. The crisp air whipped past them; fall was approaching rapidly. Windows were shut tight against the oncoming cold and despite the hot brilliant sunshine everyone below in the streets wore warm coats. The first touch of chill was always the worst. Bakugo himself was in a light black jacket and jeans, but Todoroki was already in a warm sweater and boots with a red scarf around his neck. Their eyes held together without faltering.“I don’t remember, not even a little!” Bakugo was in awe of himself. “Even after everything I did in therapy nothing she did could bring back my memories of that week.”“Some memories are better left forgotten.”“Maybe.” Bakugo studied him closely. “I’m so sorry, Shoto. I was messed up back then. Your dad killed my parents.”Todoroki nodded. “Yes.”Even though Todoroki was being cold and flat, Bakugo knew what lay beneath his mask of apathy. He stepped forward. Todoroki made a step back and averted his steely eyes. “Shoto, I’d never hurt you,” Bakugo implored. “I thought you broke up with us because of all the drama with your father. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”“I was afraid you’d do it again,” Todoroki replied.“Well I won’t, ok?” Bakugo exclaimed. “It’s been half a year – I’m better now!”Todoroki was silent.“We miss you. Midoriya misses you – I miss you, Shoto! Don’t you miss us?”Shaking his head, Todoroki crossed his arms. “What’s done is done.”“Look at us!” Bakugo spread his hands. “All three of us are miserable because of something horrible – something I did, even if I don’t remember it – but it doesn’t have to be like this!”“I’m sorry,” Todoroki droned. “But it does.”“You can’t stay here alone.”“I have so far.”Bakugo dropped his arms. “Aren’t you lonely?”“That’s none of your concern anymore, Katsuki.”“What can I do to change your mind about us?” Bakugo pressed. “Do you want to give me a scar? Throw me off the balcony? What?”“Why now?” Todoroki snapped. “It’s been six months. Why are you doing this now?”“Because you dropped off the face of the earth, that’s why!” Bakugo retorted. “I gave you some space. We both did. After what happened… I don’t know, but Izuku agreed it had been long enough.”Todoroki swore under his breath. “Space.”“Shoto!” Bakugo contained his irritation with difficulty. “We just thought it was what you wanted – we still love you!”“I know,” Todoroki said curtly.“Then why the cold shoulder?”Todoroki refused to answer, looking instead across the city as the sun moved lazily through the clouds. He was as cold as a statue of marble. Behind him, the sky was ever blue.Bakugo felt wounded. “I want us to be a family again,” he croaked. “I’ll do anything you want, Shoto. Anything.”“Shut up,” Todoroki trembled. “Don’t say that.”“I will!” Bakugo cried.“DON’T SAY THAT!” Todoroki roared, grabbing him by the front of his jacket and slamming him against the balcony rail. “I don’t want to hear any of your bullshit anymore! Why are you here? Do you like torturing me?!” He screamed.“NO!” Bakugo cried defensively.Todoroki tightened his grip. “Then leave me alone! I came here to get away from you!”“Shoto,” Bakugo whimpered.Frozen, Todoroki stared at Katsuki’s stricken face. Todoroki trembled from head to toe with anger; his eyes burned like twin torches.“Shoto, please,” Bakugo persisted. “I want to make up for what I did – I don’t want you to be alone like this anymore.”“Why?” Todoroki breathed.Bakugo held up his hands in surrender. “Because there’s still room in our bed for one more.”Tears punctured Todoroki’s lungs. He heaved with the effort of weeping, pushing Bakugo away, and he stepped through the door into his apartment, retreating into the dark. Bakugo composed himself on the balcony. He thought that Todoroki was really going to throw him over before. Stepping inside, he shut the sliding glass door behind him.Todoroki was sitting at the table in the living room with his head in his hands. Bakugo approached his ex-boyfriend cautiously. His hand moved without his consent to rest on the back of Todoroki’s two-toned head and he held his breath for the counter reaction. When none came, hope blossomed in his chest. Todoroki reached out and grabbed a handful of his jacket, making him jump, but he dragged Bakugo closer until they were touching. His closeness apparently gave Todoroki comfort.Bakugo wrapped his arms around him. “It’s ok,” he whispered into his ear. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for what I did, Shoto. You’ll always be safe with me - with us.”  “You swear?” Todoroki whispered.“I swear,” Bakugo declared.Todoroki was silent for so long that Bakugo thought he’d changed his mind. He turned his head in Bakugo’s grasp, tensing, and he looked up at Bakugo with pleading eyes. “Please don’t lie to me. I can’t handle it.”“Never!” Bakugo cried. “I don’t ever lie, especially not to you!”“Ok.” Todoroki tightened his grip on Bakugo’s jacket. “Ok.”The doorbell rang, and when they answered the door they stood side by side. Their hands were twined together. The door creaked open, revealing the messy-haired boy standing hopefully in the hallway, his posture stiff but his face brimming with emotion like an open book. Todoroki’s surprise showed on his face, but Midoriya took one look at them and his eyes filled with tears of joy.“We missed you, Shoto,” he whispered.
11059476
Misdirection
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers, Howard Stark, Angie Martinelli", "Fandom": "Agent Carter (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by littlereyofsunlight", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "1,313", "Additional Tags": "accidentally engaged, canon divergence - post captain america: the first avenger, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Alcohol", "Relationship": "Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Howard was so engrossed in the new numbers from the Science department, he almost barged right in on Cap and Peggy in the bullpen. He couldn’t hear what they were saying down at the other end, but Howard had a pretty good idea. He backed quickly out of the room.Steve Rogers, down on one knee. Howard felt a funny sort of twist in his gut. “Better you than me, pal,” he muttered as he walked back to his own office. But he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Steve was tidying up his desk when Howard walked in. “Rogers! We’re going out and getting soused regardless, but I gotta know: did she say yes?”“What?”“Carter! You two were in here earlier—”Steve could feel himself go bright red. Howard had seen them? Oh no. Peggy would be furious.Howard was still talking, “And like I always say, if you’re gonna make the biggest mistake of your life and get hitched, it better be to someone smarter than you.” What. “Which is why I can never marry.” Howard chuckled at his own joke and slapped Steve on the shoulder. “But you! You definitely picked someone with more brains. Did she say yes?”Steve felt his chest tighten the way he hadn’t since before the serum.Howard scowled behind his moustache and clapped him on the shoulder again. “Steve?”Aww, crap. Peggy would be mad either way, but this way might save them both a little dignity. “Yes,” he wheezed. “She said yes.”Howard gave him an appraising look. “Just hitting you now, huh? Come on, I’ve got just the thing to make you forget about that lifetime commitment you’re about to make.” Peggy Carter was irate.She’d had every intention of a peaceful night at home: she’d drawn a bath and had a bottle of wine and a truly excellent book waiting for her. Plus, she’d ended her day at the office in the most unexpectedly pleasant of ways. She and Steve had been finishing up a report, and the rest of the office had emptied out rather suddenly. Though Peggy preferred to be much more circumspect regarding their relationship in the workplace, she supposed there was something to be said for allowing oneself to be caught up in the heat of the moment. So long as one was sure not to get caught in the middle of an indiscretion, of course.She’d had a lovely, relaxing evening planned. And then the phone rang. Steve was on the other end, and he actually sounded...drunk? She could hardly tell from the shouting in the background. It took a considerably long time to even get a location out of him. Steve shouldn’t have even been able to get drunk, and now he was at some bar with God-only-knew who else there, on a weekday, and they had a briefing in the morning, goddamnit. She was going to kill him.Except, when she arrived at the bar, Jarvis had ushered her quickly into the back room, where there was an entire party happening. A raucous one. In her honor.“Peg!” Howard hollered from across the room. “Come get your man.” He hurried over to her side. “He agreed to be my guinea pig tonight and the experiment was a smashing success, if I do say so myself.”  Steve was, she had to admit (if only to herself), a rather adorable drunk. He was pink all the way to the tips of his ears, and when he saw her, he giggled. Never in her life did she expect to see that mountain of a man giggle .“Peggy,” he hiccuped, “you’re here!” Steve was beaming at her in sheer, unguarded admiration. It was, truth be told, quite disarming.“Yes, dear, you called me.” She arched an eyebrow at him. “Drunk.” No need to let him feel he was off the hook that easily, though.“Oh, right!” He pointed a finger in her face. “I have something to tell you.” He swayed a bit and closed one eye. “Stay right there. This will wear off in ten minutes.” He turned towards the bar, then immediately back to her. “Don’t let Howard dose me again. He’s inten–isstay– isistent on celebrating our engagement with a lotta booze.”“Our what ?” Suddenly, Angie was at her elbow, Peggy’s favorite drink in hand. Peggy ignored her and yelled at Steve again. “Steven Grant Rogers! Our what?”“Hiya English!” Even Angie was slurring a little bit. “He finally popped the question, huh? I tell ya, all the girls down at the automat were starting to think maybe it’d never happen.” Peggy tried to interject, but there was no stopping her friend when she got on a tear. Peggy just gripped her glass tight in one fist and gulped down the gin. Several friends from work pressed in to offer their congratulations, but no one let her get a word in edgewise. Eventually Steve made his way back to her on much surer footing and Angie finally relented. Peggy turned to her boyfriend with fire in her eyes. “What is going on?” she hissed.Steve’s shoulders slumped, but he nodded. “I can explain.” He nodded at a door in the corner. “Let’s get some air.”Once they were outside in the alley, Peggy couldn’t contain herself. “What on earth is going on? Angie thinks we’re engaged ,” she exploded.“Peggy! Peggy!” Steve threw his hands up and took a quick step back from her. “I didn’t mean for it to happen!” “How precisely did it happen then?” She took a deep breath and tucked a wayward curl back behind a pin.Steve, who had rightfully blanched in the face of Peggy’s fury, pinked up again. “Uh,” he said, scratching at the back of his neck, “well, it’s a funny story…”“I do love a laugh.” “You see, I ran into Howard when I was leaving the office tonight. After our, uh,” he broke off in a cough. Now it was Peggy’s turn to blush. “Oh! After we—”“He didn’t see much!” Steve rushed to assure her. “Far as I can tell, he saw me, well, on my knees, uh, just before I—” He met her eyes briefly. “—you remember.” Did she ever.He coughed again. “But that’s all he saw. He assumed I was, um, proposing to you, so he gave us our privacy.” He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. “And then when I bumped into him after, well, I thought that was better than explaining what we’d really been up to.” He looked up and shrugged. “I didn’t think he’d turn it into a party.”Peggy groaned. “You should be well aware that Stark will turn anything into a party.” She put a hand to her forehead and started to pace, thinking fast. “Well, we can just explain that he was mistaken. You were—tying your shoe, or something, and didn’t realize until Howard had gotten everything swinging what he really thought.”“Or,” Steve interrupted her, “you could just say yes and we could start planning a wedding.”Peggy stopped short. Steve was down on his knee, not for the first time that day, but now he had a ring box in his hand. He looked up at her, his face a mixture of hope and amusement. “It’s not quite how I thought I’d do this, of course,” he reached out for her hand, “but seeing as I’ve had the ring for the better part of a year and still haven’t found the perfect way to do this, I guess now’s as good as ever.”He took a deep breath. “Peggy Carter, will you—”She cut him off with a kiss, launching herself into his arms. “Yes,” she laughed, “of course!” She kissed him again, soundly. “All the girls at the automat were starting to think it would never happen!”
11021133
slow
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Bruce Wayne", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by ohwhatevrewhatevr", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "11,597", "Additional Tags": "timkon in the background, Fluff, Humor, Angst", "Relationship": "Dick Grayson/Damian Wayne", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "DCU, DCU (Comics), Batman - All Media Types", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“When are you going to fall in love with me?” Damian asks without any segue. Just slips it in after a discussion of using nth metals for batarangs.Dick spits out his coffee and turns to eye Damian carefully who’s calmly drinking his own coffee.“Wha- what did you just-”“Tt. I said,” Damian replies, “When are you going to fall in love with me, Grayson?”Dick presses his lips together, eyes wide, and replies, “I don’t...” He tilts his head, finally deciding on an incredulous, “What?”Damian takes a deep breath in, narrowing his eyes irritatedly at Dick, “I’m certain you understand the concept. I’m not going to repeat it for you again.”“Yeah,” Dick chokes out, “yeah, but I-” He ends on a high pitched note.Except then Tim comes into the dining room and Damian’s attention is turned from Dick to insulting Tim’s pajamas and hair and existence. “You go high. I go low?” Dick asks, watching their targets carefully.“I go low, you go high,” Damian replies, his tone brooking no argument.Dick has to roll his eyes at that as he turns to Damian. “Does it really matter?”Damian’s expression is impassive before he gives Dick a cool look, “Do you have an issue with my tactics?”“No, but-” Dick stares at Damian, and then he suddenly recalls the other morning. It comes with a rush of blood to his head. They haven’t talked about it, and he really doesn’t want to talk about it. As far as Dick knows, according to Bruce and the records in the Batcave, Damian hadn’t encountered any toxins or poisons the night before. At this point, Dick is just completely dumbfounded. Occam's razor, yes, but Dick can't imagine Damian having a crush on him.Dick tries to interpret Damian’s expression and decides it’s better not to fight it.His best guess is puberty and hormones.He just gives a little quirk of a smile, and Damian’s satisfied grin in return is sharp and fast, reading Dick’s acceptance easily.And then he’s off, cape flying behind him. Damian’s sitting on Dick’s usual chair. It’s not something he usually does. He usually prefers one of the larger chairs in the corner that has enough room for Titus, Jerry, and Batcow all to pile on top of him.He’s alone for once without his pets.“Hey...” Dick starts placatingly. He doesn't need more arguments today.Damian flips a page and doesn’t look up. He’s reading up about neurotoxins which is concerning to Dick, but he’s still bothered as to why Damian’s in his chair. Damian had mocked it for being ratty and old and lacking in general taste. “Yes, Grayson?” Damian practically sighs in a patronizing tone at Dick’s continued presence. He’s still reading.“You’re...in my chair,” Dick says slowly, phrasing it as a question.“Indeed. Astute observation skills, Grayson. Shall we have a ceremony to award you?”Dick presses his lips into a thin line.“What?” Damian continues, “Is there a problem?”“No...” The chair doesn’t really matter to Dick except...Damian’s been unreasonable lately, and to top it all off, Dick had just come back from a mission with Jason. Dick’s not in the mood to give something he likes to someone who’s not going to enjoy it. He's really not in the mood for Damian's passive aggressive calls for attention either. “I'd just been planning on taking a nap here.”“Oh?” Damian replies, flipping the page again. “There’s more than enough room.”Dick bites down on his tongue by accident, wincing, as he stares at how Damian is sprawled out on the chair that already isn’t very wide. Even if Damian is still small, smaller than even Tim still, there really isn’t room. “Um,” Dick says, intelligently, everything inside him slowly backing away from this situation.“Well?” Damian looks up, “Or do I make you nervous?”It’s a childish tactic, and Dick has some idea of where it’s all leading even if he doesn’t really want to go any further along that train of thought. It still shouldn’t irritate him as much as it does. He takes a breath and forces himself to put it into perspective. Incredulous amusement rises over the irritation just like that, but now he has the ordeal of stopping himself from laughing at Damian.He barely manages to transform it into an easy smile before he says, “Yeah, I think I’ll just go sleep in my room.” When he turns, he runs his hand through Damian’s hair, ruffling it as he leaves.“Tt,” Damian says. “Have you considered your answer yet?” Damian says, attempting a different approach this time, while they’re having a mock battle with Jason and Tim.“For what?” Dick asks, too caught up in checking that the dimensions for the trap are correct to realize the hole he just dug himself.“When you’re going to fall in love with me.”Dick nearly falls out of the tree.“I don’t- I think we should maybe finally have a talk about this, Damian?” Dick replies, finishing tying the trap.“About what?”“About why you think I’m going to...” Dick can’t think of a nice way to phrase it. “About why you’re assuming that we’re...going to...have a romantic relationship.”“Who said anything about a romantic relationship,” Damian asks as he gives Dick a pointed look first, looks at the knot and then gives Dick another pointed, patronizing look.  Then he unties and redoes Dick’s knot. “You just asked me when I’m going to fall in love with you,” Dick states, slamming down on his exasperation. His knot had been fine.“Yes,” Damian says, looking up as if Dick is the crazy one.“Yeah, so...that implies...”“That you’re going to fall in love with me,” Damian replies, cutting Dick off as if he’s the insane one. “I never mentioned how my end of our relationship would develop.”Dick vaguely imagines how good it would feel to just shove the kid out of the tree.He doesn’t. Instead, while he tries to navigate his way through the conversation, he ends up falling into their own trap and gets laughed at by Jason and Tim while Damian watches him, eyes disturbingly intent on Dick. Dick trails behind Damian who’s pushing the shopping cart with a vengeance.“Are you listening, Grayson?” Damian asks, scowling.“Yeah. Yeah,” Dick tries, and then at its failure to convince, says, “No. No, I wasn’t. What’d you say?”“We need a large amount of eggs, matcha powder, rose water, and pistachios.”“...because?” Dick asks, not sure what they’re making with only eggs and flavors.“Macarons. We already have sugar,” Damian sighs. He eyes Dick and says, “Are you going deaf? Should we have you go with Pennyworth to his consultation for hearing aids?”Dick grits his teeth, sighs and then runs his fingers through his hair. Damian’s been relentless recently, “No, I was just... distracted...”“By what?” Damian asks.Dick does a double take because any time Dick says he’s distracted, it usually means Damian will follow up with an insult about his lack of focus.“You...really wanna know?” Dick tries.“If I didn’t want to know, I wouldn’t have asked,” Damian replies, his tone bordering brattish.Dick raises his eyebrows and replies, “Uh...thinking about how I used to sit in the cart and make whatever adult from the circus I was shopping with push me around.”Damian makes a considering look before he stops the shopping cart, adjusts the placement of several items and then gestures with an arm.“Uh,” Dick says.“Well?” Damian says, “Get in.”“I-,” Dick protests, “I’m a bit big for that now, I think.”At Damian’s stubbornness, Dick eventually offers, “How about you get in, and I push? You still look youn-”Damian’s expression is near murderous, and Dick looks up at the ceiling, praying Clark would crash in with an emergency mission or something.He doesn’t, and Dick ends up giving in, sitting in the cart, his knees pressed to his chest, trying to not die of humiliation when kids point out the weirdo in the cart to their parents.It takes a very long time of circling around the supermarket, the employees’ protests being scared off by Damian’s expression, before Dick is able to relax into the steady hum of the wheels rolling.He watches the rows of cans and bags and boxes pass by under the glaring white lights, listening to Damian mutter to himself about the lack of logic in supermarket organization.Damian stops the cart.“Hand me the bag of ground almonds.”Dick sits up a little higher on the cart to grab it and hands it to Damian who considers it with a quiet sincerity that Dick’s ever really only seen with Damian and animals. His brow is furrowed a little. Dick wants to tell Damian that he looks like a little old man when he does that, face all wrinkled. He sniggers, pretending to look at peanut powder when Damian snaps his head up.It takes Damian another few minutes as he assess each brand of almonds.Dick has an arm propped on the side of the cart, and he leans his head on it as he watches Damian, consideringly. “You really liked them when Alfred made them, didn’t you?”Damian doesn’t look up from ingredients and nutrition info when he replies, mind distant, “It is one of the desserts I’m more partial too.”Dick can’t help but grin at that. He wants to say that Damian’s good at whatever he puts his mind to, that it’s nice that he’s taking an interest in cooking one of Alfred’s favorites just as the old butler’s fallen sick.But he’d probably get punched, so he doesn’t. “This is ridiculous,” Damian growls, covered in water and possibly mold.They’re in Dick’s apartment trying to fix the sink since his landlord never seems to be available.Damian throws the tools on the ground, stomping to the edge of the tile to strip off his soaking wet shirt and pants, left with only his boxers.Dick stares at him, noting the curve of his tapered waist and his broad shoulders before he says, “It isn’t really necessary to strip.” Dick’s soaking wet too, and he’s been dealing with that.“What isn’t necessary,” Damian rears around, growling, “is for piping this pathetic to exist.”He stomps back to the sink, picking the tools up with a vengeance.Dick had been pushed out of the way an hour before, Damian citing his incompetence as the reason for his exile.“...well,” Dick says, “since I’m not doing anything...I’ll go get you a change of clothes.”Damian pauses at that, the shadows of the muscles on his back shifting. “Your clothes?” he asks.“Yeah?” Dick says, “No one else lives here.”“Tt. No thanks.”“Um,” Dick says, a little offended. “It’s just a solid color T-shirt and jeans. I wasn’t going to give you anything ridiculous.”“I refuse,” Damian replies.“Look, they’ll fit you fine, and since the water’s busted all over my apartment, I can’t wash your clothes.”“They’ll be big on me,” Damian finally says after a moment.“...yeah?” Dick replies, “I mean...it’s better than them being too small. That one time I had to borrow Tim’s clothes was horrible. I was probably better off not wearing pants at all.”“Tt,” Damian repeats, “I have no interest in wearing your clothing.” He continues tinkering with the sink.“Alright...” Dick says, rolling his eyes. “Have it your way then.” Dick is sweating unbearably under the hot sun. He adjusts his cap, squinting at Damian who doesn’t seem to even notice the heat. He’s busy drawing the animals, laying out their anatomy and focusing on detailing their figures.“It’s hot,” Dick says, just trying to make conversation.“It’s the summer, and we are outside. What else did you expect, Grayson?” Damian replies, but his tone isn’t particularly mean. He’s just making the motions, too focused on his art for anything else.“Hey...” Dick says, leaning over Damian’s shoulder to try and get a glimpse. He gets a charcoal smudged hand shoved in his face instead.“Oof,” Dick says. He straightens back up and asks, “C’mon. Not even a peek? I came out here with you today even though this heat could literally melt a person.”“Take off your shirt then,” Damian suggests.“Um,” Dick manages. Damian’s been better at making him speechless recently. In a painful, tooth-pulling way. He’s toned down the snide comments for suggestive statements and Dick’s not sure which is worse. “I think I’m good for now.”“Or pour water over yourself,” Damian suggests, pulling off a nonchalance, as if that were the most reasonable choice of action possible.“...I’m...good on that too,” Dick says. He pauses, going around the bench to sit down next to Damian, putting his hands in his lap. Damian flinches, pulling his sketchbook closer to him, and Dick only grins, looking straight forward. “I won’t peek. Promise.”Damian grunts and continues drawing with the sketchbook held close to him, relaxing only a while later after a suspicious glance at Dick.“Um so...” Dick starts, staring at the armadillo house, wondering when it’d come out, “Do...do you have a crush on me?”Dick has never seen someone freeze up so instantly or so still than Damian does at that moment. It's only for a second though. Then he goes back to the way he was before, as if that had never happened, and Dick is left wondering if he’d just imagined it.“Why would you think that, Grayson?” Damian asks, a forced drawl at the end.Dick stares at the armadillo, keeping his promise of not peeking, and says, “You...sort of flirt with me. A lot.”“Do I?” Damian asks, and there’s almost a challenge in his voice.“Yeah,” Dick says, “you do.”“That’s your perception,” Damian replies, and again, his tone isn’t mean. He just states it matter-of-factly, and it’s bordering on a mumble as Dick sees from his peripheral view the movement of Damian glancing up at the armadillo and then back down again.“...I wouldn’t make fun of you, you know, Damian. It wouldn’t matter who your crush was on...” Dick says quietly.“I’ll keep that in mind for the future,” Damian replies and then closes his sketchbook with a snap and stands up. He tucks his materials under one arm and with his other hand, grabs Dick’s and starts walking, holding Dick’s hand.Dick follows, dumbfounded at the roughness and heat of Damian’s hand in his. He doesn’t think they’ve ever held hands before. Not when Damian was a kid...and not any time that he’s been a teenager.Dick doesn’t shake Damian off, and Damian doesn’t look him in the face as they finish making rounds in the zoo. The only time Damian lets go is when he’s sketching, but after he finishes, he always takes Dick’s hand again.Damian, Dick notes, has sweaty hands.It amuses him in between the small panic attacks of bewilderment each time Damian resumes their hand-holding. Dick is half asleep when he feels a hand touch his hair. He frowns. Alfred should stop treating him like a child. It’s been days since he’s had a good night’s sleep, and he’s pretty sure Alfred had slipped him something after Dick had ignored his unsubtle suggestions for the fifth time in a row. Drugging people isn't exactly ethical. Not that he really would have a leg to stand on and the old man would let him know that.Warm, calloused fingers brush a few strands of his hair back.There is just the barely audible sound of breathing that lets Dick know that person is still there.He doesn't know why but the silence makes him think that person is frowning, and it makes his lips twitch. After a while, the silence lulls him back to sleep, but then there's the rustle of clothing and chapped lips pressed against his forehead. He can't remember the last time someone kissed his on the temple.He hears a faint, disgruntled "Tt.""Go to sleep, Grayson. Pennyworth is going to use a larger dose next time if you don't."Dick wants to make a joke that he's an elephant, but he really is tired, and he thinks, he'll save it for next time. Maybe it'll even make Damian laugh. Tim is bleeding out, and Dick is barely keeping it together. Dick has Tim's blood dripping over his hands, sizzling over the laser he's using that's too small to cut through anything really, and the Batmobile is on the way, but it’s not fast enough. Oracle is yelling in his ear, saying something Dick can’t really make out, and the blood is warm over his hands.Dick had made a mistake. They’d been standing on the rooftop, and Dick had knocked one of the thieves back with a blow to the jaw with his escrima sticks, making them fall into Tim and push him off balance.Off the roof.Dick had watched Tim fall, the three-story fall not enough time for him to do anything but scream out Tim’s title, arms reaching out and grasping nothing.He watched Tim fall and the jagged end of a broken pole sink into Tim’s flesh, his body arching back.Dick is there on the ground beside Tim immediately; he sets the wound cauterizer in place to work on Tim's abdomen; he focuses on working with a laser to cut through the base of the pole, blood rushing through his ears. Seconds last years as the the laser barely cuts a centimeter into the pole that had a diameter of at least 3 inches. He can feel the heat of Tim's abdomen, gushing blood poured over his hands so that he can't even see the blue off his finger stripes anymore.The Batmobile comes, and it’s Batman and Robin, and Dick knows it by the sound of their boots and their gait, but he doesn't look up. His hands stay steady because he knows better than to let them shake. Tim’s pale, growing paler.Robin slices through the pole in one move with a specialized katana - Dick should add a knife like that to his cache - and Batman wrests Tim from Dick’s hands, Batman carrying Tim to the Batmobile while Robin says something. Then he leaves, and it’s Robin standing, and Dick is standing beside the remains of the pole and the puddle of blood.Robin is saying something, but Dick is calculating how much blood is in that puddle. Approximately 2.5 by 1 feet with a depth of half a centimeter...there’s a hand on his shoulder, and Dick almost wants to laugh. Robin's trying to comfort him. That’s Dick’s job. He’s...Robin...“Grayson,” Damian pleads, arms wrapped around his waist, shaking him. “C’mon. We have to go. We can follow them on the bike. Grayson. Grayson, please.”Dick shoves Damian off, finally bringing his head up to look Damian in the face, only meeting his opaque lenses.There are bloody handprints on Damian's wrist and chest.“No names in the field,” Dick’s voice creaks.“You...you weren’t,” and Damian says slowly with a barely-there tremor, “you weren’t responding to any other name I tried.”Dick reaches up to touch his head, to rub his face, but he realizes in time there's blood on there. He grimaces and swallows, turning to look back again at the puddle.He follows Damian back to his bike even if what he wants is to go back up to the room and calculate and recalculate the factors in that scene and how it should have happened.“Did...did you change the design of the tires?” Dick asks distantly at the red grooves on the otherwise black tires.“Yes. Yeah, I, Nightwing,” Damian says, low and panicked in his ear, helping him onto the bike even though Dick doesn't need that help.Dick is put in the front of the bike, Damian sitting behind him struggling to keep Dick steady.“You have to hold onto the bike,” Damian says, and he sounds so worried.Dick wants to tell Damian that they shouldn’t be riding the bike this way. Damian’s had a growth spurt and is practically the same height as Dick now, but it’d be hard for him to see over Dick. It’s dangerous for Damian.He doesn’t, he needs to think about other things right now instead of navigating Gotham's maze; he leans back against Damian, and holds his folded hands in front of him, careful not to touch anything else. “Grayson.”Dick’s eyes open immediately, and he tries to climb off whatever he’s been laid on. “Tim,” Dick says, stopped from getting off the bed by Damian who pushes him back gently. “Where’s Tim?”Damian stares at him, blood still smeared on his face and suit. He’s wearing the suit in the mansion. They’re...Damian sounds irritated, but it’s with a hint of panic. “I told you already when you walked in here yoursel - he’s with Leslie. She said we’re not to interrupt for at least several hours. Father and Oracle are taking turns monitoring Drake.”“Oh,” Dick says. He looks down and then shoots his head back up to ask, “Is he- going to be-”“No vital organs were damaged, and Cain was able to supply her blood.” Damian swallows, dark bags under his eyes as he said, “Thompson stated that it was likely he would survive with only minor future problems.”“Oh,” Dick says, looking back down, hands gripping the edge of the bed. “Oh.”“Grayson.”Dick doesn’t respond, his mind replaying the scene over and over again.“Grayson,” Damian pleads.Dick is angry. He's furious. It doesn't fuel him like it usually might, like it did when he was younger. He wants to yell at Damian, but there's really no point. Mostly he wants to be left alone to think through what his reaction is, what his reaction should be.The snap of a rope runs of repeat in the back of his mind. The heretic's voice --  so far from his when he was just 11 -- is too close to Damian's voice now.Dick can see Tim falling. Dick grips the edges of the bed tighter, digging fingers and nails in.Dick can remember thinking the same lines after recognizing his parents and Damian’s deaths. I could've saved them. He'd noted something was off before the show. He'd known how dangerous Talia and the League were. He could've saved them; it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. It wouldn't even have taken Superman to do it. Let alone Batman.This time, too. Tim. Just an inch away.The wind is whipping around him, the concrete roof below him, the dark sky with the moon high above, and his leather suit tight around him, and he can see the little 'o' Tim's mouth makes when he falls off the edge.“Grayson, please,” Damian is kneeling in front of Dick, his hands on Dick’s thighs, squeezing.It takes a very long time for the words to process in Dick’s brain. Damian’s voice is so gentle and concerned that it makes Dick...“Damian,” Dick says, voice light but firm, “I want to be alone right now. Could you tell me as soon as we can go see Tim?”Damian stares at him wide-eyed.Dick reaches out to rub the crusted blood on Damian’s cheek, and it turns grainy at his rough touch.“You should go take a shower.”“Let me stay with you, Grayson.”“You should be saying that to Tim. Or Bruce. I’d bet he’s just standing out there outside Tim’s door, waiting. Skulking as usual. You know how he is,” Dick laughs.Damian's jaw tightens and he looks away, and Dick knows he should be saying something to comfort Damian, but he doesn't think he could say anything and mean it right now.Strangely, it's only now that Dick notices that he’s clean. There’s no blood on him any longer. He rubs his fingers together, the memory of warm blood dripping down his hands still replaying in his nerves. Dick doesn’t remember showering and changing.“Alright, Grayson,” Damian says. He stands up and lingers in front of Dick like he wants to say something, but in the end, he doesn’t, and he leaves, closing the door gently behind him.The sound echoes in Dick’s mind, and it sounds like judgment descending on him. Dick sits by Tim whenever he’s not out on the field. He's still out there frequently but it's a different schedule and in a different way. He knows better but he can't help avoid being out of patrol with the rest of them. He just needs to think. It gets worse when Bruce fights with him about it. He really has a talent for infuriating Dick.“You need to deal with this, Dick,” Bruce tells him, and Dick ignores him because Tim’s stable, but hasn’t woken up.Zatanna, Doctor Fate, the Fortress of Solitude's system, all of them had just said he was physically recovered but needed time.No one in their family blames him, but Dick would’ve preferred if they had. Even Bruce had only told Dick to be more careful, his back turned to him. Told him that Tim should have been aware of his surroundings too.The only one who really doesn’t forgive Dick is Superboy who comes crashing into the Cave, laser beams crashing in fury, Jonathan chasing after him.Dick looks up from where he’s sitting by Tim, working on case files, searching for a pattern, to blink at Conner’s visible rage, jacket flapping wildly under the force of his TTK.“Conner!” Jonathan yells, “Stop. Stop it. Dad said he’d talk to him.”“I don’t care!” Conner yells back at Jon. “Tim is half dead, and they won’t let me see him. What kind of bullshit is that? But they let the guy who nearly fucking killed him sit by him?”Dick stands up slowly, watching the ceiling for any falling rocks over Tim in case Conner caused any damage, and Conner takes a step forward only for Damian to place himself in front of Dick, wearing only the bottom half of his costume. He’s big enough now to completely shield Dick.“Get out of the way, Damian,” Conner says, anger brimming.“No,” Damian replies slowly, “You do not come barging into our base and demand anything, Kent.”“I don’t-,” Conner sputters, “I don’t get to do that? You’ve done that all your life. You and the rest of your brothers, your dad, don’t give a fuck about what anyone else thinks. You just do what you want. The only one not like that is Tim.”Dick tries to step forward except Damian shoves him back with his arm, his hand gripping his shirt.“Stay, Grayson,” Damian says, low, before he turns to Conner and says, “Drake has done many despicable things. I’m certain you’re aware, considering his obsessive habits in comparison to the rest of you. What he does for your team. You shouldn’t overlook his numerous flaws just because he’s half dead. He’s no martyr, and you're no hero sweeping in here, acting like we're the villains.”“And even if we were,” Damian finishes with a sneer, “unlike you, we’re his family.”It’s the wrong thing to say, and Conner rages forward, Jonathan grasping at him desperately until Superman shoots in, sending everything loose into a flurry to wrap his arms around Conner’s shoulders and pull him back and away, out of the cave.Bruce, who was just dropped off, looks them over.Jon wraps his arms around himself, floating a few inches above the ground, expression uncertain, and looks down before he glances at Damian and says, “Sorry about Kon, but... he is sort of right, D.” Then he follows after Clark and Conner.Damian relaxes just the barest once they’re gone as he turns to Dick and looks him over. Dick is bleeding slightly from a paper cut on his cheek. The loose papers sent flying by Conner.“Gra-”“I’m fine,” Dick says, swatting Damian’s hand away. He turns to Bruce to ask, “Clark convinced you to let Superboy visit Tim, right?”Bruce stares him down before nodding slowly.“Alright.” Dick looked up before saying, “Clark. I’ll be going upstairs. After Conner calms down, bring him back.”Damian watches Dick as he collects his scattered papers and climbs up the stairs. Dick is exercising in the gymnastic room Bruce had put in the Cave for him so long ago. He’s swinging on the rings, pulling himself up and flipping around and around as long as he can go until he’s dizzy. He's thinking over the solo mission he'd just finished in the Cayman's. Espionage and subterfuge, things he's been focusing on more recently since Tim.Is it stupid to say that he's tired of violence but sometimes it feels like that's all he really knows.Eventually, he gets to the point that he’s nearly slipping off the rings with sweat and has to come back down to powder up again where Damian is waiting for him.“Grayson,” Damian says, standing in front of the powder and Dick’s second gallon of water.“Damian,” Dick nods, going around Damian to pick up the water and down it, aware of Damian watching the movement of his adam’s apple.They haven’t talked about it. That morning or that afternoon with the chair or the one in Dick’s kitchen or the one at the zoo.Damian doesn’t ask anymore. Not since Tim.“When are you returning to patrol?” Damian asks, turning slowly to face Dick.Dick finishes his mouthful of water, places it down and wipes his mouth with his arm. He bends down to cap the bottle and doesn’t respond.“Drake has already recovered. He won’t have any lasting injuries, you knew he wouldn't considering all the technology we have access to. Even Father says it was partially his own carelessness for going out while wounded and not telling anyone else, and for whatever part you played, Drake’s forgiven you.”“Mmm,” Dick replies, re-powdering his hands.“Grayson!” Damian yells.Dick ignores him and walks around him again, except this time Damian grabs him and slams him into the wall, bracketing him with both arms on the wall.Damian’s face is too close, and Dick is looking everywhere except at the eyes that always watch him so intensely.“I’ve been busy working different cases, Dami,” Dick finally says.“You’ve been avoiding patrol with us,” Damian says.Dick slowly turns to face Damian, and Damian is frowning just the slightest, the way that makes Dick want to smooth out the creases on his forehead.He does.Damian is frozen, almost entranced before he snatches Dick’s hand away, breathing heavily and he leans in closer, closer until their lips are almost touching and says, “People make mistakes, Grayson.”He almost thinks Damian's going to kiss him.“Yeah,” Dick says dismissively. He looks away. Their noses bump when he does.“Then what about me?” Damian asks, his voice low and vulnerable.“What about you?” Dick asks, a sigh in his voice, tiredly glancing back at Damian from the corner of his eye again.“I’m the product of my mother raping my father. I’ve killed people remorselessly since the moment it was a possibility. I nearly murdered Drake. And even when I knew better, Grayson, I still murdered Morgan. A trail of bodies follows me. I’ve abandoned the Titans when they irritated me and allowed Starfire to be wounded. Last week I ignored Father’s orders and leapt in the gunfire, and Father was shot in the thigh protecting me. He’s old, and he’s taking longer than ever to recover. Again and again. But at the least, Grayson, at the least, you’ve always forgiven me for what I’ve done wrong. Can’t you forgive yourself?”“You’re still a -”“A child?” Damian asked mournfully, cruel humor in his eyes. “Perhaps in your mind. Arguably, my maturity has always been greater than that of the average child. If you're fixated on technicalities, Grayson, I turned eighteen two days ago.”Dick froze. He wanted to argue. What did it matter, Damian was a kid still, would always be a kid still. But he didn't have the grounds when he hadn't even bothered to remember. That first birthday Damian had spent in Gotham -- it'd just been him, Damian, and Alfred. He'd wanted to make a big deal of it, tried to every time because he knew how much Damian would've needed it.Quietly, he only says,“Shit." If it was someone else saying it, Dick might've even laughed at the clumsy response.Damian watches him carefully. “We- I need you here, Grayson. Whole.”He makes sure that Dick meets his eyes and then he slowly backs off Dick, leaving the room silently. Dick walks into the Cave and Damian is the first one to spot him, eyes trailing over Dick’s body, but always returning to the blue across his chest. He doesn’t say anything or approach Dick. Just nods in between his stretching.Tim is the one who greets him first, surprise morphing into a wry, warm smile. Or an attempt at one. Dick’s surprised, nervous at how excited Tim looks.“Hey, Nightwing.”“Hey, Red Robin,” Dick says, a little smile on his lips. He says it with as much ease as he can muster. “You free to go on patrol with me?”Tim stares at him and nods, the slightest hint of a smile on his lips.Dick is grateful he doesn’t say anything more.“Lemme just go get the results for the chemical we found, and I’ll be right back,” Tim says with a nervous energy. He glances back at Dick when he’s going as if he thinks Dick will change his mind. Dick offers a little wave, too tense to do anything but stand there, stiff by Tim's pseudo desk made out of the chairs and file boxes.He’s moving just fine, Dick notes. Back to his usual strength, even if he’d loss a bit of muscle mass while asleep. That had been fixed with meals mainly of spinach and unsalted chicken, that Tim had complained about the whole time, along with weight training.Tim passes Damian, and they snark at each in a friendly manner as Damian swings over the attack dummies.Dick smiles wryly at that and glances back at Bruce who’s staring at him.He nods at Dick, and then returns back to his work, barking out, “Robin, did you finish your report on the gang patterns in the dock area?”Damian doesn’t respond, just silently stops the fighting simulation. He walks over to Bruce, passing Dick on the way, and when he does, he pauses, touches Dick’s shoulder lightly, saying, “Welcome back, Nightwing.”“Glad to be back, Robin,” Dick says and he wants to say more, but is distracted by another thought that saying that title draws up, and Damian’s talking to Bruce before he gets the chance. “You’re wearing it,” Dick says as he lands beside Damian, a glint on his mask.“I am,” Damian replies, not bothering to turn to him.Dick looks over Damian’s new uniform, the black covering the body of his uniform with a rusty red on his sides like Stephanie’s suit, but in contrast, the red continues down the entirety of the underside of his arm like Dick’s and covers his entire palms. He has a dark gray hood that slopes that goes down past his shoulders to form a cape; it matches the boots. It’s still mostly black; the red is really more hints.“It looks good.”“Brown informed me that you’d been working on it since my seventeenth birthday.”“Yeah,” Dick laughs awkwardly, pushing his bangs back. “Can’t believe it took so long...and that to top it all off, I was late by a month.”“That doesn’t matter. You still gave it to me,” Damian replies, still focused on the work in front of him. They’ve been tracking a serial kidnapper.“Have you thought of a name yet?”“No. I’m still considering.”“Ok. But what’ve you thought of so far?”“...”“What?” Dick grinned, “Are they embarrassing?”“-Tt-,” Damian says, turning to Dick to glare.Dick’s grin only grows wider, but he doesn’t say anything more. They focus on surveillance instead, and it's quiet for a while, Dick not minding the silence.“Why.... did you choose red?” Damian asks, breaking the silence, watching Dick’s expression carefully. The way Damian developed a habit of watching people so carefully in a reflective, thoughtful way is a little endearing. It’s a comforting quirk to see in him.One that’s all Damian and not the effect of anyone else.“Dunno,” Dick shrugs, “Seemed to fit you. Aaand from the way you’re looking at me I’m guessing you want a better answer than that.”Dick licks his lips, leaning back against the chimney behind him and stares at the sky before turning to Damian to offer a faint smile.“I guess...dark reddish-brown’s supposed to represent sturdiness and strength mixed with the usual connotations of red...or something like that? And even if you've been a brat, that's what you've symbolized for me for a while now. Which sounds a bit egotistical now that I'm hearing myself say it out loud.” Dick offers an easy smile. “...I figured a darker color was better for stealth too. I was a bit worried though.”“Why?” Damian asks intently.“Well...I wasn’t sure you’d like the design. I know you usually prefer wearing darker colors, but that’s about it for what I know about your favorite colors... Tim and Jason suggested red without hesitation. I sort of vetoed them hard, but thought it through...and figured it was better than my other choice which was dark green.”Dick’s rambling, and he shuts his mouth, flushing a little.Damian narrows his eyes, “That’s why you forced me to go clothing shopping with you for multiple entire days when I was seventeen.”“Yeah,” Dick says sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t really work though. You gave nothing up.” He pauses. “And I was worried green might look too much like Ollie’s colors...and you sort of hate Oliver, so that ended up a no-go.”“I do,” Damian replies stoutly.“So...it’s okay?”“Yes,” Damian says before turning back. “And if you would like to know, my favorite color is blue.”“Oh, then-”“Wearing the color would defeat the purpose. I wouldn’t be able to see it, would I?” Damian replies too quickly even if his calm remains.“Yeah, but-”“I don’t have an interest in wearing it,” Damian says, turning toward Dick to slowly scan him over.Oh. Dick thinks.When he meets Damian’s eyes, Damian’s searching for something in his face and seems to be satisfied with what he finds.Dick nearly thinks he’s going to ask that question again.Then Damian’s hand reaches out and holds Dick’s wrist, pulling him gently. Dick nearly flinches at the touch as Damian redirects his hand to the binoculars.“Work, Grayson,” Damian orders, watching him for acknowledgment. Dick nods, a bit dazed, and Damian returns a satisfied nod before picking up his own binoculars. Dick nearly runs Damian over in the mansion’s hallway, a wild grin on his face.Damian stops, frowning a little at Dick. “Why’re you smiling?”“No,” Dick says, “not smiling. Dying inside more like.”Damian stares at him, giving him a flat look.“I just-" Dick makes a pained sound, “went to check in on Tim since he keeps on forgetting to take change his bandages from his fight with Bane, and...Superboy was in there with him.”“Jonathan?” Damian asks.“No,” Dick says, “No. Nope.” Dick shakes his head, “ Conner Kent Superboy? Yes.”Damian’s frown deepens, “And? It’s not uncommon for Kent to spend time with Drake.”“Yes. No,” Dick says, “they were just...doing more...than spending time together.”Damian blinks and then says straight out, ‘“They were having sex.”“Yes,” Dick says, looking away. “I’m going to make fun of him later for it, but I also saw far too much. That explains Superboy though.”“Oh,” Damian says, and he’s frowning again.Dick grins, reaching out to smooth the wrinkles. Damian catches his hand, squeezing down on his wrist hard as he scowls.“Hey,” Dick says, “I thought it’d be okay since you’ve been touching me a lot.” Damian had let him do it before.Damian makes an irritated noise as he says, “I’m allowed to touch you, but you’re not allowed to touch me.”Then he walks away, Dick frowning in his wake. Dick, apparently, is good at walking in on people, because the next week, he walks in on Damian jerking off.He walks in at the very end, and before he manages to realize what’s happening and escape, Damian lets out a loud gasp and is coming, spilling over his sheets, curled over himself.He’s panting loudly, and the floorboards creak when Dick tries to backtrack.Damian’s head shoots up, and there’s surprise on his face except it disappears when he licks his lips and strokes his softening cock, eyes intense on Dick.Dick flushes, stumbling, “I-oh, I- shoot, sorry, Damian.” He nearly runs out the door, closing it tight behind him.Dick is still flushing as he continues walking too fast down the hallway. Damian watches Dick for nearly twenty minutes starting from the moment Dick had entered the Cave, and it’s only now that he approaches Dick, a little frown on his face.“What’s up?” Dick asks, keeping his tone the same as ever, as he flips through possible firearm matches for the bullets he’d found at the crime scene.“Grayson...” Damian says slowly as if he’s waiting for something.Dick knows what he’s waiting for.Something different in Dick.Dick had realized what Damian had been waiting for over the past couple days, finally forcing himself to recognize that Damian was serious about those words spoken a little more than three years ago.He came to the conclusion that it isn’t going to happen.Dick’s recognized that he’s attracted to Damian, but he’s not willing to go any further than that.Dick respects Damian, loves, admires him, but Damian's only nineteen, and Dick is in his thirties; most of all, Dick knows what it’s like to be a nineteen-year-old and that there are stupid decisions made during that time.He doesn’t want to be one of Damian’s.“Grayson,” Damian says again, his voice trembling just the slightest.“Need any help with your dilution?” Dick asks, turning from the screen to smile at Damian, knowing Damian of all people wouldn’t need help.He sees the betrayal in Damian’s eyes and turns quickly back to the screen, reminded that only a nineteen-year-old would expect being walked in on while jerking off to be the turning point in any relationship.Dick hears Damian takes in a breath and say quietly, “Alright, Grayson.”Dick ignores the way it hurts him, glad that at the very least, Damian understands. And then.After that day, Dick thinks he’s flipped a switch on Damian.The first words to come out of Damian’s mouth at the beginning of every conversation is now “When are you going to fall in love with me?”Whether it’s patrol or at home or in front of fuckin' Bruce or said hurriedly while helping Dick stop a half-dead man from dying.It’s everywhere, and it’s the ongoing joke in Gotham now about how Kestrel is in love with Nightwing, and Nightwing is playing hard to get.Dick really doesn’t like being called coy and having people yell at him to just make out already. Anytime he argues with Damian now, the kidnapped victims or bleeding-to-death victims for that matter, break out of their fear and tell them that the sexual tension is just too much.There isn’t any sexual tension.And Jason’s snark really doesn’t help.Dick bears with it delicately, sensitively the first fifty times, trying to explain himself in the most compassionate way possible but Damian flat out ignores him each time.After that, his patience, stretched to the limit with tweets about him and Damian going viral, snaps, and he starts answering with jokes. “When are you going to fall in love with me?”“Next week,” Dick replies, “I already have an appointment for falling in love with Titus this week.” “When are you going to fall in love with me, Grayson?”“After dinner,” Dick replies, scarfing down Alfred’s cooking because it’s been a few days since he’s eaten any good, hot food. “Have you fallen in love with me yet?”“No. Give me a couple more days,” Dick says, not missing a beat in between explaining what their plan is for interrupting the drug shipment. “When are you going to fall in love with me?” Damian asks while they’re giving Batcow a shower.“Hmm,” Dick says, stroking Batcow’s snout. “What do you think Batcow?”Batcow moos. “Haven’t you fallen in love with me yet, Grayson?” Damian asks while they’re out jogging on the grounds of Wayne manor. One lap is three miles.Dick is out of breath; it’s their fifth lap.“No,” Dick gasps, “but I am about to fall on my face.”Dick does, and Damian lets him. Dick’s been avoiding Damian for a while now. It had seemed mean-spirited to continue with the jokes, and Dick couldn’t ignore him either, so he had just... taken the coward’s way out, and asks Babs to update him on Damian’s position during patrol and takes different routes to work.He’s managed it for a month now, especially considering Damian has been working on a big case with Hawkgirl. They got along surprisingly well, Damian willing to take her advice.Except, that ends, and now Dick has had several narrow misses.Once after patrol when Dick lingers because of a conversation he's having with Tim.Another time when Dick was wounded, though he ended up faking sleep.And another when Damian literally sticks to his side the entire patrol, only being forced to separate at the very end when Joker and Harley Quinn attack at separate locations.Eventually, Barbara stops indulging Dick and glares him down until Dick sheepishly agrees that the next time Damian hunts him down, he’ll do something about it.Dick is coming home from an undercover mission, one with Roy where they’d practically messed around the whole time, and he’s in his civvies, walking towards his apartment building when it happens.Damian is there, waiting outside, leaning against the wall, looking for all parts, like someone who could be in a magazine. He’s wearing a snug black sweater and dark blue jeans, frowning down at his phone. He looks good. And Dick’s probably staring at his slim fingers tapping his phone for far too long.“Damian,” Dick says like it hasn’t been a month since they’ve had a conversation outside of patrol orders.Damian’s head snaps up fast enough to give him whiplash. His eyes are a little wide before he turns his expression impassive again. Dick walks up to him, shifting his duffel bag with his undercover clothes higher up on his shoulder. He fingers the strap, and says, “Hey, what’s up?”Damian blinks at him and honest to God scowls like he wants to murder Dick. He makes that familiar click of his tongue.“H-hey,” Dick stutters.“Your greeting is facile, lacks sense and presence, and your smile is idiotic.”Dick hadn’t exactly expected the barrage of insults, not that he’d expected a happy welcome either.“Thanks...did you need anything?”Damian’s frown deepens. “Did I need anything, Grayson,” Damian asks in a sarcastic tone. “Well you would be curious, wouldn’t you, considering you’ve been avoiding me for three months.”Dick presses his lips into a thin line at Damian’s glare. And then he releases in a sigh, “Yeah, alright. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”Damian walks up to Dick, closer, towering over him. “You were wrong.”Dick shrugs at that, shifting the duffel bag again. He looks away and then back again.Damian lets out a long sigh, and it reminds Dick of the ones he’d made when Damian was younger, tired of his ridiculous antics all the time.“Are you going to avoid me again?” Damian asks, cutting to the chase.“No,” Dick replies after a moment’s hesitation.Damian nods, eyes searching Dick’s face like usual. It’s unnerving being in his sights again even after just a month. Dick’s not as used to it anymore.And Dick realizes, he feels a little like Damian is undressing him with eyes.“Don’t avoid me, Grayson. I dislike it,” Damian finally adds again, frowning.Dick meets his eyes, has to tilt his head up to even do it, but sighs, rubbing his forehead. “I’m sorry, Damian. Let’s get back to-” Dick’s about to say normal, but he can practically see the frown deepening on Damian’s face. “-to a good place, yeah?”Damian nods, and he reaches out to touch Dick’s cheek with his palm, rubbing his thumb along Dick’s cheekbone. He then pushes the hair in Dick’s face back and takes his hand back.Dick doesn’t know what to say to that, so he doesn’t say anything. It doesn’t help that he stopped breathing when Damian touched him.“Alright.” Dick is sitting with Damian on his bed, shoulders a centimeter apart.“You can say you miss him,” Dick says.“I don't.”“It’s okay, you know,” Dick says again.Damian turns sharply to glare at Dick.“Drake is moving out to live with his boyfriend. There’s nothing to miss,” Damian hisses.Dick holds up his hands, palms out, laughing, “Alright, alright. Fine, don’t let Tim hear that though. You’d break his heart.”“No,” Tim yells from the hallway, breathily, “it wouldn’t.”“If you and Kent are copulating out there,” Damian yells at the door that’s open just a crack. Dick hadn’t closed it all the way when Damian had called him away from helping Tim move.“We’re not,” Tim and Conner yell in unison.“Tim just has a heavy box and won’t let me use my TTK like an idiot,” Conner yells pointedly.“Yeah,” Tim says, “go ahead, use your TTK like an idiot.”“Not what I meant, and you know it!”Dick snorts, bumping shoulders with Damian, jostling the younger man and the bed. “They’re like an old married couple.”“We heard that!”Damian grunts in return, obviously distracted.“So?” Dick asks, grinning as he turns away from the door to Damian. “What did you want to talk to me about again?”“Kent wants to form a team.”Dick nods, waiting.“I...it vaguely interests me but I think that since I’ve only been working on my own a few years, I still want to continue along the path for at least a while until I take on Father’s mantle. I will be working with the League then, of course. However...Wilkes also was invited - his invitation isn’t contingent on my presence, but even though he attempted to conceal it, I don’t believe he would feel welcome if I was not there.”Dick takes a moment to absorb the information before asking, “Who’s in the team?”“Kent, Reyes, Harper, possibly West’s children....Kent wants to ask Ducard, but I’m certain she’ll refuse.”“Who’s going to lead?”“Myself, obviously,” Damian says, side-eyeing Dick. “That is my concern.”Dick never thinks he’s going to stop being amused by Damian. He lets out a soft sigh, sliding his hands back on Damian’s bed and leaning back on them. “What did you think about working with the Titans? I know the first time with Tim’s team didn’t work so well, but once the people switched around....”“Adequately. I don’t feel like I gained much benefit from it.”“Did you like...how it feels to have a team? The dynamic of having so many people together?”“No. They were, for the most part, frustrating.”Dick snorts, “Alright. I know you weren’t the official leader, but for the missions where you did take charge, how was that?”“Better. Working with equals is...when I lead, there is less of an attempt on their side to form a connection with me.”“And that’s...good?”“We have very different mindsets,” Damian says. “And I have no intention on changing for them. It leads to frustration.”“Yep,” Dick says, letting out another sigh. He glances at Damian from his peripheral view. “But this team, they’re your friends, aren’t they? They already know what your mindset is like.”Damian seems to be considering it again, the same way he had looked at that bag of ground almonds so long ago. Dick smiles at that thought.“I don’t think they’ll expect you to act like anyone but yourself, and it might be good for you to practice a little more on working with others.  Plus this way, you’ll get out of Gotham a little more.”Damian glances at Dick for that last statement, looking like he’s trying to decipher Dick’s intentions. Dick tries his best to look innocent. Dick has been spending more time in Gotham, worried about an aging Bruce, and so Damian and him have been spending a lot of time together. That’s not why Dick wants Damian to join the team; Dick knows it was good for him, for Tim, Jason, Babs, but Damian probably wouldn’t believe him.“Alright. I shall keep that in mind, Grayson,” Damian says with a serious finality that has Dick grinning. Damian glances at Dick through his peripheral view and smirks a little, saying, “But we’ll always be the best, won’t we, Dick?”Dick's jaw drops just enough to part his lips, and he takes a moment to process it. He wants to tease Damian about how they've finally made some progress, but then Damian might snap back and never use his nickname again. Or conversely, Damian might stop calling him Grayson, and Dick would miss the cheek inherent in Damian's word choice. Both would be good and bad. He really can't decide what he wants, Damian's dark, curious eyes filling his vision.“Grayson?” Damian asks, leaning in.“Nothing,” Dick mutters. He jerks his head back up, looking forward and away from Damian as he gets up. “Let’s go give Tim a hand and make sure they don’t actually start making out everywhere.” Dick is sitting on the couch with Damian, watching a movie.Damian had asked for it because he was going to go with Milagro, Colin, Lian, and Jon on an outer space mission as ambassadors. Dick had told him he didn’t even need to ask.After Damian’s obligatory question and Dick placing Damian’s cheddar cheese popcorn and m&m’s in his lap, they’d fallen into quiet.There’s just the flashing of the screen in front of them in the dim room, curtains open, letting in moonlight.Damian is pressed against Dick, a warm, desirable heat on his side, and Dick is almost half asleep.“There’s a robin,” Damian says.Dick blinks himself awake, rubbing his eyes groggily as he sits up. “Don’t remember that being a line in the movie. Or is Terry here again?”Damian taps Dick’s jaw, turning him the right direction. The touch jolts Dick.And Dick sees the little robin perched on the window sill, strutting around. He can’t help the small laugh that passes his lips. He sits up, watching for a moment before finally standing up and opening the window and the screen.The small bird flies in and lands on Damian’s head as Dick watches by the window sill.“You going to adopt it too?” Dick jokes, referencing the veritable zoo Bruce had finally built for Damian in the backyard a few years back.Damian shoots Dick a look and turns back to the movie, slowing his breathing, the bird still perched on his head. Dick knows he doesn’t want to scare it away.Dick leans his cheek on one hand and watches Damian from the window, eyes half-lidded, enjoying the night breeze.“Well?” Damian says, eyes flickering towards Dick.Dick grins, eyes still on Damian and the robin on his head. He stares for a while longer before Damian reaches for the remote to pause the movie causing Dick to jump forward, saying, “No, no, hey. It’s fine,” and returns to his seat, his side warming up again.“You know, Grayson...” Damian says, watching Godzilla crush another building. Dick’s eyes are still on the robin fluffing its feathers on Damian’s head. “I was an ungrateful child, and you treated me as such for many years. It was appropriate, and I was - am still fortunate. But I’ve grown, and I’ve put a great deal of effort into ensuring my progress.” He turns to Dick. “I want you to acknowledge it.”Dick looks at Damian, breathes out through his nose, and says, with a little smile, “Yea. I know, Damian. I’ve noticed, and sorry if I didn’t show it, but...I know that’s not all you want from me.” Dick adds carefully, “And I don’t know if I can give you what you want from me. Even if I thought I could? You’d still have to give me time. You’re twenty, and even if I wasn’t your parent, I still acted as your guardian, felt like I was your guardian for six, seven years. I can’t change out of that habit so easily.”“Seven, at the most?” Damian questions.“Yea-”“So then at around seventeen, you ceased to think of me as a child to protect.”“Yea,” Dick admits, taking an m&m from Damian’s bowl. He adds, sounding a little too enthusiastic, “And then you were my brother.”Damian stares at him and then snatches the m&m from Dick’s hand, their fingers brushing, frowning. He keeps his eyes on his as he flicks the m&m into his mouth.He chews slowly, swallows and then licks his lips, watching Dick the whole time.“I’m not your brother, Richard,” Damian says finally.Dick meets Damian eyes, impassive, thinking before he says, “No. No, I guess you’re not.”Dick’s not sure when that statement became true.Then Damian scrutinizes Dick impassively before giving a nod of satisfaction.He turns back to the movie, the light from the scene flickering over his face, while Dick continues watching Damian, not bothering to hide it.The robin chirps at Dick once before doing a little dance on Damian, and when Dick reaches out for it, grinning, it flies away, gliding expertly across the room and the window. Damian and his team finish the mission without any complications. Bruce doesn’t say a word, just gives them more responsibilities little by little, and that’s enough.Damian ends up spending more and more time out of Gotham even if he still officially lives in the mansion.Dick actually...ends up spending less time in Gotham too since Bruce one day took one look at him and told him off for his indecisiveness before informing him that Duke would be taking over for Batman whenever necessary.Dick spends more time in Bludhaven or working with Wally or Roy when he can; he’s been working in partnerships more frequently, and Dick has to admit it.Working solo isn’t the same as it was anymore.Damian’s presence had drawn him back into interacting with his family even long after Dick had returned to being Nightwing, and Dick’s been better. He doesn’t need that freedom from people that Dick had yearned for so desperately when he’d first tried to work on his own.Working with Wally and Roy is even easier now after having had to deal with Damian and Spyral; the two of them have mellowed out too. Roy more than Wally, but that’s the usual.He’s also been volunteering at a children’s center and teaching gymnastics and acrobatics, and Dick is in a good place with everyone he cares about.Everything’s good. Everything has been amazing recently.Dick still hasn’t been sleeping well, waking up to dreams that slip away the moment he tries to pin them down. They’re only left as memories of half touches and smiles, yearning. Dick figures it’s not a big deal. The mystery tugs at him, but in the end, they aren’t nightmares which satisfies his criteria for ignoring it.Dick wouldn't be able to put it into words anyway. The way he feels a missing part of him. When Bruce has a fall down the main stairs, Damian is suddenly back home a lot more often, even with Terry and Duke, and Dick is too. They’re worried, and nothing Bruce grouchily says is listened to. Which is the usual for any Robins.It’s a bad night after patrol, Dick having driven all the way back from Bludhaven which he goes out to five nights a week, and he’s tired, anxious because it’s the anniversary of his parents’ death and when he gets back to the mansion, Bruce is handcuffed to one of the medbay beds in the cave, glaring daggers. He has an oxygen mask on and bandages.Dick doesn’t miss a beat, snarks at him, briefs him on to him recent connections he’s made in cases while internally thanking every deity, from Diana’s to the new gods, that Bruce is still here. This is what Dick had wanted, wasn’t it? That night he’d cried while Bruce was lost in time, he’d watched the dawn, saying that he’d always known, known that Bruce would die before his hairs greyed and he got liver spots and wrinkles. He’d been wrong, and this is what Dick wants.Bruce falls asleep, and Dick goes upstairs to his room to clean up, but instead, he just sits there on the bed, staring at nothing. He hears footsteps.Damian enters Dick’s room quietly, closing the door with barely a sound and sits beside him on the bed.“It will be alright.” Damian says.“How do you know?” Dick laughs a little, looking down before turning to see the pain on Damian’s own face. He swallows and then pulls Damian in, tucking his head under his chin and wrapping his arms around him as tightly as he can as he takes a breath. “God.”“I’m sorry, Damian,” Dick says, “I’m sorry.”Damian’s response is a little muffled when he replies, “Father is happy. He’s been happy for a while now. And when he dies...he will be with his parents again.” Damian still shakes in his arms anyway.“Bruce?” Dick jokes, his voice a rough and watery, “Happy?”“He is, Grayson,” Damian insists, hand a brand on Dick's hip. He's holding on too tightly.Dick breathes in even as he strokes Damian's back. He doesn't think Damian's lying; Damian doesn't lie to Dick unless it's badly and out of embarrassment. Dick thinks Damian believes it, is scared to believe it. And to be honest, Dick is too. If Dick looks at it, he'd say Damian is right. Bruce is enjoying it, teaching Terry and Nell, knowing that all of them, Dick, Barbara, Jason, Tim, Damian, Stephanie, Cass, Duke, Harper, are good at what they do because of him and most of all, alive. Bruce smiles more often now, is less strict, and even makes jokes occasionally. Maybe not happy exactly, no, but Dick doesn't think there's another word to describe it, the contentment that's visible in him now. Dick's breaths are calmer at the thought, and he pulls back, snickering, “Imagine that. Bruce happy. Imagine what he'd say about that twenty years ago.” He lets Damian go to bump his shoulder, and Damian raises his eyebrows.“How about you,” Dick teases a little, “are you happy?” Dick chooses the wrong question, and it's thoughtless in his attempt to change the subject.Damian’s dark eyes are solemn, a hesitant, unasked question in them as he says, “Yes. Yes, I am, Dick.” Dick opens his eyes blearily, seeing the white curtains being cast out at the wind, and then he sees the moon, shining painfully bright in the endless dark night.Then his head snaps back too fast to the figure crouching over him.“I love you,” Damian says, staring at him with blue eyes too light for the darkness. He looks ethereal like a ghost, feeling like a soft brush everywhere he happens to touch Dick. He’s only wearing sweatpants and the near golden skin of his torso and arms look translucent.He’s looking at Dick fondly, but there’s sadness in his expression too.Dick’s caught in the feeling that Damian’s going to disappear and that it’ll be cold again when he does. The feeling after he steps out of the shower in the winter and the droplets of water on him chill him to the bone.It’s not real.Dick knows it’s a dream, but it feels real; there's a gnawing urgency in him, and Dick reaches up to cup Damian’s cheek. His cheek is surprisingly warm, the skin soft, and Dick revels in the sensation for a moment. He could stay there forever, just soaking in Damian's presence, in the quiet certainty it brings. He doesn't know how much time he lets pass as he lies there, his breathing steady and slow, eyes on Damian's blue ones, Dick too awake, the whole scene in sharp clarity.He meets Damian’s eyes, holding steady, and in the hush of the night, says, the words falling naturally like the force of gravity guiding his lips- “I love you.”Damian reaches out and slides his hands over Dick's bare chest-Dick wakes up hard and sweating, his heart beating out of his chest and the lingering sensation of fingers sliding over his lips. Dick flushes and sits up on his bed, swinging his legs over the side to put his arms on his thighs and stare at his knees in the darkness.He sits there for a long time as his heart rate starts to slow and the sun begins to rise. Dick is already at the table when Damian pauses, blinks at Dick's presence so early in the morning, and then greets him groggily before going for kitchen. He takes a plate and piles it up with fruits and oatmeal before placing it on a tray, but when he’s about to go upstairs, Dick says, “I already did that. Alfred says good morning.”Damian pauses at the doorway and gives him a look, “Tt. And you couldn’t have informed me of the fact earlier?”“I could’ve,” Dick says. He’s smiling very faintly as he sips on his coffee.Damian glares at him as he removes the plate and bowl from the tray and places it on the table. Then he goes to the kitchen, returning minus a tray and plus a mug with coffee.When he returns, Dick is humming, polishing off scrambled eggs.Damian sits down, frowning a little, and he glances at Dick every so often as he eats the fruit and plain oatmeal, chewing slowly. Dick scrapes his plate clean, drains his cup and pauses for a moment.‘What?” Damian asks when he notices Dick staring at him, scowling a little, obviously still tired, but Dick knows he’d woken up at a more normal time to make Alfred breakfast. Dick knows that after breakfast, Damian would also go check on each of his pets, scarily gentle and warm to them, take Titus the second on a run and to play catch, and then work on making connections in cases in bed until he falls asleep again in the late morning sunlight. Not that he'd ever admit it, but Dick's caught him more than once, caught Damian waking up, smiling almost goofily when he notices Dick while half-asleep.Dick knows that after Damian's nap, he starts working out, showers and then he'll make Bruce and Alfred lunch, never offering a word of complaint. He knows Damian would then work on cases in the cave, Alfred napping contentedly in his lap, or go meet up with his Team to help out, a better leader than Dick has ever been. Damian makes them laugh, Dick knows, and they like him for good reasons. Damian's the right balance that Dick and Bruce never were. Then he'll return for dinner, usually only making one plate for Alfred, him and Bruce only eating a fruit and granola, and then get ready for patrol as Kestrel. He cuts a frightening figure with the modifications he's made over the years, but Dick knows, has seen it, the way Damian can so gently comfort a crying child and convince them to trust him.People have told Dick that he represents hope to the superhero community; Dick only laughs and knows he knows better than that, has known better than that for a very long time.“Ask again.”Damian frowns, not understanding. “What do you mean?”Dick just says, “Ask me again, Damian.”The dawning of Dick’s meaning is slow, and Damian’s expression makes Dick’s chest feel too full. The night that Dick lives in is too dark, but it’s not cold, and Dick isn’t scared. Not of monsters under the bed. Not of Two-face. Not of Batman’s shadow.  Not of being alone.“When are you going to fall in love with me?” Damian asks, eyes intent.Dick grins, says, slow and soft, “Now.”And kisses Damian.
11008791
City of Grey
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The cart rattled as the horses let out a cry, the force of cobblestone hitting wooden wheels, shaking the contents inside, masked under a canvas cover, the single man inside clutching onto straps, keeping the boxes and items from scattering amiss, feet planted firmly against the wooden flooring of the cart. The black cloak strapped around his shoulders billowed from the wind that filtered through the cart, passing through the front to the back, the man in front guiding the horses to their destination, holding onto the reins tightly, keeping the animals calm and staying in control.“We’re almost there. I think we got rid of those men.” The man holding onto the reigns commented. His short, blond hair was hardly affected by the wind from the cart’s motion, his broad and muscular form one of the most notable features of him, along with sharp, pointed teeth that resembled one of a canine’s, and cold blue eyes, icy and tense during such dangerous situations. He wore loose clothing, likely for easy access to his wolf form. “Finally, some peace and quiet. We don’t want any unwanted attention before we get there.” The blond man glanced behind himself. “You, in the back. Is everything secure? You did a good job of taking care of those men back there. The rumors we have heard are true, you are a fine man at your job.”“Yes. Although, this is not the job I was expecting to have. You have a peculiar assignment for me. You have hired an assassin, yet you desire I not kill anyone unless necessary.” The cloaked man commented.“Yes, that is true, but we need someone like you with us this time.”“This time?” The short cloaked man turned back to the blond, his hands firmly held onto the straps, expression hidden beneath a black mask, hair shrouded underneath a dark hood. Only two strands of ebony hair protruding from the fabric covering his deep brown eyes, nearly glowing an amber under the moonlight, from the downward cast of his gaze.The blond man ignored his inquiry. “What do I call you? You never gave us a name.”“Assassin.” The assassin could tell from glancing back to the man seated in front, that he was not impressed by the answer, his broad shoulders stiff, eyes cast ahead of himself, focused on his task at hand. “This is no job for what I am.” The assassin would not dare reveal his name in such a situation, for his daily life as Kiku Honda, a mere human living within the city may be ruined. He was uncertain of how he had ended up tied in a situation where he had been hired to transport goods with a werewolf and an angel, a strange mix of beings. The goods were not necessarily being transported either, like he had been told, they were stolen from the royal guards, lifted from under their noses and stolen by the trio on the run, horses’ hooves thundering against the ground in a speedy getaway.“If that’s what you insist, fine. I won’t argue, and we’re aware of what you do, you will still get your payment, don’t worry.” Ludwig, the blond man controlling the cart, a werewolf, answered.“And you, Feliciano, how are things looking up in the sky?!” He called out, his attention on his partner after the exchange with the assassin.Positioned above the right of the cart, a pair of white wings moved elegantly through the night air, feathers dancing from the movement, the cool breeze brushing through each one as he glided over the transport and buildings above. Wearing clothing much akin to an archer’s, yet held the beauty of an angel, he was able to blend perfectly into the city’s standards of attire.Bright, amber eyes looked downwards at Ludwig, nearly covered from short, brown locks that blew roughly in the wind. “Everything’s clear from up here! I don’t see anything dangerous coming! I think we did it, we finally got away!” The voice, Feliciano, an angel, called from above, rather bright and excited that they had escaped from the men chasing them, trying to take the goods back.A heavy sigh escaped the blond man. “It looks like we can rest and regroup at our destination.”The assurance had not placed Kiku at ease, feeling as though he could not feel safe yet, he never did during such situations, and it was doubtful that the other two had felt much better from the muttered words.Feliciano swooped downwards, and with a swift beat of his wings, he landed next to Ludwig on the cart, his wings neatly folding behind himself.“Do you think they’ll like what we bring to them this time?” The angel asked curiously, dropping down to sit next to Ludwig in the front.“I think they will accept anything at this point. You know how things have been lately, Feli.” Kiku could only eavesdrop, unknowing of what they had planned for the goods, only doing what he had been assigned to do, to assure that the items made it safely, and that the men chasing after them were lost and kept at bay. He had an easier time sensing the mood, and by the slight drooping of Feliciano’s wings, his eyes unconsciously watching the two men, he saw the momentary dejection he felt before they perked up once more. “Yeah, I know. That means we’ll have to bring them more next time. As much as it takes to help!”A silence had filled the air for a few minutes, the sounds of hooves clapping against solid ground drowning out the quiet, echoing against the empty streets of the city, the location unpopular during the night, though beings fond of the dark generally wandered outside during this time.“You don’t talk much, do you?” Kiku was surprised to see that Feliciano had turned to look behind himself at the assassin, placing the hooded man on the spot, as though he wanted to be inclusive and keep him involved in their conversation.“No.” Kiku replied shortly after.“You must have a lot going on in your head then.”It was a comment that Kiku found interesting, finding the optimistic angel fascinating with his strange behaviour. “Perhaps,” he commented in return.Feliciano’s attention had quickly been drawn back to Ludwig, getting distracted by the taller man and with his own chatter, easily able to converse while time passed on their journey to their destination, while Ludwig held onto the reigns, focusing on the streets while the angel spoke, letting out the occasional grunt or comment in response.While the two had been distracted with each other and the road ahead, Kiku had heard the faint clatter of extra hooves on cobblestone. Looking up behind the cart, his eyes caught sight of two horses rounding the corner.“Behind us!” He called out, the two in the front immediately turning to catch sight of the commotion. Feliciano quickly took to the air again. “I see an elf, a dwarf,” there was a hesitance before the angel spoke again, “and an angel! One of the royal guards!” He hollered, shocked by the appearance of another being like him.Kiku had not seen the angel, the other being having been out of his range of sight, flying over the cover of the cart.With a gasp, Feliciano withdrew the bow that had been neatly strapped around his waist, pulling out an arrow from behind his back, he drew back the string and aimed it at the rivaling angel. His wings extended outwards, keeping his momentum as he tried to keep up with Ludwig in the cart. Muttering what could only be heard of as a prayer in a foreign language, Feliciano shot the arrow.The arrow whizzed past the other angel, his opponent evading the attack, and quickly lunging at Feliciano in response, his blade hitting against the metal piece of Feliciano’s bow, just managing to lift his weapon in time to block the hit. He cried out, startled and frightened by how close it had been to hitting him. With a swift kick, he shoved his opponent off and dove downwards, quickly lifting himself up once more with his wings, becoming evasive of the dangerous guard’s attacks, slipping away from his blade. While Feliciano fought above, Kiku tied the objects down, and had jumped off of the back of the cart as the guards on two horses neared, one of them aiming to shoot at the wheel and dislodge it from it’s place. Running out from the cart, he jumped off of the back, launching himself into the air and latching onto the man on the horse, the animal snorting in a startled response, the sudden extra weight slowing it, but continuing to run. He grabbed onto the man’s arm, knocking the gun out of his hand before twisting it behind his back and throwing him off, taking his place on the horse.The assassin lead the horse he rode on to the elf woman. He withdrew his blade while she had done the same, prepared to shove her off of the horse like he had done with the man, jumping on, but the two weapons immediately clashed with each other, the elf prepared for his attack.Their blades rattled, the two frozen in place as they tried to overpower one another.The horse they fought on had suddenly reared back, neighing in protest from the heavy weight on the animal’s back. Kiku grabbed onto the saddle with one hand while the elf grabbed onto his cloak. He grunted as the horse fought against the two while they struggled for control.Latching onto the woman’s hand that held the blade, Kiku took the hilt of his own and used it to knock the elf unconscious, her limp body falling backwards onto the ground with a soft thud.Kiku grabbed onto the horse’s saddle, feeling himself slide off after her, hoisting himself up onto the horse and sitting down. He grabbed onto the reins, his hand moving to stroke the animal’s side soothingly with a calm and gentle movement.As the animal calmed, Kiku lead the horse back to the cart, galloping back to catch up once more, eyes casting upwards to Feliciano while he struggled with the other angel in the sky, the smaller, evasive angel looking somewhat scared, unfamiliar with the heat of battle.Taking the bow once more, Feliciano lifted it as the other angel drew near, muttered the same prayer as he had done before, the arrow glowing momentarily before he shot it at the angel, successfully hitting him in the shoulder.At first, nothing appeared to happen, the other angel lunging at him once more, shouting that he will become fallen for such a gesture.Wings shivering in fear, Feliciano made an attempt to fly away from him again. However, before he made a single move, the other angel plummeted towards the ground. Surprised, he dropped down and caught his opponent before he harshly hit the ground, dropping him down safely after catching him.With a tilt of his body, he hovered over the ground, wings gliding towards Kiku.“What did you do to him?” Kiku asked.“I put him to sleep for a bit. He was pretty grumpy, I’m sure he’ll feel better after a long nap.” He smiled at the assassin, joking about the fight he had just escaped. In was surprising how easily he could recover from a deadly situation, able to remain optimistic and cheerful even though the claws of death may have snatched him.He really was a fascinating person.As they followed behind Ludwig, they had not encountered anymore of the royal guard, nor anyone else that may disrupt them.Relief washed over Kiku as they finally arrived at their destination, Ludwig slowing the horses to a halt, while Feliciano landed on the ground next to him, the wheels groaning softly in protest from so much use over the night. The stolen horse Kiku had obtained had been stopped next to the cart, the three of them grouping up with each other on the ground in front.“I wasn’t expecting them to send another avian. I know you’re used to scouting and reconnaissance. You did well, Feli. I was half expecting you to run away, like you have before.” Ludwig was the first to speak.“Hey, that’s not very nice. I may be scared, but I’ve realized that I have to be there for my friends. What would I do without you? Without any of you? You’ve all protected me for years, I need to start helping. You’re my best friend, Luddy!” Kiku had to step back as the angel all but leaped at the large man, pulling him into a tight hug.“Augh, Feli!” He complained, but patted his friend on the back nonetheless, giving him a quick hug in return.“Mommy, they’re here! They’re here!” A kid called out suddenly, running up to the assassin. “Who’re you?! Are you friend of Gilbert’s?!”“Gilbert?” He blinked.“The one who helped me organize this. The one who will be paying you.” Ludwig cut in.“Tobias!” A woman suddenly ran up to the child and scooped him up into her arms. “Don’t go running too far, it’s dangerous out here.”The child whined, but reluctantly listened to her words, hugging his mother and leaning on her while she held him. She had long brown hair that flowed past her shoulders, a small, pink flower tucked neatly in her hair, while her green eyes burned with a passion that anyone could read. She appeared to be human, which had caught Kiku’s interest, but he knew that nothing is ever as it seems within this city.“I’m glad to see you both here.” She smiled.“Elizabeta! It’s great to see you again.” Feliciano smiled.She glanced to Kiku and offered a warm smile. “And you, I’m assuming you’re a new addition to this group of ruffians?”“Um, no, not exactly.” He mumbled.“Why not? They do a lot of good for us people.”“What do you mean?” He inquired, puzzled by what she said.“Here is everything we had promised.” Ludwig walked up to Elizabeta with one of the boxes from the cart.“Thank you, Ludwig. I don’t know what we would do without you. I’d fight in your battle, but… I cannot afford to not be here for my son.”“You’re a good fighter, we need a strong mermaid like you, but I understand.”“Roderich! Come help me with the box!” “I’m coming!” Another man appeared, clearly a demon, and walked up to Elizabeta. He held a proper posture, each step confident and careful, an air of pride shrouding him. His violet eyes cast over the three “Ruffians” before halting to the box, taking the object in his own hands.“I know why you don’t fight.” Ludwig stated, looking to Roderich.“Ludwig, that is not like me. I may be a demon, but I don’t like participating in such rough and barbaric behaviour.”“Even though a majority of the people live like this, even yourself?” “As much as I would like to help on your adventure, I’m afraid I can’t, for the same reason as Elizabeta.”“You, start handing out the items.” Ludwig gestured to Kiku, then to the cart. “Feli and I need to speak to Elizabeta and Roderich.”The assassin hopped up onto the back of the cart and began doing as he was told.While Kiku handed out the boxes and items to the people, he noticed Felciano prod Ludwig’s shoulder, tugging the stiff man down to his level, and softly muttering something into his ear, sparking some suspicion in the assassin while they looked at him, but he remained calm and collected, patiently waiting to see how things may unfold. The two resumed speaking to Elizabeta directly after.Kiku had worked diligently in handing out the items to the people, each one thankful for what he had done, speaking to him of how hard it has been to get by in the city, struggling to make enough a day, nor have the capability to trade any of the necessities they now direly need. He heard word of what the king was doing to the people, spread rumors and ideas of what was happening to the city. A fear of war between the light and dark creatures, some of them believing that it was meant to happen, biased towards their opposing beings, thinking that they were tearing the city apart and hoarding coin to themselves, while others believed that there was hope for peace, that everyone was still alike deep down. Many knew that the king was keeping gold to himself, only growing richer while everyone else became poor and in need. These people, now living in poorer conditions as each month passed, all gave him different opinions and answers, though grateful for his givings nonetheless. It had opened the assassin’s eyes more, becoming aware of how much the city has been affected, how much it has changed lately.After handing out everything contained within the cart, Kiku had left with Ludwig and Feliciano, the two beings waving their friends Elizabeta and Roderich goodbye, although the angel held more excitement behind the gesture.Everything had left Kiku to wonder about what his judgement was about the city, and this recent king that called himself a leader to the people, even as the population questioned what was happening..Ludwig and Feliciano had lead kiku to a home near the outskirts of the city, a place where the fields stretched long and far before connecting with mountains that raised upwards, as though they may connect with the sky. The home looked nearly abandoned, pale wood reflecting a grey hue under moonlight that would soon turn to day. What gave the place life was the gentle glow of light that filtered through the windows, obscured behind curtains, showing that the home still contained life, though the place looked passed its time.“Is this your home?” He inquired.“No, this is just one of the places we meet. The king doesn’t really like us, so we have avoid getting caught, or else it’s a long time in prison for us, or maybe he would execute us. I don’t want to die.” The angel frowned, his wings moving in an unsettled manner.“Feli, you’re technically immortal.”“But it can still happen. Dying is terrible and painful. I don’t want to live through that again.”“I know.” Ludwig sighed softly before opening the door to the small home, leading the way inside. “We’re here!” He called out after, shutting the door behind himself, walking into the dining room with Feliciano and Kiku in tow. “Take a seat anywhere.”The assassin seated himself at the edge of the table, his hands folded neatly on his lap as he patiently waited. His gaze drew to Feliciano as the angel sat down in the seat closest to him, the other seats remaining empty while the bubbly man decided to sit behind him. The lamp centered at the middle of the cool, wooden surface of the table illuminated the room in a soft light. “You don’t have to hide your face. Your secret is safe with us, whoever you are. The king wants you too, doesn’t he? Is that why you hide yourself? Do you want to keep your family safe?”“I don’t have a family.”Feliciano blinked, clear surprise in his features, thrown off by what he had said, before he smiled and piped up again. “We could be like your family. I don’t know you well, but you seem like a nice guy. I would like to be your friend.”“E-excuse me?” Kiku stuttered out, baffled by such a bold and confident statement.Ludwig had been watching their exchange until another man stepped into the dining room, followed by the sound of soft taps against the ground behind him, a much shorter person, a satyr, following after him.“Lovino!” Feliciano looked as though he may leap from his seat and pull him into a hug, but the excited man remained seated.The satyr looked at them, his brow quirking upwards slightly in confusion, attention directed at the loud man next to him. His horns were short, rough to the touch, with curls resembling a crescent moon. His hair looked like Feliciano’s, brown and short. The color was a darker auburn color compared to the angel’s, darker eyes to match, and the strange strand of hair that stuck curled awkwardly at Feliciano’s side, was more centered on Lovino. “Hey, brother,” his gaze trailed to Kiku, “Assman.”When he was met with silence, he shrugged. “What, not funny enough? I think it was hilarious.” He casually commented, although he had not laughed.“Just sit down, Lovino.” Ludwig sighed, the satyr doing as was mentioned and took a seat next to Feliciano.Kiku’s gaze trailed to the other stranger next to Ludwig, his striking white locks, somewhat messy, but neat and swept to the side, immediately catching his attention, bright crimson eyes trailing over the group as Ludwig leaned closer to him, the werewolf whispering something that Kiku could no longer hear. He could only assume that this was Gilbert, the being that was spoken of earlier. He wore dark clothing, accented with red, causing his striking crimson eyes and white hair to stand out.Those crimson eyes, burning bright with emotion beneath a contemplative gaze, bore holes into Kiku as Ludwig whispered to him, the stranger to the group troubled and cautious that he was unable to hear them.“Well, I guess we should pay you-” The albino man raised a brow. “Uh?”“Assassin.”“Assassin?”“Assassin.”“Assman.”The silence quickly returned.“Oh come on, you bastards wouldn’t know humor if it physically manifested in the room.”“Anyways,” the albino man started, “you are going to get your money, as we promised. I don’t back down on my word, and neither does Lud.” The taller man next to him nodded. “So, here is your money, as promised.” Pulling out a small bag, Gilbert tossed it to Kiku, the man hidden beneath the hood easily catching it in one hand. “What are you going to do now, assassin?”“I will continue business. It is my duty.”“To kill people?”“Yes.”“You make it sound like a contract.”“That is what it is, is it not?”“Why you are an assassin of all things you could be makes no sense, but I’ve heard you’re good at what you do, so I guess that’s all that’s important. You did your job. Don’t you wish you could do something different though?”“Something different? Are you questioning my loyalty to my job?”“No, not like that- well- not exactly. Only in theory. Besides, don’t you wish you could do something different? What if you worked for a better cause than senseless murder.”“What is truly good? The lines between good and evil are shaded. Many would believe that I have done wrong, others may think I do justice.""What are you, a preacher?" The humorous satyr piped up. "We just want everyone to get along. Good evil, it's a concept for all I care, doesn’t exist. I just want all this fighting to stop. I'm tired of my brother being scared shitless on the streets all time. I just want some peace and quiet for once.""Lovino has a unique reason for being with us." Ludwig sighed. “We have a hard time finding people that agree with us. Everyone always chooses to fight each other rather than speak of sense.”“No offense, but perhaps it is because you sound like a gang. That actually may be what you are. You have broken the law before, although, you avoid killing people. I am impressed by that.” Kiku paused momentarily before speaking, “However, there are people I know that are kind, and do not appear to participate in this war among people.”“We are not a gang!” Gilbert piped up.“Then what are you people?”“We’re,” he hesitated, “we’re vigilantes, I guess. Rebels. That sounds better than a gang.” He shrugged.“That does sound more fitting for your cause.” Kiku agreed. “I apologize for my previous statement.“No, it’s okay, people get confused about us all the time!” Feliciano cut in, his smile quickly fading, lips forming into a thin line of uncertainty. “We’re outsiders.” He smiled again after. “But that’ alright, as long as we have each other, right?”He received a nod of agreement from Ludwig while Lovino casually ruffled his hair in acknowledgement, Gilbert nearly grinning at his statement. “And that’s why he can join us, right?!” Feliciano’s wings nearly spread open at his statement, almost slapping Lovino across the face, the darker haired male muttering a short complaint, but no other protest. “It would be great to have him with us. With the assassin, we’d be a lot stronger. He is really good at fighting, and he seems nice. I don’t know why he kills people, maybe he’s confused. We don’t have many people though, and we need as many as we can get. I think someone like him would be perfect for us.”“I- um”“Yeah, then it is settled, the assassin will be joining our cause.” Ludwig stated, cutting Kiku off before he had the chance to speak.“Y-you do realize that I am for hire, right?!” Kiku suddenly protested, nearly covering his mouth at the loudness of his voice, flustered from the sudden decision to have him join. He inwardly question why he did not have any say on the matter, even though it was himself that was being pulled into something that he had not entirely agreed with.“Don’t worry, we’ll make you change your mind, and show you that there can be peace. If not, then i guess we can just pay you. I don’t doubt myself though. How much would you like?” Gilbert moved to walk around the table, standing next to Kiku. “You’re welcome to be with us, we’re a pretty cool group. You’d be missing out.”“Hey, if you’re so caught up in killing evil for money, why don’t you kill the king for us?” Lovino cocked a brow at the assassin, leaning back casually and crossing his arms over his chest.Kiku hesitated in his seat, surprised that he was offered money, and welcomed with open arms. “I do not need the money.”“It’s not the money you care about, is it? There’s another reason, isn’t there?” Feliciano blinked at the assassin with a curious gaze. Kiku was nearly startled out of his seat, but his body kept him firmly planted on the chair, sitting neatly and respectfully as the other spoke. This angel was a lot more perceptive than he had anticipated. “What do you mean?” “Why do you work as an assassin?”“I apologize, but that is personal.”Feliciano expressed a lingering disappointment in his features, but did not press on. Instead, he spoke up to his friends. “So, he’s one of us now?”“Yes.” Gilbert answered.“But I- what are you doing?!” Kiku cried out as Feliciano reached for his hood and mask, grasping it in his hands and pulling it off.“Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone who you are.” Feliciano blinked as he stared at Kiku. “See, I don’t even know who you are under this mask.” He smiled. “You just look like some guy with a cute haircut.” The rest of the group only stared at him with curiosity upon discovering his features, though none appeared to recognize him, only his assassin persona.“Excuse me?!” Kiku stuttered. “This is no game.” He hesitated before letting out a sigh. “My name is Kiku.” He finally revealed his name before tugging his mask and hood back on. Feliciano smiled brightly as he heard his name, as though it was his goal the entire time to discover it. “As I wanted to say, I do not think-”Again, Kiku was cut off, this time by the vampire. “Why don’t you be the good guy for once?” He points out, the assassin’s protest seemingly unheard by his sharp senses.“Such is said from a vampire. I am good to the people who pay me, who desire needless revenge on others. I do not kill innocents. It is mostly people who have wronged in the eyes of others.”“Just because I am a vampire, it doesn’t make me evil.” Gilbert protested, almost snapping at Kiku. “I can show you differently. I don’t kill people, unlike you.”The others bore a look of disappointment, and Kiku quickly regretted his accusation, realizing that he hardly knew any of these people, and he had been quick to judge as many others have. “Once again, I apologize for my behaviour.” He let out a slow exhale, though he was still doubtful of this group and their cause.“You may realize this already, assman, but we’ve been doing things to ruffle the king’s feathers.” Gilbert spoke up again.“Ha!” Lovino exclaimed, chuckling at his own joke, Gilbert looking somewhat amused with the laughing satyr.“We steal his precious food and coin and give it to those in need. We try to stop his spread of propaganda across the city. I can go way further into detail, but that’s the basics of it. It’s pretty great and rebellious, but dangerous. That’s why we need more people, and we also want to spread the word and prove that everyone can be what they want to be. No one has to be forever stuck on one side just because of what they are born or created as.” His eyes narrowed slightly, and Kiku saw the true rebellious gaze in him, the one that brought his friends together, someone who was ready to fight for their cause with loyalty, ready to prove Kiku wrong with his very being and regret his accusation.“It’s pretty damn impressive for a human to be an assassin. One of the top ones at that. There are many people that may like your head on a platter. You’ve protected yourself well, considering that you would be taking on creatures far stronger than yourself. I can give you that. I think you would be a good asset for us. I agree with Feli, having you would take off stress.” Lovino piped up.“We even have Lovino’s approval. It was Feliciano’s idea to have you join us.” Ludwig commented. “Now that we’re all clear on everything-”Gilbert butted in once more. “Meet us here again two nights from now, sharp at this time. We’ll be expecting you.” He winked. “We have to take a break too, you know.”Ludwig only sighed.After watching everything unfold, a quiet and patient air about Kiku, he found that this group he had gotten involved with was quite peculiar. They were different from others, light and dark creatures that got along, bearing a clear, strong friendship between each other, working together as friends. He wonders what had just happened, and how he had suddenly gotten roped into something far bigger than himself. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Steady footsteps carried Kiku over the cobblestone street, the sunlight spreading a warmth across the entire city. His casual white clothing flowing from the gentle breeze, sandals clicking against the stones beneath him.Kiku carried a large black bag over his shoulder, lifting his hand to check the time. Touching the runestone on the side of his bracelet, the time lit up in a light magic across the back of his wrist, revealing to him that it was early in the afternoon, a perfect time for him to visit his friends, Yao and Francis. The two were a pleasant couple, married together for a few years now. Kiku was disappointed that he had not been there to be a part of their wedding, having been friends with them for only two years, but he felt surprisingly close to them, as distant as he was to everyone else. At first it was the same, keeping to himself alone, before he had gotten to know the two, having to visit the shop they owned to repair his weapons more frequently than he would like to admit.After showing up often, he had become quite acquainted with them before over time they had become what he may consider as friends.He was reluctant, still reluctant that the two had mistakenly found out about his job a few months ago, but was surprised to find that they understood after he told his reasoning. Francis appeared to be the most sympathetic, having been a bounty hunter before going against his purpose and refusing to kill as his job any further, taking on the life of a local daycare worker, looking after children of many shapes and sizes.Yao, on the other hand, was a wise dragon that had been living for a long time, Kiku could only assume that he may be thousands of years old. He never did reveal his true age to anyone, but he held the posture and wisdom of one that has lived for a long time. They seemed to have an understanding of what he does, and Kiku did not pressure it any further. It was nice to have them around. They never hung out outside of their work at Yao’s workshop, but he had pleasant conversations while he was with them.As he stepped inside of said shop, the bell above the door dinged, signaling his entry into the room filled with weapons, runes, armor, everything of the sort. Cabinets were filled with enchanted items to give luck and ward off evil, to help with healing, or to enhance stamina. Yao had everything. There was an arrangement of bracelets and necklaces, charms that straps onto a bag or phone, statues to keep at home. All small items were stored in the glass cabinet at the front counter, while the weapons lined the wall, and armor on another. Everything was neatly organized and taken care of, cleaned and dusted when needed.“Ah, kiku!”Kiku turned his attention away from the wall riddled with blades to face the front, seeing Francis smiling at him and giving him a warm welcome.“It’s so good to see you. Having another look around as usual?” He flipped back his wavy blond hair to remove the locks obscuring his vision, revealing his blue eyes. White wings danced behind himself, an elegant air always around him, no matter what he was doing. He was truly a beautiful angel. Although he had the pain of losing such a status, but had faithfully been restored, previously being fallen after refusing to be a bounty hunter any longer.“Of course.” He smiled to the angel. “Is Yao in the back?”Francis sighed. “Yes, my sweet dragon is overworking himself, as always. I’m stealing him away to go out for dinner tonight though, wish me luck.”“I always will.”“Speak of the devil, there he is.” Francis stated, enveloping Yao into a hug while the dragon stepped into the room from the back door, shirtless, sweaty, and covered in dirt and grime from handling metal amongst other objects. He worked frequently in the back, creating weapons and items. Everything in the store was created by the dragon himself. The back room always filled with a heavy heat from melting metal.Yao was a dragon that mainly remained in a half human form, long, dark hair that drew past his shoulders, tied up in a ponytail, dotted scales on skin that shone proudly under the sunlight. A pair of wings, horns, claws, and a long tail to reveal what his true lineage was, giving him the upper hand when needed.“Augh, Francis! I’m covered in dirt, do you really want affection now, at least let me clean myself up. Now you might get dirty.”“That doesn’t matter, love. I’ll hold you no matter what. Even though- i do much love my hair and self to be kempt.”Kiku smiled, nearly letting out an airy chuckle at the couple.Francis let go of Yao and they both stood at the counter.The angel leaned forward and rested his elbows against the counter, nearly laying over the hard surface while Yao remained standing in a respectful posture.“Ni hao, Kiku. Are you here for repairing?”“Yes.” Kiku answered, placing the bag over his shoulder onto the counter and opening it, revealing the broken weapons and items in need of repair.“Wow,” Yao whistled, “there’s a lot today. Did you get into a rough fight again?”“Not this time. You have been busy, so I have refrained from bringing you any of my weapons until today.”“I don’t mind the work, Kiku. I’ll get working on them right away for you then.” He tsked upon looking at the shape some of the items were in before shaking his head. “You fight too much. It makes you look careless with your weapons.” He lifted a broken sword and heaved a heavy sigh.“I do my best to take care of them, but I work much of the time, and these weapons are growing old with use.”“They may need refurbished. I can give you a discount for it.”“It would be much appreciated, Yao, thank you.” A silence drew over the three, Francis lightly tapping the tips of his nails on the counter as if to keep a rhythmic motion in the room instead of an awkward silence to drawl out among the three. The quiet between them was short lived as Kiku spoke up once more to say, “Last night, I ran into a very peculiar group that had hired me.”Francis hummed softly in question, urging him to continue while Yao raised a brow in curiosity, aware that Kiku’s conversation was going somewhere. Kiku cleared his throat to continue on. “They were very odd, indeed.” He muttered aloud, nearly in disbelief that last night was real and not some strange dream. “They are a group of people that appear to be rising up against the king. They claim that dark and light beings can both be good or evil, regardless of what they are. As a group, they are a mix of both Kinds. I am surprised by how well they all get along. They appear to be good friends, or have known each other for years. They want more people to join them, to fight against the king’s discrimination, and to bring peace between everyone in the city. I do agree that there have been many changes since the new king has come into power, since the previous passed away. Regardless if I believe them or not, I appear to be a part of the group.” Kiku glanced to the side, albeit a little sheepishly. “I did not speak up for myself in time, and they had decided for me. I do not know what to think of them, I hardly know who they are.” His gaze met Yao’s, searching the dragon’s eyes full of wisdom for an answer.Yao’s brows furrowed, a deep contemplation present on his features as a hand raised to his chin, a short, foggy puff of smoke escaping his nostrils as he thought of what the human spoke of to him.Francis remained slouched over the counter, though tentative as he took Kiku’s words into thought as well, conjuring up his own advice for the quiet, patient man as well. Frowning, Yao spoke up informatively, judging by his own opinion of what he thought of the situation. “I agree with them.”Surprised by his answer, Kiku’s outward posture changed, his hands neatly folded in front of him, patiently waiting for the dragon to inform him of his reasoning.“At least about the king. He’s caused a lot of troubles for my shop and my financial stability. I didn’t want to tell my customers and worry them, or lose my business for it because we need the money, but lately-” Yao sighed, trailing off on his statement at first, tugging at the ponytail resting over his shoulder to ease stress. “I haven't been able to get my hands on good supplies. Ever since the king cut off trades with other cities like ours, it’s been hard to get some of my valuable items.” A snort escaped the dragon, more smoke erupting from his nostrils in annoyance. “And he refuses to assist us with trades. We’re stuck with what we have, and us merchants might be fighting against each other soon for our wares. It’s getting harder to get my hands on anything. I have to make my swords from cheaper metals.” He shook his head. “It’s a mess.” After finishing his rant, he glanced to Francis before looking to Kiku again, the assassin taking what he said into thought.“I am sorry to hear about your wares, Yao.” Kiku apologizes on behalf of his situation.“I have noticed a lot of changes, much for the worst.” Francis contemplated aloud, though he remained on the fence about it all, a look of uncertainty and indecisiveness ever present on his features.With narrowed eyes, clawed fingers lightly dragged under the dragon’s chin, taking everything into serious thought and brooding. “It’s suspicious, I wouldn’t know if I would trust it. They do seem to want change. Maybe you can investigate more? I trust that you can take care of yourself.”“You can always call us though, if you need help with anything.” Francis advised.“And you two with myself as well.” Kiku responded. Moving onto the last subject at hand, Kiku straightened his posture, lips thinning into a thin line while his brows furrowed somewhat with uncertainty. “As for their idea of light and dark beings working together. Are dark beings not made to be evil? Vampires naturally drink blood from humans and other beings. Demons are created to be evil and spread chaos, are they not?”“I agree,” Yao started, “that’s what they’re made to be, and they shouldn’t be trusted, but that’s a controversial subject. I don’t like thinking about it. Things weren’t as rough before, but they’ve been causing more trouble lately.”Kiku turned his head to Francis when the angel intruded. “That’s because they’re trying to defend themselves. Light creatures have not shown their hands of grace recently either. There’s a reason I turned my head from killing people, regardless of who they are. It isn’t right, but that is what I believe. No offense, Kiku.”“I understand.”“I feel as though things have been getting out of hand lately. If something is not done, I fear for our city, our home,” he looked fondly to his husband, “and our store.”Yao let out a heavy sigh.“It’s your decision to decide what you will do with these people, Kiku, and you will have our support, no matter your choices.” Francis smiled.“Just be careful.” Yao warned, letting out a foreign noise as francis touched the bear skin of his shoulders, pulling him into a gentle, reassuring embrace.“Augh, how did your hands get so cold already?!” Yao exclaimed in humorous confusion.“Everything will be fine.” Francis hesitated, that momentary look of doubt and fear returning before it faded behind a forced bravery. “I hope,” he whispered.“It will.” Yao said with more assurance.“I will do my best for you, and if joining these people may help you two in the long run.” He paused momentarily, mentally preparing himself for what he may get into this time. “I will join them.”Yao smiled slightly. “It’s appreciated, Kiku. Maybe we’ll consider these guys. I don't know who they are though. They could be dangerous, just watch your back.”Amusement sparkles in Kiku’s eyes. “Please Yao, you are acting like a father. I can take care of myself.”Yao flushed. “Father?!” A gasp escaped him, flustered by his statement.“Speaking of children.” Francis spoke up, a songy tune to his voice.“No, we’re not adopting yet!”Francis sighed softly, feigning a look of disappointment.Kiku bore a look of amusement, his lips turned upwards in a small smile, though the back of his mind held darker thoughts, thoughts of what may come of the future, doubts of the rebellious lines between good and evil, corruption of the king, misguiding the people into a realm of chaos and confusion, two sides clashing together and bringing only war amongst the city, a city that was meant to accept and reside everyone.With a few more short exchanges of conversation, Kiku relinquished himself of his weapons for Yao to repair, bidding his friends a short farewell, until he were to return and check on his repairs. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Vines naturally crawled up the sides of Kiku’s apartment home, offering a natural beauty to it, modern inside, a beautiful view outside of the window. It was a pleasant and quiet home, just as the reclusive man liked it. However, Kiku had to proceed on with his walk before returning to his small, comfortable apartment home high up the floors of the city, having to complete his errands first.Becoming to engrossed with his errands, night had quickly befallen over him before he could recognize the time. He had dropped off his groceries at home earlier, leaving again to simply search for any needed necessities that he had missed, and to simply look between shops and merchants to see what was around to offer. Normally, everything was unique and different between each merchant, but after Yao’s previous mentioning of the lack of supplies, he had started to notice that things were not as glamorous and unique as they once were.Frowning, he was troubled by the thought from where he stood, motionless in the middle of the market, beings and creatures packing in for the night while the other night markets were to set up and begin their sales. Taking a few steps forward, Kiku began his trek towards home again.Looking upwards, the stars met his gaze, each individual one shining brightly towards him, the galaxy at his fingertips if he were to extend a hand. The moon was a bright circle above him, illuminating the sky and ground bellow in a soft, blue hue, before it were to wane further in the next passing moonlight.A figure on the roof of a nearby building caught his gaze. Watching the being from afar, Kiku observed their movements carefully, before noticing the relaxed pasture, sitting back against the roof, hands behind them, holding them up for support. Realization of the familiar figure dawned on him.Lovino sat back, watching the open space of ground below, his eyes on something around the corner that Kiku could not yet see. Carefully, he clambered up the building behind Lovino, knowing that disguising who he was would have no effect after Feliciano’s bold stunt last night.The fawn-like ear above Lovino’s head twitched downwards before shooting into the air as Kiku’s footsteps carried over the building, the naturally silent man making his presence known as to not startle the satyr. Lovino glanced momentarily upwards, recognizing the sudden presence of the human from last night. “Oh, it’s you.” He bore an expression that Kiku attempted to decipher. It almost appeared sheepish, as though he had been caught doing something.“What are you doing up here?” He simply asked.Clearing his throat, Lovino kept his eyes trained on the ground below the building. “That’s none of your business, but you can sit down, considering you’re the newbie and all, I guess I should get to know a strange human like you now.”Leaving the unanswered question alone, Kiku hesitantly took the offer and sat down next to Lovino, sitting on top of his calves while his hands rest folded on his lap, sitting in a proper manner while Lovino could care less about his own posture, leaning back with his legs crossed, hands remaining behind him for support still. Upon looking towards the ground below the building, Kiku took note of the strange man bellow, someone that Lovino had been observing, from what the human could interpret. He watched the stranger silently for a few moments, taking note of the green mist-like particles escaping his hands, following his movements as he appeared to recite spells and attack movements, training himself and practicing on his own with no doubt.He was about to inquire about the man on the ground, but Lovino answered him before he could ask. “A warlock. He could help us a lot if he was on our side. I haven’t asked him about it yet though.”The pitch of his voice made Kiku wonder if had been an excuse to his conversation of the strange man or not, but he did not press on with his inquiry.“You know him?”“Yes, but I don’t want to talk about it right now.”“What would you like to talk about?” Kiku inquiries, though curious about Lovino’s relationship with the warlock who he had only set eyes upon moments ago. Tussled, yet somewhat naturally blond hair, a green cloak strapped over his shoulders, the hood remaining down, the green magic around himself, the only details that he could make out on the man practicing his magic abilities.A shrug of the shoulders signified that Lovino was out of ideas for conversation, leaving an awkward silence lingering between the two, hardly having been acquainted before, uncertain of where to begin.“You’re pretty bad at this conversation thing, aren’t you.” Lovino suddenly commented, completely blunt with his statement.Caught off guard, Kiku stuttered before quickly gathering himself to give the other a coherent answer. “Yes, I am not used to socializing. I have lived alone for a long time, and only worked as an assassin. That was the only form of socializing I have had for years. Beyond speaking to merchants at shops as well. There are a couple friends I have, but we do not do many activities together outside of their shop where I speak to them.”Huffing, Lovino shifted, switching positions to rest his weight on one hand while he faced Kiku. “Sounds pretty lonely. I kinda like the sound of it. Less noisey. I think I’d go crazy without the potato bastards and my obnoxious brother though.” Although the words appeared harsh, the tone of Lovino’s voice expressed otherwise, a fondness expressed just beneath the surface of his gruff exterior, a certain loyalty that the satyr would clearly never break with them. He was close to them, even though on the surface he appeared not to care as much one would think.“Why are you doing this?” Kiku finally asked, after the two of them reverted their gaze back to the warlock, watching him practice in their passing silence from speech.Lovino did not answer at first, though aware that Kiku was not speaking of his observance of the man below them, but rather the larger picture of everything. With sidewards tilt of his head, he huffed, the small, fluffy tail connected to him twitching with thought. An answer came right away, not having to think too deeply into the matter. “Who else will? I don’t see anyone else getting off of their asses and trying to fix things.” Recalling the satyrs words from last night, he remembered him mentioning his brother. “And of your brother?”Sighing heavily in resignation, Lovino squared his shoulders, as though it was tough to answer him. “Yes, of course.”“Why is it that he has human legs, and you appear more of a satyr than him?” He questioned, the answer having been pondering in the back of Kiku’s mind after some thought.This time Lovino was thrown off by his statement, not expecting the observant assassin to ask such a useless question, though something that sparked curiosity and may have needed and answer. He sighed, sitting up straight and folding his arms over his chest. “You don’t really want to know. Well, it’s simple actually. Mother was a human, father was a satyr, I’ll leave it at that. Don’t need to think too deeply to figure out what happened.”A soft, hardly audible “oh” escaped Kiku, quickly figuring out what he meant. At least his question was answered, although he should have expected such an answer. Some beings partake in romantic or other forms of intimacy with others that are not of their kind. Some frowned upon it, while others accepted it. Light and dark creatures together were the most frowned upon within the city, from the assassin’s observancy.“You know,” Lovino cut Kiku from his thoughts upon speaking up again, moving onto a subject that he would normally not speak of, but found himself bold enough to speak to Kiku of more personal subjects, “my brother died a few years ago. If it wasn’t for Ludwig and Gilbert, I don’t think I would’ve ever found him again. As annoying as he can be-” Lovino cut himself off growing quiet.“You still love him?”“Sure.” It was a clear yes to Kiku. “I really missed him. I found out after that Gilbert really understood how I felt. I thought Ludwig was his brother, but I guess they’re not related.” A frown scarred the satyr’s normally indifferent expression. “His brother died when he was younger. He never told me how, or why, but he doesn’t seem to like to talk about him much. I only know that he looks a lot like Ludwig.” He shrugged. “That stiff werewolf is like a brother to Gilbert now too, and he never mentions it, but I can plainly tell that he’s afraid of losing Ludwig too, just like his own his brother. It’s sad to notice. The poor bastard can get a bit overprotective sometimes, but I guess that’s a good thing. It means the blood sucker has our back, right?”Taking in everything Lovino said, he wondered if the satyr should even be speaking of such personal things that happened in Gilbert’s life to him, such matters and personal pain and loss deep beneath the surface being something personal, only to be shared with those that were chosen to be. Kiku had only met him last night. Getting carried away with his own personal sympathy with the vampire’s loss must have been what made Lovino share both of their stories. “I,” hesitance was clear in Kiku’s voice as he processed everything he was told, “I am very sorry to hear that. Many have suffered from loss, it is a painful process to go through. I am glad that you were able to find your brother after it all.” He offered Lovino a small, polite smile of assurance.Another careless raise and lower of Lovino’s shoulders expressed that he was attempting to play it off, as though he had not been alone, grieving, much like Gilbert may have been, after he lost his brother before finding him again. “Shit happens.”It was an answer Kiku would accept, allowing their conversation to end and silence to wash over them once more. He followed Lovino’s gaze back to the man below them, Kiku having heard the stranger become boisterous momentarily during their conversation, loudly chanting out a few spells in frustration from what he could assume to be, after a failed one.Kiku’s gaze trailed back to Lovino, watching as his hazel eyes softened somewhat after watching the man, lips moving in what Kiku could assume to be a smile that he physically restrained because of the human’s presence. After some careful consideration and observance, a slight tilt to his head, Kiku spoke up, somewhat curiously, “You seem fond of him. You like him?” The question was oddly forward and blunt, which nearly caused Lovino to fall over from surprise and embarrassment. “W-what, there’s no way I’d like caterpillar brows like that!” He cheeks flushed, heavily flustered by his outrageous statement. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest, becoming defensive. He evaded eye contact with Kiku, staring down at the shingled roofing, away from the assassin. “Besides, he’s a warlock and I’m just a satyr.” He muttered. Kiku simply stared, one with an attentive and observant gaze that Lovino felt too much pressure under. He’d argue with someone who looked angry, but this guy looked as though he was reading him like a book with his intense gaze. “Alright, alright, you got me!” His arms crossed a little tighter in attempt to shrink his form further like a turtle hiding away from danger. “I may like him a bit, but so what?”“There is nothing wrong with that, Lovino.” Kiku’s eyes held a glimmer of amusement, a ghost of a smile tilted upwards on his lips. “Have you ever tried admitting to him before?” He inquired.“No, that’s idea sounds like a pegasus trapped in a potions shop. I doubt it’d ever work out, and the guy doesn’t see me like,” he frowned slightly, “like, you know. A partner or whatever. Our relationship is complicated.” “You may say that, but how will you ever know unless you try? There are many regrets one may have if they do not admit early enough, and nothing bad may come of confessing. Well, if he is a good friend, I am certain he would understand. Such feelings are hard to control, and why stop where you may be unhappy. Work together and find a compromise, whether it be love, or friendship. It is what you see in someone that matters most.”Lovino stared at him, giving him an incredulous look. “I guess you’ve got some good statements.” He snorted. “You really are some kind of preacher, aren’t you?”“I spend much of my time thinking.”“Great answer.” Lovino rolled his eyes, more playfully than for any other exasperated purpose. “I believe in you, Lovino.”“You do?” His brow raised in question.“Yes, of course, you can confess to him. I am certain you are brave enough. You would not let fear get in your way, would you?”“Yes- I mean no!” He quickly corrected himself, his pride getting the better of him from denying the other’s question.“You can do it.”Lovino found his confidence picking up from Kiku’s words of motivation. “I can!”“You can!” Rarely did the assassin express much, but his hands were curled, shoulders tensed, body nearly jumping up to cheer the satyr on.Before Kiku realised how much he had motivated Lovino, the satyr was on his feet and already halfway down the building they sat atop of. Blinking, surprised by the sudden movement, Kiku quickly got onto his feet and chased after the other, scaling down the building and landing onto the dirt next to Lovino, a puff of dust flying into the air from his landing, receiving a shush from the satyr in response to the “thud” of his weight hitting the ground.As Lovino peered around the corner ahead of him, tail twitching nervously as he began to lose confidence once more, a timid exterior almost taking over his normally stiff behaviour.Kiku silently observed the gesture, finding that although Lovino may appear annoyed much of the time, there were a vast variety he appeared to feel beneath the surface.“I-I’ve got this, right?”“You’ve got this.” Kiku encouraged. “Right!” Lovino’s hooves stomped confidently on the surface of the ground, clapping against the hard surface of stone as he stepped out of the corner, his tail flicking upwards in pride. The stance lasted momentarily before he turned around, all confidence lost. “Oh, who am I kidding, this is stupid, I don’t think I’ll get anywhere. Kiku, how could you do this to me?!” He questioned, his face heating up again in frustration and confusion, the tips of his hooves lightly hitting a small patch of grass growing between the cracks of stone on the ground.Attempting to speak up with an assuring and calm answer, another voice rang out from around the corner where Lovino stood, Kiku unable to see the approaching figure. “Lovino! I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight. What are you doing here?” Lovino freezes in place, much like a deer caught in the headlights if Kiku were to make a comparison outside of the strange, magical realm they stood in. He spins around to face what Kiku presumed to be the warlock he had spoken of earlier, the one the satyr was to confess his feelings to.“I know we normally share tea on tuesdays. I’m surprised you already look so stiff. Annoyed by my presence now, are we?”Kiku remained hidden around the corner, finding that if he were to get involved, he would end up in a state less preferable to where he is now, already caught up and confused with enough new people in his life for the moment. Aside from the previous thought, Lovino being alone with this man may help open up more opportunities for the satyr to express himself.“Why don’t you come over for awhile, I’m just practicing magic.” His voice was nonchalant, yet held an accent to it, and a touch of what Kiku figured to be a softer tone, a gentleman like ring to it.While Lovino was turned to face the warlock, Kiku had decided that it was his queue to leave the two alone, leaving behind the building around the two, evasive of revealing himself to them as he passed around the place.“I guess I could join you, Arthur.” Lovino finally answered, turning to face Kiku, who had already disappeared. “Hey, would you like to join-” He blinked, figuring out why the other had suddenly abandoned him in his time of need. “Assman, how could you.” He whispered under his breath.“I’m sorry, what was that?”After leaving Lovino to spend time with his other friend, Kiku hoped that he could get home in time to watch one of his favorite shows that played early in the morning. To his dismay, however, he had only made it a block before he heard someone calling out his name excitedly.Turning, he was immediately met with Feliciano crashing into him, pulling him into a tight hug. Gasping, Kiku quickly pushed him away in confusion.Feliciano chuckled, stepping back from his new friend. “I’m sorry. I get a little excited sometimes.” He grinned sheepishly. “I forgot, you’re new.”Ludwig spoke up from behind them, sitting down at a night cafe, newspaper held in hand while two plates of food rested on the table, one half eaten and abandoned by Feliciano the moment he saw Kiku, “What have I told you about personal space, Feli? Kiku seems like a man who likes his personal space.”Kiku approached the table Ludwig sat at, getting roped into staying outside a little longer. “You are correct.” He answered, his small, polite smile on his lips.Feliciano returned to his seat where his food laid waiting for him, although the angel was more content with speaking to Kiku than eating. “Don’t be afraid to sit with us, go ahead, grab a seat.” He smiled. His hands rested on the table momentarily before he gestured to a seat at another table“Ah, no thank you. I have to go home soon.” He politely turned down the excited angel’s offer, Feliciano’s form deflating slightly at the refused offer, but still glad to have his company.“I understand,” responded Ludwig, lowering the paper in his hands to look up at Kiku. “At least you are not ignoring us. Have you thought about what you will do?”Moving right to the point, Ludwig’s stare was almost intense, but Kiku felt that it was how he naturally looked, rather then attempting to intimidate him. “It appears that I have not much of a choice.”“Feliciano makes it look that way, but if you’re not with us, then what else can we do?”“You aren’t our hostage.” Feliciano piped up with an assuring smile.Surprised by their support, he exchanged a glance between the two, finding that there was no hostility, nor deceit in their expressions. “I see.” It was the only response he could offer while he thought about it. After some hesitance, he commented, “I saw your brother earlier.”“Let me guess, he scared you away. Was he mean?” Feliciano questioned.“No, he was,” pausing momentarily, Kiku thought of what to call his brother, “fascinating.”“He certainly is.” Ludwig sighed. “Don’t worry, he can seem mean at times. He has a stiff exterior, but he’s actually really nice deep down. He has a lot on his mind. He just expresses things differently than how I do.” Feliciano commented. Kiku could only imagine the two being near opposites of each other, yet related as siblings who were far from alike, aside from physical appearance. “I think he likes you too.”“He’s rough, but he’s got our backs when we need him.” Ludwig agreed.“Plus, his crush on Arthur is really cute!” Feliciano grinned.Kiku smiled, a near, soft, airy chuckle escaping him. “It appears that his feelings are obvious, yet it seems that he is trying to keep a secret.”“They are very obvious. It can be a pain to watch.” Ludwig mumbled, taking a sip of the coffee he had ordered earlier from the table.“So you already found out? See, his feelings can be really obvious!” Feliciano laughed. “I hope it’ll work out between them if they ever confess to each other.”“So Arthur likes him in return?”“Oh, so you haven’t met Arthur yet!” Feliciano immediately knew by Kiku’s question. Again, the assassin was surprised by his perception.“Not necessarily. I saw him, but I left before I had the opportunity to meet him.” Kiku kept it simple, not stating that he had snuck away to give the two privacy. “He’s a little like Lovino, but different. Maybe a little nicer on the outside, but grumpy like an old man?” Feliciano contemplated aloud.Another sigh escaped Ludwig. “It’s not nice to say that either. I think he’s a only a few years older than you.”A soft “oh” escaped him before his attention was on Kiku again. “Are you going to join us tomorrow? Will we see you again?”Kiku did not answer the waiting angel, hesitating momentarily. As much as he was pressured, he was still on the fence, a part of himself being conflicted about their ideals and his own. “Perhaps. We will see what fate has to offer.”“It’s better than a no.” Feliciano shone his signature grin, looking at the positive point to his answer.“Yes.” Kiku gave Feliciano a curt nod in acknowledgement. “That is true, but I am afraid that I must take my leave now.”Feliciano frowned with something akin to a playful pout, while Ludwig bud him a farewell, both hoping that they will see him again sometime, especially Feliciano, even if he chooses not to join them.A soft, breathy sigh escaped Kiku, having enough social exhaustion to last him for the night. He was not used to so many people socializing with him, having been alone more often before without getting close to many people. He wanted to get home and rest for the night, feeling physically drained from so much activity.He was nearly home, his head lowered towards the ground while he thought about the people he had only met last night, already treating him as though he were a friend. Kiku heard footsteps approaching, He grew tense, always remaining cautious and on guard, but remained casual as the footsteps drew near him at an ambled pace, the sounds seemingly not a threat, another person likely passing by and heading home for the night.However, the figure had bumped into him, and Kiku stiffened, ready to flip the man over in defense, expecting him to be a man of theft, mistrusting many during the night.“Whoa, whoa, calm down, it’s just me! Don’t look at me like that!” A hand clasped around Kiku’s shoulder, freezing the assassin in place with hesitation, unable to see the man beneath the hooded figure, equally wary and mistrustful upon the other as he removed his hood.White hair flowed out from under the fabric obscuring his features, messily settling atop a set of deep crimson eyes, nearly glistening under the moonlight. He smiled down at Kiku, and the assassin immediately recognized him as Gilbert, the vampire he had met last night. Kiku was at a loss for words, his mouth open slightly in shock. “I smelled you, but I got distracted by something and bumped into you. I’m sorry about that." His smile never wavered. “What are you doing out so late?”“This is getting really weird.” Kiku suddenly said, stepping back from Gilbert. How he had managed to run into everyone from last night in such a large scale of a city seemed hardly possible, yet he had encountered them all. “Wait, what’s weird about me?”“I apologize, but I have to go home!” Slipping passed Gilbert, Kiku began to run, making a full sprint home, hoping that he will not run into anyone else before he got there. He left the vampire behind, leaving him in a state of complete confusion and puzzlement. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It had been two weeks since Kiku decided to give the group a chance, to better understand what they wanted to do. Since then, they would gather to abandoned homes and buildings, anywhere away from a prying gaze, speaking of changes within the city, what parts are being affected more by the king’s wrath and who they may need to help.Through the few weeks of being with them, Kiku was quiet and listened for the most part, although he remained somewhat cautious around Gilbert and Ludwig, the vampire and the werewolf, beings that were known for harming humans and other beings for food and blood. As little as he tried to express it, Gilbert had noticed the subtle behaviours, and Kiku had been surprised that he was so easily able to decipher him. He noticed the subtle hints of how he felt, how he was more tense around the two sibling-like men, whereas, he would always be around Feliciano and Lovino. While they have convinced Kiku and shown him of the wrongs the king is doing, his friends at the shop struggling further in the past few weeks, he was still untrusting of dark beings.A vast, dimly lit library was where Kiku ventured, his feet carrying him down the edge of the isles, his gaze trailing over each section as he attempted to find something that caught his eyes.A touch, a gentle grasp to his shoulder, caused him to spin around, his exterior becoming tense, always on edge of strangers touching him. To his surprise, it was Gilbert standing before him, smiling down at him, bright on the outside, but looking into his expression further, Kiku felt that his eyes held disappointment and melancholy. Why the vampire had ventured out during the day to come here was shocking to him, sunlight being able to kill the dark being within a matter of minutes. There was no visible umbrella on him that could be used to block out the sun. He was quite brave.As if Gilbert knew what was on his mind, he answered him. “I used a hood and gloves,” He said, flipping the hood over his head momentarily before pulling it back again with a grin. “Pretty smart, yeah?” “Yes,” was Kiku’s curt response.“Listen,” Gilbert grew serious, “we need to talk. Meet me tonight at Vash’s Tavern.” He lowered his voice, to escape any eavesdroppers. “And bring your gear.”“What is it?”“I’ll let you know tonight, don’t worry about it.” Sighing, Gilbert had noticed Kiku’s immediate response of suspicion, he added, “I’m not going to do anything.”Nodding slowly, Kiku acknowledged his statement, the small gesture confirming that he will be there. After some hesitance, the assassin inquired, “Did you follow me here?”He was surprised as Gilbert let out an amused snort. “No, I like coming here to the library, I love reading. I just caught your scent and decided why not talk to you now too?”A soft noise upon exhalation was Kiku’s response of acknowledgement.“Anyways, I guess I’ll leave you to your own thing. Just don’t forget, okay?”It was a simple conversation that had not lasted long, but it made him wonder what Gilbert wanted to talk about tonight, and by the time night had fallen, Kiku had gotten himself prepared with the gear he normally wore while out on a job, though the vampire requesting that he wore it tonight for the reasons he had not specified. He would only find out in time and determine if the vampire was actually a threat all this time. Although, if it had been a trick, it was doubtful that he would request him to wear his gear. A vampire would likely want their victim in a vulnerable state. As he opened the door to the tavern, he was met with an assortment of beings within the bar, sitting at tables socializing, while others sat alone in silence, a few turning their gaze to the door where Kiku entered before returning to their previous business, unbothered by the newcomer. It was like any other bar.Boots tapped on the ground from Kiku’s steps into the tavern, light compared to many others lounging around the public gathering place. As he made his way to the front counter, he was met with a man of smaller stature, his species causing him to be of a shorter size, but tall enough to reach over the counter, his forehead reaching the lower half of Kiku’s chest. Green eyes stared up at him intensely, blond, shoulder length locks slipping forwards with the lower tilt of his head, a near glower to his expression. He almost appeared unwelcoming, staring at Kiku as though he had broken into his home, and had not merely stepped into his tavern. Gilbert had spoken of this man before, the owner of the tavern, Vash, a haltija is what he had mentioned. There were some forms, but Vash had appeared much like a regular elf without pointed ears. His kind were normally meant to protect something or someone, and Vash was the latter. Beyond that, Gilbert had not mentioned.“What would you like?” The short man interrupted him.“I am looking for Gilbert.”“Oh, it’s you,” Vash’s hand shot up, and he gestured to the table Gilbert resided in, snapping his fingers a couple of times as he pointed, “over there, he’s been waiting awhile for you after his shift.”“Gilbert works here?” His head turned to the pointed table, noticing Gilbert wave at him with a smile.Vash snorted, “He never told you that? Strange guy. He does in his spare time. One of the best workers I’ve got.” He shrugged. “Anyways, you better go see him, he’s still waiting. Unless your next words are to order a drink or give me a tip for doing a good job and pointing you in the right direction, I suggest you go and see him.” He said bluntly. “Just doing my business, I have work to do.” He excused after.Although Kiku had more questions for Vash, he silently obliged to his request, turning on his feet to approach the vampire at the table.Sitting down across the table from the vampire that patiently waited at the booth, Kiku folded his hands neatly on his lap, sitting in a proper manner as he always did. “Why did you-” before Kiku could finish his question, Gilbert had raised his hand, pointing a finger upwards to silence him, giving him a turn to speak first.“Do you trust me?” The question was immediate, the fingers of his other hand tapping lightly against the surface of the table as he anxiously, yet boldly waited for an honest answer. Kiku was surprised by how serious he had gotten. He was normally more relaxed and outgoing, but his tense posture, the glimpse of disappointment and melancholy in his eyes, reflected his wisdom and age, showing that there was far more to the vampire than what sat before him.“Trust you?” The question struck Kiku, knowing the answer as soon as it was asked, yet unsuspecting of such a forward question.“Yes.”“That is a forward statement. I do not know you that well.” He answered.“You get along with Feliciano, and you have no troubles talking to Lovino, but you seem to hesitate with me and Lud. Maybe it’s not trust, but I can see it in you. You act differently around us than them. You think differently about us than you do about them, don’t you?”An unwilled suspicion arose inside of him, Gilbert’s ease of reading him making him wary of why the other had requested to be here with him tonight. The man before him was able to read him well while the others did not appear to notice how much stronger he felt the split between good and evil deep down, inwardly questioning how he knew.“Listen,” Gilbert combed a hand through his hair, “you’re good at hiding how you feel, I can tell that much. You don’t express stuff often, and you’re not really that much of a talker. You listen to people more than you speak, don’t you? What I’m saying is that- even though you’re good at hiding your emotions, I’ve seen the subtle differences.” He shrugged. “And even if I’m wrong, if there’s something that you want to talk to me about, why don’t you just say it?”“No, I do not trust you. Your kind is meant to harm mine. Dark people are evil, as light are the good. It has been proven many times to myself.”Gilbert frowned, anger almost flashing in his eyes, unhappy with Kiku’s adamant accusation of him being nothing but evil. “You’ve convinced yourself that I’m an evil being, haven’t you? Why? I thought you’d be different. You seemed kind enough,” he huffed, “but you’re no different from so many of the people that blindlessly follow the king’s propaganda, you just hide it inside of yourself and lie to us.”“I do not believe in the king’s word, I have witnessed it for myself. I have seen some of the horrible things that beings like you can do.” Kiku stared intensely at Gilbert, his pools of brown challenging a crimson red. “I have killed many people, many that are dark, evil creatures. Not often have I harmed light. People hire me for revenge, and many have wanted it on dark beings who have harmed them or family in some way, who have done much bad in the world. I am not a good person either, but some of the things I have seen.” Kiku frowned from under the mask he wore, his gaze lowering, head slowly shaking in disbelief.“Not all of us are evil. I’m not like those beings you’ve killed, and Lud isn’t either. We haven’t done anything to you, or anyone. We’re trying to help.”“You have to kill people to survive, do you not?”Gilbert was struck, his expression oddly unreadable to the assassin, only able to associate it with anger and insultment, but a crestfallen gaze in his eyes. “No, I don’t,” he said, a firmness in his tone.“Then how do you feed? From animals?”Gilbert shook his head. “No I-” he hesitated, “I feed from willing people.”Surprised by Gilbert’s answer, Kiku backed down, taking what he said into deep thought. A vampire that fed from willing people was strange and rare to come across, but it did make the assassin think.“I don’t want to hurt any people. I was not born like this, Kiku.”“You were changed?”“Yes. You’re kind and perceptive enough, why don’t you judge people after you know them, not by what they are?”“Because I have seen the things dark beings can do.”“What you saw was different. Those were bad people, but that doesn’t mean that we’re all like that. You don’t go out at night unless you’re out to kill someone, right? You haven’t seen the full potential of this city at night, only the side that people are afraid of.”Tense, strict posture relaxing to lean back against the seat, Kiku had to think carefully about it.“Have I, or Lud, ever done anything to hurt you since we met?”“No,” he said simply, sighing in defeat. “Perhaps- I have a misunderstanding of things.” The mumble came out quiet, but did not slip past Gilbert’s ears.The vampire smiled, nearly a grin splitting his lips apart. “Let me show you how some things can be.” Standing up, Gilbert offered a hand to Kiku.Politely declining the offer, Kiku stood up on his own and faced the taller man.“I’ll lead the way.” He smiled again before turning and leaving the tavern, Kiku hesitantly following behind. “Tonight is the third full moon of the year, and there’s a celebration held for it every year. Have you heard of it before?”Kiku shook his head. “I have not heard of it.”“That’s because you haven’t enjoyed this place at night, yeah?”“I have been out before, but only for walks when I am not working. I enjoy exploring the city and the nature around it.”“How about you enjoy the people and the culture a bit for once then, huh?”Kiku was surprised as the vampire suddenly took him by the hand, tugging him along with hurried footsteps to get to the festival in time.They passed many blocks within the vast city, the trek across the city consuming some of their time, they only shared a few conversations as they hurried to the festival, the vampire explaining what the gathering was about, how it was meant for a time of gathering, a thriving time for the werewolves and beings that relied on the moon and darkness. Things grew brighter as they approached the area, finding children, beings, animals, all mixed alike as they played and socialized about in the area. Lights and lamps casted with a magic causing them to glow various colors while merchants sold food and wares, trinkets and souvenirs alike.“It looks pretty awesome, doesn’t it? Bright and colorful.”Hesitating, Kiku looking around the area to get more of a glimpse of everything. It was just as the city was during the day: full of life and activity. It was just as it was, but with beings of the night. No arguing or fighting, only festivities.“Go ahead and take a look. You’re safe. It’s frowned upon for fights to happen here.” Hesitant eyes looked to Gilbert before he walked up to a merchant stand, looking at the items for sale, the most prominent items being the uniquely shaped individual lamps, each one glowing a different color. Animals that were meant to be large pranced around in small containment jars, although the environment placed inside was enough for them to be mobile and have plenty of freedom. Kiku leaned forward, hands moving to his knees for support as he stared into a jar, he watched, fascinated as a cheetah inside lazed about on a rock, letting out a monstrous, tiny yawn. Kiku purchased one of the lamps, a lamp that had crystal-like kois hanging from it, glowing white and orange, corresponding with the colors of the kois. It was a captivating sight for him, and as he returned to Gilbert, the vampire grinned down at him and nodding in approval, clearly happy about the item he got.As they made their way down the street, Kiku nearly dropped the lamp he had bought when a couple of children, a werewolf pup, and an elf child ran into him from behind, nearly knocking him over. He stumbled forwards, only for Gilbert to catch him. Quickly, the assassin pulled himself up from Gilbert, mumbling a “thank you” before looking down at the children who stared up at him with wide eyes.“I’m sorry, sir!” The small wolf apologized. “We were playing tag and I didn’t see you. Mama always says to apologize to people. Did I do it right?” She tilted her head.Kiku smiled politely down at the pup. “Yes, of course.”“Tag, you’re it!” The elf shouted as he touched the werewolf on the back and suddenly ran into the crowd again.“Hey, no fair!” She called out to her elf friend before looking back up at Gilbert and Kiku, offering a wolfish smile. “I’m sorry again, I hope you and your husband have a fun time!” She quickly turned and followed after her friend before they could reply. “Our mamas said we’re not allowed to stray to far, remember!”“Kids, they’re really something.” Gilbert said.“They think we are in a relationship.” Kiku almost found it amusing, a ghost of a smile daring to touch his lips, though his cheeks were somewhat flushed from embarrassment, somewhat flustered by the statement.Gilbert chuckled at him. “See, it’s not all that bad, yeah? What do you say, husband?” He leaned forward towards Kiku, getting in the assassin’s personal space, though Kiku made no move to lean back. “Let’s go see the parade.” Another smile crossed his lips.Following after Gilbert, he lead the way down the sideways, soon leading him to one of the main cobblestone streets. He cursed in a language that he could not understand. “It looks like it’s already starting.We made it just in time.” The vampire said, Kiku slipping past to stand next to him and watch as the parade began, his ears picking up on the faded sound of music, his eyes catching sight of the fox and the wolf-like creature that pranced about at the front. One wore beads and feathers, a beautiful and elegant air about it, while the other looked more ominous, yet held the same elegance while the white beads danced about on its black fur. Kiku continued to observe the animals with interest, even as they drew closer.Gilbert soon piped up as the fox and other creature began to pass them. “This festival used to represent unity between light and dark, but it’s been forgotten lately. That’s what I think, at least. The summer fox is the sun, the feathers and beads on it representing the earth and the animals that live on it, while the black shuck is the darkness of the night, and its eyes representing the moon that shines over the world when the sun cannot.” He shrugged, acting as though he had not mentioned the symbolism behind the festival. “Not nearly as many light beings come to see it as often as they used to. It’s disappointing, but the festival is still awesome to see.” He smiled down at Kiku while he watched the show.As the parade passed, with plenty of extravagant carts, beautifully dressed beings and animals alike, Kiku found that he had a different perspective after everything he has seen tonight. There was a side of these people that Kiku had never thought of, or much seen before. He was starting to think, that maybe they were not all as bad as he thought them all out to be. Perhaps the king had warped his own thoughts about them as well, but his mind had been liberated from the total thought of dark beings crawling out of the woodwork as shadows and clutching onto an innocent bystander. They appeared more concerned about their parade and festival, than any other beings they could harm nearby.When the excitement faded, Kiku accepted Gilbert’s offer to walk him home, and as they walked through the streets to his home, he decided to ask something that had been lurking in the back of his mind for awhile. “Gilbert?”The taller man hummed in acknowledgement, his crimson eyes on Kiku with full attentiveness.“Did you plan this?” The assassin inquired after.“Yeah, I actually meant to call you with my mirror and ask you, but I found you at the library.” His answer was honest. “Evil,” Gilbert started, earning the short man’s attention, “is not what the being is, but it is what they choose to do with their power. Anyone can be good, and anyone can be evil.”“I always assumed-” Kiku began, but stopped himself, feeling defeated, and somewhat foolish at the same time. Dark beings may lean towards evil, but they still had their own feelings and thoughts. “Many people still get harmed by them.”“And many light beings harm us a day too.” He challenged.Lips thinned into a small line as Kiku brooded about it all, needing much time to think about what he had been shown tonight. His thoughts may have been wrong all along.He knew one thing though.Gilbert is a good man. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A few months have passed now since Kiku met the strange rebellious crew, and he was starting to get to know them better individually. Speaking to Ludwig more often and being around all of them has finally earned Gilbert’s full approval, past arguments being placed aside and forgiven. Kiku considered them all as good acquaintances, perhaps even his friends after spending so much time with them. Dressed in his gear, Kiku currently sat, crammed in a storage crate with Ludwig, while Lovino in another with Gilbert. The king had gotten possession of much of the people's money, taking it away by claiming that they needed to be taxed further, and doubled the amount of rent for merely living on his land. People were unable to leave due to the ban of contact with other cities, many of them soon to have their homes taken away and nowhere to live.This lead the group to take control of a transportation airship filled with the people’s coin, and to take control of it in order to bring it back to the people who owned it, and earned it.“Ugh, it’s so crammed in here, when can we get out?” He heard Lovino complain in the next crate over, earning a shush from Gilbert so that their cover was not blown.“Not until Feli gives us the signal.” Gilbert responded.As if on queue, a bunch of shouting occurred at the top of the ship, and the sound of frantic footsteps as all of the crewmembers ran upstairs to see what was happening.“Well, there it is, let’s go!” Kiku heard the other crate crack open, knowing that it was Lovino getting impatient and bursting out of it.Ludwig nodded to him through the dark, and pressed his back to the roof of the crate, popping it open with ease. He stood up, and stepped out of the box with Kiku following behind.They all stop, however, noticing that there were a few other people around them, chained in handcuffs and to each other. “Please free us. We were taken from our homes.” A man claimed. “I swear I’ve done nothing wrong. I want out of here.” Indeed, this was no prison ship, some of these people looked like they would not harm a fly, dressed as though they had just been ripped from their homes and daily lives. There was no doubt about it, they were meant to be slaves and servants meant for work.Lovino froze, Gilbert bore a puzzled expression, Ludwig frowned, and Kiku’s mouth opened slightly in shock.Stiffening, Ludwig oddly appeared uncomfortable. “This has gone too far.” He firmly stated.“This is not how the city is supposed to be,” Kiku mumbled.“Guys, we have to get moving. We’ll free these guys when we take control of the ship. ” Lovino’s tail flicked before clambering up the steps on his hooves, Gilbert, and the other duo running after them.As they made it to the main deck, they find Felciano Struggling under a man’s hold, his wings frantically slapping at- from what Kiku could assume- the captain of the ship that stood next to him, trying to pin them closed, clearly aggravating him to no end. The angel spoke frantically in protest.“Now!” Gilbert shouted, and they all sprung into action.Gaining the attention of all of the other crewmembers, battle and confusion immediately broke out between them all. As Gilbert remained hidden beneath a heavy hood to hide himself from the sun, three men took the liberty to try and grab it, but he was faster, and used his strength to push them all away. Ludwig took to his wolf form, biting into one of the men’s ankles and tossing him at a few other crewmembers, knocking them over.Lovino bounced up the steps, shouting for the captain to let go of his brother before promptly kicking him in the behind with his hooves, causing the man to stumble, giving Feliciano the few moments of distraction he needed to free himself and leap into the air. After kicking a hoof to the driver’s head, knocking him unconscious, Lovino grabbed onto the steering wheel of the ship.Feliciano swooped downwards during flight to assist Kiku while he took on four people at once, being evasive as they attacked, careful not to potentially kill one of them, but rather knock them unconscious or immobile. Working together, they fought all of the crewmembers, cornering them and knocking them unconcious. By the end of the fight, they had all of them tied and chained up, using the cuffs and ropes restraining the imprisoned slaves in the basement of the ship after freeing them. While Kiku and Gilbert tied the last crewmember up, they heard a sudden crack through the air and Feliciano cry out in pain. Spinning on their heels, they saw one last remaining crewmember.“What the hell is going on back there?!” Lovino called from the front of the ship while he used the controls.Before any of them could move, Ludwig was already moving, lunging at the man that assaulted Feliciano. Another gunshot broke through the air, mixed with snarling and biting, the weapon being ripped from his hands with jagged teeth and tossed aside. The crewmember cried out in terror as the werewolf assaulted him, with no form of protection.“Ludwig, that’s enough!” Gilbert snapped, running up to him and pulling the lumbering wolf off of the man. Kiku silently stalked after him, carefully pulling him away and starting to tie him up with the others. He looked mauled, but not injured enough for death to come swiftly.The werewolf limped to Feliciano, crimson droplets connecting with the ground, falling from his shoulder. Feliciano was kneeling on the ground, a hand tightly pressed to his wing, the bullet hitting the lower part of it, but luckily not hitting any of his bones. His hands and wings shook, clearly in shock and fear after being hit.Changing back into a human, Ludwig wrapped an arm around Feliciano. “It’s okay, Feli. You’ll be fine.” “I’m not going to die again, am I?”Ludwig snorted. “No, of course you’re not.”“This is inhumane,” Kiku says as he approaches them. “The king should not rule a city such as this, filled with modern magic and technology, if he is to abuse it and harm the growth of it so uselessly. Its potential is being ruined by him.“You’re officially one of use now if you’re talking like that.” Gilbert comments with a grin. “Now, let’s get this thing on the ground.”After landing the ship, they returned the coin to the people it had been taken from, handing some to the ones who had been taken prisoner by the king, and sending them off to return to their homes. The five of them had been stunned by what they had discovered, realizing that things were only becoming all the more dire within the city. They took care of Ludwig and Feliciano’s injuries as quickly as possible, taking them to Arthur, who had only then been finally introduced to Kiku, the assassin discovering his true appearance, the most striking being his thick eyebrows and bright emerald eyes, with blond, messy hair, that equally fit his personality well. He warned that the two of them should avoid any strenuous activities, such as flying and fighting for the next couple of weeks, even though he had healed them, just to be careful with the fresh healing. They told Arthur of what they found on the ship, and the warlock reacted with surprise, saying that they may need more people to help them, and agreed that he would help, only if they were in dire need of assistance or healing, recommending that they find more people, especially since Ludwig and Feliciano need some time to recover.Deciding to lay low, the five of them went their separate ways for a few days to take a break and allow the two injured to recover. Kiku had continued with his regular business, taking on an assignment to assassinate a halfling that had been causing problems for someone. There were no questions asked, or reasoning for the hit, but Kiku did not question it, only moving on with his work. With lights flickering in the darkened parts of the city, Kiku moved through the cobblestone street, footsteps silent as they brushed the surface of the ground. He trekked through alleyways. However, a peculiar sound caught his attention. Swiftly, he made his way around the corner of the next building and took cover behind the wall, peering around the corner to find, shockingly enough, another human. However, the creature that lumbered in front of him made Kiku realize that he was in dire danger. A wendigo. It was hard to reason with them, especially the ones that were more animalistic than anything else, and that was precisely what this one was like.“Oh, shit!” The blond man cried out, cerulean eyes turning as his head did, sprinting away as the wendigo chased after him in a hot pursuit, satchel at his side bouncing against his waist as he ran.Going wide-eyed, Kiku shot out from behind the corner and chased after the two, pulling a small glass vial from his cloak to shatter it against the ground and gain the attention of the wendigo.Building up himself, he called out loudly to gain the wendigo’s attention further, unsheathing his blade, and pulling out one of the small flasks strapped around his waist, the one he held containing an orange liquid, each container having it’s own magical element contained inside of it. The creature stopped and went stiff, turning around to find a new potential meal.Some wendigos were malicious, and hardly had any form of conscious or self-restraint, and this one was one of the more animalistic ones, finding its way into the city to find some prey.Without hesitation, the wendigo lunged at him, full intentions of killing him on the spot if possible. Using all of his strength, Kiku launched himself into the air, side-flipping out of the way of its extended claws lashing outwards at him. Having dealt with wendigos before, Kiku luckily knew exactly what to do in a situation such as this. As the creature’s claws scraped the ground and swept at him, he raised his sword and blocked the attack. He blocked a few more blunt hits before finding an opening. Jumping backwards, he tossed the flask to the creature’s chest, flames erupting from it upon shattering on impact.Running back towards the other human, Kiku gestured for him to follow, and he complied with his command, although with a slight puzzled look. If the creature did not pass on to the underworld from the flames, than at least it would provide enough of a distraction for them to get away at the moment. Slipping into the nearest building open overnight, chancing on a convenience store, a judging glance was sent their way by a goblin cashier before moving back to their own business. “Wow, you kicked his ass, dude. How’d you do that?” A thoughtful cerulean gaze looked over Kiku, thinking deeply over something that the assassin could not so easily read with a stranger. “Can you teach me how to protect myself?”The question came so suddenly, Kiku had to think momentarily to understand if he had heard him correctly. Such a high request had never been asked of him before. “You do not know who I am.” He finally concluded.“Maybe not, but you’re a human too, aren’t you? You’re a human like me, yet you know how to defend yourself like that without any help. The name’s Alfred, by the way.”“Why would you want my help?”“I’m a really unlucky guy. I always run into the bad guys here, and I always get hunted down by them, if it wasn’t by my boyfriends or someone saving me all the time, I’d be a goner by now. I want- I want to never have to run anymore, ya know? I’ve lived here for awhile, but I’ve never actually felt like I belonged here. I feel more like I’m here for a visit or something. I’ve always gotta hide or stay away from certain sections of the city, especially since the king guy is rustling everyone up. Like where we were at, it was dangerous in that part, but I still went anyways. I wanna stop relying on charms and luck, or other people to protect me. I want to feel safe here, and you didn’t even look scared while fighting that wendigo, and I want to be able to do that.” Pursed lips from under a mask, deep pools of brown looking away momentarily, brooding over what had been said to him, Kiku carefully thought over what his decision may be. The stranger, Alfred, did not have any prior training, but with how he spoke of the king in his few shared words, the other’s opinion was somewhat revealed to him, which made him think that perhaps the other human could be of willing assistance if he was not fond of these restrictive rulings as well. “Perhaps I may be able to help you, but I have one question as well.”“Sure, shoot.”“If you think the king is causing problems with your safety recently, perhaps you may be able to help me as well. If you would like, I could teach you the necessary self defence that you will need to know, while you help me and a few friends try to bring peace to this city of conflict from the king.”“Oh, are you one of those rebellious guys the king’s hunting down?”“Excuse me?”“I guess you haven’t heard the news lately, huh? He’s pretty mad with you guys, but I think you did a great thing. You guys were like heroes, and I’d totally wanna be on board with that!” He grinned, pointing to himself proudly, before a frown soon replaced his eagerness. “Besides, one of my boyfriends has been getting hassled a lot lately, since he’s a dark being and all, and I’m sure they’d both wanna help you out too.”“Really?”“Yeah! You seem pretty surprised. You must not trust people a lot, huh?”Startled by Alfred’s oddly good observation, Kiku ignored his inquiry, and moved onto what he thought was the more important subject at hand. “So you will all be with us if you can?”“Yeah, I’ll ask them tonight. Where do you wanna meet up again?”“Vash’s tavern, tomorrow night.”“Alright, I’ll be there. They might be a bit suspicious, knowing them, but you saved my life, so you’ve gotta be okay.”“Will you be fine going home?”“Yeah, the streets should be fine from here to home now. Thanks a lot for your help. I should get going back now anyways. After that wendigo, I think I’m done for the night. I’ll see you around.” With that said, Alfred left the convenience store with a wave, and Kiku was left to proceed with the real reason he left his home tonight.With His assignment passing by smoothly last night after the encounter with Alfred, Kiku woke up mid-afternoon to move onto his daily activities the next day, however, he planned to see Gilbert before moving onto anything else. Knocking on Gilbert’s door, it was not long before he emerged with a cloak slipped over his shoulders and head. Kiku explained to him of Alfred and how he was to meet him, and potentially his boyfriends as well, that night at Vash’s Tavern. Kiku also explained after some thought, that there were two more people that may be interested in helping them if they could, Yao and Francis, and so, with some convincing, Gilbert followed after Kiku down the street, hand slipping out from beneath his cloak.“Gilbert,” Kiku gasped, turning to notice Gilbert with his hand sticking out from under his clothes, “Be careful.” The vampire appeared momentarily fascinated by the sunlight. Kiku went up to him and took his hand, gently pushing it back under the fabric of his cloak, fretting much like a mother hen.“It’s warm.” His voice was soft. “I guess a bit too warm for me.” He chuckled. A momentary silence followed before Gilbert let out a quiet, “umm.”“Oh!” Kiku let go of Gilbert’s hand. “My apologies.As they entered Yao’s shop after their walk, the bell at the top rang, immediately signaling their presence in the store. Francis was quickly at the front, wings shuffling momentarily before tucking neatly behind his back. “Ah, Kiku. You’re here.” Standing up straight, his eyes lit up as he noticed the taller man standing beside Kiku. “Is this Gilbert, that vampire you love speaking of all the time?”“E-excuse me?” Kiku stuttered at the accusation. “I do not speak of him all the time. I talk about everyone else as well.” He protested.Yao came from the back of the store, a cloth in hand as he wiped away coal and dirt from his hands. “What’s going on in here?”“Ah, my lovely dragon, Kiku brought his friend Gilbert with him.” Francis looked to Kiku. “That is Gilbert right?”“Ah, yes.” Kiku gestured to the vampire next to him. “Yao, Francis, this is Gilbert. Gilbert, this is Yao and Francis.”“It is the dear vampire our human friend speaks of all the time.”Kiku huffed softly in indignation. “Not quite all the time.”“Ah, but there’s something different when you speak about Gilbert, a look in your eyes. Perhaps you think differently of him, perhaps a deep admiration or bond. You have developed a good friendship with him.” Francis commented.“You’re talking like I’m not standing right here.” Gilbert let out a light-hearted laugh at their conversation, removing the hood once he was out of direct view of the sunlight. “I’m glad I’m so popular. You must like me a lot, huh, Kiku?” He teased.“Not you too.” Kiku sighed in resignation.Yao watches as they all exchange words, a wariness about him while his hands tightened around the cloth he held. Francis lightly placed a hand on his shoulder.“Anyone that is a friend of Kiku’s is a friend of ours. He has brought us much service.” Swiping some hair from his eyes with his free hand, Francis looked to Yao and smiled in assurance.Yao let out a sigh and looked between them. “Right, yeah.”“I have come, because I have wanted to ask a favour from the both of you, and I kindly understand if you deny.” Kiku changed the subject, moving onto the reason of why they had arrived at the shop.“What is it, Kiku?” Yao asked.“We have become concerned with the king, and we do not know what he plans to do. We have heard that he is unhappy with us, and,” Kiku hesitated, “we have discovered some of the grave things he is doing. Slavery, stealing the people’s money, tearing the city apart. We wish to do something, but we may need some help.” Francis looked shocked while Yao bore a frown, eyes narrowing in serious thought, anger sparking in his eyes.“This sounds like it’s getting out of hand.” Yao’s gaze trailed to Gilbert momentarily before resting on Kiku again. “But this is that last straw, I will not stand for this anymore. This is out of control, and the king has taken it too far. Whatever it is that you need help with, Kiku, just tell me when you need it.”“Yes, and I will take part as well, but-” Francis frowned, “I will not kill anyone. It is not my job to kill people anymore, as I once been assigned before. I only take care of children at a daycare, and help Yao here now.” “Don’t worry,” Gilbert spoke, “you won’t have to kill anyone.”After a few more exchanged conversations, mostly of Francis and Gilbert speaking together, the two getting to know each other, as long with Yao, Kiku listening patiently and speaking when he felt like it.Gilbert left the shop with Kiku, telling them to meet them tonight, smiling, glad that he had met the two, finding out that they can actually be quite nice. Working together, they remain cautious,careful not to be reported by the people or the guard, but try to speak of the king, to see what personal opinion people may have formed of him. Many speak negatively, while some do still believe that he may be trying to help, blaming it on dark beings for causing the true chaos in the city rather than the king himself. As the evening drew, shadows of the buildings spilled on the ground while the sun set, Kiku heard Gilbert shout out in surprise behind him. Spinning around, he ran up to Gilbert, but stopped when he noticed someone standing in front of him, speaking to him. Kiku felt as though he was standing in front a mirror, the stranger who bore his same figure staring back at him, a near replica of himself, aside from the crimson eyes that narrowed at him.“Well, this is indeed awkward.” The copy of himself stated. “I would claim it as coincidental, but perhaps I should not lie for now.”“Yeah, I kinda thought this guy was you, Kiku. It’s a bit weird.” Gilbert informed.“Who are you?” Kiku questioned.“Do not worry, I will not claim to be an “eviler version of you” although, that would be funny.” He chuckled lowly to himself.“You already sound so trustworthy,” commented Gilbert.“Shh, don’t be so defensive, I promise I won’t bite.” He smirked at the vampire, attention directly on Kiku after. “I have encountered you before, although you have never seen me. I am a rare form of species, a shadow person, much more rare than a simple human such as yourself. I liked your form, so I decided to use it for myself.”“Kuro, there you are! Where did you go?!” Another man ran up from behind the shadow copy, stopping next to the stranger. Messy, strawberry blond hair nearly brushed the top of his eye brows, flowing from each movement he made. He bore a surprising amount of pink in his attire, a pretty blue bow on the collar of his shirt to top it all off. The look was fitting for him. “Oh, Blackie, who is this, he looks exactly like you. Is this the one you took form of?” “Oliver, I thought you stayed inside, and yes, he is.”“Hey, you’re a vampire too. Actually- I think I remember you.” Gilbert pulled Kiku behind himself, stiffening a little in defense, looking as though he may lunge at the newcomer.“Oh dear!” He covered his mouth. “You must have heard of me a long time ago. Please, allow me to explain myself before we get blood all over the ground, yes?” He bowed his head, much like a gentleman would. “I used to hunt other people for game and for food, but I am no longer like that, only when I get famished. I have settled down much since then. I own a bakery now instead, and Kuro taste tests all of my food for me to make sure it tastes right. Sometimes the dear poppet digs in a little too much though.” He pouted.Kuro snorted, suppressing a chuckle as he looked to Kiku again. “Needless to say, your friend mentioned something about the king to me earlier. Are you getting yourselves into trouble?” He inquired.Gilbert was quick to explain everything to him, and after, Kuro had only raised an eyebrow in curiosity, Oliver looking to the shorter, shadowed form, waiting on him for an answer.“Very well,” Kuro stated after some thought. “I will help you with this peculiar excuse of rebel fighters for freedom and justice. I am doing so in repayment for stealing your form, Kiku. Besides, Oliver’s bakery may be in danger if nothing is done about this.” He shrugged.“Quite a few people have caused problems because I am a vampire.” Oliver spoke up.“Plus, I would no longer be able to taste test your food any longer if your shop gets shut down.”Oliver chuckled at his comment. “You have too much of a sweet tooth for me to handle sometimes, dear.”Nodding, and offering a slight smile, though feeling somewhat uncomfortable with Kuro stealing his form, Kiku brushed past it for the moment, and spoke up. “Now that you have decided, you may come with us if you desire. We are going to meet a few others soon at Vash’s Tavern soon.”“Very well, we shall follow.” Another smirk formed on Kuro’s lips, and Kiku hoped that look was only a part of his personality. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The visit at Vash’s tavern with Kuro, Oliver, Yao, and Francis had went by smoothly, and the days passed once more in a patient wait for plans. Kiku had went back to his regular business once more while they waited.To have been awoken by a knock at the door in the middle of the night was quite peculiar for Kiku, however, but with his recent friends, he supposed it was not entirely abnormal. So as he opened the door to his home, to be surprised would be an overstatement for Kiku as he saw Gilbert stand before him.“Hey,” the taller man greeted with a casual wave of his hand, oddly raising it after to organize his messy white locks.“Gilbert,” Kiku’s mouth opened in a large, tired yawn, earning a snicker of endearment from his sudden visitor, “what is it that you need?” He inquired. “Well, it’s been awhile since we’ve actually hung out, you know?” He began his explanation. “So I was thinking, and I came up with this awesome idea for us, and I bet you’ll really like it! It’s so good that even I found it great. You like exploring and that, yeah?”Kiku raised a brow, almost suspicious of his large burst of energy and confidence. Gilbert sometimes held an air like this about him, but he seemed more excited tonight than he had been for awhile. “Yes, I do.” Kiku answered. “What is it that you plan on doing with me?”“That’s a surprise!” He drew closer to the door, a playful smile on his lips before he stopped. “Oh, right, I don’t think you’ve ever invited me inside.” He mumbled.Looking downwards, eyes sweeping over him, Kiku noticed that Gilbert was wearing casual clothes for once, although they looked well-dressed on him as well. A large hoodie, the hood doubling as a near scarf with how large it was, the inside and accents red, while the rest was black. Large boots up to his calves, and loose black pants. “Ah, yes, your strange vampire rules.” Kiku smiled, opening the door fully and welcoming him inside. “I will not take long to get dressed, but you may take a seat anywhere you like, Gilbert.” He said, the vampire accepting his offer and taking a seat on the couch while he slipped back into his room to get changed out of his pajamas. Noticing that Gilbert had been wearing casual, yet nice clothing, Kiku put on a pair of black pants with a loose, white shirt, the sleeves reaching his elbows. He wore a black vest over the shirt, and slipped on a pair of blue arm warmers with leaf-like designs on them. Pulling on a blue scarf with white tulips hanging from the ends for warmth, he returned to gilbert in the living room. “I am ready.” He politely smiled.“Wow, you look pretty nice.” He complimented. “The nature stuff looks good on you.” Gilbert stood from the couch, and was already heading towards the door before Kiku could catch up. “Ready to go?”“Yes, I am.” He said before exiting out the door and locking it behind himself, following after Gilbert outside and to the destination that the vampire intended on leading him to.“We’re almost there.” Gilbert said as he lead kiku down a wooden trail further at the near end of the city, wood railings along either side of the trail, looking much like a bridge, through a thickened forest, the walk having taken time, but as they emerged to their destination, Kiku was put in a state of awe.A large pond stretched out before him, surrounding trees, brush, and flowers encasing it into an area of seclusion. A trail of stepping stones reached across the pond, spaced as though they had been intentionally placed in their current homing. Water lilies spread over areas of the pond, adding an elegance to the water already filled with so much beauty. Lamps glowed a soft blue across the still water, illuminating the pond, the light stretching across the reflective surface, floating on the surface of the water, a special rune in place to keep the light alive.“This place is,” Kiku had to draw in a breath from the awe he felt, “beautiful.” He turned to Gilbert. “How did you find such a place?”“I have my ways.” A smirk spread across his lips before it spread into a nervous smile, Kiku finding the change of expression off, especially since Gilbert tried to mask himself with confidence much of the time, but he brushed the gesture off as nothing. “Let’s say I’ve done some exploring myself a long time ago, when I got really bored.” Stepping onto one of the stones, Gilbert extended a hand to him. “Care for a walk over the surface?”A bright, genuine smile spread across Kiku’s lips, feeling a sense of warmth and safety, a polar opposite of feelings compared to when they had first met. Taking Gilbert’s hand, he allowed him to guide him over the water, both stepping over each stone, careful not to slip and get soaked from the watery ground below. “I am glad that you have shown me this place, I have never seen it before.”“I wanted to give you a good surprise for once. It’s not often to get the great assassin Mr. Honda surprised like this. It looks beautiful here at night with the lamps, though I’ve always wondered what it’s like during the day.” A frown, filled with despondency and misery momentarily crossed his features, but was quickly covered behind a false wall of confidence. However, being as observant as Kiku was, it did not go unnoticed.“You miss the daylight?”“I do. I wish I could see it again. I actually- wish I could go out and be human again. To be able to see the daylight, to feel the sunlight without burning or dying. It sounds so great. I really miss it. I can hardly remember the last time I was able to go out during the day without a cloak.”“It must be hard to be a vampire such as yourself, I apologize that you can no longer go outside and enjoy the sunlight.”“I know one thing though.”Tilting his head slightly, Kiku looked up to him, finding a bright glint in his crimson eyes. “What is it?”“I see the sun every time I look into your eyes.”Flushing darkly, Kiku nearly fell from the rock he stood on, completely flustered and shocked, flattered by such a bold statement. Gilbert chuckled, amused by his reaction. “I guess there’s some other things Mr. Honda can be surprised with.”Kiku directed an awkward smile up at Gilbert, the vampire remaining to look as amused as ever, a victorious posture about him, managing to regain his own flustered composure.Pausing, Kiku spoke, “Do you hear that?” Faintly, Kiku heard the rhythm of a song play faintly in the distance, the music catching his attention, finding that he enjoyed the slow beat of the instruments. “I like the sound of this song. It is fitting for our pleasant walk.” The pond had not been entirely away from society after all.Holding out his hand once more, Gilbert offered him an inviting smile. He opened his mouth to offer a dance, but Kiku had surprised him, silently accepting the offer without hesitation, smiling warmly up at him in return, causing Gilbert to flush on his own accord, though a vampire’s blush was much paler from the lack of blood flow inside of such an undead being. He was aware of how Kiku’s personal space was of much importance, hardly fond of being touched by people he did not know well, and remained hesitant, even with friends.Positioning themselves to a formal stance, Gilbert took the first step back, Kiku following his movements, the two of them soon working together in the dance, guiding one another over the rocks so that they may not fall. Feet lightly stepping on stones, taping over the hard surface, while the song picked up, so did they. Nearly slipping, Gilbert caught Kiku, lifted him to the music, and placed him back on a stepping stone, and continuing their dance. A soft chuckle escaped Kiku after the slip, gasping in surprise as he was dipped by the albino, a hand braced protectively on his back while he held him. Gilbert laughed with him, feeling genuinely happy to be away with Kiku for a short-lived escape from reality, the burden of knowing that destruction may come of the city in the near future, but these moments with Kiku helped ease the feeling, and Kiku felt nearly the same. Kiku’s hand moved on its own accord as their laughter died down, although it felt natural in their shared moments, raising to lightly brush against Gilbert’s cheek, feeling just how cold his skin was for the first time. A gentle, supportive caress, intrigued, and nearly worried, a desire to warm him up with a blanket and some hot chocolate, but remembering that he was a vampire, that this is how he is.Kiku hardly noticed. A vampire. A dark creature, yet now Kiku seen him as all the same, no different from himself, no different from Yao, Francis. He was a friend who held dear to himself, or perhaps, those emotions Francis spoke of, may have been something deeper. Before Kiku could process it, they had broke the distance between each other, sharing a slow, tender kiss. His hand no longer wandered, but rested on Gilbert’s cheek, cold, pale hands resting respectively on his back and the nape of his neck, an eagerness shared, as though they had been waiting a long time, seperated lovers once again finding one another after a long departure.Having to pull away from the kiss for air, Kiku leaned his head back, meeting Gilbert’s hazy, soft gaze, smiling down at him. His hand lowered from his cheek, brushing along his neck before resting on his shoulder.A simple, comfortable silence was shared as their gaze locked on one another, as though they were the only two people in the world.Finally, Gilbert shoots Kiku a sheepish smile and shrugs. “I’ve kinda felt this way about you for awhile now.”With hesitation and thought, he speaks up after Gilbert. “I have as well. I just did not realize it until now.” Not being familiar with romantic emotions, he was always far too busy with his own job and personal matters to think of such emotions heavily in detail. “After what Francis said, it made me wonder what I truly saw in you.”“What do you see?”“I see a man readily willing to protect who he loves, someone who will fight for what he believes in, following commands within reason. You are strong, and brave, and one of the most kind-hearted people i have met. You have shown me so much, you have proved to me that dark creatures are not evil, they are what they make themselves up to be. And you, you are a good person.”Flustered, Gilbert had to avoid Kiku’s intense gaze as he spoke so boldly about him. His previous smile faded, a frown nearly replacing it. “I do not know how much of that is true, but thank you.”“You may mask yourself in confidence, although you have a lack in it.” With an assuring touch, Kiku’s hand wandered up Gilbert’s neck again to his hairline, gently threaded his fingers through the white locks that nearly glowed under the moonlight, brushing through it, the vampire gingerly leaning into the touch and closing his eyes. “You can be hesitant, and you appear to hide a sadness behind that smile of yours, but I care for you all the same. I do not mean to point out any flaws, but you are a person all the same, and you have feelings just as I do.”A chuckle escapes him, lifting Kiku properly onto his feet. “You’re always so observant, Kiku. It’s no wonder why you’re so skilled as an assassin.” He was seemingly evasive of a response for Kiku’s comments, but he was not pressed any further.“You know, you are like the fox from the festival. You, your eyes, everything about you is like the daylight, like the sun that shines over the city, and I’m the black shuck, the night, a darkness that people cannot escape.” He turned his head away from Kiku.Frowning, Kiku found Gilbert’s statement peculiar, the vampire having a lack of confidence in himself, as kind as he was, many people still thought of him as a dark creature of the night, meant to prey on and kill people. It has likely gone to his head over the years. “Perhaps, but the night is something of vital importance to everyone.” Using his hand to turn Gilbert’s head back to him,their eyes meeting once more, a glint of interest in pools of red. “The moon is always there to help people thrive and survive, to bring light when the sun cannot.” He smiled. “You are more like the moon than the darkness itself. I feel that I am more as the moon than the sun.”Thinking it over, Gilbert sighed in defeat. “Maybe, but either way, you’ll always be my sun.”Kiku flushed again, an indignant huff escaping him, finding it unfair that he was making him so flustered tonight. He was not used to such compliments and flirtatious behavior.Slowly, Gilbert pulled Kiku into a gentle embrace. Seemingly hesitant, Kiku wrapped his arms around him in return, sighing softly as he leaned against him, pressing his forehead to the crook of his neck, allowing his eyes to close. He heard no heartbeat, nor did he feel his breathing, but he felt the shift of Gilbert, pulled into a tighter embrace, cheek resting atop his head as they soak in the affectionate touches.“You know, there is one thing I have wondered about you.” Gilbert cut in through the silence. “What is it?”“Were you born here, or are you from the human world?”The question was not what Kiku was expecting, but it was not one that he was uncomfortable with answering. “No, I was not. I am from the human world. I found my way here from Japan.”“I thought you would have been born here. With the way you know the city and fight, I thought you would have grown up in the city. Why’d you come here?”“I will be honest, and say the I never meant to come here, it was an accident. I stumbled into this place though, years ago, and was afraid, new and hunted by beings without a good conscious, and was lost. Someone had found me though, and she taught me to be what I am today. I owed her my life. She saved mine more than once. However, it has long since been a time I last saw her.” Kiku frowned before continuing. “She is no longer a part of this world.”“Ah, I’m sorry to hear that, Kiku.” Feeling a gentle pat on the back, Kiku was comforted by the gesture.“I have moved forward, it is all I can do, but I will always remember her.” It happened years ago, and Kiku remembers everything as clearly as ever, though he spared the details for Gilbert.“My brother passed away a long time ago for me too. Well, I’d imagine that all of my family had passed on. But, my brother was always most important to me.” Kiku pulled away slightly to look up at Gilbert, the subject moving onto him, the shared sympathy resonating in him as he listened to him. The woman who taught Kiku was not family, but she was close to it. He recalled Lovino telling him of Gilbert’s brother. Gilbert let out a short, dry chuckle. “Sucks, doesn’t it? You start to forget what they sound like after so many years, sometimes you forget what they even look like. I’m sorry that you lost her.”“I try to stay at peace with it.” He raised a hand to gently cup Gilbert’s cheek. “And perhaps you should as well.” He suggested.Gilbert regarded Kiku before crimson eyes directed downwards, teeth and fangs protruding between lips to bite at his lower in thought. It almost appeared to him that Gilbert wanted to say more, that he was holding something else back, but Kiku did not say anything, respectfully allowing him to stay silent if he desired, likely not wanting to bring up the subject or memory he debated on talking about.With some thought, Kiku found it best to change the subjects. Sometimes wounds take far longer to heal than others. “I have also been wondering about you.”He seemed to snap back, his gaze on Kiku again, eyes glinting with mild curiosity. “What is it?”“Are you following in Ishikawa Goemon’s footsteps?”“Ishi- who?” Gilbert’s brow quirked upwards in confusion.“Ah- perhaps you will know him more as a “Robin Hood” person, a man who had taken money from the rich and gave it to the poor. He is a whole different man, although the ending of his story was not pleasant.”“Whatever happened to him, that won’t happen to us. We’ll try our best to stop the king, and bring peace back to the kingdom.”Kiku felt doubtful, but for Gilbert’s sake, he tried to put the most faith he could into the vampire. “Even though my brother has passed on, and I miss him dearly, I still have a family. Feli, Lovi, and Lud, they’re all my family now, and I don’t know what I’d do without them. Luddy is like a brother to me now, and Feli and Lovi, they’re like brothers too I guess, as strange as they can be. We’re all a little weird anyways.” He smiled, a low, soft chuckle escaping him. “I wouldn’t want to lose any of them.”Kiku offered him a smile, delighted that he was so happy to talk about the others so fondly. They all really were like a family, friends that stick together, going against all odds rivaling them.A gasp escaped Kiku as the ground no longer stood below him, but was swept off of his feet by Gilbert, arms firmly wrapped around his waist as he lifted him and spun him in a circle. “And of course I can’t forget you! You’re with us family of weird friends! Or gang like you said before, because obviously we are.”A lighthearted, genuine laugh escaped Kiku, his hands moving to lightly hold Gilbert’s shoulders for support while he was lifted. “Well, that is debatable. You do steal from the king.”The vampire let out a raspberry in response, sticking his tongue out slightly. “He’s the one who started it.” He defended jokingly.A laugh escaped the held man, Gilbert joining in with him as they filled the air with their own joy and amusement.Kiku gasped as his was spun again, a fanged grin directed at him while he held onto Gilbert tighter, arms wrapping around his shoulders.“So what do you think? A vampire and his badass assassin boyfriend?”He smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to Gilbert’s forehead. “It sounds awesome.”His newly announced boyfriend looked entirely pleased by the use of his favorite word, so much so, that he pulled Kiku in for another shared kiss on the lips, this time a little more passionate and slow than the last, however, neither of them predicted that Gilbert would end up slipping on the rock and falling over into the water, Kiku having accidentally thrown off their balance. Kiku came crashing down with him, the loud splash from them falling into the water caused nearby fish to scatter. Making their way out of the water and back to dry land, they flopped onto the ground, both laughing and chuckling once more, hair clinging to their faces, and clothes soaked. It had been a long time since the assassin felt so content, even if just for one night. He found that tonight was one of the best times he has had in years, and he was glad to have shared it with Gilbert, with his boyfriend. Eventually, they got themselves up from the ground, this time returning to Gilbert’s place rather than Kiku’s, the smaller man still desiring to visit with him a little longer. As he stepped in the home, he noticed the most prominent colors of the furniture and structure of the home. Blue, white, and black were the most common colors, the man seeming to have had a long time to share with his home and organize everything how he wanted it. Kiku stood at the entrance, not desiring to get Gilbert’s floor or furniture damp in his still-soaked state.The vampire had taken off to his room, a towel and some clothing draped over his arm when he returned for Kiku to dry his hair with and borrow until he was back home. Gilbert was already changed into a sleeveless shirt with a towel over his neck, and casual pants as he handed the dry clothing to Kiku for him to use.“I can leave if you’re uncomfortable with changing in front of me.“No, it is fine,” Kiku mumbled, feeling awkward, but not wanting to kick him out of the living room just for changing. They had known each other a long time, and were now in a relationship anyways, as strange as intimacy was for him. He doubted that Gilbert would judge him any, and was respectful enough.Moving to the couch, Gilbert flopped down on it, letting out a tired, heavy sigh, relaxing back on the comfortable cushion, a content smile spread on his lips, resting his head back against the cushion and closing his eyes. “That was fun.”“It was,” Kiku agreed, pulling on dry pants before taking the towel and rubbing his hair to assist the drying process, some of his bangs tangling and sticking upwards, the locks that framed his face sticking at awkward angles. Meanwhile, Gilbert’s hair looked mostly the same, only a little messy from previously trying to dry it with his towel.Cold arms suddenly wrapped around Kiku, eliciting a gasp from him from the sneaky, gentle embrace from behind. It was not that he was flustered this time, but shocked by the cold arms around him.A cool nose and forehead gently nuzzled the crook of his neck, a contented hum escaping from the tall man behind him. “So warm,” Gilbert murmured, “and you’ve always smelled so nice.” Although Gilbert was respectful, he did sometimes mistakenly break personal space without realizing it, although Kiku was not upset with the gesture, only surprised, shivering only because of the cold arms that wound around his warm skin. “And you are very cold. It is from being a vampire, yes?”“Yeah.”Another hum rumbled from Gilbert after a lapse of silence, this time out of curiosity.The tips of Gilbert’s finger’s gently brushed over a large, prominent, clawed scar over Kiku’s chest, three jagged lines crossing diagonally over his skin, only one mixed with many littered about his body. “I see you’ve got a bunch of scars, just like I do. You must get into a lot of trouble.”Looking down, Kiku noticed the arms wound around him shared their fair amount of scars along with his own. Kiku hesitantly rested his hands over Gilbert’s.Turning his head, Kiku attempted to face Gilbert, but instead, he was met with a cheek pressed against his own. “Ah, um, Gilbert?”“Yes?”“As adorable and handsome as you look, may I please put my shirt on?” He faked a frown, and sighed for exaggeration in disappointment. “Okay, fine, I guess.”Kiku huffed in amusement as Gilbert let go and kept up the act, sulking all the way back to the couch and flopping back on it, lying down with his head and upper back against the pillow while Kiku pull a shirt over his head that was much too large for him.Moving over to the couch, Kiku looked down at the vampire that took up the entire space of the comfortable seat. He raised a brow.“Lay with me?” He smiled, holding out a hand towards him.A light flush crept onto Kiku’s cheeks, wondering if things were moving too fast.At that, Gilbert laughed. “Don’t worry, we’re not doing anything, I just want to cuddle my cutest boyfriend in the world and sap him of his warmth.”Eyes growing warm and fond, he found himself resonating with the vampire well. It was hard to believe that he doubted the man so much before.Taking his hand, Kiku laid down next to him, shifting awkwardly in an attempt to stay on the couch, the lack of room making it hard for them to lay side by side. Eventually giving up, Gilbert pulled Kiku up to lay on top of him, finally managing to get comfortable as they laid down.Kiku rested his head on Gilbert’s chest, eyes soon struggling to stay open as the vampire soothingly threaded his fingers through his hair, hands gently combing through his ebony locks and repeating the gesture.Kiku remembers thinking about how much he has come to trust and care for Gilbert since the first time they met, the struggles they went through together, before eventually surpassing a friendship, holding a strong bond with him that Kiku was uncertain that he had felt before. A “Sleep well, meine Liebste,” had fallen upon deaf ears, Kiku having long since fallen asleep. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Eyes blinking blearily, adjusting to the peculiar darkness of the room, spotting only a fraction of light filtering through the heavy weight of the black curtains, Kiku regained the bearings of his surroundings. He recognized that he was not home as he usually was, but recalled being out with Gilbert all night last night, sharing an eventful and memorable evening with him.His hand lay in front of himself, lightly tracing over Gilbert’s cotton shirt, fingers brushing over the edge’s, eyes directing towards the vampire’s face, nearly jumping when he noticed that he was awake, appearing quite excited, shooting him a light hearted grin.Sitting up abruptly, legs on either side of Gilbert’s thighs, Kiku stared in mild confusion before sweeping his gaze over the room once more.“Hey, you’re finally awake. I’m free!” He Joked, pulling himself up on the couch to sit up straight.“I- uh- ah, right. I stayed with you last night.” Kiku smiled slightly. “It was nice.” However, Kiku quickly came to a realization, and he spoke up in question. “Did you get any sleep? I had forgotten- vampires do not need to sleep. I apologize if you were trapped under me all night, it was not my intention to.”“It’s okay, Kiku, relax.” Kiku felt the assuring pats of Gilbert’s hand on his shoulder. “I can sleep if I want to. I just never need it.”A soft “oh” escaped Kiku in response. “I just decided to sleep because I was stuck under you, and you were so adorable I just didn’t want to wake you up, and you needed your rest and all, since you’re a human.”Sputtering, Kiku flushed at the comment.Clearly, Gilbert was amused by the reaction he received from Kiku, but he moved onto another subject, sliding his legs from under Kiku and off of the couch to stand up. “Your cloths might be dry by now, but you can keep mine until you get home to change.” “Thank you, Gilbert. Perhaps I should return home now so that I can return them?”“If that’s what you want to do. I’ll be disappointed to see you out of my clothes.”Kiku flushed, though this time a smile forming on his lips. “Gilbert, please.”Offering a grin, Gilbert extended his hand, and Kiku accepted the unnecessary help to get up from the couch. Returning to his clothes, he found that they were still fairly damp from their spill in the pond last night, the smell of last night’s adventure, the scent of forest, water, and nature, leaking from the fabric. Slinging the clothes over his arm, he prepared himself to leave, Gilbert following after and slipping on a pair of shoes along with the hood he always wore outside. After last night, there was a lot on the duo’s mind, knowing that their relationship would be changed forever, and thinking of where to go from now on. The walk was more or less quiet, as they soaked in each other’s company, only a few exchanges of casual conversation.They stopped, however, as Feliciano and Lovino ran up to them. “Gilbert! Kiku! Oh no, this isn’t good!” Feliciano cried out as he nearly stumbled into them, pulling out a mirror phone and sliding his fingers over the glass until a video popped up on it. “You need to see this!”“Is that the leader of the guard?” Gilbert questioned.“Yes, quiet, listen to what he’s saying,” Lovino shushed him.“After the tragedy of our lost ship, these menaces to the city, taking what is rightfully ours, and stealing it from under our very noses, need to be taken care of. That money was meant to be given to the people, but they had taken from us, your money, and used it for their own selfish purposes. That’s why I request that you find these people and bring them to justice. A high reward will be given for their capturing, or known whereabouts of these people. This rebellious group that claim to do good, fiendish vigilantes, need to be brought to justice for their wrongdoings. There is no doubt that the leaders are brainwashing them, I would expect nothing less of a dark creature.” After the man disappeared on the phone, it was replaced with drawn descriptions of them. Kiku was relieved to find that he was drawn in his cloak and mask, the guards not knowing what he actually looks like beneath.“What, no way! Those liars! We’re the ones who were giving the money back to the people. That selfish bastard would’ve kept it for himself! There’s no possible way they would know me or Lud are the leaders either!” Gilbert snapped, a low hiss of rage escaping him.“I see that they had forgotten to mention the “slaves” we had stolen from them as well.” Kiku said, expressionless, but displeased about this discovery.“Now the albino is enraged, I like it.” Lovino snorted. “I think they’re bluffing. I doubt they know which one of us is actually leading this shit.”“Things don’t feel safe anymore, they must really want us gone! What do we do, Gil? We haven’t shown Ludwig yet, we were actually going to his house now.”“Alright, we’re going the same way, Kiku’s house is on the way to Lud’s.” Gilbert pointed out.Nodding, Feliciano took after Gilbert and Kiku as they took the lead, Lovino following behind. As they approached Kiku’s home, Feliciano and Lovino had nearly gotten distracted by a market stand, before noticing Gilbert and Kiku walking ahead of them, quickly moving to catch up with them, they only kept idle speech while they walked, the angel doing most of the talking for them.“Oh, you’re wearing Gil’s clothes, you actually look really cute in them!” Feliciano complimented as they entered Kiku’s home.Kiku blinked. “You did not realize until now?”“No, I noticed, I just wanted to compliment you!”“Yeah,” Lovino snorted in amusement. “I noticed the entire time. I just didn’t say anything. It’s been painfully obvious that you two bastards had feelings for each other, worse than with me and Arthur.” He laughed. “So what happened? Are you two a thing now or what?”Quickly, Kiku was evasive, slipping away to his room to change while Gilbert awkwardly explained the situation, telling them that they were in a relationship, but not to let their minds wander.After changing into some casual clothing, Kiku returned to the living room while the other three spoke about what to do next.“Alright, then it’s settled. We’ll all meet at Vash’s tavern tonight.” He looked up to Kiku, standing up to move in front of him. “I’m going to go with Lovi and Feli to warn Lud about this, if he doesn’t already know that we’re practically wanted “criminals” now. We’ll meet you tonight? Can you tell your other human friend of this too? I’ll tell those other two guys we met, Kuro and Oliver.”“Of course.” Kiku offered a polite smile, nodding his head.“Thanks, Keeks.” He smiled before looking back to Lovino and Feliciano. “Alright, let’s go guys!” He said as he headed for the door, the two hopping off of the couch to leave with him.Hearing the door click shut, Kiku let out a heavy sigh. Things are going to get rough.His day was nothing but ordinary and mediocre, aside from telling Alfred of what happened, going about his daily business before returning home and relaxing with a book in hand. He had not realized how uneventful his life had been before meeting the group. As time drew near to gathering at the bar, Kiku prepared himself in his gear, ready for what may be a fight if people were to hear of him and desire such a reward. Rain cascaded downwards as he stood in front of the entrance to the bar, opening the door with one hand while the other remain near his waist, prepared to fight if need be. Vash would be evasive, considering such neutral behavior from him, being more unopinionated than anything else, never caring for what sort of being someone may be, regardless if light or dark. So long as his tavern was unharmed, he did not care. As Kiku’s eyes scanned over his surroundings, he caught sight of Gilbert, Ludwig, Feliciano, Lovino, Yao, Francis, Kuro, Oliver, Alfred, and two other strangers, who were likely the other human’s boyfriends. They were all crammed at one large booth.As Kiku approached the table, the group spoke frantically together, Kiku only just clicking into the conversation. He remained on his feet, not desiring to squeeze into another seat next to them. Feliciano looked worried while Lovino and Yao got into a heated debate.“Enough!” Ludwig finally called out, voice not loud enough to draw attention from the entire bar, but enough to silence everyone at the table. “Here’s what I think we should do.” His voice lowered to avoid wandering ears.”We have to prove to everyone that what the king has done is wrong. We need to show the people how bad he really is.” He huffed, determined with his idea. “Maybe it’ll work, Lud, but how?”“Well, Gilbert, I think what we’ll have to do will put us further at risk.“At this point, I guess we’ll have to do what it take-” before Gilbert could finish his sentence, a chair was launched, and landed in the middle of the table, causing Kiku to jump out of the way, and for some of the group to flinch, or become defensive.“What do you think you’re doing, you rotten angel!”“You’re nothing but trouble, naga.”“Say that again! Are you calling me a dark creature?!” He snapped.“You are, are you not?”“No!”“Hey, what’s wrong with dark beings?! We’re not that evil, you know!” Another person jumped in on the argument.“How would you know, you’re just like the rest of them!” A woman yelled.Feliciano’s wings shifted uncomfortably, Francis joining him with the gesture.Lovino had glanced to his brother before crossing his arms. “These guys really need to can it.”Even here, tensions were rising, light and dark beings that never involve with each other before were at each other’s throats, opposing sides that were once friends had broken bonds.It had all been too late after the chair was thrown, for as the furniture flew through the air, the first punch had been swung from across the bar, and the brawl broke out like wild fire. All beings alike, regardless of origin, were all fighting against each other, each intoxicated and convinced of their own opinions. “Ohh, this is not good.” Feliciano slowly shook his head, upper teeth pressing against his bottom lip nervously.“Yeah, tell me about it.” Alfred agreed. “Should I curse them to make them stop?” One of Alfred’s boyfriends mumbled, wavy shoulder-length hair bouncing as he looked towards the pile of people tossing fists at each other. “I would wait, Matthew.” The other muttered, hair similar to Matthew’s, though messier and tied back in a ponytail, rather than softly curled at the shoulders, violet eyes rather than blue. Two wolf-like ears protruded from his head, while a large, fluffy tail curled around Matthew defensively.“Alright, James.” He mumbled.A foot tapped against the top of the table as Feliciano jumped out of his seat, standing on the surface and extending his wings to full length to attract everyone’s attention. “Enough, everyone!” Feathers ruffled in irritance and anxiousness. “We shouldn’t be fighting! Look at us, what we are doing! Violence shouldn’t have to be the answer! Please, people like me, dark guys aren't that bad, I’m friends with lots of them, and they’re really nice! I trust them with my life!” “Why would we trust you? An angel around dark creatures? Why haven’t you fallen yet?!” Another angel accused.“I-” Feliciano could only choke out before a bunch of others were attacking him. “I don’t know why we have to be so angry.” He breathed out while the accusations directed at him were never relenting.“Enough!” Ludwig’s voice exploded over all of the the people, drowning out all current arguments. “All of you are complete buffoons for fighting each other like this! Now, you all better snap some sense into yourselves before we all tear each other from limb to limb! You’ve chosen to be angry, but none of you have to fight, it’s ridiculous!”As Ludwig shouted, the rest of their group moved to prepare and break up any more of a potential fight, although a dead silence swept across the bar, some people leaving while others took it into consideration, however, the fight was quick to break out again with the remaining majority. Kiku moved to knock out a few men to help disperse the fight, while Gilbert forcefully removed others from the bar with his strength, Matthew threatening to place curses on others in order to help, although he did not appear keen on saying it to them. Alfred and his other boyfriend working together to help Gilbert while Yao and Francis spoke to Vash.As Kiku glanced to Lovino, he notices that the satyr had ended up butting heads with another of his kind, teeth bared and clear anger and annoyance in his expression. His contribution was not necessarily what they had in mind, but he left the satyr to his own devices while he dealt with others.Things were growing more violent as things went on, dark beings starting to use tricks while light starting to aim more fatal blows at them. Neutral kind ended up picking a side and fighting with the other. “Enough!” Vash’s voice was shrill with rage, a loud bang of a gun causing silence to fill the entire bar once more. “Out! Everyone out! Get out of my bar! Now!!!” He screamed. “I’m not afraid to get penalized!” Reloading his gun, he directed his weapon to the nearest dark creature, then to a light. “I don’t give a shit what you are, get out! Better yet, how about you listen to these lard heads! Gilbert, let your friend talk!”Looking to Feliciano, who had more or less remained on the table, uncertain of how to break apart so much fighting, Gilbert nodded at him. Perking up when he was gestured to by Vash.“Go ahead, tell ‘em everything you guys have told me. These two gentleman next to me told me what happened recently.” He gestured to Yao and Francis next to himself, Yao still holding his ears from the gunshot that went off next to him, and Francis looking nearly like a ghost from the sudden surprise of a gun.Taking in a slow breath, Feliciano prepared himself to speak, and when he did, he mustered the best voice he could, although it somewhat faltered. “Listen, I don’t know if you recognize us, but I’m sorry that we have upset the king, but we’re not stealing from him to take away from the people or hurt anyone. It’s actually the opposite! We steal his money to give it back to the people, because we believe that the city can be a better place, just as it used to be. We never used to have problems like this before! Haven’t you realized that we used to be more peaceful. Light and dark have never gotten along, but we’ve respected each other’s boundaries! but now all we do is fight when we see each other.”Looking between all of his friends, Feliciano continued more confidently. “I believe that the king is doing this himself! He’s hiding everything he’s doing wrong and blaming the dark beings for everything.”“And how would you know this?!” A skeptical member of the crowd asked.“That’s because- well- you know that ship that we stole money from? It didn’t have only money, but slaves on board too.”The new information shared with the crowd caused a few people to gasp in shock, others surprised by the thought of the king doing such a horrible thing. Others seemed doubtful, while some hung back and thought.“That’s why now we have to work together more than ever. We can’t have a king controlling us like this! Living in constant fear and hate is not how things should be.” His voice drew quiet as his speech ended.While some seemed to believe, others were wary and skeptical.“Alright, while you all think about it, I’m closing up shop. Everyone out! Think about it for the night and come back to my bar tomorrow instead or whatever.” Vash spoke up, already rushing a few people away towards the exit.After everyone left, with the exception of Gilbert's group, Vash let out a heavy sigh “Thanks for helping me clean out the bar.” He shook his head. “What drunken troublemakers they can be.”“It’s no problem, Vash.” Gilbert smiled. Clearing his throat, he gestured towards the door. “You guys should leave too. I have stuff to do at home.”“Alright, come on, guys.” Gilbert gestured for everyone to follow after him. “We’ll get that bastard of a king soon.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- As a pink hue from the summer’s dusk engulfed the city, Kiku stood at the outskirts, waiting patiently for three others that were to join him tonight. It had been three weeks since the incident at the bar, and all of them had to lay low once more, not raising a single hand towards the king until they had all of their future plans laid out to bring him down. While they laid back, Kiku had placed his focus on training Alfred. They would normally meet alone, but he had invited his boyfriends to join them for the night. It provided an interesting mix if he decided to have them all spar tonight. Their group had also informed Kuro and Oliver of what had happened to keep them, and everyone else, informed of what was happening. The entire group had come to the consensus that things have been getting progressively more chaotic lately, and that something will have to be done before an actual war breaks out, believing that they were on such and extent of it potentially breaking out.The sky was starting to turn purple as he finally saw the three figures draw near, Alfred walking briskly in the lead while Matthew and James Lagged behind.“Hey, keeks, how’s it going?! I’m ready for training today. I’ll definitely be able to sneak up on you soon, I swear!”“Your practice will have been paying off, Alfred.” He smiled politely. There were multiple times before training that Alfred would attempt to sneak up on him and surprise him. All of them had failed, but with more training, Kiku is certain he will be able to do it successfully soon. The first time the other human had attempted such a stunt, Kiku had flipped him over, and the taller man had ended up on the ground, breathless, and wheezing for air.Looking up to James and Matthew, Kiku nodded at them curtly, acknowledging their presence.“Hey, Kiku.” Matthew greeted in response, smiling slightly.James only nodded, not being entirely social with people he did not know well. Alfred told him he did not talk much unless the three of them were alone together.“So what are we doing today?” Alfred quickly got to the point.“I believe we should not get carried away with training as we have before. I think a spar will suffice for the night. I would like to see how much you have improved. Perhaps you can spar with each of us individually to see how you fare with other beings as well?” Kiku raised a brow.Alfred hummed, thinking hard about sparing with everyone, bringing up a hand to tangle his fingers in his blond hair and scratch at the back of his head. He shrugged soon after. “Why not, let’s all try it out. What do you guys think?” He turned to face the two.“I do like the idea. I want to see how you’ve improved too, Alfie.” Matthew smiled warmly.“You two can fight him, I’ll hold back this time. He’d need to have a lot of energy to fight the three of us.” James mumbled.“Then it’s settled. It’ll just be Mattie, Kiku, and me, Let’s do this Kiku.” Alfred grinned."So are we going one on one or may the best man survive?" Matthew inquired."I believe one on one would be less complicated for the moment. Matthew, would you like to start? I know that he is your boyfriend." Kiku said, doubt in his tone."Don't worry, I won't go easy on him." Moving out to the middle of a field where the grass brushed against his calves from length, a wind sweeping through the air, causing the lush green bellow to dance, Matthew prepared himself.Kiku handed the two the object they will be sparring with. Matthew and Alfred stood meters apart, facing each other with a practice wooden blade in hand. James stood behind Kiku while the assassin stood back, the shorter man taking the lead in conducting the spar. "Whoever pins the other to the ground first, or calls a surrender, is a loss. A draw will be given if you cannot pin each other within the next five minutes. Are you both ready?""Hell yeah I am!" Alfred pumped a fist, excited to show off to the other three the skills he has learned. Turning back to Matthew, Alfred prepared himself, raising his wooden sparring weapon. "I know I've gotta be careful around you. You used to be an adventurer after all.""Ah, Alfred, you remember me telling you about that?" Matthew blinked in surprise."Of course, dude! How could I forget!" He shot his one boyfriend a grin.Kiku smiled slightly at their conversation before raising his hand into the air. "Ready?" His hand dropped. "Begin!" He called out.Immediately Alfred was on the move, wanting to catch Matthew by surprise. The changeling was prepared, however, barely managing to evade and counter his move by aiming to smack his stick into his back. Alfred spun around and blocked the move, however. Caught off guard by how Alfred was able to see through his counter, proving that he has improved significantly, he took the opportunity to trip Matthew, causing him to fall over."See, I've got you! I can protect myself." Before he could jump on Matthew and pin him down, he casted a spell, and suddenly Alfred was sliding on a slippery, muddy surface. "Whoa, hey, that's uncalled for!" He shouted before colliding with the ground himself, Matthew standing up again in the meantime. Alfred rolled away from the slippery surface of mud, some of his shirt getting caked in dirt and grime, jumping up onto his feet again.Alfred lunged forward, and their false weapons clashed again, both putting all of their strength into it. Pulling back, Matthew threw Alfred's balance off. Although the human was learning self-defense, the man was surprisingly strong for someone that struggled so much with unlucky events and monsters chasing him. Matthew did not want to get caught under his strength. Alfred stumbled forwards, and Matthew planted a kiss on his cheek, momentarily distracting him, before promptly whapping him in the side with the wooden weapon. "Careful, Alfie.""Oof!" Alfred grunted. "Now that's playing dirty." He complained, resting a hand on his side where he had been hit and gently rubbing it. Matthew hadn't done any serious damage, being light on the other, and considering that it was a spar, there was no need for any serious violence.They went at it again, neither holding back, but both unsuccessful at gaining the upper hand. Matthew used some magic, but Alfred was able to counter it in some way, and Matthew, although evasive of his boyfriend's strength, was able to work around it.Seconds drew to minutes, and eventually, Kiku had to raise his hand, signalling them to cease their sparring.Breathless, Alfred’s hands were braced against his knees as he slouched forwards, beads of sweat forming on exposed skin from the intense sparring.Matthew was in a similar condition, although he stood straight, his wooden weapon discarded beside him as he allowed his breath to catch up to him. “You did well, Alfred, I’m surprised.” He commented. “I thought that I would have been able to beat you, to be honest.” A soft, breathy chuckle escaped him. “Man, your magic is hard to counter. I was worried you’d put a curse or something on me! I hope you weren’t going easy on me, because I was really trying my hardest.” Alfred chided between breaths.“Don’t worry about it, beloved, you did fine. I was not holding back.” Matthew assured Alfred with a smile, having to take some breaths himself.“You did well,” was James' short compliment.“Yes, after these few weeks, I am surprised, impressed by your progress. Perhaps we should wait for my turn to spar with you. You do not seem prepared for another battle so soon.” Kiku commented.Alfred immediately jumped up onto his feet again and stood up straight, pointing to himself. “Nah, of course I am! I can handle it, Kiku, don’t worry.”“If that is what you insist, I will not refuse your determination.” He sighed softly, moving over to where Matthew stood and picking up the wooden sword from the ground. “The same rules apply as they have with your rules with Matthew. I will not hold back, Alfred. Please keep in mind that you are already exhausted from your strenuous fight with Matthew,” Kiku warned.Raising his sword, he waited while Alfred prepared himself, moving to a defensive stance. Both ran at each other full speed.After many failed attempts, with Alfred being placed in many positions, amongst being flipped tossed, gently smacked in the side more often than he wants to admit, landing butt-up in the air from tripping, and other embarrassing positions, he finally raised his hands. "Okay, I give." Alfred had put up a good fight, managing to evade being pinned, and able to place Kiku in the place of embarrassment a couple of times, when he was not being evasive or slippery, able to use his agility, but Kiku was the one training him to protect himself, teaching him what he knows.“Do you always have to show off those cool moves all the time, Kiku.” Alfred huffed, mocking a pout. "My apologies, Alfred." Kiku held out a hand, offering to help him up, the other accepting the gesture and standing with him. "You were exhausted from Matthew beforehand." He added, being logical about the situation."Yeah, I guess." Alfred sighed, raising a hand to scratch at the back of his head before combing his fingers through his hair, shaking his blond locks to cool his head and shake out some dust and dirt from the spar with Matthew earlier. "I'm pretty beat for the night now anyways." He yawned, all the fighting taking a toll on him physically.He went over to James and Matthew, who had been watching them the entire time, leaning heavily against both of them to be dramatic, the two of them hugging him and smiling in return. "One of you guys should carry me, I’m so tired." He groaned, acting as though he could no longer walk."I will." James grunted, lifting Alfred off of his feet, holding him bridal style while the human grinned successfully, wrapping his arms around James’ shoulders, glad that his persuasive comment worked.“Well, I suppose we’re heading home. Thanks for having us, Kiku. You’re free to join us for the walk.” Matthew smiled. With a curt nod of his head, Kiku returned the smile politely. “It was no problem, I may join you for the exercise.”Alfred moved about in James’ arms while they walked, receiving a roll of the eyes in response to his behavior. Matthew was amused by the hellhound’s struggles with his other boyfriend, while Kiku watched them and their shenanigans.All three footsteps stopped consecutively, James, Matthew, and Kiku stopping while Alfred finally stilled, the three of them halting as they heard shouting in the distance, swords clashing, and guns firing.“Does that sound like-”“Fighting.” Matthew finished Alfred’s sentence.They moved forward, the sounds growing more shrill and haunting the closer they got, and once the fighting came to view, they stopped again in disbelief.“No,” Matthew breathed out, bringing up a hand to cover his mouth.Kiku’s lips turned into a thin line while Alfred reflected a grimacing frown. James only stared blankly at the people that fought before them. Dark and light beings fought relentlessly, some unconscious on the ground, blood splattered around them, the town square they entered a complete mess. Scattered and broken crates, merchant stands, and assortment of items, some scattered in the scarlet red that was never meant to be spilled, but violence had taken over the city.Upon further inspection, there were not many fighting, but no one was in a position of power to stop the fight before it had begun, the property not being owned by anyone specific, and the area a public place. No one such as Vash was there to be able to stop it, and this was no ordinary fight. Things tended to get more violent during the night, illegal underground activity, other such bad parts of the city revealing itself. However, this reeked with suspicion with how only the dark and light fought with each other."This is getting out of hand, even for me. Help me." James muttered before gently placing Alfred on the ground, dashing out into the middle of the crowd, lifting two if the beings by force and tearing them away from each other, knocking another over and placing a foot on top of him to pin him to the ground. Alfred appeared to understand his idea. physically pulling a couple of the fighting men apart. "How many times are we going to have to do this? Seriously?!" He complained.Finally, others stopped fighting to direct their attention towards the men who apprehended the others."Why are you guys fighting?!" Alfred demanded. They all looked to each other with uncertainty at the question before one was about to speak up, but before he could, Alfred cut him off."If it's because your light and dark beings I want a different reason, guys. Come on."The being from before closed his mouth slowly, now having nothing to say.Suddenly dropping the beings in his arms, James huffed. "Then get the hell out of here." He stated.Most silently exchanged glances before muttering in complaint as they all began to disperse and go about their business once again.Chewing at his lip, Matthew spoke up, the group's attention drawing to him. "I have a feeling that these fights will be getting out of hand, and soon, I'm afraid we won't be able to stop them."Kiku's brows drew together in a worried manner, believing that what Matthew said was true, and that they would eventually be pulled into it all."I think we should call the others and tell them what we saw."Nodding in agreement, they contacted Gilbert, the vampire immediately organizing an emergency meeting for everyone tonight, telling them to meet at their usual gathering place outside of Vash’s Tavern.Matthew, James, Alfred, and Kiku were the first to arrive, knocking on the front door while they waited for Gilbert to answer. Noticing his figure from the corner of the window, checking to see who they were and if it was safe, Kiku offered a slight wave and smile to him. There was a moment of silence, a click, and then the door was open.Gilbert's eyes swept over everyone, stopping once they met Kiku's, eyes soft and reflecting a look of relief. He stepped out of the way, letting everyone inside before closing the door behind himself and treading to the living room after the others.It was a long wait, and by the time the late hours of night broke out, everyone was there, crammed in the living room, crowded, but making it a tight fit.Gilbert, Kiku, Feliciano, and Ludwig sat on the couch, while Lovino hogged the recliner, being awfully protective of it, but allowing Arthur to sit next to him while he had arrived. Kuro and Oliver took another small seat, while the trio of boyfriends sat on the ground across from the coffee table, leaning against each other. Francis and Yao stood next to each other near the entrance of the living room."I think we all know that we need to take action before it's too late, and that's why I've brought us all together. I want to hear your opinion and ideas. So, guys, what should we do?" Gilbert glanced between everyone, a heavy air filling the room. Hesitance and uncertainty. Alfred scratched at the back of neck, a bit nervous at the thought of potentially having to fight for his life soon, regardless if he fights alongside everyone or not.“I could place a spell on the king, and while he slowly dies suffocating in his own saliva, we can take over the kingdom from the inside out.” Clearing his throat, Ludwig spoke up. “Sounds a little inhumane but we can think about it.” “You doing okay, Mattie? That sounded pretty dark, even for you.” Alfred piped up in concern.“My humor is not the greatest.” Matthew smiled sheepishly. “Depending on the spell, we can follow through with a plan like mine.”Gilbert nodded in response before the group looked to Kuro, who loudly cleared his throat to gain their attention. “You know, I could become the king.”“Bad idea.” Oliver stopped him immediately. “You don’t handle power well, dear.” He tugged at Kuro’s sleeve before leaning on him, frowning.Kuro huffed, not pleased that Oliver revealed one of his flaws.Raising his hand, Francis was the one to politely speak up next. “The king of our city has a sister, yes? Perhaps the princess can take his place somehow? It may happen through death, though I would rather not have to kill the king.”Yao slowly shook his head, while Kuro spoke up again. “I would kill him.” Emotions with killing the king appeared to be mixed amongst them, although Kiku was indifferent towards his fate. Lovino and Arthur appeared the same way as himself.“Alright, well, we’ll see what happens, alright guys? We can keep him alive if we can. I know not all of us agree, but our group was supposed to be meant for peace anyways, right?”“Very well,” Yao answered, the others giving Gilbert a nod of approval.Kiku thought carefully over each of the plans suggested, thinking which one may be the best option to go with or change, to successfully take down the king without getting caught, and keeping him alive, if possible. After a long discussion about what they should do, they had all eventually decided on a plan together after placing each idea on the table. Gilbert had even grabbed a notepad, jotting down notes and ideas, before finally laying out their plan on a new page.“Okay, so just as we agreed on, we’re mixing some of our original ideas together. Mattie, since you actually can’t put a spell the king unless you see him, You will curse one of Yao’s runes, and he will deliver it personally to the king as a gift for “being a great service” to the city. It’ll be one of the rarest he has, so the king can’t refuse the offer.” Yao’s nose scrunched up as Gilbert spoke his part, not happy about playing the part of having to suck up to the king when all he has done is harm his shop and wares. “Once the king is too unfit to rule any longer, that’s when we get the princess to rule instead. Whoever she is, she has to be better than the king.”“She is, trust me,” Francis spoke. “I volunteered in public gatherings, I had seen her a few times before her brother reigned over the city. He must keep the poor woman locked inside much of the time now.”“How will we know for certain that she will become Queen if the king is still alive?” Kuro inquired.“There is a chance the spell may pass him on to the underworld if he is not strong enough to fight it.” Matthew answered.“It’s risky.” Arthur finally spoke. “But why not give it a shot? They may know of us after this, but we’ll stop at nothing to bring back our city. Isn’t that right, Gilbert?”“Oh,” Gilbert was caught off guard by Arthur’s assurance. “Right!” He smiled. “We can do this. There’s no chance we’ll lose with our awesome abilities combined.”Kiku raised a brow at his odd wording, but a slight, amused smile formed on his lips.“We have three weeks to get ready, and we’ll initiate our plan during the fourth. I don’t want to give this longer than a month. I’m not sure if we even have four weeks, to be honest.” He frowned, and Kiku promptly rested a gentle hand on his shoulder for reassurance.“We will use all of the time we have.”“Right.” Gilbert sighed. “So we don’t have much time to waste. We should all get rested up and start preparing tomorrow. Let’s go, everyone!” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- As three weeks pass, lies and rumors spread across the city like a fire blazing through the dry forests, hardly any light beings dare tread outside during the night, nor do any dark during the day. Fear was overwhelming the city, and war was only just around the corner now, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. Beings that have always remained neutral to the light and dark have been forced to choose a side, only further provoking the brink of war.Kiku has assassinated many in his days, but a war such as this would fill the streets with a river of blood, complete chaos breaking out amongst everything.Such a thought made Kiku shiver, causing Gilbert to pull him closer on his lap while they rest back against the couch, planting a gentle kiss to his neck.For a vampire, Kiku noted how tired Gilbert appeared.“The king- turning all of the light and dark beings against each other.” Kiku started.Gilbert hummed in question, gently nuzzling his neck, nearly causing Kiku to shiver again from his cool skin, one of the few downsides to having an undead boyfriend.“Do you think it was to distract everyone while he stole all of the people’s money for himself? Was it all out of complete selfish greed? It was like a play as he manipulated everyone. I wonder if he takes pleasure from it.”He could feel Gilbert tense slightly around him, clearly displeased to have come upon the realization like Kiku had, but he soon relaxed, leaning heavily against Kiku from behind before huffing out a heavy sigh.“That makes me want to go to work even less now,” Gilbert muttered.Sighing softly, Kiku raised his hand to lightly brush Gilbert’s cheek, gently threading the tips of his fingers through the side of his white locks. Things have progressively gotten worse for Gilbert during work. There were many light beings that would come inside and harass him or other dark beings, and much like with the light beings, the roles were reversed and dark beings harassed light. Anyone that stood up for Gilbert or his cause, anyone they had swayed over to their side were bothered by other beings as well.It seemed that anyone that stood up for themselves or tried to aid them, to fix the tear between light and dark, were attacked.“Would you like me to attend with you tonight?”Gilbert closed his eyes, easing into the touch, frown ever prominent on his lips. “It’s dangerous.”“I am certain it will be nothing that I cannot handle.”“Okay.” His voice came soft and quiet, defeated and tired. He rarely expressed this side of himself, although it tended to slip sometimes, and recently there have been cracks, the city’s corruption finally placing a toll on him. “Come on then! Let’s go!” He suddenly piped up, patting Kiku on the back hurriedly. “Or else we’ll be late.” The vampire was suddenly up and ready to move, Kiku hoping that his assurance and support may have helped.“Very well, Gilbert.” A soft chuckle escaped him, jumping up off of the couch to free Gilbert from his prison beneath him, trapped under his butt. “He has you working awfully early tonight. The sun is only setting now.”“Nobody wants this position, and I was the only one brave enough to take it I guess. It’s the time where both dark and light may be around, and the guys at work must be afraid of that.” Gilbert stood up after Kiku, patting him on the shoulder before he left to his room to change. As they arrived to the bar, Gilbert moved to stand at his usual place in the front, taking over for the previous worker, while Kiku took his own position at the front counter, sitting at the very corner, so Gilbert may wander over and socialize with him if he desired.Ordering a drink for himself, Kiku patiently waited as Gilbert made the drink and gently placed it on the counter before him, the click of glass hitting the solid wood hardly audible as crowded footsteps made their way inside, the door swinging open by one of them.An angel, followed by two other light beings, a light elf, and a satyr, made their way to the front counter, and once they caught sight of Gilbert, they stiffened.“Can I help you?” Gilbert cocked a brow, turning away from a cup he had been cleaning with a cloth, discarding the cloth momentarily to serve the light beings.“I didn’t realize a blood sucker would be here, it’s really bad for business. For obvious reasons.” The angel smiled innocently as she rested a hand on her hip.“I work here. It’s common sense to not hurt anyone.” Gilbert stated flatly while Kiku frowned from the corner of the bar, knowing that his boyfriend did not harm anyone. He was a good man labeled as evil by this random angel.“A vampire trying to lecture me? You feed from innocent people like some kind of flea. Go to hell where you belong, you filthy mongrel. You’re no different from a demon.” It was clear that she was purposely trying to stir trouble.Gilbert visibly winced, rage sparking in his eyes momentarily, grip tightening around the glass and forming a crack, managing to stop himself before the fragile cup shattered in his hands. “If you’ve come to harass the staff and customers, I’m afraid I’m going to have to remove you from the property.” The word sounded nearly recited, as though he has had to repeat the statement plenty of times beforehand. Gilbert looked tired beneath the anger that sparked in his eyes, causing Kiku to become concerned.“Excuse me?” The angel fumed.“You heard me. What is your answer? Are you going to be nice, or am I going to have to remove you from the bar?”“A bloodsucker like you couldn’t possibly defeat us.”Gilbert rolled his eyes. “Just take a seat, lady.”A heavy toll was being brought on Gilbert, and Kiku felt that he may need a break. He could tell from his behavior that he was beginning to crumble under all of the weight and stress, the way his temper was finally starting to crack, pupils narrowing as the light being merely left the bar without ordering a drink or sitting down, snarling one last insult at him before leaving.Kiku overheard dark beings merely spit at a single mentioning of a light being, anyone that tried to defend them had an argument started by the loudest in the bar, the ones that felt it was easy to state their opinion.Vash had taken pity on Gilbert after a fight that had broke out between another vampire, and a naga siding with the light, having to break them apart and force them outside before they caused any property damage, allowing him to go home early after getting injured.Gilbert’s shirt was askew as they hobbled down the street together, returning to his place, white fabric curled upwards while his tie slung over his shoulder, vest slung over one arm, the vampire not bothering to adjust it yet. His hair was ruffled and out of place from its usual casual, messy place. A couple of rips scarred the cuffs of his shirt from the vampire taking a good bite at his wrist, the white staining a dark red from the injury placed beneath on bare skin.They walked in silence, having nothing to say, knowing how dire everything is becoming.Returning home, Kiku lead Gilbert to the washroom and coaxed him to sit up on the counter by the sink.Kiku sighed softly, pulling supplies from the cupboard, and gently wrapping white bandages around Gilbert’s wrist, snapping them in place with a clip. His hand lightly rested on top of the bandaged injury, lips thinned into a serious frown as he stared up at Gilbert, who’s crimson gaze was directed downwards.“Are you alright?” The question came soft, concerning as the words escaped Kiku’s lips.“Oh, um, yeah!” He suddenly looked up, plastering a smile on his lips.“You don’t have to hide how you truly feel.”Gilbert’s smile faltered before he frowned. “Right. This is just hard, you know? I’ve been trying to fight against all of this for so long, and no matter how hard I try, people still just-” He gestured to himself. “They just judge me for being a vampire still!”“That woman may have been an angel, but she was not a good person. You work hard, Gilbert, you are dedicated to a good cause, I hope that these terrible people do not sway you. They judge you for what you are, not who you are.”“Yeah, I-” Gilbert stuttered, “I guess.”“Perhaps you need a break.”“A break?”“Yes.” Kiku offered him a small smile. “I have an idea for us. We will go to a place where you are away from everyone, away from the city where you will not have to worry about anyone for a short while. I will bring us some items as well.”Gilbert thought about it momentarily, his head tilting to the side with furrowed brows. “Yeah, that actually sounds nice.” He looked back down at Kiku, his smile more genuine this time. “Let’s do that.”Gilbert was oddly more eager now, and rushing Kiku out the door after they had gotten ready, the vampire changing into something more casual instead of his tussled up work uniform. The walk had been a long one, but this time the air was a little more lighthearted, the two of them holding hands in silence, supportive of each other’s presence. As distant as Kiku could be sometimes, he enjoyed sharing his personal space with Gilbert after sharing it with him for so long.Leading him away from the city, up a hill that stretched high above, Kiku allowed Gilbert to take the lead as they began to explore the area. Gilbert lead him through a rocky path, holding his hand and guiding him over the rough surface, careful not to fall himself.“So, are rocks our thing now or what?” Gilbert chuckled, referencing their last date.“I suppose so.” Kiku smiled slightly.Kneeling down in front of a small plant, Kiku observed how the fiery orange petals curled and moved about, as though it was a living being itself. Small berries grew at the stems of the leaves, causing the plant to look all the more vibrant.Reaching out towards one of the petals, he was about to touch it before he pulled his hand back, noticing a small animal stalking towards the plant, hiding itself in the grass to hide from the people while it tried to hunt for the berries on the plant. The sight had even caught Gilbert’s attention, leaning over Kiku with his hands on his knees, a small grin forming on his lips. “What a cute little guy.”Kiku placed a finger over his lips to warn Gilbert that he may want to be quieter around the animal.“Oops.” He whispered in response, nodding in acknowledgement to be quiet.As it darted from it’s spot beneath the grass to snatch a berry, it eyed them warily before sitting next to the plant and chowing down on the berry, smudging red on its lips from the red juices of the plant.Getting a closer look at the creature, Kiku noted how much it looked like a mouse bat hybrid. Circular ears, a fluffy body, the tail much of a mouse’s, but a adorned with a spike, much like a dragon would have. It had a pair of leather wings, much like a bat, although it still had all four paws for easier running on the ground. The creature’s white fur with blue markings may have been the most outstanding feature to him.Plucking a berry from the plant, Gilbert carefully knelt down next to Kiku, gaining the human’s attention while he very carefully extended a hand towards the strange bat creature. “Am I doing this right?” His voice was now a controlled whisper.“I am not sure. It is a wild animal.”Once the creature was done with its berry its wings shot up a little, becoming alert as it drew closer to Gilbert’s hand. Its steps were timid, alert, ready to fly away at any given sign of danger. First came its snout on Gilbert’s hand, sniffing his strange scent to check if he was safe before its tiny clawed hands extended outwards, snatching up the berry treat from his hands and sitting back, holding the food in its claws while it nibbled off of the fruit. It squeaked in satisfaction when it was done, standing up onto its hind legs and sniffing the air between them.Wings suddenly shot up, and the creature jumped onto Gilbert’s hand before landing on Kiku’s head, and then taking off into the nearest tree.Grinning, Gilbert stood up straight again, staring up at the critter in the tree that watched them curiously. "I think he likes us.""Perhaps so. He does appear to be interested in you." Already, Kiku was relieved that Gilbert appeared to lighten up a little, shoulders less tense than before. They moved forward across the grassy trail, more exotic plants dotting the ground as they wandered. They breached through an opening in the trees, coming across a small meadow. Gilbert chuckled as he tugged Kiku into the meadow, catching the other in his arms. "You know, we could've just stayed home and watch a movie too. I would've been happy either way." An airy chuckle escaped himself in response. "I like to surprise you, and here, we are away from everything.""That's true." He smiled. "Thanks, Kiku. For all of this.""It is my pleasure."As the grass below shifted, Kiku looked downwards, noticing the small yellow lights that began to spread across the meadow, appearing as glowing dew droplets on each length of grass."Fireflies," Kiku breathed out as the glowing bugs began to dance about across the meadow, flying around a large tree that stood proudly at the centre. "They light up the night, much like the sun and moon do."Looking back to Gilbert, Kiku spoke again. "And just as the moon and fireflies light the night, so do you." He gently cupped his cheek.Startled by the bold statement and move, Gilbert's cheeks tinted a light pink, the little blood in his system working what it could as a human body would."Are you sure about that?" His brows furrowed in slight disbelief and confusion, not understanding how Kiku, especially compared to before, saw so much more in him than everyone else now."I am certain. Would you like me to explain why I am?"He nodded slowly."Because you bring people hope.""You think I do?" Clear surprise was present on Gilbert's features. "You know, I must seem pretty cocky and confident to you guys, but I uh," he cut himself off momentarily, "I- uh, wow, your stare is freaking me out.""Oh," Kiku cleared his throat, "my apologies." He did not realize how intensely he had been staring at Gilbert."Anyways, I'm not sure if I can pull this all off, you know? A lot of the guys are depending on me, and I have to protect them all, and I just- don't know if I can do it.""I have noticed some of your doubts before, not everyone can be perfect, you are allowed to question yourself, but I still believe in you, and I still deeply care for you. Remember, you are not in this alone, you do not have to fight by yourself."Gilbert’s eyes met Kiku’s, widening slightly upon realization. He did not appear entirely convinced, but he looked to take it all into deep consideration. “I want to be able to protect all of you.”Kiku took Gilbert’s hand in his own. “We can protect each other.” He smiled slightly up at him.Smiling warmly in return, Gilbert squeezed Kiku’s hand in response. “Right.” He was not alone.Releasing his hand, Kiku pulled back, taking out a blanket he had packed on himself and unwrapping it, revealing the two bottles of wine inside. He set the drinks aside and draped the blanket over the grass. Gilbert was the first to hop down on the blanket, reaching up his two hands again to take Kiku’s and tug him onto the blanket with him.“You seem to be in a hurry.” Kiku commented. “Do not worry of the wine, one of them is blood wine so you may drink it.”“I just want to be able to hug you sooner.”“You are surprisingly well with flattery.”“And what does that mean?”“You have won my heart over.”Gilbert laughed. “Really? I’d say you have stolen mine, assassin.”Amusement danced in Kiku’s eyes as a small smile spread across his lips, Gilbert smiling at him brightly in response, glad to have gotten a positive reaction out of him.They lean against each other in a settling silence while Kiku looks upwards to the stars that dotted the sky, Gilbert’s gaze following his own towards the many constellations above. The sky was much more clear outside of the city. It was as though they could reach up and catch a star in their hands.“Gilbert,” Kiku began after some thought, his boyfriend looking from the stars to him out of curiosity, “I must thank you, for showing me an entirely different world from my previous one.” “What do you mean?”“I used to think like many of the others. I always assumed that dark creatures were evil beings that cannot be changed, but you have made me realize differently. You are one of the nicest and bravest dark beings I have ever met. You never take blood from a being unless they are a willing one, and you fight against the king who has brought destruction to our home. Needless to say, I am glad to have met you, Gilbert, and I hope to be by your side for the years ahead to come.” Reaching a hand downwards, Kiku hesitantly rested it on top of Gilbert’s, offering him another slight smile. “Even if you are doubtful in yourself, I will always believe in you.”Gilbert was hesitant, soaking in what he said and taking it into thought before he looked back to him. “You really have a way with words, you know?” He commented with a grin. “I’m really glad to have met you too. I can tell you want what's best for the people you care about.”Gilbert’s grin faltered, and the vampire appeared to want to say something further, something that was on his mind, but instead, lightly bit at his lower lip with fanged teeth.“What is wrong, Gilbert?” Kiku asked with a tilt of his head.“Everything’s fine, don’t worry about it,” he said after snapping back from his thoughts, pressing a chaste kiss to Kiku’s cheek.As they chat further, pleasantly enjoying each other’s company without having to worry about the city crumbling around them, the harsh reality was about to return to them as Gilbert spotted something frantically flying towards them in the distance while Kiku offered him the unopened bottle of blood wine. Upon further inspection, Gilbert recognized it as Feliciano flying towards them, nearly tripping in the air from the speed he was going, stumbling over the ground as he landed and ran towards them, sliding to a halt in front of Gilbert. Both of them were immediately off of the blanket and on their feet after.“Feliciano, you are injured!” Kiku gasped upon noticing the wounds that littered his body, cheek and side bleeding, hand resting over his side while his wings slowly stain crimson along with his clothing. Kiku ripped some of his own clothing in order to tie some of the deeper injuries until they could be properly treated, working on helping him while Gilbert asked him the questions,“What happened to you, Feli?!”“I’m so glad I found you Gil! And you too Kiku! Oh dear, this isn’t good, no no.” He winced. “I accidentally got too close and they got the upper hand on me, and I couldn’t do anything, they threatened to rip my wings off for treason! This is bad, really really bad, oh what are we going to do?!” As though he didn’t hear Gilbert’s question, Feliciano stuttered on, quickly beginning to ramble.“Feliciano, please calm down. How did you find us? What happened to you?” Kiku tried asking to get further clarification.He took a couple of quick breaths before looking at Kiku. “Your clone person’s boyfriend was able to find you two.” “He was?” Gilbert cocked a brow.Suddenly, Oliver and Lovino burst through the bushes, Oliver using his unnatural speed as a vampire, and Lovino’s hooves clapping against the ground, kicking up grass as he galloped towards them. They stopped in front of them, Lovino more breathless than anyone else, Oliver only appearing mildly inconvenienced by all the running.“Your scent reeks of vampire blood.” Oliver pointed to his wrist. “And your injury was alarmingly easy to follow. You are lucky you had gotten hurt, my dear, or else you would have been harder to find.”“Okay. What is this though? What’s going on?” Clearly becoming impatient, Gilbert wanted some answers as to why they had been hunted down.Oliver and Lovino were about to speak up, to explain what was going on, but Feliciano had cut them off before they could explain. “The king and his guards have kidnapped Ludwig! They’re going to execute him publicly in a few hours! We have to do something! I didn’t mean for him to get caught or hurt!” Feliciano’s shoulders shook slightly, trying to hold back tears from the potential loss of his best friend. “I wasn’t strong enough. I tried so hard to protect him.” He rested his head in his hand, hiding his face away.Feliciano looked up as Lovino firmly rested a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll get that furry mutt back, don’t worry about it.”“It is quite barbarish for him to be publicly executed. That is not what our times are now, I remember when people used to be executed like that, we are far ahead of this now.” Oliver slowly shook his head.“That is what I have said before.” Kiku agreed.Kiku looked to Gilbert after, noticing how eerily stiff and unnaturally silent he had become. It was not normal of Gilbert to behave in such a way, and Kiku’s concern grew immensely. “Gilbert, please, whatever you do, do not do anything rash.” He begged softly, reaching up a hand to gently rest on Gilbert’s. “We are here to-” before he could finish his statement, or touch the vampire, it was already too late, he had dashed off down the hill, and towards the city, “protect each other.”“You’re sure fucking right we are, now let’s catch up with that bastard before he gets himself killed! Damn asshole gets so protective of Ludwig sometimes, it’s ridiculous.” Lovino leapt from his spot and dashed off, the remainder of the group following after him. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Kiku had caught up to Lovino, managing to run surprisingly quickly given the situation, able to keep up with the other mythical beings well, although Oliver can run much faster, he kept in pace with them. Feliciano flew above them at the top of the tree line, gliding downwards at their pace.“I will go after Gilbert!” Kiku called out to the other three. “No, you’re not going alone!” Lovino shouted in response. Feliciano drew closer from above to speak up. “I want to come too!”“But you’re injured!” Oliver piped up from behind.“I’m hurt, and scared, I don’t want to die, but I want to be there for my friends! I want to help get Luddy and Gil back!”Lovino sighed. “I’m scared shitless, but I feel the same way as my brother does. They’re our friends, they’re the family that we’ve never had, and I’m going to do whatever the hell I can for them.”Kiku nods in response. “Very well.” Looking ahead of himself, he picked up his pace. “We have a change of our plans, but we will be following through with them early. The king’s tyranny will end tonight.”Footsteps in unison clambered against the ground, halting at the outskirts of the city. The distant cries of fighting haunted the air. Kiku stood in front, looking upwards as smoke billowed into the sky at certain areas. He began running again, into the midst of the chaos that erupted in the city, the other three following close behind them, all in shock as they ran further and further into the city. Buildings were in flames, store windows were shattered, debris from markets stands and ripped cloth, people were fighting or running in fear everywhere they looked.“Oh dear, this is very bad,” Oliver mumbled from behind. “It’s worse than when we left.”“How long has this been happening?” Kiku inquired.“Ever since your friend’s public execution was announced, the city fell into complete chaos.”People were crying out in outrage, others crying out for a justice that needs to be brought out upon everyone who rose up against the king, blaming the dark beings for twisting their views and and not following order.“There is another change of plans.” Kiku turned to face the others. “You all may move on without me. Try to figure out what is happening, what we can do. I have to return home and retrieve my gear.”“Will you be fine on your own?” Oliver appeared concerned.“I will. Please, do what you all can.”“Very well.” Oliver said.Lovino and Feliciano nodded in response.Kiku took off in one direction, running as quickly as he could, while the others went in another. Yao and Francis’ shop had crossed his mind, knowing their place was on the way to his home, concerned that it may have suffered a chaotic fate as well. As he passed by Yao’s shop, he noticed that it had suffered the same fate as many of the other shops, glass shattered and resting scattered at the front of the store on the stone floored streets. There was shuffling and yelling, near the front was Francis, trying to fight off multiple beings, dark and light alike, neither happy that he was light and working with the dark. “Please, put some sense into yourselves! Be civilized! We don’t have to act like brutes! We are not like this!” The frantic shouting of Francis could be heard while the angel struggled, clearly injured and beaten while he held a short sword in his hand, some of the others that fought him injured from Francis trying to protect himself.Before Kiku could intervene, Yao had been fighting off another man inside trying to get into the back of his shop and mess with his workplace. Shoving the man to the ground, Yao knocked him unconscious for extra precaution before leaping out of the shattered window of his store, transforming into a dragon while doing so, letting out an enormous roar at the ones attacking Francis, nose curled up in a snarl and tail swaying defensively. He took a few threatening steps forward, claws digging into the cobblestone street, teeth bared threateningly. The ones fighting Francis immediately turned and ran away in fear from the threatening display.“Do not trespass in my shop, you insolent fools!” Yao roared in outrage.Yao approached Francis, lowering his muzzle to gently press his head against Francis’ body, being three times the angel’s size in dragon form. Francis smiled faintly, but full of warmth as he turned to Yao, wrapping his arms around his muzzle to hug him, raising a hand to gently rub his scaled head.“I’m fine, Yao. Thank you for chasing them off.” He pressed a kiss above his eye.Kiku finally approached the other two. “Are you both alright?”Francis nodded. “Yes, we are fine. These injuries are nothing I can’t handle. How are you feeling, Yao?”“I’m fine, my scales are tough.”Nodding after knowing they will be fine, Kiku changed the subject. “We are following through with our plans early. I do not think we have enough time for our original plan. I know that we need to stop the king before he kills Ludwig, and get rid of him. This city has suffered far too much for him to be deserving of the title. I have to return home for my gear. We must get ready.” Lowering his body, Yao gestured with his head. “Get on top of me, I will fly you home. It will be much faster than running.”Swallowing, Kiku was slightly nervous at the idea, knowing that he had a mild fear of speed and heights, but for the sake of the city, he nodded firmly.Moments after gripping onto Yao, the dragon shot up into the air, Kiku wrapping his arms around the scaled neck to help keep himself secured. Looking down next to him, he saw Francis flying in the air close by to Yao.The ride had been short, and much faster as Yao dropped at the entrance of the apartment he lived at, a large thump being heard as his feet collided with the ground from the rough, hurried landing. “Hurry, Kiku!”“It is fine, please return to your shop so you may protect it! The others will be around, they know what is happening.”The desire to protest was clear in Yao’s expression, pupils narrowed in deep contemplation before a heavy sigh heaved out of his large form. “Very well, but if there is one thing wrong, do not expect us to abandon you. We will come.” He craned his neck for his head to face Francis. “Let’s go, Francis.”The angel wanted to protest, lips thinned to a thin line. He was never one for being at the center of conflict, but he clearly wanted to help the others out. “Okay,” he finally said in defeat.Leaping into the air, Yao took off back towards his shop, Francis following behind him.Kiku turned and ran into his apartment the moment they took off, running to his home and rushing inside to change into his gear. He made a new record for how quickly he could pull on all of his gear, making his way towards the door as he was finished changing, pulling on his gloves at the last moment, however he stopped abruptly to face the new presence in his home behind himself, noticing his shadow move from the front of his body to behind. He paused as the shadow on the floor turned into a human being, taking the form of his own. Kiku recognized the man as Kuro once he caught the glimpse of his crimson eyes beneath his fringe.Kuro looked up to meet eye-contact with him. “It’s too late.”“What do you mean?” Kiku inquired to the shadow being.“Your cute boyfriend and Ludwig are both captured. They are chained at the front of the castle and to be publicly executed in front of the city.”“He has Gilbert now?”“Yes, and he does not seem very happy. I do not think they will last long. You better hurry if you want to see them alive again.” His comment appeared threatening, but was only a mere statement as he slunk back into the shadows.Kiku was uncertain of where the strange being had went, but found that he would not have enough time to search for him from the information he was told. Running through the city once more, his feet carried him towards the castle that stood proudly near the middle, but Kiku knew how to navigate through the large area quickly, and within extended minutes, minutes that were far too long for his liking, he stopped at the edge of the city square in front of the castle, stopping behind a huge crowd swarming the front stage. Stepping onto a nearby crate to see over the other beings, he saw it, Gilbert and Ludwig chained to the boards of an execution stage. Strangely, Gilbert’s setup was different from Ludwig’s. As Kiku slipped through the crowd, the King’s words become progressively more audible, causing his heart to fall in his chest the longer he spoke, his expression neutral, controlled and calm, but his mind panicking on the inside.“Tonight, this fiendish werewolf and demonic vampire will be executed! Beheading by a silver blade should be enough of a lesson for this mutt! And for the vampire, a more proper, and painful death is in order for the heinous acts he has committed to suffer as equally as the people he has harmed! He will burn from the sun until the light consumes him whole!” Gilbert and Ludwig looked to each other before looking towards the ground, the vampire mumbling an apology to the werewolf.Reactions were mixed in the crowd, some angered, others calling out victoriously, all while Kiku shoved passed them, slipping through them all to make his way to the center stage. The king continued to speak of their traitorous acts, but the words became background noise as he focused on making it to the front before their execution, and as he broke through the crowd at the front, he jumped up, pulling himself up and leaping onto the stage, causing the king to stumble back in surprise. Gilbert and Ludwig shot their heads up to look at Kiku.“You will not kill these men.” Kiku’s tone was as cold as ice, a serious warning through hardened eyes and posture. “They have done no harm. You are the one who has.” As the accusation was being directed at the king, guards by the stage were on the move, ready to apprehend him for such speak of treason and behavior. Kiku’s hands hovered over his weapons as they approached. “I am not as hesitant to kill as my friends are.”The king raised his hand in response, stopping the guards from moving any further. “Tell me, strange being. Why do you stand up for these creatures? Are you dark, just as them? A cold hearted killer as they are? If you are not, then why to save such horrible creatures?”“These people are not horrible. Both you and I have done more evil than they have. They wish to keep people alive, to bring back the peace that you had destroyed.”The king guffawed at Kiku before his expression turned cold. “Do you not know of what the vampire has done?” He scoffed.Kiku glanced down at Gilbert, his white locks covering his eyes as he looked downwards and away, avoiding Kiku’s gaze. “That vampire you treat as an equal has killed hundreds of people before. It’s no less of a demon as any other dark creature.”Struck by shock, Kiku thought that the man was lying in front of the entire city, but the question came to only accuse Gilbert, the king not mentioning of Ludwig being involved. “Gilbert,” Kiku looked down to him, the vampire now looking back up at him upon his name being mentioned, “is this true?”“Kiku, I wanted to tell you sooner.” Gilbert looked down. “But I didn’t want your opinion of me to change, or for you to hate me, because I am a changed man now. I don’t want to hurt anyone. It was hundreds of years ago, and I didn’t have very much of a choice.”Ludwig looked at him with wide eyes, and Kiku immediately realized that Ludwig had not known any of this either, in shock by the truth.Dark and light beings were outraged once more, the chaos now spreading to the city square crowd as some began fighting, others trying to climb onto the stage, but this time the guards leapt into place to hold them back.Believing he had the upper-hand, the king spoke once more. “If you dare defend such a heinous creature, then you shall join them on stage and suffer their same fate.”“They are not murderers.” Kiku defended.“Ludwig has not done anything, let him and the cloaked guy go free if it’s me you want.” Gilbert begged.“No. You will all suffer. Guards, kill the traitor and the werewolf!”Kiku withdrew his weapon, prepared to fight, eyes widening as he heard the click to one of the guards flipping the switch to Ludwig’s mechanism, spinning around as the silver blade dropped downwards on him. The built being flinched, looking down away from the blade, expecting the inevitable.“Ludwig!” Gilbert screeched in agony, the chains around him tightening, the sheer amount of adrenaline nearly managing to put such a strain that they looked as though they may break, if it had not been for the magic enhancements on them.There was a scream from the oncoming atrocity, but it was not Ludwig’s. White feathers nearly glowed as they fell around the stage, wings spread outwards in a halt in front of Ludwig. Kiku stared in awe as Feliciano clung to the mechanism, the blade of his sword strained and nearly ready to shatter as it warped and groaned in protest from holding the large blade above Ludwig’s head. “You’re not killing him!” He cried out.The crowd’s fighting died down, looking upwards to the stage with interest.“Feliciano?!” Ludwig looked up at him in surprise. “This is dangerous! You could get hurt!”“But if you die, who else is going to lecture me?!” His eyes watered, a tear cascading downwards in grief. “I don’t want you to die, please.”Ludwig’s generally cold eyes softened. “I’m sorry, Feli.”“Guys, I’m not sure how much longer I can hold this!” He suddenly called out, and from the crowd, Yao and Francis leapt upwards, flying onto the stage to help him keep the blade off of Ludwig and free him from his shackles.“What is this?!” The king called out in outrage. “Guards, seize them! All of them!”“Oh dear, it’s such a shame they all decided to take a nap while you weren’t looking.” Oliver cut in, walking up on stage with Alfred, Matthew, and James. “We thought they needed a break, yes?” He smiled.Lovino’s hooves clopped against the hardwood as he hopped up onto the stage. “Sheesh, talk about a tough and rude crowd of assfaces. Wouldn’t move aside from me and tried to punch me.” He muttered.“Come on, Lovino, I shoved half of them aside with my magic for you.” Arthur argued, climbing up next to him.“What is this?!” The king called out, shocked by the presence of the rebellious group, taking a few steps back, prepared to run.From behind, shadows latched onto the king’s ankles while Kuro took form behind him, holding him into place. “Your worst fear coming to life, your power being taken from you.” Kuro smirked.“My people, help me, kill these rebels!” He demanded.“They’re not your’s. They are free to decide on their own.” Francis stated, the group of rebels swarming around Gilbert and Ludwig to protect them.“The king has put so much work on me after setting the death toll so much higher.” James muttered in complaint from behind them.After they freed Ludwig from his death prison, the werewolf relieved to have been set free, Feliciano approached the front of the stage, standing confidently in front of it, his wings spread outwards, making himself appear bigger to gain the attention of the crowd. Compared to the fight at the bar, he appeared entirely different, ready to speak up rather than cower or hesitate. “Beings of Cinero! This isn’t what our city is supposed to be like! Just imagine what the other cities like our’s think of us! I think we’re mean, we’re a joke to them by now, bullies! We shouldn’t worry about dark and light beings being good and evil, we should worry about who’s being nice to who, and we should be nice to everyone! It doesn’t matter what they are! We should worry about who we are, and what we can do with the future together! I’m speaking from the bottom of my heart! All of these people are my friends, it doesn’t matter if they’re light or dark! They’re my friends, my family! The king has turned us against each other, when before, we hardly fought!”Felciano lowered his wings as Kiku walked up to stand next to him. “Change is possible for many people, and I strongly believe that Gilbert has worked to become a better person! He is a better man now, and anyone else may be! It is our choice, what we are born as does not define who we are!”The crowd began to cheer in agreement, no longer fighting with each other, but listening to the rebellious group’s words.Looking down, Feliciano noticed Arthur bellow, now holding up a transparent screen created from his magic. “What are you doing?” He asked.“I am broadcasting this across the entire city. Perhaps you should mention the slavery bit again to all of the people. So everyone really knows how bad he is, yes? The part where he stole people for slaves.” The warlock stated. “Oh, I suppose I just spilled it all from behind camera.”Afterwards, upon hearing this new information, all of the blame was directed at the king, the people now crying in outrage at what he has done.“Well, I suppose we should allow the people to decide what to do with you now, hm?” Kuro said before releasing the king, and shoving him into the crowd, many of the beings jumping on him in response.Upon hearing the light taps of shoes against wood, the group’s attention being drawn to the newcomer on the stage. The princess stood before them, having overheard the commotion, the broadcast likely reaching her as well as many others from the castle. “There is nothing that I may be able to do for my brother,” she began, “the people no longer trust him. He is unfit, and unworthy to be a king, allowing such greed to consume him. I watched as fell. If you are in need of leadership, I am willing to become queen, and listen to the people, to pass where my brother had failed.” She looked between the rebels. “Do not worry, my brother will be punished as he deserves. Perhaps a lifetime of prison for his acts, as dearly as I love him. I am disappointed in his actions, and hoped that karma would reach him some day.”A heavy sigh escaped Lovino. “God, I’m glad this shit is over with, and that things actually ended as planned.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “And that we’re all still alive.” He admitted.“Hey guys, I’m sorry to break your celebrating and that, and I would love to join.” Gilbert spoke up from the ground, still heavily chained. “But could you guys set me free already?”
11044851
Bad For Me Suga x Reader
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Other", "Characters": null, "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by JustMattie", "chapters": "29/29", "completed": "2017-07-29", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "60,460", "Additional Tags": "Angst, Love, Coffee Shops", "Relationship": "Min Yoongi | Suga/Reader", "Character": "Min Yoongi | Suga", "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS, K-pop", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
It was wet and cold outside that day; the sky gray, and the rain coming down in ice cold sheets as the soles of Yoongi's white converse became coated in mud as he ran, paying no mind to the puddles. He just needed to make it there on time. For once in his life, he actually cared about following the rules and being prompt. But, it had been a bad day, and his perfectly formulated schedule that he had made weeks prior had been forced to be disregarded. Yoongi needed to make it to that audition on time. It was a simple job that paid minimum wage, but it offered him money, and something to devote his time to so he wouldn't feel so lonely anymore. You were sitting at the counter within the warm shop, watching the rain roll down the large glass windows that were across the room. You were sitting calmly, having a cup of black coffee and not thinking about much in particular. You were in a state of ease; a state of ease with everything in your life. But then, a young adult walked in. He was tall and lanky, covered by a long-sleeved striped shirt and an additional hoodie, his hair a mess from the rain, his white converse stained in the dirty water that covered the city streets. You were content with everything before this.But then, Yoongi walked in. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- You set down your coffee as the bell at the top of the shop's front door rang, indicating that a new customer had entered. You plastered on your best customer service smile, ready to greet the guest that had walked in and offer them samples of the cinnamon twists you had just put on the display. Business had been slow that morning, and there wasn't a single other person in the store."Hi, welcome to Youth & Impulse Cafe, how may I help you today?" You began your typical spiel, looking up to finally make eye contact with the customer."Yeah, I'm, uh, looking for Stevens?" the young man seemed unsure, presenting his words as more of a question, rather than a statement. You looked him up and down, taking notice of how he lacked on an umbrella on a stormy day like this one, and how he was dripping water from his clothes on the floor.He looked like a typical hipster, and you braced for impact. Given that it was "Youth & Impulse Cafe", you had served plenty of "typical hipsters" in your day, and your experiences with them had been anything but pleasant. They were the types of people that would come in, order a latte with a pretty design on top, take a picture, and then leave. They never even drank the coffee, and it drove you crazy!Despite your negative thoughts, you tried to maintain a polite composure."Oh, he's out on a supply run- we ran out of cinnamon," you grimaced, glancing over at the abundant amount of cinnamon twists you had insisted on baking simply because they tasted so good."Oh," the young man replied, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. His uneasy and uncomfortable demeanor made you feel the need to ask why he was looking for Stevens, your uncle, and the owner of the cafe."May I ask what you're meeting him for?" You asked politely, attempting to make him more comfortable; you were slightly afraid he would write a bad Yelp! review about the cafe if you were rude without a reason."I'm Min Yoongi. I'm supposed to be meeting with him for an audition to play piano here on Tuesday and Thursday nights?""Oh okay!" You were instantly relieved to hear that he didn't just want a cool artsy latte to post a picture of, "We've been looking for somebody to fill that position for months now!" you said enthusiastically, eliciting a hint of an embarrassed smile from Yoongi. "He should be back soon, so do you mind waiting?""I don't mind at all," he replied, looking around the store, seemingly unsure of what to do next."Why don't you hang your hoodie up over there," you pointed toward the coat rack by the front door, "so that way it'll be dry by the time you leave," you offered. He nodded, sliding the rain-soaked jacket off to reveal his pale arms. You weren't sure why, but for some reason you expected him to be covered in tattoos.Perhaps it was because he appeared as a hipster, someone too cool to even use an umbrella when it was raining outside. Although, his personality was coming off more shy and reserved; you should've known not to judge somebody by their outward appearance. You felt guilty for making false assumptions, then decided to try your best to be hospitable and make him feel less anxious. After all, the cafe really did need someone to perform, and he was the first applicant to come in for an audition in several months. You didn't want to run him off.You stepped out from behind the counter, making your way to a supply closet in the back, bringing out a small hand towel. When you appeared back out in the front of the store, Yoongi was quietly looking around. You watched as his eyes landed on the baby grand piano in the left-hand back corner of the store. It was only for a split second, but you could've sworn you saw a hint of real smile creeping across his face."Nice, isn't it?" You asked casually, walking up to him."Very. I've never played on a grand before," he said, still looking toward the beautifully sleek piano in the corner."It was my Dad's. Hasn't been shown any love in almost 6 years. I would love for someone to be able to put it to good use," You started, stopping yourself before your mind went too far."Here," you said, holding the towel out to him. "For your hair." He turned toward you, graciously accepting the towel. "Thanks.""So Yoongi, what kind of coffee do you drink?" You asked as you walked back around behind the corner."Oh, I'm not picky," he said as he began towel-drying his hair."Pshh, I don't buy it. Everyone has a favorite coffee," You insisted."Well, I know it may seem kinda girly..." he started, removing the towel from his hair that appeared to be much dryer than before. "But I like lattes," he admitted."You're kidding," you tried to contain a fit of laughter that you felt coming on."Not kidding. Vanilla lattes are the best." You took the towel back from him."Alright, one vanilla latte coming up then," you chuckled as you began preparing the drink."How much?" He asked, reaching for his wallet."Don't worry about it. It's on the house."Yoongi sat down at a table by the front the windows. The rain was still persisting, and it seemed to be growing continually more gross outside. As you were making the latte, you couldn't help but wonder about Yoongi.Where did he come from? How old was he? Why did he want a job here, of all places? Why was he so careless with his health, walking through the rain like that with no umbrella? These were all things that you were curious about, but you didn't really want to ask. You were excited by the idea that someone else might be working at the cafe, someone that was different.You hadn't exactly been lonely lately, but it'd been a long time since you really went out to meet new people. Between working at the cafe and trying to pass your University classes, your amount of free time was practically nonexistent. You had no time for the friends you already had, much less time to make new ones. However, if someone new started working alongside you...You set the latte down in front of Yoongi and he smiled. "Thank you." He took a sip of the latte, and you suppressed a laugh as the foam coated his upper lip. He reached for the napkin dispenser that resided in the middle of the table, blushing."This is really good," he smiled again, and you suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe Yoongi could really be a new friend for you, assuming he wasn't bad at playing the piano and that Stevens offered him the job. You crossed your fingers. Before either one of you had a chance to further the conversation, the front door bell rang once again, revealing Stevens who was carrying a few grocery bags. You went over to take the bags from Stevens as he fumbled with his umbrella, trying to close it."Stevens, this is Yoongi, the piano player who's auditioning for us today," You had never once called Stevens "Uncle Stevens." He was an informal kind of guy, and refused any kind of labels or titles. He's was practically a hipster himself, minus the annoying latte picture-taking tendency."Ah, Yoongi! Nice to meet you," Stevens greeted him warmly as Yoongi quickly stood up from his seat, reaching out to shake Stevens' hand."Nice to meet you, Sir. Thanks for getting back with me about the job so quickly.""Of course! So basically, we're trying to engage the older generation in our business, even though we're called "Youth & Impulse". I've been wanting to propose a tea and music night for older people for a while, but I haven't been able to find anyway willing to take the job as the pianist. Which is why you're here, yes?" "Yes, Sir," Yoongi replied sincerely. You noticed how he was now standing a little straighter, and was choosing his words with more carefully. He really did want the job. "Alright, kid. Show me what you got," Stevens said, gesturing toward the piano on the opposite side of the shop. "Y/N, what are you just standing there for? Go put the groceries up," Stevens chuckled as you realized you had been awkwardly standing there holding the bags and watching their conversation unfold this whole time. "Right," you mumbled, going to the kitchen as Yoongi and Stevens made their way to the piano. It wasn't long until you heard a soft melody ringing out, flowing through the entire cafe. It was a peaceful tune, one that made you feel at ease. As the piece progressed, it seemingly grew more intricate and complicated. You peeked out from over the counter, viewing Yoongi's profile as his face scrunched up in concentration as his fingers moved delicately across the keys of the piano. His talent was clear and blatant, and you wondered why he could only get a job working at a cafe. His skill warranted something much more important than a measly coffee shop job, and your curiosity was peaked once again. Once the song ended, both you and Stevens were thoroughly impressed. "Yoongi, that was great! I just have a few questions before I can offer you the job.""Sure," Yoongi replied, his face still red- from nervousness or embarrassment, you couldn't tell. "You're carrying around a lot of talent. Why do you want to work here?" Stevens asked and you continued eavesdropping. "To be completely honest, I really need the money and the experience. There's a lot I want to do with music; I have a lot of dreams. But, I don't have enough experience for anyone to take me seriously. I figured if I need to start somewhere, it might as well be here. I can play whatever you need me to; classical, pop, or even originals. I'll do whatever," Yoongi explained quickly, almost sounding a bit desperate. "I see. What's your availability like?" Stevens asked, and you were silently praying that he would give Yoongi the job. Not only were you curious about him, but the poor kid was so talented, and you didn't want him to be out on the streets. "I work part time at a convenience store, but my evenings are always free. I'm taking a break from University right now, so I don't have any commitments there," he replied. You continued to watch their exchange, taking note that he must've been around your age, not even realizing that a customer had entered and was waiting in front of your counter. The customer cleared their throat, but your eyes were still trained on Yoongi and Stevens' ongoing interview. "Great. Can you be here at 6 on Thursday night?" Stevens asked, and you beamed. "Excuse me," the customer said politely, and you awkwardly jumped as you were pulled out of your daze. "I'm really sorry!" You apologized quickly, standing in front of the cash register to take the customer's order. You smiled as you wrote down the order, accepted the money, and the sent the customer off happy, with a hot coffee and a paper bag of cinnamon twists in hand. "Thank you so much for the opportunity, Sir," Yoongi said as you glanced back toward them, "I'll see you on Thursday." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Yoongi showed up a half hour early on his first Thursday night of working at Youth & Impulse. You were wiping down some tables to prepare for the rush of older people that were to come at around 6:30; the first official launch of "Senior Tea and Piano Night."You looked up as the door bell rang, and smiled as you made eye contact with Yoongi. He looked different today as opposed to how he looked on the day of the interview. His blonde hair, while still mildly curly and a bit unruly, looked much more uniform that it had the first time the both of you had met. He was wearing black slacks and a white button down shirt, and dress shoes to match."You clean up nicely," You teased him, but regretted it instantly. While you were quite a joking and playful person, you still barely knew Yoongi, and you weren't sure what his sense of humor was like. You bit your tongue, hoping that things wouldn't become awkward."To be fair, the only other time you've seen me is when I had just finished walking through a thunderstorm," Yoongi smirked, catching you so off guard with his sassy response that you couldn't suppress your laughter."Fair enough," you chuckled, picking up the the cleaning spray and dirty rag before making your way back over to the front counter. The cafe only had a few customers, but you knew that a bunch more were soon to be on their way."Another vanilla latte today?" You offered. Yoongi stuffed his hands in his pockets, the face of his watch catching the light that was bleeding through the large windows."Hmm," he perused your offer as his eyes floated on the room."C'mon, don't resist the call of caffeine," you taunted him, and he gave in. You giggled as you began to prepare the drink. "How much is it? I'm paying for it this time," Yoongi started, but you shook your head. "Employees are allowed 2 free coffees per shift," you said stubbornly, and he threw his hands up jokingly. "Fine, I surrender. And I want a fancy leaf design on the top.""I can do that," you chuckled, beginning to strategically pour the steamed milk into the espresso in order to complete the design that Yoongi had requested. He stood close, leaning over the counter to watch how you made it, in complete awe the whole time. You felt your cheeks heat up in embarrassment at the intense attention from someone else. Yoongi didn't notice how your face had flushed; if he had noticed, he didn't say anything about it. "Ta-Da," You said, hands almost shaking slightly as you passed the cup to Yoongi. "Thank you. A+ leaf design right here. Love it," he smiled at you, and it actually seemed genuine. You blushed a bit more. "So, are you nervous for tonight? When's the last time you were up in front of a crowd?" You said quickly, changing the subject as you began cleaning up the counter in order to surpass the remaining embarrassment that you had just experienced. You weren't sure why you felt so flustered; you really needed to go out and meet people more often. "I have some butterflies in my stomach, but I feel good about it. I'm actually really excited to play tonight. It's been years since I last played in a more formal setting like this one," he explained as you continued to clean up. "Oh, what other kind of places have you performed at?" You began to ask, but Stevens appeared from the back room, interrupting the conversation. "Min Yoongi! How are ya?" Stevens was already greeting Yoongi like he was an old friend. Again, your uncle was incredibly informal. "I'm okay, Sir. How are you?" "I'm absolutely fantastic!" Stevens exclaimed, giving both you and Yoongi 2 thumbs up before making his way around the cafe to talk to some of the current guests. Yoongi slowly turned his head and looked back at you, raising one eyebrow."He gets really excited whenever we launch new concepts here," you shrugged, explaining your Uncle's slightly odd behavior. "That's understandable," Yoongi laughed, finally able to take a drink of the latte you had made him. His eyes were wandering curiously around the cafe as he drank, and you carefully watched him out of the corner of your eye. On the surface, he was quite pleasant; a bit shy sometimes and easily uncomfortable, but still overall, he was pleasant. However, you couldn't help but feel as if there was something else there, that maybe that exterior appearance wasn't all there was to Yoongi. There were so many things about him that you were curious about, but he was still practically a stranger. You couldn't ask him all of the intrusive questions you wanted to, and that was one thing that was bothering you. It bothered you that not knowing things about him bothered you. It bothered you that you were so curious about someone you barely knew, and it bothered you that you couldn't have your questions answered. You looked at Yoongi again, his profile facing you. He had foam on his upper lip again and was still looking around, seemingly lost in his thoughts about something. You looked for too long. He turned back toward you, and you quickly looked elsewhere, hoping that your random bit of staring at him wasn't too obvious. "Isn't it about time to start?" He asked, and you were relieved that he hadn't noticed your gaze. "Almost," you nodded, shaking your head at yourself as you walked to the supply closet. |||||Yoongi began playing on the piano at 6:30 pm, just as a delightful amount of people began to stream into the cafe. The age demographic was quite consistent in that it truly did seem to be mostly older people; mostly older women. They would swoon over Yoongi as they waited to be served their tea, and you overheard several comments about him, most of which not being about his piano playing. You had to bite your lip numerous times to avoid obnoxiously laughing in front of your customers. "That boy would be great for my granddaughter. Cherie, sneak a peek and see if he's got a wedding ring on!" You overheard one older lady say to her friend as you were bringing walnut brownies to the table of people behind them. That comment stuck inside of your head as you were at the counter, pouring cups of coffee. It was there while you were boxing up Green Tea mini cakes. It was especially there whenever you had a free moment to sneak a glance at Yoongi who, despite having the sheet music displayed in front of him, knew the pieces well enough to close his eyes while playing. The way his forehead would become scrunched up and his lips would purse as you literally watched him feel the music he was playing moved you in a way you had never been moved before. He was so engaging to watch that you became slightly resentful of customers who would come up the counter, forcing you to direct your attention onto something other than him. Someone else wondering aloud whether or not Yoongi had a wedding ring on made you curious about it as well. You knew he wasn't married; you had seen his hands. But, you did wonder if he was in a relationship or not. Was he slightly lonely like you were? Or did he already have someone to spend time with, or to go home to? You weren't sure, and it wasn't something that had dawned on you before overhearing that one conversation. Regardless, it was a great night for the cafe. An incredible amount of revenue was brought in, and you truly believed that between Stevens's clever marketing, and the addition of someone as talented as Yoongi was the reason Youth & Impulse had turned over such a big profit. The success of the night was exciting, and not only just to you. "That was great! Yoongi, you were great!" Stevens exclaimed as he finally flipped the sign on the door to say Closed. It was half past nine, and business remained going on for longer than expected. "Thank you so much! I really enjoyed it," Yoongi said, showing off his gummy smile. The three of you cleaned up the cafe together, even though Yoongi wasn't techincally required to stay and help per his job description. He fell into the flow of cleaning easily and without being asked, even helping to mop the floor. "Ugh, I'm starving!" You complained, slumping against the counter after you had just finished cleaning every last tea and coffee mug that had been used that night. You sighed as you tried to picture what you had in the mini-fridge at your dorm. The only thing you could think of was half a box of cheap popsicles that your roommate had bought when her younger brother came to visit. "Do you have food at home?" Stevens asked, eyes narrowing at you. He knew you had a bad habit of not grocery shopping often enough."Does half a box of popsicles count as food?" You replied, grimcing slightly. Yoongi chuckled from across the room. "Min Yoongi," Stevens called out."Sir?""Do you have anywhere to be right now?""No, Sir.""Do you mind taking this poor girl to the 7-eleven down the street and getting her some food?" Stevens's request sounded so casual, but it caught you so off guard. "Uhm, Yoongi doesn't need to do that. I can go myself," you said through gritted teeth, embarrassed that Stevens was making it seem like you weren't capable of going alone."Your mom would punch me in the face if she found out I let you walk around the city alone at night," Stevens argued. "I do that at University all of the time," You crossed your arms. "Yeah, but you're not my responsibility while you're on campus.""Maybe so, but still, I'm old enough to-""I don't mind taking her," Yoongi intervened smoothly, his hands back in his pockets. "But-" You started."Really, I don't mind. I'm hungry too," He insisted, and you knew that you couldn't reject the offer again without making things more awkward than they already were. "O-Okay," you agreed reluctantly, unsure of why you were so nervous. "You two go ahead and go. I'll close down," Stevens said, waving the both of you off. "Goodnight, Sir," Yoongi said politely as he began to make his way toward the door."See you on Monday, Yoongi! Bye Y/N."You grabbed your jacket from the coat wrack, slipping it on slowly as Yoongi opened the door, waiting. The both of you began to walk down the sidewalk, a comfortable distance apart. "You said before that you work at a convenience store, right?" You said, hoping that if you made conversation the nervous feeling in your stomach would go away. "Yup. I work at a 7-Eleven actually. It's always weird to go to one outside of work now," he chuckled lightly. "What's it like to work somewhere like that?" You were going to avoid a period of awkward silence at all costs. "It's pretty boring honestly. I shouldn't complain, though. It's not a hard job and it's decent pay," he explained. "What else do you do when you're not at the cafe?""Well, I'm a full time University student and that keeps me pretty busy. To be honest, I don't really do much else aside from studying and making endless cups of coffee," you shrugged. "That's cool, though," Yoongi replied earnestly. "Really? I thought it made me seem pretty lame." "I mean you work hard and you can make a mean cup of coffee. What's lame about that?" Yoongi asked honestly, and you couldn't come up with a decent answer. Luckily, the front of 7-Eleven was now right in front of you both. He swung the door open, allowing you to go inside first. The two of you sat in the window seating together, having cup noodles and vanilla cokes. You made a mental note of how much Yoongi liked vanilla. There wasn't much conversation over your 6 dollar and 38 cent meal, but the more time you spent in Yoongi's presence, the more relaxed you felt. You suddenly weren't so sure why you were nervous about spending time with him in the first place. Perhaps it was the fact that he was someone new that you were letting into your life. Perhaps it was because you looked at Yoongi and saw a huge mystery that you desperately wanted to untangle. Perhaps it was because he intrigued you in a dangerously infuriating way, and you were scared to find out what was behind all of the smoke and mirrors of him. Either way, while looking at Yoongi that night in the florescent white lighting of 7-Eleven, you were sure of at least one thing; You wanted to know Min Yoongi. You didn't just want to know his name, or his appearance, or his piano playing. You wanted more than that. You wanted to know the minute details about him; his favorite color, his hometown, his favorite thing in the world, his least favorite thing in the world, the details about his family. You wanted to know it all. Min Yoongi had appeared like a complicated math equation before you, and you were determined on solving it. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- "Listen up kids, I got a hot date tonight, so I'll be leaving a half hour before closing. You two are responsible for closing up, okay?" Stevens said the following Thursday. It'd been a week since your 7-Eleven trip with Yoongi, and you were pleased that after that night, things hadn't become awkward between the two of you. In fact, when Yoongi showed up for work the Tuesday after you'd had dinner with him, he seemed in a better mood than you had seen him so far. "Sure," Yoongi said, sipping his latte. You had decorated it with a leaf design again. "Another date?" You questioned your uncle while slightly rolling your eyes. Stevens was notorious for going on bizzare dates with random people that he met on offbeat dating sites, and those dates never had a bright outcome. In some ways you felt sorry for your uncle, seeing as he was simply going on those dates to try and fill the void that had been created after his wife had passed away. But on the other hand, you wished he would find a more proactive way to meet people- people that weren't total nutjobs. "Her name is Patsy and she's a high school art teacher," Stevens said defensively. "There's no way her name is "Patsy"," you scoffed, shaking your head. "You don't know her life! Her name most definietly could be Patsy!" Stevens exclaimed, and Yoongi laughed, immediately covering his mouth after doing so."Sorry," he mumbled from behind his hands. "Look, Stevens, go for it! Go on this date. But, if she turns out to be a catfish like last time, I don't want to hear you complaining about it," you shrugged. "You got a lot of sass, you know-" Stevens began to lecture you, but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, and the first wave of customers entering. Yoongi glanced down at his watch and nearly jumped. He set his empty cup down on the counter and gave you a small closed-mouth smile before running off to the piano to begin playing. For nearly 5 minutes after, you could still feel your heartbeat in your ears. |||||Sometime around 9 pm, thirty minutes before closing, Yoongi was in the middle of playing Clair de lune by Claude Debussy. You had your hands resting in your face as you leaned against the counter, watching him intently. The rush of people had slowed as the cafe was now packed, and all of the customers were happily sitting with their tea and pastries, chatting amongst themselves and listening to the music. You watched Yoongi's jaw clench as he reached a critical moment in the song, his eyes still closed, not depending on the sheet music. You were so into watching him that you didn't hear Stevens trying to talk to you. It wasn't until he literally snapped his fingers in front of your face that you acknowledged his existence and focused back into reality. "You okay?" Stevens raised an eyebrow at you as you stood up straight."Fine," you cleared your throat. "Okay then. I'm leaving for my date with Patricia," he informed you, flashing a grin. "I thought her name was Patsy.""Oh, right. My date last week was named Patricia...Anyway, I'm off. Do you feel comfortable being here with him?" Stevens asked, nodding in Yoongi's direction. He was still playing piano with his eyes closed. "Why do you ask?""I'm just looking out for you. If he makes you uncomfortable we can just close down before I leave," Stevens said, still eyeing Yoongi from afar. "No, it's fine. Really," you reassured him even though you did appreciate his consideration. "Alright. I'm a phone call away if you need me. See ya!" Stevens waved, half skipping his way to the front door before promptly exiting. You couldn't help but smile; he reminded you of the way his brother, your father, used to be. Sometimes this connection between their behavior would make you laugh, but other times it would make you cry. Shaking the thought out of your head, you looked back toward Yoongi, who had moved on to Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. You sat there watching him, only looking away to tell customers goodnight as they slowly began to filter out. By 9:30, the place was empty and Yoongi had finished off his last song. Raising from the piano bench, Yoongi looked content, a small smile on his face as he gathered his sheet music together and placed it back into his music folder. You flipped the door sign to closed and began to clean up the tables. He began helping you without you having to ask, as he had been doing. "You did well," you complimented him a bit shyly as you were collecting cups from a table while Yoongi was wiping it down with cleaner. "Oh? Thank you," he offered a small smile. "You seem like you don't get told that often enough," you blurted out before you even had a chance to think thoroughly think about it."What do you mean?" he replied. The two of you moved onto the next table. "People haven't told you how talented you are. It seems like you don't even realize the potential that you have," the words flowed honestly from your mouth. "Ahh, come on. I'm not that good," he waved your comment off, but it didn't seem like an act. It didn't seem like he was being modest out of politeness; it seemed like he truly thought he wasn't that talented. And that made you upset. "Yoongi, you're amazing," You said seriously, stopping your cleaning to look him straight in the eye. The tips of his ears turned pink as he broke eye contact, looking down. "Thank you," he murmured, before picking up the cleaning spray and rag and moving onto a different table. Your heart thudded as you kept replaying his reaction to your compliment over and over in your head. There was something so pure and genuine about his response that made your chest hurt, a feeling that you couldn't put a name to. The two of you didn't talk anymore as you finished the rest of the cleaning. By 10, everything that was finished. The two of you met by the door; he flicked the lights off as you put on your jacket. As he had a week before, he opened the door, allowing you to walk out first, then checking to make sure it was locked behind you. "I'll see you on Tuesday?" You asked. "Yup," he smiled a small smile and the two of you turned away from each other on the sidewalk, beginning to walk in different directions. Part of you felt disappointed as you breathed in the cool air, walking away from Yoongi. However, the feeling didn't last of long as less than 20 seconds later, you heard footsteps quickly approaching from behind you. "Y/N!" It was Yoongi, calling out your name. You stopped dead in your tracks, turning around to face him. "I was just, um, thinking that maybe, um, I should, uh, walk you home?" He stuttered, scratching the back of his neck. "I-I was just thinking about what Stevens had said before...Uh about you walking alone at night..." From the light of the street lamps you could see his face had flushed. He was embarrassed. "I m-mean it's cool if you don't need me to, I just thought maybe I should offer. You know, because-""Thanks, Yoongi. I'd appreciate that," you smiled, cutting him off because he couldn't stop nervously babbling. "Sure," he nodded, his cheeks turning an even dark shade of red as he began walking alongside you. "My dorm is only a few blocks away," you informed him casually, trying quite hard to keep your cool. He had turned around and came back for you, just to make sure that you got home safely. You bit your lip, trying your best not to full-on grin. The slight disappointment you had before had completely disenegrated. Yoongi had come back for you. "Okay, cool," he stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked a bit closer to you than he did the night you two went to 7-Eleven. You walked in silence for a few minutes. "Yoongi?" you said suddenly. "Yeah?"That day you came in for the audition...Why didn't you have an umbrella?" You were hoping that question would cause him to open up a bit to you, and maybe share some information about his life with you. You'd been curious about his lack of umbrella since the first time you saw him, and you finally felt that the moment was right for you to ask. "Oh...that," he hesistated slightly, "I wasn't having a very good day." Yoongi's shoulder brushed against you accidentally as you walked. You waited for him to elaborate further, but he shifted the subject slightly instead. "To be honest with you, I haven't been having a very good past couple of years. I've been trying to work hard because I don't want my family to feel ashamed of me." You looked toward Yoongi, but he kept his gaze facing forward as he continued talking. "My parents wanted me to go to University, but I can't afford it right now. But even if I could afford it, it's not what I want to do. I just want to persue my music, but my family doesn't approve of that, so I feel like I can't..." He trailed off. You glanced up at his face again. He looked melancholy, and it made your chest hurt. You really felt for Yoongi, and you felt sad that he was stuck between his parents' wishes and his own. "I'm sorry, Yoongi. Honestly, I'm sorry you're having to try and juggle that." His shoulder brushed against you again. "Yeah...So, right now I'm kind of caught in the middle. I'm working to save money to attend school when I don't even want that, and I'm playing music at the cafe and looking for random opportunities even though I know it's a long shot," he sighed and you suddenly found yourself filled with a rare form of bravery. You stopped walking and lightly pulled on the sleeve of his dress shirt, causing him to stop walking as well. His eyes were wide as he looked at you with curiousity, and you wondered if maybe your gesture had made his heart beat faster. "You'll get your shot, Yoongi. Talent like yours is few and far between. It's only a matter of time before someone more important than me or Stevens takes notice of it," you reassured him as he blinked a few times. "I mean it," you whispered. "That means a lot," he nodded. He looked a bit emotional, biting his lip as if he was trying to avoid letting tears out. You both stood there for a few short moments before Yoongi spoke up, "It's cold. Let's get you home."By the time you arrived at your dorm building, you had a lot on your mind. But, something felt different between you and Yoongi after that conversation. It was almost as if there had a been an emotional wall that had been broken down. He didn't feel so much like an acquaintance or just a work partner anymore; he was really starting to feel like your friend. He had been slightly vunerable in front of you, and you didn't take that gesture lightly. "Thanks for taking the time to walk me home," You said as the two of you lingered outside the front door. "No worries," Yoongi smiled at you, and it was real this time. "So I'll see you soon?" you asked, even though you already knew what the answer was. For some reason, you yearned for confirmation that you would see him again. Confirmation that this was all real, and he was real. "Of course you will," he assured you, and something about the way he looked at you compelled you to believe him. His eyes were soft and honest, and you were completely and utterly lost in them. "Goodnight, Y/N. Sleep well," he said softly, before turning and walking away. You stood on the front steps of your dorm building for several minutes, watching until you no longer could see the outline of him. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- You and Yoongi began to fall into a rhyme and rhythm.It'd been about 6 weeks since he first start working at Youth & Impulse, and the two of you had a rather consistent routine that was followed every single Tuesday and Thursday at work. Yoongi would always arrive at 5:30, a half hour before he actually needed to be there. You would make him a latte as you'd been doing before, but you began trying out different designs on the top. He would rate your new designs from one to ten, and help you decide on which ones were good enough to sell to actual customers.Then, Yoongi would play piano for the next 2 and half hours after that, and you would watch him from behind the counter. Stevens had gotten onto you several times for not paying enough of attention to the guests, but no matter how many warnings you got about it, you found it nearly impossible to keep your eyes off of Yoongi. His charm and classy look about him as he played the piano drew you in, and you literally never wanted to stop looking at him. Even as Stevens was snapping his fingers in front of your face, or as your eyes began burning and drooping from drowsiness, you didn't want to pull your eyes away.Your infatuation with him only grew every time you saw him and every time you learned something new about him. He could tell you something as trivial as how much he liked oatmeal raisin cookies and you would still be thinking about it hours later. This was the first time a single person had so much influence over your everyday thoughts.After the shop closed, Yoongi would stick around to help you and Stevens clean up. Sometimes he would walk you to your dorm, other times the two of you would grab at a late dinner at the 7-Eleven down the street, and rarely, you two simply parted ways at the end of your shifts. You hated the nights where he just left. You didn't like it when you didn't get to spend the extra time with him, as that time after work was when he seemed the most real, and the closest to you. Those nights where you spent time alone with him, no matter how small the amount of time was, left you wanting more and more.The uncomfortable and awkward tension that the two of you had previously experienced was no completely gone on both ends. You were learning to trust him and to believe him wholeheartedly, even though you knew it was a dangerous game to allow yourself to fall for someone that fast. You couldn't find it within youreslf to be overly cautious; all you wanted was to be close to Yoongi.All you wanted was him.~YOONGI'S POV~As he clutched the contest flyer in his hand, Yoongi realized that he was nervous to go into work. He had exciting news that he was desperate to share with You, but there was something that he had to come clean about first. What he needed to tell you wasn't exactly a big deal, or a big secret, but it still was a rather large part about his pending music career. Truthfully, he felt guilty for not revealing this part of himself to you sooner.He could tell how invested you were becoming in him, and that simple fact always managed to make his heart beat faster. He didn't take your time or attention for granted as he could acknowledge that he'd never felt so close to someone in his life. For the first time in a very long time, Yoongi was truly beginning to feel...happy. And it was all because of you.He took a deep breath as he turned the corner, approaching the front of the cafe at 5:30 as he usually did. He couldn't help but smile as he watched you perk up from behind the counter when he walked in. After hanging up his coat, he went over to you. He still felt slightly nervous, but upon seeing your face, excitment began to drown out the other negative emotions and worries that he had."Yoongi! What's up?" you exclaimed, and he grinned at your enthusiasm to see him. He nearly blurted out the words "You're cute", but bit his tongue, knowing that the comment would be a bit out of line."Y/N, I have good news," He teased you, his excitement now blatant."And?" he watched your face spread into a smile, waiting not-so-patiently for an answer."I've been accepted into a music competition, and recruiters from small talent agencies will be there," He grinned, cheeks turning red as you ran out from behind the counter. Out of nowhere, you were flinging your arms around him, exclaiming, "Yoongi, that's so great! I told you you'd get your chance eventually!"Yoongi stiffened under your arms, not because he didn't like you being that close to him, but because he was surprised at how casually you embraced him. He felt guilty as you pulled away, seemingly taken notice of how he had practically just rejected your hug. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly as you mumbled out an apology."Oh no, no! You just caught me off guard," Yoongi stammered, cheeks heating up in embarrassment. "Anyway, about the competition," he changed the subject swiftly, desperately trying to recover from the uncomfortable moment, "There's something about my music I haven't exactly told you yet."You raised an eyebrow at him."I'm not just a pianist," he began."Okay?""I'm a rapper," he said slowly, watching you carefully to gauge your reaction."Oh, really?" You sounded surprised, but your tone was full of curiosity, not judgement. "You always look so gentle and calm while you're playing music...I never would've pegged you as a rapper," You chuckled, and Yoongi was relieved."That's how I'll be competing in the contest...I'll be rapping, not playing the piano," he explained. "I'm so happy that you're finally getting a real opportunity, Yoongi. You deserve it, honestly," you said sincerely to him, his heart becoming elated. "So, does that mean you'll come then?" He asked hopefully, biting his lip. He wasn't quite sure when it first started, but somewhere along the way in his relationship with you, he had suddenly begun to care a great deal about what you thought about him. He wanted you there, not just to support him, but also because he wanted to share that moment with you. He wanted you to see him doing what he was most passionate about; performing his music for others. He wanted you to be impressed with him, and to feel proud of him. He cared what you thought. "Come where? The competition?" You asked, seemingly excited by the idea. "Yeah, if you can. I would like it if you came," he replied shyly. "Of course! I would love to come! When is it?" "Tomorrow night. 9 o'clock.""I'll be there for sure," you nodded, and Yoongi really couldn't control the huge smile that was on his face. He wanted to play it cool, but he just couldn't. "I'll meet you here tomorrow night then? We can go together?" He offered. "Sounds great."|||||~YOUR POV~Yoongi showed up at Youth & Impulse at 8:30 the next night, right at the end of your shift so the two of you could walk to his competition together. Given that the cafe was right in the middle of the city, most other things were in near proximity, making walking more convinient and cheaper than taking a taxi. Yoongi walked in the door, gaining eyes from customers as he swiftly walked up to the counter to meet you. He looked different tonight; his hair was messier than ever, but it looked like it had been styled that way on purpose. He was wearing a black and white striped cut off T-Shirt and a black hoodie. But, the hoodie was only covering one shoulder, and slipping off of the other one, exposing his pale yet obviously toned arms. It took an incredible amount of conscience effort for you to remind yourself that it would be innapropriate to continue staring at his arm muscles, no matter how bad you didn't want to look away. He was wearing hoop earrings, replacing the small black studs that he typically wore. He was wearing three different rings across his hands, with a chain bracelet and neclace to match. As he approached, you could tell he was even wearing makeup; it was faint, but black eyeliner allowed his eyes to pop. In that moment, Yoongi truly looked like a star. He looked like someone who was famous, someone who was rich, and someone who was important. Perhaps that's why his entrance into the cafe caused so many heads to turn, so many eyes to stare, and so many people to whisper. "Y/N! You ready?" He asked through a gummy smile, fidgeting out of apparent excitement and nervousness. You felt shy as so many people's eyes were on you. You didn't like copious amounts of attention; you found it invasive and uncomfortable. "I am!" You replied with enthusiasm, despite the fact you were uncomfortable with all of the intruding eyes. You slipped your apron off over your clothes, simply wearing a black sweater and skinny jeans as Yoongi informed you that the dress would be very casual. "Stevens, Yoongi and I are heading out, okay?" You called out to Stevens who was busy making a caramel macchiato. "Yeah, yeah. Go have fun! Good luck, Yoongi," Stevens said without even turning around, too busy drizzling caramel from a squeeze bottle onto the top of the drink."Thank you, Sir," Yoongi replied earnestly as you made your way out from behind the counter. "Alright, let's go then."The two of you walked through the cafe to the front door, looking like a million dollar pairing. You blushed as you noticed people's heads continuing to turn to get a look at the two of you, while Yoongi seemed unphased by the attention, if he had even noticed it at all. You took note of fame would suit him well; you were happy he was the one that had the chance to become a star, and not you. You would never be able to handle all of the privacy intrusion, the demeaning eyes, the pressure. That kind of life wasn't something you wanted. However, Yoongi seemed perfectly cut out for it. He was walking a bit faster along the sidewalks that night. You pegged it to be his nervous yet excited energy, and all of that energy began to rub off on you. You hadn't realized how excited you were to see Yoongi perform until the two were about a block way from the venue. There were cars parked bumper to bumper along the sides of the streets, making you realize how big of a deal this really was. Perhaps it appeared like some lame underground rap competition, but after seeing the amount of people that were going to be there, you began to think otherwise. "You said that recruiters from talent agencies are going to be here tonight, right?" You spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence that you had been walking in."That's right," Yoongi breathed, his breath showing in the freezing cold air. "So, this really is a huge opportunity isn't it?" You asked, even though you already knew the answer. "It really is," he sighed, biting his lip as you looked over at him. He didn't look so excited anymore; he looked more nervous, and you couldn't blame him. "Hey, listen. Try not to let the pressure get to you, okay? I'm sure you'll do great. And even if you don't, this won't be your last shot," you tried to reassure him, tried to bring him a bit of comfort even though you knew that no amount of words would remove the butterflies he was likely feeling in the pit of his stomach. You wanted to reach out and try to hold his hand, but after how weird he'd been about the hug yesterday, you decided against it. "Thanks," he offered you a small smile as the two of you found yourself standing in front of the competition venue; an old warehouse. Through the open front doors, you could see the neon lights and the crowds of people that were already there. Yoongi was at a standstill, taking in the crowd and the energy silently. "Ready to go inside?" You asked quietly, glancing over at him. "Yes," he said simply, catching your eye for a short moment, before moving forward, you right beside him. |||||Yoongi was the 8th person to perform, so throughout the first performances, he stood out in the crowd with you. While the people performing were Yoongi's competition, you could tell how much fun he was having while watching everyone rap. You spent a lot of time looking at him, how his facial expression was influenced by different lyrics and different emotions from the various rappers. You watched him have fun through the flashing of the neon lights and in the midst of several other sweaty bodies in the crowd. You were pressed against Yoongi's side due to the mass amounts of people that were cramped into the small space, but you didn't feel uncomfortable being beside him like that.When his name was called out, he grabbed your hand quickly, meeting your eyes for a short second and offering one of those knee-weakening smiles, before leaving your side and running up to the stage. The only way you could describe his performance was by using the word "flawless." He didn't skip a single beat, each word comfortably rolling off of his tongue with confidence. The emotion behind the lyrics made your heart ache for him, that he had felt that way. But that aching was distracted and disrupted by his incredible charisma while being up on that stage. You eyes were so stuck on him, you weren't sure if you had even blinked once throughout his entire performance. You saw a different side of Yoongi come out while he was on that stage; a darker and a wilder side. You could see how much he loved what he was doing, and how much heart and passion he truly put into it. You felt true awe while standing there amidst the flashing lights and the energy and the chaos. You watched the sweat roll down his forehead as he gripped the microphone tighter, his words flowing even faster. You watched as he worked to make his dreams come true. Coming down from off the stage, Yoongi was clearly ecstatic. For once, he seemed entirely confident about his performance, proud of himself for a job well done. You watched as he made his way to you, unable to even register what was happening as his arms were around you, pulling you into a hug. He was hot and sweaty and practically panting because he was so out of breath. But, instead of rushing for some cold water, he went straight to you.The moment was so surreal as Yoongi tightened his arms around your waist, you almost wondered if maybe you were dreaming. But as he whispered in your ear, "Y/N, I think I might really make it," you finally could acknowledge how real the entire situation really was. You hugged him, pressing your hands into his back to bring him closer even though his entire shirt was soaked through with sweat. But for some reason, even though his sweat was getting all over you and several people were watching you and you were incredibly hot, you didn't want him to pull away. You would've stayed there, embracing Yoongi, tucked against his chest for hours if you could've.You would've stayed there, heart beating out of your chest, cheeks flushed, Yoongi pressed against you for days if you could've.You would've stayed like that forever, really. But like all good things, the hug had to end. And when Yoongi pulled away, there was a smile brighter than the sun on his face. He was seemed so happy and so proud, you wished you could've frozen time and taken a snapshot of that exact moment. "Thank you, Y/N," he said softly, before hugging you quickly one more time. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- - there are probably typos in this, i'll edit it later <3 - You were completely and utterly exhausted by the time you made it home from Yoongi's competition. You and Yoongi were at the venue till nearly one am, as there were eleven other performers to go after Yoongi. "Are you tired? I can take you home now if you want," Yoongi offered as he finally pulled away from hugging you, still barely having caught his breath. "No, let's stay," you replied. The winners of the competition wouldn't be announced until they were put online the following day, meaning that it wasn't necessary for you and Yoongi to stay until the end of the competition. But, you could tell how much Yoongi was enjoying himself being there, and you were honestly having fun as well. So, they two of you stayed until the very end, listening and cheering and swaying along with the rest of the crowd. There was something about the way the energy radiated off of people, the way that people vibed off of one another that made you feel incredibly content. You had nerver experienced being in a crowd and feeling all of that heavy passion at the same time. It was such an elating feeling that you could see yourself likely yearning for it later on in the future. The way you felt that night and the moments that you shared with Yoongi were once in a life time, and you knew that.The way Yoongi was right there beside you, drawing the same emotions from the music that you were made you feel connected to him in a way that you had never been connected to another person. When he would look down and smile at you every once in a while, you could acknowledge how blatantly right the whole situation felt. You were explicitly happy that night. Yoongi walked you home, offering his hoodie since you were cold and he was still drying to desperately cool down. "It might be kind of sweaty, but you can use it if you need to," he offered, chuckling a little bit. You accepted the jacket, figuring that Yoongi's sweat was already all over you anyway; you didn't want to be shivering for the remainder of the 5 block walk back to your dorm. "Thanks again for coming tonight," Yoongi sighed out contentment, looking up at the stars in the sky as he walked alongside you on the deserted sidewalk. "I'm glad I came. I've never been to anything like that before," You said as you pull his hoodie on. It was far too big for you, but you still found it comforting. It smelled like his cologne; some soothing cross between lavender and chamomile. "Did you have fun?" he glanced over at you. "To be honest, that's the most fun I've had in a while. And I really loved seeing you on stage," you admitted, somehow not feeling shy to throw out that compliment. Perhaps your new found honesty and bravery blossomed because Yoongi had been brave earlier. He was searching for you the moment he stumbled off that stage, taking you in his arms as soon as he found you. You couldn't help but wonder about that moment. Why had he done that? Was it all because of all the adrenaline? Was it because he felt about the awkward interaction earlier that day? Or was it merely because he was proud of himself, wanted some physical contact, and you were there? Those questions bounced all over your mind, but you didn't want to ask him. In some strange way, you were almost comfortable with there being some mystery there. Either way, no matter what the real truth was, you just knew that you liked that he had done it. "That makes me happy," Yoongi murmured simply, and nothing else was said all the way home. You and Yoongi walked shoulder to shoulder in comfortable silence as you had done many nights before. You didn't even realize until you were already in your dorm room that he hadn't asked for his hoodie back. You slept in it that night.|||||Thursday, the day following the competition, you found yourself constantly checking your phone, anxious for Yoongi to forward you the results of the competition. You felt that he had outperformed several of the other rappers there, but you had to remind yourself that your opinion was rather biased. All day, from the time you woke up, to the middle of your classes, to the walk to Youth & Impulse, and even minutes before Yoongi was supposed to show up for work, you were checking to see if you had a text from him. But, a text never came. You figured that he just hadn't received the results yet, and that's why he wasn't reaching out.He arrived later than usual, only about ten minutes before his shift rather than the full thirty. He only nodded as he came in, not initiating any kind of conversation as he hung up his coat. After seeing how wild and different he appeared on stage, it was almost funny to you to see him back in his formal atire. You had just started making his drink as you typically did, when he walked past the counter on his way to the piano mumbling, "No latte today." You frowned, setting down the coffee mug, watching as he sat down on the piano bench, his facial expression unreadable. In all of the time you'd spent around Yoongi, you'd never once seen him like this. And it worried you. What had happened between one o'clock last night and 6 pm today? What had changed? He was practically floating and glowing last night he was so happy. But now, he looked detached and irritable. You tried to shake off your bad feelings, despite the fact you were bothered about how you'd barely even gotten a chance to talk to him before the shift began. As people promptly flooded in, you did your best to maintain a friendly customer service attitude, even while you were sneeking sly glances at Yoongi. You noticed a few small slip-ups towards the front of his performance; nothing major, just a few wrong keys pressed that he managed to recover quickly. But, as time wore on, he was messing up more and more frequently. His eyes were open, reading the sheet music this time. You had never seen him actually use the sheet music; he was usually too busy feeling and getting into the music. You had never heard him mess up like that either. You began to feel sick to your stomach, wondering what was wrong with him. Even Stevens noticed that something was up, poking his head out from the kitchen to ask, "Is everything okay with Yoongi?" You and Stevens gave it a little more time, but as his mistakes persisted and his entire body language was stiff and frustrated, Stevens eventually decided to step in. He approached Yoongi at the piano, whispering something in his ear. Yoongi stopped playing then as Stevens turned back to the crowd of tables. "Excuse me, Ladies and Gentlemen. We will be having a short interlude with our musical talent tonight. Please, enjoy some complementary cinnamon twists that you can pick up at the front counter! They go great with all kinds of coffee and tea," Stevens smiled to the crowd, eliciting some grunts from the old ladies as they made a run (or as much of a run as they could manage) for the pastries that you were now busy handing out. You managed to catch a glimpse of Yoongi, walking across the cafe and then exiting out the door. Your blood ran cold as you assumed the worst. Stevens had just made his way over, planning to help you out with the customers. "Where did Yoongi go?! Did you just fire him?" You exclaimed under your breath as your back was to the customers for a short moment. "Fire him? What are you talking about? I told him he seemed like he needed to a break so I told him to grab some fresh air," Stevens replied, attending to the customers that you were practically ignoring. "Something's wrong with him today..." You trailed off, biting your lip as you tried to see over the crowd and to the windows. It was already dark outside though, so you knew it was really no use. "Did everything go okay last night?" Stevens asked. "It was great, actually. We-" You began, but then paused as you remembered what he'd been expecting all day. The competition results. "You what?" Stevens questioned as you had stop talking mid-sentence. "Stevens, I know we're slammed right now, but I would appreciate you forever if you would let me go out there and talk to him for a few minutes," you practically begged. "Y/N," he started uneasily. "Please," your eyes pleaded with his. "Fine. Go," he sighed, and you thanked him quickly, running out from behind the counter and to the front door.Upon making it outside, you found Yoongi sitting on the curb, a nearby street lamp glowing just enough for you to be able to make out his profile features. "Yoongi?" You called out as you approached him. He looked up at you, but he didn't smile. Hesitantly, you sat down beside him on the curb, leaving a small gap between you and him. "Are you okay?" you asked quietly, worry and fear continually rising in your chest. He was quiet for a few moments. "I got the results back," he said finally, jaw clenching slightly. In the dim light, he almost looked mad. You waited silently, figuring it was best to just let him talk, rather than trying to pull the words out of him before he was ready. "I placed 6th out of the 20," he sighed, head suddenly in his hands as he was rubbing his eyes. "What's the problem them? You beat 14 people Yoongi, that's great," you said, unsure of why he seemed so down about it. "'That's great'? 6th is not good enough. There were recruiters there, Y/N. You really think they're going to go for anybody past the top 3, top 5 maybe? I blew my chance," He said, clearly growing frustrated as he finally made eye contact with you."But Yoongi, you did your best, and it's so obvious that someone like you and with talent like yours belongs on a stage," you insisted, your eyebrows wrinkled up as you grew more and more confused as to why he was counting this a loss."Y/N, you're not listening to me. 6th is not good enough. I wasn't good enough." It wasn't until voice slightly cracked when he said "I wasn't good enough" that you realized he was beginning to tear up. "Yoongi..." You said his name softly, heart hurting for him. "I-I just really thought this was going to be it, you know? I thought that it was really my chance to finally make it big. And I just, I don't know, I guess I choked," he whispered, tears slowly beginning to leak out of his eyes. He swiped them away quickly, looking down as if he was embarrassed to be crying at all. "You didn't choke, Yoongi. You did your best, and you beat 14 other very talented people. And all of those talent agency reps were there, watching you perform your heart out. After a performance like the one you gave last night, I doubt they'll be forgetting the name Min Yoongi any time soon," you reassured him gently, a hand resting on his knee now. "I don't know...I just feel like it's all ruined now," he sniffed, facing toward you. His tears were still flowing even though he was clearly trying to very hard to fight them. You hated seeing him like that. It made your heart twist and burn in a very uncomfortable way. "It's okay to be disappointed," you told him, another surge of confidence and bravery coming over you. You reached out with slight hesitance, gently wiping the tears off of his face. You half expected him to push your hands away, or for him to jerk away as soon as you touched his face, but he didn't. In fact, he actually let his eyes close for a short moment, being one hundred percent and completely vunerable with you. "It's okay to be disappointed, but your dream can still become reality. Don't give up, Min Yoongi," you whispered. He sniffled again, nodding and slowly opening his eyes. "Thank you for building me up again," he managed as you carefully removed your hands from his face. "I feel like I've been telling you thank you a lot these days...I feel like I'm not giving enough back to you. Saying thank you just doesn't feel like enough..." "Stop saying you aren't enough...You are," You murmured, a whirlwind of emotions filling you up. Yoongi sighed, and in a split second, he had carefully taken the sides of your face in his hands, pulling your face slightly closer to his. With seemingly no hesitation at all, he pressed gentle, but still firm kiss upon your forehead, causing your cheeks to heat up in flames. "Thank you...again," he almost laughed as he pulled away, looking at you with an expression you couldn't read. You were both sitting there, just looking at each other. You wondered how long you would've stayed like that if it hadn't have been for Yoongi's cell phone going off. He reached for his phone, eyebrows furrowing as he looked at the screen. "Who is it?" you asked, and he shrugged, accepting the call button. "Yes. Speaking. Yes. Really? Of course! Thank you so much!" The entire conversation only lasted about twenty seconds, and buy the end Yoongi was grinning uncontrollably. "Y/N, that was one of the talent agencies that was at the competition last night. BigHit Entertainment." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~YOONGI'S POV~He had a skip in his step the following morning as he poured himself a cup of coffee."What are you so chipper about?" Jae grumbled, pouring a bowl of cereal through tired eyes. Jae was Yoongi's best friend from high school; Yoongi had been crashing on his couch for the past several months, no longer wanting to deal with the scrutiny from the people in his home."I got a callback from BigHit entertainment. I'm visiting their office today," Yoongi smiled behind his coffee cup before taking a sip. He frowned slightly, thinking that the coffee you made him was so much better."Oh, from the rap competition thing?" Jae replied through a mouthful of Froot Loops."Yeah," Yoongi said as his mind dipped back into the memories of that night. It was an amazing feeling to him; to feel his heartbeat in his ears as he dominated the stage. He loved all the sweat and tears and raw emotion and energy. He loved the high feeling he acquired from being on stage, from sharing his music with other people. He truly loved performing, and he wanted nothing more than for an opportunity to let the whole world hear his voice and his music.But stacked on top of that love for performing were Yoongi's feelings for you. He loved being on stage regardless, but something about looking out into the crowd and seeing you brought him more joy than any other performance had ever given him. Your compliments about his music meant more to him than any prior comments ever head.There something special about the way he connected with you that night."What are you thinking about?" Jae laughed, raising an eyebrow. Yoongi hadn't even realized that he was a standstill, frozen in thought with his coffee mug awkwardly half-lifted to his mouth like he was about to take a drink."Oh, nothing," he snapped out of his daze, finally taking another sip of the coffee before frowning again."Is there sugar anywhere around here?" he asked, beginning to look through the cabinets."Since when are you so picky about your coffee? You've been drinking black coffee since I first met you," Jae observed, beginning to pour himself a second bowl of cereal."My taste has changed," Yoongi said absentmindedly as he continued looking for sugar."There's Splenda packets in the cabinet by the microwave," Jae said, "But what do you mean your taste has changed? Is it because of all the time you've been spending at that hipster coffee shop?"Yoongi crossed the kitchen for the Splenda. "You could say that.""Yoongs has a secret doesn't he! Spill it!" Jae teased, pointing an accusing finger at him. Yoongi grabbed a splenda packet and returned back to his coffee, ignoring Jae at first."Oh c'mon, when have you ever kept secrets from me? What's up with you these days, man? You're happier than I've ever seen you," Jae pressed."It's nothing, really,"Yoongi shrugged the comment off again, beginning to stir the artificial sweetener into his coffee."I don't buy it," Jae chuckled, still shoveling massive spoonfuls of Froot Loops into his mouth. "There must be a girl."Yoongi was quiet for a bit too long."I'm right, aren't I? There is a girl!""Okay, maybe," Yoongi blushed slightly, trying his coffee again for the third time. He still frowned, then sighed, turning to pour the cup down the drain."You must be really into her..."The tips of Yoongi's ears grew pink. "Ah, I knew it! You're really really into this girl aren't you?" Jae began laughing, some Froot Loops promptly falling out of his mouth. "Can you chill? Yeah, okay, I really like her," Yoongi began getting defensive, mostly just because he was embarrassed. "Have you kissed her yet?" Yoongi shifted uncomfortably. "Well?" Jae waited impatiently. "Does on the forehead count?" Yoongi grimaced slightly. "You kissed on her the forehead?! Are you really that much of a wimp?" Jae began laughing again. "Hey! It's not like I chickened out from kissing her on the lips, alright? Y/N is different...I don't want to force anything or rush anything with her. Get off my case about it," Yoongi replied, irritated about Jae's annoying intrusion. "You know I'm just messin' with you, man. If she makes you happy then I'm happy for you" Jae shrugged, finally getting up from the table and putting his empty cereal bowl in the sink. "But, if you like her, and you think she likes you too, you need to tell her. Don't string her along," and with that, Jae left. Yoongi was slightly bothered, but sighed as he grabbed his coat, knowing that Jae was right. |||||~YOUR POV~iMessage from: Min Yoongi Piano Genius ^~^About to go in for my interview with BigHit and I'm really really nervous :/ save some time for me later?? ~Yoon :DYou smiled down at your phone, holding your thumb over the picture of Yoongi and pressing the 'save' option. New iMessage To: Min Yoongi Piano Genius ^~^Sure, give me a call when you're done. Don't be nervous, you r amazing \^~^/ |||||"So you've officially signed with them?" You asked excitedly, taking a bite of the vanilla ice cream that Yoongi had bought for you. The two of you were walking through the park that was only a little ways down the street from the cafe. "Basically. I mean, I'm still a techincally a trainee right now, so it's not like they'll be releasing my music any time soon. But, this is a really big step," Yoongi confirmed, a smile forming on his face as he looked down at the ground, blushing. "I told you so," you said suddenly. "Huh?" Yoongi looked back toward you. "I told you that you would get your chance, didn't I?" You teased, "Admit it! I was right! And I told you so!" Yoongi couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, fine! Yes, you told me so. You were right." You grinned, taking another bite of the ice cream while looking around the park. It was already the evening, a little bit after six. Yoongi had called you at five, and came by your dorm when he was finished at BigHit. He simply asked, "want to hang out with me tonight?" and you said, "Yeah." But, somewhere in the back of your mind, you couldn't help but wonder if it was supposed to be a date. Other than going to the rap competition together, you and Yoongi had never hung out on a day where you didn't have work beforehand. Sure, there had been plenty of times where he had walked you home or grabbed a late dinner with you, but he had never randomly called you up and asked you to hang out. This fact prompted you to wonder exactly what his intentions were, furthermore making you irritated at yourself that you were jumping to so many conclusions. You and Yoongi were friends; asking each other to hang out outisde of work shouldn't have been something that you questioned anyway. "Hey, are you gonna share that with me or what?" Yoongi asked, nodding toward the ice cream. "You bought it for me, remember?" You replied jokingly. "Yeah, but haven't you ever heard the phrase "sharing is caring"?" Yoongi smirked at you. "You're going to end up running into a tree if you keep looking at me like that while we're walking," You chuckled, passing him the ice cream as he rolled his eyes at you. "It'd be worth it," he mumbled, taking a bite. "What'd you say?" You glanced back over at him. "Nothing," he played it off, running ahead of you, leaving you scrambling to catch up. "Min Yoongi stop running with the ice cream! You're gonna drop it!" You screeched, chasing after him, knowing that everyone else in the park was probably gagging at how flirty the two of you were being. For once, you didn't care about what other people thought. The two of you ended up wandering around the city for the next couple of hours. You went shopping, mostly just looking rather than purchasing. You watched Yoongi practically drool over the old vinyl records that he managed to find in a vintage music shop. He watched you contemplate whether or not to buy a really cute pair of socks that were decorated with llamas. You bought the socks. He ended up taking you to dinner when you started complaining about how you were still hungry since he had eaten over half of the ice cream that he bought for you. The two of you sat the dimly lit restaurant for over an hour, even after you were finished eating, too wrapped up in your conversation to get up and leave. Long gone were the times when either of you were left with nothing to say and when awkward silence filled the air. Gone were the times when you would scramble for something to say, some noise to fill the air. Conversation flowed naturally between the two of you, and the topic of conversation shifted with ease. During that time, you were so focused on Min Yoongi, the whole world around you might as well have been dead. And it appeared that Yoongi was feeling that same way about you. He would rest his head against his hand, eyes softly looking into yours the whole time you were talking. He wasn't distracted by anything else. He didn't just want to talk about himself, but about you too. And if you were honest, that was attractive to you. He paid for the meal, even when you tried to protest against it, claiming that he had already paid for you earlier. He shrugged off your attitude, paying anyway after saying, "It's not a date if you pay for it." You were so caught off guard by how straight-forward he'd suddenly been that you couldn't even say anything in response. So it was a date. You smiled to yourself when you thought he wasn't paying attention, secretly happy. Somehow, things still didn't grow awkward, even after he said that. He began walking you home around 9 pm, shrugging his jacket off and giving it to you after noticing goosebumps on your bare arms. "There's something I want to say," Yoongi spoke up suddenly after several minutes of walking in comfortable silence. You looked over at him, curious and concerned all at the same time. The two of you were quite close to your University campus now, and you wondered why he waited so long to say what he wanted to say. "What's up?" You asked hesitantly. "You know better than anyone that I've had a rough go of it in the past couple of years...But, uh ever since I came to the cafe, things have gotten a lot better for me..." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. He was nervous about something, and you hadn't seen him nervous to talk to you like this in a while. Nevertheless, the two of you continued walking, almost on campus now. "Working at the cafe and getting that experience of performing and working with other people has been good for me in more ways than one...I'm definetly really grateful that Stevens took a chance on me when I didn't have many other credentials..." He trailed off again, and you began desperately trying to piece together where this conversation might be going. "I, um, I'm really enjoying being there, and I finally feel like I'm getting my life back together. And it's true that the job has helped me a lot, but that's not all there is to it..." He stopped walking, and you did too, furrowing your eyebrows at him. "To be honest with you, Y/N, things have been a lot better for me lately. And I think a lot of the reason things have been better...is because of you..." He bit his lip momentarily as your heart rate spiked. "Y/N...I-I like you. A lot, actually. I, uh, I don't know when it started, but all of the sudden I just really started to care about your opinion, and how you were feeling...And I wanted to see you all of the time, and talk to you...I, um...Yeah...I just...I like you," he stuttered, cheeks turning pink as he trailed off again. You laughed, and he frowned at you, misreading your emotion about it all. "Why do you seem so nervous to tell me that?" you chuckled. "Huh?" Yoongi looked back up at you. "There's no reason for you to be so nervous...I like you too, and I thought it was obvious," you grinned at him, and laughed as you watched his frown turn into a huge smile. "Yah...You really scared me for a second," he laughed, covering his face for a moment, seemingly to try and hide how much he was blushing. "C'mon," you giggled, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward so he would walk you all the way to your dorm. "Here's your jacket back," You said, removing it and handing it back to him when the two of you reached the front doors to your dorm building. "You could've kept it and given it back later," Yoongi replied, taking the jacket back from you and putting it on. "I would've ended up stealing it," you said, thinking back to the hoodie he gave you on the night of rap competition, and how it was still hung over the back of your desk chair. "Thanks for a fun night, Yoongi." "Thanks for spending it with me." The two of you stood there for a short moment. "Well, I uh guess I'll see you on Tuesday?" Yoongi cleared his throat, and you nodded. "See you then," you said as he began to turn around and leave. As you turned to open the door you thought, Min Yoongi, more like Min Coward! He's not even going to try and kiss me, I'm so-But then, Yoongi was grabbing your arm and turning you around. "I forgot something."You barely even had time to react before one of his hands was on your face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ears. He smiled at you briefly, before leaning and finally allowing his lips to press against yours. His kiss was returned almost immediately. Seemingly encouraged, Yoongi brought his other hand to your cheek. But, you were holding him too; you arms were tangling their way around his torso, sighing into the comfort of finally being that close to him. He pulled away first, but only momentarily, as the need to breathe became a bit too large to ignore. The two of you stayed close; breath mingling and eyes still closed before you initiated the second kiss, barely pecking his lips at first before Yoongi reacted back, his mouth carefully meshing with yours. It was partially surreal to you; that you were kissing Yoongi, that you were kissing the man that you'd been daydreaming about for so long. And you weren't disappointed-not a single bit. His lips felt exactly how they'd always looked; soft and warm and inviting. And Yoongi's kiss somehow didn't feel needy to you. It wasn't demanding and it wasn't rough. When the kiss finally ended, you were slightly flustered, but he seemed cooler than ever. "I'll make sure not to forget that next time," he said with a wink, and then he was gone. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- For the next several weeks following Yoongi's confession of his feelings, your relationship with him went through a time of change and readjustment. The two of you began behaving more like a couple rather than just close friends, and change on that front excited you.For one, the two of you started doing more things outside of work whenever you were able to cram them into your busy schedules. Yoongi would take you around to various shopping centers, parks, nature paths, or literally anything else he thought would be fun to explore with you. Sometimes, you woud track down other small coffee shops in the area, and the two of you would go and spy, wanting to see how Youth & Impulse's competition was. Sometimes you would try a place that was somewhat decent, but Yoongi would always frown at the lattes, claiming that the ones you made beat the competition by a long shot. You always tried to deny your talent at making coffee, but Yoongi was rather insistent about your skills.Skinship became more of a common occurence between the two of you. You weren't shy about hugging him whenever you wanted to, or holding his hand in public, or generally just being close to him. He wasn't shy about any of those things either, although the one thing he didn't do was kiss you all the time. It wasn't that kissing between you two was uncomfortable, but more something that Yoongi only liked to do when he felt the moment was right for it. Kissing you on the forehead or the cheek or the back of your hand were common occurences, but kissing you on the lips seemed to be reserved for special moments. And you were okay with that.But, among the positive growth and changes, you had to acknowledge that were some things that were changing for the worst, and not for the better.Late winter was quickly turning into spring, and as the seasons changed, school for you became more and more demanding. As the end of the school year and final exams were looming around the corner, you were busy studying and working on end of term projects, meaning that you had to spend a lot more time on campus than you would've liked to.But, you weren't the only one whose schedule had changed; Yoongi's life was changing as well. Upon signing the contract with BigHit, he became significantly busier as he was desperately trying to juggle his other work along with what his new manager wanted him to do. He was in dancing classes, singing classes, and even a couple of acting classes. On top of that, he suddenly was extremely conscience of his weight, diet, and overall physique, making you a bit sad at times to see how much he worried about it.You were happy for him that he finally had scored such a great opportunity, but there were times where you couldn't help but wonder if this was truly the best thing for him. You wondered if all of the pain and time he put in now would pay off later. You hoped so, because seeing him strain himself that much became hard for you to watch.Despite of all of the chaos, you and Yoongi still had one thing that you could always count on; Tuesday and Thursday nights at Youth & Impulse. No matter how busy the both of you were, you always knew that you would have Tuesday and Thursday nights together. Even though Yoongi couldn't always make it early like he used to, he was always able to stay late, allowing the both of you to spend some quality time together.The cafe became almost like a security blanket for your relationship; a place that was consistent, comforting, and safe.Things were constantly changing, but at least at Youth & Impulse, everything always remained the same.|||||"What are you thinking about?" Yoongi murmured one Thursday night, a few hours after Youth & Impulse had closed. You two were sitting on a bench outside the cafe beneath the dim lighting, watching cars and taxis and random people go by; the city never sleeps.You were tucked into Yoongi's side, allowing your eyes to close for a bit as he absentmindedly played with your hair."Change," you mumbled, sliding an arm around his waist."What do you mean?""It's weird to think how everything has changed. So fast too," you replied, still not opening your eyes. He stopped playing with your hair, moving his hand to gently graze across your shoulder and back."Does the change bother you?" his voice was particulary low and soothing to you that night, although you couldn't put your finger on why."No, it doesn't bother me. It's just funny to look back to a few months ago when I barely knew you...And how much my life has changed since then," you said simply."You're right. Things have changed a lot," he agreed, smoothing the back of your hair in a calming way that he had a habit of always doing."I can barely even remember what is was like to work at the cafe before you were there. I knew as soon as you walked in that first day that everything was going to change...I hoped that that would be the case anyway. I was pretty lonely, Yoongi, and having you around was so nice. I know it sounds cheesy, but I'm really glad that you came," you confessed, feeling safe in being vulnerable with him."My time before Youth & Impulse seems like forever ago...I wouldn't change how things worked out for the world, though. I'm perfectly content with everything that's happened over the last few months...I have a job, I got signed, and I have you..." he trailed off. You opened your eyes just in time to see him leaning down towards you, looking at your lips."Things will change with time, and that's a good thing," he whispered, before closing the small space that was left between you. His lips softly grazed over yours so lightly and so gently that you could barely feel it at first. Feeling dissatisfied with that, you cupped your hand around the back of his neck in attempt to pull him closer and deepen the kiss. He sighed, giving in and taking your face in his hands, shifting slightly in order to continue kissing you how you wanted to be kissed.He laughed gently as he pulled away, encircling you close to him so that he could continue to cuddle with you. "I forgot that we're outside for a second. We've become one of those couples.""What do you mean 'one of those couples'?" you giggled, repositioning your arms around him."Making out in public.""We were not making out in public. Innocent kisses are sweet, and cute, and do not count as gross PDA," You argued, letting your eyes close again."Okay, think what you want. But, that was definietly PDA," Yoongi began full-on laughing, eliciting even more laughter from you."Yoongi, shut up! You are ruining what was a perfectly sweet moment," you playfully hit his chest as he tried to control his laughter."Sorry," he caved, letting his hand graze across your back and shoulders again, "I'll stop.""You're such a dork," you mumbled into his chest, "But I love you.""What was that?" Yoongi asked, not having heard that accidental confession that you'd let slip out of your mouth."I just called you a dork. You know, 'cause you are one," you smoothly tried to recover, even though your heart was practically beating out of your chest at the realization of what you had actually just said."If I'm a dork, then so are you," he snorted."How so?" you continued pushing the playful conversation, hoping he couldn't literally hear how fast your heart was beating."You're a dating a dork, so by default that makes you one," he said matter-of-factly and you laughed again, grateful for the time you were getting to spend with him and the stupid conversations that the two of you got share."Fair enough," you said.Truthfully, you did love Min Yoongi, and you were fairly certain that he felt the same way about you. And you would tell him eventually.Just not today.|||||A few days later, Saturday, Yoongi was in the middle of one of his several dance classes. This one in particular was the most difficult, and as a BigHit trainee, it was also required. Even though he found the life of a trainee to be particularly exhausting, he took everything that was thrown at him graciously, knowing that the staff here had taken a chance on him. He was going to do his best, and he was set on not letting anyone down.He worked hard. Out of the few other people within the tiny company, he was probably the hardest worker as he was so grateful for the opportunity he'd been given. BigHit had practically thrown him a life-line right when he had needed it the most, and for that, he felt like he owed them everything.So no matter what meeting he had to attend, or what song he had to present, or what dance he had to learn, or what diet he had to go on, he was happy to be doing it. Sure, it was all mentally and emotionally and physically draining by every stretch of the word, but he knew that down the line, it would be worth it.The dance practice that day was a particularly intense one. For some reason, he just couldn't get the choreography down well enough, and was getting a lot of heat from his intructor for it. He was already tired that day for some reason. He'd woken up with a headache, his sore body frustrated at how far it'd been pushed, and he was missing you. He'd just seen you two days prior, but he found himself physically begin to ache that morning from your abscense. He chalked his strange burst of emotions up to be a side effect of over-exhaustion, and brushed them aside as he tried to force himself to get through the day.During a five minute break right in the middle of his 3 hour long dance class, he was happy to see that you were calling him. He knew he would have to tell you that he literally only had a minute to talk, and he hated having to deliver bad news. However, he was also grateful that you had managed to call at a time when he could really use the pick-me-up that was hearing your voice.After downing another gulp of water he accepted the call, "Y/N!" he started, before being promptly interrupted."Y-Yoongi, I-I'm sorry, I know you're at BigHit r-right now-""Y/N? What's wrong?" Yoongi's blood began to run cold as he immediately could tell something was seriously wrong."S-Stevens has been in a r-really bad accident. I-I don't know what t-to d-do," you were stuttering over the end of the line as panic began to fill Yoongi."Where are you? I'll come to you," he pleaded, glancing over his shoulder at his instructor that was giving him a frown."N-No, you'll get in trouble f-for leaving-" you began to argue, but Yoongi was too insistent."No, you are my first priority. Send me your address and I'll be there as soon as I can," he insisted, and you couldn't help but comply."O-Okay.""Y/N, listen. Breathe. Everything's going to be okay. I'm on my way." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- "Min Yoongi, you do understand that if you leave right now, you're going to be put on trainee probation right? This is a mandatory class and your attendance is imperative," Johnson, the dance instructor narrowed his eyes at Yoongi, crossing his arms in a disapproving way. All eyes were on him as he could feel every student in the class judging him. Even though the words "trainee probation" terrified him, the thought of what was happening with You and Stevens scared him even more."Sir, I understand, but this is an emergency," Yoongi pleaded, panicking even more as time went on. Every second that he was not able to be there and by your side was like shots to the heart. He just kept picturing you alone in the hospital, crying and scared half to death. The mere thought of it sent shocks of pain throughout his body. He couldn't stand it."Everyone always says "it's an emergency," Johnson rolled his eyes, panicking Yoongi even further."My girlfriend's uncle, my employer, has been in a major accident, okay? I have to go," Yoongi argued, feeling fear and panic and anger rising in his chest all at the same time."Yoongi..." Johnson trailed off, seeming uneasy."I'm sorry, Sir. I am. But I have to leave," Yoongi resolved, grabbing his duffle bag before walking out of the room.He didn't second guess himself as he made it out of the building. He knew that taking care of you needed to be his first priority, especially at a time like this. He would reap the consequences of walking out on class, but he could wait to deal and worry about that later. The only thing on Yoongi's mind at that point was getting to you.Nothing else mattered.|||||He made it to the hospital a mere 15 minutes later, calling you on the phone to find out where you were, not wanting to waste any time by aimlessly running around and looking for you in the wrong places. He hadn't even bothered to change his clothes from dance practice as he was still wearing basketball shorts and a grey hoodie. His hair was probably really messy and his body was still sweaty but he didn't think wasting time on a shower was a smart idea at a time like this. All you said when he called was that you were on the third floor of the hospital, the OR, and that Stevens was in surgery. Yoongi took the stairs rather than the elevator, moving as quickly as he could. Not only was he worried about you, he was terrified about what condition Stevens may have been in. You hadn't give him any details at all, so it was all left up to his own imagination.And he was imagining the worst.-YOUR POV-He found you sitting completely alone among an array of waiting benches propped along the sides of a hallway. At the end of the hall resided a pair of double doors that read "Authorized Personnel Only" in big black block letters. You were doubled over in the chair, your hands covering your face as you tried to silence the loud sobs that were forcing their way out of your throat. You knew that you needed to calm down, and that you were risking giving yourself a full-on panic attack. But, no matter how you tried to rationalize things in your brain, nothing made sense anymore. The world was spinning and logic was fuzzy."Y/N!" A voice called out to you. You knew that voice. That voice that you had come to know so well was enveloped with warmth, and love, and kindness. It was a voice that was comforting to you. And while drowning in the darkness that was your own mind, that voice was like a beacon of bright light.You looked up immediately at the sound of his voice, your eyes wide and swollen and streaked with tears. Yoongi's expression was pained, and the second you stood from your chair, he was rushing toward you, engulfing you in the tightest, warmest hug you had ever received.Your weak arms wrapped themselves around him, your fingernails nearly digging into his back as it felt like you were one wrong breath away from falling apart completely."Y-Yoongi," you stuttered through your tears as he immediately adjusted his hold on you, making you feel more secure; one arm around your waist and his other hand on the back of your head, continuously smoothing your hair."I'm here," he spoke in an impossibly soft tone; a tone that began fighting against the icy sting of fear and anxiety that was manifesting itself within your heart."I-I'm so scared," you whispered, pressing your face into the warmth of his chest."I'm here," he said again, his hot breath brushed against your ear, calming you in some strange way. Maybe it because it was reassurance that his words weren't empty or forcefully fabricated; that he really was there. That he was holding you. That you weren't alone.And things remained that way for the next several hours.Yoongi refused to leave the hospital and go back to BigHit for the day, even after you tried to convince him to do so. Even through all of your other worries about the condition of Stevens, you were concerned that Yoongi was hindering his entire future just by sitting at the hospital with you for a day. It made you feel strangely guilty in a way, and also sad that it was something that you had to worry about to begin with. But, Yoongi reassured you that he would work things out at BigHit, and that you were his first priority.Nearly 3 hours after Yoongi had first arrived, the two of you were still wrapped up with each other. Except somewhere in the midst of all the crying, you finally ended up sitting down. Even after your breathing had returned to normal and your panic died down a bit, Yoongi continued to hold you without you having to ask him to do so. You were incredibly afraid that with the loss of the warmth you were provided while being tucked into his side, the panic and fear might overcome you once again. You were curled up against him, a hand softly gripping the excess material of his hoodie.Once calm enough, you were finally able to explain what you knew about the situation with Stevens. He had been hit by a car a few blocks away from Youth & Impulse while on a supply run. The car had ran a red light, hit Stevens and continued driving; a terrible hit and run case. You had been sitting at the cafe, working, and wondering what was taking him so long to return from the corner store. It wasn't until you received a call from the hospital 20 minutes later, as you were listed as one of Stevens's emergency contacts, that you had found out what had happened. The scary part was, you didn't know many details about Stevens's exact condition. They had told you that he didn't suffer any major head or neck trauma, but that a few of his vertebrae had been crushed, and he needed surgery on his right leg. You weren't sure what all of those things meant for Stevens and his future, and you were too panicked and delirious to think logically at that point. You were left but with no choice but to call Yoongi.If it hadn't been such a major situation, you never would've called him. You knew how important it was that he always performed well and looked good for BigHit. But, Stevens and Yoongi were the only people in your life that you were close to. You had no other options, and as much as you may have wanted to be tough and handle the situation alone, you just couldn't. You craved warmth and reassurance and love from another person. You wanted someone to hold you and dry your tears and calm you down. You wanted another person to split the pain with.You needed Yoongi."You should get some rest," Yoongi encouraged you a while after he first arrived. Before he got there, you would've been far too keyed up to even consider the idea of sleep. But, now that he was here, sleep sounded like something that was not only now possible, but something that you desperately needed. The entire morning had been incredibly emotionally exhausting; you hadn't even realized how tired you truly were until Yoongi had proposed the idea of a nap.Nodding, you shifted, allowing your head to rest in Yoongi's lap. He was able to soothe you so easily, gently running his hand through your hair until you were completely asleep.|||||Stevens was moved from surgery and into the recovery wing of the hospital a few hours later. He was stable, but was still asleep due to the sedatives he'd been given. The surgery was on his leg; it required metal rods to be inserted in order for him to maintain full use of his leg. The nurse encouraged you and Yoongi to go out and get some dinner because it'd be a while before Stevens was allowed any visitors. Even though you hated the idea of leaving, you were honestly starving, and so you jumped at the idea of getting some food.While walking hand and hand with Yoongi down the street, your mind began to wander. It began wondering about the future of Youth & Impulse. What did Stevens injury mean for the business? There was no way he could immediately jump back into work, and there was no way that you could handle it all by yourself. You'd likely have to close the cafe for a few weeks at the very least to allow Stevens some time to rest and recover. And if Youth & Impulse closed, that would mean that you wouldn't be seeing much of Yoongi during the weekdays anymore. Your time with him at the cafe had been the only constant within your relationship with him, and now that was getting taken away.On top of that, you weren't sure what consequences he was going to face after what he'd done today. You were starting to feel uncomfortable with the whole thing, worrying that it was only a matter of time before Yoongi began resenting you for getting in the way of his work. That it was only a matter of time before he realized you were only a roadblock, and pushed you away for good.On the flip side of that, you also worried that it was only a matter of time before you started resenting him. His schedule was getting crazier and crazier by the week, he was tired and worn out, and those things would only continue to progress and become worse.You were feeling so confident before the accident with Stevens. Before all of this happened, you felt that you could deal with the negatives that were starting to bloom within your relationship with Yoongi. But, even though he had dropped everything and come to you today when you needed him most, you couldn't help but feel like he would come to regret that later. You knew there would come a time where he just couldn't drop everything and come to you, and that the more his career progressed, the farther from you he would be.Things will change with time, Yoongi had told you. Things were changing with time.They were changing for the worst. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The following morning, once his head was clear enough, Stevens made the decision to close Youth & Impulse for a minimum of three weeks, per advice from his doctor. After forgoing such a mentally and physically taxing accident, the doctor suggested that Stevens spend a few weeks focusing only on his health and nothing else. The doctor was concerned that as a small business owner, Stevens would stress and concern over keeping the business up to par throughout his injury, and this would ultimately tax Stevens's body even more. So reluctantly, Stevens agreed, and talked to you and Yoongi both."I understand why you're doing it, I just wish there was some way I could handle it on my own. You aren't worried about not having any income for the next several weeks?" You asked, feeling glum inside and out. You and Yoongi were sitting beside each other on the couch across from Stevens's hospital bed. He somehow had managed to score a rather large room with no up-charge."I have more than enough in savings. Don't worry about the business, kid. It'll be fine," Stevens reassured you. You nodded your head even though you wanted to keep arguing. And any other time, you probably would've kept arguing. But, Stevens looked tired. And you were tired. And Yoongi was tired. It wasn't worth the fight."We'll let you get some rest," you muttered, rising from the couch and exiting the room, Yoongi trailing close behind you. You walked through the glaringly white hospital in silence. It wasn't until the two of you were outside in the sunshine that Yoongi spoke up."Wanna talk about it?" He asked, squinting due to the sun in his eyes."Nothing to talk about.""I can tell you're upset.""So?""What is it that's really bothering you about this whole Youth & Impulse thing? I mean it's temporary, and I agree that Stevens should just focus on his own health," Yoongi replied, lifting a hand to shield his eyes."It's nothing. You're right," you said shortly. He eyed you for a moment, clearly not believing you. He cleared his throat and nodded anyway, not pushing the issue any farther."I have a meeting with BigHit management in a few, so I have to go. Maybe dinner tonight?" He took a step closer to you, face questioning."Sure," you said calmly, even though you were filled with anxiety at the mention of Yoongi's meeting. His management was likely going to tear him to shreds not for only leaving in the middle of the class, but also for skipping an entire day of training. You felt guilty, still, even though he had already insisted you shouldn't.He looked at you again, some serious expression covering his face that you couldn't quite read."You're going to be okay, right?" he murmured. You felt as if his eyes were staring right into the depths of your soul without your permission."I'm fine, Yoongi. Go. I don't want you to be late."And with one more hard look, he left.|||||~YOONGI'S POV~"We want you on our team, Yoongi. We like you and we think you have a lot of talent. However, what you did yesterday is not acceptable." Yoongi was in a meeting room with Bang PD himself, as well as 4 other people that were in the top tiers of management at BigHit.Yoongi nodded, looking down at his hands that were folded in his lap. He wanted to argue, to explain that the situation truly was dire, and he absolutely had no choice but to leave. But, he bit his lip, for once afraid that talking back might make things worse."You know our training and classes are mandatory, and it looks bad that you ran out in the middle of them yesterday. Johnson told us that you claimed to have an emergency, but he didn't seem to believe that..." Bang PD trailed off, and Yoongi took that as an opportunity."I swear to you, all of you, that it truly was an emergency. I play piano part-time at Youth & Impulse cafe in downtown, and the owner of that cafe was in a really bad hit and run accident. His niece and other part-timer, and my girlfriend, so I rushed to the hospital as soon as I got her call," Yoongi explained so quickly he was practically throwing up the words. He just wanted them to understand that he was still very committed, and that his one absence had simply been a fluke. The room was silent for a moment, almost too long for Yoongi to bare. But then, Bang PD spoke up."I'm not heartless, Yoongi. I don't blame you for leaving when you did. I probably would've done the same thing. But from the experience I want you to learn something. Being famous, being an idol is a very demanding lifestyle. Yes, you will have money and fame and vast attention from others. But, on the flip side of that, you will be scrutinized, your privacy will be torn away from you, and you have to be willing to say goodbye to people you're close with in order to advance your career. There will come a time where you want to be there for that girlfriend of yours, but you're out of the country, or you're playing a concert. I want you to understand all of these things before you progress any further. I won't hold your contract against you; I'll nullify it if you end up changing your mind. So think, Yoongi. Go home and think about the future and the glory and the fame. But, consider the kickbacks of all of those things. You need to decide what you really want. Meeting adjourned," and with that, the meeting was suddenly over. The room cleared, leaving Yoongi sitting at the round table alone, blinking slowly as he tried to digest everything that was just said to him.He had an uneasy feeling, one that made his stomach hurt.|||||~YOUR POV~Yoongi showed up at your place around 6 that night. After running downstairs to let him into your dorm building, the two of you went to your room."I still have a few math problems to finish before we can get dinner," you informed him while on the elevator."No worries," he shrugged, looking down at the ground. He was wearing a black shirt and an oversized black zip hoodie. The majority of his hair was hidden by a black baseball cap, but small tufts of his now brown locks peeked out of the front. He had dyed his hair from blonde to brown just a few weeks ago, and you were still having trouble getting used to it.You admired Yoongi's physical appearance often, and he would catch you looking from time to time, leaving you blushing and embarrassed. But, all of that time spent staring at him caused you to learn how to read his body language incredibly well.When he lightly bounced on the balls of his feet, he was excited and giddy about something. When one hand was tucked into his pocket and he made direct eye contact, he was confident and sly. When he smiled, truly smiled, he was content and happy. But, when he looked down and was short in replies, he was either mad or worried about something.You snuck another glance at Yoongi, whose eyes were still intently trained on the ground. You frowned, fearing the meeting hadn't gone well. You wanted to ask him about it, but in a way, you were scared to hear his answer as it might convict you even more.As the elevator dinged and the doors opened, you walked out and unlocked your dorm room door, holding it open for Yoongi to walk inside. It wasn't the first time he had been inside your dorm. While you two never hung out in there because of the typical looming presence of your roommate, he had still sat in there on occasion while you finished something up before going out with him.Your roommate was out. Her side of the dorm was neatly kept, almost meticulously kept. Your side wasn't exactly messy, but it wasn't nearly as clean as Clara's, your roommate's. Your half of the tiny dorm somehow seemed more real, more like a college student's.The comforter on your bed was only half on, but the sheets were properly tucked into the mattress. Your desk was a bit cluttered with workbooks and pens and highlighters and snack wrappers; you failed at keeping your desk an organized place. The floor was clean except for a pair of vans that were sitting next to your bed.You sat down at your desk, picking up your pencil to resume the calculus problems you had been working on. Yoongi sat down on the edge of your bed, rubbing his eyes.Since the desk was directly next to your bed, you had trouble blocking him out of your peripheral vision, therefore causing you to be ultimately distracted from the schoolwork that you needed to be doing."Are you okay?" You asked hesitantly, turning so you could see him better."I'm tired...just have a lot on my mind," he replied quietly, still not making eye contact with you."Get some rest, then. This is going to take me a while to finish," you offered."You sure?" He seemed hesitant, but he finally made eye contact with you."Yeah, take a nap. You probably could use the extra sleep."He nodded then, slipping his shoes off and laying down, his head against your pillow. His eyes were closed immediately, and it was then you could tell that he really wasn't kidding about being tired. Clearly, he was exhausted. And while this made you feel bad for him, you were happy that at least now he could get some uninterrupted rest.You forced yourself to direct your attention back to your homework now that Yoongi was sleeping peacefully. It took you nearly an hour to get everything finished.Feeling relieved, you rose from your desk chair, eyes landing on Yoongi.For some strange reason, he looked so small while curled up on your bed like that. He looked peaceful and innocent while sleeping, and you couldn't help the smile that spread across your face.He was sleeping hard, his breathing heavy but even. If you had known he was this exhausted, you would've just told him to forget dinner and to go home and go to bed.You reached for the covers that were piled up at the end of your bed, and carefully rested them on top of Yoongi. He stirred slightly in his sleep, rolling over onto his side, but didn't wake.Carefully, you sat on the edge of your bed, reaching out to remove his hat so his head could rest completely against the pillow now that he had turned. You set his hat on your tiny bedside table and gently ran your hand through his hair. His hair was surprisingly soft for someone who seemed to dye it relatively often.You sighed as you watched Yoongi in a state of passive calmness. It seemed as if in that moment, time had briefly paused. You had an intimate moment where you could just sit with him as he was in a state of peace. You weren't worrying about what his management had said to him, or about Stevens in the hospital, or about your future. You had a short moment where you could just look at the boy you loved so deeply without fear overcoming you for even a second.|||||The next thing you knew, you had fallen asleep as well. Your head was resting against something soft, but it didn't feel like your pillow.The air conditioner kicked on and you found yourself unconsciously cuddling against something warm. You squinted, barely opening your eyes enough to see that the warmth you were feeling was radiating off of him: off of Yoongi.Your head was resting on Yoongi's chest, and his arms were around you. Somewhere in the midst of all the watching and admiring you had drifted off. You bit back a laugh, feeling lucky you didn't fall off the bed.You peeked up at Yoongi, only able to see the outline of his face and the curve of his chin. You lifted your head up for a moment, straining to see out the one window in the dorm. Shadows were being cast across the room as deep orange light seeped through the cracks on your blinds. The sun was just now going down, so you figured you must've been asleep for at least an hour.You knew you needed to get up-and rouse Yoongi as well- but then Yoongi shifted slightly. He yawned quietly, his hand suddenly in your hair, carefully smoothing the back of it like he had recently gotten in the habit of doing rather often."Did we sleep for a long time?" he murmured, sounding sleepy."Not too long, it's probably only 8," you yawned this time. He curled in closer to you, his chin resting on top of your head."Did you sleep okay?" You asked adjusting the arm you had across his stomach."Yeah. Your bed is surprisingly comfortable for a college dorm room. And your pillow smells like you."You chuckled, "I'm glad you could get some good rest. You needed it.""You probably needed it too," Yoongi sighed, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.You were quiet for a moment, relishing in the feeling of being so close to him while being at such ease. But that ease began wearing away as you considered reality for a moment."Yoongi?" You said quietly."Mm?"You were quiet for another moment."Y/N, what is it?" His words were surprisingly gentle."Is everything really okay? I've been worried..." you trailed off, heart beginning to beat a bit faster as you anticipated his answer."Don't worry about me or about my work, alright? You don't need to carry that weight," Yoongi's voice had an edge to it."Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?"Yoongi was silent for a few moments. You wondered if he was trying to gather his thoughts."I didn't exactly get in trouble with management today. But, they presented me with a lot of questions and a lot o things I need to think about.""Like what?" For that short moment, you felt a sense of relief."Like what I really want. What I'm willing to risk and give up for having a career like this. What I'm willing to deal with..."You bit your lip, nervous again. "And...? What exactly would you be sacrificing?""Privacy, a sense of normalcy, normal relationships, normal work hours. Everything normal will be out of reach for me if I debut and my popularity peaks like they hope it will. They're asking me to consider everything and back out now if I don't want to make those sacrifices," Yoongi explained carefully. You understand what he was saying, but for some reason, it made you feel incredibly insecure. Where did you fit into that equation? Where did you fit into that consideration? Were you something he would eventually have to give up? Those were questions you didn't have the answers to, and that bothered you."And how are you feeling about it all?" You asked. It was a safe question."I'm honestly not sure. I think I really just need to take the time to think about it," he admitted, "But regardless of my decision, you don't need to worry about it." He began to play with your hair again. The act was calming, and the words he said should've reassured you, but they didn't.You must've really tensed up, because he noticed."Really, Y/N. Please don't worry about me," he said again, his hand now running soothingly over your back."Okay," you said shortly, feeling too many mixed emotions to offer him a better response.Luckily, the door to your dorm was swinging open just a few moments later as Clara walked in, carrying a bunch of books from the library."Ugh, Y/N! Haven't you read our dorm policy? No boys allowed after 7. It's 8:30!" She exclaimed, setting her books down and tossing you both a dirty look."Oh, sorry," Yoongi blushed as the both of you sat up. You were both irritated by and grateful for Clara's untimely appearance.Yoongi put his hat and shoes back on before awkwardly standing up from the bed. "Sorry for the intrusion," he said quietly, and he exited, you following him behind to walk him down."She's kind of scary," he joked on the elevator down, but you didn't laugh. Your conversation with him had left you feeling more weird than reassured, and you didn't know what to make of that."Rain check on dinner, then?" Yoongi chuckled once outside and on the front steps of the building."Sure," you agreed."See you Tuesd-" he started out of habit before the both of you remember that Youth & Impulse was now closed, "I'll call you?" He said instead, and you nodded."Goodnight, Y/N," he leaned in then, carefully brushing his lips against yours. You barely kissed him back, however, as your mind was too plagued with worries and fears about the future with him."Goodnight," you whispered back, and then he was gone. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~YOONGI'S POV~"That's all we'll cover today. You're improving a lot, but you still need to work on controlling your breathing in between lines. Pronunciation and clear speech for you has only improved, so don't feel too discouraged. I'll meet with you again next Wednesday as well, alright?" Yoongi's vocal trainer Cami said as she grabbed her book bag."No problem. Thanks Cami!" Yoongi replied politely as she left the rehearsal room. Sighing, Yoongi reached for his music and gathered it up. He glanced at his watch as he slipped the sheets into their designated folder. His classes were finished early today; it was only 4 pm. Smiling, he reached for his phone to call you. He knew your schedule rather well, and you were just now getting out of class.Feeling excited to surprise you with an evening together, he scrolled through his contact list to get to your name. But, just as he was about to press "call", Cami was standing in the doorway."Yoongi," she called out, "Bang PD wants you to come to his office.""Ah, okay. Sure. Thanks for letting me know," Yoongi forced a small smile to be polite, but he wasn't able to mask his disappointment. Cami nodded before promptly leaving again.Yoongi sighed, gathering his things and starting down the walk to the main office. Jaw clenching slightly, he was filled with both irritation and disappointment. He really wanted to surprise you with some extra time, especially after he noticed how weird you had acted on Saturday.At first he thought part of your strange behavior had been due to the stress of what was happening with Stevens, but Stevens was fine now. Sure, his accident was an ongoing case, but physically and mentally, Stevens was okay. He'd been checked out of the hospital yesterday morning. So now Yoongi felt that maybe your strange behavior had more to do with himself, rather than Stevens.The confusing part for him was that you had been fine for a while on Saturday evening. He woke just shortly after you had fallen asleep. You had been slumped over in an uncomfortable position, one wrong move from falling off the bed completely; it was clear to him then that you had been watching him sleep, and that you had been watching him for a while. That fact warmed his heart, that you would want to sit there with him while he rested.And so he had carefully helped you lay down completely, leaving plenty of space between you two. But, unconsciously, you were the one that had curled into him. You were the one that gripped the fabric of his worn out T-shirt as you slept. You were the one whose warmth and steady breathing was enough to coax Yoongi back to sleep. He thought everything was okay.But then the kiss happened. He had kissed you so carefully and so sweetly, but you had rejected it, and he noticed. Your lips didn't mesh with his in their typical effortless way. Had your eyes even been closed? Never once had you simply stood there in the midst of a kiss; half of the time you were the one initiating the follow up.So it wasn't the fact that you didn't kiss him back that worried Yoongi; it was the fact that it was so out of character for you. He went home that night with an uneasy feeling, one that settled uncomfortably within him, one that wouldn't go away.He wanted to see you. He wanted to clear up whatever the issue was. He wanted to see you happy again. He wanted you to stop worrying about him. He wanted things to be how they were just a few short days ago, before the accident.And in the back of his mind, deep down, a part of him wanted things to go back to the way they were before he got signed.Because somehow, things were simpler then.|||||"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Yoongi knocked on the half-open door to Bang PD's office."Yoongi, come in! There's someone I want you to meet."Taking a silent yet extremely deep breath, Yoongi pushed the door open and walked into the office. Even though he really wasn't in the mood to talk, or to be excited, or to deal with literally anything, he plastered a smile on his face. Bang PD's office consisted of a desk, two chairs residing in a front of it, a flat screen on the wall to the left, and a fish tank. Posters of famous singers and old vinyl records hung neatly on the walls, clearly organized with a lot of careful thought. Rising from the chair on the left was a tall guy with brown hair. He wondered again what this meeting was about."Yoongi, I'd like you to meet Namjoon. Namjoon, this is Min Yoongi, the other trainee I was telling you about." The guy turned around, bowing shyly and introducing himself, "I'm Kim Namjoon. Nice to meet you." Yoongi bowed as well, introducing himself in return. "Have a seat, you two." Yoongi awkwardly shuffled across the room to sit in the chair on the right, and Namjoon did the same. "I'll cut to the chase. I think both of you are incredibly talented artists, and I want to see what kind of music you could make together. You are both trainees now, and this is the time for us to experiment and see what your potential might be with other artists in your field," Bang PD explained, and Yoongi was suddenly excited and intimidated all at the same time. The thought of working with someone else sounded incredibly fun to him. Collaborating with someone that felt as passionate about music as he did would help him be more inspired, and perhaps even make a new friend. But, he was also intimidated. He didn't know Namjoon. He didn't know what Namjoon's credentials were, but whatever they were, he likely had better ones than Yoongi. Being a trainee at the company wasn't exactly a competition, but there was a slight competitive atmosphere. Yoongi's goal was to keep the eyes of head managament, to keep them confident in him. So the introduction of another rapper could be seen as somewhat of a threat. "That sounds great to me," Namjoon began, looking over at Yoongi, "They played some of your music for me and I really liked it. I'd be happy to work with you on something if you're up for it." Namjoon's confidence threw Yoongi off a bit, but the guy seemed nice. "I think it would be fun," Yoongi agreed, and Bang PD clapped his hands together."Great! Because I already reserved a spot for the both of you in an undergound rap concert this Saturday. I want to see how the both of you work with other people. If you can't write something together in time, then perform one of your other originals. This is merely a test of chemistry, so don't feel too stressed either way. That's what sets BigHit apart from other talent companies out there; we want you guys to have creative freedom and succeed at the same time. Understand?"Yoongi and Namjoon both nodded respectively. Hope was rising in Yoongi's chest at the opportunity he'd just been given. Regardless of whether or not he realy became friends with Namjoon or if they worked well together, he was going to be put on stage again. He was going to gain more experience, and get to what he loved at the same time. "Now, gather your things. We've cleared a studio for the both of you. Go! Have fun!" Bang PD sent them off with a laugh. Yoongi and Namjoon bowed before leaving, and Yoongi had to stop himself from skipping down the hallway. "How long have you been at BigHit for?" Namjoon asked, his voice sounding casual and not too pushy. "Hmm, not too long. It's been over a month now," Yoongi replied as they continued to walk down the hallway together. "How about you? I haven't seen you around before.""Bang PD just brought me in today, actually. Be honest though, do they seem fair here? Everything Bang PD told me sounded good, but I wasn't sure how much truth there was to it," Namjoon explained. "I think so. I mean the hours can be a little crazy and the classes strenuous sometimes. But, they seem to really care about us. I know that well from a recent experience," Yoongi nearly chuckled. "What happened?""I left in the middle of a mandatory dance class because I had an emergency to attend to.""What kind of emergency?" Namjoon raised an eyebrow. "My girlfriend's uncle got hit by a car. I mean, honestly he's lucky that he's alive and the worst thing wrong with him is a messed up leg. She called me crying on my 5-minute break, and I couldn't not go to her. My instructor gave me a hard time for it, but Bang PD was understanding..." Yoongi trailed off as his memories were flooded with all of the questions that Bang PD had presented to him. In the midst of the excitement of meeting Namjoon, he had momentarily forgotten his troubles. But now, they were all coming right back. Yoongi sighed. "He's okay with you being in a relationship?" Namjoon sounded suprised, and honestly, Yoongi understood why. Relationships and pending fame didn't go well together. "He's okay with it, but he did give me a lot of warnings," and in a split second, Yoongi's mood had stooped from low to lower. "Like what?" Namjoon asked, but then corrected himself, "I'm sorry. It's not my business.""No, it's okay. He just wanted me to consider that if I debut and become popular, it's going to be hard on the relationship. It'll be hard on me, and it'll be hard on her. He's given me the choice to back out on our contract actually..." Yoongi trailed off again, more bothered about the whole situation than he wanted to admit to Namjoon. "Have you decided, then?" "No. I don't know what to do or how to feel about it. I understand his point about things becoming more difficult, but I don't want to accept that kind of reality. I want both, you know? I want my music out there. I want to perform. I want to tour. But, I want her too. So, I guess that's why I'm stuck," Yoongi said quietly. "Have you talked to her about it? That might actually make things clearer for you," Namjoon suggested kindly, and Yoongi was suddenly happy to have someone to confide in. He had literally just met Namjoon, but already felt like he could trust him. "Barely. I don't want to give her that burden. She's already stressed that I'm in trouble for leaving class for her before. If she knew I was considering giving up my contract to be with her, I don't know what she'd do. She might be relieved. But, I think it's more likely that it's going to make her feel guilty, even though she shouldn't. She's watched my entire career bloom and grow, and she's been so supportive. I don't think she could stand it if I threw away my career for her. I think that in it of itself would end our relationship. But, I wish she wouldn't be that way. It's my decision," Yoongi shrugged. "But have you ever considered that maybe she does want this for you? You're saying that she's been really supportive of you so far, so what's the issue? Why would it be so bad for you to continue on how things are? You persuing your music and her?" Namjoon presented ideas that Yoongi hadn't quite thought all the way through. "Maybe I'm just scared," Yoongi sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Scared of what, exactly?""That eventually I'm not going to be able to be there for her. That my work is always going to be in the way. That she's going to resent what I do because it takes away my time with her." Namjoon nodded, pursing his lips as he perused Yoongi's response. "You, my friend, sound like you have a lot of conflicting emotions," Namjoon began. "Yeah. So?""It sounds like you need a creative outlet. Let's go write that song." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- "Good, Yoongi. That's the final take on your part," Namjoon said, eyes trained on the computer screen as he began splicing Yoongi's final vocals, backup vocals, and the synth music together.It was around 8 pm, two days after the meeting with Bang PD. There was only 2 more days until the underground rap concert. While they had the entire song written, they still needed to record Namjoon's part and decide on the final touches. Performing live with Namjoon no longer stressed Yoongi, as working with him for those past few days had been some of the most fun he'd ever had in the studio.Sliding his headphones off, Yoongi sighed. "I can't believe that made me start sweating," he chuckled, using the back of his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead."It's kind of hot in here," Namjoon paused for a moment, popping a piece of gum in his mouth as he continued to stare the screen intently. "Yoongi," he murmured, moving a section of audio after playing it back, deciding it didn't fit in its original spot."Yeah?""Ever thought about a stage name?""I've had a few ideas over the years. Never used one, though," he shrugged, getting up from the stool that resided in front of the mic and dragging it to over beside Namjoon. The studio that Bang PD gave them was on the small side, but it was good enough to get the job done."I was thinking that maybe we could use stage names at the concert. "Yoongi and Namjoon" doesn't quite sound like the name of a rapping duo," Namjoon replied, laughing a bit."I mean you have a point," Yoongi agreed, "Do you already have a stage name for yourself?"Namjoon hesitated for a moment, "Don't laugh.""Okay?""Promise you won't laugh?""Namjoon, chill out," Yoongi rolled his eyes."Rap Monster.""Huh?""My stage name is Rap Monster.""Why are you so shy about that?" Yoongi couldn't help but laugh. The guy called himself a "Rap Monster" but he was too embarrassed to even say the name up front."My other friends always thought it was too much," Namjoon smacked his gum, looking back over at the screen. "This is ready for my vocals. Do you have time? I could lay down the track in like 30 minutes."Glancing at his watch, Yoongi bit his lip."Are you supposed to see her tonight?" Namjoon raised an eyebrow. They'd only know each for a few days, but already, he was too good at reading Yoongi."Yeah...I can call and tell her that we're finishing the track, though. She'd understand..." Yoongi offered, but his words weren't very convincing. He knew it would be wrong to skip out on you tonight, especially since he hadn't seen you since the nap at your dorm. You two hadn't even talked on the phone all week. He could feel the distance, he could feel a wall going up, and he didn't like it. Cancelling tonight was the last thing he needed to do. But, duty calls...Namjoon shook his head, "She's expecting you already? Like, you made plans?""Yeah.""Then you should go.""But what about the track? We haven't finished all of the raw files, much less practice it together with the instrumental track," Yoongi argued. He couldn't let Bang PD or Namjoon or any of the other staff down. Not after his slip up that happened less than a week ago."Come in early tomorrow. 6 am. We can finish it then. The track doesn't have to be completely finished by the concert, but it needs to be done by the following day at least. We're supposed to put it on SoundCloud. Otherwise, we wouldn't have needed to record it with such precision," Namjoon made a counteroffer, seemingly trying to make allowances for Yoongi."Are you sure?" Yoongi felt uneasy."Look, man. I haven't known you for very long. But the fact that you have already told me so much about Y/N makes it obvious that she's an important part of your life. Don't neglect her just because of the concert," Namjoon said matter-of-factly, reaching for the power switch on the back of the computer."I'm not neglecting her, okay? I'm just trying to put work first right now," Yoongi began to defend himself, cheeks heating up in anger and embarrassment."That's your problem right there. You've been stressed all week because you're worried about her, and yet you haven't even taken the time to go and see for an afternoon," Namjoon's eyes narrowed."Isn't that a bit out of line for you to say? I haven't seen her because I haven't had time—""That's not true," Namjoon cut him off, "That's an excuse, and you know it. You haven't gone to see her because you're scared. You told me that yourself.""Hey, that's not fair. I didn't tell you that for you to use it against me," Yoongi was growing angrier by the second, but he wasn't sure if he was really all that angry at Namjoon. Maybe he was just angry at himself."I'm not using anything against you, Yoongi. I'm trying to be honest. If we're going to work together and have any kind of relationship- coworkers or friendship- I'm always going to be honest with you. And that includes telling you the truth, even when you don't want to hear it," Namjoon said calmly, clearly having a much easier time at controlling his emotions than Yoongi was. "It's not fair for you to keep pushing her away because you don't want to deal with the issues. If you really care about her like you say you do, then man up and act like it. If you don't want to deal with the issues, then break up with her. It's not fair to string her along and make her be sitting by the phone, waiting for you to call.""I'm not stringing her along!""Are you sure about that? Does Y/N even know how you really feel about her?""If she didn't, then she wouldn't be my girlfriend," Yoongi snapped, rising from his seat, prepared to leave the room."What have you told her then? Have you told her what you've told me? Huh?" Namjoon pressed, seemingly grow more irritated and frustrated."I confessed that I liked her! I'm her boyfriend! What else is there?" Yoongi already knew the answers to his own questions, he just didn't want to admit them to himself."Yoongi, take a minute and really think about this! Her knowing that you "like her" is not good enough if you're going to be gone all the time. That's not good enough if you're going to go days without even bothering to call. All I'm trying to say, is that from an outsider's point of view, you aren't being fair. If you really care about her, stop for a minute, and consider her feelings. Not just your own," Namjoon insisted.Yoongi's shoulders slumped as he sat back down, his hands covering his face."...I'm sorry...I know you're right," he mumbled."Yoongi, talk to me," Namjoon's voice was suddenly softer, "What are you really afraid of? I know you're scared of not being able to be there for her, and I know you're scared that she may resent you. But, those things are all preventable. You could be there with her right now, and you aren't. She won't have a reason to resent you if you just communicate.... So, what is it really that's bothering you so much? What's bothering you enough that it's been keeping you from seeing her?"Yoongi's eyes were brimmed with hot tears. He tilted his back slightly, rubbing his eyes and groaning in frustration at his outward projection of emotion."I'm scared of being alone again, okay? If I become a point of drama and uneasiness in her life, then it's only a matter of time before she cuts me out of it," Yoongi admitted, and to his dismay, the tears started falling. "I've tried to avoid conflict, because Namjoon, if I'm honest, she's one of the only people that still wants to be around me. That deals with me, and puts up with me. And I'm just so scared that all of this fame business is going to break her and make her push me away...""Yoongi, you don't have to feel that way," Namjoon started, his words gentle as he handed over a tissue, "You need to ask her she feels instead of assuming. It's possible you made a lot of this up in your head. And, running away from it won't make it any better. You pushing her away first won't make it any easier. You're just going to regret it later.""I know..."And then Yoongi's cell phone was ringing. Sniffling, he pulled it out of his pocket and blinked a few times to get the tears out of his eyes."It's Y/N," he breathed, new tears replacing the old ones."Answer it."Nodding, Yoongi took a deep breath and accepted your call."Yoongi! I know we were supposed to hang out tonight, but my history professor just pushed out an email saying that we have to complete our paper by tomorrow's class instead of Monday's, and I haven't even started it yet," you began, sounding incredibly sincere and frustrated, "I'm really sorry. I know this is so lame, but I have to pass this class if I want to graduate on time.""Calm down, Y/N. It's okay. I understand," Yoongi said, trying to mask the emotion in his voice, but was unsuccessful."Are you okay?" you demanded from the other end of the line."I'm fine.""Then why do you sound like that? Are you crying?" Your worry was apparent and Yoongi looked at Namjoon, desperate. Namjoon only shrugged with an apologetic expression covering his face. "My throat is just sore from practice today. Um, just worry about your history paper for now, okay?" Yoongi attempted to change the course of the conversation."You know I can tell when you're lying, right? You do realize that you saying that makes me worry even more? What's wrong?" You pressed, and Yoongi began feeling frustrated again. Why were you so observant? Why could you read his voice so well? How come the one time he wanted to keep something from you, you wouldn't let him?"I don't want to be a distraction for you tonight. I promise I'm okay," he said, but his words failed him as his voice was beginning to break."Yoongi..." you sounded so worried, "Do you need to come over? I can spare some time," you began insisting. Yoongi let out a heavy breath."No, it's okay. Just finish your paper. I-uh I have an underground rap concert on Saturday night with another BigHit trainee. Would you come?" He asked, changing the subject yet again."Um, yeah of course. But, Yoongi...""Yeah?"You hesitated for a moment, leaving Yoongi waiting in anxious anticipation at the words to come."What is it, Y/N?""Is there a reason that you haven't talked to me all week? Is that what this is about?" You said the words quietly, and Yoongi's heart clenched."I don't want to have this conversation with you on the phone," he fought more tears, but they continued falling anyway. Jaw clenching, he wiped his eyes again."Yoongi...""Saying my name over and over isn't going to change my mind. Your education comes first. Please, focus for now and we'll talk later," the shakiness in his voice was incredibly clear then. Yoongi's eyes flickered over at Namjoon, who was looking down, picking at a thread on the sleeve of his sweater."Are you breaking up with me?" your voice was tiny, and for some reason, it ignited a spark of anger with Yoongi."No, Y/N! Stop. I've just been thinking about a lot of things lately, and I'm stressed, and over-tired, and honestly, I just need you to stop pushing me right now. Come on, please just listen to me," Yoongi resolved, words carrying a note of finality in them."Okay," You said simply, flatly. And even though Yoongi felt terrible, he couldn't take back what he said, nor did he really want to."Will you still come on Saturday?" his voice was low, emotions suddenly becoming masked as he forced himself to put up a better front."Yes," you said quietly."Great. I'll text you the details," Yoongi mumbled, before hanging up the phone without even bothering to say goodbye.Namjoon grimaced slightly as Yoongi sat, staring blankly as the remainder of the tears fell from his eyes."Yoongi," Namjoon began, but Yoongi immediately shook his head."Let's get back to work," he said, emotionless as he stood from his stool, dragging it back in front of the microphone. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- New message to Yoon: hey.-is typing-New Message from Yoon: hey. everything with history class work out alright?-is typing-New Message from Yoon: i'm really sorry for the phone call on wednesday.-is typing-New Message from Yoon: and i'm sorry i haven't reached out since then.New Message to Yoon: it's whatever. do you have time today?-is typing-...-is typing-...-is typing-...New Message from Yoon: no. i'm sorry. but please come tomorrow.New Message to Yoon: i wish you would stop acting like this and just talk to me.-is typing-...-is typing-...Yoon has logged off.|||||Checking your hair once more in the mirror, you sighed. It was the day of the rap concert, and you were about to be on your way to the venue per the directions Yoongi had sent you. And even though you were not in the mood to go to something like this, he kept being insistent that you come. You couldn't figure out why, and it was bothering you.But what was bothering you even more was why he had seemed to have lost his mind within the past week. It had only been a single week since he skipped out on dance practice, running to the hospital, holding you in his arms for several hours while you cried and worried about Stevens. That all had only been a week ago, but Stevens was already at home, well on his way to a steady recovery. Stevens now seemed like the least of your worries.It had only been 6 days since he came to your dorm room while you worked on frustrating calculus problems as he slept, exhausted and worn down. Since you napped with him for a bit, feeling guilt and worry about his situation at the same time. Since you practically refused his careful kiss.And it'd only been 3 days since your phone conversation with him. The way he communicated with you that night seemed strange and distant. Overall, it made you uneasy to your core. It made you second guess yourself. It made you feel guilty about not kissing him back; what if he read something into that? He probably did. It made you worry that he was mad at you after all, that he lied about not getting in trouble at BigHit. It made you scared that he was considering his future and giving up so many things just so he could debut. His tone of voice, the shakiness behind it, and the way he was so abrupt caught you off guard that night. He had never talked to you that way, and never once treated you that way. And while he was technically even being rude, your feelings were so hurt he hung up. There was so much miscommunication and unknowns between you two, and that hurt.It had only been a week, and yet everything had changed so drastically.You flagged down a taxi because the venue was just out of a comfortable walking distance. And if you were honest, you were already starting the night off in a bit of a bad mood; you didn't feel like walking through the ridiculously crowded city streets on top of that.However, half-way through your taxi ride, you were beginning to think that perhaps walking would've been a better choice. The traffic was horrible. Given, it was a Saturday night. Still, you found yourself sitting for minutes at a time in a line of traffic. Nervously checking the time on your phone, you debated whether to get out and walk the rest of the way. You were running late now, and as much as pain everything with Yoongi had been lately, you didn't want him to think that you had bailed on him."Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm going to get out here," you apologized to the man for the slight inconvenience, and dock of pay, as you handed over the cab fare along with a generous tip. Letting yourself out of the car, you quickly made your way to the sidewalk. You opened Maps on your phone and quickly entered the address as you began walking rather swiftly.And as much as the strangely chilly weather for late spring was biting at you, and the shoes you were wearing were fiercely uncomfortable, you kept on walking. Because despite everything, you still cared.You still wanted Min Yoongi.|||||~YOONGI POV~"Namjoon," Yoongi began from backstage, already sweating even though it wasn't hot in the venue yet. It was cold sweat and his hands were clammy."Are you okay?" concern was spreading across Namjoon's face as he turned, seeing how sick Yoongi looked."I don't think she's going to come," his face paled even more as he peeked out from behind the stage curtain, seeing that the spot he'd reserved for you was still empty."There's still ten minutes until it starts. And we're in the third slot," Namjoon reminded him. Yoongi sighed, stepping back and away from the curtain."Bang PD is here and yet I don't even care about that. I don't feel nervous about that at all. I'm more scared that she's not going to show up. I think I really screwed things up," the stress in Yoongi's voice was incredibly blatant. His hands were on his temples, trying to massage away the pounding headache that had been bothering and hindering him all day.He was really starting to regret the phone conversation now; he was becoming worried that he had acted too quickly and strongly because he was overwhelmed with emotions. He figured that phone call probably upset you more than you were letting on, and he'd been short with you ever since.And if he was honest, he knew Namjoon was right.He wasn't being fair."Breathe, okay? Try to calm down. I know this a lot on you right now, but I need you to make it through this performance. If you can't even handle this, Bang PD is going to lose confidence that you could handle the stress of a performance on a larger scale," Namjoon said, his voice even and calming in some strange way."I understand that, but it's not the performance I'm stressed about," Yoongi groaned, beginning to pace in attempt to calm himself down."She'll come," Namjoon tried to reassure Yoongi. But, Namjoon didn't know you, so his reassurances didn't mean much to Yoongi. "I'm sure it'll be fine-""Calm down, Joon. I'm not going to bail on you."Namjoon pursed his lips then, nodding slightly, and letting the conversation drop.The ten minutes seemed to melt away at an incredibly surreal speed, and the concert began. Yoongi couldn't check to see if you were in the audience anymore; people could easily see him poking his head out from behind the back curtain. That wouldn't be fair to the artist performing as it would be a distraction.The first 3 acts seemed to rush by even faster, and before they knew it, it was time for them to go out on stage and perform their song together."We got this," Namjoon said in a low voice, whispering in Yoongi's ear as they were being announced on the stage."I know," Yoongi breathed."Calling to the stage, Suga and Rap Monster!"The crowd was roaring outside, and suddenly, Yoongi and Namjoon were running out on the stage, microphones in hand as the lights faded up, spotlights on them.One, Two, ThreeAnd then Namjoon was rapping and Yoongi was beside him, eyes adjusting to the changing light. His heart was beating out of his chest and his skin was sweaty and his adrenaline was pumping as every single one of his senses were set on fire. And he felt a slight edge, wondering about you once again as Namjoon continued to rap, Yoongi knowing in the back of his mind that his part was coming up soon. He made eye contact with Bang PD who was smiling, looking impressed and excited. That should've put him at ease. But it didn't.And then he looked at the empty seat, the one that you belonged in. And it was suddenly hard to remember what he was supposed to be focusing on. It was hard to hear the words that were leaving Namjoon's mouth. It was hard to care about putting on a good show, about leaving a good impression for Bang PD, about the fame in general. His stomach churned and the hot fire that had been burning within him was turning into an icy cold consistency.Where were you?Why didn't you come?You said you would come?What's the point of all of this if you aren't even here?What's the point if it gets in the way of time with You?Why did you break your promise?Why didn't you come?Thoughts were racing as his heart kept beating at a both uncomfortable and alarming level. Namjoon's verse was coming to an end, and Yoongi felt himself choking on his own feelings all over again. He could only hope that the audience couldn't see the pain and the fear in his eyes. He was breathing, as deeply as he could, hoping that his facial expression made it same that he was just lost in the music. He held his microphone at his side, knowing he only had seconds before he had to raise it and give the best performance of his life. His eyes squeezed close as he attempted to force himself to go numb to everything for a few moments, just long enough to get through the song. Just long enough to perform. Just long enough so he could make it through.And as Namjoon's mouth closed, and as Yoongi was raising the microphone to his face, he caught a glimpse of something. A glimpse of something that made his stomach stop hurting. A glimpse of something that pushed the away the choking feeling that had settled in his throat.You were there. You did come. And you looked stressed, quickly running for your sweat, eyes wide, likely sweat on your forehead-he couldn't completely tell.And then he was rapping with everything he had, newfound inspiration and a fresh set of emotions blooming with himself. Because after everything, you showed up. You still showed up even though he didn't deserve that from you, and that meant more to Yoongi than he could ever express with words.His eyes squeezed shut, the words flowing and flicking off his tongue desperately yet effortlessly now. Emotion and feelings and everything related and in between poured out of him. The sweating grew more intense. His heartbeat was faster, but for now, that was okay.And then the song ended, and the stage was fading to black again. Namjoon tapped Yoongi's shoulder, "You did a great job.""She came," Yoongi managed to get out through his uneven breaths. Namjoon's eyes widened."Go, then. Go!" Namjoon exclaimed in a rush, running backstage as Yoongi ran down the side steps of the stage, going toward you. The lights were flickering back on as the next act made their way out on stage. But, Yoongi didn't even bother to look back. He didn't even hear their names being called. His eyes were focused on you, and he focused on closing that gap between you and himself.And he wondered only briefly if you would shove him away. If you would push back, refuse.But then he had already made his way to you, and your arms were around him as soon as he was in reachable distance. He hugged you in a way he never had before. There were a lot of things he was trying to convey with that hug.I'm sorry.I miss you.I'm an idiot.Please forgive me.But, even as he was embracing you, burying his face in your neck, your warmth pressed against him, he knew that this didn't solve everything. He knew that the two of you still had a hard conversation to suffer through together. He knew he had a lot of faults to admit to.But in that moment, it was just him holding you and you holding him. It was just you drawing in closer to him, as close as you could get, even though he was horribly sweaty and hot. It was just him, his face in your neck as he tried to hold back another set of tears. He'd been crying so much lately that was beginning to grow worried about himself."I-I'm sorry I was late," you stuttered, and Yoongi was barely able to be hear what you said over all the external noise."I'm glad you came," he whispered in your ear, and for a short and fleeting moment, nothing else really mattered. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~YOUR POV~You knew you would always distinctly remember the look in Yoongi's eyes as he walked off the stage that night, coming toward you swiftly and seemingly without a second thought about it.Maybe it was the atmosphere of the concert that made you feel okay for a few moments. It made you nostalgic for that first time you had seen him perform. It made you remember what it felt like when he came down off the stage, off the high, and went straight to you. It made you remember how things were back then, before anybody knew his name.It made you miss those times.And because of all those feelings, your heart was weak. So, in turn, you didn't push away when he came down off the stage and hugged you this time. He was holding you tighter than you were holding him, but you didn't hang limp as you had when he had kissed you before. That small decision probably did more damage that you intended for it to, and you weren't about to make the same mistake again.You hugged him for a minute, and the memories of why you really loved him and wanted to be with him came rushing over you during that time. Even though tensions were rising and things were changing more drastically by the day, he was still Yoongi. Despite everything, you still wanted to him to succeed. You remembered the image of a boy who was crying on the curb about how he wasn't good enough to accomplish his dream. And now, he had arrived; right on the edge of everything he'd ever wished for coming true."I-I'm sorry I was late," you stuttered, and Yoongi leaned in closer, his lips against your ear."I'm glad you came," he whispered in your ear, relief somewhat lining his voice."The traffic was insane. I ran the rest of the way here," you admitted without thinking, cheeks growing hot in embarrassment at the realization that you told him that.Yoongi pulled away then, still close to you, but holding back so that he could see your face. You couldn't read is eyes or his body language; it was impossible to tell what he was really thinking, how he was really feeling. You looked at him and felt confused in your heart in mind, uncertain of when exactly things became so blurred and muddy between the two of you. Why did it feel like he was still far away, even though he right in front of you? Why did it feel like there was some invisible wall keeping you apart?And why did those things hurt so much?The rappers on stage were practically spitting fire, and the crowd surrounding you was entirely too hype. But, you and Yoongi were still. You were staring at each other, no more words leaving your mouth nor his. He looked at you, and then at your lips, and then back at you again, seemingly debating something within his own mind. And truthfully, you were having a debate of your own.Was it okay to just act like this past week of bad behavior never happened? Was okay to pretend that he hadn't hurt your feelings incredibly badly, and just move on without a word about it? Was it okay to ignore issues that were clearly there between the two of you?You bit your lip, watching his movements carefully, desperately trying to gauge what his next move may be.And just like that, his mind was apparently made up. He moved farther way and stopped touching you completely. Again, you couldn't read his expression."Let's go to my greenroom so you can meet Namjoon," he finally spoke up, being loud enough for you to hear over the music. You nodded and he began walking out and down the side aisle, going out of the concert hall to get to the greenroom.You both quickly arrived at a door that had a piece of paper hung on it, reading "Suga & Rap Monster".You looked over at Yoongi, raising an eyebrow, "'Suga'?""Namjoon thought we needed stage names, and that's the one I chose," he explained, swinging the door open without bothering to knock first."Yoongi!" Namjoon exclaimed, whipping around to put his back to the door as you turned away. He was in the middle of changing his shirt, his entire bare chest exposed."Whoops, sorry," Yoongi replied awkwardly, turning you around once Namjoon's shirt was on and covering him.Namjoon forced a smile, although his blushing cheeks gave away his embarrassment."You must be Y/N," he said politely, bowing slightly in greeting."Yes," you smiled, "You must be Namjoon."He nodded, cheeks still red, trying to recover from the previous extremely awkward moment. "Did you enjoy the show?""Well, I only got here just when Yoongi started rapping. I'm sorry I didn't see you too," you apologized honestly. You wished you could've seen the entire performance."Don't worry about it," Namjoon waved your comment off and suddenly Yoongi was standing beside you. He'd been quiet for the whole exchange."Are we supposed to stick around and talk to Bang PD?" He asked."I'm not sure...There's still over an hour left in the concert," Namjoon seemed to be considering something. "How about you two go out for bingsu?""Bingsu?" you raised an eyebrow."It's Korean shaved ice," Yoongi replied before his eyes darted back to Namjoon, "How about we all go? Wouldn't want you to have to hang out here alone," Yoongi said through slightly gritted teeth. It was obvious then that he didn't want to be alone with you, at least not yet.Namjoon and Yoongi seemed to have a silent debate mostly carried out by intense stares tossed at one another before Namjoon finally caught on, "Oh sure! Ha-ha I'm always down for bingsu!" he chuckled awkwardly and you glanced over at Yoongi who was forcing a smile."Let's go then," you said before they forced you to sit through another thirty seconds of awkward smiling.After reminding them of the terrible traffic you encountered on the way to the concert, the three of you decided to walk instead. The bingsu place was only two blocks away from the venue anyway."So, Y/N," Namjoon began, "What's your major? You're in University, right?""Right. I'm majoring in business," you replied. Somehow the walking formation had ended up being Namjoon flanking your right side, and Yoongi flanking your left. You were walking in between two very attractive boys down the street on a crowded Saturday night. And people were staring."Oh, business. That's cool," Namjoon said half-heartedly as he too had noticed how many people were looking at them as they made their way down the street."Yeah," you replied flatly, growing incredibly self-conscience at the unwanted attention."Guys?" Namjoon said, looking around intensively, "Why are so many people looking at us?"The street they had turned onto was full of young people as there were mostly PC rooms and coffee shops and karaoke rooms in the surrounding area."Hmm...this is weird," Yoongi agreed, closing a bit of the space between the two of you that he had purposely left before. "I mean I know I'm kinda hot...But I'm not that hot," he joked, trying to lighten the mood."If there's staring at us because someone is hot, then they're obviously looking at Y/N," Namjoon teased, crossing his arms.You opened your mouth to combat his statement but there was suddenly a small group of teenage girls grouped before the three of you. You looked over at Yoongi, confused."Are you guys Suga & Rap Monster?" one tall girl asked, smiling so hard it looked like it probably hurt her face."Yeah, are you?" another one asked before anyone physically had a chance to answer."Yeah? What she said! Suga? RapMon?" Yet another girl piped up.The three of you turned your heads, looking at each other with confused expressions before Namjoon took the initiative to answer the questions."Um...Yes...?""We knew it!" one girl called out, seemingly celebrating"Oh my gosh Sarah is gonna be so jealous!""But honestly, they're not as cute in person," The tall girl smacked her gum, and your eyes widened at her ridiculous comment."Excuse me?" you started, but Yoongi's hand was the clasped around yours, silently telling you to stop."How do know who we are?" Namjoon asked, his voice still polite even though the bratty girls didn't deserve the kindness."Didn't you know? Someone at the concert recorded a video of you and Suga. BigBang's official twitter retweeted it and it's going viral," the tall girl replied, still smacking her gum. You felt yourself twitch with annoyance, at first assuming the girl was making everything up."Wait, what?" Yoongi said, his face serious now. "But we only performed like 20 minutes ago.""Oh, Suga. You really don't know anything, do you? Anything can go viral in 20 minutes," she replied in a bored tone before spitting her gum out on the sidewalk."Come on girls, these guys can rap but they're kind of dumb. Oh, and RapMon, I think you should lose some weight if you're going to become a K-Idol. Toodles," the tall girl said as she began walking away, her pack of disgusting followers in tow."I'll fight her," You exclaimed, blood boiling at the way she had just barged in and insulted your boyfriend and his coworker. "I WILL FIGHT THEM!""Y/N, stop," Yoongi attempted to calm you down, but it was no use."Who do they think they are? You guys aren't objects! They can't just tell you to your face that "you're not that cute" or that "you need to lose weight"! Are they even human?!" You shouted, growing angrier by the second.Namjoon just stood there and Yoongi let go of your arm."I'm serious! Namjoon, you have some of the biggest abdominal muscles I've ever seen for crying out loud! And Yoongi! You are a thousand times more attractive in person, and picture and video of you doesn't even do your beauty justice!"Suddenly, Namjoon was laughing, and Yoongi was laughing right along with him. Your eyebrows furrowed, confused and mad that they were laughing at you while you were so upset."What are you laughing for?" You asked in a small voice, now embarrassed about your extreme defensiveness of them."I'm flattered that you think I have "the biggest abdominal muscles you've ever seen for crying out loud," he chuckled, "But I'm not worried about those girls.""What?""Y/N, didn't you hear what they told us?" Yoongi laughed, smiling at you."What? The part where she called you guys ugly or the part where she called you fat?" you snapped, irritating at them both."Y/N. A video of Namjoon and I has gone viral on twitter. And BigBang noticed us. Don't you know how big of a deal that is? We haven't even debuted and it seems like we already have fans," Yoongi grinned, explaining why him and Namjoon weren't phased by the girls' rude comments."Oh," you said, absorbing his words and the reality of this situation really meant.Namjoon giggled, "I think Bang PD is going to be very pleased.""You're right about that," Yoongi agreed, and the three of you began walking again. And while you still had the occasional set of eyes follow you, no one else came up and invaded your peace or privacy.Conversation was light at the bingsu place as it was mostly just Namjoon asking you questions about your life and plans for after University. He also asked a few basic questions about you and Yoongi's relationship; such as where did you both meet, when did you start dating, etc. But you had a rather strong feeling that he probably already knew the answers to the majority of those questions. Namjoon was acting like he already knew you, and you figured that meant Yoongi had done quite a bit of talking about you. Boys have to express their feelings too.Yoongi was quiet, but he didn't seem upset or angry. He seemed to be pondering over a lot of things so you just let him be.On the walk back, however, Namjoon ended up calling his mother on the phone to tell her the news, leaving you and Yoongi walking alone, a little ways behind him. The streets had mostly cleared by the time you were walking back, so there weren't any prying eyes, which you were grateful for."Y/N," he began, and your heart dropped as you prepared yourself for what you assumed was going to be a hard conversation. "First of all, I just want to say that I'm really sorry for the way I acted this week. It was selfish and immature, and I know I was sending you way too many mixed signals.""Okay," you said quietly, waiting for him to continue."I've just had so much on my mind, and I've been scared of a lot of things lately. I think between the stress of everything that happened with Stevens and my conversation with Bang PD, all my fears and worries kind of built up and overwhelmed me all at the same time. I'm not using that as an excuse for my behavior, I just want you to understand where I was coming from," he continued, not making eye contact with you. It was a telltale sign that he really was sorry."You said before that Bang PD gave you an out with your contract if you wanted. And you said you needed to consider all of the things you'd be giving up if you debuted."Yoongi nodded, "Yes...And I've thought those things over.""And?""It doesn't matter now anyway, because I've just become famous," he said, his voice suddenly sadder than it was earlier. He wasn't piping with excitement about the news of the viral twitter video anymore."Why do you look sad about it? Did you decide last minute that you didn't want this?" You asked, fear rising in your chest. Because now, you were no longer mad at Yoongi. You understand that he had a lot on his mind, and he had apologized for his behavior. There was no need to hold a grudge. But now, your heart ached for him as you feared the worst. You feared that he had decided to terminate his contract, and now that choice had been ripped from him completely."It wasn't that I didn't want to debut...I was just worried about...Us," he finished, grimacing as if he didn't want to admit that, but he didn't want to lie anymore."What does that mean?" you asked, your voice more scared than defensive."I was scared that after I debuted you'd eventually break up with me because of hard it's all going to be..." he trailed off again."Why would I do that?" you demanded, angry again now that he assumed so much without even talking to you. Was this why he'd been so distant for any entire week?"Because I don't think you understand how hard it's really go to be with everyone knowing my name. What just happened with those girls back there, that kind of stuff will happen all the time," He argued, the both of you finally stopping your stride to continue talking. "I'm going to be away a lot. People will recognize me in public. It's going to be different-""Stop! Just stop!" You cut him off, "Do you really think that little of me? That I'm going to run off and leave you behind because of all that? You really think that I don't even want to try?""Stop putting words in mouth! I didn't say that you didn't want to try this, but I'm saying that I don't think you understand how difficult it's going to be! I was just worried I was going to lose you! I'm human, okay?! I get insecure too!" He yelled at you for the first time ever. And you were shocked. Blinking slowly, you took several seconds to form a response."Yoongi...I-I'm not just going to walk away from all of this. Not after everything we've been through to get this far...I don't want that to be something that you're afraid of," you said, face becoming wet when you hadn't even realized that tears had brimmed in your eyes in the first place. "I want this to work," you cried, "I want us to work."Nodding, Yoongi's eyes became soft and understanding as he pulled you against him."I want us to work too," he murmured into your ear, arms around you in a noticeably gentle manner."A-Are you s-sure you c-can deal w-with it all?" you mumbled against his chest, the words coming out in stutters."Y/N," he had never said your name with such intensity before. He pulled away from the hug, your face then in his hands. "I don't want all of this if it means I don't have you."And before you could reply, the two of you were kissing. It had only been a week since his lips had last been on yours, but that one hardly counted. You couldn't think of the last time you had shared a kiss like this with someone, if you had ever shared a kiss like this with anyone.This kiss was desperate, unlike all of the other cute ones you'd shared with him. This one felt like you were the last person he was ever going to get to kiss, and he was putting his all into it. This one wasn't sweet and gentle and calming. This one was a bit rougher, a bit more careless.And you were aware that Namjoon was probably awkwardly standing down the street behind the two of you, waiting for your session of PDA to be over with. And you knew that Bang PD was probably waiting on them get back. And you knew that maybe you should've thought of all of this through and peruse the slightly possibility that perhaps Min Yoongi was bad for you.But, you kissed him back anyway. The damage was done. The decision was made.You were in for the long haul on this one, whether you liked it or not. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~YOONGI'S POV~"I hate to break up this emotional love fest, but Yoongi, I just got a text from Bang PD. He wants us to meet him at the office," Namjoon called out, waving his phone in the air. Unfortunately, all that waving caused it to slip right out of his hand and fall on the sidewalk, leaving Namjoon cursing as he scrambled to pick it up and assess the damage.Yoongi finally stepped away from you, unable to stop smiling. If it hadn't have been for Namjoon's interruption, he might have stood there and continued to kiss you until morning came. Because finally, he felt better about everything. Obviously, the future was unknown and anything could happen, but for now, there was clarity. And because he'd finally been honest, he felt incredibly relieved. He didn't need to avoid you anymore while he tried to work through his own issues. Now, if the two of you could just be honest with each other from here on it, nothing could get in your way."I'll just leave from here," You smiled back at him."I'd rather you not walk alone," Yoongi said uneasily, "Why don't you just come back to the office with us and I'll take you home after?""Are you sure that's okay? Sounds like you're having a meeting," You shifted."It'll be fine. I doubt it'll take long, anyway. Bang PD is a pretty easy-going guy," Yoongi reassured you, sliding an arm around your shoulders, "Let's go.""Guys, I think I just killed my phone," Namjoon called out in a cry, and you couldn't help but laugh."That's gotta hurt," Yoongi chuckled, leaving Namjoon scowling at him.The three of you walked back to the BigHit office within about 15 minutes time. Yoongi couldn't keep his eyes off you, that whole way back. He was just so happy. And to feel that happy for once felt pretty good.|||||~YOUR POV~"I've been informed by my assistant that a video of you two has gone viral on Twitter! Isn't that great?!" Bang PD exclaimed.Yoongi and Namjoon were standing inside their studio, talking with Bang PD while you were hiding in the doorway. You tried to stay in the foyer to wait for them, but Yoongi insisted that there was no reason for you to stay out there alone. For some reason, being around his boss made you feel nervous and on-edge. You kind of assumed that people like Bang PD had it out for significant others of their artists; relationships almost always produced bad press."Yes, Sir! We're very excited," Namjoon replied. You couldn't see Yoongi's facial expression from where you were standing, but he sounded happy when he said, "Yes, we are!""Good work tonight, boys. Make sure you're here early on Monday. I'm bringing in another rapper that I want you both to meet. His name is Jung Hoseok. Make him feel welcome, yeah?" Bang PD explained, leaving both Yoongi and Namjoon nodding in agreement.You left the doorway then, running back down to the foyer area as you were too scared to talk to Bang PD just yet. Yoongi and Namjoon met you there just a few minutes later."That went well," Yoongi breathed in relief as they walked up to you. "Why'd you run off?""I got nervous," you admitted shyly, looking down at the floor."Ah, don't worry about Bang PD. He's a nice man," Namjoon waved off your comment, reaching for his phone but then frowning, seemingly remembering that he had just shattered it. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm exhausted. So, I'm going to go. Y/N, it was nice to meet you. Yoongi, good job tonight." Namjoon smiled, then waved, and was off."He seems like a cool guy," you offered, you and Yoongi starting on the trek back to your dorm."Honestly, yeah. He's cool. But, brutally honest," he said, taking his hand in yours once walking on the sidewalk."Yeah?""Yeah. He's already talked some sense into me and I haven't even known him for a whole week yet," Yoongi admitted, squeezing your hand gently."What? Did he talk some sense into you about me?" You raised an eyebrow."Maybe.""What did he say?" you were curious now, but also laughing on the inside. You had a hunch that he'd been discussing the relationship with Namjoon."That I wasn't being fair. That I needed to clear things up.""Namjoon is one smart cookie," You chuckled."Oh, trust me, he hurt my feelings though," Yoongi replied, smiling a little bit."He hurt your feelings?""It hurt because everything he said was right. I was in the wrong and he let me know it.""Sounds like a good friend to me."Yoongi shrugged, "Yeah, I guess you're right."You glanced down at your hand that was intertwined with his, "I mean, look where his advice got us."Yoongi couldn't help but smile, echoing your words, "Namjoon is one smart cookie." His words were light and carefree, unburdened. He really seemed happy. And that made you happy."Min Yoongi," you said suddenly. He seemed surprised, looking over at you."Hm?" He questioned, an eyebrow raised."I'm proud of you.""For what?""For making it this far."And then he blushed, thanked you, kissed you, and walked you the rest of the way home.|||||~YOONGI'S POV~"Are you nervous about meeting the new guy?" Yoongi asked as Namjoon was cleaning up the studio."Dude, we gotta start throwing our trash away more often," Namjoon seemed a bit frazzled, trying to make the studio somewhat presentable before Hoseok arrived. He had already gathered Styrofoam ramen cups, empty cartons of banana milk, and several Hi-Chew wrappers."You're totally nervous, aren't you?" Yoongi chuckled, leaning back in his chair, relaxed."You know, you could help me clean up," Namjoon grumbled, tossing everything in the trash."Hey, chill out. What are you so worried about?""I just don't want to make a bad first impression, especially if we're about to be stuck working with this guy," Namjoon sighed, sitting down in beside Yoongi."I wonder why Bang PD has been bringing people in lately. First it was me, then you, now Hoseok. Who's next? I mean, what's his plan here?" Yoongi wondered aloud, combing through various possibilities within his mind."Honestly? I think he's trying to form a group," Namjoon popped a piece of gum in his mouth before holding out the box, offering Yoongi a piece."A whole boy group? How does he think we could even being to compete with those bigger companies? SM? JYP? We can't stand against groups trained by those companies. If we debuted as solo rappers, then maybe..." Yoongi trailed off, unwrapping his own piece of gum."That's not true though, because you and I have gained popularity online. If we fan that flame and keep it alive while Bang PD is putting the group together, it's not impossible-"Namjoon was cut off by soft knocking on the door."That must be him."Rising from his chair hesitantly, Yoongi went over and opened the door. Standing outside of it was none other than Bang PD himself, and a cheerful looking boy beside him."Boys, good morning! This is the other rapper I was telling you about, Jung Hoseok. Hoseok, this is Yoongi and Namjoon," Bang PD grinned, and Hoseok bowed politely. He didn't necessarily seem uncomfortable; he looked more shy than anything.After a few more awkward introductions, Bang PD announced that he wanted a repeat of what had happened last week."What do you mean a repeat?" Yoongi asked."You know how you and Namjoon worked together all last week, and then performed on Saturday? The same thing is happening this week, except we're adding Hoseok to your group," Bang PD explained.Hoseok smiled awkwardly, "I look forward to making music with you both.""Great!" Bang PD shouted, "I'll check in later!" And then he left, leaving Namjoon and Yoongi having a strange face-off with Hoseok."Um, welcome to the team!" Namjoon awkwardly chuckled, trying to break the awkward silence."I think you might be right, Joon," Yoongi said suddenly."Hm? About what?""Bang PD really is trying to make us into a boy group."|||||~YOUR POV~"What do you mean Bang PD is trying to make you guys into a boy group?" You asked through a mouthful of animal crackers."How can you stand to eat the kind with no icing?" Namjoon shivered, shaking his head in disgust."Yeah, Y/N you know how I feel about you, but plain animal crackers are terrible," Yoongi piped in, leaving Namjoon nodding in agreement."Can you two stop judging my snack habits and answer the question?" you rolled your eyes, popping a few more crackers in your mouth just to irritate them. It was Wednesday afternoon, and Yoongi had invited you to come hang out in the studio while him and Namjoon worked on the instrumental mix for their new song. Hoseok was required an extra Wednesday dance class because Bang PD saw "extra potential" in him, so it was just you, Namjoon, and Yoongi for the meanwhile."Yeah, Joon has a theory that Bang PD is going to keep bringing other people for us to work with, and eventually form a boy group," Yoongi finally answered the question."A group of how many members?""Oh, who knows. This hasn't even been confirmed; it's just a hunch," Yoongi shrugged his shoulders, getting up from his spot at the computer beside Namjoon to come and sit down beside you on the tiny couch."How's your homework coming?" He asked, nodding toward the abundant amount of papers that were scattered across the coffee table."Umm..." You trailed off, not wanting to admit to him that you hadn't gotten one bit of studying done since you had arrived. Too bad that Yoongi caught on anyway."Y/N, I'm going to stop inviting you here if you can't focus," he chuckled, looking over all the worksheets you had that were still blank."No! It's fine, I'll get it done," you said at a little bit more forcefully than you meant to, leaving you blushing slightly."I know, I'm pretty distracting, right?" he smirked. You wanted to roll your eyes, but you found yourself smiling instead."I'm right, aren't I?" he said playfully, so much so, that you forgot Namjoon was less than five feet away."If you guys are going to make out, can you do it somewhere else? I saw enough of that on Saturday night. And I'd rather eat all those animal crackers than listen to you flirt any longer," Namjoon let out an exasperated sigh, clicking away on the computer."Rude," Yoongi threw a pillow at the back of Namjoon's head. "And I was going to ask you to be best man at our wedding."You knew he was joking, but the phrase "our wedding" caught you off guard. Yoongi apparently had noticed how you'd become frozen in the moment, likely blushing like crazy.Yes, you were in love with Yoongi. That much was obvious. And while you two were serious about each other, "I love you's" had never been exchanged. And sure, you had thought about a future with him many times. But as his life kept changing, the image for your future with him kept changing as well.The prospect of marrying Yoongi had been something that you had entertained on more than one occasion, but hearing him say something like that, even in a joking matter, made you feel a lot of feelings."Sad, because I would be the perfect best man after hearing all of your complaining and seeing you cry about her," Namjoon spun around on his chair, throwing the pillow back at Yoongi."Wait, you cried?" You snapped out of your daze filled with Yoongi-Husband thoughts. "So you really were crying on the phone!" You accused."Well...um," Yoongi awkwardly scratched the back of his head just as he had the first day you met him."Don't even try to deny it," Namjoon said before turning his gaze to you, "Tears everywhere. Complete waterworks.""You're so cute," you gushed, playfully hitting Yoongi on the arm."Shut up," he grumbled.You could tell he was embarrassed, but you cuddled up next to him anyway, "I can't believe you really cried over me.""Stop," he groaned, rolling his eyes, leaving Namjoon cackling from his chair. A phone sounded."Hey, Hoseok just texted and said he's on his way back from dance practice. You two might want to break off the cuddle party. We're risking running him off," Namjoon called out.And even though Yoongi was being grumpy and Namjoon was teasing you and you hadn't finished any of the homework that was due tomorrow, you were incredibly content and happy that day.Because finally, for once, things seemed to be going well. Everything was on the right track.For now, anyway. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~YOONGI'S POV~"Y/N, are you okay?" Yoongi asked, looking over his shoulder from where he sat at the computer with Namjoon and Hoseok. You were hunched over the coffee table in the studio, hands covering your face."I'm fine," you said, the sound coming out muffled. Not believing you, Yoongi got up and stretched before making his way over to you.It was the following Monday night after the rap concert with Hoseok. More videos were posted online, and it seemed that popularity was growing every day. Yoongi had started to think that maybe Namjoon was right; maybe they would be able to debut successfully.Since everything at the concert had gone well with Hoseok, Bang PD was very pleased, and said that he wanted Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok to continue producing together. Yoongi and Namjoon were surprised when Bang PD hadn't announced, "Surprise, here's yet another new person to work with!"Luckily, Yoongi and Namjoon actually really liked working with Hoseok. He was a positive presence to be around, and he worked really hard."C'mon, what is it?" he asked again, sitting down beside you and gently pulled your hands off of your face."I'm not going to be able to pass this test," you groaned in frustration."What test?""My last final exam. You know, the one I need to take tomorrow and pass so I can graduate University on Friday? Ugh, I'm done for," you complained, covering your face with your hands again."Uh oh, Y/N needs a pick-me-up. I'll be right back," Hoseok said suddenly, running out of the room."I'm sure you'll be fine. You're a good test taker," Yoongi reminded you, reaching out to once again hold your hands."There's just so much pressure on this test, and it's really stressing me out. I'm one more problem away from ripping my hair out," you complained, leaning back into the couch, seemingly giving up."Okay, look. You can't be that negative. You're just going to psych yourself out even more," Namjoon suddenly butted in, removing his headphones. "I can hear your freaking out even over the music.""Sorry," you mumbled, and Yoongi laughed."Joon is right, Y/N. Overthinking it is just going to stress you out even more. Have some confidence. You've had some of the highest grades in your entire department this year, right?" Yoongi tried to convince you, his voice gentle."Yeah, you're right." You sighed."So, study a little bit more and then stop. Make sure you get a good night of sleep, eat breakfast before you go in the morning and you'll be fine," he replied. He would usually hate seeing you this stressed out, but he really believed that you would do fine on the test. In fact, he actually thought it was a bit cute how worried you are for something he knew you were well equipped for.Hoseok entered the room again, waving around a bag of Skittles, "I thought something sweet might cheer you up," he grinned, handing it over to you."Thanks, Hoseok," you smiled, and Yoongi did too. He appreciated how Namjoon and Hoseok had immediately accepted you, treating you well and with kindness."Oh, but you're not allowed to share them with Yoongi. I know how he is with snacks," Hoseok snickered.Yoongi rolled his eyes, "I've known you for a whole week, and I've only stolen ONE banana milk.""Yoon," Namjoon called out, turning from the computer again."Yeah?" "I was going to ask, why hasn't Y/N invited us to her graduation yet?" Namjoon chuckled, raising an eyebrow at you.Yoongi turned and looked at you, "That's actually a good question.""I wasn't going to give you guys the invitations until I passed my last exam," you admitted a bit shyly, shifting uncomfortably beside Yoongi."Are you really that unconfident about doing well?" Hoseok seemed concerned, his face contorting into a frown."Maybe?" You grimaced slightly, ripping open the bag of skittles."That's right, eat those Skittles. Candy makes everything better; that's my life motto. Candy also makes me have to go the gym more; that's my second life motto," Hoseok said, eliciting a laugh from you."Well, since all of us except for you feel confident about your test, why don't you go ahead and give us those invitations?" Namjoon proposed the idea, and you complied, reaching into your backpack."One for you," you said, passing the card to Yoongi. "One for you, and one for you," you said, getting up to give Namjoon and Hoseok their invitations.Yoongi opened his card, overlooking the printed "You're Invited" message, and looking on to the handwritten message at the bottom.Yoon-Thanks for helping me get through this school year. We've had many ups and downs, but I'll always be grateful for the day you showed up at Youth & Impulse looking like a scared puppy. We've both come so far since then, and I would be really happy if you would come to my University graduation ceremony.~Y/N <3A smile spread across Yoongi's face as you sat back down beside him on the couch. "Thanks babe," he said quietly, giving you an extremely quick kiss on the lips."How many times am I going to be forced to see you guys kiss?" Namjoon complained."Well, technically, no one is forcing you," You replied with sass that caught everyone off guard."I agree with Y/N," Yoongi smirked."C'mon, Joon. I think they're cute," Hoseok gushed, tossing you two a smile so big it caused his face to scrunch up."So, you're all going to come on Friday, right?" you asked, changing the subject from kissing before things became any more awkward."I'll be there," Namjoon waved his hand, slipping his headphones back on and facing toward the computer."Me too," Hoseok nodded."And I'll obviously be there," Yoongi smiled at you, sneaking one more kiss while Namjoon wasn't looking."Obviously."|||||~YOUR POV~You had successfully passed your final exam, as the boys previously tried to convince you that you would, you were on track and ready for graduation. It was a surreal feeling; to finally be graduating after so much time and work you had put in while being on campus. But, in another way, it felt good. You had accomplished something huge, and you were proud of yourself for that. You were proud of yourself for continuing on, even throughout all of the drama and issues in your personal life.And fortunately, Stevens was feeling up to attending your graduation as well. You were so happy you didn't have to have the awkward boyfriend introduction conversation with him, seeing he had known Yoongi for practically just as long as you had.The boys arrived to the event hall early so that you had some time to see them and help get them to their seats before graduation began. You tried your hardest not to stare as they walked through the door, though, because they had come in practically looking like models.You had seen Yoongi in nice clothes from his time at Youth & Impulse, but there was something about the way he looked with a full suit and jacket on that you feel a little weak in the knees.And you had never seen Namjoon or Hoseok in anything other than glittery outfits and street clothes. To see them both in formal suits made you realize how attractive they really were. To see Yoongi, Namjoon, and Hoseok all looking that fine and walking together was definitely an experience.The funny part was, you weren't the only one who noticed their beauty. Several eyes were on them as they walked in, you met them in the middle of the aisle."You look beautiful," Yoongi greeted you, grinning and leaning in to modestly kiss you on the cheek."Thanks for coming," you said looping your arm with his. "Thank you, guys, for coming as well," you nodded at both Hoseok and Namjoon with a smile."Happy to be here!" Hoseok smiled back, seemingly giddy as he bounced on the balls of his feet."Do you need to pee or something?" Namjoon asked."I'm just excited. This is exciting!" Hoseok defended himself, shooting a frown at Namjoon."Do you guys want me to show you to your seats?" You interrupted before Namjoon and Hoseok had the chance to get into a full-fledged argument about being "too excited.""Sure," Yoongi agreed, and you led them to their seats. Just as you all arrived, Stevens had too. He must have entered from the opposite door."Stevens! I hope you don't mind, but I have you sitting with Yoongi and some of our friends," you exclaimed, happy to see him. You knew you should've been going to see him more in the past few weeks, but your visits had been few between school and all of the prior drama with Yoongi."No problem at all. Yoongi, great to see you again," Steven's grinned, momentarily letting go of a crutch to shake his hand."Good to see you again too, Sir. I've missed seeing you around. Uh, Namjoon, Hoseok, this is Stevens. Y/N's uncle, and my boss at the café," Yoongi introduced them, and Stevens shook their hands as well."Nice to meet you, boys," Stevens said politely before you helped him sit down."You too, Sir," Hoseok smiled, his dimples showing."Yes, you as well," Namjoon nodded."So, you guys can sit here, and maybe after we can all go out for dinner or something?" you offered, hopeful."Sounds good to me," Yoongi shrugged, sitting down beside Stevens."Count me in," Namjoon complied, taking a seat next to Yoongi."Wait, but Y/N?" Hoseok seemed confused about something."What is it?""What about the rest of your family? Your Mom? Dad?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. You were quiet for a moment, shocked by the question, and also unsure of how to answer it. Yoongi immediately jumped to your defense."Yah, shut up! What's with all the questions anyway?" Yoongi waved him off and Hoseok gulped, nodded, and sat down. He was frowning slightly, and his feelings seemed hurt even though he wasn't admitting it."It's okay, Hoseok," you forced a smile, trying to reassure him because he honestly hadn't done anything wrong, "This is it. Just you guys and Stevens."He nodded, not saying anything else."Well, I uh have to get going. It's going to start soon," you said, and then left.The entire ceremony went by much faster than you were previously expecting it to. You were gleaming with pride and excitement as you accepted your diploma, feeling incredibly accomplished and slightly embarrassed- Namjoon, Hoseok, and Yoongi were making a rather large amount of noise from their intense cheering to say the least. Nonetheless, you were happy, and happy that they were proud of you too.Someone must've left after you had walked to go and by you some flowers, because after the ceremony was over, they were all holding four individual bouquets, handing them to you all at once."Guys, this gesture is very sweet, but I can't hold all of these," you chuckled, heart soaring and filled with more love than ever.After taking an insane number of photos and saying goodbye to a few fellow classmates, you were ready for a nice dinner out with the four of them. But, Stevens decided to leave early as he was really getting tired. He encouraged you to go have fun with the boys anyway and to not worry about him. Reluctantly, he agreed."I know a good place, and it's not far from here," Namjoon offered once you were all outside and ready to walk to dinner. Yoongi carrying your heels for you as your feet hurt and you were tired of being taller than him."Lead the way," you agreed. The sun was just going down and the weather was amazing outside; everything just felt blatantly right.Then, the first group of fans came up to the boys. It didn't bother you at first; they were nice, and just wanted a few quick photos before being on their way.And then, the second group came. They were just as nice as the first, and the boys treated them with kindness. So, you were fine with it. They were attractive boys who were rising to stardom.And a third group came. Three different groups of fans interrupted you guys before you had even made it off the first street. But, you forced a smile. It was okay. This is who Yoongi was. This is who his friends were. Yoongi was apologetic to you about the interruptions on a night that was supposed to be at you, but you waved him off. It wasn't his fault.But then, finally as you guys were comfortably settled in the restaurant, something else happened."You know, Y/N, I just wanted to say I'm really proud of you. Graduating is a huge accomplishment, and you've worked really hard to get here-"Yoongi was saying sweetly before there were 5 girls suddenly beside the booth."Are you Suga?""Rap Monster?""J-Hope?"And that's when Yoongi really got mad. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~YOUR POV~"Are you Suga?"Rap Monster?"J-Hope?"You sighed, looking down into your drink while you waited for them to finish speaking with the fans. If you were being honest with yourself, you were frustrated. But not with Yoongi, or Namjoon, or Hoseok, or even the fans necessarily. You were frustrated about the interruptions, and it frustrated you that it frustrated you. You and Yoongi had already had a long-drawn out argument about the changes that were coming due to his career. And he had already warned you about this. And you had already made up with him about it.It wasn't fair for you to get mad now. So, you didn't get mad.But Yoongi did."Who's the girl?" One asked, raising an eyebrow while reaching for her phone."Yeah, is it a girlfriend?"You shifted uncomfortably beside Yoongi, the whole situation spiraling to a place in which you didn't want it to go."Can't you all tell we're kind of in the middle of something here?" Yoongi snapped, eyes narrowing at the group of girls."Yoon," Namjoon said in disbelief, smiling apologetically at the fans.The girl that had reached for her phone was raising it, seeming like she was trying to take a picture of you. Yoongi scoffed, moving so that you could practically hide behind him."It's rude to interrupt people when they're clearly in the middle of dinner. And it's even worse to take pictures of people without permission to do so," Yoongi continued. You watched as the tips of his ear grew red and his whole face become flushed. He really was mad."Yoongi," Hoseok said through gritted teeth."O-Oh. We're s-sorry," one of the girls stuttered, hurt spreading across her face as she motioned for the other girls to move. They began walking away."Why did you have to do that?" Namjoon mumbled, getting up from the booth, Hoseok following. You turned your head, watching as they rushed over to console the fans. You couldn't hear what they were saying, but you assumed that they were apologizing on Yoongi's behalf, offering the girls hugs and photos.You turned back around, sighing, and glancing over at Yoongi who hadn't said anything else."You didn't have to do that," you said quietly, feeling overwhelmed and guilty that he had lashed out because of you."I know," he nodded slowly. You couldn't read his expression, couldn't tell what he was thinking."Maybe you should go apologize to those girls," you suggested. He looked down, ears still red."They were the ones being rude. Do you want your pictures plastered all over the internet?!""I mean not really, but you didn't have to be so rude to them...Reputation matters for a career like yours," you reminded him gently and he nodded, jaw slightly clenching.But then Namjoon and Hoseok were returned, sitting back down in their seats."You're lucky we caught them before they left. You made one of them cry. Great way to treat your fan base, isn't it?" Namjoon scolded Yoongi."Look, we've been interrupted since the second we left graduation. I dealt with it on the streets, but inside a restaurant? Taking pictures of Y/N? Do people not realize that we're actual humans?! Does that not bother you guys at all?" Yoongi exclaimed, clearly growing angry. You weren't sure if you had ever seen him quite this mad."I get that, okay? They were out of line, but the fans always have to come first. Especially while we're pre-debut. What would you have done if one of them had recorded that whole interaction and posted it online?!" Namjoon shot back."They weren't recording anything!""You don't know that. You can't be this careless, or our debut is never going to be successful. And Bang PD is going to blame you for that, and so will I. You are accountable for not only the image of yourself and this group, but also for BigHit Entertainment," Namjoon argued. Hoseok was silent, and you were too. What was there to say? Fact was, Namjoon was right, but you knew Yoongi had only been trying to protect you."This night was supposed to be about Y/N!" Yoongi said angrily, clearly not planning to back down to Namjoon anytime soon."And it would've been if you would've just give those fans your autograph and shut up about it!""Namjoon- "Hoseok tried to intervene, but his efforts were rendered unsuccessful."I'm serious, Yoongi! You can't do crap like that!" Namjoon was full on shouting, and now people around the restaurant were looking at them."Can you guys keep it down?" You said through gritted teeth, tossing them both irritated glances."Why do you think you have the right to talk to me that way?" Yoongi spit back, now far angrier than you had ever seen him."I told you from the beginning that if we're going to work together, I'm always going to be honest. You're acting stupid, so I'm calling you out for it just like I did when you were crying to me about Y/N! You were being selfish then, and you're being selfish now. Everyone can see that but you!""Don't bring me into this-"Hoseok was interrupted again."You know what? I'm getting sick of you always telling me what to do. You aren't my boss, Namjoon! You aren't my father! You aren't even older than me! Have some freaking respect!" Yoongi scoffed.Now you were growing angry at them all. Instead of just letting it go so you all could have a nice night together, they continued to blow it out of proportion; all the way into a full-fledged fight that everyone in the restaurant was watching.And someone was filming it."Guys, shut up!" You screamed, catching both Yoongi and Namjoon so off guard that they actually followed your instruction."This was supposed to be fun. And now you're all screaming about each other's faults, and guess what! That guy over there is filming it," you jabbed your hand in the direction of the guy who was filming the interaction on his phone. He gulped, slipping his phone back in his pocket."Y/N," Yoongi began, his voice already changing from angry to apologetic."All I wanted was one evening out with all of you to celebrate. This last year has been really freaking hard, and I just wanted to celebrate how far we've all come. And what do you all do? Act like a bunch of middle schoolers!" You snapped, really mad now."We're not acting like middle schoolers, okay?! This is a big deal!" Namjoon was standing up to, causing a chain reaction to where all of you were standing now, angry."You fixed it! You told him what he did wrong! Now back off! And Yoongi, is it really necessary to argue with him over everything?! Why can't you both admit your faults and let it go?!" You knew your face must've been turning red at that point.That finally shut them up, momentarily stunning both Yoongi and Namjoon."You know what? I think I'm just going to go home," you sighed, the anger draining out and being replaced with annoyance and disappointment."Y/N, no. You don't have to leave," Yoongi started softly, shaking his head."Yeah, Y/N, I'm sorry," Namjoon said quietly, seeming sincere."I'll go pay for the bill. Why don't you guys try asking everyone that was filming to delete the videos," you mumbled, grabbing your purse and walking to the front desk to sort out the payments.And just like that, your perfect graduation celebration had completely fallen apart.|||||~YOONGI'S POV~Yoongi was almost stunned for a moment, standing and watching you walk away to take care of the bill. He made a mental note to pay you back for the charges later; he wasn't about to let you pick of the tab on a dinner that he was responsible for ruining."I'm going to talk to the guy that was filming," Yoongi said quietly, turning before someone caught his arm."Let me do it," Hoseok offered, and Yoongi nodded, slightly relieved. He was already upset, and if that guy had refused to delete the videos, then he might've ending making a choice that he would later regret."Yoongi...I'm sorry," Namjoon started, but Yoongi held his hand out, shaking his head."Don't. It's both our faults." Truthfully, he was a bit mad at Namjoon for some of his harsh comments, but he was also mad at himself. He knew shouldn't have treated the fans that way, but he was already so irritated by how many times they had interrupted his time with you already that day. He was irritated that those people can't seem to see that singers and idols are real people.And he was scared that it would really bother you. He was worried about you pushing him away again, now that you had really had a taste of what his life was becoming. Because now that you had experienced, you were able to understand how it was just going to progressively get worse. And even though you and Yoongi had already tried to sort through that issues, the incident tonight just resurfaced all of those fears for Yoongi.That hurt, and ultimately caused him to lash out."I didn't mean for Y/N to get upset like that. I shouldn't have fought with you about it. I'm sorry if that puts you in a bad position with her," Namjoon humbly apologized, looking at the ground."It's fine. We'll work it out. Let's just go. She wants to go home," Yoongi said with resolve, walking away from Namjoon and toward the front of the restaurant where you were already making your way out the door."Y/N, wait," Yoongi caught your arm once outside. It was dark now, but there was enough lighting from the streetlamps and the restaurant that you could see each other rather clearly. "I'm really sorry about what just happened. Like, really, really sorry. I was out of line, and I know it. I should've just bit my tongue," Yoongi confessed, hoping and praying for some kind of redemption of this night that had gone so incredibly south."I know. I know you were just irritated and jumping to my defense," You replied quietly, letting out a small sigh."I feel like I ruined everything," he frowned, truly bothered by the way that everything had gone down tonight. This was definitely not the way he had pictured tonight going. "I really wanted tonight to be special for you...And it's my fault it got messed up."You shook your head, taking a step closer to him, "I know your intentions were good." Your words should've made him feel better, but for some reason, they just didn't. He felt absolutely awful."It doesn't matter what my intentions were...What matters is how I acted. Again, I'm really sorry," he said once more. Selfishly, he just wanted you to say that everything was okay. He wanted you to say that they should just forget it even happened and go back inside and get dessert. He wanted you to say that you weren't bothered a bit by what happened, and that it hadn't impacted the night at all.He wanted you to say all things so that he would be able to make himself feel better. It was selfish of him, and he knew it. But you didn't say anything of those things."Let me make it up to you?" Yoongi asked once at your door, squeezing your hand lightly."Sure," you nodded, and he couldn't tell if your smile was forced."Congratulations, Y/N. I really am proud of you. Please don't ever forget that," he hugged you tightly, and to his surprise, you hugged him back just as tightly."Thank you," you said against his shoulder before he pulled back, resting a warm kiss against your forehead.It was hard for him to watch you go inside that night, shoulders slumped slightly, your uncomfortable pair of heels in your hands, and your mind a bit more stressed. He wished he could undo that entire dinner. He wished he could promise you that things wouldn't be this way forever.But he couldn't. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- New Message from Yoon: are you free tonight? 6?New Message to Yoon: sure.New Message from Yoon: wear something nice. i'll pick you up :)New Message to Yoon: sounds good to me ^~^New Message from Yoon, New Picture Message from Yoon: see you then cutie :p |||||"Min Yoongi, you look hot," you giggled, reaching out to fix his tie that was a little bit off-centered. It was Monday night and he was picking you up for dinner; the "I'll make it up to you" dinner. He made it out of dance practice early enough to shower and make himself presentable, and even scored reservations at one of the nicest restaurants in town. These things made you happy, and you knew that he really was trying his best to make up for the fiasco of a dinner on Friday night. And you were looking forward to a nice evening alone with him; it'd been a while since you two had had one."Well, thank you very much," he smirked, "You look quite hot yourself." And then he winked, and you rolled your eyes.The two of you took a taxi to the restaurant that night. Yoongi had suggested it, and since you were wearing heels again, you didn't really see a reason to argue with him. Maybe he was just trying to be nice and save the two of you some time. Maybe it was because it was growing progressively hot outside as spring was bleeding into summer. Or maybe he didn't want to risk getting stopped on the streets again."How was your first day of summer break? What does it feel like to be a legitimate adult now?" he asked once in the back of the taxi, his fingers intertwined with yours."Honestly? Incredibly boring," you replied, "I'm working on packing everything up so I can move to my new apartment.""It's going to be so weird to never walk on that campus again," he said, suddenly leaning back in the seat a bit awkwardly, seemingly avoiding the window now that the driver had turned onto a main street and was driving rather slowly."Yoon, you aren't that famous yet," you chuckled at first, but then suddenly, his efforts made you a feel a bit sad for him."I've been stopped on this street a lot lately," he said simply, tossing you a weak smile. You squeezed his hand gently, trying to reassure him."You know I'm not mad at you about what happened on Saturday, right?" you said suddenly, not even taking the time to think through if you should even say it or not."I know," he murmured, sitting normally in his seat again as the driver turned onto a new road."Can't blame girls for swooning over you," you joked, trying to lighten the mood again. You wanted to have fun with him tonight, not talk in useless circles filled with apologies."What do you mean?" You saw a hint of a grin on the corner of his lips."Like I said before, 'Min Yoongi, you look hot.'""You're too much sometimes, you know that?" he was laughing now, showing off his adorable smile that you didn't get to see nearly as often as you would've liked."I know."|||||The seating of the restaurant was mostly outdoors; there were fairy lights, white table cloths, and live instruments being played. The setting was romantic and formal, and at any other time, it might've even made you feel a bit nervous. But with Yoongi alongside you, the atmosphere didn't make you feel nervous; it made you feel elated, and hopeful, and happy, and inspired, and...in love."This place is so nice...I love it," you grinned at him.A part of you couldn't help but wonder if he was planning to say those words to you tonight. He pulled out your chair for you, making sure you were comfortable before he sat down as well. As you watched him do those things, you wondered.You didn't really doubt that Yoongi felt the same way as you did, not as this point, not after everything the two of you had been through together since you first met. You figured that if he didn't love you, he would've already moved on by now. He wouldn't have made the great efforts he did to tend to you and comfort you when he had girls lining up for him now. He put up with a lot, and there must've been a reason behind that.You were smiling too much."What are you so happy about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, his lips tugging into a smile.You hid behind your glass of water for a moment, busy taking in the sight of him looking so beautiful. The whole moment just felt so...right. After all the turmoil and issues lately, to sit there and admire him that way again felt better than you could even begin to explain with words.But perhaps your eyes were conveying those thoughts for you."Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked softly, slightly tilting his head to the side, looking at you."I'm just really happy to be here with you," you said, and you weren't even shy about it. That was the truth, and you wanted him to hear it. He reached across the table, holding your hand in his and tracing circles with his thumb over the back of it."I'm really happy to be here with you too," he smiled, and there was a sparkle in his eye, one that you rarely ever saw.And in that moment, you forgot everything. You forgot all the frustrations, all the worries, all the doubt, and all the fear. You were too wrapped up in the good sides of him, in the good sides that came with the two of you being together. For some unidentifiable reason, you were overwhelmed with how much you loved him, and how much you wanted him. You were caught up in thinking of all the little moments with him; countless late nights at 7-Eleven, walks home from work while he endured the cold because he had given you his jacket, the way his eyes searched for yours in the crowd while he was on stage. How he went to extreme lengths to always make sure you were happy and comfortable.How he nearly sacrificed his entire dream just to maintain a healthy relationship with you.You heart hurt, but no so much in a bad way that evening as you sat across from Yoongi wordlessly. It felt full to the brim with adoration and admiration and respect for that boy; so much so that it made your chest hurt. So much so that you needed to get it off your chest."Yoongi," you started. He looked up from the menu, eyes soft."Did you decide what you want to get?" he asked."Oh, I haven't looked at the menu yet," you admitted, face suddenly being overcome with a flush of heat."No worries. Get whatever you want," he smiled, looking back down. His phone rang and he furrowed his eyebrows, seeming irritated by it before he silenced it, going back to reading his menu.You stared at him for another moment, heart beating faster as you considered the words that you wanted to say. As you considered how real they were finally about to become. The time where you had accidentally confessed them on a bench outside of Youth & Impulse didn't count, and that seemed like it was years in the past. You had loved him then, that wasn't a lie. But, it was different now. It was deeper now, more real; it wasn't just a case of puppy love anymore.The waitress came over and took both of your orders, and then it was just the two of you again, without a single distraction left."Yoongi," you began again, more nervous than you were before because this time, there would be nothing to stop you from saying it.He looked at you easily, straight into your eyes, giving you his full attention. He was casually looking at you, but it felt as if he was staring into the depths of your soul. You blushed again, and then blushed some more, knowing that he would notice the way your skin had turned red."What is it, Y/N?" he said so softly, in such a comforting way that the words almost just fell out of your mouth. He was looking at you intently now, and the world around you both might as well have stopped."These last few months with, Yoongi...T-There have been some bad times, but I-I've been thinking a lot lately about the good," you began shakily, internally cursing yourself for being so nervous to simply confess your true feelings to a man that you loved.He nodded, silently encouraging you to continue."Despite all the negatives, I wouldn't change a single thing about how the past few months have gone down. Some of it was really hard, but I believe that without going through those rough patches together, we wouldn't be the same couple," you continued, gaining a bit more confidence the longer you spoke."And I'm so proud of you. So proud of you for everything you've done, and how far you've come. I have had my eye on you and your talent since the very first song you ever played at Youth & Impulse. I remember thinking, 'Why isn't this kid a star?'. I remember seeing you all decked out in street clothes before the first concert I went to with you and thinking, 'He seems cut out for the Rockstar lifestyle.' And to finally see you getting the recognition you deserve, getting the success you deserve makes me so incredibly happy..."His hands were holding yours across the table again; he looked emotional, and you did too."I feel so lucky to have met you, Yoongi. I feel lucky that by some miracle, you wanted me too...I feel lucky to be sitting here with you right now..."You took a deep breath, because now was the time. Now was the time to just out say the three little words you'd been holding in for such a long time. The time was finally right, the setting was right; you could finally say it. The wait was over."Yoongi...I lo-"And then his phone was ringing again, and he was grimacing, "I'm so sorry." He removed his hand from yours briefly to silence the call before reaching for you again."What were you saying?" he asked, clearly apologetic for the interruption. The phone call had thrown you off your game a little bit, but you weren't upset about it. It wasn't his fault. The universe just happened to have some wicked timing."Like I said, I just feel really lucky to be here with you. And I care about you so much, Yoongi and I just want you to know that-" His phone went off for the third time, and you sighed. The moment was pretty much ruined, and the perfect timing had pretty much slipped right through your fingers."I'm sorry, I should've just turned it off," he said quickly, pulling away from you to reach for his phone again."Who is it? Must be important if they keep calling," you pointed out, suddenly wondering who the repeat caller was, and why they were being so insistent."I'm really sorry about this," Yoongi sighed, clearly frustrated as he unlocked his phone. He paused for a moment, and you could've sworn you saw some of the color drain out of his face."Who is it?" you asked again, concern was growing rapidly as he hesitated to answer."It's um-I have 3 missed calls from Bang PD," Yoongi said slowly.You raised your eyebrows, "Is that a weird thing to happen?""He never calls us after hours because he believes so much in resting time," Yoongi was completely pale now, and you grew even more panicked as you watched him."You should go call him back right now," you insisted.Yoongi was quiet for another moment before arguing, "No...It's after work hours, and I'm with you right now.""Yoon, I appreciate that but Bang PD probably isn't someone that you should be ignoring," you argued straight back, not willing to a reason for him to get in trouble yet again."But it's always getting in the way!" He was frustrated now, and even though you understood where he was coming from, you didn't want him to get in even more trouble for ignoring the calls."Yoongi, please call him back," you said a bit firmer this time."No," he said flatly, "My career shouldn't get to dictate my whole life, okay?! It's not fair!""Baby, I know it's not fair. But someday, you're going to have to learn to deal with that, because this isn't going to get better. It's probably only going to get worse," you were growing anxious and irritated that he wouldn't just return the call. If Bang PD was calling him after hours, then there was probably a good reason."I'm sick of this," he muttered, eyes welling up with tears that caught you completely off guard."Of what?" you asked hesitantly."Of not just being able to do what I want, or say what I want, or see you when I want without being interrupted, or told not to, or corrected," he met your eyes then, and the hurt that had been growing there was now blatant.His phone rang again."Answer it, Yoongi," you said once more, doing the very thing he just told you was sick of; getting told what to, being interrupted, and being corrected all at the same time.He gave you a hard look before accepting the call, the phone to his ear. The only word he said for the 10 second conversation was "Yes.""What's going on?" you practically demanded out of fear.The tears that were gaining in Yoongi's eyes finally spilled over."I'm in big trouble, Y/N," his voice broke. You had never seen him break down like that, give up so easily. And that scared you. You got up from the table then, carefully going over to him. You squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, trying to silent coax the rest of the words out of him."What is it, Yoon?" you asked quietly, gently, trying to help him calm down."T-The guy at the restaurant on Friday who was recording...I-I guess he didn't delete the videos even after Hoseok asked him to..." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~YOONGI'S POV~"What do you mean the videos didn't get deleted?" you asked, seemingly panicking just as bad as he was.Yoongi's jaw clenched, but his tears kept spilling anyway. "T-There's videos of my interaction with the fans, and my fight with Namjoon online.""B-But I thought you said Hoseok talked to the guy?" you questioned, seemingly not wanting to believe the information you were being given. Yoongi didn't want to believe it either."He did, but the guy must've lied about deleting them. And he probably wasn't the only one recording either. I think our fight drew a lot more eyes that I had thought...Namjoon was right...I should've been more careful," Yoongi's voice broke again, and he looked down. He hated the fact that he was crying, but he hated the fact that you were there to see it even more. He didn't like looking weak, especially not in front of you. But, he couldn't help himself. He was panicking and worried and guilty and frustrated all at the same time; his body's response to the emotional stress was something that he couldn't control, no matter how bad he wanted to."W-What did Bang PD say?" you asked hesitantly. You squeezed his shoulder again, and he was overcome with another pang of guilt. Another thing had been ruined because of him, and now you were upset too."He told me that he saw the videos and then asked if I could come to the office right now, and Y/N, he sounded angry. I've never seen him angry like that," Yoongi said wearily, "I mean, what if he fires me? This is cause enough to get me kicked out of BigHit altogether!" He still wouldn't meet your eyes. You didn't need to see them while they were swollen and red and filled with tears."Yoongi, calm down," you attempted to coax him, but it wasn't any use."Calm down?! How am I supposed to calm down? I've already created bad press for his company, and they haven't even debuted us yet? How is he supposed to trust me after that?" Yoongi stood up then, feeling the need to pace to keep himself from having a full-blown panic attack."I mean he's a reasonable guy, so maybe he'll let this slide," he could tell that you were just blindly reassuring him now, trying to saw anything that would help him calm down. It wasn't working, and he was growing more frustrated than anything."I can't even defend myself, though! Because everything I was yelling about in the video is what he originally warned me about, don't you get that? Everything I complained about what was he told me I needed to consider before I accepted the job! But I took the job anyway, and here I am, videos of me screaming about the same dumb stuff on twitter!" He threw his hands up in the air, his voice growing louder and louder with each sentence. With each second that passed, his mind became more confused and overwhelmed with everything. He was at a complete and utter loss.You were silent for a moment, realizing something, "This is all my fault."He sighed out of frustration and agitation, "What are you even talking about?! How could this possibly be your fault?""I-I'm the reason that you lashed out at them in the first place. If it hadn't have been for me then you wouldn't have been so frustrated with the fans in the first place; it probably would've flattered you otherwise!" you exclaimed, now looking like you were going to cry as well."Y/N, you're being ridiculous! I'm a grown man, and I make my own choices. Not everything is about you! Bang PD offered me an out, and I didn't take it when I should've. It's my fault for not doing that, not yours. I'm the one that got mad at the fans, not you. I'm the one that got in a huge with Namjoon right in the middle of a crowded restaurant, not you!" Yoongi was straining to lower his voice, trying to not attract unwanted attention just like he had on Friday."So you really did want out of all of this?"He met your eyes then, and there was blatant hurt there; whether it was sadness or anger or guilt, he couldn't tell. He sighed, "Maybe so.""Why did you bother with everything then?! Why did you drag our relationship through all of this if you didn't even want it?!" You were suddenly mad, maybe even furious and your voice was raising."If you want to fight with me, fine. But don't do it here," he said through a hushed breath. "And you already know that there was a part of me that wanted out; it's not like that's new information! I almost gave up my contract before but then the videos of me and Namjoon went viral, so I didn't really have a choice anymore," he exclaimed, fighting again to keep his voice quiet."But you did have a choice, Yoongi! If that one video was all there ever was of you, it would've only taken a few weeks for everyone to forget you," your arguing really caught him off guard."I'm sorry, but who's side are you on here?" Yoongi scoffed, backing away from you."There are no sides here, Yoongi. I just don't understand why you went through all of this trouble to get to where you are, and then say you wished you would've backed out when you had the chance!"He bit his lip for a moment, eyes dark as they stared into yours for a few moments before he spoke up. "What is that you really want from me, Y/N?""What is that supposed to mean?!" you countered, arms crossing."You get upset when my work gets in the way, you get upset when I say I don't want to do this work anymore. You make me feel guilty for working because I'm away from you, but you feel guilty when I don't work because of you. Then you say you support my music and career, but it makes you sad when I have to make sacrifices for it. No matter what, we can't win. What is it that you really want?!"His words apparently silenced you as you digested them, your arms dropping back down to your sides in defeat."If you can't even answer that question, then maybe we have more problems than I previously thought," Yoongi said quietly, right as the waitress brought over the food, seemingly confused as to why the two of you weren't sitting at the table."We'll take a check for that now, ma'am," Yoongi requested without taking his eyes off you. She nodded, leaving almost as quickly as she had arrived."I don't want to keep fighting with you. I feel like all we've done for the past month is fight," you whispered.He hesitated then, the rawness of the emotion in your voice caused him to second-guess what he had been thinking. Why was all of this so hard? None of it should've been this difficult, but it was. And that wasn't something that two of you could push aside and continue ignoring for any longer."M-Maybe we just aren't good for each other, Y/N. Maybe that's why we can't stop fighting." As soon as he said the words, he was overcome with a flush of regret. But, he couldn't take those words back now. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't really mean it. Regardless, it hurt him to say the words just as bad as it hurt you to hear them.You looked at him in disbelief, the clear shock in your eyes sending jolts of pain through his heart."Y-Yoongi-"The waitress was back with the bill now, and Yoongi took a quick glance at it before reaching into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. He left a one-hundred-dollar bill on the table, the untouched food beside it."Bang PD is waiting, so I should go," He resolved quietly as he put his wallet away."Are you really going to leave things with us like this?" you challenged him, taking a step closer."You're going to be mad if I stay and mad if I leave anyway. I can't win. Call yourself a cab and get home safely. Don't walk," his words were somehow cold and rigid, all warmth and life that previously occupied him just a short 20 minutes ago completely faded. Because in that moment, he could only handle so much. Something in him broke. Maybe his faith in you had been shattered.Or maybe it was his faith in himself.|||||"Do you the three of you understand how bad this looks?" Bang PD began slowly. He was sitting in his chair, his hands folded on top of his desk. Yoongi, Hoseok, and Namjoon were standing before his desk."Yes, Sir," the three of them said quietly at the same time."If the three of you hadn't already figured it out, I was planning on adding to your group and debuting you as a boy group..." Bang PD pursed his lips.Yoongi's blood ran cold at the word "were.""Sir, please don't involve Hoseok in this. He didn't do anything wrong," Namjoon spoke up bravely, surprising everyone else in the room. It said a lot about Namjoon's character that he wasn't trying to save his own skin in a situation like this; he was still defending his fellow members. "Hoseok is in this group too. He could've tried to stop the two of you from going at each other like a bunch of immature junior high girls," Bang PD said sharply, and Namjoon quickly recoiled. Yoongi thought back to your words from that night, "You guys are acting like a bunch of middle schoolers" and winced. And then he thought about everything he had just said to you a few minutes ago, and how you had probably ignored him about the taxi and walked home alone anyway. He winced again."You all are definitely not giving me a whole lot of confidence in debuting you," Bang PD genuinely looked disappointed, and that made Yoongi feel even guiltier than he did before."We're really sorry, Sir. Especially me. Honestly, this whole thing was my fault. I was the one who was short with the fans to begin with," Yoongi pleaded, not wanting the other two to suffer because he had made a mistake. He hadn't been much of a man lately, but this was at least one wrong that he wanted to attempt to make right. "It wasn't just Yoongi's fault, though. I'm the one that started blowing it out of proportion and yelling at him for it," Namjoon countered, defending and protecting Yoongi without a second thought. And for that, Yoongi was incredibly thankful."None of that matters, because it's all of your fault. And now I've already paid to fly in a new vocalist, Kim Seokjin to work with you guys! Nonrefundable tickets! He just uprooted his entire life on the hopes to come here and debut with you all. If you three can't behave yourselves now with the very minimal pressure that you have, how do you expect to perform well under pressure that's a thousand times greater than this?" Bang PD questioned, sounded angry, but still, disappointed.The three of them were quiet for a moment, considering the weight of the questions that they had been asked. "That wasn't a rhetorical question; I'm legitimately asking. How do you think you're going to be able to handle this?" Bang PD pressed."I-I..." Namjoon began before falling flat, "I'm not sure."Hoseok looked down at the ground, face now pale, "Me either."Yoongi took a breath, "I don't know either."Bang PD's mouth was set into a hard line, and it was clear that he was considering something. "If anything like this ever happens again, or if I get one more bit of drama from you guys, I'll replace you all without a second thought. Got it?""Yes, Sir." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~YOUR POV~You sat across from Stevens at the table, hands around your glass of iced coffee."What do you look so sad for? Aren't you excited about Youth & Impulse reopening after a whole month?" Stevens frowned, disappointed at your clear lack of enthusiasm. You took a drink of your coffee, not willing to meet his eyes. Normally, you would've been ecstatic for the reopening of the café, but after what happened with Yoongi on Monday night...Not so much."Did something happen?" Stevens raised an eyebrow."I'm fine," you lied, but from the expression on his face, you weren't confident that he was buying your paper-thin words. He could see right through you."Did something happen between you and Yoongi by chance?" the specific mention of Yoongi's name made your chest hurt as you replayed Monday night's events over and over within your mind. It was Friday now, and you and Yoongi hadn't had a single bit of interaction. You had tried to call him once on Wednesday, but he didn't answer, and didn't ever call you back.You were angry at his immaturity and pettiness on that front; after leaving you like that on Monday, the least he could do was return your calls. You didn't really care that he was upset, you two had already established that letting problems fester never made them go away, it only made them worse. Not to mention, you were worried about him and how things went with Bang PD. For all you knew, he could've gotten fired!He was ignoring you, and you had absolutely no idea where you stood with him. Was that a breakup on Monday? A "maybe we should take a break"? Or something else? You had no idea, and it was eating you up inside. Yoongi was just so quick to blame everything on you, and that hurt. You were more confused than ever...Did you even want to keep seeing him anymore?"Y/N?" Stevens was snapping his fingers in front of your face as you had zoned out completely. "You don't seem okay.""Yoongi and I got in a huge fight on Monday, and I haven't talked to him since," you said quietly, pushing your coffee away from you. You had lost your appetite."I see...Wanna talk about it?" Stevens offered but you shook your head."No thanks.""In that case, I hate to ask you to do this, but I need you to call him and let him know about the reopening. The piano job is still his if he wants it," Stevens replied and you couldn't help but grow frustrated with him."Why do I have to do it? You're his boss, not me. I don't want to call him again," you said firmly."Why not?""Because he's probably just going to keep ignoring me, and I don't feel like dealing with that.""If he doesn't answer, then leave a voicemail. You should try to work this out with him because leaving it alone won't do you any good," Stevens slipped into his "parenting" mode and you sighed out of agitation."Stevens, you know I love and respect you, but please don't give me relationship advice."He eyed you for a moment, "You really think that I haven't noticed that way you look at him?You sighed again, a hand massaging your temples as you felt a throbbing headache coming on. "What's your point?""Don't throw away your relationship with him because of one fight.""You don't have a clue what it's like to date someone like him. This isn't just a typical couples' spat. There's a lot more to it than that," you argued."Maybe so. But, I still think you're going to regret it if you let everything fall apart so easily. But, hey. It's your life, not mine. Do what you want," Stevens shrugged before getting up and leaving to take inventory.|||||-Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system. Please record your message after the tone.-H-Hey Yoon...Yoongi. I'm just calling to let you know that Youth & Impulse will be reopening this Tuesday. I-um, I...Stevens wanted me to let you know that the job is still yours if you want it....I...I miss you.Call me.But he didn't call.|||||~YOONGI'S POV~"Yoongi can we do one more run-through on your verse that comes after Jin's?" Namjoon asked without taking his eyes off the computer screen. Yoongi and Jin were in front of the microphone; it was their first time to record with Jin after meeting him a few days prior. Namjoon was at the computer, and Hoseok was lying on the couch icing his ankle which he rolled in dance practice earlier that day.Yoongi glanced at his watch, "I have to go. Can we do it tomorrow?" Jin sighed a breath of relief, clearly tired. He got up from his spot and plopped down on a chair beside Hoseok, reaching for a banana milk out of the mini fridge."Okay. Where are you off to?" Namjoon asked nonchalantly."Work."Namjoon raised an eyebrow."Youth & Impulse is reopening tonight."Namjoon nodded his head slowly, "But you still haven't made up with Y/N yet, right?""Yep.""So...What are you planning to do about that?""Who's Y/N?" Jin called out curiously, poking a straw through the banana milk container. "Yoongi's girlfriend," Hoseok replied through a mouthfull of Skittles. Yoongi stood up, grabbing his backpack from the corner. "I have to go change my clothes. I'll see you guys in the morning." He wasn't about to get into yet another argument with Namjoon about the way he was treating you. He didn't want to be lectured. He didn't want to hear it. Namjoon didn't know how Yoongi felt; not even close. The only reason Namjoon even knew that Yoongi and you were on the outs was because Hoseok had asked why you stopped coming to hang out during the recording sessions. And Yoongi's reply was that the two of you had stopped talking for now. Hoseok and Namjoon both were able to piece together that it likely had something to do with the graduation dinner fiasco. "Oh okay. Bye," Hoseok and Jin both waved. Namjoon didn't say anything else.Yoongi changed into his nice work clothes, and it almost felt a bit strange. It'd been a whole month since he last played at Youth & Impulse. Playing there and spending time with you there had become such a second nature to him, and being without it for this long made him feel strangely sad and weird on the inside.But now that he had it back, he couldn't help but think about how it just wouldn't be the same. Gone were the times where the two of you faced no problems. Gone were the times when he could freely walk around the city with you, eating ice cream or going for ramen without fear of someone intruding on it. Gone were the times when his world only consisted of you, and the café, and Stevens, and playing piano for old people.Things will change with time.And that they did.|||||~YOUR POV~You stood behind the counter, going back and forth between tossing unconvincing fake smiles to Stevens and checking the time. Yoongi had never called you back, so you had absolutely no idea if he was going to show up or not, and that made you incredibly anxious.You knew that Stevens was right, that you would regret letting your relationship die without even trying to sort through the problems again first. Truth was, you and Yoongi needed to fight, you needed to talk things out. But, that couldn't happen unless he stopped ignoring your calls and showed up for work. It would be easy for him to just drop off the face of the planet and never have contact with you again, but you hoped and prayed that he was a better person than that.By 6:25, 5 minutes before "Senior Tea and Piano Nights" officially start, you were starting to lose hope in him showing up at all.You wiped down the tables with more intensity than was necessary to get the job just so you would have something to keep you busy. It was no use though, you still glanced over at the door every few seconds, hoping for sight of him."Hey, those tables are clean, you know?" Stevens called out from the kitchen entryway. "Do something more useful with your time, please? We open in 5," he chuckled and you sighed, picking up the cleaning supplies and making your way back to the front counter. You checked your watch again. 6:27.He wasn't coming.You put the cleaning products back in the supply closet, and just as you were turning back to the front of the store, the front door bell was ringing.And there he was, entering the store just as you had watched him do countless times before. Except now, he had no jacket to take off and hang up, and his sleeves were rolled up a bit higher than normal. He was back in the nice pants and white button-down shirt attire, his hair looked like it had actually been combed, and he was lacking makeup.This was Youth & Impulse Yoongi, the one you originally fell in love with.He walked up the counter, taking what seemed like forever before he was finally standing in front of you. You waited for him to speak first, wondering what kind of mood he was in, how he was planning to approach the situation.What he ended up saying was something that you had heard countless times on countless other days. But for some reason, today, it caught you off guard."Think I could get a latte?" His voice was lower than usual, almost a bit rough sounding. You figured he had just gotten done rapping, likely recording with Namjoon.You only hesitated for a short moment before nodding, moving to start making his drink. He stayed there, right in front of the counter as you made it, but he didn't say anything else so you didn't either. This tension that was between the two of you was something new, something that you didn't like.You created the leaf design on top that he was always a fan of before passing him the drink, getting a soft "Thanks," in reply. And with that, it was time for Senior Tea and Piano Night to begin, and Yoongi was taking his mug and sitting down at the piano.Word had easily gotten around about the reopening of Youth & Impulse after Stevens's accident, and the place was packed a mere 20 minutes later. You were busy getting everyone their drinks and desserts; busy enough that you successfully were able to tune out the sound of his playing, at least for a little while.Your emotions were all confused in your head and the last thing you wanted was to hear some super emotional piano piece from Yoongi to confuse you anymore. Watching him play that piano was what made you initially become fascinated by him, and watching him play it now was bound to make all of those feelings resurface.Once the rush calmed down, however, you couldn't exactly avoid the sounds of the soft melodies that floated away from those black and white keys. You found yourself with your head resting on your elbow, watching him intently like you had many times before. You found yourself comparing the way he behaved while rapping onstage with Namjoon and the way he looked while playing calmly by himself. It was almost like they were two different people.There was Suga the rapper, the one who dressed in dark clothing and sang about dark things and got into fights with people.Then there was Min Yoongi, the one who dressed in white, played the piano gracefully, walked you home at night, was gentle in every way...You couldn't ignore the fact that you were seeing a whole more "Suga" these days than you were seeing "Yoongi."By the time the place cleared out that night, it was clear that neither one of you were entirely sure what to do. He stayed to help clean up just like he always used to do, but he didn't speak a single time while doing so. Perhaps the hesitation came from the fact that you both realized that if you spoke, it would likely turn into a screaming match. Maybe you both were scared to talk about real life, and to admit the truth. Maybe you were scared the truth was something that you didn't want to hear.Because maybe Yoongi was right...Maybe the two of you weren't so good for each other after all. "Y/N," he called out suddenly. Stevens had left to take out the trash, and it was just the two of you left in the store. You were so confused on how you felt about the whole thing that you weren't even sure if you were mad anymore. "Yeah?""Take a walk with me?" "N-Now?""I shouldn't wait any longer," he shifted uncomfortably, tossing the dirty rag on the table."Any longer for what?" you asked hesistantly, nervous and missing him and angry and confused all at the same time. He was literally driving you crazy. Your mind was more jumbled than it had ever been. He was look you dead in the eyes, but he didn't say anything for a few moments. It was likely mere seconds in which he was mute, but it felt like lifetimes to you. The waiting was going to drive you crazy too. "Are you intentionally trying to play mind-games with me?" you asked, eyes narrowing at him. He shook his head no, but still didn't reply with words. So you sat there, waiting, almost challenging him with an equal amount of silence. "Did you just come here to mess with me? Huh? You leave me completely hanging on Monday night, then ignore my calls all week, and now you're here, but you're refusing to speak. Wow, Yoongi, that's real mature of you. Honestly, I really can't believe you're-" and then you were interrupted by three quiet words from Yoongi. Words that didn't fit the mood nor the vibe of the situation. Words that were unexpected and out of place. Nonetheless, they were words that shut you up. "I love you." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~YOONGI’S POV~“I love you,” Yoongi said slowly, watching you as you digested the words, clearly taken aback by the sudden confession. “What?” your voice barely came out as a whisper. He took another step toward you, desperately wanting to bridge the physical and emotional space between you and himself. “I love you, Y/N. And I have for a long time,” he confessed, his heart swelling with fear and anticipation. “W-Why are you saying all this now? What about everything you said just a few days ago? ‘Maybe we just aren’t good for each other’?” Your reaction wasn’t what he wanted, but it was what he expected. He was already prepared to apologize and to plead with you and to beg with you. Because that short week without you had been one of the worst of his entire life. “I know I can’t take back what I said. And honestly at the time, I really meant it,” Yoongi started, but you were already shaking your head at him, looking like you were about to start crying. “Where inside of you do you think it’s okay to say something to me like you did last Monday, let me dwell on that for over a week, and then randomly confess that you love me? I don’t understand you, Yoongi. I don’t understand this,” you argued with him, and he could sense rejection beginning to radiate off you. “It wasn’t okay! I know it wasn’t okay, and I’m sorry. I was upset and worried about Bang PD anyway, and I just got so overwhelmed with everything-““And it took you a whole week to realize that maybe you shouldn’t have so those things? To realize that maybe you should at least attempt to talk to me? I’m condemning for having a problem with me, or for being angry. But, letting us sit apart like that while I have absolutely no idea what you’re thinking…That was devastating to me. For all I knew, you were never going to talk to me again based on the way you left things!” tears were falling down your face now and Yoongi felt nauseated. “Look, Y/N. Please, listen to me. Please just hear me out,” Yoongi was practically begging by then, eyes pleading with yours. The bell at the top of the front door rang, causing both of you to look over. Stevens had walked back in, and was obviously confused at why the two of you were at a face off, and why you were crying about it. “What’s going on here? Y/N?”Yoongi was silent, not wanting to answer for you. “It’s fine,” you waved him off, sniffling. “You sure?” Stevens asked, but it didn’t seem like he was pressing the issue too much. With as upset as you were, Yoongi wasn’t surprised by the idea that you may have talked to Stevens about it. “We’re um, we’re just going to go for a walk. I’ll see you later, Stevens,” you said, lifting your hands to wipe some of the tears off your face. “Okay, then,” Stevens still seemed unsure, but he didn’t ask any more questions. The two of you silently made your way to the door. Yoongi opened it, letting you walk out first. It was warm outside, a light breeze billowing through the air. For first time ever, he didn’t have a jacket to offer you. That bothered him. “Do you want to sit and talk this through?” Yoongi asked, glancing at the bench that resided by the storefront. He couldn’t help but think back to just a few short months ago when the two of you sat in that exact same spot, laughing at each other, and kissing one another. He looked down then, saddened by how long ago those sweet moments felt. “No. Let’s just walk for now,” you said quietly, also looking down at your feet. So the two of you began shuffling along the sidewalk just as you had done countless times in the past while on a walk home, or on the way to the 7-Eleven on the corner. Tonight, though, the walk felt different. “I know I really screwed up, okay? I think the fear of the videos being released just made everything that had been building up in my mind come flooding out…It’s not an excuse. I didn’t handle things the right way,” he began, the tension between the two of you suddenly dying down into a less defensive and angry form. Maybe a breath of fresh air and a moment to reflect was all the both of you needed to calm down and rationalize things. You nodded, acknowledging that you were listening to him. “And I’ve been trying to think through everything all week…Think through everything that happened, and what I’ve done, and the future...Y/N, I don’t think that we’re bad for each other. Us as people, we complement each other in the best way. I truly believe that we make up what the other person lacks. Those old times when it was just us at Youth & Impulse…We were beautiful together. It was easy, and thoughtless, and natural. It was simple then, because it was just you and me. We weren’t worried about anything else, or anything at all. We could just be ourselves without threats of potential things that may eventually get in the way…We aren’t bad for each other, but my lifestyle is bad for us…” You stopped walking then, causing him to stop in his tread as well. Your eyes finally met his, but he couldn’t tell what you were thinking. Was he about to win you back over? Or where you finally going to push him away, once and for all?“So, what are we supposed to do?” you whispered, on the verge of beginning to cry again. “You love me, but you love your dreams. And they’re so close to becoming true. I’m not ever going to ask you to give that up for me either…I know how much it all means to you.” Your voice was no longer harsh toward him. It didn’t sound angry. Now it just sounded sad and defeated. Yoongi bit the inside of cheek, thinking over your words before carefully crafting a response. “We’ll make it work.”“Yoongi-“ he could already tell you were beginning to protest, but he interrupted you. “Would you rather us break up? Then we’ll both just be unhappy all the time,” he countered, but his voice was still soft. You looked like you wanted to give into him, but there were still things that were holding you back, and he could tell. He pressed again, “Don’t you want to keep trying?”You hesitated again, seeming unsure of yourself. “But what about you said before? About how we can’t win?” Yoongi took another careful step toward you. “I’m really starting to think that whether we win or lose in this relationship is up to us…It doesn’t have to be this difficult.”“I want to believe that, Yoon. I really, really do,” your voice was wavering, and you broke eye contact with him. “Then why can’t you? What’s stopping you?” The desperation in his voice was clear then. And it was the same desperation he was feeling around the time of his first fight with you. He wanted this to work. He desperately wanted this to work. He wanted to be alongside you without question. He wanted it to be as comfortable and easy as it was to breathe. He didn’t want to ever see you cry because of him again.He wanted this to work. “Because I’m scared. What if one day the pressure really is too much for you? And what if I’m not enough for you?” you seemed desperate too, but fear and anxiety was still holding you back from doing what you really wanted to do. Yoongi could see that, so he kept pushing, trying to tear down all the walls that gone up between the himself and you. “You can’t keep thinking that way, and I can’t either. It’s a two-way street, okay? We have to take this slow, one day at a time, one step a time,” he was right in front of you now, close enough to reach out and touch. “But Yoongi-““Y/N. You’re going to have to make a choice. I asked you before what you really wanted, but I hadn’t bothered to ask myself that same question. But now I know. I know that I want you, and I want my career, and I want them to peacefully coexist. I know that I want a future with you, unlimited time with you, and everything that has anything to do with you. I know what I want…Now it’s your turn to decide…And I think you already know what the answer is…You’re just afraid to say it,” and with that, Yoongi had broken through the last wall, the last barrier between the two of you. You sighed, an invisible weight seemingly lifted off your shoulders as you let go of the last of those reservations, those deep-rooted fears and anxieties about the future. “I want you.”“You want me?” he whispered, the moment too surreal for him to believe your words the first time around. “Yes.”“Why?” he pushed you once more, for the last time. “Because I love you too.” And there it was, the words he’d been yearning to hear from for so long. There they were, finally out in the open, reality. A flush of heat overwhelmed his skin as he was now closer to you than he’d been a long time, his face only inches from yours. “Y/N,” he murmured, a tone of voice softer than any other he’d ever used. He gently brought a hand to your face, his thumb grazing over your lips. “I love you.”He leaned into you then, lips parting slightly as they moved to meet yours. Your eyes were closed, not protesting him, or fighting against him at all. It was clear to Yoongi that you had completely given in, letting him know “yes, I want this to work too.”He only deepened the kiss after those internal realizations by bringing his other hand to your cheek, your arms around his neck. The kiss lasted for so long by the time he finally broke it off, you both were drawing ragged and much-needed breaths. He leaned his forehead against yours, “We can make this work.” And then your mouth was on his again, interrupting the other sweet things he was going to whisper to you in that moment. But, he didn’t mind the interruption at all. He didn’t know how long the second kiss was. Or the third. Or the fourth. But eventually, he was just holding you in his arms, his face pressing down against the warmth of the crook of your neck as you encircled him closer to you. Your hands were slowly running through his hair as he sighed, so comfortable in the feeling of being close to you like that. “You don’t know how badly I’ve missed you,” Yoongi breathed, pressing a small kiss against your neck. “Promise you won’t ever disappear from me like that again?” you whispered back. “I promise.”“Yoongi,” you said suddenly, giggles lining your voice. He pulled away slightly, caught off guard by your burst of laughter. “What?” he couldn’t help but laugh too, your smile infectious and light. “You know what I just realized?” “What?” he asked again. “We just did so much PDA,” you giggled again, and he did right along with you.“That’s okay,” he smirked slightly.“I thought you didn’t like PDA,” you countered, still grinning like crazy. “Tonight, I’ll make an exception.” And then the two of you were hugging again, in the middle of the sidewalk, and there was a likely a lot of random people that had just watched the two of you make out.But for once, what other people thought was the least of your worries. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- YOUR POV~ A/N:A/N: I didn't intend for this chapter to turn out so fluffy. But I just couldn't help myself. Hope you all don't mind Since that night, you and Yoongi tried to fall into a new rhythm of normal. He made it clear to you that if the two of you wanted this to work, it was going to have to be an active effort. You both would have to get creative on ways to spend time with one another. Luckily, since Youth & Impulse reopened you were always guaranteed those nights with him. You couldn't even explain how badly you had missed those simple work nights with him, even though the two of you weren't physically beside each other for the entire time. Those nights would always be special to both you and him; the simplicity of that time spent together not only refreshed the two of you to be able to handle the times that you were apart, but it also reminded you of where and how it all began. It made you both appreciate how far you had come. Times at Youth & Impulse were always good times. As far as spending time together outside of Youth & Impulse, it was anything but consistent. Some Friday nights he was free to spend with you, but others he would stay late in the gym, or in the studio working on writing with Namjoon and the others. Yoongi always had classes on Saturdays, and while those days were always severely draining for him, the two of you still spent time together during those evenings. And even though those evenings never consisted of anything more than a movie and some cuddles, it was still time with him. And that was something you were always grateful for. He'd been spending Sundays in the studio with the boys, working on writing and producing new songs. Bang PD was keeping a watchful over them after their previous screw-ups. He'd only brought in one more person after Jin, a younger boy by the name of Park Jimin, but he was chatting about soon bringing in another, Kim Taehyung. And even though the worked through the morning on Sundays, by the afternoon, he'd usually invite you to come hang out with them in the studio. Sometimes you would review whatever new sound they were working with and offer your opinion. Others, you would just sit and admire them as they worked. And others, you would read or work on finding a job. So even though not all your time spent with him was completely alone, the two of you were proactively working to make sure you were around each other for a healthy amount of time. Since the fight, you almost felt closer to him. Sometimes all couples need is to have a good argument; it helps both people to understand how the other thinks and feels. And that was definitely the case with you and Yoongi. Things were changing; things were getting better. ||||| "Think we could stay in tonight?" Yoongi proposed while stretching his arms after a half-hour of Youth & Impulse clean-up. "I thought you wanted to go see a movie?" Yoongi sighed, continuing to stretch. "Are you feeling okay?" you asked as you collected up the last of the cleaning items to stow back in the supply closet. "Honestly, I'm just really tired today. And sore. Dance practice with Johnson today was crazy intense. I'm just feeling a little fussy," he admitted while chuckling slightly, crossing the room, and hopping up to sit on the edge of the front counter. You were glad that he openly and outright just told you how he was feeling and what he wanted to do. If he was already in a "fussy" mood, it was better for him to stay in anyway to avoid potential clashing with fans on the streets or comments from random people. Communication is always the key to successful relationship, and you could truly tell how much Yoongi was trying to communicate more effectively with you. "I'm down for whatever. We can stay in if you want," you agreed, "Stevens, do you care if Yoongi and I hang here for a while?" you called out as he was still in the kitchen, washing dishes. He appeared from the back room just moments later, seemingly finished with his work. "I don't care as long as you don't burn the café down," he shrugged indifferently. "And how would we do that?" Yoongi chuckled. "I don't know. Just don't," Stevens ordered and Yoongi flung his hands up defense. "Sir, yes Sir." "Well, I'm off-" Stevens began before you cut him off. "Wait. Wait! Stevens...are you wearing a bowtie?!" you questioned, leaning against the counter beside where Yoongi was sitting. He was dressed up in attire that was very abnormal for his typical pattern of dress, immediately causing you to be intrigued, and slightly concerned all at the same time. "What's it to you?" Stevens frowned. "You weren't wearing that earlier." "So?" "So, why did you change? It's like 9:30 at night," you pressed, a smile creeping across your face as you uncovered the real reason Stevens was dressed up. "You have a date, don't you?" "Um." Stevens's faced flushed slightly. "You do!" Yoongi exclaimed, pointing at Stevens's blushing face. "Okay, fine. Yes, I do. And it's Patsy again." "Catfish Patsy?" You raised an eyebrow. You weren't sure about that girl. "For the last time, she's not a catfish!" Stevens glared at you, looking somewhat like a angry six-year-old. "She looks exactly like she did in her pictures!" "Whatever," you smiled, "Have fun," you ignored Stevens's obvious pouting. You weren't sure about this Patsy girl, but if she made Stevens happy, then you supported it 100 percent. He deserved to find another companion that understood him and made him happy. Even though he probably wouldn't admit the extent of it, you had always been able to tell how lonely Stevens seemed after the loss of his wife. "I will," Stevens smirked then, sassily spinning around and walking out the door. ||||| "Right. Then it's the black key next, and the white one down after that," Yoongi instructed you, his voice quiet and soothing. Soft lighting lit the cafe as the two of you sat side by side on the piano bench, legs touching each other. Somehow, the two of you had gone from cracking jokes at the front counter to Yoongi teaching you how to play one of his songs on the piano. The setting and mood was strikingly intimate; the reason behind this was unidentifiable. Perhaps it was because Yoongi was sharing something that was so close to his heart with you in such a personal a way. Or perhaps looking at him in the dim lighting as his tired eyes lit up at you with every right key that you pressed made your heart ache with simple love for him. Maybe it was both of those reasons put together, but you'd never know for sure. All you were sure of was that this moment was incredibly special, and that you were overwhelmed with love for Min Yoongi. And he was overwhelmed with love for you too. You played the keys in the order that he told you to, and then recognized that the tune you were playing was the very basic beginning of one of his songs. "Ah, Yoon...Is this First Love?" you inquired, momentarily looking away from the keys to look at him. He nodded, soft smiles forming on his face. "You know, I think this is my favorite song of yours." "Why is that?" "The lyrics are just so real. I know how much this song means to you, so it means a lot to me too." You both had turned, facing each other now. "It does mean a lot to me...Thank you for saying that," his eyes looked tired but they still glimmered at yours, leaving your heart hurting and hopelessly full of emotion. He could change your mood, your feelings in an instant. All it took was one look, or one word, one movement to move you. Min Yoongi had you wrapped right around his finger. But, fortunately, you had him wrapped right around yours as well. "You never told me much, you know...About your teen years," you inquired carefully, not wanting to push him to talk about something that he wasn't comfortable with. You still hadn't opened up about your family situation with him, leaving you with no room to drag information out of him that he wasn't ready to reveal on his own yet. "It was a dark time for me. I was in a place in my head that I never want to be in again," he admitted, taking his hand in yours, caressing the back of it. "And music helped you?" "Music saved me," his words were incredibly soft, and yet they held such deeper meanings, deeper emotions. Emotions you'd barely ever even touched the brink of. "I honestly don't know where I would be without it." His raw honestly struck a chord in you. "That's why your dream and this job have been so important to you...right?" you asked even though you already figured what his answer would be. He brought his lips to the back of your hand for a moment, pressing soft kisses against you before finally answering. "...Yes." "Well, Min Yoongi, I have some good news for you." He met your eyes then, those same beautifully tired eyes sending waves of affection through you. "You've made your dream come true. You have a lot to show for your hard work. And your bare talent it what got you there...Congratulations," you smiled, gently squeezing his hands that were still intertwined with yours. "I love you," he murmured, leaning in, his forehead resting against yours. You were slightly caught off guard by the sudden act of affection, but you welcomed it nonetheless. The two of you remained that way for several moments, Yoongi's even and steady breathing calming you and filling with a rare sense of ease. "I love you too." It amazed you how easily those words rolled off your tongue when they were directed at him. Before Yoongi, you had never openly said those words to anyone that wasn't in your family. Maybe you were a bit guarded before, or shy, or perhaps awkward about admitting your feelings. But, when you were with Yoongi...His presence was intoxicating and easily wiped away all of those prior reservations you may have had about being honest with someone. "But I love you more," he whispered lazily, pulling back just slightly to place a kiss on the tip of your nose, looking at you after he did so. "You're cute," you giggled softly, reaching out to fix a piece of his hair that was sticking out at a strange angle. "But you're cuter," he argued, swatting your hands away gently so that he could pull you against him. He leaned against you, his arms snugly around you, sighing. "I've never been so comfortable in my life," he mumbled against your neck. You could tell he was getting to be overtired; the day's demanding activity finally catching up with him. "Min Yoongi," you said, your voice turning a bit stern. "Mm?" "Don't you dare fall asleep on me." "Why not? You're warm and comfortable," he complained, his words beginning to slur with exhaustion. "Because we're sitting on a piano bench and I can't support your weight like this," you chuckled at his pleas and complaints, not bothered by them because he was so hopelessly adorable. "But Y/N," he began, but then his words suddenly came to a stop, and his body weight suddenly felt a lot heavier against you. You knew you would have to wake up him eventually, and the you couldn't just hold him while he slept on that piano bench for the entirety of the night, no matter how badly you wished you could. You would have to end this sweet night eventually. You would have to interrupt his rest. But, not quite yet. You were going to relish in those few moments where Yoongi was so easily vulnerable with you, drifting off to sleep in your arms. You were going to memorize how it felt to hold him that way before you let the moment disappear into thin air. Eventually you arms were going to get tired and the rest of your body would to. You'd have to wake him then. Just a little longer, you thought. These precious moments are not something that should be taken for granted. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- THREE MONTHS LATER~Yoongi's POV~Yoongi's phone rang at an unreasonable hour that morning. He could hear the others in the room groaning at the sudden noise and burst of light from his cell phone screen. And even though he was sleep deprived and slightly irritated, he somehow managed to find the strength within himself to be roused, and to accept the call.It was Bang PD, asking him to wake the other boys and for them to be in the conference room by six thirty; he didn't specify the reason. Regardless, Yoongi sighed, removing himself from the warmth and comfort of his untidy bed. He dressed quickly, waking his other roommates, Namjoon and Jimin, after doing so."What does Bang PD want this early?" Jimin mumbled, looking around in the dark for a clean shirt to put on."I don't know; he didn't say. I'm going to go wake up the others, yeah?" Yoongi replied as he put on a hoodie, suddenly cold after being away from the covers of his bed."I'll go out and grab coffees for everyone. You guys text me what you want." Namjoon managed even though it was obvious that he was exhausted, waving at Yoongi as he walked out of the room."Will do," Yoongi answered without turning around, yawning again, wondering what was about to become of his future.|||||"I have an important announcement to make, and that's why I've called you all here today," Bang PD said, bright and early on that Monday morning. There were seven boys now, including Yoongi, and all were crowded around the round table in the conference room. Their eyes were all still swollen from being tired as the meeting was called so early; the room smelled of seven different coffee orders.Namjoon glanced over from his spot beside Yoongi, raising a suspicious eyebrow. Yoongi shrugged a bit, lifting his to-go cup of coffee that Namjoon had bought for him as he wondered what the meeting may be about.There were a few things it could've been; new song, new live show, maybe even a new producer, or extra required dance class or something...But for some reason, those things felt a bit unlikely to Yoongi. There seven boys now, and it had been over a month since Jeon Jungkook, the last addition, had been brought in. If Bang PD was planning to bring in an eighth member, Yoongi had reason to believe that it likely would've already happened.And without any more additions, the boys were continuously working on music and being faithful to all their classes. Everyone was being extremely productive and working hard. There hadn't been any other incidents since the fight video fiasco, and everyone was getting along just fine. In fact, all seven boys were now moved into dorms, and were around each other constantly. With these things put together, Yoongi concluded that there was only one clear foreseeable thing that could occur in the near future..."It's time," Bang PD said, and Yoongi was suddenly straightening up in his seat, setting his coffee down, now listening intently. Yoongi took a sharp intake of breath at the realization that this conversation with Bang PD was progressing just as he was expecting."It's time for all of you to debut, as one cohesive boy group; Bangtan. It's time for the whole world to see the music; your music," Bang PD clarified, his tone somewhat serious, yet excited at the same time.Glances were tossed between the members as they all considered the reality of the news."With all due respect, Sir, are you sure we're ready for that? Jungkook is still in school, and he hasn't been here for that long. I haven't even been here for that long," Taehyung spoke up in a quiet manner, looking over at the young boy sitting beside him. Jungkook looked down at his coffee and mumbled, "Hyung is right.""I wouldn't be proposing the idea of debuting now if I felt that you weren't ready for it. You all just need to trust me and my judgment," Bang PD sighed, sitting down in his chair at the head of the table."If Bang PD feels that we're ready for this, then we can handle it. Right, guys?" Namjoon attempted to encourage the seemingly unsure boys, naturally leading like always. "If Bang PD has confidence in us, then we should have confidence in ourselves as well."The others nodded, and Jin spoke up in agreement, "I think it's time for the next step, no matter how scary it may seem.""I'm glad to hear that everyone is on board. I know it may feel like things are moving a little quickly, but I truly feel that you are all ready to make a name for yourselves. You've all been working hard, and it's finally time to continue feeding that flame that Yoongi and Namjoon originally acquired for us," Bang PD explained, "Your debut music video is already in the works.Yoongi was slightly caught off guard by how quickly it was all coming together; how quickly everything was becoming reality."We'll start shooting in just a few weeks; you all will need to put in extra time in the gym until then, and talk with the nutritionist about appropriate diets before you're on camera like this for the first time. We have a choreographer coming in tomorrow to work with you all on the dance routine, so the rest of your classes will be dismissed for now. Understand?The boys all nodded in unison."Great. I'm looking forward to the future, and I hope you all are as well. You're excused, so go hit the gym."And with that, the seven tired boys grabbed their half-empty to-go cups of coffee and exited the conference room."Can you believe how fast this all came together?" Yoongi asked Namjoon as he tossed his cup in the trash can."Honestly, I had a feeling that this was coming for a while now...I'm trying to talk the others up, but I don't know that all of them are ready yet. Taehyung is right; Jungkook is still really young," Namjoon admitted, throwing his cup away too. Yoongi and Namjoon turned a corner in the hallway, heading toward the gym as Bang PD instructed, the others not too far behind them."Do you think he'll be a problem?" Yoongi questioned in a hushed voice, not wanting the young boy to overhear and have his feelings be hurt."He's really working hard, so I'm not worried about him on that front. But, fact is, he's only 15. He's got a lot of maturing to do," Namjoon shrugged, and Yoongi nodded in agreement."We've made it this far, though. With the help of the rest of us, I think he'll be fine," Yoongi was overflowing with confidence, and hope, and excitement. So much so that it made Namjoon's worries and fears fold over and then disappear completely."You know what? You're right," Namjoon smiled, and Yoongi smiled right back.Everything was coming together; the dream was now reality.~YOUR POV~"Can you pass me that screw driver?" Yoongi asked as he was sitting on the floor, reviewing the paper instructions for the umpteenth time. He was at your apartment later that night, helping you assemble a new bookshelf. He had his glasses on, and was biting his lip slightly as he worked, eliciting a smile from you.His hair was all messy as he had just come from the gym; you had encouraged him to go home and rest, but he insisted that he wanted to come over and help you out."I think it's almost finished," he said, standing up to add the final board. You smiled, thinking about how cute he looked while focused and concentrated like that. You turned away then, going to grab your final boxes of books.It had been a while since you had first moved in, but you were still trying to get everything put together and in order. Yoongi didn't know much more about assembling furniture than you did, but you both figured that two heads were better than one."Alright, it's ready for your books," Yoongi said in a slight triumph, smirking as he looked at the finished product."Thank you!" You gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before reaching for your books to begin organizing them on the shelves."How do you want these organized?" Yoongi asked, helping you sort your books among the various shelves."Study books on top, and fiction more toward the bottom," You replied, hesitantly sliding a book on the shelf, almost waiting for it to collapse in on itself. Yoongi noticed."Do you really doubt my bookshelf building skills that much?" He chuckled, beginning to stack books as well."I was just making sure."He rolled his eyes playfully at you, "Okay, sure.""Do you want me to order dinner or something?" you asked, swiftly changing the subject."I'm good," he replied, "My nutritionist is requiring certain foods for now because we're on restricted diets until-" he began, but then suddenly cut himself off. You furrowed your eyebrows, turning toward him."Until what?"Yoongi bit his lip again before sighing, setting down the book he was holding and turning to face you as well. "Well, I kind of wanted to surprise you with the news while doing something more significant than putting together your furniture for you," he chuckled, grabbing your hands to hold in his.You were definitely curious now, "Surprise me with what news?""It's official, Y/N," he whispered, the corners of his mouth tugging into a smile."What's official?" you could feel yourself reciprocating his smile, but you weren't willing to get too excited before he confirmed the hypothesis that was bouncing around in your head."Bang PD told us today. The seven of us are officially debuting, and we shoot out first music video in just a couple of weeks," Yoongi grinned, beaming with complete and utter happiness."It's really happening? You're really debuting?" You exclaimed, squeezing his hands gently."It's really happening," he confirmed as you let go of his hands, encircling him into your arms."I'm so proud of you, Yoongi," you smiled against his chest. You were smiling so hard that your cheeks hurt upon the news, and your heart ached with pride for the boy that you had come to know and love so much."I couldn't have done it without your support," he whispered into your ear before pulling back, pressing a warm kiss to your forehead. "But," he began uneasily."What is it?""I'll be pretty busy for the next few weeks, and I won't have a lot of time to spend with you. And I'm going to have to take a little bit of time off from Youth & Impulse. Bang PD wants us either in the gym or working on the choreography," his eyes were filled with disappointment. You were disappointed as well, but you were still so excited that everything he had dreamed about was now being set into full motion. It bummed you out that you would miss time with him, but this was a fact that you had finally gotten used to. You had finally been able to accept the fact that a life with him would be abnormal. And while it would be abnormal and sometimes frustrating, it was ultimately worth it to you. He was worth it."That's okay, don't worry about it," you replied, but he still shifted uneasily."I hate when there has to be gaps of time without us seeing each other. We've proven more than once that silence and distance is bad for our relationship.""You have a music video shoot coming up, Yoon. I completely understand, okay? Don't stress. Just come over when you can, and if you can't, call me on the phone before bed or something," you reassured him, your words finally enough to convince him. He nodded, smiling again."Thank you," he kissed your forehead again, and you giggled at him."Stop flirting with me and help me finish unpacking the rest of these books," you poked his side and he laughed, pulling away."Fine, fine. I will."And in the comfort of your apartment, you two were hidden away from the world for a while. You were both at a point in your relationship where things finally felt comfortable; you had gotten used to the routine and the lifestyle.But the debut was coming, and change was yet again looming around the corner.You simply hoped that the faith you now had in each other would be enough. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: this chapter describes a rather detailed description of a fainting episode. just thought i would throw in a warning in case any of you are uneasy or uncomfortable around descriptions of health issues~ ~YOONGI'S POV~"Yoongi! Jin! You're both too far over! How many times am I going to have to give you these corrections?!" Johnson exclaimed angrily, pausing the music yet again. The other members audibly sighed, but whether it was a sigh that stemmed from being grateful a break, or a sigh that stemmed from being mad they had to stop yet again was unclear."Sorry," Jin apologized, struggling to even out his breathing while Yoongi remained silent. He was beyond exhausted, and now growing irritable and frustrated. Over the past week since the announcement of the debut and music video, Yoongi's body had been pushed unbelievably past its breaking point. He'd been enduring a rather unrealistic diet and workout regime, all on top of the excessive time spent working on the choreography for the music video. He was struggling to drink enough water, to get enough sleep, to find time to even talk to you on the phone for a minute. These things on top of one another resulted in a terribly foul mood, and an overall foul physical feeling."Run it again. Now," Johnson ordered as he started the music again. A flare of anger overwhelmed Yoongi, his body rejecting the idea of another full-out run of the dance. But, the others straightened out into their positions, and Yoongi knew he didn't have any other choice but to fall in line, running the choreography for the 15th time that day.He stumbled through this performance, but fortunately, most of the other members did too. The dance studio smelled of sweat, and it was finally obvious to Johnson that he wasn't going to be able to push them much farther today."Whatever, just stop for the day," Johnson began, glancing down at his watch. "Be here in the morning at seven, sharp."Assorted sighs of relief flooded the room as some of the members sat down on the floor, the others beelining for something to drink. Yoongi's legs were shaky, he suddenly began feeling extremely lightheaded, and his breathing was abnormally fast. The unfamiliar sick feeling sent shocks of panic throughout his body, but he remained quiet and complacent in his spot, hoping the symptoms would quickly pass."Yoongi, are you okay?" Namjoon asked, concern filling his voice as he approached him, "Do you want some water?""I'm okay," Yoongi lied rather weakly, his breath accelerating at an alarming rate."You don't look okay," Namjoon argued, seeming unsure of Yoongi's well-being, the worry in his voice becoming clear. Truth was, Namjoon was right. Yoongi wasn't okay, but he was hesitant to say that or to admit anything. The last thing he wanted was for the others to think that he was too weak, that he couldn't handle this; the pressure, the hard work, the mental and physical exhaustion of it all."I'm fine," Yoongi lied again through his uneven breaths, but his physical appearance was giving him away. He was suddenly overwhelmed with an intense wave of nausea, and he swayed slightly, springing Namjoon into action as he reached to catch Yoongi's arm."You should sit down," Namjoon pressed, still holding onto Yoongi tightly, truthfully the only reason he was still standing upright."Something's wrong," Yoongi breathed, admitting then that something really was wrong, and that his terrible feeling wasn't getting better, but worse and more intense as time went by. Never in his life had he felt this bad and this unstable."I got you," Namjoon supported Yoongi's weight, helping him get to the floor. Most of the other members had filtered out of the gym, leaving only Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok left."J-Joon," Yoongi managed, the sudden movement from standing to sitting furthering his disorientation."Try sitting up and putting your head between your knees. That'll help get more blood flow and oxygen to your head," Namjoon instructed, a hand on Yoongi's back. While his voice was calming to Yoongi, it was starting to feel like it was far away. There were spots in his vision, and chills were beginning to overwhelm every inch of his skin. But with Namjoon's help, Yoongi managed to make it into that position."Woah, what's wrong with Yoongi?!" That was Hoseok, his voice expressing concern that was even heavier than what Namjoon's had been."I think he's about to pass out," concern was blatant in Namjoon's worried voice, "Can you run and get Johnson or someone? Ask if any of our medics are still here?" Namjoon asked, causing Yoongi to lift his head. He was immediately disoriented again, another extreme wave of nausea and dizziness passing over him."Don't call anyone," he groaned, wiping the cold sweat from his upper lip. Hoseok crouched down beside Yoongi, opposite of where Namjoon was already beside him. "I don't want to cause any problems.""Yoon, you should keep your head down. You look really pale," Hoseok suggested softly, attempting to keep Yoongi calm.Yoongi complied, putting his head back down between his knees."Hoseok, you stay with him? I'm starting to get worried, and I really think I should go get someone," Namjoon removed the hand he had on Yoongi's back, standing up after doing so. Hoseok put a hand on Yoongi's back in place of where Namjoon's had been, fearful about how stable he really was."No worries, I got him," Hoseok agreed."I'll hurry back," Namjoon replied, footsteps retreating.Yoongi whipped his head up once more to protest, but that one more bit of disorienting motion was all it took.That's when Yoongi passed out.|||||"Is he okay?""He's probably fine, but I'll take a closer look at his vitals to be sure. He should wake up anytime now.""Are you sure we handled it right?""You did right by getting him to the floor. If he had fallen wrong then he could've broken one of his arms or legs, or maybe even gotten a concussion. He's lucky you caught his head when he started to fall back, Hoseok."Yoongi stirred slightly, eyes slowly fluttering open even though they were at first unable to register the light and the people leaning over him."Yoon? Are you okay?" He thought the voice came from Namjoon, but he wasn't sure. He blinked a few more times, and suddenly things were clear, like everything had finally been snapped into focus."I'm okay," Yoongi finally managed some comprehensive words. He was more aware of his surroundings then; he was still lying in the floor of the dance studio, and there were a few people sitting beside him. Hoseok, Namjoon, and one of the nurses on staff."Lay there for a minute before you try to sit up," the nurse instructed."What happened? Why did I faint?""I'm not positive, but based on what Namjoon and Hoseok have told me, I have a good guess. You're malnourished, dehydrated, over-exhausted, and you over-heated in dance practice. All of that put together is a perfect recipe for a fainting episode," the nurse explained and Yoongi let out a sigh. He was frustrated that the way his body had been treated had finally caught up to him, but he was somewhat grateful that not all the members were around to see it. "Why don't you try sitting up now?"With the help of the others, Yoongi slowly rose to a sitting position, and was pleased to find that the disorientation and dizziness he was feeling before had finally completely subsided. He sighed."First, I know you all are on rather strict diets right now, but I'm overruling some of that for everyone. You guys can't be at your best if you're having fainting episodes. I'll be speaking with the nutritionist to work out a better plan. We want to take care of you guys, okay? We want you to be healthy. Second, part of this was self-induced; drinking enough water and getting enough sleep is vital to your success," The nurse wasn't just talking to Yoongi, but to the other boys as well. "You all need to take care of yourselves.""Yes, ma'am," Namjoon said, and Hoseok nodded."How are you doing Yoongi?" she asked."Better, now.""Good. You should go back to your dorm and take it easy for the rest of the day, alright? Make sure you eat dinner and drink a lot of water. If you start feeling bad later, call me or come to my office. Here's my card," the nurse passed her business card over and Yoongi accepted it graciously, putting it into his pocket."Thank you for all your help," Yoongi offered a smile, and the nurse nodded, getting up and leaving."Want us to help you up?" Namjoon offered, but Yoongi shook his head."I think I got it."The three boys stood, and began to make their way back to the dorms."Yoon, why were you so insistent that we didn't get help for you?" Hoseok asked, curious."I just didn't want to cause a scene, or to make the others think that I wasn't working hard enough," Yoongi admitted, scratching the back of his neck."You fainting would be a sign that you weren't working hard enough? Yoongi that was a sign that you were overworking yourself," Namjoon replied, seemingly sad that Yoongi had felt that way at all. "You should know by now that none of us would look at you any differently just because you had some health issues.""I know..." Yoongi sighed, "I was honestly just embarrassed in the moment. It was dumb.""We're here for you, Yoongi. You shouldn't feel that way next time," Hoseok added sincerely."Thank you, guys. Really."|||||"Delivery!" Namjoon called out as he walked through the dorm door, three boxes of pizza occupying his hands."Nice," Yoongi sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes, just woken up from a nap. Jimin hopped down from the top bunk, overly excited at the arrival of food.Yoongi yawned and reached for his phone, turning it back on."Yoon, come on. Let's eat," Namjoon said, sitting down on the floor alongside Yoongi, beginning to open up the pizza boxes."Coming," Yoongi yawned again, disconnecting his phone from the charger and joining the other boys on the floor.New Message from ^^ Y/N: yooooooooooonnnnnnngiiiiiiiiiii. how was ur day?Yoongi set down the piece of pizza he was eating, and contemplated his response for a moment."Do you guys think I should tell Y/N about what happened today?" he sighed, looking down at his phone."Yeah. Why wouldn't you?" Namjoon replied through a mouth-full of food."I just don't want her to worry about me," Yoongi said uneasily."But if she finds out that you kept it from her, it's just going to make her mad," Jimin spoke up, much to Yoongi's surprise. It was rare for Jimin to speak up, or to be bold at that point in time. He was still a bit shy around the members, especially around the older members."Yeah, you guys are probably right," Yoongi shrugged, "But, um, if it happens to come up, just don't say anything, okay?""Sure, whatever," Namjoon said indifferently, starting another slice of pizza.Yoongi bit his lip, still unsure of whether or not he wanted to tell the truth. It felt wrong to hide it from you, but he also didn't want you to be worrying about him and his health more than you already were. He was better now, and the fainting likely wouldn't happen again as long he followed the nurse's directions. So, there was really no reason to burden you with the truth. He sat there for a few more moments, thinking it all through again before he made his decision.New Message to ^^ Y/N: it was pretty good ~ joon and jimin and i are eating pizza lol. how was yours, babe? (: ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~YOONGI'S POV~Two nights before the music video shoot, Yoongi was sitting on your bed with his computer, working on mixing a solo song of his own. He was resting comfortably against the insane plethora of pillows you had on your bed, while you were at your desk across the room, researching jobs. His hair was still damp from the shower he'd taken shortly before arriving at your apartment, and he knew that it probably looked like a complete mess. But, your hair was tied up in a knot atop your head, messy and clear that you had been working hard all day and that you just wanted it out of your face. The two of you had reached such a point of familiarity and comfort within your relationship that neither of you worried about how attractive you appeared to other. Being beside each other was as easy as breathing in that respect, and it was a nice feeling to have.Since his fainting episode, Yoongi was desperately trying to work harder at taking care of himself, and was working harder to make time for you. It wasn't that his entire mental health was centered around you, but he generally felt happier and more motivated when close to you. So, for the past several nights, he'd been spending time at your apartment. Even though the two of you had other things to work on, being in the general vicinity of each other was good for the relationship.Yoongi still hadn't mentioned his fainting and health issues to you. The diets for every member were adjusted after it was clear that they couldn't be successful with the original restrictions. Bang PD also held a meeting with everyone, stressing the importance of hydration and proper rest; basically saying the same thing that the nurse had told Yoongi in the dance studio. Bang PD was heartbroken that his performers had been suffering so much without his knowledge, and he offered his sincerest apologies. He claimed that from now forward, he wanted there to always be an open dialogue for the members to be upfront and honest about what they wanted and needed.So, Yoongi did what was asked of him. He conformed to the new meal plan, paid careful attention to his water intake, and the amount of sleep he was getting. With the support of his fellow members and the advice from the nurse, Yoongi had been feeling a lot better, and no symptoms were returning. He truly realized how important it was for him to be mindful of his health and overall well-being. However, this realization, mixed with the fear that perhaps fainting would become a regular affliction, an uncomfortable anxiety began to sprout within him. He was worrying about his health more than he ever had, to the point of it constantly weighing on his mind. The guilt from keeping it a secret from you didn't exactly help that anxiety either.He was in a state of confliction; whether to provide transparency and honesty to you, or protection from worry and anxiety. He still wasn't sure what the right thing was to do. So, he kept quiet, focusing on his health as he was convinced that if nothing like the fainting happened again, he could justify not telling you about it. But for some reason, he still just couldn't shake the anxiety he was having over it, leading to even more foul moods and off days. Despite this, he didn't pull away from you, and didn't push you away. Unlike all the times before, Yoongi was determined to not cause a rift by closing off emotionally and staying away from you. That always made things worse, not only for you, but for himself as well.You closed your laptop and sighed as you leaned back into your desk chair. You let out a huff of frustration, one loud enough that it caused Yoongi to remove the one headphone he had in his ear, glancing over at you from his spot on the bed."You okay?" he asked, also closing his laptop, and setting it to the side. You swiveled around in your desk chair to face him, unable to hide the fowl expression that had formed on your face. Yoongi raised an eyebrow at you, wondering what the problem was."I honestly didn't expect that finding a job would be this difficult. I mean I did internships to gain experience while in University, but it just wasn't enough. I've only gotten one offer for a part-time position. I guess I don't have the credentials that I really need," you explained glumly, fidgeting with the ring on your pinky finger as you did so."Well, you could try starting out with a part-time position. I know it's not exactly what you want, but it's possible that after you get in there and show how hard of a worker you are, you could get promoted," Yoongi offered, moving from his spot against the pillows to sit on the edge of the bed."That's true," you replied, but you still didn't seem convinced."And even if you don't get promoted, then you'll have another bit of experience on your resume, which could result in scoring a better job later," he added, attempting to provide you with some hope, or maybe a more positive perspective that you couldn't see before."Yoon, can I be honest with you?" you said suddenly, meeting his eyes."Of course, you can. Always," he reassured you."It's really not even money that I'm worried about; I have a lot in savings from money I've inherited. It's more of a self-esteem issue...That's why I'm so bothered by the fact I haven't been able to get a job..." you began quietly."What do you mean by that, exactly?""I worked so hard in University. I got good grades. I was known as someone who was good to study with because I had such mastery in all my courses. But now...It's been four months since I graduated, and I still don't have a job that isn't working at a café...It hurts my pride to be honest. I want to be doing things, and accomplishing my dreams. Watching you work so hard and accomplish so much inspires me, and I hate that I'm just sitting at home, not doing any of the things I want to do. Honestly, I'm a little jealous of you," you explained, looking back down at your hand to continue fidgeting with your ring.Yoongi was overwhelmed with a small pang of guilt as he listened to you pour out your feelings with barely any hesitation. Here you were, being completely vulnerable and honest with him, and yet he hadn't returned the same kind of vulnerability to you with what was going on in his life. He also didn't want you to feel like you were less than him, just because your career hadn't taken off. After all, it wasn't that long ago when he was stuck living on his best friend's couch."Come over here," Yoongi replied, patting the space beside him on the edge of your bed. You looked back up at him as he motioned you to come toward him, sighing as you stood from the chair, moving to sit next to him. Yoongi turned slightly in his spot, facing you as he reached to hold your hands in his."Having trouble finding a job that fits you doesn't translate into you not knowing enough or not having enough skills. Most people struggle to find a job right out of school, and that's not anything to be ashamed of," Yoongi began. You looked down at his hands that were intertwined with yours."And I don't want you to compare your career to mine. I don't ever want you to feel insecure around me, either. Y/N, I wouldn't have made it as far as I did without your encouragement, and honestly, plain luck. Please don't ever feel like you're less than or that you're not good enough, okay? You are..." he said softly, trying to meet your eyes. "Look at me."You looked up at him then, "Thanks, Yoon."His eyes were soft and understanding as he squeezed your hands, "I'm here for you always, you know? I'm glad you talked to me about it.""I know...Maybe I've kept a bit quiet lately as to not bother you and add to the stress you've already been under," You admitted, sighing again as you did so."Y/N, you don't have to protect me from that. I just want to be here for you," Yoongi said, but as soon as the words rolled off his tongue, he was overcome with another wave of guilt. He was being a complete and total hypocrite and he knew it."I know...And I want you to feel the same towards me, okay? You can talk to me as well," you reminded him, and he felt his chest clench again."Um...In that case, I, uh, have something I need to tell you," Yoongi began hesitantly, still unsure of whether he was making the right decision or not. All he knew was that he couldn't keep it a secret from you anymore, and he honestly didn't want to keep it a secret anymore. Your demeanor clearly changed quickly, worry spreading across your face as you anticipated his words."About a week ago, I passed out in the middle of dance practice," he started, and your expression was full of shock, and even more worry."What?""Don't worry, I'm okay and it hasn't happened again. The nurse told me it was because I was malnourished, over-exhausted, dehydrated, and that I had probably overheated in dance practice. So, they've adjusted all our meal plans and such to hopefully ensure that none of us get sick like that again," he explained, you visibly calming down as he did so."Why did you keep it from me?" you seemed hurt that he hid it, but also relieved that he was okay."I just didn't want to worry you. I didn't want you to be stressed about my health. But, I've been feeling really guilty that you didn't know. And I'm sorry," Yoongi apologized sincerely, a weight off his shoulders now that he wasn't keeping anything from you any longer."I'm really glad you're okay. I mean, I'm a little upset that you kept it from me. And that you basically lied about how everything was going. But, I understand what your intent was," you began, "I just don't ever want you to do that again. We're partners, Yoongi. We're supposed to help each other carry the burdens of life, right? Maybe we've both been bearing too much weight alone lately. Let's not do that anymore.""You're right. And, I think I knew it was the wrong decision from the moment I decided not to say anything about it. I think it's a bit of a pride problem for me as well. I don't like having to admit that things aren't going well, or that I'm struggling. I know I can trust you with anything, and that you're not going to judge me. But, transparency is still hard for me sometimes.""I know it is, and it can be hard for me too. It's just something we need to work on, okay? I think we'll both feel better if we're always just honest. Sometimes it seems like a good idea to keep something from someone; sometimes it seems like that telling the truth will do more harm than good, and I get that. But, not with us. We've proven multiple times that secrets, and distance, are no good. They're bad for us. So, we need to work harder about not letting those things come between us," you explained, but your voice was still soft. It was clear you really weren't angry with him, and he realized then how stupid it was for him to try and hide it in the first place."I wished I would've told you sooner. Honestly, the whole experience kind of freaked me out, and I've been having a lot anxiety since it happened. I know that some of that would've better if I would've opened up to you about it...I regret that, but thank you for being understanding, and for being here for me now. It means a lot," Yoongi replied, gratitude and admiration filling up his voice. He was so lucky to have someone like you, and he was humbled for that time and time again."Of course, Yoon. I love you.""I love you too," he removed his hands from yours. "Now, come here," Yoongi murmured as he leaned closer, sliding his arms around you."Don't worry too much about getting a job, okay? It'll all work out," he encouraged you, now warm as you leaned against him. It was nice to just sit there like that for a few moments, wrapped up in each other's embrace. He'd been busy lately, and upon all the anxiety and stress, some simple time spent holding you made him forget all of that. The feeling of you softly gripping the excess fabric of his tee shirt, and the way you rested so easily against him, and the sound of your steady and even breathing put him in a state of ease that was only tangible when he was close to you."Don't worry too much about your work, either. Your health comes first, okay? Promise you'll pay attention to it, and that you'll be honest and ask for help when you need it," you replied, moving your hands to gently trace shapes and patterns on his back."I promise."And so, you and Yoongi sat curled against one another for a while, each of your worries and fears melting away with each passing second spent with one another. Soon, he would have to leave, needing to go to sleep early to be able to take on the following day. Soon, he would have a lot more pressure. A lot more weight to carry. A lot more stress. A lot more anxiety. Soon, things were going to change again, in more of a drastic way than they ever had before.But, the two of you were learning how to love each other, how to be there for each other without hesitation. You both kept stumbling, kept making mistakes, and it was all leading up to this next part of your lives where everything was bound to become more difficult.Yoongi simply hoped that after all those fights, conversations, and special moments spent together, the two of you would be able to endure the next chapter that was to come.Through change, conflict, and then growth, he was learning how to love you. He hoped it would be enough. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~YOUR POV~"There should be a rule about cuddling in the studio," Namjoon complained as he walked in, finding you and Yoongi lying on the couch together. Yoongi's head was resting on your chest, his breathing steady and even, calm. You were planning to hang out in the studio that night as some of the others worked casually, but Yoongi showed up complaining about how tired he was, and ended up falling asleep mid-conversation with you."Shh, he's sleeping," you scolded Namjoon quietly, looking back to your phone. Stevens was texting you, trying to arrange the schedule at Youth & Impulse for the next month. While both you and Stevens both wanted Yoongi there, it was clear that he was going to have to retire from the job rather soon. Bangtan's debut music video had been released a few weeks ago, their first concert together was in two days, and after that, there would be their first tour. Yoongi was about to be in and out of town quite a bit, and it was time that Youth & Impulse found someone else to come in and replace him. However, the piano bench was always open to Yoongi anytime he wanted to step in and play for a night."Dance practice was exhausting today, so I don't blame him for passing out like that," Namjoon chuckled, sitting down at the chair in front of the computer. It felt strange to be sitting in the studio like that with just the two of them; it reminded you of the old times. You didn't particularly miss those times, as you were happy with how things were going, but sometimes you longed for the simplicity of how things were back then. Sitting together with them like that brought those feelings back up, nostalgia easily overcoming you."Johnson is working to get you guys ready for the concert, and then the tour I assume?" you offered before shooting a text back to Stevens, letting him know the rest of Yoongi's upcoming schedule."Yeah, he's been pretty tough of on all of us lately. Especially him," Namjoon replied, nodding at the sleeping boy curled up against you."Yoon? Why?" you questioned, curious about why Johnson would have to be pushing Yoongi more than the other members."He sees a lot of potential in Yoongi's dancing, and he's trying to bring the best out of him. Johnson really cares about us, so he's been doing everything to make us the best we can possibly be before our live performances begin," Namjoon explained, "It's been really exhausting, if I'm honest. But, you should be proud of him, you know? He's working hard."You glanced down at Yoongi who sighed in his sleep, heart yet again overwhelmed with simple admiration for the boy."I am proud of him. I'm proud of the rest of you as well, though," You reminded Namjoon, feeling like perhaps people in his life didn't give him enough credit. He didn't even give himself enough credit. "Obviously I've known Yoon longer than I've known you, but I've had the opportunity to watch you grow as an artist as well. You've really earned all of this, Joon. And even through all the difficulties, you've been a great friend to Yoongi, and that's something I'm appreciative for," you admitted sincerely, the words effortlessly floating off your lips. These were words you'd been meaning to say to Namjoon for a while, gratitude you'd been meaning to express. You just hadn't had a real opportunity until now."Thank you, Y/N. That means a lot...I haven't said this before now, and honestly, I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to tell you. But, you're really good for him. I know you guys have been through some bad stuff in your relationship, but I still believe that you both compliment each other in the best ways. Yoongi shed a lot of tears throughout the rough patches in your relationship with him; he really cares for you. And with how supportive you've been of his career, I can see that you really care for him too. I'm happy that he has someone like you close to him," Namjoon returned his gratitude, the words slightly surprising you as conversations between you and Namjoon had never gotten quite this personal before. You were grateful for his kind words, and they meant a lot to you. You opened your mouth to reply, but Yoongi was suddenly shifting slightly, his head lifting in a tired manner as his eyes opened."All of this sappy talk woke me up," he complained, sounding incredibly sleepy and groggy."Sorry," you chuckled as he laid back down against you, allowing his eyes to close again."It's okay. I know it's hard to resist bragging about me," Yoongi mumbled, a smirk ghosting his lips. You looked up at Namjoon who was rolling his eyes, and you couldn't help but smile."Thanks, Namjoon. I appreciate that a lot," you thanked Namjoon for his kind words, ignoring Yoongi's smart remark."Let's not get too sentimental now," he winked, "I'm still not a fan of all the PDA," he teased."Deal with it," Yoongi argued, half-asleep, but somehow still finding the energy to lift his head, peck your lips, and then lay back down."You're out of control today, you know that right?" you laughed at Yoongi, beginning to play with his hair."I know.""Ugh! Stop flirting!" Namjoon screeched, turning around in the desk chair, and sliding on his headphones."We love you, Namjoon," you snickered, and he replied with a simple shake of the head."Yeah, yeah. Whatever."|||||~YOONGI'S POV~"I'm panicking," he said, beginning to pace around the dressing room. He was only half dressed; his leather jeans on while he still lacked a shirt, his stylist frantically wandering around as she had misplaced the rest of his outfit. Fortunately, his hair and makeup was already finished."Racheal will find your shirt. Calm down," Hoseok chuckled from nearby, sitting in his chair as he was having his stage makeup done."Hoseok, please stop moving," the makeup artist commanded politely, but irritation was still lining her voice."Sorry," he said, facing forward again."It's not the shirt I'm panicking about," Yoongi breathed, continuing to pace. "I'm worried about the performance.""Why?" Jin randomly jumped into the conversation, walking up to Yoongi. He was the only member that was in full clothing, makeup, and complete hair so far. There was only thirty minutes till the beginning of their debut concert, and all the stylists were in over their heads, running behind."What are you so nervous for?" Hoseok chimed back in without moving his head toward Yoongi and Jin as his makeup artist was clearly agitated with him. "It's not like this is the first concert you've ever done.""Yeah, I know, but this is so important! It's been months since my last live performance, and now I'm worried I'm going to forget my lyrics, or the choreography, or that I'm going to rip these ridiculously tight pants, and that I'll always be known as the K-Idol who flashed everyone at his first concert, and then I'll forever be ridiculed on the internet, and then you guys will forever be ridiculed for having anything to do with me, and-""Dude. You need to calm down," Jin chuckled, Hoseok joining in on the laughter. "You're way overthinking this. We've been preparing for a long time for this; it's all going to be fine.""I CAN'T CALM DOWN!" Yoongi shouted, gaining looks from every single member and staff person that was in the room."Is this about your shirt, Yoongi? 'Cause I found it!" Rachael called, letting out a nervous laugh as she rushed over to him, passing him the shirt."Thanks," Yoongi sighed, slipping the shirt on, feeling slightly calmer than he did before now that he was completely physically ready for the concert."We still have like a half hour until show time. Go talk to Y/N or something because you need to chill," Hoseok suggested, rising from the makeup chair as he was now finished getting ready as well."Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Yoongi breathed, pulling out his phone to text you to meet him outside the dressing room. You showed up a mere two minutes later, easily getting security clearance from the badges that Yoongi had acquired from his management for you."Are you wearing lipstick?" you chuckled when you met him in the hall, giving him a hard time even though it was obvious that he was a nervous wreck. Your attempt to make him laugh didn't work."It's tinted lip balm, but that's the least of my worries right now," he exclaimed, looking like he was ready to pull his hair out."What's the matter with you?""All of this suddenly feels so real, and I don't feel like I'm ready for it," he rubbed the sides of his head, trying to force away the headache that was coming on. He wasn't sure why he was freaking out so much; it was more intense stage fright than he'd ever experienced before. He felt like there was a lot riding on this performance; that it really mattered how good they were live together for the first time, that this would set the pace for the rest of their careers."It's okay to be nervous, Yoon. But, don't psych yourself out. You've been giving it your all for months now, all to prepare yourself for this moment," you reminded him, your words slowly beginning to get to him."I know, I know. I don't know why I can't calm down. I'm scared I'm going to go out there and choke," he admitted uneasily."C'mon, Yoongi. You won't and you know that. You're going to have the time of your life out there," you smiled at him, and a small amount of the fear he was experiencing slowly began to deteriorate away. "I have complete confidence in you. I mean that."Yoongi pulled you into a tight hug then, sighing again in attempt to force all his bad feelings out. "I would kiss you but I don't want to mess up my makeup," he said before bursting into a fit of giggles, "I never thought that would be something I'd have to say to you."You laughed into his chest, "Now you understand why I get frustrated at you when you kiss me and mess up my makeup before we go out somewhere.""I never realized how much girls sacrifice. This stuff is annoying," he continued laughing, and then made the sudden realization that he felt much better. Your happy moods and laughter were incredibly contagious to him, and your few and simple words were enough to calm him down. That, he was grateful for."Now," you began, pulling away from his embrace, "Go back in there and drink some water, and get ready with the rest of the members. You got this, and I'll be right there on the front row. I am your biggest fan after all," you smirked at him.He grinned, "And you're the cutest.""You're so cheesy," you chuckled, "Now go! Conquer the world, Min Yoongi!" You cheered him on as he stepped away from you, going toward the door."I love you more than anything, Y/N.""I love you too! Now stop spouting sappy lines at me and go get ready for your concert!"He waved, finally complying, before disappearing back into the dressing room.|||||~YOUR POV~All seven members of Bangtan stood proudly on the stage, bowing before the audience that was cheering so loudly, you could barely even hear yourself think. You watched as Yoongi gleamed with passion, and pride, and excitement among his members, relishing in the feeling of accomplishing something great with the rest of them. He was drenched in sweat, like he always was after a performance, but he seemed more awake and aware than ever. He was grinning, showing his gummy smile to a few thousand people, his arms now around both Namjoon and Hoseok.And you stood from the audience beside Stevens, in a front row seat that had been reserved just for you. Your face stretched into the biggest smile it could possibly manage as your heart swelled with pride and love for the boy on stage, overwhelmed with happiness for him and the things he had achieved within the amount of time you'd known him.The stage lights went dark as Bangtan's first concert officially came to a close, the crowd still screaming as loudly as before, cheering the names of each of the boys. You turned to Stevens, your smiling out of control; his was as well."Can you believe how far he's really come?" you shouted over the noise, wanting to reminisce with Stevens, wanting to brag on Yoongi and his accomplishments simply because you were so proud."It's pretty amazing, honestly," Stevens agreed, sharing an equal amount of pride for Yoongi as you did.You sat in your spot for a few more short moments, taking in the atmosphere, trying to document everything within your mind so you could remember this day forever."Let's go, Stevens," you said eventually, "We have a celebration to get to." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- "it's not always easy, but somehow our love stays strong. if i can make you happy then, this is where i belong"|||||~YOONGI'S POV~Just you, Yoongi, and Stevens sat in Youth & Impulse later that night, following the after party that included all BigHit staff and the Bangtan members. Now, the three of you were celebrating and reminiscing on your own, over cups of coffee in the place that meant the most to all of you. A lot of sappy memories and thoughts were exchanged; You telling Yoongi how truly fascinated you were by him when he first walked into Youth & Impulse all of those months ago. Stevens telling Yoongi how impressed he was by his initial talent and skill. Yoongi sharing how much of a play Youth & Impulse had in changing his life completely. Yoongi felt warm and elated that night while being in the close presence of two people he now considered family. He loved the feeling of sharing uninterrupted quality time with the both of you, spending hours talking about everything and nothing all at the same time. But, there was a negative feeling that was creeping out of the corners of his heart, nagging at his mind without warning. He remembered that in just one week, he'd be leaving for two whole months on Bangtan's first tour. In just a week, he'd have to say goodbye to you for the most extended period of time that he ever had, and that was a tough pill to swallow. "Are you tired, Yoon?" you asked in between sips of your caramel macchiato, seemingly taking notice of his change in demeanor, or perhaps the blatant dark circles under his eyes. "I am, but I don't think I would be able to sleep right now. I still feel like I have performer's high," he chuckled, not willing to admit the sadness that had settled on his heart. He instead took a drink of the vanilla latte he had convinced you to make for him; it'd been too long since he'd last been allowed to have one. "You must be exhausted; it's been a really long day," Stevens chimed in from across the table before becoming momentarily distracted by a notification from his phone. "Yeah, but I'm really happy with how things went tonight. Thanks for coming back there and telling me to calm down," Yoongi tossed you a smile. He could barely even begin to describe in words how thankful he was for everything he had accomplished, and for everything that he had; it all almost felt surreal. He owed so much to every single person who had taken a chance on him, every single person who had believed in him. Because without those people, he knew he never would've made it this far. "What else are girlfriends for?" you smiled back at him, the two of you holding a rather flirtatiously long period of eye contact. Yoongi was the first to snap out of it upon remembering that your uncle was sitting less than two feet away. Fortunately, Stevens hadn't been looking. He was still absorbed in his phone, smiling, and seemingly texting somebody.Yoongi looked back to you, raising a suspicious eyebrow while you leaned closer to Stevens, trying to see what was on the screen of his phone. Yoongi could tell you were straining, but your efforts were rendered unsuccessful. So, Yoongi, as silently as he could manage, rose from his chair and made his way to Stevens, peering over his shoulder. Your hands were covering your mouth, biting back a laugh at how completely obliviously Stevens was to the situation. It took him longer than it probably should've to notice Yoongi hovering over his shoulder, causing Stevens to jolt, his phone flying out of his hands and landing screen-down the floor.  "Really?" he let out an exasperated sigh, clearly irritated and shocked all at the same time. Yoongi jumped into action, picking the phone up off the ground. Although, he was too scared to flip it over and assess the damage."I just bought that," Stevens cried, accepting the phone back from Yoongi and turning it over. Luckily, there was only a tiny scratch on the screen, one that was barely even noticeable. Stevens sighed in relief, before unlocking his phone, and returning to texting at an insanely rapid pace."Um,Stevens?" you questioned, standing to peer over his shoulder as Yoongi had been. "What?" he replied without lifting his eyes from his phone. "What's with the rapid texting?" Stevens was quiet for a moment as he appeared to be contemplating something. He then set his phone down. "Sorry I got distracted.""We don't mind. I think we're more curious with who it is that you're texting," Yoongi chuckled, sitting back down in his chair. "What Yoongi said," you agreed, sitting back down as well. "It's um...Patsy.""Catfish Patsy?""How many times do I have to tell you that she was not a catfish. We've been dating in person for just about as long as you've been seeing Yoongi," Stevens complained at your persistence with that joke, even though he knew that you were kidding. "You must really like her, Stevens," Yoongi smiled, shifting the conversation to a lighter tone before you and Stevens started arguing again over online dating."Honestly, yeah...I really do like her," Stevens admitted, almost seeming shy about the entire ordeal. "Do you love her?" You grinned, leaning forward as if you were ready to hear some good gossip. "Do you?" Yoongi egged Stevens on, partially because it was fun to tease him, but also because he was genuinely curious. This conversation the three of you were having reminded Yoongi a lot of a conversation he had with Jae many months ago..."Yes," Stevens didn't hesitate on his response, eliciting an eruption of cheering from both you and Yoongi. "Stevens is in looooooveeeeee," you said in a sing-songy voice, jumping up out of your chair and shaking his shoulders. "STEVENS IS IN LOVE!" Yoongi shouted through his laughter, joining you in teasing and dancing around Stevens. He had the best time with the three of you that night, a night so good he knew he would remember it for many months to come. It would be a memory that he would hold onto while away from you both, causing him happiness that it happened, but heartache that it was in the past. Because yet again, things were changing with time.|||||ONE WEEK LATER"It's not for forever, you know?" he reminded you as he held your hand. The two of you were standing in the doorway of your apartment, beginning the journey that was saying goodbye. You were both in broad daylight, and he only hoped that for once, no fans, or reporters, or random people would interrupt. He not only wanted this last chunk of time with you, but he needed it. "I know," you confirmed, your eyes trained on the ground below you. You weren't throwing a fit. You weren't crying. You weren't begging him to stay. But, you were sad, and that was clear. It pulled and tugged on Yoongi's heart, bothering him more than he was willing to admit aloud. "I'll call every morning. Night too. I promise," he added, even though he had told you all these things before. "I know," you confirmed again. "It's only two months; 8 weeks. It'll go by faster than you think.""I know," you said for the last time, finally looking up to make eye contact with him. "You don't have to convince me that everything is going to be okay; I know it is."Yoongi nodded, "I just want to be clear with everything. I don't want you to worry or to feel insecure while I'm gone," he said, his voice and body language giving how uneasy he truly felt about touring for two months. It had been proven repeatedly that distance and miscommunication was bad for the relationship, but you both were now being put ina position where that didn't really matter. He was going to have to leave anyway, whether he liked it or not. And neither of you could really complain, because you'd both known all along what you were signing up for, what you were getting into. "I'm not going to worry, Yoon. You shouldn't either. I'm confident in us, and I'm confident that we're going to be just fine after this," You were the one reassuring him this time, and you were words were enough to put some of his anxiety at ease. Yoongi sighed then, quickly slipping his phone out of his pocket to check the time. "I need to go."He watched as your face fell, but you didn't say anything other than, "Okay."Yoongi put his phone, hesitating on how to approach the next few moments. Was it a bad idea to say goodbye quickly and leave before it became too difficult? Before he lost the will to leave at all? Or was it a bad idea to not linger for a moment, perhaps causing him to regret not staying longer down the line. Would it be better to kiss you quickly? Or to draw it out, giving you both something to hold onto? He wasn't sure, and those swirling considerations made the entire moment more difficult than it already was. In a way, you almost made the decision for him as you stepped forward, embracing him tightly. He had always loved when you had initated hugs or kisses, or affection of any kind, but today, it made his heart hurt. You didn't want him to leave, and he didn't want ot leave you. You were silent as your hands gently pressed against his back, drawing him even closer to you than he was before. Yoongi closed his eyes as he returned the hug, trying to memorize how it felt to hold you like that within his arms. Trying to remember how it felt when the warmth of your body was pressed against his. He had experiened the joy that was hugging you so many times before, but he had never considered it in this perspective. He had almost come to take you for granted, only now realizing what he would be missing out on for the next two months. Yoongi decided then. Screw easy goodbyes that consisted of pulling too quickly as a weak attempt to lessen the pain; it never made the pain better anyway. It only made a person regret not going deeper in that moment, not giving themselves something to store away and hold onto. And that was the thought in Yoongi's head as he pulled back and dipped his head down, eyes rolling closed as he kissed you without any hesitation. That was the thought in his head as he allowed his mouth to open slightly, his tongue beginning to mingle with yours. That was the thought in his head when he continued to kiss you in the doorway of your apartment, in the plain view of the public, likely running very late for the plane he was supposed to be catching with the rest of the group. Saying goodbye wasn't going to be easy, no matter how he approached it. So why give it up so quickly?Both of your breathing was a bit uneven as the kiss was mutually broken with reluctance, Yoongi's forehead pressed against yours in a way that he had done so many times in the past. He hesitated in that position for a moment, debating how much more time he could afford to share some oxygen with you before he really did have to leave. "I love you," you whispered, sending more shocks of sadness throughout Yoongi. He moved again, just once more, allowing his lips to only softly graze across yours. It took every single ounce of strength he had within himself to pull away that final time when all he wanted to do was stay there like that with you forever. "I love you so much," he replied, hesitating for a few short moments more before finally pulling completely, the two of you no longer physically touching at all. "Don't forget to talk to me or I swear I'll kill you," you started, joking as a way to mask the emotion in your voice. Your attempts to remain strong were unsuccessful, however, as the tears that had been building in your eyes finally spilled over. Yoongi desperately wanted to take you back in his arms, kiss the tears of your face, and hold you until the sadness went away. But he knew that if he touched you again it'd be too difficult to pull away again. "I won't forget," he promised, forcing a small smile before giving you one last look, and turning away. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ~THIRD PERSON POV~Several months later, after Bangtan returned from their first tour, everyone finally gathered together again in a church, for the wedding. While you and Yoongi quickly slipped back into your normal routine of seeing one another after he had returned home, it became a rare occurrence to see everyone in Bangtan together at once. Their careers and lives were changing and becoming busier, and there was a significantly less amount of downtime these days. You saw a lot of Namjoon and Hoseok, simply because they were the closest to Yoongi. The other boys, however, you could go weeks without seeing a glimpse of. That's why it was exciting to have everyone finally together in one place again.The time in which Yoongi had been away had not been easy on either one of you. There were a lot of days in which he felt tired and discouraged, knowing the only thing that would lift his spirits would be seeing you. There were days where he felt sad, wishing that you were alongside him, seeing the world with him. There were days where you overly emotional, wanting nothing more than a hug from him. There were days where you be excited about something and want to share it with him, only to be disappointed while remembering that he was thousands of miles away.But, those days were often manageable thanks to modern technology. He called you perhaps a little bit too often, but it never bothered you. Sometimes he could only talk for a minute or two, before getting on another plane, or before another concert. But, there were also numerous skype sessions in the early day or in the late night that lasted for hours. It wasn't as good as being with each in person, but for you to be able to see his face, and for him to be able to see yours, it was good enough. This was a time to catch up on each other's lives, to be refreshed by seeing one another smile, to tease and make jokes like always. "Have you been sleeping in my T-Shirts because you miss me?" Yoongi would often ask you, joking, and not all at the same time.You would often pester him about eating proper meals, getting the right amount of sleep, and drinking enough water. So, he started sending you a picture anytime he ate a proper meal or when he was drinking water. He did this partially to tease you, but also to put your mind at ease that he was really taking care of himself.He would pester you about branching out at your newfound job, telling you that you should try to make friends and go do things with them. He didn't want you to be lonely while he was away. So, you began trying to make friends with someone of your coworkers, sending proof anytime you went out to a meal or a movie with somebody.And truthfully, at the end of the day, neither of you grew worried or insecure while being away from one another. After everything that the two of you had been through together, you both had finally learned how to navigate the career and the relationship. You both finally learned how to love one another, how to take care of each other. That stability in the relationship was wonderful to have, and you both were content and comfortable in it. It was hard for him to be away from you, and it was hard for you to be away from him. But, it was okay. It was bearable. And you both realized it wouldn't be a big deal when it was necessary to endure it again in the future. Your relationship with Yoongi was in the best place it had ever been in, and it was stronger than ever.So, you stood beside him in the front row of the church, the rest of Bangtan in the row behind you. They had all dressed their best, in full suits and jackets, and they had all been excited to be invited to the wedding.Because today, Stevens was marrying Patsy.Yoongi's soft fingers reached for yours, smiling at you as the music began playing and Patsy started her descent down the aisle. Stevens was waiting at the altar, his eyes decorated with tears as he waited for his Bride-To-Be.To say you were both happy for Stevens was an understatement. He was more content with life than you had ever seen him before, and you were glad that he now had a new companion to enjoy life with. Yoongi felt that same way, excited that Stevens wouldn't have to be lonely anymore. Because in a way, Stevens had become somewhat of a father figure for Yoongi after all those months together, and Yoongi only wanted the best for him.The ceremony was simple, short, and to the point. There were very few people invited, making the entire gathering very intimate. You weren't the only one trying to choke back tears as Stevens kissed his bride, and they were announced husband and wife. The wedding was followed by a small cake and punch reception at Youth & Impulse before Stevens and Patsy jetted off to the Bahamas for their honeymoon. "So, should we be expecting to have another one of these soon?" Taehyung asked through a mouthful of cake, his eyes directed toward you and Yoongi. The two of you were standing together by the piano, chatting casually when Taehyung and Namjoon both approached. "Another one of what?" You questioned. "A wedding. Duh," Taehyung rolled his eyes, taking another bite of cake. "Another wedding for who...?" you questioned again, clearly not catching on to what the boy was alluding to, leaving Yoongi chuckling beside you. "You and Yoongi. Duh," Namjoon answered for Taehyung this time, smirking at the both of you. "What?!" you exclaimed, choking on your drink, garnering attention from nearly everyone else at the reception. "Are you okay?" Yoongi laughed, patting your back as your coughing wildly. "Fine," you managed as you tried to get your breathing back to normal. "We've been expecting Yoongi to pop the question for sometime now," Taehyung added, now on the last bite of his cake. "You've what?" you exclaimed again, luckily not while in the middle of a drink this time. You eyed Taehyung. And then Namjoon. And then you turned and eyed Yoongi. He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, sliding a hand into his pocket. "Ah, don't listen to them. They're just trying to make us both feel flustered," Yoongi chuckled, and lied as he felt the diamond ring that resided within his pocket in order to make sure it was still there. He'd been carrying it around with him for a few months now, plotting and holding onto it until he found the perfect time to propose. It wasn't a matter of whether or not he was going to propose, it was now simply a matter of when. And the other boys knew that, making it for them to tease you both. "It's fun to make you embarrassed," Namjoon joined in on the laughter, slyly winking at Yoongi when he thought you wouldn't notice. The reception rounded off just an hour later, as Stevens and Patsy had to leave to catch their flight on time. Namjoon and Taehyung's comments had left you slightly paranoid and shaken up, but Yoongi seemed cooler than ever. You were on edge for the entire walk home with him, waiting for him to say something as you wondered what the strange comments were about. And just as you had finally calmed down and decided that you were being irrational, Yoongi spoke. "Do you have plans on Tuesday night?" "Youth & Impulse is closed for Stevens and Patsy's honeymoon, so no.""Go out with me then?""You don't have to work?""Nope.""What do you want to do then?""You'll see."You crossed your arms, irritated by how vague he was being. "What does that mean?""I mean I haven't planned anything, so you'll see on Tuesday what we end up doing," Yoongi flashed a teasing smile, irritating you even farther. "Does this...by chance...have anything to do with the comment Taehyung made earlier?" you pressed, even though you knew it was unlikely you'd get a serious answer out of him. He chuckled at your poor attempts to gain information. "You'll see," he smiled again, the ring between his fingers as the two of you walked in silence the rest of the way home. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- First off, I just wanted to say a big thank you for reading this far! Thank you for the support, the votes, and the comments! I appreciate all of your support a ton, and it has helped get me this far!Second, I'm sorry to those of you who wanted me to extend this story a bit father. I thought about it for a long time, and I honestly just felt like it was time to end it. It was a total of 60,000 words, started on May 24, 2017 and finished on July 29, 2017! A rather quick turn around if I do say so myself ;)Please don't be too sad, though! As I'm planning on writing an x reader in this similar style for every single member of Bangtan. I will be posting those to AO3 in the next few days. My main focus for now is going to be Youth (Jung Hoseok x Reader) and Stay (Kim Namjoon x Reader.)Each story for each member will be very different, so I hope if you liked this story, that you may like one of the other ones.Here are my other social medias if you'd like to keep up with me on there;YouTube: JustMattieInstagram: @ / justmattieTwitter: @ / justmattie_Wattpad: @ / mattiesworldMuch love!x Mattie
11006298
Bonnie and Clyde
{ "Archive Warning": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Gigi Hadid, Simon Cowell, Liam Payne", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by WhereistheLarry", "chapters": "11/11", "completed": "2017-06-20", "published": "2017-05-26T00:00:00", "words": "20,554", "Additional Tags": "Minor Character Death, Serial Killers, Sex, Anal Sex, Psychopaths In Love, Possessive Behaviour, Maybe triggering events but I'm just warning you, be prepared, Blood", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan/Liam Payne", "Series": "Bonnie and Clyde", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Harry and Louis were the Bonnie and Clyde of the 21st century. No one knew who they were as they had managed to stay undercover so well. However, they always assumed that a killer couple was going around. They had settled in Worcester, Massachusetts, and they loved it. It was a quiet neighbourhood where they were rarely disturbed. Harry and Louis preferred working as a team instead of individually. Over the years they had become accustomed to relying on each other. They both had each other's backs and made sure that people never knew who they really were. It was rare for one of them to make a mistake when they were together. They knew how to disappear out of sight without a trace and people never suspected them of anything. They would only smile whenever they saw the missing people notices in the papers the next morning. They enjoyed killing people for fun. They decided to never work for anyone as they couldn’t trust outsiders. They craved the feeling of seeing red blood dripping down skin or watching the life drain out of someone’s eyes.You would never suspect that a small boy like Louis would be able to commit such a crime but all things wicked must have been innocent at one point. Harry always had something about him that seemed to freak his parents out. From a young age, he had been interested in horror films that showed violent killings or he would pay particular attention to news about serial killers. They had known each other only for five years, but they both realised that they had the same interests when Harry came across Louis slicing someone’s throat open. Louis was surprised when Harry confessed that he too killed people, he was afraid that Harry would leave him once he saw the dead person. It was a learning process for both of them as they learnt something new from each other and were soon the most famous unknown killer couple in Massachusetts.They created a small home to make them look like they were a sweet homely couple. They did not want to draw attention towards them.They weren't married, but they were engaged. Harry finally had the guts to propose to him after three years of being together. Harry had got down on one knee just after they had murdered someone. Both their hands slightly bloody and spots of blood painted their faces. It was the best night of Louis’ life in his opinion. “Louis? Did you want to go on a ‘date’?” Harry asked from behind him. “Yeah, I’m starting to feel like I need one, it’s been a while.”Their ‘dates’ often meant going out to look for someone to kill. They hadn’t done one for a few weeks, being more interested in each other rather than looking for their next target. They had quite busy lives, killing aside, and they didn’t have much time to go on their ‘dates’.“I’ll get it ready, Boo, you can get your beautiful self ready."Louis laughed as he sent a wink in Harry’s direction. He ran off towards the bedroom, his eyes drifting over Louis’ body. Harry went over to their cupboard, grabbing their duffel bag from inside. He slipped on some shoes and decided not to wear a coat. It was summer, who wore a coat in the summertime?“You ready Haz?”“Hmm…? Yeah, let’s go.” Harry grinned as he saw what Louis was wearing. He had a denim romper that came halfway up his thighs with a plain white short sleeved top underneath. A dark blue denim jacket was to be kept with him in case he got cold. Louis had some blue VANS on with white frilly socks. A pink headscarf was tied in his fluffy hair as well.“Hey Lou, you look great” Harry smirked. “I know,” Louis grinned as he wiggled his bum at Harry.“You know, I’ll just end up fucking you right on this couch if you do that.” “I wouldn’t mind,” Louis whispered seductively as he pecked Harry on the lips then strutted off to the car in their garage. Harry shook his head, his long hair falling in front of his face, before he walked off, following Louis into the garage. Louis had already hopped into their old Mustang and sat in the passenger seat. He slipped on a pair of Harry’s aviators that he always wore that was in Harry’s glove compartment. “Are those mine?” Harry said as he chucked the bag into the backseat. “You know I love these glasses babe.”Harry just smiled, starting up the car before they started on their long journey. ~~~ Louis perched his feet up on the dashboard, ankles crossed over each other and head tilted back. It was a long journey to the bar they sometimes headed to whenever they were looking for someone to kill. The reason they drove two hours to get there is that they didn’t want the people in their town asking questions or being nosey. So they moved to another town, a smaller town that was a two hours drive away from where they lived so no one would raise any suspicion about them. They had been on this highway for an hour now, and Louis had already fallen asleep. It was quite warm, so the hood didn't need to be up, and Louis liked getting a tan sometimes. Harry agreed that he loved it when he looked slightly golden. Harry’s thoughts soon turned to the ring on Louis’ finger. When would they get married? Maybe after this kill, they’ll start to plan their wedding. They had been engaged for around six months but had never actually brought up anything about the wedding. It was late in the afternoon. By the time they got there, the sun was starting to set. They preferred working at night anyway, people couldn't see them as well, and no one paid attention. They just wanted to get home. “Wake up baby.” Louis sighed, turning his head to the side and some of his bangs fell in front of the aviators. He stretched out his body and got rid of all the kinks in his back. He lazily turned to face Harry, his lips curling into a smile when he laid his eyes upon Harry. He smirked back at him before Louis leant forward to kiss Harry. Lazily his tongue slipped into Harry’s mouth, and he smirked against his lips before pulling away.“Let’s go, I’ll put the roof up.” Louis hummed, lifting his feet off of the dashboard and stepping out of the car. The front of the car looked like an interesting place to sit while he waited for Harry. A sigh had escaped his lips before he leant back against the hood of the car. He slowly stretched his body out and sighed before slipping his eyes closed. He knew that Harry was looking at him every so often, but he just smirked to himself. Five minutes later, Harry had the roof up and soon they were off towards the nearest bar. The town they would go to was quite quiet. The streets were lonesome and mostly dusty. It was still very musty at night. Louis grinned as he saw the bar, it was busy at this time of day, people were just starting to come in, and it was crowded enough for them to not be noticed. They managed to grab a table near the corner of the bar and slid into the seats. “Seen anyone yet?” Harry often let Louis choose who they killed as he knew that Louis liked getting his way, and he couldn't refuse Louis in the first place. Louis’ eyes flickered around under his glasses, staring at all the possible victims they could have their way with. Harry saw Louis’ head stop on someone and he glanced over to see who it was. “Good choice,” he muttered. It was a man of average build, he was slightly taller than Louis, but he had messily styled dirty blonde hair. He held a glass of beer while talking to another guy. He was wearing a lot of denim and a loose tank top underneath. Louis slid off his glasses and handed them to Harry. He was about to get up, but Harry stopped him with a raised eyebrow.“I’m gonna need that ring of your's baby, don't want him knowing that you're engaged otherwise, what’s the point?” Harry said, holding out the palm of his hand.“I understand,” Louis sighed as he took the ring off of his finger and handed it over to Harry. “As much as I want everyone to know you're mine, I want this to be successful, I think we both kinda need this.”“Yeah, you’re right. Take good care of it. I’ll be back soon,” Louis grinned. Harry watched as Louis strutted over to the guy, he was now alone and took the seat where he once sat. ~~~ “What drink is that?” Louis asked as he turned to the man beside him.He looked over at Louis, his eyes flickering over his body before a smirk etched its way onto his face. “It’s a Stella Artois.”“Can I try some? I’m thinking of buying a drink, but I don't know what to get.” Louis pouted.“Sure! have a sip,” he smiled.Louis admits that he did look cute, but Harry was way more attractive. Louis smiled as soon as the glass was handed to him. He let the alcoholic drink pass by his lips, his eyelashes fluttering up at the man before handing him the glass. The bitter taste didn't really appeal to him, but he could take it.The man raised his eyebrows at him in a questioning manner. “Do you like it?”“I think I’m more of a vodka man rather than beer.”He laughed at Louis’ comment then took a sip from his glass. “How about I buy you a drink?”“You would? How kind of you,” Louis grinned, making sure to show off some of his teeth. “I’ll do some with you.” Louis smirked as two shots were handed to them. “Cheers,” Louis said, clinking their glasses together. Louis winced as soon as the vodka went down his throat and ended up giggling afterwards. “Where did your friend go?” the guy asked, eyes flickering over to the table he sat at.“He was only dropping me off, he said he would pick me up later. If he can’t, I’ll make my own way home.”“Hmm, alright then. You know there've been rumours about people being kidnapped during the night. It may not be safe for you at this time as it is quite dark outside. I wouldn’t want your beautiful self getting hurt.”“I’m not from around here, I’m only stopping by for a few days. I’ve not heard anything,” Louis said, a frown on his face. He knew he was talking about them but hid that he was aware of anything. “Maybe I could take you back to mine and protect you for the night,” the man asked and Louis could see the slight look of worry on his face. Inside, he rolled his eyes but out came a laugh.“I don't need protecting-” -the man frowned- “-but how about we go to my hotel room, then you won’t have to worry about me not getting back safely.” The man grinned. “How about we go now then?”“You don't know my name yet?” Louis smirked as he faced the bar.“I’m so sorry! How rude of me! What is your name?”“William,” he stated, holding out a hand for him to shake.“I’m Jonathan, what about your friend?”“If you wanted to go with my friend you could have told me unless you wanted a threesome but I don't know if he is into that.”His eyes widened. “No! No! I don’t! You know what, let’s just go before I embarrass myself anymore.”“Good idea.”They both got up from the bar, Louis spotting Harry hiding in the crowd and he sent him a reassuring nod. Jonathan led them both out of the bar not noticing Harry walk to Louis to give him a knife and some cloth. He quickly slipped it into the inside pocket of his jacket without him noticing. “I think I remember where to go,” Louis muttered to himself. They walked down the dark street, only a few street lights were on which made it better for Louis. “Hey, this alleyway is a shortcut if you wanted to take it,” Louis said, hoping that he would take the bait. “Sure.” Louis smiled as they turned down the alleyway, reaching into his pocket for the knife and the cloth. The alley was dark so it was easy for Louis to wield the knife in his hand before he had it pressed to the edge of the man’s throat.It happened very quickly. One second they were walking down the alleyway, and the next Louis had the guy in a stronghold with a knife against his throat.“Make one noise, and I’ll slit your throat,” Louis growled.Jonathan nodded ferociously as Louis pressed the knife harder against his throat for emphasis. He managed to draw a little bit of blood, smiling when he whimpered. “We’re gonna take a little walk to that car over there, make a move, and you’ll be dead in seconds,” Louis threatened, and again Jonathan nodded quickly. He was motioning to the Mustang that Harry had parked at the other end of the short alleyway. He nudged them forward, quickly making their way to the car without any noise. “Get in the car,” Louis muttered, and Jonathan easily obliged when Louis pressed the knife harder against his throat. He slid into the car next to him and had the knife digging into Jonathan’s back again.Louis held the cloth that had chloroform on it around his mouth and waited for him to pass out. Jonathan’s eyelids immediately fluttered closed, his body leaning forward until he fell onto the floor of the car. Louis smiled as he saw Jonathan passed out on the floor then slid a large blanket over his body. He didn't want anyone looking in their car to see a body lying on the floor. “Good job, Lou.”“Thanks, babe, I have done this quite often if you didn't know.”Harry had already driven the few miles it took to get to the edge of the town and they were glad that they had made it this far. “I know that baby, you’re my partner in crime,” he smirked. “Did you want to come and sit in the front with me?” “Mhmm…” Louis hummed before climbing over the seats to sit beside Harry, managing to do so before the lights changed. “How did you want to do it this time?” Louis thought for a few seconds before finally getting the idea of how to kill him. “We should do it slowly, he was trying to flirt with me,” Louis pouted, and he could see Harry’s grip on the wheel tightened. “Make it extra painful for him.”  Harry nodded just as they exited town, making their way down to their secret hideout. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Louis had managed to fall asleep in the hour it took them to get to their old abandoned barn. They had found it back when they first started making killings together, and it was the perfect place. They were able to keep things in there without anyone suspecting a thing as no one lived within a few kilometres of the barn. It was an old and derelict barn that they had remodified a while ago. The inside was stacked inside with many weapons that they needed, and they didn't need to worry about anyone coming in. They were surrounded by a cornfield that seemed to hide the barn even more. Today the night sky was pitch black, but the moon was shining brightly and illuminating the area for them. The stars were shining bright, and only a few small clouds drifted across. “Lou, wake up, we’re here,” he smiled as he gently shook Louis’ sleeping body. Louis hummed before slowly stretching his body out. His eyes seemed to glimmer as they laid sight of the barn outside. The thrill of their endeavours came to his body. It had been way too long. His feet came off of the dash, and Harry and Louis were soon climbing out of the car, with Louis not forgetting his ring. He stretched once more just as Harry went to grab the body from the back of the car. He took certain steps towards the barn and soon was able to unlock the ageing doors and push them open. He waited for Harry to walk inside before pushing the door closed. “Come here baby; I want a kiss,” Harry smiled at Louis then grabbed one of his arms to pull him in for a kiss. “Let’s go, we’ve got things to do,” Louis said giddily as he skipped off further inside the barn. Harry carried the limp body towards a chair that Louis had dragged over. Louis grinned once Harry had dropped the body onto the chair, placing a quick peck on his lips. “Lou,” Harry said as he came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. He dragged his sinful lips down Louis’ neck until he reached the curve of his neck. Louis whined as Harry bit down on his pulse point and became lax in his arms. “Harry, n-not now.”“Why not, Baby?” “He could wake up s-soon. Could see us?” Louis panted. “I wouldn't mind,” Harry said as he licked over a newly forming bruise on his neck. Louis let out a shaky breath as Harry pulled him backwards, slowly making their way into the shadows. Harry pushed him against a tall wooden beam that ran from the floor to the ceiling. His large hands grabbed at his thighs and hoisted them around his waist.“Haz,” he whispered.His eyes rolled to the back of his head once Harry ground into his hips. His whole body felt weaker as Harry’s hands roamed his body. Louis barely heard the groan from the man sitting in the chair as he was too far gone to know what was happening around him.“Haz. H-He’s awake.”“Let him hear it. Let him listen to what he can’t have.”Louis moaned again as Harry cupped his bulge, gently squeezing him through his jeans. Louis gasped before giggling when Harry sucked at his neck.“Let’s go now boo.”Louis pouted before looking up at Harry through his eyelashes. “B-But I’m hard now.”“S’okay, we’ll carry on later.” “But, Daddy.”“Not now, Baby” Harry muttered back. Louis huffed as he was placed down on his feet and went to walk away. He yelped when Harry grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back to his chest. He let out a shaky breath as Harry glared down at him, hanging his head in shame.“Sorry, Daddy,” he whispered.“Good,” Harry smiled then let him go.Louis blushed when Harry kissed him then walked away. His eyes widened then gleamed as his head whipped around to look at the man. A smile edged his way onto his face before he walked towards Jonathan. His smirk widened as he saw the fear in his eyes. He loved seeing how afraid their victims could get off of them, even before they had done anything to them. “Hi,” Louis giggled as he stepped closer to him. Louis stopped just in front of Jonathan and stared down at him. His sharp blue eyes seemed to look deep into the man's soul. The intimidating glare made him look away from him and down at his lap. “Are you scared of me? I thought that you wanted me earlier.” Louis grinned when he didn't answer and slid a hand under his chin. He quickly brought his head up to look at him, and a groan left his mouth. “Didn’t your momma ever tell you not to trust strangers?” he sighed. “You’re gonna love it with us. We’ll promise to make your last moments as enjoyable as possible…Well for us anyway,” Harry joined in with Louis’ laughter. Louis sighed before placing himself on Jonathan’s lap. Louis felt him try to get away from him, but he just smiled. “Do you want to know something?” he frowned before Louis quickly hit him in the back of the head with the handle of a knife. His head fell forward on Louis’ shoulder, and he was still again. “I guess I’ll have to tell you later.” ~~~   Louis smiled when Harry came up behind him. He was carefully using the knife to cut off the man’s clothes. He didn't want to cut him too early.“Hey,” he whispered as he sliced open his top. “Don’t hurt him yet.”“I won’t do that Haz.”Harry pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You can do whatever you like with him. It’s your turn to go first.”“Oh yeah,” Louis took off the guys jacket and then his top, leaving him bare-chested. “Do you wanna take him?”“Sure,” Harry replied before picking up his limp body.   ~~~ It was only a few moments later when he woke up. They laid him on a metal table with his body strapped onto it. He gasped quickly before trying to shake his arms out of the tight straps.“There’s no use trying,” He froze instantly as he heard Harry’s deep voice. “At least you listen.”They saw his eyes flicker around looking for the voice that it came from. Harry slid on some surgical gloves onto his hands and slowly came into view of the man.“Please, let me go!”“And why should I do that?” he smiled as he was handed a tool by Louis. “I don’t understand why I’m here?”Louis smiled at his agitation. “For our pleasure.”“Please! Just let me go!”“Stop with your incessant whining. Just be glad we won’t do anything to your face.”“Haz…Be nice,” Louis smiled when he stood beside him. He also had some latex gloves on and another tool in his hand. “And who says we aren’t going to do anything to his face” he laughed.The knife in Harry’s hand was sharpened exactly to Harry’s liking. They always made sure to have fun with whoever they were playing with and made it especially painful for the person. Louis grinned widely as he walked round to one side of the table. The knife in his hand lightly skimmed the skin of his body. He felt Jonathan tense underneath the cold metal, but he wasn't moving too much at the moment. “He’s a good one.”Louis let the knife dig a bit deeper into his skin. “I think that he’s broken Haz, he doesn't seem to be making any noise.” Harry laughed. “I think you're right.”He quickly stabbed the knife into his side which released a shrill scream. A shiver ran down his spine as his voice cracked. He dragged the knife down through his flesh, the hard muscle making it difficult to manoeuvre. He smiled as he took the bloody knife out of his body, the skin around him drenched in blood. It was Harry’s turn now, and he moved around to stand beside him. He knew exactly what he would do and when he wrote ‘HS’ into his skin, he placed a kiss on his cheek. “Before you flirt with someone, maybe you should check what their status is,” Louis taunted as he showed him his ring. Jonathan’s eyes widened as if he wanted to say something but before he could answer Harry suddenly stabbed him in the stomach. He released a loud groan in pain and scrunched his hands tightly together. “Don’t accuse him of anything,” Harry growled. “Babe, can you get me the saw please?” “Of course, Haz.” As soon as he turned away, Jonathan let out a loud screech. He reached for the saw on Harry’s neatly set out table. Harry liked precision and accuracy so whenever they did something it was always meant to be following a plan of some sort. If that didn't happen then, it made Harry feel uncomfortable.He walked over to Harry just as he saw him slice a cut down his chest. He handed him the object that he asked for when Harry paused for a bit.“Now for our favourite part,” he grinned.   ~~~ They were taking some of the dismembered limbs away from the metal table. They had finished with his body. They had had their fun. Harry had his weakly beating heart in his hand. They always kept the heart they had for a few days before burning it at their house. “Louis?” he called once he saw him throw some of his limbs into the fire. “Yes, Baby?”“You nearly done?”“Yeah, only a little bit left.”Harry nodded as he cleaned off some of the access blood on the table. The rest was drained into a small container underneath the table.“We need to go back soon; people will notice that we’ve gone.” “I’m coming Haz; it won’t be too long.”A few minutes later and he began to weaken the fire until it stopped and all that was left was a huge pile of black ash. Louis had smiled before he walked over to Harry who had already cleaned off all their tools and put them away in a safe. “Come on Lou, let’s go home, babe”“Wait a second,” Louis frowned as he rubbed over his hands.“What is it, Lou?” “My ring? I can’t find it,” Louis whispered as he searched.“What do you mean you can’t find it?” Harry replied with a bit of anger already starting to come through.“I-It’s not on my hand,” he cried when he got on his knees to search for his ring.“Well, you better find it, Lou. You know how much it means to me.”Louis frantically brushed his hands through the ash. His heart raced as he realised he wasn't getting any closer to finding it. “It means a lot to me too Harry!”Harry sighed angrily as he helped to find his ring. Louis happily gasped when he saw the shining metal of his ring buried under some of the ashes. Luckily it wasn’t damaged. He hurriedly slipped onto his finger, clasping it tightly in his hand. “I found it,” he smiled. Harry muttered something under his breath before pulling Louis up from the floor. “Let’s go.”Louis didn't say anything as Harry took him towards the car. Louis silently climbed into the car as Harry turned the car on. “I’m sorry, Haz,” he started when they were a few minutes into their drive.“It’s fine, Louis.” Louis sighed when he didn't use his usual nickname for him. He knew that Harry was angry, he could see it in his eyes. He turned to Harry who was staring straight ahead at the road. He decided to leave Harry alone. Instead, he went to sleep, not wanting to do anything else wrong. ~~~ Louis woke up back at their home and in their bed. It was pitch black and silent, apart from the small snores of Harry. He turned around to face Harry, who's back was turned to him, and he frowned. Louis sighed before turning to face the other way. He didn't understand why Harry was still upset with him. Normally he wouldn't be like this, but he never ignored Louis for too long. Maybe they should talk about it in the morning, at least his mood could have changed by then. He laid his head back on his pillow, snuggling closer to Harry. Louis was starting to feel the tiredness kick in and ended up falling back asleep.  ~~~  It was way too quiet when Louis woke up. He sleepily rubbed his eyes before letting out a yawn and stretching his arms out. He turned his head to the side and frowned when he noticed that Harry wasn’t there. “Harry,” he whispered groggily. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, why wasn’t he here? Louis became more alert when he heard the door unlock and he stared at the door while he waited for something to happen. The sound of loud footsteps which he recognised as Harry’s were running up the stairs and a faint smile appeared on his face. He gasped when the door to their bedroom was slammed open, and Harry ran into the room.“Har-”“Louis, get up now!” “W-What?” Louis stuttered.“Hurry up; we need to go!”“Why?”Harry stopped to look at him. “Because someone is after us.”“Who?!”“Louis, I’ll explain later, but we have to go now.”“No, you’re telling me now,” he said, folding his arms afterwards.“Louis, listen to me, we’re leaving now. Unless you want to get killed.” Louis stayed silent. “Now get changed,” Harry growled, and Louis nodded, quietly sulking to himself as he got out of bed.He quickly changed into another outfit of a dark tracksuit before grabbing a packed bag from underneath their bed. He chucked Harry his bag who muttered a quiet ‘thank you’ before they headed downstairs. They both slipped on some shoes and then headed for their kitchen.Louis gasped in surprise when Harry brought him in for a kiss. “I didn’t mean to shout at you earlier Lou; I just wish you would trust me and listen to what I tell you.”Louis’ eyes had widened before he looked down at his feet. “No, no, I do trust you Haz, and I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, you’re right.”“Good boy, you know I only mean well,” he smiled, stroking the back of Louis’ head and kissing him straight after.  Harry looked out of the window behind them, and his jaw clenched.  “We need to go; they’re here.”  Louis tried to turn his head to the side to look, but Harry stopped him.  “Don’t look, come on.”  Harry grabbed his hands then took a gun as they headed for a secret door.  “Take this gun Louis,” he said, handing him a gun after.“I don’t k-know if I should take it.”“I need you to be safe,” Harry whispered. “I will be Harry. I’ve got you” Louis smiled. Harry had pecked his lips before they ran through the door that led to an underground getaway path. They had installed a pathway that ran for about 500m in case they needed to get away.Just as Louis closed the door and locked it, he heard the sound of the door being forced open.“Lou come on!” Harry whispered as he hurried down the stairs. Their motorcycle had already started up, and Harry had his helmet on. Louis quickly slid onto the back and placed on the second available helmet. He made sure their bags were securely in place before they lurched forward into action. Louis wrapped his arms around Harry’s waist while they travelled. The long and dimly lit carried on for a few minutes. He turned his head back to look at the path disappear behind them, and it got him thinking. Where were they going to go? They didn't have anyone they could go to. Their family were too far away for them to get there, not that any of them would accept them anyway. He saw the opening of the road just ahead of them, and the locked gate was there between them and the chance to escape. Harry climbed off the motorcycle, using the key to unlock the gate, he pushed it open revealing the extended road ahead of them. Harry was instantly back on the bike and was driving down the road in no time. Louis smiled as he realised that they were free. They had escaped. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- They drove far away until they ended up at a desolate motel. They had arrived in the neighbouring state of New Hampshire. It was close to nightfall with the autumn nights getting shorter and shorter. Harry booked them a room to stay in for two days. They didn't want to hang around for too long due to not wanting to get caught. They had parked their motorcycle outside and made sure to keep themselves hidden.  It was time for them to go to their room. They didn't expect much; it was a motel after all, but it did look pretty decent. With a nice bed and an old TV, a small ensuite bathroom and some chairs around the room. Most of it was a murky brown colour or a forest green. “You okay Haz?” Harry didn’t answer as he paced over to the bed and threw his bag onto the floor. “Babe” he sighed. “Are you still angry?”“Am I still angry?! We almost got caught, Lou! And you lost your ring.”“You’re still angry about that?” Louis scoffed, turning towards him.“Of course I am! You’re meant to take better care of things like this.”“Harry, you know I didn’t mean to lose it. I love this ring with all my heart, and I know this means a lot to you,” Louis sighed, thinking back to when Harry last explained this to him.Harry was previously going to be engaged to someone else, but they denied him. He remembered how Harry told him how humiliated and angry he felt, which eventually led him to kill them. “But you should look after it!” he exclaimed furiously.“Harry?! Please, I didn't mean to!” he pleaded.“Make sure it doesn't happen again,” he muttered as he reached behind him. Louis gasped when he saw the knife in Harry’s hand being pointed in his direction. “Haz…Put the knife down,” he breathed out firmly. “Louis, I’m not going to-”“Put. The. Knife. D-Down” Louis said. This time his voice came out shakier than before.“Louis, it’s-”“Put the knife down, Harry!” he yelled before pulling out his gun from his back pocket. Harry instantly froze as Louis pointed the gun directly at him. “Louis, you wouldn't shoot me would you?” Harry questioned as he stepped closer to him without any warning.Louis remained silent as Harry moved even closer to him. Louis held the gun shakily in his hand while Harry looked at him with his emerald green eyes. “You wouldn't shoot me would you?” Harry asked again.“Stay back and drop the knife, Haz,” he said weakly. “Lou?” Harry questioned as he stopped a metre in front of him. “Put the gun down.”Louis’ hand was shaking with tears going to his eyes. He knew he wouldn’t- couldn't shoot Harry, he loved him too much and to even pull the trigger would take so much willpower for him to do it. He didn't realise Harry was right in front of him before he felt him lower his hand towards the ground. By now, Louis was crying and couldn't see anything out of his eyes. He felt Harry’s hand stroking over his cheek, lightly rubbing the tears away. He was slightly scared and could feel his heart racing. “Shh, Lou. It’s okay, Baby” Harry said as he stuck the knife in the wall right beside his head. Louis whimpered at the noise of the knife but soon relaxed as Harry touched his face. “You know I would never purposefully hurt you, baby. Don’t you?” Louis nodded as Harry slid a hand around his waist. “I love you,” he whispered as he slid a hand into Louis’ hair. “I love you too.” “You’ll love me forever, and I will love you too,” Harry murmured.“I w-will,” he sniffled when Harry rested their heads together.“Good,” he smiled.Harry slid their lips together, smiling when he heard the gun drop on the floor. Louis gasped as Harry pulled them ever so tightly together, the kiss leaving Louis yearning for breath. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Language baby.” Louis was lost for breath as Harry ground down onto his hips. He had a leg resting in between Louis’ thighs. His large hands slid down to his thighs, tightly clasping onto the muscle of his legs. Harry lifted him up in one swift motion, and he encased his legs around his hips. A smirk ghosted over his lips when Louis moaned quietly. “Lou,” Harry whispered as he sat them down on the bed.Louis sat on his lap with their hips joined. He would occasionally deeply rut his hips against Harry and managed to emit some moans from his lips. Harry’s hands slid down to Louis’ arse, sliding under the material of his skinny blue jeans. He groaned when he felt the material of Louis’ lace panties. Louis had been wearing panties for a long time, but they were starting to become even more frequent.Harry hurriedly pulled off Louis’ skinny jeans, revelling in the sight of Louis’ ass. His hands pulled on his striped top and took it off, then dropped it on the ground. Louis was left in his black lingerie with Harry greedily eying his body. He loved that Louis was only his, only he could see his body and he was all his for only him to touch. Louis smiled as Harry’s hands roamed his body until he finally touched his erect penis. “Haz,” he whispered. Louis whimpered as Harry bit and sucked at his neck, possibly releasing a bit of blood from his skin breaking. Louis slowly ran his hands over Harry’s jeans and unbuttoned it. He helped Harry take off his jeans and soon had his top off as well. “Lou, you ready? I’m doing it without a condom.” Louis nodded happily and let himself be pushed back onto the bed. “As much as I want you to be loud for me, I don't want to disturb the other guests.” “I thought you usually didn't care about other people, Haz,” Louis smirked. “I know baby; I just don't want people knowing that we are here.” “It’s okay,” he grinned.“All I want to do is wreck you right now,” Harry mumbled.“I want you to ruin me as well.”Harry snickered quietly. “As long as you're ready for it baby.” ~~~ Their sex always was extreme. Maybe they did have a bit of a blood kink if the scars on their body were anything to go by. Louis loved the times when Harry would get a bit of blood out of him, seeing the red liquid drip down his skin. Whenever it got to the next morning, he would always look at the cuts and bruises on his skin with a smile on his face. Harry was always a bit rough, which he liked, but would take good care of him. He would never push Louis too far but he never really had any boundaries, so it didn't matter. Louis groaned as Harry fucked him hard. His hips banged against Louis with a hard force, ever so slightly moving him up the bed. Louis was loudly whimpering as Harry pushed into him. His legs tightly wrapped themselves around Harry’s waist. Louis loved that he was being held closely by Harry. Harry grabbed onto Louis’ thighs, his fingers digging into the flesh and his nails managed to scratch into his skin. A few drops of blood trickled down his tanned skin and down his legs until it reached the bed. “Come on Lou, cum for Daddy.”“Y-Yes, Daddy,” Louis moaned as some cum leaked out of his aching cock. Harry smiled as Louis turned his head away, his eyes squeezed shut when he felt the familiar coil in his body. He squeezed his eyes shut against tears. “I-I.”“Go on baby”Louis let out a silent scream as he came. Spurts of white cum shot out of him, landing on various parts of his chest. Some managed to get onto Harry as he came not too long after. He continued to ride their orgasms out until they had both calmed down from their highs.Harry pulled out of Louis’ sensitive hole. He watched the liquid drip out of his wet hole. Louis looked completely blissed out, in his own little world as Harry moved down his body. He licked over a few droplets of blood and a few cuts that he had made. He then licked over some of the strips of cum before moving to kiss Louis. Louis moaned as he tasted himself in his mouth. Louis sighed and let his eyes slip shut. Harry had stopped kissing him and this time ended up shuffling down his body. Louis gasped when Harry licked over his sensitive hole. His eyes shot open as he tightly gripped onto Harry’s hair. “H-Harry, it h-hurts.” “You’ve dealt with much worse before baby” Harry replied before continuing to rim him. Louis loudly moaned as he was eaten out, Harry lapping and sucking at his hole. Once Harry had finished, he smiled up at Louis, who was laying blissfully on the bed.“Lou,” he whispered. “Yeah.”“You okay?” Louis hummed as Harry climbed up to be beside him. “Let me clean you up, Babe.”Harry ran into the motel bathroom and grabbed some tissues. He ran back to wipe the rest of his cum off of his body and grinned when Louis pulled him into a kiss. “Can we go to bed now?” Louis said.“Sure babe, it’s getting late.” They climbed into the bed and shuffled closer together. Harry pulled Louis closer to him before giving him a love bite on his neck. Louis giggled as Harry continued to bite at his neck. “Harry! Harry stop!” he laughed. He only smiled into his neck, and he wouldn't let him escape.“Haz, baby!” Harry finally pulled away, pleased with the mark on his skin. “Love you, only you.” “I love you too, Haz.” ~~~  Harry woke up with a yawn. He didn't know what time it was, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Louis wasn't with him.  “Lou,” he muttered. “I’m awake Haz.” “Where are you?” “I’m in front of the bed.” Harry turned around in the bed and looked over at Louis. He wore one of Harry’s white tops. As he was marginally smaller than Harry, the large top managed to make him look tiny. The top came to his mid-thighs and was loose over his body. Harry sat up as he looked over Louis’ body. He probably had some lace panties on him which made Harry smirk. “Lou, come here.” Louis obediently climbed onto the bed, making sure to look particularly seductive while crawling over to him. He stared straight at him with a hint of a smirk on his face.Louis grinned when Harry pulled him into his lap. He sat on his lap over the covers as Harry wrapped his arms around the curve of his back. “I like you in my tops.”“I know, you've told me before,” he giggled. “I just wanted to remind you, Princess,” Louis hummed as Harry stroked over his back. “I’m gonna have a shower.”Louis nodded then climbed off of Harry. Harry kissed his cheek before climbing out of bed. Harry was still naked from yesterday, and he didn't mind being nude, it was just Louis there anyway. He grabbed his towel then headed for the small bathroom.  He didn't spend too much time in there, deciding to take a quick shower instead. He got out of the shower after five minutes and dried himself off with a towel. He came out with his towel hanging low around his waist.  Harry walked in on Louis trying to get a spider off the ceiling. He was balancing on the bed and had a cup with some paper in his hands. He held the cup over the spider, sliding the paper underneath. Harry smiled when he saw him concentrating with his tongue out. He walked over to stand just behind him, which he didn't seem to notice. He heard Louis gasp when Harry nestled his head in his thighs, just under the curve of his bum. “Harry” he giggled. “You’ll make me drop the spider on you.” Harry just huffed into the top as it was covering his arse before biting at a bit of his exposed skin and leaving a mark. Louis gasped again but this time glared at Harry who just smirked at him. He helped Louis climb down from the bed as his hands weren't free and let him walk to the window to throw it away.Louis walked back until he bumped into Harry’s chest. Harry held onto Louis from behind, pulling his body close to him. Harry kissed his neck carefully and slowly, making Louis sigh happily. Louis whined when Harry moved away to get changed. He slipped on his jeans after dropping off of his towel and quickly pulled them on. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Louis biting his lips. Harry smiled at him before pulling him in by his waist and into a kiss. Louis gasped as Harry slightly dipped him and kissed him long and hard. Harry kept him in his grip as he pushed him back towards the bed. Louis quietly giggled when Harry pushed his top up, rubbing his hands over his sides. Harry slowly pulled away from his tempting lips until he hovered his face in front of his mouth.“Get up on the bed baby.”Louis frowned but didn't question it as Harry helped him onto the bed. He was standing and facing Harry. His eyes held a certain look of fond in them as he ran a delicate hand over Harry’s face. Louis laughed when Harry stuck his head under his shirt. He began to nibble at his stomach and parts of his thighs, leaving small red marks over his body. His head rubbed over Louis’ lace panties, and Louis laughed at him. Harry felt Louis wrap a hand around the back of his neck, rubbing along the nape gently. Harry uncovered himself from his hideout under the top and gave Louis a small smile. Their heads both turned when they heard someone stop outside the door. Harry quickly grabbed the two guns laying on the bedside table and handed one to Louis. They both pointed their guns at the door.“Can I come in?” a feminine voice said.“Who is it?” Louis asked.“Room Service!” she replied. “Lou, I’ll go, stay here,” Harry whispered.“Harry, no, it’s fine I’ll go.” Harry stared at him before sighing. “Alright, I’ll have your back.”Louis slowly approached the door, looking through the keyhole when he got there. A woman with light blonde hair tied in a ponytail. She was wearing casual clothing with a leather jacket on top.  He turned back to nod at Harry before opening the door. As he lifted his hand to put the gun up to the person, the gun got whacked out of his hands, and he was quickly put into a choke hold. His back was pressed against a firm chest, and he gasped when a gun was held to his head.“You wouldn’t want your boy to get hurt now Styles, would you?” the woman said, and he could hear the smirk in her voice.Louis coughed when her grip around his neck tightened.“Let go of him Gigi,” Harry growled.“Now why would I do that?” “Leave him alone; he has nothing to do with this.”“You two don’t work together? I thought you two were engaged? Why wouldn’t you tell him what you do behind his back?"Louis frowned as he looked at Harry, his eyebrows deeply furrowed. “W-What does she mean Haz?”“Go on, tell him, otherwise there will be a bullet going straight through his head,” she smiled.“I-”“Tell. Him,” she muttered, cocking the gun.“Drug trafficking, it’s just something small,” he sighed, looking away from Louis’ eyes. His eyes widened. “Something small! This is something serious!”“Well, we’ve done worse Lou!” Louis kept his mouth shut.“Now that you’ve finished arguing, we have somewhere to be, come with me,” Gigi said with a sigh, pulling Louis back to her chest.“We don’t have to follow you,” Harry growled.“Well, I am afraid you do because we have someone who wants to see you and if you don’t come I’ll have to kill you right now, so if you want to save your little fiancee here, I recommend you follow me.”Harry’s jaw tightened before looking at Louis. “We have to go with her.”Louis gasped as he was pushed forward. “Get changed and put on some shoes.” They were only given two minutes to change then they were escorted to a black Land Rover 4 x 4. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- In the car, Louis left a space away from Harry and turned to face the window. Gigi and the driver sat silently in the front as they drove down the long desert road to wherever their destination was. Their hands were cuffed to the hand holders above the car windows. Harry kept on occasionally looking at Louis, but he just ignored him. He didn’t want to talk right now.Eventually, after an hour of driving, they arrived at a large white mansion. They were in the state of Connecticut now, and Louis just about recognised where they were having come once or twice to choose someone to kill. Louis looked at Harry who’s jaw had clenched, he must know where they were. “Out you come,” Gigi smirked while she uncuffed Louis who was met by a guard dressed in a black suit with a white shirt. He frowned as he was taken by the arms inside the building. Harry soon came up behind him a few seconds later and had someone taking his arm.The inside of the mansion had white marble flooring and two marble staircases with gold railings on the top. There was a huge marble statue in the centre as well with four flower vases surrounding the piece. They were led up the staircase and taken to a room a few doors down.The first thing he saw was a middle-aged man sitting at a desk with a cigar in his mouth. He was busy scribbling something down onto a piece of paper. Louis grunted when they were pushed forward, so they stood behind two chairs at the desk. A man still held his arm, so he quickly shrugged him off with a scowl. It was quiet as everyone waited for the man to say something. Louis glanced over at Harry then at the men in the room who held machine guns in their hands.The man finally looked up before smiling at the two. “Nice to see you again, Harry. I am surprised it took me so long to see your fiancee.” Louis tugged at the end of his top and looked down at his feet. “I see you chose wisely.” Louis frowned before folding his arms and rolling his eyes. “Thank you, Gigi, for bringing them here. They weren’t any trouble were they?”“No Sir,” she smirked.“Do you two not want to know why you are?” they were both silent. “We know what you do; you really should be more careful,” he sighed shaking his head in the meantime. “I expect you to be more careful while you are working under me.”“What?” Louis questioned, finally having spoken after the silence.“Your fiancee did something that pissed me off a lot, but I am giving you two a second chance.”“What did he do?” he muttered.“Did he not tell you?” the man smirked. “No doesn’t seem to be telling me anything,” Louis replied, glaring at Harry.“Oh really?!” he said as he leant forward on his arms.Louis sighed. “What did he do?” “Well, all I asked was for him to deliver a few kilos of drugs but he couldn’t do such a simple job.”“There was a shootout, Sir,” Harry finally answered. “I think it was a setup.”Louis muttered ‘a shootout’ and threw his hands up in the air in disbelief.“I don’t appreciate when people lie to me Harry; you should know that by now,” the man spoke, pointing his cigarette at Harry.“What is this second chance you are giving him and why do I have to be involved? This is his problem!”“You two are partners in crime? Why wouldn’t you do this together?” he took a puff from his cigar. “I have one thing I need you to do; there is a member of a rival gang that I need you to get rid of for me. We think that he has some information about our group that could bring us down so to make sure this information doesn’t get released to anyone, I need you to kill him, how you kill him is up to you but as long as you don’t get caught.” “And why should we do this for you?”The man smirked, making Louis feel uncomfortable. “You can get a substantial amount of money, and you get to do what you like while doing it. It’s a win-win for both of us. Also, you’ll die if you don’t do it.”“We’ll think about it,” he muttered.“Okay, you can have the rest of the day to rest, we’ll discuss this tomorrow.” The man nods, and soon they are being escorted out of the room to a bedroom which is on the opposite side of the hallway. “Your stuff will be brought to you later,” Gigi muttered before closing the door behind her.Louis turned to Harry who simply walked over to an empty chair and sat down. Louis folded his arms over with a huff. He stared at Harry as he waited for him to speak.“So aren’t we going to talk?”“I-”“I thought you told me that we would never get involved with gangs Harry! But here we are getting involved with a murder, but now we’ll probably never get out! Harry, you promised me!” Harry sat silently. “Fucking say something!” Louis shrieked, throwing his arms up.Harry looked crestfallen. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”“What did you think would happen?! I would carry on sitting happily and let you do whatever the fuck you do with these people! I thought we were in love and I thought we trusted each other because that’s what couples do!”“Louis I do trust you, and I love you-”“You love me so much that you won't tell me what you were doing, what if you got killed and didn’t come back! What the fuck could I have done then?!” Louis exclaimed, angrily pacing the room.“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” he sighed. “Damn right you weren’t thinking! I am so a-angry with you that you kept this from me! How long have you been doing this for?”“Ten months, Lou.”Louis slapped him across the cheek. Harry’s head being flung to the side. “Don’t fucking call me Lou, I am still angry at you!”“Don’t you dare hit me, Louis. I can make this very bad for you in a second,” Harry muttered, standing up and pointing a finger in his face. Louis’ eyes widened as he took a step back. Harry pressed his body against Louis and loomed over his shrinking figure.“Don’t do anything you’re going to regret, Harry,” Louis whispered, slightly frightened by his mood.“Trust me, Lou,” Harry said and gently stroked his hand down the side of Louis’ face until it got to his neck where he slowly wrapped his hand around it. Louis breath came out quicker while Harry taunted him. “I don’t regret anything.” Louis quickly grabbed Harry’s arm when his grip tightened around his neck. “Harry please,” he whimpered. “I’m sorry.”“I know you are baby; it’s okay.” A sigh of relief escaped Louis’ mouth as Harry removed his hand from around Louis’ neck. “Trust me; we’ll be fine.”“Yeah okay, Haz, I believe you,” Louis whispered as he looked at his feet. “A-Are we going to do this Haz?”“We have to; we don’t have a choice.”Louis sighed, pushing past Harry before laying on the king bed that was waiting for them. Harry tried to approach Louis, but he didn’t answer whenever he tried to speak to him. “Lou-”“Please can I have some time to myself,” he mumbled into the covers.“Okay, Lou.”“You’re sleeping on the floor today.”“What?” Harry questioned, frowning deeply.“I’m still angry at you, you know.”Harry just sighed before nodding and letting Louis have the bed to himself. ~~~ “Have you made your decision?”The two of them looked at each other before Louis spoke. “We’ll do it.”“Good! You two will start tomorrow; you will watch his movements for two days then on the third I want you to make a move. Make sure he doesn’t notice otherwise you two will make it harder for yourselves.” the man smiled. “I would like to know who I'm working for before we go any further.""Mr Cowell is all you need to know.""Who is it that we have to kill?” Louis sighed.“You’re not much of a talker are you?” Mr Cowell said to Harry. Harry clenched his jaw before shaking his head. “There’s no need for him to talk, Sir,” Louis muttered, emphasising on the ‘Sir’.“I’ve always liked someone feisty,” Mr Cowell smirked, and Louis rolled his eyes. “You’ll be killing a man called John Walker. You’ll have someone with you for the two days in case you decide that you want to run away, if you do, I will personally come to kill you.”The two looked at the man with straight faces but inside Louis was freaking out. “When do we start?” Louis asked. “Tomorrow, he will leave his house at around 9, now I don’t know where he is going, but I need you to follow him.”“Why do we have to do it?” Louis muttered, and Harry looked at him with a slight frown.“Because I said so,” the man smiled, and Louis huffed.“Okay then, I guess you’re the boss,” he said as he rolled his eyes.“This attitude of yours is beginning to become annoying right now.”“Do you think I want to be here? I have the right to be annoyed.” Louis glared. Harry sighed at their conversation.Mr Cowell only looked at him before smiling. “Hadid, take them away and show them downstairs.”Louis scowled while they were being cuffed. “Is it really necessary for us to be cuffed?” “Yes,” Gigi muttered pulling both of them away.They were both quiet, apart from Louis who would roll his eyes every so often. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Louis sat in the passenger seat with folded arms.The tension between them was still evident, and neither of them wanted to say anything to the other.He stared out the window, crossing his legs as he paid attention to their surroundings, looking for the man they had to find.They knew he resided in a particular house, but they had to track where he was going so they could see where he was going next.“Lou,” Harry muttered before turning to look at him. "What’s wrong?”“We’re not talking about this now. Harry.” he sighed.“I think we should-”“Well, I think we shouldn’t!” Louis growled, his eyes focusing on the house."Especially not with her in the back," Louis muttered, his head nodding over to Gigi who was idly playing on her phone.“Lou, I’ve told you already that I didn’t mean to get us into this trouble.”“Doesn’t sound like it,” he sighed. “Look, Harry, we’ve got a job to complete, so let’s do it.”“Okay Lou, can I have a kiss?” Harry asked, and Louis rolled his eyes.“No, you can’t,”“Please? You know it makes me do my job better if you do.”“Oh shut up,” Louis scoffed.“Have I ever failed with a kiss from you?” Louis stayed silent. “So…”“Fucks sake,” Louis muttered before leaning over the console and pressing a kiss to his lips. He yelped when Harry placed a delicate hand on his right cheek. It didn’t take long for Louis to relax into the kiss and for Harry to triumphantly smirk at the situation. Harry simply pushed his tongue against Louis’ bottom lip and soon they were practically snogging.They only separated when they heard Gigi clear her throat. Harry’s eyes fluttered open, landing on the figure leaving the building they were spying.“Lou, we need to go, the guy’s left the building.Louis nodded, quickly turning his head to the house, still trying to catch his breath.“Wait…” Louis said, waiting for the man to drive past the in his car. “Let’s go.”They followed the car for around fifteen miles before they stopped outside of an old looking pharmacy. The man walked in the shop, checking his surroundings then finally heading inside.“You know what to do?” Harry asked him.“Harry, we do this all the time and anyway, who could resist me.” Louis winked then climbed out of the car.“You have your gun on you don’t you?” Harry asked after rolling the windows down. “Yeah, I’ll be fine baby.” Louis grinned. “Okay, if you’re not out in ten I’m coming in okay?”“Thank you; I’ll be back,” Louis winked, his eyes glancing over at Gigi then he headed for the shop.It was quiet, the only sound being the tingling of the bell and the occasional turn of a newspaper from a woman sitting by the register.“How can I help you, Son?” her northern drawl being rather prominent.“I’m okay for now; I think that I can find what I’m looking for.” Louis smiled.“Okay, Hun.”Louis pretended to look for some pills by a shelving unit until he heard a voice of another person, a man to be precise. He quickly fixed his shorts as he got up from his crouching position and picked up the pack of paracetamol in front of him. He headed for the counter and placed the pack on the surface just as the man stood in the queue behind him.“That’ll be $2.70,” the woman said, and Louis quickly paid for the goods. He made sure to step backwards into the man, pretending to be frightened by the man behind him.“Oh! I am so sorry; I didn’t mean to crash into you! Are you okay?” Louis gasped, gently patting the sides of the body. He felt a gun in the left inside pocket, and he mentally sighed.“I'm all right,” the man smirked. “I’ve never seen you around before.”Louis smirked. “I don’t come here often. I’m just staying for a few days, leaving in two actually.”The man raised his eyebrows. “Oh really?”“Yeah, just a little break. One of my friends recommended me this club, and I might go there on my last day.”“Which one?”“Lif? You heard of it.”“Yeah, I’m going there too.”“Maybe I’ll see you there.” Louis winked before heading towards the door.“Maybe…”As soon as Louis left the shop, he gave Harry two thumbs up before heading for the car.“How’d it go?”“Well, I found out where he is going in two days,” Louis smirked.“Great.”“Look, he’s going. Let’s go.”Harry quickly pulled out and followed the car that the man got into.Once they were finished with their mission, they went back to Mr Cowell's mansion. As usual, Louis was pissed, and Harry was silent.“What did you find?” Mr Cowell asked, putting down a pen down on his desk.“We managed to find out where he will be in two days and we will infiltrate him there,” Louis muttered.“Good work, see? It’s not so hard to work with me if you listen, all this will all be over in two days. You can go back to living your lives.”“Thank you, Sir,” Harry muttered, and Louis scoffed.Louis stood by their bed as he pulled off his shirt. As soon as he dropped the shirt on the duvet, he felt arms wrap around his waist and link over his stomach. A head rested on his shoulder, and he smiled.“What is it, Harry?”“Do you forgive me?” he asked.“Harry,” he sighed.“You’re not still thinking about that, are you? I’ve gotten over that.”“That doesn’t answer my question.”“Yes Harry, I forgive you. We have to deal with this mess you’ve got us into now. There’s no point me getting angry anymore.”Louis smiled as Harry gently kissed at his neck. “If you say so.”“We need to figure out a plan to take him out.”“Just do what we usually do.”“We can’t just ‘do what we normally do’ Harry. This guy is probably trained if he’s in a gang, it’ll be harder for us to attack him. What if it goes wrong as well? We’ll have to figure that out as well.”“It’ll be two against one; I won’t let him hurt you.”“Thank you,” Louis smiled. “I’ve got your back too.”“I love you, Lou, you love me too right?”“Of course I love you, there is no need to ask me that Haz. You mean the world to me.”“Thank you.”“Now come on, I’m tired. M’goin’ to bed.”“Can I sleep with you this time?”Louis smirked to himself before nodding as he took off his shorts. “I think I can agree to that.”He slowly climbed into bed, arching his back and pushing his arse back toward Harry.“Baby, why do you do this to me?” “Do what?” he asked innocently, sliding under the covers.“You know what.”“Hm…I’m not sure really but g’night Harry. I’ll see you in the morning.”A few minutes later Harry climbed into bed beside him, curling an arm around his waist and pulling him into his body. He smiled to himself when he felt Harry kiss his neck. He was so glad he had Harry beside him, and he didn’t have to do this by himself. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Louis had changed into a disguise the next day, Harry staying as he was as the victim hadn’t seen him yet. He wore a straw sun hat with some aviators over a blonde wig. There was a bit of makeup on his face which changed his the way his face looked. His denim blue jeans paired with a thin white top and some blue vans paired it off well.He had an arm linked through Harry’s arm as they stayed ten metres away from the man. They were meant to look like a couple that was casually walking through a park and so far they were pulling it off. They managed to follow him until they saw him stop by a woman who waited by a tree. They sat on a bench that was close to them and Louis rest his head on his shoulder.“Haz, who is he talking to?” Louis asked.“It’s another member of The Diablos.”Louis turned to face Harry, resting his chin on his shoulder and smiling up at him. “You met her before?” “I’ve seen her, but we’ve never confronted each other.”“That’s good then, don’t want her recognising us,” he whispered, quickly pecking Harry on the lips.“She just gave him something.”“D’you see what it was?” “No, I can only see the parcel though.”“Okay that’s fine, we just need to find out what’s inside somehow.” “That’ll be hard.”“We could just go to the woman and get info from her?”“No, that’s too dangerous, she’s quite high up in their hierarchy if we were to threaten or kidnap her that could cause trouble.”“What should we-”“-Kiss me, he’s walking this way.”Louis quickly surged forward and tilted his face to the right, hiding his face from the man. He held a hand up to Harry’s cheek and gently thumbed over his cheek. The glasses made it a bit hard, but they managed. It was only until he heard a figure walk past them when he pulled away. Louis hovered over his mouth, biting his lip before letting out a sigh.“Come on Haz, our guy’s gettin’ away.”Louis blushed when Harry stood up first and carefully pulled him up. He leaned into Harry’s side, grinning to himself as they made their way back to the car.The man led them to a house about an hour away from the park. They stayed around the corner where they had quite a good view of the house the man had stopped in. A man in a white suit opened the door and accepted the package that was given to him. Harry used his binoculars to get a better view of his face before passing the binoculars to Louis.“Do you know who that is?”“It’s the gang leader Lou.” Harry sighed.“What?! We’re in gang territory? Why didn’t you tell me? I would never have set foot in here.” Louis exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation.“Lou, it’s fine. We’ll go back after this, and then we can leave.”Louis let out a harsh breath. “Oh my God. How do you know him?”“He’s pretty well-known Lou.”“If I were a gang leader, I wouldn’t want people to know who I was. Now, why would he want people to know who he was so that the police could catch him? I’m not that dumb Harry.” Louis scoffed, and Harry sighed. “I got caught in a crossfire with him once.”“What?!” Louis shrieked, and Harry slapped a hand over his mouth.“Lou, please calm down.”Louis simply licked his hand in reply and Hary quickly retracted his hand. “What else are you hiding from me?”“Nothing else Lou! Everything else that I’ve told you about me is true.”“I don’t know if I can even trust you anymore," he sighed.Harry looked at him with a frown. “You can trust me, baby, I promise you can, but I only refrained from telling you stuff like this to keep you safe!”“What if one day you never came back Harry because of your mysterious disappearances during the night, then what? I think everything is going great and then one day I hear your dead because of your outings.”“Lou, please don’t be angry at me.”“No, I’m not angry, I’m furious! Just take us back. We’ve done enough for today,” Louis sighed, turning to stare out of the window. Harry just nodded before starting up the car again and driving Louis back to Mr Cowell’s base. ~~~ Louis stormed back into the big mansion and hurried to make his way to the stairs. “Styles! Tomlinson! Come up now, I want a report,” Mr. Cowell called, but Louis just scoffed.“Let Harry tell you; I’m not in the mood,” Louis growled before slamming the door shut to their bedroom just as Harry stepped in through the door.“Styles, report now.”Harry sadly nodded while he headed up to Mr Cowell’s office. He quickly ran up to his office with a security guard following behind him. “Any news?”“We saw him give the gang leader a package after we watched him collect the package from Lauren in a park.”“Do you know what was inside?” “We wouldn’t have been able to make a move because it would have involved us having to make contact with him, which we aren’t allowed to do.”“Good work, you’ll be attacking tomorrow, right?” Harry nodded. “Okay, please sort out your argument by tomorrow, I don’t want this to get in the way of your task.”“Yes, Sir.”“Now go,” he muttered before returning to his paperwork.Harry quickly headed for their bedroom, knocking on the door and waiting for an answer.“Go away Harry,”“Please, Lou, can I talk to you?”There was no reply for at least five minutes, and Harry continued to plead for Louis to open the door. He gasped when the door suddenly opened, and he was pulled into the room by the collar of his shirt.“Lou, please listen to me okay?”“Tell me what I don’t know about you?” Louis interrupted, looking down sorrowfully at the floor.“What do you mean?” he frowned.“Tell me whatever you are hiding from me, and then you’ll make me happy.”“Lou,” Harry frowned. “I told you what you need to know.”“Stop it Harry; I can’t take any more lies! Tell me everything you’ve done while you’ve been in the gang.”“I-”“Harry, fucking tell me,” Louis said through gritted teeth. He was getting severly annoyed by Harry's secrecy.“Okay, sit down Lou. Please?”Louis glared at him before sitting on the bed. “Speak.”“Alright, I joined about a year ago. It was only meant to be one thing, but he kept calling me back, and I couldn’t just leave. Believe me, Lou, I tried okay? I would have left sooner, but now I have a chance. If we just do this then I don’t have to do this anymore.”Harry watched as Louis slowly got up from his seat and headed for him. He had no emotion on his face, staring at Harry with hooded eyes. Eventually, he stopped in front of him and looked directly into his eyes.“Do you care about me, Haz?”“Yes, Lou! I do.”“Then why do you get yourself involved with something like this?” Louis sighed.“I was only trying to get us more money, Baby, to pay for our wedding.”“There are other ways! You have a good job, a decent life. Why do you need to do this? We could have worked this out together Haz, that’s what couples do. I would have happily gone through this with you; I would rather we were to get in trouble together than by yourself.”Harry nodded, this time looking a bit guilty. “I’m sorry, I am only human.”“I know Haz, but most humans have other people to do things with whether they realise it or not. You have me, and I can help you. I love you, and I would do what I can to help you,” Louis smiled, resting a hand on Harry’s cheek. “Thank you, Lou,” Harry whispered.“We have a big day tomorrow, let’s go to bed.”Harry nodded, letting Louis pull him towards their bed. “Yeah, we could do that,” he muttered over Louis' lips.“Were you thinking of something else?” Louis smirked when he felt Harry’s hand slip down to the curve of his arse. “Maybe, I kinda wanted to just slowly take you apart and fuck you just how you like it.”“Yeah?” Louis whispered breathily, biting his lip as his legs hit the bed. “Sounds nice.”Louis gasped when Harry hitched his legs up onto his waist and tipped them forward onto the bed. Harry surged forward and kissed him, Louis letting out a loud moan as they ground their hips together.“What can I do to you?” Harry smirked.“Don’t care, do anything. I just want you. Want you in me so bad.” ~~~ Louis was so close. He really couldn’t take it anymore.“Haz, right there! Again, again, again,” he called, his words seeming to be randomly coming out of his mouth.Harry found Louis’ prostate with every hard thrust he delivered into him. Both of them glistened with sweat while they both drove themselves closer to the edge. Harry tightly gripped onto his hips, his nails digging into the skin and extracting small drops of blood from his skin.“Oh God, Harry!” Louis whined, sounding like he was hanging on by a tiny thread. “Deeper, please!”“Yes, Lou, you feel so tight,” Harry groaned, his hips slapping against Louis’ pelvis.“H-Haz, I’m gonna cum!” “Okay, Baby, urgh, you c-can.”Louis yelped as he came all over his and Harry’s chest. Harry continued to fuck into him, bringing himself close to release.“Ahh, fuck,” Harry grunted when he came into Louis. His muscles clenched and trembled as the aftershocks ran through his body. Laying tired on the bed, Louis gently kissed Harry’s face. His tongue trailed down his neck, biting at the skin by his Adam’s apple.“Lou,” Harry whispered into the side of his face. Louis hummed, gasping when he pulled out.“Haz?” he muttered, lazily running a hand through his hair.“I’m sorry, for what I have done.”“It’s okay now,” he yawned. “We’ve just to get through all of tomorrow and then it’ll be fine.” “Yeah,” Harry nodded as he quickly grabbed some tissues from beside them. “We’ll be fine, Haz; it’s never gone wrong before.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The club was packed. Bodies were everywhere in the dark room. Strobe lights of different colours illuminated sections of the room and a heavy smell of alcohol lingered in the air. Louis chose to sit by the bar, watching the people who danced against each other.He wasn't much of a dancer. Louis would only do anything for Harry. On the rare occasion they went to a bar to dance, they would end up spending little time there. It always took less than thirty minutes for them to leave. Louis would end up under Harry's muscular body an hour later.The bar stool he sat on gave him a good vantage point for him to scour the area. He could see Harry in the corner, but the man hadn’t come in yet. He huffed to himself as he turned to face the bartender. “You sure you don’t want a drink, Sir?” he asked.“I’m waiting for someone at the moment; I don’t know whether I should stay here any longer if they don't turn up soon.”“Well that’s a shame, I could always keep you company.”“That’s so kind of you,” Louis giggled.They chatted for a bit more, exchanging a few flirtatious remarks before he felt a tap on his shoulder.“Can I-Oh, it’s you again! The guy from the pharmacy right?” “Yeah, nice to see you here,” the man replied, and Louis smiled.“Didn’t think you were coming, I mean it is quite late.” “I was here earlier, just came to see someone.”Louis raised an eyebrow. “A friend?”“You could say that,” The man muttered. Louis could tell that it must have been someone from his gang. “Hey, would you like to dance with me?”  Louis glanced back at the bartender. “Normally I would get a drink first, but I guess we can.”“How about I buy you a drink then?”“Well, that would be nice,” Louis smirked, crossing his leg over the other. The man turned to look at the bartender, ordering them two drinks. “Thank you,” he grinned before taking a sip of the cocktail. “You sure you don’t want to dance now?”“We could just skip the dancing and just leave now,” Louis muttered before taking a sip of his drink.The man smirked. “We could, but you just got here, and it’s your last day, isn’t it?”“But I came here for a purpose, whether someone were to help me with that is a whole other thing,” Louis replied before slipping off of his chair and walking towards the dance floor. He hoped that the man would come after him and he did, The man grabbed his wrist, stopping him from moving any further.“How about we leave now then? Let's go by your rules.” He could feel the pulsing beat of the club music shake through the man's body. “Sure, follow me.”Louis led him outside where they walked towards where he knew Harry would be. He was about to turn down an alleyway but was stopped when the man put him in a chokehold. He gasped but stayed calm when a knife was brought to the side of his face.“Don’t you think I know who you are?” the man growled. “I know that you’ve been following me, along with that little boyfriend of yours.” Louis just sighed. “What are you gonna do? Kill me?” “I’ll take you to my Boss; maybe he can decide what to do with you.”“Unfortunately, you’ll have to go through me first,” Harry said from behind him. A smile graced his lips when he heard Harry’s voice again. “Drop the knife.” The man reluctantly dropped the knife from his face and stepped away from him. Louis grabbed his arm and held the knife, squeezing it tightly as Harry brought a cloth with chloroform by his face. “Thank you for helping me,” Louis smiled once the man had collapsed back into Harry’s arms. “It’s only natural, now let’s go. We have to get this over and done with quickly.”Louis helped Harry walk the sedated man into the back of their car, not really caring if he hit his head along the way.  ~~~ For some reason, there seemed to be a little bit of anxiety nibbling away at them. They never normally got nervous. Maybe it was the fact that they had someone watching over them this time. It's not exactly fun with someone on your back.Louis sighed as he slipped his surgical gloves on. Harry did the same. They made their way to the ‘man’ laying on the table.“He awake yet?” Harry asked.“He’s getting there,” Louis replied as he hopped onto a free space by the man’s feet. Louis watched as the man woke up, groaning as he adjusted to the light shining above him. “He’s up.”Harry soon came over after he tied his hair into a bun. The last thing he put on was his surgical gloves. Louis huffed when he took too long to wake up, quickly slapping his cheek after. The younger of the two grabbed a pair of scissors from the table behind them as the man came to his senses.“I want to ask you something,” Louis started. “I wanna know how you heard about us.”The man didn’t say anything.“This won’t take long; I just want to know how you know about what we do.” He was silent again, and Louis snickered. “Haz.”Harry nodded just before he cut off part of his earlobe, the man not making any sound at all. All he did was grit his teeth.The lovers exchanged a glance but didn’t show any emotion. They hated it when their victims tried to stay quiet, absolutely hated it. “For the last time, how do you know about us?” he sternly asked.“I have my sources,” he muttered while blood seeped from his ear. “Who?” Louis growled.“Someone in your gang as well.”Louis furrowed his eyebrows for a second before returning to a neutral position. “What?”“Gigi has been giving us information about raids and who is in the gang, so we know everything about what you do before you do it. She really gives us an advantage,” the man smirked. “You’re lying,” Louis scoffed with a roll of his eyes. “I am not, and she was told to rat the two of you out by The Boss, so it looks like the police will be arriving soon,” the man sighed, keeping eye contact with Louis.“You don’t know what you are talking about, so, shut your mouth, or we’ll make this even more painful for you,” Louis growled.“I don’t mind being a martyr if it means the two of you falling with me.”“You’re not a hero; no one is going to care if you disappeared,” Louis nodded at Harry for him to start. “I hope this is really painful for you.” ~~~ Louis stared at the body of the man on the table, wiping a bit of blood from the edge of his cheek. He was relatively unrecognisable now. They had gouged his eyes out and cut some layers of skin off of his body. Most of his body now consisted of lots of different cuts and pieces of muscle missing, slowly draining his body of blood.Harry sighed, putting his surgical scissors to the side. Harry looked at the large cut in his stomach where his intestines were visible. His eyes flickered over to his lover who stared at the face with no emotion. “Lou. Tell me what’s wrong.”“Nothing Haz,” he muttered while he turned to grab a knife that was dripping with blood. Louis walked towards the table with all their tools but was stopped when Harry tightly gripped his jaw. A gasp escaped his lips when he stared directly into Harry’s green eyes. “What is wrong?” Harry asked with a little anger in his voice.“It’s just what he said got to me a little. What if we were ratted out? I mean, we were careful right?”“They won’t find us. I’ll make sure of it,” Louis sighed before nodding and letting himself be kissed by Harry, tasting a little bit of blood in his mouth. “Thank you.”It was only when he got to the table he froze in his spot.“Shit,” Louis whispered when he heard police sirens in the distance. “We need to clean up now,” Harry mumbled, hurriedly rushing to get rid of anything around.“Harry we don't have time! We’ll get caught!” “It doesn’t matter, quickly get rid of the body.”Louis sighed in exasperation as he grabbed two dismembered limbs and threw it in the already burning furnace. They only got rid of what they could in under a minute before running to the back of the barn which lead to the corn fields. They had hidden the borrowed car amongst the tall corn sheaves, and they quickly jumped into it.In only a matter of seconds, Harry started the car and drove through the field.He hoped that it would take the police a while to find their tracks. Otherwise, they were screwed. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The usually quiet road was now filled with multiple police cars and an ambulance. The crime scene had already been checked over, but they needed additional backup. Two Detectives stepped out from their police car. The gravel crunched underneath their shoes while they made their way to an Officer. They arrived at a barn just on the outskirts of the town. It had been around two in the morning when they had been notified of a murder, and they immediately rushed to this address. The men both wore long grey trench coats over their suits but one had his fully done, and the other had a few buttons lose. They didn’t know what to expect but certainly not this. The barn looked empty as if nothing had happened in it for a while.Parts of the barn had already been sealed off by some officers that arrived twenty minutes before them, but they were allowed to walk under it.“What have you found so far, Officer?” One of the Detectives, DC Payne, asked. The man had chocolate brown hair styled in a quiff and a bearded face. His usual soft brown eyes were not looking as bright, the potential seriousness of the case made him look more solemn. DC Horan, the man beside him with blonde hair also styled in a quiff with a clean shaven face and bright blue eyes, wrote a few notes on his notepad. He too looked deeply troubled by the circumstances. “There is a lot of blood in the barn, and it is quite fresh, so this was kind of recent. There is a furnace in there that was on fire when we got there, and we decided to put it out. We saw remnants of body parts in there; the person had apparently tried to clear the scene before we got there but hadn’t done it time. We haven’t found any evidence to give us any suspects, but we are working on it.”“Thank you. We’ll have a look around now.” The two Detectives walked through the opened door, and they walked into the large space. DC Payne’s eyes widened once he fully saw the scene and DC Horan muttered out a ‘shit’.They didn’t realise how much blood would actually be there, but it was disturbing, to say the least. They walked past the small numbered papers, seeing the bloodied tools and the blood on the table sent a shiver through their spines.The last thing they saw were the parts of the body in the furnace. Some of it was severely damaged, but some of it was still intact. “Oh, my…” DC Horan muttered. “This is terrible, how could someone do this?” The Detective shook his head when he took everything in. “Wow, this is probably one of the worst things I’ve seen.”They were about to look around the scene more, but they were called out by another Officer.“Sirs, we’ve found something. There are some car tracks in the field.” “Good, where do they lead?”“We think they lead to the main road.”“I presume they are recent, let’s go and follow it then,” DC Payne sighed before they walked towards their police car. They quickly drove down the path and followed the path that was left behind, trying not to cause any more damage to the other plants. The two Detectives stopped when they arrived at the main road but couldn’t see which way the car went. DC Payne huffed, looking both ways as he tried to see which way to go. “Wait here,” DC Horan said, climbing out of the car. DC Payne frowned as he watched him move to the front of the car and crouch to the ground. After a few seconds, he stood up and pointed to his right before climbing back inside the car.“See Liam, you’ve just got to use your brain sometimes,” he smirked while DC Payne rolled his eyes.“Oh shush Niall, let’s just go.”“You love me Li, admit it. Now let’s go.” They followed the trail of the road for another ten minutes before Niall pointed something out in the distance. “Looks like something is on fire Li,” he mumbled, pointing at the bright yellow hue in the distance. They drove a bit closer, finally realising what it was.“It must be their car. Call for backup so they can put this out.” Niall nodded just as he reached for his walkie-talkie. “Breaker 1-9, what’s your 20? Over.”“Still at the barn Sir, over.” a female officer answered.“Send backup to our location, tell them to follow the path until they get to the main road and turn left, they should see our car. There is a car on fire which we presume is the car that made the tracks in the field. Do you copy?”“Copy that. I’ll send someone to you.”“Thank you, Officer. Over.”  ~~~ Harry and Louis had managed to run five minutes away after they ditched their car. They arrived at a small lake for them to wash themselves in and change into some clothes they had brought. Louis stood by the river, nervously biting his lip as he watched the water ripple before him. “Lou? Wash, get rid of the blood.” Louis turned around with wide eyes as he looked at Harry before it soon transformed into a smirk. “Give me time Harold.”Harry just raised an eyebrow, turning around to take his top off and revealed his muscular body for Louis to see. Louis merely snickered to himself before quickly ridding himself of his clothes and wading into the water. Harry turned around at the sound of water moving and watched while Louis swam further into the lake. Louis faced him while treading water and Harry smirked as Louis beckoned him in. He ran a hand through his hair then got rid of his jeans, boxers and shoes before swimming in as well. Louis only caught a glimpse of his buff body, pouting when Harry submerged himself underwater. He grinned as Harry appeared just in front of him. It was still as the water swirled around them. They stared at each other, Louis with a shy smile and Harry with a neutral face.“Harry, where do we go now?”“We’ll worry about that later.”“Okay,” Louis whispered, wrapping his arms around Harry’s neck. “They won’t find us, alright?” Louis nodded, biting his lips while he looked down. “Look at me.” Louis quickly lifted his head. “They won’t.”“Alright, I believe you.” “Good,” he muttered before holding Louis’ chin in his hand and staring deep into his blue orbs that reflected the moonlight. Louis watched in awe as Harry slowly leant into him, bringing them both in for a kiss. Louis melted in Harry’s arms and slid his hands up into his long hair. Harry’s arms slithered around his waist, pulling him tighter to the body. The water swirled around them as they became more frantic with their movements. Louis desperately tried to push their bodies close together. He whimpered into Harry’s mouth when he felt him begin to pull him away. Harry looked at some of the blood left on his face and smirked; he always thought that he looked heavenly after they had killed someone. The blood that would drip from his face and the slightly metallic smell that came off of his body. Harry carefully dipped a hand into the water and used his thumb to wipe off the red spot on his cheek. “There,” he muttered before sliding his arms under Louis’ thighs and hitching him up, so his legs wrapped around his waist. Louis willingly let himself be held by Harry, burying his face into Harry’s neck and nosing along the jawline. “I love you, Harry.”“I love you too, Louis.” Louis slowly turned his head to the side before sliding their lips together. “We should go.” Harry hummed while his hands slithered down to Louis’ ass. Two fingers pressed against Louis’ rim and he gasped loudly, leaning his body further into Harry’s body. “Haz,” he whimpered, and Harry smirked, slowly walking them back to the edge of the lake. He could feel Louis’ hardening dick in between them but only ignored it as he placed Louis down on the ground. A whine left Louis’ lips as he stepped away from him. “Harry.”“Shh, we must go.” “Okay,” he muttered before going to grab his clothes from the ground.   ~~~ They arrived at the same motel that they were in only a few days ago. After Harry dried Louis off with his t-shirt and they were fully dressed, they ran in the direction of the motel. It was the closest place they knew that would be safe.“Quickly Lou, come on!”“I’m coming!” Louis mumbled when Harry harshly tugged at his arm.Louis tried his hardest to keep up with Harry, falling a little bit behind because of his shorter legs. “Harry!” he whispered but got no response. “Wait up!”He groaned when he felt something cut his leg, but he didn’t say anything as he carried on running to where Harry was. They weren’t that far from the motel now, and it wouldn’t take them long to find shelter. Louis shrieked just went he felt something catch on his ankle and he collapsed to the ground feeling the rocks digging into his side. He closed his eyes when he felt dust being brought close to his eyes. He whimpered at the way his ankle felt, he could barely move it at all.Louis gasped when he was quickly lifted up and hauled onto Harry’s back, wrapping his arms around his neck. His legs immediately went over his waist, and he buried his head into Harry’s neck. Harry saw the headlights of a car up in the distance just as they entered into the empty car park. He stopped a few metres from the entrance of the motel and helped Louis down onto the ground. “We’ll stay here for a day, but we’ll have to go tomorrow. Mr Cowell is probably after us.”Louis let out a growl. “Not only do we have the police following us but now we have the leader of a gang after us! You really love getting us into trouble.” “Lou please-”“Don’t Lou me, I have had enough, and now we are probably going to get killed, all thanks to you!” he shouted before trying to hobble off.“Louis, we need to get you to the hospital.”He huffed. “Don’t change the topic, Harry.”“Your ankle will get worse.”“I don’t-” Louis paused just as the car from earlier’s headlights flashed onto them. They looked like deers caught in headlights when the car stopped in front of them. The doors had opened on either side of the car before they were engulfed in darkness again as the lights turned off. The slam of the two doors reverberated throughout the whole space just as Harry shared a look with Louis.“Oh no,” Louis muttered when he saw the two approaching figures.“Thought you would be able to get away from me?” Mr Cowell asked with a smirk that Louis wanted to punch off of his face.Gigi came to stand beside him but with a neutral expression on her face.“It’s not you we are running from,” Louis muttered, his eyes flickering over to Gigi.“Mr Cowell, we did what you asked now let us go,” Harry said.“That seems fair, but you managed to get caught, and now that the police have found out about him, you have not done what we asked of you.” “Well, we killed the guy that’s all you’ve asked of us.”“If they find out the crime has been committed by you, they will track it back to us. It is only inevitable that you will have to be killed.” That was when Harry pushed Louis behind him.“Harry,” Louis whispered, gripping onto his arm.“It’s fine, Lou,” Harry muttered when Gigi pulled out a gun from her inside pocket.“Wait!” he exclaimed.“Lou…” Harry said.“No, it’s her fault this happened! Before we killed him, he told us that Gigi was working with them. She is the one who told them about what you are about to do, and she sent the police after us.” Gigi remained frozen while she pointed her gun at them. “If it were not for her then we wouldn’t be here, she is working with the other guys.”“Are they telling the truth?” Mr Cowell asked.“No! They’re lying,” Gigi said, and Mr Cowell raised an eyebrow.“We aren’t, I know what he said,” Louis growled, gripping tightly onto Harry’s arm.“I wouldn’t do that to you. I’ve been with you for five years; I wouldn’t betray you.” “I’ve noticed that there have been a few raids going wrong recently and there are only a few people I tell about what is happening, maybe I shouldn’t trust you.”Gigi immediately put her hand down, staring at him in shock. “How can you trust what he says?! You barely know him.” “Believe me; I’m not lying,” Louis muttered. “He’s not lying, Mr Cowell, he told us,” Harry said. Mr Cowell turned to look at Gigi who looked worried when he spoke to her. “You know I don’t like it when people lie to me.”Louis hopped past Harry, pushing past his arm before speaking. “It’s not our fau-” Louis gasped when a loud bang was heard. It was only until he looked down that he noticed the blood that was beginning to pool by his stomach. He had been shot. “H-Harry,” he whimpered, reaching for Harry’s hand.“Lou?” Harry questioned with wide eyes and went to catch him as he slowly fell back into his arms. He helped him lay down on the ground. “Louis? Talk to me. Please!”“I’m sorry, Harry.”“What do you have to be sorry about?” Harry asked, gently touching Louis’ cheeks with shaky hands.“I shouldn’t have said anything.”Harry shook his head just as Mr Cowell muttered a ‘let’s go’ to Gigi. “You had to, don’t worry Lou. I’ll call an ambulance or something. J-Just stay calm.” Harry quickly took off his t-shirt before wrapping it tightly around Louis’ waist. He looked up when he heard the sound of sirens in the distance and the black car drove out of the car park into the dark night without its headlights on. His head turned again to look at someone who was in the motel window, but they closed it as soon as they saw him looking. ”It’ll be okay, Lou,” Harry whispered.“Please don’t leave me,” he called, and Harry nodded.“I wasn’t going anywhere.” He quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket and hurriedly dialled ‘911’. “Hello, how can I-”“My fiancee has been shot; please send an ambulance.”“Alright, please calm down Sir, help is on the way. Where are you?”“1495 Fall River Avenue," Harry spoke.“We’ll be there soon. Just stay where you are. How much blood have they lost?”“I don’t know, probably half a pint.”“Okay Sir, please wait there. Where have they been shot?”“In the intestines,” Harry muttered as he looked at Louis’ face. He seemed paler, like the colour was draining out of his face, and his breathing was becoming laboured. He couldn’t hear the sirens that were approaching the motel as he had become too focused on Louis. “Sir? Sir are you there?” Harry didn’t do anything for the next few seconds simply watched Louis’ face while Louis was looking around their surroundings like he was lost. Harry sighed, taking the phone away from his ear and staring at the screen, watching as the seconds passed. “Sir?-” He cut the line. “H-Haz?” “Yes, Lou?” Harry smiled before pulling his head onto his thighs, slightly elevating his body off of the ground. “I-It h-hurts.”Harry looked pained just as he saw a tear roll down Louis’ cheek, weakly gripping onto his hand for support. “They’ll be here soon.”“I love you-” Louis weakly coughed. “-A-Always will.”Neither of them expected it, but a lone tear escaped Harry’s eye and slowly rolled down his cheek. Harry had never cried in front of him- anyone -before and it shocked Louis.“H-Haz, you’re fine, I-I’ll be fine too.” Harry quickly pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around Louis’ waist, tightening it to put pressure on the wound.Harry looked up when he saw the ambulance enter the motel and immediately some paramedics jumped out of the car. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as the people ran over with stretchers and a first aid kit. He noticed a few police cars drive into the parking lot and park just beside the ambulances.“Sir, we can take him now. Let us handle it for you.”Harry pressed a kiss to Louis’ forehead before transferring his head to one of the paramedics. “H-Haz, don’t l-leave! Please!” Louis sniffed, trying to hold onto Harry’s hand.“I won’t; I’ll be right here. They’ll take care of you.”Louis nodded just as Harry stood up and moved slightly back when some more people surrounded him. Their eyes stayed locked together, not looking away for one moment. Louis was given an oxygen mask just as a bandage was wrapped around his waist. They were quick with their actions, managing to get him on the stretcher within two minutes. Harry stayed a few metres behind as they took him towards the ambulance. “Sir!” Harry turned his attention to two police officers who were walking towards him. “Sir, would you be able to answer a few questions of ours?”“Could I be with my fiancee instead?”“It’ll only take a minute.”“So they can wait until later then, great,” Harry said, tilting his head to the side. The blonde haired Detective put his hand on the other Detective’s shoulder. “Okay, we will meet later. I can see this is not the time.”Harry gave them a fake smile before making his way towards the ambulance. “I’m coming with him,” Harry said to one of the paramedics while taking a step onto the ambulance.“Wait, Sir! Are you a family member?” “I’m his fiancee.”“Okay, you can go with him.”Harry nodded and climbed into the van. The door slammed just behind him. He looked at Louis who had an oxygen mask and laid there with his head lolled to the side. “You’ll be okay,” he whispered into the back of Louis’ hand. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Louis winced at the bright lights of the room he was in. It was pure white all around him, but there was this annoying beeping sound coming from beside him. He weakly groaned as he got rid of a crick in his neck. His body felt heavy and tired.He tried to stretch out his body but gasped when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Slowly, he blinked his eyes again having adjusted to the light and surveying the room.Harry was curled up in the corner of the room, sitting on a chair as he slept in a foetal position. Louis tiredly smiled at the sight.“Harry?” he whispered groggily. There was no reply. “Harry! Wake up!”Harry groaned quietly as he stretched out all the kinks in his body. “Lou? Y-You’re awake,” he yawned.Louis hummed once Harry had stood up from his seat. “W-What happened to me?”“You got shot in the intestines, but you didn’t damage anything too much, you’ll be fine, you lost a lot of blood though.”“At l-least that’s it.”“The police want to question us.”“About what?” Louis frowned.“About what we saw, what happened.”“W-What do we say?” he whispered, looking down at his hands.“Say we were about to stay at the hotel for the day until we got caught in this crossfire. We hitchhiked.”“O-Okay Harry,” he coughed.“You hurting?”“Just a little bit, my stomach hurts.” Louis sighed, resting his head on the pillow behind him.“Let me get the nurse. Have some water,” he muttered, holding a glass up to his mouth. Louis gratefully took a sip before Harry put it back down.Louis watched Harry disappear down the corridor, and he bit his lip. He felt a bit apprehensive now as he worried for their safety. If Mr Cowell or Gigi found out that he was still alive, then it could mean that they have something to worry about now. Previously they had never feared for their lives. They had somehow always managed to avoid getting into trouble. Louis winced when he turned his head to the right, noticing a glass of water beside him. He slowly reached for it but stopped when he heard the door open again.Louis’ eyes flickered over to Harry as he saw him coming back but a nurse followed behind him.“Hello Mr White, how are you feeling?”“My um… stomach still hurts.”He smiled when Harry handed him an open bottle of water instead.“Okay, that is normal as your body is still recovering. You will experience a few more pains until your body gets used to it. We’ll try getting you to sit up then walk in the next few days if you feel like you can do it but don’t pressure yourself.”“Thank you,” Louis muttered.“I’ll be back within the hour,” the nurse nodded before walking off. ~~~ Louis was given a day to himself before he was disturbed by the police. They wanted to take Harry in for questioning and Louis persuaded him to go. Harry left after pressing a kiss to Louis’ lips, then they were gone.He had half an hour to think to himself before Harry came back into the room.“Would you be ready to talk Mr White?” a Detective asked.Louis nodded, sharing a quick look with Harry before watching as he left the room. The two Detectives took a seat on two chairs beside his bed. Both of the Detectives pressed a button to start a recording device.“The time is 15:57, I am Detective Payne, and this is my colleague Detective Horan. We are interviewing Mr White. Could you tell me where you were an hour before you were shot?”“I was making my way to the motel with my fiancee.”“Why were you going there?”“We wanted to have a spontaneous trip, we like doing that,” Louis grinned.“Were you connected with the person who shot you?” the Detective asked, and Louis frowned.“We weren’t very close, but we had met previously.”“Do you know who shot you?”“She was called Gigi, but I'm not sure if that was her real name. She works for Mr Cowell, well they were together so...”Louis noticed the two Detectives share a look between each other before turning back to their notepads.“Was there a reason why she shot you?”“No, as I said I didn’t know her very well. We were only trying to get a room, but she shot me. Luckily you guys came in time otherwise I may have died,” he laughed nervously."Your ankle, how did you hurt it?" he suddenly asked."I tripped out of the car, like the clumsy person I am," he chuckled."When we arrived, there were two cars there, but neither of them matched your name. So how did you get to the motel?""We had someone drop us there as they were going the same route as us," Louis stated."Okay, and who were they?""Hitchhiked. His name was Steve or something, I wasn't really listening."Louis sat patiently, it was not like he could really go anywhere, while they asked him some more questions.“Okay, thank you for your time, it is now 16:21, this interview has ended,” Detective Payne said.“Glad I could help,” Louis smiled before laying his head back.“I hope you have a swift recovery,” Detective Horan said.Louis nodded just as they walked through the door. Only a minute later and Harry came back in. Louis knew that he would have to start talking.“I answered their questions, I had to Harry. I said we were doing an impromptu visit to the motel. I gave them names.”“What?!” Harry said through gritted teeth.“I told them about Gigi and Mr Cowell, I don’t see what the problem is,” Louis shrugged.“Louis they could come after us because we ratted them out!”“Well, then we can move, start a new life again and get married. That could work right?”“It could, but we’ll have to leave this hospital quickly in case they target us. I’m surprised they haven’t come already.” Harry sighed. “We have to go now.”“W-What? I’m still recovering, we can’t leave now!” Louis whispered loudly.“Lou, we have to.”Louis bit his lip while he looked out of his window into the hospital corridor. “Okay, let’s go.”Harry quickly helped him take out his IV line before letting him sit up by himself. Louis groaned out in pain, the stitches behind his bandages seeming to open up again.“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he muttered.“Here, put my jacket on,” Louis nodded while slowly slipping the jacket around his body and zipping it up quickly. “Can you make it to the bathroom? I need to get the car. Wait in there until I call.”“I will,” Louis nodded. “Harry?” he called just as Harry was about to turn away.“Can you kiss me please?”Harry only looked at him before stepping closer and gently pressing his lips to Louis’.“Thank you,” Louis whispered over his lips.“Come on, we have to go.”Louis found his shoes beside his bed and quickly slipped them on. Harry helped him to stand up, his legs almost giving out after not walking since he tried the day before. He wanted to make it look like he was okay while he walked through the door. No one really noticed him as they made their way down the corridor with Harry’s arm wrapped around his waist. The nearest toilet that they found was free, and Louis quickly slipped into the room.It felt like hours to wait for Harry's call. He nervously paced the floor, wincing every so often at the pain he felt. He was sure that a cut had opened now, but he would have to deal with it later.Eventually, his ringtone sounded, and he quickly held his phone to his ear."Hello?""Lou, come outside, quickly.""Okay, I'm coming."Louis hung up the phone before he peeked his head around the door. The coast was clear, and he was glad that no nurse that he recognised walked by as he stepped out. He walked moderately fast, making his way through the different corridors until he found the entrance. He was back in the reception now, having left his ward a few moments ago. He hesitantly looked around but pretended to feign confidence as he walked towards the revolving doors ahead of him. He took a deep breath once he was outside and quickly looked for Harry's car. Immediately, he spotted it just in behind a few cars. He hobbled as fast as he could so he could get there.The door quickly opened to the passenger side of the car, and he hurried in."Fuck, I think my stitches opened again," Louis mumbled, seeing some blood leak through his t-shirt.Harry sighed from beside him and rested his head against the wheel of the car."I'll get some bandages on the way.""Okay," Louis muttered. "Let's go."The car lurched forward as they made their way out of the hospital car park. It was silent as they drove through the town.Louis looked over at Harry who stared straight ahead at the road ahead of them, but he noticed that his jaw was clenched. Louis bit his lip before turning back to the front. He slowly held his hand out towards Harry who didn’t seem to notice him yet. Eventually, Harry saw the hand that he held out and he inched his hand into Louis’. A slight blush covered his cheeks as Harry linked their fingers.“I guess we’re really moving then,” Louis muttered.“I told you, Lou, we have to.”“This would be the third time in five years," he sighed.“I know, it is a lot.”“Guess we can never settle then,” Louis shrugged, looking out of the window with a bored look on his face.“People like us can’t just settle. That’s how they get caught.”“Well, maybe if we told each other everything and didn’t keep secrets then we wouldn’t be getting into things like this. Maybe we should just stick to murder. That’s what we do best. No more gangs or anything, I am not getting involved,” he sighed.“Okay,” Harry muttered.“Promise me, Harry.”Harry paused. “I promise Louis.”“Thank you,” Louis whispered.He really hoped he meant it this time. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Louis huffed when he carried in one more large cardboard box with him. It had ‘kitchen’ labelled on it, and he was glad that he didn’t have to carry anything else into their new house. Five months later and in that time they had gotten married and sold their old house. Somehow they had managed to escape from Mr Cowell, they both thought that he would have come for them. They hadn't heard much, but in the news, there were reports of someone found dead in a car which looked very much like Gigi.Louis let out a sigh of relief once he placed the box down before collapsing forward onto the counter. He heard a deep chuckle come from behind him. Louis smirked to himself when he felt Harry press his hips against Louis’ ass.“We’ve only been here officially for an hour and a half yet you still want to christen a new surface.”“Who said that I wanted anything baby?”“Because I know you and you make it very obvious when you want something.”Harry hummed just as Louis stood up and pressed himself against Harry’s chest. Louis slowly turned around making sure to brush his bum over Harry’s groin.“You’re right; I want you and I want you now,” Harry muttered into his neck, and Louis smirked.“Then you can have me Haz,” he whispered over his lips before joining them together. Harry immediately hooked Louis’ legs over his hips, harshly pushing his back against the counter. Louis moaned when he felt the man slowly grind his hips into Louis’ body.“Please,” he whimpered.Harry climbed onto the counter and pulled Louis up with him. Their lips soon joined again."You know...W-We should probably...U-unpack," Louis panted, and Harry smirked."We've got time."Louis moaned as Harry ground his hips over his, slowly sliding his hands up his body until they were around his neck. He stopped as Harry lifted his shirt off of his body and chucked it somewhere into the kitchen, Harry took his off next."W-Wait, have you got anything on you?" Louis muttered, and Harry paused before looking up at him. Harry shook his head, and Louis frowned."We've done without before; it's fine," Harry muttered against Louis' skin. He continued to kiss down his glistening skin. A thin layer of sweat had gathered on his body from all the carrying of the boxes. His eyes slipped closed while Harry slowly proceeded down his body until he felt a tug on his pants. His hips lifted off of the counter, and soon he was left in his white lace panties.His hand knocked off the fedora that Harry wore on his head, and it slid to the floor. Then he slipped his hand into Harry's hair while he got closer to his crotch.Harry teased him as it felt like he took forever to take off his panties. When Harry lifted three fingers to his mouth, he immediately sucked on them.Once they were well lubricated, Harry pressed one against Louis' hole. His face had contorted in minimal displeasure before he relaxed.Harry prepped him well, Louis letting out moans of enjoyment as Harry fucked him with his fingers."Ready?" Harry asked after lubricating himself with his spit. He hadn't noticed Harry taking off his pants for some reason."Yeah," Louis nodded then let out a groan as Harry pushed into him. "Fuck," he whispered.Louis' jaw dropped open as he pushed in deeper, only quiet whimpers coming out every so often. Harry's green eyes stared into Louis' blue ones once he bottomed out. There wasn't a lot of space on the counter, but they managed to fit.Louis' legs lifted so they were around Harry's waist. He let Harry move his hips into him a bit faster. Louis whined while he threw his head back.Harry took the opportunity to make a mark on his neck, harshly biting at the skin. The skin of Louis' neck broke and released a bit of his blood. He quickly licked over the blood, letting the metallic taste sink into his mouth."H-Harry," he moaned. Pleasure coursed through his whole body as Harry pushed deep into his body."My close," Harry muttered, and Louis nodded along with him."So good," Louis gasped while Harry fucked him. He kept on rubbing against his prostate perfectly, and Louis felt like he was in heaven. The cold counter underneath his body didn't seem to matter anymore as he could only focus on the immense pleasure he was feeling.Harry's fingers dug into Louis' hips, and he smirked from above Louis at the noises he was making."Fuck," Louis cursed before his body convulsed and he came all over his stomach, some of it reaching his chin. The sensitivity started to kick in as Harry continued to fuck into him at a fast pace.Only a few seconds later, Harry came inside of his tight heat, his hips pausing while his body shook.They were both left panting as they tried to bring their heart rates back down."That was nice," Louis giggled as Harry pulled out of him. He watched while Harry looked down at his exposed hole, staring at the cum that dripped out his hole.There weren't any tissues around, so Harry licked up some of the remnants before kissing him. Louis moaned into his mouth as he tasted Harry's cum."Remember what you promised me?" Louis asked once he pulled away. Harry nodded. "No more of what happened before.""Okay, Lou.""We go through this together," he said, sliding his hands into Harry's. Their fingers twisted with the others and soon they were interlocked together."We've got this, okay? Life will be great from now on, I can feel it," Louis said with a smile before softly kissing him on the lips. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Hello my Lovelies,I wanted to say a big thank you and everything. Thanks for reading and staying if you got this far.I am just going to promote my old stories sorry.  'They Just Don't Know You' which is the first story of this series.  'The Joker, a.k.a Louis, and Harley Quinn, a.k.a Harry, the Clown Prince and Princess of Crime. They were well-known names throughout Gotham City, either feared, hated or admired by others. They ruled a fair part of the city. Whether people noticed or not, they caused a lot of havoc in the city. People had always tried to get out of trouble with them and would instantly regret getting on their bad side. They were both psychopaths that fell in love with each other, maybe it was one sided, but no one dared say anything. But this is a tale about how Harley fell for the infamous Joker. Whatever it was that made him fall for the deranged man, is what you will find out.' 'Money Makes The World Go Round'  Louise and her gang are trying to rob a bank. Their new recruitment, Harriet, is something more than she expected or Louise doesn't realise that she's the one for her. Maybe it's her shyness or the way she seems to be a bit flustered around her.  'Let It Snow'  A winter!Larry one shot. 'Shakespeare's Love Story'  Where Harry is a university student studying in Photography. One day he meets the love of his life on his usual visit to the park or where Louis is a Drama student with a really nosey family.  'You Can Call Me Queenbee'  Louis Tomlinson is the Princess of England. His parents, the King and the Queen want him to find a husband but he hasn't found the right person. Will the next Prince suffice?I have lots of other ideas coming and I have something special planned for my tenth (10th!) story, hopefully you'll like it. It's very cute and yeah, it made me smile a lot while I wrote it.Next story is gonna be a one shot, I'll probs post that before I leave for charity work but I hope you have a good day. I ONLY HAVE ONE MORE EXAM LEFT, FINALLY.Thank you again my Lovelies. (Kisses every single one of you on the cheek)
11049798
His Birthright
{ "Archive Warning": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Dan Avidan, Arin Hanson, Brian Wecht, Ross O'Donovan, Barry Kramer, Felix Kjellberg, Rhett McLaughlin, Link Neal, Mark Fischbach, Jacksepticeye - Character, Sean McLoughlin, Suzy Berhow, Marzia Bisognin, Holly Conrad", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by Egobangreader", "chapters": "4/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "5,846", "Additional Tags": "mentions a bunch of other characters, YouTubers - Freeform, GameGrumps, Game Grumps - Freeform, Gay shipping, sorry - Freeform, Princes & Princesses, Falling In Love, battles, War, Possible Character Death, Violence, Possible smut, Fluff and Smut, Plot, Weird Plot Shit, Sorry Not Sorry, Drama, Romance, Eventual Romance, Drama & Romance", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Dan Avidan/Arin Hanson, Holly Conrad/Ross O'Donovan, Marzia Bisognin/Felix Kjellberg", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "youtube - Fandom, Game Grumps", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
The satin sheets slipped smoothly around the young mans body. His hair a mess from the tossing and turning, a lack of sleep had finally sent his body past its breaking point. Stress had been eating away at any will to accomplish his necessary duties. "Prince Arin," A small maid had slipped in, her voice was quiet but it carried and rang throughout the large room successfully, due to a lack of furniture. With a heavy sigh, the prince slowly sat up.  "Yes, what is it?" Arin wiped as much of the tired from his eyes as he possibly could. "Your father has received word from the neighboring kingdoms, there will be a grand meeting tomorrow. He wishes to speak with you." Carefully she twiddled her thumbs, nervous in his presence. "Very well then, thank you for letting me know." The prince gave a small smile as the young maid bowed and made her way out. After a moment of allowing himself to further wake up, Arin made haste to change into the outfit laid out for him. A brush slid easily through what little tangles were in his hair, allowing it to fall to his shoulders. Leaving his room he made way to the ball room, finding his father instructing most of the maids on how to decorate and clean. It wasn't exactly normal for him to be in this room, he'd really only ever seen it a handful of times; that was mostly just walking by. "You wanted to speak with me?" The tired prince asked his father. "Ah, my son. As you may have heard there will be a grand meeting for our neighboring kingdoms." King Lloyd spoke, his fingers twisting his long beard. "Yes, a maid has told me that is so." "Well, it's going to be more than just a meeting, we are hosting a ball that the riches will be attending from all kingdoms." Arin smiled, the idea of not only meeting the other heirs but possibly befriending them brought him joy. He was the only child, the only heir, the only one of his kind in the kingdom. "I'm quite fond of this idea." He told his father.The king gave a deep chuckle pleased with his sons excitement for the ball, "Fantastic, we are prepping, for it is tomorrow night. Be ready Arin, you have many people to meet and impress."Prince Hanson made his way out of the ballroom and off too his room, a taller, older, maid followed swiftly behind. he slammed himself into his desk seat and began to sketch up and outfit to be made by tomorrow night. It was a talent of his, drawing, making people laugh with silly sketches. he took pride in it, showing who he could that seemed as though they needed cheering up. when he wasn't just doodling terrible jokes, he was designing, almost every bit of clothing he owned was something he created, or well thought up and someone made it for him.  "It's done." he spoke aloud, hours after he had began. The older maid had left him, and upon noting that he darted out to find the Hanson's family tailor. "Arin?" Barry, the families tailor had spoken. slightly startled by the sudden run in he dropped some materials. "Barry, my apologies, but i need your help." Arin's breaths were deep and fast. "what's the matter?" He questioned, patting the prince's back. "I have a sketch and I need it made by tomorrow night." finally a normal breath and Arin pouted, knowing it was an absurd request. "Oh, Arin, that's such a short time from now," The tailor frowned, his dark wiry beard only accentuating the shape.  "Barry, Please. do not help me just as your prince but as your friend, this is my one chance to be around people in my shoes and possibly befriend them and that can work wonders for our kingdom in the future." The slightly older man took the sketch into his hands, examining the detail. His bushy brows furrowed, "I'll see what i can do, but I make no promises."Arin sprung to life, latching himself around his friend squeezing him. "Thank you so much, Barry.  I owe you big time."Barry gave a meek smile, hugging his friend back. taking the piece of paper with him into his work space. The illustrator made his way back to his chambers, his smile stretching ear to ear. He passed a portrait of his mother in the corridor, his smile softened, "Tomorrow night, I will befriend our neighboring royals. I will make our home an even better place to live." Arin's hand stretched to meet his mothers face. Allowing his hand to fall back to his side he went back to his chambers, ready to lay down and awake for the big day. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The sun crept in through the cracks in the thick linen curtains, spilling out into the room and onto the young mans face. His eyes peeked past the cozy deep red blankets, and immediately he was filled with excitement. Arin hoisted himself onto his feet, currently unable to feel the stress that had burdened him for weeks. The prince didn't bother to change as he jogged past the maids on their way to his room. "Good morning!" He shouted as he stormed by, leaving the maids rather confused. A small laugh escaped them as they watched him run down the long halls. Upon entering Barry's work shop Arin grinned, there it was the outfit worn by a mannequin. "Arin, Hello. It's not exactly ready yet, I'm happy you're here actually, i need you to put it on so i can get it fitting you nicely." Barry smiled, seeing his friend of so long this happy warmed him. "I couldn't be more pleased with your work Bar." Arin, allowed his fingers to trace the hems and the design. The fabric was smooth and rather thick, just as he had imagined. He pictured himself at the royal ball, dancing and associating with his new found friends. Barry was quick to interrupt his thoughts, dragging him along to put on his newly made outfit. After some time of struggling with the layers he examined himself in the body length mirror. "Look at you, Hanson." Barry gasped lightly. "Or should I say Handsome?" The tailor chuckled as Arin's laugh followed. He was beyond pleased with his own and Barry's work, not to mention it was just in time for the ball in a few short hours. "Thank you so much Barry. It's absolutely perfect." The prince grinned happily. "Ah, well it's your great design that made it happen. I just used my handy work to make it real." Barry shrugged, adjusting the collar of Arin's outfit a bit. Prince Hanson shook his head in disagreement but knew it'd be a pointless argument. Once he'd thanked his friend again he made his way out of the room and down the hall to find his father instructing maids on the food to be served tonight. "Oh, Arin look at you." His father gave him a once over. "I'd say this is by far the nicest outfit you've come up with." "Thank you," Arin smiled, looking down at his clothes feeling more proud. "The ball starts in a couple of hours be ready my son." King Lloyd had requested, his son nodded and made his way to tend to his hair. Once back in his room and in front of his mirror he brushed his long silky hair, it was light brown and he had a single blonde streak that contrasted nicely. Asking a maid for some help he had her braid his hair tightly, "What say you about this look, Holly?" The maid had tied up the end of his hair and he stood to show her, spinning for a full view. "I think its quite handsome, sir. Surely all eyes will be on you tonight." She spoke with a bit of a smile, tucking a bit of her short blonde hair behind her ear. "Holly, you've been so fantastic to me over the years. I want to thank you." Arin took her hand, a bit of blush dusting over Holly's cheeks. "It's been my pleasure working for you, sir." "I want you to attend the ball tonight. Have Barry whip up a dress, You and him are now cordially invited." "R-really?" She spoke in disbelief. "Absolutely, now make haste. The time is nearing and you need to be ready." The prince smiled, Holly giving her every thanks to the prince. _From his chambers, the sound of music could be heard as he knew the first of the guests had arrived. The ball had begun, with a deep breath he looked over himself in the mirror smoothing out any imperfections in his magenta and gold trimmed outfit. His shiny leather shoes clicked on the marble floor as he made his way down the corridor to the ball room where he was met by more people than expected. From the entrance he could see neighboring kings and queens associating among the crowd. Walking lightly he made his way through, enjoying the orchestra that played familiar music. As he walked he caught himself in a rather long gaze with a man that looked a bit older than him, he was dressed in light blue trimmed with red. Arin's eyes lingered on the mans as did his, an unfamiliar feeling crashed over him as the stranger smiled kindly his way. The prince's cheeks burned upon the sight of his smile, it was quite a sight. The older man made his way through the crowd with ease, approaching Arin with no haste, swiftly grabbing two glasses of wine from a passing maid carrying a tray of drinks. "Hello." The taller man greeted the prince happily, holding a drink out to the relatively shorter fellow. "Oh, uh- hello." Arin replied nervously, accepting the drink and taking a sip knowing he would need the courage it would soon give him. "So, I'm assuming you are Prince Hanson." "Yes, I am actually, and you are?" The prince replied, unable to take his eyes from the taller gentleman. "Dan," He smiled, he couldn't really help but get easily lost in Arin's eyes. The younger man nearly choked on his drink as he heard the name. "Dan? As in King Daniel Avidan?" Daniel's mouth opened a bit in a slight smirk, proceeding to bite his tongue gently in his smile. "Yes, that would be me." Arin's brown eyes widened, "I'm so sorry your majesty." He quickly apologized and bowed. The king chuckled, grabbing Arin mid bow and standing him up straight again. "Let's not get carried away." The young prince gave a confused look, "I don't under-" "I try to avoid attention like that, we are but normal people." Dan cut him off quickly, knowing what he was to say. Arin had never really thought of it that way, he was raised to know he was but a person, but still above others due to his title. Sipping his drink he nodded gently, once again catching Dan's gaze. "So, King Daniel, what brings you to speak to a prince like me?" He asked, unsure as to why such a higher titled royal would speak to him. "Well, Arin you caught my eye with that wonderful outfit." Dan, looked up and down admiring Arin's attire. Prince Hanson blushed, redder than a beet. "Ah, Oh, t-thank you sir. I- um I really like yours as well." Daniel smiled at the flustered prince, it truly was adorable. "Please, just call me Dan." "of course, Dan." Arin examined Dan's features. his brown doe eyes were deep enough to drown in, the way his dark mane of hair accentuated the sharp curves of his face distracted him, not to mention the smile that mesmerized him, surrounded by a salt and pepper stubble. "Are you well," Daniel asked, after a while of Arin just staring at him he grew concerned. "Wha-Oh, No, I mean yes. I'm fine." He giggled nervously, breaking eye contact finally slamming down the rest of his drink and moved to grab another. The king followed suit and they both had accidentally went for the same glass, Arin's hand meeting with Dan's. "My apologies." he spat out after swallowing the dry patch in his throat. "No, no, I'm sorry." A slight blush crept upon his cheeks. They each finally grabbed their own glasses, sipping slowly. As Dan was readying himself to say more, a man around his height had walked up. "Arin! Thank you for inviting me, that was kind of you." Barry spoke to the prince, not noticing the king. Arin's eyes widened slightly, signaling to Barry there was royalty near. "Barry, meet King Daniel." Barry's eyes traveled over to the older fellow, feeling as foolish as ever. A quick bow and apology took place. "Pleasure to be in your presence, your highness." Dan cocked a brow and shot a look to Arin. The prince returned a look almost as if saying sorry. "I suppose i will leave you two be then." Barry chuckled nervously, backing away and into a few guests behind himself. Arin and Dan watched as Barry apologized to who he had bumped into, then looked back to each other with small smiles. "Shall we go to a quieter place to speak?" Arin worked up the nerve to ask, holding his drink rather tightly. "That sounds lovely actually." "Let us make haste then." As the two struggled through the ever growing crowd they had met face to face with Prince Ross. "Ah, O'Donavon." Daniel smiled. "Avidan, wasn't expecting to meet you here." "I could say the same considering you've made your way from Perth." "And who may you be?" Ross looked Arin up and down. "The Hanson heir." Dan answered in a snap. "Well, it's a pleasure meeting you." Ross extended a hand. Arin nervously accepted and went to shake but Ross had surprised not only the prince, but the king by placing a kiss upon his hand. "I hope we run into each other again soon, Prince Hanson." Ross winked with a smirk. Daniel grimaced as Ross made his way passed the two. He was fully aware of how he was as a person. he hastily took Arin's hand and lead him out to the corridor.{to be continued..} ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Upon entering the corridor Arin pulled Dan, an unexpected move sending Dan flying backwards towards Arin. Fortunate enough to have been caught by the prince, he steadied himself, giving Arin a puzzled and almost agitated look. "What was that for?" The king questioned, his voice no longer sounded so kind. "I could ask you that same question." Arin retorted quickly. "What, that whole Ross thing? Trust me you'll thank me later." "Daniel, what do you have against him? he seemed nice." Dan sighed, his shoulders dropping. "Is there somewhere more private to go to speak of this?" Arin nodded, walking towards the parlor Dan following behind begrudgingly. They both took seat at the grand piano, the silence hammering into them both like nails. "so?" Arin began, he spoke quietly almost a whisper yet it still managed to echo. "I have known that man for a long time." Daniel began, his head hung low. Curls dropped to cover his face. "We were once very well acquainted, and no not in the manner that you may first believe. We did not have relations." That quickly earned a smile from Arin, and also a spark of curiosity. "though we did not, we came entirely too close to it. He then showed his true colors." interest peaked, Arin listened intently. "He was quite the charmer really, very kind and humble. The closer we became the worse things got." "Well, what happened?" The prince asked quietly. Dan took in a slow deep breath realizing he was speaking of a deep topic close to him to a total stranger. Nonetheless he felt as though he could trust him, regardless of his instincts failing him in the past. "We had been arguing over something, I cant remember for the life of me. That's just how small of a problem it was, but he had began to speak down to me saying he was using me and threatening me." He finally lifted his head, but not bothering to move the chunks of his long curls from his eyes. "I began courting with someone, we had met at a ball one night and upon seeing me with someone he immediately tried charming them away from me. In which he was successful, I later found out that the two had had relations that night in the neighboring kingdoms castle." He finally allowed his slender fingers to run roughly through his hair, bringing it back to its natural place. "Then I got word that he had made promises of marriage only to leave her a couple of days later." Dan refused to make eye contact with Arin for a long while. "Dan, I am so sorry to hear that." Arin spoke sounding as empathetic as possible, feeling genuinely hurt for the king. "Ever since then, anyone I even talk to that he witnesses he tries to play that same move on them. I didn't want to see you get caught up in it." Dan's eyes finally met with Arin's. A small smile had played on his lips, he admired the fact he cared so much about someone who he had just met. "Well, Daniel. If you don't mind me saying, I think it's quite an admirable thing that you're looking out for me. That's the kind of thing only a king with an open heart can do." Dan smiled weakly, swimming in the chocolate that was Arin's eyes. He was almost flustered as he awkwardly turned his attention to the piano. "This is quite a fair piano you've got here." Dan noted, gently stroking a key or two. They shined as if they had never been touched but well kept. Arin smiled agreeing, "Do you play?" "I dabble." Their eyes met yet again and Dan played a few notes. The sound of the piano rang, splitting the silence of the parlor. He had began what sounded like Waltz in C-sharp minor. Arin cocked a brow and began to press keys, gracefully they both played along. "I dabble." Arin scoffed, baffled that the king could play so well. "I never mentioned how often I dabble." He smirked, switching things up by then merging Étude Op. 10, No. 5 into his current playing. It threw Arin off greatly, he saw this as almost a challenge and accepted it by playing aggressively. Daniel caught on to this and played just as fast, keeping rhythm, never missing a key, both of them began to work up a slight sweat. Hot air from quick breaths, Arin bit his lip trying the best he could to concentrate. The king had taken the slightest glance over to his companion, causing his to hit one wrong key. "No," He whispered, dread filled his senses. Arin lit up, his eyes widened, his smile crooked from ear to ear. Daniel glanced over again to the prince, both of their faces red and unfortunately not sharing the same expression. The prince chuckled and it soon manifested into a laugh, seeing the king finally accept defeat like forced retirement. "Wow, and you almost had me too." He wiped a fake tear from laughing at the corner of his eye. "Yea, Yea, Enjoy it. It's not everyday i fuck up that terribly you know." "Oh I bet." Arin retorted, giving a small snort trying to contain himself. "Would you care to return to the party?" Dan asked with a faint smile, he dreaded the idea of Ross but he was unavoidable. "That sounds rather nice yes," Hanson spoke, although he'd prefer to stay in peace with Daniel getting to know him. Daniel hooked Arin's arm with his own and lead the way back to the ball room, a blush spread obvious on the prince's cheeks. Arin looked upward to the older mans face and was almost fully convinced that he saw a speck of pride to be walking with him in Dan's eyes. "Promise me that if you decided to speak with Ross you will be careful." The king requested. "I Promise." Arin spoke sincerely. Entering the ball room they were both greeted by handfuls of people at a time, seeing as many had just arrived. Arin had let Dan go to speak among kings, walking off to find Barry and Holly. As he searched over head of people he bumped into a woman. "My sincerest apologies ma'am." Holly turned to meet Arin, her lair was curled a bit more than usual, looking like silk and shining brightly in the light. "Arin! Thank goodness I've been looking everywhere for you." "You have, I'm sorry I had stepped out for a bit to speak with King Avidan." "That's all well, but I had to tell you I met a prince and he seems to take a liking to me." "And who might the lucky man be?" Arin asked, happy for his friend. "Actually, he didn't mention his name, if I see him again I will get it." Holly smacked herself internally. "Ah, very well. You look stunning by the way." The prince spoke, ready to find Barry. Holly blushed, pulling up the sides of her dress lightly in a curtsy. "Thank you." "I'm sorry but I must leave you now, I'm sure we will cross paths soon." The young woman gave a nod and a smile as her friend dashed away. Arin was about a handful of people into the crowd when a waltz began to play, everyone around him was swift to partner up. swaying side to side, spinning quickly, circling him. Arin only wanted to find Barry and at this point he saw no use, he too began to fluidly move, partially panicked, having a slight anxiety attack searching for Dan. As he grew more worried dancing through someone had taken his hand, pulling him in to better make way. "Where might you be headed all alone?" Ross smiled, wrapping an arm around Arin's waist and taking his free hand. Arin was now officially in a state of panic, he couldn't find Barry or Dan, and now he had Ross. "O-oh uh, well, I was just looking for a friend actually." Arin spoke nervously, feeling rather sick from his anxiety and the spinning. "Wouldn't happen to be Avidan would it?" "I d-don't see the relevancy in that question." The prince hesitated. "Well, I just think if you're only letting him bask in your beauty, then how will I ever get the chance?" Arin's eyes met Ross'. "I-I," Ross had cut him off with a quick, deep, dip at the end of their waltz, followed by a quick kiss. Slowly bringing Arin back up, The Prince of Perth had a rather smug look on his face. "I admit, I was a bit too tempted." Arin stared at Ross in shock, until he was out of focus and he caught eye of Dan over Ross' shoulder. Guilt flooded him, fear overcame him, what was he to do? The only expression Dan could give was a look of sadness and worry. "I must go now." Arin spoke, his voice shaking. Ross cocked his brows up with a small smile, slightly sweeping his short light brown hair to the side, his own milk chocolate eyes meeting Arin's. "What's the rush i was enjoying your company?" "I am sorry but really I need to go." Arin proceeded to walk swiftly past him, turning to watch him and catching glimpse of Daniel walking off. His smirk told the world how pleased he was with his work, an effortless job of hurting the one he almost had. As the smile faded he realized this task would prove more difficult than most. {To be continued..} ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Arin was swift to follow Dan, following him out of the ballroom and through the corridors. Daniel was running aimlessly, unsure where he was going. He found his way out to the garden, dewy roses and tulips illuminated in the moonlight. The prince called out to him in the hopes of explaining the encounter. “Dan, wait, please.” Arin’s voice shook, fearing the worst.The king hastily turned, facing Arin. “What is it you want? To tell me you enjoyed your time with Ross? That he isn’t so terrible.” His worry and near heartbreak was apparent on his face. Arin’s expression of worry fell, now replaced by a pure sadness. “He is a fucking pig Arin,” Daniel began to tear up. Both of his hands reached to drag through his thick hair, tugging halfway through in a state of panic. He felt as though he was reliving that night all over again.“Dan, he grabbed me unexpectedly, I did not wish for any of this to happen.” He too began to tear up, his interest in the king was enough to make him fight for his forgiveness. In a state of mind where his head was foggy he ran to the king, embracing him as tears fell.Shock flooded through Daniel at the unexpected move, his mouth hardly open, he froze. A tear slipped through his lashes as he finally came too and hugged the prince back slowly. “Daniel, I am so sorry. I never meant for it to be this way.” The prince’s breathing hitched.Silence was the only thing from Dan, unsure of what to say. Although they had only just met, the king had taken such a liking to the young prince. Daniel noted how Arin was chubby and soft, and how his own thin bony frame was cushioned by the other. “Arin,” Daniel had paused after his name, causing the shorter man to pull from him, looking into his eyes. Examining the older man’s face he was partially awe struck by the way his pale skin glowed in the moonlight, shining down on the both of them. A small hand carefully traveled to meet with a stray lock of curls, pushing it back and behind his ear. The near fro of curls and frizz was enhanced by the light streaming through, causing Arin to give a shy smile.“Danny,” Arin whispered, his eyes tried their best to blink back the tears that played at the edge of his eyes.A small smile formed at his being called ‘Danny’, he found it cute, and deeply enjoyed the way it sounded coming from the other. The way it sounded as if there was purpose behind it, a true feeling of endearment. As their gazes stuck, Daniel went on pure instinct, leaning down slowly to meet the other. The prince watched, following his movements, leaning towards the man. Mere inches apart, they were stopped by a sudden laugh.The two both jumped, their attentions turned to the sound splitting the silence.“Well, well, well, what have we here?” Ross smiled. He had previously stalked the two right out to the garden unnoticed, watching the entire ordeal; But not upset by the remarks his past lover had made, rather he was flattered. He took joy in what he did, pride if you’d say.“What do you want Ross?” Daniel spoke, fearlessly. With Arin so close he felt as though he could take on anything.“You know what I want, Daniel.” Ross’ smirk played on his lips, his brows furrowing in pure enjoyment.Hanson wrapped his arms around Dan, feeling a fear of what the other prince may do to him.“I dare you,” The king commanded.Surprise overtook Ross, a new found lust for Daniel had swept over him. Seeing him so confident was brand new. He gave a devilish smile, deciding to take on the challenge. Lunging towards the king, fists raised, ready for a battle they began.Daniel was quick to shove Arin out of the way and dodge the attack.“You know threatening me and fighting me is punishable by death.” His smile showed it was more of a promise than a warning.“Fuck you, you honestly think i give a shit?” Ross turned to throw another punch, landing it smack on the kings jaw. “Besides, if you're dead who's to stop me?” “Let us settle this like real men,” Danny felt his jaw burning from the hit. He jogged towards the training field not far from the gardens, grabbing two broadswords, tossing one to his opponent. The two prince’s followed swiftly, Ross catching his weapon, more than ready to match against his past. “You've made a grave mistake, Avidan.” Ross spoke, unsheathing his sword.Dan’s actions matched, “Prove it.”So the battle began, running at one another their blades clashed with a spark. Ross could tell Daniel was no longer as weak as he once was, but still felt confident in this fight. The king gave a shove sending their swords upwards, throwing Ross back on his heels, luckily able to catch himself. Arin stood off, petrified, praying and crying it would stop. Screaming at the two to settle down. Both the prince and the king ignored Arin’s cries, only concerned on the others next move.“How could you!?” Daniel yelled, his voice hurt and full of anger, running yet again at Ross.“How could I?!” Ross grinned, deflecting Dan’s strike swiftly. “It was easy leaving you and that whore of a girl you loved.”Fury fumed and coursed through Dan’s viens, his brows furrowing, screaming, again running towards his opponent. The two danced through the battle, Ross placing the first wound by slicing Daniels arm, only to receive quick pay back. He spun in his best attempts to avoid an attack, failing and being deeply sliced across his back. The prince cried out, pain shooting through him, unlike anything he’d ever endured. He fell to his knees, feeling each muscle had been easily cut. The king however did all he could to hold his facade, trying his hardest to ignore his wound. With the adrenaline and anger coursing through his veins, Dan raised his weapon ready to deliver the final strike. “No!” Arin screamed through a sob, tackling Daniel down.With a thud the two hit the ground, Arin sitting up quickly to straddle the king, throwing his weapon.“Please Danny,” The prince cried, looking down at the man who finally realized what he was doing.“Arin, I am so sorry.” The young man had then bent down, burying his face into Daniel’s neck. Shame had loomed over him like a cloud, bringing him to embrace Arin, holding him tightly. With the feeling of such shame came a greater thought, Ross. Dan carefully sat up Arin, crawling over to the australian prince. “Ross, you piece of shit.” Daniel spoke, standing on wobbly legs, picking up the fool who had started this whole thing. Arin helped dan to find the nurse’s room where no one seemed to be for the night. The prince directed him to remove Ross’ shirt and lay him down on his stomach, as well as take a seat himself. “You’re both fools.” Arin sniffled, trying to focus on stitching Ross up the best he could. Dan Had hardly had any words to say other than quiet sorrys. As Arin finished up the best he could cleaning the wound and stitching, he made his way over to the king. “I’m going to need you to remove your shirt as well.” Arin’s eyes had dashed off to anywhere else in the room.Danny nodded, removing his bloodied shirt knowing it was not only his own. Arin hated the idea of bringing his attention back to the king but he knew he had a job to do. His eyes first met with Dan’s, being quickly reminded of a puppy, sad and small. Following that he noted just how pale the older man was, and thin. Arin could easily count his ribs, not because Daniel didn’t eat well, it was just natural. Without all the layers he was much thinner, his skin looked smooth and the temptation to find out was real, however he was finally met with the wound. Taking a seat by Dan he started his work.“Is- is he going to be okay?” Daniel glanced over to Ross’ who seemed to only barely be breathing.As Arin cleaned the gash on Dan’s arm, he couldn’t help but smile slightly. “He will be fine, he must’ve fainted after the blood loss but i think we got to it in time.” He knew the hurt Dan felt emotionally, caused by the other. Yet he still cared for him, it gave Arin a reason to have newfound respect regardless that the two were so childish.“OW!” Daniel hissed.“Sorry, sorry, I know cleaning is the worst. I will try to be more gentle.” Wincing at the pain Dan gave a short, weak, chuckle.“Something funny Avidan?” Arin spoke glancing to catch a look of the king’s face.“All of this is just so stupid.” He watched as Arin began to stitch his arm. “All of that, all of what’s been happening for years, what have either of us gained.” “I think he does it because he’s pissed you don’t want him anymore, because you didn’t stay.” The prince spoke, sewing the king’s flesh tightly. “You didn’t cave in Dan, I feel confident that almost anyone would’ve stayed after what he said and did to you out of fear, yet here you are.”“I suppose you’re right.” He smiled, watching the needle press through to pull him back together.“The brave king Daniel.” Arin spoke in an impressed cheery tone. Finishing up, he put up the supplies and bandaged his arm, meeting his gaze once again. A small smile tugged at Dan’s lips, Arin leaning in.“Where were we?” The prince whispered, his heart knocking on his ribs as if asking for a way out to jump right into the king’s hands.The slightest chuckle escaped Dan, finally meeting he took the time to appreciate just how soft Arin’s lips were. How the breath coming from both of them collided, warm and comforting. Arin on the other hand felt as if he was going to melt in this very spot, his small hands slowly making their way to the older man’s chest to find out just how smooth his skin was. The prince was not at all disappointed realizing he had made the right call. At the touch Daniel shivered, goose bumps forming on his body.“Are you cold?” Arin broke the kiss upon feeling the shiver.Avidan gave a rather confused pout at the sudden lack of contact, “No, I don't know.” he hesitated but wanted to desperately pull him back in for more. Arin then interrupted Daniel trying to find the courage, “Let's go find you some clean clothes, shall we?”With a smile, Daniel stood, tired from the fight. Following Arin to his chambers.
11004924
Sweet Creature
{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Anne Cox, Original Female Character(s), Hot Luke - Character, Gemma Styles, Nick Grimshaw", "Fandom": "One Direction (Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by MrsStylinson", "chapters": "9/9", "completed": "2017-07-20", "published": "2017-05-26T00:00:00", "words": "78,282", "Additional Tags": "Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, louis has nightmares, Harry is his knight in shining whatever, that's a grey's anatomy reference, Angst with a Happy Ending, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, But there's good stuff too, Flirting, Pining, Hot Luke gets a special mention, Fluff, Cuddling, so much cuddling, A cat called Moo, Louis is an unwilling co-parent, Also Anne knows what's up, but doesn't she always, The rape/non-consent is only mentioned, the violence is graphic but limited, Liam is annoyingly studious, Zayn is annoyingly philosophical, Niall is just...Niall, Protective Harry, Smut, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Bottom Louis, Slow Burn, Masturbation, Rimming", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con", "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
There's a cute boy lying beside Harry. Whimpering. Moaning. Screaming out obscenities as if every word is being punched out of him, one by one. It's something out of Harry's wildest wet dreams. Only the boy isn't tangled between Harry's sheets. He's in the bed beside him and well, he's not exactly conscious.That probably sounds terrible. Harry is not some kind of deluded creep who has dirty fantasies about unconscious boys. Though objectively speaking, this unconscious boy might just be the most gorgeous thing Harry's ever seen. When he awakens, Harry wouldn't mind getting his name and perhaps a date, if he should only be so lucky. A tumble in the sheets could well be in their future. However, all of that comes second to the deep concern spreading through his chest at the sight of the boy tossing and turning wildly in his sleep, his face the picture of agony. It's beautiful, in a torturous way. His face is a work of art, every sculpted plane of it painted in waves of sorrow. The moonlight casts a luminous glow over his honeyed skin, revealing deep distress. It forms determined creases amongst his lovely elfin features.  Lovely, however is not a nice enough word to describe him. Harry's heart pulses with want. It's hard not to feel this stranger’s pain. Particularly when it’s obvious there's something happening inside him that he can't control. And what would he give to control it, Harry wonders. He watches the way the boy's soft feet kick out against the sheets. Dainty brown ankles twisting desperately in a sea of white. There's no break in the stream of wounded cries that fall from the boy's lips like ash from a fire. He can't seem to hold them in, nor the fearful whimpers that echo around the room in between. Harry fears this boy's torment will haunt his own dreams for many years to come. His cries are impossible to ignore, noisy and mournful as they are, his throat hoarse from screaming out. It settles uncomfortably in Harry’s chest and has him fighting for breath himself, overwhelmed tears tracking their way down his cheeks.  Harry would consider himself a pretty empathetic person but he's never felt such a swell of sheer sadness for anybody in his entire life. Let alone someone he's not yet spoken to. Harry only arrived at his new home this evening, lugging a suitcase behind him while his family dutifully followed behind. "They call this is a dorm room?" Gemma had scoffed. "It's more like a closet. My flat is twice the size of this." "Oh come off it Gem." Harry rolled his eyes. "This is all part of the uni experience. Living out of home. Working a shitty job. Making do with a shoebox like this...that's normal! We can't all be instant internet sensations with steady, flowing incomes, now can we?" Gemma's blog was irritatingly popular. Harry liked to make pointed jabs about her fame. "Harry," she gripped him by the shoulders and shook him a little. "There's mould on the window sill." "But at least there's a window," he said cheerfully, dimples fixed firmly in place. He'd always been highly capable of finding a silver lining. More capable than most anyway. After Gemma (begrudgingly) helped their parents settle him in, the three of them hugged him close one last time. With slightly misty eyes, they departed, wobbly little smiles gracing their cheeks. Harry supposed it wasn't every day the baby of the family decided to fly the coop. It was just verging on evening when Harry's family left. The sun had started its evening descent, bathing the dorm room in a peachy glow that filled Harry’s heart with promise. It was about dinner time, which explained his roommate's absence. What it didn't explain was why his roommate's side of the room looked like it had been ransacked by a bunch of thieves.Clothes covered both the floor and the bedspread, all of them turned inside out. As if they'd been tried on numerous times before being flung in vastly different directions. There was mess everywhere and no organisation whatsoever, just disaster zone chaos. Obviously, his roommate had arrived, dumped their clothes on their bed, then been hard pressed to find something they wanted to wear. It explained why there appeared to be a half empty can of hairspray lying by the foot of the bed and a hair straightener tangled around a brush. Clearly his roommate was quite concerned with his appearance. Harry didn't let that dissuade him from excitement. Despite their obvious differences, Harry found himself intrigued. The mess scattered across the floor was less than appealing but Harry decided to look on the bright side. His roommate had managed to contain the mess to his side of the room. There was at least some basic decency in that. After he finished unpacking the last of things, Harry took a trip to the shower. Communal bathrooms were about as offensive as he'd expected; a little bit grimy but not altogether too bothersome. He showered with his shoes on and spent a bit of time familiarising himself with the best way to achieve optimal temperature (there really was no trick to it. Harry settled for scalding hot). With that done, he decided that a muesli bar from a nearby vending machine would have to suffice for tonight. He felt like he needed a good night's sleep before he braved the cafeteria or any other public domain.It wasn't that he feared meeting new people. Making friends was something he rather enjoyed. It’s just that he tended to shift between varying extremes of craving interpersonal communication and staving it off completely. There was only so much charm one person could spare.Harry didn't hear his roommate come in. He's always been a deep sleeper. It’s why it’s so surprising to have woken up to the sound of someone's cries, loud enough to disturb even his deepest dreams. Despite his confusion, Harry doesn’t feel particularly vexed or hateful towards his roommate. How could he feel that kind of hatred for anyone in such genuine pain, let alone this boy? When he looks across the room, Harry sees a beautiful yet undeniably grief-stricken boy. This guy looks like the last person you'd ever expect to see trembling with fear and whimpering into his pillow. He’s pretty enough to be a model and fit enough to be an athlete. He looks like the kind of person who achieves anything he sets his mind to through sheer will power alone. Yet here is, naked with vulnerability, struggling just to take a breath.Unconscious tears slip out the sides of the boy's closed eyelids, dripping down his tan cheeks and coating the pillow beneath. It's a sorry sight, really. There are no two ways about it. Harry feels hard pressed to ignore it. Yet ignore it he does as the call of sleep is too strong and this boy, too foreign a concept. What could Harry possibly offer him anyway? He closes his eyes and does his best to close his ears too. Unfortunately Harry's attempts to ignore the boy remain wildly unsuccessful. He suffers for hours, trying to stifle the noises with his pillow. The boy’s anguished cries continue to build. Like a symphony orchestra climbing towards a dramatic crescendo. It’s hypnotising, haunting. So much so it hurts to behold. It reminds Harry of a tragic opera that burns your ears with its soulfulness. Each time Harry gnashes his teeth together in frustration, another choked out sob convinces him to just let it be. That is until their neighbours start banging on the walls in protest.The sound of it leaves the boy even more distressed than before. He seems to be legitimately struggling for breath, tensing against the sheets with his body pulled taut like a wire. It looks painful and twisted. The boy’s face is too soft to be looking that tense. While Harry could not care less about the people banging on the walls, he finds that he really does care about the added pain it's causing his roommate. He makes his way over to the other boy's bed, crouching down bedside him with a hint of trepidation. It brings the boy’s figure into sharp focus, offering Harry an unobstructed view of his soft skin, tan like caramel. "Time to wake up mate," Harry coos, cupping the boy's shoulder.He shakes him gently to no avail. The boy tosses and turns, shaking Harry off in the process. He whimpers into his toned bicep, biting down on the hardened flesh. Harry gasps softly, more affected than he's willing to admit. He lifts the boy's chin up and away from his arm, dreading the look on this boy's face when he wakes up and finds Harry, a total stranger, gingerly cupping his face. "C'mon wake up," Harry pleads. "Please." It’s not working. The boy is clearly locked in a vivid nightmare and nothing short of a siren would wake him up at this point. Harry just can't bring himself to startle the boy into wakefulness. For all he knows waking him like that could make it worse. "Okay... okay, that's fine." Harry breathes out, contemplating his next move. He watches the boy's face twitch with pain, his little fingers clenched into white knuckled fists. The pitifulness of it is just enough to dissolve the last of Harry's reservations, leaving him desperate and unsure. "I'm just going to give you a hug?" He suggests doubtfully, as if the crying boy might wake and give him permission. It feels awfully strange proposing to hug a total stranger. This person who could be a terrible narcissist for all Harry knows. Here he is trying to comfort this boy in his sleep and they've not yet exchanged names, let alone confessed their deepest fears. However, Harry finds himself compelled to help, no matter the lack of knowledge between them. With no other options, this is his best idea yet, though hardly inventive. He remembers reading something the other day about the intrinsic power of touch. It centred around the relationship between a caregiver and their infant and mentioned the importance of skin on skin contact in reducing infant distress. If holding a baby is enough to soothe their anxiety, surely it can work its magic on Harry’s anxious roommate? He decides not to move the boy. Thinks it's best not to, given his perilous state. Instead he wraps his arms around the tops of the boy's shoulders, resting his head in the hollow between the boy's shoulder and neck. The skin there is warm, almost hot. It smells of something unmistakably boyish and yet equally sweet. It’s a scent Harry recognises. Gardenia and jasmine. He has a candle which smells just like it. Harry fights the inclination to inhale and lays there quietly breathing, his body twisted at an awkward angle as he fully embraces the boy. It's a few moments before it occurs to him that it's actually working. The boy is still making noises but there's no tossing or turning. His cries have quietened slightly. His breath is significantly deeper and much less shallow. The feel of it is almost addictive. Harry is more or less keeping this boy from his torment. It's both this and the soreness of his body in this position that persuades him to go further, peeling back the covers slowly. He’s unable to fight the fondness in his face as the boy's expression curls into bitter displeasure. "Give me a second," Harry whispers, lips pursed in a barely there smile. His smile falters as the boy gasps then shudders against the sheets, struck by terror again. Harry moves quickly and clumsily. It's a wonder his roommate doesn't wake but alas, his eyes remain closed. Harry slides into the boy's bed and lifts his roommate up until he’s cradled against his chest, lips quivering gently. Harry holds him there in his lap while he settles himself against the back of the bed, readjusting so that he can hold the boy close. "Shh," he murmurs, combing his fingers through the boy's fringe. It’s a slightly darker caramel than his skin. "It's okay. Please don't cry." The boy snuffles wetly, sighing as he situates his head on Harry's collarbone. Finally he seems to give his poor lungs a rest. It's though the more Harry touches him, the calmer he feels. That said, Harry keeps his hands to himself as much as he possible, never venturing any lower than the waist. After ten minutes of straight silence, only broken by the boy's soft, calm breaths, Harry makes an executive decision. It’s time to move back to his own bed. Mission accomplished, he thinks to himself. Yet as soon as he puts a foot on the carpet, effectively releasing the boy from his grip, the whimpering starts right back up. And it’s louder than before. "Okay I'm sorry," Harry huffs, gathering the boy back up into his arms. "Please stop crying. You're breaking my heart mate." After a few minutes back within the enclosure of Harry's arms, the boy's expression clears. He clings to Harry like an octopus, wrapping his limbs around him in some kind of koala bear hug. It's clammy and not altogether comfortable but Harry is a sucker for a cute boy with a broken soul. "You're awfully small for a uni student.” Harry tells him an hour in, eyeing his dainty wrists and fit little legs. "But I like your tattoos." There's a chest piece catching Harry's eye at the moment. It draws attention to an impressive set of collarbones, standing out from the boy’s chest. Though when Harry looks over his tattoos again, he's equally taken with the seashell behind his ear or the word boo etched across the side of his little finger. This boy has character.Harry quickly realises that it's not going to be possible to leave him tonight. They're going to have to stay intertwined this way with Harry bent up against a wall. It’s kind of a problem given that they don't know each other whatsoever. The boy is liable to completely freak out if he wakes up in a stranger's burly arms. Harry knows he would. So he does the wise thing and sets an early alarm. He doesn't have any clue whether the boy is an early riser or not but given the restless way he sleeps, he predicts not. At ten to six, Harry slips out from behind the boy, tucking him in tight before moving back to his own bed. Thankfully he seems to have lulled the boy into a deep sleep. He makes no protest this time, allowing Harry a clean getaway.It's Harry that surprisingly feels a little bit lost. His bed seems strangely empty without the warmth of his Nightmare Boy all over him. He shakes his head at that, completely exasperated. Only he could fall partially in love with someone he’s never even spoken to. Twisting his head to look at said boy, Harry wonders if the boy’s smile is as loud as his suffering. Is it the kind of smile you can’t look away from, the kind that can’t be ignored? Harry thinks it is. He thinks he might never be the same again once he’s seen it.He mustn’t get ahead of himself though. If tonight’s events have proven anything it’s that even the most heavenly of angels have demons. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Louis’ head feels weirdly heavy. Almost fuzzy, like cotton wool. This feeling is the first thing he registers when he wakes up in his new dorm room. Well, that and the fact that his sleeping roommate is now facing him, giving Louis his first real glimpse of the guy. Last night when Louis came in, he’d hyped himself up to meet his new roommate, whoever that may be. He was quite disappointed when he found the boy curled into a ball on his bed, no signs of waking anytime soon. It's a quiet relief to Louis to finally get a glimpse of the boy's face. He’s able to establish that a) he's not a serial killer (he just doesn't have that serial killer look to him, if such a thing exists) and that b) he's not someone Louis would be too busy trying to sleep with to get to know.That's not to say the boy isn't good looking. Far from it. He's blessed with these silky looking curls that trickle down past his quirky little ears, falling neatly to his shoulders. He wears a collection of interesting looking rings on his long, potentially pleasure inducing fingers and has what looks like a very fit body with smooth alabaster skin all over. He's positively princely, absolutely gorgeous. He also looks like a bit of a heartbreaker but then why wouldn't he be? He's gorgeous, did Louis mention?It’s just that as a rule, Louis tends to stay away from those. Gorgeous people and him just don’t mix. Or not anymore, anyway. Countless times he's been the one chasing the heart of a heartbreaker, never relenting, only to find out that in the end the chase always proves futile. Heartbreakers don’t give away their love and affection, they dangle it in front of you like a chew toy. Then they take it away.He doesn’t date gorgeous people which means his gorgeous roommate is definitely out of bounds. It doesn't bother Louis as much as it would have two years back. Now he's free to get to know the lad and make a friend out of him without the pesky intrusion of feelings, or the pressure to present one's best self. Phew. He sits up slowly, finding he wasn't at all imagining the heaviness in his head. It feels like he's slept for twice as long as usual, which is a little strange given that he's in an unfamiliar environment. His first night in a new dorm room and somehow, he’s had the best sleep of his life? It just doesn't seem right. But Louis' not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He climbs from the bed, gathering his toiletries to take to the bathroom which is when his sleeping roommate decides to make a noise. "Please don't cry," he murmurs, voice saturated with this awful, soulful sadness. It bothers Louis all the way to the bathroom and into the shower. He scrubs at his skin like he’s trying to scrub the remnants of those words from his mind. There's a haunting familiarity there which sticks to his skin even as he rubs it dry with his towel.Those words. That voice.He's heard it before, he’s sure of it but how could that be? He's never met this boy before in his life. Has he? *-*-* When Harry opens his eyes, there's a very wet, very naked boy straddling his hips but it’s not just any boy. It’s the boy whose screams will probably haunt Harry’s dreams for the rest of his life. Here he is sitting astride Harry, shirtless and dripping wet, acting as though none of this is in the slightest bit weird.Harry can't think about what happened last night. He can't think about anything but cheeky blue eyes and the juxtaposition of this boy’s soft, kissable tummy with his toned arms and fit thighs. Christ, Harry's Nightmare Boy is even more captivating in daylight and he's about an inch away from sitting on Harry's dick.Fuck. "You're awake," the boy says, eyes gleaming brightly. "Took you long enough." "You're...you're sitting on me," Harry stutters, struck dumb. "Do you...remember then?" He has to. Surely. He must have been conscious at some point, even without realising what was happening at the time. They should really talk about what Harry witnessed and how to ensure it never happens again. "Remember...what?" The boy looks confused, his eyes narrowed into sceptical slits. "Have we met before or something?" There's a beat of tense silence. "Um, no." Harry speaks belatedly. "But...last night. You. I mean, does that usually happen? Is it always that bad?" The boy scrambles up off him, his eyes darting frantically around the room. "Is what always that bad? You're starting to freak me out mate." Which is when Harry decides to backtrack. Clearly this poor guy has no idea what happened. "Oh um, nothing. Sorry. I just meant...well, you kind of snore?" *-*-* A huge wave of relief rolls through Louis' body when his new roommate complains of snoring. Snoring, he can deal with. Snoring isn't the kind of thing you go to therapy for. Well…maybe sleep therapy but that’s entirely irrelevant.Louis’ so glad that that time in his life is over now. For good. The hell he experienced, the way it turned him skittish and unsure, it was torture. He's not that person and he never wants to be that person again. It was one of the worst times of his life and while he wouldn't say he's recovered completely, he feels like he's at least on the right track. He hasn't suffered a single nightmare in months. That's an achievement, right? It's the main reason he finished his therapy up, despite substantial protest. Both his mum and his therapist had strong reservations about him starting uni this year. Then when it came to him wanting to finish up his therapy altogether, they were basically up in arms. They strongly tried to dissuade him from it but Louis wouldn’t let them change his mind. He was doing this, whether they liked it or not. "You're not ready, Louis." His bespectacled therapist had told him, expression severe. "I wouldn't hesitate to send you off if I thought you were. But it's still raw for you, isn't it? You need to accept that and confront it first, before you are able to conquer the memory completely." "I have," Louis' voice rasped painfully, his eyes burning traitorously in their sockets. "It's been two years Doc. What more can I do to prove it to you? The nightmares are gone. I haven't had a panic attack in months. I'm ready." "You wish you were, I believe that." Doctor Dick was as patronising as ever. It’s how he earned the moniker in the first place. "Tell me, have you been back yet? Do you still take the long way to work?” "Yes." Louis replied honestly then cursed his reflexive answer. "So you see why I might have concerns." His hands rested on the desk between them. "You're coping Louis, I’m aware of that. I acknowledge that there has been considerable progress, some of it quite remarkable." "But..." Louis sighed. "But you are about to bite off more than you can chew. The anxiety of an unfamiliar environment is likely to aggravate your anxiety, bringing back the memories you have not fully confronted. I fear for you Louis, I really do." Louis rolled his eyes. He'd heard most of this from his mother already. Doctor Dick had gone above his head and called her after their last session. He was an adult for christ sake. Surely it was against the law to divulge that kind of information to her. "Well thanks for the advice, Doc but fortunately I am well within my rights to terminate my therapy here." "Louis, please--" the doctor looked more than aggravated now, his white bushy eyebrows drawn together with agitation. "Thank you for your time." Louis cut him off succinctly, ending their session right there. He left the premises in a calm manner. Or somewhat calmly anyway. His hands got a bit clammy when he realised he was going to have to do this on his own from now on. Nonetheless after deferring uni for the last two years and wasting hours of his life in that very office, he was consumed by the need to escape. He was ready. He is ready and that means moving the fuck on with his life and forgetting that the last two years ever happened.Thank god his roommate doesn’t know. It means Louis can finally start afresh. Straddling the guy's hips as a wakeup call might have been overkill but it's no different to how he would have woken up any of his friends back home. It's not his fault this guy looks like he came straight out of Britain’s Next Top Model. "Oh. Right. Sorry mate." Louis scratches the back of his neck. "Been a while since I properly shared a room with somebody. I'll have to get something for that." "No, it's...okay."  His roommate’s intensely green eyes smile directly into Louis'. "It wasn't all that bad." Louis chuckles. "Mate you literally just asked me if it's usually that bad." He says, quirking an amused eyebrow. Curly blushes and bats his eyelashes down. Pretty little thing, Louis thinks. Then Gorgeous Boy stands up and he's almost a full head taller than Louis. Not so little then. He could just pick Louis up and slam him against a-- Stop it. You're not going to sleep with your gorgeous roommate, he tells himself. It's just another delicious piece of eye candy that you can never ever have. Or taste. Or sleep with.  What could be better? "On that embarrassing note, I'm Harry...Styles," the boy adds, after an awkward beat of silence. Louis smirks and grabs the guy's proffered hand, ignoring the way his long fingers curl around Louis’, trapping him in their grip. "Hello Harry....Styles." He teases, enjoying the return of Harry's easy blush. "I'm Louis Tomlinson, from Donny." Harry smiles at him and holy fuck, he’s all dimpled and perfect. Louis might as well be Meredith Grey and Harry’s his god damn McDreamy. Except that he’s not. He can’t be. Because someone as gorgeous as Harry is well and truly forbidden. Louis’ trying really hard not to question why that is. I mean c’mon, as if it wasn't hard enough for Louis to pretend his roommate isn't his type. Now he has to deal with his dimples too! They're like actual craters in his cheeks that complement his jawline and everything. Life is so unfair. "I'm from Cheshire meself but my grandparents actually live in Donny. We used to visit them all the time when I was a kid." "Really?" Louis’ face creases up into a friendly smile. "Did you ever visit the ice skating rink?" It's only one of Louis' favourite places ever and Harry looks adorably enthused by the suggestion. He claps his hands together like a seal. "Only every time I visited!" He laughs, perceivably at his own over the top enthusiasm. "I wasn't very good at it though," he admits, bashful. "Really?" Louis looks him up and down, clearly sceptical. "But your legs." The boy looks nonplussed. "My legs?" "Your thighs look like they could support a small barge." Louis blurts out, feeling stupid almost immediately. Thankfully, Harry just seems awed. "Says you!" He laughs, not so subtly checking him out. "Your legs are even more toned than mine. You must go the gym every day." "Um, no." Louis shakes his head vehemently. An embarrassing giggle escapes his mouth at the exaggerated look of horror on his roommate's face. "I actually really hate the gym. But I play footie all the time and they tend to make me play midfield a lot." "Well..." Harry's face bares a hint of a smirk. "You have the legs for it." "I have these legs because of it!" Louis insists. "I'd be the size of a house if I didn't play." Harry not so discreetly checks him out. Again. "I highly doubt that." He says, those emerald eyes flashing just a shade darker than before. Louis tucks his chin in, trying to hide the deep blush crawling up his neck. "You um, you want to get breakfast with me?" Louis asks, pitifully soft and unsure. He suddenly feels entirely too exposed with his chest on display like this. He shifts sideways, slinging an arm around his waist. *-*-* Is this really the same boy that had straddled him moments earlier? Surely Harry could be forgiven for thinking that it's not. There's an uncertainty in the way Louis regards him now, openly vulnerable. His sharp canine teeth bite down into the soft pink flesh of his bottom lip, tugging at it restlessly. It reminds Harry of the way he’d bitten into his own bicep last night. Harry wonders errantly if it left a mark and if Louis came across it in the shower, startled by its sudden appearance, confused as to what could have left it there. Sure enough when Harry glances at Louis' bicep, he spies a faint white mark in the shape of his teeth. "I'd love to have breakfast with you Lou." Harry assures him, smile purposefully bright. He's not sure who he's most excited to have breakfast with; the boy who straddled him without fear or the boy staring back at him now, wide eyed and alarmed. He’s obviously surprised by Harry's affection, his cheeks tinged in subtle pink. He's a lot like Harry's Nightmare Boy, yet somehow softer and much less tragic. It's unclear to Harry how these two boys coexist so easily inside the one body but what is clear is that they’re both equally beautiful. There's no denying it.  Louis is far more enchanting than he seems to give himself credit for. "Lou?" he questions Harry, an arm still hanging loosely around his own waist. It's a damn crying shame. It’s obstructing Harry's view of his stomach. That gloriously soft stomach that Harry just wants to sink his teeth into just once. "You don't like Lou?" Harry asks, raising his eyebrows. "How bout Lewis?" Louis laughs, both his eyes and nose scrunched in wholesome delight. His features are more delicate than most, yet so refined. Like an artist's most intricate sketch come to life. "I think I prefer Lou." He says, smile gone slightly lopsided. "How bout it Harold?" Harry shoves him gently. "It's Harry and you know it." The other boy turns his nose up, shaking his head. "I know no such thing Sir." Harry scoffs and pulls Louis into his side, almost instantly settling his fingertips into the delicate curve of his hip. It's warm beneath his fingertips, but then that's no surprise. Harry’s already felt the glimmer of sunshine trapped in Louis’ skin. He just didn't know that same glow would be shimmering in his eyes, captured in his laugh or shining through each and every word he's spoken thus far. Harry is more than a little enamoured. It's no big deal. "C'mere you." Harry hushes him. "If I get some breakfast in you, will you stop sassing me?” "Never," Louis vows, a brilliant smile in his eyes. “And I can't go to breakfast like this. It might turn a few heads." He gestures awkwardly at his half naked body, Harry refusing to part ways with the warm curve of his hip. "Yeah it would," Harry agrees, eyeing him with exaggerated hunger. It's not that hard to pretend. For obvious reasons. "Creep," Louis laughs, pushing him away. "Stop looking at me like I'm a piece of meat." Harry grins and puckers his lips. Louis shoves his face away in spite of the fact that he's grinning too. Soft and pretty.It's all Harry can think whenever he looks at that smile. "And you can't go to breakfast like that," Louis adds, looking him up and down with evident disdain. Admittedly, Harry’s plaid pyjama pants and favourite holey t-shirt are probably not the best way to impress a cafeteria full of their fellow students. Harry pretends anyway. Planting his hands on his hips, he struts up and down their dorm room as if he’s on a catwalk in Milan, making eyes at Louis the whole way. "Why not Lou? I think I'm pretty fashion forward." The other boy plants his face in his palm with an audible groan. It makes Harry giggle noisily. "C'mon Lewis, it's not so bad. I'll make you dinner whenever you want." "We don't have a kitchen," Louis protests, adorably befuddled. Harry thinks it's only appropriate to pat him on the head. That earns him a punch to the groin. Sassy and violent. What on earth has Harry gotten himself into? "I meant in the communal kitchen, obviously Lewis." He rolls his eyes. "Keep up." He gets another dick punch for his efforts. That prompts him to suggest they get changed. Separately, of course. Despite his dangerous thoughts, Harry manages to keep himself in check. In his defence though, Louis is a walking sex dream. Exhibit A. He decides that he simply must bend over on the now clean (clean!) floor in front of Harry and fetch some clothes from underneath it (well that explains the misleading cleanliness). He's only wearing a pair of tight black pants and the further he reaches under his bed, the more they ride up, inching towards his bum and revealing more and more of that soft, golden skin. Harry is half hard within mere moments and is forced to turn away in shame. "I'll be in the toilet." Wanking off. "Getting changed." Harry doesn't actually intend to get off but when he looks down at himself, he finds he’s quite reluctant to head down to the cafeteria with such an obvious semi tenting his trousers. What if Louis notices? What if the whole student populace notices? What if he combusts from the intensity of this extreme sexual frustration? He licks a wet stripe up his palm and wraps a wet hand around his aching cock. Sighing with relief, he jerks it a few times, rougher than he would have been had he more time. Unfortunately, hard and fast is the only option he's got right now. So he jerks off quickly and quietly until his orgasm crashes over his head with almost alarming intensity. Harry doesn’t look Louis in the eyes the whole way to the cafeteria. *-*-* "So what are you studying?" Louis asks when they're seated, a tray full of fried food spread out in front of him. Harry looks a bit disgusted by him and his eating habits but Louis’ not bothered. He’s just as disgusted by what Harry picked out. Fresh fruit. Yoghurt. And, the worst crime of them all, a pre-packaged smoothie that looks way too gelatinous to be natural. "I'm studying history. Everyone thinks I'm strange for wanting to study it so badly. It’s not the kind of thing they expect me to say, I guess." Harry shrugs delicately, as if he's completely unbothered by people’s judgements of him. "It may sound boring but I absolutely love it." This guy is something else. He's so open and unapologetically himself. It's a rare trait in a guy who looks this good on the outside. "Good for you," Louis grins, chasing a stray bit of hash brown around the edge of his plate.  “I could say the same really. I'm going to be studying music, it’s not exactly a stable career choice but I just don't think I’d be happy doing anything else." Harry seems disproportionately impressed. "Wow, that's awesome Lou. I'm huge into music too but it's more of a hobby than anything else." Louis nudges his foot beneath the table, smirking a bit. "I don't know about that Harold. You look like a proper rockstar with your weird looking jewellery and those illustrious curly locks." Harry laughs unashamedly, tilting his head back to expose that clean cut jawline. Pretty, pretty boy. Not really a boy though, is he? Louis can’t help but stare at his muscled pecs. Those are a whole lotta man. "I'm flattered, Lou. Really." He grins, snapping Louis out of his dirty thoughts. "But c'mon, I can't compete with those perfect baby blues of yours." Louis' stomach twists a bit. He ignores it, making a show out of fluttering his eyelashes down and smiling coyly. "These old things?" He makes his voice go all high and breathy. "You like em huh?" Harry looks torn between laughter and...something else. Louis' not quite sure what it is but whatever it is makes his stomach go all weird and fluttery again. "I think I might swoon," Harry sighs, pretending to fall back against his seat. Louis kicks him beneath the table. "Stop it, you weirdo." The other boy looks at him in total exasperation. "You started it!"Louis shrugs."And now I'm finishing it. Harold, you're way too convincing as a teenage girl.”“I used to imitate my sister all the time, I got really good at it!”Louis narrows his eyes at him.“Are you quoting She’s The Man at me?”“Maybe.” Harry’s smirking. “How’d you guess?” He’s smirking way too much for Louis’ liking."I have four sisters," Louis says with a roll of his eyes. “I’m not some kind of chick flick expert.” Harry beams at him, nodding to himself determinedly, as though tucking this information away for future reference. "Well I only have one...and she hates chick flicks." He pauses. "But I think She's the Man might be in my top five flicks ever." Louis thinks this boy must not be able to help how irresistibly likeable he is. Easy to love, one might say. Not Louis. He'd never say that. "And what's number one?" Louis asks, genuinely curious. "Love actually," he admits with a proud little grin. Louis can't knock it. "Mine's Grease," he says, aiming for unapologetic. Harry looks particularly pleased with this, letting out a contented sigh as he traps one of Louis' feet between his. "I bet you know all the words and every time you watch it with your sisters, they tell you to stop mouthing along with the movie." "I'm offended." Louis tells him, a hand covering his chest. He watches gleefully as Harry's skin slowly heats with shame. "I don't mouth anything Harold, I sing." The curly haired boy barks out a laugh, his expression crumbling into instant relief. "You arse! You had me thinking I'd actually insulted you!" Louis pokes his tongue out. "I'll give you a tip," he says. He doesn't mean for it come across so dirty when he drags his tongue across his bottom lip. "I'm not easily offended." Harry leans in close to hear him whisper and then just...stays there, unabashedly staring at Louis' mouth. In this moment, it's very hard for Louis to remember why it's a bad idea to get involved with one's sexy roommate. Especially if said roommate might actually be interested in him too. Life is so unfair. Did he mention? *-*-* Harry is staring and he's not quite sure he can stop. Louis might have the prettiest mouth he's ever seen...and quite possibly, the dirtiest. Harry’s not sure which arouses him more. He's not even sure that the other boy meant for his words to sound so illicit. Nonetheless Harry's dick is rather interested in the path Louis' tongue takes back to his succulent little mouth. That and well, the sheen of moisture on his lips would look all the more enticing were they wrapped around his dick. "You two have been boffing, are about to boff or might even be boffing underneath the table right now.” That snaps Harry out of his lust induced trance and thank god because Louis is starting to look annoyed. They both turn to greet this unmistakably Irish newcomer who looks like he leapt straight out of an Irish folktale. The brunette boy has a quirky little hat which Harry detests on sight and an acoustic guitar strapped securely to his chest. "Excuse me?" Louis spits out, expression puzzled. "What did you just say? Did you just say we were boffing?" "Who are you?" Harry adds, confused as to why this guy has struck up a random conversation with them both. "Niall." He holds his hand out in front of Harry first who shakes it warily. "Niall Horan. I'm just looking to make a few friends here before classes start. Either of you study music?" "I do." Louis says, then flashes Harry an immediate look of regret. Harry fails to smother his laughter. It comes to an abrupt halt when Niall drops down beside him and throws an arm around his shoulders. Louis smirks at him triumphantly. "Great! What did you say your name was?" "I didn't," Louis laughs. "But I'm Louis, and this is Harold. We're roommates." "Harry," He corrects quietly to which Louis responds by kicking him in the shin, the little bastard. "Cool!" Niall grins, glancing between them. "So are you two boffing or what?" "Who even says boffing anymore?" Louis scoffs. "What are you, fifty?" Niall doesn't look even the slightest bit offended. He shrugs. Dragging Louis' plate over to him, he begins picking at Louis' breakfast. "I wasn't done with that, mate." Louis says, through gritted teeth. Niall shoves a whole piece of bacon into his mouth then slides the plate back. "Sharing is caring though, innit? Friends share, Louis." Louis guffaws. "Oh we're friends now, are we?" The Irish boy looks confused. He looks to Harry for guidance, like the two of them are a unit and Louis is the outsider. He nudges Harry with his elbow. "Is your boyfriend usually this standoffish?" Harry chokes on his spit. "We're not--he's not my boyfriend and we're not 'boffing', okay? We just met." "Doesn't seem that way." Niall shakes his head, apparently unconvinced. "When I walked up here it looked like you wanted to eat him alive." Harry chokes again but Louis, the traitorous bastard, bursts into rapturous laughter. "I think I might be starting to like you Niall." He says with a playful wink. Harry huffs. Meanwhile Niall's facial expression tells Harry all he needs to know. Receiving Louis' praise is all Irish needs to live right now. Kind of like how Tinkerbell is about applause. "Thank you Louis, that’s much better. Not so standoffish." He beams, ignoring Harry completely. Louis looks torn between irritation and begrudging endearment. "You should never steal my food and you should never say the word 'boffing'. Are we clear?” Niall nods, steadfast, as though this is the most sacred promise he’ll ever be asked to keep. Disappointing Louis is not an option. Such is the magic of meeting him, Harry finds. "Understood. Now can one of you explain this weird thing the two of you have got going on. Surely you must be dating.”"We're not." Louis silences him with a look. "And we never will be. I don't date my roommates." Fuck. Well there goes that last glimmer of hope. Lost to the wind. Harry hadn’t even begun to try yet. He hasn’t had a chance to properly woo the boy of his dreams and he's already been shut down by him. What a day. "Oh." Is all Niall says. It's surprising, given his lack of silence thus far. When Harry glances sideways, he finds Niall's eyes already on him, studying him intently. He raises his eyebrows at him, as if he knows exactly what Harry's thinking. It’s unnerving, to say the least. "And I don't date gorgeous boys with pretty eyes," Harry sighs, winking at Louis. No one said he couldn't flirt like his life depends on it. It's worth it to see the way Louis blushes, expression adorably abashed. "Oh shucks, Styles." He says, in an embarrassing Southern accent. Niall's eyes float between them like he's watching a particularly riveting tennis match. "You two are something else." He says when silence finally reigns supreme. "I feel like I'm in a movie.”"What kind?" Louis asks, chewing on a carrot stick he stole from Harry's plate.Obviously, he's not as disgusted by Harry's diet as he looked. Obviously the two of them sharing food is wholly different to the thought of Louis and Niall sharing food. Obviously, Harry isn't bothered either way. "Isn't it obvious Lou?" Harry butts in, gently nudging Louis' foot beneath the table. "We're a chick flick." *-*-* That night after their first day of classes, Louis tells Harry all about the boy he shares most of his classes with, Liam Payne. Liam's an aspiring songwriter, just like Louis but his methods are very different. It became problematic when Liam suggested they work together on their first assignment. "He just like--dove straight in Haz." He huffs. "It was like he already had it all worked out in his mind." "And you didn't?" Harry questions. "You needed more time?" He rolls his eyes. "Well when you put it like that...look, it's not that I'm slow Harold, I just don't have a constant stream of ideas coming out me ears." "I get that." Harry nods along, fingering the chain around his neck. A paper aeroplane dangles from the middle. "We can't just snap our fingers and produce ideas out the ends of our fingertips." "Exactly!" Louis crows, dramatically flopping back against Harry's lap. "I knew you'd get me from the minute I saw you Harold Styles." "Harry." He corrects unnecessarily. "And I still don't see the problem you have working with Liam. So you work at different speeds, that doesn't mean you can't produce something amazing together." "He's doing all of the writing though." Louis complains, pouting. "I just wanted to contribute." Harry's face shows his concern. He touches his fingertips to Louis' temple and gently sifts through the ends of his hair. It's very relaxing, although perhaps a little bit too intimate for two people that've known each other less than a day. "He wouldn't let you?" "Not really," Louis admits, all sullen. "I told him I wanted some more time to collect my ideas before I wrote anything down. He said that was fine. But when I looked at his page, he'd already written down most of the song." "Maybe he was brainstorming? Maybe he wants to merge his lyrics with yours?" "Maybe..." He remains unconvinced, biting down hard on his lower lip. "I just feel like maybe he's too different from me. He's so...bookish and intense. I couldn't really get a proper laugh out of him." "Hmm," Harry hums, skating a hand across Louis' knee where it's tucked up against the wall. "I think maybe you just need more time to get used to each other. It's never easy working with new people but it's a big part of the industry you're interested in joining." "That's true." Louis agrees, slightly sobered by the truth. "I guess I have to make the best out of this arrangement with Payne." "I guess so." "How were your classes Harold?" Louis turns his face against Harry's leg, biting gently at his denim clad thigh. "Bet you knocked 'em all dead." Harry lightly runs his fingers through the crest of Louis' hair. It feels so good he doesn't think he can keep his eyes open much longer. Harry chuckles quietly, presumably at his fondness for people playing with his hair. "What?" Louis mumbles, slurring his words. "Wass-so-funny?" "Believe it or not I had a similar problem in my classes." Harry tells him, quiet amusement lacing his tone. "Christ, it's like no one's ever played with your hair before." "No one has!" Louis whines, though it’s not strictly true. "What do you mean you had the same issue?" "The guy I'm supposed to work with on my first assignment is my polar opposite. Zayn. He’s just...he's too laid back. It’s frustrating. You'd probably be more suited to working with him than I am, actually. How’s this…I'll swap you Zayn for Liam?" Louis laughs softly, feeling drowsy. "How can anybody possibly be too laidback? Surely, he’s not that bad." "He smelled of weed, Lou! It was coming off him in waves. And when I asked him what country he wanted to do he said, "the term 'country' is such an arbitrary concept. Why are you so fixated on it Harry?" As if these 'arbitrary concepts' aren’t the focus of our whole assignment!" "Okay I see your point." Harry scratches at his scalp which has him close to purring. Despite his efforts to contain it, a soft mewl escapes his lips. Louis buries his teeth in Harry's thigh as a distraction. "Thank you."  Harry says, voice gruff. "For agreeing with me." "Welcome Harold." Louis winks at him. "Although I'm only agreeing with you for the free head massage." Harry laughs and pinches his waist. "Give it a rest, smart ass." Louis solemnly shakes his head. "Never." They spend the rest of the night lounging in Harry’s bed, binge watching The Walking Dead. Harry doesn't hesitate to put an arm around his shoulders halfway through the first episode and Louis' not shy about cuddling into his side either. It's only been one day but it doesn't feel like any new friendship Louis’ ever had. It's supposed to be awkward because they don't know each other's histories. It’s supposed to be tense with the uncertainty of not knowing each other’s sense of humour. Somehow, it’s just…not. It's comfortable between them. There’s a level of ease here that Louis has searched for, for what feels like a very long time. He mustn't screw it up with sex or feelings.After a few too many episodes and Harry falling asleep on his shoulder repeatedly, Louis ousts himself from the bed with a dramatic groan. "You're too good at cuddling Styles, I might have to keep you." Harry grins at this, obviously pleased. Then his face turns soft and pleading. "Sweet dreams Lou." He whispers. "Have sweet dreams." Louis wants to ask him why he looks so sad, all of a sudden but something deep down inside prohibits him from doing so. "You too Harold." He murmurs. "Dream of my sweet, sweet face." Harry laughs and waggles his eyebrows. "How 'bout I dream of your sweet, sweet bum instead?" Louis throws a pillow at his face which he catches, then pretends to sniff. Louis chokes back imminent laughter. "You're a menace Styles, an absolute menace." "Right back at you Tomlinson. Now get some sleep. You look like you could use it.” Louis flips him the bird but rolls over semi-obediently anyway. He is surprisingly exhausted. That must be why his eyes droop closed almost immediately. The sweet cusp of sleep drags him straight under. *-*-* Harry doesn't sleep. Not a wink in three hours. He's too on edge waiting for Louis to make a sound in his sleep. It doesn't come. Not at first. Then, a couple of hours in Louis starts tossing and turning fitfully inside his bed. The sound of him thrashing about quickly reaches Harry's ears. He finds Louis' expression crumpled with imagined torment. "Please." He begs, eyes screwed shut tight. "Please help me." Harry foolishly thought he'd be better equipped to handle this, knowing Louis a bit better now. Yet that there is the crux of the problem. Louis isn’t just some nameless roommate who makes Harry's heart ache. Now he's beautiful Louis with the brash accent and fierce wit. He’s Louis with the crinkly eyes and big dreams of becoming a songwriter. Louis, who's already a firm friend to Harry and if circumstances permitted, someone who could be so much more. It's painful to see him so twisted up with fear. There's a blissful beat of silence before Louis cries out in alarm. "Please help me. They're killing them. Please!" He screams. It fades into a raspy sob that twists Harry’s insides into painful knots. His heart stops, then picks back up again faster than before. Did Louis really just say that?  Because if Louis' nightmares are what Harry thinks they are, then he's been the victim of some kind of terrible trauma and Harry doesn't actually know if his heart can handle that. Louis is a survivor but of what Harry's not exactly sure. "I can't..." Louis sounds like he's about to retch. It makes Harry sit up in panic. "There's so much blood. I need to save them." He cries, sobbing freely. Harry doesn't hesitate this time. There would be no humanity in that. He walks over to Louis' bed and crouches beside him, grabbing Louis' hands in his and squeezing hard. Too hard, perhaps because Louis' eyes fly straight open. He sits up straight away, completely rigid. There's a moment of pause, a startled breath and then he screams. He screams so loud, the sound of it is piercing. So much so, Harry imagines it splitting the air molecules around them clean in two, all those particles making way for this stratospheric sound. Louis’ stratospheric pain. "No, Lou! No," Harry hushes him, grabbing hold of his shoulders. "Louis, look at me.”But he doesn't. He can't. Those darling blue eyes are blank and bleary, like he just can't find a way through the haze of his nightmare. He has a hand outstretched in front of him, opening and closing like he's feeling around for something to use as a weapon. It's too much. Harry feels sick. His heart is in his throat and all he wants is for this to be over. All he wants is for Louis to stop making that god awful noise. It sounds more manic and less human the longer it goes on. There are angry fists beating on the walls and even angrier voices rising up all over the hall. Telling them to shut the hell up. Harry has no choice but to break Louis out of this, even if it's not the right thing to do. He has to wake Louis up."Lou, babe." Harry gently cups his cheeks, digging his fingers in to the edges of his scalp and scratching lightly. "You've got to stop screaming. I need you to come back to me love, please."The noise continues but the scream tapers off into more of a howl, Louis’ chest rising and falling quickly with the effort of keeping it up. His soft cheeks are wet and sticky with the salt of his tears. There’s a good ten minutes spent trying to rouse him before Harry ultimately decides to throw in the towel."Obviously this is not working.” He mutters, feeling utterly lost. "Shit Lou, I'm so sorry." He reaches out to cup Louis' shoulder, kneading it quietly. Then it occurs to him. Perhaps last night wasn't a one off. Perhaps his touch really is the key. "I'm sorry to manhandle you like this, love.” The pad of Harry’s thumb ghosts over the rounded apple of Louis' cheek. "But let me tell you, your vocals are quite impressive. I mean, the pair of lungs on you!” Louis doesn't respond. Obviously. What with him being unconscious and all. He's a bit like the walking dead actually, which is ironic given Louis' unfettered enthusiasm for the show. Harry sits on the edge of his bed with him and pulls Louis into his lap, similar to the night before. Only this time he supports Louis fully, face to face, with one hand gently cupping the back of his head. The other rests protectively on the small of his back.The effect is almost immediate. Harry finds himself with a lapful of calm, boneless Louis and the room is silent once again. He’s pliant against Harry, arms hanging down over his shoulders, legs wrapped around him in a similarly loose embrace. There's a sense of defeat in the way he embraces Harry, head bowed, muscles devoid of any of the tension that had been holding them taut before. It's as though all his strings have been cut, the resulting fight finally having left his body. Harry could not be more relieved. By the same token, he wonders how he can possibly keep this up every night for the next year, let alone the next four. He'll have to tell Louis the truth sometime so they can sort something out. Louis needs some kind of therapy and Harry needs... he needs never to see him in that kind of pain ever again. Somehow the thought of telling Louis still seems worse than the alternative though. The way that Louis panicked when Harry mentioned it this morning gives the indication that it's been a problem before. A big problem, too.Harry doesn't want to be the one to break the news that it's a problem again. He saw the awful insecurity in Louis' expression and he doesn't want to put it back there. He never wants Louis to feel like a burden or an embarrassment, especially when it's blatantly untrue. If that means holding him in his sleep and chasing away his nightmares every god damn night, Harry will. He’ll do that for this boy. It makes little sense given that they’ve just met but Harry finds himself thinking he'd do anything to keep this boy smiling. He'd do anything to give Louis the sweet dreams he so deserves. If all that's required of him is a few cuddles, he's pretty sure he can manage.As if wanting to have some input, Louis sighs sleepily and smacks his lips together. "Safe now?" he whispers. Harry holds him closer. His lips find the crown of Louis' head. "Yes Lou, you’re safe now. You’re safe with me, I promise.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Harry returns to his bed just thirty minutes before Louis awakens. It seems he quite determinedly slept through his alarm the first, second and third time. Thank god Louis sleeps like dead. That is when he's not having extremely traumatic nightmares about his seemingly eventful past. "Haz, you awake?" Louis mumbles, voice hazy with sleep. Harry can hear the sounds of him stretching. He mewls, displeased, as if in some kind of conflict with his own sleepy muscles. It makes Harry want to cuddle him down into those crisp white sheets of his. "No." Harry pouts, refusing to open his eyes. His rambunctious roommate giggles. "Open your eyes Harold. Sleeping people don't talk." If only you knew. Louis' comment pretty much confirms Harry's worst fear; Louis doesn't remember anything from last night or the night before. Surely if he did he wouldn't be so blasé about it all. "Never," Harry groans, then opens his eyes anyway. Louis is curled onto his side with a closed fist resting beneath his cheek. His sleep ruffled hair partially obscures his hazy blue eyes. "Nice hair Lou." He teases gently. Louis blushes bright pink and hides his head beneath the covers. "Don't look at me, I'm hideous." It mostly sounds like he's joking but Harry instantly flashes back to the first night he got here. He remembers the clothes strewn across the floor, the desperation hidden in amongst the disarray. He remembers thinking whoever left all that mess behind must be dealing with some serious insecurities. "I like it. You look good all messed up." Harry doesn't realise the possible connotations of the words until Louis’ smirking face reappears above the covers. "You want to mess me up Styles? Is that it?" His little sardonic smirk is so pretty, so bloody persuasive, Harry barely stands a chance. All he can do is counter. "I dunno. Do you like to be ruined Tomlinson?" The other boy blushes fervent pink, his eyes straying very obviously from Harry's. Harry takes that as a yes. It's somewhat satisfying, knowing he's finally got the upper hand. Still he’s haunted by the image of Louis, naked, debauched and splayed out across the same sheets he’s tangled in now. It has an invigorating effect on Harry's morning wood meaning what was a semi is now a full blown hard on. "Shut up," Louis mumbles, lips upturned. "You're such a creep Styles." It hits a nerve. Harry wonders if he really is a creep. I spent the night in your bed, Harry should say. You don't even remember it, do you? "How did you sleep?" He ventures instead, because subtlety is key here. Obviously. "Like the dead." His roommate replies, face devoid of any concern. If only you knew. If only you knew. If only you knew. That phrase plays on repeat in the back of Harry's mind, a quiet reminder that this can only go on so long before he's forced to divulge the terrible truth. "Do you want to come get breakfast with me?" Louis takes his time in answering, stretching his limbs out again and yawning cutely. It's a delicate affair. One that makes Harry feel he should forget about breakfast altogether and just snog Louis senseless. "Sure...but you're going to have to carry me." Louis grins at him deviously.Harry still has to ask... "You can't be serious?" The smaller boy stretches his arms up over his head and grins at him, all toothy. His shirt rides up with his movements, exposing too much of that soft, tan skin for Harry to be able to think straight. It's just plain unfair, is what it is. "I'm waaaaiting," Louis trills, wiggling his outstretched fingers then breaks into a giggle immediately after. Stretched out in that position, he reminds Harry of this one particular cat video. In the video, the cat stretches its body out while the owner tickles her until she curls up again. Harry decides it's important to test his developing theory that Louis is, in fact an overgrown kitten. He makes his way over to Louis' bed and reaches his hands out towards the smaller boy's sides. As if to pick him up. Louis' face lights up so instantly and so brightly, Harry almost feels guilty for what he's about to do. Then Louis speaks. "You're such a good little bitch." Harry launches his attack with Louis in prime position, arms still stretched overhead. His fingers go straight for Louis' waist, digging in slightly. He's willing to bet that Louis is insanely ticklish in this exact spot. The moment his fingers dig in, it’s confirmed. Louis downright squeals and violently, albeit unsuccessfully, tries to shove Harry's hands away from his body. Even with Louis’ bouts of helpless laughter, Harry won't let up. As predicted, Louis curls in on himself, looking endearingly overwhelmed. His eyes have gone murky blue with tears and his voice is starting to turn croaky from all the laughter Harry keeps eliciting. "Harold, please!" He begs, dissolving into laughter once more. "I'll do anything." Will you let me kiss you quiet like I've wanted to since we met? "Will you stop acting like a bratty little shit?" "Not. Little." Louis manages, to which Harry responds by increasing his efforts. "Okay, okay...maybe a lil...little." He huffs, shaking with barely supressed laughter. "I'll stop. I promise. Just get off me. Please." Harry does. Immediately. "Now you're my bitch. Got it?" Louis looks exhausted from all the failed attempts to defend himself. He's splayed out like a starfish with his top lying halfway up his stomach and his hair like a half-sucked lemon upon his head. "You're a worthy competitor, Styles. I'll give you that." He pants. Harry's not sure he's ever seen anyone who makes patchy pink cheeks and sweaty hair look so good. Louis is so damn sinful. Harry finds himself imagining other ways he might achieve the same effect. Most of them involve a lot less clothing and a lot more skin on skin contact. Damn it, his erection had just started to flag. "Are you--hard?" Louis looks strangely fascinated and maybe even a bit flummoxed by the sight of Harry's thick cock tenting his joggers. "It's early." Harry lies. That has so little to do with it at this point. "Sue me." Or blow me, whichever you'd prefer. Louis only adds to Harry's dirty train of thought by licking across his bottom lip in what feels like slow motion, his eyes trained on Harry's dick. With all of Louis' bountiful attention focused on it, his dick seems just as keen to meet Louis as Harry was that very first night. It jerks in his pants, blurting precome. Thank god it doesn't seem to be visible from the outside. "Okay I think we should go get breakfast now," Harry says, attempting to cut through all the thick tension in the room.He takes a step back from Louis."Like that?" Louis is incredulous, eyeing up Harry's dick in a way that makes Harry's whole body feel warm. "You can't go like that." Harry shrugs. "Okay, no biggie. I'll take a cold shower first." Louis looks for all the world like he's just as turned on as Harry, barring the massive erection. That can't be right though. Louis’ already made his lack of interest in Harry very clear. "A cold shower? You're not going to..." He trails off, bitting his lip in a savage show of temptation. Harry hears the rest of the sentence, though it remains unspoken. You're not going to pull one off? "Um...." "Sorry!" Louis leaps up, latching onto Harry's biceps. He digs his fingernails in. "Harry, I didn't mean it." Didn't mean what you said or didn't mean to say it out loud? Harry would love to know. Louis' proximity is not helping the situation in his pants right now though. If he's not careful, he'll blow his load right here. "It's okay Lou." Harry's tense expression gives way to a cocky grin. "I know you've probably never seen a dick this big." Harry probably shouldn't assume that Louis is gay just because he takes pride in his appearance or seems relatively flamboyant. Then again it's neither of those stereotypes that actually convinced him of the fact. It's the way Louis looked at his erection just now, as though figuring out how much of it he could take. It's a fanciful thought, one which would challenge Louis’ lack of interest in him but maybe Harry did get it wrong. Louis didn’t exactly say Harry wasn't his type. He didn’t say that Harry wouldn't make a fine boyfriend. He just said he doesn't usually date his roommates. They've really only known each other a short time. There's plenty of time to change that.Louis rolls his eyes at Harry's display of manhood but presses even closer than before. His thigh grazes Harry's erection, sending shockwaves throughout his entire body. Louis looks up at him from beneath feathered eyelashes, as though he knows exactly what he's doing. Harry has no doubt he does. It reminds him how little control he has over this situation. This boy uses his body like a lethal weapon, the call of it too strong for anyone to wilfully resist.It’s surprising though. For someone so self-conscious, Louis is surprisingly bold. It’s part of what makes his personality so addictive. There’s something compelling about the contrast between his outer vivaciousness and inner vulnerability. Harry never wants to tame the minx like creature who teases him so boldly. He never wants to see that kind of irrepressible wildness retreat. By the same token he wants to draw out more of Louis’ other side; the side that holds his open sense of trust for Harry and his constant need to be touched. It’s a balancing act, Harry supposes. He’s forced to balance the vibrancy of Louis’ personality with his own desire to see what’s behind it."I have actually. Seen guys bigger than you." Louis says and wraps a delicate hand around Harry's waist. Sinking his nails in to Harry’s flesh, he leans up to whisper in his ear. "I can take that and a whole lot more.”“See you at breakfast," he laughs and sashays right out the room.There's no doubts in Harry's mind as to what he meant by that. The nerve of the boy, christ. He's going to kill Harry by the end of semester. With that cheery thought, Harry makes his way to the shower to deal with the growing problem in his pants. An embarrassing two minutes later, he watches his release run down the drain. It's pretty clear that Louis had the aim of settling the score between them. It's also pretty clear that he damn well succeeded. Harry-1 Louis-1 *-*-* Louis is happily enjoying the thick stack of pancakes Harry collected for him when he’s rudely elbowed in the side. "Shit, Zayn is headed our way. Lou, what do we do?!" "Who's Zayn?" Niall bellows, louder than a steam train barrelling down the tracks. "Shh Niall!" Harry hisses, face turning red.It makes Louis chuckle."Why do we have to do anything?” He says. “He looks chill." Harry looks like he wants to pull his own hair out. Or perhaps Louis', if the way he's glaring at him is any indication. It's a stark contrast to the way he’d looked at him earlier when it seemed like desire was his prime motivation. Louis knew in that moment Harry wanted him. He knew, because he wanted Harry right back. However he has to ask himself now, in what capacity does Harry want him? Is it for pleasure or is it personal?It shouldn't matter because they live together and hooking up with someone you live with is a recipe for disaster. Plain and simple. So why does Louis find himself searching Harry's eyes for clues? Why does he find himself inexplicably drawn to this odd boy with the gentle green eyes and even more gentle touch? This boy who's now muttering to himself angrily as another boy with dark shiny hair and almond eyes approaches. Zayn, Louis presumes. "Oh great, he's seen us. Thanks a lot Niall!" "You're welcome." Niall grins, completely oblivious to Harry's growing consternation. Louis shoves his shoulder. "Oh stop it, grumpy bum. He can't be that bad." Harry pouts silently, watching with baleful eyes as the other boy makes his way across the cafeteria towards them. Louis finds that the closer the boy gets, the more mesmerising he becomes. He's built extraordinarily well, with long, sculpted legs and elegant, porcelain features. The sharpness of his jaw is framed perfectly by well-maintained stubble on both sides. He's wearing dark form fitting jeans and a leather jacket that pulls tight across his upper body. Louis smacks Harry across the arm. "You didn't tell me he was hot!" Harry's head spins so fast he must get whiplash. His gaze is hot on Louis' face, searing him slightly. "You think he's hot, do you?" Louis swallows noisily. Harry follows it with his gaze, eyes pinned to Louis' neck. "Um. Yeah?" "Right." Harry says in a soft exhale, turning away from him swiftly. Louis looks at Niall as if to say "what'd I do?" Apparently, Niall is more clear on it than him because he rolls his eyes and mouths poor Harry. "Hey Harry, how are you?" Zayn walks up beside them, a plate of sliced fruit in his hands. Harry smiles at him, half hearted. "Hello mate, I’m alright thanks. Yourself?" "Peachy, absolutely peachy." Zayn nods, eyes fixed very seriously on Harry's face. "I went for a walk in the gardens this morning and meditated beneath a lemon tree. Now my Zen has been restored." Louis' cheeks wobble with laughter as he watches Harry try to fight to maintain the same seriousness as Zayn. "Right. That's um...lovely." "Yes. Quite." He smiles at each of them then, paying extra attention to Louis. "Hello. Who are you? Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are completely breathtaking?" Louis' smirk grows. He's not exactly displeased with the attention he's receiving from Zayn, who looks like an actual god. That being said, he's completely uninterested in taking it any further. Zayn may be pretty but he's a bit too sincere for Louis' taste. A bit too philosophical. Harry clearly thinks so too as he's staring at them both in blatant disbelief "I'm Louis, lovely to meet you." He stretches out a hand which Zayn grasps firmly. "And no, no one's ever told me that before." Harry mutters something incoherently. "Watch it mate." Niall pipes up. "These two are a thing." "Oh." Zayn drops Louis' hand. However, his catlike smile doesn't retreat. "That's okay. I was just paying him a compliment. I didn't mean anything by it, I promise." He squeezes Harry's shoulder whose angry expression fades at the contact. He pats Zayn on the hand. "It's okay. We're not....a thing anyway. We share a dorm room. That's it." Louis frowns. “That's it?" Harry rolls his eyes. "You know what I meant." He says placatingly, squeezing Louis' thigh beneath the table. He makes to pull his hand away but Louis traps it there. He likes the heavy weight of it upon his leg. Harry flashes him a wide-eyed look which Louis ignores in favour of inviting Zayn to sit with them. "Might as well join our little crew. Niall here is our newest recruit." Harry pinches his inner thigh. Louis elbows him back. "Hi Niall, nice to meet you. How do you feel about joining me in a spiritual connection?" "Mate, I feel like the closest I ever come to connecting with my spirit is when I'm several pints down and absolutely legless." Harry and Louis burst into abrupt laughter, wiping tears of mirth from their eyes. Zayn just stares at Niall with a perplexed look on his face, as if the Irish boy is some kind of unfathomable alien. It might not be so far from the truth. The moment is broken when a muscled figure ambles up to Louis' side. "Hey Louis." He turns his head a fraction and finds none other than Liam Payne looking back at him, a polite smile pursed on his lips. "Liam mate, how are ya?" He tries, hoping the casual setting will loosen the other boy up. "Good thank you. How's the writing coming along?" Harry's hand tightens across his thigh, trying to restrain Louis from saying something he might regret. "It's coming," Louis says through clenched teeth. "I'm just full of brilliant ideas." "Great!" Liam beams, oblivious. "I can't wait to see what you've come up with!" "Oh goody." Louis mutters, just loud enough for Harry to hear. Harry pinches him, leaning over him to shake Liam's hand. "Liam mate, I'm Harry. This is Niall, and Zayn." He gestures to each of them. "Why don't you join us for breakfast?" "I'd love to, thank you." Louis shoots him a glare. Harry mouths payback with a gleeful smirk. "Actually Zayn and I already know each other." Liam says proudly, squeezing himself in between the dark-haired boy and Niall. "You do?" Harry and Louis say at the same time, both equally puzzled. Liam Payne, the uptight, level headed perfectionist and Zayn Malik, the weed smoking philosopher? They could not be more different from each other. Harry and Louis’ confusion only increases when Liam snipes a berry off Zayn's plate, the other boy rewarding him with a patient but loving smile. "Yes, Liam and I are together." Zayn answers, nuzzling into Liam's neck. Harry and Louis wear equally shocked expressions on their faces. Niall takes one look at them and guffaws. "My god, look at yer faces." He waggles a pudgy finger at them. "Yer look like you've seen a ghost or summat. Haven't you ever heard the saying opposites attract?" "Opposites?" Zayn echoes, head tilted confusedly. "I thought we were quite similar actually." Liam cups his boyfriend's face, lips upturned. "Oh baby," he sighs. "We’re not similar. It’s like the Dalai Lama announced David Beckham as his boyfriend." They all burst into loud laughter. All of them, except for Zayn who still looks wildly confused. Liam takes the time to patiently explain the comparison to him, looking adorably smitten. The other boys watch on with mouths upturned. Louis is willing to concede that their breakfast crew isn't so bad. It helps that Harry's hand stays on his thigh throughout the meal, massaging him whenever his muscles go tense. It's been a long time since Louis met someone who knew exactly what he needed and when. *-*-* Harry's not surprised that on their third night together, things are no different. Louis is still restless and inconsolable without Harry's touch. Nonetheless, Harry's heart continues to shatter every time Louis makes one of his distressed, needy noises. Harry holds him until the sun rises, murmuring sweet promises in his ear. He promises that one day this will all be over. One day when Louis is ready to share his past with him, Harry will do whatever he can to make it better. He’ll chase those nightmares away for good and make sure Louis never has to feel like this again. *-*-* Louis' throat feels too dry when he wakes up. His eyes are suspiciously wet. He remembers traces of his nightmare. It was the same as it always is. Bloodied hands. Tortured screams. His own voice echoing back to him in a crazed scream for help. It shouldn't startle him the way it still does now. He's lived through that same nightmare a thousand times before. The problem is he thought it was over. The problem is he thought he'd lived through it for the last time. Oh god, what if Harry heard him? "Harry!" He shoots bolt upright in bed. "Harry, was I...okay last night?" Harry looks at him strangely, almost…guiltily. There's something wriggling around underneath his bed covers but Louis will deal with that in a moment. "Were you...okay?" Harry repeats cautiously, like he doesn't understand the question. Harry’s eyes are guarded but soft, always so damn soft. Like delicate white rose petals painted emerald green. The one thing Louis has learned about him these past few days is that Harry doesn't have a bad bone in his body. "Did I yell out or...or um. Did I…maybe, say something?" Louis bites down on his lip harshly, waiting for Harry’s reply. Harry looks at him for a long, tension fuelled moment. "No Lou." He sighs, a bit deflated. "You were fine. You didn’t make a noise all night." "I didn't even snore?" Harry shakes his head, expression unreadable. "You slept like an angel." "I am an angel," Louis jokes, winking. Harry snorts and chucks a pillow at Louis' head. "I've met criminals that are more angelic than you." It's a fair comment, really. Louis usually would have left it at that, rolled over and gone back to sleep. He would have this time too. That is if he hadn't heard the mewling coming from beneath Harry's covers. "Harry," he says steadily. "What have you got inside your bed?" "My legs.” Harry’s eyes are suspiciously wide. "There's nothing under here besides my legs." "Really?" Louis quirks an eyebrow. "Because I could have sworn I heard something meow just now?" Harry chuckles, nervously. "Sure it wasn't you Lou? You do sound an awful lot like a kitten." Louis blinks at that, taken off guard. "Excuse me?" Harry grins, then imitates him stretching. His mouth forms an o shape as he he lets out an unmistakably high-pitched squeak. "I have never made that noise in my life!" Louis shouts, outraged. "You do it every morning!" Harry matches him in volume, lips pulled back in a goofy grin. "Don't worry, I love it." "Oh my god," Louis groans. "Why are you like this?" "I have something that might cheer you up." Harry says ominously. "I think you're ready to meet him." "Him?!" Louis screeches. "Styles, please tell me that that's not a baby under there? Because god help me--" "Of course it's not a baby! What kind of parent do you think I am?!" Louis narrows his eyes at him. "The obtuse kind." Harry pouts, offended. "I'm going to be a great dad. My kids are going to be the cutest kids on the block!"Louis grins, picturing a whole brood of dimpled babies. He’s a little bit too fond of this boy for his own good. "Mm, they probably will be. All curly and chubby." "Chubby?" Harry blinks. "Why would they be chubby?" "Have you seen your love handles?" Harry crosses his arms over his waist, playing the part. "How very dare you." They both share a chuckle. "Can I show you your surprise now?" Louis is dubious as he eyes the lump beneath the covers. "It's for me?" "Well…kind of. He found me actually. I went on a walk before you woke up and noticed him all curled up in the corner of the park. He was all wet and way too skinny. Obviously, he doesn't have a home." "If it's for me, then why are you hiding it? And really Harold? You actually thought it would be a good idea to bring a stray animal back to our dorm room? Harry, we're not allowed a pet!" "Well, I had a feeling I would have to ease you into it." He grins. "And he's not a pet, Lou. He's family." Louis huffs exasperatedly. "Somehow I don't think our RA will see it the same way." "Oh c'mon Lou, look at him. He's gorgeous." With that he pulls a rangy looking kitten from beneath his doona and holds it up for Louis to see. The kitten is way too skinny with big blue eyes and thick grey fur. "Harry, look at it. It's feral. It could have diseases, for all you know." Harry frowns and nuzzles his head into the kitten. "You don't have diseases, do you? You're all clean." The kitten takes this opportunity to lick Harry's cheek and nuzzle him right back. "See, harmless!" Harry whines, pouting at Louis. "Mate, at the very least you need to take him to the vet. He needs to be checked out and get his shots. He probably hasn’t even been neutered.” "Oh." Harry’s crestfallen. "Right." Here Louis was thinking Harry would be the responsible parent. Not that this mangy looking kitten resembles anything even close to a child. "What's wrong now?" Louis sighs. He tries to seem unaffected but the look of pure sadness in Harry's eyes means he's fighting a losing battle. "I just...I don't think I can afford it." He sulks, eyes misty. "Oh Christ, c'mere." Louis sighs, beckoning him over. Harry practically leaps across the space between their beds, the kitten still clutched in his arms. Louis catches them both, rolling his eyes at the dramatics. Harry lets out a raspy sob then curls himself into Louis' chest. "It's okay. I'll just have to find Moo another home," he says, sniffling loudly. "Moo?" Louis asks, reeling back to look at his bleary-eyed companion. "As in...the sound cows make?" "He was chomping on some grass when I found him." Harry giggles wetly. "Like a farm animal." "Are you a vegetarian mate?" Louis asks the cat, trying to make Harry laugh. "Because you know you need to watch your iron levels." Harry snorts at Louis’ idiocy but there’s a grin stretching his cheeks wide. "Lou, what am I gonna do?" Harry mumbles, laying his head against Louis' collarbone. "He's my baby, I can't give him up." You're ridiculous, Louis wants to say, we'll take him right back to where you found him. But with both the droopy eyed boy and his sad little kitten staring up at him, he just can't resist. "I'll pay for him. I've got some money saved." "Lou," Harry's face opens up into pure sunshine, all traces of sorrow gone and replaced by warm affection. "You can't do that. You must have been saving it for something." He was. He was saving it for some proper, serious guitar lessons. He's been saving for a while too. The guy he wants to tutor him is the best of the best. "Nope," he lies. "It's for emergencies. Like this one." Harry looks a tad sceptical but then Moo reaches up and pats his face with a dirty paw. The boy just melts right in front of Louis’ eyes. "Okay," he agrees, patting Moo's furry little head. "Only if you're sure." "I am," Louis sighs, dismayed. Since when does he cave to puppy dog eyes and mangy little kittens? "Good. Because he's yours now too!" Harry exclaims, then drops Moo in Louis’ lap.As if he's a sack of potatoes or something. "Watch it!" Louis hisses. "He could claw me!" Harry rolls his eyes. "Oh c'mon Lou. Just because he’s a stray, doesn't mean he's feral. Look at him!" Funnily enough Moo does seem to be making a home for himself in the bottom of Louis' shirt. He settles in with his head against Louis' stomach, little grey paws stretched out across his thigh. Louis cautiously places a hand on him, stroking gently. Moo responds with a loud meow, followed by a rumbling purr. "He's purring Lou!" Harry looks to be on the edge of tears again, this time for a different reason. "He knows your his daddy." "I am not!" Louis shouts, hackles rising. "He's a ward of the state. My state! He's an orphan and I'm just providing welfare." He realises almost immediately that he shouldn't have used the word orphan. Harry picks Moo up and brings him close to Louis' face, holding him around the tummy. "Every orphan should have a new daddy." He kisses one of Moo's little ears. "C'mon Moo, give your new daddy a kiss." And sure enough, little Moo leans forward with his scratchy little tongue and licks a disgusting wet stripe up Louis' nose. Louis blinks at him in bewilderment, his nose scrunching with distaste. Moo repeats the action, earning a groan from Louis and a loud giggle from Harry. "He loves you so much Lou.” Louis takes the little thing from Harry's hands where it's starting to wriggle desperately, trying to get away. He holds Moo in his hands for a moment, staring him dead in the eye. "We don't lick people, okay? Especially not daddy. I mean...Louis." He stammers. Harry wears a smug grin. "If you lick me again, your actual father is going to cop it. We clear?" Moo meows and bumps his head against Louis' face. Louis bumps back, a little bit endeared. "Good boy." *-*-* "Lou, Moo needs a bath." "And you're telling me this, why?" Louis says, not looking up from his textbook. "Because." He can hear the pout in Harry's voice. "You said you'd be his other parent. It's been a week and you've skimped on all the hard stuff. You get all the cuddles and I have to wrangle him when he acts up. How is that fair?" "Seriously?" Louis can only laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. "I never promised to co-parent that fluffball. I promised to pay for him, which I have. And it's not my fault that I'm his favourite. Maybe you should stop trying to wrangle him so much. He'd probably like you more." "Lou," Harry whines.His droopy bottom lip is an impressive display of pitifulness. Louis' kind of tempted to bite down on it, then kiss the pain better. He banishes the thought instantly when he remembers the implications of getting involved. "I'm kind of in the middle of an assignment. How about you bathe him today and I'll bathe him next time. Deal?" Harry sulks a bit. Fetching Moo from his scratching post, he curls an arm around the kitten while shooting Louis a sad little look. "Daddy doesn't love you like I do," he murmurs, loud enough for Louis to hear. "Daddy’s a big fat arse.” "No, daddy has a big fat arse," Louis corrects, grinning cheekily. Harry can't hide the dimple trying to twitch its way into place. "Well that's true," He chuckles. Harry takes Moo over to the pot of water on the floor, smirking to himself. As he washes the kitten, he makes a show out of singing Sir Mix-a-Lot. Or his new and improved version, anyway. "Lou’s got a big butt and he cannot lie, you other brothers can't deny that when Lou walks in with an itty bitty waist and a round thing in your face, you get sprung!" It's very distracting. "You're embarrassing." Louis tells him. "And you're traumatising poor Moo. He doesn't want to hear about my big fat arse. This is exactly like when Rachel and Ross sang it to Emma." "Is it now?" Harry quirks a curious eyebrow. They're both big Friends fans and Louis' not surprised he caught on so quickly. "So you do fancy yourself as Moo's dad?" "Well..." Louis bites down on a smile. "He needs one sane parent, now doesn't he?" Harry calmly takes Moo out the bath and plants him on the towel he'd laid out beside it. He picks up the pot of water and advances on Louis with a predatory smirk. "I'm sorry you have to see this Moo but daddy really needs to learn to watch his mouth." "No," Louis squeaks. "Please Harry." He backs into the corner of his bed because there's nowhere else to go, shuddering in anticipation. "Moo, save me." Moo gives him an uninterested look and licks his paw. He seems a bit preoccupied trying to flatten down the mohawk Harry gave him. "Moo can't save you now." Harry gives an evil laugh. "No one can." Louis fears he might be right. He closes his eyes, waiting for the lukewarm water to hit. Instead he hears the metal clang of the pot hit the ground before Harry is on top of him, squeezing him tightly. "What are you doing?" Louis laughs. "Cuddling you," Harry pulls back. "Isn't that obvious?" "You're not cuddling me, love." Louis pats his head. "You're squeezing me half to death." "Oh." Harry's arms slacken. "Sorry." Louis chuckles. "It's alright. How bout I put my textbooks away and we have a proper cuddle, hey?" "With Moo?" Harry asks hopefully.He's been trying to orchestrate a cuddle session with the three of them for the past week. "With Moo." Louis agrees. They both beckon to Moo who stares at them wide eyed and unsure whether to comply. After a moment of this, the little grey kitten leaps up onto Louis' bed and crawls up his body, squishing himself into the space between Louis' neck and shoulder."He loves you more than me," Harry complains weakly.He doesn't look too grumpy about it though. In fact he looks rather pleased. "I am very loveable." "Perhaps," Harry concedes quietly but his dimples are out in full force. They cuddle silently for a bit, feet tangled together. Harry's arm is loosely slung across his waist and Louis’ got a hand in his hair. Moo lies curled up on Louis’ shoulder, purring contentedly. "Lou," Harry says suddenly, a bit of urgency filling his tone. "Yeah Haz?" "Do you trust me? I know it's only been a week and a half but--" "Of course I trust you." Louis holds his gaze, scratching his scalp. "You're very trustworthy Harold. Except for when you’re sneaking strays into our dorm room without telling me." Harry chuckles at that and pulls Louis' hand against his chest. His long fingers skate over the wiry bones in Louis' wrist. "You'd tell me if something was wrong then? You’d tell me if you were going through something?" Harry's expression is sombre. It recalls all those horrifying memories Louis so wishes he could forget. The nightmares have picked up in frequency, though it still feels like something is keeping them at bay. Louis used to wake up screaming. He used to wake up feeling like he hadn't slept at all. Now he wakes up feeling rested, if not a little unsettled by the images rocketing around his brain. He used to have nightmares all night long but now it's almost like they come and go before his real dreams start. Louis chalks it up to the healing process. He chalks it up to the fact that he really is getting better. Screw Doctor Dick. "Of course." Louis assures Harry. "I'd tell you." "Okay..." Harry seems off, like this whole trust issue is really bothering him. "Because I want to be your friend Lou. I can take care of you sometimes, you know." Louis lets out a disgruntled noise. "Appreciate it Harold but I don't really need taking care of. I'm a grown man." "I know." Harry agrees but his eyes are downcast, smile wobbly. "You're just so stubborn. I don't want that to stop you from talking to me, you know?" "It won't." Louis knits their fingers together. "We're going to be the dream team Haz, I promise." Harry seems to take that slightly better. He squeezes Louis' hand, a cheeky smile lifting his mouth. "God, your hands are so small! How do you even pick up anything with these?" He kisses Louis' index finger, lips shaking with laughter. It's a bit intimate for them both, yet neither of them cares enough to bring it up. Louis smacks him across the shoulder, hard. "Asshole." "Don't be like that," Harry laughs. Louis glares and turns around to face the wall, leaving Harry's hand behind him. Moo mewls and resettles himself along the curve of Louis’ neck. Harry curls his body around Louis' from behind, bringing an arm around his chest. He rests his head just behind Louis', lips grazing the nape of his neck. They fall asleep that way, Louis holding Harry’s arm around him. It doesn't occur to either of them that this might be a bit atypical for two platonic roommates. It doesn’t occur to them that their strange level of intimacy speaks volumes about their burgeoning friendship. It certainly doesn’t occur to Louis that no one’s ever made him feel as safe or as accepted as Harry. But then why would it? Repression is an art Louis has perfected. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Harry starts trying to casually sneak tidbits about himself into conversations with Louis in an effort to get the other boy to open up. It's been about three weeks since they first met and Harry has yet to crack the code when it comes to his nightmares. Plus, the longer he goes without saying anything, the harder it becomes. He's only becoming more enamoured with Louis with each passing day and every time he sees that smile wilt, his body goes cold all over.One morning he accidentally gives Louis his own tea. It has sugar in it, a crime punishable by death according to His Highness, The Royal Tea Connoisseur. Louis is practically shaking with anger when he realises Harry has already drunk the other tea, having not noticed the difference. (Maybe he should go without sugar, after all.) There are no teabags left in their communal kitchen either so Louis’ pretty much on the warpath. But then after anger, comes grief. Louis curls up in his bed, refusing to attend class and ignoring each and every one of Harry’s attempts to cheer him up. Harry tries unsuccessfully to rip the covers away from him, rolling his eyes at the absurdity of it all. Just when he’s given up and decided to head to class, Louis' head pops up from beneath his covers. "Stay with me." He pleads, his eyes a deep murky blue colour. "It's a very bad day and when it’s one of those, we stay in bed." Not only does it not make sense, it’s an overreaction and a half. Harry's book bag slips off his shoulder anyway. Silently, he gets into bed with Louis and curls up behind him, reaching out to pull him closer by the waist. Apparently a very bad day means Louis has to be spooned at all times, not to mention coddled. It’s a far cry from his usually stubborn insistence that he doesn’t need Harry or anybody else to soothe him. Yet on one of his so called Bad Days, he seems to need Harry more than ever, never allowing his attention to drift for too long before drawing it back to himself. Harry starts to wonder when this boy managed to wrap him so tightly around his little finger. Especially when, objectively speaking, he has the tiniest little fingers Harry has ever seen on a grown man. Telling him the truth now just doesn’t feel like an option. Not when Harry’s this weak for his smile, desperate to protect it at all costs. There's too much at stake here. Believe it or not, he's more concerned with protecting Louis than himself at this point. Instead he tries to trade truths with the boy; fact for fact, story for story. All the while, Louis continues to hold the most important answers close to his chest... "Hey Lou, did you know when I was little I had a huge fear of Santa?" Louis looks at him like he must be barking. "Santa Claus? As in the big jolly guy who delivers gifts to kids?" "He's a creepy old man who climbs down your chimney at night and sneaks around your house while your asleep!" Harry defends himself. Unnecessarily so, in his opinion. "Sounds like you're still scared of him if you ask me." Louis raises an eyebrow. Harry rolls his eyes. "Yes. You’re right. Obviously I'm scared of a mythical being that doesn't actually exist." Louis feigns his shock. "You're saying...Santa's not real?" Harry chuckles in spite of himself, shoving Louis lightly. "Oh shut up, you're not cute." Louis smirks at him like he doesn’t doubt Harry thinks the exact opposite. Harry has to get the conversation back on track. "So...Lou." He swallows. nervously. "What were you scared of as a kid?" "Nothing.” Louis quips. “I was fearless." Harry’s not amused. "Oh c'mon, I just told you my most embarrassing fear. You have to tell me yours." "I mean…” Louis pauses, biting his lip. A nervous tell if ever there was one. “I was always scared of my little sisters getting hurt, I guess?""Mm," Harry hums. He feels the need to show some kind of approval. "Did they get hurt easily?" "Not really, no." Louis shakes his head. "It’s just that mum always drilled it into me, you know. I knew I had to protect them. It was always, “look after your sisters, boo. Make sure the twins don't get lost.” “Tell Lottie to wear sunscreen.” “Don’t forget Fizzy needs to take her iron pill with dinner." "Boo?" Harry purses his lips in a smile, tracing his thumb over the side of Louis’ finger, the word boo printed across its length. “That explains this, I s’pose.” "Oh fuck off, don't pretend your mum didn't call you something ridiculously sappy." "Oh she did." Harry nods, grinning manically. "But nothing quite as embarrassing as boo." Louis tucks his chin in and mumbles something Harry doesn’t quite catch. "What was that?" Tentatively, he raises his eyes to Harry's. "Actually…it’s boo bear, not just boo but I couldn’t get that tattooed on the side of me finger, now could I?” "Boo bear." Harry echoes, chuckling quietly. "Your mum used to call you boo bear." "Still does," Louis sighs, grimacing. Harry's laugh trumpets out of him. "God I want to meet her." He sighs, smiling dopily. "She'd probably love you. Knowing her, she’d try to marry me off to you right away.” Harry's breath stops, his heart following suit. He can’t even look at Louis, let alone laugh it away. He can’t pretend that the thought of it doesn’t fill him with a kind of desperate longing. "Really." He mumbles, smiling wonkily at the bedspread. There’s an indecently awkward pause, then Louis stutters out a  "y...yeah" and they lapse into silence again. "You worried about your sisters, you said?" Louis seems relieved at the subject change. "Yeah," he nods, eyes soft. "I felt a responsibility for them, I guess." "And that didn't get tiring?" Harry wonders aloud. "It did." Louis concedes. "But it never felt like a burden. I loved them so much and I wanted to protect them just as much as she wanted me to. I wanted to be the one person they could count on when mum wasn't around." Harry feels weak with affection. In an effort to ease the perpetual ache in his chest, he reaches over and squeezes Louis' hand tightly."What was that for?" Louis chokes out. Harry swallows loudly. "For being such a good big brother…and son. You’re the loveliest boy I've had the pleasure of meeting this semester." Louis looks lost for words but he reaches over and squeezes Harry's hand right back. "What was that for?" Harry echoes. Louis' mouth mirrors his barely there smile. He shrugs and flutters his long, inky black eyelashes down. "Just...making me feel good, you know?" He does know. Meeting Louis has brought so much colour to his life and so much vigour. It’s like someone added red food dye to a bottle of water. Louis’ a bright red drop in a sea of calm neutrality. He’s chaos and calamity, all tied up in one beautiful package. It scares Harry sometimes and worries him just as often. The way Louis can never quite seem to sit still, the way he obviously struggles to do anything by the book, it can be frustrating. Yet It excites him all the same, because Louis is nothing if not a character. He’s warm hearted, charming, vivacious and utterly hilarious. Yet that huge personality still can’t compare to how lovely he is when he’s just gone quiet with affection or the way he looks when he’s soft and pliant in Harry's arms. It can’t compare with his thoughtfulness and his willingness to do something for nothing, to give to others without consideration of what it might cost him.Harry discovers Louis' extreme charitableness one rainy day when they’re trapped inside their dorm room and snuggling for warmth.  They’ve known each other six weeks now and get on like a house on fire, yet there’s still this earth splitting chasm between them, built around the heaviness of Louis’ past. Harry’s just trying to get information out of him again when the conversation leads them in an unexpected direction. "So you had a dream childhood, hey?" He murmurs, nuzzling the back of Louis' head. They’re both laying on their sides. Louis’ cuddled against his chest with Harry spooning him from behind. The rain forms sheets against the window outside, blurring the image into muted greys and pale blues. The sound of it clattering against the pavement below is more soothing than one would have thought but it has nothing on the way Louis smells, fresh from the shower and swimming in Harry’s top.  Harry wants to bury his nose in that one spot behind Louis’ ear and just inhale for a good five minutes. All of Louis’ clothes are currently in the wash--Harry needs to head down and check them on soon--which meant he’d had no other choice than to accept Harry’s offering of a lilac jumper, too large for his petite upper body and a pair of white joggers, too tight against his hips and arse. Dressed like sin and smelling so sweet, Louis couldn’t be more tempting right now if he tried. "Hmm?" He hums sleepily. "Wake up sleepy head, we're talking." Louis groans and pushes back against him in protest, effectively rubbing his arse right up against Harry’s groin. Harry winces, tightening his grip on the other boy in an attempt to stop him squirming. "No, you're talking. I'm sleeping." "C'mon boo, don't be like that. I gave you cuddles when you asked." Harry pouts, squeezing his waist for emphasis.The lilac jumper bunches up beneath his fingers. "Don't call me that," Louis growls, his voice low and raspy with the traces of his sleep. Harry tries hard not to be affected. "I didn't ask you for cuddles. I said I was cold and sleepy. You decided to hijack my bed and then refused to get out." Harry snorts. "So you winding my arms around your waist and shoving your freezing feet between my legs, was what...an accident?" "Precisely." Louis sniffs. Harry chuckles, valiantly fighting the urge to leave sloppy kisses all over his roommate's tan neck. "I love it when you pretend not to be needy." He receives an elbow in his sternum for that one. "Can I sleep now?" "Nooo," Harry whines, still partially winded. “We’re talking.” "Fine.” Louis huffs, intertwining their fingers around his waist. "What do you want to talk about so badly, Harold? My childhood?" Your childhood. Your dreams. Your fears. Whatever horrific trauma you suffered which has you trembling in my arms every night. If only he could say that. "Yep. Yes." He nods Perhaps that’s overkill. Louis thinks so too, if his slight cough of a laugh is anything to go by. "Why would you think I had the perfect childhood?" Harry doesn’t think that. He doesn't think that about anyone, actually. No matter how perfect someone's life seems, there are always skeletons in the closest. There are usually memories they'd rather forget. Harry's not one to assume even if there isn’t. However, if making a wrong assumption is what it takes to get Louis talking, he'll do it. Because sometimes it seems like the more he assumes he knows, the more inclined Louis is to tell him the truth. Even if it is just to prove him wrong. "I don't know, you just seem really well adjusted." Apart from the screaming nightmares. "You have a lot of love for your family. I've never heard you say a bad word about them.” "I do love my family." Louis readily agrees. "That doesn't mean we haven’t had struggles." Harry stays silent, hoping for more. "I've had three dads, you know.” Louis’ voice is purposefully flippant. “Obviously one of those was biological. He didn't last long and to be honest, I don't really think of him as my dad at all. He's my father but not my dad. The other two…they’ve more than made up for it. In saying that, Mark and I…we have a bit of a strained relationship. I suppose you could say non-existent, actually but it was nice in the beginning." "And Mark is?" "The second man mum married. My adoptive father." He explains. "He fell in love with mum very soon after they met but mum always says I was the deciding factor. He adored me from the get go, apparently. I don't remember much from when they first met. I was only seven at the time and not very concerned with watching them make lovey dovey eyes at each other across the room. I don’t even remember him wanting to adopt me or telling me had. It’s like I don’t remember a stage of him becoming my dad, I just remember him being there, acting like one. The rest of what I remember is… not as nice. I remember when it all went sour. I remember lots of shouting. Glass breaking. Dad would shout and mum would cry. I used to climb into the wardrobe and hide in there until they stopped. I had this little stripy blanket I kept in there just in case and a stash of my favourite lollies. It was my safe place, I guess." Harry's heart feels fragmented inside his chest, his breath feels short. He can't imagine ever feeling this much for anyone else but Louis. Harry’s quite simply heartbroken by the thought of Louis ever being that afraid and at such a tender age too. No one should have to go through that. He can tell by Louis' tone that he adored his adoptive father just as much as Mark must have adored him. It would have hurt Louis deeply to see his parents’ marriage crumble right before his eyes. "That must have been really tough. I'm so sorry you went through that, babe." Harry can’t help the term of endearment which slips so easily from his mouth. It doesn’t seem like Louis minds. In fact, he seems rather comfortable with it, resting his head on Harry's bicep and dragging his cold toes up Harry's shin. "Thanks. It was definitely hard…but I, I know that I've been through much worse and survived." What have you been through? Harry wants to ask. What’s eating you up inside?But it isn't the time."Anyway...they separated and I kept seeing Mark for a while. He made a real effort with me at first. Said he didn't want to lose me the way he’d lost mum." Harry can hear the heaviness in Louis’ chest seeping into his voice. His sentences have gone weak in the middle and throaty at the ends, as if he’s only holding on by a thread. "What changed?" Harry prompts, watching Louis’ wiry ribcage rise and fall with the heaviness of each laboured breath. "I guess he decided I wasn't worth it anymore. It took about two years…things just slowly trickled out. He stopped calling, stopped asking when I was coming over. I'd call him up to ask about visiting but he’d put it off over and over until eventually Mum put her foot down. She called him up and said—“ His breath suddenly gets caught in his chest and a choked sob breaks through. Harry's heart lurches dangerously. He rolls Louis over to face him but the other boy ducks his chin, eyes brimming. "Sorry I--I don't usually talk about this." "Shh, it's okay." Harry tells him firmly. "You can cry. It’s okay to cry in front of me." It was like no one’s ever said that to him before because the moment Harry does, the floodgates open. Louis’ gasping for breath and crying into Harry's chest, his shaking fingers bunched into anxious fists. Harry vacillates between stroking his hair and gently holding his wrists, pressing at the pulse points to try and anchor Louis to the present.Eventually the sobs peter out and Louis looks up at him with patchy red cheeks and watery blue eyes. He's never looked more beautiful to Harry. Perhaps because he's never seemed so reachable or so trusting. He's never shared anything this personal and the choice he made to open himself up just now was a big one. "I'm sorry," Louis whispers, voice hoarse. "I really just---never talk about it. Even with mum. She's tried so many times but it happens to be the one thing we can't talk about. I guess because it's the one thing I don't know I’ll ever forgive her for." Harry's heart triples in size. He wants to wrap Louis in his arms and never let go. "What's that, Lou? What did she say to Mark?”"Take him or leave him, basically.” Louis' voice starts to shake and he can’t finish retelling it at first. Harry holds out a hand for him to take. Louis does so, clutching it tight. "She told him he couldn't put off a visit from me any longer and that he had to make a decision about whether he wanted to be in my life or not. He tried to evade the question but she pressured him and pressured him until finally he gave an answer. Obviously, it wasn't the one I wanted." "But Lou--" "I know." He cuts Harry off, voice sharp. "I know it's not her fault. It's his. She gave him the option and he didn't choose me. He didn't want me. It's not her fault that he gave up on us. It's not her fault that the best he can offer me is a single card at Christmas and one for every birthday he can remember. Never a phone call. Never a visit. Never anything more than a half empty card with my name at the top and the meaningless title, ‘dad,’ scrawled at the bottom in messy handwriting." "Oh Lou," Harry chokes out, cupping the other boy’s tear streaked face. His thumb whispers across Louis' skin, tenderly wiping away his tears. "He broke your heart, didn't he?" "He still does." Louis' eyes flutter shut. "Every damn day." "It's not her fault, I know that.” He continues. “I just...wish she'd given it more time. I wish she'd let me speak to him instead. She backed him into a corner, made him feel like he'd done a bad job of being my parent. It didn't matter if it was true. He just didn't want to hear it, especially from her. I understand why it sent him running. I just don’t understand why he never came back." "Someone whose pride is more important than their son isn't worthy of your pain. Or anybody else’s, really.” "I know that." Louis' smile is sad and knowing. It tugs at Harry's already frayed heart. "But it doesn't hurt less just because it should. He was my dad, Harry and as much as I try not to be angry with mum for what she did, as much as I tell her that I'm not, we both know it's not true. It’s not something I'll ever get over. Not really." "I...thank you for telling me." Harry says gratefully. It feels inadequate. "Thank you for letting me cry on you." Louis giggles, rubbing at his eye. It makes for a pretty picture, his nose pink with cold, his eyes scrunched with pleasure. "The point is..." He exhales tiredly. "Despite my incredible mum, it wasn't all sunshine and daisies for me growing up. I was the kid who never knew what to say when someone asked me if I had a dad or not. Thankfully Dan came along when I was about sixteen. I don’t know how I ever would have left otherwise. He loves mum and the girls so much, I think he’d choose to suffer if it meant keeping them happy."Harry can relate to that himself.“And you?” He raises his eyebrows at Louis. “Does he love you too?”Louis smiles warmly, looking every bit like the boy who finally got some sunshine and daises.“Yeah,” he sniffs, dragging Harry’s sleeves down past his thumbs. “yeah, I think he does. He’s always on my back in the weirdest, best possible way. ‘Lou, I don’t want to overstep but have you been staying safe while you’ve been at uni? I know there must be plenty of good looking boys chasing you down’”. He imitates a man’s deep voice, chuckling along with Harry. “’Lou, do you want me to come up and check your tyres? It’s dangerous to drive around not knowing they’re okay.’ ‘Lou, your mother says you get on quite well with your roommate. Are you sure he doesn’t have a criminal record?’”Harry shakes with laughter. “He really said that?”Louis nods, laughing too.“He really did.”“Lou, he sounds kind of wonderful.” Harry tilts his head against the pillow, smiling brightly.“He kind of is.” Louis agrees with a grin but it melts away right at the corners. “I just wish Mark had never happened before that. I wish mum never felt like she had to protect me.”"I'm sorry.” "It's okay." Louis smiles softly. "Something good came from it in the end." "Yeah?" "Yeah. Have you heard of CODAFS? It's not like…a big deal or anything but there have been a couple of ads on the telly." Harry nods excitedly. "Children of Divorce and Family Separation, right?" "Right." Louis smiles up at him approvingly. It gives Harry a warm fuzzy feeling inside his chest. "It's for kids whose families don't survive the split as well as mine did. There are more than you'd think… and most of them don't have closets to hide in when things get tough. Although--" He pauses, a delicate smile perched on his lips. "I don't make a habit out of telling kids to stay in the closet. At least not the LGBTQ ones." "I'm glad." Harry says with a chuckle. "You had me worried for a second." Louis playfully pushes at his chest, eyes shining bright in the dull grey of the room. They look like little blue planets, orbiting a new cosmos of his creation. Harry feels as if he’s stuck in Louis' orbit too but there’s no place he'd rather be. "So um…I founded it. CODAFS is my baby." Harry's smile slips right off his face. "You founded a national charity for kids in need?" His eyes must be blown wide or something because Louis takes one look at his expression and starts giggling delightedly. "Yes. But it's not that amazing, quit looking at me like I'm the Lord Saviour or something." His voice is sharp and defensive but the shy smile filling his eyes tells Harry all he needs to know. "I just don't understand." Harry shakes his head, trying to clear it. "Where did you get the money for it? You're not secretly rich, are you?" Louis rolls his eyes. "No, Harold. If I was, I wouldn't be stuck in a dorm room with you, now would I?" Harry lightly slaps his chest. "You love living with me." Louis laughs openly and leans a little bit closer. As if they weren't close enough already. His face is freshly shaven and while others might find it off putting, Harry’s a bit obsessed with the baby face that’s been uncovered underneath. It makes him feel like he’s getting to see a younger version of Louis, like he’s getting to go back to the time he wishes he would have met him, in order to be there for him when things got tough. Plus, it reveals more of his defined bone structure and that’s just a gift for everybody’s eyes, really. "Yeah, I s'pose I do." They’re easily close enough to kiss and Harry wants to so badly. If only to feel those cherry blossom lips, soft like petals, press gently against his own. He’d love to run his fingers through the dampened ends of Louis’ hair, soft and silky against his fingers. His hands would come away smelling of Louis’ shampoo and Harry could probably die a happy man having kissed someone so pretty, a hand tangled in the back of his lovely hair. Harry knows he’d fist the bottom of that lilac jumper in his other hand, pulling it away to expose Louis’ delicious stomach.The tension feels layered for a moment, as if maybe he’s not the only one feeling it. Louis' eyes hold his own, daring him to make a move and Harry pushes closer, a slave to the longing inside his chest. Anticipation swells inside him, watching Louis’ shaky inhale and the moment is right there before them both. They’re finally going to cross the chasm. Then Louis falls back, shuffling away and the moment is gone. Harry does his best to make peace with its loss. "So how’d you do it?” His voice is gruff. “How’d you create a charity?" Again Louis seems relieved to get back to the topic at hand. Quiet anger simmers in Harry’s veins. "I lobbied for it as hard as I could and fought tooth and nail to get it up and running. I wrote to MP's, community leaders, media outlets…anyone I thought could possibly help me get it going. It wasn't a matter of funds, I knew they were out there. It was a matter of convincing someone to give them to me." "Why wouldn't they?" Harry asks, disbelieving. In that moment Harry’s thinking more from the perspective of Louis’ adoring fan than someone with vested financial interests. If it was Harry's choice, of course Louis would have had his funds. He can have all of Harry’s money and his hand in marriage too. "Because I was a fifteen-year old kid with no experience in building a charity?" "Right." Harry bites his lip. "So what did you do?" "Well that's when mum got involved." He smiles then, the look on his face one of utter love and admiration. "She did for the campaign what I couldn't do myself. She made it feasible. People believed in her in a way they couldn't quite fully believe in me and the more she spoke at the meetings we went to, the more they would listen to what I had to say. We had a number of meetings with James Cordon, you might have heard of him--" "James Cordon!" Harry squeals.Louis continues on as if Harry hadn’t spoken at all. "And after that, we managed to make it a reality. James gave us a kickstart but we took it from there. Mum took on the business stuff; the logistics and the financials while I worked on figuring out what I wanted to achieve. I met with so many kids in broken families, kids who felt lost and alone. They were kids that didn't know where they belonged anymore, who felt powerless in their situation. In the beginning, we had planned for a helpline of sorts, something to get kids talking, you know. It was mum's idea and I ran with it but after speaking to all these kids, kids like me, kids who felt scared all the time and unsure of what to do about it, I realised they needed more than somebody to talk to. They needed somewhere to go. They needed their own closet." Harry hums, seeing it all in his mind's eye. He can imagine fifteen-year-old Louis, bad haircut and a daggy school uniform, running around London with blessedly innocent intentions, trying to help these kids who suffered the same pain he did. "So I came up with the idea of Safe Houses where kids can go when they're feeling overwhelmed or out of sorts inside their own home. I thought that with the right kinds of services, we can really help them take control of their circumstances, you know? Instead of watching them become victims of them." "Lou, that's wonderful." Harry implores, trying to find the right words for it. "I can't believe you were only fifteen. That’s just. You’re so. You're incredible." Louis blushes anew. His eyes lock on Harry's with considerable gratitude shining through. "Thank you. It wasn't easy, I suppose. Mum had to teach me a lot and we still needed a lot more funds than James was able to give us. Thankfully, with a ton of local communities on our side, we were able to create enough people power to really change things for good. We got the government on side and once we had them, we had the money. Then it was just a matter of putting it to good use. Mum took charge of organising the most important services. She hired everyone from counsellors to social workers to experts in family separation. And I worked on creating a space that these kids would want to be in. I designed a game room and a mock cinema. We even got the girls involved. Lottie was particularly enthusiastic about this stylist, Lou Teasdale. We hired her for this special room called The Beauty Parlour." "It sounds amazing." Harry gushes. "I can't believe you're the head of this huge charity and you didn’t even mention it to me once." "Oh hush. It's not as if I'm some famous CEO." Harry narrows his eyes at him. "But you are the CEO, aren't you?" "Well yes..." Harry snorts. "But it's more of a figure head position than anything. I don't take care of anything important. I do visit the safe houses sometimes, I’ll admit that."Louis blushes furiously again. Harry’s beginning to think there’s no better colour on him than rosy pink. "To see the kids?" Harry asks, heart melting inside his chest. "Yeah. They're not like scheduled visits or anything. I just go whenever I feel like it. To be honest it’s usually when I'm having a bad day. There's something so wonderful about seeing all those lonely kids catching up with each other and making friends. They’ve always got lovely dopey smiles on their faces and they just look so at home. I think...I think it's good for me to see I'm capable of that." "Capable of what?" Harry enquires. "Capable of making someone feel safe and happy. I feel more capable of making a difference when I'm there than anywhere else. The kids, they all know my name and like…how many sisters I have and everything. They know that Jay is my mum and that my parents are separated too. I get the best of both worlds. I fit in with them, I get to feel like I’m one of them but I also get to feel like I survived it. I got through it. I can share with them what it's like to get to the other side and be okay." Harry's never heard him speak with such passion before. He’s so humbled about it all and it’s wildly attractive. "Lou, you should be so proud of yourself. Honestly. You're not the lord saviour, no but you might just be Superman Junior." Louis’ look is quizzical. "Superman junior?" He smirks. "Well you are pretty small Boo.” He laughs and tugs on Louis’ sweater paws. Louis growls and pins him to the bed by his shoulders. "I will end you Harry Edward Styles." He knows he’s done for when he looks up at Louis with overwhelming affection, much too dazed to defend himself.  He didn't realise it to begin with but getting to know Louis isn't going to be as easy as he thought. Not just because Louis doesn’t like to share but also because the more Harry learns about him, the more he wants him and the more he wants Louis, the harder it is to hold him in his arms every night, knowing he'll have to let go in the morning.Despite his best efforts to the contrary, Harry’s falling in love. He can't help but think he might be better off not knowing these things about Louis. He might be better off not knowing his generous spirit or brilliant mind. He'd be better off not knowing the cute crinkly eyed way he smiles whenever he talks about his sisters or butts his head against Moo’s. He'd definitely be better off not knowing that even without the trauma he's suffered, Louis' clearly been through a lot over the years... "So...have you ever lost anyone?" Two months into their friendship and Harry is unsurprisingly still terrible at digging for information. "Why would you ask that?" Louis cuts him to the quick. "Out of nowhere. Why?" Harry gulps. Maybe trying to coax the story out of Louis isn't the best idea. "I, just." "You just?" Louis throws his phone face down on the bed and crosses his arms at Harry.He looks a bit tired and under the weather this week with three-day-old stubble covering his cheeks and deep shadows beneath his eyes. "Did you hear...something?" He asks, his harsh tone trailing off into quiet uncertainty. "Something about me?" He’s biting clean through his lip and Harry wants to kick himself for scaring this wonderfully vulnerable boy. Clearly whatever happened to him in the past is in the vault. Maybe it isn't in Harry's power to change that but by god he can chase the look of terror right off Louis' delicate features. "What? No." Harry shakes his head as definitively as possible. "I was just thinking about my great grandma...who died three years ago today." Harry doesn’t know who his great grandma is. His dad's grandma passed away before he was born and his mum's grandma could be very much alive for all he knows. It doesn’t feel particularly right to lie about someone's death but it feels even less so to have Louis convinced Harry’s figured his past out. "Oh. Christ." Louis flushes bright pink and reaches over to squeeze Harry's forearm gently. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to jump down your throat or anything. I guess I’m just a bit of a nutcase sometimes." He smiles as he says it but then looks down towards his lap, a hint of shame clouding his features. "You're no more nutty than I am." Louis chuckles and gently pushes his fingers into Harry's side. "That’s not very comforting. You're practically an alien." Harry gasps, a grin tweaking the corners of his lips. "How very dare you, Lewis." Louis' breathless giggle tears strips of worry off Harry's chest. "I'm sorry but the way you eat is just not normal Harold. And don't even get me started on the way you dance.” He says, waving his arms around his head in a poor approximation of Harry’s moves. “You look like a wet noodle.”Harry laughs and does an exaggerated shimmy just to hear that precious giggle on repeat. It quietens after a moment as Louis lays back against his pillows, Harry silently following suit. "You want to know who I've lost then? Is that it?" Harry gives the most honest answer he's given thus far. "I just want to know everything you’re comfortable telling me. Nothing more, Lou." Louis sighs like Harry saying that is particularly distressing to him. "You are too much kindness in one person." He says, eyes slowly sliding over to Harry's. "It makes me worry about you, you know." "I worry about you too," Harry admits. "You're too soft." "I am not soft," Louis bites back weakly. "I'm strong!" "That's not what I'm saying," Harry says with a chuckle. "You're not weak Lou, of course not. You’re brave and so strong. You're capable of anything you set your mind to." Louis' open mouthed surprise is almost as pretty as the quietly contented smile he wears every single time Harry curls an arm around him in public. Almost, but not quiet. "You really think that about me? It's only been two months, Harold. You can't…know that kind of stuff about me." "I do though," Harry exhales, feeling dizzy with it. "I see you every morning and every night. We eat all of our meals together, we study together, we go out on the weekends together. We even have the same friends. You're not a stranger to me anymore." Louis' voice is a rough whisper when he answers, like anything else would be too much. "You're not a stranger to me either." His words are simple and blunt, yet the way he looks at Harry afterwards is nothing short of breathtaking. It’s a real moment between them, only broken by the sound of Louis’ unusually quiet voice. "I am soft sometimes." He says, face open and strangely unencumbered. "I suppose that's why I've had my heart broken so many times." Harry sucks in a shocked breath, heart splintering inside his chest. How could someone so deserving of good have had his heart broken so badly? And numerous times, really? Harry can’t quite believe it. "So you've lost boyfriends?" Louis nods but there's something there behind his eyes. It tells Harry that he’s thinking of whatever’s locked away inside that vaulted heart of his. Boyfriends aren’t all he's lost, Harry’s sure of it. "A few, yeah. My first one was the captain of the football team. You can imagine how that turned out." Louis' expression is equal parts wry and bitter. "He wanted me to have sex with him and when I said I wasn't ready, he outed me to the entire school. I was fifteen. I’d never even used the word gay to describe myself let alone had someone else use it against me like a weapon. I knew I liked boys, obviously but I didn’t know what that meant, not really. I was lucky I had the most supportive friends. They skipped class with me that afternoon and and took me to go get ice cream. Stan even paid for me to get extra toppings.” "Lou," Harry gasps. "That’s awful." "Yeah," Louis laughs, eyes tinged with long healed pain. "But I had people to support me, I wasn’t alone and in my eyes, it’s not nearly as bad as what the next guy did to me. I guess I kind of saw it coming with the first one because I knew he couldn’t come to terms with himself. He wanted to use me as some kind of release and go on pretending he was the same person he’d always been. The second one…now the second one, I thought was different.”Harry quirks an eyebrow and Louis sighs.“When I was sixteen, I dated this boy from my chemistry class, Patrick. I honestly thought I could fall in love with him. He was sweet and so romantic. He was open about everything too, including his sexuality. I never had to hide." "What happened?" "He asked me to junior prom but on the night of, confessed to me that he'd cheated on me with some girl he’d known all his life. I didn't even know he was bi. Apparently neither did he." "That absolute asshole," Harry growls, scrunching the covers in his fists. "Did he at least wait until after prom to tell you?" "Nope," Louis grimaces. "He showed up at my house in a cheap smelly tux and confessed the whole thing right there on my doorstep. The worst part was he thought I'd still go with him. I stayed home and cried my eyes out in mum’s arms. I should have been at my prom dancing with a boy who actually wanted to be with me. Instead I spent the whole night sitting at home feeling miserable. It was crap. I’d saved up all my money to buy the kind of suit I thought he'd like and done my hair all nice and everything. I actually felt beautiful standing there on that doorstep. That was before he told me what he’d done.” Louis looks a bit heartbroken as he stares up at the ceiling with misty eyes. "I bet you looked gorgeous." Harry’s adamant. “If we were friends back then, I would have come over to your house in my very expensive, very nice smelling tux. I would have taken you out into the street where all the passers-by would have seen you. I’d want everyone to see how lucky I was to have a boy as beautiful as you on my arm. Then and only then would I have taken you in my arms and danced with you under the stars until you forgot all about that swine of a boyfriend you dated. He would have rued the day he dared to mistreat you.” Louis lifts his head off the pillow, wonder painting his expression bright. "You'd really have done that for me?" "Of course I would." Harry tells him. "That's what friends do." It's not, Harry realises and perhaps Louis does too. Neither of them say anything to challenge it. "I wish I could have had a b--friend like you." Louis stutters. Harry's smile stretches his dimpled cheeks wide. "Me too Lou." "There was one more." Louis murmurs, playing with the hem of Harry’s lilac jumper. "One more heartbreak." Harry frowns. "Didn't you ever have a boyfriend who treated you right?" "Not really, no.""You still believe in it though, don't you?" Harry wonders aloud."Believe in what?""Love." Harry's voice is hushed. "You still believe it's a real thing?" "Of course I do. I just don't know if it’s on the cards for me." "I think it is." Harry looks over at him. "I think there's somebody out there who's going to absolutely adore you."The way I do now. "I hope so." Louis bites at his lip. "I just don’t know anymore. It doesn't help that the last boy who broke my heart was the most well intentioned of them all. He didn’t do anything particularly brutal I guess. He just gave up on me." "He gave up on you?" Harry's voice is laced with quiet venom. Venom for this boy he’s never met. How could anyone willingly give up on a boy like Louis? "Yeah. It was when I was going through…a rough time." Louis stumbles, expression troubled. "He didn't like how it changed me. Said he couldn’t be with someone who didn’t seem human to him anymore." "Fuck him." Harry cusses and reached over the space between them to grab Louis' hand. "If he couldn't be there for you then…if he couldn't be patient with you when you needed it the most, he’s the one who’s not human. He's the problem Lou. Tell me you didn't let it make you feel bad." "I did feel like a burden sometimes." Louis admits, teary eyed. Harry squeezes his fingers tight, trying to share his strength. "Because I was sort of...sick." He says, biting at the corner of his lip. It’s the closest he’s come to telling Harry the truth and Harry can see from the look on his face how much it costs him. His whole body is shivering violently. "We all need to be taken care of sometimes, Lou.” He squeezes Louis’ shoulder. “It's nothing to be ashamed of." "But I was," Louis' raspy tone cuts through the silence. "I was so ashamed. Especially when he told me that what I'd been through affected him too. I felt sick with it, like I was choking on my own pain." "Jesus," Harry shakes his head. "You shouldn't have ever had to feel that way. You are human Louis. It's normal to feel broken every once in a while. It doesn't mean you deserve to be treated like a burden or abandoned by the person who’s supposed to love you the most.” "I know," Louis mutters, eyelashes wet and tittering from side to side. "But I still sometimes think I'm too much for people to bear. What if I’m…” He seems to struggle to find the right words. “What if no one can carry it all? What if no one wants to?"You're not too much for me baby. Harry promises silently. I’ll carry you wherever you choose to go next."They will, I promise you." Harry rubs his thumb over the curve of Louis’ wrist. “The ones who are worthy of you will.” Louis wears a wearied smile. "I don't know what I did to deserve you as my roommate." He says "Or my friend." Harry doesn’t answer. Instead he gets up and without breaking their handhold, lays down beside Louis. The other boy's arms silently find their way around his middle with Harry taking up a similar position as well, a hand curved around the back of Louis’ head. They lay that way for a while, Louis’ minty cool breaths landing against Harry’s collarbones, his small fingers pressing into his waist. Eventually, they both fall asleep.When Harry wakes a couple of hours later, Louis is half on top of him and a half smile has formed on his sleeping face. Harry is drowsy enough to go back to sleep but he can't bring himself to close his eyes. Not with Louis looking so peaceful and so heart achingly lovely. Finally, Harry feels like he knows exactly what Aerosmith is singing about in I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing. I don't want to close my eyes. I don't want to fall asleep cause I'd miss you babe and I don't want to miss a thing.Harry doesn’t want to miss even one twitch of Louis’ cute button nose. *-*-* "So. I have a Louis sized problem," Harry announces. "And I need you boys to help me." The boys are gathered in Harry and Louis' dorm room, spread across the boys’ beds with an assortment of snacks. Louis had mentioned the night before he’d be off visiting his sisters in London. Harry teased him mercilessly, letting him know how happy he was that Louis would be reunited with them after one long week apart. Louis argued that it had to be more than a week since they'd come up or Louis had gone down to see them. Unfortunately for Louis, Harry's memory was crystal clear. "I just miss them sometimes. Is that so shameful?" Louis had said, expression unexpectedly wounded. "It has been three months." "You're right." Harry agreed, wanting desperately to erase the look of uncertainty on Louis’ pixie-like face. "There's nothing wrong with missing your family Lou, I'm just teasing. I actually think it's cute." Louis had shied away from his gaze and gone back to texting Lottie random emojis. It was something he frequently did to Harry too, now that they'd exchanged numbers. It didn't matter if they were in the same room or even sharing a bed for that matter, Louis still thought it was endlessly amusing to send Harry long strings of the frog emoji, followed by texts of “it you”. Every now and then Harry liked to respond with a string of peach emojis and the message “you’re a real peach Lou.” It was worth it to see Louis blush and stammer his way through a subject change. Point being, Louis was gone for the day and Harry had invited the boys over for a very specific reason. The reason being, he needed help with Louis."What did he do?" Liam asks, head pillowed in Zayn's lap. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you can forgive him." Harry snorts. "Why do you assume he did something?" "Well..." Liam says awkwardly. "He's just a bit oblivious is all." "Oblivious about what?" Niall cuts in then, smirking. "Oblivious about the fact that you adore him, obviously Harold." "I do not adore him." Harry denies, cheeks suspiciously hot. "And don’t call me that. Only Louis calls me Harold." "Case and point." Niall winks. "You think he's the sweetest little thing and he has no idea." "Oh shut up Niall. I'm trying to talk to you guys about something serious. Can we press pause on this commentary of mine and Louis' relationship?" "Pause," Niall muses, tapping his chin. "Does that mean we'll come back to it later?" Harry huffs angrily. Thankfully, Liam seems to pick up on his complete exasperation and thwacks Niall over the head with one of the many photography magazines lying around. "Shh. Harry's trying to tell us something." Niall pouts but shuts up all the same. "So here's the thing. Something happened to Louis in his past. Something terrible. I don't know what it is, he won't tell me but it's really affecting him. I think maybe he needs some serious help." "Hang on," Zayn's expression is suspicious, bordering on judgemental. "How do you even know that there's something going on with him if you don't know what it is?" Harry bites down on his bottom lip, eyes flicking back and forth between the three boys he's starting to depend on like brothers.  He knows them better now. There's an added layer of comfort, a special kind of affection that wasn't there before. Despite all their quirks (and intensely annoying habits), they've become somewhat like a makeshift family. It really helps, given that they’re all so prone to homesickness. "Because," he sighs, "he has nightmares about it." "Right," Zayn nods, unconvinced. "But nightmares are a natural release for unconscious fears harboured by the spirit? It doesn't necessarily mean he's traumatised." Liam nods along, fingers skating over Zayn's thigh. Harry and Louis are still agreed upon the fact that those two are an odd pairing. Yet funnily enough, seeing the way they slot together in spite of their differences has been somewhat moving. It gives Harry hope."These aren't regular nightmares Zayn. They're more than just bad dreams. It's like he's reliving something. He calls out things that are way too specific to be made up and it’s always the same thing. I think the dream is always the same." "This happens every night?" Niall looks shocked and sobered by the truth. Harry nods, swallowing the bubble of sadness that’s begun to build in his throat. Last night had been particularly bad. Louis wasn't as receptive to his touch and had been distressed past the point of comfort as he cried. Harry had to physically pick him up and hold him in his arms to get him to stop.When he woke this morning, Louis’ voice was croaky and he looked more vulnerable than Harry’s ever seen him. He was worryingly quiet as he got ready to go out, rubbing his reddened eyes and yawning enough times to make Harry's heart constrict in his chest. He ended up in loose joggers and another of Harry’s oversized pastel jumpers. That’s opposed to the skinny jeans and dark coat he'd laid out the night before. "He cries, guys. And sometimes...sometimes he screams." Harry blinks back tears. It’s all hitting him now, now that he's finally talking about it with someone. "It's awful to listen to. I just can't stand seeing him like that." "Well what does he say about it?" Liam asks. "How does he explain the nightmares?" "He doesn't." Harry gulps. "Because he doesn't know he has them." "What?!" Suddenly there are three pairs of horrified eyes glued to his face. "Well..." Harry dawdles, playing with the strings on his hoodie. "The first time it happened was our first night together. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t even know his name! I tried to ignore it but he was so loud, I couldn't sleep and our neighbours kept banging on the walls. I had to do something. I tried to wake him but he wouldn't. Then I thought...maybe it would be worse to wake him. I didn't want to scare him." "So you did what?" Zayn says, tone surprisingly icy. "I held him." Harry says, without a tinge of regret. Guilt maybe, but not regret. "It was the only thing I could do to get him to stop making so much noise. As soon as I touched him, he calmed right down. I sat with him for a little bit until he stopped crying and then I tried to get back into my own bed." "You tried?" Liam says with a quizzical look. "He wouldn't let me," Harry exhales, chuckling breathily. "He just kept making these awful desperate noises. It was like he was begging me to stay. So I did. I held him all night, then I got back into my own bed before he could wake up." "Harry, that's..." Niall trails off, eyes wide. "Amazing," Liam finishes. At the same time Zayn says, "wrong." "What?" Liam’s head twists in Zayn’s direction. "How could you say that to him? What Harry did was kind and selfless. He took away Louis’ pain." "He took Louis into his arms and held him without his permission." Zayn seethes. "How is that kind? Louis was in the midst of dealing with a spiritual burden and Harry interrupted that. He took advantage of it." "Excuse me," Harry says through gritted teeth. "I'm right here. Stop talking about me as if I'm not." "That's what you did with Louis, isn't it?" Zayn fires back. "Just completely ignored his right to consent." "Woah," Niall holds out his hands. "Hold it right there Zayn. You're acting as if Harry assaulted him or something. It wasn't like that. He was helping him, Z. He comforted him."The dark-haired boy scoffs, scowling bitterly. "You're really using that excuse, Ni? "He wanted it”, is that what you’re trying to tell me?” "What is this really about Zayn?" Harry raises his voice. "Because it's sure as hell not about me and Louis." "Babe," Liam's voice is soft and careful. He cups Zayn's shoulder and slowly turns him into his chest. "Is this about..." Zayn doesn't say anything but sighs defeatedly when Liam cups the back of his neck, pressing his lips to the other boys’ cheek. "Can I tell them?" He asks gently. Zayn nods, silently clinging to his boyfriend’s shoulders. Liam takes a deep breath. "When Zayn was sixteen, the boy he was seeing at the time...took advantage of him." “He didn’t just ‘take advantage’, okay? It was rape. He raped me" Zayn interrupts, pulling his reddened face from Liam's chest. "Don't skirt around it, Li." "I'm sorry," Liam bows his head, a deep frown etched into his features. "I just didn't want to upset you." Zayn laughs but it’s dry, bitter. He grabs onto Liam's hands, curling his fingers around them. Harry has only to look at the white knuckles on Zayn's hand to see just how tightly he's holding on. "That doesn't upset me. What upsets me is the thought of that ever happening to someone else. Especially Louis. He has a more vulnerable spirit than any of you realise.” "What are you saying?" Harry’s voice breaks. He feels sick to the stomach. "That I'm some kind of rapist?  Zayn, I'm so sorry for what happened to you. I mean that. Sincerely. But it has nothing to do with mine and Louis' situation. I didn't try to take anything from him. I'm not doing this for my own benefit and if...if there was some way I could fix this for him, you know I would.” "So you're still doing it? Every night?" Niall asks. "How do you sleep?" "Better than I ever have before." Harry beams, then cocks his head. "...mostly. Sometimes Louis flares up in the middle of the night and I have to calm him back down again. But mostly? Mostly it’s just nice. It doesn't feel wrong. We cuddle when he's awake, we cuddle when he’s asleep. What’s wrong with that?” "Look, I get it." Zayn huffs. It looks like it takes a lot of effort for him to admit that much. "You guys are friends now. It probably feels natural to comfort him any way you can. But Harry, you didn't know him when this started and he didn't know you. You had no right to touch him at all." "If you'd heard him..." Harry closes his eyes, hearing a cacophony of tormented cries fill his ears. "If you heard him the way I did, the way I do...you wouldn't be able to resist either Zayn. It's not...for me. I just can't let him cry like that. He screams Zayn, like he's in pain. Could you let Liam suffer like that? Would you let him go through that if you knew had the power to stop it?" Liam raises his eyebrows at his boyfriend, clearly interested in his answer. "No, of course not." Zayn answers swiftly. "But that's different." "How?" "I'm in love with him." Zayn says meaningfully. "I'd do anything for someone I love. For someone who loves me in return. But Louis was a stranger to you. You didn’t even know him.” "I know him now.’ "And you love him now, don’t you?" Niall says with a cheeky little grin. "Like Zayn loves Liam?" Harry blushes and shoos him away. "Shh Niall." "Have you tried waking him?" Liam says. "I know you don’t want to scare him but what if it could stop the nightmare in its tracks?" "I have," Harry says with quiet conviction. "And it only made things worse." "Christ," Liam shakes his head. "Poor Lou." Niall nods sympathetically but Zayn still looks agitated. "What if you just told him the truth? Have you ever thought about that? Surely he has some knowledge of the nightmares--" "He doesn't," Harry cuts him off angrily. "I've been down that road. It's like...whatever he's been through, he thinks it's over now." "What if you just broached the subject? Surely he would be grateful. If you tell him the truth, he can get some professional help and then your problem’s solved. Plus, your spirit would be cleansed." "I'm not exactly worried about my dirty spirit Zayn," Harry snarks. "I'm worried about Louis. And I've tried broaching the subject before. Don't think I haven't tested the waters." "And?" "And he was an anxious wreck. He was horrified when he thought I'd seen something I shouldn't. I couldn't do that to him Zayn. I couldn't tell him I saw him cry before I even knew his name. It’d destroy him." "But Harry..." Zayn's voice is softer now and slightly less harsh. "Don't you think you could be doing him harm by not being honest with him? If he really needs help like you said, how can you possibly keep doing this? He needs to know what's going on." "What do you think I came to you guys for?" Harry rubs his forehead. "I'm completely lost as to how to tell him. I don't want him to feel betrayed. What if you're right? What if he hates me for what I did?" Harry's voice is on the edge of hysteria when Zayn leans across and squeezes his hand tightly. "I apologise Harry, you were right. I’m sorry if I made you doubt yourself. Honestly, you have the kindest spirit I've ever known.”"Really?" Harry's voice shakes. "Really." Zayn smiles. "Louis is lucky to have someone like you watching out for him. He's not had that before." "He told you?" Harry’s voice is unnaturally high. "About his exes?" The other boy nods, smiling sadly. There’s the tiniest sting of jealousy when Harry thinks of closed off Louis sharing his secrets with Zayn, of all people. "He's been through a lot." Zayn muses. "It explains why he's in so much denial when it comes to you." "Denial?" Harry quirks an eyebrow. "Really?" "He’s in denial, you’re not." Zayn's smile is wry. "He knows he has feelings for you and can't admit it to himself. You know you have feelings for him and can’t admit it to us." It's true. Harry's 99% sure he's falling in love with Louis. He's just not ready to announce that to the boys. They're Louis' family too, after all. "You really think he has feelings for me?" Niall chuckles and jabs an elbow into Harry's side. "Listen to you. It's like we're in high school. Yer asking the head cheerleader's BFF if the head cheerleader likes you." "He's not wrong," Zayn laughs. "But for your information, he does. Like you, I mean." Harry's eyes instantly fill with a kind of bright hope he can't possibly deny. He says nothing. The trick is to neither deny nor confirm. "You guys still haven't given me any tips for actually talking to Louis. When should I do it? What should I say? What if he loses it at me? Should I buy him some apology flowers?" "Okay hold up a second." Niall's teeth are showing which is always a bad sign. "Are you trying to tell me you want help with your first date?" "What? No." Harry shakes his head. "That is not what I said. That is not even remotely close to what I said." "Well too bad," Niall says. "Because this is now dating 101. Let's start with asking him on the date, shall we?" Harry groans but giver himself over to Niall's craziness anyway. The quicker he submits, the sooner this will be over. Or at least that’s how he hopes it works.*-*-*Louis doesn't make any noise during the night. That should probably be enough to tip Harry off that something’s wrong. Foolishly, he hopes it just means Louis' finally resolved whatever conflict keeps reoccurring behind his closed eyelids. No such luck. When Louis wakes it's with a hacking chesty cough and watery red rimmed eyes. "Harry," he croaks out, then sneezes with his whole body. Harry drops his packed bag on the bed he’s already made and scrambles over to Louis' side. "Lou? You okay?" "No," Louis' eyes flutter shut. "I feel like death." Harry takes in his unusually pale skin and the slight sheen of sweat across his brow. "You look like it too.” Louis whacks him across the shoulder. The attempt is so weak, it just makes Harry worry more. "Are you sick?" "No," Louis sniffs, breathing through his mouth. "I don't get sick. I'm just…under the weather." "You mean sick," Harry says with an exasperated roll of his eyes. "I'm fine. I just need to sleep for a bit longer." Louis coughs, curling his fingers into the blanket.It's adorable how stubborn he is, if not a little painful. Harry thinks he'd have to sleep for a week just to sleep this off."Okay..." Harry gets up from his spot, worry coursing through his veins. "You sure you're going to be right on your own? I can have the boys come check on you." "I’m going to be on my own?" Louis' brow line deepens. His eyes flicker to Harry's packed bag. "Are you going somewhere?" "Yeah," Harry winces. "I'm going to my mum's? It's been about three weeks since I last went. She's starting to get antsy." "She is or you are?" Louis says, with a poor attempt at a smirk. "Both," Harry laughs, only blushing a little. He knows Louis is just as much of a mumma's boy as he is. "Well then," Louis' face drops. His chest inflates fully as he tries to breathe through his stuffy nose. "You should probably get going." "Right," Harry says and kneels right back down by his side. "But first. Promise me you won't be stupid and stubborn. Promise me you'll tell the boys if you need something." Louis rolls his eyes. The effect is ruined by the huge cough that suddenly wracks his chest. Harry can’t believe such a little person could make such a big noise. Cupping Louis’ neck, he traces a soothing path over the curve of his cheek. The gesture is way too tender for roommates of five months. "You're going to..." He coughs. "You're going to make them check on me constantly anyway." "True." Harry smiles but knows it doesn't reach his eyes. "What are you waiting for? Shoo. Or as Niall would say, Off with ye." Louis pushes him away, eyes guarded. "Have a good time. Tell Mumma Anne hi from me." "I will.” He smiles brilliantly, knowing just how well Louis would get along with his mum. "Now get some rest Sniffles." "Sniffles?" Louis huffs, trying to hide his twitching nose. "Who you calling sniffles?" "Not you," Harry smiles at him fondly. "Good." Louis rasps and lays his head back against the pillow. "You can go now." He closes his eyes, face tensely weakly. He looks so small and pale, so unlike his usually vibrant self. Without much thinking, Harry leans down and presses a lingering kiss to the crown of Louis' head. Louis' skin feels way too warm against his mouth, troubling him greatly but then Louis’ eyes snap open, pinning him in place."Did you just kiss me?" He blurts out. "Ah…yes. On the head." Harry is about as a subtle as a fire alarm. "R..right." Louis stammers, colouring up. "Goodbye Harold." He closes his eyes then and it takes all the will power Harry has to walk out of the room and not look back. Once outside, he immediately shoots off a group text asking the boys to check on Louis in an hour. It settles his anxiety a bit and allows him to start the trek from their dorm room down to the cark park. He walks quickly to his car and just as swiftly stores his stuff in the back of the jeep. He jumps in the front seat and goes to turn the keys in the ignition. Suddenly it clicks. He forgot his camera. He curses, slamming the door behind him, then starts the trek back up to the dorms. When he rounds the corner of their hallway, his phone dings with a text. It’s from Louis. Have fun today Hazza. You deserve it x Harry's face crinkles with a smile and he quickens his pace down the hall to their room. When he reaches number 12, he shoves his key in the door and wrenches it open with a big dopey grin. "Hey sniffles, I forgot my camera!" Harry's eyes lock on Louis straight away. Cloaked in one of Harry’s jumpers, there’s thick teardrops pacing their way down his face. Louis ducks his head beneath the covers but it's too late. Harry’s seen him. He’s seen Louis' heaving chest and trembling fingers. He’s seen the tears easing their way down his blotchy pink cheeks, trailing glossy little lines behind them. Even now, he can hear the tell-tale sound of Louis' sniffling, so much worse than before. "Lou, what happened?" Harry asks, crossing the room in two strides. He seeks out Louis' hands beneath the covers, kneading them comfortingly. "Talk to me," he pleads. "I'm fine," Louis sighs, but there's a hitch in his breath, followed by a quiet hiccup. "You can take the camera and go." "Are you...mad at me?" "Do I sound like I'm mad at you?" Louis huffs. "Honestly?" Harry squeezes his hands. "Yes." "Well I'm not.” Louis tosses his head. It looks ridiculous with his head all covered up like that. "Why won't you look at me then? "Because.” "Because why?" "Because..." Louis breathes out heavily. "Because I have a snotty nose and it’s disgusting." It's a poor lie. "I don't care Lou. I just want to know you're okay." "I'm okay." Louis says quickly. "Can you go now?" Harry frowns and pulls one of his hands from Louis’. He curves it around the visible arch of Louis’ neck instead. Letting his thumb trail up Louis' throat, he quietly thrills to the feel of Louis' pulse beneath his finger. "Look, if you really think you need to hide from me, I'm not going to fight you on it. I do have to get going. But I really wish you'd trust me not to judge you, just this once. I'm your friend Lou, I'm not going to abandon you over a few tears." It seems to have done the trick. Louis makes a harrumph sound in the back of his throat and slowly pulls the duvet down to his chin. Harry's hand automatically glides up to Louis’ face, fitting itself around his tear streaked cheek. His thumb skates across Louis' ice-cold skin, wiping away the solitary tear that's currently making its way down his face. "Thank you." Harry says gravely. "For trusting me like this." Louis swallows and reaches up to grab the hand that's on his face. He interlocks their fingers. Leaving Harry’s hand there, he gazes at him quietly. Intensely. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" Harry murmurs, reluctant to ruin the moment. "Nothing happened." Louis says sullenly. "I just...don't get sick that often." "Okay..." Louis sighs, annoyed. "So I don't like being sick. Big deal. What person does?" "That's all it is?" Harry's instantly sceptical. "You're just upset that you’re sick?" "Yes." Louis' eyes are downcast, his wet eyelashes clumped together. He bites down at the corner of his mouth, eyebrows tenting. "But also." He swallows. "I've never been on my own before. When I've been sick, I mean. I've always had someone there to like, look after me or whatever. It’s stupid, honestly." He tries to play it off as something unimportant but Harry can see the note of blatant distress in his eyes. There's urgent need too. It's agonising for Harry, to see Louis want so much and not be able to verbalise it out of fear. "You don't know what to do when you're sick, do you?" Harry knows it's more than that, knows it's more about his knowledge of someone else's comforting presence than their knowledge of how to make him feel better.  But it's the look in Louis' cerulean blue eyes convinces Harry to just let it be. If Louis doesn't want to admit to needing someone, Harry isn't going to force him. He isn't going to be another negative pressure in Louis' life. The other boy shakes his head, obviously feeling small. "I don't even know how to check my own temperature." Harry's heart contracts at the look of embarrassment on Louis' face, so vulnerable and unsure. "It’s okay babe." Harry finds himself saying. "I can teach you, yeah? I can look after you." "No, Harry." Louis screws his eyes shut tight, pushing his fists against them. "This is why I didn't want you to see me. I knew you wouldn't be able to help yourself if you did. It’s not like I’m totally incapable. It’s just that when you closed the door and left, I kind of…missed you I guess." He keeps his hands screwed into fists on his face but Harry can see them trembling. Harry gently pulls his hands away from his face and cups his cheeks again. "As if I could possibly leave you now." It's as honest as Harry's been since he met Louis. It's the closest he's gotten to confessing the complete and utter devotion he feels. Louis' bleary eyes open slowly, oceanic blue staring Harry dead in the face. His cheeks are still pink, his chest still heaving albeit a bit less vigorously than before. There's the subtle light of hope in his expression, lips fighting off the lazy curl of a smile. In this moment Harry knows he’s never seen anyone look so gorgeous and so heartbreaking all at the same time.Sweet Creature.It's the name of the song Harry would write for him in another life."Harry, I'm not letting you stay here with me. You need to go see your mum.""You’re right," Harry agrees, “I need to go.”“Right.” Louis’ expression is half shock, half disappointment. “I’m glad you agree.”"I'll go…” he pauses, “…but only if you go with me.""What?" Louis squawks, voice losing stamina halfway through.He coughs deeply, producing a little bit of spittle which collects on the cracks of his lips. Harry wipes it away with his thumb, not questioning it in the slightest. Louis' face twists slightly, going pink with embarrassment but there's a hint of pleasure too, like he's grateful for their newfound intimacy. "I can't go to your mum's with you." He protests, eyes wide. "I don't even know her." "Exactly." Harry beams. "This is your chance to get to know her. I know she'd love to meet you…I talk about you all the time." He probably shouldn't have said that last past but then Louis’ face melts like butter and Harry knows he couldn’t take it back if he tried. "What do you say..." Louis coughs to clear his throat. "What do you say about me exactly?" There's an endearing sense of shyness to it. "That you're a brat and I'm sick of having to wrangle you all the time." Harry says with a wink. "That's just plain rude." "Sorry." He giggles. The truth is his mum knows more about the situation with Louis than anyone. It was about two months back when he first called her to talk about it and after that, there were no holds barred. She knows everything there is to know about the situation, including the whole nightmare ordeal. It's part of the reason he wants to go home so badly.  He needs someone to give him the courage to tell Louis the truth. Surely, there's no better person than his mum. Louis seems to be considering Harry's proposition. "What about the fact that I'm sickly?" He scrunches his nose. "Surely she won't want a snotty nosed, sick person in her midst?" "Don't be silly." Harry assures him. "She’d be happy to meet you no matter what state you're in. Besides, you still look gorgeous. Even with your snotty nose and blotchy cheeks." Harry caresses his face, a reverent smile touching his eyes. Louis glows from the inside out, rolling his eyes as if the compliment doesn't mean anything to him at all. "If you wanted me to suck your dick that badly, you should have just said so." Harry splutters. It’s a poor attempt at a normal human laugh. "Flustered Harold?" Louis smirks. "No." Harry glares. "I'm absolutely fine." "Are you actually fine or are you fine like Ross was when Joey dated Rachel?" They both giggle. "The second one." Harry chuckles. "Definitely the second one." Louis winks. "I thought so." Harry grins back at him and tugs on his hand. "So are you coming or what? I’ll ask Niall to take Moo and you can sleep the whole way there. I’ll even let you bring your thermos in the jeep." "Oh no not your precious jeep." They might have had this argument before. Once or Twice. "I couldn't possibly! The cost of the upholstery alone!" Harry rolls his eyes. "Lay off the sarcasm, Sniffles." Louis glares and flips him the bird. "Guess I am coming. Someone's got to save Anne from that obnoxious personality of yours." Harry cackles. "Oh because you're not obnoxious at all?" "No." Louis sniffs. "Clearly not. She hasn't even met me yet and your mother already loves me. I think that's a pretty good sign." Harry squeezes his knee, helpless to pretend. "You're right, it is." *-*-* As soon as they get in the car, Harry tucks Louis' doona in around him and grabs his hands, wrapping them around the thermos. It makes Louis giggle and tilt his head at Harry like a playful puppy. "You're such an idiot Harold." The way he lights up makes it feel like the highest order of compliment. "Sit back and drink your tea.” Harry orders him. “It’s a long trip.” Louis furrows his eyebrows, licking an errant drop of Yorkshire from his bottom lip. He could be a tea model, if such a thing exists. Harry does his best not to stare. Louis just happens to be the prettiest person Harry’s ever seen, even with a snotty nose and chapped lips."You're in Cheshire right? Surely, it's not that long a drive." "You’re right, it’s not that long. For regular people.” Harry tilts his head. “You're like a four-year-old on crack." Louis' laugh scrunches his eyes up so prettily, Harry can't breathe. "Harold, I'm sick. What damage could I possibly do?" "I dunno..." Harry's lips twitch into a smirk. "I only know I can never can let my guard down when I’m around you." How very true that is. Louis doesn't seem to notice the double meaning. He simply nods, grinning like he's been told the same thing before. Harry wouldn’t be surprised if he has. Turning the key in the ignition, Harry starts the jeep and sets off down the road, Louis settling in on his side. He’s scarfing down some hobnobs he found in the glove box, his doona wound all the way around his body, cloaking him from head to toe. "You right there my hungry little caterpillar?" Louis cracks one open just to glare at him. "When I am returned to my fullest health, I will exact my violent revenge." "Okay," Harry glances at him out the corner of his eye. "But for now I can tease you however I please. You're too weak to stop me." He taps Louis on the nose, snickering at the way it twitches. “Can’t decide if you’re a caterpillar or a bunny rabbit with that twitchy nose.” "I am the king of violence! Mark my words Harry Styles, I will end you."The King of Violence drops off ten minutes later, snoring noisily with a half bitten hobnob perched precariously on his duvet covered knee.  Harry glances at him periodically, turning to gaze at him at every red traffic light. He’s relieved to see no signs of the dreaded nightmares. Perhaps Louis is so unwell his body is managing to suck him into a deeper, more peaceful sleep. Whatever it is, it makes Harry smile. His little snores are what Harry imagines angry bear cubs might sound like in their sleep but he looks so cute doing it, Harry doesn't have the heart to wake him. Halfway through the drive, a sleeping Louis smacks his lips together and reaches his hand across the gearstick. Harry steers it back beneath his covers, only to find it creeping out again of its own accord. After several repetitions, Harry gives in. He holds Louis' hand to his thigh, intertwining their fingers without a moment’s thought. Louis sighs deeply but it's what he sighs that makes Harry's heart leap into his throat. "Harry." He exhales contentedly, then squeezes his hand tighter. He's not awake. There are no signs he knows he's actually holding Harry's hand right now. It means....it means Louis must be dreaming about him right now. Harry wonders if whatever dream he’s having is staving off his nightmares. The thought of that is intoxicating and Harry can barely keep his eyes on the road for the remainder of the trip, too besotted with the boy beside him. He can’t believe his Nightmare Boy keeps sighing his name like it's some kind of prayer. "Baby we're here."Harry gently rubs his shoulder, cupping the side of his face. Louis tilts his face into the touch, his soft, pink skin meeting Harry’s milky white palm. Bleary blue eyes reluctantly blink open, Louis’ whole face drooping exhaustedly. "Did you just call me baby?" Shit. Harry’s cheeks are suddenly aflame. "No?" Louis looks a bit sceptical about that but doesn't fight him on it, thank god. "Alrighty then. So are you going to carry me in or do I have to walk?" "Carry you?" Harry huffs a disbelieving laugh. "Why would I carry you?" "Because I'm sick." Louis pouts. "And you said you'd take care of me." "There is no way." Harry scoffs. "Now get out and bring your half empty thermos with you." *-*-* When Anne opens the door, Harry’s holding him in his arms. Both their packs are slung across his shoulder, a half empty thermos poking out the top of Harry’s. "Hi," Harry says, flatly. "I have a delivery for you. I’m just warning you though, it weighs about as much as a small elephant." Louis bristles at that. Taking the thermos from Harry’s bag, he uses it to whack him in the chest. Anne, looking completely unruffled by the violence, grins at them and ushers them in with welcoming hands. "You must be Louis." She beams, reaching out a hand for him to take. Her hand encloses his tightly and Louis is enveloped in the kind of warmth he thought only her son’s touch could provide. “Oh darling, your little hands are just freezing!” Harry lets him down when they walk past the entrance way into the living area. Louis can't help but huff a little. "They're not that little." Harry snorts and reaches out to touch his mother's forearm. "Mum, Louis has a bit of an issue with his size. You might want to leave the entire subject alone.” Anne chuckles at that and guides Louis down onto one of the couches, pressing a hand to the back of his shoulder. "That's okay love. Harry’s also very sensitive about things like that. Don’t ever try to lecture him about his hair." Louis giggles, looking back and forth between the two Styles'. They look remarkably similar with their shiny dark tresses and uniquely green eyes. There's obvious kindness there too. It’s more kindness than most people can ever be expected to give. They look at Louis like he needs to be nurtured and they can’t help but want to do it. The sensation of it settles deep in his belly, filling him with contentment and wonder. "Gee thanks mum." Harry rolls his eyes.Dropping down next to Louis, he instantly drags Louis’ socked feet into his lap. It's become a bit of a habit for them now. They always seem to be touching, even if it’s only in some small way. Skin on skin, lips to hair, hand in hand. They are extreme cuddlers and none of it ever feels even remotely wrong. Unless a third party is present. That's when the questions start. "Is she right Harold?" He smirks. "Do you have a thing about your hair?" "I just don't like people telling me how I should wear it!" Harry rears up from the couch. "It's my hair! If they don't like it, they should...they should bloody well get their own!" He seems to realise immediately what he's just said but it's too late for Anne and Louis whose laughter echoes around the room. "Harry!" Louis’ throat rasps. "You're an idiot." "Oh Louis darling, your voice sounds terrible. Do you want some hot water with a bit of lemon, love? Or maybe just some tea?" Anne offers, reaching out to stroke his hair. Louis preens, leaning into the touch. It's like meeting the second mother he didn't even know he had. It doesn't occur to him till much later that Anne is treating him the same way Harry did. She treats him like someone she's known her whole life and not like someone she's just met. Maybe Harry really does talk about him a lot, maybe Anne knows more than he thought. "He just called me an idiot and you're offering him tea?" Harry laughs, incredulous. It doesn't do much to disguise the fondness lacing his tone. Not when he's got a hand wrapped around the sole of Louis' foot, massaging him gently. "Well," Anne's face tweaks into a delighted smile. "I'm just so happy that you boys are here. The least I can do is look after him." Harry's face softens visibly and Louis finds himself staring at him with little more than a giddy grin. Harry probably couldn’t be any more endearing if he tried. Louis startles slightly when he turns and finds Anne watching him with a knowing smirk. "How about it, little love? Would you like a cuppa?" "I'd love one. Yorkshire, if you have it please. Just a splash of milk, no sugar." Louis' voice is no more than a weak croak. "Thank you, Anne and thanks for having me. You and your son share the same generous spirit." Anne's cheeks lift with beaming pride. She plants a wet kiss on his forehead. "Oh stop it you. You're always welcome here, okay? I was so worried about my little boy going off to uni all on his own, no one familiar to guide him through it. Knowing he has you by his side, knowing how happy he's been since he met you, it soothes a poor mother’s worried soul." Louis doesn't say anything. Can't, really. It’s not because his throat is scratchy and unusable. It's because there's a huge lump in it, the size of Jupiter, making it impossible to speak. He thinks Anne reads it in his expression because she gently cups the back of his head. Tilting it towards her, she lays another kiss in his hair. With that, she bustles off to the kitchen, leaving the both of them to talk. "Wow," Harry laughs, squeezing his foot. "Wow what?" Louis wriggles his toes, asking for more pressure. Harry complies. "I've never seen her latch on to anyone so quickly." Harry tells him, all lit up. "I think she actually wants to adopt you." Louis giggles, pushing his foot into Harry's grasp. "Don't be silly." "Did you see how many times she kissed you?" Harry raises his eyebrows. "Either she wants to adopt you or she's trying to steal your germs so she can beg off work sick." Louis laughs at that, falling back against the cushions.Looking around, he sees more than a dozen pictures of Harry scattered amongst the various knick knacks which line the walls and cabinets. It's a homey space, done in vibrant oranges and deep reds. There are a lot of assorted ornaments packed in close together, some of them quite beautiful. Louis especially likes this ornate silver bird cage hanging from the roof in the corner. There's no actual bird inside it though which is just a touch pretentious. Louis has no doubts as to where it came from. "You got them that birdcage, didn't you?" He tips his thumb toward it, smirking knowingly. Harry's ears redden ever so slightly while he firmly presses his thumb into the top of Louis' foot. "Maaaaybe." Louis giggles and continues his thorough visual inspection of the room. He can't help but be a little bit enchanted by the many pictures of Baby Harry scattered around the room. He’s just so chubby cheeked and gorgeous. "You were a cute baby," Louis comments. "What happened?" Harry gasps, offended, dropping Louis' foot as though he’s been shocked. "No," Louis whines, wriggling his toes against Harry's stomach. "Please." Harry sighs, annoyed but relents anyway, recommending the massage. A sudden cough wracks Louis' body, pulling him forward until he's just about keeling over. It lasts a few minutes and makes him feel terribly nauseous. When Anne comes back with their tea, her eyes are lined with deep worry. "We really should get you to bed, love. I'll bring your tea up and Harry can check your temperature." Louis pouts, sinking into the cushions. "But I just got here.” He whines. “I haven't even heard any embarrassing stories about Harold yet." Anne chuckles and ruffles his hair good naturedly. "There’ll be plenty of time for that later, I promise but for now, you really need to get some rest." Harry leans across the couch and squeezes his forearm, a single thumb skating down over his wrist. He’s very tactile, this one. Anne seems to think so too if the way she’s staring at them is any indication. "She's right Lou. You don't look so good." Louis begrudgingly agrees so they set him up in Harry's room with a box of tissues, a huge mug of tea and an especially woolly blanket. Anne leaves them both to it as Harry checks his temperature, tutting softly at the results. "What?" Louis croaks. "Is it bad?" Harry smooths a hand over his forehead, watching him closely. "It's fine babe, just a little high. Do you feel hot?" "No," Louis shakes his head. "I’m freezing." "Do you have a warmer jumper? This one’s a bit thin." Harry says, tugging at the white threadbare shirt he’d changed into before they left. Louis shakes his head, avoiding Harry’s insistent gaze. "Lou," He groans. "How could you forget something like that?" "I don't know," Louis voice comes out small and sad. "I just did." It's embarrassing how sad Louis feels. He forgot a jumper, so what? But in his current state of health, it feels like the end of the word. Disappointing Harry feels like the end of the world. Shows just how dramatic he really is. "It's okay." Harry says soothingly. Is it just Louis or is he cooing? "You can wear mine babe." Louis ignores the end of that sentence, the same way he's ignoring the fact that Harry obviously called him baby in the car earlier, or that he slipped up just before too. Those kinds of pet names just don't make for a platonic friendship. Which is all Louis wants. Obviously. Harry sheds his warm sherpa lined jacket and immediately cloaks him in it. There's a private little smile on his face when Louis sticks his arms in it, drowning in the material as usual. "Okay, you just rest now." Harry says, settling the duvet around him. "I'll just be downstairs." Louis closes his eyes and holds it for a good three seconds before he whimpers, "downstairs?" "Yeah, Lou. You can call me up if you need." Harry's being so gentle and so lovely but Louis’ need is too great. It's selfish, is what it is and completely inappropriate. But Louis' throat feels positively raw, as if someone scraped at it with a knife and all he wants is for somebody to cuddle him. "You're not gonna stay with…” he bites down on a quivering lip, "...you’re not gonna stay with me?" Harry stares at him for a moment with an intense but unreadable look in his eyes. His Adam's apple bobs up and down in his throat and he looks like he might say no. Louis reaches out to grab his hand, lips quivering freely now. "Please." He begs. "Please stay with me. Just till I fall asleep." Harry's voice is almost as coarse as Louis' when he replies. "Of course," he breathes roughly. "Of course I'll stay with you." Louis' lips part in a weak smile and Harry slides into bed with him, immediately pulling Louis’ shivering body into his chest. "You don't mind?" Louis checks even as he nestles in closer, nuzzling Harry's jaw. It smells of clean, crisp cologne. It smells of men. "You could get sick, you know." "I know." Harry says firmly. He runs his nose up behind Louis' ear, producing a very different kind of chill altogether. "But I want you to get some rest." Louis doesn't say anything, once again overwhelmed by Harry’s sheer goodness. He does plant a none too subtle kiss on the underside of Harry's jaw, hoping it won't be misconstrued. Thankfully for Louis, he's asleep before he can worry about it any further than that. *-*-* Once Louis is fast asleep and snoring, Harry slips out the bed beside him and trots downstairs. He finds his mum sitting at the kitchen table, drinking tea and reading the paper. He fixes himself a cup and sits down beside her.“You know he only snores when he’s sick.” Harry muses, grinning to himself. “How cute is that?” "So you're in love with him then." His mum says, not looking up from her page. "I'm--I'm falling in love with him, yeah." Harry stammers, completely taken off guard. She looks up, gently nudging his tea towards him. "I’ll talk, you drink your tea."Harry does just that."He's lovely, really.” She gushes. “I'm so glad you've met him. Nanna would love him, don't you think?""She would." Harry readily agrees. The thought of Louis meeting his extended family is painful but only because he wants it so much. "I think they'd get on like a house on fire." "Just like you two," she muses, grinning a little. Harry chuckles. "I suppose we do sometimes. We bicker a lot though. He's very stubborn." "So are you," she laughs. "You always make it work though, don’t you?" "Yeah," he can feel the affection lingering in his voice. “We always do. He’s amazing mum. He's everything I want and so much I didn't know I needed." "My god," His mum wipes at her eyes, just starting to brim over. "My baby's in love."Harry chuckles."I s'pose I am, yeah." "So?" "So?" His mum tuts then rolls her eyes. "So when are you going to tell him the truth? When are you going to tell him that you've been looking after him since before you even properly met?" "It's not that simple mum," he sulks. "There's no guarantee he'll feel grateful. Zayn seems to think I crossed a line." "Oh nonsense." She blows air out the corner of her mouth. "You did for that boy what most people wouldn't even do for a close friend. You sheltered him from the pain he was in and at your own expense too. Don’t think I haven’t seen how it’s affected you too. In some ways, I do think it wasn't the wisest choice. Maybe you could have handled it better but my word, Harry Edward Styles, I raised you right. I raised you to be someone who doesn’t let anyone’s pain go unheard of or untended to. You did the best thing you thought you could at the time. You tried to save that gorgeous boy from himself." Harry's face breaks into a lopsided smile. He grasps his mum's hand. "Thanks. I just don't want him to hate me, mum…I don't think I could take it. Besides, he said he doesn't date roommates. He thinks it's messy, or something. Although sometimes…sometimes I feel like I'm changing his mind. I feel like if I just give it time, he'll wake up to how he feels about me.""And if he doesn't?" She says with worried eyes.It doesn't fill Harry with a lot of hope. "If he doesn't, I might have to take matters into my own hands. All I know is I can't let him go. I can't be without him now." His mum sighs. "Authors are going to write books about you two one day. There'll be articles in The Sun." He scoffs. "Oh please. As if two dumb boys in love would ever make the front page of anything." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- "You sure you don't want me to stay? I know mum gave you some stuff for your nose but I can look after you too." Harry pouts, ridiculously put out. "We can lay in bed and watch Titanic." "First of all, you've promised Niall you'd go out for a pint with him three times this past week. You can't bail on him again," Louis scolds. "And second of all, I'm sick, not dying. Why would I voluntarily agree to watch titanic with you?" "You don't like titanic?" Harry's jaw is halfway to the floor. "It's the greatest love story of all time, Louis." "I love titanic, actually. I just don't like watching it when I've already got watery eyes and a nose like a leaky faucet." He argues. "Besides, Titanic is not the greatest love story of all time." Pausing for dramatic emphasis, he winks. "Grease is." The other boy lets out a hiccup of a laugh, spluttering into the shell of his hand. "You're ridiculous." He says, all twinkly eyed. "I'm surprised my mum even liked you." Louis punches him weakly. It's the best he can do when he's still somewhat incapacitated. The joking insult doesn't bother him as much as it should. Perhaps because when they left this afternoon, Anne had held him in her arms for what felt like ten years. She seemed to really enjoy his sense of humor and seemed pretty fond of him too. There was only one thing she said to him that had him doubting himself a little. Harry had just gone upstairs to take a quick shower when Anne beckoned Louis over to her… "So," she said curtly. "You like Harry?" "Of course I like Harry." Louis said with a jovial smile. "Anne, c'mon." She shushed him, looking strangely tense. "I'm sorry to do this love, but for the next few minutes I'm not ‘Anne,’ okay?” Louis wrinkled his nose confusedly. "Then who are you?" "A mother protecting her cub." "What?" Louis sputtered, hackles rising. “He doesn't need protecting. Not from me!" "I hate to break it to you darling but he does. Harry thinks so much of you Louis, he really does. I've heard it in his voice and I’m just concerned that you don’t think of him in the same way? I may be a bit biased in this regard but he really is a special person, Louis. He's an incredible person to have on your side, an incredible person to have in your life at all really." "I know that." Louis swallowed. “I’m not about to take him for granted. He’s the most special person I've ever met." He hadn't met to say that much out loud but Anne's face broke into a glowing smile so Louis couldn't bring himself to regret it. "I'm so glad love, I really am. Harry deserves someone like you." "He--someone like me?" Louis' cheeks were warm. "Me and Harry...we're not--" "I know." Anne’s knowing smile contradicted her agreement. "But it's true. You're a lovely boy, Louis." Louis sniffled slightly, a side effect of having a water feature for a nose. It had nothing to do with Anne's sweet sentiment, nothing at all. "Need a tissue?" She asked, grinning softly. Louis pulled a used handkerchief from his pocket. "Oh no, I'm all good. Harry gave me this." Anne's expression flickered for a second, almost giving way. "That's very special to him. It belonged to his grandmother, you know." Louis choked on his own snot. "It's his grandmother's? And he just let me blow my disgusting bogeys into it? Why would he do that?!" Anne smiled serenely. "I don't know love, you tell me."*-*-* "Well if that’s how you feel, maybe we should just watch Grease? You could prove it to me." Harry says, with a tentative smile. "Harry," He huffs, trying not to be fond and failing quite miserably. "What about Niall?" "He'll be fine." Harry reassures him. "He's Irish." As if that means anything. "You're sick and I need cuddles.”"I'm sick but you need cuddles? How is that fair?”Harry smirks and lifts the covers, climbing into his bed."Oh it isn't but I think you'll let me cuddle you anyway."Louis rolls his eyes but lifts his head up onto Harry's muscled pec anyway."Oh, really? And why is that Harold?""Because," his face twitches into a grin. "You told my mum I'm the most special person you've ever met."Louis groans, swatting at Harry’s chest."I'm gonna kill you! And your mum. And the stupid administrative staff member who thought it would be a good idea to make you my roommate. You know what, maybe I should make a complaint.” Harry giggles, snaking his arms around Louis' waist and squeezing tightly. "Noo don't leave me!" He's so obnoxious and embarrassing. Louis hates him, really. In spite of that, he spends the next few hours snuggled in Harry’s burly arms, quietly inhaling his shampoo.*-*-*“Lou love, wake up. I’ve brought you some tea.”Harry swings the tea around Louis’ face, gently wafting the smell past his nose.“Agh,” The chestnut-haired boy gurles, barely conscious. His voice is enticingly raspy. “Tea?”Harry’s grin is soft and laced with fondness.“Yeah Lou, tea.”Harry watches Louis stretch with barely concealed desire, the movement of his fit arm muscles like some kind of softcore porn. Immediately afterwards, Louis curls back in on himself like a sleepy kitten.“No, Lou.” Harry whines, huffing an exasperated laugh. He drags the smaller boy’s arms away from his body, rubbing his thumbs over the tiny bones that are his elfin wrists. “It’s time to get up, love. Don’t go back to sleep.”He chuckles at the look of utter displeasure on Louis’ face.“Throat hurts,” he rasps, wrinkling his nose.“I know love, that’s what the tea is for. I put some honey and lemon in it.”“You didn’t?” Louis cracks one eye open. Tearing his wrists from Harry’s grip, he rears up angrily. “I’m not drinking that!”“I didn’t actually.” Harry grins. “But it got you up, now didn’t it?”Louis smacks him across the chest with the back of his hand, expression stormy.“Gimme it now.”Harry quickly retrieves the tea from the bedside table, handing it over with a playful smirk.“Oh come now, don’t look at me like that. I made you tea!”Louis takes a disdainful sip. Harry would never have believed such a thing were possible if not for meeting this boy. Thankfully, as soon as the tea soaks into his tongue, the storm clears, making way for bright beaming sunshine. Louis’ eyes flutter closed, contentment sweeping his features. Harry’s never before been so impressed with such a mundane act as tea drinking. Louis’ eyes fall open afterwards and he pushes the tea back onto the table, a lilting smile drifting across his features.“Thank you babe,” he murmurs and leans in close.Pressing a dainty hand to Harry’s chest, he catches Harry’s lips between his own, tugging at them ever so gently. As if that’s something they do all the time. As if their morning routine consists of Harry making Louis tea and Louis kissing him thank you. As if it’s that simple.Harry’s hands fly to Louis’ wrists, encircling them tightly as he lets out a feverish kind of gasp and rocks himself ever so slightly into the kiss. He squeezes Louis’ wrists just once and Louis outright whimpers, which is an interesting response to say the least.“Shit,” Louis tears his mouth away. With pinkened cheeks and erratic bright blue eyes, he’s a beautiful sight to behold. “I’m so sorry, Harry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”The kiss can’t have lasted more than a minute but Harry’s still shocked by the embarrassed flush in Louis’ cheeks. How can he not have noticed Harry kissing him back? How can he not have felt that?“Lou, I—“I kissed you back, he’s about to say, I want you.“Can we just pretend that this never happened? Please Harry?” Louis begs, voice full of desperation.Harry can’t do that, he realises brokenly. It’s not the kind of kiss you forget. It’s not the kind of kiss you want to forget. Feeling Louis against him like that felt euphoric, as though kissing this boy is all he was ever meant to do. Yet the look on Louis’ face tells Harry all he needs to know. He doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want Harry.“Of course Lou.” Harry agrees and it’s not his fault if his voice comes out a little hoarse. “You were just confused, right? You were still half asleep.”“Right.” Louis echoes, sounding way too determined to forget it.It’s breaking Harry’s heart in two.That’s it then. There’s no possibility of this ending the way he wants. Because what Harry wants the most from Louis is gratitude kisses in the morning and goodnight kisses in the evening. What he wants is this boy, nightmare ridden and all. But most of all, what he wants is for Louis never to look at him that way again. As if he were nothing more than a mistake needing to be fixed. As if the only thing Louis is capable of feeling for him is regret.*-*-*It starts early the next day. Harry wakes up to Louis braiding his hair whilst straddling him from behind.“Um, morning?” Harry’s voice rumbles confusedly in his chest.“Morning.” Louis chirps, disturbingly bright.After a day of total silence yesterday, Louis carefully avoiding all of Harry’s attempts at normality, this is entirely unexpected.“What are you doing?” Harry slurs, shuddering with pleasure as Louis pulls the braid tight.“Your hair, obviously.”Harry rolls his eyes.“Yes, but…why are you doing it now?”“Because,” Louis’ says, voice far too bright for this early hour. “I know how much you love having your hair played with in the mornings.”It’s true. He does. It was something Louis discovered by accident one morning. He’d tugged on Harry’s hair to wake him up, unprepared for the drawn-out moan that resulted. It’s safe to say Harry’s not always fully in control of his body’s instinctual reactions, especially when he’s just woken up. Exhibit A, he thinks, discretely pressing his hard on into the sheets.“Want me to stop?” Louis asks, obviously pleased.He probably wouldn’t be so smug if he knew how hard Harry is for him right now.“Yeah, I need to take a shower.” A cold shower. A very, very cold shower. He reaches around to squeeze one of Louis’ thick thighs. “C’mon, off you get.”Louis scrambles off him silently, landing next to him on the bed with a quiet thump. Harry rolls over, keeping the duvet as a barrier between his erection and Louis. He probably shouldn’t have worried, Louis seems a bit preoccupied, looking at him with a strangely visceral sense of disappointment.“So you’re just going to wash it out then?” He asks, solemn faced.  Harry can’t even begin to understand why he looks so lost. As though Harry’s threatened their friendship just by daring to wash out a braid.“Well I have to shower Lou, I’m sorry. If it’s that important to you, you can redo it after.”Louis shakes his head, soft brown eyebrows drawn together above mournful eyes.“No, it’s okay. You go.”Harry laughs, a bit nervous.“I’m just going to the shower block. I’ll be right back, Lou.”“Yeah.” Louis agrees but his face spells defeat. “I know.”Harry stares at him for a moment, waiting for Louis to burst into laughter or mock him for believing his dramatics.No such luck.After a minute of tense silence, Harry relents, grabbing his stuff and heading off to the bathroom. He doesn’t look back. He’s not sure what he’d see if he did; the burning regret he glimpsed yesterday or the strangely intense fear he saw just now. He’s not sure what hurts more, the thought that Louis regrets ever meeting him or the thought that even now, after rejecting him completely, Louis’ still holding on as if nothing need change at all.*-*-* Harry knows things have changed, whether Louis can admit it or not. He knows this because far from things getting better, they actually seem to be getting worse. For starters, Louis won’t even let him leave the dorm room without a thorough explanation of where he’s going, what he’s doing and when he’ll be back. He even insists on coming with him to help brew their morning tea. This is despite the fact, he’s quite happily accepted Harry’s offer to make and deliver him tea countless times in the past. Aside from that, he proceeds to text Harry streams of nonsensical emojis throughout his Medieval History lecture, becoming so insistent as to call Harry when he receives no reply.“Lou?” He hisses into the speaker, ignoring the dirty looks from those around him. “Why are you calling me? You know I have lecture!”“Because,” the other boy huffs, clearly put out, “you weren’t replying to my texts.”Harry grumbles.“You were sending me poop emojis!”That earns him a few startled looks and one outright glare from this one hawk eyed girl a few rows down.“So?” Louis sounds genuinely upset now. “You didn’t even consider replying, did you?”Harry moans.“What was I supposed to say? Thanks for the poop emojis but I’m trying to learn here?”“If this is about—“ Louis cuts off whatever he was about to say, voice bizarrely choked. “You’ve been acting strange and I don’t like it.”“I’m acting strange?” Harry’s laugh sounds a bit demented.Apparently the girl a few rows down thinks so too because she glares at him as though he must be the devil incantate. “Yes!” Louis’ voice breaks. “You’re all…” He imagines Louis waving his little hand around, “...different.”Harry feels like he’s the only one who’s not in on the joke. Louis sounds like he’s about to cry and it doesn’t make a lick of sense.“Louis, tell me what’s going on. Please. Because I know you’re not actually mad about this. You can’t be.”“Just forget it,” Louis breathes down the line. “I’ll see you tonight.”He hangs up the phone and Harry is left to put the puzzle pieces together on his own. He doesn’t do a very good job of it, nor does he do a good job of listening to his lecturer thereafter.When Harry gets home that night, Louis is asleep in his bed. Harry’s, that is, not his own. He’s also wearing one of Harry’s shirts. Come to think of it, the ring on his finger is more than familiar too. Harry usually wears it on his middle finger but obviously Louis could only manage to fit it on his thumb.The sight should rightfully frustrate him. Especially after the confusion of the last two days. Still, Harry can’t help but feel lucky. He feels lucky to know this boy who chose to sleep in his bed. This boy who stole into his wardrobe the same way he stole into Harry’s heart. Louis is infinitely more beautiful than any boy who’s ever slept in Harry’s bed before and he looks unusually peaceful sleeping there. It stirs Harry’s heart and fills him with luscious hope. Maybe they can make it through the night without an episode.Harry quietly drops his coat to the floor, slips off his jeans and climbs into bed with Louis, sighing deeply. He lays beside Louis for a while, content just to watch him. He watches the way Louis’ gossamer eyelashes flutter in tandem with his heartbeat, the pace of which Harry knows almost as well as his own.The temptation of it, however is too much. Just looking at him is not enough. Looking at him and not being able to kiss him is not enough. Harry pulls Louis’ hand onto his chest and spends the next hour tracing patters into it, spelling out the things he’ll never be able to say aloud, onto the palm of the boy he’d most like to say them to. Eventually he falls asleep, Louis’ hand clutched in his own.*-*-* When Harry returns from a late lecture the following day, it’s to find Louis and the boys crowded around a laptop in his bed, toting snacks and a twelve pack of beer. Harry can see the pile of crumbs forming beneath Niall while Liam’s arse is carving out a spot for itself in his pillow. Harry knows he’ll have to beat it back into shape later and it grates on his nerves, the four of them squished up together on his bed, getting drunk without him, laughing at what is presumably some dumb comedy movie. Usually, it wouldn’t annoy him this much but Harry’s been tetchy ever since this morning, when Louis was all over him like a needy little pup.They woke up cuddling, wrapped around each other tight. Harry was convinced they couldn’t possibly get any more intimate, aside from kissing one another, which was so obviously out of bounds. Yet alas, Louis found a way to get even closer, nudging his head up under Harry’s chin, his hand roaming freely over Harry’s chest. It was intoxicating, to say the least, like every touch between them is. Yet it was suffocating too. Suffocating, to the point of pain.Harry knows he can’t have Louis now, that’s been made abundantly clear but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to have his nose rubbed in it. If he can’t be close to Louis in the way he’d most like to, he’s not sure he can be close to him at all anymore. It’s a downer, to say the least. So when he comes home to find his best friends having a merry old time without him, including Louis, he feels let down. He’s spent the day contemplating the senseless heartbreak of life while Louis’ sat there laughing like he couldn’t be more pleased with how things have turned out. Harry’s skin is on fire.“Harry!” Louis shouts as soon as he sees him, standing up shakily.He stumbles over his own feet in his rush to cross the floor. It’s not hard to tell that he’s starting to feel the effects of however much he’s had to drink and Harry immediately slips the beer from his hand, planting it down on the bedside table. Louis doesn’t seem to notice, too busy relieving Harry of his bag and attaching himself to Harry in its place. Niall is snickering on the bed, elbowing Zayn who immediately cups Liam’s jaw and turns his head in their direction.“He’s like a barnacle,” Niall guffaws. “And Harry’s the boat.”Zayn looks charmed by the thought while Liam barely stifles a grin. Harry gives all three of them a sharp look. Dragging Louis over to the bed, he pointedly ignores the disgruntled snuffle released into his neck. The two of them collapse onto the bed, Louis half on top of him and Harry struggling to get out from underneath. He manages, just but then Louis climbs right back into his lap as soon as he’s settled. Harry tenses up and Louis just happens to notice. Brilliant. The boy doesn’t notice his beer being removed from his own hand but he notices this.“Is something wrong?” He asks, with a loopy smile.It’s only half curious, as if he’s expecting the answer to be a resounding no. He looks so effortlessly gorgeous when he’s all rumpled like this, with his bed hair flopping over one eye and his long grey sleeves slinking down over the edges of his well bitten fingertips. His eyes are hazy but unmistakably bright blue, as if the alcohol running through his system has somehow concentrated the blue of his eyes. Harry can’t say no to him like this, nor can he ever really. It’s a hopeless task, trying to refuse him and Harry is a hopeless fool. Hopelessly devoted to a boy who’d rather pretend their kiss didn’t happen than risk it happening again.“No,” he sighs, wrapping a supportive arm around Louis’ waist. “Just tired.”“Sorry.” Louis pouts, eyes full of woe.“’s not your fault,” Harry assures him, squeezing his side.It feels like a lie. Perhaps because pretending nothing has changed between them has been the most exhausting part of his week. In fact, it’s the most exhausting thing Harry’s ever had to do. Someone he knew when he was younger once told him the hardest part of suffering isn’t the suffering itself, it’s the silence we drown in.That’s what’s keeping Harry up at night when Louis’ long fallen asleep. It’s not Louis’ nightmares about his tumultuous past. It’s not Harry’s own memories of the kiss that missed. No, instead it’s the spaces between him and Louis. The silence. Even when Louis is all over him, clinging to Harry at all hours of the day, it doesn’t feel right. Not anymore. Probably because it’s not what Harry wants, not when it only reminds him of everything he can’t have.They sit in peace for a while, the boys trading quite conversations back and forth. Louis is surprisingly calm now, settling back into Harry like he has no desire to ever move. It should relax him, given Louis’ tendency to wreak havoc on everyone and everything around him when he’s “buzzin,” the way he is now. However, it’s not within Harry to feel placated right now. Not when he’s got 5 foot 7 inches worth of temptation sitting right in his lap.“So glad you’re home,” Louis whispers at some point, bringing Harry’s other arm around him.Harry sighs, feeling frustrated but lets it go, choosing to focus on the movie instead. He manages this fairly successfully until Louis snuggles back into his chest, arse nestled tight against his groin. Louis’ head falls back onto his shoulder, placing his hair directly under Harry’s nose. With the curve of his neck elongated, he looks so sensual and soft, his throat just crying out to be worked over by Harry’s teeth and tongue.It proves too much for Harry, overwhelmed by the smell of Louis’ moisturiser mingling with his sweet cologne, the curves of his body pressed up tight against Harry. Not to mention the way he looks, painted in the half light of the screen, his skin glowing as though it’s iridescent. His eyes are like two glass cities, surrounded on all sides by water and reflecting the light of the sun,“Louis.” Harry pinches the bridge of his nose. “Can you please sit somewhere else?”Louis twitches in his arms, turning back to meet his gaze.“Oh?” His pouted lips are too much. “There’s not really enough room, is there?”“I need you to move,” Harry enunciates each word, keeping his voice steady.Louis grabs him by the forearm, pressing his thumb into Harry’s skin.“Haz, what’s wrong?”“Please don’t ask me that right now, I can’t tell you.”“Why?” Louis’ face drops. “Is it…are you okay?”He cradles Harry’s cheek in one hand, squeezing his shoulder with the other.“No, I’m not actually. Can you just stop?”Louis gulps, his cheeks hallowed in with shock.“Stop?”“Stop trying. Stop overcompensating. Stop acting like this is normal, okay? It’s not normal! Friends don’t touch like we do. Friends don’t share a bed every night or wake up tangled in each other’s embrace.”Harry ignores the raised eyebrows from the other boys, all of who are attentively listening in right now.“H-harry.” Louis’ bottom lip quivers, “you said we could forget that it ever happened.”Harry scrunches his hair in his hands, feeling bitter.“Well maybe I can’t. I mean god Louis, you won’t let me. You’re all over me all the god damn time.” Harry shouts. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe I can take a fucking breath without you there to oversee it?”Louis shrinks away like he’s been zapped, his expression twisted into shock and hurt. There’s a wave of unbearable sadness building in his eyes, making them appear utterly translucent. His mouth looks one wobble away from drooping completely.“Okay,” he mumbles. “Sorry.”He scrambles off Harry’s lap like someone pushed him, stumbling over his own feet in his hurry to reach the door. It makes Harry’s heart throb, remembering how Louis had stumbled over to him in a similar fashion when he first arrived. That was before. Now, Louis can’t seem to get away fast enough. The door clicks closed behind him before Harry can think to do anything to stop it. He’s left staring out after Louis, all forlorn, thinking maybe if he just glares hard enough, Louis might reappear.“Well are you going to go after him or what?” Zayn demands, breaking Harry’s reverie.Harry stays mum, chewing at the underside of his lip while his stomach burns with heavy guilt.“Yeah Haz, that was pretty harsh.” Liam agrees, face lined with worry.“You could have at least waited until we left,” Niall adds. “Maybe then you wouldn’t have humiliated him so badly.”“Okay,” Harry snaps. “I get it. I’m an awful person who says awful things to people who don’t deserve it. But this wasn’t exactly unprovoked, okay? He kissed me, not the other way round. He kissed me the other day and then he tried to pretend like it was nothing. He wanted me to pretend like it was nothing.”“But you couldn’t,” Niall surmises, smirking a little. “Because you love him.”“Well I wouldn’t go that far,” he denies hotly. “Love is a…strong word.”Zayn rolls his eyes.“You’re an idiot Harry. You may not be in denial the way he is but, my god you are the least spiritually aware person I know. That boy isn’t all over you because he’s trying to rub your face in it, Harry. He’s all over you because he’s terrified of losing you! And when you snapped at him just now, you only confirmed that he has. You made out as if he was suffocating you.”“He was!” Harry protests, outraged. “I can’t breathe when he’s close to me like that!”Zayn points a knowing finger at his face.“Yes, because you love him but that’s not his doing, is it?”“Isn’t it?” Harry mutters bitterly. “He’s never let me have even an inch of space.”“Because you never wanted it.” Niall butts in. “And now he’s only doing what the two of you always did before the kiss. Sure, pretending the kiss didn’t happen is a dick move on his part…but c’mon Harry. He didn’t deserve what you just said to him and you know it. He doesn’t deserve to feel like you don’t want him at all anymore.”“Of course I want him,” Harry moans, palming his forehead. “He’s all I want.”“You messed up,” Liam rubs his shoulder. “But it’s okay. I’m sure you can work things out. He’ll come back later and you guys can talk.”Harry raises his head.“You think he’ll come back later?”Liam sighs.“I sure hope so. It’s tough seeing you like this.”He laughs humourlessly.“Oh I assure you mate, it’s not much fun being on the other end of it either.”“I think I should go find him.” Zayn says determinedly. “He probably needs some spiritual guidance right about now.”Harry rolls his eyes then blushes when he notices Liam glaring. Liam turns away from him, dragging Zayn back down by the collar and sealing their goodbye with a kiss.“Good luck babe.”Zayn smiles, ever the optimist.“Oh I don’t need luck baby, I’ve got the spirits on my side.”Harry’s not sure what’s more painful; having watched Louis walk out that door looking like he was about to shatter into a million pieces, or listening to this conversation right now.He lays his head down against his pillow, curling his knees up against his chest. Shutting his eyes, he ignores the huge lump in his throat. It’s funny, his bed is currently occupied by two other boys and yet it still feels like the loneliest place in the world.“Tell him I’m sorry Zayn.” He pleads. With exhaustion threatening to drag him under, he just manages to latch onto Niall’s ankle. “Wake me up when Lou comes back.”*-*-*Louis is just about to light up when Zayn appears around the side of the building, a half smile lifting his cheeks.“I didn’t know you smoked.”Louis rolls his eyes. It hurts a bit because his eyes are sore from crying but it’s worth it if it pisses Zayn off. It doesn’t work of course. Louis should have known, the King of Zen is above such trivial emotions as annoyance.“I don’t, really. It’s a stress thing.”Zayn hums.“I don’t mind it myself. But you should try something mind altering. It pushes all conscious thought to the back of the mind.”Louis snorts.“I’ll take this miserable reality we live in over a fabricated one any day of the week. I don’t know what fucked up shit’s in your conscious but mine’s just fine.”He sighs, watching Zayn’s face harden. He supposes it is possible to conjure up some annoyance.“Sorry,” he breathes. “I didn’t mean that. It’s just…not for me.”“It’s okay.” Zayn grips his upper arm, squeezing gently. “Your spirit’s in pain.”Louis might not know much about the mind body spirit connection, nor believe in it at all really but he has to agree with that last part. The feeling that’s upon him now is unmistakably hurt. There’s sadness there too, crushing his insides and a side of bitter shame, poisoning his mind.Before the kiss even happened, he was worried about what Harry wanted from him. After it went down, those concerns just increased tenfold. Yes, it was Louis who instigated the kiss but after they drew back, it was Harry who looked at him like the sun rose and fell in his eyes. It was Harry whose lips flushed like freshly picked roses, daring Louis to lean back in for one more taste. Now it’s Harry who scares him half to death, poised to ask the very questions Louis doesn’t have the answers to. So it had to be Louis who shut it down. It was on him to restore them back to what they’d been before. Clearly though, his efforts have been in vain. Harry doesn’t seem to want him around.“Yeah, well.” He blinks back tears. Crushing his cigarette between two fingers, he lets it fall to the ground and angrily stubs it out with his toe. “His words had the desired effect, I s’pose.”“You think he meant for this to happen?” Zayn sounds shocked. “I really don’t think—““You don’t think Harry’s capable of it, do you?” Louis snaps back, tears falling freely now. “Did you not hear the way he spoke to me in there, Zayn? He said I was suffocating him. He doesn’t want anything to do with me just because we kissed.”Zayn looks mystified, shaking his head harder with every word.“That’s not what he said. You’ve got it all wrong. Your spirit is lost Louis, trapped in a maze of unnecessary protections. And if you make it out, I think you’ll see that Harry isn’t trying to hurt you. You don’t really understand Harry’s feelings right now, or your own.”“Fuck off Zayn,” Louis says bitingly. “If that’s how you feel then why are you down here with me and not up there with him?”“Because I was worried about you,” he says. “I still am. No matter how Harry was feeling, he shouldn’t have said those things to you. He fucked up, I know that. So does he.”Louis breathes out through his nose, trying to stem the embarrassing urge to cry again.“I just…I wasn’t trying to confuse things, you know? I didn’t think he’d be so terrified of it happening again. Am I that abhorrent, Zayn? Is he that disgusted with me that we can’t even be close to each other anymore?”“Oh Lou,” Zayn tugs him into a fierce hug. “I really do think you’re way off.”Louis doesn’t listen. All he can think of is the look on Harry’s face when he’d yelled at him before, absolutely rabid with anger. He looked like he’d move out of their dorm before he’d ever let Louis near him again.“Zayn?”“Yeah?”“Can we just not talk for a minute, please?” He begs, voice shaking.“Course, Lou.” Zayn squeezes him tight, gently cupping the back of his head. “Now c’mon, let it out Lou. It’ll cleanse your spirit.”Louis doesn’t know about the whole spirit cleansing thing but he can’t stop the wave of despair cresting over his head. The dam breaks within moments, leaving him sobbing into Zayn’s jumper and clinging to his small shoulders.“I just want to go back,” he cries. “If I hadn’t of kissed him, everything would be okay right now.”“Shh,” Zayn rocks him gently. “it’ll be okay. You and Harry will be okay, I promise.”But Louis doesn’t believe they will. Not anymore.*-*-*Harry’s awoken by the sound of someone swearing. He sits bolt upright straight away, certain that his hair must be a horrifying mess upon his head. It doesn’t faze him, not in the slightest. Not when Louis’ standing there, dressed in a black shirt that’s completely see through and dark hip hugging jeans, snug as anything against his arse. He’s not looking at Harry, his face painted in frustration as he fiddles with the necklace around his neck, twisting it back and forth while he tries to untangle to it.“I’ve never seen you wear a necklace before. Or that top.” Harry blurts out.It startles Louis who jumps about a foot in the air, startling Moo who was curled up peacefully atop his bed. The terrified kitten scrambles under the bed while Louis places a hand over his chest, trying to calm his racing heart.“Jesus Christ Harry, you scared me half to death!”When he pulls his hand away, Harry gets a closer look at the chain around his neck. There’s a paper plane hanging from the middle.“That’s my necklace.” Harry says, a little breathless. Then, “Why didn’t Niall wake me? He said he’d wake me when you came back.”“I thought it might look nice on me. You can have it back if it bothers you so much.” Louis snaps, ignoring his question.He pulls the necklace back over his head and makes to toss it at Harry. Harry vigorously shakes his head.“No, keep it!” He begs. “It looks good on you.”He’s not lying either. Harry can imagine that in a perfect world he would have given it to Louis himself. He’d probably have asked him to be his boyfriend in the same breath.“Fine.” Louis’ cheeks are hot. With embarrassment or anger, Harry can’t tell. “I will.”“Okay,” Harry says, eyes as wide as saucers.All he wanted was a chance to talk to Louis and now he’s completely speechless. It probably has a little something to do with the way Louis’ hair is all feathered out over his eyes, making them look impossibly blue. He waves a can of hairspray around his head, cologne wafting off him in waves that smell deliciously sweet.“Are you…going somewhere?” Harry swallows, trying not to look directly at his arse.Louis ignores his question again, finally deigning to answer the one from before.“Niall didn’t wake you up because I asked him not to,” he says calmly, slipping on some vans.“Why?” Harry demands. “Lou, we need to talk. I’m sorry about what I said before. I didn’t mean it, I just—““You’re just sick of me.” Louis says despondently. There’s still a little pink in his cheeks, as if he can feel the heat in Harry’s gaze. “You feel like I’m suffocating you. It’s fine Harry, I get it.”“It’s not fine though.” Harry stumbles on his doona but still makes it across the room in two quick strides. “I should never have said those things to you.”He cups Louis’ face, fingers gliding determinedly over the apples of Louis’ cheeks, still gloriously pink. Sweet creature. “I suppose you are going out then?” Harry asks him, reaching down to untangle the knotted chain.Louis swallows every time Harry’s fingers graze his throat.“Um y-yeah. One of my friends, Luke…he’s in a couple of my classes. He said he wanted to take me out.”Harry’s hands still.“On a date?”“Oh.” Louis’ eyes flash with shock. “Oh, no not a date! I don’t think? He said we’re just going to go out and dance for a bit.”Harry lets go of the necklace, successfully untangled and steps back, panicking. This is why it hurts so much to be close to Louis right now. Because he knows it’s only a matter of time before Louis meets someone else…and it seems he already has. There is no doubt in Harry’s mind that this Luke, whomever he is, has every intention of getting into Louis’ pants. You don’t take someone as gorgeous as Louis out dancing, without the intention of putting your hands all over him. The thought makes Harry’s blood run cold.“Stay safe,” he begs, tone a touch too desperate for the conversation they’re having. “And um…I’m sorry? Again. I don’t want to lose you Louis.”“Harry,” Louis’ eyes fall to the ground where he’s nudging his toes together, somewhat agitated. “I just think, maybe us living together isn’t the best idea right now? I’m thinking of asking for a new dormmate.”“What?” Pain lashes Harry’s chest. His voice breaks in the middle. “Louis, we can work this out. Please. Please don’t run from me.”Louis seems to take that as an insult because he whips his head up lightning fast. His eyes are dark with fury and there’s no doubt his flush is caused by anger this time.“I’m not running from you Harry, I’ve got nothing to be afraid of. You were right today. I don’t need to be there for every breath you take and you know what? Maybe I don’t need to be near you at all anymore.”Harry takes another step back and comes into contact with his bed. He sits down on it, shaking from head to toe. His eyes fill with hot, prickly tears and the kind of hurt he can’t hide as he raises his eyes to Louis’, sadness eating through his soul.“Go then,” he says hoarsely. “Have a great night.”Louis stares at him for a moment, breathing harshly through his nose, then turns his back on Harry and storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Harry collapses face first into his pillows, sobbing harshly. No one has ever made him feel as light with happiness as that boy, yet the opposite is also true. No one has ever hurt him quite so badly. No one has ever held his heart in the palm of their hand and crushed it in one foul swoop. No one, that is, except Louis.*-*-*Louis isn’t running away. It’s not fear driving him out of his own dorm room. It’s rejection. The sting of it burns his lungs now as he gulps down another shot. Then again that might just be the tequila. Either way, he ends up blind drunk before the night’s even halfway through. Luke doesn’t seem to mind, dancing up on him like he’s made it his mission to stick his skin to Louis’.Maybe this is a date? Louis wonders, taking a small step back. As he does, he bumps into someone behind him, teetering slightly. Two large hands grip onto his hips tightly, steadying him from behind.“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”Louis turns around, twisting in the stranger’s grip. He does a double take when he gets a glimpse at his saviour, who looks like something out of a winter catalogue. He’s tall, with eyes much bluer than Louis’ and wavy blonde hair. Wavy, not curly. It’s an important distinction. The man is well-dressed too, in tight white trousers and a collared shirt, sunglasses hooked inside the pocket of his very expensive shirt.“Hello gorgeous,” he says, dragging out the first word.“Hi,” Louis mumbles, eyes wide.The guy doesn’t take his hands off of Louis after that, keeping him pinned to the spot. It’s bordering on inappropriate as is his sleazy smirk. It’s so unlike the way Harry looked at him earlier, soft and possessive all at once. Louis pulls Sleazy Model in by the shirt and kisses him deeply. He hears Luke grumble something behind him but he’s too busy drunkenly sucking face to care. Distantly he’s aware that this is just a band aid solution for all of his problems but his drunken, broken hearted self doesn’t care.“You have a place?” Sleazy Model breathes in his ear.It only takes Louis a beat to give his answer.*-*-*The good news is that Louis doesn’t bring Luke back to their dorm room. The bad news is that he does bring back some other guy, a guy by the name of “Sleazy Mmmm” if Louis’ high pitched moans are anything to go by. The room is too dark for Harry to get a good look at the guy but Harry’s more grateful than anything else. Seeing the guy who’s capable of making Louis moan like that would do nothing but exacerbate his pain.The exchange between the two doesn’t last long. Louis is obviously too drunk for much more than sloppy kisses and clumsy handjobs. Sleazy Mmmm orgasms with a loud, unattractive grunt while Louis’ moans tail off into something like dissatisfied growls before eventually coming to a stop completely.“Can’t.” He whispers, loud enough to be heard by Harry, on the other side of the room, a blanket barrier between them. “Can’t…you know.”“Why not?” The guy sighs, sounding rather like he doesn’t care.“Can’t cause…” He whimpers. “You’re all…wavy. I need curly.”Harry can’t help but grin at that. He’s not quite sure it means anything, other than that Louis’ drunk and horny but it pleases him to pretend. Unfortunately for Louis, it seem his hook-up may have fallen asleep, that is if his drunken snores are anything to go by.“Oh.” Louis says, sounding sulky and upset. “G’night then.”It breaks Harry’s heart to hear him sound so lonely but not enough for him to do anything about it. Not when Louis’ brought this random guy back to their dorm and was clearly planning on sleeping with him while Harry was in the same room. Louis may be drunk as all hell but that doesn’t mean he’s not responsible for what’s happening right now.Harry turns to face the wall and ignores the quiet sounds of Louis crying himself to sleep. If he doesn’t ignore him, he know he’ll end up going over there and trying to fix whatever’s wrong. He can’t do that anymore. He’s not Louis’ knight in shining armour and maybe he never was.*-*-* Harry wakes up in the early hours of the morning, tangled in his sheets, his whole body shivering from the cold. The first light of dawn spills through the cracks in their blinds, shining directly onto his bed. However it’s not the piercing sunlight which woke him up, it’s Louis.The object of Harry’s affection is currently yelling and crying out desperately, his whole face gone red from it. Tears drip down his cheeks as he tenses spasmodically against the sheets. The guy beside him is sitting bolt upright, glaring at Louis with nostrils flared. When Sleazy Mmm notices movement at the edge of his vision, he directs his glare straight at Harry.“What’s wrong with him?” He barks.Harry is incredulous.“There’s nothing wrong with him.” He hisses. “And keep your voice down, would you?”“Keep my voice down?” The guy laughs, nodding his head at Louis. “Why don’t you tell that to your little disturbed friend here?”“He’s not ‘disturbed.’” Harry spits. “He’s just having a nightmare.”The guy laughs and none too quietly either. Harry wishes tackling him to the ground was an acceptable solution.“You seriously call that a nightmare? Why don’t you just wake him up? I’ll do it if you can’t.”“No!” Harry raises his voice, then instantly coves his mouth. “No you can’t.” He whispers. “Waking him up terrifies him.”“So?” Jerkface smirks and leans down, about to grab Louis’ shoulder.“If you do that, I will tell everybody on this campus that you can’t perform in bed. It’s not like I’d be lying, is it? You couldn’t even get him off.”Jerkface snorts.“What does it matter to me? I don’t even go here.”“Oookay,” Harry drags his phone into his lap, deciding to call his bluff. “Group text, here we go.”He pretends to type out a damaging message to all of his powerful, non-existent friends. In reality, he’s texting his mum to ask how she is.“Wait!” Jerkface erupts. “Please. Don’t…don’t do that.”“Will you stop trying to wake him?” Harry asks with a menacing glare. “You stop, I stop.”“Fine!” Jerkface agrees. “I’ll just lay here until campus buses start.”Harry gestures angrily at Louis, who looks about ten seconds away from tearing his shirt off. It’s not like it would be the first time. Last time he did it, Harry lied and said he must have shucked it off and thrown it somewhere in his sleep. With Louis’ mess strewn across the floor, it wasn’t hard to believe he could have misplaced it so easily. The next day Harry skipped class to go and buy a replacement. He even tore a hole in the bottom to match Louis’ and sprayed it with his deodorant. When the other boy found it lying beneath his bed that afternoon, he seemed to think nothing of it.“You’re not even going to try and comfort him? He’s clearly in pain!”“I can’t…” The guy looks like he’s sweating bullets. “He’s having a bloody fit!”Harry can’t believe Louis chose to bring this nitwit back to their room. He could have at least chosen someone with a little more substance. This guy’s pretty, he’ll give him that but c’mon, Louis is so much prettier. He could do way better than this douche.“He’s having a nightmare,” Harry corrects with a roll of his eyes, speaking slowly for the half-brained idiot in the room. “If you can’t handle that, you don’t deserve to be here.”“What, you want me to go?” Nitwit blanches. “Now?”Harry just blinks back at him, unfazed.“If this is your best display of gentlemanly behaviour then yes, I want you to go. I think that rightfully, you should be here when he wakes up. He’s not a one night stand kind of person, unless he’s completely legless and I don’t want him to feel shitty about this. But you’re not even nearly good enough for him and you are that kind of guy, aren’t you? A one-time only kind of guy. And even if you weren’t…” He trails off, giving Nitwit a meaningful look.Clearly, it’s not meaningful enough, judging by the confusion on his face.“Even if I weren’t…what? You don’t think he’d date me?” He smirks, fluttering his non-existent eyelashes. “Mate, I’m a catch.”“He probably would date you.” Harry agrees. “For a while. Until he’d realise what a dickhead you are or you’d break his heart. And honestly ‘mate’, he’s had enough heartbreak for one lifetime.”“Oh I see.” Dickhead snickers. “You’re not trying to get rid of me for his sake, are you? It’s because you want him for yourself. I can understand that, mate. He’s got a nice arse on him, alright.”He flashes his teeth at Harry in an absurdly sharklike smile. He looks like the kind of guy whose parents pay for monthly teeth whitening.“Talk about him like that again, I dare you. I’d enjoy severing your most prized possession from your body and pinning it to your forehead. It would be very fitting, actually.” He grins. “People would be able to see how much of a cockhead you are from a mile away.”Sleazy Mmm bears his teeth again, this time in an angry sneer. Harry doesn’t find it the least bit frightening. Not when he’s got this guy’s metaphorical balls in hand.“How am I supposed to get back to my dorm? There are no buses this early.” Blondie hisses, seemingly accepting of his fate.Harry walks his fingers across his palm, winking playfully at his dim-witted companion. “There’s this old-fashioned mode of transport, I think they call it…um, walking?”“Fine.” Blondie agrees.With that he stumbles his way to the door in just his pants, slamming it on his way out. The noise of it startles Louis who wakes up suddenly, breath catching in his chest. It takes Harry a full twenty minutes to calm him down and bring him back to himself.“I—I had a bad dream.” He whispers, voice hoarse.Nestled in Harry’s arms, he clings to him like a baby koala, gazing up at him with blatant fear.“Did I make any noises?”“No,” Harry lies. “Only when you woke up.”“Oh.” Louis sighs with relief. “Good.”He looks around then, suddenly noticing the trail of forgotten clothes. The room must seem conspicuously absent.“Where’s….um….god, I can’t remember his name?” He bites at his lip, dragging it back and forth between his lips.Impossibly distracting, this boy is.“I think you called him....sleazy mmm?” Harry mimics one of his long, drawn out moans.“Right.” Louis’ face flushes hot, twitching with agitation. “Sorry about that.”“It’s okay.” Harry says, not a moment’s pause.Louis looks shocked and resumes the biting of his lip, harder now too.“It is?”Harry pulls Louis’ lip from his teeth, gently thumbing away the soreness. Louis looks captivated by the touch, bright blue eyes glued to Harry’s thumb.“It is.” He agrees. “So long as you stay with me. Don’t move out Lou, please.”“Harry,” Louis says, eyes filled with torment.Harry’s eyes blink closed, his body going limp with defeat. He jumps when Louis touches him, cradling his face in his hands and resting his cheek against Harry’s.“I don’t want to room with anyone else but you.” Louis whispers, voice just carrying to Harry’s ear. “I’m sorry I ever said I did.”Harry clutches him tight with joy, dragging him further into his lap and nuzzling his shoulder in earnest.“You didn’t answer my question before.” Louis pinches his side. “Where is watshisname?”Harry coughs and turns his face even further away. Louis drags him back by the chin.“Harry, tell me the truth.” He looks crestfallen. “Everything I did last night, it was an impulse A bad one, I know. I didn’t really like him but I…I thought he’d at least stay the course of the night.”“He did,” Harry murmurs, butting his head against Louis’, the same way Louis sometimes does with Moo. “He just had to leave early. Swim practice, I think.”Louis’ expression is sceptical. He pinches Harry again.“You’re lying to me. He left because he didn’t want another go. I wasn’t good, was I?” He looks up at Harry like the answer to that question lies with him.“You were good.” Harry implores, voice pained. “He…enjoyed himself, really.”Louis looks away, bottom lip drooping low.“Really?” He crosses his arms. “Then why isn’t he here? Why aren’t I that good? Why am I never that good? I’m not the one people stick around for, I never have been.”“That’s not true,” Harry croons, nuzzling his cheek. “He was a douche, okay? If I had my way, I’d nail a penis to his forehead.”Louis gives him a weird look then cracks up laughing immediately.“You’d what?! Oh my god Harold, what’s wrong with you?!”Love, Harry thinks gloomily, unrequited love. He pushes that thought to the back of his mind because Louis is laughing now and that’s all that matters. If he can put a smile on this boy’s face from time to time, that should be enough. Right?“Hold me?” Louis asks tentatively. “Or is that, um… is it too much?”“Never,” Harry promises swiftly. “I’m sorry I ever made you think it was.”He clutches Louis in his arms and pulls them both back against the pillows, settling the covers around them. Louis turns on his side, facing away from him. He lets Harry embrace him from behind, Harry burying his nose in his hair.“I felt you sniff my hair just now.” Louis accuses, a sweet smile in his voice.Harry squeezes the boy entrapped in his arms, chest filling with a special kind of warmth.“I was just imitating Moo.”Louis laughs, disbelieving.“Are you trying to tell me you were scenting me?” He giggles.Moo, with impeccable timing, jumps onto the bed next to them. He stalks up the covers with a disgruntled mewl, then curls up underneath Louis’ chin. His favourite spot.“Yes.” Harry says solemnly. “But I don’t think I should. Moo seems jealous.”“He does like to stake his claim over me.”“That’s fine,” Harry nods against his hair. “I don’t need to prove that you’re mine.”“Yours?” Louis says with a weird high note in his voice.“Mine. You know, my…friend.” Harry finishes lamely.Louis speaks as though he didn’t hear him, dragging Harry’s hand up his naked chest until warm fingers meet cold metal.“Yours.”The paper plane is unmistakable and aside from his pants, the necklace is all Louis is wearing. Harry squeezes it in his fist, knuckles grazing Louis’ chest. After a long quite moment he lets go, splaying his hand out against Louis’ pec instead, feeling the thrum of his rapid pulse. The longer he holds Louis, the slower his pulse gets, until eventually his breaths even out with sleep.“I love you.” Harry murmurs, knowing his confession falls on deaf ears. Drifting off, his sentences turn nonsensical. “You’re my sweet creature.”*-*-*When Louis wakes up for the second time, the sun is almost blinding but Harry has him pressed to his chest and it feels so good, Louis doesn’t want to wake him.“You awake now?” Harry suddenly whispers, startling him slightly.“Yeah. Didn’t know you were though.” Louis fingers the paper plane hanging from his neck. “What have you been doing?”“Just thinking,” Harry says thoughtfully.“About?”Harry presses his face into Louis’ neck, squeezing him tight.“About how I’d love it if you’d spend the day with me.”“I have class,” Louis laughs, catching Harry’s fingers as they crawl across his chest.“So?” He can hear the smirk in Harry’s voice. “It’s not as if you haven’t skipped before.”Louis tugs Harry’s hand up to his lips, taking his pointer finger between his teeth.“What are you doing?” Harry giggles.“Punishing you for bringing up past misdemeanours. Obviously.”Harry pulls his hand away, chuckling.“You’re such a child sometimes.”He shrugs.“Can’t argue that.”“So…” Harry squeezes his hip. “Will you be spending the day with me or not?”Louis swivels his body around to face him, poking his dimple just to make him laugh.“I suppose.” He feigns annoyance, pointing a finger at Harry’s face. “But only if you buy me breakfast.”Harry grabs hold of his finger, nibbling on it the same way Louis had his. It should probably faze Louis. It surely would have a couple of days prior. Yet something about this feels entirely natural. Like maybe this is how things are meant to be between them. Maybe they really are just platonic pals who nibble on each other’s fingers. Maybe not. All he knows is that he wouldn’t change anything about it. Not now and maybe not ever.“Fine,” Harry begrudgingly agrees, grinning from ear to ear. “I suppose I can swing that.”Louis pats his cheek, beaming brightly.“My hero.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A full English breakfast and a hot cup of tea is a good way to start the day. It’s even better when he’s sat beside Harry who keeps swiping milk across Louis’ upper lip and giggling at the picture he makes.“And you call me a child,” Louis says with a superior arch of his brows.Harry’s giggles come to a sudden stop as he traces the curve of Louis’ brow.“W—what are you doing?” Louis stutters, splashing half his tea onto his jeans.Harry gazes at him fondly, gently reaching over to take the tea out of his hands.“Nothing. You just have really expressive eyebrows.”Louis reaches a hand out and thumbs at the corner of Harry’s eye.“I think the same about your eyes, you know.”“You do?”“I do.”Harry smiles at him for a moment, then resumes eating with his dimples etched firmly in place. Louis’ mouth kicks up at the thought that he put that dopey smile on Harry’s face. They eat in silence for the rest of breakfast but Harry’s hand finds his thigh beneath the table. Louis threads his bare ankles through Harry’s jean clad legs, swinging their conjoined limbs back and forth. Louis’ never found silence so comforting.*-*-*After breakfast, Harry takes him to the Natural History Museum which is as amusing as it is fascinating. It’s amusing because Harry knows the name and story behind almost every exhibit in there.“You really are a big history geek,” Louis giggles, watching Harry recite another info card from memory.“Natural history is my favourite.” Harry confesses, a pretty blush filling his cheeks. “It combines my two favourite things.”Louis feigns his shock.“I thought I was your favourite thing.”Harry ruffles Louis’ hair with an attractive smirk.“Lou, you’re not my favourite thing. You’re my favourite person.”Louis’ heartbeat feels very unsteady inside his chest and he’s not quite able to hide just how much Harry’s words mean to him.“Well,” he clears his throat, playing with the paper plane below his throat. “You did give me your favourite necklace.”Harry tugs at the necklace, drawing Louis in and lowering his voice slightly.“Yeah, well.” He swallows. “It looks pretty fetching on you.”“Fetching?” Louis pushes him in the stomach, rolling his eyes. “Nobody says fetching anymore, Harold.”“Fine.” He gives the paper aeroplane another tug. “You look stunning. I’ve never seen a man make jewellery look quite as good as you.”Louis inhales a big rush of air that wants to make itself known in an embarrassingly obvious sigh. Instead he turns his back on Harry, walking in the direction of the next exhibit.“Thank you, Harold,” he says quietly. “But you wear your rings very well.”When Louis looks back to see if Harry’s following him, he finds him positively glowing.“C’mon curly,” Louis beckons. “I’m starting to get hungry and I know you’ve got a million other things to bore me with before we eat.”He’s not bored in the slightest but Harry doesn’t have to know that. Harry hurries after him, huffing and puffing.“How can you be hungry already? We ate a couple of hours ago.”Louis spares him a baleful look.“Exactly Harold, exactly.”*-*-*They mosey on down to the first floor of the museum for lunch. Reason being? Louis tells Harry he’s too starved to make it to a whole new location. Harry dismisses his reasoning with a snort but he still buys Louis’ lunch.“This is so good,” Louis moans into his souvlaki.Harry looks disproportionately pleased, as though he made the damn thing himself.“Good. I think you deserve to be spoiled Lou, I want to spoil you today.”Louis pauses, souvlaki halfway to his mouth.“You are. You’re spoiling me with your company Harold.”Harry catches hold of his ankle beneath the table, eyes twinkling.“So, the museum was obviously for me but what we’re doing after lunch is one hundred percent for you.”“Okay...” Louis narrows his eyes at Harry, trying to judge his expression. “This isn’t one of those things where you make me think it’s something good and then you throw pigs blood at me in front of everyone I know, is it?”“Jesus.” Harry laughs, swinging their feet. “You have been burned, haven’t you, Carrie?”Louis bites his lip, fighting off a wince.“Once or twice, yeah.”Harry’s expression instantly softens.“Then no, it’s nothing like that. It’s a good surprise, I hope.”Louis smiles.“I’m sure I’ll love it Haz.”*-*-* Adele – Chasing Pavements Louis looks around the room for clues. After a couple of moments, he’s still coming up empty.“It’s a pub?” He levels Harry with a sceptical look. “Are you trying to tell me you think I’m an alcoholic?Harry shakes his head, chuckling to himself as he guides Louis forward, a hand spanning the width of his lower back. He directs Louis to one of the poorly lit tables in the back, illuminated only by a droopy white candle, flickering as if about to go out. The pub is a ramshackle joint, mostly hidden from view. It appears to be a slightly grimy hideaway for lone drinkers. In spite of that, there’s a surprisingly romantic air about it. It might be the fire burning in the grate, a few feet away. It might just as easily be the candlelit tables sequestered away in the back.“It’s not just a pub.” Harry promises him lowly. “They serve the best greasy chips in London.”“But you hate unnecessary grease?” Louis says, crinkling his eyebrows.Harry reaches over to touch them again, a whimsical smile gracing his lips.“I do.” He nods. “But you love it.”Louis’ stomach flips over a few times, demonstrating some serious acrobatic skill.“I…thank you.” He manages. “You didn’t have to do that.”“You came to the museum with me,” Harry smiles back. “It’s the least I could do.”“I like the museum,” Louis admits. “It’s interesting.”“You do?”Harry looks absolutely thrilled. His translucent eyes look like emerald paint drops leeching into a blank canvas. Louis sits there, transfixed. He doesn’t miss the way Harry’s shining gaze falls to his lips, burning just as intensely as the fire in the grate. For a moment, it feels like Harry just might pull him in by the shirt and kiss him until the candle goes out. Louis finds that his throat has gone tight with longing, his fingernails leaving half-moon crescents in his thighs. But a moment later Harry’s gaze flickers away and the acrid taste of disappointment fills Louis’ mouth.“I did.” Louis agrees, somewhat belatedly.“I’ll go order us some food,” Harry tells him.Louis pats his stomach, frowning softly.“I’m going to be the size of the house by the time this day is done.”Harry pinches his side on the way up, eliciting a shocked little gasp.“I’ll roll you home if I have to.”Louis slaps his thigh in retaliation.*-*-*Half an hour later, he moans at his first taste of the best greasy chips in London. They are good. He has to agree with Harry on that but when he tells him so, Harry just smirks and reaches into the dorky backpack he’s been carrying around all day.“Bread?” Louis eyes the zip lock bag in his hand. “Wassat for?”“For chip sandwiches, obviously.”Louis screws up his face.“Harry Styles, you did not just say that. You want me to eat chips…in bread?”Harry chuckles, eyeing him fondly. There’s been a lot of that today. Louis can’t say he minds much.“It’s not that weird. Honestly, it tastes good.”Louis hits him with an unimpressed glare.“You think kale tastes good. Therefore, you aren’t much of an authority on what tastes good.”“Kale does taste good,” Harry growls, cutely. He’s a very cute growler. “But that’s not the point. The point is I brought you here specifically for this reason. Because I know you love greasy chips and I know you’ll love greasy chip sandwiches even more.”He’s pouting now which is basically your best form of intimidation if your name is Harry Styles.“Fine,” Louis sighs, nudging his chips in Harry’s direction. “Lay it on me.”Harry does an embarrassing fist pump and begins layering Louis’ bread with chips. When he closes the sandwich, they begin to ooze out the sides.“Do I really have to eat it Haz?” Louis pleads, trying out the pouting for himself.Apparently it’s not as effective when he’s doing it. Harry just chuckles and takes a huge bite out of his own sandwich.“C’mon Lou,” he says, swallowing noisily. Louis wouldn’t mind seeing him do that again. “Don’t be so boring.”It’s that which convinces Louis to take his first little bite, glaring at Harry throughout. It’s messy is the thing, trying to juggle the heavy sandwich while it drips oil all over his fingers. Not to mention the fact that he can barely get his mouth around it without suffering lockjaw. Which means nothing. Eating a chip sandwich does not give any indication of what you’re like in bed. Louis is good at blowjobs. He’s never had any complaints.“So?” Harry says, watching him chew with a surprising amount of intensity. If Louis didn’t know better, he’d think the guy had an oral fixation. “Do you like it or not?”Louis tries to subtly wipe the crumbs from around his mouth, having thoroughly enjoyed his first bite. Far from being soggy and bland, the chip-bread combo is surprisingly tasty. It’s something he would eat again but only with this boy right here. This boy who reaches over and thumbs at the corner of Louis’ mouth, rubbing away the last of his crumbs.“Thanks,” Louis says, bowing his head forward. “I loved it.”Louis doesn’t even have to look at him to know Harry’s fist pumping the air again. This kid is a total dork.“I knew it,” he cheers. “I knew you’d love it.”“Good for you,” Louis says, picking up his sandwich. “Now shut up and let me finish it.”Harry winks.“Yes sir!”*-*-* Adele- Make You Feel My Love It’s early evening now and the candle burning over their table has almost burnt out. Harry’s hand has made its way back on to Louis’ thigh, squeezing his leg every so often. They discuss the merits of living in London as opposed to LA and after some careful consideration both agree that London is the place to be.It’s a simple conversation to be having, one without the nostalgia of shared memories or the excitement of an antagonistic debate. It’s a neutral conversation, devoid of the push and pull you get with multiple friends competing to be heard. With Harry, there is no competition. Any time their voices interfere, Harry pulls back. His voice falls silent of its own accord. He’d prefer to listen to Louis than fight him for control of the conversation.It’s not because he’s not capable either. They’ve had many a spirited debate before. It’s because he genuinely enjoys hearing what Louis has to say. Or at least that’s how it appears. Every time Louis opens his mouth, Harry gets this deeply contented look in his eyes that just can’t be explained any other way. It’s focused, because he’s listening to every word but somewhat dreamy too. As if the sound of Louis’ voice somehow relaxes him. Talking to someone who looks at him like that is the best thing Louis’ ever felt.“So,” Harry squeezes him again. “there’s another reason I brought you here.”“Oh?”“Every evening they have performances from people in off the street.”Louis crinkles his nose confusedly.“Like…homeless people?”“No,” Harry giggles, “I just meant regular people who aren’t trained performers. They let them do dedications.”“Okay…” Louis says, not following.Harry grins.“Well I know how much you love music. Obviously,” he nudges one of Louis’ white vans, covered in lyrics. “And I know how much you love being serenaded. In public.”Louis’ eyes go wide, his hands gripping the table with panic.“Harry, no!”“So I organised a little something…” He’s grinning like the bloody Cheshire cat now.“Harry,” Louis squeals. “I don’t want some random person serenading me!”“Random person?” Harry’s nose twitches, scrunching up with amusement. “I’m not going to let some random person do it, Louis. I’m going to serenade you.”“You are?” Louis’ face feels absurdly hot.“Yeah,” Harry stands up, giving his thigh one last affectionate squeeze. “Wait here okay? Don’t run away.”“I won’t.” Louis promises, chewing on the edge of his mouth. “I want to hear your voice.”Harry cups his cheek, rubbing his thumb over Louis’ heated skin.“Good.” He says, voice a little rough. “Because I learned this just for you.”With that, he turns on his heel and struts up to the stage, hips swaying. He looks so handsome, dressed in a snug white Henley and tight black jeans. When he jumps up onto the stage, the conversations around them cease. A guy dressed in all black hands him a guitar and Harry slings it across his chest with practised ease. It’s really freaking hot. So hot, it just might be the sexiest thing Louis’ ever seen him do. Harry rakes his fingers through his curls and then licks the side of his thumb, dragging it down over his lips for god knows what reason. No, that. That is the sexiest thing Louis’ ever seen him do.A microphone stand lands in front of him. Harry looks far too confident to have ever said to Louis that this was just a hobby. He looks like a true rockstar, standing there all covered in chunky jewellery with his stringy, slightly sweat damp curls forming curtains along the sides of his face. Louis finds himself eagerly anticipating the moment he starts singing and thankfully, he doesn’t have to wait long. Harry taps on the microphone, testing it out, then gently calls the pub to attention.“Hi everyone.” He says with that typical slow drawl. “’m Harry Styles and this is my dedication. It’s for my friend, the boy in the back of the room.”He points his finger straight at Louis who laughs awkwardly and tries to ignore all the pairs of eyes on him right now. Strangely enough, despite hating the fact that people are looking at him, Louis is inexplicably pleased. He’s proud to be The Boy in The Back of The Room. Or more precisely, Harry’s Boy in The Back of The Room.“He’s blushing madly right now, I’m sure. He does that a lot around me, m’ afraid.” He winks at Louis, that smug, smarmy bastard. “But I must do this and I must do it now. Thanks for listening. This is for my favourite person in the world. This is a cover by Sleeping At Last. This is I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).”Louis is struck breathless with that first line he knows oh so well.When I wake up, well, I know I’m gonna be. I’m gonna be the man who wakes up next to you. But he’s wiping away tears by the first chorus. But I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk five hundred more just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door. Some of the lines, Harry positively croons. When I come home, oh I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who comes back home to you. Other ones, he whispers like a tender caress. As if he’s right there in front of Louis, singing to him, cupping his face and stroking his delicate cheekbones. Like the two of them are the only two people in this room.  Like they’re the only two people on earth. “When I’m lonely, well I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who’s lonely without you.”It has Louis hiccupping like it’s the end of the world and not the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for him. Which it is, without question. The absolute kindest, loveliest gesture anyone’s ever made for him and of course it had to be Harry who made it. Harry, who looks like he’s singing his damn heart out up there. It might not be his song but when he sings it, those lyrics are his. He possesses them, making the words bleed more meaning than anything the writer could have possibly intended.When he finishes, the pub bursts into loud appreciative applause. Rightly so. Louis rubs at his reddened eyes. Sniffling a little, he jumps up and joins in just as enthusiastically. If not more so. That’s his favourite boy up there, after all. Harry slowly makes his way back to him, constantly having to stop and engage in conversation with pubgoers, turned avid fans.“I knew you were a rockstar,” Louis accuses. “You were sensational Haz.”Harry glows, reaching out to trace Louis’ tear trails with open mouthed shock.“I made you cry?”“Kinda,” Louis squeezes his forearm. “You kind of made my whole freaking year though so....”“So I’m forgiven?” Harry laughs, pressing his thumbs to Louis’ cheeks.Louis cocks his head.“I’ll think about it rockstar.”Harry’s laugh is so loud, he has to cover his mouth with his palms.“If you didn’t serenade me just now, I’d be telling you how embarrassing you are.”Harry tugs him in by their necklace which seems to be becoming a bit of a thing.“Yeah, yeah,” He grins wolfishly. “Now are you going to give me a hug or what?”Louis does. Only because he wants to dry the rest of his tears on Harry’s top and not because he wants to be close to him.That would be embarrassing.*-*-*“This is our last stop for the day.” Harry promises, pulling the car into a vacant lot.They’ve been driving for a while, the sun slowly setting behind them. If the look on Louis’ face is anything to go by, he has no idea where they are.“It better be.” He huffs, overdoing the theatrics. “I’m bloody exhausted.”Harry finds him adorable to say the least.“Good thing we don’t have much of a walk then,” He muses.Louis looks horrified and hangs his head back against the seat.“We have to walk? Really?”“It’s worth it, I promise.” He squeezes Louis’ arm. “It’s just a small hill.”“A hill, Styles? Really?”“Stop,” Harry chuckles, “it won’t be that bad.”Louis grumbles while making a valiant attempt at getting out of the car on his own. Valiant, but unsuccessful. Harry has to come around and help him when he slumps against the edge of the car seat, fatigued. Harry drags him up by the underarms and hugs him tightly. With one arm around Louis, he reaches down with the other. He grabs his fluffy jacket from the car and drapes Louis in it, staring him down until he grudgingly pushes his arms through the sleeves. It hangs over the edges of his fingertips, swallowing the rest of him completely. Harry does the zip up and pulls the fur lined hood over Louis’ head.“I look like a marshmallow, don’t I?” Louis sighs, nose already tinted pink from the cold.His eyes are bluer than the evening sky, the sun having just set behind them. He looks like a snow angel, puffy attire and all.“A little bit,” Harry concedes, chuckling gently, “But it’s working for you.”Louis bites at the edge of his mouth, pushing him away playfully.“Shut up. You’re just saying that because you want me to come up the hill with you.”“Will you pretty please come up the hill with me?” Harry bats his eyelashes.Louis huffs a little more but concedes defeat. He settles the score by making Harry sing to him the whole way up.“It’s not fair that I’ve never heard you properly sing.” He claims. “We’ve know each other eight months.”“Only eight months?” Harry squints at him. “It feels like I’ve aged ten years.”Louis jabs him in the side and Harry moans a bit. But when they reach the top of the hill and Louis sees what’s before him, it’s worth it. The look on his face makes this whole entire day worth it…*-*-* Berlin – Take My Breath Away Louis never knew Harry was such a damn romantic. Or maybe he did and he just completely ignored the fact because it made him so uneasy. It made Harry seem even more irresistible and he obviously couldn’t handle that at the time. Not without avoiding thinking about it completely. Looking out at the incredible view in front of him, it occurs to Louis that today has been one hell of a first date. Because if Louis were to describe his ideal date, it would be something very close to this. A day spent exploring each other’s hobbies and making each other laugh in between good food and even better conversation. Now they’re standing at the top of a huge hill (so much for that short walk) and all of London is spread out before them, just starting to light up brilliantly beneath the darkness.“This is incredible.” Louis’ breathes out his nose, trying to take all of it in. “I can see almost all of London from here.”It’s crazy. Crazy that it’s here in front of this view, on this very night that he realises he doesn’t just love spending time with Harry. He doesn’t just love who harry is or how he makes him feel. He’s in love with Harry. It’s a wonder that he realises this now, on this night and not any of the hundreds of perfect nights that came before. He’s in love with every version of this boy, from the history buff to the wildly talented performer he glimpsed earlier. From the smirking sex god to the dorky roommate he swore he’d never let himself fall for. Yet fallen he has, for the boy who thinks Louis deserves to be spoiled, for this boy who remains completely unaware of everything going on inside him right now.How pitiful it is to realise this now when it’s probably much too late. The damage has already been done. He kissed Harry, not because he was sleepy or driven by the need to thank him for his tea but because deep down, that is what his soul craved. Simple as that. Or at least it could have been. It would have been if he hadn’t been one step behind his desires, trying unsuccessfully to drown them in denial.“Yeah,” Harry’s smiling at him curiously now, as if he can see how hard Louis’ thinking. “I come up here every now and again to think.”About me? Louis wants to ask but knows it’s not his place. There’s a strong possibility Harry did feel something for him, something akin to whatever’s crawling all over Louis’ skin right now. If today’s date-like adventure is anything to go by, there’s a possibility he still does. It should be liberating. Especially because the whole “no dating gorgeous roommates” thing is well and truly in Louis’ past.It terrifies him, the thought of being used and then tossed aside by someone he has to make eye contact with every day. But Harry is no heartbreaker and a boy who serenades you and looks after you the way Harry has him is most definitely worth the risk.Nevertheless, it’s mortifying that it took Louis so long to realise it. To tell Harry how he feels now would be strangely cruel. After everything that’s happened between them the past few days, it doesn’t feel like the right time to churn things up all over again. Besides, Harry knows nothing of his past. Until Louis has the courage to tell him, there is no future for them.“Oh yeah?” Louis crooks an eyebrow at him. “So we’re just going to sit up here and think, then?”“No,” Harry smirks at him. “I’ve got one final surprise left.”He holds out his hand to Louis, those starry green eyes like something out of a rom com. He’s a twinkly person, Harry Styles. He twinkles at people all the time.Louis takes his hand and follows him over to the other side of the hill, closer to the jaw dropping view. He wonders how he didn’t notice the shiny black car sitting there before, but then the view is quite spectacular. The back of this car is completely open and facing the view. It’s decorated with these little twinkly lights that Louis’ always loved because they remind him of Christmases spent with his family. All those years he spent decorating the tree, hoisting his little sisters up so they could place the angel at the top. He smiles at the thought of it, his gaze patiently passing over the cushions and warm blankets lining the floor of the car, a picnic basket hidden away in the corner. It looks like one hell of a setup.“Who the hell owns this car?”Foot in mouth disease is a terrible burden.“I decorated this whole car for you with twinkly lights because I know how much you love them…and that’s it? That’s your response?” Harry rolls his eyes. “You’re the biggest brat.”“No, no I’m sorry.” Louis whines, taking hold of his hand. “It’s perfect Harry, really. I’m just…overwhelmed.”Harry strokes his thumb where it’s wrapped around his palm. The touch sends tingles up Louis’ spine and well, that’s new. It always felt nice before but this excited fizzle in his veins, this warmth that radiates out through his entire body?  That’s an entirely new sensation.“Really?” Harry looks stoked, watching him closely for clues.Louis gives him what he wants for once. He doesn’t try to hide his emotions. He knows they’re painted all over his face anyway. In the slow sweep of his eyelashes across his cheeks and the glossy sheen of his eyes. He’s had his breath taken away many times before but not like this. Never like this. It takes him a moment to realise there’s a reason why. The reason being that he’s never know anyone like this, let alone loved them. He’s never known someone as wonderful as Harry.“This whole day…” Louis shakes his head, voice croaky. He tries again, “this whole day has been crazy good. You know because in some ways, it was nothing special, just the two of us hanging out but in others…”“In others?” Harry prompts, a smile edging its way onto his face.“In others…” he gestures at the view, lights blinking on all around them. “You completely blow my mind. I mean, twinkly lights? C’mon! I must have mentioned that like once, in a stupid story about Christmas with my family.”“It was three months ago.” Harry recalls, glowing as if someone shone a light right through his eyes. “You told me that your favourite Christmas was the first one after Doris and Ernie were born. You were just happy to have babies in the room again. You were wearing your new socks you got from your mum and Lottie was telling you all about her boyfriend of the time, Wes. You had a baby in each arm and for the first time in a long time you felt like everyone in your life was really, genuinely happy.”“How?” Louis feels his shoulders start to shake, his breath escaping him in short gasps. “Harry, how the fuck do you do that?”Harry looks a bit taken aback and quite obviously confused.“Do what, Lou?”He grabs Louis by the elbows, guiding him down onto the pillow fort in the car. Louis lays down. Dragging Harry with him, he huddles into his chest. His shoulders continue to shake but he musters up the courage to say the only words he needs to say.“You make me feel like I’m the most important person in every single room.”“You are.” Harry implores, running his hand down over Louis’ back. “You are the most important person to me. Always.”Fuck if that doesn’t tell him all he needs to know. Even if Harry doesn’t feel the same way, he clearly cares about Louis more than he ever realised. So long as that doesn’t change, Louis can handle the rest. He can handle having unrequited feelings. He can handle almost anything with this boy by his side.They lie there for a while, until the sky is completely dark above them and Harry forces him to turn over and look. It’s even more stunning now than it was before, the whole city lit up as beautifully as the twinkly lights above them. They sit at the edge of the car, dangling their feet over their edge, watching the lights in the very centre of the city change colour.“You never answered me,” Louis mumbles, resting his cheek on Harry’s shoulder.Harry pulls him into his side, running his hand up and down Louis’ arm to try and keep him warm.“Answered you about what?”“The car,” Louis makes eye contact with him, head still resting on Harry’s shoulder.It’s probably the most intimate way to share space with someone but Harry doesn’t ask him to move. He just stares directly into Louis’ eyes, not seeming even the slightest bit tempted to look away.“Oh.” Harry’s chuckle is gruff, like he’s got something caught in the back of his throat. “It’s Zayn’s. He lent it to us for the night. He was the one who set it up for me too. All I did was give him my specifications and the boys minded it for us until just before we got here. Not that anybody really knows about this spot. It’s one of London’s greatest undiscovered lookouts and I intend to keep it that way.”“Good,” Louis smiles serenely. “It’s so peaceful here.”“I thought you’d like it. Sleeping under the stars is kind of a treat for me. I hate being all cooped up indoors.”Louis narrows his eyes thoughtfully.“Does this bear any relation to your unwillingness to wear clothes?”“I wear clothes!” Harry protests with a laugh, jostling Louis on his shoulder.“Not if you don’t have to.”“Well…” He giggles. “Why would anyone wear clothes if they don’t have to?”“You would say that.” Louis huffs. “You could be a Calvin Klein model or something.”Harry doesn’t even react to the compliment, too busy frowning at what’s been left unsaid.“You really don’t know how beautiful you are, do you?”“Harry.” Louis rolls his eyes, launching himself over the lip of the boot.He walks over to the edge of the hill, searching the city for the kind of answer it won’t provide. Why am I like this? It’s something he’s been asking himself all his life. Harry steps up behind him, wrapping his arms around Louis’ waist.“The first time I saw you I could hardly breathe. That’s the honest to god truth.”Louis chuckles.“That’s probably because I was sitting on your chest. Straddling someone probably isn’t the best first impression to make.”“No,” Harry’s voice is far more serious. “That wasn’t the first time I saw you. The first time I saw you was when I woke up in the middle of the night and you were asleep in the bed beside me. I looked over and I could not catch my breath.”“Maybe you have asthma,” Louis jokes.“Louis,” Harry’s voice is sharp. “I’m not kidding. Maybe my opinion doesn’t mean that much to you. Or maybe…maybe it would mean more coming from someone else but I want you to know, you are beautiful. I think you’re beautiful.”“Thank you.” Louis whispers, throat working.“Oh and personally, I think you should walk around naked all the time.”Louis shakes with laughter, elbowing Harry in the stomach.“And here I was thinking you were being so sweet.”“I was,” Harry turns him around to face him. He looks devilishly handsome, a dirty smirk working around the corners of his lips. “Hey, maybe you could repay the favour by becoming a full-time nudist.”“Harry!” Louis smacks him in the arm, grinning in spite of himself.It’s good to see that they can still joke about this stuff without it getting weird. Harry takes him back to the car for dinner which consists of a couple of cold sandwiches and a bottle of red wine. Harry teases him about his reddened teeth so Louis makes a show of slowly licking them clean. That’s how one of Zayn’s cream coloured cushions winds up with a very dark red wine stain. Courtesy of a very pink faced Harry Styles.After that, they lay down and talk for a while, snuggled up beneath piles upon piles of blankets. Louis keeps sniffing the hood of Harry’s jacket because it smells exactly like his shampoo. The kind that Louis likes to steal whenever Harry’s not around. Harry catches him inhaling it more than once but just looks away smiling, rather than pointing it out. Louis is more than grateful.Eventually their voices tire and the warmth of the blankets is enough to lull them to sleep, Louis cuddled inside Harry’s arms. The hatch of the car is still open but there’s no one around for miles. With Harry’s arms locked around him like a vice, Louis feels safe and calm. The exhaustion of today weighs him down like a brick. Realising you’re in love with your best friend will do that to you. Louis’ out like a light before he can think about it any further.*-*-* Sia – Breathe Me Louis wakes up gasping, tears that are still warm dripping down off his chin and fingers that tremble like they’ve caught the wind. His feet lay tangled in one of the blankets they chose not to use and his hands are sore, presumably from clenching them into fists. Surprisingly, his throat doesn’t feel hoarse which means he wasn’t screaming or shouting like he usually does. He knows there was screaming though, he knows he was screaming in the nightmare he was having. He knows this, because he always is. He knows this, because the nightmare is all too real for him. Though the nightmares have come and gone over the past eight months, he’s never woken up in this state. He’s never had any episodes like he used to. It’s what’s kept him so positive while he’s been at uni, aside from Harry’s friendship. He’s never felt like he was slipping. Until now.Panic grips him by the throat. He briefly considers what this means for his future at uni. His future with Harry. How can he sleep in a room with anyone else, let alone share a bed with the boy he loves, if this is how it’s going to be every night?Louis’ tears are warm against his cold cheeks. His chest inflates too quickly under the weight of his laboured breaths. In a moment of insanity and a state of urgent need, he shakes Harry’s shoulder.“Harry,” he whispers, a quiet sob breaking through. “Wake up. I’ve had a bad dream.”It’s so much more than that and there’s going to be so much to explain. The thought paralyses him with fear but Louis’ need is almost a compulsion at this point. If he’s going to tell Harry the truth, it’s now or never and he knows it has to be now. He shakes Harry again, struggling to breathe.“Please wake up. I’m scared H. I had the worst nightmare.”Harry doesn’t wake, not really. His eyes stay closed but he grips Louis by the wrist, slurring out a response.“I know Lou. You always do. Just go back to sleep baby.”Louis pulls his wrist away slowly, watching Harry for any signs of waking. There are none. He stays asleep.Louis sits there for a moment, shaking like a leaf. Harry’s words are sweet but his whole body goes cold at the implication behind it. He grabs the paper plane and holds onto it tightly. Shedding Harry’s puffy jacket, he lays the necklace inside. Ever so quietly, he exits the car, stumbling out into the darkness. Confusion and humiliation burns his chest. He can breathe now. He’s just not so sure he wants to.*-*-*When Harry wakes up, he notices immediately that Louis is gone.“Louis?” He mumbles, reaching out for him, to no avail. He rolls over waiting to feel a warm body beside him. “Lou?”His hand meets something soft. It’s the jacket he leant to Louis last night. He smiles, remembering Louis not so covertly sniffing the hood.“Morning Lou.”Harry opens his eyes only to find a shockingly empty car. The jacket is flat beneath his hand. When he picks it up and drapes it over his arm, something silver slinks to the floor. It’s the paper aeroplane necklace. The one he gave Louis. A terrible feeling grips Harry’s throat and he scrambles his way out the back of the car and into the fresh air beyond.Louis. Harry stands there shaking from head to toe, knowing he’s never felt this scared to find himself alone in his life. Where the hell is Louis? ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Harry is ready to shout. He’s ready to go running off into the trees around them, looking for Louis, leaving everything he owns behind. But then, he sees him. He sees Louis. Perched on the edge of the hill in just a t-shirt and jeans with his little feet dangling over the edge. His posture looks too stiff, his body too still. Harry gets the distinct feeling Louis’ just been waiting for him to wake up. He knows instantly that something is wrong.He wanders over, jacket slung over his arm, necklace clutched in his other hand. Nerves overtake as he gets closer. The coward inside him reconsiders the decision to confront this head on. The more hopeful side of him says, whatever it is, they can fix it. Last night Louis looked at him like he hung the moon and the stars. How much could have changed in the hours that he slept?“Jesus Louis, you scared the crap out of me.” Harry grumbles, draping the jacket around Louis’ shoulders. “Put this on, you’ll catch your death sitting out here like that.”“I’m not cold.”His voice sounds almost as icy as he looks. The tone of it is so remote, it’s a wonder Harry’s words reached him at all. He won’t look at Harry either, which fills his chest with crushing hurt. What changed? Last night neither of them could take their eyes off each other. It almost felt like Louis was changing his mind. It was the best first non-date Harry’s ever had. Was he crazy to think that kind of magic would continue into the morning after?“Well it’s freezing out.” Harry’s voice is hoarse and unmistakably vulnerable. “How long have you been out here?”Louis sticks his arms through the jacket but still doesn’t look at him. He doesn’t relax his posture.“About four hours, I think. I woke up at about three.” He says, perfectly detached.“Four hours?” Harry’s voice breaks with concern. “Why were you awake at 3? Are you okay?”“You tell me.” Louis grits out, his voice finally portraying some emotion.He turns and looks Harry right in the eyes but Harry almost wishes he hadn’t. He wishes he’d never seen someone he loves in that kind of pain. Harry thought he’d seen Louis at his worst, he thought he’d seen the full extent of his agony but this. This is on a whole other level.“What?” All the blood rushes away from Harry’s head. There’s icy betrayal in Louis’ eyes. Now that he’s turned Harry’s way, Harry can see that his face is covered in tears that drip towards his chin, unnoticed. “What do you mean?”“You know what I mean!” Louis shouts, choking on his tears. “Don’t play stupid, Harry. You know why I was up at three. You know I’m not okay. For fuck’s sake, you know the real reason why that guy left the other night, don’t you? And don’t tell me it was because he had swim practice.”So this is what blind panic feels like. Harry stares at Louis with a shell-shocked expression on his face, heart plummeting through the ground. How can this be happening right now? How can this be happening before he had the chance to tell Louis the truth himself?You had a chance, says a voice in the back of his head, sounding an awful lot like Zayn. You just didn’t take it.“Say something!” Louis screams, his face burning red. Angry tears drip their way down his wobbly cheeks.“I—know what you mean, yes.” Harry agrees, trying to stay calm. “But I didn’t know you knew. You don’t usually remember them.”“Remember what?” Louis demands but there’s painful knowing in his look.“Your nightmares.”Louis’ face drops right into his waiting hands. His shoulders heave like sailing boats tossed about on a stormy sea.“Louis,” Harry tries, reaching out to rub his back but Louis just knocks his hand away.It sounds like he’s going to hyperventilate and Harry’s heart is going a million miles an hour, trying to fix this.“I don’t get you,” Louis spits, ripping his face from the cover of his hands. “You walk around looking at me like I’m some kind of miracle or something but this whole time…this whole time, you knew. You knew I was a freak.”“What?” Horror fills Harry’s expression. Bile stings the back of his throat. “No, Louis! I never thought that. Never. You’ve got it all wrong.”“Then what have you been doing all this time? God, how many times have I done this? How many times have you woken up to me screaming?” Harry’s face twitches. “And don’t you god damn lie. If you lie to me again, I swear I’ll walk away right now and you’ll never see me again, Harry.”He points a stern finger at Harry’s face but his hands are shaking so badly, he can’t keep them steady. He looks pale and exhausted, probably scared out of his mind. Harry wishes he could say the magic words to make it all better but there’s no other way than to hash it all out. There’s no other way than to tell Louis the truth and hope that he can handle it. He can’t lose Louis because of this. The thought of it stings his eyes.“It’s happened almost every night since the first night I met you.” He gasps. “That first night in the dorm room with you? That was the first time.”Louis’ face pales even further, if that’s possible. He looks ghostly, like someone drained the blue right out of his eyes and poured it into his skin.“They wouldn’t let you change rooms?” He asks, watching Harry closely.“I don’t know. I never asked.”“I told you not to lie to me,” Louis shouts. “I’m serious.”“As am I.” Harry implores, reaching out for his hand. Louis snatches it away before he can catch hold. “I never asked because I didn’t feel it necessary. I dealt with it, okay? I never thought you were a freak. I haven’t been lying to you this whole time because I wanted to humiliate you, Louis. How could you ever think that I would do such a thing?”“That’s not what I thought,” he shoots back angrily but Harry can see by the slither of relief in his expression, that it is.“I’d never hurt you like that,” Harry promises him.Louis angrily brushes away his tears, sniffing away the rest. He seems a bit calmer now, like the shock of Harry knowing about it has worn off just the slightest bit.“Then why did you lie to me, Harry? What could that possibly achieve? And what do you mean you ‘dealt with it’? How do you deal with someone screaming and crying in their sleep? It must have driven you crazy.”Louis looks down, trying to avoid exposure but Harry’s already seen the flash of guilt in his expression. The shame.“You’re not a burden Louis. Don’t ever think that you are.”Louis shakes his head, eyelashes jittery.“Just tell me the truth. Tell me everything.”“Okay.” Harry takes a breath, steadying himself for what’s to come. “I guess I should start with that first night. Let me honestly say, it was pretty terrible to begin with...”Louis flinches and digs his fingers into the dirt beneath them. Harry pulls them straight out and twines them with his own, the necklace trapped between them. Louis looks straight up at him, eyes wide. Like he wasn’t expecting Harry to try and comfort him. He doesn’t pull his hand away this time and Harry considers that a small victory.“I didn’t hate you, okay? I never thought badly of you. I was just shocked and frightened, really. I’d never seen anything like it. You looked so…tortured, I was just worried about you. But you were beautiful to me Louis, even then. You were in pain and that took up a lot of space in my brain but I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful you were. How lucky I felt to have a boy that beautiful as my roommate.”“A boy who screams the room down?” Louis is bitter, kicking his foot against the hill. “Oh yeah, you were real fortunate.”Harry twists Louis’ chin to face him, fastening his eyes to Louis’.“I was. I still am.”“Continue.” Louis exhales, gently pulling his face away.Harry sighs but goes on.“It was uncomfortable, I’ll give you that. You were noisy and I didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t a position I’d ever been. What do you do when a complete stranger is having a nightmare in the bed beside you?”“Smother him with a pillow,” Louis mutters.“Stop that.” Harry whispers, heavy brows brushing his eyelids. “I couldn’t decide what to do so I just…I tried to go back to sleep, I’m sorry.”Louis shakes his head.“What are you sorry for?”“I should have done something. I should have made some kind of effort to help you. But I…hesitated.”“You should have called someone in administration and told them then and there that you couldn’t room with me. That’s what you should have done. God, how do you ever get any sleep?”“I developed a strategy,” Harry confesses timidly.Louis raises an eyebrow.“A strategy?”“Yeah. That first night, it got pretty bad. The neighbours were banging on the walls. I had to do something.”Louis nods, not understanding.“Right…”“So I tried waking you up…”“That didn’t work,” Louis says decisively.“No,” Harry agrees, biding his time. “It didn’t work. I knew if I tried hard enough I could probably wake you but it occurred to me that waking you might not be the best idea. I didn’t want to scare you.”“You’re right. I don’t deal well with being woken up in the middle of a nightmare.”“I know,” Harry says, a touch of nostalgia in his tone.It makes Louis freeze up, expression caught between shock and distrust.“Lou—““Stop,” he rubs at his temples, shuddering violently, despite being wrapped up in Harry’s coat. “It’s too much. I can’t even think about everything you know. Because if I do, if I think about everything you must have seen over the last eight months, everything you must have heard…I just, I just lose it.”"Louis, listen to me. I know this must be impossibly hard to hear, I know your world is quaking right now but if you think about the past eight months, if you really think about what we've been through, you'll see that nothing's changed. I knew from the beginning that you were complicated but nothing about that deterred me from getting to know you. And the more I got to know you, the more I wanted to get to know you. Lou, you're this mesmerising, chaotic, addictive person and I just want to take your pain away."“But you can’t.” Louis’ face is solemn. “You can’t save me from it and you’ll never be able to. It doesn’t work like that. Those nightmares aren’t just monsters in my head Harry, they’re real.”“I know.” He reaches over and squeezes Louis’ elbow. “God Lou, I know. You’ve been through some kind of trauma, haven’t you?”Louis laughs bitterly.“I suppose you could call it that, yeah.”“Lou,” Harry cups the side of his face, swiping away another lingering tear. “Do you want to take a break? We could go get breakfast or something.”“No,” Louis’ answer is swift. “Finish your side of the story. I need to know.”“Okay…” Harry sighs. “Where was I up to?”“You couldn’t wake me.”“Right, so when I couldn’t wake you I decided to try something else. I thought maybe if I just gave you a hug, it might calm you down a bit, you know?”“You…hugged me?” Louis asks, incredulous. “You didn’t even know me.”“I know.” Harry swallows, feeling sick. All he can think about is Zayn’s reaction to it. God, what if Louis feels the same? What if he thinks Harry’s some kind of pervert? “But I wanted to help you and it was all I could think to do.”Louis’ expression isn’t giving much away. He only looks a touch pensive around the eyes.“I don’t understand. What did you do when I wouldn’t stop?”“You did stop.” Harry strokes his cheek. “You calmed right down as soon as I put my arms around you.”Louis’ breath hitches. He reaches up to cover Harry’s hand with his own, eyes closing. Harry can see his shoulders shaking silently and when he opens his eyes back up, they’re filled with tears.“Are you…okay?”“No,” Louis whispers. “I’m not okay. Not even the slightest bit.”“Can I…” Harry sweeps a hand over Louis’ shoulder and down the length of his arm. “Can I give you a hug?”Louis’ chest expands and then concaves into a singular sob. He presses his wrist to his mouth, holding it in.“Yeah.” He nods, “please.”Harry hauls Louis into his lap and holds him tight, rocking him back and forth until the moment passes. When he looks at Louis’ face, resting on his shoulder, he can see how overwhelmed Louis is. Shattered from the inside out.“Are you sure you don’t need a break?”Louis moves his head away from Harry’s shoulder but stays seated in his lap, blinking up at him with bleary eyes.“I’m okay,” he promises. “I’m just shocked. After what happened to me, no one could stop me from dreaming about it. No one could stop the nightmares once they’d started. They tried waking me but I’d get so upset, so volatile. Eventually they just...stopped. We lived through it. I’d deprive myself of sleep until I could hold on no longer. I’d slip into a nightmare and it wouldn’t end until I woke up on my own screaming. My family learned to sleep with headphones.”“Even your mum?” Harry says, shocked.“Yeah, even my mum. It wasn’t because they didn’t care Harry, they just didn’t know what to do. They couldn’t help me. Or at least not with that. Mum paid for some therapy and the girls were amazingly supportive. They were always there for a cuddle or a chat when I needed them.”“But nothing ever helped?”“Nothing, apart from therapy. Talking to someone about what happened seemed to make the memory of it a lot less powerful. Eventually the nightmares just stopped. Or so I thought.” He sighs.“It stopped before you came here? The nightmares were gone?”“Yes,” Louis looks exhausted, completely overrun by defeat. “I thought it was finally over. That’s why I quit therapy in the first place. My doctor was a right arse about it.”“You quit therapy against your doctor’s wishes? Fuck Lou, what were you thinking?”“I was thinking, Harry that it’d be fucking fantastic if I could finally go to university. Doctor Dick disagreed. But I’d already deferred. Twice. I gave myself time to deal with it, I gave myself time to get better and I did. I was over feeling like a prisoner in my own home. I was over sitting in that doctor’s office every day, feeling sorry for myself, going over and over the events of that day. As if it could ever change what happened to me. The therapy cured me of my nightmares, it meant Mum stopped giving me side eye every time I so much as flinched. I was grateful for that, obviously but in my eyes, it had done its job. What was the point in continuing?”“The point? Louis, the point is your doctor didn’t think you were ready for this. There has to be a reason for that, surely.”Louis avoids his gaze.“He says I haven’t confronted the memory. That’s why it’s still haunting me.”“So that’s why the nightmares are back?” Harry presses. “You’re suffering because you quit therapy too soon?”“No,” Louis’ voice is an angry rush of emotion. He locks eyes with Harry, voice gone so cold it raises the hairs on Harry’s neck. “I’m suffering because two years ago something shitty happened to me and I’ve been paying for it ever since. I’m suffering because that’s what happens when you go through a trauma. It’s been two years, not ten. Why does everyone expect me to be perfect?”“I don’t expect that,” Harry reels back. “I never would. I just want you to take responsibility for the fact that you’re not okay and that you haven’t been since you stopped seeing your doctor. I know I don’t know the whole story—““No,” Louis cuts him off, eyes blazing. “You don’t.”“Okay, easy...” Harry whispers. “I’m just trying to understand.”“I’m sorry,” Louis visibly slackens. “You don’t deserve this.”“It’s okay. I know how unsettling this must be. All this time you thought your secret was safe and here I am telling you I know just about everything you’ve been hiding.”Louis swallows, gazing at him quietly now, as if he’s seeing things he’s never seen before.“Tell me the rest.”So Harry does.“After I successfully got you to stop crying, I tried to go back to my own bed. But as soon as I moved away, you picked back up. It was like you were scared I’d leave you or something.” He blushes. “I know, it sounds ridiculous but…”“No, it doesn’t,” Louis’ face is pink too. “It doesn’t sound ridiculous at all. I’m always scared of that. Even when I’m awake.”“You’re scared I’ll leave you?”Harry’s heart splinters inside his chest.“You’re so many things that I’m not.” Louis touches his cheek, gently tracing his way across Harry’s skin. He touches Harry with a kind of tenderness usually reserved for Moo. “And I’m so many things you’ll never be. You’re not twisted like I am.”Harry slowly threads his fingers through Louis’, watching his face for any signs of unease. He finds only the gentlest relief, like Harry’s touch actually makes this beautiful boy feel happy.“But I don’t need to be roommates with someone who always sleeps through the night. I don’t want to be best friends with someone who doesn’t have a story to tell. And I really don’t want to feel this way about someone who isn’t at least a little bit twisted. Every part of you is fascinating to me Louis, I like it when your cracks show. Don’t get me wrong, you’re twisted in ways I never have been but I like discovering you, bit by bit and I like being the one to untwist you. I’m not going to be one of those ghosts from your past. I’m going to be the one standing there at the end of the day, holding you hand, telling you it’s okay to be the perfect little disaster that you are.”Louis unlocks their hands and then twines them back together a moment later. He does this a couple more times. To the pace of a heartbeat. Staring at the gaps between their fingers like he’s trying to determine the hidden meaning inside. He clears his throat, the only sound that can be heard for miles. Sunlight dances along the edge of the horizon, a preview of what’s to come. The rest of the city is still sleeping, the rush of morning traffic yet to swell around them. For now, they’re in their own little bubble. In this little bubble, they’re the centre of the universe. Taylor Swift – You Are in Love Louis raises his head, cheeks hallowed with determination.“I love you.” He croaks with quivering lips. “Harry, I love you.”His irises are crusted in glittery blue hope, shining at Harry brighter than they ever have before. There’s fear there too, a rare kind of timidity that’s usually hidden from view. Harry’s world just implodes. Though the rush of feeling inside his chest suggests that implodes really isn’t the right word because what’s happening to him now, it’s the complete opposite. The opposite of concaving, the opposite of deflation. His world feels ten times the size it was yesterday, expanding just as quickly as his heart. What’s happening to him now is the kind of sensation he never wants to forget. What’s happening to him now is more love than he ever thought he could feel.“Don’t say anything,” Louis says hastily, on the brink of tears. “Even if you feel it back, just…don’t. Because I don’t want to hear it. I’m not ready to hear it. Not now, not like this. I don’t want you to tell me you love me when I’m not sure I can forgive you for lying to me. I don’t want you to tell me you love me until you know exactly how fucked I am inside. And I…I don’t want you to tell me you don’t love me either. Because if you tell me you don’t love me, I’ll never tell anyone the truth. I’ll never be brave enough to trust someone I love to love me anyway, to love the monsters inside my head too.” Imagine Dragons - Demons It’s quite a speech, one that Harry would very much like to respond to. Now. Before the mood passes and Louis changes his mind. Before Louis realises his love for Harry is no match for his mistrust. Nonetheless Harry has to respect his wishes. If he wants any chance of ending up with this boy, he has to comply.“Okay,” He takes a calming breath. “So where were we before we got sidetracked? Again.”“You were telling me how I wouldn’t let you leave.” Louis tells him, cheeks dipped in pink.For someone who’s just confessed their love for him, this boy is awfully shy.“Right, of course. You were upset, so I stayed. Set my alarm for early morning and slipped back into bed before you could wake up. I didn’t want you to wake up in my arms and I really didn’t want you to think I had taken advantage of you while you were sleeping.”“But you were going to talk to me about it in the morning? You were going to tell me the truth?”“Yes,” Harry is firm. “I was always going to tell you the truth.”Louis’ face bunches up into a grimace.“Then why didn’t you?”“Do you remember our first morning together? Do you remember what we talked about?”“Of course.” Louis looks insulted. “I sat on you until you woke up, we introduced ourselves and then you asked me…”His expression goes blank. A moment later, it clears.“You said, “does this usually happen?”“I said, “is it always this bad?”Louis looks thrown off course. It obviously wasn’t something that occurred to him when he was putting all the pieces together in his head.“I saw the fear on your face,” Harry divulges. “The absolute terror. I could tell whatever was going on was something you didn’t want anyone to know. So I lied. I said you snored and you looked so relieved, I knew I was doing the right thing. The next night it happened again. Only this time I made the mistake of forcing you to wake up. You completely freaked out on me. You were screaming so loud. I couldn’t handle the thought that I’d caused you that much distress. And then it got worse. you went into some kind of catatonic state and I couldn’t even reach you. It took both of those things for me to realise that all I could do was be there in the moment and hold you till the worst of it stopped.”“It must have been terrible for you.” Louis says, pained.“Yes and no. I hated seeing you in pain but in some ways, I felt privileged. I was glad there was something I could do, no matter how small. Even if you didn’t know I was doing it. And the more nights I spent shielding you from your nightmares, the less inclined I felt to tell you the truth. It just seemed cruel and unnecessary. I was trying to protect you.”“You can’t protect me from myself.” Louis says, hurt shining through his tone. “I would have had to face the truth eventually, anyway. Is that why you lied about my one night stand? Because you thought it would protect me?”“Yes. And I would do it again.”“Harry, you can’t save me from that kind of negativity. You can’t protect me. If there’s anything I’ve learnt from what I’ve been through, it’s exactly that. Because there are no safe places in this world, there are no safe people.”“You don’t think I’m safe?” Harry ventures quietly. “You seem to think my arms are a pretty safe place when you’re asleep.”Louis sighs, insipid.“It’s about so much more than that and you know it. It’s about trust. The fact of the matter is you lied to me Harry. You led me to believe I was okay when really…I was the furthest thing from it.”“And I’m sorry,” Harry pleads. “I really am but I was still there for you when you needed me. Conscious or not, I was there. It just got easier and easier to rationalise as time wore on. We got closer and we ended up sharing a bed anyway.”“I’m well aware.”“But then I told the boys everything and Zayn completely flipped out on me.”“You told them?” Louis’ breath quickens. “You told all three of those boys about my…my problem? And you still didn’t think to ask if that was okay with me? It was your secret to share, was it?”“Lou, c’mon.” Harry squeezes his forearm but the other boy turns away.                       “I just don’t understand Harry. You keep saying these wonderful things and trying to tell me you did all of this to protect me but it doesn’t change the fact that you lied. You didn’t think I was strong enough to handle the truth, you didn’t even give me the choice.”Harry kneads the front of his face. Louis might love him but that’s no use without trust.“If I had another chance, I can’t say I’d do things differently.” Harry admits. “You’re right, I didn’t know if you were strong enough and I chose not to tell you. I thought it was the best thing for you at the time. I know how that sounds. I know I’m pig headed to think I know what’s best for you but this situation is kind of unprecedented. I had no idea what I was doing. I just thought that if I could be there for you, it wouldn’t be an issue. I could keep the bad dreams away.”Louis crosses his arms.“I just can’t believe you told them. Was that supposed to solve all my problems, Harry? Was it supposed to help me?”“I thought they’d be able to help me somehow. I was scared, Lou and I was struggling. I knew I had to find a way to tell you the truth but I didn’t want to hurt you. I couldn’t hurt you.”“But you have,” Louis’ voice shakes. “You have hurt me.”“I know,” Harry squeezes his eyes shut, tears threatening. “I know I’ve fucked up but please just let me finish. Please. I didn’t tell the boys because I thought it was my right to tell them, I told them because I needed to tell someone. And I...I couldn’t bring myself to tell you.”“Right.” Louis’ face is unreadable. “So Zayn freaked out, you said?”“Yeah, he was furious with me. He said I’d taken advantage of you. He was disgusted that I’d taken it upon myself to try and comfort you that way.”“He said you took advantage of me?” Louis’ jaw clicks. “Like you’re some kind of offender or something?”“Well…yeah.”“That’s ridiculous!” Louis shouts, eyes gone wide with rage.“It is?” Harry frowns.“What?” Louis turns to him. “Of course it is.”“I mean, I thought it was but I wouldn’t expect you to. Louis, I did touch you without your consent. I may not have assaulted you or meant anything bad by it, but I did comfort you without your consent.”“Harry,” Louis grabs his shoulder. “Are you listening to yourself right now? Comfort me without my consent? Are you kidding me? You held me in your arms, you eased my pain. Harry…I can’t say I’m not angry with you for what happened but it’s not about that. How could I be angry with you for that? I’m angry at you for lying to me, not for doing what you did. What you did was selfless. It was amazing.”“But I…liked holding you.” Harry can barely meet his eyes. “It meant something to me.”“When?”“What do you mean ‘when’?” Harry asks, befuddled.“When did it start to mean something to you? After you got to know me or before?”“After.”“So you only gained something after we had built a relationship. You didn’t take advantage of me Harry.” Louis sighs. “You didn’t take anything from me. You found intimacy with me because I let you have it.”“You really don’t think I did anything wrong?” A tear slips down the outside of Harry’s cheek, easing its way down. He shakes his head in disbelief. “You don’t hate me?”Louis takes hold of his jaw, wiping Harry’s tears away with his sleeve.“I could never hate you, love. Who’d help co-parent Moo?”Harry chuckles wetly.“You’re hardly a co-parent.”“Exactly,” Louis grins. “We’d be lost without you.”“Well,” Harry draws closer, dimpling the way he always does when he smiles at Louis. “At least you know that much.”Louis giggles, pushing his face away weakly.“Stop trying to charm me, I already told you I love you.”Harry wants to laugh, he wants to joke and flirt back. It just means too much to him. Hearing Louis say he loves him is the sweetest sound he’s ever heard in his life.  “You did.” Harry can feel the glow in his cheeks. “You said that.”“About Zayn,” Louis says softly, “I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He knows what kind of person you are. We all do.”“I know.” Harry smiles weakly. “We talked about it after. It was more about him than me, really. He’s had his own issues with that kind of thing.”“Fair enough.”Louis’ expression is still soft.“Is that all you wanted to know?” Harry asks him gently.“I’m still trying to process. You really spent the last eight months taking care of me without my knowledge?”“I did my best, yeah.”“And you never wanted to ask me why? You never tried to find out where it was all coming from?”“I did.” Harry gulps. “It’s how I got to know you better.”“Those questions…” Louis recalls, eyes faraway. “The probing…”“It wasn’t just a fact-finding mission,” Harry’s fingers glide across his forearm. “I wanted to know what caused you so much pain. I wanted to know if anything was capable of taking it away.”“I don’t think it’ll ever go away. It’s part of me now. But…” he sighs, “it’s a part of me I’m willing to share with you.”“Are you sure?” Harry cups his face. “You don’t have to do this if you’re not ready.”“You lied to me.” Louis tilts his face into Harry’s palm. “That’s something I’m going to have to forgive. But I don’t want to let any more secrets stand in our way. I love you. And if we can’t make this work, I don’t want it to be because I was scared or angry. I’d rather you say it’s all too much for you. At least then I’ll know I did everything I could. At least I’ll know I gave us a real chance at being a couple. In spite of how terrifying that feels.”“I’m just concerned. I don’t want you to feel like you owe it to me. I’ve hurt you as much as I’ve helped you.”“I don’t feel like I owe you, Harry.” Louis assures him. “I’m grateful to you, I feel in awe of everything you’ve done but I’m not doing this to satisfy any guilt I have. I’m doing it because I promised myself I would. Last night I realised I was in love with you and I promised myself I wouldn’t let you go without having told you the truth. I don’t want you to walk away without knowing me completely.” “I want to know you.” Harry says, voice featherlight. “I’ve wanted that from the first moment I saw you, tangled in your sheets, twisted in agony. Your wings were broken and I didn’t know how to heal them but I knew you were my little fallen angel. I knew you could change my life.”Louis’ breath hitches.“Don’t stop me, okay? I’m going to tell you everything now because if I don’t tell you now, I never will. Just don’t talk, please. Just listen and when it’s over and done with, when I’ve said everything I need to say, then you can tell me how you feel.”“Deal,” Harry says gravely, watching Louis for any signs of regret.“Okay…” He seems to steel himself, collecting his thoughts. Simple Plan- How Could This Happen to Me “I should probably start by saying you’re the only person that I’ve ever told, aside from my therapist and the people who already knew. I’m not sure I’ll be any good at it. It gets kind of jumbled in my head sometimes. I think I blocked a lot of it out because…well, for obvious reasons. My doctor thought so too. He said it can sometimes be difficult to recall details in a disaster. I guess your body is so pumped full of adrenaline, you can’t compute. You can’t think straight, let alone retain information. After the trauma’s over, it’s even harder because we only think about what we know we can handle. It’s the underlying cause of my nightmares, I think; the full extent of my memory. In sleep, we don’t really get the choice to ignore it.”“You dream about it like you’re living it all over again, don’t you?”Louis mimes a ‘shush’ motion. Harry grins and pretends to zip his lips. No more interrupting.“You’re right though.” Louis says with a sharp intake of breath. “It’s like I’m right there in the store again, stacking shelves while Tammy throws receipt rolls at my back.”Louis’ barely started and Harry already wants to ask him so many things. Who’s Tammy? Was she important to you? Is she gone now? But he stifles the urge, shuffling closer instead. Louis’ eyes are hazy up close, like every word draws him further back into the past. Harry knits their fingers together and hopes that it anchors him somehow.“I was working nights at the local grocery store trying to save for a car. I’d finished school, gotten into uni and the only thing that stood between me and total independence was my lack of wheels. So I looked around and found a job stacking shelves at this hole in the wall grocery store, two streets away from my house. It was the saddest little shop I’ve ever seen. The paint was chipped, the shelves were always dusty, business was minimal at the best of times. I don’t even really know how they got by. But they must have been doing alright, seeing as it’s still up and running now. That’s what mum tells me anyway. I’ve not been back since.”Harry’s skin crawls. His nerves kick in. This feels like the point of no return. He’ll never be able to un-know what he knows once this conversation is through. He’ll always be one of the few keepers of Louis’ secret. It’s a huge step and yet deep-down Harry knows he’d never feel right again if he didn’t take it.“I haven’t been back since…” He pauses, like the weight of what he’s about to say is too much to carry. “I haven’t been back since I got shot.”Harry didn’t see it coming. He chokes slightly, shocked teardrops pushing their way to the corners of his eyelids.“Permission to talk, please.”Louis sighs and makes an open gesture with his hand. “Go on then.”“You got shot?” Harry bursts out. “Where?”Louis takes Harry’s hand, linked with his and presses it below the waistline of his pants. It’s a little south of his hip, in a place Harry’s eyes have never lingered. It’s smaller than Harry would have thought and less noticeable too. There’s only a slight difference between this rough textured skin and the smooth skin surrounding it.“Are you…is it grossing you out?” Louis says through pursed lips. “It’s okay if you don’t want to touch it.”“What?” Harry’s face tenses up with horror. “No, Louis. God. It’s part of you. How could I ever be disgusted by that?”“Other people have been,” Louis says quietly, calmly pushing Harry’s hand away. “A guy I slept with last year told me I should warn people before I let them touch me.”“He said that?” Harry’s voice fills with venom. “He made you feel like you needed to be ashamed of your scar?”“Well…” Louis’ voice is weak, he won’t stop pressing his fingers into that spot. It must hurt at least a little. “It’s not exactly sexy.”“But it is,” Harry implores, grabbing his hand and pulling it away. He takes hold of Louis’ wrists and massages them with his thumbs. “You are. Sex isn’t smooth, hairless skin, Louis. Sex is wanting someone in the most carnal, primal way a human being can want another human being. If it’s meaningless, the scars shouldn’t matter. You want fire, you want completion. And if it’s more than that, if…” he falters, blushing a little, “if you want to make love to someone, then a scar is sexy. A scar is the unique difference between the person you choose to be intimate with and everybody else. No one has that exact scar, just like no else has these crinkly eyes or those dimples at the bottom of your spine. These things about you are sexy, they are beautiful because if we were together, they’d be the reason you’d be lying in my bed and not someone else’s. They’d be the reasons I’m attracted to you, the kind of things I picture when I close my eyes just to see your face. A scar isn’t a shameful thing Louis, it’s a reminder that you’re this very person for a reason.”“Jesus,” Louis swipes away another errant tear. “You’re killing me here, Styles.”Harry chuckles and grabs his wrists again. Bringing them to his lips, he kisses each one, gently pressing his lips to Louis’ pulse points.“I love your wrists, you know.”“My wrists?” Louis’ face pinks up, a small smile poking through. “Really?”“They’re delicate and sort of feminine.” Harry muses. “Kind of like your ankles. You have cute ankles too.”Louis giggles and pulls his arms from Harry’s grip.“Now you’re just being silly.”“I am,” Harry agrees, dimples twitching. “But I also mean every word.”Louis’ smile dims but the feeling is in his eyes, all lit up from within.“I got shot,” he says, like it’s only the second time he’s ever said the words aloud.“You got shot,” Harry agrees, expression solemn.“It wasn’t the worst part really. It happened very quickly and I barely felt it. I suppose the rush of adrenaline dulled the pain. I was stacking shelves and my friend Tammy was doing her best to hinder the task. There were five of us on at the time, kind of strange for any time of week, let alone a quiet Monday night. It was stocktake though so the entire staff was needed in just to count. We finished counting a couple of hours in. The other three were supposed to go home once we were done but they stayed with me and Tammy. We were all friends and we hung out there like that all the time. It was a normal weekly hangout for us.“I suppose that’s one of the first things I thought of when I work up in the hospital later on. That maybe if we hadn’t have been such good friends, it wouldn’t have happened. I mean they say hindsight is 20/20, after all. But then I think…what use is that? What use it knowing you could have avoided the terrible thing that’s already happened? I think that’s what survivor’s guilt is. You think if you had of just died along with them, that would have fixed everything. You wouldn’t be feeling this pain now. You wouldn’t be The Survivor. You wouldn’t be the only one left here without them. But you didn’t die, they did and killing yourself now won’t bring them back. It won’t change the fact that they died and you didn’t. That’s what I tell myself every day. Because every day I feel like I should be suffering more and the only thing that stops me from curling into a ball is knowing that it would be selfish to live that way. I don’t want to be the survivor who just survived. I wanna be worth it.”Harry’s chest aches. His eyes ache. Everything aches for this boy. This beautiful, brave boy.“I’m not able to…” Louis looks down at his hands, kneading the fingers of one hand with the other. “I can’t remember when they first stormed in. I do know where everyone was because they were always in the same places. Tammy was by the front register, facing me. Daniel was sitting on a shelf in the next aisle over, talking shit with Maddy. They were gossips, the both of them. Maddy was the kind of girl you make fun of for being privileged but deep down, you know she has a heart of gold.  She was fifteen at the time, on the verge of becoming a woman but not quite there yet. She’d borrow her mum’s lipstick and wear it to work every night. Older guys would hit on her like crazy but me and Daniel always did our best to scare them away. She pretended to hate us for it but I think deep down she was glad. She was the kind of girl who’d give it all away to the wrong guy if he romanced her just right. She was just…sunshine really. All of the customers loved her. We called her Baby Spice because she was the youngest but I think she actually might have been the smartest too. She knew Daniel was gay before any of us clued in, including Daniel himself.“Daniel was…Daniel was the kind of guy who’d look after you whether you asked for it or not. He was always handing me energy bars and telling me to drink more water. One time he gave me his phone to walk home with because he was so worried I’d get murdered.” Louis’ face tenses. “I suppose that’s the awful irony of it. He was the one person in that store who would not think twice about dying for somebody else and they shot him first.”“Lou.” It’s all Harry can say, face painted in waves of sympathy.“He asked me out, you now.” Louis smiles, tearfully. “I thought it was so sweet, the way he went about it. He picked some flowers from his garden and wrote me this really nice letter. He even bought me my favourite chocolates. It hurt to tell him no but I was dating someone at the time. The third cab off the rank. You know, the one who left me after it all went down. I just wish now that I hadn’t wasted my time with someone who couldn’t stick it out when things got tough. If their positions were reversed, Daniel would have stayed with me. He would have stuck by me even at my worst. This other guy, he was the only thing standing between us and if I hadn’t been with him, I would have been with Daniel. He would have been loved, I would have loved him.”“But you did,” Harry protests. “You did love him, Louis. Even if it wasn’t in the way he wanted. He sounds like the kind of guy who would have accepted it and appreciated your friendship anyway.”“He did,” Louis says, ignoring the fact that Harry’s speaking out of turn again. “But I still think about it, you know? What would we have been like together? He was such a nice guy. He was the guy you marry straight out of school because you’re that certain he’ll still be good to you seventy years down the track. I kind of think we might have ended up together. We might have grown old together if he hadn’t of bled out on the floor beside me.”Harry watches Louis’ face pale. His breaths become shorter and less stable. Tears smart in his eyes and he reaches out to grab Harry’s arm.“Daniel—“ he cries out, panting. “Daniel, he just—he just. I can’t.““Lou, breathe.” Harry tells him, cupping his cheek. “C’mon baby, breathe with me. Watch my chest.”“I can’t.” Louis gasps, tears racing their way down his cheeks. “I can’t breathe.”Harry makes an effort to breathe as slowly and as deeply as possible. He knows that if he can just get Louis to take a couple of decent breaths, the oxygen will go straight to his brain and he should be able to think clearly again.Louis watches Harry’s chest with wide eyed panic, shaking in his grip.“Harry,” he wails, fingers digging into Harry’s arm.“C’mon babe, you can do it. Breathe with me.”Louis follows his breathing closely, crying noisily. Eventually his breathing returns to a normal rhythm. He shuts his eyes, shuddering silently. Tears cascade down his soft, rounded cheeks. His bottom lip wobbles as though it might fall off.“Baby, don’t be embarrassed.” Harry pleads, close to tears himself. “Please don’t be embarrassed. It’s normal, okay? Especially when you’ve been through something like this.”“It’s been two years, Harry. Almost three.” Louis shouts, burying his face in his hands. “I should be over this by now. I’m over this, okay?”Harry squeezes his shoulder.“Okay, love. But I need you to know that it’s okay if you’re not. The only person who expects that of you is you. You’re not being fair to yourself.”“I just…” Louis shudders again, holding his body taut. “I feel like I’m never going to be okay again. I’m never going to feel the same way I did before.”“You’re right,” Harry tells him. “You never will. What you must have gone through, god I haven’t even heard the half of it…but I do know this. An event like that changes a person and you can’t just go back. It’s not that easy.”“But what if I don’t want it to change me?” He asks. “What if I just want to be me again?”“But you are you,” Harry insists. “You’re the person you were always meant to be.”“Oh c’mon Harry, don’t tell me this is my bullshit fate,” Louis says, voice acerbic. “You may as well say it’s God’s plan to have me suffer.”“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that what happened to you made you into this person and that this is the person you needed to be. Because this person is brave and strong and determined to make the most of his life. This person is a force to be reckoned with. That’s not a cruel fate Louis, it’s a blessing in disguise.”“You’re saying my friends died so that I could be reborn?” Louis’ face is cold. “Harry, that’s sick.”“Fuck, Louis.” Harry pleads, grabbing hold of his tan biceps. “You know that is not what I meant. I know that they suffered unnecessarily. I know that you suffered because of it but suffering is what makes a person who they are. We all suffer Lou. We all go through hell. It’s what we make of it that matters and what you have made of yourself, Louis. What you have taken away from it is amazing. You haven’t let it destroy you. You haven’t given it that much power. Your smile is always so radiant, you are so luminous, you make the people around you shine.”“But I’m…I’m so…”“I know,” Harry squeezes his arms. “I know you’re not better yet, you know it too but that doesn’t mean you haven’t come a long way. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be commended just for getting up every day and making the most of it.”“I didn’t.” Louis says, eyes vacant. “For a long while afterwards, I didn’t. I just laid in bed and stared at the ceiling. I couldn’t understand it, couldn’t fathom how this terrible tragedy happened to me. I certainly couldn’t confront it, I couldn’t think about what it all meant. To me, it didn’t mean anything but pain and sadness. it meant that my life was over. I took the little white pills the doctor prescribed me and slept through far too many weeks of my life. It was months before I even thought about leaving my bed. Mum would change me and feed me like I was in a coma. And sometimes, I felt like I was.“But then I’d see the guilt in her expression, the hurt. She was suffering along with me and I knew I couldn’t do it to her for much longer. So I got up. Three months to the day, I got up and I took a shower. My legs collapsed in on me and I blacked out for at least two hours. Mum found me slumped in the corner of the shower. She had to get me up and moving but I’m pretty sure she cried with relief. It’s the other time in our lives we don’t talk about; how she changed my sheets every day. How she had to dress her eighteen-year-old son. It’s just too much for either of us. You probably think the whole thing with Mark is even more pathetic now, hey? She nursed me through the worst time of my life and I can’t even forgive her for something that’s not her fault.”“I don’t think that at all.” Harry promises him, rubbing his arm. “I know you can’t help the way you feel. You’ve lost so much, Louis. It’s okay to be a little angry with the world.”“But I’m not angry with the world, that’s the thing.” Frustrated tears smart in his eyes, turning his whole face red. “I’m angry with her for pushing him away and making him leave. I’m angry with Mark for wanting to leave in the first place. I’m angry with the thugs who stole my friend’s lives, who thought they could just take whatever they wanted and leave corpses in their place. I’m angry with my doctor for asking me to relive that and for all the times he told me to describe how it felt to watch them die. As if there was any way I could make sense of their senseless deaths. But most of all Harry, most of all, I’m angry with you.”“Me?” Harry’s chest aches. “Why?”“I’m angry with you…” he says, wiping away his tears. “Because you’re the only person I could ever fall in love with while my heart’s this broken. I’m angry that I didn’t see it sooner, before I could stop myself. Before it was too late. I’m angry that you lied to me but I still love you so fucking much, I can’t walk away. I can’t walk away without telling you the truth, even if it means you walk away from me. I’m angry, because my friends died and I should have died with them. Instead, I lived. Now I’ve met you and I don’t deserve it Harry. I don’t deserve to live happily ever after with you.”“Lou, I—““Don’t,” Louis warns him with a glower. “Because whatever you’re going to say isn’t going to change the way that I feel. People try to fix me Harry but they don’t realise, it hurts more than them just accepting my pain. I can’t change it, you’re right but if I can’t change it, what makes them think they can? I have to get this out. I can’t even begin to—not until you know. Okay, H? Just let me try and get it out first.”Harry nods obediently, though his chest is aching with the need to reassure him. There’s so much he wants to say, so much he wants to show Louis but it has to wait until he’s done. It has to wait until Harry’s proven the fact that he’s not going anywhere, no matter how much Louis’s been through.“The last person on with us was this older guy Jarred. He wasn’t much older than us, probably twenty-four at the most. But he smoked pot and rode around on this insanely loud motorbike so we secretly thought he knew things we didn’t. He was always making fun of Maddy for trying to impress the older guys. I think it was because he was that guy who just didn’t care what anyone thought. He hated the job. But he said he’d rather be working this shitty ass job and getting to write the stuff he wanted, than studying at all hours of day just to wind up in some poorly paid internship at a magazine he’d never respect. I admired him a lot, actually. I liked his devil may care attitude and the way he hid his writing from us, so possessive. He was insistent that other people’s opinions were irrelevant. He thought that letting any of us read it would ruin his passion for whatever it was he wrote.”Louis’ nostalgic smile fades into a grimace.“It’s weird that I don’t remember them coming in, isn’t it?” He asks, a rhetorical question. “I remember milk bottle lids pinging off the shelves, that’s what I remember. There were these little dinging sounds that sounded so quiet in my ears. I suppose they weren’t quiet at all. They got louder when I realised what they were. At first, I just thought it was Tammy, throwing random shit at me. Tammy and I liked to piss each other off. We liked to hang shit on each other, it’s what we did. She was a teen mum, working three jobs just to stay afloat. She was hardcore, Tammy but still a kid in every way that matters. A kid raising a kid, that was her life. I think sometimes she just wanted to pick up and leave but she had nowhere go and nothing to run to. So she stayed and I quickly found a friend in her. She was the most level headed of us all, the most self-aware. I think if she’d have lived, she would have quit one of her jobs and gone back to study. Money would have been tight but Tammy would have made it work, I know she would have.“Milk bottle lids, I thought, she’s throwing milk bottle lids at my back. I guess I just couldn’t comprehend what was happening. There must have been shouting. Tammy must have screamed, but all I heard were these little dinging sounds, all I knew was that there were these little hard objects flying between the shelves around me. I was lucky they didn’t rebound right into my chest. I turned to yell at Tammy, still labouring under the impression it was her doing. That’s when one of them hit me, right in that spot I showed you.“I remember thinking…that’s a little too sharp to be a milk bottle lid. It felt like someone had shoved a piece of glass right through my hip. I was in so much pain, I couldn’t breathe but then I moved and it was so much worse. It started to burn like someone had set my bloody hip alight. As though someone had shoved a burning hot, serrated knife through my side and was twisting it mercilessly. I couldn’t even scream, I was in too much pain. I suppose that was a good thing, I couldn’t make any noise that would draw attention to myself. But in that moment all I knew was searing hot pain. I melted to the floor, just trying to comprehend what was happening to me. I soon found out. When my hands hit the floor, they came away wet. I looked down and there was a sea of blood creeping out from the next aisle over. I heard Daniel groan, I heard him plead and then I heard them shoot him. I heard them shoot him over and over again until he stopped making any noise at all.”Harry’s face must be almost as ashen white as Louis’ at this point. His hands must be shaking. He can’t stop picturing Daniel, this boy he knows almost nothing about aside from his name. This boy who would have loved and protected Louis all his life but never got the chance. Harry can’t stop thinking of the way he died, terrified and begging for mercy. He can’t stop picturing Louis, bleeding from a gunshot wound and looking down to find his hands dripping with his friend’s fresh blood. He must have been so terrified.“I…panicked,” Louis’ voice shakes, thick with sadness. “I tried to wipe his blood off on the self. I remember seeing a photo of it in the police report. This dirty, bloodied handprint, this horrible stain standing out against the white shelf I’d been stacking the hour before. It was the same shelf I’d stacked with Daniel every Thursday night, sitting on his shoulders as he hoisted me up to the top. It was the same shelf I’d walked past with mum a million times before, trying to convince her to buy me some stupid sugary cereal. There it was, sitting in a police report that they’d later use as evidence. As if the fact that I’d tried to wipe my friend’s blood off on that shelf proved anything apart from my own cowardice.”“Louis—““I hid, Harry.” Louis scrunches his fingers in the grass around him, tearing it away from the dirt. “My friends were dying around me, dropping like flies and all I could think to do was hide. I heard Maddy scream, just once. She didn’t even try to stop them. She wouldn’t though, would she? She was too young, too naive. She just…she didn’t deserve to die like that Harry. On the cold floor of a grocery store, without anyone there to hold her hand or stroke her hair. I wanted to Harry, I wanted to go check on her. To check on both of them. I was so sure they were both dead but I…” he lets out a vicious sob. “I should have checked.”“And been killed yourself?” Harry unleashes, face wet with tears. “Louis, baby—““No,” Louis begs, pounding the exposed earth beside him. “No, you don’t get it! I did the right thing, I know that. I had to get some help. I had to do whatever it took, I know that. But you’re not thinking about the survival instinct when they’re carrying all your friends out in body bags, instead of on stretchers. You’re not thinking about strategy when the police are sitting across from you at the station, asking you to tell them how you survived. You’re not thinking about living for your family’s sake when you’ve wet the bed again and your mum’s hosing you down in the bath. You’re thinking, what if I could have saved them? What if I could have held her hand and stroked her hair? What if I could have given Daniel his first kiss and told him how much he deserved to be loved?“I don’t even know how I moved at all, let alone made it to the store room. It had this huge metal door with a code on it and everything. Tammy and I always used to make fun of the owners for it, we thought…we thought no one would ever try and take anything from such a rundown, shitty store. I suppose that’s what made it ripe for the picking though. We were sitting ducks. Why risk one of us calling the cops when you can just shoot up the whole place and take whatever you want? They hadn’t seen me, is the thing. I figured they’d shot me mostly by accident. They fired a random spray of bullets as they came in and one of them happened to hit me. I think Tammy went down the same time as I did but hers was from a closer range. Jarred…Jarred made it to the store room at the same time as I did.“We were hiding in there, shuddering from the cold. It was always so cold in the back. He had a real bad wound in his leg, much worse than mine I think. He just kept bleeding. He was so pale, I couldn’t believe he hadn’t passed out. I kept thinking, call someone for help, you need to call someone for help but I was in so much shock that I couldn’t concentrate. He was bleeding profusely and I was so busy trying to make it stop. I tied my jacket around the wound, trying to create pressure but it was soaked with his blood in minutes. I knew we couldn’t stay there. We had to get help. So I asked for his phone. He told me he’d left it on the register. I broke down. I knew mine was in Tammy’s handbag.“I was in tears, I was so frantic but I don’t think I’d ever seen Jarred lose his cool the way he did. He lost it way worse than me, screaming and crying like something out of a soap opera. You think, people don’t lose it that way. People don’t actually go crazy with fear but he did. He went mad with desperation. He was afraid to die. This guy I’d looked up to and genuinely thought was fearless, he was afraid to die. I suppose everybody is, I was terrified myself but seeing him like that, it changed my whole worldview. I didn’t look at people the same anymore. I don’t see them as children or adults anymore. Everybody is a child to me. Every single person on this earth is a scared little kid trying to pretend that the prospect of death doesn’t scare them. People want to act like they’re immune, as if nothing can ever touch them. Death. Disease. Disaster. We act like these are forces we can control. We can’t control them, we can’t change them. I realised that when Jarred started to bleed out in front of me.“His death was the worst,” Louis tells him, staring out at the view. “I just… I thought I could handle it. I thought I knew what was going to happen. He was going to bleed out right there in front of me and I knew that. I knew there was nothing I can do. This stand-up guy with the word mum tattooed on one shoulder and the word pot tattooed on the other, he was going to die right there on that floor that I’d mopped just two hours ago. That’s not how he died though and what I thought would happen did not happen. I told him to stop shouting, I told him we had to be quiet or they’d find a way in and shoot us. But it was like he didn’t hear me, he was so hysterical. His face was ghostly white and the whites of his eyes were so bright, too bright I think. I’ll always remember, he looked at me and said “I have to get out.” That was when he opened the door. They shot him before he even made it halfway up the aisle. He went down straight away. His body hit the floor so hard, I heard his bones crack. He probably didn’t feel it, he was already dead.” He closes his eyes, breathing out deeply. “But I don’t think I’ll ever forget the moment he stopped being Jarred and became a corpse instead. Right before my eyes. One moment he was Jarred, the next he was…lifeless.”Harry curls his arms around Louis’ shaking body, holding him tight. For a few minutes, they just sit there. Holding each other tight while Louis’ body heaves with every agonising sob.“I’ve never talked about it like this before.” He admits, pressing his face into Harry’s neck. “Never in so much detail. Not even to the police. Not in court. Not with my doctor.”“Why me then?” Harry pulls away to look at him, devastated by the look in Louis’ eyes. “Why tell me?”“Because I’m ready,” he presses a hand to the side of Harry’s neck, curling it around. “And because you need to know. If you choose to be with me, you have to be with all this too. These ghosts come with me, everywhere I go and I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon. Daniel, Maddy, Jarred and Tammy…they’re a huge part of me. I need you to understand why.”“Okay Lou,” Harry presses his lips to the side of Louis’ forehead. “Then you should keep going. You can finish this babe.”“I closed the door on the shooters. They saw me in the same moment I saw them. Our eyes locked and I slammed that door so hard, it almost bounced back open. But I don’t think they tried to get in. The police seemed to think that after I locked myself in there, they decided it was a good time to work on the safe. I think they probably assumed I had a phone with me and that the police were on their way. I knew they were wrong, I didn’t have anything with me. Or so I thought. Then I heard something chime and I dug through Daniel’s stuff until I found it. Most of us kept our stuff under the register but Daniel liked to keep his out back so he had an excuse to escape to the back whenever he wanted. Even still, he usually kept his phone on him.“I cried when I found it, I cried when Constable Nick Grimshaw picked up. I cried when I told him that my friends were dying and that these people I’d never seen before in my life were killing them. I didn’t mention that all of them were probably already dead. I just wanted the police to get there as quickly as possible. I had it in my head that they wouldn’t try to save them if they knew they were past the point of saving.“I remember Constable Grimshaw telling me not to worry. He told me all I had to do was sit there and hold tight. I vaguely remember rocking back and forth and screaming my lungs out about how I had to save them. I guess I’d looked down and seen all of the blood again. I was bleeding more heavily by that point but the rest of me was just covered in Daniel and Jarred. I couldn’t breathe with it on me. I felt so sick, so desperate to get it off. There was no way to stop myself from panicking, there was no one there to help me. I dropped the phone and ran. Opening the door, I went straight for the exit. I would have gotten there too if I hadn’t have tripped over Tammy’s body, lying by the foot of the door. She was so still, I could tell she was gone before I even leant down to check for a pulse. There was blood everywhere, half her insides were on the floor. She’d obviously dragged herself all the way there but died before she could make it out. I threw up on the floor beside her. That’s when the police came bursting in.“The shooters were gone by then, obviously having retrieved what they came for. There wasn’t any saving to be done because there wasn’t anybody left to save. They checked them all for signs of life but I could tell from the looks on all their faces that there weren’t any. That’s when I went into shock. I’d lost a lot of blood in that last ten minutes and apparently, I just passed out in the constable’s arms. He rode the whole way in the ambulance with me and he was the first person I saw when I woke up. ‘You did it kid,’ I remember him saying, ‘you survived the worst.’ I didn’t feel like I survived anything. When I finally made my statement, it was all over the place. That first week, I could barely remember anything aside from what we’d been doing just before it all went down.“They caught the guys…because they usually do, I suppose. The shooters hadn’t been smart about it at all. They hadn’t even thought to use a stolen car and one of them had dropped some kind of discount card they’d traced right back to his address. They weren’t smart guys, is the thing. They were just desperate thugs who treated the whole thing like it was a game of cat and mouse. I suppose it was for them. They were the hunters and we were the moving targets. Maybe the money was just a bonus, I don’t know. I didn’t really listen to what they had to say in court. I said my piece, kept it short. I let the jury know exactly what it was like to see my friend’s insides smeared across the floor in front of me and then I sat back down. I let the justice system do its thing. It was all I was capable of at the time.“They were brought to justice I suppose. They each got life sentences without any possibility of parole but it’s true what they say. There is no real justice for taking someone’s life. How can you make up for that? How can you do penance for murder? It didn’t help that my friend’s families all wept with relief. I felt like it should have healed me or something. I should have walked out of that courtroom with a weight off my shoulders. The truth is, I just felt empty. I felt like I was dead but still being made to breathe. I guess that’s why he left me. My boyfriend, I mean. He would come over to see me every day. He’d bring flowers and DVD’s he knew I liked but I’d just stare at the ceiling the whole time, waiting for him to leave. It was like a gift when he did. When he walked out of that room, I no longer felt like a zombie. I just felt like somebody who’d died.”“I still want to shake him for hurting you.” Harry says gently. “I would have stayed even if you didn’t want me to.”“You’re the difference,” Louis smiles. “The difference between a boy and a man.”“But I don’t know how to…” Harry shakes his head, tears saturating his voice. “Louis, I don’t know how to be a man for you right now.”Louis looks surprised by that, jerking his head in Harry’s direction.“What do you mean?”“I don’t know how to be the brave one here. I want to make this better for you but I don’t know how. I want to make it worth you telling me but all I can think about is those kids, your friends dying. All I can think about is the fact that you didn’t and how glad I am that you were smart enough to save yourself. I don’t think you’re selfish Louis, I don’t think you survived because you let them die. You survived because you ran for your life and I won’t ever stop thanking god that you did.“Because I can’t stop thinking about how it could have been you. It could have been you lying on that cold hard floor, bleeding out below the shelves. It could have been you, too soft to fight back, going out with a single scream. It could have been you, bleeding out faster than you could stop it, shot down as you ran for life and it could have been you, dragging yourself to freedom, only to die just as you reached the door. I can’t stop thinking Louis, it could have been you. How terrible I must be to feel this glad that it wasn’t. I can’t…I can’t comfort you like I should because I just want to hold you for my own sake. I just want to remind myself that you’re still here. I can’t be a man Louis because I’m just a boy standing next to you. You’re the man here. You’re the brave one.”“Harry,” Louis’ face is streaming with tears. He reaches out to touch the ones collecting along Harry’s dimples. “I can’t believe you think I’m even the slightest bit brave. After everything I told you. You still think I’m…worth something.”“Not just something.” Harry palms his blotchy cheek. “You’re worth everything to me. You always have been. From the moment I met you, to this very moment now. Telling me that story didn’t diminish my desire to protect you, it just made that desire more fierce. You’ve trusted me with something so personal and I can see it in your eyes, you have faith in me now. You don’t expect me to walk away just because you have ghosts.”“I did,” Louis concedes, smiling tearfully. “I thought there was a good chance you’d finally wake up and realise I wasn’t worth it. From the beginning, I’ve held myself back from you and it wasn’t just because I thought it could be messy. It wasn’t just because of my stupid rule.”“It wasn’t?”“No,” Louis shakes his head. “It was because I’ve dated boys like you before. Or at least I thought I had. I’ve dated some really beautiful boys, Harry and I’ve chased after my fair share of them too. Heartbreakers, they were. Just like you. I thought you were one of them. But none of them ever treated me right, none of them ever treated me half as good as you. All you’ve done these past eight months is try to make me happy. All you’ve done is be there for me every single time I’ve needed you, conscious or not. And I’ve realised now that I was wrong. You’re not a heartbreaker Harry Edward Styles, you’re the missing link I’ve been looking for all my life.“I told you I had a safe place when I was a kid, it was a closet. I said before, that safe places don’t exist, that safe people don’t exist but I’m beginning to think I got that wrong. I’m beginning to think that you just might be mine. My safe place. My second chance. I think I belong with you and it doesn’t scare me anymore. I love you Harry, I want this if you want me too. Please, please tell me I’m not alone in this.”Louis’ eyes flutter closed, a small puff of air whistling past his lips. He looks worn and all cried out, his face a pretty mess of patchy pink and pale white. There’s worry lines stretched across his forehead and a frown sinking the middle of his mouth. He looks very much defeated but the slight tremble of his fingers makes Harry think of hope.“You’re not alone.” His hands finds Louis’, gripping his trembling fingers tight. “And you never will be again. I’m in love with you, Louis Tomlinson. For so many reasons, yet all of them amounting to the same one, I love who you are and how you live. I love how stubborn you are about the stupidest things, like the amount of sugar I take in my tea or your right not to wear socks whenever you see fit.  I love how you can’t stand the thought of anyone else taking better care of you than you, even though we both know that I can, that I do. I love how you pretend to hate Moo, even though we both know you’d die before giving him up now. I love the way you eat your vegetables, how you screw your nose up like a grumpy toddler, until it’s all over and done with. I love the way you smell when you’re just fresh from the shower, the soap and aftershave mingling on your skin. I love the way you feel against me when you’re drowning in my clothes, so soft, so small. I love the little noises you make when I touch you and the brilliant colour of your eyes when you smile. I love the way you talk about your sisters and all the kind things you do without expecting to be thanked.“I love the shape of your body beneath your clothes and the colour of your lips in the morning. I love being the one to take care of you and the one that gets to hold you every single time you cry. I love how brave and trusting you are in this moment, I love how much hope I see in your eyes. I love these hands,” He says, bringing Louis’ fingers to his lips, watching the other boy shakily inhale. “These crinkly eyes,” He sighs, reverently tracing over the patterns beside them. “And these lips,” he teases, dragging his thumb along Louis’ mouth, that opens upon his touch. “I love you, Louis.”“Fuck,” Louis sobs, pushing both hands against his mouth. “this is like some romantic comedy shit right here.”Harry giggles.“Perhaps. Although if this was a romantic comedy…” he smirks, “we’d be making out by now.”“Mm, that’s true.” Louis hums, purposely fluttering his eyelashes.“So…” Harry quirks an eyebrow.“So, I’m just a bit tired you know.” Louis winks. “I hear morning kisses aren’t to be trusted.”“That is so NOT funny.” Harry laughs, in spite of himself. “You don’t even know how much that kiss meant to me.”“I do.” Louis’ grin fades, replaced by deepest sincerity. “Because it meant an awful lot to me too.”“It did?” Harry gulps.“I mean, yeah. Probably not in the same way as you because I freaked out but I think that’s why I freaked out so much. I knew I didn’t just kiss you because you brought me tea. I didn’t kiss you because I was too tired to think straight. I kissed you because that’s exactly what my dumb brain wants first thing in the morning when I open my eyes. My dumb brain wants you, Harry. I want you.”“I want you too.”Harry can feel himself getting desperate. For what reason, he’s not sure. He has Louis now. What else is there left to obsess over?“I need to kiss you,” he says, no doubt scaring Louis with the intensity of his gaze. “I need to feel you right now.”“Hey,” Louis grabs him by the cheeks, bringing Harry’s forehead down against his own. “I’m not going anywhere, love. I promise.”“Okay.” Harry eyes slip closed with relief. “Okay, because I don’t think I could handle it if you did, you know. You feel like home to me now. We have a home together, don’t we?”“We do.” Louis agrees and Harry can hear him smiling. What a beautiful sound. “In our tiny little dorm room with our stupid squishy cat. You and me, Haz. Wherever I go. Whenever I’m feeling lost. When I run out of road—“Harry opens his eyes. Latching onto Louis’ wrist, he settles his gaze on the most beautiful, soulful pair of eyes he’s ever seen in his life.“You bring me home,” he finishes roughly, then crashes their lips together. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Al Green – Stay Together Making love to Harry doesn’t feel like making love at all. They already have love between them. No one is more certain of than that Louis. Harry lays him out on their pillow fort, the first rays of sunlight bathing them both in gentle warmth and it doesn’t feel like they’re giving themselves to each other for the first time. It feels like they already have.Harry exhales heavily, looking like he might cry just at the thought of Louis’ nakedness.“You’re so beautiful. I can’t believe I get to worship this body.” He whispers, butting his head up against Louis’ stomach.His fingers trail gently over Louis’ side, just grazing his scar. That little hint of something is enough to make Louis flinch and start to pull away.“Don’t, don’t hide from me.” Harry whispers, pushing his forehead against Louis’ side. “You’re beautiful, Lou. Don’t you feel it?”“I—“ He swallows thickly, painfully. “You want to touch me there?”Harry presses his lips to the raised skin beneath Louis’ hip bone, holding his eyes. His touch is ever so gentle, breath fanning out across that one patch of skin that’s never been touched. The one patch of skin on Louis’ body that’s never been cherished or worshipped the way Harry is worshipping it now.“I want to touch you here.” Harry ghosts his mouth over Louis’ scar. “I want to touch you everywhere.”There are tears gathering in the corners of his eyes, like the chance to touch Louis is some kind of miraculous gift. Louis does his best to stop it. The crying, he means. Not the worshipping.“We’re really going to have sex in a public place?” He jokes, trying to banish the lump from his throat. “In the back of a car, no less. What are we, horny teenagers?”“Yes,” Harry splutters a laugh, wiping the corners of his eyes. “I’m so horny for you baby.”He goes in for the kiss but Louis pushes him away with a single finger, valiantly ignoring that adorable pout.“I’m flattered babe, honestly I am but please never say that again. It’s a boner killer, if ever I heard one.”That seems to distract Harry too much for them to even carry out a proper conversation anymore. His eyes are drawn to Louis’ cock, standing to attention.“That’s…” He looks overwhelmed, reaching down to adjust himself inside his jeans. “You know I think it likes me.”“My dick?” Louis giggles, reaching down to give it a little jerk. “Well I suppose your right Styles. Would you look at that?”Harry is definitely staring. Swallowing convulsively, he stretches himself out over Louis’ body, pressing down until their groins touch. Louis’ toes curl into the blanket.“Fuck,” he moans. “I can feel you through your jeans.”“I know baby.” Harry smirks, that cocky fucker. “Does it feel good?”“Kiss me.” He growls. “Shut the fuck up and kiss me.”So Harry does, lowering his arms down beside Louis’ head. He kisses him like the taste of happiness swims in his lips. Their lips make soft wet sounds together, tongues tangling in between. Usually, the sound of it might repulse Louis but Harry’s tongue is like this little miracle thing, working its magic on him bit by bit. All he can think of is how turned on he is and how much he wants Harry’s cock inside of him. The thought of it makes him moan into the kiss, pushing his toes up against Harry’s shins and grinding their cocks together roughly.“Fuck Lou.” Harry swears against his neck, mouthing up the underside of his jaw. “You’re so fucking hot.”“The feeling’s mutual,” Louis pants, shoving Harry t-shirt up around his armpits.“What are you—oh.” Harry cries out as Louis latches onto one of his nipples, tweaking the other one with his fingers. “Christ, your tongue is wicked.”“Damn straight,” Louis pulls back, gazing at his work.The skin around Harry’s nipple is flushed pink from all the attention. It has Louis smirking back at him proudly.“Look at you,” Harry grins, pulling him closer. “All proud of yourself.”Louis nods, chuckling as Harry drags him into another kiss. It gets steamy quickly what with Harry pulling him up against his own body and scratching at his lower back. Louis moans into the kiss.“Love kissing you,” Harry murmurs, sucking a kiss into his jaw. “Want to kiss you forever.”Louis tilts his head up, sighing as Harry makes his way down his neck.“I s’pose I’ll let you,” he moans. “You can kiss me forever if you want.”Harry growls at that and bites along the edges of his collarbones.“Harry!” He laughs. “What am I going to tell my mum when I go see her? She’s going to think I’m dating Edward Cullen.”“Lou.” His eyes twinkle brightly. “Have you seen Twilight?”“My sisters forced me,” Louis lies. “And that is so not the point.”Harry chuckles. Lowering himself down, he blows a raspberry into Louis’ belly button.“Love your belly button,” he coos, ridiculously reverent. “You don’t have to tell her anything, just wear a scarf. Or you know. You could, um…” He trails off, eyes wide.“I could, um?”“Take me with you,” He says quickly. “That ought to clear up any questions.”“You want to meet my mum?” Louis stares at him. “Already?”“Well, you’ve met my mum. It’s only fair, isn’t it?”“Are you saying you’re jealous that I’ve met your mum and you haven’t met mine?” Louis chokes out.“Well…yeah.” He looks befuddled. “Lou, why do you look like you’re about to cry? Are you worried about me meeting your family? Because you shouldn’t be. I’m very charming.”“I know,” Louis laughs, eyes moist. “That’s not it, you dork. I just…I can’t believe you’re volunteering for this. My boyfriend wants to meet my family.”“Your boyfriend,” Harry echoes, grinning like mad. “That’s the first time you’ve said that.”His eyes drop to Harry’s hands. He latches onto Harry’s thumb, twisting it back and forth.“Well you are, aren’t you?” He checks, breathing a bit more rapidly. “We’re dating now?”“We are.” Harry agrees. Wrapping a hand around the nape of Louis’ neck, he brings him in for a kiss. “I’m going to date the fuck out of you.”Louis snorts, giggling quietly when Harry’s lips trace their way over the veins in his neck.“You’re an idiot. I don’t know why I cry over you.”“You’re a crier.” Harry tells him, grin irritatingly smug. “You can’t help yourself when you’re around me.”Louis glowers at him, pulling his neck away.“I’m sorry baby.” He chuckles, not looking very sorry at all. “Don’t be mad. I like that about you, it means I get to cuddle you and make you feel all better.”“Styles.” Louis quirks an eyebrow. “Are you saying you like it when I cry?”“How bout I show you.”“Show me?” He laughs. ‘What’re you going to do, make me cry?”“Yes.” Harry says, with no signs of joking. Tenderly, he takes hold of Louis’ thighs, parting them gently. “Now I’m going to lick you out, if that’s okay.”“Fuck,” Louis throws his head back. “I am so okay with that.”Harry lies down between his legs, tracing a gentle circle around his rim.“Lube,” he mumbles. “I wonder if they…”He reaches around Louis into the glove box and sure enough his hand comes away with a supersized bottle of lube, price sticker still attached.“You planned this?” Louis wonders aloud, not particularly bothered.“No!” Harry shouts, blushing furiously. “I mean… I had an argument with the boys about it. They insisted on providing lube. I wasn’t sure if they’d actually gone through with it or not.”“Well lucky for us, they have.”“Lucky for us,” Harry agrees, leaning in for another kiss.Their lips brush a couple of times, catching and holding every time. Harry pulls back with an indulgent sigh. Laying back down between Louis’ thighs, he blows cold air onto his hole, watching the way it winks, tensing around nothing.“Ready?” He asks, pale fingertips gliding up and down the goosebumps that litter the insides of Louis’ thighs. “We don’t have to do this if you’re not.”“I’m ready.” Louis tells him, giving his cock a few hard jerks just to prove it. “I’m hard as fuck.”“Welcome to my world, babe. I’ve been hard as fuck since the day I met you,” Harry curses, gripping his legs tightly. “Now, these go around my head.”Louis’ cock bleats out precome. His heartbeat turns erratic. Gently, he wraps his legs around Harry’s head, keeping them loose enough so as not to hurt him.“Not tight enough,” Harry scolds, lips quirked. “But I’ll earn it, if I have to.”With that, he licks a wet stripe up Louis’ rim and plunges his tongue right in. Cursing loudly, Louis grips the blanket between shaking fingers, squeezing it desperately.“Give a man some warning Styles!”“I did.” Harry smirks. “You said you were ready.”“Fair point,” Louis lays his head back down, chest heaving. “I just don’t think I’d ever be quite ready for that.”Harry smirks at him dirtily, then thrusts his tongue back inside. After a few minutes spent swirling his tongue around and thrusting it upwards, he inserts a finger, twisting it idly. Louis groans and thrusts his hips down onto the intrusion, begging for more.“Another,” he groans. “Harry, please.”The flat of Harry’s tongue trails the inside of his arse, leaving him deliciously wet. Harry pulls his finger out, watching Louis with a ravenous glint in his eye. He coats two fingers in lube and pushes them back inside, searching for Louis’ spot. He finds it quickly, jamming his fingers up against it, watching with rapt attention as Louis goes wild.“Fuck yes.” He keens, arching up into it. His legs snap closed around Harry’s head, keeping both his tongue and fingers trapped inside. “Right there.”Harry moans, thrusting his fingers into Louis at a rapid pace. Louis’ hips circle them tightly, trying to direct them where he wants them with every thrust. Harry’s moan shifts into a growl. He slows his thrusts, gently rubbing over Louis’ sweet spot instead. His tongue circles Louis’ rim, coating him in moisture, pushing that moisture inside every single time it starts to drip.“Oh fuck, Harry.” He moans, thighs trembling. “I’m gonna come.”“Not yet baby,” Harry orders, fingers still nailing his spot.“Harry—“ Louis’ plea turns into a wail and Harry shoves his tongue back inside. “I can’t, I can’t last any longer.” He cries.Harry pushes even closer, tongue flicking out to graze Louis’ prostate.“Oh, oh fuck.” Louis bites into the flesh of his arm, tears gathering. “Harry, please. I need to---““No,” Harry roars. Pulling his fingers out, he coats another one with lube. “Just give me one more minute baby. You’re doing so well.”Louis whimpers at that and Harry pushes his fingers back inside, scissoring them gently. With more verbal encouragement from Louis, he slams them into his prostate, keeping them there until Louis sees stars.“Can’t—“ he shouts, tears dripping from his closed eyelids. “Harry!”He doesn’t come but it’s a near thing. Harry pulls his fingers out just as he reaches the precipice, pressing his open mouth to Louis’ rim in some kind of weird misdirected apology.“Harry, please.” He whimpers. “Please let me come.”His legs are downright trembling now and they feel like absolute jelly. His cock is leaking steadily, flushed bright pink with arousal.“You’re so beautiful Lou.” Harry rubs the outsides of his thighs, lowering them from around his neck. “You did so well, I’m so proud of you baby.”He kisses Louis’ cries quiet, cupping his face and drying his tears with the tips of his thumbs.“You look so good right now.” He sighs, pulling away just to gaze at him more intently. “You’re the most beautiful person in the world, Louis. I can’t even stand it.”Louis still feels a little spaced out but after several tries at a deep breath, he raises his hands to Harry’s jaw.“I love you,” he breathes, tears still dampening his cheeks. “You make me crazy. You made me cry.”“Told you I would,” Harry grins, joining his lips to Louis’. “Was my pleasure, gorgeous boy.”Louis blinks back at him, shocked. He’s trying to comprehend how he got so damn lucky.“Trade places with me.” He says quickly. “I want to make you feel good too.”Louis’ never seen him move so quickly. Chuckling to himself, he watches as Harry offers a slightly sheepish grin in return.“Wanted your mouth on me from the first moment I saw you.” He admits, hastily shucking his clothes off. “It’s kind of like a dream come true.”Louis would like to respond but he can’t. He’s too busy taking in the naked masterpiece before him.“You’re. I’m…”He can’t stop staring at Harry’s nakedness. His cock is so thick and perfect. It appears to be just the right amount of veiny.  His shoulders are impressively broad and connected to biceps as big as Louis’ thighs, if not bigger. There’s the contrast between his soft, grabbable love handles and those washboard abs, both just crying out to be bitten and marked up by Louis’ mouth. His eyes keep coming back to Harry’s cock though, helpless not to stare.“Is it always that big?”“Well it’s hard now.” Harry smirks. Fisting it slowly, he lies down on his back. “Hard for you. It’s pretty big though, yeah.”Louis slaps his side.“Stop smirking at me like you’re some smarmy frat boy and I’m your next conquest. We’re in love.”Harry throws his head back, laughing then makes a cheeky grab for Louis, catching hold of him, even as he tries to squirm away.“Yes, baby I know.” He kisses both of Louis’ cheeks, his nose and then finally, his lips. “I’m going to marry you someday.”“Fuck you Styles.” Louis huffs. “You can’t just say things like that. We just started dating and I’m…I’m fucked up. I’m not ready for that kind of—““Shh.” Harry soothes him. “I know you’re not ready now, but someday you will be. You’re going to go back to therapy and I’m going to be there waiting to take you home after every session. But whatever happens Lou, I need you to know you’re not fucked up. You’re not broken just because you’ve been through hell.”“You want me to go back to therapy?”   Been there, done that. “Yes.” Harry says firmly, refusing to look away. “But I want you to want to go too. I can’t force you to and I’m not going to leave you if you don’t.”“But?”“But if there’s anything you’ve taught me this past eight months, it’s that there are some things that are just too big to conquer on your own. I love you Louis, you know that. That means I can’t bear to see you hurting. I’ll be there for you no matter what baby but I think you need to do this. I think it could help.”Louis pushes their foreheads together, breath caught in his throat.“I want to,” he says, voice gone all husky. “For you, I want to. I just hate how it makes me feel. As if I’m down for the count or something, like I’ll never get back up. I hate how others see me because of it. They look at me like I’m incomplete. As if I can’t really be a whole person again until my therapy’s over.”“Is that why you quit before?” Harry’s hand is soft against the back of his neck, fingers shifting downwards to caress the knobs of his spine. “You wanted people to see you were okay?”“Sort of.” He nudges their noses together, inhaling Harry’s scent. “But I think I wanted to prove it to myself even more. I was sure that if I could just get here, if I could just get to uni, I would be okay. I thought maybe it was just living in the place where it happened and not being allowed to leave. I couldn’t escape it, you know? I just wanted to escape.”“But you can’t.” Harry says, pressing his thumbs into Louis’ cheekbones. “It’s always going to be with you. Whether you’re in therapy or not, that’s never going to change. You’re never going to be able to erase it from your past or make the pain of it disappear. But you can get better. You can change how it affects you. Being in therapy doesn’t mean you’re not complete, it doesn’t have to mean that you’re not okay. It just means you recognise that you need help sometimes and that getting help is more important than what other people think. It’s more important than being able to prove how alright you are.”“You’re right,” Louis whispers. “I’m going to go back there, I will. I just need you to promise me something first.”“Yeah love?” Harry’s lips hover over his, not quite touching.“Promise you’ll come with me.” He begs, opening his eyes up into Harry’s.Harry’s brown line deepens.“I don’t know if they’ll let me darling. I mean, won’t that be kind of detrimental? You might be afraid to say what you’re thinking with me there.”“What?” Louis takes hold of his neck, keeping Harry’s gaze locked on his even as he fights to get away. “Harry, stop. I’m not afraid to say anything in front of you. Not anymore. You make me less afraid, okay? When I’m not with you, I’m weaker. Is that so wrong? Is it wrong Haz? Cause you make me strong. You make me feel so fucking brave inside.”Harry looks like he might be crying but it’s hard to tell from this close up. His lips come down hard against Louis’.“It’s not wrong,” he says, stroking Louis’ cheeks. “I love being the one to take care of you. I love knowing you need me but one day Lou, you won’t. Not for this. And I’ll be okay with that too. I’ll be so bloody proud to see you walk into that doctor’s office alone.”“Have I mentioned how much I love you?” Louis’ cheeks ache from smiling. “Let me show you just how much.”Harry lets out a noise of assent and lies back down on the pillows, watching Louis with bated breath. Louis starts with his shoulders, kneading them roughly. Harry moans in reply, tension draining right out of him. Louis moves onto his chest, dragging his mouth back and forth over his nipples, sucking them into his mouth and rolling them around his tongue until the boy beneath him cries out.“Please Lou.” He begs. “I’m desperate.”And isn’t he just? Whimpering prettily as Louis takes his time sucking marks into those deliciously curvy hips and mouthing over those impressively defined abdominals. Finally, he reaches Harry’s groin, slowly nosing up his thighs just to tease. His hand drifts down to cup Harry’s balls, fondling them gently.“So good.” Harry hums as one of his hands slides its way into Louis’ hair. “Feels so good baby.”Louis grins at him from beneath his lashes and lowers himself down enough to take one of Harry’s balls into his mouth, circling his tongue around it slowly.“Oh.” Harry grips his hair tight.Louis lets him go with a wet pop, taking his cock in hand. He jerks it a few times, watching the blood rush to the tip, enjoying the way it leaks sticky precome into his palm.“You have a pretty cock,” Louis compliments him, taking said cock into his mouth.“S—shit.” Harry swears, instinctively rocking his hips up against Louis’ mouth. “S-sorry,” he stutters. “Sorry babe.”Louis shakes his head, gripping his hips in an effort to encourage him.“Are you s---“ Harry’s eyes are wide as Louis deepthroats him from above. “Fuck—okay, you’re sure.”His hips start to jerk up, eyelids fluttering closed each and every time his dick nudges the back of Louis’ throat. His hands tug urgently at Louis’ hair, making him moan just as loudly. Harry’s groans fill his ears, arousal quickening his pace. He drops his mouth down against Harry’s pelvis, swallowing around the intrusion. A few moments later, Harry wrenches him away with a gasp.“Fuck, I can’t—“ he pants harshly, pupils blown wide. “Need to fuck you now, Lou.”“Yes,” Louis’ rasps. “Please.”“Your poor voice.” Harry gathers his cheeks up into his palms, kissing him sweetly. “Are you okay, love?”“I’m brilliant,” Louis chuckles, pushing him back onto the car floor. “I’d be even better if you were inside me.”Harry chokes on whatever he was about to say, cheeks flaming.“Don’t we—we need a condom.”“I’m clean,” Louis promises. He trusts Harry implicitly. He trusts him more than he’s ever trusted anyone in his life. “You?”“C-clean.” Harry stutters.“Brilliant.” Louis pushes his legs apart, quickly straddling his waist. “You know,” he says, keeping his tone conversational. “I had a couple of horse riding lessons when I was younger. I wasn’t very good at it, didn’t show any kind of natural aptitude for show jumping. But you know what they did say?”“What?” Harry’s eyes are bright with lust.Louis grabs hold of his cock, dragging it back and forth between his cheeks. It’s dripping wet, more than enough lubrication for them both.“They said with hips like mine, I’d make a good jockey.”He winks, swivelling his hips around until the head of Harry’s cock catches on his rim. They both moan when Louis sinks down, Harry’s cock penetrating him fully.“Shit.” He takes hold of Louis’ hips, expression quaking. “You feel like silk, Louis.”Louis tenses a bit, trying to shift down further.“Fuck you’re huge, Haz. I’ll be lucky if I can still walk after this.”Harry presses his thumbs to Louis’ hips, trying to still him.“You don’t have to take it all.” He assures him, eyes wide with concern. Gone is the cocky frat boy, replaced by this ridiculously protective idiot, Louis loves so much. “I’m fine with this.”“I don’t want you to feel fine,” Louis snipes, because he can’t help it. “I want you to feel amazing. Now just give me a second, would you?”He lowers himself down another inch, holding his breath as his eyes start to water.“Lou—“ Harry tries.The pity in his eyes is enough to inspire Louis to new heights. Or new depths, really. He sinks down onto Harry’s cock, impaling himself within moments. It hurts like a bitch but it’s worth it just to see Harry’s sharp intake of breath. It’s worth it to watch him fight the waves of pleasure stealing over his entire body.“You’re so fucking stubborn,” Harry tells him, eyebrows scrunched with pleasure. “You didn’t have to prove me wrong.”“Shut up. You feel good.” Louis says truthfully, swivelling his hips just right. “I feel so full right now.”Harry moans at that, lifting his hips up in order to push his dick further into Louis’ hole.“Yeah, just like that.” Louis tells him.He rocks his hips down against Harry’s thrusts, swirling his hips around in an effort to find it. His sweet spot. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Harry’s dick finally meets his prostate head on.“Fuck, yes.” He growls, rocking back and forth on Harry’s member. “Fuck me. Please Haz.”“I’ll fuck you baby,” Harry rasps, fucking up into Louis. “I’ll fuck you until you’re mine.”“Already yours.” Louis pants, running his hands over his own body.It seems to spur Harry on who moans lowly and increases his efforts, lifting him up and then slamming him back down onto his cock.  Louis happily bounces up and down, clenching his rim every single time Harry enters him and toying with his own nipples.“You’re so fucking pretty right now.” Harry rambles. “Such pretty nipples, Lou.”He holds onto Louis with an iron clad grip, pressing finger shaped bruises into his hipbones.“Fuck Harry,” Louis groans, starting to slow. “Need you to help me. This isn’t—I need you to fuck me proper.”“Okay baby,” Harry slides out of him, basically throwing him down against the pillows. “Legs up.”Louis obeys, throwing his legs up onto Harry’s shoulders and squirming impatiently. Harry runs his hands up from the base of his thighs to the starts of his ankles, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to one of this ankle bones.“Love your cute little ankles,” He mumbles. “Love how someone with such a big personality could be as precious and as tiny as you.”“Shut the hell up.” Louis glares. “Shut the hell up and fuck me.”Harry grins, pressing another kiss to his ankle before directing his cock back into Louis’ hole. He presses inside quickly, thrusting deep right off the bat. The angle is insane. With every thrust, he’s driving right into Louis’ prostate, sending earth shattering waves of pleasure right through his body. It feels like shocks of lightning racing towards his groin and it’s a minute or so of this before Louis feels his orgasm approach. His legs start to quiver. Falling away from Harry’s shoulders, they circle his waist instead. Harry doesn’t seem to mind. He scoots closer, driving into him deeper, his eyes as dark as Louis’ ever seen them.“Fuck Haz! Need you to. I need to---come,” Louis moans, eyelashes fluttering.Harry leans in close, dragging his lips over Louis’, not really kissing him at all.“Going to show you something,” He breathes roughly. “Something I noticed the first time we kissed.”Louis shudders at that, completely unprepared for whatever it is Harry’s about to do. Harry slams into him relentlessly, reaching for Louis’ hands tangled in the blankets beneath them. He thinks Harry’s going to hold them which, while sweet, is not altogether orgasm inducing.He’s wrong. Harry’s hands form manacles around his wrists, forcing them down into the cushions. He holds Louis’ gaze, driving into him harder just as Louis’ pleasure starts to crest over his head. His muscles go taut with anticipation, body climbing towards that irresistible peak. Then Harry squeezes his wrists tight and Louis sees stars. His cock starts jerking against his stomach, fighting for attention. Harry grabs hold of it, flicking his wrist just right and Louis comes with a guttural moan. The pleasure comes crashing down over his head in waves of pure, indulgent sensation, his orgasm rocketing through his body. From the tops of his reddened ears to the tips of his toes, stretched out in a full flex.“Harry,” he cries out, whimpering when he looks down at his collarbones, only to find them all painted in white. “Harry, fuck.”He shudders from another aftershock, legs still racked by tremors.“Good baby?” Harry pants, face tensing up with need. “You feel so good around me, Lou. So tight.”“Come inside me.” Louis begs, tears sliding down his cheeks. “I love you, Harry. I want everything with you.”That seems to do it for Harry who drives his hips home one last time before coming inside Louis with a shout. Wetness floods Louis’ insides and the sensation is not altogether unpleasant“Shit,” Harry whispers, stuttering his hips forward. “Never been with anyone like this before.”“Bare, you mean?”“Yeah.” His eyes are wet when they meet Louis’, a look of total wonder in his eyes. “Wouldn’t have felt right with anyone but you.”“Harry,” He mewls, pressing a shaky hand against his eye, “Harry, come here.”Harry crawls up beside him, pulling Louis into his arms.“Baby, are you okay?” He rubs Louis’ arms soothingly, gingerly cupping the back of his head. “Do you…I mean, do you regret it?”“What? No!” Louis pulls him into a fierce kiss, tears quickly dying away. “God, no. I’m just so…overwhelmed. The way you made me feel, Harry. No one’s ever made me feel so…”“So?”“Safe.” Louis says, pressing his fingers into Harry’s hands. Harry holds them tightly, looking down at him in awe. “Not since everything happened. I’ve never felt like I could give up control, not really but with you, the wrist thing—I mean, how did you—““I know you like it when someone else leads,” Harry smiles at him adoringly. Louis can see it now that his eyes aren’t clouded by denial. “You like to give up control. You just need somebody you can trust.”“I do trust you.” Louis smiles. “I love you.”“I know.”Harry reaches behind him to grab something. It’s the necklace. The one Harry gave to him, the one he so rudely left behind.“I want it back,” He bursts out. “I mean…” he blushes. “If you want me to.”“I want you to.” Harry murmurs, “of course I do.” He gently draws the chain around Louis’ neck. Once done up, he settles it against Louis’ chest. “It belongs with you.”“Just like you.” Louis squeezes the paper plane. “You belong with me.”“Sap,” Harry accuses. “Who knew. Louis Tomlinson is a total sucker for his boyfriend.”“Oh fuck off.” Louis laughs. “You’re the one who’s been looking after me since before we even met.”“I’m going to tell our babies all about it someday.” Harry giggles, pressing his lips to Louis’.“Babies,” He shakes his head. “Styles, you’re way too optimistic.”“No.” Harry runs his fingers through Louis’ sex hair, smoothing it back into place. “I’m not optimistic Lou, I’m certain. I don’t know where we’re going Lou, but I know that we belong. I’m so sorry your friends died Lou, you have no idea but I’m not sorry you didn’t. I’m not sorry you lived through it or that you fought to stay alive. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t have you now. Worse still, the world wouldn’t have you now and that’s just not a world I’m willing to live in. Because a world without you, Louis, is like a world without sunshine and I need that. I need you, my little ray of sunshine.”Louis pushes their lips together, smiling into it.“I’m glad I lived too.” He says quietly and for the first time in a long time, there’s no need to lie. “I’ve never been so glad about anything in my life.”Harry cuddles him close, kissing every inch of skin he can reach. Louis falls asleep with rose petal lips pressed to his shoulder and something even more beautiful flowering inside his chest. It’s been a long time. He’s not actually sure if he remembers this feeling correctly. He does know that whatever’s coursing through him right now, it feels a lot like wildfire. It feels like waking up from a bad nightmare and never having that same one again. It feels, shockingly enough, like hope.*-*-* James Bay – Move Together Louis is properly engaging with their cat, the same way Harry does every day. It's the epitome of cuteness. Or it would be, if he weren't fielding suggestions about the best and most awful way to break up with Harry. "Well I think that's a bit much Moo." He says, flicking his eyes over to Harry, narrowing them just slightly. "He did give me mind blowing sex in the back of a car." Harry can't help it. He puffs out his chest a little, a quiet smirk gracing his lips. He’d very much like to be giving Louis mind blowing sex right now. He looks like sin today in form fitting white jeans and a tight maroon shirt. It sits just low enough on his chest to show off those edible collarbones. Or at least, Harry thinks they're edible. He's been trying to prove exactly that to Louis for the past month, much to his constant ire. He balances it out by taking him on cute dinner dates every weekend and rubbing his little feet whenever they get sore. Despite the fact that it's Louis' stupid fault for wearing such poorly made shoes all the time. Vans aren't made to support such fragile things as Louis' feet.But they make my feet look pretty Harold. He always says, in that same defiant tone with that same adorably stroppy look. Your feet always look pretty Lou, Harry will assure him, especially your cute little ankles. He knows it only ever earns him a scornful look and a roll of his boyfriend's pretty blue eyes. It's worth it when Harry kisses him roughly and Louis whimpers needily into his mouth. Always sighing so happily when Harry whispers in his ear, "I love you boo. You’re beautiful every single minute, of every single day to me." The past month has been one of the best of Harry's life. If not, the best. All because of this brat of a boy staring him down right now with baleful eyes. "No, you're right Moo. Sex in the back of car is so.... high school." Louis nuzzles his head down into Moo's, lips curling happily when their kitten nuzzles him back. Adorable. "Too high school, huh?" He quirks an eyebrow. "Was it too high school for you when I threw your legs over my shoulders and fucked you until they shook?" Louis' face is devoid of any emotion but there's concentrated creases all over his forehead and a slight shake to his bottom lip. He's trying way too hard."I think someone in this room thinks way too much of himself, Moo." He sighs, disdainful, then buries his nose in their kitten's fur. "No buddy, it isn't you. You make me far happier than he ever could."Now Harry knows that's bullshit for several reasons. The first being; Harry was there when Louis told his mum exactly how happy Harry makes him. Jay had chuckled and offered Harry a tissue which he gratefully took. He honestly couldn’t help the tears. It was beyond emotional hearing Louis utter the words, "he makes me feel excited to be alive again. I want to live for myself mum, not just them."Harry knows he makes Louis happier than anyone else because even now that Harry’s become the live-in boyfriend, Louis stills seeks him out. He seeks him out in between lectures and after class, dragging Harry off to the nearest quiet room so that they can make out like crazy and get each other off like the horny teenagers they’ve become.He seeks Harry out on the weekends that they spend apart, visiting their families separately for fear of being that couple that can't even survive five minutes without each other. It probably doesn't say much for their stamina that they end up skyping each other throughout and not necessarily for sex either. Sometimes Louis just wants to hear his voice and Harry just wants to see him nursing both of his new baby siblings, one cradled in each arm. Sometimes Harry can't help but pretend the younger twins are theirs. Especially when Louis will hold them up to the camera and repeat Harry’s name over and over, trying to make it their first word. They might only be a few weeks old but Louis’ convinced they’re both tiny geniuses. Louis seeks him out at night when the nightmares come calling, which they usually do. The difference now is that the strategies he employs usually wake him up. It's a good thing, Doctor David tells them both. It means Louis' brain is finally registering the fact that it's just a dream, one that needs to be laid to rest. It may be a little more real than most dreams because it is a real moment in Louis' past but his brain is starting to accept that that's all it is. A memory. So he wakes up now, on his own, struggling into Harry's arms as if Harry isn't desperate to hold him the minute he starts making noises.It's comforting, holding Louis while he cries, watching the fight slowly leave his body. Harry waits for the moment when his heart rate finally slows and his eyelids start to droop. When Louis finally slips under, he lays a kiss on his forehead and covers Louis’ body with his own. It’s miraculous, watching him fall into a deep, peaceful slumber, undisturbed by his demons. It's progress of the best kind. But in those moments of terror, in the midst of that horrific shock Louis must feel upon waking, he still seeks Harry out.It tells Harry that he’s achieving his number one goal. He's making Louis happy. Every day he’s successfully showing the love of his life that good things are possible and that the best kind of changes are usually the ones we never see coming. The best days are the same as the worst ones, they’re the kinds of days we can’t prepare for. Harry’s proving to Louis that the unexpected can be a uniquely challenging and beautiful gift. The people that we fall in love with are the ones we don’t expect to change our lives until they do. Harry prides himself on being one of those."I make you happy." Harry tells him, piercing Louis with the intensity of his look. "I make you, Louis Tomlinson, happy. I make you almost as happy as you make me. Almost but not quite. I am, without a doubt, the luckiest man in this room."Louis' expression flickers with doubt. He wants to give in. There's reticence in his eyes and perhaps even remorse. Yet that stubborn, slightly self-loathing side of him wins out."I don't care." He tells Moo, turning away from Harry's pleading look. "I don't care about stupid boyfriends and their stupid plans to fix me. Don't they know I can't be fixed, Moo?"“I’m not trying to fix you, Louis. You can’t fix something that’s not broken.”“Well what the hell are you trying to do?” Louis’ rage fuelled look cuts him to the quick. “I didn’t ask you to call him. I didn’t ask you to set up a meeting.”“I know.” He makes his way across the room. Crouching down beside Louis, he cups his face and smooths his fingers across Louis’ stubbled jaw. They make a home for themselves in the soft skin behind his ears. “But I wanted to help you. I thought if I could just get you to take the first step, you’d see how much good it could do you.”Louis’ face twitches sideways into his palm. Bathed in the glow of early morning sunlight, his inky black eyelashes share the same golden hue as his caramel toned fringe. It’s a stunning contrast between that and the piercing blue of his eyes. They cut through all that sunshine, standing out against his honeyed skin.“I appreciate you.” Louis says with a steady voice. “I. Appreciate. You.”Harry can tell how hard it is for him. It’s something they’ve been working on the past few weeks, in partnership with Louis’ therapist. Harry’s been trying to coddle Louis less. According to the doctor, it can be stifling. Especially for someone as determined to be independent as Louis. In return, Louis is making an effort to be more understanding of the fact that Harry genuinely does enjoy taking care of him. He does his best to remember that accepting help from Harry doesn’t mean admitting weakness, nor does it make him less of a partner to Harry than Harry is to him.It’s a constant struggle, for the both of them but Harry feels very fortunate to have met someone so fiercely determined to make their own way in the world. He admires Louis for it, even when he doesn’t understand it. He loves him for it even when it drives him up the wall. Louis is a fighter, he’s a scrappy street fighter and Harry does his best just to keep him from the worst of his brawls. To bandage his fists and stitch his wounds. That’s Harry’s job. Damage Control.“I appreciate that you did what you thought what was best for me because you love me.”  Louis offers a tremulous smile. “I love you for that, I do. But Harry I’m not your damsel in distress anymore. I’m doing okay. Even Doctor Dick said so.”Harry rolls his eyes, stroking the hair that sits just behind Louis’ ears. It’s his weak spot, proven by the fact that he mewls quietly, tilting his face even further into Harry’s palm. Like an attention starved kitten. Like Moo, who’s currently crawling all over Louis’ legs trying to find the softest spot for a nap“I really wish you wouldn’t call him that. Doctor David is a lovely man.”“A lovely man?” Louis quirks an eyebrow, lips pursed. “Would you rather be dating him instead?”“Stop it,” He chuckles, catching Louis’ lips in a soft kiss. His tongue darts out briefly, teasing Louis with just the tip. “You’re trying to distract me with ridiculous accusations. How could I ever dream of kissing someone else’s lips when I get to kiss yours?”Louis whines at the slow drag of it. Sliding his fingers into Harry’s hair, he pulls him back into another kiss, deeper this time. He makes use of all his best weaponry too; scratching at Harry’s scalp with his short, sharp fingernails and forcing their lips against each other like there’s secrets to be exchanged between them. Louis’ little shaky breaths do stupid things to Harry’s heart, the feel of him chasing Harry’s tongue back into his mouth has an invigorating effect on his cock.“And now you’re trying to distract me with dirty kisses.” He pants, sinking his nails into Louis’ waist.“Is it working?” Louis breathes, high pitched like a whimper.“I love kissing you.” Harry groans, biting at Louis’ lower lip. “You know how much I love kissing you.”“So we’re good?” Louis checks.His big blue eyes are like two little laser beams permanently locked on Harry’s mouth. His pupils are almost as big as gumballs, dilated as they are. He looks so pretty like this, unfairly so.“No.” Harry huffs a laugh. “We’re not good. We haven’t actually solved anything. Look, I know you don’t strictly need me anymore. You can face this big, bad world on your own. You did it before you me and if anything should ever happen…” Louis’ face tenses up. “I know you’d be just fine without me.”“No.” Louis’ eyebrows crinkle. His mouth tightens into a sad little pucker. “No, I wouldn’t be ‘just fine’ without you, you arse. Don’t say that. Don’t ever--” his voice cracks. “Don’t you ever leave me, Harry Styles.”“I wouldn’t.” Harry pushes his forehead against Louis’, cupping his jaw protectively. “I wouldn’t ever leave you by choice, Lou. But I can’t promise you that we won’t ever be apart. I can’t promise the future. But you would be Louis, you would be just fine. You know how I know that?”“How?” Louis asks, voice small.“Because,” He smiles, stroking along Louis’ cheek. “That’s why you’re fighting me so hard on this. That’s why you won’t let me lead you where you know you need to go. You want to fight for yourself. You don’t want me to fight for you. If anything should ever happen to me, if fate should ever get between us…I know, baby. I know you would be okay. You’re too strong not to be.”“You don’t get it.” Louis shakes his head. Teardrops drip down his golden eyelashes, sliding their way down his cheek to coat the back of Harry’s hand. “I’m not worried about that. I’m not worried about whether or not I could fight this on my own. I’m not worried about missing therapy appointments or curling up in my bed feeling like I want to die because I’m the one they left here. I would go to my therapy appointments, I would get up out of my big comfy bed every day and live like it matters. I would sleep through the night and I would be okay. I’d be ‘just fine’, like you say. But Harry, fuck. If I couldn’t do this---” he presses a bruising kiss to Harry’s lips, inhaling against his cheekbone. “If I couldn’t look into your eyes,” he rasps, holding Harry’s burning gaze. “If I couldn’t hold these big dumb hands.” He laughs wetly, covering the hand on his jaw with his own. “If I couldn’t hear you tell me you love me, every day for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t be ‘just fine’. I wouldn’t be okay. I would want to curl up in my bed and die, not because they left me here but because you did.”“I wouldn’t.” He promises, chest heaving. “I would never give up the way I almost did back then but Harry, you have to understand. I may be a stubborn idiot trying to prove I can do all this without you but I do need you Harry. I do need you here pushing me around all the time, trying to make me do good things for myself. It makes me see red sometimes, I can’t stand it when you tell me how to take care of myself, as if you know things about me that I don’t. But that’s okay. It’s okay because I love you so much and whenever you pull this bullshit, I’m reminded that you feel that way too. You must. I mean, how could anybody be this bloody bothersome if they didn’t love me a stupid amount?”Harry sighs, rubbing his thumb over Louis’ cheek.“I thought we were done with the big dramatic speeches.” He kisses Louis wetly, pouring all of his love into that one clumsy kiss. “I already told you I love you.”“That’s all you have to say?” Louis’ mouth falls open. “I pour my heart out to you like we’re in a proper, embarrassing rom com and that’s all you have to say? That we’ve done this before?”“Shut up.” Harry growls, sealing it with a kiss. “I love you. You’re impossible and I love you. You just took me off guard, is all. I was trying to be a good boyfriend. I was trying to tell you that I get it, you’re self-sufficient now. Then you come back with this crazy adorable speech about how you’d go crazy if you couldn’t kiss my lips and hold my big dumb hands.”“They are big,” Louis pouts. “And dumb. Like you. My big, dumb boyfriend.”Harry goes on as if he hadn’t spoken.“And all I really wanted to tell you is that it’s okay not to need me. It’s okay to fight me when I try to act like you do. But, I still want you to meet the constable. He was there, he held you through the worst moment of your life. He can give you the kind of closure no one else can. I want you to give this a proper go because whether I know what’s best for you or not, you’re right about one thing. I do love you a stupid amount. All my effort goes into making you happy. It’s not about fixing you boo, because even if you were broken, it wouldn’t change the way that I feel. It’s about seeing you smile the way you deserve to. Making you happy makes me happy. As sappy and embarrassing as that is.“Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t Noah building Allie her dream house without her ever asking for it. But you’re not engaged to another man and you haven’t forgotten who I am so I figure I’m still slightly better off. I figure it’s worth building the damn dream house because I know you’ll find your way inside eventually. You’ll find your way back to me.” He squeezes Louis’ cheek, catching another errant tear with his thumb. “I know you won’t make yourself miserable just to spite me. So I’m still going to try and look after you. I’m still going to tell you what’s best. And I’m still going to build you your dream house. You can fight me on it, that’s okay. Just know that when you’re ready to come inside, I’ll be waiting. I’d wait forever just to see you look at me the way you’re looking at me right now.”“Harry.” Louis shakes his head, pressing his shaking hands to Harry’s chest. As if he’s not sure whether he wants to push him away or pull him closer. “You are my dream house.”“I love you.” Harry splays his fingers out across Louis’ cheeks, pulling him into a breathless kiss.“Say it.” Louis smirks, waggling his eyebrows. “Say I’m a bird.”Harry shakes his head, cackling.  “Stop! You’re not actually Allie.”“That’s unfortunate.” Louis pouts, loosely slinging his arms up around Harry’s neck. “What I wouldn’t give to tongue kiss Ryan Gosling in the rain.”“You’re a bird.” Harry kisses him, an obvious attempt at silencing him.He continues to press his lips to Louis’ every single time he tries to reignite his Ryan Gosling fantasy out loud.“We’re not finished, you jealous idiot.” Louis giggles, pushing him away.Harry rolls his eyes, one part frustrated, two parts adoring.“Fine.” He presses his forehead to Louis’, a signature touch between them. Reaching down, he grabs the paper plane that swings between their chests. “Baby. If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.”Louis chuckles. He crawls into Harry’s lap and wraps his little legs around Harry’s waist. Harry runs his hands over his boyfriend’s toned thighs, making note of the way they tighten around him, keeping him trapped. It’s something to save to the wank bank. The wank bank he’s been building in case of an emergency. You know, for those times when Louis’ not around to wrap these killer thighs around his head.“I’ll come meet the constable,” Louis agrees, “but you’ll have to carry me.”He tilts his head, grinding down against Harry’s groin with a wicked smirk. Harry groans, squeezing his hips just to get him to stop.“If you keep doing that, the only place I’ll be carrying you is to bed.”“Mm,” Louis leans forward and nibbles at the edge of his jaw. “Now there’s an idea.”“No.” Harry stands up, Louis still attached. He wobbles only ever so slightly. “We’re going.”Louis presses his teeth to Harry’s pulse point, mouthing over his neck.“You are such a spoilsport.”Harry shuts the door behind him, ignoring the other student’s stares. If Louis wants to be carried from A to B just for today, Harry’s going to do it. So what if it makes people look at him differently? He’s not whipped, he just gets breathless from Louis’ radiant smile. He loves seeing the glimmer of surprise on Louis’ face every single time he agrees to one of his ridiculous requests. It’s like Louis does it just to fuck with him and never actually expects him to say yes.Harry enjoys humouring him because the fact that Louis doesn’t expect to be spoiled makes spoiling him all the more necessary. Not to mention, gratifying. It’s a bit like watching a kid with reading problems try on glasses for the first time. It’s that moment of discovery when they figure out that the only reason they couldn’t read before now is because they couldn’t see any of the words they were supposed to be reading. For the first time, it becomes clear to them that those blurry black shapes they were seeing were letters. Letters that can be distinguished from each other based on detail, rather than estimation.All his life, Louis’ been staring at blurry shapes, wondering what they are, wondering why he’s the only one who can’t seem to make any sense of them. All his life, he’s assumed personal responsibility for the cruel ways other people have treated him. He let it define him because he was the one who couldn’t read. He was the one with the problem. Or so he thought. But now, now Harry has given him glasses and for the first time in his life, Louis can see.He can see the difference between his past relationships and the one he has with Harry now. He can see that being struck by tragedy isn’t something he could have fixed or prevented. It isn’t his problem, it isn’t his fault and it will never be his burden to bear. It’s certainly not an excuse for him to be loved any less than anybody else. He sees that now, or at least Harry thinks he does. On his good days, he sees that. He sees that not everybody learns to read in the same way. Some kids take longer. Some kids need more encouragement. Some kids do need glasses.Louis understands that needing help is not the same thing as failure. Therapy doesn’t exist for people who aren’t capable of surviving on their own. It exists to teach them how to survive on their own and to remind them that they can, with a little help lead a perfectly normal life someday.Going back to therapy has been like getting glasses for Louis. Without it, he might not be able to see. But that’s okay, it’s not an indication of his strength, just as visual impairments are no indication of a person’s weakness. Some of us have 20/20 vision. Some of us never need therapy. It doesn’t make them stronger than the other half. It doesn’t make them perfect. Harry is no more invincible than Louis. He’s just as flawed, just as terrified of losing everything he holds dear.The truth is, Harry would carry Louis around every single day of his life if that’s what his boyfriend needed to see. That’s what you do for the people you love. You take the weight of the world off their shoulders and deliver it straight into their palms. You sacrifice nothing. Not as far as Harry is concerned, because when you love somebody, when you really love somebody, their happiness lives in constant harmony with yours.*-*-* Keith Urban – Somebody Like You The meeting starts off as a wild success. Constable Grimshaw or ‘Nick’, as he invites them to call him, embraces Louis the moment they step foot in the cosy café they agreed to meet at.“It’s so good to see you again.” He smiles, gripping Louis by the shoulders. “You’ve grown up.”Louis chuckles, taking a seat at the table the constable’s picked out. He pulls Harry with him, intertwining their fingers beneath the table.“I s’pose I have. It’s been the longest two years of my life.”The constable’s expression turns grim. He places a hand over Louis’, eyeing him sombrely.“I’m so sorry Louis. I wish I could have saved them.”It must take a mammoth effort for Louis to smile the way he does, turning his fingers over in order to squeeze the constable’s hand more tightly.“You saved me.” He tells him, squeezing Harry’s hand beneath the table. “I owe you my life.”After that, Harry volunteers to get some drinks. Tea for louis, a double shot espresso for the constable and a smoothie for himself. In addition to that he orders a slice of chocolate cake for Louis, knowing he’s liable to forget such basic needs as hunger when his emotions overcome him. It’s the reason they have a snack drawer in their dorm now. For Therapy Days or days when the sting of Louis’ past is a bit too much for him to take.He’s coping as well as Harry would have hoped but there are still days when he reminds Harry of a wilted flower and moments when the pain in his eyes seems so vast, Harry can’t even begin to cross the distance between them. He refuses to give in though, refuses to throw his hands up in the air and declare Louis a lost cause. Louis is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to him and if all that’s required of him is to be here when Louis’ most scared. If all that’s needed of him is to hold Louis’ hand beneath the table and keep his blood sugar up, Harry can handle that. He can handle being the supportive boyfriend. The faithful sidekick. Louis is the hero here, not Harry. He’s the hero of both their stories.For the time being, Harry is content to sit by his side and watch him converse with the constable, slowly picking at the chocolate cake Harry bought for him.  He’s content because Louis never lets go of his hand. Nor did he fight it when Harry slid the cake in front of him, along with his tea. Things are so steady between them because they don’t have to ascertain who needs who more. They both need each other, Harry’s confident of that. It’s the greatest joy in his life, needing someone like Louis and watching him fight like hell not to need Harry back. It’s okay that Louis’ slightly stubborn at the best of times and infuriatingly headstrong at the worst. Because at the end of the day, he does need Harry, he can’t deny it. He’s finally accepted that it’s okay to need. It’s okay to want. It’s okay, because Harry will never let him down. He will never fall out of love with his beautiful, brave boy.“So. Louis.” Nick cups his mug in both hands, smiling directly into Louis’ eyes. “You said you were studying music”.“And working a couple of days a week at the campus centre.” Louis adds, smiling proudly.It was an idea raised by Doctor David in one of their weekly therapy sessions. He suggested that Louis might benefit from spending a few days a week in a part time job. Louis hadn’t worked since the shooting and Doctor David thought it would be good for him to get back into the workforce. He said it might lesson the effect of Louis’ PTSD, giving him some more confidence in his everyday life and hopefully eventually helping to reduce his nightmares.So far, it’s done Louis wonders. The first day was a big hurdle for them both. In fact Harry’s pretty sure it was just as hard for him to leave Louis there as it was for Louis to be left there on his own. Harry kept picturing him as an eighteen year old boy, dressed in some embarrassing, ill-fitting uniform, standing at those shelves with his back turned, unprepared for what was to come.Every single time the image came to mind, Harry had to fight the urge to walk right back in to the campus centre and spirit Louis away. He was equally tempted to send him a text every ten minutes, asking if he was okay. Thankfully Harry resisted and Louis made friends with a buxom blonde course advisor named Perrie. Harry couldn’t be more grateful to her and continues to ply her with baked goods every time he sees her. She’s a saint really, having taken Louis under her wing the moment he got there. Harry couldn’t be more pleased and Louis couldn’t be any prouder of himself.Nick chuckles, rubbing his thumb over Louis’ hand. The one he’s been holding for the past twenty minutes.“But what else do you do with yourself? Are you single?”Louis splutters, hand twitching very noticeably inside the constable’s grip. Harry freezes with his hand in the air, trying not to crush the cup that’s more than halfway to his lips.“Excuse me but are you trying to pick him up?”  He quietly demands, wrapping his arm around Louis’ shoulders and gently but firmly pulling him into his side.The constable’s eyes flicker Harry’s way, a frown settling between his eyebrows. He’s pretty much ignored Harry up until this point. Not that Harry minded, of course. In fact he was happy to see the constable paying such close attention to his boyfriend. Particularly when said boyfriend was so nervous to see him again after everything that’s happened. Harry realises now that this unwavering focus wasn’t an honourable attempt at making Louis feel as comfortable as possible. The constable seems to have far less innocent intentions.“Harry, isn’t it?”“Yes.” He grits his teeth. “You remember, we spoke on the phone? “I’m Louis’ boyfriend.”“Oh.” The constable’s eyes flash with surprise. He redirects his gaze to a blushing Louis. “Is he really?”“Yes.” Louis’ eyes find Harry’s, holding them powerfully. “We’re together.”I love you. Harry mouths and Louis buries a crinkly smile in the curve of his shoulder.“Apart from the fact that you’re in a position of power.” Harry commands Nick’s attention, nodding his head at the firmly pressed uniform. “You’re also probably ten years his senior. Don’t you think it might be a bit inappropriate?”“I’m…sorry.” Nick bows his head. “Really, Harry. I’m sorry for flirting with Louis.”Funnily enough, the expression on his face is quite sincerely remorseful. Louis winks at Harry, then turns and raises a cynical eyebrow at Nick.“Really? That was flirting.” He teases. “You checked me out once, constable. That was not flirting.”“He checked you out?” Harry frowns, stroking his thumb over Louis’ bare shoulder, exposed by the sharp cut of his top.He probably shouldn’t be so surprised that other men are looking at his boyfriend. Louis looks positively gorgeous today.“Stop.” He chuckles, pushing Harry’s pouting face away. “The jealousy isn’t cute.”“No,” Harry laughs. “But you are.”He nuzzles Louis’ neck, forgetting the prying eyes around them. Laying kisses on the sensitive arch of his boy’s neck, he thrills to the sound of Louis’ effeminate giggle. So much brighter and bubblier than he’d ever be willing to admit.“Stop.” He begs, nosing his way under Harry’s face just to capture his mouth in a kiss. “Babe, you’re embarrassing me.” He whines, even though the corners of his lips are tilted up as Harry presses a wet kiss to the tip of his nose.“The two of you are perfect together.” Nick announces from across them, beaming widely.The both of them share a confused look.“You’re done checking him out?” Harry glares.Louis elbows him, shaking his head. “Stop. He said he was sorry.”“And I am.” The constable assures them, folding his hands into a prayer position. “Truly. It’s just so good to see you again, Louis. That day was truly awful. What happened to you, what happened to your friends, it was horrific. And I honestly thought you were going to bleed out in my arms. I didn’t think I could stop it. I never expected you to grow into this gorgeous, ambitious person. I think perhaps my affection is misplaced.”“I always see your face in my head.” Louis admits, squeezing Harry’s thigh. “You used to be my hero. You used to be the only person I could ever imagine would be capable of protecting me. You were my one remaining link to my friends, my one remaining link to that memory that defined me for two whole years.”“And now?”“Now,” he presses his thumb into Harry’s inseam, “I don’t need a hero to save my life. I don’t need a link to that memory because it no longer defines me. I choose to live every single day, I stem my own bleeding. And that memory? It lives inside me. It doesn’t hold the same power over me anymore. It’s not sequestered away in some dark corner of my mind. Not like it used to be. It’s in here.” He beats his fist against his chest, eyes shining brightly. “It lives in here. I used to see your face in my head all the time. I think, because it reminded me of why I survived. I didn’t just survive because I ran and hid from the shooters, I survived because you fought for me to live. But now, now it’s not your face I see. When I’m in doubt, when I forget why I should bother to live with this hurt, I see Harry’s face instead. Because it reminds me that there will always be someone fighting for me. Only he's not just fighting for my survival, he’s fighting for my happiness too. He’s fighting for a chance to love me every single day for as long as we both shall live. He’s fighting for forever. With me. The boy who hid.”Harry picks up his hand, pressing his lips to Louis’ shaking fingertips.“You’re not just the boy who hid.” He shakes his head, bursting with pride. “You’re the boy who survived, in spite of the odds. I don’t care how ridiculous it is Louis, I’m pretty sure you’re the love of my whole damn life. I’ll never meet anyone like you, I’ll never meet anyone who makes it feel painful not to hold them every minute of every day. I’ll never meet anyone who saw the end of the world and rose from the ashes anyway. My very own little phoenix bird.”“Jesus.” Nick rests an elbow on the table, dropping his chin down into his palm. “You two are like some kind of storybook couple, you know that?”Louis grins, pulling Harry into another (surprisingly dirty) kiss.Later, he whispers in Harry’s ear, biting down on his own lip when he pulls away.“Yes, we know.” He drags Harry’s arm back around his shoulders, burrowing into his side. “It kind of makes me sick how happy I am right now.”“Kudos mate.” Nick smiles, tiling his head at Harry. “Keep him smiling, will you?”“I will.” Harry vows. Squeezing Louis’ hip, he stares the constable down. “You kept him alive. And for that, I will never be able to thank you enough. You may not be the hero in Louis’ story anymore but you are the hero in mine. You’re the reason I get to hold him in my arms every single night and make him sickeningly happy every single day. You are a hero, constable. But I’ve got it from here, I promise. I promise you now that what you did that day will never be in vain. I’m going to make him sickeningly happy for as long as he lets me, I’m going to give him the fairytale.”“You.” Nick eyes him seriously. “You, Harry. You’re the fairytale.”“I’m—“ Harry shakes his head.“You are.” Louis interrupts, gripping his jaw, tracing his other hand through Harry’s curls. “You came into my life and swept me off my feet, Harry Styles. You swept me off my feet before I could even tell you no. You knew what I needed before I knew I needed it. And what I needed, what I still need, is for somebody to be there for me when the darkness closes in. I bit the poison apple Harry, I bit it right down to its core and it turned me sour. I fell, I drowned in the darkness. For all intents and purpose, I was in a deep coma, never to be woken again. Until you, Harry. Until I met you. You awakened me, you made it your business to flood the darkest parts of my soul with light. You taught me to fight dragons, Harry and I’ll keep fighting them every day just to be with you.”Harry’s eyes burn with happy tears. He tenderly cups Louis’ face, eyes roving over him slowly. With Louis’ hand still gripping his jaw tight, he pours all of his love into a kiss.“Tell me that you’re not always like this.” The constable rolls his eyes. “This is just not natural.”“Well…” Louis wipes at Harry’s tear-filled eyes. “We kind of are.”*-*-*The constable leaves with a hug from Louis and a begrudging handshake from Harry. Louis turns to him after Nick’s gone and smacks him across the arm.“Ow,” he cries out, eyes wide with alarm. “Baby, what was that for?!”“For acting like a jealous prat.” Louis glares at him.“He was coming onto you.” He pouts. “I wasn’t sure if maybe you had a thing for men in uniform.”Louis throws his head back, laughing.“And so what if I did? What if I have a thing for men in uniform?”“Well…” Harry grins. He grips Louis’ waist tight, nudging their noses together softly. “You ever light a fire in our dorm, you call Liam, okay? He wanted to be a firefighter when he was younger.”“You. You’re an idiot.” Louis giggles, pressing their lips together firmly. “I should never have fallen in love with you.”“That’s too bad.” Harry sucks at Louis’ bottom lip. “Now you’re stuck with me forever.”“That is too bad.” He agrees, tilting his head up to meet Harry’s gaze. “I might just have to grow old with you.”“Shame.” Harry’s eyes start to drift closed. He pours his heart and soul into every single touch of their lips, massaging Louis’ tongue with his own. “You must be devastated.”“You know what.” Louis pulls away, breathing heavily. The corners of his crinkly eyes look like roadmaps to happy memories.“What?” Harry sighs, pushing him up against the car, letting his hands roam freely now that they’re slightly hidden away.Louis’ eyelashes flutter. He whimpers every single time Harry’s fingers drift up the inside of his shirt, smoothing over his sides. “I’m not that devastated after all.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Harry wakes at ten to two in the morning, he knows instantly his boy has had a bad dream. There are no worrying sounds to accompany the knowing feeling in his chest but sure enough, after a few beats of silence, he hears the unmistakable pitter patter of tiny feet. It’s quickly followed by the sound of their door creaking open and the distinct sound of a five year old's anguished cries.The nightlight shines through from the hallway beyond, partly illuminating the room and Harry watches with amusement as Alec climbs up onto their bed with haste. He’s wearing the gorgeous teddy bear onesie Louis bought for him just this past week and looks like an actual teddy bear come to life."It was 50% off!" Louis had said when Harry questioned him, more than a little concerned about the spending.Louis' eyes were as wide as little Alec's who stood there beside his father, handsome little curls trickling out the sides of his furry hood."Oh really?" Harry had raised his eyebrows, nose twitching with the kind of fondness only his boys could inspire. "Soooo it had nothing to do with our son having you wrapped right round his little finger?""Papa." Alec had tugged on Harry's trouser leg, his face the picture of woeful sorrow.Harry was beside himself. The boy is just five. Yet, he's almost as good at getting what he wants from Harry as his cheeky father."Yes, Alec?" Harry ran a hand over his furry little hood. "Do you have something you'd like to say?"His son nodded, lifting up two hands that were also clad in dark brown fur. It was categorically unfair how someone so lethal in persuasion could be so cute at the same time.Alec is an impressively well-spoken five year old, having well reaped the benefits of having an award winning songwriter for a father and an academically acclaimed history professor for another. In short, he doesn’t really need any help to persuade Harry, or any other adult for that matter. And yet, (though Harry is admittedly quite biased) their son is perhaps in the cutest five-year old in the entire country. With his springy dark curls and darling blue eyes, he’s absolutely gorgeous, the perfect mix of them both, without them ever intending it to be so.Fortunately for them, they'd gotten massively lucky with their surrogate. So while Louis had been the one to biologically father Alec, Harry had felt just as involved and in a rare show of fate, equally represented. It was a dream come true for the two of them, particularly because they had been newlyweds at the time, eager for parenthood but still rather certain that it wouldn’t happen for quite some time.They'd figured they'd have to wait at least a year before finding someone willing to help give them a child, let alone someone who was entirely committed to giving them a whole family. Apparently, luck had been on their side and it feels like it still is, each and every day. While juggling their various commitments ought to have been arduous, especially with a child thrown in to the mix, they both find it equally rewarding and remain ever so in love with the family they’ve just started to build.Harry is never sure who loves Alec more, Louis; the one who sobbed openly when their baby was born, or himself; who honestly couldn’t think of anything more precious than their son. It ceases to matter, really because it means Alec is the most well-loved little boy in all of England. And he is, without a doubt, adored.  Having the two most loving grandmothers in all of the UK, determined to spoil him and three crazy uncles to laugh at makes Alec something of a little prince.  Still, funnily enough, it was always ever so obvious to Harry who Alec's favourite was. The fact that it was Louis and not himself, did not bother him in the slightest."He didn't mean to buy it for me, papa." Alec had eagerly defended. "He walked away from the shop and everything! But I was sad and daddy said I deserved a treat.""Besides love," Louis curled a hand around Harry’s bicep, smiling up at him winningly. He was irritatingly beautiful at the best of times but Harry’s husband looked positively decadent in dark aviators and tight, painted on jeans. "Money is hardly an issue for us right now. What with Kesha signing me on to help with her new album.""That is so not the point." Harry huffed, turning to regard his little bear of a son. "And Alec, while I appreciate your father's efforts, he needs to learn to show a little bit more restraint. We have the future to think about.""Daddy." Alec wrapped his whole body around Louis' leg, ignoring Harry and growling into his father's well-loved jeans. "I'm a bear boy. Tell papa I'm a bear boy!"Louis hoisted their little bear boy up into his arms, growling back at Alec cutely. It made their son giggle as Louis settled him on his hip."Why don't you tell him yourself, love?" He prompted, tickling Alec's rosy cheek. "I think papa was speaking to you darling, not me.""Papa." Alec turned on the shyness, hiding his face in Louis' arm.Harry huffed a laugh, exchanging a fond look with Louis who smacked a kiss to Alec's cheek."Yes Alec?" Harry played along, reaching across to tug at his son's feet, earning himself a precious little giggle."I'M A BEAR BOY!" Their son roared, kicking all his limbs out and almost smashing poor Louis in the face."Okay bear boy, time to get down." Louis gently set their son back down on the ground, ruffling his hair. "...before you knock me out with those furious fists of yours.""Furious fists!" Alec echoed back, making "whoosh" noises as he pummelled his fists through the air."Indeed, they are." Louis agreed. "Now can my big bear boy please take off his costume and go wash up for dinner please?""But Daaaaaaddy." Alec whined, stomping his little feet. "I'm a bear boy! Uncky Ni would let me keep it on.”Harry had rolled his eyes. He should have known Uncle Niall was to blame."Alec." Harry reprimanded him. "Listen to your father, please. Your Uncky Ni is only in charge when we’re not here and let me tell you, your father and I will be having a serious talk with him about what goes on when we’re not. Now, you can put the costume straight back on after dinner but you need to take it off for now.""Okay." He agreed with a pout. "Sorry papa."He sulked all the way to his bedroom, earning a joint chuckle from his parents. While he was gone, Louis took the opportunity to try to apologise for the spontaneous purchase but Harry shut him up with a powerful kiss and a quick squeeze of his arse."Mm." Louis rubbed their noses together, smiling. "What was that for, love?""We have an adorable bear boy for a son." Harry chuckled, swallowing Louis' laughter up with a kiss. "And I have a magnificent husband who happens to be an incredible father too. I love you, Louis Tomlinson-Styles.""And I, you." Louis tenderly cupped his cheek. "Think we can bring out the 'bear boy' stories at his twenty first?"Harry laughed until he cried. At which point Louis had to comfort him because he was genuinely devastated by the thought of their baby ever growing up.*-*-*Harry chuckles quietly to himself as their little bear boy crawls across the bed towards Louis. Any other person would have woken by now. Their son’s about as stealthy as a drunken elephant. Yet true to form, their little ray of sunshine sleeps on.Alec should probably know by now that his father sleeps like the dead. He has done for quite some time. That isn't to say he doesn't have night terrors anymore, or that he never goes quiet and still just thinking about his memory of that day.PTSD is not the kind of condition you recover from easily, or quickly for that matter. In fact, Harry suspects that most people never fully recover at all. Harry thinks Louis will be among them and that’s okay, because the control Louis has now, compared to the control he had then is remarkable.The bad dreams aren't exactly a thing of the past, not yet but they no longer mean a restless nights' sleep for them both. Nor do they have any true bearing on Louis’ life. If anything, the effect has been positive.  Louis is fearless in a way he never could have been before and Harry has never been so immensely proud of anyone in his life, nor more in love.It was on the five-year anniversary of the shooting that Harry proposed, knowing that for Louis it meant the world to have finally reached a place of happiness in his life. Perhaps almost as much as it meant to have survived five years with PTSD, five years spent building himself back up when once upon a time, he'd not believed he’d last even one.Harry had taken him to a woodland retreat, far away from the regular hustle and bustle of their everyday lives and perfect for what he had in mind. On their last night there, with the sunset screaming across the sky above, he'd got down on one knee and proposed, expensive diamond ring and all.Louis wept, completely overwhelmed, as if the last vestige of self-loathing had fled his body with a gasp. He'd trembled from head to toe as he promised to love Harry for the rest of his life, if only he could promise the same. Harry couldn't think of a better exchange and they spent the rest of that weekend split between the bedroom and the outdoors, dreaming up ideas for their upcoming wedding. It would turn out to be a spectacular event, one Harry’s certain he’ll remember for the rest of his life.There’s simply no way he could ever forget the moment Louis appeared from behind a set of aged oak trees, a makeshift aisle laid down across the grass between them. The sun lit the stage for a magical ceremony. It had just begun to set beyond Louis’ head as he made his way down the aisle towards Harry.It lit the crystallised tears in his eyes which shone just as brightly as the day Harry met him, a stunning cobalt blue to match the delicate cornflower pinned to his lapel. The warmth of the sky tinted his caramel skin pink and made the evening doubly special for them both. For them, it would remain a constant reminder of the night Harry proposed. Louis wore a black, glittery tux with a silver vest hiding just underneath. He looked gorgeous with a soft, delicate fringe and a suit as tight as his curvy body would allow. Truly ravishing he was and by god, did Harry want to ravish him the moment he came into view. He wanted to sweep Louis up into his arms, bridal style (ha!) and ravish him right there in the woods.  Instead, he’d been forced to wait for what felt like an age as Louis slowly made his way up the aisle towards him, Jay holding onto one arm while Anne gently curled herself around the other. Together, their mothers gave him away, with tearful smiles gracing their faces and a kiss for each of their boys. Still, the tears in their eyes were half as many as the one’s in Harry’s. He quietly embraced his husband-to-be. Bowing their heads together, he held on to Louis for dear life as their celebrant’s speech commenced.“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Harry later added to his vows, eyes glued to Louis’ face.His lungs were almost crushed by the weight of emotion. As a feeling of complete and utter devotion took over, he gave each of the boys a look; a confirmation of what they’d always known.“I will never know something as inexhaustibly magical as you.”*-*-* "Daddy! Daddy, wake up!"Alec is crying, wailing actually, which completely breaks Harry's heart. He's never heard his son in such a state of distress. Aside from that awful day a year ago when Louis’ car broke down and he couldn’t get reception. Harry didn’t know if something had happened to him or not. He hadn’t mentioned anything to Alec, despite feeling like the whole world had tilted on its axis and was about to fall off.He’d held back panicked breaths and worried tears as Alec sat by the door, waiting for his daddy, crying and begging Harry to tell him when his father was coming home. Harry tried to console him but he couldn’t tell Alec when or even if his father was coming home, because truthfully, he didn’t know. The two hours they waited for Louis to return home were easily the worst, most agonising two hours of his life to date. Louis finally walked through the door at 8pm to find Alec inconsolable and Harry just having given in to his tears. He immediately went as pale as a ghost.“What’s wrong?” He’d bent down to inspect Alec, looking for any signs of injury. “Baby, what’s happened?”“We didn’t know where you were.” Harry answered for him. “Lou, you were supposed to be home five hours ago.”“You didn’t get my message?” Louis looked shell shocked, bouncing Alec on his hip as he advanced on Harry, reaching out to cup his face. “Haz, I’m fine. My car broke down and I didn’t have reception but I thought at least one of my messages must have gotten through.”“Nope.” Harry gasped, a sob breaking through. He embraced both his boys together, desperately pressing his mouth against Louis’. “I thought something had happened to you and they couldn’t find an ID. I called all the hospitals in the area.”“I’m sorry.” Louis bowed their heads together, shaping a hand around Alec’s cheek. “I’m so sorry, loves. I’m okay. It’s going to be okay.”They stood like that for at least ten minutes, the need to be close to each other much stronger than any inclination to move.For Harry, it only reaffirmed what he always knew, even as a child; that if ever found a home among people, he’d never want to leave home again.*-*-*"Darling, c'mere." Harry wraps his arms around Alec's middle and pulls the boy into his lap. "Sweetheart, daddy's asleep. We shouldn't wake him if we can help it."Harry isn't ashamed to admit that watching Louis sleep through the night is still one of the biggest joys in his life. It formed part of his vows at the wedding, a surprise for Louis, whose eyes had welled up at the mention, a tremulous smile touching his lips.Harry remembers the exact words he used. I promise to love you when it's easy, when you sleep like an angel, weightless in my arms. I promise to love you when it's impossible, when I cannot seem to carry the weight of the world on your mind. I promise you that your restless heart will be my restless heart, from this day forward, for forever and beyond. Louis. I promise you. I will not rest my head if you cannot rest yours. "I had another n…nightmare." Alec whimpers, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck, snuffling into his chest. "It was h...horrible, papa.""Oh baby." Harry kisses his son's soft curls, holding him tight. As tight as he ever dared hold Louis when the worst of his episodes was upon him. "My poor, poor baby."He just wishes he could protect Alec from this. From this merciless torment and heart wrenching fear. Louis has often expressed concerns that he somehow passed on a genetic predilection to Alec. But Harry is always quick to remind him that he couldn't have inherited a disorder caused by trauma. Besides, a certain percentage of nightmares are normal in a child Alec's age.The thing is, Alec is not one to accept that he cannot know something just because he is a child and Harry and Louis have never sought to challenge this. It made sense to them, after all they'd been through. There were so many things they would not be able to protect Alec from, whether they kept their knowledge from him or not. So, as a rule, they tried not to. However, while knowing more about the world means that Alec might be better equipped to face any unexpected challenges, it also means that he’s completely aware of how many things there are to be afraid of in this world. Very real things, things that he might just be forced to face one day."Can we p-pwease wake Daddy?" Alec rubs at his eyes, looking to his father with a wobbly chin. "He knows, papa. He knows the nightmares."Harry knows it has to be bad if Alec can't even pronounce his words properly. The droopy lip and wobbly chin are no act. He also knows that Alec saying Louis "knows the nightmares" is his way of saying Louis understands them. Better than Harry, anyway. Which he does, undoubtedly."Okay." Harry caves quickly. He usually does in his scenario, silently willing his husband to make Alec laugh again, the way only Louis knows how. "But let me wake him up. Okay, little love?""Okay papa." His son hugs him close, squeezing his neck tight. "Thank you."Harry would be forgiven for thinking his son's trying to strangle him to death but he knows by now that Alec only hugs him this way when he's feeling particularly attached. It takes Harry's breath away every time and reminds him just how much he loves his little boy, prepared to do almost anything to see him smile.He picks Alec up and plonks him down between the two of them, quietly reaching over to shake Louis' bare shoulder. If not for Alec beside him, Harry might have been distracted by the teeth marks on Louis’ sun kissed skin, the ones he left there a few hours ago while he was fucking Louis into the mattress, the headboard smacking against the wall. This child is such a cockblock, Harry sometimes thinks to himself but in all honesty, he wouldn't have it any other way. He knows Louis feels the exact same too.That said, they've still managed to maintain a shockingly intense sex life given that Alec has only just started school. Harry figured it would burn out some, after so many years spent together but they've always been so passionate with each other and they still are. His lust for Louis is very much alive and kicking, although not of course in this moment."Lou...baby." Harry reaches down beneath the blankets, squeezing his hip, before trailing his hand back up to his shoulder. "Wake up."Nothing. All these years together and Harry still can't manage to wake him."Papa?" Alec turns to him, his little legs tucked beneath the covers, his darling little paws perched on top."Yes, love?""May I try...please?" He begs, his beautiful blue eyes threatening more tears."Okay love." He kisses Alec's forehead. "Just be gentle."Alec reaches out ever so slowly. As if he's scared the movement of the air particles around them might startle Louis. It would be hilarious if it weren't so painfully adorable."Daddy." He gently cups his father's cheek.His little hand is only a quarter of the size of Louis' cheek, which is saying something, given Louis' minute features."It's me, Alec. Please wake up."Much to Harry's disgruntlement, Louis' eyes immediately crinkle and then open. They settle somewhat alertly on Alec, as if only their son is granted the permission to wake him at such an ungodly hour. Never Harry. That said, Harry's never been so fond of two people in his entire life. He watches as Louis reaches out and draws Alec into his arms, enclosing his naked chest around him."Why, what have we here? A Mr Alexander Tomlinson-Styles, I presume?"Alec giggles, instantly charmed."Daddy," he chides, grabbing Louis' stubbled jaw with both hands. "My name is Alec! Not Alexaaaander."He drags out the vowel sound like a very realistic depiction of an upper-class brit."I named you, didn't I? I think I would know." Louis grins, gaze flitting over Harry, a smile in his eyes."Besides, Alexaaaaander..." Their son huffs in a forceful show of attitude, a smile working its way around the corners of his mouth. "Only grown up boys get called by their nicknames. You're not grown up yet, love. You're still our little baby.""Am not." Alec pouts, looking to Harry for corroboration. "Tell him papa.""You heard him, Lou." He grins at Alec, winking cheekily. "Our baby is all grown up!""In that case....Alec, I guess you don't need bedtime cuddles with your poor old father anymore." Louis sighs, put upon and proceeds to lift Alec off his lap, moving to put him back onto the floor.“Wait! Daddy." Alec wraps his arms around Louis' waist, nestling in tight. Louis throws Harry a smug look and hoists Alec back up into his lap. "Can I have some bedtime cuddles?""What's the magic word, love?" Harry reminds him. "Daddy's not going to cuddle you unless you say it.""Pleeeease." Their son smiles up at them both, a tooth missing from the very centre of his mouth. "Daddy, I had a bad dream again.""Oh darling, I'm sorry." Louis presses his lips to Alec's forehead, leaning back to inspect his expression. "What can papa and I do?""Can I sleep here?" He asks in a small voice. "With you?""Of course you can, sweetheart." Louis readily agrees, Harry nodding along. "It's okay, we all get scared sometimes, baby. It's okay to need a cuddle with your dad's every now and then.""Did you cuddle with your dad's when you had nightmares?" Alec asks, burrowing into the space between his dad's.They're still working on teaching him family logistics. He doesn't seem to understand that just because he has two dads, it doesn't mean everybody else does. He gets particularly confused when they try to explain that they both have a mum and a dad, just like most of the kids at school."No, sweetheart. I have a mum and a dad, remember?" Louis taps his nose, leaning down to brush their noses together in a funny little Eskimo kiss. It earns a cheesy grin from Alec. "Plus, I didn't have nightmares when I was young like you. I had them when I was a lot older.""Why?" Alec's face twists confusedly and Louis' whole body tenses up.It pains Harry to have to watch him navigate this minefield, always cautious not to reveal too much too soon. Alec needs to hear it all one day. He needs to know how brave his father is, how brave he's had to become. Or at least, that's how Harry sees it. However, they both agreed to wait until he can fully comprehend the idea of trauma. They’re mindful of the fact that Alec's dealing with his own share of nightmares right now. He doesn't need to have any more. Particularly when those nightmares could consist of watching his father die, a burden no child should have to shoulder before their time."Because love," Louis swallows thickly. "I went through something really horrible. Something that scared me more than anything else ever had before.""What was it?" Alec asks, awestruck. "Was papa there?""It was...an accident." Louis says awkwardly, trading worried looks with Harry. "Your father wasn't there. I hadn't met him yet.""An accident?" This seems to puzzle him further. "Like when Charlie's dad got all smashed up in his car?"Both parents wince, remembering just how awful it had been to see one of Alec's friends from school almost lose a parent."Yes." Harry chimes in, squeezing Alec's hand. "Just like that."Not exactly like that but Alec isn't mature enough to know the specifics. Not even close."Oh." Their son seems crestfallen. "Did the car smash you up really bad daddy?" He lifts Louis' arm, inspecting both sides. "Are you okay?"Harry's heart melts when he watches his son's face take the shape of concern. Alec is always looking out for Louis, even in the smallest of ways. He seems to realise his father needs it, that without two of them, Louis might be liable to forget such things. Harry doesn't know what he'd do if anything ever happened to Louis. He's Alec's number one hero and the love of Harry's life. The two of them would be lost without their Donny solider, that's for sure."Oh love, I'm okay!" Louis coos, pressing numerous kisses to Alec's hair. "It was a long time ago now. It still hurts sometimes but I hardly ever have bad dreams anymore.""Last time we talked, you said you did!" Alec raises his voice, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest in a rare show of grumpiness. "You said I was just like you.""You are!" Louis reassures him. "You're my baby, Alexander. You're exactly like me. And papa too. You get all your best bits from papa."At this point, they've explained to Alec that while Louis is the one who had a baby with his mother, Harry is just as much his father. He's the man Louis chose to be with and the only one he could ever see himself having a family with."I got your curly hair, papa." Alec snuggles into Harry's side, laying a hand on his stomach. "Even though it's from mummy.""That's right baby." Harry grins at him. "You are one smart boy! Aren't you?"Alec nods, pushing his head into Harry's side so that Harry will pet his hair. Louis giggles at them both, rolling his eyes at Harry. It's not the first time he's seen their son ask for this, having watched Louis do it for Harry a thousand times before."I do have nightmares." Louis admits, expression neutral. "But I don't have them as much as I used to and I don't worry about them anymore. Your father is here every single time I have a bad dream. He's here whenever I need a cuddle or a kiss.""Eww." Alec screws up his face. "Kissing!"They both share a chuckle, gently touching their lips together. Alec giggles through his squawk of protest. He's been a lot more tolerant of their affection since a couple of his friends' parents got divorced this past year. One day he'd come home from school and asked them about it straight out, a little frown of concentration on his face."What's a divorce?""Something your father and I are never getting." Harry had joked, gently swatting Louis' behind, the counter hiding it from Alec's view."Don't promise him that." Louis had hissed back. "Alec, darling...don't listen to your father. He's far too confident for his own good.""I'm confident in us." Harry had said softly, brushing his lips across Louis' cheek. "The dream team."Louis had softened at that, turning his body into Harry’s and kissing him soundly. Alec was busy staring at his shoes so Harry copped another quick feel of his husband’s butt. Louis all but giggled as he pulled away."Okay love, let's have a talk." He'd announced, leading Alec over to the lounge.Harry had watched in wonder as Louis found the best, least traumatic way to explain family separation to a five-year-old, even going so far as to explain how it felt for him when he went through it. When he was done, Alec begged to visit the safe house Louis had set up all those years ago, for children of divorce and family separation (CODAFS). Yet from then on, he seemed ecstatic every single time his parents so much as held hands."Daddy. Papa." He addresses them now."Yes love?""Will I have someone like papa to cuddle me when I'm scared?""Of course you will." Louis' eyes crinkle fondly, a breathtaking smile lighting up his entire face. "You're going to meet someone someday, a special boy or girl--""Not a girl!" Alec interrupts, stormy faced. "Charlie says girls have cooties.""Well Charlie's just being silly." Harry tells him, tugging on his foot. "Are you a silly boy, Alexander?""No, papa." He pouts. "I'm a smart boy."Louis winks at Harry."That you are, darling. You get all your smarts from me."Harry rolls his eyes, a bemused smile gracing his lips.“Alexander, your father is a smart alec. That's very different from being smart."Louis scoffs, disbelieving, the gentle light of humour filling his eye."A smart...Alec?" Their son's eyebrows fold together. "Daddy is a smart me? Papa, that doesn't make any sense, you silly boy!"It's said with complete faith in his own English smarts, which has both fathers instantly reduced to tears of laughter."Yes I am, Alec." Harry says through his tears. "I'm a very silly boy."The boy nods, as though Harry's confirmation settles it once and for all, then turns back to Louis, his favourite."You were saying Daddy?""I was saying..." Louis spares him a smile. "You will meet someone someday, boy or girl, who will share your bed like papa shares mine and when you're scared or lonely, whenever you miss your daft old dads, that special person, whoever they may be, will be there to comfort you. They’ll cuddle you when we're not there.""You won't be there?" Alec looks heartbroken at the thought, never truly having considered it. "We won't live together forever?""No, sweetheart." Harry tells him, a touch of sadness misting his eyes. "We won't. But just think, when you don't live with us anymore, you don't have to go to bed when we tell you. Or eat your vegetables. Or take off your bear pyjamas before eating! Of course, we hope you will." Louis chuckles. Damage done, he mouths at Harry. "But we won't be able to make you anymore.""I can wear bear pyjamas all day?!" Alec says, bouncing on the bed, his excited blue eyes flicking between his father's faces as if waiting for one of them to rebuke the claim."Yes." Louis sighs, defeated. "But your father is going to regret saying that when you're 25 years old and still unemployed.”Alec doesn't understand that. He looks between them, frowning."What is an ‘unemployed?’ I don't want to be an unemployed, papa.”"You won't be." Harry assures him, shaking his head at Louis' antics, a lilting smile touching his lips. "Daddy's just teasing.""Daddy." Alec whines, clearly put out. "Don't tease me."Louis laughs boisterously and closes his arms around Alec's waist."Sorry baby.""'M not a baby!"Harry and Louis chuckle at the thought. He is their baby and he’ll stay that way, at least for a little while."Now tell me love, how do you feel about the nightmares? Do you feel a bit better?" Louis asks their son, squeezing his sides. "You won't have them forever, I promise. Even if you do, there will always be someone there to help you. All you have to do is ask."Harry and Louis share a look, silently reaffirming that it was quite different for them. The truth is, Louis never had to ask."Really?" Alec looks hopeful. "They won't say no?""They might." Louis says truthfully. "But that just means they aren't the right person to help you. It doesn't mean you shouldn't ask.""Okay." Alec sits there, thinking for a minute. "Daddy?""Yes love?""What if--what if I find someone who I like to cuddle more than you and papa? Will you be mad?""No, love." Louis is positively beaming now, affection bursting forth from his smile. "We'll be okay."“Yeah." Alec agrees, looking to Harry. "Hey papa?""Yes, Alec?""When I don't live with you guys anymore, you can kiss daddy as much as you want."Harry roars with laughter, watching Louis do the same. Alec frowns at them both, confused."Why thank you Alexander." He says with a chuckle "That's very kind of you.""You're welcome." Alec tells him. "Okay daddy, papa...I'm going back to bed now.""You are, are you?" Louis raises his eyebrows. "You're not scared anymore? Darling, you never did tell us, what was the nightmare about?""Oh." He shrugs. "It was a giant block of cheese chasing me down our street."They both struggle to keep a straight face."Because you're lactose intolerant?" Louis clarifies, lips trembling."Yes." He says, wide eyed. "It was terrifying!""Poor love.""Yeah. I'm fine now though, thanks daddy." Alec says, crawling over Louis' legs to jump off his side of the bed.Louis pats his behind."Okay sweetheart, can you give us a goodnight kiss before you go, please?"Alec sighs, pretending to be bothered but doesn't fight it when Louis hoists him back up, planting a loud, wet kiss on his cheek. Harry leans over to receive the same and they both watch as Alec jumps down, speeding away down the hallway to his room."Slow down!" Harry calls after him, rolling his eyes at Louis.Alec keeps running."You heard your father, Alec. Slow down, please!" Louis shouts.As usual, it's Louis that has the magic touch."Sorry daddy! Sorry papa! Love you!" He shouts every single world, his voice echoing through the house when he reaches his room."Goodnight." They call out together, Harry pressing a short kiss to Louis' throat. "We love you too."They hear the quiet snick of a door closing and immediately, they're plunged into silence."Can you believe that boy is our son?" Louis huffs a laugh, burying it in Harry's shoulder.Harry chuckles, playing with the short hairs at the base of Louis' head."I can believe he's your son, yes." He teases. "That boy is an absolute menace.""Is that right?" Louis raises an eyebrow at him. "Can't handle the two of us, can you?""Not the both of you together, no."Louis snorts at that, sinking his fingers into Harry's curls, pulling him in for a surprisingly dirty kiss."Mm." Harry noses at his cheek appreciatively, quietly inhaling his scent. "What was that for?"Louis cups his cheeks, kissing him again, short and sweet."For holding me whenever I'm scared, for helping me raise our incredible son.""It's been a pleasure." Harry says, voice a little bit rough. He'll blame the early hour on his misty eyes. "I couldn't think of a better way to spend the rest of my life.""Likewise." Louis agrees, eyes flickering away from Harry's with what just might be nerves. "But I have to ask you something, H. I've wanted it for a while.""Okay...." Harry's heart beats faster, only a stone's throw away from bursting right out of his chest.He hopes Louis will ask for the one thing he's sure they both want most in the world."I want to have another baby." Louis' voice breaks. tears blurring his vision. "Harry, I really, really want to have another baby with you."Harry laughs, joyful and without doubt. He gathers Louis in his embrace."Oh baby, why are you crying? I'd love to have another little one with you!""I know, it's just..." he sobs, reaching up to brush away his own tears. "I never thought I'd have a baby at all, let alone two!""Oh." Harry feels like all his breath has been punched out of his chest. His eyes feel wet as he presses a firm kiss to Louis' lips. "Oh baby, I'm so happy. I'm so proud of you.""Me too." Louis agrees, palming Harry's cheek. The coolness of his ring is enough to make Harry's eyes water anew. "Because I picked you. I can't believe I get to be here with you and our boy.""Lou." Harry gathers Louis' face in his hands, bowing their foreheads together. "You are every dream I've ever had. I want to dream a whole lifetime with you.""Silly boy." Louis teases, tongue darting out to push through the barrier of Harry's lips. He pauses just before their lips can touch or press together. "You don't need to dream when your best dream has become your life."Lou." Harry exhales, gone desperate with the need to kiss him. To ruin his beautiful husband over and over and over again. "You make me strong."Their kiss burns with the promise of a lifetime, a lifetime spent with each other. A lifetime spent making each other happy. A lifetime...because that's how long a love like theirs lasts. A love like that burns eternal.
11087817
powers turned on
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "House of Cards (US TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by rillrill", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-04T00:00:00", "words": "3,235", "Additional Tags": "Open Relationships, Cuckolding, Older Woman/Younger Woman, Light Dom/sub, Multiple Orgasms, Cuck! That! Governor!", "Relationship": "Claire Underwood/Hannah Conway", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
It’s Francis’ idea, to invite the Conways to the White House again, once more before the final run-off in this godforsaken electoral clusterfuck, and it’s a testament to Will Conway’s stiff upper lip, or perhaps an unspoken erotic desire for humiliation, that he accepts. And Claire trusts that Francis has some hidden ace up his sleeve, some reason for bringing them here. He has the recording, after all, and some desire to see Will concede even without its release. And so the Conways walk into their White House, her White House, on a Sunday night, and Claire immediately knows what her part is: keep the wife out of the room while her husband plays out this hand. Hannah’s looking at her with those big Bambi eyes, all betrayal and wounded pride, and Claire cocks a brow. “Would you like to take a little walk with me?” she asks, and Hannah exhales hard through her nostrils, shooting her a shot-deer glare. “Let me rephrase,” Claire says. “We’ll let the gentlemen have the room, and we’re going to take a walk.” Hannah follows her, because, well, what choice does she have? Claire knows her type all too well. She’s traded away her agency for the cache of standing by her husband’s side. Will doesn’t listen to her — not when it matters. And Claire doesn’t envy her, because what she has - it’s never been perfect, but she wouldn’t trade it for this. Not for what Hannah Conway has. Fidelity, and voicelessness, and those children. No. Perish the thought. “Are you happy?” Hannah asks as they round the corner near the bedroom, and her voice is low and wounded. Claire turns to her, thoughtfully, considering the question. What Hannah means is: Are you happy with yourself? With what you’ve done? But in the moment it strikes at something bigger, at the very thought tugging at the edge of Claire’s organized, orderly mind. It’s almost too appropriate, the kind of question she’d expect had been fed by a campaign staffer if it came at a rally or town hall. But instead it’s organic, and it’s barbed, and it’s razor-sharp in the asking. And Claire doesn’t hesitate when she answers. “Yes,” says Claire. Hannah’s still looking at her. She’s got her arms folded and her nails dug into the skin of her upper arms, leaving little half-moon marks in the flesh there. The unsprung tension in her spine looks painful, and the little nascent parallel lines in her brow are the mark of a woman unused to stress who has recently gone through quite a lot of it. Claire looks at her, and she makes the executive decision. She’d like to leave a few marks of her own. “You wouldn’t like it, you know,” Claire says casually, leading Hannah into the residence master bedroom. “Being First Lady. It wouldn’t suit you.” “How would you know what suits me?” Hannah asks, and it’s only now, behind closed doors, that her voice rises above a choked whisper. It’s less mellifluous now, less staged. Alone, without the men, Hannah sounds nearly human. That alone suits her fine. “Oh, like you’d be happy, serving at soup kitchens and picking out draperies,” Claire says. She shakes her head, laughing a little, watching Hannah’s body language for a response. “No, dear. It doesn’t suit anyone. You’d have to be brain-dead to find it truly fulfilling. Didn’t you ever wonder, really, why I strove for more? Why I chased my ambition instead of swallowing it down and pretending that performing domesticity was my childhood dream come true?” “Your husband —” Hannah says, and Claire laughs again, this time a little softer, more open. She takes a step closer to Hannah and reaches out to rest a hand, whisper-gentle, on her shoulder. Expects her to jerk away. She doesn’t. Hannah moves into it by millimeters, grip on her own biceps decreasing in force, red blooming into the places her nails had dug in. Up close, she smells like powdery violets, some perfume Claire knows she once owned, but couldn’t remember by name. And she wants this. Francis would hardly disapprove, and Tom — well, what Tom doesn’t know can’t hurt him. (After all, Tom doesn’t know much of anything.) “Francis couldn’t get elected dogcatcher if I weren’t standing behind him,” Claire says softly. “And the only difference between your husband and mine is that mine knows that. Yours still labors under the illusion that his accomplishments have some meaning without you. That he’d be half the man he is if you weren’t in the picture.” “Mrs. Underwood,” Hannah says without elaboration, faltering, big doe eyes flickering up to Claire’s, and Claire raises her eyebrows expectantly. “Madame President,” she says meaningfully, and in an instant, she sees Hannah bite down on her own lower lip, and she knows she’s cracked her. She slides her hand down Hannah’s left arm, down to where the fingers of her right hand are still folded tight over the muscle there, and when she slides her index finger beneath Hannah’s grip, it loosens — “Madame President,” Hannah says, correcting herself, and Claire’s cunt throbs with want, with the swell of power in the words, and Hannah blinks a couple times before meeting her eyes — — and Hannah loosens her grip a little more, and as Claire slides her fingers underneath hers, they intertwine, first gradually and then all at once, until their hands are laced together, standing eye to eye, tall in their heels and Hannah’s jaw a little less set than before — Hannah seems stunned, at first, when Claire kisses her. She’s stock-still and frozen for the first split second, until Claire tightens her grip on her hand — and then she starts to kiss back, tentative at first and then harder, hotter, deeper. She’s soft — God, but she’s soft — and when Claire claps her free hand over the back of her neck and squeezes, she moans against Claire’s lips, hiss of breath escaping as she tips her head back. Claire kisses her jaw, her neck, noting how she gasps as she sucks on the pulse point beneath her ear, where she smells even more like violets. She could kiss this girl for hours, but she’s got a job to do, and Hannah’s making it easy. Easy — no, not easy. Pliable , that’s the word for it. Hannah lets Claire walk her backward toward the bed, the same bed on which she fucks her husband, her lover, herself. Claire pushes her all the way back until Hannah’s knees hit the mattress and she spills onto the bed, long smooth legs sprawled out and spread wide. Claire runs both hands up her calf, up to the hem of her skirt, and doesn’t hesitate before rucking it up to her waist, prompting a coy little gasp. “You’re not getting shy,” Claire remarks, looking at Hannah on the bed, hair mussed and a flush rising high on her porcelain cheekbones. Beautiful girl, really, though the hair doesn’t suit her. Hannah shakes her head, still chewing on her swollen lower lip. “No,” she says, voice dipping back down to a whisper. “No?” Claire asks, stroking her thighs — up and down, up and down, a little closer to her groin every time. “What do you want, then?” “I — I’d like — er,” Hannah stammers, sounding uncertain and entirely like she’s never done this before. The corner of Claire’s mouth twitches up into a smile, and she runs her right hand up Hannah’s inner thigh, and this time, she doesn’t stop. She runs two fingers over the gusset of Hannah’s grey lace panties, keeping her touch light enough to tease, but it’s enough — she’s soaked. Good. Very good. “I’m certain he doesn’t know how to touch you,” Claire remarks coolly, running her fingers up and down, up and down, dragging the pads of her fingertips over Hannah’s cunt. Hannah sucks in a breath, teeth sunken into her lower lip. “Men never care to learn, do they? If we don’t tell them exactly how — oh, but he wouldn’t like to take direction, would he?” “N—not exactly,” Hannah grits out, falling back on her elbows, and Claire smirks, sliding her other hand up her thigh and pushing her legs open wider. Her own dress is a little too tight to permit free movement, and she’d like to get into this, use her weight, so she pauses, cupping Hannah’s sex through her underwear and saying, “Stay just like this, dear. Don’t move a muscle.” “I — yes, Madame President.” “Good girl.” And she takes her hand away, stepping back and deftly undoing the clasp and zipper on her own dress and slipping out of the sleeves. It slides down her body, landing in a perfect red worsted-spun puddle at her feet, and she steps away and bends to retrieve and fold it. Lays it aside and looks back at Hannah. Hannah’s watching her, looking at her like she’s looking at God, and another throb of want and triumph pulses through Claire as she pulls her shoulders back and smirks a little, preening, letting Hannah take in her matching bra and underwear, how her calves and quads ripple as she shifts her weight in her heels. For Hannah’s benefit — she doesn’t take off her heels. “Very good,” Claire says again. And she advances on Hannah again, crawling atop her on the bed, positioning herself on all fours above her until Hannah flops down flat on her back and accepts her weight atop her. Claire’s fingers go nimbly to the pussy bow on her blouse, pulling the knot loose and then undoing the buttons beneath it until the top hangs open. She kisses Hannah again, sliding her hand back down to the waist of her panties and getting her fingers hooked underneath — it takes a bit of maneuvering, but she manages to slide them down a few inches, over the knobs of Hannah’s hipbones, until Hannah’s panting against her lips and bucking her cunt up to her hand, and then Claire sits back up, straddling her waist, and cupping her hands around either side of her neck. “Madame,” Hannah says. “Please. I want —” Her cheeks are flushed, her hair’s a mess. Claire surveys her from above, and the feeling in her chest is like a balloon, inflating and pushing out all the good sense and air in her lungs and the cavities of her body. She wants to do something nearly reckless, but then again — there’s no such thing, not in this world, and she senses that Hannah would do anything she asked just now, anyway. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Absolute control, on the other hand, is an indulgence to be savored — “I don’t care what you want,” Claire growls, and Hannah takes a short breath, looking like she’s been slapped — but not in a bad way. Her pupils blow a little wider, her chest heaves. Claire’s hands drift down to her chest, palming her breasts roughly and pulling down the cups of her matching lace bra. Her nipples, dark and pretty, pebble under Claire’s touch; she pinches them, roughly, rolling them between her fingers, mouth watering. Hannah’s back arches up; she gasps again. “You’ll take what I give you, Mrs. Conway. Are we clear?” “I — yes,” Hannah gasps, and Claire slaps her left breast harshly, prompting another gasp. “Yes, Madame President,” she corrects herself — “Very good,” Claire says, and dips her head to kiss a mark into her neck, biting and sucking until the skin flushes bright red. Another below it, and another. She wants the husband to see what she’s capable of. What the Underwoods are capable of. She kisses down Hannah’s sternum, then over both of her tits, tonguing over her nipples and enjoying the breathy little sounds Hannah makes in response — she grinds down, pushing her own cunt against Hannah’s hips, and there’s another gasp, and that’s the ticket, right there. “You want me to touch you, don’t you?” she asks, drawing back up to look Hannah in the eye. Hannah doesn’t move, doesn’t nod or shake her head. “Oh, sweet girl, you do. You can tell me.” “Please,” Hannah says. “Ma’am, please, I just —” And Claire threads a hand through her hair, tugging hard, an inch from her scalp, reveling in the way she cries out in response — “You can tell me,” she repeats, “but it guarantees nothing.” She releases her grip on that tragic dishwater mop and adds, “Would you like me to fuck you?” “Please,” Hannah shudders, and Claire hums with satisfaction, thinking over her options before she swings her leg over Hannah’s hips and settles in on the bed beside her. It might be stupid, might give away her hand, her power position, but she wants what she wants — she leans back on her elbows, and kisses Hannah hot on the lips again, dirty with tongue and teeth before drawing back. “Go on, then,” she says expectantly. “Come sit on my face before I change my mind.” Shock flickers across Hannah’s face, tempered by obvious arousal — it takes her a moment to sort out her body, shrugging out of her blouse and pushing her panties the rest of the way down, fumbling with them until she finally gives up and tosses them haphazardly over her shoulder. Claire watches her coltish, gamine frame with amusement, watches her unzip her skirt and lay it aside carefully, as though anything could be done, at this point, about the wrinkles. The bra stays on, she notes. And with an uncertain look, she begins to straddle Claire’s waist — “Come,” Claire murmurs, hooking her hands under Hannah’s thighs, “here —” And pulls her up, up to straddle her face. She has always worked best with one task to focus on, one singular activity upon which to center all of her energy and abilities. This, then, remains her favorite iteration of that particular quirk of personality. She slides her hands up along Hannah’s thighs, grasping them from the outside as she lifts her head just enough off the pillow to angle it right against Hannah’s cunt. She runs her tongue along her outer lips, feather-light touches that grew a little more firm each time. When she touches her tongue to Hannah’s clit, Hannah gasps — “Oh,” she mutters, and then a deeper, more guttural, “oh, God, that’s good.” Yes, dear, very good, Claire thinks, and she relaxes into a rhythm, long broad strokes with the flat of her tongue followed by smaller flicks, and when she has Hannah panting above her, grasping at her hair with a firmer hand, she flicks her gaze up to look her in the face as she closes her mouth over Hannah’s clit and sucks.“Madame President,” Hannah groans again, hips bucking against her face. “Please, ma'am, just–stay like that, just like that,” and the rush is just the right side of overwhelming, to be so willingly caged by Hannah’s long legs and her firm thighs. Claire digs her fingers into her hips and holds her there, breathing ragged through her nose as she draws what felt like an endless orgasm from her. It’s everything, absolute power, and Claire needs nothing but the weight of the body atop her, and the salty heat of Hannah’s cunt upon her lips. She licks her own swollen lips as Hannah lifts herself away, collapsing down on the bed beside her, and Claire knows she should leave it there, but — “You taste so good,” she purrs, diving in to kiss Hannah hard one more time, the taste of her cunt still hot on her lips. Hannah gasps again, but accepts it, pushing her tongue into Claire’s mouth like she can’t get enough of her own taste — dirty girl, Claire thinks wickedly, running her fingers over Hannah’s swollen cunt and thrusting two inside. Hannah kisses her harder, hips bucking up off the bed, and Claire kisses her down until she’s flat on the bed, kneeling between those long legs, because if there’s anything she wants — If there’s anything she wants, it’s to give her something she’ll someday wish she could forget. If there's anything else she wants, it's for Hannah's husband to see his wife like this, undone at the hands of his fiercest rival. But one can't always get what they want. The first will have to do. Hannah’s arching her back, arms up above her head and holding onto the pillow like a life preserver as Claire thrusts her fingers idly, in and out, in and out. “You have a beautiful cunt,” she comments, wishing she could ignore the throbbing in hers. Never mind it, though. She’ll get herself off later, when the time is right. She’d rather take Hannah apart in the meantime. Hannah’s cheeks are pink and there’s sweat beading on her forehead, and she only nods in response — “What kind of an answer is that?” Claire asks, drawing her fingers out and leaving them just at Hannah’s entrance. “Thank me when I compliment you.” “Thank you, Madame President,” Hannah says, sounding wrecked, and Claire thrusts her fingers back in, three of them this time, and thrills at the way Hannah nearly shrieks in response. She quickens the pace, fucking her hard, careful to push the heel of her palm against her clit with every thrust, and Hannah’s writhing against the bed and bucking on her hand, begging, pleading wordlessly, every single sound coming out of her mouth both desirous and horrorstruck, as though she can’t believe herself, can’t believe Claire, can’t believe any of this — “Can I, can I,” Hannah manages to pant, and Claire nods, keeping her pace just the same even as her elbow starts to twinge. And Hannah tips back her head against the mattress and thrusts up her hips, and her cunt tightens around Claire’s fingers, and she comes, shrill and wanton and beautiful and reckless, letting Claire draw out one orgasm after another until she spills, spent, back against the bed. Claire draws out her hand as Hannah goes limp, and she lifts her fingers to her lips, sucking all three of them into her mouth and licking them clean. “There,” Claire says. “Now you can at least say you’ve been fucked by a president.” She lifts herself off the bed and reaches for her dress. They ought to go back out to the drawing room — Francis is certainly finished with the governor by now, she thinks, zipping her dress up and giving Hannah an expectant look. “You should get dressed,” she says, the sentence heavy with intent — the subject is closed — and Hannah flushes again as she struggles to sit up on the bed, like a baby deer on new legs. Claire smooths her own hair, her own skirt, in the mirror, and before Hannah can retrieve her panties from the vase where they landed, she swipes them away, folding them neatly and tucking them into a drawer, the one where Francis keeps his undershirts. “I’ll show you out.” Francis finds her later in the kitchen. He’s got something in his hand, a scrap of fabric Claire immediately recognizes as Mrs. Conway’s underwear. “These aren’t yours, are they?” he asks, flashing them in the air, and she smiles over her empty wine glass, raising her eyebrows. “What do you think?” Francis regards her evenly for a moment, before the corner of his mouth quirks up in a smile. Claire pours herself another glass of wine. She centers herself. She regrets nothing.
11038296
Lets Fly
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Lena \"Tracer\" Oxton, Emily (Overwatch)", "Fandom": "Overwatch (Video Game)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by ErinLin", "chapters": "3/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "3,739", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Emily & Lena \"Tracer\" Oxton", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Jack is lucky that the Overwatch America branch was connected to the airport, I’m supposed to be on leave now and dropping these aircraft weight and balance forms on me last night wasn’t fair. Sprinting down the hall, I considered activating my accelerator to blink downstairs to turn in these papers but I didn’t want to give Jack another reason to keep me any longer. Emily’s flight would be here any minute!I made it to the lobby, waved to Jared the receptionist and dropped the commanders chore into his drop-off box behind the counter. I was about to step out into the hall connecting to the airport when another voice stopped me.“Wait, Lena! I have something for you.” It was Winston and he was holding a black leather shoulder bag. If it was anyone else who had stopped me I probably would have kept running.“Whats up, big guy?” I eyed the bag as Winston held it out to me.“Ill trade you, I can’t imagine you having much fun on leave with a big machine strapped to you. So I made an everyday bag to blend in to crowds a little better.” He opened up the bag and I saw the familiar blue glow just like the chronal accelerator protruding from my chest.“Oh my god, are you serious?” There was no way I could contain a smile if this meant what I think it did. It was the worst trying to go out with Emily, or anyone really with my current gear.Winston let out a hearty laugh. “Yes, yes. I was just afraid I wouldn’t finish such a compact version before you left. It will keep you in place in time for sure. Just don’t try using any field abilities, its not strong enough for that.”I unclipped all the buckles on my accelerator and jumped up to throw my arms over Winston's shoulders. “Oh thank you, thank you!”“Just remember its not strapped to you, so don’t lose it. It also uses the same connector to recharge so your cable you keep with you should work, one charge will last about fourteen hours or so.”As Winston was talking I threw the bag over my shoulder and took a few steps back, making sure to pay attention to his mini-brief. He could tell I was really anxious to get going though.He laughed again and motioned his hand to tell me to go. “I’ll see you in a week, have fun!”“Bye, big guy!” I spun on my heel and dashed off.I stopped to check one of the airport monitors on the status of Emily's flight. Oh no, it was already here! I hope she hadn’t already gotten off and was looking for me. I looked to the side to find the sign for terminal 14, there were some people beginning to come through the doors. I probably didn’t need to run anymore but I let the excitement get the better of me as I started towards the growing number of people.My heart skipped a beat, I saw a beautiful head of bright red hair. “Emily!” I yelled louder than I really needed to, I was just so excited. She was gripping her purse strap with both hands, I think this was her first time in America so she was probably a bit nervous. But as she turned her head when I called her name I could only see her bright glowing smile.Emily wiggled her way through the crowd of people who exited the plane with her and we jumped at each other with our arms open wide. She was a little taller than me so I had to look up at her, oh how I missed those freckles too. “I missed you so much!” I said, still with a big stupid smile on my face.Her sly smile was the best, “I missed you too, I missed you enough to spend almost 12 hours on a plane to see you.” We were pressed up against each other and I never wanted to let go, but I could think of one thing that might be better than this.I lifted my arms from around her and put my palms on her cheeks, squishing her lips. She was trying to smile through it, she knew what was coming. Every feature on Emily’s face was so perfect, I was admiring her long eyelashes right before I closed my eyes. I eased up on her cheeks as she leaned down.We usually only kissed in private but it had been months since we’ve been together that I didn’t care. She was just as soft as I remembered and I was struggling to not ruin this kiss by smiling but just like every smile leading up to this moment, it was here to stay.Emily pulled away just a bit and it kind of bummed me out, I wasn’t done yet. I noticed she was looking down, now I remember why we don’t get too close in public very often. “Oh!” I adjusted my shoulder bag to my front to open it and show Emily. “I don’t have to go out with a big chastity belt strapped to my chest anymore. Winston just made this for me!”She laughed and it made my heart jump “Oh my god, I love it. The bag almost suits you, its a wonder why you never wore one before.”We kissed one more time before we locked fingers with each other and made our way to the baggage claim. Emily was telling me all about an old married couple she sat next to, talking about how their grandson just graduated secondary school in Egypt and wanted to be a pilot just like Fareeha. She assured me no-one was better than her pilot though, which earned her a laugh and kiss on the hand.As we made our way to the employee parking after we collected Emily luggage, I asked her if she wanted to drop her stuff off at my place or go to the new amusement park. “Love, I’ve been sitting for twelve hours listening to people talk. Lets go do something.”“The Park it is!” We got into my car and I saw Emily handing something to me."You left these in London,” My old aviator sunglasses were sitting in her palm.Excited again, I put on the glasses and ran my fingers through my hair as I lowered the top off my car, “Lets fly.” I gave Emily a toothy grin.There was her laugh again, I loved it so much. I pulled at her sleeve as I leaned over to kiss her and she returned the kiss wholeheartedly.This was going to be the best week ever. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Oh my god, all of this is in Grand Park?” Emily exclaimed as she was tapping through her phone.The amusement park we were going to was built a few years ago as a sort of entertainment sanctuary for Omnics and Humans alike. I haven’t been there myself yet but I’ve only heard good things.“Apparently its impossible to get to even half of it in one day, we might have to see if there's room at the resort.” I winked at Emily, I still had my aviators on but by the way she smiled, she knew.There weren’t any American holidays around this time of year so the traffic to Grand Park was very light. We found parking fairly close to the ticket booths and as we got out of the car I went over a mental checklist for my 1 item that I absolutely could not forget in the car; My shoulder bag with a small chronal stabilizer in it. Thanks to Winston I didn’t need to keep my accelerator strapped to my chest, but it would just be my luck to forget this bag somewhere and phase out for weeks until my trusty scientist could track me down.“Love, make sure I don’t accidentally leave this anywhere. I would hate to ruin our vacation.” I held up to display the bag to Emily as I tucked my aviators into one of the pockets on it.“Of course,” She put a hand on my cheek as I got to her side of the car and gave me a quick kiss. She kept her face close to mine and teased me with a smile. “Maybe I should just wear it so you never leave my side.”There was something about having to look up to see here eyes that just worked for me. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you! You can hold this for me instead.” I took a step towards the ticket booths and held my hand out face down in a fist, hiding what was inside.“What is it?” Emily reached out towards me, palm facing up.I couldn’t finish with my joke, I was already smiling like a fool. I opened my hand and dropped my empty palm against hers, Interlocking our fingers and pulling her with me. I’m sure I had a punchline but Emily laughed when she realized I didn’t have anything in my hand, and I couldn’t think of anything other than that beautiful sound.We made our way through a short queue to the booth where a very nice Omnic girl at the counter complimented Emily’s perfect red hair. Despite driving here with the car top down, her hair remained wavy and flawless. All three of us traded a few more compliments as our tickets were printing and then we were waved through.“Cheers!” Emily and I both rang out at the girl as we entered the park.“I love how comfortable she was talking to us,” Emily began as we were a good distance away. “Its hard for most Omnics in London to talk to people so openly.”I could hear the sorrow in Emily’s voice. I squeezed her hand and gave her a comforting smile. I knew exactly what she meant.Emily returned my smile, “I know. Sorry, I shouldn’t be such a downer on our vacation!” She took a step ahead and took the lead, tugging on my hand to keep up.We opened up the map we had gotten from the counter and spent a good 10 minutes creating a route though Grand Park. There were several time specific shows we had to plan around and we definitely were going to get to less than half of the park today.“After we ride Glitchless we can stop by the hotel on the east side of the park to check for rooms,” I suggested.Emily nodded in agreement. “Lets not waste time then!”We were having so much fun, we didn’t even feel like stopping for lunch. Emily claimed it was for the best though, she would have lost it immediately after any number of the rides we went on. I loved roller coasters but sitting down with Emily in the dimly lit show rooms was even better. Since this park was built to be crowded, the seats were extremely close together. If we were any closer we might as well have been on each others laps, no complaint from me though.We finally made it around to the hotel and there seemed to be more people here than at any of the attractions we’ve been at so far, we worried slightly about finding a room.Emily approached the counter, “A room for two please?”I came up behind her as the receptionist began typing away expertly at his display. He glanced up at us a few times as he typed more. ‘Barry’ was on his name tag.He finally spoke up, “Sorry we have one room left in this building. A one bed, Queen.”Barry almost wasn’t even done talking before Emily cut in. “I’ll take it.”He looked between the two of us a few times before speaking up again, he seemed to be kind of a nervous fellow. “I’m sorry, but that room is listed for one. It’s park policy not to let more than the designated number of guests stay in one room.”"Oh?” Emily shot a sideways glance at me.I could take a hint, I took one big awkward step sideways away from her and smiled.“Well the room is just for me,” Emily continued, I saw her wink at Barry.“Of course…” Barry took one more look at me, he knew better but probably didn’t want to confront someone like my Emily. He continued typing at his monitor and asked Emily for her ticket and payment. A few short moments later he placed two key cards on the counter. “Room 303. One for you, and one for-“ He trailed off, looking at me, “For just in case…"Emily collected her items from Jason, thanked him and then invited me along without subtlety.I waved at Barry, “Cheers!”I caught up to Emily and took her inviting hand in mine as we made our way to the elevator up to our suite on the third floor. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Emily hadn’t even closed the door behind us as I felt the pressure of her hands grab my waist and turn me around towards her. I could see her eyes darting back and forth between mine, as I heard the door shut behind her she brushed my fringe to the side with her soft fingers and pressed her lips against mine.It was slow at first, I felt my face turning red. As we started to form a rhythm, her body pressed against mine, guiding me backwards. I stopped kissing for a moment to look behind us, seeing where we were going. There was a sofa on the other side of the spacious room, I turned my head back to Emily, “Do we want to get your luggage first?”“No.” Her answer was so direct, no hesitation. I fell back onto the sofa and she immediately climbed up and straddled me. Her mouth was on my neck now. I dropped the strap of my bag containing the accelerator onto the floor and sat upright, tilting my head to give Emily more room.She popped open a few buttons from my plaid shirt and moved her lips down my shoulder, stopping for a moment, “I missed you so much, Lena.”I motioned her up and gave her a firm kiss. “I missed you too.”Emily leaned back a bit and removed her top. Allowing her long red hair to drop back down onto a black lace bra. I felt my face grow warm again, I had my hands on her waist before I even realized and admired her figure. Her bra had a front clasp. I leaned forward and gave her right breast a hard kiss, making sure there would be a mark to admire later. Emily didn’t give me much time to work on it, her hand moved to the side of my head and pushed me back into the sofa. I felt a shiver down my spine, I was so up for this. With her other hand, the rest of my buttons were being undone. She put her hand behind my back and pulled down to remove my shirt in one swift motion. We locked eyes and I unintentionally bit my lip in anticipation. I wanted her to touch me, to ravage me. She brushed my cheek with the back of her hand, tracing down my neck and in between my breasts, lifting her finger only to pass over the front of my bra. Her finger continued down my stomach and she finally stopped just under my belly button. My abs tightened as she reached the end. "Fuck me, Emily. Ive been waiting so long, please fuck me.”Smiling, the hand she had on the side of my head curled into a fist, taking a handful of my hair. “Soon,” She pressed down into a strong kiss, pinning me. It was getting difficult to breath so I tried to move, but Emilys hand had me firmly in place. I tilted my chin up and gasped for air. I caught a glimpse of her eyes, so sensual and seductive. I arched my back trying to press against this woman on my lap. I let out a moan of distress.Emily stood up. Wait, no no no. I wasn’t disappointed for long, she pulled me up by both ands and we made our way to the bedroom. I led the way while Emily toyed with the clasp of my bra. Before I fell onto the bed, she turned me around to face her and undid the button on my jeans. Before I knew it, I was on my back and my jeans were sliding off. I watched Emily toss them to the side and then slowly do the same to her own jeans to reveal cheeky black undies to match her bra. “Lena, are you ok with this?” Emily paused.Her voice was so soft and kind, How did a woman this perfect fall for a goof like me. I love her so much. “Oh, I’m more than ok.” Try to do something sexy at her I thought. I waggled my eyebrows.She put a hand up to her mouth as she tried to stifle a laugh. “Babe, don’t do that.”I pouted but that left my face the moment Emily leaned forward onto the bed and lowered her head between my raised knees. My heart jumped as she stopped and just looked me in the eyes, the smallest, most devilish grin on her face.My mind was screaming. Touch me, please just touch me. It felt like an eternity had passed before she opened her mouth and pressed her tongue to my panties and I realized how wet and ready I was. My back arched and I opened my mouth to moan, but my breath was gone again.I could feel Emilys hair tickling my thighs as she moved up and down, kissing literally everywhere.“Up,” She said as she tugged the sides of my undies. I lifted my butt so she could removed them but I was caught off guard when her tongue followed me back down onto the bed. I could feel the tip of her tongue toying with my clit. My breath caught up for a moment, I wasn’t sure if what left my mouth was a moan or a scream. I was so embarrassed, I had a fist full of bedsheets in one hand and my other hand frantically searched for a pillow to cover my face. Emily had lifted herself up on me and we met for a long kiss, her lips were so soft and wet. My mouth opened slightly wider and neither of us missed a beat, the blades of our tongues brushing against each other. God, how do I get closer to her, even this distance is too far. As we parted from the kiss, Emily was brushing my bra straps to the side so I leant up so she could undo my bra clasp. She was slow and methodical, kissing my cheek, to my neck, collarbone, breast. She pulled my bra off and tossed it to who knows where. My eyes were closed, anticipating her soft lips on my nipple. She was teasing me. “Please!” I accidentally cried out. My hand immediately went over my face, oh my god. I experimentally looked down and saw Emilys smile looking back, and then she slowly lowered her head again and began to play with my nipple with her tongue. Another sensation, she had a hand teasing my clit. My world was spinning and I felt my eyelids fluttering from pleasure.Everything stopped and all of a sudden I was flipped over on to my stomach. “Up,” I heard Emily command. I was still a bit shaken and disoriented but I knew what she meant. I clumsily raised my ass and I was about to prop myself up on my elbows but my head was being pressed down against the bed. I turned slightly so I could see her face and met her seductive eyes again. I love being controlled by this woman.Emily leaned and put pressure into keeping me pinned down as she played rough with my ass. Fuck I was so wet, I could feel sweat and probably Emilys saliva running down my thigh. I felt her finger brush by my clit again and I arched my back to give her as much access as I physically could.I didn’t fight against the weight keeping me down, but as I felt her fingers slide into me I let out a moan wanting more, more of Emily. My mind was blank and I focussed on the fingers she was using to finger me, every stoke, every motion. Every pause to make me want more. Every once in a while she would lean over and kiss my lower back, when her skin touched mine I could feel how sweaty I was getting and how hot my body was. How was I possibly going to return this favor to the most wonderful red headed beauty in the world.That thought didn’t last long in my mind. My back began to twitch and my moans were louder. “Emily! Em…! Oh god!”I felt my legs flex and tighten and I unintentionally raised my ass higher as I could feel my body convulse and orgasm and it felt incredible. Emily was still going, ensuring I felt this way for as long as possible. I let out a scream, oh my god. I had forgotten how good sex was, to be so intimate with her.She finally lifted her hand off of my head and it took me a few seconds to regain the strength to sit up and look at her. When I did, Emily had the hand she had in my pussy in the shape of a V, licking her fingers. If the blush had left my face yet, it was immediately back. I held out a hand to Emily, pulling her towards me by her bra clasp and planted a kiss on her. “I love you.”“I love you too.” She let out a huge smile for me.Unclipping her bra and exposing her freckled breasts, I crept towards her.“Now its my turn to pleasure you, I think"
11091837
Keep Your Hands To
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Edward Nygma, Oswald Cobblepot", "Fandom": "Gotham (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by goth_on_ham", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-04T00:00:00", "words": "1,396", "Additional Tags": "Teasing, Light BDSM, Spanking, Top Oswald", "Relationship": "Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“Darn it.” “What’s wrong?”Ed huffed loudly and with a strained noise, he tried to wriggle free of the tight hole that he’d managed to get himself lodged into. It had looked deceptively large, yet now he was stuck. Oswald let out a short amused snort.“Are you stuck?” He asked, already knowing the answer. “What does it look like?” Ed snapped, wriggling some more. He kicked his legs up, trying to use them to give him some momentum that might help push him out. He nearly booted Oswald in the face.“Watch it!” Oswald exclaimed, only just dodging Ed’s foot. “If you stay still I can help you, but I’m not going anywhere near you as long as you keep kicking like that.”“Good. I don’t need your help. Keep your hands to yourself, Oswald.”Ed had said it to try to claw back some of his wounded pride. Hurting Oswald detracted from his own embarrassment. His own foolishness in getting stuck in such a demeaning position in front of his former best friend, now arch nemesis. Oswald’s jaw tightened for a moment, and although Ed couldn’t see it, a flash of hurt passed over his features. He forced it away as quickly as it had appeared. “Suit yourself.” He sniffed, turning away from Ed and looking around the room for another, more dignified, way out. —“Oswald, for God’s sake…” Ed groaned desperately, his voice slightly muffled by the pillow that his face was pressed against. Oswald imagine that if he ran his hand over Ed’s back, he would feel extraordinary heat course through the other man. If he reached around and touched his cock, it would twitch impatiently, begging for attention that it wasn’t going to get. He would like to feel those things, but instead he stroked himself, forcing himself to be content with just imagining how they would feel. “Just touch me.”Oswald chewed on his bottom lip. Ed was wonderful when he was proud, but he was really something when he begged. “Say please.” He ordered, letting his eyes soak up and appreciate every needy twitch of Ed’s body. He was writhing, not quite so vigorously as when he had been trapped in that hole in the wall, but even more desperately.Ed’s breath shuddered. He took a few moments to force that word out. “Please.” He said it through gritted teeth, and that just wasn’t good enough for Oswald.He reached forwards and hooked a finger into the looped handle of the plug that was buried deep into Ed’s ass. He pulled it out part of the way, only to shove it back in. Ed keened in frustration. “Please!” He begged, far more sincerely this time.Oswald trembled with excitement. He pulled it out, then pushed it back in again. The novelty of the act, and the power high he got from making Ed cry out like that, made it almost addictive. They had fucked before, but he had never succeeded in making Ed so desperate. If anything, Ed had been the one making him desperate. Not that Ed had ever tied him to the bedposts, but he may as well have. Oswald had been too nervous to touch him properly, to kiss him fully, and Ed had teased him for it. Chuckling in that smug, know-it-all way that he did, and telling him that he would take care of everything. It was more than satisfying for Oswald to turn the tables on him.“Oswald-“ Ed gasped. He pulled on the leather straps that had him tied to the bed. He couldn’t do anything to make Oswald hurry up and take him, and both men knew it. Even if Ed was still trying to pretend he could. “Please, it’s not enough.”Oswald poked the end of the plug, pushing it in another fraction of an inch. “Are you saying you need something bigger?”Ed nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes. Yes, that is what I am saying!” He was snappy, frustrated, and Oswald was tempted to slap him on the ass for being so impolite. Over the years, Oswald thought he had perfected the art of begging. He could get down on his knees and plead and whine and sound oh-so sincere. However, Ed was far less skilled at being contrite. He’d have to teach him about that.“We have other toys…” He began, waiting for Ed’s predictable interruption.“You know that’s not what I mean!” He whined, and Oswald had to try not to laugh at how petulant he sounded. “Ah, I’m sorry.” He wasn’t sorry at all. “You want me to touch you, correct?”“Yes!” Ed hissed, followed by something that was inaudible under his breath. Oswald didn’t know exactly what he’d said, but he was sure that it was spiteful and impatient.“You don’t want me to ‘keep my hands to myself’?” He asked. Ed wasn't the only one who could be spiteful.Ed quietened, and Oswald narrowed his eyes. ‘Good,’ he thought. He deserved to agonise over what he’d said all those months ago, when he’d gotten himself stuck during their escape from the Court. Oswald would never have laid a hand on him, despite how good his ass had looked when he was trapped, and squirming, in that hole. The fact that Ed had insinuated that he would had wounded him, and Ed deserved to suffer for the hurt he’d dealt.“I shouldn’t have said that.” Ed admitted, softly, almost cutely, and Oswald had to force himself not to feel too fond of him when he said that. He had to force himself not to stroke a hand over his hot, desperate body, because he wasn’t done punishing him yet.“No, you shouldn’t have.” He agreed. He didn’t say anything else, he was waiting for Ed to apologise.A few seconds later Ed shifted on his elbows, a soft impatient gasp passing his lips. Yet he said nothing. No apology.Oswald lost his patience and slapped him on the ass. Ed yelped. His whole body went tense, then slackened with a heavy moan. Oswald was annoyed at himself. He hadn’t meant to lose his temper like that, he hadn’t meant to touch Ed until he begged him to. But the pink mark that blossomed on the left side of Ed’s ass almost made it worth it. “Well?” Oswald prompted. Ed shook his head, and said nothing. Oswald growled, his vexation growing with every moment of silence that passed.He knew what Ed was doing, he was trying to provoke him into touching him. He was betting that if he riled him up enough, Oswald wouldn’t be able to stand it, and he would have to give in and fuck him.Oswald slapped him again, on the other cheek, and Ed made a louder sound than the first time. Oswald didn’t give Ed time to recover, and he smacked him again, in the same spot. Ed moaned, his back arching in a way that pushed his ass up higher. That made it an even more appealing target. How could Oswald resist? He was still angry with Ed, still frustrated, and so he spanked him hard, until he could hear sobs coming from the other man and his ass had become an impressive shade of pink. The palm of his hand cried out in protest. When he finally stopped, he noticed that Ed’s body wasn’t as tight as it had been before. His arms no longer pulled on his bonds, but hung slack. His breath was heavy, but not in the same desperate way that it had been before. Oswald looked underneath Ed to confirm what he suspected, and he swore when he saw that he was right. “When did you come?” He demanded, his voice growing high pitched in his outrage. Ed chuckled, even though his eyes were wet with tears and his ass was sore and bruised. “About halfway through the spanking.” Oswald groaned. “I’m still going to fuck you.” He reminded him, trying to reassert his control over the situation, and hoping that the news might wipe the smug smirk from Ed’s face. It didn’t. It only broadened it into a grin.“That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say.”Oswald rolled his eyes. He pulled out the plug from Ed’s ass and gave him a light swat for good measure. Ed squeaked. “Shut up, Ed.”
11010831
The Glue That Holds
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Po (Kung Fu Panda), Mr. Ping (Kung Fu Panda), Shifu (Kung Fu Panda)", "Fandom": "Kung Fu Panda - All Media Types", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by AnonEhouse", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-27T00:00:00", "words": "538", "Additional Tags": "Apocalypse, Crack Treated Seriously, Crack", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "Tic Tac Woe (The Apocabingo Community)", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
(If you are reading this on any PAY site this is a STOLEN WORK, the author has NOT Given Permission for it to be here. If you're paying to read it, you're being cheated too because you can read it on Archiveofourown for FREE.) The noodle shop was empty. Po looked around, feeling his stomach drop as if his whole world had fallen away from him. Or as if he was really, really hungry.Ping looked at him sadly before taking off his noodle bowl hat and his apron with the store's generously full dumpling soup bowl logo. He sniffed, and then blew his beak in his apron. "I wish I could learn to make tofu," he said, trying to smile, but his beak wobbled. "It was your dream, once," Po said hesitantly."I'm too old to learn a new trade," Ping said after a moment. "Besides, the rhinos were starving, and they ate up the whole soybean crop. There's not enough in China to feed them now.""Yeah." Po scratched at his empty belly. "I heard they're moving to Africa." He sighed and tried not to look outside the shop at a rabbit family down on all fours eating weeds. They weren't even wearing clothes. They hardly looked like people any more. Pigs were in the forest, digging up roots with their tusks. He'd seen Master Crane swallow a lizard, and the look of shame in his eyes was terrible, but not so horrible as the look Tigress gave a chubby piglet before she tore off her robes and fled from the valley in search of food she'd never met. "I'm the Dragon Warrior, I'm supposed to protect the valley."Ping flapped his wings and hugged Po's less chubby than normal belly. "Kung fu can't fight hunger." Ping's eyes welled up with tears. "There will be no noodles and no dumplings, ever again. Only wheat will work, because of the secret ingredient.""I thought you said there was no secret ingredient?" Po said around a mouthful of very dry and woody turnip."I didn't want you to feel bad, so I made up that story. The secret ingredient is wheat gluten. Nothing else sticks together and stretches, and is delicious."Master Shifu came into the shop and sat next to Po. They both looked at him, hopefully. He shook his head. "Master Oogway's spirit spoke to me.""Yes?" Po and Ping said at once when Master Shifu didn't continue. He was picking at a bamboo shoot, pulling off the most tender leaves and chewing on them, contemplatively.He swallowed. "He says not to blame the wheat farmers. They spent thousands of years selecting only the best strains to breed. How could they know they bred out resistance to this disease? Master Oogway says the wheat will come back.""Well, that's good news, isn't it?" Po said, spitting out the last bits of turnip. "How long? A year? Two? I could stand to lose a little weight," he joked.Shifu held out the bare bamboo stalk to Po. "As long as it took to create in the first place."Thousands of years. Po took the bamboo stalk, and bit into it. "You know, bamboo doesn't taste so bad."
11047053
Leis My Mountie Sold Me
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Ray Vecchio, Benton Fraser", "Fandom": "due South", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by sdwolfpup", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2006-06-18T00:00:00", "words": "914", "Additional Tags": "cultural insensitivity", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
"Fraser, I look ridiculous." Ray dropped his arms to his side in defeat."That's only because you don't have the grass skirt on yet. It will look more natural once you're properly attired.""Properly attired? Men do not wear skirts, Fraser, especially grass skirts. I'm allergic to grass. Do you know how much that would itch?""Don't be silly, Ray. You wear shorts under the skirts." Fraser lifted Ray's arms back up so they were parallel with the floor. "Let's start from the beginning. We want to impress our kumu hula with how far we've gotten."Ray glared at him. Only Fraser would come to Hawaii and decide to take hula lessons. "Normal people would be at the beach right now," he muttered aloud, watching Fraser in the mirror. At least Fraser looked just as ridiculous as Ray did. But that was probably because of the Hawaiian shirt he'd made Fraser wear. And the sandals that looked so unusual on the Mountie's pale feet. And the leis. Ray had been given one when he got off the plane; Fraser got six. The sweet scent of flowers had followed them ever since because Fraser wore them everywhere: to the hotel when they checked in (where Fraser had somehow managed to get them upgraded to an ocean view suite); to the luau the second night (Ray had sat next to a classic Hawaiian beauty and had stuffed himself on roast pig and pineapple trying to impress her); on the tour of the pineapple plantation (after the luau, he hadn't wanted to see another pineapple again, but Fraser had insisted it was important to learn about one of the economic cornerstones of Hawaii); and to every hula class they'd taken all week."All right, Ray, let's start." Fraser bent down and hit play on the tape recorder, then positioned himself next to Ray, matching his pose. The music started, a simple rhythm set down by a steel drum, with a ukulele playing tag all over the beat, leading the song onward. Ray tried to remember the story they were telling, something about the sun rising and fish swimming in the ocean. He moved his arms in a flowing, wave-like motion and stamped his foot a few times to the beat. But when he took a step forward and pivoted left, he slammed right into Fraser."Ah, geeze, I can't do this, Benny." Ray rubbed his chest where Fraser had elbowed him while Fraser stopped the recorder and hit rewind."Yes you can, Ray, you just have to concentrate. Remember the story; that will lead you to the correct steps."Ray laid down on the cool wooden floor, arms and legs thrown wide. It had to be ninety degrees today and the softly twirling overhead fans weren't doing much good with all the movement. He turned his head to stare outside at the sunlight, imagining the clear blue of the sea just a few blocks away.Fraser sat down next to him, resting his arms on his knees "You know, a hula performance was often a serious religious event. If dancers made even the smallest mistake during the actual ceremony, it not only nullified the entire performance, but it was believed it would bring bad luck on the dancer.""You're not helping.""That's why dancers would sometimes be secluded in order to learn the dance successfully, not emerging until the ceremony. Perhaps something like that would help you.""Don't you have some Inuit story about how a seal who never learned to swim still got to lay in the sun and have beautiful women bring him mai tais?"Fraser stood suddenly and turned to face the mirror. "If you'd rather spend your time lying on the beach instead of exploring all of the cultural history of Hawaii, that's fine, Ray. You don't have to do this." Even though Fraser's tone was friendly, Ray could feel the annoyance rolling off of him.Mounties. Who knew they could be so sensitive? Ray pushed himself back to his feet and assumed the starting pose. "If just messing up gives you bad luck, quitting's got to be deadly. I'd like to make it out of Hawaii alive, Benny." He grinned and was rewarded with a quick, grateful smile.Fraser walked over to the closet and opened it up. Ray heard rustling. "It might be best to practice in the outfit. That might help your concentration." He poked his head out. "You can wear either a skirt or a malo.""Well it's not gonna be a skirt. Give me the malo." Fraser handed over a huge wad of green cloth with an entirely too innocent smile. Ray stared at it in confusion. "What, it's like a scarf?""No, you wrap it between your legs and then around your hips.""You mean like a diaper? I ain't wearing a diaper, Fraser." He handed it back, resigned: Fraser already had a skirt picked out for him. "You're not as clever as you think.""I wouldn't know what you mean, Ray."Ray snorted. He pulled the skirt on and tied it tight around his waist while Fraser got into his own skirt.Fraser started the music once more. "Arms up." Ray did as he was told, staring at them both in the mirror. Oh yeah, this was lots better. He shook his head. At least his family wasn't here to see this."Now, imagine you're a fish, Ray!"It was going to be a long vacation.
11050752
The Price of Kindness
{ "Archive Warning": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Underswap Papyrus - Character, Underswap Sans - Character, Underfell Papyrus - Character, Underfell Sans - Character", "Fandom": "Undertale (Video Game)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by AngeliaDark", "chapters": "3/3", "completed": "2017-08-16", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "10,429", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Underswap, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Edge Is a Jerk, Stretch Needs a Cigarette, Red Isn't Helpful, Blue Is Oblivious, Pet Play, Master/Slave, BDSM elements, Voyeurism, Humiliation, papcest - Freeform, Dubious Consent", "Relationship": "Papyrus/Papyrus", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
In hindsight, Stretch could've seen it coming.Running on three days of no sleep, jittery from three cups of Muffet's strongest honey-roasted coffee, and his brother startling him by bursting in to screech about Alphys giving him a date for Guard tryouts was only a recipe for absolute disaster. Already unfocused, his hand shaky, and the machine he was working on having an open panel with the circuits on (that he had foolishly forgotten to turn off), perhaps ramming the screwdriver in with his jumpy reflexes wasn't, in hindsight, the wisest thing to do.To his brother's credit, those training reflexes paid off as soon as the machine began to spark and fizzle, and Stretch found himself covered by his brother's sturdier form before everything went deafening and white.And then black.  When he got around to thinking about it later down the road, Stretch didn't know how long he had been knocked out. All the sleep he'd been neglecting finally caught up and extended his unconsciousness for longer than it should have been, blissfully unaware as he slept.When he regained consciousness, he was first aware of a soreness in his frame he'd only experienced once before, years ago when the accident at the lab tore his HP down to one. Stretch slowly came to further consciousness, wincing as he raised a hand to rub his skull. His hand touched a wrap around his head, which was odd since he didn't know what would warrant something like that.“...Sans...?” he called out, his voice croaking out oddly weakly as he rubbed his eye sockets and looked around.This was not his basement.The stone walls were scratched, chipped, and crumbling from wear and age rather than accidental, and the floor was barely clean enough to be considered hygienic. He was situated on a frayed pallet covered with a threadbare blanket and no pillow, and several dishes next to him that looked to be eaten out of already.He frowned with confusion, turning his head to the other side and felt a jolt when he saw his brother lying close by.Blue was lying face-down on another pallet, his armor and shirt removed to show healing bones on the back side of his frame. The memory of the explosion crashed back into him, recalling Blue shielding him from the bulk of the blast. He ignored his own ache as he tugged his body up and crawled over to Blue, putting a hesitant hand on his shoulder. “...bro...?” he said, his voice barely above a strained whisper. “...bro...Sans...?”Blue didn't respond, too deep in his unconsciousness to react in any way. Stretch looked around almost helplessly, unable to push himself up further to get up and look for a way out, and jumped when he heard the door at the top of the stairs open.Stretch growled, covering his brother's body with his own protectively as footsteps descended from the stairs. His soul twitched as he willed up some magic for a fight, then gasped when his soul turned blue and he was redeposited back onto his pallet.“Don't use magic when you're still healing, you handicapped idiot,” came a rough, grating voice that made Stretch's spine jolt with recognition. He looked up, seeing a Monster nearly identical to himself step into view, holding a tray of dishware.Oh gods, of ALL the places to end up, why did it have to be HERE!?“Ease up on th' magic, Edgelord,” Stretch hissed out, trying to lift his arms without success and trying to sound vaguely threatening, which did absolutely nothing. Edge merely gave him an unamused look and put the tray down on a small table nearby.“You're in no position to be making demands, ash trash,” his doppleganger replied. “In case you haven't noticed, you're in MY domain now, and we've been gracious enough to save your sorry coccyges from dusting.” He arranged the bowls on the table. “So some gratitude would be appreciated before I change my mind.”Stretch growled, letting his body go lax and a moment later felt the blue hold on his soul let up. Deciding not to test the LOVE-teeming asshole further, he remained where he was, knowing that he nor his brother were capable of defending themselves against a whim of a bad day.Edge finished his sorting and set a plate of food down next to Stretch before picking up a bottle and kneeling next to Blue, turning the smaller Skeleton to the side, opening his jaw, and pouring the contents in.“...the hell are you giving him?” Stretch demanded, ignoring the food next to him. Edge shot him a look of annoyance.“It's actual medicine,” he replied tersely. “And it cost a shit-ton of G, so don't complain about me wasting it on him.” He sat up, putting the cap back on the bottle. “And don't waste my food either. Eat it, since you're conscious.”Stretch clenched his hands, trying his damnedest not to start up a fight, but finding it difficult, as he always did with the Edgelord. “Are you gonna tell us what happened, or not?”Edge growled to himself, standing and gathering up the tray. “I think it's fairly obvious, unless your little accident gave you brain damage...at least more than what those disgusting cigarettes did, in any case.” He walked back toward the stairs. “Eat and heal more until Blue wakes up. I'm not explaining anything twice.” He walked up the stairs, shutting the door behind him.In the stillness of the basement, Stretch heard a lock slide into place and couldn't help the shudder run up his spine. It took him quite some time to gather up the nerve to eat the small meal Edge set next to him, feeling the healing magic trickle through his bones that did little to make up for the taste.Within the hour of sitting, eating, and falling back to sleep, Stretch could only worry about what exactly was happening.  Blue regained consciousness soon after, but it still took a full bottle of the medicine for him to be able to move without hurting his HP. Still, the Swap brothers weren't let upstairs out of the basement, something that Stretch found suspicious and irritating.The only thing that made it bearable was Red, who offered more food, a bit more kindness, and explanation.It had been a week ago that Stretch and Blue had come into their universe through a time-space fracture, looking like they had been caught in an explosion. They HAD, but it would have been worse had the fracture not happened.Blue caught the worst of it, the back of his frame having been dealt the most damage that was slowly healing, and Stretch's HP had gone to the decimals. It might have proven fatal, had the Fell brothers not been home to hear the commotion rather than being out on the job.“I wouldn't expect th' good will to last long,” Red said as he gathered up dishes. “It's gonna take awhile to fix our machine, and th' Boss isn't exactly charitable. Until shit's fixed up an' running, you're gonna have to pull yer weight.”“Of course,” Blue replied in agreement. “It would be rude to just stay here. What can we do to pay you back?”Red glanced upstairs almost nervously. “...that's for him to decide,” he finally said. “He'll be down later to discuss it. For yer own good, just agree. It's better than bein' on yer own out there.” He headed up the stairs and out of the basement before either of the Swap brothers could ask what he meant by that.  The next day, Stretch and Blue were finally allowed out of the basement.Things seemed almost too quiet in the house, and even outside. The slightest creak or commotion almost seemed to echo through the house, which was almost spartan compared to the Swap brothers' back home. A couch, a chair, and a coffee table was all that made up the living room, other than the intimidating display of weaponry that decorated the walls. The door had five locks that were firmly in place and only a fire in the fireplace keeping the place warm.Edge was standing by the window, clasping shutters in place and drawing curtains as an extra measure of security before he turned to face the other three Skeletons in the room. His posture was no-nonsense and all business, and Stretch had a feeling this wasn't going to be a warm and fuzzy 'talk'.“It goes without saying that you're stuck here for the unforeseeable future,” Edge said, beginning a slow pace across the room. “And this isn't like your cushy little Swap universe.” He pinned the Swap brothers in place with a sharp red eyelight. “'Kill Or Be Killed' isn't just an arrangement of rich words. It's our literal creed that has literal consequences. So it's in your best interest to have...support here.”“Get to th' point, Edgelord,” Stretch griped, flinching when he felt Red kick his ankle. Edge gave him an annoyed glower before his expression went almost sinister.“Gladly, ash trash,” he replied. “My point is we're taking a high risk in keeping you here safe. And high risk is EXPENSIVE.” He paused his pacing to look between the Swap brothers. “If you're going to be staying here, you're going to be repaying us for the risk.”Stretch scowled. “You're a real piece of work, aren't ya?” he muttered.“Better a piece of work than a piece of meat for the Dogs to chew,” Edge shot back. “If you honestly think you or your brother can survive out there, then go on.” He took a step to the side to give a free view of the door. “You're easy pickings for EXP, and you know it.”Stretch clenched his hands, glowering with the urge to start hurling insults when Blue put a calming hand on his shoulder.“...we believe you,” Blue said. “And we're thankful and grateful for your hospitality, really! We're just....a little high-strung, right, Papy?” He didn't give Stretch time to answer. “I can help out as best I can...I can cook and clean and fix things! And I'm sure Papy can help out too.”Edge contemplated the brothers for a moment before nodding. “That's what I thought,” he said, crossing his arms. “We'll hash out details later. After dinner.” He turned to Blue. “Show me what you're made of, Blue.”Blue hopped up, nodding with determination before hurrying for the kitchen. Edge looked on, amused. “If only you could be that enthusiastic, brother.”“Give me something to be enthusiastic about,” Red replied, rolling his eyelights. “You want peppy, go to their universe.”“Perish the thought. And you're not going to become a lazy piece of shit while they're here, so don't even think about it. You can clean up after his enthusiastic efforts.”Red scowled but wisely said nothing. Edge ignored him and turned to Stretch. “Now you...YOU hardly have anything to contribute, other than piecing together bits of that machine. But we'll figure SOMETHING out, don't you worry.”“Be still, my beating heart,” Stretch monotoned, his fingers twitching for a cigarette and of course having none. He sat in tense silence until Blue announced dinner prepared, and resigned himself to whatever concoction his brother had decided to whip up in the fridge.  The meal was edible and the dishes were taken care of before the house quieted down and everyone began to turn in for the night hours. Stretch made sure Blue was headed down to bed before turning to ask if Red could spare a cigarette only to see the front door close as Red left the house, possibly to head over to Grillby's.Well, shit.The only thing to do then was sleep his craving off. He sighed and stood up to head to the basement when Edge walked in and shut the basement door, pinning Stretch in place with an ember-like eyelight.“Sit,” he commanded. “I wish to speak with you.”Stretch scowled. “I'm too tired for this, Edgelord,” he shot back. “Fuck off and let me go to bed—“ He cut off with a yelp when his doppleganger snatched his soul in a blue hold and shoved him back down to the couch. “Hey, what gives!?”“Be silent,” Edge hissed, stalking up and looming over Stretch, his eyelights gleaming brightly. He eyed over Stretch for a moment before reaching down and roughly holding the other Papyrus's jaw. “You need to learn to keep quiet sometimes, ash trash. In many ways here, it's the difference between life and death.”He let go of Stretch's jaw, folding his hands behind his back. “I wasn't kidding when I said you're going to pull your weight around here. Your brother is enough of a homemaker to keep the house clean and running, but I can tell you barely wash your own clothes, let alone anyone else's. And I wouldn't trust you in the kitchen. So that leaves your options to the bare minimum.”He began pacing in front of Stretch, his posture rod-straight. “I've thought about it, and I've come to the conclusion that your usefulness can be utilized in another way.”Stretch glowered, twitching against the blue hold on his soul. “What are you on about?” he demanded. “Let me go!”“Be. Silent.” Edge's tone turned as sharp as his moniker, his pacing coming to a halt. “Learn the laws of this world while you're in it, lest you perish in it, trash.” He leaned in closer, his eyelights looking disturbingly like droplets of blood gleaming in the light. “You're going to be here for some time. And in that time, I can be gracious and kind, or I can be cruel. Which one I decide depends entirely on you.”Stretch's jaw twitched, feeling an impending sense of dread crawl over his spine. “...what do you want?” he asked, sounding much less courageous than he had intended. Edge's expression was a mix of amused and appraising, something that did nothing to ease his suspicions.Edge actually smiled, a terrifying image in and of itself. “I want you to become my pet.”Stretch stared, unable to process the statement for several long moments. “......what?” he said. “......WHAT?”“I didn't stutter,” Edge replied. “You'll become my pet and earn your place here.” He folded his hands behind his back, a sinister gleam in his eyelights. “It's only good manners to pay such a kindness we're offering back. And I can promise you, you will not find a kinder offer ANYWHERE outside this house.”“You're fuckin' insane,” Stretch muttered, twitching harder against the blue hold. “Insane and sick!”“And KIND.” Edge leaned down, his eyelights glinting sharply—and most uncomfortably to Stretch—as he came close enough for Stretch to catch what smelled like a combination of blood and coffee on his breath. “Do you want to know what happens to low-LV Monsters who go unclaimed outside? Do you want a detailed description of the carnage I've seen on the sides of the road before I put some order in this gods-forsaken put of hell? Do you want to know what I've seen in the CAPITOL?” He shook his head slowly. “You really don't, trash.”He leaned back, flicking his hand and releasing the blue hold from Stretch, who couldn't for the life of him muster up the will to move. “For the weaker breed like yourself and your brother, your only options are servitude to a higher-ranked Monster, or taking a dive off of Waterfall's Abyss in the hopes of a quick death.” He paused. “Well, there's also the option of picking off weak Monsters for the EXP. But something tells me that's not an option for you. So.” He smiled, looking far too happy for comfort.“Stay here safe, or go out THERE. Which will it be?”Stretch could KILL the bastard. He really, truly could. Out of the multiverse's Papyruses, this one was the worst of the worst, and Stretch felt things would be better if Fell never existed. To use the situation against him like this—against BLUE like this—!“Or, you can simply sit there like a useless lump and do nothing,” Edge cut in, his nonchalant tone raising immediate suspicion. “One way or another...” He brought his hands out from behind his back, a black collar hooked onto his clawed finger. “...A Swap brother is going to be my pet. And quite frankly, Blue IS much cuter than you are.”Stretch snarled, lurching up only to have his cervical bones caught in a firm, threatening grip. He went stock still, feeling a swirl of lethal intent in the hand that held his neck and just KNEW, deep down to his soul, that this hand could easily cleave his head from his shoulders.Edge was dead serious.And just from the context, Edge wasn't even the WORST he could run into.Although at this moment, the worst was literally at his metaphorical throat and Stretch wanted to LIVE.Stretch's body trembled as he felt his frame submit under the hold of the stronger Monster, and Edge let him go, letting him drop back onto the couch.“Good boy,” Edge said, that terrifying grin leering down at him again. “You'll find that I can be very kind when I am obeyed, ash trash. And after all...”He latched the collar around Stretch's cervical bones, clipping it shut before giving Stretch's skull a condescending pat.“...it's not like you'll be here forever.”Stretch felt as though his soul had been signed away to the devil.And gods, he could REALLY use a cigarette. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “There are rules you will be following, trash.” Stretch curled up on his pallet, tugging his hood over his head to further conceal the collar around his neck bones and was glad that Edge gave him THAT much dignity to keep. “You will address me only as 'Sir' from now on.” He still felt disgust with himself; he had agreed to be that asshole's pet far too easily. If only he had told him where to shove that 'kind' demand, if only he'd thought of a threat of his own to come back with. “You will not leave this house without my company.” Would it even be as bad as Edge said out there? This WAS the Underground, even in another universe; Stretch knew some of the best hiding places if push came to shove. He could just wait it out until... “You will obey me without question.” How would he even know when the machine was up and running again? He was sure if he took Blue and ran, Edge wouldn't allow Red to finish working on it out of spite alone. “You will be allowed three hours a day to work on the machine; the rest of the time, you're mine.” Stretch clenched his eye sockets closed, tugging the threadbare blanket around him as he fought to go to sleep, hoping and praying that the machine would be completed quickly. It was already too much being here as it was, and his servitude to the Edgelord hadn't even begun yet. It was all he could do to not grab Blue and bust through the basement door and escape. He let out a shaky sigh, feeling exhaustion finally take him over as he drifted off to sleep. “Obey me and things will run smoothly. Disregard my orders...well, you'll see just how cruel my world can be.”   Whatever Stretch had been expecting, it had not been this.Edge was actually being NICE to him.From the time he woke up at what he assumed to be the crack of dawn hours when summoned, Edge had been tolerably nice. He had Stretch make coffee—black with two sugars—and actually thanked him. Stretch stared for a few stunned moments bit didn't have time to question it before Red and Blue came in, the scent of coffee having awoken them.There were no real commands given when the other two were around; as soon as Red and Blue were out of earshot, however, Edge had Stretch performing the most mundane tasks. Making meals, fetching miscellaneous items, things like that.It was...odd.It wasn't even BAD. And that was the scariest part. This was Fell, a world where comfort and peace of mind were impossibilities...or at very least expensive as hell. For Stretch to have gotten through this day without pain or humiliation was only making him more paranoid.He sat at the dinner table with the others, picking idly at the meal his brother made and trying to avoid eye contact with Edge. His nerves drained his appetite and made him CRAVE a cigarette something fierce.Through a blur, the meal was eaten , the dishes were taken care of, and everyone went their own ways. Edge to the living room, Red out for Grillby's, Blue into the basement for some sleep, and Stretch—“Ash trash,” came the slammed brakes on Stretch's nightly routine, his hand flinching over the basement doorknob. He clenched his hand, glancing back.“....yeah?” he asked. He swore he felt the temperature rise in the room.“How did I say you were to address me, trash?” Edge demanded crisply. Stretch bit back a much ruder retort.“...yeah...SIR?” he reiterated, turning around. Edge glowered at him, his arms and legs crossed in obvious displeasure.“Come here.”Stretch's frame tensed, grinding his teeth before turning and walking over to Edge. “Yes?” he asked testily, adding a hasty, “SIR,” when Edge's eyelights flashed dangerously. Edge didn't seem very placated, giving Stretch an irritated look before uncrossing his arms.“Kneel.”Stretch's jaw twitched. “What.”“Did you hear me stutter?” Edge snarked. “Kneel. And do not make me say it again.”Stretch flexed his hands tightly, swallowing down a growl and forced himself to kneel on the floor, knowing—just KNOWING—that this had been coming. He kept his jaw clenched to avoid saying something he shouldn't, and averted his eyelights, not wanting to psyche himself out any further.A rustling around his neck bones and a soft click made him look down.He saw a leash attached to his collar.A LEASH.“What the hell is this!?” he demanded, then yelped when Edge gave the leash a hard tug, jerking him forward onto all fours.“Be quiet,” Edge said firmly, his hand flexing around the end of the leash. “Pets should be on a leash, especially when they're untrained as you are.”Stretch stared at Edge incredulously, feeling a twisting wrench in his soul. “This isn't fuckin' funny, Edgelord! This isn't—“ He was cut off by another sharp tug on the leash.“Shut. Your. Jaw.” Edge emphasized each word with a hard tug before letting the leash go lax. “This is exactly my point. You can't follow rules, you're too mouthy, and you don't know how to address your betters. I aim to change that.”Stretch worried for the health and safety of his neck bones, wanting to reach up and tear the leash away but knowing he was in no position to do so. Where he was, Edge could spear him through in any way before Stretch could even MOVE. He clenched his fists, his bones rattling softly as he forced himself to remain still, bracing himself for the worst.A hand on his skull made him flinch, and his frame went stock-still as the hand brushed over his skull, lifted, and repeated. It took him several moments to realize that Edge was PETTING him.“Isn't that better?” Edge purred, the tone as sweet as arsenic-laced candy. “When you're obedient and submissive, I can be a good Sir.”Stretch clenched his jaw tightly, unable to stop the indignant short growl that rattled his frame. The hand atop his skull paused.“Or,” Edge continued, the sharpened tips of his gloves pressing slightly into the cranial bone, “I can retract my merciful stance in allowing this to continue privately and invite your brother up here to witness everything. No taking THAT away once witnessed.”His fingers relaxed. “So what's it going to be, pet?”Stretch's soul nearly froze over at the idea of his brother being witness to this. No. No, he couldn't do that, not to Blue, and not to himself. Choking back a scream, a sob, and at least twelve profane words, Stretch's frame slumped in defeat. The hand on his skull resumed the gentle petting as he heard Edge hum in a pleased manner.“Good pet,” Edge murmured. “Very good.” He laxed his tug on the leash, resuming his petting as he picked up a few files and browsed through them.Stretch was in HELL. When Edge said 'pet', he didn't think it would be LITERAL. Yet here he was, kneeling next to the edgelord and having his skull pet like he was a dog beast. Absolutely humiliating.Edge seemed more than content with simply petting Stretch, not saying anything through his paperwork even when Stretch got tired of kneeling and unconsciously leaned against the side of Edge's chair. The tedium drove Stretch to a nap, zoning out against Edge's chair and being lulled by the petting and silence.Stretch became deftly aware of fingers tracing along the discs between his cervical vertebrae, the sensation sending shivering jolts down his spine. It wasn't unpleasant, per se, but the effects and implications were...…..uncomfortable.The light touches continued, almost lazily sliding over the rises and dips of the bones, definitely making the lines of magic quiver in response. It didn't take long until Stretch realized—to his horror—that the native Papyrus's ministrations was stirring his magic in arousal. He made a move to draw back but Edge's hand was immovable as though predicting that reaction. Oh dear gods be merciful— “Go to bed.”Stretch's head shot up, seeing that Edge was still looking over his paperwork, his hand removed from Stretch's skull like it had never even been there to begin with. He gave a sideways glance with a flickering eyelight when Stretch remained on the floor, confused. “Did I stutter? Go to bed.”Stretch numbly stood up and walked toward the basement door, a thousand and one questions running through his skull. He curled up in the pallet next to his brother's, staring at the darkness, the lingering tingle of Edge's touch still brushing against his bones.  It was the same thing for the next couple of days.Wake up, be given mundane tasks when in front of Red and Blue, and be subjected to further humiliation when left alone with Edge. Being set to the floor, petted over, and even having to eat from Edge's hand...Absolutely humiliating.Stretch wanted nothing more than to just LEAVE, but he knew just as much as Red did that construction of the machine couldn't be rushed, especially with the programming. He and Blue were stuck here until it was done and tested.He wouldn't risk his brother's life again. Blue was still recovering since the medicine had run out and Edge couldn't be assed to buy more. Regular meals and rest was making up for the remainder of his HP, and the atmosphere of Fell wasn't making it easy. It seemed that here, HP was easy to lose and tough as nails to regain while EXP was more valuable than G.Blue was taking it all in stride, though. He didn't let his injuries show, and spent his time cooking and cleaning in between recovery naps. Much of the cleaning time was harping at Red for how untidy the native Sans's room was, and it seemed Red was intent on getting his amusement while he could, messing his room up every time Blue cleaned it.If anything, Stretch was just happy Edge was leaving his brother alone. He already saw the hell Edge put his own brother through, and would be dust before he let the edgelord put one phalange on Blue. Edge was tidy enough as it was, but didn't stop Red from antagonizing Blue with the re-dirtying, figuring it was a way to keep them BOTH out of trouble.Despite Edge's genial attitude toward Blue, Stretch didn't let his guard down for an instant. Edge already threatened to put Blue in Stretch's position, and Stretch knew Edge was just sadistic enough to go through with it if he didn't toe the line. So he prostrated himself to the asshole's demeaning whims and allowed himself to be petted and stroked and......for lack of a better term, 'edged'.Edge's ministrations always ended up being teasing and almost sensual, waiting until JUST when Stretch's magic was close to reaching a level ready for intimacy before stopping and shooing Stretch on his way.And it was INFURIATINGLY FRUSTRATING.It was bad enough being subjected to the demeaning behavior, but to be that involved in it that he had to bite back a whimper every time Edge told him to go to bed? Like he WANTED to stay and...finish?Nausea-inducing, was what it was. It made him loathe the sessions after dinner, after Edge was oh-so genial and polite and as soon as the basement door shut, snapped his fingers and pointed to the floor next to him. And like a trained dog beast, Stretch obeyed.It wasn't until day five that he realized he wasn't just doing it out of duty; when he arched his spine into Edge's hand before the other had a chance to touch him, it was like a punch to his nonexistent gut.He could NOT be liking this.The hand on his scapula was still, almost thoughtfully so, and Stretch felt a sense of dread crawl over his bones.Edge COULDN'T have noticed that. He COULDN'T.Soft, barely-audible dark chuckling sent a spike of cold down his spine, a sound that was so WRONG in this world yet fit in just right. The hand on his scapula shifted up to cup the back of his skull, pressing in so Stretch's cheekbone was leaned into Edge's femur.“Enjoying yourself, pet?” Edge purred above him, keeping his hold firm on Stretch's skull. “No use denying it. I can sense how much you desire my touch.”Stretch clenched his teeth tightly. “You're so full of yourself...” he muttered through his teeth, hissing when sharpened phalanges pressed into his skull.“Watch your tone, mutt.” Edge rummaged around, taking out the leash. “In front.”He was going to crack a tooth from the grinding, Stretch thought as he shifted from Edge's side to in front of him, keeping his eyelights pointedly averted as the native Papyrus clipped the leash to the ring of his collar. Edge tugged lightly on the leash, enough to make Stretch's skull tip up.“Are you listening to me?” Edge asked, keeping the leash taut. Stretch bit back a sarcastic reply and gave a jerky nod. “Good. Now undo my pants.”Stretch's head snapped forward, his eyelights shrinking to pinpricks. “WHAT!?” he yelped, hissing when Edge jerked on the leash.“Tone,” Edge intoned. “Unless you WANT an audience, mutt. Now undo my pants.”Unconsciously, Stretch's eyelights flicked to Edge's pelvis, feeling a wrench in his soul when he saw a small hint of red ectoplasmic glow behind the pants. This wasn't happening. There was a soft suck of teeth above him, the leash slacking slightly. “I'm growing impatient,” Edge growled. “You have ten seconds to obey before I flip a G to see which Sans gets to play audience to—“ “Okay, okay, fuck!” Stretch snapped, flexing his hand tightly. “Prick.”“Astute observation,” Edge replied, tightening the leash again. “But wait until you see it before you judge it.” Stretch clenched his jaw to keep the string of curses at bay, his shaking hands raising to undo Edge's belt.He was going to kill him. When this was over and the machine was finished and he was back in his own universe, he was going to send a letter bomb to the fucker. Maybe poison. A spring-loaded spike to the skull, that sounded good right about now...His soothing thoughts were interrupted when he tugged Edge's pants open and was greeted with the display of red ectoplasm formed in a large tendril-like appendage.Stretch was no stranger to different forms of Monster genitals, least of all his own. He was 93% sure, however, that Edge's was a little thicker than his own and had an almost spicy musk radiate from the ectoplasmic formation. If the situation weren't so fucked up, Stretch would honestly have been colored impressed and, admittedly, raring to go.But of course any semblance of eroticism had to be ruined when the edgelord pulled on the leash, making him wonder just how long he had been staring at it. “I know it's beautiful,” Edge scoffed with a hint of almost teasing pride in his voice, “but it's not out just to stare at, and I know it's not the first one you've had in your mouth. So get to it.”Stretch briefly toyed with the idea of biting it just to see what would happen, but decided that the first ten ideas of what MIGHT happen wasn't worth it in the end. Fine, whatever, he'd get the edgelord off and then sleep it off like a bad hangover. In any case, he thought as he waited for Edge to slacken the leash so he could lean forward, he knew what he was doing. He was no stranger to casual sex with a number of Monster species, Skeletons included.He'd be inclined to pretend it was Comic, but he was nowhere near as big or as thick as Edge, and the ectoplasmic scent was completely different. There was really no getting around this save for doing what he knew how to do best.Stretch set to work, forming a tongue and licking over Edge's tendril as he stroked it, absently wondering if it would be worth all this if he was able to make Edge come undone. Not to brag, but Stretch WAS pretty proficient with casual oral and if he could make that lazy Comic become enthused, he could pull a reaction from Edge.Despite his best efforts, however, Edge seemed completely neutral about the affair; Stretch glanced up the edgelord was reading through his goddamn paperwork, keeping the leash wrapped around his hand in case of needing to pull it.This was fucking ridiculous and humiliating. If he was going to be doing this, the LEAST Edge could do was pay some fucking attention! His ire must have been translated through his blowjob because Edge glanced down in mild amusement.“Do you want more attention paid to you, mutt?” he asked, leaning his skull on one hand. “I didn't take you to be an attention whore, but then again...” His smile broadened when he heard—and felt—Stretch growl at him. He tugged on the leash, making it taut against the collar. “Hurry up then, trash.”Stretch would have loved nothing more than to just bite down hard but he knew better than to push his luck. He focused on the task at hand, keeping his eyelights purposely averted until a hand clamped on the back of his skull and kept him firmly in place. It took him a moment to realize what that meant, but it was a moment too late before he found himself with a mouthful of magic residue.With Edge's unyeilding hold, he was left with no choice but to swallow, and felt more than a touch ashamed that he was able to do so with little effort. Finally, Edge let go of his skull and allowed him to lean back, resisting the urge to induce vomiting as he sat back and wiped his mandible.Edge's hand on his skull made him flinch, but the hand merely petted lightly. “Good job,” the edgelord purred. “You're good enough with your mouth, mutt...we'll see what the rest of you can do later.” He reached down and unclipped the leash from the collar. “Go to bed.”Stretch clenched his fists tightly, forcing his shaking legs to carry him up and to the basement door, wanting nothing more than to vomit, scream, and cry all at once. As he laid down quietly next to Blue, who was dozing peacefully, he couldn't help but be reminded of his brother's extra-spicy taco seasoning, finding it a fitting aftertaste to Edge's magic. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Stretch wanted nothing more than to go home more than when he wanted nothing more than to return to Edge's side.It was too much to handle, emotionally or psychologically. The vileness of the situation was mixing into the physical desire and pleasure like oil and water, leaving Stretch feeling completely torn after every session.Edge wasn't kidding when he said he'd make use of the rest of Stretch. Every time was different, but none very pleasant...emotionally, anyway. Stretch hated how Edge was able to make him ENJOY it.There was the degradation and the humiliation, naturally...but Edge seemed to go out of his way to make his touches light and sensual, to keep his voice as a low, guttural purr, keep his movements slow, firm, and UNBEARABLY restrained.It was humiliating, craving Edge's touch and wordlessly begging for more night after night and leaving for the basement after, almost always unsatisfied in return.Stretch found himself tucked in the corner of the basement more than once, gagging himself by biting his hoodie as he fondled his pelvis in an attempt to relieve himself of the arousal that Edge was never kind enough to satisfy. He felt shamed that he couldn't force himself to do so in front of Edge but rather down in the basement with his brother within spitting distance.He supposed that's what made him break the most cardinal rule of all: Don't leave the house without Edge.The opportunity arose when Red was away at Grillby's, Blue was taking a nap, and Edge was going out to run an errand. Stretch managed to find a pack of cigarettes that belonged to Red hidden under the couch cushion and the intense desire for a smoke (or two) had him going outside and back around the house, flicking open the lighter and lighting one up.GODS, it felt great to have that buzz going again, he thought in ecstasy as he savored the cigarette in long, drawn-out drags. This was well worth whatever punishment the edgelord could come up with later.He was halfway through the cigarette when he became aware of the presence of LV—more than one of it—and he looked up in time to see at least four Monsters step out into view. Just at glance, he recognized this universe's version of his buddies Chester the Hare Monster and Doggo, and the other two were either too changed or completely different Monsters than who he knew. None of them, he felt, were at all what he felt to be familiar or safe.“Lookie here boys,” Doggo growled, his tongue lapping at his sharpened teeth. “A nice fresh set of bones to chew on.”“I dunno, Doggo,” Chester muttered. “A Skeleton Monster, an' near th' Lieutenant's house?” His nose twitched. “...he smells like him too.”Stretch's teeth clenched around his cigarette, his hand twitching to fight his way out when his arm was wrenched behind him by one of the Monsters in a grip with intent that threatened his HP. It was a warning that kept him from struggling; this was Fell, and these Monsters were no different than Edge when it came to intent to dust.Doggo leaned in closer, growling through his teeth. “Trying to pull one over on us, chew toy?” He took Stretch's jaw in his paw, the claws digging in just enough to be painful. “I'm wondering which of your bones will be tastiest to chew on first.”“Let me go!” Stretch hissed, jerking his jaw from Doggo's grasp, his hoodie shifting to show the collar looped around his cervical bones. Out of the corner of his eye socket, he saw Doggo visibly pause at the sight of it, claws twitching as though wondering what to do next. The pause was only for a moment, and then Doggo grabbed Stretch's skull with one hand and jerked it to the side, showing off a length of neck vertebrae.“I think we'll start here,” Doggo growled, visibly salivating as he leaned in, jaws parting. Stretch froze, his soul hammering wildly in his rib cage as he braced himself for pain and possible dusting, but the pain never came.Instead, the hold on him was thrown off as sharp bones tinged in red magic flew out of nowhere and impaled the Monsters, eliciting yelps and howls from them. Stretch dropped to the snow, his bones rattling from shaking as a sharp staccato of snow-crunched footsteps approached and Stretch saw a pair of familiar red boots in his line of vision.The homicidal aura permeating the area was more of a giveaway than the boots, and Stretch felt his soul shrivel at the deadly tone Edge spoke with. “You backwater pissants are even more dimwitted and brainless than even I could imagine!” he snarled. Stretch wondered about Edge's actual anger for only a moment before his hoodie was yanked up, showing off his collar. “Did you not SEE this, you simpering bitch!?” Edge snapped at Doggo. “I would think a DOG would know better than to touch someone else's property!”Doggo's slumped form looked torn between heeling and hackling, his expression stubborn but fearful. “We didn't do ANYTHING to him!” he growled, letting out a yelp when Edge kicked his side.“Only because you were caught, you idiot!” Edge grabbed the bone impaling Doggo's shoulder and twisted it hard before pulling it out, not bothered by the Dog's keen of pain before he kicked him again. “You have five seconds to get out of my sight, or be damned what Captain Undyne will say, she's losing a Dog in her ranks.”Doggo didn't need any further prompting as he scurried off, stumbling in the snow and leaving red stains as he went. Edge grabbed Stretch's hoodie again, pushing him into something solid and Stretch instantly recognized Red's arms hastily curl around him to prevent him from falling.“Get him inside the house!” Edge barked to his brother. “And get him changed out of those clothes. I can smell those disgusting cigarettes on him.” He turned away from Stretch and Red, focusing instead on the remaining three Monsters with no intention at all to give them the mercy he'd shown Doggo.Stretch wasn't left to ponder the repercussions for even a moment as Red pulled him inside and shut the door behind him, silently moving them both upstairs and into the bathroom, shutting that door too before his frame finally relaxed.“You got off fuckin' lucky, Stretch,” Red remarked, reaching out and tenderly prodding at the arm Stretch had pulled behind him. “You break or dislocate anything?”“N...no,” Stretch muttered. “Just a little sore, that's all.” GODS he needed another cigarette.Red sighed. “Good,” he said, then slid off Stretch's hoodie in one quick motion, tossing it into the laundry pile Blue hadn't gotten to yet before examining the arm and shoulder anyway. “Boss was gonna completely flip his shit if you got so much as bruised...”Stretch couldn't help the bark of laughter that rattled his frame. “THAT wasn't him 'losing his shit'?” he asked weakly. Red gave him a look that plainly said 'are you fucking serious'.“THAT was Boss in a charitable mood, considering th' circumstances,” Red replied, putting Stretch's arm down. “You don't ever touch a Monster's property. It's just not done.”Stretch's hand unconsciously touched the collar around his cervicals before he forced it down, his cheekbones burning at the knowledge that Red KNEW. “Fuuuuuuuuuuck....” he muttered, rubbing his face. “Property? The fuck is even WRONG with this world!?”“Hey, don't knock th' system,” Red replied, crossing his arms. “It works down here. Weak Monsters....Monsters with soft souls and innocent consciences...they have no hope of survival unless they're under the possession of stronger Monsters that have status in th' Underground.” He paused, reaching under his collar and hooking his finger around a red collar and tugging it up to show. “What, you think this is just for decoration? Down here, it's my LIFELINE.”He tucked the collar away, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Kinda felt jealous that Boss got one for ya. And yours is nicer too.” He gave Stretch a lewd grin. “Betcha get all the nice perks of servitude too.”Stretch felt a rush of embarrassment and humiliation; had Red KNOWN about this the whole damn time!? Oh gods, did BLUE know!?“Blueberry's in the dark, cool yer bones,” Red said. “An' just deal with it a little longer. It's all you CAN do down here.” He gathered up the laundry, opening the door and giving pause. “...Boss is down there dusting Monsters for touching you, Stretch,” he said. “You might think it's humiliation, but down here, that's the sincerest form of flattery you could fuckin' IMAGINE.”He left the bathroom, and Stretch sat back in grim contemplation before stripping off the rest of his clothes and turning on the shower.The hot water drummed against his cold bones yet it did nothing to warm him up. He could only think of what could have happened if Edge hadn't been there. Of how much worse it could have been had he not had this collar around his neck bones.This was an uncomfortable revelation to him, that he was being kept safe and untouchable with Edge's methods, and it didn't seem to be completely for Edge's own amusement and pleasure. Blue being kept inside and out of sight, Stretch having a badge of ownership on him at all times; Edge was PROTECTING them.…..............it sucked. It really, REALLY sucked.Stretch finished rinsing his bones and turned off the water, grabbing a towel and drying his bones off, turning to his clothes with intent to put them back on despite being dirty when the bathroom door opened.Edge gave Stretch a quick once-over, glancing at Stretch's hand reaching for the clothes. “They're dirty,” he said shortly. “Leave them for Blue.” He turned on heel and headed toward his bedroom with clear intent for Stretch to follow. Stretch did so, his hands clenching tightly around the towel as a last shred of modesty as he tailed Edge into the room.Much like the rest of Edge and his demeanor, the room was dark and pin-tidy with nothing out of place. It hardly seemed personalized and rarely used, which Stretch figured was the case, as many late times Edge was out at work. He stood awkwardly to the side as Edge rifled in the closet and brought out a black tank top and a pair of worn jeans.“They're old, but they should fit,” Edge said, handing them over. “And you had best not get that disgusting cigarette smell on them.”Stretch numbly reached out and took them, giving them a quick feel with his phalanges before tugging them on; the denim was light and very worn-in and the same felt of the tank top. The outfit was very comfortable, if not leaving him feeling slightly exposed with the threadbare make of the material. He smoothed the tank top with his hands, and got the sudden realization that it was leaving the collar out on display. His hand shot up to it and as if getting the message, Edge spoke up.“Your filthy hoodie will be clean before tomorrow,” he said shortly. “Not that you should even worry about it.”That was true; the collar WAS a literal saving grace in this world and having it on display was safer than keeping it tucked down the collar of his hoodie. Thinking about what could have happened then seemed almost WORTH his brother seeing and asking questions.“....why are you doing this?”Edge looked up from tidying his closet, glancing back at Stretch with dim red eyelights. “What do you mean?”“Don't bullshit me,” Stretch muttered, rubbing his arm. “You don't HAVE to do anything like this in Fell, do you? It's no trouble for YOU if me an' my brother dust here. It's YOUR universe. And nothing good here is given for free, even to your own damn family.” He sat down hard on the bed, all fight and strength leaving him.“...so what is it? My humiliation? Holding something over my head? Just wanting a new outlet for your cruelty?” He rubbed his face, his shoulder slumping. “...what does any of this mean?”There was nothing but silence in the room for the longest time before Stretch heard footsteps cross the floor and was suddenly pinned back on the bed, staring up into those cold red eyelights.“You're so close and yet so blind to things, ash trash,” Edge growled, his hands clasping Stretch's forearm bones. “You're right. Kindness has a price here, and the price for it depends on the Monster. I may be cruel, but I am not unfair.“My brother would be dust without me. His HP is handicapped, he's a godsdamned drunk, and if left alone he'd be devoured without mercy.” He hooked a finger into the collar ring, tugging it lightly.“When others see this, they know to whom Sans belongs, and the price they pay by touching him. Do you really think if I was so cruel, I would bother letting him wear it? I passed that same kindness to you. You and your brother are under my protection while you are here. It would make no difference if you were outside smoking your disgusting cigarettes or inside on your knees.”Stretch felt a surge of indignation swell in his soul. “Then why the fuck would you make me, you ass!?” he snapped. “What was the POINT of it!?”Edge grinned. “You haven't figured it out yet?” he asked. “Even Sans could have told you; I'm a narcissist, and I happen to enjoy seeing a side of myself I could never indulge in.” He took Stretch's jaw in his hand, a red ectoplasmic tongue slithering from between his teeth. “And I must say, I do look good on my knees.”Stretch's indignant retort was cut off with a rough kiss, one that was forceful and passionate enough to make him submit. Accept. Reciprocate.Gods, he hated himself.Edge scraped his sharpened teeth over Stretch's mandible, a growl rattling his frame. “You might have a Papyrus's pride, trash,” he said, “but you're too much like my brother to not be able to see through.” He gave the collar another tug. “Sans gave up feeling shame for giving up control long ago. And that's what YOU want too, and you know it. You want to stop shouldering everything...you want to give in, and give someone else the reins to your life.”He nuzzled the side of Stretch's skull, grinning. “Just give in.”Stretch stared up at the dark ceiling, not knowing if he should laugh or cry or scream or maybe all three at once because damn if that wasn't accurate in every way.And he hated himself.So fucking much.Even more now that he turned his head to Edge's and kissed him.He was already in hell. How much farther could he fall by consorting with the devil?  Despite the harshness of Fell, the early morning hours were almost peaceful. The late crawlers were finished with business and the day workers had yet to get their day started, so it left the window between making coffee and Edge leaving for work open for quiet.Stretch was loathe to get such early starts in his own universe, but the atmosphere of Fell left him savoring the peace before the rest of the Underground woke up to get the malice underway. He took the time to get the coffee started and take the first cup for himself, reflecting over the previous night.It had been humbling to the point of degrading. It had been rough. It had been loveless.But gods above and below, Stretch hadn't wanted it to end.It almost seemed like it hadn't, since Stretch even woke up in the edgelord's bed so who KNEW when it had really ended?Stretch sipped his coffee silently, not even noticing he had an audience until it made physical contact with him. He nearly spewed on his sip of coffee when gloved hands curled around his iliac crests.“You're getting more prompt with your morning coffee, ash trash,” Edge growled, grinning. “Good job.”Stretch felt a flush from his skull to his collarbones, his hands trembling as he fixed Edge up a cup, adding in the perfect amount of sugar to satiate the edgelord before handing it over. Edge took it and sipped from it, giving Stretch a smoldering look over the rim. “You learn quick when given the proper...incentive.” He lowered the cup, leaning closer. “I wonder what incentive it would take to get you to cook for me.”He reached up and tipped Stretch's jaw up with his fingertips, kissing him lightly.“....Papy?”Stretch and Edge turned around sharply, seeing Blue standing in the basement doorway, his cerulean eyelights wide and flicking back and forth between the two Papyruses. “....what is going on?”Stretch's mind went into panic mode as he mentally flailed for something to say—some excuse he could use—!—when Edge's arm casually slung over his shoulders and pulled him close.“Oh, good morning Blue,” Edge greeted, his tone smooth as the coffee in his cup. “Your brother made coffee, if you want some.”Blue's eyelights continued to shift between the two. “....okay...” he said slowly. “But....what was....you two were just...”“...bro, I...” Stretch stammered, settling on telling a half-truth when Edge interrupted with,“We're dating.”Edge casually sipped his coffee again, unaffected by the gaping of the two Swap brothers. “We got to know each other a little better, and even began getting along.” He gave Stretch a smile that was in no way, shape, or form loving or tender, but Stretch couldn't help the flush that spread over his cheekbones.Of ALL the things for Edge to say, WHY did it have to be THAT!?“Well that's good!”Wait, what?”Blue shut the basement door behind him, smiling. “It's good that you're finally getting along!” he chirped. “I knew you two could, if you just gave each other a chance!” His expression went stern, his hands going to his hips. “But don't think for a second you're going to be distracted with dating. Just because you like each other now doesn't mean you're going to be canoodling all the time. It's simply indecent!”“Perish the thought,” Edge said, though he looked close to actually laughing. “I wouldn't want Stretch slacking off, now would I?” He gave Stretch a lewd look before draining the rest of his coffee cup and putting it on the counter. “Until later.” He headed out of the kitchen and to the stairs, shouting for Red to get a move on before he wrote him up for lateness.“It's good you're finally getting along, Papy!” Blue said, smiling. “I knew they were really good deep down. And now you have a datemate!” He started tidying up the kitchen. “Ahh, little brothers grow up so fast...”Stretch just stood there, emotionally numb and mentally fizzled out. He had no answer for his brother. He had no retort for Edge's falsification.He had nothing.“Give me a minute to grab a damn coffee, ya slave driver!” Red groused to Edge as he walked into the kitchen. “Yo, Blueberry, give me one to go.”“You COULD say 'please' one of these days, Red!” Blue admonished, but conceded in rifling among the cabinets for a thermos to put the coffee in. While his back was turned, Red silently and smoothly crossed the kitchen for an apple on the table and slipped a folded-up piece of paper into Stretch's hand before grabbing the cup as soon as it was handed over.“SANS! HURRY UP!”“KEEP YER ARMOR ON, BOSS, I'M COMING!” Red glanced at Stretch with an expression that said quite a few things before turning and heading out of the house with his brother, the sound of several locks signifying another day out at work for them.“Red needs some manners,” Blue huffed before heading to the stairs to get laundry started, leaving Stretch by himself in the kitchen with the note.Stretch flexed his hands for a moment before unfolding the paper and reading it. it's finished. His soul pounded in his rib cage, adrenaline pumping through his frame with newfound purpose and urgency. Shoving the paper into his pocket, he bolted upstairs and found Blue fetching laundry from Red's room, not pausing before scooping his smaller brother up in his arms. “HEY—Papy, what gives!?” “We're leaving, Blue,” Stretch said, rushing downstairs and fumbling with the locks on the back door to get them open. “Papy, what's going on? Why....what happened? What—“ “Sans, just shut up for five seconds, I promise we'll talk when we're home!” Stretch got the door open and quickly made his way to the shed, hurrying to the machine and seeing that Red obviously did the finishing touches on it whilst he was— NO. LATER. Stretch felt his skull perspire as he quickly typed in coding and felt a wave of euphoria when the machine started up smoothly. He quickly situated himself into it, holding his brother to him tightly. “Papyrus, talk to me!” Blue cried, sounding incredibly worried. “I thought everything was okay!” Stretch said nothing, only tightening his hold on Blue as the world around them disassembled and faded them into the Void.    EPILOGUE  In the end, Stretch knew he could never tell Blue everything. That just wasn't an option, ever. Eventually Blue stopped asking questions and set to readjusting to life back in his own universe, all too quickly picking up where he last left off as puzzles, training, and cooking became the norm once more.If only it was that easy for Stretch to forget and move on. Every day, every moment, he was plagued by the memory of what had happened, unable to get the sensations to wash off of his bones no matter how hard he tried. None of his usual vices could overshadow what Edge had replaced them with.He had become addicted to a hate so powerful he CRAVED it.And for what?Protection against a world he could have tried harder to survive in solitude? Throwing aside his dignity, his pride, to become the pet of that...that......!Stretch spat bitterly into the snow, even his cigarettes doing nothing to improve his mood or get the taste of Edge's sharp spice of magic out of his mouth. It was something more addicting than the magical strain of nicotine he had become so accustomed to, and something Stretch hated to crave.He glowered at the half-spent cigarette before snuffing it out in the snow and pocketing the unused half, leaning against the side of his house with a shaky sigh.Gods, he had this addiction BAD.And he HATED himself for it.Stretch glanced up, seeing his brother's bedroom light off, signaling that Blue had gone to bed. Normally he'd be on his way to Muffet's for a bottle of mead and a good lay but now? Lights off had grown to mean one thing over weeks he spent in Fell...and he was starting to feel it.He looked between the path down to Muffet's and the door to his basement, feeling his bones crawl with....….desire.On autopilot, his hands unlocked the door and opened it, shutting it behind him and leaving him in the dimness of the basement, alone with the machine.He had finished it himself some time ago for lack of anything better to do with his sleepless nights, and now it was ready to be used whenever he liked.But he didn't LIKE to. He was LOATHED to use it.So why?Why was he turning it on?Why were his fingers typing in a code?Why was he crawling inside of it?….......why was he here?….......and more importantly, why was HE here?Blood-red eyelights glimmered in the darkness of the basement of the deathly musk-scented world, looking almost expectant. Neither said a word for what seemed like hours.“You kept me waiting, ash trash,” Edge purred, his heeled boots clacking on the basement floor as he crossed the basement in three long strides. “All the time, for you to crawl back to me like the beast you are.”“I didn't crawl back, edgelord,” Stretch bit back with the last shred of nerve he had managed to scrounge up. Edge smirked, his hand shooting out and burying into Stretch's hoodie, looping around a collar and jerking it up.“Oh? Then why do you come here with your master's mark of ownership around your pathetic neck?” he retorted, pulling Stretch closer. “I hope you don't have any plans, because you need a good punishment for making me wait so long.”Stretch scowled, unable to quell down the orange flush over his cheekbones. “I didn't come back for a godsdamned punishment,” he growled. “I don't know WHY the fuck I came back, I just.....I.....” He winced, hating with a passion how disgustingly stupid he sounded.Edge laughed, letting the collar go and turning around, folding his hands behind his back. “It's almost cute how torn you are,” he purred. “And I'm feeling a bit pleased that you came back at all, considering how stubborn you are. So...I might be feeling charitable. Kind, even.” His grin broadened. “For a price.”Stretch clenched his hands, staring at the floor as his emotions swirled within him ranging from seething hatred to almost overwhelming desire. “....what's your price?” he finally asked.Edge chuckled darkly, turning back around, a chain leash clenched between his hands. “How much do you think my kindness is worth?”Even now, Stretch thought that the price of kindness was too high.But he was going to pay it anyway.
11090778
Signed Sealed Delivered
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": null, "Fandom": "White Collar", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by china_shop", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-04T00:00:00", "words": "2,360", "Additional Tags": "Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Reunions, Kid Fic, Fluff", "Relationship": "Elizabeth Burke/Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "All In The Family 2017", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
1.It’s late afternoon when Neal arrives home at his apartment building in upper Marais. He’s carrying Chinese take-out, two bottles of cabernet sauvignon, and a bundle of freelance work for the weekend. The corner of an envelope sticks out of his mail slot like a crisp, white pocket square, but Neal’s tired and doesn’t think anything of it. It’s probably a check from the publishing house.He stuffs it into his portfolio, along with the usual wad of advertising flyers, and lugs everything up four flights of stairs to his studio apartment, where golden light slants through windows warped with age.When he dumps the papers on the table, the letter surfs out on a small tide of glossy circulars, but it isn’t until he’s poured himself a glass of wine and returns to the table to open his takeout that he sees the FBI seal on the envelope. His heart stops for a second, then starts to race.It’s been a year since he left. He should have put that life behind him by now, the parole, the hopeless dreams.Here in Paris, he has this apartment, steady-ish work, even a few friends. He has a favorite café, a tailor, and a particular park bench by the Seine where he likes to sit and watch the tourists. He knows the permanent collections at the Louvre and several of the smaller art museums by heart.He only reads The New York Times for an hour on Sundays: the news headlines and the social events pages.The point is, he doesn’t wallow or let himself look back. He’s a new man with a new name. The new heart will follow eventually.Which doesn’t explain why he snatches up the letter and tears it open, barely stopping to check the name on the front of the envelope (yes, it’s addressed to him, Charles Mitchell at this abode, printed on the White Collar office laser printer, with its distinctive irregularities). Inside there’s a sheet of legal pad that’s been crumpled and smoothed flat again, neatly folded. A post-it note is affixed.The post-it note is handwritten in all caps and reads: Caffrey, it’s time to come home. -CJ and Neal can hear Jones’ impatience in just those few words. It makes him smile.Then he unfolds the paper, sees Peter’s scrawled handwriting span the lines, and his eyes sting. There are geometric doodles down the left-hand margin, then a double helix and an object that’s either a hat or a deformed penguin. At the top of the page, some notes about changes to the surveillance budget, and under that, a list; no heading, just: 1. Parole signed off. 2. Panthers behind bars. 3. I’m not mad anymore. 4. His godson’s nearly 6 months. What else? What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for? Peter’s a smart guy; he must have figured out the answer. That’s why the paper ended up a crumpled ball in the waste paper basket. That’s why Jones was the one to send it.If Jones has discovered Neal’s alias and address, there’s no way Peter doesn’t know them too, but not so much as a postcard from him.Despite himself, Neal lets his fingers drift across the page, then brings it to his nose and inhales, longing for a trace of the past, of Peter, even terrible FBI coffee. It just smells like cheap paper.And the fact that he’s actually sniffing a discarded doodle, this is why he can’t go back. Because Peter and El have each other and a child. Neal missed his chance to make a move. It’s too late.Except. Apparently he has a godson. And Peter hasn’t given up on him. Peter will never give up. That is the truth that breaks Neal’s heart wide open. 2.Saturday afternoon. The kid’s asleep upstairs. El’s sacked out on the couch with the baby monitor. Peter is exhausted too, but it’s his turn to cook so he rouses himself from the armchair, gathers the dirty coffee mugs dotted around the room and heads for the kitchen to make a plan for dinner. He can’t cater on autopilot like El does.There’s a knock at the door.Peter lunges for it before whoever it is can knock again and wake El or the baby. He opens it, already shushing, and then all the air is punched out of him. The mugs he was holding crash to the ground, and he barely notices.Neal is on their goddamned front doorstep, an overnight bag slung over his shoulder. Neal or the ghost of Neal.He looks as shocked as Peter feels. What right does he have to be shocked? Peter grabs him and hauls him close, heedless of the crunch of broken crockery under their feet. He feels solid against Peter’s body. If it’s a hallucination, Peter’s really losing it this time.Then Neal’s arms come up too, and he hugs back, and Peter can’t let go now, has to keep Neal’s face pressed to his shoulder, has to because if Peter looks him in the eye, he doesn’t know what he’ll do.Dimly, Peter’s aware that Satchmo is barking, that El is saying something, that he’s standing in the doorway of his house, in full view of the street, hugging Neal Caffrey, and neither of them has said a word to each other in over a year.Neal burrows closer, his cheek scraping Peter’s neck. He hasn’t shaved. He smells achingly familiar. Peter’s squeezing him so tight his leather jacket creaks, and the hug’s gone on long enough now that Peter’s plausible deniability is starting to run out: can he pass this off as platonic?That’s the thought that makes him let go, step back, avert his gaze.Neal releases him at once, no objections.Thankfully, El distracts them both by dragging Neal and his bag inside the second he’s free and throwing her arms around his waist. “I am so mad at you,” she mutters into his chest, and he drops his bag and holds her, his eyes shut, his cheek pressed to the top of her head, his face twisted as if it hurts him.“Sorry. I’m sorry.” His first words.“We missed you,” says El.Peter shuts the world outside and leans against the door, watching them. He’s running on about four hours of interrupted sleep but he feels fully awake for the first time in months. And grateful beyond measure that all this disturbance hasn’t woken the baby.Finally El and Neal separate. Neal straightens his clothing, composes himself into a picture-perfect prodigal son. “I’m sorry,” he says again. “When did you figure it out?”“About three days after you left,” says Peter.El rolls her eyes at Neal. “He is a detective.”Neal lets out a soft ha! then sobers. “I’m glad. I didn’t like to think of you…”“Grieving?” supplies Peter, after a pause. Missing him had been nearly as bad. Messier. Hope lurking in the periphery, impossible to banish. He scowls. “We’ve had our hands too full to sit around moping anyway.”Neal flinches but steps gamely into the living room, looks around, bends to pat Satch who’s come over to say hi. “I can see that. You’re parents now.”“Yeah.” Peter refuses to believe that the kid is the real reason Neal ran, or the reason he didn’t come back sooner. Might have been an excuse, though.He follows Neal’s gaze around the room, the toys and papers and baby paraphernalia. They’ve grown accustomed to a certain level of chaos, and Peter is long past feeling defensive about it, instead goes to find a dustpan and brush to clean up the shards of coffee cup, leaving El to keep an eye on Neal. 3.Neal is back. El can hardly believe it, keeps wanting to touch him to check. She folds her arms.Months ago, long before Davy was born, she and Peter talked about what might happen, what they wanted; they even teased each other about their two true loves, but now Neal’s here, none of it seems real. He stayed away so long, she convinced herself he was happy out there in the world without them. That the only thing to do was move on.Now she doesn’t know what to think.In the entryway, Peter starts cleaning up the breakages. She knows he won’t say anything, can’t start anything. His former role as Neal’s handler is still holding him back. This time, it’s up to her to investigate.“So,” she says, “no more anklet.”Neal tugs lightly at his pants leg to show off his bare ankle. “No more anklet.”“You ever miss it?” She tries to keep her words light and ironic.He shrugs. “It was hell on the lines of my suit pants, so…”“Neal,” Peter interrupts, dustpan in hand, “you want a drink? Coffee, beer, wine?”“Coffee would be great.” So polite, all of them so stilted. El wants to bang their heads together, including her own.She’s actually grateful when sounds of stirring come through the baby monitor.“Come and meet Davy. Or Baby Suit, as Moz keeps calling him.” She beckons Neal to the stairs, wanting to introduce him to the newest member of their family. Hoping it will break the ice, or at least provide some clue to what he’s thinking.Neal follows her upstairs, pausing halfway up to peruse the new photos on the wall.The noises from the cracked open nursery door aren’t urgent yet, and El hesitates outside. Screw investigating; better to jump straight to interrogating. What have they got to lose?“Look,” she says, “I get why you had to leave. Not just the Pink Panthers. You had to find yourself, right? Find the new you.”Neal looks at her. “That’s not why.”“Then what? What brought you back?” There has to be a reason he’s been away so long. A reason that he’s here.“I’m back because I couldn’t forget. And I found out Peter couldn’t forget either.” He shifts his weight. “If you want me to leave…”El steps closer, half holding her breath. What if this is just about Peter? What will she do then? “I really don’t want you to leave.”“Before you say that, there’s something you should know. Two things. And I needed to tell you in person.” He looks like he’s trying to summon one of those flashy smiles, to smooth bravado over the situation and make it easy, and it won’t come together. But his gaze stays steady. “I don’t want to hide anymore: I’m in love with Peter.”“Oh, sweetie.” A lump the size of the Chrysler Building rises in El’s throat.“And I’m in love with you. Both of you, you're both so... everything. But I don’t want to complicate your life. If you want me to go, I’ll go.” It’s the second time he’s offered, and El grabs his arm, just in case he follows through before she can explain.Her heart is pounding so hard, she can hardly speak. “Neal, Peter and I have been crazy about you for years. Didn’t you know? That’s why Peter could never send you back to prison, even when you stole things, even when you ran. It would have broken both our hearts.”“I don’t do that anymore,” he says, and she grins.“We know.” She opens the nursery door wide so he can see the walls decorated with his art, all illustrations from the three children’s books he’s worked on over the last eight months, the pages bright and whimsical. There’s the parrot pirates, the kite over Paris, the family of octopuses. Each one carefully framed.Even the onesie Davy’s wearing has one of the octopuses printed on it, courtesy of Mozzie.Neal’s jaw drops. El goes to pick up her son, bouncing him to quiet him. “Hey, there, babycakes. Hungry? I’ll feed you in a sec. First, you have to meet your Uncle Neal. Neal, this is Davy.”Neal lets Davy grab his finger, and his eyes soften. “Hey, little guy. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”“I’d say it’s about time.” Peter’s in the doorway, carrying two cups of coffee and one of tea, as if they’re going to stand around in the nursery and drink them. None of them are at the top of their game.Neal inhales shakily. “Peter. Why didn’t you call? Write? I would have been back here in a second.”“If you love someone, set them free.” Peter’s expression is rueful and oh, so fond. “I was your handler. You know I had to let you go.”“I thought I was setting you free.”“Never.”Neal spreads his arms, then drops them to his sides. “Well, I came back, so you know what that means, right?”El’s heart thumps. This is actually happening. She wasn’t sure how she’d feel, if it ever did: excited or nervous or jealous. In fact, it’s a mix of everything, but shot through with a fierce relief that takes her breath away. There’s so much to figure out, but for now it’s enough that Neal came back, he loves them. “If you come back, you’re ours.” She grabs the sleeve of his sweater and pulls him down to kiss her, Davy between them. His lips are careful and sweet, sending an electric current through her that weakens her knees.He pulls back and presses another kiss to her temple. “El, God, you have no idea.”Then Peter moves in. He’s put the coffee cups down somewhere, and his hands land on Neal’s shoulders. “I thought I was going crazy.”“I know.” Neal runs his knuckles along the line of Peter’s chin. “Jones sent me a list you’d made.”Peter colors. “He didn’t. Which one?”“How many were there?” Neal grins a little. “Now I’m curious.”“Dozens,” says Peter, bending to kiss him, speaking his next words against Neal’s lips. “Maybe hundreds.”El shivers at the sight, feels a low ache when Neal wraps his arms around Peter’s neck and kisses him harder, murmurs, “I missed you too.”This is going to be great.
11012073
Ill Be Your Mirror
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz, Skye | Daisy Johnson", "Fandom": "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by ominousrum", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-27T00:00:00", "words": "841", "Additional Tags": "post 4x22 fic, Light Angst, Fluff and Angst, space comfort we all need in canon", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
The team didn’t get to interact often. Days were spent mostly working increasingly boring, perfunctory tasks. What little personal time they had was occupied with sleeping or just trying to hold on to some small part of themselves to not completely dissolve away. One thing they could rely on however, was the canteen. Three times a day for ten minute increments they could smile at one another, sit shoulder to shoulder and pretend that the new normal wasn’t chipping away at them bit by bit. Fitz preferred the far left corner. The bench across from it was cut off short so no one could sit opposite him and he could only be flanked on one side. Everyone took turns sitting next to him until he seemed to tailor his responses a bit too perfectly to his seatmate based on the obvious pattern. A curt nod for May, an inspection of the technology in his hand for Coulson, a motorcycle question for Mack. Conversations that never really went anywhere but served to placate everyone became Fitz’s specialty.Soon only Daisy and Jemma bothered to make any effort to engage in real conversation. Daisy eventually succumbing to a stream of curses and Jemma falling into sullen silence whenever frustration found their respective breaking points. Still, they kept at it. Daisy was the only one who could occasionally elicit a laugh from him and although Fitz and Jemma didn’t say much to one another, Fitz visibly relaxed whenever she was near.One day Jemma, thoroughly annoyed with a quiet breakfast, plunked herself down next to him full of especially fierce, focused determination. Fitz’s hand gave an automatic shake.“Fitz,” Jemma began softly, staring at the amorphous blob of food on her tray. “Do you miss me?”Fitz lifted his eyes to her face for a fleeting second, mouth remaining decidedly closed.“Because I’ve wanted to give you time to heal and process everything and I can certainly continue to do that,” Jemma sighed, “I just don’t want it to be at the cost of losing you.”She turned to him then, a ghost of a smile on her lips. They hadn’t so much as held hands since their embrace in the pod and the ache of not being able to touch him only seemed to be growing stronger.“I.. I don’t deserve to miss you, Jemma.” His admission was like a small shard of glass had found its way into her lungs.“I don’t remotely believe that and that wasn’t what I asked you.”“Jemma-““You meant what you said in the containment module, didn’t you?” Jemma could feel her lip starting to quaver and willed any crack in her voice away. “That your love would never fade?”“I didn’t know you’d heard that.” Fitz bowed his head low to his chest.“Well I did. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make you believe my love won’t fade either.”Jemma stared into the sadness on his face, eyes pleading with his to gaze back at her. She waited until the bell rang out to signify lunch was over before calmly taking her full tray to the bin.When dinner rolled around, Jemma sat beside Daisy; refusing to even glance in Fitz’s direction. She needed to regroup; to take a bit of time to sulk, pointless though it may be. She needed time to mourn the loss of their effortless interactions again. It had been painful enough the first time around.It wasn’t until she felt Daisy’s arm leave from around her shoulders that she bothered to look up, finding Fitz standing next to her. In a flash Daisy had picked up both her and Coulson’s trays and kicked Coulson’s chair hard enough that he took the hint to vacate his seat. Jemma watched them retreat, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.“Do you mind if I..?” Fitz gestured to the table with the edge of his tray.Jemma slid slowly to make room, that and a half-hearted shrug her only answer. Fitz sat down, pushing his tray a few inches from him. In lighter days Jemma would have made a quip about Fitz not eating, but the tension wasn’t hers to break.A minute or two passed with neither even pretending to pick up a utensil. Then Fitz reached out his hand to place it on top of hers, neatly folded in her lap. Jemma let her eyes close a moment, a smile spreading across her face before she turned to him. Fitz’s eyes still held some trepidation but Jemma was thankful to see love shining in them once more.“You’re everything to me, Jemma. I don’t intend to let anything tear us apart again. Even if it’s me I have to fight with.”“We will fight it. Fight for us.”“Yeah,” Fitz smiled. “We will.”By the time the last bell rang, Jemma’s head had taken up its familiar spot in the crook of Fitz’s neck, the rest of the team grinning in relief as they passed by.
11030157
Happiness
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Sam Carter, Alternate Janet Fraiser", "Fandom": "Stargate SG-1", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Melime", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "1,000", "Additional Tags": "Femslash Big Bang Monthly Challenge, Post-Canon", "Relationship": "Samantha \"Sam\" Carter/Janet Fraiser", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Not the one you lost", "Collections": "Femslash Big Bang", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
It happened like this: problems came and went, and they faced them together. Years had passed since the first time they saw each other, that mix of familiar and unknown, meeting again and for the first time, reuniting lovers and strangers.Janet never forgot the world that she lost, the world where humanity fell. She never learnt of the destiny of the colony of refugees she helped set, either. The moment she decided to turn her back on Earth and leave with Sam, she cut ties with her home, although, in a way, her home was already gone by then. Home was Sam and Cassie and the SGC, and she wouldn’t have been able to survive in that reality where she lost everything.She never forgot, but she moved on. She had a new life now, and eventually she stopped feeling as if she was walking in a dead woman’s shoes. She wasn’t in the military, not anymore, they never trusted her enough to bring her back to the program, but she was still a doctor. Recovering her medical license had been tricky, but she had nothing if not time, her entire life ahead of her in a way that wouldn’t have been possible in her own reality.Sam never forgot the Janet that she saw die, or the love they shared. Nor did she forget the pain she caused Cassie when she refused to tell her about the alternate Janet she was seeing, although their daughter had since forgiven her. Above all else, Sam didn’t forget the way Janet was treated, and how Sam almost lost her career when trying to protect Janet.She never forgot but she moved on. She lived with the love of her life, their relationship an open secret, and not long after being taken out of Atlantis she was given command of the SGC. She always assumed she wouldn’t like this sort of command, staying behind while others took risks, but commanding Atlantis taught her that there were dangers that didn’t come from the gate, and that the program needed an experienced leader to protect its members from bureaucrats that didn’t seem to care about how many times the world was saved, only how much money was spent.It happened like this: nothing could force them apart. Officially they were roommates, and it was convenient always having someone from the program around the refugee from another reality and the refugee from another world. Unofficially, Cassie’s friends from college admired her two brilliant mothers.They went to Cassie’s college graduation together, but then again, Jack, Teal’c, Daniel, Vala and Cam were there as well. They were all her family, in one way or another, and they all cared about her.It happened like this: when DADT was repealed, Sam was invited to over fifty weddings, some on Earth, some in Atlantis, a few even in other worlds. She tried to go to as many as she could, although she could only send her congratulations and gifts to those that happened away from Earth.She asked Janet to marry her that day, but they were far from the first couple to celebrate their union. They waited long enough, they might as well wait a little longer and do things right.Vala insisted on helping with the planning, especially because of how disappointed she was that Jack and Daniel managed to escape to Las Vegas before she had a chance to plan a big party for them as well. Of course, Vala’s notion of an Earth wedding was based solely on what she saw on TV, and she had a tendency to overplan. With Vala, every party was a huge event, and a wedding had to be the largest of them all.It happened like this: the life they never dreamed possible came true. Sam was a general and had command of the SGC, Janet ran a free clinic, they got married in summer and Sam had to go back to the SGC one week into their honeymoon to deal with some random crisis that ended up being resolved in time for her to go back to her vacation.Happiness, true, generalized happiness, of the kind that makes one think that any day where nothing catastrophic happens ends up being pretty good, came unexpectedly. After so many years of frantic lives, this quiet pleasantness was unfamiliar territory, but one they would gladly explore.Of course, crisis still happened, they would never know complete peace. However, there are only so many times that the Earth can be threatened before dealing with that threat comes routine, especially after their most significant enemies were defeated. All in all, it was nothing like the first decade or so of their operation. Earth had quickly achieved a place among the highest powers of the galaxy and with that came a greater stability for the program.Still, Sam was rarely late to go back home, and even on those occasions, she always managed to call and warn Janet. In fact, it was more likely that Janet lost track of time at the clinic, but Sam didn’t mind. As long as it wasn’t time for dinner, Sam wouldn’t even call the clinic to check when Janet would be home. It was good to see Janet happy with her job, and that, although nothing could replace what she did at the SGC, she found it fulfilling.It seemed impossible that things would work like this for them, and sometimes they still caught themselves being surprised by this turn of events. After such heartbreak, after finding hope through a miracle, after months of hiding, first their relationship, and then Janet’s presence in this universe, after having to fight for Janet’s freedom, after having to hide their relationship again, it was hard to believe that they could have a happy ending, a happy life together.It happened like this: months turned into years, years into decades. Sam and Janet remained together through everything, and they were happy.
11077119
When Its Just Not Funny
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Kim Taehyung | V, Min Yoongi | Suga, Kim Seokjin | Jin", "Fandom": "방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by SomewhatSassy (Scavenge4Dreams)", "chapters": "2/2", "completed": "2019-01-18", "published": "2017-06-03T00:00:00", "words": "4,500", "Additional Tags": "Angst and Feels, Fluff, Kim Taehyung | V-centric, Kim Taehyung | V is a Little Shit, Cute Kim Taehyung | V, Adorable Kim Taehyung | V, TaeTae doesn't get it, Min Yoongi is mean, Meaner than he intended anyway, He made Tae cry, TaeTae doesn't think, Protective Hyungs, Sharing a Bed, Pranks and Practical Jokes", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "JustsomeBangtan", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Taehyung's hands were clenched to his chest. Blood was dripping everywhere, soaking through the thin fabric of his shirt and dribbling in plump red droplets between his fingers. It trailed down his wrists and arms like morbid lacework.Yoongi couldn't tear his eyes away from the horrifying sight.The rest of the world seemed to be spinning around him, blurry and fading in and out of his peripheral vision. Everything was throbbing in time with the heartbeat thumping in his ears. The knife was hard and solid in his hand, and Yoongi let it go, dropping with a metallic thud to the floor. This was... This hadn't... He'd never meant to… He couldn't seem to get himself to think clearly…And then Taehyung was stumbling a few graceless, faltering steps forward, and went to his knees. He was so close to the top of the stairs…It broke the stupor, and Yoongi lunged."Tae! Oh my god, Oh- My. Taehyung! Tae, look at me, that's it. Let go, I need to-" he needed to apply pressure, stop the bleeding. Call for hel-His head swivelled down the hallway."HELP! Guys! He-", his voice was desperate. Someone had to be-" Yoongi- Yoon- Hyung! "That was Taehyung's voice. Yoongi swung back to look-There was still the blood, red and sticky on his skin, and Tae was shaking like a leaf-No. Not shaking. Laughing. Tae was laughing. Smiling. Grinning."- a joke Hyung, just a-"A joke.The rush of emotions was such a complete run of the spectrum that Yoongi felt light headed. Dizzying, thankful, soul-crushing relief was dampened out by disbelief, and then anger became a deep, glittering, simmering rage. Yoongi felt his blood boiling in his veins. "…a joke.", he breathed."- always saying that, and, -and I thought it would be funny-", Taehyung knew he was talking faster now, every word sounding more childish and lame than the one before. The dangerous gleam in Yoongi's eye and the erratic twitch in his cheek was enough for Taehyung to already be questioning the wisdom of his little prank.He tipped from unsure into actual fear when Yoongi seemed to snap, lunging across the small distance between them. He suddenly found himself being yanked forward, bare knees burning as he was dragged across the carpet.Before he could even breathe, he was face down on the floor.His heart was thumping wildly in his chest and he was aware of the fact that he was babbling fearfully, "Hyung! Stop- I'm sorry! Stop, please- Yoongi-hyung!-"An enraged huffing breath came from above, and Tae actually heard the whip-like sound as Yoongi brought his hand whistling down through the air.Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut, tensed up, breath seizing in his throat as he waited for the smack.It didn't come.Jin made it up the hall just in time to grab Yoongi's wrist, before the blow could land.He'd been reading in his room when he'd heard the call for help, and felt his blood run cold.That had been Min Yoongi's voice, and he'd sounded frantic.Jin had dropped everything and run.He hadn't been sure what he'd expected to find; but it hadn't been Yoongi pinning Tae to the hallway carpet, one hand raised mid-spank.That hadn't been the cause for concern though. Taehyung semi-regularly caused his own demise at the hand of the older hyungs. The thing that had alarmed Jin, was the sheer, ropable fury evident in every line of Yoongi's body.There was absolutely no way any of them should be disciplining one of the youngsters while that furious, no matter the crime. It could so easily slip into abuse.Jin breathed a sigh of relief when he caught Yoongi's arm in time. Kneeling, he murmured into the younger man's ear, "You can't do this now. You're too angry. Let him up."Yoongi flexed, testing Jin's hold, and Jin shook him like a ragdoll.Yoongi blinked.Jin saw as the sheen of red retreated, and Yoongi came back to his senses, and looked.Tae was rigidly still, pinned beneath the weight of Yoongi's upper body, channelled through the splayed hand in the middle of his back. His face was turned toward them, his eyes clenched closed.He was plainly afraid.Which was never the aim of the few instances that they'd felt the need to actually carry through with proper disciplinary actions.Yoongi reared back, and away, hurrying down the stairs; needing to get away from Taehyung, because Taehyung was afraid of him.Jin let Yoongi go, knowing that he was needed there as well, but that he had something else more pressing to deal with first."Tae? Tae-baby? It's okay- you're okay." Jin spoke quietly, his fingers finding their way into Taehyung's hair, gently carding through the soft locks and trailing down the side of his pale face.Tae's eyes fluttered open, and he looked around warily, immediately noting Yoongi's absence- with alarm.Jin had to hide a smile, "It's okay, he's just downstairs. He hasn't left, don't worry, I'm sure he's definitely still going to want to talk to you. He just needed to cool down- Aish, Taehyungie, what did you do?"Taehyung slowly sat up, and Jin gasped in sudden alarm when he noticed the red staining across his white t-shirt, "God- Is that-"Tae glanced down and then grimaced, shaking his head. His voice was tiny when he answered, "No, I'm okay. Jin-" Tae glanced at the staircase, swallowing thickly before looking back, "Hyung- I- It was just a joke-It should have been funny. I-I don't understand-"Taehyung dashed the welling wetness away from his eyes with frustration, "I don't know why he-!"Jin couldn't really help with that, because he wasn't sure exactly what had happened. Although if his hunch was correct, Jin couldn't say with honesty, that he wouldn't have reacted much the same as Yoongi.The blood was really disturbing him.He reached out and pulled Tae into a hug, speaking over his shoulder as his arms tightened, "I don't know Tae, but Yoongi will come talk to you soon. Go and get changed, and then wait in Yoongi-ah's room- hmm?"Tae shuddered, probably at the thought of 'talking' with Yoongi again, but he nodded obediently. Although he waited until Jin released his hold first before pulling away and wandering up the hallway slowly towards his room.Jin made a mental note to offer another hug later, but thought he had best go offer one to his oldest dongsaeng first.Yoongi was seated on the bottom step.It was so much worse than Jin expected.His face was hidden in his hands and his shoulders were quivering. He was silent though, because he was Yoongi.Jin felt his heart give an uncomfortable turn at the sight and he hurried the last few steps down, dropping onto the step above and wrapped his arms around Yoongi from behind, tucking the younger man's head under his chin.He refused to let go even when Yoongi tried to shrug him off, and finally- Yoongi stilled, muttering, "Aish, you're so annoying-" even as he relaxed into the hug.Jin smiled into his hair as he replied, "Yep. Wanna talk about it?"Yoongi went for typical avoidance and evasion when he answered with, "Well, I suppose you can't help it really. They say levels of annoying increase with age-" and then laughed wetly when Jin flicked his ear.A moment of companionable silence later, and Yoongi sighed and pulled away, this time Jin let him.The younger had wiped at his face, but his eyes were still red and puffy. Jin winced in sympathy."TaeTae? I really scared him, huh hyung?" Yoongi asked quietly.Jin nodded, answering truthfully, "Yeah, a bit- but he's okay. He was more worried that he'd made you so angry that you'd just left. Aish Yoongi-ah, what happened?"Yoongi shuddered, dropping back to lean against the wall, so he was facing Jin properly. "God- He just- I can't get it out of my head, hyung. I thought I'd killed him!" He brought a hand up to cover his eyes as he remembered, his voice a little shaky as he recounted, "He was- well, he was being Tae. But, like Tae at his absolute brattiest- aigoo, I should have known he was up to something!"Jin hmmd- he'd seen Tae at his brattiest- it wasn't always unpleasant, but it did have a way of grating when one was tired or otherwise engaged.The rapper continued, "So he was just- I don't know, talking rubbish and flicking bits of rice at me-" Jin snorted, but raised his hands in apology when Yoongi glared at him, before continuing, "Anyway- we're in his doorway, and that fake dagger- you know, the pirate ones with the skull and crossbones and jewels and stuff? With the pop out blades- that we're using for the mv? With the -Yeah? Anyway- one of them was sitting on the little table near the door, and I grabbed it-"Jin, who could suddenly see where this was going with startling clarity, breathed, "Aish- That little brat. God Yoongi- I can't even imagine- I don't even want to imagine how that must have felt. God-""Yeah. And then he started laughing – and I flipped my shit." Yoongi concluded.Jin nodded, things making a whole lot more sense, "I don't blame you."Yoongi looked at him sideways, "He was really okay? I didn't scare him too badly?"Jin looked thoughtful, answering, "I'll be honest, he was pretty shaken up- and I really don't think he understands why you got angry, especially not so angry- "Running a hand through his hair, and standing slowly, Yoongi sighed, "How can he not realise how awful that was, I mean- He made me think I'd killed him! Did he think I'd laugh?!"Jin stood as well, "I don't think he really thought beyond the immediate joke from his point of view- I don't think he considered what it would make you feel- "Yoongi growled.Jin nodded. "Exactly. I sent him to get changed and then to wait in your room. Do you feel calm enough to talk it out yet?"Looking up the stairs, thoughtful, Yoongi answered, "Actually- If he doesn't already know, I don't think 'talking' is truly going to help him understand just how utterly horrific that whole experience was…".Jin couldn't help but agree.The timing was absolutely crucial.The whole thing hinged on the timing.Yoongi nodded to Jin. He was ready."KIM TAEHYUNG!" The demanding shout echoed throughout the nearly empty house, Jin's voice loud and furious.As predicted, within second Taehyung had rushed out of Yoongi's room, the door rocketing outwards as it opened in front of the startled youth.The timing was perfect.In reality, the door was stopped by Yoongi's hand from behind, and he then controlled his graceless fall to the carpet.From Taehyungs point of view, the door flew open and caught Yoongi on the side of the head with a dull thud. Yoongi crumpled to the ground like a marionette with it strings cut.Taehyung went from 60 to zero in second, flailing to a halt with eyes as wide as saucers as his brain tried to catch up with what he was seeing."Hyung!" he eventually squeaked, stumbling the few steps across the carpet, "Yoongi-Hyung!? Aigoo, I didn't see you! Are you-"Yoongi played his part like a fiddle, rolling weakly to one side with a pained groan, one hand coming away from his head bloody."Oh my go- Hyung! -What-? Hyung!? JIN!? Ji-" Taehyung's voice fluctuated between shock and confusion as he tried to process the situation.Yoongi flopped onto his back, eyes rolling in his head as the carefully applied blood worked its way across his face in little rivulets.Taehyung scrambled closer, and Yoongi could feel the way his hands were shaking as the younger patted awkwardly at his face, seeming not sure if he should be touching or not. His voice was perilously shakily, only shades away from tears, "JIN! Yoongi! Y-You're okay- you're okay! - Hyung, please!"Yoongi went for the pièce de résistance. Coughing wetly, he let the mouthful of blood splatter from his lips, droplets staining his shirt and splashing across Taehyungs hands.Taehyung burst into tears. Jaenjang. Yoongi reached up, wrapped his arms around the shaking, heaving shoulders and pulled Tae down against his chest.He may have played his part a little too well. He'd just wanted to give the brat a taste of his own medicine, make him understand in a way that talking just wouldn't (Yoongi knew – Tae learnt best from experience, not lecturing) – he hadn't really intended to send him into hysterics.Although… Yoongi himself had been about 20 seconds and one laughing Taehyung away from hysterics about 15 minutes ago. Perhaps it wasn't unwarranted.Tae's uncontrollable sobbing was still breaking his heart.Jin disappeared from his hiding spot at the top of the stairs. He wasn't needed.Still lying on the floor in the hallway outside his room, Yoongi cradled Taehyung to his chest, rocking steadily, one hand rubbing slow circled between shaking shoulders, the other gently running over the back of Taehyings head.He spoke quietly into one ear, "Shh, TaeTae. I'm okay. Shh- Hey, we're okay…Shh. I'm not hurt. I'm okay…", his voice calm and steady, content to repeat himself as long as was necessary.He knew the instant Taehyung registered what was being said. What was happening.Taehyung drew in a furious wounded breath, heartrendingly wet with tears, rearing back from Yoongi's hold to stare down at him accusingly."Why would you do that!? Why?! I thought I'd-" his voice was shaky with left over anguish and newly acquired fury.Yoongi knew the exact answer he needed to give. "It was just a joke."Taehyung stared down at him for a second more, face going scarily blank. And then he crumpled again, tears back with a vengeance.He tried to pull away, but Yoongi wasn't having any of that, "Hey, hey! Come here- "Taehyung didn't take much convincing, letting himself be drawn back into the embrace, although this time he was the one murmuring the steady repeated litany, "God- I'm sorry. I'm so- I didn't think. I didn't- I'm so stupid-""Hey! You're not. You just a had a momentary lapse of judgement." Tae laughed bitterly through tears that he couldn't seem to get to stop. Yoongi amended, "Okay, a really, really bad momentary lapse of judgment- but you understand now. Right?"Tae's agreeing nod was fervent.Yoongi nodded his approval as he continued- "I know a better place to cuddle than the floor. How about it?"Tae looked at him through wet eyelashes, seemingly weighing the sincerity of the invitation (it wasn't really an invitation), but Yoongi didn't have to press the issue because eventually his second maknae nodded again, and ostensibly moved to help Yoongi get them both on their feet.He was definitely more hindrance than help.Yoongi pulled the door shut behind them and dragged Tae across the room to his bed, pushing the younger down onto the side of the mattress- "Shoes off, TaeTae-" he said as he helped shed the sneakers.He went to climb in himself, but was stopped by Taehyung's hand on his chest. He looked down into the tearstained face and still welling eyes, pretty sure he'd agree to just about anything the kid asked while he looked at him like that, "Yeah?""Can you- Can you wash your face first, Hyung?" Taehyung's voice hitched on the last word and Yoongi couldn't resist, reaching out brush the tear dampened cheek with his fingers."Sure thing, I'll be back in a minute okay." He answered, hurrying out the door and into the bathroom.He returned moments later, fake blood free. Tae's eyes popped open as soon as he closed the door. His breath hitched wetly when he saw Yoongi, and his eyes welled again.Yoongi felt the first fingers of guilt start to crawl up his spine, and shook them away roughly.Tae had needed the wakeup call, even if it had gone a little farther than intended. Tae would be fine once he got over the fright; Yoongi would make sure of it.He sat down on the edge of the bed again, and Taehyung rolled towards him, one arm hugging across his waist in such a blatantly clinging move that Yoongi melted, and the guilt swept in anyway."Aish, you little brat. I'm sorry- I didn't mean to scare you quite this much." he brushed hair back off damp clammy skin.Taehyung shook his head, pressing closer to Yoongi's side, his voice muffled as he replied, "I deserved it Hyung- I can't even begin to… I'm just really, really, really, reeaaly, reeea-"Yoongi flopped down beside him, pulling the slighter form up the bed some and draped a hand over his still mumbling mouth, "I think I get it TaeTae. And thank you for the apology."They'd fallen silent for a moment and then Tae had shifted, suddenly seeming uneasily and somewhat anxious, as if something had just occurred to him. He didn't say anything.Yoongi rolled to his side, looking down to where Tae was frowning slightly. There was definitely something bothering him."TaeTae?" he questioned, voice soft with concern.Taehyung's eyes popped open, tracking quickly through the near darkness to find his, "Oh- nothing, Hyung! Just thinking."Yoongi didn't bother with a reply to such a blatant cop out, simply raising the eyebrow of 'I won't put up with your bullshit, Kim Taehyung'.As usual, it worked like a charm.Taehyung licked his lips, seeming hesitant about whatever he was about to say, almost as if he was reluctant to hear the answer; but he forged ahead.Or tried to anyway, "I was just wondering- That is, am I still going to- ""Spit it out Taehyungie, you can do it!" Yoongi half teased, half encouraged.The normalcy seemed to do the trick.Taehyung took a deep breath and then let the question roll of his tongue, "AmIstillintrouble?"He had his eyes clenched shut and his nose screwed up, like he was physically resisting the answer. Aish. This kid would be the death of him. Yoongi felt his smile dip though, remembering what had almost happened in the hallway earlier. He answered, "No Tae- I think we've both been punished enough for this little debacle. I do want to talk to you about what happened earlier though, after your…prank… "Tae, who'd perked up upon hearing that he was forgiven, free and clear, seemed to deflate slightly, but he stopped fidgeting to show he was listening."I'm really sorry for scaring you like that-" Yoongi began, but was cut off almost immediately by Taehyung, "No, hyung, It's okay, I-"Yoongi disagreed. Fervently. "No Taehyung. It definitely wasn't okay. I was out of control and not thinking, and I shouldn't have even dreamed of raising my hand to you in that situation. I'd have never forgiven myself if I'd hurt you."Taehyung's lower lip trembled again, and Yoongi sighed-"Hey, hey- don't do that TaeTae- I'm trying to apologize, not make you feel worse. I just want you to know, that if I ever act like that-""...You won't. Not after, I mean- I can hear it... " Taehyung tried to explain, gesturing with mild frustration when he couldn't find the words.Yoongi shook his head, pressing his point, "Maybe, but Tae...if any of us ever act like that again, I want you to push back. Don't just let me, no matter how mad I am….okay?"Taehyung's voice was sure when he replied, "You won't. I just- I know you won't."   Taheyung blinked up at him with more insight than most would give him credit for, continuing, "You're really afraid though. "Yoongi's chest felt tight, and his eyes damp. "Yes. Of that; of scaring you like I did. Hurting you like I almost did.  Taehyung, if it ever happens again, tell me you're afraid of me. Over and over. I'll stop. I promise."They'd been quiet for a while after that, both absorbed by their own thoughts.Tae's breathing had settled down, and the tears seemed to have finally stopped, although he was still snuffling occasionally. Yoongi was sure that if he stayed quiet and kept running his fingers through the boy's hair, he'd fall asleep soon enough.But there was still something that was niggling at him."I still just don't get- " he trailed off, unsure if he really wanted to bring it all back up again, especially with Tae so relaxed at his side.Too late though."Don't get what?" Taehyung asked, eager to please, eager to try and mend what he'd done.Yoongi sighed, giving in, "I'm just not sure why you thought I'd find that funny?", he explained.Taehyung flopped a little further onto his back, so he was staring at the ceiling and could avoid Yoongi's face. "Well- I dunno. I guess, - I mean- It's just that you're always saying that you're going to- Well, that you'll kill me. And I thought- Well. I really am sorry." he trailed off.Yoongi sighed. What troubled he'd caused, with a stupid throw-away line."Yeah, I'm sorry too. But if you ever do something like this to me again… I will…" Yoongi pulled Tae more firmly against his side, squeezing the back of his neck before finishing, "…Tickle you to death. Got it?""Got it." Tae agreed, tears finally giving way to giggles as Yoongi's fingers scraped gently down his side. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Yoongi had been staring at the ceiling for five minutes.It was dark, which made staring kind of pointless, but the other alternative was sleep and Yoongi doubted that would return anytime soon.So instead he stared and listened to Taehyung's soft sleep sounds. Letting it remind him, reassure him. 'Tae's fine; he's curled up right beside you. That's his breath ghosting across your shoulder every few seconds, his fingers occasionally twitching against your chest, his elbow you can feel trying to remove your spleen. Tae's here, and he's fine...'He wasn't lying puddled in blood at Yoongi's feet, knife still jutting out of his chest grotesquely-Yoongi wrapped his arm a little tighter around Tae's waist and drew him closer with a shaky exhale.The clock on the bedside table glowed cheerful neon at him, informing him that it was nearly 3 am. Yoongi was exhausted, a bone-deep weariness that didn't have anything to do with physical fatigue. He just felt completely drained.The thought of sleep held no allure.Taehyung whimpering and pleading and terrified?He'd done that.Not might, could, what if... he had.The Taehyung from his thoughts though, his 'what - if', with his eyes screwed shut, lower lip bitten near through as he cried and pled with Yoongi to stop?But by the grace of only Jin, had that not happened last night.Did it matter that it hadn't happened?Because it so very nearly had. Taehyung shifted suddenly, a soft protesting whine escaping in objection to Yoongi's unconsciously tightened hold, and thinking the younger needed more space, Yoongi loosed his grip a little.Taehyung rolled further into him.Yoongi's breath hitched painfully as he choked off an unexpected gasp. He felt raw, his insides turned out for anyone to see. To judge.How was Taehyung not afraid of him? Yoongi had been on the verge of beating him a few hours ago, and now Taehyung was curled up against his side, as trusting and affectionate as ever.Taehyung suddenly fussed slightly, a tiny mewling sound.Yoongi shuddered- Taehyung twitched. This was not unusual; Tae was very rarely still, even when asleep.So the twitching was quite normal, but the hand that was fisted into the fabric of his t-shirt, long slender fingers white with tension said differently.Another twitch and Yoongi pulled away just far enough that he could partially see Tae's face in the dull light from the half-open door, thankful that he'd been awake for a while that his eyes had adjusted because it allowed him to see the tiny frown forming between Taehyung's eyes.He saw a faint quiver of downturned lips before Tae turned slightly, his face hidden where he'd burrowed against Yoongi's side. Was Taehyung dreaming of being pinned to the ground? Of screaming and crying and begging Yoongi to stop?  The next twitch transitioned into a full flinch, and Yoongi felt Taehyung's chest heave slightly against his side as his breathing increased in speed.He heard the whimper, soft and muffled but so full of fear and distress that Yoongi couldn't leave him any longer, rolling slowly to his side and propping himself up on one arm.He looked down at Tae, tucked up against his chest.His hand was still fisted in Yoongi's shirt, stretching the material as he tried to curl into himself but refused to let go at the same time. Yoongi's chest ached. He'd done this.Yes, Tae had done it first, but no matter what the younger boys motive had been, Yoongi knew he never would have intended to cause such a distraught reaction.And yet, that is exactly what Yoongi had intended when he'd done the same thing in return. Yoongi had given Taehyung nightmares. He'd scared him so badly as to invade his very subconscious with horror and fear. Tae whimpered again, and Yoongi just...couldn't. He couldn' be here, like this. Not with Taehyung, who should be on the other side of the house as far from Yoongi as possible. He rolled away, pulling himself half upright as he fumbled with the blankets tangled across the two of them. "Nooo, Hyung-...Please-" Tae cried, voice raspy with fear and panic and Yoongi's chest felt like lead, and he shoved the blankets off and started to stand- "-Please- I don't want Kimbap again. I just want Pizza..." Taehyung wailed and then trailed off into indecipherable mutterings. Yoongi stared, non-plussed.Taehyung wasn't dreaming about him at all.Taehyung was dreaming about pizza, of all things. Taheyung was fine. Not terrified or traumatized or broken because of something that Yoongi could have done.Could have, but didn't.And Yoongi finally realized what Taehyung had been trying to tell him earlier.He'd never. He'd never again even come close.Because of feeling, that soul-destroying pain that swept over him when he thought about possibly hurting Taehyung. Of making Taehyung afraid of him.Yoongi would never forget it. And he'd never risk causing the same feeling again.He'd never destroy Taehyung like that. Any of them. Never.Sinking back down into the bed, Tae immediately plastered himself down his side, leaving Yoongi with a struggle to find and tug the blankets into place. But Taehyung wasn't afraid of him.   Yoongi thought he might just suggest pizza for dinner tomorrow night.
11034378
Glory Days
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Mycroft Holmes, Greg Lestrade", "Fandom": "Sherlock (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by sorcererofsupremepizza", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "1,209", "Additional Tags": "Myc and Greg clean up Greg's place, Mycroft doesn't understand Greg sometimes, but he knows that he adores him, cute gift giving, Mycroft is a wonderful boyfriend, Established Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade", "Relationship": "Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Mycroft and Lestrade - Relationship Shenanigans", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“Gregory, why can’t you just get rid of this bloody t-shirt? It is literally falling to pieces in my hands. Look at this! There are more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese.” Mycroft Holmes said, turning his nose up at the sight of the ratty green t-shirt from Lestrade’s days at university. He held it up, the college mascot actually peeling away from the field of green, pieces of fabric and thread visible on the frayed edges. “And this huge hole on the back… how do you even wear this thing?”“It’s comfortable, and I wear it constantly. We are not getting rid of that.” Lestrade said, boxing up another collection of old stuff. Greg had been meaning to go through the old piles of junk he’d had from his “glory days,” and get rid of anything that he didn’t find useful or worthwhile anymore.Mycroft had a very different definition of the term “useful,” however. Especially when it came to Greg’s old t-shirts. A long suffering sigh escaped the government official, who as usual donned an immaculate three-piece suit. “As you wish, my dear Gregory. But I don’t see how this piece of fabric even qualifies as a shirt.”Greg shook his head at his boyfriend and chuckled. “This is from the year that we won the collegiate rugby championship, Myc. I don’t have anything else to commemorate that time in my life. It was before things became so complicated, you know?”Mycroft glanced at him. As a Holmes, and running the British government since age 21, life had always been complicated. But he didn’t say anything about that. He merely nodded. “Fine, keep this rag. Let’s keep going through the rest of this pile. Then we can take a break for dinner; we can take it back to my place, because your flat is currently a disaster.”Greg shrugged. “Okay, sure.” He set the shirt aside and they set to work going through the rest of the rubbish from his closet: old books, clothes, papers, and more.Once they had finished their work for the afternoon and settled in at Mycroft’s dining room table, they began enjoying their Chinese takeout and each other’s company. Mycroft sat at the end of the table, and Lestrade took his usual spot to his right, their chairs moved to the corner so they could be close to one another throughout their entire meal.“So… your team won the rugby championship during your final year of university. Tell… tell me more about it?” Mycroft said with a bit of nervous hesitation, offering a thin smile in his boyfriend’s direction. Greg wolfed down the bite of food he had left and took Mycroft’s hand in his. Mycroft set down his chopsticks, more eager to listen to Greg’s dulcet tones than finish his dinner. He’d eaten yesterday, anyhow.“Sports aren’t really your thing, Myc. I don’t want to bore you.” Greg said, his fingers ever so softly and gently drawing circles on the back of Mycroft’s hand.“It has to do with you, Gregory. It is impossible for such notions to be boring.” Mycroft said, glancing down at their now-intertwined fingers. He used his free hand to take a sip of the wine he had poured for the both of them before they had sat down.Lestrade couldn’t help the childish grin that crossed his face. He took a drink from his own glass and then delved right into the renowned rugby tales of his pase. “Alright, so it all began with us going undefeated…”His story continued for quite sometime, and Mycroft, surprisingly, did not find the story tedious. Not one bit. Normally sports were pointless and stupid, but when his Lestrade was involved, it was the most fascinating subject on the planet.Once Greg had finished his tale, an idea sparked in Mycroft’s mind. He would execute the plan tomorrow, while Greg was at the office.The next morning, when Greg got dressed and took off for work from Mycroft’s house, the government official went to his office to sit down and get some work done. Only he had one thing to do first. He went to the search engine on his browser, searching for any articles about that particular rugby championship. Naturally, there were several. And there were pictures. Mycroft smiled as he looked on the lanky, younger Lestrade. His hair wasn’t silver, but a deep brown. Honestly, Mycroft thought to himself, the silver suited the Detective Inspector much more; his silver fox looked damn handsome these days.There was just one more thing to do in his research that would complete the plan. His fingers tapped against the keyboard, and he withdrew his credit card to make the final purchase with expedited shipping to ensure the delivery got there that afternoon.When Lestrade came over to his house again that night – after a late night of dealing with Sherlock and a vicious homicide – he found a forest green bag sitting on the coffee table along with an envelope. Mycroft was nowhere to be found at that time, though. Greg shrugged and sat down, noticing that the gift bag was addressed to him. He picked it up and opened it, silver tissue paper wrapped around whatever was inside.He furrowed his brow and withdrew the item, unraveling the paper from around it. It was some kind of green cloth – the bag matched it perfectly. As he unrolled the bunch of fabric, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open slightly.He was holding an exact copy of his favorite shirt from his championship days. A smile appeared across his lips. “It’s a genuine shirt from the championship. I found a website online that actually sells collegiate championship gear”Mycroft said as he came from his office, his tie loosened, top button undone, and shirt sleeves rolled. Greg knew that this was the equivalent of Mycroft relaxing during work. “Go on, open the envelope too.”Greg nodded, setting the shirt aside. “Okay.”He unfolded the flap of the envelope and out fell two tickets. They were tickets for a home game at his university, dated for the following weekend. “Mycroft, you amazing bastard.”Mycroft chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. “I like seeing you happy, Gregory.”“Thank you, Mycroft. Come here.” Greg said. Mycroft did just that, and the DI wrapped his arms around the other man. “You know, this means that you can have the old one.”Mycroft chuckled softly. “That old thing? Surely you just want to get rid of–“I don’t, actually. This is a wonderfully thoughtful gift, Myc. But I really do want you to have the old one. You don’t have to wear it in public; I know that is way too much to ask. But I do want you to have it. For pyjamas or something, at the very least. Do whatever you want with it.”Mycroft stole a kiss from his boyfriend and nodded. “It would be an honor, Gregory. Thank you.”“No, thank you. This is an amazing gift. I am so lucky to be with you.” Greg said. Mycroft felt his face grow hot, but it was nothing compared to the warm feeling rushing through his insides as Greg said those words.
11047713
The Heart of the Matter
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Colin Jost, Michael Che, Leslie Jones, Kyle Mooney", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "3,097", "Additional Tags": "Angst, they're on tour and having Feelings, this all happened because of one instagram post ok, Ohio, St. Louis, they're also trying desperately to repress their feelings, Chost, comedy husbands, everyone is still bisexual and sleep deprived, and now drunk also in this one, Friends to Lovers, Relationship Confusion, its just like snl except everything is painful and there are no jokes, what the hell is going on", "Relationship": "Michael Che/Colin Jost", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live RPF, Weekend Update (SNL)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“It’s probably full of mercury.” “It’s salmon that they say is full of mercury,” Colin replies languidly, peeling back the bun of his sandwich with one unconcerned finger. “This is some kind of white fish.” “Coney Island whitefish,” Che mutters. Colin snorts and, through a mouth full of bread and fried fish fillet, says, “Shuddup.” They’re in a McDonald’s on the outskirts of Cincinnati, sprawled over a booth with a view of the parking lot. Outside, the asphalt is covered by a patchy blanket of dirty snow. From a certain angle, Colin thinks, it actually doesn’t look that different from New York. In New York, though, they would not be indulging in McDonald’s to avoid eating bar food for the fifth night in the row, even though the fare here isn’t terribly different. Colin had ordered the fish fillet out of some sort of perverse curiosity. “Freshly harvested from the Great Midwestern Sea, I’m sure,” he’d remarked to Che, as they’d waited for their tray. This was after Che had expressed distaste at Colin’s choice of restaurant, resulting in Colin needling him for his New York snobbery from the perspective of his own “salt of the earth” Staten Island roots. He had not gotten very far in this line of accusation before Che had him in a headlock, and they’d ended up wrestling outside in the gelid afternoon air, warm breaths mixing in the little space left between them until, finally, one of them had had the good sense to let go, to let the gap widen again between their beating hearts. Inside, now, Colin feels something worrying and warm in his chest at the memory. He pushes it down with another bite of the mystery fish. Che stuffs four mustard and hot sauce doused fries into his mouth and asks, “Should I do that Ohio joke tonight or is that too fucking obvious?” Colin shrugs. “I thought it was funny.” “Why am I even asking you?” Che sighs, his exasperated smirk failing to hide the fondness in his gaze. “You think everything is funny.” “Say whatever you want.” Colin grins, throwing up his hands in surrender. “You’re always funny.” It should just be a throwaway comment, the sort of meaningless enthusiasm tossed around so often between those who hold mutual respect for one another, but Michael’s eyes freeze on him. Maybe he’s thinking about that moment outside, when their breathless, laughing tussle had gone on just a second too long and Colin had felt the full warmth of Che’s body pressed against his, limbs and hearts and gazes just beginning to fit together in puzzle-like transcendence. Or maybe that’s not what he’s thinking at all. Colin stuffs the last of his sandwich into his mouth and takes a decisively long swig from the lacquered paper cup to his left. Without lifting his eyes from the gray winterscape out the window to their right, he says, “We should probably head off to the soundcheck.”    The show is as easy as all the others they’ve done so far, and as difficult. He and Michael stand within six inches of each other for hours but Colin looks only at the sea of faces before them, latching onto their expressions only in the aftermath of punchlines, in those moments of cartoonish laughter or shock or some combination of the two. Later, as the audience trickles out of the exits at the end of the show, his eyes are still searching, casting about the dark crevices where even the house lights don’t reach and desperately ignoring the brush of Michael’s shoulder against his. “That went alright, didn’t it?” Che asks, voice quiet and vulnerable in the way it only is when the adrenaline is just beginning to wear off, when he’s in-between personas, when Colin is the only one who understands the gap enough to bridge it. Colin, a few steps behind, raises an arm to slip around his shoulders but stops himself. “Yeah,” he murmurs lamely, as they trot through the maze of backstage. Che doesn’t look back at him, like he’s aware of the withheld touch. Surely, if they both ignore it, Colin thinks, whatever this is between them will wither away. There’s nothing wrong with denial if it works, if it saves them from the threat of the unknown, of the new and the dangerous. The bar next door offers them a round of free drinks, so the two of them and a couple of sound guys amble over in the absence of any better ideas. Michael is already in an argument with the bartender about the Knicks before Colin can even sit down. It takes a while to get enough of a word in around Michael’s soliloquy to order a drink and by the time it gets to him he’s parched, knowing the liquor is only going to make it worse. He throws back the glass anyway, and then a few more, until finally Che shuts up and looks over at him and says, of all things, “Wasn’t your coat on the back of your chair?”    The walk back to the hotel is very, very cold. In the blur of the last few hours, it takes Colin a few moments to realize that his parka is still gone, and that he’s still drunk. As they crunch down the sidewalk, he directs a pair of unfocused eyes at Che, who is typing a furious instagram post with half his face obscured by a thick, snowflake patterned scarf. “Someone stole your goddamn coat right off your chair and they didn’t do a fucking thing,” Che grunts, breath coming out in white wisps while he hunches over his phone. “Fuck that bar, man. Fuck Ohio.” Finally, he looks up at Colin. “Christ, you must be freezing.” The biting wind and his blood alcohol content seem to be conspiring to render Colin mute in a way he so rarely is. He’s wearing only a dress shirt, his gloves and scarf presumably still tucked into the pockets of his missing coat. Through the shivers, he manages a shrug, and Che just shakes his head in some combination of anger and resignation. He’s shrugging out of his overcoat before Colin can grit out, “You don’t need to do that.” “Just fucking take it, Jost.” “M’fine.” He ignores the proffered coat until Che withdraws his hand, which only seems to incense Che further. Colin slips into another dimension for a little while after that, the icy streetlights blurring before his glazed eyes, trusting Michael to lead them back to the hotel. His hands and feet are numb, and the rest of him is getting close. He jolts back into the regular flow of time when the edge of his shoe hits a solid block of blackened ice, but Che grabs his bicep before he can topple over. When the swirling in his head clears, he realizes a car has pulled up beside them. “Get in,” Che is saying. “What?” It feels like his mouth is beginning to freeze. Fuck Ohio, he thinks. Fuck winter. Fuck alcohol. Fuck Michael Che. “It’s an Uber. Get in.” “I thought we were walking—” But Che is shoving him in the backseat now, and the heater is on full blast. Through the amber haze, Colin hears the driver’s GPS announce that the hotel is still three-quarters of a mile away. “I’m saving your life, Jost,” Che says, sliding in beside him. “You can thank me later.” “Thanks,” Colin replies, feeling himself sober up in the heat. The car pulls away from the curb and into the empty, frozen street. He rubs his hands together fervently in front of the nearest vent. Michael, without a word, covers Colin’s hands with his own until some warmth returns.     He dreams that he’s back in New York, in one of the 8-H conference rooms, surrounded on all sides by a thousands of tiny origami cranes. They shuffle around in his peripheral vision, fluttering their wings capriciously, but when he turns to look they stare back silently, dead paper folded into a thousand dead stares. He realizes that he’s folding more of them, that the entire cast is—all of them, sitting around the read-through table, bits of colored paper disappearing and reappearing beneath their fingertips. His fingers are raw from creasing; the feeling is so real that for a moment, he loses track of his own awareness of the dream. Suddenly it’s just another day at work, another sketch. Another example of his absolute devotion to the show, and to Michael. Because it’s Michael’s sketch, he realizes. The cranes are his idea. It’s going to be hilarious, even if he can’t remember the punchline of any of the jokes. The cranes are essential, though. Che’s asked for his help; he’ll fold until his hands bleed if that’s what Michael requires. This realization comes with less than a jolt than he expects. It’s hardly surprising, he supposes, given the events of the day. He’ll fold a few thousand cranes for Che in a dream, and Che will angrily offer him his coat and then call them an Uber before Colin goes hypothermic in the wilds of Ohio. Even in sleep, he avoids the implications of the motivations beneath these behaviors. He keeps folding. He doesn’t wake until cranes have begun to pile around his feet.   He awakes early, to the sound of Che’s even breaths from the other bed. Colin slithers into a sitting position, pushing hair out of his eyes and reaching for his glasses. He fixes his gaze on the sliver of outside visible through the halfway drawn curtains. It’s another gray day, from what of the Ohio sky he can see. Again, the space between New York and the life on tour seems to narrow—it’s not hard to imagine waking up like this in his office at 30 Rock, one of them on the couch and one of them on the floor, savoring the predawn tranquility of simply being in the other’s presence before the madness of the day commences. He has wondered, often, if Michael ever listens for his breathing the same way he listens for Michael’s. The agenda for the day is to fly to St. Louis, where they’ll have a couple hours before the show to wander around. This, because one of the more entertaining road managers went to Wash U and claims to have actually left campus enough over his college career to know the best places to get pre-show hammered. Leslie is also due to arrive from New York before this evening’s show, to finish out the rest of the tour with them and inject life before the energy of perpetual motion can exhaust him of his last reserves of good humor. He closes his eyes and rubs wearily at a headache brewing above them—likely the result of last night’s chilly, drunken escapade. When he opens his eyes again, he finds Che watching him, still buried by the covers up to his nose. “What are we going to do,” Colin says, voice a flat, morning rasp. He often finds himself asking Che questions like this—questions without answers, not even worthy of equally ambiguous responses. Questions that erupt from somewhere inside him that seems particularly strong on weeks when he doesn’t have the show to ground him, or when the show isn’t grounded itself. Weeks when he’s afraid of how much he needs Che, of what such a need means. Che just shakes his head and reaches for his phone on the bedside table. Colin, still halfway cocooned in a tangled mass of duvet and Nantucket t-shirt and bedhead, collapses back into the pillows to be consumed by the haze of the unknown.    “You’re going to have to fend off the groupies while I’m here, Colin,” Leslie is saying, wiggling her eyebrows. “You know how I get jealous.” Colin shivers even as he laughs. Despite the St. Lo Cardinals sweatshirt he’d bought in the airport to replace his stolen coat, the cold wind is still blowing all the way through to his core with every swing of the bar’s revolving door. “I don’t know if I can. They’re relentless. It’s like I’m irresistible or something.” Che snorts into his beer, eyes crinkling. “Che’s resolve seems to be holding up,” Leslie replies, motioning toward him with a smirk. Can it really be just a joke? Colin wonders. Or has she intuited all his secrets, the volatility the tour has created between him and Che, with just a glance? It wouldn’t be the first time. “Barely,” Michael grumbles, taking a long drink and averting his eyes. “You two,” Leslie sighs, with a resigned shake of her head and a knowing smile. “Fucking clueless.” Colin feels himself beginning to blush and swallows it down with alcohol. It seems to be his preferred strategy for dealing with Che-related discomfort lately. “I miss the show,” Colin confesses, before she can say anything else. “I miss the routine and stress. I guess I always do, when there’s time off.” “You’re like an addict,” Che says. “That’s psychotic.” Colin shrugs helplessly. “I miss my sticky notes.” “There’s something wrong with you.” Che leans back, throwing an arm around the back of Colin’s chair and eyeing him with an exasperated smile. They lock eyes, and suddenly Colin can’t look away; a swell of fondness rises in his throat and he wants nothing more than to be close to Che, to feel skin against skin, to worry nothing of the consequences. To be another person in another world. “There’s something wrong with both of you,” Leslie says, shaking her head again, but neither of them sees.     All things come to an end, and Colin has never been so grateful to be back in New York by the end of the week, crammed into a subway car with the Monday morning rush hour crowd. A new coat, the same routine, Che waiting for him at work—the universe is righting itself, he thinks, slipping back into the mold of something he understands. They’ve survived the tour without undoing themselves, without undoing the careful balance between them, and now they’re once again on solid ground. Their resolves are impenetrable; surely, this must be true. By the time he arrives at 30 Rock, the cast and crew are in full crisis mode. This week’s host won’t leave her dressing room; Lorne is threatening to fire half the cast if they can’t get her out for preliminary costume fittings at the very least. Che is nowhere to be seen, apparently caught up in the orgy of rewriting happening in one of the head writer’s offices as they scramble to remove the host from as many main roles as possible. The fact that the show has already come unmoored and it’s only Monday does not bode well for the rest of the week, but Colin throws himself into chaos and tries not think beyond the next twenty minutes. He doesn’t resurface from the frenzy until nine at night, when Che appears in the door of his office with a bag of Thai takeout. “Everything’s all fucked up,” Colin says, by way of greeting. He reaches for the food as Che settles in on the other side of his desk. “Who knew?” “Isn’t it always?” Che sighs out. Colin wonders, vaguely, if they’re still talking about the show. Regardless, it’s possible his devotion to “routine” is just an illusion; that the line between safety and chaos is much thinner than it looked in St. Louis. A return to rush hour and sticky notes can’t save him. He catches Che’s eyes on him and knows, suddenly, that this is truth of it. The heart of the matter. There is no steady ground to be had—their capacity to undo each other is limitless. For a few long minutes, they chew in silence, and Colin realizes he’s trying to swallow a lump in his throat that is more than just noodles. He puts his fork down and takes a long, steadying breath. “Is this going to be our whole life?” The infinite, unknowable tribulations of the show, or what’s lingering between the two of them—he doesn’t know which one he’s referring to, in all honesty. Michael seems to understand this, understand him. He always does. They always seem to be oscillating on the same wavelength, two parallel sinusoidal curves arcing off together into the distance. That thought itself is probably answer enough. “I dunno.” Michael shrugs, eyes directed carefully away as he rubs at something unseen on his bottom lip. “If you want it to be.” “If it’s with you,” Colin finds himself saying, without a thought. He feels, for a moment, like he’s watching this conversation from the distant future, like he’s looking back on it as a turning point into something else. Something obfuscated but undeniably important, like the feeling of a dream just barely forgotten, the emotional residue of its intensity still clinging to the mind. “Good,” Che says, smiling at him, calling him back to the present. “Good,” Colin replies. Their hands are millimeters from each other on the desk. Colin is just starting to edge his fingers forward when Kyle Mooney appears in the doorway. “So I have this sketch idea I wanna run by you guys,” he starts in, oblivious. “It’s going to require a lot of set production, but—” “Does it involve paper cranes?” Colin asks, feeling his heart skip. “....Um, no,” Kyle says, raising a perplexed eyebrow. “Should it?” Colin just shakes his head, directing his eyes back down to his and Che’s hands on the desk. Not quite touching, but nevertheless immemorial in their togetherness. He can’t keep the smile off his face.    In the dream, he’s folding cranes for Michael again. They accumulate on his laptop, on piles of spent scripts, around old takeout boxes. Che watches him work, silent and watchful, until he finally he crosses the room and cups Colin’s chin to kiss him. It’s more than gratitude, more than simple devotion—it’s that thing he’s afraid to name. That thing that follows them, that thing that destabilizes the world and the routine with every step. The heart of the matter. In the dream, Colin gives in. His hands slide against Che’s skin and he kisses back. They fit like puzzle pieces, like paper folded minutely to make one complex shape in its entirety. It’s a dream, Colin remembers distantly. Only a dream. But one day very soon, he’s beginning to think, it’s going to be something more.
11093232
Once Upon A Dream
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Min Yoongi | Suga, Park Jimin (BTS), Kim Taehyung | V, Kim Namjoon | Rap Monster, Jeon Jungkook", "Fandom": "방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by yururin", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-04T00:00:00", "words": "17,040", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Basketball Player Min Yoongi | Suga, Park Jimin Is a Sweetheart, Kim Taehyung | V & Park Jimin are Best Friends, yoongi and jimin just really really like each other, hinted taekook (but i never got to expand on it Damn It)", "Relationship": "Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
✧   Jimin is absolutely, completely, one hundred percent drunk off his ass. He’s laughing at literally anything, and he’s been glued to Taehyung’s side for the majority of the night (Taehyung himself is as drunk as a fucking sailor, too—for the past hour, his drink has been sloshing all over his shirt instead of into his mouth). Jimin knows, at the back of his mind, that he really shouldn’t drink like it’s his last day on this miserable planet, but well, it’s his birthday, and a person only turns eighteen once. It’s not his first time drinking, but it is his first time doing so legally so of course he’s milking it, letting himself feel every single drop without guilt (for once). Amidst the chaos in the restaurant’s exclusive room they’ve rented for the night, Taehyung suddenly leans over, half-whispering and half-yelling into Jimin’s ear. If Jimin was sober, he’d have probably cringed at how loud Taehyung was being, but he wasn’t so he just giggled and practically pressed his face closer to his best friend. “Chimchim! Are you excited?!” “About what?” Unlike Taehyung, his speech and motor skills deteriorate immensely when his whole system is influenced by alcohol. He’s not sure how Taehyung understood him seeing as his words came out as more of a slurred groan rather than actual intellectual words, but Taehyung still shrugged, waving an arm around the room in a vague gesture at their friends wilding it out. “Your birthday, silly,” Taehyung mumbles, blinking heavily before a dopey grin is curving his lips upwards, “and—for tonight. Man, do you think it’ll be someone you know?” Jimin frowns for a moment before a metaphorical lightbulb lights up in his head, realization dawning on his alcohol-muddled brain. Nobody knows for sure how and when it started happening, or how it even happens (one of those rare times when science is stumped) but on the eve of a person’s eighteenth birthday, there will always be a dream. A dream showing them a glimpse, just a peek, into their past life, if only to show them who their special someone will be—their soulmate, if you will. The dreams are a longshot (they only show faces, and it’s close to a miracle if someone actually ever finds their soulmate), and the names of their past lives don’t really stick to their future selves, so they aren’t really of any help. It’s not even completely unusual if you don’t end up with the person in your dream—it was just the way things worked. Jimin, for one, isn’t a particularly big fan of the dream thing. He’s not a skeptic, but he’s not entirely dependent on the whole soulmate jig, either. He’s a realist when it comes to the dreams; the world is a huge place, and a person is but a tiny speck in the grand scheme of things. What were the chances of someone finding a specific face among millions and billions of strangers? If anything, he’s just really curious to see what his past life was like. Jimin shrugs his shoulders, the action unusually heavy as he tightened his grip on the beer bottle in his hand. “The chance of that happening is close to me being able to solve a calculus problem right now, Taetae.” “Which is?” “Unlikely,” he snorts, his voice pitching into soft giggles as Taehyung claps a hand on his shoulder while he laughs. Taehyung leans away from him then, his best friend falling into a conversation with some of their other friends. Jimin sits back, nursing the drink in his hand and watching everyone have a generally good time. He’s not sure how many minutes pass or how many drinks he’s had at that point, but he feels the urge to go to the bathroom (again, damn it, when will he stop peeing). With a slurred excuse tumbling from his lips, he stands up and makes his way out of their rented booth, hand running along the wall as he tries to keep his steps solid and even, left and right. One moment he’s on his way to the bathroom, and the next, the floor seems to be coming right up at him fast. He knows he’s falling, but his limbs have somehow decided to rebel against him, not moving at all and rendering him vulnerable to the floor. Briefly, he wonders if he’s going to break something (his nose, maybe—or an eye, if they even get broken from falls) but then the floor is suddenly back beneath his feet, the world (albeit a little woozy and flimsy through his eyes) is upright again, and something warm is pressing against his side. He remembers a voice asking him if he’s okay, if he should go get his ‘tall, loud friend’ to help, but Jimin—poor, sweet Jimin who was as drunk as a fucking sailor in a tavern—suddenly decides that wherever he is at the moment and whatever is providing him such relaxing warmth is the best place to fall asleep in. He feels his eyes flutter close, a strong arm snaking around his shoulders, and that same voice asking him to ‘ oh fuck, kid, please wake up—Jimi—please don’t do this to me—ah shit ’. Right before sleep completely takes him, he remembers Taehyung’s words, and he wonders—who’s going to be his soulmate?  ✧  Shouting. There’s a lot of shouting, and Jimin can’t quite figure out what it’s all about. All he knows is that he’s crouching in a dark place—a forest, it looks like—and that he’s breathing very hard like he’d just run a marathon for five hours straight without any breaks in between. Oh, and he’s crying. Very hard, too. He pulls up his hands hastily, rubbing at his eyes with the sleeves of his robe— robe? —before sniffling loudly and trying hard to muffle his erratic sobs. There’s something heavy and dreadful settling in the pit of his stomach, like the feeling he usually gets when he knows he’s about to get his ass figuratively whooped by his mom, or when he realizes he’s done something bad. It settles down thickly, making it harder for him to breathe as he pulls his legs up closer to his chest, arms wrapping around them as he presses his face against his bony knees. He feels someone settle down in front of him followed by hands gripping his shoulders gently. Normally, Jimin would have yelped in surprise, maybe even kicked his legs out because he’s always had a tendency to react wildly when taken by surprise, but at the simple touch, he feels something akin to relief replacing the dread inside him. He lets out a shaky breath, and without looking up, he pulls his legs down as best as he can before surging forward. Jimin’s arms wrap around someone’s waist, his face pressing against smooth, silky fabric as his sobs get muffled through the shirt. He feels strong, warm hands rub soothing circles up and down his back, shushing him softly. Far away from them, the incoherent shouting continues. “Shh, love, it’s okay,” the man whispers, voice close to Jimin’s ear, and Jimin knows he really should be fucking alarmed at what’s happening but a greater part of him knew this was the best thing that could happen in their current situation. There was something familiar—and oddly final—about everything. “I’m here, I’m here.” “I-I’m scared,” Jimin finds himself whispering back, and it’s then that he finally realizes that everything is a dream. Not just a dream, but the dream. The man doesn’t say anything, choosing to hold Jimin close instead, and although Jimin is aware that it’s all a dream, that this has all happened already some many, many years ago to a Jimin he can’t ever remember being, he still can’t help but feel his heart beat faster at the simple action. It was so gentle, so familiar, and so full of love. Jimin kind of doesn’t want to wake up (at least, not yet). The man slowly pulls back, making Jimin whimper and whine for him, but he quickly shushes him (still with that familiar gentleness that Jimin knows he’ll miss when he wakes up). Jimin feels the man’s hands slide away from his back, over the curves of his shoulders, only to cup his face gently. He doesn’t tip Jimin’s face up, not yet, and opts to just hold him carefully. “Listen to me,” he says, and Jimin finds himself crying harder. He’s not sure why, but whatever was happening tore right through Jimin’s chest. “I—they won’t hurt you, love, you’re safe.” “But you—” “Please listen to me, Your Highness,” the man pleads, his deep and low voice cracking with sadness, “they won’t hurt you, I know they won’t, but if you’re with me—they just might do that. I-I can’t take that risk.” Jimin tilts his head up, eyes fluttering up to try and see the man’s face, but in the next moment, the man has surged forward, claiming Jimin’s lips in his own in a soft and firm kiss. He doesn’t move—neither of them do. They press their lips together, and it’s the man who finally pulls away for a fraction, pressing his forehead against Jimin’s (and still not giving him enough space to see his face). “I am but a nobody, a mere tutor working for the royal family,” he whispers sadly, and Jimin fights back a sob threatening to burst out of his lips, “but you are the crown prince, Your Highness. When they find you, they will pardon your actions, they will conceal everything, but—but if I am here, they will not. They might do something to you, and I-I—I don’t want anything to happen to you, my love.” “No—” “Shh,” he mumbles again, thumbs running softly across Jimin’s cheeks in an attempt to wipe his tears away, “I am truly sorry about everything, but—” He pulls his face away, and Jimin feels his heart drop down somewhere as his eyes take in everything about the man. The beautiful white robes, the silky black hair, the soft pale skin, his face—oh God, this man. “I am honored to have been able to fall in love with you, sunshine,” he says, a soft smile on his tired face. He’s crying, too, Jimin notices. “I love you. Truly, I do, but—but this is goodbye, my lord.” “What are you talking about,” Jimin whispers brokenly, his small hands reaching forward to try and pull him closer. “Perhaps,” he whispers, face crumpling up in pure agony when he gently pushes Jimin’s hands away, “perhaps in another time, when—when I can finally hold you without a single shred of worry, we’ll find one another again.” “P-please don’t leave me.” Jimin reaches out again, a sob ripping through his body and making him shudder when he only gets pushed away. Somewhere behind them, the shouting grows louder. “Forgive me, my prince, for I cannot comply to your wishes this time,” he says, a forced chuckle escaping his lips. He hurriedly stands up, eyes downcast and not looking at Jimin. Jimin feels the dread from earlier come back around, only heavier and sadder this time. He nods his head once, and he bites his lips in an attempt to be quiet. For what, he’s not sure—the shouting is closer than ever and it’s accompanied by the thundering sensation of footsteps on the damp undergrowth of the forest, and it all feels oddly like a reminder of a deadline. He reaches forward again, if only to try and hold on to the man longer. “Will you,” Jimin starts, swallowing thickly as he glances up, eyes locking on the man in front of him—the man he might not see ever again (or at least, in this lifetime), “will you promise me?” The man looks at him then, a pained look in his eyes before a twinkle of determination sets in his deep brown eyes. He kneels down, clasping Jimin’s hand in his own and pressing Jimin’s knuckles to his lips. “Promise me you’ll find me,” Jimin says, and for a moment, everything is quiet. The shouting has gone mute, the footsteps thundering towards them has subsided. The man looks at him for a beat, before he nods his head resolutely. “I promise. I will find you, and I will love you again more than I already do. I will find you, and someday, when I can hold you and kiss you and love you freely, I will ask you to be mine. I promise,” he says, lips brushing against Jimin’s skin softly, big strong hands firmly clasping his small hand, “I love you with all my heart, my love. Wait for me.” Jimin watches with a heavy heart as he lets go of his hand. He stands up, looking at Jimin one last time before he turns his back and walks away, deeper into the dark forest and away from the shouting, from the footsteps, from Jimin. Jimin, with his heart in his throat and tears in his eyes, clasps his hands tightly. He presses it against his chest firmly in an attempt to ease the pain, but it’s not working, not really. He doesn’t think the ache will ever leave as he watches the back of the man he supposedly loves go farther away, his eyes set on that broad lonely back slowly melting into the darkness, his gaze set on— “Min Yoongi,” Jimin breathes out, eyes flying open wildly. For a moment, Jimin isn’t sure where he is. He’s not in a forest, he’s not crouched down and crying, there aren’t any shouting. A white ceiling beams down from above him. For a moment, everything is calm and quiet—until his brain finally registers that oh yeah, he’s in his dorm room, his head seems like something is splitting it open, and the sunlight streaming in through his thin curtains is seemingly trying to melt his fucking eyes off. With a strangled cry, he shuts his eyes as tight as he can before pulling the covers over his head, hiding from the sun that was obviously out to get him. He’s in his room now, the dream is over. Scenes from his birthday night come flashing back, and he briefly curses the existence of one Kim Taehyung for dragging him to it and making him drink like his life depended on it. He’s now eighteen, and he’s also having a severe hangover (he’s not crying, he really isn’t, but his head feels like it’s going to split open any second now and it kind of, really fucking hurts). He wants to think about his dream, but his hangover isn’t letting him, so with a groan, he sits up (blanket still wrapped around him like a cocoon) and makes his way to the kitchen to try and get some water. His throat feels like the Sahara desert, but amidst the overwhelming nausea and headache, he remembers reading somewhere that drinking water (and maybe taking a hundred painkillers) is the best way to get over a hangover. He just hopes that the article is correct.   (One look into the medicine cabinet in his shared dorm room has him cursing—yet again—the existence of one Kim Taehyung. On top of the box that usually held the pills and tablets, a hastily scrawled note sits innocently.  took the last painkiller. sorry not sorry! -taetae  Despite his killer headache and the dull feeling of bile rising up his throat, he puts on a hoodie he finds on the floor and begrudgingly leaves to buy some painkillers. He vows to murder Taehyung some time soon. When his hangover subsides, maybe.)  ✧  It’s safe to say that Jimin doesn’t murder Taehyung that day, but he does land a weak kick against his shin when the latter finally emerges from his room looking like death himself. Taehyung is quick to apologize, the both of them still suffering from the last hurrahs of their respective headaches to even prolong their ‘argument’. Hours later, they are wrapped in their own blankets, sitting on the couch as a movie plays on the laptop on the coffee table. Snacks lay near their feet, and there’s a lull in the movie which has Taehyung suddenly turning to Jimin, eyes wide and curious. “So,” he starts, dragging the syllable and earning himself a curious raise of an eyebrow from Jimin, “who was it?” “Huh?” “The dream, Chim,” Taehyung waves his hand around, smiling widely as he bounced in his spot beside Jimin, “did you know the guy in your soul mate dream?” Jimin blinks once before he feels a blush forming on his cheeks. He burrows deeper into his blanket cocoon, pointedly looking away from Taehyung. “U-uhm, yeah—how are you even so sure it’s a guy?” “You’re about as straight as Captain Shang when he saw Mulan join the military,” Taehyung deadpans, face quickly contorting into one of glee when Jimin snorts under his breath. He smiles even more, leaning in and practically resting his head on Jimin’s lap as he stares up at him curiously. “So? Who was it? Tell me about the dream!” Jimin hums before reaching down and threading his fingers through Taehyung’s soft brown hair. He shrugs nonchalantly, like he wasn’t that completely excited about his dream, but he knows Taehyung can see right through him. “Well, it’s someone we know for sure. Uhm—you know that guy from the, uhm, basketball team? The captain, I think, and also the shooting gua—” “Ohmygod—Min Yoongi’s your soulmate?! Your ex-crush for two semesters?! That Min Yoongi?! The captain of the basketball team—Min?! Yoongi?!” Taehyung’s sitting up, eyes wide and hair mussed up from where Jimin had been playing with it. Jimin’s response is to blush even harder, reaching out his hands and swatting at Taehyung to shut up. He’s pouting, he knows he is and he knows it will only egg Taehyung on, but he can’t help it. “Shut up! Don’t scream about it!” “Man, I remember you swooning over him during that friendly match when the semester started months ago,” Taehyung teases, leering at Jimin and cackling when he could only push at his thigh with his foot, “you said, and I quote, ‘I’ve found the love of my life, Taetae, oh God, I’m in love, I want to marry him and have babies with him ’.” “H-he’s not my crush anymore so stop it!” Jimin launches himself, internally wincing as his head pounds with the residual ache from his hangover, but he ignores that in favor of pulling Taehyung into a chokehold, the taller of the two only laughing and mildly struggling in Jimin’s hold. They end up in a friendly tussle of sorts, tickling each other for a few minutes until Jimin gives up. They fall limp on the floor, blankets long forgotten as they try to catch their breaths. Their limbs are tangled together, backs flat on the floor as they stare up at the ceiling thoughtlessly. “Are you going to do something about it?” Taehyung asks, voice soft as he blindly reaches for Jimin. Jimin scoots away from his reach if only to tease him, chuckling a little before shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know, probably not?” Taehyung grunts in confusion. “Why? You’re literally one of the lucky few who actually knows their soulmate—are you really going to let this chance slip away from you?” Jimin bites his lip, finally letting that little sliver of worry he’d been feeling to take form. He sits up, glancing at Taehyung. “I mean, Min Yoongi’s like—the student, y’know? Good grades, good looks, good reputation—and I’m me .” Taehyung frowns at him, swatting his thigh sharply. He’s still got that annoyed look on his face, and Jimin pouts at it. “Stop that. I know for one that Min Yoongi would be lucky to have your cute little ass.” “My cute little ass,” Jimin repeats blankly, rolling his eyes when Taehyung nods resolutely. “Yes, and I’ve known you long enough to know that that’s not the only problem. I can see it in that cute way you scrunch your nose, bitch. What is it, really?” Jimin heaves a sigh then, flopping back down on the floor and reaching for Taehyung’s hand. He can’t help the sad and disappointed look on his face as he thinks about what he’s going to say. “I-In the dream, he, uhm—gosh, this is embarrassing—he promised to find me. When the time is right and when we can, well, uhm, love each other freely and all that. I-I was a noble, I think, and he was my tutor,” Jimin starts, squeezing Taehyung’s hand in a reprimanding manner when the other mumbles, ‘ ooh, kinky ’, under his breath. Jimin shifts closer to Taehyung, sighing. “But see, the Min Yoongi we know is a junior. He’s two years older, isn’t he?” “Yeah, and?” “So he’s known about me for two years already, right?” “Ah,” Taehyung says, gripping Jimin’s hand in his own reassuringly, “and you’re worried that he might not really be into this whole soulmate thing, too, because he didn’t even try and approach you. Am I right?” Jimin pouts harder, but eventually nods his head. “I mean, okay, maybe he doesn’t know I exist—the campus is pretty big, but. I don’t know.” “Nah, I’m sure he knows you exist,” Taehyung chirps, turning his head to grin at Jimin, “you weren’t exactly the epitome of calm when we used to watch their games, and I’ve seen him glance our way sometimes. And you’re also not exactly a nobody, you know. Your face is all over the performing arts department, in case you didn’t know.” “A-and that’s why I’m not that keen on this soulmate thing,” Jimin whines, pulling his hand from Taehyung’s grip and twisting his fingers over his stomach instead, “he never even said hi or anything, so. I don’t know.” “Eh, it’s only been a day after your birthday,” Taehyung says happily, patting his thigh comfortingly, “maybe he’s just shy or something.” “For—give or take, two years? Really?” Taehyung shrugs, totally not helping. “What are you going to do, though, if he comes up to you?” Jimin pulls himself up from the floor, helping Taehyung up. He glances at the movie they were watching, seeing the end credits rolling. He exhales heavily, carefully folding up their blankets on the couch. “That’s not going to happen, so what’s the point in thinking about it?” It was a nice dream, though, Jimin’s not going to lie. He’s always wanted to have a boyfriend and experience all those romantic feelings he sees in books and movies, and although the dream had been a bittersweet kind of love, it was still nice. The Yoongi in the dream was a total romantic from what Jimin had seen, and the memory alone has his cheeks heating up. “You’ll never know, Chim,” Taehyung mumbles from one end of the couch, hand fiddling around with the laptop. Jimin hums in response, but he’s not hoping. It was nice while it lasted.  ✧  Jimin was wrong.  Completely, entirely, absolutely wrong. He should’ve figured, maybe, that this was going to happen—but then again, this not happening had a bigger probability. This meaning Min Yoongi—the actual Min Yoongi, the Min Yoongi from his present time—standing outside his lecture hall, pretending to be nonchalant and cool as he leans against the opposite wall but still looking every bit as awkward as Jimin felt, one hand folded behind his back. He’s not in white period robes, of course, but seeing him standing there in the flesh kind of has Jimin’s insides rolling in an unfamiliar but pleasant way. His hair isn’t the same black as it had been in the dream (it’s a pale, platinum blonde now, oh God), but it’s just as pretty, the locks fluffy and messy in an endearing manner. He’s wearing a red plaid shirt and a pair of ripped jeans, and Jimin has to admit that he looks good. Yoongi’s glancing around, seemingly looking for something, and when his gaze lands on Jimin struggling against Taehyung pushing him out of the door, his eyes light up for a moment. He stays rooted to his spot, however, and Jimin momentarily loses the strength in his legs. Taehyung successfully shoves him forward, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Look, Chim,” he whispers excitedly, tugging on his sleeve obnoxiously, “it’s your soulmate!” Jimin flushes at Taehyung’s loud voice, feeling his face grow hotter when some of his classmates turn to look at him, and then at Yoongi. Some of them start whispering—of course they would, it’s Yoongi, star player and captain of the basketball team, and also known to have rejected so many confessions during all of his years on campus. He’s basically the heartbreaker, a campus idol, a man completely out of Jimin’s league. Despite what Taehyung insists, a nobody like Jimin would of course garner a lot of whispers if someone’s saying that he, of all people, is the supposed soulmate of someone like Min Yoongi. “Well, what are you waiting for? He’s obviously here to see you!” Taehyung is practically vibrating on the spot, pushing Jimin towards the waiting junior. Jimin kind of figured that out already, but his heart feels like it’s about to burst out of his chest and leave him hanging there. He’s so nervous he can’t even bring himself to elbow Taehyung in the gut, a weak attempt to try and make him stop because there were still a lot of people in the hallway and if he was going to talk to Yoongi, he wants to do it when it’s silent and it’s just them—but Taehyung’s a big guy. He may be all limbs and bones but he easily towers over Jimin, and it doesn’t take long for him to push Jimin into Yoongi’s space. There’s an awkward silence between the three of them before the bell for the next class rings loudly. Jimin’s got a vacant period, but Taehyung has his introduction to chemistry class in five minutes. He raises two fingers in a sort of cute salute, giving Yoongi his signature rectangular grin. “Well, I’m leaving Chim to you, Min Yoongi-ssi!” “Wha—” Jimin starts, turning around to try and catch Taehyung but he’s already running away from them, his loud voice bouncing around the halls as he greets the other students on his way to his next class. Jimin takes a deep breath before turning back around. There are considerably less people in the hallway now, and Yoongi’s still standing in front of him, obviously waiting for Jimin to acknowledge him. “U-uhm,” Jimin mumbles after a beat too long, and he internally winces because why is everything so awkward? Soulmates are supposed to be, well, your other half, right? Why does it feel so weird ? “So,” Yoongi says, and Jimin’s hit with a strong sense of déjà vu because Yoongi’s voice is just the same as it was in the dream, and Jimin isn’t sure why—maybe he’s still in the mindset of his dream-self—but he finds himself wishing that Yoongi would call him, ‘my love ’, again, “uh, you saw?” Jimin twists his fingers around gently, eyes looking at their feet before he takes a deep breath and glances up. Yoongi’s watching him softly, a curious and expectant look in his eyes. Jimin licks his lips unconsciously as he nods his head once. “Yeah, I did.” “I mean,” Yoongi says, pushing himself off the wall smoothly. He pulls his hand out from behind his back, and Jimin feels all the blood rush up to his face when his eyes land on whatever Yoongi’s holding. “I should probably greet you a happy birthday first.” He thrusts out his hand stiffly, and had Jimin been looking at his face at that moment, he would have seen the light shade of pink dusting the apples of Yoongi’s cheek. As it turns out, Jimin’s gaze is entirely focused on the small bouquet in Yoongi’s hand, just a really small one that can fit in one hand. It’s all pink and orange and yellow, and the sight alone warms Jimin’s heart completely. “It’s for you,” Yoongi mumbles as Jimin just keeps on looking at it, “for your birthday.” “I,” Jimin starts, catching himself and carefully reaching for the flowers. It’s nice, it’s really nice, and Jimin kind of feels happy. “T-thank you?” “Yeah, no problem.” Yoongi scuffs his shoe against the floor, hand slipping into one pocket as Jimin turns the bouquet around to inspect it, “so—uhm. It’s nice to finally meet you?” Jimin looks up at him then, a confused frown on his face. “Hm? I-I guess?” Jimin watches in silent amusement as Yoongi’s cheeks grow just a tad pinker. The older waves a hand around, face scrunching up in his effort to form words. “I mean. We’re soulmates, aren’t we?” “O-oh, that,” Jimin mumbles, using his free hand to fan his face because why is everything so awkward and embarrassing? “You don’t have to do anything! I-I mean, it’s fine, it’s just a dream, and, well, we’re practically strangers! W-we don’t have to do anything, a-and I understand why you, uhm, didn’t say anything to me during all this time, so it’s okay, really! Thanks, though, for the flowers because they’re really pretty!” Jimin’s chest is heaving from his rambling, his face warm and red, and when he looks up at Yoongi, he’s surprised to see a look of something—defeat? Disappointment?—on his face. Jimin’s not sure why, though, and in an attempt to do something while silence stretches on between them, he pulls the flowers closer to his chest, gaze locking everywhere but on Yoongi. “Do you want to?” “What?” Jimin’s head snaps up to look at Yoongi, and the older man has this determined kind of look on his face. Yoongi pulls his hand out of his pocket to rub the back of his neck, his hand sliding down a bit to scratch at the back of his ear. He looks nervous, Jimin notes, and it makes him feel a little more at ease to know that he isn’t the only one who feels like shitting his pants. “I had the dream when I turned eighteen,” he starts, eyes boring into the flowers in Jimin’s hands, “and when the year started, I saw your face in one of the posters at the performing arts department, and I recognized you.” “Oh,” Jimin says, because it’s really all he can say at the moment. “I didn’t want to just come up to you and say I’m your soulmate, and stuff,” Yoongi explains, hunching a little into himself and glancing away, “I just—I didn’t want you to think that I only noticed you because of the dream.” “B-but that’s what happened, though,” Jimin can’t help but say, a small laugh escaping his lips despite himself. Yoongi smiles sheepishly at that, shrugging his shoulders. “Yeah, I guess, but,” Yoongi trails off, frowning a bit before exhaling deeply. He glances up at Jimin, and there’s the ghost of a shy smile on his face when he rubs the back of his neck again (a nervous tic, Jimin muses). “This may seem sudden and creepy, but—would you like to go on a date with me?” Jimin can feel his heart skip a beat, his face burning up as the words sink in. It’s probably the first time he’s been properly asked out (Taehyung is lost as to why that is because no matter which way he looked, Jimin is a total catch). He looks at Yoongi—the soft upturn of his lips, the way his eyes shone with this curious glint, the nervous way his hand fiddled around with his shirt or the back of his neck—and he feels himself smile softly, nodding his head as he pulls the flowers up to hide the lower half of his face. “I’d like that, yeah,” he mumbles quietly, but Yoongi still hears him. The older man sighs in relief, shoulders slumping a little as he slips his hands back into his pockets. “How about the park two blocks from campus? Is that okay with you? The one with the duck pond and shi—stuff. Or, the coffee shop? You can decide where to go, if you want,” Yoongi rambles but he quickly catches himself, looking at Jimin expectantly. Jimin catches his little blunder though, and he lets out a small huff of laugh. He can’t stop himself from smiling, so he keeps the bouquet pressed against his lips in an attempt to hide his giddy face. He’s not sure if it’s working, though. He nods his head in response, humming under his breath as he pulls the bouquet down a little bit. “Uhm. Should we—should we do it tomorrow then?” Yoongi visibly sucks in a breath, his hand reaching back to one of his back pockets and fumbling with it for a bit. He pulls out his phone and grips it in his hand, unlocking it quickly and looking at Jimin hesitantly. “Do you mind if I ask for your number? I have to check first when I’m free, and then I’ll ask you? If that’s okay?” Jimin happily complies, shyly giving out his number and politely offering that he can take a contact photo for him (to which Yoongi, rather coolly, accepts). They part ways a little awkwardly after that, Jimin saying that he really needs to run because Taehyung had sent an emergency message about a lost sock in a beaker (Jimin’s learned not to question him). Just before rounding the corner, Jimin looks back to see Yoongi watching him with a soft smile. He suddenly remembers the Yoongi in his dream—the one who had been so completely, utterly in love with him, touching him with so much care and kissing him like he was the best thing in the world. His face flushes at the memory, and he waves the bouquet a little. “Thank you so much again, for the flowers. I really like them!” he blurts out a little too loudly, and without waiting for Yoongi’s reaction, he bolts out of the hallway, flowers pressed against his face and heart thudding wildly in his chest.  ✧  It’s another three days until Jimin receives a text from Yoongi. It’s during a quiet weekend—Taehyung’s out with his other friends, and Jimin doesn’t have any class. He’s in the kitchen making some sandwiches for himself (and for Taehyung when he just doesn’t bother to cook or feed himself properly) when his phone tinkles with a soft message tone from the living room. He walks over to it, wiping his hands on his apron and bending down to look at the notification. It’s from an unknown number, and he frowns as he quickly slides the message open. A squeak almost falls from his lips as he sees the message. FROM: [Unknown Number] sorry i just texted now. it’s me, min yoongi. i’m really really sorry! Jimin finds himself sinking down on the couch, a smile on his face as he contemplates on what to reply with. It’s true that when Yoongi hadn’t texted that same day they met, Jimin had been a little disappointed (Taehyung would highly disagree, and he’ll state just how exactly disappointed and mopey Jimin had been that whole day). He pulls ups his legs to his chest, tracing the edge of his phone with the tip of his finger as he looks at Yoongi’s message once more. He quickly saves his number, mind still reeling with how he’s going to reply. TO: M. Yoongi it’s okay!!! o(〃＾▽＾〃)o FROM: M. Yoongi so about thaeeuofjioiaf sorry my asshole of a friend tried to steal my phone anyways im sorry. ive been really busy these past few days are you still up for that date? :) Jimin tried not to—he really did—but his own feelings betrayed him, and a squeal escapes his lips, legs kicking out in glee at the reminder of their date. Despite what he’d said to Taehyung regarding all this soulmate jig and Yoongi being silent for two years, he was an easy man to convince when presented with good reason. Yoongi is obviously trying, showing interest in wanting to know Jimin better, and if that isn’t enough of a reason for Jimin to feel giddy, then he doesn’t know what is. TO: M. Yoongi of course!! (。・ω・。) but if you’re busy, i can wait~ :) FROM: M. Yoongi no no it’s fine :) Jimin puffs his cheeks, hardly wanting to be a distraction or to be someone who could possibly drag the older down if he was doing something. He wonders what’s keeping Yoongi busy when academics all around campus are still in their calmest state, still in that usual lull that always followed after every vacation, and that’s when he remembers Taehyung saying something about basketball matches. He lies down on his side on the couch, eyes trained on his screen. TO: M. Yoongi you’re busy with practice, aren’t you? basketball :o FROM: M. Yoongi how’d you know? TO: M. Yoongi taehyung told me about the match, i kinda figured it out from there ヾ(＾-＾)ノ but anyway, the place doesn’t really matter to me~ is it okay if i just come over and watch the practice?（˶′◡‵˶） He taps his fingers against the sides of his phones, waiting for Yoongi to reply. Five minutes pass before Jimin actually gets one, a simple ‘ okay see you :) ’, and before he starts wondering about other things, he rushes to his room and changes into something more presentable (he’s kind of embarrassed to say that he spent an additional ten minutes agonizing over two similar looking sweaters, but he’s not going to tell anyone).  ✧  The basketball court on campus is alive with the sound of shoes squeaking on the floor and the echoes of basketballs being dribbled by the players. The coach is standing by the side, completely engrossed with something on his phone and occasionally shouting at his team. It’s a stimulating and athletic environment, and Jimin can practically touch the testosterone level in the air. He kind of sees the camaraderie of the players as he quietly shuffles into the court. He slides the door close behind him, blush high on his cheeks because he literally knows no one in the room. The only one he’s sort of familiar with is his supposed soul mate which, now that he realizes it, is a fact that only makes him blush harder. He inhales sharply as he realizes this, suddenly growing hyper aware of the item clutched within his hands, fingers gripping tightly around the little lunch bag hanging from them. He mumbles under his breath, turning away from the court a bit to berate himself for his hasty decisions. “Oh shit, the sandwiches are too much, oh my god, this is so embarrassin—” Before he can completely criticize himself and possibly punch his own face, one of the players on the court suddenly lets out a loud whoop, surprising Jimin so much he almost jumps out of his skin. He snaps his head up, eyes wide as he locks gazes with the tall guy standing in the middle of the court. He’s got dirty blond hair swept up into a tiny ponytail, the sides of his head shaved neatly. He’s looking at Jimin like he’s just seen the cutest kitten in the world. “Oh, hey, he’s here! it’s Yoongi-hyung’s soul mate!” He suddenly yells, and if Jimin had been feeling embarrassed as he stepped into the court a few minutes prior, he’s absolutely mortified now. He raises his hands in an attempt to hide his flushed cheeks, a soft whine escaping his lips when he hears the other members of the team whooping and calling out greetings (they’re friendly enough, but really, can’t they just try and be a little more subtle about all this?). His eyes are downcast as he pulls his hands down a bit to nod in acknowledgement when he hears the players’ whoops grow louder, and the voice that follows makes his heart skip a beat. “You assholes, fuck off, will you,” Yoongi yells, earning himself snickers and teasing remarks before Jimin hears their shoes squeaking against the floor again, basketballs dribbling and shooting through the hoops. He looks up then, and he holds his breath as Yoongi jogs up to him. It’s unfair, really, how Yoongi looks good in a loose white shirt and a pair of black basketball shorts that reach down to his knees. His fluffy blond hair is slightly pushed up by a worn black headband, and Jimin wants to sue someone because why does Min Yoongi look good? Who even looks that good when they’re working up a sweat? Personally, Jimin thinks he himself looks like a hamster with a broken lung when he’s working out. It’s just not fair. “Y—hey,” Yoongi greets, a shy grin on his face as he reaches Jimin. He places his hands on his hips, tilting his head a bit as he regards Jimin curiously. “You really came.” “Well, I did say I was going to,” Jimin says, biting his lip and shrugging his shoulders, “and I have a free day today, so might as well spend it doing something? Maybe—maybe get to know my soulmate?” He feels cheeky, he really does, and he can’t help the blush that he can practically feel spreading on his cheeks, but Yoongi’s smile makes the embarrassment worth it. Yoongi cocks his head to the bleachers at the side of the court, and Jimin shuffles after him awkwardly. Some of Yoongi’s teammates say hi to Jimin before shooting their team captain a teasing grin (to which Yoongi responds with his middle finger, without fail). They sit down on the farthest corner of the bleachers, a comfortable distance between them. Jimin places the bag shyly on the space, Yoongi blinking curiously at it. Jimin gently pushes it towards him, his face burning up. “Uhm—I made some sandwiches for Taehyung, but I think I made too many so I brought some over but you don’t have to eat them! It’s not even that good, they’re just ham sandwiches with eggs and pickles and really, I just thought maybe you’d be hungry, or something, and it might just go to waste a-and—” “Relax,” Yoongi says, laughing under his breath and reaching for the bag, dark brown eyes twinkling with something like amusement and fondness, “we were just about to go on break, anyway.” Jimin shuts his mouth, aware that he had been rambling. He watches Yoongi take one sandwich out before the tall blond guy from before suddenly passes by, arm swooping in and effortlessly grabbing the sandwich from Yoongi’s grasp. “Sandwich! Thanks, hyung’s soul mate!” He chirps a little too happily given that Yoongi was already giving him a look that could kill and put a man six feet under. Jimin’s only immediate response is to gasp softly, eyes wide, a giggle threatening to fall from his lips. “Fucking—yah , Kim Namjoon!” Yoongi bolts up from his seat, cheeks tinged red as he readies himself to chase Namjoon, but the rest of his team starts converging on him and Jimin, each one taking a sandwich from Jimin’s yellow polka dotted lunch bag. Jimin can’t help but laugh, his previous embarrassment at having brought the sandwiches dissipating to give way to some kind of warmth. It’s nice seeing that people are happy because of something he made. He uses both hands to cover his mouth, eyes crinkling as Yoongi fruitlessly tries to reprimand his members. With a huff, Yoongi flops back down on the seat, ankle crossed over one knee. He’s fuming as he peeks back into the bag. There’s only one sandwich left, and Yoongi quickly gets it, holding it close to his chest and glaring at his friends. He glances back at Jimin, and Jimin misses the awestruck look on his face as he keeps on laughing. “Well, someone’s hungry,” Jimin says happily after calming himself down. He bites his lip, glancing away briefly to see the boys sitting on the court, eating the sandwiches as they talked among themselves. He slips his hands between his thighs, looking at Yoongi and smiling. “I think I’m glad I brought the sandwiches.” “Don’t patronize them, Jimin-ssi,” he complains, half-whining and half-serious, making Jimin laugh again. Only a sliver of awkwardness remained between the two of them. “Okay, okay, I won’t,” Jimin promises, grinning as he watches Yoongi take a bite of his own sandwich. They stay quiet as Yoongi eats, a slightly comfortable silence around them. Jimin’s humming softly to himself, eyes roaming around the court. It’s kind of nice to see a part of Yoongi’s life. He knows they’re just starting to get to know each other, but his mind always goes back to his dream—to how obviously and clearly in love their past selves had been with each other—and Jimin can’t help but yearn for something like that, the kind of love that was so deep that it ended with a promise of forever. It’s cheesy, it’s a bit unrealistic, but Jimin likes it. “I’m sorry, by the way,” Yoongi suddenly says, and Jimin turns his head to him, an inquisitive tone coming from his throat, and Yoongi shrugs one shoulder as he balls up the sandwich wrapper in his hand, “for not saying anything all this time. I wanted to, but—I thought, maybe you might not be into that whole soulmate thing, so I figured I’d wait for you, but Namjoon told me that I shouldn’t have even waited for you to turn eighteen.” Jimin smiles at him, shaking his head as he swings his legs softly. “It’s okay. We’re here now, aren’t we? Getting to know each other and all that, catching up on that promise?” Yoongi’s cheeks flush just slightly at the mention of their past selves’ promise to each other, but there’s a smile on his face. He nods his head, running his hand once through his hair and the action alone has Jimin feeling kind of breathless. “Yeah, I guess,” Yoongi agrees, glancing at Jimin, “are you free tomorrow?” “Tomorrow?” “Mhm,” Yoongi hums, putting down his leg and straightening up, “I’d like to take you out, if that’s okay? To the park with the ducks and shit.” Jimin can’t help but smile, eyes crinkling up as he nods his head. “Let’s meet at the campus gate, then? Around lunch, maybe? That’s when my classes end.” Yoongi smiles back at him, looking perfect and happy and content. “Yeah, lunch, then. See you tomorrow, Jimin-ssi.”   (Just as Jimin is about slide the gym door open, a wide-eyed boy with prominent bunny teeth and arms that could probably crush a skull suddenly yells from his spot on the floor. His name’s Jungkook—Jimin remembers one of the guys calling his name earlier. Jimin glances at him over his shoulder, his cheeks burning at the boy’s words. “Yoongi-hyung, your soul mate’s an adorable catch—marry him!” Jimin laughs under his breath, smiling again at Yoongi before the older jumps at his friend and puts him in a chokehold. Jimin closes the door to the echoes of the team’s laughter, and his heart feels warm and full).  ✧  Taehyung practically plays dress up with Jimin, ignoring his pleas and complaints. Jimin’s classes had ended an hour and a half early, and when he’d gone home to just take a quick shower and maybe laze around until his meet up time with Yoongi, Taehyung had arrived loudly and set to work, pulling all of Jimin’s clothes out of his wardrobe and squinting at them. “Taehyung, come on, I know I should look good, but there’s no need for the—drop the tight leather pants!” Jimin practically shoots forward, grabbing his exclusively-for-party-but-never-used pants and tugging them away from Taehyung’s hands. He huffs out a breath petulantly, narrowing his eyes at the taller boy. “I’m going to a park, not to a fucking night club!” “But you need to look hot! How are you going to get laid if you don’t dress up?” Taehyung pouts, crossing his arms over his chest. Jimin rolls his eyes, feeling the tiniest hint of blush creeping up his chest but at this point he’s already used to Taehyung’s tactlessness. He shakes his head, reaching into the mountain of clothes on his bed and rummaging for a bit. “It’s our first date, no one’s going to get laid, you ass.” “But you’re soulmates—pretty sure your past selves have already banged and all,” Taehyung mumbles, slumping down on the floor and sighing. “Th-that’s different,” Jimin mutters, shaking away the thoughts of Yoongi and him doing things . He pulls a pair of jeans out, throwing it at Taehyung before reaching back in again. “We’re still getting to know each other.” He pulls a black fuzzy sweater out, words in pink and blue and yellow sewn on any possible stretch of surface. It’s a comfortable sweater, and Jimin thinks it’s not too bad to wear on a park date. He chucks it at Taehyung, raising an eyebrow and waiting for his reaction. When Taehyung shrugs his shoulder in a half-hearted approval, Jimin sticks his tongue out before moving to the bathroom to change. He’s got ten minutes to spare when he finally finishes preparing (Taehyung had demanded that he be allowed to at least fix Jimin’s fluffy brown hair and maybe put some eyeliner on his pretty eyes, and oh look! Is that a stick of lip gloss I see? Let’s try it! ). Needless to say, Jimin feels a little embarrassed that he looks too eager.   (When he arrives at their meeting spot, Yoongi is wearing a black leather jacket over a white fitting shirt, and his faded jeans are extremely ripped and distressed. He looks good—fuck, he looks amazing—and Jimin feels his heart skip a beat when he realizes that he’s actually going on a date with Min Yoongi. They’re going on a date—a date! —and he feels just a tad breathless, even more so when Yoongi pushes himself off the wall that he had been leaning against, a gummy smile on his face when Jimin calls out to him. When Yoongi offers to lead the way, the older only hesitates for a bit before he gently places his hand on the small of Jimin’s back. When Yoongi, voice soft but still loud enough for just the two of them to hear, says “you look great, Jimin-ssi ”,  Jimin feels his heart soar. He feels warm, he feels happy, and he won’t tell Taehyung, but as they stood side by side on the bus to the park, he let himself lean just a little bit into Yoongi’s touch. It’s different and gentle and sweet, but there’s still something strangely familiar about it. He likes it, Jimin decides, and by the small smile on Yoongi’s face, he’s not alone in his sentiments).  ✧  The ducks aren’t being cooperative much to Jimin’s disappointment. He’s been trying to feed them duck feed for close to twenty minutes already, but the little critters just wouldn’t come to him (Jimin tries not to give the little boy with the bigger bag of feed a stink eye, but he kind of lets it slip, and Yoongi laughs at him). He gives up after another five minutes of reaching over the railing, huffing as he sits down next to Yoongi on a bench. “They don’t like me,” Jimin says as soon as he sits down, pressing against Yoongi’s side. He’s not sure why he’s being forward, but he just really wants some kind of comfort after a whole paddling of ducks has just downright rejected his good graces. “I don’t think I like ducks anymore.” “They’re just ducks, don’t worry,” Yoongi leans forward, elbows on his knees as he gives Jimin an eye smile, “if they don’t like you, it’s their loss.” “Is it, now?” Jimin squeezes his hands between his thighs again, a kind of nervous tic he’s developed over the years, his shoulders hunching in on himself as he grins at Yoongi. “Yup,” Yoongi says, nodding his head sagely before turning to Jimin, palm cupping his own cheek, “it’s definitely their loss.” Jimin blinks at him before he glances down at his lap, a smile on his lips as he feels his cheeks turn red at the obvious way Yoongi was flirting with him. He knows it’s bound to happen—they’re on a date! —but he still can’t help it if he blushes easily, and if his heart is always trying to jump out of his chest. He ducks his head shyly, and he hears Yoongi chuckling under his breath, mumbling out a quiet, “cute ”, that Jimin isn’t sure if he was meant to hear or not. Eager to change the topic and veer away from his own awkwardness, Jimin clears his throat, inhaling deeply before he pokes Yoongi’s arm hesitantly. Yoongi looks at him, an eyebrow raised in question. “S-so, basketball, huh?” Yoongi sits up, crossing his legs and cocking his head to the side. There’s an amused smile quirking up the corners of his lips, and smiles just a little bit brighter at Jimin. “Yeah, basketball. Been at it since middle school.” “Ah,” Jimin says, nodding his head slowly. A brief silence passes, awkward and stiff, and he winces internally at it. Yoongi only laughs, gums and teeth and eyes turning into crescents. “Relax, Jimin-ssi, please don’t feel awkward around me,” he says after a while, that same fond smile still on his face, “if you have something you’re curious about, just ask.” Jimin grins, a little embarrassed at having his shyness pointed out. He rubs a hand against his neck, looking up at Yoongi through his lashes. “Are you, uhm, going to continue playing? After college, I mean.” Yoongi shakes his head, his nose scrunching ever so briefly and Jimin wants to see it again. “Nah, it’s just a hobby, I suppose, along with writing music. I’m majoring in creative writing—I want to tell stories. Someday, I mean.” “Oh, that’s cool! You’re going to write books and stuff!” Jimin gushes excitedly, imagining all the little paperbacks and hardbound books that will have Yoongi’s name on the front. He catches himself before smiling sheepishly at the older. He fiddles with the hem of his sweater, fingers barely peeking out of his sleeves. Yoongi smiles at him, hand reaching out to gently pluck a leaf from Jimin’s hair. The action makes Jimin blush, but he doesn’t look away. How can he when Yoongi’s got such a soft, fond look on his face? He doesn’t want to miss a single second of anything. “Relax, it’s just me.” “Yeah, I know,” Jimin says after a while of Yoongi just unconsciously touching Jimin’s hair. Jimin himself is surprised to find his own fingers clutching shyly on the hem of Yoongi’s jacket. “It’s just—I keep on remembering the dream, and it’s, you know. That.” Yoongi hums, voice low and soft and soothing, eyes flitting from Jimin’s eyes to his nose to his lips, and back to his eyes. “Yeah, our past selves were pretty in love with each other, huh?” “They really were.” Jimin bites his lips, extremely aware of the fingers barely running through his hair. “What did you think,” Yoongi asks as he stops the movement of his hand, slowly pulling it back and shoving it into his jacket pocket, “about our past selves?” Jimin blinks at him before shrugging one shoulder. He really likes their past selves. Sure, something really bad had obviously gone down—but even so, up until the last second of that dream, Jimin had felt nothing but love between his and Yoongi’s past selves. “I wish I knew how we—they! —fell in love,” Jimin mutters, mentally punching himself for his slip up. Yoongi doesn’t seem like he noticed. He just smiles at Jimin again before looking back out at the pond. “I guess—I guess that’s why we get the dream.” “What do you mean?” Jimin asks, letting himself scoot closer. Their thighs are pressing together, Yoongi’s warmth spreading onto his thigh. Yoongi turns to him, a fond look on his face as he takes in Jimin’s face. He smiles softly, looking so relaxed there next to Jimin and under the trees with nothing but the soft breeze surrounding them. “We get the dreams, we feel curious how our past selves fell in love, so fate—or whatever the fuck this all is—makes us repeat everything all over again to answer our own questions.” Jimin’s mouth makes a small ‘o ’ as he looks at Yoongi. It actually makes sense, now that he thinks about it, and for a moment he feels sorry for the people who can’t ever meet their soulmates. He barely knows Yoongi, hell, they’ve only known each other for probably less than thirty hours, but Jimin isn’t stupid. He can’t deny the connection he already feels with the basketball captain, can’t deny the fluttering sensation in his stomach when Yoongi so much as smiles at him. Something’s there—maybe it’s the soulmate connection, maybe it’s something else—but whatever it is, Jimin knows they have it for a reason. He leans against Yoongi, bumping their shoulders together and making Yoongi wobble a little on where he sat. He grins at him, Yoongi feigning pain as he clutches his shoulder. Wordlessly, Jimin stands up, reaching back and carefully grabbing Yoongi’s hand. He keeps it loose enough so that Yoongi can slip out of his grasp if he wanted to, but Yoongi only holds his hand just as tight, letting himself get pulled up from the bench and back to the railing. “What, what’s happening?” He asks, eyebrows furrowed cutely in confusion. “Want to feed the ducks?” Jimin pulls out the bag of duck feed from the bag around his body. He beams at Yoongi when the older takes the bag from him, completely bemused. Jimin steps closer to the railing, hooking his arms over it and pointing at the closest paddling of ducks.”There! Let’s see if the ducks will like you, Yoongi-ssi.” Yoongi stares at him for a total of three seconds before a grin curves up his lips. He sidles up next to Jimin, and with a determined smile, he tries to feed the ducks. Their arms are pressed against each other, and Jimin constantly jumps and bounces to cheer Yoongi and his duck feed on. Yoongi doesn’t have much luck either, and they both end up laughing over the lonely looking floating duck feed that are left untouched. They pass the time by walking around the park, Jimin’s shyness eventually lessening to make way for his usual bright self. He tells Yoongi about himself; his major (“I’m taking accounting—it’s probably weird, but I love math,”), his hobbies (“I’m part of the dance team of the campus, I mean, I don’t compete much, but I’m there,”), and his family—Jimin tells Yoongi just about anything and everything, and it feels nice to be open to someone other than Taehyung. Yoongi listens with a soft smile, his eyes attentive and alert. He’d say something every now and then, and it makes Jimin feel so special and wanted when he realizes that Yoongi really is paying attention to his ramblings. Yoongi tells him about himself, too, and Jimin realizes then that most students may know Yoongi as the basketball captain, the good-looking shooting guard, the apple of practically anyone’s eye, the heart breaker—but nobody knows the Yoongi who used to write short fairy tales for his baby cousin who refused to sleep at night because of the monsters under his bed. Nobody knows the Yoongi who yearns for the same love his own parents have; they’re soulmates, too, he says, and even when he was a child, he’d always loved the idea of being tied to the same soul for the rest of forever. Yoongi admits he’s kind of a romantic (“I mean, I’m taking creative writing, I want to make stories—wasn’t that obvious? ”), and Jimin just smiles at him, something like warm fondness blooming in his chest for the older man walking beside him. It’s hours later when they finally decide to go back to campus. Yoongi is walking Jimin back to his dorm after a whole day of walking and talking (and a fruitless, tiring hour of wooing the damn ducks) when Jimin decides on something. He turns around and keeps walking, taking his steps backward but he’s careful enough that Yoongi only keeps one arm hovering around him; just in case. “Call me Jimin—I don’t mind,” Jimin says quietly, lips pursed into a shy smile as Yoongi looks at him. “...only if you call me hyung, brat,” Yoongi shoots back, and Jimin only giggles in response, shaking his head and turning back around. It’s probably a little fast, the way they’re already becoming so comfortable around each other after a few measly hours on a first date, but Jimin thinks—well, so what? They’re soulmates! Their souls have literally waited hundreds of years just to be together again; like hell Jimin’s going to make it wait any longer. When they reach his dorm, it’s nearing sunset, and there’s a quiet hustle and bustle in the campus. Jimin steps toward the entrance door, just one step higher above ground, and he turns around to look at Yoongi. “Today was fun,” he starts, and Yoongi gives him that gummy smile that Jimin’s already grown so fond of, “I’d like to do it again, if that’s okay, Yoongi-ssi?” Yoongi reaches a hand up to unconsciously scratch at the back of his ear, a shy boyish grin on his face as he nods his head. He scuffs his boot on the ground, one hand tucked into his pocket. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who wants a second date.” “That makes two of us.” Jimin fidgets around on the spot, and he’s not exactly sure what they’re both waiting for. He just has to go back in, right? Say goodbye, call it a day, and set up another date thru text. Yes, that’s basically it—that’s all he has to do—but Jimin can’t quite move just yet. Something’s missing. He knows something is missing, but he doesn’t know what. “Well, then,” Yoongi mumbles, straightening up and slipping both his hands into his back pockets, “I’m going to go now? I—Namjoon actually texted me an hour ago, said I was needed by coach.” “And you ignored him?” Jimin’s eyes are wide, his cheeks flushing at the implication of what Yoongi had just done. He chose Jimin over his coach? “Coach can wait, Jimin-ssi.” His lips are pressed into a thin line, but his eyes are twinkling with something akin to mischief. Jimin finds himself laughing. “Alright, don’t blame me if he makes you, I don’t know, run ten extra laps?” “Let’s hope not,” Yoongi murmurs, scrunching his face at the prospect and possibility of prolonged training hours, “fuck, let’s really hope not, I just want to sleep.” Jimin rolls his eyes, and he watches as Yoongi waves his hand. He steps back one step, before Jimin’s hit with this strange desire, this strange urge to just— He steps after Yoongi, hands shooting forward to grasp the captain’s shoulders. Yoongi’s eyes open wide in surprise. Jimin steps into his space, tilts his head, and places a quick kiss on the soft apple of Yoongi’s cheek. When Jimin pulls away, his own face is as red as a cherry, and Yoongi is blinking furiously, lips hanging open in unadulterated surprise. Jimin clears his throat, eyes downcast as he raises a hand in a form of goodbye, refusing to make eye contact with the older boy. “W-well. Uhm. Goodbye, s-see you. I had fun, soulmate!” Without looking at Yoongi, Jimin turns around and bolts into his dorm building, his heart threatening to spill out of his chest and possibly kill him where he stands. When he reaches his own unit he shared with Taehyung, he barges in and goes straight to his room, ignoring Taehyung’s scandalized, “bitch, what the fuck? ”. He closes the door behind him, slides down, and buries his face in his hands. “What the fuck have I done oh my god no matter how I look at it that was too fast oh my god oh my god—” Jimin clamps his mouth shut when his phone’s message tone rings again, too soft and tinkly for his current mindset. He really doesn’t want to open it, but he knows he has to. He’s an adult, damn it, he can do this. FROM: M. Yoongi did you just jimin-ssi that was unfair, you didnt give me time to react TO: M. Yoongi IM SO SORRY I WONT DO IT AGAIN FROM: M. Yoongi that wasnt what i meant dont not do it again TO: M. Yoongi UHM YOU’RE NOT MAD? FROM: M. Yoongi my soulmate just kissed me should i be mad? Jimin’s eyes go over the text repeatedly, and if anything, his whole face down to his chest just feels like it’s on fire. He groans out something incoherent, and he slides down to the floor. He lifts his phone up so it was directly over his face, and he tries to fight back a giddy smile. He still feels so embarrassed. TO: M. Yoongi well if you put it that way… (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄ FROM: M. Yoongi im not mad okay hyung’s really happy, jiminnie :) Jimin promptly loses his grip on his phone. It falls on his face, and he yelps in surprise and pain. Taehyung barges into his room in panic, brandishing the remote control for the television and looking for an intruder. When he sees Jimin squirming on the floor, all hell breaks loose. It’s all a blur for Jimin from that point on. Taehyung screaming about barging into dorm rooms like a maniac while simultaneously demanding for date details. Jimin’s too busy pressing an ice pack to his nose, but he barely even hears Taehyung. All he can see is Yoongi’s message, all he can hear is Yoongi’s soft laugh, and all he can feel is Yoongi’s soft warm skin against his lips. When he goes to bed that night, he pulls his phone from his bedside table. Without thinking too much about it lest he chickened out, he quickly types his message, sends it, and aptly throws his phone far away from his bed. TO: Hyungie! ♡ im happy too, yoongi-hyung! thank you can’t wait to see you again (/ω＼)  ✧  Jimin’s out at the mall with Taehyung when he sees it. It’s a sports store of some kind, and there are balls and shoes and shorts and jerseys lining all four walls. Taehyung is mid rant about some rude sales lady when Jimin decides to wordlessly drag him inside by the collar, the taller of the two choking a little as he’s forcefully dragged away. “Chim, I love you, but what the fuck?” He complains, pouting at him as he looks around for a bit. “Shut up, I’m concentrating,” he says mindlessly, eyes trailing over all the accessories around him. He likes working out, but he’s not a sports nut. He doesn’t know what any of the things here do, why there are even so many similar looking things, but he knows what he wants to do. He’s not clingy, he isn’t, but Yoongi has paid for everything on their first date. Jimin thinks it's kind of unfair. He’d offer to pay for the second date (which, by the way, they’d already planned—an aquarium date, and Jimin is absolutely excited), but knowing Yoongi, he’d refuse and fight Jimin for paying rights. He knows he can’t pay Yoongi back in that sense, so he figures the older can’t possibly refuse a gift. “What are we doing here? The only sport I know is Haikyuu .” Taehyung is squinting at some kind of wrist weights, and he rolls his eyes when he sees a person debating between two similar looking ones. “I’m looking for a gift for Yoongi-hyung, now shut up.” Jimin tunes out Taehyung’s proceeding teasing remarks, choosing to instead walk along the racks and aisles, hand occasionally touching something to see if it’s an item he could give potentially give Yoongi. He’s having a hard time, to be honest. He knows Yoongi likes to write—he’s a writing major, of course—but Jimin’s sure he’s got lots of notebooks and pens to spare. He seems like the type of guy to always be prepared, anyway. He’s at a loss, and he spends an additional twenty minutes of walking around and tuning out Taehyung’s sudden tirade about dreams and soulmates when he sees it. The moment his gaze lands on it, he knows it’s the perfect thing to give.  ✧  The aquarium is a little deserted on a weekday, most parents are working and their kids still slaving away in school. Both Yoongi and Jimin have the afternoon and evening to spare, though, so they’d decided to go to the aquarium together. Jimin learns that Yoongi’s already paid for the tickets in advance (“Hyung found a promo, don’t worry ”, “Is that really something I should find attractive? ”, “Maybe? ”). He manages not to heave an exasperated sigh at the elder’s efforts to keep Jimin from paying for anything—the gesture is sweet, he’s got to admit, but he’s not some baby to be taken care of. He doesn’t want to take advantage of their age difference. Still, though, Yoongi is adamantly stubborn, so Jimin eventually lets him lead and pay and whatnot. It’s a small aquarium and not the big ones with the grey sharks and stingrays and all that majestic sea life. There are colorful jellyfishes, though, and tiny little crabs and starfishes. Jimin flits from one tank to another, eyes wide and a giggle on his lips as he takes in each sea creature. He really likes fishes, if that wasn’t obvious enough. Yoongi, at one point during their date, points to a pufferfish, a sly smile on his face. “It’s you, Jiminnie,” he says simply, and Jimin whines as he swats at Yoongi’s hand. Yoongi’s smiling as they walk away, his hand swinging by his side. As they go from one tank to the next, Jimin notices that they’re walking so close to one another, the backs of their hands occasionally brushing against each other. Every time Jimin feels Yoongi’s skin against his own, a gentle tingle runs through his spine, and he fights back the urge to do something. He’s going to practice self-control this time around, he has to— But then Yoongi’s fingers are suddenly hooking with his own—the action itself is so soft and careful, hesitant and just a tad bit nervous. Jimin feels himself stiffen up, the pretty aquarium lights in the tanks painting everything in a soft purple and red. Their steps have ceased, and Jimin knows it’s up to him to decide how they go from there. Yoongi is beside him, asking for permission to hold his hand while he keeps his gaze trained on an empty tank. It’s cute how Yoongi seems so nervous, as well. That makes two of them, Jimin thinks a little too happily. “Come on, hyung,” Jimin whispers, softly slipping his hand into Yoongi’s hold. His hand is bigger than Jimin’s, and his palm and fingertips are a bit chilly, but Jimin likes the way their hands fit. Almost like a puzzle. He feels Yoongi tug him closer gently, and Jimin takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. They walk slowly through the jellyfish hallway, the blues and reds and purples of the fish tanks reflecting on every surface. Just before they reach the exit, Jimin stops, tugging Yoongi back a bit. “Jiminnie?” He asks, a little worried, but Jimin just smiles at him shyly. It’s dark in the hallway, considerably darker compared to the souvenir shop they’ll exit into once they leave the jellyfish hallway. Jimin’s comfortable around Yoongi (extremely comfortable and happy), but he doesn’t think he can quite give his gift to Yoongi in such a bright room and still function properly afterwards, so the jellyfish hallway will have to do. “Hold on, I have something for you, hyung,” he says quietly, and he’s not even sure why he’s whispering because what if Yoongi can’t hear him clearly? What if he had to repeat himself? He’d definitely be too embarrassed to do it again. “C-come here, please.” Yoongi quirks an eyebrow at him but he still obliges, their hands still linked in between them. He steps up to Jimin, glancing around contentedly as if to give Jimin some privacy while he rummages around in his little sling bag. Once his fingers close around what he was looking for and feels the soft material in his hand, he takes a deep breath. “Close your eyes, okay?” Jimin regrettably pulls his hand out of Yoongi’s grasp, and even Yoongi makes a sort of disappointed frown, but he doesn’t say anything, just looks at Jimin curiously before his eyelids flutter close. “No peeking, okay?” Jimin adds, voice shaky and nervous. Jimin moves closer, practically standing and breathing in Yoongi’s space. He can smell his cologne strongly from the close proximity, and it makes him feel a little heady. In a nice way, Jimin notes. When he’s sure that Yoongi isn’t going to peek or tease him again by surprising him, Jimin pulls out his gift and reaches up around Yoongi’s head. Gently, he puts it over his head, just around his forehead and hairline. Yoongi makes a sound of surprise, already aware of what is happening, and Jimin ignores the way the older boy’s eyes flutter open in surprise. He takes great care in fixing his gift on Yoongi—a sports headband, soft and new and red and sporting a cute little yellow baby chick on one side. He fixes Yoongi’s hair just like how he’d seen it styled when they met up at the gym. He blushes when he realizes that their faces are extremely close, and that Yoongi has no holds barred when he stares at Jimin. “There,” Jimin says, voice barely above a whisper. His hands linger around Yoongi’s head before he pulls them back down against his own chest. “You wouldn’t, uhm, you wouldn’t let me pay for our dates, so I figured I could just give you something. A-as a thank you.” “I,” Yoongi breathes out, and Jimin visibly swallows, “I actually needed a new headband—the black one was completely worn and used, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to snap any day now.” Jimin glances to the side, eyes fixed on a tiny little jellyfish in the tank beside them. “I-I’m glad you like it.” Yoongi doesn’t say anything, but Jimin does feel him move. He’s about to move his head and face the elder when he feels something warm and soft and just a little bit chapped press against his cheek. “Oh,” Jimin says, dumbfounded and surprised but definitely not complaining. Indeed, why should he? His soulmate had just kissed him on the cheek. Yoongi’s smiling at him, eyes soft and full of adoration. He reaches for Jimin’s hand and he laces their fingers together before tugging a rather frozen Jimin out of the jellyfish hallway. The bright light of the souvenir shop stuns Jimin for a moment, but before he can say anything about it, Yoongi is already leading him to one aisle in the shop. “Are you getting something?” Jimin tries to ignore the way his heart is beating wildly in his chest. He tries not to think of how the two of them look to other people—hands and fingers linked together, cheeks pink, Jimin pressed so close to Yoongi’s side as he tries to sneak a peek over his shoulder (but damn, Yoongi’s shoulders are too broad. Damn it). “What is it—I want to see, hyung!” “Hold on, Jiminnie, hyung’ll show you in a bit, okay?” Jimin pouts a little, but not for long as Yoongi pulls him towards the register to pay for whatever it is he’d gotten. Jimin stays back a bit, his hand still in Yoongi’s grasp. When Yoongi turns back to him again, there’s a gift paper bag approximately the size of a basketball in his hand. “Here,” Yoongi says, giving it to him. Jimin reluctantly lets his hand go, taking the gift with both hands. He can feel his face growing hot, but he doesn’t shy away as he carefully peeks into the bag. Yoongi lets out a laugh at the face he makes. “What’s wrong?” “It’s a puffer fish doll,” Jimin says blankly, squinting at Yoongi and pouting, “why is it a puffer fish?” “Like I said, it’s you, Jiminnie.” He moves to take something out of his pocket, and Jimin snorts at the item dangling from between his fingers. It’s a cellphone strap with a small pink baby puffer fish. Yoongi lifts it up a bit, laughing a bit as he looks at it then at Jimin. “I got something for myself, too—reminds me of you, strangely enough.” Jimin rolls his eyes, but he takes the stuffed toy and pulls it close to his chest. It’s only the second date, he reminds himself, but he really can’t help it if he feels so, so loved in Yoongi’s presence. When they get on the bus back to campus, Yoongi makes it a point to keep his hand on the small of Jimin’s back making sure that he’s balanced despite the lull of the vehicle. Jimin leans into his touch.  ✧  After their second date, Jimin and Yoongi make it a point to hang out  anytime possible. Sometimes, Taehyung’s with them, making heart eyes at the two of them and at the fact that he’s witnessing real life soulmates. Jimin always blushes and punches him on the arm, but he understands Taehyung’s sentiment; it’s not every day you see actual soulmates together. Most of the time, though, it’s just Jimin and Yoongi. Having lunch at the cafeteria, Jimin dropping by the basketball court for ten minutes if only to say hi to Yoongi and wish him luck (Jimin’s also fairly acquainted with Namjoon and Jungkook at this point, and the ten minutes he spends talking to Yoongi will, more or less, have Namjoon or Jungkook butting in to drop some blush-inducing pickup line about soulmates). Jimin’s routine slowly changes—from his usual ‘go to class, go home, rinse and repeat ’ to something that has Yoongi in it—and he likes the change. Once November hits, their time together is cut short. Jimin’s classes start picking up their pace again, and he’s drowning in yellow sheets and numbers faster than he can finish one problem. Yoongi, too, is as busy as can be. He’s told Jimin that the basketball match is happening right before Christmas (some kind of a friendly year ender match between their school and a sister school), and their coach has been drilling them nonstop. He’s the captain of the team, and he kind of can’t ditch even though he wants to see Jimin so badly (his words, Jimin swears). This doesn’t stop them from texting, though, and it’s one of the things Jimin likes the most. They talk about anything and everything, with Yoongi flirting every once in awhile. Jimin sends him photos of whatever’s happening, and it makes Jimin so happy that Yoongi always keeps the conversation going. It’s Jimin who messes up one time, clicking the call button accidentally. They don’t actually talk over the phone—despite the two of them always holding hands or leaving fleeting touches when they can, Jimin thinks phone calls are a bit too much at the moment (he doesn’t think he can talk, anyway). But well, he fucks up, and he presses the call button by accident one November evening. He doesn’t even realize he’s done it yet until Yoongi’s picking up and a low raspy “ hello? ” is ringing from his phone. “Oh—shit, uhm—h-hello?” Jimin burrows under his blanket, face red as he presses his phone to his ear. “I-I’m sorry, I pressed it by accident, and it’s okay if you hang up—I know not everyone is comfortable w-with phone calls a-and—” “I missed your voice, Jiminnie,” Yoongi says quietly, relief and fondness evident in his voice, and that stops Jimin’s rambling. He breathes deeply for a while before he curls up tighter under his sheets. His heart is pounding in his chest, his hands feel sweaty, and he just feels so full to the brim. There’s a shy smile on his face when he nods his head. “...yeah, I missed your voice, too, hyung.” It comes, not as a shock, but as a sort of gentle reminder to Jimin two days later. He’s walking across campus when he sees Yoongi about to enter the liberal arts building, laptop tucked under his arm, a red beanie over his messy bed hair (he knows he’s just gotten out of bed—Yoongi told him so thru text a while ago that he’d forgotten to set an alarm so he’s sadly foregoing shower for now). Jimin stops walking, Taehyung almost running over him in their haste to get to their next classes, but his eyes catch on the little shiny pink thing dangling from Yoongi’s back pocket. It’s the baby puffer fish strap from the aquarium, and Jimin’s not sure why he’s so affected by it—he’s always seen it on Yoongi’s phone—but the idea that something which reminds Yoongi of Jimin being always attached to his phone makes warmth bloom inside him. Yoongi seems to feel the gaze on him. He turns to Jimin’s general direction, and when he catches sight of him, the older boy waves a hand, a lopsided smile on his face that makes Jimin feel breathless. Jimin only smiles back, a dopey expression on his face. Yoongi goes into the building, and it’s only until Taehyung nudges him does he realize that he’s been staring for too long. “Dude, you are so in love,” Taehyung mumbles in amusement, and Jimin doesn’t even deny it. He can’t, to be honest.  ✧  “So, will you spend Christmas with your boyfriend?” Jimin looks away from the rows and rows of lemons in front of them, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Taehyung waits for an answer. They’re in the grocery preparing for a weekend of binge watching anime shows and movies, and Taehyung’s lugging a basket full of chips while Jimin looks on at the vegetable and fruit section. It’s well into December now, and the basketball match looms in the distance. Taehyung repeats his question, but Jimin just frowns even more, making Taehyung roll his eyes in exasperation. “Your boyfriend—Min Yoongi? You know? Practically your husband? The guy of your dreams; wet and otherwise?” Taehyung ducks away from Jimin’s kick just in time, laughing at the scandalized look on Jimin’s face. “He is not any of those!” Jimin huffs out a breath, face burning at Taehyung’s words. When Taehyung just hums in mock understanding, Jimin swings out a punch. “O-okay, maybe one of those—b-but we’re in a fucking grocery! Shut up, Kim Taehyung!” Taehyung laughs again, swinging an arm over Jimin’s shoulder as the latter picks out lemons from the rack. “But seriously, though—you spending Christmas with your boyfriend?” “Hyung’s not my boyfriend.” “Uh, yeah, he is,” Taehyung counters dumbly, getting Jimin’s basket from him and staring at the lemons in it. There’s too many of them. “Are you going to start a lemonade stand?” “He’s not,” Jimin says again, putting one last lemon in before tugging Taehyung to the registers, “and I’m making honey lemon slices. For Yoongi-hyung and his teammates. For the game.” They line up, Jimin ignoring the pointed looks Taehyung is throwing him. When they step out of the grocery store with all the plastic bags in Taehyung’s hands (because Jimin is a tiny baby he must Protect), Taehyung huffs under his breath. “Hyung is literally your soulmate, you go on dates, you have heart eyes for each other, you hold hands whenever possible, and his contact name in your phone has a heart symbol—don’t think I don’t know that, Park Jimin—and you tell me he’s not your boyfriend? What kind of bullshit?” Jimin sighs, fiddling with the hem of his sleeves. “We just haven’t talked about it, okay, don’t jump to conclusions.” “Whatever, it just sounds stupid is all,” Taehyung exclaims, eyeing Jimin knowingly, “but you want to, don’t you? Ask him out for real, I mean.” “Well, duh.” Jimin shuffles under Taehyung’s knowing gaze, and he holds on to his sleeve as they cross the road. “He’s perfect, why would I not want to ask him out officially?” “But you’re scared, let me guess. You think he might not want something that serious yet. Has he ever given you reason to believe so?” Jimin shakes his head, and he thinks Taehyung is going to hit him with the plastic bags but all his best friend does is lean against him. Jimin looks up at him, and he sees the softest smile on Taehyung. “You are so stupid, Chim,” he says, but there’s nothing mean and berating about his voice, “he loves you, anyone with two functioning eyes can see that. Don’t worry too much, alright? Everything will work out in the end.”  ✧  The game is a success, and Jimin isn’t even surprised when Yoongi shoots the winning hoop. He practically jumps up out of his seat and cheers, Taehyung just as loud beside him. The court is alive with screams and whoops and laughter, and Jimin feels like it’s the first time he’s watching a game—he’s watched some before, but knowing someone on the team personally somehow makes the victory just a bit more special. He tugs Taehyung out of the seats, and the two of them make their way to the locker rooms where they know the team will directly head to after basking in their victory on the court. Jimin’s got his little polka dotted lunch bag with him again, and just as he’s pulling out the tupperware of honey lemon slices out of it, the door bursts open accompanied by a flurry of laughter and loud voices. Arms are wrapping around him, and he almost drops the box in all the confusion. When he pulls away to see who it is, it’s Namjoon and Jungkook beaming happily at him. They’re sweaty and excited, but Jimin doesn’t care as he hugs them back just as tight. “Good job on the game, you guys,” Jimin says, his cheeks hurting from smiling so widely. They sit down on the benches and when Jimin brings out the lemon slices, the guys go down on it in the blink of an eye (Taehyung steals the slice from between Jungkook’s fingers—and wait, do they even know each other?). He happily watches everyone eat, gobbling down each slice like starved men. He hopes the article he read on how honey lemon slices is good for fatigue ends up true, he wants everyone to feel refreshed, especially Yoongi— “Where’s Yoongi-hyung?” He asks Namjoon quietly, and Namjoon takes a moment to reply, thumping on his chest when he almost chokes on his lemon slice. “Talking to coach, he’s still out there.” Jimin smiles as he nods before standing up, seeing Taehyung talking to a very surprised looking Jungkook. He fights back a smile as he turns away and heads back out to the court. The bleachers are almost devoid of people now, and the court is littered with confetti and streamers. Jimin walks farther in, eyes peeled for Yoongi when he sees him standing near the doors. Now, Jimin knows himself. He’s not insecure (not that insecure, that is) and he knows that communication is one of the best solutions to any kind of conflict, but then again, seeing Yoongi with a girl hanging off his arm and the two of them talking in hushed whispers is not the best sight to see when all Jimin wanted to do was kiss Yoongi’s cheek and congratulate him on his winning shot. Jimin ceases his steps, and he doesn’t even register Yoongi himself; all he can see is the girl with the short bob in the cheer-leading uniform, her small hands wrapped around Yoongi’s arm and seemingly tugging him towards somewhere. All he can hear is the barely audible lilt in the girl’s voice, and all he can feel is a muted kind of pain throbbing in his chest. He turns back around, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He texts Taehyung a short, “gtg. not feeling well. see you at home ”, before exiting through the backdoor of the gym.  ✦  “There’s our captain!” Yoongi winces as his teammates converge on him, palms clapping against his back in some kind of celebratory torture. He smiles, nonetheless, because he really is happy. He thinks maybe the headband Jimin gave him is some kind of good luck charm. He lets Namjoon drag him to one of the benches, and he cocks an eyebrow in surprise when he sees Taehyung and Jungkook huddled together watching a video on Taehyung’s phone. Namjoon just shrugs before grabbing a tupperware from beside him and offering it to Yoongi. “Hyung, figured you’d want to taste Jimin’s honey lemon so I fought—tooth and nail, hyung, tooth and nail—for this last slice,” Namjoon says, grinning as he places the tupperware on Yoongi’s lap. Yoongi laughs, before picking up the slice and munching on it. A smile finds his way onto his lips as the image of Jimin flitting about in his small dorm kitchen, slicing lemons and removing the seeds and pouring honey all over them, appears in his mind. Honestly, he’s really, really happy that Jimin is his soulmate. The boy is nothing but sweet and kind, and when he smiles or laughs at something Yoongi said, it’s enough to make him feel like he’d done God’s work. Or something like that. “I’d say fuck you guys for eating everything, but I understand,” he says, looking around and feeling a frown settle on his face, “where’s Jiminnie?” Namjoon looked at him with a strange expression. He glances around, too, before turning back to Yoongi. “Wasn’t he with you?” “No? Why would I ask if he was?” “Well,” Namjoon starts, looking around again as if to make sure that Jimin really isn’t in the room, “he was looking for you earlier. Like. Five minutes ago? Went back out to the court and everything, but—ah, Taehyungie said he was going home! Right?” Namjoon nudges Taehyung’s knee, the younger looking up at them with wide eyes. Namjoon repeats what he said, and Taehyung nods his head. “Yeah, said he wasn’t feeling well,” Taehyung explains, shrugging one shoulder and going back to whatever video he and Jungkook were watching. Yoongi hums in understanding, but he can’t help the frown on his face as he sits there in the locker room, devoid of a certain boy’s bright smile and soft touches. He’s a little disappointed that Jimin isn’t there by his side, and he’s not going to lie—the elation from their victory is considerably lesser now that Jimin isn’t there to congratulate him. He goes to his locker, leaning against it as he takes his phone from his bag and pulls up his message window with Jimin. TO: Jiminnie~ hey jiminnie. you okay? taehyung told me you weren’t feeling well FROM: Jiminnie~ hey hyung! yeah sorry im not feeling so good sorry i wasnt able to congratulate you personally congratulations! Yoongi still feels odd. He heaves a heavy sigh, pulling up his camera app and taking a selca, making sure that the headband he’s using—the one with the yellow baby chick that Jimin had given him—is showing clearly. He sends it to Jimin, his heart still feeling oddly heavy. TO: Jiminnie~ [img_0451.jpg] look at my good luck charm :) Yoongi leans his head against the locker as he waits for a reply, but all he ever sees is Seen at the bottom of his message. The heavy feeling in his chest grows heavier by the second, and he thinks back to the day. Was Jimin really feeling so sick? Before the game, he’d chanced a glimpse at the boy, and Jimin had been practically vibrating with energy as he and Taehyung waited in their seats. He looked healthy, if anything, and definitely not sick. What happened? Yoongi had even seen him run to the locker rooms after the game with Taehyung in tow, and Yoongi had followed after them but his coach pulled him aside for a “quick talk”, and then when his coach had finally let him go, the persistent girl on the cheerleading team had tried to ask him out again, and— “Oh, fuck,” Yoongi mutters, grabbing his wallet from his locker and slamming the door shut. Everyone in the room jumps in surprise, but he just raises a hand in goodbye before he bolts out of the room. He’s still in his sweaty jersey and he feels just a little icky but right now, none of it matters because what if—shit, he doesn’t even want to think about it.  ✦  Yoongi looks around the park, trying his best to spot Jimin in the light of the slowly setting sun. He’d spent close to an hour waiting for Jimin at his dorm, but it was obvious no one was home. He’d thought long and hard on where Jimin might be, and he’s just hoping that the park they had their first date in might be the place. He walks around, phone clutched in his hand. He’s half-sure of what happened, and of what’s going through Jimin’s head—fuck, Yoongi feels really guilty. He’d already said no to the girl a total of five times in the span of a month, but she just couldn’t take a hint and now, because of her unnecessary persistence, Jimin had probably gotten the wrong idea. Approximately eight minutes of walking into the park, Yoongi sees someone leaning over the railing by the duck pond. A whoosh of relief gushes over Yoongi, and he carefully walks over. Jimin’s talking in a soft whisper, hand occasionally throwing feed over the railing, and it makes Yoongi’s chest ache. He looks so small, and so sad. “Ducks, please come back, I still have something to say!” Jimin whispers harshly, almost doubling over the railing but he catches himself last minute, stepping back on flat ground and throwing another handful of feed. “I know you don’t like me, damn it, just listen—do you think I should’ve stayed and congratulated him personally?” Yoongi is about an arm’s length from Jimin now, and he wants to reach out and hug him but he also kind of wants to listen to him ramble. “I mean. We’re not even a—a couple, but,” Jimin starts, heaving a sigh and resting his folded arms on the railing. He rests his chin on it, cocking his head to the side as he stares down at the ducks. “I kind of, really want to be? But then there was that girl—” “Whom I rejected for the sixth time this month,” Yoongi cuts in, and he holds back a laugh when Jimin squeaks in shock, the small bag of duck feed falling from his hands. He whirls around to face Yoongi, a horrified expression on his face as he sputters for something to say. His face is completely red, and he really looks like he wants to be anywhere else but there. Yoongi smiles at him. “Found you.” Jimin just looks at him, breathing heavily as he clenches his fists by his side. “Yeah, you did, hyung.” “Can we talk?” Jimin glances away before nodding his head. “I-I’m sorry, for, uhm, not being there,” he starts quietly. He looks back at Yoongi, a shy smile on his face. “Congratulations on winning the game, hyung!” “You’re my soulmate, Jiminnie,” Yoongi says instead, stepping closer when Jimin only blushes harder, “and I’m sorry if I hurt you.” “It’s not your fault, Yoongi-hyung, I-I jumped to conclusions, and like—I know there isn’t anything in between you and that girl, but I just—I felt sick. I needed time alone to my thoughts.” He’s looking down at his feet, and Yoongi reaches out to place his fingers under his chin, tipping his face up. “And ducks,” Yoongi says, making Jimin laugh softly, “you needed time alone with your thoughts and the ducks that don’t even like you.” “That’s mean,” he complains quietly, looking at Yoongi fondly. “It’s okay, though,” Yoongi whispers, stepping closer into Jimin’s space. He’s pushed up against the railing now, and Yoongi can see the way he visibly swallows. “You have me.” Pretty shades of red bloom on the apples of Jimin’s cheeks, and Yoongi expects him to look away shyly, but Jimin only smiles wider, happier. His small hands leave the railing and they settle against Yoongi’s chest. “I think I prefer the ducks,” Jimin says cheekily, and his eyes crinkle up in laughter when Yoongi scowls. Yoongi moves his hand from under Jimin’s chin to place them on his hips instead. He’s always wanted to do this, to be as close as possible to Jimin, but he’d held back thinking he might scare Jimin off. They’re soulmates, but not all soulmates end up together, Yoongi reasons. He doesn’t want to risk it—not with Jimin—but under the glow of the stars and his own thoughts and heart still high on the soft lilt of Jimin’s laugh, Yoongi thinks he’s doing the right thing. “Can I tell you a secret, Jiminnie?” He whispers, eyes never leaving Jimin’s. Jimin nods once, his pretty brown eyes twinkling with adoration. “I’ve liked you ever since I had my dream, and during your eighteenth birthday, I was there at the restaurant by chance and I saved you from probably breaking your pretty face.” Jimin smiles softly at his confession, his small fingers curling into the fabric of Yoongi’s jersey. They’re so close, Yoongi can just see the smooth velvety surface of Jimin’s skin, see up close the way his blush is making him look so much prettier, see the way his lips glisten. Jimin is so fucking pretty, Yoongi isn’t sure anymore if he’s even real. “I know it’s a little late,” Yoongi continues, reaching up one hand to cup the side of Jimin’s face, thumb running circles on his cheek and the rest of his fingers tangling in his brown hair, “but can I make good on that promise now?” “Promise?” Jimin’s voice is the softest of whispers, his eyes wide as he looks at Yoongi curiously. It tugs at something in Yoongi’s heart, and he realizes then that he wants nothing more than to make Jimin as happy as possible, see him smile the brightest (and maybe always wake up next to him—but is that a little too fast? Yoongi doesn’t care). “Somebody once promised they’d find you, and that they’ll love you more than they already do,” he murmurs, a smile on his lips when recognition sparks in Jimin’s eyes, “somebody once promised they’d ask you to be theirs when they can finally do so again.” Jimin doesn’t say anything—just leans into Yoongi’s touch, that same shy smile Yoongi has grown to love still on his face. “Be mine, Park Jimin?” Jimin quickly leans forward, closing the distance between them and pressing his lips against Yoongi’s. It takes Yoongi by surprise, but he easily melts into the kiss, fingers gripping Jimin’s head firmly, pressing him closer to himself. He can feel and taste nothing but Park Jimin, and his heart feels like it’s about to burst. He never believed in that fireworks thing when you kiss someone, but maybe for soulmates that’s the case because Yoongi can only feel warmth and sparks exploding in his chest, on his skin where Jimin is touching him, on his lips where Jimin’s lips are pressed against. When Jimin pulls back, there’s a cheeky smile curving his lips up. “That is so late, Min Yoongi.” Yoongi grins at him. “Better late than never, right?”     (They’re walking home with Jimin hugging Yoongi’s arm to his chest, cheek pressed against his shoulder, when Yoongi remembers something. “You look like the baby chick on my headband,” he mutters, reaching up and touching the cloth on his forehead. Jimin laughs into his arm, hugging him tighter. “You were the first thing I thought of when I noticed it.” “First, a puffer fish, now a baby chick? Hyung, I’m starting to think you don’t find me pretty at all,” Jimin whines, turning his head to hook his chin on Yoongi’s shoulder. Yoongi rolls his eyes, pulling his arm out of Jimin’s grasp and wrapping it around his shoulders. Jimin automatically hugs his waist, a content kind of purr rumbling in his throat. “Can I back out of this relationship, baby chick?” “Nope, you’re stuck with me, soulmate,” Jimin sings, laughing when Yoongi groans, “and don’t call me baby chick, that’s weird.” “Okay,” Yoongi says, smirking when he leans to the side to nuzzle Jimin’s temple, “I’ll just call you baby. That good, baby?” Jimin doesn’t say anything, and for a moment, Yoongi thinks he’s already offended his boyfriend—his boyfriend!—but then he feels Jimin tightening his hold around his waist, face pressing against his chest. Jimin moves his head in a barely-there nod, but Yoongi finds himself smiling widely. “Alright, baby, I got it. Hyung’s got you.”)  ✦
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youre the warmth i seek
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Min Yoongi | Suga", "Fandom": "방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "2,102", "Additional Tags": "Smut, Yoongi messed up somewhere in their relationship, Smh yoongi, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope is Whipped, Sope, blowjob", "Relationship": "Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
The tears were relentlessly falling down his face and in comparison, Hoseok's anger was rising even further. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, exhaling as he tried to make sense of the situation. "Hyung, please leave. I can't afford to have you here, this isn't right for us both."Yoongi wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Is it that easy for you? To just ask me to leave?"The intensity of the wind was picking up now and Hoseok did not feel comfortable knowing he was bundled up in a jacket and hat while his hyung was sitting on his doorstep in nothing but a pair of jeans and a flimsy tank top. "Yoongi-"Yoongi shot up at his name and clung to Hoseok for his dear life. "Please, Hoseokie, I need you."He knew exactly what it did to him when Yoongi called him that. He knew Hoseok always caved for whatever was about to come after that pet name."No." Hoseok brushed him off his shoulder. He moved forward to unlock his door but before he could step inside he took off his jacket and threw it at Yoongi. "Make sure you get home safe." And with that he slammed the door shut."But you are my home."*It wasn't setting right for Hoseok, how he'd asked Yoongi to leave. He didn't feel right knowing that something could happen to him on his way back, how he's small and easily hurt. Someone could've done him harm, someone could've pushed him or robbed him or worse. Hoseok set down his cup of coffee on the counter and grabbed his keys instead. Putting on his shoes he opened the door to go out and look for Yoongi.But Yoongi was right there. Just as he'd left him. Only now he was wearing his jacket yet shivering on his doorstep. "Hyung." Hoseok called, sighing. "Hyung, look at me."Hoseok watched from a distance, waiting for Yoongi to turn around. When he didn't, Hoseok sighed and walked down to the last step where he was sitting. He crouched down to him, taking hold of his arms and making him look up at him. "Hyung, let's go in. You'll die in this weather.""Really?" Yoongi asked, his eyes moving on Hoseok's face as he tried to seek as much warmth. "Yes, come inside.""No, I meant, will I really die if I stay out?""It's blithering cold here, hyung." Hoseok said matter of factly. "Good. Then let me die." Yoongi spat, pushing at Hoseok to make him move away. Hoseok sighed again, shaking his head. "I'll say this one more time. Please, come inside. For me if not for yourself."And when no other word was spoken from Yoongi's side, Hoseok got up to leave. Just as he had taken a step up the stairs, a freezing cold hand took hold of his warm one and tugged. "I'm sorry, Hoseokie. Will you forgive me? I promise you.""Come inside."Yoongi shuffled on his feet, leaping up and latching onto Hoseok. "I'm sorry," he whimpered, visibly shaking. Hoseok walked them inside the house and shut the door. He took off his shoes and dropped his keys on the ground, all the while Yoongi clinging to him and not letting go. "I'll get you tea." Hoseok said moving away from him and walking to the kitchen. He heard feet padding around in the living room, memories flooding in of when they used to live together, when everything was shared and nothing was kept private. "What are you trying to do here," Hoseok mumbled to himself, his head dropping. When Hoseok brought Yoongi tea, he was already tucked in bed, warm under the blanket and content in his skin."Thank you." Yoongi said accepting the cup. Hoseok knew that he was thanking him for the tea but more for letting him have him for one more time. "I'll let you get comfortable. Call me if you need anything, I'll be out in the living room."Hoseok sat down on his couch, pulling up his laptop and his books as he began to work on his report. His fingers tapped on the keys, words flying from his brain, to his fingers and onto the screen. His boss had asked him to turn in the assignment next week but Hoseok had time. He had all the time ever since he lost the one person he would spend his days and night with. And that said person was currently taking up his bed."Hey, Hoseok."Hoseok hummed in response, his fingers still typing."Hoseokie, hey."He hummed again, this time finishing his sentence on his laptop and looking back. His breath got caught in his throat upon the sight. Yoongi had taken a shower --his hair damp as water rolled down the sides of his face --and was wearing a shirt of Hoseok's.Hoseok schooled his features back to uninterest, paying attention to his report instead. "Who said you could wear my shirt?""I took your pajamas even." Yoongi said, walking over to him. "I hope that's fine.""Look here, hyung," Hoseok started, setting aside his laptop on the coffee table and putting his feet down from the couch. "I don't want to make this difficult for either of us."Yoongi smiled as he watched him talk, words forming at his lips and his tongue. Yoongi smiled in fondness because whenever he acted recklessly, Hoseok gave him a lecture, keeping in mind that he was younger but wiser. Yoongi smiled knowing that after whatever happened, they were still Hoseok and Yoongi, the one and only, them against all and them against the odds. Yoongi smiled because no matter what happened, he knew that he could come to him, that he could ask him for a hug and he'd get that. He would always get that. Yoongi smiled and he reached forward with his hand. He touched Hoseok's face and let his thumb feel his bone structure; his high cheekbones, his nose, his forehead, his chin, his lips. His lips. That's it. That's all Yoongi needed before he was climbing in Hoseok's lap and holding his face with both of his hands now. Hoseok had stopped talking now, knowing well enough that his words didn't matter before nor will they matter now. "What is it, hyung? Why did you really come?""I missed you," Yoongi grinned, watching Hoseok part his lips and exhale. "I needed you, I have never needed you so bad before, Hoseok-ah."When he didn't say anything, Yoongi moved forward and placed his lips against Hoseok's, just gentle and letting Hoseok know that now, he would be the one to lead the situation. Whatever happens after this, it'll all be him.And that's how dirty Yoongi played.Hoseok didn't resist --obviously. Hoseok couldn't resist even if he wanted to. He let his lips move against Yoongi's as he began to kiss him with just as much affection and need as he would have five months ago. Five months ago when Hoseok still trusted him, when he still loved him. Hoseok still loves him. Yoongi deepened the kiss as his hands wounded in Hoseok's hair and Hoseok's went to his ass. He massaged the soft skin there, pulling barely there gasp from Yoongi's mouth. Hoseok pressed harder at his sides now, his supple and gentle skin pressing down easily under his force. He licked his lips, letting his fingers play with the hair behind Hoseok's ears, pushing his tongue out to give purposeful kisses. Hoseok didn't wait another second to open his mouth for Yoongi as he kissed him with fervour and fire. Their kisses were never less than intense and now, after all this time when Hoseok finally decided to take Yoongi in, it's like they have never kissed before and today is the first time Hoseok can see clearly. Today is the first time he's allowed himself to feel his lover and to let him wander as much he want. Yoongi took all the opportunity he got. He boldly lifted the hem of Hoseok's shirt, breaking the kiss to pull off the piece of clothing. He threw the shirt somewhere behind him and resumed his position to continue kissing. For him, kissing was like coming to something familiar and when he was with Hoseok, it was like being alive and set on fire because wherever Yoongi placed his hands on him, it screamed comfort.Hoseok pulled Yoongi closer, kissing him harder and letting him know that he was there. That he'd take care of him. Of them."Yoongi, baby." He spoke, hushed and the man in question squirmed in his lap, rubbing his crotch against his thigh. "Baby, what do you want?" "Anything. Just- I just need you.""Ride my thigh, then."Yoongi whimpered at Hoseok's words, screwing his eyes shut. A loud moan escaped his lips as Hoseok slightly jerked his leg up. "Come on now, you started this. I won't lead further." Hoseok pressed harder on Yoongi's hips, urging him to move.Yoongi shuffled. "Can I suck you off first?"Hoseok groaned at his request, shaking his head vehemently. "Yes, baby. God, a hundred times yes."Yoongi giggled at his lover, watching him blown out and breathing heavily. "Well, if you say so."He climbed off his lap and went down on his knees. His fingers unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his jeans, pulled down his zipper and his jeans, letting them pool at his feet. He groped his bulge, pressing his palm down from over his underwear. "Fuck, Hoseokie. You don't know how many nights I've stayed up imagining to touch you like this again." Yoongi said, pulling out his cock from his underwear. "I've had too much practice and after this, you'll remember nothing but my name and how good I blow you."Hoseok wanted to ask how, if he had been with other people after they split up, how many people he slept with. Or if he had practised on the dildo he got himself on his birthday. Hoseok wanted to ask but just as he was about to open his mouth, Yoongi took his dick in his mouth and instead of questions only profanities came out. He gasped when Yoongi trailed his tongue along the underside of his dick, kissing down the path and slowly pumping his hand.He licked at his head again, lowering his mouth and sucking as much of Hoseok as he could. Hoseok tangled his hand in his hair, the other shoved in his mouth to muffle the noises as he pushed Yoongi's head further down his dick. Yoongi made a slow choking sound but recovered when Hoseok loosened his grip on his hair. Yoongi sucked with practiced ease, like he was a professional and God, Hoseok could only wonder how he'd gotten ten times better since the last time. He was making the most obscene sounds, sucking and sucking. The part where he couldn't reach was covered by his hand as he simultaneously pumped. "Baby, babe, I'm gon- I can't hold longer," Hoseok let out a scream when Yoongi increased his pace and started bobbing his head faster. He licked the slit one more time before Hoseok was coming down his throat in short spurts. Hoseok tried pushing at Yoongi's shoulder so he'd let go and not have to swallow his cum but Yoongi was detrimented. He made a sound of disagreement around his dick, the vibration making Hoseok curse for the twentieth time as Yoongi swallowed however much Hoseokie had to offer. He slipped off with a loud pop and licked his lips. He batted his eyes at Hoseok who was spent on the couch."God damn, Min Yoongi." He cursed, pulling Yoongi to him by his shoulders and smashing his lips hard against his. He could taste himself on Yoongi's lips and it was filthy how Hoseok licked at the excess from the corner of his lips and from inside his mouth. He let himself taste inside Yoongi's mouth and bathe in the feeling of his tongue against his. "Hoseokie, listen," Yoongi said between kisses. "Hoseokie."Hoseok hummed from where he was kissing him at the neck, biting and giving kitten licks at his skin. "Yes, hyung?""Can I still ride your thigh?"Hoseok groaned loudly, hugging Yoongi tighter and pulling him closer than he already was. He lifted him up higher and stood up with him, Yoongi's legs wrapped around his waist. "Yes, yes you can." He said as he walked them to his, their bedroom.
11073201
Love you but Im not in
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Regina Diaz, Yolanda Kipling", "Fandom": "The Get Down (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Vlindervin", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-02T00:00:00", "words": "2,864", "Additional Tags": "mentions of mylene, Fluff, Coming Out, First Kiss, Mentions of Regina's das and his addiction, very briefly talked about because that's not the point of this fic", "Relationship": "Regina Diaz/Yolanda Kipling", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
When Regina thinks of her childhood, the same memories always drift to the surface of her mind. When she closes her eyes she sees her dad coming home looking half-dead, ragged, smelling of smoke and misery. She sees the way her mother always tried to take care of him and Regina at the same time, how she tried to protect Regina from the horrors she had to witness and how she never truly succeeded. When the horrors live in the same house, there’s no way to hide.There are a lot of bad memories she’d rather not dwell on. She tells herself there’s no use focusing on the bad when she’s trying to go through life and make the best of it.There are good memories to think of instead.She remembers her mother’s bright smile when Regina said something stupid, like little kids do. She even faintly remembers the way her dad was before; she’s pretty sure he liked music and telling stories, but the memories are blurry and unclear, overshadowed by the dark.What she remembers best, though, from the good, is the time she spent with Mylene and Yolanda. Spending her days at the Kipling’s, so much that she felt more at home there then she did in her real home. She felt a little guilty about that, but not enough to stop doing it.Most of all she remembers Yolanda and how her eyes always sparkled sweetly.Since the beginning of their friendship, Regina’s known that her relationship with Yolanda is just that little different than it is to Mylene. She loves the two of them and loves spending time with both of them, but whenever she looks at Yolanda she’s always gotten this sense of peace and beauty. She doesn’t know how to explain it, but when Yolanda smiles or laughs at something Regina says, her heart swells and all she wants to do is reach out and –It’s nothing, she figures. Just something that comes with the knowledge that she’s her friend and how grateful she is for that. If she doesn’t feel that strongly when Mylene looks happy, then that probably has to do with the fact that they don’t spend as much time together or that their bond is not as strong. It’s not something she thinks of too much. It’s the way it is and she won’t try to change that.So they go on with their lives. They go to Les Inferno and if the mixture of the bright lights and Yolanda’s make-up bring out her eyes a certain way that knocks all the air out of Regina’s lungs, then that probably has to do with the intoxicating atmosphere and air in the club.Mylene finds a producer, he lets her down, the girls find out some things about Regina’s home life she never said out loud. Mylene, stop acting like you’re gonna save me And she means it. Mylene may have a dream, to get out of the Bronx and build herself a better life, but Regina doesn’t have a dream like that. And Mylene can’t do anything about that. It is what it is. And that’s that.(Later that night, when she’s lying in bed, she thinks of the sparkle in Yolanda’s eyes whenever she finds something funny and she lets herself think that if there’s one thing in this life that has the power to save her, it would be that sparkle. She doesn’t try to understand what that means.)Mylene gets her song and suddenly it’s not just Mylene with her dreams and Regina and Yolanda. It’s Mylene and the Soul Madonnas.Regina and Yolanda are one, they’re the soul Madonnas. They belong together and the feeling of being one with Yolanda is overwhelming. Their voices melt together and create one wonderful string of sounds, making Regina’s heart beat to the rhythm of Yolanda’s high notes and her hand moving to the beat.It’s one day, however, when she realizes friendship might not be what she feels and it’s a little scary. Because she knows it should be wrong, but at the same time she remembers all the really wrong things she’s done and deep down she knows this doesn’t compare at all. This feels more right than anything she’s ever felt and anyway, it’s not because other people think it’s wrong, that she should agree or listen to them.It’s Yolanda herself who makes her realize that, no surprise there.The moon casts a light over the bed where Yolanda’s lying and the glow turns her into something ethereal. Regina would compare her to a goddess if she didn’t realize she’s the realest thing in her life right now. Between Set me Free being such a success and the girls living the dream, Yolanda is still the same and a constant in Regina’s life. It’s comforting.Regina is lying on a mattress, next to the bed. A place she’s been occupying since forever, it seems. Sometimes she wishes she could crawl up the bed and nestle her head in the crook of Yolanda’s arms like she did when they were younger and small enough to fit in the bed.From where she’s placed, Yolanda’s face, turned to the other side, is visible. She’s looking out the window, obviously thinking of something. Regina wants to ask her what, but she doesn’t want to disturb the serenity of the moment. She’s content looking at Yolanda like this for now.Lately, it seems all Regina does is want things. And yet she never goes out and make those things happen. She wants and wants and wants, but every time she stops herself from acting on it without even knowing why. Her instinct does weird things at times.Then Yolanda turns her head and the silver light turns her eyes into gold and, once again, Regina is filled with that same sense of beauty. Like she just knows, nothing will ever be as pretty as the sight of her best friend. It’s confusing and a little scary, but mostly it’s certainty.‘Gina?’, Yolanda says then and her voice is so small and devoid of the confidence it usually holds, Regina would do anything to make the usual joy in her voice reappear.‘Yeah’, she answers, because this is important, she knows and trying to lighten the mood isn’t the way to go right now. Listening is. Yolanda excels at that, while Regina is stronger when it comes to making someone’s worries disappear, but clearly it’s the time to take over Yolanda’s role when there’s no Yolanda to listen to Yolanda.‘I think – ’, she bites her lip, before continuing, looking away again as if emerged back in thought, ‘ I think I like girls.’Regina’s heart flutters in her chest.‘I think I like girls the way I should feel about boys. Like Mylene feels about Zeke, you know, like you feel about boys. Except I don’t, I think I feel that about girls?’Her voice is so scared, like she’s afraid Regina’s going to tell her she’s bad, like Yolanda could ever be anything but an angel. She’s still worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and her eyes facing the wall in front of her seem to have a wet sheen on them, but Regina can’t be totally sure. It doesn’t matter, though. The shiver in her voice is enough to tell her how much Yolanda is feeling.‘Is that – Is that wrong? Do you mind?’And it breaks Regina’s heart, because of course she doesn’t. Of course not. How could she ever think that? Yolanda’s always been there for her, ready to share her home and family, sharing her time with Regina. She’s the one who pulled her back into the light, reminded her how beautiful the world is whenever she forgot sometimes. And all that by smiling. By throwing her head back and laughing like she wants the sound to reach the sky, pushing the melody back into heaven where it came from in the first place.‘Nah, of course not’, Regina sits up on the mattress, extends her hand and interlaces their fingers. She squeezes. ‘I don’t care. You’re still my girl. For life, remember?’And when Yolanda gives her a smile so radiant it would be blinding to the untrained eye, holding her hand isn’t enough anymore. She climbs up the bed and with a little bit of shoving and giggling and moving, she manages to make herself a place on the bed. They fit almost as well as they used to do.‘Thanks’, Yolanda whispers.‘Don’t thank me’, Regina answers.And with the relieved breaths of Yolanda falling asleep next to her, something settles inside Regina. Something she didn’t dare to acknowledge before, but now that Yolanda has, she thinks maybe she can too. It’s not exactly the same thing, because there are boys and she still feels the same things for them. But now she’s pretty sure she feels those things for girls too. One in particular.People always assume Regina is brave and reckless, because she makes herself out to be like that. She has a shorter temper than the other girls and isn’t afraid to voice her opinion. But people are wrong, because right now, Yolanda is braver and stronger than she’s ever been or ever will be.She looks down at her best friend and her lashes are fanned out on her cheek, casting long shadows on the silver glow from the moon and she thinks she’d really like to kiss her. She finally lets herself realize she’d really like to kiss her and hold her close and play with her hair. But she doesn’t. She’s asleep. And anyway, just because Yolanda likes girls, doesn’t automatically mean she likes Regina. For all she knows, Yolanda still just sees her as her best friend.She trusted Regina enough to tell her this, though, and for now that’s enough. It’s more than enough.*One evening, they’re getting ready to go out, the record player in the corner of Yolanda’s room playing a familiar song and Regina can’t help but sway her hips in time with the brush of color she’s applying on Yolanda’s eyelids. Ever since she realized how she feels about her, being this close is both a blessing and curse.On one hand, she’s able to smell Yolanda’s sweet, flowery scent. She’s able to admire her features up close, she can touch her face while doing her make-up and the proximity makes her heart flutter like a little bird, ready to leave the nest and take a look at the world in a broader way.On the other hand, all those things also mean she has to resist the urge to grab her neck and press her lips to Yolanda’s and find out if her lips feel as silky soft as they look. It’s difficult and she’s not sure if she prefers not being this close to Yolanda ever again as to not feel the undeniable urge or if that torture is worth the images she conjures later at night, when she’s alone and frankly feeling a little guilty but not caring enough to stop it.‘Done’, she says and Yolanda’s eyelashes flutter prettily when she opens her eyes.Definitely the last option. Being able to admire her unreacheable beauty is definitely worth the torture. Earlier, when Yolanda was doing Regina’s hair, Regina nearly caught fire. How she never noticed how good Yolanda’s fingers in her hair feel before today, is a mystery. No, that’s not right. She did notice how nice it felt, she just failed to understand why.Yolanda takes a moment to admire her makeup in the mirror with a little smile on her face that seems to be permanently drawn there. She catches Regina’s eye in the reflection and smiles a full smile, big, radiant and again Regina is reminded of an angel in its full glory, rising above everyone else and illuminating this otherwise drab world.She gets up from the chair and takes in Regina’s outfit and the way her eyes go up and down her body make something inside Regina burn, ready to escape and take them all with it.‘We ready to go?’, Regina asks.‘I am. And you -- ’, once more she takes in Regina. At this point, she thinks Yolanda is doing it on purpose. ‘I did your hair, so it’s perfect obviously’, she lets out a little laugh. ‘Your makeup looks amazing. Your outfit is on fleek. You look fabulous, girl.’‘Don’t I always? And so do you’, Regina takes Yolanda’s hand and twirls her around. ‘You should wear this dress more often.’A new song starts playing and after exclaiming that she loves this song, Yolanda starts bobbing her head and swaying her hips to the music, one arm in the air and dragging Regina with her.Regina crouches her knees, comes back up and laughs along with Yolanda, for no other reason than the fact that they’re here and they’re friends and they’re having fun, dancing carefree.Then, a wave of confidence hits her, the likes of which found her on the laps of men in clubs and in Little Wolf’s bed and almost everywhere in life really. She’s missed that wave, crashing and strong, dangerous and destroying good things sometimes, when the weather isn’t ideal, but safely bringing her to the shore, most of the time, and turning into something pleasant that leaves pretty shells in its wake.It’s been hiding for a while now, around Yolanda. Scared of rejection, something she never feared before. She knows she has the looks to attract men all around her whenever she wants, is well aware of the eyes on her everytime she walks past a group of boys. And even is she didn’t know, rejection coming from strangers wouldn’t faze her.But with Yolanda, it’s different, she knows Regina. It’s not just her looks that matter, it’s her, entirely. She’s not so confident Yolanda would accept her. And rejection coming from Yolanda would hurt her, so so much, she realizes. It wouldn’t only be extremely disappointing, she’d probably lose the friendship too and she doesn’t want that.That’s why she’s been scared. But right now, there’s something in the air, maybe it’s the song that talks about taking what you want and making the most out of life, maybe it’s Yolanda’s smile directed at her and her eyes never leaving hers. Maybe Regina’s just tired of pretending and acting like someone she’s not, of hiding what she’s feeling. It’s getting heavy to carry around, her shoulders are tired of the weight and her lips are exhausted by the effort it takes to stay shut.So.When Yolanda comes closer to lay her hand on Regina’s hip, ready to dance together like they’ve always done, it feels like an invitation, a chance. Regina pulls her closer, too and clearly Yolanda isn’t bothered by this, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.Regina takes a deep breath and tries to catch Yolanda’s eyes. When the soft brown lock with hers, she blinks, swallows and kisses her. Lightly presses her lips to Yolanda’s, as soft as a whisper, the bat of an eyelash, a tear sliding down a cheek.She retracts her head, but doesn’t manage to go far, because then she’s being pulled in again, with a hand on her neck and the press of Yolanda’s lips, harder this time. When her lips part and their mouths slide against each other, sweet as biting in the fresh flesh of a strawberry in summer, an explosion of light manifest behind her eyelids, sparks dancing. It’s… overwhelming.Never has any touch elicited this reaction from her, her body warm all over, but still she shivers when Yolanda puts her fingers in her hair and goes through it. She wants to keep doing this forever and ever, only stopping to take a breath maybe. Sometimes.When they finally do pull back for air, a grin is lit on both their faces, a light in Yolanda’s eyes that seems to burn, always, comforting and warm like a candle.‘I’ve been wanting to do that forever,’ Regina admits, then, her voice stronger than she feels inside. She’s a little breathless, but apart from that her voice doesn’t show any signs of emotion except for wonder. inside, though, she’s falling to her knees, not being able to hold her own weight, she’s taking Yolanda with her and kissing her again and again. She’s hyperventilating inside, but outside she doesn’t allow herself that kind of emotion.‘I’ve been waiting forever,’ Yolanda replies, making Regina’s heart stutter.‘In other words, we could’ve been doing this since forever?’ It’s so stupid, so stupid, so much time lost.Yolanda doesn’t reply, simply kisses her again, placing her lips where they belong and seem to fit perfectly. It’s not as sweet as it was before, hungrier, her hands pulling at Regina’s hair a little. Regina lets out a little sound at that, surprised, and, without breaking the kiss, pulls her on the bed with her. Into a dream she’s been drawing forever and finally gets to live.
11097480
RHPS Eloise Crossover
{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": null, "Characters": "Original Characters, Nanny (Eloise Series), Eloise (Eloise Series), Brad Majors, Janet Weiss, Rocky (RHPS), Columbia (RHPS), Frank N. Furter, Riff Raff, Magenta (RHPS), Eddie (RHPS), Everett Scott", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by PerkyGoth14", "chapters": "6/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-05T00:00:00", "words": "15,094", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Eloise - Kay Thompson (ill. Hilary Knight), Rocky Horror Picture Show", "Archive Warnings": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply", "Categories": "F/F, F/M, Multi", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
It was another plain, but nice day in New York, Nanny was looking after Eloise and Giselle, but had been sent a letter. After reading it she sat down, her hand on her heart in surprise but a big smile on her face. She had just received some unexpected, but delightful news AND it included the girls in it too. "Oh, my, my, my..." she smiled happily.Giselle and Eloise sat together, having a tea party with Weenie and Skipperdee with them, the dog in his own chair while the turtle was on the table and was eating the raisins given to him."What is it, Nanny?" Giselle looked to the older woman."I've just had some wonderful news... My niece and nephew have just sent me a letter, they want us to come over and visit them, and to join them at the wedding of my nephew Brad's best friend... And they said you two can also come along." Nanny smiled to them, happily. She hadn't seen them and her sister for years."A wedding, really?" Eloise beamed in excitement."Oh, that sounds so lovely!" Giselle agreed with her younger sister. "When is it?""It's in a few days, so we'll have to contact your mother, and get packed up to go, go, go." Nanny said, of course they would lock up here so it would stay safe until they got back, and they needed to ask the girls' mother for permission to take them along."Nanny, you know I'm always packed for anything and everything." Eloise smiled."Oi... Packing..." Giselle sighed before giggling as she was used to packing up and going since she used to go to boarding school in London before moving into New York to be with her sister more since their mother was already always in Paris.Nanny chuckled at the girls. "Just make sure you're both ready." she told them and then went to call the girls' mother to request permission to take them to Denton to visit her niece and nephew.Eloise and Giselle went to pack up together."Maybe you should bring one doll." Giselle suggested since this wasn't going to be like a longer trip like to Hollywood, Paris, or Moscow."Hmm..." Eloise pondered between Saylor and Sabine as she loved them both so much.Nanny spoke to the girls' mother and was happy when the woman agreed, and then went to tell the girls. "Your mother said yes, yes, yes." she smiled to them."Mother knows best." Giselle agreed as she gave in and helped Eloise pack both of her favorite dolls.Eloise soon took the phone next to tell everyone that she was going away with Nanny and Giselle. Nanny was packing up the things she needed, smiling happily, excited to meet her family again. Giselle was looking for a decent dress to wear for the occasion and she took out her heart-shaped earrings and put in white pearl ones to fit with the wedding theme. Eloise picked out her baby pink dress with white dress shoes and light pink tights that matched her new bow that Christian Dior himself made just for her as Eloise's mother asked him to. Soon enough, they were ready to go and called someone up to help take them out of New York for a short visit.Soon, they arrived at Denton and then after resting a day, it was the day of the wedding. Danielle, Nanny's niece, was standing with her aunt and the two girls as some pictures of the happy couple and their family were taken. Nanny looked rather nice and elegant in a light lavender dress, her hair covered by her protective hat. Eloise was so excited to be apart of this.Giselle smiled politely and tried to settle down her little sister. After all, she was only six. Brad smiled to Danielle as this was a happy day for his old friend Ralph who was now the husband of the bride who was an old friend of the girl he was crazy about, Janet's."Remember, Brad, just tell her how you feel and you'll do fine." Danielle smiled to her brother, straightening his jacket. She didn't want Nanny to hear this as she wanted to surprise the woman.Nanny was keeping a close watch on the girls."I hope she says yes." Brad smiled back as he had something hidden away for right now.The photographer got all the close family together and snapped a picture of everyone. Eloise couldn't help but laugh along with some of the others as this was the happiest day for most, but no one of course was happier than Ralph and Betty. Janet was standing with the group in the picture as she was a bridesmaid."She will." Danielle nodded then looked at the group who's picture was being taken.Nanny was smiling and dabbed her eyes, always one to cry at weddings too. Betty soon collected her bouquet and told the bridesmaids that it was time for her to toss her bouquet, she then turned around and threw it behind her for one of the lucky women to catch it."I absolutely love weddings," Eloise smiled up to Giselle and Nanny. "Giselle, when are you getting married?""Not for a while, Ellie." Giselle giggled.Suddenly, Janet's voice could be heard above all the others. "I got it! I got it!" she exclaimed and laughed.Danielle smirked at Brad as did Ralph. "Looks like it's your turn next, brother." she smiled to Brad."Who knows?" Brad smiled back shyly as he thought about popping the question to Janet as that seemed to be his sign.Betty smiled fondly to Janet as she had 'won' the flowers and soon went to the car with Ralph for their honeymoon. Ralph gave Brad a supportive slap on the back and then went and drove off with his wife. The farmer guy looked blankly ahead. Eloise seemed to stare at the farmer couple in front of the church while the pastor went inside. The farmer woman glanced back at Eloise before staring blankly.Everyone cheered for Ralph and Betty as the car drove off and Brad went to join Janet's side while waving to the happy couple. Janet smiled at Brad and held the bouquet close. Brad smiled back down to Janet as he felt empowered in his heart as he complimented her as she caught the bride's bouquet."Eloise it's rude, rude, rude to stare." Nanny told the girl quietly.Danielle smirked to Eloise. "Don't the two remind you of the old farmer picture?" she whispered conspiringly."Yes, I saw it at a museum with my mean and boring tutor, Philip," Eloise replied before holding out her hand. "Hi, I'm Eloise, I'm six!""Hello, Eloise; my name is Danielle, and I am best not to say my age." Danielle giggled and shook the girls' hand. She kept on glancing to the farmer woman, as there was something interesting about her."That's what Nanny says too." Eloise replied.Giselle smiled as she decided to also meet Danielle.Danielle smiled and then noticed Giselle. "Hello there, my name is Danielle." she greeted her, holding out her spare hand."Giselle." Giselle shook Danielle's hand back before chuckling as their names had rhymed in the end.Eloise smiled and then looked as Brad walked with Janet through the cemetery before cupping her mouth at what he said next while telling Janet that he loved her.Danielle smiled as she noticed Janet had agreed, and then looked at Nanny. "Hello, Aunty." she smiled to the woman."Hello, dear." Nanny smiled, hugging her. She may have been a little old-fashioned, but had accepted her niece's preference of partner with great tolerance.Brad gave a sweet kiss to Janet as she had accepted his proposal. Giselle smiled as she looked so happy for Brad and Janet."Aunty?" Eloise repeated curiously."Yes, remember Brad and Danielle are my nephew and niece." Nanny reminded Eloise gently.Danielle giggled a little to that."Oh..." Eloise replied as she then remembered, she must've been so excited about actually being invited to a wedding that she didn't think about that.Giselle gently tugged on her gloves as she came back over to Danielle and Nanny. Danielle chuckled and patted the girl's hair softly. Nanny shook her head, but was smiling fondly.Brad soon came over to Nanny and gave her a nice hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you could make it here with us."Eloise smiled politely up to Brad as he seemed to be glowing.Nanny hugged Brad back and smiled, softly. "Oh, you should've both found me sooner," she told the man. "Where are Farley and Steve?" she then wondered.Danielle pulled Janet into a hug, knowing the woman would soon be her sister-in-law. Janet showed her the ring and then hugged her back, laughing happily."Steve's back home," Brad replied to his aunt. "Uh... Who's Farley?" he then asked as though he had never heard of that name before.Nanny frowned slightly at that, but realized the trauma could've made Brad forget. "Oh, it doesn't matter, dear." she said softly to Brad."I'm really glad to see you though, Aunty." Brad replied to the older woman.Nanny smiled softly.Giselle smiled at the ring while Eloise smiled politely as she stood on her tiptoes.Janet found the kids adorable and happily showed them the ring too, as they seemed to want to see it. "Isn't it beautiful?" she sighed happily.Danielle chuckled quietly."Ooh~" Giselle beamed at the sight of the ring."It's très élégant." Eloise added."We're going to tell our best friend and science teacher about the engagement, would you all like to come along?" Janet wondered."I, of course, am automatically coming along." Danielle smiled."Oh, Nanny, could we celebrate with them?" Eloise beamed to her caretaker. "Could we, please? I'll behave! I promise, promise, promise!"Giselle giggled to her little sister's excitement.Nanny looked at Eloise and then to Brad. "It's up to you, dear." she told him.Danielle batted her eyelashes playfully at their brother. "Oh, please let them come along~" she said with the puppy dog eyes too."Well... All right," Brad gave in before bending down to Eloise's height. "As long as you behave.""I will, Brad, I promise." Eloise replied, she was so used to calling hotel staff by their first names that she thought it would be okay anywhere else."Ooh, Eloise, you shouldn't call a grown-up by their first name unless they say it's okay." Giselle warned her precocious little sister.Nanny nodded, "I get to because I'm older than him and his aunty." she told the youngest girl."Well, she may call me Janet." Janet smiled, not even able to be angry at the fact she called an adult by a first name without permission."And please call me Danni." Danielle agreed."Oops, sorry..." Eloise smiled sheepishly."That's okay, sweetheart." Brad smiled back in comfort, almost like a father figure to the city child."Just don't call us 'Gissy and Ellie', that's our sister thing." Giselle giggled.Nanny had to smile fondly though. Janet looked lovingly at Brad. One day, he would make an excellent father. Danielle nodded seriously, taking the girls seriously. She smiled at them though."We're staying a hotel," Giselle said. "How about we go back, change our clothes, and meet back so we can meet this old friend/teacher of yours?" she then suggested maturely.Janet nodded. "That sounds like a good idea, we should all go and change into some more normal clothes." she smiled.Danielle nodded, agreeing with Janet and Giselle."Yes, I'd 'rawther' wear my jumper." Eloise agreed."Meet back here in about half an hour then?" Brad suggested.Nanny nodded. "Come on, girls." she smiled to her charges.Janet went off with Danielle as the girl had stayed over at her house as even though they were siblings it was considered wrong for two unmarried people, a man and a woman, to live together. Giselle and Eloise waved as they went to get back to their temporary hotel to get dressed out of their Sunday best for the wedding and into their more comfortable and preferred clothes. Brad dropped Janet and Danielle off before he would go to where he was with his and Danielle's younger brother Steve. Nanny soon was into her own, more comfortable dress.Janet dressed into her second best pink dress and white cardigan. Danielle dressed up slightly opposite, still conservative but her underclothes were a bit more mature, though her dress was a pale green instead of a girly pink, or powder blue. Giselle was in the bathroom as she changed into her best clothes next to her boarding school uniform and straightened out her hair before placing on the headband over her bouncy golden locks before clicking on her heart-shaped earrings.Brad wore a dark blue sweater with graying khaki pants with brown shoes and wore his old jacket from high school. Janet then went to wait for Brad to pick her and Danielle up again. Danielle slipped on her shoes and fetched her favorite coat that had a hood on it in case it rained. Brad drove off to pick up the girls so they could visit Dr. Scott. Danielle let Janet in first and then followed in behind her. Giselle and Eloise could sit in the back with them, but Nanny would be able to sit in the front. Janet smiled at Brad softly."Lampshades make very good hats." Eloise smiled as she put on the lampshade from the lamp while standing on the couch as she looked out the window, waiting for Brad's car.Giselle giggled in amusement of her little sister as she straightened out her neck tie.Nanny took the lampshade and put it back on the lamp. "Not this time, Eloise, we'll get one for your own later though." she told the girl with a soft smile."Hmm..." Eloise pouted only slightly.Brad soon stopped the car and honked the horn."They're here, Nanny." Giselle said as she looked out from the window.Nanny ushered the girls out and helped them into the car. She then climbed into the front seat.Danielle undid her seat-belt, pulled Eloise onto her lap and then redid the seat-belt. "There, I'm the strongest out of us four girls in the back." she said softly, but with a smile."No one likes a show-off~" Giselle teased Danielle.Brad chuckled as he got ready once they came into the car as thunder quietly rumbled in the background."Oh, thank you, Danni." Eloise smiled back to Danielle.Danielle smiled at Eloise and then playfully stuck her tongue out at Giselle, only playing, and made sure Eloise wouldn't end up at risk of flying through the windshield if they crashed. "You are very welcome, Eloise." she smiled.Giselle giggled innocently as she stared out the window. Eloise smiled back to Danielle and looked all around as Brad drove them off as it was getting dark quickly and looked like a storm coming. Danielle held Eloise close for comfort as it started to storm. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Danielle held Eloise close for comfort as it started to storm. Nanny put on the radio and turned it onto a Nixon channel. Janet started to eat some chocolate, offering some to the three others in the back with her. Brad declined to the chocolate with an apologetic smile. Motorcyclists here and there passed by the car. Eloise thanked Janet very much as she accepted some chocolate while Giselle helped herself to some as well."That's the third motorcyclist that's passed us so far." Janet told Brad.Nanny was currently snoozing as car rides often made her tired. Danielle also politely declined the chocolate, but smiled thankfully."They sure take life into their own hands with the weather..." Giselle added as she looked interested in riding a motorcycle."Yes, life's pretty cheap to that type." Brad replied before he stopped and frowned as he seemed to drive them into a dead-end.Eloise looked a little bored as she stared out the window to only see raindrops and being bored was not allowed. Danielle had an idea and then pulled out a Cat's Cradle string and started to teach Eloise how to do it. Janet nibbled on the rest of her chocolate bar then. Eloise then smiled as she joined in with Danielle since Giselle was more or less drifting off after Nanny."Must've taken a wrong turn at that fork in the road a few miles back." Brad frowned as he started to back up the car.Janet sighed softly as she noticed they came up to a Dead End. Danielle smiled, and showed the youngest girl how to play Cat's Cradle. Eloise smiled until there was a bang which made her gasp as Brad backed up and bit his lip as he seemed to pop one of the tires.Nanny jolted awake. "I'm awake!" she said loudly in shock.Danielle gasped and then held Eloise closer, in a way that would protect the girl."What was that bang?!" Janet exclaimed.Eloise quietly whimpered, she was a little girl after all and the noise had scared her.Danielle held the girl close and stroked her hair. "It's okay, Baby Doll." she soothed the girl softly."We must have a blow-out," Brad frowned before slamming the steering wheel. "Dammit! I knew I should've gotten that spare tire fixed... You girls stay in here and keep warm and I'll go look for help." "But where?" Giselle looked around.Nanny had her hand to her heart to calm the beating it was doing. Janet looked unsure, but ready to follow Brad."Didn't we pass a castle a few miles back?" Brad stopped to think. "Surely they have a telephone we can use.""A castle?" Eloise piped up as she latched onto Danielle."I'm coming with you." Janet announced, grabbing a newspaper."Yes, yes, yes, I think we all should." Nanny said then. She pulled out her umbrella she always carried around in case of rain.Danielle unzipped her coat wrapped it around Eloise too and zipped it up so they both would be warm and dry, and then got out of the car, carrying the girl. Eloise didn't mind Danielle carrying her as she felt a little scared and bothered by the storm. Brad soon gave in and walked with them as they came up to a gate which was marked 'ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!!'.Giselle gave a curious look, but walked with them to go over what looked like a castle out of a horror movie. "Boss place." she commented about the castle.Danielle planned on relieving the castle of the sign when they would return to the car. She held Eloise closely and safely. There was only room for Nanny and Giselle under the umbrella and they still got a little wet. Janet was using a newspaper to protect herself. Brad huddled close with Janet as they made their way and saw a light over at the Frankenstein place."Hey, there's a light," Giselle pointed out. "Maybe they're home!"Janet sung about the light. Brad joined in with Janet. Danielle was actually entranced by the light, it making her feel so light and as if the rain no longer bothered her. Nanny looked glad to see a light, her feet now aching from the walking. Giselle smiled as they walked closer toward the castle to find the help they had come looking for. Eloise looked a little calmer once she saw the light as well.Soon, they arrived on the porch and the girls huddled together, shivering. Nanny took down the umbrella now they were under shelter. Brad dried off his glasses and rang the doorbell once they came up to the front door."Don't be scared, Ellie." Giselle comforted her little sister.Eloise looked way up at the castle. It was 'rawther' large.Danielle smiled to Giselle and wrapped her arm around her too. "It'll be a-okay." she smiled to the two girls.Nanny gave a gasp of shock as did Janet when the door was open."Hello." A man with platinum blonde hair stated as he opened the door to see who it was. He was secretly surprised that the whole group was there, including the children.Eloise buried her face into Giselle's shirt."Hi, my name's Brad Majors!" Brad held out his hand, expecting it to be shook. "This is my fiancee, Janet Weiss, my sister, Danielle, and these girls, Eloise and Giselle, and this is my Aunt--""You're all wet." the man mentioned.Danielle let Eloise go to her sister so she would be less scared."Yes... It's raining." Janet said softly."Call me Nanny, everyone does." Nanny told Riff Raff."I'm six." Eloise muffled.Giselle looked around as a bolt of lightning illuminated the strange man's face which seemed to make her nervous."Oh..." the man drawled then looked worried of them bolting. "I think you all better... Come inside." he told them."Oh... You're too kind." Janet gave a trying to be polite smile.Nanny smiled, glad they would have the chance to get inside and she could rest her feet a moment.Danielle entered with no qualms. "Thank you," she smiled and then noticed a maid working on the banister and felt her heart flutter. "Hello." she smiled to her, a little shy suddenly.Giselle looked surprised as she hadn't noticed the maid. Brad shook his jacket a little as they came inside.The man glanced down at her but then led the way, after shutting and locking the door. "You've all arrived on a rather special night... The Master is having one of his Affairs." he stated.Janet looked a bit scared of the decor.Eloise looked all around as she scratched the back of her head slightly. "This looks like the Oak Room a little." she then said even though it was the only place in the Plaza she was never allowed to go to."It does a little." Nanny agreed with Eloise.Danielle looked quite enamored with the maid."Oh, lucky him." Giselle commented."You're lucky," The maid spoke up in a thick accent before smirking to Danielle as she slid down the banister and tossed her feather duster to the blonde man. "He's lucky, I'm lucky, VE'RE ALL LUCKY!!!"A clock started to ring and the man started to sing a little. Janet clung to Brad. Nanny chuckled, but kept the girls close. Danielle shrugged off her coat, hung it on the banister and then offered her hand to the maid to help her down. Her cheeks tinged pink though. The frizzy-haired woman seemed to smirk at Danielle as she felt interested in her in the same way before winking her emerald eye.Brad felt very lost and confused along the way until they came into a ballroom to see other guests who were singing along to what they called The Time Warp. Giselle looked interested and soon rushed over to join in on the dance which made Eloise copy her as she broke out of Nanny's grasp. Danielle blushed but also went with them to join the dance. The man joined too, looking curiously at his sister, if she wanted too he would join her in playing a little with this human.Nanny looked surprised. "Girls, Girls, Girls!" she gasped, but not too loud to disturb the others.Janet looked wide-eyed and fainted a couple of times. Brad held Janet and tried to wake her up as he looked worried about her. Giselle took off her tie and tied it around her head like a headband and danced with Eloise as they joined in the Time Warp. The girl known as Magenta smirked toward Danielle's direction as they joined in on the fun. The man, Riff Raff, danced with them both.Danielle felt rather comfortable there, and even started to blush as Riff Raff joined her and Magenta too. A girl with short cherry red hair danced with the kids, more on their wavelength. Nanny looked shocked at the whole scene. Janet woke up a little.Brad found himself enjoying the song, though he couldn't join in as it looked too fast-paced for him. Janet slapped his arm too when he went to bob along to the song. Giselle looked to the girl with short hair as she sensed something somewhat familiar about her. Eloise smiled as she leaned on the jukebox as she looked up to the girl as well as she found her quite fun. The girl, who was called Columbia, danced with the girls and gave a playful wink to them both, though it was more kid friendly to Eloise. Danielle was lost to the music. Riff Raff smirked at this a little, it was quite amusing. Eloise giggled as she enjoyed this. Giselle smiled as this looked like a lot of fun and everyone soon backed up for Columbia to have a tap dance solo. Columbia tap danced until she fell. She frowned and blushed slightly but went and joined the room for the finale of the dance. Eloise came over to Columbia and held out her hand to help her back up to her feet. Giselle loved the tap dancing, even though it was short-lived. Columbia smiled at Eloise, gave her an almost sisterly kiss to the cheek and then dropped down when the song had finished with the others.Riff looked to Magenta, a questioning look in his eyes. 'Do you like the human girl dancing with us?' he seemed to ask.Danielle tried not to get in the way of them, though she was having fun and couldn't help, but feel drawn to the maid and the handyman.'Yes, very much, but of course, no vun could replace you.' Magenta replied with an innocent smirk.Riff nodded a little to that, that would be fine then. 'Just as no one could replace you.' he replied. He then pulled Danielle to dance between him and Magenta.Danielle couldn't help, but give a small giggle. Magenta smirked as she danced with Danielle and her brother/lover. Eloise soon fell down with the others and giggled as that was a lot of fun. Giselle sat down beside her little sister while looking around."Brad... Say something." Janet hissed, looking at the whole group who had danced who were now resting on the floor."Say!" Brad spoke up sheepishly. "Any of you know how the Madison?"The whole room looked and gazed to the humans still on the steps and then all stood back up. Brad and Janet seemed nervous, though Brad was more calm in comparison. Eloise looked up as an elevator seemed to be coming down with a cloaked figure with their back turned as they tapped their heels to the beat. Janet slightly pulled Brad backwards, then they stopped in front of the elevator and she turned to see who was in it. Her mouth dropped open in shock."I'm here, there's nothing to worry about." Brad smiled to Janet.The figure soon showed their face as Giselle helped Eloise up to her feet as she saw a pale white face with a bushel of curly black hair. They then began to sing which sounded masculine, though he looked very feminine. Eloise tilted her head curiously toward this person. Was this a man or a lady? Riff Raff kept Danielle between him and Magenta, just to keep the girl away from Frank, not trusting him not to try and take her away from him and his beloved sister.Columbia smiled happily. Janet fainted again. Nanny went to the two youngest and pulled them safely to the side."Nanny, is that a man or a lady?" Eloise asked.Giselle tapped her foot to the beat and her eyes widened as Frank came before everyone and threw down his cloak to reveal trans-gendered clothing such as lingerie and fishnet stockings."A man." Nanny whispered, keeping Eloise and Giselle close.Danielle looked surprised, but couldn't deny he looked attractive a bit. Columbia joined beside him, looking adoringly at Frank."Then why is he dressed like that?" Eloise asked.Frank smiled back to Columbia before he collapsed onto his throne and crossed his legs. Brad exchange strange glances with Janet during Frank's little venture and announcing himself as a sweet transvestite."Shh..." Nanny told Eloise.Columbia placed her hands adoringly on Frank's legs. Riff had to join beside Frank, to add to the 'picture'."But Nanny--" Eloise spoke up."Ellie, don't be rude." Giselle told her little sister.Magenta smirked as she took Danielle behind her with the throne. Danielle blushed, but played along. Janet couldn't help but glance at Brad wondering what his reaction would be to his sister joining in. Nanny raised an eyebrow at this. Brad looked a little concerned about Danielle being involved, but at least she wasn't being hurt. Eloise still had so many questions, but she did her best to be quiet.Frank smirked to everyone before inviting them up to the lab as he went up the elevator. Riff Raff tossed a stained rag over Janet's head and started to undress her. Janet slapped at his hands. "Brad! Brad, do something" she hissed to Brad. Columbia worked on Brad then to Giselle, only Eloise and Nanny were spared off this."Don't worry, Janet, we'll play along for now and pull our aces when the time is right." Brad told his fiancee.Eloise covered her eyes as she didn't wish to see anyone in their underwear."Hello!" Giselle's eyes widened."Sorry, sweetheart, but don't worry; you'll get a lab coat soon." Columbia whispered to Giselle to soothe the girl's nerves.Janet was wearing a bra and underskirt, as well as her underwear so luckily wasn't very exposed. Danielle blushed as she was undressed, but didn't cause any fuss. She was in something a bit more mature than Janet, but in the same colour, as it was common for untouched people to wear white. It was a bra and underwear plus a garter belt holding up white stockings. Giselle blushed as she folded her arms, wearing a frilly black bra and matching panties. Eloise covered her eyes as she didn't wish to look while she hid beside Nanny. Brad felt nervous about this and tried to get their stuff only for Magenta to shove them."Come along, the master doesn't like to be kept vaiting," Magenta told them. "SHIFT IT!"Janet covered herself as they walked into the lift.'Innocent to be wearing white... We'll soon change that.' Riff said mentally to Magenta about Danielle and poured a glass of champagne for Frank, taking a swig out of the bottle for himself. He then joined them in the lift and dropped the bottle.'Yes, he'll just use her like a toy, only lust for him and never love.' Magenta agreed.Danielle looked totally at ease other than her pink cheeks. Columbia told Nanny where to take Eloise, dropping them off on the floor where the bedrooms were. The youngest was too young to see this. Nanny thanked her and escorted Eloise to a room quickly. Frank smirked to Danielle, Janet, and Giselle, seeming more interested in them, though he seemed to be sexually active toward anyone with a pulse. Giselle chuckled sheepishly and nervously as she fiddled with her earring. Janet kept close to Brad. Danielle moved to slightly in front of Giselle, as she might not have been a child anymore she was still a little too young to be accosted. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Brad looked around nervously as the elevator took them up into the lab where Frank was waiting for them in a lab coat with gloves."Gissy..." Eloise pouted."I'll see you later soon," Giselle told her baby sister. "...I hope.""Of course you will." Columbia told Giselle."It'll be alright, Eloise." Nanny assured her.Riff stepped out and stood beside Frank, holding the glass of champagne. Danielle looked intrigued and gave a smile to the guests standing on the ramp. Eloise frowned as Nanny took her to a room.Frank took the glass and gave a long look toward the women who served him. "Magenta... Columbia... Go assist Riff Raff... I will entertain, um..." he then chuckled as he held out his hand to be shook."I'm Brad Majors, this is my fiancee, Janet Vice." Brad introduced.Giselle just hoped Nanny and Eloise would be fine on their own in this strange place. "Weiss." Janet hissed.Riff Raff went to where he needed to go.Columbia went too with Magenta."Danielle Majors." Danielle introduced herself and went to shake Frank's hand to be polite."Weiss." Brad corrected himself."And I'm Giselle." Giselle shook Frank's hand after Danielle.'"Enchanté." Frank smirked to the girls. Giselle blushed and shuffled her feet. Janet giggled and blushed. Riff Raff handed Frank some lab coats for the guests. Danielle giggled herself, but it wasn't as sickly as Janet's one."What charming underclothes you all have, but here, put these on..." Frank held out lab coats to his guests. "They'll make you feel less vulnerable... It's not often we receive visitors here, let alone, offer them hospitality.""My mother is always treated with the best hospitality." Giselle nodded."Hospitality?!" Brad repeated. "We only come to here to use your telephone, goddamn you, a reasonable request, which you've chosen to ignore!" Janet looked at Brad. "Oh, Brad, don't be ungrateful!" she gasped.Danielle helped Giselle into hers and then put her own one on but left it open."Ungrateful?!" Brad snatched his glasses off with a glare to Frank and Janet. "How forceful you are, Brad..." Frank smirked innocently. "Such a perfect specimen of manhood. So... Dominant. You must be awfully proud of him, Janet."Giselle wrapped herself in the coat as she felt so exposed to show her underpants, especially around her six-year-old sister. Janet giggled and smiled lovingly up at Brad."It's okay, sweetie." Danielle soothed Giselle. She looked at Frank curiously, and then glanced at Magenta and Riff Raff.Giselle blushed toward Danielle."Do you have any tattoos, Brad?" Frank asked."Certainly not!" Brad replied."Well... How 'bout you?~" Frank then coyly asked the girls.Janet giggled and waved her hand as if to try to get him to stop. Riff listened carefully for Danielle's answer.Danielle would've hidden her reply if she had been paying attention. "Yes." she admitted though.Frank smirked as he seemed like he wanted to see. Giselle looked curious about having a tattoo herself, but her boarding school wouldn't allow it as it would seem out of uniform and not lady-like. Janet looked shocked. Riff hid a smirk at that. Danielle then realized what she had said and blushed, glancing shyly at Brad hoping he wouldn't be too mad. Though she knew she wouldn't show it in public, though it wasn't anywhere rude."Maybe I could have a look later." Frank winked with a chuckle.Giselle cupped her mouth. Janet looked up at Brad too to see his reaction. Danielle blushed fiercely at that statement. Riff frowned internally at that the Danielle human was Magenta's and his. Magenta had a deep and dark glare which could give anyone who was unfortunate enough to be caught in it to freeze in fear. Frank chuckled innocently as he sipped his drink and offered some. Giselle shook her head, Nanny would probably throw a fit. Janet gulped slightly and then looked ahead again. Silent angry Brad wasn't the best. Danielle couldn't say no and took a nervous sip, making sure from the opposite side of the glass to him, she needed something to help ease her mind after admitting that.Riff glanced at his sister. 'We'll have to try and get her away from Frank.' he told her, after all he and Magenta deserved something untouched by Frank, though he smirked slightly as he saw Danielle take a sip, she wouldn't deny if they offered a drink of wine later then.After a little while, and with Danielle soothing Giselle, a tall, blonde, tanned man had been created and was singing out the Sword of Damocles being over his head. If anyone was excited about this, it was Frank, and he had named the man Rocky and chased him around the lab while the audience seemed entertained. Brad looked shocked and amazed that Frank had created life while he held Janet in comfort and protection."What is happening right now...?" Giselle couldn't believe what her life had become tonight.Janet looked intrigued a little, though made sure Brad didn't notice."Just don't think too hard over it, sweetheart, it'll be okay." Danielle soothed her softly. She put a gentle arm around the girl to soothe her.Frank kept chasing after Rocky while he seemed to run from him."This is a crazy night..." Giselle rubbed her temples. "I'm just glad you're here even though we just met."Rocky climbed into the tank he had come from again, trying to keep away from Frank. Danielle smiled softly and gave the girl a friendly kiss to the temple. Riff watched this and then sighed mentally as he would have to go up and praise Frank for the work HE had actually done."Well, really!" Frank scolded Rocky. "That's no way to behave on your first day out!"Magenta followed after Riff Raff and Columbia. Giselle smiled softly back to Danielle. Rocky looked upset about that and rested his chin on the handles to the ladders. Columbia leaned against the opposite side of the tank. Riff Raff stood beside his sister. Danielle smiled and then paid attention to the group at the tank."But... Since you're such an exceptional beauty, I'm prepared to forgive you." Frank soon smiled as Rocky's pouty face was rather adorable in his eyes.Giselle looked with Danielle as Brad held Janet.Rocky seemed excited."He's a credit to your, 'My'," Riff said, the 'My' in his head, "genius Master." he drawled.Danielle squeezed Giselle's shoulder softly."Yes." Frank agreed."A triumph of your vill!" Magenta added, though she didn't mean it."Yes!" Frank beamed.Giselle looked up curiously toward Danielle, she seemed younger than seventeen right now."He's okay." Columbia told them.Riff Raff almost looked offended at that though kept it calm. Danielle gave her a small soft smile to soothe her."Okay...?" Frank slowly turned to the short-haired girl before slamming the tank which made some flinch. "Okay?! I think we can do a little better than that..." he then took Rocky's hand and pulled him over toward his guests for their opinion. "Well, Brad and ladies, what do you think of him?""Uh..." Giselle chewed her lip nervously.Riff looked at them to hear what they would say."He's a marvel of genius." Danielle said, a sincere but slightly generic answer. She had noticed Riff's face and figured he had actually done most of the work."Well, I don't like men with too many muscles." Janet said, not really saying what she thought.Brad smiled down to Janet."I didn't make him... FOR YOU!" Frank glared at Janet before dragging Rocky off again. "He carries the Charles Atlas Seal of Approval!" Giselle felt even more nervous as she wrapped around the lab coat. Janet looked scared at Frank's shout, but smiled up at Brad.After a song about teaching Rocky how to be a man, a loud alarm sounded and a motorcyclist came out of the freezer."EDDIE~!" Columbia squealed excitedly.Danielle pulled Giselle safely aside, leaving her between herself and Brad and Janet. Giselle's eyes widened as she covered her mouth at the sight of Eddie. Brad wasn't sure what to make of Eddie, but he felt estranged. This night just kept getting stranger and stranger. At least Eloise and Nanny wouldn't be subjected to it. Columbia ran to the man excitedly. Danielle patted the girl's hand softly and then looked at the scene again. The one called Eddie smiled to Columbia and showed her a good time while entertaining the crowd.Frank looked angry that the spotlight had been stolen from him. Giselle huddled toward Danielle for comfort. Columbia smiled happily. Rocky actually started to dance to the tune a little. Danielle held Giselle comfortingly. Janet even found the beat a little catchy. Rocky started to rattled at the bars. Columbia made out with Eddie but looked worried as she was sat on Eddie's bike. Danielle had a sense that something bad would happen and held Giselle in a way where she couldn't see and covered the girl's ears so she wouldn't hear anything. Giselle looked horrified once she saw Frank bring out an axe while Eddie had the time of his life.Danielle moved Giselle so the girl's face was pressed into her shoulder, and made sure the girl's ears were covered in a way no sound would get through. Columbia started to scream. Janet looked terrified. Giselle looked rather sickly as she huddled against Danielle for protection and security. Frank soon chased Eddie into the freezer and began to chop at him, leaving behind a trail of blood in the ice. Magenta stood by the freezer as she knew Frank would have her do something to take care of the mess. Columbia continued to scream until Frank came back out. Danielle held Giselle gently and glared at Frank. She was disgusted by his easy destruction of human life. Riff came and stood beside his sister, though he did feel for the human girl that became Magenta's friend."One for the vaults..." Frank smirked innocently, he saw his gloves covered in the crimson liquid and soon held them out to Magenta.Magenta slunk off the gloves and rolled them up as they were smothered in Eddie's dying blood."I don't wanna know." Giselle moaned.Rocky rattled against the bars of the elevator. Columbia looked devastated and angry."Oh, baby!" Frank cried out and came toward Rocky before releasing him and folded his arms firmly at first. "Don't be upset... It was a mercy killing... He had a naive charm with no muscle."Rocky flexed in front of Frank, trying to be threatening. Frank gasped at that in delight as he soon glorified Rocky's features as Riff and Magenta removed his lab coat and Riff helped his sister. Giselle looked toward Columbia and looked painfully sorry for the girl."Sweetie, why don't you stick with her a little while?" Danielle suggested softly to Giselle. She was keeping strong for the younger girl, but felt weak and disgusted inside.Columbia was clenching her fists tightly. Janet clung to Brad."Will you be all right?" Giselle asked as she agreed to that."Yes." Danielle assured her softly.Columbia was very tense, so sad and angry at Frank too. Frank waltzed over toward Rocky as he was ready to have some fun with him.Giselle came toward Columbia. "Hey, there..." she smiled softly. "You look like you could really use a friend."Columbia looked at Giselle and then instantly clung to the girl, crying into her shoulder a moment.After another song, and Janet being embarrassing, they were all shown to separate rooms, though Columbia kept Giselle closer as she could really use a human friend who would be more sympathetic. Nanny was asleep in the room she was sharing with Eloise. Danielle had put on her soft green robe and then wandered about the hall aimlessly, trying to sort through the horrid thoughts she had from watching Eddie's murder. Giselle was surprised at that, but she gently patted Columbia on the back and offered the best tranquil advice she could give that she learned from her mother. Eloise soon woke up and her excitement and curiosity got the better of her, she then snuck one of her dolls in the bed and dashed out of her room as she decided to explore this place even though Nanny told her not to meddle. Columbia had shoved Brad and Janet into separate rooms and then took Giselle to her room so they could comfort each other. Danielle didn't seem to notice Eloise, as she was walking absentmindedly. Giselle sat next on Columbia's bed and glanced at the magazine collection. Magenta soon came right in front of Danielle with a smirk. Eloise 'skittered' down the hallways while exploring, this was much more different than the Plaza indeed, she didn't know where to start looking.Danielle accidentally bumped into her but gripped onto the woman so neither of them would fall. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she gasped with a deep blush."Oh, that's okay..." Magenta replied. "You didn't mean it~"Danielle nervously licked her dry lips to moisten them again. "Th-That's right." she agreed softly and went to take a step away, very aware of how close they currently were."You seem so alone... Let me accompany you..." Magenta flirted.Danielle blushed. "I-If you'd like..." she stuttered from slight nerves, but kind of hoping the woman did want to join her, though she didn't know if the woman would accept her due to her sexual preferences."Come vith me..." Magenta took Danielle's hand and took her along somewhere else.Riff Raff was watching Rocky and decided to chase the man away so he could have some time with Magenta and Danielle. Magenta led Danielle toward where Riff Raff was so they could have some fun all together.Columbia looked at Giselle. "Do you want your nails done?" she asked quietly."Sure, I'd love that." Giselle smiled.Eloise was looking for her big sister as she explored the corridors.Columbia heard the skipping and then curiously looked out. "What are you doing awake?" she wondered."I'm just looking." Eloise replied."Ellie... You're supposed to be in bed..." Giselle told her little sister and looked to Columbia. "I should've known this would happen."Eloise strode toward Columbia. "I'm Eloise, I'm six.""I'm Columbia... I guess you can come in." The red-haired girl told her, and let her into the room.Eloise smiled as she decided to join them. "Nanny's asleep.""Yes, like you should be..." Giselle sighed to her little sister's constant energy and curiousness. Columbia looked at the youngest girl a long moment and then had an idea. "How about some cocoa?" she suggested."Oh, with marshmallows, thank you very much." Eloise beamed.Giselle smiled to Eloise. Columbia nodded, and went to fetch them all some, needing the chocolate herself. She added a slight extra ingredient into Eloise's just to help the young girl sleep.Eloise smiled as she sat in between Columbia and Giselle, then looked up to her big sister. "Your face is red, it looks like Mr. Salamone when I ran down the hallway in my underpants."Giselle chuckled sheepishly."It's just the right temperature to drink." Columbia assured Eloise. She had put in a very child-friendly ingredient that would put the youngest girl to sleep so they could return her to her room, and then carry on with the nail painting.Eloise gently blew her cup and then sipped the cocoa. Columbia sipped her own, as hers and Giselle's were normal. She kept an eye on Eloise.Eloise soon took a break to yawn after she drank some of hers. "This cocoa is like... The one that Zhenk gave us in Moscow..." Giselle popped her lips as she loved how sweet the taste was.Columbia was ready to catch the girl and the cup when she would fall asleep."Moscow is Russian..." Eloise slowly said as she began to drift off as her eyes felt heavy. "Our grandmother had sent in a Rolls by rail so we could be..." she then yawned before she began to curl up. "Comfortable..."Giselle soon held Eloise in her lap as she fell asleep.Columbia nodded softly. "She won't wake until the morning hopefully... Sorry, I just couldn't let the little one be up late," she told Giselle softly. "Let's drop her back off to her bed and then we can continue the nail painting plan." she added. She was speaking softly as she was still very sad, but she felt a little better with Giselle around."That would be best," Giselle chuckled quietly. "Room Service is gonna want that cocoa recipe."Eloise nuzzled against Giselle as she fell asleep while being carried in her arms. Columbia held the doors open for Giselle and then took the older girl back to her room and started to paint her nails. She bit her lip softly as she did, trying not to cry though. Eloise lay down as she drifted off to sleep as Giselle put the Do Not Disturb sign around her little sister's neck before she went to join Columbia.Columbia glanced at Giselle. "You're lucky you had such a great friend." she told her softly."Oh, um, thank you." Giselle replied softly back.Columbia did her nails, her hand soft against Giselle's. "How old are you, may I ask?" she asked quietly."I'm seventeen now." Giselle replied.Columbia nodded. She took her other hand to paint that one too. "Do you... Have a preferred gender?" she asked her softly."Um... What do you mean?" Giselle asked as she felt bewildered by that question."Do you like boys or girls, or don't you know yet?" Columbia asked her, finding out about her new friend should cheer her up."Oh!" Giselle now understood. "Well... Um... I do mostly like boys, but lately, I've been curious of what it would be like to kiss a girl... I'm not sure, but I have thought about it... No one else knows about it, especially not my mother..." she then sighed. "Sometimes I wish I could tell her, but since she's always in Paris or Europe doing Lord knows what, I often don't have much time to tell her."Columbia looked at her and smiled softly though a little sadly. "Would you be against trying it?" she wondered softly. She wouldn't let it progress more than a kiss, but sometimes it could be quite a comfort."I wouldn't..." Giselle bit her lip. "I've often wanted to try with my friend, Ronda though... I've known her since my sister was in nursery school..." she then looked nervously into Columbia's green eyes.Columbia gave her another tiny smile. "I'm up for being the one you try it with." she told her softly.Giselle blushed suddenly. "O-Oh, are you sure?" she smiled sheepishly. "I wouldn't want to impose."Columbia looked at her. "It might help me too." she told her softly.Giselle rubbed her arm shyly as she looked into Columbia's eyes and scooted closer toward her.Columbia shifted closer too. "You can lead, sweetie, we'll go at your pace." she said softly, resting her hand softly against the girl's cheek, but her arms still loose enough for Giselle to move.Giselle swallowed hard a little nervously, but soon mustered all of her courage and leaned in to kiss Columbia on the lips. Columbia kissed her back, in a careful way not to scare the girl, but leading a little into a proper kiss. She rested her other hand on the other cheek, cradling the girl's face as they kissed. Giselle blushed, she seemed to enjoy the kiss a whole lot more than she expected.Columbia pulled away when they would both need air, and backed up just a little. "How was that?" she asked her softly."That was... Amazing..." Giselle admitted as she seemed to like the kiss. "Um... If you don't mind me asking... A-Are you a lesbian?""Oh, no... I like both men and women..." Columbia smiled to her, feeling a bit brighter now. That kiss did help."Oh..." Giselle said then. "That explains... Uh, never mind..." she then said, deciding that mentioning Eddie right now would be too soon since she last saw the man followed by her screams of terror.Columbia patted her cheeks gently and then let them drop. "If you need or want any more practice; I'll be happy to help." she smiled."Um, thanks..." Giselle replied as she didn't exactly catch the girl's name. "I'm sorry, what was your name?""Columbia." Columbia smiled to her."Columbia..." Giselle repeated with a smile back. "Sounds so exotic.""Aww, you're sweet." Columbia smiled."I try." Giselle smiled back, blushing from hers.Columbia smiled softly. Giselle looked at the polish on her nails as she loved where it was going so far. Columbia felt almost fully cheered, able to forget her sadness at the moment. Giselle smiled as she felt a great bond with Columbia. She didn't mind shopping with Nanny and Eloise, but it was nice to be with someone closer to her own age. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Riff Raff had to then tell Frank, about Rocky 'escaping', a satisfied smirk on his face though. Danielle had gone with Magenta to wash up and was currently drying Magenta's hair in Magenta and Riff Raff's room."Coming!" Frank called back as he was busy. Magenta hugged her knees as Danielle took care of her."Almost done." Danielle assured Magenta with a soft smile. She had the glow of someone satisfied and loved. She even knew of the sibling's plans and had promised not to tell anyone about it."You are Heaven Sent." Magenta smirked in approval of Danielle's help.Danielle blushed but smiled happily. "Well, it's the least I can do." she said softly and then started on the last bit of wetness to Magenta's hair.Magenta smiled back to Danielle as her hair was being dried. Danielle felt a bit sad though as they would have to leave her on Earth and she did wish there was a way she could definitely remember them."Vould you like to vatch something?" Magenta offered."Sure." Danielle smiled, and put down the hairdryer after turning it off for now. She herself had had to borrow a nightwear outfit from Magenta as hers had been a bit torn.Magenta clicked on the screen so they could watch something.Danielle had a small idea. "Would you like me to paint your toenails?" she asked her softly."No vun else has done that but Columbia... Okay, let's see vhat you're made of." Magenta allowed.Danielle picked up a nail polish, obviously Magenta's favorite color, sat in front of where Magenta was sitting, facing the TV though and then started to paint the woman's toenails. Danielle looked shocked, and so didn't notice her hair towel come undone, luckily protecting Magenta from the worse of her wet hair but still showing her hair was wet. Magenta seemed entranced and interested in where this was going."How about a pedicure?" Columbia asked her."Oh, I love those." Giselle nodded excitedly.Columbia smiled and then made sure Giselle's nails would all match. Giselle smiled as this turned out to be a great night for her. Columbia slipped into her pajamas quickly too, putting on a Mickey Mouse ear hat, just before she would do Giselle's nails."Nice hat." Giselle giggled. "My favorite Disney hat," Columbia told her. "Shall I put the TV on while I do your nails?" she asked then."Sure, okay." Giselle smiled back.Columbia put the TV on and then it ended up on a camera view of the lab. Giselle looked a little curious as Janet seemed to stumble into the lab and was dressing Rocky's wounds as she almost looked like she was falling in love with him. "Tell us about it, Janet~" Columbia smirked.Giselle watched as Janet began to tease and have fun with Rocky. What about Brad? Columbia watched, kind of intrigued. Giselle cupped her mouth in shock. Columbia was a bit intrigued. Giselle looked to Columbia as she felt speechless by the affair. Columbia looked at Giselle. "Do you want to watch?" she asked softly."Better than nothing..." Giselle shrugged.Columbia smiled and went back to doing Giselle's pedicure. Giselle smiled back to Columbia as she looked all around. Columbia kept on glancing at the TV screen. Giselle bobbed her head slightly as Janet sang to Rocky. Columbia giggled a little to that. Giselle giggled back as she found Columbia's laugh adorably contagious. Columbia smiled.Danielle looked surprised. "She's cheating on my brother!" she gasped."Hm..." Magenta hummed to this as she brushed down Danielle's hair for right now.Danielle hummed a little, enjoying her hair done. She shrugged slightly and then continued to paint Magenta's toenails. Magenta giggled at some of the toes being painted as she was ticklish in some parts. Danielle couldn't help, but smile at that too. She finished one foot and then started on the other."Careful now." Magenta playfully teased.Danielle giggled. "Or what, you only have my hair hostage." she retorted playfully."Don't tempt me." Magenta playfully growled.Danielle blushed and stopped a second to tilt her head back to look up at Magenta. "What if I want to?" she giggled mischievously."I'll touch-a, touch-a, you~" Magenta smirked.Danielle blushed deeply but giggled again. "Let me at least finish your toes first." she winked."Very well." Magenta nodded.Danielle smiled and finished painting Magenta's toes. Columbia was surprised though after a little while as Dr. Scott came wheeling around the bed and then crashing through into the lab."Who was that?" Giselle blinked.Columbia shrugged.Janet was in the tank, hidden, with Rocky. Riff moved away from Frank, knowing Dr. Scott would crash into the magnet. Frank folded his arms as he waited for Dr. Scott."GREAT SCOTT!" Brad cried out.Riff Raff stayed beside the controls, but in a safe spot. Janet bit her lip, trying to be quiet. Rocky cuddled against Janet as he enjoyed her company a lot better than Frank's. Frank smirked as he rested his foot against Dr. Scott's wheelchair. Riff Raff watched with slight disgust."Frank N. Furter." Dr Scott glared up at Frank."Dr. Scott!" Brad held out his hand to his favorite teacher back from high school."Brad, vhat are you doing here?" Dr Scott asked, shaking his hand. "Is Danielle vith you?" he asked then too."Yes, though I think she might be asleep..." Brad replied."Don't play games, Dr. Scott," Frank smirked as he came between them. "You know perfectly well what Brad Majors is doing here... It was part of your plan, was it not? That he and his females should check the layout for you. Well, unfortunately for you, all the plans are to be changed. I hope you're adaptable, Dr. Scott; I know Brad is."Brad hid a small flinch."I assure you, I have no idea why Brad is here... I am here about Eddie." Dr Scott said."Eddie, I've seen him, he--" Brad spoke up."Eddie?" Frank looked at the older man. "What do you know of Eddie, Dr. Scott?""I happen to know a great deal about him... You see, he is my nephew." Dr. Scott announced.Riff Raff looked surprised slightly. Frank gasped as he released Dr. Scott from the machine, he then heard a small yelp from the tank and came to see what it was."Dr. Scott..." Brad replied softly. Magenta was soon coming with a gong to let Frank know that dinner was ready, but decided to scare him this time since it amused her and Riff. Dr. Scott looked over to the tank then. Janet let out a gasp when the magnet was turned off. Danielle was making her way up a different way, as they had to keep their actions secret from Frank. She had to see Frank's reaction to the gong though and so was coming up in the elevator. Rocky soon stood with Janet once they were exposed.Brad couldn't believe he saw Janet with another man like this. Magenta looked a little annoyed for a minute as she waited in silence. Riff Raff hid a smirk as he knew Magenta would soon ring the gong and scare Frank. After a whole lot of calling of each other's names, Janet was looking worriedly to Dr. Scott and Brad. Dr. Scott was shocked at Janet. Danielle was standing in the elevator, quietly opening the grill to the exit/entrance of it."Rocky, listen to me... I made you.. And I can break you just as easily!" Frank glared toward 'his' creation.Magenta soon banged the gong which startled everyone who didn't know about it. "MASTAH, DINNER IS PREPARED!"Frank only rolled his eyes, he flinched, but didn't jolt or scream. "Excellent."Janet was holding the sheet tightly to her front so nothing was revealed. Riff Raff gave a small smirk, but also a bit of a frown as Frank didn't react too much. Danielle stiffled a giggle, about to step out of the elevator."Under the circumstances, formal dress is to be optional." Frank glared at Rocky and Janet before storming off.Magenta looked disappointed that Frank's fear wasn't what she expected. Danielle didn't get out in time but hadn't been noticed by Frank yet. "Going down?" she asked suddenly, to scare him a little to please the two she had fallen for.Riff smirked to this. Frank gasped slightly and slowly shut his eyes. Magenta quietly giggled. Riff smirked visibly to this. Danielle gave a small smile to Frank, she didn't care if he told her off for it she had amused Riff and Magenta and that was worth it. Frank rolled his eyes as he then went to get ready for dinner himself. Magenta smiled down to Riff and Danielle. Danielle gave a small wave to Riff and Magenta as she went back down to get to the dining room. Dr. Scott got Brad to wheel him away. Riff came and joined his sister to help her sort out the food.Giselle briefly checked on Eloise and Nanny and smiled as they were still asleep before she shut the door and walked with Columbia to the dining room as she was told it was time for dinner. Columbia made sure Giselle was sat next to her."Still asleep," Giselle said to Columbia. "What was in that cocoa?""Oh, just some chamomile... In chocolate, it can bring a great sleep." Columbia smiled."Ooh..." Giselle nodded to that.Columbia nodded and smiled. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Frank wore a sparkling leotard as he sat at the head of the table like he always did. Magenta walked with Riff to serve out the dinner for everybody. Brad took Dr. Scott's wheelchair and helped him up toward the table. Janet sat next to Brad, and looked down, a bit ashamed. Dr. Scott was sat furthest away from Frank. Danielle smiled slightly to Riff Raff and Magenta as they entered. Riff Raff served everyone their drinks and then lifted the meat to in front of Frank ready for it to be cut. Frank took the cutter that Magenta handed him and soon began to slice the meat to serve everyone."Ve came here to discuss Eddie--" Dr. Scott started."Eddie!" Columbia gasped.Danielle flinched a bit about Eddie.Frank showed the cutting knife with a sharp glare warning her to be quiet before he took out his fork and knife. "That's a rather tender subject," he replied as he ate with gusto. "Another slice, anyone?"Brad suddenly looked uncomfortable as he thought about what he was probably eating."I think I'm a vegetarian." Giselle said shakily."Excuse me..." Columbia whispered and then exited and screamed as she left the room.Dr. Scott seemed shocked. He put down his fork. Danielle raised an eyebrow and looked at her fork. It was good though, and something told her she should continue. Janet put her fork down. Giselle frowned as she felt worried and concerned for poor Columbia. She decided to go and check up on her and give her comfort. Magenta smacked her lips as she ate some of the meat while standing next to Frank and her brother.Columbia clung to Giselle when the girl caught up to her."Oh, you poor dear..." Giselle comforted Columbia."Everybody shoved him, I very nearly loved him." Columbia told Giselle softly.Dr. Scott started to speak about Eddie and the fact he had sent him a letter. Danielle nibbled at the meat, too hungry to deny it. Brad and Janet came to his sides to check out the letter. Frank smirked as he seemed to be hiding something from everybody. Danielle looked at Frank and looked confused at his smirk. Janet winced as they all imagined the scream Eddie would do. Brad and Janet might not had known Eddie well, but they felt bad for their old friend. Soon, Dr. Scott had finished explaining and they all sat back down. Danielle felt something off about Frank's reaction. Frank soon grabbed the tablecloth and yanked it off to show Eddie's corpse just to shock and disgust everybody. Danielle stood up quickly with wide eyes. Janet ran screaming into Rocky's embrace, in her fear. She did have a bit of braveness and reached out to get Danielle away from the wretched scientist that was Frank N. Furter. Dr. Scott pushed himself away from the table with his hands to his cheeks in horror. Riff looked annoyed by Frank."Oh, Rocky!" Frank snapped at the blonde man before grabbing him away from Janet. "How... CAN YOU?!"Magenta couldn't help but randomly laugh. Janet gasped in surprise and backed away from Frank. Danielle caught Frank's arm before he could slap Janet, her eyes narrowing. Riff couldn't help but laugh a bit too. Frank glanced back at Danielle. Brad soon wheeled Dr. Scott back before any of them could get hurt.Danielle glared at him, giving him the most trouble right now. "Don't you touch her." she told him.Janet looked shocked that Danielle had stopped Frank from hitting her."What're you gonna do about it?" Frank smirked.Danielle stamped on his foot. Frank yelled out and caught his foot at first. Janet was now safe distance for Frank not be able to do anything. Danielle stood there, though she glanced to her family and old science teacher. Frank soon decided to chase Danielle in an attempt to torment her. Danielle ran, at least this way it wasn't Janet, who really could barely defend herself. She couldn't help but give a shocked scream as she was chased. He hadn't been able to conquest her after all as she had been safely away with Magenta and Riff Raff though it wasn't known by the others. Janet went with Brad and Dr. Scott.Riff Raff finally stopped laughing and glared at his sister, though it was only through worry for the human girl they both liked. "SHUT UP!" he warned her, as the sooner she stopped laughing the sooner they could get their own plan underway.Magenta wiped her eye once she settled down. Riff Raff took Magenta through a shortcut so they would arrive after Frank and the others did. Frank smirked as he teased and chased after Danielle. Danielle ran and looked surprised as at one point she was cornered against the banister. "Not for you!" she gasped and then pushed him and ran off. She would never kick a man in the special area. Frank groaned and held himself in defense. Brad took Dr. Scott up to the elevator as he seemed to know where they were going as he was very angry that his sister was being chased.Columbia clung to Giselle in her room where the two now were."It's okay, I'm here." Giselle comforted.Columbia looked at her softly."It'll be okay, Columbia, it'll be okay..." Giselle soothed.Columbia held her tightly but not too tight. Giselle cooed to Columbia as she soon hummed a lullaby she used to sing to Eloise when she was in nursery school. Columbia soon ended up merely sniffling as her eyes dripped with tears, but no longer sobbing."You poor thing..." Giselle sighed. "I wish there was something I could do."Columbia looked up at her and gently kissed her forehead. "You're sweet." she said softly."I try." Giselle flushed in the face from Columbia's kiss.Columbia heard the scream then and looked surprised. She soon looked at Giselle. "Shall we go see?" she asked quietly.Giselle nodded and took Columbia's hand to see what was going on.Soon, the four humans that were involved in the chase ended up caught on the Medusa platform. Danielle looked shocked. She was still glad she was the one in Frank's ire still though."My feet... I can't move my feet!" Janet gasped."My vheels... My Gott, I can't move my vheels." Dr Scott gasped."It's as if we're glued to the spot!" Brad snapped as he couldn't move himself either."You are," Frank mocked. "So quake with fear, you tiny fools!" Danielle glared at Frank and went to swipe at him. Janet gasped and put her hand to her forehead."It's something you'll get used to~" Frank taunted as he walked by them. "A mental mind fuck can be nice~"Giselle came with Riff, Magenta, and Columbia into the room. Rocky watched from the ramp. Columbia stood up there too with Giselle, looking surprised. Danielle actually yelped slightly though as he pinched her butt as he passed."You won't find humans such an easy target as you imagine... I suppose it is some kind of Audio vibratory molecular transport device?" Dr. Scott asked.Magenta slowly moved with Riff Raff down the ramp. Giselle looked painfully surprised as well."You mean!" Brad gasped as he clutched Dr. Scott's shoulder. "Yes, Brad, it's something ve ourselves have been working on for quite some time, but it seems our friend here has found a means of perfecting it..." Dr. Scott said. "He can probably send matter through space and who knows? Perhaps even time itself." he added.Janet looked surprised, but kept silent in her fear."You mean he's going to send us to another planet?" Danielle asked, surprised.Riff Raff glared at Frank as the man couldn't see them yet. If he touched Danielle even in the slightest of sexual ways he would seal his doom."Planet, Schmanet, Dammit!" Frank hoisted himself off the tank and bumped against Danielle's back side as he continued to mess with her.Magenta soon glowered and lowly growled as Frank was teasing Danielle like the way he was. Danielle yelped and fell forwards slightly but managed to straighten up. She slapped at Frank's hands though. Riff glared, that was it the man would soon have to die. Just a little longer until they could do their plan. Frank soon saw the siblings and nodded toward them to let Magenta throw the switch which would freeze everyone into solid statues and also remove their clothing. The humans on the platforms were all frozen, followed by Giselle, then Columbia and then Rocky. Riff Raff made his face purposely calm as he stood behind Magenta, and stroked her arm lightly."It's not easy having a good time..." Frank sighed. "Even smiling makes my face ache... And my children turn on me! Rocky's behaving just the same as Eddie..." he then smirked to the Vitus siblings. "Do you think I made a mistake splitting the brain between the two of them?""AUGH! I GROW VEARY OF THIS VORLD!" Magenta snarled as she stormed over with her brother/lover, not caring if she woke up Eloise and/or Nanny. "VHEN SHALL VE RETURN TO TRANSYLVANIA, HUH?!"Nanny woke up with a jolt of surprise. Eloise turned over in her sleep, but didn't wake up just yet. Riff Raff stood supportively behind his sister, his face purposely calm though. He was angry about Frank doing all this to Danielle, but luckily, it wouldn't affect the baby he and Magenta had planned for Danielle to surrogate, and be a part of.Frank flinched, but did his best to hide his fear. "Magenta, I am grateful of you and your brother, Riff Raff, you have both served me well... No loyalty such as yours shall go unrewarded," he then grinned down to her. "Name it and it shall be yours.""I ask for nothing!" Magenta snarled through her teeth at him. "...Master."Riff Raff stroked her arm with a finger."Then you shall receive it in abundance!" Frank soon stormed off to the elevator to get himself ready for a special affair tonight. "Come! We are ready for the floorshow." he then shut the elevator and went down with it.Magenta slowly watched him go down as she took Riff's hand as they slithered around the lab together.Riff Raff glared at the elevator once it was down, and then walked her over towards Danielle's statue. "We'll teach Frank a lesson he will never forget." he told Magenta and then started off the movement for the Transylvanian sign."Yes... He must pay, tonight... It's now or never." Magenta agreed as she joined him while looking to poor Danielle who had been 'taken for granite'.Riff Raff let his fingers stroke Danielle's stone cheek and then walked off to set up the plan he had with Magenta. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A little while later, Giselle and Columbia statues were in the audience and Danielle was on the stage with Brad, Janet and Rocky. The humans were all dressed up with make-up and wearing corsets, stockings, high heels and boas. Magenta walked into her and Riff's room. Frank was preparing the statues, he stuck his tongue out at Janet's while patting the make-up on Brad's and wrapped the feather boa around Rocky's with a tender smile before flipping a switch to bring the statues come to life. Columbia and Giselle were undone first, but could only watch. Giselle blinked and looked around as she sat next to Columbia. Columbia managed to take Giselle's hand in comfort though."It was great when it all began~ I was this castle's biggest fan~ But it was over when Frank completed his plan, to make a tall blonde muscle man~ Now the only thing that gives me hope, is the way I'll find to cope, Rose Tints my World keeps me safe from My trouble and pain~" Danielle sung, her gaze distant as she danced around the stage.Rocky came next. "I am just seven hours old, truly beautiful to behold, and someone should've been told, my libido hasn't been controlled~ Now the only thing I've come to trust, is an orgasmic rush of lust, Rose tints my world keeps me safe from My trouble and pain~" he sung."It's beyond me~" Brad sang as he was next. "Heeeelp me, Mommy! I'll be good, you'll see... Take this dream away~" he then spun around before hitting the floor and moving his leg sexily. "What's this? Let's see... I feel sexy... What's come over me?~" he then stood up before shaking slightly. "Whoo! Here it comes again~""Oooh~ I feel released, bad times deceased, my confidence has increased~ Reality is heeereee~ The game has been disbanded,My mind has been expanded~ It's a gas that Frankie's landed, His lust is so sincere~" Janet sung and ended with a sexy looking pout and kiss.Danielle was stood beside Rocky. Giselle gently squeezed Columbia's hand. Frank was in his best make-up which some might call excessive and had feathers in his hair as he wore glittering lingerie to match the others as he sang softly while coming down the steps before jumping into his pool. Danielle, Janet and Rocky all then turned and joined Frank in the pool. Frank smiled as they joined him and soon, they all seemed to be making out with each other and seemed to enjoy it.Brad seemed to be the most excited, though it might be an after effect from the spell he was under. Under the almost exact same spell as Brad, though she didn't make out with him, Danielle had no troubles kissing and making out with the others. She even made out a little with Frank. Frank gasped as he enjoyed the kiss from Janet and Danielle.Columbia glanced to Giselle. "Are you alright?" she asked her quietly so Frank couldn't hear."I'm not sure how I feel..." Giselle replied in the same tone.Rocky ended with a kiss to Brad. Janet and Danielle came out of the pool, standing beside Frank on either side. Columbia blinked. Dr. Scott looked shocked. Giselle looked around and she could've sworn she saw Dr. Scott backstage with his own fishnet stockings and heels. Rocky then lifted Frank up on his shoulder for Frank's lead in the Rock version of the song. Janet and Danielle came out of the pool, standing beside Frank on either side.Giselle gasped as Frank startled her by suddenly singing loudly as he looked excited, though she had to admit, he looked kind of cute without his make-up on as the pool water had washed it off. Brad joined the others with Frank as they got out of the pool and were more active than they were in the previous two songs. Even Dr. Scott joined in even managing to kick his legs and everything.After a little of the song, Janet let out a scream as she noticed Riff Raff. Danielle actually smiled, though dazed, as she looked at Riff Raff and Magenta. Rocky looked surprised too. Columbia blinked as she looked too. Magenta firmly put her hands on her hips as she stood beside Riff Raff as they were both angry and outraged with Frank as his mission had become a failure and his lifestyle was too extreme and they should return to Transylvania. Brad looked a little overwhelmed and worried before he glanced at Frank who smiled nervously."Wait!" Frank tried to stop the siblings with a sheepish grin. "I can explain..."Giselle cupped her mouth as her eyes grew wider. Riff Raff raised his eyebrow. However he would give Frank a chance to explain. Janet moved and clung to Brad. Dr. Scott moved too. Danielle smiled to the two in the doorway. She wasn't scared of them. Frank had Danielle and Rocky get switches and lights for him as he was going to make Riff Raff and Magenta feel sorry for him. Brad stayed close to Janet as he never forgot his strong and protective nature toward her.Giselle rubbed her head. Tonight was just insane, maybe she should have her mother send a psychologist to the hotel like with Eloise's tutor. Danielle went to get the switches for Frank, then went to join the others, but closer to the middle as she watched Riff Raff and Magenta. She might be a bit under Frank's spell, but her feelings for them were stronger. Rocky got the light to put the spotlight on Frank. Columbia squeezed Giselle's hand."I'm going home~" Frank sang as he soon came down the aisle and imagined audience members praising him, but it was just Giselle and Columbia.Giselle was so glad she had Columbia there. Magenta yawned as she rolled her eyes at Frank's over-the-topness. Columbia looked worried for Frank. Janet looked at Frank and realized his mind might no longer be all there. Rocky sighed softly and looked worried. Danielle quietly giggled at Magenta's yawn. Riff's lips twitched into a smirk at that."I don't think he's well." Giselle said to Columbia.Brad felt lost and confused, though Frank seemed to be a bit loony."How sentimental..." Magenta broke Frank from his thoughts.Janet looked a bit sad for him though."And also presumptuous of you, when I spoke of going home, I referred merely to Magenta and myself... You were to remain here... In spirit." Riff smirked to Frank.Dr. Scott slowly reached out to pull Danielle back out of the way, but of course couldn't quite reach. "Is that a laser?" Giselle whispered once she saw the weapon Riff Raff had.Magenta smirked along with her brother while Frank was instantly scared. Columbia nodded. Danielle looked, her face sadder at the fact she would be left behind.Riff took a step towards Frank. "Say goodbye to all this, and hello, to Oblivion." he drawled, pointing his laser at Frank.Rocky let out a startled shout only to fall down, stunned, when he was shot by the laser."No!" Frank cried out as this was the end for him.Brad held Janet close and looked to his sister. "Danielle!"Danielle looked over at Brad with a few blinks. "What? I'm not scared." she smiled softly.Riff got ready to shoot Frank. Columbia held Giselle close to her, making sure she wouldn't see any death. Frank tried to climb up the curtain to escape from Riff Raff shooting him to kill him."You should come here to safety." Brad told her. Giselle buried her face against Columbia as she hated where this was going. Riff aimed for Frank and then shot the man, a bit sad but more than feeling it was justified. Rocky sat up and saw Frank drop, pulling the curtain with him. He stood up with a roar of rage and sadness. Columbia looked shocked. Danielle stepped away from Frank, in slight shock. Frank kept trying to save himself as it would be no use. Magenta's eyes were sharp with hatred toward Frank. Giselle shuddered as she tried not to look.Columbia kept her close and covered her ears for her.As Frank had hit the ground, Rocky rushed over onto the stage, and in his distracted state he had pushed Danielle aside, but too hard. Danielle gave a small gasp as she ended up falling off stage. Her arms ended up outwards as she tried to keep her balance, but ended up on the ground. However with the pedestals in front of the stage were there, a sharp crack was heard as her head hit one before she slumped completely to the ground, her eyes wide, but unseeing. Janet let out a quiet sob. Riff glanced and then started to shoot at Rocky. Giselle winced, but she didn't dare to look."DANNI!" Brad cried out while holding Janet in his arms.Rocky lifted Frank onto his back and tried to climb up to where Riff couldn't get them. Columbia rocked Giselle softly, her eyes wide. Janet buried her face in Brad's chest. Riff soon shot Rocky in a way that made them fall into the pool and thus killing Rocky. He then just stood, his gaze firm on the distance, but a tear running down his cheek as he faced away from the humans."Oh, you killed them!" Brad moaned."But I thought you liked them..." Magenta said to Riff. "They liked you...""Me? THEY NEVER LIKED ME!" Riff Raff yelled, though not angry at his sister."I think you did right." Dr Scott announced, though he was sad about Danielle he knew it wasn't actually Riff Raff and Magenta who had killed her.Magenta looked over with her brother as Brad and Janet stood behind Dr. Scott's wheelchair after nodding back to Columbia."Is it over?" Giselle begged."Don't look yet, sweetheart." Columbia said softly. She looked shocked, but gave a small nod to Magenta as she led Giselle to meet Nanny and Eloise who were actually waiting outside.Giselle soon looked as she was being moved by Columbia.Riff blinked once and then slowly turned to face the three remaining humans. "Dr. Scott, I'm sorry about your nephew... And sorry about your sister, Brad," he drawled. "However, the castle is set to beam up to our homeworld, so I suggest you all leave now." he also added, pointing the ray at them, but not planning on using it.Brad then went with Janet and Dr. Scott to get out of the castle, he looked a little nerve-wrecked about leaving Danielle, but maybe it was for the best. Magenta came behind Riff as they were now going back home. Janet helped move Dr. Scott out of the castle. Brad moved with Janet, this was surely going to be a night to remember.Riff looked at Magenta. "And you, most beautiful sister~" he smirked. "Soon, we'll be at home on the moondrenched shores." he told her."Ah... Sveet Transsexual..." Magenta gushed as she was excited to come home at last. "Land of the night... Vith that... Step to the right!" she then began to do the Time Warp again with a laugh.Riff joined in and then went with her to fly to Transylvania. The three humans who had been later to leave all lay on the ground, covered in soot from the smoke of the ship's thrusters."Oh, boy..." Giselle muttered as she stuck close by Nanny while Eloise was still asleep.Nanny waited with Columbia, Giselle, and Eloise by the car. Soon enough, though Janet came by with Dr. Scott and Brad back to the car, though they looked worse for wear."Aunty, I'm sorry about this night..." Brad said to Nanny."Where is Danielle?" Nanny asked softly, not needing Brad's apology as to her it was just a little strange but not bad.Columbia made sure she sat next to Giselle so she could wrap an arm around the girl, still holding the sleeping Eloise. Janet sniffled quietly as she sat in the back. Dr. Scott had called for a taxi, as he knew they wouldn't all be able to fit in, plus he was going to go to the hospital as he felt strange."I-I'm afraid she's with them now..." Brad replied before pointing up to the flying castle.Giselle nuzzled up against Columbia in comfort.Nanny looked worriedly. "Oh, my, we must, must, must find some way to get her back!" she gasped.Columbia kissed the side of Giselle's head softly, holding her gently. Janet looked out of the window, lost in thought."I'm not sure if we can..." Brad frowned. Giselle nuzzled up against Columbia as this was a long night for everyone."Brad, let's just go home." Janet told him, wanting to be as far away from the site as possible.Nanny looked worried, but buckled herself safely up in the car."Yes, Janet." Brad replied.Eloise quietly snuffled. Columbia rested her head against Giselle's and looked down to Eloise. She shifted the girl so she would be more comfortable. Janet then looked out of the window. Eloise cracked a small smile and nuzzled closer. Giselle sighed to her little sister and gently stroked her golden locks.Columbia looked slightly unsure then. "What will happen to me?" she asked quietly.Janet ignored her, trying to make sense of the things that just happened."Um, well, do you live near here?" Giselle asked Columbia."No, I've been living in the castle for a while now." Columbia said quietly."Oh..." Giselle pouted. "Um... Well... Have you ever stayed at the Plaza Hotel?" she then suggested. "It's one of the best hotels in all of New York.""I've never left here." Columbia told her softly."Hmm..." Giselle pondered on what to do for her new friend."Well, she can stay with us for a few days and then we'll find out something for her." Nanny told Giselle."Yes, yes, yes." Giselle agreed as she didn't wish to abandon Columbia.Nanny gave a small smile. Columbia looked surprised. She hadn't expected that."We insist," Giselle told Columbia. "I am not letting you stay on the streets. You are my mostly companion."Columbia blushed slightly, but smiled. Giselle smiled back. Things were going to start changing for everyone. Columbia felt happier now that she wouldn't be alone. Giselle smiled back to Columbia."My beloved sister, do you think you could carry Danielle to the lab?" Riff Raff asked his sister/lover, he had to make sure they flew off correct and then the autopilot could be put on while he worked on fixing Danielle."Of course, my dear brother." Magenta nodded as she scooped up Danielle in her arms. Poor girl, poor little, adorably beautiful human girl."We'll bring her back to life, and we can be around to raise the child with her." Riff Raff told Magenta as they went to do what they needed to.Magenta nodded. "Of course... Do you think the baby vill be alien or human?" she then pondered as she had many thoughts and questions about having a child."Possibly part of each." Riff Raff said as he then entered the lab with her.Magenta carried Danielle as they were on the way into the lab.Riff then went over to start up the machine. "Just in the tank, my beloved sister." he requested.Magenta nodded and carefully laid Danielle's corpse into the tank and made sure she would be comfortable once she would be reborn.Riff Raff decided to let Magenta add the color chemicals, after filling the tank with a special fluid to make sure the chemicals would work. "Remember, rainbow." he smiled to her. After all, this way Magenta would be the first person Danielle would see when she awoke.Magenta nodded as she applied in the chemicals in the correct order of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. When the reaction had finished Danielle awoke and looked up to Magenta, looking dazed and confused."Hello, sveet princess." Magenta greeted Danielle.Danielle slowly stood up and gently touched Magenta's face as if to make sure she was real. Magenta smiled back down to Danielle and held out her gloved hand to help her out of the tank. Once she was out of the tank, Danielle pulled Magenta into a passionate kiss. Magenta's left leg seemed to pop in the air from the kiss as she helped Danielle out. Danielle then pulled back and hugged her. "What happened?" she asked softly, the last thing she clearly remembered was Rocky rushing by and pushing her."You vere seriously hurt... So bad... You vere killed," Magenta replied, brutally honest. "But Riff and I brought you back.""Well... All I can say is thank you... But I could show it better." Danielle told them quietly, a blush on her cheeks."Oh?" Magenta smirked. Danielle nodded and then moved her hands to pull Magenta even closer. Riff Raff came over."She vants to thank us~" Magenta smirked to Riff Raff."Then I think we should take her somewhere she can." Riff Raff smirked, wrapping his arms around them both."Come vith us." Magenta smirked to Danielle.Riff Raff pulled them to get Danielle's 'thanks'. Danielle went with them. Magenta giggled in excitement.
11020392
Something of the Wolf
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler | Bad Wolf, Jack Harkness", "Fandom": "Doctor Who (2005)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Pellaaearien", "chapters": "4/4", "completed": "2017-08-23", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "23,418", "Additional Tags": "Episode Fix-It: s02e13 Doomsday, Bad Wolf Rose Tyler, Established Relationship, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Telepathy, Telepathic Bond", "Relationship": "Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "The Doctor and Rose Tyler in the TARDIS", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“I want to go through the flat.”Rose’s pronouncement, delivered over breakfast the morning after Canary Wharf, prompted an instant of stunned silence from the Doctor. He had been expecting an entreaty for a relaxing spa planet or a quiet day in, not a determined set of the chin and a firm demand. He swallowed, buying time to respond.“Rose, are you sure?” As Rose’s gaze took on a steely glint, he quickly backpedaled. “I mean, we live in a time machine. You don’t have to do this right away, you could take some time…”Fortunately, Rose didn’t seem offended by his suggestion. She sighed, and her demeanour softened slightly.“I know, but I want to do it now,” she said, picking at her granola. “It’s just… all that belongs to my old life,” she said, putting down her spoon as she gave up all attempts to feign appetite. “I don’t want to have it hanging over my head for any longer than it needs to.” She fixed him with a frank look. “I wanna move forward, with you, Doctor.”The Doctor found himself once again humbled by Rose’s love and devotion. He’d all but destroyed her family the day before, inadvertently forcing her to choose between himself and her mother. After their initial rush of passion and relief had burnt itself out, once the Doctor had taken care of her various injuries, Rose had cried herself to sleep in his arms, the full consequences of the day crashing down on her all at once.For all that she’d so strongly advocated that her mother go to the other world with Pete, it didn’t make their separation any easier to bear, and the Doctor knew that. He’d assumed that she might withdraw a bit, take some time to adjust to her new circumstances before she could be her old self around him. He wondered if there would ever come a time when Rose Tyler would stop surprising him.“It’s your decision, Rose,” he said at last, meaning every word. He’d learned his lesson after his aborted attempt to send Rose to Pete’s World against her will. She smiled at him; a small smile, but the Doctor counted it a triumph nonetheless.“Thank-you, Doctor,” she said, rising and beginning to clear away the remnants of their meal. At the sink, she hesitated, biting her lip as she looked back at him. “Could you… I mean, would you mind…”The Doctor’s hearts twisted. “Of course I’ll help you, Rose,” he said quietly. “You don’t have to ask.” Reassured, she turned back to the dishes and he grabbed a towel, watching the movements of her hands within the suds as she methodically cleaned their plates.Was it possible that she was unaware that there was absolutely nothing in the universe that he would deny her, if it was within his power to grant (including a number of things that weren’t, if he were being completely honest) even before she essentially renounced her family in order to stay with him? Half of him was of the opinion that this was a situation that should be rectified immediately and the other half lived in terror of the day Rose figured it out. Still, he felt Rose deserved a tangible symbol of how much she meant to him, and he set the idea to percolate in his brain as they made their way to the console room.~oOo~The Doctor parked the TARDIS in a hidden, out of the way spot beneath the stairs leading to Rose’s flat. He could have landed directly inside the flat, of course, but he wanted to give Rose the experience of actually entering her flat, the way it used to be, one last time, and Rose agreed that landing so close to the building would be the best way to avoid any unwanted attention.She hesitated only once, slightly, at the TARDIS door. She wanted to do this, to get it over with, and having the Doctor at her side made it all that much easier. Still, the prospect was a daunting one, and Rose was heartened by his support and understanding.They climbed the steps to the flat, Rose trying not to think of the last time they’d done this and failing spectacularly. She fumbled with her key as they reached the landing, despite having it out already, but as she grabbed the handle to unlock the door, it swung open slightly under the pressure. Rose and the Doctor both stiffened, looking at each other in shock. It wasn’t at all like Jackie to leave the door unlocked, even for a minute.An aura of deadly calm settled over the Doctor and he gestured at Rose to stick close behind him as he stole into the flat. The power of the Oncoming Storm had stirred in his eyes and Rose felt, as she always did, that by his side was the safest place in the universe to be. Whatever was waiting for them in the flat, they would be able to face it together.Then the Doctor stopped again, just inside the door. Rose’s ears were straining for any sound, so the Doctor’s sharp exhale of breath nearly made her jump.“I know you’re here, Jack,” he said, and Rose felt her eyebrows nearly disappear into her hairline. “You might as well come out and say hello.”A beat, and then Jack Harkness came strolling out of the back of the flat, anger sparking in his eyes that quickly gave way to astonishment as he spotted her.“ Rose? ”She couldn’t have said in that moment which of them was more surprised to see the other, and just as quickly decided it didn’t matter.“Jack!” With a cry of his name, she threw herself into his arms, only to be nearly lifted off her feet by the fierceness of his embrace. She squeezed her eyes shut, letting a few tears leak out - she’d been so certain she’d never see him again, finding him like this seemed like a dream.“God, Rosie, am I glad to see you,” Jack murmured into her hair. “After I heard what happened at Canary Wharf I wasn’t sure…”“We made it,” Rose said firmly, still feeling the twin jolts of fear and relief buffet her at the words. “We sent the Daleks and Cybermen into the Void, and my mum… she went through to a parallel world to live with a parallel version of my dad. It’s a long story.”Jack set her down and she looked up to meet his eyes, relearning his face as he did hers, and asked the most pressing question.“What are you doing here, Jack?” The Doctor inhaled sharply behind her, and Jack winced. “I thought you were supposed to be in the future, rebuilding the Earth?”“That’s…” Jack sighed. “It’s a long story.” He shot her a commiserating expression as he parroted her words back to her. “Could we… is it all right if we sit down?” he asked. “This’ll take a while.”“Course.” Rose indicated the living room with a nod, looking back to the Doctor, who was still standing in the same spot, his fists clenched white. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but the expression on his face stopped her. “I’ll… um, I’ll make us some tea, shall I?”“Great idea, thanks Rosie,” Jack said, putting on a show of making himself comfortable on the sofa in deliberate contrast to the Doctor’s obvious discomfort, and Rose fought the urge to roll her eyes. They’d mostly gotten past the two men’s testosterone-fueled posturing contests towards the end of the days of Team TARDIS and Rose had forgotten how frustrating they could be. Washing her hands of the matter and leaving them to hash it out amongst themselves, she went to the kitchen and went through the motions of making tea, nevertheless grateful for the distraction the two of them provided keeping her from thinking about endless moments with her mother in this kitchen.When she emerged later with three cups of tea, very little had changed, and Rose sighed, knowing that the Doctor would eventually be coaxed out of his reluctance but unwilling to wait for her answers. Passing Jack his mug and setting the Doctor’s on the edge of the coffee table furthest from Jack, she settled back next to her former best mate with her own cup, taking a fortifying sip before she spoke.“Jack,” she began, and watched as something heavy settled in his eyes. “What the hell happened to you?”The man let out a long sigh, twisting so that only one of his arms was stretched along the back of the sofa. “How much has he told you?” His tone made it clear what he was expecting, and Rose nodded in response.“Not much,” she confirmed. The Doctor showed signs of wanting to speak, and Jack held up a hand.“Not just now, Doc, I want to hear what Rosie has to say.” Reluctantly, the Doctor subsided, and Jack nodded encouragingly at her. “Go on, Rosie.”Rose frowned, trying to think back. Even now, it was difficult to remember the events surrounding the Game Station. She could picture Kyoto vividly, but after that everything started to take on a kind of dreamlike quality, not helped by the bizarre reality that had been the Anne Droid game show. She knew the Doctor had changed in the TARDIS, that they’d talked, but if she was being honest it wasn’t even really until they’d been under attack by the Christmas tree that her memories started to become solid again. She supposed there was something to be said for how that focussed the mind.“Um...” she hedged. More things were coming into focus the more she thought about it. It was like they’d been waiting for her to make a concerted effort to retrieve them, and had been keeping themselves quiet and inaccessible otherwise. “The Daleks were attacking, you went to hold them off…” Said goodbye , her brain supplied, but she ignored the ripple of pain the words brought. Jack nodded without speaking. “He sent me away,” she continued in an accusing tone - she remembered that part fairly well. “‘S all kind of a blur, after that. I just remember thinking I had to get back, somehow. Nothing in the universe mattered more than getting back.”The Doctor made an involuntary sound. She barely heard him, focussed inward. “Mickey… he told me later that we got a truck, tried to open the console, like Margaret, remember?” Jack nodded again, his eyes never leaving her face. “After that it’s all been wiped from my head. I can’t remember any of it.” Even now, while she was speaking, the memories she wasn’t looking at directly were slipping away, like trying to catch fish with her bare hands.She shook her head slightly, giving up, and fixed her friend with a frank stare. “I asked after you, Jack. I promise, I did ask. But all he would say was that you were staying in the future, rebuilding the Earth. I thought maybe you’d had it out, because there was always something else we had to do, any time I brought it up. Everything was so fuzzy around that time, I couldn’t even recall if we’d said goodbye.” Jack’s face twisted, but he remained silent. “And I thought maybe we couldn’t go back, like it had something to do with my memories staying locked - course, not that I was actually told any of this,” she said pointedly. “And, eventually, I just stopped asking.” Tears started in her eyes as she looked up at her friend. “I’m sorry, Jack. I’m so sorry. I should’ve pushed harder, I should’ve…”“Hey now, Rosie, hush,” he crooned, folding her back into his arms. “It’s not your fault, none of it. But it sounds like someone’s got some explaining to do.” He looked at the Doctor, who had his arms crossed protectively over his chest. “She gives you way too much credit, you know,” he said conversationally. “Coming up with those clever theories all on her own, when the real reason was…” He paused deliberately. “Wait. What was the reason, Doctor? Because I think both of us have a right to know.”“You’re right.” The Doctor spoke at last, cutting Jack off, coming around to crouch in front of Rose, taking her hands.“It’s time, Rose,” he said simply. “I’m sorry I kept this from you, more sorry than I can possibly say. I was just so scared . When I took the Vortex out of you, it erased the most salient memories, but I went in a little after Christmas to make sure you’d be safe, that there were no threads loose. You consented, of course,” he said hurriedly, even though Rose hadn’t even begun to consider that aspect yet, “but I had to take away even your memory of giving consent in case it triggered something.”Even as he spoke, a memory surfaced, of the two of them speaking, though it sounded like they were underwater; the Doctor giving her a clinical rundown of what he hoped to achieve in her mind - please, let me make sure you’re safe - and her, wanting to prove that she trusted this new, new Doctor, as well as take some paracetamol for her pounding headache and sleep for a week. “Wait a minute,” she said. “And again after Cassandra, right?” The Doctor nodded, eyes wide.“I did another quick check, just after New Earth. I wanted to make sure nothing had shifted, after the psychograft.” He looked unaccountably nervous, and Rose was anxious to reassure him, on this point at least.“Doctor, it’s all right. I trust you, in my head, no one better. I know you wouldn’t ask unless it was absolutely necessary - and I know you always ask.” The Doctor relaxed slightly, but Rose’s eyes narrowed. “Hang on. You took the Vortex out of me ?”It hit her like something she’d always known, and yet also like the first time she’d heard it. All the Doctor had told her was that he’d had to die to save her life, that he’d needed to absorb the Time Vortex. He’d been a bit vague on the details, and Rose hadn’t pressed, feeling guilty enough as it was.“Yes, Rose,” the Doctor replied quietly. “It happened just like you said. You used a truck to open the console and look into the Heart of the TARDIS.” He was still watching her intently, like he expected her to explode at any second. Rose shook her head. She felt perfectly fine, just confused.“But when Margaret did that, she regressed into an egg,” she said. “So why didn’t I-?”“Because the TARDIS wasn’t trying to defend herself, this time,” the Doctor explained. “You and the TARDIS merged, because you wanted to…”“To keep you safe,” Rose said, her voice sounding far away, even to her own ears. “My Doctor.”The Doctor’s eyes snapped to hers, wide and a little awed, and he swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing. “Yes,” he said simply.There was a beat of silence as they stared at each other. When nothing happened, Jack cleared his throat, and the Doctor shook himself slightly before continuing on.“But no lifeform - human, Time Lord, Slitheen or otherwise - can live with that much raw Time energy running through them. So I took the energy from you, gave it back to the TARDIS. Then I regenerated.”Rose frowned, pushing back the old guilt. “But what does all this have to do with Jack?” she asked. She looked at her friend. “You asked what I remember.”Jack took a deep breath. “I died, Rosie,” he said, before the Doctor could speak. “I was facing three Daleks. Death by extermination. And then I came back to life.”Rose gasped, putting her hands over her mouth, before saying around them, “Wh-What does that have to do with me?”“You brought him back, Rose,” the Doctor said gently, as Rose turned back to face him. “You could manipulate all of time, and space, and matter, and you brought him back to life. Only, you couldn’t control it. You brought him back forever.” He paused. “The final act of the Time War was life.”“I bring life,” Rose intoned, and the Doctor repressed a shiver. Shaking his head to clear it of cobwebs, he looked at Rose, who was staring at him, mouth slack, clearly trying to process everything she was hearing, and then to Jack.“Do you… I mean, have you…?”“Have I realised I can’t die?” Jack finished for him, allowing bitterness to seep into his tone. “Yeah, I picked up on that one pretty much right away. After waking up ankle-deep in Dalek dust, there weren’t too many other conclusions to draw, you know? But I was given plenty of other evidence, just to drive the point home. Ellis Island, 1892. Got in a fight, a man shot me through the heart. Then I woke up. Thought it was kind of strange, but then it never stopped.” He reined himself in with obvious difficulty, glancing over at Rose who was staring at him, her eyes like saucers, then fixing the Doctor with a steely look. “And all that time, you knew.”“I didn’t know ,” the Doctor protested, rising slowly to sit down across from the pair, needing a little distance from the conversation. He picked up his slightly cooled tea, taking a sip as he tried to recover his bearings. “Not really. It was all speculation until you just confirmed it for me.”“If you’d stuck around, we might have figured it out together,” Jack returned, his voice becoming more strident. “Instead of leaving me stranded in the year two hundred one hundred.”“We-” Rose had to try again, her voice breathless with stunned surprise and outrage. “We left him behind? Doctor!” Despite everything, the Doctor didn’t fail to note her automatic use of ‘we’ with equal parts warmth and chagrin, given that she bore no part of the blame for his actions.“I ran away,” the Doctor said, placing subtle emphasis on the I . “I was regenerating. I had to leave you behind, it was too much.” He looked at Jack frankly. “Even now, it’s not easy just looking at you, Jack, because you’re wrong.”“Thanks,” Jack scoffed.“I mean it,” the Doctor said, as he felt the tea sitting ever so slightly uneasy in his stomach. “I can’t help it. I’m a Time Lord. It’s instinct. You’re a fixed point, a living fixed point, in time and space. You’re a fact. That’s never supposed to happen.”“Can I undo it?” Rose asked abruptly, looking to be on the point of tears. The Doctor didn’t miss the hope in Jack’s eyes and he regretfully shook his head.“I took the power out of you, Rose. It’s completely gone. I’m sorry, Jack.”Rose turned desperately to Jack. “Jack, I-”“Don’t apologise, Rosie,” the former conman said, his voice rough with emotion. “It wasn’t your fault. None of it,” he repeated firmly. “You came back with all of time and space in your head to save your Doctor, and you still managed to spare a thought for me. You wanted the universe to always have me in it. How could I blame you for that?” They shared an emotional embrace.The Doctor shifted guiltily. Clearly, Rose had missed Jack more than she’d let on, and it looked like the feeling was mutual. He’d known leaving Jack behind was wrong, but the decision had been made in a split second and afterwards it was easier not to look back. And his new body had been so enamoured with Rose, so intoxicated by her very presence, he often forgot there was a world outside the two of them. Not that it was any excuse. It was true, Rose had frequently asked after Jack, especially in the early days, and he had fallen into his old patterns of evasion so easily, it was despicable.He was pulled from these thoughts when Rose spoke again.“So, what are you doing here, Jack?” she asked in a much lighter tone.“Well after finding out I was stuck in the year two hundred one hundred, I started thinking about how to track down the Doctor. I thought, England, 21st century, best chance to run into him, only it went a bit wrong. Ended up in 1869 with a burnt-out Vortex manipulator. I had to live through the entire 20th century. Kept my ears and eyes peeled the entire time, but I never found anything. When I heard what had happened at Canary Wharf, I figured you’d be involved, so here I am.”Rose listened to the whole story, sipping her tea pensively. “Yeah, I meant here in the flat, Jack,” she said, when he was finished. “You broke in, didn’t you?”The former Time Agent looked slightly sheepish. “I did, but only because… well, I knew no one was in, and with what happened around Torchwood Tower there was no way of knowing who knew what and whether or not they’d come sniffing around. I was hoping I’d find you here, of course, but I wanted to get the lay of the land, just in case. And, yes, I was also hoping to run into the Doctor, or at least find some clues. I already had this.” He reached into the bag at his feet and pulled out a large glass jar.“Oh my God,” Rose muttered, sounding equal parts fascinated and repulsed. “Is that…?”“That’s my hand!” the Doctor exclaimed, snatching it from Jack’s grasp. “Give me that!”“The one you lost at Christmas?” Rose asked, shrinking back slightly.“That’s the one!” the Doctor sounded almost giddy. “I love my hand. And I’ll dispose of it properly now, this sort of thing shouldn’t be left hanging around,” he said more pointedly, but Jack rolled his eyes.“Good thing I found it then, isn’t it?” he retorted. “I’ve been using it as a Doctor detector.”“Hang on,” Rose said as a thought occurred to her. “How comes you knew he was the Doctor? He’s regenerated, and we left the TARDIS downstairs.”“Oh, so that is the term,” Jack replied, looking surprised. “Well the Time Agency had all sorts of legends about the Time Lords. Sort of inevitable when you work in the same area, I suppose. Anyway, one was about how they were able to change their appearance to cheat death. Just now, I felt the hand going wild and I heard the TARDIS engines. Wasn’t too hard to put together.” He shrugged. “Plus, you called him Doctor, and that’s all the proof I needed, Rosie.”She felt her cheeks warm slightly, which Jack noted with a nod and a wink.“So how long’s it been since this one finally came to his senses?” he asked.“Oi!” the Doctor protested, actually not at all opposed to moving the conversation along, and Rose merely giggled.“Hey, I had a vested interest in getting you two knuckleheads together, I deserve to know how it went down,” Jack said.“What makes you think anything’s changed?” the Doctor asked, more curious than anything, given that they’d been remarkably circumspect since entering the flat. Jack levelled him with a look.“Please. Give me a bit more credit than that. Like I said, this used to be my area of specialisation.”“Oh come off it…” the Doctor cajoled, but Rose grinned her tongue touched grin.“Well, you see, it was after we beat the Devil…”Jack arched his eyebrows. “Wait. You mean, like, the proper Devil, not just a life form impersonating him, or something?” Rose gave a noncommittal shrug and Jack settled more comfortably on the sofa. “Now this I gotta hear.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “And the Valiant Child who shall die in battle, so very soon.” The Doctor ran along an endless white corridor, hand outstretched. “Rose!” His cries sounded like they came from underwater; the walls, floor, and ceiling were featureless and blinding bright. Rose was ahead of him, always just out of reach even though he was running flat out, breath burning in his chest. He was forced to watch as Rose, faceless and blank, died over and over. Rose, blown to bits, burnt to ash, encased in a screaming Cyber-body, lying broken at the feet of the Devil. Rose, disappearing into the Void. He screamed his voice hoarse and then screamed some more, even though he knew that it wouldn’t help him run any faster. But if he was never going to catch up to Rose then he might as well allow himself the release. “ No! Rose, hold on! Stay with me, love! Please!” The dream changed. He was still running to catch up with Rose, but this time Rose was running from him. Running from the TARDIS, never travelling with him. Staying in the parallel world. Leaving him to stay with Jackie. Placing the dimension hopper over her neck and pressing the button herself. “Stay with me!” The Doctor sobbed. It wasn’t his right; he’d always known he wasn’t worth her forever and it seemed Rose had finally realised it as well. He could hardly blame her for that, and yet he kept after her, unable to accept the decision he’d been waiting for her to make ever since she’d stepped into the TARDIS. Just when he thought he couldn’t take it any longer, there was suddenly a door in the wall to his right where none had been before. It was propped slightly ajar, and golden light was streaming out of it. The Doctor had a split second decision to make, and he ducked through the door after a moment’s hesitation. He found himself surrounded by warmth and acceptance and love that was such a change from his fear and anguish of a moment before he couldn’t take it all in and was startled into wakefulness with the quiet repetition of “ My Doctor.”   “Doctor! Doctor! ” Rose was shaking him, as gently as she was able, but with growing concern when she wasn’t able to wake him just by calling his name, which was usually sufficient. She’d been asleep, but his terrors had been unusually vocal and had woken her. Her heart ached for him. Rose knew the Doctor slept less even than he needed to because of what waited for him in the dark, though she fancied that her presence had helped, some. His nightmares had been given more fodder as of late, however; they both had, but Rose guessed it was his turn now. The Doctor’s eyes shot open wildly, and Rose backed off slightly, watching his gaze flick around the room like a trapped animal. He’d obviously been putting off sleep for longer than Rose thought, if he’d been so deeply under. After catching up with Jack, her friend had offered to help her pack up the flat, and the task had been completed much more quickly with the extra hands. Not that it had been a painless process by any means, but she’d managed to keep it together with the help of both men and had exchanged mobile numbers with Jack as they parted, promising to keep in touch. That night, she and the Doctor had marathoned cartoons in the media room while bingeing on all of Rose’s favourite snacks. She’d been grateful to the Doctor for giving them time to rest and recuperate after their traumatic experience, but now she realised that he hadn’t been doing so himself. “Doctor?” she said again, more quietly, and the Doctor’s eyes locked on her with burning intensity. “Doctor, I’m here,” she reassured him, having a pretty good idea of what his nightmares might have entailed, since she’d experienced the same. “Rose.” She couldn’t parse the myriad emotions bound in the way the Doctor spoke her name; indeed there were some for which she suspected she didn’t have a word. Rose went willingly into the Doctor’s rough embrace, trying to soothe him as best she could. “I’m still here, I promise, always here with you.” “Stay with me, Rose,” the Doctor whispered, sounding as though he couldn’t hear her. “At least for a little while? Please.” The uncertainty in his request brought a lump to her throat. “Doctor, it’s the middle of the night, I’m not going anywhere, yeah? Not for a good long while. I promised you forever, Doctor. I promised you forever, and we did it, we beat the storm, we’re still together.” Gradually, the Doctor’s breathing calmed, but too slowly for Rose. She pressed her forehead to his, having learned early on that even without telepathy, the familiar gesture comforted him. This time, however, the Doctor jerked back slightly, like her touch had burned him. “Doctor? What’s wrong?” Rose was very concerned by her Doctor’s strange behaviour. “Everything,” the Doctor breathed. “No, maybe… nothing.” Rose gripped his shoulders. “You’re not making any sense, Doctor,” she said, a little more sharply now. “Which is it? Just tell me what’s going on.” “Rose, I-” There was a strange, almost eager light in the Doctor’s eyes. “I might be able to show you.” The significance he placed on the words left little doubt what he was talking about. “How d’you mean, Doctor?” His abrupt mood shift had left her bewildered and unsure of what was happening. “That’s impossible. Isn’t it?” “Yes, it ought to be.” He’d never sounded so excited about that fact. “And yet I’m fairly certain I just felt you telepathically.” A hint of a smile graced his face as he monitored her reaction carefully. “Could I… Would you allow me to go in and check?” She could tell he was holding himself back with difficulty. Rose took the Doctor’s hands from where they rested (well, more clenched) at her waist and raised them to her temples. Her acceptance was clear, and the Doctor sucked in a breath. “Well? Go on, then, Doctor,” she said, smiling at him. Even if she hadn’t been completely willing, his obvious eagerness would have convinced her. She knew her initial reaction to telepathy had scared him off even mentioning it around her, which she thought was a shame. It was the surprise of the sudden revelation, in addition to the meddling, that had been her main concern. And now that she’d learned that the Doctor had been in her head twice and she didn’t even remember it, she found herself intensely curious as to what it would feel like. The Doctor’s fingers trembled on her temples as she gave her explicit permission and he held her eyes for a long moment before he closed his, and she followed his lead. Almost immediately, she felt a slight pressure at both her temples, like the Doctor was pressing harder against them, but he wasn’t. It almost felt like knocking, and so Rose imagined opening a door. Even as she did so, the most unique sensation suffused her mind. It was not unlike the feeling she got when eating fizz wiz, except inside her brain, traversing passages and connections that she hadn’t even known were there, like rainwater bringing to life a dried-up stream. She was so caught up in the novelty of it that it took her a while to even parse what she was feeling. Once she began to analyse the visitation, she discovered she would have known it anywhere for the Doctor, even if he wasn’t the only person in the room with her. It was easy to distinguish the foreign emotions from her own, as they were simply so much… stronger, for lack of a better descriptor, which, although it was true, wasn’t quite accurate. Although the initial sense she received was simply of power, she also knew that he was holding himself back; she could feel it, trying to push through, like she was a submarine and he was the ocean’s surrounding depths. She remembered from her French lessons that people who spoke different languages thought in different ways and experienced things through different cultural filters, and she supposed an alien would be the same, only more so. She could put a name to most of the feelings she was picking up, like curiosity or excitement, but they all had a slightly different tone to them that made her hesitate to call them such. Or maybe that was because they were all shot through with something so much bigger and more intense that she could tell was spilling through from the part of himself that he was holding back. She also experienced a colour for which she had no name, which was odd since she knew her eyes were closed, but it was so beautiful she wasn’t about to waste time trying to figure it out; a shimmery platinum-blue tone that matched the feeling running through her head completely. Overall, Rose felt as though she’d just welcomed a sparkly, inquisitive otter into her head, or would do, except for the deeper emotions that lurked beyond the barrier that she could still feel, like an after-image. She found herself reminded of the way she felt when she was looking at exhibits in a museum: reverence for the age and history that had brought it to where it was, the inherent beauty and vast weight of experience that came with being such an ancient thing. Awed, and more than a little overwhelmed, Rose became aware that she’d been holding her breath, and let it out in a big gust as her mind began to adjust to the sensation of having another mind sharing space within it.   Hello, Doctor, she thought. She wasn’t sure how any of this was supposed to work and felt a little silly, but she felt the Doctor’s delight and was reassured. Hello, Rose, he replied, and Rose couldn’t help her wince. It sounded like someone had put a vast echo chamber directly up to her ear. Sorry, the Doctor said, more quietly this time, and Rose could feel the deeper contrition behind the apology. He was trying so hard to make this easier on her, but had very little he could use as a reference. She almost shook her head but remembered she didn’t want to dislodge the Doctor’s fingers. ‘S alright, Doctor, she thought. It’s just… wow.   I know, this is fascinating, Rose! The Doctor enthused, modulating slightly, and Rose would have felt like a science experiment if she hadn’t been able to share the Doctor’s genuine awe and wonder. The way a non-telepathic species responds to this level of connection, the way I look and feel to you… Of course, Rose realised now, he was in her mind, he’d be able to tell what she was thinking. She couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed at how her baby human mind must look to him but the Doctor hastened to disabuse her of that notion. No, Rose, not at all. Your mind is… blimey, it’s beautiful, he said, his presence in her mind brightening as his voice quieted and she knew it as the absolute truth. And I’m not reading your mind, not the way you humans think of it. I’m not looking at your memories at all, in fact. Think of this as a surface connection only… like I’m in the foyer of your mind, if you will. Rose nearly giggled. My mind has a foyer? The Doctor shared her amusement and passed it back. Not exactly. It would do, or something similar anyway, if you’d had any sort of training, or barriers in place. Rose found herself intensely curious. So what’s it look like to you, then? He’d all but declared her mind unstructured, but there was nothing offensive about that - it was true, she’d had no instruction whatsoever. Oh, Rose. Rather than words, she was treated to a series of images of nebulae forming. Rose wanted to demur, but here was no way to doubt his perfect sincerity. The Doctor paused as though to steady himself. Well, at least we know you’re definitely telepathic, Rose, he said, and almost before Rose could consider needing elaboration on that point, he continued. There’s no way you could be holding this conversation with me if you weren’t . There was a slight pause, and a change in the swirling brightness as he considered how to explain. The way I normally use telepathy is the most basic possible: a one-way, temporary connection, usually while I’m looking for something. Exchanging actual words is a step or two above that. Behind the Doctor’s actual words, Rose thought there might be several more stages beyond that, but also his current reluctance to discuss them. So how’m I telepathic now? Rose wondered, and the Doctor’s presence shifted again. Well, he said, and for some reason Rose found it amusing that he retained the same behavioural tics even as a bright light in her mind. I have a theory. But I need to check something first. The bright light faded slightly, and even before the Doctor could say anything more, Rose knew he was preparing to back out of the connection. Wait! Her protest surprised her almost as much as it did the Doctor. Er… not just yet? This feels… Amazing. Wonderful. Cool, she finally settled on, and felt the Doctor’s chuckle. All right, if you insist, he thought, and there was a great deal of happiness in the words but also a slight discomfort. Sorry, if it’s makin’ you uncomfortable… Rose realised her untutored mind could be causing problems for the Doctor and felt bad for her selfish impulse. No, no, no. Rose, not at all. The Doctor’s presence brightened further in her mind until it might have hurt to look at it, if she were actually looking at it. Quite the opposite, in fact. I’m worried I may never be able to leave. Fine by me, she said, and the constantly swirling thoughts in her mind froze for a split second before starting up again. Rose got the impression she’d said something extremely significant but couldn’t understand how, yet. Why don’t we try something else? The Doctor deliberately changed the subject and Rose let him. She already had enough to think about - literally. This is still just a one-way street. I want to see if… maybe, you might be able to initiate a connection. His anticipation was infectious, and Rose found herself eager, rather than nervous. You mean, go into your mind? Yup! The Doctor’s giddiness at the prospect had a deeper undercurrent of something else but Rose couldn’t get a read on it. He must have felt her willingness to try, because he said, Try to follow me back. In the real world, Rose put her hands up to the Doctor’s temples, distracting her for a second, but she was soon ready to follow the silvery-blue otter anywhere it led, just as she followed the Doctor’s physical body. The fizzy sensation began receding from her mind, and she found it easy enough to chase it, until she arrived at what seemed to her like a towering castle wall, complete with moat and drawbridge, which was already lowered for her as she approached. Er… can I come in? She asked, daunted by the enormity of the construction. Always. She felt a shiver of emotion from the Doctor, simultaneous with the feeling like a great portcullis being lifted to allow her entry. Rose could have laughed when she saw what was behind it. Really, Doctor? She thought, remembering halfway that he was able to hear her. A portcullis in front of the TARDIS doors? Don’t you think that’s a little bit overkill? He was a ball of energy before her, exuding vibrant curiosity and desire for her approval. Really? Is that what you see? Interesting. Is that not what’s there? Rose was confused. Not exactly, the Doctor replied, and she could feel his eagerness for her to continue but also his love of explaining new things. Your mind and mine experience things fundamentally differently, as you brilliantly surmised, but aside from that your lack of experience affects things too. For example, my barriers are actually pretty pathetic and out of shape, so the way you perceive them is interesting. I’m not surprised about the TARDIS doors, though. Rather than explain, he simply indicated his permission for her to open them, and she did so, feeling another shiver from the Doctor. Oh Rose. The TARDIS doors will always open for you, key or no key. Spurred on by his absolute acceptance, she followed him in and was immediately assaulted by sensory overload. Surrounded on all sides by babbling voices in every language, she felt as though she’d just been dropped in the middle of the busiest, most multicultural city imaginable. She barely had time to process anything before the noise abruptly ceased and she found herself standing in the TARDIS console room. Sorry. The Doctor’s voice was even more contrite than before. He stood next to the console, no longer the formless entity she’d perceived when he was in her mind, but he felt exactly the same. Let you get too far. That was my fault. Are you all right? Yeah, she answered, already soothed by the familiar surroundings. It made sense now why the Doctor hadn’t been surprised by the TARDIS doors. So this is your mind’s foyer? Yup! He rocked back on his heels just like he would in the physical world and she couldn’t suppress a grin. The pressure that she’d felt before was stronger here, since she was in his mind this time instead of the other way around. She was also dimly aware of how he effortlessly accepted her entire presence, which made sense, given that there was considerably less of it, all told, and lucky, since she had no way of holding herself back like he did. He watched quietly as she familiarised herself with the differing sensations she was receiving, looking around the console room that was so familiar and yet not. While she was completely unsurprised to find the console to be an exact replica of the real one (at least, so far as she could tell), she’d never found the room in which it was housed to feel so… cavernous. It was a large room, certainly, but it always hummed with the sound of the time rotor and the TARDIS’ presence. Even without the Doctor, the few times she’d ventured there alone, she’d never felt as though the room was empty. She did here. It was a pervasive, hollow ache that permeated everything she could feel. The echo-y vastness of the room accepted all she was like it was a drop in a bucket and she got the distinct feeling it was because this particular room was intended to house much more than just the essence of Rose Tyler, twenty year old human. Unbidden, a memory surfaced (one of her own) from a basement in Utah. ‘I'd feel them, in here.’ Suddenly, the emptiness of the room made awful sense. She’d had no idea that what he’d meant was that he was supposed to sense them all the time. The time rotor here was still and silent because there were no Time Lord consciousnesses to monitor; the foyer was Time Lord sized, dwarfing her. Oh, Doctor… He stared at her. You can feel that? How can you… You shouldn’t be able to feel that! How can I not? Rose asked, fighting back against the sensation that threatened to pull her under. She knew she could hardly make a difference but it made her feel better to try. The other impressions she’d gotten from him when he was in her mind were stronger here too: the juxtaposition of age-old wisdom with his vibrant curiosity, the otherworldly beauty, and she tried to focus on those. If she’d been awed, feeling his presence in her mind, it was as nothing compared to how she felt now, closer to the source. Rose… He was looking at her with all the wonder she felt, but she couldn’t remember to feel embarrassed. All she could think about was how beautiful his mind was. Despite the sadness and the loneliness (or even, she admitted to herself, including them, since they were just as much a part of the Doctor as all the rest) it was the most wonderful place she’d ever been. Impulsively, unable to find a better outlet for these unaccustomed emotions, she grabbed the Doctor around the waist in a hug. He hugged her back instinctively and she grinned in triumph, having been unsure that it would work that way here. Rose had intended for it to be a chaste hug, but it heated up more quickly than she could have imagined; the Doctor stroking her lower back in a way designed to have her tilt her head up for a kiss, which he claimed eagerly. The pressure intensified as if the Doctor was having to try harder to hold himself back. It wasn’t that this was anything they hadn’t done before, but the swirling emotions were so much more intense than Rose was used to; she felt as though she might spontaneously combust. The Doctor groaned and broke their contact, and through her miasma of lust Rose could sense the superhuman effort it took for him to do so. Rose, he said, his voice almost back to the volume it had been earlier, helping to cut through more of her desire, I’m going to break our telepathic contact now. She agreed, too dazed and confused to argue, and subsequently felt him gently easing their minds apart, like blowing a bubble in reverse. They were both breathing heavily as they slowly returned to awareness of reality, lying in bed, and the fog surrounding Rose’s mind resolved itself into a pounding headache not unlike the kind she’d have waking up after a night of drinking. She moaned and held her head, and instantly the Doctor was there, running his fingers through her hair to rest at the base of her skull, rubbing soothing circles. Rose sighed as she felt the pain recede slightly. “Side effect of stretching muscles you’ve never used before,” the Doctor murmured apologetically. “I’ve got something I can give you for that.” “‘M alright, Doctor,” Rose replied. “This is nice for now.” The Doctor hummed, and his fingers trembled on her skin. Rose had regained enough awareness by this point to remember that the Doctor had very nearly kicked her out of his mind and her insides squirmed a little, going cold. “Did I-?” she asked, at the same time as the Doctor said, “Well, that-” Their eyes met in the darkness of their bedroom. The Doctor smiled; Rose did not. “You first, Rose,” he said firmly, expression sobering, and Rose gratefully took the opportunity not to be distracted. “Did I do something wrong, Doctor?” she asked, her voice quiet. The Doctor’s hands stilled briefly before starting up again, and her stomach dropped, her worries confirmed. “Are we not supposed to touch in there, or something? I wasn’t even sure we’d be able to, I just needed…” She closed her eyes, unable to look at him, shame at her randy human hormones sweeping through her. “No, no, no, no, no, my Rose.” The Doctor pulled her close, stroking her cheek with his other hand. “No, I’m sorry, that was my fault and I didn’t prepare you the way I should have. There are things I need to explain to you about telepathy. Things that I never imagined I would need to explain to anyone. And I should have done so beforehand but I let things go too far, as usual.” He kept his voice even but Rose fancied she could sense his emotions, his frustration, the way she’d been able to when they were connected. Not being able to felt empty, and wrong, despite only just having discovered how it felt, and she ached anew for the Doctor, having to feel that way all the time. “No,” the Doctor repeated. “Remember, I could feel everything you felt. Having you there was…” His hands stilled again as he searched for a word. Apparently unable to find one, he shook his head. “It was wonderful, Rose. English doesn’t have a word for how it felt. That’s why I had to pull back - it was nothing you did.” “Okay.” Reassured, Rose twisted to look at him again. “So, can you explain, Doctor? I want to know…” She was interrupted by a large yawn, a reminder of the fact that it was still the middle of the night. The Doctor ruffled her hair fondly. “I will, Rose. I promise. But I think that’s a discussion we can have tomorrow. Go back to sleep, love.” Worn out from her mental exertion, Rose didn’t argue, though she wanted to. “Love you,” she murmured sleepily. “I love you too,” the Doctor whispered. “Oh, my Rose. I love you so much.” But Rose was already asleep.  ~oOo~ The Doctor lay on his back, gazing up at the ceiling. His whirring mind belied his calm exterior as he worked to fit all the pieces together. The telepathic encounter with Rose had been impossible. Unexpected. Utterly addictive. The golden light interrupting his nightmare had been one thing - I want you safe, my Doctor - but when Rose had touched her forehead to his and he’d felt a glimmer, like a crack of light peeking through a closed door, he’d known he was lost. He’d fallen completely for Rose Tyler while he’d thought she hated telepathy, much less believed that such connection would even be an option. He’d fallen, knowing all along that it meant he would be cut off from the larger part of the way his body was wired to accept intimacy. It was a choice he’d made willingly; so gladly it almost couldn’t be called a choice. There could only ever be Rose Tyler for him, and she already fit into his mad life more perfectly than anyone he’d ever met. To wish for more that he couldn’t have would have been beyond arrogance. But now… Even his impressive mental capacity nearly hurt itself with all the directions it tried to go in at once. He would have to explain how telepathic bonds worked, first. Rose needed to know absolutely everything she was getting into before they attempted any further forays into each others’ minds. It would have been better to start any experiments after such explanation in any case, but he’d been greedy, and still coming down from the fear of his nightmare. He hadn’t even tried to wait. That assumed she even wanted more. The Doctor attempted to rein in his racing thoughts. She’d been so eager, so receptive… it was more than he had ever dreamed. But she was still so inexperienced when it came to telepathy. Just because she had responded positively to what they’d done tonight didn’t mean that she would want anything deeper, or more permanent. He would have to make it clear in his explanation that he in no way expected her to. A cold twist of regret filled the space between his hearts. He’d wanted to do something to show Rose how much she meant to him, and before he’d even really been aware of it he’d been going over what he knew of human marriage customs. Due to his impulsiveness, that window had closed now. He briefly considered trying to sneak something in with Rose’s breakfast in the morning before immediately dismissing the notion. He wanted to do things properly. But the fact remained that Rose was going to want to hear his explanation in the morning. And he knew that once he explained, he wouldn’t be able to hide his desire to share a bond with her. The Doctor frowned. He now saw that the better course of action would have been to propose to Rose first. He wanted, no, he needed Rose to understand that he wanted her with him, in whatever way she felt most comfortable. Before the discovery of her telepathy, he would have considered himself the luckiest being in the universe to be able to marry Rose Tyler and call her his wife. He burned with frustration that he hadn’t thought of it in time - marriage certainly didn’t come naturally to him but he’d been around humans long enough to know it would be what Rose would expect. Rose sighed and turned in her sleep, snuggling closer against him, and his train of thought scattered immediately, like chaff on the wind. His hearts burned so intensely it was almost uncomfortable, thinking about how much he loved her, and how close he’d come to losing her, and he realised none of the rest of it mattered. This was Rose, his precious girl, who had defied time and space itself to stay with him. He pulled her closer still against his body, closing his eyes as he savoured the simple fact that he was able to do so. She’d given them this; a future. It was up to him to make sure it was a fantastic one. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Breakfast the next morning was more tense than usual. For one thing, Rose was far more alert than she’d ever been in the morning, watching him with bright, inquisitive eyes, and the Doctor knew that she hadn’t forgotten their truncated conversation of the previous night and was simply waiting for him to bring it up again. The Doctor, for his part, was trying to stay on top of his nerves as he prepared himself to undertake what would potentially be the most important conversation of their relationship.As they were sitting across from each other nursing their second cup of tea, Rose finally took the initiative. The Doctor was surprised it had taken her so long.“All right, Doctor,” she said, not unkindly, leaning back slightly in her chair. “How’d you like to do this?”He swallowed the sense of irrational panic that threatened to choke him, gathering up enough air to speak. “Well…” His voice emerged several octaves higher and he cleared his throat again, as Rose watched with a fond expression on her face. “For starters, I’d really like to go to the med bay and run some tests.” He saw her expression fall as he said the hated ‘m’ word and hastened to explain.“ Please , Rose. We already know you’ve changed. I need to know how, and how much.” He hoped she knew he wasn’t trying to dodge the discussion and quickly added, “we can talk while we’re there, Rose, I promise. But it would honestly help me give my explanation if I knew… well, what to explain.”Rose was already halfway to her feet. “I guess I should just be surprised it’s taken you two days to ask - I’m actually sort of impressed, Doctor.”He scratched the back of his neck ruefully, conceding the point. His restraint had been deliberate, and difficult. “I just want to make sure you’re safe.” I want you safe. Rose stepped around the table to cup his cheek in her hand. “I know. My Doctor.” He leaned into her caress and she placed a soft kiss on his lips before taking his hand.“Come on, then,” she said. “Let’s get this over with.” He squeezed her hand in relief and followed her to the med bay.At first, his attention was devoted to setting up the equipment. He had Rose lie on her back as he ran several passes over her with the sonic, setting it to a different frequency each time. Rose sat up as he inserted the sonic into the machine and set the scans to run, and they both reached for their teacups that they’d brought from the galley. She looked at him expectantly, eyebrow arched, and he realised he was no closer to a beginning than he had been the previous night.“So… telepathy,” she prompted. The Doctor nodded vigorously, opened his mouth once or twice to say something, only nothing came out. She shook her head indulgently, taking pity on him.“Let’s start with what the rules are, Doctor. I know you said I didn’t do anything wrong but you still had to pull back. You said you’d explain why.”Buoyed by the underlying assumption that she intended to repeat the previous night’s activities, the Doctor took a fortifying sip of his tea. That was his Rose. Always cutting straight to the heart of the matter. Rules. He could work with rules.“Well, the rules are different for each telepathic species, of course,” he began, and Rose gave him a look that told him she knew what he was doing and he quickly put himself on track. “But for my people - Gallifreyans - it all boils down to a few central tenets. Consent, obviously, is paramount, which you already know. Respecting privacy, locked doors, all that.”He paused. Most of the regulations actually involved bonded pairs rather than general telepathic contact, and he still hadn’t thought of a way to bring that up.“So touching while in each other’s minds is…” Rose prompted again, a touch impatiently (as well she might), and the Doctor took a deep breath.“It’s fine in theory,” he said at last. “Of course, Gallifreyans in general and Time Lords in particular weren’t much given to contact in any form, physical or otherwise: exchange of emotions was thought to be quite sufficient. However, given the heightened emotions inherent in any telepathic exchange, it’s easy for matters to… escalate. Especially between two people who love each other.” He used the word deliberately and his reward was the smile that broke across Rose’s face like the dawn.“You mean, like telepathic sex?” she asked, not looking daunted in the slightest by the prospect, and the Doctor was forced to confront a whole other set of difficulties for this conversation that he hadn’t considered. He swallowed thickly, tasting the tea in the back of his throat.“Yup!” His voice was squeaky again and he worked to force it back to its usual tenor. As he’d expected, he was having a hard time disguising how much he wanted this. Rose looked speculative, and it was all he could do not to throw himself at her and beg her to let him show her what it could be like. He had Plans. Would have plans. Anyway.“So you pulled back last night because you didn’t want to…” She bit her lip in an uncertain expression, and the Doctor nearly sent his cup of tea hurtling to the floor in his haste to take her hands, twining them in her lap.“I meant what I said last night, Rose. It was incredible. I wanted…” His voice cut out under the weight of just how much he wanted, and from the sudden widening of her eyes, it seemed Rose understood. The presence of her hands in his kept him from clenching his fists. “But I couldn’t. Not until you understood everything that would entail.”She nodded slowly. “Consent, yeah.” He felt an odd sense of relief that she was taking this so seriously, although he hadn’t really expected otherwise. It was time.“I told you already, that my people preferred to experience emotional rather than physical contact - speaking of ordinary Gallifreyans, of course, very little emotional exchange going on amongst us Time Lords - well, it was the same for intimacy. Given our long life spans the urge to procreate was not a priority, so over time we evolved to require only the mental aspect.”A spark of realisation lit in Rose’s eyes and he knew she’d already put together what that meant for him without him even needing to put it into words. His love for her soared even as he hastened to reassure her.“Now, obviously that’s not the case for me. Even if I weren’t now affected by a certain biological imperative-” one that had wasted no time in kicking him upside the head when he was presented with the vision that was Rose in her Cardiff gown, catching him completely off guard - “I’ve always felt very differently about you, love.”Rose smiled shyly at him from beneath her luscious lashes, proving his point, and the Doctor had to force himself to continue with the discussion.“So you want to… with me.” Rose said. It wasn’t quite a question, but the Doctor responded anyway.“Oh, yes.” As if that could ever have been in doubt. Rose frowned slightly.“So why couldn’t you, Doctor? Why hold back this time? You didn’t when…”Passionate memories of their previous trysts flooded the Doctor’s body with warmth and he groaned low in his throat. From the way Rose shifted ever so slightly, recollections were affecting her, too.“First,” he forced out, unwilling to be distracted again, “I wasn’t sure how much strain your mental capacity could handle, which is another reason I wanted to run these tests.” Rose blinked. He could tell she’d forgotten about the exam - he almost had, himself. “And second, that sort of contact is only possible within a bond.” The last few words came out in a rush. Rose blinked again.“A bond,” she repeated. The Doctor held his breath. The room had gone fuzzy around the edges, everything except Rose blurry and indistinct. “So just to be clear here, we’re talking about more than just a mind meld, yeah? Don’t tell me this is like a ‘no sex before marriage’ thing… is it?” Her voice raised slightly as she found no denial in his expression. He quirked a smile.“I know. Terribly old-fashioned, isn’t it?” He felt a ramble coming on and was helpless to stop it. “Which was why it was starting to become unpopular, even among ordinary Gallifreyans. Permanently sharing your mind with another, letting yourself be that vulnerable, all for some metaphysical canoodling, it just wasn’t seen to be worth it. Not to mention all the pomp and circumstance that began to grow up around it. Honestly, I remember one ceremony-”“Doctor.” Rose stopped him, and he was glad to be stopped, his gob taking him places his mind didn’t particularly want to go back to. She looked into his eyes for a moment, making sure she had his full attention before continuing. “Is that even something we could do? Is my telepathy strong enough for that?”There were so many answers the Doctor could give to that question; he settled for a simple, “Yes.”Rose accepted his answer, considered it. He waited with bated breath. Finally she said, “You said it would be permanent, yeah? So what happens, when I…?”She didn’t have to say it - they both knew what she was referring to. The Doctor suppressed a shudder.“Well, by all accounts, it would be extremely painful if the bond were to be broken for any reason. You’re making the other person’s mind a part of your own, so you’d be left with a missing piece.” He couldn’t keep the bleakness from his voice as he forcibly relived the few seconds when he’d thought Rose was going to fall. Being without her - bond or no bond - would have been unbearable. “But unless I very much miss my guess…”At that moment, the scanner dinged, and the Doctor and Rose both froze.As though in a trance, the Doctor slowly reached for his specs, carefully unfolding them and putting them on without looking away from Rose. Rose squeezed his hands.“Okay, Rose Tyler,” he exclaimed, rolling his chair back and turning towards the monitor in the same movement. “Let’s see what my magnificent time and space ship has to tell us.”He scanned the list, Rose coming to stand behind him even though she couldn’t read the script. She was about to prompt for an explanation when the Doctor clapped a hand to his forehead.“Oh, stupid Doctor!” Rose jumped, startled.“What is it?” she asked, her voice slightly sharp. His attitude wasn’t the most reassuring.“Oh, I’m sorry Rose, it’s nothing bad. I just compared the readings I just took with the ones I got when I took care of you after Canary Wharf.” Rose vaguely remembered him being perturbed by something the last time they’d been in here but she’d been more concerned with wanting to get into bed, feeling his arms around her, and putting the whole bloody day behind her.“Here, look.” He changed the readout to English and put the two scans side by side for her perusal. Even in English there were a lot of words Rose didn’t know, but she forged ahead anyway, not wanting to be left behind. “I was getting abnormal levels of something in your body but I couldn’t tell what it was. I thought it might be residual Void stuff and I was intending to check it later.”“But if it’s not Void stuff, what is it then?”“It’s artron, Rose.” The Doctor had his chin in his hand, still studying the charts, but his heels were bouncing excitedly under the table.“You mean, more than normal, right?” Rose asked. Having just explained the concept to Mickey she knew there was something more to it that had the Doctor excited.“Way, way more,” the Doctor said. “In addition to quite a large amount of huon energy. And given that huon particles destabilise the atomic structure I'd normally be very, very concerned by that, but what it says here is exactly the opposite.”Rose read the line the Doctor was pointing to. “My cells aren’t aging?” she summarised.“ You aren’t aging, Rose,” the Doctor confirmed gently, and for the first time since they’d woken up she couldn’t get a read on his emotions. “Well, you are, just very slowly. In fact, you’re aging just as slowly as I am.”Rose stared with widened eyes at the Doctor, at the screen, and then back again. It was good news, because it meant she wouldn’t have to leave the Doctor on his own. It was just a lot to take in. The fact of her mortality had been a sticking point in their relationship for so long; even once the Doctor had finally conquered his fears and given into his feelings she’d been surprised. Ecstatic, but surprised. She couldn’t possibly imagine how it might feel to outlive everyone you loved - now, it seemed, she would find out, but with the Doctor at her side. She could face anything so long as that was true.Imagining that the Doctor’s less than enthusiastic reaction was based on similar thoughts, she attempted to steer the conversation in a safer direction. “So wanna explain what the rest of it says?” she asked. She could read it herself but was hoping to distract him, and it worked.“ Enhanced frontal lobe - that’s how you can manage telepathy now, Rose. Enhanced strength -”“Strength?” Rose repeated, in surprise.“Yup!” The Doctor popped the ‘p’, then sobered, turning his chair slightly to face her. “Rose, you shouldn’t have been able to hang onto that lever as long as you did.”Without thinking about it, Rose took advantage of his changed position to climb into his lap, the reminder making her want to be as close to him as possible. The Doctor’s arms closed instantly around her waist, holding her tightly for a moment and stroking her back, reassuring them both.Once they’d had a chance to compose themselves, he continued, lulling her with the sensation of his voice resonating in his chest. “The sprains I healed… they were consistent with a much stronger force than the human body is built to withstand.” He clutched her closer at the reminder of how close he’d come to losing her.Rose ran her fingers through the short hair at the back of his neck, searching for a way to divert the topic once again. “So - hang on,” she said, genuinely curious. “These are changes from when I was Bad Wolf, right?” The Doctor nodded, pulling back to look at her. “So how comes I never noticed any of this before now? Super strength? Telepathy?”The Doctor luxuriated under her continued caresses, looking pensive. “That’s a good question. I believe your telepathy went unnoticed because it was undirected. It’s not like you see in the movies, open to every passing thought. Well, it is for some species I suppose, but Gallifreyans were touch telepaths, which means our telepathy is already somewhat focussed in nature.” He pressed his tongue to the back of his teeth and Rose wanted to sweep it into her mouth. She refocussed with difficulty.“From what I can tell, Bad Wolf changed you to be capable of telepathy so that you were able to direct the TARDIS when you merged, but you don’t have any innate telepathy of your own. It likely protected you from the psychograft as well. Last night, you were able to follow me back to my mind but I was still sustaining the contact largely on my own. If I had to guess, that is,” he added, offhand, but Rose didn’t doubt he was right. It was a good enough answer for now.“So what about the super strength? That’s something I’m sure I would’ve noticed.”"Enhanced strength, Rose, and if you’re interested we can test the limits of it later. I doubt you can, say, lift a car or anything like that. But are you so sure you haven’t felt the effects of it already?”Rose frowned, trying to think. “What do you mean?”“Well, I’ve never really put it together before now, but that sword you tossed me, when I was fighting the Sycorax?” Rose nodded, remembering. Though she hadn’t thought about the incident for some time she considered it one of her finest hours. “Well, that sword was made of halkonite steel: one of the densest metals in the galaxy. And you tossed it, one-handed, what… fifteen, twenty feet?”Rose blinked. She’d been quite proud of her movie star moment, but had chalked it up to adrenaline when the sword hadn’t felt heavy at all in her hand.“And what about that time on Rysa when we had to escape from those cultists?” The Doctor was starting to sound excited, the way he always was when piecing together a mystery.Rose’s palms grew sweaty at the memory. They’d been herded to take a mountain path that had unceremoniously turned into a sheer cliff face about halfway down. Everything had been going fine until Rose’s foot had slipped on a patch of grass and she’d suddenly found herself clinging to the rock face with one hand. She’d managed to switch her grip to a safer part of the cliff in order to descend successfully. In the moment, all she’d cared about was survival, not on precisely how she was able to keep her grip, and afterwards she’d written it off as luck.“And that’s another thing, Rose, now that I think about it. You know I’ve got a superior physiology; that’s just a fact. But you’ve been keeping up with me much more easily these days. Normally I hold back a little when I’m with someone else but I haven’t been, the past little while. I’ve forgotten to because I haven’t needed to.” His eyes widened. “Oh.”“What is it, Doctor?” Rose asked again, feeling a little bit like she had whiplash. The Doctor didn’t seem too concerned but so much had changed today that she felt slightly off-kilter. To her further confusion, a pink blush appeared high on the Doctor’s cheekbones and he shifted under her uneasily, stopping just short of adjusting his collar. His reluctance was obvious, but to his credit he didn’t try to evade her question.“Well, I’ve just realised what with this talk of your endurance-” here, he seemed to recover some of his aplomb and favoured her with a cheeky wink, leaving her in no doubt about what he meant - “that these changes mean we are far more compatible than I believed at first.”“Oh!” Rose repeated, unable to help the brief panic that flashed through her. She knew it was unnecessary since the Doctor wasn’t bothered but she couldn’t help it. She’d had a pregnancy scare with Jimmy and it was a feeling you never really forgot.“Rose?” The Doctor slid his hands up her arms to grasp her shoulders. “It’s all right. You’re not pregnant. If you were, it would show.”She believed him; he would be far more concerned if there were even the slightest chance. She pushed the irrational fear, which was more memories than anything, aside and nodded at the Doctor.“It’s okay, Doctor. Just a surprise is all.”“I’m sorry, Rose,” he said, his expression more concerned now that the discussion was focussed on her. “I told you it was safe, I should’ve been more certain, I could’ve…”Rose shook her head. “You weren’t to know,” she said, thinking all the while how lucky they’d been. It only took once, and they’d been at least partially compatible the whole time. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d taken birth control. She chuckled a little.“What is it?” The Doctor’s eyes were still searching her expression - he thought she’d be angry with him.She pressed her lips together briefly, but still answered him, if only because he looked so worried.“I guess we’re not all that compatible then?” She couldn’t pin down one thing she was feeling and the Doctor was understandably confused.“What do you mean?” His eyes widened slightly. “Rose… you don’t want children?” It was almost not a question. Rose huffed a breath and shrugged, fighting the urge to pull away from the Doctor, wondering how on Earth she’d ended up in this conversation.“I dunno, never really thought about it.” She tried to keep the defensive edge out of her tone. “I didn’t, with Jimmy or Mickey, even if I hadn’t been too young, which I was.” The Doctor was still watching her intently, and she smiled up at him through her lashes. “And then I fell pretty hard for this fascinating bloke who swept me off my feet to travel through time and space.” The Doctor started smiling too, and Rose was relieved when his expression changed. “And since he happened to be an alien, it was never really a consideration for me.”When the Doctor still didn’t respond, she blinked, looking at him properly. Beneath the veneer of concern there was longing there, deep and dark and keen. The kind of emotion she had no proper name for, couldn’t even begin to grasp with her paltry twenty years of existence.“Oh,” she whispered again. “But you… Doctor, you really want kids.” This time there could be no doubt, but he still shook his head immediately.“Not if you don’t want them,” he said seriously. He ran a gentle hand through her hair.“Tell you what,” he said, before she had a chance to respond. “We’re not deciding this today. I’ve got a contraceptive I can take in the meantime. If and when you decide you want to revisit this conversation, we can reevaluate. All right?” He carded his hands through the hair behind her ears again, smiling tenderly. “You take as much time as you need.”The breath Rose let out was slightly shaky with relief, and she nodded. “I guess we’ve got lots of time, don’t we?”The intensity still hadn’t left the Doctor’s eyes - he looked at her like she was the only woman in the universe. “We do.”The words were an invocation, a vow. She smiled despite the trembling in her chest. “Good.”The corners of his mouth turned down. “Good? Rose, you’re going to live a very long time. Maybe even as long as I will. That sort of life… it becomes a burden, after a while.”Rose should have felt angry, but she couldn’t stop smiling. She cupped his face in her hands. “Yes, it’s good. Because it means you won’t be alone, Doctor. I want you safe.” His eyes flashed, and his hands twined more securely in her hair. “And that doesn’t just mean not in danger. It means your hearts, too.” She lowered her hands until they were each resting on top of one.The Doctor’s eyes never left hers. “Rose Tyler.”It reminded her of all the times before he’d said her name as a full sentence, containing more meanings than either of them had words for. It was why she’d never felt like she needed a more overt declaration of his feelings for her: it was all there in those three syllables instead.They shared a lingering kiss, and when they parted the Doctor was looking at her less like Bad Wolf and more like herself. She knew he was struggling to believe that he deserved what she’d done to herself for him, and yet with her family now living in the parallel world, she didn’t feel that it was entirely for his benefit.“Better with two,” she reminded him, and his mouth quirked. “Besides, I’ll still have Jack. He’ll outlive everyone now, thanks to me.” Guilt threatened to overwhelm her, and she pushed it aside with difficulty.“It’s not your fault,” the Doctor said quietly, but Rose just inclined her head. Maybe someday she’d be able to believe him. Then his lips turned down again, and her heart sank further when she realised she hadn’t distracted him from the previous topic like she’d hoped. “It’s not what I would have wanted for you,” he said, even more softly, and Rose clenched her hands in his shirt as if to grasp the hearts she hoped to protect.“Maybe not,” she conceded. “But it’s what I wanted for you.”The Doctor’s eyes widened, and he swooped down to capture her lips again a moment later. Rose allowed herself to get lost in the sensations of kissing the Doctor; kids, super strength, extended life and all of it out the window. If it meant she got to do this, she could handle anything.Before matters could get too heated, however, the Doctor pulled back. His pupils were blown and his hearts, still under her hands, were pounding, and she realised her declaration had affected him in more ways than one. She blinked up at him as he licked his lips unconsciously, trying to regulate her own breathing. The Doctor cleared his throat.“So I’ll just, ehm, dose myself with this…” He gestured vaguely to a glass cabinet that dominated one of the walls that looked like it contained a vial of every substance ever created - and she wouldn’t put it past him if it did.“And then can we go somewhere else?” Rose begged. “Somewhere with comfy chairs, maybe? I want to talk more about telepathy.” Their discussion of bonding had raised far more questions than it had answered before they’d gotten so thoroughly sidetracked. The Doctor’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he nodded slowly.“Of course, of course.” He found the vial he was looking for and prepared a hypospray. “Now all I have to do is take this every six months and we’re safe as houses,” he informed her as he worked. “One hundred percent prevention rate.” Rose blinked as he gave himself a perfunctory jab in the arm and released the solution.“There,” he said, grinning at her. “All sorted.” He paused. “Why do you look so surprised?”Rose raised one shoulder in a shrug. “It’s just… I know in the future medicine’s advanced and all but, I dunno, it feels like I should be doing something more about this.”“Oh yes, twenty-first century attitudes towards contraception.” The Doctor nodded knowingly as he disposed of the hypospray. “You lot grow out of it, eventually,” he drawled, his back to her as he rearranged the scanners, then he turned back towards her, flipping his sonic screwdriver before replacing it in his pocket. “Besides, makes more sense to deal with matters at the source, as it were.” He held out his hand to her, waggling his fingers. “Shall we?”Rose took his hand and followed him out into the corridor. “Where are we going? Library?”The Doctor shook his head. “It’s called the Zero Room.”Rose arched an eyebrow. “Sounds sinister.”“It’s not!” The Doctor protested. “It’s just… very, very quiet. Cosmically and, more important - at least for our purposes - telepathically so.” He slid open a door to an airy, white room floored with a plush carpet. Rose’s feet sank into the weave as she felt a wave of peace wash over her, like a headache had been eased that she’d lived with so long she’d forgotten she had it. She let out a long breath, and the Doctor mirrored her at the same moment.“What is this place?” Rose felt the need to whisper, for some reason.“This, Rose, is the everything-proof room.” The Doctor’s voice was quiet and still, but that was more due to the lack of reverberation. “It is the most telepathically neutral space left in the universe and is therefore the best place for you to develop your basic telepathy.”Rose inhaled deeply. “Why does it smell like roses?”The Doctor pulled her close, burying his nose in her hair. “It always has, since I stole the TARDIS and ran away,” he replied. “Her subtle way of hinting me, I suppose. She exists outside of space and time, so in a way you’ve always been a part of her.”Rose pulled away, grinning up at the ceiling. She almost thought she could hear a hum, like someone listening to a symphony in another room.“Is that her? Is that the TARDIS?” She looked back at the Doctor, wide-eyed, and found that he was grinning at her.“That’s her. She’s expending quite a bit of effort to reach you, but she wanted you to know she was here.”“Hello, Dear,” Rose said. The sound caressed her, then it was gone, but the presence lingered.“Can you talk to her all the time?” she asked, as the Doctor led them to sit in the centre of the room.“Yup, except when she’s sulky and won’t talk back,” he teased, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees. Rose mirrored his posture. “If we bond, you should be able to too, through my connection.” His face shuttered briefly as if he hadn’t meant to say that.“ When we bond, Doctor,” Rose corrected him gently, and his eyes snapped open. “I want to learn more about telepathy and bonding and everything, but none of it will change my mind. If our life spans aren’t going to interfere I want to share forever with you, in every way possible.”The Doctor cupped her face in his hands, his long fingers behind her ears and away from her temples. “Love… I believe you. And I can’t tell you just how much that means to me. I may not even be able to fully show you. But you’re still so new to telepathy. And there are things in my head that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, let alone my third heart.”Rose nuzzled into his touch, feeling a familiar rush of affection for her daft Time Lord. “Doctor, your ship has a room that smells like roses because she knew she would merge with a human so that you wouldn’t have to be alone.” She met the Doctor’s eyes. “I absorbed the Time Vortex so I wouldn’t have to leave you. I’m not about to do it now.”The Doctor’s expression softened. “Quite right.” He pressed a brief, chaste kiss to her lips. “Still, I’m not going to let you agree to anything until you understand more about what telepathy entails. Once we’ve bonded, there’s no going back.”Rose nodded, secretly adoring this honourable streak of his even though she’d never tell him so. “I understand, Doctor,” she said, before breaking into a grin. “Just as soon as you admit you’re stuck with me.”“Stuck with you, Rose Tyler?” he asked, tracing the shape of her lips with his finger. “Could be worse.”She stuck her tongue out at him and he relented easily, snaking his hand down to her shoulders to pull her closer. “Couldn’t be better,” he admitted, before connecting their lips again and engaging her tongue in a far more pleasant activity.Much later, after seeking and being given murmured consent, the Doctor slipped easily into Rose’s mind. Now that she knew some of what to expect, the sensation was less overwhelming, but still very pleasant. The Doctor’s pearlescent otter swirled in slow patterns in her mind’s eye, back and forth. Hello, she said again, at a loss as to what else to say. Hello, he responded, no less eager than the first time but his tone was tempered by something else. The pressure seemed more intense this time, as though her submarine had moved to deeper waters, but it could just have been because she was expecting it. Rose, we’ll get to the lesson in a minute, but first there’s something I want to tell you. Rose didn’t say anything, but she knew the Doctor could pick up on her willingness to listen - she could sense how important whatever he was going to say was to him. That’s right, Rose, the Doctor told her. If she concentrated, she could almost see the otter wearing specs. When our minds are connected like this, we can feel the truth of what the other is thinking. If we were bonded, that’s how we would be, all the time. The same way you know how someone close to you is really feeling, even if they’ve told you otherwise. Rose considered the Doctor’s words. So… you’d always be able to tell what I was thinking? Of course, she’d been able to suss out the Doctor’s true feelings for a while now, and vice versa. But she had no point of reference for the degree of intimacy the Doctor was describing. In a general sense. The Doctor’s presence was giving off little sparks in his anxiety. It wouldn’t be literal mind reading - not without expending a reasonable amount of effort. But you wouldn’t be able to lie, or conceal how you were feeling. Rose was so surprised she barely even thought about how that would affect her. And… you’d want that. With me. For as long as she’d known him the Doctor had rarely been forthcoming with his feelings. Yes. Rose knew what he meant about not being able to lie; there was no question of believing him. But she thought she would have known his sincerity, even if they hadn’t been connected. She remembered how it had felt when she was in his mind, that yawning, gnawing emptiness. Rose… The Doctor paused, and she got confused impressions as he considered. Can we go into my mind for a bit? Rose couldn’t see why not, so she agreed, and without further ado she found herself standing in the console room of the Doctor’s creation once again.Rather than hold himself apart this time, the Doctor came to her and took her hands. More than the usual warmth sparked from the contact, spreading across her skin. Rose felt as though she’d sunk her body into a warm bath. I wanted to tell you now, before things went any further. Yes, it is empty in my head, emptier than it was ever supposed to be, but that is not why I want a bond with you. That’s not why you should agree. I want to be with you, in whatever way you want. The Doctor’s eyes, boring into hers, were as dark as she’d ever seen them, fathomless, and yet warmer than the current she could feel running over her skin. That’s all I want. All I’ve ever wanted. Rose couldn’t possibly doubt his sincerity - it loaded his every word and gesture like an anchor. If she’d held any lingering concerns as to his motivations, they were easily dispelled. If anything, she couldn’t help but think about the road that had led them here, where his unfinished sentence outside a cafe had become twilit kisses in Churchill’s England which had reached their inevitable conclusion beneath an impossible black hole. He’d made the choice to move beyond his very reasonable fears before they’d learned any of this, when he still thought he would lose her at the end of her human life. She’d meant enough to him that he’d moved forward anyway, and her heart swelled to aching with love. Oh, love… The Doctor pressed a kiss to her forehead that nonetheless felt like the first spark setting tinder ablaze. Rose wondered if she would ever get used to how much more intense feelings were while they were connected. Indeed… Rose, I believe it would be prudent to move back into your mind now, the Doctor said, his voice sounding strained and his eyes as wild as she’d ever seen them. She could feel the pressure all around her now, squeezing her, but it didn’t make her feel uncomfortable; quite the opposite. It felt like a dam before it burst: she wanted to break the restraint and revel in the flood. Now, Rose, the Doctor reminded her, and reluctantly she led the retreat back into her mind. She couldn’t help but feel slightly cold, but it was also somewhat of a relief. Doctor, how comes we have bodies in your mind but not in mine? She asked a question she’d been considering for a while, watching the silvery beam of light illuminate everything it touched. We will do, once your telepathy is a little bit more developed, the Doctor answered. He seemed relieved to be in her mind again too, coiling in tight spirals for no overt purpose except because he could. That will come with time. For now, I want to work on the most important thing, which is building up your telepathic barriers. This will keep you safe inside your mind. Aside from preventing less scrupulous telepathic beings from rummaging about inside your head, it will also shield you from incoming signals which could be harmful or overwhelming. Rose nodded - that sounded very good to her. I thought it might. Now, I want you to imagine the safest place you know. Rose couldn’t help it - her first thought was of being wrapped in the Doctor’s arms. Rose, please. But the Doctor couldn’t hide the flood of emotion that belied his words.Rose was unrepentant, but she relented, and the Doctor helped her begin to build her own foyer out of her room in the TARDIS. All right, this will do for now, the Doctor said as he surveyed their handiwork, and Rose felt dual surges of pride, both his and hers. Now you need to focus on making these walls- Impenetrable? Rose asked. Not exactly, the Doctor answered, and Rose remembered the first time he’d told her about telepathic contact and thinking that there were layers beyond what he’d explained. That’s right, Rose. Now obviously you want the outer barrier to be as strong as possible because you may not be prepared to assess a telepathic encounter before it begins and you can’t be caught off guard. But, remember how you saw my barriers like a castle? Rose saw the portcullis in her mind’s eye and could feel the Doctor’s pleasure that she was following. It’s a good image to keep in mind. Obviously you want to keep everyone out at first. Then there are people you might want to just allow into your foyer and no farther. For people who are closer to you - friends, family - you might want to let them a little bit further than that. And beyond that… Bonding, Rose guessed, and the Doctor’s presence trembled as he agreed. Yes. No walls, no barriers. Everything is shared. You become a part of them, and they are a part of you. Always. It was impossible for him to disguise just how badly he wanted that connection, and his feelings were strong enough that Rose got swept up in them without being able to parse her own reaction. She did want a bond with the Doctor - nothing she’d learned so far had made her want to change her mind. But it was just so new and different from anything that she was used to, she couldn’t decide exactly how she felt about it. That’s perfectly fine, Rose, the Doctor told her gently. You’ve been so incredible about this already. All the changes, not to mention you’ve clearly got a gift for telepathy. But I want you to learn much more about everything that telepathy entails before you can make an informed decision. Rose had to admit it seemed like a sensible plan, at which the Doctor preened because of course it was. Will you teach me how to let you in, no matter what, the way you did with me? Rose asked, and felt the Doctor’s love surround her like a candle flame, as well as his simple astonishment that this had been her first concern. Rose… Of course. If that’s what you want. His presence brightened slightly in her mind. But first let’s work on getting you some walls so I have something to bypass. Rose regarded him fondly. You think you’re so impressive. His happiness fizzed through her. I am so impressive! And before we’re finished, Rose Tyler, I’m going to prove it to you.  The Doctor was as good as his word. His proclamation heralded a loosely regimented time during which Rose and the Doctor would spend some time in the Zero Room (she could never tell how much - being connected telepathically was like being in a dream, where things she thought had taken forever were instantaneous and vice versa). Afterwards, the TARDIS would send them a restorative tea until Rose felt up to leaving. Then they would read in the library, or watch their favourite movies; something quiet and undemanding, which would allow them to curl up as close as possible.Rose enjoyed the lessons, and the feeling of closeness with the Doctor it gave her, and she found herself in bed with him at night wondering what it might be like to have that connection all the time. She was making good progress, and was grateful for his care and attention. Mostly the exercises made her feel comfortably sore, like the way she felt after a long workout mixed with the satisfied relief of finally finishing a tough exam. She didn’t often require the pills the Doctor had for telepathic pain. Only once, when she took the Doctor’s instructions a little too far and ended up trying to block out the TARDIS - impossible anyway, since her connection was what gave her telepathy in the first place - and a second time, when she was experimenting with keeping the Doctor out, to practice rejecting telepathic overtures.It didn’t hurt at first, not like when she’d accidentally blocked the TARDIS, but as the day wore on bringing failure after failure, even the Doctor, who was usually endlessly patient during their sessions, was beginning to feel the pressure. But I don’t want to keep you out! Rose finally snapped, unintentionally breaking their connection and giving herself a headache in the process.“Rose, I’m sorry,” the Doctor said softly. “May I?” He indicated her head.Rose deliberated for a moment, but she wasn’t so daft to turn down his help in a fit of pique, especially since it wasn’t really him she was angry at. She nodded as slowly as she could to avoid aggravating her headache, and immediately the Doctor’s skillful fingers were working at the base of her skull, alleviating the pressure like he had the first time.“I’ll do better next time,” Rose murmured, soothed by his ministrations.“No, Rose, you’re doing so incredibly well,” the Doctor said. “The fault is mine, I didn’t think… Of course you don’t want to keep me out, you told me so before we even began, and I’ve been forcing you to fight your own mind, which is never a good idea. We’ll just have to find you someone else to practice on.”“Who else do we know that’s telepathic?” Rose asked, curious.“I know a few people,” the Doctor said lightly. Rose was aware that they were skirting around the issue of how there were no Gallifreyans left to ask. “People I trust enough to allow them near your mind. Not at first, of course, I’d take you to meet them, make sure you felt comfortable. And I’d be right at hand, just in case.”Rose had gotten better at picking up on subtle nuances in the Doctor’s voice since spending so much time connected to him, and the subtle edge of danger in his last words made her shiver. She thought of the overwhelming pressure of his full presence that he was constantly holding back from her, and knew that if anyone tried to harm her, they would be obliterated instantly. They retreated to bed early that night, but didn’t sleep until much later. Lying in the afterglow of their lovemaking, in the circle of the Doctor’s arms, Rose knew she was the safest she’d ever been. The Doctor might scoff, but when she was close to him, being surrounded by him, either physically or mentally, she knew nothing could harm her.Through her lessons, all she’d been able to think about was how amazing it would be to be able to feel the Doctor’s presence no matter where they were. She knew the Doctor thought that it might be too much for her, that his mind was too old, too heavy, too dark, for her to want to be a part of it. But Rose could see the beauty in his mind, tempered by grief, and regret, and anger, yes, but no less poignant for all that, suffusing every strand. He was her Doctor, and she wanted to be a part of him, if he’d let her.The only question that remained for her, though she was careful never to think of it when they were joined, was how long it would take until the Doctor’s honour was satisfied enough to accept her answer when she told him she wanted the bond. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Rose, we’re gonna be late!” The Doctor called back into the TARDIS. He straightened his cuffs. He wasn’t about to tempt fate by wearing a tux tonight but the old girl had supplied him with a sharp new blue suit, which he’d paired with a deep red Oxford and a black tie rather than his habitual blue on blue, as the TARDIS had hinted he should. He suspected it was in order to match whatever Rose was wearing, but a hint was all he’d gotten, though he had to admit it made his suit a bit dressier than usual.“Time machine!” Rose sang back from within the bowels of the TARDIS. The Doctor shook his head indulgently. She and the TARDIS had been conspiring like schoolgirls for the past several hours, and their impish humour zinged pleasantly along his bond with the ship. It made him think about how it might feel to be receiving Rose’s emotions directly rather than secondhand. She’d taken to telepathy like a fish to water, but she hadn’t mentioned anything further about bonding.The Doctor frowned as he peered back into the TARDIS, waiting for Rose to emerge. The ball tonight would have been the perfect setting for a proposal, he suddenly realised, but his plans were no further advanced and he was disappointed in himself. Admittedly he hadn’t exactly had much of a chance to purchase a ring - that was what tonight was about, after all. A rest, and a change of scenery. Taking the time to do something fun.A few times, he’d attempted to slip out while Rose was asleep, but she would inevitably stir and he didn’t want to arouse her suspicions. He straightened his tie. Now that they were back to travelling, he would make finding a ring his top priority. Rose deserved better from him.~oOo~Rose did a little experimental twirl in front of the mirror, equal parts anticipation and anxiety tightening in her belly. It wasn’t that she seriously doubted what the Doctor’s reaction would be, but it had been ages since she’d dressed up, and she couldn’t quite shake the little voice that told her she shouldn’t bother.It wasn’t as large a part as it had once been. If there was anything the telepathy lessons had impressed upon her, it was exactly how intense and enduring the Doctor’s feelings for her were. Between that and all she’d seen and done in her travels, her self-esteem had gotten a major boost. Still, it was hard to completely vanquish the little voice in the back of her head (that sounded a bit like her mother) saying that she was a shop girl from the Estates and that was all she would ever be.After their time spent floating in the Vortex, learning how to control her telepathy, Rose and the Doctor had looked at each other over breakfast one morning and knew that they were both ready to run again. The Doctor had told her that she had a good grasp of the fundamentals and now it was just a matter of practice. They’d set the randomiser, and landed on the planet Rheneia. The Doctor had bounded out of the TARDIS - already expounding the virtues of a rainbow sea and storms made of flower petals - right into the middle of a coup.They’d quickly ascertained the nature of the conflict and though they both had opinions as to which side they supported, they remained carefully neutral as always, lending aid wherever they could and trying to keep casualties down. Luckily the Rheneians were by and large a sensible people and didn’t villify them for this, both sides instead lauding them for their efforts.The Doctor told her later that Rheneia was a peaceful planet but every few generations or so the same conflict would rear its head again, with most of society wanting nothing to do with it except for a few hotheads. The restored monarchy had gratefully invited them to a ball that night to celebrate, and the two of them had agreed it would be just the sort of break they had actually wanted, doubly welcome after the stress of being in a war zone for the past few days.She eyed her reflection critically. The TARDIS had provided her with a scarlet gown to wear to the ball, and it was Rose’s opinion that the ship had really outdone herself this time. The dress had a high halter neckline, and clung to her upper body as though painted there, hugging all her curves to drape in elegant folds around her legs. The asymmetrical hem, shorter in the front, would still allow her to run, if she had to, though she was quite uncharacteristically wearing heels - the TARDIS had directed her to them, and she trusted the ship to know whether or not running would be required - if push came to shove she could always slip them off.By far the most striking feature of the dress, however, was that it was completely backless. Rose twisted to look over her shoulder at the line where the silken fabric skimmed her waist and thought the only shame would be that it meant she wouldn’t be able to see the expression on the Doctor’s face the instant he got the full effect.No necklace was needed with this dress, so the only finishing touches were diamond dangle earrings to replace the hoops she always wore, then she patted the vanity fondly. She’d been helped by the TARDIS every step of the way, deeply aware of their stronger connection through all the lessons she’d completed; it was almost like having a girl’s night. The ship chirped encouragement at her, and she nodded in satisfaction at the woman in the mirror. She looked like she belonged at a fancy ball, on the arm of someone like the Doctor. She couldn’t wait to show him.Grabbing a wrap from beside the door that would hide the best part of the dress until the opportune moment, Rose set her shoulders and walked out of the wardrobe room, eager to see her Doctor.He was, predictably, still grumbling as she came into earshot. “Time machine nothing, Rose, we’ve landed so we’re already part of events. We’re the guests of honour at this ball, not sneaking in this time, so we can’t just…”“I suppose Time Lords wouldn’t have a concept of being ‘fashionably late,’ would they?” Rose asked, lightly halting his tirade, and the Doctor turned, wearing an expression like he was about to argue, before catching sight of her and his face went slack, like he'd just been poleaxed by a cricket bat.Rose caught her breath, too, at the striking figure the Doctor cut, but nervousness still fluttered in her chest the longer he went without a reaction. Still, it was something, to see the Doctor rendered speechless like this, and that was compliment enough for Rose. Seeing a way to gracefully diffuse the situation, she arched a teasing brow.“What was that you were saying about being late…?” She went to move past the Doctor but his arms shot out, catching her by the shoulders. She turned to look at him, surprised by the sudden movement, and found herself transfixed by the intensity in his eyes that was every bit as powerful as that fleeting moment when her first Doctor had looked at her dressed for Cardiff. That Doctor had looked down, deflected; this one didn’t look like he was capable of taking his eyes off her.“Rose…” Her cheeks heated under his gaze, he looked at her like a birthing star, a fresh galaxy. “You look…” he seemed to struggle for words. “Absolutely stunning,” he said at last, and Rose could no longer resist the temptation of his open mouth to suck on his bottom lip, which quickly turned into a heated snog as the Doctor pressed her gently against the door of the TARDIS. Sure stunned you, Rose thought cheekily, and felt his wholehearted agreement. It was getting easier, though still difficult, to exchange thoughts when they were touching like this, their minds having become more and more attuned to each other through hours of practice. Easing regretfully out of the kiss with a final peck, she ran her fingers carefully through the hair behind his ears, since she hadn’t been able to grab it during the kiss for fear of mussing it.“Thank you, Doctor,” she said, and then continued before he could respond. “Now, we really will be late.”They took a quick moment to compose themselves and then the Doctor offered his arm. “Might I have the honour of escorting you to the ball, Dame Rose?”Rose slipped her arm through his, twining them until they were holding hands. It was an unconventional hold, but it suited them. “It would be my pleasure, Sir Doctor,” she teased, touching her tongue to her teeth as she grinned at the memory of Scotland and how far they’d come since.Twilight was deepening as they made their way across the manicured lawn, whimsically shaped topiaries looming out of the shadows at them. The white gravel path crunching beneath their feet was rendered lilac in the gloam, and the scent of honeysuckle was heavy in the air.Rose squeezed the Doctor’s arm, saying nothing, just drinking in the moment. The Doctor squeezed back, and she knew he was thinking the same thing.When they arrived at the vestibule, Rose made sure to go ahead of the Doctor. A smartly dressed attendant took her wrap. Behind her, Rose heard the Doctor’s breath hitch. She glanced over her shoulder to catch him swallowing visibly, the heat in his eyes like a banked fire, setting her alight.An instant later, he was beside her, one hand coming to rest automatically in the small of her back like he couldn’t help himself (which, Rose thought with a touch of smugness, he probably couldn’t).“Rose Tyler,” he murmured in her ear as they joined the queue to enter the ballroom, words nearly a growl, and Rose suppressed a pleasurable shiver. “I hope that your intent when you put this on was to render me incapable of keeping my hands off you for the entire evening.”Rose grinned inwardly and thanked the TARDIS for providing an outfit that would start to make up for all the previous such events they’d attended when she’d wanted nothing more than to hear the Doctor say those words to her.“Might’ve been,” she said, smiling innocently up at him, watching his expression shift into something predatory that she licked her lips to see.“Good,” was all he said, eyes wide and dark, and then they’d arrived in the ballroom.Rose caught her breath, surveying the scene. Everything sparkled, tastefully accented with filigree and hundreds of candles ensconced just so to achieve the maximum effect. Guests mingled in colourful profusion across the gleaming parquet floor, framed by long trestle tables adorned with ribbons and groaning under a heaping weight of delicacies. Massive gilt mirrors made the large space appear even larger, and the far wall consisted entirely of floor to ceiling windows. No ballroom would be complete without a massive chandelier and this one was an ornate vision in shimmering gold and silver, seeming to refract all the light in the room even as it produced more, so bright it nearly hurt to look at for long.Rose felt like they’d stepped into a fairy tale. She’d attended many such events with the Doctor and wasn’t easily impressed, but it wasn’t every day she got to set foot somewhere that looked like it was taken directly from her fantasies.She looked up at the Doctor and found him looking back at her, savouring her reaction. Only then did it register that he hadn’t made an immediate beeline for the buffet. His restraint was obviously for her benefit, and it made her feel warm inside, at the tangible evidence that he was making a conscious effort to do as he’d promised and making this evening about them .“Rose,” he said in a low tone, as he guided her over to the dais to greet the queens whose regime they’d helped save, hand still firmly placed on her lower back, “it was never about the nibbles.”Rose wondered if he’d read her mind - given the nature of the latent telepathic awareness that was constantly buzzing between them these days, it wasn’t uncommon for either or both of them to have flashes - but the Doctor shook his head.“You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to attending one of these with you now that I don’t feel I have to play pretend any more,” he said, and the light in his dark eyes held such promise. Rose nearly melted against him right then and there, but she cast her mind back and realised that they hadn’t gone to any fancy parties since consummating their relationship. She grinned up at the Doctor, but he smirked back at her.“The most beautiful woman in the universe on my arm, and I’m finally able to take advantage,” he said, so quietly Rose felt the words more than she heard them. She was robbed of the chance to respond as they arrived at the dais and greeted their majesties. Rose let the Doctor do the talking, as usual, still preoccupied with his words and the way they gave her goosepimples.A brief squeeze of her hand was all the warning she got before she noticed both of the queens’ attention was now focussed on her. Snapping back to the conversation, her mood shifted abruptly from thrilling happiness to stark horror as she realised her name had been mentioned. They were waiting for her to say something. They asked if you might be willing to say a few words, the Doctor gently prompted her, and not for the first time, Rose blessed telepathy for allowing them to have nearly instantaneous conversations. She bit the inside of her cheek nervously - why hadn’t she thought of this before? Rheneian society was heavily matriarchal (the reason for the conflict in the first place) and would rate her words far more highly than the Doctor’s.It was the classic nightmare come to life, called upon to do public speaking with no preparation, but it was worse because this was so naturally the Doctor’s territory. Rose was fine with that - she was aware her talents lay elsewhere. She felt a rush of calm that wasn’t hers and knew the Doctor had to be sharing his emotions. She took a deep breath.“I’d be honoured, your majesties.” Her voice shook a little, but she hoped it wasn’t too noticeable. She turned to address the room, marvelling that the space she once thought so large suddenly seemed crowded with people. The Doctor kept his firm grip on her hand, and she set her shoulders. She’d spoken for planet Earth against a hostile alien race with the Doctor in a coma. She could do this.“The Doctor and I would like to thank you all for your generous hospitality,” she said first, trying to think of suitable words. “We’re honoured by your welcome.” Keep it simple, Tyler. “But we only helped where we could. The real heroes are all of you. The Rheneian people. You worked together to restore peace to your home and proved yourselves to be brave, resourceful, and merciful. We hope you will never need our kind of help again.”The experience of a matriarchal society was certainly refreshing, but she refused to let it blind her to how it wasn’t actually any better. She wanted to say something about how maybe greater equality would prevent such conflict but knew it wasn’t her place to interfere, limiting herself to a subtle reference to how this sort of thing kept happening.There were assorted murmurs of approval that quickly broke into swelling applause, and Rose’s cheeks burned, embarrassed. She hadn’t said anything all that special, and was certain they were just humouring her, so it was a surprise when she felt a tidal wave of pride, and looked at the Doctor to find him staring at her with such open admiration that it made her slightly uncomfortable. She looked away quickly, unable to bear his gaze, but squeezed his hand in gratitude.“Well said!” Her Left Royal Majesty swept down from her throne, deep indigo gown a-flutter. “Well said, indeed, Powell Rose!” She looked out upon the ballroom with her multi faceted, orb-like eyes. “With such a meet beginning, I declare the festivities officially open!” Looking back at Rose and the Doctor (or Rose assumed that’s what she was doing, she could never actually tell what the eyes were looking at) she inclined her head.“Doctor, Powell Rose, will you further honour us by leading the dance?”Rose glanced involuntarily at the Doctor. She didn’t actually expect him to refuse, but there was always a chance. The corner of his mouth turned up, and that was all the encouragement she needed to nod at the queen.“Your Majesty, it would be our pleasure.”The queen clapped her hands twice, and the musicians in the corner started playing the native version of a waltz, lent a somewhat darker undertone by the Rheneian instruments, which sounded to Rose’s ears like a cross between a zither and a cello. Rose, knowing what was expected of her, led the way to the floor, the Doctor trailing in her wake.“You can let me lead, if you want,” the Doctor whispered to her. “Rheneian dance is intended to flatter the woman.”Rose was happy to let the Doctor take charge for a little while after her unexpected speech, so she nodded gratefully. He shifted his grip on her, placing one gentle, long-fingered hand on her waist in a gesture that would have been chaste, were it not for the expanse of skin Rose was currently displaying. She shivered slightly - his touch was cool and the night was warm.“Ready, Rose Tyler?” the Doctor asked. He looked at her like she was the only other being in creation, and her heart stuttered the way it always did.“Show me your moves, Doctor,” she teased, and he smirked as they began to dance.Of course, Rose was quite familiar with his moves by now, both in and out of bed, and she smiled softly at the memory of multiple dance lessons with the Doctor - dancing at social functions was a common enough occurrence in their lives after all. Rose had enjoyed the lessons, taking to it quickly thanks to her gymnastics training, but they had still been fraught with peril as they were both at pains to disguise how the close proximity to the other was affecting them. And now here they were.“What are you thinking about?” the Doctor inquired, close enough to her ear to make her hair stand on end. He spun her out and away, and when she was back in the circle of his arms she rested her head on his shoulder briefly before replying.“Of how much I love you.” She felt a burst of satisfaction when she heard his breath catch at her words and he pulled her involuntarily closer.Rose heard murmurs rising in their wake as they passed; they must have cut quite a striking figure together. But her attention was all for the Doctor, as he led them around the floor as effortlessly as breathing and Rose honestly never thought she would have this even as she savoured the moment. Between the Doctor’s heartsbeat and the drum accompaniment time felt suspended, weightless, and they were floating.“I can’t tell you how liberating it is not to have to pretend any more,” the Doctor confessed, and Rose squeezed his hand, stifling a giggle.“Can I tell you a secret, Doctor?” She took advantage of their temporary closeness to lean up and whisper in his ear. “You were never very good at pretending.” The Doctor smiled ruefully, conceding her point.“Well, I appreciate you letting me get away with it,” he drawled, before spinning her again.The dance drew to a close, and after a brief applause, couples eagerly swarmed the floor. The Doctor and Rose bowed out to rest for a bit, and retreated to the dais, where they were seated near Their Majesties, both of whom clapped politely as they approached.“Magnificent,” Her Right Royal Majesty proclaimed.“Truly, we are graced by your presence among us,” Her Left Royal Majesty chimed in.“But tell me, Powell Rose.” Her Right Royal Majesty leaned in conspiratorially. “What on Rheneia does a gorgeous woman such as yourself see in a man ?” She sounded vaguely horrified. “Certainly his shape is pleasant enough, for a male, but wouldn’t a woman serve you better?”Rose was deeply uncomfortable speaking about the Doctor as if he wasn’t present, but knew she had to play along to avoid giving offence. There was no way for her to verbalise everything the Doctor meant to her, and even if there were, she wouldn’t present it to this audience, who couldn’t understand it anyway.“Erm. He’s got really great hair. And a nice… throat,” she said at last, seeking features that would distinguish him from a female. Beside her, the Doctor turned his squawk of outrage into a cough. “I like his ship, too,” she hurried on, as the queens nodded knowingly.The Doctor just smiled politely, as though this knowledge wasn’t new to him and he appreciated the compliments. But Rose caught a flicker of his deeper unease through their joined hands and it was that glimpse that made her decide to go through with her ulterior purpose for the evening right then and there, instead of waiting for some undefined point by which she would have gathered her courage.“I’d happily go into much greater detail later on,” she said, squeezing the Doctor’s hand in preparation to rise, “but would your majesties pray excuse us for a moment?” The Doctor looked at her in surprise but thankfully remained silent.“Very well, Powell Rose,” Her Left Royal Majesty proclaimed with a lazy wave of her hand, “but see that you don’t take too long, you shall miss the hanabari .”“We wouldn’t dream of missing the fireworks,” Rose assured them, having pulled the Doctor to his feet as soon as they’d been granted permission. “Excuse us.” She swept a curtsey, the Doctor bowing at her side after a hardly noticeable hesitation, and led the way off the dais, reaching for the Doctor’s hand again as soon as they were safely ensconced in the crowd. What’s all this about, Rose? The Doctor asked, his voice in her head revealing the bewilderment he wouldn’t allow to show on his face. Rose held off answering until they’d slipped through one of the sets of glass doors into the garden.She maneouvered them to an isolated spot beyond the hedges where they’d have a good view of the sky - because one way or another, she doubted they were heading back to the party tonight.“Rose?” the Doctor prompted again, out loud this time, and Rose tried to sort through the order in which she wanted to answer the Doctor’s question.She looked around - it was a beautiful spot. The bench was nestled in a tall hedge, surrounded on three sides. A trellis stretched across the opening, twined through with vines and native flowers. A bright moon shone down on them from a sky brushed with feathery clouds, lending a subtle silver glint to every outline and casting its dusky lavender veil over all. A fountain splashed somewhere out of sight.The Doctor’s concern was growing the longer the silence stretched, so Rose turned back to him, taking both his hands.“Doctor, you know I love you for more than just… your hair, or the TARDIS?”His brows knitted together in a frown.“Of course I do Rose, why would you think otherwise?”“Because I don’t think you truly understand,” Rose admitted quietly. “Because even though we’ve spent so much time in each other’s heads, there’s still a part of you that doesn’t believe me when I tell you how much I love you. How beautiful you are. How I’m always going to stay with you.” The Doctor opened his mouth as if to speak, but Rose squeezed his hands and he shut it again. His eyes as he watched her were wide and doleful, his face as open and vulnerable as she’d ever seen it.“An’ I get it, Doctor. I understand why when I say those things, it makes you pull back. I’ve seen it, in your head. I know. If we hadn’t discovered what we did about Bad Wolf, I might even have agreed with you. The last thing I want is for you to be hurt.” She freed one hand to cup his cheek, keeping her other hand firmly linked with his. An unnameable emotion mounted in his eyes as he kept them fixed on her face, and Rose couldn’t have looked away even if she wanted to.“But that also means I won’t let you stay hurting when you don’t have to be. Doctor, you’re so alone, in your head.” The Doctor made a low sound and she stroked the hair behind his ear to quiet him.“You don’t have to be alone anymore. I know you said you didn’t want me to be with you just because of what I saw in your head, and I’m not. You are the man who saved my life. Who showed me the stars. Who proved to me that I was worth so much more than I’d been taught to believe. When I became Bad Wolf to save you, I didn’t come back because trouble was just the bits in between, or because there was a plasma storm brewing in the Horsehead Nebula, or to a Doctor who danced.”She raised her other hand to cradle his head between them, not yet venturing near his temples. Already, the temptation was there to slip into his mind, to let her feelings do the talking for her. But it was important to her that she say this without the aid of telepathy.“I came back to a ravaged space station filled with the dead, to a Doctor who had been about to destroy all life on Earth. I have seen your darkness, Doctor. It doesn’t scare me. Not as much as the thought of you having to bear it alone.”The Doctor sat frozen between her hands, hardly breathing. Rose hadn’t intended to talk for quite so long but a combination of nerves, the romantic setting, and how long she’d been waiting to say these words had removed her usual inhibitions. It was time.“I made my choice a long time ago, that I was never going to leave you. Now that we know I won’t have to, I’m not gonna hold back any more. Doctor…” Rose ran the words through her head one last time. She didn’t know if this was the proper way to ask and it was too late now. She just hoped she wouldn’t screw it up. She took a deep breath, and spoke the words that the TARDIS had been helping her with.The Doctor’s eyes shot wide. Rose bit the inside of her cheek, praying that she’d pronounced everything correctly, that the Doctor wouldn’t be upset.“Rose…” His voice was oddly breathless, carrying no weight in the air. He had to swallow several times before he could speak, Rose waiting with bated breath for his response, her heart hammering in her chest. “Say that again. Just one more time.”For one heartstopping moment, Rose was afraid that she’d said it wrong, that he hadn’t understood her. But then she saw the way he was looking at her, like a man who’d resigned himself to never eating again suddenly being presented with a feast, and she understood. She smiled, no longer apprehensive, and repeated the words exactly. A ritual phrase spoken in the Doctor’s native tongue. Will you bond with me? The Doctor’s eyes fluttered shut, and he let out a shuddering breath. Rose waited. There were tears in his eyes when he opened them again but a fierce joy shone from his face. Before Rose could do anything, he’d pulled her into his arms and was kissing her desperately, pulling away just as she’d managed to think about reciprocating.“Yes.”Rose blinked, registering slowly that she’d asked a question, that the Doctor had answered. Tears started in her own eyes and the Doctor nodded in response to her expression, a single tear tracing down one cheek.“Yes, Rose Tyler,” he said, the words low and hoarse. “I would be honoured to bond with you.”He raised his fingers to her temples, waiting for her to do the same, and Rose felt a thrill that this was really happening, that they were doing this, right here and now. Both sets of hands were trembling as they made the connection and slipped easily into each other’s minds.The Doctor was upon her immediately, a bright blazon through her mind, as he held her closer than he ever had before. Is this okay, Rose? he asked. More than, Rose assured him, basking in the unbridled light of his presence. Rose, you fantastic… You brilliant woman. How did you…? There was no small amount of awe in the Doctor’s tone and Rose shifted a bit uncomfortably. It was the TARDIS, she explained. I asked her to help me. I don’t think she’d mess about with something like this. I just hope I got it right? The Doctor had projected them into a replica of the place where they were sitting; he picked her up and spun her around, his mental signature almost giddy. Exactly right, Rose Tyler, he said, setting her down and sobering slightly, though the excitement was replaced by a profound joy that stopped just barely short of swallowing her. Ask me one more time. Please. Rose could sense the true meaning behind the request; not only had the Doctor never thought he would hear his language again on the lips of another living soul, he had never once entertained the idea that such a question would ever be directed at him. She obliged, repeating the words with the weight of her new understanding and receiving in return a deeper comprehension of the words she spoke: tenses inexpressible in human terms, a cultural context that didn’t exist in English, lost in the mists of time.Then, the Doctor answered, and though the words were in Gallifreyan, she could parse the unfamiliar words through their connection (and even if that weren’t the case, his acceptance in the most unreserved degree was thunderous across all telepathic frequencies): I welcome you as my bondmate. Bondmate. Rose tested the word, both in English and the Gallifreyan the Doctor had used, and felt the shiver go through the Doctor’s mind. She looked up at him, unwilling to be distracted. So, Doctor. How do we do this? First, we need to completely take down our telepathic barriers. Good thing we’re on a psi-null planet like Rheneia, the Doctor said. Rose knew there was nothing lucky about it - the TARDIS had known what she was doing. I know we’ve both already keyed each other in as safe but the bond is the ultimate bypass - because, essentially, our minds will become one. Rose felt pleasure zip through her as she considered always being connected with the Doctor, but it was as nothing to the rapture emanating from the Doctor’s side. Once they’d both opened their minds, the Doctor hesitated for the briefest moment, and Rose knew, even without telepathy, that his desire to give her one last chance to back out was warring with how much he needed the bond - and how much he believed in what she’d told him. Filled with affection for the daft man she was about to bond with, Rose gave him the gentlest of telepathic nudges and repeated the sentence he’d used earlier. I welcome you as my bondmate. With their barriers lowered, she could feel the wave of urgency as it overtook the Doctor at her words: his need to be with her forever, his wonder that he should be receiving what he wanted most in the universe. Oh yes, Rose, the Doctor said, even his telepathic voice faint under the weight of his emotions. Normally both parties would offer affirmations, but you’ve already done yours, and I… The press of emotion nearly choked out his words. Rose waited as he steadied himself. Rose Tyler, he said again, you are the true light in my life. I held myself back for so long because I was afraid of losing that light… all I could see when I looked at you is how little time we had left. Now, to learn that we really do have forever… He shook his head. I can only imagine a future with you. This time it was Rose’s turn to be overwhelmed, but with a soft kiss, the Doctor reminded her that they still had something to finish. Buoyed by his love, her eagerness made it easy to focus. Just follow my lead, Rose , the Doctor instructed, like this was just another lesson, only far, far more significant. He gradually began to wrap himself around her telepathic centre, strand by strand, and Rose made shift to do the same. Their connection made it easy to move in tandem, and soon they were coiled around each other in an intricate pattern.Rose understood: they were making themselves a part of the other’s mental core, like grafting a tree. Her awareness of the Doctor had deepened with every strand, but she didn’t really feel any different, and she knew they weren’t finished yet. Exactly, Rose. The Doctor’s voice was somehow clearer than before, as though she’d spent her whole life listening to mono and had suddenly discovered stereo. Now I want you to press into the core itself. There might be a bit of resistance, but don’t worry - you’ll know when to stop. Rose did as she was told, sinking down into the ball of incandescent light. It was so beautiful that she almost didn’t notice the tiny shift, like the snick of a key in a lock, before suddenly she was completely enveloped in the bubble of the Doctor’s consciousness. At the same time, she could feel her own mind expand to contain the Doctor. All the centuries of life, the joy and the pain, all the voices she’d heard when she’d ventured too far that first time - all of that was now a part of her. And it didn’t feel overwhelming, as she’d expected; she merely felt full, the way she would after a decent meal when she hadn’t eaten for a while. It felt right . That’s exactly how it should feel, my Rose. And I’m a part of you. The awe and gratitude in his voice couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Rose waited, adjusting, watching as their joint telepathic shields were raised, twice as strong as either would have been separately, even added together. She felt completely safe, and strong, as she drifted in the warmth of the Doctor’s love, floating gradually back down to earth.In the real world, they lowered their hands from each other’s temples, but like an afterimage, Rose could still feel herself ensconced within the golden centre of the Doctor’s mind.  She looked at the Doctor as her mental landscape continued to shift and change, feeling just as awed. Encompassing the consciousness of a Time Lord was not something you did every day, and she was absolutely blown away by how his love for her permeated every fibre that made up the whole.For a moment, Rose had a vision of a series of faces overlaying the Doctor’s, stretching back into the past; by turns boyish and venerable, eccentric and stern, foppish and regal. Yet no matter how different they appeared in each face, the eyes proved that they belonged, absolutely, to the same man. Each were likewise contained within the Doctor’s current face, even that of an impish youngster, whose sharp eyes twinkled out at her from behind the Doctor’s. There was a second set of faces, even more nebulous, that Rose couldn’t make out in any detail except for the eyes, that she thought might be future regenerations. She sucked in a breath, and knew that every face belonged to her. My Doctor, she thought, the words drawn from her before she realised she’d spoken, her love deepening with each face she saw until she could hardly recognise the feeling as what she’d called love before. Yes, Rose, the Doctor replied, pulling her as close to him mentally as she did physically. Yours. Their lips pressed together without any conscious intention; it was a natural effect of how close their bodies and souls were entwined. The kiss started out reverently, as they grew accustomed to the interplay of emotions, but with the added telepathic element, it heated quickly.The first time the Doctor had kissed her, they’d been out in public at a 1950s street party; the real kiss had been when they’d gotten back to the TARDIS and snogged against the console. Even without any telepathy at all, the kiss had been unlike anything Rose had ever experienced, the Doctor’s scent, his taste, his cool lips, combining in some indescribable way, and Rose had been sure she’d never feel anything like it again.Now, as the Doctor’s lips worshipped hers, Rose thought she’d have to revisit her earlier assessment. She felt like a glass full of light, pouring into the Doctor; emptied, she could accept his intensity in return. She could feel it all: the turn of the planet, the exact speed of the ground moving beneath their feet, the motion of the stars and the ceaseless, ever-changing melody of Time itself.There were fireworks streaking gloriously across the sky, but the bursts of vibrant stars were as nothing compared to the explosions of emotion between them. I love you, Rose Tyler, the Doctor breathed fervently, his bliss and adoration an incandescent presence in their new bond. My bondmate, my beloved, my hearts. Forever. Rose could feel the weight of the words through time as the Doctor finally laid claim to them.She gathered herself to respond but the Doctor stopped her with a thought. My Rose, I know you want to say it back. But before you do, I want to hear you say it this way. Just once. You already know my true name, the one I chose. It’s the only one that matters, except this time. I want to tell you my name - my real name. Rose couldn’t help the way her heart quivered at the thought of being entrusted with the Doctor’s biggest secret. She nodded, once. Please .The Doctor steeled himself, and then he spoke a string of syllables. They imprinted themselves on her mind as he whispered them in her ear, and she could feel the ripple they made through time, the power in them resounding in her chest like one of the fireworks, even as she wept unabashedly at their beauty.The Doctor kissed away her tears, and Rose smiled up at him. Speaking the words was effortless - it was like part of her had been waiting her whole life to repeat his name back to him, this once, and never again. “I love you.”He trembled, and then pulled her closer against him, placing hungry kisses across every inch of skin he could reach. When he captured her lips in a searing kiss, Rose let the words ring out telepathically instead. I love you, my Doctor .The bond pulsed insistently in her head, and it was perfectly natural for her to reach for it, sending her pleasure back to him. The Doctor groaned as he let her surface for air, his eyes dark with desire. Did the bonding ceremony happen to include... a wedding night? Rose asked, again choosing the ease of telepathic communication over trying to get her breath back.If possible, his eyes darkened even further. It does now. He reached for her hand. Rose was already slinging off her heels. The Doctor beamed down at her, and she discovered facets in his smile she’d never seen before.“Run!” he said, and they did, dashing ecstatically across the manicured palace grounds, their giggles drowned out by the fireworks. They approached the TARDIS just as dawn was breaking over the shorter Rheneian night, and the ship hummed impatiently as they approached, missing her new couple.Rose whooped as the Doctor swept her into a bridal carry and both the TARDIS doors burst open. Once they were inside, he pressed her against them, sending provocative images over the bond even as he lightly caressed her face.“No fair,” Rose moaned, barely able to think past the haze of passion, both hers and the Doctor’s, and the Doctor chuckled.“Indeed not,” the Doctor replied, his lips now skimming the line of her throat to her shoulders. “You know, as fetching as this dress is on you, my love, I think it would look far nicer on -” he laved the hollow of her collarbone with his tongue and she shivered, arching into him - “that strut, over there.” He indicated with a jerk of his head before resuming his attentions on the other side.“Same for that suit,” Rose sighed, already tugging at his tie. They wasted no more time in confirming their suspicions.And so it was, that hardly a week after they’d almost lost each other, the Doctor and Rose began the first day of their forever the way they meant to go on - with not an inch of space left between them.
11060637
You Hurt Me
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Shaun Gilmore, Vax'ildan (Critical Role), Hotis (Critical Role)", "Fandom": "Critical Role (Web Series)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by vaxildamn", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "2,834", "Additional Tags": "Fix-It, Trans Vax'ildan, Trans Male Character, Hurt/Comfort, Sort Of, Love Confessions", "Relationship": "Shaun Gilmore/Vax'ildan", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Vax is half-asleep in his bed in Whitestone when he hears the creaking of his door, and a few knocks. Tossing his covers off and sitting up, he rubs his eyes. “Yes?” Before he gets a response, he looks up and sees a familiar face peeking in, lit gently by the torches in the hall. “I’m sorry if I’m waking you up,” Gilmore says as he smiles softly. “I, uh-” He pauses and looks down at the floor, uncharacteristically shy for some reason. “It’s alright,” assures Vax, still sitting on his mattress, sort of hoping that Gilmore will come and sit with him. “Here.” Shaun smiles again and tosses a pile of fabric onto the foot of the bed. “Come, Vax. I’ve made you a gift.” Something still isn’t quite right about him, but Vax figures it’s just the wear and tear of the work he’s been doing. “Put it on. Come walk with me a while - We have a lot to talk about.” Vax’s heart pounds in his chest, partially out of anxious excitement and partially out of guilt, but he leans down to the pile of fabric and opens it up. His jaw drops a little at the sight of the gorgeous, silk robe in his hands. The deep blue and black fabric, subtly beaded, is like a perfect blend of his sense of style and Shaun’s, and he can’t help but grin from ear to ear before realizing he probably still has oil on his ass from his revenge against Grog’s little prank. Jumping behind the wooden screen in the room, Vax grabs whatever clothing he left back there and cleans himself off before donning the robe - which feels amazingly soft and light against his skin - and fixing his hair a bit. He takes a deep breath and comes out into the hall where Gilmore is waiting. Gilmore looks Vax up and down, his new robe exposing a significant portion of his bare chest before being tied at the waist, and offers him his arm. Vax takes it, and the two of them stroll down the corridor in comfortable silence for a while, Shaun’s hand gently rubbing over Vax’s arm and sending little shivers down his spine. They reach the stairs before Shaun finally speaks up. “I know a lot has happened these recent months,” he begins. Vax takes a deep breath, unsure of what’s coming. “I’ve been watching from afar, keeping tabs on your journey the best that I can… But I still know so little.” They reach the top of the stairs and Shaun leads him out onto a balcony, overlooking the gardens, the stars shining brilliantly above them. The air is crisp and the moon casts a silvery light on Gilmore’s warm, dark skin as he leans against the railing and looks out at the city beyond the grounds of the castle. Vax watches him breathe a few times, and his heart pounds again. He can feel the lump in his throat already. “Some time has passed, Vax. And much of the world moves on to newer, greater threats… But true pain never really heals.” Shaun glances over at him, and his heart clenches in his chest, but he tilts his head to the side as if he doesn’t know what this is about, hoping that maybe he’s wrong. Gilmore turns around to face him and steps closer. “You hurt me deeply. I continue to hurt.” Vax opens his mouth to apologize, but something seems… off.The next few minutes go by in a blur of pain and blood and fear and falling. Hotis drives a blade into Vax’s gut, assassins attack his loved ones and- Oh, god. Where is Shaun? He doesn’t have the castle guard at his house to help him. Vax throws himself and Hotis off the balcony and the next thing he knows, there are new pools of warm blood and his vision goes black. He doesn’t know how long he’s out, but he comes back to consciousness to the sound of Scanlan’s voice and opens his eyes, his face pressed to the ground. He can still see the rakshasa in his peripheral vision, and lurches over to the sword laying on the ground, sinking it into Hotis’s back and running for his life. Arrows and bullets and spells are flying, and by the time Hotis is a pile of ashes, Vax’s head is spinning and his blood is boiling. When they finally bring the real Gilmore to him, Vax is naked in the hallway of the castle basement, having had the robe removed in the chamber with the orb after it nearly killed him, and has had a lot of time to think. He pushes through Vex, who has her bow up, and, against his better judgement considering what had just happened, practically throws himself into Gilmore’s arms, burying his face in the partially exposed chest. “Oh!” Gilmore hesitates for a moment before embracing the completely unclothed Vax, and sighs as the rogue practically melts into him. “I’m so happy to see that you’re safe, my boy.” Vax doesn’t reply for about a minute, just stays in Gilmore’s arms, and the rest of the group shuffles awkwardly away, patting the bare shoulder as they leave. “I’m glad you’re here, Shaun,” Vax says quietly as he pulls back, now a bit more embarrassed about his state of undress and hiding himself with his hands. “I need to talk to you.” Gilmore searches his face for any sign of what’s to come, if this is going to be like that conversation in the tavern. He’s not entirely sure he can handle that again, honestly, but he smiles and nods, sliding his robe off and draping it around Vax’s shoulders, leaving him in only his silk pajama bottoms. Vax takes a deep breath and looks up into brilliant golden eyes. “I love you, Shaun.” He reaches out to place a hand on Gilmore’s chest. “I know,” Gilmore sighs. “But-” He catches Vax’s hand and starts to push it away. “No. No ‘but.’ I love you.” Vax’s eyes are honest and a little bit desperate and Gilmore lets go of his hand, clearly caught off guard. “But what about-” “It didn’t really work out... And I’ve had a lot of time to think, Shaun, and I just- Especially after tonight, knowing I could have lost you for good- I need you to know how much you mean to me.” He puts his hand back on Gilmore’s chest, stepping closer as his hand slides down to Gil’s waist. “I need you to know that I need you.” “Vax, I- I don’t know what to say. You hurt me-” Vax flinches. “And that’s not to say that I don’t still have feelings for you, my dear, but… Well, you rather complicated things.” Vax looks down to the floor and pulls his hand away. “I know.” There’s a long pause. “I’m so sorry, Shaun…” He starts to move past Gilmore, ready to go drink himself to sleep, but a large, warm hand catches his arm and pulls him back. Gilmore lifts Vax’s chin with a finger and leans down so that their faces are nearly touching. “I didn’t say no, Vax’ildan.” That voice has Vax weak at the knees. Thankfully Shaun wraps an arm around his waist and holds him close, touching his forehead to Vax’s. “Hold on tight.” There’s a swirl of purple energy and a gust of wind and the two of them land in the recently destroyed living room of Gilmore’s home. Vax loosens his grip on Shaun’s arm as he regains his footing and looks around, opening his mouth to ask what had happened before a finger presses against his lips. “Don’t worry about it, dearest,” Shaun says. “I just thought we could use a little… Privacy.” He leads Vax to the kitchen, and starts to prepare some tea as Vax explains the night’s events. “And I guess- I mean, I had been feeling this way for a while,” Vax stammers, still a bit shaken up. “But this isn’t a rebound, Shaun. I want to make that clear to you.” Gilmore nods. “I just realized that… It’s you. It’s always been you, and we danced around it for so long, but no one makes me happy like you do. No one makes me as nervous or as comfortable, or makes my heart race like you. And when I thought you hated me tonight, and then thought about the possibility of you being killed-” “You underestimate me, Vax’ildan.” “It just terrified me, and I realized that I can’t pretend anymore.” He stands up from the table and walks over to where Gilmore is leaning against the counter, setting his tea down and reaching up to brush a stray hair out of Gil’s face. “I love you, Shaun. And I want so badly to be with you.” Shaun sets his tea down at this, and wraps Vax’s slim frame in his arms. “I love you too.” He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to Vax’s lips, and as he pulls away, Vax slides his fingers into Gilmore’s hair and pulls him down for more. He’s wanted to do this for so long and his nerves are all on fire and when he runs his tongue over the seam Shaun’s lips, he tastes like spices and the masala tea they’ve been drinking. Gilmore wraps him tighter in his arms and lifts him gently, spinning them around, setting Vax on the counter and nudging his knees apart to stand between them. Vax sighs, and small, high moans escape him as Gilmore starts to kiss down his throat, sucking a red mark at the base. Long legs wrap around Shaun’s waist, drawing him closer, and Vax feels the soft silk of those pajama pants against his thighs. Gilmore reaches between the two of them and unties the cord around Vax’s waist, pushing the robe off and wrapping his arms tightly around Vax’s torso before carrying him to the bedroom, the robe left lying on the counter. Gilmore lays Vax on the bed, careful of his wounds, and hovers over him before kissing his way down the entire slender torso, taking extra time with each scar he comes across and any place that makes Vax tug on his hair. Vax is breathing heavily and squirming under Shaun’s touch and making noises that go straight to Shaun’s cock, but he draws this out for Vax anyways. Gods, his body is as beautiful as Gilmore had imagined, and his skin is salty and smooth, and Shaun can’t help but lick along his adonis lines and suck on the skin stretched taut across his hip bones and make Vax moan his name. That sends shivers down his spine as he lifts one of Vax’s legs over his shoulder and starts sucking little red marks down the inside of his muscled thigh. Vax’s hips buck into the air as Gilmore gets closer and closer, and he whines when instead, his leg is dropped from Gil’s shoulder and the other leg is lifted up for the same treatment. “Shaun, please ,” Vax manages, his voice breathy and desperate as Shaun’s tongue traces along the upper portion of his inner thigh. He can feel his pulse between his legs, he’s nearly dripping wet, and is about to plead again when he feels the warmth of Shaun’s tongue press against him and that plead turns into a long, satisfied moan. Gilmore gives him a long, slow, lick, tasting Vax’s arousal, dropping the leg from his shoulder. He pushes those long legs back and spreads them, the panting mess that is Vax’ildan letting himself be positioned however Shaun wants him. Propping himself up on his elbows, he looks down to see glowing golden eyes staring up at him before glancing down, smiling, and taking Vax’s cock in his mouth and flicking his tongue against it. A choked noise comes from the rogue as his head falls back and his eyes flutter shut. This is everything he imagined it would be on the nights he got to spend alone in his room, and the heat of Gilmore’s mouth is so much better than his own hand. Vax forces himself to look back down, and Gilmore’s eyes are still locked on his face as he swirls his tongue around, and presses it inside. He smiles against Vax when he watches those hazel eyes flutter shut, and twists his tongue again, teasing with it for a while before returning his attention to Vax’s cock. At this point, Vax has given up on subtlety and is now loudly begging for more, yes, there, faster, please, Shaun, yes, as Gilmore sucks and licks and kisses. Suddenly the hands that have been tugging Shaun’s face into Vax’s groin are shoving him off and he hears “Stop, Shaun, stop, stop, stop.” Gilmore looks bewildered, wondering if he’s done something wrong, but Vax pulls him up into a kiss, licks some of the dampness from Shaun’s lips, and whispers, “Not like this. I don’t want to finish like this.” He flips Shaun onto his back with a surprising amount of strength, and strips his lower half, leaving him fully exposed, his half-hard cock resting against his thigh. Vax runs his hands up the warm, dark skin of Gilmore’s thighs, and wraps his elegant fingers around the shaft. He gives a few lazy strokes as Gilmore hums his approval before licking him from base to tip and watching Shaun’s mouth drop open. His tongue presses against the head of Shaun’s thick cock before he wraps his lips around it and takes it slowly, almost torturously slowly, into his mouth. Vax holds Shaun’s hips against the bed with one hand when they start to roll involuntarily, interrupting the rhythm he was setting. His other hand in between his own legs, two fingers inside him and moving to that same rhythm, and he’s moaning around Gilmore’s cock, which is now completely hard. Shaun manages to say “stop” in between shallow breaths and moans and praises for Vax’s gifted mouth, and summons a jar from one of tables beside his bed. He takes some of the slick liquid in the palm of his hand and strokes himself a few times as a wide-pupiled Vax crawls back up his body and straddles his hips. He presses a needy, messy kiss to Shaun’s lips as he sinks down onto his cock and whimpers into Shaun’s mouth. “Goddess, you feel so good,” Vax moans. “Better than I ever dreamed.” He lifts himself off almost all the way before sliding back down and shivering as Shaun rubs that spot inside him that makes him see stars. “You- oh fuck , yes- you too.” Shaun’s voice is getting raspy and his fingers are digging into Vax’s hips. He can feel the thighs on either side of him tremble as Vax raises and lowers himself, and holds him tightly as he rolls them both over. Vax winces as a cut from earlier that evening is brushed against. “Are you okay, Vax’ildan?” comes Shaun’s soft, concerned response. He nods, but Shaun still hesitates. Vax looks him in the eyes and earnestly, if not a little desperately, says, “Fuck me, Shaun.” That’s all Shaun needs to hear, and he presses a kiss to one of the healing bruises as he rolls his hips forward and Vax lets out a high moan. He starts gently, slowly, hoping to make this last as long as possible, Vax is whispering his name and dragging short nails lightly down his back, and he starts picking up the pace. With every snap of his hips, he earns a moan or a sigh or some plea to never stop, and Vax is now digging his nails into Shaun’s shoulders and holding on for dear life. Gilmore braces himself on one forearm, and his finger swipes some of lubricant from between the two of them and starts rubbing over Vax’s cock and now Vax can’t say anything other than “Shaun” and “yes” and his eyes squeeze shut and his body starts to tense. Shaun feels heels digging into the backs of his thighs and then Vax tightening around him, making his hips stutter. Vax comes loudly with Shaun’s name on his lips and the sight of him coming completely undone, his cheeks and the tips of his ears a bright pink, sends Gilmore over the edge with him, moaning “Vax’ildan” before collapsing onto his forearms and breathing heavily. Vax starts to kiss him softly, and whines a little when Shaun pulls out to lay beside him. His eyelids are heavy now, and he rolls over to lay his head on Gilmore’s chest, and listen to his slowing heartbeat, and run his fingers through his chest hair. “I love you, Shaun,” Vax whispers as he closes his eyes. “I love you too, Vax’ildan,” is the last thing he hears before he falls asleep with a smile on his face.
11098104
Spinning
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Jeonghan - Character", "Fandom": "SEVENTEEN (Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/3", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-05T00:00:00", "words": "1,296", "Additional Tags": "more charas will be added later, Maybe - Freeform, im a lazy fuck, this was only gonna be porn then it got feelings, which makes it gross, Smut, Polyamory, Threesome - M/M/M, jisoo christ this is unholy, horny seungcheol for the win, Anal Sex, Masturbation, Voyeurism, Accidental Voyeurism, dont worry everyone rlly knows whats goin on, except cheol, dumbass", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo | Joshua & Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups & Yoon Jeonghan", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "M/M, Other", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“Joshua, God yes,” Joshua, god no. “More, fuck - right there,” Stop, fuck - why him. “I love you,” I love you both. Seungcheol stares at the ceiling, wide awake as he lays in bed. He can hear the boys through the wall. The squeaking of the bed springs. The thumping of the headboard against the wall. The moans and begging. Seungcheol shuts his eyes and his brain supplies the image of Joshua and Jeonghan ravishing each other. He grips his sheets, dick hard and laying warm and heavy against his pelvis.Seungcheol is in love with his roommate and his best friend. His roommate, Hong Jisoo, is taken. As is his best friend, Yoon Jeonghan. They’re dating one another and causing Seungcheol a slow and painful death.Usually, the lovebirds would spare him, fucking in Jeonghan’s studio or making out on the couch in Jeonghan’s apartment. Seungcheol acts like he’d rather not see them together, playfully annoyed by their relationship. In all actuality, he’d do anything just to touch both or them. Either of them. His skin buzzes and tingles at the feeling of Joshua’s playful touches and Jeonghan hugs far too much for his sanity.On occasion, the couple would have movie nights on Seungcheol’s and Joshua’s couch. They’d invite Seungcheol to join them and cuddle him as he sat in the middle. He would pay more attention to the boys hanging off of him than the movie. When he would give them any signs of confusion or doubt both of them would just give half-hearted excuses as to why they’d invite him along. He fears that one day they’ll figure it out his longing glances. His touches that are a little too long. He plays a game of teasing the line between platonic and flirtatious. Seungcheol rolls over in his bed, whining. He gives in to his feelings, placing a pillow under his hips and hesitantly humping against it a few times. He fucks into it, tempo picking up as he ends up recklessly grinding. He bites onto his fist to keep any noises out. He can almost feel Joshua’s soft skin and Jeonghan’s muscles. The boys on the other side of the wall get louder, Joshua’s grunts and groans now loud. He knew the noises far too well - having committed them to memory. Jeonghan was closer than Joshua, voice cracking weakly. Seungcheol’s hips go faster, snapping into the pillow as he pictures the expressions on both of their faces. The smell of Jeonghan’s cologne, the way Joshua would bite his lip in pleasure. He hears Jeonghan’s voice crack with a loud moan as he finishes. Seungcheol follows, seeing white behind his eyelids and toes curling in pleasure as he lets out a groan. Joshua follows not too long after.It goes silent. The couple enjoying their afterglow as Seungcheol wallows in guilt. It was wrong. So wrong what he had just done. Regardless - this wasn’t the first time. He lazily gets out of bed and strips himself, getting into clean pajamas. He goes to the bathroom, washing up. He rinses his face with cool water and stares in the mirror. What had his life become? It was like some sort of sad movie where the gays die in the end - he thinks. He wonders mildly why the gays never live in movies - tragedy sold he supposes. Seungcheol laments. His life is by far tragic enough but no one would pay to see it.Seungcheol recalls when he realized how his feelings had developed. Jeonghan was easy to fall for. The feelings Seungcheol had developed for him had come months before Joshua. Or - the realization had at least. The conversation between them happened so naturally. They’d been inseparable since their freshman years in college and they’d kissed on a dare once while drunk for the sake of a bunch of squealing college girls. It seemed girls sexualized and fetishized homosexuality just as much as straight men did - asking him and his gay friends to kiss for their personal enjoyment. It was weird but he and Jeonghan both loved attention at that age. He’d went to many a party with his friend after rugby games to hit on boys and get wasted. His best friend was gorgeous, long hair and lithe fingers. Muscular too - he thinks with delight. It was a silent power that most people dismissed after seeing his delicate features. Jeonghan is an artist. A traditional artist - and a very successful one at that. He works at an art museum as a curator on the side and his galleries usually sold out within a week. Seungcheol has a fond memory of Jeonghan painting a portrait in his studio as the sun was going down. He’d stopped suddenly and turned to Seungcheol before turning back to his painting and bursting into laughter. Seungcheol had looked up at the other male like he was crazy before his breath had stopped in his throat. The light was hitting his best friend so wonderfully and he was glowing. His long hair tossed into a messy bun and his hands covered in paint swatches. The artist’s eyes and nose scrunched up as he grinned. Seungcheol could only tilt his head in confusion. Jeonghan beamed. ‘I accidentally painted you!’ he announced happily. Seungcheol couldn’t stop blushing for hours. It was love, he realized at that moment.Seungcheol’s feelings for Joshua came as more of a surprise. Joshua had graduated with a nursing degree and a fantastic job set up. He was a great children’s nurse and a gentle guy. He had large doe eyes and a cat like a smirk and he always smelled like a fruit. He wasn’t as soft as he seemed. He was gossipy and scheming, manipulative when he wanted to be. He was clever as a fox and quick as a rabbit and absolutely enchanting. His body wide and thin, not muscular like Seungcheol’s or Jeonghan’s but not small. He was filled with quiet power and his movements were always filled with sharp grace. His voice was soft and enchanting and he would play guitar whenever wherever. They’d been roommates in the same shitty apartment all through college and even long after graduation. Seungcheol was a manager at a large bookstore and an aspiring writer. He had had a particularly stressful day at work, head throbbing and back aching from carrying four crates of books up and down stairs. Joshua had invited him out for drinks with friends that day and he had politely declined, texting a simple ‘no thanks. bad day :( sorry’. He was surprised to come home to the lights on at the apartment, Joshua came to greet him at the door - bags of his favorite takeout in hand. The Chinese place a half an hour away that didn’t deliver. Joshua had driven halfway across town to get him food. His roommate had grinned simply, offering the food and a quiet night of watching reality tv. Seungcheol had realized at that moment how badly he wanted to kiss Joshua. To make him feel special and loved back. He realizes yet again that it’s love and he’s absolutely fucked.Seungcheol is yanked from his reverie when the bathroom door is tossed open by a freshly fucked Joshua, clad in only his boxers. The doe-eyed male jumps in surprise, letting out a yelp.“Oh! Oh god did we wake you I’m so sorry-” he gushes fearfully. Joshua was innocent acting, and Seungcheol’s heart lurches when he realizes Joshua wasn’t sorry. His eyes had a glint in them and he was far too unabashed to truly be sorry. Seungcheol rolls his eyes and tries to avert them from the bare chest.“Yeah yeah, not the first time,” Seungcheol grumbles.He hopes it won't be the last either.
11076048
We Throw Our Shadows
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Laurel Castillo, Frank Delfino", "Fandom": "How to Get Away with Murder", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by aghamora", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-02T00:00:00", "words": "3,475", "Additional Tags": "Implied/Referenced Suicide, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Suicide Attempt, Guilt", "Relationship": "Laurel Castillo/Frank Delfino", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Your Mess is Mine", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
She’s the only one left in Bonnie’s apartment when he steps through the door.It’s become their new home base, as of late, the kitchen table a veritable clusterfuck of files and papers and boxes, and he can tell Bonnie hates it, intensely introverted and suffocated by the constant flow of the kids in and out, but with both him and Annalise currently homeless it’s not like they have many alternatives. By this time of night it’s usually cleared out, though, and he frowns when he notices a light on by the couch, makes out the familiar shape of the back of her head; he’d know it anywhere, know her anywhere, even among a crowd of millions.It ties his insides into a thousand knots he has no idea how to even begin to unravel, but somehow he musters his voice, makes his way over to where she sits. “Hey.”She looks back, calmly, not at all surprised to see him – and as soon as he looks her in the eyes he can tell something is off; she’s too tense, jaw tight, eyes flickering with a faint spark of panic that anyone else might miss, but he doesn’t; he knows her, knows when something is wrong, and something is wrong, here. She looks jittery, pale, smaller than he’s ever seen her, and she’s clad in a sweater, knees tucked against her chest, hugging herself like she’s freezing cold.And that’s when he sees the bottle of vodka sitting before her on the coffee table, a glass next to that. And he stops dead in his tracks.“Was this the first thing Annalise did with her insurance check?” she deadpans, a terrible, wry grin on her face. Her voice is measured, not slurred, as far as he can tell, and he doesn’t know what to make of this – any of this. “Replenish her liquor cabinet?” She lets out a humorless chuckle. “Guess I don’t blame her.”He approaches cautiously, like a man stepping over a field of landmines, holding his breath and waiting for one to trigger. He can’t seem to summon up any words to give her; all he can do is stare, mouth agape, brow furrowed, unsure how to proceed, and when Laurel takes another look at him, she just scoffs, at some joke he’s clearly on the outs of.“Don’t worry. I’m not drinking it,” she remarks, a bite in her tone, because they both know why, and they both know she’s none too thrilled that she can’t. “I thought about it. I thought about it a long time. And God, I want to. But I can’t. Just looking at it, though… kinda makes me feel better.”He swallows, thickly. “What’re you still doin’ here?”“Waiting for you,” she says, simply, like it’s nothing unusual at all, and he can’t tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, can’t decode the look in her eyes, the uneasy air about her that mixes with her calmness to become some almost otherworldly detachment, like she’s present but not present, her mind a million miles away. Laurel unfurls herself from the ball she’d tucked herself into, without warning, grabbing the glass and pouring a generous splash of vodka into it. “Want some?”Frank sinks down into the armchair across from her, tense, shaking his head. “No, I, uh, I’m good.”She snorts, and sets the glass down. “You can drink in front of me; I won’t get mad. I can… live vicariously through you.”Silence swells between them, for a minute, hanging in the air like a storm cloud, smothering, oppressive, like they could reach out and touch it with their fingers. Laurel picks at a thread on her sweater absentmindedly, clearly not about to say anything else though he’d assumed that’s why she’s here, and Frank just sits there, watching her, his bones screaming at him to cross the gully between them, say something, anything, but his head continually holding him back. He hasn’t been alone with Laurel in what feels like years, and he’s lost his footing, forgotten how to be around her – especially when she’s like this, so much changed yet so much the same.“You okay?” he asks, finally, voice low and raspy with tenderness.It’s a simple question. But all at once that veneer of dark amusement fractures like a plaster mask, and her composure wavers, falters, before it vanishes altogether.She’s wide-eyed, suddenly. She looks fucking scared stiff, her whole body curling in on itself like it’s trying to retreat, run away, and she looks somehow even smaller than she did, before, downright tiny, like a child. He’s seen in her tears more times than he can count, since the fire, but he’s never seen her like this, broken down and worn away and weathered by grief like a jagged stone, terrified for some reason he can’t pinpoint – but it’s quiet terror. Silent terror.“Bonnie told me, about that night. What happened. The gun,” is all she says, finally, and the words burst like bombs in the space between them, silencing all else, hurling shrapnel every which way. She looks up at him, and all at once it’s like she’s staring up at him through two crystalline blue puddles, depthless, brimming with tears like a dam threatening to crest its edges. “You were gonna kill yourself.”He can’t speak, suddenly. Can’t look her in the eyes. He’s too ashamed, and that shame comes crashing over him in fresh waves, all those feelings of worthlessness drug up from the deep, all of Annalise’s sharply spoken words – pull it, do it, do it do it – playing on repeat in his head, that darkest hour of his darkest night. He’d been hoping, perhaps irrationally, that Laurel would never find out, never know how weak and broken he’d become, how low he’d fallen, that he could bury it deep somewhere and forget how close he’d come to the brink.He hadn’t wanted her to know, hadn’t wanted her to worry about him when she’s got so much of her own worrying to do, when surely his pain doesn’t amount to even a drop in the ocean of hers. Most of all he hadn’t wanted her to see him that way, as a goddamn coward who’d almost blown his brains out, not even giving a thought about what it might do to her. He feels sick, and he can’t look at her, and Laurel seems to notice, because Laurel notices everything. Laurel knows him so well.“Look at me,” she pleads, almost crying outright, now, and when he refuses to obey, she sharpens her voice. “Look at me.”He drags his eyes up like they’re the heaviest weights in the world. He doesn’t think he deserves to lay them on her, and before Frank can help it that familiar spike of self-loathing hits him square in the chest – because he isn’t good enough for her, isn’t good enough for anyone, and he’s a fucking fucked up son of a bitch who almost killed himself because he was too scared to face the hell of his own making, and he never wanted her to see him like this, exposed, stripped down to his bones, at his lowest low.She already wants him dead, wishes he were gone in Wes’s place. Hates him. Now she thinks he’s weak, too, and he can’t take that. He wants to run, but her eyes have cemented him in place, pinned him down like an insect. All he can do is sit here and take it, take whatever she has to say – if she tells him he should’ve done it, like Annalise had. If she told him to, if she wanted that, he thinks he might actually listen, this time.But there’s no anger in Laurel’s eyes. There’s still just that same, heart-fracturing terror, but not fear of him. Fear for him.“No one-” She cuts herself off, shaking her head. “No one ever told me, you never-”He lowers his eyes, again. “Nobody wanted to worry you. Not after everything-”“You almost died,” she breathes, again. “You almost… you almost killed yourself, Frank.”Eyes lowered. He still can’t look at her. It’ll kill him. She’s crying for him, because of him, and he never wanted her to know, fuck, he just never wanted her to know, that secret shame, that utter humiliation. He isn’t worth her tears.And then she asks the question. Because he knew it was coming, knew there was no way around it, and so out it comes, charging at him like a bull.“Why?”He doesn’t know what to say. His speech has been disabled, sucked right out of him, and all he can do is sit there, hang his head, cheeks burning, and if she’s terrified for him then he’s just as terrified of her, of the way she can see inside him, right through him, of the way she knows, now, he isn’t half as strong as he pretends to be, though he imagines she’s known that all along. This is another level, though. This is something so much darker. He’s had that darkness inside him all along, that volatility, always on the brink of spontaneous human combustion, one strike of a match away from going up in flames. All it’d taken was the right trigger – or, well, two triggers: Annalise and the trigger on that gun, and he’d come so close. So close to not being here with her today at all. So close to being cold bones in the ground, forgotten and reviled.Fuck. Fuck, he hadn’t even thought about Laurel, about what losing him might do to her. He thinks he’d probably figured she wouldn’t care, content in her new life with Wes, yet looking at her now, seeing the sheer horror in her eyes, he knows it would’ve broken her, dismantled her, been the last straw. Bonnie had said she wouldn’t have survived it and right now, looking at her, he’s not sure Laurel would have either; he would’ve gone up in flames and burned them both to ash right along with him. He’s selfish.He’s so, so fucking selfish.“There was… nothin’ left,” he manages, by some miracle, to wrangle the words out of his throat, scratchy, pathetic things that they are. Still, he refuses to look at her, head bowed, hands clasped as if in a confessional, and she’s his confessor and he’s the lowly penitent, the black-hearted sinner. “Annalise was gone. Bon. You were, too. And you were right, when you said it was my fault I had nowhere to go. It was. I did that to myself. It’s all my fuckin’ fault – and it shoulda been me. You were right about that, too.” He pauses, swallowing. “It just felt dark. Like there was never gonna be another day past that one. No point in goin’ on. World would probably be better without me in it, everything I’ve done…” Finally, somehow, he makes himself meet her eyes, and she’s sitting there, crying silently, crying for him. The sight makes him hate himself all over again. “I deserved it. Thought it’d make things right, if I did it. Thought everyone would be better off with me gone. You, too.”“You’re selfish.” She shoots to her feet, suddenly, eyes blazing, before she softens, sniffles again. “You don’t get to decide that! You’re… you were just going to… God, Frank, you-”He shrinks beneath her gaze. He feels like the child, now. “I’m sorry.”He doesn’t know what he’s apologizing for. It feels like he's apologizing for everything, for this entire goddamn life; giving every atrocity he's ever committed over into her hands like she's Christ on Judgement Day and he's waiting for her to pass his sentence down. I’m sorry I’m not enough. I’m sorry you ever loved me. I’m sorry. Sorry for everything. So fucking sorry.Laurel shakes her head, swiping at her cheeks with contempt, trying desperately to plug up her tears. “Bonnie said… Annalise told you to do it. She kept telling you do it. Over and over.”All he can do is nod. There’s no point in speaking, really. She sees him for what he is, now, a pathetic, craven man, a coward too scared to do what needed and perhaps still needs to be done, and he deserves whatever tongue lashing she’s going to give him, whatever cruel words she’s going to sling at him. He can take it. He’s borne her lashes before, in the hospital, borne her scathing words, and he can bear them again; he’s too numb to recognize the blows as pain, by now, because they’re all he knows. He feels like the worst piece of shit in the world sitting before her, right then.She deserves so much better than to be loved by someone like him.He waits for her to yell. To say something. For the longest moment, though, she says nothing at all, and finally he glances up, and sees something he wasn’t expecting at all. It's like all the anger has washed out of her in the way a tide flows out to sea, and she’s slumped, hunched in on herself. There’s something else behind her eyes now, and he can’t tell what it is, at first, not until she opens her mouth, not until she gives him her words.“I told Connor to kill himself,” she chokes out, finally, and that’s when he sees it – it’s guilt, that same self-loathing that festers in his chest like pus, stinking, putrid, hidden but seeping up all at once. Suddenly he realizes he’s not the only one confessing, here. “I thought… he killed Wes. So I told him the one good thing he could do in his life was kill himself. I said that to him. And if he’d listened to me? Done it? It… it would’ve been my fault. It would’ve been on me.”Her breathing picks up, until she can’t seem to catch a breath, until she can’t seem to breathe at all, tendrils of panic snaking around her lungs. Laurel freezes, all at once, an apparent realization shocking her into stillness. “If you’d listened to her… you’d be dead. I’m as bad as she is.”The guilt rises up over her like a shadow, sinks its claws into her, rippling through her, and all he can do is watch as Laurel crumbles before him, horrified by herself, by what he’d come so close to doing, by what she was so close to making Connor do, too. Before he can think twice he’s springing to his feet, shaking his head and approaching her where she stands beside the sofa, pacing, trembling faintly.“You’re not-”She shakes her head, eyes gleaming with certainty. “I am. I said… I wished you were dead. That it should’ve been you. I’m-” She sucks in a breath, and she’s crying, now, tears tracking down her cheeks, forming rivers and waterways and carving the landscape of her face. And just like he’s not the only one confessing, here, he knows he’s not the only broken one, either. “I’m so sorry.”Every inch of her is vibrating with horror, and he doesn’t know how to help her, how to stop it – and so he goes to her, placing his hands on her arms to steady her, to tether her to earth, ground her, keep her from being eaten alive by the panic he can feel welling inside her.“It’s okay,” he soothes, and he thinks he may be crying now, too. He isn’t sure. He barely cares. “Hey, it’s okay, you didn’t know.”They remain there like that for a moment, and he just breathes, steadily, long, slow pulls of air into his lungs, until finally Laurel matches his rhythm, relaxes against him, goes quiet and still as death. Things had been so tense, before, but now every wall has been broken down, smashed to bits; they have no boundaries, now. They never did. Embracing her doesn’t feel right, in this instant, so he does his best to anchor her instead – because he’s not the strong one, here, and they both know it, but for her he can try to be. For her he can try to be good.“I should’ve,” she mutters, finally, voice no longer thick with tears but still breaking, scraping her throat roughly. She moves back, away from him, and shakes her head again. “You almost died. And I didn’t… I didn’t even know.”He’s silent, again. She renders him deaf and dumb and mute and he can’t speak; he can never seem to find the right words to give her. After a moment Laurel clears her throat, swiping the last of the tears from her cheeks and raising her chin, cobbling together her composure as best she can, like a child trying to patch up a leak with Silly Putty.“The worst part is? I think I would’ve tried to do it, too,” she admits, all at once, eyes downcast. He can feel that same shame flowing through her veins like it’d flowed through his, and he can’t say how he does, only that he does. “If it weren’t for the baby. I even thought about doing it anyway.” She sputters out a dark, biting laugh, and it cuts like acid, chews straight through his chest. “That’s how much of a terrible person I am.”“You’re not, you-”“Don’t ever do something like that again,” she cuts him off, sniffing. She stares him right in the eyes, and hers are steel, as fierce as ever. They slice right through him, bring him to his knees. “If I ever lost you-” Laurel swallows, lowering her voice. “I wouldn’t survive it.”She wouldn’t survive it. She can’t lose him, too, after everything, when she’s already spiraling madly out of control, grief growing like a cancer on her heart, forming cracks in her fragile skin slowly, when it would only take one final blow to shatter her to bits. She couldn’t come back from that, and she’s terrified of losing him, and she doesn’t hate him at all, doesn’t want him dead. He’s not sure what it is she does feel for him, but she doesn’t want him dead, and now he’s looking at her, staring into her eyes, and he’s never wanted to live more.Live for her. He can do that. He’d been lying trying to convince himself he hadn’t thought of her that night, the barrel of the gun jammed up underneath his chin, one click away from painting Annalise’s walls with the insides of his skull; the thought of Laurel had stilled his finger. He had been thinking of her. And even in this broken, bloody mess, even in this hell that has become their lives, he needs to be with her, needs to live for her, because he loves her, loves her hopelessly, agonizingly.She deserves better than to be loved by someone like him. But all he has to give her is his love, however unworthy and pitiful a thing it is. He’ll never stop giving it. He can’t. It flows out of him with his breath, pumps through his blood. Sometimes he thinks it’s all he exists to do, all he’s good for, and even if she doesn’t want it, doesn’t want him, he’ll live to do it anyway.“I won’t,” he rasps, and they’re so close, but not touching. It doesn’t feel right to touch her, even though he wants nothing more than to bring her close and circle his arms around her and hold her as tight as he can, reassure her that he’s real, that he’ll never leave. That’ll he’s alive, and real, and here. “I promise.” I’m sorry. I love you. I love you. I love you.This is a confessional for the both of them, he thinks, again, and he loves her in spite of everything she’s told him, all the awful things she’s said in her anger, in her grief, and now she’s looking at him with those startlingly clear blue eyes – and he doesn’t know if she loves him, again, doesn’t know if she can, but he knows that she accepts him, knows the story of that darkest hour of his life and chooses not to shy away even so. She’s his confessor, his god, his broken altar and the crumbled pillars of his church and everything holy in the world, and they’re together. They’ve come out of this alive. They can keep each other that way.He’s not the only broken one here. He can’t piece the two of them back together. But what he can do is keep breathing. All they can do is keep breathing, and by some miracle, by the skin of their fucking teeth, somehow they both still are.
11068113
Orange You Glad
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), mentions of allura and pidge", "Fandom": "Voltron: Legendary Defender", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by killjoycatlady", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-02T00:00:00", "words": "3,580", "Additional Tags": "Alcohol, Caretaking, Primary Paladins, but platonic mostly, Drunkenness, Attempt at Humor, Fluff and Humor, Banter, College, Mentions of vomit (nothing graphic it's just mentioned a few times)", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Keith & Lance (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), the klance is heavily implied but not a big part of the story, Hunk & Keith (Voltron)", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "Gen, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Keith was not a fan of college parties. Granted, this wasn't a stereotypical college party with drugs and beer in red cups. It was smaller, simpler, hosted by Allura, who was very nice and smart and a somewhat friend of Keith's. That didn't mean he came willingly. He was supposed to be studying for an important Literature test (God knew that Keith was terrible at poetry) but nope, Lance had to come to his house and drag him out against his will. Lance, who was currently doing something loosely resembling "dancing", with one of Allura's girl friends. Keith didn't know when or why Lance got so tipsy, but he wouldn't be the one to stop Lance from having a good time. Keith sighed and huddled closer to the wall, hugging his body with his arms. Allura's parties were never too large- just fifty or sixty people, usually- but they made Keith's skin crawl with nerves, anyway. He wasn't a social person. He probably wouldn't go to any social outing if it weren't for Lance. Lance tripped over his own feet and almost spilled orange juice over the girl's feet. Keith snickered, and as if by instinct, Lance glanced at him and made a face. Keith hadn't known Lance for too long, but he knew that Lance was an exceptionally good dancer, especially for someone who went to college in Chicago (Lance said that "that's what happens when you're a Miami-raised Cuban, darling."). Keith wondered how just how drunk Lance was right now. "Hey," said a voice, making Keith jump. "Sorry," Hunk apologized, standing next to Keith. "Didn't mean to scare you. How're you feeling?" "Me?" Keith asked, "I'm fine?" His tentative tone didn't seem to satisfy Hunk. "You sure?" Hunk asked. "'Cuz we can leave if you want." "I'm good," Keith reassured him, almost entirely lying. "You go have fun." His eye caught Lance with his arms raised high, orange juice flimsily held in his hand. "He seems to be enjoying." "He's Lance." Hunk sounded amused. "He's always enjoying." Keith hummed in agreement. Lance did always tried to make the best of a situation, and he always was in his element at parties like this. "He's really drunk, though," Hunk continued observantly. "When did he drink so much?" "I've no clue," Keith said. Hunk sighed. "Do you think we should stop him from drinking more?" "He's headed back towards the drink table," Keith pointed out. Hunk got off the wall to go follow Lance, and, because he had nothing better to do, Keith went after him. He almost lost Hunk a few times in the crowd, and sped up his stroll as to not get left behind. Hunk caught Lance just in time at the drink table, and put a large hand on Lance's chest to stop him. "What are you drinking, dude?" Hunk asked, "You're wasted." "Nah," Lance drawled, clumsily running a hand throw his own short hair. "I'm finnee, Hunk. Not drunk at all." He puffed out his chest and held his arms open, and swayed a little. "Yeah," Hunk said skeptically, "What have you been drinking?" "Orange juice!" Lance answered, waving towards a jug of bright juice. "It's great, Hunk, tryy it." "I think Allura said that the orange juice has vodka in it," Hunk said, looking at Keith. "Keith! You're here!" Lance said happily, smiling widely. "I thought that was the punch," Keith said, frowning. "How much of the orange juice did you drink, Lance?" "Ehhh." Lance shrugged. "Eight, nine glasses?" "Jesus," Keith said, "Who the fuck can drink so much juice?" "He did always like orange juice," Hunk remarked. "Lance, you can't have any more." Lance pouted, and if he weren't drunk off his ass, Keith would have felt sympathy for him. "Can I dance, at least?" Lance pleaded. Hunk rolled his eyes. "Yeah," Hunk said. Lance whooped. He took a few steps towards the mass of dancing bodies, and then stumbled, almost falling down to the floor. Luckily, Keith was nearby, and reached out of catch him and support Lance with his body. He grunted underneath Lance's weight. "Hey, Keith," Lance mumbled, "Why're you here? I thought you were studying?" "You brought me here, you massive idiot." Keith glanced at Hunk, who was watching the scene with amusement. "We should take him home. I don't trust him when he's drunk." "You and me both," Hunk said, "I'll let Allura know. Can you take him to my car?" Without waiting for an answer, Hunk tossed Keith his keys, leaving him in search of Allura. Keith untangled himself from Lance, keeping a hand tightly gripped to Lance's arm to steer him outside. "Where're we goin'?" Lance asked, stumbling as Keith led him out of the threshold of the house. "Home, Lance," Keith said, "Well, we're actually going to Hunk's car." "Hunk's m'buddy." Lance slurred over his words. Keith gritted his teeth and led Lance down the small steps leading to the driveway. There was an imminent danger of Lance falling and taking Keith down with him. Keith hated to admit it, but Lance was heavier than him, and therefore fully capable of knocking him down. He hauled a mumbling Lance into the parking lot and searched for the car that he was dropped off in. He spotted it parked where it was left, by the sidewalk. At first sight, Hunk's car was a piece of junk. It was clunky and old, and looked like a hazard to ride in. Keith said so, the first time he saw it. But then he found out that Hunk was something of an engineering genius (in his mind, anyways) and was able to fix up a cheap, broken down car, almost entirely by himself. Keith unlocked the back door and stared pointedly at Lance. "Get in." "Keittthhh," Lance whined, swaying again. He braced himself against the car's side, eyes tight. "Please don't tell me that you're going to throw up," Keith told him, "I'm not going to help you if you do." "Hunk'll help me," Lance declared. "Hunk will do what, now?" Hunk's voice asked, and made Keith junk for the second time. "What's going on?" "He's not going to, like, throw up, right?" Keith asked. Hunk peered at Lance's face. "I hope not. Lance, I love ya, but if you hurl in my car, I probably can't be friends with you." Lance, go Keith's surprise, looked like he was going to cry at that. "No, Hunk," he moaned, draping himself against the car. "Get inside, buddy," Hunk told him. Keith stepped aside to let Hunk wrestle Lance into the back seat, and went around to open the passenger side door. After Hunk locked Lance into the back of the car, he opened his own door and slid into the driver's seat. "Why does-" Lance hiccuped. "-Keith get to sit up front, Hunk?" "You sound like a toddler," Keith told Lance, smiling with amusement. "Keith," Lance cried, "Don't be mean!" "Keith is sitting up front because he's not drunk," Hunk said, twisting the key. The engine rumbled to life and Hunk began backing out of the parking spot. He drove the car down the dark street and took a turn out of Allura's community, onto the larger road. "He's less likely to puke." "I won't throw up," Lance said stubbornly, "I'm not some- oh, shiiiit, Hunk, my man, I don't feel so great. Urgh." Keith turned in time to see Lance make a face and press his palm against his mouth. He turned back to the dashboard. "Hunk," he said nervously, "I don't think your car is going to get out of his unharmed." "Lance," Hunk said queasily, "I'm supposed to be the one that gets sick a lot." "'M fine," Lance mumbled, still with a hand covering his mouth. "We can take him to my place," Keith suggested, not entirely on board with his own suggestion but at a loss for other options. "It's closer, and Pidge isn't home this weekend." Pidge was his roommate, who was out visiting their family in Indiana. Hunk and Lance's apartment was about twice as far as Keith's was, and Keith did have enough sympathy for Hunk that he would let Lance stay until his stomach problems settled. "You are a godsend, Keith Kogane," Hunk said, relieved. Lance started singing in the back, softly under his breath at first, volume rising with each word. "Estas son las mañanitas que cantaba el ray David. Hay por ser día de tu santo-" "Lance, no, you're Cuban," Hunk said, "And it's no one's birthday." "Joykill, Hunk, you're turning into Keith." "Hey," Keith said threateningly. "It's truuuee," Lance said. His hand slipped of the seat of the car and Lance almost fell down. He straightened up and said in an obnoxiously teasing voice, "You cramp my style, Keith." "Sorry," Keith said shortly, crossing his arms. He didn't know whether to laugh or be offended, so he chose to remain blank. "I guess I'll stay out of your way." "Nooo, Keith, don't go," Lance moaned. Keith scoffed; did Lance always contradict himself like this, or was this something that was only revealed when he was drunk?"You wound me, Lance," Keith said with a dramatic sigh. Hunk glanced at him, lips twitching up into a smile. "I don't think we can be friends." "No, Keith, I love you! Don't go, you're my friennnd," Lance wailed, resting his head on Keith's seat and grabbing onto Keith's jacket. Keith spluttered, pretty sure that he was turning pink, and that Hunk was laughing at the two of them in his mind. "Fine, fine, fine," Keith muttered, "Let go of me, you asshole." Lance cheered. Then Hunk stopped the car at the red light and Lance promptly fell backwards. Keith laughed into his hand, and Lance got up, hair sticking up and glaring. "Keith!" he said, and his voice was so high-pitched that Keith couldn't help but to burst out into laughter, snorting and probably giggling in a way that definitely didn't uphold his brooding, emo reputation. Hunk was chuckling along with him, while Lance made sounds of protest in the back seat. "This is bullying," Lance complained, "I hate you all. Hunk, you're a traitor. Don't side up with Keith." "Hey, Lance, you know I'd always choose you," Hunk said lightly, "No offense, Keith." "Hella offense, Keith," Lance corrected, and then burst into peals of drunken laughter himself. Keith thought that he might have actually seen Lance wipe away tears of mirth from his eyes. "How much vodka was in that juice?" Keith said fervently, while Lance was still cackling like a hyena to himself. "Too much," Hunk answered, with equal vigor. "Lance should be banned from orange juice." "Hunk, you're mean," Lance pouted, "I hadn't known how meeaan you are. I'm going to tell mom." "Your mom loves me," Hunk reminded him, "Also, she'd kill you if she knew that you were drinking." "I think we're here," Hunk stated, turning the car into Keith apartment complex. Luckily for them, Keith only lived on the second floor, so they could stuff Lance into an elevator without too much of a problem. Keith and Hunk got out of the car as the engine died down, and Hunk went to retrieve Lance. Lance was leaning heavily against Hunk, and as he stepped into the harsh light, Kieth realized that he was sweating rather heavily. He made a mental note not to lend Lance any clothes. "Lance, can't you walk straight?" Hunk asked desperately, as he practically dragged Lance down the lobby of Keith's apartment building. The security guard, who was usually dozing off in his old chair, was conveniently awake at this time, and gave the three of them a strange look. Keith didn't bother to explain. "I can't do anything straight," Lance drawled, and then giggled like a twelve year old. "Haha, get that? Nothing straight." "That's my line," Keith argued, while Hunk said simultaneously, "That's Keith's line." He hadn't known anything about Lance's alleged non-straight-ness until now. He hoped that Lance wouldn't wake up tomorrow regretting it, though Keith had no plans in mind to make fun of him for it. "Deal with it, Keith," Lance said, waving his hand around lazily. He managed to almost hit Keith in the face with it. "You can't have everything. I need some indigestion pills or something." "I'm not sure what Keith had in the first place," Hunk said mildly, raising his eyebrows questioningly at Keith. Keith shrugged in response, clearly not knowing more of what was going on than Hunk did. "Get into the elevator, Lance," Hunk said kindly. Lance stumbled into the elevator with Keith and Hunk herding him, and then punched at three different buttons, none of which led to Keith's floor. Keith grabbed his hand before he could send them up to any other floor, or, god forbid, press the emergency alarm. Hunk pushed the button to the second floor, and the elevator lit up and starting moving. Lance kept his eyes trained on the blue numbers with a serious look on his face.  The elevator doors slid open, and Hunk nudged Lance out, through the hall, to Keith's front door. A "Do Not Disturb" sign was hung on the doorknob, a clear sign that the home was inhabited by Pidge and Keith- a.k.a, their friend-group's antisocials. Lance gasped when the door swung open. "Keith! Your house is beautiful! Ugh, my stomach hurts." Keith stared at the living room of his apartment. Two shirts, one belonging to him and one belonging to Pidge, lay on the sofa. There were papers scattered across the tiny excuse for a dining table, and a crumb-filled plate on the counter. The walls were bare of any decoration, save for a certificate that Pidge received a year ago and Keith's still life-turned-abstract painting for his elective art class two years ago. A dying houseplant stood on a crate, abandoned and forgotten.  "Okay," Keith said.  "Let's please get Lance to the bathroom," Hunk begged, clutching onto the back of Lance's jacket. Keith nodded, and Hunk pulled Lance into the tiny, tiny bathroom that he and Pidge shared. It was a cause of many petty arguments before their morning classes. It was just in time, too, because a few moments after, Keith heard retching. He winced and then proceeded to make an excessive amount of noise in the kitchen to block out the sound. He awaited the noise of the toilet flushing. Keith made sure to have a glass of water ready and waiting when Lance came out of the bathroom, sweaty and still leaning against Hunk. He looked marginally better- his face had less of a green undertone, but he was still swaying rather dangerously. "He can't take much alcohol, can he?" Keith asked Hunk, as Lance downed the glass of water. "He really can't," Hunk said. "Are you gunna kick us out, now, Keith?" Lance said, too loftily for someone who just threw up in Keith's bathroom.  "No," Keith replied, "Although you're making it very tempting, let me tell you."  Lance scowled. "Hunk, I'll take him to my bedroom," Keith offered, "Can you, uh, clean up a bit. There's a Febreeze by the sink." There was a moment of silence, and then Hunk flushed. "Oh, yeah! Of course. Thanks for helping out, Keith." "No problem." Keith poked Lance in the side and grabbed his arm to lead him down the hall. "Come on, Lance." They went down the dark hallway and turned right into Keith's room. Keith wasn't so proud that he couldn't admit that his room was a bit of a mess- not as much as Pidge's was, but a mess. Clothes were strewn over his bed and chair and he hadn't bothered to make his bed that morning. He flicked on the light's and allowed Lance to wander inside. "I've been to your room before," Lance said, but it sounded more like a question than a statement.  Keith snorted. "Yeah, you have. Many times. Without permission." That wasn't wholly true. Sure, on most days, Lance had no problem with barging into the apartment with food for PIdge and complaints for Keith, but he knew to give the inhabitants of this house at least a fair warning before entering their rooms. And Lance was unexpectedly perceptive, which unfortunately meant that he could often gauge Keith's mood.  For better or for worse, this ability stopped him from barging into Keith's room when Keith wasn't feeling his best. "Get into bed," Keith told him, making sure to sound somewhat threatening. "And take your jacket off, it's going to reek." "Asking me to undress before getting into bed?" Lance asked, giving Keith a lopsided grin, though complying with the instructions and tossing the jacket to the side. "I'd never expect that of you. At least treat me to dinner, first." He was still drunk, awkwardly stumbling over a few of his words. Keith slapped Lance's bare arm, face warm with embarrasment, and he yelped. Keith pushed him down and closer to the middle of the bed, so that Keith could uncomfortably sit at the very edge. "You're too drunk. Don't ever drag me out to something and then get wasted again, I'm not going to help you again." "What did you do?" Lance grumped, "It was mostly Hunk, anyways. You just stood there." "You threw up in my bathroom," Keith said exasperatedly, "And now you're sleeping in my bed." "You offered," Lance replied cheekily. "You're going to have a huge headache tomorrow morning, and I am going to be the loudest ever," Keith said in a flat voice. "And you know that that's a promise." "Whatever," Lance said, "I can take it." "We'll see about that," Keith said. "Bathroom's all cleaned up," Hunk said, coming into the room. "How're you doing, Lance?"  "I'm good," Lance said. "I'll be...hopping around like a rabbit tomorrow." "Please don't," Keith told him. "Just don't whine about your hangover, thanks." "Keith, do you want me to stay over, or..." Hunk shifted his weight and twisted his fingers indecisively. "Cuz I'd love to stay, but I have a morning class tomorrow." "Sure, leave me here with the fool," Keith grumbled, while Lance yelped in offense. "Yeah, it's cool, Hunk, I'll take care of him." "I don't need you to take care of me," Lance retorted. Keith ignored him. "Thanks so much, Keith." Hunk looked relieved. "I'll pick him up after class, if you want." "No, I'll take him on the bus, seriously, Hunk, don't worry about it," Keith said, "I can handle him." Okay, so he'd probably end up bickering with Lance and then blowing up the kitchen or something (Keith wasn't that blind to his own flaws), but Hunk was his friend, so it was Keith's duty to relieve him of his valid worries. "We'll be fine." "Ookay," Hunk said dubiously, "Call me if you need anything. Make sure to give Lance plenty of water. Don't blow up the kitchen or something." Hunk knew them both too well. "We won't," Keith promised. "Don't worry about us. I'll text you in the morning, probably." "Okay, okay," Hunk said, leaving the room. "Goodnight, Lance." "G'night," Lance said from where his head was smushed against Keith's pillow.  "Don't get drool on that," Keith warned, as the sound of the door closing rang through the apartment. "I have to sleep on that." Lance nuzzled the pillow even more. "It's so soft, what the fuck." "Lance!"  "What?" Lance asked, looking vaguely irritated. His blue eyes were still a bit hazy, Keith observed, and all he could really do now was sleep off the alcohol. "Turn the light of, dude, my head's swimming." "Do you, I don't know, want to sleep on Pidge's bed or something?" Keith asked, trying to keep his voice level, as he smacked the light switch into the 'off' position. "Aren't you going to be uncomfortable here?" "Why would I?" Lance asked. His voice was traced with sleep, and his eyes were closed. Keith knew enough about body language that he could tell that Lance just wanted to fall asleep. "I mean, if you're fine with it..." Keith shrugged. He'd have thought that Lance would prefer to sleep in the bed of someone who he didn't argue with almost constantly (thought they were friends, at least, Keith was pretty sure), but he didn't mind. Pidge probably wouldn't mind Keith crashing on their bed too much, anyway.  "Nah, I like it here," Lance said, cuddling into Keith's blanket. It would probably smell like sweat and alcohol and Lance, and that thought made Keith's stomach squirm weirdly. "It smells like you." Keith flushed, very thankful for the cover of darkness. Though that wouldn't matter, because Lance was very peacefully lying down without a care in the world. In fact, Keith was pretty sure that Lance had drifted off to sleep within the few seconds of silence.  Keith shook his head, still flustered and blushing what was probably embarrassingly bright shades of red. Before he left, he grabbed a random change of clothes from his chair. It was a problem for another day, he decided, before heading into Pidge's room. Lance was drunk and said stupid things. That was the very reason why Keith didn't drink. Keith had his own incoming headache, tomorrow, anyway. After changing, he flopped down onto Pidge's creaky bed and allowed his mind to not dwell on it and sleep.
11067423
Now or Never
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Min Yoongi | Suga, Park Jimin (BTS)", "Fandom": "방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by yourmiracleboy", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "1,138", "Additional Tags": "Supernatural AU - Freeform, mermaid, Vampires, Vampire!Yoongi, mermaid!Jimin, Roommates", "Relationship": "Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "The Mermaid Vampire AU No One Asked For", "Collections": "YFR's 2017 Fantasy Bingo", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
For the next week after the Bath Incident™, Yoongi avoided Jimin like the plague. He was embarrassed, mainly. A centuries old vampire like himself caught hapless in a mermaid's thrall? He cringed at the mere memory of it.God, imagine if his coven brothers found out about this. He'd never hear the end of it!He sighed heavily and rolled to the other side of his bed. Tonight he had earplugs in, just incase Jimin decided to have another impromptu singing session in the bath.Embarrassment wasn't the only feeling Yoongi was experiencing over this whole ordeal. The other was attraction and Yoongi was an emotionally constipated mess. He hadn't been romantically attracted to someone in over a century, how are you supposed to flirt in 2017??His insecurity about romance led to Yoongi acting like a Totally Tsundere Vampire™ around Jimin, and probably confusing the everloving fuck out of the mermaid.God, he was such a mess.Jimin, on the other hand, knew exactly what he was feeling and wanted. And he decided to go get it.One warm night in March, Jimin surprised Yoongi by hobbling into their shared living room without his crutches. The vampire nearly choked on his blood pack when Jimin's legs buckled underneath him and was by his side in a nanosecond, arms around Jimin's waist. Jimin leaned on Yoongi until he could get his legs back underneath himself properly. Once stable, huffed and smiled thankfully at Yoongi. He eyed Yoongi's hands still on his waist, and looked back at the vampire with an eyebrow raised."Oh! Yeah there you go.", Yoongi muttered looking away from Jimin.If his heart could still beat he imagined he'd be blushing.Jimin moved off to the kitchen, grabbing a package out of the fridge and a knife from the counter. Yoongi followed, out of curiosity and incase Jimin fell again. He watched Jimin work silently, cutting up a slab of tuna with practiced ease. Yoongi noted that Jimin had small delicate hands in contrast to his own."Where are your crutches?", Yoongi asked when Jimin finishes with the sashimi.Jimin turns back to the refrigerator and takes down the shopping list. He flips to a new page and begins to write. He hands the notepad over to Yoongi, and plates the sashimi he's just made. The moon is stronger now, and so am I. The note only confused Yoongi more, so he looked at Jimin for further explanation. Jimin shrugged and disappeared into his room. Yoongi watched the mermaid go, still sitting at the kitchen counter.Jimin returned a few moments later with a large tote bag thrown over his shoulder. He picked up the plate of food and gestures for Yoongi to follow him. So he does.Jimin leads him down to the ground floor of the apartment complex, and then to the pool.The pool room in their complex is quite nice, boxed in on three sides by the actual apartment buildings. The ceiling is high vaulted and allows the moonlight to illuminate the room on this particular night.Jimin sets his bag and the plate down on a table at the side of the room. He turns to Yoongi and makes a twirling motion with his finger."What? Oh, sorry." Yoongi says, and turns around to give Jimin some privacy.His enhanced hearing lets him hear the sound of clothes rustling, a splash and then, "Hyung! You can look now!", followed by the sound of Jimin's tinkling laughter.Yoongi turns, and his breath catches in his throat. Jimin's hair, black now, and wet, reflects the moonlight like stars in the night sky. His head is pillowed against his arms on the edge of the pool, and when he blinks, Yoongi can see water droplets caught in his eyelashes. Jimin's iridescent red tail makes an appearance, scales glowing in the moonlight. He's beautiful. Yoongi wanders over of his own free will this time, takes off his shoes and socks so he can dangle his legs in the water, and brings the plate of food to the edge so Jimin doesn't have to get out to eat.Jimin plays around in the water for a while before coming back to the edge, swiping his bangs out of his face as he surfaces. Yoongi watches him as he eats, his cheeks puffed out cutely.When Jimin looks up, Yoongi has a goofy star crossed look on his face that makes butterflies erupt in his stomach. He flips his tail around to splash Yoongi playfully."Take a picture hyung, it'll last longer."Yoongi starts and hisses playfully at being splashed, slapping his hand against the water to splash Jimin back.Jimin flips away from the outer edge, lets himself float out into the middle of the pool. He looks up at the moon, and then over at how it lights up Yoongi's face, water reflecting against his place skin, his silver hair resembling stardust. He's beautiful. "So? The moon is stronger?", Yoongi asks breaking Jimin's trance.He hums, and turns over to catch eye contact with Yoongi."Yeah, I don't fully understand it myself but basically, in these months the planets align differently and the moon's pull on the ocean tides is stronger. And so am I.", Jimin explains.As he speaks, he slowly makes his way back to Yoongi, carefully slotting himself in between the vampire's legs."The moon affects a lot of supernatural creatures. It's very strong.", Yoongi hums, gazing at the satellite through the glass ceiling."Not strong enough to affect you.", Jimin muses.Yoongi looks down to find the mermaid has fit himself in between his thighs, hands on his knees as he bobs in the water."No, not me.", he says absently.Jimin blinks innocently and Yoongi loses his train of thought completely.The gentle motion of the water and his tail keeps bobbing Jimin up and down, bringing him closer to Yoongi and then further away.Without even realizing it, the vampire begins to leans down towards the mermaid, bringing their faces closer together with each motion. Jimin's eyes flicker across Yoongi's face, hoping that the elder doesn't pull away.On the next bob down, Yoongi follows and closes the gap between them. Yoongi' lips aren't cold as Jimin had thought, but simply room temperature. They're soft, pressing back when Jimin surges up to wrap his arms around Yoongi's neck. Yoongi wraps his arms around Jimin's back, pulling the mermaid in closer. Yoongi follows when Jimin pulls back for air, keeps following, until Jimin has pulled him into the pool.Yoongi splutters as he surfaces, scrambling for the edge of the pool again. Jimin laughs, clear and soft and the vampire shakes his wet hair out of his face, chuckling."God Park Jimin, you just love to get me wet."
11073816
Steady and Perfect
{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Matt Murdock, Franklin \"Foggy\" Nelson, Danny Rand, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Ward Meachum, Jeri Hogarth", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-02T00:00:00", "words": "3,891", "Additional Tags": "Established Relationship, Relationship Issues, A little bit of hurt, Post-Season/Series 02, Post Defenders, Marriage, OC, Salty Foggy, Matt And Foggy Are Idiots", "Relationship": "Matt Murdock/Franklin \"Foggy\" Nelson", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Daredevil (TV), The Defenders (Marvel TV)", "Archive Warnings": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply", "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Confident. Steady. Perfect. Matt knew that heart beat from a mile away.The blind man tightened his grip on Danny’s arm, so tight it caused Danny to stop and Ward to walk into the back of them, both asking Matt what was wrong as he stared into the crowd. Over thirty people flooded the Rand Enterprises lobby, as much as he tried to block it out, he could only hear the familiar thump of Foggy Nelson’s heartbeat. Matt could hear him swear under his breath at the sight of Matt, and Matt continued to note how different he was. Foggy smelt different; like expensive cologne and cigarettes, new suits and clean cars. He smelt good. He probably looked better. The air around Foggy felt different and Matt had guessed he’s lost a little weight now he was on Marci’s diet plan. But something was off. Wrong.He wasn’t warm anymore. Foggy walked with a stiff, professional stride that felt robotic, he talked with little emotion as he made small talk with Jeri Hogarth, his boss. There was no spark in his voice, no more jokes to make. Everything they had feared when they were in college had happened; he’d gone corporate.“I know the guy Jeri is with.” Matt whispered, feeling sick with dread as the pair approached them. “He’s my ex-partner.”“Romantic or legal?” Ward asked, buttoning his suit jacket up as he always did when nervous. Danny made sure Matt couldn’t let go of his arm; he wasn’t going to run away from this. Matt still tried to pull away, not discreetly at all. “Doesn’t seem like your type.”“Both. I need to leave. I need air.” Matt managed to get his arm away from Danny and tried to move away, but Jeri and Foggy were too close for it to not look like he was running from them. “I can’t do this right now.”“Need me to make him jealous?” Ward whispered into Matt’s ear and a hand on his lower back, making both him and Danny grin a little. “Jack wouldn’t mind. He thinks your cute.” Jack was the gorgeous, blonde haired, blue eyed 20 something who worked in financing that Ward had over his desk within an hour of knowing him. Matt had walked in on them. It was awkward for a good week after.“I still don’t know how you tricked Jack into loving you.” Danny joked. “He’s really out of your league, and nice.”“Biggest office mystery yet.” Matt added, smiling at Ward.“We’ve been on 3 dates. Your ex-boyfriend doesn’t look happy.” Ward whispered, as Foggy and Jeri stopped in front of them. Matt could feel Foggy’s heart beat faster, and Matt was relieved Danny and Ward were there. He felt sick, as his own heart leapt into his stomach, forcing a smile out for Jeri, who didn’t smile back. “Jeri, nice of you to stop by but we are on our way out. I would say you can make an appointment with Mr Murdock here, but he is joining us.” Matt looked at the ground, blushing slightly as Ward still had his hand on his back.“This can’t wait, Mr Meachum.” Jeri replied, looking mostly at Matt as she spoke. Danny watched Foggy, who looked over them, a look of nerves masked in fake confidence. Matt had spoken briefly about the break up, and whilst Matt had left for Foggy’s safety, Foggy didn’t even question it.“We have dinner arrangements.”“I don’t care. This is Franklin Nelson, he will be assigned as Danny’s lawyer, quietly now with the whole… issue. He could help those other friends of yours, and I will need the name of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen when you get a chance to get him on the books.”“He prefers Daredevil.” Danny said, as Foggy scoffed. Ward and Danny glared at the other man with venom in their eyes, causing the smirk on his face to disappear. Matt just looked away, knowing he looked heartbroken and his lip was quivering. “We don’t have the time.”  “5 minutes, and then I will show Mr Nelson to his office here in Rand and you boys can go on your date. Danny, Mr Meachum come with me. Let Nelson and Murdock catch up.” Ward moved his hand to the blind man’s arm, squeezing it as a silent ‘You going to be ok?’, whilst Danny looked over. Matt nodded, a small smile as the owners of Rand walked off to the desk to sign the necessary documents with Jeri. Matt looked at Foggy, shuffling his feet. They stood in an awkward silence, so many things left unsaid filled with too much emotion for a crowded space. Foggy was still angry, and let the first thing in his mind slip out.“So, how’s the sex with Meachum? You two looked very… domestic making out in the club a few months back. Is that how you got an assistant job?” Foggy asked, still not looking at the blind man. Matt’s heart sank at the cold tone in his voice. “He’s more your type.”“It’s a cover. It was that one time and that was all… You look good, Foggy. Like the proper lawyer, that you always wanted to be. It’s nice to see you. Thank you, for not selling me out… I appreciate it”“One, rude I know you can’t see that well. Two, Bullshit Murdock. On all of that. Did your boyfriend tell you to say that?”“I’m not sleeping with Ward. Does it really matter anyway? I was sleeping with you whilst running a firm together.”“I don’t know. But the idea that CEO’s of Rand have a fake assistant just to make the office pretty doesn’t sit that well with me.”“Foggy let’s try and be civil adults for 30 seconds.”“No. You lied to me, to Karen, to everyone. I am not ready to be civil yet. I may have to work here and watch you and the others mooch up and be buddies but I won’t do that. After what you did, 6 months is not enough time to get over it.”“Yes I was wrong in leaving but I didn’t cheat on you Foggy.”“Save it Matt. I get it, you and Elektra had history and I’m sorry, for what happened to her. Really I am. But I know how she gets to you. I didn’t stand a chance. Even if you didn’t, you still left.”“Foggy for the one millionth time, nothing happened between me and Elektra, please believe me. Foggy you know how much I.”The blast from across the street destroyed the windows and sent Matt and Foggy flying across the room.  Matt got up first as the ringing in his ears died to down to give way to the sound of panic, moving slowly and scrambling over to Foggy to make sure the other man was ok. Danny was over to them in a second, yelling that they should get the people out, but all Matt could do was check on Foggy, who was slowly getting up and looking at him. Glass and smoke filled Rand Enterprise as Ward began coordinating people out of the building.“Matt… Matt we have to help them!” Danny screamed, pulling him to his feet. He leaned over and offered Foggy a hand, pulling the other man to his feet. Foggy had a gash on his forehead, blood trickling down his face onto his ripped and dirty suit. “Get out! Now!”“I can’t help these people. I’m just a blind guy. I don’t have the suit.”  Matt murmured back, as they both crossed the square to where the blast had come from, the building already ablaze and people scrambling around them. The air was full of screams and sirens, phone calls and crying children running from the scene. Matt focused on the building, the hearts of people in it, finding nothing as he continued to scan. “I-I…” Foggy was there in a matter of seconds, speeding past the pair to start getting civilians out the way. Matt followed, yelling for everyone to clear the area as fast as possible, asking if anyone was in the building. Danny was already checking the building’s parameter. “It’s going to hold. For now, at least. Jess and Luke aren’t far away.”“We can handle this for now. Get Nelson away.” Matt paused, as the fast, scared heartbeat of a small child on the second floor. They were coughing, the smoke was in their lungs. He was scared, calling for his mom, dying.“There’s a child in the building. I know where they are I need to be in there.” Matt dropped his cane, rushing to the door and bursting in. The room was blisteringly hot, and Matt can feel his skin already beginning to burn as he ran up the stairs, looking around for the heartbeat, it is getting fainter as he got closer. As he reached the door, another heart beat and a voice filled the building.“Matt!! Matt what are you doing!?” Foggy cried out, jumping up the stairs.“There’s a child. Help me get the door down.” Foggy nodded, as they both crashed into the door, the door coming down and Foggy rushing forward to grab the boy in his arms, rushing to the door. “Get him out of here, I’ll check the building and follow.”“You will get your ass back down there now Murdock.” Foggy replied, stopping and holding the boy’s head to his shoulder.“There might be someone still in here.”“Matt downstairs.”“Foggy I’ll be fine. You go now!” Foggy stepped forward, telling Matt to come with him when Matt heard the cracks. “Foggy watch out!”Matt didn’t see Foggy and the child fall through the floor as the ceiling above fell on him, knocking him to the floor and blacking out for god knows how long. The air was thick, murky and hot when he came through. His skin was burnt, he could smell his skin burning away. It threw all of Matt senses off balance, as he pushed the debris off him, tip toeing around the hole and yelling for Foggy, hearing nothing but the crackling of the fire and his own panic swell. He couldn’t see. He cried out, moving what he could feel out of the way, still screaming for Foggy. The skin on his hand was blistering and peeling off as the wood underneath started to ignite. But he kept on digging for his Foggy, the love of his life. Screaming through the burning sensation in his throat.“Matt!” Large hands grabbed him. Not Foggy’s. Luke. Luke’s heart, Luke’s hands.“I have to find him!!”“The interior is coming down! The fire fighters need to get to work, so you need to leave!!” Luke yelled back, lifting the blind man up and rushing out of the room. Matt tried to fight him, but many skirmishes with the larger man had taught him it was pointless. Once on the curb and rushed by his friends, the grief set in and Matt burst into a fit of uncontrollable sobs. “He’s here somewhere.”“I can’t hear him! I can’t…..” Matt whimpered helplessly, still scanning the area, but when in extreme pain and too much commotion in the air he could scarcely make out Ward’s heartbeat, who was currently wrapping his hands in wet bandages. “I-I no…” Matt just cried, as Ward tried to comfort him but to no avail, it not really being his area of expertise.“Danny take the left, I’ll ask around.” Jess barked, taking a few steps when she stopped. Matt looked up, confused and a little delirious from the smoke inhalation. “Danny, never mind.” Matt’s heart picked up. She’d seen Foggy but Matt couldn’t tell if that was a good thing.A fast, scared, hurt, perfect heartbeat.“Matt! Have you seen my partner!? He…. he’s blind he heard screaming and he went in the building, please I have to find him.” Matt leapt to his feet as he heard Foggy’s rush around, diving to look in ever ambulance and showing a picture on his cracked iPhone. The police shake their heads, ambulance men ask him to step away. “Please I need to…. Matt!!”Foggy runs, tripping several times, pushing past strangers to get to Matt, whose limping as fast as he can just to touch the other man. Foggy threw his arms around Matt, as the blind man gripped his shirt and let out sobs of relief, Foggy whispering thanks to God that he was ok, before the two looked at each other. Foggy moved his hands to the side of Matt’s face, wiping tears with his thumbs, before kissing Matt with everything he had. Matt kissed back, opening his mouth to let the other man’s tongue in, the wound on his face cracking and shooting pain threw his whole face every time he moved his lips, but no amount of pain has ever stopped him kissing Foggy Nelson. Matt pulled away first, making Foggy tip his head in confusion.“Glasses. Hurts.” Matt whispered, as he threw his glasses to the side. Foggy laughed a little, before pressing soft kisses to Matt’s lips. “I’m so sorry Foggy. I am so sorry. Is the boy ok?”“He’s fine, he’s with his mother in the ambulance. It’s ok, you’re ok. Jesus Matt I thought you were dead.”“I’m an idiot.”“Yes, you are. But you’re my idiot.” Matt could have burst into tears again, as he wrapped his arms around the other man and hugged Foggy tightly. Foggy held the blind man there, a hand in Matt’s hair and pressing kisses to the side of the blind man’s face, just above the burn. “I love you Matt.”“I love you too.”“I really mean it, I love you so much Matt. Don’t ever, ever do that again. Don’t you ever think of leaving me here without you.”“I’ll try not to. I love you Foggy, I promise I won’t leave you.”“Good. We should probably take you to the hospital.” Matt nodded, with a soft laugh as Foggy put his arms around the blind man, helping him over to the ambulance Ward had cornered for him.  “You are lucky to still have a face, Matt.” Claire half yelled, double checking the dressing on the side of his face. “You are very lucky to not need a skin graft. Also, the news is running the picture of you two getting it on. They’ve got a very nice shot of Foggy slipping his tongue into your mouth.” Matt went bright red, as Foggy grinned. Matt was sat in the bed, his face, hands and arm bandaged whilst Foggy, who was much better off with just some scrapes and bruises, sat on the edge of the bed, holding Matt’s hand and making polite small talk with the other nurses when Matt didn’t want to. “I will give you two a moment, in your private room, corporate sell outs.” Matt and Foggy chuckled.“Thank you, Claire, I owe you.” Matt whispered.“Yeah, I know Matt. Keep him safe, yeah Foggy?”“I thought that was your job? My job is to yell at him for doing stupid things. Among the more fun aftercare.” Foggy replied, pulling Matt closer. The blind man smiled up at him, over flowing with love.“Behave you two. Wait till the wounds heal a bit more. I’ll go explain to the nurse not to disturb you.” Claire smiled at the couple, before walking out and closing the door behind him. Foggy smiled at Matt, who moved so he could kiss Foggy. Foggy kissed back, softly and slowly, as he moved to get a better angle, as Matt smiled.“We promised to behave.”“When do we ever behave? Remember the incident in the courtroom cupboard after the Fisk conviction.” Matt laughed, as Foggy pressed more kisses to the blind man’s face. “I know that was my fault. We can over step slightly. We need to make up for the few months we were idiots and stupid.” Matt smiled very softly, as Foggy kissed his lips. "Now what do we do?" Matt whispered against Foggy's lips, running a hand through the other man's blonde hair. Foggy smiled a little, pressing more delicate kisses to Matt's lips, too focused on having Matt back to talk about anything other than the blind man. Matt sensed some nerves in Foggy, the way he twitched a little. "I'd love to start Nelson and Murdock up again but... the city still need us and you are doing so well and I kind of like working with Danny and Ward... but.""I don't want to start Nelson and Murdock again." Matt nodded, a little solemnly as he looked down. Foggy cupped Matt's chin, lifting his head back up to press a kiss to between Matt's eyes, making the blind man smile a tiny bit, still a little disheartened by Foggy's statement. "I want to start Nelson and Nelson." Matt's eyes widened, as his jaw dropped and his heart leapt into his mouth. Foggy let out a short laugh, the type where you push air out your nose with a grin, whilst Matt continued to state.“What?”"Marry me Mattie. Right now, in this hospital. No more bullshit. Everyone we know and love is here for witnesses. Well, except Karen but that’s another thing. I can break it to my ma in the morning. We can both go, she'll cook a mean wedding buffet whilst yelling at me. I'll even do the Catholic kneeling thing. We have a lot to work out, I know this, we’re far from perfect but I don't ever want to lose you Matthew, and legally binding you to me is apparently the most romantic way to do that. So, Marry me." Matt was frozen for a moment, just looking at Foggy. "It doesn't actually have to be right now.”"No let’s do it now, yes Foggy I'll marry you. I’ll marry you. " Foggy broke out into a huge grin, kissing Matt over and over as the blind man laughed, kissing back with equal enthusiasm when Foggy jumped to his feet."Ok. Alright. Cool let's get married and you'll move in with me. My building has an elevator Matt, a fucking elevator. And I'll buy 1000 first aid kits and matching towels. Married people do that right? And a dog!""No dog!" Matt laughed, as Foggy rushed to the door to pull everyone inside. "Franklin Nelson, we are not getting a dog.""I still can't believe you hate dogs Murdock." Luke said, with a smirk."I can. Please say you two haven't had sex in here, looking at the pair of grins." Jess added, standing by Jeri, Jack and Ward with her arms crossed. Ward put an arm around Jack, who looked as if he’d been crying, before pressing a soft kiss to the other man’s soft blond hair. Matt smiled at them a little, listening to their joint heartbeats and knowing they were falling in love. "This is hospital, have some respect.""Better that sex. He's agreed to marry me." Foggy announced, gripping Matt's shoulders tightly. Danny and Claire whooped loudly, whilst everyone else settled for a confused look and a smile. Matt grinned, placing a hand over one of Foggy's, running his thumb over the knuckles softly. "Like, right now. Everyone down to the chapel.""Wait no stag do's first?""We will have drinks after." Foggy pulled Matt up, who smiled and whispered if he could put some clothes on. “I like the hospital gown look, but alright. The rest of you turn around, I don’t appreciate you looking at my bride getting undressed.”  “By the power vested in me by the laws of the State of New York, I legally pronounce you Mr and Mr Nelson. You may seal your union with a kiss.” The Priest said, with a smile, as Foggy grabbed Matt and kissed him square on the mouth, as Matt laughed and kissed back. Their closest friends let out cheers and threw confetti, Matt pulling Foggy closer and resting their heads together. Foggy had a little top hat and bow tie, whilst Matt was forced into a veil on a headband, both of which Jess and Danny had somehow found. Matt had cried when Foggy joined him in pray, and Foggy had chocked up during their improvised but clearly secretly rehearsed vows. “I will get the marriage certificate.”“Mr Nelson.” Foggy whispered, a huge grin on his face. “Are you sure you want to be Mr Nelson? We can still change it to Nelson-Murdock.”“I want to be Matthew Nelson. Besides, I will have to change all the doodles in my notebooks.” Matt replied, entwining their fingers, admiring the feel of the new wedding rings on their fingers. “I love you, Mr Nelson.”“Not as much as I love you, Matt Nelson. Let’s sign this official document and get you home for a honeymoon.”“He’s not going home until he’s discharged.” Claire piped up, as she hugged them both. “I’m proud of you Mattie, finally settling down. Even if it is with a corporate guy.”“One of us will have to have a real job.” Foggy laughed, as Matt shoved him playfully. “Excuse us, have to make this official.” Foggy lead his husband over to the priest, before whispering in his ear. “Can you see paper or?”“I can see where it is on the table, sort of, but no clue where I have to sign.” Matt whispered back, placing his hand in Foggy’s. “You’ll have to show me.”“Ok, didn’t want to assume there.”“When have you ever seen me write anything?”“I don’t know, you do a lot of secret things. Maybe you’ve been writing secret love poems for me, didn’t want to pressure you into reading them to me, but you are now my legal property and.” Matt pushed him, before immediately pulling him back and resting his head on Foggy’s shoulder. “Alright, signing.” Foggy placed a pen in Matt’s hand, guiding it to the dotted line and helping him sign off, before signing the line next to it. “Officially married.”“Officially married.” Matt kept smiling at Foggy, holding each other close and ignoring the world around them, as Ward and Jeri made their way over to the happy couple.“Matt, Foggy, I’m going to take Jack home, weddings make him… Well, congratulations. Have the week off.” Ward said, with a smile, shaking Foggy and Matt’s hands. “Both of you.”“No, I need you in two days Franklin.” Jeri added, with a smile. “Congrats. Now, if you’d excuse me today has been testing and I want to go home and sleep.”“Of course, thank you for coming.” Matt said softly, smiling a little. Ward nodded, patting Matt on the back before going to Jack, wrapping an arm around the other man who cuddled in, leading the way out. “See, that is Ward’s type.”“You and that guy are in the same league.” Foggy whispered.“But you’re my husband. Just you. Forever.” Matt whispered against Foggy’s lips, before pressing a few kisses to the other man’s lips. “Catholic’s don’t believe in divorce.”“Good. Because I am never letting you go Matthew Nelson. I love you so much.”“I love you too.”
11045898
For Charlie
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Charlie Bradbury, Original Female Character(s)", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by ShotsbyShae", "chapters": "7/7", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "11,114", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "Gen, Other", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
The bunker was quiet with the only noise being the occasional flip of a page as Sam perused an old worn-out book trying to find more information on Qareens. He had happened across the book by accident, and after their latest encounter, thought it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on any and all knowledge the Men of Letters had acquired on that specific type of monster over the years. The younger Winchester glanced up as he heard his older brother make his way into the room, two beers in one hand, Penthouse magazine in the other. “Dude really!” Sam exclaimed, looking at the reading material in his brother’s hand, as Dean tossed him a beer. “What Sammy?” the green-eyed man took a seat across from Sam, grinning like a teenager, “I’m only reading the articles.” “Sure,” he replied sarcastically, twisting the top off his bottle, “that’s why everyone looks at Penthouse and Playboy, the articles.” “Playboy my ass,” Dean stated, taking a swig from his beer, “there’s more skin in a Victoria’s Secret catalog than a Playboy magazine nowadays.” “You would know,” the younger brother retorted. Dean just brushed off the comment, shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head with a smirk, then a familiar ding sounded from Sam’s open laptop on the table between them, notifying him that he had a new email. Sam reached across and clicked open the email to see who had sent him something and the name listed in the “From” box sent an icy shiver down his spine. Dean could read the expression on his brother’s face like a book. “What is it?” he questioned. “Who’s it from?” Sam glanced up to Dean, then back down to the screen once more just to clarify he wasn’t seeing things. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he looked back up at Dean, “Charlie. The email is from Charlie.” “That’s not possible,” Dean said, as he placed his beer on the table, “What’s it say?” “I haven’t opened it yet,” the younger brother responded, still staring at the screen. “Well hell,” Dean exclaimed, “open the damned thing Sam!” Sam clicked again, and Dean waited patiently as he watched his brother’s eyes scan the screen as he read the email. Once he had finished, he spun the laptop around for Dean to read. Sam or Dean, The first thing Charlie would want me to say is, “What’s up bitches!” The second thing she would want me to say is, don’t blame yourselves that she is gone. Let’s back up and say the first thing she would want me to say is, I’m not Charlie, my name is Lexi, so no, this isn’t some beyond the grave email from Charlie herself. I’m in town, and yes, I know where your secret “Boys Only” club is; Charlie told me. She also told me that if there was ever anything I needed help with when it came to monsters, you boys were the ones to contact. I’m a hunter too, that’s how Charlie and I met, and I guess I have you two to thank for that. She was my best friend and I loved her. So, I’m hoping to hear back from you when I say I have some more information on a family that we share a common hatred for: The Stynes #555-647-2227Dean looked over the top of the computer screen to Sam who had already dug his cellphone out of his pocket and gave him his nod of approval. The older brother swiveled the laptop back around to face his younger brother and Sam punched the number into his phone and held it up to his ear. “Hi, Lexi?” he questioned the girl on the other end, “yea, this is Sam Winchester. When can you meet?” The two brothers stood outside leaning against the trunk of the Impala watching as a black Dodge Challenger pulled to a stop a couple feet away from them. Dean cocked an eyebrow at Sam and both stood up a little straighter as the driver door opened up. The girl who climbed from the driver’s seat wasn’t much taller than 5’4, she wore faded, ripped jeans over boots, a plain peach colored t-shirt layered under a turquoise plaid button up, which she had left unbuttoned. She had short dark hair that framed her face and tan skin. “She’s definitely Charlie’s type,” Dean smirked quietly to his brother. “And yours,” his brother replied, “no wonder Charlie never mentioned her.” Dean shrugged his shoulders with another sly smirk to his brother as the girl moved closer. “Sam,” Lexi acknowledged the taller of the two men first, offering her hand to shake. Sam took her hand and smiled, “Nice to meet you.” “Likewise,” she responded, then offered the same hand to the oldest Winchester, “and you must be the infamous Dean.” The man shook her hand with a smirk, “That’s me.” “Charlie told me lots about you two,” the dark-haired girl stated with a smile. “How did you two meet?” Sam questioned. “I ran into her in a bar outside of Lincoln, she was hunting the same ghost I was,” Lexi began, “I could tell she was new to the life, so I offered to team up with her on it. She called me on a couple different cases she worked and I would call her on mine. But that was before her trip to OZ, she contacted me once she got back and we stayed in touch on everything up until…well, you know, you were there I assume.” Both brothers avoided eye contact with her for a moment. “I’m sorry,” Sam began, “I would have contacted you.” “Why wouldn’t Charlie tell us she had a girlfriend?” Dean interrupted, changing the subject, not wanting to talk about her death anymore, it still hurt too much. “Girlfriend?!” the dark-haired girl exclaimed, “What makes you think I was Charlie’s girlfriend?” Dean shared a confused look with his brother, “So, you and Charlie weren’t…?” “No,” she cut him off quickly, “She was my best friend, which is hard to find in this line of work.” Dean nodded his head silently in understanding as Sam spoke, “Sorry, we just...she never mentioned you is all.” “She had her reasons,” Lexi said quietly as she crossed her arms, “So, are you going to invite me in, or is this some kind of He-Man Woman-Haters Club?” Sam laughed a little and waved his arm toward the bunker door and began, “Come on…” “Women are always welcome,” Dean interrupted his brother with a smirk. Lexi walked past Dean and rolled her eyes at the taller man in front of her as she made her way to the front of the bunker. Sam shook his head in annoyance at his brother before he turned to follow the girl. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Lexi sat there looking around the interior of the library, “This place is ridiculous.” Sam approached the table and handed her one of the three beers he had brought from the kitchen, “Yea, it’s a lot to take in.”The longer haired hunter pulled a chair up to the end of the table and took a seat, Lexi sat across the table from Dean. The dark-haired girl twisted the top off her bottle and took a long drink, then placed it on the table in front of her as Sam began, “So, how long have you been hunting?”“On and off since I was eighteenish,” she replied, then smirked, “not as long as the two of you though.”Sam nodded his head and continued, “And you met Charlie on a hunt?”Lexi smiled at the memory, “Yea, I spotted her right off, could tell she was newbie, offered to work the case with her. She was something else.”A smile had crossed the older brother’s face as he remembered his friend. “You said in your email you have more information on the Stynes,” Sam said to change the subject, the thought of Charlie still hurt him more than he wanted to let on.“From what I’m understanding, they’re trying to take up residence again in Shreveport,” she responded. “Stupid, I know, but I assume they think that since you’ve unleashed the Darkness now, you have bigger things to worry about.”She could tell by the look on their faces, they didn’t expect she would know about the darkness, “I hear things, hunters talk, I know what’s out there. It seems you two boys are always on the verge of either ending the world or saving it.”“Little do those son of a bitches know,” she rolled the beer bottle lid around in her hand, “I don’t have bigger things to worry about, and I fully intend on taking a road trip to Shreveport and putting the bastards down. I know you two have a lot going on right now, but…”“We’re in,” Dean stated, “on one condition.”Lexi looked over to him expectantly, waiting to hear his stipulation.“We do this our way,” the older brother said, “I’m not going down there, guns blazing, and letting you get caught in the cross-fire. I have enough blood on my hands.”“Deal,” she replied, “but I can take care of myself Winchester. I always have.”Lexi couldn’t help but remember one of the conversations she and Charlie had about the Winchesters.“When are you going to take me to this Bat Cave?” Lexi questioned, she was laid on her stomach on the motel bed, as she flipped through a Cosmopolitan magazine.“Never,” the short haired redhead responded from the small table beside the window.“What?! Why not,” Lexi whined, and she wasn’t one to whine, but she loved to pester her friend. “Right now, is not a good time,” she responded, “Maybe once we get this Mark off Dean.”Charlie started to shake her head, “Even then I don’t think it’s a good idea.”Lexi looked up from her magazine, “What’s not a good idea about it? I’m pretty awesome.”“Yes, you are,” Charlie looked at her friend and smiled innocently, “but, Lex, you’re also hot and what happens when your best friend sleeps with your brother?”The dark-haired girl raised her eyebrows and waited on her friend’s response.“Nothing good, I’m sure there’s a Lifetime movie about it somewhere,” Charlie stated.Lexi flipped another page of the magazine, “Fine, they’re probably not that attractive anyway.”She heard Charlie start to type away on the laptop, then looked over casually as Charlie turned the laptop screen in Lexi’s direction; a picture of two men was pulled up on the screen. “That’s THE Winchesters?” Lexi questioned, as she moved from the bed to get a closer look at the screen. Charlie nodded her head and a devilish grin crossed her friend’s face as she said, “Lexi likey.” “See, nothing good,” Charlie said as she turned the laptop back to face her.“You’re wrong,” the dark-haired girl responded, as she turned the laptop again to look at the picture, “That’s a WHOLE lot of good.” Just then Charlie’s phone vibrated and it was Sam’s name on the caller ID, Lexi nudged her playfully and winked, “Tell him I said “Hey”.”“Shut up slut,” Charlie responded.“Skank.” Lexi retorted as she made kissy lips at Charlie as she answered the phone.“Hey Sam.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The three hunters decided it best to leave out for Shreveport the next morning, so Sam had shown Lexi to one of the spare bedrooms and gave her a quick tour of the bunker while Dean made a pizza run. Lexi showered and threw on some sweat pants and an old X-Men t-shirt before retreating to her room. She reached into her backpack from the floor and pulled out her journal before she climbed onto the bed and crossed her legs up under her. She opened the journal and slowly flipped through some of the pages, and stopped when she came across a picture which displayed Charlie, her long red hair pulled back into a ponytail, and Lexi cheek to cheek. Both girls wore huge smiles on their faces and Lexi smiled at the memory. A gentle knock on her open bedroom door brought Lexi back to the present, and she looked up to see Dean. He stood there holding a small duffel bag in one hand, a beer was tucked into the bend of his elbow, and plate with two slices of pizza on it was in his other hand.“Hey,” he began, “figured you might be hungry.” “Thanks,” she said, as the older brother made his way into her room and laid the duffel bag on the end of the bed, then sat down on the bed in front of her. He placed the plate on the nightstand, along with the beer bottle.Dean noticed the picture she held in her hand and leaned his head closer to get a better look. Lexi reached out and handed him the photo with a smile, “That was a month before she left for Oz.”The green-eyed man smiled at the photo in his hand, then handed it back as Lexi nodded toward the end of the bed, “So what’s in the bag?”“Oh yea,” he turned and grabbed the bag, then passed it over to the girl, “this is for you. It’s a few of Charlie’s things she left here.”Lexi unzipped the bag and pulled out a sweatshirt with the Hogwarts crest across the front of it and smiled as she remembered it was one of Charlie’s favorite sweatshirts. She laid it in her lap and looked inside to see a Princess Leia POP vinyl toy, a couple t-shirts, and some amber scented lotion. It was Lexi’s favorite scent, she was the one who had introduced the red-head to it. The scent from the contents of the back took Lexi back and she closed her eyes as she inhaled. It felt like Charlie was in the room with her.It wasn’t until the first tear trickled down her cheek that Lexi realized her eyes were brimming with tears, she quickly shoved everything back in the duffle and moved it aside with her journal and hastily wiped her eyes.“Thanks,” she began, as she took one last swipe at her right eye, but it was pointless. As tough as she wanted to be, there was no stopping the onslaught of silent tears, so she stood up and turned away from the man in front of her, “I’m sorry, I just really miss her.”“Hey,” Dean stood up, as she turned back to look at him. The older brother moved closer, wrapped her into a hug, and felt Lexi’s body tense up at his touch. He knew how hard it was to let his guard down around anyone, so he just pulled her tighter, rested his chin on top of her head, and said gently, “I know, I miss her too.”He felt Lexi relax and heard the muffled sob she let out. It was then Dean felt his first tear escape, so he closed his eyes tight to keep anymore from falling.SHREVEPORT, LASam walked into the motel room with a drink carrier containing coffee for them in his hand. He moved over to Lexi and handed her one of the cups.“Thanks,” she smiled warmly to the taller man as he made his way over to hand his brother the other cup.She was seated at the small table by the window combing her computer for any more information on the six Styne family members she had tracked to Shreveport. She glanced at the notepad beside her keyboard which had their names scribbled on it in her handwriting. LouisaThomasCharlesRalphFrederickLeonardShe knew Leonard was the youngest of the group, he was a college student with a very active Facebook page. From his page, she had learned that he was very popular, over three hundred friends on his friend list, and every status or picture he put up had at least seventy-five to over a hundred likes. She couldn’t keep up with all the comments he had from girls of all types, from their profile pictures some looked as innocent as the girl next door, while others looked like they would be strapping on their stilettos for a night on the pole with dollar bills raining down on them. She didn’t know quite as much on the other members because none of them had any type of social media account. She did know that they had only been in Shreveport a little over three months, and had settled into an old Antebellum style home on the outskirts of town. “Well, have you found anything new?” Sam questioned from his bed.He was sitting with his back up against the headboard, legs stretched out in front of him with his laptop in his lap. He was doing research also, but so far all he’d come up with was the same information Lexi had already acquired. “Looks like Leonard is having some sort of big party tomorrow night,” she replied, “least that’s the only thing anyone has been talking about on his page this week.”“What, like a kegger?” Dean was sitting in the floor in front of the second bed sharpening his knife. “Like a masquerade ball,” she stated, “kid must think he’s Christian Grey. It’s being thrown at their house, would be a good way to stake out the place. Get some insider information, make sure there are only the six family members we’re dealing with.”“Everyone would be wearing masks,” Sam agreed with her, “So, even if any of the family members knew our faces, the masks would keep us from being recognized.”“Well,” Dean questioned the two, “how do we an invite?”***Sam and Dean sat in the front of the Impala, both watching the patio area of a little Mexican restaurant. Lexi had found out that Leonard frequently this place and was planning on meeting a few friends there for drinks tonight. “There he is,” Sam pointed out to his brother. Leonard Styne and three of his guy friends all made their way out onto the patio and took their place at a table. A waiter took their drink orders then disappeared back into the bar. A few tables away sat Lexi, and she had her nose buried in a book, taking notes as if she were writing an essay. After a few minutes, she gathered her belongings and tossed them in her backpack, then got up and started to make her way back inside the restaurant. She was dressed in skin tight jeans with a tight fitting white shirt, and she had undone the right amount of buttons to show off too much cleavage. Lexi conveniently “accidentally” bumped into the waiter who had was carrying a tray with a pitcher full of beer and frozen mugs for Leonard’s table. One of Styne’s friends, a guy with dirty blonde hair, jumped up to help her gather the few things she’d dropped. It was obvious from the car he was more interested in her chest rather than being a good Samaritan. “Hook, line and sinker,” Dean stated as they watched the blonde guy invite Lexi to have a seat at their table. After about an hour of watching Lexi drink beer with Styne and his friends, the boys watched as she said her goodbyes.Lexi had her backpack slung across one shoulder as she approached the Impala. She was buttoning back up her shirt as she got closer, and Sam laughed at the huge smile on her face. Lexi tossed a handful of invites through the passenger side window into the younger brother’s lap. “Guess who got invited to the dance?” she said in a sing song voice as she climbed into the back seat.“You and the girls,” Dean replied sarcastically.“Yes sir, and I got extra invites for any hot friends I have that might want to attend,” she replied, then smirked at him in the rearview mirror.As the Impala started to pull away from the curb, Lexi leaned forward and crossed her arms over the backrest in front of her, “You know what this means?”She waited for either one of them to answer, then smiled brightly, “Shopping. Pretty sure there is nothing black tie worthy in any of our duffel bags boys.***Sam stood in the motel room adjusting his cufflinks, while Dean fiddled with his tie and grumbled, “I hate this.”Both of them were dressed in solid black tuxedos, and neither of them looked very comfortable; it just wasn’t the same as their usual fake FBI suit and tie.The bathroom door opened and Lexi stood in the doorway for a moment. She wore a cream colored two-piece dress, the top was beaded and glittery, sleeveless with a crewneck fit, and the bottom was a long tulle looking material that she had decided had the right amount of “pouf” to it. “Check it out,” said enthusiastically like a teenager, then twirled around in a circle, “This skirt is amazeballs, it twirls.”“Awesome,” the green-eyed hunter said sarcastically as he pulled at his sleeves, “Least one of us is happy.”“Don’t be a Grumpy Gus,” she said as she walked over to grab her black leather jacket from the back of the chair closest to the door.“You two look very handsome,” she smiled warmly as she slipped her jacket on, then swept her hand toward the door, “Now, shall we?”Sam made his way to the door and held it open for Lexi and questioned, “Got the invitations?”“Yep, and our masks are in the car too,” she replied as she made her way out the door.***Dean pulled the Impala to a stop a couple blocks away from the Styne home.“Alright,” he said, “let’s do this thing.” Lexi handed him and Sam identical Venetian styled, burnished silver metal face masks. Her mask was of a similar style, but it was cream colored to match her dress, with lacy details and an ornate feathers and rhinestone embellishments on the right hand side. Once everyone had their masks on tightly, she handed each man an invitation and the three of them climbed from inside the car and made their way to the Styne home. They made their way to the front steps and saw a rather large bald man checking invitations as guests made their way inside the home. He vaguely glanced at the invites the three hunters flashed before him and waved them on through. The trio were ushered by another gentleman once inside the foyer, to head towards a rather large living area. There were easily fifty to a hundred people mingling, some were seated on couches located to the left side of the room, others waited patiently at the bar in the far back left corner, while the rest were scattered about on the makeshift dancefloor. Everyone was dressed formal and as required, everyone wore a mask.“Now what?” Dean questioned quietly, “No one knows who we are, but how are we supposed to know who they are.”“I sent their photos to your phones,” Lexi said quietly as she made her way to the bar, “We mingle. I need to find the blonde headed friend of Leonard’s; I think his name was Kyle.”Sam motioned to the bartender and the older man walked over and took his drink order. Lexi scanned the room from her place at the bar, she didn’t see anyone that remotely looked like the guy she had met yesterday. Sam handed her one of the beers the bartender had just sat in front of them. A dark-haired man approached them and asked Lexi to dance. She shrugged her shoulders and hopped off her stool, then followed him out onto the dancefloor. It only took a few minutes to realize that he knew nothing about the Styne family and was only here for the free alcohol. He insisted she stay and dance with him for the slow song the DJ started to play, she could tell it was Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” and it was all she could do to keep from rolling her eyes. There was no way she could keep wasting time with this guy. She looked past the guy towards the bar, Sam had disappeared, but Dean was still sitting there. Lexi waited for Dean to look her way, then she subtly reached up and pulled on her ear. She hoped the man would get the hint that she needed rescuing. “Dammit Sam,” Dean grumbled to himself, then took another sip of his beer before getting up from his spot at the bar. Of course, his brother would pick now to run off to the bathroom. Once he made his way over to the couple on the floor, he smiled brightly at Lexi, “There you are babe. I’ve been looking all over for you.”The dark-haired guy stopped moving, he stood a few inches shorter than Dean and it was obvious he was very intimidated by the green-eyed man.“Sorry,” Lexi said softly, then the guy nodded his head and made a quick exit.Dean took the guy’s place and carefully put one hand on the girl’s waist and cupped her other hand in his.“Thank you,” Lexi breathed a sigh of relief, as she rested her other hand on his shoulder.After a moment, she smiled and shook her head to herself, Dean noticed and questioned, “What?”“Nothing, I would have pegged you for two left feet,” she replied, “just surprised is all.”The man pulled her in close, took the lead, and twirled the two of them around the floor three quick times. Lexi couldn’t hold back the enthusiastic smile on her face as he beamed with pride. He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “I’m just full of surprises sweetheart.”“I bet you are,” she replied, then patted his shoulder with a smile, “I’m going to excuse myself now.”Lexi made her way down the hall, she had to get away from her current situation. She had a job she needed to be doing, so she had to find Kyle and see what kind of information she could get out of him. “Hey you,” she heard someone from behind her call out, so she turned around and came face to face with a taller dark-haired guy. She recognized the facial features under the mask immediately, Leonard. “Hi,” she greeted with a smile, as he approached her, “great party.”“Thanks,” he said as he stopped inches from her. She felt him take her hand and watched as he took it to his mouth and kissed the back of it, “You look amazing.”Lexi cringed inside, something about this guy was off and she felt it in her gut, but she forced a flirty smile, “Thank you.”Kyle was her mission, but maybe she could get better information from Leonard directly.“Would you like to go get a drink?” she asked sweetly. Leonard offered his arm and Lexi took it, then walked with the young man back towards the main room. Styne secured the two of them a couch to sit on across from the dancefloor, and motioned to one of the waiters who walked by with a tray. He ordered them both a gin and tonic, not her choice of drink, but she didn’t argue with him.“So,” she began once they had their drinks in hand, “Do you live in this huge house all by yourself?”Leonard scooted over until his legs were up against hers on the couch, he acted like he couldn’t hear her over the music, so he wanted to be closer in order for them to talk. “No, my mother and father live here with me,” he replied, then took a sip of his drink, “and one of my Uncles.”That narrowed it down to four of the six names Lexi had jotted down back at the motel. “Have you always lived here?” she questioned, also taking a sip of her drink. Go slow, she had to remind herself, these types of drinks could kick her ass easily, they were sneaky, after one you’re fine, then a few later you’re throwing up in the ladies’ room wondering where you went wrong. “No, we actually just moved here not too long ago,” he replied.*****“You good?” Sam questioned as he made his way back to the bar where Dean stood.“Yea,” he replied then took a sip of his beer, “I’m good.”“Where’s Lex?” the younger brother questioned.“Over there,” he nodded across the room, “Looks like she found Leonard instead of Kyle.”“Well, I saw a family photo in the hallway,” Sam stated, “From the picture I saw it just looks like Leonard and his parents live here.”The two turned their attention back towards Styne and watched as Lexi took his phone and input something into the device. He was twirling her hair with one finger, it was obvious what he had on his mind. Once she handed him the phone back, he leaned in close to her and whispered something in her ear, then slowly kissed her cheek. Lexi gave the man a sexy smile and nodded, then stood up and left him sitting there alone. She slowly made her way back to the front door and the two men waited a few moments before they made their exit also. Sam felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he pulled it out to see a message from Lexi. Taking an Uber back to the motel, told him I came alone.He nudged Dean and showed him the message, the pace at which they were walking, doubled, as they headed toward the Impala. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “What is wrong with you Lex?!” Charlie Bradbury’s voice rang out from inside the bathroom, she stood at the sink pulling her long red hair back into a ponytail.“Nothing,” Lexi responded as she sat on the foot of the bed of the small motel room.“Jake’s a hunter, he knows about the life,” the red-head stood in the bathroom doorway, she crossed her arms and stared at her friend, “No secrets, no having to fill him in on everything that goes bump in the night, plus he’s adorable.”“I don’t want to talk about it Charlie,” the girl replied quietly, then stood up and moved toward the dresser. “Well tough,” her friend responded, “He asked you to move in with him and your response was to break things off with him. I thought you really liked this guy.”Charlie moved to sit on the bed and watched her friend take her earrings out and lay them on the dresser in front of her, “Lexi, talk to me, what is wrong?”“I can’t Charlie, I just can’t,” she responded quietly.She turned and leaned back against the dresser and continued, “First it’s moving in together, then what? Marriage, a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, and children? I know what’s out there Charlie and there’s no way I could bring a child into this. I could see it all over his face tonight, he wanted more from me. They always want more Charlie, and he will try and change his whole way of life to try and have the perfect little life with me.”Charlie could see the tears forming in her friend’s eyes, “Lex, you don’t know that. Don’t let the fear of what might happen keep you from being happy right now.”“But I am happy,” Lexi wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, “I’m happy with my life, hunting things, saving innocent people. I’ve just let myself stay in one place for too long. I shouldn’t have let Jake get that close. I break people Charlie, they see me as this broken thing they want to put back together, but in the end I only break them.”Lexi moved to sit on the bed beside her friend, “I let him in and I shouldn’t have done that to him. I let him think there might be more to us, I got caught up, and now he’s broken. I can’t let that happen anymore Charlie.”The red-head gently grabbed her friend by both shoulders, “You’re not broken Lex, you’re just afraid of falling. You don’t think you’re worth it, but you’re my best friend and I know you Lexi, I know you’re worth it, and maybe it won’t be Jake, but you can’t let this fear of what might happen keep you from being loved.”“I don’t need you trying to fix me too Charlie,” Lexi said, her words had a slightly irritated tone to them as she stood up from the bed. “Well the ship has already sailed on that,” Charlie stood up defiantly, “You’re my best friend, the sister I never knew I wanted, and I will always be here to help you. I already love you, and there’s nothing you can do or say to change that.”Charlie said gently, “It will take some time, but you’ll find someone who is just as stubborn as you are and he won’t expect you to change.”The red-head hugged her friend tightly, “I promise.”“We’ll see about that,” Lexi wrapped her arms firmly around Charlies back. “I think I’m going to steer clear of men for a while.”Charlie pulled back and stared at her friend incredulously, “Yea right, Lexi Wilson, you’ll steer clear of men about like I steer clear of blondes.”Lexi laughed a little, then smiled at her friend, “I love you, skank.”The red-head pulled her friend back into a hug, “Love you too, slut.” The knock on her motel room door brought Lexi back to the present. She walked over to the door and opened it to find Dean standing there. He hadn’t changed out of the tux yet. “I’m going to change and then go grab some food,” he stated, “You want me to pick you up something?”“Sure,” she responded, as she reached down to slip one of her heels off, “Just get me whatever you’re getting, I need something fattening.”He smiled a little and nodded his head before he moved back towards his door.Lexi had heard the Impala pull away as she stepped out of the shower. She looked in the bathroom mirror and pulled the hair clip out of her hair and tousled it some with her hands.The dark-haired girl threw on a pair of jeans, boots, her favorite maroon pocket tee. She gathered her phone and room key, then went to open her door. “Hi again,” Leonard said with an evil smile on his face from the doorway.Lexi jumped back with surprise and could see two other men standing behind Leonard, she tried to slam the door shut in his face, but he grabbed it with one hand and shoved it back open. “NO!” Lexi screamed as she tried to block the punch that was thrown at her face.She ducked and dodged, but Leonard was on top her before she could react. She’d been caught off guard and the blow to the side of her head made everything go dark.Sam rushed out of his room, pistol in hand, upon hearing the scream from next door and one of the other men rushed him, he recognized the man from the Styne family portrait and aimed for the man’s head. He pulled the trigger and watched the man cripple to the ground and blood started to pour from the bullet hole in his forehead. Sam felt the sharp pain from being struck with something hard on the back of his head, but his world went dark before he could see who hit him. Dean put the Impala in park in front of their motel room door, grabbed the brown bag full of Chinese take-out, and stepped out of the car. He made his way to his door and knocked, he waited for a beat, then knocked again.“Let me in Sammy, I left my key,” he called out to his brother in the room.When he didn’t hear a response, he glanced over to Lexi’s door and something on the ground caught his eye. Lexi’s room key was lying on the sidewalk and her phone wasn’t far from it on the ground. That’s when the pool of blood caught his eye and he dropped the brown sack on the ground and raced back to the Impala. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Lexi.”The voice was a low whisper, but said with a frantic urgency. “Lex, wake up.”There it was again, the same desperate tone. She recognized the voice and she slowly opened her eyes, the room was dark, which was a relief because her head was pounding so hard she felt as if the least bit of brightness would make it explode. She realized her arms were above her head, and her wrists were bound tightly with rope. Lexi looked up and saw the rope was slipped over a rusty hook hanging from the rafter in the ceiling and the tips of her boots were barely touching the floor. “Are you ok?” the familiar voice asked from behind herLexi turned her head quickly, the movement made the rope pinch and slice into her wrists even more.“Sam?” she questioned as she winched from the pain.“I’m right here,” he said from behind her.She looked up again and saw another set of hands, bound just as she was, hanging from another hook. They were back to back so she couldn’t see his face. “Are you ok?” she questioned. “Yea, I’m good,” he replied quietly, he knew he probably had a concussion, but that was the least of his worries right now. The door to the small room that held them flew open and Lexi could only make out a shadowy figure against the light coming from the doorway, but she recognized the voice instantly.“Good, you’re awake,” Leonard Styne stated as he flipped a light switch close to him on the wall. The fluorescent lights above slowly flickered to life and Lexi could see a table in front of them with an assortment of torture devices. She tried to swallow the large lump in her throat, if Sam’s here and Dean’s not, maybe that meant he was still gone when they’d been taken. She didn’t question Sam of his brother’s whereabouts, afraid to give away that information. Leonard made his way further into the room, the look on his face wasn’t anything like Lexi had seen earlier that night, this look was pure evil. “What do you want Styne?” she questioned. She knew he had to want something or he would have killed them already. “Well, I wanted to kill you,” he replied, then picked up a knife from the table, “You don’t think our family’s been around long enough to know a hunter when we see one? Although, you are by far the prettiest one to come my way yet.”He slid the knife down the side of her neck slowly, slicing her skin open just enough for blood to slowly roll to the surface, she winced from the pain.“But when I realized who you were traveling with,” he walked around her and she could here Sam draw in a deep breath from the pain, “that made things a little more complicated.” He had run the knife across the younger brother’s forearm and blood was trickling down his arm and it was starting to soak into the sleeve of the blue t-shirt he was wearing. “So you know who I am?” Sam seethed through gritted teeth.“Sam Winchester,” Leonard replied as he circled him, “and you have something that belongs to me.”Lexi was confused, what could Sam have that belonged to Styne.“And don’t think that brother of yours is going to rush in to save you,” the man began, “I wouldn’t count on that, my uncles are out searching for him as we speak.”“You didn’t get the memo on what he did to the last Stynes that crossed his path?” Sam smiled wickedly. “They were idiots,” Styne replied as he made his way back to face Lexi, “take the girl for instance, I’m smart enough to know she’s leverage and not kill her right away. They could have used your red headed friend for leverage too, but instead, well you know what happened.”Thoughts were racing through Lexi’s mind, she knew the Styne family was responsible for Charlie’s death, she looked at Leonard curiously, “They killed her for nothing?”“Not nothing dear,” Leonard could see the confusion on her face, “You look confused, do you not know the circumstances surrounding your friend’s death?”“Leave her alone,” Sam snarled from behind Lexi. Styne laughed, “Well that struck a nerve.”He pulled a chair from beside the table over in front of him and he straddle the seat. He rested his arms across the backrest and fiddle with the knife blade as he looked up at Lexi. “Your friend’s here have a very special book that belongs to my family,” Styne began to tell the story, “the red-headed girlfriend of yours was the one who procured it for them, and she was helping them decipher the book. My cousins were hot on her trail from the beginning, why your friends would leave her alone without any protection is beyond me. They knew what my family was capable of.”“Don’t listen to him Lexi,” Sam pleaded from behind her and she could tell he was fighting with the ropes around his wrists, trying to get free. Lexi’s head was pounding even harder now as realization struck her. It couldn’t be true, could it? She knew Sam and Dean, they wouldn’t have left Charlie alone if they knew she was in danger. Would they? “You left her alone?” she asked quietly.“It’s not what you think Lex,” Sam responded sympathetically. “You son of….” Lexi choked on the words and flailed her legs furiously, “She trusted you Sam!”Leonard laughed manically as he stood up from the chair, the door to the room opened again. Lexi could see a woman standing there. “We have a situation,” the woman said strictly.“Mother, I’m busy right now,” Leonard responded to the woman.“Now,” she said sternly and Leonard huffed in agitation. “I’ll be back darling,” he said sincerely to Lexi, “Looks like you two have some things to discuss anyway.”He smiled maliciously then walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. “Lexi,” Sam began sincerely.“No!” she snapped over her shoulder, “You don’t get to apologize! This is your fault!” “You’re right,” he responded quietly dropping his head, “I asked Charlie for her help, the Mark was taking over Dean and I didn’t know what else to do. If I could go back…”“But you can’t!” Lexi fought back the tears that were blurring her vision. She blinked a few times before her focus returned and she realized the chair Styne had pulled up was close enough for her to reach if she could swing her legs just a little bit. She clenched her teeth and picked her feet up, the movements were putting more strain on her wrists and the rope was cutting into her skin harder than before. She began to swing her legs back and forth and it gained her enough momentum for her get one leg over the back of the chair and she quickly used her other leg like a vice grip and clutched the back of the chair between her calves and pulled it closer to her. Lexi managed to get both feet on the seat of the chair and it gave her enough height to lift her bound wrists up and off the hook. Sam could hear the commotion from behind him, but he waited patiently for Lexi to say something first. She made her way to the table and grabbed a knife with her fingers and placed it handle first between her knees. The dark haired girl bent over and began moving the rope back and forth against the blade quickly. It took a few minutes for the rope to break free from her wrists, then she grabbed the knife and rubbed at the bruised and bloody places on her wrists as she walked over and grabbed the chair. Lexi drug the chair around to face the younger Winchester, and the look on her face hit Sam as hard as a punch to the gut. She looked like her whole world had been shattered by Leonard’s words. The girl didn’t say anything to Sam as she climbed up in the chair and began sawing into the ropes that bound his wrists. Dean remembered Sam saying the family portrait he had saw only had Leonard and his parents in it, but two men had just tried to ambush him as he made his way to the back door of the Styne home. He knew from experience that a shot to the head was one of the best ways to put them down and he had done just that. Dean checked his pistol, he had four more bullets and a spare clip in his pocket. He slowly pushed open the back door and made his way inside.  “Let’s go,” Sam said quietly when he noticed Lexi didn’t follow him to the door.She looked over at him and could see the pained expression that flashed across his face when her eyes met his. The realization hit Lexi like a ton of bricks, all this time he’d seemed to be carrying all these burdens, and Charlie’s death was one of them. She wasn’t even sure if Dean realized the extent at which it had broken him. She had just let her anger get the best of her and she had snapped on him, which had brought all this guilt back to the surface. “I’m sorry,” she said softly as she made her way closer to him, “I’m so sorry.”Sam was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him tightly and buried her face into his chest. He pulled her tighter to him and held her for a moment as she let out a few quiet sobs, then pulled her back from him and leaned down as he cupped her face with both his hands, brushing tears away with his thumbs. “We have to go Lex,” he said gently.She nodded her head quickly, handed the younger brother the knife she was holding, and watched as Sam turned back toward the door and slowly opened it.They made it out of the basement area of the house and were slowly making their way into the kitchen area when Sam heard the girl behind him stumble and he turned to see Leonard. He had one of Lexi’s arms twisted up behind her back and was holding a knife to her throat. “Tell me where the book is,” he snarled at the man. “Hiding behind a girl?” Sam questioned, then pointed his knife at the man, “Why don’t you come over here and fight me like a man?”Styne contemplated it for a moment, then he pulled the knife from her throat and shoved it into her abdomen, then forcefully shoved Lexi out of his way, causing her to trip and she smacked her head on the side of the bar. She felt the blood run down the side of her face from the wound and she clutched the place on the side of her stomach where blood was soaking her t-shirt. The dark haired girl tried to get back up on her feet, but the room was spinning and she fell back to the floor. She could see Styne dodging Sam and then she saw the monster lunge at the younger brother. “Sam!” she screamed as a gunshot rang out. She watched Styne fall to the ground and could see Sam still standing there with his knife in hand, then she heard Dean’s voice.“You alright?” he questioned his little brother.Sam nodded as he dropped the knife and rushed over to Lexi, Dean ripped his button up shirt off and tossed it to his brother who shoved it against the wound in her side, as he assessed the gash on her forehead. He took Lexi’s hands and pushed them against Dean’s shirt, “Hold this here, tight as you can Lex.”“She needs stitches,” Dean stated as he replaced the clip in his gun with the fresh one. “Did you get them all?” the girl questioned weakly as Sam scooped her up off the floor. “I took out mom and dad, two others, and Leonard makes five,” Dean added up his body count. “I got one back at the motel,” Sam stated, which accounted for the blood Dean had found, “That’s six.”“Good,” Lexi said quietly and nodded her head slowly against Sam’s chest. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Lexi grimaced from the pain as Sam sat her down on the motel room bed, Dean came through the door with a first aid kit in one hand and a pint of whiskey in the other. He laid both on the bed beside the dark-haired girl before he pulled the chair from the table over to sit on in front of her. He pulled his shirt from the wound on her side and raised her t-shirt up to have better access to it. Lexi grabbed the bottle of dark liquid and spun the top off, then turned the bottle up. It burned going down, but she didn’t care she knew what was about to happen was going to hurt like hell. She held one finger up at Dean when he reached for the bottle as if to say “give me a minute.” She took a few more swallows then handed the bottle to Dean. “Ready?” he questioned her, as he held the bottle over her wound. She just nodded her head and looked away. Dean held her shoulder to keep her from moving too much as he poured the whiskey into the wound. The sound that came from Lexi wasn’t a scream, it was more of a low growl and Dean handed her the bottle back and she turned it up once more. “Son of a mother…” she trailed off as Dean started sewing up the wound. “Need me to get you anything?” Sam stood at the dresser, he felt a little helpless. “A larger bottle of this,” she waved the whiskey bottle at Sam, “and something to chase it or mix it with. And my make-up bag out my room.”Sam nodded his head and Dean tossed him the keys to the Impala, then went back to sewing. The younger brother went out the front door and pulled his lock pick set out of his pocket and started working on Lexi’s door to her room; He didn’t know where her room key had wound up.“Mother Trucker Dean!” Lexi yelled at the hunter.“Sorry,” he replied, then chuckled to himself.“What’s so funny?” she glared. “You,” he said as he finished sewing up the wound, then took the bottle of whiskey, “You’re being a big baby.”“Well let me stab you and then I’ll sew you up and we’ll see who the big baby…OW!” she yelled again as Dean pressed some gauze he’d poured the liquor on against the wound. He dabbed the wound a few more times for good measure before applying fresh gauze, then indicated to Lexi for her to hold the gauze in place, “Hold this.”The green-eyed man stood up and looped an arm under Lexi’s shoulder, “I need you to stand up for a minute while I wrap this up.”Lexi stood up and winced from the pain, held the gauze in place while Dean wrapped a bandage around her abdomen several times to hold the gauze in place. Then pulled her tee shirt back down over the bandage. The dark haired girl looked down at her maroon shirt that now had a ripped place and the fabric was almost black from all the blood. She started to tug at the bottom of her shirt, fidgeting with the bloody material. Dean turned grabbed his duffel bag, dug for a moment, and tossed her a black tee shirt, “Here.”She smiled and he could tell she was definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol.“Thanks buddy,” she said cheerfully.She turned her back to Dean and started to pull her shirt over her head, Dean looked away quickly, “Really?”“What?” she questioned innocently as she slipped his shirt over her head, every move she made hurt, but she was fighting through the pain after his “baby” comment earlier.Dean just shook his head and moved to help her sit back down on the bed, then pointed at the gash on her forehead, “Sit here, I’m going to get a washcloth.” Lexi gave a halfhearted salute as he walked off to the bathroom. He returned shortly with a warm washcloth and started to wipe away the dried blood that had streamed down her face from the gash on her forehead. He was getting a contact high from the whiskey on her breath as she spoke. “I was such a bitch,” she said sadly.Dean continued to clean up the blood, while she finished, “I was so angry when Styne told me what happened and I yelled at poor Sammy, he’s like this giant puppy and I was so angry, and I kicked the puppy.”The older brother stopped to look at Lexi for a moment, her alcohol induced confession intrigued him. “I kicked the puppy for something that happened, and he’s so beat up from it already, he didn’t need to be kicked again. Charlie was stubborn, and she did things her way, one way or another.”Dean took the whiskey bottle and took a swig, thinking of his friend brought up too many feelings and he’d rather try and drown those straight out the gate. “She would have done anything in her power to save you Dean,” Lexi said quietly, staring into his green eyes, “even if Sam hadn’t asked her too.”He turned the bottle up again and wished Sam would hurry back with the other bottle. “She loved you Dean,” Lexi said, her voice cracked a little, and she blinked back the tears that threatened to escape, “She loved you so much.”She saw the tear fall down the outside of his cheek and she gently reached up to wipe it away with her finger, then gently held his face for a moment. Lexi caught herself and quickly pulled her hand away.“Let’s get on with it Dr. Sexy,” she said softly, then pointed at the wound on her forehead.Dean smiled at her reference to one of his favorite guilty pleasure shows and finished wiping away the dried blood, then grabbed the whiskey bottle and another piece of gauze and dabbed the alcohol soaked pad against the wound above her eye. Lexi winced, but didn’t yell out any profanities this time and Dean went to work applying steri-strips to cut as Sam made his way back into the room. “Here you go,” he handed Lexi her make-up bag, then set the bottle of whiskey and some colas down on the dresser. “Little late for make-up,” Dean teased as she stood up and walked toward the dresser.“Shut it Winchester,” she replied, pulling a pill bottle from her bag. She flashed the bottle at the boys, “Nausea medicine and possibly the best hangover pill ever.”“Well, aren’t you just Miss Pharmacist,” Dean said sarcastically.“No,” she smiled mischievously as she popped one of the pills in her mouth and swallowed, “but there was this one guy, I think his name was Mike or Mark, something that started with M, he was in pharmacy school. He gave me a few pointers.”“Is that all he gave you?” Dean raised a questioning eyebrow as he mixed him and Sam up two solo cups of whiskey and cola. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell Dr. Sexy,” the girl said with a smile as she reached for one of the cups Dean was making.“I think you’ve had enough,” Dean stated, passing the cup he made over to his brother, then handing one of the cola’s to Lexi, “Here, you can have this.”“Well aren’t you a fuddy duddy,” the girl replied, then stuck her tongue out at him as she opened the can and took a few sips of it. ***They had settled in watching TV and the boys drank a couple more solo cups full, although the girl noticed toward the last one, it was definitely more whiskey than cola. Lexi had gone to the bathroom and finished washing her face off. Upon coming out of the bathroom door, she smiled at Sam who was sound asleep and noticed Dean had dozed off too. She walked over and cut off the TV, then walked between the two beds to turn the nightstand lamp off, she stopped and gently pushed a few stray strands of hair out of Sam’s face. Maybe it was alcohol infused, or maybe it was Charlie somehow still pushing her in the right direction, but she felt the need to watch out for these two grown men. She pulled the chain on the lamp and the room went dark. She moved around the bed and crawled onto the bed to lay down beside Dean, she cringed and clutched at the hole in her side. It was on her right side, that meant she’d have to lay on her left side, which meant facing the older brother. Screw it, she thought to herself and scooted closer to him, laid her head on his shoulder and draped her arm across his chest. She felt Dean tense up at her touch and knew he’d woken up. “We are both adults,” she whispered without looking at him, “and I almost died today.”Dean wasn’t sure where Lexi was going with this statement, he knew she had a lot to drink and so had he, but she couldn’t be insinuating what he thought she was.“And as immature, and girly as it sounds,” she began, “I just want to be held.”Dean smiled genuinely at her statement and he wrapped the arm she was laying on gently around her, he made sure to avoid the bandaged area. He placed his other hand over her hand which rested on his chest and carefully rubbed his thumb across the bruised area on her wrist then closed his eyes.“Night Dean,” she said softly.“Night Lex.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The car ride home from Shreveport was quiet, Lexi slept in the backseat most of the way, and it was after lunchtime when they finally decided to stop and grab some food to go. Dean pulled the Impala to a stop in front of the Mexican restaurant. “Any special requests princess?” Dean questioned before he climbed out of the car. “Just the most fattening burrito they have on the menu,” she replied as she attempted to sit up straighter, she winced a little from the movement, “and nachos, with cheese dip.”The older brother gave two thumbs up and made his way into the restaurant. Lexi noticed a small electronic store two stores down in the little shopping center they were parked in front of. “I’ll be back,” she stated and opened the car door to climb out, the pain from moving too fast caught up to her as she stood up, “Son of a…”Sam was out of the front seat before she could slam the door shut, “Here, let me help.”He offered her his arm for her to steady herself. Lexi gave him a half smile, and slipped her arm over his. “This way,” she pointed toward the electronic store and they made their way inside.It didn’t take long for Lexi to find what she was looking for and she waved the cassette tape with an auxiliary cord attached at the tall man beside her, “Bingo!” “That’s not a good idea,” Sam replied shaking his head, “I’ve tried, there’s no way Dean’s going for it.”“I don’t give two craps what Dean thinks,” she laid her purchase on the counter for the sales clerk to ring up, “Don’t get me wrong, I love some classic rock as much as the next person, but there comes a point when too much of a good thing, makes it a bad thing.”Sam just shook his head with a laugh, “Good luck with that.”By the time Dean made his way out of the restaurant, both Sam and Lexi were back in the car as if they hadn’t moved. He handed his brother the drink carrier through the window then climbed in with the sack of food. Sam took the sack of food and started to divide it out among the three of them while Dean turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life and he turned the volume knob on the radio but no music was coming from the speakers. That’s when he saw the cord that trailed out of the cassette deck and into the seat beside him, where it was plugged into a cell phone. “What the hell is this?” he questioned looking at Sam.Sam held his hands up in defense, “Wasn’t me this time.”Dean cut his eyes to the backseat where Lexi was stuffing a cheese topped nacho into her mouth. She smiled innocently as she chewed. “Rule number one,” the older brother said as he held up one finger, “Driver picks the music.”“I respect rule number one, but I also live by rule number two,” Lexi held up two fingers, “If one of the passengers has been shot, stabbed, or beat to hell and back, they trump rule number one.” Dean slowly started to shake his head, “Hell no.”“Just one album, then we can go back to Clapton or Seger, I don’t care,” she replied as she gave him the best puppy stare she had, “Please.”He sighed and looked over at his brother who was eating his burrito in silence, he didn’t want to be involved in this conversation, so Dean looked back to the dark-haired girl in the backseat, “As long as it’s not any teeny bopper crap.”Lexi smiled victoriously, “I promise none of that.”Sam looked surprised and finally spoke, “Really!? After all this time you’re letting her break rule number, no offense Lex.”“None taken,” she said before she shoved another nacho in her mouth.“Shut up Sam,” Dean replied as he put the Impala in reverse. “You’re going soft,” Sam retorted.“Shut up Sammy,” Dean said, “Or you can ride in the back.”“Will one of you just press play on my phone please,” Lexi interrupted from the backseat. Sam grabbed the phone, did as she asked, and shook his head in disbelief.“Can I have my taco now?” Dean questioned his brother as Chris Stapleton’s “Traveller” started to play from the speakers. The younger man passed his brother the food as the chorus began to play: I’m just a traveller, on this earthSure as my heart’s behind the pocket of my shirtI’ll just keep rolling till I’m in the dirt‘Cause I’m a traveller, oh, I’m a travellerI couldn’t tell you honey, I don’t knowWhere I’m going, but I’ve got to go‘Cause every turn reveals some other roadAnd I’m a traveller, oh, I’m a traveller***The next morning Sam carried Lexi’s belongings out to her car, where she stood smiling. “Thank you,” she said as Sam closed the trunk on the Challenger. “You sure you want to go?” he questioned as he leaned against the back of the car and shoved his hands in his pants pockets, “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want while you heal up.”“I don’t like to stay in one place too long,” she replied with a smile, “Do me a favor though?”“Sure, anything,” he said with a smile.“Take care,” she stated with a sincere look, “Stop being so hard on yourself about everything.”Sam looked at the ground, smiled a little, then nodded his head, “Deal, on one condition.”The dark-haired girl placed a hand on the hip opposite of her stab wound, “What’s that?”“You be careful out there,” he said, “Solo hunting isn’t a good idea, so stay in touch will you?”She smiled warmly, “I promise.” The younger brother opened his arms and Lexi moved in for a hug. Lexi squeezed tightly before stepping back. Dean approached the two of them and Sam gave Lexi another smile before he walked off to let his brother have a moment alone with her. “You left this on your nightstand,” Dean said as he pulled her journal from inside his jacket pocket. Lexi took her journal and smiled, “Thanks.”“You don’t have to go you know,” he stated as he crossed his arms. “Yea, I really do,” Lexi responded with a sly smile. “Is your massive crush on me that bad?” the green-eyed man joked, “You have to run away?”The dark-haired girl laughed, “Don’t flatter yourself Winchester. You’re the one trying to get me to stay.” He shrugged his shoulders innocently, then flashed her a heartfelt look, “Take care out there will you?”“Always,” she replied, then Dean enveloped her in hug.“Take care of each other,” she stated once she let him go.“Always,” he replied, then walked around to open the driver’s side door for her. She moved to the front of the car and leaned up on her tiptoes when she got close to him and gently kissed his cheek. Dean was a little shocked by the action, but smiled as she climbed in the car and he carefully closed her door. Lexi waved to Sam who gave her a warm smile and waved back, as Dean approached him. The two brothers stood there watching as she pulled away in the Challenger. Dean noticed the goofy smile on his brother’s face, “What?”“Looks like big brother met his match,” he responded.“Shut up,” Dean stalked back off toward the bunker.“Dude,” Sam called after him, “you broke rule number one.”Dean just flipped him his middle finger as he went down the steps into the bunker.The End.
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Pair Up
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "James Potter, Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, Madame Poppy", "Fandom": "Harry Potter - Fandom", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Shizu_Royale", "chapters": "4/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-04T00:00:00", "words": "7,712", "Additional Tags": "Sick Severus, made up shit surrounding wizards and pneumonia, Field trips, maybe slow burn, Lily forgive Sev, No Bashing, Maybe a little OOC, But whatever, Lots of made up shit probably, we'll see", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Sirius Black/Severus Snape, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Pair UpSeverus sat on the trolley looking out at the passing streets. He sighed, thinking about what the day had in store for him. It had only been two weeks since the news had been given, to 7th years, that they were to attend a series of field trips in their final year at Hogwarts. They field trips were to help the young witches and wizards learn more about the Muggle world and wizarding world through experience. So it was now that Severus sat with a rather smelly young Hufflepuff, headed to a Muggle art museum, while constantly being jeered at by the Marauders who sat in the seats behind him. Severus gazed off into nothingness for several more minutes before the trolley pulled up in front of very large ornately carved building.Severus was brought out of his trance by the voice of the headmaster from the front of the trolley. Severus sat up, irritated and simply hoping to get the day over with soon, he listened to the headmaster speak."Now students, I do hope you treat this experience as a fun way to learn. It is the first time we are instituting this sort of program at Hogwarts and I am hoping the endeavor proves successful, so that future students may be able to partake in the activities you will partake in."Dumbledore looked around at the students to make sure they were all listening; namely the Marauders who were known for their pranks and trouble causing ways."Now the museum has informed me that due to its size and the mischievousness of past students that they now operate on a buddy system. Therefore, each student has to have a buddy. The museum has said that they prefer the pairings not be chosen by the students, so I have allowed your head's of houses choose your buddies."Severus allowed a sigh of relief to escape his lips. He was afraid that Dumbledore had paired them up and was certain that the man would place him among his enemies, but he was certain McGonagall would never allow such a fate for one of her Gryffindor's and Severus was glad for it."I feel that the buddy system is a simply splendid idea, and so your buddy chosen today will be your buddy for all trips this school year."Dumbledore's statement was met with much groaning but he did not respond, instead reading the pairs for the trip. Severus only listened vaguely, as his attention was not needed until his name was called, but he breathed easier when the Hufflepuff beside him was paired with a Ravenclaw. He was supremely happy that he was not paired with the boy, who did not know the purpose of a shower or a deodorizing charm."Severus Snape," called the headmaster and Severus turned his attention to the man after hearing his name called, "and Sirius Black."Severus felt his guts plummet and become very chilled and icy. He thought that surely the headmaster was mistaken, or it was some sort of a joke. He heard the git, Black, voicing his thoughts to the headmaster, only for the headmaster to tell him that there was no mistake and for him and Black to head into the museum. Both walked by looking rather dejected, Severus turning his gaze, which burned with such anger, onto the headmaster before glaring daggers at the back of Sirius' head.The pair made it halfwayto the door, when Sirius stopped and turned to look at the bus. Severus turned around and looked at the boy with much irritation when he noticed the boy had stopped walking."Black, what are you doing? I wish to get this atrocious day over with a quickly as possible," he said to Sirius who was watching the bus.Sirius ignored the boy and continued to watch until he saw what he was waiting for. James made his way off the bus positively beaming and Sirius fully expected him to head over to him and snivels to wait for Mooney and Wormtail. However, James seemed not to notice him and was completely focused on impressing his partner Lily Evans. Sirius saw red, positively livid that he and his friends had been purposely split up and he had been saddled with the git of the century, Snivellus Snape. Sirius turned around slightly dejected and Severus swept off without a word to the boy, feeling slightly relieved that James would most definitely not be joining them.Both boys made their way into the museum and, for about thirty minutes, made their way through the museum quietly not really paying much attention to the Muggle artwork. Sirius found himself slowing as they came to several paintings that looked as though artist really enjoyed dash marks."What's with all the squiggles," he wondered out loud, "and why don't these painting move. Muggle are so boring."Severus rolled his eyes at the boy and looked at the picture, he recognized it from his Muggle art class in elementary school. It was his art teacher's favorite picture, Starry Night, by Van Gogh. He looked back to Sirius, who was now looking at the picture with his head tilted to the side.Severus sighed. "It was Van Gogh painting moron, that's just what he did," he huffed, "now lets go, I do not want to spend all day with you."Sirius gave Severus a disbelieving look. "How would you know Snively?" he jeered crossing his arms over his chest.Severus pointed to the picture description on a pedestal under the painting, before turning and walking away, his ears red from rage and the extreme want to hex Sirius. Sirius walked after the boy resisting the urge to hang him by his ankle with Severus' own spell. The only reason he did not hex the boy was because there were many Muggle children roaming about.It was only a few minutes before Sirius found himself staring confused at another painting. It was a picture of a tree, but the tree, had many limbs that did not match up. He was ignoring the impatient Severus who stood to the side tapping his foot was wishing to be out of the museum.Sirius looked to the artist's name, Anya, and read the description, but still he understand the picture. "She should used reparo before she started painting. It looks like she is looking at the tree through broken glass."Severus rolled his eye yet again at the boy's ignorance. "It is supposed to look like that. It called artistic expression. The artist wants the viewer to believe they are looking at a tree through broken glass."Severus nearly walked off again when Sirius called him, "Yeah, well, If you so smart, than what about this one, its called The Diamond Ring Effects. It is very colorful, pretty even, but it looks like the lumos spell gone horribly wrong."Severus shook his head at Sirius, thinking that the boy should not be entitled to opinions. "I'm pretty sure it is suppose to represent the emotions elicited by a diamond ring, especially when it shines in the light. It is, as you say pretty and so are diamond rings."Severus turned from Sirius and swept of once again but this time at a slower pace, as it was becoming obvious by Sirius' increasing interest in the paintings that they would be spending more time in the museum than he intended. The only reason Severus slowed was that if Sirius was focused on the pictures, he was not focused on making Severus look like a fool.It was some time before they stopped again. This time Severus was looking at a picture that was seemingly just entirely monochrome. Sirius walked over to the painted and rolled his eye."This is art," he scoffed rolling his eyes, "yes, because yellow paint on paper is really art." He turned and headed off to look at another picture, leaving Severus thinking that the mutt that was Black really had no sense of what is meant to be artistic.Severus turned and noticed Sirius rounding a corner, and hurriedly followed him, not wanting to be caught without his partner and receive a detention. The next room was full of photographs and Sirius was already looking at one intensely and much too closely."It looks real," he said, "An old lost sailboat, but what's with the water it should move," he said going to poke the photo.Severus grabbed his hand before he could touch it. Sirius turned to him wide eye and they just starred at each other before Sirius snatched his hand away and moved to turn away."Unless you have a small Muggle fortune hidden away, I suggest you do not touch," said Severus pointing to the do not touch sign.Severus moved around the boy and moved into the sculpture room. He walked right into the middle of a very nice sculpture that had a label saying to be careful. Sirius walked in and looked at him, his jaw dropping. A little Muggle girl walked over to Severus pointing, "look mommy pretty," and the girl's mother responded with a yes dear before moving on."Snively, youre glowing," he pointed out before giving he an incredulous look. "Why are you glowing?" he inquired."Stop calling me that Black, on I'll hex you into next week," he ground out while making his way out of the awkward looking shiny sculpture. "It an illusion, it is meant to make it look like you are glowing, when you are not."Sirius nodded his understanding then quickly made his way into the sculpture, ignoring the hexing comment, while Severus made his way over to an empty bench. Sirius grew bored quickly and joined him on the bench, enjoying finally getting to rest his feet. After a few minutes an old man joined the pair."Hello, boys. Are you on a school trip?" he greeted.Both boys simply nodded trying to enjoy the rest, but the old man started talking to them. "This is a great museum, always has been. I loved it when I was younger, even when I was your age." The old man pointed over to the corner of the room, "I remember when I was a boy there use to be a great big sculpture of Apollo, over in that corner." The man began to talk about how the museum once was while Sirius and Severus listened to the man drone on with only a quarter interest. It was not long before the boys found themselves being pulled into sleep, their eyelids feeling very heavy and there bodies becoming more relaxed.Sirius found himself being pulled from him sleep by what sounded like a cough, followed by another cough. Sirius opened his eyes to see the headmaster looking worriedly at he and Severus. He took a minute to wake more fully before he realized there was something very warm lying on his shoulder. He turned to see greasy black hair cover a slightly red face. Sirius frowned at Severus' closeness, but frowned more at the fact that the boy seemed much too warm."Sirius my boy, I have been looking for the two of you for quite some time. Come now," he said reaching for Severus, "we have to get everyone home. Your friends are very worried about you Mister Black."The headmaster removed Severus from Sirius and touched his head. Severus was burning up and Dumbledore figured it would be best not to wake him. He cast a featherlight charm on the boy in picked him up before making his way to the exit. Sirius felt slightly worried for his enemy, but quickly quelled the feeling. As he made his was to the exit following behind Dumbledore, he wondered just how long they had been sleep.When they got outside, Sirius noticed the slightly pink and orange sky and felt his stomach rumble. "So much for short stories," he muttered and got on the bus with Dumbledore and sat with his friends awaiting the barrage of questions he knew would come about where they had been and the seemingly unconscious Snape. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Madame Poppy was waiting for them at the doors to the school taking in the sight of the flushed teen and frowning. He was visibly warm and shivering when she touched him, she could her his soft breaths where a bit labored and she wondered how long the boy had been sick. Still she thought it best to take precautions in case this was something sudden, though she had her doubts. Severus was never fond of the hospital wing, even for however he'd been in it, him and the marauders, but generally he avoided the wing. He was one of the students she saw the least for actual illnesses. "Take the students to the great hall. It would be best not to let them head back to their dorms just yet until I find out what he's caught. If its contagious we do not want to spreading through the whole school.Dumbledore nodded, relaying the message to Minerva, Pomona, Silvanus and Rolanda, who had accompanied the trip to chaperone before they 5 of them worked to usher the students into the great hall checking each with a glance for any possibles symptoms. Five more students had been sent to the hospital wing to the checked in the next 30 minutes and the professors had the house elves bring food and a few games for the worried teens. They worked to keep them calm, despite there obvious worry.Peter sat next to Remus looking at Sirius in disbelief as he tried to explain that he really hadn't done anything to Snape. "Guys really ... we didn't even get into a fight ... I mean their was the usual snark ... we will never get along ... but we were talking to this old man, he was telling us about the museum back in his day." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Then the headmaster was waking us up and Snape was really warm, all red and breathing funny too. He was fine and then he wasn't ... but I didn't do anything to the git."James nodded, Sirius told the same story three times so far and most of the other Gryffindors didn't believe him, certain that before they were allowed to leave the great hall, they would lose some amount of point thanks to Sirius. The marauders were constantly loosing them points, but they also worried that if the four couldn't behave it was put a halt to the outing."I'm just saying, we are paving the way here. Trips outside Hogwarts are unprecedented and you four acting up, is the last thing we need. Seriously if we loose this opportunity because you get get along with Snape for a day a month ... that would be complete dragon dung!" Sirius frowned at the girl who chose to chastise them cutting his so hard he could have rivaled Severus glare, "I did not do anything to Snivey ... and if I remember you were laughing so hard you almost fell over on your arse, the last little prank we played on Snape." "I wonder what taking so long ..." another girl voiced looking worriedly at the other house tables and frowning.It was nearly two hours later that Madame Poppy walked into the great hall, hurrying over to Dumbledore. The expression on her face was grave and Dumbledore ushered her out to a small staff room just off the great hall. The door had barely closed before she was shaking her head, "Severus has what appears to be a case of pneumonia, as uncommon as that is. His fever is dangerously high and even having given him fever flu it doesn't appear to have helped much. It would be best to contact his parents and let them know the situation and get their okay to move him to Saint Mungo's. For now he's quarantined in a private room in the hospital wing. The students that were sent to be checked are fine, one has the beginning of a small cold, but the Pepper Up should clear that right up. The other's were just a little worked up."Dumbledore looked at Poppy, his generally twinkling eyes lacking that sparkle, "I will contact Mr and Mrs Snape as soon as I return to my office. Pneumonia is a grave thing for a wizard to catch and at just 17. Hopefully we have caught it in ..." He looked back to the door they came through and then back to Madame Poppy, "He spent the day of the trip, most of it with young Mr. Black, so it would be wise to check him first and take preventative measures.""I will need to check everyone before they are allowed to return to their dorms, but I know what I'm looking for now, so it should not take long. We'll start with Mr. Black and move through the group one by one. I think it would be best to check the rest the Slytherins as well, but that can be done tomorrow as their won't be classes anyway. Thank Merlin its the weekend."Albus nodded and headed to the door, walking out and waiting for the hall to quiet down as he stood at the front. "Young Mr Snape has unfortunately fallen ill with pneumonia and as a precaution Madame Poppy would like to check each of you before you to make sure no one else is affected. We will be calling you one by one after which you will be allowed to return to your dorms. We will start with young Mr. Black. Please head through those doors and Madame Poppy will check you."Sirius frowned and looked at James with an odd expression before looking to his shoulder as Severus had been sleeping there before they had been awoken. He wasn't terrible sure what pneumonia was, but Remus expression made him more than a little worried about it. He rose and headed through the doors not returning. It took a little of thirty minutes to check all of the students. None at the moment seemed to be showing any signs of having pneumonia or anything that could develop into pneumonia which relieved the staff quite a bit. One student was bad enough, but an pneumonia epidemic could be disastrous. Sirius lay draped across his bed looking at James and Lily who sat on James' bed. Lily leaned against her expression worried, hand wringing the fabric of her skirt. Remus had explained that pneumonia while uncommon for some reason seemed to be generally fatal in wizards. Of the known cases, one one girl had survived, but she was rendered almost a squib as a result. Healer's were really sure what it was about the illness, but their potions didn't seem to be much help and it was like the wizards sort of wasted away. The all looked uneasy was Lily started crying and blaming herself, saying she should have checked on him in the summer, but refraining from elaborating. James' try to comfort her ... none of the marauders liked Severus and despite the werewolf incident the boy didn't deserve to die. Remus looked to Lily and gave her a weak smile, "Snape's a fighter. If he can contend with the lot of us for 7 years than he can beat this." His words were soft and honestly not all that reassuring, but Lily gave weak nod sinking further into James' embrace.She smiled, though he eyes were watery with a few unshed tears, "yes before I know it he will be better and I will be back to exasperation at the 5 of your actions. A most annoying rivalry."---Lily found herself glancing toward the great hall doors every so often her food mostly untouched. She wished he would walk through those door, but knew that wouldn't happen. A week had gone by and she hadn't seen Severus. She was very worried. She didn't know if Severus was getting better or worse, but she doubted it was better as she'd caved the prior day and gone to the hospital wing, but Madame Poppy had told her Severus was moved to Saint Mungos. They had fallen out two years ago because Severus had called her a mudblood and they just didn't seem to be on the same path anymore. Torn in two different directions. That didn't erase the years they'd spent as friends and Lily was feeling more and more frantic especially knowing he'd been moved.She'd written her parents who were surprised to hear how pneumonia could effect a magical person. It was the oddest concept, more so than their daughter having magic. To them it always seemed magic made her more resilient. She was sick less often than most and never seemed to get a many cuts, scrapes and bruises as most, even when she constantly jumped off the swings as a child. They tried to reassure her, but there words hadn't really helped to alleviate her concerns. She'd written again last night, wanting to see if she could get her parents to visit Severus hoping maybe she would be so in the dark if they checked on him. She wasn't certain how his family would handle things, they were never a particularly close family and when they were younger she had been certain Severus feared his father, but he'd carefully stirred clear of really talking on the matter.A hand on her shoulder drew her out of her thought and she looked to see James pinning her with a concerned expression, but she just shook her head and went back to her food. She tried not to think to hard on the matter, but was hard when you knew your childhood friend could be dying no matter that they hadn't been friend in a year. "I'll be fine James. I just can't help worrying ...," she dropped her voice, "Madame Poppy said they moved him to Saint Mungos. What if ..."She couldn't say it ... what if what? If he died, if she never saw him again, if he never knew he was forgiven ... she was sorry. What happened was terrible, it hurt, but at the moment it seemed so minor.James frowned trying to stamp down the jealousy that rose up in at first, thought it quickly dropped away at Lily's unspoken words. She had every right to be worried and he shouldn't be jealous. Old habits died hard. "Remus is right Lily, Snape is a fight ... he'll pull through." He gave his girlfriend's shoulder a light squeeze and tried to go back to his food. It was odd how this effected him. Lily's distraction made him jealous and he had to keep that in check, but he would support his girlfriend and he wouldn't fall back into petty habits. He wasn't letting the emotion get in the way of what he had with Lily ... she was the one, he was sure. If that meant that he had to reassure her Snape was okay ... even if it meant visiting the boy in the hospital than he was going to do it. It was slightly selfish, but one didn't grow up all in one go.Sirius, Remus and Peter looked at one another and at James, before they looked to Lily. They didn't like Snape, but it was hard to see Lily like this and it would likely stress James out. They needed to find a way to at least help distract the red head. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Healer Haynes stood behind the reception desk on the intensive care floor looking over a chart with a frown. The boy Severus Snape had been brought in the night before after Madame Pomfrey the mediwitch at Hogwarts made the call to move the boy as he had worsened and she reached the limits she had in terms of being able to treat him. He had stabilized overnight, but he had woken briefly, hallucinating from a high fever and calling for his mother. "Was anyone able to contact the teens parents? He is 17, but he is hardly in an condition to be giving consent to anything." There was more to that, but the words need not be said, they wanted to have the boys next of kin in case of the worse. Haynes knew the boy had pneumonia before he arrived at Hogwarts and now another week had gone by. He wondered how it went without being discovered because the boy was very ill now.A woman sighed from beside him, "he is a half blood and so that may be the hold up, but it seems odd that it would take this long to get a response. Owling is certainly no firecall, but a week is rather ridiculous especially when the child is in such dire condition."Haynes shook his head and started off towards Severus room. The had run tests over night, the result the same. The boy had pneumonia and it was wreaking havoc inside in young lithe body. He didn't seem to have responded to anything Madame Pomfrey had tried and they had yet to fully stabilize the boy. He walked into to the room looking at the pale child a plethora of apparatus' attached to him, spells running to keep an eye on his vitals. He set about taking Severus temperature making note of his rapid heart beat and labored breathing. These were things they needed to keep an eye on, but in the current moment especially the fever. The human body was a wonderful and complicated thing, but when things go wrong it could become one own worst enemy. His temperature sat still at 39.9C. It was still to high much to high and would explain the hallucinations. They didn't have much room for error with a temperature that high. He cast a quick cooling charm on the boy and was rewarded with a sigh, though Severus did not wake."Healer Haynes," a nurse rushed in frantic, "the patient in room 617 is having another seizure, the family is frantic and are insisting on your presence sir."Haynes nodded heading out of the room with the nurse on his heals, "schedule an ice bath for Mr. Snape in room 613, he has a dangerously high fever and it does not appear to be responding to the potions. We need to get it down, its far to close to 40 degrees. See that it happens in the next 30 minutes, we can't risk it getting any higher."The nurse nodded quickly and scurried off to comply, frowning slightly at the room when she walked by. They all knew pneumonia was basically a death sentence. They would do their very best to help the boy, maybe he would be the second ... The second to survive.A half hour later found Severus jolted awake and screaming as he was submerged in ice cold water. He fought weakly to get away shivering violently and in the throws of another hallucination. He shouted for them to stop, saying he would drown and eventually begging seemingly unable to find his wand. It was 15 minutes before he calmed completely, settling in the water shivering as the nurses periodically added more ice. His temperature slowly fell coming down closer to a normal range. He was awake now, looking around seemingly more understanding of the situation and they hoped if he stayed awake they could talk to him, but at the moment he couldn't make his mouth cooperate for the chattering of teeth.He slipped into a fitful sleep before they pulled him from the bath, temperature close to normal, so he didn't get to see them, but he sighed in his sleep when a gentle hand caressed his cheek, muffled words reaching his ears."Are you the boys parents," asked Haynes frowning with the Evan shook their heads."Severus is a friend of our daughters, they played together as children and attend Hogwarts together now. We have know Severus since he was about 8 or 9." Alexander looked to his wife concern in his eyes."Have his parents not come to check on him," asked Rose as they walked into Severus room watching as he was transferred gently to the bed."No, we have tried to contact them as well as Hogwarts has, but their hasn't been a reply. We know that his parents live in a muggle neighborhood, but that shouldn't mean no contact can be made in a week."Rose looked to her husband frowning, "Severus parents have a telephone yes? I think maybe Lily had his number. I know he has called before in the summers."Alex nodded, "we can try to find his number and give him a call, but if not we can see if we can go to their house. They do not live far from us. Owling might not work ... I think I've heard my daughter say that his father isn't overly fond of magic before."Healer Haynes looked slightly relieved, "that would be wonderful and I would be grateful."Alexander gave his wife a quick hug, "Im going to go find a pay phone and give Tuney a ring, maybe she can check the phone book at the very least. I'll ask her if she know his address as well."Rose nodded and looked to healer Haynes, before moving over to Severus and tucking the boy in as he shivered. "What can you tell us? I know there is a confidentially clause but ..." She paused and sighed, "he looks so frail ... Why is he so cold?"Healer Haynes knew he could say much but nodded at the woman who carded fingers through the boys fringe, concern ruling her petite features. "He's had an ice bath to bring his fever down, it was too high and we hadn't been able to get it down. Pneumonia isn't terribly common among wizards, but from what I've read with other cases the uncontrollable fever isn't uncommon. We are keeping a close eye on his temperature and his lungs." Haynes need pneumonia could easily drown a patient if not monitored closely. It they were taken by the fever, then drowning from the fluid in their lungs was just as likely.Rose sighed and sat watching Severus, taking his hand in her and stroking his long thin fingers. Piano hands ... She smiled lightly. "Lily says you're a fighter young man and brilliant ... Keep fighting Severus."Healer Haynes found himself wishing he could discuss more with the woman who seemed to care for the young man. This woman who showed up even before they were even able to contact the young mans parents. He wasn't even hers, but maybe this woman and her husband would be of some help. He had a feeling that it wasn't the boy parents that would be hurt in all this, no he was pretty sure this woman and her family were in for a wild ride the end of which might be devastating.He shook his head and turned to head out the room because he couldn't think the boy was going to be another statistic. "Let one of the nurse know when you get in contact with his parents."Rose sat in the chair beside Severus bed watching the boy sleeping, shivering beneath the blankets. She really hoped she would have good news to tell her daughter. She looked up slightly startled when Alex walked walked back into the room giving him hopeful eyes, but he shook his head. "Tuney wasn't sure and she checked Lily's room and the phone book. She said she couldn't find anything and that the Snapes aren't listed. I will look again when he get home and we can write Lily for the address, no point in calling if we can just go knock, seems like the best idea. How is he?" Alex sat down on the arm of the chair next to his wife and frowned as she explained what little she had gotten from the healers."Its not great Alex and the doctor couldn't tell me much. He's had an ice bath to bring down his fever, but otherwise I'm not entirely sure. I can see looking at him though, its not good. I don't want to leave him here alone Alex. He looks so young and so fragile. He's just a child, 17 or not, his parents should be here.Alex nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment, "do you think maybe would could try the fireplace ... fire call, yes? ... try to call the school and maybe we can speak with Lily. It is after all an emergency. It would be the fastest way to get the information and I could head over tonight. I'll be right back, I'm going to ask at the desk."Rose hoped her husbands suggestion was a possible solution. The wizarding world was so different, magic was amazing, but technology in their world just seemed like it made things easier. In there world wizards could thrive if they learned, but in there world, she imagined it would be hard for someone without magic. Lily said it happened, but her daughter could say how many wizards without magic made a life in the wizarding world, there was prejudice against them too. She sighed brushing a hand over Severus' hair when the boy shifted and groaned."We're going to figure this out," she whispered before panic seeped into her as Severus started to gasp for air and chocking. She jumped up and ran into the hall as an alarm went off near Severus. "NURSE ... NURSE ... He can't breath ... he's choking."The alarm and her shouting brought a flurry of nurse, Healer Haynes hot on their heals. Rose went back into the room, twist the hem of her shirt as she trying to hold back tears has nurses and the healer rushed to relieve Severus poor lungs. She didn't understand what was going on, but watching them positioning the boy and tapping a wand to his back trying to get him to expel some of the mucus look painful. Severus continued to gasp, as he coughed and gasped. It feel like hours passed, but was in actually only minutes. When the nurses and healers stepped away Severus had a face mask of sorts which Rose assumed helping him breath. She gave Healer Haynes terrified glance as she moved to Severus side, the boy now awake for now and looking pained and confused.She wanted to ask him about his house and his parents, but his eyes slipped shut and he seemed to fall back asleep. He didn't have the energy at the moment to be awake, only woken by the coughing episode. "My husband went to try to fire call Hogwarts and see if he could get Severus' address. If he can, he will go to his house before the days end and speak with his parents." She spoke to Healer Haynes before turning back to Severus and carding finger through his hair. She missed Haynes nodding as she sat down watching Severus.It was quiet, too quiet, sitting there and she had to resist the urge to fidget, to re-tuck his blankets, to fluff his pillow ... anything to make him more comfortable when he seemed so miserable. It was too long before he husband came back and didn't look relieved. "I was able to speak with the headmaster. He said he's been to Severus house already and he was just back now. The man wasn't willing to come to the hospital and said Severus was pretty much on his own ... he ran away over the summer and his father doesn't seem to want anything to do with the poor boy. What's worse is his mother has passed, early sometime this summer."Rose's eyes went wide, reaching for Severus's hand. "That's awful, surely he wouldn't want Severus to die. Surely he would want to make sure he gets all the need, would want him to get better ...surely ..." Rose felt tears welling up in her eyes. Some people didn't deserve to be parents, Severus was surely going through enough having lost him mother and now his father had forsaken him. "Alex we can't let him just ... he's getting worse. "Alex walked over to his wife and kissed her on the forehead and gave Severus' knee a light squeeze. "I am going to call Matthew, you remember my friend from university. He's a lawyer and he may have suggestions. In the mean time, we'll keep an eye on Severus ... I know they had it out, but Lily clearly cares a great deal for him. Maybe we can find a way around all this." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Lily frowned sitting in potions, he eyes kept wandering to the spot where Severus would usually be, on orchestra in motion brewing with an efficiency even Slughorn himself lacked. It was a few days past now that Severus was in Saint Mungo’s and she hadn’t even gotten word from her parents. She asked the professors and even the headmaster any chance she got for news, but it was the same … she was told his condition hadn’t changed. Lily was certain they were trying to spare her and so she wrote her parents. She knew they were keeping watch on Severus was often as possible. Her dad had to work, so it wasn’t possible for him to be there as often as her mother.She sighed, she really wished she could be there as well. She was praying although she had never been the most religious person, she didn’t really know what else to do.“Lily,” Remus called cutting through her thoughts just before she dropped to much powdered griffin claw into her potion. She reared back, drawing her cloak up to protect herself, barely registering the protego tossed up by James.He looked frantic when he pulled the cloak away from her and frowned deeply, “I know you’re worried for Snape Lils, but you can’t let your mind wander like that … okay?”Lily nodded and turned as Slughorn spoke, “why don’t you head to hospital wings Ms Evans, lie down for a bit and try to destress. My goodness I don’t want to see you hurt … this has been a tough week … it may be wise for you to sit potions out next class I think. Mr. Potter, escort Ms. Evans please.”She watched as Slughorn waved his wand and cleaned up the mess before trying to get the lesson back on track. James lead her into the hallway and she sighed leaning against him, “I’m sorry … I’m so worried for Severus. I’ve seen several people get pneumonia, but I never imagined it could get quite this serious. He spent a week in the hospital wing and he been in the hospital for nearly as long, but nothing … why isn’t he getting any better? I can’t help but to think, is it too late? What if he dies James … I couldn't bear it.”“Lily, it's not all that common for a wizard to get pneumonia, let alone survive it. I don’t know why … don’t know what’s different … but he just have to hope that he’s going to pull through. I said it before … if he can go toe to toe with the marauders, then he can get through this.” James found it odd to be trying to reassure Lily his nemesis … no his rival … that Severus was going to be okay. It was a thought that crossed his mind frequently of late, but even more so he believed it and hoped it was true. He loved Lily with all his heart and it was plain as the sun in the sky that she loved Severus. It was the same love he held for his own friends, his brothers. He couldn’t imagine losing them and he found he didn’t want Lily to lose Severus, not completely, not like this.“He’s going to make it Lils,” he said hugging her close while they walked. “If you don’t hear something soon, then we’ll go. I know a way out and we’ve passed our apparations test, a quick visit can’t hurt, yeah?”Lily looked to him shocked, but she didn’t protest … it would be worth the expulsion they could face, she was sure of it. She could try to convince James to let her go alone, but she had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well. “Yeah … okay … yeah, we’ll do that … just give it a few more days.”-------Petunia sat in the far corner of the hospital room, extremely uncomfortable being there. Her mother needed to take care of some things at home and errand in town, but didn’t want Severus to be alone. Now Petunia was sitting with him after a bribe and much grumbling … she hated Severus. Really felt he was getting his just desserts for starting all this … dragging them into the his world … stealing her sister.Deep down she knew she was just angry, still angry to see her sister live this life, this adventure. Both Lily and Severus, while Petunia got left behind … a muggle. What an awful word!She peeked at him, his breathing labored, he was clearly struggling and it looked painful. They had pain potions, but it wasn’t like their hospitals, with IV’s and wires. Spells ran the machines she assumed seeing no cords. She wondered how they kept him hydrated … or fed … snippets of conversations between her parents told her he wasn’t eating.He looked pale and just so close to death’s door … maybe no … this wasn’t just … he probably didn't deserve his. She didn’t wish him dead … she was hurt, angry, jealous … but no one deserved to suffer like this. She missed her sister, she wished for magic, sometimes she wish they never met Severus, or alternatively wished magic didn't exist … but she didn't wish him a slow and painful death.She looked up as her mother walked in, “... he dying isn’t he … thats why Matthew was over the other day.”Rose looked to her daughter and then to Severus, “... he isn’t getting any better … none of the treatments they have tried seem to be working. Your father and I are confused, but there is currently nothing we can do. We want to move him … to take him to one of our hospital to see if it makes any difference … but we don’t have the authority and he’s a wizard … they didn’t seem to like the suggestion.”Petunia frowned, “I’m never going to love all this … why are we the enemy?”Rose sighed and rubbed her daughters back, “we aren’t … fear is a terrible thing, as good as it is for survival too much fear breeds hate and prejudice and a lack of understanding. Maybe they feel we judge them too … you have no real reason to really dislike this world and yet … you say you will never love it.”Petunia frowned, but chose to ignore her mother in favor of watching Severus once more. It was like being disillusioned … maybe their world wasn’t as special as she once believed.“Do you want to do home, dinner is wrapped up and waiting in the refrigerator.” Rose walked over to Severus carding fingers through his hair and frowning because the boy was too warm again.“No, I’m fine.” Petunia frowned turning to look out the window, but choosing to remain.----“Are you certain this will work? It can’t be contested … I just don’t … time is of the essence and if the rush can’t push it fast enough then he dies. I can’t let that boy die from pneumonia because his father is a complete arse.” Alex paced across his friends office thinking through the plan again turning it over in his mind. It was simple, but if they encountered the slightly stumble it could unravel.“A transfer of guardianship signed by the father would be out best option and a doctor's report should help, but a rush on things. He’s still a minor which work in our favor … the only problem I forsee is how Severus will feel about it after the fact … he’s not getting a say in this. Its in his best interest, but he may rebel against that once he in the position to do so.”“I will be glad for it and we can work that when the time comes, but first we save his life … I’ve just got to get a signature from his father and then you can push the paperwork though … once it's through then we move him.”“Hopefully all goes as planned and it is really that simple … If we are truly lucky then you will soon have a son, hopefully a healthy recovered son.”Alex nodded looking down at the documents, he and his wife had already signed. The papers with three more signature would make Severus there’s … it was a rushed decision and one they hadn’t even discussed with their daughter’s, but they would as soon as they got the boys father’s signature. He had spoken to the headmaster about his plans and Lily would be sent through the floo to spend the weekend with them and they would have time to discuss the matter at hand.Things were just too urgent to think too far ahead, to worry. Matthew was helping to make sure they had all their bases covered. He looked up with Matthew spoke again frowning and nodding. “I’m going to go tonight. I will hang around for a long as I need if he’s not home, this signature is important and if he can’t be there for Severus, then he should at least make it so someone else can be.”Alex worried about how binding the documents would be in the wizarding world, but it wasn’t really something he could discuss in detail with his friend and he doubted the man would even be able to reassure him any more with more details. Slipping the documents back into the envelope he gave his friend a hug and thanked him before setting of the change a handful of lives hopefully in the best way. Time to make Severus an Evans.
11025972
take a break
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Final Fantasy XIV", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by starshepherd", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "1,279", "Additional Tags": "post-stormblood predictions, she is Sad and Old", "Relationship": null, "Character": "Thancred Waters", "Relationships": "a little bit of thancred/wol but not really, if u wanna see it you can", "Series": "there's a chair in your heart.", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
The days after are harder than Kanan imagined they would be -- when her thoughts were actually preoccupied with the future, that was. She did not think much of her path ahead when the only end in sight seemed to be hers, in this bed, waist wrapped with bandages so tight she feared she could not breathe; but breathe she did, her body instinctively fighting every negative urge that wracked and wrecked her mind. Despite the heavy exhaustion that pools in her bones, she lives. It does not feel like living , but she’s well aware of the consequences that come with her failure.   Oh, that.   Failure was far from the actuality of the situation -- she had freed her city, her country, and the cost had nearly been her life. Gladly would she have offered it up in any case without a fight if freedom would be brought to the place where her heart truly belonged, but…   I got ahead of myself.   She should be thankful for the actions of her brother ( and on the surface, she is. She knows what he’s gone through to get her back to ishgard. ) regardless of her true feelings, yet she cannot bring herself to speak to him face to face. Whether it is result of exhaustion or a mere fear of confrontation she cannot tell -- perhaps that is for the better. Kanan cares for him unconditionally, and fears he might have gotten the wrong idea about her when they first met.   But I can’t solve that now.   Her gaze drifts to the window, where fresh snow settles on the windowsill. She’d insisted it be left open -- Kanan couldn’t bear the stuffy rooms the chirurgoens allotted their patients to occupy, and allowed her sheer monstrosity of a determined mind to do her work for her. She would stay, but only in the event that fresh air be let into the room at all times. She was, after all, a friend of the Scions; what she said, went. The memory is one of few lighter ones in the past few days, and highlights the climax of her strength. She has not felt the same since, if anything, she struggles to move more than a few inches without heavy spells of dizziness crashing into her like waves.   She’s frustrated.   But she has not been alone, at the very least. Despite all odds, she sees that as a bright side in her dark days and even dimmer nights. She’s expecting Thancred tonight -- or so she’s heard from her brother, who seems to have taken a sort of liking to him. At that confession, Kanan had laughed; we all have, have we not ? She’d teased. The idea of having a brother to tease in the first place is a completely foreign concept to her, though she valiantly attempts to incorporate him into her daily life as much as she possibly can -- they have decades of life to catch up on.   I have to be strong, for him .   Her hand shakes as she grips the sheets and pushes herself upright, forcing her way through waves of startling, shocking pain in her midsection. She gasps aloud, nearly keeling over when her vision goes white with stars and blinding flashes, but she’s caught by a hand -- she can’t tell if it’s hers or that of some unknown visitor. Whomever’s it may be, she stays upright, but not without effort. She can feel the roughness of the cotton beneath her palms as she presses them to the bed, leaning heavily on them in a desperate attempt to steady her shaking form. Kanan can’t fight through the fog on her own, though she stubbornly refuses to give up when she’s come this far.   She doesn’t notice the tilt of the mattress as another settles himself on the edge of it properly, moving the hand he’s placed on her shoulder to her back -- she’s far too absorbed in dragging herself out of her self-made hell to feel it.   ‘ Kanan. ‘  the hyur calls to her, tone firm and near stoic.   When she does not move, he moves instead. Placing his hands against the front of her shoulders, he pulls her back towards him, where he leans against the wall and in turn, eases her against him. He aims to lessen her discomfort by reducing the pressure on the wound -- which she has so cleverly moved in all the wrong ways. His head shakes at her stubbornness; it would be both her greatest ally and worst assailant in her recovery, but perhaps she had anticipated this already.   ‘ You are going to ruin Y’shtola’s handiwork, you know -- ‘ he moves his hands to rest protectively, lightly over the bandaged wound. ‘ I would advise you to be more wary in your endeavours, dear Kanan. ‘   Twice he has spoken her name, and it is only now that she hears it. Begrudgingly, she allows herself to lean against Thancred’s chest, head rested on his shoulder. ‘ ‘tis not my fault everyone under the Sun wishes me idle. ‘ her voice is soft as she speaks, frustration evident in the gaze she casts toward the moon outside her window.   ‘ perhaps not, but you certainly have not made a convincing case for yourself. ‘ oh, but she knows all too well what she’s done, and it is certainly none of Thancred’s business.   Kanan opens her mouth to speak, jaw set in rash anger -- he shushes her, waving a hand about as if to clear the air. ‘ however , that ship has sailed. there is naught to be done now except wait and watch your recovery. ‘   ‘ then you hold no quarrel with me? ‘ she is quick to ask.   ‘ have i a reason to possess one? ‘ his gaze shifts to her once more, curious.   ‘ i -- ‘ Kanan hesitates, eyes dropping to her hands. ‘ i do not wish to fight any longer. not - not as that , but -- i am growing older, and more exhausted by the day. ‘   It’s quite obvious by his quickened breathing that he had not expected that. He is not to blame -- they have not talked in quite some time. ‘ -- is that what you want, Kanan? this seems rather sudden. ‘   Her hands move to cover his. ‘ while fighting primals and battling imperial legatuses has saved Eorzea, i have been unable to save those i hold most dear to me. I tire of loss . I am so -- so tired. ‘  both past spouses long gone, she never goes a day without feeling the emptiness in the air. And while she is hardly alone with another at her side, she fears. What if the same were to happen to him?   He does not reply immediately, taking in the sheer weight and honesty of her words. Rarely did she confess to a weakness or plague of this caliber -- perhaps it truly was time. ‘ in any case, you cannot decide this very minute. we hold you to no duties when you are injured, of course -- take any and all time you require. I shall not let you go so easily, yet … you have naught to worry over; if you truly wish to leave, you have my blessing. ‘   ‘ truly? ‘   ‘ truly and honestly, from my heart. you have accomplished more than many of us combined -- ‘tis the only way i know how to express my gratitude properly for it. ‘   Her eyes close, and she breathes easy -- this is not the end of her journey, not by a long shot, but the mere prospect of holding something other than fear for the future is completely foreign, and perhaps more frightful than the paranoia itself.   ‘ … thank you, Thancred. ‘ he offers her a small nod in reassurance.   For the first time in five years, she rests quietly and contently.
11010606
Five times Keith took
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Keith (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Allura (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Lotor (Voltron), Kuro (Voltron)", "Fandom": "Voltron: Legendary Defender", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by Elen42564", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2018-02-02T00:00:00", "words": "1,406", "Additional Tags": "BDSM, Pet Play, Bondage, Sex Toys, Oral Sex", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Hunk/Lance (Voltron), Allura/Pidge | Katie Holt, Lotor/Kuro (Voltron)", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Keith was pissed. He’s been working for 5 hours in the ER and there’s been a car crash earlier, caused by the earthquake, and a few minor injuries from falling due to the tremors. He was upset, to say the least, but his night was about to get worse. He realized this when he saw his brother-in-law and co worker walk in with one of the hospital doctors, bleeding. He ran to to help them and check the wounds. “It was supposed to be superficial, but then the earthquake happened and… well” said Lotor, pointing at Kuro’s leg, that had a small blade stuck in the thigh. “Why the fuck you guys were using a blade on each other? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” Keith said, pissed, as he helped them remove the blade, Lotor immediately helping him. Most people were busy dealing with accidents so they would have to work alone. They dealt with it quite quickly, removing the blade, cleaning and suturing quickly, after checking that no major damage was done. Kuro was dizzy due to the medication, but he would be alright. Lotor was hugging him tight, still scared of what happened. “No more using blades in bloodplay, just needles from now on,” he said to Kuro, who just smiled and kissed him. Keith suspected that wouldn’t be the last time he would see them in the ER, it wasn’t the first one either. They liked to experiment with dangerous things, and sometimes one or both of them ended up hurt. What he did know was that his fiancé was going to freak out when he told him how his twin end up in his care. He just didn’t expect to have to deal with other people’s “sexscapades” in a while. Oh, boy, he wasn’t going to get what he wanted.Five days later, he had another… curious case. It was the beginning of his turn and two embarrassed guys came in: a tall, chubby guy, that was almost twice his husband's size, was carrying a very pretty boy, whose name was Lance. The bigger guy was Hunk, and they apparently have been “experimenting”. They didn’t have a dildo at home, so they had the brilliant idea of using a zucchini, which broke when they tried to pull it out, and was now stuck in the smaller guy’s body. He laughed when he got away from them. Damn, people were idiots. He called Lotor, who did laugh in front of them, injected him a muscle relaxant and sent Keith to get the vegetable out of Lance’s body. The boys looked extremely embarrassed and grateful for being out of there as soon as he got it out. Lotor gave them a prescription for painkillers and the address of a good sex shop where they could get actual toys. Keith, who was embarrassed as well, memorized the directions, just in case. His anniversary with Shiro was getting closer and he needed to find a nice gift, maybe even give in and fulfill one of Shiro’s fantasies, not that he hated that idea. He sent the guys away, hoping to never see them again and knowing the feeling was mutual.A couple hours later, he attended two beautiful girls, not that he was interested in females, but he was able to recognize beauty when he see it. The patient, who he was surprised to learn was 24 years old ‘cause she looked sixteen, was a red haired, short girl, with a pretty face with childlike features named Katie. The taller one introduced herself as Allura; she had long silver hair and was actually younger than her girlfriend, and definitely not smarter, apparently. You see, those idiots had the brilliant idea of spicing up their sex life by putting food on different parts of their bodies, and the taller one put peanut butter on the older one’s private parts. Which wouldn’t be so bad, if she wasn’t allergic to peanuts. Now, they were stuck in there, Katie getting a shot for her allergic reaction and both of them a prescription for some pills to prevent the fungus that was obviously going to show up. Shiro was extremely embarrassed as he wrote on their files and Keith knew he was trying his best not to laugh and insult the patient. They left after a while, embarrassed, and decided to next time just buy flavored lube and not take chances, allowing Shiro to finally laugh and drop his professional espression. “Damn it, the more time we spend at the ER the more crazy cases we attend. Who’s next?” He asked, after kissing his fiancé softly, with a happy smile. They loved their jobs, it was just that some strange things happened sometimes.Less than a week later, he got to attend Lotor, who was extremely pale and Kuro was asking to get an MRI. Apparently they tried erotic asphyxiation, with a rope, he guessed by the marks on his neck, and they have gone to far. Lotor passed out and fell, they were worried that he had a concussion, and he has twisted his wrist badly with the handcuffs that tied him to the bed. After a lot of tests, they decided that it was a small concussion and a sprain and he was good to go, as long as Kuro kept an eye on him and checked every two hours that he was alright, that he took his painkillers and took care of his wrist. They left, looking grateful that it wasn’t serious, especially Kuro, who looked like he felt guilty of what happened.Three days later, Keith was surprised to see Lance and Hunk again. This time, the Cuban boy was tied up in a bad way, and his shoulders looked like his husband dislocated them when he tied him up. This is what happened when amateurs tried professional knots. They had to cut the ropes and set him for surgery to get his shoulders back in place. Hunk kept crying and blaming himself as his boyfriend was high on painkillers and kept trying to keep going with their “encounter”. They had to spend three days in the hospital till Lance was released, and they looked like if they have learned their lessons about trying on dangerous things without researching them properly.A week after that, the most embarrassing day of his life happened. It was their anniversary and he has prepared a surprise to Shiro. He was dressed on a cat outfit, with a tail that was keeped in place by a vibrator, that he got really deep. He received his fiancé with a meow and got close to him in four, nuzzling his legs and smiling. He could see that he was immediately excited by this and got a hard on, which he got out of his pants and began to lick as a kitten. He suck him up, making Shiro tremble and beg for more as he got closer. His beloved took the tail and pull it a bit, trying to get it out so he could take him...and then disaster struck. Shiro was shocked, with a cute cat tail in his hand, without the vibrator tied to it “Keith… I think we need to go to the ER” said, slightly panicking, as Keith cursed and put on pants and a coat. They got to the ER in about five minutes, and Lotor was the one that received them. Keith was extremely embarrassed as he was taken to radiology and even more when he saw the x-rays and how the small vibrator was stuck far up his intestinal tract. He was given some laxative and muscle relaxer and after about an hour, he managed to get rid of it. The worst part was when he realized that Lotor has been texting Kuro, ‘cause Shiro got a call from his brother, who was laughing and making Keith even more embarrassed about it. Damn, the first time he allow himself to fulfill a fantasy for his fiancé and, let’s admit it, for himself, he end up like that. He decided that he was happier with vanilla sex, and so did Shiro, who couldn’t stand the mocks of his younger twin. They smiled at each other when they finally left the hospital, ashamed that their coworkers have gotten a glimpse of what happens in their bedroom, and they agreed to never buy toys online again.
11024871
Summer Lovin
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Phil Lester, Dan Howell, PJ Liguori, Chris Kendall", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by rbj", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "783", "Additional Tags": "Cute, Fluffy, so adorable, Dan's an adorable bean, Holiday, reminescent, Flashbacks, Phil needs to be appreciated, They're both so adorable, they are truly soft and neat, little ficlets, fantastic foursome - Freeform", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Phan - Relationship, Dan Howell/Phil Lester, Dan Howell & Phil Lester", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Phan, Phandom, Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
‘ Those summer nights when we were young’ . A voice croons softly over the airport intercom as Dan uses his data to scroll through tumblr. He’s alone in the docking bay for the flight to Barbados that starts in about an hour, and although the hustle and bustle of a normal airport is in full swing, in Dan’s own little world it all mixes into one blur. ‘We bragged of things we’d never done’. The lyrics made Dan laugh softly as he remembered what seemed like a whole different world.   ***   “Phil!” Dan squealed as his boyfriend bear hugged him from behind. “What are you doing?” he hissed, trying to turn around to look at Phil’s face. “Relax Dan.” Phil replied, squeezing his adorable lil’ boyfriend. “But there could be cameras .” Dan pointed out with a pout as he kept trying, unsuccessfully, to face his boyfriend. Phil laughed again, and brought Dan closer to him so that he could hook his head over Dan’s shoulder. “Calm down Dan. Pj’s over there, he’s vlogging about some boat he found. He was trying to tell me about it but I wasn’t really paying attention.” “Why not?” Dan asked, finally relaxing against Phil; he leant his head against Phil’s and wrapped his hands around so that his rested on top of the others. Phil smiled, loving the feeling of Dan against him, before answering. “Too busy staring at you” Phil replied, giving Dan a speedy kiss against the neck and then releasing him as they saw Pj start to head over to them with his camera.   ***   “You have not kissed a cow!” Chris shouted at Dan in surprise. “Yes I have!” Dan crowed proudly. “Right on the mouth.” “I’m not sure if I’m happy I know this now.” Phil quietly said to Pj, ignoring the yelling of Chris and Dan. The four of them were playing truth or dare whilst they waited for dinner in a small little restaurant by the beach. It was evening, so the sun was dipping low, glinting on the waves and casting a magical glow on the sandy front. Phil looked back to Dan and smiled. His boyfriend was avidly describing his mouth to mouth experience to Chris, complete with hand gestures and loud sound effects. Pj and Chris were in fits of laughter, but Phil was too busy admiring how happy his boyfriend looked, how astonishingly beautiful he was when he smiled that real smile of joy, to pay much attention to the wonderful story telling Dan was doing. “Alright Phil. You’re turn.” Dan said, turning to look at Phil. The black haired boy blushed at the prospect of nearly getting caught staring love struck at Dan again before he realised he was technically allowed to do that now - he was love struck with Dan, and everybody knew it.   ***   It was midnight and they were walking along a boulevard a few blocks away from the hotel the four of them were staying at. Dan couldn’t sleep in the hot room they’d been in, so he’d woken Phil up, and asked if they could go for a walk in the moonlight. Phil, being the sweetie he was, hadn’t been in the least bit annoyed Dan had woken him, and had quickly agreed to go out when he saw how anxious Dan was getting cooped up in their room. They’d walked along the main roads, their hands clasped and swinging between them as they wandered through, their shoulders occasionally bumping into one another’s. There was a comfortable silence over them, Phil occasionally saying something random which Dan would ponder for awhile before coming up with a response for. Right now he wasn’t considering anything, just enjoying the warmth of late night in a foreign country. Just enjoying Phil. He was astonishing, truly. He never got mad at Dan’s unwillingness, or his anxiety, or his crisis's. He never got mad that Dan was more popular than him on YouTube. He always told Dan he loved him, he always looked out for him, he always cared for him… and Dan tried to give all that back to him, but he wasn’t sure Phil quite understood. “Phil?” Dan asked quietly. Phil turned to him questioningly, looking in his eyes the way that sometimes made Dan feel like he could see everything. “I love you, you do know that right?” he said, stopping in the middle of the street and staring at Phil, trying to gage his reaction. But Phil simply turned to him and smiled the brightest smile Dan had ever seen. “I know.” Phil said softly, bringing down closer to him and planting a soft kiss to the top of his head. “Don’t worry. I know.”   ***
11087679
Anything But Innocent
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Dragon Ball", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by Gilded_Blue", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-04T00:00:00", "words": "6,338", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Bulma Briefs/Son Goku/Vegeta", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Anything But Innocent (AKA Anticipation )(AKA Betrayal)Alone at last. This is what I've been thinking about; obsessively does my mind scan over every detail of my surroundings, excruciating and exquisite alike, even though I shouldn't. I should be thinking about your husband waiting for the cue to run out and try to beat me to a pulp for doing what I'm about to do.I'm about to try to make his wife love me, and I'm sure he knows. He's on to me, even though I'm not sure exactly how. That's how Vegeta is, I guess. That's one of his skills, reading people. I can't help falling in love with you, I guess it was inevitable that he would as well, and now he's waiting to make it clear that you're his, because he's primitive like that. Neither of us could resist your charms, as it turned out, but I wonder if it makes me bad to hope you're not as happy with him as you seem when the lights are out and you're left to your own thoughts.I'm watching you even though I shouldn't be. I'm watching you very carefully, the curve of your lips and the way they part and open when you sigh. I watch the arch of your eyebrow and the way it twitches when your husband says something irritating. He's kind of mean, sometimes, isn't he? I wonder if it's just an act and really you have finally decided that you need more in life than what he's been giving you.Water drips from the sky, heavy, pooling at the ground but first soaking leaves, and grass and soil, making branches of trees slouch under the excessive weight. Summer rain, from the sound of it you would think it'd be soft and light. I love the trees, all with different shades of green, both subtle and majestic in their silent wisdom. In reality, it's really pouring out there. My sentimental heart makes this all slow and quiet.It's a pleasant little rhythm, the pitter-patter of the rain on concrete. I think it's more abrasive-sounding than the way rain sounds in the forest, but it's a preference. Maybe Bulma likes abrasive things. Maybe she likes the harshness of it.Three black birds fly off overhead, and they disappear in the bright grey sky. It almost hurts to look up. I hear you laugh from behind a cigarette. I wonder why you do that, smoke. It's kind of a bad habit. We all have bad habits even though you laugh and tell me I'm flawless from time to time. You're a bad habit.If everything was so flawless about me, I wouldn't be standing here considering you with a smile on my face like I don't know what men and women do at night, like I'm so pure and good and innocent, like I'm so far away from you."Goku, what are you doing?" Your voice is playful and light, half full with a laugh, like you don't understand that I want you. Like it's not so obvious that Vegeta is probably fuming somewhere right now and why.I heard him stalk off away from you a few moments ago, when you two thought you were alone."Kakarotto is not always who you think he is. His games and jokes are all a ridiculous façade; they are designed so that his opponents don't take him seriously and you fall for this mindless charade without hesitation!""Vegeta, I don't know what you're talking about." she replies with innocence in her voice that made me tingle. An astonishing thing: Bulma Briefs with innocence in her voice, when considering me. "I'm not one of Gokou's opponents, I'm his best friend. What is it that you're getting at?" Vegeta is frustrated, because he tried to tell her as gently and discreetly as possible and still her faith in me was so undying that she didn't understand the meaning of his words at all, because he probably hates me right now, and most importantly because he is torn between seeming like he gives a damn and staking claim to what is his now but what was undoubtedly mine first. "Don't worry about it, you're obviously too stupid to understand." His words were callous and harsh but I could detect the hurt lingering in his tone that she did not. "Vegeta!" she calls his name out, putting her hands on her hips but he's gone and I skip out to the patio where I was supposed to be and wait for her. She scoffs and calls him a jerk.I could hear Bulma's heels tapping on the stone flooring as she followed me out to stand under the awning, watching the rain fall.Don't you understand why we're here? How does this not make sense to you? You're a genius, Bulma. I need you to figure this out, because it's going to be really hard for me to just come right out and say it. There's so much I want to do with you."I do have to say, Goku," you said with your arms crossed over your chest, "I was surprised when I heard you made a deal with a god like that. Why exactly was it that you offered me up to kiss the Kai?" Her voice is amused, and yet she's also ready to start yelling at me because that's what best friends do. I smile into the tone of her voice, because I love it, because I love her but don't tell anyone, alright?It's not like I knew, this whole time. I had a kid and a wife when the light finally came crashing down on me. How could I hurt ChiChi? How could I abandon Gohan? No one explained love to me, Bulma. It was something I didn't figure out until I was almost thirty. Sorry, slow learner. We're not all as quick as you.Forgive me for taking so long, I have a reputation to uphold. Underneath, you and I are connected on a level that no two other people could possibly be.An image of you standing before me with a dress similar to the one you have on now, but much younger, chained to a red platform, has conjured itself up in my head. I bite my lip a little bit and you raise a brow at my hitched breath. Should I have done it then, when it could be against your will, when you had no choice but to accept my advances? Why didn't I think to take you at the time, instead of saving your life and returning you to your family and boyfriend?Why didn't I just act like Vegeta? I'm scanning my thoughts, trying to remember how I felt about you every time I've ever rescued you from something, or sheltered you from a blast, or held you in my arms. No matter how innocent the encounter was at the time, I'm searching my memories and consistently I sense something I haven't exactly been able to explain well throughout my life when I think of Bulma.Now I understand, clearly, and I am here.I'm standing just a little too close when I start laughing, resting my hand on the back of my head. "Come on, now, Bulma." I said with a smile playing on my lips, "You're the sexiest person I know. And I also knew you would suit an old pervert's whims if it was for the sake of the universe."Thunders cracks and the sheets of rain come down heavier and louder and it's probably for the best because my breathing is getting harder. I have never felt this nervous around ChiChi, or any other woman, or any other person, in my entire life."I guess." She said, "Vegeta's kind of sore about it."I bet he's pretty sore about it. I love it that I can say it, how gorgeous you are. Sexy. That's the word we all keep using. I've grown to enjoy your vanity. Don't ever change, Bulma. Stay sexy and smart and outrageous."Really?" I asked, lifting a brow like I couldn't possibly understand why in the world her husband would be upset.Heh."Yeah, it's weird." she says, "Typically he's not really the jealous type or anything, and it was, truly, just an old man but still." Bulma laughed, lowering her voice as if telling me a secret, "Vegeta made noise about it for a few weeks."I crossed my arms over my chest, looking at her through the corner of my eye as I stepped forward, "Hah, that's kind of funny." I looked up, trying to pick out the individual rain droplets in the sky, "I didn't think that would be the case, though.""How do you mean?" she asks, confused."Well, I always sort of assumed Vegeta would be the possessive, jealous sort of type.""Not at all." Bulma said, shaking her head, "In fact, he mostly does his best to pretend he doesn't care what I do as long as he doesn't perceive me to be 'spoiling' his son too badly." She crossed her arms over her chest, looking bitter for a moment. I saw an in and I took it, breathlessly without thought."If I were your husband, I'd try to keep you away from everyone."Bulma's eyes sort of widen, before she settles into a look of confusion like she misheard me. She didn't. "Well," she says with a sort of a laugh, because I know I just made her a tiny bit nervous, "ChiChi is lucky that her husband cares so much."About someone else. About you. Her husband cares an awful lot about you. Bulma, I want to wake up naked next to you. I want to get married to you, live with you and eat with you all the time. I want to go on trips with you and listen to you ramble about your inventions to be obnoxious when you know I have no idea what you're saying. Use your science to make that go away. Make me good again and make me love no one but my sons and my wife, I would rather be unfulfilled than hurt anyone.Science my feelings away and we'll never tell anyone about this ever.I can't help but watch the cigarette float from her lips and back again. It's erotic and now the image of your mouth on mine is burned inside of my head.Do you know how long I've wanted that?"You're a great guy, you know?" She says with a melodic hum, shrugging a little bit as she says it. The words are nothing to her. They're casual and meaningless and I put so much thought into everything I say to her.A great guy. Is that all? Is that all you have to say, about me and about us? When you look at me do you still see a little boy? When you consider me are you still thinking about a child? Don't you see I've grown up? I've grown up a lot.I was right to think of you as a witch. That's what you are to me. Your magic is of a different sort. It's charming and stunning, captivating and blatant and true. You don't hide who you are, like I do. You don't wear a mask; you just demand that people accept you.Please, look at me and see me. Please look past this, the mask and the smile. Please understand. I'm asking you, not telling you, but I need it so much. Maybe I should tell you to see it; maybe I should demand it of you.Is that what you want? Is that what gets your attention, some arrogant jerk, bossing you around? Should I swear at you and berate you if I want your love? Why do you want to be treated badly? Why is that exciting for you?Should I act like him? I could do it, you know. I've known enough bad guys to know how they act. I remember the things that Yamucha would say that were rude and cocky that would put a blush on your cheeks even when you didn't want them to. I remember the passionate gazes Vegeta would send you after you've sent him into a rage. I've watched, but you've made me lose all of my confidence."Is that how you think of me, Bulma?" I said, fixing my gaze on her. My tone is more telling than I would have wanted it to be. Her eyelashes touched her cheekbones and then flew upwards again. Bulma Briefs is trying her very hardest to not blush at my words and I find this to be, in a word, adorable.She's constantly putting that thing to her lips. Oral fixation, is that what you call it? She's always putting something to her lips, her fingers or her glasses or a cigarette.It's too hot out here."What do you mean?" She says, avoiding my gaze. She shifts a little bit, transferring the weight from one leg to another. I pull a chair for her and she sits.I looked around. I swallowed, and when I realized I couldn't do it, I decided to change the subject. "Why do you smoke so much, Bulma? That stuff is bad for you.""Every second I spend in this world is another one just a little bit closer to death." She sort of shrugged, flicking ash off to the side, "I'm committed to enjoying myself. There may come a time where I'm gone and even you can't bring me back.""So you're telling me that you want to spend your whole life justifying making yourself sick?" I asked, frowning.Bulma rolled her eyes, "That's not what I'm doing."I couldn't do it. I knew that there was something inside of me that wanted this, and my desire was growing, but still I didn't have it in me to hurt my family. Bulma ran a hand through her hair, a little absentmindedly and I barely knew what to do."Well, are you here to stay for lunch?" Bulma asked, leaning forward over the table at me, seemingly unaware of the cool wind and little droplets of rain coming from the storm above.I shook my head, "Actually, I was hoping to see if you wanted to go look for the Dragon Balls with me." I said it suddenly. It wasn't the intention, I just felt like we needed to do something, something that we would have normally done. More than anything I needed to be united in something and removed from everything else with Bulma Briefs at my side.Bulma blinked a bit, "Do you need to wish for something, Gokou?"I can't have what I would wish for. I smiled a little bit, shrugging, "Well what else is there to do?""I don't know… I wonder if it's a good idea to just take off on Vegeta…" she said, looking uncomfortable. In an instant, her eyes have darted back to the direction of Vegeta's Gravity Chamber, and I know that I have to get her away from here, away from her husband and her son, if I have any hope of getting through to her how good we can be together. ONE "If I fall, will you catch me?" She asked, grin on her face. I frowned in distaste. She's balancing on the side of a cliff, leaning over to whistle at the body of water below. I'm nervous for her, a little bit, but I also know that I'd love for her to fall as much as she would love to collapse into my waiting arms.I would never let anything bad happen to you, and you know it. So you put yourself into these situations, where you know I have to prove that to you. You really want to see me jump through hoops for you."You're kidding, right?" I raised a brow, amazed at Bulma's arrogance still.Bulma whined, looking over at me, "Come on Goku, I can't swim." She pretended to slip and fall over, eyeing me the whole while to see if I'd move.Instead I rested my chin in my palm, examining her as I roll my eyes at her, "I'm pretty sure we've gone swimming before a million times."She coughed, looking the other way as she said, "In my old age, I've forgotten.""How do you forget how to swim?"Of course I'll catch you if you fall. Being close to you makes me feel both amazing and a little short of breath. I've expressed my love to her and still she cruelly takes most of her clothes off in front of me, ready to jump in the lake, ready to have me save her from whatever nonsense she's about to get herself into.When a giant fish thinks she's bait after she swims around aimlessly for a few minutes, I jump in, take her by the waist, and grab the Dragon Ball from between the sea beast's teeth.I don't know if she was grateful that I saved her life or not, but we both laughed about it on the rocks outside of the beach. I watch the dribbles of water run down her stomach, over her breasts until they dry one by one in the sunlight.Bulma noticed, but maybe she didn't care. Maybe she really was a witch, ready to finish casting her spell over me. TWO In a cave, I could not stop laughing when Bulma tripped over a huge rock and fell face-first into the niche holding the two-star Dragon Ball."Shut up, Gokou!" Bulma hissed, tossing the ball into her bag. THREE "So," she said, looking around, "you haven't really spoken about Gohan or Goten or ChiChi."I shrugged a little bit, swallowing a bit. "I don't know. We're all, you know, fine."Bulma looked over at me and frowned, "You're a great guy, Gokou," she says, "but sometimes I think you can be a little bit selfish."I blinked, "How is that so?""Well, I don't know. Vegeta trains here at home. I just wonder why you don't make more of an effort to be closer to the boys and ChiChi."I blinked again. She's chastising me, isn't she? I need to get away from the topic of my family, and fast. "Speaking of, I kind of heard Vegeta laying into you earlier, what was that all about?" I asked. I tried to seem innocent, but Bulma frowned a little bit."I don't even know. It was about y-"she stopped herself, although I don't know if she knows why she did it. She looked at me, with sort of wide eyes and I smiled at her."What?" I asked, looking at her innocently, "What was Vegeta warning you about?"Bulma flushed, "Uh… I mean, it's not really all that important."I look over at her, and on impulse I press on, "That's not true, Bulma." She looks up at me, and I know I have to rationalize my logic, "Well, you're pretty upset about it."She grabbed her arm, looking to the side, "It's just… how did you know he was warning me about something?" She asked with a stiff look on her face.I grinned at her, "Just a hunch."Bulma stared at me."What was Vegeta warning you about?" I asked again, forcing her to match my gaze. She shivered at the tone of my voice. This is what you want, right Bulma, someone brash and harsh and unwilling to accommodate you? Do you want someone to challenge you, Bulma? I've never lost a battle in my life. I'll win this one too.Bulma bit her lip, "Vegeta was warning me about you." Her words are quiet and yet powerful.I breathed out a smile. The words fell into the air between the two of us so comfortably. Now it was out. Was she getting it? Was I making any sense? "Do you know why?"Bulma shook her head, "He just said that you were pretending."I nodded. She suddenly seemed a little alarmed, so I added, "It's nothing bad, at least not really. He doesn't like it, the way he didn't like the whole Kai thing." I shrugged a little bit. The last thing I really want to care about at this exact moment is how Vegeta feels about Bulma and me spending time together. Trying to make her understand still, I finally said, "I just feel like I never stopped waiting for you."She took a step back. I took a deep breath, knowing that I was about to take a huge chance with my sanity, heart and life. I took her into my arms the wind is suddenly blowing through her hair. She didn't even have time to squeak. I needed to take her away from the cliff. We needed to not worry about Vegeta.She's trembling against my chest, but I am cool. Somehow, I feel safer in the air than I did on land. We're alone, at last. It's private, finally; just the two of us. I wonder if she feels me shiver when instinctively she tightens her grasp over my neck. I wonder if she realized that I smiled into her hair when she finally was able to emit a sound of distaste and shock. I wonder if she could sense my earnest, desire and nervousness, because the three seem so apparent to me it's ridiculous.She's flirted with me before, openly. Was it only jokingly? Did I misread the invitations?"Look, here's how it is: I really, really like you Bulma." I say these words quickly, and they stumble out of my mouth into the air. I feel clumsy, and surprisingly very… young, shuffling before Bulma Briefs in mid-air."Goku, are you sure that this is how you want to do this?"I smiled at her, brushing a few strands from her face. I didn't need to respond, but I could sense the turmoil in her eyes. I felt guilt."Goku, don't you think it's a little late for this?" she said it slowly, as if testing the words out. As if she was kind of unwilling to believe that this was real, that certain words of affection had just come out of my mouth and as a result now had to respond to them."Bulma, it may be too late," her little red dress is already soaked and soiled from our earlier adventures, "But I'm just trying to tell you the truth."Bulma Briefs swallows. She looks around, and I kind of wonder if she thought for a second that Vegeta was coming. Her voice is hoarse when she says, "Don't you think that maybe you should have thought about this on your wedding day?""I think ChiChi fell out of love with me with she fell in love with Gohan." I said, a little more sharply than I'd intended. "Also… maybe Chi has interest in other people too." My tone is sour. I didn't mean for it to be. Her cerulean eyes are fixed on me and they spell out disapproval."You're kidding, right?""Yamcha seemed kind of keen on her, at the tournament," I offer with a smile.Bulma laughed, shaking her head at me with sparkling eyes. Much to my surprise, she rubs her head as she says, in an awfully low voice, "Who could ever love Yamucha over you?""You did."Silence."Well, what is it, Bulma, did you just only want the bad boys or something? Was it just implicit that because I was kind to you and respectful of you and didn't just try to make you sleep with me, we could never be together?"Her face red like her lips, she snapped, "That's not fair!""You're not fair!""It's not like you didn't…" Bulma looks around, slowly, crossing her arms over her chest, and leaning in a little closer to me. She drops her eyes like she drops her voice and says, "You had a chance, you know. You're the one that ran off and got married."I swallowed.We were quiet for the rest of the way. I don't even remember who picked up the Dragon Ball, or where it was. Both of us had something seeming much more important on our minds. FOUR Somehow I knew that we would find the four-star Dragon Ball next, and with that would come some good luck. Bulma and I tried to make some sort of small talk, but in light of the fact that it was mostly forced and awkward, we remained silent. She almost even suggested flying in her plane, but with a roll of my eyes, I grabbed her and took off in the direction of the next Dragon Ball."Just because I like you doesn't mean that suddenly we can't function together at all." I didn't bother to look at her as I said it. Things seemed to be so bad at that point I had no clue they could potentially get much, much worse. We were mostly just trading off between yelling at and ignoring each other.Suddenly:"You had your chance! I thought you were so amazing when you came back, and you got engaged! What was up with that? From the moment that you showed up and gave me a hug I knew that you were something really, really special but you were the one that turned around and made yourself unavailable. What was I supposed to do, rush and throw you into a supply closet at the Budokai and declare love for you with my boyfriend and your fiancé feet away?""I would have liked that." I said in a tone I didn't recognize. Buma looked stricken, and in a softer tone I tried again, "I thought you loved Yamucha, you knew I didn't know any better! I've been able to trust that you know me better than I do since we were kids but you kind of dropped the ball on that one, Bulma, I'm not meaning to blame her for this all but my words do. She's watching me with wide blue eyes, like she's seeing me differently for the first time, a little shocked and appalled at how abrupt I am when I say, "Why didn't you tell me that marrying ChiChi meant giving up you?"Bulma raised a brow, "It sounds like you kind of are the jealous type, Gokou."I shrugged, "If that were so I'd enjoy my every victory over Vegeta." I didn't want to think about Vegeta. I didn't want to talk about Vegeta. I think she only brought her husband up to drive me insane. There was a time before Vegeta, you know. There was a time where it was just Bulma and Gokou, and I've been trying awfully hard to bring her back there.Bulma sent me a piercing look, "Now listen here, Gokou, don't tell me that you come and spar with Vegeta so you can have lunch with me because I know that's not true.""What if it was?" I asked. It's not, not entirely, I mean.Bulma scoffed, "Look, as much as I love your rippling muscles, I also love my husband's also rippling muscles and I think you should take me back down now, Gokou."Well, at least I know she's attracted to me. If I really wanted something, I'm sure I could seduce her. I'm sure that if I came on to her, she wouldn't be able to turn me down. Still, I didn't want it to be just sex. I didn't want to start it out as just being sex.She looked down. It was true: we were floating in the air. We spent a good deal of time just drifting around in some sort of embrace, caught up in our struggles. I was content with her in my arms, but she began to squirm some."So you don't feel the same." I said, looking over at her sadly.Bulma Briefs bit her lip.The Dragon Ball that we found wasn't the four-star ball. I couldn't help but feel like the only hope I had was in finding the four-star ball. Again, we were silent. Still attached, together, and even trying to mend things, but now something had changed.Do you think I'm weak if I say my heart was breaking? A hero doesn't experience this, or any level of rejection. Everyone loves him. Bulma Briefs, love me. FIVE In order to get the fifth Dragon ball, we only had to look in a bird's next. I didn't mean to eye Bulma with desire as she climbed off on the branch, I just did.She was the one that insisted on doing it, like she knew it would bewitch me. As she grabbed the ball, she slipped and almost fell to the rocks below.I grabbed her, and again we were floating together, my arms around her and her hands thrown around my neck like I'm the only thing in the world she could hold on to.I didn't mean to, but inspired by the sight of her, I leaned in a little bit. Our lips touched and it was light at first, but to my surprise her tongue slowly made its way into my mouth and I felt myself groan and lose control. When her eyes fluttered open, she looked afraid. "Wow…" she muttered.She looked in my eyes and something like confusion was filled in them. "Can it be? Is it really you?" She asked, "And I thought I was the one that had a problem with fidelity.""If you have a problem with fidelity then don't you think that means that you were meant to be with someone else?""With Yamucha," Bulma clarified, "I only had fidelity issues with Yamucha.""You cheated on him to be with Vegeta." I said plainly."Because I was unhappy with Yamcha and Vegeta was something else.""I'm something else, too."Bulma shook her head, biting her lip nervously, "I'm starting to be afraid that you're going to be more of the same.""How could you say that, Bulma?" I ask, cocking my head to the side, and saying, slowly, "You've never met anyone like me." I leaned in and smiled at her. SIX The four-star ball fell out of her grasp and innocently rolled on the soil under the tree. Bulma Briefs' parted lips were my only concern."Stop doing what you're…" She murmured, her hands lost in my hair.I brought my head back, watching her a little bit."Keep doing it," she whispers quickly, bringing my face back to hers.I took off Bulma Briefs' dress finally, and we were one for just a while.Immediately she recanted.My eyes scroll over her body. Sexy, sexy, something I can never have, again I mean. Moments ago, so short that I can still taste her, something amazing happened. I trailed a hand over her body, from her hip back up again, and she flushed as if just being brought back to life."Gokou, what we just did was wrong.""I think that you should use the wish to ask the Dragon to take your feelings for me away."When I finally, silently nodded and I began to put my shirt back on over my chest, she looked to the side as she added, "I don't think we should find the last ball together, Gokou." I can reach out and touch her, but I can't put my arms over her sacred body in the way her husband may. Like she said, we're going to ignore my feelings and try to remember what it means to be best friends. We're going to wish my feelings for Bulma away with the Dragon Balls, just like she said, and make this all go away.It's going to be washed over. I'll finally feel clean and light again. Damnable red dress of hers, I swallowed when I saw her at the Budokai. Sexy.I'm sorry if I get kind of nostalgic. I've known Bulma my whole life. On her face I see our story. There are so many different things I remember. ChiChi made dinner and now Gohan's taking a bath and she's cleaning up. When I feel her presence, I don't say anything when I slip out the back door.Bulma's smoking a cigarette outside of my house. After our eyes meet, she gives me a little smile and a little wave. Then she turns away from me, hand on her hip, looking around as if she was doing something important."It has nothing to do with the fact that you live here, I was scouting some valuable property for a new Capsule Corporations building.""Is that so?" I asked, trying to fight the smile coming to my lips."It's uh, off over there." She points in the first direction her mind can think of.I smile at her. So you've finally come back. A long, long time ago: "Aw, Bulma! Come on, keep up!" I said, laughing as she panted, following me. Why is it all of my best memories are of you and me, laughing alone together? We went out in the woods together, because you wanted to even though I told you that you wouldn't like it, and we had a great time. She was chattering about, and I wasn't getting annoyed with her for it, but I had since managed to tune her out. It wasn't until she insisted we come to a stop that she started talking about truly significant things. I, of course, didn't know this at the time. She leaned back against a tree trunk and closed her eyes, "You know, we always look for the Dragon Balls together. It's weird that you did it with ChiChi." I shrugged, "That's not really true, Bulma. I mean, Krillin's looked for the Dragon Balls with us, and Yamucha, and sometimes I even go alone." "Yeah," Bulma said, a bright smile coming across her features, "I guess I didn't think about it like that. But still, I'm the only girl." I blinked and shrugged again, "Yeah, girls are always the worst to go on adventures with." Turning around with a grin as I laced my fingers behind my head, I said, "They don't keep up because they talk so much." "Hey!" Bulma snapped. I laughed at her, but I slowed down a little bit to allow her to get caught up. We were silent for a while. Bulma was obviously uncomfortable with this, because at first she started to whistle, arms behind her back. Then, strolling beside me, she started looking around a lot."So you're getting married." She didn't ask it, because she knew this was true. She just wanted something to talk about. I wasn't one for love or romance. I couldn't talk to her about my relationship with ChiChi any more intelligently than I was able to my relationship with her."Yeah…" I trailed off slightly, looking at her out of the corner of my eye, "So?" Bulma bit her lip. I could tell that she thought my innocence was callousness. Maybe I even wanted to hide from such a big decision. I didn't understand that I was in love with Bulma. The concept, truly, didn't occur to me on any level. They were words and expressions without gravity at all. "Am I losing my best friend?" she asked, lacing her fingers together nervously. She was watching them awfully hard. I should have known. I should have known that she was trying to say something, that she was saying something."Aw, Bulma, I'm just getting married. Everything will be just the same, except I'll live with ChiChi now." Bulma looked over at me for a long moment. I should have known better and I didn't. "Of course," she said, finally. SEVEN Bulma looked up at me with wide blue eyes before saying, "Maybe we could… find the last Dragon Ball together." She gazed off to the side, sighing a bit, "It wouldn't hurt, would it? We're still friends, right?"Oh, blazing encouragement.She came back: this was all I could register. She came back because she loved me, despite what she'd said. It made plenty of sense to me, and I knew what I had to do.When we went searching I could sense something else, something different. Vegeta was trailing us. He'd been doing it since we had sex for the first time. I suppose he's been pretty curious about what I've been doing with his wife the past couple of days.I knew we had to be quick. She managed to grab the seventh Dragon Ball. I savored the feeling of her in my arms, and I'm sure I was not mistaken when I detected a certain level of comfort that she'd taken in my embrace. She trusted me a little, even though she knew now that I was watching her in a different way and appreciating her in a forbidden manner.Vegeta was flying closer now, shouting something, a curse, and my name but I couldn't make anything else out. Bulma's eyes were wide open. As soon as the Dragon appears I think she realizes what's about to happen.He's calling something out, but they're both too late."I wish that I'd married Bulma instead of ChiChi."And you may ask of my wife. Would it be cruel to label her as a fleeting thought? Would it be too late to say that I didn't exactly know what it was I was bargaining for?I didn't fall out of love with ChiChi; I just never fell in love with her in the first place. The woman I've always been in love with is staring at me with huge cerulean orbs and cherry lips parted in shock and horror. -GB
11096868
of binary stars
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Lance (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron)", "Fandom": "Voltron: Legendary Defender", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by SouthernBird", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-05T00:00:00", "words": "1,787", "Additional Tags": "Shance Fluff Week 2017, Altean Lance (Voltron), Galra Shiro (Voltron), Fluff, Marriage, Happy Ending, Sequel, Love, Implications of War, Implications of violence, Smoking", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Lance/Shiro (Voltron), Shance - Relationship, Lance & Shiro (Voltron)", "Series": "Shance Fluff Week 2017", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“… Do you really want to marry me?”Like an ocean tide ebbing from the shore, Shiron is drawn from his most secret thoughts, though still somewhat clouded with the reality that the day will come that he will lose his father. It’s a loaded question, a significant query to push through the muddle, to discover if, genuinely, the first time Shiron saw Lance from the scope of his rifle, the Galran imagined bouquets of flowers and a white veil instead of assassination.Chuckling warmly, the sound vibrating in his throat, Shiron returns a question with his own, “will the moons rise in the Altean sky?”“Of course they would, fluffy dumbass.”—Prince Shiron, who will one day succeed his father for one of the half thrones of a strong and thriving alliance between the Altean and Galra Empires, is a creature that tends to need his solitude for brief times despite how jovial his heart feels. From his perch on the balcony of his semi-permanent home away from his true dwellings, the lights of the Altean capital glimmer along the white trails and ivory buildings like a pearl that his mate has kept in the locket of his necklace since his mother passed prematurely so long ago. That very locket, a keepsake that Shiron knows is always kept close in the attempt to keep one last memento of his mother near his breast, lays on the vanity that leads to the baths where his mate and spouse bathes away the day.  Bringing his slime pipe to his lips, he inhales— then exhales, the smoke swirls looming towards the two moons that dance horribly slow yet adoring in the blackness above. His eyes observe them, but cannot trace their journey due to their sluggish pace; he returns his sight to the lights below and takes it all in once more.  It is quiet; even for the capital this night, it is undoubtedly silent, the festivities of the juniberry galas having worn out the citizens to the point of exhaustion that not even the more lucrative of businesses are open. However, the banners gilded in gold and plums still hang from the sign posts and the columns, the fluttering veils the only evidence that there had been any celebration at all.  If he were to be honest with a wilder sense of himself, he would admit that he is exceptionally tired, feeling the ache of weariness cling to the marrow of his bones in a lullaby to tempt him to bed. Despite the sleep that droops his eyes, the vines of his blood throbs with a craving for something more carnal tonight other than sleep, hopeful that his Prince of Altea, the sole reason for his bravery to end a war between two Empires that once were allies and have come full circle, is resting up in his bath of salts and petals in anticipation of finally having a moment of peace between them.  To think that there is no longer war dividing them, to think that there is a union of people that have overcome their differences so that star crossed lovers may never know the loneliness of never being with their fated, so that they may never know the utter heartbreak of never having what truly brings the happiness of the soul.  Another inhale of the smoldering leaves of his pipe— smoke drifts from his parted lips, then there are fingertips along the fur of his shoulder.  "Your father must have sent a lighter blend this time; I didn't smell your smoke all the way across the room," is a soft murmur that dances along the gentle breeze of moon beams; his mated has come from his bath, scented with heavenly florals and sweet fruits, smells that once were the bane of Shiron's existence before meeting blue eyes across a battlefield.  Blues that should never know atrocities of death, should never know the scars of a bullet or the lacerations of a knife, should never know how cruel a person can be when there is nothing more to lose, how cruel his own lover could be when the blood boils and there’s nothing but red.  By the Gods, Shiron was fortunate that he was able to save Lance from the majority of burdens that accompany the drums of war. Most, but not all, and that is his truest regret, the one niche that cannot be filled by the love that they have and the love that they make, a cesspool of guilt because Lance knows the loss of a mother, knows the death of his friends and his people—. “Cat ears, you’re drifting again,” is a melodic sweetness that draws Shiron back to the reality that is so subliminal, sinks him back down to the balcony with a gravity of affection that can only ever be found in Lance’s arms, “but you do that a lot, don’t you?” A chuckle rumbles in the deepest part of his throat, a smile following close behind; to think how many moons ago that Shiron believed that Alteans were the foulest of creatures that have ever walked the cosmos, yet the one is his arms, the one that he draws close to press their foreheads together as his ears lay back in the comfort that surrounds him, was born from auroras and from sea tides, an ethereal existence that has changed a blood-stained heart of a warrior Prince.  “Shiron,” Lance murmurs, a pout along his bottom lip while his hand, the one adorned with a ring set in the bluest of crystals, cups his jaw, “come back to me.”  He does— it is a mere command that is so wholly followed for Shiron is an obedient soldier and even more an obedient husband, a purr accompanying his nuzzle into the soft palm to press kisses into the warm skin. “I am here,” and he is, so much so, so much that if he were any where else and he heard the words upon the winds, he would rush to the end of galaxies to be with this Prince.  Lance’s laughter is the chime of the bells on their wedding day, and it’s a sound that makes him fall in love all over again,“I would be worried if you weren’t, truly.” The Galra raises his own hand then, his own ring set with a pitch black stone to juxtapose the brightness of Lance’s blues, a reminder to revel in the darkness so that his little starlight can shine and shine for eons on end. A hardship that is hardly so, one that he accepted so readily the moment he kneeled before his father for the allowance to ask for Lance’s hand in the greatest of hopes to end conflicts desolate.  His thumb caresses along the palm, earning a tiny giggle, and oh, that sound is a song unto itself, a harmony that drives his senses into the breezes that sway their fields of flowers into bending into the brush of a zephyr hand. Lance can take him away and still bring him home, bring him into his arms to settle wayward thoughts while still journeying so far and wide, as he will go anywhere Lance wants, be wherever Lance desires. And if that desire brings him to stay by his side for eternities unseen, then Shiron will follow like the blackness that follows the waning suns to collide into the blue of the skies. “No worries, not anymore,” and he brushes his lips along the crown of brunette, feels a heat begin to smolder at the scents that are overtaking him, that are renewing a sense of longing for their marriage bed. So, as any hot-blooded Galra would do, he bends to carry his mate to the bed, soft and luxurious and theirs.  Laughter, Gods, he hears the sweetness in his ear once more, feels the press of lips along the base of his jaw in a bit of an enamored fit, but it’s too adorable to be any more pressing than simply an act of adoration that flutters heartstrings. “How can I worry when you do all the worrying for me? I have had naught to worry over since you married me…” Lance tells him in a tone that brims with happiness and teasing to trail off into something softer, more like a tender touch of a lover than words spoken into the air between them, more like the gentle placement of the bed to Lance’s back while Shiron moves over him, threading their fingers together.  Their rings, precious metals set with exquisite gems, clink minutely between their interlaced fingers, yet another moment that reminds them, the two of them, that they are bonded in every way imaginable, sewn together with the dust of binary stars that melded into their souls to create lovers that are as fierce as star fire and as adoring as the petals along stream beds.  Shiron ponders, for a tick, how can a man live and never be this happy? How could a man exist such as he, who only knew of baring fangs and proud red badges, ever not want to comprehend how the heat of the glow feels whenever he sees the love of his life? Blues and blacks, it’s all lights and darks, just mixes of how the lights of the suns and the moons hit the air just right, creates a dazzling sight that rivals a cluster of stars that could be plucked from the sky and offered as gifts, and yet, they would all fade at the sight of the Galra’s Altean mate.   “May I make love to you, darling?” he mutters because he is moved, so moved into an idea that the interstellar mediums between them, the dusts of long gone celestials that can no longer be found on the star charts of old, must vanish so that they can no longer know the separation of flesh, but be as one.  Again, there is a laugh that just makes the little markings befitting Altean royalty glow, makes them shine like the moon itself was bathing Lance with her light, and maybe she is through Shiron, as he knows he is the moon and Lance the sun, two constants that must always orbit together, to never know anything other.  Then, just as there was the brightness that glistens in those azure eyes that ensnare the hearts of young Galra Princes, there is something warmer, something older, something that speaks an ageless answer that will always be the same.  Lance, though, lets his confirmation into the spaces that will soon be lost, will soon be filled with two lovers that become one flesh instead of remaining just black and just blue.
11032530
Love a haiku
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "NCIS", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by jane_x80", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "16", "Additional Tags": "Haiku, Poetry, Episode: s04e18 Iceman, Episode: s04e19 Grace Period", "Relationship": "Jeanne Benoit/Anthony DiNozzo", "Character": "Anthony DiNozzo", "Relationships": null, "Series": "Haikus", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
How does she know andlove him if she does not knoweven his real name?
11041161
familiarity
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "James T. Kirk, Spock (Star Trek)", "Fandom": "Star Trek: The Original Series", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by sunshine_captain", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "1,340", "Additional Tags": "Established Relationship, Retirement, old married spirk, OMS, Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, Old Age, T'hy'la, Morning Sex, Chubby!Kirk", "Relationship": "James T. Kirk/Spock", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
As is typical, Spock rises before his mate. He leans over Jim's slumbering form to press a kiss to his forehead, and then gets out of bed and puts on a robe. Jim would be delighted if Spock walked around their home naked, but he has found that he is simply more comfortable with a layer of fabric concealing his body. (Additionally, the doctor has an unfortunate tendency to let himself into the house with no prior warning as to his visit. This has often had the consequence of him walking in on them engaged in making love, and despite the fuss he raises, he persists in arriving unannounced.)By the time Jim is blinking open his eyes, Spock has a cup of coffee and tea ready for Jim and himself, respectively."Mm, sweetheart, you're amazing," Jim sighs happily into his drink, cradling it in both hands."You may only have that cup," Spock informs him, settling next to him on the bed with his tea.Jim gives him a pitiful look, but Spock stands firm. At Jim's last checkup, McCoy had told him that he needed to decrease his caffeine intake, and had taken Spock aside later to insist he keep an eye on his bondmate and husband, and make sure that he has only one cup of coffee a day. ("Two on special occasions," McCoy had relented. "A man's got to have his indulgences on birthdays and anniversaries.")Spock quite approves of the restriction. Jim turned seventy on his last birthday, and though human lifespans are much more extensive than they once were, Jim has reached an age where he must take better care of himself if he wishes to experience the full amount of potential decades he and Spock have left together."You're so strict, Spock. Can't you spoil me for one day?""I believe I already spoil you too much, Jim."Jim doesn't deny it. He rests a hand on Spock's thigh and they sip their drinks in comfortable silence.Spock feels through the bond when Jim's mood shifts from contentment to playful interest. His hand slides to Spock's upper thigh and rubs gently."Jim..." Spock puts his cup aside and leans against the headboard of the bed as Jim's hands, with the ease of long familiarity, untie the belt of Spock's robe and ease it open.A long sigh escapes him as Jim's fingers find his soft penis and quickly stroke him to hardness.Jim rolls onto his side and squirms over until he's curled alongside Spock, his soft body pressed against his side. He rests his cheek against Spock's shoulder.Spock lays back and allows Jim full access to his body. Jim nuzzles Spock's chest, kissing one nipple and then moves to sit astride Spock's legs. Jim lays kisses on every inch of Spock's chest, loving every inch of him. He no longer has the thin frame he had. He's soft now, once firm flesh sagging and becoming fragile. He's Vulcan, and aging physically more slowly than Jim, but his human half has made itself more noticeable as the years have passed. He is aging more quickly than full Vulcans, his own father included.Spock is grateful. It means less time he will someday be alone without Jim.He had insecurities about his changing body at one time, as did Jim about his own, but they discarded with all of that long ago. It's difficult to hold onto the fear that your husband no longer loves you or finds you beautiful when the evidence is being sent to you constantly over the bond.Like now, as Jim kisses the soft swell of Spock's stomach, pets his graying chest hair with one hand and gently strokes his erection with the other. So beautiful, Spock. All mine....I want you so much. It is gratifying to know I still please you, Jim. Always. Jim tightens his hand around Spock's dick and strokes him faster.Spock closes his eyes and allows release to rise up within him, encouraged by Jim's love flowing into him through the bond, and by his warm, experienced hands caressing his body.Right before he climaxes, Jim puts his mouth upon him. Spock trembles and Jim swallows, and then he's scooting back up the bed, pressing himself against Spock and kissing him. He tastes like coffee and Spock's come; a combination long familiar to Spock now. He no longer minds the taste.Spent, the echoes of pleasure still lingering, Spock presses Jim's shoulder until he rolls onto his back."My turn now?" Jim asks, stretching and wiggling enticingly.Spock touches his smile with two fingers. "I believe you know the answer to that."He repays the devotion Jim had shown to his own body in kind, tracing Vulcan kisses from Jim's beloved face, down his plush chest, over the roundness of his belly. He spends extra time and attention there, kissing every angry red stretch mark and dimpled inch of skin. Once upon a time, these were causes for shame for Jim. Now, his hands run through Spock's hair, cupping his jaw, smiling down at him.Jim's roundness is most pleasing to Spock, on multiple levels. Sexually, he finds the softness and weight of him to be both erotic and comforting, and on a primal level, he finds Jim's weight satisfying because the fact that Jim has the time and resources to reach such a weight means that Spock is a good mate. His plumpness is the clear evidence of Spock taking good care of him.Jim picks up on Spock's train of thought and chuckles. "You take amazing care of me, Spock. I couldn't hope for a better husband or mate, human or Vulcan."Spock feels Jim's belief in what he's saying and presses the smile he can't stop into Jim's skin. He returns the notion wholeheartedly, though it is...more difficult for him to express this in words. Jim can feel him returning his regard though, he knows.Jim is hard, and Spock finally moves on from his stomach, a little reluctantly, to press human kisses to his erection. Jim moans and moves restlessly under Spock, so he takes pity on him and puts his mouth on him.“Oh, Spock,” Jim breathes. “Oh, sweetheart.”He says nothing else coherent, just sighs and pants as Spock brings him to completion. With a final kiss to the head of Jim's penis, Spock comes back up to the head of the bed and leans comfortably back upon the pillows.Jim snuggles back up to him. Spock's robe is still open, and Jim takes the liberty of resting a hand on Spock's chest, fingers running through his chest hair.“Mornings like this...” Jim mumbles into his shoulder. After an orgasm, he always wishes to go back to sleep. It's all worth it for this, he says through the bond, evidently too sleepy to speak aloud. For this time with you.Spock senses what Jim means, that it's worth being on Earth and no longer on a starship. Not that they lead sedentary lives; it would be impossible to do so, with the kind of fame they have, jointly and alone. There are always projects that other scientists and members of Starfleet want their consultation on. There are trips to Spock's parents on Vulcan, to various parts of Earth to visit their former crew members. They still go into space on trips occasionally.There was once a sense of loss, but no longer. Jim is happy, and satisfied with his life, and so is Spock. Their time in Starfleet was special, and important, but that's behind them now.Now, they have nothing but time for each other.Wouldn't change it for the world, Jim sends, before Spock feels him slowly drift back to sleep, nestled against Spock.Nor would I, t'hy'la, Spock thinks, glancing at the clock before deciding that he, too, can go back to sleep for a time. They will get up for the day later.They've earned the right to take their time.
11017779
theres a dozen reasons
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Azazel (Supernatural), Alastair (Supernatural)", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by mindyfication", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-27T00:00:00", "words": "3,163", "Additional Tags": "Sam Winchester's Demonic Powers, Demon Dean Winchester, POV Multiple, (for extra subjectiveness woohoo)", "Relationship": "Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love", "Collections": "Album Fanfiction Challenge", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
It’s a difficult thing, to shift fate. Even with time travel and angels and demons, often fate gets her own way. But the Winchesters have never been ordinary, and when Dean is in the wrong timeline and declares that he will kill Azazel, the demon listens. The demon will not cease to be in the new timeline, Azazel will be the one to kill Dean Winchester. It only takes knowing a single date in the journal they so helpfully brought back, his plan growing grander as Sam’s existence comes closer to being. Azazel laughs as John Winchester tries to deal with him, kills him and takes the colt. Dean would die soon, very soon, and Azazel already has a cell marked for him. The angels don’t even try to save his soul for heaven, overconfident feathery bastards. They have no originality, no vision. Azazel doesn’t serve some locked up would-be god, he serves himself. He never was the thankful sort. Demons didn’t tend to be, but many felt some odd attachment to their original father. They forgot Lucifer was an angel, would always smite first. As Sam grows, their parallels do and Azazel finds himself inordinately pleased with the boy. He doesn’t follow their father blindly, looks to his own needs first. Azazel wonders how much is pure Sam, how much is his blood coursing through his veins. He’s proud, damn proud of his boy. One day, Sam will call him family. It isn’t something he planned on, but Sam brought out his protective instincts, wants him to truly be his heir not merely his puppet. Meg rolls her eyes whenever he goes to see the boy, and he has to wring a promise out of her that she won’t skin him. He brings her a hellhound puppy, one of her very own to train and she stops caring about his visits above land. She’s the loyal sort, devotes herself entirely. Meg takes after her mother like that, faithful to her nonexistence. He’d put Dean in her care if she didn’t know who he was, she would have groomed him even more excellently for his brother. He lets Alastair play with him instead, he’s sadistic but he follows orders. It isn’t ideal, but it’s hell, it suits well enough. .Sam is alone. For the first time in his life, he’s truly alone, with no way back to Dean. (Or his father, but he’s bitter about John, about his death doing nothing, about how he didn’t even try to save Dean.) He goes on more and more demonic hunts, tortures, begs, kills, pleads for any information about his brother. Most laugh, and all Sam can do is send them back to hell. He needs to find a way to kill them, needs to strike real fear into the black eyed bastards. Hunting alone means flirting with death around every other corner, and if he’s being honest, he stopped fearing death at 4:28pm on a Tuesday, the flatline still haunts his nights. He tried the ouija board again, tried talking to Missouri, tried just burying Dean’s body to see if any bit of him would come back. (He burned John with Bobby, used a spare body- vampire- as a fake Dean for the pyre.)It lasts until it doesn’t, Sam chained up in a root cellar. They’re just people that capture him, and it’s an almost-comfort that it’s vicious cannibals not werewolves. Cops were much more likely to catch them after Agent Perry went missing. It’s still leaving the job half-done, but it’s half-done and probable to be completed so he lets the nagging feeling go. It’s been too easy to let things go recently, he’s grown accustomed to living hollow. The emptiness rattles his chest more than anything else ever could, and the couple play with him, slicing up his clothes and skin. He doesn’t bother holding back a sigh, a werewolf death would have been quicker. Probably less painful than whatever these two were planning. One of the girl’s eyes sparkle, “I think we’re boring him baby. We should do something.” The other picks up a mallet, her grin ferocious. “How many licks ‘til we get to the center?”“Mmm, eight!” She brings the mallet to the center of his sternum, giggling. “You don’t have enough fear in your eyes, after this you will.” And she winds back, dramatically slow. Sam forces his eyes closed even though it goes against each of his instincts. His last sight isn’t going to be them, thinks of nights under the stars with Dean instead. It’s calming, and he tries not to think about how close the first hit is. How close he is to a punctured lung and choking on his own blood as they try to smash him open before death. The messy corpses make more sense now, not trampled- smashed. There’s a rush of wind, and Sam can’t help a wince, but the hit never lands. “What the fuck?” one of them says, and Sam opens his eyes to see a cloud of smoke filling up mallet-girl. She grins, killing the other one with a snap of her fingers, yellow eyes flashing. “Heya Sammy.” “Azazel,” Sam spits out, rage bubbling under his skin. He didn’t realize he was still capable of strong feelings, of such hate. “I can bring you to your brother.” Hope hits him hard, somehow dwarfs the hate. A vengeance that can be satisfied later, everything can be done later, if he can truly get to Dean-“I’m listening.” .Alastair makes him the same offer every day. Well, every time he visits. Dean isn’t sure how long the time periods are, if there even is time in hell, but thinking of it in days keeps him sane. Today is just like any other day. “Come torture souls with me Dean. It’ll keep the boredom at bay until you see your brother again.” Today though, the loneliness is thick, and he asks, “Has that ever worked on anyone?” Alastair cackles, high and reedy. “My dear boy, this is hell. Most souls ache to torture, to be tortured.” He pauses, looks him over before adding slyly, “You could just watch.” “No,” Dean says fast, feels sick that he was even considering a demon’s company. His Dad would be so ashamed of him. He hasn’t even been here that long, as though he can’t function alone and needs to be endlessly following orders. (The thought is sharp, in a too-familiar voice, and Dean pushes it away, won’t think of his brother poorly. Not here.)Alastair shrugs, and the light leaves with him. No matter how long he’s been in this cell, his eyes never adjust to the darkness. He’s hungry and cold and displaced in the dark prison cell lookalike, but it isn’t nearly as bad as he thought hell would be. He’s stopped waiting for the other shoe to drop, has grown comfortable in his dismal surroundings and memories. Naturally, the next day everything changes. “You’re gonna join me today champ,” Alastair says, unlocking the door. Dean doesn’t get up or closer, simply raises an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?” “You watch, and I’ll tell you what Sammy’s doing upstairs.” Dean is standing before he even thinks about it, narrowing his eyes at the nickname. “You’ll lie.” The demon chuckles, “Fine. Stay in your little cell. But you should know, he’s been hunting without you.” Alastair purses his lips, “I wonder how many times over the years he would have died without you. How long do you think he’ll last?” Dean freezes, his imagination going into overdrive. Alastair leans into the bars, eyes glowing white. “Who’s to say he isn’t already in the cell right next to yours?” Dean’s fist ends up in his smug face, his knuckles busted open on the bars. The pain is sharp, one of the few feelings that always comes easy in hell and Alastair starts laughing. “Next time then,” he says, leaving Dean in the dark. He doesn’t lock the door. (Dean’s been slowly learning about hell. It’s favorite thing is non-choices: torture or be tortured, eat or starve, be twisted or go mad. Inclusive ors are always a bitch.).Azazel wants him to open up a hell’s gate. He wants him to do more than that, so much more. It’s a terrible idea, truly awful. But if the gate is open, then Sam can get Dean out of hell. He might have to conquer the entire land, but he can get to Dean. That’s all that matters. Azazel brings other special children before him. Lessons he calls them. Jake is strength, Ava subterfuge, Andy betrayal, and Lily mercy. One by one, Sam kills them all. Azazel grows more proud with every kill, beams when Sam’s eyes glow gold. Azazel speaks to him like John never did, asks if he’d like to go back to college once the gate is open. He insists on them dining in overly nice establishments, a truly delicious meal is worth an extra thirty minutes, and Sam would feel spoilt if every meal wasn’t full of Azazel testing him or research. Azazel tells him about the blood when Sam asks, and Sam vomits up a two-hundred dollar meal when it hits him- John knew. Sam didn’t know demons could be so complex. In another world perhaps, one without his mother murdered over his crib, they could have almost gotten along. But Sam will kill him one day soon, once the gates are open. He knows Azazel too well, will not allow his brother to become the demon’s live bargaining chip. .Dean isn’t sure when he stopped being human. Sometime between foolishly leaving his unlocked cell and finding a live feed of Sammy’s adventures and following Alastair anywhere to watch more. (Alastair always turned off the television at an important moment- right before it seemed like Sam would die or right before Sam killed someone- a demonic fucking Scheherazade.) He goes from watching Alastair play with moaning souls, beginning for release or death or nonexistence to picking up the blade himself. He’ll rip apart all of hell’s souls to see Sam again, he can’t even pretend it isn’t true. Alastair makes him go longer and longer between his hits of Sammy, makes him shiver and quake in ignorance. He’s always been addicted to his brother, but it was never so easily measurable. Dean takes it out on the souls he’s brought, starts to enjoy their suffering. Dean isn’t sure when he stopped being human but he knows that he isn’t now. He’s slicing up the soul of the day, when his hand hesitates, their frantic begging nearly too fast to decipher, please, please I’ll tell you about your brother.Alastair tsks him, covers his hand with the knife with his own hand, makes him kill her instantly. “You know better Dean,” he drawls. “Poor form, no letting the torturee know they have information you want.” “But-” Dean starts, knows she can be up again in a few minutes if he stitches her back together right. “No, no. This one’s mine now, no slipping up.” Dean grabs Alastair before he thinks through the movement, growling, “No.”Alastair laughs, presses himself further into Dean’s grasp. “You don’t have the stamina to beat me big boy.” He snaps his fingers, a television in the corner flicking on, “Your choice.” Dean glares, but he lets go, can’t help but be drawn to Sam- there had been two girls that just captured him and Dean doesn’t know how he’ll get out of it. Sam endures his torture silently, too silently and Dean can feel himself splintering. He’s known souls to do that, to be so done that they don’t even raise their eyes when he destroys them. The killing blow is clearly coming, and Dean wills Sam to snap out of it. To fight back, to destroy the chair he’s chained to, to do anything. And then a demon fills up his would-be murderer and Dean goes cold, and the screen goes black. “Alastair!” Dean yells, and the demon pops in, wiping blood off his hands. “Want some more fun today? The new one I have upstairs, mm-mm, quite the little screamer.” “I need to get to earth, now.” “Oh Dean, why would you want to visit that arctic craphole? We’ve been having such a good time down here.” Alastair says with an exaggerated pout. “What do you want to bring me up?” Alastair shrugs, “No can do.” Dean’s eyes narrow, “You can’t or won’t?” “Both. Only rule is you’re not allowed topside.” A sudden chill darts down his back, and he already suspects what Alastair is about to say before he does, his smile easy as when he slices off extra bits. “You wouldn’t be very good bait up there.” He claps a hand on his shoulder, “Besides, young demons grow big and strong in hell, we wouldn’t want to stunt your growth.” Dean grabs his arm and flips him over, has the knife they use to permanently dissipate souls against his throat. Alastair looks too pleased and amused, and Dean lets it bite into him, blood dribbling down his throat. “Last chance to help me.” “I’ll tell you a secret protege. The videos of Sam? They might be real, but they’re years old. Your brother went darkside and didn’t even come to hell to save you-”Dean slits his throat, stabs him over and over, Alastair’s laughs turning bloody. He starts critiquing him after the fourth stab, put your weight into it boy, and Dean lets go, settles for mutilating him beyond immediate repair. .It takes three months. Three months he’s strong enough that Azazel will tell him how to open the hell gate, how to get to his brother. Three months and Sam can control demons with his mind, can see the futures he wants to. The end point is always the same, him in hell, freeing a black eyed Dean and today is the day he’ll do it. Azazel’s blood is still on his hands when he opens the gate, and he doesn’t break up the railroads, wants to know exactly where the demons will be. It only takes a few deaths before random demons stop challenging him, just desperately try to climb out of hell instead. He idly wonders if there are enough demons to summon lightning, to be freed by the elements. It’ll make rounding them up harder, but beyond that he doesn’t particularly care. He’s so close. Today is the day he sees Dean again. The road to hell isn’t paved at all, a slippery sharp rock slide down that tugs and tears. It tries to break him, tries to strip his flesh away. But Sam has never been afraid of a little blood, and as long as he keeps moving physics don’t seem to count, cartoon-world like. Even though the cliff face is near vertical, his body sticks to the edge, demon smoke shooting up past him. He doesn’t know how long he falls for. Long enough to grow impatient, long enough to consider bending a demon to his will to ride down. Long enough that the sudden switch from falling to standing trips his adrenaline more than the second half of the fall, and that he’s beyond questioning the logic here. (Research could be done later, so much later.) Sam kills a dozen demons with a single thought, destroying their very essence. The one survivor shivers, is more than willing to tell him all she knows of his brother’s whereabouts. He still ends her, only he makes it swift, merciful, doesn’t make her choke on herself. (He knows just how much push and pull it takes to make a demon choke itself up and down, cycling endlessly.) .Dean is fighting Alastair. He refuses to show him any more of Sam, and it’s replaced torturing souls, the winner carving up the day’s loser. Either way, Alastair is lavish with his praise and critique. He thinks he feels something impossible, but the moment passes and Alastair has him pinned up against the wall. There’s a playful frown on his face, and an even more playful knife in his hand, slicing down his jaw.“Now Dean, you know what distractions cost. Let’s cut away each of your senses and see how you do-” Alastair is choking suddenly, convulsing. The knife clatters to the floor loudly, but Dean can’t move his eyes from the doorway.“Sammy,” Dean whispers, can hardly believe it. Alastair crumples, the gold fading from Sam’s eyes, and in a blink Dean has an armful of little brother, feels real again. “Fuck I’ve missed you,” Sam says, clutching him tighter. “I got you,” Dean murmurs, fingers cupping his neck. “I’ve got you.” Sam takes a shaky breath, doesn’t let go or back away. “So what do you wanna do?”“Hmm?” Dean doesn’t really process the words is still caught on my Sam, my Sam is back. “Whatever you want Dean.” Sam almost looks sheepish, “I have a demon army trapped up on earth, and a crown waiting down here. Where do you want to be?” “I don’t wanna be cold anymore,” Dean mutters, more to himself. And maybe it’s his new demon status, or maybe it’s already being in hell, or maybe it’s just how long it’s been since he’s had his brother- but the words come easy, aren’t trapped like before. “You Sam,” he says, tugging him all the closer. “I want to be with you. You’re all I need.” “I’m here,” Sam promises, thumbs nearly trembling over his cheeks, “always.” Dean doesn’t know if he leans up on his toes, or if Sam dips down, or both, but they’re kissing. Sam tastes like blood and smoke, nothing like what Dean definitely didn’t imagine him tasting like. He turns them around, pushing Sam up against the nearest wall. He’s not sure what he’s looking for exactly, searching out the depths of Sam’s mouth, but he doesn’t find it. Dean presses a knee up between his legs and Sam whines so pretty. And there, that’s it- a sound he was expecting, recognition of any sort. It’s the same whine from that one time he walked in on Sam getting teased by some girl, thick purple silicone rubbing against his ass. The very same whine he memorized, recalled only when Sam was far, far away, couldn’t be touched by his traitorous hands. Dean takes a deep breath, lets some space inch between their torsos, looking at his brother. Sam doesn’t care to slow down though, wantonly grinding down on his raised knee. Sam’s hands, fuck his hands are so huge, nearly span his entire back, pull him back in close. Close enough that their breath mingles, hot and damp.“Dean,” Sam begs, the very same voice he used when he wanted to borrow Baby. “Want more, please.” And Dean kisses the words off his lips, will always give Sam what he needs.
11012379
Cute Sized
{ "Archive Warning": "Underage Sex", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Katsuki Yuuri, Victor Nikiforov", "Fandom": "Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by sheepsleep", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-27T00:00:00", "words": "2,070", "Additional Tags": "For some unexplained reason Yuuri is a child, no idea how old he is exactly, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Intercrural Sex, Oral Sex, Face-Fucking, or close to it, Yuuri is a kid, with the mind of an adult, Hand Jobs, the tie, Light Bondage, Somnophilia, MILD - Freeform, Yuuri gets into it, Mildly Dubious Consent", "Relationship": "Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Viktor knew he was a bad man. A very bad man, but how could one resist the temptation before them served up on a metaphorical silver platter?It was his husband after all before him, his dear Yuuri sleeping on their large bed in nothing more than one of Viktor's own shirts, coming across like a dress on Yuuri's child sized body.That is what made him a bad man, Viktor decided. Wanting to sink I to the soft flesh of his husband's child sized body. He had been having those horrid thoughts all day, ever since he woke to discover the child Yuuri beside him in their bed that morning.Yuuri made an adorable as fuck kid, even more so in person compared to the photos Hiroko let him browse through back in Hasetsu (copies of several of them having made the journey from Japan to Russia).Seriously, back on track though. His husband as a child, a rather delectable child with big brown eyes, a soft stutter and chubby thighs and an ass he still wanted to sink his teeth in to (not to forget that adorable little cock. So fucking cute).The Russian wanted to swallow that little cock down into his mouth, make Yuuri squirm beneath him. It would be so easy to hold Yuuri down. Viktor would only need one hand to keep Yuuri flat on the bed while sucking his cock. Maybe even using that stupid tie Yuuri still wouldn't let him throw away to tie up his hands.Of fuck, those big brown eyes would fill with tears and Yuuri would, most likely, start to cry and sob. Those lips would emit pitiful sounds of pleasure Yuuri didn't want, cries as he begged Viktor to stop.Fuck.Viktor pushed down the waist band of his sweats, his erect cock grateful to be touched by his shaking hand despite the cool air of the room.As quietly as possible, Viktor reached for the lube in the bedside table, fingers finding it quickly and without disturbing his adorable (illegal) sleeping beauty.The cap clicked as he opened it, the sound sharp in the silent room, but Yuuri just gave a small groan and a wiggle of his ass in response.He did not even wait for the lube to warm when it hit his fingers, going straight to rubbing his cock, hissing in response to the cold and friction.His free hand reached out and grasped Yuuri's, the small hand so close to his thigh, so easy to touch and to hold.Viktor was not completely aware of what he was doing when he took that small hand and wrapped it beneath his own, using Yuuri's own hand to help him stroke his cock. That tiny hand felt so good, but it also felt like Yuuri. The calluses where still there, he easily recognized the hand that currently held him tight."Fuck, Yuuri, just like that baby.""Just like what, Vitya?"Yuuri was rubbing at his eyes with his free hand, the fingers on the hand touching Viktor's cock flexing slightly, but he did not remove it."Ah," he said instead, a look of understanding filling his sleepy brown eyes. "You're so warm and hard, Vitya."Yuuri pulled himself forward, gently kissing the tip of Viktor's cock before licking at his. His free hand joined the other.Viktor swore at the sight, Yuuri's hands just over lapped at the tips of his fingers.And his mouth, it got stretched so nicely by his cock as Yuuri took the tip in, sucking on the tip with the most gentle pressure from his teeth."Fuck, your mouth is so warm," Viktor told him, hands reaching out to gently brush through Yuuri's hair. They were shaking. It was warm, warm and wet and small. And the gentle pressure of Yuuri's teeth that couldn't be avoided. "I..." Viktor groaned, unable to continue."You what?" Yuuri responded, his words slurred as he spoke while licking down the cock in his hands. His eyes appeared more aware now, devious, as if he knew what Viktor wanted. The small sinful lips stretched into a a devious smile. "You want to fuck my face right? Take your big hands around my small head and force your cock down my throat? Well, Vitya, do you?"Viktor's shaking hands grasped tightly at Yuuri's head he hissed out a yes."Then do it."He needed no other incentive, shoving his cock into Yuuri's willing mouth. It was so tightly, with the teeth is borderline painful, but it felt so good.Yuuri's tiny hands were flat against his hips, a pressure he barely paid attention to as he took his pleasure and fill. It was a footnote to the noises escaping Yuuri as he shoved his cock inside.Pulling almost all the way out, he shoved himself back in, all the way, holding Yuuri close as much as he could. He could feel his husband's throat swallowing around him as he blocked off Yuuri's air. He felt those small hands hit at his hips, Yuuri struggling for air.He pulled back, a strand of spit bridging the space between his cock and Yuuri's mouth as the other coughed, his small child face red and wet with tears and snot.God, Viktor loved that look on Yuuri's face. His appearance a result of the trust and love he had for Viktor, allowing him to go down his throat and trusting that he would pull back.Viktor removed his shirt and used it to wipe at Yuuri's face. Those small hands pushed him away and the Russian smiled at his husband's pout."I can't take you as long," he told Viktor, his pout seeming to deepen. "And you didn't cum. I wanted to to see if you tasted different.""Oh my dear piglet, we aren't done yet.." He grasped the hem of Yuuri's shirt and pulled it up and off of him. "I have so many plans for you, and who knows how long I will have to do them!""Viktor!" Yuuri's tone sounded scolding, but Viktor ignored it as he tossed the shirt onto the bedroom floor while he went to the wardrobe, quickly finding that horrid blue tie. "Viktor, why do you have my tie?""Because I think it will look fantastic wrapped around your wrists," Viktor responded as he returned to the bed. Yuuri brought his wrists together, looking at them in confusion. He man took his chance to wrap those wrists together; he was right, they looked really good like that. He made sure to tell Yuuri so as he picked his lover up and moved him so Yuuri was spread across his lap, straddling him."Vik--!" Yuuri stopped with a gasp as Viktor pulled on one of his nipples, the little bud hardening under his touch. He latched onto the other with his mouth, sucking it hard as Yuuri squirmed in his lap. He felt those small arms hit at his head, but he barely felt it as he bit at the nipple in his mouth.That earned him a rather delicious gasp and cry from Yuuri.Feeling viscous, he pulled at the nipple, glancing the best he could down to see the pull of skin. It looked cute, just like when he did it to Yuuri at his normal size, the noises coming from husband the same (though definitely in a higher pitch).Viktor switched nipples, making sure to treat the other just the same, making Yuuri squirm and gasp in his hold. His husband's arms seemed to give up and were wrapped around his head, capturing Viktor's head closer to Yuuri's chest.Yuuri's nipples were always sensitive, and overstimulating them was (sadly) possible.With a final suck (and pull, he couldn't resist himself), Viktor started sucking on Yuuri's skin, leaving red marks every where he could reach. Yuuri seemed to go lax against him, chest heaving as he calmed down from the sensations that rocked his body just minutes before.That adorable little cock was still hard against his stomach, too.So cute.All of Yuuri (any size) was cute.Sadly, he didn't think either of them would last much longer.With a rather long sigh, Viktor grasped Yuuri's arms and pulled him off of his neck, laying his rather strung out husband onto his back.The Russian man moved back a ways, taking Yuuri's legs and pressing them together, lifting his legs into the air as he did so. "Do your best to keep these here."He leaned back to enjoy the view. That little fat ass all plump and there for the taking. Not to forget that tiny hole winking at him."Viktor, I'm too small!" Yuuri's voice came out wobbly, and close to crying. After a quick check, Viktor could confirm the that were filling his husband's eyes. He sniffled, "It won't fit.""I know," he responded, gently caressing Yuuri's face. "I have something else in mind. Trust me ok?"Yuuri nodded his head yes.Viktor grinned and gathered up the lube, pouring a generous amount onto his hand, making sure this time to warm it up between his palms before stroking his hard cock and then the inside of Yuuri'sthighs. His hand, trying to pull if off as innocent (or maybe even an accident, though he couldn't stop the smirk that came to his face when Yuuri made a rather interesting noiseGrasping Yuuri's legs to his chest and body with one hand at the ankles, Viktor used his free hand to help guide his cock in between the rather plush and comfortable thighs.It was warm, and nice. Maybe even a tad dangerous as well, the sight of his cock rubbing and dwarfing his husband's tiny cock, dripping pre-cum along it. The scene was rather obscene, and it excited Viktor more than he thought it would.Wrapping his arms around Yuuri's legs, trapping them to his chest, he spread his legs into a position to allow him better movement between Yuuri's delicious thighs.His undulations picked up speed as he watched Yuuri react, the soft gasps escaping his mouth, eyes wide with pleasure and emotion. Those lips sweet and ripe looking.Viktor couldn't help himself, he leaned forward, making sure to focus his weight on his knees, using his forearm to help prevent him from smothering Yuuri, placed by his husband's head. And he kissed Yuuri, capturing Yuuri's tongue and doing his best to devour the other.He wasn't sure how long they were kissing and moving and rubbing before Yuuri turned his head away, muttering out Viktor's name (it really sent a tingle down Viktor's spine, hearing Yuuri's accent elongate his name).And then he felt Yuuri's small hands touching his cock, creating even more friction and warmth.Neither of them lasted much longer, Yuuri coming first with a chocked cry, Viktor following only a few more thrusts after coming over Yuuri's hands and tie.The Russian leaned back, releasing Yuuri's legs and parted limp to the bed around him, and without missing a beat, leaned forward and started to lick Yuuri's hands and stomach (and that cute little cock) clean. Yuuri complained (whining his name in that slurred accent of his), but did not stop him.Viktor finished up with a grin, relaxing himself for a few minutes, running his hand though Yuuri's sweaty hair as he laid out on the bed beside his (rather adorable, all flushed pink and sweaty) husband. Yuuri was just so...Viktor felt his heart fill to the point of bursting and beyond. Yuuri glanced over at him, smiling as he offered his still tied hands.Viktor untied them, caressing the red wrists with gentle fingers before going to get baby wipes and cleaning the both of them off with gentle touches. He dressed them, using one of their softest couple shirts (something they bought and wore at different times. An article of clothing that belonged to both of them. Yuri complained that the two were saps after first noticing, though neither of them disagreed to that).Thankfully the weather was hot, and Yuuri had been sleeping a top their (thankfully easy to clean) duvet cover. He was able to remove it, placing Yuuri and himself under a softer and light blanket.Despite the heat, the two cuddled close together falling asleep easily for the rest of the night.
11036994
Miss Harriet
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Other", "Characters": "Jackson Avery, April Kepner, Harriet Kepner - Avery", "Fandom": "Grey's Anatomy", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by another_maggies", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "898", "Additional Tags": "just very random, when you want to go to sleep but you've got to get stuff out of your head, tw: abduction, TW: Kidnapping", "Relationship": "Jackson Avery/April Kepner", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
I"Do we talk directly into the camera or...?"There's an approving nod. A cameraman refocusing the objective. Two plastic chairs to sit on. One white background to stand out against."Whenever you're ready," they say. As if they'd ever be ready.She shifts in her seat. It's summer, a hot day, and she's wearing shorts. The plastic attaches itself to her thighs. "Uhm... okay.""Roll," the director says. Which is weird. Who would have thought a serious director would operate on something like this? But then, this is the Avery family we're talking about."My name is April Kepner..." Her eyes wander over to him for assistance. There's none. He's camera shy. She'd almost forgotten that about him. "And this is Jackson Avery. Our daughter Harriet is nine months old and yesterday..."She takes a deep breath in, then lets it out again. If she says it, it'll become true. If she says it, it'll be true. If she says it, she'll have said it."Yesterday Harriet was abducted from our home."    IIThe police takes eleven minutes to arrive. Eleven. April is furious."Our daughter was kidnapped from her own bedroom! We don't know who took her, we don't know where they took her, but she's gone. Gone. And you're telling me to keep calm?"They don't understand. Even if some of them have children, they don't understand. Harriet is her baby. One minute she was safe and the next she was gone. It's Samuel all over again and they don't freaking-"April, April." He tightens his grip around her stops her from continuing her assault on the cop. Apparently she's been hitting him. Her knuckles are all red. She can't remember hitting him, hitting anybody. She wishes she'd gotten to the person who took her daughter in time to hit him."She's gone, Jackson," she cries into his shirt, "He's gone, and she's gone. They're both gone."    IIIHe knocks on her door before he enters. She's sitting on the bed, pictures spread out in front of her. They always took so many pictures. Some of them were online at the Avery foundation website."You shouldn't have put these online," one of the cops told them."Are you saying this is our fault?" she's asked.He'd replied "No.". He didn't mean it."Dinner's ready.""I'm not hungry," she mumbles, eyes focused on the pictures. Harriet was just breaking all her teeth, starting to sit up, beginning to crawl. Of course that's still more than they got with Samuel, but it's still not enough. It will never be enough.He sighs. "April... you need to eat.""Don't tell me what I need to do."She's angry at him. Reason number one, he was at home with Harriet when it happened. Reason number two, she'd trusted him to keep her safe. Reason number three, she'd trusted him to keep their daughter safe. Reason number four, he'd let both of them down."At least drink something?" He's not only asking, he's begging. He feels bad about the whole thing and he really should. He should have been watching Harriet, but instead he'd been busy 'talking' on the phone with Maggie. That's what he told the police, anyway.It's all his fault in the first place. Nobody would ever attempt to kidnap a Kepner baby to press for pork (although the best in Moline).She turns around with a scowl on her face and downs the whole glass of water he brought her earlier, then sets it down with as much noise as possible.He flinches and tells her: "Thank you."Thanks for nothing, she thinks.    IV"We will wait," the expert for abducting cases tells them once he arrives on the private jet Jackson's mother had him fly in on. "They will call eventually with their demands. We'll be here, answering the phone with you, guiding you every step of the way. If they want money we'll pay. It's the safest method."Her ex-husband nods along with everything this stranger is telling them. Money. That's all he can do now to keep their daughter safe. Money.The plan is excellent. There's no way this could go wrong, no way Harriet will not be returned to them. Except."What If they don't call?"Surprisingly, the supposed expert has no answer for her.    VWhen the police appears at their doorstep she's barely representable. It doesn't matter. She won't be representable ever again.She knows they wouldn't come to tell her good news. That doesn't make any sense. No. They've come to tell her bad news. The worst, really.Good thing she stocked up on some heavy medication last week when she went into work against everyone's wishes (not that anyone would ever listen to what she wanted)."Dr. Kepner?""Yes?""We're here about your daughter..."    VI"Dinner's ready," she calls upstairs. The echo of footsteps tells her she's been heard.She walks back into the kitchen which also functions as their dining room. With a company of four there's no need for extravagant accommodation. The only thing extravagant about their house is the security system.Her children trail in one by one. She raises an eyebrow. "Did you guys make it downstairs and washed your hands all within a minute?"They roll their eyes but retreat towards the downstairs bathroom anyways.Children, she thinks. She's lucky to have them.
11082546
Memories Bleed Together
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Bill Cipher, Grunkle Stan | Stanley \"Stanford\" Pines, Rick Sanchez (Rick and Morty)", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by realcakkuu", "chapters": "2/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-03T00:00:00", "words": "4,593", "Additional Tags": "billrick, But its only implied, Post-Weirdmageddon, Memories, Too much memories, Not to mention unchronologically sorted memories, Also dont get your hopes too much, sanpher, Alcohol Abuse, ? - Freeform", "Relationship": "Bill Cipher/Rick Sanchez (Rick and Morty)", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Interdimensional Falls", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Gravity Falls, Rick and Morty", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Stan's mind the first few moments was a real mess, the triangle floating in front of him couldn't stand it.They were standing in a whirlpool mess of memories from both of them, all mashed together, creating some kind of nonsensical episodic story that was so choppy neither of them could barely get the gist of it. Stan was staring confused at the catastrophic mess of clips in front of him. The triangle, on the other hand, was beside him, crying.Stan felt like he should comfort the triangle guy, but didn't know how to."Hey, man," Stan started reluctantly. Something about the triangle felt oddly familiar, but he couldn't put his finger to it. A part of him said that the being was bad, bad, bad, but he seemed to be otherwise. I mean, villains don't usually cry. "Uh, are you alright?"The triangle took his hands off his eye and he looked at him. Stan wasn't sure if the entity saw him at all. His gaze was glassy and unfocused. The triangle sobbed harder and scooted away. "Go away." He grumbled softly. Stan's brows furrowed, a bit disappointed, he was just trying to help, afterall. Well, he knew when he was unwanted."Okay, fine, whatever." Stan stood up, grumbling, and walked away from the entity. He wasn't sure where he was or how he was going to be able to pass through the whirlpool of memories. Maybe he could pass through the memories itself as if it were just curtains? He sought to stick his hand into the memory.Before his hand could come into contact with the scene playing what seemed to be a jail break, he was pulled back by the triangle with such a force that the two stumbled back. Stan fell down with a loud thump, crushing his companion beneath him. The triangle yelp in pain and struggled to pull himself from under the man. He was able to break free from the terrifying butt of Stan and quickly dug his fingers into Stan's arm."Do not touch these!" The triangle yelled. Or at least Stan assumed that the triangle yelled, his voice were just soft whispers. Stan winced at the pain and jerked his arm away from the triangle's grasp."Why shouldn't I touch these things, whatever these are?" He asked, a bit annoyed at the attitude this weird illuminati was giving him. "Do you know why we're here? Did you bring us here?"The triangle's eye widened and looked away. "I... I..." He stammered, twirling his fingers with one another. Stan crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. The triangle winced at his stare."I think so." He mumbled, scratching his sleek black arm. "I can't remember, but I think it's because of one us." He paused, looking away, "Or... Both." He shruggedThe triangle gestured to the replaying clips around them. He looked at a static clip for a while before shaking his figure in a shiver. He looked back at Stan. "You can't touch these because we'd be sucked into the memory and we'd be force to relive it." He explained. "Or at least one of us would be forced to relive it, the other one would just be confused, most likely."Stan looked around them, curiosity suddenly overwhelming him. These were their memories? He was tempted to dive right into them, to find out what happened, to know why he was here. But another part of him was scared. If these were his memories (and the triangle's too) then why couldn't he remember any of them? Was he forced to forget or... Did he want to forget? What was so dire that made him want to forget his past? He needed to know."But if they're our memories," Stan said slowly, thinking this through, because he was unsure about his decision, "shouldn't we find out what they are?"The triangle looked reluctantly at the memories. "I tried viewing a couple of memories, you were still unconscious, and honestly I don't think you - or me - would like to remember any of the skeletons we hide in our closets."Stan was confused. He never hid skeletons in his closet. He didn't think he would be the kind of person who would. He doubted if he had a closet, actually."I didn't mean it literally, Stan," the triangle followed up after seeing his confusion. "It was an idiomatic expression."That rang a bell. Stan. Stan. That was his name. Stanley Pines. He rememebered. Well now he got that down. He looked at his companion."What's your name," he asked.The triangle was surprised at the question he needed a moment to remember his own name. "I-I'm B-Triangle."B-Triangle sounded like some algemath thing. Math wasn't really Stan's strong point, unless it involved money, a lot of it. He gave B a comforting grin and a soft pat on the back."Let's try just one memory, how about that, hmm? B?" He suggested, wondering how they could proceed to watching memories because he didn't want to view just one. "Then we'll take a break and, I dunno, reflect or some crap or whatever. Then we view another one. Let's work our way slowly, how does that sound?""Y-yeah sure." B said reluctantly, thoughtfully blinking his one eye. "Alright."Stan smiled and stood up. B did the same, but floated beside him. His small black hand crept around Stan's big rough palms and gingerly held two fingers. B was shaking really bad.Stan took a deep breath in and tried to look for a not so depressing memory."How about this one." He asked, pointing at the memory of B in a bar. "You look happy there."B gave him a small nod and reached to touch the said memory. Like water, the memory surrounded the hand of the triangle, rippling at the touch.Then, they lurched into the memory space. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Flesh   Curtains There was a popular band back in the old days which rocked different galaxies and planets out of their pants (and panties). The Flesh Curtains was well celebrated, their songs always topped the charts and this year was the pinnacle of their career.Stan and B were in that golden age. They watched from the side as the crowd rocked their heads to the beat of the song. There were loud screaming and chanting, not to mention screeched as creatures who were biologically incapable of speech tried to sing along.And there he was, the focus of the memory, the tall, lean man with a pierced lip, his oddly gray-blue hair gelled up. He was grinning down at the crowd, his long, spidery hands dancing across the fretboard of his electric guitar. Though this was B's memory, Stan felt like he knew the guitarist from somewhere.The crowd screamed his name when it was his solo, wildly dancing to the rhythm. The man named Rick Sanchez whipped his head back and forth as he played. Stan looked at B whose gaze was transfixed on Rick, trying to remember every detail about him.Stan gasped. Behind B-Triangle was another one of himself, but this B seemed different, a bit more confident and radiant. Stan assumed this B was a part of the memory itself."Did ya l-eeeeugh-ike that, hmm?" Rick Sanchez asked the crowd, burping mid sentence. The crowd jeered in response. "I bet y'all did!" Rick laughed before taking a quick swig from his flask."Well you guys are in for... y'all're gonna be r-r-rocked out of your minds because for this last song, WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST FOR TONIGHT WHO'LL BE BLOWING YOUR BRAINS OUT."The crowd cheered. Rick's head turned to the memory version of B with a lopsided grin and sloppily gesticulated he come over to the stage. B happily obliged, floating to the stage. When the crowd saw him, they lost it. Everyone was screaming and chanting.B took the mic from Rick."SETTLE DOWN KIDS," B said teasingly to the crowd. "YOU LOT MISSED ME, HUH? WELL I'M BACK FOR TONIGHT." The crowd yelled. B blinked his one eye at Rick before snapping his fingers. A modified synthesizer appeared in front of him, along with a microphone for himself too.With some minor adjustments on the buttons and knobs on the synth, B gave the ready signal to the drummer. Stan realized that the guy at the drums wasn't fully human. He was half... Bird? Stan shrugged.Rick was the first one to enter, a guitar solo at the very beginning before the upbeat drums kick in. B let out a laugh."I got no time, I got no time to live, I got no time to live and I can't say goodbye."Stan was fairly surprised that B was more than just a decent singer. There's something about his voice that sounded so enchanting and... Hypnotic. He was amazing as a singer. More so as a keyboardist. His hands quickly dart across the keys with full certainty and without hesitation it almost felt like it was magic.B continued, "And I'm regretting having memories of my friends who they used to be beside me before they left me to die."Stan frowned at this, snapping out of the trance-like situation he was pulled in, partly because the lyrics disturbed him, and partly because B was digging his fingernails into his skin again. Stan jerked his hand away and hissed."Ow!" He exclaimed in annoyance. "What the heck was that for?!" The triangle shrugged."I channel my magic through my music," he casually told Stan. "My singing voice is a hypnosis spell. You seemed like you were getting affected by it so I thought I'd pull you back to reality."Surely enough, the energetic and chaotic crowd was reduced to what seemed like a cult, waving their arms in the air in union. There would be someone who would let out an occasional, "we love you," but beyond that, everyone seemed to be completely in sync. Even the bird guy was entranced. His movements seemed more on reflex than him actually playing.The only person who seemed to be unaffected by B's hypnosis was Rick Sanchez who didn't seem to notice the abrupt change in atmosphere. He was more focused on his guitar. Stan saw him sneak a glance or two at B and each time he would grin with half-lidded eyes."So my flashlight's on, let's stay up til dawn, I got this headache and my life's on the line. I felt like I won, but I wasn't done, THE NIGHTMARE REPEATS ITSELF EVERY TIME!"Stan was starting to not like the vibe. True that B's voice was too good that you could be brain washed by it, but the emotion riddled on the last line sent chills down his spine. He felt that the same held true to his companion because he immediately clung to his hand.Rick whipped his head back and brought himself closer to his mic. He sang alongside B, "Got to keep my calm, and carry on, stay awake until the sun would shine." The two singers exchanged smiles. "But I'm not so strong, and they're not gone. They're still out there to take what's left of mine."Everyone seemed to ultimately snap out of the trance the moment the music dropped. The lights went off save for the flashing LEDs tracing out red, blue, and green lines in the air. And as Rick took the lead, B provided the baseline.It was Rick's turn to sing."I have this urge, I have this urge to kill, I have this urge to kill and show that I'm alive. I'm getting sick of these apologies from people with priorities, that their lives matter so much more than MINE."But I'm stuttering, I'm stuttering again, No one would listen and no one would understand..."The hand quivered in Stan's palm. He briefly looked at B who seemed to be conflicted at the memory."Are you alright?" Stan asked. B nodded."Yeah," he replied, scratching the bottom of his eye. "He's just making me uncomfortable. Him. Rick Sanchez."Stan raised his eyebrow and looked at the memory again. B seemed to be having a great time so why was he feeling uncomfortable."Aren't you two friends?" Stan asked. B nodded again this time slowly, as if he was uncertain."Yeah, I just..." He trailed away and grumbled to himself. Stan raised an eyebrow. B shook his figure in a shrug. "He's reminding me of some of my unpleasant, more recent memories with your twin."Stan was confused now. He had a twin? Twin, twin, twin... He... Couldn't remember exactly. There was a vague image in his brain of a wrecked boat and a little six fingered kid on it, holding a hammer on one of his hands and looking out to the sea where the sun was setting. He was... Who was he?"I think his name was Sixer?" B said reluctantly. "Uh, no, Fordsy?" He suggested. Stan's face lit up. Ford. Yes. That sounded about right."Stanford," Stan said firmly, remembering his brother. Suddenly the image in his mind was clear, the dorky kid with glasses and a thirst for adventure or anything weird, his partner in crime. "Stanford Pines." That was his twin.B snapped his fingers. "Right," he said in agreement, "Stanford, Sixer. Yeah, that little gullible prick.""What?" Stan asked, offended. That was really rude. No one talked shit about his twin. He balled his hands into fists.B seemed to be surprised at his outburst too and withdrew from the man. "Woah, I-I-I didn't mean anything by it," he said in a panic, "I didn't know what got into me, I swear." He paused, looking away and narrowing his eye. "Well, maybe I did mean it, a little bit," he admitted quietly. "Something happened between us. Something real bad. I'm not sure what yet - we'll find out later - but something did happen.""That better be justified," Stan growled. "Because I'm the only one who's allowed to say that Ford's a selfish know-it-all who's dumb enough to--"He stopped himself mid sentence, taken aback at what was carelessly spilling out of his mouth. What made him say that? He loved his brother... Right? Why would he insult him like that? Maybe... maybe the triangle was right, he was a prick. Or he wasn't. Stan growled in frustration. WHY CAN'T HE REMEMBER?! His feelings for his twin was conflicted but WHY? He cursed himself silently for forgetting.It was only when the crowd cheered so loudly when the two remembered they were still in a memory.By the time Stan and B reengaged their attention to the past, the scene had changed. Instead of being on stage, B and Rick were in an alien bar in what they assumed was the after party. Everyone was dancing to the music as the DJ put on some sick beats. But all of those were just a blurred background, static noise, all eyes should be set on the duo."Daaaamn, Rickyyy, babe!!" B exclaimed, playfully snaking his arm around the man's shoulders. Rick almost immediately melted into B's arm. "I can't believe that that portal's still holding up. Tha-eeuugh-nks for going through all that just to have me 'round here, for old time's sake!""Of c-oouugh-ourse," Rick replied sluggishly, taking his fourth shot of tequila. "I, I, I missed having you by my side." He gave B an intoxicated grin as he caressed B's perimeter which made the polygon shudder. "Physically by my side.""Ew, you two aren't gonna make out, right?" Stan asked, looking away because he didn't want to see anything mentally traumatizing. Heck, he didn't even know how this Rick could ever make out with A TRIANGLE and he most certainly did NOT want to know."How should I know?" Came B's defensive reply, turning his back at the two. He, too, wasn't keen on watching anything inconvenient to unfold. "I still can't remember, alright?"To Stan's luck, and you audience too, nothing sexual came to happen. The Memory version of B's reaction to Rick's flirting wasn't what Stan had dreaded. The triangle had pulled away from the embrace and leaned back on his seat, taking a nice long swig from his bottle of vodka. Once he finished the entire bottle, he threw it across the room, almost hitting a couple of aliens.Rick sensed the sudden change in mood and distanced himself. "What's the problem, B?"B snorted and rolled his eye. "My dimension's a problem." His tone was emotionless, monotonous that it sent chills down Stan's spine. "I can't keep it stable any longer, it's, it's gonna fall apart again." B snapped his finger and another bottle of vodka appeared in thin air. He pressed the bottle into his eye and devoured it whole. He angrily chomped on it."I'm not even sure why I try!" He continued, still munching down on the glass bottle. "My dimension isn't worth keeping stable. It's like a sewer. All the shitty sewer rats scurry into it and the excess magic from different dimensions is saturating the place up it's so suffocating."B swallowed the glass shards that were somehow reduced to dust. An awkward silence followed. Rick refused to say anything as he stared at B inquisitively. He knew that that wasn't the only thing bothering him. B sighed. He loved and hated how the human was always so good at reading him."Also I might've found another interesting human."Rick stared, disappointed, at B for the longest of time before breaking into a loud guffaw. "Damn, B," he wheezed, "am I not good enough for you?" He asked teasingly. "Who's the lucky guy?"B laughed too, but a teensy  bit forced, not that Rick noticed. "Wow, am I not good enough for you?" B repeated, mimicking Rick exaggeratedly. He laughed. "Says the guy who had a hive mind as an ex." B joked and both of them sniggered at their exes. The laughter eventually faded into an awkward silence. B coughed. "But seriously," B said, examining his hands, "he's a nobody. Just another toy to pass the time." B paused. "You'll like him, though. He's gullible. Really submissive little bean.""Ooh, ki-uurp-kinky," Rick mused, impressed, "Taking it that you're finally having fun as the leader now, him?" The two laughed again.B shrugged. "Nah, nothing intimate going on between us. He's just a great puppet. He's like a five year old who would stick a fork in an electric socket because you told him to."Rick rolled his eyes. "H-he sounds pathetic.""He is, though.""Well, yeah, whatever, y-you're wrong. He doesn't sound interesting to me. Morons aren't my taste." Rick drank another shot. "Anyways, your dim-dime-eeeugh-ension. What about it?"B sighed. "Fuck my dimension," he grumbled. "I don't wanna talk about it.""Ya sure?" Rick asked. B nodded. "Not even through a musical number?"B rolled his eye. "No," he replied firmly. "Not even through music." Rick meh'd."Sure, babe," Rick said, keen on not overstepping his boundaries. "Just remember, you swore to me that you won't let it go to your head."B smiled."It's too late for that," B's whispery voices replied.Stan immediately looked at his companion who was watching the memory with a spiteful expression. B chuckled bitterly."Far too late." He said, embracing himself and slowly inching away from the memory. The triangle was shaking, his eye screwed shut. Stan dubiously followed him away from the memory to the dark patch of space, wherever they were. B laughed a short, hollow, dry laugh which reverberated throughout the memory and within Stan's mind. His eye flickered open, and he looked up at Stan with an empty expression, devoid of all emotion."Tell me," he whispered to man, "how do you not let it go to your head?" He asked him listlessly. "How do you stop yourself from going insane if you're stuck for billions of years, alone, without anyone to talk to, to lean onto for support? How do you cope with the unending guilt when life doesn't even exist yet – when nothing exists yet? When the only thing that there is is you and your nightmares of a world that no longer exists because of a stupid mistake?" Stan was starting to get creeped out now and he backed away from the triangle. B grabbed Stan's arm and dug his fingers into his skin yet again. Beads of red appeared and soon was tracing down the length of Stan's arm  and dripped onto the floor."L-l-let go of me!" Stan exclaimed, trying to free himself from the demon's grasp. His blood ran cold. Demon. Demon. He stared into B's harsh and callous eye. He was bad, bad, bad!B tightened his grip on Stan and the man yelped. "Tell me," he  demanded, raising his voice. "How can you keep your sanity when, by the time life on different planets exist, evil creatures and monsters swarm into that pocket space between all universes, stepping all over you because you're NOTHING but a WEAK, INSIGNIFICANT, LITTLE IDIOT WHO CAN'T STAND UP FOR YOURSELF? HOW?" The once whispy whispers was now a harsh, dissonant chorus of deafening screams. "TELL ME, STANLEY. HOW?"Stan grit his teeth and gave the demon a headbutt to the eye with all his strength. B screeched in pain and recoiled, taking his hands off of Stan to rub his eye. The grown man stumbled back but quickly found his balance. He took a defensive stance, ready to beat the crap out of the demon. B's eye shot open, blue veins lining the sides of his eye, he glared and hissed at Stan. He was ready to pounce at the old man, his hands – no, claws – bursting into flames at the snap of his finger. The azure fire licked at the skin of the demon but didn't burn him. It was an entrancing thing to watch, the flames dancing around the tip of his claws.But it was bad, bad, bad. Stan remembered vaguely, his encounter with B, in the living room and how he punched him to oblivion. That was the most he could remember, and if he was punching a demon into smithereens for doing something then he had to have done something so unspeakably horrible to deserve it. Stan clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. Let the demon come, he'd punch him harder this time. He'd kill him this time.And all hell broke loose.B spontaneously broke down in panic.At the sight of his hand aflame, he started crying and desperately trying to put it out. Stan had never seen a... He had never seen a more pathetic sight than this, honestly. B was frantically waving his hand in attempts to put out the fire."No, no, no," he exclaimed, trying to extinguish it by aggressively trying to smother the flames. "FuCK!!!"B stuck his hands into his eye. It was a grotesque sight. Stan wondered how painful it might be to stick an entire hand into an eyesocket. When B opened his eye however, it was covered in turquoise goop, and Stan caught a glimpse of what seemed like a tongue inside the eye socket. What. The actual. Fuck.Stan took a step back and raised his fists. The blood trickled down his arm. He grit his teeth, he'd have to make this quick before he lose more blood that would take its toll.B whimpered at the glare Stan was giving him and kept himself low, his figure bent into a bow. He crawled away, ever so slowly, away from the man. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking a bit. "I didn't mean to. I– no. Stay away from me."Stan wasn't buying anything. This guy, this triangle guy was toying with him. He was faking retreat. He snarled. "The fuck do you want from me, huh? If you want a knuckle sandwich, I'll give it to ya!"B scurried back a few steps almost immediately after Stan's remark "I-I-I didn't mean it!" He stammered. "I-I was lost, I mean, I lost control. I don't want anything from you, I-I swear.""What's with ya?!" Stan asked in frustration. "You're a ticking time bomb, you are!"B whimpered again. "I'm really sorry. I swear. I won't do it again!"Stan scoffed. "How do ya fucking know you won't lose control again?!"B remained silent because he was right, B didn't know if he'd break down and go into a rampage again. B shook his figure."I don't know," he admitted. "But I know some of the triggers. If-if that helps."Stan sighed. He still was skeptical about everything but he wasn't getting anywhere if he left the triangle. He obviously can't venture in memories alone and the same goes for the triangle; they might switch memories."Ugh. Fine."  Stan lowered his fists. He had to do something about the bleeding."D-do you need help?" B asked reluctantly, slowly inching towards Stan. The man eyed the triangle suspiciously. "I won't bite, I swear." He whispered. B examined the damage he inflicted on the man. "Here." He snapped his fingers and the fresh, punctured wounds knitted itself together.Stan let out a small woah in awe. That was amazing."We're in the mind," B pointed out, "your mind specifically. And you can do anything in the mindscape.""That would've been nice to know a while ago when you attacked me," Stan grumbled. B chuckled awkwardly."Yeah. Really sorry, though."Stan shrugged. "Let's  back to the memory and get this over with."When they got back, the two were so drunk Rick was stumbling and tripping on himself while trying to dance with two female aliens. B hooted and cheered for Rick. One thing led to another and Rick tried to get a kiss from the gals and earned him a fist in the face. When the two stomped away, Rick wolf whistled and stumbled back to his seat. B guffawed at him.A persistent beeping emanated from Rick's pocket. With a groan, he took out his space phone and dismissed the notification. "Fuck," he mumbled. "I have to go take care of shit in half an hour." B shrugged and leaned back. "Go ahead, Ricky," he said in a sing song voice. "I have business to attend to as well. My little puppet doesn't do well being left alone, ya know?"Rick rolled his eyes. "He sounds really whiny," he noted. B laughed. "Well, gotta go," B said, standing up on the chair. With a snap of his finger he procured a top hat and a sleek black cane. Rick stared dumbfounded at B as he wore the top hat and popped a bowtie on the mid section of the polygon. The triangle hopped off the seat and floated in mid air."Just do me a little favour," B said, a little bit seriously now. Rick was still busy adoring the stylish get up of the triangle. He blinked a couple of times before willing himself to pay a bit more attention."I ain't a guaranteeing shit dawg," Rick said, still checking B out.B twirled the cane in his hand. "It's not complicated, sweetie," he said, blinking slowly. "Just don't go to dimension 49'\."Rick was about to ask why when B blew a kiss at Rick with his eye before leaving the bar with a soft poof.
11057283
Cold
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Nikolai Belinski, Edward Richtofen", "Fandom": "Call of Duty Zombies", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by QymaenJaiSheelal", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "607", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Nikolai Belinski/Edward Richtofen", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
The cold made it impossible for him to sleep, each gust of icy wind only making it worse. Hugging himself, Edward jealously glared at the three men sleeping soundly around the fire. He’d chosen this spot to get away from their accusing and hostile stares; he knew they’d never trust him enough to allow him to sleep beside them.With an angry grunt he turned his back on them and curled up as tightly as he could and clenched his eyes shut in the hopes that he’d somehow fall asleep. The feeling of a large hand resting on his shoulder made him jolt up, one hand reaching for his gun. “Relax, is me.” A familiar voice whispered beside him. “Nikolai, vhat-““You is cold, I come to help.”“Vhat kind of joke is this!?” Edward’s fear and confusion turned quickly to anger. “Not joke. I see you look long time.”“Vhat?! No, I vas just-““Edward, blind man could see it. You stare at me like piece of meat!”Edward groaned and buried his face in his hands. “But I do, too.”Edward, blushing a deep red, looked up to see Nikolai looking down at him with an expression he’d never seen another human being use with him. Loving. Not a father like caring that Maxis had shown him, something else entirely. “Bitte.” Edward half whimpered as he reached out for Nikolai. The bearish man grinned and gently lowered himself down beside him, Edward timidly snuggling up next to him. Nikolai kissed the top of his head as he wrapped his arms around him. “When we find town and warm bed, I show you good time.” He whispered into Edward’s hair. “Danke”True to his word, Nikolai crept away from the others after they’d bedded down in a bombed out old hotel and joined Edward on the mattress he’d scavenged, a heavy down comforter to block the worst of the chill.Edward’s heart raced as he Nikolai reached down and unbuttoned his trousers, taking several minutes to gently work them down to his ankles before pulling them off. Laying with only his shirt and underwear on, Edward blushed at the sight of Nikolai looking down at the cloth covered bulge between his legs. “Ready?”Edward whimpered that he was. Nikolai reached out and with one finger began to caress Edward’s soft penis through the thin fabric of his underwear. He then moved down to cup Edwards balls, gently squeezing a few times before moving his hands to his hips. Looking Nikolai in the eye, Edward nodded as he unbuttoned his shirt. Eyes closed, Edward hugged his knees to his chest as Nikolai prepared himself. Laying behind him, Nikolai ran a lube coated finger down his spine, stopping to circle and press at his hole.Edward let out a loud gasp as the finger pushed in, Nikolai leaving it there till Edward was relaxed and used to the intrusion. He then started to quickly thrust it, getting Edward used to the feeling. Edward curled his toes and moaned as he pushed back on the finger, a sign to Nikolai that he was ready for more. Now on his back with a pillow under his hips, Edward breathlessly watched as Nikolai lubed his straining erection. Climbing between Edward’s thighs, he pressed the tip in, Edward moaning loudly as Nikolai fully penetrated him. “Shh, myshka, shh.” Nikolai whispered as he lowered himself on top of Edward, the smaller man hugging him tightly. “It gets better.”And it did. Soon Edward was panting and writhing as Nikolai increased the pace and force of his thrusts, Edward all but screaming his end.
11096268
Cursed Caged Robin
{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": null, "Characters": "Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Barbara Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, Zatanna Zatara, Justice League - Character, Teen Titans - Character", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Rainbat", "chapters": "3/4", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-05T00:00:00", "words": "8,969", "Additional Tags": "Dead Robins Club was the main focus, Actually it Jason that's the main focus in here, Magic, Trap in dreams, Lot- i mean it- lots of feels, Damian is a good little brother, Family being together, They love each other, They just dont know how to show them, AU cuz the author love to made up things, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, i can't promised that haha!", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake", "Series": "Robin AU", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)", "Archive Warnings": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death", "Categories": "Gen, F/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
April 26;  11:00 pm EST Location: Bat Cave The whole manor was deadly silent, they knew from the first day of April that this month was going to be a total hell for... all of them. April first this year somehow didn't filled with pranks from the bat-kids, not that they didn't had anything planned, it just... a declaration from a certain bird had shocked them too much resulting April Fool this year; cancelled. It would be the biggest lie of the century if Bruce said that he didn't felt happy that his kids had told him no April Fool this year (he hated April Fool, his Batman suit always ended up pink on that certain day. PINK everyone!) but he had no time to celebrate the news. He may be able to escape their insane pranks but the problems here was Jason. Jason had... reminded everyone of his death's anniversary. It was a sensitive news, he knew that, but for a reason that he could not fathom, Jason had turned his death into endless jokes. It was no secret that Jason always talked about his death just to pissed Batman off and probably Dick too, and Tim. Sometimes he jokes about them like his death was no big deal, like death was just a stroll to the park rather than pain and darkness. And they knew most of the times he made them for fun.But on April this year, somehow every chances he got to pick a fight with Bruce, in his conversation with Dick, in his banters with Tim and Damian, he purposely talked about his death and resurration. ("Don't act like you care B! You let me fucking died by myself!"— "You want me to come home? I can do that. You just have to help me dig a six feet hole somewhere," "what do you mean by that Jay." "Oh don't pretend you don't understand, you freaking asked me to go back home! Grave's my sweet~ sweet home!~")Dick always knew that Jason was always joking but recently he's tearing opened the old wound on purpose, reminding them that his death had left everyone's heart drowning in blood. And for that, Dick could not bring himself to understand why. Why Jason? Why did you want to hurt everyone? Hurt yourself? Why didn't you see, that we all care, we love you. Your death was not a game, it killed us too when you're gone! And tonight, it looks like Jason had crossed the line. Everyone was in the cave, there's a serial kidnapped case that needed their full attention and Bruce had requested everyone to help as the victims for this case had increased to 9 persons in one night. They were all waiting for Jason when a crowbar suddenly came flying towards Batman. He caught them with one hand. "Oops! I'm sorry Mr. Bat, my hand slipped." The crowbar slipped from Bruce's hand as Jason stepped out of the shadow, chuckling. What caught the batfamily off guard was his oufit, the messy fake green hair, white painted face, smudged blood-red lipstick on his lips and head to toe purple suit; it's the Joker's outfit.Bruce clenched his fist and growled at Jason, "what nonsense is this Jason."Dick was frozen in his place, he could hear Tim and Steph loudly gasped when they saw Jason, he could see Damian's shoulder tensed, Alfred's shocked expression (and Alfred rarely showed that kind of face, no matter what happened) and Cass's barely there frown, on her face. He could see and hear them all but his body did not respond to his command anymore. It was like the time had stopped moving for him, all he can focused on right now was that ridiculous smile on his little brother's face."Oh did you forget, in an hour, it'sssssssss~," Jason was skipping with a grin so big Damian thought he might break his own face, "...my death." He hissed right in front of Bruce's face. And then he bursted into laugh, Joker's laugh.Bruce's leather gloves made some squished sound as he clenched his fists so hard. Dick suddenly leaped on Jason (Tim didn't managed to catch him) and held him by the collar of his sickly purple suit. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Dick's whispered but from his eyes they knew Dick was extremely mad. And an extremely angry Dick didn't talk out loud and joked, he was dangerously silent (he was similar to Cass and Damian in that department). Jason looked into Dick's eyes with his own amused eyes and full-face grin. Jason laughed louder when Dick punched him on the face. He kneed Dick on the stomach before landed his fist on his brother's face.Damian and Tim rushed to helped Dick, Cass and Steph too. But Jason was extremely fast tonight, he avoided most of his sibling's attacks and slided to Batman's feet, reaching for the forgotten crowbar on the ground."What the hell is wrong with Jason!" Tim helped Steph who got kicked on her side. "Venom," Cass whispered. Damian jumped in front of her, few batarangs held between his fingers. "Could be that. This is way too extreme for a prank, even for an imbicile like him."Batman had recovered from his shocked which was unusual because Batman never froze in shocked, but maybe, seeing your son dressed as Joker could do that to a father. Jason swings the crowbar to Batman's legs but missed them. He continued attacking his father with constant blabbering about being Joker and killing some robin as a new hobby and whatever nonesenses that sound like Joker's. Batman didn't let his guard down but he didn't want to hurt his son.Black Bat and Robin were ready to jump into the fight if anything happened to Batman. Red Robin was helping Dick to stand, he broke his nose and said nose was dripping blood all over his uniform. Batgirl was reporting to Oracle, eyes didn't leave the two figures who were fighting in the middle of the cave. Tim came to stand besides Robin, "you think he got hit by Joker's venom?"Black Bat nodded, Robin clicked his tounge."Shit." "Shit indeed," Damian echoed Tim's word.Tim wanted to tell his sister and little brother his plan to help Batman when suddenly Jason came crashing at Damian.Damian landed on his back hard, his head collided with the floor and bounced back into the air. Cass tackled Jason into the ground but she got backhanded and Jason got up. Tim swings his bo staff only to sliced through the thin air, he almost got a kicked on his side but then Damian and Cass wrapped Jason in their arms, dragged him backward. Dick rushed to help his siblings after helped Alfred move Batman away from the fight, Batman got a crowbar smashed his leg and possibly broke his femur. Steph joined the fight and tried to aim for Jason's head with Tim's aiming for his legs. Her legs didn't touched anything but thin air when Jason let himself fall backwards. Tim only managed to pulled Damian by his leg before Jason fully collapsed on the floor. Unfortunately, Cass got sandwiched between Jason and the cave's floor, she gasped in pain because Jason was heavy, like the heaviest among them all. Damian and Tim pulled Jason by his arms on both sides while Steph came to aid Cass. Dick leaped towards them and aimed his kick to Jason's face, he didn't noticed Jason's small laugh. Jason flexed his hand and trapped Tim over his chest, his arm wrapped around Tim's neck, Dick's couldn't stop his momentum and Damian was being held away from Tim by Jason's long arm. Dick's foot connected with Tim's head instead of Jason's and sent Tim lying on the ground. Blood pooling underneath him."Tim!"Dick almost cried when he gathered Tim's limp body in his arms, he was unconcious. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he didn't know how many time did he repeated the same words. His hand frantically brushing Tim's bloody hair from his forehead. Behind him, Damian had engaged again with Jason. It was disturbing in Damian's opinion when all Jason did was attacked them and laughed all the way, no angry comments or sarcastic remark on their failed attempts to bring him down. Damian glanced from the corner of his eyes, taking notes on the others, body still moved with Dick's style of flexibility (yup, he had learned them although not so perfect, yet.) avoiding and delievering punches and kicks. Father was being held by Alfred, obviously because he wanted to fight despite his injuries. Did he broke his leg? And Grayson can't fight anymore. -Tt- Drake's an idiot. Now, we lost two fighters, one unconcious and the other one having a break down. Ughh, honestly Grayson! We don't have time for you to mope there and crying like an overgrown baby!  "Hey Fatgirl!" "What?!" Stephanie shouted back. She walked in cautious, slowly approaching the pair of brothers that aggresively exchanging punches and kicks."How's— ," Damian sidestepped a punch, "—Cass?" Steph throws a batarang and landed a kick on Jason's shoulder. She then leaped away from him."Broke one or two ribs. Can't fight- hey! Watch out!" "-Tt- your hips are in the way, Brown."Steph blushed. You little brat."Brown, now!" Steph stumbled on her feet before crouched down allowing Damian to step on her back (he's no longer ten so, he's damn heavy okay!) and jumped to knee Jason on his nose. Jason stumbled backward, hand cupping his bleeding nose. He aimed a glare at Damian who smirked in response before bursting into another loud 'Joker-style' laugh.Bruce, Alfred, Cass and Dick watched Jason's from their sitting, eyes filled with sadness because they knew, Jason had no control over his actions. This was not their Jason. Dick chocked on a sob."Jay please, this is not you. Stop this shit now, it's going to hurt you when you realised what you've done." He pleaded, unable to hold back his tears anymore, hands tighten on Tim's shoulder.Robin and Batgirl were circling Jason, waiting for a chance to sedate him. Steph got a dart ready in her hand. She gave Damian a small nod, and with that Damian threw his batarangs and collided his body with Jason's torso. Steph then threw the dart but Jason ducked it, elbow hits on Damian's back. Damian hissed feeling the bruise that forming on his back (definitely going to hurt a lot tomorrow).Their luck sure hated them as the missed flying dart hit Dick instead."Kyaa! I'm sorry," Steph rushed towards Dick who now half sitting, half lying unconcious on her already unconcious boyfriend.In the mean time, Jason ran to the cave's enterance and Damian went to go after him. "Brown, take care of the others!""What? Damian, wait!"Damian and Jason was already gone when she turned around."O, tracks Damian." She said to her comm. One moment later, Barbara's voice echo in her ear, "I got his movement in track. What happened there? Is everyone alright?" Concern was heavy in her voice.Steph looked around her, Cass gave her an apologetic look, Bruce still trying to fight Alfred and his broken leg (there's no way he's going to be able to fight with that leg), she looked down her arms. Dick and Tim's unconcious body lying on the ground beside her."This is... terrible."  April 26;  11:35 pm EST Location: Crime Alley, Gotham Damian was leaping from one rooftop to another with Oracle talking through his comm."How's the others?" "They'll survive. Tim maybe have a minor concussion. Steph is on her way to you." Barbara replied instantly, the sounds of her fingers hitting the keyboard could be heard too."Got it."Robin stopped on the opposite roof that Jason had just landed. Jason turned around and for the first time in that night Damian saw his brother, not the pathetic imitation of Joker but Jason Tood, the real Jason Todd. Looks liked the venom was starting to wear off.  Damian glanced around, an abandoned part of Crime Alley but still, i can't risked our identity by calling his name ,-Tt-. Damian stood on his full height before he spoke, "Hood."Jason chuckled, the kind that make Damian shuddered (this one reminded him of Dr. Pyg, ughh!) "Hey little bird, you're far away from your nest, don't you think?""You too, idiot. Snapped out of it, Hood! Your death joke aren't funny anymore, it's not even funny in the first place."And out of nowhere, Jason suddenly cried. He was pulling his hair and his whole body shook violently. To said Damian was suprised was an understatement, he didn't bother to figure it out what he really felt at the moment. He was -cough- worried -cough- that Jason might hyperventilating. He leaped to the rooftop where Jason was currently trying to make himself bold (the fake green hair already discarded, he's pulling on his own black hair) and moved to grab Jason's wrist.In a flash, Jason grabbed his wrist instead and pulled his arm to his back. Damian let out a cry as he felt his shoulder dislocated. "Damian, what's happen?! DAMIAN!" Barbara was practically shouting in his ear as she heard Damian cried and he mentally cursed himself that he had forgotten to turn off his comm. "Let me go, Hood." He hissed.Jason leaned down to press their cheeks together, his chest tightly pressed on Damian's back. "You don't understand little birdie, death was hurt. It was lonely. I am lonely. You don't understand." Jason sounded like he was whining and Damian felt extremely disgusted with that. Jason didn't whine like this, he was Red Hood and he's a bat. Jason was his brother, he's not a sickening weakling like this. "I fucking died too Jason, what the hell are to trying to say to me, huh?" Jason's eyes widen, he then threw Damian to the ground and kicked his chest. Damian gasped for air as he felt the air rushing out leaving his lung. He heard Barbara's frantically barking something (probably about him) to someone (probably Steph) in his comm."YOU WANNA SAYS YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND ME? BULLSHIT!" Jason continuosly kicking him. "YOU DIDN'T GET TORTURED WITH A FUCKING CROWBAR. YOU DIDN'T GET TO BE LEFT ALONE, WAITING TO DIE. YOU DIDN'T GET BLEW UP, YOU LIL' SHIT!"Damian coughed and tasted copper in his mouth (definitely blood), he was struggling to talk."T-then what, Todd. A-are you..." he took a shaky breath. "...are you going t-to make me understand?"Jason took a step back, then another. Five steps back and he started pulling his hair again, crying. "If i could, i would. You didn't die like me. You d-didn't came back alone like me. BRUCE GET YOU BACK!" Damian rolled on his side. He slowly tried to stand up, but his probably broken ribs hurt like hell. He whispered, (even talking shot painful sensation across his chest, so he opted to whispering. Not that he had many option here) "Father loves you, moron. Y-you... never give him chance, it was your own... fault."Jason looked him dead in the eyes."Then show me! Fucking show me everything that proof his love to... t-to... me!" Jason eyes were unfocused now. His makeup were a messed on his already messed up face. "SHOW ME! ALL OF THEM! I WANT TO FEEL IT. I WANT TO SEE WHAT MAKE ME DIFFERENT FROM YOU! HE LOVE ME? HE LOVE ME MORE THAN YOU? THEN SHOW ME." Damian was going to punched Jason, (well tried to, if he ever got to get closer to him) when suddenly a figure of a woman in glowing white light (or is it blue? Damian was not so sure) appeared behind Jason. "I  heard your wish, young man. I will gladly make it come true for you." "What the," Damian was dumbfounded. Jason didn't seem to notice the woman because he's too caught up in his crazy mind. Damian eyes widen (as he didn't wear his domino masked, his eyes was glowing, reflecting the light came from the woman) when he saw the woman raised her hand and had something that similar to a wand, aimed at Jason's back.The wand was glowing and Damian knew something that was probably going to be shot from that weird stick (that's so not normal. But then, what was normal in his life? Especially, tonight), it's not going to end well."Damian, Steph will be there in a few minutes. Whatever happening right there, please... please hold on!" He heard her loud and clear. But right now, a few minutes? They didn't even have a few seconds!"Don't have time, O!" Damian took a deep breath and ran as fast as he could towards Jason. Granted that there's only a few steps between them, Damian managed to send Jason rolling on the rooftop quite far from him with his momentum. He stumbled backward for a second before he raised his head, only to see a bright light shooting at his chest.He looked at the woman and saw her smiling, her eyes were closed and she was mouthing something but Damian heard nothing. He stood there for who knows how long, starring at the empty space where the woman just disappeared. His eyelids felt so heavy, he didn't even realised when he had closed his eyes. He fell to the ground and let the darkness took his sight completely, Barbara's voice grew distant and then disappeared along with his conciousness.[] Steph was running and jumping as fast as she can. She heard all the shouting and talking between Damian and Jason from her comm. Oracle had opened all channel so that they can heard each other. She was worried because with their kind of luck, who knows what would happened. And the comm had gone silent on Damian's ends.Her breathing stopped when she reached Damian's last coordinate. She saw them, lying still on the rooftop."No..," a silent tear ran down her pale cheek. May 1;  09:00 am EST Location: Wayne Manor, Gotham Jason woke up seeing familiar faces staring at him and releasing different kind of relieved sighs. He blinked his eyes a few times to clear his sight, as everything was kind of blurry right now. Hey, he knew that ceiling. Was he in his room?"Hi. Did i just have a hangover?"He saw Cass smiling at him, Steph too. He rolled his head to the side and saw Tim sat on a chair next to his bed, one side of his head was shaved, showing a few inches row of stiches.Tim looked at him with a serious expression, his gaze were warm but something in them make Jason felt awfully weird. "What happened to your head?" He asked, trying to sit but fell back to his pillow when he suddenly felt nausea. "Aww, my head hurt like hell." Jason felt a hand rest on his leg. Cass had sat on his bed, patting his leg and smiling at him. She said only one word, "Joker," and the missing memories of his came flooding his mind. His headache got worst, he saw stars and many other weird entities flooting everywhere. He heard Tim's calling his name, asking him to calm down but it hurt so much. How was he supossed to calm down? He didn't know what the hell happened before he drifted into unconciousness again.[] Tim was debating with himself on how to tell Jason about what had happened when he heard Cass spoke. And suddenly Jason was grunting in pain. His forehead was sweating and his breathing was frantic."Jason. Jay. Calm down!" Shit! He somehow managed to get worst. Tim looked around in panic. The tragedy that happened to them still shocked him, and he honestly didn't think he had recovered even half of him (mostly his self-esteem as he was the one who lost concious with just a kick to his head), his mind wasn't ready to work in chaos again. He saw Steph ran out of the room a few seconds ago but he doesn't know where she went.Cass was slapping Jason's cheeks (not so hard, just to get his attention) but Jason just started hyperventilating. Cass quickly took the oxygen mask and placed them on Jason's face, Tim didn't know why he did it but he sedate Jason through his oxygen mask. After one long minute, Jason's breathing was back to normal and he was sleeping like how he did since four days ago.[]The second time Jason woke up that day; Tim, Cass and Steph was in his room just like before but now with a few addition of Wayne manor's residences. Alfred was standing at the back, near the door as usual and Bruce was sitting on a... wheelchair?He tried to talk but his voice came out hoarse, his throat hurt.Tim helped him sat against the bedhead and gently guided a glass of water to his lips. He was really grateful for the water. "How are you feeling, Jason?" Bruce asked after seeing Jason had relaxed himself against the bedhead."Head hurt so much. What happened? Cass said Joker before, what was that?"He saw the tension on Bruce's shoulder, and he doesn't like that. "I did something again didn't i?" Jason asked with a heavy sighed. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before speaking again. "Please tell me i'm not the one who cause the stiches on Timbo and broke your leg."Tim and Bruce glanced at each other before Tim sat besides Jason. He placed his hand on his big brother's shoulder, "i'm sorry Jason. It is you. You got 3 doses full of Joker's new venom and you went on rampaged. We... did get you the antidote, they just, takes time to kicked in."Jason groaned. He stared at Cass before tilted his head and switched his gaze to Steph. "Did i broke any of you girls?"Cass smiled and raised two fingers, "Ribs." That's all she said and Steph just shook her head. Jason felt like the worst human being ever. It was weird considering he usually casually called himself that just to gag on his siblings."Did i broke Dickie and demon brat too?" No one met eyes with him. He sensed something wrong, no. No. No. No... please tell me i didn't do anything to them."Bruce."No one said anything, not even Alfred. He tried again. "Dad." And Bruce looked at him instantly at that word. He looked at Jason before he looked away. "You... you broke Dick's nose.""Demon brat? What about him? Did i do anything to him, B?!"Tim's hand on his shoulder was shaking. He looked up to Tim and saw tears threatening to fall from his eyes.  "Damian's in a coma."    AN: I wanted to write some fluff for part 2 Future AU series but i'm in the mood to write some crazy magic story with some angst and somehow i got this Jason and Damian's brotherly feels story. It get crazy to write from this point. This is AU because i changed lot of things, did i? i don't remember them clearly. Well, wtv. It is safer to state that this is AU XD. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- May 1;  02:00 pm EST Location: Wayne Manor, Gotham *beep*  *beep*  *beep* Dick stared at the heart rate monitor while he absent-mindedly running his fingers through his littlest brother's black hair."Hey Little D, you know... today i go on a walk with Titus alone," he stopped his fingers and bring his hand back to himself, taking Damian's hand in his instead and rested his forehead on their tangled fingers. "It's been four days Dami. Your ribs and bruises are healing well. So, why don't you open your eyes for me? D?"Dick sighed deeply and he blinked back his tears, he couldn't cry. Not now, not where Damian could heard him crying. The door suddenly bursted open. Dick didn't bother to turn around as he knew it was probably Bruce or Tim who wanted a report on Damian's condition. He fiddled with Damian's fingers in his hands. "He's stable B, nothing changed. He's not moving, not even half an inch, no... no matter what i do." Dick chuckled bitterly, "but i guess since his heart rate didn't go crazy like last time... that's a win on our side right? I won-" "Damian."Dick stopped rambling. That was not Bruce's voice, not even Tim's and definitely not the girls. It was Jason's. But Jason was still sleeping, fighting the remaining venom in his system. He turned himself around to see the person on the door. It was Jason."Jay," there were sounds of feet stomping on the manor's carpet-covered floor and Tim appeared besides Jason. He looked at Dick and gave him a pleading look. Dick raised an eyebrow, he already got up from his chair and moved towards his younger brothers. He wanted to hug Jason, oh! No one knew how glad he was, seeing that at least one of his unconcious brothers had walked out of his bed. He wrapped his arms around Jason and felt Jason's body tensed. He locked eyes with Tim from across Jason's shoulder. Tim shook his head slowly.Oh- ooh... he knew what Tim was trying to say.  He's regreting it. Oh Jay... []Jason's eyes was glued to the king size bed in the middle of the massive bedroom. The fourteen years old boy who laid in the center of the bed, hooked on various type of machines around him, looked imposibbly small.  *beep*  *beep*  *beep* He glanced at the heart rate monitor. I did this. I fucking did this! "This is not your fault," he heard Dick's voice but he found none of his made out of his mouth.What do you mean it's not my fault! I beat up my family, gave them broken bones and concussion. And i got my little brother lying there like a dea- no, no, no... don't you dare go there Jason! He's... he's not dead. No, he couldn't be dead! Oh my god, what have i done."Jay.""Jason!" Pang! Jason raised his hand slowly, reaching for his cheek, it stung. Did Dick just... slapped him? "I said it's not your fault so snapped out of it." Jason swallowed the lump in his throat, he took a look at Dick's face. His nose had band-aid on it, dark circles covering the space under his eyes and he looked tired, exausted actually. Jason nodded slowly. Dick smiled at him before guiding him towards Damian's bed. Tim followed close on their heels."Say hi, little wing." Jason blinked at Dick but it was Tim who answered his silent question. "He's supposed to be able to hear us." Jason looked at Damian's face for few long seconds before closing his eyes. He took a deep shaky breath."Hey Demon brat, it's me. Your..."He was unsure of what he should says, the guilt was piling in his heart. Dick and Tim squeezed his shoulder gently."...brother, Jason." *beep*  *beep*  *beep* May 2;  07:17 am EST Location: Bat Cave Jason leaned his back against the cave wall. Tim had just showed him the videos from the cave's security cameras, videos of him going on rampaged."Are you okay?" Tim asked and Jason knew he merely concerned for him. But he couldn't help himself from intrepreting them as sarcasm. "Should i be okay after seeing that?"He saw Tim flinched and he realised his voice came out harsh than he intended. Great. Now he felt like a total jerk. But what suprised him was that Tim didn't berate him from being a jerk, he... smiled?"Why are you smiling? Is all of this supposed to be funny?""No, not at all. It's just... this family is so fuck up, if that's the right word for it." Tim chuckled but then his eyes looked sad."It's not your fault."Jason felt sudden rage running through his veins. He was about to counter that statement because he knew if there's someone needed to be blame, it's him, but Tim beat him to it. "The venom bring your deepest insecurity and we all know it's going to be about Bruce. And being brash is just your nature."Jason glared at Tim but he didn't said anything."... i can't say that i'm not mad, i'm not Dick." Tim met his eyes, he wear his best blank face but Jason could saw his anger and was that sadness in there? And honestly, he didn't blame Tim. Even he was mad at himself."But Damian's not waking up from his coma, that is not your fault. So don't hurt Bruce more by being... well, you know... You." Jason snorted. "I called him Dad earlier, didn't i?"Tim's face was funny, he looked like those innocent kids when they first found out that Santa didn't exist. Then Tim clicked his tounge, wow... since when did he did that? Wasn't that Damian's thing?"Oh shut up, you know what i mean." Jason gave Tim his most amused look, "...you still mad at him, aren't you? All this time, for not avenging you?"Tim had uncrossed his arms, he didn't met eyes with Jason anymore and look, he had found an interesting place on the floor to stare at. "I don't want to talk about that."For a few moment, neither of them spoke."Okay... hmm, so..." Jason looked at Tim who's fidgeting and looks like he's asking for permission to continue talking. He raised an eyebrow and Tim cleared his throat akwardly. "Damian might had his head collided with the floor when you pushed him but that's not the caused of his condition now. And his broken ribs are nothing that could cause him to sleep like that.""A little more explaination for that could help, Timbo.""It's-" "Magic." They both turned toward the new voice. Tim let out a breath of relieve, "...Zatanna."  ...he fell to the ground and let the darkness took his sight completely. Barbara's voice grew distant and disappeared along with his conciousness...  He heard the laughters. He swore he heard them. A child and... a man. Father.He knew that voice anywhere. Damian opened his eyes slowly and closed them back as his headache got worst, probably caused by the sudden exposure to light. He felt like his head had been split open. "I'm going to kill Todd for this," he mumbled to himself. He opened his eyes again and this time he ignored his headache, Talia's voice echo in his head "...pain could be controlled, don't let the pain distracted you from being in control." Now that he managed to sit, he felt like throwing up. Yeah right, i'm so not feeling like i could control my stomach or anything at all right now, -tt-. Why the hell did i lied on the floor? Damian looked around him. The manor. The living room. Yeah, he knew this place but something, a few things were different. Did they re-decorated the fireplace? Why did the curtain was blue, i though Pennyworth just changed them to maroon last week. —"Haha- Bruce! You sucks, like seriously sucks."——"Language, young man."— A boy? And... father. What're they talking about. Who's the other voice? —"Yeah... yeah. I kn- hey! That's mine."——"I thought you made this for me."—The voice were coming from the... kitchen? What were they doing at the kitchen? it's almost midnight. Damian walked slowly, he didn't wanted to risk himself falling since he's still seeing double due to the headache. When he got into the kitchen he was met with a sight he could never imagined, Bruce Wayne covered in flour and laughing so... geniunely."Is this some kind of joke?" He whispered more to himself, as he knew his father didn't noticed him entered thfe kitchen. He was standing in his line of view but his father didn't even glanced at him. The loud voice of a young teen caught Damian's attention. "Todd..."Jason Todd was there. Not a man who was six feet tall but just a normal looking preteen. He knew that version of him, Damian had seen Tood's younger pictures in one of his father's drawer in his office. The younger self of Bruce Wayne and his second son were baking, the flour covering their hair and egg shells on the floor was enough to tell the story of what they were doing or at least, attempted to do. Damian flinched and his breathing stopped when the young Jason threw an egg at Bruce, but as expected the egg missed it's target. And flew pass through him?!"What-" out of the sudden, he felt so cold, like his body had lost it's warm temperature that a human body should have. Breathing was hard and it's so damn cold, he wrapped his arms around himself tightly. It took longer than he intended to ease his breathing back to normal, his head still hurt but his vision had returned to normal. It was barely there, couldn't be noticed if he didn't looked at them so intently, he's invisibel. He could looked pass through himself. Damian's eyes widen in realisation. He remembered the rooftop, the fighting (or more to Jason screaming and kicking him; you're going to pay for that Tood. I hope you prepared yourself to be punished!) and being shot with some weird lightning (or was it just a normal light? -Tt- whatever that was, he doesn't care. What he care was he had been shot), in the chest. His hand subconciously traveled across his chest to where his heart supposed to be. Chest rising rhythmically to his breathing pattern and heart still beating.No hole on my chest, okay, that was good. He let out a sigh of relieved. He's alive, he knew he was. Although his slightly invisible body proved him to be more of a ghost than a person but still, he's alive.He looked back toward the pair of father and son, his father and his older brother. Damian took a lot at his surrounding and the two person who were younger than they're supposed to be, he catalouged the differences between them and everything that he knew. Time travel? No, something was not right. Time travel didn't make people invisible, they just leap through time and cause slight changes in the timeline or completely destroyed the timeline, depended on what they did. And you're supossed to travel in flesh not in some sort of invisible human being, ughh! What the hell did i get myself into?!Damian walked toward the duo and called for their names. No response, as if they didn't heard him at all, so he called again. Frustrated and annoyed, he  grabbed a spatula (actually he tried to, didn't worked) only to see his hand go through it and the chilling sensation ran across his veins for the second time. "So i can't be heard and this body aren't capable to touch anything? Great, now what? Watch this pathetic version of father and Todd all day?!"-Tt-  May 2;  01:20 pm EST Location: Bat Cave "Magic? What? Are you trying to say i have some weird magic power that turn my demon brother into sleeping beauty?" Ignoring Jason's sarcastic remark on her words, Zatanna walked elegantly towards the bat brothers. She knew better than to get on a bat's nerve, they were actually a bunch of sensitive people, emotionally stunned human being. Tim hugged her for a while and so did Jason only because she insisted. She asked them to wait for Bruce and Dick to come down before she told them anything. Five minutes later, the bats had her circled in the middle of the cave. She hugged Dick and leaned down to give a light kiss to Bruce's cheek, she said her sorry for entering Damian's room without his permission. Bruce replied saying he didn't mind it since they had been requesting her to come.She cleared her throat and spared a glanced at Dick who obviously opposed the idea of leaving Damian alone upstairs. He had left Damian per Alfred's order to get a bath and something to eat, and let Cass took over his place. And now he was summoned to the cave before he could sneaked into his brother's room. He certainly looked restless if it had anything to do with his non-stop tapping foot."Okay, first of all i'm sorry for being late responding to your call Tim. I was on a mission and you know... usual hero stuff," she smile apologetically at Tim who just nodded in reply. "Alright, now about Damian..." everyone attention was focused on her. "Cass told me about his sudden rising heart rate that happened twice before and considering his brain activity was... barely there, i can tell why you make a conclusion that he's not in a coma for a normal reason."She looked at Tim for a comfirmation but she get nothing, so she continued."I felt his presence, he's everywhere.""What do you mean by that, Zee?" Dick frowned deepen. "You know i can feels your presence, right? Its like aura, but slightly different. For example, Jason." "What?" Jason grunted, not moving an inch from his place."You're standing one feet away from me and your aura shows your feeling and state of mind. I can't read your aura or your mind without casting any spell but i'm skilled enough to pinpoint someone's location just from their presence, although it only works perfectly for people that i'm familiar with."The bats nodded indicating they understood her explaination. "And by 'he's everywhere', you're trying to say..." Tim didn't finished his sentences and he opted to let Zatanna continued. "I mean it exactly as it is. He's everywhere, i can't pinpoint his position and when i tried to enter his mind, i got pushed away.""Enter his mind?" Jason sounded amused. "Yes."Zatanna had tried to talk with Damian through his mind, unlike the martians, she's not an expert in that field but she had learned some powerf spell about it. She then explained about what she had done to help Damian (and how she failed her attempts) and what her conclusion was. The bats were silence for a few long minutes before Tim suggested they bring Damian to the watchtower and asked for J'onn or maybe M'gaan for help. Bruce was reluctant to let Damian go to the watchtower but Dick and Jason insisted since none of them could do anything to help Damian as the bats, obviously didn't have any telepathic abilities."If you can, asked for Raven's help to take a look at him," Zatanna turned to Tim as the other three bats were having their own discussion or more like an argument actually. "Why?" Tim asked, curious on why they needed Raven when the martians were better at telepathy, "you didn't mean..."Zatanna looked away for a second, thinking the right words to say."There's dark magic surrounding him." May 3;  12:56 am EST Location: Watchtower "Sometimes i hate him so much." Clark raised an eyebrow and turned to Barry who just shrugged indicating he had no idea on what Diana was talking about.Barry took a long sip from his cup of coffee to keep him awake since the bats came to the watchtower in the middle of the night when normal people supposed to be sleeping (well, what did you expects Flash? They're bats). He fully understands that they only needed J'onn help but as part of the team, he could never ignored his teammate and friend's misfortune so here he was, at 1 am, sitting on a chair in the watchtower's monitor womb and trying his best to stay awake.He turned his chair towards the computer and clicked on a few buttons and the images of the bat family plus J'onn in one of their medical chamber appeared on the screen. Robin with only his green domino mask covering his eyes was lying still on the bed. "You talked about Bat?"Superman voiced his thought when he saw Diana nodded to Barry, "and your reason is?"Diana crossed her arms and huffed angrily, "six days Clark. That boy haven't woke up for six days and he only asking for help now?!" Barry turned his chair around and casually took another long sip from his cup.The fifth Robin was no one's favourite and everyone knew that, even Robin himself. But who knew what exactly running in his mind because honestly with the exception of Nightwing a.k.a. his big brother and mentor, no one could really get pass the thick wall around that particular young vigilante, even the Bat himself struggling to understand his own biological son (or he just didn't tried harder. Maybe none of them ever tried harder for him).Damian was an overly confident boy, rudely honest about lot of things (except his feeling because he still claims he had none of it) and dangerously skilled in combat. He's someone to be feared, not to mention he's one of the bat and fact everyone knew, Bats didn't have powers. They were merely normal human beings (well as normal as anyone who wore costumes, jumping across buildings and fighting crimes as daily basis can be). And his attitude was the reason he had more points to be dislike rather than adores although he's one of their youngest member. But despite all that, they still cared for him because no matter what, behind that green mask, he was only a young boy who risked his life every single day, protecting others just because his father believed in justice more than anything else. So, they do cared for him.To be frank, Clark had no idea what to say to Diana. He felt the same, of course, a little disappointed and mad because Bruce took way too long to inform him about Damian. They were friends and a team, secrets should not existed between them but then, when you're being friend with a man wearing a bat suit, every corner in his life was filled with secrets. "We can't really blame him," he placed a comforting hand on Diana's shoulder, hoping to ease her anger a little. "...we all know, under that ridiculous cowl, he's just a protective father."Barry chuckled at that statement, "yeah, a very paranoid and protective old man." Diana let out a huff but her posture relaxed. Clark could still hear her heartbeat, still hasn't calm down but she's not that mad anymore. That's good enough.They drank coffee in silence and focused their attentions to the big computer screen, watching tentatively at the group of bats surrounding the poor little robin.  ..."So i can't be heard and this body aren't capable to touch anything? Great, now what? Watch this pathetic version of father and Todd all day?!" -Tt-...  For who knew how long, maybe hours or it could be days... he watched them.Damian kept on following them, always  a few steps behinds them. Watched Bruce and Jason talked, laughed, fought and reconciled, going on patrol and hugged, yeah... something that was so rare to be seen happened with Bruce and Jason (well, rare for Damian to see).The scenes were all beautiful but Damian's felt so cold inside. He never saw father acted like that, his gestures was not forced like when he's with Damian and he looked more relaxed than he used to be, it's like watching his father when he's listening to Dick's joke or when Tim's came back home, back to the manor."All these are... memories," hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Your memories, young man." Damian froze. A woman in white. The fucking woman from before! "Why? Why are you trapping me here?" Damian hissed. "You wish for this, young man. Your heart was screaming to know the truth. To see his love for yourself since you forced yourself to believe you never have them." What wish? I don't remember making any-   —"T-then what, Todd. A-are you... are you going t-to make me understand?"   "If i could, i would. You didn't die like me. You d-didn't came back alone like me. BRUCE GET YOU BACK!" —   Damian snorted in disbelief, he stared at the woman who standing a few feet in front of him. Well, standing was not the right word, she's freaking flooting! Damian murderous glare didn't have any effect to her at all, of course not, she didn't even had her eyes opened. That's explained why she said it was Damian's memories, she couldn't see him. It was supposed to be Tood who trapped in these memories (these were not his memories, these were Jason's). Damian just someone who got shot by her... by accident. Tood, you made such an annoying wish.       "Father loves you, moron. Y-you... never give him chance, it was your own... fault." "Then show me! Fucking show me everything that proof his love to... t-to... me!" "SHOW ME! ALL OF THEM! I WANT TO FEEL IT. I WANT TO SEE WHAT MAKE ME DIFFERENT FROM YOU! HE LOVE ME? HE LOVE ME MORE THAN YOU? THEN SHOW ME."    If this really was your memories Tood then you're a big fool. Couldn't you see them? Father never talked to me like he talked with you. Father never laughed with me like he laughed with you. Father never apologise after our fights, i didn't even knew when we reconciled. He just pretended like it never happened... He never done that, not even once. You had your chances, but i never got any. Father never hugged me like he hugged you. No... Twice.  He hug me twice, Tood. Did you know what i had to do to earn that?  His mother's pearl... And my dead body... he hug me in hell. Jason you... A tear ran down his cheek and Damian didn't even try to stop the rest from flowing down, soaking his cheeks wet. ...fool.     AN: wow so many fake events and weird things (is there any spell to read minds? Idk? It's zatanna so... ok scratched that!) and this is far from canon... hhaha well what can i do, this is a fanfic, don't roast me if you don't like the story. This story was planned to end on chap 2 but... usual thing happened, I NEVER DONE THINGS ACCORDING TO PLAN! Haha! If i did this right (seriously, i really want to do this right!) this could be read as the story from the same AU in Hunting the Haunted Melody (still work in progress, editing is exhausting). Damian is 14 in here and 15 there, so this story goes first in line. Idk if i can do that but i'll try my best! See you in the next chap! ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- May 4 ;  10:50 am EST Location: Wayne Manor, Gotham Jason walked the empty hallway as quiet as he could, but his heart was beating loudly - too loud for his ears - inside his broad chest. A room across him, two doors to the left, right in front of Tim's, he get inside and lied on the floor. Stared straight to the ceiling. The bright sunlight from the slightly opened curtain make his eyes hurt but he didnt, couldn't closed his eyes. Years.He was death years ago.Why couldn't he let it go.Why.Why why why."Because time will never undo the fact that you died, son."Jason visibly flinched, but he said nothing. Scared that his voice might betrayed him. Did i said it all out loud?"Yes, Jason. You said it all out loud."Bruce closed the door and walked closer to his second son, lying on his back with his arms spread like a wing on each sides. Like a bird - how irony. Jason looked at him in the eyes with something clearly visible in his, hurt, before he burst out laughing. And oh my god, if that didn't make him look liked when he still under the venom's, like that night, Bruce couldn't help blaming himself for that. Still. All this years, from Dick to Damian. Four. Four sons, daughters, and still - Bruce Wayne always failed. He's no father. He didn't even knew if there's ever Bruce Wayne in this soul.He could be dead already.Dead when he was eight."Haha, what a mess. I can't even keep my thoughts in my own messed up mind for shit anymore." Jason laughed but Bruce could hear them, loud and clear. His son was hurt. All this time."I'm sorry Jason."Bruce sat beside his son, still lying supine on the floor, the cold floor. Actually, the whole room was a little bit colder than usual. Jason stopped laughing. And for years since he died, Jason looked at him.Like when he was still robin.The innocent look.Begging for love. Desperate for loved.Begging for forgiveness, desperate for them.A look with all that weird combination of emotion that supposed to be gone, as declared by the young man himself. Emotions that supposed to be buried together with his liveless body and left behind - six feet under - when he came back. All because, he didn't need them.Funny how that was the same as one certain little bird that keep going around telling people how he didn't have emotions - he didn't need them.How similar.Too similar for his liking.And Bruce would be a fucking liar if he said it didn't hurt him.How. Why.Stop pretending.He knew how and why.Honestly he knew the answers."Why?" Jason chocked on a sob. "What Jason?" "You're supposed to be mad at me. Why, sorry... what was that." Jason pressed his palm on his face.Bruce felt so horrible. Everyone was right, Dick was right. He was a terrible human being when it cames to feeling. So now, how? How he supposed to talk with his son breaking down in front of him - and it was Jason we're talking about. The one that he once fucked up so bad. The one he failed to save once. And one times was enough. He was a real failure. Bruce took a long deep breath."Because it is not your fault."And with that one sentence, Bruce found himself being pushed to the floor and had his tallest and heaviest son sitting on his chest. Jason got a fist full of his front shirt, the hands were trembling. "The fuck that it is not my fault?!""Jas-""I put him in a coma! I did that to my brother!"Jason punched him in the face. Hard. But not enough to drive out blood."How is that not my fault?! He's not waking up... he's not."Bruce didn't move. Just let Jason slowly let himself sobbed louder and louder. "Did you feel this way when you shot Damian before?"Jason froze. "What-"  May 4; 11.40 am EST Location: Watch Tower "Shit what the hell happened? Dick?!""Tim! Get help! Call - call whoever that can come!" *beepbeepbeepbeep* "Damian! Shit shit shit! No!"  Jason you... A tear ran down his cheek and Damian didn't even try to stop the rest from flowing down, soaking his cheeks wet. ...fool.  "This is so hilarious, you know?" "My deepest apologies, young man. It certainly not my intention to trap you where you don't belong." Damian looked up to see the woman smiling down at him.Crying. He had been crying and she noticed, how different the boy in front of him were acting. Like the memories never in the same plane as his soul. Turn out it was true, never the same as it were not his. Currently lying his head on the woman's lap, with her fingers running slow in his tangled short hair, Damian felt the strange feeling of being with... a mother. How strange. She reminded him a lot about something he never had a chance to try, to do, to get other than from the stories Dick used to tell him. Like how a mother would tell bed time stories when tucking you in at night, like Dick's mother used to. In stories. Sometimes, Damian despised the stories. Painful reminder for a lots of things that he had missed in his broken childhood."Hey." "Yes, little bird." Damian closed his eyes, allowing himself to carved a little smile at that name."Show me all of them. My brother's memories." "All will be painful for you, my dear. Why do you wish for that upon yourself, young man?" "He's... if i tell you, will you grant my wish?" "I owe you an apology and i will grant anything you want, anything that i am capable of. Will you wish something that will never hurt you, i'll be here. But for all i've put you through, against your will, i will not questioned you any further if it is something that you trully desire."  "Very well, lady..."A deep breath and another two words before he got his wish granted."... thank you."    A/N: This is a very very very short chapter so maybe the last chapter gonna be very long or there gonna be more than 4 chapter of this story since there's a lot of event not yet been told in here. I miss this story so much, almost forgot bout this lol, XD. Well tq for reading guys.
11070507
Yesterday
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Obi-Wan Kenobi, Bail Organa, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by barrisscoffees", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-02T00:00:00", "words": "398", "Additional Tags": "baby force twins, or as I like to call it: gross overuse of the em dash, in all honesty the summary doesn't actually fit the story v well, but that my friends is what we call the writing process, THEY JUST KEEP GETTING SHORTER AND SHORTER", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Leia is the first to stop crying. While Padmé strokes her cheek, Leia stares at her with wide, dark eyes. How odd, Obi-Wan mused, to be looked at with one’s own eyes; he can already tell how much the girl will look like Padmé. Obi-Wan hovers a moment to long as Padmé gasps and cries, and Leia sees her mother die. The cry that pulls itself from her tiny mouth is the most devastating sound Obi-Wan has ever heard. In the next room, Obi-Wan can hear Luke beginning to shriek as well. They felt the death as well, then. Regretfully, Obi-Wan exits the room in a hurry. He cannot look at his dead friend any longer. // Neither twin will stop crying. Bail desperately strokes Leia’s cheek and whispers platitudes in his native language. Next to him, Obi-Wan is jiggling Luke. When Bail cannot take the pain that this girl — his daughter — is in any longer, he speaks. “Perhaps…” Bail hesitates, “perhaps they can sleep in the same basket.” Obi-Wan looks pained. Obviously, they shouldn’t — they can’t risk the twins forming too close of a Force Bond. But… Obi-Wan can feel the twin’s pain through the Force, a pain he cannot soothe — if he cannot suppress his own grief, how can he expect the twins to? Obi-Wan nods and Bail scoops Leia into his arms and moves toward Obi-Wan and Luke. Trepidation rolls off Obi-Wan in waves — anyone could feel it — but he likewise lowers Luke into his basket. Once Leia is placed next to her brother, they curl into one another. The crying subsides, and the twin’s breathing slows until each breath is in sync — like they are one being. Leia reaches out and touches her brother for the first time. They stay like that — just staring at eachother — for some time until Luke drifts into his dreams. Leia remains awake, however, and when Obi-Wan goes to check on her, she lifts her gaze to him. Her eyes glow with an intelligence and awareness no newborn should naturally possess. From the moment she is born, Leia Skywalker is wise. Obi-Wan wonders if she will remember this — remember her mother. “Your mother,” He has come to accept it, but saying it is another matter entirely, “is one with the Force, now Leia. She will be with you always.” And for the first time in her life, Leia Organa sleeps.
11097222
your heart tattooed upon
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Diana (Wonder Woman), Steve Trevor, Hippolyta (Wonder Woman), Antiope", "Fandom": "Wonder Woman (2017)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by CerinityKS", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-05T00:00:00", "words": "3,781", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff and Angst, Non-Graphic Smut, Not A Fix-It, Movie Spoilers", "Relationship": "Diana (Wonder Woman)/Steve Trevor", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "it's a soulmate thing (or: the word chronicles)", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, Gen", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
1893 Steve Trevor was born with Words. That wasn’t a terribly unusual occurrence, especially not in such modern times as these, but it was rare enough that his mother was slightly taken aback. She could hear the nurses gossiping off to the side as she was handed her baby (her precious baby boy) and did her best to ignore them as she rubbed a cautious finger across the cords encircling her son’s tiny wrist. The doctor was talking. “...and of course, as you know, only some 25% of the population is born with words but you needn’t be alarmed Ms. Trevor. History has proven that those born with their Words go on to do great things, and half of them find their Word Match before they’re 20 even, imagine that! The luck…” She tuned him out. She already knew her son would do great things, she didn’t doubt it, and even if he didn’t she would love him anyway. As a mother should. Still, however, she couldn’t keep the slight frown from her face, likely what kept the doctor talking even though she’d clearly stopped listening. You’re a man The Words on her son’s wrist were strange, and she tried to envision some future scenario that would lead her son’s soulmate to speaking these words. What kind of person could they possibly be, to be so surprised to see her son was a boy? No, she wasn’t worried about her son in the least, but his soulmate… well, that was another matter. Her son blinked his eyes open then, brilliant blue pools locking onto hers, and any thoughts of soulmates or oddness disappeared as she beamed down at him. “Have you chosen a name yet, Ms. Trevor?” the doctor abruptly asked, cutting himself off from his soulmate statistic diatribe. She blinked up at him momentarily before she smiled back down at her son. “Yes,” she whispered, as thoughts of his absent father and their conversations about this very topic flooded her mind. She had already chosen a name. “Steve,” she continued, and wished her husband could be there for this moment, how proud he’d be to see his son. “Steve Trevor.” She didn’t know what the future had in store for her son, but she knew, could feel it in her bones, that he’d be great. - hundreds of years ago Diana, daughter of Hippolyta, princess of Themyscira, was not born with Words. Hippolyta had demanded the Amazon that had performed the medical examination on her daughter check again. When she reported again that she had no words, Hippolyta took it upon herself to check. Unfortunately, the Amazon spoke truth. Her daughter was not Worded, was not blessed by Zeus, her father, to be given the honor of a soulmate. Hippolyta despaired. Was it not curse enough that he daughter was a demi-god, named god killer by prophecy and right of her blood? That she was destined to fight Ares, the God of war, whensoever he should appear again? Now she would not even know the joy of having a soulmate, the other half of her soul, her tether to life and Gaia herself? Hippolyta had never hated the gods, but in that moment she hated Zeus. “Fear not, my wonder,” she whispered to her sleeping daughter as she cradled her closer. “You are loved, and if Zeus has not deemed you worthy of Words, then we shall simply have to show them you are worth more.” Yes, her daughter may not be Worded, but she would never be without love, and she would never doubt her worth. “This I swear, my sweet Diana.” - 1912 - 1914 Steve Trevor is 19 when he decided to help defend his country, and not long after that the Balkan’s declare war on the Ottoman empire. No one is really concerned, but they keep an eye on the situation, and he hears a few people begin to murmur about unrest to the East, how things seem to be spiraling lately, but he puts it off as paranoia and dismisses anything he hears. Instead he applies almost immediately to join the aeronautical division that’s in development, and just the idea of it makes his head spin and his heart race. Imagine, being able to fly! He feels even better when he gets accepted, and then he’s learning to pilot these amazing new machines and he feel as if his heart could burst. Imagine, the places he could get to! And then he thinks of his Words, and he can’t help but wonder - is this how it happens? Learning to fly and being able to go to far off places he couldn’t have before? It’s a fantastical idea, but one he can’t help but think of more and more as he slowly learns. It gives him a warm feeling, the idea that this is the path he’s supposed to be on, and so he pushes himself more, flies to the top of his class, becomes invaluable. And then the worst thing happens, and an Archduke is assassinated, and suddenly all that speculation about things happening isn’t just speculation anymore. Suddenly there’s a war, and he’s right in the middle of it, and it never seems like it will end. Still he persists, and gets even better. In the process he meets people he knows will be friends for life - Charlie, Samir, Chief, and then in England Etta. Anytime he starts to doubt himself all he has to do is look at the words on his wrist and remember how freeing it is to fly, and he knows he’s doing the right thing. - many years ago Diana never questioned her lack of Words, never felt the need to see a phrase tattooed across her skin. She was a relatively bright and happy child regardless, with a thirst for life and a desire to learn that pleased her mother - as long as it was pointed away from subjects she would rather Diana not learn about. In fact, the only time Diana ever questioned it was a few hundred years into her life, after Antiope had finally deigned to let her spar with live weapons. “Antiope, what are the words everyone wears?” she questioned after one of their daily spars had concluded. Antiope froze, clearly caught off guard, and Diana felt a small flicker of guilt. “What makes you ask?” Antiope finally replied. Diana shrugged and swung her training sword in a small arc. “Curiosity. Mother’s never told me, so I figured it wasn’t for me to know, that I was too young, but I’m not a child anymore!” she insisted, and Antiope smiled. “No, you’re not just a child anymore,” she conceded, and Diana beamed. “So you’ll tell me?” Antiope studied her, saw the eager gleam in her niece’s eye, and despite her sister’s warnings to the Amazon’s to never reveal the meaning of the Words to her daughter, Antiope relented. After all, she’d already broken a promise to her sister by training Diana, why not break another? Especially one much more harmless than the other. “The words are a blessing on us by the Gods,” Antiope revealed as she displayed her own mark (written on the inside of her forearm) proudly. “They let us know the other half of our soul, the person that tethers us to life and the Earth. Without them we are not complete.” Diana took a moment to process the words, and Antiope watched her carefully. “Then, why do I not have Words?” Diana finally questioned, sounding more curious than sad. “Am I not worthy of them?” “Never think that,” Antiope quickly denied. “The Gods must have looked at you and seen that you were already complete, worthy of being your own tether. There is no shame in that.” Diana considered her words with a frown, and Antiope held her breath and wondered how her words would be taken. Truthfully they knew not why Diana had no Words, but that is the answer that they had decided upon, a century after Diana’s birth, and the only one Hippolyta would have ever agreed to give Diana in answer to this very question. “Okay,” Diana eventually shrugged, and Antiope breathed once more. “Can we spar once more Antiope? Please?” she begged, an eagerness in her eyes, and Antiope grinned. “Ready yourself little princess,” she replied simply, and Diana grinned as Antiope threw herself forward, relieved that Diana had brushed it aside so simply. Yes, if there was anyone in this world that did not need a soulmate, it would be their Diana. - 1918 Steve grew older, and the war continued to rage on, until it had been 4 years already and Steve hardly remembered what life was like without it. He had seen terrible things, and done terrible things in return, and sometimes when he looked in the mirror he could hardly recognize himself or the man he’d become. He’d think about his words, and it was in moments like these that he could imagine how his soulmate could question him being a man. And then he was assigned an infiltration mission, and he’d be escorting Ludendorff himself to see the infamous Doctor Poison, and things started to go very wrong. He’d managed to steal the doctor’s notebook, something he was sure would be key to finally stopping this war, and then he had to flee, but not before he managed to blow up the compound in the process, even though the delay meant that he had multiple german pilots trailing him and doing their best to kill him. It wasn’t until he was over the Atlantic ocean and in the process of being shot down, though not without taking the last of those german bastard pilots down with him, that he finally thought once more of his soulmate. ‘I’m sorry,’ he thought as his plane dived, completely out of his control now, ‘I wish I’d had more time.’ And then he was crashing, but it was light where it had been dark before, and there was an island where previously there had been none, and he could possibly live, so he struggled, and tried to free himself, but he was stuck, damnit, not now-! There was water surrounding him, and it was getting harder to breathe, but still he couldn’t free himself, and then he looked up as the tail broke off and there was someone else in the water, and- It all went black. - Steve woke with a groan, sun blinding him, and it took him a moment to realize that he was alive. He was alive and there was someone kneeling over him. He focused on them blearily, and a beautiful woman started to come into focus. “Wha-?” he started, so confused and thrown, and she smiled in confusion. “You’re a man,” she said, and Steve stared at her, uncomprehending, before he realized holy shit those were his words, and the woman who said them looked like an angel, and- “Yeah, I mean,” he stuttered, confused and still trying to comprehend it all. “Don’t I look like one?” She laughed a little, still smiling, but then it all went to hell again because the German’s were there, they’d followed him, and oh shit his soulmate was in danger because of him. But she surprised him, fighting fiercely and fearlessly, even against guns, but she and her people were winning and he couldn’t help but be so impressed by her that he imagined that was the moment he fell in love. Watching her fight, a look of intense concentration on her face as she cut down her enemies, and Steve never wanted to be anywhere but by her side. Then the battle was over, and one of the other woman had taken a bullet for her and she was crying and Steve felt like he’d been kicked in the chest. This was all his fault. Even still, she defended him against the others as they focused their attention and rage on him, and she was radiant. - Diana was confused by the man, yet still, she was drawn to him. He spoke of things that filled her with sorrow, and she knew, deep in her bones, that he’d been sent to them - to her - for a reason. So when she went to meet him in the healing pools, she only intended to question him about this war he spoke of, and to tell him that she would be joining him - it was her sacred duty as an Amazon to fight, to protect humanity from Ares, and this war was clearly the result of his machinations. Yet she couldn’t stop herself from being distracted by him. They spoke of many things, and then she caught sight of the Words around his wrist. “You have Words,” she said, surprised. He blinked, then looked down at his wrist where her attention was focused and back at her bemusedly. “Of course I do,” and then he paused and looked at her carefully, even as he covered his Words with a black leather cuff, hiding them from view before she could read them. “Don’t you?” She shook her head, and a foreign emotion crossed his face, and it took her a second to recognize it as grief. It confused her. “I am the only one on Themyscira without Words,” she admitted, and Steve swallowed. “Y-you’ve never had them?” She shook her head and stepped a bit closer. “No, I was told that they were a blessing by the Gods, but that when they looked down on me they saw that I was complete as I was, never in need of them like the rest of humanity.” Steve looked away, and Diana was startled by the level of sadness she saw in his gaze. How kind a soul must Steve Trevor be, to feel this level of sadness for another person. “Don’t worry Steve,” she smiled and brought his attention back to her. “I am not bothered by it, so you need not be either. I consider it an honor that the Gods believe I am capable of being my own tether to this world.” “Right,” Steve nodded, but somehow her words did not appear to appease him. Well, then Diana would simply have to show him when she joined him on the journey to Man’s world. - Steve had finally found his soulmate, but it turned out while he might be hers, she wasn’t his. The more time they spent together though, the more Steve found himself being okay with this. Diana was so good and pure, a light upon this Earth, and he didn’t think anyone could possibly deserve her, especially not him. He contented himself with the fact that he could walk beside her, be her friend and watch her back. Because even though she was a badass warrior woman, she still needed someone to watch her back from the bad guys when she was fighting. She had a worrying habit of not watching her surroundings, something Steve was determined to fix. Even without Words tying them together though, Steve couldn’t deny that there had to be something between them, he wasn’t the only one to feel it. He could see it, in the way she leaned into him as they swayed together in the post-liberation celebration in Veld. Could see it in the way she looked at him, softly, with affection, like he was as precious to her as she was becoming to him. So when he went to bid her goodnight, he had promised himself that it was all it would be, there would be no sleeping together that night. But the way she looked at him… That first kiss has been magical, as had the second, and the third, and the fourth, and then Diana was letting him maneuver her to the bed as he settled over her, lips trailing down her neck as she sighed and tangled her hands in his hair. “What do you want?” he breathed as he slid his hands up her bare thighs and pressed a kiss to her breast bone. “Anything you want, just tell me, I’ll do it for you,” he promised against her skin. “Are you telling the truth?” she teased. “Want to tie me up and find out?” he teased right back, and oh, the promise that appeared in her eyes at that. The shiver that ran down his spine at the thought of it, being tied up and at her mercy, to do with as she pleased, excited him more than he’d anticipated. But for her, anything. “Maybe another night,” she whispered, and then she did something and suddenly her outfit was loose and his mouth was dry. “Your mouth,” she licked her lips, eyes dark, and Steve pressed a kiss to her lips as he helped her remove the suit. “Where?” he asked as she finally lay beneath him, glorious and beautiful. “Wherever you wish,” and Steve wanted to taste her everywhere, pleasure her all night long, but he knew they wouldn’t have time for everything he wished in that moment, so he dropped down and pressed a kiss to her inner thighs, and Diana’s breath hitched as he parted her legs more to settle more easily between them. The sound she made when he first tasted her, slow and tentative, was encouraging. He teased her a little, wanting to hear more, but his Diana knew what she wanted and went after it, and as she forced him closer, demanded more, harder, he acquiesced. Her first orgasm was a surprise, and the way she clenched her thighs around his head made him breathless, before she relaxed. He didn’t stop however, and the noises of encouragement from her made him keep at it, introducing his hands next, and her next orgasm he made sure to wring out of her slowly, keeping her on the edge until she finally demanded more, and the way she cried his name made his heart (and other bits) swell. “You have far too many clothes on still,” she finally noted as Steve slowly kissed his way up her stomach, fingers still working languidly inside her. “Would you like to undress me?” he asked, and she sighed as he withdrew his fingers. “I think I would,” she replied, and her quick, nimble fingers made easy work of his shirt and trousers. Her hands hesitated when they got to his leather cuff however, a question in her eyes, and Steve just smiled as he reached up and undid that himself. Diana focused on his wrist as the Words were revealed, and Steve knew the moment she recognized them. “These Words,” she breathed, and Steve nodded. “Yes.” “You did not tell me,” she accused, and Steve nodded again. “I am yours, but you’re not mine,” was the only explanation he gave. “Your sadness in the cave,” she replied to that, a sudden understanding lighting her face. “Yes,” but he’d gotten over that. “Would you have told me the truth if not for this night?” she questioned, eyes narrowed, and Steve smiled. “Yes. I don’t care that you don’t have any Words from me Diana, that’s not what this, tonight, is about. This is about us, just being, and me wanting to be with you because you’re you,” he emphasized and made sure she was looking him in the eyes as he said it, so she could read the truth in them without her lasso. “Words or no Words, I would want you.” Diana studied him carefully, but slowly, she started to smile. “I believe you,” and Steve, grateful, leaned forward to steal her lips in a kiss that she gladly returned. She slowly maneuvered him onto his back, Diana straddling his thighs comfortably, and he couldn’t help but gaze up at her in awe as she slowly took him inside her. She started to move, and Steve couldn’t breath for the pleasure she brought him, and in that moment, looking into her eyes, he knew she felt the connection too - Words or no Words. He’d choose her in this and every life, and he could only hope that she might one day feel the same, if they both survived this. - ‘I wish we had more time. I love you.’ Diana could feel nothing but rage and sorrow as she saw proof of Steve’s destruction above her, so far out of her reach with no way for her to save him. His final words to her ringing in her head, heartbreaking, said in the certainty of death that she couldn’t save him from. If only, if only, if only. The last words he’d ever say to her, a confession that she never got a chance to return. The power that built in her, the ruthlessness, it scared her once she came back to her senses, and it shamed her, that she could lose control so easily. It was only the memory of Steve (who could only be that now, a memory, gone far too soon, and it wasn’t fair-) and the way he’d believed in her, in this mission, that grounded her. It wasn’t until Ares was finally defeated and she was standing on a fiery tarmac surrounded by the survivors of Ares’ wrath that she finally understood the meaning of having a tether. And thought she had no Words to prove it, Diana knew without a doubt that Steve was her tether. And she would spend the rest of her life honoring his memory. She only had to do one thing first. - 2017 Diana traced the photograph Bruce had managed to find and send to her sadly, eyes tracing the curves of his face even as, in her memories, she remembered the taste of his mouth and the feel of his skin against hers, that night in Veld, the only night they ever got. She slowly set the photograph down and sent an email to Bruce - he deserved her thanks for this, for finally giving her back a precious memento that she had thought lost forever. As she did she caught sight of her wrist, and a smile came to her lips as she traced the Words there, the Words she had tattooed upon herself in his memory, a physical memory upon her skin of the tether she’d chosen for herself. Steve would never come back, but in this, she could honor what he was to her - her Words had brought them together, and his had ripped them apart, a beginning and an end, but never forgotten. Seh would carry him with her the rest of her life, her tether, and maybe, someday, they might meet again. ‘I wish we had more time, I love you’
11065971
TOORU PLAYS Bb CLARINET
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "OC-Sora Gaochiru, Iwaizumi Hajime, Oikawa Tooru, OCs and Randos galore, Eun Oikawa-Oikawa Tooru's mother", "Fandom": "Haikyuu!!", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by CheetahLeopard2", "chapters": "2/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "5,824", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Marching Band, they are in 2nd year, Monthly updates, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn", "Relationship": "Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Noise- noun- irregular fluctuations that accompany a transmitted electrical signal but are not part of it and tend to obscure it.   Noise. The thing that many people take for granted. The thing that rolls time through the universe in clots and bursts and rumbles and is tugged from reluctant lips. Noise. Noise that allows communication. Allows smiles to have meaning and feelings to be cut down. All it took was one horrible noise to break Tooru’s life. One thing. One barely there crack that seemed to echo the shatter of his world although he was the only one who could hear it. One noise. Crack. One tear. Crack. One horrid obstruction. Crack.  One obstacle. Crack.  The sound of built up tension. Crack . One sound that would grate on his ears for minutes bleeding into hours bleeding into hours. Crack. Those hours turn to days into weeks that bleed into months. Crack. One torn ACL. That’s all it took. Noise. Noise that filled that old gym with shouts and screams of agony, short quick breaths trying to stop tears that were already flowing. Noise. One that led a silhouette to that gym door, looking for all it’s worth that it would be rusty on its hinges but opens smoothly and silently but for a Bang! An I found you noise. Bang! An I caught you noise. Bang! A someone-is-here-someone-come-for-you noise. Bang! An I’ve-got-you-don’t-be-scared-noise. Bang! But it was a bang all the same. And bang is a flinch-someone’s-angry noise. Bang is a run-someone-has-found-you-out noise. Noise. The sound of a loose scrabble of sneakers on the floor before recognition. The sound of a sharp breath or panic. The sound of a choked sob from the pain of reaction. The stream of Help-me help-me help-me that doesn’t make it through the pain. Oh and the pain. Pain cannot describe a color. But it can. Sharp stabbing bursts. Red. Constant throbbing, aching. Green. The dull thrum of a wound well-earned. Blue. And the pain right now. Wave after wave of redredredred help me it’s red. And then the feeling of being lifted. The feeling of being weightless abut for those painful bursts of feeling in the knees. The shoulders. The all-too-strong pull of gravity tugging your spine and your feet. And then nothing. Nothing until green is everything.   When Tooru wakes up next, to the smell of stale and sterile air. The too-white-too-bright-too-cold monotony of a hospital. A torn ACL is the verdict. He can play again, his knee can work with a brace for years and years still, but only if he doesn’t strain it. He’s sent home with a warning and a forced leave from school.  Hajime Iwaizumi. 179.3 centimeters and 70.2 kilograms of toned muscle from playing volleyball, tanned skin and dark spiky hair from his parents and forest-green eyes from who knows where. A personality befitting a gruff mother bear and smiles that could light up a room. A somewhat deep voice with an earthy lint and a mature look on life. Somewhat obsessed with Godzilla. A wing spiker, vice-captain, and ace of Seijoh volleyball club. Someone everyone can trust, and who Tooru trusts the most. Tooru Oikawa, 184.3 centimeters and 72.2 kilograms of toned muscle from his time as a setter, lighter skin from his half-Korean heritage and chocolate brown hair haloing his hair in waves from his mother, eyes that look like silt mixed water with the first rays of sunlight shining through from his father and a wrecked knee in his second year of high school from pushing himself. A narcissist with few people he trusts and even less self-confidence and a genuine smile that was something to look for. A chirpy voice that could drop and make you question everything and a view of the world as wine tasters would judge wine with a whimsical twist and a realists eyes. Obsessed with everything space. Someone everyone likes, and who is close with few. Best friends since the age of seven, looking out for each other since that day. Two major fights. And unrealized mutual pining since the age of 9. Teammates since the first year of junior high. And now Hajime rummages through Tooru’s room as he whines. “But volleyba-” “No.” Hajime is firm in his tone, bag almost filled to the brim. He doesn’t even look back from digging through Tooru’s galaxy shirts to reach the volleyball he knows is the back of the closet. “But Iwa-ch-” “No. You know our deal. You stayed in the rest of the season and you won’t play again until it starts again third year. Except when you’re invited to. I’m not going to stand by and watch you use this break to ov-” Hajime hesitates, shoulders shaking with tiny tremors even as Tooru’s stop. Though Hajime hadn’t gotten far, the ‘overwork yourself and permanently wreck your knee,’ the ‘destroy yourself and your future,’ the ‘drive you to the hospital’ was very obvious, hanging heavy in the air between them. “I just can’t. We have twelve weeks of school left Tooru. It’s second year. Don’t fuck yourself up.” Tooru, as much as he loves volleyball, knows that Hajime is right. And might be, a small. Small. Tiny. Microscopic. Bit… glad. For a chance to rest and laze around and rewatch shitty sci-fi. But an issue still remains, “Iwaaaa-chaaaannn what will I dooooooo ?” Hajime just smiles, recognizing his surrender, “Relax.” Trying to ignore the flutter of his heart the smile brought, Tooru whines, it’s been so long since he hasn’t had something to distract him. It wouldn’t so much be pent up energy, hopefully, as Tooru knows he can still jog (but no running, sprinting, or going for too long). He could, perhaps, dig through the deepest reaches of Tumblr? His job was online, helping out a friend of his dad who’s an editor, so he doesn’t actually have to leave and just has to get everything done by the end of the deadline. By the time Hajime leaves that evening, the question remains unanswered; What to do during his “forced leave”from school? ---   The question is posed again by a bemoaning Tooru as he stretches his upper body across the kitchen counter, directed at his mother. “You could clean out the attic!” Is her cheery response. It says a lot about his boredom that Tooru agrees.   ---   The attic, when he climbs the stairs, is less scary than 7-year-old he and Hajime remember. It’s rather peaceful, actually. Light streams in from the large port stain-glass windows at every corner, in clear patterns as glimmers reflect off every lazily dancing particle of dust floating down to congregate on pile after pile of stuff. It’s peaceful, timeless, almost a liminal space between time and space. The area has a faded effect, every color a pastel or gentle autumn almost colour. His eyes alighting on the boxes, Tooru sighs. He has a lot of work to do. There’s an area in the center that contained just rugs. Stretching his arms in front of him, palms out-turned and fingers interlaced, he begins with those.  Dragging each outside to beat the dust out of and hang to air out One. A plain plush dark red carpet, gold tassels hanging off of every edge. Two. An intricate design with no real pattern in royal blue against bronze, The edges rimmed in a soothing wave patterns. Three. A honey colored close-knit or crocheted rug with black striped all through in, a badger sewn in detail in the center. Four. A deep green round rug, striking Tooru as something that belongs in a library. A silver snake with deep blue eyes that bore into the soul coiled content in the center, others slithering and enthralling coils that are impossible to determine where one ended and the other began.  Five.  This one is different, It’s dark blue, almost purple or even black, a silver flute that seems as though it’s reflecting the light gracing it, notes floating up from the end. Six. This is similar to the last, and rustic orange background to a bronze shining trumpet.  Seven. This one features a black background, a trombone in third position along the entirety.  Eight. This one takes his breath away, a wooden black clarinet. (This one he had to take a photo of and look up on his phone) It’s silhouetted by lilac and seemingly senseless swirls of black that fade off into nothing and seem to rise from the paper as smoke rises from a candle. This one he’ll ask his mom if he can hang in his room as a tapestry. It’s breathtaking bordering the edge of simple. Now onto the boxes. The first is filled with files, Boring. He starts a pile in the center where the rugs were, this one to let his mother sort through. The next is a bunch of hats, and moths. And some dead spiders. And - okay. That’s more than enough for Tooru to set into a “clothes” pile.  He’s most-way finished with cleaning out the attic when he sees it. A worn, beat up old case. Red leather rimming the edges, a warm honey colour material, probably some sort of wood, and a handle covered in old, hard thick tape not unlike rubber. Electrical tape, probably. It has two keyholes above each latch besides two round metal protrusions. And under it connected by a bit of twine, a bag. Humming slightly to himself, Tooru sets aside the case and bag as things of interest to look at later. Little did he know how those items would change his life.   ---   More papers, more dusting done, more hats, some jewelry, more and more, bit by bit, each pile builds up. Tooru brings the pile for his mother to go through down before he brings down everything he thinks can be donated. At the end of it all, all that remains unaltered in that attic other than the red upholstered couch and the birch window seat is the bag and case. He checks the clock and realizes that only five hours had passed. So much for his plan of staying in and having something to occupy him. Tooru sighs, looking around. The attic has a nice ambience to it when it’s cleaned up. Cherry floorboards, faded rose walls, sunlight streaming through the window illuminating the dancing dust particles. Tooru wouldn’t mind hanging out in here and just reading or studying in that window seat. With a final glance around, he turns to head downstairs. At the top of the stairs he hesitates before turning back for the bag and case.   --- Tooru sets the bag and case down in the kitchen entryway before entering. His mother shoots him a look™ as soon as he enters and grabs a cup. “Is it all clean?” is her suspicious question, punctuated by the drumming of her long purple fingernails against the table and the dribbling of water. Tooru fights the urge to roll his eyes, “Yes mom, I dusted and everything.” Her posture relaxes, her shoulders sinking and a slight sigh escaping her lungs. “Thanks, Tooru.”  A slight smile alights Tooru’s lips, which he hides by taking a sip from his glass, “No problem, Okaa-san.” “Hey, only 9 more days!” His mother tries to see his smile. “That’s more like 13 counting the weekends Okaa-san.” Tooru points out, swirling his glass and watching the whirlpool form. Tooru can tell his mom wants to comfort him, so he immediately changes the subject, “I found a case upstairs and I was wondering if you had the key?” He says it with a slight flourish of his hands and at the end of his sentence his inquisitive eyes pin his mother in the spot.  Eun Oikawa hums and traces meaningless designs on the table with her fingers, “I might. Which case?” Tooru holds up a finger and takes two strides to the kitchen door, from which he hoists the bag and case onto the kitchen counter to show Eun. Eun immediately begins laughing, “Tooru this is so old! There’s no key.” Tooru feels oddly disappointed and cheated until Eun lifts her hands to the odd round protrusions and slides each outwards until a small click is heard. The case opens and inside is a disassembled Bb clarinet. It’s beautiful. Black stained wood, silver rings where each part connects except for the center, and a case of 2.5 reeds. “That bag should have a beginners book in it, and information about a jwpepper account, although I recommend checking musescore before buying anything.” Eun interrupts Tooru’s staring. “Uhhhh….okay?” Tooru scrunches together his eyebrows and tugs his shoulders a bit closer to him. His confused tic that only his parents, sister, or Hajime would recognise. Eun laughs and reaches for her closed pc, sitting in the center of the table, “They’re websites with sheet music.” And so began Tooru’s plans for the rest of his leave, playing clarinet all day for two weeks.   ---   There is a general hum of chatter as Tooru opens the door to the band room for the first time, as it’s mostly already full. He’s slightly hunched over so that he’s not fully in the room, but rather leaning over the threshold. He’s been back at school for about three weeks already, and has taken that time to catch up on his class and get his gym elective switched to Tooru knows that there are roughly 30 kids already in the class, so it’s doubtful that they all know each other. But there are only 6 clarinets aside from him, so he’ll definitely be singled out as new among his section. Straightening up, something he is only physically capable of, Tooru takes his first step into the band room. Once inside, Tooru notices a slight atmosphere change. It’s kind, crazy, and serious all at once. It reminds him of practice games when he has the team split to play against their own. Tooru makes his way down the terraced floor, twisting around stands and squeezing behind chairs until he reaches the rest of the clarinets. Luckily, he hasn’t seen any of his fangirls in this class, but he grows nervous when the clarinet sitting next to the empty chair on the end switches chairs with the one next to her. He sits down in the spot by the empty clarinet, feeling as though his atoms are buzzing with his anxiety. “Hey,” the other clarinet says as he sticks his reed in his mouth. They continue without stopping, having noticed the wood in his mouth, “You’re new so you probably don’t have the warm-up book so if you want we can share mine? I play clarinet 2 I hope that’s okay.” Tooru takes the reed out of his mouth and begins affixing it to his mouthpiece, making sure it’s slid far enough up. He turns to the person as he turns the screws on his ligature, “That’d be great thank you! What is your name?” They smile, they have pale green eyes, and silver hair threaded with blue and green that is cut shoulder length on one side and is down to their waist on the other, they have dark purple, almost black rimmed glasses and they’re wearing a band shirt and blue jeans. “Sora, meaning sky.” “A beautiful name,” Tooru says with a smile, “What are we playing?” “We’re actually doing review songs for these last few months of school, and requests. So the first thing we’re playing is Hercules and the Hydra. ” They flip the curtain of hair down to their waist behind their shoulder, where half of it immediately falls back in front of them and they huff a bit as Tooru fights the urge to laugh and instead hums. “I’ve never heard of that before, I look forward to playing it!” The band director at that moment calls out, “Alright! Page 32 numbers one through three and five! Call and response. Aoi you start us off!” A trumpet behind him lifts her horn and plays. Sora hurries to open their book to the right page, and so began his first day of band. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Festival- noun- an organized series of concerts, plays, or movies, typically one held annually in the same place. Tooru is excited. There’s no other way to put it, really. There’s a field trip to a music festival today. The schedule goes something like this: Get up, grab music, instrument, food, phone and charger, drive to school, and get on the bus. From there the bus will take them up to Canyon City High School and they’ll watch the orchestra play, then they’ll play. Then pizza will be provided. And then they’ll get back on the bus to take them up to the canyon. Tooru wakes up at six am, showers, throws on his band polo (a navy polo shirt with the Seijoh Band logo on it) and khaki pants, and packs a bag with his music, a water bottle, his phone charger, his nook, and his clarinet. As he sets his phone in his pocket, it starts buzzing. It’s Sora. As the two clarinets who weren’t really friends with the others, they had ended up talking a lot. Tooru found Sora a calming presence, if somewhat crazy, as all clarinets are. Although not someone he had heard a lot about, Sora seemed to have a wide variety of acquaintances and even know a bit about everyone. They actually reminded Tooru a lot of Issei and Takahiro, just as mischievous with Issei’s chill and Takahiro’s attitude toward strangers with a killer dab and a quick wit. The two are now close friends, . Some had already thought they were dating but Sora had been quick to dispel the rumors with a laugh and a, “ Him? Dating me? That’s ridiculous!” Sora had even introduced him to her best friend/brother from another mother, Makoto. Makoto seems to approve of Tooru, and not mind being called Koto-chan. And they get along well with Hajime, having been invited over to study while he was there. It was during one such study session when the three of them came out to each other.  Ir wasn’t really anything special. Sora was lying on their bed on their stomach, knees bent and stockinged feet dangling in the air above them, lazily kicking as they typed up an essay. Hajime was sitting at the desk twiddling his pencil over math homework. And Tooru was sitting on the floor surrounded by two textbooks, a stack of flashcards, and a water bottle. “I hate that she makes us use two different textbooks! Why couldn’t she have just found one that had all the information?!” Tooru ranted, “It’s stupid!” Sora and Hajime grunt their approval. “And now you straight up leave me to my ranting.” Tooru mutters, “Great.” “The only straight I am’s a straight-up bitch.” Sora immediately responds. Hajime turns in his chair and Tooru looks up at the bed. Tooru doesn’t even think Sora realized she said it, as they haven’t looked up, continuing to work on their essay. The clacking of keys slowly grind to a stop as Sora looks back up at them, “Sorry, knee-jerk reaction.” Looking as Tooru and Hajime continue the silence, Sora gasps, “Ohhhh I haven’t come out to you guys yet have I?” Tooru and Hajime mutedly shake their heads that No wtf you have not . Sora gives a half hearted smile, “Half of my jokes are straight jokes so I thought I had… Welp, I’m aro. Ace, too. Panpoly alterous” The silence turns pensive as the other two dwell on this information. “I’m gay.” comes Hajime’s voice after a moment, and the two turn to him. He’s leaning back in his chair, staring at his pencil as though it’s the most interesting thing in the world. “I’m pan, I think.”  Tooru finally speaks up, slower than he usually speaks. “Cool.” Sora says. And that’s that. The brightness of Tooru’s phone as the messenger app opens pulls him from his thoughts.   Sora Gaochiru You excited for today?! ヽ༼◕ل͜◕༽ﾉ   Tooru Oikawa Yep! Can’t wait ─=≡Σ((( つ◕ل͜◕)つ   Tooru triple-checks that he has all the pieces and slings the bag over his shoulder as he leaves the room. He had intended to look cool, but really he put too much power into swinging the bag and overbalances, being forced to side step a few times into the hallway. He reaches up to push up his glasses to hide his embarrassment, only to poke his eyes as he’s wearing contacts. Eun snorts amusedly, looking up the stairs as Hajime ducks into the kitchen, laughing. Huffing, Tooru turns up his nose and steps too far down the stair, jolting. Hajime’s laughter from the kitchen grows louder and Tooru’s heart clutches in his chest. “Okay, we get it, I’m a train wreck. Can we go now?” Tooru is so close to pleading, just wanting to be gone already, to where only the beat makes his feet move and only his breath controls how he sounds. “I’m driving you to school today Oikawa.” Hajime calls from the kitchen, smile evident in his voice. “Yay~ Thank you Iwa-chan!” Tooru chimes, sauntering down the stairs to drape himself over Hajime’s back. “Oi! Crappykawa get off! We have to go!” Tooru giggles, enjoying the contact while he can. Wishing it weren’t simply platonic, wishing, imagining that Hajime would turn and rest his hands on Tooru’s hips and peck him on the lips in apology for displacing him. But this is real life, and Tooru’s wishes mean nothing, so Hajime instead just turns around and scowls at how close that puts their faces, breaths intermingling between them. And Tooru takes a step back with a flirty grin pretending, just pretending, that his heart isn’t aching. The drive to school is over in five minutes, filled with gentle bickering and hidden meanings that both of them are too scared to unpack. Once at the school, Tooru turns to Hajime to say a teasing goodbye, but Hajime blindsides him with a genuine, “Good luck. Have fun, okay?” and Hajime avoid his gaze. Which Tooru is glad for because he can feel his eyes watering, can sense almost as well as he could touch, the space there where Hajime would say, “I love you.” Or maybe he did say it, behind other words that form a door Tooru refuses to open out of fear of rejection. Either way, Tooru almost grabs Hajime’s arm, hand hovering over it as he says his “Thank you.” Eyes locking on Hajime’s soft ones, both slightly widening at the affection found there. The spell, the delicate moment woven between them is broken by a gentle knocking on Tooru’s window. Sora smiles at Hajime as Tooru steps out of the car with his small bag in tow, “Thanks for driving him Haji-chan!” Tooru makes his confused face, smile plastered on. Wow I’m petty flashes through his head at how two of his closest friends managed to make him jealous that easily. “Haji-chan?” “Well I can’t call either of you by your last names when I don’t know which of yours the other will take,” Sora ignores their flushed faces and spluttering as they continue on, “And I can’t just call you by your first names, because that’s too personal. So,” they shrug, trailing off with an amused glint in their eye. “Let’s go Too-chan. Have a good day at school Haji-chan!” They flounce towards the buses, dragging Tooru behind them by the wrist. The buses are the large kind with tv screens, soft seats, and a large storage space on the underside. The band director directs them to the first bus, as orchestra is taking the first. People with larger instruments, such as trombone and bass clarinet, put them in the storage space underneath. The seven flutes, only two of them from first period like Tooru’s in, and the clarinets, only 8 of them, one from second period who doubles on tenor sax but is just playing clarinet at this event (who is one of Sora’s closer friends), all take their instruments up the curled wooden stairs onto the bus. The first three rows are reserved for the teachers and instructors. The rows, however, are staggered. So although Tooru and Sora end up on the right directly behind teachers, to their left there are kids a row up with their tray tables completely covered. Sora pokes his arm and nods to the tray, “I bet the water bottles drop first turn.” they half-whisper and Tooru giggles. After they get adjusted and settled in (neither of them putting anything on their trays), the band director’s head pops up from the mini stairwell. Another councilor appears after him and they do a quick roll call and then they’re off. True to Sora’s word, everyone who had a waterbottle and a bag of snacks on their tray tables loses their water bottle around the first corner and Tooru and Sora silently hide their laughs behind matching poker faces. The ride is nothing to write home about. Sora falls asleep a few minutes in. Tooru’s not surprised, he heard that the highest honours classes have two giant projects and doubts that Sora has slept recently. Sora’s head lolls over to rest on his shoulder and Tooru shifts to let them be comfortable, reminded of all the times Hajime had fallen asleep on his shoulder. It only takes a few more minutes for Tooru to nod off as well. Tooru wakes up to the flash of a camera as the bus rolls to a stop at a traffic crossing. Tooru’s phone is dropped back into his lap by the guy in the row next to them, someone from the trombone section, Tooru vaguely remembers. “You and your girlfriend are cute,” he says as Tooru looks at the photo of his head atop Sora’s, who is on his shoulder. He wavers about saying, ‘We’re not dating, and if we were they’d be my datemate, not girlfriend,’ ultimately decides that that’s too long, and settles on, “They’re just my friend.” The guy nods and mutters an apology with a shrug, “Still cute.” and turns back to his DS. Tooru unlocks his phone and sends the picture to Hajime.   Tooru Oikawa We’re so bored we fell asleep! How’s school?   Hajime Iwaizumi Fine. We’re in break atm and I got you the hw.   Tooru Oikawa Thanks Iwa-chan! I can always count on you~   Hajime Iwaizumi Crappykawa you know that   Tooru can feel his ears go red. His heart rate picks up the slightest bit and for a second it’s as though his entire life freezes with the amazing anchor in his life that is Hajime Iwaizumi. The pounding of his heart must have woken Sora, because they sit up and shoot him a concerned expression before spotting the phone in his hand and nodding in understanding. Tooru Oikawa Ah the ever reliable Iwa-chan!!!   Thank you.   Hajime Iwaizumi Anytime. Ah gtg to history class. Bye.   Tooru Oikawa Good luck! Bye~   Tooru sighs, feeling a bit lonely. The bus stops again and Tooru looks out of the window. And there, sitting inconspicuously, is a weed store. The next row over and in front of them, the boy whose water bottle was first to go called out to the band director. “Hey can we stop so I can go to the bathroom there?” the boy points directly to the store. No one but the first two rows containing kids and of course the adult rows seem to have heard, and the band director calmly responds, “Not now. Maybe on the way back when everyone’s phones are out of battery.” Sora snickers and shakes their head slightly next to him. “Hey!” the director calls out, garnering the attention of most of the bus, “Who here brought phone chargers?” About 70% of the kids raised their hands and the band director shook his head at the boy, “Sorry, no dice.” Sora mimes an exaggerated ‘darn it’ snap and Tooru smothers his laughter with a hand. Tooru pulls out his nook and spends the rest of the time reading, and Sora beside him puts in one earbud and pulls out their phone to take advantage of the free wifi and watch netflix. Eventually a brick building appears to the right and people start whispering behind them about whether or not that’s the high school. Someone definitively says that it’s the middle school and the metal letters reading “Canyon City Middle School” soon roll into view. Then the bus turns the corner and the high school, looking like a castle, appears. They pull up in front of the school and the director gets up, turning on the microphone that is connected to the speakers throughout the bus. “Everyone sit down, we’re letting the orchestra bus get off first.” Everyone silently takes their seats once more, and Tooru turns to the window. Two of the orchestra kids are rolling around on the slight incline in front of the high school, and the director rolls his eyes and heads out to scold them as they take turns jumping over the other as they roll down the hill. With that source of entertainment over and the orchestra bus unloaded, Tooru and Sora pull out their pieces and their clarinets and disembark from the bus. When they enter there’s a woman who shushes them, and you can hear the hiss of shushing ahead, so they join in as the line curves into a large gym, about the same size as the Sendai City gym where the tournaments are held. There’s enough room for two parallel volleyball courts, and there are slide out bleachers under another level of permanent bleachers. The entire floor is covered in mesh sheet with sections laid out in duct tape. Sora’s nonplussed expression completely contradicts their under-their-breath whistle. “Didn’t you come here last year?” Tooru asks them, and they shake their head. “Last year booking a spot was put off until testing times were decided, and by then the festival was full.” Sora explains, glancing around once more before turning to the band director just as he begins to speak. “Everyone drop your stuff and we’ll go listen to the orchestra play!” Sora and Tooru set their cases on top of their music at the sheet section that reads “AJHS” and walk over to the throng of other Aoba Johsai students. From there they head out the hallway past the line of students coming in and to the right, into an auditorium. They sit and Tooru checks his surroundings. To their left is a band wearing white shirts, black pants, and gold things buckled around their waist. A band wearing that identical uniform takes the stage, and everyone falls silent as they are announced as Fukurodani 2nd Year Symphonic Band 1, playing one song(that I can’t remember) and Eureka . As soon as they begin Eureka Sora, and most of the Seijoh band, takes a sharp inhale. As they applaud at the end, Sora explains that the beginning had sounded eerily like the opening to a song the had played earlier that year, Russian Christmas Music . When they leave the stage, the band besides them stands and files out of the room, Appearing not soon after on the stage. Confused, Sora whispers, “This must be their second band, right? I mean they did announce that the first was Band 1.” Indeed, they are announced as Fukurodani Symphonic Band 2 and they play. Afterwards the Aoba Johsai band claps and the Aoba Johsai orchestra takes the stage. They play Allegro In D and Many Miles Away Across the Sea and file out through the side door. Then the Seijoh band is ushered back into the gym and they unpack their instruments as fast as they can, the director scolds a trumpet for playing, and then they are led out of the gym directly right and then right again into the Canyon City Band Room. The room is huge, with wire racks rimming it instead of cabinets, and a convoluted ceiling like at Aoba Johsai to better conduct sound. There’s a woman already in their, and Sora waves to her, whispering to Tooru, “That’s Hiroshi-san, she was an assistant teacher for a while when we first got these pieces.” The band director calls, “If you remember where you sat for the last assembly where we played with orchestra please sit there! If not, do your best guess!” Sora weaves their way through chairs and stands to the first row, talking with some trumpets about the order. Tooru takes his usual seat besides Sora and pulls the pieces out in order on the stand in front of him. “Alrighty,” the band director begins and everyone falls silent, “Pull out your pieces and let’s show Hiroshi-san how fast and well we can do this!” They run through the pieces quickly and then are told to file out by row, standing and going in a line between the chairs and stands. As they’re in the first row, they’re first to file out but the two at the end to Sora’s right walk right and around the stands and podium while everyone gasps in mock-offence. The two clarinets shrug and rejoin the line behind Sora as everyone else files out properly. They’re lead through hallways to what Tooru must guess is the stage entrance to the auditorium, passing whispering students on the way. The world gets darker as they go down wooden stairs to a floor where so far everyone’s shoes have squeaked. And then they reach the area behind the stage, as the red velvet curtains reveal. They stand in the wings, waiting. One clarinet, one of the same ones who had gone around the podium, steps out of line after a few moments of waiting to peer around the curtain, afterwhich they scoff. “It’s just the orchestra out there.” she says. “What?” Sora asks, voice almost a laugh of incredulity. They step out of line as well, just for a peek. They return shaking their head, “Everyone out there has already heard us play.” Tooru shakes his head as well, “You’re kidding me.” They laugh quietly and don’t respond. Indeed, Tooru finds when they’re lead out, there’s only the orchestra left. They go through Down By the Salley Gardens and Lost Lady Found fairly well, but in the last few measures of Praeludium and Dance there’s a part where only the clarinets sustain a measure. Tooru runs out of breath, as does Sora and all but one of the remaining clarinets, who just forgets to play. It’s the same who had peaked out the curtain and gone around. Everyone laughs about it, and Sora points out that everyone there has already heard them play it well. Then they file off stage and over to the gym once again to pack up their instruments.
11012637
Talk Too Much
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Evan Hansen, Connor Murphy (Dear Evan Hansen), Heidi Hansen (mentioned)", "Fandom": "Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by acatagirl", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-27T00:00:00", "words": "1,531", "Additional Tags": "Suicide Attempt, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Reference Suicide Attempt, Evan/Connor if you squint", "Relationship": "Evan Hansen/Connor Murphy", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? When you fall in a forest and there’s no one around do you even make a sound?   It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t. When Evan climbed the tree in the park he didn’t plan on jumping. He didn’t plan on letting go. It just happened. He’d thought about it, sure, but he never thought he’d have the courage to actually do it.   It was an early morning in the park, heavy fog brushing the grass and choking out any possible sunlight. The park wasn’t deserted, the occasionally runner passing by. In an effort to see some kind of sun Evan climbed. He climbed with careful steps and shaking hands desperate to get to the top.   He sat perched at the top of the tree and looked around. Gray clouds pervaded the air and smothered the dampness of the morning. He watched at dew drops slide off the pine needles of the branch next to him. His shoes were damp from the wet grass and a faint breeze caused his skin to form goosebumps. It was quiet. The kind of quiet that rings and sets you on edge. “It would be a peaceful way to go.” He thinks. Evan adjusts his grip on the branch, his knuckles scrape on the bark and turn red. He looks down. It’s far, it could work. So Evan closes his eyes and leans back.   When you fall in a forest and there’s no one around do you even make a sound?   He hits the ground with a guttural noise. He can’t feel his left arm and the rest of him feels numb, but in a different way. “Someone is going to find me. They’ll ask questions and I’ll have to answer those questions and I might have to tell them the truth- I’m really bad at lying and if I don’t want a lot of questions then I should lie but I just-” He desperately tries to shut that train of thought down to no avail. “Someone will come. Someone will find me. Someone will help me.” He thinks.   It’s been ten minutes.   Twenty minutes.   Twenty three minutes.   Twenty four minu- Someone’s coming.   A dark figure emerges from the fog. “Is that Connor Murphy?” Evan wonders. He doesn't know much about Connor, but he does know that most of it isn’t positive. People at school don’t like Connor, people at school don’t like Evan either, so at least there’s something they have in common.   “Are you alright?” Connor asks. Evan tries to shrug, the movement jarring his arm. The shock is beginning to wear off and he’s starting to get a little concerned. “You look a bit rough.” Evan tries to move his arm, wincing at the sharp pain that shoots up it. Connor kneels down beside Evan. “Are you going to say anything?” He asks.   “If I say anything I’ll start babbling and I haven’t decided if I’m going to lie or not and I don’t want to upset Connor Murphy but I don’t want to be rude and I kinda need some help but getting help means lying and god we’ve come full circle again haven’t we?” Evan thinks. He looks up at Connor and is a bit shocked by the amount of concern he sees in his eyes. “He’s got kind eyes.” And now he realizes that he's blatantly staring at Connor and he still hasn’t said anything and his arm is really starting to hurt and- shit, he doesn’t want to cry in front of Connor.   “Hey- hey it’s okay, just breathe a little.” Connor says frantically. And now he’s bordering on an anxiety attack. Great. “What happened?” He asks.   “I uh, I fell.” Evan replies, not meeting his eyes. “I was climbing this tree— I really like climbing them and looking around, there are some really nice views in this part of the park and there’s a lot of nice trees here too.” He continues. “I guess my foot slipped or something and now I’m here and I think my arm is broken. I really didn’t think anyone was going to come so I um— thanks for that.”   Connor looks at him, he really looks at him. It feels like he can see right through Evan like those clear sheets his middle school teachers used to write on with the old projectors. His emotions are scrawled all over him and he desperately wishes he could wash them away and start fresh and new and not fucked up and filled with anxiety. Connor moves forward to help Evan up, but he flinches away. “Oh— sorry. Wow, I uh. Um. I didn't mean to do that— sorry. Thank you for helping me. Ow— sorry.” Evan winces.   Together, Connor and Evan get up. Evan holds his arm against his chest, trying not to jostle it. “We should get you to the hospital— Evan, right?” Connor asks. Evan nods, a little surprised that  someone in this town knows him. “Well Evan, my car is that way.” He places a hand on the small of Evan’s back and leads the way. It’s quiet again. Nothing but the sound of their feet brushing through the grass. Somewhere are birds, singing, trying to tell the world that it’s a beautiful morning when everything in Evan’s mind tells him it’s the opposite. Connor’s car is in sight, he unlocks it and they get in.   “You need to say something.” He thinks. “But it’s been quiet for too long. It’ll be weird if I say something. But if I don’t say something then it’ll only become even more uncomfortable and—” “You think a lot, don't you?” Connor asks, interrupting his thoughts.   Evan does a weird little half laugh, “I guess so. It’s a matter of saying it or thinking it and I’ve come to realize that I think in these long run on sentences and if I say it out loud I usually weird people out which makes it kinda tough because I have all these thoughts that I want to say but if I say them then people will stop listening and— I’m doing it aren't I?” He sighs. Connor looks at him and smiles at him, close lipped and small. “Oh god— I’m weirding you out aren't I? God— I always do this, you were probably just trying to be nice and now it’s backfired and now you’ve been roped into helping the weird kid— why were you even in the park so early anyway? Oh, sorry. I um, I— thank you. For this.”   “I don’t mind. And I needed to get out of the house.” Connor says. “I have trouble sleeping and once I’m up, I’m up for good.” Thirty two seconds of awkward silence goes by. “I have a lot of trouble with a lot of things. Sleeping, anger, drugs— that kind of thing.”   Evan hums in response. The hospital is only a few blocks away, his mom’s shift should be ending soon. “Hey mom! Look what I did while you were gone!” God, his mom is going to be upset. She worries enough about him as is.   Silence. The radio is on low, you can hear the hum of the engine and the wind outside the windows. They stop at a red light. “Say something. Say something. Say something. Say something. SAY SOMETHING.”   “I was trying to kill myself.” Evan blurts. Oh god. Wow. That wasn’t what he meant to say. Connor’s looking at him again. “Sorry— that wasn’t, I didn’t mean to say that.”   “It’s okay.”   “What?”   “It’s okay. I—uh. I understand.” Connor slowly pushes up a sleeve of his hoodie. White scars line his forearm. There’s a long line down his arm and Evan tries not to think of just how severe this is. “Tried twice, I’m working on it.” He pulls down his sleeve. The light turns green. They pull into the hospital parking lot. Connor follows him into the emergency room and waits until he's signed in.   They stand in the hospital lobby and look at each other. They learned too much about each other too quickly. How do you respond to something like that. They sit. For a while in silence, Connor picks up a magazine and reads title of a cheesy article. Evan laughs and the air between them seems to lighten. It’s nice. It’s nice to be noticed and to be talked to. They trade bits and pieces of their life story and it feels like something like a friendship is forming but Evan doesn’t dare to get his hopes up. The woman behind the counter calls him in, they stand up together. Connor pulls his keys out and turns to leave.   “Thank you. For coming to get me. And for listening to me.” Evan says.   Connor smiles. A real smile. A flash of white teeth, a stark contrast to the tight lipped smile he gave Evan earlier. “No problem. I really enjoyed this. I’ll see you at school, alright Evan?” He replies. Evan smiles and nods.   “I’ll see you there.”   And everything might begin to be okay.
11052741
Team Beckett - SGA 11
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Kate Beckett, Richard Castle, Javier Esposito, Kevin Ryan", "Fandom": "Castle", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by moc215 (akikaze13)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "285", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Stargate Atlantis Fusion", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "CF 2017, SGA - Fusions", "Collections": "Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2017", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Kate was tired. Their time was almost up. She looked at her team. "Castle!" she shouted. "Don't you dare touch that!"Rick looked up, his hand hovering in mid-air, his face a picture of startled innocence. Kate wasn't fooled. "How many times were you told, not to touch local fauna?" he admonished the scientist. "You are a linguist, no botanist.""And every botanist I know wouldn't touch anything that wasn't cleared before." Javi said. He came closer, followed by Kevin."I…" Rick was lost for words. He rubbed his face. "I just wanted to take a closer look." Rick looked at Kate with a pout."Since this is a recurring situation, may I propose a solution?"Kate looked at Javi, raising one eyebrow. She motioned for him to continue."I remembered how my sister dealt with my niece while she had chicken-pox as a toddler. And one of the guys at base helped me out." Javi reached into one of the pocket of his vest, pulling something out and handing one part to Kevin. Making eye-contact the men stepped forward in sync, each of them reaching for one of Rick's hands."Hey!" Rick protested, but Javi and Kevin were fast. Rick was left with his hands in fingerless, thumbless mittens, tied at his wrists.Kate allowed herself to grin. "Good job, Esposito. And now let's head back to the gate, before we are overdue."The team took their usual formation with Ryan at point, followed by Castle then Kate herself with Esposito bringing up the rear. Kate mostly focused on their surroundings but she couldn't help herself and kept stealing glances at their pouting scientist, with his hands in bright pink and purple striped mittens.
1175352
With Tattered Wings
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Daryl Dixon, Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier", "Fandom": "Walking Dead (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by WillowFaerie82", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2014-02-09T00:00:00", "words": "7,118", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Sophia Lives", "Relationship": "Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "Gen, F/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Halfway across the field, toward the section of woods he was going to check; Daryl had a thought. He ran back the way he’d come double timing it to the porch where everyone was taking cover from the heat. “Has anyone actually been back to the highway since we got here?” Daryl looked around at the guilty looks on everyone’s faces and snorted in disbelief. Although with this group, he realized, he shouldn’t be surprised. “You people amaze me. How did y’all make it this far?” Daryl turned not waiting for a reply. “I’m taking the bike. I’ll be back before sundown. Hopefully Sophia’s got more sense than God gave the lot of ya; and stayed put if she made it back there.” The trip to the highway seemed to take forever, and no time at all. Daryl slowed and stopped the motorcycle several yards before the car where they’d left the food and bottled drinks. He didn’t want to alert any walkers that might be close to the vehicle. Daryl was both elated and fearful when he noted that the box was no longer on the hood in front of the message. When he was able to look in the windshield some of the fear drained out of him. The front passenger seat was reclined as far back as it could go and Daryl could see a blond head and the shoulders of a blue shirt. On the drivers seat was the box of food. Daryl made note of the fact that too much of the food was gone. Someone needed to teach the girl how to ration. She’d have been out of food in a day, and that box should have lasted a tiny scrap like her a week and a half. Now he had to figure out how to alert the child to his presence without giving her a heart attack. Daryl realized there was nothing for it. No matter what he did he was going to scare her. He moved to the driver’s side and knocked three times sharply and deliberately. No response. Was the girl dead? No, she couldn’t be. He’d come this far; he’d found her. She had to be alive. The back window was open just far enough to let air in, but not fingers. Smart girl. Daryl knocked again, this time in the ‘Shave and a haircut’ rhythm. Definitely not something a Walker would know to do. And he said her name into the cracked window. That got her attention. She looked scared for a moment, like she didn’t know where she was. But as soon as she turned her head and saw him, Daryl thought her face brightened a little. He watched her knock the remaining food into the foot well of the drivers side and shift into the seat. “Mr. Daryl, hi! Is my mom with you? Is everyone ok?” She asked once she got the window rolled down. “Everyone’s fine. Your mom’s with ‘em all at a farm just up the road a ways. I brought my bike ‘cause it goes faster than a car. You coming; or were you gonna stay here and take your chances?” Daryl asked already moving back to the bike. Before he’d even made it three feet he heard the door creak open and slam closed. He waited to feel the bike shift under her weight and was surprised when it didn’t. He glanced over his shoulder at her and saw how unsure she looked. Kid had probably never been on a motorcycle. “Ya ever ridden a horse before?” He asked and grunted when she nodded. “Good it’s a lot like that. You see those pegs sticking out the sides kinda low down?” Again he waited for her to look and nod, “they’re like the stirrups you put your feet on those grab a hold of my sides and move when I move. We’ll be back to your mom in no time.” Daryl held the bike steady while the girl got on and when he felt her grab his shirt he started the bike and took off. Daryl knew they had to have heard the bike coming up the driveway so he wasn’t surprised to see everyone, even the Greene’s clamoring off the porch when they pulled up. He held the bike steady again as she hopped off and ran to her mother. He then put the kickstand down and climbed off at a more sedate pace. He could see from the looks in their eyes that most of the people surrounding him wanted to touch him in one form or another, probably hugs, and he didn’t want any part of that. So he pushed his way through the group and called over his shoulder, “I’m going hunting. Be back later.” Making sure his crossbow and quiver were still slung over his back. The hunt didn’t take as long as Daryl would have liked. He managed to find a boar that must have gotten away from a neighboring farm early on, it was practically feral. Coming back into view of the farm Daryl felt a sense of pride in himself. He’d done everything he set out to that day. Brought a lost, little girl back to her mother and provided food for them – the group – all of them. As he made his way out of the woods he caught site of movement out of the corner of his eye. He was about to drop the boar and raise his weapon when he realized it was Carol and Sophia with Rick hovering near but not too close. The wind shifted and Daryl picked up what Carol was telling the little girl. She was explaining how some plants and flowers near by could be used in place of common pharmaceuticals; which would start to become scarce as time went on. Rick glanced up and saw Daryl closing in on the women’s position so he signaled his intent to leave. Daryl gave a nod and made his way close to Carol. “Pick plenty of the sage and rosemary. They’ll go good with the boar I just got.” Daryl pointed it out when Carol looked questioningly at him. Her face lit, shining with approval when she saw the size of the kill Daryl had. Daryl felt something flip warmly in his stomach at the look. Carol was proud. It was a good day. As they walked back to the farmhouse Daryl couldn’t help but ask “how’d you know about all the uses for those plants you saw?” He knew some, from reading up on Native American culture, but had been unaware of most. “We Sommers women don’t reveal our secrets.” Carol responded with a wink to Sophia, and a wide grin to Daryl. When they got back to the house there was a flurry of activity. “What’s going on?” Daryl asked Rick, who was taking his family’s tent down. “Hershel invited us to stay in the house. I get the feeling there’s something going on here that we’re not seeing. I think we need to keep as close an eye on these people as they’ve been keeping on us.” Rick finished nodding out to the yard where the woman – Patricia - was moving quickly from the chicken coop to a dilapidated, small barn. Daryl nodded his understanding and went to fill Carol and Sophia in on what was going on. They’d had several good weeks, gotten too comfortable as far as Daryl was concerned; Fall was starting to set in. The shit hit the fan in the worst possible way, and life got crazy. Carl and Sophia had been playing, unsupervised – which Daryl was going to have words with Carol about – when they’d heard Walker-like sounds from that old barn. Carl had gone right to Shane who proceeded to freak the hell out, and insist that either the captive Walkers be put down, or He and Lori were leaving. It was decided, after much discussion, that the barn full of Walkers would be dealt with as quickly and humanely as possible. It was also decided at that time, that Shane and Lori would be leaving the group. Carl opted to stay, giving Sophia a long, significant look that Daryl and Carol both noticed. Two nights after the couple left a herd, the size of which none of them had seen, descended on the farm. This motley, new family was now on the move. At first they didn’t go far. Just to a small, white, clapboard house a couple miles away from the Greene farm. But they knew they wouldn’t be able to stay there long. The town they’d been scavenging from was starting to run low on supplies. They made their way back to the highway, where Daryl found a pickup truck that he could store the bike in the bed of; so that Sophia could ride with them. Instead of being separated, which Daryl could tell made Carol nervous. The group was on the road for the better part of two days before they found what they would later agree was the one thing that saved them that first Winter. Carol spotted it as they came upon what would turn out to be the biggest traffic jam they’d ever come across. “Daryl.” She said, quietly in deference to the sleeping child between them, “Up ahead off the side of the highway, there’s, I think, a Wal-Mart truck. Oh Daryl, we have to at least attempt to check it out. Please?” Daryl nodded his agreement and signaled to the rest of the caravan his desire to stop. The women stayed with the vehicles while the men secured a wide swath around the broken down semi. The lock was still intact on the doors, and the driver was nowhere in sight. Both things they would count as ‘wins’. Once they broke into the back they called the women over to help them sort and organize. The trailer was almost full to the brim with a little bit of everything; except food. Beth, Maggie, and Sophia were a little stunned at the idea of ‘going shopping’ in this new, post-apocalyptic, environment. As a group they decided to spend the night camped on the far side of the trailer, out of sight of the highway. Spirits were high the next day, after they’d gone though the trailer and taken as much as they could stuff into every nook and cranny of every vehicle. They had gotten everything they were taking packed away by dinnertime and were getting ready to call it a night when Daryl had a thought. “Did anyone go through the cab? I doubt there’ll be much of anything in there, but the driver might have had a more detailed map. I’ll check it out.” Daryl said leaning into Carol for a brief moment before standing to move to the front of the truck. Daryl found the more detailed map and brought it over to the group and the fire so that everyone could look over it. Rick looked up at Daryl, just as he was getting ready to catch the other mans attention. They’d seen it at the same time. A prison. A possibly safe, definitely defensible location. According to their best estimates, if they didn’t run into too many more traffic snarls they could be there in a couple days time. Things were looking up. The group took their time getting to the prison. None of them willing to admit they were a little scared of what they’d find there. There were just too many variables: It could have been razed to the ground, or filled with former-inmate Walkers. Or worse yet, filled with live inmates. “Carol I want you to do me a favor, stay outside the fence, keep yourself, and ‘Phia hidden until we get an idea of what’s what in there. Will ya do that for me?” Daryl asked, his tone suggesting it wasn’t really a request. He’d come to realise in the time he’d spent around Carol that he felt something pretty deep for her. He couldn’t say if it was love, he didn’t think he’d ever really know what that was. But he wanted an opportunity to figure it out. And something in his gut was telling him that if she went into that prison, on recon, he’d never have a chance. She must have seen something in his eyes, because she was quick to agree. “Yeah, but then I want you to do me a favor.” She waited for his nod before riffling around in her shoulder bag. “I grabbed these out of the Wal-Mart truck, and put batteries in them,” she handed him a small walkie-talkie and showed him it’s twin in her hand. “I want you to keep this on you, and keep me in the loop. I want to know what’s happening in there, and for you to know if something happens out here.” Daryl agreed with this idea, whole heartedly. He wondered, briefly when the mousey woman he’d never really known at the quarry had grown into the strong, capable woman in front of him. “I don’t know what the range is on these things, so when we head into the prison I want you two to head for the woods. Stay close to the edge, and if the walkies don’t reach that far I’ll come get you at the most 12 hours after we go in. That work for you?” “Yeah that works for me. Just be safe in there. Come back to us.” Carol ordered. Daryl felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her then, just to reassure her that he would. He telegraphed his intention wanting to give her an opportunity to tell him to go to hell if he was reading the situation wrong. He’d been right though; Carol was moving toward him at the same time. The kiss was quick and a little awkward, what with Sophia sitting on Carol’s other side, against the door. But it was a promise made by each participant, and that was all that mattered. Six hours later Daryl was checking in over the walkie letting Carol and Sophia know that the ‘yard’ was safe. The group would camp out there overnight then make their way inside the next day. That night there was a celebratory mood around the small fires they’d started. Beth sang a couple of church hymns, and a few old country songs. Daryl had decided that he, Carol, and Sophia would be sharing a tent. He’d come to the conclusion that he wanted to keep them both as close to him as possible. But he wasn’t ready to tell the world. He’d taken first watch on top of an overturned bus, and when Carol came to bring him dinner he expressed his ‘tent sharing’ idea to her. He shrugged off her attempt at flirting, but he watched her walk back to the rest of the group. He didn’t want to take his eyes off of her. Once they made it into the prison, and realised their worst fears were unfounded they quickly moved in and made the place their own. Daryl, Rick and Glenn made a run back to the Wal-Mart truck for the bedding, and other odds and ends that they’d agreed as a group to leave behind. But now that they had a safe base they decided to retrieve them. By the time they got back the group that remained at the prison had figured out a way to remove the top bunks in the cells, making them feel more like rooms, found the infirmary (for which Hershel and Carol, who was learning a lot from him, were imminently happy), and done some general tidying up. Daryl wasn’t quite sure how to react to Sophia’s declarations of his ‘awesomeness’ for finding bedding specifically for her. It wasn’t anything super special, and Daryl wasn’t even sure when he’d learned, let alone retained, that the girl’s favorite color was orange. “Get some sleep ‘Phia. If your mom says it’s ok I’ll take ya out hunting with me tomorrow, but if you’re not well rested you’re not going.” He laughed as he watched her skip two cells down to what she’d picked as her room. They’d taken the prison issued sheets and blankets off the beds and done their best to jury-rig them into an extra layer of privacy, so Daryl watched until he saw the light on the girls camp-lantern dim and extinguish completely, then he made his way to the cell he was sharing with Carol. She’d kept the bunks intact and Daryl wondered if all her flirting on the bus the other day was nothing more than a game to her. He wasn’t ready to ask yet though, so he started a different conversation. “Hey, would it be okay if I take ‘Phia out hunting with me tomorrow? She’s a good kid; quiet when she needs to be. I think it’d be good for her to learn. We won’t go far, and we won’t stay out overnight.” He knew he was starting to sound ridiculous so he shut up and let her think for a minute. Daryl was starting to get nervous when she didn’t say anything for a long while. He was afraid he’d overstepped the bounds of whatever they were becoming. He was about to rescind the offer when Carol spoke. “You’ll watch her every second. And at the first sign of Walkers you’ll hightail it back here. I almost lost her once. That’s not going to happen again.” Carol’s voice was no-nonsense. Daryl knew that if anything should happen to the girl on his watch he shouldn’t bother coming back. So he would just not let anything happen. “Ain’t gonna let anything happen to her. I’m hoping we’ll be able to get a deer. With the generators still working here we’ll actually be able to freeze the meat, have it for longer than a couple days. But Sophia will be my first priority.” Daryl assured, keeping his eyes on Carol’s a little longer than he was actually comfortable with, but if it would convince her that’s all that mattered. “Then yes, I would appreciate Sophia learning something that will make her more useful to the group. I just hate that she has to grow up so fast. You know. She’s only 12, well no. That’s not right. Her birthday is at the end of September. So I guess she’s 13 now. Not that it matters in this world. Anyway; yes you can take her hunting.” Carol finished saying. Then she shook her head and quickly made her way out of the cell. The next morning Daryl woke early and was readying his bow and arrows. He had checked and Carol was already up and about for the day, probably starting breakfast. So Daryl moved down the walkway to Sophia’s room (he refused to call them cells), and knocked on the bars. “Hey ‘Phia; you just about ready? I want to get an early start. Hopefully we can get a deer, and maybe a turkey. But we gotta have breakfast first. Get a move on.” He said and started walking toward the stairs. Before he’d gotten more than two rooms away Sophia was out of her room and walking next to him. Daryl was glad she was easy to rouse. He remembered some of Merle’s girls sleeping until afternoon and he hated having to tiptoe around. Daryl ate his breakfast quickly and told Sophia he’d be waiting outside for her. When she finally came out they headed for the gate. “Mom told me to tell you to hold onto as much fat from whatever you catch today. She also told me to get a lot of pine needles, and to ask you to help me find any other edible plants to bring back.” Sophia said as they left the prison and headed for the tree line. “Ok, she probably wants to start trying to make our own soap. Smart thinking. Once we get into the trees I need you to stay close and keep quiet.” Daryl explained that even a little noise could be heard by the animals, so if they wanted to catch anything today they needed to be silent and blend in with the forest. They hadn’t been out there for more than 10 minutes, Daryl had just caught the tracks of what he thought was a pretty sizable buck, when they both heard the moan-and-shuffle of Walkers. “’Phia I want you to get up in that tree as high as you can. I’ll whistle for ya to come down when it’s safe. Go now. I won’t let anything happen.” Daryl said just as the first of the Walkers came into view. There were probably 10 or 15 of them and Daryl did his best to keep ahead of them. He knew if Sophia was watching and saw him even stumble it would scare her. He moved a fair distance away to keep them from catching the girl’s scent. It was 20 minutes before he got back to her. Sophia scrambled down the tree as quickly and safely as she could but she was scared and crying and ended up pretty much falling the last 10 feet or so. Daryl moved to catch her and stiffened up when she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. Daryl was just about to suggest they head back to the prison when Sophia calmed and disentangled herself from him. “Oh my God! I was so scared. Are we gonna keep hunting, or do we have to go home now?” Sophia asked wiping the tears from her face. Daryl could tell this girl had moxy, and she’d be ok. “We’ll keep going, I didn’t have to use a gun so we shouldn’t have alerted any others to the fact that we’re here. But if we run across another group like that we’re going back.” He knew that the way they’d been planning on going, the way the Walkers had come from, wouldn’t have any viable game so he shifted their direction. He quickly found another set of deer tracks and showed them to Sophia. “This one’s smaller than the other one.” She said and Daryl had to wonder if she’d ever been hunting before “How can you tell?” He was honestly curious. “The ground is the same here as it was in the other spot but the deer’s footprints aren’t as deep. That means it’s lighter, and probably smaller.” She smiled proudly up at him and laughed at his confused face. “My mom’s brother used to hunt. He would tell me little stuff like that whenever we used to visit him and my grandparents. Before things got really bad with my dad.” “Well I’m glad to see you’ll be of some use out here. Come on the prints are pretty fresh, we should be able to catch up with him if we’re quick.” Daryl said moving silently through the woods once again. A short time later Daryl could hear water moving. So there was a small river, or creek around here. That was probably where the deer was headed. They got the deer; and Daryl decided not to press their luck looking for anything else. He explained field dressing to the girl and watched her face scrunch up, just like Carol’s when something unpleasant was going to happen. “I won’t make ya do it this time. But eventually you’ll have to, it’s gotta be done as soon as possible after the kill.” Daryl took pity on the girl. “Did your mom send any big containers in that bag of yours?” “Yeah, she didn’t tell me what it was for though. I though maybe to hold more plants?” Sophia questioned. “It can be but for now I need you to take it down to the stream and fill it full with water. I might need you to do that a few times.” Daryl explained. There’s a bit of a celebration when they get back to the prison with the deer. Daryl makes sure to heap as much praise on Sophia as the others give him. Life at the prison begins to take on some semblance of normalcy, they have a routine and it’s stuck to pretty rigorously. Daryl and Sophia go hunting every couple days. A month in Sophia manages to make her first kill. It’s a pretty sizable wild turkey. They decide to make a Thanksgiving dinner with it. Daryl goes on scavenge runs, what feels like every other day. But he always makes time to let Carol and Sophia know when he’s leaving, and they are the first people he seeks out when he gets back. And nine times out of 10 he’s got something special for one or both of them. He was afraid ‘Phia was going to have a heart attack when he brought back a teen magazine with some ridiculously overpaid pretty-boy on the front cover. “You have just become her favorite person in the entire world.” Carol informed him after Sophia ran off to look through the magazine. “What, why? I didn’t do nothing.” Daryl declared. He wasn’t used to being anyone’s favorite anything. “Just go with it. It’s a good thing.” Carol says then proceeds to stand on tiptoe and press a soft kiss to Daryl’s cheek. She doesn’t give him a chance to respond, just scurries off saying something about getting lunch. Daryl’s not really sure how he would have responded if he’d been given the opportunity. Rick and Glenn who’d been shifting supplies around had walked into the common room just in time to witness the gentle moment between the couple. They walked past Daryl smirking, like they had some big secret. ‘So what’ Daryl thought to himself; ‘let ‘em think they know something.’ With a satisfied nod Daryl made his way to the kitchen to see if he could snag a couple cookies that he knew Carol had baked. Daryl was careful not to be too optimistic; he knew he’d jinx it if he got to comfortable. But as he made his way out of the kitchen, with a cookie stuffed in his mouth and a smarting hand (from where Carol had whapped him with a wooden spoon), he took just a second to smile. He’d found a family, and he’d do anything to protect them. Daryl knew it was too good to last; this peace they’d found. So he wasn’t completely surprised when, on a run over a day from the prison, he ran into Merle. They stood, on opposite ends of an aisle, facing each other with lines of empty shelves between them. They sized each other up for a long minute and Daryl was afraid it was going to come to weapons. Then a grin bloomed across Merle’s face and Daryl knew it was going to be ok. They met in the middle of the aisle and exchanged backslaps, and ‘what the fuck happened’s. There would be talking, and it would have to happen soon. But not right now. Right now there was celebrating to be done. They made their way back out onto the street after Daryl had collected what little was left in the well gone over pharmacy. They met up with Rick who gave a shocked once over to the older Dixon then they climbed into the vehicle and headed back to their temporary campsite. They worked together securing the area and the truck. Then they split their rations between them and ate in silence. “What the hell happened, Merle? I assumed you were dead.” Daryl opened the conversation when he was done eating. “I was out of my head with pain and withdrawal, about to give myself over to a herd when these men came out of nowhere and pulled me away. Took me to a safe zone, got me patched up. But man I been looking for a way to get away from there ever since I could think straight. The man in charge, calls himself The Governor, he’s batshit crazy, little brother. I’m surprised you two haven’t run into him and his merry band. Is it just the two of ya?” Merle asked taking a swig of water from the bottle Daryl offered him. “No. We lost a few at the quarry, and picked a few up, along the way. We’re holed up at a prison about a days drive from here. Is this ‘Governor’ gonna come looking for you?” Daryl offered hoping he wasn’t making a mistake telling his brother all this information. “Probably, I wouldn’t put it past him. Sum’Bitch is crazy. But if you got a prison and people to guard it I think we’ll be ok.” Merle looked like there was more he wasn’t telling, Daryl wondered what it would take to get it out of him. “Listen, I have no beef with you. I’d like to keep it that way. If you’re coming into the prison I can’t have you going off like you did on that roof in Atlanta. Is your ride loaded up? Do you wanna follow us back to the prison, or ride with us?” Daryl was surprised Rick was being as magnanimous as he was; but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had good people waiting for him back at the prison, and his brother was with him again. The rest they could deal with as it came. “If it’s all the same to you, Officer Friendly, I need to talk to my brother. So he can ride with me, we’ll follow you back.” Ok then, Daryl had his answer. They’d talk on the road. Daryl nodded once to let Rick know he was okay riding with Merle. He was half tempted to suggest they start back right now. Rick must have seen it in him because he recommended it before Daryl could open his mouth to ask. As they drove Merle filled Daryl in on his short time with The Governor. He’d given Merle time to heal, and come off the cocktail of drugs that had kept him from feeling anything for well over 20 years. “After I was back on my feet though, I was told I’d be going on scavenge runs. I thought it’d be like with the quarry group. You know, going for supplies, just what was needed; and that would have been ok. But that weren’t the way of it. We was expected to kill anyone we came across. Walker, or not; men, women, little kids. I refused; got the hell out. Been running for months, trying to keep a head of his men. Haven’t seen hide nor hair of ‘em for a couple weeks. So I’m thinking I lost ‘em. But I’m not getting my hopes up.” Daryl took in what Merle had said and worried. This Governor didn’t sound like the type to just give up on a person like Merle. A person he thought could be used, and molded as the Governor saw fit. But that wasn’t Merle at all. Merle knew his own mind, and he had scruples; even if they were a little lax on occasion. “Well you’re back with us now, and we ain’t letting you go for nothing.” As soon as they got back to the prison Daryl could tell something was wrong. Even though they were back early he expected Sophia and Carol to greet him. What he got was a frantic Sophia who looked like her world had ended. Something had happened to Carol. Daryl felt the bottom go out of his stomach. Carol was gone and he hadn’t been here to stop it. As soon as she saw him, Sophia latched on and her tears fell even harder. He knew she was trying to talk, but he couldn’t understand her though her crying. “Sophia, you have to calm down. I can’t understand what you’re saying. Take a couple deep breaths. Calm down, and tell me where your mom is.” Daryl requested softly, trying to sooth the girl who’d come to mean so much to him. “She went with T-Dog to check out the rest of the cell block. He found a map, or something, in the warden’s office, and said there was an infirmary, and a library. They went looking as soon as they figured it out. That was a little bit after you left. And they’re not back yet.” She started sobbing again, and buried her face in Daryl’s neck. Daryl sought out Rick and saw the same thoughts that were in his own mind. Missing for two days, God only knows what else is running around the prison. Not a good situation. Daryl would get Sophia calmed down, then go looking for Carol. They’d come so far, the three of them, from who they’d been at the quarry, he couldn’t lose either one of them now. He got Sophia calmed down, and made her promise to stay in her room until he came for her. “I need to know you’re safe while I’m looking for your mom. I can’t be worried about you running around too. You got me?” He asked making sure she had the doll that was given to her just before they left the quarry. “I got you, I’ll stay here. Just, please find her.” Sophia asked, teary eyed as she lay back down facing the wall. As Daryl left the little girl’s room and headed for the stairs that would take him back to the common room, he was met with his brother’s questioning gaze. “What’s all that about? That the little girl who’s dad was beatin’ on his wife? The little mousey one? Why ain’t he here?” Merle asked matching Daryl’s stride as they made their way down the steps. “Walkers attacked the quarry, he didn’t make it. I’ve been looking out for ‘em ever since. Found Sophia when she got separated from the group. There’s a lot’s happened since we saw each other last. But if I hear you been giving either of ‘em trouble Walkers will be the last thing you have to worry about.” Daryl promised, and made his way over to where Rick was looking over a faded blueprint of the prison. By the time he found her Daryl feared the worst. She was sitting on the floor of a solitary cell, head tipped back against the wall. She looked as faded as the walls around her. Daryl crouched down next to Carol, knife still held at the ready. “Carol, woman; d’ya hear me? Need you to say something. You best not be thinking of turning here. Come on, Carol. I need you; Sophia needs you.” Daryl stayed crouched he wouldn’t leave until he knew for sure. Several long moments passed before Carol turned her head. She opened her eyes slowly and Daryl let out a breath when he saw they were their normal, vibrant blue; and not the clouded over white of the Walkers. She looked like she wanted to say something. “Don’t try to talk. I’m gonna get you out of here.” Carol was insistent, “T-dog’s gone. He let himself.” She couldn’t finish whether from emotion or exhaustion Daryl wasn’t sure. “”I understand. Hush, now; woman. Save your strength. Your little girl’s all worried about you.” Daryl responded lifting Carol into his arms. As he carried her out of the tombs Daryl realised he’d carry this woman out of Hell if he had to, and he’d fight every demon along the way. There was a tense silence hanging in the air when Daryl made his way back to the common room. He wondered how his brother could have ruffled feathers in the couple hours he was gone. Daryl kept a firm hold on Carol and gestured that he was taking her to her room; Hershel followed saying something to the group that kept them in place. He watched while Hershel made Carol comfortable and moved away when the older man started issuing orders for his daughters to bring him the items he would need to take care of her. Daryl moved to Sophia’s room and knocked, lightly before entering. “I found your mom. She’s fine. Hershel’s looking at her now. I’d imagine he’ll say she needs plenty of rest over the next few days. So tomorrow you’ll come hunting with me. That sound good to you?” “She’s ok? She’s not gonna turn? You promise?” Sophia asked rolling to face Daryl. “I promise, ‘Phia. I will never lie to you. Your momma’s gonna be just fine.” Daryl reassured. Then, making sure the girl was tucked into bed; he left and headed back to his and Carol’s room. It had been almost a month since Daryl had brought Carol back from the tombs, and things had gotten back to an even keel. Everyone was on edge waiting for the other shoe to drop. When it did no one was expecting it. Daryl and Merle were in the tower on watch; Merle was trying to make a point about something or other, Daryl had lost the thread of the conversation several minutes before; when the bottom dropped out. Someone was making their slow, shuffling way up to the gate. They weren’t a Walker, yet; but Daryl could tell they were bad off. Daryl ran to the gate while Merle kept watch. It was Lori. “Take the baby.” She said even before the gate was open. “I was scratched two days ago, I’ve been fighting like hell, but I know I’ve got a fever. Just take the baby and take care of her.” Daryl wasn’t even sure Lori realized she was giving the baby to someone who knew her. “Lori, it’s Daryl. Come on inside. Rick and Carl will want to see you.” Daryl said as he got the gate open. She seemed to perk up at the mention of her husband and son. “Oh my god, Rick and Carl are here?” Lori said, Daryl could tell she wasn’t completely with it. His goal right now was to get her inside. “Yeah come on. I’ll take you to them.” Daryl said leading the woman up to the big concrete building. Merle had come down from the tower after Daryl got the gate closed and was in the right place to catch the baby as Lori stumbled and almost dropped it. Rick had put Lori down about two hours later when she fell into a coma that Hershel said she’d come back dead from. Daryl could tell Rick was devastated, he held the baby for a minute then handed her off to Carol before blindly making his way out to the yard. “We’re going to need supplies. Daryl, will you run to the truck if I make you a list?” Carol asked rocking the baby gently, in an effort to get her to calm down. “Yeah, sure. But you gotta promise, no exploring while I’m gone this time.” Daryl teased easily. He’d been thinking about making a run to the truck for a very specific non essential for a little while. So this would be the perfect opportunity. “I’ll go with ya. If that’s ok?” Merle asked. Daryl was more than ok with it. He’d just gotten his brother back; he didn’t want to risk losing him again. “Yeah that’s fine with me. We should leave right away; it’ll take us a while to get there and I’m assuming the stuff you’ll need is pretty urgent.” Daryl directed the last statement to Carol. “Yeah, I’ll get to making that list. Beth can you take the baby? Crap, Lori didn’t mention a name to anyone did she? Does anyone know what she was thinking of calling the baby?” No one spoke up as Carol had really been the only one that had been close with Lori; so she was likely the one that would have been privy to name choices. “Maybe Rick’ll have some idea of what they would have named a girl baby.” Hershel offered moving to where his youngest was shifting from foot to foot, like carol had done; in an effort to also comfort the child. It took them the better part of three days to get to the truck and back. Mostly because of a walker herd, and some of the Governors men, looking for Merle. The Governor was with them, apparently not trusting his men to get the job done. When Merle saw the man he snagged Daryl’s crossbow off his shoulder. “Damn it Merle. What are you doing? You can’t fire that thing one handed!” Daryl whispered as loudly as he dared. Merle looked at the weapon, disgruntled. “Shit. You’re right, little brother. You gotta do it. Take him out; he’s a bad man. He’ll hurt your new little family, sure as I’m standing here.” Merle gave the bow back to Daryl pointing out which man was the one to be taken out. “You sure you’re up for this? I’m just worried that group done made you soft.” With those words ringing in his ear Daryl took aim and fired. Taking the governor down, with a head shot, before he even knew what hit him. They made quick, quiet work of the five men that were with him and were quickly back on their way toward home. It was weird that Daryl thought of the prison as home, but he felt like it could be that for him; for them. They’d gotten a good haul of baby stuff from the truck and Sophia, along with Rick had managed to bring down what she thought was the buck she and Daryl had seen their first time out. So there was a bit of a party atmosphere when the brothers finally made it back to the prison. Daryl felt the weight of the little velvet box in his pocket a hundred fold all night long. But now wasn’t the time to give it. He spent the better part of the evening surrounded by Carol, Sophia, Carl, and baby Jude (or Judith as was her full name), and he enjoyed himself more than he ever thought possible. Daryl watched, and nudged Carol curiously as Merle seemed to single out the younger Greene girl to bestow his attentions upon. “Is this something we should worry about? He seems a little rough for her.” Carol mused just loud enough for Daryl to hear. “Nah, he’s really a big ole Teddy Bear underneath the gruffness.” Daryl responded pulling Carol closer to him with an arm around her waist. Daryl had everything he needed, and he wasn’t going to let it get away.
1101789
A New Toy
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Dean Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural)", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by ThisPeep", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2013-12-25T00:00:00", "words": "328", "Additional Tags": "Fluff, Literally just a short fluff fic, Human!Castiel - Freeform", "Relationship": "Castiel/Dean Winchester", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Castiel stared at the toy blankly, not understanding. “What is it?” He asked. Dean smiled with amusement. “It’s a teddy bear.” He said, looking at Castiel expectantly. Cas took it and looked it over, as if trying to find a secret hidden meaning to the bear. When he didn’t find anything, he looked back up at Dean.“Why did you give it to me?” Dean shrugged. “Well if I’m ever gone its to remind you that you have a boyfriend and can’t go running off with someone better until you’ve properly broken up with me.” Then he grinned, which Castiel returned.“I don’t think such a person exists.” He cut off Deans (most likely snarky) reply by pulling him into a kiss.   “Feel better Cas. I love you.” Then Dean closed the door and left. Castiel scooted down further into his blanket, pulling it up to his chin. He stayed like that for a while, still not wholly used to the feeling of sickness. Then he remembered the bear and for some odd reason had the urge to go get it. Castiel slid out of bed and headed over to the wardrobe, sifting through its contents. He found the stuffed animal and climbed back into bed, holding the bear in a hug. He curled around it, feeling strangely complete again. The bear seemed to be standing in for Dean, although that was silly. Nevertheless, Castiel fell asleep, warm and comforted.   Dean excused himself with, “I’m gonna check on Cas.” And headed to their bedroom. He opened the door slowly, and found a sleeping angel on the bed. Dean smiled and softly closed the door and joined Castiel in the bed. Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel’s waist, and Castiel turned to face him in his sleep. The teddy bear poked Dean’s stomach, demanding attention. Dean pulled it up so its was squished between his and Cas’ chests. Dean leaned over and kissed Castiel’s forehead before going to sleep.
1118988
Love Beneath the
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter, Alana Bloom, Jack Crawford", "Fandom": "Hannibal (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by themystery424", "chapters": "25/25", "completed": "2014-02-06", "published": "2014-01-04T00:00:00", "words": "19,799", "Additional Tags": "future!Au, Android!Hannibal, Near Death", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, hannigram, hannigraham", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
In the very beginning, it was dark. He could think, but he couldn't feel or see or hear. He couldn't speak, or taste. Was he supposed to taste? What scared the developing android the most about the situation he was in was simply the fact that he could think, but nothing else. This fear didn't last as long as he thought it would, and soon he was blinking, trying to ignore the bright light shining into his eyes. A voice came from a loud speaker overhead, and the android listened carefully to the words coming out of it."Good morning. Welcome to your first day in the real world. Now, we have to perform some tests, maybe run through a few key points with you, and then you'll be on your way. First off, let's start with some basic movements. Turn your head to the side," The android complied, turning his head to the left first and then to the right. "Very good. Now, move your eyes," The android moved them without moving his head, observing all the mechanical arms that were assembling him. Soon he had arms that were coated in a white, flexible material that would change color, size, and design that he was programmed to look like. He was tempted to move his arms, but he wanted to be told to, not wanting to make a rude first impression by doing something out of term. "Alright, good. You're doing great so far. Now, your authentication code." The android nodded slightly. "HL13WG669." He stated, surprised by his own voice. He had a Lithuanian accent, which was young and fresh, in its mid-twenties at the oldest. "Sir, if it wouldn't be too much to ask, may I have a name? And what is my role here in this world?" He asked with curiosity. "As I'm telling you this, I need you to move your arms and lift your shoulders. After that, your wrists and fingers." The android nodded and did his tests as the man spoke. "You are Dr. Hannibal Lecter, hopefully the beginning of a long line of new androids that can take on roles of different doctors. You are a surgeon, and are designed to be welcoming." Hannibal smiled slightly at that, pleased to know that he was going to get the opportunity to help people. When he looked down he noticed his legs and feet had been attached and were ready to be tested. He was set down and he gulped."I am supposed to be taking steps?" He asked. "That's right." The voice answered. Hannibal took four steps forward before turning and walking back to his starting point. "That's it. You're done. Now, key points, you're going to be able to experience the emotional capacity of a human. This is what is going to help you become the star surgeon you were built to become. Now, even though you have the emotional capacity of a human, you are still an android. Same penalties apply to you as do other androids. If you malfunction or break, and you can't be fixed, you'll be dissembled. If you act out, you will be dissembled. Since you have human emotions, of course, you get trials. Three strikes, you're out, got it?" He nodded slightly.Hannibal looked down and watched as the white coating over his mechanics turned into human skin. He felt his arm, and it was warm, like he was human. Hannibal could hear, and taste, and feel, and smell, he soon came to realize. He was alive. "My name is Dr. Hannibal Lecter," He smiled, his smooth Lithuanian accent flowing out of his mouth. "I'm an android with the human ability to feel emotions, to think freely, and most importantly, to save lives. I can eat and drink like a human being, and I can feel and give sexual pleasure. I can be sold and advertised as a product because it is what I am. I am a walking computer with arms and legs." "Good job." The overhead-voice said. "Now, go get on the transport. You'll be at the hospital in ten minutes." Hannibal smiled and gave a slight nod, walking off to the transport vehicle. There, he was dressed and ready to be transported to the hospital, his atomic battery beating like a human heart in his chest cavity. A badge was hanging from the breast pocket on his simple suit. The badge said 'Dr. Hannibal Lecter; Sugeon'. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Hannibal Lecter loved to learn. It was one of the first things the other doctors and nurses in the hospital noticed when Hannibal was first brought there to begin his practice. For the first few days, he'd only monitor the patients, never actually preforming surgery. He also monitored the doctors and nurses behavior, and by the third day there the android began to socialize easily, and he had manners. Much of the staff were surprised to learn this, and was surprised to see him smiling for the first time as he walked over to see Beverly Katz. "Good morning Dr. Katz." He said to the head of the doctors, smiling pleasantly. "I would like you to scedule a surgery for me, please. I think I am ready." Beverly looked up at him, blinking in surprise. She looked through the list of patients they had for that day and smiled. "Okay, I think I have one or two that you could do. Are you sure you're ready for this, Hannibal? You've only been here for a few days." Hannibal smiled a little wider and nodded. "Alright, if you're sure of it." She murmured, writing down his name by a few patients.  "I think I am ready. I have monitored you and your staff at a very close range, and I learn rather quickly." He said confidently, standing up a little straighter. Beverly nodded slightly, deciding that the android did learn quickly. In just three days, he'd learned how to engage in conversation politely and also had learned how to be charming. He'd make a good surgeon, she decided.  "Go wait in the staff lounge after you get dressed for surgery. Your first appointment will be here in two hours." Hannibal gave a small polite nod before going to change. He then waited in the lounge, smiling excitedly. Jimmy Price came in after awhile.  "Someone's excited about their first surgery." Hannibal smiled, a little bashful. "So, how long until we have to recharge that battery of your's?" Hannibal chuckled.  "I don't need my battery recharged, Dr. Price. I will run for 176 years, unless I'm dissembled before then." Hannibal said, sipping his coffee and savoring the taste. It wasn't the finest coffee he'd tasted, but the fact that he could taste anything at all still amazed him. He'd seen other androids at the hospital. They couldn't feel, taste, and some weren't even warm like he was. They were cold, how machinery was supposed to be. He sipped his coffee slowly. Jimmy bit his lip. "Nervous any? Your first surgery?" Hannibal sighed and nodded. "Yes, a little. I have observed you, Dr. Katz, and Dr. Zeller closely, yet I feel nervous that I may not be able to save them." He said, his voice quiet. "Is it strange, talking to me? Knowing I can feel?" Hannibal looked to Jimmy and Jimmy shrugged. "Not really. I mean, new programming like this could save many more lives if it goes well, which it probably will, so might as well get used to it now." He said. Hannibal smiled slightly, glad to be accpeted by most of the staff. Beverly called him down for surgery and he smiled as he went out. "Franklyn, this is Dr. Hannibal Lecter." Beverly smiled. Franklyn stood and offered his hand. Hannibal smiled and shook it.  "Hello, Franklyn." Hannibal said, Franklyn blinking several times.  "Hi...so I was informed that you are an adroid?" Hannibal nodded slightly. "Ah...wow I mean, you seem so polite and warm and...well, human." Franklyn gushed. Hannibal smiled at that, pleased that other humans could regard him as a human. Even if he was an adroid, he liked being welcomed into the culture around him.  "I may not be human in genetics, but I am designed to strive being as human as possible. Now, Franklyn, what surgery are you in for?" He asked, sitting next to his patient. Franklyn began to explain that he had a brain tumor, and that he was there to get it removed. Hannibal nodded and already was forming the proper technique to go about it, wanting to have his patient go through as least stress as possible in these conditions.  "So when do we begin?" Franklyn asked after a length of time. Hannibal smiled warmly and invitingly.  "As soon as you're changed and ready to go." Hannibal said. Franklyn nodded and stood, going to change. Hannibal took a deep breath and went to the opperating room, ready to help his first patient.    -~-~-~   The new spread like a wild fire. The android successfully removed the tumor, and Franklyn was healthy. This is what made the adroid famous. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Dr. Hannibal Lecter, over the course of the next few months, had become something of a celebrity. Almost all patients that came to the hospital requested him, because he was nice, sweet, charming, handsome, young and(with some little children) just plain cool. The little ones especially took a liking to Hannibal, as they had never heard of an android act so similar to their dad or uncle or aunt. Hannibal's favorite of these children was Mischa, a sweet two year old who had needed surgery on her lungs do a blockage. Now Mischa visited Hannibal daily, and he enjoyed that a lot. Today, he was doing his first heart transplant. Miriam Lass was dying ever so slowly with the diseased heart. It was becoming harder and harder to get up and do simple tasks, and she couldn't walk for any length of time without tiring quickly. Hannibal Lecter was one of the better fits for her, as the moment Miriam laid her eyes on him, she trusted him immediately. Hannibal was used to this, having been designed to be trusting and warm, as well as welcoming.  But the past few months had helped him to see that it was okay to pretend to be human. He'd developed some personality traits on his own, including prideful. "Miriam." Hannibal said to her. Miriam looked up and smiled softly, standing with some help from a few friends. Hannibal smiled back, happy to see that the woman had confidence in him. He wouldn't let her down. He knew this for a fact. "Dr. Lecter." She replied. "Today's the day for the surgery. I'm counting on you. My life's in your hands." Hannibal nodded slightly and smiled softly, reassuringly. He walked over to her and held her steady as she was being led to the prep room."I know, and I won't fail you. Soon you'll have a heart that won't fail you either. You'll have your life back." Miriam smiled at the idea and pecked his cheek. "Thank you, Dr. Lecter." She whispered. Hannibal smiled a little wider and nodded. A few nurses led her away to the prep room and he went to the surgery room. He reviewed tatics and strategies to remove the heart and connect the new healthy heart. Miriam was soon escorted in and Hannibal smiled at her unconscious body. He put on his white mask and picked up a few tools, cutting into her chest and exposing her heart.The heart was damaged beyond repair, barely beating even with the medications pumped into her system to keep her alive. It was take very precise cuts to remove it, and very precise stiching to put the new one in. He took a deep beath and used his scalpel to make the proper cuts, gently and quickly removing the heart and putting it off to the side. He now had ninety seconds to put the heart in and sew it in. He couldn't be off by anymore than ten seconds, as it would take twenty seconds to move the heart into her chest, thirty seconds to set it in place, and another thirty seconds for him to sew it in properly. Ten seconds. As Hannibal was moving the heart, it slipped from the rubber glove he was holding it with. As it fell to the ground he dove for it, but it was too late. The moment it touched the ground, there was no way it would be going in anyone's chest. Hannibal stared in shock at it. This...wasn't supposed to happen. Nurses were telling him to stand up and to try to save her, but he couldn't. He was in shock. Miriam Lass died on Hannibal Lecter's operation table, and by force he was detained and sent back. Mischa had seen him go and had tried to demand that he come back. Hannibal's eyes landed on her and he reached for her, wanting to hold her and tell her it was okay. That's when he heard the murmurs of, 'Don't worry, he's just a robot.' 'He can't feel anything.' 'The mothe fucker killed her on purpose I bet.' Hannibal would've screamed, if they hadn't deactivated his voice box.When he arrived back at the place he was created, he was scared. Again he was attached to a wall, mechanical arms coming at him from every direction with flame throwers and different tools, while the voice over head was 'tsk'ing softly, and with disappointment."You couldn't save her. You are a failed project, you know. You were supposed to not fail. To fail, that would mean dissemblation for most androids. Lucky you, we're giving you another chance." When Hannibal could see again, he looked to the mirror next to him. He was older now, forty years at least. His hair was slicked to the side, blond like before, his eyes a warm brown. He looked to his hands. "You've changed me." He said softly, his voice older, his accent still in place. "You're now a psychiatrist and caretaker. You'll be forgotten in the halls of a psychiatric home, until your battery runs dry." Hannibal nodded slightly. "Understood..." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It was several years later Hannibal had even heard of the FBI special agent Will Graham. It had been, exactly, 17 years. He sat down at his desk in his office at the psychiatric home with his tablet. He was reading the most recent article about the 'Chesapeake Ripper' as he was called. Hannibal smiled at the article, amused. Humans didn't understand. They had it easy, really. Since the incident with Miriam, Hannibal had been very meticulous with everything he did. Including his killings. He had a private wing of the psychiatric home given to him for his patients. A grand office that was at once a storage room until Hannibal had gotten ahold of it, two bedrooms, a bathroom for his patient, a kitchen and a dining room. The decor Hannibal had bought himself after working for many years as a private psychiatrist.  In these nearer years, though, Hannibal had noticed that he was getting less and less patients from the psychiatric home. More and more people were now fighting against the use of androids, saying they were too much a danger to their cultures and civilization. When the last patient Hannibal had had found out about his true DNA structure, he had to get his arm replaced. This scared him and made him wonder how long he'd have before he was dissembled and his parts were used as junk.   -~-~-~   Special agent Will Graham gasped as he came back into reality, running his hands over his face. It was worse than it had been before, he decided. Everything was getting worse. The nightmares, the murders, it was slowly but surely escalating. He was slowly being driven to madness by it all. He felt Jack Crawford put a hand on his shoulder. Will jumped and turned around the moment the felt his hand.  "Will," Jack said, staring into his eyes. Will looked away. "Will, we need to talk about this." Will sighed.  "We don't need to talk about anything Jack." He began to walk to his car to drive home when Jack put his hand on Will's shoulder once again.  "According to your current psychiatrist, Alana Bloom? According to her, we do. She's recommending a leave from work, and maybe from home. A little vacation, I guess." Will turned around to look at him, a little, no, a lot annoyed by him at the moment. He was tired. His brain was fried and here Jack was talking about vacations and not letting him sleep.  "I don't need a leave from work or a vacation. What would be the point?" He asked. "No, forget the point, where would I even go?" Jack sighed and looked away. "Oh, this'll be really good." he murmured.  "Dr. Bloom has recommended a psychiatric home for therapy." Will sighed.  "Of course she would suggest that." He murmured, turning to go to his car again.  "You do need therapy Will. And this place isn't just an ordinary psychiatric home. It has a psychiatrist that would fit your needs perfectly. Alana's met with him and spoke to him a few times before. I think you'll be in safe hands while you're there." Will opened his car door.  "Therapy doesn't work on me, I know too many of the tricks." Jack stopped him before he could close the door.  "Then you need to unlearn some of the tricks. Look, it's just until we think you're good enough to come back to work, okay? A few months at the most." Will took a deep breath.  "I'll think about it." He murmured, but knew that if Jack and Alana were both agreeing on this plan, then he might as well have been there already.    When Will arrived at home, he was greeted by his dogs. The automatic food feeder had given them some food while he was at work, and afterwards had taken them out. He smiled at the two and only two robots in his household. He wasn't against robots. He liked the robots he could control and set times on and all of that. But androids were...different. Many androids were metal figures with fake eyes stained onto their cold skin. That was the word Will usually used to describe androids. Cold. He could empathize with nearly anyone or anything, except them.  The dogs knew something was up when they saw Will pack. They tried to get him to stay, tugging his things out of his suitcase and trying to put them back in the closet. Will ignored their attempts and he soon was ready to go, petting his dogs and telling them all how they were all good boys and that he'd be back soon. He fell asleep with a few of them on his bed that night, for comfort. The next day, Alana Bloom came and picked him up, driving him to the hospital. They didn't have much to say to each other, their relationship sorta friendly, but mostly professional. Waiting for him by the front desk was a man in what looked like an expensive blue suit and yellow tie. Alana smiled when she saw him and he smiled back.  "Hello Alana." he said in a foriegn accent that Will couldn't place.  "Hello Hannibal." She said. Hannibal looked to Will.  "Is this him?" He asked, as if Will wasn't really there. Alana nodded.  "Meet Will Graham. Will, this is your psychiatrist, Dr. Lecter." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Will Graham was skeptical of his new psychiatrist. This was clear as light to Hannibal, and he respected him for having his judgements and wanting to not rush right into therapy. Things always went smoother when the Doctor and the patient were well acquainted. Alana seemed to not only be his psychiatrist, but friend as she wrapped him in a tight hug. "I'll call weekly, alright? Jack Crawford, myself and Dr. Lecter are the only one's aloud to remove you from the hospital for any visiting, and if you ever want to go see your dogs I'd be more than willing to drive you." Alana said, squeezing gently. Will sighed and hugged back, both enjoying the comfort and enduring it. After Alana left, Hanibal turned to face Will, a smile on his face that was kind and understanding. "Shall I show you to our quarters?" He asked. Will raised an eyebrow."You stay here too?" Hannibal nodded slightly and began to lead him to the wing in which they'd be staying in. Will followed close behind, not wanting to be lost in the institution. Or hospital. Or whatever it was called. "So why do you stay here? Don't you have a wife to get home to?" Hannibal chuckled softly."I only wish I had someone such as a wife to spend my life with. Although I don't make a good husband. I tend to be cold at different points in time, as I'm sure you'll find out eventually. I prefer to live with my patients to make them more comfortable with my presence." Hannibal approached two oak doors, a silver key hole in the one to the right. Will admired the carvings of different animals. "Just keep it professional." He murmured, in awe of the door. Hannibal looked over his shoulder at him before turning to unlock the door. "Or we could socialize like adults. God forbid we become friendly." Hannibal said in reply. Will smiled some at the remark. He followed Hannibal down a long hallway that was actually open and lit up well. At the end of the hallway was an office, two levels high and extremely comfortable. It looked as if it could double for a living room. "This is my office." Hannibal said, gesturing to the seats and inviting Will to sit. Will looked to him with slight confusion. "Not going to continue with the rest of the tour?" Hannibal walked further into the room and sat behind his desk, pulling out a small notebook and folder. "We will at a different time. For right now, lets start with our first session." Will considered the chairs in front of Hannibal's desk to sit at, but disreguarded the idea, not wanting to sit face to face with this man who he'd just met. Instead, he climbed the ladder in an attempt to escape almost, but pinned it off as wanting to look at the man's book collection. Hannibal noted this and stood, walking over and standing so he could see Will. "Shall we start with why you're here?" "I'm here simply because Alana and Jack think I need therapy." He said, glancing at the book spines as he paced. He felt Hannibal's eyes follow his movements. "Were you not doing well with Alana?" He asked in slight curiosity. "She is one of the best psychiatrists I have ever come into contact with. I would've figured she'd be able to help." Will sighed. "I don't think she's a good psychiatrist for me. We have too much of a friendship that intervenes with the psychiatric work that she's supposed to be doing. Of course she still helps." He paused to pull a book out and look it over, something Hannibal didn't mind. "Why does Jack Crawford and Alana think you need therapy?" Was the next question. Will laughed humorlessly."Do you know who I am?" Hannibal shook his head."Not at all." He replied. Will rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath. "I work for the FBI. Or at least, temporarily. I'm a uh, special investigator is what they're calling me." He said. "Jack wants my help because I can get into the minds of killers and recreate their thinking, also helping to make a very detailed profile. The only problem is..." He sighed and ran a hand over his face. Hannibal knew what was wrong with a gift like that. "The nightmares plague you." Hannibal said simply. Will nodded and sighed."Yes. Very much so." He climbed back down the ladder and Hannibal gave a small nodded. "I understand. Let's go to sleep for tonight. Have you had dinner?" Will nodded. "Good. Let's go to bed, and tomorrow we can discuss it further." Will nodded again and Hannibal led him back down the hall, but not too far. From the perspective of walking up the hall, it was the first door on the right though from down the hall it was the last door on the left. The room was decorated simply but elegantly, and had a jointed bathroom. Hannibal left Will to get settled in. Hannibal retreated to his own bedroom, sitting upon his bed. He didn't sleep, there was no need to, but that night he considered it. He'd known since the day he was first assembled that he could feel the full capacity of human emotions, but he didn't know that included...love, was what it was called. He didn't know it included love. Sure, he'd always been caring and kind to children and even other adults, but love felt...different. He sighed and pulled out a tool box, opening the cavity in his wrist and taking the tracker out.  The next day, on the website of Tattlecrime.com, there was a picture of a man who had his heart removed, and was pierced with an arrow right through where the heart was supposed to be. HIs eyes were compressed to the point where he couldn't see anymore. His hands and feet were bound together, nearly cutting off the hands at the wrists and the feet at the ankles. His head was tilted down, blood ruining his clothes. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Will woke up in the guest room, the first thing he noticed was that he wasn't home. The second thing he noticed was that the room smelled incredibly, like someone was cooking. Then it sunk in that he wasn't home. And chances are Dr. Lecter was the one cooking. He seemed like the type that would cook. He got up and went to the bathroom, grabbing some clothes and getting in the shower. His thoughts traveled to his new psychiatrist, and his general thoughts about him. He wasn't that bad, having so far given Will his space. Will imagined what their next session would be like. Like his other psychiatrists, Dr. Lecter was probably done giving him space and would now proceed to poke around in his mind. Will groaned internally at that. Will got out and dried off before dressing in a white t-shirt, a plaid long sleeve shirt over top. He put on a pair of jeans and tried to tame his wild curls. They didn't obey him and continued to stick out from different directions. He observed the stuble on his chin and decided he could go another day or so before shaving. He got his glasses on and went out into the hall.  "Dr. Lecter?" He called out, wondering which room he was in.  "In here." The reply came from the room adjacent to his own bedroom. He walked down the hall and stepped into the kitchen, blinking. It was a beautiful kitchen, very modern and complete with a lot of the latest cooking utensils. Hannibal was frying sausage, draining most of the grease out of the pan. The windows about the sink overlooked a garden, which was full of various vegtable and fruit plants, along with a small flower bed off to the side.  "Wow.." he said. Hannibal looked up.  "Good morning Will." He said. "I hope you like sausage and scrambled eggs. It's the only thing I have on hand. I need to make a run to the store later." Will shrugged and watched him scramble the eggs, adding in spices and various herbs.  "No no, it's fine. I haven't had a homecooked meal for breakfast in ages. Usually I drive by McDonald's and get something off their dollar menu quick." He said. Hannibal shook his head.  "That is no way to live a life. Fast food isn't only greasy and can trigger heart disease, but completely untasteful." He said as he chopped the cooked sausage up and added it to the scrambled eggs.  "Well not everyone has a five star kitchen. And apparently training as a private chef." Will said, watching the way Hannibal moved around the kitchen, each movement purposeful and elegant.  "I did not have training as a chef. I was bored one day and I experimented in the kitchen. After a while I did take classes. Turned out I had a love for cooking. And to this day, I still do." Hannibal smiled. Will nodded slightly.  "That's an odd way to figure out you have a love for cooking. Did it ever catch your interest as a young man?" Hanibal shook his head.  "As a young man I was more focused on being a surgeon, and I acutally completed my goal. For a few years, I was a very sucessful surgeon."  "Huh. Surgeons make good money. Why'd you stop?"  "I killed someone. More accurately, I couldn't save someone, but it felt like killing them. I transferred my passion for anatomy into the culinary arts. I fix minds instead of bodies, and no one's died as a result of my therapy." He said. Will chuckled softly and Hannibal smiled, serving him a bowl of food. "A little protein scramble to get the day going."  "Thank you, looks delicious." Will said, taking a bite. He was proven right, the food tasting incredible in his mouth. "Good God this is incredible." Hannibal smiled a little wider and ate across from Will.  "Thank you. I had hoped you'd like my cooking, as you'll be eating quite a lot of it." He said. Will nodded and continued eating, not wanting to waste any time. While he ate, he savored the taste. The various herbs and spices worked almost too well together. When he looked up at Hannibal, he bit his lip.  It was the first time he had a good chance to look over Hannibal. This was a different Hannibal from last night. This was a fresh morning Hannibal, only in a robe. His hair was uneven and not yet combed back, his eyes sparkling as he ate. Will found himself staring before quickly turning back to his food.  I'm NOT falling in love with my psychiatrist. My male psychiatrist. Who I've only known for a day. Will thought to himself firmly as he finished his protein scramble. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Will was watching from the kitchen window as Hannibal, who was down on his knees, sleeves rolled up wearing a gardening apron, picked various fruits for the fruit salad he was going to make. It had been eight days since Will was admitted, and he'd noticed that his emotions that he'd thought he felt for Dr. Lecter were only increasing. It didn't help that he kept catching him in various positions around the wing of hospital, including the one he was currently in. When Hannibal returned to the kitchen with the necessary fruits, he pulled out a cutting board and began to cube them. Will walked over and watched him. "Hello Will." He said, turning to look at him over his shoulder. Will smiled slightly but it disappeared as soon as it had appeared."I was wondering something." Hannibal hummed in question. "I want to go see my dogs and I was wondering if you'd take me to see them... maybe help me walk them?" Hannibal stopped cubing and looked at him."I don't see a problem in that." He smiled slightly. "How many dogs do you have? Alana told me you had several.""I have seven. All boys."  Will replied. Hannibal nodded slightly. He continued to cube the fruit and put them in a bowl, adding a light layer of sugar over top and mixing the fruit around. The summer air blew outside, creating a light whistling noise. Hannibal looked at the fruit salad and then looked up at Will. "Shall I make us some fruit smoothies to go with the salad?" Will shrugged and watched him make banana fruit smoothies. Will chuckled as he took one and then some fruit salad. Hannibal smiled at him. "What's funny?" "In the time I've spent with you I've never seen you make something, anything, as mundane as a fruit salad and smoothies to go with." Hannibal chuckled and smiled slightly. "I know how to make them, keep in mind, I only choose to put the finer things into my system." Will smiled slightly and they clinked their glasses. They took a sip at the same time and Will smiled slightly. "That's really good." he said. Hannibal smiled a little wider, but not as wide as he could. Will could tell that Hannibal only gave partial smiles and never fully smiled. Not for anyone. "Thank you." Hannibal replied with. After their smoothies and salad they left for Wolf Trap. Will directed Hannibal to his house and Hannibal pulled into the drive way. Will got out as soon as he could and ran into the house, his dogs quick to greet him. Hannibal chuckled and followed him in, petting the dogs. Winston sniffed his hand and growled at Hannibal. "Winston." Will scolded lightly. Winston growled again and Hannibal was quick to pull his hand away. "Winston!" Will repeated, a little firmer. "Sorry about him, he's normally not like this." "It's fine. I am a stranger, and when he gets to know me a little better, maybe we can be friends." Hannibal said. Will shrugged. "Maybe...I mean, he only acts that way towards androids. It's strange." Hannibal stiffened when Will wasn't looking. He locked eyes with Winston, who was glaring at him. Winston soon averted his gaze and went to Will to be petted and loved. Will smiled and looked up at Hannibal. "Would you like to help me walk them?" Hannibal smiled slightly."I'd be happy to help." He said. Will handed him three leashes, and Hannibal took the three bigger dogs besides Winston. "Don't put the leashes on your wrist alone. Hold them with two hands." Hannibal nodded slightly at the words. Will leashed the dogs up and opened the door, letting them run out. Hannibal let them as well, he and Will being pulled along. Will laughed and looked to Hannibal to make sure he was okay. Hannibal was fine, of course. He was even smiling.  They had been walking for a good while, when the dogs saw something. Their ears perked up and they looked in the same direction. Will held them tigheter, and Hannibal copied. "Down." Will said, but too late. They'd taken off and tried to run. The leash pulled tightly and sharply against Hannibal's wrist and he heard something crack. Will heard it and blinked. "Are you okay?" Hannibal got the dogs to rest, and he examined his wrist without Will seeing. Wires were exposed and the white coating that made up his skin was peeled back. "I'm fine." He said, wrapping it up. "It's just sore. It'll be fine by tomorrow." Hannibal turned to Will and Will bit his lip. "Let me see," He said, walking over and wanting to make sure it was okay. Hannibal withdrew his wrist from Will's touch. "Trust me when I say it's fine." He said, almost defensively. Will backed up slightly and looked confused. He then looked to Winston, who was glaring and growling softly at Hannibal. Hannibal ignored this, turning the dogs back around and beginning to walk them back to Will's home. Will followed close behind, the figurative gears in his mind turning. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Hannibal sat on his bed and glanced over the broken wrist. He and Will had exchanged few words for the rest of the day, Hannibal having covered his wrist with a bandage to hide the wiring. He'd even decided to cancel Will's therapy session that day due to them not being on best terms. Hannibal reached into his nightstand drawer and pulled out tools and a few extra bits of metal and white coating. He began fixing his wrist as the anger built up in him. It wasn't his fault he was like this. It was something Bedelia Du Maurier, the head psychiatrist at the institution, had repeatedly told him. He closed his eyes and laid down as the memories of his first days there came back.   Hannibal had already been sad, or a better description yet, depressed when he first arrived at the psychiatric institiution. Having being revoked of his duties as a surgeon, and having not said goodbye to Mischa, added to the rapid aging he'd gone through, he was more or less depressed. It didn't matter his emotions though. He walked into the Institution with his head high. It was the best way to start any new career.  His first week there was probably one of the worsts he'd gone through. The staff tended to whisper things behind his back wasn't anywhere near as accepting as the hospital staff was. They'd crack jokes and laugh, and more importantly threatened to have him dissembled if he didn't do as they said. Since he'd nearly been dissembled, and the fear of that loomed over his head like dark clouds over a rainstorm, he found himself running stupid, simple errands that could've been done by hand. It was on his fourth day that Bedelia Du Maurier had called him to her office.  "Can you tell me why you're leaving so randomly throughout the day?" She asked. Hannibal sighed, more or less embarrassed about what he was going to tell her.  "The staff here constantly threaten me with dissemblation. I do what they say, and the less they threaten me." He said softly. Du Mauier pursed her lips, completely understanding how a threat like that would feel to Hannibal after the incident that he'd just went through.  "Hannibal," She said. "I am the only one who can give the order to have you dissembled or removed from here in anyway. I will speak with the staff, and hopefully they will stop. If they don't, I can get them suspended. Remember that you are part of the staff now, and as such you have certain rights. It's not your fault that you're like this Hannibal."  Hannibal had taken in each word she'd said, and it gave him confidence to lay down and think about a new approach to tomorrow. Then he did some minor calculations and discovered that really, he was only a few months old. His machinery and all of it was only a few months old. It made him feel so young compared to the rest of the staff, and made him feel infurior. No wonder they told him what to do. No wonder they treated him less than human, and then he froze. No wonder they treated him less than human. It was because he wasn't human. Du Mauier's words filled his ears and he relaxed slightly. 'It's not your fault you're like this'. Those words brought him comfort and he relaxed again, deciding to try his hand at drawing while he waited for dawn.  The next day he approached the staff room wtih a new found courage and self confidence. Of course, the harrassment hadn't stopped.  "Hey metal head! Coffee, two sugars, go!"  "I need you to drop this off at my ex-wife's house. Address is on the front." "Oh and take my car! Gas her up on the way back." Hannibal stood a little taller, more confident in his words now that he'd spoken to Du Mauier about the siuation.  "I'm not going to do any of those things." He said flatly, going over to get a cup of coffee. "I don't have to listen to you, according to the head of staff, and if I don't have to listen to you, then I certainly won't." Fredrick Chilton, the head of the pack of bullies, stood up to Hannibal.  "Is that what Bedelia told you?" He asked, though it was more of a statement. "Because she's lying you know. She thinks of you the same way we think of you. The way you're suppose to be thought of. You're a machine. A pile of microchips and circuitry all contained in a cold, metal shell." This was the first time Hannibal hadn't felt dispair, sadness, or even the indifference. This was the first time in his lifespan that he felt full on anger. Hannibal pinned Fredrick to the wall, eyes narrowed.  "Stop, pushing, me down." He growled. "If you treat me less than human one more time, I will-" "Hannibal Lecter." Bedelia's voice was firm and Hannibal looked up. He was still enraged. Fredrick smirked as Hannibal let him go. The smirk nearly sent him over, but he held onto his self control. He walked away and went to his room.    It was later that night that Hannibal killed his first man. He was done with Fredrick. He hated him and wanted him out of the way. He opened his wrist up and took at the tracker that the hospital had implanted to monitor where he was at at all times. After all, he was only machinery. He followed Fredrick that night as the man walked home, whistling softly. When they both passed an ally, he pulled him into it, pinning him there. Fredrick stared, is eyes wide.  "Ha-Hannibal? What are you doing?" He asked.  "Figures you'd use my name at a time like this." He said lowly, eyes narrowing. Fredrick's eyes widen and he tried to escape the android's grasp, just to have Hannibal hold him tighter. Hannibal pulled his scalpel out and cut him down the middle. He covered Fredrick's mouth to stifle his screams. Hannibal reached in with his other hand and pulled out the heart, it beating just a few more times after it was disconnected.  Hannibal stared at the heart and his hand and put it to his mouth, taking a bite of the heart and swallowing. It was...strange. He took another bite. Something in his mind tried to tell him that this was because of a frayed wire or loose something-or-other. Then again, maybe he was just insane.  "What do you think, Fredrick?" He narrowed his eyes at the man. "Because I think you never deserved this heart in the first place. You never deserved to be human." He removed his lungs after he finished the heart. "Maybe I don't either, but I know I'd be a better brand of humanity than you."    When Hannibal snapped out of his flashback, he heard Will across the hall, breathing heavy, just waking from possibly a nightmare. He immediately got up and went to check on him. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Will knew he was dreaming, but at the same time it didn't feel like a dream. Fear was coursing through his veins as something tied him back. He tried to shout, no sound coming out. He was scared. So scared. He had no idea why he was scared. Jack Crawford's voice came from over head, booming through the speakers. "You've been a disappointment, Will." Will jumped at the voice and looked up. "Yes, I'm talking to you. You've been a disappointment. A huge disappointment."  Something pulled Will against the wall, and when he looked to his right he saw a large robotic arm come out of nowhere. It grabbed Will's leg and a flamethrower accompanied it, removing his right leg. His eyes widened and he tried to get away. He tried so hard.  "Stop struggling. It won't hurt as much." Jack's voice boomed. "You're broken. You're frayed. Don't worry, we'll sell your parts to others much more deserving." Parts? Will thought. I'm some kind of machine? Of course he knew the answer to that one before. He was being dissembled. Apparently he was broken beyond repair. He should've been expecting this. It didn't make the fear go away though. If anything, it amplified it. Why had he failed? Why had he broke? Why him? What would happen to his parts? He tried to struggle, causing Jack to laugh.  "There's no use, Will. Let the arms do their work. It'll go a lot easier if you do." Will continued to struggle all the same. He had no legs. He had his arms but that was it. Arms and torso. He tried to pull his arms away so they wouldn't get to them. It was a failed attempt, the robotic arms just pulling them out and detatching them. He tried to protest. To beg. He wanted another chance. He needed another chance. It couldn't end here. He'd behave. He wouldn't get broken.  This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. No no no no no. It was one time. Wasn't it? Just one time?  He felt his back getting opened up, microchips and circuit boards slowly being removed. He froze involuntarily. His eyes wouldn't move. He couldn't blink. Every reflex was numb. The arms slowly removed his chest plating and a lot of the wiring that helped make him tick. Now all that remained was his battery, which pumped similar to how a heart pumped, and his face. He could still hear and see, much to his utter hatred. It was terrifying. "You're almost done Will. Calm down." Jack Crawford's voice called. "You're almost done." His eyes were gone, and then his ears. Yet he was conscious. Then it was-   Will woke with a start, breathing heavily. His heart was racing. He got up and staggered to the bathroom, grabbing one of his razors and purposely nicking the very surface of his skin. He waited for the blood to pool. When it did, he sighed in relief. He wasn't a robot. He wasn't going to be scrapped by Jack Crawford. His door opened and he saw Hannibal walk in, the white bandage still firmly in place on his wrist. "Will?" Hannibal asked gently, worry in his voice. Will walked out of the bathroom and Hannibal saw the blood. "What happened?" He asked, walking over to inspect it. Will pulled his arm away. "I've got it. It's nothing." He murmured, washing the cut and putting a bandaid on over top of it to stop the bleeding. Hannibal nodded slightly and sat down on the edge of his bed. "What happened?" He repeated."I just had another nightmare." Will murmured. "Tell me about it." Hannibal said, patting the bed next to him. Will looked skeptical but went over anyway. He sighed as he sat next to Hannibal, his fine aftershave filling his nose. He didn't know how Hannibal managed to still smell so good at such a late hour, but damn if it wasn't a turn on."I...I dreamed that I was an android. And I was broken. Jack Crawford was dissembling me. He said was broken beyond repair. Or-or something like that. It was probably the strangest and scariest experience of my life." When Will had his hands buried in his face, Hannibal realized it. He knew. But at the same time he didn't know. His subconscious was telling him, having put the pieces together. Hannibal then decided to act as if nothing was wrong and offered his  comfort to Will. Surprisingly, Will took it and leaned heavily on his shoulder. "You're safe now, Will." Hannibal said gently, running the opposite hand through his curls. Will nodded gently and moved closer. "And I'm...I'm human, right?" Hannibal nodded gently."You're human." He whispered, continuing to hold him close. "And you are too?" There was a brief pause and Hannibal nodded. "Of course I am, Will." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Hannibal was beginning to enjoy Will's company almost too much. It was week four into their stay together, and Will had forgotten about his wrist, and about his nightmares. He was barely having nightmares anymore, thanks to his therapy. He and Will were friendlier, and sometimes, though very rarely and always noticed, Will would call him 'Hannibal' and not 'Dr. Lecter'. Today was one of those days, and Hannibal was enjoying it. It was also nearly the end of June and beginning to settle into July. Today, for breakfast, they were dining outside for dinner on his patio. The temperature was a cool 70 degrees out, perfect for picnicing. They were halfway through their meal when Hannibal heard his phone ring. After he excused himself to answer it, Will began to review his emotions for his psychiatrist. He loved him, no doubt. He didn't lie to him. Sure, he had his secrets but so far he'd never heard him lie. Hannibal didn't seem like the lying type anyway. He kept Will sane and actually helped him, something that was greatly appreciated. He'd told Will that he had encephalitis and had gotten him the proper meds to help treat it. But never once did Will see him ever return any feelings the empath had. Maybe once or twice, or maybe he was too thick to get it. Or maybe Hannibal himself didn't want to accept it. Whatever it was, Will couldn't tell if this was a one sided crush or something that could potentionally blossum into more. "Will," Hannibal's voice snapped Will back into reality and he smiled slightly at him. "Yes?" "It's Alana. She's asking to speak with you." Hannibal returned Will's smile with his own, warm, half smile that never fully stretched across his lips. Will didn't mind anymore though. He liked Hannibal's smile, whether it be a full smile, a half smile, or sometimes a disapproving smile, depending on what Will had decided to say in therapy. Will got up and took the phone. Hannibal sat in his chair on the patio and continued eating. Will admired how mundane he looked before stepping inside to take the call. "Yes, Alana?" He asked.  "Hey. Sorry I haven't called to check on you. The Rippers been ripping more than ever since you left and Jack has wanted me to try to profile him."  "No no I understand. It's actually been-Wait, the Ripper?" Will was completely snapped out of his daydream about Hannibal and focused on Alana. "The Ripper's been killing?"  "Yes. And he's making fun of something we think."  "The Ripper doesn't 'make fun' of anything. That's not how he kills. Every piece of art has to be unique and memorable. Making fun of anything is child's play and plagiaristic." "Then he's doing it subconsciously. He's associating his killings to romantic icons. Especially things such as cupid." Will sighed and ran a hand over his face. He shouldn't be there. He should be out trying to catch this new killer because it wasn't the Chesapeake Ripper. It sounds too... careless, to be him. "That isn't why I called though." Alana said, catching Will's attention once again. "They why did you call?" He asked, no longer caring. "I wanted to know how your stay with Hannibal has been."  Will bit his lip, wondering if he should tell the truth about his sudden feelings for the new psychiatrist, or keep them private. Alana was is main psychiatrist, and he could trust her, after all. "It's been...wonderful." He sighed at the end like a love sick school girl and at that moment he didn't give a damn what he sounded like. It was true. "I haven't had a nightmare in three weeks, give or take a few days, and he's been making incredible food, and-and..." He stopped, and he could swear he could hear Alana laughing. "Jesus Christ Will, you sould like you have a crush on the guy."  Will paused to bite his lip. "You don't have a crus on him, do you?"  "Alana... I think I do..." There was silence on her end. "Alana?" He asked after a few minutes. "I'm picking you up tomorrow."  Will froze."What? Why? It's not interferring with my therapy or anything and-"  "That's not why." "And I'm prepared for when he says it can't work because he's my psychiatrist. You don't have to worry Alana." Alana sighed and he could hear her biting her lip. "I don't want to watch you get hurt, Will. I know you think you're preparing yourself for every possible solution but there's one that you'll never guess and it's the one that's going to hurt you the most. Please, for the love of God, let me come and pick you up tomorrow."  Will stared and felt his heart flutter. He looked through the glass window and saw Hannibal eating, wind tusseling his hair and his slight annoyance at that, having to smooth it back down before continuing on with his meal. Will couldn't help but smile at that. "Alana, I think I'll be fine, alright? I can handle it. Don't come and get me." Alana sighed. "Fine... Just be careful, alright? Don't get too close to him. He'll break your heart, as he doesn't have one to give." Will was confused by her words but nodded all the same. Then he realized that she couldn't see him. "Alright. I'll be careful." he murmured as he hung up and went to join Hannibal. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Hannibal looked up from his meal as he saw Will return to his seat. He smiled gently and looked Will over. He looked handsome, with his recently shaved face and one of his better plaid shirts. He was handsome all the way around, no denying it. Absolutely no denying, and yet Hannibal found hismself constantly in denial. Probably because he knew soon Will would go and Bedelia would no longer have reason to keep him around. He costed too much to be sold, though he knew he was merchandise as well. Maybe... maybe Will wouldn't mind what he is. Maybe he'd buy him and they'd go home to Wolf Trap, Virgina and live happily together. These ideas were gone as soon as they came, knowing that the moment Will found out he was going to be hurt. When Will found out, Hannibal had to make sure that he was more or less cured, otherwise he wouldn't get anymore help from Hannibal, and Hanibal couldn't stand the idea of Will seeing another psychiatrist. Jealousy, he realized. He was jealous of Will, and nothing he could do or say would stop this. He smiled at Will, ignoring all that was running through his head. "So, what did Alana want, or is it between her and you alone?" He asked politely as he watched Will finish his dinner. Will shrugged, guessing he'd tell him because it wasn't that big of deal. "She asked me how things were going, caught me up on all that was happening with the Chesapeake Ripper, and I... I told her something personal. She had threatened to pick me up tomorrow because of it and told me to keep my distance from you." Hannibal looked a little confused, but he had a good idea what Will had told Alana. "Oh? As your current psychiatrist am I allowed to know what you told her?" He joked, smiling slightly, although on the inside he felt as if he was dying. Will blushed lightly and smiled, shaking his head. "No, I... I don't think I should tell you." He said. Hannibal continued to smile, but his smile was soft and understanding. He nodded his head and rose from the table, clearing the dishes and carrying them in to be washed and put up for the night. Will followed and watched him, and Hannibal sighed. "There's something on your mind. And if it is going to be a problem between us, I'd prefer if maybe you did leave with Alana tomorrow." He said gently. Will blinked a few times and sighed, moving even close than what he already was. "If you had a secreat and I asked you to tell me, would you?" Hannibal acted like the question didn't affect him, but it did on the inside. "It depends on the secret I guess." Hannibal could pratically feel Will getting closer to him, even though all it was was his footsteps falling on the floor. "Alana seems to think you have a secret that you're keeping from me...and she might know it, so if you both know it and are keeping it from me, I would wish  you would tell me." Hannibal didn't even have to move his eyes to know that Will was standing directly to his right. "It's nothing big, Will. I promise." Hannibal said, and Will sighed. Hannibal found himself being swung around by the shoulders and kissed firmly. Hannibal's eyes widened and at first he didn't know what to do with himself. He then kissed back and placed his hands at Will's waist, moistening his clothes in the process due to Hannibal washing dishes. "That..." Will whispered after they broke the kiss. "That's my secret... I love you..." Hannibal blinked several times and Will waited for a reaction. Hannibal pulled away and mumbled a 'Goodnight Will' before going into his room and closing the door. Will stood there, speechless and slightly hurt. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Will heard the loud thud come from Hannibal's room, he'd assumed he'd knocked something over it sounded that heavy and thick. He'd never have guessed that it was Hannibal's metal fist connecting with the wall. The wall had a nice hole it in, fist sized, that Hannibal would have to get fixed. He looked down at his hand and saw that the white coating that detailed his skin had torn, but was quickly repairing itself. It would be covering his hand again in thirty minutes.He sighed as he sat on his bed. Hannibal honestly didn't understand why he had to go and fall in love with one, a patient that a trusted colleague had given him, and two, someone who hated androids. Whose dog hated androids. The way Will's eyes sometimes sometimes roamed his body indicated that sometimes Will desired him sexually as well as romantically. This wasn't a problem of course. As an android to be sold over and over again, he had the basic programming and machinery of a regular android, which meant he could participate in sexual activities. More or less, it was the idea that he sometimes did the same to Will that frightened Hannibal.He thought about telling Will that night. Have him gone by tomorrow morning and be dissembled within the week. Because he had no more patients to attend to, and no one would see him given his origins, he was as good as scrap. Twenty minutes had passed since Hannibal had punched the wall, and then he heard a knock at his door. Slowly, wrapping his hand up before he did, he went to the door. "Yes?" Hannibal asked Will, a little more sharply than meant. Will stiffened at the sound of his voice. "I... May I come in..?" He asked softly. Hannibal nodded slightly and moved so he could. Will stepped in and the very first thing he noticed was the hole in the wall. "What happened?" He asked, worry involuntarily filling his voice. "I punched the wall." Will blinked."You punched it?" "Yes." Hannibal answered curtly, walking over to his bed but not sitting. Will sighed. "I... I cam to apologize for my actions. I'm normally not that outgoing." Hannibal blinked and looked at him. "What is there to apologize for?" He asked with confusion. "Obviously there was something. I mean, I am your patient after all. Maybe kissing you was wrong that way. You took off right away though, and I assumed that was because I'd pushed too far..." "Many patients have kissed me. It's not uncommon for sudden bursts of affection to occur between a patient and a doctor, but usually it's one sided." Will sighed softly again, closing his eyes. "So I'm guessing you kiss all of your patients back?" There was a pause. "No." Hannibal finally answered, walking over to Will. "I never kiss any of them back. Except you." Will looked up at once, blinking in confusion and surprise. "Will, I think I love you too. But I shouldn't. I really shouldn't." He moved closer to Will and Will's breath hitched in his throat, though he tried to hide it. "I don't see why it's a problem." He whispered as Hannibal got closer to him, their lips nearly touching. "You'll see. You'll see very soon why it's a very big problem." Hannibal whispered as he pressed his lips to Will's again. Will blinked but kissed back, snaking his arms around his neck. Hannibal held him by the waist and continued to kiss him. Will pulled them both to the bed and Hannibal broke the kiss at once. Will blinked. "Something wrong?" He asked. Hannibal shook his head. "I don't anything to go too far is all." He said. Will nodded in understanding and bit his lip. "So, am I allowed to sleep in here or...?" Hannibal smiled and laid down on his side of the bed, holding Will by the waist. Will smiled and snuggled against him. Hannibal spooned him and covered him up. "Good night Will." Will smiled and closed his eyes tiredly. "Night, Dr. Lecter." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Hannibal woke up, the first thing he noticed was Will's sleeping form pressed up against him. He smiled and kissed his cheek gently before moving some of the curls out of his face. He then realized something was off about his left hand. It was the hand he'd used to punch the wall yesterday, and until that moment he hadn't realized anything was wrong. But something was wrong. He couldn't move his left thumb at all. Not eve a twitch. Or his pinkie, now that he'd tested all his fingers. He got up silently without waking Will and found the handset, calling Bedelia's office. "Good morning Hannibal." She said in a pleasant tone. "Bedelia, I need a minor repair done. When is the soonest convenience you can take me?" He asked softly, trying not to wake Will. Bedelia ran through her papers.  "I can take you at three thirty this afternoon. Do you have enough money for what has happened?"  "Yes. It's small, just a frayed wire or two I think. I can't move my pinkie or my thumb." Hannibal lifted his left and hand and looked it over. He again tried to move his fingers, but with no luck. "If you're sure that's all it is, I'd be happy to take you. And if you do need money Hannibal, I've told you that I don't mind paying for small repairs. I just can't handle the bigger things anymore, like replacing whole limbs." Hannibal had known this for quite sometime and he nodded even if Bedelia couldn't see him. "Thank you again Bedelia. I just don't want Will to see." He said. There was a silence on her end for a minute and she sighed. "Hannibal, you do understand that Will Graham is most likely going to be your last patient, correct?"  Hannibal sighed softly, closing his eyes. Here it was, the speech he'd been expecting for a while now."More than likely, how things are going, yes. And I've already been asking around." He walked to his office and sat behind his desk. "There is no buyer of androids in the area. In any area. Or at least, one like myself.""Which means that after Mr. Graham leaves your care, we may have to dissemble you."  Hannibal felt more sadness at that than he'd ever planned on feeling. He imagined telling Will that he'd be his last patient, Will trying to get another address or number to come and get him or call him. He imagined Will's rage and betrayal, mabye even denial, when Hannibal had to tell him. He drummed his three working fingers on his desk. "I am aware, I just don't think I'm prepared for that... I think I love him, Bedelia. And he loves me as well. I'm posiitive this won't interfere with our therapy sessions, but I honestly have no idea how to tell him something like this." He said lowly, hoping not to wake Will. "It would be best for you to tell him sooner than later, keep in mind. And don't forget that he could possibly buy you and help you to not be dissembled. But at the same time, there has been a history with Will Graham and violent interactions with androids." Hannibal sighed silently and closed his eyes. Why was this happening to him. Everything was set up and he was supposed to be gone within a month or two. All of his belongings that he'd bought over the years were marked for different people. Bedelia would get his wing of the institution as a private home to use when she wanted. Now this man has come into his life and made things overly complicated, Hannibal clinging to life just so he doesn't have to say goodbye. "I know and I understand. His dog has taken on the same tones as his master, growling at androids when he comes across them. Will is also starting to put the pieces together on his own, and Winston growling at me is something to raise suspicion. I... also punched a wall last night and came out with minimal damage.' He said the last bit slowly. Bedelia sighed.  "It would be the absolute best for you to tell him. Three o'clock is when we need to leave to have your hand prepared."  "Thank you. Good bye, Bedelia." Hannibal hung up and went to make breakfast silently. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- By the time it was 2:40, Hannibal and Will were in the office, chatting aimlessly about ordinary things until Hannibal noticed the time. It would take ten minutes to get to the other half of the building where Bedelia's office was. Hannibal decided to go over the rules for while he was out, just to be sure that Will understood. Will wasn't a child anymore, and finally, after a few minutes, he sighed. "Why are you leaving anyway?" He asked, annoyance lingering in his voice. "I believe I may have broken a few fingers. I need to get it checked out, then I will be taking Bedelia out for a late lunch." Hannibal smiled, lightly amused by his annoyance. "The office is your's to explore, as is the garden. There are leftovers in the refridgerator, but I suggest that being all you're going in the kitchen for. My bedroom no matter what is off limits, and of course you can call Alana and she can take you somewhere. I will be gone for ninety minutes, give or take some." "Yeah yeah... whatever..." He mumbled, pouting some. Hannibal smiled a little wider and began to leave when Will looked up. "Is that all?" He asked. Hannibal stopped and looked to him. "Ah. Of course." He walked back over to Will and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, cupping his cheek in his hand. Will leaned into it and smiled slightly before kissing Hannibal properly. Hannibal kissed back, pulling him closer slightly. Will continued to kiss him, loving how Hannibal had been so agreeing to a relationship with him. It made him feel so special and wanted. Hannibal's lips finally had to part to get to Bedelia's office. "I have to go." he said softly. "Fine." Will murmured. He took Hannibal's left hand into his own hands and kissed where Hannibal had told him it was damaged. Hannibal smiled softly at that and leaned in close to his ear to whisper, "I love you." Will's eyes fluttered shut at the sound of his smooth accent. "I love you too." He whispered back. Of course, all good things must come to an end. Hannibal pulled away after awhile of just staring at Will, which Will didn't mind because he would've been staring back if his eyes weren't closed, he left for his appointment. Will wondered around the office for a good twenty or thirty minutes, scanning the spines of different books and occasionally trying to read them. He got bored with them rather quickly and went to the kithen, eating the leftovers from the night before silently and alone. He was outside for a little bit, but went back in after awhile. He thought of calling Alana, but got rid of the idea. He'd end up telling her about his relationship with Hannibal and she'd only shake her head in disapproval. So he did the last thing he should do.Will approached Hannibal's room slowly and entered quietly, as if it was haunted and something was going to jump out at him. His room smelled of the fine aftershave that Hannibal always wore and sometimes gave to Will to try. It wasn't that Will didn't like it, he just liked it better on Hannibal. Will looked in the wall where it was punched and pulled out something white. It was the white coating that made up Hannibal's skin. Will knew that it was something people sometimes put over top of robots to make them seem more human, and he was confused why he found it there. After that he couldn't help himself. He was snooping through Hannibal's things and he didn't care. Androids never came into that wing of the hospital, so why would he find that there? He opened up the side table drawer and blinked. Inside was a small took box. Inside the box was various tools, a few replacement wires and metal pieces. Under the box, there were two certificates, a document, a few other papers. The first one was a certificate of...being assembled? Will stared in shock and hurt at the document in his hands. Name: Dr. Hannibal Lecter Authentication Code: HL13WG669Will blinked a few times and pulled out another document. He'd been given to the hospital just up the street as a gift a few hours after he'd been assembled. There was a newspaper article there. 'PRIZED MACHINE KNOWN FOR HIS SURGICAL TALENTS'. There was a picture of Hannibal on the front, only younger. As Will skimmed the article, it told of this young android able to do things only humans had the rights to do. On the next article, it's headline read, 'ANDROID DOOMED TO DISSEMBLATION'. This article told of Miriam Lass, the young girl who was killed on the android's operating table. The last certificate was one that told of his redesign and programming to become a psychiatrist. Hannibal had been lying to him, and with that realization, every puzzle piece fell into place. Winston's growling, his protection of his wrist when he'd gotten hurt by the dogs, the white coating he found in the wall. And even the appointment with Ms. Du Maurier. He probably had broken something when he punched the wall. Will threw the stuff back into the nightstand drawer and clenched his fists. He'd been lied to by the one man who he thought he could trust. He heard footsteps coming down the hall and didn't have to turn around to know he was in the doorway. "Will?" Hannibal asked. "Dr. Lecter," Will said through clenched teeth. "I think we need to talk." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Hannibal felt good. Better than good. He felt new. It was rare he felt this good. The wiring in his hand was completely shot. It was the reason why he hadn't felt his palm when he'd set his hand down. Then it turned out it wasn't just his hand. In fact, his whole left arm had to be rewired and the feeling off the new wires buzzing in his system left him smiling for the whole ride home. Bedelia smiled at how happy he looked. "I'm sorry about not getting the chance to take you out to lunch, Bedelia." He said. "I will repay you somehow though. How about dinner down in my wing of the hospital?" Hannibal looked to Bedelia and she smiled a little wider. "I think I would like that, Hannibal. I also think that maybe we should get you rewired a little more often. It seems to boost your spirits by a considerable amount." Hannibal chuckled. "I will be dissembled before next month is over. I doubt I should get rewired." He said, even this he said this in the lightest of tones. Bedelia nodded slightly. After they were inside, Hannibal began walking to his wing, smiling. When he walked through, the first thing he noticed was that the door to his bedroom was open. His smile disappeared instantly. He walked to the door way and looked in. Will was shaking, with anger this time and not fear. "Will?" He asked softly. Will didn't turn around."Dr. Lecter," He growled, causing Hannibal to stiffen. "I think we need to talk." Hannibal looked to his left his hand, the wires buzzing happily in him as they were still settling in his system. He walked over to Will and Will stood, glaring at him. The glare made his throat close it seemed."Yes. I think we should. Will, don't be angry." Hannibal had read Will's background with androids. When he was angry, he could get violent. Usually, Will could control his temper perfectly, but this.. this crossed a huge line. "You want me not to be angry?!" He yelled. "Hannibal, I spilled my life to you! I trusted you with everthing! Everything! And I find out you..." Will looked away. "I bet you didn't care. At all. You shrugged it off and carried on. You pretended to care." Hannibal was hurt at that, but covered it up. "I didn't pretend. Not once." He said, raising his voice but not yelling. "I genuinely care about you. Otherwise would your nightmares have stopped? Would I have perscribed you a bottle of pills to help with the delusions and recommend that you see a proper doctor if I didn't care?" Hannibal was more or less desperate to keep a hold of Will. "Yeah, thanks for that! But you didn't tell me this! You know how much I hate androids! You do! I've told you before and you nodded, saying you understood. You've flat out lied to me! I asked you if you were human and you said yes! Of course you were!" Hannibal recoiled slightly and sighed. "It was wrong, but I am the best doctor for you Will. And you were still sick." He said. Will huffed. "I wanted to help make sure you were better." "You don't really love me, do you." Will asked, eyes narrowed slightly. "Androids can't love, so it wouldn't surprise me." Hannibal again masterfully hid his pain."I do love you." He said softly, going to run a hand through Will's curls just to be rejected. Will swatted his hand away and set his jaw. "How could you? You're metal." He murmured. "Machines can't feel a damn thing." "I'm different. I... I have the ability to feel human emotions. Sadness, anger, love... pain..." He said, the last word being spoken softly. Will either didn't hear him or didn't care. He was pissed. "You decieved me! You lied to me and you expect me to believe you now! What was the point of all this?! I mean really! You and Alana both know that I hate androids. I despise them and you didn't care then! Why would you care now?!" "Because the moment you leave the hospital I'm being signed up for dissemblation!" He said, voice rising even more. "I don't want to say good bye to you and have it be unhappy. I never want to say goodbye! It's why I haven't told you sooner or any of it! Because I love you more than I have any other being!" "Oh? That's it then! You want me as a life saver! With me around, you can't get dissembled because you have a job to do! Well guess what, I don't care if you're dissembled. In fact, I'd love to pay front row seat tickets to watch." Hannibal froze and at that he broke. The sadness stretched across his face and was visible in every mark. Every wrinkle. Everything. Will realized his mistake and his eyes widened. "Out." Hannibal said lowly, fist clenching. "Get out of my room." Will could only nod like a dog who had been scolded and he left slowly. The door was shut and locked. Will leaned against the wall next to the door and slid to the floor, sitting there, waiting to fix his mistake. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Will waited an hour to be let in, and still wasn't. So finally, he stood and knocked softly on the door. There wasn't an answer, and Will listened. He could hear the soft clank of metal against more metal. He knocked again. "Hannibal," He said softly. "Please let me." The motion in his room stopped and he heard Hannibal sigh. It was an incredibly soft sigh, but he could still hear it. The door unlocked and Will took that as come in. Gently he walked into the room. Hannibal was working on his other arm, the right one. "I-I guess you didn't actually go to the doctor today." "No." Hannibal answered curtly. "May I know where you actually went?" Will asked softly. "I went to get my left arm rewired. A few wires short circuited last night when I punched the wall." He murmured. Will sighed and ran a hand over his face. Seeing Hannibal's arm opened up like that, talking about this... it wasn't right and he did't like it. "I'm still pissed." He murmured. "But what I said was wrong, and I... I want to fix it." Hannibal nodded slightly and picked up the metal plate beside his lap. He pressed it into place and sealed it, the white coating becoming his skin. Hannibal rolled down his sleeve and looked over at Will. "It's only natural for you to want to fix it. It's not needed of course. Being your psychiatrist, or anything more than that, requires trust. I broke your trust, and you reacted. It's only... human." Hannibal looked to his arm and his shoulders fell. "I'm sorry, Will. And I understand if you want to leave." He concluded. Will shook his head and sat on his bed. Hannibal moved to sit closer to him and Will sighed softly. "It was still wrong of me to say things like that..." They sat in silence for awhile. Then Will spoke. "I still love you." Hannibal smiled slightly at that. "If it means anything to you, I still love you too." He said. Will gave a small smile. "I also know that you desire me still." Will laughed at that remark. It was a small, barely noticeable laugh. "What makes you think I still desire you?" "The way you look at me...  It's one with lust and sexual desire. It's perfectly fine to feel that way." Will paused. "Do you feel that way?" There was some silence. "I don't know if it's desire, but I want to touch you." Hannibal murmured. "You seem... smooth. Yet rough. Like the surface of the water is. Jagged and piercing, and yet gentle and calming." Hannibal said softly."Let's... let's have an affair." Will decided. The silence loomed over once again and soon Hannibal was chuckling softly. Will looked to him with a small smile. "What's funny?" "Me. You. Us overall." He looked to Will with a small smile. They looked like teenagers sitting there on the bed. "You just found out that I'm an android, got into a fight with me, and yet you're suggesting an affair." Will shrugged shyly. "I don't see the problem. You love me. I love you. Let's have an affair. It doesn't have to last very long if it makes you uncomfortable after awhile..." Hannibal chuckled some more. "I don't think I'd be uncomfortable ever... Are you still angry?" Will shrugged some. "Not as much as I was. I just realized Alana lied too." "On my behalf." "All the same." "Don't punish her too hard." Will shrugged and turned to face Hannibal. Hannibal turned and faced him with a smile. "So, tell me, how does one have an affair?" Will laughed softly. "You don't know?" Hannibal shook his head. "I've never had a reson to find out." Will smiled a little more at him. "How old are you? Not the age you're programmed with, but acutal age." Hannibal blushed lightly, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Seventeen years old is the age of my machinery." Will laughed and Hannibal turned a little darker. "Sorry, I just find that hard to believe.""You're not the first. But back to the affair thing." "Right, well... first it starts with kissing." Hannibal nodded. "And then you remove your clothes..." Hannibal chuckled at how awkward Will seemed. Will rolled his eyes. "Then you have sex essentially." He murmured. Hannibal smiled. "So... kissing." He said as he kissed Will lightly. Wil blinked and kissed back, eyes slowly shutting. They moved closer and Will rested his hands on Hannibal's waist. Hannibal cupped Will's cheek with one hand and held him by his middle with the other. His fingers slowly travled up Will's face and through his curls. Will hummed at that. "And then..." Will said softly. "And then there's uh... Uh clothes. Clothes removed." Hannibal chuckled and nodded, beginning to take off his jacket and Wll blinked. "Can you even.. you know..." Hannibal nodded. "You've seen what they adertise other androids for. I promise that I will make an adequate sexual partner." He smiled. Will gulped slightly, wondering if Hannibal had any idea just how turned on he was. Hannibal got out of his top layers fairly quickly. Then he began to strip Will. "You are agonizingly slow." Will murmured, though really he wasn't. Hannibal chuckled and kissed him. "Show me how that last part goes." He murmured softly. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Will smiled as he watched Hannibal chop up some potatoes for hashbrowns. The phone had rang three times before Alana finally picked up.  "Hello Will." She said.  "Hey, Alana. I was just calling to tell you that you're fired from being my psychiatrist, but I would like to remain friends." There was a pause on her end.  "Alright then." She finally said. "Is there any reason why?"  "You lied to me. About Hannibal. The only reason I'm not firing him is because..." He glanced at Hannibal again. He hadn't fixed his hair that morning yet, and was wearing his royal blue robe as he made breakfast. Only his robe. Will probably looked just as bad, only in a crappier robe. Hannibal caught him glancing and smiled.  "I don't want to know." She said suddenly, snapping Will out of his haze. "Anyway, any other reason? I have patients to see."  Will blinked and nodded.  "Yes. I need you to talk to Jack Crawford. I need to get any money I can out of him. For my services. I haven't been billing him, but I'm starting now. I think, with the emotional stress and physical pain, eight hundred dollars would be in order?" Hannibal looked up at him. Eight hundred dollars was a good fee, and got them more than half way there to their goal.  "I'd say eight hundred is being cheap, but yeah. Eight hundred at the very least. I will talk to him about it, since to him I'm still your psychiatrist. Can I ask what you need it for?" Will smiled and nodded.  "I'm going to buy Hannibal. It costs a thousand dollars, but Hannibal said he had two hundred stored away in the bank. I just need eight hundred more and he can continue on without worrying about being dissembled." Hannibal smiled at the thought of being owned by Will.  "Cool. I will talk to Jack, and phone you with the results. Goodbye?"  "Bye Alana." he nodded, smiling and hanging up. He then walked over and held Hannibal from behind as he cooked, nuzzling into his shoulder blades. Hannibal smiled some more.  "Hello Will." He said, turning slightly. Will hummed in response.  "Hello Hannibal." He replied, voice mumbled slightly. Hannibal chuckled and continued to cook. "There's something on my mind and I can't seem to get off it. Even though it's rediculous." Hannibal turned to him again.  "What's that?"  "I've been thinking about the Chesapeake Ripper." Hannibal felt something drop within him. "I mean, I've told you about him. Alana told me about these murders that had love icons scattered throughout them. Like cupids and heart removal. Beautiful artwork in his mind, but having loving overtones. He wouldn't do this." He murmured. "It was his subconscious maybe?" Hannibal asked. "Maybe he's found love."   "The first one like this was a little over a month ago. The night I came here." Will thought, closing his eyes. "Hmm..." Hannibal was panicking slightly but ignored it. Will would put it together. Once again he'd be exposed. After he'd thought he'd had it alright now, it was going to fall apart. Will laughed, causing Hannibal to panic more.  "Well?" He chuckled. "What conclusion have you come to."  "That it's you." Will chuckled. "Isn't that rediculous?" Hannibal bit his lip. Will frowned. "It's not you, though. Right?"  "There maybe one more thing we should talk about." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- By 2:10 they were both in Hannibal's office, dressed and pampered for the day, Hannibal's hair parted in its usual spot and dressed impeccably in his suit. Will was wearing his usual, his messy curls refusing to be combed down and actually look proper. He took a shaky breath and Hannibal waited for his response. "You're not the Chesapeake Ripper." Will murmured. "Pushing yourself further and further into denial isn't good for you. I am the Chesapeake Ripper, Wil. I have been since a few months after I was assembled." Hannibal said firmly. Will shook his head repeatedly. "No. You're Hannibal Lecter. My psychiatrist and... lover?" He questioned. Hannibal wasn't so sure of it himself, and so he decided to leave that part out of his response. "I'm Dr. Hannibal Lecter, your psychiatrist and the Chesapeake Ripper." Hannibal said firmly. Will ran a hand over his face. He was shaky slightly and in utter denial. It fit, of course. Hannibal would remember how to be surgeon and all-wait. Memory. "Someone could've manipulated your memory. Uploaded false memories or-or something." Hannibal sighed and walked over to him, cupping his cheek in his hand. Will looked up at him, almost ready to cry. "P-Please... Just... be mine. I want us to be happy an-and if you're a killer then you'll be dissembled for sure." Will hugged Hannibal tightly and Hannibal held him close. "Calm down Will." He said gently. "I have alluded the FBI for seventeen years, I think I could get away with just stopping. No one would find out. Only you would know." Will was still shaking, nodding against Hannibal. "Is-is this the last secret? Is this it?" Hannibal nodded softly. "This is it. This is the last secret, I promise." He pulled Will closer. Will smiled a little at the closeness, no longer caring if he was an android or a killer. He was warm and soft and gentle. Hannibal rubbed his back and kissed his head. "I love you Will." He whispered. Will smiled a little wider."I love you too Hannibal." He said. Hannibal smiled and sat down with him, singing to him softly in Lithuanian, where his accent originated from. Will sighed at the sound of his voice singing in it's native accent. He didn't tell Hannibal about the numbness creeping up his leg.  When Will was asleep, Hannibal got up and went to his desk, grabbing the handset. He called Bedelia and smiled softly. "Hello?" She asked, her voice having a sleep tone to it, suggesting that she had been napping."Hello Bedelia." He said, sounding happier. "I have excellent news." "What news couldn't wait until later?" She asked, teasing him only slightly. Hannibal smiled a little at the teasing. "Will Graham knows. He wants to purchase me at soonest conveinence. Is the price still set at-"  "One thousand dollars. Yes. Can he afford it?"  "We're hoping. So far it looks like he can, with a little help from myself." "Congratulations." She replied. "May I continue with my nap?" Hannibal chuckled. "Sure. Sleep well, Bedelia." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Things were actually starting to look up for Will and Hannibal. After the incident with being the Chesapeake Ripper and an android, Will and Hannibal's relationship was better and more open. Alana had gotten the eight hundred that Will did deserve from Jack Crawford, and Hannibal had two hundred left in the bank. A little paperwork here and there, and legally Hannibal belonged to Will. While Hannibal and Will finished up Will's time in the institute, Hannibal sold random objects around his house that he wouldn't need. The movie he used when to adding extensions to Will's house, specifically making the kitchen bigger, adding a decent sized bedroom, and an office. They went out to Wolf Trap, Will was excited to see his new home. He knew it would look mostly the same, but he had had to keep the dogs in a kennel, and if the renovations were that big he was excited. The clash between how Hannibal designed his home and how designed his home were at clash within the moment he walked in. The living room was a tad bit bigger, giving the dogs more room to stretch out. The fireplace was working, and new furniture had been put in. Will's design in walls and decor was the same here. The kitchen, which would probably be mostly run by Hannibal, showed off more Hannibal's style than Will's. While the living room had a distinct coziness and warmth to do it, Hannibal's kitchen showed off something a bit more business like. Everything was meticulously set in place, Hannibal knowing exactly where to find everything. Hannibal then led them to the office, which wasn't as big as Hannibal's old office but pretty close. It had a jointed waiting room with it's own door, so people weren't walking threw their house if they were a client. Out in Wolf Trap, he'd already received several calls and made a few appointments for regular psychiatric practice to continue in the next week. The bedroom simply took Will back. It was large, with it's own master bath attached. The headboard had built in shelves, and on the wall was a fishing pole rack, where each pole was carefully displayed, and his finest lures where displayed beside it. His lure-making desk he noticed was still in the living room, and this pleased him. There were two closets and one dresser, the dresser holding most of Will's clothes. One closet had Hannibal's suits. Will leaned into Hannibal and sighed. "How did you afford all of this? It couldn't be because you were selling things." Hannibal chuckled. "I did call in a few favors. A few small donations here and there. And some of the things I own are very expesive." Will nodded and looked around."Apparently." He collapsed onto the bed and grinned. "This is perfect. All we need is the dogs." Hannibal chuckled once more and laid down on the bed with him, holding him close. Will smiled and turned in his arms, kisisng him gently. Hannibal kissed back just as gently, running a hand through his curls. Will smiled a little more and closed his eyes. "We'll go get the dogs tomorrow." He promised. "Both of us. Winston will have to get used to me, of course." Will nodded slightly. "Do you think he'll ever get used to me?" "Yes." Will nodded. "He'll get used to you. I promise." He smiled. Hannibal smiled in return and Will frowned. Hannibal then looked concerned. "Hannibal... I really can't feel my legs." Hannibal sat up and began to examine them. Will bit his lip when Hannibal felt them, looking for the source of numbness. "No, I can't feel any of that." Hannibal looked up at him. "We need to get you to a hospital. Now." -~-~-~ "Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis," The Doctor Sutcliffe said finally. Hannibal stared at him. Sutcliffe looked up at him. Hannibal shook his head. "It's not that." "It is. The symptoms in him have seemed to been slow acting within him, but at this moment I'd say he has... a week. Eight days at most." Sutcliffe said, continuing on. Hannibal sat down, looking hurt and pained. "This disease is slow acting." He murmured. "The symptoms have to show. The body slowly being over heated by this... it has to show." He looked up at Sutcliffe. "What can we do? There has to be some way we can save him." "As far as I can tell, no." Sutcliffe looked through his notes. "Within the next few days, everything above the waist will start shutting down." He bit his lip. "There is one thing we could try. We need a volunteer for it, but I doubt your Mr. Graham would agree to it." Hannibal perked up at it. "Tell me." He stood. "Tell me  now." "Well, first of all, you have to know that the human mind, its electrons and neurons in it, the sparks flying in there, it;s almost no different than an android's wiring." Hannibal shot daggers at him, the look so cold and desperate it was hard to believe he was the same man."Tell me."  He said. Sutcliffe sighed. "There's something we want to try for patients with permanent spine damage, and we need a volunteer. Sceintists believe that the human mind can be wired and..." Hannibal blinked at him. "You want to try to make him an android?" "Yes." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Hannibal sat down on Will's bed when he entered. Will smiled at him. Hannibal smiled back and began to think of what he'd say. There weren't many ways to go about this. None of them would be appreciated, he knew for a fact. Telling someone that their body was essentially rotting with them still conscious inside of it could spawn an angry, or maybe shocked, response. "I was getting worried you'd never come and see me." Will joked. Hannibal chuckled softly. "They didn't want me in here while they were observing you. Thought I might make you nervous or uneasy." Will shrugged at that and smiled a little more when he was kissed. He kissed back happily and frowned when Hannibal pulled away. Then he noticed the look on his face. "What's wrong?" He asked. Hannibal sighed softly and ran a hand over his face. "You're dying, Will." He said softly. "Not just that this disease is terminal, but... you're going to be dead in eight or less days." He said, looking up at him again. Will blinked in surprise and bit his lip. "Oh..." He leaned forward and pulled Hannibal down in a hug, squeezing tightly. The surprised android hugged back after a second and nuzzled his face into his shoulder. Will held himself close and squeezed his eyes shut tight. "There's... there's one thing, though." Hannibal whispered. Will's eyes snapped open and he looked to Hannibal with hope. Hannibal sighed softly. "You're not going to like it, though. I promise you that." "What is it?" Hannibal bit his lip. "They want to... wire your brain, for something similar to a transplant. Except you'll be an... an android." He said. Will stared at him, in disbelief he'd even suggest something that ridiculous. "You're kidding." He said, deadpanned. "No." Hannibal replied as he shook his head. "I've been over the figures... there's a good chance that it could work." "And I bet there's a high chance it won't work!" He sat up with some difficulty, his legs still numb and acting more like dead weight at the moment. "It's better than this situation! In this situation you have a hundred percent chance of dying! One hundred. With this surgery, there's a sevent five percent chance that you'll live. And if you don't, the research they spend on why it didn't work could save lives down the line." Hannibal said. Will sighed and shook his head. "No. I don't like that. I refuse to let myself get that low." Hannibal raised an eyebrow. "Being an android would be a low to you?" Will bit his lip. "Look, I just don't want to be one, okay? I'd just much rather die a human. I'm sorry that I'd be leaving you, it's not something I want to do. I just don't want to watch all my friends grow up around me either." Hannibal sighed and nodded. "I understand... they're giving you three days to think on it." He said softly. "I love you Will." Hannibal added. Will gave a small smile. "I love you too." He whispered, pulling Hannibal down onto the bed next to him. "Don't ever think I don't." Will nuzzled into him and Hannibal smiled, pulling him closer. The two cuddled there for awhile before Will yawned softly. Hannibal moved his curls from his face and began to sing softly in Lithuanian. Will snuggled into him before slowly drifting off to sleep. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Will coughed harshly in the dead of night. It  had been two days since he and Hannibal had talked about one of the only solutions to saving his life. The disease had only gotten worse. He could barely move his arms or his head, and it was really affecting his lungs now, tugging on them and occasionally causing them to be without  air. Hannibal never left his side for a moment. Everytime he went into a coughing spell, Hannibal was there to pat his back and help get it out of him. Like, tonight for instance. Will was coughing, his cough worse than normal, and Hannibal shot up out of his chair. He began to pat his back and shake him gently. "Will, wake up." He said. "Come on." Hannibal kissed his cheek. "Wake up." Will woke with a shaky gasp as the air returned to his system and he whimpered slightly. Hannibal laid down on his bed and held him. "Just a few days more, Will." He whispered. "And all the pain will go away." Will whimpered at that and snuggled into Hannibal the best he could, Hannibal holding him into return to pull him closer. "I don't.... I don't wanna die." He whispered to Hannibal, a few tears running down his cheeks. "I don't wanna... I want to stay with you and Winston and all the dogs and everyone." He whimpered. Hannibal ran a hand through his curls and kissed his forehead. He didn't bother briging up the surgery, as everytime he had Will had snapped at him. "No one wants to die, Will." Hannibal soothed, kissing his head again. "No one wants to die at all. We want to stay with our loved ones for a very long time.  But this disease is going to take you, and I can't stop it unfortunately." He nuzzled against Will and kissed his cheek. Will whimpered again and held him close, snuggling into his chest and whimpering occasionally. He looked up at Hannibal with big eyes, begging."Make it stop." He whimpered. "Make it all stop. Please." Hannibal stared at him, looking and feeling broken. This wasn't something he could do. He couldn't fix this. Will whimpered again and nuzzled into his chest. Hannibal held him close and kissed his head. "It'll be over soon enough." He promised softly. "I can't help you... I'm so sorry Will. I want to so badly, but I can't... there is no cure for what you've got, though usually it happens slowly, months, even years pass before they die." Will was thankful for that. He'd rather his body get it over with in a little more than a week than slowly die by the years. Will was thinking and he whimpered as the thought returned to his mind. "Fine." He whispered. "I... I'll do it. I will. I'll let them try out the experiment on me." Hannibal blinked in surprise and hugged him close. "Thank you." He breathed. Will snuggled into hima nd whimpered softly. "You're going to be alright Will. You're going to be alright." Hannibal promised, kissing his head and holding him close. "It'll be okay now." "I believe you." He whimpered softly. "Everything's going to be fine." Hannibal smiled at that and moved some curls from his face. Will smiled weakly up at him and Hannibal got up. "Where are you going?" "No where." He replied, going over to the window to open the blinds and let some moonlight in. Will smiled a little more as Hannibal rejoined him on the bed and they cuddled. Well, more Hannibal held Will and let himself be a cuddling pillow. "I love you Will." Hannibal said softly into his ear. "I love you too Hannibal." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Will and Hannibal didn't sleep for the rest of the night, too awake and mostly frightened what would happen if Will did go to sleep. He had one more coughing spell, a really bad one. It got to the point that the only way for him to stop coughing was for Hannibal to almost pound on his back to get some of the fluid lose. Will was shaking by the time he stopped. Sutcliffe came in early to inform Will and Hannibal of the exact proceedures that would be happening, so nothing would be a mystery. Hannibal helped Will sit up so he could face the doctor. "The process itself is very simple." He said. "When we have your brain rendered unconscious, we'll go in and connect most of it to wires, including the stem that will make it easy to connect it to an android's body." Will nodded slightly. "You won't be conscious. In fact, you'll be in a state similar to death." Hannibal stiffened at that. "Will you be able to turn his brain back on after this?" Sutcliffe nodded. "If we weren't able to, we wouldn't be doing this." He promised. Hannibal nodded slightly and Sutcliffe looked to Will. "Do you personally have any questions?" Will nodded very slightly. "After I've been moved over to the metal android body, will I look like me?" Sutcliffe nodded. "We're going to make sure that every detail of you is replicated onto the body. And if this works, this could mean saving many more lives than your own. Don't worry about us getting any details wrong. We have an expert to design it." Will raised an eyebrow and Sutcliffe gave a smile, gesturing to Hannibal. Hannibal chuckled and nodded. "I am a bit of an expert." He said, kissing Will's head. Will smiled at that and soon Sutcliffe left. He called Alana and Jack, deciding that if for some reason this surgery didn't go well, he wanted to be on good terms with some of the only friends he had. Alana came by first. "Hello." She smiled gently. Will smiled and waved slightly. "Hi..." he coughed harshly and Alana frowned, sitting next to his bed. "It's gotten pretty bad then.." She said. "Any chance you'll recover?" Will shook his head. "No.. so I said yes to the surgery we discussed last time I called." Alana blinked and then bit her lip. She glanced at Hannibal and then back to Will. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked him. "I'm sure." He replied softly. Jack came in next and Will gave him a friendly smile. Hannibal attempted a friendly smile, and he succeeded, but just barely. He didn't like Jack after hearing about how far he'd pushed Will just to get what he wanted. "Hey Jack." Will said. Jack nodded slightly and sat down, sighing. "I don't know what to say..." He said. Will chuckled softly. "You're not at a funeral." "Feels like I'm at one. You look really sick." Hannibal nodded at Jack. "He is. The only way to save his life is also one that endangers it." Jack looked confused. Will and Alana then co-explained the process and Jack looked surprised. "You agreed to that?" He asked. "You hate androids. Why become one?" Will sighed softly and nuzzled into Hannibal. That's when Jack got it. "You can't leave him." Will shook his head. "Him. Or the dogs. Or you guys. Not yet." He said. Jack nodded softly in understanding. Alana sighed and closed her eyes. "I really hope this whole surgery ends well..." Jack nodded. "We all do." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Will's brain was rendered useless within twenty minutes. It was as if he'd died, Hannibal notice. His body didn't twitch, his eyes didn't flutter and his chest would barely rise and fall. He insisted on being there the entire time, and Sutcliffe agreed. It would help, in case he needed a rest. After all, this would be a twenty four hour surgery, which meant that Sutcliffe would get no sleep that night. Hannibal watched as they took the bone saw to his skull, carefully cutting it open to reveal the brain matter in front of them. "His brain is truly gorgeous..." Sutcliffe mumbled. "Every neurologists' dream. If you look," Hannibal went over and looked inside his head. "The right side of his brain has so many nerves to connect it. It's also the right half of his brain that was inflamed, correct?" Hannibal nodded. "It's also the right side of his brain that he did that thing on. It's what helped him make those connections." He pointed at a bundle of nerves, one of many. He then compared it to the other half of the brain, which wasn't as connected. "Interesting." Hannibal said. "During this surgery, could we undo how he does this?" Sutcliffe shrugged slightly and thought about it. "I think I could straighten out some of his nerves... There are a few things I could do. I couldn't take away his empathy disorder permanently, of course. That's a part of his mind, not his brain. But I can help with what makes this connections and jumps. He may have his empathy disorder, but he won't be reliving the crime when analyzing it. These nerves connected so much is what causes that. His brain is literaly out of his control." Hannibal nodded slightly, following most of what Sutcliffe said, but the neurologist was too much in his own world to make sense."Do it." Hannibal decided. "Be careful though. Moving the wrong nerve-""I'm aware of the consequences, Dr. Lecter." Sutcliffe assured him. He worked for several more hours before finally needing a break. Hannibal sat at Will's side, looking over his sleeping body. Sutcliffe was eating a protein bar with a coffee. He looked to Hannibal. "You really love him." Hannibal nodded slightly."I do. I love him very, very much. More than I ever imagined loving another being." He said. "It makes me wonder what life we could've led together if this hadn't happened." "You two will still live a good life." Sutcliffe said. "I promise you that." Hannibal gave a slight smile and sighed. "It's just utterly terrifying knowing that he may not wake up from this surgery. One thing goes wrong, and he'll be dead... Do we know how to transport his brain to the building plant?" Sutcliffe nodded."Leave that part to me. I know how we'll do it. He'll be fine, alright? I promise." Hannibal nodded slightly. "I just don't want to lose the only thing that I love." Dr. Sutcliffe nodded again. "I understand that. Well, back to work." He said, standing. Hannibal stood and watched him wire Will's brain, the grey matter mixed in with the shining silver wires. He sighed as Sutcliffe continued to work. It wasn't uncommon that people would surgically put wires and machinery into their heads to help save a part of it, but this was more than that. This was getting ready to be a machine and prepping your mind for that transition. Hannibal held Will's hand, sighing softly and glancing at the clock.  While his brain was being worked on, Will found himself in something similar to an out-of-body experience. The talking of helping his empathy disorder had made him more or less happy. Seeing Hannibal's concern robbed him of any existing happiness. He walked over to his boyfriend, who was holding his hand, and laid his hand over them.  "I'm fine Hannibal." He promised him. "I'm still here. I promise. I'm not going to leave you." Will's voice was hollow, not making any real sound. Hannibal didn't even look his way and he knew why. This wasn't him as a ghost or anything similar to that. This was just his mind surveying what was happening and giving him someway to relieve some of the fear by talking with him.  "I love you." He said next as Hannibal moved away from him to chat with Sutcliffe. He followed to hear what they were talking about.  "So, you have every detail memorized then?" Sutcliffe asked. Hannibal nodded.  "Every inch of his body I have surveyed. I know his exact heights and measurements." Sutcliffe gave him a form and Will watched him correctly give his height, weight, arm lengths, leg lengths and his... length's length. He blushed slightly, having not expected him to pay that close of attention to him.  "I will calculate the skin tone and eye color and such when he's assembled. Same with his hair." Hannibal said as he wrote down his finger lengeths, foot and toe lengths, and hand size. Along with how wide his face was the exact placement of his eyes, ears, nose mouth and hair line.  "Good. I'd like him to be as normal looking as possible. I don't think he wants to wake up in the morning and be able to instantly remember he's an adroid." Hannibal shook his head.  "I don't want that for him either. I'd like him to be able to recognize himself as a human as much as possible. Including by his rights." He said.  "Yes. He will maintain all human rights. We might even be able to get you your own rights." Will smiled alone with Hannibal when that was said. Will then sighed and went in back by his body. As an adroid, he didn't know if he and Hannibal would be as compatible. Maybe they'd both be repelled to each other. Maybe they'd no longer want the same things. He hoped to God it wouldn't happen that way. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Hannibal watched as the assemblation machine carefully built a body around the main headpiece that would soon be Will. Every detail was perfect. Every size, length, everything. Perfect. He himself worked on the little details, such as significant folds in the skin, wrinkles, scars, eye color, hair color, curl size, everything. The android looked exactly like Will, and he bit his lip. One wrong wire, one wrong set up move, one wrong anything and Hannibal wouldn't ever get to speak to Will again. Jack Crawford and Alana Bloom were watching with Hannibal from the booth as the android was dressed in Will's normal attire. "Jesus..." Alana muttered. "That looks just like him..." Hannibal nodded. "You memorized all that?" Hannibal nodded again. "When I get bored, I observe. And so I observed him until I had every detail commited to memory." Hannibal said plainly, annoyed that other people were required to be present with him while he worked. After all, according to society, he was just an android. Who knows what he could get up to. Hannibal throught bitterly. "You observe well." Jack murmured. Sutcliffe came in after a few minutes, looking over at the sleeping android's form. "So, ready to wake him up?" He asked Hannibal. Hannibal nodded slightly and Sutcliffe pressed a button, sending a small shock through Will's system to jumpstart his brain. Hannibal watched as Will's eyes fluttered open. Without giving it a second thought, he ran down to where he was, standing in front of Will. Will smiled at him. "Hi." Will said. Hannibal smiled. "Hello. We need to run some tests." Will nodded and Hannibal smiled just a little wider. "You can nod and move your eyes. Two tests done. Now some basic memory. Your full name?" "William Graham." Will recited. "Occupation?" "Teacher, slash special investigator." "Marital status?" Will rolled his eyes at that one and Hannibal sighed. "It's required.""Not married." He said."Relationship status?" Will gave him a look. "Come on Will.""Taken, by one Hannibal Lecter." He said. Hannibal smiled. Will then went through all the motorary tests, passing easily. Will then looked a little shocked, laughing humorlessly. That caused Hannibal to smile. "What is it?" He asked. "I didn't think it would be this normal." He said. "I... I'm made of metal and wries, and yet I feel human." Hannibal smiled and pulled a tool out of his pocket. He took Will's arm and opened up a metal plate. Will looked in and blinked a few times. "It's true." He then looked at Hannibal. "Does this mean that I'll live as long as you?" Hannibal smiled. "Longer. We'll need to get my energy source exchanged within a hundred years or so." He said. Will smiled. "A hundred years is plenty of time on it's own." He said, kissing Hannibal lightly. Hannibal smiled in the kiss and kissed back, holding him by his waist."Come on." He whispered easily against his lips. "Let's go home." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- One week after Will's surgery, things were still looking good. Nothing much had happened, and now, Alana and Jack were finally coming to visit. Winston had soon adapted to androids, now that Will was one and was dating one. Occasionally he would growl at them, but with some light scolding, he usually stopped. Hannibal was busy preparing their lunch when Will walked up behind him and held him. Hannibal smiled at that. "Ready for company?" He asked. "Yeah. I mean, I love you, but I'd prefer to have other guests as well." He chuckled. Hannibal smiled. "I'm ready for a little change in conversation as well to be honest." He chuckled. Will smiled at him and kissed his cheek. Hannibal smiled at him before turning back to their lunch. He checked the clock. "They're late." Will nodded in agreement."I don't know what's taking them so long. Isn't that long of drive." He said. Hannibal shrugged slightly. "Let them take their time. It's more time I get with you." He smiled, turning around fully so he could kiss him. Will hummed in the kiss and smiled at him. "I thought you were ready for new conversationalists." He joked. Hannibal smiled. "I am, but that doesn't mean I want to give up our time just yet."  Alana was the first to arrive, no surprise there. Hannibal had the table set and ready for all of them to eat together, and refused to eat anything until everyone was present. So when Jack arrived twenty minutes later than Alana, who was already ten minutes late, no one was super pleased to see him. "So..." Alana smiled. "How are things between you two?" Hannibal smiled at her and then at Will. "Things have been great so far. Will has taken to his tranisition well. Except when he broke his wrist the other day." Hannibal said, causing Will to blush. "You said you weren't going to bring it up." Will muttered, causing Hannibal to chuckle. Alana was laughing as well. "Not even a week, and you broke something?" She asked, smiling. Will rolled his eyes and nodded. "I wasn't thinking about it. I really don't feel neurological pain now that I don't have any nerves." He said. Hannibal chuckled and smiled at him, gesturing to everyone that they begin their meal. Jack took a bite and sighed. Hannibal looked over to him. "You seem stressed Jack, why?" He asked. "It's the Chesapeake Ripper." Jack muttered. Will and Hannibal's attention focused on him. "What has he done this time?" Will asked, ready to scold Hannibal later if he'd killed someone after he'd promised he'd stop."He's disappeared into thin air. I can't find him anywhere, and he hasn't killed anyone in weeks. I can't create a profile on him if there's nothing new to profile." Jack said, eating his meal slowly. Will was relieved that Hannibal hadn't gone against their agreement. "This seems like a good thing... to have a killer stop killing." He said. Jack nodded. "It's even better if they pay their time for it." "You'll catch him eventually." Alana promised him. Jack shrugged. "Hopefully..." Hannibal sighed."Let's change the topic of murder." He raised his glass of wine, smiling now. "To Will's recovery." All around the table there were murmurs of 'To Will's recovery' as glasses clinked against each other. Hannibal took a sip and savored the flavor before bringing it down from his lips.  When Alana and Jack had left, which was around evening time, Hannibal and Will were sitting together in their living room by the fireplace. Summer was quickly fading into fall for Wolf Trap, and the cold often made Hannibal uneasy. So to counteract that, they liked to sit by the fire whenever they could. Hannibal took a sip of his wine as Will drank some of his whiskey. "I'm glad you stopped killing." Will finally said, snuggling against him. Hannibal hummed. "It wasn't difficult not to, I just didn't want to stop. Of course, upon you're request, I happily stopped." Will smiled up at him. "I think you're just saying that. I don't mean that much to you." Hannibal chuckled. "My dear Will, you are my everything. You are all that I will be." He kissed his cheek. "In fact, I want to make sure you're mine." Will blinked. "What do you mean? Cause you can't mean what I think you're meaning." Will watched as Hannibal reached over and pulled out a small ring box. "I think you'd be right." He said softly. Will stared at the box than at Hannibal. "My God... but... are you sure?" Hannibal chuckled. "I have never been more sure of anything." He said. "So, do I have to ask the conventional get down on one knee way or will just accept my offer?" Willl stared at him and then smiled smugly. "Get down on one knee and do it right." Hannibal chuckled and got up, then getting on one knee. "Will Graham," He said, using the dramatic effect of pausing like a lot of people do. "Will you marry me?" Will smiled and nodded. "Of course I will." He then hugged him tightly and kissed him. Hannibal kissed back, holding him close to his body. When they broke apart, Will was grinning, a shine in his eyes. "I love you." "I love you too."
1177473
Photograph
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Nico di Angelo, Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by GingerKittyCat", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2014-02-10T00:00:00", "words": "925", "Additional Tags": "why did i do this, Oops, I'm Sorry", "Relationship": "Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Nico slumped into his bed, feeling exhausted and depressed. He'd spent yet another full day dealing with the dead and he didn't think he could take anymore. It had been three months since he'd seen his friends, or even his half-sister, Hazel, yet he still didn't believe he could face them for long.Blinking back tears, Nico pulled a picture from his back pocket. It's corners were torn and some of it was partially burnt, but it had survived the fire. The photograph was from approximately three years ago, after they'd defeated Gaia, back at camp half-blood. It was a picture of Percy Jackson, beaming happily, dressed in his camp clothes.Nico brought the photo everywhere with him as it brought a smile to his face whenever nothing else could. It reminded him of the good times they'd spent together. It reminded him that he was still human, capable of having friends and a crush. It reminded him that he didn't belong with the dead.The son of Hades traced his fingers along Percy's photo, wishing he could see that glorious smile again in person, but he knew he couldn't. With a heavy heart, Nico folded the picture and placed it back in his pocket. He squeezed his eyes shut, scowling at the back of his eyelids until he finally drifted into the land of dreams./The next day brought no less pain and by lunch, Nico wanted to drown himself in the River Styx. It would be a rather ironic death, but Nico knew he couldn't hurt his friends in that way. He brought out his photo again, staring at the smile that made his heart thud in his ears.Nico's stomach growled and he thought of what Hazel would say if she discovered he'd been starving himself again. His mind wandered back to the time at Camp Half-Blood when Percy had been almost chiding him for not eating and had offered to sit with him. He wished he'd taken the opportunity.Sighing, Nico picked up a pomegranate, his stomach churning at the sight of it. Repulsed by it, he hurled it away, deciding that he didn't need to eat. Everything he tried made the pain worse and he couldn't deal with anymore hurt. He turned away and skipped yet another meal./After yet another argument with Hades, Nico kicked the floor with anger. A rift broke through the ground, causing reanimated corpses to drag themselves through. Nico scowled at them, killing them once more with a tap of his sword. With that, he tossed away his blade.Trembling with anger, Nico fumbled with the objects in his pockets and found the photo. His anger disapperated, though it was immediately replaced with sadness. He smiled a watery smile back at Percy, tears trickling down his face. Wiping them away rapidly, before anyone caught him, he folded the photo away and cleaned his face./Nico glanced at his clock, realising the time and date. Cursing, he pulled on his aviator jacket and shadow-travelled. Hazel was waiting patiently for him, dressed in her usual clothes, except for a black jacket wrapped around her. In her hands were a bunch of roses and Nico gently took them from her, taking her hand. She looked as heartbroken as he felt, but he promised himself he wouldn't break down before her. He had to be strong for his sister.They walked through the graveyard together, searching for one in particular. As they found it, Nico's knees began to tremble. Nervously, he placed the roses at the foot of the grave, chewing on his bottom lip. Hazel's grip on his hand tightened and he could tell she was struggling to keep it together. Nico was no better. His head was spinning, his heart shattering and his knees threatening to drop him. His whole body was trembling and a thick lump was blocking his throat.He stared at the gravestone, blinking back tears. Even after all of this time, he couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. "It's okay, Nico." Hazel murmured, her voice thick. "Cry if you need to; it doesn't make you any weaker."Nico shook his head, refusing to give in to his emotions. He was violently shaking all over and it was almost impossible for his knees to hold him upright. Finally, they buckled and he sank to the floor, dropping Hazel's hand. She tiptoed up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder, but he barely felt it. All he could feel was the numbness spreading through his body and the heart-wrenching pain in his chest.The tears finally came and he sobbed, making ugly noises as he tried to breathe. He buried his face into his knees, hitting and cursing the floor as he cried. It was so unfair. Why did the people he cared about the most have to be taken away?He screamed and cursed and cried for what felt like an eternity before finally gathering some of his composure. Wiping his tears away furiously, Nico reached into his pocket and found the photo. His fingers trembled as he stared at the image, his heart aching at the sight of Percy's smile. A sight that Nico had always loved, but would never see again.With tears flowing down his face once again, Nico placed the photo beside the flowers, glancing up at the words on the grave. It read: 'Perseus Jackson, Died age 18. Loving son, friend and boyfriend. Loved by many, hated by few. Son of the sea. Never forgotten.'
1143073
Mystery Spots and
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Gabriel (Supernatural), The Trickster", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Katie (katieandsav)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2014-01-19T00:00:00", "words": "1,703", "Additional Tags": "Mystery Spot, Alternate Ending, Rewrite, katie's shit", "Relationship": "Gabriel/Sam Winchester", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“Sam, there's a lesson here that I've been trying to drill into that freakish Cro-Magnon skull of yours.” The Trickster twirled the stake he was holding, drawing an imaginary circle around Sam’s face.“Lesson? What lesson?”“This obsession to save Dean?” The Trickster stepped forward, his voice suddenly serious. “The way you two keep sacrificing yourselves for each other? Nothing good comes out of it. Just blood, and pain.”Sam’s throat knotted up, his eyes burning as he watched the Trickster. The other man’s face was sincere—almost earnest in his attempt to get his message across.“Dean’s your weakness,” the Trickster continued quietly. “And the bad guys know it, too. It's gonna be the death of you, Sam. Sometimes, you just gotta let people g—”“Why do you care?” Sam asked softly, cutting the Trickster off.The Trickster blinked as he was interrupted, golden eyes fixing on the Winchester’s face. “What?”“Why d’you care if I get myself killed? Idiots, jerks—you give 'em what’s coming to them. Just desserts. It's your thing. If I’m being reckless, shouldn't you be trying to gank me?”“Because you need to live, Sam,” the Trickster snapped, his grip suddenly tightening on the stake before he dropped it altogether.“Azazel’s gone--no one needs me to run his army anymore. I should be dead. I deserve to be dead.”“Yeah, well, you’re not. And you’re not going to be, got it? If Dean ain’t around, you’re not gonna accidentally—or on purpose—get yourself killed. And how’s about we keep it that way, huh, kid?”“He’s my brother,” Sam whispered.The Trickster’s eyes flashed, an unidentifiable emotion crossing his face. “He’s your poison, Sam. He’s the last nail in your coffin’s lid. Without him around screwing stuff up for you, you can live. Even if you don’t have some apple pie life like you deserve, your heart’s still beating and that’s good enough for m—”“I still don’t get why you care!” said Sam, louder than before. “What the hell makes you think I should live while Dean dies? I’ve already died! I’m just a walking corpse, okay?”“Because a world without you ain’t a world I wanna live in, bucko.”“Why—”“Because I love you, dumbass!” the Trickster yelled, face flushing with anger. He stared at Sam hard for a moment, clenching and unclenching his fists. “That simple enough for you, or do I have to get it tattooed across my forehead?”Sam froze, hand lifted halfway to his face to wipe away an errant tear that had slipped down his cheek. He breathed out slowly, studying the Trickster’s now-dark eyes. “You love me?” he asked dubiously as he dropped his hand, the tear now forgotten.The Trickster turned in a frustrated circle as he contemplated something, then lifted his gaze to Sam’s face. “Alright, fine. You want the truth? Here it is. Name’s Gabriel. The archangel one. Yes, angels exist. No, they’re not all fluffy wings and halos. They’re dicks. Which is why I ran away and found my own little corner of the world. Hey, what a coinkydink--our life stories practically match. Long story short, Samster, your mom used to tell you and Deano angels were watching over you: she was right,” the Trickster—Gabriel—finished off flatly.Sam stared at Gabriel incredulously. There was a frustrated air about the man, but for the first time since Sam had met him, he didn't seem to be lying. “So you’ve been…”“Watching over you? Yep. You got your very own guardian angel, kiddo,” Gabriel said. “What, am I not as majestic as you expected?”“So, what—you were assigned to take care of me or something?”Gabriel shook his head. “Kid, you need to get your hearing tested. Like I just said, I don’t have anything to do with those holier-than-thou douchebags up there in Cloudland. No. I just… thought you might need someone to look out for you.”“How--How long's this been going on? How long've you been... watching over me?" "What is this, Twenty Questions?" Gabriel cocked an eyebrow, then sighed. “Dunno. You weren’t too young when I first saw you. Somewhere between fourteen and seventeen, I think. You’d run away to some place called Flagstaff. Didn’t you have a dog?”“Bones,” Sam said quietly, recalling the goofy retriever that had been his companion for those two weeks.“Yeah, something like that. Anyway,” Gabriel continued, pulling a chocolate bar out his pocket and opening it to take a bite, “since even back then you were the size of the Empire State, it wasn't exactly hard to notice you stealing some crap from the gas station. The abridged version of the rest of that little tale is that, basically, my plan was to stick around till I was sure you weren't gonna get your scrawny ass into any trouble. But, as we all know, you absolutely suck at not getting into trouble--even if your ass ain't as scrawny anymore--so I've just... kept an eye on you ever since.”“So, um, ignoring the creepiness in the fact that you followed a teenaged boy home—”"Tone down the attitude, kid. I'm an angel. We’re allowed to do that,” Gabriel cut in, almost defensively.“—you’ve been watching me all this time? How come I didn’t see you?”“Angel mojo, kid,” Gabriel replied. There was a crack of thunder outside, and suddenly, the room was illuminated in bright white light. For a moment, Sam could see the vague outline of two large, aureate wings extending from Gabriel’s shoulder blades. Sam sucked in a quiet breath and stepped back, for the first time fully aware of how powerful the angel, the archangel in front of him was--and just how little effort it would take for Gabriel to kill him.Gabriel glanced over his shoulder with an amused sound. “How serendipitous,” he commented, tone dry. “I swear I didn’t have anything to do with it.”“Uh, yeah, okay. So, er, where does this whole being in love with me thing come in?” Sam asked, somewhat warily. Gabriel smirked. “Watch your ego, kid.” He exhaled, his expression becoming somber. “Being in love with you. Right. First of all, lemme say that ‘love’ to us angels ain't what it is to you lot. It’s not cuddling on the sofa, watching crappy movies together or going on elaborate dates. So you don’t have to worry about wining and dining me or anything.”“So what does it mean?” “It means,” Gabriel started slowly, “that I would die for you. That dying for you would, in fact, be preferable to living in a world without you in it. Sam, us angels like order--even the pretty... maniac ones like me. Without an anchor—whether it’s a job, a position, God, whatever—we lose ourselves. When I left Heaven, I lost my anchor. But then I found you and, jeez, this sounds like something outta some cheesy YA novel, but you became my beacon, Sam. Whenever I had nowhere to go, I’d find you. Sometimes I’d tell you about what I’d been up to while I’d been away. You never actually heard any of it, 'course, but I told you anyway. Don’t ask me why, 'cause I dunno.” He paused. “Not helping the whole creepiness factor, is it?”“I can’t believe I never realised,” Sam said. “If you'd been lookin', you woulda. There were signs, kiddo. Pretty obvious ones, if you ask me. Ever wonder how there was WiFi wherever you went? Or how info on whatever beast you were hunting just happened to pop up right when you needed it? What, didja think the Internet Gods had just smiled down upon you?" He shook his head, as if marveling at Sam's stupidity. "Kid, you’re blessed,” said Gabriel. “Who did you think you were praying to every night?”“That—That was you? I… what about God?”“God’s long gone, kid,” Gabriel told Sam. His tone was strangely emotionless. “Been gone for centuries. Now all that’s up there in Heaven is bickering angels. It ain’t pretty.”Sam remained silent, studying the floor as he tried to take what Gabriel had said in. Twenty-four years of praying, and only for less than half had anybody been listening.“Sam?” Gabriel asked after a moment. Sam heard him stepping closer, and a moment later, Gabriel had ducked his head to peer up at him. Despite the exaggerated quirk of his eyebrow, there was something oddly genuine about the concern on his face. “You okay there, kiddo?”“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Sam replied hurriedly, shaking his head. “Just—Gabriel? If you love me—”Gabriel raised his brows. “If I didn’t, that whole speech woulda been kinda moot.”“—bring Dean back. Please.”Gabriel let out a bark of disbelieving laughter and stepped away from Sam, his honey-coloured eyes dulling with what look suspiciously similar to hurt. “All'a that and we're back to square one? I might as well've not wasted my breath. Kid, I already told you. No can do. I can’t have you getting yourself killed ’cause of Deano and his damn hero complex.”Desperation crept into Sam’s tone. “C’mon, Gabriel, please. Dean’s my brother. I need him, okay?”Gabriel looked at Sam, seeming to contemplate something. He sighed, then said, “Okay, look. This all stopped being fun months ago. You're Travis Bickle in a skirt, pal. I'm over it.”“Meaning what?” Sam asked, his voice catching.“Meaning that's for me to know,” Gabriel said, turning and away from Sam, “and you to find out.” Glancing over his shoulder, he looked at Sam for one last moment, then shut his eyes and snapped his fingers.    “Promise me I'll be back in time…”Sam’s eyes shot open. He sucked in a breath and sat up, staring around at the dirty mustard walls of the motel room like he'd never seen such a contraption before. “What, you gonna sleep all day?” came Dean’s familiar voice as he walked through the doorway, his words muffled around the toothbrush in his mouth. “Gotta get back in time…” the radio continued to croon. Dean shot it a look of disgust.“I know,” Dean said distastefully. “No Asia. This station sucks.”
1149817
Castiel Feels Something
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Other", "Characters": "Castiel (Supernatural), Sam Winchester", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by dontliketea", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2014-01-23T00:00:00", "words": "1,013", "Additional Tags": "Destiel - Freeform, AU, College AU, College, Uni AU, University AU, uni - Freeform, University, Sam Winchester - Freeform, castiel - Freeform, castiel novak - Freeform, Dean Winchester - Freeform, Dean - Freeform", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
A New Beginning   Castiel looked over at Sam Winchester, sitting two seats to his right. He was nervous about asking him whether he could stay over tonight, since his parents had kicked him out so tonight he now had nowhere to stay, and Sam was his only friend. Sam turned his head to the left and made eye contact with Castiel. Smiling, he gave him a little wave and looked back to the the professor talking about some sort of complicated legal case. He panned the room, focusing his gaze on the right-hand wall, to where the clock was hanging above the door. The clock read 12:28, so class ended in two minutes. There isn’t any point in writing anything else then, is there? I might as well pack up my stuff so I can catch Sam on the way out.’ Castiel thought to himself. If he missed anything he could always ask Sam and he would be happy to assist him. Castiel started to pack his things slowly, still tuned in to what the professor was saying, but fidgeting impatiently in his seat, waiting for the bell to signal the end of class. Castiel started to sweat in his suit as he felt more nervous about asking Sam. He agonized over the fact that if Sam said no, he had nowhere to go. What worried him was that he had no possessions. The contents of his backpack were all he had in the world, for now; a notepad, a textbook, a pencil case, his phone and phone charger. He considered returning home and sneaking into his old room to take back some of his belongings, but if he got caught he would be in serious trouble.. Not only would his parents kill him, but he could be arrested and charged for breaking and entering. Basically, if he didn’t get some more clothes and a place to stay, he didn’t know what he would do. “Castiel, are you okay?” Castiel jerked back to reality, looking around for whoever called his name. Sam Winchester was sitting in front of him. Sighing, he put his head in his hands and felt moisture as he touched his face. Tears. He quickly wiped them off, embarrassed to be caught crying, especially by his only friend, and looked up at the clock again, which read 12:36. Had he really been sitting there for the last five minutes? Presumably, Sam had seen the whole thing. Shoot. “What’s up? Do you want to talk about it?” Castiel took a deep breath to steady his nerves and said, in a slightly shaky voice, “Uh, yes. In fact I wanted to ask a favour of you.” Sam expectantly looked at him, as if signalling with a simple facial expression to go on. Castiel remained silent for a few more seconds, suddenly blurting out his request. “I wanted to ask if it’s okay for me to stay at your house? Just for a while, un-until I get my own place. You know what? Forget abou-” “Sure.” Castiel looked up, slightly annoyed that Sam had cut off his rant, and confused about what he had said. He was so focused on his own question that he couldn’t even focus on the answer. “Sorry, what was that?” “I said sure. You can stay at mine. There’s always room at the Winchester’s, even if it’s not that great!” Sam laughed at his funny little phrase, and at the disbelieving expression Cas was looking at him with. “Really? You mean I can stay? For how long?” “However long you need to. You don’t even need to get your own place if you don’t want to.” Castiel gave Sam a wide smile and stood up. The silence was slightly awkward, but they were both content, especially Castiel, who could barely believe that Sam had agreed to the enormous favour he was asking of him in such an offhand way. “Should we go then? Or do you have an afternoon class, Castiel?” “No, no, I’m only studying law. I’m in the same classes you are.” They both walked out of the classroom. Castiel looked far more cheerful that when he had first walked in that day, so Sam thought that now would be a good time to ask him why Castiel needed a place to stay. “So, uh, I mean, it’s great that you’re staying and everything, but why? What happened to your place?” He didn’t want it to sound as if he didn’t want Castiel there, but it was difficult for him not to wonder what had happened to him so that he would make this decision. Castiel didn’t know what to do or say. He couldn’t decide between telling Sam the truth, or just lie outright to his best friend. He knew he was an atrocious liar, but he definitely didn’t want Sam to know the truth about what had happened. He didn’t want his best friend to know that he was studying law when his father had thought that he was paying for English Literature classes, or that when he found out, he had beaten Castiel and thrown him out, telling him to ‘ never show his face on this doorstep again. “Castiel?” He snapped back to reality and turned his head towards Sam. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I was just curious.” Sam reassured Castiel, with a concerned look on his face. Had he really been that obvious? Castiel didn’t want Sam speculating about his private life, so to appease him, he decided to tell him a simple half-truth. Choosing his words carefully, Castiel tentatively told Sam, “I don’t get on very well with my father.” Sam nodded, understanding that Castiel didn’t want to give him any details, so he suggested that they should probably go now. Castiel tried to suppress his grin, he really did, but failed miserably, as he thought of the prospect of waking up happy, not having to worry about hiding his textbooks or avoid going down to eat breakfast to avoid his father.
1116293
Vengeance is Mine
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Natasha Romanov, D'Hoffryn, OFC", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by SneakyHufflepuff", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2014-01-03T00:00:00", "words": "492", "Additional Tags": "AU, mentions of child abuse", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Natasha settled onto the park bench, its slick paint still wet with the morning dew. The shivering scrap of a child next to her, whose sunken cheekbones made it look like she hadn’t eaten in days, didn't seem to register her presence. With her vengeance demon powers, Natasha knew that the foster family that the girl had been placed with was unusually bad, even for Atlanta. Her heart beat a little bit faster as thoughts of the possible revenge filled her mind.“Hey, sweetie, what’s your name?” Natasha asked, feeling the potential wish swell in the air around her.“Annabeth,” the girl answered, her suspicious expression aging her beyond her ten years.“Hey, I’m Natalie.” Natasha gave a name close to the truth, the child deserved that, but she hadn’t been a successful vengeance demon for the past six decades by handing out her true name to just anyone.“What do you want?” Annabeth asked, her aggressive words belied by the way her body was folded in on herself.“Nothing, actually, I was wondering if I could help you. You seem alone,” Natasha said.Annabeth laughed derisively. “Look lady, if you try anything, I’ll scream.”Natasha raised an eyebrow in surprise; usually it was the older ones who were suspicious of her motives. She couldn’t help but like the girl. “Look, I'll offer you a deal. Make a wish and I'll go away.”“What, are you one of those wish granting charity people?” Annabeth asked, a speculative gleam in her eyes.“Something like that,” Natasha answered with an appropriately mysterious smile.“Fine. I wish I had a real family, one that loved me. But you can’t get that for me, can you?” Annabeth was matter of fact, not bitter, and that made Natasha’s heart break just a little.Natasha had dedicated herself to righting the wrongs committed against girl children, but those wishes always had hard edges. This wish was so pure that she was she was somewhat hampered. Arranging things so that the foster family would lose their foster kids, and thus their money, would have to be enough. She would work the system so that Annabeth was placed with a good family.“Granted,” Natasha said, eyes suddenly glowing green.The world suddenly changed around Natasha and Annabeth. They were in the white picket fenced suburbs, next to a house painted salmon and cream. It was Natasha’s idea of hell.Annabeth, now dressed in clean well fitting clothing and with a yellow backpack slung over her shoulder, rang towards Natasha on the pebble path, and hugged her. Natasha hugged her awkwardly back, still surprised. Annabeth smiled happily and ran to the yellow school bus waiting at the gate.“See you in the afternoon, Mom!” Annabeth shouted, before alighting the bus without a care in the world.Natasha swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. She reached for amulet, the source of her powers, only to find it missing. D’Hoffryn’s laughter rang in her ears.
1163294
The Grandegg
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Agatha Heterodyne, Klaus Wulfenbach, Gilgamesh Wulfenbach, Tarvek Sturmvoraus", "Fandom": "Girl Genius", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Persephone_Kore", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2014-02-01T00:00:00", "words": "1,639", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Agatha Heterodyne/Gilgamesh Wulfenbach, Klaus Wulfenbach/Zantabraxus of Skifander", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
When Klaus reaches Castle Heterodyne, Vanamonde and the Castle itself let him in, but Gil comes to meet him red-eyed and haggard and Klaus's breath seizes even before the explanation. "It's not really a good time, Father," Gil says through gritted teeth. "Agatha's... I think we're going to lose the baby."Klaus says, "Maybe I can help," and wishes Gil would look less surprised.Gil takes him to a laboratory where Agatha is pacing -- staggering -- with tears streaked down her face. Tarvek is feverishly building something, the tinest life support system Klaus has ever seen. Agatha stops, clenching her jaw and letting out a hum with a definite whimper in it as if she can fight off the ill-timed contractions in her swollen abdomen by sheer will. She looks almost nine months pregnant, not two -- Klaus looks at Gil, and it clicks all at once. "It's all right," he says to Agatha. "You're not miscarrying. It's an egg." Understandably, they all look at him as if he's lost his mind."Excuse me?" says Agatha. Disbelieving and a little bit offended but there's a tiny thread of hope in her voice. Klaus reaches for her shoulders. "Zeetha would have seen it by now," he says. But Zeetha is home right now. This is strange, but then it would be a very strange miscarriage. "I assumed your physiology would be the determining factor, but your child must be developing along Skifandrian lines. Skifandrian women lay an egg, at about this point. Full size. Zantabraxus was appalled at the idea of a gestation more than four times as long. "Agatha takes a gulping breath and looks up into his eyes. "It's not dying." "No." "I'm... I'm effectively in labor. At full term." Klaus considers this. "Essentially. You may have a harder time than a Skifandrian woman because you are not adapted to egg-laying, but I imagine most of the strain would have been from the rapid development up until this point. Part of the evidence is that you look much too far along for this to be a simple first-trimester miscarriage."Agatha snorts, and he remembers wondering whether to ask Zantabraxus about the rapid growth. At some point in the process of taking over Europe his ability to care if he offended people apparently snapped. Not that he hadn't done it enough before that. But Agatha's arms and shoulders are no longer rigid under his hands, and when his son comes up behind her, his face a study in hope and consternation, Klaus lets go and she leans back into Gil's arms. "I just thought I was putting on extra weight around it," she says. "I've been eating everything in sight. It's worse than during breakthrough.""I'm still sorry I missed that," Klaus says. "I mean to see this child's.""How sure are you about this?" Tarvek asks, voice even and hands still busy. "Really?""Almost completely." Klaus looks over at him. "The timing and phenomena are essentially a perfect match for Skifandrian gestation, much closer than I'd expect under the circumstances.""Okay," says Agatha, and she's a little breathless but her voice has hardened decisively. "Tarvek, keep building that just in case we're wrong. Otherwise--" She breaks off, eyebrows knitting. "Is there anything special I should do to lay an egg?"Klaus isn't actually sure how to answer that question. "The egg is supposed to cure half an hour before being handled. If you can get a nest of clean warm sand, you should.""This is Mechanicsburg," Agatha says. "I think I can get warm sand." She looks over at Tarvek. "And afterward, cake." The strain on Tarvek's face finally breaks for laughter. Klaus just doesn't ask.Agatha is having a harder time than Zantabraxus did, possibly because her body lacks whatever obscure adjustments were supposed to be involved in egg-laying. She summons a midwife. She demands sand in tones that nearly send Klaus after it himself, but he pounds the impulse flat and tells Gil to bring her chipped ice, only to discover Tarvek beat them to it. Tarvek hands the ice off to Gil and attacks the backup life-support system again. Klaus goes over to join him. Even if this baby is a perfectly healthy egg, someone will surely need one eventually. "Isn't somebody supposed to be boiling water?" Tarvek wonders. "No," says Gil, "because we have a high-capacity triple-distillation system with half a dozen filters already. We have all the clean water we could possibly need and it's not going to get any cleaner by boiling it." "It could be warm, though," says Agatha, suddenly fending Gil off. "Too much ice!" "You said you were too hot!""Well, that was two whole minutes ago and there's been some evaporative cooling!"Klaus explains the situation all over again to the midwife, who is from Mechanicsburg and therefore takes the news that her Heterodyne is laying an egg with aplomb. There is a little dithering as to whether Klaus himself should remain in the room at the key moment. He and Agatha would both just as soon he not be quite so personally involved, but on the other hand he is the only one familiar with the process. Eventually he points out that he witnessed it once, there were no problems so it's not as if he has experience troubleshooting it, and he's told them literally everything he knows about it. He waits just outside. When they start sounding worried he calls back through the doorway that it's normal for the egg to be significantly elongated by the pressure. After a brief bout of strained humming Agatha calls back, sounding a little disturbed, "Thanks."When he does go back in, the egg has recovered its equilibrium shape. It's as red as any Skifandrian one and looks oddly out of place nestled on golden-white sand. Agatha's clothing is back in order and she's washed her face, but she's crouched next to the sandbox looking at her egg in fascination. "How do we look after this?" she asks, not looking up. "I can't -- From everything Zeetha's said, I cannot imagine her mother sitting on an egg for months." "Eggs should be cuddled," Klaus says. Translates. "It makes them feel loved." He says it as plainly and naturally as he can, exactly the same way he'd tell them to support an infant's head because the neck muscles aren't developed if he thought they didn't already know. They all look at him uncertainly as if they can't believe that just came out of his mouth. He adds, "Men do most of the incubating." Agatha looks abruptly possessive. She might not want to sit on an egg, but she hasn't been expecting to hand it over to anyone else this soon. Tarvek looks a bit dazed. Gil says slowly, "It's hard to imagine you cuddling an egg."Klaus catches his breath at that, memory flooding over him. "I carried you and Zeetha with me almost constantly," he says, going over to scoop sand unnecessarily around the new egg in a little heap. "It's dangerous to have two babies in the same egg. There's a risk they'll injure each other." He's softening it. There was a risk they'd beat each other to death."Because it gets crowded?" Agatha asks, frowning. "I don't think twins usually beat each other up in the womb.""Twins in a womb aren't getting ready to punch their way out.""Ow," says Agatha. "I'd hope not." A small clank hovering by her ear starts ringing like an alarm clock, and she reaches out at once and puts a hand on the egg."On reflection," Klaus says, "this may have been easier all around." Internal gestation of a baby with Skifandrian hatching reflexes does sound uncomfortable. Though he has to admit he hopes it isn't twins. Even if he's almost sure the same thing could work again. It all comes back to him every time they let him hold it, which is more often than he'd have expected. Especially given the amount of competition. It's not that Gil doesn't take his incubating duties seriously (a little incredulously, but seriously), but the egg is the newest Heterodyne and... well, it's an egg. That isn't normal here. Klaus is fairly sure all of Mechanicsburg gets a turn cradling it, and if it's ever left otherwise alone, it's in a perfectly heated sand pit with Castle Heterodyne brooding over it. Klaus finds he rather likes holding his grandchild, and Gil watches him in not very covert fascination. Zeetha comes back late -- to his delight and disbelief, with Zantabraxus, who explains blithely that Agatha sent along the plans and she built a portal on her end, so there's no longer any travel time involved to speak of. Agatha and Gil quiz them about the potential complications of twinned eggs, and Zantabraxus goes over the dangers clinically. Tarvek diligently takes notes, which for no apparent reason are in code. Klaus takes a walk. The egg probably doesn't need to hear it. This egg is not twins. It is vigorous enough that Klaus counts limbs several times before he's really confident of that. Klaus eventually comes back into the room and Agatha darts over and hugs him. It's been years since they tried to kill each other, but this is new. He looks across in bewilderment at Zantabraxus, and she starts laughing. "I'm sure this is your doing somehow," he tells her. "I told her how you looked after our egg," she says, "and saved both our children." "I'm not sure this is an explanation," Klaus says, even though it presumably is. "I'm kind of fond of both of them, you know," says Agatha, meaning she'd move worlds for either one. Klaus shifts the egg a bit sideways and puts an arm around her. "I've noticed." He would too.