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The Knight
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey (Star Wars), Armitage Hux, Phasma (Star Wars)", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by ladyazura", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-13T00:00:00", "words": "1,501", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Empress Rey, Jedi Ben Solo, Coming In Pants, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Cunnilingus, Ben Solo is smitten, Dark Rey, Manipulative Rey, Semi-Public Sex, Dom/sub Undertones, Non-Consensual Voyeurism", "Relationship": "Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Her Imperial Majesty", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars - 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 }
The room is filled with First Order elite – high-ranking military personnel and aristocrats hoping to curry favor with the Empress. It’s all a repulsive façade she wishes she didn’t have to endure but unfortunately necessary. These people who openly fawn over her and sing her praises are the same people who whisper about her when they think she can’t hear and turn their noses up at her “unconventional” upbringing. They think her naïve and foolish, someone who can be easily manipulated and moved like a pawn at their will. Sacrificed, if need be. How wrong they are. She’s more than just a symbol for their new empire. Supreme Leader Snoke has seen to that. She’d sooner trust one of Phasma’s brainwashed Stormtroopers than a single person in this room. Even her own General has an agenda, though as long as it doesn’t interfere with hers, she doesn’t care. Still, when the tide does turn, she’ll need someone whose loyalty she can depend on – someone who won’t conspire against her, whose sole devotion is to her and her alone. R’iia must be listening, because as if on cue, a commotion draws Rey out of her reverie. She raises a brow when she sees her personal guard enter, led by General Hux, but perks up when she notices who they’re dragging in. Clad in his white robes, Ben Solo looks disheveled but otherwise unharmed. Good. It’d be a shame if her new toy got broken so soon. She quite likes this one, she muses as Hux forces the captive to his knees at the foot of the dais. “Your Majesty,” the General says by way of greeting, “We found this Jedi vermin sneaking around the hangar.” She raises a hand, effectively shutting him up. He does so, albeit reluctantly, and she turns her attention to the other man. “What a pleasant surprise.” She teases. “It looks like you’ve gone and gotten yourself captured again. Is this going to become a habit?” She hopes so. A quick glimpse into his mind tells her what she already knows: that he let himself be taken. The confirmation makes her heart flutter with excitement. She wants to squeal and clap like a little girl, but that would be unbecoming of an Empress. She has an image to uphold, after all, and so she schools her painted face and straightens her posture. “Your Majesty, allow me to deal with this interloper.” The General offers. “We can send the Resistance a message.” “That won’t be necessary, General.” “He could be an assassin.” Hux cautions, shooting a suspicious look at the younger man. “He could be, but he’s not. Isn’t that right?” Ben’s head remains bowed as he nods, unkempt curls falling into his eyes. The General sputters incredulously. Rey cuts him off before he can protest, turning her attention to the sea of faces watching the exchange. “You’re all dismissed. Captain, please see to it that my guests are safely escorted out.” “Yes, your Majesty.” The chrome-armored woman responds, saluting. Rey smiles. She likes that she can count on Phasma to follow orders without question. As the crowd begins to filter out, Hux turns to follow, indignation evident in his eyes. “Not you, General. You stay.” Hux falters just as he reaches the exit and for a split second hesitates before twisting back around. His brow pinches together, jaw clenching as he awaits instruction. Rey can’t help but smirk at his unease. “You don’t trust my judgment.” She says, a statement rather than a question. An accusation. “I don’t trust him, your Majesty.” Hux clarifies, gesturing to the dark-haired man still kneeling before her. “He could be here to assassinate you.” “You think General Organa would stoop to such cowardly tactics?” “They’ve resorted to such in the past.” Rey considers this, shifting her gaze to the Jedi in front of her, who had remained completely silent the entire time. Subservient. An all too familiar heat begins to pool between her thighs and she licks her red lips. “Perhaps. But he’s here for a different reason. Tell me, my Jedi, do your mother and Master know where you are right now?” He shakes his head and Rey smiles, beckoning him with a finger. “Come closer.”  Let me see you.  Ben moves to stand, but Rey stops him. “Stay down.” The Jedi’s adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, a noticeable flush painting his pale face, but he obeys. On his hands and knees, he crawls up the steps until he’s kneeling directly before her. “Good boy.” She coos, watching him shudder in response. “I missed you, you know. Your hands, your mouth, your cock… I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them. You missed me too, didn’t you? My sweet Jedi…” Reaching out, she combs her fingers through his soft black hair, giving it a light tug. Something akin to a whimper gets caught in his throat and he fists the material of his robes, knuckles turning white. “My General thinks you’re here to hurt me, but I know you wouldn’t do that. Still, I think he needs convincing… why don’t you show him he has nothing to worry about?” Ben peers up at her, uncertainty flickering in his dark eyes before he nods slowly, inching closer. She’s thankful that the front half of her scarlet gown is shorter, giving him easier access as his hands dip under the skirt and push it up. Distantly, she hears the General make a choked sound, realizing what’s happening. When she glances up, she sees him trying to slip away. Well, that just won’t do. Raising a hand, she freezes him in place, briefly reveling in the panic that crosses his features before turning her attention back to Ben. Ben’s hands smooth up her legs, his hair tickling her inner thighs as his warm lips ghost over her skin. She squirms impatiently, about to grab the back of his head and force it where she wants when his mouth finally reaches its destination. Rey sucks in a sharp breath, head falling back against her throne as his tongue darts out to taste her. Toes curling, she twists her fingers through his dark locks and pulls him closer, gasping when his tongue enters her fully, swirling and flicking until her mind is nothing more than a haze of pleasure. He grips her thighs as he devours her, unable to get enough, wanting more, more, more. Kriff, she isn’t going to last long if he keeps this up. His own arousal is prominent now, straining and twitching against its confines.  My poor, sweet Jedi…  A strangled groan erupts from Ben when a phantom hand cups him suddenly, hips bucking into the air. He never once stops his ministrations, plunging his tongue in and out of her throbbing core, desperate to please. As the phantom hand continues to stroke and caress him through his robes, she conjures another, wanting to please him in turn. Ghost fingers reach behind and dip beneath his trousers, teasing his entrance. When they finally breach him, Ben lurches forward and buries his face further between her thighs to stifle his moans, digging his fingers into her milky flesh so hard she knows she’s going to have bruises later. Between the invisible hand fondling his cock and the sensation of fingers fucking him, it doesn’t take long for him to reach his peak. A well-timed squeeze sends him spiraling over the edge with a choked sob, his hips stuttering as he comes suddenly and violently. Rey feels his pleasure as it tears through him like a Jakku sandstorm, as though it’s her own, gripping his hair tightly and riding his face until finally, finally, the dam breaks and wave after wave of ecstasy washes over her. She releases her hold on him only when the aftershocks wear off, panting heavily. Ben’s face is flushed when he pulls back, eyes glazed over and full lips glistening with her essence as he gazes up at her as though in a trance. She admires the sight, committing it to memory. “You did so well, my sweet Jedi. Come, let’s get you cleaned up. Both of us could use a bath right about now.” She says, smoothing the skirt of her dress down and rising on still-quivering legs. It’s then that she remembers Hux. She’d completely forgotten about him. She smiles at his rigid form as she passes with Ben in tow, but her eyes remain sharp. With a flick of her wrist, she releases him from her Force-hold and he all but crumples to his knees, more than a little stunned. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my quarters, tending to my guest.” She informs him. “Oh, and General? Don’t ever question me again.” “Yes, your Majesty.” The redhead responds through gritted teeth. “Good.” As she and Ben make their way through the halls toward her room, she can’t help but smile to herself. Ben Solo might just be what she was looking for.
10213286
markhyuck fic dump
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Lee Minhyung | Mark, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan", "Fandom": "NCT (Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by hoesthetic", "chapters": "9/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "6,790", "Additional Tags": "Drabbles & wips & whatever, Angst, One-Sided Attraction, I'll update the tags as I go, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Fluff, I ACTUALLY WROTE SOMETHING THAT ISNT ANGST, Alternate Universe - High School, mark is an athlete & hyuck is in a glee club, Bipolar Disorder, Introspection, Feelings Realization, Internalized Homophobia, Pining", "Relationship": "Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Minhyung | Mark", "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 }
donghyuck is too close. minhyung decides that yes, he hates it. yes, he hates the way the younger boy kisses his cheek as a joke and hugs him when he is excited. why? because donghyuck is close but it's never enough.a stupid crush. and minhyung wants donghyuck only to be close to him but he isn't like that; he runs around kissing others and breaking minhyung's heart. a heart that's not fully grown, really. he is still learning to love, himself, anyone else.  "so, so cute!" the younger boy squeals and pulls minhyung to his lap by his waist. he wants to get up and hide in his room but he also wants to stay there and press against donghyuck tighter, more shared body warmth.taeyong, his older brother, is having a some kind of a party that's more like a gathering. a drunken one though and it's weird he even let minhyung and donghyuck chill around. maybe it's because donghyuck acts like he is drunk most of the time or maybe he wants to show off his baby brother to his cool, older friends. "i'm not," minhyung mumbles but doesn't get up. he can feel donghyuck's nose pressing against his neck and jesus, his heart is beating way too quickly. donghyuck laughs. not fair. he almost blushes, but not quite, and he isn't sure if anyone would notice it anyway.  because donghyuck is close but it's never enough. so minhyung wiggles off from the other boy's lap and mutters something unclear."i have to go to the toilet," and leaves the room quickly without glancing over his shoulder. there's this ache in his bones, an itching in the tips of his fingers and he has to get out. it's too loud, it's too real and minhyung is tearing himself apart. a part of him feels bad for ditching donghyuck like that but the said boy is pretty social and he knows taeyong's friends. he tries to brush it off and grabs taeyong's jacket from the hanger, it's dark and quite cold outside but he needs his space. .... minhyung sits down to the cold ground and if he ruins his black jeans then he does. it's not that much of a deal. he has done this before, a bad habit, so his hand reaches to the pocket of his brother's jacket like he knows what he is doing.taeyong smokes marlboro's red and it's almost iconic. it's a little bit too bitter and strong for minhyung but it works, he makes it work. so he lights one up with a white lighter (bringing bad luck) and closes his eyes. his hair and hands will smell but taeyong won't notice, probably. and would he even care if he did? minhyung isn't sure. there's something so deeply calming yet stressful about smoking. he isn't a smoker, but it's a habit, a bad habit. no one knows he still tends to do it but donghyuck, and minhyung's chest feels tight: don't think about him. minhyung watches how the ash falls to the ground, melancholic."you promised you would quit," minhyung flinches. he looks up just to see donghyuck standing there with a tone of disappointment in his voice when he talks, "there isn't even any girls around to impress" it may be a joke but somehow it still stings. yeah, girls. girls are pretty with their long hair and thick lashes but they aren't donghyuck. no one could replace him, he is the one minhyung has to impress."yeah, because girls are the only reason i... i do this," minhyung says and nods down to his cigarette, sounding probably a little bitter."it was a joke, okay," donghyuck sighs but the disappointment is turning to something else. worry, but minhyung doesn't want to hear it, doesn't want to acknowledge it. he licks his dry lips. donghyuck sits down to the ground and their shoulders touch. minhyung should probably drop the cigarette, step on it but he doesn't. there's something scary about ending things and killing the fire seems way too metaphorical."are you okay? do you wanna be alone?" donghyuck asks when minhyung stays quiet, staring at the ground. he knows that the younger boy is trying. minhyung doesn't talk about his feelings, when he is feeling so horribly ill and when he is convinced there's something so horribly wrong with him. minhyung shrugs and he hopes that donghyuck will get it; please don't leave me. and donghyuck doesn't. minhyung doesn't realize it right away and then donghyuck has snatched the almost finished cigarette from his hold, and he turns to look at him. the younger boy brings the cigarette to his lips and takes a drag that ends up to coughing, minhyung smiling but it's subtle."it's disgusting, what the fuck," donghyuck curses between his coughs. minhyung lets out a small laugh, taking the cigarette from him and stomping it to the ground. it's easier, somehow. he gets up from the ground. if it was ideal, he would pull donghyuck from the ground too, press him against the gray wall and kiss him on the lips. breathless. but it's not ideal. so when donghyuck gets up by himself, minhyung just smiles. it's weak and the other boy knows it - he can see it in his gaze. don't worry about me, i'll be fine, minhyung wants to say.  "are you fine, really?" donghyuck asks. it still stings. minhyung adores him so, it's somehow so painful. "yeah, i'm fine," minhyung says, "i really am" ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- 1. mark wakes up.    it's pretty much jet black except for the crooked lights cutting the sky in half. tearing it apart and he knows he has seen it before. mark doesn't know if it's aliens or god but the point is that he is awake and he is nowhere to be found.     2. lavender candles. donghyuck used to burn them next to his body and drop the strong smelling wax on his baby pink (sunsets, sunrises) hair.  mark doesn't wake up this time around. donghyuck does. he gets up and sends him a kiss: then turns. walks. walks away.     3. stay hydrated.  mark misses people he shouldn't miss and he falls in love with boys who torture themselves with knives, scissors and fire. it's always so sad that people hate themselves too. he isn't people, not a person.     4. you've got time to kill, donghyuck said to mark while handing him a gun. mark pulled the trigger down his own throat. he woke up.      5. black and white static noise and his fingers twitch. he still wonders about skies and aliens and if he ever woke up. he never falls asleep. next paralysis:   6. YOU only lies. 6. hey, honey. it's numbing. 6. he's got these poems in his head. 6. there's an unknown boy in his mind: in his capacities: thoughts. a parasite. 6. four words can make mark break his knees.     7. it ends.   8. it starts. and donghyuck calls mark honey. mark calls him a murderer. he leaves the house with blood on his knuckles but it's not mark's. he doesn't bleed the way others do.  last night, he saw ash falling down from the sky. mark guesses the sky burned this time around. not his shoulders and scapulae.   9. mark lied to donghyuck too. to jeno, he doesn't. he is self aware of his own mistakes and actions. but he doesn't understand everything. he understands nothing. lost control again. what. not mark. not jeno. not donghyuck. he pulls the trigger. they all fell down. he woke up.   10.  11.  12.   13. he is no good. mark knows. he broke his index finger because it kept twitching.    14. trigger warning:  he seriously harms himself and others around.   15. trigger warning: he does things he doesn't want to do. his body does things it shouldn't do.    16. trigger warning: don't hand over the gun. please. mark does things he doesn't want to do.   17. mark doesn't wake up. mark wakes up. he never sleeps. three hours of sleep. mark doesn't sleep. mark wakes up. he woke up.   18. donghyuck. donghyuck. donghyuck is a boy with a gun in his back pocket.   19. jeno. jeno. jeno is a boy with ash in his hands and secrets in his suitcase.   20. and mark, mark is somewhere between falling asleep and falling down the skies. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- mark finds him laying on the bathroom floor. donghyuck's hair looks damp, the tips of it at least and god, his skin isn't the glowing golden brown but ashy. it scares mark, the way he is looking up at the sealing with his eyes what could only be described as glazed and empty.  "hyuckie?" he opens his mouth, unsure. mark clenches his fists to stop his hands from shaking but that doesn't help with the way his knees still are, trembling so hard he is afraid he might fall. donghyuck doesn't answer him, doesn't turn his head or gaze.  mark gets down to his knees and shuffles a little bit closer, the younger boy doesn't react. mark can see the traces on his cheeks, they are from tears, he knows, and his lips are swollen, bitten. donghyuck looks small, weak, out of character. the boy, who is always so lively, so alive, looking so dead, just a shell.  he puts his hand in donghyuck's hair, runs his fingers through the strands and just wishes for things to be fine. it feels like his heart drops down to his stomach when donghyuck's tired eyes turn to look at him. normally, they tell a lot of things but now, the brown looks dull.  eyes, in the end, are just pupils and irises. it shouldn't feel that way but it does.  "hyuckie, please, say something," mark says, afraid. he is so horribly afraid. mark has spent a lot of time thinking, psychoanalyzing, the other one, trying to unravel the mysteries and the secrets of the enigma he is but it's difficult. he is a contradiction, at the same time so present and there yet emotionally unavailable and distant.  mark may not understand donghyuck and the things he is going through but at least he tries. to understand, to get it, to be there and present when the younger one can't.  it must be love, the way he cares for him. mark can't help but think, is it selfish? is he trying his best just to get some kind of satisfaction out of it, helping others and being there for them, just to feel better about himself? he doesn't know.  "no," donghyuck replies and his voice is dry and cracking. mark laughs but it's choked and forced and something is burning in this eyes but he blinks his eyes to force it away. he moves his hand on donghyuck's cheek and strokes his cheekbone with his thumb. "are you okay?" mark asks but it's stupid because they both know that no, he isn't and it's not okay. it will never be because things like that don't just walk away by telling them to.  but donghyuck nods and it breaks mark's heart. he nods too, confirmation, i believe you, when it's a lie. maybe they, as a couple, as friends, as human beings, are just a big lie. pretending and acting, yes, everything is fine and everything is okay even when they can taste iron on their lips even they kiss, even when donghyuck's knuckles bloom in purples and blues, even when he screams in the bathroom and mark can't do anything but block it out.  mark helps donghyuck to sit and he is kind of surprised when the younger one doesn't push him away. it's progress, at least, but still a long way to go.  when mark kisses him gently, donghyuck keeps his hands in his lap, doesn't respond. when mark pulls away and looks him in the eyes, all he can see it's the same void, the same emptiness. it may break him but he is not the one who is already in million pieces.  so mark tries to hold himself together. just for donghyuck's sake.  "it's getting worse again," donghyuck says. oh the ache, not the one in mark's chest, but the one in donghyuck's, and he knows he will never understand it. mark takes his hand in his and holds it, rubs his thumb over his knuckles. "i'm sorry," it's barely a whisper and donghyuck just shrugs as a reply. it's alright, but it isn't.  maybe there's an ocean in the bottom of donghyuck's stomach. thunders and waves splattering around. a disorder. there still isn't an explanation for depression, a chemical imbalance in one's brain isn't enough, and the cures are just many ways to end up with a disappointment. heavy on their shoulders.  mark is afraid. everyday, it's almost sad. waking up in his bed, afraid, that donghyuck isn't there with him anymore. afraid, that the screaming will stop and he will be left with silence. everyday, afraid, that donghyuck will draw the end with shaky lines.  donghyuck's hands are cold. he has made a mess again but mark is alright with that. you can't cure migraines or snowstorms in the middle of july with only a positive mindset but mark smiles at the younger boy and tries to believe that it's gonna be okay. smiles, in the end, are just lips and teeth, bones and skin, anatomy, so mark isn't exactly sure how that should work as the reassurance.  but when donghyuck smiles back, with his cracked lips, mark just tries to believe in happy endings. they are just the hardest kind to fake. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The school's gymnasium is actually very noisy when the students try to settle to their places, Mark too, following his friends. He knows that his group of friends is quite a big source of the noise but it's boys, athletes, of course they are yelling and laughing. But while most of his friends are kind of annoyed that they have to be in the stinky gymnasium (which doesn't make any sense since during winter their basketball practice is in the same exact room) for the next fifteen minutes, Mark is quite excited.  "Yo, Markie boy, your lover boy is performing too, right?" Jeno, one of his team mates asks, and Mark wants to kick him. "He isn't my lover boy but yes, he is," he says rolling his eyes. It's a lie. Or only partly because Donghyuck is performing but he is also, as Jeno said, his lover boy. Mark prefers the term boyfriend but uses the term best friend. Because that's acceptable, even high school can't tear a friendship as strong as their apart after over ten years, and others kind of just roll with it.  Most of the people see the glee club, simply put, as embarrassing. Which Mark most of the time doesn't get because it's 2017 (and yet they elected Trump as their president? It doesn't make any sense) and there is nothing silly about singing. The flashy costumes are too much, sometimes, but still. Mark plays the guitar too and he is cool!  Their principal taps the microphone that's in front of the stage. It's so horrendously cliche and awkward and Mark suppresses the shiver caused by purely cringing. The principal says something vague that no one cares about, Mark is sure. After that, the stage is empty again, and Mark would be lying if he said that he wasn't very, very excited. The thing is that at this point Mark is so whipped for Donghyuck that whatever the younger boy did or sang, Mark would still be his biggest fan. He still has to keep it under control though because high school is tough and you have to keep your reputation clean. But Mark can't help but feel the smile tugging on the corners of his mouth when the glee club members walk on stage and the music starts to play. Donghyuck looks so pretty. Their outfits are plain, black trousers and white dress shirts, nothing too special but Mark is so, so convinced that Donghyuck belongs on stage. Even if it's a crappy high school performance. Donghyuck absorbs the light, kind of, and over the years Mark has seen the younger boy under spotlights so many times and the light always shines on his tanned skin like glitter. Mark might or might not love Donghyuck. A lot. Yet he can't believe they are actually performing Take on me. Mark can hear people snorting and laughing around him but he just ignores them and concentrates to the way Donghyuck is shining, smiling. What a star. And boy, he nails the high notes. Mark just keeps falling in love with the other boy over again, he can't help but smile and watch him, mesmerized. Everything else around him seems to be a messy blur, Donghyuck is the only thing that matters.  When the performance ends, Mark is the one who claps the loudest. He could never, ever be embarrassed or ashamed of Donghyuck. It's impossible, and when the younger boy looks at him from the stage and smiles so brightly, it makes up all the weird looks he still gets. Donghyuck is admirable, strong, how he brushes off all the hate he gets for being who he is, and it's such a shame other people don't see that. Most of the people left the gymnasium the second the music stopped anyways, they don't even try to see it.  "You're gonna stay?" it's again Jeno who asks him, probably because he is the closest to him in their team. Mark nods and looks at him and smiles reassuringly while the other boy just laughs and shakes his head. "You're so whipped," it's true but Mark still denies it. He turns his head and grabs his backpack from the floor before getting up and walking to the stairs. The club members are taking off the decor and equipment from the stage. It's noisy again. Mark walks down the stairs and straight to the stage, waving at Donghyuck and grinning happily. The younger boy smiles back at him and waves his hand too. Even it makes him so happy. Mark is weak, so weak.  "You did great," he says and the happiness shining in Donghyuck's eyes really makes everything worth it. Mark just wishes he could kiss him right now, right there, but that has to wait. He stops in front of Donghyuck and for a second they just stand there, grinning at each other. It's the perfect moment for the perfect kiss if only they were alone. "What are you smiling at?" Donghyuck laughs even though he is smiling too. Mark shrugs. "Because of you," he hums, more quietly. The younger boy lifts his hand and rubs Mark's shoulder with his palm, his expression so knowing.   "You look ugly," Donghyuck scoffs and lifts his own chin a bit, to look down at Mark. "You're uglier," he replies and slaps his chest but it's gentle. The younger boy fakes a shocked expression and his chin drops down, eyes widening, before a small smirk appears on his lips and he leans closer to whisper something in his ear. "You're breaking my heart, babe," and kisses his earlobe. Mark almost drops his backpack. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- some weeks, he is the king of the world with bursts of euphoria and adrenaline running in his veins instead of pure blood, chin up and laughter falling from his lips like water. those weeks donghyuck could easily spend money so much that his bank account screams in minus but he can't seem to stop. he is in control, donghyuck promises to mark everytime the older boy looks at him with concern in his brown eyes.  but like everything in life, all good things come to an end. it's like someone pouring a bucket of ice water on you, soaking your clothes and leaving you to freeze to your death. a hypothermia, and donghyuck doesn't know how to deal with things like that.  it's under control, he tells to himself even when he pulls his blanket over his shaking body to hide himself from the world. it's the only thing he can do.  a teenager thing. it's mood swings, it's normal, donghyuck knows. it's so normal he won't even think about it, he won't think about the way it feels like his blood is replaced with the same ice water everything came crushing down with. donghyuck won't think about the way his feet are cold, the way his hands shake and how he doesn't feel anything. donghyuck won't think about the way he can't feel his body anymore.  he is gasping for air but donghyuck can pull through it. it's nothing, he tells mark.  "a bad day," he just says, uninterested. there's a ton of missed calls in his iphone. two weeks ago donghyuck signed up to a church choir, now he can't find motivation to drag himself there. it's pathetic. "shouldn't you be at church?" mark asks and furrows his brows in genuine confusion. the park is quiet and the bench under his thighs is cold. he is cold, he is numb. but donghyuck is doing well, he is.  "why do you care? you go to the church if it's that important to you," donghyuck snaps back. his fingers are trembling (it's from the cold, it is) so he shoves them to his pockets. the uncomfortable feeling is seeping to his bones, quietly but in a fast pace. mark seems a bit reserved and donghyuck wants to scream. don't be afraid of me, why are you being like that? why? stop it! stop it! stop-- "donghyuck?" mark asks. that's when donghyuck notices that his breathing is hitching, he isn't looking anywhere, at anything. the older boy puts his hand on his shoulder but donghyuck flinches. "don't touch me," he hisses. he is on the edge. why is it happening? it shouldn't be happening.  it should be one of those good weeks. sometimes they last even a month or two. why isn't it that? it's not fair. donghyuck can feel a drop of sweat running down his neck even though it's a chilly day. there's really no point there, right? donghyuck turns his gaze to mark's direction and there he is sitting with worry in his eyes, again. don't look like at me like that."i'm sorry," mark apologizes. donghyuck swallows, his throat like sand paper. he shouldn't be so patient with him, why is he even doing it? donghyuck doesn't deserve it, he is afraid. no, he is convinced. mark should just break up with him. donghyuck doesn't deserve it at all. he looks away.  "don't be," he says and it sounds mean even when it wasn't supposed to. the scariest thing is that donghyuck can barely find himself caring about it. he can miss practices and take a break from school but he can't do that with brain activity. it's a teenager thing. mark should understand it.  "i think i'll just leave. i'll call you," donghyuck says as if it's a promise but it's not. he won't call mark. donghyuck doubts mark will call him either. he would be surprised if the other boy even cared about him at all anymore. he shouldn't stick with him if he doesn't want to. donghyuck doesn't spare mark another glance and just starts walking away with determined steps.  these days, donghyuck isn't the king. inside him there's just a void instead of guts and bones. even in his bone marrow, there's permafrost. maybe it's what he is. that's all he is, donghyuck knows. it'll pass. it's all okay. even if mark hates him, it's okay. but mark shouldn't hate him, right? it doesn't make sense. donghyuck is just a boy and boys will be boys. they get angry, they do.  it's under control. he is cold, freezing, but he is okay. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- yesterday mark decided he would become a better person.  but that was yesterday and now he is back to this endless circle. he has been thinking a lot about perspectives and opinions... how his truth is a complete lie to someone else. it's a bit silly. mark has been thinking about it a lot.  he has this habit where he puts his fingers in his mouth. licks his skin and pushes fingertips against the back of his tongue. when mark takes them out, they are covered in spit and it makes his stomach twist and turn in disgust. it leads to him washing his hands, twice, thrice. it's pointless, ritualistic. it's pointless.  when he decided to become a better person, he brushed his hair. it's ashy brown now but mark has never been good at separating shades from each other. it's strange, isn't it? donghyuck complimented his hair, said it suits him. mark said thank you even when he wanted to accuse him of lying but it's not socially acceptable.  then he remembered that it's perspectives and mark should remember his too. donghyuck left his socks on the floor again but mark couldn't find himself caring. he just picked them up, laughed and hollered at donghyuck; "you lazy bum" life is strange. very strange. they're here just for the years they are, which of course varies because some good people die young and some die old. there's no point in saying that the good ones die young either because people aren't good or bad, they're all just something trying to accomplish what is reality and right for them. it makes morals pointless. which means mark can't become a good person. that's why he didn't do it, he would like to think. he really would... but some things aren't things that mark can control. or donghyuck. or anyone. maybe god. hopefully god.  lately mark has been thinking that he is an outsider. he has always been a shy boy, not really approaching people unless they approach him. thankfully donghyuck is better at it. they compliment each other. but mark is still an outsider in the sense where he observes and absorbs things around him but doesn't really contribute. he does what he has to do but most of the time mark is in his head.  the inside of donghyuck's mouth is warm even though his hands are cold. mark loves his cold hands. he loves everything about him. mark has been feeling strange lately. so strange. even though loving can't fix the things he feels he can find something within donghyuck. it's weak but it's there. it's real, mark would like to believe, because not many things feel real. mark knows that he still bleeds (he fell on the ground a couple days ago and cut his knee against the asphalt - mark still bleeds). but if bones and veins and organs make him a being he can't be just a shell. there's so many things to do. mark would say that he is running out of time but again, it's just a concept. love too... a concept. so when someone hates him he can laugh because it's so close to love. it's the same thing as they would say that they love him. ignorance is the worst. that's why mark must be a horrible being sometimes, not responding to emotional connection as he should. as mark should.  he is stuck in the norms. he is stuck. mark wonders if the feeling he feels is not sadness - but melancholy. mark wonders if it will end. he still does the thing where he puts his fingers in his mouth... it's too strange. of course he isn't telling donghyuck. mark would like to think that there's nothing wrong with him but that wish is shaking. mark is shaking, too, sometimes. some things just won't change even after years, and years, and years... oh well. it's temporary, right? everything is about perspectives. it's amazing how a head full of thick hair can cover such a complicated brain. but mark doesn't think he is special, he is very ordinary if he can be honest. school and being a teenager, it's fine. it'll always be a strange time of your life, when you're a teenager, he means.  mark has always had a hard time in ending things. so maybe the easiest way is - push and pull, let go of it, let it crash and burn. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- today it looked like the sky was on fire. it burnt in red and orange shades, and for a second mark was afraid it would fall on the ground. it didn't fall. today he didn't fall either. in the morning he drank four cups of coffee but that isn't enough to keep a person energized when you're tired of life. not living, but life in its most simple form. mark hasn't wanted to die for five and a half days. that's it, there's no point in counting things that aren't made to be counted.  mark has broken his heart once but no one broke it. it was he who pulled it out of his own chest with shaking fingers and crushed it under his sole, suicidality as it is. he hasn't been alone for eight years but mark doesn't want to count things that aren't made to be counted. they aren't together anymore, or anyone, or anything, or a thing. they aren't here or there. today mark only drank three glasses of water. usually he drinks a lot more. today he left the cupboard doors open, usually he gets shortness of breath from it but last night mark realized that life is filled with simplicity and ordinary things. today he is someone he has never been before. the sky has gone from navy blue to even darker. the sun goes down early during the winter time. mark's friend once said that she loves darkness. he is afraid of the dark but he loves the security it brings. and also the fact that others don't seem to love the way mark does. today he will measure grams and kilos but he won't bend over on the bathroom floor. yesterday he romanticized heroin, today cocaine and tetanus.  mark's boy is a poet. donghyuck's loose shirt falls down white along his thighs but even the whiteness of winter time won't turn on the lights. october is turning to december in an hour but mark is dressed in the shades of black. no one really gets surprised by it anymore. he loves the sky more than he loves himself but the bruises last for only a week. mark hasn't wanted to die for five and a half days. it's almost december, he is still gray while others are turning to white. he is slush, the others are snow. his knuckles are purples and blue, donghyuck's lips cracked from the cold but the droplet of blood smudged to his skin right on the chin. life is always so simple that it's hard to process.  mark changes the music to prince and purple rain. it doesn't rain in purples in canada but there's melted snow in their hallway. the first snow came already in nocember, on his shoulders there's only rust and frost. his poetry boy said that mark is more distant than ever. mark only ran his fingers through donghyuck's brown hair. he didn't reply. mark would think that he is right but that's a thing he can't say. he can't admit that he is a bad person with fucked up morals and motives disgracing god.  there's no point in counting things that aren't meant to be counted. mark has been laying in the wet bed sheets for multiple hours. his poetry boy crawls next to him, kisses his jawbone and his teeth scratch his skin. it doesn't hurt, mark can't feel it. donghyuck's fingertips are cold on his skin. björk used to be mark's favorite singer at some point of his life. he has never been to iceland but when he closes his eyes, mark imagines himself laying on the black sand. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- mark realizes that what he feels for donghyuck is not platonic when they’re sitting in a swing, shoeless, melting popsicles in their hands. the sticky substance is dripping onto his fingers and it feels gross and uncomfortable but it can’t compare to the uneasiness that washes over him.  mark realizes it like that.   he doesn’t look at donghyuck. he keeps his stare in his legs and one hand, the artificial blue colouring of his popsicle shining under the midsummer sun. it all should look very sweet and inviting, perhaps a bit nostalgic, but in his mouth there’s a dull and stale taste.   ”—and then i failed the exam and my dad told me that—”   donghyuck’s words sound like tv static, a rhythmic background noise. mark isn’t paying attention to them when everything is spinning and it’s not for the gentle sway of the swing or the breeze of the lukewarm wind messing in his hair.   ”hyuckie,” mark interrupts him, forcing himself to raise his head and look at donghyuck. his hands feel strangely numb, heart beating in a panicky manner.   donghyuck furrows his brows, lifting his hand to stick the popsicle in his mouth. he doesn’t say anything but mark can tell by the look of his face that he’s encouraging him to carry on even though it’s rude to interrupt. mark knows this—he knows how to read donghyuck by now, having been neighbours for many, many years.   ”i...my dad—i forgot, i need to go home. he, he asked me to help with his… sermon,” there’s a major stutter in mark’s word, a blatant lie carrying all through them.   ”really?” donghyuck asks, tilting his head to the left. ”weird. how come he needs your help?” he asks, turning the popsicle in his hands, the wooden stick spinning underneath his fingers. mark watches it for a while before he lifts his gaze back to his face.   ”uh, he didn’t tell me,” mark tells him, trying to keep his face straight even though he’s very aware that he’s awful at lying and donghyuck probably figured it out already.   ”...okay,” donghyuck nods, not pressing the subject. maybe he knows, maybe he sees and really notices how mark’s cheeks feel like they’re on fire, and how his hands tremble and the way it’s suddenly so difficult to breathe.   ”okay,” donghyuck repeats.   just okay. just okay so mark nods again, getting up from the swing. ”i’ll see you around. let’s hang out like tomorrow or whatever,” donghyuck tells him.   ”sure,” mark says, feeling so weird and unsure. the sun is shining down on his back and he’s casting a shadow on donghyuck by standing almost in front of him, ”i’ll see you.”   and then mark leaves. it’s nothing dramatic, he does it with a little wave and quick steps. the suburban neighbourhood is quiet despite it being a sunny saturday afternoon. perhaps he’s just blocking out all the sound. perhaps it’s actually quiet just for the effect. maybe it's like the truman show, a practical joke played on him and everything around him is exaggerated for the dramatics.    the playground isn’t far from his home and with his fast paced walk he reaches the house easily and quickly. his t-shirt feels clammy with sweat, beads of it falling down his kneecaps.   their front door is slightly ajar, possibly having been left open just dor for him. that’s what mark assumes at least. he grips the handle with a damp hand and pulls it properly open to step inside.   it makes sense now. it makes sense, the way mark gets all nervous and even more sweaty, and how he sometimes stares and stares at donghyuck and it doesn’t seem to be ever enough. of course it’s some stupid crush.   it’s dumbly accurate. the word crush being both infatuation for someone and a synonym for squeezing, oppressing, maybe breaking. maybe he’s breaking. it’s all about maybe s and possibly s but never actual certainty or knowing.   ”i’m home,” mark calls after taking his shoes off, pretending his voice doesn’t shake.   if someone responds to him, he doesn’t pay enough attention to figure out the words. his steps take him easily to the stairway and up them, knees straining, oddly enough. mark feels stupid, so, so stupid.   boo boo the fool. boo boo the goddamn—never take his name in vain—fool, mark sits down onto the floor as soon as he gets to his room. his chest feels so tight, like ropes squeezing his lungs.   mark knows that people are gay and it’s not like there’s anything wrong with it, he knows, he knows and he knows. mark knows yukhei has a crush on a boy, mark knows that kehlani likes girls when her songs play on the radio, mark knows these things. he does.   but it shouldn’t be him. why, he doesn’t really know.   he likes donghyuck more than as a friend. mark realizes it like that. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- donghyuck makes him distracted.mark’s brain is on overdrive—running so fucking fast he can’t keep up, all splashes of incorrehent colours and shades. even when he closes his eyes, it’s specks of gold glitter behind his lids. donghyuck makes mark distracted, he makes him fidgety, a distant need to pull his hangnails and bite his knuckles.the taste of tangerines is barely there, tacky and disgustingly sweet on mark’s tongue. he doesn’t think they should be here, mark is pulling the white hangnails of this tangerine, throwing the pieces onto the ground. he doesn’t think they should hang around.he doesn’t think they should because mark is foolish and mark is weak. he doesn’t think they should because donghyuck is pretty and his eyes shine when he laughs. they glimmer, they—they’re so pretty, donghyuck is pretty, and mark is so weak for him.but it’s not like mark is good at keeping promises, especially those that he has made to himself. three years back he told himself he’d make that iced coffee with that recipe 9gag had shared and still, he never did it. mark’s not good at it, or many things in general.donghyuck’s lips are cracking. it’s a funny thing, kind of, to have lips as dry as his even on the most humid day of july. something about it makes mark vulnerable even though he doesn’t quite know what it is. maybe the fact that he would still kiss his lips, even if he’d taste blood from the cracks.kind of like heartbreak, but not really. it doesn’t ache in an excruciating manner but it’s just a dull throb of discomfort that should be easy to ignore but no, it isn’t. almost like a headache from drinking something cold too quickly. mark wonders to how many things he can compare donghyuck to until he runs out of words and fruits.fruits like strawberries—even though they aren’t fruits. perhaps that’s the point of this all.mark doesn’t know and maybe it’s okay that he doesn’t want to know. mark doesn’t want to think or feel these things at all, and it’s selfish of him but that’s just how things roll. the bitter taste of acceptance even if it’s not really that either.something mark doesn’t know of makes him hang on the weak string of hope. rejection hurts but at least it would be an end. a full stop, a red sign with white text on it, it ends here and he’ll quit. so it’s not acceptance but rather bitterness of being a coward.donghyuck’s lips are red and it reminds him of cherry cola. his lips are cracked but they don’t bleed. mark wishes they would. a small bubble of red would rise and pop, drip down donghyuck’s chin if he doesn’t realize to wipe it off. maybe mark could press his thumb against it and do a brushing motion, completely platonic, it’d mean nothing.he would mean nothing. perhaps that’s the ending mark wants. perhaps he still doesn’t know what he wants because mark’s thoughts are a complete utter mess of abstraction and absurdity.so even if a part of him craves for donghyuck, the inevitable ending of this all comes down to how mark shouldn’t want him. but still, he wishes they could sit on the kitchen floor for longer and chew on fruits. tell me what to swallow, and that kind of things.because donghyuck is impossible. he reminds mark of static screen, faded colours that scream retro and the 80's. stained lipstick, too. donghyuck is so beautiful, impossible, but beautiful. the edges and lines of friendship mark is too afraid to cross, afraid of messing up the pleasant and idyllic picture they have painted. maybe mark compares him to fruits because donghyuck is the forbidden one.
10262003
Light as a feather
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Armin Arlert, Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Annie Leonhart, Mina Carolina", "Fandom": "Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by anarchyarmin", "chapters": "5/5", "completed": "2017-08-04", "published": "2017-03-13T00:00:00", "words": "8,875", "Additional Tags": "canonverse, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff, Military Training, Aged-Up Character(s), I have given myself a cavity writing this fluff", "Relationship": "Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager", "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 }
Please don’t hurt yourself, Eren thinks as he spots Armin at the far end of the training yard. The last handful of trainees finishes their grueling workout in the shade of a wooden pavilion. There's no time limit for the exercises, only the logs which have to be filled out and turned in. Most trainees rush through them as quickly as their bodies will allow. But a few hang back, taking their time, talking.The dry grass crunches under Eren and Mikasa's boots. Eren pouts."Why doesn't he lift with us anymore?" Eren asks. "I don't mind switching out the weights, it really doesn't take that long—""Eren, think about it," Mikasa says. Her fatigue is beginning to eclipse her patience. "It's not about re-racking the weights. It's a mental thing." She stretches her arms and cracks her knuckles. "If Krista can meet the strength requirements, then certainly Armin can. And Mina likes training with him because she thinks if she’s at the same level as one of the boys, maybe she won’t have to leave.”Eren nods. Their cohort had dwindled rapidly.“He knows what he’s doing, Eren.”Eren doesn't doubt it. It's just that Armin seems to be spending more and more time in the training yard lately. They reach the pavilion."Hey," Eren says. "Don't you think you've done enough for today?""Maybe." Armin sits catching his breath while the others stretch. Ymir, long since finished, massages Krista’s shoulders."You should be careful," Mikasa says. She reaches out her hand and Armin grabs it to stand up. "If you do too much, you'll get injured.""Well, that's the last thing I want. You guys having to carry me around everywhere." He glances at the ground for a second. "More than you already do."Eren can't tell if Armin's face is flushed from exertion or embarrassment. He and Mikasa exchange a worried glance.**If Armin gets injured, they’ll have even less time together. Eren resents not showering together as often. Their moments of true privacy are rare, even just a few fleeting minutes when the others have all left the bathhouse."What am I going to do if I have to leave," Armin whispered the night before. The others’ snores and creaking bunks concealed their conversation. In two days they’d be tested again, on the long course through the woods. Armin failed his previous attempt.Eren rolled over and wrapped his arm around Armin's waist. "You won't have to leave.” He pulled Armin closer."But what if I do?"Eren propped his head up. "You're too smart to fail.""Eren," Armin groaned. "I'm serious. What if they make me go back." The only things keeping Armin from failing are his strategic ability and knowledge of the gear. For the physical skills, he's fallen to the end of the pack."But you're still passing," Eren whispered. "Shadis said you're improving."Barely, Armin thought. When he isn't dreaming of life outside the walls, he tries to piece together a back-up plan inside them. If he leaves, he will have no money, no relatives, and a fractured education. He considers becoming a medic. Maybe pleading his way into an apprenticeship with a newspaper or a publisher. If he didn’t have his intellect, he would have nothing, he thinks. And the thought of being left behind, having to wait to see if his friends return alive or dead, crushes him.Eren ran his fingers through Armin's hair and down his back. "They're not going to send you back."Armin heaved a sigh."They know I'm taking you with me wherever I go," Eren said with a wily smile.It’s difficult to talk about nightmares, Armin realized. Eren always struggled to describe the unique hells his mind descended into at night. No wonder, then, it’s hard to discuss his own. Armin tried to take some comfort in Eren's stubbornness. But the only thing that scares him more than being sent back to the farms, sent back to beg his way through the world inside the walls, is the prospect of being on the battlefield with Eren, unable to pull his own weight.**Armin says nothing at dinner."Armin, are you ok?" Mikasa asks as the last of the food vanishes from their plates."I'm just always afraid I can't do it," he says quietly, looking at the table.Eren puffs himself up to contradict him."I worry that I can't do it either," Mikasa says softly before Eren can get a word in."What do you mean?" Armin asks."Well," she says, "we run, all the time. But none of us can outrun a titan. We lift weights, but none of us is stronger than a titan. We do all these drills, and we get these scores, but what if it's not enough? What if none of us can do it?""We have to find out," Eren growls."It'd be one thing if we were just trying to get into the interior," Mikasa says. "And I have no doubt you'd be a fine technician, or an engineer, or even a professor," she says to Armin, smiling gently."But that isn't what we want," Eren whines.Armin cracks a faint smile."All that matters is that we survive, long enough to keep fighting,” Mikasa says. "Who knows if any of us will? But Armin," she says, "you have to give yourself some credit. You've improved so much..."He stares awkwardly at his plate."Listen," she says, her tone suddenly blunt. "I know you think you're not a good soldier, but you're still a soldier. How much stronger are you than any civilian? And you're still here. You've seen how many people have left! Quit, gotten injured, or even died!""She's right," Eren says. "Eventually none of it may matter. But eventually... We might all realize we're stronger than we think."Armin nods. He wants to believe them. But their efforts to reassure him just deepen the dread. He embraces the probability of death. What he can’t accept is one of them dying to save him.The cool night air envelops them as they leave the mess hall. Armin turns to give Mikasa a hug before she leaves for the women's barrack. She has tears in her eyes."We've already been through so much, you know," she whispers. She wraps her arms around him. "We've already seen so much more than nearly everyone here. Please don't forget that, okay? Please don't forget everything we've already done!"She's right. But the fact that she's crying for his sake makes him feel heavy. Dead weight. She kisses him on the cheek, embraces Eren, and follows her long shadow back across the lawn.**“Armin?”Eren brushes Armin’s face, but he sleeps deeply after the day’s training.Dawn begins to break when Armin stirs, still leaden and worn out, but pleased to wake up to the weight of Eren’s arm across his chest. He turns and kisses Eren’s nose. Eren’s eyes flutter open and he smiles.If Eren had any nightmares, Armin slept too soundly to notice. Eren hadn't bothered waking him for a reality check and a hug. Lately the nightmares were fewer and farther between. Armin felt awful for Eren, yet secretly relieved to be able to do something, anything for him.A half-awake Eren kisses Armin's forehead. Armin drizzles his fingernails down Eren's back and elicits a happy moan.When he pictures the future, this is part of what Eren imagines. The liminal space before dawn. Running his fingers through Armin's hair. Far from the walls, in some mystical country with nothing that can take their peace away. And with real privacy, not just the mutual agreement between the cadets not to ask about the empty beds each morning.They’re not going to send him back, Eren says to himself. The thought of separation is too difficult to bear. He pushes it out of his mind as much as he can.Eren clutches Armin closer and the sensation of Armin's nails sends another pleasant shiver down his spine. Everything is well in the world before dawn. Armin relaxes back into sleep, and Eren gently traces the edge of Armin's cheek with his thumb and sighs. In his mind, Armin is a talisman that keeps the nightmares at bay. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Something glinting catches Armin's eye: a spider web in the window in the early morning light. What's the use of building something that's only going to be destroyed? Armin wonders. Once the morning cleaning duty starts, the little creature will be homeless.As a child he crushed a spider once by accident, stepping out of the bathtub. He screamed and his mother came running, relieved it was only surprise instead of pain. From time to time he thinks about that moment: his first glimpse of how carelessly life can be stamped out. There used to be a time when the scariest thing in my life was a spider, Armin thinks. The threads of the web are woven so precisely. But what degree of intelligence could have spared his tiny victim, the foot descending as if to blot out the sun? Armin sighs and rolls over on the mattress."Are you ok?" Eren asks."I'm fine," Armin says. He slides closer to Eren.**Armin’s labored breathing echoes through the woods. He tries to conceal it and fails, already a lap behind the others.“Run faster, titan food,” Jonas sneers as he passes him.Annie slows to a halt, twenty paces ahead. She turns to the tall boy and scowls. When he slows down, she stares with the gravity of an executioner.“Shut up, Jonas,” Annie spits. Her face is hatched with little cuts and bruises from the morning’s combat training. “You have never even seen a titan.”The three of them stand frozen for an instant. She strikes. A kick to the shin. A backhanded slap. Jonas tumbles into the mud. Armin would laugh if he weren’t so embarrassed and stunned. Annie looks at him with a touch of remorse, then takes back off down the trail. Armin follows at a respectful distance and Jonas’ moans of pain grow fainter behind them.The shade of the woods is a grace, but the heat still oppresses them. Armin begs his feet to obey him. He pines for the next day of leave and the chance to go swimming, and his body remembers the touch of the clear, cool river.“If we’re going to see the ocean, then we’d better learn how to swim,” he said to Eren.Eren and Armin pretended it was the heat that made them want to learn. They never told Armin’s mother they had grander designs as she stood with them in the shallows of the river, teaching them first how to float.When Mikasa joined them, they taught her, too. On the first hot days of the summer, the water was blissful. Mikasa beamed with pride when she finally got it. They invented games. They lay on the flat river stones in the sun and made up stories until Carla insisted they come in for dinner. Armin remembers the thrill of swimming, diving for coins, sailing paper boats, and in the evenings, falling asleep next to Eren, warm and relaxed from the cool water.Footsteps pick up behind him, and Armin remembers running.They were after him. They were too fast. Their shouting echoed through the narrow alleys. Armin darted past the empty market stalls, past the stone fountain in the center of the square, and suddenly remembered: the other boys couldn’t swim.They grazed his hair with their thick, grubby fingers. He dashed off toward the truss bridge over the river. The current was fast, but the water was just deep enough to dive. He stood at the center of the bridge and caught his breath. The three other boys stopped, fists clenched, still muttering—but confused.“What’s the matter, heretic—“ “What’s wrong, you little piece of shit—“Armin simply grinned. “I have to be somewhere.” He stretched out his arms and let himself fall into the water below. He drifted downstream on his back and shot an obscene gesture at the furious boys on the bridge.“Armin?” Mikasa looked wide-eyed at her waterlogged friend as he trudged up to the Jaegers’ back door. “What happened?”“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “I, uh…ran into some trouble on the way here.”Carla made him change into some of Eren’s dry clothes. He needed no help buttoning the slightly-too-long shirt. Eren just liked to do it anyways, grinning with pride at his clever best friend. In that moment, Armin decided only two things would get him through his life: his cleverness, and his friends.The only way he can ever protect them is cleverness, he thinks as his feet pound the dirt. What happens when it’s snuffed out like a candle? When the paralysis of fear claims his ability to think?**A bonfire blazes in the dark courtyard. A few tired trainees sit on the rough-hewn benches that circle it.“And then,” Armin says, looking into the flames, “she kicked him in the shin and smacked him in the face."Eren snort-laughs into his tin mug of tea. Mikasa rolls her eyes. Eren shakes his head and wraps his arm around Armin’s shoulders, grinning like a fool.“I wish I had been there,” Eren says.“You would have done the same thing, wouldn’t you?” Mikasa leans her head against Eren’s shoulder. But Eren and Armin detect the secret pride in her voice.“You know it,” Eren says. He ruffles Mikasa’s hair and she can't help but smile.“Shadis made her clean the stables for two weeks, and Jonas started laughing at her,” Armin says. “She said she didn’t care, and that Jonas 'fucking deserved it.'”Eren continues to chuckle.“And then, he said Jonas had to clean them too.”Mikasa sighs. She hates it as much as Eren does when the others make snide comments about Armin. In spite of it all, she wishes she had been there instead of Annie."Are you ready for tomorrow?" She asks him as they make their way back to the barracks.He nods. "I have a plan.""Did you see who's on your squad?" Eren asks."Yeah, I looked on my way back in," Armin says. Team assignments for the next day's test hang on a wall near the mess hall. "Mina, Sasha, Marco, and Jonas."**“I ought to kick his teeth in,” Eren mutters to the ceiling.“Don’t,” Armin whispers. “Shadis will just make you clean the stables, and then I won’t get to see you after dinner for two weeks.”Armin feels the grimace Eren makes without seeing it. Eren grips him tighter.“Armin, why do you put up with it?” he says, now lying on his back, contracted with anger. “How can you stand it? I hate it! I hate it when they talk to you like that—““Eren, shhhh.” Armin turns around and settles into the crook of Eren’s arm. He brushes his fingers along Eren’s temple and jawline and traces his collarbone. When Eren calms down, Armin wraps his arm around his waist.“They just say it because they’re afraid.”Armin's right. Eren knows it, and hates it."Everyone's afraid," Eren says. "It doesn't give them an excuse." He rests his head on Armin's chest. "They're afraid of you," he says after a moment."No they aren't," Armin says, shaking his head in the dark."The others were afraid of you too, before.""Eren.""You know they were," Eren says. "They are now." Eren sneers. "They should be afraid of how stupid they are. You remember what Mikasa said the other night. Nobody can outrun a titan." Eren pulls the thin blanket back over them. "I think the only thing anyone can do is outsmart one," Eren whispers. "And I think you're the only one who can figure it out.""Eren. Come on. Give yourself some credit," Armin says. Then he senses Eren's smile."Only if you do, too."Armin is silent for a moment.“Come on,” Eren says. “You’ve never let me down.”Maybe not, Armin thinks. Not yet.**The course runs three miles through the dense woods. Armin takes deep breaths and configures his gear. Ostensibly, it's a team exercise. But each trainee is scored on their individual kills, and Armin needs two to pass. Only twelve of the huge mannequins wait for the five of them. Marco or Sasha could make short work of them alone.Armin watches the others check gauges and tighten their straps. Mina is quick, but not a threat. Jonas is much better on the ground than in the air.Shadis fires a flare. Armin looks for his first contact point and fires. He pulls himself through the air in a steady arc, straight forward, breaking away from the group. He disappears into the distance, each stroke through the air using as little fuel as possible."Hey!" Jonas shouts. The others fan out to the sides of the course. "What are you doing? Hey, where are you going?!"But the others are too preoccupied to answer.The two girls tending a massive artificial titan toward the end of the course don't expect to hear anyone so soon. Startled, one pulls the rope to release it. Armin hears the familiar creak of wood. He jumps to a higher branch and lands an easy blow to the padded neck. The other young woman crosses his name off a list.Just one more, Armin thinks. He hears Sasha's laughter starting to catch up. Please, not yet. He darts ahead. He notices a growing shadow. Another strike.He drifts through the air, relieved. He nearly collides with a third mannequin."Ahhhhh!"Armin slices off the top of the padding and somersaults painfully to the ground. He looks up, panting. His blades have broken. He pulls himself to his feet, stiff and in shock, and takes to the air again, his heart pounding. Around the corner, Shadis and a group of other students wait on horseback. Armin collapses to the ground again, heaving and drenched in sweat."Armin!" Mikasa jumps down from her horse and runs over to him. Eren follows. Neither of them expected to see him finish the course so soon, much less first. Armin stands up slowly and lays his arms over their shoulders.Sasha lands with a satisfied giggle, and Marco touches down behind her."That's three for Arlert," an instructor reads off a piece of parchment, "Four for Blaus; four for Bodt; one for Carolina...and zero for Hillert.""Hey!" Jonas yells at Armin as he lands. "You can't do that! You can't just skip straight to the end of the course!"Shadis peers down from his horse at the fuming boy. "There are several Survey Corps vanguard maneuvers,” he says slowly, “in which one squad member takes a long lead. However," he looks down at Armin, "none of these have been covered in your lectures yet." He narrows his gaze. "Clever work, Arlert.""That's not fair!" Jonas screams."Look at your gauges," Armin says, his voice hoarse."What?""Look. At. Your gauges." Armin is still catching his breath.Sasha looks at the tiny dials on her gas canisters and laughs. "Oh my god, I'm almost completely out.""Oh. Whoa, me too," Marco says. "What are yours?" He turns to Armin."Thirty percent," Mikasa reads from the little gauge, the glass face cracked from Armin's fall."In the field," Shadis says, "had your squad member stayed behind...none of you would have had enough gas to finish the targets at the end. This is poor planning. This is what is we are getting into, moving forward. Efficiency." He looks down at Armin one more time. He pulls his horse's reins and prepares to lead the group back to the camp. "Don't forget your stable duty with Leonhardt," he says to Jonas.**Eren notices the wide, dark bruises on Armin's legs as he towels off from the shower. He inhales sharply."My shins hit my blade case when I fell." He pulls on a clean shirt."Shit," Eren mutters. They finish getting dressed."Everything hurts," Armin says. "I'm going to be sore for days."Eren cracks a smile. "I know. But that was brilliant."Armin sits on the bench in the little vestibule. The others have all left for dinner. Armin looks at the floor. "It doesn't matter.""What are you talking about?""Eren, none of it's real," Armin says weakly."Armin—""If they'd been real, that last one would have snatched me out of the air like a moth," Armin says."Armin." Eren grips his shoulders. "You have to quit saying that kind of thing.""You sound like Mikasa," Armin says to the floor."Armin, come on." Eren kneels in front of him and grips his waist. "We aren't even done with the training! This is practice!"Armin still looks at the ground."You know everyone who does the course tomorrow is going to do what you did," Eren says softly. "Now they can't even run the course the same way because of you." Eren stands up. Armin looks up at him and smiles faintly. "Because apparently, you think like the Survey Corps."Armin scoffs.“And what they do is real. And they do survive.”Armin hangs his head and Eren kisses the top of it."Come on," Eren says. He holds out his hand and helps Armin up. "Let's go eat, I'm starving."They hold hands as they walk though the cool night air. Armin lets go when they reach the door to the mess hall. He tries to ignore the pairs of eyes that follow him. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- "Clear!" Mikasa shouts. She fires at the splintered, messy targets on the wall. Long tables run behind her through the shed at the end of the compound. Pillars of sun stream in through the skylights, lighting up the currents of dust swirling up from the floor. Mikasa flicks the triggers on the gun mechanisms beneath her blade hilts. The hooks on the ends of the long metal cables unlatch from the wall. But one cable doesn't retract. Her eyes widen. She tries the trigger again. Nothing. "Shit," she mutters.This, coming from the girl who never curses, makes Armin turn around. "What's the matter?" He sees the wilted line lying along the floor. "Oh."Mikasa glances around the shed. The others have all just left besides Armin and Eren, finished with their preparatory maintenance for the next day's inspections. She hangs her head and groans. "Do I have to take it all apart again?"Armin gives her a solemn nod. She drags the limp line to the table."What's wrong with it?" Eren asks, cleaning a series of tiny gears with a tiny brush."I have an idea," Armin says. Mikasa isn't known for making dumb mistakes, which means this isn't something obvious. She rolls out a sheet of waxed canvas and Armin begins taking the gun casing apart, laying the pieces out on the fabric like a scientist dissecting a butterfly. Every so often, they're tested on how quickly they can disassemble and reassemble their gear. Armin has the second fastest time. The first belongs to Krista, who works with the precision of a surgeon."Ah." Armin picks up two nearly identical, comma-shaped pieces. "These guides are messed up." He points out the one difference between them: a narrow groove that allows the line to be caught by the gears that pull it back.Mikasa runs her hand through her hair in frustration."Did you try to clean all the parts at once?" Armin asks.She glances at the floor. "You'd think it'd be faster.""Yeah, but it makes it easier to get the parts mixed up," Armin says.Mikasa finds cleaning the pieces one by one unbearably tedious. Armin finds it almost relaxing, like the needlework his mother sometimes got lost in, sitting late in the evenings by the fireplace. A remnant of it, a little scrap of fabric with an embroidered bluebird, lines his pocket. Armin screws the casing back together and slips the tiny screwdriver back into the case of tools. "Try it again," he says.Mikasa reconnects the canister of gas. She aims at the wall. "Clear," she says out of protocol. The hooks pierce the wood. Thin strips of sun stream in from the holes in the wall where so many hooks have been torn away. She clicks the trigger again and the line zips back into its canister with a satisfying thwack.Eren nods. "You going to try to beat your time tomorrow?" Once they demonstrate they have the gear in working order, they'll have to disassemble it in front of Shadis and approve any modifications."It's a stupid exercise," Armin says. They lay their gear on the labeled shelves and push open the door into the blinding afternoon sun."Why?" Eren asks."Well the whole point is to get familiar with the gear, right?" Armin squints as his eyes adjust. "But you are familiar with it. There's no point in doing it quickly, it's just a memory exercise. Like what titan's going to politely sit and wait while you roll out your canvas, get out your tools..."Mikasa lets out a dry, morbid laugh."Oh, come on," Eren says. "People have to troubleshoot the gear all the time, right?""Well it's not like if the gas gets disconnected, you just hook it back up," Armin says. "Anything else goes wrong, you're pretty much just dangling there like a piece of bait on a fishing line, right?""God, Armin, don't talk about it like that," Mikasa says, laughing in spite of herself."But it's true, right?" He turns his palms up. "I mean, that's what happens, isn't it?"Eren doesn't want to agree. He doesn't want to admit Armin's right. The ways in which one can die are virtually endless, and largely undignified. Eren doesn't want to give up the shred of hope that he relies on: that if something goes go wrong, Armin will figure it out.** Eren thrashes in bed. He sits upright, his breathing hard and raspy. Armin pushes himself up off the mattress and sits next to him. They say nothing; they know they don't have to. Armin can imagine what Eren has just seen. He holds Eren's shoulders for a few moments, his steady grip guiding him back into reality. Eren rests his forehead on Armin's shoulder until his breathing returns to normal. Armin runs his fingers through Eren's hair, his scalp is barely moist with sweat.Eren lays back down. "I'm sorry I woke you up," he whispers."Eren. It's ok," Armin says, resting his hand on Eren's chest. When Eren shuts his eyes again, Armin kisses them. He hovers for a moment, his breath warm on Eren's face, then kisses Eren's mouth. Eren reaches for Armin's waist and pulls him on top of him.It feels so different now to touch him, Eren thinks. Not just because they're heavier and taller, or because a dense wall of muscle now covers the spaces where Eren used to be able to slip his fingers between Armin's ribs. He always reached for Armin as a child, whenever he felt scared or ill at ease. But now the desire to reach for him is unconditional, a constant presence at the edge of his consciousness.He seeks Armin out more than usual now. In their moments alone, he reaches for his hand or kisses him discreetly. It doesn't surprise Armin that Eren finds it comforting, grounding. But it makes him feel flushed and nervous. Eren's touch is familiar, but the reaction it provokes is foreign. It leaves Armin with the uneasy fear that his body will betray him, and a hollow longing once the moment of privacy ends. He would initiate more, he thinks, if Eren didn't always beat him to it.It was Eren who had kissed him first, as children. Armin recoiled, startled and confused. "Why did you do that?" he asked."I just...wanted to," Eren said, flustered. "But...if you don't like it...I won't do it again.""No," Armin said shyly. "I liked it."Eren only kissed him when they were alone."I've only ever seen my parents kiss like that," Armin mentioned one day, feeling antsy after another kiss."Oh," Eren said. "I thought it was just something you do if someone is special to you."Armin glowed at the words, but he soon felt anxious again. "But... I've never seen you kiss Mikasa."Eren stood still, with no words to explain why Armin was different.**The horses munch their hay serenely while Armin and Mina groom them. Armin runs a comb through his horse's mane, then brushes her flanks with long, slow strokes. Her long-lashed eyes are pure calm. He wishes he could absorb some of her tranquility."They've always been my favorite animals," Mina says. She cuts an apple with her pocketknife and feeds her horse a slice."Yeah," Armin says. "I like them, too. They used to scare me when I was little, though.”"I guess back then, they were the only big things to be afraid of," Mina says. Her horse noses her for more apple. "I decided to stay," she says."Yeah?"Mina nods. "The last course went better than I thought. Besides," she says, slicing into the apple again, "I'd never be able to afford a horse like this on a farmer's pay."Eren walks along the outside of the stable, carrying a bundle of freshly-cleaned tack. He stops when he hears familiar voices. He leans against the outside wall and listens."Sometimes I think they ought to just cut my stipend and pension all together and just buy another horse," Armin says. "They'd be better off."Mina crosses her arms. "Yeah? And what about the ocean? I thought you had big plans for after this!"Armin leans into his forgiving horse's side. "Do you remember...early on, when we first got here...that time when Peter and Jonas pulled the wings off a moth?"She shakes her head. "I don't think I was there for that."Armin's voice is soft. "It was in the corner of the mess hall," he says. "We were just sitting around after dinner, no one really knew what to do. So...they had this moth, and they, well...they eventually killed it. But for a while they just watched it walk around, and a group of us gathered around to look, and everyone was just laughing..."Mina searches her memory. "They're from Kroliće, aren't they?" She thinks of the wealthy mining county, untouched by titans.Armin nods. "After a while they crushed it against the table." He sighs. "I just keep thinking...the minute I step outside the walls..."Mina looks at the ground, then back up at Armin. "I wish I could say you were wrong."He shakes his head slowly. "It's not even me I'm worried about." He stands still for a moment, his eyes fixed on the middle distance. "I'm just afraid...I'm going to mess something up. And then Eren or Mikasa is going to have to come after me. And it's not going to be me that gets hurt, it's one of them." Armin's horse nuzzles him. "And I'm going to be back at that table...watching something that can't fly anymore...slowly getting crushed. By something that doesn't even care."Mina wraps her arms around Armin's shoulders. Outside, Eren leans against the bleached wood of the wall in the bright sun. His eyes sting with tears and he feels suddenly stupid. How could you have thought you knew everything there was to know about him?**The next morning comes quicker than Eren can breach the subject.“Orient them this way.” Armin points to the long crates of rifles Jean and Marco load into the wagon. “They won’t fit otherwise.”Jean gives him a confused look.“No, the other way.” He gestures again.“Ohhh,” the two other boys say simultaneously, a little light flicking on in their heads.“That’s a much better way to do it,” Marco says, scratching his head.The supply line logistics are the least exciting thing they study, but one of the most important. They restock the nearest outposts for the Garrison and the Survey Corps. The trainees hate the grunt work of loading up the wagons. But to Armin, it's all just math problems: how to get the most supplies onto the fewest carts, use the fewest horses, reach the outposts the fastest. Efficiency.Bertolt groans and rubs his back. The burden of lifting cannon shot falls on the largest men.“You and Reiner ought to lift those crates together,” Armin says. Bertolt looks embarrassed. “I mean…it’s just…well, it’s easier to lift fifty pounds twenty times than a hundred pounds ten times. Don’t you think?” His guts clench. Like he could even lift the crates if he wanted to. Quick, think of something helpful, he tells himself; if you can’t do real work, at least make things easier for the others.Bertolt sighs and nods. It's not like they keep logs of how many crates they haul. And unless Ymir is showing off, the girls lift everything in teams.Armin notices Bert’s sullen expression as he hitches the horses to the wagon. Here we go again, he thinks.“Hey Bert, when’s the storm coming?” Franz teases, walking past. Annie glares; Bertolt avoids eye contact.That morning, Bertolt had not been in the barrack. He woke up in the middle of the training yard, covered in the morning dew. Of all the trainees, he's the only one to suffer from bouts of sleepwalking, and the others tease him mercilessly. Where will he be today? The stables? The kitchen? The showers? “They say if you make a map of where Bert wakes up and connect the dots, it’ll reveal the future! We got ourselves a sleepwalking oracle!”But the sky looks clear to Armin as they set off into the hills toward the next town.**The rains came out of nowhere. Maybe Bert really is a sleepwalking oracle, Armin thinks. Fat drops spatter the ground, and it turns into mud under the horses’ hooves. They've pulled wagons from the mud before. But the trail is steep and narrow, and it runs by the bank of a deep river between two  sharp cliff faces.They trudge forward, and the rain does not relent. Now streams of water pour down the face of the craggy hill next to them, carrying silt and rocks with it.Armin notices a dark shape in front of him. The trunk of a massive dead tree leans over the path, rotted at the base, weakened from the rain. Did no one scout this path for hazards beforehand? But surely, no one expected the storm…Too late.The tree falls in an instant. Screams ring out and pierce the sound of rain. Thousands of pounds of rotten wood slam into the mud. Annie’s horse jumps and throws her into the water below, Mina’s slips and takes her with him. More screaming. A sound grenade fires.Eren throws off his maneuvering gear and sprints toward the water. Learning to swim would be part of the cadet training, but it hasn’t happened yet. Only a few trainees can swim, including himself, Armin, and Mikasa.“Eren, wait!” Armin screams. “Leave your blades, keep your lines!” The metal boxes weigh them down, but they need an anchor to climb up the slippery bank.“Like this!” Armin shouts and shoots an anchor into a tree trunk on the opposite side of the river. He unhinges the boxes at his sides and dives into the water after Mina. In a flash, Eren understands. But he threw off his gear too quickly. He fights to reconfigure it. He panics. Mina’s hands break the surface, then slip back under. Her horse is downstream, just barely far enough to keep his frantic kicks from maiming the thrown riders. Eren spots Annie's head under the rushing surface, dragged down by the weight of her gear.Mikasa screams to Sasha, next to her. “Keep an anchor on this side of the bank!” They each fire to one side of the river and rush in after Annie.Eren looks around frantically. Sasha’s line strains the young tree she's hooked into. But there are few other reliable anchor points.Suddenly two heads break the surface of the water. Armin flings his hair out of his face and shouts to Eren, “Use the wagon!”Of course, you idiot, Eren tells himself; it weighs thousands of pounds and it’s stuck in ankle-deep mud.Mina gasps for air and clutches Armin’s shoulders. Eren jumps into the water to relieve them. Mikasa and Sasha hold onto Annie, suspended between their metal cords, straining against the current.The other cadets rush to the edge of the bank to hoist the others back onto the shore. A frazzled Shadis barks out orders. Everyone in the convoy in front of the huge fallen tree is to move forward, then take a longer route back. The dozen soldiers behind it will return to base with the medic. Jean, Marco, Bertolt, and Reiner are to try to rescue Mina’s horse, still flailing in the water, then catch up with the others.The two stunned women lie in the back of the wagon with the medic. Armin tries to calm Annie's spooked horse, making shushing noises, gently patting the mare's wet flank. When he turns around, Eren stands looking at him, his face lit up with admiration. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Armin throws off his soaked hood as they traipse through the mud. In rain this hard, the fabric has no purpose. Armin lets the water pelt his face. His wet clothes cling tight to his body, the gear pulls and twists at awkward angles, and he feels a surge of sadness for the horses in their wet saddles. He slumps forward, clings to his horse’s neck, and remembers.He lay stretched out on the warm, flat river rocks in the late afternoon sun while Eren swam below.“Hey Armin, are there fish in the ocean?”“Of course.”“What kind?”“Giant ones.”“The kind that nibble your toes?”Eren reached up to tickle Armin’s feet. Armin retracted with a shriek.“No,” he said, glaring. “The monstrous kind. The kind that try to drown you.”He jumped from the rock into Eren’s arms, and pulled the two of them underwater. They broke the surface, laughing. Armin reached for Eren’s ticklish stomach. Eren screamed, and Armin burst out laughing again. Eren wrapped his arms around Armin as hard as he could.“You know what I’m gonna do once I kill all the titans?”“No, what?” Armin gasped, still giggling.“I’m gonna go after all the monsters in the ocean.”“I see,” Armin said. “And what are you gonna do when you find one?” he asked, wriggling out of Eren’s grip, fingers dangerously close to Eren’s weak spots.Eren glanced around hastily, saw that there was no one else around, and gripped Armin tighter.“This,” he said, and kissed him.Armin drew back, and Eren let go, suddenly anxious.“I’m sorry—““No,” Armin said, shaking his head. “You just—surprised me. That’s all.”Eren deflated with relief. Armin placed his hands on Eren’s hips and drew him closer. He kissed Eren’s collarbone lightly, then his cheek, then his mouth. How strange it was to be touched there, he thought; mouths are so awkward and wet. Why does it feel good, why does it make you feel like melting?He lost track of time as they stood there, warm against each other in the cold current. In the water, their bodies felt so light. Eventually, they climbed back onto the rocks and stretched out next to each other. Armin sat up and looked at Eren, serene in the warm glow filtering through the trees. He leaned down and kissed Eren again.Then he reached for Eren’s unguarded stomach and tickled him. Eren’s scream and Armin’s sinister laugh echoed through the gully.Armin smiles at the memory. He climbs down from his horse and pulls himself from the thick mud that threatens to suck the boots right off of his feet.Eren waits for him at the end of the stable. When he catches up, Eren peels a lock of wet hair off the side of Armin's face and tucks it behind his ear."I like the color your hair turns when it's wet," Eren says. "It looks silver."Armin smiles and looks at the ground. Eren slips his finger beneath Armin's chin and tilts his face up to kiss him. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The bathhouse is dark when Eren and Armin walk in. Eren lights an oil lantern and hangs it in the frame of the door to the showers. The flickering light casts long, strange shadows on the tile, and rain pelts the frosted skylights.They peel off their wet capes, their heavy clothes and gear. Eren opens the taps and dense clouds of steam catch the light. He reaches for Armin's narrow torso, he wants to kiss him against the wall the way he does when they're the last to leave the bathhouse. But Armin sinks back against the tile and slides to the floor. He wraps his arms around his knees and rests his forehead on them. Deep, lurid bruises bloom across his pale skin."Armin?"Armin tilts his head back against the wall. He sits in silence for a moment, then looks up at the dark ceiling. "What just happened?" he asks the air more than Eren.Eren looks confused and hurt. "What are you talking about? Armin, what's wrong?" He sits down next to Armin and brushes the damp strings of hair out of Armin's face. The tile still feels cold against the hot steam."Even nature wants to kill us," Armin says. "We haven't even faced a titan yet, and we're already getting picked off." His voice is a creaky whisper."What? But Annie and Mina are all right, aren't they?""That's not what I mean," Armin says."Hey," Eren slips his arm between Armin and the slick wall and wraps it around his shoulders. "What's the matter with you?""I don't know. I got caught against the rocks. Everything hurts, I—""Do you need to go to the clinic?" Eren's eyes are wide with worry."What?" Armin turns to Eren, then looks dejectedly at the floor. "No, it's not that, I just..." He shakes his head and shuts his eyes. "I tried to do too much," he whispers, ashamed. "I know I did.""When?""This week. When we were training," Armin says. His eyes follow the steam upward again. "If you hadn't come to get me and Mina...when we were in the water...we both would have drowned," he says. "My arms hurt so much, and the current—""Armin, if you hadn't jumped in after her, she definitely would have drowned!" Eren kneels, gripping both of Armin's shoulders."Eren—""If you hadn't told me to get my lines back, I would have drowned, too."Armin pushes Eren's hands away."They all would have," Eren says. He sits down across from Armin, who hangs his head and says nothing. "If you hadn't shown them—""Eren, I know." Armin looks back up, his eyes filled with tears. "I know, ok? I got an idea. But that's it. That's all I've got—""Armin, what are you talking about?" Eren touches the side of Armin's face, and Armin shuts his eyes again. "I heard what you said to Mina in the stables," Eren says, his voice soft. "Armin, how can you even think that way? All you ever do is get me out of scrapes—""Eren, just stop, all right?"Eren freezes. "I'm sorry," he whispers."What's going to happen, Eren," Armin says after a moment, voice trembling, "when I run out of ideas? What then?" Armin sniffles.Eren sits still, speechless."Everyone knows that's all I've got," Armin says. "What happens when I don't even have that?"Eren reaches his arms out. "Come here," he says.Armin looks confused. Eren leans over and guides Armin to sit in his lap, facing him. Armin rests his head on Eren's shoulder and Eren winds his fingers through the wet tendrils of Armin's hair. "It doesn't matter," Eren whispers."What doesn't matter?"Eren clutches Armin closer. "That you can think quickly."Armin scoffs.Eren takes a deep breath. "Sometimes I think if I couldn't sleep next you, I'd never be able to sleep again.""Eren.""I mean it," Eren says. "So maybe you don't figure everything out. I don't care." His throat tightens. "There's no point to it...there's no point to any of it...if you're not there." Eren squints and Armin feels the heat of a teardrop on his shoulder. "So maybe you run out of ideas...it's ok, you know?" There's a quaver to Eren's voice. "Maybe you never get a good idea again," he says, with a little pained laugh. "So what? I don't care, I still want you with me—"Armin reaches for the back of Eren's neck and runs his fingers through his hair. He looks up and kisses Eren. When he draws back, he heaves a sigh. It's a sin to waste hot water like this, but Armin doesn't want to move, he wants to stay clutching Eren in the heat and the dark."You know I think you're brilliant, don't you?" Eren asks. He rests his cheek against Armin's. "But even if you weren't, it wouldn't matter. You'd still be my best friend. You're the one who taught me about the outside world, you think I'm going to see it without you?"Eren kisses Armin's forehead, then his cheek, then his collarbone. He slides his hands down Armin's waist to his hips. Armin leans back, and Eren kisses him just above the soft patch of hair between his legs.Then there are footsteps. The door to the vestibule creaks open. Eren groans. "Why are they back so soon?""That can't be good," Armin says. He pushes himself up slowly, painfully, and Eren follows. "Tonight," he whispers in Eren's ear. "No one will be around to hear."One night, in their first weeks of training, Armin couldn't sleep. He walked down from the bunk, slipped his boots on, and set out to walk across the training yard until fatigue would claim him. When he passed the bathhouse, he thought he heard the sound of fighting. Alarmed, he stepped inside. He spotted Bert and Reiner tangled in the corner of the showers. They were not fighting. Armin never did manage to fall asleep that night.In the weeks that followed, Eren dashed back to the bathhouse when he realized his neck was free of its ubiquitous key. He found it on the floor near the bench where he had gotten dressed. When he stood up, he saw the back of Jean's head between Marco's legs in the shower. For an awkward moment he locked eyes with a red-faced Marco, then casually walked off, as if nothing had happened. At dinner that night, Mikasa noticed Marco and Eren kept looking at each other across the mess hall.Eren runs his soapy washcloth delicately across Armin's body. Armin stands under the warm spray while Eren bathes himself. They say nothing to the four bedraggled boys who walk in as they walk out.**Sasha's damp hair hangs loose in her face. She plays an uninspired game of chess with Mikasa, who wears her scarf unfolded, draped like a shawl around her shoulders. Their tin mugs of tea send up thin lines of steam, and a single log burns in the fireplace. Eren and Armin shut the heavy door behind them and fill their mugs from the kettle by the fire. Except for the rain, the long common room is silent. No sound of Marco's guitar, or shuffling cards, or the swirl of conversation. The others won't return until morning.Armin lays on the long bench across from the fireplace with his head in Eren's lap when the four boys walk in. Their faces look sallow and tired. They pull wooden chairs over from the wall and make a lopsided circle near the fire."What happened?" Armin asks them, sitting up.They look at each other."We had to shoot him," Reiner says after a moment. "Two of his legs were broken."He and Bert sit down with their drinks. Bert slumps over with his head propped up by his palm.Marco's face looks red. "I really don't want to have to tell Mina," he says. Jean rubs his back. "She loved that horse so much...""I'll do it," Armin says."Would you?" Marco asks."Yeah. It's all right. I don't mind." There's no strategy for this, Armin thinks. No scheme or plan for dealing with the silence, the fatigue, the disappointment. Just sitting, just being."Thank you," Marco says. He sinks back into his chair."Are, um, are they...ok?" Bert looks up anxiously."Uh...they will be," Armin says. "Mina got scraped up pretty bad. They think she fractured some ribs from the rocks.""What about Annie?" Bert asks, his voice cracking."She has a concussion. I think she's ok, otherwise," Armin says.Bert nods and sips his tea. There's a moment of uncomfortable silence.Jean rubs Marco's shoulder. "How about some music?""I don't really feel like playing," he says. More quiet."Do you want me to read something?" Armin asks.Marco's eyes brighten.Bert runs his hand through his hair. "Yeah, actually. That'd be nice.""Give me a second, I'll go get the book," Marco says.By now they know all the stories by heart. The others had teased Marco for bringing it with him, the leather-bound volume of folktales and fables from Mitras. It was later that he realized how badly they missed being read to.Marco clutches the book to his chest to protect it from the rain. He hands it to Armin who runs his thumb gently along the yellowed parchment pages.Armin doesn't have to speak loudly, he can let his voice be naturally soft with only the rain to compete. He chooses a longer chapter: a story about witches in caves and talking bears. The girls put away their chess game and pull up their chairs. He notices the others' faces as he reads: dreamy and lost, content to be somewhere other than here. It feels good, Armin thinks, as the familiar words flow, to be able to do something. No stroke of genius, no feat of strength. Just calming words."I like how you do the voices," Marco says as they trek back to the barrack, the rain now a drizzle.**Eren brushes Armin's face. "Hey. Are you awake?"Armin winces as he rolls over. "Mmhmm.""You feeling ok?""I feel like I weigh about a thousand pounds," Armin whispers."Oh," Eren says."No," Armin says, "I still want to go to the bathhouse. I'm just tired.""You want me to carry you?" The light from the window glints off Eren's teeth when he grins."Oh my god. No."Eren laughs. "I'm kidding. You sure you feel ok?""Eren. I haven't gotten to be completely alone with you since the last time we swam in the river." Armin sits up and slides toward the ladder, the bunk beneath them empty.But his gait is heavy as they walk through the dark to the bathhouse, and Eren slips his arm around Armin to steady him. Eren lights the lantern again and shortens the wick to dim the flame. He sets the lantern on the floor at the edge of the tile. Armin slips out of his night clothes and opens the taps. Eren presses him gently into the wall and kisses him."I was thinking about what you said earlier," Eren says, his hands drifting across Armin's body. "The last time we went swimming, and you were lying on the rocks," Eren kisses Armin's neck, "I was watching the water. And there was this feather in the rapids," he kisses Armin's chest. "And these twigs and leaves and things kept getting pulled under, but this feather wouldn't sink." He grabs Armin's hips. "And I watched it and I knew if it could go far enough, it would reach the ocean."Armin sighs at Eren's touch."I want to try something," Eren says."What?""Put your legs around me."Armin hesitates."Come on, I just want to try it. Here, I'll pick you up."Armin wraps his arms around Eren's shoulders. He lifts his knee and Eren pulls him upward, both of them hard, their bodies flushed with heat.Eren's breath is a low growl against Armin's neck. "I have never in my life thought of you as a burden," he says. "You know that. Don't you?"Armin nods and lets his body sink into the wall, propped up by Eren's arms.Eren's eyelashes graze Armin's cheek. "To me you've always been light as a feather."
10222511
A Belgravia Marriage
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Rosamund Painswick, Vera Bates, Sarah O'Brien, Cora Crawley", "Fandom": "Downton Abbey", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by Laurentia", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "12,600", "Additional Tags": "I Will Go Down With This Ship", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Vera Bates/Rosamund Painswick, Background Sarah O'Brien/Cora Crawley", "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 }
Vera hadn't expected John to stay forever but he left sooner than she thought he would and so she decided to rent out the house. She can always find somewhere smaller for her, somewhere more appropriate Mrs Bartlett from down the road says and if she thinks that Vera can't hear the silent somewhere not built for a family in her tone then the old bat needs one more clout about the ears to clean them out than Vera thought she did. But whether she likes it or not Mrs Bartlett is right so she leaves the house on a cold, crisp Monday morning, fully intending to find an agent to rent it out for her so she can carry on existing. She's survived with Johnny and without him and so she's accustomed to a day's hard work but she's rather enjoyed playing the role of a wife again, taking in washing and mending but staying inside the home for most of the day to make sure things perfect for when he gets back. And even if he's not coming back this time she doesn't fancy going back to scrubbing Susan Flintshire's walls and floors for her supper again, so renting seems ideal.Unfortunately within half a day it becomes apparent that there isn't a single soul in London that will actually rent the bloody place from her – apparently it's something to do with the deeds, deeds she doesn't technically have – and neither can she sell the creaky old shack – again, stupid fucking deeds apparently – so going back to work really is her only option. Lady Flintshire won't take her back, of that much she's certain, especially not after she made off with her precious son's cufflinks. So she can't get a reference either. The chances of their being another convenient Crawley family member who was hiring and might respond to the Bates name was slim to none and Vera settled into a cubby in the corner of the pub with a deep sense of disillusionment.She sipped her half of ale, grasping in her pocket the coins that she still had that might pay for another one later and reached into her other pocket for her cigarettes. Thusly lit she inhaled sharply and flicked open the magazine on the table. Normally she wouldn't waste her money on such bloody nonsense but needs must at the moment and The Lady might well be her best bet. Times might be tough after the war but there had to be someone who needed a housemaid or a cook: she hated the thought of the former, but it was much more likely than the latter, which she preferred immensely but doubted she would be able to bluff her way into without a reference.On the table she idly moved her fingernail in the same loops that characterised Susan Flintshire's handwriting and decided she could write something convincing enough if she tried, but it couldn't be anything too effusive or else people would get suspicious. Her eyes flicked over the situations wanted, sighing deeply to herself when she saw nothing but positions for junior maids and nannies – she had promised herself long ago that she would never look after other people's children – until her eyes finally fell on-Perfect!Lady Rosamund Painswick…the name rang a bell and somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered a calling card at Lady Flintshire's house and a mass of red curls that her mistress had complained about eternally. Another Crawley then, but at least one that was already in the city and a lady's maid was a better position than any she'd had before.Vera smiled and finished her drink quickly, tossing the magazines into her bag for later perusal in case there were new hairstyles to learn, and left the smoky bar. She had two letters to write this afternoon."You're married I see?""Yes m'lady."Lady Rosamund Painswick nodded and looked down at the resume again. It was neat and clear and included a reference that looked very much like the same scrawl she had to wade through every time her mama insisted that she and Cousin Susan should be friendlier and they were obliged to swap letters until Violet forgot. It was even composed in the same endless loop of sentences that Susan preferred and Rosamund merely glanced through it, picking up words like diligent and conscientious without really reading them.There was precious little to do with being a lady's maid but if Rosamund knew her cousin then all of her housemaids would have been called upon to fiddle with that mop of hair of hers on the off-chance that one of them might have the magic touch and be able to make it look presentable. She glanced up from the letter and caught Mrs Bates watching her eagerly, her eyes flashing with something like triumph when Rosamund placed the letter back down on the table between them."And Mr Bates?"If Lady Rosamund had made the intuitive leap to connect her to the Earl's valet then Vera had to admit she was doing a good impression of someone who was none of the wiser. Bates wasn't an uncommon name of course and neither was it that extraordinary that there might be a brother and sister whose retainers shared a surname but Vera had thought the connection to Lady Flintshire might give her away. Lady Rosamund remained cordial though, with the smallest hint of a smile and an enquiring tilt to the head that settled Vera's nerves."He's out of the picture m'lady.""The war?"It would be terribly easy to say yes. So many women had lost their husbands in the conflict and had been forced back into work and if she'd had the nerve to bluff her way through with the lie then Vera wouldn't have hesitated to give Lady Rosamund the convenient answer the lady herself had supplied. But Vera could see how easily it would be found out. All it would take was Lady Grantham coming for a visit, or Lady Mary for that matter, and they'd bring their maids and Anna certainly knew who she was and she'd crossed the sour looking O'Brien in the servant's hall at Downton so she'd be found out either way. And that was without even considering what would happen when Lady Rosamund went up to Downton and expected her to mingle with the servants!No, there was only one thing for it and it was something that Vera truly hated doing if she could avoid it. She was going to have to tell the truth. Partially."No m'lady." She licked her lips and took a deep breath, keeping her head slightly bowed and staring at the other woman's shoes to give herself the look of someone ashamed of what she was about to say. If her instincts were right then Lady Rosamund knew nothing of what had been going on. After everything Johnny had told her about Lord Grantham and what she had guessed about Lady Mary she couldn't quite see either of them ringing up the redhead to keep her informed of a possible scandal, which gave her one shining window of opportunity to get this woman on her side. It wasn't quite as useful as if Lady Grantham herself was on her side but Lady Rosamund might just be enough to remind John that she could make friends in high places too."He's taken up with another woman up in Yorkshire."She risked a glance up at Lady Rosamund and was pleased to see her mouth had opened into a small o of surprise."She's a housemaid at…well, at Downton Abbey."Well-groomed eyebrows furrowed and Vera allowed her a moment to connect the dots, making herself sniff as she reached into her sleeve for the handkerchief she'd put there earlier for just this purpose."Anna? So you were married to Robert's Bates?""Actually," Vera sniffed and lifted her head. "We're still married. He wants a divorce but I know he'll leave me with nothing. I tried to sell our house so we could share the money and move on, but I couldn't find a solicitor who'd help me."Vera surprised herself with the tears that formed in her eyes and realised with a tremendous stab of annoyance that they were fake at all and neither was the waver in her voice."I can't even rent it, so I need to work."She managed a small smile and looked up through sodden eyelashes at Lady Rosamund as the redhead got to her feet, very conscious of the fact that she had known this woman for all of ten minutes and not only let on that she was the abandoned wife of Lord Grantham's trusted valet, but had also cried in her presence, something she was sure ladies like Lady Rosamund didn't exactly prize in a servant."I'm sorry m'lady, I don't mean to embarrass you.""Oh don't be silly, you'll soon learn that I am not easily embarrassed." Soon? Vera shifted in her seat as Rosamund handed her a glass of something amber she'd poured while Vera had been wiping her eyes and surreptitiously poking herself in the eye to keep the tears coming and the redhead gracefully sat on the sofa next to her. Long thin fingers wrapped around her cold-chapped hands and Rosamund smiled."Now what was this about a house?"As it turned out the solicitors Lady Rosamund knew were considerably more useful than the dodgy agents Vera had tried to get help from before and within a week her things had been moved, the house had been rented out without John having anything to do with it and Vera was installed in the bedroom next to Rosamund's with a good wage and a little bit coming in on the side too. All in all, she thought it was a miracle the changes a fortnight could make and it was almost enough to make her take up churchgoing again.The bedroom had been a surprise at first. After the initial interview Lady Rosamund had been kind and asked her to begin as soon as possible and Vera had genuinely thought that the servant's quarters were being done up because she could think of no other reason why her bed had such pretty lace-trimmed sheets or why the wide window afforded a view of the greenery in the centre of Eaton Square. It was like stepping into a dream; true, her existence in her mother-in-law's house had been far from squalid but there were small luxuries that in her world were unnecessary but in Lady Rosamund's were part of the scenery. She hadn't liked to ask why she was being treated so well but her face had given her away and Lady Rosamund had laughed, a soft chuckle that made her feel warmer inside than she had since long before Johnny and a little part of the anger she clung to every day like armour was scratched by the sound."If I was hiring a lady's maid for the housekeeper then I'd put her next to the housekeeper's room. As it is I think it makes a great deal more sense for you to be close to my room. Don't you agree?"Vera had, but only idly, not really paying attention as she wondered if her clothes would fill up even one half of the wardrobe in the corner of the room.She sank into the soft mattress at night, the cool, clean sheets like silk against her skin and almost making her embarrassed at how old her nightdress was. Over the years it had faded to a horrible, grey colour and against the snow-white sheets it looked duller than ever and she resolved as she buried her face in the lavender scented pillow that the first thing she'd buy once she'd paid off the people she owed money to was a pristine, lacy thing that was warm and pretty and it was with that thought that she fell asleep for the first few nights.A little way into the second week her dreams were disturbed by a noise she placed in an instant. Crying. The only thing that surprised her was that it wasn't her own and Vera slipped her legs from the warm bed before she could convince herself to mind her own business and pulled a shawl around her shoulders as she edged closer to the door that connected her room to Rosamund's. She pressed her ear against the wood and heard the sound quite clearly and sighed to herself. She had known this woman for next to no time but in that time she'd been showered with the sort of kindness she'd always imagined their sort incapable of and she couldn't in all good conscience leave Lady Rosamund to her sorrow.Shivering in the cold air and wrapping her shawl tighter around herself Vera ran a hand over her hair, making sure it was still in its braid if she was going to be seen. Her hair did have a horrible habit of escaping and turning wild in the night. When they'd been young and newly married she'd worn it loose every night, and not worn much else, and she'd found it tangled in the morning but it was worth it for the look in her husband's eyes when she'd been on top of him, hair flying everywhere, and then later, before things had become truly terrible, she'd braided it the night before but woken still in tangles to find that John had freed her hair in the night to run his fingers through it. Vera pressed her eyes closer together tightly and banished her memories - they weren't going to help anyone at the moment.She knocked gently on the door and listened carefully. When she received no response but the continuation of the crying Vera opened the door as quietly as she could, slipping her head around the door.To say that Lady Rosamund's bedroom put her own lovely one to shame would have been an understatement. In retrospect Vera thought that from the first look of the lush furnishings downstairs she should have guessed that the bedroom would be a barely tasteful medley of lace and fur, silk hangings on the four-poster bed with roses carved into the posts, the softest ermine covering the sheets for added warmth and dyed Egyptian cotton covered the goose feather filled pillow and mattress. The soft pile on the floor was almost distractingly comfortable against her feet as she edged closer to the woman who was being clearly lit by the moonlight streaming through a gap in the curtains that covered the bay window."M'lady?"Stillness reigned in the bedroom for a moment but Vera was at least now sure that Lady Rosamund had heard her. Perhaps this had been a bad idea? She knew full well what she'd have done to somebody if they'd dared to interrupt her during her night-time cry and indeed how she would have felt about somebody knowing that she allowed herself such a pitiful luxury, so chances were Lady Rosamund might not like it. Vera cursed herself: it had all been going so well too."What on you doing here?""I heard you." It sounded lame even to her but she pushed on, there was little point doing things by halves at this point and she was going to have to talk herself into a better position somehow. "And you were so kind to me when I was crying the other day that I didn't like to leave you."Silently Vera congratulated herself on her cunning. There was no way Lady Rosamund could be too dismissive of her now!In the moonlight she could see where the other woman was lying quite clearly and see the top of curly haired that had been wrestled into a braid earlier, but Lady Rosamund's face was still concealed by the height of her blankets and her position on the bed. Vera bit her lip. It was considerably more difficult to judge someone's thoughts when you couldn't see the face but she got the impression that the body under the sheets had lost some tension."That's very kind of you Vera."She stepped closer, encouraged by not being sacked on the spot, until she could see a face that didn't look blotchy with tears in the moonlight and instead just filled with a terrible sorrow. She kneeled carefully by the bed and reached for Rosamund's hand."Is there anything I can do m'lady?"Vera wanted to ask what was bothering her but didn't dare. Knowing her luck it would either be seen as being impertinent or else she'd have to sit and listen to a long story about someone else's terrible life. Although how terrible Lady Rosamund's life could possibly have been she wasn't sure and despite her usual lack of interest in other she decided she wouldn't mind listening if it came to it. It wasn't as though she wasn't being amply rewarded after all.Rosamund sniffed and shuffled backwards on the bed, not letting go of Vera's hand as she moved further and further away. For a second Vera panicked that after all her good fortune so far she might now be about to find out that Lady Rosamund was actually a bloody lunatic, but she soon saw the invitation for what it was and hoped she was doing the right thing by sliding up and onto the bed herself. When Rosamund didn't gasp with horror she settled down and pondered whether she was supposed to say anything, but Rosamund didn't say or indeed do much and Vera lay on top of the furry throw in confusion and comfort. She was bloody cold though."No, this is silly."Vera started and was half off the bed before Rosamund reached out a hand to stop her."Don't go. Get in I meant."Doing as she was told was not a pre-requisite of Vera's character and she had always been rather proud of that fact and always thought it made her superior to the other servants because she at least could think for herself. Despite that she had absolutely no qualms about climbing into Lady Rosamund's luxurious, soft, expensive bed when instructed.Neither of the spoke and eventually Lady Rosamund let go of her hand and fell asleep – which came first Vera wasn't sure – but she soon lost herself to the comfort of the bed too and fell asleep feeling marginally less alone if rather bamboozled.Vera didn't sleep in her bed every night but Rosamund had found that the nights that she did were becoming more frequent and the gaps between those nights was slimming down.To begin with she'd thought of it on a whim. Too much wine with dinner, combined with a healthy dose of brandy as a nightcap and then her new maid being unexpectedly kind had made her think that the colossal gap that had been left in her life since Marmaduke had died might hurt less if she at least didn't have to sleep alone. And as with most of her best ideas, the influence of brandy seemed to have been a good thing.When she'd woken up and found herself facing the back of a glossy, dark head she'd felt like the weight of loneliness inside her had been lifted slightly. It wasn't gone and there was no way of banishing the loss of Marmaduke away without dying herself and going to join him – something she had absolutely no intention of doing – but for whatever reason the lingering scent of lavender in Vera's hair had soothed her back to sleep. When she'd opened her eyes again it was to find her maid properly dressed and holding a tea tray and taking her lead from Vera she hadn't mentioned their night.It was nothing of course. Vera had lost a husband too, she reminded herself, so perhaps there was something inside her that understood and sympathised with that need to be close to someone as you slept?She'd considered it as a one-off and taken strength from the night, writing letters to friends and going out shopping and putting it from her mind. Despite her reservations about anyone that Susan had praised so highly Vera had proved to be an effective and efficient maid and she certainly suited Rosamund's requirements: she was always eager to listen to gossip and was rather adroit when it came to putting ensembles together. Plus after being so close to Vera's hair she had been gifted with enough time to admire quite how shiny it was and she'd had her maid make her the same potion to put on hers.A week later she'd found herself crying again, the seemingly huge empty space in the bed making her heart ache and sure enough Vera had soon slipped into the room and wordlessly into the bed. Three nights later she acted pre-emptively, not wanting to wake up with puffy cheeks and when she felt the first tears beginning to form she left the warmness of her bed, intending to bring Vera into her bedroom but when she found the other woman she was in a deep sleep and Rosamund hated the thought of disturbing her.The distance back to her great lonely bed seemed terrible and with a quick shifty look around the bedroom Rosamund slipped into the bed next to the other woman, immediately warmed by the close heat of another body, and fell asleep, shuffling closer under the covers."For goodness sake, you can hit the note with your voice, why can't you do in on the piano?"Vera scowled at the criticism but Rosamund ignored her. Unlike any maid she had ever had before Vera was singularly unable to conceal her feelings, whether they were positive or not, and Rosamund found it rather refreshing. Her last maid had been a snake in the grass and the other women she'd interviewed before Vera had been a mix of the competency and slyness that always seemed to come part and parcel with lady's maids. There had been one in particular that she'd been tempted to hire, a woman with a spectacular reference and a quiet sort of style to her, but there had been something in Marigold Shore's eyes she'd distrusted.Whether Vera knew it or not she was an open book to Rosamund. She'd subtly asked Cora what had been going on with the valet, on the pretext of saying her mama had mentioned it, and been given Cora's opinion on the subject, which was that according to O'Brien Mr Bates had probably treated his wife terribly and the wife had come back for him and somehow taken him from under Anna's nose. Between that occurrence and Vera turning up at her house Rosamund could deduce that something had gone wrong but she was quite sure that whatever had happened was going to stay between husband and wife; Vera never spoke about her husband and Rosamund couldn't help but notice how clouded the grey eyes became whenever he was mentioned. She could see for herself that Vera was no saint but she got the feeling Mr Bates was leading her brother on quite the merry dance…although no doubt Robert would say the same about Vera and her."I never learnt.""I'm trying to teach you.""Why?"Every single bit of kindness went questioned. It didn't matter if she was coming home from shopping with an extra cream cake or passing along a scarf she'd bought on a whim that didn't fit with her complexion, Vera always looked like she didn't trust the gesture and Rosamund was becoming tired of it."I thought you said you liked music?""I do," Vera frowned at her own fingers and placed them back on the piano in imitation of Rosamund's. "I just meant why're you bothering?"Rosamund wasn't sure. She had heard the other woman humming and found it pleasant and then caught her singing quietly to herself and being quite entranced. It was stupid really, that Vera had such a lovely latent talent for music without knowing the first thing about it while she'd had years of musical training without having the slightest bit of actual talent. She could play well enough, or at least it had been enough to placate Violet into thinking her daughter was learning to be a lady, but she couldn't sing a note. Cora was the polar opposite and when they'd been young women it had amused them to put on what they'd deemed the worst concerts ever performed for husbands that had been young and full of joy. Now Robert was a stick-in-the-mud, Marmaduke was dead and Cora never sang which left her with Vera and Rosamund was determined to get her playing."Why not?""Shouldn't you be giving me mending to do?"Vera raised her eyebrow and looked at her sideways in the way that Rosamund found oddly beguiling and she smiled at the insolence. Oh she could have hired any of the women that came but none of them would have been half as entertaining!"Have I ever given you mending?" She sighed with excessive emphasis."No, but I-""I'm sure you're very handy with a needle but I'll wait till I go up to Downton next. O'Brien's the best free seamstress in the country so there's no point wasting your time."Rosamund just about caught the corners of Vera's lips turning up into a smile as she returned to the music sheet that was propped up on the piano."Will we be going up there soon m'lady?"Rosamund turned to meet Vera's gaze and wasn't sure if she was seeing hesitation or eagerness. It was the first time she hadn't been sure and she smiled tightly to cover the swell of nerves it gave her."I'll let you know. Not yet though."She shuffled closer on the bench until she could place her fingers gently over Vera's. It felt distinctly different to the way it had when she'd been young and her piano teacher had done the same thing."Now, shall we?""Would it be terribly awkward for you?"Vera nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden question and brought her hand up to her chest. Her heart felt suddenly and painfully like it was beating in her ribcage and she frowned once she'd had a second to think about the question, not only because she was bloody confused over what Lady Rosamund was babbling about, but also because she hated being taken aback. She'd been sneaking in to see if Rosamund was sleeping properly as she'd taken to doing on the nights she didn't hear tears or feel a warm body climb in her bed and the lights being off had boded well before the voice had come out of nowhere in the dark."What?" She said, as she regained her composure and crossed the bedroom slowly, the familiar feeling carpet under her stockinged feet being lit up by the same full moon that had brightened the room a month before when she'd first come in here in the middle of the night."If we did go up to Downton? Only I've had a letter from Cora – something to do with Matthew feeling better – but I thought I might go up for the little celebration they were planning."Vera felt the knot in her chest tighten. Two days ago she'd had a letter from Miss O'Brien telling her that John was back working at Downton Abbey and back with Miss Smith but she'd put it from her mind. He wasn't going anywhere after all and she was rather enjoying herself at Eaton Square; if she was going to look after someone, as a wife or a lady's maid, she would much rather it was Lady Rosamund for the moment. That being said, if John found it so easy to ignore her then she would give him the same treatment back and there was no point doing it at all if he didn't know about it but at Downton she'd be sitting opposite him, a new fixture of the safe little world he thought he'd escaped to with Miss Smith. The thought cheered her."Feeling better?" Vera smirked. "He's a cripple isn't he? How did he manage to feel better?"A burst of light came on and Rosamund rolled back into her place against the pillows as Vera blinked until her eyes adjusted. She had never admired Lady Flintshire exactly – as an employer she'd been fair enough, but as a lady she was sorely lacking in Vera's eyes. What was the point of having so much bloody money if you always looked such a state with your hair like rats tails and a face like a slapped arse? Lady Rosamund on the other hand never looked anything other than perfect. Her hair curled childishly around her forehead, the bulk of it pulled back into a braid draped over one shoulder giving her the look of a well-groomed cat. Blue eyes were always bright no matter the time of day and as much as Vera would have liked to put the smooth sheen of Rosamund's skin down to the expensive creams her lady bought she couldn't begrudge the other woman her attractiveness."God knows. Perhaps Lavinia's inspired him back to life?"Rosamund smirked and Vera had to chuckle at the suggestive look in her lady's eyes. She'd seen Miss Lavinia Swire for herself a few weeks before when the poor thing had come to Rosamund's house for afternoon tea and sympathy and had thought she was a sad, pretty thing but she couldn't imagine her being the cause of a miraculous recovery."And they're having a party?"She crossed the room for something to do, pulling the curtains closed properly to keep the cold night air out after making sure the window was secure. The metal latch was freezing against her fingers and when she was done she crossed her arms under her breasts, trying to warm her hands by holding them close to her body and wrapping the woollen shawl tighter around her body. Rosamund's eyes were unashamedly on her and Vera fought not to blush too much, but this was the first time Lady Rosamund would have gotten a good look at her old nightdress and she couldn't help but feel annoyed at how ratty it was. Rosamund wouldn't say anything of course but Vera was determined to be angry at the first sign of pity in the other woman's eyes. None came"Not as such. Robert doesn't do parties," thin lips twisted into another smirk and Vera fiddled with the bottom of her braid. "Occasionally he deigns to invite me up though.""I'm sure they miss you when you're gone m'lady.""You're very kind."Vera nearly snorted at that but by pressing her lips together she managed to stop herself."Only to you m'lady."Rosamund grinned at her and reached to the other side of her bed, pulling back the covers in a gesture that was at once domestic and familiar but set Vera's heart to racing and froze her to the spot. If Rosamund was aware of what she'd done she kept herself playful enough that she covered her nerves."But if I go up it'll mean you coming with me and I know things are delicate still.""That's putting it mildly m'lady."Vera hesitated for a long moment, debating the best move. If she left now it was possible that the trust that had sprung up between them would soon disintegrate and she rather liked having Rosamund Painswick trust her. She doubted any other lady's maid in the country was treated half as familiarly as she was or that they'd be able to carry on in their usual way when they were up at Downton Abbey. And then there was John to worry about of course."Would it be terrible?"Vera brushed off her nightdress for a moment before she slid into the welcoming bed, feeling distinctly odd for doing this in the light, with Rosamund looking at her with benign curiosity. She pulled the covers over her legs and leant back against the pillows hesitantly, turning her head to meet Rosamund's gaze with a small smile only to find the other woman looking at her like she was the one behaving oddly. Christ, it wasn't like this was normal was it?!She'd shared beds all her life of course – a sister when she was growing up, another girl who was a housemaid in the same place as her when she was young, then John, then anyone who filled the gap – but Rosamund had a way of acting like this was all perfectly normal behaviour. Perhaps it was? Perhaps this was the great secret of being a lady's maid that that Scottish terrier of Lady Flintshire's and Miss O'Brien knew but never passed on to lesser servants?Or perhaps Lady Rosamund really was just a bit strange?Or kind?"I'm sure I'd live m'lady. I should warn you though, I don't know what they'll say about me.""Oh my dear," Rosamund's fingers threaded through hers as she shuffled down the bed to get comfortable. "Do you really imagine I'll care?"Inevitably Rosamund's hand slipped around her waist in the night as Vera has suspected it eventually would. The housemaid she'd slept next to for three years had been a bit queer after dark and possessed roaming hands; Vera couldn't say she'd minded all that much seeing as how she wasn't expected to reciprocate and though she'd felt strange at the time it hadn't exactly been unpleasant so she'd let it carry on.Rosamund curled closer in the middle of the night and the first Vera knew about it was when she woke up with hair tickling her cheek and an unfamiliar weight against her side. Eyelids flickering she'd vaguely registered that it was comfortable before falling back to sleep. When she woke up Rosamund was back on her side of the bed – and it occurred to Vera afterwards how odd it was that they had sides now – and looking as though she'd been there all night.The next day Vera wondered whether she'd imagined it in the night and she didn't like to think what backwards part of her brain had conjured up that particular dream.The following night she woke up to find Rosamund curled against her side again, arm around her waist but this time with her fingers wondering higher under the covers. Vera almost rolled her eyes: apparently she was going to have to live through having her breasts groped in the night again. The brush of Rosamund's thumb through her new nightdress nearly made her gasp but she kept herself under control, pretending to be asleep as best she could.The gentle graze of Rosamund's thumb nail skimmed the underside of her breast and slowly made its way up the swell of her chest, tracing circles through the soft material until Vera thought she might go mad with light touch. Rosamund's fingers were getting closer and closer to the peak where she could feel her nipple hardening against the fabric.Against her side Rosamund shuffled closer and Vera could almost feel her smirking despite her eyes being closed. She wasn't sure whether Rosamund knew she was awake or not, certainly she was going out of her way to keep her breathing as regular as possible, but her lady seemed to be enjoying herself either way. Vera had the vague notion that she should be troubled by the advance but somehow she couldn't bring herself to be.This was no mere exploring housemaid after all, this was Lady Rosamund Painswick who had been her ticket to a more comfortable life, who was still her best bet against Johnny and his tart, and who now wanted something from her she had nearly been obliged to give to other employers. At least Rosamund was a better prospect that the supposed gentlemen who had tried it on with her and though the redhead was the wrong side of fifty she at least looked good for it.She felt a shudder go through her whole body the moment Rosamund finally brushed her thumb over her nipple and as suddenly as she had started Rosamund stopped her groping and returned her hand swiftly to Vera's waist. Vera mourned the loss of contact and cursed herself for moving – she must have unnerved the other woman into thinking she was waking her up!Vera waited on the off chance that her stillness might prompt Rosamund back into action but nothing was forthcoming. Rosamund's breath against the side of her face wasn't making it easier to forget that her body was betraying her and waking up as it hadn't done so in years, which was horribly inconvenient.What felt like hours later Rosamund's fingers twitched again and a brief stab of hope came over Vera but they both remained still. Cautiously she opened her eyes in the dark, letting them adjust for a moment before glancing downwards, careful not to dislodge the other woman, only to find eyes staring up at her curiously."How long have you been awake?"Vera raised her eyebrow at the tone: half Rosamund's usual mockingly melodious voice and half something that might have been concern. She waited a while before she answered, feeling the tension in the other woman's body with a satisfied smirk."Long enough.""Good."Rosamund pushed herself up and quite suddenly Vera found herself being kissed thoroughly and expertly. There was no tentativeness – not that Lady Rosamund Painswick had any reason to suspect she wouldn't get her way – and Vera pressed her lips back. Rosamund's tongue demanded insistent entry and Vera was not one to turn away from a challenge, nor to be bested by someone else's advances. She reached up to hold tight to the back of Rosamund's head, holding her in place as she rolled them over, slipping beneath the soft sheets with the movement.The silky satin of Rosamund's nightdress was glorious under her hands as she stroked up a sleek side and when she reached the swell of a soft breast under her palm she imitated her lady's earlier touch with less hesitance than Rosamund herself had shown. Well-manicured nails dug into her back and Vera smiled around the kiss when she felt Rosamund's fingers dance up her back and across her neck to unbraid the dark coil that lay there and free her hair."It'll be a state in the morning.""I should hope so," Rosamund managed to get out around gasps elicited by Vera's hand sliding deftly down her side and sliding pointedly under the hem of her nightdress, bunching it around slender thighs. "Or else we wouldn't be doing it right at all.""This is for me?"Rosamund's arms slid around her waist from behind and Vera felt an angular chin dig into her shoulder as the other woman rested on her to look at the same sight she was seeing."I thought you'd like it."It was rather startling to Vera to discover that not only were there parts of Rosamund's garden that she had never noticed before, but somehow Rosamund, not known for her discretion, had managed to install a greenhouse on the lawn without her even hearing it being put up! But regardless of her disbelief there it stood, a greenhouse the size of her mother-in-law's living room nestled in a leafy corner of the garden, surrounded by a wall of ivy on two sides and open to the sunlight on the other two. Inside the glass walls there were tools she'd never seen before along with the usual recognisable things, tables filled with pots and watering jugs and in the corner –"Why is there an armchair?""So I can come and sit with you of course!"Vera rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself and let Rosamund push her towards the greenhouse. The redhead opened the glass doors and the sun warmed air trapped inside engulfed them as they climbed over the threshold. The mossy smell of new soil reached her nose and her fingers itched towards the pretty padded gloves on the table."I wasn't sure what to get, so I just told them to send everything and you could pick what you needed."Vera nodded lamely at the generosity. The pleasures of casual gardening apparently meant something quite different to Rosamund than they did to her; whilst she'd always made do with old tools and whatever patch of land she could find this was like the bloody promised land of her long-abandoned hobby.Rosamund's face fell."You don't look thrilled.""I wouldn't know what to do with half of these things.""Well you can learn can't you," Rosamund smirked as she picked up a trowel and held it as though it was a fork, the sparkle coming back to her eyes. "You're a quick study after all."Vera's eyebrow twitched at the suggestive gleam in the other woman's gaze but she was becoming more and more accustomed to having Rosamund's smirk her daily companion and she was soon able to return the vaguely salacious look."You just want me to name a rose after you."Rosamund rolled her eyes and tossed the trowel onto the table with studied care, carefully treading on the stone path laid down in the greenhouse to cover the soil beneath in her crimson suede shoes. She reached out a hand to press at Vera's hip and with bemusement Vera let herself be pushed pointedly backwards until she was sat on the chair and Rosamund was making use of the cover of the ivy to pin her to her seat."God no." She smirked and leant down to press a fluttering and teasing kiss to the corner of Vera's lips. "With a name like mine the gardeners at Downton were falling over themselves to grow roses for me. I'm quite bored of them."Vera slipped her hand from its resting spot on Rosamund's slim hip down towards the hemline of the dress that was the same shade as the shoes and gave her lady the look of a flame. Underneath the dress she knew Rosamund wasn't wearing altogether much and sure enough her fingers soon found the top of stockings, held up by a will and a prayer and nothing else, and she could feel the heat rising between the other woman's thighs.Rosamund gasped and finally kissed her properly when she gripped her thigh tighter with possessive fingers"What do you want then? A lily?" Vera wrinkled up her nose as Rosamund started fiddling with the buttons of her blouse, affecting lack of interest, which she knew didn't fool her smirking mistress for a second when long thin fingers reached up to draw idle patterns on the telling flush of her neck. "Too bland for you… What about an orchid?""Ooh, an orchid I think."Rosamund leaned back and smirked merrily as she peeled away Vera's blouse and greedily ran her eyes and fingers over the pale, soft flesh of her corset-constrained breasts. Her fingertips slid under the material, pulling open the top three clasps one by one and Vera slipped her hand higher until she had Rosamund's hip in her grasp. Their eyes never broke contact and Rosamund licked her lips as she leant in to suckle at the point just under Vera's ear."What made you think of it?""Colourful, flamboyant, lots of effort...more trouble that they're worth," she grinned and rolled them over on the chaise, making Rosamund gasp at the suddenness. "Sounds about right."The silence was palpable, extremely uncomfortable and Vera was determined that she would not let it get to her. She sipped her soup with pointed calmness and barely looked up from her food, despite the fact that she could see others out of the edges of her vision who were yet to pick up their spoons such was their disgust.Jesus suffering fuck, you'd think she was the actual devil incarnate!To her immediate right she could just about make out Miss O'Brien but that intractable face was never going to give her much indication of what was going on around the table. Rolling her eyes to herself for a moment Vera took the initiative and looked up sharply. Opposite and on her left the housemaids and the footmen opposite them didn't even break in their flirtations but then her presence was hardly likely to upset the young people downstairs. Without any shame she met Anna's gaze and felt like she could almost taste the hate coming off the other woman and it only served to amuse her. Next to Anna John was staring at the wall and looking like someone had force fed him a vinegar soaked rag and the housekeeper and butler weren't looking much more welcoming than they had an hour ago.The moment they'd arrived at Downton things had been awkward. Getting out of the car with Rosamund had been fine, the rest of the family were hardly likely to pay a new lady's maid too much attention and the staff were all inside, but before she could begin the reluctant trudge to the servant's entrance Rosamund had indicated for her to follow through the front door. She hadn't hesitated but she hadn't missed the Earl's face either and when the butler had caught her eye the first tendrils of recognition seemed to be hitting him.It was her own bloody fault really. She wished she could pretend she'd been coerced into heading up to Downton Abbey, or at least that she'd been offered no choice in the matter but she'd only be lying to herself. Over the last fortnight Rosamund had thoughtfully asked her at least once a day whether having to see her husband and his young lover would prove uncomfortable and Vera had replied in the negative each time. There wasn't much else she could say – how could she explain to Rosamund the intricacies of what she still felt for her husband without belittling the relationship that they were embarking on together?At the moment it was the memory of Rosamund's lips on her skin and the gleam in her eyes that was getting her through this lunch, which boded well for their affair at least and made her feel curious about why she was still bothering with John at all.Being sat between Miss O'Brien and this Corporal Barrow – at the suggestion of the pair themselves –had been her first and only stroke of luck and whether they knew it or not they had been making the whole experience rather entertaining by acting as thought she was unknown to them. They'd passed the bread and poured the water and Corporal Barrow had ever recommended the garlic butter and the three of them had earned more glares between them in the space of five minutes than Vera would guess the staff of Downton had given in five years. Taking her lead from the flanking paid she'd followed suit, not explaining a single thing about her appearance at the house other than to say she was Lady Rosamund's lady's maid, and silently making her way through the food the kitchen maid had served, eyes wide at the tenseness in the room but not brave enough to actually speak.One of the bells on the wall rang and Vera's eyes went to it along with everyone else's."I believe it's her ladyship's in the sitting room Miss O'Brien.""She'll want tea at this time of day, for her and Lady Rosamund."Vera's eyes perked up and she wasn't hungry all of a sudden and after a split second of hesitation as O'Brien got to her feet Vera followed suit."I'll give you a hand."A mirthless laugh came from John and she turned back to him with a firmly set face. O'Brien had been half way out of the door heading towards the kitchen but now she stopped and watched the pair with eager eyes and Vera hoped that this woman really did hate John as much as he'd said she did."Something funny Johnny?""I'm sure Miss O'Brien can manage to make tea by herself. Or is there a reason you won't stay on your own?"She narrowed her eyes and wasn't sure what she might have done if she hadn't felt a hand pointedly being placed in the small of her back to lead her out of the door."You clearly don't know how particular Lady Rosamund can be Mr Bates," O'Brien piped up. "It's just as well his lordship's quite simple really, for your sake.""Why doesn't she call you Bates?"Vera rolled her eyes but smiled as she exhaled a long stream of smoke into the cold air with her new friend. There was some coincidence in the fact that of the three whole people she'd met in the last five years that she could stand two of them came from this bloody house, but who was she to question fate when she had a cigarette in hand and Rosamund had called her 'a gem' in front of Lady Grantham and being on the verge of telling Cora all about her troubles when she and O'Brien had left the sitting room."When she interviewed me I told her about everything with John-" She ignored the twitch of O'Brien's eyebrow and knew that the other woman was quite aware that might not have told Lady Rosamund everything. "And she said she didn't want to remind me of him all the time."O'Brien's face remained impassive for a moment and Vera felt her insides clench with concern. John and Rosamund alike had told her that Sarah O'Brien was considerably more astute than most others in the house – John had cited Mrs Hughes as her chief rival but Rosamund had laughed that off and proclaimed the Dowager her only equal in observation – and Vera panicked for a moment that her tone might have given her away. In the safety of Eaton Square she'd almost forgotten what it was to worry about other people and what they thought, but once again she found herself face to face with the outside world and the horrible possibility that it could tear apart her happiness with terrible ease.But she was reprieved when O'Brien merely sniffed dismissively an inhaled her own cigarette."She always was a bit strange."Vera smiled as slyly as she ever had but inside she felt the coils uncurl rapidly, making her whole body sag with relief as she sat down on the bench and it was no strain to put mocking effrontery into her tone."She's been very good to me I'll have you know.""Oh I'm sure she has," O'Brien followed suit opposite her and observed her curiously. "Twelve years I've been at Downton and Lady Rosamund's had nearly twice as many lady's maids."Vera narrowed her eyes slightly, not sure whether she was receiving a threat or advice."And?""And nothing. I just wondered what made you so special."Vera grimaced and lifted her cigarette again, defiantly meeting O'Brien's gaze. The other woman was no fool and neither did she seem like the sort that would be intimidated with ease and with her position below stairs so precarious she couldn't afford to make an enemy of someone like Sarah O'Brien."I'm more of a paid companion.""I see."Bollocks, Vera thought. That couldn't be good could it? O'Brien smiled to herself and changed the subject to their train journey and the atmosphere in London with the war on and Vera answered, all the while reminding herself that at least she hadn't made an enemy.Sarah O'Brien had spent part of the afternoon collecting evidence from the unwitting suspect, another part mocking Mr Molesley for both her and her new friend's amusement in the servant's hall, yet another part having a good look around Lady Rosamund's bedroom until she found something very telling, and the most wonderful part in Cora Crawley's bed. All in all she thought it had been one of her most productive days in a long time and she'd rewarded herself by having Cora twice before she let her lady return the favour and then fall into her arms for the afterglow.Curled against her slick skin Cora's body was much thinner but no less spectacular for it. With breasts still as high and firm as they'd been when Sarah had come to Downton well over a decade ago, waist showing no sign of thickening despite Cora's constant worry that one day her mother's figure might catch up with her and legs just as flexible as someone half her age's Sarah didn't think there was a single person in the world she would enjoy making love to half as much as her Lady Grantham and with Cora all but purring as she dozed against her propped up torso and a cigarette clutched between the fingers of her other hand Sarah nearly forgot about the interesting facts she'd come across that day. Only nearly though. If there was one thing Sarah O'Brien did not do despite her role having long since been upgraded to lover rather than just downstairs spy, it was forget to tell Cora all the secrets she had uncovered.Sarah contemplated for a moment the best way to tell Cora. She'd always harboured half a concern that should Cora find out Rosamund was a bit Sapphically inclined as well then she'd be booted out of the bed before she knew what had hit her so the glamorous redhead could take her place, but she knew that was foolhardy. She could speak in riddles, one of her favourite games with Cora, just to see how frustrated she could make her ladyship before the penny dropped and Cora realised what she was going on about. It had helped her make her sister's fourth child seem halfway interesting when she'd passed that happy news onto Cora at any rate.But no, this was far too delicate a subject for her to beat about the bush and with a final drag on her cigarette and a kiss pressed against Cora's forehead to make sure her lady was awake and paying attention she blurted out:"Rosamund's shagging her maid too y'know?"Cora's eyes went immediately wide and she sat up with her mouth open in surprise, looking at her lover as though she'd just announced she was off to Russia to join the circus."What?!"Sarah smiled and perched her cigarette in the little ashtray Cora had taken to keeping in the bedside drawer for her, bringing it out for their afternoon trysts along with a packet of cigarettes that were there to make Robert think his wife had merely picked up the habit should he come across them. She grinned widely and swung her body around to get off the bed, walking to where her dress had dropped well over an hour ago to crouch down and rummage in the pockets. She felt eyes on her and glanced over her shoulder to find Cora paying very little attention to what she was looking for and entirely more attention to the swell of her backside as she leant over. She smirked and got to her feet, holding her prize behind her and sauntering back to the bed, clambering on and falling into Cora's waiting arms with a soft sigh. Lips caught hers and she groaned at the back of her throat at the same moment as Cora when the length of their bodies pressed together and she felt her thigh putting pressure on the wetness between Cora's thighs.But that was for later. With a reluctant groan and a final kiss to Cora's nose she rolled off her lover and was met with a kittenish whimper."Can't your theories wait darling?""Not this one."She tossed onto her lap the folded up nightdress she'd found at the bottom of Lady Rosamund's trunk. Rolling her eyes at being denied Cora pushed herself into a sitting position with an exaggerated sigh of annoyance, but curiosity still got the better of her and she took it from Sarah's lap, unfolding what was undoubtedly silk and spreading it in front of her. The nightdress was beautiful, perfect even and Cora could see immediately that this had come from an excellent seamstress rather than from any old shop. She ran her fingers over the soft swell of the fabric that allowed for breasts and the pearl buttons at the front that would fasten someone in and be ever so much fun to unhook one by one with someone – say Sarah, her mind supplied with a wicked grin – lying beneath her waiting to be made love to. Perhaps they could borrow it?!"It's lovely but I don't see how it proves anything."Cora looked up into the smug face of her lover as Sarah smoked on and knew there was something that her maid's eagle eye had spotted that she wasn't seeing and if she wanted to know she was going to have to ask because Sarah was enjoying this far too much."Oh for goodness sake darling," she reached out to pluck the cigarette from Sarah's fingers, bringing it up to her own lips and refusing to give it back despite Sarah's protest. "Tell me what you can see before you burst with it."Cora shook her head in bemusement when the other woman's face fell. She did love Sarah but good god she was a gossip-monger and sometimes she was so pleased with herself that Cora would have thrown her from her presence for insolence if it wasn't for the fact that most of the time Sarah was pleased with herself because of the positively athletic display her tongue could put on when she wanted it to."It's the sizing," Sarah sat forward and ran her fingers over the chest of the nightdress, judging quite correctly that she was also stroking Cora's thigh as her fingers brushed over the silk. Her ladyship gasped and Sarah leant in with a wicked grin to kiss her, stealing back the cigarette afterwards and shuffling closer until they were hip to hip on the bed. "This'd fit Lady Rosamund I suppose but look at the chest." Cora did as she was told. "She either likes to sleep in a nightdress that'll flash her tits at anyone that comes in the rooms or else this is Vera's."Cora blushed, as she always did when Sarah swore and she buried her face in Sarah's neck, quite prepared to believe her but also considerably more interested in her own bedroom antics than she was her sister-in-law's. Perhaps later they could discuss it properly, when Sarah had to dress her for dinner and they couldn't afford to get too hands on in case Robert or one of the girls came in unexpectedly, and their attentions couldn't be taken up with much more satisfying pursuits."So what if it does belong to Mrs Bates?"Sarah rolled her eyes but knew better than to be petulant when Cora's lips started the trail from under her ear that Sarah knew from experience would travel lasciviously down her throat, eagerly to her breasts, softly over her stomach before attacking her sex roughly. She put out her cigarette with one hand, kicked the nightdress to the bottom of the bed where it wouldn't be creased and pulled Cora closer with her other hand, rolling her lady on top of her body where she liked her best.So what if the silk was Vera's? Weren't they entitled to this pleasure too?One long-fingered hand was gripping her thigh and the other held her hip in place as Rosamund's assaulting mouth finally moved where she wanted it. Vera's back curled and she reached above herself to wrap her fingers around the headboard of the bed, gripping the bar tightly and biting her lip to stifle the gasp that threatened to spill out. Her breath came raggedly from the back of her throat and her whole body tensed as Rosamund's tongue swept upwards and teased the bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex.Her lady enjoyed the hunt and the kill as much as any sportswoman did and it had been a good hour at least since Vera had come up to the guest bedroom to draw a bath, imitating Miss O'Brien's actions so as not to appear suspicious to the staff. They didn't need to know that Lady Rosamund preferred to take her baths last thing at night with her maid soaking behind her, running sopping fingers through her hair as they both drank dubonnet and gin cocktails. But from the moment she'd closed the door behind her, remembering to lock it only at the last minute, Rosamund had all but mauled her into submission and teased her to the point of agony.Her lady liked to have her like this most of all. It was probably something to do with dominance but Vera didn't really care all that much – Rosamund could pretend to be the Queen of fucking Sheba for all she cared, as long as she got to be her acolyte. The long build-up was paying dividends for them both now and with each stroke of Rosamund's nimble and recently well-practiced tongue on her tender flesh she could feel her climax growing. Sensing the inevitable – somewhere deep inside her Rosamund had a tremendous instinct for sex that Vera envied – the redhead added pressure along with her languorous strokes and Vera shoved her hand quickly in her mouth to stem the breathy cries, biting into her palm instead and glaring down at the top of russet curls when Rosamund didn't cease until she was quite sure she'd been triumphant."Christ almighty."Vera pushed herself into a sitting position and wrapped her hand around the back of Rosamund's head as the other woman crawled to her knees and their lips met in a searing kiss. The taste was odd as ever and were they at Eaton Square with no one to bother them for the rest of the day they'd wash it away with a drink but there wasn't the time for that if they had to bathe and dress Rosamund for dinner soon enough."I hope you're minding your language downstairs darling?"Vera rolled her eyes but suffered herself to be kissed again as Rosamund pushed her back down into the pillows and lay herself down on top as a flushed human blanket. The kisses came again, softer and deeper, with Rosamund's tongue apparently being untiring and Vera was just preparing to roll her onto her back when-"I have a present for you," Rosamund whispered in a low voice in her ear, her breath hot on Vera's neck. She shot off the bed and Vera missed her presence immediately, reaching for a rumpled sheet to pull over her body to keep away the cold air as she watched Rosamund delve into the trunk."You're too good to me.""I know, I'm terribly generous really."A small frown began to form on her lady's delicate brow and the search in the trunk became a touch more frantic. Vera watched her bemused and appreciated the spectacle."I definitely put it in!""Oh," Vera crawled to the end of the bed and riffled through the pocket of her skirt until she found her cigarettes and struck one up. "Is this the very secret reason why I had to leave you alone when we were packing your case?""Yes! I…" Rosamund was like a child when it came to packing, changing her mind at least half a dozen times over which dresses to bring and whether she would need this or that and when she'd temporarily shoved Vera out of the bedroom door her maid had found it charming. "I think someone's taken it!""Taken what?" She crossed the room, draping the sheet around her body like the Roman women in Rosamund's paintings, her hair falling around her shoulders in a wild mess."Your present.""And what was that?"Rosamund turned on her sharply and Vera was reminded, just for a second, that Lady Rosamund was still the daughter of an Earl and didn't like being questioned more than necessary. Or she might have just been irritable from her moment being ruined."A nightdress," she brought her hand up to her forehead and rubbed her temples, pushing red hair out of her eyes until it fell in a naturally attractive arrangement to halfway down her back. If Vera had the get-up of a Roman then Rosamund looked like some kind of brazen, Celtic Queen and it took Vera a moment to register that there was a present involved in this.She inhaled on her cigarette and passed it to her ersatz mistress, wrapping her arms around Rosamund from behind to keep her warm."You bought me a nightdress? If you hadn't noticed I've not been wearing a lot to bed these days.""That's not the point.""I know," she brushed a kiss over Rosamund's shoulder and thought about the divorce papers Johnny had shoved into her hands with a scowl when he'd managed to catch her alone for half a second. "It means a lot that you bought it at all and-""No, not that." Rosamund, who unbeknownst to her mother was no stranger to a cigarette, inhaled deeply to stem her nerves. "The point is that someone's been in here and someone's taken in." She pressed her lips together and looked over her shoulder to meet Vera's eye, pressing a kiss to her cheek before her face settled into wry acceptance. "And I bet I know just who it is.""Rosamund, once and for all, is something wrong?"Over the rim of her brandy glass Rosamund glared at her sister-in-law. This was the first time all night she had managed to get her alone and she was determined to take the opportunity to grill Cora. For if she was right – and she frequently was – and O'Brien had been the one to steal into her bedroom and snoop through her belongings then there was a distinct possibility that Cora already knew. She couldn't imagine for a second what leverage the lady's maid could gain over her by being in possession of a single silk nightdress, but knowing O'Brien her intentions would be far more complicated than she could possibly fathom.There was also the extremely annoying fact that a dress tailored for a particular figure had fallen into the hands of the only seamstress in the house and therefore the only person who might spot something unusual about it. And the same person who would pass it straight onto a member of her family."Why would anything be wrong?" She narrowed her eyes and gulped down half her brandy in one. "Unless there's a reason you can think of?"Cora shifted in her seat and tried not to grimace. Sarah had made furious love to her twice more that afternoon and she would much rather be lying down in a bath at the moment: still, it had been worth it even if her lover's afternoon triumphs were leaving her in an awkward situation in more ways than one now. Once she'd been in the bath and not quite as clouded by lust she'd appreciated the significance of the nightdress and had been rather astounded to learn that after all these years Rosamund could still surprise her.The first few years she'd known the redhead she'd longed to discover that Rosamund was like her but though her sister-in-law had always been affectionate and loving she had never tried anything at all and Cora knew Rosamund well enough to know that if she wanted someone she would take them. It galled her slightly to realise now that she had clearly never been on the list of people that Rosamund had wanted but Cora had at least had the sense not to mention this disappointment to Sarah. Somehow she doubted it was information her lover would be happy about.There was no need to dwell though, she had Sarah and that was better than any daring tryst with Rosamund would have ever been and now it seemed as though Rosamund had found someone too. Even if Cora was slightly scared of the flinty-eyed woman that had arrived with her sister-in-law and defiantly walked ahead of the Earl through his own front door. In fact it was all rather perfect and if Rosamund would only stop being so suspicious then things would be wonderful and they could talk about it together!"No reason," she sipped her brandy and looked around to catch Carson's eye when she spotted that Rosamund was rapidly reaching the bottom of her glass. "But you seemed awfully distracted at dinner."Rosamund handed her glass to Carson and peered into the depths of the amber liquid, as though trying to divine what Cora knew."I had something of a shock this afternoon.""Oh?" Cora raised her eyebrows guilelessly and Rosamund thought it was just as well that Cora had never been a spy: she'd given herself away in a single second by looking far too innocent."Yes. Something was taken from my room," she sipped her drink and watched Cora carefully. "So I thought I better speak to Robert or Carson and see if we can catch the culprit."Cora's face froze."Oh, I'm sure there's no need for that.""Oh I'm quite sure there is need.""No-""There's a thief at large Cora-""For goodness sake," Cora hissed, suddenly much quieter and much more forceful than Rosamund recalled ever seeing her. "There's only one thief in the house at the moment and we both know it isn't my maid."Rosamund's eyes flared and she slammed her glass down with force, creating a thump that drew the attention of the others in the room, who eyed them with confusion. Other than a brief time when Cora had first come to England and been nervous as a debutante at her first ball around the older and more world-wise Rosamund no one had anyone seen them be anything other than thick as thieves.Robert frowned as he watched them even if he wasn't surprised. Despite her occasional strange ideas Cora had been nothing but loyal to him and Downton for all the years she had lived here and he was certain that the fission of tension he could see between his wife and sister must be due to Rosamund's extraordinary bad taste in not only employing Bates' horror of a wife but also bringing the woman here as though it was acceptable. Politeness had dictated that he couldn't exactly turn his sister away from the front door, but he was glad that Cora was taking the time to make their collective feelings known.He indicated for Carson to bring him and the Dowager another glass each and the room returned to its chatter, leaving Rosamund and Cora still sizing each other up and waiting until they could safely continue."I don't know what you're implying.""People talk Rosamund. Anna says Bates might have been the one who went to jail but he wasn't the one who committed the crime."Rosamund pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. She was well aware that Vera was no angel but the fact that Cora of all people, Cora who possessed quite possibly the dodgiest lady's maid in the country who Rosamund wouldn't be at all surprised to learn had been somehow personally responsible for half the calamities in the country, was trying to blacken Vera's name in her eyes was intolerable."Let them talk."She got to her feet and ignored the looks from the rest of the room, leaving with her head held high and then all but running up to her bedroom. She pulled on the bell for what felt like hours before the door opened and she realised that there were tears clouding her vision."Rosamund?"Vera's hand was on her cheek, warm and familiar and she cried as the other woman pulled her closer. First thing in the morning she would leave, before the family got up and without saying goodbye because it would serve Cora right to have to think of how to explain the flit, but for now she let Vera hold her in the middle of the room and clung to her lover's back with grasping desperate fingers."It was a mistake."The train trundled through the countryside towards London and Rosamund was slumped against her side. Sleep had been elusive the night before and Vera hadn't left the bedroom until the morning, when it had been absolutely necessary to head back to the servant's quarters to pack her own bag. She'd considered storming into Miss O'Brien's room and pulling the woman bodily from her bed to demand the return of her bloody present but when she's scowlingly pitched the idea to Rosamund, in an attempt to make her smile, she'd been told not to bother. Rosamund was determined that no one could know save the yard boys who they'd have to pass out the back door so as not to rouse the house by opening the front.They'd jumped on the first train that was heading anywhere remotely near London and after only one change were hurtling through Oxfordshire, getting ever closer to somewhere that somewhere along the way had become home in Vera's mind. She slid her hand into Rosamund's where it lay between them."A mistake?""Taking you to Downton."This was it then. After just one journey Rosamund had realised what a bad lot she was and wanted nothing more to do with her because she had wrenched her away from the comforting bosom of her family in one rash action."I see.""I should have known they'd treat you terribly."Vera thought about pointing out that for all of Miss O'Brien's thieving tendencies she'd actually been good company – and she didn't have much of a leg to stand on when it came to taking things – and that she'd found to her surprise that she didn't give much of a damn about Johnny anymore. She'd given him back his divorce papers, properly signed and everything and told him she was keeping the house."I'm more worried about how Lady Grantham was with you.""She's never spoken to me like that before," she said miserably."What did you say to her again?"Rosamund curled closer, tiredness seeping into her voice now that they were far away and their life in Eaton Square was beckoning brighter than ever."I can barely remember. Something about O'Brien stealing, and then she became most unpleasant about you-""I didn't want you to lose her for my sake y'know?""I know. And I doubt I have really. I don't want to talk about it though, not now."Vera nodded and pressed a kiss to Rosamund's head, tired herself and grateful for the upcoming hour of sleep before they reached London. Tomorrow they'd think about the thorny problem of the Countess and her maid and what they might have divined from taking the nightdress, but today they were heading home.
10269752
A Dandelion and a
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Shimizu Kiyoko, Yachi Hitoka", "Fandom": "Haikyuu!!", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by roseknight", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-13T00:00:00", "words": "3,058", "Additional Tags": "Hq rarepair exchange 2017, Canon Compliant, Reverse Chronological Order", "Relationship": "Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "HQ Rare Pair Exchange 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 }
2026.06.03.Hitoka flutters her fingers and the bath fills with a rainbow of petals: pastel lilacs, rich red and pink roses, everything gently muted by white lilies. There's a candle with a matching floral fragrance for each flower placed somewhere in the bathroom, the only lights other than the slant of sunset from a high window. "It's perfect," she murmurs to herself. Then, more nervously, "I hope."Whenever Hitoka plans a surprise for Kiyoko, she usually ends up regretting it and finding all the flaws in her idea as the time for her girlfriend to arrive home approaches, but when this happens, she's taught herself to breathe. Relax. Drink a cup of tea and simply wait. She isn't a child anymore, and panicking can't be her reflex.She knows she's learned every shade of nuance in Kiyoko's likes and dislikes by this point, anyway. That's one of the perks of a long-term relationship. Even after the butterflies of those impossibly wonderful first weeks passed, there was comfort and excitement, and then this ever-deepening and familiar love. She knows Kiyoko's touch so well, how soft and cold her fingers always are when they brush against her skin like she's something precious, that she can summon it from memory when she craves it."I'm home," Kiyoko calls from the entryway, and Hitoka rushes out of the bathroom. Halfway down the hall, she turns around to run back and close the bathroom door, and then goes to greet Kiyoko."Welcome back." She stands on her tiptoes and kisses Kiyoko gently. She's wearing lipstick today, but Hitoka doesn't care about the slight stain it's sure to leave on her own lips. "Are you tired from work?""Not really. It wasn't a busy day," Kiyoko says, kneeling down to unlace her shoes.Hitoka feels like every day as a nurse must be busy, at least compared to working freelance. Either way, Kiyoko will surely be pleased to have an opportunity to relax. She bends down and carefully unwinds the scarf from her neck, and Kiyoko smiles up at her."You're in a doting mood."Hitoka's cheeks pinken. "I just can't help it.""I don't mind." Kiyoko stands and Hitoka stands with her, struck as always by how tall she is and how graceful her every move is."Please follow me," she says, then feels awkward about how awkward and stiff it came out, but it's too late to take it back. She takes Kiyoko's hand and leads her towards the bathroom. Before she opens the door, she takes another deep breath for courage, an old habit. She breathes in again when the door is open and a waft of sweet, warm air comes out to curl around them."Oh," Kiyoko says. Her own cheeks go a bit pink. "Thank you, Hitoka. This is lovely."Hitoka's heart warms, a heat that moves into every cell in her body. She slowly reaches out to begin unbuttoning Kiyoko's shirt. Kiyoko lets her, and their clothes pile up on the floor. The water is the perfect temperature when they get in together, holding hands, submerged in flowers.2023.03.19.Hitoka clicks the send button, emailing her last paper, and buries her head in her arms in hollow relief. College has ended far more quickly than high school did. All that's left is to pack her things, say her goodbyes, and move...Back to Miyagi? Back to her mother's apartment? To Tokyo, for even more college or a gamble to get noticed as a web designer mere days after graduation?She's moved from one option to the other, never settling on any of them, in a constant loop for the entire last year. Vaguely, she hoped that when graduation neared, she would automatically know what's right for her. But it doesn't seem to work like that after all. The decision is hers and she has no idea what the right one is. All she has is the fear that making the wrong decision is going to doom her life at twenty-two.She lifts her head to stare in her mirror, trying to convince herself that she's actually a capable adult, and is so intently focused that she doesn't notice her phone going off until it's on the third ring. She starts and grabs it, in such a hurry that she answers without checking the caller id. "Hello, sorry!""'Sorry'...?" It's Kiyoko's confused voice, and Hitoka almost apologizes again for confusing her, but Kiyoko speaks before she can. "Are you busy, Hitoka-chan?""No," Hitoka says, shaking her head. "I still need to pack, but honestly that report sapped all my energy. I'm not going to move from my chair for another few hours, I think.""Oh." She almost thinks Kiyoko sounds disappointed, but it's hard to tell with her. Her voice is so quiet and gentle (and lovely, though she tries not to think about that) that years of knowing her hasn't revealed all its mysteries. "Then, can I bring dinner to you?""What?""I was going to ask you to dinner to celebrate your graduation, but if you're tired, I can bring takeout to your apartment," she clarifies."Oh." Hitoka blinks, noticing how surprised her reflection looks. "Yes, I mean, you don't have to trouble yourself or anything, and we can go somewhere if you'd prefer, not to be presumptuous, we don't have to go out at all, and actually I should pay, and-""Hitoka-chan." This time, Hitoka reads her tone with more confidence. It's amused. ...Adoring? "Let me bring you takeout.""Okay." Hitoka can't argue with that. "But since you're going to the trouble, you can pick what we eat.""We have the same favorite, don't we?"Hitoka remembers weekend nights with Chinese takeout covering the table, homework covering the floor, the two of them on the couch, side by side, close but never close enough. "...Yeah. We do.""I'll be there in thirty minutes." Kiyoko hangs up and Hitoka collapses back onto her arms.She wants to see Kiyoko. She doesn't want to see Kiyoko. Seeing Kiyoko isn't enough. Her heart is indecisive here, too, but she tries to quiet it. She has to be normal when Kiyoko gets here.Whether she manages it or not, she can't tell, but she answers the door right away when there's a soft knock. "Thanks for bringing dinner," she says, stepping aside to let Kiyoko in.Kiyoko leaves her umbrella upside-down outside the door, where it drips onto the concrete. It must've started raining while Hitoka was absorbed in proofreading her essay for the fifth time. She shivers from the damp, chilly wind that comes through the door with Kiyoko. "You came all the way in such bad weather...""I wanted to. Don't worry about it." As Hitoka closes the door behind her, she starts pulling cartons out of a plastic bag and opens them all on the coffee table. There's a cushion on either side and she kneels on one. Hitoka takes the other, stomach suddenly rumbling at the presence of so much delicious food."This is perfect. Thank you so much.""You already thanked me, remember?" Kiyoko smiles. It's a smile so pretty it hurts and Hitoka's fingers curl into her leggings. "This is a celebration for you. You've earned it."They eat in silence that's calm, not awkward. Being roommates for two years has made them completely at ease in each other's presence. They don't feel the need to fill every idle moment with talk.Hitoka does have one important question, though. "Did you decide whether you would take the position in Sendai?""I haven't quite made up my mind. I know I need to make a decision soon, but..." She pauses thoughtfully. "Hitoka, what are your plans? I haven't heard yet.""I don't know either," she admits. "My mom wants me to go to graduate school, but I want to get some real-world experience. I've only had school experience my whole life."Kiyoko nods. She always listens so intently. It makes Hitoka feel like her every word matters, which sometimes is nice and sometimes is a little too much pressure. "You might be able to have more experiences outside of Miyagi.""But it's home." She puts her chopsticks down after finishing one more dumpling. "If I go somewhere else, I won't know anyone, and I- I don't know if I can be that lonely." It's not something she'd confess to just anyone, but she knows Kiyoko won't judge her."You would make friends," Kiyoko says. "Wherever you go. People are drawn to you.""No, no, it's not like that." Hitoka waves her hands in protest. "I just, I try to be helpful, so-""I mean it, Hitoka." Kiyoko bites her lip and looks down. The nervous gesture surprises Hitoka, who has no idea what it could mean. "I don't want you to feel stifled in Miyagi if you have plans elsewhere. But if you do decide to move back, would you like to be roommates again?"Hitoka blinks. "What?" They haven't talked about that at all, and she wonders if she heard correctly."Of course, it's only if you want to," Kiyoko adds, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, another clear sign she's nervous."Of course I do!" Hitoka reaches across the table and grabs her hand in a surge of emotion. But as soon as she realizes she's broken rule number two, she pulls her hand back. "I would love that, but..." She sighs inwardly. "I mean, isn't there someone else you'd rather be roommates with?"She tries never to ask so much it seems like she's prying, but she can't help but think Kiyoko must have someone she's interested in. She's too beautiful and kind and perfect not to have caught the eyes of many. As soon as she looks back at one of them, it's all over, and though Hitoka dreads it, she wants it to be over with, like the first burning step into an onsen, so she can adjust and move on with her life."No." Kiyoko answers right away, her voice unwavering. "There's no one else I'd rather be roommates with. Actually, there's no one else I'd rather spend my time with. I've missed seeing you every day."Hitoka's head spins and her heart forgets what its job is. "Well- thank you, Kiyoko, I'm really happy you consider me such a good friend-"This time, Kiyoko takes her hand. Hitoka doesn't have the strength nor the will to pull away. "I do consider you a good friend. But I'm not really asking you to be my roommate, I suppose. It's my fault for not being more clear." She laces their fingers together. "I'm asking, will you be my girlfriend?"Hitoka's eyes widen slowly. She stares at Kiyoko in hopeless confusion, eyes dropping to her lips as though she might be able to see the imprint of that impossible sentence on them.Kiyoko reaches out with her other hand and tilts Hitoka's head back up gently. "It's okay if you aren't interested, but I promised myself that when you graduated, I would find the courage to ask."It's surreal to hear Kiyoko talk about gathering courage, especially in the context of using it to confess to Hitoka. To her embarrassment, tears pool in her eyes, and she blinks them away. "I'm interested. Very, very interested. There's nothing else I've ever wanted more."Relief warms Kiyoko's eyes. "And there's nothing else I've ever wanted to hear more than that."Hitoka doesn't mean to, but she cries in earnest then, too overwhelmed not to, and Kiyoko holds her until she can stop.2019.04.02.Hitoka checks the number on the slip of paper she was given once more before squaring her shoulders and knocking on the door. "Hello, I'm coming in!" she calls out, tentatively turning the knob to her newly assigned dorm room."Come on in," a voice that sounds strangely nostalgic says, and when Hitoka steps inside, she understands why. The black-haired woman adjusting her glasses freezes. "Hitoka-chan?""Kiyoko-san!" Hitoka's suitcase slips out of her fingers. "You- you're- we're roommates?"She remembers that Kiyoko chose this college, but she's a third-year now, and as far as Hitoka knows, she's in the medical science department. Is a god playing a trick on her? What are the chances of her being thrown back together with Kiyoko? Is it fate? She doesn't know how she's supposed to feel. She's been mentally preparing to live with a stranger for the last week and now that she knows she'll be living with someone she used to be close to, she has to recalibrate.Then Kiyoko gives her a small smile and just like that, Hitoka knows that not only is everything going to be okay, but that this is the best possible roommate scenario for her.They have a lot to catch up on, and that's what they end up doing instead of unpacking. They sit on a hastily made-up bed and talk about old memories fondly: watching national volleyball matches from the sidelines, tearful graduations, the friendship of theirs that genuinely deepened when at first they were no more than co-managers.Now, sitting here and talking and laughing with Kiyoko, Hitoka cannot remember why they ever stopped spending time together. It wasn't a conscious decision. Kiyoko went to college, Hitoka threw herself into the success of a new volleyball team, then found herself drowning in textbooks and test prep as she prepared for college entrance exams. Things had naturally faded, just as Hitoka had promised she would never let happen. She sees now real life is not something so easily held in hand. She can't keep control of time, she can't keep it ready to mold between her palms. And the flow of it had dragged her far away from her initial expectations.But now that same flow of time has brought her here, and she considers herself beyond lucky. She's going to hold onto their friendship, this time.College is new and fresh and fun in a way high school could never have competed with. Maybe it's just because she gets to spend so much of her time with Kiyoko. Late nights with takeout and deadlines surrounding them, weekends out at the movies or trying new restaurants. It's like every night is a sleepover and she gets to live with her best friend.Then the illusion is shattered by her own mother."Hitoka, one of my clients has a son your age. I've arranged for you two to have dinner together this weekend," her mother says, tone casual yet iron, the same way she always sounds when making decisions for her daughter. Hitoka has grown a backbone and her mother respects that, usually, but old habits never fully die.She feels dizzying anxiety at the mere thought of an arranged date with a guy she's never met and immediately tries to splutter out an excuse. "I don't know, Mom, I don't really think- I have a test! And a paper. So maybe this-""Hitoka," her mothers cuts her off impatiently. "I've heard you talk about your major and your friends, but I've heard nothing about a boyfriend." Her voice softens a little. "I don't want you to repeat my same mistakes. College is the time to find someone to be with."Hitoka fidgets in her desk chair. Her mother always sounds faintly sad when she hints at her past, at the man she never married and who walked out of her life without a word before Hitoka was even born. "I just haven't found anyone I'm interested in.""There's no one?" her mother asks, sounding like her usual self again, like when she's on the hunt for potential clients. "No one you've gotten close with? I'll call off the dinner if you've already got someone in mind, but otherwise, I'd like you to meet him with an open mind.""There's no one, there's just-"And in that moment, Hitoka is forced to come to terms with her own stupid naivety for the thousandth time in her life.No one she's interested in? That couldn't be further from the truth."I've gotta go, Mom," she blurts out and hangs up the phone. She stares at the wall without seeing it or any of the posters on it. Her posters, Kiyoko's posters. Some she couldn't remember which of them they belonged to. Their lives had completely intermingled.In a daze, she opens her laptop and pulls up a blank document. She makes herself a list. If she doesn't put some order to the awareness she's been thrust into, she won't know how to act.Rule #1, she types. Don't look at Kiyoko too long. Rule #2. No touching. Rule #3. Don't get jealous when she gets a boyfriend. Rule #4. Don't expect anything but friendship from her. She gathers her resolve after making her list and vows to live her life in accordance with it from then on out. Maybe fate wasn't in bringing her back to Kiyoko. Maybe fate was in the part that had them drifting apart in the first place. That would've been for the best.Then she wouldn't have ended up with a hopeless crush on her female best friend.2016.01.17.These are some of her favorite moments, when it's her and Kiyoko changing alone in the locker room, happily exhausted from a day of cheering their troublesome but lovable team on. Hitoka feels a new thrill of excitement every time she goes on the court. She didn't understand at first, but now she's invested wholeheartedly. She owes that and so much more to Kiyoko.She looks over at her, watching with an unconscious smile on her face as Kiyoko redoes her ponytail and adjusts her glasses. It's amazing how she can be so beautiful yet so cute at the same time. Everything Kiyoko does is amazing, actually. Hitoka's seen tapes of her track days, and she's seen the dedication she puts into everything she does. Hitoka knows she can't compare, that it's like a common dandelion rooted beside a magnificent sunflower, but even if it's more than she deserves, she wants to bask in the sunlight with Kiyoko for as long as she can.There's nowhere else the sun feels so warm.
10221890
Through His Stomach
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Banjou Kazuichi, Kaneki Ken", "Fandom": "Tokyo Ghoul", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by misanthrobot (augmentalize)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "1,374", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Hand Feeding, Established Relationship, it's complicated - Freeform", "Relationship": "Banjou Kazuichi/Kaneki Ken", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Baneki Bakery AU", "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 }
He doesn't make it a habit to go around kissing people in his workplace, mostly because he's not interested in anyone in his workplace. Yoshimura is like a wise and kind father-figure, Kirishima is like an older sister in spite of her being his junior, and Jiro, Ichimi and Sante are basically his kids. Or his little siblings, depending on the day and how they're acting. Anteiku is more like a family to him, so of course he isn't going to kiss anyone who works with him, but...Sometimes, Kaneki Ken comes in while Banjou is on his break, usually at his request, and while they haven't done anything at all intimate yet, Banjou aches with the want of it. As he pulls Kaneki into the kitchen through the back entrance, he tells himself that it doesn't matter. Kaneki is here to sample some of the stranger fruit tarts he's been working on as a favor. Banjou just wants his opinion and will maintain his self-control. They're still trying to figure out where this relationship is going, after all."I've been trying out a few new pastry recipes," he says, looking back at Kaneki as he guides him into the kitchen, trying not to focus too much on how nice their hands feel when their fingers are laced. Kaneki follows him dutifully, looking around the kitchen and trying to spot if they've added anything new since he was last dragged back here. It doesn't happen often, and certainly when no one who would mind it is around, but his visits back here aren't infrequent."All these pastries are going to end up making me fat," he gripes, but humor laces his tone. "You'll be fine," says Banjou. "I'm sure Nagachika would help you work off the pounds.""I'm never going to the gym with Hide again. Not after the last time."He needs to get that story at some point, he thinks. Banjou wants to get all of Kaneki's stories, wants to know as much as the other man is willing to share. Likes and dislikes, sure, but he also wants peeks into Kaneki's life and experiences. He wants to know about the little moments that have brought Kaneki happiness, and the other ones that have made him sad or angry. He wants the most full picture he can get, and then maybe he can stop feeling like he's being held at some kind of distance, the length of which he isn't quite sure about.As soon as they arrive at the counter, Banjou gestures at the tray of varied tarts, all petite and colorful. Some are topped with standard fruits, like strawberries and blueberries, but others are peaches and cherries, kiwi and dragonfruit. A bright yellow one with little black seeds is passion fruit. Kaneki points at each tart in the spread and guesses what the toppings are, managing to get them right more often than not. Banjou is admittedly a little impressed by him recognizing even the more uncommon fruits."I've been researching ingredients used in baking," Kaneki says. "Particularly tarts, since you seem to like making them so much." Banjou feels his heart flutter a little and swallows, resisting the urge to lean forward and press their mouths together. Instead he reaches for a tart without looking, picking up a bright green one with a slice of kiwi on top and lifting it to Kaneki's mouth. "Here, try this."They both pause for a moment, simultaneously realizing what's happening, and Banjou almost drops the pastry he's holding in mortification. Kaneki's cheeks are slowly growing pink, a blush that Banjou finds adorable flooding it's way up to the tips of his ears."Um," he says intelligently, and feels his mouth move and his voice work, trying to formulate what he's sure is an attempt at an apology. It comes out in mumbles and he's about to try and repeat himself when he sees Kaneki lean forward. His mouth opens, closes around the tart and a little around Banjou's fingers before he pulls back, chewing thoughtfully with his face still pink. Banjou's mumbling dies with a small wheeze and he tries not to let himself focus too hard on the fact that Kaneki has just eaten something out of his hand. Part of him is gleefully happy about having done something so domestic, but another part of him is standing stock still and trying to make his mouth work as Kaneki swallows."It's really good," Kaneki says, licking at his lips for smears of bright green kiwi curd. “Sweet, but also a little tart.”“Careful,” Banjou manages to get out amid his flustering, “with puns like those, you might end up turning into Haise.”The bridge of Kaneki’s nose crinkles and he wiggles it back and forth in mock disgust. Banjou knows enough to understand that Kaneki has a fondness for his probably-cousin, but that doesn’t mean he wants to be him. Banjou smiles and nudges playfully against him, careful not to do it too hard lest he knock the other man over. Kaneki nudges him back and laughs. “Give me another one?” Banjou doesn’t say anything this time, just reaches for another mini-tart, this one topped with dragonfruit and carambola. He holds it up to Kaneki, who leans forward again and bites it delicately in half this time, leaving the tips of Banjou’s fingers lightly dusted with crumbs, spit, and curd. Banjou’s hardly paying attention to it, focused on how Kaneki eats with relish, leans back in happily to take the rest out of his hand. “This one’s good too,” he says, and Banjou watches as his mouth moves, his tongue rubbing up against his hard palate. “A little more tangy though.”They gradually move through the entire tray of miniature tarts, six in all, not including the ones Kaneki’s already eaten. He doesn’t always offer his thoughts, sometimes just takes it and makes tiny, greedy and grateful noises as he chews and swallows. In no time at all, the tarts are all gone and Kaneki is licking his lips and teeth, making sure he’s gotten everything he can.“Oh,” says Banjou, and pads off to get one of the pitchers of iced coffee that they keep in the back for employees. He pours Kaneki a glass, hands it to him and watches him sip it gratefully. Banjou leans a hip against the counter, arms crossed and smiles as Kaneki downs the rest of the glass and exhales in satisfaction. “So which one was your favorite? I tried to keep them all mostly sweet with one other flavor backing it up. The bases are all the same though, and the curd for the kiwi one wasn’t really the color I wanted it to be, but--” He stops rambling when he feels a hand on his face, a fingertip tapping gently on his earlobe and the heel of a hand pressed to the curve of his jaw.“Banjou,” says Kaneki, “They were all excellent, but...”It hangs in the air, the absence of Kaneki’s words. It’s strange because he’s usually reserved and shy, but so well-spoken when he cares to be. Banjou feels his chest go tight in concern, worried that he’s overstepped his bounds or misinterpreted something along the way. It isn’t until he looks a little closer at Kaneki and sees the way he’s still pink in the face, how he licks his lips and looks at Banjou’s, that it finally clicks.The kiss isn’t entirely perfect. Kaneki tastes like tarts and his lips are sticky-damp with curd and spit, opposite to Banjou’s mostly dry and slightly chapped ones. He likes it anyway, presses in a little more eagerly before pulling away and back. “Was that alright?” he asks, still needing the reassurance. Kaneki’s eyes flutter open and his mouth parts just slightly before he beams, his smile mostly in his eyes.“I was waiting for you to do that.”“I was nervous,” Banjou admits. "I figured it'd be better to wait for you to go first." Kaneki laughs, but it’s good-natured and short-lived. He’s too busy trying to reel Banjou back in, and Banjou feels a little silly about how long it's taken them to get to their first kiss.
10205549
Dear Draco
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley", "Fandom": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by deathbeds", "chapters": "2/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "1,041", "Additional Tags": "Post-War, Love Letters, Fluff, Angst, So much angst, Slight PTSD warning", "Relationship": "Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter", "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 }
Dear Draco, I'm sure you don't recognize my new owl so that will save me some time before you incendio this letter-unless, of course I just gave myself away.I know I'm the last person you'd expect to be writing you a letter, and the last person on your mind, I'm sure. I guess I should explain. See, I thought the end of the war meant, well, the end of the war but, I've found it still goes on for me. Almost constantly in fact, at first only when I tried to sleep but as of late its unrelenting. Okay, I realize you don't want to hear that but there is a point to all of this.The point is when I first told Mrs. Weasley of my 'troubles' she handed me a leather bound journal and a quill. I must've looked at her a little cross, but she simplysaid "write about it." Write to yourself, to those you lost, to no one at all, to those who shall not be named, to those who made all the wrong choices. I guess- for better or worse-I am doing just that. I can't begin to guess what you must be feeling, maybe you don't think about it at all now that the trials are over. Maybe this is a painful reminder-if that's the case I deeply apologize-I just found I have a lot to say to you. First of all, thank you. You saved my life and the lives of so many others in turn. My idealized version of you did it because you wanted it to end, all the death and prejudice, the blood and the killing curses. Truth be told though, I do not know you at all. All those years under the same roof and all we chose to learn about each other was the bad and the way to get under each other's skin. Believe it or not, that is one of my biggest regrets. I know realistically there's no chance we could've been friends on separate sides of a devastating war. However, when you looked into my eyes in your mansion-knowing full well you could be tortured or worse for lying-not only did I see recognition, I saw hope. I guess that's why I like to believe you saw a better end than others with your mark.If there is one thing I know about you it is that you do not want anyone's pity, which is where we are the same in our pride. I do not offer my pity, only my empathy for your father. My personal feelings towards him aside, I have lost too many father figures to even mention, so I know it must be heart-breaking. I apologize that I didn't try to save him from Azkaban for you, I hope you can understand one day.I don't know if I will choose to send this, all I know is I have found peace while writing this. Just another thing I'd like to thank you for. I truly hope you are doing your best to heal. I also hope i haven't seen you for the last time.  If you have anything to say to me I'd love to hear from you. It may be too late I just hope we can give each other a chance while it's still possible.All the best,Harry Potter ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Potter,As always you have an unrealistic and naive view of the world, fortunately for you I am developing one as well. I will not make this easy though, as I must point out your usual ignorance. You were right in that you do not know me, especially if you think I could possibly be unaffected by anything other than the absence of my father. Just because I was on the wrong side does not mean that I didn't face tremendous suffering during the worst war in wizarding history. I lost people I was close to too, mostly terrible people like my aunt and even my fucking father, but I also lost friends. People we went to school with. You must incendio this letter once you read this, but I am not as apathetic and unaffected as the Malfoy name insists on having people believe. I'm sure this must come as a shock so I do hope you were sitting down when you read that.I do despise having to explain myself, almost as much as I hate people making excuse, but I suppose you've earned a little insight. I did have hope but not in you you arrogant prat.  Hope for the end of the war that threatened to take everything from everyone with a shred of decency. I watched them torture and murder so many people it feels like I remember a new death I've repressed, every single day. I hope you do not take me telling you any of this lightly, as I do not write it lightly.I can't give you any answers as to what I was thinking this "revolution" Voldemort (you taught me not to give power to the name by fearing it) promised was going to be, but somehow it wasn't what it turned out to be. Perhaps it was my own ignorance or just my blind faith in the cause I was taught from an early age. I can assure you however, that I did not wish for anyone to die. I know I said and did awful things but this isn't what I wanted. I will not blame my upbringing for my choices or my path as I did believe in the sanctity of pure blooded wizards. All I can say is that belief wore off as soon as I met Voldemort. In school when I called Hermione terrible things it was only to reinforce my own elitism. I don't know how much longer I can continue this vulnerability before I decide I will not send this letter so I must end it now. Thank you for being the arrogant prat who just has to save an entire fucking group of people. I do think about that quite often. I also hope I haven't seen you for the last time. Sincerely, it's Malfoy to you
10297499
Golden
{ "Archive Warning": "Major Character Death", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Yuri Plisetsky, Otabek Altin, Yakov Feltsman, Otabek Altin's Sister", "Fandom": "Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by novocaine_sea", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-14T00:00:00", "words": "5,590", "Additional Tags": "Cancer, Angst, Established Relationship, almost canon compliant, they're still figure skaters, Aged-Up Character(s)", "Relationship": "Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky", "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 Otabek starts showing symptoms, Yuri drops everything. He neglects everything dear to him, even skating, to make sure that Otabek has all the help he needs. Otabek repeats over and over again that he’s fine, that he’s just a little sick, and he doesn’t need to be babied.Otabek keeps this up until he collapses, coughing fit fading into unconsciousness. Otabek is lucky that Yuri is there that time, one hand on his back, the other calling for an ambulance because there’s no way in hell he’s going to be able to haul Otabek’s ass to the car. Otabek is also extremely lucky that he is not skating when he collapses, although they are at the rink. Everybody crowds around him, unhelpful and acting as bystanders. Yuri’s ready to kill them all.At the hospital Otabek is hooked up to a bunch of machines and put through various tests. MRI and CAT scans are on the list and Yuri has to sit outside the rooms, unable to go in until they’re over. Otabek stays for a couple of days until he gets the diagnosis, and then he is readmitted for an unprecedented amount of time.The doctor says he has acute myeloid leukemia. All Yuri hears is that he has cancer. It eats away at Otabek’s blood cells, growing in his blood marrow until it filters out to other parts of the body. The doctor explains that the cancer in Otabek is particularly aggressive, slowly creeping towards his liver and getting ready to branch out even further. Yuri takes it harder than Otabek does, fists curled in his lap and teeth grinding together loudly. Hot tears threaten to leak from jade green eyes and Otabek reaches over to take his hand in his. Otabek looks pale but other than that he is his usual stoic self.When the doctor mentions chemotherapy, Otabek stops him mid sentence and says he doesn’t want to go through with treatment. Yuri feels like he’s been slapped in the face when Otabek says this. The worse part is, Otabek doesn’t even give a reason as to why he denies treatment. He just does.“Beka, you could die !” Yuri exclaims immediately after.“I know,” is Otabek’s reply.Yuri gapes at him, wrenching his hand from his grip. “Otabek. You can die . Did you not hear me? The chances are pretty likely too.”“I know.” Otabek repeats and Yuri shakes his head.“I can’t accept that.” Yuri argues.Otabek looks down, unable to meet his furious eyes any longer. “You’re going to have to.”Yuri gets up and leaves after this. He can’t look at him anymore, not when he knows that he is actively and willingly going to kill himself. Yuri thinks of what it’s going to be like to live without him and the thoughts make thick tears spill over, seemingly unable to stop. He cries into his pillow that night while Otabek lays in his hospital bed doing God knows what. It’s definitely not talking to him, although that may be because Otabek has a strict time set for using his cell phone.Yuri’s anger eventually dissolves into panic with the fact that he may not see Otabek ever again, and very soon. The doctor had not given a time frame, but due to the rarity of the disease, his prognosis didn’t look very positive. Yuri decides to visit Otabek every day, as if he wasn’t already going to do that, when his skating regimen allows him that is. He hates that skating always has to come first because all he wants to do is hold his boyfriend’s hand as he lays in his hospital bed, growing frailer by the second.“I’m sorry.” Yuri whispers when he arrives at the hospital.Otabek just smiles at him. He still looks the same but Yuri knows that inside of him he is rapidly rotting away. “It’s okay. You took it worse than I did.”Yuri scoffs. “It’s just because you don’t feel things.”“I feel things.” Otabek reasons and he tries to pout, which doesn’t stop Yuri from leaning over and kissing him quiet. His fingers scratch through the downy soft hairs on the back of Otabek’s neck only to move to the front and over the stubble that Otabek maintains on his face.Yuri watches as the life fades from Otabek over the next six months, far too quick for his liking. It starts with his hair, falling out in patches until there is nothing left, not even on his arms. He used to have thick, coarse hair lining his arms and stomach but now there is no indication that it was there at all. Yuri still thinks he looks handsome without it. Otabek loses weight too, all the muscle deteriorating until he is skin and bones. He barely eats, unable to stomach anything more than water. Even that is sometimes too much and he vomits aggressively into the convenient bucket placed beside the bed throughout the day. Dehydration and starvation leave him bedridden and sickly. Yuri curses the doctors that take care of him, claiming that they don’t do enough.Yuri brings him items from their home, pictures of his cat and books that he thinks Otabek will enjoy. He judges them by the cover, something that Otabek always tells him not to. Yuri hates the phrasing but it is the only way to describe what he is doing. Otabek barely has the energy to hold a book anyway and Yuri ends up reading them to him, resulting in Otabek falling asleep peacefully in minutes. Otabek often sleeps when Yuri is visiting but Yuri never minds because that’s when Otabek looks the least in pain.Yuri stays even when he is not awake, not wanting to miss any moments with him.“You don’t have to read to me you know.” Otabek hums one day when Yuri is pulling a book from his backpack. Yuri glares at him, dropping into the seat beside him, book still in hand.All Yuri says is, “I like it,” and starts right where he left off. A small smile graces Otabek’s chapped lips and they crack as he does so. No blood appears in the spaces between dried skin.“Thank you.” Otabek whispers in the middle of Yuri’s reading, when his eyes are slipping closed and sleep is ready to envelop him in a warm hug.Yuri pauses and looks at him, watching lashless eyelids cover his deep brown irises, the cancer never taking their light away. “For what?”But Otabek is sleeping soundly again, a deep rumble in his chest every time he inhales. Yuri closes the book and stands, pressing a kiss to Otabek’s forehead. He doesn’t leave, wants his chance to say goodbye when he wakes up.It could be the last one he ever gets.When the GPF competitions begin a month later, the goodbyes grow the hardest. Yuri’s theme this time is resilience and he skates two beautiful programs for Otabek and only for Otabek. He doesn’t care what his score is, although he’ll be damned if he doesn’t bring home gold. And he does, in Rostelecom and in Skate Canada, beating JJ in both events for the first time ever. Victory is bittersweet this time around.Yuri returns to the same hospital in Kazakhstan afterwards. (Yuri had relocated there because Otabek had wanted to be close to his family as he was dying. Yakov wasn’t happy but Yuri had long since stopped caring about what Yakov thought). Otabek looks weaker, as he does each time Yuri leaves for a short period.“How are you feeling?” Yuri asks as he sits down, reaching for Otabek’s thin hands. He feels as if he’s holding glass, that Otabek’s hands will break under the gentlest of touches. Otabek’s hands had once been strong and Yuri can remember them threading through his own blonde locks, can feel thick fingers between his own when dragging him along the sand of exotic beaches or through hotel hallways. Those are just ghosts of memories now.“Awful.” Otabek coughs and it shakes his whole body to the core. It almost sends Yuri running to get a nurse but he knows better. The first time Otabek had a coughing fit like this Yuri was spooked so hard into getting a nurse. But it’s normal now and Yuri hates that it’s become such a staple when visiting his boyfriend.“Did you eat today?” Yuri continues, running his thumb over Otabek’s fingers. He can feel a slight tremble in them, knowing it’s taking every ounce of energy for Otabek to stay awake. He was so weak and it kills Yuri to see him like this, to watch Otabek literally die a little more everyday in front of him.Otabek’s head lolls to his shoulder as he looks at Yuri with a dry smile. “I tried.”Yuri perks a little at that. He thinks it’s better than a no and it is; sometimes he’ll go to the hospital and Otabek can’t even sit up. But today is a good day, Otabek is leaning back against the pillows and he’s smiling; even though he’s trembling, he’s still awake. This is all that matters to Yuri.“What’d you eat?” Yuri asks, mirroring Otabek’s smile but a little brighter.Otabek hums low in his chest. “Very dry and bland toast.”“Did it taste like toast?” Yuri knows that Otabek’s taste buds are all over the place because of the cancer and that things don’t taste the same anymore.Otabek sighs. “Can we talk about something else?”Yuri blinks. “Shit, I’m sorry.” He tries not to focus too much on Otabek’s sickness but all he wants is an update from how he was doing since yesterday. Otabek has to live with this twenty-four seven and talking about it doesn’t help. Yuri can see the pain in his eyes every time he forces Otabek to speak about how he’s feeling and if he’s okay. But he can’t stop.Otabek’s transition is smooth, however. He’s always been smooth. “Are you nervous? For the Grand Prix?”Yuri snorts. “As if. Now that Katsudon, Victor and Christophe all retired, there’s no real competition. My only real competition is-” He stops himself before he can say you . Because Otabek was always his only competition, the one he skated against and for all at once since he was fifteen years old. But now he’s nineteen and Otabek isn’t standing beside him on the podium like he’s supposed to; he’s definitely not supposed to be lying in a hospital bed at twenty-one years old barely having enough energy to move the short distance to use the bedpan.Otabek chuckles beside him and it accidentally launches him into another coughing fit, one that forces him to let go of Yuri’s hand to cover his own mouth. Yuri tenses again and squeezes his eyes shut, not wanting to watch Otabek cough with his entire being. He wonders briefly if Otabek’s hand will come away red like it had before but it doesn’t, thankfully.The coughs die down but Otabek’s breaths are shallow. Yuri wants to ask him if he’s okay again but he knows it’ll lead to an argument that can easily be avoided. He tries to avoid those nowadays. So he lays his hand out again and waits for Otabek to drop his lithe hand into his, not bothered by the saliva that coats it in the slightest.“Otabek…” Yuri says after a while. He’s able to look at the man and he hopes he isn’t asleep, but Otabek had been watching him. Otabek had always been observant, still is, above all else. His favorite past time seemed to be watching Yuri and Yuri is hyper aware that Otabek is watching him any time he does so. He wonders briefly why this time was any different but he chalks it up to the situation.“Yes, Yura?” Otabek’s voice is hoarse from rough coughs that had wracked his body moments ago and Yuri winces at its harshness.“If… If I chose not to go to the Grand Prix this year, would you hate me?”Yuri eyes him from the side and he knows Otabek is searching for a reason as to why Yuri would possibly not want to go to the Grand Prix.“I could never hate you but…” Otabek’s voice drifts as he comes to the conclusion. “Is it because of me?”Yuri uses his free hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind his hair. He had grown it out, unconsciously on Otabek’s behalf and because Otabek said that he thought Yuri’s long hair was beautiful. Otabek used to spend nights combing his fingers through Yuri’s hair and braiding it, weaving the locks together with intricate detail. If he imagines hard enough he can feels the sensation of strong fingers brushing delicately through his long hair and how it felt to be lulled to sleep by those hands. He squeezes the one in his at the memory.“I want to spend every moment with you that I can.” Yuri doesn’t mention the fact that Otabek is dying even though it’s on the tip of his tongue.“Your skating is more important than me.” Otabek says softly.Yuri snaps. Of course he does. When it comes to Otabek, he is always on edge. Today is no different.“Are you fucking kidding ? Beka, you’re more important to me than anything in this fucking world, don’t you dare fucking say that skating is more important than you are.”A hint of a smile plays on Otabek lips. “I’m more important than your cat?”“Beka!” Yuri shouts and Otabek flinches. “You can’t make jokes like that! You could die! You’re going to die and if I’m not here when you do I’ll never forgive myself!”Otabek loses his smile and his grip on Yuri’s hand loosens until he retracts it. He looks at the white walls of the hospital room and exhales slowly. “Yura-”“No. I… I’m sorry I shouldn’t have-” Yuri puts his face into his hands and lets out a sob. “Do you know how much I love you? Do you know that I lay awake at night in the shitty little apartment we bought together and think about all your things and what I’m going to have to do with them when you’re gone? Do you know that I cry myself to sleep sometimes because in the future there’s going to be a time when I’m not going to be able to come here and see you? Do you realize that this affects me just as much as it affects you?”“Yes.” Otabek states simply.“I don’t think you do.” Yuri mumbles lowly. “I… I don’t want to lose you.”“Yuri… I’m golden. I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”Yuri doesn’t realize he’s crying until he pulls his hands from his face and they were shining. He cries a lot these days and he hates that he’s turned into a bitch on Otabek’s behalf. He would never say that out loud though. These were trying times.He looks over at Otabek with glistening eyes. Otabek reaches for him, fingers twitching and then he brushes the tears from his cheeks. Yuri gasps a little at his touch; Otabek’s fingers are chilly and Yuri closes his eyes, more tears escaping and clinging to heavy, pale lashes.“Please don’t worry about me. Go skate.” Otabek pleads softly. Yuri cups the hand holding his cheek, holding it in place.Yuri goes. Although, he doesn’t realize he is there, on the ice, until his name is called and he’s standing waiting for the music to start. When the first note of the piano reverberates through the speakers, Yuri’s hand lifts and he takes off in twirls and quads and loops. He’s dressed in dark blues and grays, mimicking Otabek’s free skate program costume from four years prior. It is more like a suit, having matured into less form fitting clothes. He fits his theme of resilience as he pushes his stamina to the max. It’s the heaviest free skate he’s ever skated and he does it in the name of his love.Halfway through, something feels off. He can’t quite place what it is but his mind shuts down and it feels as if another hand is guiding him through the rest of his routine. This hand wraps around him, engulfs him entirely and places him in the perfect positions to get a higher score. Yuri sees nothing but bright whites and vibrant blues in this moment. He thinks he can smell leather, heated from long hours spent in the sun. He tastes foreign cuisine and the piroshkis he shares with those close to him. He hears the powerful chords and melodic voices of “Samarkand Overture” playing over his own free skate music. If he reaches out far enough Yuri thinks he can feel coarse yet feather soft black hair between his fingers. These phantom hands bring him towards gold for Otabek one last time, to make him proud.Yuri barely notices when he stops gliding along the ice and the music filters out. He’s on his knees, fingers dragging across the freezing ice and he’s panting. He feels as if the breath had been ripped from his lungs and there’s a heaviness in his chest that wasn’t there before. He is crying again, from the intensity of the skate and the emotions he felt throughout. He felt nothing in that moment yet all his senses came together to overwhelm him at once. It was as if Otabek was skating right there next to him, touching him, guiding him in the silent, calm way that only he knew how.Lilia and Yakov meet him at the kiss and cry with tears in their eyes.“That was beautiful Yurachka,” Yakov pats his shoulder and for once he doesn’t lecture him as they’re waiting for scores. Yuri is burning with anticipation, sweat peppering his brow from the adrenaline catching up to him. He almost misses it when they called his score. He gets a 220.71. He just misses Yuuri’s record that he holds from Yuri’s senior debut but he is satisfied with it. It’s the highest score of his career so far and gives him another goal to work towards for next time. He jumps up and lets out a shout of surprise and ecstasy. Yakov lifts him into the air like he did when he was younger but almost drops him because his back can’t handle Yuri’s growth. Lilia claps beside them, tears finally dripping from bright green eyes.Yuri’s first thought is that he can’t wait to tell Otabek. He’s sure Otabek is watching, battling sleep in order to view the livestream. He’ll talk to Otabek in the morning hopefully. Otabek is hours ahead of him and he needs his rest.Yuri is whisked away to interview after interview before he has to stand on the podium in between JJ and Phichit. They all are smiling wide for the cameras, JJ flashing winks to the crowd but mostly to his wife and newborn child somewhere in the stands. Yuri has half the mind to be annoyed but he isn’t going to let JJ ruin another gold medal of his. JJ had matured anyway, growing into a less arrogant prick and more into a humble father.Yuri is ready to call it quits once all the reporters are gone and he’s able to go back to his hotel room. He does not want to go to the banquet but he knows Yakov will force him to go. As he’s getting dressed and trying to tie his tie (Otabek usually ties it for him), there is a knock on his door. He grumbles as he moves to open it and finds Yakov standing there in his suit, hands tucked away into the pockets of his slacks.“Ah, can you help me with my tie?” Yuri asks, foregoing the greeting.Yakov deeply sighs and looks at his student. “Yurachka. I need to speak with you.” He steps in and shuts the door behind him.Yuri narrows his eyes at him and watches as Yakov sits on his bed. “Are you gonna tell me I don’t have to go to the banquet?”Yakov pinches the bridge of his nose. He looks older than usual and that’s when Yuri realizes something is very, very wrong.“...Yakov?” Yuri asks.Yakov takes one more deep breath before meeting Yuri’s eyes. “Sit, Yurachka.” Yuri complies without argument this time. Yakov begins. “While you were being interviewed Lilia got a call from the hospital in Kazakhstan. They tried reaching you but….” Yuri feels his soul leave his body and he knows what Yakov’s next words are going to be before he even gets a chance to speak.“Otabek passed some time during your performance.”And just like that Yuri’s world shatters.He sits staring at Yakov for approximately fifteen seconds before he is ripping the suit from his body and pulling on a plain t-shirt and jeans. Yakov is yelling, telling him to sit down but there was no time for that. He shoves all his clothes and toiletries into his suitcase and slams it shut, locking it into place. He is barely breathing, harsh intakes of air coming through his nose and out again. He is frazzled and quaking as he rises.“I’m leaving.” He announces, making his way to the door.“Yuri-”“ NO !” Yuri screamed at the tops of his lungs, voice tapering off at the end. “I… I need to b-be there. I need to leave right now.”“The banquet-”Yuri is halfway to the door and he turns around so fast he almost gets whiplash. His neck burns underneath his skin from the velocity of his turn and he grits his teeth under the pain. The agony slicing through his heart is much worse than the pain in neck. “The banquet? The fucking banquet ?! You think I give a shit about some pretentious banquet where everybody is just going to get plastered? Otabek is much more important to me than any fucking banquet. Otabek is… he… I told him I would be there when he died and I wasn’t. I wasn’t there.” He whispers towards the end and he moves towards the door again.“Yuri!”“Fuck you! You can’t stop me, I’m going back to Kazakhstan whether you say so or not. Tell Lilia that something came up, I don’t fucking care. I’m going to be there when they bury him.” He bites his lips to stop the threat of tears. He wishes he could stop crying every day but he is so overwhelmed with emotions right now that he forgives himself. “I want to say goodbye properly.”Yakov doesn’t stop Yuri as he pulls the door shut behind him with a loud bang. Yuri hopes that Yakov takes care of the room and returning the key because he doesn’t have the time for that now. He flags down a taxi, somehow avoiding the Yuri’s Angels that inevitably stand guard outside the hotel, and makes his way to the airport. He books his flight on his phone during the half hour ride there and cancels his other ticket. The whole time his chest is incredibly tight and he can’t tell if he wants to scream or cry or break the glass of the windows. He knows that he is about to lose all of his sanity if he does not get to Kazakhstan promptly.The flight takes about six hours. He had to wait about two to actually board the flight and in that time he vomits violently in the bathroom, throat constricting around the sensation as he dissolves into panic. His head swims and fizzes and he doesn’t know up from down. The world spins around him and he almost falls as he tries to leave, slipping on the damp ground. He ends up sitting on the floor of the stall, head on the germ infested seat as he tries to calm his labored breathing. His eyes blur and cross and he knows he has to get this under control before he boards. Yuri thinks he blacks out for only a minute but when he checks his phone he had been lying there for an hour. His flight is going to be called soon.He gets up and washes himself off. Splashing cold water on his face to rid himself of tear tracks that stain porcelain skin, he stares at himself in the mirror. He barely recognizes himself. His eyes are bright red and puffy from crying while gasping for what little air he could get into his lungs. His hair's a wreck, half pulled from the ponytail it had been in since the competition. He pulled it out and puts it into a loose bun, trying to make himself presentable. Otabek’s voice filters through his brain and guides him through the airport, sitting him on that six hour flight.Otabek was always his voice of reason in times of trouble.Yuri recognizes now that it was Otabek guiding him through his routine too. It is thanks to Otabek that he has the gold medal sitting snug in his suitcase. Like always, Otabek’s hand had reached out to him and showed him the way, kept him grounded and calm. Otabek was golden in every sense of the word, shining brighter than anybody else Yuri had ever seen.Yuri is the golden one now. Although, the gold is slowly fading into an ugly gray, wearing down from the anxiety in his chest.It is early morning in Kazakhstan when they touch down and somehow Otabek’s sister Katerina knew he would be there. Maybe Yakov had told her. Maybe she knew on her own that this was the flight Yuri would be taking after the news reached him. Either way, when Yuri sees her he rushes towards her, arms extended. He is going to hug her then refrains, knowing that she is generally not allowed to touch him out in public. She smiles sadly at Yuri, knowing why he is so anxious to see her.“Hi, Yuri.” Katerina looks like Otabek, the same strong jaw and nose, same piercing brown eyes that could command the attention of anybody who looks deep into them. Yuri believes that she has the same thick black hair hidden under her hijab, if old childhood pictures were anything to go by. Her smile is gentle too, as if she is holding a secret dear to her heart.“Katerina.” Yuri says respectfully and they get into her car, driving under the hot Kazakhstan sun to the apartment Yuri shared with Otabek. Yuri’s heart aches with each mile that passes and brings them closer their destination. His jaw is in agony from clenching so tight to stop the impending tears that will slip down his cheeks when he enters the premises. Katerina gives him his time, patting his back as they sit on the couch, pushing strands of blond hair from his face so they don’t stick to his face. Katerina does not cry when she is with him, but Yuri hiccups and gasps at hot wetness once again slips down reddening skin. He balls his fists in his lap and sobs. His phone remains off in his pocket.He does not want to see the unread text he had sent Otabek once he got his phone back after the ceremony.The apartment smells like Otabek even though he had not been there for months. It is a woodsy, earth scent, one of meadows in the daytime and dirt in a forest. Somehow the scent is pleasant and doesn’t make Yuri feel dirty. Yuri can also smell the leather of Otabek’s jackets that hang in their closet, ones that Yuri will wrap himself in when Katerina is not there.“He was so proud of you, Yura.” Katerina speaks softly once Yuri has calmed and she forces him to take slow sips of ice water. They cool the fire that is Yuri’s raw throat.Yuri laughs slightly. “I would hope so.” His voice is raw and slightly above a rasp.“I was there, when he passed.” She audibly gulps and clasps delicate hands in her lap. “I could tell he was trying so hard to wait until the end of your free skate. He was crying, I didn’t think he had it in him.” She laughs softly but it’s a dry laugh. “He said that… he said he loves you and that he’s sorry that couldn’t stay for the whole thing. You were the only thing on his mind when he passed.”It’s Yuri’s turn to laugh now. It’s wet, unlike Katerina’s, and he’s crying again. Not quite as hard as before but tears roll unrelenting down his cheeks. “That idiot.” He sniffs and uses his sleeve to wipe away the snot and tears. Otabek hated when he did that.“He knew you were gonna get gold the moment you stepped on the ice.” Katerina continues.Yuri nods. “He helped me win the gold. He was with me.”Katerina smiles softly and nods. She knows what he means and Yuri sniffs once more before grabbing a tissue. Yuri beats himself up, thinking he should have known that Otabek was gone when he was losing himself to the sights and smells of him during his program. But he can’t change the past and if he could he would have never gone to the Grand Prix Final in the first place. He should’ve fought hard against Otabek because in the end, he is much more important to Yuri than skating.The funeral takes place three days later. Yuri hangs back, letting his family and childhood neighbors mourn before him. Katerina is the only member of Otabek’s family that accepted him in the first place. He does not want to create drama. He waits until everyone is gone to stand before the headstone in disbelief that Otabek is under the ground. He was basically a skeleton anyway, withering under scratchy sheets of the hospital bed he was forced into. Now he is shrouded in white linen buried six feet under the ground that resonated in all of his clothing.Yuri scuffs the grass and then stops because he is basically standing on Otabek. The thought disturbs him and he almost turns and leaves. But that’s not what he came here for.“I’m sorry, Beka.” He tells the gravestone and exposed dirt beneath his feet. He hopes somewhere in the sky Otabek can hear him, can hear how thankful he is for his existence. “I… I should blame you for me not being by your side when you died. You told me to go but it was my decision to skate. Katerina told me you were watching me but I felt you with me.”Yuri clutches his chest as he lays the lilies on the grave. “You always told me… Shit.” Yuri coughs to get the lump in his throat to dissipate. He can’t do this but he has to. He has to give Otabek a proper goodbye instead of staring at their old texts in bed while wearing every layer of Otabek’s clothes he could recover from the drawers.“You always told me that lilies remind you on me. You didn’t tell me that they were Kazakhstan's flower. I’ll take it as I… I reminded you of home.” Yuri gnaws his trembling lips, tasting copper as he bites to hard. “You were my home. You kept me grounded. And sane around all the other egotistical assholes in our world.”“I… I don’t have much else to say except sorry. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be there and I’m sorry I couldn’t hold your hand as you left. Fuck!” Yuri shouts into the open sky. The clouds above gleam with the sun behind them. They are too bright for the occasion.“I love you a lot, you asshole. I wish this happened to me instead of you because you deserved to live and achieve everything. You never fucking… you…. We never stood on the podium together. Katsudon and Victor stole your chances away just like JJ did. You crapped out the third year we were supposed to go and then… here… you…” Yuri choked and he bit his knuckles. More blood filled his mouth. “Please don’t… I’m not going to forget you. I can’t. You gave me so much and shit, I’m not good with words and I sound like a jackass but I hope I gave you just as much. I hope you know I love you.”Yuri angrily swipes the tears away and pulls his long blonde hair back into a ponytail. His breathing his rough and choppy but he pulls it together to say one final thing.“I’m gonna visit you, every month. I promise. No matter where I am, I’ll drop everything to come see you.” He takes one last look at the ground and the lilies and then he moves away. “Goodbye, Beka.”As he makes his way through the graveyard, the clouds part. Yuri hangs his head as the world erupts into gold, beating down on him, engulfing him in its warmth. It reminds him of the gold that he stumbles away from; this gold is embedded deep into his heart, taking root in its chambers and binding him forever as it becomes one with the earth once more.
10228439
witchcraft
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Kim Myungjun | MJ, Park Jinwoo | Jin Jin, Park Minhyuk | Rocky, Lee Dongmin | Cha Eunwoo", "Fandom": "ASTRO (Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by vonseal", "chapters": "10/10", "completed": "2017-03-20", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "24,174", "Additional Tags": "Magic, Romance, Romantic Comedy, It's going to be cute you guys, it feels like it's been a while since i wrote cutsie patootsie myungjin, fun fact: i know nothing about magic, Light Angst, Minor Violence", "Relationship": "Kim Myungjun | MJ/Park Jinwoo | Jin Jin", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "magic users", "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 }
Myungjun was six years old when he first experienced death.It was the family dog. It was a small dog, white and fluffy, and Myungjun loved it dearly. So when he woke up one day and his dog wouldn't move, Myungjun cried, his sobs loud enough to bring his parents into his bedroom.They tried to take the dog away, explaining something about cancer and sickness, but Myungjun kept a tight hold of the lifeless body, willing his dog to wake up somehow and lick his face.Which was exactly what had happened.He still remembers the shock etched onto his parents' faces as his dog suddenly jolted up as if it had just been awoken from a slumber. Myungjun exclaimed the dog's name jubilantly, laughing as it jumped at him and offered him kisses.His father took the dog from him then, jerking it away harshly from Myungjun's arms, and Myungjun never did figure out what happened to the dog, but in the words of his father, “Things that are dead should stay dead.”His mother was nicer to him about the entire situation, though she made certain that he should never tell anyone of his powers.And that was how Myungjun learned that he was a necromancer.Magic wasn't unheard of. It was uncommon, definitely, but there were those with magical skills. They were looked down upon, watched closely by the government, cast out by the rest of society. Therefore, his mother told him, he must never use his magic.But at home, he did anyway. He squished bugs as practice, working hard until he was able to bring each and every one of them back to life. If his mother ever asked why there were so many ants in the house, Myungjun never told her anything.He wanted to try bringing other things back to life. He worked on his mother's garden, taking over the watering duty in order to starve her poor flowers, and then he would plant life back into the dead plants once again. They usually ended up better than before.He once found a dead bird, and memories of his first dog flooded back into his mind. The bird flew off shortly after Myungjun rested his hands on its feathery chest, and he watched in excitement.His powers could be used to bring so much good in the world, but in the schoolyard, he only ever heard about how evil magic users were.Was he evil? He asked his mom once, and she had cried and hugged him, but she never answered him.When he was twelve, he brought a dead cat back to life in front of a few of his classmates, mostly to impress the girl that was with them. They screamed and left, and he explained to his mother that the teachers at his school set him apart from everyone else, that he was bullied and ostracized, and that he wanted to leave and start over.They did, and while Myungjun swore to his parents that he would never use his powers again, he found he couldn't help it. He was more observant about who was nearby, more attentive to his surroundings, but if he came across a dead flower, or some poor, dead creature, he couldn't help but bring them back to life. Nothing brought him greater joy than to see life return.It was only natural, then, that he started up a business. It was a bakery. It was a cute bakery, with tons of bright flowers adorning tabletops and counters, and all of his customers wondered the same thing: “How do your flowers never die?”Myungjun would laugh and spew some lie about the soil, and the one and only other employee, Minhyuk, would roll his eyes from his spot at the oven.However, for those who paid certain people for information on certain magic users, Myungjun's bakery would become something different. The back rooms were where Myungjun did what he truly longed to do; bring life back into things that had been previously dead. It was his greatest joy to see the happiness light up in the faces of children, adults, the elderly, when he would make their dead pets rise again, or when he would allow small pots of plants to get one more go at life.It paid nicely, too. He certainly wouldn't be able to make a living from the measly wages his bakery earned, but he and Minhyuk would go home at the end of each day with much more money than they were actually earning from their baked goods.It wasn't uncommon to see someone running into the bakery with a box in hand (usually with the dead animal or plant – Myungjun once had a box with human bones, and he was asked what he could do, and he kindly sent the person on their way home), and when they gave Myungjun that look, he knew his powers were about to be used.Except one guy that ran in on one particular day gave that look to Minhyuk.The shop was empty, and Minhyuk raised an eyebrow in confusion. When the man shoved his box at Minhyuk, the baker understood. “Dude, I can't do a thing with magic. It's him.” He pointed over at Myungjun, who looked up from the spreadsheet he was working on.“Need something?” Myungjun asked.“Oh. Yes. Um...” The man seemed flustered, and he shoved the box at Myungjun.“Something dead, then?” Myungjun sighed and stood up from his seat. “Let me see-”“Don't open it in here!” Minhyuk exclaimed angrily. “If it's like that frog that had been dead for three days out in the sun, I swear-”Myungjun cut him off with a groan. “Minhyuk, I'd smell it if it was a dead creature. I bet it's just a plant. It's just a plant, right?” He looked at the man, who nodded his head. “You can talk. Say yes or no or something. It'll be awkward, otherwise, since it takes me a minute or two to bring plants back to life.” He gestured for the man to follow him into the back room, giving Minhyuk explicit instructions to, “not eat my batch of cookies like you did yesterday, you twit.”Once the man was seated, Myungjun pulled out the potted plant. “Wow,” he mumbled. “It's really dead. How long as it been like this?”“A few days.”Myungjun gave a low whistle. “Didn't you water it?”“I did.”“You watered it? It's parched. I mean, if I poke it, it's going to just dissolve into little pieces.” Myungjun sighed and hovered a hand over it, feeling that familiar warmth spread to his fingertips. “I never understand why people get plants if they can't bother to learn how to care for them.”The man furrowed his eyebrows. “I know how to care for cowslip.”“Is that what this is? Because it looks like death.”“I've cared for it just fine. I just don't have a green thumb.”“You don't need a green thumb to be able to keep cowslip alive.”It was silent for a few seconds before the man asked, “Do you even know what cowslip is?”“Not this, that's for sure,” Myungjun muttered under his breath. It was taking a while to bring any sort of color and life back into the plant, so he glanced up. “We'll have two minutes, probably. What's your name, and why do you have a potted cowslip plant?”The man sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you always so insulting to your customers?”Myungjun smiled brightly. The man was cute when he was pouting, his lips curved downward and his shoulders slouched. Of course, he'd probably be even cuter if he was happy, and Myungjun wondered if bringing his cowslip back to life would cause him to grin. He sure hoped so. “Only to the real attractive ones.”Once more, there was silence. And, once more, it only lasted for a few seconds. “Did you just call me attractive?”“You can hear very well. Congratulations. I'm happy you pay attention to me better than you do this plant.”“Will you shut up about the plant?”“I'm the one using my powers to bring it back to life, so no, I won't shut up about this poor, defenseless, dead plant.” He pursed his lips then said, “Anyway, name?”The man hesitated. “Jinwoo,” he mumbled. “Park Jinwoo.”“Lovely name. I'm sure you know who I am.” Myungjun jutted out his chest to allow Jinwoo to read his nametag. “See? It says Kim Myungjun. My mom named me that, not my dad. My mom was the one who told me I was a necromancer. She told me if I told anyone, I was dead meat.”Jinwoo blinked. “Well, you must have told a lot of people, since I heard about it, but if she kills you, you can just bring yourself back to life.”“Necromancers aren't immortal, you moron.” Myungjun caught sight of yellow petals popping out of the flower, and he smiled happily at the cowslip. “You know what? I'm really confused as to why you have cowslip in a pot. It's a field flower, isn't it? It just grows outside. No one really keeps them in pots, I don't think.”“The man I spoke to about you said that you didn't require reasoning from your customers.”Myungjun looked over at Jinwoo and shrugged his shoulders. “Guess not. Just money. Which, if you have, please come and put in my back pocket.”Jinwoo made a face. “Why your back pocket? Can I just set it on the table and you put it in your back pocket?”“I'm not going to grope my own butt. I'd rather you do it.” He giggled lightly at Jinwoo's blush, then gestured with his head to the table. “Just set it down, I'm messing with you, Jinwoo. Gosh, you're so jumpy today. Guess you've never seen someone work this sort of magic before, have you?”Jinwoo didn't respond to that. He simply set a wad of bills on the nearby table and moved to stand closer to his plant. “Is it almost done?”“Almost – yeah, I think it's done. Anymore and it might burst.” Myungjun exhaled deeply as he moved his hands away, and he caught Jinwoo's concerned stare. “What?”“You should keep a passion flower around,” was what Jinwoo responded with, taking his pot away from Myungjun and cradling it close to him. “If you do these spells often, it will wear you down, and passion flowers help with fatigue.”Myungjun wasn't certain how to respond. Truthfully, he knew passion flowers were helpful, having already been told such by various other magic users – which, if he was connecting two-and-two together correctly, would bring about the assumption that Jinwoo was a magic user.“Can...you do spells?” Myungjun asked quietly.Jinwoo must have realized then that he spilled more of his secrets than he meant to. His eyes grew wide and he stumbled backwards. “Just remembered, I have somewhere to be!” he announced. “Thanks for this, Myungjun, I owe you one!”“You've paid-” Myungjun wasn't able to say anything else before Jinwoo hurried out of the room, letting the door slam behind him. Myungjun stood, frozen in shock, as his brain worked to figure out what exactly Jinwoo's magical ability was.By the time Minhyuk popped his head in to check on him, Myungjun had a pretty good grasp on the situation, and he had to sit down.“Hyung?” Minhyuk asked. “Hyung, is everything okay?”The potted cowslip. The knowledge of Myungjun's power usage. The information about passion flower. The panic at his magic being figured out. It all made sense, but Myungjun hated the answer.“I think,” he mumbled, and Minhyuk had to lean in to hear, “I think I just helped out a witch.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Myungjun was eight years old when he learned that witches were evil.He had always been told that all magical beings were evil, but witches were the ones no one wanted around. Myungjun could get away with being a necromancer living in society. It wasn't a great idea to broadcast his magic, nor was it a great idea to actually go about raising things from the dead in front of the general public, but necromancers, supposedly, weren't as bad as witches.His favorite Saturday morning cartoon at the age of eight usually dealt with a group of heroes, schoolchildren proclaiming to be about his age, who would ward off evildoers. They were normal, non-magic users, and Myungjun envied them. He liked to pretend he was one of them, and that he, too, could ward off all of the other evil magic users in the world.Even healers weren't immune to their scrutiny, it seemed. (Myungjun remembered the episode with the evil healer – she healed other villains back to health, naturally making her evil enough to destroy.)But the witches were by far the most evil villains on the show. The witches were the ones that normal heroes told the audience they needed to watch out for. Witches had a variety of magical skills, and nobody really, truly knew the actual extent of a witch's powers. Apparently, witches were able to possess every sort of magic; they could teleport, they could read minds, they could heal, they could destroy, and all with simple verbal spells they could utter out.So the witches who appeared as a villain were ugly, ridiculed, fought against harder than they would fight against any other magic user. The show would always leave important messages for the audience: never engage with a witch. If kids who watched the show were to see a witch preforming spells, they were told to tell a parent, who could then contact the law enforcement to dispose of the witch in some shape or form.Myungjun grew fearful of witches. He could raise things from the dead; witches could snap their fingers and destroy all that he had brought life into.(In the end, Myungjun stopped watching the show after their necromancer episode. He remembered his mother crying when she watched the rerun episode later that day. Myungjun had sat on the floor, staring at the television with wide eyes, as the necromancer raised an army up from the dead. The ones the necromancer had brought back to life had sunken cheeks and eyes, graying skin that sagged from their bones, horrid voices, and Myungjun didn't want to watch anymore, but he did anyway. The dead army turned on the necromancer, after having joined sides with the normal heroes, and the necromancer died. Myungjun slept with his parents after that for a full year, and he would usually wake up in his mother's arms, tightly embraced, as if she wished to protect him from his own powers.)He had asked his father once about witches. His little legs couldn't quite reach the floor from where he sat at the kitchen table, and his father was rolling together kimbap for his school lunches. “Dad? Are witches really bad?”“I'm not sure,” his father responded, quiet and gruff and not quite looking at Myungjun. “But I don't think you have to worry about witches. There aren't that many around.”“Are there a lot of necro- necro-”“Necromancers?”“Yeah! What I am! Are there a lot of them around?”His father had passed over one of the smaller pieces of kimbap, and Myungjun greedily took it. “I haven't heard of a lot of them being around. And, besides, they're not bad at all.”He smiled fondly as Myungjun stuffed the food in his mouth.All of this remained in Myungjun's memory into his adult years, and he reminisced as such to Minhyuk when they had gone home for the evening.“Out of everyone I could have been helping, I helped a witch,” he complained, leaning up against a counter as Minhyuk prepared their dinner. “I mean, what about a shape-shifter? When will I get to help a shape-shifter? Witches are supposed to be the rarest of all magic users, and yet a witch came to our bakery?” He scoffed. “This is ridiculous. I don't understand why I'd have to help a witch. Why can't he help himself? Witches are supposed to just say spells and boom, they can bring anything to life they need to.”Minhyuk rolled his eyes, a skill he was quite good at now. “I think it's more impressive that he didn't kill you. I know how obnoxious you are with your customers – he should have uttered a spell to just squash you.”Myungjun swiped at Minhyuk, who dodged it with a gleeful cackle.“Anyway,” Minhyuk continued once he was certain Myungjun wouldn't try to kill him anymore. “No one knows anything about witches, so we don't even know for certain what this guy's capable of. He might not even be a witch.”Which was true. And, in any case, Myungjun was positive he wouldn't have to deal with Park Jinwoo anymore – except he was there the very next day, holding yet another box.Minhyuk quickly backed away when he saw Jinwoo, and even Myungjun was apprehensive.“Seriously? Again?” the necromancer asked. There were two customers in the shop, some couple who were sitting way too close and giving each other way too many kisses, and while Myungjun really didn't want to enter into his closed-off back room with a witch, he figured that it was a better fate than watching some teenagers get into a steamy make-out session.So when Jinwoo nodded his head frantically, Myungjun sighed and gestured at the back door. “Minhyuk?” He leaned in close and whispered, “If I make owl noises, that's a sign for help.”“Or maybe it's a sign he turned you into an owl,” Minhyuk whispered back.Myungjun decided that he was on his own in dealing with a witch.As they settled down and Jinwoo pulled out his newest dead plant, Myungjun had to blurt out, “So you're a witch?”The plant dropped and nearly hit the floor, except Myungjun lunged forward at the last second to catch it. “Oh my god, don't do that!” he exclaimed. “I can bring it back to life, but it's easier if it's already in pot that isn't broken.”“Sorry,” Jinwoo mumbled, and he crossed his arms over his chest, watching Myungjun hover his hands over the dying flower. “How...how did you know?”“Most magic users recognize the fact that I'm usually more feared than they are. I mean, a guy who can freeze water with his eyes isn't going to be used as horror stories for children, but the guy who can bring an army back up from the dead totally will be used as nightmare fuel.” Myungjun gave Jinwoo a half-smirk and shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, I guess if you gave me enough time, I could bring an army back to life, but it takes all of my energy just to work on dead flowers and birds, so I doubt I'd get anywhere.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, since I'm usually the big, bad guy compared to the rest, everyone else is fine with telling me their magic powers. You were not, which means you're something worse than a necromancer, and the only thing I can think of is a witch.”He figured his logic was sound, but at this point, Jinwoo had already confirmed of his magical status; Myungjun really was helping out a witch.“Please don't tell,” Jinwoo responded, and Myungjun had never seen anyone look so desperate before. “I don't need anyone knowing, please, Myungjun.”Myungjun raised his eyebrows. “Are you going to use your magical powers to turn me into, like, a toad or something if I tell?”Jinwoo groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. “A toad? Really? That takes so much preparation and time, I'm not turning you into a toad.”“What takes little preparation and time, then? What will you do if I tell?”“I don't know. I might punch you.”Myungjun snorted, and he actually had to draw away from the plant he was healing in an attempt to stop laughing. “What? Punch me? That's the least witchy thing you can do, Jinwoo!”“I can't just snap my fingers and make you a toad. Look-” And Jinwoo moved his hands up. That certainly put a stop to Myungjun's laughter.“Don't!” he exclaimed, but Jinwoo snapped anyway. Myungjun quickly squeezed his eyes shut and shielded himself with his arms, but when nothing evil came his way, he peeked through the sleeves of his shirt.Jinwoo looked unimpressed with Myungjun's fear. “See?” he mumbled. “That's why I have the plants. I can make brews, which allow me to make spells, and I can do a few smaller things if I utter the right incantation.”“Show me.”“What?”Clearly Jinwoo had never been asked such a thing before, if his shocked expression was anything to go by, but Myungjun pushed the dead plant aside and stared at Jinwoo with intensity. “I want to see you do something that witches do. I've never seen a witch before, and I've only heard how evil they are and they can, like, blow up the world or something with their powers. Do an actual witch spell.”It took Jinwoo a few seconds to process everything, and he finally asked, “You seriously want me to do a spell?”“It's not like I'm a stranger to magic, Jinwoo.”The blond boy sighed. “Fine. I can...here, I'll lift that pot.” And he did so, effortlessly, casually, just pointing a hand and allowing the pot to suddenly float.“I've seen that power before," Myungjun responded, shrugging his shoulders.“I have other powers.”“Yeah, I know, that's the whole concept of a witch, Jinwoo. They can possess tons of other powers. What else can you do?” Myungjun felt like a kid again, excited with his own magical abilities. This time, however, he was intent on watching Jinwoo perform two magical abilities – and the thought of Jinwoo having even more stored away was especially intriguing.“Usually I need potions to do things,” Jinwoo mumbled, but he looked around and then snapped his fingers again. Myungjun didn't flinch this time. “I can do this-” And with a few words uttered under his breath, Jinwoo made another dead flower appear beside the one he previously brought in.Myungjun clapped his hands as if he had just witnessed a circus event. He certainly did notice Jinwoo's pleased smile, and he stored that away in his already-stellar memory bank. “That's so cool that you can do different powers! I can't believe I actually get to meet a witch! I would ask for your autograph, but then everyone would know who you are.” He patted Jinwoo's knee, earning himself a light blush from the witch. “This will be our little secret.”“Thank you, Myungjun.” Jinwoo cleared his throat and then gestured over to the plants. “If you don't mind, can you just go ahead and do both of those?”“Only if you pay me.”Jinwoo must have been rich (or teleporting money into his own pocket), because he pulled out a few wads of bills and set them on the table. Myungjun counted out how much he was earning, and once he was satisfied with the amount, he got back to work.“So, what are these plants?” he asked.“Both of them are mint.”“Also, both of them are dead. Why can't you just get a spell to bring your plants back to life?” Myungjun's hands were over the original mint plant again, and he concentrated on spreading life back into the wilted mess.Jinwoo looked a little sheepish. “I, uh, can't preform that one, oddly enough. There's a few spells I just can't actually get right. Um...the spell I had to fix one of the plants when it died actually killed off all of the plants.”Myungjun giggled. “You're lying. You didn't screw up that badly, did you?”When Jinwoo nodded in confirmation, still slightly embarrassed, Myungjun decided that Jinwoo was absolutely endearing. And, somehow, Myungjun trusted him completely. Maybe witches weren't all that bad, or maybe Jinwoo was just a good witch, but Myungjun liked Jinwoo.He hoped his mother would never figure out that he was beginning to harbor a crush on a witch. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Myungjun was nine, he discovered that magic actually takes a lot out of energy out of people.He had been slowly practicing his necromancy in secret for a few years at that point. No one else knew; his parents didn't even know he was doing it (though his mother probably suspected such a thing was going on, on account of her flowers growing to full bloom in less than a day). It wasn't until he decided to bring life back into a dead tree that he realized, however, how exhaustive it was to use his magic.It had taken him quite some time to make any sort of progress with that tree, and he longed to sit and rest, but he learned that if he stopped using his magic before the object was back to life, it would wither away and he would have to start all over.So he continued onward, pushing forth through his fatigue, and making the tree grow large and tall once again.And then he had collapsed.Fainting was an interesting experience for him, nothing like it had been in the movies. His eyesight had gotten splotchy before everything went dark, and the sounds of the forest he was in seemed much farther away than they had before. Finally, when he felt his legs give out and his head hit the ground, he thought, Oh, my, is this what fainting is truly like?He awoke quickly, breaking out in a sweat and unable to focus properly on doing something as simple as standing up. His legs just wouldn't move, and so he lay there for hours, drifting off for a nap every so often, as he found that he couldn't even keep his eyes open.It was a terrible experience, and when he finally arrived home that evening to a worried mother, he made the decision that he would never use his powers to bring back anything so extensive again.Which was why, he had always explained to Minhyuk, bringing humans back to life was out of the question.“Too big,” Myungjun said, miming how big humans were.“Not you, though. You're short enough to make it work.”Minhyuk dodged the dirty laundry Myungjun threw at him.“And too complex,” Myungjun continued when he had finished stuffing his clothes into the washing machine. “I think humans are more complex than flowers and cats and things like that, so I think it would take a lot more energy to bring back a dead human. Also-” He smiled widely. “Humans are almost always registered by the government, and if they had been proclaimed to be dead and were suddenly alive again, the government would be on my ass in a matter of seconds.”So when people brought in death certificates or bottles of ashes, Myungjun would shoo them away and state that his powers actually didn't work on humans.They did, probably – other necromancers had gotten in trouble for bringing humans back from the dead. Myungjun refused to deal with that, though. He focused on animals instead.Animals, being more complex than flowers, also took much of Myungjun's energy. Fortunately for him, he would typically bring only a few animals back to life each day; five was the maximum, and it was spread out over the course of eight hours. Myungjun didn't know if he could take much more than that. But when a child came in carrying a box and Myungjun saw the litter of eight dead puppies, he certainly couldn't turn the kid away.So he spent a long while bringing each and every one of the puppies back to life. The kid couldn't pay much, but seeing him grin and wipe the tears off of his cheeks was definitely enough of a payment for Myungjun.He just couldn't stand up properly afterwards. His vision was blurry.“I'm fine,” he assured Minhyuk, and he went out to man his bakery.It didn't take him very long to start seeing black spots appear, and for the sounds of the oven timer dinging to start disappearing into the background.And in the moment when he realized he was about to faint for the fourth time in his life, he heard a voice, sounding very far away, ask him, “Myungjun, are you alright?”It wasn't Minhyuk, but it was a voice Myungjun recognized.“Jinwoo. Nice to see you.” He couldn't see a thing, and his words were slurred, anyway. “Do me a favor and catch me, will you? I think I'd like to fall into your body.”Jinwoo didn't catch him, and Myungjun ended up smacking his head into the counter top on his crumbled descent to the floor.At least Jinwoo was apologetic about it. He helped Minhyuk half-carry, half-drag Myungjun into the back room, and when Myungjun sleepily gave orders for Minhyuk to go man the bakery once again, it was just Jinwoo there to care for him.Myungjun wasn't sure how much he trusted Jinwoo, considering the guy did let him fall.“Are you alright, Myungjun?”Jinwoo's voice was pleasant and close by again, and Myungjun smiled lightly. His head was resting on the table and his eyes were closed. Sleep longed to take over.“Mmhm. Fine. I think my head's going to explode, though. How bad is the bruise?”“Look up.”“I can't move, Jinwoo. Lift my head for me.”Jinwoo did that much, at least, and Myungjun's eyes fluttered open at the last second to see Jinwoo wince upon laying eyes on the bruise that covered Myungjun's forehead.“Not bad,” Jinwoo responded. “It's not bad.”“Liar.”Jinwoo gently lay Myungjun's head back on the table again, and he took a seat across from the necromancer. “This is your fault, in any case. You did too much magic at once, didn't you?”“How did you know?” Myungjun asked, and before Jinwoo could answer, he smacked his lips together. “No, never mind, I totally know how you know. I bet you've done this exact same thing before, haven't you? Most magic users I know have.”“Witches have more stamina than most magic users,” Jinwoo responded, and he sighed loudly. “Am I stuck in here until you gain your energy back?”“Probably. You have a plant with you?” He peeked over to see the plant nearby. He wondered if part of the reason Jinwoo let him fall was to ensure the plant didn't fall. Myungjun didn't know if he should be angry about that. “So, yeah, if you want your plant to live, you'll stay here with me.” He hesitated for a few seconds before closing his eyes and whispering, “Witch might be an hour or two.”When Jinwoo didn't make a sound, Myungjun glanced over.He had never seen anyone look so exasperated before.“Anyway,” Myungjun cleared his throat and rested his head again. “What dead plant do you have for me to heal today, Park Jinwoo?”“It's a weed.”“Awesome. I get to heal up for a weed. Thanks, Park Jinwoo.”“It's groundsel, if that makes it better.”“I'm a baker and a necromancer. I don't know a thing about weeds.”Jinwoo's hands were suddenly on his cheeks, cupping them slightly. Myungjun didn't open his eyes, but he found himself leaning into the warm touch, a soft hum of appreciation coming from his lips.“You'll make yourself sick if you keep using your powers like this,” Jinwoo mumbled.“I can't say no to dead puppies, Park Jinwoo.”One of Jinwoo's hands ran through Myungjun's hair. He hoped Jinwoo wouldn't find him too disgusting. He had been sweating a lot, and his brown hair was clumpy and gross. He felt Jinwoo's fingers comb his wet bangs, however, and he longed to be fully awake for this, to watch Jinwoo's expression as the soft touches continued.“I know you don't trust witches, but would you mind if I made you some sort of potion to energize you?”“I trust you.”The words came before he could stop them. Once they were out of his mouth, he didn't even care to try taking them back, too tired to fully comprehend the weight of his words. Jinwoo tensed for a few seconds before relaxing, and Myungjun could hear the smile on his face when he exclaimed, “Really?”“Not to catch me when I'm falling, but to care for me? Sure. I trust you.”Jinwoo removed his hands and Myungjun whined slightly when the warmth left. Jinwoo hushed him and then began to utter a few spells.“What will you be making for me?” Myungjun asked, holding back a yawn.“Just a simple potion to take away fatigue.”“And are your plants actually alive for it?”“All but the groundsel.”Myungjun blinked his eyes open. Jinwoo had even summoned a small, black cauldron and some sort of battery-powered stovetop. It wasn't what Myungjun had expected a witch to work with, but it made it all the more precious to him, seeing Jinwoo standing over such a tiny cauldron.“Do...do you need the groundsel for this? Because I can't-”Jinwoo was shaking his head, and his hands went back to petting at Myungjun's hair. “I can make do without. It won't be a perfect potion, but I'll hex it slightly in order to make it stronger.”Myungjun had heard of a witch's hex before. According to everything he had seen about it, hexes were the most dangerous thing a witch could do. If a witch hexed something or someone, self-defense was a must (and the government encouraged this self-defense to involve somehow killing the witch).“Is it going to turn me into a toad?” Myungjun whispered.“Oh my god.” Jinwoo rolled his eyes and began mixing together the ingredients he had gathered. “It won't turn you into anything. It'll just make you feel better.”“I feel great. I'd feel even better if you put those nice hands of yours around my face again.” Myungjun would have pointed at his cheeks, a gesture of where Jinwoo could put those hands, but he couldn't move a muscle, so he just sighed and closed his eyes instead. “You still have permission to put money in my back pocket and grope my butt while you're at it. I think I have a nice butt. You might enjoy it. Your hands are so nice, Park Jinwoo.”“Do I need to make a potion for stupidity, as well?”“No.”“Then shut up and let me do this.”Myungjun did. Myungjun might have drifted off once or twice as Jinwoo stirred at the potion, but he was certainly awake the moment he felt Jinwoo pushing him into a sitting up position.“I knew there was a reason I loved your hands all over me, Park Jinwoo,” Myungjun mumbled when Jinwoo's hand rested flat on Myungjun's chest in order to stop him from falling over.“I should really be making a potion that shuts you up whenever I come by.”“I think you like hearing me talk.”Jinwoo didn't deny it. Jinwoo simply stuffed a small flask under Myungjun's lips, urging the necromancer to open them ever so slightly. “Here. Drink, please. Might taste weird, but it will help.”Myungjun felt rather nervous to be drinking a witch's hexed potion, but when he blinked his eyes open, Jinwoo was smiling at him in encouragement.“It's alright,” Jinwoo said. “I promise, I haven't done a thing other than ensure this potion will wake you up. Please drink it, Myungjun.”Myungjun couldn't deny that handsome face anything, so he drank the potion. He drank it all completely, grimacing at the strange, bitter taste. Jinwoo laughed at his expression, then suddenly ruffled Myungjun's hair. “It takes a minute or two to work, but you should be as good as new until bedtime.”“What happens at bedtime? Can you come home with me? That'd be nice to take you home with me.”“If you act weird like this one more time, I really will turn you into a toad.”Myungjun giggled, but in the midst of their teasing, Jinwoo had taken his hand away from Myungjun's chest. Myungjun, without any support now, began to fall forward. Jinwoo was quick, fortunately for Myungjun, and Jinwoo actually caught him this time, allowing Myungjun's forehead to rest in the crook of his neck. His warm hands rubbed down Myungjun's back, and he hummed a light tune as he held onto the necromancer.The potion did go into effect very quickly, just as Jinwoo had stated, but Myungjun pretended like it had yet to do anything. He wanted to savor this position for as long as possible.Besides that, Jinwoo didn't seem like he was in a rush to move away, either, and Myungjun found himself hiding his smile in Jinwoo's shoulder.He liked witches. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Myungjun was eleven, he met a mind reader.He was a quiet kid, three years younger and three times smarter, and he lived down the street. The kid's mother always boasted to Myungjun's mother about how her son was in advanced courses, how her son would become a doctor, how her son was going to be rich and famous.Usually, Myungjun's mother would fume and rant inside of their house after speaking to the kid's mother, stuff about how Myungjun was the true star of the neighborhood, and just because Myungjun was a little different, it didn't mean that other kids were instantly better than he was.(But it did, actually, Myungjun realized when he noticed how opposite they were in terms of friend count; that is, the kid had probably ten best friends, and Myungjun had a goldfish.)They would walk to school together sometimes, and even if they hardly ever spoke, Myungjun enjoyed his company. He didn't want to like the kid, but it wasn't often that Myungjun met someone who didn't seem frightful of him.And then, one day, the kid revealed that he knew more than he let on about Myungjun.“Are you a necromancer?” he asked. His gaze was inquisitive, seemingly interested in Myungjun's answer, quite unlike the other kids who huddled away with wide eyes if anyone so much as brought it up.Myungjun wasn't sure how to respond. “Who told you that?”“I know you are one.”Myungjun blinked, then looked down at his feet. His mother explained that he should never respond if people asked who he was. He wished he could leave and go home and not concern himself with this weird kid anymore.“You don't need to call me weird.”Myungjun spun his head back around to look at the kid. He hadn't said that out loud, had he? His mouth hadn't moved, in any case.The kid smiled, and then pointed at Myungjun's head. “It's all up in there.”The kid was a mind reader, and had kept it a secret from the entire world up until that point. He had never met another magic user, he told Myungjun, and he was excited to finally know that he wasn't alone in the world. Myungjun was impressed with his determination to not let anyone else in on the secret.“Even your mom doesn't know?” Myungjun asked.The kid shrugged his shoulders. “She hates magic users,” he responded with a mumble.Myungjun made a promise not to tell a soul, not even his own mother, and he soon grew closer with the weird kid. After a year or two, the kid and his mother packed up to leave; the kid mentioned something about a more advanced school that his mother wanted to send him to, even if he didn't want to leave. He cried when he gave Myungjun a quick hug before running off to the moving van.Myungjun thought about the kid every so often, wondering if his mother knew just yet, or if he had gone on to become a doctor like they were always told he would be. And when Jinwoo came in the next day, Myungjun wondered if Jinwoo had the ability of a mind-reader.“Read my mind!” was the first thing Myungjun announced once they were in the backroom.Obviously, Jinwoo was a little confused. “Do what?”“Read my mind,” Myungjun repeated, a little slower this time, making sure to emphasize his words so Jinwoo would understand. “I met a mind reader when I was a kid, and since witches have all different sorts of abilities, I wanted to see if that was one of them.”“That's something I have to make a potion for,” Jinwoo responded. “And the ingredients are a little more rare. Here-” He set down his new potted plant and pointed at it. “Jasmine.”“Ooh, Jasmine. That's a normal flower, finally. Something even I know. It's for a perfume, isn't it?” Myungjun winked. “Got a pretty lady on your mind, Jinwoo?”Jinwoo took a seat and pursed his lips. “Of course not.”“Well, if it's for me, I don't wear perfume. Cologne, on the other hand-” He grinned and held up his left hand. “I wear cologne on the other hand.”“Myungjun, just get to work.”“Yes, sir.”Myungjun hovered his hands over the withered plant, concentrating on spreading his powers into his fingertips. Once things were set in motion, he glanced back over at Jinwoo. “So, you can't read minds unless you make a potion?”Jinwoo nodded his head. “And I've only made the potion once. The effects last for a few hours, but it's not very pleasant to continuously be able to read minds all of the time. You see a lot of stuff you'd, uh, rather not see.”Myungjun decided he would try to control his thoughts a little bit better, just in case Jinwoo came in one day with mind-reading abilities.“I thought witches honestly just snapped and made it so. I don't get the whole potion brewing thing. Can't normal people just do that?”“It's the spells you chant that make the potions magical,” Jinwoo responded, leaning back in his chair and watching Myungjun. “So, sure, you can totally make the potion, but unless you chant the spell, nothing's actually going to happen.”That made enough sense for Myungjun to accept it, and they fell into a quiet lull before Myungjun decided to break the silence. “But, uh, I don't think I ever got a chance to properly thank you for the potion you gave me the other day.” Jinwoo looked up at him with wide eyes and Myungjun prayed his face wasn't housing a blush at the moment. “I mean, it's happened before, but I'm usually out for the entire day and it's not very comfortable at all. So...thank you for that potion. It helped.”“Oh.” Jinwoo had a soft smile on his face. “It's no problem at all. I just remember the first time I got too fatigued from using my powers.”“I thought you said witches had more stamina than other magic users.”“Just because we have more of it doesn't mean we have an unlimited amount.” Jinwoo sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I was young and levitating a lot of objects, and I just became exhausted. Fainted right on the kitchen floor.”“God, your mom must have been scared to death!”Jinwoo shook his head. “No, um...I didn't live with my parents. My mom – she didn't like having a witch for a son. I lived with my aunt. She also didn't like having a witch for a son, so she didn't care very much. I woke up and she had pushed me underneath the table and was cooking dinner.”Myungjun wanted to stop bringing the plant back to life in order to focus more of his attention on Jinwoo, but the jasmine was almost back to its normal self. He couldn't stop just yet, but he could frown and glance over at the soil in the flower pot.“I wish you had come lived with me, Jinwoo. My mom would have loved you just as much as she loved me.”“Thanks, but it's been a long time since then. I'm fine. She never hurt me physically, and I was fed and clothed. I understand why she was like that – I'm a witch.” Jinwoo laughed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Witches aren't accepted in society. Nothing wrong there. I get it.”“I don't.”“Well, you're a necromancer, and necromancers also aren't really accepted in society.”“I don't get that, either. What do they think I'm going to do – raise an army up and fight against them? I mean, it takes me ages to bring these stupid, dead flowers back to life, so I don't know how they expect me to do anything evil with my powers.” He finished his task and looked over the jasmine before handing it to Jinwoo. “I like making flowers bloom, and I like seeing life come back into the eyes of dead animals. Nothing makes me happier than making people happy.”Jinwoo's expression was soft, serene, and when he took the plant away from Myungjun, their fingers touched ever so lightly. Jinwoo didn't jerk back. He seemed to let his hands linger there, and Myungjun wondered what it would be like to hold those hands.“I think you're doing your job well, then. Oh-” Jinwoo reached into his wallet, hoisting the flower pot into one hand, and pulled out his usual wad of bills. “Here. Payment.”Myungjun held out a hand to accept it, but after a moment of hesitation, Jinwoo smirked and suddenly leaned forward. His hand wrapped around Myungjun's waist and he calmly stuffed the money into Myungjun's back pocket.His hand lingered.Myungjun felt like he was frozen in shock. While he had certainly teased, he never expected Jinwoo to act upon his teasing, and he had no idea what to even do anymore (except he realized he was right – he liked Jinwoo's hands very, very much).And then-He was groping Myungjun's ass.Myungjun opened his mouth, mostly in shock, but also to ask a quick, what are you doing? Before he could say a word, however, the backroom door opened and Minhyuk poked his head in.“Myungjun,” Minhyuk announced. “You have an-”He didn't looked surprised at the position of the two boys, just disappointed. “A client, Myungjun.”Jinwoo darted back quickly, almost dropping his flower pot, and Myungjun felt his entire face turn red at being caught in such a compromising situation. “Oh! Okay! Just, uh, finishing up!” He cleared his throat and shot Jinwoo a shaky smile. “S-So I guess you'll be back?”Jinwoo wasn't even going to speak, it seemed. He just nodded his head frantically before pushing past Minhyuk and scurrying off. Myungjun had to take a few extra seconds to compose himself before greeting his next guest.(Had it always been so hot in the backroom?)The guest set a box down on the table, then looked over at the door where Jinwoo had run off to. “His thoughts were...rather dirty, if you wanted to know,” the guest mumbled without any provocation to do so, and Myungjun stared at him in confusion. “Ah, but-” The man turned and faced Myungjun again. When he smiled, his eyes turned up into crescents. “Yours are, too.”“What are you, a mind reader?”“Yup.” The man held out a hand. “And it's nice to see you again, Kim Myungjun, Necromancer-Who-Lived-Down-The-Street.”Myungjun blinked owlishly, then clapped his hands together. “Dongmin! That doctor kid! Lee Dongmin! Seriously, it's you? Wow, you grew...tall! Handsome, even, which is a big change from that ugly, weird kid down the street from me."Dongmin's smile tightened. “And you haven't grown a bit.”“God, you're an eyesore.” Myungjun leaned over to peer into the box, grimacing when he saw it was a dead dog. “Is this your pet?”“My boyfriend's pet, actually.”“You have a boyfriend?”Dongmin nodded his head proudly as Myungjun carefully gathered the lifeless creature out from the box. “And you probably will soon, too, from the looks of it.” He took a seat in the same chair Jinwoo had been using. “As a mind reader, you can trust me when I say that short, blond guy really likes you, Myungjun.” Myungjun blushed and began to work his magic, which Dongmin must have seen as an opportunity to continue. “He also liked, uh, the position that you two were in before I came.”“He likes my butt, is what you're trying to get at.”“Yes.”“I like his butt, Dongmin.”“Yes, I've gathered that much.”“I'm going to find a way to grope his butt, Dongmin.”“You really don't have to say all of your thoughts out loud, please, especially at our first meeting in over ten years.”Myungjun grinned, and the two fell into a familiar chat, discussing the position of their current lives; and Dongmin knew, what with his knowing smile, but Myungjun's mind lingered completely on Park Jinwoo for the entirety of their conversation. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Myungjun was twelve, he was locked inside a janitorial closet at school.He still remembered it vividly. Word had gotten out that Kim Myungjun, resident weirdo and possible psychopath, had brought a cat back from the dead (though when Myungjun was confronted about it, the story had stretched into Myungjun brutally killing the cat, then bringing it back to life as a hell-cat and making it attack other schoolchildren). Kids were frightened that someone among them had been a magic user the entire time.Three older boys had grabbed onto Myungjun, and after shoving him and pushing him a bit, they forced him into the small, cramped closet. Myungjun fell unceremoniously onto a dirty mop, and he had looked up just in time to see the door close on him.He banged and pounded on that door, but it was close to the end of the day. Children were going home, and Myungjun's cries for help went unnoticed.The only time the door opened was when a teacher had heard Myungjun's sobs as he was leaving. He peeked inside, and Myungjun jumped to his feet, quite ready to run home and pretend like nothing had ever happened - and then the teacher hurriedly closed the door again.Myungjun had been frozen in shock. While he understood the teachers didn't particularly like him, he had never expected one of the teachers to keep him locked inside a custodian's closet, surrounded by darkness and various cleaning solutions.Myungjun had hit the door weakly again, one hand wiping tears off of his cheeks. “Excuse me?” he had called out, and his voice was quiet, quivering with fear. He had no idea how many hours had passed, but after a while, he gave up.His pillow that night was his jacket, folded and placed down atop of the dirty floor. He had no blanket and he shivered, trying to calm himself by humming various songs that his mother had sung to him as an even younger child.Myungjun's parents had been worried sick, he learned when he was finally let out the following morning. They all had a meeting with the principal, and despite being twelve years old and beginning to enter in his rebellious teenage years, Myungjun had allowed himself to be embraced by his mother throughout the entire meeting, his head resting in her chest as he unsuccessfully tried to hide his sniffles from the school administration.When he named the people who stuffed him into the closet in the first place, the principal simply jotted down a few notes, and when he mentioned the teacher who hadn't released him, the principal simply shrugged.“You can't expect us to believe the words of a...well, you know,” the principal said to Myungjun's father, trying to look apologetic. “Especially considering the witnesses around at the time had a different story from Myungjun and told us that Myungjun had gone inside of the closet on his own free will and told them that he would come out on his own in a little while. He had wanted to skip the final class of the day, and he ended up falling asleep. That's all there is to it.”Myungjun's father had his fists clenched where they rested on his knees. “He's crying,” his father snapped, gesturing over to Myungjun, who squeezed his eyes shut when the principal's gaze fell on him. “He was scared and his voice is hoarse from yelling for help. And you say he locked himself inside?”“We don't understand...people like him,” the principal responded, and Myungjun's mother tightened the embrace she had around her son.“He's a boy,” his father snapped.“He's a necromancer,” the principal retorted.(Myungjun learned that day why his mother cried often at nights, and why his father always looked so stressed and worried when he picked Myungjun up from school.)He hardly ever recounted the memory to anyone, but when Dongmin decided to catch up with Myungjun at his apartment, Myungjun might have mentioned it.“Seriously?” Minhyuk was the first one to respond. “You were locked inside of a closet?”“It wasn't so bad,” Myungjun lied as he sipped at his beer. He pretended like he didn't see Dongmin's concerned gaze, like he didn't know Dongmin had already read his mind and figured out all of the emotions that Myungjun had felt during the ordeal. “I mean, it's not as bad as what other magic users have gone through. What about you, Dongmin?” He tapped his own forehead. “I can't read your mind and figure out what crazy shit people have put you through, so you'll just have to tell us.”Dongmin blinked, then shrugged his shoulders. “Honestly, nothing that extreme. But it is a little easier to keep my talent hidden.”Myungjun made a face, then turned to Minhyuk. “He had about a thousand friends, and he was only eight back then.”Minhyuk didn't look impressed at Dongmin's friend count. “Yeah, I had a lot of friends when I was eight, too, hyung.”“That's because you're just normal. Normal people always have friends.” Myungjun didn't want to admit he was envious; he didn't have to, because Dongmin nodded his way and shrugged his shoulders.Minhyuk noticed it and pointed a finger over at Dongmin. “Don't you dare read my mind,” he warned. “I have to deal with you magical users all of the time, and my thoughts aren't supposed to be shared to you guys!”“Alright, alright.” Dongmin smirked into his beer. “All I'm getting is some kid – he's a year younger? And he's tall, screams loudly-”“Myungjun, tell him to knock it off!” Minhyuk whined, still pointing a finger in Dongmin's direction.Myungjun finished off his beer and slammed the can down on the table. “I can't do anything about him, Minhyuk. He'll read my mind and figure out what I'm going to do. Speaking of which-” Myungjun wiggled his eyebrows and opened his mouth, but Dongmin beat him to the chase.“No, my boyfriend is not a magic user, and, no, I don't read his mind. Just yours, because you're weird and unpredictable.”Myungjun closed his mouth again and huffed. “Does he know you're a mind reader?”Finally, something seemed to make Dongmin nervous about that, and the man shifted in his seat. “Um...yes, because I let a few things slip when I first started trying to court him.”“Court him, kick this guy out of our house, Myungjun,” Minhyuk mumbled.Myungjun smiled brightly and shot Dongmin a thumbs up. “I'm glad it worked out for you, though! Are you two living here now?”“Yes, we moved back here for work-related purposes. I think we should have a double-date one day.” Dongmin returned Myungjun's smile. “You and that witch, and me and Binnie.”He had to endure Myungjun gushing over the adorable nickname of Binnie for the rest of the evening, but when Myungjun arrived at work the very next day to see Jinwoo already standing there in wait, he suddenly realized that he really did want to go on a date with Jinwoo. He wasn't a fortune teller, and he couldn't read what the future would hold, but he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that spending the rest of his life with Jinwoo was all that he wanted for himself.“It's a little early for baked goods, isn't it, Jinwoo?” Myungjun asked, announcing his arrival.Jinwoo jumped, nearly dropping the box he held. “Oh, god, you scared me!” he muttered.“Sorry about that.” Myungjun responded and unlocked the doors to his bakery. “Seriously, though, why are you here so early? Can't it wait until this afternoon?”Jinwoo shook his head. “Sometimes I have orders for, um, potions and stuff, and I thought I had chamomile available, but, um, it's dead, too. That was one that I had gotten recently, so I don't know what happened. I had been watering it as the instructions told me to.”“I think you suck at keeping things alive, Jinwoo.”“It's a good thing you suck at keeping things dead.”Myungjun giggled as he flipped on the lights, to the small bakery. “That's true. Here-”He cleared a spot on his counter and gestured for Jinwoo to pass over the box. When Jinwoo did so, Myungjun peeked inside and let out a low whistle. “Not as bad as the others, but it's dead. Really dead. I don't get how you're so good at using your hands for some stuff, but not for this.”Jinwoo scrunched his nose up in thought. “I'm good at using my hands?”“Yeah, you groped my ass yesterday. Best ass-groping I've had in a long time, Jinwoo, I gave it a one hundred percent.”He liked seeing the color drain from Jinwoo's face, and he grinned widely. “You have the decency to look sheepish, too, but don't worry, I liked it a lot. Now, then-”Ignoring the fact that Jinwoo was probably going to have a mental breakdown right in front of him, Myungjun took the chamomile out from the box and spread his fingers out over it. The warmth coursed through him as he put his focus in bringing the plant back to life again.“Aren't we supposed to do it in the back room?” Jinwoo asked, his voice down to a whisper.“The groping? Sure.”“No! The...necromancy.”Myungjun laughed and shook his head. “We're technically still closed, and no one's going to find anything weird about us.”“We're two grown men standing real close together over a dead plant that's slowly coming back to life.”“See, it sounds weird when you put it that way,” Myungjun responded. “Here, just shield me with that handsome body of yours so no one peeks in through the windows to watch.”Jinwoo groaned, muttering something along the lines of, “You're the weirdest out of both of us,” but he did as Myungjun had requested.There was another lull in the conversation, and Myungjun periodically glanced up from his work to look at Jinwoo. He nearly lost his focus twice, admiring the way Jinwoo's jawline looked when he turned his head, admiring the way Jinwoo's nervous eyes kept darting back to the windows, so filled with concern, admiring the way Jinwoo's tongue would peek out to lick at his lips when they got too dry.While he definitely was attracted to Jinwoo right then, he couldn't help but wonder what all Jinwoo had to go through. Myungjun thought his own life was difficult, but seeing Jinwoo's fear of being found out made him realize that a witch, certainly, wouldn't have the same comforts that he had. There was a distinct lack of supportive family members, as Myungjun had already learned, and did Jinwoo even have any friends?“What?” Jinwoo finally noticed Myungjun looking at him.Myungjun was unashamed to have been caught. “Has life been difficult for you?” he asked quietly.The question had taken Jinwoo by surprise, and he seemed to contemplate Myungjun's inquiry before responding. “It's hard for all magic users.”“I assume it's harder for a witch.”Jinwoo bit his lip.Myungjun took his silence as a chance to continue. “I was telling some friends last night, but...when I was twelve, I was locked inside a janitorial closet at school.”He relayed the story to Jinwoo, including all sorts of self-depreciating humor that he possibly could, including all sorts of smiles that he possibly could. “I'm over it now,” he ended with, and just as he finished the story, he finished the chamomile, as well. “I'm good now.”“Are you, though?”Myungjun thought back to the nonchalant conversation just the previous evening, to Dongmin's concerned gaze watching over him. He thought back to how dark and cold it was, all alone in that closet, and to the teacher who had opened the door and caught sight of him, and despite Myungjun crying out, “Please, help!” had closed the door on a young child.He mostly thought back, though, to the principal refuting his father with one simple statement.He's a necromancer.And then Myungjun broke.“I-I-I don't want to be a necromancer!” he sobbed out suddenly, and he hid his face in his hands. The tears that spilled from his eyes stained his fingers. “I want t-to be Myungjun!”He hadn't realized that Jinwoo had taken him in an embrace until he felt the man's breath in his ear, a simple, “Shh,” washing over him. It made Myungjun cry all the more, knowing that he was being comforted by Earth's most feared creature.“I'm sorry,” he apologized shakily, hiccups escaping from his mouth. Jinwoo held him tightly, and those familiar hands of his rubbed up and down Myungjun's back. Myungjun felt terrible, however; Jinwoo had gone through worse, probably. Jinwoo deserved to be in this position. And yet, for some reason, he couldn't stop from crying loudly. “I'm so sorry!”There was a sudden kiss placed on his forehead, bangs being pushed up in order to make way for Jinwoo's lips. It didn't stop Myungjun's tears, but it sent a rush of warmth down his body, replacing the slight fatigue that had been brought about from using his powers.Another kiss, and then Jinwoo spoke.“You are Myungjun. You're Myungjun, the baker with the most beautiful laugh in the world. You're Myungjun, the guy who likes my hands and talks about his butt too much. You're Myungjun, the only person I've ever met who accepts a witch without blinking an eye.”He kissed Myungjun's temple, mouth lingering slightly as he sighed.“You're Myungjun.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Myungjun was fourteen, he was punched in the face.He didn't like blood very much. He never had, honestly. He thought he would become used to the sight of blood, after how many animals he ended up rescuing off of the streets, but he never did. It was a sign of pain and death, and those things made him feel queasy. He supposed he was more in tune with it than others – healing broken and mauled creatures he found gave him plenty of time to imagine just how they got into that state, and he never liked where his imagination took him.He had just finished bringing back a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest. He took it carefully in his hands, smiling brightly when it chirped at him. He had taken care of a few baby birds at that point, and he had already given it a name while hovering his hands over it.“Little Ant,” he murmured, and he wiped some leftover ants off of it. “You're going to grow into a big baby bird, aren't you? I guess that would make you an adult bird, huh?”The bird chirped. Myungjun giggled.“I'll make sure you're safe, don't worry! You'll grow big and strong and I want you to make sure you take care of your baby birds when you have them, okay Little Ant?”He would have continued to coo and coddle the bird had he not heard a loud, angry hey! behind him. When he turned and looked, he noticed several boys standing nearby. Two of them looked shocked, but the other two looked mean.Myungjun offered them a small smile. “Can I help you?”They were walking towards him, and Myungjun moved back instinctively. Before he had much more of a chance to react, one of the boys knocked the bird out of his hand and stepped on it.Myungjun heard the chirp, the breaking of bones, and he felt that unwelcome weight on his heart, the imagination of what the bird must have gone through propelling through his mind.His hands, still outstretched in a cupped position, shook.“You filthy witch,” one of the boys snapped, and then Myungjun was punched.Blood came from his nose, and he tentatively touched it. His fingers trembled when they withdrew and the crimson liquid covered the tips of them.He was punched again, and once more, and he lost track after the fourth punch.He had no idea how to defend himself. The boys laughed at him, insults pouring from their mouths as he was compared to every magical being there was; witch, however, was one of the more repeated insults. Witch was the worst insult.By the time they left, Myungjun felt around and counted three different open wounds where blood was coming from. While he had encountered blood on animals before, while his hands had been stained red from his necromancy before, it was never his own blood.He didn't know what to do. He couldn't heal himself at all – so, instead, he turned to the baby bird, body crushed from the weight of the boot that had stepped down on it.It took longer to bring back to life for the more extensive death it suffered, and by the time he heard that sweet, small chirp, he was in tears.Myungjun cradled the baby bird and apologized for not keeping his original promise. He apologized for not keeping the bird safe and for allowing it to go through such a horrible ordeal on his watch.When he arrived home, his mother didn't question the tears and the blood and the bird in his hands. She simply watched sadly as Myungjun dug up worms and grub from her garden, and when Myungjun lay in bed that night, the baby bird chirping on his bedside table in a nest of Myungjun's own making, he heard her crying to his father, “Why does he have to go through all of this?”He had always wanted to apologize for making his mother worry, for using his powers in plain sight, for being born.The next day, when his mother put ointment on his bruises and looked at him with such worry in her gaze, Myungjun realized how much older she seemed. Did she always have so many wrinkles? Did she always have stress lines on her forehead?She kissed his cheek and whispered, “Don't let them put you down, Myungjun. You're perfect.” She had cleared her throat, then continued, “I'll feed and take care of Little Ant while you're at school. Pay attention in class!”Little Ant grew up, and Myungjun named him Big Ant before releasing him.Myungjun still hated blood, but realized it was probably better coming from him than it was some poor creature on the side of the road. At the very least, he hadn't gone through the pain they had, and he would rather they have the chance to live happy, healthy lives.He would take the punches if it meant no one else had to.“Jinwoo hasn't come in today.” Minhyuk broke through Myungjun's silent reminiscing.“Hm? Oh.” Myungjun nodded his head in acknowledgment. “Yeah.”Truth be told, he didn't know if Jinwoo would be coming in at all. The circumstances yesterday had left them both looking awkwardly at each other, when Myungjun had finally stopped his wailing, and after Jinwoo helped Myungjun dry his tears and clean his face, the witch had stammered out an apology for kissing him without permission and had then quickly taken off.“I guess you brought all of his plants back to life?”“Guess so.”“I thought he really had a crush on you.” Minhyuk clicked his tongue up against the roof of his mouth. “He seriously only came to see you, you know.”“And to fix his plants. He's a...” Myungjun glanced around the shop at the few customers, then whispered, “A you know what. He needs the plants to perform...you know what.”Minhyuk blinked. “Witch? Spells?”No one in the shop heard, but Myungjun still sighed loudly anyway. “You're the worst.” He took off his apron with a frown. “I'm going to head home for the evening. I had tons of plants today, with or without Jinwoo, and I'm exhausted. You can finish up here, right?”“Yeah.” Minhyuk nodded his head, then gestured for Myungjun to leave. “You're not much of any help, anyway.”“Shut up, Minhyuk.” Myungjun stuck his tongue out at the younger boy before waving his farewell and walking out the door.He took the usual path back to his house, down a few empty back roads, mostly in order to avoid any major locations. Roadkill was more common along the main roads, and Myungjun's heart couldn't handle seeing the poor animals laying there, tossed aside like garbage on the side of the street. He knew he would showcase his powers for the world to see if he came across one of those animals, and he didn't want to cause an issue for his living situation should people take unkindly to a necromancer roaming the neighborhood.Back roads sometimes housed dead creatures, but it was Myungjun's first time coming across a human, laying face down in the middle of the sidewalk.“Oh, god,” he mumbled upon noticing the pool of blood surrounding the poor man. “In broad daylight, too.” He sighed and walked forward. He had never brought a human back to life before, and he already knew that it would take quite a lot of energy should he attempt to do so.He figured calling the police was a better option, so he took out his phone and dialed the number.They requested a description of the scene and Myungjun inched closer to the man. “There's a lot of blood, I guess, I don't know where it's coming from. He's...short, and he has blond hair, like it's dyed, and-”The description sounded familiar as Myungjun spoke it, and his heart raced suddenly. Without worrying about the blood, he bent down and rolled the man over.He dropped the phone. It clattered on the ground, finding home in one of the many puddles of blood.“Ji-Jinwoo?” Myungjun breathed out. “Jinwoo?”His face was beaten and blood was everywhere, but Myungjun recognized him instantly.The movement seemed to have awoken Jinwoo from his state of unconsciousness, and his eyes instantly found focus on Myungjun. They were wide and fearful, seeking out the sort of comfort that he had given to Myungjun just the day before.But Myungjun had no idea how to comfort a man who was just barely lingering in life.“Myungjun?” his words were slurred, and there was blood around his lips. Myungjun frantically ran his fingers through Jinwoo's hair, his own breath coming out in quick, harsh movements. Being a necromancer was no good if he could only sit here and wait for Jinwoo to die. Being a necromancer was no good if it meant he couldn't bring forth life until Jinwoo suffered even more.“Shh, you'll be okay,” Myungjun responded, voice shaking slightly as he looked over the wounds. “Oh, god, Jinwoo, what the hell happened to you?”Jinwoo winced from some sort of pain, from one of the many wounds covering his body, and Myungjun reached over to hold onto his hand tightly. “I got careless,” Jinwoo responded, and Myungjun had to lean in to hear him speak. “Did a spell down the street f-for this child. Just wanted to cheer the-the child up. She lost her ice cream cone.” Jinwoo was struggling to talk. “And some men followed me here – I was just coming to-to the bakery. I got- I got henbane-” He pointed, and Myungjun's eyes darted quickly to a broken pot on the ground, the dead plant surrounded by piles of soil “-and then- they stabbed me.”He was crying now, big, fat tears rolling down his cheeks and mingling with the blood. “They stabbed me.”“I know, it's okay. You'll be fine, Jinwoo, it's alright.” Myungjun didn't want to call the police again. He didn't want to call an ambulance. Jinwoo wasn't going to last, anyway, and he didn't want to have to sneak in and explain he was a necromancer trying to heal the witch that he had fallen in love with. Something told Myungjun that idea really wouldn't work.“I'm go-going to die, right?” Jinwoo whispered.Myungjun didn't want to lie. He nodded his head and swallowed past the lump in his throat.“Not for long?” Jinwoo asked.Myungjun took a deep, shuddering breath. He had never brought back a human before. It was possible, certainly, but animals and plants were one thing – he had never attempted something as complex as a human before.“Not for long,” he promised Jinwoo, and he felt his own tears drip down his cheeks. They landed on Jinwoo's bloodied chest, and Jinwoo gave him a soft smile.“Don't be-be crying when I wake up?”“Shut up, Jinwoo,” Myungjun choked out.He stayed with Jinwoo until he died, bleeding out from the knife wounds that had been created in his chest. And he stayed there, hands hovering over Jinwoo's body, as the energy left Myungjun, as he worked tirelessly to bring the witch back to life, back to perfect health.“I love you,” he whispered, urging himself on whenever he felt a bit of exhaustion take over. “I love you, Park Jinwoo, I love you more than anything, I love you and I'm going to save you.”His hands almost slipped from their position, and he begged his powers to hold out, just for a little bit longer.He had no idea how much time had passed. An hour, maybe two. The sun had already set. He wondered if Minhyuk was worried. His phone was just as good as dead, and he wondered if Minhyuk had tried calling.He kept his hands hovering above Jinwoo's body as his energy continued to flow out and his eyesight became blurry. When he finally heard a deep inhale of breath, he dropped his hands. “Jinwoo?” he murmured.Jinwoo was breathing harshly and feeling around at his own body. “Y-You actually did it- Myungjun? Myungjun, are you okay?”Myungjun had fallen forward. He grasped on Jinwoo's body and buried his head into the bloodied shirt. All he could smell was sharp iron, the garbage nearby, the sweat on both his and Jinwoo's persons.“Took a lot out of me,” he whispered, and his fingers clenched Jinwoo's shirt.Jinwoo swallowed thickly and relaxed. “I bet it did,” he responded. “Thank you, Myungjun.”Myungjun whined and shook his head, denying himself the chance to accept Jinwoo's gratitude. He didn't need it; he just needed Jinwoo's hands to wrap around him, as they did, to hold him closely and tightly.They lay there together, Myungjun on top of Jinwoo, in the middle of a dark, empty road, both covered in blood and both equally exhausted. After a while, Myungjun heard Jinwoo crying.“M-Myungjun?”“Yes?”“I-I don't want to die again.”His sobs cut through Myungjun's heart, piercing into him. Myungjun never wanted to let go of Jinwoo, and he closed his eyes and tried blocking out the sounds of the city in the distance.“I won't let you die again, Jinwoo.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Myungjun was sixteen, Park Minhyuk moved in next door.He was eleven years old and took taekwondo, which Myungjun only knew because he would practice in his front yard in uniform constantly. Myungjun didn't pay him too much attention, on account that he was five years older than Minhyuk was and thus five years cooler.(Except Minhyuk had all of his friends constantly coming by to hang out with him, and Myungjun really did attempt to ignore the bitter jealousy that welled up inside whenever he heard them playing around together, so in the end, maybe Minhyuk was cooler.)It was the second time Myungjun and his family had to move to change schools, and Myungjun had hoped that his secret would be kept well-hidden here, but he was too optimistic, it seemed. Word got out that a necromancer lived in the neighborhood, and soon even the children at school were pointing to him.But then, some of the kids said, it could be that Park Minhyuk kid, because he was tough and seemed a little bit different from the rest of his age group.So what started out as Minhyuk being extremely popular and always inviting tons of friends ended up becoming a situation very similar to Myungjun's life; lonely.But unlike most normal kids, who would have steered clear of Myungjun, Minhyuk confronted him head on, knocking on his door one afternoon with the grumpiest expression Myungjun had ever seen on some eleven-year old child.“Are you that necromancer?” was Minhyuk's greeting.Myungjun sighed loudly and ran a hand over his face. He didn't want to deal with this right now, but it seemed he didn't have much of a choice.“Why?”“Because I'm holding a birthday party and I invited my entire class, and none of them came because all of them are scared of the necromancer that lives in our neighborhood! And it's you, isn't it?” Minhyuk crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. “You're the reason I don't have any friends coming over to my birthday party!”Despite knowing full well that he hadn't really done anything wrong, Myungjun felt the need to apologize. He had always apologized for his existence. And he always did feel truly sorry for it. “I'm sorry, Minhyuk. Happy birthday, though.” He moved to close the door, content on holing himself in his room under his blankets, but then Minhyuk grabbed the door, refusing to allow it to close.“You have to pay me back for no one showing up to my party!”“How much do you want?” Myungjun hardly had any money, as it was. He wouldn't mind giving Minhyuk the few coins he did hold in his wallet right then.“No, I want you to come to my birthday. I'm not going to celebrate it alone.” Minhyuk pointed over at his house. “I have cake, too, and a lot of cool video games to play.”The offer was tempting, but Myungjun's idea of fun wasn't hanging out with a kid five years younger than him. “No, thanks,” Myungjun responded, and before he could close the door again, the kid huffed.“Then I'll sit here knocking on your door until you come out.”“I'll call the police.”“Are the police going to believe a necromancer?”Myungjun grit his teeth down and finally accepted. Surprisingly, Minhyuk's angry expression disappeared in an instant, and he was cheerful for the entire visit. Minhyuk's mother wore the angry expression instead as she watched her son play video games and eat cake with the neighborhood necromancer, but Myungjun was used to that by then.Soon after the birthday incident, Myungjun was banned from Minhyuk's house, courtesy of Minhyuk's mother. Minhyuk would come over to Myungjun's house then, until his mother banned him from doing that, as well. The only time they would ever get to hang out, finally, was the early hours of the morning, when Minhyuk would sneak out through his window and climb in through Myungjun's.They would stay up all night usually, whispering so as to not wake up Myungjun's parents, and Myungjun would always end their conversations with, “You need to stop doing this, your mom will get mad.”So when Minhyuk came in late one night with bruises on his face and an explanation of, “I think my mom figured out,” Myungjun felt the guilt well up inside of him.As soon as Minhyuk was of age to leave his parents, Myungjun accepted him as a roommate, and he had never regretted the decision to do so.Especially when he arrived home covered in Jinwoo's blood and knocking weakly on the front door to their apartment space.Minhyuk answered with the first knock, looking extremely worried. “I tried to call but – holy shit, Myungjun, what the hell happened?! You're covered in-”“I know.” Myungjun shuffled inside and instantly began removing his shirt. He wanted to get away from the blood. He had to get away from the blood before he panicked again. “Minhyuk, please grab me a garbage bag.”Minhyuk's eyes were wide and Myungjun could tell the boy was full of questions, but Minhyuk simply nodded and grabbed a bag for Myungjun to put his clothes in. The shirt went in first, then the shoes and socks, and finally his pants.“None...none of the blood is yours?” Minhyuk spoke finally, quietly, looking Myungjun over with concern in his gaze.Myungjun shook his head, and then headed off to the bathroom.“Then whose-?”“Jinwoo,” Myungjun responded, and he started the shower. Minhyuk followed behind, closing up the garbage bag. His eyes were still wide.“Jinwoo?”Myungjun climbed into the shower, sighing in relief when the hot water rushed over him. He just nodded his head, choosing to not yet respond to Minhyuk's inquiries.When Myungjun finished scrubbing all of Jinwoo's blood off of him, Minhyuk was ready with a towel. And when Myungjun slipped and fell on the bathroom floor due to sheer exhaustion, Minhyuk was there to prop him up. He helped Myungjun dry his hair, helped him change, and helped him to his bed.“I'm so sorry, Minhyuk,” Myungjun murmured, his eyes closed. Minhyuk shushed him, but Myungjun continued regardless. “I'll explain it tomorrow, I promise, I'm just so tired. I'm so sleepy.”“You must be,” Minhyuk responded, pulling the covers up to Myungjun's chin. “Just get plenty of rest. Don't worry about the bakery tomorrow, I've got it covered.”Minhyuk, Myungjun realized, was too nice. Minhyuk deserved everything in the world, and yet Myungjun couldn't offer his best friend a single thing.And when Myungjun woke up in the middle of the night, sleep plagued with nightmares, all he could think of was, I need Minhyuk.Minhyuk hardly ever slept in his room, usually choosing instead to fall asleep on the couch, and so Myungjun went there first. Sure enough, Minhyuk was curled up in a blanket.“Minhyuk?” Myungjun whispered.Minhyuk sighed and groaned out, “What?”“I can't sleep by myself right now. Can I sleep with you?”“You're twenty-five, hyung, don't you think you're a bit old for that?”When Myungjun didn't respond to the little quip, Minhyuk pressed himself up against the couch, allowing Myungjun to lay down beside him.Myungjun still didn't sleep. He listened to Minhyuk's quiet breathing for a few minutes before whispering, “I wish magic didn't exist.”“Mm.”“And I wish we never met, so that way you wouldn't have gotten hit by your mom all of the time because of me.”“Mm.”Myungjun stared at the back of Minhyuk's head, at the mussed hair that was likely to be sticking up in all directions come tomorrow morning.“And I wish I had never been born.”Minhyuk was silent. He turned slowly, eyes still closed, and enveloped Myungjun in a hug. Myungjun didn't hesitate to wrap his own arms around Minhyuk.And if Minhyuk noticed the snot and tears that began to gather in his shirt, he didn't mention it.Myungjun didn't remember falling asleep, but he must have been sleeping deeply. When he awoke, Minhyuk was gone, having left behind a note that read, I can open the bakery today – you just focus on resting up and coming in whenever you can!Myungjun would have cried again at Minhyuk's goodness, except he felt like his tears had dried up. Crying wasn't something he did often, and crying for two or three days was a little much for him. So instead he smiled, folded the note carefully, and put it on his dresser in his room.The moment Minhyuk would act like a twit again, Myungjun would read the note and remind himself that Minhyuk was really just a big sweetheart, and that he did not deserve to have Myungjun's dirty underwear thrown his way.He arrived at the bakery with a wide smile on his face, which Minhyuk returned.“Any clients?” was Myungjun's first question, choosing to ignore the events that had taken place the previous evening. Minhyuk seemed to understand Myungjun's reluctance to talk about such heavy topics, because he just nodded his head, then gestured at the back room.“Jinwoo's there.”Myungjun lost his smile. “Jinwoo?”“I tried calling to let you know, but I forgot your phone's in that garbage bag. He was already here when I came in earlier this morning.” Minhyuk shrugged his shoulders. “He has two boxes this time, I don't know if-”The necromancer didn't wait to hear the rest of Minhyuk's statement. He hurried into the back room – sure enough, Jinwoo was already seated with a small pot in front of him and two boxes on the floor beside him. When he noticed Myungjun's sudden arrival, he waved a hand nervously.“He-Hello.”Myungjun shut the door behind him and responded, “Hello.”An awkward silence fell. Myungjun wasn't sure what to say. After they had finally gotten up the previous night, Jinwoo mentioned that he should be getting home to arrive before his roommate, so as to ensure no one else saw the blood stains on his clothes. And Myungjun had stood there as Jinwoo gave him a hug quickly and then rushed off down the street, keeping to the shadows just in case anyone was around.He had died yesterday, but he looked just as terrible today. His face was still bruised slightly (“They kicked me when I was down,” Jinwoo muttered when Myungjun had gently touched some of the wounds) and he seemed shaky, as if he hadn't slept at all.“Are you okay?” Myungjun whispered.Jinwoo nodded at first, then stopped and shook his head. “I, um, I didn't arrive home before my roommate,” he muttered. “And I suck at lying, and I...had to tell him the truth.” Jinwoo played with his fingers and didn't look up at Myungjun. “He told me he wouldn't tell anybody, but he kicked me out.”Myungjun stared at Jinwoo, and the witch continued. “So if I could stay here for the time being, that'd be okay. I brought my clothes and a blanket, so I don't mind-”“You can stay with me,” Myungjun decided quickly, grabbing the pot away from Jinwoo. “Minhyuk never sleeps in his bed, so you can use that. Just cook us breakfast in the morning and that's payment.”“I'm not intruding on you like that! Seriously, I can sleep in this back room.You've done enough for me, Myungjun.”“I'll never do enough for you,” Myungjun responded, and he hovered his hands over the plant Jinwoo had brought. “You're staying with me.”Jinwoo shifted in his seat. “Minhyuk might not like that idea.”To prove him wrong, Myungjun called out, “Minhyuk!” And then, in a regular, inside-voice, stated, “Minhyuk seriously won't care, Jinwoo.”“But I'm a witch-”“He helps me run a shop where all different sorts of magical creatures come inside, and I raise things from the dead,” Myungjun responded. “I'm not lying, he doesn't care.”Jinwoo bit his lip and Myungjun looked up at him. “Stop worrying, Jinwoo.”“I'm a little low on money right now-”“Keep grabbing my butt, that sounds like a good rent to me.”He quite enjoyed seeing the blush pop up on Jinwoo's face, but he couldn't even comment on it right then, due to the fact he was more concerned with making certain Jinwoo would have Minhyuk's permission. “Where is that twit?” he mumbled, and yelled out once more, “Park Minhyuk, come here!”It took a few seconds for Minhyuk to finally poke his head through the door. “I have an order of cookies I'm working on, Myungjun. What?”“Can Jinwoo live with us until he finds a new place?”Minhyuk blinked, seemingly confused, but then nodded his head. Before he went back to his baking, however, he pointed a finger at Jinwoo. “No turning me into a toad, you hear me?”“He won't!” Myungjun smiled brightly, and when Minhyuk left (after shooting Jinwoo one last glare), Myungjun excitedly turned to Jinwoo and couldn't help but let his smile stretch into a grin. “I'll like having you nearby,” he said. “You won't get into any trouble on my watch.”Jinwoo cleared his throat and put his hands in his lap. “You promised I wouldn't die again.”Myungjun finished bringing Jinwoo's dead plant back to life, proud that he recognized this one; white lilies. They were bright against the dark soil, a sure change from the wilted mess that they had been. His smile turned softer and he moved his own hands away from the lilies before pushing the pot over to Jinwoo."And you won't die again. Not while I'm around." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Myungjun was eighteen, he had his first crush on a boy.It had been a gradual thing. The boy was Myungjun's age and would smile at him every so often. Perhaps it was the first act of kindness anyone other than Minhyuk had shown to Myungjun, but whatever the case, Myungjun latched onto that smile. He wanted to see it every waking moment of every single day, and he actually began looking forward to going to school, if only so the boy would smile his way once again.Myungjun had dreams of the boy being by his side forever.His parents noticed a change in Myungjun's attitude. He was happier and brighter than he had been before. He was still ridiculed by his classmates and the teachers, but then he would walk down the hallway to his next class, and the boy would be passing the other way, and he would smile.Myungjun soon began to smile back, lips stretching out across his face from his full grin. He would wave sometimes, too, and the boy wouldn't wave at him, but he would duck his head with the same, familiar smile that Myungjun had grown to love and cherish.He told no one about his crush, not even Minhyuk. He kept it to himself, the smiles and the three seconds a day he saw the boy, wrapped only inside of his own heart and mind.He had only expected the crush to be kept to those simple glances in the hallway, so he was rather surprised when the boy came up to him one day and, seemingly embarrassed, asked Myungjun, “This Friday, do you want to go out with me?”A few students nearby looked just as shocked as Myungjun was sure he looked. “Out? With...with you?” He didn't even know the boy's name.And he didn't think to ask. He agreed rather quickly, nodding his head with enthusiasm, and had written down the address of where they were supposed to meet.All he told his mother before leaving that Friday was, “I'm just meeting up with a classmate. We have to work on a project together. They seem nice, though, so I think it'll be okay.” His mother, while terribly worried, let him go with a quick hug and a reminder to be home by eleven that night.Myungjun had left early, taking the bus and trying to calm his jittery nerves. It was his first date. It was the first time anyone had shown any sort of interest in him. He didn't even know how he should act; did the boy know he was a necromancer?The bus arrived at the location the boy had given Myungjun, and he was confused that there were no buildings nearby. There was just a forest ahead, and Myungjun stared inquisitively out at the trees.“Myungjun?”He spun to see the boy standing nearby, then broke out into a relieved smile. Before he could say anything (he still needed to ask for a name), the boy gestured to the forest. “Let's go!”“In there?”“I have something really cool I'd like to show you. It's a secret place for me, and I think you'd enjoy it.” He held out his hand suddenly, and Myungjun looked down at it. The boy's fingers wiggled. “You're supposed to hold my hand, Myungjun. Haven't you been on a date before?”Myungjun blinked. “Oh! Yeah! Loads.” The palm of his hand was sweaty, but the boy held on tightly, anyway. His fingers were long and slender, and they wrapped around Myungjun's hand nicely.Myungjun felt himself blush and he had to look down in order to hide his smile.Once at the edge of the forest, Myungjun cleared his throat. He was beginning to get a sinking feeling in his gut; this entire situation was starting to seem weird. “What's your name?” he asked.The boy didn't answer that question. “It's not too deep into the forest.”It was dark outside, though, and the forest looked creepy. Myungjun slowed and finally came to a stop.“Why won't you tell me your name?”An emotion passed over the boy's face, and Myungjun picked up on it instantly; irritation. The boy was irritated. But was it directed at him? And if it was, why? Myungjun felt like he deserved to know the name of the boy he was going on a date with.He wondered if he had only accepted because he was starving for attention.The boy suddenly leaned in close to him. He was taller than Myungjun, and the irritation was gone, replaced instead with a sullen stare. “Myungjun, do you trust me?”Myungjun stayed quiet, eyes wide as he looked up.“Myungjun-” The boy was close, and without even asking, without even giving any sort of indication, the boy kissed Myungjun.It wasn't a chaste kiss. It was deep, sensual, and Myungjun felt his eyes close and his knees go weak. He didn't know how to kiss back, didn't know how to move his lips, but the boy seemed fine enough doing it all himself.When he pulled back, Myungjun was certain his lips were bruised.“Myungjun, do you trust me?”Myungjun nodded his head, feeling very much like he was in a daze. The boy smiled, that same, familiar smile Myungjun had grown to adore, and then pulled him deeper into the woods.“I've wanted to kiss you for a long time, Myungjun,” the boy said suddenly as they walked. “I wish you had been more responsive to my kiss.” He glanced over at Myungjun. “Didn't you say you've been on loads of dates?”Myungjun struggled to formulate a response. “I...yeah,” he responded. “But, um-”“Was this your first kiss?”He must have hesitated for too long, because the boy suddenly began giggling. “No wonder you couldn't kiss back very well.”Myungjun was pleased it was dark out, because the night enveloped most of his face and hid his blushing rather well.At some point, the boy stopped suddenly. They were in the middle of a clearing with a shovel nearby. Myungjun blinked at the shovel, trying to figure out why it was just laying out in the open like that. It was then he noticed a small area that had been dug away, and when he peered through the darkness at it, he realized it was dug out quite like a grave was.“What's-?”“You know this sight very well, don't you?” When the boy spoke again, his words were harsh, and he suddenly shoved at Myungjun. “Did you honestly think I was going out with you? You're a necromancer. You practically live in graves, don't you?”Myungjun stumbled forward but managed to catch himself from falling. He felt like an idiot. He had truly believed that someone was showing some form of interest in him, and that earlier excitement he had welling up in his stomach had all plummeted. It was nothing more than a lie. He felt sick.The boy pointed at the grave. “Get in.”“What?”“I said get in!” The boy was walking over to Myungjun. Myungjun stepped back, his eyes wide. “Or I'll make you get in there.”Myungjun didn't know how to protect himself. The boy lunged and had grabbed him, twisting his arm until Myungjun had cried out, and then began to push him toward the grave. Once they were close enough to the ditch, Myungjun noticed a makeshift coffin, opened and awaiting him, laying inside of the grave.His heart hammered in his chest and he doubled his efforts to get out of the boy's grip.“You magic creeps aren't normal,” the boy snapped viciously. “You don't deserve life! You're a threat to everyone!”Myungjun wanted to ask how he was a threat. After all, he just brought back flowers and animals from the dead; how did he threaten society? The unfairness of it all overwhelmed him, and with a renewed determination to not be shoved into a coffin and suffocate to death, he managed to spin around and knock the boy off of him.“Do you think it's smart to mess with a necromancer?” he asked, trying to quell the shaking of his voice. “We can kill things just as well as we can bring them back.”The boy faltered, and Myungjun felt pleased; his bluff might work in his favor. “You're lying.”“Want to find out?”“There's no fucking way.”Myungjun stretched out a hand and the boy stepped back. “When we bring things back to life, death enters our body. We can dole out this death anytime we want to. So, basically, I can deliver to you what I took from some stray cat I found on the side of the road; I gave the cat life just as well as I can give you death.”It was nothing but a lie; even if Myungjun was able to kill people, anyway, he already knew he wouldn't dare use such dangerous powers.At least the boy believed him, though. The boy cursed at Myungjun as he turned to run, yelling over his shoulder, “You're dead if you show up to school, you freak!”Myungjun stayed out there by himself for a while. He allowed himself to cry over his first kiss, and when he finally arrived home, he managed to put on a smile and fool his mother into thinking everything was fine with him.He dropped out of school the next day. The school administration didn't mind very much. They were probably happy to see him go. And his parents, while disappointed, understood his reasoning. He worked at a gas station further from home where no one knew his secret, and he kept to himself from then on.And if someone smiled his way, he ignored it.He had blocked much of the first date out of his memory, so when he was walking home with Jinwoo and Minhyuk, one of Jinwoo's boxes in his arms, and was asked by the witch, “Myungjun, have you ever had your first kiss?” it left an unpleasant feeling in his stomach.Minhyuk scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Would anyone kiss a necromancer?”“You haven't had your first kiss, either, you little twerp,” Myungjun shot back, glaring over at his friend. “And you can't even use the excuse of magic, it's just that you're ugly.”Minhyuk stuck his tongue out at Myungjun; Myungjun did the same back to Minhyuk.“Anyway,” he mumbled when he was certain Minhyuk wouldn't make any more quips. “Why did you ask?”Jinwoo gave Myungjun a small smile, soft and unsure, then shrugged. “Just wondering.”“Is it because you want to be my first kiss?” he asked teasingly, and Jinwoo blushed.“No.”“You've already grabbed my butt. That was nice.”“You said you've gotten your butt grabbed before, though.”“Yeah, it was when Minhyuk got drunk for the first time-”Minhyuk tried to kick at Myungjun, but Myungjun gleefully dodged it, managing to be quick even while holding a box of Jinwoo's clothes in his hands. “I thought you took taekwondo, Minhyuk! Gotta be faster than that!”Minhyuk's next kick landed, and Myungjun had to limp the rest of the way home.“Have you had your first kiss, Jinwoo?” Myungjun asked, acting as pitiful as possible in order to make Minhyuk feel guilty for hurting him (it didn't work – Minhyuk just giggled brightly at Myungjun's current state of physical ailment).Jinwoo pursed his lips, then mumbled, “I kissed your forehead.”“Yeah, like, three times. Man, that was nice. Can that be our first kiss?”“It has to be on the lips, Myungjun,” Jinwoo responded, very much matter-of-factly, and Myungjun made a face at him.“Fine. Can we have our first kiss soon?”“Guys, I'm still here,” Minhyuk groaned, trudging along beside Myungjun. “And I know you two are going to be real handsy since we're all living together now, but please, spare me all this kissing nonsense. I'll accept the sex you two will inevitably-”He didn't say anything else. He ducked suddenly, hiding behind a garbage bin and ignoring Jinwoo's complaints of, “We're not having sex, I'm sleeping in your room, I'm never going to touch Myungjun!”Myungjun, too, ignored Jinwoo's complaints and stared down at his friend. “Minhyuk? Are you alright? I know you're full of trash, but this isn't your home. Home is right in front of us.”“Shut up!” Minhyuk hissed, and he peeked out from over the top of the trash can. “Sanha is there!”“Sanha?” Myungjun looked up again. The tall kid from next door was just entering his own apartment. He hadn't seemed to notice the peculiar group with boxes standing nearby, and when the door shut behind him, Minhyuk gave a loud sigh. “Oh!” Myungjun announced loudly, and turned to Jinwoo with a large grin. “He's in love with that tall, dorky kid. They've never spoken, but they both run away whenever they see each other. Isn't it adorable?”“Shut up, Myungjun!” Minhyuk was out from his hiding spot now, brushing himself off and trying very hard to retain his cool composure.But Myungjun wasn't helping with that. “I told him he needs to go over and grope Sanha's butt, but he just got real embarrassed and couldn't talk, but I know he was thinking about Sanha's cute, little butt, I don't even need Dongmin for that-”Minhyuk was storming off, and Myungjun watched proudly. It was payback for kicking him.“Did you make him angry enough?” Jinwoo asked as Minhyuk slammed the door shut to their apartment.“Mm, he's gotten angrier before.” Myungjun giggled and glanced over at Jinwoo. “Seriously, though, why were you asking about first kisses?”“I can wonder, can't I?” Jinwoo defended himself. “Anyway, like you mentioned earlier, I groped your ass, and I also kissed your head, and then you laid on top of me for a while last night, so I think I'm a little curious about how far you've gone with other people.”Myungjun hummed lightly and stared over at his apartment. He wondered if Minhyuk had locked them out yet, but he wasn't willing to leave the conversation to try opening his door. “I have had a first kiss.”“Really?”“It was all a trick, though. Never even got the kid's name. He set it up to try and push me into this grave he dug.” He noticed Jinwoo's horrified expression and he laughed. “He built this stupid coffin, Jinwoo, it's fine. It was dumb and he didn't even do anything in the end. All that work, the guy kissing a necromancer, and he ran away like a baby.”Jinwoo gave a deep intake of breath. “Still,” he murmured. “I wish you hadn't gone through something like that.”Myungjun shrugged his shoulders. “Well, if possible, I can totally erase that first kiss. It didn't mean anything. It had been a joke on me all along, so, in that case, can we say it never happened?”“I like that plan.” Jinwoo looked satisfied and returned Myungjun's smile finally. “And when it does happen, not saying who it will be with, but would you prefer cherry blossoms falling around beside us, or no? Is that too much?”Myungjun raised his eyebrows. “Cherry blossoms?”“Yeah! I'm not saying who your first kiss will be with, but whoever it is might be a witch and might be able to preform a spell to make cherry blossoms float around us when we finally kiss. Did I say us? I meant, uh, you and the mysterious stranger you kiss.” He noticed Myungjun's exasperated stare and quietly added, “I just watched this drama the other day, and that-”“If Minhyuk locked me outside with you, I'm going to kill myself,” Myungjun mumbled, and began to walk up to the door.“Wait, come on, I'm just-”“The only way you can make cherry blossoms fall around us is if you squeeze my ass again, Park Jinwoo.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Myungjun was twenty, he moved out on his own.Despite dropping out of school, the rumors and finger-pointing never did stop. He was ridiculed on a near daily basis. Students would mock him, businessmen would pointedly stay on the other side of the street, and mothers would pull their young, inquisitive children away while whispering, “He's a necromancer – I told you how terrible they are, stay far away from him.”He tried to pretend none of it ever reached his ears, that nothing truly bothered him, but it had grown increasingly difficult to brush it off.The final push came when his father was fired from his job. Myungjun stared at him with wide eyes when he delivered the news at dinner one evening.“Fired?” Myungjun had asked. “Why? You're the best employee!”His father had cleared his throat and offered Myungjun a small smile. “The business just needed to make some cuts.”“Then why not cut the part-time workers? It doesn't make any sense.”His mother had interrupted then, shaking her head at Myungjun. She looked so much older than she should for her age. Her hair was graying at this point. Myungjun hated the guilt that churned inside of him whenever he wondered if it was all his fault.The same guilt churned when he heard mumbling from his parents' room that evening. Reminded very much of his childhood, of sneaking to listen to what his parents wanted to keep from him, Myungjun crept out of bed and placed his ear quietly on the closed door.“-isn't there anyone you can speak to about how unfair it is?” That was his mother, and while she did keep her voice down, Myungjun could hear the desperation.“Who would help us?” His father was speaking now; he just sounded defeated. “We're supposed to hate magic users! One of my coworkers had a son who could teleport, and when the child was ten, he kicked him out of his house. Ten.” His father sighed. “I had managed to keep it a secret for such a long time, but rumors do spread fast here.”“Did they give you a chance to explain that he's harmless?”“No. Of course not. Would they listen?” He could hear his father pacing around the room. He hoped his mother wasn't biting her fingernails again; she did have a bad habit of doing so. “They offered me the chance to get rid of him. They said they knew people who could take him off our hands. One of the nicer managers told me I could just tell him to move far away, cut off contact with him, pretend I've never had a son – who the hell do they think they even are? He's my child!”“But what will we do? We have so many payments-”“I can find a new job.”“Everyone knows. They know our son is a necromancer. How do we find work now?”Myungjun stopped listening then. He couldn't take hearing any more. The guilt had swelled up inside of him, and when he hurriedly retreated back to his room, he didn't hesitate to stuff his face in his pillow to hide the crying that had come out.He was ruining the life of his parents. They had sacrificed so much for him; they had no friends, they were in debt from constantly moving, and now they were faced with the possibility of living on the streets.It was a hard decision to move out, but Myungjun knew he had to. He chose a town far away, small and quaint and somewhere his parents would never consider looking.He didn't tell them. He left a note in his room the night he packed up and left. He traveled for hours until finally reaching the apartment he had already paid a deposit on.Minhyuk came later. Even if he never kept up contact with his parents, he did ensure their well-being through Minhyuk. They were worried, terrified, and, in the words of Minhyuk, “They know I know something, hyung. They've begged me to tell them where you are.”“Don't tell them a thing,” Myungjun had responded, and he cried when he ended the call, staring at a picture frame he had taken from his mother's bedside table the day before he had left, a picture of them all smiling together at the camera, during a time when Myungjun had never been aware of his magical powers.Soon, Minhyuk would simply give Myungjun messages. “Your mom wants to know if you're eating well. I told her I have no clue where the hell you are, but she knows I know, Myungjun. Eat well for her, okay?”It hurt his heart, and he was relieved when Minhyuk was finally able to join him. It was better this way. His mother would no longer inquire about his health. His parents could finally hold jobs, probably get themselves out of debt, and live the normal lives that he had denied them by being born.Besides, now that he had Minhyuk, it wasn't as lonely anymore. Dongmin lived nearby, as well, and having Jinwoo over for a few days was just the icing on the cake.“Minhyuk?” Myungjun had hung up his phone and glanced over at his friend, who was just coming in from a workout session at a nearby gym. Minhyuk was sweaty and breathing hard still. If he stuck around any longer, Myungjun was worried the rest of the apartment would start smelling just as bad as he did, so he hurried his questioning along. “Have you seen Dongmin's glasses?”“The mind reader?” Minhyuk blinked, looked around the room, then shook his head. “No.”“Ah. Damn. He just called and said he had left them here and he was going to send his boyfriend to pick them up.”“Why can't he come?” Minhyuk dumped his bag on the ground and stretched slightly.Myungjun shrugged. “He has a case he's working on. Cool detective stuff. Man, I wish I could've become a detective. I could raise people from the dead and get their statements.” He snapped his fingers. “Jinwoo, I'm going to be a detective.”Jinwoo, plastered to Myungjun's side and flipping through a book, patted the necromancer's leg. “No, I like you coming home and smelling like cookies.”Minhyuk scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I'm going to shower,” he announced, then pointed at Jinwoo. “Don't even think about having sex with him in the living room. Or in my room, for that matter.”Jinwoo didn't say anything in response until he was out of earshot. “Why does he think we're going to have sex?”“I don't know. Want to?”“Shut up, Myungjun.”Myungjun giggled and would have probably returned to teasing Jinwoo had the doorbell not rang just then. “Wow, his boyfriend is quick!” Myungjun gave a low whistle. He had to push Jinwoo off of him in order to answer the door.It wasn't Moon Bin, but it was someone Myungjun recognized.“Sanha?”That wasn't who he had expected. He cocked his head in slight confusion, offering the younger boy a small smile. “Sanha, hi. Can I help you?”Sanha peered over his shoulder first before returning the smile. Myungjun knew he was peeking to make sure Minhyuk wasn't around. He wondered if the two boys thought flirting entailed freaking out whenever they caught sight of each other. “Hi, Myungjun! My mom wants to know if you were ever going to return our nice Christmas dish we let you borrow.”“The nice...? Oh!” Myungjun nodded his head and moved aside to let Sanha in. The boy was tall and lanky and Myungjun wondered why Minhyuk had a romantic crush on someone who looked just like a giant baby. “Yeah, sure, it's somewhere in our cabinets.” He closed the door, and before he moved to grab the dish, he noticed Sanha staring curiously at Jinwoo. “Oh, Jinwoo, this is Sanha, my neighbor. Sanha, this is Jinwoo, my boyfriend.”“We're not dating!” Jinwoo exclaimed after bowing his head as a greeting.Myungjun shrugged and nudged Sanha. “Future boyfriend, then. Here, it's in the kitchen.”He led the kid over to where his cabinets were and began to rifle through them.“I asked Mom why we needed them, since it isn't even Christmas,” Sanha said suddenly. “And she said that she's afraid you've broken it, because you're a mess. She called you a mess. But I told her that Minhyuk wouldn't allow you to- why are you climbing on the counter, hyung?”“It's up here somewhere,” Myungjun mumbled. “Keep going.”He could feel Sanha's eyes on him, but the boy continued, “And...and I said that Minhyuk would make sure the plate isn't broken, because he's great at that! He's great! And she said she just wanted-”Sanha didn't get a chance to finish telling his thrilling story. He instead shouted, “Watch out!” as Myungjun lost his footing and fell backwards.(Myungjun screamed only a little bit.)Before he could hit the floor and gain a concussion, he felt hands catch him, holding him just above the ground. “Sanha?” He dipped his head back to look.It wasn't Sanha. It was Jinwoo, except rather than having actually caught Myungjun, he stood just in the doorway of the kitchen with his arms stretched out, clearly having preformed a spell.Myungjun realized suddenly that he had just been caught by invisible hands in front of Sanha. He panicked and fell out of those invisible hands before scrambling to his feet.Sanha looked just as shocked as Myungjun would have expected.“Before you say anything,” Myungjun started calmly, “I have the plate up there-”“He's a witch!” Sanha screeched, covering his mouth and pointing at Jinwoo. “Isn't he?”“Only a little.”“How can you be only a little a witch?”Myungjun sighed and shot Jinwoo a glare. Jinwoo gave an apologetic smile. “I didn't want you to get hurt,” the witch mumbled, and had Myungjun not currently been preoccupied with making a giant baby relax after having seen some magic, he would have totally kissed Jinwoo.“Sanha-” Myungjun started again. He was interrupted once more, not by Sanha this time, but by Minhyuk. His hair was still wet from his shower and he wore nothing but a towel around his waist as he ran into the room.“Myungjun? Myungjun, are you-?”He met eyes with Sanha then – or, rather, he looked at Sanha's eyes. Sanha's eyes looked at his body. When Sanha noticed his open staring had been caught, the boy gave another screech – and then he was gone.“Holy shit, where did he – Jinwoo, what did you do?” Myungjun's eyes were wide as he stepped back from the spot where Sanha had been.When he glanced over at Jinwoo, he noticed that his friend's eyes were just as large as his own. “I-I-I didn't do a thing! I swear, he just-”“You all saw that, too? Sanha just disappeared?” Minhyuk pointed at where Sanha was standing. “He's gone?”The doorbell rang again. Myungjun ran his fingers through his hair and felt extremely panicked. “Oh god, there's Moon Bin – Minhyuk, Jinwoo, find Sanha right now, I don't even care if you scream out his name, just find him.”And with that, he swung the front door open.Moon Bin, Myungjun instantly decided, reminded him of a puppy with that adorably crooked smile. “Hi! Are you Myungjun?”Myungjun had no idea how much Dongmin had told him. He needed to remain cautious and normal (even with Jinwoo and Minhyuk in the background, one with a spell book in hand and the other wearing only a towel with water dripping down his bare chest).“Yes,” he responded. “Um, Dongmin just called, but I don't have the glasses. We're looking for them.”There was another call for Sanha. Moon Bin's smile remained and he tried to peek behind Myungjun. “Why are they yelling for a Sanha?”“We named your glasses.”That wiped the smile off, and now Bin just looked confused. “Named my-”“There's a roach!” Jinwoo screamed suddenly, and Myungjun tore his attention away from Dongmin's boyfriend to look at the scene before him. The couch had been moved and Minhyuk was standing over a small roach with Jinwoo's spell book, ready to smash down on it.Myungjun's mind raced wildly, and he suddenly realized where Sanha was.“Stop!” he yelled, and gestured at the bug. “It's Sanha!”“I thought Sanha was the name of my glasses,” Bin mumbled, but Myungjun ignored him.“That's not Sanha!” Minhyuk snapped. “That's a roach, and I'm going to kill it!”Myungjun grabbed his wrist before he could lay the death blow on Roach Sanha. “Stop it. Let me see if it's him first.”“Why would it be him?” Jinwoo asked, now on the couch and plastering himself very much away from the bug.“Because I don't get roaches in my apartment. And Sanha disappeared so it's gotta be Sanha.”He heard Bin mutter something under his breath (“Why are magic users always so weird?”) before bending down to the roach's level.“Sanha?” he whispered. If this wasn't Sanha, he would feel very dumb later on. “Sanha, if this is you, please turn back into a human. If you don't do it, I'm seriously going to let Minhyuk squash you.”Three seconds passed and Myungjun was about ready to admit defeat, but suddenly a human appeared in the bug's place.Sanha was back, his face buried in his hands. “I'm sorry, Myungjun!” he cried out. “Don't tell anyone I'm a shape-shifter!”“I finally got to meet one!” Myungjun grinned widely and smacked Sanha's shoulder. “I'm a necromancer, Sanha! I never knew you were a magic-user, too! And my boyfriend is a-”“We're not dating yet.”“-he's a witch, and Bin over there is a-”“I'm still waiting on Dongminnie's glasses,” Bin interrupted. He seemed very much unaffected by the reveal of magic users, and so Myungjun nodded his head.“Right. Um...Minhyuk, go put on a shirt and pants, god, seriously, put on some pants-”Minhyuk seemed to realize just then that he was basically naked, save for the towel covering him. He blushed heavily and hurried back into the bathroom. Myungjun continued his orders, pointing at Sanha next. “You stay right here, because I'm going to have a long talk with you, and then we'll bake cookies-”Sanha brightened a considerable amount.Jinwoo received the next order. “You, do some spell or something to find Dongmin's glasses. Like, I don't know, call the glasses to you.”The witch made a face and stepped down from the couch. “Fine. I think I can modify one to get all of the nearby glasses in my hand.”But when he uttered the spell, he seemed to have not taken into account that Myungjun also had glasses. The two pairs, Dongmin's and Myungjun's, raced each other to Jinwoo's hands. Dongmin's glasses were faster – Myungjun's glasses harshly bounced off Jinwoo's hand, which had already grabbed the other pair, and clattered to the floor.Only Jinwoo gave a gasp when he realized they had broken.Myungjun pouted over his broken glasses for the rest of the evening. He had sent Bin off with Dongmin's glasses (Bin had left, muttering, “Why is Dongmin friends with these weirdos?”), Minhyuk had gone to buy Sanha ramen from the nearby convenience store to calm him down, and Jinwoo had been in the living room for the past hour, struggling to figure out a spell to fix Myungjun's glasses.Myungjun just sulked in his room, flipping through one of Jinwoo's many different spell books.After a while, Jinwoo finally poked his head inside, and Myungjun looked up in hope. “Did you fix them?”“Not yet,” Jinwoo responded, shaking his head. “Ah, but – I got you something.”He pulled a rose out from behind his back and walked the few feet over to Myungjun's bed. “Here.”Myungjun blinked at the sudden appearance of the flower, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you trying to woo me, Park Jinwoo?”“I'm trying to apologize for breaking your glasses.”“This rose has thorns in it.”Jinwoo stared at the rose stem intently before muttering an incantation. The thorns began to shrivel up and Jinwoo glanced over at Myungjun, smiling in pride.Myungjun was grateful for the kind gesture and had held a hand out to take the rose, but he suddenly giggled. “Um, I wouldn't be celebrating over that spell just yet, Jinwoo.”“Why?”“Because now the rose is wilting.”Sure enough, as soon as the thorns had shriveled up, the rest of the rose started to do so as well. Jinwoo's eyes widened. “What the hell did I even do?”“Give it here.” Myungjun snorted when he was handed the rose, and he placed a hand over it. “I can't believe you're this bad with flowers, Park Jinwoo. Seriously, this is terrible.”“I don't know why I'm this bad with flowers! I can do a lot of other stuff just fine.”“Well, like we mentioned before, you suck at keeping things alive and I-”“I suck at staying alive, too.”Myungjun knew it was said as a joke, but he couldn't help the uneasy feeling in his chest when he had to imagine Jinwoo dying in front of him again. He frowned, and Jinwoo seemed to realize that he might have gone too far.“But you suck at keeping things dead,” he finished Myungjun's original sentence quietly, then leaned forward. “You suck at keeping me dead.”“Thank god,” Myungjun muttered, and he puckered out his lips.“What are you doing?” Jinwoo whispered.“Waiting for you to kiss me,” Myungjun responded, also in a whisper.“What makes you think I'm going to kiss you?”“Jinwoo.”Jinwoo leaned in the rest of the way. Their noses bumped together and Myungjun giggled.“Seriously, no cherry blossoms. This rose is enough.”“I'm not going to argue. The spell to get random cherry blossom petals to fall around us is actually a lengthy one, and I think it'd ruin the vibe if I suddenly started-”“Oh, for god's sake.”Myungjun was the one who had to finally kiss Jinwoo in the end. Their lips molded together perfectly, and the rose wilted once more when Myungjun had to stop preforming his magic in order to focus all of his energy on kissing the gorgeous witch in front of him.He quite liked his first kiss. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Myungjun was twenty-three, he met another necromancer.Minhyuk had just moved in with him and had the brilliant idea to open up a bakery. They worked hard and spent almost all of the money they had earned at other various jobs on securing the building and supplies. Myungjun sat up late through the nights to research how one went about even opening up their own business.Finally, when the last table was put in and the lights were switched on, Minhyuk had looked around in pride and commented, “I think life will be perfect now.”Myungjun didn't agree, but he smiled regardless. If life would go well for Minhyuk, then it was good enough for him.He spent a majority of his free evenings at a nearby bar. Minhyuk exercised often at the gym after they were done working, and Myungjun hated the loneliness that awaited him upon arriving home by himself. The bar he found close to the bakery was dingy and small and probably hadn't been cleaned in a while. All sorts of shady figures hung out there, too, and Myungjun first felt a little out of place being in such a dark location.After a while, however, he came to appreciate it. No one asked who he was, no one tried to start any small-talk with him, and he was able to just drink by himself, the slight murmur of other bodies close by reminding him that he wasn't truly alone right then.(He was lonely still, but he wasn't alone.)Soon after establishing himself as a regular customer, the other regulars became more comfortable with him.“Three thousand won to heal that cut,” one of the inhabitants of the bar whispered to Myungjun once, and Myungjun glanced over at him with wide eyes.“E-Excuse me?”The man was thin and probably homeless, but he grinned widely and gestured to a wound on Myungjun's wrist. “Looks nasty. I can heal it.”“I can fix it myself.”“Oh. So you're a healer, too?”He knew healers were magic users. Not nearly as put down and feared as necromancers were, for obvious reasons, but why would this guy be spouting off that he was a magic user in front of other people?“N-No, but a bandage will-”“Three thousand won, and I can heal it instantly.”Myungjun cleared his throat and glanced around the bar. Despite a few people being within earshot, no one seemed affected by the man's reveal. “I don't think you should speak about your powers so carelessly.”“Why?” The man laughed. “Everyone in here is either a magic user or at least knows a magic user.”“Not me.”“No, you're one, too.” The man wagged a finger in Myungjun's face. “A ne-cro-man-cer, correct?” He spoke each syllable as a separate word and Myungjun's eyes grew steadily larger. “Don't look too shocked, boy. We're magic users. Of course we'd figure you out at some point. You keep to yourself, and we all understand why. People hate necromancers, don't they?”Myungjun gulped down his beer before responding. “Why didn't anyone tell me?”“You never seemed interested in us. Besides, we're not very fond of necromancers.” The healer pointed to a man sitting by himself in the corner. He had been getting more and more drunk as the evening had gone on; Myungjun knew he had seen him there before.“He's a necromancer,” the healer whispered. “He's horrible. He digs up graves and brings people back to life. Uses them for various purposes. He's re-killed a few of them. I think he's shown up in the news once or twice, but he's got a few other magic users working with him. They change his name, identity, and he goes from town to town doing this sort of shit. As if we didn't already have a bad enough name attached to us as is.”Myungjun swallowed nervously when the other necromancer met his eyes, and he quickly looked away. “He knows you're a necromancer, too,” the healer said, and he gave Myungjun's back a small pat. “Everyone who uses magic here knows it. He's – oh, my, he's coming this way.”Myungjun glanced back in a panic; sure enough, the necromancer was stumbling over to him, too drunk to even walk straight. When he slammed his hands on the bar next to Myungjun, both Myungjun and the healer jumped slightly in their seats.“Are you that necromancer, kid?” the man asked, words slurred.Myungjun didn't know how to respond, but if what the healer said was true, he had already been found out by everyone. So he nodded his head, keeping his eyes downcast.The necromancer ran a hand through Myungjun's hair. Myungjun tensed.“I bet you know what it's like, isn't it?” The necromancer took the empty seat to Myungjun's right. His fingers were rough on Myungjun's head as he continued to comb through the hair. “Necromancers like us are spit upon. The world hates us for a power that's so beautiful. We can bring anyone back to life! We can make anything happen!”Myungjun tried to get up to leave but the necromancer snatched his wrist.“Let go,” Myungjun snapped.“Or what?” The man giggled and also stood. “You look like someone who's been beaten down his whole life. You didn't have friends, did you? You had to go to school with teachers who hated your guts. You were mocked. Teased. And for what? For your power.”“Let go.” His demand was weaker this time, and he glanced over at the healer for help – the healer just shrugged his shoulders. All eyes were on him, and he turned back to the necromancer.“You should come with me.” The necromancer's free hand went to his cheek, patting it and stroking it. Myungjun winced as if he had been hit. “You can use your power, and you won't fear who will find you. You can be great. You can bring anyone back – and then you can get rid of them if they're not worth it. How about those people who made your life hell? We can get rid of them, and you can bring them back, and we can get rid of them again – over and over, until they live through the same agony you had to.”Myungjun was finally able to shake off the man's hands, and with a deep breath, he shook his head in refusal.This seemed to confuse the necromancer. He narrowed his eyes. “You're going to live in fear, like the rest of these magic users? Really? Don't you want to be great for once? Don't you want to rise above anyone who would dare put you down?”“I don't want to hurt-”“After all they did to you?” The necromancer scoffed, and he crossed his arms over his chest, swaying ever so slightly. “You're a coward, is what you are. You're too afraid to fight back.”Myungjun swallowed thickly. “Maybe. But I also know what it feels like. I wouldn't wish it on anybody.” He moved to leave. Once more, the necromancer grabbed his hand, keeping him still.“Two necromancers is better than one,” he murmured. “I can bring back so much more people. I'll help bring back whoever you want me to. Did you like your parents? Were you one of the lucky ones with kind, understanding parents? What happens when they die? You might run out of energy trying to bring them back.” He hit himself in the chest, swaying all the more. “I can help! We can help each other.”“I said to let go.” Myungjun tore himself free from the necromancer's grip. “I'm not bringing anyone back from the dead, ever. They should just stay dead; that's how the world works.”The bar was quiet now, and the necromancer gave a smile.“You'll change your mind. And you'll like how it feels when you realize how much power you have.”He allowed Myungjun to leave finally, but as Myungjun hurried home, the words stuck with him. They haunted him, even as he spread the news in the bar of his new business and, with his eyes on the other necromancer, made it certain that he would only bring back animals and plants, not humans.The other necromancer had snorted and downed a beer.He was on the run from police again two weeks after Myungjun's secret service came about. He stopped by the bakery, too, heading to the back room and offering Myungjun one last chance to follow him.Myungjun responded quickly: “No.”“You'll regret it when someone you love is laying on the ground, dead or dying or a pile of ashes.”Myungjun could only think of his parents and of Minhyuk then; but Minhyuk was strong and could take care of himself, and his parents were far away – Myungjun hadn't heard anything from them in years.“I guess I'll regret it, then,” he replied in a mumble.He never did see the necromancer again, but two years later, Myungjun woke up in a sweat.The nightmare had been a recurring one since he had met the necromancer. He dreamed of having taken the offer to showcase his powers. He dreamed of finding those old classmates and neighbors and teachers and anyone who had ever made his life miserable, and he dreamed of their deaths, of rising them from the grave and having them beg and grovel.He dreamed of himself as a monster, of his powers overwhelming him until he was nothing more than a necromancer, until he lost his name and identity and became like the man he had met in the bar.He hated that dream, and this time especially, the imagery was all too real.Myungjun ran his fingers through his hair. His shirt was stuck to his back, and he had to pull it away and fan himself slightly in order to calm down.“Jin-” He turned to the space in his bed where Jinwoo had been before he had fallen asleep, but it was empty now.It was probably the fact that he had just woken up, or the dread that still rest in his heart from his nightmare, but he panicked and stumbled out of bed. Where was Jinwoo, and why wasn't he right beside Myungjun?He hurried out of his room, quite ready to throw on his shoes and search everywhere he could outside of the apartment, but he didn't have to do that. Jinwoo was in the living room, dozing off on the couch with his open spell book on his lap.Myungjun had to stop the hammering of his heart before speaking. “Jinwoo?”The witch blinked his eyes open and took a few seconds to actually focus on Myungjun. “Hm?”“What are you doing out here?”Jinwoo yawned and stretched his arms over his head. “Sorry. I didn't want to wake you. I wanted some water to drink, since I woke up and my throat was dry, and then I stubbed my toe on the way back and I wanted to find a spell to make it stop hurting so much.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I guess I fell asleep. I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?”Myungjun breathed out in relief before shaking his head. “No. No, but, um...maybe we should go back to bed. I mean, it's cold out here, and it's...warmer under the blankets.”Jinwoo smiled sleepily and set his spell book aside. “Sorry the living situation has turned out more permanent than I thought it would.”“Why are you apologizing for it? I get to see you everyday.”“I have plants everywhere, though.”“Yeah, and I noticed you also killed half of them off again, so guess what I'm doing tomorrow?”Jinwoo looked only a little sheepish, and Myungjun snorted when his boyfriend stood up and shuffled over to him. “Sorry.”Myungjun kissed Jinwoo's cheek, then mussed up his hair even further. “Don't be. I like bringing flowers back to life. It's quick and it doesn't use up too much of my energy. I'll just go slowly, too, and we can spend the day bringing flowers back and you can try and work on some of your spells.” He hooked arms with Jinwoo as they went back into Myungjun's bedroom.“I've never gotten the chance to freely practice my magic too much,” Jinwoo murmured. “I'm sorry if I'm still bad. I'm working on it.”“You really need to stop apologizing.” Myungjun gave Jinwoo's nose a kiss this time before laying him on the bed. “Is your toe alright?”“It doesn't hurt anymore, at least. I might be too tired to remember the pain of it, though.”Myungjun gave a small chuckle. He laid down beside Jinwoo, then tossed the covers over both of them and snuggled close to Jinwoo's chest.“Hey, Jinwoo?”“Hm?”“Do you ever have nightmares?”There was a slight pause before Jinwoo responded, “Every night.”“What are your nightmares about?”“Lots of things.” Jinwoo shifted in his sleep, wrapping his arms around Myungjun and letting his chin rest in Myungjun's hair. “Mm, when I was a kid, it was about my mom abandoning me. Before she did abandon me, I mean. After she got rid of me, I had nightmares of my aunt tossing me out on the streets. She made me sleep outside if I ever did magic, so I was certain she would also get rid of me one day.” He yawned. “When I left, I had nightmares of the police finding out I was a witch. I don't know what they do to witches, but from the magic users I've spoken to, it's nothing good.”Myungjun nodded his head, hair brushing up against Jinwoo's neck. “I won't let them find you.”“I know.” Jinwoo was smiling – Myungjun could tell from his voice, and he smiled into Jinwoo's chest. “Recently, my dreams are about me dying again and you're not there this time.”“Recently? You have nightmares still?”“I had one – that's why I went to grab some water in the first place.” Jinwoo gave a light laugh. “I'm a coward, right?”Myungjun held on tightly to Jinwoo. “Was it about you dying? And-and me not being there?”Jinwoo was quiet, and Myungjun assumed he had fallen asleep, but then he heard his hushed response. “You were there. Your powers were gone. You were normal.”A good dream for Myungjun would have been him as a normal person. A good dream would have been Myungjun without any powers whatsoever.Jinwoo's nightmare, it seemed, was a normal Myungjun, a Myungjun without powers.Myungjun sighed. “Oh.”“It was stupid. I-I know you want to be normal, too. I want you to be normal.”“No, you don't.”Jinwoo hugged Myungjun tighter. “Only if I can be normal with you.”“And that's the only way it should be. If you have magic, I'm going to have magic, too. I won't ever let you suffer alone through it. I won't let you deal with that life all by yourself.”He heard Jinwoo give a small giggle. The witch moved his head in order to kiss Myungjun's temple, lips brushing up against his hair. Myungjun closed his eyes, feeling a sense of relief wash over him from Jinwoo's tender, gentle touches.“I had a nightmare, too. Which was why I woke up.”“Want to talk about it?”Myungjun cleared his throat and started, “That bar down the street from our bakery – the one with all the magic users – used to have another necromancer. He killed people, and he'd bring them back and kill them again. Anyone who had ever wronged him. And he would travel when the police caught on, and he would change his identity and name and everything, and he would do the same thing in the next town.” Jinwoo's fingers were running through Myungjun's hair now as he listened to the story.“He asked me to join him, Jinwoo.”“What?”“And I said no, but part of me – this tiny, tiny part of me, Jinwoo, thought that maybe some people deserved it. I thought about his words a lot.”“But you never did anything,” Jinwoo pointed out.“I know.” Myungjun sighed. “I have nightmares that I do it, though. That I kill people and then bring them back and kill them all over again. I have nightmares that I become like that necromancer, getting drunk in bars and not even having a real name to call himself anymore. He had no one who loved him. He probably still doesn't have anyone who loves him, if he isn't dead yet. And I could have ended up just like him.”“But you didn't.”Myungjun wet his lips with his tongue, then pulled away slightly from the embrace to look at Jinwoo. His eyes were tired, and Myungjun knew Jinwoo probably longed for sleep, but at the same time, Myungjun knew he would stay up to listen as long as Myungjun had concerns to press forth. “You could've, too, Jinwoo. You're a witch; you can do anything.”“Except keep flowers alive, apparently.”The tense emotions Myungjun had felt well up inside were diffused slightly from Jinwoo's humor. He snorted and curled back into Jinwoo's arms. “I'm so glad you didn't,” he murmured. “I know you went through hell because you have powers, but, oh my god, I'm so glad you're here with me today. I'm so glad that you're kind and gentle and you love me as much as I love you.”Jinwoo's hands clenched the back of Myungjun's shirt, and he buried his face into Myungjun's hair. “I'll always love you.”Myungjun hummed lightly in response, unable to stop the smile that stretched out on his face. Silence fell, and when Myungjun was sure that Jinwoo was asleep, he glanced up. “Jinwoo?” he whispered. No response. “Jinwoo?”So Jinwoo was probably asleep, then, and Myungjun grinned. “I love your butt, and I want to grope it.”“No.”“I thought you were sleeping!” Myungjun gasped, then he smacked Jinwoo's chest. “Don't pretend you're asleep when I'm whispering to you!”Jinwoo sighed. “I thought you were going to kiss me, or do something equally romantic. I didn't know you were going to talk about my butt.”Myungjun gave a small pout before craning his neck to press a small kiss against Jinwoo's lips. “There,” he announced, and his hand moved down Jinwoo's back. “Now I'm going to-”“Touch my butt and I'm going to use magic to tie you up.”“That's kinky.”He wished he had Minhyuk's ability to know when to shut up, because Jinwoo actually did tie him up with a quick, uttered spell. His hands were bound by an invisible rope and Jinwoo looked satisfied with his handiwork.“If I had know you were into this sort of thing, Park Jinwoo-”“I'll bind more than your hands if you don't stop.”Myungjun didn't stop. “-if I had known, I would have researched how to preform better-”One more quick spell and Myungjun's mouth was clamped shut. Jinwoo wagged his finger in front of Myungjun's face. “I'm trying to sleep, so you just stay like that until I figured you've learned your lesson.”Which happened to be all of two minutes before Jinwoo released Myungjun from the spell and murmured a few apologies while planting kiss after kiss on Myungjun's face.Myungjun simply laughed and flicked Jinwoo's forehead. “I just called you good and kind, Jinwoo, and you go and use your magic for these wicked, lewd purposes. Gosh, what am I supposed to do with you?”Jinwoo blinked, then mumbled, “As revenge, you can grope my butt.”“Revenge my ass,” Myungjun whispered. “You love it, shut up.”“Fine, don't do it, then.”“Nope, I think that sounds like good revenge.”He finally did get to grope Jinwoo's butt, and he was pleased that Jinwoo hugged him close afterwards. He moved his hands to return the embrace, quite enjoying this position all the more, and before he went back to sleep, he heard Jinwoo whisper, “Hey, Myungjun?”“Mm?”Jinwoo's lips planted a small kiss on the top of Myungjun's head. “I killed off one of your potted sunflowers on accident. I'm apologizing in advance so you don't have a freak-out when you find it.”Myungjun sighed into Jinwoo's chest, but he didn't move from his position. “What am I going to do with you, Park Jinwoo?”Jinwoo was quiet, obviously in thought, then he murmured, “You can enact revenge on me again.”“Gladly.”When Myungjun was twenty-five, he fell in love with a witch.
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Catalan Beers and
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Multi", "Characters": "Jean-Jacques Leroy, Katsuki Yuuri, Isabella Yang, Victor Nikiforov", "Fandom": "Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by LordOnisyr", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "4,813", "Additional Tags": "Post-Grand Prix Final, Heart-to-Heart, Fluff and Angst, Canon Compliant, Bars and Pubs, Accidental Bonding, Guilt, Airports, Background Relationships, Spoilers, Anxiety, Character Study", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Jean-Jacques Leroy & Katsuki Yuuri, Jean-Jacques Leroy/Isabella Yang, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov", "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 }
Catalan Beers and Destination Weddings For the past several hours everyone in J.J.’s entourage had been showing him every glowing article and supportive social media post they could find. Some of his celebrity friends heaped praise on him from their Twitter or Instagram pages. There were so many photos of fans with Canadian flags doing his signature pose. J.J. ate all of it right up.When the entourage left the arena everyone was in a partying mood. Champagne was flowing in the limo, there was so much talk about what press J.J. was going to do back in Canada and how many promoters were begging him for a showcase. J.J. soaked in all the attention, a confident grin practically plastered on his face and his arm draped warmly over Isabella’s shoulders. It was all so perfect, just what he needed to strengthen his voice and throw some straw over this deep chasm that had dug its way into his chest. He was still Jean-Jacques Leroy, the King. Nothing could dampen J.J. Style even a few glaring screw-ups in front of a worldwide audience.Then he just had to click on one webpage at the airport. He had been sitting in a plush chair in Zara waiting for Isabella to show him the next skirt and blouse set she had her eye on. It was a relaxing moment that went south quick.Everyone got to Barcelona Airport earlier than expected. All their bags were checked in and the security line looked surprisingly short. It was a good time for J.J. and Isabella to check out the boutiques to kill time before the flight to Montreal. Everyone was supposed to be happy and relaxing. J.J. tried to remind himself of this as he shoved his phone back in his pocket feeling the sweat pour down his forehead and the mix of embarrassment and righteous indignation boil up from his stomach.“…What was that place called? I think it was on Yonge Street, the guy had been on Food Network or something a few times.”J.J. slowly picked his head up, crap he lost all track of the conversation.“I…damn I forgot,” he replied, trying to mask his nerves with a chuckle. “Sure was tasty though.”He cautiously took a deep breath and went into self-coaching mode. It was just one shitty article. Haters gonna hate, that’s how it always is. That only made his stomach unclench slightly. Now the clerk was probably staring at him, he stole a look over and saw the lady tidying up a shelf on the other side and barely paying any attention.J.J. took a few more deep breaths, but nothing would stop his body from trembling. Maybe a walk was a good idea. Isabella stepped out of the dressing room, showing her ensemble of a black and white striped skirt with a sleeveless peach blouse. He looked her up and down, the sight of her beautiful form was calming.“Now that really looks good on you,” he answered, fearing his voice was still a bit shaky.“I am in love with this silk, it’s so soft,” she beamed, tugging at the blouse.J.J. took his own little feel around the shoulders, it was a nice material and a nice distraction.“Do it, I’ll find somewhere nice where I can show you off in it,” he replied.“Oh I like the sound of that.”Isabella gave him a little peck on the lips, J.J. returned the kiss though felt himself still shaking. He had to do something now to cool off and suddenly thought of something.“Hey I just remembered there was this sweet pair of shoes in a place down the concourse,” he lied. “I think I’ll check them out before everything closes.”“Oh cool, want someone to help you with your decision?” she answered.“Nah, I’ll just check them out real quick and get back.”“Sure thing. I’ll just take a look at a couple bags and then I’m pretty done. How about I text you when I’m out?”“Uh…yeah that’d be cool. Take your time, you know how I get with shoes.”She snickered, though he swore it sounded a little nervous.“Okay, don’t get lost,” she answered, giving him a kiss on the lips.“Nah, this place is easy to get around,” he chuckled back, kissing her again.He hoped he hadn’t bolted out of there too quick. Naturally he didn’t go into a store to look at a sweet pair of shoes. There was a little pacing down the terminal, but his destination would be the far corner of an airport bar slowly nursing a beer and practicing his yoga breathing. After a couple minutes of silence save for the hum of the passers by his heart rate was slowing and his head was slightly clearing up.J.J. would slowly scan the scant crowd of bar patrons, wondering how many people would recognize him and come over for an autograph. So far no one had, he was slightly disappointed and slightly relieved. The group here was mostly middle-aged people in nice suits, a few different languages going around. He overheard a few conversations in English about a big business deal and a French couple was talking about the Caribbean. He could pick up a couple words of Spanish here and there but not enough to properly eavesdrop. No one was talking about figure skating…thank God.He took another long sip from his glass, swishing the Catalan brew in his mouth and letting the rich taste distract himself. Just a few days in Spain and he was getting used to their beers already. He remembered sipping some with dad and comparing flavors like two expert wine tasters or something. He still wished they had something Canadian here, even watered down American stuff would feel more familiar.Inevitably there was the text tone. J.J. took out his phone, debating if he was ready to stop hiding out like a little kid and finally get back to his fiancée. Fiancée…God just the sound of that made his heart pound.J.J. opened the message.[Isabella] Done, where are you now?J.J. took another sip then took a long breath. He was going to text her with the truth, but he sent her something else.Taking care of something. Go find mom and dad, I’ll be along in a few.He placed the phone back on the bar and quietly growled at himself. His phone lit up again.[Isabella] Everything ok?Yeah everything was perfect, he was the one being a baby.In the little boys room I think that tapas bit me in a bad way lol Just give me some alone time if you know what I mean ;)God that was pathetic. He took another long sip, by now he was halfway down the pint glass. He would finish this one beer and get his ass back where he should be. J.J. glanced up at the TV’s behind the bar, looking up at Yuri Plisetsky in all his bratty glory right on one of the screens. His glass froze to his lips. He couldn’t hear the audio, but it looked like some kind of sports report. There was that Russian kid with his coach being interviewed, by the way his mouth moved he was giving more than two-word answers. Of course the highlights went to Yuuri Katsuki next and his kiss and cry with his skating god fiancé.A little voice in J.J.’s mind begged him to look away, but it was too late. He saw himself on the rink, immediately identifying every slip up and missed rotation. He couldn’t pull his gaze away, he could feel the cold radiating from the ice and every shocked gasp around him. The next image was the three of them on the podium with their respective medals, J.J. cringed at his fake smile.In a second the segment was over, images of a soccer game were now on the TV’s. He lowered his head, now he was praying no one would recognize him. J.J. swirled the contents of his glass and took a look at his watch. They still had another two hours, the wonders of overestimating the traffic. Maybe he would order another one and give himself a little more time to relax. He should just be honest with Isabella, “Give me a moment, will be right back.” He could explain later, she was the one after all that lifted his soul after his crappy programs finished. J.J. picked up the phone and saw there was already a message from Isabella. She probably replied while he was fixated on the TV.[Isabella] :O Want me to pick up some Pepto?The message was from a few minutes ago, now she was probably worried. Good going, buddy. All this crap all for one lousy article, was his ego that fragile?Nah I’ve got this. Will text when I’m done.J.J. sent the last message then went back to the home screen. It took him less than a second to think abut it, but he was found himself clicking on the article again, maybe to prove this wasn’t such a monster.It was from a Canadian sports magazine: “Yuri takes gold, J.J. chokes.” He skimmed the article again, this time less freaked out and reading it more carefully.…In a shocking twist, both programs for Canada’s representative Jean-Jacques Leroy, the self-styled “King J.J.,” were marred with one technical error after another… …Fresh from his win at the Rostelecom Cup, Leroy’s usual swagger died a painful death… …Practice before the short program was like watching a kid learning to skate… …Leroy’s legion of fans, however, stuck with their king maybe the only thing that kept him upright…J.J. put the phone down on the bar and took another long swig. The surprise was gone, but it still felt a black hole formed in his insides. J.J. downed the rest of his beer and called the bartender over for another one of whatever he just had. The lady gave him a polite confirmation and poured another glass.J.J. looked up briefly to see someone entering the bar, then did a double take. The rather plain-looking newcomer had on blue framed glasses and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, but he looked exactly like Yuuri Katsuki. J.J. took a better look at him and made eye contact. The other man glanced up at him with immediate recognition. Holy crap that was Yuuri Katsuki, he was so dressed down J.J. almost didn’t recognize him.“Hey, Mr. Silver Medalist!” J.J. greeted, rising up a little off his stool and waving.A few eyes went on him from the other bar patrons, though no one recognized either of them. Yuuri blinked a few times and waved back.“Ah, hey J.J.,” Yuuri replied.“Get over here, I’ll buy you a drink,” J.J. announced.Yuuri looked a little surprised and took a little glance around.“Eh…thanks, that’s really generous of you,” Yuuri replied, walking in his direction.J.J. welcomed the company by now. The bartender came back with his beer and set it in front of him saying, “There you are, sir,” in English.“Hey get my buddy here whatever he wants, on me,” J.J. said.“I’ll just have a beer too, surprise me,” Yuuri said to the bartender.She recommended their special of the day, he said yes to it without question and she went to pour him his own glass. J.J. pulled out a chair next to him and invited Yuuri to sit. Yuuri took a seat and pulled up to the bar.“So where’s Viktor?” J.J. asked, taking a sip from his new glass.“He ran into a few people and got to talking, I thought I’d pull away for a little bit,” Yuuri answered.“Good thinking.”“How about you, you alone?”“Yeah, my parents are working out a few deals and my fiancée’s shopping for something cute.” And I could be joining her right now if I wasn’t such a coward. J.J. took another long sip to crowd out these thoughts. “Thought I’d chill a bit before the flight.”“Same here,” Yuuri replied.The bartender gave Yuuri his glass and he politely thanked her. J.J. raised his glass.“Here’s to the end of another dog and pony show,” J.J. toasted.“Heh, cheers,” Yuuri raised his glass back.They both took long sips of their beers. J.J. dramatically smacked his lips.“So what’s next for you now?” J.J. asked. “Not wedding bells I’m guessing.”J.J. lightly elbowed Yuuri’s shoulder, Yuuri snickered.“No, not now at least,” Yuuri responded. “I’ve gotta win five gold medals before he marries me.” Yuuri winked and snickered. J.J. let out a loud guffaw and slapped his back. “In all seriousness we’re going to see where our careers go.”“So you’re really coming back next year?” J.J. asked.Yuuri nodded.“Yeah that’s the plan,” Yuuri replied.“That’s pretty badass,” J.J. replied, taking another sip. He looked back at Yuuri and lightly put a hand on his shoulder. Yuuri’s eyes widened a little and he glanced at J.J. “Hey you know I was joking back at the bar that night, right? About when you and Viktor not getting married? Didn’t mean to sound like a total dick.”“Ah don’t worry about it,” Yuuri dismissed with a stiff smile and a shaky chuckle. “Everyone was joking around that night about gold medals and stuff. Call it gold fever.”“Haha, gold fever, that’s awesome!” J.J. chuckled, clapping Yuuri’s shoulder again. Yuuri chuckled a bit along with him. J.J.’s laughs faded and he looked right at Yuuri. “Still, congratulations you two; I owe you guys that.”Yuuri’s eyes widened a little and he smiled.“Thanks, J.J.,” Yuuri replied. “Congratulations to you and your fiancée too.” Yuuri raised his glass.“Thanks, man,” J.J. answered with a wide smile, taking another sip.“So when are you two getting married?” Yuuri asked. “Waiting for a gold medal?”J.J. let out a stiff chuckle, but those words further twisted the knife in his gut.“Eh same thing,” J.J. responded. “Seeing where everything goes and all that. Heh we’re waiting for when I suck less,” J.J. cackled with these words, but cringed when they escaped his mouth. He glanced over and saw Yuuri look to the side and shrug, shifting a little in his seat. “I’m not going down the aisle after making a big sucking sound again, haha.”J.J. shoved the rim of the glass between his lips to keep from digging the hole further, almost knocking a tooth. Way to make things weird. Yuuri gave him this soft look, then looked away again. This just twisted the knife further. J.J. tried to think of something else to say to not look completely stupid.“Look I know this isn’t going to help, but…I’d say don’t let it eat at you,” Yuuri stated. J.J. kept his glass to his lips and stole a glance at him, cocking an eyebrow. “For one I think the pressure got to everybody. I mean it’s the Grand Prix Final.”J.J. managed a chuckle and a nod.“No shit,” J.J. snickered. “But you did okay. Me? Weeelllll.”“You got bronze overall,” Yuuri piped in. “Yeah it’s not gold, but that’s still a pretty big deal.J.J. shrugged.“You’re right, carved out a pretty sweet spot for myself,” J.J. returned.“Exactly. Plus there’s always next year, you’ve still got a long career ahead of you.”“Hells to the yeah I do, King J.J.’s gonna have a longass reign.” A smile came across Yuuri’s face, it blew him away how sincere it was. “So I guess this is where you get into your speech about how falling on your ass in front of millions of people builds character or some crap like that.”Yuuri looked down at the bar, his finger tracing the edge of the paper coaster. “I…I guess I’d say something like that,” Yuuri replied. “I mean, you must remember how I did last year.”J.J. cocked an eyebrow and looked at him, jogging his memory. He barely remembered Yuuri Katsuki’s existence last year, to J.J. he was just another name on the venue. It took him a moment, but a few things came back. One involved Yuuri and a half-naked pole dance before humping Viktor Nikiforov’s leg, but that might be inappropriate to mention. He bit his lip to keep from laughing and thought of something else.“Ooooh, you were sixth last year right?” J.J. hummed.“Yup, sure was,” Yuuri replied.J.J. remembered sitting backstage and laughing amongst his entourage about the dude who froze horribly. His stomach sank, he felt like a total ass now.“Sorry, bud. No offense, but…wasn’t your year I guess?” J.J. stated.Nor was this my year, J.J. could feel the sweat building in his armpits and down his back.“No it wasn’t, I was convinced my career was over after last year,” Yuuri went on. “Then Viktor came into my life, he lit a fire under me.”Yuuri’s widening smile was infectious, J.J. just had to smile too.“There ya go, you got a pretty all round awesome guy out of it,” J.J. replied.“I really did,” Yuuri answered. “Then Yuri Plisetsky came along and…heh kicked my ass a little. I realized how many more people were behind me.” Yuuri trailed off and sipped his beer. J.J. found he was watching him, waiting for whatever else he was going to impart. “This whole year in general has been unbelievable. There’s so much I’ve learned, so much I’ve learned to appreciate that I don’t think I did before. I found my passion again. It’s been hard, there’s been a lot of stress, but…” Yuuri looked up and shrugged. “I think I found myself. Yeah that sounds corny, but it’s so true.”J.J.’s hand ached; he looked down to see it clutching his glass hard. He was trembling a little, though the smile was firmly on his face.“So I guess what I’m trying to say is learn from your low points,” Yuuri continued. “Yeah they suck, yeah you’ll hate yourself after they happen, but maybe you could get something good out of them. It’s a huge reminder of what you have, especially of who you have with you.”J.J.’s mind replayed the sound of Isabella yelling his theme song, a chorus of fans behind her. He heard his parents shouting encouragements across the ice and envisioned the sea of waving Canadian flags when the scores were announced. J.J. tried to pick up his glass, but it ended up falling back down on the bar with a clink. His hand was shaking too much, he could see Yuuri’s surprised look out of the corner of his eye.J.J. forced a chuckle between a deep breath that stilled his hand.“Goddamn that’s some deep stuff,” J.J. responded, taking a swig.Yuuri’s cheeks went red and he looked back down at the bar.“S-sorry, I guess I was rambling,” Yuuri responded.“No no, that was good,” J.J assured. “I’ll keep that in mind.”Yuuri perked up a little.“I don’t mean to tell you how to feel or anything, but I...wanted to tell you I understand,” Yuuri replied.“Hey I appreciate your wise words, sensei,” J.J. answered with a wink and a tip of his glass. “Yeah I probably used that term wrong.”Yuuri chuckled.“Nah that was good enough,” Yuuri replied. “Though if you want to get technical the best term is senpai maybe.”“Eh senpai? Now what does that mean?”“Well someone’s senpai is kind an older peer you could say. The older ones take on kind of a mentoring role…but I wouldn’t assume I have that role with you or anything like that.”“No I like that. So thanks, senpai. What’s the opposite of senpai, what would I be to you?”“Kouhai, that’s the younger one.”“Senpai, kouhai.” J.J. pointed to Yuuri then to himself. “Hey I learned something in Japanese, that’s awesome.”He put his hand up and Yuuri limply high-fived him back.“You should come to Japan sometime,” Yuuri said. “Come to my hometown Hasetsu, you’ll be a hit there.”“Is that where Viktor and kitty Yuri went?” J.J. asked.“Sure is, I’ll show you off. My family runs a hot springs inn there, you’d love it.”“Ooohhh I like the sound of that. But first you got to come to Canada, name the city I know plenty of people who can take care of you, you and Viktor both. Plenty of places for a nice wedding too, I could hook you up.”“How about if I win gold next year, you set us up with a dream wedding.”“You are so on! And I win gold my lovely lady and I will go over there and have this cool Japanese wedding.”“You’re on!”They clinked their glasses, taking sips with chuckles. J.J. was joking around, though maybe it would be something to bring up with Isabella. For once the idea of planning a wedding sounded really exciting instead of horrifying.“Ooooh a Japanese wedding?” a voice said behind them. J.J. cringed and covered his face. “Can we have it in April when all the cherry blossoms are out?”J.J. felt fingers comb through his hair and a pair of lips meet the top of his head. He looked up and saw Isabella giving him a stiff smile.“We can do whatever you want, Belle Belle,” J.J. replied, leaning up and kissing her.“Now, Yuuri, would it be more proper for me to wear a wedding dress or a kimono?” Isabelle asked.“Either one would work,” Yuuri replied. “My mom could teach you about wedding kimonos if that’s what you’d like; how to properly wear one, colors, things like that.”“That would be so lovely,” Isabelle responded.J.J. and Isabelle locked eyes, Isabelle was still smirking and J.J. gave her a look of apology.“So how’s the stomach?” she inquired, no small amount of sarcasm in her voice.“Heh better,” J.J. replied, kissing her hand.“Uh huh.”J.J. shrugged.“Sorry, babe, I started feeling better and took a detour,” he explained.He realized he wasn’t lying about that. Isabella rolled her eyes and sat at the bar, though she was still smiling.“You’re buying me a drink, but the way,” she declared, setting her bag on the floor.“Of course I’m buying you a drink,” J.J. answered.J.J called over the bartender, Isabella ordered a beer for herself. Yuuri hastily finished his glass.“Well I probably should meet back up with Viktor and get security out of the way,” Yuuri sputtered, putting his glass on the bar.“See there’s a guy who knows how to check in with his partner and not keep him pacing the terminal waiting for a text,” Isabella chided.J.J. lightly stroked the side of her jaw with his hand.“I really am sorry,” J.J. apologized in a softer tone. “I guess I got distracted. Won’t happen again.”Isabella looked at him and smiled, kissing his hand.“No harm done, but I was pretty worried,” Isabella replied.“Ah, thanks for the beer, J.J.,” Yuuri interrupted.J.J. looked up to see Yuuri standing up, his bag slung over his shoulder and looking like he was ready to bolt from the bar.“Hey it was the least I could do…senpai,” J.J. called, pointing at Yuuri. “You say hi to Viktor for me.”“Yeah, will do.” Yuuri then turned to Isabella. “Nice meeting you, congratulations again.”“Aww thank you!” Isabella replied. “Congratulations to you and Viktor too.”“Thanks! I’ll be seeing you!”“You sure as hell will, I’ve got gold to win,” J.J. added, winking at him.“We’ll see about that,” Yuuri playfully shot back.Yuuri waved and walked from the bar, J.J. and Isabella waved back. Isabella turned her gaze to J.J.“You really okay?” she asked.J.J. smiled and nodded.“Yeah,” he answered. “I’m doing better.”Yuuri’s words ran through his head: “It’s a huge reminder of what you have, especially of who you have with you.”The bartender came by with Isabella’s drink. She thanked her and sniffed the contents with a little smile. J.J. pulled out his phone, accessing the app where the article was, and immediately clicking to something else. Best to get this crap out of his face.A few meters away Yuuri was standing in the hallway as a couple young women posed with him and took selfies.“Oh my God, Yuuri you’re so cute!” one of the girls with a British accent said, looking at the photo.Yuuri’s face went hot.“Uh…thank you?” he said, returning the pen to the one whose Grand Prix Final program he just signed.“You are so nice, thank you so much!” the other one squeaked.“Have a safe flight!” the first one greeted.They were practically walking backward away from him to get one last look before turning around and skipping down the hallway. Yuuri rubbed the back of his neck.“You look so cute when you're meeting your public,” a voice called form a meter away.Yuuri looked up to see Viktor walking in his direction, his duffel bag in hand. Yuuri looked down to his feet and shrugged. Viktor walked over to him and lightly tousled his hair, Yuuri rubbed his hand back and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He heard a little coo out of Viktor and felt his smile form with the kiss. Yuuri lightly pulled back, savoring that smile on Viktor’s face.“Everything set with Yakov?” Yuuri asked.“Da, but he was hardy talking business,” Viktor replied, clasping his hand and walking forward. “He’s so tired he can barely remember his own name, hehe. I had a more enlightening conversation with those fans you just met.”“Oh they got to you first? Good, they seemed nicely enthusiastic.”“They were lovely, they came all the way from Wales to watch the Grand Prix.” Yuuri nodded with a happy smile, his thumb rubbing over Viktor’s knuckles. “Speaking of interesting ladies, did I just see J.J.s fiancée walk into the bar you were at?”“Yeah, it sure was. And J.J. was sitting right next to me.”Victor sighed and rolled his eyes, playfully putting his head on Yuuri’s shoulder“Oh I am so sorry,” Viktor groaned, raising his head back up. “I’ll try to make up those minutes of your life you lost to his yapping.”“No actually we had a pretty interesting conversation,” Yuuri replied, playing with Viktor’s hair. “He’s not that bad when you get him one-on-one.”Viktor looked at him with surprise.“Well isn’t that interesting,” Viktor answered. “Hey you learn something new everyday.”“He even bought me a drink.”Viktor gave him another surprised look and shook his head a little.“He can be nice, who knew,” Viktor replied.Yuuri just shrugged. He didn’t go any further; he figured the rest was personal. His mind replayed that conversation with J.J. His heart was still pounding and he was still a little shaky. He couldn’t believe he said everything he was thinking during J.J.’s programs. He probably sounded like a fool, though he dared hope maybe he helped somehow.“I win gold next year we’re getting married in Canada, J.J.’s got all the connections,” Yuuri quipped.Viktor snickered.“He better put his money where his mouth is,” Viktor replied. Yuuri looked over and saw a wink. “And you better too.”Viktor pinched Yuuri’s cheek, Yuuri giggled and patted his hand back.“So would you like a big cathedral in Montreal or something more earthy by the Pacific Coast?” Yuuri responded. “Maybe we’ll ride off into the sunset in the Rockies.”“Your shiny gold medal glinting in the sun. Or is that my shiny gold medal?”“Mine of course.”Viktor let out a shrill snicker. Yuuri faced him and gazed on that beautiful face, replaying his words to J.J. Viktor met his gaze and leaned forward to give him another kiss. Yuuri smiled wider, kissing him back. He clasped Viktor’s hand a little harder and walked with him toward the security gate.
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shoot him again cause i
{ "Archive Warning": "Major Character Death", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, Winston Zeddemore", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by isoscele", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-13T00:00:00", "words": "7,900", "Additional Tags": "Blood, Death, Anxiety, Undeath, (not necessarily in that order), Team as Family, Angst, Egon Needs Many Hugs", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Ghostbusters - All Media Types, Ghostbusters (Movies 1984-1989), The Real Ghostbusters", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
When Egon Spengler was eight years old, he formed a list of ideal conditions for his death. It wasn’t very long, but he put a lot of thought into it. Everyone died, after all, so why couldn’t he do it on his own terms?First on the list was that he wanted to die with the sun on his face. He wanted rising serotonin levels and just a little more warmth than normal and orange spreading over the backs of his eyelids when he closed them for the last time. He figured that it wasn’t too much to ask. If he, like seventy percent of Americans, died in a hospital, they could perhaps open the blinds. Surely they opened the blinds for you, when you were dying.Second was that he wanted to die with his favorite book in his hands. This was a little less realistic, but still doable. He made it very clear in the list exactly what his favorite book was so there would be no confusion about this portion. There was a good chance that he wouldn’t be able to give directions himself, so he had everything very nicely laid out. He had to be eighteen before he could make a will, but this was the next best thing. For a while, he kept the note folded up and just poking out of his breast pocket, but his mother told him that she couldn’t bear to look at it any longer, so he left it at home. It was just as well; he had it memorized anyways.Third was that he did not want to die alone.Here, in the cellar of the Morris-Jumel mansion, so dark that he can’t see the broadsword dug hilt-deep in his side, with The Infinitive of Go by John Brunner safe on his nightstand at the firehouse and nobody even close enough to hear him cry out, he thinks that the Universe never did him any favors, and there’s really no reason he should have expected it to now.Instead, he curls his hands into nail-scarred fists and prays that none of the other Ghostbusters have to be the ones who find him here. Egon always thought of himself as a man humbled by logic, but even pure, objective fact can befall human psyche on occasion.In other words, despite every ghost he’s ever fought, he never truly believed there was anything after death. Maybe afterlife is only something for those who aren’t quite human anymore, a parade of malevolent beings, easily classified. Dripping ectoplasm and searching for some foggy revenge that they can no longer recall.He finds himself in line. Everything aches, from the tips of his nerve-damaged fingers to the gaping hole in his side, but at least it all aches equally. He grapples with consciousness, searching for a single clear thought, but comes up empty. He shuffles forward when everyone else does, crying children and men with tight, gaunt faces. He closes his eyes and white light, all in a terrific stream, doors shutting and the click of a lock, his head hurts so much, he feels like someone just-awoken and trying to place a dream rapidly slipping.He doesn’t know how long it takes, but he does get to the front, which surprises him. He didn’t think there was a front. He didn’t think there was anything to wait for.The woman towards the front, indistinguishable from the others besides from the direction she was facing, takes one look at him and says, “No. Absolutely not.”“Excuse me?” Egon says. He feels, distantly, like he should be fighting, his fingers are still fists, he doesn’t remember what he’s fighting for.“I’m not letting you through with that thing on your back.”He glances over his shoulder, startled to find that there is indeed something on his back. Some kind of device with slow-blinking lights and holstered guns. He tries to pull it off, but it doesn’t budge.“I’m sorry,” he says. The words taste burnt.“We have a lot of rules here,” she says. “That breaks almost all of them.”“I can’t get it off,” he says, and then tries another, “I’m sorry.”“Well, that isn’t my problem, is it?” she says. “You’re not getting through. Next!”He opens his mouth to protest, but a burly man with blood almost all over his face elbows him out of the way and Egon finds himself standing a little off to the side of the line. He watches the others pass through. A man in a business suit with shaking hands. A woman with a scarf wrapped around her bald head. A toddler rocking back on his heels, looking absurdly professional.No one else is detained. No one else is even given a second glance.Maybe he can go back to the end of the line. It feels like people are joining it quicker than they could possibly be crossing the invisible boundary beyond the woman, but the line never seems to get any shorter or longer. He could try his luck again.He walks back. With every step, the floor lengthens beneath his feet, rubbery. The people waiting turn unanimously, watching him. Their unwavering gazes make him nervous.This must be a terrible idea. The closer he gets to the end, if there even is an end, the more everything hurts. He has to kneel down every once in a while, press a hand to his side and focus his gasping breaths into something a little more sustainable. Lights swim across his vision. Oh God it hurts, it hurts, no one is coming for him, no one is even looking at him, this can’t be it, the pain’s too bad for it to be the real end.He collapses, scratching at his eyes, his cheeks. He wants to peel off all this screaming skin and start again. He wants to rip his heart out of his chest until it stammers out a painful rhythm. He wants to gouge out his eyes, his useless brain, everything he used to treasure. The glasses he didn’t even notice slip off the bridge of his nose and crack right across the middle. He blindly scoops them up and cradles them to his chest. A sob rises in his throat and he tears at the machine on his back but it doesn’t come off. He wants it off. He wants it to end.It doesn’t end. Not quite yet. He comes to lucidity slowly, as if following an instruction manual. He remembers the pain clearest, but as he realizes that most of it has evaporated, other things come into focus.He lost too much blood and fell into some sort of fever dream, or hallucinated, or something. His brain was convinced that he was dead so it created its own evidence. Brains do that. He hasn’t heard of afterlife hallucinations, per se, but he’s sure they exist.He lifts his shirt carefully to examine the wound. With a jump of shock, he realizes that the blade is still buried in his bloodstained flesh. His trembling fingers still a few centimeters from its handle. Surely pulling it out will make it worse, and he doesn’t have any medical supplies and no one’s coming for him. He grasps the hilt and yanks before he can think better of it.It doesn’t hurt at all. He doesn’t even feel it. The sight of his own blood coating the sword makes him feel sick and oh God, he’s going to faint. He buries his face in his knees and focuses on breathing. That doesn’t hurt either, although he distinctly remembers every inhale feeling like another stab.He grasps his sweaty hair in his bloody fists and squeezes. He never thought that a lack of pain would make him panic. He chokes out a laugh, a short, terrified sound. The irony is awful. The room reeks. He dry-heaves onto the cold stone floor. He’s going to die here, isn’t he, if he hasn’t already. There’s no escaping it.Okay, calm. Calm. If he had to guess, he’d say that it’s some sort of shock reaction that numbs pain. That sounds reasonable, scientific even. This means that he should avoid doing most of the things he’s doing right now, seeing as he’s lost his body’s best indicator that he’s damaging himself. Slowly, he drags himself back into a fetal position on the ground. Easy. Deep breaths.Instinctively, he brushes the tips of his fingers against the wound. Maybe he should be compressing it right now. Winston would know. Winston has much more experience with this sort of thing.He knows something is very, very wrong when his fingers come back clean and dry.There’s so much blood on the wound. There’s no way none of it rubbed off. There are mental reactions, which can be suppressed, and then there are actual, physical reactions. Unless he’s hallucinating again, and hallucinations don’t typically come in the form of one small thing, his side is dry.If the blood has dried (which has perhaps worse implications; how long must he have been here?) he should have felt it when he touched it. Dried blood has a very different feel from wet blood and even unharmed skin. He tries to pick at it with one fingernail. His hand scrapes clumsily through. No sensation whatsoever.Okay. Deep breaths, Egon. This doesn’t necessarily mean what he thinks it means. His starved brain is jumping to theories, which is never an appropriate way to draw conclusions. He at least needs a hypothesis, a few concise tests, more research on his side and oh, he’s hyperventilating.He stuffs his knuckles in his mouth and tries to stop himself from crying. Whatever happens, he’ll be all right. He’s resourceful and smart and he can fix this. He can fix anything.He hears footsteps, dim on the ceiling above him. Someone is running. He clings to the sound. At least there’s something here. At this point, he’d be ecstatic to see even the malevolent Class Seven he was chasing before he- before waking up here.Force against the door and a grunt. Someone banging with all the power they have. A pause and then a shout, “Egon! Eeeegooonnn!!!”Carefully, he straightens his jumpsuit, tucks his arm against the wide stain on his side and forces himself into a sitting position. “Down here!” he shouts and for a moment he’s terrified that he can’t get loud enough, that Peter won’t hear him and will leave and he’ll be alone again, he can’t be alone, he’ll go crazy, and that isn’t a word he uses lightly.The door swings open and slams against the wall. “Egon! Buddy, you okay?”No, Christ no. Egon twists his shaking hands into something not too indicative of his panic. “Sort of,” he manages, and from the sound of it, Peter’s taking the stairs three at a time.He bursts into view and drops to Egon’s side. “Oh my god,” he says, barely controlling the worry that tinges his own voice. “Do we need to call the paramedics?”Egon opens his mouth to say yes, I think I’m dying, I hope I’m dying, but something stops him. “No,” he says and his voice is shaky, he hates how it betrays him. “I’m all right.”“You have blood all over,” Peter says. “Christ, what happened?”Egon’s brain feels far too sluggish. “It threw blood on me,” he says, and it’s such a pathetic lie. “I don’t- I’m not sure whose it was.”“Christ,” Peter says again. “I’m so sorry, man. We started looking for you as soon as your walkie went out but we didn’t realize there was a downstairs-,”“Peter,” Egon cuts him off. The two syllables are difficult to maneuver. “I’m all right. I don’t know where the ghost went, though.”“Oh, we got it,” Peter says, waving a hand dismissively. “Bastard screwed with our friend. Didn’t stand a chance.”Something in Egon swells at the words. “I suppose not,” he says. Peter helps him up the stairs and he ignores the fact that he isn’t limping at all and he does not check his pulse. Peter is looking at him and talking to him and touching him. They do things that defy physics every day. This shouldn’t be any different.(Somewhere between late night and early morning back at the firehouse, Egon traces the wound from his bunk. It reaches from the soft spot above his hips to halfway through his ribcage.He still doesn’t check his pulse.) “No, no,” Winston says. “Tron isn’t a character. It’s a sentient security program.”“With a love interest,” Ray says.Winston waves a hand, narrowly missing his mug of coffee. “Everything has a love interest, man. It’s not a dealbreaker.”“I didn’t say it was, I just think if something has an actor and another actor kisses that actor, it’s probably a character.”Egon normally prides himself on his ability to follow Ray and Winston’s conversations, but there’s still a muted quality to nearly everything and his hands can’t stop shaking. He has to eat something, even though the sight of his toast makes him queasy. He hasn’t had anything for nearly fifteen hours and he’s fairly certain that somebody is about to shove a granola bar down his throat. (He’s long given up the pretense that his teammates don’t keep track of his eating habits).If he’s human, he needs food. If he’s a ghost . . . well, he’s seen ghosts eat before. Some of them even seem to enjoy it. It isn’t much of a stretch to think that he could continue with meals.He nibbles at a corner of the toast. It isn’t terrible, even though it’s long grown cold. There’s a distinct acidic quality, but it’s bearable and he’s willing to deal with it for the sensation of eating. There’s something remarkably human about absorbing vitamins and nutrients by putting things in your mouth and crushing them with the exposed portion of your skeleton. He’s glad that he can still do it.Ray catches his eye. “You sure you’re okay, Egon?” No overwhelming concern, just pure, scientific curiosity.“I’m quite all right,” he says. The blood on his side didn’t wash off in the shower but it hasn’t stained any of his other clothes, so he thinks he can hide it for a while. He pauses. “Thank you for asking.”Winston smiles at him. “I don’t guess you wanna prove me right?”It takes Egon a moment to remember what he’s talking about. “I’ve never seen Tron.”Winston chuckles. “Isn’t that a tragedy.” He nods. Swallowing feels difficult all of a sudden, like his saliva is heavier. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a few prototypes that I should be working on.”Peter looks up abruptly from the newspaper. “Oh, uh, okay. Take your toast.”Egon grabs the plate and walks to his lab as quickly as he can without arousing suspicion. He needs the lab right now, needs the comfort of whirring devices and so many dangerous things, but they’re dangerous in ways he understands.He knows how every single thing in that lab ticks, and it’ll feel good to know again. Ever since he was a child, he thought best in confined spaces. When his theories became a little too much for even him to comprehend, he would reach out and touch every wall to stabilize himself.Now, he curls up underneath the lab table with the least radiation heaped on top of it. He’s been bordering on panicky for nearly a day and it’ll be so much better if he can just get a good handle on everything that’s been going on lately. He just needs to understand something. He can deal with any problem if he understands it.He flips through his favorite notebook. It’s much rougher than any of the other books he keeps, filled with crossed-out scribbles and half-finished designs. This is where he records the things he discovers before he really grasps them, before the concepts are polished enough to go in another book.He finds about ten pages devoted entirely to basic summaries of ghost classes. There are a lot of arrows showing places where he reclassified and changed his mind, which he did frequently. He almost always records things like that in pen, which is perhaps symbolic of his hubris. He doesn’t believe that he’ll change anything, but he usually does.Right now, the highest classification is Class Seven. The page dedicated to those is rife with sketches and nearly unintelligible scribbles. He remembers their first Class Seven, how shaken he was. It was also the first spirit that truly harmed one of them. He created this page with an unsteady hand in a hospital waiting room. Sometimes, his notes falter in the middle of a sentence and don’t pick back up again.Despite their lack of encounters with any higher classes, Egon has some idea of what they might be. Although Class Sevens are (hopefully) the top when it comes to power and malevolence, it would be possible to get a spirit that has the power to harm people without possession and even has a steady form of its own. He scratches out a note beneath the heading Class Eight- a being of varying motivations that has a regular, humanoid form and considerable power in this form.He pauses before turning the page. He isn’t just humanoid, he’s damn near human. He’s- he has no clue what he is. He’s unlike anything they’ve ever busted before.Carefully, he pencils in a heading: Class Nine. After a moment’s hesitation, slow like he can delay this truth, this undeniable conclusion based on all feasible evidence, he writes below it, Egon Spengler. He tries to walk through a wall at nearly nine p.m. the following night. It seems like the sort of thing he should at least attempt. Now that he’s faced the evidence and formed a hypothesis, he needs a variety of tests before drawing conclusions.If he ever lets himself draw conclusions, that is.He regrets even having to write down the words, For the first test, I tried to walk through a wall and Janine came up to make sure nobody was getting mugged. It’s not exactly the most embarrassing experiment he’s conducted, and Janine knows better than to ask at this point, but it still isn’t a high point in his scientific career.He tries again later when he’s considerably drunker and it works. Somehow, miraculously, he finds himself teetering between stairs on the other side of the lab and everything’s spinning, everything’s going exhaustingly fast. He didn’t want to be able to do this. He wanted to be able to write that he showed no symptoms of being a spirit other than a frozen wound and an empty pulse.He sits on the steps and presses his cheek against the wall. It stays solid, thank God. He closes his eyes and pretends that this isn’t such a big deal. It’s fine, it’s fine. He’s all right with being dead, maybe, and being partially intangible sort of comes with the territory. He was expecting this.He’s filled with an awful loneliness all at once. It hurts to even think about for too long so he retreats to the bathroom where he splashes his face with enough water to near fill the basin. He lets it trickle through his hair and trace the curve of his nose. He’s almost sober. Christ, he’s almost sober. He doesn’t know if he can handle this sober.He hates his fucking brain sometimes. Hates the way it doesn’t stop, the way he can’t shut it down. He’s overwhelmed easily and his thoughts run so fast and so intense, it’s a wonder he doesn’t break down more often.He slips downstairs and integrates himself into Peter and Ray’s conversation. He gets invested enough in the argument of whether spirit and ghost are two different terms that he almost forgets that he’s probably one or the other. He thinks they can probably see the faint quiver of his steps, hear the quiet slur of his words, but nobody says anything.He has pretty amazing friends. Even on his worst days, he can admit that. If intangibility needs to be instinctive, flying is the opposite. It takes intense concentration and a bit of guided meditation, but eventually he’s nearly three feet in the air and rising quickly. He panics at first, but then he gets a grip and it’s sort of okay. It’s not so bad, floating. He likes feeling weightless, like the things he does don’t have an impact on anyone so he can do whatever he wants. He can fight, he can die, he can pretend until he runs himself into the ground.He hits the ceiling with a dull scrape of skin on plaster. He’s still pushing against it and he wonders what would happen if he just let himself float all the way up.He’s always wanted to see the stars up close.And then release, all at once, and he falls onto a table and breaks a microscope and falls to the floor. It doesn’t hurt because nothing hurts anymore, but it’s hard to be on the ground after flying. He picks bits of glass from his palms and rubs them between his fingers. One of them still has a little bit of ectoplasm on it from his last late-night analysis.A knock on the door. “Egon?”He swallows and rises to his feet. “Yes?”He can see the doorknob turn but Ray doesn’t come in. “I heard a crash. Everything all right?”He hates lying to them, hates how easy it’s become. “I’m fine, Ray.”Ray gives a mumbled acquiescence and trudges back down the stairs. Egon stares at the cracked plaster above him and thinks that it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Things sort of come in stages after that.It becomes easier to change mass, change form. He hates most things about this godawful charade, but he likes his own flexibility. He always wanted to fly when he was a child. Everything weighed too much back then, like the mass of his surroundings chained him to the ground.He eats less than he used to, and mostly when he’s with the others. Food becomes easier to choke down, too. He’s secretly relieved that, as supernatural skills become more natural, human skills aren’t getting harder. Maybe there’s still something living in him, just a few cells that continue to breathe.Sleeping is the worst because, not only does he no longer require it, he physically can’t. His functions won’t shut off. He tries everything he can think of to no fruition.After the fourth time Peter catches him in the lab far later than he should be and drags him back to bed, he starts lying down when the others do. It seems like it won’t be too hard to just relax for a bit, but it’s possibly the worst thing he can do, lying alone for eight hours with nothing but his thoughts, which tend to spin out of control when he leaves them alone for too long.He learns how to tell when the others are really, truly, asleep, and then he sneaks back up to his lab. At least his fidgety hands have something to do up there. Something productive.He tinkers with various other prototypes, but he always comes back to his notebook. Despite all he’s learned in the past few weeks, he’s reluctant to add anything more to the page, as if details will make it even more final than his own name staring up at him.He needs some sort of solution to this. He can’t live this strange half-life forever, pretending he’s all right when his teammates ask and lying in bed for an hour before daring to get up. This isn’t going away anytime soon. Eventually, he’ll have to tell them. Oh God, he’ll have to tell them that he’s a ghostbusting ghost. He really isn’t looking forward to that.He brews himself coffee that he won’t drink and watches the sun out the wide second-story windows. For now, it feels almost normal, and he’ll cling to it for as long as he’s able. Since the disaster of a Class Seven bust, they’ve had a relatively slow month. Egon’s been dreading the first bust since- since that thing happened, so much that it’s almost a relief when it comes if it means he can stop worrying so much. He’s done this thousands of times, after all, and his physical capabilities have far from diminished since the incident. He’ll be all right. It’s just a Class Three. They could take care of it with their eyes closed.He doesn’t really know what he’s afraid of. That the ghost will point a finger at him, hiss “He’s one of us?” or something?Shit. Yes.But that’s ridiculous, of course. Even if ghosts can sense each other- and they probably can- there’s no way anyone would believe anything a Class Three says. They surely trust Egon more than any old spirit. He can keep his cover a little longer.He pulls the proton pack on and loosens the straps- he knows he shouldn’t, knows it’s dangerous to have even an inch of leeway, but he hates how it digs into his shoulders, hates how it compresses his chest and makes it difficult to breathe. It saved your life, he reminds himself, but it didn’t, not really, because he doesn’t feel saved and he certainly doesn’t have a life anymore.He pinches his skin- is it his imagination, or is it paler than usual? - and focuses on breathing.Eventually, he climbs into the backseat of the Ecto-1 and damn, he loves this car, loves the smell of coffee and ectoplasm and the faint veneer of static electricity. Winston’s hand gripping the wheel and Ray and Peter arguing quietly about something just in front of him- either about something essential to their mission or about a reality TV show, Egon can never tell- and he feels at home with the people he loves for the first time in what feels like forever.Peter briefs them on the way over. “Class Three wandering around the Flatiron Building. Shouldn’t be a huge deal. Owner wants us in and out as quickly as possible.”Generally, this means that it’s going to be grueling and long and they’ll have to cause a lot of property damage, but Egon doesn’t say that. Instead, he stares out the window and wonders when they’re actually going to make the bingo page for frequently haunted buildings that Ray keeps talking about. The Flatiron Building would certainly make the cut.They split up once they’re inside and Egon finds himself meandering through the halls, which are longer and darker than he remembers. His side twinges, and he places a cold hand over it. Sometimes he feels like the knife is still buried in there, like every time he looks down he’ll be met with rusty blood and iron.Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.He closes his eyes for just a moment, bracing himself against the wall and very consciously staying solid. Almost immediately, he’s greeted with glowing blue eyes cutting through the darkness and a translucent hand reaching towards him. He jerks back and opens his eyes.The hallway is empty.So ghosts can sense other ghosts. That means that the Class Three can also sense him, and it’s just a matter of who gets there first.He rounds the corner and there it is, watching him. It tilts its head and smiles, wide and manic through bloodstained teeth and it is so much like every being in that line in the shadowy, painful place that Egon thinks he’s going to be sick.“Hello,” he says. “I suspect you’ve been looking for me.”The spirit says nothing. Few of them talk, anyway. He doesn’t know what he’d been expecting.And then multiple things happen at once.First is that Egon pulls out his blaster and fires like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do. He squeezes the trigger until his knuckles turn white and the stream jets toward the spirit at an alarming pace.Second is that the spirit moves easily backwards through the dirty wall Egon’s facing, watching him and the proton stream with nothing short of amusement.Third is that he follows it, crashing through the wall with minimal effort and nearly losing his balance. He’s panting, the pack feels so much heavier than it ever has, and this was a really bad idea.The spirit turns and starts to laugh. Egon’s leaning heavily against the wall that he’s no longer sure will support him, hair messy and sweat frozen in place in thin lines across his forehead.It’s the most chilling sound he’s ever heard.He’s almost crying, but he can’t quite manage it. The spirit laughs and laughs, watching him struggle- struggle to stay solid, stay grounded, stay alive even just a little bit.And then Winston bursts through a door Egon hadn’t even seen and roars a one-liner and traps the spirit in his stream, lightning and ash and blood suspended in frozen veins.The spirit laughs all the way down into the trap. Egon’s the one to close the lid on it, but it doesn’t feel like a triumph, not when anxiety is gnawing its way into his throat and he hasn’t known what the fuck he is for almost a month and he wants to say it so bad. It would be easy, theoretically, to open his mouth and say, Winston, I don’t think I’m all human anymore. He doesn’t say it. He doesn’t say anything. He scoops up the trap and listens to Winston speak to Ray and Peter over the walkie-talkies. It’s nearly all static. He meant to fix those, but he never got around to it.On the way out, he reaches up and loosens the straps to his proton pack. Peter, with all the gusto of their resident psychologist, declares that they need some real bonding time, so Egon finds himself curled up besides the disgusting sofa (he may not be in his best mindscape right now, but he will never, ever touch those cushions) sipping tea that’s really far too hot. The burn surprises him every time he raises the cup to his lips and it’s the first thing he’s tasted in so long that doesn’t make him ache.Ray deals the cards because Winston is a fumbly shuffler and everyone knows that Peter cheats. Egon isn’t entirely sure what they’re playing, but he thinks he’s winning, if Peter’s muttered curses are anything to go by.Egon can tell that it’s warm even though his body temperature has stayed constant since he died. He’s stupidly happy. The tea is cooling down, and it still tastes like tea.Egon throws down three cards so that they fan out on the carpet (which is really only a little less disgusting than the sofa), and Winston groans. “How are you so good at this?” he says and Egon just grins because he still has no clue what the object of the game is and is now beginning to question if it even is a game or the others just making it up as they go along.Ray collects the cards and shuffles them deftly. “Again?”They play well into the night. Egon’s almost certain that they aren’t playing the same game each time, but someone always says, “Let’s play again!” at the end, so it’s hard to tell. He still wins most rounds.Eventually, Ray stops mid-shuffle and turns to him. “Hey,” he says, discomfort clear in his eyes and weighing on his tone. “You know that you can, you know. Talk to us. If you want.”“About anything,” Winston adds and oh Lord, this is an intervention. He should’ve known Peter would never let him win eight consecutive times.He tries to smile and it ends up sort of like a grimace. “I appreciate the sentiment,” he says carefully, “but where is this coming from?”“It’s not a big thing,” Peter says quickly. “You just- you haven’t been eating much and I hear you in your lab practically every night when you should be asleep.” He takes a deep breath. “And we just wanted to let you know that if- if something’s going on with you, we’re here. That’s all.”“I’m sorry,” Egon says, trying to keep his face neutral, oh god he’s trying. “I wasn’t aware that I was keeping you up.” He knows it isn’t the right thing to say, but he’s never been good at platitudes and niceties and maneuvering out of tricky situations.“We’re concerned about you,” Ray says, a little sharper, like he understands what Egon’s trying to do and he doesn’t approve. “Are you okay?”He’s heard those words a lot in the past month and they always mean different things. The word okay is such a fascinating one. It certainly can say a lot for so few letters.“I’m fine,” he says. “Just a little stressed.”“Is this because of the Class Seven throwing blood on you?” Winston asks. “Because that was freaky and it’s understandable if you’re scared.”It takes him a moment to remember the story he told them at first, to explain away all the blood that coated every surface, oh Christ. “It was . . . startling,” he admits. “But I’m fine now.”“You can tell us if you’re having nightmares again,” Peter says and the again is like a slap in the face. Of course they knew, it’s a small room, a small firehouse. It doesn’t matter.“I’m all right,” he says. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping and I’ve lost some of my appetite but-,” he cuts himself off, unsure how to end the sentence. He appears to be digging himself into an even deeper hole.“But you’re all right,” Peter finishes. “Of course you are, because God forbid you tell us when you aren’t.”“I’m sorry,” Egon says and he doesn’t know what else there is to say. I’ve been dead for weeks and no one’s going to save me. I don’t know anything about myself. I’m lost.Winston places a soothing hand on Peter’s shoulder. “It’s okay, man,” he says. “Just take care of yourself. We hate seeing you like this.” I hate putting you through this, Egon wants to say but he doesn’t because he’s a coward. “I will,” he says. “I swear.”They play a few more halfhearted card games before heading up to bed. Egon curls in over his pillow and listens to the branches scratching outside the window, sharp like sobbing. He stays there the whole night. He doesn’t sleep, but maybe he comes close because his thoughts blur together and it isn’t so bad, under the covers like this. Hiding from the world.He even pretends to sleep in the next morning, waiting until nearly everyone’s up to pull himself to his feet. He feels foolish doing so, like a child pretending to be asleep when his parents check in on him, but Peter smiles so wide when he sees him downstairs that it’s almost worth it.Maybe he’ll have to burrow under the covers more in the early mornings. Things go rather smoothly after he starts paying more attention to his friends paying attention to him. He eats frequently and even learns to like it again. He lies in bed for long hours, counting ceiling cracks and creaks of the old floors and everything in between. He tries to engage without thinking about how they’ll react when they inevitably find out.He still can’t bring himself to write anything more on the Class Nine page and he’s spending a lot of time looking at it. He’s driving himself crazy; he’s going to tear off his own head. He needs a new project.One presents itself to him early morning during a lull in action. Ray dragged everyone over to the dusty table that they don’t use (because who eats at a table, honestly) and said that they were going to sit down and work out finances right this minute because if they left it any longer the pile of bills was going to become sentient and attack them for being such negligent fathers and so Egon finds himself sorting through envelopes and doing his best to understand the miniscule print. They’re all hopeless at anything that could be learned in a good home ec class, which was bad in college and even worse now that they spend their time running around stalking ghosts and doing dangerous things for the sake of science.Peter slaps a folded piece of paper on the table. “I swear, one of these days we’ll get a full salary that doesn’t have a chunk out of it for damage costs.”“Dream on, man,” Winston says. He closes his eyes and rubs them.“It’s sort of what’s bound to happen when you bring four nuclear reactors into a building and shoot them at a moving target,” Ray reasons. “And they’re never too terrible.”Peter snorts. “Yeah, cause we threaten to release the ghost again.”Well, it worked the first time, and the Ghostbusters operate heavily under the premise of “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”“I wonder . . .” Egon pulls out a pen and starts to sketch on the back of an envelope. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his teammates share a glance.“Uh-uh,” Peter says, snatching the paper from him. The sudden movement leaves a long line cutting across the rough draft and sweeping to the edge. “No getting out of this. Put your giant brain to something useful.”“That is useful,” Egon protests. If he could calibrate the streams with the level of consciousness required to . . . he would need a lot more tests, but it’s doable.“I don’t think the Bank of America would agree,” Ray says. “Come on, man. Be a prodigy on your own time.”Egon begrudgingly relents and focuses on finishing his stack. He loves math, but this is something else entirely. He always struggled to stay on-task with things like this, things that have no tangible use. Taxes are theoretical.He’s second to finish his stack (Winston is the first) and he disappears up into his lab as soon as the pen hits the table. He crouches below the window and pulls out one of his books- a nice one with a red cover, not the one he knows he should stop looking at- and starts the sketch again. It would have to function exactly like a proton gun, except with added capabilities- if the new equations throw off the balance, he’s in for a long night.Still, they need this. They’ve been talking about modifying the proton packs to only harm ghosts for ages, ever since they accidentally put a man in the hospital.(He was okay, but still, those hours staring at the hospital floor through twisted fingers were some of the longest of Egon's life.)He doesn’t often play music while he works, but he’s feeling inspired so he messes with the antennae of the old radio on the windowsill until someone’s crooning voice cuts through the heat of the lab. He settles down next to one of the many tables and opens his notes on the proton beams. He has his work cut out for him. It takes a few months of near-obsessive work for the weapon to be perfected.Well. Almost perfected. He generally marks something as “perfected” when it won’t explode if he touches it. It meets that requirement for sure.Once it does, he lugs it downstairs. He’s just rounding the corner to the appropriate testing location when Ray yells, “Don’t come out yet!” and starts an off-rhythm drumroll on the sidewalk.Egon waits for it to reach something resembling a crescendo before stepping out into the sunlight. Winston whoops when he sees the machine which honestly looks exactly like a regular proton gun except it’s spray-painted silver. Egon’s calling it the Molecular Dispatch Unit 2.0.“So,” Peter says. “To recap, it’s a machine that kills ghosts and only ghosts.”Egon coughs, pushing his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. “Theoretically, yes.”“So no more near misses with cats?” Ray asks.“Cats look damn like ghosts,” Winston reasons. “It’s the eyes.”“Right,” Egon says. “The feline population of New York City is now much safer.”Ray laughs and claps him on the back. “Good man.”Since Peter’s birthday was most recent, he gets to test the Molecular Dispatch Unit 2.0 first. He tilts it back, flicks off the safety, takes a deep breath, and hollers, “Fire it up!”Why they all consistently require one-liners to test new machinery Egon will never know.The blast comes in a stream of hot, jagged lightning. It’s beautiful. There’s something raw and natural about it that Egon can’t quite explain.And then Peter loses control.In retrospect, it’s probably Egon’s fault. Of course he should have mentioned that, with the extra components added to the beam, it would act a little differently than a typical proton pack. He should have done more to prepare his teammates.It bounces off a few different surfaces and Egon honestly doesn’t even notice the direction it’s headed at first. He quietly notes how it doesn’t appear to be damaging the brick at all, and then he thinks that he should adjust it so that the beam doesn’t bounce like that, it would be safer if it dissipated once it hit something that isn’t a ghost, and then he thinks that Peter’s doing a good job staying calm.And then he doesn’t think anything at all.The pain’s barely noticeable at first, but it takes approximately five point five seconds to tear through his entire body and leave him keeled on the asphalt. It’s been a long time since he’s experienced any form of pain and oh God, he’s dying again, he has to be, there’s no way he can still be here with how much it hurts.Tears spring at the corners of his eyes as he grasps for his hair, desperate for anything to keep him grounded. He can distantly hear someone screaming, “Turn it off, turn it OFF!” and someone else crying but it might be him, it’s probably him. The alley blurs into a long, white hallway and hundreds of spirits looking at him with pity as he tears into himself, folded over and gasping for breath that isn’t coming.He’ll never bust a ghost again if that’s what it feels like.The pain dies gradually, and he’s curled in the alley, sobbing into his sleeves. He can see the blood on his fingers that he could never wash off, tinging everything pinkish. He can see the knife waiting for him, just out of reach. Death is like an aftertaste that he’ll never be able to wash out of his mouth, a tattoo that will eventually wrap around his throat and suffocate him.Peter’s crying too, kneeling next to him. “Egon,” he says. “Egon, oh Christ, can you hear me?” I’m fine, Peter. His hands are shaking so bad that they knock against the stone, a tinny overture. Peter grabs one of them and squeezes it. Egon squeezes back.“I’m so sorry,” Peter says. His voice is choked. “I’m so sorry, man.”Egon inhales slowly. “Not your fault,” he manages. “Faulty machinery.”And there is something cold at the nape of his neck and oh- oh. Fingers, two fingers, checking the pulse he doesn’t have.Ray looks up, terrified. “Egon-,”“I know,” Egon interrupts him. “I- I know.”Silence, blissful silence. The sky looks so pretty from here, smooth gray like pearls.Egon always liked infinite things.Winston breaks it. His voice is quieter than Egon’s ever heard. “How long have you been dead?”There. It's out. The words hang in the air, heavy. They taste like soot.Egon closes his eyes. He’s so tired of this charade. Tired of lying on the bare bones of his mattress, trying to even out his breathing. Tired of falling through walls when he leans against them.Tired of the damn notebook page waiting to be filled.“A couple months,” he says. “Since the Class Seven in the cellar.”He waits for someone to ask the million-dollar question, what are you, but they don’t.“So it was your blood, then?” Ray asks.Egon lifts his shirt gently. His eyes are still closed, but he can hear their gasps. He knows that the blood still looks wet, like the skin was broken minutes ago.“I’m sorry,” he says. He isn’t really a person, nor is he anything else. He’s some in-between thing. The shadow of a doorframe. Rest stops at three in the morning and every liminal space they’ve ever been in.“Don’t apologize,” Peter says automatically. “It’s- you’re okay.”Egon smiles weakly. “I am,” he agrees. It’s the closest he’s come to meaning it.Peter stretches out and lies beside him, staring up into the sky. “What was it like?” he says and there’s something almost conversational about it.A sharp wind picks up. Egon welcomes it. “It hurt a lot,” he says.After some hesitation, Ray and Winston join them in companionable silence. The four of them spiral outwards from some invisible spot. Egon’s hands aren’t quite so cold anymore.Ray coughs slightly. “So,” he says, “I guess we were all, uh . . . dead wrong about you.”Winston throws him an exasperated look over Egon’s head. “Ray, I don’t think-,”Laughter scrapes up from the base of Egon’s throat, surprising him, but once he starts, he can’t stop. It bubbles out from between his fingers and into the still, cold air. It infects everything around him and God, he really is going to be okay, isn’t he? He’s going to be okay.“Come on,” Peter says. “That’s what set you off? I can do so much better.”“I’d like to see you try,” Ray says defensively.“You asked for it.” Peter makes a big deal of rolling up his sleeves and Egon cannot stop laughing. “It’s really knife that we know this now, Egon.”“Weak!” Ray calls.“At least we don’t have to barium,” Winston says. “’Cause, you know . . . he’s a chemist.”“I’m really more of a mechanical engineer,” Egon says but he doesn’t mind.“So this is what it takes to turn you spiritual?” Ray says. “Sorry, I had to casket.”“Thank you,” Egon says sincerely. “Thank you all so much.”Peter grins down at him. “Of course,”he says. “You’re doing a very good job keeping my spirits up,” he finishes, and Ray laughs so hard he curls in on himself.Egon pulls himself up and leans against the wall. It stays solid under his weight, and he smiles.There is blood on his side and fingertips. His breaths are stuck in some cold suspension, left without an exhale. There is a notebook page in his lab upstairs, waiting to be filled.There is life all around him, and he swears that he can feel the ghost of a heartbeat.
10220189
the truth runs wild like
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Multi", "Characters": "Ronan Lynch, Adam Parrish, Richard Gansey III, Blue Sargent, Henry Cheng, Noah Czerny, Chainsaw (Raven Cycle)", "Fandom": "Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by transoberyn", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "1,170", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Meet-Cute, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Trans Male Character", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish, Henry Cheng/Richard Gansey III/Blue Sargent", "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 }
Ronan squinted suspiciously through a display case of ferns at the new tattoo parlor across the street. “Have our new neighbors done something to necessitate your ire already, Ronan?” Gansey asked from where he was carefully arranging a new shipment of lavender plants on a shelf. “No,” Ronan replied shortly. Gansey looked up to see his gaze sharpen even more, then glanced out the window just in time to observe a man with dust-colored hair bending over to pick a box off of the ground. “Ah,” Gansey said, his normally unassuming smile turning knowing. “Sometimes I forget that the majority of your emotions manifest as anger.” Ronan flipped him off, his eyes not leaving the strip of tan skin exposed between the hem of the man’s white tee shirt and his stained jeans. “Fuck off, Dick. At least I don’t jack it to a book of pressed flowers every night.” “I would never; one mistake could ruin a decade’s worth of hard work,” Gansey replied calmly, unfazed by Ronan’s apparent displeasure. “And besides, I’m not the one who’s going to be masturbating tonight.” As if summoned, Henry popped his head out of the back room. “Who’s masturbating?” “Ronan has become enamored with one of the owners of the new tattoo parlor across the street,” Gansey explained, gesturing to the window. Henry sidled up next to Ronan and, upon seeing the man across the street (who was now chugging a water bottle), wolf-whistled. “You, my man, have excellent taste. And I,” he leaned forward with a somewhat menacing smirk, “am going to help you get your man. You’re welcome in advance.” Ronan shot him a look that could have withered every plant in the store. “If you even think about approaching him, I will have Chainsaw shit on your entire wardrobe.” “I’m just trying to help you out here! There’s no need to get defensive about it. I have it on good authority that I’m very good at romancing people, and what better use for my skills than helping my dear friend get it on with a hot tattoo artist?” “Your definition of ‘help’ is a lot different than mine. Remember that time you tried to ‘help’ me fix the BMW?” “Psh, you would have had to replace those gears eventually anyway.” “What about when you ‘helped’ Dick bake Opal a birthday cake? Were we going to have to replace the entire kitchen anyway?” “...Point taken. But still, as your friend, I just want you to be happy.” “Yeah, yeah. Wait a fucking second… speaking of friends, where the hell is Dick?” Ronan whipped around to face the window again, only to watch in horror as Gansey struck up a conversation with the man across the street. Biting out several words that Henry would not have repeated in front of his mother, Ronan kicked the door open and stormed across the street. Henry suddenly wished he had popcorn. Ronan almost got hit by several cars on his way across the street, but the sheer power of his fury appeared to keep them at bay. Henry thought that if they actually had made contact with him, they would have been the ones to go flying. Ronan, having made it across the street unscathed, clapped a not-so-friendly hand on Gansey’s shoulder. “Dick, Henry wants you back at the shop,” he said through gritted teeth. “Well, I’m sure that if he needed me that much he could have come out and told me himself,” Gansey replied calmly, his old-money Virginian accent doubling in its intensity. “Ronan, this is Adam. He’s one of the co-owners of Page of Cups, and he’s also one of the tattoo artists. Adam, this is Ronan. He helped me get The Sleeping Daffodil up and running when I first had the idea to start up a flower shop.” Ronan was certain he saw a flash of fear in Adam’s eyes before he appeared to steel himself and hold out a hand to shake. “Adam Parrish. Nice to meet you.” Ronan swore internally. Of fucking course he had to have a cute accent to go along with a cute face and cute- Ronan glanced down at the tanned, callused hand that was extended in his direction. Shit. Praying that his hands weren’t sweaty, Ronan shook Adam’s hand. He was careful to not memorize the way Adam’s skin felt as it brushed against his own, and he definitely didn’t think about holding his hand in any other situation. Ever. “Ronan Lynch. Sorry about Dick here, he’s always sticking his nose in other people’s business.” “It’s really no problem. Heck, I was halfway expecting to be told off for corrupting the neighborhood with a tattoo parlor when I saw him coming over here.” Ronan turned to Gansey. “What have I fucking told you about looking like you’re about to ask someone if they’ve heard about Jesus Christ our lord and savior every goddamn time you approach a stranger? I’m the more religious one out of the two of us anyway.” “It’s probably the polo shirts,” Gansey surmised, looking thoughtful. “I think it’s probably more the haircut that makes you look like you just escaped a boy choir.” “It was the sock tan lines that I was worried about, personally,” Adam chimed in, gesturing at Gansey’s ankles. Ronan cackled. “Henry’s been trying to convince him to stop wearing cargo shorts for years, but it’s never worked,” he told Adam conspiratorially. “Once he burned them all in our apartment’s fireplace. Not only did the apartment smell like shit for the next week, but Dick somehow managed to acquire an exact replica of his entire wardrobe overnight.” Adam looked bemused. “One would think that being a florist wouldn’t pay nearly well enough to finance buying an entirely new wardrobe because your roommate just burnt your old one.” “Richard Campbell Gansey III here’s old money,” Ronan explained with a sneer. “And besides that, he managed to charge the whole thing to Henry’s credit card.” “Ah,” Adam said with half the knowingness and twice the carefully concealed venom contained within Gansey’s identical statement earlier. “I see. Well, it’s been nice meeting y’all, but I have to finish helping Blue and Noah unpack.” He offered a half smile and a wave, then disappeared into the storefront. Once he was gone, Ronan leveled Gansey with a Look(™). “If you ever try that shit again, I swear to fuck-” “I know, I know. But it didn’t go that badly, did it?” “It didn’t go that badly?! He probably thinks we’re rich assholes and never wants to talk to us again!” “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?” Gansey asked, looking amused. “Besides, I think you sounded appropriately disgusted enough by my wealth that he probably doesn’t hate you, at the very least.” “Wow, he probably doesn’t hate me. Do you think he’ll want a June wedding?” Gansey chuckled as he crossed the street. “At least you won’t have to worry about where to get your floral arrangements.”
10242605
tell me
{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Kawasaki Koki, Vasayegh Wataru", "Fandom": "少年忍者 | Shounen Ninja (Band)", "Language": "Bahasa Indonesia", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by wisteriapinetree", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "1,828", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Kawasaki Koki & Vasayegh Wataru", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "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 }
Koki (seharusnya) bukan lagi seorang anak kecil yang mudah ditakut-takuti oleh makhluk halus dan mitos-mitos mistis nan dengan cepatnya beredar dari telinga ke telinga.Namun ketika sayup-sayup isakan kecil terdengar dari dalam bilik toilet paling pojok, ia merasa ingin segera berlari meninggalkan tempat ini dan mengurungkan saja niatnya untuk cuci muka sehabis latihan.Koki bukan lagi seseorang yang takut hantu. Barangkali karena ia tak pernah melihat atau merasakan kehadiran makhluk tersebut secara langsung, sih. Jadi, kalau baru sekarang ia mendengar suara orang menangis—uh, apakah itu sosok anak kecil? Anak perempuan?—apa Koki akan mendeklarasikan ulang kalau sebenarnya ia takut?Ia tidak pernah mendengar mitos tentang anak kecil yang menangis di bilik toilet, dan seingatnya, roh Hanako-san tidak menangis.Tidak, tidak, ia tidak takut; Koki menanamkan kalimat tersebut tegas-tegas dalam hati. Ia mulai melangkah pelan-pelan, berusaha agar tidak menciptakan suara taptaptap tumbukan dengan lantai atau bunyi dari sepatu yang ia gunakan.Kemudian ia mendapati bilik toilet paling ujung memiliki daun pintu yang tidak dikunci, terbuka sedikit. Kalau seperti ini biasanya tidak ada orang. Tapi Koki masih ragu-ragu untuk mengintip, setidaknya ia belum siap jika tiba-tiba menangkap pemandangan berupa sosok anak kecil tanpa bola mata, perempuan dengan rambut panjang seperti tirai yang menyembunyikan wajahnya, atau apa pun yang bisa membuat jantungnya lepas sekejap.Banyak kalimat yang hanya tersendat di ujung lidah. Koki ingin menyeru, 'Halo, apakah ada orang di sana?' tapi suara isakan yang belum juga reda dari dalam membuat nyalinya sedikit menciut seketika. Belum lagi pintu yang sedikit terbuka itu seolah-olah menandakan bahwa di sana tidak ada siapa-siapa.Oh, ayolah, sekarang bahkan belum jam lima sore.Langit di luar masih biru, agak gelap dengan matahari semakin menuju barat, tidak perlu ada yang ditakutkan. Tidak ada apa-apa, ia menenangkan dirinya sendiri sambil menarik napas panjang dan membuang sisa pembakarannya dalam sekali hembus.Koki memberanikan diri untuk menyentuh kenop pintu, mengenggamnya lemah, sebelum dibuka dengan gerakan yang amat perlahan hingga menimbulkan suara decitan dan—BRUK.Sesuatu, atau seseorang, menutupnya spontan dari dalam. Nyaris dapat disebut bantingan. Koki merasa jantungnya memompa darah berkecepatan dua atau tiga kali lebih cepat dari keadaan normal, membuatnya berpikir tentang semenakutkan apa makhluk yang ada di dalam sana."Siapa—s-siapa di luar?!" tiba-tiba, dari dalam bilik toilet yang pintunya baru saja tertutup dengan keras, seseorang bicara; membuat Koki tambah terkejut, tapi ia merasa sedikit lega. Nadanya agak tinggi diseling sisa-sisa isakan. Koki menenangkan diri, masih sibuk mencoba memperlambat lagi detak jantungnya sampai-sampai pertanyaan itu terabaikan.Ah, benar, kan. Tidak apa-apa. Tidak ada apa-apa. Itu hanya seseorang. Bukan makhluk-makhluk yang suka menampakkan diri berupa wujud menyeramkan seperti dugaan awalnya.Tapi, soal suara itu, sepertinya ia tahu—"Wataru ...?"—dan, hei, apakah tadi ia sempat mengira itu suara isakan anak perempuan? Jahat sekali."Wataru, Wataru—hei, ada apa?"..Koki tidak terlalu ingat bagaimana ketika Wataru memutuskan untuk keluar dari bilik toilet sambil menutup wajahnya; mempersilakan Koki jika ia ingin memakai bilik itu kemudian mengutarakan kata maaf atas suara isakan dan bantingan pintu yang menggangu—Koki menggeleng, berharap gestur tersebut dapat menjelaskan bahwa sebenarnya ia hanya berniat untuk mencuci wajah.Hampir berkali-kali Koki bertanya ada apa, tapi ia tidak mendapat balasan apa-apa. Sebelum kemudian Koki tidak sempat menahan Wataru yang mulai berlari, dan tidak tahu kenapa ia malah menyusulnya.Jadi seperti inilah sekarang mereka, di belakang gedung latihan, duduk dekat pohon yang daun serta rantingnya sudah jarang dan tak mampu menahan terik jika tengah hari (membuat Koki sempat berpikir apakah pohon itu sebenarnya sudah mati atau masih dapat bertahan dengan sisa yang ia miliki), tapi beruntungnya sekarang sudah jam lima.Dan Koki bahkan masih tidak tahu mau bicara apa ketika ia mengambil tempat di samping kiri Wataru yang duduk memeluk lutut, wajahnya menunduk."Kenapa mengikutiku," sambil masih membenamkan wajah di antara kedua lututnya yang tertekuk, Wataru mengutarakan pertanyaan dengan suara pelan; yang bahkan tidak dapat juga disebut pertanyaan karena ketiadaan nada tanya yang tersirat pada nada bicaranya.Akan tetapi karena suasana belakang gedung yang tak terlalu ribut, meski nyaris merupakan desis bisikan, kalimat itu bisa dengan mudah Koki tangkap. Ia kemudian terdiam sekejap sambil berpikir—ah, kenapa ya?—sebelum pada akhirnya memutuskan untuk jujur, "Aku, aku tidak tahu kenapa aku sebegitunya penasaran."Dan setelah itu, tak ada apa-apa selain suara hembusan angin yang lewat begitu saja."Hei," katanya dengan lembut kemudian, "ada apa?"Tidak ada jawaban."Kau bisa cerita padaku, hei, sudah—"Masih tidak ada."Apa yang terjadi?" tanyanya lagi, dalam hati memohon agar setelah ini Wataru dapat membuka suaranya untuk bicara, apa pun. "Kau bisa cerita padaku. Apa saja."Ya. Harusnya Koki tahu dari awal kalau itu mustahil.Maka, selanjutnya, ia mendapati dirinya sudah menyerah. "Baik, tidak apa-apa," katanya. Koki mengambil napas panjang, lantas membuangnya bersamaan sebuah pikiran yang muncul secara tiba-tiba. "Kau boleh seperti ini sampai perasaanmu tenang."Waktu semakin berjalan, matahari bergerak semu. Kelihatannya tidak ada tanda-tanda orang lain akan datang ke tempat ini, tapi tidak tahu kenapa, setelahnya Koki mendadak terpikir; ia memutuskan untuk akan terus duduk menunggu sampai Wataru mau bicara."Hitorikiri de itara, yozora wa tooi keredo," tiba-tiba saja Koki bernyanyi pelan, dan ia menikmatinya—tanpa sadar membuat Wataru menggigit bibirnya sendiri, berusaha agar membuat tangisannya sedikit mereda.(Kalau kau sendirian, langit malam terasa jauh.) "Itsudatte issho da yo. Soba ni iru sa." (Tapi setiap saat kita bersama. Aku ada di sisimu.)Wataru mengangkat kepalanya perlahan, masih sambil memeluk kedua lutut. Ia sempat berpikir apakah Koki tengah berusaha menghiburnya atau bagaimana. Atau cuma ingin bernyanyi saja. Ia tidak tahu. Yang paling penting dan satu-satunya hal penting adalah, perasaannya mulai membaik.Ia lantas tak berkedip, pikirannya ke mana-mana.Mungkin langit sore ini sama saja dengan langit milik sore-sore yang lalu jika ia sengaja menyendiri di belakang gedung setelah latihan, termasuk suara ramai pusat kota yang terdengar hanya sayup-sayup dari kejauhan. Tapi mungkin juga berbeda.Tidak ada burung yang bercicit menggelitik seperti pada narasi indah fiksi berlatar sore hari, apalagi angin yang bertiup dengan halus menerpa rambut—dan saking fokusnya Wataru melamun, tahu-tahu Koki menghentikan lagunya tepat sebelum baris terakhir di refrain pertama. —kimi no koto, suki ni naru. Eh. "Kenapa berhenti?""Karena kelihatannya kau sudah membaik," Koki menjawab dengan nada santai, matanya memandang lurus ke depan, membuat ia sadar kalau mereka duduk menghadap barat ketika cahaya matahari sore menyentuh wajahnya."Lanjutkan saja. Suara Koki bagus."Koki terkekeh. "Apa, sih.""Lanjutkan lagiiii," pintanya kemudian (dan Koki menanggapinya dengan tawa tanpa suara). Ia sesekali mengerjap-ngerjapkan mata yang masih sedikit gatal dan mengusap kantung matanya agar tidak meninggalkan bekas apa pun bahwa ia habis menangis. Setelah itu, sambil melihat ke arah langit, Wataru memiringkan kepala, pelan-pelan menyenderkannya ke bahu kanan Koki dan—eh? Apa tadi? Belum berselang satu detik; Wataru langsung mengutarakan kata maaf dengan canggung sembari cepat-cepat menormalkan lagi posisi kepalanya.Pada masa yang bersamaan, Koki hanya tertawa geli. Tangan kanannya lantas beranjak mengacak-acak rambut anak lelaki berumur satu tahun di bawahnya tersebut, yang kali ini agak menunduk. "Tidak apa-apa, lho, padahal. Bukan masalah," katanya, berpikir bahwa bukan salahnya, 'kan, kalau ia jadi terbawa suasana; dan, ah, apa lagi ini maksudnya terbawa suasana.Tapi Wataru tidak merespons."Kalau Hoshiki menangis, aku suka menyanyikan lagu kesukaannya. Habis itu biasanya dia malah ikut bernyanyi." Pada akhirnya Koki malah membuka topik konversasi baru, kesannya ia seperti berharap sesuatu terjadi lebih lama lagi; padahal, padahal—padahal tidak, kok."Ah, aku paham," Wataru membuka kembali suaranya yang sempat tertahan oleh kecanggungan. "Habisnya dulu Hikaru juga kadang-kadang begitu padaku."Kemudian secara refleks Koki tiba-tiba menoleh ke kanan, dahinya sedikit berkerut sesaat sebelum menyentil pelan ujung hidung si anak lelaki yang baru saja menyelesaikan kalimatnya. "Kau tidak sopan kalau menyebut Hikaru-kun seperti itu, tahu.""Iya, iya. Maksudnya kakakku," koreksinya. "Ngomong-ngomong ... jangan bilang siapa pun ya, soal hari ini. Terutama Toyoda."Koki menoleh sedikit. "Eh? Apanya?""Ini." Wataru menunjuk matanya yang agak sembap. "Kadang-kadang aku tidak ingin dia tahu aku masih suka menangis."Benar sekali. Wataru tidak ingin kalau seorang Toyoda Rikuto tahu bahwa dirinya masih suka menangis, tapi di hadapannya sedari tadi Wataru terisak tanpa bicara seolah-olah tak apa kalau ia yang tahu. "Kelihatannya kau sangat peduli dengan apa yang dia pikirkan tentangmu?" tiba-tiba Koki bertanya, sedikit mengutuki dalam hati kenapa ia harus mengatakannya. "Kalian sangat dekat, ya.""Siapa?""Kau, dengan Rikuto." Padahal dalam hati ia menegaskan; Koki, tolong hentikan nadamu yang ini; tapi ia tetap bicara, "Sampai-sampai pertanyaan ingin debut dengan siapa waktu itu juga, kalian jawab pakai nama satu sama lain."Rasanya, Wataru ingin sekali membalas seperti ini; kalau Koki mengira begitu, coba katakan, memangnya siapa yang benar-benar ia panggil pakai nama kecil seolah-olah mereka memiliki umur yang sama? Bahkan panggilan Wataru untuk Rikuto tetap seperti itu sejak dulu: Toyoda. Akan tetapi tiba-tiba ia memahami sesuatu—'Itu bukan berarti Koki cemburu pada Toyoda atau apa. Gawat, gawat,' katanya dalam hati, sembari tanpa sadar memukul pelan kepalanya sendiri."Tidak ingin debut denganku?" tanya Koki iseng tiba-tiba sambil mengerling ke kanan.Wataru menoleh secepat pertanyaan tersebut terpantul di gendang telinganya. Ia mendorong bahu kanan Koki, membuat lelaki itu agak kehilangan keseimbangan, tapi untung saja tidak jatuh. "Bicara apa, sih," responsnya kemudian, dan pipinya sedikit menggembung.Koki tertawa lagi, seolah-oleh tengah berusaha meyakinkan kalau tadi ia cuma bercanda dan tidak ada niat apa-apa dari perkataannya."Jam lima lewat. Yang lain sudah pulang?" tiba-tiba di tengah hawa-hawa senyap setelah tawa Koki mereda, Watatu melontarkan pertanyaan yang entah keberapa kali."Umm, mungkin.""Kalau begitu," katanya menggantung, tidak sengaja memberi jeda karena waktunya dipakai untuk beranjak dari posisi duduk jadi berdiri. "Aku pulang sekarang, ya?"Koki ikut berdiri. "Sendirian?""Kau sangat tahu apa yang sudah terjadi, 'kan. Tidak mungkin Hikaru berani menjemputku ke sini. Suasananya akan tidak enak. Dia juga sibuk sekarang," jelasnya. "Koki tidak pulang?"Untuk yang kedua kali dalam seharian ini, Koki menyentil pelan ujung hidungya. "Sebentar lagi aku pulang—dan sudah kubilang panggil kakakmu dengan benar."Dan untuk yang kedua kali dalam seharian ini juga, Wataru menggembungkan sedikit kedua pipi sebelum menormalkannya lagi ketika akan bicara. "Iya terseraaaah," balasnya. Ia memiliki ancang-ancang untuk berbalik, tapi kemudian ingatannya tanpa diperintah memunculkan sesuatu. "Oh, ya.""Iya?"Sesudah itu, Wataru mengela napas pendek. "Aku bisa cerita lewat pesan singkat malam ini," tawarnya sambil melihat ke segala arah secara acak, "... atau telepon juga bisa.""Eh? Yang tadi?" balasnya cepat, "sebenarnya tidak apa-apa, sih." Koki lalu mengisi jeda dengan cara menggaruk tengkuk. "Biasanya juga kau tidak perlu cerita apa-apa padaku, kan. Tadi itu aku cuma ... rasanya seperti melihat adikku sendiri sedang menangis, jadi—bukannya aku memaksa atau ...."Wataru menggeleng. "Tidak, tidak. Aku percaya Koki, kok.""Wataru.""Um?"Koki maju satu langkah, kemudian agak menunduk dan tangannya mulai bergerak untuk mengusap cepat kantung mata Wataru dengan ibu jarinya. "Wajahmu masih merah, tapi begini sudah lebih baik.""... aku ... aku pulang sekarang.""Baik. Hati-hati." Koki tersenyum lebar sampai deretan giginya terlihat. Setelahnya Koki hanya menyaksikan bagaimana Wataru baru akan berbalik ketika tiba-tiba ia iseng berkata sembari tertawa, "Awas hilang."Koki juga menyaksikan bagaimana Wataru yang tengah tersenyum tiba-tiba melayangkan kalimat protes secara spontan, "Hei, aku tidak sekecil itu sampai bisa hilang!" waktu mendengar kalimat terakhir, sebelum kemudian berbalik membelakanginya dan mulai berjalan....—fin.
10238999
exsanguination
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Original Work", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by nosignofagrave", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2008-11-01T00:00:00", "words": "33", "Additional Tags": "Poetry, Poetry about poetry", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "take a poem and hold it up to the light", "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 i were more like sylvia i would cut open a vein and bleed my words onto the page (all in the name of poetry) but i'm too afraid to feel real pain.
10224488
Poem for a Scorpion
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": null, "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Poeticraven14", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "622", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": null, "Character": "Matt La Patrón Tam Lin María Celia", "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "House of the Scorpion, The House of the Scorpion - Nancy Farmer", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Poem of the Scorpion Innocence just starting kept in a castle of love and secrets away from what lies beyond the barriers. The young scorpion is freed but at a terrible price. Injured, broken, and beaten without any mercy half starved and half mad. Darkness taints his mind cutting all ties by silencing his voice in a desperate attempt to live and survive out of fear of the tortures the young one went through. Freedom won once more though in great shock of the events that have occurred in his mind in the what felt like a mere second. A skeleton of a man welcomes him with open arms, but be wary young scorpion for there is evil within this world, and this man seems to be the source of it all. A friend gained is a pack member earned though this guard also he has secrets that must be uncovered. Voice regained out of rage, but in reward, he finds a paradise that he can use to escape. Taught by the mysterious Irish hound to survive and to bring down his enemies, the young scorpion gains even more wisdom than he had before. Hurts the one he cares for, accused of a crime he did not commit, and shown the ugly truth about his kind by the young incarnation of the devil himself wearing an angel's toga. An escape failed and taken to the evil old man's death bed where he found the meaning of his existence. Before his heart is stolen, the young scorpion's mother reveals that she made it so his heart could not be used. He is taken from his home to survive through the wilderness in order to escape to the border. He arrives and passes the guards that would destroy his mind only to be treated like a worthless piece of trash for being raised in a different environment. But along this dreaded path that he has taken, he discovers friendship something he never experienced. Forced to work so they can be accepted by society, they go through horrible conditions, for this is not a plankton plant but a prison. One of his comrades beaten down he looks at the man that committed this heinous act with a poker face, but within his eyes is a flame of rage and hatred. He takes the unreasonable punishment from the self-centered male, and collapses from the sheer pain feeling as if he were burning. The prisoners try to rebel against the screws only for the young scorpion's secret to be revealed that he was not made naturally, but from a lab he was created. Taken into a whale graveyard, the scorpion's companion nearly loses his soul to the great heavens above. Finally, the comrades escape, and what they find is a festival honoring the dead taking place and causing the young scorpion's mind to be filled with confusion and fear. Taken to his comrade, the enemy has appeared searching for them. A dwarf of a women with the personality of a lioness in charge of the hunting party confronts the enemy as the scorpion and his love are reunited. He agrees with the woman to stop the drug importation even if he doesn't trust the elder female. Access has been granted to him to enter his inheritance to see his friends and family once again. The Irish hound he loved like a father has forever disappeared in his life and gone to the heavens hoping that his crimes have finally been pardoned. The young scorpion has become stronger through the years of torture and ridicule and he will use that said strength to rule the land that he inherited just like the king he was born to be.
10286960
Find Me
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Overwatch (Video Game)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by breadcat", "chapters": "4/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-14T00:00:00", "words": "5,867", "Additional Tags": "References to Depression, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Reunions, sleep paralasis, Drama", "Relationship": "Genji Shimada/Reader", "Character": "Genji Shimada", "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 }
There's familiarity in his touch, a sweet warning tingle of 'remember when' in the way his arms curl around your shoulders. The same cultural shyness, crossing boarders for you to be more on your level of pda. The firmness of his hold, the protective squeeze that kept you content in your place, safe wrapped up in him and his constant hints of tonkotsu and incense. Not entirely unappealing but odd the first time you had buried your face into his chest.But now all you could smell was an electric charge, crisp like cold water and tinted around the edges with the same incense you knew to follow him around. No longer the little splatters of ramen broth or hastily sprayed cologne. Just warm metal and circuits with just touch of home.You still hadn't fully realized that this sleek plated figure hugging you was the very same little Japanese boy you had fallen utterly head over heels for back in your early adult years. Boy you remind yourself as you broke free from warm strong arms to look at him. All that stared back was polished metal and green glow, but in the pit of your stomach you had a feeling the face behind the glowing strip and metal curves was grinning ear to ear.If there even was a face. "Genji?" You ventured, hesitant to even speak that name to someone who could be a complete stranger for all you knew. How many times had you mistaken a punk with dyed hair for your sweetheart? If only it was a double edged sword. But you felt you cared far more, as he often ran off elsewhere. No matter how many times he assured you that he only truly wanted to be with you, you never let it get serious. You never let that boy, the one with a different girl on his arm each time you saw him around in passing, so much as kiss you. You loved him, yes, but you never once trusted him. Not fully.If it were possible for something with no face to emote you were absolutely positive this one just did. His body language spoke volumes, and he yanked you clean off your feet and into another hug, sending your coffee cup to its doom to splatter on the concrete below your feet. "You actually recognize me!" His voice is the same, tilted with the robotics that surrounded him but you would know that accent anywhere. You're only convinced further as he goes off in a small tangent in Japanese, excitedly rambling and hugging you tighter. It isn't until he squeezed you hard enough that you squeak in pain that he comes to a sudden stop. It's almost like someone took his batteries right out.He sets you down and you take a good deep breath as he apologizes. You're still dazed and confused as he goes on for awhile before he realizes you're clearly struggling to catch up and process all this. He slows, takes your hand between both of his and the soft tone of his voice nearly brings tears to your eyes. "Let me show you." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- He brought you out to a part of town you hadn't set foot into in years. Not since you found out. Not since the world itself crumbled beneath your feet and you feel into a never ending dark out that gnawed at you from all ends. It has crept it's way up your legs and arms, devouring bits of you as it went. Even after you managed to stop crying at the drop of a hat, your arms and legs felt heavy and nothing in life brought you any solace.You never had it in you to come back here. To come back to the memories, the sights the smells... Him. Coming here without him felt wrong. You felt like you were floating as this sleek, dangerous weapon like boy before you pulled you along. Retracing old steps until you both stood in the traditional building. The incense grew stronger.You felt your throat tighten hard, it burned, it choked away your voice. He hadn't turned to look at you yet, but you heard some sort of muffled click and slide so you waited. Waited while you felt the sharp prick of hot tears forming. Being here hurt. Seeing him hurt. The last few years came crashing down around you and you were sure you'd crumbled into the wind if he let go of your hand. Time slowed, so far down you could almost feel the seconds tick by with your heartbeat. And then he turned his head.Time completely seemed to freeze over, your vision going white or maybe it was just the tears but you lost sight of him. You felt the world tilt from under your feet but you never crashed down against it. Instead you were caught in those metal encased limbs, shaking with the raw emotion that bubbled out of you like a volcano.He held you while you lost your mind to flashbacks and memories. Fingers in your hair while you went through all the stages of grief all in one moment, not even flinching when you found the strength to hit him square in his metal chest. Your hand throbbed painfully but went ignored against the labored breathing and stinging hot tears.It was a small eternity before you were calm enough that the flow had stopped, your breathing evening out but still stuttering every so often. And there he stood, calmly waiting for you to look at him again. Once your sore eyes lifted to his face again, he gave you an awkward, sideways smile that was painted in about four layers of sadness. "Is it that bad?" He asked you, sheepish but joking. He knew what his face looked like.You just shook your head. You didn't care how he looked. The fact that he was there at all had thrown you into hysterics. You had never even entertained the thought of him being alive, let alone coming to find you. "No." Your voice was raw, your throat still tight and burning. "I just... " never thought I'd see you again.Unspoken, but well communicated by the way you hiccuped and reached to wipe your face. He knew what you wanted to say but didn't push you to force the words out.He hugged you again and you collapsed into him, exhausted in more ways that one. Years of bottled up pain had just flown right out of you and now you were just... Tired. "I'm so sorry, [y/n]. I meant to come sooner."There was a tiny flicker of anger at his words but it was gone in the blink of your eyes like water poured on hot ashes. You didn't have it in you to be mad. Or... Anything right now. So you just nodded. He didn't seem pleased with that response, reaching out to take your face in his hands long enough to get you to look straight at him. "It's... Complicated. But I really did want to find you sooner." "What about Hanzo?" You knew the second that left your mouth it was a mistake. A million different emotions ran over his face, through his eyes like a wild pack of dogs on a hunt. Then everything fell into a small sad smile. "I went to him first." And that part of you that was always curious wanted to ask, wanting to know what happened and why one day after five calls to his cell phone his brother answers and snaps off at you to stop calling, that Genji was dead and you were doing him no respect by calling him.You had only been worried. He had been supposed to meet you that morning. And him being late was one thing but not responding to texts or anything had set a sour taste in your mouth. And Hanzo's words had been like icicles in your veins.Genji's hands carded through your hair and you were pleasantly surprised that none of the strands got caught in the folds and edges of the plating around his fingers. Curious, you grabbed his hands, entirely derailed from wanting to know why someone who was declared dead was standing before you. He let you examine his hands, turning them over and over and following seams. He was so at peace with this, relaxed in your hands like his belonged there and it gave you butterflies like when you were younger.Like how your heart had nearly stopped the first time you had made him smile wide. And when you made him double over laughing. That had really upset the girl trying to flirt with him. One small victory against the armies of women trying to throw themselves at his feet. He ended up ditching her later that day and texting you about it. In fact, you were sure you still had the text log archived in your phone.The moment didn't last, however, and he pulled his hands from yours, his head turned like he was listening to something. His expression was serious, something you hadn't recalled ever seeing on his face before. A few moments passed and he looked at you again, regret tugging at the corners of his eyes. "[y/n], I have to go now. But I'll come back. Wait for me, yeah?" His face plate snapped back down into place, and he gave you a nod of a bow before he was gone. Just like that. Your heart ached, but only for one long minute.Resuming your walk home, now with an added fifteen minutes, left you more or less entirely dazed. He was real. He was there.You putted around your apartment on autopilot.He was alive. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Almost a week had passed since you had literally stumbled into Genji on the sidewalk on your walk home from work. Literally meaning, you were nose first in your phone and hadn't seen him at all, not like you did with other people walking past you occasionally. Your peripheral vision had utterly failed you and your face and phone ran right into metal plating. For two days your nose hurt, but at least it hadn't bruised.You had been enjoying your day off, lounging around in your apartment and almost religiously checking your phone. Nothing new, of course. For some reason you had the gut feeling that he would text you again. It's not like you changed your number since high school anyway. You carried it over, new phone to new phone. Some part of you had wanted to hold on tightly to those 10 digits just in case. you never had hope that you knew of, but somewhere deep down in there... "Yo."You were so sure that your heart had stopped that you didn't even realize you had screamed, or rather were screaming until a hand clamped down over your mouth."[y/n]!! It's just me!"Wide eyed, you spun around so fast it felt like you were going to snap your spine in half."How did you get in my apartment!?"Fully armor and face mask was that pain in the ass you knew, having the magical power to look entirely ashamed of himself but amused at the same time and you couldn't even see his face. That was frustrating and endearing at the same time and it kinda pissed you off a little."Well..." he started, and you waited, giving him the best stink eye you could muster given that your heart rate was about as fast as a humming bird's."...Your window was open." his hand went behind his neck, like some sort of anime cliche and you sort of wanted to swat at him. He was still acting like he did as a teenager and it was all too... normal. nothing had been normal since his 'death' so why should he get to waltz right in and act like he had just stood you up for a day. Instead of years on top of years of endless wondering and aching.Your eyes snapped to the window you figured he meant, the one in the small living room and dining room like combo you had going on. The apartment was small and you did what you could with the space, if that meant putting a small 'table for 2' dining table not more than about seven feet from your little loveseat then so be it. At least you had furniture of your own. You knew people who sat with boxes to eat dinner.It was open, so you really couldn't fault him for that but.."How did you know where I live? And couldn't you have used the door like a normal person?" You scolded, tut-tutting at him like a mother should. But someone had to ground him when he wasn't around his brother. And since you were less concerned with what was in his pants and focused on him as a whole, it left you with the confidence to stand up to him. To call him out and tell him when he was acting like a moron. Or a child. Or.. .anything.He was clearly thinking his answer over very carefully, you watched his fingers twitch and he was trying hard not to give himself away with a tic. he knew damn well he couldn't lie to you. You'd see through it in an instant, even all these years later. You may not have been able to see his eyes, but he was a terrible liar in general."I.. searched. Public records." Sort of anyway. It wasn't exactly a lie, but you weren't going to let it slide entirely. Just for now."You still could have knocked." was the best reprimand you could form now that you were calming down. "I know." you heard the smile. Cocky bastard. So much for the quietness of a day off, now that you had to play hostess to your surprise guest (not that it was that awful of a thing, but his timing really could have been better). a few beats of silence passed, you thinking of whether or not to offer him a drink? and he just waited patiently for you to come to terms with your thoughts. Or maybe he was playing video games on his helmet thing. If that was even possible. It certainly seemed like a thing the Genji you knew would do. That stopped your thought process like an oncoming train hitting a car on the tracks. DId you even know him anymore? How the hell were you even supposed to approach that with him? It wasn't likely that he hadn't changed at least a little bit, after all you hadn't escaped the last few years without some scars yourself. But there really was no telling if his scarring was just superficial. Though judging by the mention of Hanzo the other day, you were sure something had happened. It seemed off limits to ask."You know," he started, leaning close to you and putting his hand up to the side of where his mouth would be like he was hiding it while he spoke. "This is the part where you ask me if I need anything and we watch tv." he teased, snapping you right away from the darker turn your brain was taking on you. Thanks brain. Glad to see you're still doing that. Not.You fixed him with a glare, but it was awfully fake. "Only if you take that off." was your ultimatum, pointing to the faceplate. You knew it came off or slid away into a groove or something. There was a face under there and if he was going to impose on you like this, then he could show it.For a moment it seemed like you had upset him, like he wasn't going to abide by your one condition even though to you it seemed fair. It wasn't like he hadn't shown you his face and the scars around the edges of his skin where it met with what you guessed was something like cybernetic skin graphing. THe last week you had really thought a lot about it, and the internet hadn't provided any new information you didn't already know about or found before so this technique or style or medical advancement was a mystery to you. He put the worry to rest after a long drawn out pause, and that click slide you heard the other day was really loud in your small apartment.The difference in texture and color was a bit more obvious in the light of your apartment than it had been in the almost bright white of daylight. Not that it wasn't midday as it was, but your curtains certainly tinted the room with a different shade making him seem a little more saturated. You had to swallow back against the urge to touch. You were close once... but now he was just a familiar stranger that had basically broken into your apartment. Yeah not weird at all.It wasn't long before he gave you a teasing smirk, the darker color of the not-skin making him look like he was wearing a really odd suit up his neck (you could see the color peak from beneath some of the armor) and up under his jaw. you couldn't see too much past that, the rest of the helmet obscuring it. Did it even come off like the face mask?You were staring.He was going to tease you. You saw it coming a mile away and turned to abandon him to the living room so you could be a good hostess. You still had no idea if he could even still eat and drink but at this point you had to walk away for a second.Your fridge was probably embarrassingly empty compared to some, a few tubs of left overs you still had left that were good for a few days still. A refillable bottle of water that you kept chilled before leaving for work with it. Some vending machine drinks you picked up from the too bright machine near the corner by your apartment. You kept telling yourself you'd drink them. But they get put in your fridge and you forgot about them. unopened they were still fine, so you grabbed two and went back to him.If you hadn't seen him make himself utterly at home in your place before (granted it wasn't this apartment back then) you would have been a little shocked to see him sprawled out on your loveseat, flipping through a magazine without actually reading anything. "I was gone like two seconds and you think you live here?"His head tipped back over the arm of the loveseat. "Is that an invitation?"Beet red became your skin tone in record time, "Wh-- no. I barely have room for myself and you'd be a leech." you offered one of the drinks to him, swatting at his legs to make him move so you could sit. This was very very much just like an average day after school. Nice, but eerie. And worrisome since you didn't know how long exactly you had before he'd have to leave you again and go be all mysterious like... like well, a ninja or something. you knew his family was oddly traditional for the modern age. Maybe he was something like that."I would be no such thing.""Says the one who bummed lunches off of everyone else.""I forgot!""Not my problem. You're an adult, you can get your own apartment."He was very suddenly very very close and you did what ever you could to not give him the inch so he could take the mile. But it was so very hard and you weren't exactly a kid anymore."What if I'd like to live with you though?"Don't give in.After successfully dodging his old efforts to hit on you, just like old times which felt both and equal parts good and bad, and he had dropped the comment like it had never happened... and that was basically how you both ended up crunched on the loveseat playing a console port of a game you used to try and beat him at, back at the arcade.The only difference was now you were a lot better, having spent a lot of time playing the game for sentimental's sake.Genji gave a defeated groan, sinking from the cushion like you had actually knocked him out and not just his character. "Since when did you get this good?" he actually sounded put out, pouting like a little puppy."Since you decided to disappear off the face of the earth for a few years."The tone and energy shifted in the room so dramatically you could feel it prick across your skin like the pins and needles feeling when your foot went numb. You suddenly wanted to look at him and not look at him at the same time. He was looking at you, and you weren't sure if you wanted to see what expression he was giving you. The silence felt like it was going to strangle you, but you couldn't think of anything to say and he wasn't uttering so much as a peep. Wrong thing to say? Wrong tone? Right words wrong time?It must have been a good five minutes before either of you moved, much less made a sound. He picked himself up, onto his knees so he was near your legs but not quite touching you. "I'm sorry."If it hadn't of been for the lapse in the title music on the screen you could have shrugged that off. but you heard it clear as day and it stuck you to the loveseat like your back had been painted with superglue before you sat down. It comforted the dark part of you that lurked under the surface, that thing you had to fight back on a daily basis ever since he left you alone. His annoying cocky attitude, his smile and his laugh, even his little posse of fangirls... you had mourned the loss. And in your sadness this thing crept up inside of you and made itself a home where your peace of mind and happiness used to live. It often won the daily battles. On the other hand it felt wrong that he was apologizing to you, when you had gone and ruined the good mood. At least that's what you thought."No, Genji... it's my fault. I didn't mean it like that.""I'm sorry for not being here."The sharp pinch of tears was behind your eyes but you held back. The shriveled up, hurt part of you had waited for him by a thread. And realistically you knew damn well what that meant but never had the guts to speak it out loud. You doubted you ever would."It's... okay." you managed, still refusing to look at him while you felt his eyes boring right into you."It's not." He grabbed your hand, and you looked at that at least but no higher. "I missed you."The soft notes of his voice made it feel like time stopped again. It made your heart rate increase to a point whee you felt light headed. Too many things went through your mind at once, and it actually made you feel too anxious. It was involuntary, but you ripped your hand away from his grip and stood up, stepping around him. Being close to him felt like standing next to a bonfire on a summer night. You weren't sure if that was your old feelings or the thing inside of you making it feel... dangerous."How about ordering some pizza?" was the first thing that came out, and you were reaching for your phone before he even answered you. The voice of your grief born monster in your head was whittling away at you again, deflating your positive 'what ifs'. Despite what seemed like a fear response you knew damn well, new body or not, Genji was about as likely to harm you as a wet paper bag. you feelings just bubbled up too high too fast and made you panic. You didn't even realize he was looking at you, half amused half worried.Things had changed."Sure." he finally answered, flopping against the couch on the floor. That actually grounded you a bit and you realized you had never asked..."Do you... still eat?" looking to him for a response, though you had already started to dial the number you had memorized.He gave a shrug, one shoulder lifting and falling. "Sometimes." He grinned at your flat look. "Okay okay. I do. I still have a stomach." he patted the plating where said organ would be, and there it was again. That little tingling thought of: how much of the original Genji you knew was left? "[y/n], if you only ask I'll tell you what happened."Mind reader!"I'm not going to pry into your personal life." was all that you could add before the call went through, and you had to talk to the person on the other line instead.Roughly twenty minutes later you sat before each other at your small table with the pizza between you two. And another fifteen left the box mostly empty while you both changed the subject and instead spoke about old stories, laughing between slices and retrieving more drinks when the previous ones ran empty. It felt good and you knew you didn't want him to leave. It had been so long since you had laughed that hard.Your fingers tapped along the side of your drink, and you looked down at the grease spots decorating where the pizza had been. There was a soreness in your stomach and sides from the laughter and it was warm and welcoming compared to the cold muscle aches the monster gave you. "Genji..." Don't go. I don't want to be alone."Mm?""I..." the words stuck, like you ate something sugary sticky and your throat stopped working. He just gave you a questioning head tilt, trying to meet your eyes.Swallowing hard, against the niggling fear in the back of your mind and the darkness that was trying to win over. That mental creature wanted to win and you didn't want to let it in his presence. Didn't want to let him see you fall into the almost ritual sadness thanks to the pain. But the part of you that cared about him wanted to share this. "Can you stay?""Ofc--" he cut himself off, looking spaced out for a second before his head turned like it had before. He glanced back at you before whispering something. Even this close you hadn't caught it. This happened a few more times, and he actually looked a bit annoyed by the end of the episode."I want to." he sighed, defeated. "But I have to go soon.""Where?" blurted itself out before you could even stop it. He grinned that kind of grin he had when he was going to tell you something you wouldn't believe. "I'm part of Overwatch now." He said, similar to a comment on the weather even though he was cheshire'd from nearly ear to ear.You just nodded, as if you had expected that, like it was such a plain answer. And then it sunk in."Wait...WHAT?!" ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The fact that he fell into a heap of laughter at your response made you pretty sure he was joking with you. There was no way he was part of some illegal operation... Right? "[y/n]!! You should see your face!!" I know what my face looks like thanks. You slowly morph into a glare. He was still laughing and you didn't find this joke funny. Especially when you had opened up a tiny bit, swallowing what felt like sticky rocks just to be able to ask him to stayHe said no, more or less, and then started laughing at you. The thing in your head was going to feed well off of this. "If you have to go, you might as well leave." It probably came out harsher than you really intended but it made his laughter stop immediately like his voice was cut off and choked. You actually saw the almost hurt-panic like look that flickered through his eyes for the briefest of seconds. He was faster than you thought, standing and grabbing your arms before you did more than scoot your chair back. "I'm sorry. I was not kidding. Please don't be mad." He actually sounded worried and that there water on the angry fire in your chest. " Just... Your reaction... I'm sorry. "The fact that you left his hands where they were, clamped on your arms tight enough you were sure you would bruise and pretty sure he had no idea he was holding you that hard, spoke enough. You weren't mad enough to drive him off, but not calm enough to forgive him verbally. "Can I tell you? Everything?"You stared at the pizza box, long and hard like you wanted to set it on fire to help vent the heat in your veins. It was slowly fizzing out into embarrassment and hurt than anger.Eventually though, you nod. Defeat.You weren't exactly sure what to expect. Always curious but never ever daring to try and find his brother to ask him, you just let the pieces lie. It wasn't your place to ask, so you stopped searching for answers quickly enough. In the blink of an eye, or maybe even less, everyone you knew through Genji, walked right on out. It was like without him, they had no reason to tolerate you or amuse you any longer. That had been a surprise. People you spent years knowing and hanging out with just...gone. At least Hanzo wasn't much of a shocker, you weren't close and after knowing him for a rather large chunk of your life he had barely said ten words to you until Genji died.So while not knowing what his story was, you were also pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to shock you any more than losing everyone in your life had. In retrospect, it was no wonder there was that... Thing But in reality you were wrong. By the time he was done telling you, squeezing in details where he could but keeping it to the point with his impending deadline, it was getting dark and you couldn't move. Surprised was a huge understatement at this point. "Genji I.." He just shook his head and smiled, and not one of those ear to ear obviously forced and faked kind. But a smile that was only tinted at the edges with a long time passed but not forgotten pain. "It's okay. I've come to terms with it. I just... Don't think he has. Not yet." "I can only imagine."He looked like he was about to add on to that, mouth opening and promptly closing and this time you heard a small beep and a muffled voice. Maybe it was because the room had gone completely silent, the city around your apartment even tapering off into silence as the sun set and night started to move in. At least you lived in an okay part of town, one where people rarely bothered you after dark unless it was to ask when the next late bus would pass by. Or where the nearest convenience store was.You knew before he even told you, that your time together was up for now. He had to leave and you didn't know when the next time you'd see him was. That made the creature damn well boil through your veins. Your skin itched and you had to resist scratching at it. It felt like something was under your skin but this was just a common way for your anxiety to show itself so you tried to ignore it. The uneasy feeling you had about him leaving you. like a voice in the back of your head or that tugging in the pit of your stomach that told you something wasn't right. You didn't want him to leave because something in you was going to snap.But you hid your turmoil behind a weak smile, one he took as you being upset that he was leaving already. He gave your arms a soothing rub and you realized then he hadn't released his tight grip on you for more than a few seconds. As his hands left your personal space you felt completely isolated even though he was inches from you. It was scary.You walk him to the door, even though you were sure if given the chance he'd dart out the window the same way he had come in. He promised to come see you tomorrow. Or at least call or text you, your phone number is still the same right? Of course it is. He gave you one last wide smile before the faceplate was back in place and a heartbeat later he was gone.The second you closed the door to your apartment, the whispers started.You couldn't understand what was being said, but it made the thing in your mind, that made up beast you had that you used to symbolize your depression and pain, writhe. sHaking your head and digging into your ears did nothing to stop it. TV and music was second to this constant whisper in your ear.It went on for roughly two hours before it suddenly stopped. Honestly that had been more of a shock than the start of it. It wasn't uncommon to hear imaginary things thanks to anxiety that popped up when it wanted to. So you shook this off as just a byproduct to the emotional roller coaster you had over the last few hours. And you went to bed.--It's close to 4 a.m. when something off in the air around you makes you stir in your sleep. It took a few seconds but you figured it out: there was a pressure on your chest that was slowly creeping up to your neck. It felt like a hand but you couldn't see in the dark. Weird. Normally there was a line of light coming in from between the wall and curtain from a streetlight down below. But tonight was pitch black.The pressure grew tighter and you felt your air way constricting, and the panic response kicked in expect your limbs wouldn't move. You could feel your heart beat on every nerve ending, pounding harsh and screaming in pain from the slow squeeze. You wanted to thrash around but you couldn't, painfully aware of the near numbing lack of response from your legs and arms. The lack of air was making everything hot and cold at once, and you couldn't even utter a peep.The pressure surrounded you and you felt fingers in your hair. Then the whispering came back.You woke up screaming.
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Delicate
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Joyce Byers, Jim \"Chief\" Hopper, Jonathan Byers, Sarah Hopper, Marissa, Florence \"Flo\" (Stranger Things), Lonnie Byers, Karen Wheeler, will byers is a cat in this one", "Fandom": "Stranger Things (TV 2016)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by StarMaamMke", "chapters": "6/6", "completed": "2017-04-01", "published": "2017-03-14T00:00:00", "words": "21,439", "Additional Tags": "Nanny AU, Alternate Universe, Sarah is alive, Jim is super rich, Joyce is a nanny, Sexy Times, NSFW, TW implied domestic abuse between exes", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Joyce Byers/Jim \"Chief\" Hopper, Joyce Byers & Jim \"Chief\" Hopper", "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 }
New York City   1983  He did not look like any sort of CEO Joyce Byers had ever seen or imagined.  He was tall and imposing, yes, but his messy beard was more suited for the  rustic backwoods than the  boardroom. His sandy-blond hair appeared to be thinning and graying on top of his high forehead, a fact that he did not conceal with a comb-over, and he clearly was not a fitness fanatic like Joyce assumed every rich-boy must be. There was evidence of a gut sagging ever-so-slightly in his ill-fitting suit. All in all, he seemed positively uncomfortable in his own skin, and his low, uncertain timbre hinted at a lack of social grace. But that was beside the point. He had called her for an interview, and she wasn’t about to throw away her first big lead over such a trifle as outward appearances. She needed this job for her sanity. Her son had started school at NYU, and their little apartment suddenly seemed huge and lonely. Up until he departed for his first semester, she had worked as a cashier at Woolworths and picked up a little extra money babysitting for the families in her apartment complex. She wasn’t a social person, as a general rule, but the absence of Jonathan made her long for a little bit of conversation and excitement. He was living in the dorms, and even though they resided in the same city, his visits home became few and far between. Shortly after coming to the realization that she was lonely, Joyce decided to take a chance and apply for jobs that were outside of her comfort zone: operator, receptionist at the Plaza, personal assistant, personal shopper, and now she was sitting down with James Hopper, CEO of Hawkins Inc. His wife, semi-famous soap opera star Diane Tuesday, had died of cancer over a year ago, and his daughter was currently without a nanny. Joyce’s resume was spotty at best. She had attended a few semesters at Queens College in her youth with plans to have a career in Early Childhood education. After she met Lonnie Byers and was subsequently knocked up by him, her plans changed. Her family was staunchly Catholic, so the baby was kept and a husband was obtained through promises of promotion in Joyce’s father’s construction company. Joyce stayed at home until her husband’s firing and subsequent desertion made a career a must. Her family offered to take her in, but she refused to take a dime from any of them. They had forced her hand, knowing full-well that Lonnie was a schmuck and not at all husband material. She was not interested in their best intentions. When she had started putting her resumes out into the universe, she knew full well that a change in scene was unlikely for someone with her background, but she never wanted to say she did not try. “I grew up in Queens too,” James remarked, without looking up from her resume. Joyce smiled at that. She was sitting in a soft leather armchair facing his desk. The interview was being conducted in his Manhattan office, and she found herself admiring his sweeping view of the city. She definitely was not admiring his blue eyes, or his long, elegant fingers as they held the abridged history of her. Her own small hands were twisting nervously in her lap. “That’s funny. I can’t hear a trace of it in your voice.” She bit her bottom lip and frowned. She hoped it wasn’t the wrong thing to say. James over at her with a sad smile. “It’s a long story; but I moved away when I was still young. The private schools upstate tend to beat that outta kids. I can’t really hear it in yours either.” “I had to get a job to support my son. Nice department stores tend to want women who sound like they can afford to go to The Russian Tea Room after their shifts.” “There’s a trace of Katherine Hepburn in it.” Joyce blushed. He was being ridiculous, of course, but she was flattered. Katherine Hepburn was her favorite actress. “I didn’t think I was coming off as posh as that.” “Not so much the poshness as...I can’t put my finger on it. Anyway, I think I’d like to hire you.” Joyce could not help but grin widely at the news. She took a deep breath and cocked her head to one side. “Really? I mean I don’t have the experience and I’m not as young as most nannies—” “What does your age have to do with anything?” James frowned. “Are you trying to talk me out of this or something?” She shook her head frantically. “No, not at all! I just— I guess I’m just s-surprised.” “You wouldn’t mind uprooting your life and moving all the way out to Scarsdale? I mean, it’s not a shack in the hills, but it isn’t the city proper.” “Are you trying to talk me out of it?” Joyce shot back in a gently teasing tone, giving him a half-smile. “It’s quiet out there, is what I’m saying.” “I like quiet. I’ve had a loud life.” “Well, you are from Queens.” They both shared a chuckle at his dig before Joyce stood to shake his hand. It was massive against her own — his palm rougher than she would have expected from someone who had such an easy existence. “Something wrong?” he asked, pulling her from her thoughts. She dropped her proffered hand to one side, burning with embarrassment for having been caught ‘checking out,’ as Lonnie would call her silent musings. She shook her head and sat. “No. Sorry about that, it’s been a long day, and I really wasn’t expecting a job at the end of it. I have a cat.” “Pardon?” His brow was furrowed, but he was smiling and his eyes were sparkling with confused amusement. “A cat. At my apartment. His name is William, but that’s not important. I just wouldn’t... I don’t think I could leave him.” James shrugged. “Then don’t? You’d actually be living in the apartment above the garage. You’d have your own space to play around with and a decorating stipend. Honestly, you can have a menagerie so long as you’re good to my little girl.” Joyce nodded at a pewter-framed photograph on James’s desk. It featured a little girl of about eight — blonde, beautiful, and grinning with unbridled sincerity as she posed on a tire swing. “I don’t think that will be terribly difficult. She seems sweet.” James picked up the photo and smiled fondly at it before setting it back down. “She’s sweet, but she’ll keep you on your toes. Her school has her in advanced courses in nearly all subjects, and she will readily let you know that she’s smarter than you.” “Well, she’d most likely be right about that when it comes to me.” Joyce looked down at her clasped hands with a wistful smile. Her lack of education would always be a source of regret — at least Jonathan was excelling at NYU. She looked up to see him staring at her with a gently furrowed brow, concern evident in his remarkable eyes. “I’ve known some over-educated, first class idiots. I doubt any of them would stand a chance against you.” His voice was soft and sincere. Joyce exhaled shakily. Her cheeks felt as though they were on fire. Her employer was charming. The warning bells went off in her head. Soap operas and novels had warned her about this sort of thing. But those things were fiction, and she was Joyce Byers: plain, eccentric, and on the wrong side of her thirties. All would be well. “Thank you. And thank you so much for this opportunity. I won’t let you down.” James stood and walked around his desk so that he was standing in front of her. Joyce shot to her feet, mildly mortified that she had been eye level with his crotch for even an instant. He took her right hand and pressed a business card into her palm. “This is my private number. Please use it after you’ve made arrangements with your landlord, and I will have movers come by to collect your things. Say, in a week?” Joyce nodded, her hand tingled for a moment after he released it. “Thank you,” she repeated, before going on her way. She found herself smiling as she rode the subway home. The muscles in her cheeks hurt by the time she reached her apartment and curled up on the couch with William purring in her lap.  Things were going to be different. “Ready to kick it with the swells, Will?” “Mrow.” “You don’t care.”  The apartment above the garage ended up being bigger and nicer than the one Joyce had shared with her son in Queens. Somehow, she expected a drab little studio with small windows and a bunsen burner. What she received was a spacious palace with large windows, polished hardwood floors, and a beautiful little kitchen, complete with pantry. James —  Jim as he insisted on being called (“Hop, if I do something to annoy you”) —  assured her that the kitchen was purely decoration and that she was more than welcome to have meals inside the house. “Unless there is a party, of course,” Joyce assumed as Jim led her into what was to be her bedroom. She nearly gasped at how sweet and comfortable her room appeared; it was decorated in soft blues and ivories, complete with a four-poster queen-sized bed. She sat on the edge of the bed and gave a sigh when she felt how soft the mattress was. Jim crossed the room, placed a large hand on one ornately-carved, cherrywood post and gave her a confused look. “No, you’re always welcome —  I don’t really give parties. That was Diane’s thing.” His voice strained a bit at the mention of his dead wife, and Joyce felt a twisting sadness in her gut. It really had not been so long ago that the woman had died, and of course he’d still be grieving and not throwing Gatsby-esque shindigs. “I don’t want to be a bother.” “Believe me, Flo has been dying for another mouth to feed. You’d be insulting her if you didn’t join us.” Flo was his cook/housekeeper. Joyce’s cheeks were still sore from where the short, stout woman had pinched them during introductions. She had not been fussed over that much since before her grandmother died. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint Flo.” Jim chuckled and held out his hand. “We have some beautiful gardens, if you’d like to take a look.” Joyce smiled, assured him that she did, and took his hand; it was warm, and his long, strong fingers curled over her wrist as he helped her to her feet. She tried to ignore the faint heat in her cheeks when he released her. It was nothing — she simply had avoided being in closed quarters with a man for so long that her body was behaving naturally. He was a tall glass of water in front of a person who had been wandering the desert for years. It would be easy to ignore this initial and instantaneous attraction because he was her employer. Off limits. Strictly verboten. The school bus arrived as the two of them were strolling the grounds. Bounding through the doors of the bus and hurtling across the lawn towards Jim was a petite flash of flaxen and plaid. Sarah Hopper threw herself against her father’s side, and the large man pretended that the impact was strong enough to stagger him. Joyce laughed as he grabbed her hand, pretending that she was a steadying force. “Sorry, Miss Joyce. This rude munchkin almost knocked me down,” Jim apologized, scooping the child into his arms and over one shoulder. The little girl kicked and screamed in delight before he set her back on her feet. She fussily smoothed out her skirt before giving Joyce a gap-toothed grin. Her large, inquisitive eyes were the same clear shade of blue as her father’s. “Hi, Miss Joyce,” Sarah chirped through giggles. “Hello.” Joyce squatted  low so she was eye-level with the girl. She held out her hand to Sarah. “It’s nice to meet you.” Sarah threw her arms around Joyce’s neck and gave her a tight hug that showed deceptive strength, in spite of her tiny frame. Joyce felt her heart warm to the girl, but also experienced a slight pang. Jonathan was her only child, and he was a grown man. She had forgotten how it felt to be embraced by someone so small. “Careful, Miss Joyce, she’s a charming one,” Jim warned. Joyce, still holding Sarah, looked up to see that he was smiling fondly at the two of them, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “Seems to be a family trait,” she blurted out without thinking. Oh lord, please don’t take that as me flirting with you!  His eyes widened a bit and one corner of his mouth twitched before he sucked in his lips. He gave a good-natured chuckle and grinned in a way that momentarily devastated her. “You aren’t wrong.”   Jim didn’t know what to make of the new situation. Certainly, Joyce had a stronger rapport with his child than the last two nannies had — the first one, he had caught literally making Sarah cry over spilt milk. The woman’s tirade had been less about Sarah’s math book being soaked and more about getting a few drops on her silk old lady slacks. The second was fonder of Sarah and less prone to harsh outbursts, but he had caught her trying on his dead wife’s clothing. At night. In the room he was sleeping in. Joyce was a godsend. Sarah was already in love with her after two weeks, and Flo liked her. Flo did not really care for anyone -—  especially the women Jim sometimes brought home from the Gala events he couldn’t escape. Get a hotel and leave them in the city if they’re going to be different every other week. He really needed to establish boundaries with that woman.  Sometimes (most times) the things she told him were completely out of line. It wasn’t like he ever let Sarah meet any of these mystery women. But yes, Flo absolutely worshipped Joyce. The longer he spent with her, the more he realized that the same was true for him. Some of the feelings were natural, he rationalized. Neither of them had been born in this strange world of luxury they were both now inhabiting, although he supposed Joyce was merely an observer. He was completely immersed, and he had not ever felt comfortable with that fact. Not that he envied Joyce’s previously hardscrabble existence; it just seemed more familiar to him. They had a neighborhood in common, and that was sweet and rare. She was sweet and rare. Prickly to a fault at times (he found that out after teasing her too hard at the breakfast table), and awkward as all get out, but sweet. And funny. And beautiful. The beautiful part was making him uneasy. Not the fact that she was beautiful —  there wasn’t anything she could do about it —  but the fact that he was noticing it more and more. He knew of men in his circle who wouldn't think twice at pressing their luck (and other things) against a chance at a fetching nanny. He had heard the stories. Archie Callahan, his golf buddy, had called him a prude for glaring during one such story.  Was she a good employee? Jim had asked.  Who cares?   I suppose your wife cares, now she has to bust her ass interviewing new staff.  It was inconvenient, to say the least. Jim didn’t have a wife to embarass with these shameful feelings, but he did have a kid who would be heartbroken if he went against his better judgment and  all went to hell. Besides, it seemed extremely unlikely that Joyce would reciprocate those feelings. She was a grown, level-headed woman. Making eyes at an employer was something for silly girls with romantic notions. Joyce was practical. And sweet, and rare, and prickly, and funny, and beautiful. So beautiful. He had to think of something other than her expressive, whisky-colored eyes and her soft, gentle mouth. He had to erase her shy, sweet smile from his brain. Learn music other than her hesitant-but-rich laughter. Marissa Kerbough had made eyes at him at the last investors meeting. She was pretty, intelligent, and far too busy to engage in anything serious. Maybe it was time to think about her —  her generous mouth he hadn’t yet seen smile and her large eyes that were...green, maybe? Yes. If there was someone to think of, let it be someone who didn't live and work under his roof. She was a season ticket holder for the Flyers and the Giants. It was win-win.              “I thought you had gone crazy when you told me,” Jonathan Byers grumbled as he and his mother went through cardboard boxes in the Hopper attic. Jim had been generous enough to offer the space for Joyce’s belongings that hadn’t quite fit in her garage apartment. Most of those things had been leftovers from Jonathan’s big campus move —  Joyce did not come with a lot of baggage. Not material, anyway. “Is that why it took you so long to come out and see me?” Joyce inquired, wiping the dust off of an old children’s record with her hand. She rubbed the hand against her denim-clad thigh and waved the record in Jonathan’s face. He shook his shaggy head and shrugged. “It’s Scarsdale, Mom. I assumed they’d turn me away at the checkpoint for driving a 20 year-old car without collector’s plates.”Joyce dropped the record into a large box labeled “Donate” and chuckled before she sneezed violently. “You could have just thrown all of this out. I didn’t take it to college because I didn’t need it anymore —  why did you take the job anyway?” Joyce exhaled and sniffled. “I just needed a change. Any change.”“You could have gone back to school.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head as though it were the most absurd thing he had ever said. “I don’t care what you say about...what did you call it? Non-trads?” Jonathan nodded. “Yeah, I don’t care what you say, I’d feel old, awkward and stupid.” “You aren’t stupid!” “That’s beside the point. I don’t think I can even do a kegstand anymore.” They both shared a laugh at the thought. Joyce leaned against her son and rested her head against his shoulder. She had missed him, and she absolutely hated the fact that he was a self-sufficient adult without a need for Hap Palmer records and books by Leo Lionni. “Do they treat you okay here?” There was a protective edge to his voice, a tone he had developed way back when he was a boy first becoming aware of the fact that his father wasn’t a terribly nice man. “Yes, of course. I wouldn’t be here if they weren’t.” The trap door to the attic opened and the ladder clattered to the ground, causing both mother and son to give a start that raised the dust on the battered couch they were sitting on. “It’s just me.” Jim’s sandy blond head popped up into their line of sight. “Flo wanted to let the kid know that he’s welcome to stay for dinner.” “Thanks, but I have to get back to the library. Big test tomorrow.” Jonathan’s voice was a barely audible mumble, his eyes fixed on his hands, which were clasped in his lap. Joyce sighed. “But this was barely a visit.” She hoped her voice didn’t sound too desperate and whiny. She knew the opulence of her new life made Jonathan uncomfortable. He had always been vocal about his disdain for the ‘richies’ at the private school Joyce had worked herself ragged to send him to. She also knew that he wasn’t one to warm up to strangers, particularly men. “Sorry, Mom. Maybe next time. Thanks anyway, Mr. Hopper.” “Call me Jim.” Jonathan scoffed softly enough that Joyce was sure Jim had not heard. It still rankled her. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. See you in a bit, Joy-...Miss Joyce.” When the trapdoor was back in place, Jonathan looked over at his mother. His face was incredulous. “He hasn’t tried anything, has he?” “Jonathan!” “I don’t like the way he looked at you.” Joyce, her face flushed and her thoughts swimming, sputtered and stammered a bit before shaking her head and asking her son to specify which way he thought her employer had looked  at her. “I know you haven’t dated since Lonnie, but you aren’t stupid. Be careful.” He stood, slapped the dust off of his jeans and looked down at her. “I mean it.” “You are not my dad!” “Thank god for that. Grandpa sucks.” “Hey!” “Your words.” Jonathan picked up a box of items and headed to the door. “And I don’t need you telling me to be careful. I’m a grown woman!” “Fine. Help me get this stuff out to the car, please.” “Fine.” Jim was standing in the kitchen when Joyce and Jonathan entered, carrying a cardboard box each. “That looks pretty heavy, Miss Joyce. Here, let me.” He was at her side, one large hand brushing against her upper arm as the other covered one of the hands that clutched the bottom of the cardboard box. Her cheeks burned, and her gaze fixed firmly on his chest as he stood in front of her, waiting for her to allow him to take the burden of books from her arms. “Uhhh…” She lost the ability to form words. “I think she’s got it.” The annoyed whine in Jonathan’s voice pulled Joyce’s focus away from the fact that the first two buttons of Jim’s flannel were open, away from the contemplation of what his chest looked like when bare. Her son was being rude. “That’s easy for you to say, kid. You’re carrying a box of records. It looks like there are textbooks in here.” The weight in Joyce’s arms lifted as Jim pulled the box from her grasp. “Th-thank you,” she stammered with a tremulous smile. She turned to her son with a glare. “Don’t be rude, Jonathan!” Her son blinked in surprise at the snappish edge in her tone. She rarely raised her voice with him, not even when was busted for marijuana in his junior year of high school. “Sorry,” Jonathan mumbled under his breath, thoroughly chastised for the moment.   Joyce found it difficult to say no to Sarah Hopper –she was sweet and logical to a fault. The child was also smart as a whip; a diligent student that quickly and correctly finished her homework so she had extra play time. Her favorite game, and one Joyce dreaded being asked to play, was hide-and-seek.The Hopper House was enormous, just a few square feet shy of what Joyce would expect to see on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”. Because of this, Sarah’s games usually went on for hours, and just on one turn. Sarah always found Joyce in a thrice – the child knew her own house, after all. Joyce, on the other hand…“Sarah, it’s been an hour; you have to come out for supper.” Joyce called out, with a bit of uneasiness. Jim’s Town car had pulled into the driveway twenty minutes earlier, and Joyce had told her employer that Sarah was taking a nap in nursery. She did not know if he would approve of the fact that she had lost track of his only child for such a long period of time.She felt like she would never understand the layout of this house. She would have to get a map from Flo and start putting her foot down about which wings Sarah was allowed to hide in. Having the whole house be fair game was just exhausting.A giggle floated down the corridor of the family wing. Joyce was only sure of where Sarah’s room and nursery was located in that particular part of the house – she felt slightly irritated that the child had picked such an obvious hiding spot, especially when Joyce had been looking everywhere from pantry to the laundry chute. Rules were definitely going to be established after today.“Sarah, I mean it!”She heard something that sounded like a closet being opened from behind a large set of double-doors. Aha. Joyce knocked.“Ready or not, here I come!” She flung the doors open with force.Jim stood in the middle of what was clearly his bedroom suite, naked from the waist up, his hips wrapped in a towel that was just a shade too small for his impressive frame, and beads of water glistening on his chest, arms and shoulders. He dropped the pair of trousers he had been holding in his hands, and they hit the towel before landing on the floor, which was enough disturbance to take the towel with them.“Oh no!” Joyce squeaked, pressing her hands against her mouth. She closed her eyes and could hear the towel being scooped up.“Jesus!” Jim swore.Joyce backed away quickly, eyes still closed, intent on fleeing the scene. Pain exploded up her spine to the back of her head when she tripped and slammed into the heavy doors. Her eyes flew open and she gasped from the pain. Jim rushed to her side, one hand clutching the towel around his waist, the other reaching out towards her, ready to assist.“It’s okay, no thank you!” she cried, before turning and hurrying out of the room. A tiny body collided with her midsection as she stepped out.“Miss Joyce!” Sarah giggled, rubbing her forehead. The doors behind Joyce slammed shut in an instant.“W-well, there you are.”“I heard you give up, so I came to find you. What were you doing in my daddy’s room?”Joyce laughed nervously and took the child’s hand.“Nothing. Just being silly is all.”Joyce hoped that dinner wouldn’t be awkward. Scratch that; she hoped she could go on functioning from day-to-day, look him in the eyes and have normal conversations. She would have to be very, very careful to only look at him from the shoulders up, forever. Never down. Hoo, boy. Never down -- and she definitely had to quash the juvenile voice in her head that kept marvelling over the fact that he hadn’t even been erect when she saw it. Can you imagine what it must look like when he’s good to go? “Oh my god, stop.”“What did I do?” Sarah’s hurt little voice cut through Joyce’s reverie. Joyce’s hands stilled from the task of brushing the child’s silken locks.“Just a tricky tangle, Peanut.”“Oh. I didn’t feel it. You’re much better at brushing my hair than Miss Lisa was.”“It’s nice to know I’m good at something.”Joyce and Sarah walked down to the dining room, hand-in-hand. Joyce’s heart was lodged firmly in her throat, and she hoped the perceptive child wouldn’t remark on the fact that her trembling hands were cold and clammy. She hoped she wouldn’t see him at the head of the table, and have her knees give out on her. She hoped the ‘Freudian Slip’ Jonathan had once explained to her was a myth, and that she wouldn’t ask him to pass the…His seat was empty.Flo emerged through the swing door that separated the kitchen-prep room from the dining area. She was carrying a serving dish of bacon macaroni and cheese. The cold anxiety that clung to Joyce on her way to the dining room, gave way to the hot flush of disappointment. She had mentally prepared herself for seeing him across the table, rehearsed ways to have a normal conversation, and he was gone. Flo always made comfort food for Sarah on nights her father was away.“Unfortunately, your daddy had to meet someone in the city tonight,” Flo cooed as she scooped the pasta onto Sarah’s plate. The little girl gave a tiny whine of disappointment. Joyce patted her on the shoulder, and tried to stop herself from analyzing Flo’s explanation. Usually, Flo would end a sentence like that with ‘for business’. Jim always had to meet someone in the city ‘for business’. The fact that she had left it at ‘tonight’ caused a hot knife of jealousy to twist at Joyce’s insides.“On a date?” Sarah asked. Don’t make her answer that. Please, please… “You’re too smart for your own good. Yes, I suppose for a date.”Joyce felt a muscle in her cheek twitch, and she remembered that breathing was an instrumental part of not dying, so she did. She would not imagine what kind of woman Jim Hopper dated. The mental brushstrokes wouldn’t create a tall, razor-thin woman with expertly coiffed hair (Brunette? Blonde? His wife had been a blonde so maybe…), large doe-like eyes, a grace that allowed for floating about in four-inch heels, and a confidence that allowed a fashion sense that could only be described as ‘brief chic’.“I bet she’s not prettier than, Miss Joyce,” Sarah mumbled through a mouthful of macaroni.“Don’t talk with your mouthful, and don’t say silly things,” Joyce scolded gently.“Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da,” Sarah replied cheekily before dissolving into giggles as Joyce poked a finger against her side. Jim had been fairly certain that he had asked his driver to take him to a hotel in the city, and not drive and drive and drive until the streetlights and the neon disappeared and gave way to country roads.Certain but inattentive. He had a lapful of Marissa, and she was squirming, and sighing, and moaning, and sucking his tongue into her wide, hot mouth, and holy-moley was he ever drunk. He was more worried about whiskey-dick than geography, though from the sure way she squeezed and stroked his cock through his trousers, he was pretty certain that was a non-issue.When the car came to a stop and his drive gave a discreet tap on the side of the door, Jim’s fingers had been working diligently at the task of bringing his fetching date to a loud and messy completion, his mouth latched onto one erect nipple. He withdrew, and nipped gently at the sound.“Mmm… finish in here,” Marissa whined against his ear, before sucking on the lobe. Logic filtered in through his horny, inebriated brain, and he shook his head.“This is a rental.”So they emerged from the limo. Jim frowned at the scenery.“Huh.”“Your place on a first date?”“I guess.” Something nagged at him, screamed that this was 110% not okay, but he had the worst case of blue balls, and Marissa’s mouth was soft and clever and she had promised -  promised! -  to put it to the task of sucking him dry. He placed his hand on her ass and squeezed before they stumbled towards the house.They made it upstairs after a pattern of one-step, two-step, pause to make out against a wall, or railing. They were not being quiet or discreet or any of the things Jim had promised Flo when they discussed his romantic life. He was pulling Marissa towards the family wing, another no-no in Flo’s book, and he would have respected that, no questions asked, except the layout of his own home was a bit confusing, and his bed and its location was the only thing his mind could conjure up with any sort of clarity.He pressed Marissa against the wall near the double doors to his bedroom, and ghosted his lips against the side of her neck, making her giggle as his hot breath puffed against her ear.A door from across the hall opened softly, and Marissa gasped, her eyes wide with horror. Jim leapt away from the woman and turned violently to see what was causing her distress.“I’m sorry. She was having trouble sleeping, so I stayed in the rocking chair and…” Goddamn it. Goddamn it. Fuckfuckfuckfuck. “Joyce.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Jim felt sobriety come rushing up through his brain like a hammerstrike. The hallway was dark, but even in the obscuring gloom, even through his booze-fogged eyes, he could see that she was hurt. Her little face, ordinarily porcelain with roses in the cheeks, was chalk. Her haunting, dark eyes were glued to the floor, and he detected the slightest touch of a tremble in her narrow shoulders. “Who is—” “Joyce,” Jim repeated, cutting Marissa off. Joyce looked up, her eyes soft and her mouth smiling. “His daughter’s nanny. I apologize. I’m usually well out of the way of the main house by now. Goodnight.” He wanted to rush to her side, particularly when she tripped over her feet and stumbled with a faint gasp. Joyce did not fall to the ground, however. She straightened up without looking back and continued on her way. The shame was overwhelming. He shrugged Marissa’s hand off of his shoulder. “Sorry. I’m not feeling so hot, Marissa. Let me show you to one of the guest rooms.” Marissa sniffed. “I’ll just call a cab.” “You’ll never get anyone this late.” “You must not know me very well.” She kissed his cheek and smiled sympathetically. “She seems nice. Don't treat her like Callahan treats his babysitters.” “I'm not fucking her, I promise.” Marissa shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t care. I'm hot and rich, and you aren't as cute as you think. She seems amazing, and I'm guessing your girl is in love with her.” Jim shifted his weight, becoming even more uncomfortable with the chastisement he guessed he had coming. Marissa raised an eyebrow at his expression. “Get smart. It's not worth getting your dick wet if it's just going to be an ego trip for you.” “So wise. Filthy, but wise.” “Listen, we’re still friends. Not in a sexy way, obviously, but friends. You can always count on me for honesty. You’re a dog — spare me, I’ve heard the stories — you’re a dog, but I think you know what’s at risk if you go after her and think it’s just going to be convenient live-in screwing. Think about it.” She yawned, stretching her bare arms over her head. He noticed how her breasts lifted and moved against the slinky fabric of her black dress, and a dark part of him wished he hadn’t ended their little adventure. She was braless, and he was only human, after all. “There’s a telephone down the hall.” “That’s fine. Goodnight.” “Goodnight.” __________________   Joyce threw the windows open in her living room, pulled up a stool, ripped open a pack of Camels, and began to smoke. The pack was her “Break in Case of Emergency” Supply, so the cigarette tasted musty, and the smoke seeped into her lungs, thick and sickening. Tears sprang into her eyes, as she coughed for a solid minute after the first inhale. Two years of progress down the drain  because she had a crush. Pathetic.     The night air felt cool against her inflamed cheeks, the icy breeze putting out the little fires under her skin. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why was she so angry? It was his home. He was allowed to bring home whomever he pleased and without explaining himself to a servant.   “I’m not a servant,” she grumbled harshly to her cat. His little paws were outstretched and placed on the rung of the stool, contemplating a steep climb onto his owner’s lap.   “Mrrrr.”   “I’m not!”   When Joyce was on her fourth cigarette in a row, light flooded the living room through the window. Joyce squinted and stared out, surprised to see a taxi pulling into the driveway. Several beats later, the woman Joyce had seen near Jim’s bedroom came tripping into view. The woman paused at near the cab and looked up. Joyce felt her pulse quicken, as her confusion grew. The woman gave her a sad smile and waved, before entering the car through the backseat.   Joyce felt a stab of irritation. She didn’t need anyone’s sympathy, especially not from a socialite fleeing into the night. She frowned. There couldn’t have been enough time for them…not that it mattered, anyway.   She put out her cigarette and went to bed.   ___________   “You ought to have a party,” Marissa remarked before biting into her sandwich.   Jim frowned at her from across the bistro table. In the two weeks since the hallway incident, they had not entertained a reprisal; however, they had settled into a comfortable friendship. Jim didn’t have women friends before Marissa, and it was kind of nice. He was learning new perspectives.   “I don’t do parties, my--”   “Yes, we all know about tragic Diane and her grand parties, and the time Marlena from ‘Days’ vomited in your pool, and how parties make you sad.”   “You’re kind of an asshole.”   She shrugged and sighed, wiping a bit of mustard from the corner of her mouth. “It’s a big, beautiful house. It should be filled with people. Isn’t your birthday coming up?”   Jim rolled his eyes. “Maybe. Did Powell tell you or something?”   “It’s in my address book for some reason. Anyway, you’re going to be 40.”   “Shhhh!”   Marissa waved a hand at him and shook her head. “Oh, honestly. I think I’d like to throw you a party. Will you let me, pleeeeease?”   “That’s annoying.”   “And it won’t stop until you say yes.”   “If I say yes, will you go crazy with it?”   “Probably. I’m very good at planning things.”   Jim pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled dramatically. “No masks.”   “Okay.”   “No costumes.”   “Fine.”   “I want it relatively family-friendly. My kid needs to be there.”   “Anyone else’s kids?”   “Fuck no. I just don’t want an orgy, don’t go hiring a clown and a pony.”   “But you just said you didn’t want an orgy.”   Jim snorted. She was funnier than hell sometimes. Sometimes. Mostly she was annoying and tried to pull him out of his comfort zone. “Just keep it tasteful, but not stuffy.”   Marissa smirked. “Sure.”   __________   “A birthday party?”   “Yeah. It’s not usually my thing but Mar-Ms. Kerbough from work wants to throw a spectacle.” Joyce looked up from her paperback. She had been stretched out in the library’s heavily-cushioned picture window, allowing the early morning sun to heat and relax her body on her day off. The early summer was proving to be a hot and sticky one most days, but Joyce enjoyed the mornings where the sun wasn’t quite at its peak. She was also enjoying air conditioning for the first time ever. Even her  garage apartment had central air.     “I guess your Ms. Kerbough knows best,” she replied with false cheer, bringing a hand under the strap of her tanktop so she could scratch an itch on her shoulder.   She hadn’t heard much about his date since discovering them in flagrante delicto (Jonathan was really taking some weird classes, and she had to ask him where exactly her money was going. Latin was dead and buried last she heard) but then again, that made sense. He was her employer and the details of his romantic life were none of her business. Still, it was odd for her not at least to hear about the woman in passing or see her around the house, if in fact they were dating. He hadn’t been away on any sleepovers either. Business or otherwise. Not that she would have noticed because it was none of her business.   “She’s not my— she just thinks the house is empty and wants me to start socializing again.”   “I hear you socialize plenty.” A bridge too far, Joyce. He signs your paychecks. She looked away from him, fixing her gaze on the gardens in the backyard.   “I never said sorry about the night you saw us.”   “Because you don’t have to. It’s none of my business.”   “But this house is the place you work. I don’t want you to think that that’s a regular occurrence, despite what Flo has probably told you.”   “We don’t gossip. This isn’t Upstairs, Downstairs .” She was lying, of course, but that wasn’t any of his business.   “I’m sorry all the same. Anyway, I’d like for Sarah to be at the party, at least until her bedtime, which you can push back by an hour that night, if she behaves.”   “That’s fine.”   “That means I want you to come.”   Joyce sat up and raised an eyebrow. “Okay, but I don’t really have party clothes. I suppose I’ll just be part of the wallpaper though, so it doesn’t matter.” She tugged down on the hem of her shorts, a move that captured his attention, drawing his eyes to her exposed legs for a millisecond before they snapped back to her face.   “What do you mean, part of the wallpaper?” He sounded irritated.   Joyce sat up and rolled her shoulders and tilted her head to work out a tension that had built the moment he entered the room. His eyes, ever distracted, flickered to one side of her neck. The room was becoming hot, and Joyce was becoming aware of how very brief her day-off outfit actually was. Her tank top was cut low, and her shorts were cut high, and she very clearly had his attention. She smirked, folded her arms over her chest, crossed her legs, and leaned forward slightly. His breath hitched.   “Well, I’m staff, so I suppose it doesn’t matter what I wear. Everyone will know that I work for you, so no one will be paying attention. I could flounce around in a French Maid’s uniform and no one would be the wiser.”   He coughed, color flooding  his cheeks as his gaze flew to the floor. “I think you’d make an impression that way.” He took a deep breath, and their eyes met once more. “I don’t want you to feel like wallpaper.”   “How would you like me to feel?” What a loaded question, Joyce.   He held her gaze as the seconds ticked by without a response. She could hear her heart beating, could feel it in her pulse points, rapid as hummingbird wings. He stepped forward and she sat further back into the windowseat, a knee-jerk response that caused him to finally blink. He stepped back.   “I want you to feel like a valued member of this family. I want you to know how much I— how much Sarah looks up to you and admires you.” He reached into his right jeans pocket and pulled out a leather billfold.   Joyce shook her head. “What are you doing?”   He handed a black credit card towards her. “It’s a bonus. Think of it as a bonus.”   “Are you buying me a dress?”   “Shoes, jewelry, whatever you like.”   Joyce stood and reached a tentative hand towards the offering. The hand dropped at her side and she frowned. “This isn’t something you do for an employee.”   “But you’re not—”   “Then what am I?”   “I told you; you’re family.”   “This is something you do for your mistress.”   Jim reeled back a few steps, and his features darkened. “I don’t have a mistress!”   The thunder in his voice made her flinch. She was well aware that he was probably in possession of a fiery temper. He had just never aimed it towards her. She decided now was as good a time as any to search for imperfections in the hardwood.   “I’m sorry. Joyce, I’m sorry.” He stepped over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. His hand was cold and caused a little shiver in the back of her neck. She lifted her eyes to his and saw a penitent softness. “Like I said, it’s a bonus. I can even dock your pay if you want — just take this and get yourself something nice.”   Joyce stepped back from his touch and held out a hand, palm up. “I don’t want you to come with.”   He raised his hands in front of his chest defensively. “That’s fine.”   “And if you yell at me like that again, I’ll leave without notice. I don’t care if you are one of the richest men in the state.” Again, that astonished blink. He handed her the card. “I promise.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- In the end, Joyce’s dress was a bargain. The driver Jim hired for the day ended up taking her into the city, and straight to her old neighborhood, where her friend Karen owned a dress shop with her husband, Ted. “In all the years I've known you, you haven't come to me once, and now you waltz through my doors, expecting me to be your fairy godmother.” Karen’s arms were crossed over her chest, and she was tapping one foot on the floor, but her eyes were sparkling and her mouth was quirked at one corner in a teasing smirk. Joyce rolled her eyes and presented Jim’s credit card with a flourish. “I'll alert the mice and have Ted pick out a pumpkin.” Karen helped Joyce pick out a floaty, electric-blue gown. It was unadorned with the increasingly flashy baubles of the more modern dresses, which suited Joyce just fine. The color was a bit more bold than her normal preferences and the bodice, with its shoulder baring neckline, showed a bit more skin than Joyce felt an on-duty nanny ought to show. “Hush. It only hints that you have boobs, and barely that. Plus, it's hotter than fuck outside, in case you hadn't noticed. This dress is so light you'll feel naked. You'll drown in your own sweat in my other dresses.” “I'll definitely feel exposed.” Joyce crossed her bare arms over the bodice of the dress and pressed her lips into a disapproving line. The dress was gorgeous, of course. Joyce knew that. She just wasn't sure if she was ready to shine quite so bright. “Our Lady of Lourdes rears its ugly head,” Karen sighed, referring to the school they attended together as children. She pulled the pins from the waist of the dress and stuck them into the cushion at her wrist before rising. She gave Joyce and expectant look. “Ring me up. I want it,” Joyce replied between clenched teeth. She hated when Karen implied that she was a prude. It had been the taller woman’s go-to insult ever since Joyce immediately started to pray at the sophomore lunch table when Karen excitedly whispered that she had done ‘it’.“Good!” Karen exclaimed, fairly tripping to the register. “I can have it ready in a week. Make sure you have that fancy car takes you somewhere to get the matching Blahniks. The ones with the little jewel buckles.” “Those are so--” “Expensive? Yes, I know. This card doesn't have a limit and you are getting Friends and Family here, so what's the problem?”  Joyce groaned as she changed back into her street clothes. “I'm ringing you up for some lingerie too. You can't impress your boss wearing Maidenform and panties that came in a pack of six.” “But he won't get to see those, Karen.” “Mmhm.” Joyce gave Karen a goodbye hug, told her friend to give Ted her best and walked out of the store. She closed the door tight with a lift-and-push maneuver (there was a trick to it, and Karen didn't want the humidity to infiltrate and ruin her fabrics). She felt a presence at her back. “Summer always was your best season, Legs.” Joyce groaned, and pressed her head against the door for a moment before turning. “Lonnie.” Her ex-husband grinned at her, his face, once handsome and foxish, now seemed pointed and leering, like an elf on a bender. She couldn't see his eyes because he was wearing aviators, but she was certain they were bloodshot, given the stale dirt-and-pine smell emanating from the wife-beater/ bowling shirt combo that was his uniform. “Your apartment has been empty for a while. I came back weeks ago to visit you and the kid.” Joyce ducked his outstretched arms and started walking towards the sleek black car that was idling by the curb. “The kid is in college and I don't live at the apartment anymore,” she called over her shoulder. The driver hopped out of the car and moved to throw the back door open for her. “What the fuck is is?” Lonnie screamed. He didn't come any closer. Joyce’s driver was six and a half feet tall at the very least, and his broad features were threatening to say the very least. Joyce offered him no reply as she settled against the soft leather seats. “Is everything okay, Miss?” the driver inquired as they pulled away. Lonnie was still shouting her name, but his voice became faint when the radio was turned up. “Yes. Can we go to Bergdorf’s, please?” “Of course.” By the time the car was heading out of the city, and Joyce was idly tracing the buckle of one exquisite shoe, the panic that had descended upon her at Lonnie's reappearance had abated. Still, nothing good ever happened when he showed his face, and from the way he tried to flirt and get cozy, she assumed his debt was the trouble once again. She'd have to call Jonathan and put him on his guard. ________ “You went crazy with it.” “A bit.”Jim and Marissa stood in his long-neglected ballroom as decorators scurried about with clipboards and boxes of finery. A small orchestra tuned up their instruments on the newly constructed stage. “You couldn't have gotten a DJ?” Marissa wrinkled her nose. “Tacky.” “ I’m tacky. I don't do ballroom dance.” “Miss Joyce look!” Jim and Marissa turned towards the entrance where Sarah and Joyce stood gaping at the unfolding scene. “Daddy!” Sarah cried, running towards the two, dragging her nanny behind her. Joyce looked instantly glum as her eyes fell on them. Jim felt that ever present stab of guilt at her discomfort. “Hello!” Marissa greeted brightly. She squatted to be eye-level with Sarah. “Your daddy tells me he can't dance.” “I can! I learned last school year, and so can Miss Joyce.” Marissa rose and gave Joyce an inquisitive smile. “Oh?” “Girls’ school. I only know how to lead in a waltz.” “Girls’ school as well. I did a bit of both.” There was no mistaking the mischief in Marissa’s voice. Or maybe Jim was hearing things. Either way, Marissa was definitely giving Joyce a look . Jim banished the image to the Bank of Naughty Thoughts. Something to ponder over in private, but not in a room full of decorators and his daughter. “Show us!” Sarah chirped. Marissa grinned down at the child. “A waltz?” she looked to Joyce. “What do you say, Miss Joyce?” Jim noticed Joyce’s cheeks color a deep, deep red. “Oh! I-I don't-...” “Please, please, please!” Sarah begged. “Oh. Okay.” Joyce’s tone sounded genuinely defeated, and Jim tried to think of something, anything to spare her humiliation. “Perfect!” Marissa ran up to the orchestra, and Jim heard her request ‘something long’. She ran back to the trio and pulled an uncomfortable looking Joyce to the middle of the floor. The music started. Joyce led, and was definitely stiff. For the first several seconds she kept casting helpless looks to Jim and Sarah, as if expecting a rescue. Then Marissa began whispering. Jim’s eyes widened in horror as his mind played out theories about what was being said. Maybe Marissa wasn't as fine with being ‘just friends’ as he thought, even though she was the one who suggested it. Maybe she was really and truly cruel, rather than kind but truthful. Maybe she enjoyed torturing those she thought were beneath her. Joyce laughed, rich and genuine. Her entire bearing relaxed and suddenly they moved about the dance floor in a relaxed and graceful manner. Jim wished he could read lips. Both women shot him a glance, looked back at each other and shared another laugh.  Scratch that wish. When the music ended, Joyce and Marissa headed back to his side of the room, Joyce’s dour appearance long forgotten. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes were sparkling, and her loose, auburn hair was mussed from the exercise. He wanted to cup her delicate face, trace her high cheekbones with his fingers, and kiss her soft, smiling mouth. “That was so cool!” Sarah exclaimed. She grabbed Marissa’s hand. “Show me!” “Alright,” Marissa agreed. She waved at the orchestra and nodded. They struck up again, and she and Sarah were off. “What did she say to you?” Jim asked as he and Joyce stood side-by-side watching the pair spin and giggle on the dance floor. Joyce shrugged. “Just things I maybe needed to hear.” “Oh.” His pulse quickened as he felt her fingers twine through his and squeeze. She untangled her grasp in an instant and his fingers curled and uncurled reflexively. He wanted to grab her hand once more, and revel in its small comfort. “Do you want to dance?” he asked, nervously. He glanced over his shoulder at her. She shook her head. “I'm tired.” “Save one for me at the party tomorrow?” “Maybe.” She smirked up at him, holding his gaze as he moved so that he was standing in front of her. His right hand came up to cup her cheek, just as he had wanted to do moments earlier. He felt the smooth flesh tremble slightly against his palm as he stroked his forefinger against her cheekbone, his thumb brushing her plump lower lip. She sighed as he bent his head low. The music stopped and the spell was broken; he was close enough to feel her breath against his lips before she pulled away and cleared her throat. “It's about time for swimming lessons, Sarah.” Joyce held out her hand towards the girl. She gave Jim one more smile, and waved at Marissa as she left the room. “I like her,” Marissa remarked, catching her breath. _________ Joyce thanked God that she hadn’t burned off any of Sarah’s fine blonde hair with the curling iron. Doing hair had never been her strong suite, but she knew that it would be expected of her, being a nanny. Usually the little girl ran around in pigtails or braids, which was easy enough. It had been a struggle, making her stick-straight hair hold a ringlet, but Joyce had managed. The girl looked sweet with her curls and her aquamarine organza with matching shoes, purse and headband. Joyce sprayed Sarah’s hair down with a generous misting of Aquanet, and rose to her feet. “There. You look like a princess.” Sarah hopped from her little stool and looked up at Joyce. “And you look like a queen.” Joyce blushed, and hair hand came up to smooth the flyaways she was certain were springing out from her low chignon. She felt beautiful in her gown and absurdly expensive shoes. In the end, she had opted for a strand of simple, freshwater pearls, with matching earrings. Nothing to distract from the elegance of Karen’s gown. “We’re going to be late for dinner, Silly.” Joyce held out a black-gloved hand towards the girl. Sarah took it and they headed downstairs. Joyce had never seen the Hopper dining room so full of people. She squeezed Sarah’s hand nervously as they moved about, trying to locate a familiar face. Jim was standing near the head of the table, flanked by a young man and a middle-aged man that she recognized as Powell and Callahan. All three men looked dapper in their black suits, though Jim seemed distinctly uncomfortable, shifting his weight, and itching the side of his neck. He had been running his fingers through his hair, probably tugging at it, Joyce could tell by how mussed it looked in the back. Sarah called out for him, and Jim turned with a ready smile for his daughter. The smile froze on his lips and his eyes widened when he noticed Joyce. “Joy--Miss Joyce,” he stammered. She could see Powell and Callahan leering at her in her peripherals. Jim did not leer. Jim surveyed her with stunned awe, his mouth hanging open ever so slightly. “And me, Daddy!” Sarah threw herself against her father’s side and he scooped her into his arms. “And Sarah! Look how beautiful my daughter is, fellas.” He spun her about a few times and set her down. Powell and Callahan gave the girl disinterested approval before turning back to Joyce.“So, you’re the nanny, huh?” Callahan was smirking and leaning forward. His eyes were not on Joyce’s face. Jim elbowed him in the chest with a distinct glare. “Yes, I’m the nanny,” she replied, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Jim was at her side in an instance, resting his left hand on her left elbow. “Marissa has you sitting next to me. Let me show you where.” As the three of them walked away from the lecherous pair, Jim leaned over and whispered: “You are so beautiful, and I’m sorry my friends are assholes.” He squeezed her upper-arm reassuringly before pulling out the chair to the right of the head of the table. Joyce sat and shivered at the feel of Jim’s fingers brushing the space between her shoulder blades. He moved to help his daughter into the seat directly across from Joyce. Sarah had an oblivious look on her face, she was simply delighted to be counted amongst the grownups. Marissa took the seat next to Joyce and nudged her with an elbow. Joyce looked over and smiled, Marissa winked. The woman looked gorgeous in crimson, with diamonds sparkling at her throat, ears and right wrist. Joyce had been pleased to find out that, while obscenely rich and spoiled, Marissa was quite pleasant, and also not interested in Jim at all. Not anymore at least.  I have bigger fish to fry, the woman had confided in her as they danced a day ago, launching into details about a conquest that worked on Wall Street. Joyce admired her frankness. It was refreshing, and reminded her of Karen before the woman had settled down with boring old Ted. After dinner was finished, and the biggest cake Joyce had ever seen had been served, the guests were directed into the ballroom. The space had been decorated in dark-blues and icy-whites. Classy without looking like Senior Prom. The orchestra started up, and Jim led Joyce and Sarah to three seats near the wall. “Aren’t you going to mingle?”Jim shrugged at sat next to Joyce. “I’m a little burnt out on that, to be honest. Just let me sit with my two favorite -- with the two of you for a moment.” He took her hand and squeezed, and Joyce tried very hard to not read too much into her. He had been downright lover-like the entire evening, despite the fact that he had not tried to kiss her again. She had turned that moment over in her head thousands of times. Had it even been what she thought? If so, why had she ducked it?  Because he signs your paychecks, and if it goes wrong, he probably won’t do that anymore.  But his fingers were intertwined with hers and he was giving her that look, even though there were many, many people around to witness this potential breach of conduct, including Sarah, who was swinging her legs and watching the lights play off of her patent leather shoes, oblivious to the turmoil in her beloved nanny’s heart and mind. A waltz struck up, and Jim dropped her hand. “Let’s dance.” Joyce blinked in astonishment. “What about Sarah? The reason I’m here is so I can supervise.” Jim looked over at his daughter and whistled. The girl looked up with a grin. “Sarah, stay.” “Okay, Daddy.”Jim rose to his feet and offered a hand to Joyce, who rolled her eyes and took it.“This is a really fast waltz. Russian. Breakneck, really,” she remarked as their hands became a confusing tangle as they decided who was taking the lead. “Huh.” “You said you don’t do ballroom.” Jim shrugged and pushed forward, tripping over Joyce’s feet and causing her to lurch backwards. He moved quickly to right her. “Stop trying to take the lead,” he accused with a playful smirk. “This is too fast for you,” Joyce shot back. In the end, they created a spectacle. The dance was maybe fifteen percent actual waltz moves; the other eighty-five was pure improvisation. In order to avoid treating his guests like elaborately decorated bumper cars, the pair ended up dancing around the perimeter, laughing until they both had stitches in their sides that made moving on an impossibility. They leaned against the bar for the remaining five minutes of the waltz, ordering drinks and sharing amused looks. “Your pretty hair keeps popping out of that schoolmarm’s bun,” Jim teased, reaching out to smooth a bit of frizz at her crown. Joyce swatted at his hand. “Let’s not talk about hair.” Joyce stood on her tiptoes to press down at his cowlick, using his shoulder as an anchor for her other hand. She gasped and stiffened when he brushed his lips against hers. Her soothing hand dropped to his other shoulder, and his hands slid down the small of her back as he bent down to deepen the kiss. She relaxed against him and parted her lips to receive his tongue as she swayed back, ever-so-slightly. She heard a boisterous whistle from behind Jim and it was over. He pulled away from her so suddenly that she nearly lost her footing. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, raking a hand through his thinning hair. He did not look happy or at peace with his decision. Joyce suddenly felt very cold. The room was freezing, even as her cheeks burned. Central air. Fucking rich people. “Fine. That’s fine.” She sighed, squared her shoulders, and pushed past him. She had to get away. The room was too cold and her blood was roaring against her ear drums. Her name was faint as he called after her. She waved a hand to one side as though swatting a fly. So stupid to believe… Exiting onto the lawn felt like stepping into a warm bath. The gooseflesh retreated, and she took deep breaths of the sticky July air. It was time for a cigarette. She had three left over from the last Jim crisis. She really thought she had been done with dating bullshit when she signed her divorce papers. She was emerging from the garage’s side door when a strong hand grabbed her by the upper-arm and pulled her to one side. She collided with a chest that was solidly male. “Jesus, Jim, why?” she cursed before realizing the chest she ran into was too thin and the person she was standing in front of was several inches too short to be Jim. “Lonnie.” Her ex-husband grinned down at her, dressed in a cheap, loud suit better suited for a Vegas lounge than a New York elite shindig.“Legs.” He stepped towards her, one hand raised and moving towards her cheek. Joyce put two hands in front of her and shoved at his chest. He took a few steps back with an amused grin on his devilish features.“Goddamn it, how did you get here?” “Wouldn’t you like to know?” “There are branches in your hair, and dirt on your monkey-suit, I can guess.” She lit her cigarette and started walking towards the gardens. She had to lead him to a spot where there weren’t any witnesses. She briefly thought about murdering him and burying him under Diane Hopper’s prize tea roses. “It took me a while to find you. I had to get a hold of Jonathan’s emergency contacts from his school. You look like a million bucks, Joycie. Who’re ya fucking to live this cushy, Babe?” Joyce spun on her heels, her temper flaring like wild fire. She graced him with her most outraged face, hands squeezing into tight fists at her side. “I’m not fucking anybody, you moron! I work here.” “As what?” His eyes raked over her body and rested on her heaving bosom as they paused near the shrub sculptures. “None of your business. I need you to leave before someone notices you. Go crawl over that hedge. It will take you straight to the bike path near the woods. Get. Out.” “I need money.” Joyce let out a loud and frustrated groan, threw her hands in the air, and tipped her head back. “Of course you do. Of course, of course.” “Seems like you’re in a good position to help.” She looked him square in the eyes, lifted her chin slightly, and wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Well, you’re wrong. I’m currently paying for our son’s dream school, and he dreams big. I don’t have a cent to save you from some jumped-up mobster you tried to con at the tables. Fuck. Off.” He hit her across the face with an open palm. It was nothing new. Their fights often became physical towards the end of their marriage. She had once cracked his skull with a dining-room chair. Still, the long period Lonnie-less peace had lulled her into a sense of security, into a belief that things didn’t have to come to physical blows, no matter how heated. Her cheek stung, and the blow forced her head to one side. Before she had time to process the humiliation, Lonnie was knocked over in a flash of powder-blue. Jim Hopper was straddling her prone ex-husband, delivering blow after blow to both sides of the man’s face with powerful fists. “Jim, stop!” she screamed, rushing over to his side. She caught one heavily muscled arm between two hands as it cocked back, and pulled. She thought he might still follow through with another punch, even with her grasping his arm, but he paused and looked up at her, his blue-eyes dark, electric, and wild. He was red-faced and panting. “Stop,” she pleaded, frustrated tears springing to her eyes. She did not want to lose her job. “Get up, please.” Jim rose to his feet slowly, shrugging off Joyce’s hands. Lonnie whimpered on the ground, spitting out blood and what appeared to be a tooth. Jim’s face was still murderous as his gaze fixed on the sad spectacle on the ground. “She asked you to get out, so get. I’ll give you two minutes to pick your sorry ass off my property and fuck off to your flophouse in the city. If I catch you here again, the police will get involved.” Lonnie managed to pull himself to his feet and stumble out of the garden and out of Joyce’s sight. He did not look back, not even to throw Joyce one of his signature smug looks. She had never seen him so scared in all her life, not even in the times where she actually had called the cops. “So that was your ex-husband.” Joyce hung her head in shame and let out a shuddering sigh as the tears began to flow freely. She covered her face with her hands and wished she could sink into the earth and die. She felt herself being pulled into a warm, solid embrace; large hands began to stroke her trembling back. He smelled like whiskey and blood. “Shh...don’t cry, Sweetheart. He’s gone.” “I c-can’t lose this-this j-job!” Joyce sobbed in earnest.She couldn’t breathe, her anxiety was pressing against her chest like a vice. “No, no, no, no...who said you were fired?” “I walked away from S-sarah and started a f-fight with my trashy ex-husband!” Jim’s hands travelled up her back, to her shoulders and up the sides of her neck to rest at her jawline. He tilted her gaze upwards. “Sarah is safe in bed. Flo took care of that. I know you didn’t invite that bastard into my home, and I knew you used to be in a bad marriage when I hired you. I did a background check ages ago, and I don’t care. Please stop crying, Joyce.” He stroked his thumbs over her cheeks, brushing away the tears that clung to them. “I’m really bad with tears, so if you could just stop, that would be great.” Joyce took several breaths as she tried to calm her body. The trembling began to abate as he pulled her into another embrace, stroking her back and ruined updo. She felt a strange warmth low in her belly as he pressed a kiss against the top of her head, and tried not to think about how natural and right she felt, folded within his strong embrace. “Let’s go to my office. I have better booze in my safe than at this sorry bar, and I think you’ve earned a stiff one.” He pulled away and must have noticed Joyce’s stricken expression. “Drink, I meant. A stiff drink.” “Of course. And sure, if you think your party can spare you.” “They’re too drunk to notice. Come on, let’s go upstairs.” _________ They were both drunk. Very, very drunk. Somehow, Joyce ended up perched on the edge of his desk, both hands nursing a tumbler of whisky, legs crossed, hair completely unbound (“It hurts!” she had cried after the first drink, tearing at the pins that held it up). Jim was slouched back in his leather desk chair, his long legs resting on top of the desk, careful not to set his black shoes on the flimsy material of her spreading skirts. His suit coat hung carelessly over the back of his chair. He was admiring her heels. “Those are fancy.” He pointed at them from his perch. Joyce grinned, tilted her wavy, mussed-up head to one side, and gave a little kick at the air. The light caught the crystal buckles, making them sparkle becomingly. “Thank you.” “Worth a pretty penny, I suppose.” “You’ll find out soon, I guess.” They were both experiencing a lull in the conversation. The first few drinks had been spent on Joyce detailing the rise and fall of her unfortunate marriage. He had hated Lonnie before, and her story had not improved his opinion. He blearily regarded the tiny goddess in blue, as she smiled, talked, and drank on his desk, and decided that Lonnie Byers was the biggest idiot in the whole US of A. Then he remembered his actions over the past few months, and amended the declaration. He was the idiot. It was him. “How are your hands?” she inquired with sincere curiosity. He put his feet down and scooted his chair so that he was flush against the desk. He then placed his hands, palms down, onto her lap for inspection. She set her drink to one side and traced his bandaged knuckles with gentle, exploring fingers. His hands, of their own volition, began to slowly stroke up and down her thighs through the light material of her gown, his fingers curling around the silky chiffon when he noticed that her eyes were half-closed, and her lips were parted ever so slightly as her breath hitched. “Come here,” she whispered.He stood and gasped as one long leg hooked around his back and pulled him towards her. He bent low and captured her lips with his. One hand came up to rest at her waist, the other to cup her cheek. She tasted like good whiskey and cheap cigarettes, a heady combination. Their kisses deepened, and became heated as his greedy tongue explored her mouth. His hand moved from her waist to one breast as it rose and fell with her increasingly erratic breaths. She was so soft, so sweet. Her hands were stroking idly at his back in little circles that made him shiver. His neck was beginning to hurt from accommodating her diminutive stature. He tore his mouth from hers with a groan, and peppered the side of her neck, and throat with kisses before cupping her ass and pulling her from the desk and onto his lap as he fell back into his chair. She moaned against his mouth as she straddled him, and he knew she could feel his cock as it strained painfully against his trousers. He rocked his hips and hissed when she returned the gesture. Finally, finally. His hands came up to the sides of her shoulders and he tugged down at the straps of her gown. She moaned a warning against his mouth and he opted instead to unzip the back down to her waist. He shoved the bodice down, revealing a lace-trimmed, strapless bra that matched the gown. He felt a twinge of amusement at the calculation, and grinned as his fingers traced the delicate floral pattern. “Karen thought this might happen,” she sighed before nipping at the side of his neck. “Who is Karen?” he sighed as her teeth closed over his earlobe.“Shhhh…” He quivered at the sound and buried his face between her soft cleavage. She smelled of the roses in his garden, and faintly of sweat and almond soap. His hands went behind her back to work the clasps of her bra, and it fell to her with minimal fumbling. A feat, considering that fact that his hands were shaking and his head was swimming. He was intoxicated and she was intoxicating. Her back arched and she whimpered when he drew one erect nipple between his teeth and gave suckle. He felt her fingers tangle through his hair, felt her hips continue their slow, torturous rocking. One hand came up to cup and tease her other breast, while his free hand travelled under her skirts and caressed one silken thigh. His fingers plucked at one strap of her garter belt, and his cock leapt at the thought her her in thigh-highs, and of bending her over the desk and plunging into her with her stockings and heels still intact. His head lifted from her breasts and he kissed her so suddenly, that their teeth clattered before they continued on in a ravenous fashion. He tasted blood on his lips, but she gave no sign of pain. She kissed with her eyes squeezed shut, grasping fistfuls of his shirtfront like a lifeline, when his fingers found the silken barrier at her crotch. She was soaked through the fabric  and hot to the touch. “Please,” she muttered against his mouth as he slipped two fingers beneath her panties, burying them into her slick folds. His vision blurred when he elicited a sharp gasp from her lips as his soaked fingers found her clitoris, drawing slow circles around the engorged bud. He pulled his mouth away from hers, and looked into her eyes. She appeared sleepy with lust, her dark auburn hair obscuring one eye. Her gaze was glassy, unfocused, and her cheeks were touched with crimson. She blinked, and gave him a crooked smile as she rocked against his fingers. Suddenly, it occurred to Jim that she was too drunk, he was too drunk, and what they were doing was bad. Bad, bad, bad. _________ “I can’t.” The words struck Joyce like lightening, cutting through the euphoria of her near-orgasm. His clever fingers stilled and slid out from her quivering center. Reality came crashing down, and Joyce’s fuzzy brain registered that she was topless, and grinding against her boss’s impressive erection. She moved her hands from his shirt and placed them in front of her, almost defensively. “Oh.” She pushed herself from his lap, and bent over to retrieve her bra from the ground. Her trembling fingers would never be able to attach the clasp into place, and she would be damned before she asked for assistance. She set it on the desk as she pulled the bodice of her gown back into place, managing to zip it halfway up her back. She let her gaze wander to the floor, to the sides of her, but never to his face. “Joyce.” She shook her head. “Goodnight, Mr. Hopper.” Stupid, stupid, stupid. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- He did not follow her as she fled into the corridor. She could still hear the faint hum of guests’ conversations floating upstairs. She would never be able to make it back to her garage apartment without raising eyebrows. Jim’s office was situated in the center of the guest wing, and Joyce supposed she would have to stay in one of the many bedrooms until she was certain the house was empty. She picked a room, four doors to the left of the office, and hurried over, hoping that she wouldn’t find any guests coupling beyond the double doors. There was no one, thank goodness. She turned off the light, stepped out of her shoes, dropped her bra and dress to the floor, walked over to the four-poster bed and crawled over the covers. Her body was still electric with sexual energy even as her mind raced with anger and confusion. She hated him, hated that he made her feel this way. If he was indecisive, so be it. She just wished he would keep that indecision to himself and stop stepping forward and leaping back when it came to her. She had been hurt terribly by Lonnie, had closed herself off almost entirely because of Lonnie. Jim was the first, the very first person she had wanted in a long, long time, and it was so much easier when she thought he was nothing more than an impossible dream. She could still feel the ghost of his fingers inside of her, his mouth and hand at her breasts. She gave a frustrated sigh and wished even more that she was in the privacy of her own home.  Just take care of it, Joyce. Do you really think this room has seen worse than you rubbing one off to the thought of your boss?  _________ Jim sat behind his desk, willing his head to stop spinning and his cock to stop aching. He could have kicked himself. What a stupid, stupid thing to do. What sort of idiocy prompted him to make a pass at his daughter’s nanny, the only person he entrusted with her care? This was a train wreck.He exhaled heavily and placed his palms on top of the desk, and could still feel the warmth of her presence lingering on the chestnut surface. She had been upset, and he should have just been a comfort to her, rather than exploit her vulnerability by sharing drinks and feeling her up on his desk and then in his chair.His fingers still burned from her touching her, she had been so wet and ready and goddamn it, he was never going to lose an erection lingering on those thoughts.He would return to his party, or what was left of it, and try to unwind with a little bit of camaraderie. If he found Joyce downstairs, he would apologize profusely and beg her not to leave him--Sarah. He would beg her not to leave Sarah.After taking five minutes to allow the aching in his trousers to subside, Jim stumbled into the corridor, from the sounds downstairs, the party was still going strong, even without him. He was about to head towards the stairs, when a faint whimper floated down the hall. It was coming from a nearby room. Logic filtered into his brain when he realized that Joyce had fled his office, completely disheveled. She would not want to go back to the party, or even make the journey back to her apartment. She was taking refuge in a guest room.He had made her cry. Made her cry when another man had done the same on the same night. He was a cad. A lech, just like Callahan, who went through help like Liz Taylor went through jewelry. Fuck.That apology had to come now. His conscience smote when he thought of her wasting tears on his unworthy, alcohol-bloated carcass. He moved towards the room with purpose and knocked gently on the door, calling Joyce’s name. No response save for a sigh.He pushed into the room and froze.Joyce was sprawled on the bed, legs spread and naked, save for stocking and garters. Her eyes were closed, crimson lips parted, head thrown back, as one hand cupped and teased at a full breast. The other hand was lower, past her flat belly, fingers working furiously at her center. She was insensible to his presence, lost to her own ministrations.All of the oxygen left the room, and he knew he it was time to go. This was not the place to be, even though it was his house, and she was a guest and oh god, it was the most vivid rendering of his most persistent fantasy. He wanted to cross the room, crawl into the bed, pin her wrists over her head and kiss her hot and slow before thrusting into her. Get. Out. Now. The sensible part of his brain whispered as her back arched and she cried out in a heady staccato that reverberated straight to his cock. He willed his body to obey, backing out of the room and closing the door as quietly as possible. He pressed his forehead against the door and took several, deep, shuddering breaths. Very good. Now walk away. Go to sleep or jerk off, but do not come back to this room. He did as he was told. After two minutes of long, sure strokes with the image of her, naked and writhing branded into his brain, he finished with a hoarse cry. He rose and padded to his bathroom, cleaning himself with a quick shower before slipping back into his bed and falling into a troubled sleep, his hand reaching to the opposite side of the bed, as though trying to imagine what it would be like to have her slumbering at his side, her rich, auburn hair spread over the pillow._________Joyce awoke at three a.m., head positively pounding. She pulled herself into a sitting position, and took in her surroundings. She was in a guest room rather than her own bed. Her clothing was strewn across the floor and she was stark naked. She raked a hand through her hair-spray stiff hair, dragging out a few rogue bobby-pins. She groaned when the events of the evening came flooding back to her. Bad, Joyce. Very, very, bad.She dressed quickly and headed back to her apartment. The party had cleared by that time, and there was no one around to witness her Walk of Shame. After a quick shower, she brushed her teeth, donned a nightgown and settled into her own bed.She entered the main house through the kitchen with caution a few hours later. Ji-James-... Mr. Hopper had never ever insisted on this house having a ‘servants entrance’, but Joyce knew that he liked to have his morning coffee in the grand foyer. It had the most natural light, and he liked greeting the man who hand delivered the newspaper. Jim Hopper, filthy rich everyman.Sarah greeted her cheerfully when she walked into the girl’s bedroom to get her ready for the morning.“Good morning, sweetheart,” Joyce croaked, her mouth and throat painfully dry. She hoped the aspirin she had taken would kick in soon. Sarah’s exuberance was a little too much in the middle of a raging hangover.The pair were about to head downstairs to go on an excursion to Chase Park when Jim burst through the doors of the child’s bedroom with a broad grin. Joyce felt her heart leap to her throat, and then shatter when he made no acknowledgement of her presence. Sarah gave a little squeal and threw herself into her father’s arms.“I thought you had to work in the city this morning!” the child remarked once she caught her breath after being tickled, tossed into the air and caught.“Day off. I can take those because I’m the boss. What are you up to today?”Sarah squirmed to be put down, and when Jim obeyed, she ran to Joyce’s side.“Miss Joyce is taking me to the park to look at bugs and flowers.” Sarah grinned up at Joyce who, despite the tumult her mind was going through, smiled back and took the child’s hand.Jim’s smile did not reach his tired eyes. “Could you ask Miss Joyce if I could come along? Maybe we could go for a little trip to Central Park instead? Maybe FAO Schwarz too?”Sarah gasped and frantically shook Joyce’s hand. “Miss Joyce, could we?”“I don’t see why not...but maybe you’d both like to go alone.”The little girl shook her blonde head and frowned. “No! I want you to go too.” She gave a beseeching look to her father. “Tell her we want her to come, Daddy!”Brown eyes met blue as Joyce found herself being studied by her employer. His brow creased in a frown that could have been disapproving or concerned, Joyce was not sure which .“Maybe Miss Joyce needs a day off, sweetheart,” Jim reasoned.Sarah gave a little whine that was cut off by Jim with a warning look. Joyce knelt by Sarah and kissed her forehead. The girl threw her arms around Joyce’s neck in a tight embrace that made the older woman’s heart ache.“Besides, what are we going to have to talk about if I’m there with you? You love to tell me stories. Why don’t you knock on my door when you get back, and I’ll make hot chocolate and you can tell me all the fun things you did today.”Sarah, satisfied with the compromise, took her father’s hand and they left Joyce alone to analyze what had just happened. Jim had not seemed angry or regretful or ready to give Joyce the boot. In fact, he seemed eager to pretend nothing had happened at all.Joyce was astonished at how angry this made her. Two could play that game.________“What are you doing here, Mom?” Jonathan asked with genuine curiosity.Joyce stood at the threshold of his dorm room door and shrugged. “I got a surprise day off, and I missed you. I was hoping you’d let me buy you lunch.” He looked thinner than usual and hoped he was spending his allowance on food and not film.“Long drive to take on a whim and a chance that I’d be around.” He stepped aside so she could walk into his room. It was tidy, which was astonishing.“Roommate is particular about dirt,” Jonathan mumbled. She always had a terrible poker face. Every thought and emotion tended to play out on her face in real time. Her father (and Lonnie) used to tell her it made her look crazy.“Sounds like we’d get along.”“Enroll in school and find out.”Joyce groaned and gave her son a tight hug. He was taller than her, which was never not jarring.“Stop,” she commanded.“Never. Not until you listen to reason,” he retorted, pressing a kiss on the top of her head. “Anyway, let’s go get pancakes.”“It’s two in the afternoon.”“And I’ve been awake for a full half hour. I’m starving.”They were sipping coffee in the corner booth of a nearby cafe when Jonathan dropped a bomb.“Lonnie was here last night. Looked like someone beat the piss outta him, Mom.” His eyes were narrow and his mouth was grim as Joyce angrily plunked her cup onto the formica.“God damn it! Here I thought you had just been partying all night.”Jonathan shook his head.“I cleaned him up after letting him scream outside my window for a few minutes. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t know him when he started using my full name.”Joyce buried her face in her hands, the ache in her head started to come back. She could feel the vein in her forehead begin to pulsate.“I am so sorry. I suppose he told you everything.”“His version.”“I suppose that didn’t include the part where he hit me.”Jonathan swore violently, jolting Joyce out of her slouch. Judging from her son’s red face, wild eyes and crossed arms, Lonnie’s story had contained glaring omissions.“Jonathan, it’s okay.”Her son shook his head, unable to meet her eyes.“I told him years ago that I’d kill him if he ever did that again.”Joyce reached out her hand to squeeze one tense shoulder.“Please don’t, baby. You have a future. I think Mr. Hopper took care of him last night.”“Lonnie says you two are fucking,” Jonathan spat out in disgust.Joyce glared and removed her hand so she could slap it against the top of the table.“That’s nobody’s business!”Several pairs of eyes were on their little booth. Jonathan looked over his shoulder, shrugged at the onlookers and threw them a middle finger. The witnesses went back to their own affairs in an instant.“I guess. Anway, Lonnie needs money. Alot.”Joyce raised an eyebrow, and rested her cheek against her hand.“And I’m guessing he tried to get some out of you.”“Apparently going to NYU means I know a shit ton of rich kids that I can leech off of ‘for just a sec until I can pay it back, Jonny’.” Jonathan threw up finger quotes as he affected his father’s gravelly voice.“Hmmm.”“I think he’s in big trouble this time.”Joyce nodded and sipped her coffee. They paused their conversation to allow the server time to deliver their food. Joyce smirked at her son’s tall stack of pancakes, knowing he would eat them all in one sitting.“I think you’re right,” Joyce remarked before biting into her half-sandwich. “He was downright flirty last night. He still thinks he can charm the gold from my purse.”“Be careful, Mom. If he knows where you live, he could come back and make trouble.”Joyce shrugged. “I don’t think there’s much of a chance of that. I thought Jim--I thought Mr. Hopper was going to kill him. He probably thought so too.”“Well, tell Jim that I appreciate him defending you. Though I suppose if he’d have waited, he would’ve seen that you can do the job just fine. How many stitches was that, that one Christmas?”“Which Christmas?” ________Jim was absolutely frantic. He and Sarah returned from the city, the afternoon low in the sky, only to find Joyce was not waiting for the pair in the dining-room. She was always punctual for dinner, usually it was him that lagged behind, holding up the meal.“She left shortly after you did. Took her own car without a word,” Flo explained as she set plates of fried chicken in front of Sarah and Jim.“You are absolutely sure she didn’t say where she was going?” he demanded. Thoughts of her threat to leave without notice came back to haunt him. He hadn’t raised his voice at her, but he hadn’t exactly behaved like a model employer.“No. She didn’t. I’ll save a plate for her, though.”Sarah frowned at her chicken, her bright eyes shining with worried tears.“Why isn’t she here?” the child whined.Jim suddenly lost his appetite. He was completely thrown by how helpless he felt in that moment. Joyce’s little car didn’t have many trips left in it, she had said so the first time she parked it in the garage. Most trips she took were either in one of his many vehicles or a rental with a driver. Why would she take it unless she wasn’t coming back? Jesus Christ, he knew he was garbage, but he did not think for one minute that Joyce would be the type to take it out on a child.Sarah sniffled at his side, and he felt lower than low.“Sweet Pea, what’s the matter?”Jim and Sarah’s heads turned towards the entrance to the dining room where Joyce stood. He wanted to jump to his feet, rush to her, and kiss her senseless. He wanted to scream at her for worrying him. But mostly he wanted to apologize.Joyce took a seat at Sarah’s side and kissed the top of her head.“Are you okay? How was Central Park?” Where were you? Jim wanted to ask. Please don’t leave again. He tried to catch her eye, tried to signal his remorse at hurting her, to give her something that would suffice until they were alone again. And then what happens? He watched as Sarah wiped away her tears and explained her day to Joyce, frowning as the woman refused to meet his gaze.Flo reappeared with another plate, and Joyce looked past his shoulder to smile at the older woman. Her eyes didn’t so much as flicker in the direction of his face. It was as if he was a ghost. Well, that wouldn’t do.“Where were you?” he finally asked, schooling his tone to sound less desperate and more authoritative.Joyce looked down at her dish, and began to push the skins from her chicken with a fork.“I wasn’t aware that I had to check-in and out on my days off,” she intoned, not looking up from her plate.Jim’s face was hot from annoyance. “You don’t,” he began evenly. “Except that you never miss dinner even when you’re not on the clock. Sarah was concerned.”Joyce eyes flew to Sarah and her features softened when she saw the distress in his daughter’s small face; she reached out a hand to stroke the child’s hair. “I’m sorry, Sweetie. I had lunch with my son today.”“At NYU? We could have taken you.” Jim was becoming mildly snappish. He knew why she was made, knew that she had every right, but it didn’t change the fact that her stubbornness and indifference were getting stuck in his craw. She didn’t respond, and he began to count the seconds until he could retire to his study and drink away the stresses of the day. Though, he supposed, given what had happened the night before, it would probably be best to stay sober.Joyce excused herself from the table after barely touching her food, hugged Sarah, and left the room without a backwards glance. Jim sat, his anger at war with his guilt. He was certain he was sulking, barely able to give Sarah anything more than monosyllabic responses to myriad of questions, his eyes fixed on Joyce’s empty chair.She wasn’t going to leave, which was a blessing, but he had no idea how long he could continue living with stony silences and barely repressed resentment. It was on him to fix it, but he didn’t know how.Jim wanted her, but had no idea how to proceed, especially now that he was certain he had blown his chances. He had no clue what that arrangement would look like. Would she continue working for him? Continue living above the garage? There was no mistaking the disgust in her face when she had informed him that she was not his mistress. Where would she go? How would they explain it to Sarah?Fuck staying sober. This was a Three Handle Problem._________It was going on week two of the Hopper House Cold War, and Joyce was not sure how long she could continue in the current fashion. At first, The Ghost Game (Lonnie’s name for it) had been almost fun, in a horribly vindictive way. Joyce’s ability to look everywhere and acknowledge everyone but the person she was angry with had been a skill, finely honed throughout the years.Joyce had first played it with her parents, when she felt they had done something particularly unforgivable. Of course, those games were short. She could only ignore her father for so long before a strap was applied to her behind. Hard to stay imperious during a ‘whooping’. Later, she played it with Lonnie for the sole purpose of getting a rise out of him. When she blew up, it only seemed to amuse him. He would laugh in her face as she raged. Completely denying his existence brought color to his cheeks and an almost incoherent indignation. Of course, he usually broke the spell with violence, which she returned in kind.Jim just looked sad, which had been fine at first, when Joyce had been preoccupied with her own pain. Does that make you feel good, Joyce Mae? Her mother would’ve asked, were she alive. The answer would have been ‘yes’. Joyce felt strongly that anyone didn’t admit watching the person who hurt them get hurt in kind wasn’t cathartic at least on some level, was a goddamn liar. But anger fades, and Joyce’s faded relatively quickly in the face of Jim’s defeated and disheveled appearance. He was leaving for work earlier and earlier, and missing dinners more often, which was not making Sarah happy at all. If Sarah was unhappy, everyone was unhappy. The child could be downright tyrannical, when all was said and done.“Sarah, come out. You’re going to be late for day camp.”  The girl had locked herself in her bathroom, and the driver had been waiting outside for a good twenty minutes.“I don’t care about stupid camp! All we do is learn how to sing stupid baby songs and make jewelry out of macaroni. If you want a macaroni necklace, go make it yourself!” Joyce jumped back from the door when she felt a tremendous thud from the other side. Sarah had kicked it. Hard. A low whine from the other side told Joyce that it had not felt good.“Sarah, open the door! Are you okay?”The sobs grew louder and Joyce felt panic well up inside of her chest. The door to Sarah’s room was flung open and heavy footsteps fell as Jim rushed to Joyce’s side. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, and his face was stricken. He had slept in his clothes, and reeked faintly of Schlitz. Joyce wrinkled her nose at him, despite her concerns for his daughter.“What’s wrong with Sarah?” he demanded hoarsely.“She doesn’t want to go to camp and she showed me how much by kicking the door. I think she hurt herself, but she’s locked herself in.”Jim pounded on the door. “Honey, it’s Daddy.”The wailing stopped abruptly. “Go away!”Jim appeared completely bowled over by the shrill command. “Are you kidding me? Open the door and come out. I paid good money for this camp.”“Well, you got hosed then. I hate it!”Jim shot Joyce a look and mouthed his daughter’s phraseology with a befuddled expression. Joyce shrugged.“Any particular reason?” he inquired in an even tone.There was a few beats of contemplative silence before she answered with: “No. But I’m mad at you!”“Okay, that’s a start. Why are you mad at me, Sweetheart?”“Because you and Miss Joyce aren’t talking, and I never see you. If you’re fighting because of Marissa, you should just stop seeing her and marry Joyce.”Joyce and Jim shared looked of crimson mortification. Joyce felt her jaw drop as she struggled to conjure words. Jim cleared his throat. “Honey, Marissa isn’t my girlfriend.”“Then why does Miss Joyce hate you?”“I don’t hate your daddy, Sarah.”The door opened. Sarah hobbled out and eyed them both with suspicion.“Sweetie, you’re hurt.” Joyce fell to her knees and held out her arms. Sarah shook her head, and continued to study her father and her nanny.“You don’t hate him?”“No.”“So you’ll go back to talking to him again?”Joyce shot Jim a glare, hoping the question ‘Did you put her up to this?’ was clear in her narrowed eyes and parted lips. He shook his head with innocent, horrified eyes. Joyce turned back to Sarah.“Everything will go back to normal, I promise.”The child’s face brightened up considerably. “Okay, I’m ready for camp.”Joyce sighed in relief, even as she wasn’t quite sure how to honor her promise to the girl. She looked back to Jim with softer eyes, and he gave her a weak, but hopeful, smile in response. After they were both assured that Sarah’s foot was not broken, Joyce went with her to camp and Jim went off to work.He knocked on her door later that night. He had missed dinner that night, much to Sarah’s annoyance, and a little bit of Joyce’s too. She had mentally prepared herself to be normal around him once again, and when he called to announce that he’d be arriving after Sarah’s bedtime, she felt the same twinge and ache of jealousy and disappointment that she had felt the night he had taken Marissa home with him.Joyce answered the door in her bathrobe, clutching a baseball bat. The bat wasn’t for him. Ten minutes earlier, she had received a call from Lonnie. Joyce, I am begging you. Was I not clear enough when you showed up here last? I really stepped in it, this time. I’ve heard this before. No, these are bad, bad guys, Joyce. Please. Just give me something. Ask that boss of yours, do whatever you can to get it from him, just get it. What is it?The sum had left her reeling, and she was used to hearing four, even five figures come tumbling out of his mouth. After recovering from her shock, she laughed, which had not gone over well. The threats were mostly incoherent, but the volume in which they were issued nearly tore through Joyce’s eardrums. She hung up after a few beats of screaming, and hurried under her bed for a weapon. It was going to be a long night.The sight of Jim, tall, rumpled, and practically filling up the space of her doorframe, caused her to momentarily forget why she was holding the bat. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Joyce, what the fuck?” The bat clattered to the floor, and she struggled to form an explanation. “Are you okay?” He demanded as she stumbled over words. “I thought I heard something. I guess that something was you.” “Can I come in?” Joyce stepped to one side to let him in. He stepped forward into her living room and sank heavily into her recliner. “I don’t like being treated this way,” he stated, flatly. “Rough day at work?” She immediately went to the kitchenette, filled a kettle, and set it to boil. She knew the conversation that was coming, and it gave her a sudden urge to make some strong tea. “I meant by you!” he thundered in her direction. Joyce’s jaw dropped and she crossed her arms under her chest. “I thought I was treating you like my employer, Mr. Hopper.” “Please call me ‘Jim’.” his voice was soft and contrite. “I’m pretty sure we decided that sort of thing was inappropriate.” She turned her back to him in order to stand on her tiptoes to reach into the cupboard for sugar. Before her fingers could graze the tin, she felt a large hand gently close over her wrist; a solid, sandalwood and leather scented wall of warmth at her back. She closed her eyes and sighed when she felt Jim’s breath at her ear. “Jim…” “We were both so drunk that night and I felt like I was taking advantage of you. I was going to talk to you about it the next day but the way you looked at me in Sarah’s room, the way you’ve been avoiding me, I didn’t think--” Joyce turned and looked up at him with astonished eyes. “The way I looked at you?! I felt invisible in that room!” “I didn’t want Sarah to suspect anything. She likes you so much, and if she had any idea that there was something wrong I…” he trailed off as his eyes fixed on her lower lip. Joyce snaked out her tongue to dampen it. She didn’t mean to be provocative, her lips were dry as a general rule, but the gesture caused Jim to take a sharp breath before he brought his lips crashing down on hers. Joyce grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, anchoring his mouth to hers as she parted her lips to return his kiss with ferocity. His hands slid over her cheeks, stroking her cheekbones as he nibbled and sucked at her hungry mouth. She had missed him, missed this ravenous need, and she had needed him. It occurred to her that he was ridiculously tall. She wondered if someone could throw out their back from kissing. As though reading her mind, his hands fell to her waist, and he lifted her. She wrapped her arms about his neck for balance, brushing kisses against his neck as he set her onto the counter. “Is this actually happening?” Joyce sighed, as Jim’s lips found the spot behind her ear. One large hand caressed a bare thigh, the other cupped and teased a stiff nipple through the silky fabric of her robe with nimble fingers. She was awash in tingling desire, a pleasant heat that started low in her belly and spread to her scalp, and she didn't want it to ever end. “Tell me to stop, and I'll stop,” he whispered hoarsely, before licking into her mouth. She groaned and met the caresses of his tongue with her own, throwing her arms over his shoulders. She wanted to be closer and closer, and they were both stupidly overdressed. She felt his hands on the belt at her waist, tugging and fumbling with the knot she had created before grabbing the bat. “Let me help,” she whispered, pushing at his chest. He stepped away, and her smaller fingers were able to liberate the belt from her waist. She shrugged out of the robe, letting it pool onto the counter. His eyes widened at her nightgown, taking a shuddering breath as they raked over her body. Joyce felt a smile creep over her kiss-bruised lips. She was not a flashy person, but she had always liked feeling pretty when she went to bed, whether or not she was going alone or with a man. The nightgown she wore was a brief, babydoll cut of deep violet lace with matching boyshorts. The straps were thin,ribbon-like, and the bodice was cut low -- designed to boost what assets she had. Jim’s gaze was focused on the little ribbon between her breasts. “Jesus. I was expecting a cat shirt and sweatpants,” he confessed, stepping forward to free her thick, wavy hair from its ponytail. She snorted and slapped his chest. “Gee, tha-” His mouth was on hers again, and with renewed vigor. She shivered as his fingers stroked the sides of her neck, and then buried themselves in her hair, pulling her closer. Tongues met and dueled, teeth nipped, and Joyce knew it was never going to be enough. They had to progress or she was going to combust. “Easy, easy,” he cooed against her ear, stilling her when she tried to scoot closer to the edge of the counter, reach over, and fumble at the buttons of his trousers. He brought his hands under her nightgown, resting on her abdomen before drifting to the waistband of her shorts. She braced her hands against the edge of the counter and lifted her hips so he could pull them down, which he did with a small flourish, before kneeling down between her legs. Thank Jesus, the saints, and all the angels, Joyce’s mind blasphemed as his hands came to her waist to pull her closer, his breath hot against her upper-thighs and center. She stopped thinking full-stop as her legs were thrown over his shoulders and his tongue was sampling the evidence of her arousal in slow, flat strokes. His tongue circled and teased at her clit as her fingers threaded through his dark-blond hair, rocking gently against his face. She whimpered and sighed as his tongue fluttered, teased, and brought her closer and closer to the edge. She shuddered and broke apart, repeating his name in a breathless mantra, her fingers trembling as they tugged at his hair. He rose to face her, his handsome features distinctly smug. She tasted herself on his lips as he kissed her slow and sweet, with a drowsy passion. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long, long time,” he confessed, stepping back, pulling  his wallet from his side pocket. Joyce frowned in confusion until he pulled out a condom. “Confident,” she teased, body still trembling with aftershocks. He shed his trousers and boxers with swiftness, and Joyce tried very hard not to gape at his thick cock as it jutted out proudly. He was… intimidatingly large. She felt dizzy at the prospect. “It’s okay if you've changed your mind,” he assured her, his eyes searching her astonished face. Joyce snapped out of it and shook her head. “No, I'm just...wow.” He chuckled before stepping between her legs, sliding his hands beneath her buttocks to lift her, and position her. They both gasped when he pushed in, the sensation of being that full after years of nothing momentarily winded Joyce. She squirmed against him with a whimper. “Tell me when to move,” he begged, pressing kisses against her forehead as she adjusted to his girth. “Now,” she hummed, urging him on with a subtle movement of her hips against his. He kept a slow, steady rhythm as Joyce clung to him. They held each other's gaze as he moved in and out, as though neither could believe what was happening. Joyce bit her lower lip, and his eyes, drowsy with lust, fixed on the spot. He brought a hand up to her lips, brushing his forefinger against the swollen flesh. He groaned as she sucked the finger into her mouth, biting down on it gently.  His pace quickened suddenly and Joyce eyes squeezed shut as she lost herself to the pressure that was building inside her once more. She buried her face against the side of his neck, drawing a sharp gasp when she bit down. She was teetering towards the precipice, preparing to take wing, see fireworks, feel all the metaphors she had only read about in paperbacks. It had been too far between to compare him to Lonnie, but she couldn't  imagine ever feeling this… “I'm not going to last, Joyce. God, you're so fucking amazing.” His thrusts became frantic, the rhythm lost, which was fine because Joyce was grasping fistfuls of his shirt, and crashing down loudly, her head thrown back with a senseless repetition of the Lord's name on her lips. His completion was close on the heels of hers, his guttural cry smothered by her bruising kisses. His lips ghosted over her cheeks and lips as she caught their breath. Joyce trembled against him, coming down from her cloud of lust. She could feel his heart hammering against her as he held her close. They became so quiet that she could hear clock above her stove tick away the seconds. After what seemed like an eternity, he eased her from the cabinet, sliding from her body with a short gasp. “Stay,” she requested, breaking the silence. “Are you sure?” “Mm. I’ll drive you home in the morning. We’re going in the same direction anyway.” He chuckled, low and delicious.“Deal.” __________ ` “What do you mean she’s gone?” “Miss Joyce, I-I don’t know what to say. The museum was so packed, but we stayed together. She was here one moment and th-then, and then…” Joyce felt as though she had fallen through a thin patch of ice, while simultaneously getting punched in the stomach. Susie Turlington, the assistant director of Sarah’s day camp (really a child herself. Tiny and squeaky-voice. Too timid to live.) gasped with sobs as she struggled to explain how exactly she and three other counselors had lost track of Sarah during a trip to the Museum of Natural History. It was true that they were short-staffed for the trip; Joyce had signed up as chaperone, and then had to cancel last minute when she woke with one of her splitting migraines. The kind that meant a day in a darkened room, a cold, wet cloth, and little else. She had recovered in time to make the trip to pick Sarah up from camp headquarters, only to find that the group had not returned. The secretary did not have an answer until the phone rang. Joyce had watched the plump woman turn red, and then chalky white, her bespectacled eyes flickering back and forth between Joyce and a nearby window. Joyce drove straight to the museum, hoping that it would be resolved before she arrived, praying that she didn’t have to call Jim. He showed up two minutes after Joyce, and he was not as gentle with his questioning as she had been. “Where are the fucking cops?” he thundered at the now hysterical Susie. “Jim, she said security and the police are combing the place right now.” Joyce stood in front of him, smoothing her hands over his chest in an effort to keep him from breaking apart in a ball of rage. His big, solid body was thrumming with energy, his face fixed in a mask of stony outrage. Sarah was nowhere to be found. Reports were filed, interviews were held. Jim and Joyce were sent home (“In cases like these, with Mr. Hopper’s wealth, you might expect to receive a phone call”), a detective close behind them. She sat in the passenger seat, sobbing helplessly against her hand as he stared out into the distance and drive, expressionless and silent. “I should have been there for her,” was the only thing Joyce managed to say on the drive home. He shot her a look of such undisguised venom that she didn’t dare speak again. Joyce sat in the foyer with Jim until she nodded off in the chair near the end table the phone rested on. She had not wanted to fall asleep. She wanted to be there for him, be alert and awake until they were both certain of the girl’s safety. She woke in her own bed to the sound of the telephone ringing, Jim nowhere in sight. It had been a week since their first encounter, and though no real conversation about their current status had taken place, Joyce had spent every night in his bed in the main house since (“You’re bed is lumpy”). He wanted to be alone. Joyce picked up the phone on the fourth ring. “Mom?” Jonathan’s voice sounded thin and afraid. Alarm bells went off immediately. “Baby, what’s wrong?” “Lonnie wanted me to call to tell you that it’s not just her you have to worry about.” Joyce’s legs buckled, and she sank to the kitchen floor, crouching against the cabinets. “Jonathan?” “Mom, we’re both here. Me and the kid.” “Where?” A pause. “Hopper isn’t with you is he?” Joyce shook her head, hot tears slipping down her cheeks. “No. Tell me what to do so I can come and get you.” ______________ Joyce had watched enough TV to feel sickeningly apprehensive about walking into an abandoned factory with a suitcase stuffed with cash. The sun had just begun to crawl over the horizon; the cavernous building almost completely dark save for a smattering of dust-filled sunbeams filtering through the filthy windows. Joyce trudged up two spiral staircases, the railing and steps thick with grime, holding her breath as her senses were overwhelmed with mouldering, dead smells. Her instructions were to find the blue door on the second floor. The paint was peeling, but it was definitely blue. On the door, in peeling red paint were the words: Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love. Joyce had read it somewhere, and were she not about to bargain for the life of her son and her lover’s child, she might have taken the time to ruminate on the message. She knocked four times. The door flew open. “Joycie, Joyce, Joyce,” Lonnie looked and smelled like hell. His hair was a matted mess, eyes bloodshot, and his bear was scraggly. She had always hated him in a beard. He just didn’t have the right sort of face for it. She held up the suitcase and looked around the room. It had clearly once belonged to a supervisor. It had a view, rotting bookshelves, a filing cabinet, but not Jonathan or Sarah. Joyce lowered the suitcase and grasped it until her knuckles turned white. Lonnie made a grab for it and she pulled away, nearly turning her body a full 180 degrees. “Well, I’m not going to keep them here. You stupid or something?” “I need to see them. Take me to them. Now.” “Pay me first. You know, I could just take that from you, Shortstack.” Thinking quickly, Joyce made a break for the wide window. It was already open to cut through the stifling heat, and there was no screen separating Joyce from the outside. She pulled herself onto the high sill and thrust the hand that clutched the briefcase out of the window. “Awww, what the fuck?” Lonnie threw his hands in the air and started to pace about the room. “Get them. I’ll wait.” He lunged towards her, but stopped abruptly when she began to loosen her grip on the suitcase until it dangled from two fingers. A strong breeze would have been able to knock it from her grasp. “You fucking bitch.” “Go.” Her bluff worked. She didn’t know how, but it worked. Lonnie fled the room, swearing loudly and calling her every single name in the book. A door opened nearby and Joyce wondered if that meant he was keeping them close or if it was the...no, they were trained to be more stealthy than that. They had to be more stealthy than that. Lonnie’s outraged cry filled the air, and Joyce gave a start that nearly caused her to lose her grasp on the briefcase. Not thinking, she jumped from her perch to the floor and set the briefcase down. “Lonnie?” she cried nervously. He burst through the door, face red, nostrils flaring. He was holding something black in his hand, pointing it at her. Joyce’s heart began to beat feverishly, and the air left her lungs when she realized it was a gun. She reeled back, real fear exploding through her body. “Where are they? Where the fuck are they?” Gone. They had to be gone. There was no faking that kind of rage. “I don’t kn-know... Lonnie, p-put the gun down.” “You’re trying to fucking trick me!” Gun still pointed, he made a dash for the suitcase. Joyce was too paralyzed to stop him. He picked it up and dashed it against the wall, causing the case to burst open in an explosion of green paper. Lonnie watched as it fluttered to the ground. “Fucking fake,” he swore, examining a few bills. Joyce made a break for the door, but he caught her short of the threshold. His arms wrapped around her midsection. She squirmed and managed to turn to face him, one hand pushing at his chest while the other tried to wrest the gun from his grasp. She screamed for help as her hand closed around the handle. Where the hell were they? She managed to get an elbow to his nose before the gun went off. Joyce had watched enough TV to know that this would be the point where the villain and hero would look at each other in shock before the villain inevitably fell to the floor, the unfortunate victim of their own hubris. The excruciating burning slightly to the left of her right hip told her that this would not be one of those stories. Every nerve-ending in her body screamed; she had never felt anything quite like it. “So this is what being shot-” her knees buckled before she could finish. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Joyce!” Lonnie caught her in his arms as she fell, holding her almost tenderly as he whimpered in distress - he dropped her when the cops arrived. Joyce hit the ground with an anguished cry, and shakily rolled onto her back, the ringing in her ears increasing in volume. At first, she was worried that she had emptied her bladder when the gun went off; a quick glance downwards told her that was not the case. She had never seen so much blood in her life. Could someone really lose that much blood? She recalled the time Jonathan had taken her a silent film, the way the edges of the screen were framed in fuzzy darkness, and how that darkness increased and engulfed the screen when the scenes began to close. The faces that floated above her kept changing every time the screen in her vision went blurry-black and then back into focus. She heard her name repeatedly, but it was as though her head were underwater, the voices distorted and soft compared to the ringing sound and the deafening beat of her heart. She screamed when she felt a sudden and painful pressure near her injured hip, and looked down to see someone in uniform pressing their hands against it. Nausea hit as the black edges began to close around her vision again. “You cannot come in here, Mr. Hopper!” She jerked awake at the sound and managed to turn her head as Jim fell to her side, pulling her head into his lap. He looked like he was crying, but everything was blurred like a fresh watercolor. “No, no, no. Sweetheart, look at me. Stay with me, please.” His hands were stroking her hair, and his plea of ‘stay with me’ became fainter and fainter and she slipped back into unconsciousness. ________________ Joyce was in surgery when Jim wished for the 500th time that he hadn’t agreed to the plan. She had been so eager go through with it, and the detective had assured them all that with the right preparation, it would go off without a hitch. Those morons should have moved when the scumbag started raging about his hostages going missing, and now her blood was literally on his hands. And his shirt. That had not been part of the plan. Apparently, Jonathan had managed to escape with Sarah two hours before Joyce arrived. They had tried to reach someone, anyone who would be able to get the word out, but they had both been unfamiliar with the area, and had ended up wandering until reaching a police station. Too little too late. A part of Jim wanted to strangle the boy for being so careless, but the other, more rational part of him knew that because of Jonathan Byers, his girl was safe. But Joyce… He had been sitting in a police van, screaming for action the very second he heard Lonnie start screaming at Joyce through the wire she wore in her shirt. He could hear her breathing become panicked, the shallow breaths and the little whimper she probably thought only she could hear. He heard, and it took three officers to pull him back into his seat. When the scuffle broke out, the order was for the officers to move in, but Jim had to stay. When the shot rang out, there no one could stop him from running into the building towards her. Diane’s death had been bloodless, almost clinical in its quiet, painless efficiency. It had looked like she was falling asleep. Joyce had been suffering when he found her; violence pooling around her as she gasped, cried, and slipped in and out of shock. If she died it wouldn’t be peaceful. He didn’t want to be able to say he knew a murdered person. Loved a murdered person. He had held her head in his lap, fully expecting that it would be the last time he would get to look upon her face, comforting her as an officer tried to keep her from bleeding out from the wound in her hip. She had recognized him before she began to babble senselessly (What the hell was a Caligari?), and slipped into unconsciousness. The moments between her slipping away and the paramedic finding a pulse had stretched out for centuries in his tortured mind. So now they waited. Her boy sat on one side of him, Sarah on the other. The little girl was fast asleep against his shoulder; Jonathan stared at the floor, hands clasped tightly in his lap as he slouched forward. Jim did not know what to say to comfort the boy, not when he felt like he was splintering and shattering inside. Jonathan was a kid, though. One with a dad in jail and a mom on an operating table because of said dad. Jim clapped a hand over the boy’s shoulder, giving him a violent start. “Easy-hey, you’re mother’s tough, okay?” Jim’s voice was only a little tight. Inner turmoil staying strictly internal. “I know,” Jonathan breathed as tears formed in his eyes. “I should have stayed put. I-I didn’t know.” He buried his face in his hands. “And she wouldn’t stop crying. I just wanted to get her out of there…” Jim wiped the moisture away from his own eyes as he was overcome with emotion. “I appreciate it, kid. You’ll never know how much, but you can’t beat yourself up like this. She’d hate it.” “I’ll kill Lonnie if he ever gets out of jail.” “I’ll help you.” A doctor stepped into the waiting room. There was a small smile on her face. ____________ Joyce awoke to the sounds of machine whirring and beeping. She felt overwhelmingly groggy, and not at all impressed with the quality of her hospital bed. Her eyes focused on one corner of the room, and she smile to see Jim’s bulky form filling a tiny armchair. He was snoring lightly and covered up with a leather jacket. He needed to shave, and comb his hair. Joyce couldn’t smell him, but she assumed he needed a shower as well. “Hop.” She smiled as his eyes fluttered open and met hers. Her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, her voice rusted out and tinny. “Hey,” he greeted with drowsy enthusiasm. He was out of his seat and to her side in an instant, taking her hand in his. “Jim, you’re a mess,” she teased. He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. “Lady, you don’t know the half of it.” He sat back and stroked her cold hand. “Do I still have a job?” she inquired weakly. She was so, so tired. She wondered how much drugs they had pumped her with. Jim chuckled hoarsely, his eyes shining strangely. “As long as you’ll have us.” His voice was thin in quality, but thick with emotion as he studied her with undisguised fondness. “That long, eh?” “Though I was thinking about moving you into the big house.” Joyce narrowed her eyes, thinking back to the conversation that occurred the day before Sarah went missing. The one about increasing her salary so she could afford an apartment in town while they navigated their new arrangement. It had seemed so practical at the time, especially considering Joyce’s uncertainty regarding Jim’s feelings for her. The distance seemed safe. “Unless you’re still keen on the apartment idea. I know you liked the idea of putting space between us but-...” he trailed off and stared at the painting hanging on the wall over Joyce’s shoulder. She touched the side of his face to bring his focus back to her. “But?” He took her outstretched hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, his eyes were shining with anxiety, his breath slightly shallow. Joyce suddenly understood. “Sounds like I have a long recovery.” “That’s what they say.” She moved the hand back to stroke his cheek, his bushy beard tickled her palm. “Lets consider my downtime a trial period. If you don’t hate me by the time I get back on my own two, maybe I’ll stay in the big house?” Relief flooded his features, and he smiled against her palm, making her feel warm inside. She yawned as sleepiness overtook her, and he kissed her palm before her hand dropped to her side. He pushed a few errant strands of hair from her face and whispered, “Maybe you’ll stay.” The End
10268243
March Madness Ultimate
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by aimmyarrowshigh", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-08T00:00:00", "words": "100", "Additional Tags": "March Madness, Drabble, Canon Compliant, POV Han Solo, Polyamory", "Relationship": "Leia Organa/Luke Skywalker/Han Solo", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "March Madness Ultimate OTP (2017), Star Wars Drabbles", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, M/M, Multi", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
If you’d told Han two cycles ago that he was gonna end up on a Rebel base—a bonafide Captain now—on a hunk of ice a hundred parsecs from the nearest cantina, he'd've laughed in your face. If you'd told him that the Jedi were real, well, he had a nice lakefront property on Jakku to sell you.But if you'd mentioned that he'd be caught between a gorgeous Jedi and the Princess of Alderaan?First he'd sell you the lake, and then he'd ask for details. Blond? Brunette? (Yes, both.) And they actually like him? (Definitely, and maybe.)
10202834
Trust
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Heiwajima Shizuo, Orihara Izaya", "Fandom": "Durarara!!", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by AshsHorrorShow", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "3,080", "Additional Tags": "Trust Issues, (At First Anyway), eventual established relationship, mentions of sex but nothing explicit, Basically These Guys Need to Learn to Talk Things Out Like GOSH", "Relationship": "Heiwajima Shizuo/Orihara Izaya", "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 taken six months before Shizuo Heiwajima finally trusted Izaya Orihara to enter his apartment. Before that time, whenever the two of them would decide to “meet up”, they would always go over to Izaya’s place. He’d made sure it stayed this way, always giving some excuse on why they couldn’t possibly head to his apartment, even if it happened to be much closer than Izaya’s. Stuff like “I don’t need your flea smell stinking up my apartment” or “Your place has a comfier bed than mine.” Izaya would always give him a look before simply shrugging or jabbing some kind of insult at him and leading the way to his apartment. Shizuo knew the flea probably hadn’t ever fallen for any of the stuff he said. He had always been a terrible liar and Izaya had always been way too good at reading people for his own good. Shizuo was pretty sure that Izaya knew the real reason he didn’t want him anywhere near his apartment. That reason being he didn’t trust the flea at all. Could anyone really blame him though? Izaya had made it a habit of his to make Shizuo’s life a living hell whenever he could. This was the same man who’d been willing to send mobs after him and had even sent him to jail once just for shits and giggles. Who knew how much the bastard would be willing to go just for a laugh? He didn’t let the fact that they occasionally fucked every now and then fool him into thinking that their relationship still wasn’t frayed and alit with animosity. He knew realistically, Izaya probably already knew where he lived but it was the principle of it all. He didn’t want his home destroyed or looted by some random mobsters who thought they were tough shit. But one day, he caved. He blamed it on the fact that he was tired for once after work. It had been a busier and more annoying day than usual and he didn’t have the energy to really do anything other than go home and collapse on his bed. He blamed the exhaustion on why he didn’t chase Izaya off when he came flouncing over to “meet up." He just wanted to go home and if that meant letting Izaya trot home with him instead of walking over to the city over, then so be it. Consequences be damned. He remembered the flea had actually thrown him a look of surprise when they stopped in front of the door of his apartment, like the bastard had never expected this kind of outcome in a million years. Thankfully, the flea was smart enough to keep his mouth shut and not make any snide comments, which Shizuo had been grateful for. Even despite his tiredness and his willingness to let Izaya in without complaint, he still felt somewhat antsy, especially when he saw Izaya’s vermillion-red eyes observing and scanning every nook and cranny of the apartment, no doubt mentally cataloguing everything. Shizuo reminded himself to calm down and not say anything. If he was too open about his distrust, he basically left himself open to Izaya’s mockery. So, he simply hurried into his bedroom, Izaya padding after him in the hopes of perhaps convincing him to do their usual meet up activities. Nothing bad ever occurred to his apartment. Izaya never sent a group of thugs to wreck the place or anything fucked up like that, which Shizuo couldn’t help but feel immensely relieved by. The worst he ever got from the flea was the bastard complaining about how shitty his apartment was in comparison to his. This was annoying, but a whole lot more tolerable. In fact, the knowledge that Izaya hadn’t stepped over his one act of trust is what gave Shizuo that first spark of hope that this… thing they had going on actually had a chance of moving forward and becoming something real , as schmaltzy as that sounded. He apparently hadn’t been the only one in the relationship who had trust issues. It had taken ten months into their relationship before Izaya finally fell asleep around Shizuo by himself without having to make sure that Shizuo fell asleep first. The flea had done a good job at covering this little secret up. It had been very subtle. At the beginning, there had been none of this sleeping in one's bed thing. No, it had been more like they would meet up, fuck, and then the other would collect their shit and promptly leave. But as time went on, it became more customary for one to stay and hang around just a little while longer. They still hadn’t reached the point of spending the night at the others houses, but they certainly were in no hurry to leave either like they used to be. It used to be one of them had to have an excuse on why they were still hanging around - they had to take a shower, wanted to eat breakfast, had some stuff to do, etc. - but eventually even that rule eventually disappeared. The first night Shizuo decided he would stay over and sleep, the two of them hadn’t even had a conversation about it. They just did it. But it seemed even though Izaya wasn’t vocally uncomfortable with Shizuo sleeping at his place, it seemed like he didn't trust him completely. One of the reasons he think he didn't notice for so long was the fact Izaya rarely went to bed anyway. The flea was a night owl by nature and always seemed to have work of some kind to tend too… so he usually was spending the night busily working while Shizuo was actually being a normal human being and going to bed at a reasonable hour. He sometimes wondered if the flea’s bloodstream consisted only of caffeine… and that was how the bastard was able to pull so many all-nighters or late nights in a row and still be peppy, annoying, and energetic as always during the day. Once, Shizuo had forced Izaya to try and sleep with him… only to immediately regret it. He didn’t know if it was simply due to pent up energy or if Izaya had insomnia or was just being annoying… but Izaya had made that night a hellhole. Not only did the louse squirm and wriggle the whole entire time, which had been distracting, but he had kept jabbing him with his pokey elbows and frigid feet. By the end of it all, neither of the them had gotten any sleep and both had been annoyed at each other the rest of the day - Izaya being annoyed due to how much work he apparently missed because of Shizuo’s barbarism and Shizuo annoyed because he never felt more tired than he had that day. So he was fine with letting the flea expend his energy and go to sleep when ready. However, despite popular belief, even the great Izaya got tired eventually. The nights when Izaya was clearly bone-tired and was willing to curl up with him was when Shizuo began to notice. The flea would get comfortable and stand still and breathe silently… but Shizuo could see that the bastard wouldn’t be lulling himself to sleep. Instead, he would just lay in silence… occasionally glancing at Shizuo only to look away quickly if he saw Shizuo was still awake, trying to pretend like he hadn’t done that little move. Shizuo would always be confused but didn’t question it, figuring Izaya would brush it off with some unsatisfying or stupid answer and honestly… he wanted to sleep. He didn’t even get the satisfaction of seeing Izaya asleep in the morning. The informant always woke up incredibly early and somehow managed to slip away silent as a phantom. He couldn’t help but wonder why the flea seemed so bothered about being in the same bed as him, until one day it hit him. The flea didn’t trust him. All the times Izaya had been unexplainably awake when he was clearly dead tired was just the flea biding his time, patiently waiting for him to fall asleep before he did. He’d gotten so angry at that revelation that he had immediately wanted to march over to the flea’s apartment and deck him across the face. Unfortunately, work had him trapped so he was forced to vent some of his frustration out on one of Tom-san’s more uncooperative clients. Even he knew that he had probably punched the guy a little than necessary even before Tom chided him about it, but he couldn’t bring himself to care all that much. He was too pissed off and worried about his own problems to worry about the sake of some loser, and besides the guy wasn’t dead judging by the way he was moaning, so it was fine. Mixed in with that bubbling hot anger was a bit of hurt (though he’d never admit it), as it only confirmed his thoughts that even with all the time they spent together, Izaya still thought he was an untrustworthy monster. After all, what did you call a person who Izaya thought would be willing to kill him in his sleep?His anger simmered all the way through work and all the way back to Izaya’s apartment. He was sure his anger showed clearly on his face given the way many of the citizens of Ikebukuro and Shinjuku seemed to make a point of scuttling away from him as they saw him approaching, but he still felt the need to emphasize it and let the flea and everyone know. So when he reached the flea’s doorway, he proceeded to kick the thing open with a heavy crash, probably putting a decent sized hole in Izaya’s wall with the doorknob. Good. Much to his petulant joy, Izaya flinched at the loud noise, before glaring at him as he said, “Any reason for the sudden barbarism, Shizu-chan?”When Shizuo angrily ground out that he figured out Izaya’s little ploy, he watched as the flea’s eyes actually widened for a fraction of a second, exposing him for a moment before he put the calm mask back on. The flea had let out a soft sigh through his nose, and deflated a little like a balloon. For a moment, Shizuo actually thought the bastard was being remorseful, but he supposed the resulting disappointment was his fault for thinking Izaya was capable of such a human emotion. Instead the flea bit out, “My Shizu-chan, you actually managed to impress me. I didn’t think a single-minded protozoan such as yourself would be so observant. I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I am not just a simple fuck toy to you as previously believed…”Shizuo had been about to fling Izaya’s dining table at him in anger. He really had been. The flea’s words, as always, were covered in barbs and were purposely intended to cause hurt and make Shizuo angry enough to regress once more. It was the same old schtick repeating itself once more. But that table never got thrown. Mainly because right as Shizuo was moving to grab it, Izaya deflated like a balloon and ran a hand through his hair, dismissively waving his free hand in the air as he said, “As funny as it is that I might have actually potentially hurt your feelings, beast, I can assure you that my reluctance to sleep with you is not solely because of you alone, Shizu-chan.” He let out a derisive snort, chucking, “As if I’d be afraid of you…”Shizuo decided for the sake of his own blood pressure not to get too pissed off about the condescending tone as he said, “No? Then what the hell is it then, flea?”He thought the flea would do his annoying little habit of talking in circles and avoiding the topic like he had a tendency to do when things got a little personal, but he surprised Shizuo by simply shrugging and said, “My job doesn’t allow one to sleep comfortably next to people, Shizu-chan. Even someone of your meager intelligence should know that, neh? Mix that with insomnia and a busy work schedule and sleep doesn’t come easy for me. Call my lack of willingness to sleep next to you ‘residue paranoia’ from the job like Shinra does, I don’t care. Either way, the result is the same.”Shizuo could understand where Izaya came from to a degree. He really did. He knew Izaya’s job got him tangling with nasty people. People who would be willing to off anyone if it meant they got to line their pockets with a few extra dollars by the end of the day. He also knew that Izaya probably had a whole list of people who would be glad to see him dead and mangled on the streets. Hell, only months ago, Shizuo had been one of those people. If he were to really think about it, he knew Izaya’s paranoia in the grand scheme of things was not too out of place. But damn it, a relationship was supposed to be grounded in trust and even if he could see Izaya’s rationale, that didn’t mean he had to be happy and accept it.Despite his feelings on the subject, what could he do about it? He’d tried to trick Izaya into falling asleep first, but his body always seemed to betray him, either falling asleep first or he just couldn’t play the part of a sleeping person convincing enough for Izaya. The only other thing he could really imagine doing was knocking the flea out to get him to actually go to sleep first… but he doubted that would make Izaya eager to sleep with him or trust him for that matter. So he just grudgingly accepted the fact that Izaya was going to need time and waited.It had taken a while, but one day, it finally happened. The two of them had been lying naked in bed, basking in the afterglow of their bedroom activities, occasionally idly chatting about something or giving each other lazy kisses. Izaya had softly asked him what he wanted for dinner tomorrow (he had taken to letting Izaya cook for him seeing as the flea was a much better cook than he was and hadn’t attempted to poison him yet…), and Shizuo had answered back… only to get no response back. This surprised him as usually Izaya would always spring on the opportunity to lecture him on his unhealthy diet, but the flea was docilely quiet. He looked down to see what was going on, and he nearly had a heart attack when he saw Izaya softly sleeping next to him, head lying on Shizuo’s chest. He had immediately froze, fearing any slight movement would be enough to jolt Izaya from sleep and ruin this little moment. He didn’t know if Izaya purposely fell asleep next to him or had simply been so tired that he drifted off on his own accord, but he didn’t care. All he knew was that he was not waking him up.So, moving as gently as he could, he made sure that he himself got in a comfortable position, aiming to go to sleep himself, feeling overly-giddy at the fact that Izaya was actually curled up next to him. Despite his fear of waking the flea up, he couldn’t resist the urge to gently wrap his arm around the flea’s waist and gently resting his chin on top of the flea’s head, letting soft black hair brush against his cheek. He fell asleep soon after, and when he woke up, he was delighted to see Izaya awake in his arms, still pressed against him and not commenting on the fact that they had fallen asleep together. Shizuo knew better than to mention it either. The two of them just enjoyed the moment and since then, Izaya would occasionally fall asleep next to him if he was tired enough.For the next few months, they kept extending their trust of the other to whole new levels. Two months after the sleeping incident, the two of them gave each other keys to the others apartment. Another month later, they were actually giving each other gifts on the holidays without even asking first or feeling embarassed by the action. Four months after that, they were opening up to each other way more than they had before, not being afraid to let out more personal details. For Shizuo, that last one was easier than it was for Izaya, who still was very guarded… but Shizuo knew that sometimes it took a while for Izaya to get comfortable with things and he was just going to have to be patient.The biggest moniker finally came though one day, as they were on the couch watching some news report about yet another weirdo in Ikebukuro doing something strange, Shizuo felt Izaya tap at his wrist. Looking down at the pest, he saw Izaya looking almost bashful. That was a sight he never thought he would ever see in his lifetime. He was about to question, when Izaya suddenly spit it out. “Shizu-chan… I want you to move in with me.”Shizuo himself found himself knocked into silence for a moment, watching as a blush suddenly colored Izaya’s face and the flea ducked his head to hide it, tacking on, “Because honestly, Shizu-chan’s apartment is so small and the bed is going to wreck my spine…” But Shizuo knew the flea was just trying to cover up his embarrassment.He was sure if he allowed it, Izaya would’ve babbled on more and more about this or that, but thankfully, Shizuo was there to shut him up. Wrapping his arm around the flea’s waist, he tugged the flea over and crashed his mouth into his, drinking in Izaya's gasp of pleasure from the bold move. Shizuo pulled away from the kiss to breathe, “Of course I will move in with you, you fucking idiot.”He had to say, the excitement that glinted in Izaya’s eyes made him look way too cute for his own good.It had taken them quite a while to get to this point. Trust wasn’t an easy thing to build, after all. But Shizuo was proud of how far they came… and he had to say, he was excited for the future to come.
10218206
Bronze Genesis
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Nico di Angelo, Percy Jackson, Hades (Percy Jackson), Paul Blofis, Jason Grace, Zeus (Percy Jackson), Hera (Percy Jackson), More to come - Character", "Fandom": "Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by MinKookieTae", "chapters": "3/12", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "19,553", "Additional Tags": "Modern Fantasy AU", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Will think about this one hehe ;), Nico/Percy, Well maybe on that", "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 }
Bronze Genesis ByVeneficius Blitzkrieg Chapter One: The Origin of the Way of Magic /October 21, 1986|Rokken Manor|11:50 pm\An arena as big as a football field is all that I see around me. Looking around, I try to remember what I was doing here; that moment of thinking, however, was put on hold when a metallic object zoomed towards me. I summoned two portals to reflect it back to its origin. Cackling echoed in the air around me."My, my… Have you already forgotten what we are doing here, Nico?" echoed a mysterious, feminine voice around me. Golden butterflies started appearing—first a handful, then a cluster, and finally an endless swarm. After a while, a golden brown haired woman in an elegant, dark brown ball gown appears before me. It was my great-great-great aunt Hecate Di Angelo, the Endless Golden Witch—my mother's great-great grandmother's sister. She then began scolding me—reminding me what we were supposed to be doing in this arena. After a while of reminders, as well as a few hits on the head from her, we proceeded to spar with each other."Come, show me what the Di Angelo name has become after twenty-six years!" exclaimed the great witch as she jumped towards Heaven where she remained afloat. Smirking at her decision to remain up there, I conjured up two towers that stood up to 250 meters on each side. A tower is equipped with 720 ports, totaling it to 1440 ports for both, with each port having a rapid firing ballista and a demon manning the weapon."Auntie, I hope you will not turn into butterflies to dodge this! The density of the War Towers' barrage might turn you into a butterfly pin-up display!" chuckling evilly at her, I flew in between the structures and floated around like a moth beside a giant tree. My aunt smirked and cackled as well as she shot a wave of energy blasts behind her causing an explosion. She glared at my face and yelled that she had done the same move to her teacher when she was my age. I gritted my teeth, knowing that she knew that I had been reading about her past battles. Lowering down my hands, I signaled the demons in opening their ports. With a snap of my fingers, they began the barrage towards my dear relative.My aunt stared at them—the impending doom coming towards her. She also called forth a tower but, unlike mine, this one came from Heaven itself. It continued its descent and began absorbing the barrage towards it which left her unscathed. The tower stopped midway and my aunt floated towards it."Come, arise Sons of Ivaldi. Bestow upon me a spear worthy of my name!" chanted the Golden Witch as the falling tower crumbled into pieces. Out of the rubble appeared a spear worthy of the Gods. Legends say that this spear pierced through an entire battle line—granting the Gods victory over their foes. The spear lined up and I knew where she was aiming it; she was going for the heart—the center of my being."It ends now," yelled the woman in the gown as she snapped her fingers. The spear was now going towards me. Knowing fully well that nothing can stop that Divine Spear, I dismissed my war towers and summoned my Giants in battle formation. My aunt shook her head and called me foolish for thinking that mere giants can block Gungir."Oh, but this is where I throw YOU out of line! Come arise Disciples of Hephaestus. Grant me a shield worthy enough to protect and honor my name!"My giants held their arms out. A flurry of Platinum Moths surrounded the arms of the giants and, from there, Platinum shields appeared on their arms. They crouched down and covered me up with their shields. The Spear and Shield met in thunderous applause; the Rules of Heaven stated that the Divine Shield and Spear can never meet in combat. Instead of impacting my shields, the spear flung off to the direction of the rising sun. I snapped my fingers, dismissing the shields and my giants, I was left with my aunt alone again as if the battle was just about to start."Well now, you haven't been a disappointment so far," praised the witch as she hovered back down to the ground, "but that doesn't mean you and I are not finished here yet." She shined a brilliant Golden aura while I did the same but with a Platinum hue and from there, we ran towards each and clashed. The fighting looked like an impressive lights show—swirling Platinum and Gold lights flying to and fro before they separated and repeated the whole thing again.My aunt decided that this farce was enough and decided to stay in one place. She held out her hand and began to unleash an endless energy barrage. She shot energy blast after energy blast and I ended up dodging them all one by one instead of blocking or reflecting them back at her. Her gaze mocked me as she just floated in place while I danced around the arena. Sensing an opening, I dashed towards her and hoped this will put an end to this conflict of ours. But, apparently, she had other plans as time seemed to stop around us."Is this the best you have to offer, my nephew?" cackled the woman with the golden brown locks as she extended her hands towards the Heavens. She began chanting her same old ritual which would mark my end."Yes, at this moment. Let the Gates of the Golden Land open wide!"A sensation like I was thrown inside a furnace rushed within me which caused me to fall down to the ground hard. I groaned and thrashed around trying to ease myself from this pain and all that my aunt can do was cackle endlessly as she watched her nephew writhe in pain at her own power. Pretty soon, her cackles died down, the sensation slowly disappeared, and time resumed. She reached out for me with a smile. I accepted it and she helped me up on my feet."You do know if you perform like this in the Academy, they could kick you out right?" she huffed out in disappointment."Yes, Great-Great-Great Aunt Hecate I do know that," I smirked as I know that she hated being called Great, "I am trying to get better in combat but you keep on calling the Golden Land on me."All that my aunt could do was sigh and shake her head in disappointment as she began lecturing me on how to do my combat properly as well as trying not to lose by merely dodging and not even reflecting her strikes back. What? I hat conflicts unless provoked. After a few minutes and a boring lecture later, we eat and have tea. Well, she had tea while I had a cup of coffee. It is fun knowing that I can spend time with my relatives very often even though some of them are now beyond the plane of existence. Yes, my aunt Hecate is no longer with us. I will explain everything in a second.Where are my manners? The name's Nicholas, Nicholas Di Angelo—son of Persephone Ricci-Di Angelo and Hades Di Angelo. My friends and some relatives call me Nico for short. That demonstration of power you just witnessed was called the Way of Magic. It started off as a Di Angelo kind of magic but later on in time, it had been taught to several other people outside the family. From there, it just started spreading across the world. It has been known to be one of the most powerful forms of magic the world has ever seen. Basically, it means anyone who has studied this kind of magic can bend its laws at their will.However, the manipulation of said laws can only be possible if the person has a high enough rank of power. The ranking ranges from Basic Bronze to Celestial, Endless Bronze to Celestial, Divine Bronze to Celestial, and Endlessly Divine Bronze to Celestial. Achieving Bronze to Silver, for example, is done within the premises of the various Magical institutions, academies, and schools found all around the world. But to go up even further in the ranks, like from Basic to Endless, the world decided to form a legendary council to keep that in check. The Divine Council, led by my grandmother—Demeter Di Angelo—they govern the ways and methods of how an individual rises up in the Way of Magic ranks. A series of tests and challenges are implemented to see if the individual is worthy enough to be ranked up to Endless or higher.This is not the case if you were a Di Angelo. My grandmother, being the leader of the Council, made sure that we kept our tradition of ranking up the same as before which involved the mass murder of the sinful. For instance, my aunt Hecate achieved the Endless rank when she murdered sixteen people who were greedy individuals who cared for their inheritance and not the bond between siblings and family members. From that incident, not only she rose up in the ranks, she also met my uncle, Solis Magus; he was done with the family when she appeared in his life. When they got married, it was he who changed his last name and not my aunt. The rank that I currently held was the Endless Celestial and that was because of a perk of being a Di Angelo, our family trait—Divine Wisdom.A family trait is an ability or skill that is passed down from your bloodline. The Di Angelo's trait allows us to retain all knowledge and skill passed down from the previous generations. However, this does not imply to the spouse's knowledge and skill. Upon reaching the age of ten, the Di Angelo can choose up to how much knowledge and skill will they obtain from past relatives; I chose to keep all knowledge until Aunt Hecate's time which is just at 1986. Enough side shows, let's continue the party. We walked out of the arena part of the manor, idly chatting—catching up on how I have been and the family's current status in world. My aunt giggled at the stories I would give her. She always found me to be super jolly—a happy-go-lucky person who sees the world as bright as the sun. We stopped by two cathedral-style gates and she looked at me with a slight frown on her face. I asked her if she was feeling alright and tried to cheer her up by asking her if I hit her too hard. She let out a small giggle but her face immediately went back to that same frown."My child, the world may seem to be a ray of sunshine but it is crazy, savage, and cruel. If they see one ounce of happiness and sunshine, they snuff it out like a mere candle still burning when dawn comes. I worry that a time will come when that sunlight of yours will disappear when life throws you a challenge that not even our magic may solve."I nodded and embraced her. I assured her that even if I get older I would still be the same carefree and cheerful person that she sees before her. I looked up at her from our hug and saw tears in her sky-blue eyes. Wiping them away, I give her a small smile and she replied back with a grin of her own."Come now, it's time for you to go home. I am guessing that Persephone is having a field-day and is wondering where you are right now, "cackled the great witch, "Maybe she thinks I am holding you up here in 1986... Making you my eternal slave!""Aunt Hecate, the only slave around these parts would be Uncle Solis."After we shared a good hearty laugh for a few minutes, we finally opened the massive doors. A vast array of Golden Portraits was seen at the hall inside. My aunt reminded me that this was the Hall of Endless Honor and Reunion. A special kind of magic was found within the paintings; anyone may phase through them and they relived the most glorious moments of the person they have chosen. But, if a Di Angelo phases through one, they were reunited with that relative and get to spend time for as long as that family member pleased. Seeing all the previous heads of the family as well as those who achieved high ranks in the Way of Magic, it brought me great joy and pride. We continued walking down the hall until we reached a portrait of a woman with hazel locks who sat in a dignified yet bored pose. She wore an Onyx and Gold dress, she seemed like a woman who you would want to meet at some point in your life. That woman was my grandmother when she achieved the rank of Divine at the age of twenty-five; as of now she is an Endlessly Divine Golden Witch."Someday, my dear nephew, you will be here at the Hall looking all dignified and mighty.""Or I might look dignified and bored like grandma."Aunt Hecate laughed at that remark and playfully slapped my back; she reminded me to pay respect to the current head of the family and leader of the Divine Council. We pressed on with our short walk until we reached my mother's portrait. The woman's locks are the color of roasted chestnuts being sold during the season of Giving and she had the same dress my aunt had on. She looked happy yet noble as she sat atop a chair glistening in Crimson and Gold. Standing behind her is a man with short black hair which, if given enough attention, had a small brown streak running down his fringe. That is my father, Hades Di Angelo—dignified and stoic is the pose he adorned for the painting. My aunt patted me on the back and told me to go on home. She also asked me to comfort my mother for making her think that she was trapping me here for all eternity."I will auntie. Don't you worry. Besides, if she thinks that way, I might be banned from seeing you for a few months or until she cools off.""That is just like my niece! She has always been the worrywart," laughed boisterously the woman as she threw one last smile, "I love you."Returning her gesture of love, I entered my mother's portrait and returned home. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Chapter Two: Woe to Sunshine /April 16, 2012|Di Angelo Estate|4:00 am\~*Narrator POV*~The Di Angelo Estate, a large castle-like manor with an Onyx exterior and roofs of the color Gold. The estate was currently situated in the Arabian City of Dubai, one of the Seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Even though it may look frightening from the outside but its interior is welcoming; it is as if you were walking in a five-star hotel lobby.Deep within the estate lied the Hall of Honor and Reunion for the Di Angelo's. The portrait of a young lady— with hair yellow as honey, fair skin, and eyes blue as the sky—was glowing a Golden color. After a few minutes, a figure was thrown out of the painting; a fit young man with eyes black as night, raven hair, and skin white as snow was flung out of it. He wore a blue trench coat with a light blue trim and a white shirt underneath, he also had grayish-looking pants, and black boots on his feet. And so our story continues…~*Nico POV*~Time travel… A thing I do not recommend at all. Why? Let's just say when I got back home, I was spat out of the portrait like somebody strapped me on a roller-coaster, the harnesses got loose, sudden brake just happened, and you would be thrown out of the portrait. I tried to fix myself and rush back to my room but I was stopped by a woman in a black tank top, grey sweatpants, and red bunny slippers; it was my mother and she looked pissed—like really pissed."Where have you been Nicholas Di Angelo?" questioned the brunette lady in front of me. I looked at her with pure fright present on my face as she began scolding me—I forgot to tell her where I was going and apparently I was gone for the entire night. I went on my knees in front of my mother and apologized rapidly. She sighed and told me to get ready for the day. After an hour of getting ready, which consists of a quick shower, fixing myself, having breakfast, and wearing the school uniform—consisting of a black robe and a Golden Sash, I headed out of the house after I expressed my farewell to my parents. I looked around and saw that my service was not here, I took matter into my hands."Come arise, heralds of the All-Father. Award me a noble steed to charge me towards victory."A cyclone of Platinum of Moths appeared before me. After a few minutes of waiting, a massive, armored, Onyx Horse stood up mightily out of the cyclone. I flew up towards the saddle and conjured up a gigantic rider to control the horse."Let's go Baldr, to the 21st Academy of Wizardry and Machinery."The rider grabbed the reins, the horse neighed mightily, and we headed off to my school—where another day of boredom and nothingness, in terms of academics, shall begin./April 16, 2012|21st Century Academy of Wizardry and Machinery|6:00 am\We arrived at the gates of my school, or should I say prison, early as always. I floated down to the ground and as soon as my feet touched it, the rider and its steed vanished in a cluster of my Moths. The 21st Century Academy of Wizardry and Machinery is a good institution—the latest technologies, a vast array of tomes in its magic library, and so much more can be found within. The hierarchy of the institution or the "Government", as the principal had mentioned before, consisted of: The Principal, the Vice Principal of Admissions, the Vice Principal of Academics and Discipline, the Oracles' Council, and the Disciplinary Squad. The academy's faculty consisted of the most knowledgeable and consistent men and women of the industry—English teachers with doctorates, Expert chefs for Home Economics, Powerful Sorcerers and Sorceresses, and much more. In terms of attendance, they kind of flunked in that area especially when it came to my junior class.A room full of unruly, loud, and obnoxious boys occupied that classroom of mine. Nothing good can ever be said about them and it showed in their records at the Squad's Base within the academy. I should know I filed some of those reports—breaking of school property, misuse of magic in campus, brawling with other students and some faculty, and a lot more. Speaking of the Disciplinary Squad, we were a special bunch of boys and girls capable of maintaining the peace by any means necessary. Each squad color reported to a certain member of the administration: Blue Militia reported to any teacher they can find, Red Knights approached the Oracle's Council, and finally Gold Inquisitors spoke directly to the Vice Principal of Academics and Discipline; special exams were held on the first day of school for a select few. This allowed the faculty and the Admin know that these students are on the top of their game when it came to law and order. I was chosen for this exam as well and achieved the Gold Inquisitor rank. However, I never used my rank and power against my classmates; when they had done something that was beyond the student code will be the only time that they had a file that is signed under my name.But today would be the day that I shall dread for all eternity…I walked within the empty quadrangle, in the afternoons this place was usually hustling and bustling of young magicians who played with their friends or techno-people debating on who had the latest tech, but now it was silent, cold, and empty as I continued my small trek to my classroom. I approached my room and checked if anybody was inside. To my surprise, there was no one in the room. I filled the room with my Platinum Moths to make sure that nobody was hiding; the light that my moths radiated turned the once dark and dull room into a small Platinum Moth Hive. I nodded to myself that the room really was empty, I waved my hand towards the sky and my moths vanished. I closed the door and proceeded to the Squad's Base. As I made a journey towards that room, I passed by one of my classmates and he looked like he wanted to beat me up right away."You are dead when class begins Di Angelo." growled the tall, bulky American boy as he continued walking to our classroom.A sudden chill ran down my spine as those words were mentioned to me. I kept my composure up—his words were not going to scare me. I continued to the Base and found it unlocked, one of my colleagues must be in already. As I entered the building a young man, with skin white as snow and charcoal hair, was seen in the inside. He was busy checking up with some paperwork and had not noticed my presence; that was until I bumped into a table which caused him to jump up in fright."Oh, Sir Inquisitor; I apologize for not being able to acknowledge your presence early on."I chuckled at the boy's salute towards me and ended up chatting with him for a few minutes. I had forgotten that I was threatened by one of my classmates—that my life could be on the line today but I paid no heed to it… We were still chatting away while waiting for our first classes; I found out that he was a Red Knight yet he was two years lower than I. I was impressed by his track record as he kept on talking about his family, lifestyle, and his progress in school and the squad."Why, Nico? Why did you report us to the Oracles? You will pay…"Those words were said right by the door, the Red Knight and I faced the direction where the voice was and I saw another classmate of mine—looking at me with disgust, he also shook his head in disbelief and walked away. The fear and paranoia started kicking in; my fellow squad member looked at me and asked if I was alright. I was not able to answer him as I just stared down to the ground—shaking in my boots, I almost wanted to cry out but I tried to keep myself calm and refrained from showing any signs of despair."I am fine, my good Knight. Please leave me for a moment."My tone of voice did not suggest that I was requesting him to leave; it was more of an order. He understood why I needed to be alone for a while; the knight saluted at me and walked out of the room. My trembling came back as soon as he left. I grabbed my phone and gave my mother a call. She answered with her usual jolly hello but that changed when I started speaking to her."Honey, are you ok? What's wrong" asked the woman on the other side of the line. I told her that two of my classmates threatened me because I did something I did not do. She told me to calm down, keep my phone with me, and to put it on vibrate because she will call me at the time my class would start and she will be able to hear everything that is happening. I heeded her words and hung up phone. I heard the chimes that signaled the school day would begin in five minutes. I picked up my things and dashed towards my room./First Period\We had English Literature for first period, I mean sure it wasn't a needed subject in the magic world but hey it was required by the Ministry of Education. The teacher in charge for this class was Dr. Mary Elizabeth, who claimed that she had taught royalty before coming here to the Middle East. She had a dislike for disorderly people and apparently she either never or rarely showed up in her classes for this classroom. Today, she chose not to show up as always. I looked at the excuse letter my mother prepared for me because I wasn't able to attend yesterday's session due to renewal of residency. My appointment was moved to the afternoon instead of the morning that day, so I was able to relax a bit. My thoughts were cut off as I felt someone smack the back of my head. I turned around and saw my classmates all huddled up before me. I questioned them on what they wanted and they all answered in chorus."You… Unconscious and bleeding all over." Echoed the group as they looked at me with hatred, I felt my phone vibrate and I answered it discreetly. They began telling me what was on their minds; that my presence in the Squad was causing nothing but problems to them and they got in trouble because I reported them to the Oracles' Council. Then the insulting began: First me, then my mother, and then my family name. The dread was overwhelming; I remained stoic despite the fear rushing through me."Hey! What's this?! The fucker's got a bitch-ass diary!"I looked at the source of the voice and my face changed of shock as they held my Grimoire; the sacred book of the Di Angelo Family that contains all of the achievements that family has from the first until the present Generation. This golden, leather book is very precious to me and it tells me when it is time for me or any living family member to rank up. I went back to being stoic while I watched them defile my precious book; they insulted my family even more and spat at the contents within. I was on the verge of tears as I just sat there and did nothing. But, I heard the sounds of pages being torn. I just closed my eyes as they tore the grimoire into pieces. My heart slowly broke as I opened them slowly, the grimoire's pages were all torn up and nothing remained but the leather cover. I showed no emotion to them even though they have destroyed something precious to me.Soon that stoic face of mine changed as I was knocked unto the whiteboard with much force. My composure still showed that I was not afraid of them and I just braced for the worst. Apparently tearing my grimoire apart, insulting my family name, my mother, and myself were not able to appease their boredom. Even I expected the beatings would begin soon. I was about to speak to them and say what was on my mind but nothing came out from mouth—it was as if I was just mumbling to them and they laughed maniacally at me. I scanned the crowd and saw that one of my foes, yes I have classified my own classmates as my enemies as of this moment, had restricted my magic via silencing; more restrictions applied as I could not move my own hands, another foe had restricted that movement when I was pinned up on the board."Now then, who shall go first? Shall we skewer this son of a bitch or shall I punch him with my burning fists?!" growled the class president as he cracked his knuckles which began glowing an intense Crimson—it signified that his punches, when they impact, shall burn my body as if he was punching hanged meat from a meat shop, only this time he will be cooking it at the same time as he punches. My thoughts rushed within my head as I waited for the first strike to happen—death was knocking on my doorstep, my dreams ended here in this roomful of misfits. I just closed my eyes and waited for my fate. Until I felt my restrictions disappear and I fell to the hard ground, grasping for air and wondered what miracle just happened."Guys a teacher is looking for Nico," glancing at the person who mentioned it to all of the people inside the room, "she knows that there is no teacher present in the room and she wants to see him. Right now or else she will call in the squad.""Come arise, Moths of the new World. Give this realm the Genesis it deserves."Platinum Moths surrounded me and they flew around the room. My classmates feared that it was my counterattack towards them but they were wrong as always. While they were distracted from the moths, I pointed towards the destroyed grimoire; the remains shined a dull Platinum color and vanished. Afterwards, I snapped my fingers and my moths disappeared. All of my classmates just looked at me as I rose slowly, grabbed my folder which contained my excuse letter, walked towards the door, and exited the room.I saw one of the female faculty members down below, she was talking over the phone when she saw me. I jumped off the balcony and slowly floated down towards her. She hung up as soon as I went up to her. The teacher, who explained that she was a friend of my mother's, looked at me as if she was checking if I had any wounds but clearly I showed none. My composure still remained stoic to her but I was internally shaking. We continued our small walk and it looked like we were heading to the faculty room where she stayed during her vacant time."Dear, Nico? How are you feeling?" asked my mother's friend as soon as we sat down by her table in their faculty room. I could not reply to her as everything—the destruction of my grimoire, the insults, and the almost beat-down of my life—was slowly sinking in. And just like glass being shattered, I let it out. I screamed as loud as I can and tears flowed through my eyes; the horror, the despair, everything was loose at this point. I embraced my knees close to my chest and continued weeping. Then I remembered that my mom was still on the phone, I took it out of my pocket and checked if she was still there. She wasn't, but it was my dad who was on the phone line now."D…Da…Dad?"My father began asking me in a calm tone of what happened and I began telling him in a stutter-like manner. He told me that he was on his way to my school and that we were going to move where Grandma's Council is based now—in New York City. I hung up after I told him that I love him and I shall see him later. As soon as I hung up my mother called and did same thing my dad did a while ago so I answered her questions with the same answers I gave to my father. She told me that she was already travelling to my school as we continued talking, I mentioned that dad was coming from work and that we would be moving to where the Divine Council is based. Apparently, the Divine Celestial Sorceress asked her boss if she could leave her shift and attend to me; she even mentioned that she looked angrily at one of her co-workers whose son is going to my school and, surprisingly, was one of my classmates. I did the same thing to her like what I did to my dad as I hung up the phone. The teacher asked what my parents told me and I just replied, in a tone of gloom, that they were on their way to pick me up and take me home.After half an hour of waiting, both of my parents arrived. We proceeded to the Vice Principal of Admissions' office; she was a very good friend of my Grandmother's. She greeted us with a warm smile but that changed instantly when she saw my face. The Vice and my parents began their exchange on the situation that was happening. She nodded her head and told us that she will inform the Principal of my early leave for the day. We walked back to the room that caused all of this despair to me, the reason why my sunshine had been snuffed out. I could even remember the moment after Aunt Hecate and I sparred; her speech that the world is cruel and they would flush my jolly self to oblivion and apparently, she was right. We passed by the Squad's Base and I saw the Militia, Knights, and other Inquisitors who looked confused and asked what was going on. I relayed everything to the Vice Principal of Academics and Discipline via a Platinum Moth that landed on her shoulder and she understood. She asked everybody to get inside and she wished me good luck. After grabbing my things as quickly as I can and we left the Academy./Two Hours Later\When we reached home, I quickly walked up to my room; the fear was still evident on my face. I flopped on my bed and sobbed on my pillow. I should have seen it coming; should have known that this day was near. But out of all the days, it just had to be today?! I wept for what seemed like an eternity but it was only for an hour. I wiped my tears away, grabbed my phone, and called the one person who I trusted the most."Hello? Nico, what's up?""F...Fratello...""I am on my way," he hung up and I waited inside my room for my cousin to arrive. I conjured up my Platinum Moths to bring back the destroyed Grimoire. I had not mentioned this to my parents because I did not want them to be angry with me. I faced it and pointed my hands towards it."Come now, try and remember. Try and remember the form you once had. Was it Glorious? Was it Wise? Now come and show me that form once more."More Platinum Moths appeared behind me and gathered around the remains but nothing happened—even after I waited for thirty minutes. I repeated the chant and the same outcome still presented itself. I was not giving up on restoring this book.~*? POV*~I ran as quickly as I can to the Di Angelo Estate. My cousin sounded like he is suffering from depression. But how can that be? He is the jolliest and most optimistic person that I know, how is this even possible? I thought about those as I continued my journey. When I arrived, I immediately got in and saw Aunt Persephone looking at the portrait of a young adult with hair black as night, rosy skin, and eyes as blue as the afternoon sky; she wore an Onyx ballgown with a crest of the Divine Council found along lower area of the gown—the crest was that of a golden eagle spreading its wings ready for flight. I recognized the woman. She was Hecate, the Endless Golden Witch—my great-great-great aunt. I walked up to Aunt Persephone and greeted her. She offered a very small smile and asked if Nico called for me. I simply replied with a nod and asked her where he was and what has happened."That is a story for Nico to tell, not I. You can find him in his room; he has been there since we got home an hour ago." Sighed the Divine Golden Witch as she pointed upstairs to where my cousin was. I thanked her and ran towards his room. After climbing two floors upward, I reached his room and I heard faint chanting happening on the other side—it was mixed with frustration and despair. I open the door and the sight before me shocked me to the core."Come now, try and remember. Try and remember the form you once had. Was it made of paper? Was it full of writing? Now come and show me that form!"The room was full of Platinum Moths, it was an amazing sight to behold but I saw my cousin in despair as he was on the floor with a lot of ruined pages. It kind of ruined the glorious sight but I did not care. I decided to ring up our grandmother, Nico had not noticed my presence yet, so I continued the call to the leader of the Divine Council."Hello? My dear Jason! What a pleasant surprise that you called your dear grandma. How are you my dear?""I am good granny, but Nico isn't as fine as I am right now."My grandmother began asking me what was going on with him and I told her what I saw before me. I heard her gasp and she said she was coming over. She ordered that I should leave my phone outside of Nico's room. I questioned her on that move of hers and all she told me was it would make travel time faster and she hung up. I obliged and left my phone outside. I slowly approached Nico from behind who was still chanting to restore that book. A closer inspection told me that it was the Di Angelo Grimoire and I finally knew why he was so hell-bent on fixing that book. I sat behind him and placed both of my hands on his shoulders; whispering his name seemed to have gotten him out of the trance but the words of the chant still flowed from his mouth—the tone of those words changed from chant like to instant despair. He laid himself down on my chest and sobbed really hard. All I did was just hold him as he continued crying. I tried calming him down but he still cried hard as if his favorite family member just died. I was about to ask what happened when a knock was heard by the door. I asked them to come inside and I continued comforting my cousin—rocking him back and forth as I tried to soothe it all away.An elderly woman with white locks and fair skin entering the room, it was Grandmother Demeter. She was in a Scarlet ballgown and she looked worriedly at Nico—who was fast asleep, probably from the exhaustion of crying. The Endlessly Divine Golden Witch approached him and held his cheek. She sighed and handed my phone over to me. I did not even want to know on how she got here in the first place."My poor nephew, Persephone told me everything as soon as I arrived. I can't believe that this can happen to one of my precious grandchildren.""Um… Granny, what did happen to Nico?"Grandmother looked at me with a shocked expression as if I really had no clue on what was going on with my cousin. She summarized what my aunt told her. As I heard her story, I just held onto my younger cousin harder but not that hard to wake him up. How dare those beasts do this to him?! After everything he had done to ensure that not one of them got expelled or failed in one of their subjects, it sickens me just to hear it. I stare at the boy in arms and all I could was just embrace him some more. After a while, I picked him up and placed him gently on his bed. The elder placed the blanket over him and waved her hand towards his head—a Golden sparrow appeared atop his head. She told me that it would allow him to get some sleep. Demeter looked at the mess on the floor and realized what fratellino was trying to do. She stood in between the destroyed pages and picked up the cover of the book."Come arise, Weavers of Neith. Sew the broken together, mend the bond, and bring back what was gone to me."Golden Sparrows appeared in a flock and swirled the woman before me. The sight was so bright that I covered my eyes. After a while the bright light vanished, the destroyed pages gone, and the book was back to its original form as if it was not destroyed in the first place. I asked her why she could fix it and not Nico. She chuckled and asked what spell fratellino used to try and repair the book. I repeated the words that he chanted a while ago."Well my dear, it's because this book can only be repaired by Neith's Weavers. Only they can repair this book. Nico has not achieved the Divine Rank yet so he does not know the Weavers and he cannot call them even if he wanted to."I nodded in agreement with her and we chatted for a while. After her last sentence, the Grimoire shined a bright for a second and vanished. My grandmother and I shared a look to each other. She opened the book and found out that Nico has the right to rank up to Divine—the thirty-seven students who broke him and turned him into this depressed mess. She placed the book on the shelf and we left his room.Oh hi, I am Jason Grace—son of the late Hera Ricci-Grace and Zeus Di Angelo Grace. Yep both of my parents have passed on, they both died in a massive car accident along the Emirates Highway. But I have moved on from that. Anyway, I am a cousin of Nico's—well a second cousin. His mom and my dad are cousins. I was not able to inherit the Di Angelo family trait; however, I got the God of War's Wisdom from both of my folks as well as the Wielder of God's Forge. Basically that means I can summon any weapon I wish and I have full knowledge of all of the weapons I summon. Let's get back to the matter at hand shall we? As soon as we left his room, I asked aunt Persephone if I could sleep over and she agreed to it—she thought it might be a good thing for her son to have some familiar company over. My grandmother also wanted to stay for a day and keep an eye on my cousin. She also wanted to know the status of one of the branches of the Divine Council found in Deira, an area of the city known for its souks but it is where the Arabian Divine Council is found. We all agreed to do what we can that helped Nico. I loathed his classmates, in fact I wanted to slaughter them, tear them apart, rip their insides open and hang them in the middle of their campus using their own intestines. But I knew, for a fact, that he must be the one who will claim vengeance for himself. I can only be there to support him—nothing more, nothing less. I moved up to his room and saw that another bed was conjured up near Nico's. Drowsiness suddenly entered my body full force. The world of Morpheus entered my system as I flopped on the soft mattress and my vision became like the night./Eight Days Later\~*Nico POV*~It had been eight days since 'the incident' transpired. Life had been gradually different—before it was filled with color and sunshine but now it's gray and full of darkness. We had talks with the Academy and with the people responsible for this event. But yesterday the school, more likely the principal, decided to drop my case because my family decided that we were going to move to where the main Divine Council is located, New York City. I was furious at her foolish decision, but I just sat there—looking like a lifeless marionette. I allowed it to sink in, my parents were enraged and demanded that justice be done for me; but she really was a stubborn mule and she did not change her mind. Also on that day, my phone vibrated and radiated a Platinum color. I brought it out and the device transformed into my Grimoire. Grandmother enchanted my phone to turn into my Grimoire if ever a rank-up was available or an additional task to my current one had happened.When I checked it that day, the sinful people increased from my thirty-seven classmates to people that were present within the 21st Academy of Wizardry and Machinery. The shock I saw that I could enact my revenge upon this worthless institution was alright but I also realized that my friends, colleagues, and the faculty who helped me through this will be caught in the bloodshed. When I decided that today was the day that I shall do this, I called up the people whom I did not want to fall and they all agreed to my heed. They also wished me good luck for the tribulation that I shall face in a matter of minutes.I was in front of the school gates and I saw the friendly smiles of two security guards. I returned it with a small smile of my own. But a sound, similar to glass breaking, echoed as soon as I passed by them.Two metallic rods were deeply embedded on their foreheads. I looked at the first corpses of the day and I snickered evilly. All evidence that showed someone was murdered there vanished in a cluster of Platinum Moths. I looked around and saw no cameras as well as no witnesses present. I continued my walk towards my classroom. The quadrangle was still empty, I chose the time that classes were still in session; even though I know that some of the faculty, the entire Disciplinary Squad, the two Vice Principals, and the Oracles' Council were not in today. I jumped towards the door of my classroom; the noise indicated that no teacher was present. I extended my hand and emanated a Wave of Force towards the door—smashing it to bits and it was sent flying forwards. My prey stopped their chatting and looked at who caused all of this. They were shocked to see me by the door, I entered the room and saw that I killed five of the thirty-seven; it included one of the restrictors—the silencer. I smirked at his death and I was bombarded with questions from these fools."What am I doing here?" I chuckled evilly as I lifted the five dead bodies up and pinned them by the whiteboard, "I am here to ensure that you will suffer… That you will know fear as I have come to know it, only this time it shall be your end!"I snapped my fingers and a Red Longsword appeared on my right hand. In a blur to some, I reappeared in front of the dead and began slashing relentlessly—turning them into piles of unrecognizable meat. Blood was evident all over me as I faced the others. I saw their fear—the fear of death and I liked it bit by bit. I stepped forward and felt that I could not move again; the same guy that restrained my movements was focusing with all of his power so that I could be stopped. I smiled with a soft expression on my bloodied face."Well now, do you honestly think you can paralyze me?" I cackled softly and remembered that this person was greedy as he did not like to give anything that belonged to him, "Come, arise. Forgive the sin, one of the wedges of Hell—Mammon!" After a few seconds, a short, fair skinned, brunette boy appeared before me in a bowing position. He was adorned in all-Onyx attire similar to that of a butler's."Mammon of Greed, ready to serve.""Go and remove this pest from my sight. Make him suffer before ending his life."Mammon laughed softly and obliged. He raised his right hand and brought it near his chest. A red energy-like blade replaced his right hand. The demon of Greed saw that the others were trying to catch him but he knew that he is too quick for them to restrain him. He jumped up to avoid his pursuers, landed right behind his victim, and began his dance of death—right arm, left leg, upper torso, half of the upper back, and a few locks of hair. Mammon leapt up once again, only this time he turned into a short yet sharp black rod; it bounced around the room and it hit the points where the demon cut his victim before. The same sound that was heard when I killed the two guards echoed the room—the wedge was found on the victims chest. It looked like he was hit from behind. I felt my restrictions vanish and I manifested myself in front of my victim; his heart was found on the sharp end of the wedge. I snickered evilly as I saw it was still beating. The boy was staring at me—blood started oozing from his mouth as he coughed some out. He begged me to spare him and his classmates; he even started to apologize for what he had done to me."Well now, since you have apologized," sighing at the sight before me. I grabbed his heart and brought it in front of his face, "I guess I can forgive you, through the end of your pathetic existence!" I crushed the organ in front of him and saw the light of life fade from his eyes. I laughed demonically and faced the others; some were trying to flee through the opening I left while others tried smashing the windows open. I raised my hand upwards—the door flew back in place before I blew it up, the windows radiated an eerie red color and repelled anyone approaching them."Know this; this is your tomb now."I slashed through the ones who were closest to me—heads started to roll, limbs flew left and right, and screams of pain were heard in the room. I did not care if they could be heard from the outside, I purposely did not soundproof the room; it made my job of destroying this pathetic excuse of a school much easier. I impaled the class president with my longsword; he howled loudly and painfully at the sword on his belly. I placed a Platinum Moth on his shoulder and ripped the sword off of him; I cut his belly open and yanked his intestines out of his system."This is for my cousin, he wanted to do this to the bitch that caused his little brother to suffer," dragging him towards the door I looked at the survivors of the room, "Come arise, forgive the sin. The other Seven Wedges of Hell." Six more butler attired boys appeared before me in a bowing position and in one voice yelled out, "The Seven Wedges of Hell, ready to serve."I ordered them to clean the room up and leave no survivors. They agreed and began laughing maniacally as they hacked and slashed their victims with their blades. I dragged the president outside of the room and wrapped one end of his intestines around his neck. I dismissed the Platinum Moth, tied the other end to the balcony, and threw him over it. He screamed but it was stopped as he was being choked by his own body part; he also began to gag at the hold on his neck. After two minutes of struggling, the gagging noises died down. I went to the middle of the courtyard and saw the display which hung in front of my room which started to seep out some blood out beneath the closed door. So this is the Di Angelo way of Ranking up? It's a better way to rank up indeed. I roared with evil laughter as my vengeance was complete. But that laughter died as I picked up a lot of entities behind me. I turned around and smirked at the sight.The principal as well as the faculty, staff, and student body showed up before me. I also felt that some of my classmates survived their encounter with my Wedges and they headed to where I was. The principal ordered me to stop this foolishness and turn myself in. I replied by telling her that her institution has sinned against the Di Angelo name and they were paying it with their lives. She got mad at my declaration and ordered everyone to kill me."Come, arise, Shoulder War Towers!"I summoned the same towers that I used against Aunt Hecate but this time there were sixteen of these towers; eight on my left and the other eight on my right. I snapped my fingers which gave them the order to fire. They began their barrage towards the force of the 21st Academy; some of them became instant pincushions while the others protected themselves with barriers up front. Then I felt another disturbance, I looked towards the direction of my room and saw twenty of my classmates still alive. I chuckled as they approached me quickly. They conjured up 30,000 javelins—1,500 per survivor. One of them yelled out that this was for their fallen friends and in one gesture they let loose those weapons upon me."Come, arise, Fallen Tower. Break the single language and make known the sin!" I used an identical tower that my aunt used during our spar and it did the same thing to the javelins as it did to my barrage when I fought against her. I also summoned Gungir out of the fallen tower and sent it against my classmates. Most of them dodged the Giant spear and the remaining students were impaled and swallowed to the depths below. They charged towards me and I entrapped seven of them in a gigantic Crimson spider-web. The Red Longsword transformed into a Golden Staff—the top end of the staff was adorned with the crest of the Divine Council. I pulled back the staff and the web scooped them up like scooping up scum out of a pot. I lifted them up, like a caught deer trapped in a net, and spun them around as if they weighed nothing at all. After a few spins, I slammed it down hard to my left, then to my right, and that repeated eight times; upon the eighth impact to the ground, I struck the ground in front of me and the web vanished.The victims' faces were unrecognizable and their bodies twisted and deformed. I chuckled softly and mocked those dead before me. I looked toward the remaining ten and summoned two more Shoulder War Towers. I clicked my fingers together and the towers unleashed hell towards them; nine of them weren't able to defend themselves while the lone survivor blocked my assault. I groaned in disappointment and dismissed my towers. A blur passed through my vision and I was lifted up to the heavens; a gigantic black metal stake impaled me from behind, I hacked up bloodstained fluid out of my mouth as I started to wheeze for air. The fool that had done this uttered out that it was over and his friends were avenged. I smirked and let out a pathetic attempt of a laugh."Did you really think this is over? Why don't you look behind you?"The boy glanced at me with uncertainty and scanned his rear; a body filled with ballista bolts was all that he saw. Until he realized that he was eyeballing himself—all sanguinary and caked with arrows everywhere. The boy questioned me on how was it possible. I explained, while I mended myself, that I did not only summon two War Towers behind me I also brought up two other towers behind him. The illusion of the boy vanished in a Platinum Glow as well as the gigantic Stake. I mocked his demise and faced the 21st Academy."It's time that I ended this conflict once and for all." I yelled out and appeared in the middle of campus. I hoisted my hands to the Heavens and with a loud voice, "Look at the clock before you, it shows you the hour when the end and the beginning come together." A giant grandfather clock emerged from the ground and its hours were ticking down to midnight; even the sun seemed to obey this device as it rapidly vanished and was replaced with the light of moon. The chimes of the chronometer echoed throughout the entire school and all those still living feared at what's to come."Yes, now is the time! Open the doors to the Celestial Land!"A mass of Platinum Moths materialized all over the school and everyone screamed in fear. I laughed evilly as I reentered at the quadrangle. I saw people running for their lives as they were chased by Goat-headed men and women. The unfortunate people who were caught by them were being pulled left and right as if toddlers were arguing on who wanted to play with the toy first—it was a mix of laughter and the victim's death throes. Appendages were flying about, blood painted the floor, and piles of meat being consumed by the Goat-headed nobles. The sight was truly glorious before me. However, I saw the principal who tried to escape from the 'Banquet'. I leered and flew towards her. She howled out in fear and started to back away from me."Ma'am… Where are you going? The festivities have just begun," I sneered at her and clicked my fingers together. The entire place converted into a small dining hall, "I guess since you are the principal, you should be treated as if you are a VIP." I clicked my fingers together and four trays with lids manifested on the table. I told her a small story about the Magus Family of 1986—their greediness which led to their fitting end and she asked what did that have to do with her current situation. I announced that I will be giving her a small feast and these trays were her menu. I lifted the first tray—the aperitif—a wine glass filled with crimson fluid. I explained that it was freshly squeezed from her oldest brother whom she hated because of his pestering attitude. Two of the Goat Nobles held her in place while the other noble grabbed the glass and forced her to drink it. I raised the second lid, I explained that it was a salad that she loved on her 20th birthday adorned with the finest vegetables and her sister's deceiving tongue. Again, the noble grabbed the fork and force fed it to her. I elevated the third, I clarified that it was Tuna Fish pie wrapped in the skin of her younger brother who betrayed her so many times."And for dessert, I prepared this one myself. It is that daughter of yours whom you spend no time with at all." I spoke to her and took the lid off of the tray. A rosy skinned girl's head with snow white locks was seen surrounded with apple slices. The woman shrieked in fear from the sight while I hooted out evilly. I waved my hands and we were brought back to the Academy. The other nobles waited for our return and soon began their feast upon the lady. I felt a surge of power rushing within me. I grabbed my phone which turned into the Grimoire and saw that I have indeed ranked up to Divine. I howled out happily in an evil manner as I have ranked up.I began my walk out of campus; even more shouts for help resonated under the midnight sky. As I stepped out of the building, time turned back to normal—10:45 am, only an hour and forty-five minutes have passed. I faced the institution and pointed my hands towards the heavens."Let this tale be a never-ending Cat Box, locked with an impossible riddle that only a Di Angelo can solve."Gigantic thorns emerged from the ground and they started to wrap up the entire compound. After a few minutes, a massive thorny dome was made and the crest of the Divine Council appeared by the gates; it signified that the council has approved of the riddle and the contents of the Cat Box. I laughed evilly one more time and disappeared in a Platinum Glow; my laughter echoed the almost noon sky.Vengeance was mine at last… ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Chapter Three: Enter Trinitarian Academy /July 12, 2012|?|07:30 am\~*Narrator POV*~It was a warm, humid afternoon at the Trinitarian Academy for the Magically Gifted—the grounds filled with small children playing around while the older ones were busy discussing notes, current events, or gossip. The heat was really felt by the populace as sweat formed on nearly all of the students' brows—nearly all that is…A pair—it looked like mother and son—walked alongside with a middle-aged woman who was showing them the facilities of school and gave them a brief history of the institution. The charcoal-haired son—adorned in an Onyx trench coat with gold trim and a black shirt underneath, grayish-looking pants, and black combat boots—was being followed by eight small black cats wearing black capes with a gold trim; the animals were walking along with their master in pairs—four on his left, four on his right."Here is the classroom where you will be staying Mr. Di Angelo, the Emerald Section."The boy just stared at the window that showed him his future classroom when Monday came upon him. It was filled with at least thirty-five students, sixteen male and nineteen female, and they all glanced at the window as well; seeing the new kid, they waved at his direction but the latter just stared at them and gave a short nod of acknowledgement."Madam Principal, if I were to be in this classroom, there must also be eight chairs for my familiars—four on my left and right. After all, they are presents from my Grandmother before I left the Middle East.""Ye..Yes… Well… The institution has a no animal policy but-""Oh that would be a shame if you wouldn't allow them to be with me. After all, they are needed for my magic," sighed the child as he looked at her with a bored expression on his face, "but I guess I just have to tell my grandmother, who is leader of the Divine Council mind you, that it is just not possible for me to have them around during class hours."The principal was astonished and took back what she said; allowing him to have his familiars with him within the premises of campus. The boy smirked and told her that she will not regret her decision. He bade his farewells as well as his mother and they exited the institution.One thing was certain when the principal saw the backs of the beings that just entered her school; things just became interesting here at the Trinitarian Academy…/The Next Day|Di Angelo Haven, New York|4:00 AM\~*Nico POV*~No good, disgrace, a waste of space, disgusting, shameful, no use to the clan… The endless taunting echoed in my thoughts—in my dreams that slowly turned into nightmares. I woke up yet again from a hellish vision; no matter what magic I use or whatever psychiatric method possible were working. The never ending insults kept on zooming in my head even though I knew that they were as good as dead within the Giant Mausoleum formerly known as the 21st School of Wizardry and Machinery. I brushed it off and stretched to relieve some tension in my muscles. After the incident, I trained in combat with my "older brother"—Jason—to better myself in hand-to-hand as well as physical combat in general; we trained for 3 months straight—each day, no breaks whatsoever."Come my dears, a new dawn awaits for us."I clapped once and sixteen Emerald Orbs appeared around me; my familiars were slowly forming to their small, cute, black cat bodies. After a while, eight of the said creatures appeared and pounced on me for cuddles. I chuckled softly, petted them all, and just enjoyed the small moment of affection until that came to halt when someone knocked on my door. I ordered them to calm down and be quiet, I asked who was it and my mother's soft reply was heard. She reminded me that school was starting in two hours. After I thanked her for reminding me, I got out of bed and began my morning routine—a few push-ups, some crunches, and a shower. Jason was really strict with my exercise; sometimes he called just to remind me that I had to do these things.Thirty minutes later, I emerged from my bedroom wearing the school's uniform—a Cobalt colored robe with black tint along the sides. I walked towards the Hall of Reunion and Honor to pay my family some respect, I smiled warmly to any of the help that I passed by. Upon entering the hall, I saw that my portrait is among the ones placed. I was covered in blood and so was the room, I was lying down in my Onyx trench coat with a side of Gold tint, black jeans, and combat boots. I looked extremely bored yet I radiated a dignified aura on my face. I sighed and thought they could have chosen a better picture of me during the shoots we did for the painter to imitate."I thought they chose perfectly, to be honest, I prefer this one than the others.""Still, it could've been one of the better pictures, Grandmother."The elder chuckled and told me to calm down, which I did since I did not want my morning to be ruined for this small incident. I asked what she was doing here in the Hall; which she replied that she was also paying some respects to the honorable fallen and she just saw me standing in front of my own portrait. I gave her a small grin and she giggled."What's so funny?""Ah, my dear, it's been a while since I have seen a smile on your face," chuckling sweetly as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and we began walking to the dining hall to get some breakfast, "ever since the incident, I have not seen a single smile on your face or heard a chuckle escape from your lips."I remained silent and thought that she was right; misery has been with me ever since we left the Middle East, I was mopey the whole day when I got home. When I told them the whole event, my grandmother nodded in approval of what I have wrought to the school and also said she had a present for me; permission to turn ANYBODY, be it a civilian or a government official, into my familiars—eight to be precise—and I already have the people who would become them in mind. I remembered the day like it was yesterday.~*flashback*~/April 17, 2012|Deira, Dubai|01:00 pm\My journey to the Souk City was smooth as Thai Silk—no traffic and today's weather was really pleasant. I began walking towards a building covered in gold with a white trim. The guards stopped me and questioned where I was going. I replied back that the leader of Divine Council has a message for the entire Arabian Council. Of course, they did not believe me at first and I had to "take care" of them properly—their bodies collapsed on the floor and their heads that rolled on the ground. Upon entering the building, I was greeted by an empty reception; the empty hall was not a surprising sight for me as I knew I chose a weekend day to enact this action of mine; sensing that all of the eight members of the council were present on the top floor, I began my flight up to them.After a few minutes, I basked in the marvelous sight of the doors that led me to the Main Sanctum, a place where they hold their meetings and hearings as well as their judgements on those individuals who were about to rank up. I released a wave of force, which in turn, opened the gigantic opening that blocked my way. The assembly of high ranking magicians stood in shock as I entered the Sanctum; three of the leaders yelled at me and demanded an apology for barging in. The other members sensed on what I was going to do and they prepared themselves for battle."My business here is simple, leaders of the Arabian Council," I exclaimed while floating towards the middle of the chamber, "as ordered by the leader of the entire Divine Council, I hereby relieve you of your duties as Advisors of the Arabian Divine Council—thereby dismissing this assembly completely.""This is absurd! Demeter would not have made this decree to us especially giving the task of informing us to a lowly peon such as you!"I chuckled evilly and looked around me. I raised my hand and let out an energy blast to one of the yelling affiliates, who blocked my bolt with a barrier. The room became silent as they all faced me; after a few minutes of silence, one of them asked who I was and I replied that I am the leader's grandson. The shock was evident on all their faces; they lowered their staves and inquired on what my business with them was."It's simple really. You will all live as my familiars but having five men and three ladies following you around seems silly. So I shall turn you all into black cats," I replied as I descended to the floor, "of course you will still keep your powers if I turn you into your human forms," I explained the process of our power synchronization—their cat forms with myself.They agreed wholeheartedly, an honor for them in serving a member of the Di Angelo family. I nodded and transformed them into ebony colored felines with bright, sparkling Jade eyes. They were adorned with a black cape with a golden border. As time flies—which was half an hour, we exited the building then I remembered my grandma's request; raising my hands, I defied gravity and elevated my palms in the direction of the sky. The building shook like jello; the windows shattered, the gateway crumbled, and some of the floors inside subsided at the fury of my power. I went down slowly and rejoined my underlings on our journey back home.~*End of Flashback*~I continued staring at my painting until I was patted by one of the cats; conjuring a clock, I saw that I only have fifteen minutes until the first bell rings—talk about a good impression on your first day of school. I turned myself into a multitude of Platinum Moths while my familiars were green orbs of light and we flew outside of the Hall. I passed by my mother, who held my breakfast and lunch that turned into moths as well, and told her that I loved her even in that form which she happily replied. My journey to the Trinitarian Academy for the Magically Gifted began./July 13, 2012|Trinatrian Academy for the Magically Gifted|7:25 am\After ten minutes of flying, I arrived at the gates of the Academy. I reformed myself as well as my familiars and my lunch back to our normal forms. I composed myself and checked if I missed anything from home, I found out that my bag was not with me due to my rush in avoiding a tardy mark on my first day; chanting a few words, I materialized my book bag in front me and I started my walk to my classroom. The quad was filled with children and teenagers, the youngsters were running around, wielding small wands, and playing with their friends while the adolescents were discussing amongst themselves in their groups. I felt very out of place—being the new kid and all that jazz—and just glanced to the floor and resumed my saunter to my study hall. I saw the word "Emerald" and thought to myself that this was it—a new chapter to my story called life. New people, new faculty, and hopefully no new enemies but I would prefer some challengers from time to time.I stood beside the door of my room and saw that some of the people there were looking me. I smiled softly and greeted them softly, they replied with a small smile and some replied to my greeting. One of the girls there even asked if they could pet one of my familiars."Sure, they won't bite," she carefully extended her hand to one of them; the feline sniffed at the unknown appendage that was pointed at her. She jumped on the hand, shrunk a bit, and curled up into a ball. The girl was astonished and stroked her softly as the small grimalkin snored gently. My classmate loved the creature and apparently she was enjoying it too; she always loved the attention she was getting from others.The bell echoed around campus—signaling the start of classes. I asked her if I could have my cat back and she reluctantly gave it to me. We entered the medium-sized room and to my surprise, there were eight small chairs right beside the chair that had my name on it—up front so I listened well during discussions. I took my place and so did my familiars; they were very obedient and sat as if they were royalty. The door opened slowly and an elderly woman—somewhere on her mid-eighties— entered the room. Her gaze fell upon my cats, who hissed at her in anger until I shushed them, then unto me. She raised a brow and asked what my cats were doing inside sacred ground. I replied that they were needed for my kind of magic and I questioned on her mentioning the lecture room as "sacred ground"."This room is where all kinds of knowledge ebbs and flows; having these insects within these walls desecrates the sanctity of this hallowed ground.""Who do you think you are?! How dare you insult my familiars?! Have you any idea on who you are speaking with?!" I responded back furiously and my felines hissed as well, "I show respect to people, but to those who dare insult me or my familiars shall feel my fury indeed."The woman laughed at my response and introduced herself as Miriam Delos Reyes—a Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health Teacher or MAPEH for short. She also said that if I wanted to have my cats within the same room with me, I had to fight her for it. Question marks formed within my head as she stepped out of the room and entered the quad; questioning my seatmate about this ideal, he replied that she does this with all new students. I shrugged it off and proceeded to where my teacher was with my familiars. Upon reaching the area, a magic missile zoomed towards me but I successfully blocked it by through a simple barrier."The rules are simple, kill me or drive me to the point of exhaustion and you get to have them in the room. Lose and they shall be waiting for you outside of campus. Do we have a deal?""You do realize that you are going against what the Principal has told me that I can keep them within campus grounds, right?"She gritted her teeth in frustration, "that woman knows nothing when it comes to the sacred rites! My condition still stands! Now fight!"My teacher was light on her feet despite her age; her assault towards me involved two daggers that she brought up right in front of my face. My familiars and I turned into Platinum Moths and moved to the other side; they turned into Emerald Orbs while I summoned an Onyx Crystal Scythe and began dancing with my teacher's daggers. Sparks flew between the two weapons as we continued the attack on each other; crowds gathered—faculty and student alike. I threw my weapon towards her and she dodged it with ease."Not so fast Miss Delos Reyes!" I yelled out as I used my magic and stopped my scythe's impact to the wall and yanked it back to me, slashing her back in the process. I smirked at her cry of pain as I willed my scythe to vanish before it came to me; approaching her slowly, I was about to ask her if we were done with this pointless charade but she vanished and stabbed me from behind."Well Mister Di Angelo, you are as slow as you are cocky to let your guard down," chuckled the woman as she drove her daggers deeper on my back which caused more agony to me."On the contrary, I was waiting for that to happen and apparently you are just like me—cocky as ever," smirking as my body turns into Navy Blue ice and which froze her upon my its detonation. Cold gusts of wind blew across campus as I reformed through the remnants of my ice shards; lifting one hand up brought an end to the scuffle through an Onyx Spike that formed underneath my teacher. Nothing was heard within the quadrangle for a few seconds; cheers echoed the field and applause radiated from the students. At first, I felt like I have accomplished something worthy of their praise; until I noticed the other presence that clapped their hands slowly. I noticed that it was Miss Delos Reyes; not a shock for me to see her unscathed and her eyes were still burning furiously bright. Things were about to heat up indeed."So, how was the freezing depths ma'am? Should I lower it down some more and bring you back there?" snickering at her position probably was not a bright idea but I figured to entertain myself even for a little while. The teacher gritted her teeth and radiated a bright violet glow; it was so bright that even I had to shield my eyes to prevent temporary blindness. After a minute of sun-like shining, I looked to the area where my teacher stood and saw a radiant, young woman whose hair shined a pale violet and her rich pink skin shone a dull purple aura; she adorned an Onyx hued dress as well as a hat that is covered in dead roses."Now, the real test begins Mr. Di Angelo," echoed the woman as I felt her power increasing rapidly, "you will bow before the bell rings today!"Her hand rose towards the sky which caused it to darken, like rain was coming to this institution. The teacher brought her hand down swiftly and lightning struck the ground in front of me. Anxiety trudged it way in my heart but I remained stoic on the outside and turned into Platinum Moths before the second bolt impacted me; reforming back, I saw that my teacher was not there—like she was just a figment of my imagination. I looked around and ordered my familiars—in their orb forms—to hunt for her within the grounds. The Jade Lights danced around campus looking for my teacher; one of them radiated brightly, signaling that her presence was on that location. I snapped my fingers and chains emerged from the ground swiftly and bound my target; the chains were linked to my right hand and I slowly tightened my grip, which in turn, made the embrace of the chains even firmer.A woman's shriek of pain echoed the grounds of the school and she reappeared wrapped in my chains; her eyes turned orange, so did my chains. I released my ethereal grip on the metal and saw it melt before my eyes. Anxiety soon turned to annoyance and I did a few backflips away from miss Delos Reyes, who was sending magic bolts one after the other. After I returned to my bearings and blocked the last projectile she sent at me, I called the orbs to come behind me and I sat afloat on Platinum Moths."Let me show you a little thing I learned with my familiars," I scoffed at the witch who looked like she was preparing for my counterattack; smirked at her determination, I looked at the orbs and commanded "Initiate Constellation Formation—Capricorn Ballista—my pets," the emerald orbs flew right behind me and formed into a shape that resembled the star pattern of Capricorn; the sky seemed to be divided between Ms. Miriam and I—dark and rainy on one side while calm and surrounded by the stars on the other. Beams of moonlight shined down on the ground until eight pearly-white arbalests materialized before me and with a snap they began firing golden bolts at my teacher—who just warped to the left and right to evade my shots. I puffed a breath of annoyance and willed everything that I have to stop."This is rather irritating, don't you think miss?""If you are tired of this fight, why not just give up and send those vermin packing?"I sighed once more and conjured eight swords to float behind me; charging once again to my instructor, we braced ourselves for another dance with my blades and the spears she just summoned. Then I felt another presence—someone whose power was equal or even greater than my own and my teacher's combined—enter the battle and increased the distance between Ms. Miriam and myself; my opponent did not look phased from the blow dealt to her—as if time froze for all except for me."Why do you guys have to be so loud this early in the morning?" echoed a husky voice throughout the school. I scanned the area to look for the source of the sound, "On the rooftop," the booming voice turned into a little whisper to my ear and I flew up to the location that the voice has told me. As I landed on the area, all that stood there was an imposing and well-muscled teenager—he looked like he was a few years older than me—with eyes as green as the sea and hair. The boy wore nothing but a bathrobe to cover himself, no wonder he sounded upset it must have been his time for sleep. I asked on who he was and why he interrupted my scuffle with Ms. Miriam. The stranger was glad enough to reply that he was the headmaster's son and he stopped the fight because he was in the middle of his nap when the fight started becoming more intense."You don't understand," I pleaded with him, "my familiars won't be able to stay here if I don't kick that woman's ass she'll—," he just raised his hand and told me to calm down but I did not listen. He explained that he will talk to her before we fight. I was about to question him when he snapped his fingers and the entire place swirled like a tornado. I shut my eyes to brace myself of any impact from the flying objects./July 13, 2012|Trinatrian Academy for the Magically Gifted|7:30 am\Upon using my sight, I found myself back in my classroom; my classmates were still chatting as if the challenge never happened in the first place. The door creaked open and Ms. Miriam entered once again, she eyed my familiars for the second time; they hissed at her and I calmed them down. Just as she was about to bicker, the headmaster's son entered the room—looking a little bit more dignified in semi-casual clothes rather than a bathrobe."S…Sir Persues, good morning. What can I assist you with?""Him and its Percy," he pointed out to me and explained that his father has allowed me to bring my cats to the school due to them being a crucial part of my magic. The teacher was objecting that the creatures with me were defying the sanctity and holy ground of the institution, "well then, I hope you will be able to defend yourself against my father when he hears that you are defying his decision for him to keep his cats with him."I raised an eyebrow to him, Perseus was his name—but apparently he liked being called Percy instead. He did not introduce himself when were we on top of the roof deck moments ago but at least I know more of the boy than just his face and title. My instructor just sighed and agreed, she then went to the teacher's desk to prepare for today's lesson. The headmaster's son looked at me and winked before he showed himself out. I shook my head to get my head back to the now—the new now that is—as Ms. Miriam began teaching. My thoughts slightly wondered to that boy—Percy. There was a feeling within me that screamed we would meet again soon.~*9:00 am|Second Period*~The bell echoed within the institution that signaled it was time for the next class. According to my schedule, it was Strategic Thinking 101; which did not sound that bad until I was told by one of my classmates if I have a created my own faction to command and what type of commander I should be, creating even more questions than answers. I was about to ask him when a middle-sized and slightly old man wearing a military-like uniform entered our classroom. He looked slightly intimidating but when he started speaking, I could tell that he is a good person inside despite the aura he radiates from the outside."Well, a new cadet? What's your name boy?" questioned the instructor as I provided him with my details—for added flare in military style. He chuckled at my response and introduced himself as Mr. Robert Delos Reyes; he mentioned that he previously served in the military as a strategist before he retired and joined the teaching business. I asked if he was related to the MAPEH teacher by any chance to which he nodded and replied that she was his younger sister."By the way, have you made your faction and what kind of commanding style you will do for this school year?""I haven't sir and I also have no idea what you are talking about too."The old-timer laughed again and told the rest of the class that they have the period off, which he originally planned when he found out that a new student has entered the institution late. The whole class cheered and proceeded outside—leaving me and Mr. Delos Reyes alone. He then began explaining what factions were; that they were what the students created to use during his classes and certain War Games. Each faction composed of people and buildings with special attributes; it was a requirement that it must have one gatherer, at least one soldier and special unit, one commando, hero or whatever the student shall call it, mechanized troops and/or magically enhanced soldiers, and the needed structures to produce these units as well as defenses and/or walls. He also taught me that there were two styles of commanding a faction: Strategist or War Hero. The Strategist style meant that the commander stayed within a Command Center, Fortress, Castle, or whatever it is the student shall call their strongholds and if the structure falls they automatically lose the match. On the other hand, the War Hero required the student to be on field with his/her troops; it also meant that they could fall in battle but would not result in an immediate loss as long as the faction had a structure to bring their leader back. My teacher faced me and asked if I had any questions, luckily I had none."Good, have your faction and commanding style ready for in a week's time, I will pit you against one of the school's top strategists," ordered the teacher sternly to me, "she isn't one to be underestimated my boy and she has never lost within these school walls since the sixth grade."I replied that I would not disappoint him but I also asked why he did that to which he answered that he saw my transcripts and my Inquisitor Rank from my previous—yet dead swam in my head—school, "I see sir, very well I shall do my best to defeat her as it is not in my vocabulary to lose as well.""That's the spirit! Well, I shall leave you to create your faction because I have an idea on your commanding style already," cheered the man as he exited the room. He knew that I was going for the War Hero style as it was not my nature to just sit back in a stuffy room and watch my troops suffer. I began conceptualizing on my faction and swore that by the end of the school day I would have it ready.~*A few hours later|2:30 pm*~The bell chimed signaling the end of the day, my instructors and peers were kind enough to assist me in catching up with schoolwork as well as some of my classmates gave me tips to help in my upcoming battle against the top dog of the War Games. As far as Mr. Delos Reyes and my schoolmates told me, she had maintained her title for four years straight and not even six factions combined were able to beat her; the Matron of Light and Shadow used both Guerilla and Tactical warfare hence the Light and Shadow—one with forward charges and hidden tactics. But I have forged a faction that will be able to utilize what I like to call a Triune of War—Deception, Strategy, and Defense."I call it, the Legacy of the War Triune.""Huh, catchy… But do you think it would be enough against the Matron?"I threw crystalized daggers at the source of the sound—which resulted in a small "yelp". I recognized that voice and asked Percy what was his business here. The heir to the school told me that he would like to assist me with my faction in a small War Game. I found it odd but I reluctantly agreed to his session. We then began our walk to somewhere, he started asking questions and I answered. The process was repeated and happened vice-versa—AKA we got to know each other."Well, we are here Nico," gestured Percy to an Open Field. I looked around and saw a well-sized ominous, black manor began manifesting itself in front of me while a giant pearl Tree grew on the other side of the headmaster's son, "this is the field used for the War Games," he continued explaining that as soon as the players have stood on this ground the Command Centers of the respectful combatants will appear on one side of the field and judging by the black manor that would be my castle for any War Game. I glanced behind me and the headmaster's son was no longer there and the tree on the other side of the field shimmered like a star. I felt the energy within the giant structure and soon, marionettes appeared around the tree as well as different flora grew around the area of the tree—creating a makeshift forest around it; mist began to envelop the base, it made their headquarters difficult to see and locate—even though I knew it was at the other end of the grounds."Well? Are you just going to stand there in awe while my forces destroy your base? Well, the Matron is going to have an easy time decimating your forces quickly," a voice echoed throughout the field and I realized it was Percy—who sounded like he was already done with me. I smirked as I summoned my Onyx Scythe and charged for the puppets, different colored puppets to be exact—Red, Blue, Yellow, and Brown; they let loose a barrage of different elemental bolts—Fire, Water, Lightning, and Earth respectively based on their tone. I stepped around the bolts, like a butterfly avoiding the drops of rain on a stormy night; apparently if the figures are brought down, they unleashed a small explosion of their particular element. I glanced at my side of the field and saw my miniscule manor had transformed into a mighty fortress—complete with bats surrounding it, just the way I like it. Soldiers and sorcerers started emerging from my base and charged alongside myself but I had some other plans for this battle; creating multiple copies of myself, I ordered them to hold off the invaders while I did some preparations. Even I knew Percy will not see this coming. I heard him yet again and he asked if that was the best that I offered as well as taunting me that I would not stand a chance against the Matron at this rate."Quite frankly, you be a good little boy over there and wait," as I sassed the boy I entered the Altar of Honor and began my 'special surprise', "come and play my familiars. Initiate Overlord Panthers."Eight Jade spherules flew out of my fortress and landed right beside my reserve armies; colossal black paws slowly emerged as the orbs started spinning around in place. I awaited and glanced behind me, sensing something was amiss. It was a good thing that I anticipated a sneak attack would happen, thus I had my base covered with a plethora of hidden defenses and traps. Explosions, thunder, and gunshots resonated the field behind me, I snickered at his attempt to siege my stronghold and pondered if the Matron would attempt to enter through the rear—knowing that she specialized in guerilla warfare. I distinguished huge silhouettes at Percy's base and thought that he planned a pincer attack—an attack from the front and back. The King of Marionettes must have thought that his ambush was successful and proceeded to the next phase of his strategy—unfortunately for him—I predicted this situation and prepared thoroughly. I pretended I was facing the Matron rather than the heir of the school and readied myself for any unnecessary and abrupt attacks. It was good thing too as I saw the giants were slowly moving in with a throng of puppets that are composed of various elements; their numbers escalated to the millions—probably had some hidden reserves. I watched as battalion after battalion fell from getting crushed or thrown to God knows where by the titans; which was slightly a pain in the ass as normal attacks from either my soldiers or even my duplicates could not even dent that thing. The puppets annoyed the hell out of me as well; somehow they learned how to blow themselves up and have wiped most of my forward squadrons out. I just snickered as I heard that my 'weapon' was ready."Well then Percy, as much as it is to play with you. But it is time to say goodbye," as I taunted him, I saw his base pour even more of those things which means I have pissed him slightly off. I grinned in a sadistic manner and ordered the gates of my walls to be opened. As they unbolted the doors hovering tanks materialized by my base; these vehicles used the latest armored material and fueled with a magic core and fired magic bolts. Battle mages adorned with state of the art armor while wielding their staves and swords were also present; bishops—masters of light and dark magic—were seen behind the formations as well as combat engineers and in front of them all were my Overlord Panthers—the true form of my familiars."If you think that's everything, I have more left for you," as I landed in front of the gate, I thrusted my arms upward, "Releasing all Initiation Protocols… Accessing Trans dimensional Interface Field… Opening the Gates of the Known Dimensions… Unlocking the Equilibrium Veil… Activating Tsukuyumi Unit…"As soon as my words ended, something flashed from the sky; a large Black and Royal Blue Sword fell from the sky; it slowed down before it made impact with the ground, right behind me; a Master Unit—a machine given to me by my Grandmother. It stood at a height of seven feet and five inches; it was decorated with the Crest of the Divine Council at its guard. The Weapon vanished and I gave off an intimidating white glow for a few seconds; after a while, futuristic armor—themed after the sword that the machine was crafted on—adorned my body and a set of four blades hovered on my left and right sides that waited for my movement that triggered a corresponding set to respond. A Black Vizor with Horns covered my vision but I can see perfectly well due to its automated vision however my opponents think that I am. I gave the order for my army to move forward and hovered along towards the endless sea of Marionettes. The puppets just continued to move towards my army while the mechanized vehicles charged forward and began sending out wave after wave of magic missiles; my mages hacked and slashed the enemy forces, the bishops chanted numerous incantations of healing, protection, and some offensive spells too. I wanted to raise Shoulder Towers to back my forces up but I remembered my grandmother warning me that if I used sorcery while I had this on was lethal even to a practitioner of the Way of Magic."Now then, let's be done with this folly. I have a lot of homework to catch up with!"~*Thirty Minutes Later*~And with that, we declared it a draw; apparently we both had the same notion to go behind each other's bases and strike; we both ended it at the same time and declared a draw. I could see the exhaustion in Percy's eyes; his face also echoed that he had used up nearly all of his power to try and beat me. I was about to ask him if he was alright but he slowly raised his hand and told me that he was fine."Are you really sure? I could try and bring you to the school nurse, if she is still there that is.""No no, I really am ok. I just… I just need to take a minute."With that reply, it still festered within me that he was not fine but I trusted his word and told him that I was going to head on home and that he should do the same thing. He just chuckled at that remark and assured me that he will—his father was waiting for him outside anyway. The headmaster's son just sat there on the ground while he placed headphones on—I guessed he was trying to regain a little more energy and he looked towards the heavens; a small twinkle on his face was present and on mine as well. I began my journey home with my cats; we radiated a pale Platinum color and vanished from the school grounds in a plethora of Platinum Moths.~*Di Angelo Haven |6:35 pm*~As I reached home, my grandmother was the first one to greet me home—with a hug and a kiss on the cheek for a small greeting. She asked how my first day was in a new school as well as new people. I began detailing my day to her and in some part of the story, my mother listened in too."Well, it looked you had a very good day my boy," chuckled my grandmother. My mother just giggled and nodded her head in approval and from there I saw it; the gladness that I was fine, safe, and secured in a school despite of what transpired in the 21st Century Academy. When I ended my narrative and excused myself from my relatives, I went upstairs to my room and saw my familiars already napping—a small smile formed on my face; they worked pretty hard today from assisting me against Ms. Delos Reyes in forming the constellations needed to transforming into Overlord Panthers as well as being the vanguard of my forces. After taking a quick shower, I went to my favorite place on the —the rooftop. I stared at the setting sun and contemplated on the events that had happened today; new school, new faces to meet, new challenges to see in the future, a new friend or perhaps something more? A best friend, close friend the possibilities were endless. I hoped he was not going to betray me like what those plebeians had done to me. I sighed and continued thinking until I felt a presence forming right behind me. With my Crystalized Scythe in hand, I faced the unknown entity and lowered my guard; it was just my dear grandmother."Grandma, I am sorry I did that. I guess I am still jumpy even after therapy," chuckling I sat back down and willed my weapon to disappear. She, on the other hand, approached me and sat right by my side as well, "it isn't fair you know? They are now entombed and their problems are now gone while I have to continue living with this burden on me," after I said these things, I lain on her lap and felt a few tears escaped my eyes.Granny Demeter just stroked my hair for comfort and assured me that I am a new slate here in the United States of America and no one would harm me—not while she was in charge of the Divine Council, "oh my dear, there is something that I must give you. You will need it for the coming days," she waved her hand and a black and gold lanyard appeared. She explained that the lanyard would limit the usage of my magic; so that I would not get kicked out from my school due to my high rank—Divine Bronze Sorcerer—with the lanyard on my rank was just an Endless Golden Sorcerer. I embraced her and thanked her for all the support she had shown me; she replied to my thanks and asked me just to be safe at all times—I assured my grandma that I would.After some bonding moments with my only granny in the world, she got up and called it a night; a small good night came out of my lips and she nodded with a smile on her face. I watched as she radiated a pale golden color and vanished in front of me. I continued to look towards the horizon and began to plan for my fight against the Matron.~*A week later|Trinitarian Academy for the Magically Gifted|12:00 pm*~It was finally time to face the Matron, crowds gathered at the War Game Field—my relatives within the crowd— and most of them were cheering for that faction; they even had banners for her, as far as I can tell it was a girl that led this winning faction. I knew that it would be at a disadvantage since I am currently on her "home" field. I waited for the announcer as he got the crowd pumped up for the even that was happening. To be honest, I felt a little nervous; win this I would get everyone's respect, lose it and I would be a laughing stock. I sighed and stood by in the holding room; as I plotted my fight plan against my opponent, the door knob turned which signaled a person coming in."Well, well, well… What do we have here? A neophyte ready to get crushed under my heel, this is going to end quicker than I expected," a plummy, feminine voice said these words—I hated her already. I faced my opponent who mimicked the guise of a Japanese geisha; she wore a black and pink Kimono with Sakura Blossoms etched around the robe, her face neutral yet I knew she had an expression that could slice a man in half—figuratively and literally—by her side was a Japanese Sword, one that a samurai of old wielded, "I can't believe that I am going to waste my time and precious resources to face you. Someone who has no experience, someone who can't even defend themselves amidst the trouble and chaos," wait a minute… it was as if she knew something about me. She began to snicker and told me that she knew my "incident"; I knew the game that she was trying to play very, very well—psychological warfare. I was not going to let her spook me, kept a stoic composure, and told her that I may be the new kid but I would end her reign as Queen of these Fields. She just sighed and faced in other direction as we both waited our cue. The room shined a blinding light; my familiars altered their forms into the Jade Orbs. I had a hunch that the time was now—the grandest showdown in this school's history. When the light died down we found ourselves on the field with the master of ceremonies right behind us; the crowd bellowed when we emerged. I still felt the nerves but I kept my cool and stood proudly."Here are your champions for today! On my left! You all know and love her! Undefeated for 4 years now! Will her reign continue or will it end today?! Drew "Purgatory" Tanaka! Queen of the Matron of Light and Shadow," exclaimed the announcer as she stepped out onto the field and waved her hand towards the roaring crowd. Crystals grew rapidly on her side of the field until a gigantic one erected itself behind her; crystals huh? Well that made using my scythe useless for now, "And on my right! Is the new kid on block! Will he stand a chance against our Matron?! Meet Nico Di Angelo! Leader of the Legacy of the War Triune," I paced with pride as I went to my side of the field; time was on my side as it transitioned from day to night and my manor materialized itself behind me. The field looked like a glorious painting that waited for the perfect artist to create—crystalized dawn on one side while the other faced horrors of the night. The host began to explain what would go down for my opponent and me, after asking if we were ready it all began with a bang."This is going to be an interesting and wonderful experience , arise Shoulder War Towers," as four magic circles appeared on my left and right sides, the Jade Orbs formed the constellation of Sagittarius and a Golden Bow manifested itself on my wrist. I awaited her advance with a golden arrow at the ready, "do you honestly think a few towers and an arrow will stop me? You are even cockier than I thought kid," I heard her spitefully uttered as what appeared to be crystal automatons formed in front of her titanic crystal and began to march on the field. I smirked and warned that if she continued to move she would be sorry and would begin to regret her actions—of course I saw that she showed no sign of stopping."Let those who cherish the Night be cleansed and replenished by the dust and those who fear it, burn under the light of the Moon," firing the arrow towards the sky, I ordered some regiments to advance and meet the enemy in combat; the projectile reached its limits and shattered, golden dust rained down on the battlefield; its properties provided healing as well as enhancing the strength of my troops. I emitted a Platinum glow and flew up to observe the entire area; the Matron's crystal troops were slowly melting underneath the shower of golden dust while some of them were being brought down sliced up by my soldiers. I smirked and asked if she readied herself for surrender."I'll never yield! I will not lose to the likes of you! A neophyte and cowardly boy," exclaimed the Crystal Witch—a small nickname for me—she flew into the sky as well with a Diamond Rapier and a Sapphire Shield on hand. I summoned my Red Broadsword and Golden Longsword; we dashed towards each other and began to dance—a dance of our blades. The crowds below cheered with each blow that happened in the firmament; rapier on broadsword, longsword met shield were the steps that we did. I raised my hands and my towers began to fire towards her. The Queen of the Matron swayed around and tried to dodge despite the intensity of the bolts that were aimed towards her; in the end she was covered from head to toe with my ballistae bolts—like a human pincushion. I snickered for a while until I noticed that her form turned into pure crystal and started to fall on the battlefield, 'A clone? How foolish yet clever,' I thought as I continued to see the descent of the figure; as it impacted the ground—which was the middle of the field everyone within a fifteen foot radius of the zone turned into pure crystal. My troops and her forces charged towards my base, my Shoulder Towers began to fire once again but it only aimed for her troops while mine were able to take it down one tower at a time."I've had enough of this charade! Come and face me if you dare," I challenged her as I materialized in front of the gate of my base and unleashed an endless swarm of Platinum Moths towards her minions and mine; they began to push them away from my side of the field yet they resisted like a rock clashing with a wave from the sea, "that is a useless tactic," I yelled out and increased the intensity of the swarm—I also tuned my moths to burn what they touch. After a while, the field was clear once again as if we just started the fight. I sighed and called for the Tsukuyumi Unit just in case she unleashed something gigantic. The Queen of the Matron appeared and trudged slowly towards me."Ok kid, I have to admit you are pretty good," she paused and began to manifest the same weapons her clone had a few minutes ago, "but I am afraid this is the end of the line for you boy."I showed my annoyance by pressing my tongue against the front of the roof of my mouth and called forth the swarm of moths from before to overwhelm her with pure force. I saw the Queen who just stood there with shield at the ready. She really thought that a Sapphire shield can withstand an endless number of moths? That was until I heard her yell out to the heavens and a beam of light expelled from her shield and my moths vanished—whatever that light did also caused me to no longer use my magic. I combined with the Tsukuyumi and prepped for combat once more."This is no longer a match of intellectual might my dear, it appears that we are on even ground on that," the leader of the Matrons commended—wow a compliment, that was new alright. I still had an ace up on my sleeve but I will explain that later on. We stood at our spots for a good ten seconds and then we dashed towards each other for yet another dance; sparks flew between her rapier and my swords as well as bursts of power were felt all over the field—from where we were until the audience stands. We separated after a good ten minutes of what seemed like an endless clash of crystal and machinery; she was panting from physical exhaustion while I still stood there like I just got started even though my armor showed a sign of a good beating."Scanning… scanning… opponent's physical and magical readings show near-exhaustion yet opponent has shown some hidden reserves of power… releasing first ordinance... Activating Tsukuyumi ," I uttered in a robotic manner as another Tsukuyumi Unit fell from the sky and landed right behind me; radiating a blind light, eight more swords appeared which gave me a total of sixteen swords. My vizor's eye glowed red and my swords whirled around me, "does my enemy concede?""Never…"I bowed and went into combat mode once more, "activating the Dance of a Thousand Blades," my swords then surrounded me in a circle and then I spun slowly at first but it soon picked up speed and I zoomed towards her; she braced herself from the clashes of my technique. I noticed that I was chipping her shield bit by bit and I reveled at that fact. The Queen stopped my technique—by pushing me back with her shield—after what felt like fifteen minutes and shot some crystalized darts at me; stopping my spinning, my swords formed a diamond and blocked her attack. I pointed to her and my swords soared from my back towards her; my opponent used her rapier and parried the attacks. I flashed step—moved so fast I was a blur—and appeared right behind her, "checkmate," my blades appeared right behind me and combined to form what I like to call "the Prince's Wings"—I am a huge nerd; the structure of the wings formed its shape like ordinary wings without the feathers—like a skeletal one except this one was made from swords. I impaled her with all of might with my weapon and even lifted her up until she was above me. I looked around and saw the crowd silent—the cheers died down and their looks full of shock with some in despair."Go… ahead… I'll just come back to haunt you when I revive from my base," she choked and I heckled sinisterly and faced her side of the field and she got a view as well; ruin, destruction, shards of crystal all over the place, and large panthers were seen. I began to explain that while she was so busy with me; my Overlord Panthers as well as my Seven Wedges of Hell began in the decimation of her entire base. Now all that was left was their precious commander. I roared as I ripped her body into two with my wings and threw her remains on the ground. I knew that was her as I saw the blood that gushed out from the corpse. I glanced at the shocked crowd that was ultimately speechless from my action; then after a minute they erupted in cheers while her supporters were still in shock."Woah! In an amazing turn of events, the newbie has done it! He has dethroned the Matron of Light and Shadow! Ladies and Gentlemen! Our Winner! The Leader of the Legacy of the War Triune; no, the Blade King! Nico Di Angelo," exclaimed the host as I turned back into my normal form and waved to the crowd with a small smile. I saw that my class ran towards me; they congratulated me while others began to ask for tips and some were taking selfies. I chuckled softly and noticed my family; and judging from their looks, they were also proud of me. I felt a message being sent to me telepathically and I knew where this came from. Well done, I knew you had it in you. Good luck with your activities here at the Trinitarian… I just smiled to myself as I heard it and told to myself: this was going to be a great school year.
10205822
Puns AKA the crappy
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Inquisitor, Fem!Inqusitor, Fem! Trevelyan, Cassandra, Varric Tethras, Iron Bull, The Iron Bull, Cassandra Pentaghast", "Fandom": "Dragon Age: Inquisition", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Dragontamereg", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "228", "Additional Tags": "Crack, Seriously my first fic ever is a crappy DA:I oneshot, a bit of language, But come on this is Dragon Age we're talking about, So many tags", "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 }
"Well, it's a good thing it flew off, then. Otherwise, I'd be "dragon" your ass back to Skyhold." Chortled Rey."Well, you don't need to be so "Draconian" about it, boss." Replied The Iron Bull."Really though, what did you think of that encounter, on a "scale" of one to ten?""Well", Varric cut in, "If we had gotten closer, we would have quite the "tail" to tell.""you're "blight", but to be fair, I was just "winging" it. But, "Fangs" for the backup. I "snout" I'd be able to fight that hurlock on my own. Now, let's eat. "Wyvverned" it."The inquisitors three companions stared for a moment, until they (aside from Cassandra) began clapping." Well Inquisitor, it seems you have out done us. I've got to "hand" it to you, you've really left your "mark" on us. It almost seems you're the "anchor" to all of Thedas!"Cassandra simply groaned in disgust. "Inquisitor, why must you insist upon bringing me with you to the storm coast? You three are beginning to cloud my-"No sooner than the seeker had said this, the rest of the small party burst out in laughter." sorry to "rain" on your parade, Cassandra." Said Bull, hardly able to contain his laughter. "I just thought it would be "Ice" to get to know you better.""Maker, you really are impossible." Cassandra groaned.
10272212
Every Band Has A Heart
{ "Archive Warning": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Ronnie Radke, Brendon Urie, Vic Fuentes, Andy Biersack, Kellin Quinn, Oliver Sykes, Josh Dun, Tyler Joseph, Frank Iero, Gerard Way, Ryan Ross, Dallon Weekes, Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-13T00:00:00", "words": "909", "Additional Tags": "Rating May Change", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Vic Fuentes/Kellin Quinn/Oliver Sykes/Andy Biersack, Josh Dun/Tyler Joseph, Frank Iero/Gerard Way, Ryan Ross/Brendon Urie/Dallon Weekes, Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz, Mike Fuentes/Tony Perry/Jaime Preciado, Andy Hurley/Joe Trohman", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Bring Me The Horizon, Falling in Reverse, Sleeping With Sirens, 30 Seconds to Mars, Twenty One Pilots, Panic! at the Disco, Pierce the Veil, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Set It Off (Band)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Andy, Vic and Kellin were all waiting for Oli to arrive with the food.            “He left an hour ago. He should have been back by now.” Andy says.            “Don’t panic, we’ll…we will just call him.” Vic says. Kellin is at the window looking down at the street. Vic hears his phone beep. “He just texted he’s downstairs. He wants us to go meet him.”            “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Kellin asks.            “Well I mean we did order a lot of food, Kel. He probably needs help carrying it up. No worries.” Vic says trying to reassure both of his boys. Without Oli there it was hard, but Vic was the oldest so he had to show some form of maturity.            “Let’s go.” Andy says. “Come on, Kellin.”            “Okay, okay I’m coming.” Kellin says. He thought something was off but he’s been paranoid ever since the story about Brendon having to move broke out. If that happened to the biggest guy in the genre it could happen to them. Andy rushed out the door, Kellin and Vic not far behind. Andy got out the door looking around not seeing Oli’s car anywhere. Vic and Kellin finally make it out the door.            “I don’t see his car. Do you?” Andy asks. Kellin sighs seeing a van parked in front of the hotel.            “That’s probably why. He probably had to park a few blocks over.” Kellin says as he starts to walk away.            “Kellin, wait, let me text him.” Vic says. Andy has his hands in his pockets looking down, Vic on his phone, when suddenly the door of the van opens. Kellin turns around to see Oli tied up and gagged. The rest of Bring Me the Horizon in the van, Lee jumps out grabbing Kellin by the shirt taking out a knife, pressing it up against Kellin’s neck.            “KELLIN!” Vic shouts.            “I suggest you get into the van and don’t make a scene.” Lee says.            “Okay, just don’t hurt him.” Andy says holding up his hands. Vic nods following after Andy who gets into the van seeing Oli. “Oli!” Lee pushes Kellin into the van closing the door quickly.            “Go. Drive!” Lee says. Vic maneuvers so that he can be closer to Kellin, but Lee grabs him pulling Kellin back with him. “He’s going to be staying with me. So you don’t try anything stupid.” Kellin looks at the knife then back at Vic panic and terror on his face. “Relax, Kellin, I won’t use it unless one of you decide to make the wrong move.”            “Oli, are you okay?” Andy asks. He reaches his hand out, only to have Jordan grab it and twist it. Oli mumbles bumping into Jordan.            “He’s the fucking reason why you haven’t been dedicating yourself to the band! He’s a little piece of shit that I would get rid of if I could.” Jordan says letting go of Andy’s hand.            “Enough, Jordan. We aren’t doing that.” Kean reminds him.            “Fine. But at least tell me we get to release Ronnie on his ass.”            “That might be negotiable.” Nicholls says. Oli starts to struggle against his restraints. Jordan lets the gag out of his mouth.            “Touch them and you are fucking dead.” Oli says.            “Ah, ah, ah, Oliver. Remember who is in control here?” Lee says pointing the knife at Kellin.            “We’ll behave. Right, Oli?” Vic says. Oli looks at the scared Kellin then back to Vic.            “Yeah. I’ll behave.” Oli says.            “What about Andy here? Will he behave?” Kean asks touching the top of Andy’s head from the passenger seat. Vic sends Kean a look as if saying ‘Don’t touch him’.            “Alright everyone why don’t we just calm down?” Nicholls says. “You sure the others are going to be there?”            “Yeah why wouldn’t they be? It’s Ronnie; he doesn’t pass up an opportunity to get his aggression out.” Kean says.            “It’s not Ronnie I am worried about.” Nicholls says.            “You mean Leto? He’s a lot more fucked up then you know.” Jordan says.            “Why are you doing this?” Kellin asks.            “Because you deserve it. Besides your band members are pieces of shit.” Lee says.            “What are you talking about?” Vic asks confused.            “We could list everything they’ve done wrong. Stole money, fucked with our bus so that we couldn’t get to our show, talking shit about us to the press. I could go on.” Jordan says.            “Those were just jokes, man.” Andy says.            “And yet the fans seem to believe what they say and start hating on our music. Whose fault is that?” Kean asks.            “It’s not ours!” Andy shouts, “We didn’t do anything wrong.” Jordan grabs Andy’s chin forcefully.            “But here’s the thing you didn’t stop them, now did you?” Jordan asks him. Andy doesn’t answer angering the older man as he pulls Andy’s hair forcefully “Did you?!”            “No, we didn’t but how would we have known that’s what the fans were going to take it that way?” Andy asks.            “They shouldn’t have said it in the first place. We are supposed to be friends. But it’s obvious that we aren’t.” Jordan says letting go of Andy.            “That doesn’t give you the right to kidnap us!” Andy yells. Jordan punches Andy hard knocking him on his side.            “Shut the fuck up.” Jordan says. “I don’t want to hear your voice until we get to our destination. Got it?”            “Yeah, got it.” Andy says putting his head on Vic’s lap.
10241753
After Winter Must Come
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Alice Paul, Lucy Burns", "Fandom": "Iron-Jawed Angels (2004)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by marginalia", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2007-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "1,106", "Additional Tags": "Community: femslash07, Technically RPS", "Relationship": "Alice Paul/Lucy Burns", "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 }
They met in a London police station, two expatriate suffragettes. It made for a fantastic story, and in the years after, Lucy told it best. Alice may have been the natural leader of the two, but Lucy was the one who could really talk. Alice would pretend to be embarrassed, but would get caught up in the laughter just the same as everyone else. Lucy never told it the same way twice, and that was half the fun.It was certainly far better to tell than it was to live. Sometimes Alice wondered if she'd have continued, if she'd known then that it wouldn't be the end of the imprisonment, the hunger strikes and the forced feeding, the ongoing patronizing and torture and violence inflicted by those clinging to what little power they had left. Always, though, there was Lucy, her fingers warm on Alice's wrist, or her head bent over notes for the coming week, or even just an image of her, bright and strong when Alice closed her eyes, and the question was gone.Alice, ever unaware, strove to be the woman Lucy believed she was.::They worked with the other militants, of course, but almost immediately they met themselves, alone, inseparable. They fed off each other's energy and passion, traded stories of protests and imprisonment before they had met, and shared strength during ones to come. Lucy's charm tempered Alice's steel, her sense for organization supported Alice's leadership, and together they were a formidable team.Already the half-expressed thoughts of one could be clearly understood by the other. Silent cues and tiny signals made up the secret unknown language of them.::Alice returned to the United States first to work on her PhD while Lucy stayed working with the militants in England, but two years of letters back and forth across the Atlantic kept the connection alive. There was something particularly freeing about it; words scrawled onto paper to be read in the unknown future were both less real and more true than anything they could have said to anyone around them.We need you here, Alice wrote. I need you here.Find us a decent place to live, Lucy replied, and I'll be there. Come and we'll find it together. Lucy's tea cooled, forgotten at the corner of her desk. There were plans to be made.::In Washington DC they set up housekeeping, finding rooms that could double for office space until they had enough financial support to separate their life from their cause. As if, Lucy suspected, Alice could ever do that.Other girls attempted to set them up with assorted brothers and cousins. Lucy went rarely, finding no one worthy of her time. When Alice went out, Lucy stayed home, and when she returned Lucy would tease her with impressions of the young men, flawlessly and gently mocking the nervous versions of themselves they had presented at the girls' door."It doesn't matter," Alice said. "I couldn't love them anyway.""Of course you couldn't. They're idiots, and you scare them," Lucy said, keeping it light as always. "And you'll never find anyone you love as well as me." She grinned to make it safe, though something inside her twisted at Alice's answering smile.::These are the things Lucy loved best about Alice: that she pretended to be unafraid until it became true, how she hated surprises, and the smooth line of her throat when she held her head high, which was often.These are the things Alice loved best about Lucy: her stunning red hair, her scathing impressions and easy laugh, how she challenged Alice's ideas about herself, and that no matter how lost Alice got, Lucy could always find her.The difference between them was that Alice believed all loving was a choice. What held them together was that Lucy knew better.::"It's not finite," Lucy said, seemingly from nowhere one quiet evening as they sat editing sections of the paper. Alice looked up, puzzled. "If you let someone in, the heart expands. It doesn't mean you care for the cause any less. And don't say you like being alone. No one likes being alone.""I'm not alone," Alice protested. "You're here."Lucy opened her mouth and closed it again, then stood, pulling her shawl tight around her shoulders, and walked out of the room.Alice found her smoking out on the porch, back to the door, all emotion hidden in shadows. Alice stayed in the doorway, leaning her head against the frame. Everything was suddenly and unexpectedly heavy tonight. "Luce," she said, and stopped."It isn't enough, and you know it. Don't tell me you haven't thought about it. Don't lie to me and make me think I'm the only one feeling this." The normal jest was gone from Lucy's voice now, all her words tight and forced, but bound with truth. "The walls here are thin," she said, quieter now. Alice's face flushed in the darkness as the words hung between them. She considered and discarded response after response. I'm not as brave as you... Could it hurt the cause?"They think it anyway," Lucy said, naming the unspoken fear. "Some of them. So there is the judgment without the joy." She shivered. "So there. I've said it." She put out the cigarette, and turned to go back into the house. Alice caught her wrist and held her fast, and Lucy turned her face away."I'm sorry," Alice said. She had too much to say and not enough words at all, so she reached up and caught Lucy's chin, turned her face back, eyes glittering in the dark, and kissed her softly. "I'm sorry," she said again, brushing Lucy's tears away with her thumb. "I'm an idiot. And I'm terrified of you." Lucy laughed, despite herself. "Come back inside, you idiot."::They could go anywhere. They could go somewhere where no one knew them. They could go to New Zealand or Norway or Russia or back to England or even up to Canada. They could go somewhere women had the vote; they could go and live and dream and love. They could do it; they were bright and resourceful. They wouldn't have to fight any more.But fighting wasn't a choice. It was who they were, together. They had set their hands to the plow as one, and though the end of the row seemed far away, they would not put it down now. They would work on as one, fighting until victory and beyond the horrors of the darkness yet to come, until the sun shone on the cause and the stars fell down around them.
10238645
Lunch Break
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Other", "Characters": "Spark (Pokemon), Noire (Pokemon: And the World Will Turn to Ash), Amelie (Pokemon: And the World Will Turn to Ash), Go (Pokemon: And the World Will Turn to Ash), Thunder | Zapdos", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by Roseeater (eki_fuuten)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "3,328", "Additional Tags": "Canon Non-Binary Character, Dominance, Violence, Rough Sex", "Relationship": "Noire (Pokemon: And the World Will Turn to Ash)/Spark", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "What Eevees didn't see", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Pokemon GO, pokemon: and the world will turn to ash - Fandom", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Spark opened the door without his shirt on, all teeth and self-satisfaction, and Noire had half a mind to punch him into his stupid cheerful face as a greeting.'You have no idea how glad I was to get your text.' Spark beamed at them.'I can pretty much see, you asshole. Let me in, if someone sees me here now we'd have to fight and I'm not in the mood for that.' Noire pushed Spark aside and walked briskly into the room.'Oh, no' Spark closed the door and followed them. 'You're in the mood for something else, aren't you? Why so urgently, though, couldn't it wait till the evening? We could take it slow then.'Noire threw their red executive coat on the couch.'After lunch break I've got a whole afternoon of executive meetings and Amelie won't get off my case saying that we're trying to have those go peacefully this time.  And I've been on the edge for days now.' The gloves landed on the floor, followed by Noire's boots.'Oh, so you do care about how Amelie feels?' Spark was a stretch of bare skin towering above Noire, his smile like a distant dark cloud suggesting oncoming storm, as if he was just a hair's breath from his blue eyes lighting up with Zapdos' gold. Noire felt goosebumps on their skin unsure anticipation rising in them and, as they were alone, making them involuntarily back up until they hit the wall.'Of course I do, she's my best friend. Don't you care about Go?'Spark's head tipped to the side as he grinned wider. Noire felt a shudder go down their spine. Spark didn't put his hands on the wall, they were in his pockets, but it felt like he did. He was a claustrophobic wall and part of Noire felt like clawing their way out and running away. Nobody but titan bonded could make them feel cornered that way - not really - and letting themselves surrender to it was exhilarating.Spark put his hand on the front of Noire's pants and let his fingers stroke the fabric - infuriatingly lightly,  just enough to tease but not enough to stimulate. Noire bucked their hips to push into Spark's hand but he withdrew it just in time then laughed at Noire's impatient grunt.'You're a dick!''Oh, and isn't this exactly what you came here for?' Spark leaned forward and Noire raised their head to meet his lips. The kiss was deep and impatient and, as usually with Spark, with too much teeth. Noire realised their lips were gonna bruise but in their position that wasn't really a problem - it would be considered a fight injury. Spark's hands were under Noire's top, exploring their back, not yet claws, but with Zapdos so close to the surface Noire could end up with fresh scratches soon. Well, they were going to wear a suit to the meetings anyway, so who cared if their back got marked? Especially when it felt so good.Noire's hand wandered to the front of Spark's pants and slipped inside to find something they didn't expect. Underwear? Since when Spark wore underwear under those? Moreover, it seemed to be silk underwear - it was hard for Noire to imagine Spark being aware of silk underwear existing and as for owning one? It had to be a present and Noire could imagine only one person who would give Spark silk underwear…'Will you stop thinking and get busy?' Spark pinched and twisted Noire's nipple - any thought of Candela left their head along the involuntary gasp they made. They realised Spark's pants got away from their hand as he put his own hands on their hips and slid their pants, along with their underwear, off. While standing up Spark grabbed Noire's waiting hand and twisted their arm, turning them around and smashing them face-first into the wall.'You wrote you want it fast and rough, right?' Spark's harsh whisper send a thrill of warmth straight between Noire's legs; they nodded obediently. There was a moment's wait as Spark  one-handedly fumbled with the condom and then Noire felt his hand on their ass; they arched their hips expectantly and felt Spark position himself. He started entering carefully, as if unsure if it's already fine to do so and Noire almost snorted at this concern when he suddenly picked up force and pushed right to the end, squishing Noire against the wall and making them breathe out hard. Spark didn't start moving; he leaned in, his radiating warmth burning against Noire's back, and bit Noire on the shoulder. Spark made a dissatisfied sound as Noire was still in their top and, apparently wanting to get at some bare skin, he moved towards Noire's ear, biting it first then chewing on it. Noire squirmed, their free hand's fingers curling on the wall They desperately wanted Spark to start moving against the warmth now burning between their legs. Spark only chuckled, his free hand scratching Noire's stomach lightly. Noire tried pushing their hips but they were locked into place. They were using their free hand to protect themselves from from being completely squashed on the wall, so they couldn't even use it to stimulate themselves.'Fuck, damn you Spark…''Not gonna beg?' Spark's voice in their ear, bearing the echos suggesting that Zapdos has surfaced, send more shivers down their spine. Spark's hand moved up, along Noire's chest, a spark of static hitting their nipple. Noire was so turned on now it was painful, unbearable. It was tempting to try to use their Cipher abilities to control Zapdos, anything just to make Spark finally move.'Please…' a hoarse whisper escaped their lips. They heard a self-satisfied chuckle and Spark's free hand moved and grabbed Noire by their hair as he started thrusting into them, each time pushing Noire to the wall. Noire could barely move their hips but they still tried to move against him, making the contact even stronger and more rough.Noire needed this - not as some twisted kind of self-punishment, this was just what they always needed, but as a high-ranking criminal and one of the most dangerous people in the city they could barely find anyone who would dare to try to dominate them. Even if they did, Noire was well aware they could accidentally kill their partner if their defence reflexes kicked in. There was no danger of that with Spark; quite the opposite, he seemed to enjoy it. Or maybe the Zapdos in him enjoyed Noire's struggle. It was pretty hard to tell but it didn't matter. What mattered was Spark could give Noire what they wanted.'No' Spark pulled out and they cried out in protest as he let Noire's arm go. 'I want to see your face.''What the fuck asshole..' Noire turned around, panting. They wanted Spark back inside right now .Spark grabbed one of Noire's legs and pulled it up, locking his arm under their knee. It seemed ridiculous, standing on one leg, until he entered them again and then it felt so intense they had to close their eyes. It was as if Spark was getting in deeper than before and for a short time it seemed great. But it wasn't enough. Now that Noire could see Spark's flushed face they wanted to get at it, to get their tongue down his throat, to suck and bite his neck so that he, too, wouldn't escape unmarked. But as it was, all they could do was to balance on the single leg which was tiring and distracting, despite the fact that their legs were really strong.Noire put the weight on the leg Spark was holding and jumped up on the other to wrap it around his waist; Spark seemed confused for a moment but his reflexes was fast enough to hold them up during the manoeuvre.'Warn me next time, you could have hurt Little Instinct' Spark let Noire's leg go and they wrapped it around him.'Don't be afraid, I still need it,' Noire barked and laughed as Spark pushed them into the wall again. This was good, now Noire could attack Spark's mouth with their own as Spark pounded into them. It also meant that when they gasped with another stronger wave of pleasure Spark realised he could bite the part of their neck that wasn't covered with turtleneck, but it felt so good Noire didn't care about bitemarks for now. Noire's legs around Spark, Spark's hands around them, their bodies clutched together with a force that would send a normal person to a hospital, it wasn't that different from a fight but it also almost felt like Noire was really close to somebody.Noire leaned in and licked Spark's neck, then bit it. Spark moved his shoulder slightly, as if shaking off a mosquito.'Damn, I need a free hand,' he mumbled. Noire felt Spark grab them bodily and carry them over to a coffee table, then drop them onto it. The impact knocked the air out of Noire's lungs and they felt themselves knock something off the table. For a second they listened to the sound of lots of small objects rolling on the floor, but then Spark was back on top of them, his hands sliding up the inside of their tights. Noire pushed up their hips and spread their legs, greedy for more. Spark entered them again, pushing their hips up even more and this angle felt so good Noire closed their eyes and murmured in appreciation.'Blanche…' Hearing that made Noire open their eyes with shock but Spark's face was grinning, his eyes contaminated with a tinge of golden light. He was teasing them, the bastard! Absolutely outraged, Noire wanted to punch or kick Spark but they were using both their hands and legs to stop themselves from sliding off the table. 'What, did it get you fooled? I wouldn't treat Little Mystic with that little regard.'Goddamn Zapdos! Noire wanted to audibly curse at him but was stopped by Spark's fingers entering their open mouth. It shouldn't have send more excitement through them but it did, and they couldn't help but suck hungrily at the fingers moving lazily in their mouth. It didn't help that the angle was now perfect for Spark to hit Noire's…'Aaahhh…' Noire's mouth released Spark's fingers as a moan escaped their lips. A small, cute, helpless moan they'd probably kill anyone else for hearing; but they couldn't help but utter it now, again and again, as the pleasure kept spreading in their body, as they arched, gripping the table harder, getting closer and closer to the edge…Noire felt claws scratch their back and it was too much. Their mind blanked out as the orgasm washed over them like a tide, the pleasure overwhelming everything.They were still riding the aftermath when they heard Spark come and felt a sting in their left thigh. They opened their eyes.Spark looked cute when he came, even if they'd never admit it to his face. --- 'Shit, you're bleeding.' Noire was still basking in the afterglow but Spark's voice made them open their eyes.'Well, that's nothing new, is it?''You're gonna bleed on your socks.''WHAT?' Noire jumped up; only now they realised that they were in fact still in their eevee thigh-high socks. During his climax Spark sunk his claws into their hip just a bit too deep and there was a trickle of blood a mere couple of millimeters from the edge of the sock. 'Fuck!'Noire took off their socks quickly and surveyed the fabric. Luckily, somehow throughout all this the socks managed to escape staining; there was just a bit of dust on the soles.'Why didn't you take my socks off?''Because you looked hot in them?' Spark walked over carrying a first-aid kid, Skittles crunching under his feet; he seemed perplexed at the question. 'How are you feeling?'Noire considered. They were in living quarters of an enemy team base, sitting on a cold coffee table with their bare ass, bruised and bleeding and they were feeling great.'Good, thanks.' Noire propped up their head on their knee, then jumped as Spark stroke one of the scratches on their back with a disinfectant-soaked cotton pad. 'Dammit Spark, I can take care of myself.''If you could you wouldn't have come to me.' Spark did have a point but Noire wasn't going to admit it. 'Also, even you can't really reach your own back properly.'Noire wrinkled their nose at Spark and leaned back on their knee, letting Spark clean their wounds. It felt nice once in a while, being cared for by someone else. They still needed to take a shower, though, and they felt so drowsy…'There is a bed in here you know.' Spark's voice made Noire start and they realised they have dozed off.'A bed.''If you want to take a nap? It's really soft and comfy and the sheets are clean. I don't know how long you have, though.'Noire looked at the man who smashed them into a wall and then into a table and was now dressing their wounds and proposing them to rest in a soft bed. When they first met Spark they thought he was simple; now they knew he was anything but, even if they still didn't know what the hell was he.'Long enough.' *** Go heard the brisk sound of heels hitting the floor and got up to greet Amelie. It was about an hour since it got quiet in the guest room Spark tended to use as his napping place and just a bit longer since Go had walked into the room trying to consult some team business with Spark. If he tried really hard he was able to not remember the scene he witnessed, and he was trying really hard now so Amelie wouldn't see him blush.Amelie looked bored and unimpressed but she did smile when she saw Go. She was carrying a suit bag in her hand and another bag on her arm and wearing some kind of official Rocket dress in which she looked so fine Go had to try really hard not to stare.'Where…?' Amelie asked and Go indicated a room at the end of the corridor. He didn't follow Amelie there; he wasn't sure he'd be able to get close to the room for the next few days.When he had accidentally barged into the room he spend the first minute totally frozen in shock. Then his eyes met Spark's - or rather Zapdos', and the titan's smirk made him come to his senses and run out of the room.He spend the next five minutes frozen in fear just outside the door, having just seen Zapdos and the Rocket executive in what was supposed to be a safe zone of the Instinct base.Then his body caught up with what exactly he had seen and was hearing and he had to have some alone time in the bathroom - even if he'd never admit that.Then he texted Amelie who asked him to send her an update when they're done , sweet Arceus!Go took a cold shower but still wasn't able to get anything done after that.About a minute after Amelie entered the room a messy-haired Spark left it looking sleepy, satisfied and carrying his shirt in his hands. The waterfall of feelings Go has been bottling up for the past couple of hours exploded.'Spark, what the fuck is wrong with you, why are you sleeping with Rocket executive in the middle of the day in the middle of Instinct base, we don't have insurance for this, THIS IS NOT WHAT THIS ROOM IS FOR!'Spark looked at Go with the utterly perplexed expression which made people think Spark was stupid, but which Go had long ago figured out didn't mean jack shit. Then again Spark did have problems with grasping some of the social norms - or rather he didn't even bother to reach out his hand towards them, not to mention try to grasp them.'Go, as far as I'm concerned this is exactly what this room is for. I didn't only fuck Noire there; I also fucked…''I REALLY DON'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!' Go found himself shouting, slightly hysterical edge to his voice. His cheeks burned. It was going to be much harder to go to the room when looking for Spark now.'Oh really?' Spark's eyes glew golden as he took a step forward, a bit too close for Go's comfort. Spark's hand landed on Go's shoulder at the curve of his neck, not yet grasping but not just leaning there either.  'And I thought you enjoyed what you saw. 'Go licked his lips; he was used to dealing with Spark, but Zapdos was another thing entirely.'Excuse me but do you happen to have a hairbrush or a comb we could borrow?' Amelie's bright voice cut through the strained silence. She was standing in the door of the room. The golden glow faded from Spark's eyes as he turned cheerfully towards her.'Sure, lemme find it, I don't think it's in the bathroom.' Spark ran to the room.Go leaned with his back on the wall. Amelie came up to him slowly and joined him.'You DID bring a brush with you, didn't you?' Go asked after a while.'Obviously, who do you take me for?''Thanks.''No problem. You sounded a bit panicky there.''Yeah, well,' Go rubbed his face with his hands. 'I don't think I'm a good fit for this.''This?''The whole legendary thing.'Amelie looked thoughtful; she started knocking one heel on the floor in a rhythm that Go found familiar but couldn't place.'You know, three days ago I broke a man's arm.' Go felt blood draining from his face but Amelie seemed pretty cool about it. 'He took out a gun on Noire so I took him down. He was twice my size but anyone with a good bodyguard training could have done that. Now, two days ago…' Amelie sighed; her foot stopped beating up the rhythm. 'Two days ago I stopped Noire from killing an innocent man. Noire is stronger than anyone in Rocket and they really only listen to Sabrina…''But they did listen to you.'Amelie nodded.'Is that why you stand by them?'Amelie didn't answer, deep in thought.The door to Spark's room opened and Noire emerged - they were dressed smart, in a simple suit and a pink shirt, their hair brushed back. The would have looked quite dashing if not for the fact they were arguing with Spark right now.'Stop being so full of yourself, asshole!''Why? You seemed to enjoy being full of me.'Noire took a swing, ready to punch Spark. Amelie briskly came up to them and pushed a wrapped sandwich into their hand.'Boss, we need to be in a meeting in fourteen minutes. If you could just try hurrying up a bit I might consider not giving away that parcel of pastries you wanted to eat after all the meetings.''What? Amelieee, you wouldn't…'Go looked after the the pair as they hurried down the corridor and realised with a start that Spark was standing next to him.'Why does Noire get food from Amelie and I'm standing here hungry?''Because you fucked and then slept through your lunch break and then more.' Talking to Amelie helped Go's mind settle a bit. He felt almost fine now - or, at least, he felt as anxious as usual, which had been his definition of "fine" for the past couple of years.'Whaaat? Are you saying I have to stay hungry until evening now?''Well you certainly deserve it.''Gooooo….' Spark mimicked Noire's whine. Go looked at Spark's beaten puppy face. He sighed.'I ordered you takeout, it's waiting in your office.'
10203659
Stolen kiss
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Fareeha \"Pharah\" Amari, Angela \"Mercy\" Ziegler", "Fandom": "Overwatch (Video Game)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by MetalWarrior22", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "2,411", "Additional Tags": "Domestic Fluff, Fluff", "Relationship": "Fareeha \"Pharah\" Amari/Angela \"Mercy\" Ziegler", "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 }
Angela stopped at the door to her apartment and turned around to warn her friend. “I’m offering you a way out right before the doors of hell, in there it is…”“A mess, you’ve implied it several times.” Fareeha said.“Oh no, my office is a mess, my apartment is… It’s bad, it’s really bad.” Angela offered an apologetic smile. “If you decide to walk away as soon as I open this door, I will understand.”“Angie, please. I told you I’d help you with it, and I’m a woman of my word.” Fareeha smiled reassuringly to her friend.Angela let out a sigh and unlocked the door. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”The doctor opened the door and let Fareeha enter the apartment first. The engineer stopped in her tracks, looking around astonished and her only reaction was a word that slipped through her lips before she could stop herself. “Fuck.”Angela giggled at her friend’s little outburst, especially because Fareeha didn’t swear at all unless it was in the most special circumstances, and apparently Angela’s apartment qualified as one.Fareeha was standing in the middle of what she guessed was the living room. To her left was a couch big enough for four or five people, in front of her was a coffee table and to her right was a piece of furniture that may or may not have had a holo screen on top of it some time ago. On the far end of the apartment to her right was a kitchenette, and next to it to the left was a closed door that Fareeha assumed led to Angela’s bedroom.What made Fareeha swear was the fact that everything was covered in clothes and books and academic papers: the floor, the couch, the coffee table, half of the kitchenette… there was a bookshelf on the corner of the living room literally made of books. She turned to her friend and half asked, half whined. “Why?”Angela was slightly embarrassed but she answered. “Since rejoining Overwatch, we’ve been traveling all over the world, I barely have time to live in my apartment, but you know that wherever we are, I’m always trying to make progress with my nanobiotechnolgy research. I come by some books, I print some papers because it’s easier to read a hard copy than stare at a holo screen, and the clothes… I actually have no excuse for them. When I am exhausted, I just arrive home and toss them around.”“But we joined Overwatch only six months ago?” Fareeha looked at Angela in disbelief, at which the latter only shrugged. Yes, this disaster only took six months to happen. Fareeha returned her attention to the living room, scratching the back of her neck as she thought how was the best way to start sorting this out. “You owe me more than one dinner, Ziegler.”“You mean you’ll stay and help?” Angela asked, surprised.“Sure, who would I be if I abandon you to this.” Fareeha gestured vaguely with her arm at the living room. “But I really doubt we will finish today, this will take all weekend.”Angela gave Fareeha a quick hug. “Thank you! I promise I will make it up to you.”Color rose to Fareeha’s cheeks but she was confident that her dark complexion would hide it from Angela. “O-Ok, let’s do this.”~ ~ ~After hours of sorting through all of Angela’s mess, both women were done for the day. They only took small breaks here and there, but they pushed hard to get the majority of the work finished today, which they did. Now they were sitting at the kitchenette’s counter after devouring a large pizza, Angela drinking a cup of hot chocolate and Fareeha dozing off.Fareeha blinked quickly a few times and stood up. “I should probably get going.”Angela finished her chocolate and put the cup on the counter. “Don’t be silly, you’re exhausted and you need to rest. The hotel isn’t close and it’s late.” She stood up and grabbed Fareeha’s hand, taking her to the living room. “You will stay the night. You can have the bed and I’ll have the…” Angela trailed off. She saw that the boxes where they had been packing the books and the academic papers where on top and around the couch, the only other place to sleep. Angela’s mood turned from cheerful to hesitant.“What is it?” Fareeha asked before yawning.“Actually, do you mind if we… if we share the bed?” Angela’s voice was almost a whisper, but her friend listened to her clearly nonetheless.Fareeha opened her eyes wide, her drowsiness disappearing in a second. She wanted to say ‘I’d love to’ but her brain stopped her from a possible disaster, after all she was sure that her crush on the doctor was not mutual. “I don’t want to impose, I—”“Nonsense.” Angela turned around to look at her friend. “You’re my best friend. I insist.”Angela was using an authoritative tone, the one everyone in Overwatch knew as the doctor voice. This meant that Fareeha had lost the fight already. The latter just gulped and muttered softly. “Ok.”The doctor beamed and took Fareeha to her bedroom. “Don’t worry, I have a big bed and I don’t hog the sheets.”Fareeha had already seen Angela’s bedroom —she had to go through it to reach the bathroom— but she hadn’t paid much attention to it aside from the fact that it wasn’t a war zone like the rest of the apartment, focused as she was on helping Angela. She now noticed that indeed Angela’s bed was huge, which for some reason disappointed her a little.Angela opened a drawer of the dresser by the bed and pulled out some colorful clothes. She handed them to Fareeha. “I don’t think they are long enough for you, but I’m sure they will at least fit you.”Fareeha took the clothes and realized that they were pajamas… ducklings print pajamas. She couldn’t help but smile at Angela’s taste in clothing. “Thank—” Fareeha’s mouth went dry as she looked how Angela removed the hair tie from her head, letting her hair fall loose.“I’m going to brush my hair in the bathroom.” Angela brushed her hair with her fingers a few times to get rid of a few knots. “So change your clothes and go to bed. I won’t take long but you shouldn’t worry about me, what you need is a good night sleep.” Angela smiled before heading to the bathroom, leaving a flustered Fareeha standing in the middle of the room.After a few seconds Fareeha managed to think again and heeded her friend’s advice. She undressed until she was left only wearing panties, a bra and a white tank top. She put on only the PJ’s pants and looked herself in the mirror hanging on the bathroom’s door. The pants were short for her but aside from that they were very comfortable and Fareeha could only snicker at Angela’s choice for sleepwear.She folded neatly her clothes and put them on top of the dresser, then she laid down on one side of the bed. A moment later panic rose inside her. How was she going to be able to sleep with Angela by her side?~ ~ ~Angela finished brushing her hair and exited the bathroom. “Did the pajamas fit you?” She asked when she saw Fareeha lying down on the bed, but when the latter didn’t answer, Angela realized that her friend was sound asleep.She sat down beside her and caressed her cheek. “You look so peaceful right now.” Fareeha didn’t stir by Angela’s words or touch, which meant that she was out cold, the day’s work had really exhausted her. Angela contemplated her friend for a while, adoration in her eyes. “I promise I won’t be so shy next time.” She leaned down and placed a kiss on the corner of her mouth, all the while blushing a bright red.Making sure that Fareeha was indeed asleep, Angela let out a deep sigh and stood up. She still needed to change into her sleepwear and brush her teeth before joining Fareeha in bed.~ ~ ~When Fareeha woke up, she did so feeling fully rested. She stretched and that’s when she felt an arm around her waist, trying to pull her to her right. She turned her head and suddenly remembered that she didn’t stay at the hotel last night. Angela was sleeping on her side, her hair covering half of her face, her right arm casually placed on top of Fareeha’s stomach.Fareeha would have freaked out a little bit if not for the fact that Angela was still sleeping. Instead, she enjoyed their shared warmth and let her mind wander over how their bodies would fit perfectly if they were to sleep closer to each other. It was a nice thought, one Fareeha entertained until Angela woke up a few minutes later, removing her arm and apparently oblivious that she had side hugged Fareeha in the middle of the night.“Good morning, Angie.” Fareeha said with fondness.“Morning.” Angela sat up, yawned and looked at Fareeha, a smile forming on her lips. “Hope you slept well.”“I did. I wasn’t expecting to fall asleep like that, but I guess I may have overexerted myself a little yesterday.” Fareeha shrugged.“Well, thanks to you we are almost finished.” Angela left the bed and stretched, giving Fareeha a better view of her pajamas.Fareeha snorted. “You must really like ducklings.” She gestured at her pajamas.Angela looked at her and then turned her attention to herself. “They are really cute, don’t you think so?”“Yes, they are.” Fareeha left the bed too. “We can finish today, but I need to do a quick run to the hotel and get a shower and a change of clothes. I can also grab us breakfast on my way back, what do you think?” Fareeha made that last suggestion remembering there was nothing to eat in the apartment.“Sounds good.” Angela answered.Fareeha grabbed her clothes and made her way to the bathroom. “Let me change and I’ll go do all that.”“Take your time.” Angela replied as she headed for the kitchenette.After using the bathroom and changing her clothes, Fareeha was ready to go to the hotel. She exited the bathroom and licked her lips, freezing on the spot. She licked her lips again and there was no mistake. Fareeha recalled the previous evening and even though she was tired then, she did remember she only had pizza and chamomile tea for dinner.She left the bedroom and found Angela preparing some hot chocolate for herself. Then everything made sense and she almost said ‘fuck’. “I-I-I… I’m going to… to the hotel now.” Fareeha said.“Sure. Are you feeling ok? You seem a little distracted.” Angela said, taking a sip of her cup.“Yeah, yes, yeah! Just still a little sleepy.” Fareeha avoided carefully the boxes that crossed her path. “I won’t take lips— long! I won’t take long.” And she left the apartment.Fareeha made her way fast downstairs while she once again licked her lips, this time as if she were a child trying to taste all the ice cream that they had unintentionally spread all around their mouth. Even though the taste was fading, Fareeha was sure it was chocolate.~ ~ ~Almost an hour later, Fareeha returned to Angela’s apartment with bread rolls for breakfast.Fareeha was sure that when she was asleep Angela had kissed her, and given the amount of chocolate she tasted on the corner of her lips, she was also sure that the kiss was deliberately placed there, it wasn’t an accident. Now the only problem was that she didn’t know what to do next, so she kept helping Angela just like the day before.They chatted as they usually did, but this time Fareeha was paying extra attention to everything Angela did, and she noticed a few things: whenever she made Angela laugh, the sound would be a little bit livelier than when she laughed with someone else. And the way she looked at her… Fareeha wasn’t sure but she hoped guessed it was adoration? Was that how she looked at Angie? And if so, how come they hadn’t realized how the other one felt for them?But there was also doubt in Fareeha’s mind. What if her crush got so bad she started imagining all these things? What if it was her brain giving her false hope? Lost in thought, she groaned internally when Angela interrupted her musings.“This is the last one!” Angela cheered, closing the box and taping it. She turned to Fareeha. “I know I’ve asked much of you and I know we have to take these boxes to the warehouse later, but can you help me with one last thing?”“Sure, what is it?” Fareeha asked.“You probably noticed that I have too many clothes.” Angela said apologetically.“Just enough to cover all of your apartment.” Fareeha replied with a grin.“Yes, exactly that. Can you help me decide which clothes I keep and which ones I donate? Everything’s in my room and it will be fast.”“No problem.”They went to the bedroom and Fareeha saw that there were two boxes on the floor, both marked with big bold letters. One said KEEP and the other one DONATE.Angela made her way to the mountain of clothes that were on her bed to start choosing what to keep when she heard Fareeha’s muffled voice. “Do you want to keep this?”Angela turned around and saw Fareeha sitting on the floor, the KEEP box covering her head and upper body. The doctor couldn’t help but laugh. She made her way towards her friend and lifted the box, revealing a smiling Fareeha. “Of course I want to keep you, but you don’t have to go in the box.” She mirrored her friend’s smile.Fareeha realized that Angela was a little too close to her, but she didn’t mind. Instead she lifted her arm, caressing her friend’s face, choosing to stop doubting herself. Angela didn’t move away from the touch, but confusion crossed her face. “Fareeha?”Fareeha leaned closer and stole a kiss from Angela, a kiss that caught her by surprise, judging by her stiff body and the sharp inhale of breath.After a few seconds, Angela kissed Fareeha back.
10242674
Like Bubblegum and
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Rodney McKay, John Sheppard, Madison Miller", "Fandom": "Stargate Atlantis", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by respoftw", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "828", "Additional Tags": "Kid Fic, meet cute, Fluff", "Relationship": "Rodney McKay/John Sheppard", "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 }
Rodney would never doubt Jeannie again when she stressed the importance of not taking his eyes off Madison for a second. And it had been just one second; thirty at a push. Definitely no more than a minute while he left a scathing comment on the latest physics article in the Scientific Journal of America.In his defence, they were sitting on a bus. There was surely a limit to the trouble that a four year old could get up to on a bus, right? Rodney had even taken the aisle seat so it wasn't like Madison could have ran away or disappeared. He was trying, damnit.It was Madison's giggling that first drew his attention away from his phone. Madison giggled without abandon, like most four year olds did. Rodney couldn't remember what it felt like to be that happy and carefree. He wasn't sure he'd ever felt like that but Jeannie and Kaleb were a hell of a lot better at this parenting thing than his own parents ever had been. Madison's easy laugh was a testament to that.It hadn't taken long to see what was causing Madison to giggle, he only had to raise his head to see the bright pink bubble gum Madison had persuaded him to buy (Rodney had capitulated only after eight different sources from google assured him that Madison was above the recommended age to be allowed chewing gum) was no longer in Madison's mouth but, instead, adorned the hair of the man sitting on the seat in front of them.Rodney groaned, causing Madison to giggle louder and causing the man in question to turn around and look at him.Rodney groaned louder because, of course, the guy was hot. Hazel eyes, a pointed chin dusted with just enough stubble to qualify as sexy rather than slobby and hair that stuck out in a million different directions, no doubt styled to perfection after an hour in the mirror."You OK there, buddy?" the man asked. His brows were furrowed in concern, creating a little crease in between his eyes that Rodney wanted to dip his tongue into.Madison waved at the man, smiling happily. "Hi! I'm Madison!"Rodney really needed to speak to Jeannie about teaching her the dangers of talking to strangers (and the danger of putting gum in their hair.)The man turned to look at Madison, an answering smile breaking out on his face. Jesus Christ, if Rodney had thought he was hot before...."Hi Madison," the guy greeted. "My name's John. It's good to meet you. Is your Daddy OK? Do you need help?""He's not my Daddy, silly!" Madison giggled. "S'my Uncle Mer.""Ooookay," John drawled. "Well, is your Uncle Mer OK?""He's funny." Madison nodded. "And sometimes mean. But he took me to se the planets so I like him."John smiled back at her but the little line of concern was still there on his face and Rodney swallowed his panic and lust down before John wrote him off as mentally deficient or something."Bubble gum," he finally managed to speak. Oh, fantastic job. Way to prove you're not an idiot. "It's...ah...in your hair," he clarified. "Madison must have...I only took my eyes off her for a second but.."John's hand flew up to the back of his head and his mouth ticked up in a grin as he found the sticky mass attached to one of his cowlicks."Well, that's typical," he joked. "My CO was after me to get a regulation haircut for years and the day after I get discharged it looks like I'm gonna be forced into one."Madison chose that moment to ask her Uncle Mer for another piece of gum and John let loose with a noise that was either an impression of an asthmatic donkey or a laugh. Rodney immediately wanted to hear it again, and every day for the rest of his life."I, ah, I've heard that peanut butter works." Rodney offered. "On the, y'know," he gestured at his own thinning hair. "It seems a shame to cut it if you don't have to. Take it from someone who knows what it's like to have a lack of hair," he joked lamely.John's eyes travelled over Rodney's hair, taking a brief detour to dart down towards Rodney's mouth, before he broke out into a lazy smile that had Rodney's pulse racing."I'm gonna have to insist that you buy me the peanut butter," John said. "It is sort of your fault that I'm in this mess."Rodney swallowed heavily, hoping he wasn't reading this wrong. "I'd say it was the least I could do," he agreed. "I mean, really, you should let me buy you dinner. Tonight."John smiled, delighted. "It's a date."-*-*-From that day on, a new saying was coined in the McKay/Miller/eventually Sheppard family.Nothing went together quite as well as bubblegum and peanut butter.
10222127
The Sleeping Habits of
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Tim Drake, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson", "Fandom": "Batman (Comics)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by incogneat_oh", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "1,568", "Additional Tags": "Batdad, Light Angst, Humor", "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 }
– The first time it happens, Bruce is so surprised he can do nothing but stare. Standing in the doorway of the master bedroom, his bedroom, lit only by the light from the hall, Bruce can make out the figure of Tim on the bed. The dark-haired teen is asleep, tipped sideways and curled up small. His feet still touch the carpet.  He’s wearing a faded band t-shirt (Dick’s, if Bruce remembers correctly), and a pair of flannel, striped pyjama pants. He looks faintly cold, huddled on top of the immaculately made bed. His weight, Bruce notes absently, is barely enough to wrinkle the covers. Wondering what has gotten into the newly-adopted teen, Bruce moves quietly into the room to turn on the bedside lamp. It flickers to life with a low hum, bathing the room in warm yellow light. Tim frowns, slightly, in his sleep, but otherwise doesn’t stir.  From here Bruce can see exactly how tired Tim looks, dark smudges like bruises under his eyes. In spite of this, he looks relaxed in a way he never is while awake, his forehead clear of lines, mouth slack. He looks his age for once, maybe even younger. Bruce reaches out and touches a hand to the thin fabric covering Tim’s shoulder. At once, he’s up like a shot, eyes going wide as he takes in his surroundings. “Is everything okay?” Bruce says, eyebrows raised. More confused than concerned. Tim opens his mouth as his face floods with colour. He stutters. “I– I was. I wanted, I was waiting to. I had to ask you, but, it's– never mind, it can wait. I, I fell asleep, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.” Bruce squeezes Tim’s shoulder slightly, opening his mouth to say the apology isn’t necessary, but the boy ducks out from under his hand and is at the door before he can blink. It’s a scramble, graceless and desperate. An escape. “ ‘night, Bruce.” And then Tim’s gone. – Tim seems fine at breakfast the next morning, if a little uncomfortable.  So Bruce puts it out of his mind. – That’s why Bruce is just as surprised the second time, a little under two weeks later. Tim is half-sprawled over the edge of the bed, curled into himself as someone in pain. His fingers are clutched into the fabric of his own shirt (a different one, now, but still Dick’s), clinging and sad.  He looks more exhausted than Bruce has seen him in a while, tears glistening on dark lashes. Though his face is peaceful.  He’s shivering in his sleep, pale skin raised in goosebumps. His bare toes curled into the carpet.  And Bruce doesn’t know what to do. First, he covers the boy with a blanket, being careful not to wake him. Tim makes a small sound of contentment and cuddles further into the covers, Bruce frozen above him. Then he heads downstairs to phone Dick.  “Something wrong, B?” Dick’s voice says on the end of the line. He sounds… worried, had picked up after a single ring. “Did I get you at a bad time,” Bruce says, after a moment, because that thought should have occurred to him before now. It’s nearly 3am. “Nope, just got in. You're… at home?” “Everything is fine,” Bruce says, and he can hardly blame Dick for assuming otherwise. He is not, typically, a late-night call kind of guy. “I’m calling–” his mouth curls down, slightly “–for… advice. It’s about Tim.” “If this is a birds and bees type of thing,” Dick says. “Refer him to me immediately.” And Bruce takes a moment, wonders on how to word his problem. Dick waits silently for him to speak, which shouldn’t be surprising. Dick has known him a long time, knows how he functions. “Can you think of a reason,” he says, eventually. “Why Tim might… fall asleep, in my room? When I’m not there?” He hears a rush of static as Dick inhales, says, “Tim–? I… he really did that?” Concern and confusion at once. “Twice in as many weeks,” Bruce confirms. “He’s there as we speak.” “So he’s just… sleeping in your bed when you aren’t there?” Dick says, evidently bewildered. “You’re out patrolling and he’s being little Timmylocks?” “Not in my bed so much as on it,” Bruce muses. “Half falling off it. When it happened the other night, I woke him. He got upset and evasive, and left very quickly.” “He’s not sleeping in your bed, B,” Dick says, sounding… annoyed? “He’s falling asleep there waiting up for you.” And there’s a rustle of static and a distant mumble of “World’s Greatest Detective my ass”, before Dick puts the phone back up to his ear. “What,” Bruce says, flatly.  “Has it happened before?” Bruce opens his mouth to say of course not when he thinks of the nights he sends Tim home first. The nights when he doesn’t let Tim come with him at all. When he would almost swear Tim’s door shuts just as he enters the hallway. When he frowns briefly at a small patch of warmth, on the end of his bed. As though someone had been sitting there. How Tim doesn’t often seem any more well-rested when he isn’t on patrol. How some nights he half-stirs from a doze, sure he had heard the faint creak of his door, had felt someone’s eyes on him. And he finds he can’t really say anything at all, because, why? “His dad just died,” Dick reminds him, and Bruce blinks, startled. “And you have a seriously dangerous job that you have a habit of edging him out of. I’d guess he’s scared he’s going to lose you too.” “But,” Bruce says, and has no follow-up. “We’re all he’s got,” Dick says, sounding sad and a little proud because he loves his brother fiercely. Bruce can hear him stretching, the creak of bedsprings. And then, a grin in his voice, (the shit-eating one, the one that had pissed off so many crooks in the past) “If you want advice, Dad, you’re gonna hafta ask nicely.” Bruce doesn’t sigh because he’s the Batman, and he is not going to be reduced to that by his eldest son. Flat, he says, “Dick. Help me with this, please.” “Okay,” Dick says, but he doesn’t sound as pleased as he could. “I think you have to start a routine. Something you do to show him you’re safe, and make him feel loved and included all at the same time.” Bruce waits expectantly, until– “You’ve gotta start tucking him in.” “He’s fifteen!” “You’re right,” Dick says, pissed off now. “That’s way too old to have abandonment issues–” “Alright, don’t hang up,” Bruce says, rubs his forehead with one hand. “I– I’ll try. You know I’m bad at this.” “You don’t have to, y'know, literally tuck him in. I think between you two you might actually explode with awkwardness,” and Bruce can hear the eye roll. “I just mean you’ve gotta start a routine where every night, you check in on him. I dunno, even if he’s asleep just open his door, maybe say, 'g'night, Tim’, cuz he’s a pretty light sleeper. Just something he can start to expect.” “Dick–” “You will notice I am not pushing you to tell him 'I love you’, even though that kid really needs telling,” Dick says crossly. “Just– I get that you’re bad at saying it. But at least show him. Like you used to with me, and then Jay.” His voice drops, quietly, at the last part. “I’ll try,” Bruce says, after the silence that follows. And, “Thanks, Dick.” “I’m doing it for Timmy, not you,” Dick says, shit-eating grin in his voice again, and Bruce resists the urge to roll his eyes. But then, quiet, “Dick. You know that. I do, right?” “Do–?” and it takes a minute for him to get it, but when he does he doesn’t laugh. The smile in his voice is gentle, fond and very faintly exasperated when he says, “Oh. I love you too, Bruce. Be sweet to Tim, okay?” And Dick hangs up, leaving Bruce sitting in a contemplative silence.  Just when did his kid get to be this much smarter than him, anyway? – It’s a few nights later when Bruce gives it a try. (Tim had been embarrassed since Bruce had re-entered his bedroom that night, finding it empty, the blanket neatly folded and still warm at the end of the bed. But they had both, as always, kept silent.) When he opens the door to Tim’s dark bedroom, the teen is curled up under a mound of covers. After a second, he wakes himself with a start, sitting up groggily.  “Bruce?” he says, after a moment. Hoarse from sleep. “What's–?” “I didn’t mean to wake you,” Bruce says, with a half-smile. “Just checking in.” “You–” Tim says, and can’t seem to come up with something else to say. He settles with, “Oh.” “How’s your wrist?” “It’s fine. The swelling went down and Alfred bandaged it for me,” the boy says, still sounding faintly bewildered. “Are you–?” “I was just going to get some sleep myself,” Bruce says, leaning against the doorway. Tim, he can see, is trying to make out his expression, but can’t see him well in the dark just yet. So he smiles, a bit wider, a bit gentler, and says, “Goodnight, Tim. Sleep well.” “Uh. G-goodnight, Bruce.” -END-
10268636
A Dark and Stormy
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "K (Anime)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by etherealApostate", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-13T00:00:00", "words": "2,073", "Additional Tags": "Self-Harm, Blood, trans yata is a thing", "Relationship": "Fushimi Saruhiko/Yata Misaki", "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 scream played over in Yata’s mind, behind the sudden rise in his pulse and the sounds of his worn rubber soles on the wet concrete as he ran. Turning the corner, he slipped in one of the fast-accumulating puddles by the alley entrance. He fell without coordination, as if his limbs had more correlation to the gravity that pulled them down than to the joints that bound them.   Looking up (his bangs hung heavy with rain, and he had to shake them away), he made out a figure doubled over maybe five feet away. The smooth blue of a SCEPTER 4 uniform registered first, but it took Yata a moment longer to recognize the face he was staring up at from the rough ground. Contorted, flushed deep, and hung with an uneven veneer of raindrops; Fushimi Saruhiko was swaying before him, eyes rolled back in his head.   Yata scrambled to his feet, quickly scanning the rest of the alley; its emptiness bled into the next street it connected to, and he saw no other figures in the shadows. The pain of a heavy scrape on his unprotected knee made itself known as he pulled away from the concrete, but Yata couldn’t pay it any mind. Instead, he grabbed Fushimi’s shoulders, straightening his friend up and getting directly in his face.   “Hey! Saruhiko! What happened?” Yata’s mind was racing into panic as Saruhiko forewent a response in favor of slumping his head forward and letting a string of drool creep from his mouth to mix with the rain. Yata let out a frustrated yell and cast his gaze around the alley again; no sign of anyone else.   “Fine! Fine. I’ll get you to SCEPTER 4….” He shook Saru briskly, and Saru’s eyes rolled down to focus momentarily with Yata’s, before the lids dropped shut and Saru fell forward into Yata’s arms. Yata stumbled back, then braced himself to put Saru’s arm about his shoulders -- he froze now, however, as the sky dropped out.   The humid light of a sun shining through heavy rain was gone -- now thunder clapped in the distance, and something struck Yata on the shoulder. He jumped, looked down -- “Oh, oh fuck .” A chunk of hail almost the size of a golf ball was rolling away from where it had hit him, and he began to hear the sounds of other hailstones dropping around the two of them.   Yata took a deep breath and hoisted Saru (now fully limp) into a proper fireman’s carry, and began to hurry out of the alley and down the block. He prayed that the hail would stop soon, that it would spare them. The last thing either one of them needed now was a concussion….   In more time than he would have liked, Yata was at the door of his apartment building. The grocery bag and skateboard, abandoned moments after he had heard Saru’s scream, lay soaked beside the stoop. Yata growled and punched in the access code, dragging Saru hurriedly inside.   Although the hail and rain outside continued to pound, the inside of the apartment building felt almost spacelike, a cold vacuum of noise and warmth and life, as Yata dragged his friend’s limp form up the flight of stairs to his apartment. His mind turned worriedly: what to do? He couldn’t risk taking Saru anywhere in this weather; public transit would likely be closed, and what kind of idiot would drive a taxi in a hailstorm? Freeing one hand, Yata unlocked the door to his apartment, dragged Saru inside, and draped him as gently as possible on the worn couch.   He closed the door, locked it, and leaned his back against the painted metal for a moment. Yata’s eyes drifted unconsciously again to Saru’s face, the darkness of the apartment shrouding his features gently. Dry clothes. And then…. Saru probably needed water. And definitely needed not to be unconscious for long. Biting his lip, Yata pulled up the Internet platform on his watch -- wait. No signal, no wifi either….   “God damn it! ” Yata muttered. “Don’t tell me the power’s out!” He flipped the light switch angrily, then twice, to no response. “Seriously!?”   Fine . Fine! He dismissed his PDA screen and strode to his trunk, pulling out clothes indiscriminately, then slamming it closed. As he stripped and dressed himself (old sweatpants, a black tank), his anger faded to a feeling of purpose tired with frustration.   Yata paused as he pulled at the tank’s edges, adjusting them. Saru would need dry clothes as well. He bit his lip, and hesitantly re-opened the trunk to pull out a sweatshirt and a pair of pajama pants. Those had always been too long for him; they might fit Saruhiko, right?   He moved to sit on the edge of the table, opposite Saru’s supine form. The lip-biting had turned into a studied pulling-away of the outer layers of skin. Might as well get it over with. Eyes now instinctively averted from Saru’s face, Yata gently removed the rain-streaked glasses and heaved Saru to first one side, then the other, pulling the arms from their wide dress-coat sleeves. He spread the coat on the ground, hoping it would dry better like that, thinking about where else he could put it (because he really didn’t want to think about undressing Saru of all people, and -- oh god, he was so glad Saru was unconscious, even if it did make this kind of even more pervy….) and slowly did the same for Saru’s waistcoat and shirt, trying to focus more on what he was doing with the clothing than what the lack of clothing revealed.   Yata couldn’t help his eyes’ quick skim of Saru’s slightly-damp torso and arms He noted the dappled circle of a bite mark, apparently human, congealed over with blood, on Saru’s right arm. Numbly, he noted as well the otherwise smooth, uninterrupted expanse of skin, how it lay and folded exactly like it should, and something shameful welled inside his chest. As he pulled the dry sweatshirt over Saru’s lax shoulders, he found himself intimately grateful that Saru was not undressing him .   Oh, come on , a voice sounded in the back of Yata’s head. Saru’s a smart guy. He probably just liked less easy ways of hurting you. It would’ve been too simple for him to just--   “Shut up,” Yata muttered to himself, and gently began unbuttoning Saru’s pants. Again he pulled clinging cloth from cool flesh (flesh that his fingers, as carefully as he kept them away from Saru’s bare skin, found undeniably soft), and when he had them almost all the way off, he cursed himself for not having removed Saru’s boots first. The boots, socks, and pants joined in turn the careful array on the floor of Saruhiko’s clothing, and Yata hurried to pull the blue pajama pants over Saru’s hips.   In a split second, Yata found his head pressed against Saru’s sternum, and rising, as a strong hand gripped his hair.   “S-Saru?” Yata sputtered, taken aback that his friend was even conscious this soon. “I-I swear, it’s not what it looks like, I didn’t want you to get pneumonia is--” he stopped as his head was raised enough finally to meet Saru’s gaze.   Saru’s eyes, rolling and turning, fixed on Yata’s, and Saru’s mouth began to split in a wide smile. Unsteadily, he disentangled his hand from Yata’s hair.   “Thank you,” Saru whispered, and spat in Yata’s face, and fell back again, giggling gently, his head hanging off the end of the couch.   “What -- “ Yata rubbed the spit from his face, recoiling. “Saru-- are you ok? At all? Have you gone full fucking psycho on me? What happened? What in the hell bit you!?”   Saru shrugged himself down onto the couch so that his head was resting on the arm, and his legs were circled loosely around Yata’s midsection. Yata tensed, but did not move; instead, he watched Saru’s unfocused eyes and waited for some kind of response.   “Strain,” was all that Saru said.   Yata nodded, and slowly disentangled himself from Saru’s legs to stand. “OK… you should tell me more when you feel better, OK? I can’t take you to the hospital right now -- so, I guess I’ll make us some food. You probably need it, right?”   Saru didn’t respond. Yata let him be, moving into the kitchen area. No time for anything fancy. Ramen with egg would have to do. When he re-entered the living room, however, the two pairs of chopsticks braced between his teeth fell to the floor, and it was all he could do to not drop the bowls of hot soup as well.   Saruhiko was sitting up now. One arm was extended in front of him, in a gesture that could have come from a Roman orator if not for the clenched tension in its fist. His other arm gripped one of his throwing knives, and Yata watched in transfixed horror as the point moved slowly through the skin, leaving in its wake a fat line of blood that extended almost to his wrist.   Saru’s gaze was contemplative, detached, and did not leave his work as he said, “Don’t worry. It won’t make much of a mess.”   Something boiled in the back of Yata’s throat, and he strode over to slam the bowls of soup down onto the table. He remained leaned over as he met Saru’s eyes, staring at him as if by sheer intensity of gaze he could reverse Saru’s actions, force him away from the disinterested fixation of the blade now stilled a half-centimeter deep in his forearm.   “Saru.” Yata paused for a moment. “WHO GAVE YOU THE FUCKING RIGHT!” He slammed a fist down onto the table. Saru tilted his head, not moving the knife.   “Yours always looked uglier-- “ and now he pulled the knife smartly from his arm, leaning forward to tap at Yata’s own wrist “--didn’t they?”   Yata grabbed Saru’s wrist, lost in rage and confusion, and drew back his other arm to land a punch -- until he noticed the slender string of saliva hanging again from Saru’s mouth. Yata dug his nails into Saru’s wrist, then purposefully released it, using his other hand to wrench the knife away.   “OK. You’re… you’re not in your right mind, Saru,” he muttered, wiping the blood from the knife onto his sweatpants. Eyes averted, he picked up Saru’s coat from the floor and went to stow it in the trunk. There would be no more repeats of this scene tonight.   When he returned, Saru was asleep again, head lolled back on the couch. Yata sighed deeply, sat beside him, and pulled his own bowl of ramen close. He played with the noodles for a few moments, not really able to bring them to his mouth, and then set the bowl back down.   I give up .   He looked back at Saru, and his mouth furrowed at the side in sudden care. Yata raised one hand to wipe away the string of drool from Saru’s mouth, and hoped that the storm outside would relent soon, that he could get Saru to safety, that Saru wouldn’t resent him….   Saru moved in his sleep, his freshly cut arm spilling into Yata’s lap; Yata flinched slightly at first, then looked again at the arm, transfixed.   The cut was about five inches long, and almost mathematically precise, drawn perfectly up the center of Saru’s arm. The blood at the edges of the split was beginning to congeal. With a pang, Yata knew his friend would regret this. He felt a need to undo it, to heal it, in a way he’d never done for his own scars -- not the scars on his arms that testified to the worthlessness of his own body; not the scars on his chest that had one day given his body an eke of value. As if in a trance, Yata lifted the limp arm up slightly, and bent his head, pressing his lips to the cool flesh. Sucking gently, he pulled away with his tongue the jagged crust and slime of salty redness. His mouth worked all the way down the cut, kissing and cleaning, and when he pulled away he rubbed lightly at its edge with his thumb. The noise of the storm faded into a grey nothing as he cradled Saru’s hand in his lap (the gap between their fingers a palpable absence) and rested his head back on the couch, falling asleep.
10296365
Mozhno
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Yamagata Hayato, Goshiki Tsutomu", "Fandom": "Haikyuu!!", "Language": "Русский", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Kot_Tom", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-14T00:00:00", "words": "310", "Additional Tags": "Romance", "Relationship": "Goshiki Tsutomu/Yamagata Hayato", "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 }
— Можно? Гошики прячет взгляд, его скулы краснеют, выдавая полное смущение. Поздно — Ямагата уже заметил, усмехнулся и кивнул. Он-то ничего не теряет, а это, считай, последняя просьба Гошики перед выпуском третьегодок. А если совсем честно — Ямагата сам хочет этого. Длинные пальцы слегка подрагивают — Гошики неуверенно прикасается к выбритому затылку, водит, едва-едва прикасаясь всей ладонью, неловко, осторожно. Сердце предательски учащается, с трепетом загнанной птицы бьётся о рёбра, и Ямагата недоволен собой — думал, что справится, а сам готов растечься, словно мороженое на солнце, от мягкой ласки, тоже превратиться в сладкую, невнятную массу. Гошики смелеет — пальцы уже уверенно перебирают короткие волосы, ведут выше, и он полностью зарывается ладонью в длинные пряди на макушке, массирует. Из лёгких неосмотрительно вырывается судорожный выдох, а в висках вместо пульса: «продолжай, не останавливайся». — Тебе действительно так хотелось потрогать мои волосы? Попытка показаться расслабленным, попытка доказать — и в первую очередь самому себе, — что ничего необычного не происходит. Но голос подводит, трещит по швам, выдаёт своим надломом. И сейчас Ямагата радуется низкому росту — можно склонить голову, сделать вид, что подставляется для удобства, и не видеть лицо напротив. — Очень, — Гошики не говорит — шепчет, и сердце проваливается вниз. Никакого самоконтроля, никакой выдержки, ругает себя Ямагата, но уже поздно — вскинул голову, всё ещё ощущая руку в своих волосах, смотрит прямо и видит блестящие тёмные глаза, залитое красным лицо и влажные губы, как будто их только что судорожно облизали. Сам делает шаг вперёд, сам сокращает расстояние, сам начинает целовать, совсем не чувствуя собственное тело. Зато чувствует Гошики: хлопковую ткань его футболки, выпирающие лопатки, верхние позвонки. А самое главное — чувствует ответ, положительную реакцию, и под веками вспыхивает от удовольствия. После поцелуя Гошики чересчур смущён и всё так же не может смотреть в глаза, всё так же прячется за чёлкой, а потом вспыхивает, вскидывается и говорит уверенно: — Вы мне нравитесь, Ямагата-семпай.Этот первогодка оказался куда решительнее его, с усмешкой думает Ямагата и вместо ответа ещё раз целует.
10293272
Unexpected
{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, Jean Kirstein, Reiner Braun, Connie Springer, Mentioned Annie", "Fandom": "Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by skullstrings", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-14T00:00:00", "words": "3,788", "Additional Tags": "Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Oral Sex, Alternate Universe - High School, Underage Sex - Freeform, Netflix and Chill, Peeping, Masturbation, Gay Sex, Bottom Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Top Eren Yeager", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Levi/Eren Yeager, Ambiguous or Implied Relationship(s)", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": "No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage Sex", "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
"Netflix and chill at my house?" Mikasa asked, smiling softly and looking directly into Eren's eyes.He blinked, his jaw going slack. Eren glanced over her shoulder and at his small group of eavesdropping friends. Jean adorned a scowl, Armin smiled enthusiastically while Reiner and Connie gave a thumbs up.Eren had never been good at this.This was the first girl that Eren openly pursued; messaging her on social media, liking her photos, walking her to classー everything necessary for a 17 year old to lose his virginity to a girl he remembered being taller than him in elementary school.Eren sucked in a breath and looked back at Mikasa, who held a light blush of her own. "Y-Yeah! I can get a ride with you? After school today?""Of course," Mikasa replied, her words tip toeing carefully. "I'll see you then, Eren?" He was internally destroying himself. He had imagined that Mikasa would be the one to stutter at Eren's fingertips, not the other way around."Yes!" His voice came off more enthusiastically than he had intended. He gave her a final, awkward grin before she tucked her scarf over her nose and walked off.Eren had stumbled over to his friends, a wide grin on his face as though he had won the lottery."Eren!" Armin exclaimed, as if he had just solved a complex mathematical equation. "Netflix and chill?""I'm totally getting some ass tonight," Eren shamelessly bragged as the small group of friends walked to lunch. "You can hear all about it tomorrow when she won't be able to walk."Reiner hummed skeptically. "That's quite a statement, Jaeger. Who says she'll actually put out?""Yeah," Connie agreed. "Netflix and chill sessions usually end in an over the pants handie. Plus I thought Mikasa was a mute."Eren rolled his eyes. "Since when are you all experts on this stuff? I'm the one getting laid tonight! When's the last time all of you got laid? Never."Eren was a little more upset he had received criticism rather than praise. This was weeks worth of careful flirtation and messaging, and all his friends had to offer was doubt?"I have." Armin deadpanned, making them freeze and stare at the small mushroom like he just ripped the nastiest fart known to man."Since when, coconut head?" Jean's nose wrinkled. "The only vagina you'd ever see is in a medical book!"Armin gave an unimpressed look. "I've been dating Annie since middle schoolー why do you guys forget this?!"They all gave each other knowing looks."We forget she exists, period." Eren admitted. "She's real quiet, Ar.""Only in front of you guys!" Armin defended weakly."That's gross." Jean retorted."Yeah, yeah. Shut up, horse face."-Eren gulped at the tall house in front of him, his smartphone shaking in his trembling fingers."Come on, Jaeger." He growled to himself. "Don't chicken outー we've waited 17 years to lose our virginity. Nothing will stand in the way of that! Not even this dumb, tall house."He willed his legs to step forward and walk. Albeit, awkwardly. It felt as though yardsticks were taped to the sides of Eren's legs, making the teen walk like a wooden puppet.Eren kept glancing between the metal plated numbers of the address and his text message, reassuring himself that he indeed had the right house, and indeed was about to at least get to second base with a girl. His mom had already driven off, giving him some relief and confidence.His eyes briefly shut at the idea of his mom hollering out the car and towards Mikasa, blurting all sorts of embarrassing phrases."Don't knock, ring the doorbell." Eren whispered, recollecting last night's cram session on all things sex and hooking up with someone. knockknockknock Why did I knock? Eren thought miserably. The door swung open a few minutes later, forcing him to step back. Eren came face to face with a pale, shorter man holding a laundry basket against his hip. He wore a loose, faded gray shirt that read 'TROST STATE' and lighter gray sweatpants. Colorful looking tattoos ran up and down his arms, peaking through the top of his shirt and crossing over his wrists. His slightly tussled black hair shadowed his face, making him appear grim and powerful."We don't want any." His sultry voice came through. His dark, narrowed eyes looked Eren up and down, almost disapprovingly."Wuhー no, I am uhー""Levi!" Snapped a familiar voice.Mikasa appeared besides the mysterious man, nearly towering over him. "Stop intimidating my friend.""Tchー" Levi scoffed. "I'll stop when you do your own damn dirty laundry." Eren's mouth fell open, words struggling to escape.Mikasa's cheeks went up in flames. "Iー shut up! Or I'll tell Uncle Kenny that you snuck out last week!""Then I'll tell him that you have a boy over." Levi coolly shot back, glancing at Eren. Eren's stomach dropped with sudden guilt as he remembered telling his mom about a 'study session'.Mikasa's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then I guess we're even. Come on, Eren. Ignore my stupid cousin."Mikasa shoved Levi off to the side and yanked Eren into the house. Levi simply sent a skeptical look before disappearing into the hall and into the rest of the big house."He's scary," Eren blurted, following Mikasa into the living room.She scoffed. "He's a jerk, is what he is. Popcorn?" Mikasa sunk into their big, fluffy looking couch. She grabbed the bowl and plopped it right next to her.He sat on the other side of the popcorn bowl, nervously fiddling with the surface of the bowl. Eren watched as she grabbed the remote and started to flip through Netflix, politely eating popcorn while doing so."I'm really sorry about my cousin." Mikasa apologized again. "He's only here temporarily with his dad because my parents are gone.""Temporarily?"Mikasa nodded. "He's in military school right nowー but we don't care about that, do we?" She reached over and handed Eren a plain can of soda.Eren, hesitant, popped open the bubbly beverage and took a sip. The soda only fed adrenaline to his nerves, filling Eren's mouth with a metallic taste and making his hands clammy."Are you nervous?" Mikasa asked, staring the teen down with careful eyes."Y-Yeah, that obvious?""You don't have to be nervous around me," She said in a low voice. "I won't bite." In one move she had leaned over and pressed her pink lips against the boy's, catching him by surprise.Eren froze, completely unsure of how to react. He had expected this, sure, but he hadn't expected Mikasa to be so confident, making Eren wonder if she's done this before.Her head tilted and her lips pressed harder. Eren followed along and gently shut his eyes, tilting his head opposite of her and opening his mouth.Her tongue was surprisingly smooth and gentle, luring Eren into a state of arousal.When Eren had felt a warm hand upon his half-hard member, he had jerked up in surprise and spilled soda all over Mikasa's lap.She pulled away immediately, gasping and backing away."Shit, sorryー" Eren hushed, his unsure hands hovering in front of Mikasa.Mikasa adorned a look of disappointment. "Don't worry about it, I'll just hop in the shower real quick.""Shower?" Eren frowned. "Can't you just change?"The girl stood. "Are you kidding? If Levi found out about that, he'd kill me! Pick out a fun movie, kay?"And just like that, Eren was left alone. Luckily, the soda had only gotten on Mikasa, avoiding contact with the coach and the pastel carpet.He called Armin."Aren't you supposed to be elbow deep in her by now?" Came the immediate answer.Eren rolled his eyes. "Yeah well, things haven't gone exactly to plan. Her cousin is here and I just spilled soda all over her.""Soda, Eren?" The pitch of Armin's voice rose. "You're so clumsy. Where's Mikasa now?""In the shower." Eren replied, standing and pacing. “Wait did she want me to shower with her?!”Armin hummed. "Wow you definitely screwed the pooch on this one.""How do I fix it?" Eren hissed desperately, his pace growing more nervous. He eyed some photos on the wall. The young photos of Mikasa only made him that much more nervous. "Just wait until she comes out of the shower." Armin whispered back. "And you need to be more confident, Eren. You're afraid and I have not the slightest idea why.""Aren't you supposed to be helping me?" Eren complained, wandering into a bedroom. "I need help."Eren heard his friend sigh. "Alright, fine. So what I would do isー""ーI don't even talk to him anymore, Erwin."Eren panicked, looking behind him. Footsteps sounded down the hall, coming closer to Eren.Eren panicked and realized that he was not in the living room anymore, but a bedroom. And not just any bedroom, but an older male's bedroom (judging by the mess and the abundance of car posters)."Eren?""Gotta go." Eren hissed into the phone before hanging up. Eren's eyes scanned the room before looking upon the large closet.He didn't think twice before opening the closet door and hopping in, shutting it behind him.As soon as the closet door had gently shut, Eren spotted Mikasa's cousin, Levi, walk into the room with a phone pressed against his ear.Praying he won't be spotted, Eren retreated into the hanging shirts and opted to look out through the slits of the shutter like door.Levi laid back on his bed, his hip bones jutting out from where his shirt had ridden up. He gazed at the ceiling, an arm behind his back while the other gripped the phone.Levi's body caught Eren's attention, no doubt. The way the older's body simply relaxed and how it looked so seductive certainly sent arousal to Eren's groin. This man was absolutely deadly, and Eren knew it."Tch," Levi scoffed into the phone. "You're a dumb ass, Erwin. Disregard those stupid rumors and continue to train. That's what we're at that stupid military school for, isn't it?"Eren bit his bottom lip, feeling himself grow even more weak at the powerful, domineering attitude that Levi held.Shit. Levi huffed, his arm reaching under his shirt to scratch at his chest absentmindedly. "I suppose I don't have a personal problem with it."Eren grit his teeth. He had decided to comfort himself by palming his erection. Eren was already worked up from Mikasa, he certainly didn't need this Greek God nonchalantly unwinding Eren. Was he gay? Eren suddenly wondered. . . . That’s going to have to be a problem for another day. Levi's shirt had remained up, exposing his chest and his chiseled, toned muscles. Eren found himself wanting to run his tongue all over Levi and his tattoos, making a few marks of his own."Yeah, yeah." Levi replied. "I'll talk to you later, Erwin."With that, Levi had hung up and set his phone on the nightstand. He sighed before getting up and walking out of the room.Eren breathed a sigh of relief and reminded himself to thank God later as he exited the closet.The door between Levi's room and the hallway suddenly slammed shut, nearly sending Eren into cardiac arrest."What are you doing in my room?" Levi asked dangerously, looking over at Eren from the space behind the door.Eren gulped. "I was . . . I was lost and Iー""Save your pathetic excuses." Levi snapped. "Don't go into my room."Eren took a shaky breath, cursing himself a million times over. Levi's powerful personality only fueled his arousal, making Eren painfully hard.Levi had noticed. He glanced down before his expression changed into something Eren couldn't quite comprehend."The fuck is wrong with you?" Levi asked, motioning at the straining erection. He grabbed Eren by the shirt and threw him against the door, making it rattle.Eren's eyes grew wide and his heart raced faster. His knees buckled as the older approached him, his breath tickling Eren's lips."You're a bit of a freak, aren't you?" Levi's voice went low. Eren gulped, unsure of how to respond.Levi said nothing, choosing to breathe on Eren's ear and run light fingers over Eren's groin."I'd kick you out if you weren't so good looking yourself," Levi explained. "Knocking on the front door looking like a  fucking deer. You had no business . . . Er, what's your name?""Eren," Came the younger's weak response."Eren." Levi repeated, his hands moving in a pressure that felt like pure bliss. "You had no business doing that to me."Levi reached his hands down and unzipped Eren's pants, fisting the tan colored member as he did so.Eren bit his bottom lip and whined, his hands balled into a fists by his side.Levi hums, dissatisfied. "You can relax, you know.""Sorry," Eren croaked. "I've not . . . I'm . . ."Levi retracts. "You're a virgin."Eren looks down at him with wide, careful eyes."It makes sense why you came here." Levi concludes. "But I can show you a better time."With that promise, Levi slides off his own shirt in one motion, allowing Eren to gawk. Levi tugged at Eren's shirt. Eren, taking the hint, slipped off the agitating piece of cloth."Is this real?" Eren choked as Levi began kissing his neck. "It's like I'm in a porno."Levi scoffed. "It's about as real as it can get. And I don't normally do these things. But for fuck's sake, if you lock up gay man in a military school with only men and no physical interaction, impulses can happen once he's out.""You've done this before?" Eren asked, a sting of jealousy hitting his heart.Levi gripped Eren's hip with one hand and continued jerking him off with the other. "I've dabbled. But with no one this fucking sexy, I can assure you."Eren felt his face go warm. "You think I'm sexy?"Levi licked a stripe up his throat. "Exactly my type."Levi grabbed the blushing teen and laid him on the bed, grinding and suckling on tan, salty patches of skin. One hand of Levi's tangled itself in Eren's hair while the other one gripped his hips."Shit," Eren hissed, allowing himself to be taken over. He focused in on the ceiling, the touches left by Levi tingling with arousal. "Y-You feel so fucking good.""Glad to hear it." Levi deadpanned, shoving Eren's pants down to expose his erection. Eren kicked the cursed pair of jeans off and scooted into a more comfortable position on the bed.Levi stood, shoving his pants off as well. Eren watched, biting his lip as he realized that Levi had a few more tattoos that couldn't be seen with clothes on."Brat." Levi tsked, reaching into his nightstand for a slim bottle of lubrication. "You're so fucking lucky I have this.""No condom?" Eren choked, his heart racing. Although his chances of pregnancy were incredibly low, he was still nervous. He was always taught to use a condom."No condom." Levi nodded, hesitant. "Why, you think my dick is dirty?"Eren's eyes widened. "N-No!""Is your asshole dirty?""No . . ." Eren stammered, his cock twitching at the idea of bottoming to Levi.Levi hummed, tossing the lube onto the pillow. He approached Eren, who instinctively opened his legs for Levi to kneel in front of.Eren perched himself on his elbows, watching as the older took the tan cock into his hands and begin stroking. Levi's mouth began to settle on Eren's inner thigh, gently suckling and licking.Eren's brows furrowed as he attempted to remain quiet. After all, they were not alone in the house.Eren let out a strangled groan as Levi's wet mouth finally settled on the head of Eren's cock.Eren breathed heavily as he took in the sight of Levi stroking his member into his mouth. One of Levi's hands ran up Eren's chest and poked at Eren's mouth. Eren opened and accepted the fingers, running his tongue along the underside.Levi groaned lightly, sending a slight vibration down Eren's core.Eren had gripped Levi's arm and suckled his digits into his mouth while thrusting his hips into Levi's mouth."Imー" Eren choked. "I'm close!""Already?" Levi had asked, frowning. Eren felt a pang of guilt.Eren simply gulped and looked expectantly at Levi."Change of plans," Levi huffed, moving up onto the bed to straddle Eren's waist.Levi had pressed a gentle kiss to Eren's lips. The boy had accepted and closed his eyes, moving his mouth along with Levi's."Give me your hands." Levi whispered. Eren obliged, his eyes widening when he realized what Levi was doing."Oh, God," Eren breathed as he saw Levi soak his fingers in lube and disappear inside of Levi."Shit," Levi hissed. "I've never bottomed before. It hurts."Eren blinked up at Levi, who crouched right above him. "It-It's okay, Levi."Levi had tossed a glare back at Eren, gritting his teeth as he forced Eren's fingers to thrust. "Shut up."Eren chuckled, darting out a tongue to moisten his lips. He looked back towards Levi's entrance and the way it had accepted Eren's fingers. Feeling a sudden dominance, Eren had slowly plunged all three of his fingers deeper into Levi."That's good." Eren noted as Levi relaxed. "You're so tight."Levi had settled onto his knees, his hands gripping the bed right next to Eren's head. He didn't say anything, and he didn't need to.Eren looked up at Levi, whose strained face focused on Eren's thrusting fingers. Eren craned his neck towards Levi, kissing the older's cheek."God, kid." Levi grumbled. "No need to make this cornier than it has to be.""My fingers are in your asshole." Eren stated. "I want to make this nicer for you."Eren thought he caught a hint of a blush on Levi.Levi sighed and sat back, reaching for the lube. Eren freed his fingers to grip the sheets below him. Levi uncapped the lube to stroke Eren's cock with it, causing him to bite back a moan."Y-You're sure?" Eren asked, growing concerned over the blank face of Levi."Positive." Levi replied, scooting forward. "If my asshole suffers any damage, I'm glad it's you."Eren let out a dry laugh before Levi lowered himself onto Eren's cock.Levi's face twisted into absolute pleasure, making Eren's brows furrow. Eren grit his teeth and grabbed Levi's hips, forcing Levi to accept Eren all the way through."Fuck!" Levi slipped."Does it hurt?" Eren asked, slowing down. knock knock knock "Levi?"Levi glared at the door."Have you seen Eren?" Mikasa called out.Levi rolled his eyes. "He went home, Mikasa."Eren bit his bottom lip and grabbed Levi's hips, beginning to thrust. The warmth and tightness sent Eren's nerves into overdrive, warming the coil of his stomach.Levi blushed and shot daggers at the younger, heeding a silent warning."What?! Why??"Levi gulped, a bead of sweat running down the side of his forehead. "B-Because his mom called, that's why." Eren let out a soft groan as his hands ran up and down Levi's thighs.There was a hesitation. "O-Oh. Did he say anything else?""To leave me alone or I'll kick your ass!" Levi finally snapped."Jeeze, okay . . ."The sound of retreating footsteps and a distant door slamming relaxed the two and returned Levi's gaze to Eren."You little shit," Levi hissed. "You're lucky I don't kick you out now." Levi pressed lips to Eren's neck, his tongue massaging the skin under it.Eren hummed, gripping Levi's ass. "You wouldn't dare.""So dominant now that your thick cock is in my asshole," Levi noted. "I like that. I like that a lot."Eren cursed lightly and ran a hand up Levi's thigh to grip his cock. "I like it too." Eren began to jerk off Levi in a way that he's done to himself all those lonely nights.Eren dipped his hips from a different angle, making Levi's back arch and a moan escape his lips."Just like that," Levi breathed. "Fuck, I'm already closeー just go fast and hard, please."Eren's cock pulsed with that request. He experimentally snapped his hips, causing more profanities to spill from Levi's lips. Eren felt himself grow closer to climax as well.As much as he loved being this intimate with Levi, he knew he had to finish this soon."You're so sexy," Eren gasped, thrusting his hips up sharply to force Levi to fuck his hand. "You're becoming so undone for me."Levi gripped the bed next to Eren's neck, looking down over Eren. Strands of black hair shadowed his blush . . . And his scowl.Eren's other hand traced up and down Levi's ribcage where a large, colorful tattoo was drawn.Eren's moans became rapid as he thrust his hips faster, producing the sound of slapping skin."Want me to come in you?" Eren asked, his grip growing tighter on Levi's cock. "You want me to fill you with my hot cum?"Levi nodded quickly, his hips moving up and down against Eren's, drawing a groan from the younger."Faster." Levi commanded.Eren obliged, his head tossing back. He felt shameless about his moans now, letting them escape his throat and fill the air along with the rhythmic slaps of skin against skin. Levi sucked on his neck again, hands gripping at the bed."Look at me," Levi commanded, grabbing Eren's face and drawing the two to sit upwards on the bed. Eren's hands moved to embrace Levi, his eyes focusing into Levi's.It had suddenly occurred to Eren that Levi was almost an absolute stranger, but he had never felt this close with anyone else.Eren's climax drew closer, his cock pulsating and his breaths growing tight."Shit!" Levi hissed, his abs tightening and his cum spilling over his cock and in between both of them.Levi's facial expression as he came pushed Eren over the edge. He felt his own core tighten and then flood with relief. Eren bit onto Levi's pale neck, his moans echoing across Levi's skin.The two held each other and rode out their orgasm, both becoming sticky and weak."Not bad," Levi croaked, a grin spreading over his face.-The bell rang.Eren suddenly awoke and looked over the classroom. Everyone was standing and leaving for the day in a hurry, eager to get home.He sighed and stood, using the desk as leverage. His eyes stung with exhaustion and his body felt extremely weak.Armin threw a snicker Eren's way. "Looks like you're the one who couldn't walk after all."
10270007
Action Completed
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Shockwave (Transformers), Soundwave (Transformers), Predaking (Transformers), Megatron (Transformers), Knockout, Knock Out (Transformers), Breakdown (Transformers)", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by RobuttsInYourThighs", "chapters": "1/3", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-13T00:00:00", "words": "7,054", "Additional Tags": "knock out mention, breakdown mention, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, interfacing, Sticky, Cute, Comfort, WaveWave, wave/wave - Freeform, mention of other couple, brief shower sex mention, because why not", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Shockwave/Soundwave, Predaking/Soundwave, Predaking/Shockwave, Predaking/Shockwave/Soundwave, Megatron/Soundwave", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Chapter 1: WaveWave  The corridors were winding and empty, still and dim just as they should be. Vehicons were switching in shifts to the mines near the conveyor tube of the Nemesis, and Starscream was landing up top as was expected of him. Megatron was plotting, thinking, planning their future, and Soundwave would continue to monitor the mighty Decepticon vessel as his Lord worked. He would never allow minor inconveniences to burden him, it distracted from progress for all of them and that would be highly unfortunate.Silent and stoic, Soundwave stood in his quarters while he monitored. He was sent away for ‘rest’, but both he and Megatron knew the Intelligence Officer would never allow something like recharge to disrupt his around the clock surveillance. The mech was affixed to a terminal built into his berth room’s wall, monitoring the ship directly so he didn’t waste his own energy operating remotely. He observed Starscream’s angry shouting at his armada topside.Starscream: Temperament Standard. Action: None.Knockout: Observed: On Duty - Out Of Medical Lab - In company of Breakdown. Location: Breakdown’s Quarters. Tasks assigned: Non-Critical At Current Time. Action: None.Breakdown: Observed: Off Duty - In company of Knockout. Location: Breakdown’s Quarters. Action: None.Suddenly an Alert flashed across his broad HUD, Soundwave bringing it to the forefront.BREACH OF ENERGON STORES: ATTEMPTED FALSE KEY ENTRY. ACTION: IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION RECOMMENDED.The commands came effortlessly after that, drawing up the schematic of the ship, pinpointing the attempted breach point, placing the coordinates for the exact bridge to open and engaging the portal to the latched in location and the portal opened at his servo-tips so he could enter. He disengaged his cables and they retracted into himself. He did not pull up cameras as they were defunct and in need of repair in that section of the ship, still low on the list of things to be done. This would bump it up at least 2 priorities for the inconvenience to his down time alone.Soundwave stepped out to face a large and familiar purple frame, the mech turning to regard the Third in Command properly. Soundwave disengaged the bridge as well as aborted his standby protocols for enemy engagement.Shockwave’s red optic glowed down at the swift arrival, surmising his accidental missed code entry would summon him. It had been wholly accidental but the moment the erroneous button had been pressed he stopped and waited. Cameras down in this wing were out from what he had found in his diagnostic of the vessel when he’d come on board some time ago. He didn’t want to trouble the intelligence longer than he must, referencing his chronometer and finding this would be the other’s allotted recharging time.“My apologies, Soundwave. My digit slipped, I will be far more attentive with future security measures.” Soundwave gave a careful nod, appreciating the other’s courtesy. He knew the other was still cleared and had the access code permissions, but he waited to ensure the other would be able to enter, dark visor aiming itself at the keypad. Shockwave took the silent cue and more slowly pressed in his code. The massive layered doors opened for the scientist and Soundwave was satisfied.“Pardon me, Soundwave,” Shockwave spoke again, his voice its standard low and even tone, still so polite to the TiC. The slight aerial mech returned his attention to the large mech. “If I could be of assistance, I am certain I can reconfigure non functioning security equipment in this area of the ship. I request your permission to do so, as I am sure such areas are under your authority.”The fact that the scientist knew made the silent mech tilt his helm. He’d gone and scanned their security recently and there was a feint inkling of territorial irrationality, which was swiftly quashed under logical synapses on how his assistance would benefit him, but be an enfringement on Megatron’s orders for the newest arrival to tend to his research.A simple far left turn, far right turn, and back to center of Soundwave’s helm was a sufficient ‘no’ for Shockwave. Shockwave’s audial fins twitched down and back to their original position and Soundwave stared.Shockwave: Possible Emoting. Action: Inquiry Reccommended. Action: Disregard.“I will leave it in your capable hands, then.” The tall mech dipped his helm politely and turned away, stepping off into the energon stores. Soundwave turned himself away but paused, prompts appearing on his HUD.Shockwave: Entering Energon Storage. Reason: ASSUMED RESEARCH – Inquire. Action: Proceed With Non-Hostile Inquiry.A voice file queued, then played with the appropriate inflection intended. Megatron’s inquisitive voice, beckoning after Shockwave, “What brings you here?” There was nothing to be done about the amused undertone from that snippet but it served its purpose.Shockwave paused to look, having already reasoned it was Soundwave still addressing him. “I am retrieving allotted rations for research.” This got Soundwave’s attention and he pivoted carefully to go over to him, the door sealing behind them as the security door ought to. Shockwave again regarded him fully and produced a datapad from his subspace showing the allotment of energon granted as well as a scheduled delivery time. DELIVERY time. Soundwave extended a slender digit to it and waited.The scientist tilted his helm and his audials raised up this time, staying high. Soundwave watched him, fascinated. His visor portrayed a security camera’s view, instead of any hint of interest. A pair of Vehicons delivering a pallet stacked with the precious luminescent blue cubes at that very moment to Shockwave’s lab.“I... must apologize again.” His audial’s metallic points shifted down and Soundwave observed silently, something about them drawing his attention; each little flicker reminded him of something very distant. Of a feline former he was once very close to, perhaps. Such reflectors of emotion, very subtle yet a give away to one privy to such deft movements. “I do not wish to keep you any longer,” the scientist turned his helm toward the door, his intended goal so he could return to his lab. “I understand you should be resting.”Soundwave’s helm tilted sharply. The other had scanned the vessel, but he was tracking his schedule as well? His private schedule? Unheard of. Voice files drew up and relayed, the first word from one of Starscream’s many screaming fits and the rest was the replaying of Shockwave’s words back to him. “-YOU!- should be resting.”The scientist stared down at him, red optic unmoving outwardly but internally he scanned over Soundwave. Was he possibly… cross? The other gave no signs, at least at first. His helm was canted, but the soundbyte was lacking and hastily put together. Using the angry seeker’s tone he theorized that Soundwave was indeed annoyed. He wouldn’t allow himself to be put further into Soundwave’s bad side.“If I have done anything to offend you, please accept my sincerest apologies. I will remain in my lab until Megatron requests otherwise. Is this arrangement agreeable?” Soundwave quickly drew in his words, picking through them and unsure why they made him so.. unsure. Such courtesy, yet such boldness as to step in behind Soundwave’s back. He simply began to walk away.“Please- rest.” He spoke back the other’s words and opened a bridge, using it to return to his quarters and leave a somewhat puzzled scientist behind. The Intelligence Officer stepped up to his console once more, unfurling his long cables to reconnect to it and resume monitoring multiple views at once.Knockout: Observed: On Duty – Out Of Medical Lab – In company of Breakdown. Location: Wash racks. Tasks assigned: Non-Critical At Current Time. Action: Issue reminder of duties via HUD message. Message sent. Action: Complete.Breakdown: Observed: Off Duty – In company of Knockout. Location: Wash racks. Action: Issue warning on violation of communal shower protocols via HUD message. CC to Knocout. Message sent. Action: Complete.Starscream: Observed: On Duty – Engaging irrationally with predacon. Using improper commands toward predacon. Observed: Taking unauthorized flight. Temperament Standard. Action: None.Predacon: Observed: Taking unauthorized flight – pursuing Starscream. Temperament Standard. Action: None.Monitors flickered and rotated to different scenes and non essential personnel. The lab remained untouched since the delivery of the energon laden pallet and Soundwave double checked playback. Confirmed lack of activity prompted him to begin searching through the ship’s layout for Shockwave and found the signal beside his own. He snapped his helm toward the door and disengaged from the console, approaching the door and opening it to the hulking purple mech.The silvery metal fins raised on either side of that armored helm and Soundwave craned his helm back, then to the side. He scrambled for sound files; what was the other doing outside of his door? This was discussed, he should be resting. The large mech took a step in and Soundwave stepped aside for him, not knowing why he allowed entry to his quarters so easily. The other posed no threat, his reactionary engagement protocols were still down.“I request conference with you, Soundwave. You are clearly upset with me.” The unyielding optic turned and pinned the smaller mech with its steady gaze. Soundwave tilted his helm, turning slightly as if trying to look for something he could do or maybe a way out. Avoidance. Why. Why was this big mech infringing on-- He saw the broad servo, the scientist’s only real servo, move past him to lean on the wall behind the intelligence officer.Proximity notifications flared on his HUD and were closed immediately and rearranged so they didn’t pop up in such a distracting manner.“I will keep things direct. Are you upset that I went against the delivery instruction given to me on my energon allotment?” Soundwave was able to react with a swift head shake to the negative.“You are upset, then, over my inability to accurately enter my security code?” Another negative. Shockwave’s finials dipped, his mind working swiftly behind his unblinking optic. Soundwave stared past it, back at those emoting audial fins, the small movement not unnoticed by Shockwave.“You ARE upset with me?” There was a pause. He wouldn’t be dishonest. He gave a curt nod and those fins lowered. Like… he was sad, Soundwave gathered, or disappointed. “I wish to know how I may remedy my errors to you.” Soundwave nodded curtly and moved around him. Shockwave straightened and followed the other to the console, giving him space. He wasn’t entirely sure why he had leaned so close initially, perhaps sensing something flighty in the other’s tight movements earlier? He would pay attention now, watching as Soundwave pointed to the security footage on the monitor, split into multiple views. He pointed to them and then himself with his thin digit.“The cameras… You are upset I offered my assistance?” A shaking no and Soundwave plucked sound files.“You- SCANNED – … -that is- My Duty~” A combination of hastily placed voices, the last one being a sultry tidbit from Knockout that he wished he didn’t have on hand.“I was given this information by Megatron.” Soundwave’s servos twitched, this being news to him. Megatron. Megatron was bothered by this and went to Shockwave. Had he failed him? He must re-evaluate his efficiency at once, this simply would not do. It was not acceptable. “He did not wish to encumber you with reminders, he stated that you were well aware and trusted your judgment to fix it in due time.” Another silence, this one different. Soundwave was still and his helm dipped, rolling over the words.Megatron… his Lord was so considerate. How kind of him. He held acknowledgment of his abilities, faith in them, at least by Shockwave’s account. That didn’t excuse the scientist’s other transgression.“YOU-Check-d- MY! – schedule for – MY! – Down – time?” Soundwave canted his helm to one side, visor glinting and the tiny idle digital band popped up, ready to analyze the other’s words immediately.“I merely checked out of concern. Your rest cycle is erratic if non-existent by my observation.” Shockwave held something in his tone, was it… concern? Chiding? Was he being SCOLDED?“Not- YOUR CONCERN!” Finally, a Starscream sound byte was of accurate use.“If a higher ranking member of the Decepticon cause should falter in his duties, it could cause detrimental damage and allow the Autobots an advantage. You need to rest.”“YOU!- Need to rest.” Again Soundwave retorted. His body language grew tense and that sense of flightiness returned. Shockwave heaved an exvent.“I will assist you. We both need to... unwind in some way to refocus our efforts. Perhaps your socializing has been severely impacted by your position for far too long. I see how others evade your presence. It can be very harming to one’s sense of self appreciation and in turn lower standards for self-care.” Shockwave turned to the console to see what recent footage had been observed, anything that could be bringing the other down or putting him in a mood perhaps. Soundwave stepped over and put a servo on the mech’s hand to stop him, a significantly bold action by the reserved slender mech.The touch sent a tiny spark of the other’s field, held within a centimeter of his form so no one ever knew what the Third in Command felt. The feeling of panic, impatience, worry and a touch of embarrassment was all Shockwave needed to confirm, in his mind, he was onto something. The most common brought up were the medic and his assistant’s berth, then the washracks. Pulling up the washracks, as that was a bit confusing, he could see exactly what Soundwave had observed earlier on the playback.Those two mechs were known around the ship as being an item. Megatron made no mention of it but word of mouth and simple observation proved they were attached to each other in intimate ways. On screen, they were being DEEPLY intimate, believing themselves to be alone. Shockwave turned his helm to the shorter mech and Soundwave flinched. He… FLINCHED. Was this video upsetting to him?“Are you upset that they disregarded safety protocols in the communal-” Soundwave threw both servos out to remove that large servo from his console, not wanting the other to draw such conclusions from watching his previously observed footage. It meant nothing! Moans cut through the tiny room. Knockout, begging for more.“Oohh! Ah~! D-deeper!” Shock and embarrassment bit out from Soundwave’s field. “MMN!! Hah~! Harder, mon chéri! That’s the spot, big boy! AH-AHAHA!” Knockout was truly unabashed in the berth, or performing berth-intended activities bent over in the shower with Breakdown slamming in behind him. Soundwave had the words drawn through his system and all meanings immediately drawn up, observed, filed, saved, unintended and needing to be disposed of. Non essential. None of this was essential. It was wasting precious time that could be spent being USEFUL continuing valued monitoring.“Soundwave,” the scientist removed his hand from the console and Soundwave moved in front of him, trying to block him from it and typing with his slim, diligent fingers swiftly. Audio was off. Feed was restored to live feeds. Cameras re-arranged as they were, with Shockwave’s lab being the top one. He pointed up to it and turned his visor at the other. He couldn’t muster an angry look, not even a silly emoji. He didn’t want to deal with this anymore, he had real work to be done and attending to the scientist’s shocking amount of unwarranted guilt and emoting was not anywhere near the list of priorities for him to tend to in the near future.“GO!!” Megatron’s furious voice boomed with as much bass as Soundwave could pipe through his systems. Shockwave knew this would be something he had been out of his bounds doing but he could not help but make an attempt to remedy this. Soundwave was troubled, and if it was something the scientist could help with then he, as a comrade, would offer.“If you need anything… anything… do not hesitate to seek me out. You know where to find me. Good evening, and rest well.” Shockwave bowed his helm and left the smaller mech alone in his quarters. The door automatically sealed and Soundwave was left to grip the edge of his console.Soundwave opened his internal stores, the recently stored, those sound bytes of Knockout. He began to prep them for deletion, but instead.. he re-scanned them. Listened to them internally. He repeated them, the background static of hot solvents spraying the red frame, the blue and silver behind it, the clatter of armor plating hitting, colliding, lightly. Something else, more refined and harder to pull from the static. The wet sliding, impact of spike into a well-slickened valve. Soundwave give a minute shiver and turned his helm down, away from himself and shook it. No. This was unnecessary.Yet… had wasted so much time today. He checked his chronometer. He was still off shift. He.. he had a lot of time to himself. He couldn’t fall behind, yet… Megatron wanted him to rest. His leader, Lord of the Decepticons and future ruler of Cybertron, this mech surely knew best. He trusted him, and he knew he could afford time away from his duties. That audio file… it was addicting, not because of who it came from exactly, but its potential. He had… an unnecessary cache he could add it to. One he used privately. One he had snippets of so many mechs, drones and officers alike. He would never use them, not aloud.He was not going to be able to rest, not even a lay down in his berth would prompt him to recharge unless he did a forced system shut down, and even then it would be time better spent being efficient. He warred with himself, standing stock still in his room for several minutes.Perhaps… perhaps it was time to seek assistance. Perhaps this trusted mech, one he himself trusted and even respected for both his courtesy and his values, not to mention his value overall to the Decepticon cause, this mech he once ‘spoke with’ regularly before they fled in the wake of Cybertron’s fall… this mech, would truly help him.Shockwave was in his laboratory, organizing the energon and adding it to his current experimental batch to be used for faster development of his predacons. His currently awakened beast was a fantastic specimen, accurate to everything he’d cloned it to be. He had plenty more on the way of various types, all a labor of true passion and all his patient skill. Now he had the ability to work smarter and hopefully develop new clones even more quickly.Calculations were run in his processor, swiftly so and analyzing as the energon reacted to chemical compounds he’d added with it. He would inject it into a tube with predacon CNA and observed, wanting to see if it took immediately. If not, of course, he would set a remote monitor to it and keep track through that. With no immediate reaction he would repeat the experiment with variant measurements he’d also predicted would be successful in hastening development. His laboratory door slid open and he called out in that deep voice of his. “I will be with you momentarily, I was not expecting visitors.” He took a bet it at least was not Megatron, anyone else could wait while his steady servo injected the second tube of CNA. His was brought out of his focus by his own voice calling back.“We both need to... unwind in some way.” Soundwave closed the door behind himself, entering a security block so only Megatron or an emergency medical code could override the seal. Shockwave stood straight from his testing and his round ruby optic rested on the other across the lab.“You have considered my offer. Was I correct in my assumption that the activities last viewed in your room are ones you wish to experience?” Soundwave gave a silent, slow nod of his helm. “I am your desired partner for such activities?” Another calm nod. “I understand.” Shockwave took a step to the side to look around his laboratory. “I have a berth in a divided room. Would you care to join me?” The intent from Soundwave was now clear but he would still ask. Just because the other was mostly silent didn’t mean the other didn’t require open communication.Soundwave would begin forward, steps meaningful and posture straight, as if getting himself into a stable zone to face something. Shockwave stopped him with a raised servo. “You are prepared to relent under me?” The question took the communications expert by surprise and he cocked his helm immediately. “I wish to be in control. I only ask that it is alright with you before we proceed.”The stealth mech considered his words, rolling them around before giving a careful nod. The scientist led him, then, walking through the large lab and toward the back to a seldom used sleeping area. The berth was large, inviting, and reminded Soundwave of one he’d seen long ago that was just as big. He felt a broad palm against his spinal strut but nothing more than the weight of it on him. He stepped to the berth willingly and turned once he was close to it, facing the red orb staring down at him. Those fins were twitching, slowly but steadily they dipped down and raised alternately.“I must confess… I have not put forethought into possible foreplay, to stimulate… arousal.” He stared matter-of-factly and Soundwave nodded curtly. He hoisted himself up onto the berth with his hands and parted his legs. Simple enough. Shockwave stepped between those slim legs, his servo moving down to carefully feel over the sleek angle of the upper leg, tracing down it and to the knee, then under and lifting it over his hip. Shockwave leaned in close, letting his closed panel rest on Soundwave’s. Neither panel was exactly bursting at the seams, as he’d imagined.His finials dipped back, trying to strategize how to reach an acceptable level of arousal to stimulate lubricating protocols. He couldn’t synthesize an array-safe lubricant in a short amount of time, he wouldn’t dare keep Soundwave waiting like that anyway. There was a ghosting touch to his sensitive thin audial receptors and his optic flickered for a split second, disbelieving at the sudden pleasant sensation flooding the finials. His frame rumbled loudly in the quiet berth room in response. “This is an acceptable start...” He reassured but Soundwave did not pull up any audio response. He was looking up, helm tilted and visor pointing toward the other’s optic while his long arms allowed his slim fingers to carefully slide along the audial fins. He stroked from base to tip, then rubbed on either side at the same time.Shockwave made an oddly choked noise, vocalizer cutting and returning with a small groan. “Soundwave.. this sensation is… VERY acceptable.” The silent mech nodded, acknowledging and then letting his digits slide lower, tracing along his well studied helm. He dipped slender digits into seams along his neck, feeling very old welds and being tentative of them, reaching lower to delicate energon lines and pulling lightly, then releasing. He slipped his fingers in and out of different gaps in cabling, then moved down the tank’s frame to his reinforced chest. The glass there was very strong, but the edges, he wondered, and attempted to caress them.No such luck. Shockwave observed the other exploring his form, refraining from doing the same. That flightiness was gone for the time being and he would let Soundwave move at his own patient pace. He was glad to feel those skilled fingers crawling into his hip seams, massaging into tense wires. He relaxed his plating, moving it into flared position so that the other had deeper access.The smaller mech was entirely enchanted by the tanks physique. Formidable, on par with Megatron’s aside from obvious gaps in defense. Admirable. This form was very pleasing indeed. He moved down to the mech’s thighs and up into the gap of armor there. Shockwave gave a huff and a heavy gun clattered against the berth beside Soundwave. Shockwave leaned in now, helm touching against the Third in Command’s own. The large optic was dim, flickering lightly to show he wasn’t just staring him down, perhaps losing focus was the cause. The body language and heat building was enough of an answer to tell him he was on the right path.Heaving another heated groan and exventing through his designated exhaust vents, Shockwave stepped in enough to press his upper legs against the berth, but Soundwave was just back enough he could no longer feel his front. His only servo placed itself on the silent mech’s aft and pulled, perhaps too strongly and their closed arrays collided.“HN-!” The noise was not from the scientist and he leaned back, looking down at the visor of his fellow officer. Cautiously he moved his hand up to cup the other’s chin, tilting his helm up. It was warm, the black-tinted visor turning an interesting gradient of blue along the sides from the warmth behind it, giving the digital display a unique look.“You have… corresponding sound files for a situation such as this?” Shockwave dipped his helm down, nuzzling it’s side against Soundwave’s helm, and the other responded in kind, pressing the side of his helm lightly into him.“M.. mmhm.” The mumbling utterances were almost non-distinct enough to be considered the other’s own voice, but Shockwave knew better. He released his spike at such a thought, the heavy shaft pressurizing within seconds and pressing against Soundwave’s sleek abdomen. He was very curious about what the other’s voice may have originally sounded like in those days before they’d met through the Decepticon cause. Nothing got the scientist’s gears turning like theorizing and imagining possibilities. His lead concern now was Soundwave’s arousal and preparation.He leaned himself back, standing at full height and Soundwave took this as a signal to move away. Shockwave did not stop him, merely bid his time and observed. Again, the sleek framed body before him did not disappoint. He laid himself back, pedes now on the edge of the berth and letting Shockwave’s massive spike rest on the slightly warmed surface where Soundwave’s aft had been a moment before.Two long cables extended from the lighter framed mech, the extra appendages turning on their owner. The clamped ends opened, revealing fine and highly sensitive wires, the bared tips wriggling excitedly as they lowered onto his lower torso. He teased his own seams, knowing exactly where to go. They coiled around his thighs, drawing them up, lifting his pedes from the berth and curling them up more, bending over himself slightly to present his aft to the other in a way. His arms moved up over his helm on the berth, laying over each other and holding the opposite arm’s elbow.The cables made short work of his own preparation, relaxing out the cables in his thighs and lower legs, always being on his pedes having made them stiff and strained. His pedes twitched when he hit a particularly tight knot of cabling and Shockwave continued to soak in the sight before him. A huffed vent came from Soundwave, the closest thing to his own private moan or possibly whimper. The soft snick of his panel retracting was another treat. His valve looked as petite as one may imagine a seeker’s to be. The lips were onyx black with glowing purple biolights striping them horizontally, his node was tiny and the glow barely visible.One of the perfectly controlled cables moved down to part the lips of the lithe mech. He arched for himself, arched for the patiently waiting Decepticon on the edge of the berth. The tickling wires began to caress against his outer valve lips, parting them to show equally full and wet port calipers. He slid the width of a cable against himself, pushing himself open but not penetrating himself. The glowing entrance would flash and disappear behind the undulating cable, mimicking a spike rubbing against him.Shockwave wanted it to be his spike, he determined. A servo moved forward, cradling that aft first, his palm taking up much of the smaller mech’s backside. His pointed thumb moved to take the cable’s place, sliding up through the folds and nudging that hidden amethyst node. It was truly a wonder, this unique form laying out before him and revealing some of his innermost workings. All for the sake of relaxation, relief ultimately. Shockwave would put forth his best efforts, he would please this stealth mech below him. He rubbed deeper, applying more pressure to the outer node when his thumb brushed over it. Soundwave arched back, helm tipping and a hiss of static coming from him, earning a pause. Then a voice broke from his vocalizer.“MMN~ Yesss~!” Starscream cooed out to him with a soft trill. Shockwave was reassured and continued, moving his thumb in slow strokes, finally moving it back further, angling it inward and slowly penetrating that tight valve. There was enough space to move his thumb around the silken walls, feeling lubricant coating his thumb. It would be acceptable, he determined, if the flow was constant.“Soundwave. Will you be able to continue to stimulate your exterior node while I flex your calipers?” Soundwave nodded and his cable got to work, pressing onto himself with a surprising amount of force and making an electric whine come from his vents as they kicked on. Shockwave shuddered, his anticipation building as he felt charge come through his partner in turn. That field, tightly held, was still exposed to him now. He’d never felt so much of the other, both bodily and in EM field contact. He was exhilarated, still anxious, but fully willing.The tank moved his hand back and slid his two longest digits in this time, wiggling them in very carefully and thrusting in more little by little. He worked up a steady rhythm to push and scissor them deeper without harming the other, paying careful attention to each flex of those tight calipers, waiting until there was give before moving deeper and spreading him more. When he was up to his last knuckles he withdrew in longer strokes, still keeping a steady and patient motion for the other.Soundwave began to huff out heated air from his vents, arching and demanding more through his field. His cable was working his node in every way he knew how; pushing in, shifting it side do side, pinching, adding suction, rapidly bumping it, and finally when the other was deep enough to ghost against that ceiling node he added a tiny zap, just a spark, and his hips shot downward onto the unsuspecting fingers and he felt a shock of overload rock his frame. Everything went taut, his legs trying to straighten but his cables holding fast. His pedes pointed to the ceiling as his head rolled back and pressed on the berth.A long and low gutteral moan came from him, layered with heavy static and filled with too much treble. His voice. His own well reserved voice, crying out in pleasure without caring out rasped or deep it may sound. It was half synthesized from what remained of any of his original vocal connections and the binary whine that followed sounded like feedback on a microphone. His valve was clamping down on those fingers tightly and fluid rushed out to stain his own thighs and the berth.Shockwave was entranced, red optic shining brightly as he took in all of the other, tinted in red but beautiful and unique from everything else. Those fluids, the heat in him, he wanted it. All of it. The mech was moving outside of logic, not wanting to follow his need to be more thorough or take more time. He removed his digits and pulled the other down by his upper leg, his spike head already pushing into the tight and spasming outer ring of Soundwave’s delightfully hot valve. He froze, locking up. He still needed to be sure, this was to be at Soundwave’s pace. His tense and flighty nature, surely he would--“HNN~ TAKE ME-- Take me hard!” The voice clips were again his go ahead, and with a strong grip on the other’s left leg, pushed himself deeper. The movement was slow, continuous, not stopping. Slowly his spike slid deeper, each ridge being squeezed through that initial outer ring of his valve, lubricated liberally and sinking into Soundwave’s tight port. Fluid began to squeeze out around the thick and long spike, the shaft leaving room for little else between it and those gripping walls. He pressed on and on, listening for any signs of discomfort, watching for any sign of pain.Soundwave was shivering, back arched and his own fingers holding his arms still over his head. They trembled, they gripped, and he lay waiting for the other. His visor was a flourish of blues and lavender, melding in waves and occasional distortion of white static before settling back into the rising and falling of the colors, fading into one another gradually and warring over where they wanted to be on the display. It was remarkable, and Shockwave wished he could study this unique specimen for ages. His spike was not so patient, and it drove his attention back to his primary task. He jerked his hips lightly and he seated himself fully in the other, pressing into the ceiling node once more. He didn’t dare move at the clamping and twitching he received in response.“OHH~! Please- D-deeper- NO!” The negative comment made Shockwave tense and he edged back, glad when Soundwave relaxed, vents pushing out steam and condensation glistening on his torso and chest. “Hah~! D-deeper!” This was conflicting information but Shockwave responded, moving back in and hitting that ceiling node. After a moment Soundwave began to tremble and his arms twitched. Shockwave just stared down, finials twitching and watching. The silent mech gusted another exvent and his arms flew down to the other’s torso, pushing with a bit of force.The scientist moved back and was ready to get off of him completely so they could work this out but was stopped by Soundwave’s legs. The cables released them and they hooked around the tank’s waist, not letting him back away without taking the stealth drone with him. Soundwave squeezed and pulled with his legs, servos gripping into slats of his armor. Carefully Shockwave dipped in, filling him a third time, nudging the ceiling node, feeling it each time with his swollen cord’s tip, and then he was being pushed back, and pulled in.Of course, the other was being overstimulated by constant pressure, to move would be to exert more energy but it would surely allow for timed and calculated bursts of stimulation. Shockwave was soon moving of his own accord, and Soundwave relaxed his hold, letting the intelligent mech sort it out quickly and set their pace. It was gentle, tender and calculated so as not to hurt him. He appreciated it, the slow building heat and yet the perfect bump of that uppermost sweetspot was enough to scramble his screen.“That’s the spot, big boy!” Knockout’s voice praised and Shockwave almost faltered, and decided to change things up. He didn’t mind the quiet, the vocal cues were very helpful, but to hear a constant praise in another mech’s voice in such a situation he could do without.“You do not have to work so hard,” he hummed down softly to Soundwave, the dazed mech raising his helm to face his visor toward him. “I can ask you if you would like more… Would you?” Soundwave took a moment, considering, and then nodded. “Harder?” Again a gentle nod. “Faster?” A swifter nod and Shockwave was set.He wound his dexterous arm around the other’s upper legs, raising them and leaning over the other more. His pedes stepped apart slightly to brace himself and he slid the other until his aft was off the berth, resting solely against the tank’s pelvis. The withdraw was careful, but the re-entry sent Soundwave back to the berth seeing snow in his HUD. He could not recover in time, as the other was withdrawing that massive ridged spike and then slammed home once again. The pace was steady and strong, each thrust making a loud clang as their arrays collided. Legs being held together and up in the air made him even tighter for Shockwave and Soundwave was again giving electric squeals in delight.His arms skittered over the berth, looking for anything to help himself stay steady but nothing could save him now, not even Primus. It was musical, their huffing vents and clatter of complimentary colored purple armor, biolights glowing from both of them as their energy surged from the heat filled interface. Soundwave’s field fluttered, began to unwind, loosen itself from his tightly held grip. The hold he had on it for so long was slipping. It was so amazing, his processor lost all focus of process trees, of schedules and carefully calculated order in everything, even his own body.He just allowed the filling spike, the charge building over him, the sound of the mech grunting and his tight grip on his legs fill his sensors. Their aroma was musky, a heavy tang to it, something forbidden feeling about it, something taboo he should have kept away, but it drove him mad and he only wanted more. He wanted to be overwhelmed. The friction of that swiftly entering and exiting spike was alleviated but his constant flow of lubricants, the sound was loud and clear. It put that pitiful recording of Knockout and Breakdown in the shower to shame. He saved it, in all the chaos he was recording and saving this. This, for whatever reason, was at the top of his list. He would save this moment, relive it, relieve himself to it.The pace became scattered, harder and then softer, hips losing tempo and jerking. Then it was harder, pounding and impossible to keep himself steady. He searched, he struggled for the right clip. He needed to- Oh Soundwave had to let him know how amazing this was! He was getting close, his calipers were clamping, releasing, gripping again. His exterior node was being struck by the other’s pelvic plating that surrounded his spike and it was divine.Then he was filled, his ceiling node slammed into and held down with no mercy. It grew hotter, he became more full, impossibly full. Liquid fire stretched his valve, pressed deeper into him and began to fill his gestation tank. His HUD gave a pitiful excuse of a warning of a breach and Soundwave could only cry out in ecstasy, his voice tearing free and shouting Shockwave’s name, no sound files coming to him and only his own distorted voice forming the designation. His petite servos dug rivets into the berth, back arching and legs clamping tight;y together under the other’s hold while his overload tore through his frame, charge popping and crackling over him and joining the tank’s own completion.Shockwave released everything, his body pumping transfluid into that tight port and the full pressure not allowing any to escape. His frame shuddered, steam wafted away from him into the cool lab and all he could do was hold on, keep the other close as he could and shouted in spite of his desire to remain silent and appreciate the other on his own. He gazed down at Soundwave, his respected fellow officer. He had an entirely new appreciation for him, this tightly wound and determined mech who never allotted himself a moment of relaxation having the bravery to put protocol aside to seek help when he needed it at last.His grip eased on the other’s legs and he pulled back slowly, knowing now not to keep himself pressed too firmly on that innermost node. Soundwave sagged and panted, vents rasping as he cooled himself down as quickly as he could and allowed his normal systems to reboot. His optical feed took a moment, and everything was red, dimly red. He could see the far side of the room, upside down. He righted his helm slowly, moving it to look at the source of the warm light.That large red optic gazed down at him, finials on either side of the purple helm wiggling slightly and perking up. Seeing the other recuperated to some degree he moved his arm under the other, careful not to leave his valve. He used his large canon of an arm to brace on the berth and hoisted himself up, over Soundwave at first but turning and easing himself onto his back with the lighter mech still affixed to his spike. He felt his body began to settle now, relieved and just as expected requests for recharge began to flicker to his HUD readout, moving them aside to ensure Soundwave was comfortable as well.The Intelligence Officer would settle, content to feel full and stretched on the other so long as he wasn’t completely inside. Those emotive fins continued to twitch as the red optic observed him and he finally reached up for them, cupping either side of the other’s helm and pulled him close. He pressed his visor to the other’s helm and held still.“Soundwave...” Shockwave began, voice already steady and reassuring. “May I inquire what… it is you are doing?” He waited as the other pulled up a sound file.“Mmmn kiss me,” Knockout’s content voice sighed in response from Soundwave’s frame. A slight huffing noise came from Shockwave, finials fanning and wiggling slightly. Nuzzling into the other, optic dimming as he only saw that lovely purple and blue waning and waxing visor before him and was glad to slip into recharge to such a fascinating vision, swearing he could almost recall what those true colors were like without the red tint over them from his optic.Another small huff, and another. He chuckled, what one could consider a chuckle from the mech at least. Amusement in his field touched the content Soundwave’s.“Hmm… Illogical.”
10296482
On Display
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter", "Fandom": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by carpemermaid", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-14T00:00:00", "words": "3,198", "Additional Tags": "Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Sirius Black's Flying Motorbike, Semi-Public Sex, Clothed Sex, Exhibitionism, Dirty Talk, Butt Plugs, Established Relationship, Dom/sub Undertones, Consensual Kink, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Wandless Magic, Powerful Harry, Hair-pulling, Bottom Draco, Top Harry, POV Draco Malfoy", "Relationship": "Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Motorbike Adventures", "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 week later they pulled into the same alleyway, outside of the very same club. Draco’s stomach was clenched in anticipation, arousal tingling all over his skin, making it feel too hot and tight on his body. His hands tightened around Harry’s waist as he parked the motorbike.“Stand up.”Harry’s voice was a hard command, so different from how he’d been that morning in bed, stroking Draco’s hair and murmuring his devotions into Draco’s skin. He’d already gotten into character for this little game. The sharp tone made Draco snap to attention, heat coiling low in his stomach.There was already a queue of people outside of the club; they’d arrived even earlier than before to ensure they would have an even bigger audience.Harry waved his wand in quick, efficient arcs to set up a ward to protect them. His work with the Aurors kept him well practiced at casting discreetly around Muggles so that no one would notice what he was doing. Draco felt the trickling sensation of a Disillusionment Charm creeping down the back of his neck from the crown of his head.They’d discussed beforehand what precautions Harry would take to ensure they wouldn’t get caught. Harry wanted it so that they could see anyone who came into the alley, but they wouldn’t necessarily know they were there fucking out in the open. He’d circled around behind Draco and crooned low in his ear, ”But you’ll know, Draco. You and I will be able to look them right in the eyes while my cock is buried in your tight arse.”Draco watched as Harry’s intricate wards flashed and knotted into place. When he was satisfied, he turned to Draco with a burning glint to his green eyes.“Come here.”Draco’s breath caught in his throat as he stalked closer, full of bravado. Harry caught him easily around the waist and devoured his mouth in a searing kiss. He groaned into it, sliding his tongue alongside Harry’s and burrowing his fingers under his leather jacket, seeking his body heat.When they parted Harry dragged his nose along Draco’s jaw and brought his lips to his ear. “Turn around.”His voice was already a deep, gravelly rasp that sent a spike of desire through Draco. He leaned heavily against Harry for a moment, mouthing at his neck and tonguing at his pulse point. Harry grew impatient and spun him around with a low growl that made Draco’s knees go a little weak.Harry’s hands roamed all over his body, his palms hot and hard as he groped him through his trousers. Draco bit his lip and pressed his arse back into Harry, savouring the way his fingers spasmed where they gripped his hips. Harry’s hand came up to the centre of his back and pressed until Draco was forced to bend in half, his fingers scrabbling against the bike to balance himself.Harry leaned over him and nipped at his ear, making him buck back against him. “So eager to put on a show, aren’t you?”A rush of breath left him and he moved one hand to fumble for his flies.“Ah, ah,” Harry chided, batting his hand away and forcing it back to the bike with a firm grip on his wrist. “Stay. You’re all mine tonight. No touching yourself, unless I give you permission to.”Draco made a faint sound of pleasure and pressed his arse wantonly against Harry’s hips. He could feel how hard he was already and licked his lips in anticipation. He shifted and spread his legs wider as Harry continued running his hands all over him. He shivered at the chill when Harry tugged his shirt up to press his hand flat against Draco’s skin.Harry rucked the material up so that it was bunched up around his chest, pulled tight at the shoulders.His nipples pebbled and hardened at the rush of cool air. He sucked both of his lips between his teeth and made a low humming sound under his breath. His cock throbbed in his pants, demanding attention.Harry’s fingers danced over his back, stroking down his spine. He leaned over and peppered kisses across his skin and reached around to undo Draco’s trousers. He let them fall to Draco’s thighs, kicking his legs further apart so that he was spread almost obscenely, his legs the only thing keeping his trousers up.He could hear Harry making a pleased sound behind him, and in his head he imagined what he would look like, stepping back to admire the swell of his arse.“I almost wish I could really let them see, Draco,” Harry murmured. “You were made to be on display like this.”He shivered, and not just from the cool night air. Draco turned as best he could to see over his shoulder and caught the tail end of Harry’s reverent expression. He stepped close again, bringing back his body heat. He could feel the scratch of denim against his bare thighs.Harry muttered against the back of his neck and Draco gasped. Harry wandlessly vanished his pants, exposing his hard cock and his arse. Harry kissed the back of his neck lazily as he trailed his hands over him, teasing his heavy balls and treating his prick to feather light touches.“Harry,” Draco whined lowly. “Please don’t tease me, just fuck me.”“I’m just savouring the moment,” Harry said as he pulled away. Draco could feel fingers spreading his cheeks and he imagined the way Harry looked admiring his opening. “Christ, you look so good like this. This was a brilliant idea.”“Well, I do tend to have those,” Draco said, his voice kicking up an octave in surprise as Harry carefully nudged the plug stretching his arse further in. Draco leaned his forehead against his arm and closed his eyes as Harry played with the toy in his slicked arse. “Shit.”“Mm,” Harry agreed absently. “I could just as happily fuck you with this plug. Your rim looks so pretty and pink stretched around it.”“Harry,” Draco said sharply, twisting to glare over his shoulder. “If you don’t fuck me good and proper, I will Apparate home on my own and I won’t touch you for a week.”Harry huffed out a laugh. “So pushy.”“Fuck. Me.” Draco bit out his words through tightly clenched teeth. “You already got me wound up before we left to come here. Please, I am ready.”“Alright,” Harry agreed. “Since you asked so nicely.”Harry gently pulled the toy free, immediately filling him again with two fingers. He set the toy aside and curled his fingers deep inside of him, fucking him with them unhurriedly. Draco groaned quietly, pressing back and wriggling his arse.“That’s it,” Harry praised quietly. Draco felt a rush of warmth blooming in his chest. “So good for me. Keep quiet, I didn’t put up a Silencing Charm in those wards. If you scream, we’ll get caught.”Draco’s eyes strayed to the people waiting to enter the club.Harry pulled his fingers free, leaving him feeling open and empty. He shifted restlessly. Draco heard rustling behind him, and then a zip. Harry murmured a quiet incantation for lubrication and Draco listened with baited breath to the slick squelch of him oiling his thick cock.“Mm, yes,” Draco taunted eagerly. “Merlin, please, Harry. Fuck me right here against the bike. So ready for you, I need to feel you in me.”Draco bit his lip when he felt the blunt head against his arse, sliding teasingly along his crease. Harry gripped his hip in one hand and guided himself in, rocking into Draco with short thrusts. Draco arched against him, letting out a faint moan when Harry was fully seated with his balls nestled against Draco’s arse.Harry gripped his hips for leverage as he pulled nearly all the way out and then sank back in with one fluid motion, his cock dragging inside Draco in a hot slide. Harry repeated the same thrust again, keeping his pace slow and maddening.“Oh fuck,” Draco choked out. “Please!”“What do you want?”“Shit — ah — I need,” Draco said in a rush. He arched and tried to thrust back against him. “More, please, I need more!”“Like this?” Harry’s hips snapped harder, still keeping a slow pace. The force of his thrust rocked Draco’s balance up onto his toes. “Or do you need it like this?”Harry pressed one palm against the back of his neck to keep him steady and shifted his hips so he could rock into him in quick, pounding strokes. Draco started to cry out, biting down on his tongue and cutting himself off.He glanced up and noticed several people who were queued in line glancing towards the alley. Harry thrust harder, nudging his prostate and making Draco squirm with overwhelming pleasure.“That was close. If you get loud enough, people might come over and see what’s going on.” Harry’s voice was a deep timbre, wrapping around him and making his cock twitch.“More,” he begged hoarsely.Harry chucked lowly, wicked and promising. He straightened behind him, making Draco shiver as the cool air licked over his prickling skin again. He circled his hips, grinding deep inside of him and picked up his pace. Draco’s shoulder shook with the effort of keeping himself upright while his legs were spread so wide.Harry made a low sound of pleasure as he pumped his cock into him, one that Draco answered when Harry adjusted the angle to perfectly hit his prostate again. Draco saw stars as his nerves sparked with heat.“Oh, god, Harry, like that, right there!” Draco’s back bowed and his nails scraped against the leather seat of the bike, digging in until his nails left crescent shaped indentations. “Come on, give it to me harder!”Harry’s hand clamped down on his shoulder and his balls made an obscene sound as they slapped against his arse. The only thing covering the slapping of skin on skin was the loud chatter of the people outside the club and the heavy bass beat pouring outside whenever the door opened.Harry’s hand gripped a fistful of his hair and tugged his head up. Draco shuddered, tingling all over and clenching his arse around Harry’s prick as he made their little fantasy come to life.“Look, Draco,” Harry grunted, pulling his head another inch higher so that he was teetering on the edge of pleasure and pain. He was locked in Harry’s hold, his breath coming in panting gasps and his scalp tingled, nearly beginning to burn. “They’re all right over there. I want you to look at them. You’re not just on display for me, it’s for them, too. You love it, don’t you? You love being on display like this.”Draco moaned, past caring if anyone heard them or came through the wards and saw him there, spread out for Harry while he fucked him mercilessly. Harry’s fingers gripped his hip tight enough to bruise.Draco’s eyes met the unknowing gazes of several Muggles outside of the alleyway and Draco felt his stomach clenching as pleasure shot through him. He could feel his balls tightening and he squeezed around Harry as he pounded into him.And then he stopped.Draco nearly sobbed, struggling to turn his head in Harry’s hold. “W-what the fuck are you doing? Move! I’m so close, Harry, please!”Harry was silent to his demands. His prick was buried to the hilt in Draco’s arse, hot and throbbing inside of him. Harry said nothing as he slid free. Draco tensed and felt frustration bubbling up inside of him.“You’d better have a bloody good explanation for leaving off before—”“Shhh,” Harry hushed him, stroking a soothing hand down his back and gently releasing the grip on his hair. “It’s okay. We’re going to change it up. I’ve had an idea.”“Oh,” Draco replied, feeling slightly off-kilter from teetering so close to his orgasm. “What is it?”Harry ran his fingers through his hair, massaging into his abused scalp. Draco hummed, leaning into his touch. He dropped a kiss to Draco’s shoulder and helped him stand. Draco’s cock bobbed, beads of pre-come gathered at the slit where he’d been leaking.“Take these off,” Harry directed, tugging the trousers he was holding up. He pulled out his wand and cast a spell to widen the opening of his jeans.Harry swung a leg over the bike and watched expectantly as Draco complied with his request. He held his erection in his hand, stroking as his eyes pinned Draco with an intense stare. He patted his lap after Draco folded his trousers over the front of the bike.Draco raised a skeptical eyebrow.“If I recall, we did it that way last week,” he pointed out flatly, growing annoyed. The corners of Harry’s lips twitched with amusement.“No, you wanked my dick and rutted against my arse. You’re going to ride me…facing out towards the mouth of the alley still.”“Oh,” Draco said after a beat, his stomach swooping pleasantly. His lips curled into a sultry grin as he came closer. “You always say I’m the dirty bastard, but just look at you, Harry.”“Mm,” Harry conceded, his fingers coming around to tease at his loose hole. “Come ride my cock.”With some maneuvering, and the help of two wandless charms to keep him balanced and lighter, Draco sat back in Harry’s lap, sinking down onto his cock with a relieved groan. His shins were braced over Harry’s thighs, spread wide and wanton with the motorbike between their legs.“Fuck, Harry,” Draco breathed, leaning back against his chest. This was so much better. He could feel every inch of Harry’s thick prick filling him, stretching him wide.“I know,” Harry answered.His hands, still so warm despite the cold air, were sliding over his pale thighs and over his exposed chest in a soft caress. He tweaked a nipple and teased the bunched up fabric of his shirt where it was still rucked up under his armpits. He leaned close and held Draco tightly, pulling him down further onto his length. They both made low sounds of pleasure as Harry guided his hips into a steady circling grind.“Oh, yes,” Harry sighed, leaning his forehead on Draco’s shoulder. “So good when you ride me like that. Feel how deep I’m buried in you?”Draco nodded, panting with need as he lifted up, letting his hips come down hard. Harry wrapped a hand around his erection and slid his thumb through the slit, spreading the slick pre-come. He teased the foreskin back all the way and stroked him in time with Draco’s rising and falling hips. His thighs shook with the effort each time he lifted up and came down hard, continuously making sounds of pleasure as Harry’s cock filled him up.“Fuck, so good, Draco,” Harry praised, kissing his neck. “Keep looking at them, I want you to pick one out and make eye contact when you come on my cock.”Draco’s breath stuttered out of him and he arched against Harry’s chest. Harry started to pull him down harder each time he rose up, rocking up to meet Draco’s hips. Draco’s eyes danced over the Muggles nearby, watching as they laughed with each other and talked on their strange mobiles. Harry hit his prostate and he let out a loud cry. His stomach flipped over and fluttered when several Muggles turned to look their way again. Fuck, he was so close. His skin felt flushed and he shivered against the breeze.He picked out a Muggle and moaned again, louder. His lips twitched when the Muggle stared straight at him, eyes flickering over them unseeingly as the Muggle peered curiously into the alley.Harry’s wrist twisted on his cock as he stroked it, and he murmured another wandless charm without breaking the pace. Draco whimpered as slick oil coated Harry’s hand, working him faster. The Muggle’s eyes were still on the alley, looking right at him without seeing him, and it was all suddenly too much for him.“Shit, I’m going to come, Harry,” Draco warned as he rolled his hips.He clenched his hole around Harry’s prick and rocked into his hand. Harry swiped his thumb, circling it around the sensitive crown.“That’s it, Draco. Yes, come for me,” Harry encouraged as he dropped kisses against his jaw. “See that Muggle? He’s looking right at you. He wants to watch you come on my cock.”“Oh fu—“ Draco’s cry was cut off by his moan as he dropped his head back against Harry’s shoulder.His whole body shook with his release, muscles bunching and tensing as Harry continued to rock up into him and fist his cock. He glanced down and panted, watching with hooded eyes as his come shot out in pearly arcs across the controls of the motorbike. His legs trembled as Harry forced him to spread wider, sinking deeper inside of him.Harry muffled his own groan against his neck, breath hot. Draco felt him pulsing inside of him. Harry was murmuring words into his skin that Draco could just barely make out. “Love you, love you, love you.”All of the tension left Draco’s body as he slumped back against Harry as a heavy, dead weight. Harry grunted and shifted to accommodate them both on the bike so that they didn’t topple to the ground.“That…” Draco trailed off, still panting raggedly. “Was amazing.”“Better than last week?”“Much,” Draco said decisively. He paused to consider, wading through a muzzy, post-orgasmic haze. “Although, I will hold last week as a very fond memory.”Draco glanced back to the entrance of the alley and smirked, noticing the Muggle he’d picked out was still curiously examining their hiding spot from a distance.He was distracted from his musings by Harry’s fingers caressing his skin and tugging his shirt back into place. Draco looked down and frowned at the state of it, wrinkled and rumpled. He was glad they weren’t planning to stay out at the club that evening. They had a brand new bottle of Firewhisky with their names on it.“Up you get so I can clean us off,” Harry said, prodding his thigh. “How about a nice bath when we go home? Otherwise I bet we’ll both be sore in the morning.”“Mm, sounds nice,” Draco agreed. He leaned forwards, balancing carefully against the motorbike and felt Harry’s softening cock slip free.He stood on shaking legs, grateful for Harry’s hand hovering to steady him. They made quick work of clean up with charms to put their clothes to rights and spell away the mess. Harry was leaning close to the bike and examining it with an attractive pout.“I can’t believe you came all over Sirius’ motorbike,” Harry said, shaking his head.Draco snorted and wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck to draw him closer. “Well, it was your grand idea to get on the bike to finish. Besides, didn’t you get come on it last week?”Harry kissed him to shut him up.
10224293
Mal
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Maladict, Polly \"Ozzer\" Perks", "Fandom": "Discworld - Terry Pratchett", "Language": "Italiano", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by will_p", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "200", "Additional Tags": "Genderqueer Character, Genderqueer Maladict, Late Night Conversations, GNU Terry Pratchett", "Relationship": "Maladict & Polly Perks", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "COWT - Clash Of the Writing Titans/Chronicles Of Words and Trials", "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 }
"Non mi chiami mai per nome." Polly alza gli occhi dalla sua scrivania improvvisata, cerca di distinguere la sagoma di Mal nella luce troppo bassa della sua ultima candela. È tardi, è stanca, e non capisce perché ma all'improvviso la corrispondenza è diventata importante, in questo nuovo mondo di stampa e clacks, ma il tono di Mal è serio. "Non mi ero accorta di averti chiamato 'ehi tu!' fino ad oggi," dice, sfregandosi gli occhi. È una non-risposta, ma quella di Mal era una non-domanda. "Mi chiami 'ehi tu!' almeno una volta al giorno." Uno scintillio di canini nel buio, il flash di un sorriso. "Ma non mi chiami mai Maladict. O Maladicta, se è per questo. Solo Mal." Oh, è questo il problema. "Nessuno si chiama per nome nell'esercito," tenta, ma Mal attende, in silenzio, e nessuno attende in silenzio come un vampiro. L'hanno inventato loro, il silenzio di tomba. "Perché non sei Maladicta. E neanche Maladict. Sei... Mal." "Solo Mal." "Non 'solo'. Mal è più che abbastanza." C'è un nuovo silenzio nel buio agli angoli della tenda, ma meno pregno, più pensieroso. "Grazie," mormora il buio, alla fine, e Polly torna alle sue lettere con un vago sorriso.
10274642
life death time makes
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Grace Carrow, Thaniel Steepleton, Keita Mori", "Fandom": "The Watchmaker of Filigree Street - Natasha Pulley", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by searchingforserendipity", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-13T00:00:00", "words": "670", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Keita Mori/Thaniel Steepleton, Grace Carrow/Thaniel Steepleton, references to past Grace Carrow/Keita Mori/Thaniel Steepleton", "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 }
Grace never knew how much Thaniel was aware of. A part of him, the part of him that bumped into her in a party and saw right through her green dress, must be aware of the truth --the Truth, the One Truth-- but there had been no recognition about him, then or afterwards, not even when she made sure there would be tulips on their meeting. He had always hated tulips, because she had created them during one of their spats to prove some point she couldn't remember now, and because he had never much understood about active anger. His Nature was of a more understated devotion hidden as passivity, and anything else he saw as spiteful.In the big scope of things it didn't particularly matter, but the not knowing nagged at her. Still, it stung, when she had recognized him from the first, for who else could look so unremarkable while bursting over with music?It was his business if he has decided to forget. It was only temporary, and she had bigger worries than that. Mori, the Being that went by Mori these days, was wooing the One who callled Itself Thaniel again, and her own part in this dance must be played. It was an old push-and-pull game they played, often boring or bitter, but it was theirs. It would be a distraction from this existence's struggles, at least, even if it was never more than a distraction. She welcomed it in good enough spirits, because she was Life and Life was relentlessly, ruthlessly pragmatic. She left the arts to Death, and the dreaming to Time. Grace --not Grace Carrow, the lady-physicist, the thwarted genius, but Grace the Primordial, Lady Life-- knew her duty well, if only because she was the one that had tailored the world to fit her inclinations.There was, of course, no doubt about whether Mori remembered. Time, the Being and the Idea both, always remembered. In her softer moments Grace pitied him. But they had carved these roles for themselves too deeply, through every defining moment that made Them who they were. Beings like them were ever-present, cyclical. Some part of them returned always, even here, in 1883's cold England winter.The results varied: sometimes Thaniel went by his Name, stood taller, spoke only in eerie dirge-tunes. Sometimes he stayed with her, stayed his hands and acts and wishes for her, for the sake of whatever grew from the both of them; the union of Life and Death was too wondrous to ignore. It was never a bad union, but it had been some millennia since they had stopped pretending it was as full of potential as all that. Sometimes Mori was braver, spoke out earlier, and he and Thaniel curled over each other, ivy branches grown together and old, blind to anything else for however long their lifetimes were (and they were always too long, humans went uneasy around them after a while). Sometimes, more often than any of them liked to accept, Thaniel bound all three of them together, in marriage or friendship or only grudging peace.And sometimes it was not so grudging. Grace never quite knew what to think of those lifetimes, but she was a scientist. She was Science, and Growth, and not fool enough to ignore that those were the lives she remembered better, the bloodier and most beautiful ones.This lifetime was still young. Her veins were filled with fresh young blood, ripe with the Life that was her Essence and her Nature. Tomorrow she would marry Death, a man in worn suit and eyes the color of winter. She wondered whether Time would be there, whatever he would stand beside him or behind him, what his own tireless eyes would say to hers.Grace didn't have to wonder, though. There were golden pears growing in her garden, and a promise of frost in the air; and for this lifetime, at least, Life's own path would be Her own.It always was, every time.
10236593
Sleepwalker
{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Angela \"Mercy\" Ziegler", "Fandom": "Overwatch (Video Game)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Ricochet713", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "2,482", "Additional Tags": "Sleepwalking, Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Medication, Post-Collapse Overwatch, Reaper76 - Freeform, Jack is a sleepwalker and Gabriel is the one thing that helps, Major Character Injury, lots of angst and feels with fluff in-between, Fluff and Angst, Feels, Comfort, I just want these two to be happy and safe that's all I want, Tumblr Prompt, who needs sleeping pills when you have a charming undead boyfriend to comfort you", "Relationship": "Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison/Reaper | Gabriel Reyes", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Tumblr Prompt Ficlets", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death", "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Jack had never been a deep sleeper at the best of times, but ever since the HQ explosion, he’d been even worse. It wasn’t unusual, in the years that he wondered alone as the vigilante Soldier: 76, for him to find himself in places he was certain he hadn’t fallen asleep in: quiet suburban parks, alleyways, paddocks, even once or twice in someone’s backyard. If he wasn’t in the habit of waking up shortly after having slept walked, there was a fairly good chance he’d have gotten himself either caught or killed. Then there were times when he didn’t just walk; he’d once woken up in the middle of trying to break in to someone’s house. Recognising that he was gradually becoming a danger to himself, he had started going as far as tying up his feet before sleeping, as long as he was reasonably sure that no one would try to get the jump on him during the night.From what he could remember, Jack suspected that the sleep walking had really started during his years in the SEP. He had shared a room with Gabriel back then – an assigned living situation that neither of them had been thrilled about to begin with, but that Jack later came to consider a blessing. He remembered Gabriel telling him about the first time it had happened. “I didn’t know what the fuck you were doing, man! You just, got up out of bed and started trying to open the door. I told you to get the fuck back to sleep but you were like a zombie. It creeped me out!” Thankfully, Gabriel knew that you couldn’t just wake someone up while they were walking. It became almost a routine for Gabriel to hear Jack opening the door, get up and go after him, and gently coax him back to bed. Sometimes Jack remembered Gabriel’s voice through the haze of his dreaming, soft and fuzzy and warm. “C’mon, Jackie, let’s get you back to bed now. You’re tired, right? Better get some sleep, hey? There you go…”Once he’d started crying in his sleep, and Gabriel had sat with him for hours until he’d woken up, throat raw and eyes burning, Gabriel’s arms wrapped tightly around him, rocking him back and forth. “You’re ok, Jackie, I got you… I got you…”He’d tried to apologise later for being such a nuisance, for keeping Gabriel up at night, for having to have someone look out for him… It had made him feel weak at the time, especially when Gabriel seemed so assured, so solid, so steady. But Gabriel had laughed, ruffled his hair, told him to stop being so worried about everything all the time, he didn’t mind.His influence had soothed Jack, a lullaby to placate his rapid-fire nerves, and when they eventually fore-went separate beds in favour of sharing on, Jack’s sleep walking stopped almost entirely. It started again after Overwatch’s formation, his promotion to Strike Commander, Gabriel’s assignment to Blackwatch, and the growing rift between them as forces greater than them tried to pull them apart. More often than not, his sleep walking during those years had brought him straight to Gabriel’s room, knocking on his door to stand there mumbling apologies and ‘I love you’s’ until Gabriel led him back to his quarters with a huff and a scowl and a ‘goddammit Jack…’One night he hadn’t been so fortunate; Reinhardt had stumbled across him on one of his nightly wanders, and had tried to wake him. He’d started screaming and yelling, striking out at anyone and anything, until Gabriel’s voice had drawn him back to himself, back to awareness, and snuffed out the panic in an instant. After that, Angela had given him sleep medication, to prevent any further incidents.Now, with Overwatch reformed and renewed, Jack had a home again – or, at least, a base of operations. When she had carried out a particularly rigorous medical examination, Angela had asked him about his sleeping.“It’s… not great,” Jack admitted, shrugging his jacket back over his shoulders. Usually being stripped to the bone for medical didn’t bother Jack, but now, with his body painted by scars and burns, he’d found himself to be surprisingly self-conscious.Angela clicked her tongue. “I take it that means you’re still sleep walking?”“Every now and again.”His non-committal answer prompted a scowl from Angela – never a good sign. She crossed to one of her cabinets, heels clicking against the metal floor.  “We can’t have that, not with our enemies trying to sneak into the Watchpoint,” she chided him, fiddling around with a few bottles and boxes. “If you were wandering around the base unaware when Talon…”“I know, I know,” sighed Jack, rubbing a hand over his neck. He held his other hand out for the small box Angela passed to him, trying not to meet her frown.“One a night. You should know the drill.”“Got it.”The box still sat unopened on his drawer when Jack fell into a restless sleep that night, tossing and grumbling.  Everything was burning.Through the haze around him, all he could see was fire and debris, all he could hear was the crackle of flames and the groans of melting metal. His duster hung ruined from his shoulders, his gloves seared away to expose the red burns across his hands, the visor lost. He limped, staggered through the chaos, half-blind and disoriented. What had happened? How had it happened? Had anyone else survived? Who could have…?His foot caught on a piece of rubble and he fell to his knees, crying out in pain as his raw hands hit the debris-strewn ground. Cool tears fell from his eyes, soothing his burnt cheeks, a surprisingly welcome feeling. He scrambled on through the dirt towards the blazing mass of collapsed wall and machinery, forcing himself forward through the pain.“GABRIEL!” he rasped, his voice torn up from the smoke and ash. His lungs heaved and he doubled over, coughing hot dust. “Gabriel!” he tried again, dragging himself forward once more. “Gabriel, where are you?!”No reply came from the haze or the rubble where Gabriel had been, nothing from the massive slabs of concrete that had fallen where he stood, from the flames that were rapidly devouring all that it could. More tears blurred his vision, but now, so close to the fire, he felt them evaporate before they could reach his cheeks. “Gabriel, please! Answer me!”His voice was so weak he barely made a sound now. It cracked and ached and burned up his throat with every attempt, but still he kept calling, kept crawling through the rubble, digging with his destroyed hands, his skin to hot it felt like it was burning away.“Please, Gabriel… Please answer me… I need you… I can’t lose you…”He collapsed, sobbing and shuddering. Let it end here! Gabriel, Overwatch, all his friends… they were all gone. And without them, without Gabriel, Jack might as well be gone, too. Let him die here with them.“Jack…”He looked up, alarmed, eyes straining through the smoke. “Gabriel?!”“Jack, it’s ok… it’s me…”Frantic, he tried to get to his knees, reaching out. “Gabriel! Gabriel where are you? Please, I’m here, are you alright?”“I’m right here, I’m fine, Jackie.”His hand felt something, something warm, something alive; he clutched it, dragged himself towards it, hung to it as though sheer force alone would make it real. Tears fell freely, wetting his scarred face. “Gabriel! Oh, thank God you’re ok!” He couldn’t see anything but the flames, but Gabriel’s voice sounded so close… It was raspy and ruined, like his own, butchered by the explosion, but it was still so soft, so gentle, so close… His hands ached dully as they grasped at him. “Gabriel, Gabe, don’t go… Please, don’t die on me… I need you…”A hand brushed against his hair, wound around him, pulled him in. “It’s ok, Jack, I’ve got you. I’m not going anywhere, ever again. I promise.”Jack shut his eyes, letting that voice sink through the heat and pain and down into his weary bones. Then the reek of smoke and death was gone, the crackling flames died down, and the world swayed, shifting around him; the solid comfort of Gabriel beside him remained, a grounding constant as, with a jerk, he woke.His eyes snapped open, he gasped, and then he was back again, huddled on the cold floor of the Watchpoint basement, naked aside from his trousers, trembling and sweating. And right beside him, arms wrapped around him, was Gabriel.“Jack…?”A shudder rocked him. “G-Gabe… What…?”“You were sleepwalking. Are you alright?”He made to lift himself from the floor, and Gabriel helped him into a sitting position. “Yeah, I… It was a bad one. How did you find me?” He looked across at Gabriel, unable to help the brief startle at the sight of the faint red glimmer in his dark eyes – a remnant of the Reaper, lurking just under the surface. A reminder that the explosion hadn’t just been a terrible, awful dream.“Couldn’t sleep,” Gabriel huffed, watching him carefully. “I was patrolling the halls when I heard you.”“Oh. Sorry…”The dark eyes narrowed in concern. “You… were saying my name. A lot. And you were crying.”Jack looked away, staring instead at the scars across his palms, where the burning rubble had seared through his skin six years ago. “I was… back at the Swiss HQ. When…”“The explosion?”“Yeah.”“Ah.” They sat silently for a moment, neither looking at the other, Gabriel’s hand resting comfortingly on Jack’s still shaking shoulder. “I… often dream about it, too,” Gabriel said at last, quietly.”Jack glanced across at him. “Least you don’t go yelling through the halls in your sleep about it.”Gabriel gave a sigh through his nose, lips twitching in a sad half-grin. “Maybe not through the halls, but I sometimes wake up yelling. Sometimes I… try to hurt people near me, before they learned to leave me alone.”He sighed again, deeper this time, and Jack turned to him fully. “It’s not good to be alone when you go through that.” He offered Gabriel a small smile. “I remember that someone very special used to comfort me whenever I got upset by my dreams. Always acted like it didn’t drive him mad.”Gabriel looked up at him, one eyebrow cocked. “Oh, I’m pretty sure you drove him mad, just not that way.”They both laughed, a half-hearted and quiet sound, but it was enough to break the mood, and Jack finally felt his trembling subside.“Thanks for coming to check on me.”“Just like old times, right?” Gabriel shrugged.“You did always seem to know when I needed you.”“Guess old habits die hard.”They watched each other for a moment, so close Jack could feel the warmth of Gabriel’s accelerated nanites radiating from him, until a yawn stole over him and he was forced to lean back.“You’re tired,” grunted Gabriel. “Time for me to drag you back to bed.”Jack tried to mumble a protest as Gabriel rose and hoisted Jack to his feet, but he felt suddenly exhausted, and the thought of curling up beneath a blanket once again was becoming very appealing… He walked along, his weight half-supported by Gabriel, back towards the dormitories.By the time they’d reached the door to Jack’s room, left open when he’d wandered out, Jack was almost too tired to stand on his own. Thankfully Gabriel guided him across the room to the small bed, where he flopped down with a sigh. Gabriel lingered for a moment, scanning his eyes around the room until he caught sight of a small box on the dresser.“You should probably be taking these, you know,” he grumbled, reaching down to pick up the box of sleeping pills.Jack looked over at them, grimacing. “I don’t need ‘em.”Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Jack…”“No, I mean, they don’t work.” He forced himself to sit up, supporting his weight on his elbows. “Nothing does. Except for you.”The surprise on Gabriel’s face would have been amusing had it not been so quickly replaced by a look of such intense grief that Jack felt any scraps of humour wash hurriedly away.“Jack…” he murmured, sternly.“It’s true,” insisted Jack, not backing down. “Knowing I’ve got you nearby… it’s the only thing that calms me enough to sleep properly.”“Jack, you know that I… I can’t…” Gabriel turned away, making to leave, but Jack hurriedly leant forward to grab his arm.“Please, Gabriel.” He tried to tug the other man back towards the bad, but Gabriel was immovable. “I know you won’t hurt me. You’ve proven that you can control it – you’re here, aren’t you?”“It’s not that simple, Jack!” Gabriel whirled around, sounding both angry and hurt, frustrated and sad. “I… I can control it, most of the time. But what if I slip up? What if, while I’m sleeping… I can’t risk it, Jack. I can’t hurt you.”“You won’t.” Jack kept his grip on Gabriel, unable to pull him closer but refusing to let him slip away. He knew that, if Gabriel wanted to, he could shadow away and be gone before Jack could do anything about it. If he had stayed so far then maybe… “I know you, Gabriel. I love you. And after everything we’ve been through I want you at my side again.”“But Jack…”Jack’s voice was firm, his gaze unwavering as he met Gabriel’s. “I’m not afraid of you, Gabriel. And I’m not afraid of Reaper.”“Maybe you should be,” retorted Gabriel, sounding less convinced now.“Well, I’m not. Who knows? Maybe being close to me will help you, too. Just… I don’t wanna be alone tonight, Gabe. Please?”Gabriel frowned, huffed, fiddled with the box of sleeping pills, huffed again.“Alright, alright, fine.” He tossed the pills aside, pointedly ignoring Jack’s expression of delight. “Just for tonight. But Jack if something happens…”“It won’t,” Jack cut in firmly, finally able to tug Gabriel towards the bed and shifting across to make room for him. “Now come on, I’m exhausted.”With a final huff of defeat, Gabriel lowered himself into the bed beside Jack, rolling so that his back was towards him; having none of it, Jack snuggled up against his broad frame, looping his arm around Gabriel’s waist.“Thought I was the big spoon,” Gabriel mumbled as he pulled the covers up over them.Jack yawned. “Yeah, well… Guess it’s my turn now.” Sleep was hurriedly stealing over him, slurring his speech and forcing his eyes shut. “G’night Gabe…”“Goodnight, Jackie…”Neither of them budged an inch during the night, and slept well past sunrise, the longest rest they’d had in a very long time.
10231340
save me
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Original Work", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by nosignofagrave", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2009-10-16T00:00:00", "words": "61", "Additional Tags": "Poetry, Romance, Religion, Unrequited Love", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "take a poem and hold it up to the light", "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 }
he talks to you of the savior, with his hands winging through the air like twin doves. "save me." but he can't hear you over the rush of victory.he talk to you of god and son as if they are one,the cup of his hands extended— an offering, a blessing.you don't want it— you only want his hands.
10283237
Ascension
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Dean Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural)", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by PassionPhantom", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-14T00:00:00", "words": "310", "Additional Tags": "Spiritual, Character Transformation, Friendship, Love, Epic, Supernatural Elements", "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 }
With a swift flutter of his angel wings Castiel took Dean to the highest parts of Heaven.The light of the transition was too bright that Dean shut his eyes as they pressed through veils of completion. There, the two were bound in glory with security and happiness beyond all earthly understanding.The harsh blaze of golden stars and celestial bodies mesmerized Dean Winchester. Tiny balls of light brushing pass his skin as he and Cas traveled the ethereal complex.And the heat was not of Hell, but a holy flame that cleansed all sin and gave away a freedom that was so pure that it made Dean waver. Never had the man ever felt such lasting peace. His heart overjoyed that God even allowed this after all the things Dean had done and seen on earth. Castiel moved to exit the secret place. But Dean turned."Cas wait, Don't…Don't go. I want you to stay with me.""I'll be back Dean." Cas smiled. "Take your time.""Cas…" Dean blinked.Castiel vanished….Then unexpectedly Dean was wrapped in a mystical white flame. That scorched every part of his spirit. Immersing him entirely. The pain was hitching and Dean clutched his neck vehemently as he struggled to breathe. And it was with a scream of agony that the former Dean Winchester was ripped away as new level of existence pierced through him….The newly created Archangel's wings were larger than any…. even larger and far more beautiful than that of the fallen Lightbearer. Taller now with a more arduous build Dean Winchester's eyes burned a bright silver blue. His hair was slightly longer and his new mind was filled with a terrifying wisdom that made him breathe differently….Returning to Earth caused a colossal explosion, knocking out the world's power sources, erupting great storms and leaving governments in a frenzy.
10219442
Fireflies
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Gregory Goyle, Hermione Granger", "Fandom": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Squarepeg72", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "337", "Additional Tags": "First Kiss, First Dates, Walks In The Park", "Relationship": "Gregory Goyle/Hermione Granger", "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 }
Chocolate curls plied on her head Whisky eyes stare into the mirror Stomach flutters with uncertainty “I can’t believe I am doing this”Dark hair slides through his fingers Dark eyes stare in the mirror Hands dampen with uncertainty “What am I doing?”Black silk swirls around her knees Small feet slide into high heels Fingers tap with uncertainty “All I know is that…”Black wool settles on broad shoulders Large feet shuffle to the floo Powder drops to the floor “…I can’t stop thinking about you.”Hope flares in her eyes Whiskey eyes look into dark ones Bodies drawn together “I can’t believe you are finally here.”Fear reflects in his eyes Dark eyes look into whiskey ones Hands drawn to faces “Why did I wait so long?”Scarf wrapped around her neck Small feet lead the way Fingers linger on his wrist “I don’t know if it’s love …Hat settled on his head Large feet follow small footprints Hand brushes the small of her back “ …or if it’s obsession”Candles flicker at the table Whiskey eyes search dark ones Heads drawn together “I can’t believe we are finally here”Glasses clink at the table Dark eyes drown in whiskey ones Fingers laced together “What are we still sitting here?Wind whispers through her curls Small feet wander through the park Lights dance through the trees “ … or fear,”Wind swirls around his coat Large feet shuffle through the grass Fireflies land on his hand “... but I am ready to find out.”Faces turn to each other Whiskey eyes lock on dark ones Lips curl in sweet surprise “I can’t believe you feel this good.”Lips draw closer Dark eyes lock with whiskey ones Eyes close as breath mingles “Why did we wait so long?”Chocolate curls fall around her face Dark hair slides through his fingers Lips meet in sweet surrender “All I know is that …”Hope flares in her eyes Fear reflects in his Foreheads touch in the quiet “ … I can’t stop thinking about you.”
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Watch The Young Hearts
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Victor Nikiforov, Katsuki Yuuri, Yakov Feltsman, Lee Seung Gil, Nikolai Plisetsky (Mentioned), Otabek Altin, Yuri Plisetsky, Nishigori Yuuko, Nishigori Triplets, Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s)", "Fandom": "Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by kiazareni", "chapters": "14/14", "completed": "2017-08-01", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "101,594", "Additional Tags": "Angst, Reunion, Friendship/Love, Friends to Lovers, Aged-Up Character(s), Mentions of Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Mutual Pining, past unresolved issues, Slow Burn, Breaking Up & Making Up, Viktor with a K, College Student Yuri, but not an au, Skating injury, One of them is a bartender, guess which one", "Relationship": "Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky", "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 }
Yuri Plisetsky had this special talent to predict a bad day before it even began. It usually hit him right when he woke up, a low feeling in his stomach that kept him from getting up right away and he took a few minutes to stare at the ceiling and mentally prepare himself for another difficult day. His eyes followed the sun-bleached pattern of the yellowish painting as he tried to figure out what made him so anxious, and he blindly tapped around for his phone to check his schedule. One look at the calendar and he threw the phone away, turning around to mumble a few curse words into his pillow, while yanking a worn-out book from under it and dropping it on the ground. The old “sleep on it and the knowledge will magically transfer into your head at night” definitely didn’t work because he couldn’t recall a single sentence he had read the day before, and he let out a miserable whine at the thought of the paper he had to hand in next week and hadn’t even started. But that’s not why that day was going to be terrible, not even close. It was the motherfucking open-mic evening at work. The bar was always full when there was an event like this, and while it meant a fair amount of tips for Yuri, he also had to put up with a shit ton of disgustingly drunk people, horrible underground rock songs and poorly done music videos all night. Oh the money was good, but he had to suffer for it.He liked working at the bar, liked to busy himself behind the counter, making drinks and watch the people around him. The large group that grew louder with every tequila shot, the desperate ones tripping over themselves to hook up with someone, the smaller groups of friends hanging out, talking and laughing with an ease, discussing their love lives, school, politics or whatever the news of the week happened to be. Or those who argued about philosophy and history, movies and music awards and books, exchanging ideas over a bottle of wine, their words becoming more and more slurred with each glass. He especially liked the ones sitting alone, their only company is a beer in front of them and Yuri on the other side of the counter. He watched them sulk over their drinks, and on a good day he sometimes even asked them about it, listening to stories about school, parents, pets, significant others, bosses, coworkers or whatever caused them to want to get drunk alone.Some of them were regulars and Yuri greeted them almost as if he was their friend too. They would sit at the table closest to him, involving him in their conversation, asking for his opinion on certain matters, or just requesting songs. Yuri took care of them if they got too drunk, called a cab and made sure they were safe, watched them as they stumbled out of the place laughing, holding onto each other.Most of these people never showed up on open-mic nights, and even if they did, they were swallowed by the crowd and the ear-piercing music anyway, so that was one more reason why he wasn’t exactly looking forward to the night.He rolled out of his bed, cursing again, when he accidentally stepped on his phone and went to get ready for the day. His shift started at five, but he had a class before that. He thought about skipping it, like he did with most of them, but the Macroeconomics professor could be a real bitch with grading if he didn’t recognize a student from his lectures, and no matter how much he hated studying Management, he wasn’t going to make his life more difficult than it had to be.He was almost out of the apartment when he noticed the small package lying on the kitchen table. Huh. He forgot about that completely. He brought it in when he got home from work the previous night, and he was too tired to even check who it was from or what was in it. He hesitated for a second. On one hand, he had more than enough time before he actually had to leave so he wasn’t going to be late from class, on the other, Yuri had a feeling it was a late gift from Viktor and Yuuri. They called him two weeks ago on his birthday, going on and on about how they promise they sent something but it was probably going to arrive later, coming from Japan and all, and he shouldn’t worry about it. (Yuri translated Katsudon’s words as “Viktor forgot to post it in time”.)He didn’t worry about it. He almost forgot about the date himself, and besides Yuuri and Viktor, the only ones who bothered to at least send a message were Mila, Seung-gil and a few people from uni he got to know. He didn’t count the birthday wishes from the fans who still hadn’t forgotten about him, almost four years after he was forced to retire. He tore the crumpled, brown paper open and threw it on the table, staring at its contents with wide eyes. There was a short letter attached, and he held it carefully as he read the words of, judging by the nice, curled handwriting, Viktor.  Dear Yurio, I hope you have a wonderful birthday, and this package gets there in time! Yuuri and I would love to see you again, we miss you very much, so this year we decided not to give you a chance to say no. If you haven’t thrown it away already, you’re holding a plane ticket to Japan. We checked when your semester ends, you’re leaving the day after, so no excuses. We didn’t book the flight back, you can stay as long as you want, and yes, we mean that. As long as you want. Happy 25th birthday! Yuuri and Viktor Ps: The scarf is from the Nishigori family. They also can’t wait to meet you again! Be sure to check the triplets’ youtube channel, as well as Axel’s short dance at nationals, because they will definitely want to hear your opinion.  Yuri blinked to chase away the tears that started burning his eyes and picked up the leopard print scarf to wrap it around his neck. He hadn’t seen Viktor and Yuuri since his grandpa’s funeral and that was more than two years ago, almost three now. They invited him from time to time, but there was always something that kept Yuri from visiting them. He felt conflicted. He hadn’t even left St. Petersburg this past year, let alone the country and a vacation sounded like just what he needed. Hasetsu was a beautiful place, and he missed Yuuri’s pork cutlet bowl almost as much as he missed those bastards.But getting away from the grayness of this life would make it even worse when he has to come back.He started getting used to it. There were days, quiet evenings, passing moments when he thought it wasn’t that bad. He even had a few friends at university, people who didn’t harass him with questions about his figure skating career, and while Yuri may not have actively seeked their company, he sometimes decided to tag along when they invited him somewhere, and he had a good time. Leaving would mean catching a glimpse of his old life, before everything went to shit. When the ice meant the world to him, and he had a family around, supporting him and loving him despite his every attempt to push them away and prove he didn’t need them. When Viktor and Yuuri still lived in St. Petersburg, hosting dinner parties for their rinkmates, and Mila was there to tease him endlessly, ruffling his hair and calling him little brat. When Yakov and Lilia were there to train him every day, exhausting his body and mind in a way Yuri hadn’t been able to since he retired. When he still had his skating, and the ice was his best friend, the one he could always rely on, before it betrayed him and forced him to end his career, never to be able to compete again. When Otabek never would have missed his birthday.When his grandfather was still with him. A trip to Hasetsu would be nothing but a cruel reminder of what he’d lost over the years. He left the letter and the ticket on the table, deciding that he needs more time to think about this. The semester didn’t end for another four months, and they probably didn’t expect him to give an answer right now anyway. He took notes during the lecture like a machine, barely even registering the words in front of him. His mind went back to the letter resting on his table at home, and he tugged lightly on the scarf, fingers smoothing down the soft fabric, fiddling with the hem of it. The triplets were about sixteen now, and the fact that they still cared about him so much honestly overwhelmed him. He knew that Axel started ice dancing, but he’d never seen any of her performances, just like he stopped watching competitions at all. It’s how he lost most of the people he actually liked among the other skaters, them tiptoeing around the subject, not knowing how to approach him and what else to talk about, careful not to bring up the subject of figure skating.Lee Seung-gil was an exception, he never seemed to be bothered by the fact that Yuri hadn’t seen any of his programs and he’d never told him about his medals and scores. They would chat about anything but that, even if it was just after he got home from a competition. He would Skype with Yuri, they would watch movies together and he acted like he did not just win 4CC. It became even easier after he retired, and the two of them remained friends, sharing a few messages every week.They weren’t that close, but Yuri still appreciated his friendship very much. He was forced to return his attention to reality when he felt a leg kicking his ankle under the table. “Do you need a moment alone with that scarf of yours?” The whisper reached his ears and he snapped his friend’s hand away from the fabric.“Shut up,” he replied, but he knew that his weak remark wouldn’t stop Polina from laughing at him quietly.“Sorry,” she said with an earnest look on her face, smoothing down her own dark brown hair before holding her ponytail next to the scarf. “Whoa, I should get one too, it looks really good with my hair colour. Where did you buy it?”“It was a gift, and it obviously suits me better so you can stop dreaming about stealing my signature look.” His answer lacked the rude tone he was aiming for and he rolled his eyes when he saw the girl sticking her tongue out in response. He had long come to terms with the fact that Polina just wasn’t scared of him. She was much like Yuri himself used to be in a lot of ways, but her attitude towards him wasn’t anything new. None of these people seemed to think much of him these days, since most of them didn’t know who he was or they didn’t care, and even though he needed to grow accustomed to not being special, he now welcomed being just another face in the crowd. It made everything easier, disappearing among them, without having to face his past constantly. “Who stepped on your toes to make you so grumpy today?”“You did, like two seconds ago,” he grabbed her hand to check the time on her wrist watch, and let out a relieved sigh when he realized that the lecture would end in about five minutes. Polina had already packed her own notebook away, pushed her feet up against the back of the chair in front of her and started tapping on her phone in a blatantly obvious way.“Wanna come grab a drink with us after?”“Can’t, I have a shift tonight.”She looked up and made a show of staring at an imaginary camera with an eyebrow raised.“You work at a pub, I’m sure we can somehow solve this problem.”The professor finished the presentation and people stood up immediately, most of them ready to leave right away, coats and backpacks on. The volume rose around them as everyone began talking and complaining about the things they had to do and how they would absolutely do them tomorrow.“It’s open-mic night,” Yuri replied a bit louder as he walked out, not even checking if Polina followed him.“Ugh, then you’re on your own, dude,” she said and with a ‘See you around’ she took off, leaving Yuri alone as he stepped outside.A rush of cold air hit him and he pulled the scarf more tightly around his neck, zipping up his jacket too. He couldn’t really afford to get sick and miss work, since nowadays that was his only reliable income. He couldn’t just lie in bed for a week, as much as the thought itself attracted him. He thought about calling Viktor on his way to the bar, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He had no idea what he was supposed to say besides thank them for the birthday present, without agreeing to the trip he wasn’t sure he was ready to take. He was grateful that the package arrived late, because they had no way of knowing when Yuri would receive it, and he could have a few days to get used to the idea. Right now though he pushed it away, returning to what should have been a more pressing matter, his midterm essay about competition policy and regulation. It wasn’t like he was actually interested in the subject, much like studying Management wasn’t his biggest dream come true, but writing about how you shouldn’t play dirty didn’t seem difficult. That was all the reason he chose that topic but he still had absolutely no clue how he should even begin. It was one of the most important essays he had to write before his thesis, and he only had one week left until the deadline.By choosing the subject he thought was the easiest and not being able to do it anyway, he just felt like an even bigger failure than he already was. His mind reeled from one thing to another, listing things he needed to get done, from a simple phone call to the essay and the open-mic night from hell he had to survive before that, and he felt numb, wishing he could just go home and hide under his blankets until it all magically goes away. Instead, he went to work, dropped his bag in the spare room for the employees in the back and tried to be civil around his boss, going so far as smiling at her when she actually apologized for having him work that day.“I know you hate this kind of thing,” she said, “but you were the only one available.”Meaning, he was the only part-timer who hadn’t found some bullshit excuse to skip the busiest, most exhausting night all month, Yuri corrected her silently, but just shrugged as a sign of acknowledging her words.He nodded at Denis, the only full-time employee and then quickly took his place behind the counter, helping him out, watching as people started appearing in small groups, bands arriving one after another, each member wearing the same stupid, excited smile. They, of course, all brought friends, wives, husbands to watch them perform and soon Yuri was flooded with people demanding their drinks at 6 fucking pm. Three hours into his shift, when the open-mic event actually started, the place was full and Yuri got more tips than he usually did all night. He put his blonde hair up in a bun to stop it from falling in his face after he handed a Moscow Mule over to a guy and stopped himself from making a petty remark about them being in St. Petersburg. It wouldn’t have been funny enough to risk pissing the customer off.“Anything else?” he asked the next group as he poured them four vodka shots, and the guy who paid for them looked up at him before leaning over the counter.“Maybe your phone number for my friend?”Yuri blinked, unimpressed, careful to keep a neutral expression on his face.“Depends. Which one?”The other man smiled, all white teeth and friendly playfulness, and dropped his gaze from Yuri’s eyes to his lips.“Me, I’m the friend.” He slightly turned his head away in embarrassment, but Yuri saw through it, it was more of an act than honest awkwardness. “Are you in one of these bands?” he asked instead of giving a straight answer, trying to determine the level of attitude he could afford showing towards him.“Yes I am.” Seeing his proud smile, Yuri couldn’t help but reply with a smirk.“Then no.”He thought that was it, and he turned away, picking up a few empty glasses left on the counter. “So you’re in a band too and what? Not allowed to sleep with enemy?”Now that was downright rude, assuming Yuri belonged to any of those groups. He shot a dark look at the man, who still didn’t realize the subtle ‘fuck off’ hinted at him.“Okay, okay,” he laughed at Yuri, lifting his hands in mocking way of self-defence, “huh. You just looked familiar, I thought I’ve seen you somewhere before.”For a split second, Yuri froze, a knot sinking low in his stomach as he silently plead for the man not to recognize him, not to figure out where he might have known Yuri from. He didn’t let it show, even held his head a bit higher in pride and turned his attention towards the next person, before changing his mind and turning around again.“This was even more lame and desperate than your first try. You seriously need to up your game a little.”He wasn’t sure if the guy had said anything after that, because he shut him off completely, not even giving him a chance at continuing that conversation. He was used to being a popular choice for flirting, he could handle that, and his boss was cool with him saying no in a less friendly manner too, if the situation required it. But the chance of someone recognizing him as a skater at that shitty bar of all places had caught him off-guard. He had no problem with that either, what he wasn’t prepared for was the questions he always got. What happened when he was injured? Is there no way he could go back to skating? Does his hip still hurt? Does it disturb him in his everyday life? What is he doing now that his career is over? It’s been four years what has he been doing all this time? Does he miss skating? Does he have any new goals to pursue? His honest reaction to these questions might just cost him his job. He was almost grateful when the first band started playing after setting up all the equipment and he had a hard time understanding the orders over the blasting music, let alone having a proper conversation. On the screen behind the small stage they played a music video they shot for the song.Yuri worked quickly and quietly, filling glasses and handing back change like it was the most natural thing in the world, glancing up at the stage when he heard something that didn’t remind him of the sound of a plane crash. At least half the bands brought their music videos with them, or just pictures to show in the background, and more often than not they were more interesting than the music they were playing.Everytime he turned around or poured a drink, Yuri looked up at the screen and it was how he almost dropped a bottle of Jack Daniels when he caught a glimpse of a familiar pair of dark brown eyes in one of the videos. He put the bottle down, not daring to tear his eyes away from the screen as he waited to see that face again. He must have been mistaken. He only saw him for a second, his mind probably played a trick on him, it was just someone who looked like him, because it was fucking impossible, he couldn’t show up just like that, as a face in the crowd in a poorly done music video for an amateur russian rock band.Yuri swallowed hard and shook his head, putting the glass of whisky in front of the person on the other side of the counter, and distractedly took the money from her.He glanced up again, just to be absolutely sure.There he was again, and this time, Yuri couldn’t have possibly mistaken him for someone else. Standing in the middle of the framed shot was Otabek, and even though they only showed him for a second, the image seared itself into Yuri’s brain and he was unable to see anything else after that. His hair was longer than Yuri remembered, but he still had the familiar undercut, and his intense stare burnt a hole through Yuri’s mind. The whole scene couldn’t have been longer than two seconds, but Yuri felt like time stopped around him, and he watched the video closely, desperate for another glimpse at the man. There was another cut a few moments later, of a hand closing around someone else's, and even though he hadn’t seen him in years, Yuri instantly recognized the strong fingers curling around a slender wrist. And then there was a close-up again, fingerless gloves smoothing down his hair, never breaking eye contact with the camera, and through that, with Yuri, who gripped the counter so tightly his knuckles turned white. He tore his gaze from the screen and willed himself to breathe properly, but he couldn’t help the lump forming in his throat as he scanned the crowd, searching for Otabek. It was a common thing that people close to the band came to see the show, especially if they starred in the music video for the song they were playing. He looked behind the people standing at the counter, stretching his neck to see the band coming down from the stage, to check if Otabek was there, waiting for them, but he couldn’t see anything. People started getting impatient as he stood there doing nothing and he turned to Denis, letting him know that he would take his first break now. He all but ran out from behind the counter, frantically searching for the familiar face, and he ignored the weight in his stomach that warned him not to, the one that urged him not to let Otabek see him if he really was there. That weight wanted him to look as small as possible, lowering his head and silently returning to work, keeping his eyes on the drinks to avoid finding what he’s looking for.But no matter how many times he roamed around the bar, Otabek was nowhere to be seen. He returned to his place embarrassed at his own feelings, of how hopeful and desperate he’d become to find him, to just see his face for a second, even if they don’t get a chance to speak.He did what his gut told him to do and forced himself to get back to work, paying attention to the paying guests instead of chasing an image of a ghost, and Yuri moved swiftly behind the counter, pouring shots and collecting tips, ashamed at how often he looked at the crowd still, rather than the person talking to him. He wished he could work with his eyes closed, because that would have made things a lot easier. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, messing it all up, and he took a moment to fix it, leaving it in a ponytail before returning to the next person.“What can I get you?” he sounded rude, almost barked the words at the guy, he knew that, and he stopped dead in his tracks when he recognized the singer from the band. The man shouted over the music, listing his order for the whole group which consisted of six tequila shots and a beer.Yuri almost asked. He stopped himself last minute, but he seriously considered it, and he knew without a doubt that his old self wouldn’t have had a problem with it. 20-year-old Yuri would have refused to take their orders, demanding that first they tell him where Otabek was and how to find him, and how they even knew him in the first place.But of course, that Yuri wouldn’t need to ask because at 20 years old, he and Otabek were still best friends, sharing every detail of their lives with each other, and Yuri would have been the first to know if Otabek ever decided to star in a music video. He kept quiet, serving the drinks and biting out the price, watching the singer in front of him as he took the glasses and started handing out the shots, keeping one to himself. The band playing on the stage had just finished their song, and the cheering was nowhere near as loud as the music had been.If Yuri wanted to ask, now was the time to do it. The guy stood up, reaching for the beer last, and Yuri turned his back on him, when over the clapping and the yelling, in the momentarily silence while the next band was getting ready, he heard him speak. “Are you coming or not?”“Yeah, just a second.”Yuri froze.He knew that voice, would have recognized it anywhere, and he spun around his heels in an instant, locking eyes with the man standing behind the singer.Otabek was watching him closely, his eyes widening just for a fraction of a second when Yuri turned to face him. He seemed just as shocked to see him as Yuri did, and he drew in a sharp breath, stepping closer to the counter. Yuri was stranded in his place, unable to move. “Hi,” Otabek said quietly, shifting from one leg to another. Yuri felt himself tense up, his shoulders and stomach clenched tightly and he hid his shaking hands behind the counter. He stared, searching for the words that didn’t want to come, and Otabek stayed silent, waiting for him to say something, his expression unreadable.“Am I working here alone or what?” The voice of an annoyed Denis jerked Yuri back to reality and he dropped his shoulders, breathing in like just woke up from a dream. “Yeah, no, sorry,” he mumbled, and he looked around before stepping to the person on Otabek’s left, asking for his order. His gaze returned to his former friend, lingering there for a moment, and Otabek dropped his eyes from Yuri, saying something he couldn’t hear over the first few accords of the next band’s song. He turned away and vanished in the crowd just as quickly as he appeared a second ago. Yuri finished that night relying purely on muscle memory, and he couldn’t even recall how he got home when he finally crashed into his bed at 4 am. The 10-hour-long shift was nothing compared to how that one short meeting with Otabek wore him down, and he fell asleep almost immediately, briefly remembering that he had a class at 10 am the next morning which he was in no way prepared for. He slept through every alarm and woke up at noon, not even having the energy to feel bad about missing the lecture. Polina texted him twice during class, and he quickly wrote back, lying that he had decided to stay home and work on his essay. Which he really needed to do by the way, and he let out a painful groan, before pulling himself out of bed to make himself a cup of coffee and dropping down in front of his laptop, still wearing his pyjamas. He stared at the screen, and felt the empty document mocking him, so he wrote down the title to make himself feel better. Two hours and exactly 152 words later, his phone rang.“What,” he barked out, after he checked the number.“Come hang out with me.” “No.”“Oh, come on,” Polina said, and Yuri could hear the eye-rolling in her words, “you need a break.”“This shit won’t write itself.”“I know, but we still have a week and you said you’re done with half of it. That’s, like, way more than what I have, dude.”Yuri looked at the one, lonely paragraph he had, wondering if he should at least feel a little bit guilty about lying. He didn’t.“Yeah, well, maybe I just hate you.”“You love me,” Polina stated with confidence, “also, please note that I didn’t exactly ask you.”“I’m not going, Lina.” Yuri sighed, rubbing his eyes and he grabbed his empty mug to get a refill. “Maybe tomorrow?”“Fine,” she huffed, and Yuri was grateful that she’d let it go, “but hey, call me if you change your mind. And eat something, because I know you haven’t.”Yuri promised he would and hung up, setting his phone on silent after that. He wandered around the flat, taking a break from the essay, and made a sandwich, because Polina was right, he usually ate at totally random times because of his messed-up schedule, or just forgot to eat at all. He fiddled with his phone with his eyebrows drawn together, chewing on a pen he found on his desk. He didn’t even say hi. Otabek was there, right in front of him, with that goddamn serious face of his, and after five years of radio silence, Yuri didn’t even say hi. He should have asked him what he was doing there, how he ended up in that small shithole of a pub, the one where Yuri worked of all places. He opened a few apps on his phone, closing them immediately, not being able to bring himself to check his instagram or twitter. He had long unfollowed most of his skater friends, Otabek among them, because he didn’t want to see the pictures of practices and ice shows, the videos of a new jump they’d learnt, or group photos during competitions he was no longer part of. It wasn’t surprising that he didn’t know about Otabek being in Russia, but it still would have been nice to get a little warning somehow.He thought about texting him, just to make it clear that he had meant to say hello, to explain that he was just surprised to see him, before he remembered that he didn’t even have his number since he deleted it five years ago. And what would he even say? How does one just send a text out of nowhere after all this time? He threw his phone on his bed, and after a few seconds of contemplating just how important this essay really was, he climbed under the covers and went back to sleep.  The next time he saw Otabek, he was prepared. The pub was quiet when he got there on Sunday afternoon, with only a handful of people in the back of the room, next to the now empty stage, and Yuri was sitting behind the counter flipping through the pages of his textbook he carried there, feeling unusually motivated to write the essay the next day. The deadline was Friday, and at that moment, it seemed awfully far away, so he took a few notes and tried to make the best of the slow shift at the bar.He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn’t even notice Denis coming back from his break, and it took him a moment to answer when he heard his name.“There was a guy here looking for you the other day,” he said, and Yuri didn’t need to ask who he was talking about. “I told him to come back today, if that’s alright.”There was a question mark hidden in the sentence, but Yuri ignored it. “It’s fine,” he replied, turning his attention back to the book, but the words in front of him had lost their meaning, and after a few seconds of him staring blankly at the pages, he gave up.“Friend of yours?”That was a good question, one he certainly didn’t want to answer. He wasn’t going to get into the details of his complicated history with Otabek, especially because first he himself had to sort out his own thoughts on the matter.“Kind of.” He shrugged, and Denis raised an eyebrow at him, but stopped asking. The next hour passed slowly, with Yuri tapping his fingers on the cover of his book, only interrupted twice to serve another round of drinks for the group in the back. He considered the possibility of Otabek not showing up, wondering if that was what he was hoping for, but quickly discarded the idea. If he was anything like he used to be, Otabek was going to look for him again, and this time Yuri didn’t have a huge crowd of customers to hide behind. But at least now he was prepared, or at least that’s what he told himself.He certainly didn’t feel prepared when two hours into his shift, the door opened and Otabek walked in, wearing a black duffle coat, the tips of his ears slightly red from the cold russian wind and took a seat on the stool opposite of Yuri. “Hi,” he said, much like the previous night, but this time, Yuri actually replied.“Hey.” He glanced at the corner of the room, checking to see if the group sitting there wanted a refill, just to give him something to do, something he could busy himself with, to escape Otabek’s eyes that refused to leave his face. Almost all of them had fresh drinks, and he silently cursed, appreciating the irony of not having to work the one time when he would really want to.He stood up from the stool and grabbed an empty glass anyway, dropping his book on the counter. “What are you doing?” he heard the question, and he scoffed, because he felt braver and more comfortable like this, keeping his eyes on the beer he filled the glass with.“What does it look like? I’m bartending,” he replied, putting it down on the counter in front of Otabek, gesturing him to drink. The other man shot a questioning look at him, before reaching for the glass.“How did you know…?”“It’s what your friend ordered for you the other day,” he interrupted him, “but more importantly, what are you doing?”Otabek shifted on the chair uncomfortably, his eyes darting away for a second before looking at him again. Yuri realized his mistake and rushed to correct himself. “I meant in Russia. What are you doing in St. Petersburg?”“I live here.” His reply was calm, collected, the momentary awkwardness gone completely, and Yuri was baffled by how casually he threw that info out there.“Since when?”“Um… I moved here a few months ago, I think, almost a year now?”Yuri stilled at that, his hand that fidgeted with his hoodie stopping in midmotion.“A year? And you didn’t think to tell me?”“I didn’t think you’d want to know.”Yuri felt a punch in the gut as Otabek held his gaze, almost daring him to say something to that. “I... “ he looked down, feeling anger wash over him all of a sudden, more at himself than at the other man. “I suppose that’s fair,” he finished the sentence in a cold voice, and he stepped back, leaning against the furniture behind him.“Why did you move?”“I’ve been training to become a coach. I started back in Almaty, then Yakov offered me a position since he is retiring next year.”He didn’t even know Yakov was going to retire. The man had been planning to as long as Yuri could remember, but hearing that it was a sure thing now was entirely different.“Coach Altin, huh?”Otabek tilted his head, smiling softly at him. “Is it so hard to believe?”“No,” Yuri shook his head, and his next words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself, “just don’t take on the ones like me, they will destroy you.”“Trust me, there’s no one like you.” They were both quiet after that, and Yuri took his seat again on the stool before checking to see if anyone needed him. Denis was on his break, and the place was still practically empty, as it usually was on Sunday afternoons. Otabek was watching him carefully, examining his face and Yuri could see the question coming before he even opened his mouth.“So how have you been?”He shrugged. He wasn’t feeling bad, nor exceptionally well, and he hated this question because he never knew how to respond. He settled for an “I’m fine”, before pointing to his book on the counter.“I’m going to school,” he started telling about it mainly to avoid more questions regarding his well-being, and Otabek listened eagerly, asking about his lectures, classmates, parts of his studies that interested him, exams and Yuri talked, because this was a safe choice of subject, distant and unemotional, just what he needed. He talked about how much he hated Financial Management, but Marketing was almost enjoyable, and Otabek even mocked him when he mentioned that he had done a paper on organisational behaviour last semester.He told him about how he bullshitted his way through the Microeconomics exam and by some miracle, ended up in the top 10 of the class, and how Polina refused to talk to him for three days except for when she cussed at him. He talked about the people he had met, and the essay he had to write next week, and Otabek listened, watched him as he went on and on about how boring it was, picking up the book and flipping through it. “Is this it?” he asked and Yuri made a face.“Yeah. I guess it would be much easier if I cared about this stuff.”Otabek’s expression changed just ever so slightly, as he looked up from the book with a light blush on his cheeks and determination in his eyes. He followed Yuri’s movements as he went to serve a couple who’d come in a few minutes ago, and waited patiently for him to return before he spoke.“Can I help?”“Can you what now?”“With your essay. I might be able to help.” Otabek was still blushing, but his voice was unwavering as ever while he explained what he meant, and handed the book back.“I’m… it’s not here,” he faltered, and he still genuinely didn’t understand where Otabek was going with this. “That’s okay, you can bring it next time.”“...next time?” Yuri was aware that he must have sounded pretty dumb, repeating everything the other man had said, but he was at a loss for words. A next time meant that they were going to do this again, sit with each other casually and talk like friends do, writing essays together like it’s nothing, like they did not just meet again after five years. A next time, which meant Otabek had fully intended to return into Yuri’s life, and now he was looking at him with a silent expectation, like he knew damn well the weight of his words and was waiting for Yuri to make his decision.Which also meant that this was a chance to wave goodbye and forget each other, Yuri suddenly realized. Otabek was giving him an out with this stretched-out silence, not forcing Yuri to say something right away, he had given him time to think about his answer, and Yuri hesitated.Five years was a long time, Yuri had still been young, inexperienced and childish, and he had hope that things would turn out differently this time, but it was still a huge risk and leap of faith. The fact that he really, desperately needed help with his essay also played a role in his decision, even if there was a persistent voice in his mind reminding him that Polina would be just as capable of helping, if not more. There were a lot of things he could list, that went against restarting their friendship. Because it would definitely mean a restart, oh, he had no doubt about that, that after a second meeting there would be a third, then a fourth, and before he knows it, they are best friends again. But the thing was, he wanted to say yes. “Okay. Next time.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Asking for Otabek’s phone number had been awkward, to say the least. Yuri thought about not saying anything, counting on pure luck that nothing would come up and he could make it to their next meeting, but then he realized that the longer he waited, the more embarrassing it was going to be. He lied that his previous phone had died and he lost all the numbers in it, but he could tell Otabek didn’t believe him. No surprise there, with the way his voice faltered and he forced himself to hold Otabek’s gaze, which only made him blush. Otabek nodded with a small, understanding smile, writing down his number with an amused expression, but he didn’t call him out on the blatant lie.And with that move, he provided Yuri with a way to cancel the whole thing, and then possibly change his name, move to Peru and hide forever. He said yes in the heat of the moment, under the pressure of Otabek’s presence but as soon as he left, Yuri had begun to question himself. He had had enough on his plate with school and work, and he barely managed to hold onto either of them, missing classes because of his late night shifts, writing essays last minute, often at the pub during the quiet hours, being constantly tired while deadlines were piling up. The last thing he needed was a distraction in the form of his… whatever Otabek was at the moment, occupying his thoughts when they really needed to focus on competition policy and how to write a paper on it.Then again, Otabek did say he could help and Yuri believed him. He’d always thought Otabek was smarter than him, even if he rarely ever voiced this opinion. Not in the sense of being able to recite the names of every pope in history ever or solve a math problem in under one and a half minutes, no. He was smart about important things, like the human nature and life. Otabek had a deep understanding of the motivations behind a person’s behaviour, or the dreams and goals that drive people, communities and companies. He could quickly connect the dots when it came to politics and the media, as opposed to Yuri, who always based his opinion on his first impression. In fact, Yuri used to enjoy discussing news with him when they visited each other, and he often played up his own reactions just to watch him get worked up about an issue, thinking about possible outcomes and trying to determine which one was the most likely to happen, making assumptions and guesses Yuri never would have thought of, and honestly, never would have cared to do so. He didn’t have much of an interest in these things, but he liked listening to Otabek, when he was deep in thought, talking more to himself than to Yuri, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.But most importantly, Otabek, for some magical reason knew how to do his taxes, and that alone was reason enough to trust him with anything. So yes, Yuri needed his help with his essay and he wasn’t going to cancel their meeting or appointment or date or whatever it was. They would get a cup of coffee and have a perfectly impersonal, academic conversation about competition policy and regulations.His legs bounced up and down under the table as he waited for his last lecture to end on that unusually warm Tuesday afternoon and when it did, he jumped up, grabbing his already packed bag. He headed to the door after he threw a ‘bye’ in Polina’s way, not even looking at her. He heard her hurry after him and when she managed to catch up, she stopped in front of Yuri, blocking his way with two hands on his shoulders and suspicion in her eyes.“You have a date,” she stated.“What? No, get out of my way,” Yuri pushed past her and Polina let him, but she stayed by his side.“You can’t fool me,” she said, “you’re all dressed up and your shoes are clean. I also saw you checking your phone every five minutes, and once you braided your hair and then undid it. You have a date.”“And you have a problem, Sherlock,” Yuri replied, careful not to let his expression show anything that might further fuel Polina’s excitement. So what if he took a few minutes in the morning to decide what to wear? And yes, maybe he did think about braiding his hair and then changed his mind, but it was also a good way to kill time during class.Otabek used to be his best friend, it was natural to be a little nervous about this afternoon, hence, the phone checking. There, it was all explained. He didn’t even try to convince Polina though, he knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t listen.“Please,” she said, her high heels clicking on the stairs as she tried to keep up with Yuri. “I’m obviously a Watson.”“You’re the only person I know who would rather be Watson,” he said, trying to change the course of conversation. “don’t you want Lucy Liu as your sidekick?”“Lucy is not a sidekick, but you have a point.” Polina shrugged and then sighed, possibly because of the mental images of Lucy Liu that popped into her mind, but before Yuri could escape, she shook her head. “Anyway, you’re changing the subject. Who’s your date?”“It’s not a date!” he snarled, losing his patience.“A-ha! So you are meeting someone!” Polina pointed a finger at him. “Do you need me to follow you and make sure he’s not a serial killer? Spy on him just to be safe? Look him up on the internet?”“Don’t,” he said quickly. The last thing he needed was Polina to dig up old articles and youtube videos on Otabek and their friendship, or find one of the wild theories regarding the two of them on some Yuri’s Angels fansite. “He’s just a friend, so stop it.”Just a friend. Oddly enough, Otabek used to be more to Yuri than just a friend, and now he was less than that. They were practically strangers.“Fine,” Polina gave up, raising an eyebrow in disapprovement. Her worrying would have been touching if it hadn’t been so annoying. “But I’m gonna be a phone call away if you need an excuse to leave. You know my fake crying, it’s Oscar-worthy.”“Oh my god, shut up.”“I’m just saying,” Polina stopped him again, “you seem pretty excited about it, so I just want you to know that I’m always ready for a murder.”“Yeah, mine,” Yuri pushed her away and then yanked his notebook out of his bag, shoving it in her hand. “Here, take this. Now, piss off, I’m late.”Polina gave him a grateful smile and waved her phone in front of his face one last time before heading out, leaving him alone. Yuri rolled his eyes at her back while searching for his own to check the time.He wasn’t late, in fact, it was way too early to leave yet, so he took his time walking to the café instead of taking the bus, enjoying the sunny afternoon, uncharacteristic for March in Russia. He still arrived first and lingered outside for a while, waiting for Otabek, trying to calm his breathing and his nerves. Eventually he went inside and after ordering a coffee for himself, sat down in the back, not facing the door so he wouldn’t check it every second. His phone chimed, and the first thought that crossed his mind was that it was probably Otabek, with a short message that he had to cancel, something had come up and he would find some bullshit reason not to show up. Or maybe saying that he’s sorry but he can’t do this, he changed his mind, he doesn’t want to be around him, just so Yuri could turn his back on him again, like last time. Yuri wouldn’t blame him for it, but his stomach did a backflip at the idea.It was Polina. Yuri sighed and cursed at himself for being such an idiot, acting like a nervous wreck, panicking and making things up without checking the text first. 16.52 Lina: good luck for your not-a-date Yuri almost laughed out loud. Maybe he should have told her that Otabek was only helping him with his essay, but for one, that would have meant admitting he had trouble writing it by himself and two, it still wouldn’t have convinced Polina. She’d probably say something about Yuri never asking for help, and how special this person must be to make him get over himself. 16.52 me: mind your own business 16.53 me: but thanks He had just hit ‘send’ when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he almost dropped his phone. “Hey, sorry,” Otabek sat down on the other side of the table, smiling apologetically at him. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you like that.” He took off his coat and threw it on the back of the chair next to him, rolling up the sleeves of his navy blue sweater and brushing through his messy black hair with his fingers, ruffling it up a little bit. This dishevelled look was definitely new to Yuri, and he hadn’t even noticed when they met at the pub.He caught himself staring and turned his head away, examining the curtain next to him like he expected it to solve all of his problems.“It’s fine,” he said, tapping on the paper cup, his fingers following the lines of the coffeeshop’s logo on it. He was trying to decide how to proceed from there, while Otabek was busy ordering. Part of him expected something to come up last minute, making it impossible for them to meet, and when he wasn’t nervous about that, he was busy convincing himself that he was too cool to write a list of questions he could ask if the silence became awkward.It did right after the waiter left them alone, and Yuri noticed that Otabek was watching his nervous tapping with a look that was almost sad.Huh. That was one thing that hadn’t changed, Yuri noted. Otabek rarely laughed and never yelled or cried, instead he communicated every feeling with his eyes. There, you could read him like an open book, if you knew what to look for, and the stoic expression didn’t distract you. It was quite amazing, really, how many different emotions you could discover in those dark brown eyes if you paid attention. Yuri did, and during the one short meeting they had the previous week, he found that he still remembered how to understand the language they were speaking, he still recognized the surprise, understanding, amusement, the hope and the disappointment and now that little fraction of sadness that made his stomach clench, especially because he was the reason behind them. “Yuri…,” Otabek started hesitantly, glancing up from his hands, but Yuri quickly interrupted him, saying the first thing he could think of. He knew that his obvious uneasiness bothered the other man, and he had a feeling that Otabek was about to point it out.“I have a question before we talk about my essay,” he said, dropping his hands from the table, hiding them in his lap “I wanted to ask you last week but…” he shrugged, not finishing the sentence.Otabek raised an eyebrow and leaned back on the chair, bracing himself against whatever he thought Yuri wanted to ask.“Tell me,” Yuri squinted his eyes and tilted his head, “how the hell did you end up in that music video?”Otabek let out a sigh, half embarrassed and half relieved, propping his elbows up on the table.“Oh, yes. I owe you an explanation for that.”He didn’t, actually, but Yuri wasn’t going to mention that, he was too curious.“The drummer is one my skaters’ brother. He came by the rink to pick him up, saw me and… I don’t know, he just asked. I don’t even know him that well.”Yuri’s eyebrows shot up, and he promptly ignored the familiar, dull pain upon hearing the words ‘my skaters’. “Are you seriously telling me that that’s all it took for you to say yes? A complete stranger asks you to be in his lame band’s lame music video and you’re like, oh, okay, there aren’t enough embarrassing recordings about me on the internet, let’s make another one?”“Believe me, it wasn’t easy,” Otabek made a face that summed up his opinion on the whole band, and made Yuri snort. “But Dima heard us, he got really excited and begged me to do it. You can’t just say no to a 7-year-old kid.”“Sure you can,” Yuri argued, “Shut up, you spoiled little brat, I’m not gonna do it. That’s it, done.”Otabek was shaking his head with an amused smile.“I don’t regret agreeing to it,” he said, his eyes warm and fond, not leaving Yuri’s, “it led me to you, after all.”Yuri sucked in a breath and tensed up in a second, grabbing his coffee cup to hold onto something. His skin suddenly felt too warm and he hoped it wasn’t because he was blushing.“Don’t say shit like that,” he whispered, looking away, and he hated how obviously affected he was by Beka's words. He had always had a tendency to throw in these comments, half-sentences that made Yuri fall apart, except he wasn’t there to pick him up afterwards, and that’s what made it so painful. It sucked five years ago and it sucked now, and so he instantly put an end to it. Otabek was visibly taken aback by Yuri’s reaction, his eyes widened and he withdrew his arms from the table, leaning back again, as if he wanted to literally give Yuri some space.“Sorry, I didn’t mean…”“Forget it,” Yuri cut in. There was no point apologizing when Otabek had no idea what he’d done wrong. He fished his book out of his bag and threw it on the table as a distraction. “This is why we’re here. I didn’t bring the essay, though.”Otabek coughed and picked up the book, his discomfort undeniable as he glanced up at him carefully.“Why not?” he asked.“Because I haven’t written anything useful,” Yuri shrugged, crossing his arms. “It’s not worth reading.”“Okay,” Otabek nodded, and Yuri felt a bit more confident. This was also a familiar reaction from the other man. He never said anything just for the sake of saying something, and neither of them were interested in the polite lies people usually told each other, like ‘I’m sure it’s not that bad’ or some bullshit no one took seriously or believed even for a second. Otabek flipped through the pages with a weirdly blank expression on his face, which immediately raised Yuri’s suspicion. He watched him read through a summary at the end of the first chapter before he spoke.“Oh my god,” he said, his eyes widening in disbelief, “You have no idea about this stuff.”“Uh, no.” Otabek closed to the book and put it back on the table. “But I have a feeling that you don’t need me to understand any of this, you already know what the book says.”“Hey, I’m the one calling you out on your bullshit, don’t turn this around…”“You just don’t know how to write an essay.” Yuri could swear Otabek enjoyed mocking him, by the way his eyes glinted with amusement. “Listen, asshole, you’re playing with my future here.”“No, no, I would never do that,” Otabek replied with a more serious tone, “but I also went to university in case you forgot, and wrote my fair share of essays, so I can definitely help you with that.”“Trust me, I haven’t forgotten.”Yuri rolled his eyes, remembering those late-night Skype calls with his friend, when he was dying of boredom, watching him take notes or with his nose in a book, Yuri lying on his bed, browsing Twitter or sometimes disturbing Otabek with memes and cat videos. They used to hang out like this a lot, just being together, both of them minding their own business with their cameras on, in comfortable silence. Yuri never told him how much he liked those quiet evenings, how much it meant to him that even if they didn’t have time for anything else, they still found a way to just be together. “My point is,” he continued, “that you just start writing without knowing where it’ll take you, and I know that it works for you like 90% of the time, but you’re struggling with this one for whatever reason so you need a plan now.”“How the fuck do you know how I write my essays?” Yuri asked, dumbfounded and Otabek laughed at him.“Lucky guess,” he answered and the fond look was back again with full force, making Yuri break eye-contact and turning his attention to his now empty coffee cup. “You haven’t changed at all.”Yuri snorted. “Yeah, right.”“No, I mean it. You grew up, but you haven’t changed, not as much as you think.”“Otabek, stop.”Something in Yuri’s voice must have had the desired effect, because the other man seemed to have forgotten how to even breathe. He looked almost hurt as he stared at Yuri with his mouth hanging open, before he cast his eyes down and blinked twice, taking a deep breath.“I’m sorry. It’s… never mind.”Yuri truly didn’t care what made him react like this, as long as he shut up about his past and how different or similar it was compared to his present. That conversation was bound to end up at figure skating or their friendship, both of which Yuri would have done anything to avoid. He didn’t want to hear anything about how he was still the same person, he didn’t need Otabek to tell him that his injury didn’t fuck his whole life up. He had heard that more than enough times from various people trying to console him, before one by one they slowly understood that Yuri didn’t give a single fuck about what they thought.They didn’t know, none of them did. That injury was only the beginning of the shitstorm Yuri’s life had become afterwards, and he couldn’t help but pinpoint that accident as the turning point, when bad things started happening. So now he had a pre-injury life and a post-injury life, and he did his best to ignore the first one, in order to avoid comparing the two. It was hard enough to get used to it, after spending the first year either yelling at everyone or walking around like a ghost and just when he started getting better, he lost his grandfather. The rest was history, one he very much wanted to forget.If Otabek wanted to bring his pre-injury life up, Yuri was going to disappoint him. That life did not exist in his mind, it was easier to pretend it never had. It helped him survive, and these days, that was his only focus, surviving, with his head just barely above the water, gasping for air as he struggled to keep himself from drowning. Sometimes he couldn’t find a reason why he’s trying so hard.The silence stretched out long, not exactly awkward, but heavy, uncomfortable and it sat between them like a closed gate keeping them apart. Yuri fiddled with his pen and lifted his head with a stubborn glance at Otabek.“Whatever,” he said, putting an end to the whole conversation, “you said I needed a plan, so tell me about this essay-writing magic of yours.”In the end, Otabek’s help did prove useful. He provided Yuri with a number of tips on how to build up his essay, create a structure he could follow so he wouldn’t get lost in the sea of things he wanted to write about. They sat in the café until its closing time, Yuri scribbling down leading sentences and notes to his introduction, body and summary, all while Otabek kept asking questions tirelessly, to lead him in the right direction.He asked what Yuri wanted to write here or there, if he wanted to explain something further, or give a real life example to sneak in a more interesting bit among the dry definitions and theories. It gave Yuri tons of new ideas on how to make his essay even enjoyable instead of just summarizing his entire textbook on the topic solely because he had to.He threw his pen on the table when he ran out of coffee again, glancing up at Otabek with genuine surprise in his eyes.“Huh. It’s so weird, it seems… easy, even. I thought this would be impossible to write.”Otabek gave a shy shrug, but his smile was proud.“I’m glad I could help.”“Now, don’t be so smug about it,” Yuri warned him, pointing his finger at the other man. “I could have done it alone, too.”“I’m sure,” he nodded, and his eyes were shining as he leaned forward, smacking Yuri’s finger away with a mischievous smile. “What did you say your word count was?”Yuri made a face. “Three… hundred?”“I think your notes are longer than that already.”“Shut up.”They only got up from their table when they realized that the coffeeshop would soon close. It took some convincing but Yuri was insistent and he wanted to pay for both of them, as a ‘thank you for basically writing my essay for me’. “You really don’t need to do that,” Otabek told him, “you said it yourself, you could have done this without me.”Yuri dropped his head, pretending to look for his wallet and hid his smile behind his hair. He thought he would regret meeting Otabek again, but after a while, he forgot to be nervous around him and he couldn’t remember the last time he felt this good about his studies so he felt like he owed him much more than the price of two coffees and a blueberry muffin. “I know, but… just accept it, okay?”“If you insist,” Otabek replied politely.“Well, I do.”They stepped outside together, Otabek holding the door open for him like he always did before. Yuri stopped in front of the coffeeshop, looking around awkwardly, the weight of having to say goodbye pushing him down, and once again, he found himself looking for the right words. It was probably a horrible idea, but he wanted to see him again. He already saw where this was leading but he couldn’t resist, not this time, not when he was all alone, with all of his friends living in another country, Japan or even further, busy being grown-ups, building families and moving on. This time, he had no one.However, he wasn’t sure Otabek was on the same page as him. Yuri thought it was perfectly reasonable to offer his help, they used to be best friends, and they just met again after five years, Otabek was probably just as overwhelmed as he was, and in a moment of weakness he asked to see him again. He wondered if Otabek still wanted to be friends now that he spent a whole afternoon with him and saw firsthand what a useless mess he became. He would understand if he didn’t.Otabek joined him a moment later, putting his scarf around his neck before hiding his hands in his pockets. “Well… good luck with your essay,” he said with a tight-lipped smile and this time, Yuri couldn’t read his eyes, he couldn’t decide if he should say something or not.He managed to reply with a short “Thanks,” and waited. Maybe Otabek would say something, offer to proof-read it or figure out some dumb excuse to get Yuri to meet him again, but moments passed and the other man was looking at him quietly.Otabek took a deep breath and dropped his shoulders, averting his eyes.“Good night, Yura.”  Yuri had a shift next day, and classes in the morning before that, and he went through the day distracted, doodling cats in his notebooks, half paying attention to the lectures. His notes from the previous day were in his backpack with him, and his mind kept wandering back to them, the essay he now had inspiration to write but no time and by addition, Otabek, who had spent his whole afternoon working on a project he had no idea about, and probably didn’t even care for. Yuri willed himself not to think about the possible reasons behind this, and the fact that they said goodbye without even mentioning when or if they would see each other again. He definitely did not dwell on the sudden appearance of his old nickname which he hadn’t heard in years.He was grateful for the busy afternoon at the pub. He had no time to think as he went around constantly cleaning tables, pouring drinks, lifting and carrying beer cases, and by the time he was halfway through his shift, he was pleasantly tired. He looked around the bar, huffing to get his hair out of his face, before tying it up in a bun and wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. It was getting warm now, with all the people and the lack of fresh air inside so he pulled his hoodie over his head and dropped it on the stool behind the counter. It had been a good night so far, tips were slowly piling up in his pocket, and from the corner of his eye he saw the person next in line following his movements. He smirked and made a show of throwing a bottle up in the air, catching it with his left hand before pouring the drink for him. “Oh my god, stop,” Polina groaned loudly from the side of the counter and covered her face with her palms, shaking her head. “Spare my poor soul.”“What are you talking about?” Yuri turned to stash the money in the cash register, not even trying to hide his satisfied smile. He knew that Polina was spending the evening there with her friends, but he didn’t notice her coming to stand at the counter next to him.“Nothing,” she replied, “except I think two girls have just fainted over there.”Yuri glanced in the direction she nodded her head.“Maybe they smelled that guy next to them,” he commented, before turning properly around to face her. “And why do you care anyway?”“You’re making everyone question their sexuality, you’re ruining my chances,” she joked, and Yuri leaned over the counter, fully prepared to make her uncomfortable for a change.“I thought you only had eyes for Tatiana,” he smiled, referring to one of the other students who worked there part-time. “The one with the tattoos? Don’t think I haven’t noticed those big fucking heart eyes you make at her everytime she’s around.”“I’m… that’s not the point here,” she dismissed him with confidence, but Yuri didn’t miss the small pink blushes on her cheek. “I want to order.”“Fine. What do you want?”“A full glass of details on your date,” she said without missing a beat, wiggling her eyebrows.“Wasn’t a date,” he corrected her with an annoyed sigh, rolling his eyes. It wasn’t the first time Polina had asked about it, but and Yuri was getting tired of constantly trying to avoid the answer.“Your friendly encounter with a mysterious stranger you refuse to talk about?”Yuri ignored her and went to serve the next person, who then slipped his phone number among the bills he paid with. He absent-mindedly put it in his back pocket like he usually did with the polite ones, not wanting to appear rude in front of a paying customer. Not to mention that the guy wasn’t exactly painful to look at, even though Yuri had no intention of calling him whatsoever. “Come on, take a break!” Polina kept nagging him and Yuri eventually gave in, because he could indeed use a break now. He let Denis know that he would take ten, before grabbing his hoodie and mentally preparing himself for her questions.He followed her outside and they sat on the bench in front of the building, watching the cars and buses rushing by them, each one followed by a wave of chilly wind, making them shiver. Yuri didn’t mind the cold, it was a nice change after working behind the counter for four hours.“It really wasn’t a date, you know,” he spoke, staring ahead, and he could feel Polina’s eyes on him. “He’s… an old friend. I ran into him the other day, we sat down for a coffee and everyone went home after, that’s it.”“Okay,” she nodded, “are you going to meet him again?”Good question, Yuri thought. He could call him, he had his phone number after all, but he had decided that day that he wasn’t going to do that. The plan was to leave the next step to Otabek. If he reached out to Yuri, he knew he wouldn’t be able to say no to him, but what he could do, was stop himself from actively making his own life harder by contacting him first and facing the possibility of a polite refusal or some dumb excuse.And if they never see each other again, well… at least he got a damn good midterm paper out of it.“I’m not sure,” he shrugged.Polina was watching him closely, but he stubbornly kept his expression as unemotional as possible.“Okay, just… if you want to talk about it, I’m here, you know that, right? We’re friends.” Yuri turned his head to look her in the eyes, forced a smile and replied with the words he knew he was expected to say.“Of course I know that, but Lina, it’s really not necessary.” He turned to look ahead again, glancing down at his legs as he kicked some dirt up with his shoes, drawing random, unrecognizable figures on the ground. “He’s no one.” Yuri kept his promise to himself, and didn’t contact Otabek. Instead, he focused on his paper, writing it in that last-minute frenzy that didn’t leave any room for worrying about the quality. He just needed to finish it, and he found that having no time to dwell on his wording worked for him quite well. On Friday he skipped his classes again and got up early to sit down in front of his laptop with only three hours of sleep, running mostly on coffee-induced autopilot. He didn’t even bother proofreading it anymore, he just hoped he wouldn’t leave too obvious mistakes in it, and he didn’t give a fuck about the typos. He just needed to get it done by noon.At 11:57, he hit send and fell back in his chair, closing his eyes and rubbing them until he saw stars.He couldn’t even walk straight anymore, he was so tired, and even though he expected himself to feel better after the essay was done and safely handed in, the weight in his stomach refused to leave. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before he got up and wondered what his problem was. He should have felt relieved, this was one of his most difficult projects for the semester and it was done, he didn’t have to panic about it anymore, he could finally sleep through the night without feeling guilty about it.But still, that strange weight remained. He blamed the sleep deprivation, combined with a possible overdose on coffee, and decided that an afternoon nap was exactly what he needed. He was already in his pyjamas, since he didn’t have the energy to change before, so he just fell into his bed without even pulling the covers on. He was already fast asleep when his phone lit up with a notification only a minute later.He didn’t notice it until that night. After he woke up, he just rolled out of bed to get his laptop and dragged himself back, watching a show he didn’t really care about, slipping in and out of consciousness every few minutes. This was his idea of celebration, the quiet night he deserved every once in awhile, when he could sleep all day if he wanted to, binge-watching a tv show without having to think about work, school or people in general. Polina called him in the evening, just to make sure he’s alive, and that’s when he noticed the unread message. 12:07 Otabek: Did you finish your paper? He still texted like an old man, grammatically correct and without emojis. Yuri always thought it was in a weird contradiction to the Otabek who drove a motorcycle and liked to DJ in his spare time and used to mock him for it all the time. 20:41 me: hell yeah 20:41 me: and took a long nap right after 20:44 Otabek: When will you know your grade? 20:45 me: i don’t know and right now i don’t care 20:45 me: i’m just glad it’s over 20:48 Otabek: I can imagine. Have some rest, you deserve it. 20:48 me: damn right 20:49 me: thanks man 20:57 Otabek: Would you like to grab another coffee next week? Yuri almost fell asleep again when he received the last message, and he sat right up, his fingers hovering over the buttons, thinking about his answer. Did he really need this in his life? Wasn’t it complicated enough already? 21:01 me: okay No, it wasn’t, apparently.The messages didn’t stop coming after that. The next day, Otabek sent him a link to a remix and asked for his opinion. Yuri listened to it right away and then listened to it again at the bar when he got there, ignoring Denis’ comments and the faces he made, because Denis was in a bad mood that day and he had horrible taste in music anyway. Yuri loved it, and in response to Otabek’s question he recorded a short video of the laptop’s screen with a group of people visible in the background, one of them bobbing his head to the beat while another one absent-mindedly tapping to it on his glass.The following day Otabek sent him a link to a Lord of the rings parody video, and Yuri replied with laughing emojis, not having the heart to tell him that he had already seen it a thousand times, and could hold a complete conversation with Polina by only quoting lines from it. The next morning it was a simple ‘How are you?’ to which Yuri replied with a picture of Polina sleeping on her notes peacefully in the middle of class, writing ’like this but with better hair’. Otabek asked about her and Yuri told him that she was a classmate who he failed to scare off with his bad attitude.One afternoon, when Yuri was at the pub again, Otabek sent him a short video of half a dozen kids jumping around, yelling and talking loudly next to the rink, and he asked if he could come by and have that coffee they agreed on. Yuri almost didn’t answer but he changed his mind later and said yes. It went on like this. Otabek kept texting him and Yuri replied. Otabek started conversations, sent funny videos, asked him about his day, and Yuri answered but never messaged him first, still trying to hold himself to his promise that he wouldn’t let himself become too attached, not like last time.They shared short texts and pictures, sent each other memes, photos of pets and little bits of their days. Yuri noticed that after the video Otabek tried to avoid anything skating and coaching related, and sometimes he felt guilty about it. It was obviously a very important part of Otabek’s life which usually took up his whole day, he loved the kids he was working with, and it must have been hard, not being able to talk about them.He was sitting in class at 8 in the morning one day when he received a photo of three eggs broken on the floor with a caption. 8:13 Otabek: I hope your day is better than mine. He snorted and tried to pretend it was a cough, before typing his response. 8:15 me: depends, is this better? He snapped a photo of his notes on Financial Management and sent it to Otabek, who responded with frowny faces. 8:18 me: emojis?? the fuck 8:19 me: were you abducted by aliens 8:19 me: did they teach you how to properly communicate in this century 8:20 Otabek: Maybe? I did have a Star Trek dream last night, what if they saved me and brought me back? 8:21 me: uh punctuation remains 8:21 me: baby steps i guess 8:22 me: kirk or picard? 8:24 Otabek: Please. Janeway. 8:25 me: damn straight 8:25 me: she kicks ass 8:27 Otabek: She reminds me of you. 8:29 me: that’s an insult to her 8:30 me: i’m b’elanna torres anyway “Yuri,” Polina poked his shoulder with one finger, stealing his attention from his phone and he looked up, realizing he had no idea what the professor had been talking about for the last ten minutes. “You’re smiling.”Yuri instantly became aware of the stupid smile on his face and replaced it with a frown.“I am not.”“Yes you are, and it’s creeping me out,” Polina glanced at the phone in his hands but didn’t try to actually see who he’s talking to, something Yuri appreciated very much at the moment. “Are you talking to that old friend of yours?”Yuri put his phone down and raised his eyebrow, daring Polina to say anything about it.“So what if I am?” “Hey, stop that,” Polina waved a hand in his general direction, and he assumed she meant the attitude. “You don’t owe me an explanation, I’m not interrogating you. I just wanted to say that I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like this. Geez, sorry.”She seemed honest and Yuri looked at her for a long moment, studying her expression before speaking again. “Yeah, I’m… talking to him again. Haven’t for the last five years, so it’s a bit weird but…,” he shrugged, not knowing how to finish the sentence. He wasn’t about to reveal how exactly their friendship ended, that was a whole other level of trust. “He moved here and we ran into each other, that’s it.”“Well, whoever he is, I’m glad. It’s really strange to see your face doing the happy thing, but it’s kinda cute, I’d like to see it more often,” she said with a genuine smile.“I’m not cute,” Yuri frowned and made a face, but then he realized he was pouting, which probably didn’t help his case. He was 25 now for fuck’s sake, why did he still have to be the cute kitten? “Okay, you’re not cute,” Polina mocked him with a serious expression and then reached up to ruffle his hair before turning back to look at the presentation again. Yuri checked his phone, and saw another message from Otabek, which he quickly opened. So yeah, he was a tad enthusiastic about his best friend being back in his life, but who could blame him? So far it hadn’t been that bad, and he was still confident that he could avoid making the same mistakes again. He totally had this friendship thing down. March turned into April by the time Yuri got his grade for the midterm paper, and for the first time ever, he was the one who called Otabek.He was so excited he didn’t even care that Polina was right next to him. They were at her apartment, when she got a message from one of her friends, letting them both know that the grades were available if they logged in, and they took turns checking their own. Polina got a 5, which wasn’t a surprise. She was usually slow but thorough, checking every detail twice and taking the time to make sure her research was rock solid. She danced around the room like a child and declared that she deserved a celebratory drink or two. Yuri logged into his own account, nervously clutching the edge of Polina’s desk as he clicked through the menu. He had no idea what his grade was going to be, at the time he thought he did well but now he just wasn’t sure. There were a lot of things he would have done differently if he had had more time, but he only realized it after the deadline, so he let it all go and tried not to think about it.Apart from this having a huge impact on his final grade at the end of the semester, he also didn’t want to disappoint Otabek. He himself didn’t matter, he was used to failing, barely surviving his classes with the lowest grade that allowed him to pass. It wasn’t because he was stupid, or at least that’s what he liked to tell himself. He just didn’t care about his studies that much, and he’d never been able to do anything he didn’t want to. He just couldn’t force himself to study when Macroeconomics made him fall asleep, and every minute he spent leaning over the book seemed like a waste of time. His eyes widened when he saw his grade, and he grabbed his phone, dialling Otabek’s number. He picked it up almost immediately, and Yuri saw Polina at the other end of the room, eyeing him with a knowing smile. “I got my grade!” he started, interrupting Otabek saying hello at the other end of the line.“Okay, hold on,” Yuri only had to wait for a few seconds before he heard Otabek talking again. “Alright, tell me.”“What did you do?” he asked first, curious why he needed to hold.“Just thought I'd sit down for this. Tell me!”“I got a 4!” Yuri announced proudly, “84%, this is the best I’ve ever received on a paper.”Otabek laughed with exhilaration and relief, and Yuri held onto the phone a little tighter, waiting to hear his words.“That’s amazing, Yura, I’m really proud of you. I knew you could do it.”“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Yuri admitted, thrilled enough to not care about his own pride or the fact that Polina could hear everything.“That’s not true,” Otabek told him, “you’re smart and you can handle anything. You had this, I just helped with the first steps.”“Seriously, Beka, thank you.” His voice softened and Yuri felt like he was going to burst from the number of emotions he was currently feeling. Otabek huffed a breath on the other end, and the line became silent between them. “Are you there?”“Yeah, um,” he cleared his throat and started again, “sorry, it’s just… I was waiting for you to finally stop calling me Otabek.”Yuri hadn’t even realize that he reverted to using his old nickname, just like he wasn’t completely aware that this was the first time he’d said it. It felt awkward, Otabek pointing it out so openly and he fiddled with a loose thread on his jeans, making it worse in the process.“I want to thank you properly,” he said suddenly, sitting up straight in the chair, feeling bolder and more confident than usual. “Do you wanna come over this weekend? My pirozhki still beats every restaurant’s in Russia.”“Oh I missed those,” Otabek replied softly, his smile so clear in Yuri’s mind as if he was sitting right in front of him. “I’m in, I just can’t do it this weekend, is next week okay?”“Why? Are you going somewhere?”“Yes, actually. We’re visiting Anton’s parents out of town.”Yuri was frowning now, frantically searching for the name in his memories, trying to remember if he’d heard Beka say it before, but he came up empty. He had a horrible feeling about where this conversation was going, and he considered not asking just so he could pretend he hadn’t even heard it. But it was like a storm in a sunny afternoon, or witnessing an accident. Turning your head only makes it worse, because it’s still happening, you just can’t see it coming.“Anton?”“Yeah, he’s…,” Otabek’s voice faltered and he sounded unsure, thinking hard about something. “Wait, have I not…? Huh, it just hasn’t come up, I guess. He’s, well, my boyfriend.”Yuri forgot to breathe for a second and felt a familiar knife turning in his chest, leaving him ice cold all over his body.“Yeah, I guess it hasn’t.”“Yuri, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep it a secret.”“It’s fine, I, um,” he wasn’t really sure what to do and he lifted his phone from his ear to check the time, but a second later he couldn’t recall any of the numbers he saw, “listen, I gotta go. But, have fun and… yeah.”“Thanks,” Otabek’s voice was warm and filled with affection, and Yuri closed his eyes for a moment to collect himself. “Congratulations, Yura. You deserved that 4.”“Yeah, thanks. Bye.”He hung up and lowered his hand, staring at his phone before remembering that Polina was still in the room. She came over to kneel on the ground next to his chair and tentatively touched his arm. “Yuri, is everything okay?”He let out a long breath, glancing up from his phone, and put his palm over Polina’s. “You said something about a drink?” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- There was one day in Yuri’s life every year, when he refused to work and missed all of his classes. That day, he stayed in bed all morning, pulling the covers over his head, and while he couldn’t go back to sleep, he lied there motionless, staring into the comforting darkness that surrounded him. He set his phone on silent the previous night and shut the whole world out for a couple of hours, just letting himself disappear into his own mind until he could no longer bare it, holding onto nothing but himself, wishing the whole day would just cease to exist, erased from the calendars forever.When the noise inside him became unbearable he carefully pulled the blanket back, and put his feet down on the floor. That day, his legs refused to work and he sank down next to his bed, sitting there with his knees pulled up to his chest, listening to the silence around him. That day, silence wasn’t his friend, he could feel its weight on his shoulders and his chest but he couldn’t bring himself to break it. Sounds seemed inappropriate on those mornings, the only ones when he didn’t try to stop his thoughts from flowing through his mind, the only ones when he let all of it crush him at once. That day, leaving his room was always the most difficult part to get through. Once he was up, he was more or less able to go about his day, sometimes even to talk to someone, but the morning was surreal, like an out of body experience he didn’t have the energy to stop. The world seemed too far away, unreachable and unreal, and Yuri felt too small compared to it. Small, weak and alone and every year on that one day he wished he could be a child again, innocent and unaware of how cruel the world could be. And every year, after he stood up from the floor, looked around his room with a blank face, his eyes expressionless and dry, he pulled out a small box from the back of his wardrobe. Yuri hated that day. He held the old, dark grey flat beret between his fingers as tight as he could, and he never once let go of it as he stepped out of his apartment and took a bus to the cemetery. He bought a small bouquet of flowers at the entrance and went inside without looking around or thinking about the route. His legs carried him to the right place and soon he stopped in front of a simple grey stone, staring at the name carved into it.“Hey, Grandpa,” he said quietly. He took a deep breath and placed the flowers and the hat on top of the headstone before sitting down next to it with his legs crossed, his fingers brushing through the grass.For a long time he just sat there with his lips tight, thinking about what he wanted to say. Every year he came here and talked to this piece of marble, and he knew it was a foolish thing to do, he knew that his Grandpa wasn’t listening and it was a pointless ritual that failed to even make him feel better but he needed it. He needed to feel closer to him, at least on that day.“Three years.” His voice sounded hoarse when he started speaking and he cleared his throat, tilting his head down to look at the ground in front of him instead of the sad, impersonal stone that represented the one person who meant his whole family. “That’s a long time.”“They said it would become easier,” he whispered and shook his head, closing his eyes to blink away a tear. He couldn’t cry, not yet, he had to hold it together, he had so much to say. “But it just doesn’t. It doesn’t feel easier at all.”“You’re supposed to take care of me, you know. I’m… I can’t do this alone, I’m still just a stupid kid, I need…,” he stopped, rubbing his eyes furiously, glancing up at the sky to stop the tears from coming. “Look at me, I’m ridiculous. I just miss you so much.”He sighed, looking at the hat fondly and a small, sad smile formed on his lips.“You’d probably tell me to get a grip, right? ‘You’re a grown up now, Yurochka, you don’t need a grumpy, old man to tell you what to do!’ Well, guess what, I suck at being a grown up. So… It’d be nice if you got down here and kicked my ass or something.”He threw a single blade of grass in the direction of the grave but it didn’t even reach it, falling back down slowly at his feet. He picked it up again, tearing it to tiny pieces.“I’m doing better at school,” he continued and then corrected himself, “well, that’s an overstatement but I don’t always completely hate it anymore, so… progress, yeah? You always wanted me to go to university, so I hope you know that I’m only doing this because of you.” He rubbed the edge of the marble with his thumb, making the barely visible spots of dirt and dust disappear. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do after I graduate,” he admitted quietly, sniffling but determined to remain strong until he’s done talking. “This is not who I was supposed to become. I’m pathetic, and it’s not gonna get better, everyone told me it would eventually, that I would move on and find another purpose in my life and bullshit like that, and I fucking tried but I hate it. Remember what you told me? You said I should give it a chance because it’s not like I have any other choice. You were the only one who didn’t lie to me and then you went and fucking died and left me alone to deal with it.”He was quiet again, watching the sunlight painting shadows on one side of the headstone, darkening his grandfather’s first name and the date of his birth while the marble was shining brightly around the engraved ‘Plisetsky’ and the day he died. Yuri thought it was appropriate, because the light made it seem like the Plisetsky name died with his grandfather. It was a family name, and he alone wasn’t a family, certainly not a Plisetsky nowadays, only a poor copy of the person who used to own the name.He’d been thinking about the ice lately and he wanted to tell Nikolai about it, but he wasn’t sure how. Even then, alone in the cemetery he struggled to get the words out, unsure of what exactly he wanted to say about it. He moved on without mentioning it.“Beka came back,” he went on, ripping out another blade of grass, rubbing it between his fingers. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, but we’re friends again.” He put his elbow on his knee and rested his chin in his palm, staring ahead, distracted by his own thoughts.“I’m guessing I don’t need to tell you why it’s such a big deal. I never talked about it but you probably knew anyway. Looking back, it was kind of obvious, I don’t understand how he didn’t notice.His legs fell asleep and he stretched them out, groaning as he felt a thousand pins and needles on his thigh while moving it slowly around to make it less uncomfortable.“My point is,” he continued, “that you should be here to tell me what to do because that’s always been your job and you can’t just quit, okay? You should have at least left a letter or something with specific instructions, because I feel like I’m going nowhere.”He drew his eyebrows together, and pointed a finger at the hat that belonged to his Grandpa.“By the way this is totally confidential and you’re not allowed to tell anyone up there. So… yeah. I guess there’s not much to tell, nothing has changed since I came here last year. A whole year and I’m still exactly in the same place.”“Um… let’s see, what else. Oh, I’ve started working at this bar, it’s not a bad place, but… kinda cool, you know? They hire students to help them out and I’ve been doing it for a couple of months. It’s probably the only thing right now that makes sense for me. You know what I mean? I can see why I’m doing it, it’s not as pointless as… everything else. I know you didn’t want me to work while I’m in school, but I don’t really have a choice.” “Mom hasn’t called, which isn’t a surprise at all, I’m just giving you an update since the last time I was here. I don’t think she actually cares if I’m alive or starving or sick or whatever. Not that I would accept anything from her.”“I wonder what it’s like up there. Did you, like, forgive everyone and stuff? Did you forgive Mom for leaving me with you?”He made a face, glancing up at the sky.“I wish you answered me, but you won’t, I guess.”He took a deep breath again, and watched the grave for a few more minutes before he stood up, grabbing the hat. He put his palm on its place on the headstone, looking down on it.“See you next year, Grandpa.”He walked out of the cemetery without looking back, feeling the weight on his chest that refused to go away. He held onto the hat until he got home and carefully placed it in the box, putting it back in the wardrobe for another year.He felt a little bit better after that, and he made a coffee before he went to look for his phone, only to find a missed call from Viktor.Yuri sat down in the kitchen and buried his face in his hands.Viktor and Yuuri always called him on this day, and they knew Yuri wasn’t going to pick up, but this reminded him that he completely forgot to call and thank them for the birthday gift. God, he really was an asshole, he had received it a month ago and he hadn’t said anything. They probably thought Yuri threw it out or just simply didn’t give a fuck about it. He found it strange that they’d called him at all, he didn’t feel like he deserved it. Yuri pushed the button and held the phone to his ear, waiting with his heart beating in his throat. He was surprised when he heard Yuuri’s voice, answering Viktor’s phone. Maybe it was a married thing, maybe it was because he saw that it was just Yuri, it was still weird and unfamiliar, since he mostly talked to Viktor.“Oh, hey Yurio,” he picked up quickly and greeted him with a careful tone. Yuri hated when they used that tone with him but he didn’t say anything about it, nor the nickname, which still bugged the hell out of him. After all, he was the one who was about to apologize for being the most ungrateful person on planet Earth. “Viktor is on the ice now, do you want me to get him for you?”“No, it’s fine,” he replied. Of course, he was probably busy coaching some lame kid right now. “Okay, well, I can call him ba…”“Wait,” Yuuri interrupted him before he could finish the sentence, “Um… how are you?” Oh, so they were doing this. Yuri swallowed, not sure how to answer the question. He was more or less used to Viktor and talking to him every year on this day, but not Yuuri. He was always there, silently listening in and supporting him but they hadn’t really talked to each other without Viktor being there, channeling between them. “I’m fine,” he shrugged, “it’s not… i’ve had worse.”That was a lie. It’d been equally bad every year, and he wasn’t even close to being better. “That’s good, I’m really glad to hear that. I wish we could be there with you, though, Viktor was really worried. He’ll be happy to hear that you called.”“Yeah, sorry about that. I didn’t have my phone with me.”“No, it’s alright, we understand.” Yuuri’s kind and honest answer only made him feel worse. He thought about how to bring up the plane ticket. He didn’t want to sound like he didn’t care about it, but he was never really good with words, never really knew how to talk about feelings and how to own up to his mistakes. He wished he could be fifteen again, when it didn’t matter to him. He said what he wanted to say without paying attention to the people around him, and it was so much easier, because deep down he knew they would be there anyway, that’s why he always felt comfortable with just throwing insults and masking everything underneath. It was different now. Yuuri and Viktor were the only ones left from his old life, the ones who had never given up on him, and he had to admit to himself that he was afraid he would lose them too. The old Yuri never would have done that, but then again, the old Yuri had his rink mates, his fans, and most importantly, his grandfather too. The old Yuri would probably slap him and laugh in his face right now, seeing how dependant he had become on the few people he had left.“I got your gift,” he blurted out, “It arrived later but I got it and… thanks.”“Oh,” that was all the pork cutlet bowl said to him. Oh. Yuri wasn’t sure if he imagined it, but he did hear a hint of surprise and something that sounded like disappointment in his voice.“Yeah,” he said, feeling dumb now. “Is it… I mean can I still go?”“Of course you can!” Yuuri reassured him, smiling through the words. “Viktor and I were planning to visit you, you know, but we thought that you might like to come here instead. It would be a nice change for you, and we would love to have you here.” Everything he said was too nice, too inviting, too forgiving for Yuri. He didn’t deserve this.Sometimes he felt like he was just waiting for them to turn their backs on him too. They were basically the last two friends he got left, and he never really appreciated them when he was young but right now he needed them more than ever. “Yeah I’ll go, right after my exams are over at the end of June. Thanks again,” he replied. He didn’t have anything else to say, so he awkwardly stopped talking and they were both silent for a few second before Yuuri spoke again.“Yurio… do you, um. Do you have anyone you can call? To be there with you.”“I… what?” he asked, frowning. “I’m okay. I don’t need anyone.”“Yeah I know that,” Yuuri didn’t sound convinced, but he rushed to answer, like he was afraid he would anger Yuri somehow, and screw up this otherwise not that bad conversation. “I just, I really don’t want you to be alone right now. I know you’re gonna be okay, but still. Um… I guess it’s not my place to decide that for you, but you shouldn’t go through this day all by yourself.”Well, joke’s on you, pig, Yuri thought with his lips pressed together. He had to go through everything alone in the past couple of years so he had had a lot of practice. “You don’t have to worry about me,” he said, “I’ll be fine.”They hung up a few minutes later, awkwardly saying goodbye to each other, Yuri promising again that he’d go and visit them in the summer, Yuuri telling him how Viktor will be over the moon to hear that and that was it. Yuri sat there for a long time after that, with his phone in his hands, trying to decide what to do. The one thing he really missed about skating was that he didn’t have to communicate with words. He could step on the ice and let his body do the talking, and he could channel his emotions through the movements of his arms or a well-placed Ina Bauer, leaving it to those who were watching to figure out what he was trying to say. He never really knew any other way to be honest about his feelings, and without the ice he felt lost, struggling like a child trying to learn how to speak for the first time. He will never get the chance to choreograph a tribute to his grandfather. He had one in his head, he could see it so clearly, see every step and technical element and where to put them to fit the music. It could have been beautiful, and it probably would have made dealing with the grief much easier.But the ice wasn’t there anymore to speak for him, he had to do it himself, with real words and real risks. Skating was safe. If someone saw into his soul through the ice, he could still choose to protect himself and say they misinterpreted the program, or figure out some other story behind the choreography he could sell to the media. Words didn’t work like that, there was no going back, he couldn’t protect himself from anything once he started speaking. He bit his lips and stared at the name on his screen. Ultimately, he knew he was just going to make things worse for himself, but he dialled anyway.“Hey, Yura,” Beka’s warm voice filled the silence and Yuri clenched his fist, digging his nails into the skin on his palm until it hurt. “Hey, listen,” he started. His voice wasn’t warm at all, it was weak and trembling, the weight of that day beginning to wear him down and leave its mark on him. “Are you free right now?”“Uh, yeah, wait… what? No, sorry, I’m talking to Yuri, just a second.” Yuri vaguely heard someone in the background and his stomach dropped, knowing exactly who it was. “It’s not that important,” he cut in quickly, not wanting to listen to Beka’s excuses, “if you’re busy, I’m… you don’t have to.”“Are you sure?” Otabek was clearly distracted, and Yuri let out a long breath, feeling the corners of his eyes beginning to fill with tears. He only hoped he could hold it together until they hang up. Then he can go and hide under the covers in his bed, letting himself fall apart safely, away from the rest of the world.“Yeah, I’m sure. Forget it.” ’God, would you just hang up already?’ Yuri pressed his palm to his forehead, closing his eyes. “Well, okay then. Good night,” Beka didn't sound convinced but he said goodbye anyway and waited for Yuri to hang up, who pushed the button immediately without saying anything. He could feel himself crying now, every single tear he hadn’t shed that day breaking free and running down on his face, leaving cold, wet streaks on his chin and neck, and Yuri pressed his forehead against his palm with more force, his fingers shaking, his other hand clutching the phone tightly.He cried for his grandfather, because it’d been three years and he just wanted to hear his voice one more time, calling him ‘Yurochka’, he just wanted to hug him once to say goodbye properly, to bury his head in his grandpa’s shoulder and feel that itchy, wool sweater under his fingers again. Maybe his grandpa would tell one of his terrible jokes again and this time he would laugh, not just roll his eyes in embarrassment, and maybe this time, he would be strong enough to say all the things he wanted to say to him before he passed, like ‘thank you’.Thank you for taking care of me, thank you for being my father, my mother, my grandfather and my friend, thank you for never giving up on me and always believing in me, thank you for supporting me and thank you for never once letting me see you suffer. Thank you for being so strong for me.His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden ringing of his phone, the loud noise dragging him back to the present against his will, and he took one quick glance at the screen before picking up.“What?” he bit out, trying to hide his sniffling. “Are you at home?” Otabek didn’t even say hi and he sounded a little out of breath. Yuri was trying to dry his tears up so he could answer without making it obvious that he’d been crying, and he might have been quiet for too long, because Beka spoke again. “Yura? Are you there? Tell me where you are.”“I’m home,” that was all he managed to say. He probably failed to hide the state he was in, his voice was too small and weak and even the dumbest person would have picked up on it. Otabek wasn’t stupid, and he knew Yuri, knew him better than anyone.“I’m on my way.”Yuri’s voice quivered as he replied with a quiet ‘Okay’ before finishing the call, and he stood up to go wash his face. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this, especially Otabek. The ice cold water made his skin numb and the tears vanished, but it didn’t help the redness of his eyes and the dark circles under them. He looked at his own image in the mirror, and didn’t even recognize the person standing in front of him. He was thin and pale, his skin lusterless, making his hollow eyes stand out even more. He looked… lifeless, like a ghost of himself, smaller, lesser in every way, and the lack of colours and emotions in his dull eyes made him look like an empty shell of something that used to be a person.He went to sit on couch, staring blankly ahead, waiting for Otabek. His brain vaguely processed that Beka changed his mind and was on his way to Yuri. Maybe he hadn’t realized first what day it was, or he wasn’t sure he could make it, Yuri didn’t care. Katsudon was right, he didn’t want to be alone, but he also didn’t want to be with just anybody. He needed Otabek by his side, his calm presence, his soothing words, he needed the feeling of safe and home only Beka could make him feel anymore. Minutes slowly passed and exhaustion almost won over him when he finally heard the quiet knocks on the door and he got up to open it. “Hey,” Beka’s soft, worried voice made him feel even worse, the thought of him seeing right through Yuri, how vulnerable and broken he felt making him ashamed at his own weakness, and he couldn’t even look at him. He turned around without a word, making his way back to couch. He heard Beka close the door and a second later warm fingers caught his wrist, tugging to get him to turn around and look at him. Yuri didn’t have the energy to object, so he let out one last, loud sniffle and turned back, lifting his head, stubbornly keeping his eyes on Otabek. You wanna see me, here I am. See me.Beka was watching him closely, taking in the sight of his messy hair, puffy, red eyes and his pale light skin. He didn’t ask him anything, but his eyes were examining Yuri like he was trying to find the answer written on his face, and then, with one quick step he closed his arms around Yuri, hugging him tightly. He brought one hand up and brushed his fingers through his hair, while he held Yuri by his waist with the other, and Yuri gripped Beka’s coat, sinking his fingers in it, hiding his face in his shoulder.Beka’s thumb was moving up and down slowly by the nape of his neck, while he whispered soothing words into his hair, reassuring him that everything was going to be okay, Yuri can let go, he was right there with him. Yuri eased into the embrace, burying his nose in the curve of his neck, when he heard him say something that broke the moment, and he frowned as he pushed him away a little so he can look at him.“Yuri, tell me what’s wrong.”He took another step back, ignoring how cold the air felt on his skin and how much he longed for Beka’s arms around him. “What the fuck do you think is wrong? How can you even ask me that?” Yuri snapped, and drew a breath to say something else but the words didn’t come and he stood there, speechless at the insensitiveness of the question. Otabek looked at him with utter confusion, his honest expression making Yuri stop and think for a moment. They were both quiet, as Beka was searching for the right words, and he seemed completely at loss. “You don’t know,” Yuri was stunned by the sudden realization. “Fucking hell, you don’t even…”He sat down on the couch again, biting his lips while he was thinking, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes on the Kazakh man as he awkwardly stayed by the door, still in his coat.“Beka,” he started carefully, “why did you come here?” “I… you sounded so... I don’t know,” Beka replied, while he took off his coat and put it on the hanger. He stepped closer to where Yuri was sitting but stopped, hesitantly shifting from one leg to another. “I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong.”Yuri was too tired to care about how to politely express himself, so he tilted his head to look at Otabek, his expression incredulous. “You ditched your boyfriend because what? I sounded sad? And you don’t even know why? Why would you do that?”He watched Otabek’s reaction closely, who seemed appalled by his questions. He shook his head, looking down with what could only be described as disappointment and sadness. “Of course I did,” he answered quietly but firmly, without a touch of hesitation in his voice. He closed the distance between them, kneeling down in front of him, and he looked up at Yuri, searching for his eyes. “Yura, look at me.”Otabek put his hand on his knee, and didn’t start talking until Yuri held his eyes, as if he wanted to be absolutely sure that his words would reach him. “You were upset,” he said in a low voice, never once breaking eye contact, “so yes, I dropped everything and came here to make sure you’re alright. I didn’t need to know why. You’re my friend, and I care about you.”Yuri tried his best to believe him. “So Anton is just okay with this?”“He has to be. He’s not the only important person in my life.”A small smile formed on Yuri’s lips that hadn’t quite reached his eyes, but it was progress and he felt a little bit better than an hour ago. They were both quiet as Otabek got up, using Yuri’s knee to support his weight, and he made his way into the kitchen. It was his first time in Yuri’s apartment, but he moved around with confidence, opening doors to check where he could find everything he needed.“You still remember how I drink my tea,” Yuri commented as he watched Beka put two little spoons of sugar in the cup and nothing else. “Yes, and I still don’t understand your taste.”Beka handed him the tea and then disappeared in the back of the apartment, only to return a minute later. He took a seat next to Yuri on the couch and gently pushed his shoulders so he would turn around.“What are you doing?” Yuri was confused, to say the least, spotting his hairbrush in Otabek’s hand, but he complied anyway, making himself comfortable with his back turned to Beka, peeking over his shoulder.“I’m not exactly sure, but bear with me, yeah?” Otabek untied his hair and pulled the loose strands over his shoulders, letting them fall on his back. He combed the blonde locks carefully with his fingers first, running his fingertips through Yuri’s hair at the nape of his neck and above his ears, and Yuri closed his eyes, melting into his touch. “Wow, it’s grown so much,” Otabek gently pushed his thumb against his spine in the middle of his back, marking how long his hair was. “Another year maybe and it will reach your waist.”He went over the locks once again, sliding his fingers through them to feel if there were any small knots that needed to be undone. He then picked up the brush and began untangling them one by one, gingerly holding each strand he was working on, careful not to hurt him. Yuri couldn’t see his face, but he had a clear picture of him in his mind, as he focused all his attention on his hair, with his eyebrows drawn together, creating soft lines on his forehead, biting his lips in concentration.He tried not to think about how much he wanted to fall back against Beka’s chest and just relax, letting the other man pet him while he rests his head on his shoulder. The comforting hug, Beka’s arms around him, his brown skin against Yuri’s pale one, the warm hand on his waist holding him up was almost too much, but still left him longing for more, and he had to remind himself not to step over that line. He wasn’t ready to ruin their newfound friendship, not to mention that Otabek was in a relationship, and Yuri would never do anything to jeopardize that. He just had to live with the fact that once again, Otabek wasn’t his, but maybe this time he could take the friendship Beka offered him.Beka’s fingers were at the nape of his neck again, brushing his hair one more time, smoothing down any loose strands and caressing the skin under them, before he picked up the hairband to tie it back up. Yuri broke the silence around them, wanting to get the words out before he had to turn around and face him.“My grandfather died three years ago on this day.”Beka’s fingers stilled at that, and he was quiet for a few seconds before putting his hand on Yuri’s shoulder, lightly squeezing it.“I’m so sorry, Yura.”“I assumed you knew.” There was a question mark in that sentence, and Yuri shifted so he could look at Otabek, who averted his eyes and pulled his hand back, glancing down at the old, stained fabric of the sofa.Even if they weren’t friends anymore at that time, word still got around about what was going on with Yuri. It was only a year after his retirement, the media was still interested in him, and most of the skaters regularly asked Viktor about his well-being, all of them worried and hoping that he would be able to return somehow after all. It was weird that the idea hadn’t even crossed Otabek’s mind, even if he didn’t know the exact date.“I… I haven’t even heard about it until last year.”“I don’t understand.”Beka raised his head and looked at him with an expression so vulnerable, and open, that Yuri forgot how to breathe for a second.“Yuri, I... I lost my best friend five years ago. He disappeared from my life and to this day I have no idea why.”It wasn’t an accusation, his voice lacked any anger or ill feeling towards him, and Yuri waited patiently for him to finish. He was certain that they were going to have to have this talk sooner or later, but he also knew that Otabek would never put him through that conversation on this day, not after learning why it was special. Right now, bringing up the past events only served as an explanation, so he let him speak, even though his heart was pounding loudly in his chest because whatever Beka was going to say, it was his fault, Yuri’s actions caused it, his decisions led them both here.“I’m not gonna lie to you. It hurt a lot, and after a while I just tried to stay as far away from you as possible. I avoided the news, your fans, your friends, everyone who could have told me. And my friends knew better than to even say your name around me, so… I only heard about it sort of accidentally from Yakov.” Yuri was quiet as he sat back against the armrest of the couch, processing what he had heard, and he only glanced up when he felt Beka’s hand in his, his thumb drawing semicircles on his skin.“You don’t have to think about this now. It can wait, I can wait.” Yuri nodded, more as a ‘thank you’ than as an acknowledgement of his words. He was still distant, he only understood half of what Beka said, knowing that it was probably going to hit him tomorrow, or a few days later. “Tell me about your grandpa.”Yuri took a sharp breath, knowing exactly what he wanted to say. “Do you know why I had to stop skating?”Beka seemed confused, unsure what this had to do with Nikolai but he replied anyway, pulling his hand back again. Yuri felt the loss of the warm fingers around his own, and he clenched his fist, willing himself not to think about it too hard.“I know you took a bad fall at Skate America.”“That’s… yeah, that’s kind of the end of the story.” Yuri looked down. People knew bits and pieces, mostly from what they had read in the media, and there were those who knew a little bit more than that, like Viktor, Yuuri and Seung-gil but no one had the whole picture, the real reason behind his injury.“I took another fall way back at Nationals, like… a year before that. I fractured my hip and the doctor told me I should take it easy, skip the rest of the season so it could heal properly.”Beka was a good listener, exactly like Yuri remembered him to be. He didn’t even move as he sat there, every fiber of his being focused on him, never once taking his eyes off of Yuri, but also putting some distance between them, letting him breathe, letting him take his time.“But I already knew Grandpa was sick, and I, um… I lied to everyone, I said I was fine and went back earlier than that so I could go to Worlds. I could feel that it wasn’t working perfectly but I took some painkillers and I didn’t care, because… well, I thought I was going to need the money to, you know, get the best medical stuff in the country, or even take him somewhere else where they can cure him.”His voice got quiet by the end, and he had to stop for a few seconds, collecting himself as long-repressed memories started reappearing. Waves of fear and anger were washing over him as he relived those nights again, tossing and turning in his bed, frantically googling alternative methods just in case the chemo wouldn’t work, calling private facilities all over the country and across the borders, desperate for a hopeful reply, anything other than an ‘Unfortunately we’re at full capacity’ or ‘I’m sorry, we can’t, but let me give you another number…’. Beka was listening with so much patience and understanding that it was almost too much to bear, and Yuri had to stand up, make himself busy with something so he wouldn’t fall apart in front of him. He picked up his empty cup and walked to the kitchen to put it in the sink, and it was a little bit easier to continue talking after that, the simple task helping him hold on to the here and now.“Yakov was the first to find out, during the off-season after that. I mean, about the cancer. He didn’t know that I went against the doctor’s recommendation but I wasn’t in any pain anymore, so I didn’t even think about it. And then, I... ,“ He sighed and stopped talking again, looking anywhere but at the man in front of him. He didn’t want to see the acceptance in Otabek’s eyes, he didn’t deserve it, he was the one who fucked up his life and went against the doctor’s orders, if anything, Beka should have been mad at him for screwing up his career like that. “And then,” he started again, taking a deep breath, “I was packing for Skate America when I found them. The, um… papers. Medical files and stuff. Grandpa said he waited to tell me because he didn’t want me give up hope. I didn’t really understand what the papers said, but I got the point. There was no surgery, no chemo, nothing that could have saved him. I was so fucking angry, I yelled at him, threw the door in his face, I was horrible, Beka, I… I couldn’t… I was so scared.”He pulled up his knees to his chest, hugging himself on the couch, and Beka listened, not saying a single word, but he was watching him intently, and Yuri felt his dark chocolate-brown eyes seeing right through him, burning a hole in his soul. “So yeah, I couldn’t focus on the competition at all, I didn’t pay attention on the ice, I… I don’t even know what happened. I fell hard on the quad lutz and that was it. I practically shattered my hip.”He wished Beka would hug him again, but neither of them moved closer, keeping the distance between them as they sat on each side of the sofa, both of them turning to face the other but Yuri’s eyes avoiding Otabek’s, afraid of what he might see in them.When he spoke, his voice was unwavering and confident, filled with kindness and Yuri had to try and grip the fabric under his hands tightly so he could stop the tears from coming again.“It’s not your fault, you know that, right?”Yuri scoffed, staring ahead, blinking rapidly.“Yeah, right. It was me on the ice, who else would you blame?”“No, I don’t mean that. Your grandpa. There was nothing you could do.” Yuri didn’t answer but sniffled a bit, snuggling further into the corner of the sofa and Otabek stood up.“I’m gonna get you a blanket.” Yuri let him, and when Beka returned, he draped it over his shoulders, tucking him in carefully. “Hey, lie down.” Soft fingers pulled the comforter up until his neck, lingering there, his thumb touching his chin lightly, before settling on the top of his head, brushing his hair.“Thanks,” Yuri mumbled into the blanket, and Otabek huffed fondly, fiddling with it to smooth it down everywhere, making sure he was comfortable. “Stop it. You’re acting like a dad, it’s so weird.”“Sorry,” Beka laughed quietly and sat down on the ground in front of the couch. “Are you feeling better?”“Yeah, I am.” Yuri peeked out from under the cover. “I haven’t really told anyone this before so… um. Thanks for coming over and, you know, not hating me and… yeah.”“Anytime.”They were both quiet after that, and Yuri fell into restless naps every few minutes, but when he opened his eyes, Otabek was still there, sitting next to him on the ground. He saw him calmly typing away on his phone, bringing himself a tea, switching through muted tv channels, and he always sat down to the same spot, on the floor, right next to him. The last time he woke up before the morning, Otabek had his back against the sofa, and he was sleeping soundly. Yuri smiled to himself and fell asleep again, dreamless and dark but peaceful, more peaceful than he ever felt in the last three years. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “He did what?”Yuri dropped his backpack on the stool and ignored the loud thud it made when it turned over and fell on the ground. He had just arrived to the pub for his weekend shift, after he got a phone call, asking him to start a few hours earlier that day. It was only 2 in the afternoon, the bar was still empty, with an exception of one guy in the back who leaned over a laptop next to his beer and from the looks of it, was probably planning his death. It was the beginning of May, the time of deadlines, finishing assignments and preparing for exams, and he looked like he was doing everything at once, so Tatiana made an attempt to lower her voice and she even turned down the music. She let out a long breath and smiled at Yuri with sympathy, because she too, was aware what the news they had just received meant to them both.“Yeah, I’ve just been told.”“He fucking quit,” Yuri repeated because he needed to hear it again, just to be sure he had heard it right. “I think he said something about taking a step forward? Maybe a better job?” Tatiana shrugged and she picked up a rag to clean the counter, while humming some song Yuri didn’t recognize. He was still standing there, perplexed, unable to go about his day like nothing happened, but of course he wasn’t Tatiana, who was probably the calmest person on the planet. It was like nothing ever shook her at all.“What better job? He is fucking useless. Wasn’t this shithole good enough for him?”Tatiana threw him a glance, frowning but Yuri ignored him, picking up his bag and looking for his phone. He’d heard it buzzing earlier with a notification and since he expected Otabek at the pub that day, he assumed it was going to be him. “This place isn’t a shithole.”“It is according to Denis,” Yuri argued. He was elbow-deep in his backpack, blindly tapping around for the phone in the midst of all the notebooks, pens, pencils and the trash he always forgot to throw out. “So what, we’re just gonna suck it up and work twice as hard until they hire someone else?”“I guess so, yeah.”“Awesome,” his fingers finally closed around his cellphone and he pulled it out of the bag, turning away from Tatiana, since he considered the matter closed. Denis quit and they were going to suffer, what else was there to talk about? Now they had to cover every shift until they replace him, which would have been bad enough without having to prepare for the end of the semester as well. God, he should have known this day would suck. He took comfort in the thought that at least Otabek was going to be there soon to keep him company. He promised Yuri he would meet him at the bar early, so they can spend some time together before the shift gets busier and the pub is flooded with people.Otabek seemed to always be around these days, and he slowly became a constant part of his life which Yuri sometimes still found rather strange. He clutched the phone tightly in his hand, thinking about how they ended up at exactly the same place again, being best friends, Otabek supporting him, and Yuri getting increasingly more conflicted about his own feelings. When they first met, Yuri thought the promises of future meetings were just polite phrases with no real intention behind them, and he was prepared to let go of him anytime. He was sure this was only a chance to properly say goodbye, a way to heal the wound and move forward, so they can both accept that their friendship had ended five years ago and there was no repairing what Yuri had broken.But then Otabek kept coming back and he was forced to realize that the Kazakh man had a somewhat different idea about their abrupt reunion. Their friendship slowly started growing again when they met up for a coffee, all the way to the point of basically skyrocketing after the evening he spent at Yuri’s apartment, helping him get through the anniversary of his grandfather’s death. Up until that night, Yuri had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that Otabek was truly back in his life and intended to stay there. Sometimes he even expected him to disappear suddenly, as a less rational part of him feared that all this was only payback for what Yuri did to him, but Beka was still there and he had proved him wrong again and again, until Yuri started believing him. Now they were almost back to their old routine, sharing messages every day, sending random pictures that described their days, and Beka had been nothing but nice to him, never once making him feel guilty about what happened, not even mentioning it with the exception of that one conversation they had on Yuri’s couch a few weeks ago.And Yuri felt useless, unable to give back.He glanced at the phone, only to find that it was Polina who texted him. She was supposed to be studying for a test they had on Monday, a test Yuri was in no way prepared for. He unintentionally made a face when he remembered that he had a shift the next day too, making it impossible to at least read through his notes once over the weekend. If he wanted to sleep, that is. He had already had enough on his plate, since he was going to show up for the test after working until 3 am on Sunday. He sighed and checked the message Polina sent him, forcing himself to stop worrying about his crazy schedule. There was nothing he could do about it anyway. 13.52 lina: come over 14.03 me: can’t i’m working 14.03 lina: my parents aren’t home Yuri rolled his eyes but he couldn’t stop the quiet laugh that escaped his lips as he quickly typed in a response. 14.04 me: lina you live alone 14.04 me: also we’re both gay 14.04 me: what are we going to do, play board games? 14.05 lina: idk we can braid each other’s hair Yuri held up his phone and snapped a picture of the messy fishtail side braid he quickly made that morning, sending it to her. 14.07 me: mine’s already done, sorry He realized his mistake as soon as he hit send, and he brought his free hand to his face, keeping it there to check her reply through the thin space between his fingers. There was no way Polina hadn’t noticed, but Yuri still silently wished for a miracle while he was waiting for the inevitable. 14.08 lina: omg is that tatiana behind you? 14.08 lina: forget everything, i’m suddenly in dire need of a drink 14.09 lina: i’m on my way And there it was. Yuri let out an exasperated breath, more annoyed with himself than with Polina as he frantically searched for an acceptable reason to stop her but he came up with nothing. Polina was on her way, and she was most likely going to meet Otabek. It was an introduction Yuri had been trying to avoid since the very beginning.Polina asked about Beka a lot, curious of who Yuri’s mysterious other friend was, as she called him, always bringing it up in the most unexpected situations to catch him off-guard and get him to share some details. Yuri hadn’t said anything more to her than the story he himself wanted to believe. That he was an old friend, they ran into each other, drank a coffee for old times’ sake and sometimes they talk. It was the most simplified version he could come up with, stripped of any personal details that might indicate exactly how close they were and what happened to them, and he was careful not to give her a name or anything she could google to find out herself.She arrived an hour later in a whirlwind of cheerful energy, scaring the death out of Yuri who was busy cleaning the table next to the door in a mood that got worse by the minute. He threw her a glance and raised an eyebrow when she completely ignored Tatiana and sat in the chair on his left, turning her back to the counter.“What’s up?” she asked, her voice only a tiny bit louder and higher than usual.Yuri cocked his head to the side and gave her a look that said ‘I know what you’re doing, it’s embarrassing, stop before I leave you here to deal with your crush alone’. Despite the confidence Polina was practically glowing with on any usual day, she was surprisingly lame when it came to flirting. Yuri had plenty of occasions to watch as she followed the ‘stare and daydream’ tactic, sometimes mixed with a little ‘be as interesting as you can and make her notice you’. The latter was mostly unintentional, and the results were debatable at best.“Would you like to drink something?” Yuri offered the question, deciding to take a more passive-aggressive way to play match-maker. There was a tiny chance he could distract her enough so she wouldn’t even notice Otabek.“Why, yes I would, thank you,” she nodded with a satisfied expression on her face.“Awesome. As of this moment, I’m on my break, so Tatiana over there will gladly help you.” Yuri delivered the punchline with a sweet smile, dropped the rag he was holding on the table and sat down, pulling out his phone from his pocket. He casually rested his legs on the other chair and hadn’t even glanced at Polina as he tried to look as absorbed in his phone as possible.“You’re going to hell for this.” He smirked when he heard her reply, but kept his eyes on the screen. Polina huffed out a breath and smoothed her skirt down, nervously fidgeting with the zipper on her jacket for a moment before standing up and walking over to the counter.Yuri listened to her stumble over the first few words but quickly turned his attention back to his phone and bit his lips, thinking about a more pressing matter that’d been on his mind for a while. His fingers hovered over the buttons, contemplating if he was really ready to do this. It was a simple matter, and he felt ridiculous that it caused him such a big problem, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted Otabek to talk about skating. Well, not really.He wanted him to talk about his day. He wanted to be a good friend and be able to listen to him rant about the annoying kids at the rink, or let him be openly proud of the talented ones. He wanted Beka to call him or text him when he was away for a competition and one of his skaters earned a medal, and he wanted to be there for him when one of them got seriously injured and help him get over the inevitable guilt every coach felt clawing at him, especially when they were young and inexperienced like Otabek. He remembered the first time he realized just how much of Beka’s life he was missing out on. He had been thinking about it before, noticed the way Otabek would sometimes trail off while talking, getting uncomfortably quiet as he tried to avoid mentioning the trainings. How he always said he was ‘working’ and never used another word for it, and how their friendship felt slightly off-balance to Yuri, him being the center of attention most of the time, with Otabek supporting him through everything and not receiving anything in return. He felt selfish at first, but that wasn’t enough motivation for him to do something about it.The reality of the situation only hit him when one day he glanced at the calendar on his phone and realized that the figure skating season had ended, and he was genuinely curious how Otabek’s skaters performed. During those last two months, the junior and senior world championships had happened along with the World Team Trophy, and he had absolutely no idea if he should congratulate him or even say anything. Beka had never even mentioned leaving for a competition, so Yuri was completely at loss, and he found that his interest in his friend’s career was now stronger than the bitterness he felt about it.He had planned to send a simple message, asking about his day, how the practice is going, because it seemed easier than asking face-to-face for the first time, but writing it down felt even stranger. Like ‘I know how weird this is, that’s why I’m texting’ awkward. Yuri always hated taking the easy way out, especially when it was obvious that he was doing just that.He jerked his head up to the sound of glass clicking against the wooden table and hid his phone back in his pocket.“I did it,” Polina whispered, excited and happy, with stars in her eyes and a dreamy expression on her face. “I asked for a beer and she smiled at me.”Yuri didn’t point out the fact that they were kind of required to do that, and he snorted, unimpressed.“You didn’t even get her number?” He got a punch in his arm for that question.“Baby steps, asshole.”“Whatever,” he replied, “don’t you have an exam to prep for?”Polina’s pained expression was all the answer he needed, as she pulled out her notes from her bag, dropping them on the table. “I’m gonna sit in the back and study there,” she pointed at a table opposite from the counter, and this time when she sat down, she chose the seat with the best view to Tatiana. Yuri would have been willing to bet his entire inheritance that no studying was going to take place that day.He reluctantly turned back to the counter and returned to work, checking the time every few minutes, waiting for Otabek to arrive. Polina didn’t look like she was planning to leave anytime soon, she seemed preoccupied with her notes, occasionally glancing up at Tatiana. Maybe he should have given her more credit, because she looked like she was actually studying, reading through her notes and adding more to them, with the book open in front of her. Yuri thought he would probably just gaze into space with a blank expression if it were him, unable to focus on anything but the person he liked. When Otabek walked in later that afternoon, Yuri almost dropped the glass he was holding. For a minute, he even forgot about Polina’s presence and just stared at his friend, who casually pulled up his usual seat opposite from him, and put his black helmet on the counter next to them. Apparently, the russian spring was now warm enough for Beka to bring out the motorbike Yuri had been secretly wished to see for quite some time now. He also decided to ditch the duffle coat he had been wearing, and was sporting a more familiar piece, similar to the one that Yuri remembered very well, and suddenly it was him, his best friend, the same one he left behind years ago. The black leather was tight on the broad shoulders, with the short snap collar hugging his neck loosely, touching the warm brown skin underneath. Beka unzipped the jacket, revealing the dark grey t-shirt he was wearing and Yuri had to look away before he did something embarrassing, like lean closer to smell the leather or reach out to run his fingers down Beka’s arms.“Hey,” he brought his hand up and brushed through his hair, making the longer strands stick up, and he looked around, his eyes momentarily settling on Tatiana before blinking up at Yuri. “Where is Denis?”Yuri raised his eyebrow and turned to the guy on Beka’s right, handing him the beer and taking the money. “Why, you miss him? I could have told you on the phone that he’s not here, then, to save you the trouble.” Beka was watching him with an amused smile, taking off his fingerless gloves and resting his arms on the counter. He leaned forward a little and tilted his head so he could see Yuri’s face, who stubbornly kept his eyes on the cash register.“It’s fine, I’m not here for him.” He studied Yuri’s closed off attitude towards him and his smile turned into a frown. “What’s wrong?”Yuri glanced up at Polina, who just turned the page in her book, absent-mindedly playing with her ponytail, wrapping its end around her fingers. She didn’t seem to be paying attention to them, but the bar was quiet and calm at this hour, so there was no way she didn’t notice Otabek coming in.“Nothing,” he muttered, sitting down on his own stool, grateful for the lack of crowd so he could rest a little. He still avoided Beka’s eyes, but felt them on him, examining his face with a worried look. “Yuri,” he started and pulled his hands back a little, “did I do something to upset you?”“What?” Yuri looked up instantly, his eyes meeting Beka’s and he watched as the Kazakh man tensed up, waiting for his reply. “Why would you think…?”He didn’t finish the question, because he knew the answer already. Instead, he shook his head and snorted to break the awkwardness around them.“You’re such an idiot. That shithead Denis quit and now I’m gonna have to work my ass off so I’m pissed.” Beka still didn’t seem convinced so Yuri sighed and added, “Stop it. You’re probably the only person I don’t want to kill right now.”Beka huffed, and the smile was back, so Yuri busied himself with his gloves, trying them on. His hand was smaller and more slender than Otabek’s and the gloves were too big, but he liked how they looked on him and decided to keep them on until Beka leaves and he has to give them back. He grabbed his phone and took a picture of his left hand giving the finger, intentionally turning towards Polina so she was visible in the background. She had her head turned down, resting it in her palm, and seemed deeply engrossed in her notes so Yuri relaxed a little.“So, um…,” he drew in a breath, preparing for the question he’d been meaning to ask for a long time, “how was practice today?”He risked a glance at Beka’s face. To anyone else, his expression would have seemed normal, but Yuri saw the glint of surprise in his eyes and the way his modest smile changed, turned just a little bit happier and knowing. “It was really good.” The reply was careful but honest, and Beka scanned his face, looking for a sign from him to stop there. Yuri didn’t even flinch and propped his elbow up on the counter, watching him, raising an eyebrow to encourage him to continue. “One of the girls landed her first triple lutz today.” He added with pride in his voice, and Yuri thought that hearing him say it like that was definitely worth getting over himself.“That’s something,” he replied. “Congratulations. How old is she?”“She’s eleven. She was so excited she made everyone stop and watch her do it again, but of course she was nervous and almost fell. I gave her the recording so she could show it to her parents too.” Beka leaned in closer, their arms touching on the counter, but Yuri didn’t have the strength to pull away. His friend was back, truly back, with the motorcycle and the leather jacket, and the messed up hair, talking about the kids he was coaching, and Yuri felt like he was nineteen years old again, unable to look at him and not want to hold onto him forever.“What else?” he asked when Beka stopped, urging him to go on. “Um, nothing special. The older kids are already freaking out about the Olympics, trying to come up with a theme for the next season and looking for the right music.”“Will any of them actually go to the Olympics?”“One of them has a pretty good chance, but who knows? He was 4th at Worlds this year.”Yuri nodded.“Then he needs a really special choreography. To make him stand out even if he doesn’t win. What else?”Beka’s smile faltered and his eyes became more serious as he was watching Yuri, once again searching for a sign that it was okay to continue.“Yura, we don’t have to talk about skating, if you don’t want to.”Yuri rolled his eyes and reached out to poke Beka’s forehead with his index finger, keeping it there for a second. He was still wearing the gloves.“I asked you, didn’t I? Quit worrying about my well-being, I’m not a fucking flower.”“Please,” Beka replied, “I’ll never stop worrying about your well-being. You have a tendency to risk it.”“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the time you insisted on driving my bike and even tried to steal it?”Yuri opened his mouth but realized that he didn’t have a good comeback because that did, indeed happen once, and he crossed his arms, offended.“That’s not fair! I was eighteen and drunk!”“My point exactly.” Yuri’s phone was buzzing in his pocket so instead of shooting back a sarcastic reply he pulled away, feeling the loss of the leather on his skin. He received several texts which he hadn’t noticed before, all from Polina, the first one right after Otabek arrived. She now looked at them with a wide grin, flailing her arms around in excitement when she finally managed to make eye-contact with Yuri. 16.18 lina: damn that guy is fine as hell 16.19 lina: are you two flirting over there?? 16.21 lina: NOTICE ME 16.27 lina: wait a minute 16.27 lina: is that him??? Yuri decided to send her the photo of his middle finger he’d taken earlier, with no explanation or answer to her questions and put his phone back in his pocket.That act proved to be a mistake, because Polina decided to find things out herself and stood up, walking over to the counter. She handed over her empty glass and took the seat right next to Otabek.“It seems like Tatiana is on her break, so refill please?” It was obviously a revenge for his earlier move. Yuri tried to murder her with his eyes in several different ways, but all he got in return was a smug smile.“I think someone is stealing your book over there,” he nodded in the direction of her table. Polina just sighed, not even turning around to check if it was maybe true.“God, finally. They can have it.”Otabek was waiting patiently for Yuri to get back to him, listening to their conversation with an increasing interest. There was no way around it now, but Yuri was still stalling, hoping for an earthquake or an asteroid to hit them, anything to avoid introducing them to each other.“Here,” he said, putting the glass down in front of Polina with a loud thud as it met the hard wood, “you can go back now.”“I haven’t paid yet,” she replied with the same annoyingly sweet smile and made no move to leave them alone.“Don’t worry, you will,” Yuri muttered but she didn’t pay attention, turning towards Otabek and offering her hand.“Hi, I’m Polina.” Confusion turned into understanding upon hearing her name and Beka took her hand, shaking it with a polite but reserved smile.“Otabek. I’ve heard a lot about you.”That was an overstatement in Yuri’s opinion, but he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to add more fuel to the fire. He was almost scared watching them exchange the first few words, his old and new life blending together, the clear boundaries he set up being washed away by nothing more than a handshake.“And I haven’t heard enough about you,” Polina replied but went on immediately, not giving a chance for any of them to reply. “But it’s okay, I talk enough for both of us, I think. Feel free to stop me if I’m annoying.”In hindsight, Yuri had to admit that that was a favor, not forcing them explain their relationship, what they were to one another, but in that moment, he was two seconds away from murdering her.“You’re annoying,” he cut in quickly but Polina only waved a hand at him.“And I wasn’t talking to you. You don’t actually have a choice.”“You go to school with Yuri, am I right?” Beka asked, and Yuri couldn’t decide if he was being polite or genuinely curious. He hoped for the first, but knowing him, it was probably the second. Beka had already proved that he was interested in everything concerning Yuri, from his essays to his work and to the people around him.“I wouldn’t say that,” Polina snorted, “he sometimes shows up and bothers me in class.”That definitely caught Otabek’s ears and he turned to Yuri with furrowed eyebrows, deep lines appearing on his forehead.“You don’t go to your lectures?”“With my shifts ending at dawn? Forgive me for wanting to get some sleep, for fuck’s sake.” He hoped that would be the end of it but Beka only seemed more worried, clearly not intending to let the subject go.“You overwork yourself,” he stated and Polina started nodding next to him.“I keep telling him that too.”Yuri raised a hand, pointing his finger to Beka.“Do not even start,” he warned him and then he turned to Polina, who seemed to enjoy the situation a bit too much. “And you. You can choose how you want to die as long as it happens in the next five minutes.”“She’s just worried about you, Yura,” Beka said softly.Of course, Yuri knew that. But it didn’t help to hear it from both of them, he felt attacked, cornered, especially because they were right. He did overwork himself, he did miss a lot of his classes, and even if he wanted to go to school, more often than not he slept through his alarm. He ate whenever he remembered that he should and his schedule was all kinds of fucked up due to his nightshifts.But pointing it out wasn’t going to change the fact that Yuri had no one to financially support him and he had to work extra hard to be able to pay rent, buy food and god forbid, buy a new pair of shoes every once in a while. “Well, she doesn’t need to,” he replied after a short silence, “I’m fine.”“Tough luck,” Polina added, “you’re my best friend, it’s my job to worry.”Yuri wasn’t looking at her when she spoke, and that’s how he caught Beka’s face when she called herself his best friend. His stomach clenched at the sight of his smile, because he knew him well enough to notice how it didn’t reach his eyes at all, and see the flash of sadness that disappeared just as quickly as it came. Yuri didn’t feel the same, though. Beka always had a special place in his life, and ‘best friend’ didn’t even come close to describing how he felt about him, especially after the first few years of their friendship when he grew up and started accepting the fact that dreaming about Beka’s lips on his, their bodies close and their skin touching had already stepped over the boundaries of friendship. He was fine with Polina being his best friend, because Otabek was much more than that, and he knew the perfect word for it, had the feeling been requited. He was about to come up with a better answer than an eyeroll, when Tatiana came back from her break which resulted in Polina blushing furiously and trying not to stare but failing. She literally tried to duck to avoid looking too flustered but caught herself last minute and turned her head towards Otabek, hiding her face. Yuri threw his hands in the air, sighing in frustration.“Oh for the love of… hey, Tatiana,” he called out and the girl turned around, her eyes resting on Polina for a second before nodding towards Yuri.“Yeah, what’s up?”“You study accounting, right?”Tatiana scoffed but smiled at him anyway.“Please don’t remind me, but yes, why?”“Polina here,” he waved in her direction and she gave in, turning back with a shy smile, “would never admit it, but she is terrible with numbers and we have a Statistics exam coming up soon. She was wondering if you’d be willing to help her.”“Really?” Tatiana looked at Polina who seemed to be unable to form a sentence and just sheepishly nodded. “I can do that. Is tomorrow okay? Maybe over a coffee?”“I don’t like coffee,” Polina blurted out and Yuri wanted to facepalm but stopped himself last minute and settled for a disbelieving shake of his head. Beka was desperately fighting a smile next to them, looking anywhere but at the two girls. “Sorry, I mean, yeah. I’ll just drink tea. Or a hot chocolate. It doesn’t matter.”Tatiana laughed at her and quickly sribbled down her phone number on a piece of paper.“Alright, call me.”Polina took the note and looked like she was about to burst out giggling, crying or both.“Okay, well I’m...,” she pointed back at her table, her face redder than Yuri’d ever seen before, “I’m gonna go back. Bye!”She practically ran back to hide behind her book, keeping her eyes down as she frantically typed something that was almost definitely a text to Yuri. Otabek was watching him with a fond expression, and Yuri realized he was smiling, a proper, kind smile he quickly erased.“What?” he asked, pretending to not know the reason Beka looked at him with such proud, affectionate eyes.“You’re a good friend, Yura.”“Believe me, I did it for my own sake. I’m the one who has to put up with this all the time, I couldn’t bear it anymore.” “You don’t fool me,” Beka tilted his head. A small smile was playing on his lips, barely visible but his eyes were shining bright with fondness, and Yuri thought he was beautiful. “That was a really nice thing you did. You care about her.”“Whatever you say,” he said, not exactly denying the statement but not admitting it was true either. People slowly started gathering at the pub after working hours were over and Yuri got busy serving drinks and clearing tables. Beka wasn’t keen on leaving just yet so he stayed at his usual place, asking for a beer from Tatiana and waiting patiently so they could exchange a few words between customers. Yuri wasn’t really sure if he wanted him to leave or not. At one point, he heard him talking on the phone and from one side of the conversation he was able to put two and two together and figure out that it was Anton on the other end. Beka told him he would stay for a bit longer before he agreed to have dinner later that day and Yuri turned away silently, trying to sort out his own feelings.He couldn’t ignore the low, dull pain in his stomach as he stood there, listening to Beka’s soft voice, discussing his date with his boyfriend. He welcomed the familiar feeling like an old friend, a part of him that he had never truly let go, a part of him that slowly resurfaced in the last two months. He was forced to admit that it wasn’t a childish affection, a teenage crush that passes with time, but something that had always been there and probably always will. Now more than ever he needed Otabek in his life, but he felt sick thinking about this being his new normal, Beka being there for him close but just out of his reach, hugging and touching him but never quite how Yuri wanted him to, loving him, but not in the way Yuri loved him. He wondered if this was how it was going to be forever, pining for his best friend and watching him being with someone else, eventually moving in with the most important person in his life or even get married to them, while he was standing by his side, bottling up his feelings until he couldn’t take it anymore.He went behind the counter and threw down the rag he used to clear Polina’s table after she left, and turned to serve the people waiting there. It still wasn’t as crowded as usual but both him and Tatiana received their fair share of tips so he wasn’t complaining. The guy next in line asked for shots, blushing while Yuri took his order.“Can I get you anything else?” he asked, and the man seemed to hesitate for a moment.“Actually, um…,” he shifted, flashing a bright but nervous smile at him, and Yuri knew what was coming. “I was hoping I could ask you to, of course if you’re not busy or anything, to maybe get a drink with me sometime?”At least he wasn’t rude about it, Yuri thought and he tried to be as friendly as possible given his natural attitude towards people like him and his bad mood. Before he could answer though, the guy hurriedly continued.“I mean, I understand if you don’t want to, it’s just I come here a lot and well, you’re… you seem like a nice person.”He clearly mistook Yuri for someone else. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Beka’s eyebrows shooting up after hearing the last sentence. He ignored his reaction and took a closer look at the guy who asked him out. He was kind of cute, to be honest. Yuri didn’t feel anything when he looked at him, but he was handsome, tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a bit of a stubble, his cheeks blushing of embarrassment. Yuri gave him a few extra points for not playing up his obvious agitation.“I tell you what,” he decided to say, “why don’t you give me your number and I will think about it?”He handed him a note from the same stack of papers Tatiana used earlier, and he wrote down his name and phone number with slightly shaking hands.“Thanks,” he said, giving him the note.“You’re welcome,” Yuri nodded with a quick glance to the name on the paper, “Misha. Now, are you going to pay too?”He smiled so he wouldn’t come off as rude and watched as the guy blushed even harder, searching for his money and then disappearing behind the line. Yuri stood on his toes and followed him with his eyes as he sat down with his friends and started speaking excitedly, laughing and huffing like he just did something he’d been preparing for for a while. He put the note in his front pocket, right next to his phone and looked up, only to find Beka’s eyes on him.“Does this happen to you often?” he asked, his expression guarded carefully.“That depends on what ‘often’ means to you,” Yuri shrugged, “maybe once a week.”“And you take all their numbers?” he frowned with a hint of disapprovement in his voice, and Yuri rolled his eyes.“I’m not dating every person hitting on me, Beka” he replied, “but I accept their numbers, I'm trying to be polite about it and sometimes I do consider saying yes.”“Are you considering now?”Yes, Yuri immediately thought, but didn’t answer right away. He did just establish his place in Otabek’s life, concluding that he was probably doomed to watch him get married and have five biker babies born with undercuts and leather jackets and then this guy just appeared out of nowhere, reminding Yuri that there were other people on the planet.“He seemed normal,” he said after thinking about it for a few seconds. “So why not?”“Why not?” Beka repeated after him, “Yuri, you don’t even know him.”“How the fuck am I supposed to get to know people without meeting them?” In a fraction of a second he got angry at him, more specifically the judgemental tone of his voice when he said Yuri didn’t even know the man. He just wanted to give himself a chance, to see if it was even possible for him to look at someone other than Beka and feel something, and here he was, getting a lecture from Otabek of all people. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t meet people, it’s just this guy, he seemed…,” Beka stopped talking, realizing that he didn’t know how to finish the sentence. His expression was neutral now, objective even, and he shrugged. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you who you can or cannot date.”“That’s right, you can’t.” Yuri replied in a cold voice. He hadn’t meant to say anything more, but the words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself. “You know, I’ve been alone for a long time, I would expect my friend to be happy for me.”“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Beka sighed, but he didn’t really look at him, glancing at the people instead, his phone and Tatiana on the other end of the counter. “Maybe I’m just tired, I should probably go.”He stood up, grabbing his helmet. “Hey, your gloves!” Yuri called out and started taking them off, but Beka stopped him by reaching across the counter and putting his hand on his.“Keep them,” was all he said, holding Yuri’s hand for a moment longer before he let go, and moved to make his way to the exit.“Beka,” Yuri waited until he turned back around, facing him, “we’re good, okay?”Otabek nodded with a small, grateful smile, and Yuri let out a long breath, trying to calm his racing heart as he pulled the fingerless leather gloves back on. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “I’m a terrible person.”Yuri was lying flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling when he blurted this out. Polina was sideways on her queen-sized bed, resting her head against his waist but she propped herself up on her elbows to get a better look at Yuri’s face when he spoke.“You’re far from terrible.”Yuri shook his head and avoided looking back at her. The midday sun was shining through Polina’s windows brightly, painting the shape of the trees outside on the opposite wall, and he kept his eyes on the shadows playing around in the corner of her room, following their movements.He’d been replaying the words in his mind for a while, trying to get used to them, until the thought overwhelmed him and he found it impossible not to say them out loud. He always prided himself in not having any regrets, fighting for and taking what he wanted without anyone stopping him, and here he was years later, wondering what the hell went wrong when he was twenty years old. “You don’t know that,” he replied, keeping his voice as casual as he could, “you didn’t know me back then. You have no idea how selfish I was, and I don’t think I’ve changed much ever since.”“Stop talking like that,” Polina sat up, crossing her legs next to him, frowning at his words.“Did you know that one of his kids won junior worlds?” He looked back at her now, still not making another move, just turned his head so he could see her reaction. “Because I didn’t. I didn’t ask and he didn’t tell me.”“I’m sure there is a good reason for that,” Polina replied but it was a weak attempt at comforting him, her words were empty and unconvincing and Yuri scoffed, a sick, unpleasant feeling curling around in his stomach as he went on.“Yeah, there is. He didn’t want to be inconsiderate. He was so concerned about my fucking feelings that he didn’t tell me that he helped a 14-year-old boy become world champion. What does that say about me?”When he brought up figure skating at the pub, the subtle change in Otabek’s whole demeanor was undeniable, the way his eyes lit up with pride and his easy smile became softer as he answered his questions. Even his posture was different, all the tension suddenly gone from his shoulders as he got more comfortable talking about his skaters, and it was as if Yuri caught a glimpse of Beka the person, not Beka the friend for the first time. That was when he truly realized how one-sided their friendship was, with Otabek giving his all and supporting Yuri through everything, taking his feelings into consideration and watching his every word careful not to hurt him, while his life and career became subordinate to that. Yuri couldn’t shake the thought that it must have been draining to be his friend and he felt rotten about it. He believed he had changed since he was twenty, all the losses made him learn to appreciate the few people around him, but the reality was that he still hadn’t stopped to think about anyone but himself.The silence stretched out between them and Polina fiddled with the hem of her purple comforter, searching for the right answer. She made a low sound of acknowledgement as she carefully weighed her words and Yuri waited but he was certain there wasn’t anything she could say to change his view. She didn’t know what he was like in his teenage years, she wasn’t friends with the rebellious gold medalist figure skater who thought he owned the whole world, who acted like he was perfectly fine on his own and refused to give in to his emotions, only focusing on making the best of his athletic career while it lasted.She only met him when he was already broken, closed off but for a different reason, having lost everyone around him.“He cares about you. It was his choice not to tell you these things, you can’t blame yourself for that.”“No, it doesn’t work like that,” Yuri said, determined to not let her convince him otherwise. It was time for him to stop making excuses and face the truth, even if it meant admitting that he’s the same shitty person he was five years ago. “A friendship goes both ways, I should have asked but I didn’t, because it was easier for me. Everything is always about me,” he added the last sentence bitterly, and Polina responded by widening her eyes and shaking her head in disbelief. She then took a deep breath and sat up straighter, waiting until Yuri got curious and glanced at her.“Yuri, do you know why I’m friends with you?”“Now that you mention it,” he frowned and sat up too, mirroring Polina’s position and crossing his legs, resting his elbows on a pillow in his lap, “no, I don’t. I’m horrible to you, like all the time.”“Bullshit,” she said with a scolding look. “Remember when I broke up with Nat and I was holed up in here for days? You practically kicked the door in, demanding that I go back to school.”“That doesn’t count,” Yuri replied, “I was bored without you, and all the moping just made you annoying so I had to put an end to it. I did that for my own sake.”“Keep telling yourself that,” she raised an eyebrow, “you brought me borscht and made me eat proper food, then you did my make up and had a DS9 marathon with me.”“See? You don’t even like Star Trek. I was selfish.”“Shut up, I’m not finished,” Polina waved a hand dismissively and continued without a pause, “how about the fact that basically everyone knows I’m dyslexic but you’re the only one who noticed that I have trouble keeping up in Macroecs? You always give me your notes afterwards and you never ask or say anything about it.”“That’s different. It’s not your fault, he changes the slides so fast even I have trouble writing everything down. And he’s an asshole for not sharing the presentation anyway.”“Just two weeks ago you set me up with the girl I liked,” Polina went on, not giving Yuri enough time to protest as she got a bit louder and more confident with every word. “And you can tell me how you just wanted me out of there so you can have a little one on one with your friend but if that were the case, you would have done it before he got there. Oh and you wouldn’t have given me a pep talk before the date or after, when I was too nervous to call her and ask her out again.”She had a point there. Yuri could have used Tatiana as a means to an end, setting her up with Polina so she’d get nervous and leave them alone, but he had to admit that he did it because it was painful to watch his friend putting her foot in her mouth everytime Tatiana was around. He had had enough of it and wanted to move things along so he acted.Polina only needed that tiny little push though, because within a week she went on two dates with Tatiana, not counting the very first one, when she just pretended to suck at Statistics so she’d tutor her. Yuri remembered how excited she sounded when she called him afterwards and announced that apparently she was a horrible actress. Tatiana saw through her within the the first hour, Polina told him, but waited until the end of the date because, in her words, it was funny and cute how she tried to look dumb and failed so terribly. She also gave her a short lecture on how she should never pretend to be stupid for another person, and that was the exact moment Yuri knew that Tatiana was a good choice for Polina.But he still refused to admit that she was right, looking at her unimpressed, pursing his lips.“What’s your point?”“My point is,” Polina replied without missing a beat, “that you’re a much kinder person than you give yourself credit for. Yuri, you don’t even notice all the nice things you do for the people you care about. And as for your attitude, I for one, appreciate it, because I never feel like you only do it because you feel sorry for me.”Yuri hummed, not sure how to respond to that. Even if Polina was right, he still thought that he waited too long to start talking about figure skating with Beka, missing major events of his life only because it was painful for him to hear it. Not to mention another important part of his days that they somehow both managed to avoid as a subject for conversation.His boyfriend. There were days when Yuri forgot he even existed, but that wasn’t entirely his fault. Although he wasn’t very keen on hearing stories about the two of them, he found it weird how Otabek had never even tried to talk about Anton, how they got together, what kind of person he was. He couldn’t help but compare them to Viktor and the pig, because as annoying as the pair was, their relationship set the example to Yuri on how these things generally work. He grew up watching the two build their life together, and he saw how Viktor especially changed from the moment Yuuri appeared. It hadn’t even been a few months before it was all we and us instead of him alone, constantly talking about the other man, telling funny stories about him, dropping half sentences about Yuuri, and how he always seemed happier even when the japanese wasn’t around. Then it got to the point where Yuuri answered Viktor’s phone, Makkachin became their dog instead of Viktor’s, and they no longer bought gifts separately to anyone.Yuri had very little idea of how a relationship changes a person because the few flings and dates he had didn’t matter enough for that. He could only guess that even if someone doesn’t get the fairytale love story Viktor and Yuuri had, most relationship should resemble it in some way, especially in the beginning. He knew that Beka and Anton had been together for only a few months and deep down, under the layers of pain and jealousy it sparked his curiosity and he became more and more aware of the differences. Because Otabek was still the exact same person as he was years ago, and he barely mentioned Anton at all. His eyes didn’t lit up the way Viktor’s did when his phone chimed with a text and he saw who it was from, and Yuri had yet to see that special smile everyone had, the one people kept for only one person in their life, the one that crept onto their face even when they only heard the name of the other. When he was with Yuri, Beka didn’t get distracted by a message he got from his boyfriend, and when he talked about his day, it was all me most of the time, only bringing up Anton when he was part of the story. Yuri remembered how Viktor grabbed every opportunity to talk about Katsuki Yuuri, original subject be damned, whether it was skating, food, a movie or politics. He casually mentioned what the japanese’s opinion was on said thing, how they had just seen that movie the other day, or that he couldn’t decide what to cook for lunch the next day and this recipe sounds wonderful but Yuuri hates this or that so he would have to choose something else.Maybe Beka didn’t actively try to avoid talking about Anton, but the fact that he didn’t make every second conversation end with a comment or remark in connection with him was certainly weird for Yuri. He didn’t expect him to be on the same level of embarrassing as Viktor, but his relationship was a rare subject even by Otabek-standards.It almost made him want to ask Beka about it, but at the same time he was grateful for the lack of signs and decided to let it go every single time. He liked this predictability, the calm and steady beating of his heart when they were together, the absolute trust that he could count on him, that Otabek would never hurt Yuri because somehow, in some unimaginable way Beka must have known not to talk about his boyfriend in front of him. That was the only explanation and it made sense to him, because Beka always knew what he needed. He was everything Yuri ever wanted from the moment he first saw him ten years ago in Barcelona. At the time he was unable to name the feeling that washed over him in the second their eyes met, and back then he didn’t know that he wouldn’t ever forget the fire he saw, the weight of Otabek’s gaze on him, that unexplainable tug Yuri felt in his stomach as he looked back at him. Sometimes he wondered if Beka even understood the connection between them, if he was aware of it or if it was only his subconscious telling him how to treat Yuri, how to talk to him and offer comfort, when to leave him alone and when to wrap his arms around him without saying a word. He wondered if it was an instinct built into his DNA, the ability to read Yuri’s movements the same way he could read Beka’s eyes, every glint, gaze and blink holding a meaning, carrying words and emotions, messages most people failed to hear.But of course if that were the case, Beka would have known exactly how Yuri felt about him long before he himself realized it. He should have seen it in the way Yuri’s fingers used to linger on his skin, how he sometimes forgot about himself and stared at him a moment longer than necessary, wondering what it would be like to feel his lips on his collarbone, to drag his nails across his shoulders and down his back, feeling the muscles tighten under his touch. He would have noticed how Yuri used to break the tension with a rude comment or a joke, betrayed only by the light pink shade on his cheeks, turning away and pretending he didn’t just get distracted by the mental images of waking up next to his best friend.“I’m in love with him,” he said in the empty silence of the room, not particularly to Polina but to himself, feeling the words on his lips as they left him. He thought it would feel strange, awkward, like learning a different language, but saying that he loved Beka was the easiest and most natural thing he had ever had to put into words. It was almost as easy as saying it with his body, skating the emotions he felt and scraping them all over the rink. There was a raw honesty in leaving behind little bits of snow as he cut his toe pick into the ice, lunged himself in the air and let his crossed legs and raised arms do the talking. He did that more times than he could count, but he had never said it out loud before, and he stayed silent after that, the weight of his words sitting heavily on his chest. He looked up to find Polina’s gaze on him, her eyes sad and understanding, a small smile resting on her lips.“I know, honey.”“I’m going on that date with the other guy.”It was already planned, Yuri had called Misha a few days after their encounter at the pub and agreed to meet him on his only day off that week. Ever since that, he’d been debating whether or not he should cancel, listing pro and contra points, trying to come up with a lie to at least postpone it, giving himself more time to decide if he was ready.But having said these words out loud, admitting that he loved Otabek, he realized that he had to give himself a chance. There was no later, no maybe, no if or when that could have changed his situation. He screwed up his friendship with Beka five years ago, he abandoned him for his own selfish reasons and now, even though they tried to rebuild what they had before, he felt it was never going to be the same again. Their relationship was fragile at best, the past overshadowing the hesitant steps they took towards each other, Yuri’s guilt and his own losses constantly pushing him back. Polina wished him luck and told him to be careful, and her lips formed a sad copy of the lighthearted, joyful smile she usually gave him. And then Yuri went on the date and had fun.He couldn’t remember the last time he had this much fun. He had planned to keep his distance, watch a movie, talk about less personal things at first, letting the other do most of the talking and just listen, to get to know him. He was planning it with an athlete’s mindset, trying to find the most effective tactic, going as far as possible without the risk of hurting himself, but then the guy showed up and Yuri completely forgot about being cautious.Misha said the most unexpected things. It was probably due to his shyness and nervous babbling, but instead of pissing Yuri off, it entertained him to no end, and he found it almost endearing. He started the date by literally bumping into Yuri as he rushed to the place and immediately told a story about how he once got hit by a car on his way to a date but still hadn’t learnt to pay attention to where he was going. Yuri’s eyebrows shot up, and he lowered his defenses for a moment just to ask him to tell the whole story because the way he presented it was so funny it almost sounded fake.They went to get something to eat and ended up at what was probably the shittiest restaurant in St. Petersburg where they proceeded to rename everything on the menu and placed bets on which one of them was going to take the other to the hospital with food poisoning. They took a long walk in the nearby park and Misha told him that one of the trees reminded him of his cousin. Yuri hadn’t even known it was possible for trees to look like people but Misha said it was more like his cousin resembled a tree. He told stories about his family, shared anecdotes and embarrassing memories, not feeling awkward or ashamed in the least about any of them.But he also asked a thousand questions, listening eagerly to everything Yuri had to say, nodding along with his eyes shining and his smile growing ear-to-ear. Yuri answered shortly to everything, not saying enough but saying way more than he’d originally wanted to, and Misha hung on his words, starting a dull, unpleasant feeling in Yuri’s chest which he couldn’t quite name at the time.He only figured it out later, after Misha walked him home, with their fingers laced together and a hesitant kiss pressed on his cheek, blushing and grinning with the same boyish shyness he saw at the bar. It reminded him of something but he couldn’t put his finger on it until he was alone in his apartment, in the soothing silence where he could finally took a moment to look back on the whole date, analyzing it with that athlete mindset he forgot to use. Misha was funny, nice and charming, easy-going in a way that didn’t make Yuri uncomfortable, but he clearly had a massive crush on him that had been developing for quite some time. It made him feel like he was talking to a fan, a long-time Yuri’s Angel, which probably wasn’t the case but he couldn’t ignore the feeling once he realized it. He was so used to avoiding these kinds of situations that his first instinct was to run, to vanish without explanation but the thought made him sick, remembering the last time he did that.His phone buzzed, tearing him away from the memories and he pulled up his messages to find a text from Misha. 21.12 Misha: i know i’m not supposed to text for like 3 days but to hell with that Yuri snorted loudly, breaking the surrounding silence. 21.12 Misha: i want to see you again He waited, his fingers stopping right before he was about to throw his phone back on his bed, ignoring the message.He promised that he would give himself a chance. He had long given up telling himself he didn’t need anyone, even if he sometimes still kept the act in front of the world. He deserved to find out if there was anyone out there for him other than Otabek, to try and end the years of pining and suffering, he deserved the possibility of having a partner he could love, someone who makes his world less painful, less lonely, less boring. Boring was probably the one he feared most. He could deal with bad things, losses, failures but it had been a while since he experienced any of it. Nothing happened to him anymore, his days were endless repetition of habits, a web of tiny, meaningless aspects of the real life people had to grow into. He had always imagined something different from this. He wanted to continue skating until he was too old to do so, then become a choreographer. He never saw himself as a coach, he knew he wasn’t good at dealing with people that much, but he had a clear picture of what he was going to do. And now he couldn’t even watch a competition without feeling sorry for himself, and hadn’t dared to put on his skates in four years. He went to a university he hated, and had a meaningless job with no future. He was pining for his best friend who was in a relationship.It wasn’t life, it was an endless source of pain in his body, not dull enough to ignore completely but not bad enough to feel the need to make it stop.He typed in a quick response before going to bed, not waiting for an answer. 21.15 me: okay  He woke up the next day feeling just as tired as before. He had a restless night, turning and tossing in his bed, never really comfortable but too drained of energy to get up and find something useful to do instead. He wasn’t sure how many hours he spent with actual sleeping but judging by the dark, persistent circles under his eyes, it couldn’t have been enough. He blamed his schedule, which nowadays was even more hectic than before. The semester was coming to an end and he was supposed to be studying but with the absence of Denis, he was constantly needed in the pub too, taking on extra shifts and hours. He was working 5-6 days a week and only went to school to his afternoon classes or not at all. He had more trouble sleeping at night even when he finally had a chance, because he was so used to the late hours, getting home at 3 am and staying in bed until noon, that he always felt tired but unable to sleep. Polina tried to help, she gave him her notes, reminded him of deadlines and called him from time to time to check if he was alive, but there was only so much she could do. She couldn’t read the book instead of him or prepare for the exams twice so Yuri wouldn’t have to, and he felt the threat of failure growing behind his back like a shadow, following him everywhere. He accepted the feeling with silent resignation, a fake calmness he only felt because he didn’t even have the energy to properly panic about them. His social life had been reduced to quick meetings at the pub. Otabek stopped by frequently on his way home from the rink, sitting quietly at his usual place, sometimes not even holding a conversation just minding his own business. He shared a few words with Yuri while he was browsing news or watching videos of his skaters, taking notes on what to improve and what to focus on during the trainings. He once asked him to check out one of the recordings and tell him his opinion on a choreography and Yuri, after a moment of hesitation said yes. He took a short break and spent it pressed against Beka’s side, trying to resist the urge to rest his chin on his shoulder as they watched the video together. He couldn’t help but imagine a different reality, where he would be free to wrap his arms around Beka’s waist simply out of habit, where it would be so natural he wouldn’t have to think twice about it. But in this one, his arms were hanging awkwardly by his side as he watched the video, wondering if it should hurt more. He expected it to hurt more. It was the first time he saw a whole program since he retired and Yuri didn’t trust himself to hold it together. Beka hit play and he stood beside him, fingers curling and nails digging into the skin on his palm. But there was only a strange emptiness inside him, with traces of bitterness, light and not quite there, like pictures of a nightmare you could barely recall in the morning. Yuri pointed out a few mistakes here and there, recommending some changes in the step sequence and he even gave some advice on how to correct his Biellmann and make it more impressive. The fondness in Otabek’s smile in return was something he couldn’t stop thinking about for days, no matter how much he tried to shift his attention towards his second date with Misha instead. He waited for him in front of the building after Yuri’s classes were over, and he saw Polina eyeing him suspiciously, eyebrows furrowing in disapprovement and something else Yuri didn’t recognize. She didn’t give him the same pep talks she did when Yuri first met Otabek, that excitement was completely absent as she waved goodbye and disappeared in the crowd of students. He had a nice time with him again, and for a while he even forgot about most of his problems. He asked more questions and learnt that Misha was also a student, he studied russian philology, and he was passionate about literature. He shared Yuri’s love for video games and he had so many cousins he couldn’t remember the names of all of them. Yuri carefully asked him about sports and Misha told him that he had never lifted a finger in his life unless he absolutely had to, and hadn’t followed any sports as a fan either.Yuri relaxed when he heard that, his suspicions regarding Misha’s attitude towards him laid to rest immediately, but he still hadn’t mentioned anything about his own past. He didn’t want to start explaining why he didn’t compete anymore and he certainly wasn’t ready to tell stories about his life as a figure skater, only to bring up memories he had long buried. As much as he hated comparing them, Misha wasn’t Otabek, he wouldn’t have understood just how important this part of his life was and what it meant to lose it. So he decided not to mention it, at least not for a little while, not until he trusted him. Hanging out with Misha was easy. Yuri was amazed by his ability to talk, the way he used just the right words, how he described everything perfectly down to the last detail, like he was painting a picture right in front of him. He twisted the words and expressions in a way that made the most boring story a funny one, paused at the right moments like a comedian and delivered unexpected punchlines. He was enthusiastic about everything, and when Yuri mentioned that, he smiled and gave a shrug, his shyness returning in a second upon hearing Yuri’s comment.“Yeah, I mean… if you like something, why not give it your all? What’s the point in doing anything half-hearted?”He walked Yuri home again and shifted from one foot to another, his eyes subtly resting on his lips for a moment before he glanced down, a blush forming under the dimples of his cheek. Yuri was standing still, waiting to see if he makes a move or not, and after a few awkward seconds he turned to his door with the key in his hand. “Are you free tomorrow?” Yuri rushed to get the question out before he could change his mind, turning back suddenly with determination in his eyes. Misha nodded and his smile became even wider if that was possible. “Yeah I am.”“Okay,” Yuri said, not sure how to continue. “I’ll… text you then.”Misha didn’t kiss him that night, but for a moment, Yuri wished he had.He went to school again the next day, and sat next to Polina as usual, but as he tapped impatiently with his pen on the table, he had to admit he had no idea what was going on. About halfway through the lecture he’d given up, not even trying to pretend he understood any of it. He missed the last couple of classes so he felt like it was a waste of time to show up now, when he couldn’t do anything but stare at the teacher with a blank expression, while his mind tried to process words he hadn’t even heard before. He sighed, leaning forward and resting his chin in his palm and he took his phone out to kill the time. 15.19 me: what’s up? The answer arrived a few minutes later with a photo. 15.23 Beka: Check this out. Yuri opened the attached file. It was a skater, a young boy around the age of 15, the same one whose program Yuri watched with Otabek. The picture showed him during practice, performing a perfect Biellmann, obviously making use of the advice Yuri offered. 15.25 me: nice 15.25 me: tell him to raise his free hand more 15.25 me: it hurts my eyes 15.27 Beka: We are working on it. How are you? There it was, Yuri’s favourite question again. He wanted to reply with something sarcastic about how he was slowly dying inside but he didn’t want Otabek to worry about him. 15.27 me: fine i guess Yeah, fine. Drowning, constantly exhausted and overworked but other than that, he felt fucking fantastic. 15.29 Beka: No you’re not. What’s wrong? 15.29 me: ??? 15.30 Beka: You only say you’re fine when you’re lying about it. Of course Otabek would notice something like that. Yuri bit his lower lip, trying to come up with an answer. He was so deep in thought he barely registered that the class was over and people started gathering their things around him. Polina gently kicked his leg under the table, and stood up, grabbing her notebook. Yuri put his phone away, deciding that he would text back later when he heard a voice calling out his name.“Mr. Plisetsky, a word please.”He slowly turned around, making eye contact with the professor, who was looking at him with a stern face with his hands in his pocket. Yelchin raised his eyebrows expectantly and Yuri walked over to his table, wondering what the hell he wanted to talk about.“Have a seat please.”Yuri silently obeyed. It couldn’t have been the texting. Yelchin always said that it they didn’t want to pay attention, that was their responsibility, unless they disturb the class in any way, and Yuri was careful not to do that. He grabbed the edge of his chair and felt the tension in his shoulders grow as he waited. Yelchin typed something on his laptop and ran his eyes over the screen before turning back to him.“We haven’t seen you here in a while.”“I know,” Yuri replied.“You’re aware that I allow my students to be absent from four classes in a semester, right?”“Yes, I am.”The professor sighed and leaned back on the chair, adjusting his glasses slightly. He cast his eyes down and for a second it seemed like Yelchin felt sorry for him, which pissed Yuri off but at the same time scared him, because he didn’t expect this to be that big of a problem.He obviously missed more than four classes, he knew that, but he wasn’t sure what that meant to him. He always assumed it was just a number that didn’t really matter anyway, or maybe he would have some kind of disadvantage on the exam, like his result would be reduced by ten points automatically. “You missed six of them,” Yelchin said, glancing back at the computer to check again, “which means I cannot let you take the exam.”“I’m sorry what?” Yuri’s eyes widened and he shook his head, not wanting to believe what he had just heard. “No wait, I can’t… I need to complete this course.”“You can still do it next year.”“I won’t be able to graduate in time,” Yuri realized, and his voice became louder as he argued. “The seminar builds on this, I’d have to do that again too, and I can’t take Strategic Management next semester without this one...”“Look,” Yelchin’s quiet voice interrupted his and he stopped talking, taking a deep breath, “you’re smart, I know that. But that doesn’t mean you can afford not to attend your classes…”“Do you think I did it because I’m lazy?” Yuri cut him off, and now he was angry. His hands were trembling and he tried to stop himself from yelling at his teacher who still had that stupid, patient look on his face which almost reminded him of Nikolai. “I’m working my ass off, that’s why I can’t come to your classes. I have to pay rent and buy my own food and books which are pretty expensive by the way, especially yours. I don’t have a mom or dad sending me weekly pocket money and if I get thrown out of my apartment I don’t have anywhere to go. I would be homeless. So excuse me if your class is not exactly high on my list of priorities.”His voice cracked, and he stood up, picking up his bag from the floor where he dropped it. Yelchin still gave no sign of being upset because of the voice Yuri allowed himself to use, and he took off his glasses, putting them gently on his desk.“I understand that, believe me. But that’s something you should have talked to me about when the semester began. We could have found a solution together, but you have to learn to ask for help when you need it.”Yuri wanted to scream but he only shook his head in disbelief and closed his eyes for a moment. He lifted his hand and pointed at the professor. “You know what? Fuck this. I don’t need this. I didn’t even want to come here, I don’t care.”He stormed out without waiting for an answer and didn’t stop until he was outside, out of the deafening silence of the nearly empty building. He breathed in and out, looking around, searching for a familiar face, someone he can shout at. Where was Polina when he needed her?He just said ‘fuck this’ in front of a professor, regarding his own class. He yelled at him and told him he never wanted to apply to this university in the first place. There were no words to describe how much he screwed up.He clenched his jaw and started walking, letting his feet take him wherever they wanted to at first. He wandered around the neighbourhood aimlessly before he grabbed his phone, checking his messages and saw that Otabek sent him another text after he didn’t receive a reply. Otabek. He needed to talk to him. He always knew what to say, even if it wasn’t what Yuri wanted to hear, and his presence alone was enough to calm the storm inside him. Otabek was his anchor, the one who held him back when it was needed and offered new perspectives, solutions he hadn’t thought of or just a quiet moment to think, to get away from the world. Yuri longed for his deep, soothing voice now, the safety of his company and he turned around with a new determination, making his way to the place he knew Otabek would be at this time of the day.The rink. He hadn’t been there for years, but at the moment he didn’t have the energy to care about that. He was tired, tired of avoiding it, tired of being afraid to face it, and most of all, he was tired of this life, the school he didn’t like, the failure upon failure that followed him everywhere, the feeling of wanting to run but having nowhere and no one to run to. He wasn’t fast enough to get away from himself.He didn’t even have to think about the route, his legs were carrying him on autopilot, unaware of the distance between the university and his old training rink. One thought was chasing the other in his mind and he was unable to stop them, fractions of his discussion with Yelchin coming back, the look on his face when Yuri practically spat in his face, telling him ‘fuck this’, the realization of having to spend more time at this hellhole and graduate a year after everyone else, having to watch Polina and all the others getting their degrees while he was still struggling to finish his own thesis and complete all the necessary courses. His own graduation would not be a celebration anymore but more like a walk of shame, dressing up and showing the whole world how he couldn’t do what everyone else could. If he had listened to the more rational part of his mind, he would have reminded himself that he probably wasn’t the first and not the last student to finish university in 4 years instead of 3, Yelchin was right about that. But he couldn’t bring himself to care. For him, other people’s failures didn’t justify his own. He couldn’t shake the mental image of having to accept his degree with strangers around him, people who started a year later, most of them not even 23 at the time of graduation. He was already older than most of his classmates, and he was going to be more than 26 by that time. He only stopped when he found himself right in front of the entrance of the ice rink and he drew in a sharp, quivery breath, looking at the door like he just woke up from a dream. His heart was beating frantically in his chest and he felt its drumming in his throat so he swallowed, lingering outside.He could do this. He had already been talking about figure skating with Beka, even watched a recording of one of his pupils. This was no different.Except this time, he was going to see it all in person. He was going to feel the cold on his skin and the border of the rink under his fingers, hear the blades scraping across the ice, the voices echoing in the large stadium. This place used to be his second home, he knew it inside and out, every corner familiar, filled with memories. Right before he reached for the door, a guy pushed past him, stopping dead in his tracks when he turned around and saw his face.“You’re... Yuri Plisetsky,” he said with awe in his voice, mostly with surprise instead of the excitement Yuri was used to. Well, he hadn’t been spotted near a rink in four years so it was understandable. He gave a short, sharp nod in return, and didn’t say anything.“Wow, okay. Are you here to skate?” There was an awkwardness to his attitude but he seemed friendly, his small, brown eyes looking him up and down. Yuri shifted, uncomfortable under the intent gaze. The guy stood right in front of the door, blocking the way in, waiting for an answer.“No,” he barked at him, running out of patience, “are you going to stand there all day or can I go in?”The stranger didn’t seem fazed at all and smiled, opening the door for him.“Bad day, huh?”“That’s an understatement.” Yuri mumbled to himself, but loud enough so that the other would hear it. They went in together, the guy still looking at him, openly examining his features.They walked past the first corridor leading down to the locker rooms and stopped just inside the door to the arena. He didn’t even have to look for Otabek. Yuri noticed him instantly, his eyes were drawn to his figure on the ice and he sucked in a breath, staring at him as he skated around in a small circle, a little girl following him. Beautiful, that was the first word that came to his mind as he observed him, hidden in the dark corner and watched how Beka skated with ease, his tight training clothes matching the black skates he was wearing. He said something and the girl next to him lunged herself into a slow camel spin. Otabek carefully stopped her and started talking, lifting her leg a bit higher and giving instructions quietly, one hand extended in the air, the other letting go of the girl and gesturing something. Yuri guessed he was talking about how she should hold her back, how important it was to keep it straight and then the girl said something which made Otabek laugh.Laughter rarely ever broke through the shell of his quiet stoicism, but when it did, Yuri kept that moment forever, every second of it a treasure meant to be remembered. Otabek rarely laughed out loud but when he did, he laughed with his whole body. He threw his head back with his eyes closed and leaned backwards, bending his knees. He laughed with his entire being, small wrinkles appearing at the corner of his eyes, his smile blinding and happy. His voice made Yuri’s body sing, and he felt like his skin was hot all over. Beka was beautiful like this, that was the perfect word for it, calm, happy and comfortable enough to let his emotions show. Yuri had to look away, casting his eyes down guiltily when he noticed the man next to him watching quietly. “I’ll tell him you’re here,” he said softly and smiled, dark blonde strands of hair falling in his face as he turned away and made his way to the gate. Beka met him there and the guy grabbed his hand, his thumb brushing lightly against his wrist while they talked.That was the moment Yuri realized who he was.Beka turned his head and spotted Yuri at the door. He let go of Anton’s hand and left the ice, his eyebrows furrowing in worry as he put on his skate guards and walked over to him. The kids gathered around one of the assistant coaches Yuri remembered from his days here, and they started stretching, ending their training.Otabek stopped in front of him, his eyes searching for something in Yuri’s expression that could hold the answer to the question he had yet to ask.“Are you okay? What happened?” He put his arm around his shoulders and led him to a bench further away from the door, and Yuri tensed up under his touch, the picture of Beka and Anton holding hands too fresh among his memories. He took off the thin scarf he got from the Nishigoris and placed it next to himself, keeping his eyes on the animal print until he collected himself and started speaking.“I think I was accidentally rude to your boyfriend,” he admitted.“Accidentally,” Beka repeated, trying to hide an amused smile. He sat down on the bench facing Yuri, watching him with a fond look. “Yura,” he said, catching his jacket between his fingers to get him to look at him, “What’s wrong?”And so Yuri told him. He talked about the class he was going to fail, the conversation he had with Yelchin, the fact that he was going to have to go to his course again and it meant he would graduate a year later. He told him that he hadn’t had any time to preapre for any of his exams and how he felt that he couldn’t do it anyway, even if he had time, he was so tired and he just needed a week off. A whole week off when time would stop and the world would stand still so he would have a moment to catch his breath. Otabek was listening, his dark eyes never leaving his, and Yuri wanted nothing more than to hide in his arms, brushing his nose against his neck and shut the whole world out so he would feel safe, and less alone, less miserable.He sniffled a bit when he finished, turning his head down and staring at his hands instead and Otabek put his palm on top of them, grabbing his attention.“Okay,” he said, “okay. One problem at a time. Write an email to your teacher tonight. Tell him that you’re sorry and you’re willing to do extra work for the credits, like write another essay or make a presentation, maybe a preliminary exam so he can make sure that you made up for the missed classes.”“Extra work? On top of all this?” Yuri frowned.“I’ll help you. You don’t have to do it alone.”“And if he says no?”“We’ll worry about that when it happens.” Otabek was still resting his hand on his, and Yuri didn’t have the strength to pull away. He turned his own hand up instead and curled his fingers around Otabek’s, holding onto him.“Thanks, Beka.”“Anytime” he smiled, “and I mean it, take it one problem at a time. Focus on your next exam and only that one, don’t worry about anything else. You’ll go crazy if you try to solve everything all at once.”“Oh god, I’m fucked,” Yuri replied, huffing, “have you met me?”“Once or twice, yes, that’s why I know you can do it.”He had that smile on his face again, that half-smile, fond and amused that always made Yuri feel weak and vulnerable to the effect he had on him. It was the same smile he used to wear when Yuri won a competition or when he complained to him about his rinkmates, or talked about something Yakov didn’t allow him to do. It was the same smile he gave Yuri when he said something funny, or when he watched him work at the pub, showing off by throwing bottles and glasses in the air.That smile was mocking him, and Yuri turned his head, pulling his hand back when he spotted Anton on the other side of the rink, probably waiting for them. “I should go,” he said and he searched for his phone, only now remembering a certain promise he made the previous day.“I’ll give you a lift,” Beka replied, “let me just…”He looked over where Anton was waiting, standing up to go and let him know he would take Yuri home. Yuri grabbed his hand to stop him.“You don’t have to,” he blurted out, and he typed a quick message in his phone, “I’m meeting Misha.”For a few seconds Otabek became impossibly still at that, frowning lightly while he recalled the familiar name. “The guy from the pub who asked you out?”“Yes, he’s gonna be here to pick me up soon.”“...with what?”Yuri pressed his lips together and pretended to be annoyed to hide his nervous blushing. He didn’t really want to talk about this with Otabek, but it was out now so there was no going back. “You know, with a car? That thing we use to get to places faster?”“I know what a car is,” Otabek replied in a flat voice, keeping his eyes on the ice rink now instead of Yuri’s face. “And you’re okay with that? A stranger picking you up?”“He’s not a stranger,” Yuri corrected him and remembered that he had no way of knowing that. “This is going to be our third date.”“Third?” “Yeah.”“I still don’t think you should get in his car.” Otabek seemed stubborn and Yuri widened his eyes not believing the words he’d heard. “You’re one to talk,” he replied, “you literally had me on your bike like two seconds after we met.”“That was different,” Otabek shook his head, his voice still even and not betraying any emotion. He turned back towards the rink and Yuri couldn’t see his eyes properly, couldn’t read what was going through his mind behind the deep brown irises.“You practically kidnapped me from a dark alley in another country, how is that different?”“I saved you,” Beka shot him a glance.“Sure,” Yuri rolled his eyes, “whatever floats your boat, prince charming. It doesn’t change the fact that this whole disapproving attitude is a bit rich coming from you.”His phone buzzed and he stood up, picking up his bag.“I’m going,” he said, not making another move. Otabek looked at him and the silence stretched between them. “Okay.”“Thanks for… you know,” Yuri made a vague gesture with his hand but Beka understood and an almost invisible smile appeared in the corner of his lips. It seemed a little bit forced but Yuri decided to take it, not risking another argument like they had the last time at the pub. “You’re welcome, Yura.”“I’m gonna go.”He waited for another few seconds then turned around, making his way to the exit. Misha was already there, lingering near the door when Yuri stepped out. He looked just as nervous as he did before their first date, and he bit his lower lip when he saw Yuri, his dimples even deeper as his smile grew wide. “Hey,” with one step he was right in front of him, taking his hand.Yuri let out a long breath. The whole day was overwhelming and he just wanted to relax, to forget about all of it. He hoped Misha would entertain him with some stories again to take his mind off of things, but something was different in the way he greeted him this time, and Yuri realized what it was before he even started speaking.“There is something I wanted to do last night but I didn’t,” he said, hesitant and hopeful like the previous evening when his eyes kept returning to Yuri’s lips. “I’m gonna do it now.”Yuri tightened his hold on his hand and took an impossibly small step towards him, lifting his head. Misha kissed him.He kissed him as if he’d been waiting for this for years, cupping his cheeks with both hands, his fingers brushing through his hair behind his ears, and Yuri put his arms around his waist, letting himself melt against him, losing himself in the affectionate touches. It’d been so long since anyone touched him like this and he hadn’t even realized how much he craved it, how much he needed someone to hold him. He kissed back like he was fighting, chasing a feeling just out of his reach.He didn’t feel anything.It was nice, pleasant after spending such a long time starving for affection but there was no firework, no butterflies in his stomach, no feeling of never wanting it to end. They pulled apart and Misha was looking at him with bright eyes, his tongue darting out to lick his lower lip, and Yuri resisted the urge to use the back of his hand to wash away the taste on his own. Misha averted his eyes and kept them on a point behind Yuri’s back before stepping away and waving a hand, signaling him to turn around.Yuri looked back at the door and locked eyes with Otabek.“You left this” he said simply, holding the leopard print scarf and his expression was unreadable, more serious and closed off than Yuri had ever seen him. This time he didn’t avoid his eyes but he felt distant, his stern look made of stone, his lips pressed together in a thin line and Yuri’s stomach clenched, wondering how long he had been standing there. Otabek dropped the scarf as soon as Yuri got hold of it, and without waiting for an answer he disappeared behind the door. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- From: Dr. Alexei Yelchin; [email protected] To: Yuri Plisetsky; [email protected] Subject: Re: management exam   Mr. Plisetsky, You make a strong case. I appreciate your willingness to work hard and make up for the time you missed, and I want you to know that I am not your enemy. It may come as a surprise to you, but I am not here to see as many students fail as possible. I am willing to give you a chance to prove to me that you take this course seriously. Please come see me in my office on June 3rd, 10.00 am for a preliminary exam. Five questions, Mr. Plisetsky, and then I will decide if you can take the test with the rest of your class. Kind regards, A. Yelchin P.S. I accept your apology for “losing your cool”.  Otabek was right. Of course he was, he always found a solution for everything, a way out when Yuri was ready to give up. He refused to write the email for him, hence the expression the professor quoted in his reply, which was Yuri’s clumsy way of saying he was sorry. It seemed enough though, because Yelchin was giving him a second chance, and that’s what mattered. When Yuri received his answer, he felt like he could breathe again, the weight on his chest lifting for a moment and he finally began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe all was not lost.He borrowed Polina’s notes and used every free minute to read through them, studying between shifts at the pub, in his 10-minute breaks and at night, until his head dropped and his eyelids felt so heavy he couldn’t stop them from falling shut. He kept her notebook under the counter at the bar, flipping through the pages during quiet hours, texting her questions about the parts he didn’t understand, occasionally putting it down in front of Otabek, demanding that he ask him something.He didn’t have classes anymore but studying still took up all of his time anyway, and Yuri felt like it was never going to end. He had a Marketing exam before June 3rd which he barely passed, prioritizing his meeting with Yelchin instead, and he only did a quick revision on the night prior to the test, suffering through the next day with dark circles under his eyes and way too much caffeine in his system.His days were reduced to mathematical equations of time management, trying to decide which exam was more important than the other, how many hours he needed to prepare and how exactly he should schedule his days off work so he wouldn’t show up dead tired at school, unable to function after a late night shift.Otabek tried to help in any way he could, revising with him, occasionally bringing food or coffee when Yuri forgot one of them, or both. He frequently chided him for neglecting vital things like eating or sleeping, reminding him that it just makes concentrating more difficult and that he needed to keep his brain in top form. Sometimes it wasn’t the best way to approach a very much sleep-deprived and stressful Yuri, who in return threw his pen at him on more than one occasion. (He was careful not to aim at this head, but at times like those, it was the only way he had the energy to respond, even if he had to ask for his pen back afterwards.)There was only one thing Otabek did that stuck out in the midst of all this, striking Yuri as something a little more unusual. By the end of May, Otabek was a frequent guest at the pub, and Yuri offered to put his helmet in the back room where employees kept their bags and coats to keep it safe. That day, when he came back, he noticed Otabek’s hand on the counter, his clenched fist clearly hiding something. Beka turned his hand over and spread his fingers, letting Yuri see the tiny pendrive in his palm, the animal print standing out against the leather of his biker gloves.“Is that for me?” he asked, unable to hide the excitement in his voice as he picked up the pendrive. His thumb followed the tiger stripes on its side, checking it from every angle, as if he could figure out what was on it.“You kept complaining that you can’t study without music, but the lyrics are distracting,” Beka gave a small shrug, “So I made this mix. One hour, only instrumental versions of songs you like.”He said it like it was no big deal, and Yuri stared at him, wondering if he had misheard it over the loud pounding of his heart.“You made this for me,” he repeated, just to clarify that it wasn’t an old one Beka found and gave him, or it wasn’t a mix made by someone else he simply downloaded because it reminded him of Yuri. “Yeah, I did,” Otabek nodded and his calm, stoic expression turned confused under Yuri’s bewildered look, his lips parting and his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he took in the younger man’s shocked silence. He shifted on the chair and pulled his hand back. “Um, was that wrong of me?”“No,” Yuri replied quickly, still astonished that Beka took the time to do something like this for the sole purpose of making Yuri’s life easier, and help him focus while studying. He mentioned his problem with finding the perfect background noise, like what, twice maybe? And less than a week later he shoves a pendrive in his hand, telling him that he crafted a mix of Yuri’s favourite songs as if it was nothing? “It’s just…,” he swallowed, uncertain how to express his feelings without embarrassing himself, “man, you have a lot of freetime.”Nailed it, Yuri thought and made a mental reminder to practice saying ‘thank you’.“That is true,” Beka agreed, turning his gaze away from him and smiling softly at his words.For Yuri, it seemed like Otabek hadn’t fully grasped the weight of this gift, and he continued to marvel at the fact that he just dropped it in his hands like it was something he picked up in a store. He wasn’t sure how long it took for Beka to make it, but he clearly spent a lot of time mixing Yuri’s favourite tracks and even got his hands on a pendrive with animal print on it. For Beka, it was nothing, but for Yuri, it was yet another reason to fall in love with him just a little bit more. He didn’t tell him that although the mix was truly great, he hadn’t once listened to it while studying because it was even more of a distraction for him, his thoughts wandering back to Otabek instead of focusing on the book in front of him. A few days and an unhealthy amount of energy drinks later Yuri aced his preliminary exam with Yelchin. The professor asked him questions about the topics he had missed but thanks to Polina and her notes, Yuri had no problem proving that he made up for the lost time and deserved a chance to take the test. He had a feeling that Yelchin took it easy on him, asking relatively general questions and Yuri’s opinion on certain matters instead of giving him a hard time, but he wasn’t going to point that out. He answered correctly to all five questions with confidence and even pretended to care about the discussion they got into, voicing his opinion and acting like he had thought about his answer. It was bullshit in his opinion but Yelchin ate it all up, so in the end it didn’t matter for him.He went out with Misha to celebrate the success, pushing away the increasing guilt he had felt everytime he procrastinated being honest with him. He held out hope that his feelings would grow and tried to convince himself that it was going to be enough to make him forget about Otabek as anything more than his friend. It was getting harder and harder everyday to lie to them both. There wasn’t anything he could say to make himself feel better. He was a liar, who tricked Misha into thinking he reciprocated his feelings and was too much of a coward to tell him he didn’t. Misha could probably tell that something was off, but he never pressured Yuri to say or do anything he didn’t want to. They went to cafés, watched movies and ate dinner together, or just texted back and forth, checking in on Yuri before an exam, wishing him good luck and sending another message right after, asking how it went. He shared his favourite music with him and Yuri teased him for having a terrible taste, to which Misha shot back a comment on his fashion sense. Yuri enjoyed his company, he liked and envied the feeling of ease he moved around in the world with, careless and free, unbroken in a way Yuri would never be anymore. Misha’s soul was intact, spared from the greyness Yuri saw surrounding them, rich with the softest colours. Yuri couldn’t help but think that he brought the grey in his life, and it lingered behind his back like a shadow, impossible to avoid, waiting to catch up to him, given enough time.It only became worse when Misha’s fingers found his during their walks, linking them together, thumb brushing lightly against the skin on the back of his hand, or when he tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind his ear. When he looked at Yuri with eyes shining bright like he’s seeing the world for the first time, and Yuri couldn’t return the feeling so he glanced down instead, masking the truth behind his lashes. It was the worst when Misha reached out to cup his chin and lift his head, planting a soft kiss on his lips, and Yuri pressed back, wanting to feel what he knew he should, chasing emotions but unable to capture them.Those were the moments Yuri remembered how Misha said there was no point in doing anything half-hearted. He could feel it, Misha’s wish for more, his silent plea as he kissed him, it was there in the feather-light touches and the way he wrapped his arms around Yuri, asking without speaking the words. He never said those words, instead he settled for whatever Yuri was willing to give him.And Yuri wanted, tried, pushed himself but he couldn’t force those feelings into existence, not with Otabek always on his mind, taking up all the space with nothing to spare to anyone else in his life. He knew it wasn’t fair to Misha, that he should let go of him, but he still couldn’t give up fighting against his feelings. A whole month flew by like this and before he knew it, Yuri was preparing for his last exam. Macroeconomics had him on edge, not only because he hated the subject, but because he’d heard from others what kind of tests the professor gave them in previous years, and he knew it was going to be extra hard to pass. He tried to study with Polina but it didn’t really work, the two of them got distracted constantly and Yuri ended up listening to stories about Tatiana, or discussing some movie they had seen. He had absolutely no idea about Macroeconomics, but at least they put together a solid drinking game for the next Star Trek marathon.Yuri decided to take more time off work and he asked for three whole days before the exam. He was getting more tired, having stressed over his studies for the last month, and he noticed that it was becoming more difficult to focus, his eyelids falling shut after an hour, desperate for a nap in the middle of the afternoon. He was exhausted, but he convinced himself that he only needed one more push before it was all over. The thought of having two months off, and the promise of a vacation in Hasetsu kept him going as he spent his days reading until the letters got blurry and he couldn’t think anymore.He sent a message to Misha, letting him know that he would be unavailable for the next three days, being holed up in his apartment with his phone turned off. He promised he would call him after his exam and Misha wished him luck before Yuri put his phone away, turning on the airplane mode to avoid unnecessary distractions.He yanked out his notes from his backpack and dropped them on his desk, mentally preparing himself for the longest three days of his life. He had more than enough coffee to last for a week, and he sat down, gripping his mug, praying it would work its magic and help him stay awake and actually process the words in front him. God, he hated Macroeconomics.Two hours later he was wandering around the flat with no reason, opening doors and checking the almost empty fridge. He poured himself another coffee and stopped at the window, staring at the afternoon traffic jam with a blank face before he sat back down to his desk, yawning. Three hours later he caught himself eyeing the box under his bed, hiding his old playstation he rarely ever used anymore. He had a small tv in his living room, and he suddenly felt the urge to dig up his favourite games for another playthrough. He had read somewhere online that if he sat on enough chairs in Skyrim he would get a surprise side quest, but back then he didn’t care, he was too preoccupied with the main storyline to keep sitting down everywhere. He picked up his book and moved to the kitchen to resist the temptation. Six hours in he started to get hungry and he went to his laptop to order take out. He hadn’t meant to watch funny Vine-compilations on Youtube and he told himself he would only do it until his food arrived. Half an hour later he realized he hadn’t even ordered anything. He went to sleep eight hours later, after lying face down on the floor for a few minutes, wondering who invented cheese and more importantly, why. It was just a side note in the book, used as an example for something he didn’t understand, and he got distracted again, his mind wondering about the secrets of cheese. He gave up soon after, and before he fell asleep, he listened to Otabek’s mix again, promising that tomorrow would be different.It wasn’t like he didn’t study at all, but he certainly spent more time doing something else, and his subconscious woke him up at five am the next day, the knot in his stomach reminding him that he still had more than half of the notes to go through. He pulled the book in his lap, scattering the notes around himself on the bed, not having the energy to even get out from under the covers, and he started reading at the dim light of the lamp on his nightstand. It was easier in the morning, his brain was too sleepy to focus on anything else, but he couldn’t recall a single thing from the previous day. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he suddenly felt dizzy and weak, and he realized that not only had he forgot to order food last night, he didn’t eat anything else after. He gathered everything and dropped his stuff on the couch, going to the kitchen to find something edible. The only thing he found was some cereal in one of the cupboards. He didn’t have any milk for it, so he ate it right out of the box while he continued to read and tried to repeat the information out loud to make sure he remembered it. He started yawning again after a while, and as he laid on his stomach, he dropped his head on the notes, groaning loudly. That’s when he heard the knock on his door and he groaned again, not moving a finger to get up from the couch. It was probably the mailman, or a neighbour to borrow eggs or batteries or whatever. He didn’t have any eggs, and he never understood this habit anyway, going door to door when they could easily walk to the store themselves and get their own eggs. There was another impatient knock, and he raised his head, sending murderous looks in the direction of whoever was on the other side.For a few seconds it was quiet outside, and Yuri thought about the possibility of him developing superpowers and actually killing the unwanted visitor, when he heard the knock again, this time, calling his name too.“Yuri! If you’re home, please open the door.”He practically jumped up right at the moment he recognized Otabek’s voice and he hurried to let him in. “What are you doing here?” He moved out of the way and Otabek stepped into the apartment, staying at the door and looking around before he spoke.“Am I interrupting anything important?” His eyes settled on Yuri, taking in his messy hair, his braid which got tangled up from not brushing it in the last two days. Yuri suddenly became aware that he was still in his pyjamas, and he pulled his pants up a bit that hung too low on his hips. He also tried to fix his t-shirt before he remembered that he was wearing his favourite white crop top with the tiger on it. It didn’t leave much to imagination, exposing his stomach and his hips, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it so he gave up, turning away and making his way back to the couch. “Just studying,” he gave a shrug and pulled his braid over his shoulder brushing it down to at least try and make it look like it was messy on purpose. “Why?”“I tried to call you but your phone’s off.”“Yeah, so I wouldn’t…,” he couldn’t stop the yawn that interrupted his sentence and he stretched, raising both arms above his head. God, he was so tired, he hadn’t talked to anyone in more than a day and hadn’t even been outside. He needed a break. He felt his top ride up even higher on his chest and he dropped his hands. “...so I wouldn’t be disturbed by people who then come here and kick my door in.”He turned back to say something else, but his breath hitched in his throat when he saw Otabek, his eyes glued to a point on Yuri’s waist, a faint blush sitting on his cheekbones. He jerked his head up a moment too late and Yuri thought his sleep deprivation must have made him see things because Otabek looked like he got caught, his deep, dark eyes filled with guilt as he averted them, looking anywhere but at him. His Adam’s apple bounced as he swallowed and Yuri followed the movement, his lips parting slightly only to close them again, unable to find the words that escaped his mind. “I was worried,” Beka said, and he let out a long breath before he looked back at him, the expression on his face gone like it had never even been there. “How is it going?”“Amazingly well,” Yuri replied dryly. “I hate myself and I want to set my book on fire.”Otabek huffed and stepped away from the door, putting his helmet down on the small table in front of the couch. Just like last time, he moved around the flat like he belonged there, and Yuri couldn’t help but stare at his back as he picked up his mug, checking its contents.“Have you had anything else beside coffee?”“Uh…”“How about lunch?”“Lunch?” Yuri frowned. “I’ve just had breakfast in the morning.”Otabek turned to look at him, his expression concerned, and he tilted his head slightly.“When was that?”“I don’t know, Beka,” Yuri rolled his eyes. He wasn’t sure where this conversation was going and he blinked sleepily, leaning against the kitchen counter with his hips. “Two, maybe three hours ago I guess?”“Okay,” Otabek nodded and he stepped closer, lifting a finger to point it at him. “You need some fresh air. Get dressed, you’re coming with me.”Yuri didn’t have to be told twice. He was waiting for an excuse to get out of the apartment and as much as he worried about his exam, at the moment he couldn’t care less if he was going to fail or not. He felt like if he had to spend another hour within the same four walls he was going to murder someone. “Where are we going?” he inquired with excitement but Beka only shook his head, the ghost of a smile playing in the corner of his lips.“You’ll see. Bring your notes.”Yuri got ready in record time, putting on his favourite black jeans with a dark blue hoodie. He got rid of the braid and pulled his hair in a low ponytail, expecting that he was going to wear a helmet too. After he gathered all his notes and his book in his backpack, he grabbed his jacket and immediately started tapping with his feet.“Let’s go,” he ordered, before he remembered something, “no, wait here.”He all but ran back to his room and returned almost immediately, not missing the way Otabek cast his eyes down and smiled when he saw what he was holding.“Now I’m ready,” he said and he put on the fingerless gloves Beka gave him a few weeks ago. The motorcycle was parked right in front of the building, and Yuri walked up to it like he was about to greet another old friend. It wasn’t the same bike, Beka had sold that and bought this when he moved to Saint Petersburg, but Yuri knew nothing about motorcycles and for him, it was just like the old one. He said this out loud too, and laughed when Otabek frowned and started to object, listing all the things that made this one better. He rarely ever talked this much, and Yuri smiled as he went on and on about the specifics, telling him numbers that didn’t mean anything to him. He nodded along and tried his best to look impressed but Beka recognized that he was mocking him. His sarcastic attitude vanished without a trace when Otabek stepped closer to him and brushed his hair out of his forehead. He reached behind him to tighten his ponytail, his fingers brushing against his neck, and he picked up the helmet, putting it on for him. Yuri automatically lifted his head, and Otabek fastened the belt under his chin. When he was done, he knocked on the helmet twice with a playful smile and sat on the bike, putting on his own.“Are you coming or not?”Yuri stepped up and swung his right leg over the seat, putting his arms tentatively around Otabek’s waist. He gripped the leather jacket tightly between his fingers and drew in a breath, feeling the same exhilaration in his chest like a bubble, filling him up as it always did when he went for a ride with his friend. Otabek started up the engine, the steady beat making Yuri’s heart race, and he felt a hand on his own where he held onto him tightly. “Ready?” Beka turned back to him and waited for Yuri to nod and give a thumbs up before he closed his helmet. He pulled his feet up onto the pegs as the bike accelerated slowly, and Yuri wrapped his arms around him as they left his street behind. It hit him just how much he missed this feeling, the strong wind catching his hair and sneak under his skin, adrenaline pumping in his veins as they sped up, shapes and colours around him blending together, escaping his view as the world narrowed down to the two of them on the bike, the only thing constant is the roaming of the engine and the touch of leather in his fists. He leaned to his side perfectly in snych with Otabek, just as he taught him years ago. He kept his arms steady around Beka’s waist, careful not to tighten his hold too much and give the impression that he was signaling him to stop, and closed his eyes, picturing the roads of Barcelona in his mind, his memories taking him back to the first time he sat behind Otabek.It was the first time someone had chosen him as an equal friend. The first time someone saw something in him other than the talented teenager with the bad attitude. Otabek saw him as the fighter he was, the hardworking athlete who hated losing and he told him they were alike. Yuri didn’t understand it back then, because he didn’t know the Kazakh man, but Beka was right. They were both soldiers, the ice was their battlefield and they both went out with something to prove, willing to give everything to it, body, mind and soul, with tears and blood if that’s what it took.Yuri wondered what Otabek saw in his eyes now, years after the soldier lost his battles and stopped fighting. Maybe, he thought, just maybe there was a time when he could have been honest with him, telling him how he felt and it would have ended well. He longed for those days, wanted to go back in time and turn his life around, just to see what would have happened. Maybe he would still skate because if Otabek had been there, he would have noticed that Yuri was hiding something, he would have known that he wasn’t ready to go back to competing. Maybe the first injury wouldn’t have happened at all, because Beka would have been there for him when he learnt about his grandpa’s condition, helping and supporting him so he wouldn’t have to go through it alone. It didn’t really matter in the end. Yuri had missed his chance and he was never going to get another one. Too much time had passed, too many things happened, too many words were left unsaid. He felt a few tears in the corner of his eyes and he started shivering, trying to hold them back. He couldn’t cry, not now, not right there on the motorcycle. He felt a single wet streak on his cheek, making his way towards his neck and he tapped on the leather jacket impatiently, signaling that he wanted to stop. The moment Otabek parked the bike, Yuri jumped off. His hands flew up to the belt under his chin and he pulled on it, desperate to take the helmet off, tugging and yanking.“Stop, stop, I’ll help,” Otabek pushed his hand out of the way and Yuri heard the soft click as he got free. He lifted the helmet and left it in Beka’s hands, then spun around his heels to furiously wipe his tears away and took off in the direction of the nearby park. He spotted a few people walking around, mostly families with little children and couples who looked his age. He took deep breaths in and out, trying not to look like he just panicked about three teardrops and ran away from his friend, and he started walking across the field, rubbing his eyes with a shaking hand.Beka caught up to him quickly and he stepped in front of him. His fingers curled around Yuri’s wrist, gently pulling his hand away from his face so he could see him.“Yuri, wait,” He cupped his cheek with his other hand and searched for his eyes. “God, what happened?” He sounded scared, and Yuri felt even worse, knowing that his ridiculous reaction caused it. He couldn’t bear the thought of a few tears and he made the situation worse. “Yura, did I scare you?”Otabek cupped his face in both hands, caressing his skin softly with his thumb, speaking to him in a low voice.“Yura,” he said his name again and Yuri breathed in and out deeply, keeping his eyes closed. “Was I too fast? Do you want me to call a cab instead?”“No, no,” Yuri shook his head, blinking and returning the gaze to show that he was fine, “I’m okay, I’m good, I promise.”“Like hell you are,” Otabek drew his eyebrows together, but he let go of him, standing still in the middle of the narrow sidewalk. Yuri saw the people passing by noticing them, some openly staring, a few of them just watching from the corner of their eyes. “Talk to me.”“I have to study,” he said, “can we go?”“You can’t sit back on the bike in this state,” Beka replied and he put his arm around Yuri, leading him down on the road towards the centre of the park. “Let’s just take a walk, okay? Twenty minutes, please.”Yuri made a face, but let himself be led, and they walked around in silence for a while. He found it boring. He wanted to move on and forget that this ever happened, but everytime he made an attempt to convince Beka he was good to go, he only got an ‘okay’ in return and they kept walking anyway. When Otabek let go of his shoulder, Yuri resisted the urge to move closer to him, and hid his hands in his pockets to avoid doing something embarrassing. He couldn’t help but think about how much he would enjoy this if he could just grab Beka’s hand and hold it, and immediately scolded himself for acting like a lovesick puppy. Maybe he was older, maybe he was in love, but he wasn’t going to become a sappy romantic. Especially with his feelings unrequited, there was no point in making things more difficult for himself. Not when he had a tendency to get emotional in the most unexpected situations. He had already gone too far sometimes with the casual touches, each one leaving a burning spot on the tips of his fingertips, craving for more, and it was getting harder and harder everytime to stop himself from reaching out to Otabek, to run his fingers down on his skin, to bury them in his hair, pulling him closer until there was no going back, no excuse, no other explanation to offer but the truth.He was watching a group of teenagers further away when Otabek bumped their shoulders together, and he turned to him, raising an eyebrow.“Better?”“Yes, better. Have been for the past fifteen minutes, can we go now?”Beka answered with an amused smile and his hand was on Yuri’s back now, leading him down on a smaller, less crowded trail on their right, making their way back to the road. “Is it really that boring?”“Well, when you could be riding a motorcycle then yes, it is,” Yuri scrunched his nose, “you and I, we’re not really nature-people.”Otabek laughed quietly then stepped in front of him again, walking backwards as he tilted his head, raising an eyebrow in question.“Oh, do tell, then,” he said, “what kind of people are we?”“You’re a DJ, who rides a motorbike and wears leather all the time,” Yuri replied, trying to ignore the way his stomach jumped at the sight of Otabek’s mischievous smile “and I’m… you know” he faltered, unsure of how to continue.He couldn’t really say what kind of person he was, not anymore. A few years ago he would have replied with something along the lines of “figure skating genius and social media addict”, but neither had been present in his life in a while. He could barely bring himself to talk about skating and he still avoided most of his social media sites so he wouldn’t have to deal with fans, Yuri’s Angels who never gave up hope. They still showered him with messages, questions, well-wishes, and kept hanging around to catch a glimpse of Yuri whenever it was possible. Who was he without these things? Otabek noticed the change in his voice and he let him leave the sentence unfinished. Yuri on the other hand felt the need to say something, to fill the silence around them, so they could move on from the awkwardness of his answer, and he brought up the first thing that came to his mind.“I’m going to Hasetsu next week, did I tell you that?” “To Viktor and Yuuri?” He nodded, and then almost tripped over a branch when Beka spoke again, asking a question he definitely didn’t expect. “Are you taking your boyfriend?”“My what?” He burst out laughing but it quickly died on his lips, eyes widening when he realized who Otabek was talking about. “Misha’s not my boyfriend!”“Are you… not dating him anymore?” Beka seemed confused, his careful question only making Yuri want to object even more vehemently.“No! I mean, yes, we go on dates, but we’re not… it’s not…” he sighed, frustrated that he found himself at a loss for words, unable to explain what he wanted to express, “we never really… established anything. God, I met him like a month ago, I’m not gonna take the guy to Japan.”Beka was watching him with a funny expression, that Yuri translated as ‘I’m not sure I believe you’.“We’re not a couple,” he told him again, “do you want me to tell you in kazakh or something?”“Fine, fine,” Otabek raised his hands in defense and turned back around to face where he was going. Yuri caught up to him with two quick steps, narrowing his eyes as he watched his friend’s small smile. “What?”“Nothing,” he said, which was clearly a lie but Yuri decided not to push him. It wasn’t like he really wanted to talk about his definitely-not-a-relationship with Misha, so he was more than happy to let it go. “I’m glad you’re still friends with Viktor.”“Yeah well, it’s hard to get rid of the old sap,” Yuri muttered, trying not to make it too obvious that he was staring at his feet. Otabek was by his side again, watching him closely, and he had to look away, instead of returning the gaze, afraid that he would reveal something he didn’t mean to reveal. Beka was too close, and he swung his arm around Yuri’s shoulder again as they left the park, the casual touch making his breath hitch in his throat. It would have been so easy and comfortable to pull him even closer, to respond by putting his own arm around Beka’s waist, and he willed himself to stay as he was, hands safely hidden in his pockets, avoiding the dark eyes that could see into his soul. He wanted nothing more than to press against him and taste his lips, feel his skin under his fingers, and he felt like his whole body was aching for more as Otabek tortured him with the casual touches, never enough, never the ones he wanted.They stopped at the bike and Beka turned to face him, his eyes serious and caring, trying to read Yuri’s mind. “Now, for real, are you feeling better?”“Yes, I am,” Yuri replied, and to his surprise he was telling the truth. He did feel better, more relaxed than he thought he would. “Thanks, tree-hugger.”“Will you tell me what happened?”“School-stuff,” Yuri shrugged, and for the first time that year, he was grateful for being a university student, which provided him with the perfect excuse for his freak-out, “I just want this exam to be done so I can forget about the whole thing.”Beka hummed, taking Yuri’s helmet and just like last time, he reached out to brush his hair out of the way, his fingers lingering at his cheekbone for a moment. Yuri glanced away, feeling the start of a soft blush spreading on his face, silently praying that it would disappear before Beka catches on.“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Otabek said, putting the helmet on his head, leaving the glass open so they could talk while he fiddled with the belt under his chin, “I mean, I was thinking, maybe you could study at my place. A different environment might be helpful and I could make us some food in the meantime?”“Uh…” This was a horrible, horrible idea. There was no way he would survive that without getting himself into even deeper trouble that he was already in. The whole day had already been too much, with Otabek fussing over him all the time, taking him on a ride, walking in the park, with light touches and fond smiles and that ridiculously deep, caring voice that made Yuri fall in love everytime he so much as mentioned the weather. It was bound to end badly for him. “Yura?” But Beka was looking at him with those beautiful eyes and the wind messed up his hair so it stuck out in every way, giving him that boyish look Yuri could never say no to, and he called him Yura, with that last syllable that always destroyed his defenses and made him very, very weak.“Okay, I guess.”God, he had it really bad. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Yuri was right when he thought it was going to be an insanely hard task to keep himself in check at Otabek’s place, spending the whole afternoon and evening there. He did his best to focus on studying, and he only wasted the first hour walking around, examining the apartment, checking out every little detail to find out more about his friend, how he lived, and how he spent his days there. It was nice to see him where he was the second most comfortable (the first one being the ice rink, he guessed) and Yuri did his best to earn a full-body laugh for himself when he made fun of Beka by narrating everything he did like it was a documentary.“And here we can observe,” he said, pretending to sneak up behind him, holding an imaginary camera, “the one and only Otabek Altin in his natural habitat.”“Yeah, I’m sure people are very interested in my kitchen,” Beka commented while he moved around with ease, grabbing ingredients for the lunch he had promised Yuri earlier.“You underestimate the power of your fandom,” Yuri replied, knowing that Otabek had his fair share of fans, most of whom would probably be swooning over a picture like this, their favourite athlete without the glamour of the figure skating costume, standing in nothing but dark blue jeans and a tight black t-shirt, holding a tomato. “Maybe I’ll make a youtube channel and get rich filming your life.”“That’s likely,” Otabek mocked him but he went on about his business, letting Yuri follow him around. Yuri decided not to reply, because he was very close to admit that he would actually pay for something like that, and he probably wasn’t the only one. “The Kazakh figure skater named Otabek Altin can be grumpy if we disturb him when he is preparing his meal,” Yuri continued as he went around the table to stand in front of Beka. He acted like he hadn’t even noticed Yuri, and he stepped closer, pretending to zoom in on his face. “See? It looks like he is having fun, but don’t be fooled by his expression. This is only well-masked annoyance.”Otabek pressed his lips together, desperately fighting the smile that wanted to appear on his face, but his shoulders were shaking as he tried to repress his laughter. “Disturbing his peace at a time like this is a dangerous assignment but I’m not one to shy away from a challenge,” Yuri went on, drawing his hands back, “although we will try not to interfere much, because he is holding a knife.” Beka continued to pretend Yuri wasn’t even there, keeping his eyes on the kitchen counter, but his smile was undeniable, and Yuri stopped for the shortest second to drink in the picture, his eyes lingering on Beka’s profile, waiting for him to laugh. He held it together, but this was the next best thing, Yuri decided as he watched him trying to pay attention to what he was doing. The amusement in his eyes betrayed him though, and he bit his lower lip to stop his smile from spreading wide. Yuri lowered his hands and took a moment to collect himself, grateful that Otabek hadn’t caught him staring. He had a whole arsenal of words he could describe Beka with, serious, stoic, mischievous, deep and dark and beautiful, but right now he was simply cute, with fondness glinting in his eyes and the smallest of dimples on his cheeks as he bit back his laughter. Yuri decided to push things just a little bit further and he turned away, ‘recording’ the kitchen with the invisible camera he was forming with his hands.“Now let’s take a closer look at his surroundings. As you can see, he keeps the tools vital to his survival in these bottom drawers,” he saw Beka’s hands slow down, turning his head slightly to listen to him, and he smirked before he delivered his punchline. “He’s probably doing this because he can’t reach the top shelves.”That apparently did it. Otabek burst out laughing with an unattractive snort, and he leaned forward above the counter, closing his eyes before he pushed himself away from it, turning to Yuri with a hand on his heart, acting like he was offended.“Wow,” he shook his head, taking two quick steps towards him, and Yuri dropped his hands, backing away until he felt his lower back hitting the drawers behind him. Otabek was suddenly dangerously close, his eyes locked on him, and Yuri couldn’t bear the intensity of it. He raised his head, watching a longer strand of black hair falling over Beka’s eyebrow, before he clenched his jaw and returned the gaze, accepting the challenge. Beka’s eyes were fixed on his, dark, firm, piercing a fiery hole into Yuri’s heart, and he felt like his throat was tight and sore as he tried to control his breathing. When Otabek spoke, his voice was low and teasing, sending a shiver up his spine. “You are very smug about that one inch difference you have over me.”He frantically tried to come up with an answer, but the sudden change of the situation had him speechless, his fingers gripping the edge of the cabinet behind his back. He didn’t know if Otabek was even aware of how close they were, with their noses almost touching, or if he noticed the heat radiating between their bodies, like Yuri did. He desperately tried to avoid glancing at Beka’s lips as he kept his eyes on him, refusing to give in. His face felt hot and he hoped he wasn’t blushing as they watched each other for what seemed like an eternity. In reality it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, but Yuri’s self-control slowly started slipping away when he felt the ghost of Beka’s breath on his lips. He threw his hands up, ignoring the way his fingers were trembling and formed a camera again, almost hitting Beka’s nose as he used it to put some distance between them. “Note to self,” he said, his voice cracking as he forced it to work again, “height is a sensitive issue, best not to mention it if you want him to cook lunch for you.”Beka huffed, and the moment was gone. He took a step back and dropped his shoulders, his expression softening into a fond half-smile as he cleared his throat, turning away. He didn't say anything.“You have a balcony,” Yuri rushed to announce when he noticed the glass doors on the right, leading to a small platform outside, “I’m gonna go study there.” He all but ran away from the kitchen counter, picking up his backpack from the ground where he dropped it.“You should take a jacket,” Beka commented with his back turned to him, his posture and attitude now transformed back to his usual one, caring and familiar, calm like a steady rainfall complement to the storm inside Yuri. He looked around, his eyes settling on the leather jacket draped over the back of a chair at the kitchen table, and before he could change his mind, he picked it up, folding it over his left arm carefully. Otabek didn’t look at him at all, turning his attention back to the vegetables in front of him, keeping his eyes down. Yuri remained standing at the table for a few seconds, unsure of what it was he was waiting for, but nothing happened. The moment was well and truly gone, and Beka ignored him. Yuri took his jacket without asking, putting it on as he stepped outside to the balcony, dropping himself into one of the two chairs there. It was a bit loose on his shoulders but otherwise fit him, and he pulled his notes into his lap with a sigh. He was already tired just from thinking about his exam tomorrow, but he couldn’t deny that the change of scenery helped, the fresh air, the walk in the park and the different apartment clearing his mind a little like Beka said it would. He felt like his brain got a reboot and he started reading, quickly getting lost in the pages of his book. There was a small part of him that stayed behind, hyper-aware of his surroundings, the fact that he was in Otabek’s flat, that he was wearing his jacket, how it smelled just like him, how small and safe he felt in it and how his blonde hair looked like against the rough black leather, but all in all, he had a more productive afternoon than anytime in the previous week.He read through his notes twice, trying to recite things silently, and found that he actually remembered more than he thought. Maybe his subconscious did pick up some things after all, between the various ways of procrastination he invented in the past two days, and so he closed the book with a satisfied smile, going back inside and dropping it on the table.“I deserve a break,” he said.“That was fast.” He heard Beka’s voice from behind his back as he put his notes away for now, promising himself that he would check them once again in the afternoon.“Well I’m a smart person.” A strange silence followed Yuri’s words, and he turned around, curious about the lack of response. Otabek was watching him - no, not him, Yuri noted, he was watching the leather jacket on him with an unreadable expression, his lips parting slightly as he drew in a deep breath, eyes fixed on somewhere below Yuri’s neck, and he seemed to be taken aback. Yuri realized that he didn’t exactly ask for permission to take the jacket and shifted uncomfortably under Beka’s gaze. “Sorry about this,” he waved a hand at himself vaguely, “I just grabbed it, I didn’t think…”Otabek didn’t answer, and Yuri started wondering what his problem was. Was he that sensitive about someone taking his jacket? Did he mess things up somehow? He was just too lazy to go and look for his own coat, he didn’t mean to step over any boundaries Beka might have had about this.“I’ll take it off,” he said, rolling his eyes to lighten the mood a little, when Beka’s voice quickly interrupted him.“Don’t.” Yuri froze and jerked his head up to look at him. He didn’t miss the way Otabek’s eyes widened slightly for a second before he knitted his brows, averting his eyes, looking a bit unsettled. “I mean, it’s fine. You can wear it. I don’t mind.”“Whatever, weirdo.” Yuri took off the jacket nonetheless, putting it over the back of the same chair he picked it up from, smoothing down the leather a little bit before he spoke again. “Aren’t you going to give me a tour?”“I can’t leave this,” Beka replied, referring to the food on the stove, “but feel free to take a look around.”“Really?” Yuri raised an eyebrow, feeling the comfortable atmosphere around them once again, making him bolder. “I’m gonna discover all your secrets,” he tilted his head in a challenging way, but Beka only chuckled in response.“I don’t keep secrets from you,” he said, “I’m an open book.”“Right,” Yuri made a face, a sarcastic smile appearing, “all blank pages, written with invisible ink or something.”He didn’t stick around to wait for a reply and instead made his way to the back of the apartment, opening doors and peeking inside everywhere. Otabek had a perfectly normal flat, where everything had its place and things were in order. He scoffed at the adultness of it, Beka’s responsible and ‘old man’ side leaving its mark on the spotless shelves and the vinyls placed in alphabetical order. He smiled at the comforting familiarity of it until the afternoon sunlight drew his attention to another shelf at the far end of the bedroom, its golden gleam making Beka’s medal collection shine brightly in the corner. He stepped closer to examine them, and his eyes grew wide at the sight of the olympic silver he hadn’t even known about. There was a gold medal from Worlds hung right next to it from the same year, and two others from Four Continents and the Grand Prix Final in the following season, among several bronze and silver medals won at various competitions. Shame crept up on him slowly, spreading in his chest as he realized he had no idea about any of it. The Olympics were held in the first season he had to miss due to his broken hip, and he did his best to avoid any news of it, especially anything regarding Otabek. It was too painful, and he never even stopped to think about how selfish it was of him. Beka was apparently an olympic silver medalist and not only had he not known who beat him to the gold, he hadn’t even seen any of his programs. It would have been too awkward to ask now, but Yuri made a silent promise that he would get over himself and watch Beka’s performances from the years he had missed. He felt confident that after visiting him at the rink and watching him training with kids, helping him by checking video recordings of his skaters, he was now strong enough to sit through Otabek’s own programs without getting too emotional. He moved on from the medals and reached out to pick up the only other thing on the shelf, hugging it gently to his chest. He sat down on the floor, with his back against the bed, holding the teddy bear carefully. Now this was familiar, this one he knew well enough. He smoothed down the soft fabric of the bear’s loosely sewn t-shirt and pulled his knees up to prop it up against his legs.He heard footsteps behind him, slowing down and stopping when they reached the door, and he spoke without turning around.“I can’t believe you kept this stupid thing,” he muttered, looking up at Otabek who came around the bed to join him on the floor. He seemed offended and frowned, lifting his elbow to poke at Yuri’s arm.“Tiger isn’t stupid, don’t say that.” His reply made Yuri snort because this too, was the rarely seen cute side of Beka, saying something so ridiculous with such a serious face. “And of course I kept him. Why, you didn’t…?”“No, I did,” Yuri said quickly. He didn’t want Beka to think even for a moment that he threw his own stuffed animal away. It wasn’t for lack of trying, but he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t get rid of the last reminder of his friendship with him, no matter how many times he stood holding the small tiger, preparing to put it in a trashcan and forget about it. He changed his mind every time, the thought of treating it like garbage making him sick to his stomach. “Bear is probably the only thing I held onto from my, you know, pre-injury life.”And from their friendship, but he decided not to mention that, the guilt already growing inside him, infecting his body and his mind. He thought the words tasted bitter on his tongue, and he hoped Beka hadn’t noticed that. It wasn’t only important because it was from him. They exchanged a lot of gifts during those few years they spent as best friends, not only for every birthday but also on those rare occasions when they met up during a competition, or one of them visited the other over their off-season break. The tiger called Bear was different because Yuri got it from Beka when he’d last seen him in person. He remembered it clearly, too clearly for someone so keen on forgetting. They decided to visit the music festival held during that time in Almaty, and they spent the whole day there, walking around the Abai Square, buying useless souvenirs and listening to the strange folk music Yuri could never decide if he liked it or not. He remembered the midday sun burning on his neck, and how it hugged Otabek, making his warm brown skin glowing like some kind of god’s. He remembered how he saw Beka as someone perfect and untouchable like a sculpture, and how his young and inexperienced heart burst with the sea of emotions he felt when he looked at him.He remembered it too clearly, how Beka caught his hand once so they wouldn’t lose each other in the crowd, and Yuri was drunk with love, his teenage crush on Otabek growing bigger than the whole wide world, making him light-headed and miserable at the same time. He hurt in ways he didn’t know he could hurt, as he watched him acting like a perfectly normal best friend around him, confident and relaxed, not nearly as nervous and on edge Yuri himself felt when he was near him. He remembered how he stared at their entwined fingers, clutching onto Otabek in fear of losing him, and how he realized that maybe he should let go. That day at the festival, they bought two stuffed animals, a tiger named Bear and a bear named Tiger, and a few days later Yuri flew back home with unshed tears in his eyes and a decision that changed his life.He talked to Otabek a few more times after that, their conversations cut short by some lame excuse Yuri made up, the silence between each phone call stretching longer and longer, until he got tired of it and ended them completely. Pictures and phone numbers got deleted, birthday gifts got thrown out but Bear ended up safely stashed away in his wardrobe, out of his sight but close to him anyway.“What happened to your medals?” Beka asked suddenly, leaning closer to fiddle with one of the teddy bear’s ears.“I sent them all to Colorado to that figure skating museum there,” Yuri said, returning his attention to the present. “Not my costumes though, I left those to Yakov so he could give them to other skaters.”“Oh, I know that,” Otabek huffed, “Imagine my face when some kid showed up wearing your Agape costume.”“Wow, that’s an old one. But it’s technically Viktor’s.” Yuri absent-mindedly toyed with the bear, keeping his hands busy so he wouldn’t completely focus on how close they were once again, Beka’s thigh lightly touching his, their arms pressed together. The feeling of ‘too much, and not enough’ was back again, sitting heavily on his chest, and he couldn’t decide if he wanted to run far away or scoot closer to rest his head on his shoulder, having Otabek wrap his arms around him.“No, I think you made it yours,” as if he was reading his mind, Beka leaned away, only to raise his right arm and put it around Yuri’s back, pulling him closer. “And it’ll always be yours.”Yuri eased into the embrace, leaning against his side with a content sigh, slightly distracted by the feeling of Otabek’s fingertips running up and down on his arm in a soothing way. He didn’t have the strength and the energy to run away, not this time. For the first time since they met again, Yuri thought he could get used to being only Beka’s friend and nothing more. He wasn’t as dramatic about his feelings as he once had been, and his love for Beka became something like an old friend in itself, a part of his personality that he would never be able to leave behind, no matter how many years pass without seeing him. His past self was an all-or-nothing person, and when faced with the risk of nothing, he fled, unwilling to accept anything less than everything. That Yuri Plisetsky thought any placement below the top of the podium was as good as the last, and he vehemently rejected the idea of settling for less than what he wanted, whether it came to skating, family or his relationship with Otabek. His present was distinctly different from that, and as he sat there with Beka’s arm around his shoulder, pressed to his side, he realized that he didn’t want to lose him again. He couldn’t lose him again, even if it meant pining for the perfect and untouchable for the rest of his days, someone who was well within reach but would never become his.Maybe it was always meant to happen this way, and he just had to get used to it. 20-year-old Yuri couldn’t, but he could, after everything he went through in the last few years, the constant ache was nothing he couldn’t handle. Otabek gently rubbed his arm, tilting his head to catch his eyes.“Are you okay?”Yuri thought about his answer for a moment, trying to decide if he was okay or not. Did accepting a sad excuse of a life count as okay? Was he fine after realizing that he would probably never be as happy as most people around him, like Viktor and Yuuri, or Mila in Italy with Sara?“Yeah, I think so,” he replied, and he almost believed it to be true.“You know, you’re too young to belong in a museum,” Otabek said with a soft smile, resting his head on top of his.“No, I’m not,” Yuri’s voice was quiet but firm, “Beka, I’m history.”“Fine,” he turned his head, and Yuri felt his breath in his hair as he spoke, “but don’t say it like it’s a bad thing, Yura.”He moved to stand, extending his hand, helping Yuri up too.“Come on, let’s eat.” They had lunch in comfortable silence and after that, Yuri went back to his notes again, his heart heavier and his mind more distracted than before. He forced himself to focus on his exam, but his brain wandered, went to places he hadn’t visited in years, memories he tried to bury as deep as possible. His skin felt cold and he wondered if there was such a thing as touch-deprivation and how it felt to live like that, always waiting for the next one, hungry for a hug or just the slow caress of fingertips on his arms, treasuring each one because they are so rare. He closed the book with a loud thud, making Beka look up at him from the far end of the room, frowning behind his laptop.“What’s up?”“Life fucking sucks,” Yuri told him, muttering under his nose.“Tell me about it.” Beka’s response made him roll his eyes, dropping the book in his lap.“Shut up, you have a good life, you don’t have the right to complain.”Otabek really did have a good life, and Yuri thought he deserved it all. He got to make a living of doing what he loved best, and even though he screwed up their friendship years ago, Beka still had a lot of people around to support him. He had a boyfriend, and although Yuri had only met him once, it was clear how much Anton loved him. He was a fortunate person, that was undeniable. Yuri remembered all the medals he’d seen in his room, and had the ironic thought that after he single-handedly destroyed their friendship, which couldn’t have been easy for Otabek, he went and become an olympic and world champion. It was a fair trade, he guessed. “Um, I meant tell me why you said that,” Otabek was fighting a smile, while doing his best to keep his expression serious.“It just does,” Yuri shrugged and stood up, gathering his notes from the couch. “It’s kinda late, I think I’m gonna go.”“How do you feel about your exam?” Beka asked him, standing up as well, grabbing his backpack to hand it to him. “Remember that weird stuff Phichit made us eat in Bangkok?” Yuri shoved everything in his bag and followed Otabek out of the room, who winced at the mention of the memory.“How could I forget? I felt nauseous all day, while you laughed and took pictures of me suffering.”“There’s your answer.”Beka chuckled before handing him a box, rolling his eyes when Yuri looked at him with a questioning raise of his eyebrow. “For dinner. Your fridge was practically empty.”Yuri took it, eyeing the box for a moment, while he tried to hide the smile he was fighting. He gave up soon and raised his head to look at Beka, smirking at him. “God, you’re such an adult.”“It’s just food, Yuri.”“Yeah, but dude, you have Tupperware.”“Well,” Beka lowered his head and gave a shrug, before glancing back up at him with a small, but smug smile, “if it’s so embarrassing, you can always give it back.”Yuri hugged the box a little closer to his chest.“I suppose I’ll survive somehow.”Otabek laughed quietly, and Yuri’s gaze lingered on the tiny wrinkles appearing in the corner of his eyes before he caught himself and turned away, fiddling with his jacket. They stood at the door in silence, and Yuri looked around like he wanted to make sure he wouldn’t leave anything there. He couldn’t help but drag the moment out a little, trying to ignore how much he wanted to stay.“Will you come back tomorrow?” Beka asked suddenly, his eyes sincere and his smile gone, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other. “There is something I want to talk to you about.”“What is it?” Yuri frowned. Whatever it was, it seemed important, but Otabek shook his head, not explaining it further.“Tomorrow. Please, just… come back after your exam, okay?”He nodded, accepting that he wasn’t going to get anything out of him until then. He left with a heavy heart, still clutching the small box in his hands, with Beka’s words echoing in his mind, trying to figure out what was so important and serious that he didn’t want to discuss it with him until he was done with tomorrow’s test. He went to school the next day still contemplating the time he spent with Otabek. It was just one day but it definitely felt longer than that, with a hundred different emotions from his breakdown during the bike ride, their walk in the park, to the lunch they had together and the medals he had seen, and of course that last request, and how Beka almost seemed nervous about it. It felt like a rollercoaster, and Yuri decided he ought to rethink the idea of spending his whole life like this, watching Otabek and trying to find some hidden meaning behind everything, hoping against all hopes that one day he wouldn’t see him as his long-lost best friend anymore. Or that maybe one day there would be no more surprises like the olympic silver, and Beka would finally tell him about things instead of having to find out for himself either by accident, or by googling. He wished he could talk to Polina but he was almost late, arriving to the exam in the last minute, right before the professor. He threw his things down, frantically searching for a pen while they handed out the papers, and he set to work immediately, grateful for something else to focus on. He practically felt the huge weight lifted off his chest as he examined the questions one by one, discovering that even if he didn’t know the answer right away, he knew enough to bullshit his way through them all. The hour flew by rapidly, and when the professor announced that they had five minutes left, he put down his pen, straightening up, repressing a groan as he felt the tension easing in his muscles.On his way out, he sent a satisfied grin to Polina who was silently trying to send him some kind of message he didn’t understand, by waving her hand and mouthing way too many words for a conversation like that. He pulled his phone out from his backpack when he was outside, turning off the airplane mode after three days of radio silence, and started to type a text to Polina, inviting her to get super drunk to celebrate their last exam and to say goodbye before he flew to Japan in a few days.His message was interrupted by an ocean of notifications, and he frowned as he went through them. Mostly there were calls, from people who he rarely talked to anymore, and the sinking feeling in his stomach told him that something must have happened, because there was no way they would all randomly decide to contact him at the same time.Viktor, he could understand. He was due to leave for Hasetsu soon, and maybe he wanted to check up on him, or just ask if he needed anything. Yuuri, too.Polina was an easy one, she always called him with the least important things, like what kind of ice cream she should get, or if Yuri happened to know anything about the politics of Argentina.Missed calls from Misha were harder to explain, since he actually remembered to tell him that he would turn off his phone for three days while he was studying, but something could always happen, and maybe he just wanted to try and see if he could reach Yuri.But that wasn’t all, no.Mila called him four times, and Seung-gil tried once too, along with a handful of other people he had no idea how they got his number or who they actually were. He hesitantly opened his Instagram, and he was instantly flooded by thousands of notifications, mostly messages and fans tagging him in pictures. He hurriedly closed it, not daring to look at any of them, and decided to text Seung-gil first. He quickly did the math to check what the time was in Seoul, relaxing a little when he realized it was the middle of the afternoon. If something did happen, he wanted to talk to Seung-gil first, knowing that he would probably be painfully honest and stoic about it. 11.03 me: hey 11.03 me: what the hell is happening 11.03 me: i have like a fuckload of calls He replied almost immediately and Yuri opened his message with increasing concern and confusion. 11.04 Seung-gil: i guess that means you haven’t seen it yet 11.04 me: seen what?? 11.05 me: if you don’t tell me right fucking now i am flying to seoul to kick your grumpy ass 11.06 Seung-gil: feel free, i’m actually in bangkok with phichit, but i was just looking for these 11.06 Seung-gil: the whole world is going crazy so you better prepare He sent an attachment, and Yuri clicked on it right away with a lump in his throat, waiting for the site to load. His eyes widened when he saw the post on a figure skating fanblog, featuring a long discussion about him and his current life, and below that, there were pictures.Pictures taken with a cellphone probably.Pictures of him and Otabek at the park, Beka hugging him with an arm around his shoulder while he walked beside him with his head hung, smiling softly. Pictures of Beka standing in front of him, his hands cupping Yuri’s face, locking eyes with him. Pictures of them taking the narrow road alone, further away from the people, Otabek walking backwards in front of him, with a close up of his fond smile and eyes. Pictures that could have been interpreted in a way that apparently made the whole figure skating world turn upside down, with detailed theories and Yuri’s Angels writing long posts in the comments section, discussing Yuri’s life, analyzing the photos and arguing over the two of them. He stared at his phone, unable to breathe properly and felt a chain around his chest tighten as he saw several other links posted on the site, all leading to fanblogs with the same pictures, fanarts and even hurriedly written fanfictions, people trying to find out how they could reach him or find him to ask questions about them, fans deciding that they would do anything to find out what’s happening. 11.11 me: fucking hell 11.11 me: seung-gil 11.11 me: this is really bad 11.12 Seung-gil: it is 11.12 Seung-gil: apparently no one knew that you guys are even talking again 11.13 me: i have to talk to him Yuri dropped his phone back in his bag and started running. His lungs burned with panic as he jumped on the bus taking him to Otabek’s place, and he tried to calm his breathing and his uncontrollably beating heart. He sat down, but his legs were bouncing up and down, occasionally kicking the seat in front of him, and he looked around, trying to see if there was anyone on the bus who paid attention to him, anyone with a cell phone directed at him, anyone who might have known about the post and wanted to find out where he was going and why he was in a state like that. When Otabek opened the door, he pushed past him without saying hello, throwing his bag on the ground, taking deep, shuddering breaths. Beka seemed clueless, but Yuri wasn’t sure he hadn’t seen the photos, as far as he knew, it could have been what he wanted to talk to him about. “Have you seen it? Have you seen the pictures?” he stood in the middle of the living room, demanding an answer, clenching his fists to stop them from shaking.Beka nodded with his eyebrows drawn together.“Yes, this morning. Yuri, what…?”“How did this happen?” Yuri interrupted him, raking his hand through his hair as he started pacing back and forth. “Everyone is looking for me now, they want to know things about me, I can’t…” he drew in a sharp breath, stopping to look at the other man. “I can’t deal with this, Beka, I can’t.”“Yuri,” Otabek stepped closer, trying to catch his eyes, “it’s not a big deal, they will get over it in a few days.”“No, they won’t,” he said, “I made them forget about me and now they want to find me again, the fans, the journalists, the bloggers, the whole fucking world is interested again suddenly and I don’t want to face them.”“You don’t have to,” Beka tried to reassure him, “just ignore it.”Yuri wished he could do that but he was unable to erase the posts from his mind, the ones debating how long he’d been talking to Otabek again and how long they were together. They didn’t even question that they were a couple, everyone thought that the photos were undeniable proof that the Hero of Kazakhstan and Yuri Plisetsky, Russia’s lost fairy and ice tiger with the tragic story were out on a date, taking a romantic walk in the park. He was so careful not to do anything to draw the attention to himself since he retired. He was terrified to admit that he couldn’t find his way after he was forced to stop skating, and there were always some fans who tried to ask him about his friendship with Otabek, wondering what had happened between them when they suddenly no longer posted pictures together at competitions and such. “I can’t ignore it, Beka, don’t you fucking get it?” he was shaking, but he turned to lock eyes with him. Otabek seemed completely unaffected by the whole thing which pissed him off even more. “I can’t do this, I can’t talk to them and admit that my life went to shit and everything is a fucking mess around me. I don’t want them to talk about how much I screwed everything up, and how fucking sad and tragic it is that my career ended like this and now I’m going to a school I hate, I can barely live, and I’m a fucking bartender in a shithole pub, pathetically trying to avoid anything skating-related.”“Yuri, stop, calm down,” Beka grabbed his arms and made him sit down, holding his hands as he kneeled in front of him, “it’s not that bad, I promise you.”“I don’t want to deal with this,” Yuri told him again, shaking his head, “I can’t deal with this.”“Maybe you can,” Otabek replied, “Yura, you’ve been to the rink with me, you watched my skaters’ programs, you even asked me about it. It’s not that bad anymore, you’ve made so much progress, it’s incredible.”Yuri felt his stomach freeze for a second, a horrible sinking feeling in his chest as he processed Beka’s words, and he pulled away, letting go of his hand.“Progress,” he repeated quietly, “God fucking dammit, Beka, why did you say that? Am I some kind of charity project for you or something?”Yuri stood up and Beka took a step back to let him. He buried his face in his hands, feeling more exhausted now than ever, and thought about how he should be celebrating tonight, putting an end to another shitty semester.“Why are you so calm about this anyway?” he turned back, raising his voice when he saw Otabek still at the couch, looking taken aback by his words. “You have a fucking boyfriend, what does Anton say about all this?”Beka huffed, returning his gaze, his dark brown eyes unreadable as he replied.“I wouldn’t know. I broke up with him.”“You what?” Yuri stopped dead in his tracks. “When?”He was almost sure he knew the answer to his question, that’s why he asked. The sinking feeling in his stomach was back, and one look at Beka’s face told him he was right. He didn’t need to know the exact date, that wasn’t the point.“Does it matter?” He looked away, avoiding Yuri’s eyes.“When, Otabek?” The use of his full name made Beka almost visibly wince, defeated as he closed his eyes for a second before giving him an answer.“Like... three weeks ago?”“Why didn’t you tell me?” Yuri demanded to know, and he only hoped he would get a different answer than the one he guessed.“I was planning to, but you were busy with your exams and I didn’t want to…”“Oh my god” Yuri threw his hands up, “I swear to god, Beka, if you say you didn’t want to upset me, or didn’t want me to worry, I don’t know what I’ll do. Is that how it’s going to be? You don’t tell me anything, ever, because you want to, what, protect me?”“No, Yuri…”“Shut up.” He turned away, only to look back again. The words started flowing out of him, and Otabek was standing there, listening to him silently as he poured it all on him. It was long overdue, and Yuri had no idea these things were bothering him that much until he started speaking and found himself unable to stop. “You didn’t tell me you moved to the city, then you didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend, or that you broke up with him, you didn’t tell me anything about your fucking job unless I asked at least four times and assured you that I won’t fucking break if you say the wrong words. You keep doing this and you don’t even notice. I don’t know anything about you, Beka. And now you’re telling me I made progress, like you’re my fucking therapist or something. So tell me this, are you only here because you think you can fix me? Are we friends at all? Do you even want me to be in your life, or do you just want to be in mine, because you feel guilty?”A heavy silence fell on the room as he said the last words, only broken by Yuri’s loud, shaky breaths as he tried to stop the tears he felt coming. Beka opened his mouth to reply but closed it again, unable to answer and he seemed shocked, hurt by the words he’d heard, his brown eyes losing their brightness a little, the lines on his forehead deepening as he frowned.“Why would you say that? Why would I feel guilty?”There was no going back now, and Yuri ignored how hoarse Beka’s voice sounded, deciding that if he had started this, he would now say everything he wanted to say, no holds barred.“Maybe because you weren’t there when my life went to shit,” he said, “when my grandpa got sick, or when I got injured, when they told me I would never be able to land a quad again. You weren’t there when Mila moved to Italy or when Yuuri and Viktor went back to Japan for good, or when grandpa died and I had to plan his fucking funeral alone.”Otabek was paler than he’d ever seen him before, and he shook his head, swallowing as he tried to find the right words.“No, that’s not fair. You’re the one who cut me off, you don’t get to do this now.”“Well you didn’t exactly break your back trying to do anything about it, did you?” Yuri’s voice was cold and somewhere, deep inside he knew that he was being merciless, and Otabek was right. He was the one who ended their friendship after all, but it was out now and he wasn’t going to take it back.“I tried, Yura, you know I did.”“Then I guess you didn't try hard enough.” Yuri wondered how they ended up like this, both of them with unshed tears in their eyes and unsaid words on their lips, years of repressed emotions washing away all the good things in minute, like they had never happened.“No. You sent me away, you told me you didn’t need me in your life so do not blame me for believing you.” Otabek shut his eyes, brushing through his hair once as he took a deep breath. “This isn’t fair, Yura.”“I know,” he replied, his throat so tight he could barely get the words out, and he grabbed his backpack, preparing to leave, “but you didn’t answer my question.”He opened the door, willing himself not to look back as he said something else, something that could probably cost him this whole weird, uneven, careful friendship they had.“So while I’m in Japan,” he started, “maybe you should take some time to think about this. I mean… if you’re only friends with me because you really do feel guilty, then thanks a lot, but I don’t need your pity.”He somehow managed to close the door behind him before the first tear rolled down on his cheek. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Yuri met Misha the day before his flight, after spending the better half of the morning convincing himself to give him a call. They agreed to meet at his place, after Yuri clumsily fumbled over the words, telling him that he didn’t want to accidentally put Misha in the center of the spotlight too, and that fans could become really mean if they saw them together somewhere. The last thing he wanted for Misha was to receive any kind of backlash from those so called fans who usually went overboard with their ideas and got carried away with their hopes and fantasies regarding him or Otabek. He remembered all too well what happened a few years ago, when Beka spent a month in Russia for a summer training camp. He went out with Mila once to see a play Yuri wasn’t interested in, which resulted in hundreds of horrible messages all across Mila’s social media pages. Even though Mila didn’t seem to care and mostly she just laughed at the online harassment she was getting, Yuri knew that not everyone was as tough as her and he never wanted that to happen to anyone else, ever. He didn’t exactly know what to expect from Misha when he arrived, but it certainly wasn’t a thin, but sincere smile and a plastic bag full of snacks. Yuri let him in and they awkwardly stood by the couch for a few seconds before Misha broke the silence, putting the bag down.“I brought food,” he said, “I wasn’t sure what people do in a situation like this but eating is always a good choice, right?” he cleared his throat, hesitating. “Anyway, um… how did you do on your exam?”Yuri stared at him and gave a short, quiet laugh before he replied, with his eyebrows furrowed and his tone careful.“Not to sound rude, but do you really want to know?”Misha hummed and seemed to think for a moment, “I’m not sure. I think I’m just asking because I don’t know how to start this conversation. But I asked so you might as well answer.” Yuri tilted his head down and smiled. The other man was just as unprepared and nervous as he was, his awkward, shy bluntness perfectly resembling their first meeting when he asked him out.“It went well, thanks,” he replied, handing him a cup of coffee and taking his own as they sat down on the couch. There was no point in trying to halt the inevitable so he took a deep breath, turning to face Misha. “Hey, um, I’m really sorry about those pictures, okay? I did study for the test and this, uh, friend of mine just showed up at my door and said I needed fresh air and stuff, and I just… we went out because I was going crazy locked inside. I didn’t mean to lie about it or do it behind your back or anything.”Misha turned towards him too, pulling up his legs to sit cross-legged on the sofa. “I believe you,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “So a friend, huh?”He nodded, pressing his lips together into a thin line. Misha was watching him with a curious expression, studying him with a knowing look before he added something else.“Yuri, I’m not the brightest person on Earth but I’m not that stupid either.” A short laugh escaped his lips, colourless but kind, certainly more understanding than Yuri thought he deserved. “The way you look at him… I never stood a chance, did I?”“I…” he frowned, not sure how to answer. He didn’t need to though, because Misha took his hesitation as confirmation and smiled again, his usual glee overshadowed by traces of sadness in his eyes. “I figured. Don’t feel bad, you can’t control your feelings.”“Nothing happened between us,” Yuri said suddenly, “I need you to know that. I would never do that to you.”“I didn’t think that,” he replied, taking a deep breath and Yuri saw him gaining strength for what he was about to say, “that’s not even the reason it hurts a little. I mean, obviously it’s not exactly a pleasant feeling,” he huffed, “knowing that all this time you were in love with someone else, but… do you know what else I found out from that article?”Yuri stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.“I found out I was dating a figure skating legend.”He stared at him, gripping his mug a little tighter as he felt his cheeks burn, and he couldn’t decide if it was caused by embarrassment or he was just caught off-guard by the mention of his career. Misha kept talking, stumbling over his words as he tried to explain it.“You never even told me that you used to be a professional athlete and I had to google you to find out that you won the world championships twice. You won the Olympics, Yuri. The Olympics. And I…” he sighed, sniffling a little, “I mean, I guess I just don’t know if… um, if you didn’t think it was that important, or you didn’t think I was.“Neither,” Yuri sat up straight, determined to make Misha understand that it wasn’t anything he did or said, it was him and the tower of issues he piled up over the years regarding the sport. “Look, if you googled me, you must have read other things too. Like why I don’t skate anymore.”He waited until Misha nodded, going on with his heart beating in his throat. He had to explain it, he owed him that much, but that didn’t make it easier, and he hoped Misha wouldn’t ask many questions about it. “So… it’s not that you weren’t important enough or anything,” he swallowed, preparing for what he was about to say, “I just don’t talk about skating. Ever. It’s too painful and I don’t like the way people look at me, like I have this tragic backstory or something. Like I’m someone to feel sorry for. I even refused to go near an ice rink until recently. So it’s wasn’t anything personal against you, okay?”“Okay,” Misha nodded again, “but you’re an actual olympic champion, I mean… you should be proud of that. And you were what, 18 years old? That’s incredible.”Yuri gave a shrug and couldn’t stop a small, smug smile from appearing on his face.“I also broke a few world records,” he added, “yeah, I wasn’t bad.”Misha huffed again, the sadness momentarily vanishing from his eyes to give space to amazement upon hearing him say that. They got quiet after that, Yuri contemplating his next words, trying to choose them carefully. They were dancing around the point of their meeting and it was time to stop stalling.“Listen, I really like you,” he started, “I just…” “No,” Misha stopped him, “please don’t say what you’re about to say. I know anyway.” He sighed, closing his eyes for a second. “You like me, but only as a friend and you’re sorry because I’m such a nice guy.”He sounded bitter and he looked so small as he leaned back on the couch, dropping his hands in his lap, glancing down at them. For the first time that day, the mask of smiles and lightheartedness disappeared, exposing his real emotions underneath. Yuri had never seen him so lonely and he wondered how many times he had to sit through talks like this one, how many times he had to hear similar words, always leading to the same place. He thought about how his younger self would have run away, never answering his phone anymore, or would have been plain rude to Misha to get him to turn his back on Yuri instead, so he wouldn’t have to. This, watching him as he tried to smile and blink away the stray tears was a thousand times more difficult, but at the same time left him content, knowing that Misha would at least know his reasons and they would get to say goodbye to each other.He had previously considered offering to stay friends, but hearing Misha talk like that changed his mind. He was going to miss him, but it seemed like he wouldn’t be the first one to do that, and it would just hurt him more. What Misha needed was a proper break up, not having Yuri in his life at all so he could move on. They said goodbye to each other with a hug that lasted longer than it should have. Yuri hesitantly put his arms around Misha’s shoulders and pulled him closer, hoping that it was the right move on his part and he wasn’t going to make the situation even worse. He wasn’t really sure what he was doing, having been on the receiving end of hugs recently. He couldn’t remember the last time he tried to comfort someone. The thought, again, reminded him of his selfishness and how the last couple of years he was too busy feeling sorry for himself to notice the people around him. Misha was reluctant to let go, and he hid his face in the crook of Yuri’s neck, tightening his hold around his waist before he stepped back, sniffling. A strand of light brown hair stuck to his temple and Yuri resisted the urge to reach out and brush it to the side. Misha was trying to stay strong, holding back the tears until he left and Yuri knew from experience that a soft touch could mean a breaking point, one which neither of them wanted to deal with in the presence of the other. Yuri wouldn’t have known what to do and he had a feeling Misha wouldn’t want to cry in front of him so he took a step back and turned to the door to let him go. He remained standing at the door for a while after he was left alone, looking around in his apartment, wondering what he should be doing now. It felt wrong somehow to just go and pack for his flight tomorrow like nothing happened, like he didn’t just break someone’s heart and so he sat down on his worn-out sofa again, reaching for the bag of snacks Misha brought with him and left there.He spent half an hour like this, walking around in the flat, not doing anything in particular when his phone chimed with a text. It felt like he was shaken awake by the short, sharp sound tearing apart the silence around him and he checked the message with an annoyed sigh. 17.22 lina: grades up for macroecs 17.22 lina: guess who got a 5 duuude 17.23 lina: check yours and let me know if we should drink to your success too Yuri went to his bedroom, ignoring his empty suitcase lying on the ground and opened up his laptop, logging in to the university’s online platform. He felt his heart beating in his throat as he clicked on the course list, holding his breath.Right next to Macroeconomics, was the number 3, saving his life and his school semester, and he let out a long breath, texting back to Polina. She replied a few minutes later with a selfie of her and Tatiana, holding their glasses of wine, a third one in Tatiana’s hand with Yuri’s name written on the plastic cup with a sharpie. He dropped his shoulders and leaned back in his chair, raking a hand through his blond hair. He was officially done with this year, and he survived it without failing. It wasn’t easy, and he honestly didn’t know if he could have done it without Polina and… Otabek. He reached for his phone again, opening up their messages and stared at the screen, wondering if he should tell him. He wanted to, and he remembered the last time he called him about a grade, too excited to care about Polina being present, inviting him over for dinner, and the sinking pain upon hearing Anton’s name for the first time, a familiar punch in his stomach as Otabek said “my boyfriend”. This time he also passed with Beka’s help, but he wasn’t sure if he would even reply to his message, let alone a phone call. After all, he was the one who said they could use a little bit of distance, and while he didn’t specifically asked for radio silence, Otabek seemed to think that’s what they needed. Yuri hadn’t heard from him in the last two days, and as much as he wanted to contact him, he stayed away. He was the one who said Beka should think about his reasons for being there for him, and if Beka needed them not to talk to each other for a while, then he was going to respect that decision.It pained him to do so, but he locked his phone and threw it on his bed. He also opened up a bottle of wine he bought on his way home the other day, thinking that he very much deserved a drink while he was packing for Japan. He just found out that he had passed his last exam, he had just broken up with someone he actually cared about and he was very close to losing his best friend whom he was in love with, so fuck if he wasn’t going to drink to that. He always hated packing anyway, so at least it would make it more fun, he guessed, and he started his favourite playlist, avoiding clicking on the mix he got from Otabek. That’s how he was going to spend his evening, he decided, getting drunk alone in his apartment, throwing random clothes in his suitcase without giving any thought to what he was actually going to need. He made sure to pack the scarf he got from the Nishigoris though, and he danced around his room with a glass in his hand, yelling lyrics which his neighbours probably didn’t appreciate that much. He picked up his phone after the second glass, sending a picture to Polina. 17.49 me: it’s the perfect party 17.49 me: we’re both drunk but i don’t have to listen to u 17.52 lina: it doesn’t matter 17.52 lina: you always know what i’m thinking 17.54 lina: we’re best friends, you ass 17.54 lina: we’re so close we finish each other’s 17.55 me: drinks 17.56 lina: that was ONE TIME AND I APOLOGIZED Yuri laughed out loud, his voice swallowed by the beats and he threw another pair of jeans in his suitcase. At least he still had Polina, he thought, his stupid, chatty best friend who never failed to cheer him up with her nonsense.He was halfway through his wine and his playlist, singing along to the guitar solo when he heard loud banging coming from his ceiling. He took another sip of his wine and stuck his tongue out to his neighbours, otherwise ignoring the kind request to turn the volume down. He was twenty-five years old and lived like a hermit, never throwing parties or doing anything really, so he thought he was entitled to one night when he could feel like a normal person. He heard the knocking again and he looked up, almost falling over his own suitcase when he accidentally stumbled into it.“What was that?” he asked, holding a hand to his ear, “You like the song? Hah, me too, pal, let me just turn it up for you a little!”It wasn’t even that late so he didn’t give a damn if anyone was bothered by the noise, and he kept dancing around the flat, collecting everything he needed and throwing them into the suitcase.An hour later he kicked it shut, gulping down the last glass of alcohol. He left the bottle on the table and went to sleep, making sure he had set at least four alarms. He felt a lot better, he wasn’t totally wasted, only pleasantly drunk, the wine making him giddy and lightheaded and the few texts from Polina reassuring him that whatever happened, he still had at least one person in his life who didn’t hate him. He woke up with a light headache the next morning, silently cursing as he slid out of bed in a very ungraceful way. He made a low sound of a dying cat as he remembered that he had a whole day of travelling to look forward to, and getting slightly tipsy the night before was probably not his brightest idea. Yuri didn’t particularly like flying anyway, he got bored and the landing always made his ears hurt, but flying even when he was even a tiny bit hungover was hellish. He used to enjoy it, though. He used to love the takeoff, the exhilaration as the plane accelerated and he felt his body being pressed back against his seat, the way his stomach dropped when they left the ground, and he remembered how thrilled he was everytime they announced that the weather conditions weren’t the best, and how he kept waiting for the storm outside to shake the airplane. It was an adventure for him when he was younger, like everything else that came with being one of the top figure skaters of Russia.Over the years he got used to it as he had to fly somewhere almost every month. There was always something, a competition, a training camp or an ice show that required him to spend hour upon hour sleeping on planes, watching shitty movies and trying to find a way to kill time at airports. He slowly got bored and after a while he only requested to sit by the window so he could avoid being sandwiched between two people.He hadn’t been on a plane in three years though, and Yuri couldn’t help but feel some of the old excitement as he heard the engines roar, gaining speed for the takeoff. He took a painkiller before he got on the plane, drank a lot of water and ate something to calm his stomach, which worked wonders. He thanked whoever was up there that his russian genes finally came in handy, and he leaned back in his seat, preparing himself for the next 15 hours of travelling, including a 4-hour-long break in Helsinki. While he was waiting for his next flight, he used the airport’s wifi to go through his messages, quickly checking in to Viktor to let him know he was on his way. Other than the texts from him and Polina, his inbox seemed to mock Yuri with its emptiness, and he realized again just how much he’d been hoping to hear from Otabek. He kept repeating his own words in his mind about giving Otabek the time and distance he needed, but he couldn’t help it, that tiny flicker of hope to see his name pop up on his screen with a message. He longed to hear from him, even if it was just a few words, even if it was nothing personal, like a “have a great trip”, “say hi to Viktor and Yuuri for me” or “we’ll talk when you get back”. Nothing.The uncertainty was slowly killing him as he tried to see into Beka’s head, figure out what he was thinking and if he even thought about Yuri at all. His brain started playing tricks on him, making up at least four different worst-case scenarios, all of them equally scary. Like Otabek realizing how easy things had been before they became friends again and deciding that Yuri wasn’t worth it, or his personal favourite, the one in which his life became a soap opera and his plane crashed, with him dying or surviving but losing his memories. Beka meeting the love of his life while Yuri was in Japan, the two of them eloping somewhere to get married, never returning to Saint Petersburg. Or, the most realistic one, Beka getting back together with Anton. Yuri felt his stomach clench for a whole other reason than being hungover, and he realized he hadn’t even asked Beka why they broke up. ”Does he know how you feel?” Misha asked him this question just the day before, and Yuri shook his head, replying only with ‘No, I don’t think so’. ”Then he’s blind.” Yuri didn’t agree with him. Otabek was very perceptive and smart when it came to other people, reading their emotions and what went through their heads. But they had a complicated history, one which he definitely hadn’t planned to tell Misha about, so he left it at that, giving a short shrug and a tight-lipped smile. Otabek wasn’t blind, but he probably didn’t trust Yuri right now. He walked out on him once before, when Beka thought everything was fine, when they were best friends, always looking for an opportunity to meet, to spend time together, and they shared every detail of their lives. Every single one, except for Yuri’s feelings for him.He started regretting that he didn’t come clean completely. The opportunity was there, they were talking about what happened five years ago and he felt the words stuck in his throat, unable to say them when it mattered. So Beka still didn’t know, he had no idea why Yuri shut him out of his life and everyday while Yuri kept quiet about it, he felt their friendship slipping further away, out of his reach. He arrived at Fukuoka airport late at night, worn out from the travelling, with a dull pain in his back and his muscles pulling uncomfortably when he stretched. He connected to the airport’s wifi again while he was waiting for his suitcase to arrive, his fingers hovering over his social media apps. He hadn’t posted anything for years, but he felt a strangely familiar pettiness rising in chest, tugging on him to upload something, just to stay present, just to remind Otabek that he didn’t leave forever. That this time, he was only on vacation and he was going to return to Russia in two weeks. The internet had already blown up over him, so it was pointless to keep staying away from instagram in fear that people wouldn’t forget about him. In the end he decided against it, but only because he didn’t want his first picture to be of the boring, grey baggage claiming room, or a selfie in which he looked like a ghost of himself, with circles under his eyes and tangled hair that got messed up during his short nap on the plane.He stepped out of the automatic doors leading to the arrivals area and immediately spotted Yuuri and Viktor waiting for him. It would have been hard not to notice them, with Viktor waving at him with that ridiculously huge smile on his face, and Yuri felt a smaller, but equally happy one appearing on his, as he lazily raised an arm to wave back.His breath got knocked out of him when he got pulled in a tight hug, with a handful of black hair in his mouth. A second later another pair of arms sneaked around them both and he practically got crushed between the two men holding him. “Get off,” he tried to say, but the words got muffled by Yuuri’s hoodie. They seemed to understand him anyway and they let him go, but not until Viktor reached up and ruffled his hair.“Sorry,” Yuuri smiled, “we haven’t seen you in a while.”“Are you taller?” Viktor was eyeing him suspiciously, holding his palm over his head, trying to compare himself to Yuri.“No,” Yuri replied, “you’re the one who’s getting shorter now.”“I am not,” Viktor gasped dramatically, pulling his hand back to put it over his heart.“Glad to see you’re still you,” Yuuri laughed at them both and grabbed his suitcase, “I’ll take this, let the old man rest.”“Savage,” Yuri reached out for a lowfive and smirked back at Viktor, expecting the man to be complaining loudly about his husband betraying him. He was smiling though, warm and content, shaking his head fondly as he followed them out to the car. The ride back to Hasetsu was mostly quiet on Yuri’s part. He asked a few questions and sat back, listening to them taking turns as they told him stories about their everyday life, Yuuri’s family and the Nishigoris. They were telling him about their movie nights, what they usually eat for lunch, their vacation in Thailand when they visited Phichit last year, and how they keep playing ridiculous games to decide who’s going to do the housework.Yuri was watching them quietly, traced the patterns of light wrinkles on their faces as they laughed, most of them new to him as he hadn’t seen them for almost three years. They looked exactly the same, and somehow completely different, more themselves than ever and yet, in spite of the funny stories and the banter, more adult. Older but not in a bad way. Yuri thought they had never looked more at peace with themselves.Naturally, he had no intention of telling them that. Oh, no. He was back, and he was more than prepared to give them the real Plisetsky-experience, so that they either won’t want to let him go after two weeks, or won’t talk to him ever again. Their short exchange at the airport showed him that Yuuri was probably going to be his partner in crime against Viktor, which was all sorts of weird and not weird at all, considering that the japanese man had a wicked sense of humour once he got comfortable with someone. Ten years must have been enough for that.They were talking about their plan to redecorate the house when Yuri noticed a pattern in the conversation, and he acknowledged it with an exasperated sigh, interrupting their discourse about the colour of the bathroom wall.“You guys can talk about skating, you know,” he said in a flat voice, making them both stop and glance back at him. Viktor turned back to watch the road but Yuuri looked at him a moment longer, examining his expression, probably wondering if he’d heard it right.“You mean… um,” apparently he wasn’t quite sure how to finish that sentence, and Yuri huffed, rolling his eyes.“I mean, you guys can fucking talk about skating,” he crossed his arms, suddenly feeling self-conscious under the weight of Yuuri’s worried eyes on him, “stop making a big deal out of this, okay?”He caught the subtle change in Viktor’s demeanor and decided not to comment on it to avoid leading the conversation to more dangerous topics. Subtle, but there nonetheless, even though he only saw his eyes from the rear view mirror, glancing up to meet his, a knowing look in them paired with a few laugh lines in the corner that meant he was smiling. It was gone in a few seconds but Yuri noticed it, and averted his eyes. They hadn’t yet asked him about Otabek or the photos. It surprised him, since both of them called him on the day that post went viral and he never called them back, ignoring the whole thing and only texting about the flight. He expected it among the first three questions after he got there and planned to shut them down, not feeling ready to talk about it just yet, but they hadn’t even tried.Maybe they thought it was like figure skating, a topic that made Yuri close off and hide in himself immediately, not giving a single clue as to what he thought or felt, and more often than not, replying with an attack to defend himself. They always respected his attitude towards skating after his injury, and never once tried to expand the boundaries Yuri had set, carefully avoiding everything related to the sport. But, unlike other skaters Yuri knew and maybe even liked, Yuuri and Viktor had found other things to talk about, other ways to stay in his life, no matter how difficult it was. The had only mentioned it once, in the letter they sent to his birthday, and even then, they specifically told him to watch Axel’s short dance on Nationals, as if they didn’t want him to see more than what was absolutely necessary. Things had changed since then. No, Yuri had changed.He hadn’t seen the video yet, but he was convinced that this time he truly did forget about it, and it wasn’t a trick his subconscious played on him to avoid having to deal with skating. He slowly tested his limits, carefully tugging on the strings keeping him together, to see if he could stand without them, and at every step so far, he succeeded. Now he almost wanted everyone to treat him like before, to stop acting like they have to walk on shattered glass around him and feel comfortable enough to mention the sport.Because even if it stung, the one thing he had learnt during the past few months was that he didn’t matter. Not more than others, at least, not anymore. He had no right to make people feel too uncomfortable to talk about something they loved, and even if he did, after a while it was going to bother him anyway. The Yuri Plisetsky who enjoyed the spotlight, who loved being the center of attention, the rude brat who acted like the world revolved around him was gone. He faded away piece by piece, with his injury, his retirement, his grandfather passing away, with Mila, Yuuri and Viktor moving, and with Lilia Baranovskaya leaving. With Otabek gone, and even with the death of his cat. They each took a piece of the olympic champion with themselves, until there was no mask left for him to hide behind.They pulled up in front of a cosy wooden house and Yuri slid out of the car with a yawn, stretching as he looked up at the building curiously. Despite its few modernish features, it didn’t look oddly out of place among the traditional japanese houses, blending in nicely with the neighbourhood’s aesthetic with its curved roof, leaning over a small veranda. Yuri’s first thought was that it looked like a home. A nice, clean, polished place a married couple could be proud of. They went inside, Yuri carrying his suitcase, occasionally yawning as the long day started to take its toll on him. “Tired?” Yuuri asked with a smile.“Dead, more like,” he replied, “do you guys mind if I just…?” the end of his question was muffled by yet another yawn, and Viktor laughed at him before he stepped closer, hugging him again.“It’s okay, go to sleep,” he said, “I’ll show you your room.” He started walking towards of the doors in the back of the living room when Yuuri’s voice stopped him.“Won’t you take his suitcase?” he frowned.“I’m an old man, remember?” Viktor grinned back at him then looked at Yuri who just gave a shrug and turned back to grab his things. “See? At least someone respects his elders around here.”Yuri followed him to the room and settled in quickly, fishing out his pyjamas and toothbrush from his suitcase as soon as the door closed behind Viktor. He wasn’t lying when he said he was beat, so he showered quickly, longing for a bed and possibly twenty-six hours of sleep. He checked his phone again before he settled in, noting with a bitter, thin smile that he still hadn’t had any new messages. The first few days passed in a blur, with Viktor and Yuuri dragging him around Hasetsu, showing him everything like it was his first time there. Yuri didn’t mind, it had been so long since his last visit, and he found that the city was even more beautiful than he remembered. There was something magical about Hasetsu, something that helped people find peace there, and he enjoyed taking long walks in the city, discovering hidden spots, buying clothes and just simply having a great time. It was just what he needed. They spent a lot of time on the beach while Yuri asked more questions and listened to them sharing more stories. Sometimes he thought he saw Yuuri preparing to say something, start a new anecdote then steer the conversation away from it, changing his mind every time. They both avoided talking about figure skating, even though Viktor spent hours at the rink everyday. He and Yuuri usually sat down together after they thought Yuri was asleep, reviewing choreographies, technical elements and debating how many quads certain skaters should have in their programs. They visited Yuuri’s family and had katsudon for dinner, his mom carefully asking Yuri about school and work, without a single mention of his career or skating at all. A few months ago Yuri would have considered that a blessing, not having to deal with the questions, not being reminded of the ice, but now it bothered him. He felt like he lost a limb and everyone around him was trying really hard not to notice.He couldn’t bring himself to be angry at Yuuri’s mom though, so he decided to glare across the table at Viktor instead, silently daring him to say something. Anything, just a tiny detail about the olympics, the name of a skater, or the words ‘jumping pass’, whatever they wanted, except this awkward tiptoeing around it.He went outside after dinner, sitting cross legged on the grass, tapping his phone again to see if there was any change in his inbox when he heard footsteps behind him, stopping at the edge of the narrow veranda. He didn’t turn around, guessing that it was probably Mari having a cigarette break, and was surprised when he heard Yuuri’s voice instead.“You know we just don’t want you to be uncomfortable, right?” Yuri craned his neck to look back at him, watching as Yuuri leaned against the wooden post supporting the roof. He adjusted his glasses and put his hands in his pockets, smiling. He seemed calm, relaxed and Yuri thought he’d never seen him so peaceful and content before. He didn’t know if it was thanks to Viktor, or being home, being with his family, or it was just years and years of learning to be happy. Maybe it was all of the above. Yuri didn’t even feel like calling him names, he wasn’t ‘katsudon’ or ‘pig’ anymore. He’d grown into being Katsuki Yuuri.“That’s great,” he replied after a short silence, “this doesn’t make me uncomfortable at all.”Yuuri inhaled deeply, looking up at the sky with a small smile before he joined him on the grass, leaning back on his palms and stretching his legs. “They mean well. My parents did the same thing when I moved back home,” he said, his voice filled with amusement as he recalled the memories, “I mean, when I first moved back, from Detroit. They let me be, because they didn’t really understand how I felt. I kept saying I’m thinking about retiring and they never questioned it. I went to the rink anyway, because I couldn’t give up on skating, and they didn’t question that either. They let me figure it out by myself, I guess. Mari was the only one who brought it up.”“Did it help?” Yuri asked, “That they left you alone to deal with it?”“For a while, yes,” he nodded, “and then it just made it worse.”“So what happened?” Yuuri turned to look at him with a curious expression. He bit his lower lip, deep in thought, with soft creases lining his forehead as he examined Yuri’s face. Yuri didn’t really understand his reaction, and he was about to rephrase the question when he replied.“Well, Viktor happened.” His frown smoothed and he smiled again, giving a modest shrug. “It’s amazing what another person and another perspective can do.”“He convinced you to stay.” It wasn’t really a question, but apparently he was wrong, because Yuuri shook his head.“No, that’s not it. Viktor gave me the freedom to discover all my options. The decision was still mine, and if I’d made a different choice I think he would have respected it.”Silence fell between them as Yuri pondered over what’d heard, carding his fingers through the grass absent-mindedly. Yuuri’s words reminded him of Otabek, and he wondered if he’d be able to accept whatever decision he made, even if it meant that Yuri would have to let him go. Maybe that’s why Otabek didn’t like telling him about important things like his boyfriend, their breakup, his career or the time they had spent apart. Maybe it wasn’t him treating Yuri like a project, guiding him in a one-sided relationship, maybe he was simply reluctant to let Yuri back in his life because he felt conflicted about it. The thought suddenly made the possibility of Otabek leaving him a very real one, and he felt his stomach drop just from the idea of never seeing him again. He pulled his knees up, hugging them close to his chest, trying to erase the mental image of Otabek walking away from him, seeing him and knowing that it would be the last time they meet. He knew he could survive without him, he did so for five years, but the thing was, he didn’t want to. Not anymore, not after he got used to being around him again, having his best friend back. He could deal with his unrequited feelings for Beka, and he’d rather do that than deal with his absence.He sighed, closing his eyes and massaging his temples. “We should go back,” he said. “We don’t have to,” Yuuri replied, and lied back on the grass gazing up at the night sky. Yuri followed him, resting his head on his hands, using them like a pillow. He didn’t want to go back inside and he was grateful to Yuuri for offering to stay. He felt oddly comfortable like this, sprawled out on the hard ground, in a relaxing silence around them, and he let his mind wander aimlessly, thinking about how much he loved Hasetsu, and how much he missed Yuuri and Viktor, despite his every attempt to shut them out too. “Thanks,” he whispered.“You’re welcome.”  Yuri woke up early the following morning, got dressed half-asleep and went to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. Viktor had already been sitting there when he joined him, greeting him with a cheerful smile when he saw him.“Good morning, Yurio!” he said loudly and Yuri grunted, making a face in return.“Fuck, you’re still a morning person.”“And you still aren’t, I’m guessing? Sorry if I woke you up,” Viktor was smiling and his voice lacked any impression of an actual apology. Yuri yawned and reached into the cupboard for a mug before dropping down on a kitchen stool, blinking slowly as the smell of coffee alone had started to work its magic. “You didn’t wake me up,” he replied after the first sip, when he felt strong enough to put together a normal sentence. “I’m going to the rink with you.”“Really?” Viktor’s hands stopped for a second as he lowered his mug, but the surprise was quickly replaced by enthusiasm, and his smile grew wider, almost heart-shaped. “Ah, the kids are going to be so excited, especially Axel. She’s only here for a few more days, so the timing is perfect. This is gonna be great!”Yuri blinked at him, keeping a straight face. It was too early in the morning to appreciate the thought of fifteen kids jumping around him, screaming, yelling and asking for pictures, and for a second he considered changing his mind and staying home instead. But he wanted to prove to Viktor that he could go to a rink without having some kind of mental breakdown, and he wasn’t going to back out now. He was also genuinely curious of Axel’s skating, since the last time he saw the triplets, they were about ten years old.“So she doesn’t train with you?” he asked, feeling a little more awake after coffee.“No,” Viktor smiled, “They moved to Switzerland two years ago so they could train with an ice dancer.”“Switzerland? Is it… what’s his name? Chris’ boyfriend?” Yuri inquired, vaguely remembering the guy who used to accompany Chris to competitions. He only knew he was an ice dancer and heard Chris talk about him once or twice, but he’d never really met him, so he didn’t bother paying attention when he said his name.“Fiance now, but yes, it’s him,” Viktor laughed, standing up and grabbing his mug to put it in the sink. He held his hand out for Yuri’s and quickly washed them with the rest of the dishes, “alright, pack your things, we’re leaving soon.”They took the familiar route to the Ice Castle, walking side by side quietly. Viktor had a duffel bag and Yuri felt like his hands were too empty, he wasn’t used to going to the rink without proper equipment and training clothes. He shoved his hands in his pocket, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun while he mentally prepared himself for the day. Being with Viktor and Yuuri in Hasetsu made him feel like he was fifteen again, being the little kid around two people who, for some reason cared about him no matter what he did or how he talked to them. He remembered how rude he was when he first came here, and how Yuuri seemed to almost be afraid of him. They’d both come a long way since then. Yuuko, Loop and Lutz hugged him for what seemed like an eternity, and if he saw tears in Yuuko’s eyes, he promptly ignored it, smiling and hugging back. Viktor went inside immediately to greet the other skaters and start warming up, and Yuri lingered behind with Yuuko and the girls, catching up, chatting for a few minutes.“You never write anymore,” Yuuko said, ruffling up his hair when Yuri failed to dodge. “I know, I know,” he replied apologetically, brushing down his blonde locks, “Sorry, it’s just…” he trailed off, not having a good response.“It’s fine, don’t mind her,” one of the girls waved her hand, saving him from the situation. “Aw, you’re wearing the scarf!”“Of course I am, it’s a cool scarf,” Yuri replied, “a friend of mine even wanted to steal it.”He thought it was Lutz, but he wasn’t completely sure. It’d been a long time since he last saw the triplets, and and he couldn’t really tell them apart yet. He only knew that Axel was already inside with Viktor, and he remembered something about Loop getting her ear pierced, so he made an educated guess and tried to avoid using their names until he was sure he won’t get them mixed up. He went inside after accepting Yuuko’s invitation for dinner the next day, and took a seat further up in the fifth row where he could see and hear everything. He spotted Axel almost immediately, doing laps across the ice lazily, following Viktor’s instructions during the warm up. There were about twenty kids there, from the age of five to teenagers, and he saw some of them noticing his presence, pointing at him, whispering to each other. He lifted a hand to say hi and Axel’s face lit up with a wide grin, waving with both arms.Yuri used to hate summer camps. He didn’t like skating with so many other kids on the ice, most of them much below his level, even those who were older than him. The others loved the group activities, making new friends but he was only there to practice, to improve his skills so he could get even better. For the most part he just ignored everyone, quickly forgetting their names and focusing only on himself. That’s why he was never able to recall his first meeting with Otabek, even though Yuri had made him tell everything about it more than once. He just couldn’t remember, no matter how hard he tried. He even searched for pictures taken during that one camp, collecting every photo Yakov and his grandpa had, and he examined each one carefully to kickstart his brain. In some of them he spotted a boy in the background, older than the rest of them, with messy black hair that stuck to his forehead and chocolate brown eyes with the look of a soldier that matched his own, but his memories failed him.Sometimes he wondered if things would have turned out differently if ten-year-old him had paid attention to the junior among the novice kids. If they had grown up being friends from the start, fighting their way through the different divisions together, helping each other along the way. If Beka had known him even better, he would have noticed how Yuri felt about him and it might have had been mutual. Or maybe he wouldn’t have fallen in love with Otabek at all, although Yuri couldn’t imagine a world where that didn’t happen. Viktor’s voice yanked him back to reality and he turned his attention to the skaters again before he quickly checked his messages one more time. There was still nothing, Otabek hadn’t been looking for him at all. He let out one frustrating sigh and tried to focus on Axel instead, watching as she practiced some spins with a guy who Yuri assumed was her partner. They slowed down to exchange a few words which made them both laugh and they stumbled slightly, holding onto each other. “Yurio,” he heard his name and a second later Yuuri sat down next to him, lacing his skates. He looked a bit surprised to see him there, and Yuri had a sudden suspicion that he was the reason Yuuri stayed at home everyday so far. “I didn’t realize you were coming today.”“I wanted to see Axel skate,” he said, settling for the least difficult explanation. He was watching Yuuri tightening the laces, moving his ankles to see if it was done properly when an idea struck him and he stood up, swallowing before he talked. His voice was shaking a little, and he rushed through the sentence, hoping that he hadn’t given enough time for Yuuri to notice that. “Actually, I’m gonna join you guys too, I’ll get a pair from Yuuko.”He ran down the stairs before Yuuri had a chance to reply, not even looking back to see his reaction. He wasn’t sure what made him more nervous, the fact that he just decided to skate without thinking it through, or the looks on people’s faces, the shocked expressions he was most definitely going to see. His heart was beating so fast in his chest, it made the surrounding noises fade over the loud drumming in his ears, and his hands were trembling when he reached out to take the worn-down rental skates. Yuuko didn’t say anything, but her eyes were huge and bright, and Yuri had to repeat his request twice, tapping with his fingers as he grew more and more impatient. He held the skates in his hands gingerly, staring at the blades with hesitation as he walked back to the rink. He stopped there, drawing a shivery breath, and found himself unable to move, looking at the skates as if those could remove his doubts, even if he hadn’t yet figured out what they were and why he had them. He knew the ice. He grew up on it. He was three years old when he started and he couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t know how to skate. It used to feel more natural to him than walking, and just because he missed three and a half years that didn’t just vanish.He traced the edge of the blade with his thumb, careful not to cut himself. They were good skates, old, used and probably cheaper than anything Yuri had ever had, but at the moment he thought they were perfect. So what was his problem? Why was he suddenly afraid? He took a deep, shuddered breath again, but still felt his chest tighten, like he couldn’t breathe deeply enough to get the oxygen he needed, like there was a weight sitting on his lungs, preventing them from taking in enough air. He raised his head, eyes fixed on the ice in front of him, and he jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder.“Yurio,” it was Yuuri again, gently pulling on his shoulder so he could lock eyes with him, “are you… is everything alright?”He teared his gaze away from the kids doing laps, skating across the ice like they were born there, and he felt a lump in his throat pushing down towards his stomach with a low, but steady pressure. He looked at Yuuri helplessly, trying to find the words to say something, anything. He wasn’t sure how he was going to reply, from reassuring him that he was fine to screaming from the top of his lungs until he ran out of breath. “Yurio,” Yuuri grabbed his other shoulder too, turning to face him completely, “Yuri, breathe. Look at me!”From the corner of his eyes he saw movement, a flash of silver hair and wide blue eyes filled with worry but Yuuri shook his head, signaling Viktor to stay there. Yuri’s eyes travelled from the skates to Viktor and then to the kids again, trying to see if anyone else had noticed, if all of them were watching, pointing fingers, or maybe even taking pictures, because wow, look at him, that’s the olympic champion Yuri Plisetsky, having a breakdown, he can’t even put on skates anymore…“Yuri,” two hands were holding him up by his arms and he blinked, trying to focus on the face in front of him. Yuuri was calm, there were no traces of concern, curiosity or mockery, just concentration as he kept his voice calm and relaxed too. “Come on, let’s breathe together. In and out, just like this.”The skates weren’t in his hands anymore but he wasn’t sure where they were now or when they were taken from him. Yuuri took his hand and put his palm over his own chest, and he felt it slowly rise and fall under his touch. He closed his eyes and tried to match his breathing to Yuuri’s, inhaling deeply. In and out, in and out. Breathe in counting to five, exhale. Yuuri was talking him through it the whole time, quietly but with an unwavering confidence in his voice and Yuri blinked slowly, raising his head and staring at the japanese man with wide eyes.“I, uh…” What was he supposed to say? He faltered, letting go of the other man’s training shirt.“It’s okay, you’re fine, you’re okay,” Yuuri kept repeating the same words over and over again and Yuri stepped away, letting his hands fall.“I can’t do this.”He turned on his heels and ran. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Yuri threw the door open and stopped right on the top of the stairs. He was panting hard as he leaned down, supporting his weight with his hands on his knees. He felt sick. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the nausea to pass and he grabbed the railing with one hand, holding himself up to ease the pressure on his trembling legs. His stomach turned unpleasantly and he groaned, wondering if this was really happening, if he was actually going to throw up, like whatever happened to him inside wasn’t humiliating enough already. He raised his other hand to push his hair back from his forehead, and he felt the strands stick to his fingers. His palms were wet and cold, and he let out a quiet ‘ew’, as he wiped them on his trousers, leaving sweaty trails with his fingers. He drew short, ragged breaths and he tried to control his limbs, make them stop shaking, the goosebumps on his arms tingling as he shivered. His stomach calmed slowly and he sat down on the stairs, forcing himself to take deeper breaths, just like Yuuri instructed him to. He counted to five as he exhaled, closing his eyes again to prevent more teardrops from following the one that had already made its way down his cheek. “Fuck,” he breathed, “fuck.”He rested his chin in his palms, propping his elbows up on his knees and glared at the empty road in front of him, leading up to Hasetsu Castle on top of the hill. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, hoping that he’d have a few more minutes to relax before they find him. Escaping through the back door wasn’t a bad idea but eventually they would remember to look for him there too, and Yuri lifted his head, trying to gain enough energy to get up and go somewhere else.He didn’t move a finger, and instead just sighed, cursing again quietly. He really thought he was ready to put on skates again. He could hold conversations about skating without the tight clench in his stomach, and he watched recordings of entire programs, giving advice on how to improve certain parts. Hell, he’d been to his old home rink more than once and saw an actual, real training with kids that reminded him of himself and his rinkmates, and he didn’t even flinch. He honestly thought he could do this. Lately he had often caught himself thinking about that choreography he had for his grandpa, the one he never got to skate but saw so clearly in his mind, and he hoped he would be able to try it here, in Hasetsu. There would have been something so poetic about it, skating for his grandpa for the last time on the same ice where he skated for him when he was fifteen. He felt the tears collecting in the corner of his eyes again and he let out a frustrated growl, rubbing them furiously to stop crying. Once again, he had failed his grandfather. The only thing he had to do was to take the first step, to lift his foot and place it on the ice, and he knew the rest wouldn’t have been a problem. But in that moment it felt impossible and he couldn’t do it.He pushed the memory of his panic attack away, pressing his knuckles to his temples in a desperate attempt to find something else to think of. He didn’t want to analyze it, he wasn’t interested in what went wrong, at least not right then and there, not five minutes after it happened. He needed time to cool down.It didn’t prove to be the best idea because that just made room in his mind for another thought he wasn’t particularly fond of at the moment. He reached in his pocket and his fingers closed around his phone, hesitating for a second before pulling it out and unlocking it. There were no new messages. He glared at the screen like he could blame it for the lack of contact from the one person he longed to hear from. He knew it was selfish, but he wanted Otabek to know what happened, he wanted him to be worried, to feel the one thing Yuri accused him of feeling: guilt, for not being there for him. He wanted him to care. Anything would have been enough, just one text, or two minutes on the phone with him, just to hear him say his name, hear that deep, soothing voice telling him that he was going to be okay, that he was going to get through this. He tried to imagine what Otabek would say and realized that it probably wouldn’t be the same thing he’d been telling himself. No, he knew Beka like the back of his hand, and he wouldn’t tell him that he could handle it, that he could go out there and skate again, that he was strong enough. Yuri pictured his face in his mind, his deep, dark gaze on him, like he could see into his soul, the slight tilt of his head as he examined him, and he heard the words Otabek would tell him if he were there. You don’t have to. Yuri laughed out loud, only one short, bitter bark and he put his phone back in his pocket. Yeah, that’s exactly what Otabek would say. That he didn’t have to be strong enough if he didn’t want to. That no one was forcing him to go back on the ice, and if this was enough for him then it was okay to stop here. But it wasn’t enough, talking about skating and watching it, not anymore. Now that he managed to take the first few steps, he was determined to go all the way. He heard the soft click of the door behind him and he wiped his face with his sleeves hurriedly, letting out one last quiet sniffle. He tilted his head down, brushing his hair forward to hide his profile and he waited. He heard careful, hesitant footsteps approaching him on the stairs and someone sat down next to him, someone who, judging by the pair of small, white sneakers he saw through the curtain of blonde strands, wasn’t Yuuri or Viktor.And then silence. The person didn’t speak, just sat quietly beside him, not moving an inch closer to him, not trying to talk or give any signs of even noticing him. Yuri heard the crinkle of tin foil and risked a peek from behind his hair, only to see a pair of hands unwrapping a small sandwhich. His companion dropped the tin foil back in the plastic lunch box and started eating, still showing exactly zero indication to talk or acknowledge Yuri’s presence at all. Soon, his curiosity got the better of him and he tucked his hair behind his ear, casting a careful glance at her direction.Axel wasn’t even looking at him, she seemed busy eating and tapping on her phone. Her face was completely neutral, and relaxed, so much so that Yuri felt like he was the one who was intruding when he talked.“Is it lunchbreak already?” he asked, trying to break the silence.“Yeah, a bit earlier than usual.” She took another bite, stretching her legs in front of her and crossing her ankles. “Do you want some?”“Ew, no,” Yuri made a face, “I’m not eating your leftover sandwhich.”“Right, sorry,” she frowned and turned back to her food, keeping her eyes on her lunchbox. She floundered, embarrassed, her cheeks painted light pink as she ate. Yuri almost felt sorry for her.“You’re really good, you know,” he decided to say, “Need to work on your edges a bit but your spins are impressive.”“Oh, you saw?” Axel’s eyes lit up and she glanced up at Yuri before she lowered her eyes again. She seemed grateful but self-conscious about the compliment and she gave a slight shrug, followed by half-smile. “Thank you. I’ve heard others say the same, that spins are our strength. Lifts are the hardest,” she added, “but you know, it’s really rewarding when we can finally do it.”“Yeah, I know the feeling,” Yuri replied, remembering all too well how much he hated when there was something he couldn’t do right away, how he gritted his teeth and kept working on it until it was perfect. Oddly, for him it was always the quad salchow and it didn’t help that it was considered to be one of the easiest quads. Axel hummed, not quite knowing what to say to that. Yuri watched her as she fiddled with her sandwich, putting it back into the box, staring at her hands, and wondered if he was the reason she seemed so uncomfortable. Maybe she accidentally found him and felt too awkward to leave him alone, taking it up on herself to cheer him up or keep him company.Well, he didn’t need another person to spend time with him only to make him feel better. He had Otabek for that.“I think I’m gonna go home,” he said, offering her an out. He stood up, expecting to see a flicker of relief on her face but Axel frowned, chewing on her lower lip with a troubled look on her face. She drew in a breath, preparing to say something and had to try twice to get the words out.“Would you stay here with me? Just for a little bit longer?” she asked, gripping her lunchbox a little tighter, her shoulders clenched and bent forward. “Don’t you want to go back inside to your friends?” Yuri raised an eyebrow but sat back down, watching her as she shrugged again, avoiding his eyes.“You’re my friend,” she said quietly, “I mean, I don’t really know anyone here, except for Koshiro, of course.”“Your partner?”“Yeah, but,” Axel’s voice wavered, her cheeks turning redder than before, “he’s really good at making friends, and I don’t know, I just… it’s nicer out here. Less loud.”“Huh,” Yuri said, and now he was the one at a loss for words. So Axel wasn’t there with him to offer whatever support she thought he needed now. In fact, she just wanted to get away too, find a quiet place to eat her lunch in peace, and happened to escape to the same place Yuri had. He had noticed it before, from the way she moved and interacted with others on the ice, that she grew up to be quite reserved, more introverted than her sisters, not really good at socializing with the kids her age. It was painfully obvious, but also understandable. Figure skating could be a lonely sport if you didn’t go out of your way to befriend your rinkmates. He used to be the same, except he wasn’t really bothered by it, and eventually he gave up, letting the others get close when he realized they wouldn’t stop trying. “Okay. But this partner of yours, you seem to work well together.”“We do,” Axel agreed, “It’s just weird when we’re around other people, you know?”“Because you have a crush on him?” Yuri asked casually, only realizing the weight of his question after he said it. Axel’s eyes grew wide, and there was silence for a few seconds before she dropped her shoulders, burying her face in her hands.“Oh god, is it that obvious?” To Yuri’s surprise, she laughed out, shaking her head. “I mean, am I that transparent?”“Don’t worry, I don’t think he noticed,” he said, turning his head to look up at the castle again, standing tall and proud on top of the hill. “People never do when it’s them.”“Do you think I should tell him?” Axel asked with a shy smile, and Yuri snorted, appreciating the irony of that question being asked of him of all people. “I don’t want it to ruin everything. My career depends on this.”“It’s your decision, but take it from me” he replied, turning to her with his most sincere expression possible, letting all the masks fall, “if you don’t tell him, that could ruin everything too.”Sure enough, Axel had more on the line here than a friendship, being dance partners with the guy, but Yuri knew from experience that repressing her feelings could very well leave its mark on her performances too. He made a stupid decision when he was twenty, missed a chance he would probably never get again, and he didn’t want Axel to waste years of her life wondering if she should have said anything. If their relationship was really that great, then even if that Koshiro guy didn’t return her feelings, they would learn to work with it. They would move on, and eventually Axel could figure out if that was good enough for her or not. At least she wouldn’t have to live in doubt. “Yeah, easier said than done,” she rolled her eyes when Yuri told her all this, but smiled at him after, grateful for the advice. “You’ve gotten wise.”“Wise, my ass,” he said, “I just made my fair share of mistakes.”Axel glanced at her phone and sighed, turning to bump her forehead against Yuri’s shoulder.“I have to go back,” she said. “Thanks for staying here with me.”“Anytime,” Yuri waited until she got up from the stairs before he spoke again. “Hey, would you tell Viktor and Yuuri that you ran into me and I’m fine? I don’t want them to worry, I’m just gonna go home and meet them there, okay?”She smiled, glancing back with her hand on the doorknob, her small, brown eyes glinting with a knowing look.“I texted them when I found you here.”  He left after that, taking the long way around the city, walking on the beach and snapping pictures of the scenery and the buildings. It was a nice distraction, and he still wanted to upload something to his instagram, feeling the level of pettiness rise in him like it did when he was younger. Pettiness over Otabek, because Yuri still hadn’t heard about him, and he wanted to remind him of his existence, and pettiness towards the fans because they blew the whole internet up over a few pictures and he wanted to respond with something that left them with absolutely nothing. A completely meaningless post, maybe a picture without him even in it, with no statements or comments or tags that refer to the leaked photos from a few days ago. He would share it on all of his social media pages from Twitter to Facebook with no additional explanation at all. It was childish, definitely. It was something the old and buried Yuri Plisetsky would have done, but he had fun with it, plotting the best way to get back to those who took that perfect day with Beka and turned it into an unpleasant memory. He only had one shot to choose the perfect picture, and just to be safe, he took at least a hundred photos all over Hasetsu, before he realized he wasn’t going to need any of them. The idea struck him like lightning, and he turned around to take off in the opposite direction, hoping he could find the place, more than seven years after he’d last been there.If he were to find it again, it would be the perfect post for both pissing off his fans and sending a message to Otabek. He was positive that Beka would recognize it, since they had only come to Hasetsu together twice in those five years. They found the place during their first trip and returned to it on the second one. Their off-season meetings were rare and special, and Yuri just knew that Otabek couldn’t have possibly forgotten about it. He ran back to Ice Castle across the bridge and took the road next to the rink, leading up to the hill behind the building. If his memories hadn’t failed him, he had to turn right at the first path that was almost completely hidden under the crowd of trees. To his surprise, he found it easily, it was still there, looking exactly like it did all those years ago, and he bent down a few times to avoid his hair getting caught up in the lower branches. He walked until he reached the narrow stream cutting the tiny clearing in half, and he carefully stepped on one of the bigger rocks in the middle to jump to the other side. He smirked at the memory of the very first time he did this, with Beka following him closely and slipping on a rock, getting his shoes soaking wet in the ankle-deep watercourse. It was the first time he saw him completely let go of that all-serious, badass and stoic aesthetic he showed to the public as he laughed out loud with his head thrown back and his shoulders dropped, before he bent down to take off his shoes. With one easy fling of his arm he casually threw them onto the grass, sending his socks right after, and he tapped his naked feet in the water like a child, wearing the brightest smile Yuri had ever seen on his face. That was also the first time Yuri was hit with the sudden realization that he really wanted to kiss him. There was a large tree right next to them, with roots that spread above the ground in every direction, and they agreed that it looked like an octopus, reaching far with its tentacles, breaking the straight line of the stream. It’s short, wide trunk separated into three main branches close to ground, and they climbed up, sitting on the one that leaned over the water. They stayed there for a long time, talking about everything and nothing, discussing what they wanted to do in the future. He told Otabek about his rock solid, well-thought-out plan to retire when he was twenty-six, just after winning his third Olympic games, thus becoming the first three-time gold medalist figure skater in the men’s field since the 1920s. He half expected Beka to laugh or point out how small his chances were to do that, but he just nodded and promised to put up a good fight, not making it that easy for him. Yuri was sixteen, and in that moment he had fallen in love with his best friend.He tore his eyes away from the tree, forcing himself to return to the sad reality that was his life now, nine years after that conversation happened. He let his lips draw a bitter smile on his face as he thought about how naive and overconfident he was, and how lucky that he hadn’t known at the time just how different his future was going to be. He turned around to look for an ideal spot and decided to walk a bit further so he could include both the top of the tree and the watercourse in the photo. He stopped at the far end of the clearing, kneeling on the grass to find the best angle and took a few pictures.He remained like that for a few more seconds, just drinking in the sight, trying to ignore how ridiculous and pathetic he must have looked, staring longingly at a tree, mourning a future he never had. He didn’t upload the picture until he was home, safely tucked in his bed wearing his pyjamas with the curtains pulled shut. He was right, it was a great way to distract himself from everything that had happened in the morning, and he felt himself relax a bit as he wondered what people will think when they see it. His first post, after years of silence on all of his official social media sites, and it was a photo of a fucking tree with no location tag or any comment whatsoever. No one would be able to figure out what it meant, except for Otabek, who was going to recognize it instantly and hopefully get the message Yuri was trying send with it. I’m sorry. I’m coming back. He resisted the urge to keep the phone in his hands to refresh the page every five seconds after he hit ‘Post’ and instead, he turned the wifi off and pulled the comforter up to his neck. He fell into restless sleep quickly, his body and mind exhausted and grateful for the silence around him. The next time he opened his eyes, it was already dark outside, and he lied in bed for a few seconds, wondering what woke him up. He was just about to reach for his phone when he heard soft knocking and he sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching a bit, smoothing down his t-shirt to try and make himself look presentable. “What,” his voice sounded hoarse so he cleared his throat. The slide door opened and Viktor poked his head in the room carefully before he stepped in with a tray in his hand. One look at his face told Yuri that he probably looked worse than he thought. Great. He just took a nap to avoid dealing with his problems and Viktor was certainly going to call him out on it.“I don’t know if you had anything to eat,” he said, while he put the tray down to the nightstand. He took a seat on the floor, crossing his legs and pulled one of the plates in his lap. “But I brought dinner, if you’re hungry. It’s katsudon.”“Of course it is,” Yuri rolled his eyes but took the tray anyway, “can you even cook anything else?”“I can,” Viktor replied with a small smirk playing on his lips, “Yuuri can’t. Don’t tell him I said that.”Yuri frowned, feeling a bit confused and slow, his brain still half asleep after napping all day.“That was a joke,” Viktor added, seeing his face, “you can tell him, he knows anyway.”He only hummed, having his mouth full with rice. Even if he couldn’t cook anything else, Yuuri made the most perfect pork cutlet bowl in the world, and Yuri wondered if he had ever told him that. He probably hadn’t. He didn’t compliment others easily, and that was another thing he thought he should change. “I missed this,” he admitted quietly, “he makes a damn good katsudon.”“He does,” Viktor’s eyes lit up as he watched him take another huge bite of the pork and he let out a short laugh. “Although you might want to slow down a little, you’ll suffocate.”“I’ll die a happy death,” Yuri said, his words muffled by all the food he tried to keep in and he quickly swallowed it so he could ask something. It was a good way to stall, since he wasn’t keen on discussing what happened in the morning, but he was also genuinely curious about it, had been ever since he arrived to Hasetsu and saw the life they built together. It was perfect, loving and harmonic, with only one tiny detail that stood out to him, one thing he thought was missing. “Can I ask you a question?”Viktor raised an eyebrow and nodded, waiting for him to continue. “How come you guys don’t have children?”In hindsight, the question was rather intrusive, but he found it odd that there was no mention of even planning to have kids in the Katsuki-Nikiforov household. Yuri thought that by now they would have at least two or three, all tiny Viktors and Yuuris, learning to skate before they could even walk properly and speaking a weird mix of Japanese and Russian no one else would be able to understand. He could see himself coming to visit and being surrounded by the little brats, teaching them words their parents would definitely not approve of, letting them follow him around until they pissed him off with their crying and giggling and yelling. They probably would have annoyed him to death, but it was still a nice mental image. Viktor blinked and drew in a breath, but otherwise his expression remained completely neutral, and he shot a smile in his direction as he replied.“We don’t have time. We both have our own skaters to coach, so during the season we travel a lot,” he shrugged, still smiling, “neither of us can afford staying home for months.”Yuri stared at him. He wasn’t sure how to nicely word his opinion so he stayed quiet for a while, debating whether or not he should even say anything. He thought Viktor’s smile would falter seeing his reaction, but it didn’t, and he stared and stared, until he couldn’t not say anything anymore.“That’s one of the most bullshit answers I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth.”Viktor’s eyebrows shot up with surprise, his innocent smile still unwavering. “You don’t have to tell me,” Yuri growled, narrowing his eyes, “but don’t feed me the same fake shit you tell journalists.”He turned back to his food and considered the matter closed. He wasn’t offended that they didn’t want to talk about it, it was their business, and even though it surprised him, he supposed it was fair. The blatant lie on the other hand was a whole other story, he never expected Viktor to try and sell him a lame excuse instead of admitting that he didn’t want to answer. He was just about to ask him to leave when Viktor spoke quietly, breaking the heavy silence that fell between them. “Yuuri’s not sure.”He didn’t need to see Viktor’s face to know he was telling the truth this time, but he looked up anyway and traced the deep lines on his forehead, his lowered eyes and the smile that got smaller and more honest. His otherwise nonchalant voice was shadowed by the kind of heaviness Yuri felt when he talked about his grandpa. “Of what? Wanting kids? With you? Come on.” He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, guessing that it would have been inappropriate, but he couldn’t stop the frown that was forming between his eyebrows. Was Yuuri having doubts about their future with Viktor?“No, I think,” Viktor sighed, putting his own plate back on the nightstand, “I think he’s scared. Point is, he’s not ready and this isn’t something I would ever pressure him into doing anyway, so…” he shrugged, lips drawing into a thin line, “it is what it is.”“But you want a family, right?” Viktor looked up, stubbornly returning his gaze.“Yuuri is my family,” he said in a stern voice. “And I love him more than anything, more than I love a child that doesn’t exist yet and may never will.”Yuri wanted to reply, show his support or ask more questions about his plans but Viktor made him stop with one sharp look, and he closed his mouth, deciding that maybe it was best to stay out of it. “Okay. I get it.” Yuri leaned back on the bed and took a deep breath, understanding that he had to let this go. It wasn’t the time or the place to discuss this, and he definitely wasn’t the most ideal person to have this conversation with, not to mention that Viktor certainly hadn’t knocked on his door for this. “Anyway, um. I’m really sorry about this morning.”“Why?” Viktor asked, tilting his head, grateful for the change of subject. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”“I know, but still. I made a scene in front of all those kids, and I shouldn’t have.”“You shouldn’t have tried to skate at all.” Yuri jerked his head up and his eyes widened in shock. Viktor’s words made his stomach drop, and he lowered his head in shame, hiding his eyes that immediately swelled with tears after hearing his response. He didn’t expect that reaction, but maybe Viktor was right. Maybe it was foolish of him to think that he could ever step on the ice again. He clenched his fist, his fingers digging into the comforter around him. He was not going to cry, not right now, not in front of Viktor, not because of a single sentence that only confirmed what he had already thought himself.He heard rather than saw Viktor move, and he didn’t raise his head until he heard his voice again, calling his name. “Come with me.” “Where?” Yuri frowned but he was already getting up, wondering if he’d need to get dressed for whatever dumb idea Viktor got in his head to cheer him up.“To the rink, of course,” Viktor said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We’re going to skate.”Yuri stopped and raised an eyebrow, glancing out the window at the dark sky.“It’s closed.” “Oh, really? I didn’t know. Hmm, I wish we knew a world famous figure skater who might have a key...” He pretended to think, tapping his index finger against his chin before his face broke into a wide grin. “Oh wait, I’m married to one.”This time, Yuri did roll his eyes at him, but quickly gathered his things and in a few minutes he joined Viktor outside, ready to leave. He watched as he said said goodbye to his husband, pressing a soft kiss in the crook of Yuuri’s neck, and he thought of Otabek, wondering if he’d ever have something like this. He cast his eyes down when Viktor turned around, waving to follow him.   “Like I said,” Viktor spoke with a smile, but his voice lacked the cheerful tone Yuri was used to, “you shouldn’t have tried to skate like that. There were too many people around, all watching, waiting to see you skate, and you only did it to prove something to them. That’s not the right way to return, Yurio.”“Yuri.” He only muttered this quietly, correcting him out of habit, rather than being annoyed by the nickname. Viktor went on, ignoring his remark.“You were afraid of the ice, and I want you to tell me why.”They were standing at the gate of the rink, with dim light glimmering through the windows, painting shades of blue and grey on the ice in front of them. Yuri had already put his skates on, after willing his trembling fingers to stay still, and he stood on the blades, curiously shifting his weight from one leg to another, getting used to the old, but familiar feeling. He took deep breaths as he held his head high and kept his back straight. He felt like he was preparing for a battle, only he wasn’t sure if he was battling the ice or himself.“I’m not. I wasn’t afraid.” He wasn’t looking at Viktor because he didn’t know if he was telling the truth or not, and he didn’t want him to find out before he did. His mind tried to convince him that he had no reason to be scared, this was his home, the rink, the place where he used to be safe and comfortable and the best. But the weight in his stomach told a different story, and he clenched his jaw, trying not to give in to that feeling.“Yes you were, and you are. So tell me.” Viktor turned to him, examining his expression and posture with a slight tilt of his head. “What are you afraid of?”“I’m not fucking afraid,” Yuri gritted his teeth and opened the gate, ready to go out there and show that he wasn’t. He was stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder, holding him back, making him turn too so they would face each other. Viktor gave him a stern but soft look, understanding but clearly set on getting an answer to his question.“You need to admit it, Yuri. Why are you afraid of the ice?” “I’m not, I can do this!” His voice echoed in the empty arena, making it louder than he intended and Viktor nodded with approval.“We’re getting somewhere. Are you afraid you can’t do it?”“Fucking hell,” Yuri shook his head and brought up his hand to put his palm over his eyes, turning his back on him, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I can, I can do it.”“What happens if you can’t?” Viktor spoke to him in a low voice, still quiet and kind despite Yuri’s impatient replies and cursing.“That’s not an option.”“Why isn’t that an option?” Viktor’s insistent questions finally pushed him over the edge and Yuri swung around on the blades furiously, clenching his fists.“Because I have nothing else!” he yelled, drawing a sharp breath that broke the silence following his words. Viktor didn’t move, didn’t say anything, he was just standing there waiting, and it made Yuri want to reach out and shake him, kick him, do whatever he had to do to make him understand. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at. I can’t go out there only to find out that I don’t know how to do it anymore, I ca…” the words got stuck in his throat and he looked at the other man helplessly, lowering his voice. “Viktor, what if I forgot how to skate?”He didn’t look away, didn’t close his eyes, didn’t even blink. He needed to see every tiny change in his expression, everything that could point to a possible answer, and for a few moments, neither of them moved or said anything at all. Until Viktor smiled and pulled the gate open, entering the rink with one effortless step.“Then you’ll learn again.” He lifted a hand and offered it to him, and Yuri noticed how his fingers weren’t shaking at all. He seemed absolutely sure that he was right, and Yuri desperately wanted to believe him.“You make it sound so easy,” he said, his mouth narrowing into a thin line as he bit down on his lips, his blood racing in his veins and his heart beating so fast and hard that it almost hurt.“It’s that easy.”No, it’s not, he wanted to say but he couldn’t quite get the words right as he stood outside the rink, his eyes moving from Viktor’s face to the extended hand between them. It couldn’t have been that easy, because that would mean he only had to take one step, one small move of his legs to get him going, and there were no more excuses left if he failed to do it. Nothing to hide behind, nothing to protect himself with. The ice was cruel that way, brutally honest regarding his ability to tame it, and Yuri felt his heart beating in his throat as he looked across it, wondering if there’d ever come a time he felt he was fully prepared to find out. Maybe not. Maybe he would always be afraid and it was better to seek answers like this, with only a narrow stream of pale moonlight shining in the middle of the ice rink and gentle darkness wrapping around him like a blanket.“For what it’s worth,” he said as he raised his arm and stepped closer, “I think Yuuri would be a great dad. And so would you.”Viktor huffed, a small, grateful smile spreading on his face, making the laugh lines around the corner of his lips visible.“I think so too.”He took the hand offered to him and lifted his left foot, placing it carefully just inside the gate. His breath hitched in his throat as the other blade hit the ice too and he pushed himself away from the wall surrounding the rink, taking a few tentative slides towards the other man. He turned around, crossing his feet and his fingers slipped out of Viktor’s palm as he slowly moved further away from the boards. He heard the quiet scraping he left behind as he pushed forward, and it sounded like music to his ears, notes he wrote on the ice himself, bringing himself back to life with each movement. He made a bracket turn, skating backwards and raised his head, locking eyes with Viktor who watched him silently from the gate, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.Yuri grinned back at him. He experimented by speeding up a little, skating around in small circles in the middle of the rink, watching in awe as the blades left long, straight lines wherever he went. His breathing became faster again until he couldn’t stop the bubbles of laughter rising in his chest, and he lifted both of his arms sideways, while expanding the circles wider until he skated from wall to wall, doing laps across the whole rink. He laughed out loud and took counter turns skating on one leg, enjoying the way his hair brushed against his face with each light spin, the cold air painting pink spots on the tips of his ears, caressing the skin on his cheeks. It was the greeting of an old friend, a long lost feeling found and revived, a series of familiar movements his muscles barely remembered as he felt them flex and loosen each time he pushed his legs back, and he looked over his shoulders, watching the rink lying behind his back, inviting him to discover every part of it, to scratch the surface by drawing new lines and lobes until there wasn’t a single millimeter Yuri Plisetsky hadn’t skated across. He was alive.He vaguely registered Viktor leaving the ice quietly, taking a seat close to the gate in the first row, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about anything as he felt the blades, his blades gliding forward smoothly, leading exactly where Yuri wanted them to lead. His eyes fluttered shut and he bent one of his knees, turning his feet so he slid across the ice in an Ina Bauer with his back kept straight. He was just getting used to the same moves again, chasing the memories with his muscles after three and a half years of repressing them, settling back into the old habits, every slide and turn feeling like coming home. He tried forward and backward twizzles and then stopped in the centre of the rink to do a few easier spins, feeling his confidence slowly build up. He got this. He risked lifting his leg up in an arabesque and felt his hamstrings burn immediately from the lack of warm up and the fact that he hadn’t done this in years, but he pushed through the pain with gritted teeth, determined to make this tiny detail in his mind come to life, the fragment of an almost forgotten choreography he never got to skate for his grandpa. He turned on his blade while trying to keep his free leg straight, raising his arms above his head then bringing them down again, lowering his head too. He sped up, skating backwards and without thinking too much about it, he lifted his right leg, slammed his toe pick into the ice and lunged himself in the air in what was supposed to be a flip.It was all kinds of wrong, he felt it right away. He jumped from a flat edge, with not nearly enough strength, and started the rotation with his upper body, relying on its momentum instead of his legs. He crashed into the ice a second after his blade hit the ground, sliding out from under him, and he fell on his side, his arm and shoulder taking most of the hit.His breath got knocked out of him and he squeezed his eyes shut, instinctively focusing on the pain first to locate it and determine how bad it was. He rolled his shoulder back and forth and lifted his arm, bending his elbow, and he could feel that it was nothing serious, the pain had already started to pass. The bruises on his pride were probably much worse. He remained kneeling on the ice with his eyes shut, taking shallow, shivery breaths as he tried to wrap his head around what just happened. His palms were freezing, taking a bright red colour and he clenched his fists, pressing his knuckles against the ice until it hurt.“Get up.” Viktor’s voice from the side yanked him back to the present and he blinked a few times until his blurry vision cleared completely, bringing the scratched ice back into focus. “Try again.”He shook his head, unable to answer.“Yuri, stand up,” he sounded like a strict coach, someone who won’t take no for an answer, and Yuri didn’t have the energy to talk back. He felt drained, and so he pushed himself up, exhaustion slowing down his limbs, his shoulders dropped and his head hung. “Now, try again.”“No.” That was all he could say, and he didn’t even look at Viktor as he dragged himself across the ice to the gate, dropping down on the nearest seat as soon as he was out of the rink. He tried to slow his breathing to control his racing heart, and promptly ignored Viktor who came to stand in front of him. “This is exactly what you did wrong earlier today,” he said, and Yuri just sighed, too tired to even get mad at him now. He took off the borrowed skates, placing them against his chair, all while refusing to return the gentle gaze on him. “You wanted everything all at once, it doesn’t work like that.”“I only went for a double.” His voice was barely above a whisper, struggling to admit that he couldn’t even land that, even though the rational part of his mind kept reminding him that it was completely normal. People usually had a hard time with jumps even after missing a few months, let alone three years. But he wasn’t just anyone, he was Yuri Plisetsky, and the flip was something he used to be able to do in his sleep.“Yuri,” Viktor sat down next to him, lowering his head too to search for his eyes. “This isn’t like riding a bike. You can’t just pick up where you left off, you have to relearn everything, and you’re going to have to work for it. Hard.”He felt his whole body shaking, from his chest to the tips of his fingers, and his stomach clenched, making it more difficult to relax his muscles. “What if things can never go back to the way they were?” he asked with his throat tight and he pressed his lips together, swallowing hard as he waited for Viktor to answer.“Maybe they can’t. But different doesn’t necessarily mean worse. You abandoned this part of your life for years, and you will have to fight if you want to get it back. It’s not gonna be easy, there will be setbacks, difficult days when you’d rather give up, days when you feel like you’re not making any progress at all, but if you push through those, you can do it.”Progress. The word woke something up in Yuri and he sniffled quietly, letting out a long breath that left his lips trembling. The ice wasn’t the only friend he lost years ago, wasn’t the only thing waiting for him to return. He felt like he was running an endless marathon, with the finish line only a few meters in front of him that kept getting further and further, just out of his reach, and he wasn’t sure how long he could keep chasing it until he lost sight of it forever.“And if it’s not enough? If I’m fighting alone for something that’s… bigger than me? That takes more than just me?”Silence fell around them again, and he looked up at the warm blue eyes, Viktor smiling back at him and casting a quick glance to the seat next to them. Yuri followed his eyes only to see his bag lying on the chair, his silenced phone thrown on the top of his backpack.“Like I said, it’s not gonna be easy, and you have to relearn everything, build it up from the start. But you’re not fighting alone. In fact, I think he’s been fighting much longer than you know.” Viktor stood up, reaching for his own duffle bag, swinging it around his back with one easy move. “Just watch a few of his programs. I recommend starting with the Olympics.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- otabek-altin, phichit+chu and 8039 others liked your picture Yuri closed the app and felt the lump in his throat ease up a little, a small bit of the weight vanishing from his shoulders as he spotted Otabek’s name among those who’d seen and liked the post. He got what he wanted, he managed to remind Beka that he wasn’t gone forever and that he remembered, that he wasn’t going to cut him off again. He desperately needed him to know that. He wanted to take the first step this time, an impossibly small one at that, but still, for the first time in years, Yuri was the one who reached out to him, the one who refused to let go and leave that unfinished conversation, that illogical, messy fight hanging between them. He refused to let that be the last memory they shared. Because this time, his vacation in Japan wasn’t him running away, as it may have seemed like, it was him finding himself amidst the chaos that became his life. And he did, he couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this, like he was himself again. Yuri Plisetsky. Yuri Plisetsky the person, Yuri Plisetsky the friend, Yuri Plisetsky the skater. When he left Hasetsu, he felt the first few pieces of his soul being restored. It wasn’t finished, not even close, but it was a start. He relived the memory of the ice while he was on the plane, carefully picturing every second of it, so not one moment would get lost in the haze of remembering. Putting on skates for the first time in four years felt like coming home, and he treasured every scratch and glide like it was music to his ears as he skated across the rink, leaving traces of himself behind with every move. Ice Castle Hasetsu was marked by Yuri Plisetsky again, and no matter how many times they cleaned the ice with that ancient zamboni, the lines he drew onto the surface were still visible to him. That was the rink that brought him back. It was fitting. He appreciated the sentimentality of it, because Hasetsu also marked the place where he first lost against Katsuki Yuuri when he was fifteen and thought he was unbeatable. The world proved him wrong then, and continued to prove him wrong ever since, but the rink had invited him back, reinventing him like it was trying to apologize. He’s been fighting much longer than you know. The words echoed in his mind and he sighed, propping his feet up on the plane, staring out the window. They just announced that they were going to land soon, and Yuri saw the first few orange spots of light peek through the blanket of clouds as they reduced their height slowly. Saint Petersburg was lying beneath his feet and he couldn’t decide if he was happy to return or not. But Otabek was down somewhere in the forest of lights, waiting for him. Hopefully.He hadn’t seen the videos as Viktor suggested, not yet. He wanted to be alone for that, he had to provide as much time as he needed to prepare himself for it, and to work his way through the programs in his own pace. He had no idea how long it was going to take, but he had a feeling he would have to stop from time to time, just to take a break from all the emotions attacking him upon seeing a competition, seeing Otabek compete, and seeing Otabek. A younger Otabek, not the 28-year-old coach who returned to his life suddenly, whom he had to get to know again, but exactly the friend he left behind when he couldn’t deal with his own feelings. He wasn’t ready to see that, but maybe he wouldn’t ever be. Maybe he just needed to face it and learn to live with what he’d done. The plane touched the ground and came to a stop half an hour later, and Yuri gathered his things silently, turning off the airplane mode to check the notification again. otabek-altin has liked your picture Beka remembered. He saw the post and remembered their time together in Hasetsu, although he probably didn’t know just how much it meant to Yuri. He was oblivious to the fact that Yuri fell in love with him that day, sitting on the branch of a tree next to a narrow stream, watching as small droplets of water made their way down Beka’s feet, dripping onto the grass below them. He had no idea that it was the day Yuri became conscious of the fact that he’d been pining for his friend for all the wrong reasons, the day he realized why his gaze seemed to wander sometimes. That day, he stepped through a door that disappeared behind him, making it impossible to turn back. The memory of it hurt Yuri so much that it caused an almost physical pain in his chest, and he looked around, suddenly aware of how small and alone he felt in the large baggage claiming area, filled with families, couples and groups of friends waiting together. And he wanted. He wanted so much that for a moment he completely understood his selfish younger self, who decided to shut Otabek out, because he thought it would be easier if he didn’t see him. He wanted to reach out and touch Beka, hold him and be held by him, and having him right by his side made it so difficult that he just couldn’t take it. He couldn’t bear the warm look in his eyes and the way he said his name, the way the ‘r’ rolled off his tongue so softly when he called him Yura, his expression changing into something fond and loving. Sometimes he looked at Yuri like he was the sun itself, quiet adoration glinting in his eyes and Yuri felt a knife turning in his chest when he called him his friend, so he ran. He ran until the memory of his voice faded and he couldn’t recall the feeling of his touch on his skin. He would never do that again, he couldn’t. But for a short, surreal moment, alone in the middle of the crowded airport he understood, and he forgave himself. He’s been fighting much longer than you know. He pulled his suitcase after him, dragging it up the stairs when he finally got home, and left it at the door. He was tired but not sleepy, the time difference making him feel wide awake at around midnight and he went into his bedroom immediately, opening up his laptop. Now or never. He couldn’t wait any longer. He threw his phone on his bed without watching, not caring if it bounced off accidentally and stared at the monitor with his heart beating in his throat. He hadn’t seen a competition, not even a recording of it for years but he pushed the aside the anxiety creeping up on him and clicked on youtube, tapping nervously on the desk. He searched for Beka’s short program and ignored the way his fingers trembled over the buttons slightly when he saw the picture, a frame from the video in front of him, of Beka standing sideways to the camera in a white shirt that hugged his shoulder tightly. He held his arm up to cover most of his profile, and looked up from under his eyelashes, the depth of emotions in his eyes making Yuri’s heart stop before he clicked on the video. He leaned closer to his laptop, like he wanted to make extra sure he wouldn’t miss a second. He watched as Beka received the last words of advice from his coach, the russian commentators speaking over the video making it impossible to hear them. The crowd was cheering loudly as he pushed himself away from the border and raised both of his arms to greet them. He wasn’t smiling, and after he dropped his hands, his expression became even more closed off as he focused on his program with every fiber of his being. Yuri tried to mentally tune out the commentary until he caught a word that made him rewind the video to listen to it again.“Next on the ice is 25-year-old Otabek Altin from Kazakhstan, skating to Hungarian dance no.11 by Brahms. He’s had a strong season so far, having won both of his Grand Prix events and getting the bronze in the Final, so we’ll see where that takes him now. He’s very consistent and the crowd just loves him.” Yuri listened to the commentators discussing Beka’s short program, waiting for them to continue. His eyes didn’t leave the screen for a second, watching again as Otabek’s coach squeezed his shoulder, sending him off with one last encouraging smile. “When asked about his short program and what kind of dance it was, he said, I quote, ‘I think it’s a lonely one’. That’s not a very detailed answer so let’s see for ourselves, here is Otabek Altin, from Kazakhstan, fighting for the gold medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics.” The melody started slow, pulling Yuri in instantly, and he was glued to his screen as Beka started moving on the ice, skating around the rink, turning perfectly in synch with the music. He’s become one with the song, every inch of his body an instrument to play alongside the piano and he raised a hand, reaching out to the empty space in front of him, pulling his hand back with a half loop, like he just realized that no one was there to take it. Yuri was so enthralled by his performance that the first jump completely took him by surprise, the voices of the commentators yanking him back to reality against his will. He starts with a perfect quad toe-triple toe combination, going in with no hesitation, and look at that landing! So steady, like it was nothing.” He wanted to rewind the video again but he couldn’t even lift a finger and he just gripped his own hand more tightly, digging his nails into the soft flesh under his thumb until it hurt. Otabek launched himself into a sit spin, with one arm extended above his head, and when he stood up, his expression seared himself into Yuri’s mind as he locked eyes with him through the camera. Beka looked away a moment later, skating towards the edge of the rink with an incredible speed, his head hung and his lips pressed together before he suddenly looked up again, turning around and cutting his toepick in the ice. Yuri sucked in a breath and let go of his own hand to cover his mouth with his palm. Even though he knew Beka had to do well in both of his programs to get the silver medal, he was almost scared as he watched him stumble a little on his quad flip, saving it last minute without stepping out of it or putting his hand down. The crowd cheered for him in encouragement, and he heard the commentators gasp too, but then the music changed and Beka turned around, seemingly unaffected by the small mistake. ”And now the step sequence,” one of the commentators announced, ”watch the subtle emotions on his face, it’s amazing, he looks like he’s completely in his own world, unaware that there’s a competition happening!”Yuri didn’t think it was amazing. He only knew that he’d never seen so much sadness in those eyes, and in that moment he hated that he could read them so well. To everyone else it might have been just part of the performance but he saw it, the storm of underlying emotions behind the chocolate brown irises that left him shivering in his seat. It was me. I caused this. It really was a lonely dance, but it was also an invitation. Yuri saw it in the way Beka lifted his arms, the way he carried himself across the rink, and in his eyes, those eyes that always seemed to hold someone’s gaze, someone that wasn’t there. The piano slowed down during the step sequence, the tune becoming more reserved, making way to the strong scratches Beka left behind with his blades, the sounds melting together and creating another song, one that Otabek played for him.This was him trying. He had no idea that Yuri didn’t follow the competitions, as far as he knew, Yuri was watching, and he reached out to him through his skating because Yuri had left him no other choice. He invited him back in his life, offering his hand, unaware that Yuri had spent this time locked in his room with his phone turned off, burying himself in his bed all day to pretend that the world had stopped around him. All while Otabek was fighting for their friendship, for him. ”His last jump is the triple Axel, already in the second half of the program, but he doesn’t look tired at all, and… almost effortlessly, he lands it, of course he does!” Yuri let out a long breath and continued to watch as Otabek finished his performance with the last two spins, stopping with one foot behind the other, extending his hand again like he was asking someone to dance. He held his ending position for a few seconds, breathing hard with a barely visible frown between his eyebrows that Yuri wished he could brush away with his lips. Beka dropped his arms and turned towards the audince, bowing with a soft smile on his face. It didn’t reach his eyes though, and Yuri thought that’s the kind of smile he never wanted to see again, the one that took him everything to hold in front of the public eye. He skated to the entrance where his coach greeted him with a hug and Yuri waited anxiously for his score to be announced.104.69Yuri searched for another video without commentary and watched the program again. He watched it three more times until there wasn’t a single detail left unnoticed by him, and he analyzed the program with the eyes of both the skater and the friend, the subject of its theme until he hated himself for what he did to Otabek.  And then he spotted another video among the recommended ones at the right side of the screen.It was Beka’s free skate.The picture showed a close up of his face again, and Yuri’s heart stopped for an entirely different reason than before, because Beka was wearing eyeliner, not too over-the-top but definitely there, beautifully complementing the shape of his eyes. The thin black line was lightly brushed to soften the edges and made his brown irises stand out even more, his intense stare into the camera causing Yuri’s stomach to jump at the sight. He clicked on the video without hesitation.The same commentators started speaking as they showed short clips of Otabek during his warm-up, doing laps around the rink before he pushed himself away from the ice in a flawless quad flip. This time the landing wasn’t shaky at all, and Yuri thought he saw the tiniest smug smile in the corner of Beka’s mouth as the crowd cheered for him. The video then cut to Otabek standing at the gate, talking to his coach again, just like before the short program. ”Going on with the free skate and the last one among the men is Otabek Altin from Kazakhstan. He was first after his almost perfect short program and now he has to do just as well if he wants that gold medal. He needs a better score than his season’s best to beat the flawless free skate we’ve seen from Korea’s Lee Seung-gil, who’s currently in first place.” Yuri paused the video and shut his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. If Otabek ended up with the silver, then Seung-gil must have won the gold and he had no idea about that either. His friend was an olympic champion and he never bothered to tell him. Although Seung-gil never really seemed to care if he knew these things or not, Yuri took a moment to add this to the long list of things that proved his own selfishness. No wonder Otabek hadn’t told him anything, yet Yuri attacked him for it, like he couldn’t be blamed at all. He owed him an apology. Hell, he owed them both one. He clicked on the video again, making a mental note to send a message to Seung-gil tomorrow. Beka was different, what happened in the past or how he felt didn’t change the fact that right now he needed space, some time apart to think. Yuri had every intention to respect that, even if the uncertainty slowly killed him. He bit down on his lower lip as Beka’s body came into focus again, gliding across the rink to take his starting position at the centre of it. He was wearing black pants just tight enough to highlight every movement of his thighs, with a dark blue shirt that had some traditional kazakh patterns sewn into. And of course, the eyeliner, which Yuri got a sudden reminder of, when the cameraman (bless him) decided to zoom in on Beka’s face again. The fire in his eyes burnt on Yuri’s skin and he was unable to look away until the commentators started speaking again, catching his attention. ”He is skating to a song called ‘Jumyr kylysh’, also known as ‘Two warriors’. An interesting detail is that he edited the song himself, making his own remix to use as his free skate music.” Two Warriors. He said it out loud too, tasted the words on his lips carefully. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what it meant. And Otabek truly looked like a warrior, not because of the costume or the make up but the sheer determination radiating from his body as he moved with the music, becoming one with the song once again. The beauty of his skating shone through the raw power behind every step and turn, every transition and spin and Yuri remembered something that Beka had said to him almost ten years ago. I always thought we were alike. Back then Yuri had no idea how much truth there was in that sentence. They were both committed to their own battles on the ice, battles that only lasted for a few minutes, so little time to prove themselves and yet, the risk of failure was always high. Yuri used to think that he lost that war three years ago, but he was starting to realize that maybe he’d been just fighting on the wrong front all this time.Beka was skating to some kazakh ethno-rock song, and Yuri found himself tapping with his feet on the floor to the rhythm of the music. He watched him perform jump after jump, executing a perfect quad sal-triple loop combination and throwing himself into a mindblowing choreographic sequence. Yuri leaned back on his chair and relaxed, enjoying the program. Watching him was like watching an untamed animal roaring freely and shaking off its chains for the first time, beautiful, dangerous, with fire raging just under his skin, wild yet still controlled, sacrificed for the ice in the battle he fought for both of them. And then Otabek made a mistake. The entire arena gasped as one when, after landing his last jump, the triple Axel, his right foot twisted and the blade slipped on the ice, causing him to crash into it with his right side, hitting his hip on the cold surface. Yuri froze, fingers digging into his palm as he watched him get up from the ice immediately, his face betraying nothing to the audience around him. Beka looked ahead, seemingly unfazed and unaffected, eyes sharp and made of steel as he performed the last few steps and spins, but Yuri caught the moment no one else had. That one short second between the fall and him moving to get up, when his expression was overshadowed by something that was painfully familiar to Yuri, just a flicker of emotion gone as soon as it came to life, but he saw it. The warrior had been defeated.He shut his laptop and continued to sit there in the dark, breathing heavily as he tried to wrap his mind around everything he’d seen. He loosened his clenched fist, massaging his palm where his nails drew sharp red lines in his skin and closed his eyes, collecting himself. He’s been fighting for much longer than you know. Otabek had dedicated both of his programs to Yuri. It was a foolish, emotional move that could have ruined his entire season, because he usually had less personal performances, and he wasn’t used to this. Changing it up so drastically in the year of the Olympics was a huge risk and even though it got him the silver, it might as well have been what cost him the gold. “Fucking idiot,” he whispered into nothing, drawing another breath as he made a decision. He wasn’t going to wait and he wasn’t going to stay away. He stayed away before for an entirely different reason, and he didn’t want Otabek to think that he was running away from him again. An instagram post wasn’t going to do it, especially since it obviously wasn’t enough to get Beka to contact him. If he didn’t want to talk, then fine, he didn’t have to. But Yuri still had things to say, he had an apology to offer and his friend only needed to listen. He felt exhaustion weighing down on his eyelids and he quickly took a shower, preparing for bed while forming a new plan. Waiting wasn’t really a plan anyway, and he wasn’t particularly good at it. This, getting to do something filled him up with a new kind of energy, and he made a list in his mind, opening up his laptop again to watch two more videos before he went to sleep. He searched for his phone in his bed before he settled in so he could cross the first thing off as soon as possible. 01.09 me: hey 01.12 Seung-gil: five in the fucking morning yuri 01.12 Seung-gil: what is it 01.12 me: congratulations on your olympic gold 01.13 me: and breaking the world record with your fs 01.13 me: it was amazing 01.14 Seung-gil: what the hell 01.14 Seung-gil: go to sleep 01.17 Seung-gil: what he means is ‘thank you Yuri, i appreciate that!’ - Phichit  Unfortunately real life didn’t take a break just because he had a sudden epiphany. He had to go back to work next day, and he survived his shift by constantly planning and polishing his words, trying to figure out the best way to make his message as clear as possible. He thought about calling or texting but it felt inappropriate somehow so he discarded the idea. No, this was something he had to do personally, and so on his first free day after his vacation, Yuri woke up early in the morning and went to the rink. He stopped at the gate to take a moment and mentally prepare himself for this conversation before he pushed the door open, clenching his fist and marching up to the second entrance that lead to the rink. A voice stopped him right there, calling from the receptionist’s booth and he turned around with a heavy sigh.“What?”The man nodded his head towards the ice rink, adjusting his glasses before he spoke again.“That’s a private practice. We’re closed.”Yuri arched one of his eyebrows, frowning.“Excuse me?” He stepped closer to the receptionist and realized that he was probably new there, although he was still baffled by the fact that the guy didn’t recognize him right away.“Yeah, the rink will be open to the public from 7 pm, you need to come back then.”“To the public?” Yuri repeated in disbelief, scowling at him. “Dude, do you know who I am? I’m a fucking Olympic champion, seriously, how can you work here and not know that? I’m Yuri Plisetsky!”The man’s confidence faltered and he hummed, his eyes returning to the door from his face, still unconvinced. Yuri felt anger rise in him and he pushed it back down, growling as he stopped himself from snapping at him again.“Man, just google me,” he shook his head and rolled his eyes, “I’m like, Russia’s most famous figure skater, god fucking damnit.”“I think that would be Viktor,” a voice from behind his back took him by surprise and Yuri jumped a little, turning around, “but you’re a close second.”“Yakov!”Yakov ignored him and gave a pointed look to the receptionist instead with stone cold eyes and lips pressing together in a thin line. He looked… old. Yuri observed the deep wrinkles across his face and the bald spot on top of his head that seemed to get bigger since he’d last seen it. His hair had turned into a lighter shade of grey, colourless, dry strands sticking out on the sides despite the obvious efforts to comb them back and suddenly five years seemed like an eternity, every passing day mercilessly leaving its mark on his former coach.“He can come in,” was all he said and he turned around, making his way back inside. Yuri followed him without a word, looking around to try and spot Otabek among the few people on the ice.There were probably six or seven skaters there, practicing choreographies, working on their jumps. All of them in their late teens-early twenties, as they were the ones who usually had on-ice training in the mornings during a school semester too.“He’s not here,” Yakov was facing the ice, not even sparing a glance in his direction. Yuri looked up at him nonetheless, expression hardening as he narrowed his eyes.“Where is he?”“Home in Kazakhstan.”Yuri felt the blood drain from his face and for a second he thought he was going to pass out as he grabbed the border to hold onto something. He felt a knot in the pit of his stomach with a lump tightening in his chest at the same time, and he struggled to get his next words out, like he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to his question.“Is he coming back?”A kid appeared at Yuri’s side, rolling his eyes when he heard the last part of their conversation. He couldn’t have been older than seventeen, and his cold blue eyes flashed angrily at him as he replied before Yakov had a chance to say anything.“Don’t be so dramatic, he’s just visiting. He’ll be back by Wednesday.”Yakov still wasn’t looking at him when Yuri glanced over for confirmation. He gave no sign of actually listening to them at all, but Yuri guessed he would have said something if the kid had been wrong. Two more days, then. He was scheduled to work that day, but his shift only started in the afternoon, so he could drop by before that. He only had a few words to say anyway, so it wasn’t going to take long. Now that he decided to talk to him personally, waiting was even harder than before, but he held onto the thought that he was going to see him again soon enough. It was better than his first, paranoid idea that Otabek gave up coaching at this rink and moved back home. Which was still a realistic future plan, since Yakov was retiring this summer. Beka could start his official coaching career anywhere in the world, so it was only logical that he would want to do it in Almaty, where he loved to train and where his whole family lives. Yuri’s mind started reeling with ideas and he was unable to stop these thoughts. Maybe he went home to talk about this with his relatives and to check on the rink there. Maybe he was unsure, but Yuri pushed him away and helped him made a decision after all. Maybe Otabek had never even planned to stay here after Yakov retired and that was why he never really let Yuri in. He knew he was going to leave anyway. Maybe that’s why he broke up with Anton.He let out a long breath to calm down, closing his eyes and clearing his mind. No, no. Beka may have kept a few things from him but he would have told him something like this. His friend, his Beka would never do that to him, because secrets or not, if there was one thing he was absolutely sure of, it was that Beka cared about him. Even if he didn’t love him like Yuri wanted him to, Otabek still cared, still tried to help him, be there for him, and he wouldn’t have done all of that just to disappear without a word. And he still had Wednesday. Beka would be back, and Yuri would have at least one last chance to say what he had to say. “I’ll come back then,” he said, forcing himself to keep a straight face, his eyes betraying nothing of the storm of emotions he’d just dealt with. Yakov’s voice stopped him before he could get away though, breaking his silence.“Put your skates on.” Yuri frowned at the strange request but he was already reaching for his backpack to take it off and place it on a bench next to them.“Why?”Yakos kept his eyes on the rink, his back straight, lifting his head a little to nod towards the ice.“I want to see you skate one last time before I leave.”“You’ll still see me,” he rolled his eyes, “you’re not dying, just retiring.”Yakov turned to look at him this time, an unrecognizable shadow in his expression glinting through the strict mask of a coach.“Get on the ice, Yuratchka.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Yuri went back to the rink the next day too. He didn’t train with the rest of the kids there, just spent his time skating around lazily, practicing the most basic moves he could think of. Most of them he knew by the time he was six years old, and they weren’t exactly a challenge now either, but he had fun which was something he almost forgot how to do anymore. He couldn’t remember the last time he skated without a purpose. There was always a competition to prepare for, a new jump to learn, a spin to practice, moves to polish to perfection so he could get another gold medal. There was always a goal, an end to the road, something to achieve.Right now, he just enjoyed doing laps, speeding up and turning around, doing spins and twizzles, revisiting his favourite steps, gradually making them more complicated as he felt himself ease into the familiar movements. He avoided doing any jumps but he lifted his leg carefully to do a spiral, and smirked when he easily switched to an outside edge before he straightened up. He came to a stop at the board to drink and adjust his gloves, looking around to see what the others were doing. All while a pair of ice cold blue eyes followed him everywhere. He noticed it the day before, too. Whatever he did, wherever he went, the kid who told him about Otabek was watching him. At first, Yuri assumed he was a fan, but he never approached him, not even to say hi. He was further away from the rest of team, quietly working on a choreography that Yuri could tell was going badly, and the kid seemed to get angrier at himself every second, his eyes flashing at Yuri everytime he skated past him. He was frustrated, becoming impatient when he couldn’t get it right, which resulted in even sloppier tries and bigger failures.Yuri did his research on him, because the kid looked familiar, and he couldn’t quite recall his name until he googled him and found out that he was the junior world champion of last year. He was a bit younger than he initially thought, fourteen, soon to be fifteen, going into his first senior season. Why the hell didn’t he have his own choreographer, Yuri had no idea. Yakov and Otabek certainly wouldn’t have let him choreograph his own program without a good reason, not with so much on the line, but his old coach seemed to ignore the kid’s obvious struggling, not even trying to help him. It sparked Yuri’s curiosity, and so he kept an eye on the boy, the two of them watching each other silently, their narrowed eyes and furrowed eyebrows carrying messages across the rink. He wasn’t sure why the kid looked at him like he was to blame for his own failed attempts but Yuri’s interest in his story only seemed to grow with every irritated glance and annoyed sigh he drew from the boy. He watched him practice a spin, slowing down and trying to wave both of his arms to the side while he raised his free leg in a fan spiral, and though it was technically okay, it lacked the grace that would have made the movement truly beautiful. Yuri watched him do it again before mirroring his position, skating right in front of him so he knew the kid would get a good look at him while he copied the spiral perfectly, fixing what the boy did wrong. His furious gaze burned a hole in the back of his neck but Yuri turned to return it, raising an eyebrow with a slight nod towards him. Ilia, that was his name. He couldn’t remember at first but the name popped up as soon as the kid took a break from glaring at him to try again, now with significantly better posture, similar to Yuri’s. Yuri nodded again with a small smirk and the boy looked like he was seconds away from punching someone in the face, but now that Yuri got a proper look at him, he noticed a few details that made him even more eager to get to know him. There was something about Ilia that reminded him of himself, although his anger and frustration seemed to come from something other than the average teenage rebellion. He was pale and thin, more so than what Yuri thought was normal at his age, his eyes slightly swollen with dark circles under them. The blue irises were dull and empty under the anger that shielded his true emotions, and it took Yuri a minute to realize where he’d seen that look before.He’d seen it a thousand times in the mirror, after his grandpa died. When he was constantly exhausted but couldn’t get the sleep he needed, when his eyes were open but he couldn’t really see anything, because his mind was slow and empty, unable to keep track of what was happening around him. The kid did the spiral again, slipping back into the mistake he’d made earlier. Yuri stopped right next to him, raising his hands to put one against his back, while using the other to grab his left shoulder.“Your posture is all wrong,” he grumbled, his palm pressing down on the kid’s spine to straighten his back. “Drop your shoulders. Chin up, eyes on the tips of your fingers. There. Now you don’t look like you’re trying not to fart.”Ilia smacked his arm away, letting out a furious sigh as he stood up, cutting his blade into the surface.“I don’t need your help,” he growled, looking around to see where Yakov was. He was trying not to draw attention to them, and Yuri arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms.“You don’t?” he asked in a challenging way, cocking his head to the side, “so you’re too good to accept help from an olympic champion, huh?”“You can’t help,” was all he said, standing his ground against Yuri who decided to ignore his answer. He looked at him for a long moment, examining him before he spoke again.“Who is it for?”Ilia narrowed his eyes, an angry flush spreading on his face but he stubbornly stared back at him. “Are you coming back?” he asked instead of answering his question, and Yuri suddenly realized that this was a power play he had to win before the kid trusted him enough with a reply. He leaned closer, looking down on him, the height difference working in his favour.“Would you like that?” Yuri smiled. This was a game he was good at, hell, he invented it, he could play it like no one else. Ilia was wrong if he thought Yuri wouldn’t be able to push back. “Do you want to learn from me, be like me?”“No,” Ilia shot back, clenching his fists at his side which only made him look like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Yuri almost laughed, imagining that this must be what he looked like when he was fifteen and yelled at everyone. No wonder they couldn’t take him seriously most of the time. “I’m not planning to destroy my career when I’m twenty.”That was a low blow. He looked at Yuri like he’d already won the game, waiting to see his confidence waver and him backing out of the argument. And maybe he would have been right a few months ago, when Yuri still hid from people who knew who he was, when he still did his best to avoid even thinking about skating and every word regarding his career and its tragic end was banned from his vocabulary. It was different now. He still had that small, bitter taste in his mouth whenever something reminded him of his injury, but now he was able to ignore it, pushing aside the memory of failure and focusing on the achievements no one and nothing could take away from him, not even a broken hip. “Good,” he said in a low voice, straightening his back, his eyes not leaving the kid’s for a second, “you’re gonna need those extra years to catch up to me.”Ilia crossed his arms too, but the staring match was over when he cast another glance to the side again. Yakov was watching them from the other end of the rink, not moving an inch to intervene. Yuri thought he saw a small, satisfied smile hiding in the corner of his mouth but he couldn’t see it clearly. “You can’t help,” Ilia repeated, muttering the words with his shoulders dropped and his eyes now avoiding Yuri’s. “Who is it for?” Yuri asked again, his voice less demanding, almost soft now as he tried to catch the kid’s eyes again. Ilia was every bit of a fighter like him, and it was never a good sign if he didn’t face his opponent, be it a person, an audience or a question.“My sister,” he replied quietly and he glanced back at Yuri.“What happened to her?” Ilia gave a small, bitter shrug and his gaze left Yuri’s face again only to return a moment later. He seemed to need this, this occasional distance between them to be able to talk to him about it, but this time, when he avoided the answer Yuri didn’t push him. “Were you two close?”“Why do you even care?” The kid snapped at him again, “you’re not a coach or a choreographer, you’re only here for your boyfriend. I told you he was coming back tomorrow, you can fuck off until then.”Yuri retreated and returned to his previous tactic. He obviously tapped into something horrible here, something that was so important to Ilia that he insisted on doing his own choreography as his senior debut. Whatever happened to his sister, it made him angry enough to not care about his career at all. He skated closer to him but kept a safe distance, careful not to intrude in his personal space. Ilia was a challenge, he made Yuri curious and he wasn’t going to give up just because he didn’t make it easy for him. He looked at this boy and he saw himself after his grandpa’s death, when everyone thought they shouldn’t tell him how to grieve. He got to do whatever he wanted, because it was a ‘difficult time’, and no one told him when he went too far. They had let him get away with everything because grief apparently made it okay to be a horrible person, and now, years later Yuri wished someone had been there to stop him. He had needed someone to not be so damn understanding all the time, and when he looked at Ilia, he saw the same silent plea in his eyes. Ilia fought because that was his way of asking someone to fight back. “Listen here, kid,” he said, “You won junior worlds, and that’s a huge thing, so you must be good. But guess what, I won junior worlds twice, and the GPF in my first senior year. I’m a two-time world champion and an olympic gold medalist. I spent six years training with Lilia Baranovskaya whom I’m sure you’ve heard of. I choreographed my own exhibition in less than a day when I was fifteen. Why I care is none of your business. You can honor your sister on the olympic podium or at a no name B event no one cares about, it’s your choice but believe me when I say that the first will make you feel better than the second.”The kid was quiet for a while, seemingly trying to decide what to say in response before he swallowed the lump in his throat and blinked. He glanced down at his skates as he started talking but looked up again immediately, still stubbornly keeping his angry glare on his face.“Her name was Anna. She was born sick. She had a lung transplant and like, uh, tons of other surgeries. Died in January from a fucking cold after the doctors screwed up something.”“How old was she?” Yuri asked, and watched as once again, Ilia’s eyes left his to roam across the rink instead. “Six.”Six years old. Yuri took a moment to process that. How does one deal with something like that? She was so young and suffered so much in her short life only to die because of a mistake someone else had made. It was unimaginable and he knew that there wasn’t anything he could tell this boy to make it hurt less.“Show me your music.”Ilia narrowed his eyes, a moment of confusion appearing in them before he changed his expression into something more familiar. A challenge again.“What, not even a ‘sorry’?”“Sorry isn’t gonna help you honor her memory,” Yuri replied, “show me your music and I’ll do you one better.”Ilia didn’t answer but he skated to the side of the rink for his phone, offering it to him without another word. Yuri listened to the song with his eyes closed, supporting his weight on the board with his elbows propped up on it. He shut the world out, focusing on the piano playing in his ears, trying to imagine why Ilia chose the music and what he wanted to express with it. It wasn’t really what he expected. It was a more mature piece, absolutely perfect for its purpose to be both about Ilia and his sister, his love and his grief connecting through the notes, blending in with Anna’s story, creating a masterpiece in Yuri’s mind. With the right choreography, it had the potential to convey Ilia’s emotions beautifully, and from what he’d seen, the kid was on the right path to make it real. Yuri didn't know exactly what caused his struggling but these last two days at the rink he was watching him practice the movements he wanted to use, and now that he heard the music, he understood. He thought about his grandfather. He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering towards him, and Yuri squeezed his eyes, taking a deep breath and clenching his fists, gripping at the leather gloves covering his palms. Pictures of him appeared in the darkness behind his eyelids, and he tried to force himself back to reality, to focus on the real purpose of the song, but his own loss kept getting in the way of that. The music made his grief come to life again, reminding him of every Sunday lunch he’d spent at his grandpa’s place, the taste of his cooking, the smell of old in his apartment, and the sound of his voice when he laughed. How his eyes were shining bright when Yuri showed him a new medal he won, or recordings of his programs he didn’t get to see live. How his beard scratched Yuri’s face when he hugged him goodbye. Yuri always complained about that, until he’d learnt of his true condition and he started hoping that that hug wouldn’t be the last one everytime he had to leave. The song ended and he remained standing at the board, staring at the ice below his feet for a few more seconds before he straightened up. From the corner of his eye he saw Ilia standing awkwardly by his side, getting himself prepared for whatever criticism he expected of him. “So?” he asked, putting his hands on his waist, tilting his head towards the phone. Yuri looked up and smiled. “It’s perfect.” He skated away from the wall surrounding the rink, the music playing in his head while he performed the spiral Ilia practiced earlier. “Where is the edited version?”“Otabek is bringing it tomorrow,” the kid answered, putting his hands in his pockets as he visibly started relaxing around Yuri, “he’s not supposed to be back until Monday but he promised to drop it off when he gets back.”“Okay,” Yuri nodded, “Then we’ll start working on it tomorrow.”He glanced at the digital clock on the wall of the arena. He had to go home soon to take a shower and change before work, and he made his way towards the gate when Ilia’s voice stopped him. “You’re really not coming back, are you?” “It’s your time to shine, kid,” Yuri turned back with a smirk, “I’m not gonna steal the spotlight.”If he wanted to be completely honest, the idea had never even crossed his mind. He didn’t want to compete now, not if it meant that he’d end up being top ten at Nationals, not even making the world team. He had a short but great career and he wanted people to remember him as the olympic gold medalist, not the skater who failed to notice that his time had passed. He couldn’t risk any quads at all, and even a triple jump would probably cause him too much trouble. He could already feel it, even though he tried to take it easy, spending two days on the ice in a row had left a dull, but steady pain in his hip. Tomorrow he would have to be more careful, putting less weight on his right side to ease the pressure a little. He changed his mind after that and decided to stay for a little bit longer, giving some more rather unwanted advice to Ilia, who grudgingly accepted them. It involved a lot of shrugging and eye rolling, and Yuri thought they were going to make a great team. He kept listening to the song on his way home and then to the bar, trying to come up with ideas in case Ilia needed some guidance with the choreography. He went through his day absent-mindedly, planning the step sequence and where to put the jumping passes to fit the music perfectly. He was grateful for the distraction because otherwise he would have spent the whole day nervously repeating the words he wanted to say to Otabek. A tiny part of him in the back of his mind never forgot why exactly he wanted to go to the rink in the first place, excitement clenching his stomach when he realized again that he was going to see him. Beka was coming back to him. Apology or not, Yuri longed to meet him again, to hear his voice and see his face, his smile, his eyes, and to make him say his name one more time before they had to have that talk. Just one ‘Yura’, just one time when his eyes would meet Yuri’s again and he would get to reach out and touch him. Over the last few days he rewatched his Olympic programs at least a thousand times, including his exhibition and the programs of his last season after that before he announced his retirement. He rewatched every single competition Beka participated in, every performance he missed until he knew each of them by heart. By the time there was nothing left for him to watch, he was sure that an apology wouldn’t change anything. It was too little, too late, but Yuri still had to say it, because it was better than nothing. It wasn’t enough, not even close but it was all he had. It wasn’t as if Beka had made the rest of his career explicitly about Yuri, no. He didn’t have another program as obvious as Two Warriors was, but there was something about his skating that was different. Yuri wasn’t sure if anyone else had noticed it or if it was just him. Maybe he just saw it because he was deliberately looking for clues in Beka’s performances, something that pointed at him and said ‘see, this is your fault too, he needed you so much and you left him’. He saw it, but he wasn’t sure if it was really there or it was just something he wanted to see. He went to the rink the next day with no more than five hours of sleep after his shift, but he didn’t feel tired at all, his nervous excitement making him restless instead. He looked around, looking for Beka’s familiar figure on the ice before he remembered that he was only supposed to drop off Ilia’s song cut to fit the required length of the free skate. He didn’t talk to Yakov but he saw a sharp nod of approval when he showed up. Beka wasn’t there yet, but the kid was, doing some exercises on the ice to warm up. He promptly ignored Yuri when he stepped inside the gate to join him, which he found understandable. Ilia was still reluctant to accept Yuri’s help or believe that he was willing to hold himself to his promise at all. Yuri had every intention to do just that. It didn’t matter that he only met him two days ago, he knew this kid, knew how to talk and listen to him. He felt a strange sense of responsibility, like somehow understanding Ilia made him obligated to do something with that connection.So he did. He made him go through every single move he wanted to use, even those he only considered to include in the program. Yuri mirrored the steps and kept asking questions about them, making Ilia tell him what he wanted to say with that particular move of his arm or his body. Ilia was impatient, eager to get everything right, and he rushed through the movements when he felt they weren’t working. Yuri knew there had to be a reason to that, but until he didn’t know what it was, he decided not to say anything about it, and he just kept fixing the small mistakes. They moved together across the rink, only doing a simple turn where the jumping passes would be, and Yuri occasionally cut a position short to ease the pressure on his hip.“Hold it,” he yelled when Ilia slowed down too, “you don’t get to stop just because I did!”Naturally the boy didn’t listen to him. It shouldn’t have surprised Yuri when he came to a stop next to him anyway, looking up at him with a frown lining his forehead.“Why did you stop?” he asked, “did I do it wrong again?”“No, it was fine,” Yuri reassured him, slowly skating backwards with his weight resting on his left leg now. He pointed at himself and raised an eyebrow. “Injured, remember? I can keep up with you, but it might put me in a wheelchair. I don’t know you well enough to risk that.”“Does it hurt?” Ilia asked him, casting a glance at his right leg which Yuri lifted off the ice.“Not yet,” he said as he put his leg back down, “come on, do the step sequence again and try not to fucking rush this time. It’s not speed-skating.” He fixed his gloves again before he joined Ilia, and they skated side by side with Yuri occasionally counting to make sure the kid wouldn’t go too fast again. They were halfway through when he stopped dead in his tracks, spotting a familiar figure at the corner of the rink, watching him and only him. He turned around, cutting his blade into the ice to stop and a dark pair of eyes met his own, making his heart stop. He froze for a second, breath hitching in his throat, eyes widening as he took a moment to just look at him, to make sure that it really was Beka in that corner. He was there, standing further away from everyone, hands resting on his leather jacket casually thrown over the board. His eyes were dark but they were smiling, his hair brushed back but sticking up in every way like it usually looked like after he took off his helmet. He was standing on the opposite end of the rink, far from the door, just watching him. Surprise and awe glinted in his eyes when Yuri looked at him and smiled. He should have been nervous about Beka being there, knowing that their talk was now closer than ever, inevitably made real by this moment, but he smiled anyway, carefully planned words flying out of his mind in an instant. Beka was back, and Yuri didn’t feel anything but happiness and the overwhelming need to be closer to him. He tore his gaze away from him and cleared his throat.“Your music is here.” “Then go and get it,” the kid grumbled, rolling his eyes like he’d already expected him to forget about their practice, “I’ll take a break I guess.”“Hey,” Yuri stopped him, frowning, “did I say you were allowed to? Go and drink some water, I’ll be back in a minute.”He sped up, skating backwards so he could keep an eye on Ilia to make sure he wasn’t going to leave anyway, just out of pure spite. He only turned around when he got close to the corner, blades coming to a screeching halt and he raised an arm to support his balance, reaching out to grab the border.Fingers closed around his wrist before he could touch the board, steadying him while catching his other hand too. Beka looked down at the gloves with a small smile, turning Yuri’s hand up to press his thumb against the center of his palm, softly rubbing the leather.God, he wanted nothing more than to pull him closer and just hug him, to hide his face in the crook of his neck and feel his arms around him to know that he was real, he was there with him again. His mere presence was enough to bring a sense of home back into Yuri’s heart, and he looked down too, watching their hands connecting them over the board, feeling the heat from Otabek’s palm warming up his cold skin. Beka held his wrist and Yuri hoped he couldn’t feel his pulse quickening under his touch. He stayed like that, keeping his distance and letting Otabek make the rules instead, careful not to shatter this fragile moment between them with a careless move.“These aren’t skating gloves,” was all he said, and Yuri’s stomach did a flip because Beka was so close but not close enough, holding his hands gently and looking up at him like he wanted to capture this moment and remember it forever. Eyes seeing straight into his soul, making Yuri helpless against them, but instead of feeling exposed and vulnerable, it just made him stronger. “Yeah, well,” he started, throat tight with all the words stuck in there unsaid, “I’m not a pro skater anymore so I can sort of wear whatever I want.”Beka hooked a finger under the hem of the glove on his right hand and pulled it off with one easy move.“It’s too big. I can get you a smaller pair.”“I don’t care,” Yuri replied, “I want this one.”He tried to read his eyes, figure out the answer without having to ask any questions but his own doubts stood in his way, making him second-guess everything he thought he knew about Beka and their friendship. Beka laughed quietly, handing back the glove accompanied by an old mp3 player he fished out from his pocket. Yuri’s expression hardened as he took it with his free hand, the other still held by Otabek. First things first. His apology could wait another hour, right now he had a promise to keep.“Can I ask you something?” he said suddenly, glancing back at Ilia on the ice, who seemed deeply engrossed in his phone. Yuri guessed he had at least four-five minutes before the kid ran out patience and stormed off. “How did he convince you to let him do this?”Beka followed his eyes, watching Ilia with him for a moment before he replied.“Didn’t take much. I know how important it is to be able to express yourself on the ice in a way no one else can, and I understand that this is something he has to try on his own first,” he tightened his hold on Yuri’s hand, fingers curling under his palm to brush against his skin, and he pressed his lips together to hide his growing smile before he continued, “that, and there is a complete choreography waiting for him in case he changes his mind.”“I don’t think you’re going to need it,” Yuri didn’t even try to hide the pride in his voice as he said this. Ilia had good ideas about the program, and with his help they could make it a winning one. There was no better place to celebrate someone’s memory than on the top of the podium. Yuri never got that chance but he was going to make sure that Ilia would. He pulled his hand away, ready to go back to the kid before he decided to say something after all, to make sure that there was no way he could avoid the apology he’d been planning, even if he later tried to convince himself to postpone it. He left no chance for himself.“Hey, will you stay for a bit?” he avoided Beka’s eyes because it was easier that way, and looked around instead before he settled for watching the other skaters on the ice. “Um, there is something I want to say. After practice. It won’t take long.”He risked a glance at Beka’s face. There was a light frown creating thin lines between his eyebrows and he seemed to actually think about his request instead of agreeing to it right away, his usually stoic expression overshadowed by the thoughts running through his mind. Yuri saw the exact moment when Beka seriously considered saying no, but after drawing a deep breath he looked up and nodded.“Okay.”That was it. Yuri dropped his shoulders, forcing a weak smile on his lips.“Thanks,” he said, gripping the mp3 player as he desperately tried to ignore the sudden change in the air, and the distance between them that seemed to grow with every word. “Beka, i’m glad you’re back.”Otabek put his hands in his pockets and dropped his eyes from Yuri’s face to the skates he was wearing. There was a half smile playing on his lips, softening his expression into something fond and familiar, and Yuri felt the smallest bit of his confidence rebuilding.“I’m glad you’re back.”  Yuri could feel Beka’s eyes on him the entire time he was practicing with Ilia. He was tempted to show off but he focused on the kid instead, working on the choreography with him, now fitting it to the edited music as well, and he saw the whole program coming together like pieces of a puzzle creating a complete picture. It was going to be beautiful, he could see it even if Ilia still had problems with channeling the emotions through his movements. Yuri had to stop him multiple times, reminding him to slow down, to be more gentle and graceful. “Okay, enough,” he stopped, skating to the board to drink some water before he talked again. Ilia followed him, crossing his arms and huffing, frustrated because he, too, knew that something was off about his performance.“What is it now?”Yuri put the bottle down, turning back to the kid.“You shouldn’t be sad or angry.” Ilia frowned and took a breath to start arguing but Yuri raised his hand, silencing him. “Wait, let me rephrase that. You’re allowed to feel whatever you feel, but this program isn’t about you. It’s about your sister.”Ilia shut his mouth, looking confused.“I don’t understand.”Yuri skated closer to him and lowered his voice so no one else would hear them discussing this. “What’s the name of this song?”“Fly?” Ilia replied, still frowning, trying to figure out where Yuri was going with this.“Exactly. It’s about being free. It’s not about mourning Anna, it’s about letting her go.” Yuri tried to catch the kid’s eyes, making sure he understood what he was saying. “Your sister fought and suffered through her life, and she doesn’t have to anymore. It hurts, I know, because you miss her, and her death was caused by a horrible mistake, but this isn’t about that. You’re hurting, but she isn’t, that’s the point. I think that’s what you want to express but you’re too angry to realize it. And that’s fine, anger’s fine, it’s why I’m here to help you see that.”They were both quiet for a while and Yuri examined Ilia’s expression carefully, trying to figure out if he screwed up and stepped over a line he shouldn’t have. He definitely danced too close to it, bringing up subjects he had no business prying into, but the kid accepted his help the day before which had to include figuring out the meaning behind the program. Skaters weren’t just moving across the ice performing difficult formations. Sometimes they died on it, left their heart behind with a performance, rebuilt themselves over and over again until their deepest thoughts were poured into every step and jump, laid out for everyone to see. Ilia had to be prepared for that, otherwise he might just use that other choreography Beka had waiting for him.“How do you stop being angry?” Ilia asked after the silence had stretched between them, and Yuri couldn’t stop a quiet snort escaping his lips.“Fuck if I know,” he said, “if you ever figure it out, tell me.”Ilia glanced at the time, noting that Yuri had to leave soon.“Let’s go over it one more time.”Yuri nodded and this time he remained standing at the board, quietly observing as Ilia performed the choreography once again. The change was obvious, in both his movements and his timing, he visibly slowed down and held certain positions longer, just like Yuri had asked him to before. He saw him close his eyes and focus harder during parts that usually caused him more trouble and Yuri wondered if he’d really gotten wise like Axel said he did. Maybe he did have something to give, something to share with younger skaters after all. He was still smiling when Ilia finished his choreography, holding his final pose for a few seconds before skating over to him. Yuri held out his hand for a high five.“That’s it, kid,” he said, “you got this.”“Really?”“Yeah,” Yuri nodded, “my work here is done.” His words caused a frown to appear on Ilia’s face, his smile vanishing when he looked up at him and realized Yuri was serious.“Wait, that’s it? I’m ready?” “No,” Yuri answered, “but your choreo is. The rest is up to your coach. I’m not sure what else I could do.”That made the kid think, turning his head to stare at the empty space in front of him, the corners of his lips turning down and Yuri could have sworn he could hear the wheels turning inside his head. Then he looked at him again, his eyes flashing with determination.“You could choreograph my short program.”Yuri’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He didn’t expect that request, and he wasn’t sure how to respond to it. Helping someone clean up their messy ideas and coming up with his own were two very different things and even though he’d done it before, he hesitated. Those choreographies were for him. Could he do the same for someone else?“I’m… not actually a choreographer, you know that, right?” he asked, trying to choose his words carefully to avoid upsetting him.“Oh, get over yourself,” Ilia rolled his eyes, “are you telling me you can’t do it?”“Of course I can do it, it’s just…”“Great,” the boy nodded, leaving Yuri in stunned silence, “then I’ll let you know when Otabek and I chose a song.”He didn’t even wait for an answer, just left him there without even glancing back at him. Yuri gaped at him for a moment longer than necessary when he heard a noise behind his back and he turned around, spotting Beka on the other side of the board, leaning on it and tapping a rhythm with his fingers. He was resting his chin in his other hand and had a small but rather smug smile on his face which made Yuri’s stomach dance so he looked away for a second to collect himself, pointing at Ilia’s back.“Can you believe this kid?” Beka’s smile grew a tiny bit wider, playfully tilting his head towards Yuri with a raised eyebrow.“Doesn’t he remind you of someone?” “Now that you mention it, he does,” Yuri replied, pretending to not know what he meant, “I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed before, he’s just as infuriating as Viktor.”His answer made the other man laugh and he felt his face heating up at the sight. Beka straightened up, tilting his head down as he grinned, and Yuri tried not to think about how much he wanted to kiss those small dimples on his cheeks, giving him that boyish charm that made him fall in love again everytime. Beka cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, his smile slowly fading like he’d just realized that they weren’t exactly on the friendliest terms right now. His eyes darkened, clouds of sadness chasing away that moment of peace between them, and Yuri hated the fact that he could see it happening so clearly. It was so easy to fall back into the comfortable familiarity of this fond banter but it just made returning to their harsh reality that much harder. Yuri never wanted to be the person who caused that change in Otabek’s expression, yet here he was, doing it again. It was his fault, and even if there wasn’t anything he could do to make it right, he could at least admit it and own up to his mistakes. The apology he was planning was long overdue. He left the ice and sat down on the closest bench, pulling his skates off as quickly as possible, because Beka stayed until the end of their practice like he asked, and he was waiting for him. He’d been waiting for five years for Yuri to get his shit together and apologize, and that’s exactly what he was going to do now. He hung his backpack on his shoulder and gathered his skates, holding them in one hand as he stepped closer to Beka who was still there, leaning against the border of the rink, watching him. “Thanks for staying,” Yuri felt incredibly awkward standing there, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and trying to remember the words he memorized over the last few days.“You asked me to,” Beka replied, like it was the most natural thing in the world that he did what Yuri asked, despite everything. Yuri’s mouth felt dry and he took a deep breath, clenching his fist and willing them to stop shaking. “I wanted to say something. I should have said it a long time ago, and I know it doesn’t change anything, but still, I’m just,” he wanted to look away but he couldn’t, this was too important, he owed it to his friend, the person he loved to look at him and let him see all the words in his eyes too, in case saying them wasn’t enough. He let out a long breath and raised his head, seeking comfort in Beka’s eyes on him. “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.”Otabek didn’t move, his expression didn’t change at all, he just kept watching him, and Yuri continued, words flowing out of his lips easier now that he’d already started. “I’m sorry for what I did, shutting you out and sending you away like that without explanation. I know it wasn’t fair to you and you didn’t deserve any of it and I wish I could go back and change things. I screwed up and I hurt you and I regret it every day. And I know it’s been five years and an apology won’t do anything now and maybe you moved on, or you don’t even want to talk about it, but I’m sorry. For everything.”Yuri had no idea if he had even made any sense, but he stopped talking and hoped that Beka understood what he was trying to say. It wasn’t a great speech, his voice was slightly trembling and he was pretty sure he’d never looked or felt more pathetic and vulnerable in his life, and every word felt like it still wasn’t enough, but it was okay, because all the words in every language wouldn’t have been enough to make his mistakes go away, or to make up for the last five years.Beka opened his mouth then closed it again, drawing his eyebrows together, his confusion evident in the thin lines on his forehead, although Yuri wasn’t quite sure what caused it. “I... don’t know what to say,” he replied slowly. Yuri pressed his lips together because even though he didn’t expect anything from him in return, he felt a knot tightening in his stomach, disappointment sweeping through his mind and pushing tears in the corner of his eye.“That’s okay,” he said, grateful that his voice lacked the uncertainty he felt, “I’m not asking for your forgiveness, because I don’t deserve it. I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry.”His legs felt too heavy as he tried to move but he forced himself to turn away, pushing past Beka without another word. He kept his eyes on the door and it took him everything to not start running. He needed to get out of there. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Yuri was late for work, but at the moment he couldn’t bring himself to care at all. He was pretty sure he’d reached a new low as he stopped further away from the arena and turned back, watching the door like he tried to magically make it open again with his mind. He sighed, pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose and rubbing the corners of his eyes to make the tears disappear before they could fall. If he thought he was pathetic when he waited for Beka to say something, he sure as hell didn’t know what being pathetic really felt like. It felt like hiding near the other end of the street, lingering there to see if Otabek would follow him outside. Fifteen-year-old Yuri Plisetsky would have had a great time calling him names and laughing at him until he realized that this was his actual future self doing this. The door stayed shut and Yuri felt more miserable with each passing minute. He did it, he stood in front of Beka, poured his fucking heart into every word, and now it just felt like someone had ripped it out of his chest and did camel spins on it until the blades cut it into a hundred tiny pieces. Pathetic also felt a lot like shame. Shame because he promised to let Beka take as much time as he needed, and come to him on his own when he was ready to talk, but he still couldn’t silence that quiet, hopeful voice inside of his head that convinced him to stay just for another minute, and another, and another, watching the entrance of the rink and waiting for the door to swing open. Waiting for Otabek to step through it, looking around to try and find him and tell him that they could move on from this, they could work through it together and eventually, everything would be okay.And then he spotted him, except when Beka walked out of the building, it wasn’t to run after him to talk. He didn’t even seem to be in a rush, just went straight to his motorcycle parked on the left side of the building, not even raising his head to look around. He couldn’t see his expression from afar, but what he did see was him getting on his bike, putting on his helmet and driving off without a second of hesitation, or glancing up at least once. For Yuri, it suspiciously looked like Beka had even been waiting for a few minutes to make sure he wasn’t around by the time he left. He hoped that was just another quiet voice in his mind, playing tricks on him. He kept replaying the whole conversation in his head like a movie, analyzing every second of it to try and determine what he should have said or done differently, and what could possibly have been going through Beka’s mind while he listened to his apology. He went through his day like a machine, absent-mindedly serving customers, exhaustion weighing him down after the first couple of hours. He’d spent the last three mornings at the rink, having only slept a few hours before that, and he could feel that his body had had enough. He desperately needed to sleep, so much that at one point Tatiana sent him on a break and told him to lie down in the back room for a while. It didn’t help. He was unable to rest or relax at all, because as soon as he didn’t have anything to do, a cocktail to mix, change to count, a guest to smile at, his mind became preoccupied with Otabek again, throwing questions at him tirelessly, like “what if” and “why”. What if Otabek truly didn’t care about the whole thing and thought Yuri was ridiculous for making such a big deal out of it. What if he thought it was pointless to apologize because he could never ever forgive Yuri anyway. Why did he seem so confused by it, like the apology took him by surprise and why didn’t he say something, anything, really. It would have been better if Beka had been visibly mad at him, turning his back on him or telling him to leave, because then at least Yuri would have known that it was over. It would have hurt like hell but eventually he’d accept it and move on, or decide to fight for their friendship or what was left of it. Right now he wasn’t sure he had anything to fight for. He hated not knowing, it made him anxious and restless and afraid, an unpleasant weight like rocks sitting in the pit of his stomach, holding him down. He just wanted it to be over. He thought he would feel better after apologizing, and there were moments when he did. He went through a wide range of emotions during his shift, and there were moments when he could breathe just a little bit easier than before, when under the desperation, the uncertainty, and the fear of losing his friend he felt a tiny spark of pride because he, Yuri Plisetsky, got his shit together and owned up to his mistakes. He said he was sorry, and he didn’t stick around to force a response out of Beka.Maybe he should have. It certainly would have been easier for him, to yell and demand an answer, but it wasn’t what he promised himself, and he also didn’t think he was in the position to demand anything at all. He had no right to ask anything in return for his apology, not an answer and definitely not an answer he would have wanted anyway. But he couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if he had. If he stayed and begged, yelled insults at him, screamed and kicked until he got what he wanted. It was the way he used to act around people and it usually worked, although his past self wasn’t exactly someone he would have set as an example to follow. Other memories from that morning crept up on him too, the way Beka looked at him when their eyes met for the first time after weeks of silence, fascinated by the sight of Yuri on ice again, wearing worn-down rental skates and doing laps like his injury had never even stopped him in the first place. When he remembered how gently Beka held his hand, brushing his thumb against his skin, his fingertips leaving burning trails on Yuri’s palm, it was hard to believe that Beka didn’t want everything to go back to the way it was between them. When he propped his elbow up on the board and cocked his head to the side, looking at him with his eyebrow raised, his eyes almost flirtatious, teasing him so easily, making butterflies fluttering their wings in Yuri’s stomach, he couldn’t imagine that Beka didn’t want to forgive him at all. The thought of not having him in his world made Yuri feel like those butterflies had knives on their wings, leaving small cuts everywhere inside of him. Leaving Beka once was hard enough, twice would have been impossible. He got him back, and he didn’t want to let him go again, even if it meant that he would have to be his friend and nothing more for the rest of their lives. He stared up at the ceiling of the break room, wondering if he would ever be able to make a final decision about this. Sometimes he couldn’t possibly imagine living like that, watching Otabek grow old with someone else, always staying his friend, always keeping him at arm’s length, unable to move on. Other times, he thought he would rather have that than nothing at all. There was a soft knock on the doorframe and Yuri jolted upright, putting his feet down from where he propped them up against the wall.“Yeah, I’m going,” he said hurriedly, standing up from the couch. Tatiana waved a hand and stepped into the break room. “It’s not that bad out there, don’t worry,” she replied, “hey, listen, I hate to disturb you, but I’m having a phone interview in a few minutes and I was wondering if you could cover for me?”“Come on, you just did the same for me, I’m not gonna say no,” Yuri stood up and walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder, “good luck?”“Not sure yet,” she said with a nervous smile and nodded gratefully. Tatiana applied for basically every job she could find and sometimes they weren’t the best options, so Polina started this tradition that they always asked first if she needed luck or not. According to her, 'she had to save the luck for the best ones'. Yuri got used to it quickly, and he gave Tatiana a tight-lipped smile, leaving the room before patting her on the back in what was supposed to be a reassuring gesture. He wasn’t really good at supporting others that day, being in need of emotional support himself, but he figured he could offer at least that. At any rate, Tatiana did him a favour because working alone for a while was bound to make him busy enough to stop thinking about Otabek. Seriously though, Yuri thought as he walked outside, cursing quietly when he realized that he just couldn’t let the subject go, how do you not know what to say to an apology? There were literally two options, accepting it or not. Why was it so hard for Otabek to decide between these two? He thought back to their conversation again, recalling every impossibly small change in Beka’s expression. He saw the way his eyes darkened, the slight quirk of his eyebrow, how his lips parted, when Yuri finished talking, and every subtle change just added another question to the growing pile Yuri had already collected. A few hours later his phone chimed with a new message and he felt his stomach drop. He forced himself to focus on the customers first, only reaching for it when he had a few minutes to spare. It wasn’t Otabek, and he couldn’t decide if he was relieved or disappointed. 20.33 Axel: yuri 20.33 Axel: i tOLD HIM 20.33 Axel: i took your advice and told him how i feel For the first time during his shift, Yuri had a genuine smile on his face, one that didn’t feel like strings pulling on his lips against his will. Apparently it took her a while, but Axel thought about what Yuri said to him in Hasetsu, hiding together on the steps at the back entrance of the rink. He quickly typed his response and almost immediately he received an answer from Axel again. 20.39 me: and???? 20.39 Axel: aaaaaaand There was a photo attached under the message, of Axel and her dance partner, Koshiro if Yuri remembered the name right. He had his arm thrown around Axel’s shoulders, pressing his lips to her cheek, smiling against her skin happily with his eyes closed. Axel was looking at the camera, grinning from ear to ear, and Yuri felt his own smile become wider too, matching hers. At least one of them was brave enough to take a risk. 20.40 me: nice job 20.41 me: tell that guy that if he hurts you i’ll cut off his legs 20.41 Axel: i’ll make sure he knows 20.42 Axel: thank you 20.42 Axel: not sure i would have done it if it wasn’t for you 20.43 me: anytime 20.43 me: name a kid after me 20.44 Axel: oh god stop talking Yuri chuckled to himself and put his phone back in his pocket, returning to work. He couldn’t shake one thought, one tiny idea that started to take root in his mind, one possibility that he hadn’t dared to consider before. That maybe, just maybe Otabek felt the same way. Axel took a risk and she was happy now, and Yuri couldn’t help but wonder if he should take that risk too. Their friendship, or whatever it was at the moment, had already been screwed up in more than one ways, so adding this on top of everything else really wasn’t that much of a risk anymore. Five years ago everything was perfect, and Yuri couldn’t bear the thought of losing that, but now he’d probably already lost it anyway. And if there was a chance that Beka returned his feelings… he hadn’t let himself read too much into the small, affectionate touches or the way Beka looked at him sometimes. He told himself that he had ruined everything five years ago and there was no way that Otabek would ever love Yuri like Yuri loved him, but there were times when he felt Beka’s fingers linger on his skin, his gaze forgotten on Yuri for a moment longer than necessary. Times, when Beka would pull him closer, put an arm around his shoulder, leaning in to say something, and Yuri could almost feel his lips touching his hair, his warm breath sending a shiver down his spine. There were times like this, when Otabek would comfort Yuri in the middle of a park by cupping his face in his palms and gently stroking his cheekbones, and it was all too much, but he hadn’t dared to really think about it, to consider the idea that it wasn’t friendly affection on Beka’s part. But the chance of being wrong was too high, and Yuri thought that maybe he just imagined it all, maybe it was just wishful thinking and it just how their friendship worked. A little out of the lines, a little different from what was considered normal, but it didn’t mean anything, because they were a little different from other people too so it was normal for them.He sighed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand and looked around the pub. It was busy, but apparently not busy enough to keep him from constantly thinking about this. His whole night had been spent speculating and wondering and asking questions he hadn’t asked before, and he was just exhausted, tired of it all. He pulled a face when he realized that he would have the next two days off, which meant he was going to have all the time in the world to drive himself crazy. He yawned, clearing some of the tables and the counter. They were closing soon, and he liked to start cleaning up earlier so some of the guests would get the hint and go home. He called a cab for a few girls who went a bit overboard with celebrating their graduation and woke up some guy in the back who fell asleep at his table. He was the last one to leave, and Yuri shut the door behind him with a sigh, letting a long breath out. The day was finally over and he really just wanted to go home and sink his face into his pillow, preferably until he suffocated. He heard the door open again behind him and he turned back, already rolling his eyes. It happened from time to time, when the one light over the counter was still on in the bar and people didn’t bother reading the sign that clearly stated that they were already closed. However those words got stuck in his throat when his eyes fell on the person standing awkwardly in the door. His eyes widened and he forgot to breathe for a minute as he took in Otabek’s figure, his messed up hair, his hands clutching the black helmet tightly, looking back at Yuri with a hesitant expression. The dim light in the pub painted faint circles under his eyes, now lacking their usual dark intensity. He seemed pale, his skin glowing in the glimmer of light, the brown irises shining bright and unsure. Yuri hated how lost he looked, standing still at the other end of the room. For a few seconds, none of them said anything and Yuri didn’t know what to do, so he was waiting, watching him with his heart beating hard in his chest, so loudly that he was sure Beka could hear it despite the few metres between them. He took a few tentative steps towards him. “Hi,” Beka said, dropping his hands so they were hanging by his side.“Hi,” Yuri was pretty sure he was hallucinating. It wouldn’t have surprised him after sleeping a good thirteen hours in the last three days. He said the first thing that came to his mind just to break the pregnant silence that fell between them. “Beka, it’s 2 am.”Otabek shifted, clenching his jaw and Yuri saw his Adam’s apple move up and down as he swallowed. “I know,” he replied, not quite looking at him at first, “I just thought… I could give you a lift.”Yuri whipped his head around to look at Tatiana. The girl tried to hide her smile, raising an eyebrow at them.“We’re almost finished here anyway. Go,” she nodded towards the door and Yuri thanked her, turning back to Otabek. “Let’s go.”They went outside together and Yuri headed towards the bike, marching up to it with a few large steps, like he was afraid that if he didn’t hurry, it could disappear the next second. Beka was there, Beka was up at 2 am, thinking about him and he sure as hell didn’t come to the bar just to offer him a ride home and then leave. Beka wanted to talk and Yuri was equally impatient and terrified. He handed Yuri a helmet (his helmet, as he secretly thought of it) and he put it on, sitting up behind him. Yuri lifted his hands but then froze for a second, his arms stopping in the air between them before he changed his mind, holding onto the grab rail behind him instead. Yuri thought he was an idiot. It wasn’t such a big deal, putting his arms around Beka, like he always did when he rode with him, but even now, even after he showed up at the pub looking for him, he couldn’t face the possibility of rejection or any sign that Beka was uncomfortable, having Yuri behind him. It was stupid, it was cowardly and he hated that he felt that way.Beka had already had his own helmet on too, but he didn’t start the bike yet. He waited for a few seconds then glanced back over his shoulder, tilting his head down, his eyes hidden behind the glass, so Yuri couldn’t see his expression in the dark. He imagined he must have rolled his eyes because the next thing he knew, Otabek reached out and grabbed his left hand, bringing it forward and placing it around his waist without saying a word. Yuri stopped hesitating and grabbed the jacket with both hands, sliding forward on his seat and leaning on Beka’s back. He clenched his fist as much as he could with the hard leather between his fingers, and accidentally knocked his helmet against Beka’s in his efforts to wrap himself around him as much as possible. He felt Beka shift against his chest as he reached for his hand again, squeezing it once before he let go. And then they drove off. He felt the wind catching his hair that fell from under the helmet, playing with it as they rode across the streets of St. Petersburg, the night lights blending together into one orange streak in the corner of his eye. He stared at the road ahead of them and wished that they weren’t wearing their helmets so he could hide his face properly in Beka’s neck, or bury his nose into the longer strands of black hair on the back of his head. He wished he could press his lips to the soft skin behind his ear, close his eyes and just breathe him in, focusing on nothing but the feeling of Otabek’s body against his, until the whole world narrowed down to the two of them and time stood still.There was something magical about riding the bike with Beka in the middle of the night. The city was still alive but life seemed to slow down around them, pieces that got broken apart during the day coming together again. Like a painting that looked so much more beautiful when you were looking at it alone, the absence of people and the noise of living had given Yuri enough space inside his own head to just think, to let his thoughts wander aimlessly while he held onto Otabek, his only anchor to the world that surrounded them. He wished he didn’t live so close to the pub but too soon they were pulling up in front of his apartment and Yuri got off the bike, reluctantly letting go of Beka. The air felt uncomfortably cold on his chest and he immediately wished he could wrap his arms around Otabek again, sneaking his hands under the leather jacket to feel the warmth of his body.Beka followed him up the stairs, standing beside him wordlessly while Yuri fumbled with his keys. The silence around them was maddening, loud and heavy, pushing down on his chest and shoulders as he stepped inside the flat and glanced back to see if the other man was still there.He was, but he remained standing at the door, hesitantly looking at Yuri who raised an eyebrow expectantly, inviting him in. He didn’t wait for an answer and turned away, dropping his bag on the couch before making his way into the kitchen. Even though the unexpected turn of events chased away the sleepiness for a while, he could feel his eyelids falling shut more frequently and his limbs becoming heavier, exhaustion tugging at him slowly, dragging his mind down. He reached for the instant coffee on his shelf when Otabek spoke.“I should go.”Yuri felt his blood freeze in his veins and he pulled his hand back, turning back to him. Despite his words, Beka was closer now, standing in the middle of his living room just as awkwardly as he did in the pub, waiting for whatever it was he wanted Yuri to say. He looked young and unsure in a way only he could, with his expression tight and neutral, only subtle hints of uncertainty painting the brown of his eyes lighter, pulling the corners of his lips downwards ever so slightly. “No.” Yuri knitted his brows and abandoned the mugs on the counter to take a few steps towards Otabek. He glared at him, not saying anything else. Just a simple ‘no’, stated like there were no other options at all.“This was a stupid idea. You’re tired, you should rest.”“No,” Yuri repeated, “You showed up tonight for a reason and I want to know what it is.”Beka looked at him with a more stern expression now, a familiar response to Yuri’s demanding tone of voice. “Yuri, you’re falling asleep on your feet,” he said, and Yuri felt his heart twist at the sound of the last syllable, the sharp ‘i’ cutting into him like he’d been stabbed. “It can wait until tomorrow.”A couple more steps and he was standing right in front of Otabek, staring at him with determination and challenge in his eyes. He didn’t even think about his next words, just let them fall from his lips easily, not giving himself enough time to change his mind.“Then stay.”Beka’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say no right away. He was watching Yuri for a few seconds, like he was trying to decide if he was truly serious about this, then averted his eyes to think about his answer. Yuri did his best to look like he had actually planned to say that and it wasn’t just an impulsive, desperate attempt to keep Beka there. He was hell bent on not letting him go now that he was finally there with him, and he reached out, stubbornly tugging on the sleeve of his leather jacket.“Stay here tonight.” He couldn’t help himself, so he let go of the sleeve and slid his hand down to entwine Beka’s fingers with his, squeezing them lightly. Beka was tense, his shoulders clenched, eyes closing for a moment as he turned his head away from him, tilting it down to avoid looking back at him. It was a bold move from Yuri, but the way Beka grabbed his hand to put it around his waist, how he reached back for it before he started the bike, and this whole surreal night made him brave enough to do this, a familiar old feeling rising in his chest as he decided he wasn’t going to back out. He wasn’t going to be ignored, and he wasn’t going to let Otabek go now that he had him in his apartment. He didn’t just wake up in the middle of the night and thought he would give Yuri a lift, he went to the bar for something. Yuri didn’t know what it was, but he was afraid he might never find out if he let Otabek leave now. He tugged on the jacket again with his free hand, while he drew invisible lines on Beka’s palm with the other, curling his fingers to tighten his hold on him. He stepped even closer until he could rest his forehead against Beka’s temple, whispering with his lips just inches away from his cheek and their hands clasped together.“Beka, please. I’ll take the couch, I’ll give you all the fucking time in the world just don’t leave me like this.”Yuri breathed in, brushing his nose against Beka’s cheekbone and it took him every bit of his willpower to not do the same with his lips, the temptation to taste Beka’s skin, to turn his head just a little so he could press their lips together, becoming unbearably strong. Beka made a low, broken sound that was probably meant to be a scoff and he pulled his hand away, only to sink his fingers into Yuri’s hair, resting them on the back of his head to hold him close. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, sliding his hand down to his neck and then to his arm before dropping it and taking a step back to look at Yuri again, “this is your home, I’ll have the couch.”Yuri nodded, feeling the loss of Beka’s touch on his skin. It made his face heat up and he knew he was blushing so he mumbled something about getting him a pillow and a blanket and disappeared into his room. “Here,” he said when he returned a minute later, putting everything down on the couch, avoiding Beka’s eyes, “I got you a t-shirt too. I’m gonna take a shower, let me know if you need anything else.”He turned away without waiting for a reply, shutting the bathroom door behind himself. He showered quickly, his sleepiness catching up to him again now that Otabek wasn’t nearby to serve as a distraction, but he still couldn’t steer his thoughts away from him. Beka was here and he was going to stay until the morning when they would probably finally talk. Beka was here and he didn’t look like he couldn’t bear the sight of Yuri anymore. Beka was here and he was going to stay. No matter how many times he said these words in a row, he couldn’t keep away the unreasonable fear that he wouldn’t find him there when he wakes up.He felt his cheeks burn of embarrassment as he thought back to how dangerously close he came to kiss Otabek not five minutes ago. He completely forgot about himself and the only reason it didn’t happen was because Beka pulled away from him, breaking them apart. For a brief second there, Yuri was sure that if he had kissed him, Beka would have kissed back, but that moment was shattered when he pushed him away. The thought itself was humiliating, even though nothing happened and Beka probably didn’t even notice that Yuri almost stepped over a line they definitely wouldn’t have been able to come back from.When he was finished, he opened the door as quietly as he could, staring in the direction of the living room. The lights were off and he couldn’t see the couch from there, so he slowly tip-toed down the hall, careful not to wake Otabek. It was awkward enough that he wanted to check on him to make sure he didn’t dream the whole night, he would have preferred not to be noticed while he was doing it.It was too dark to see clearly but someone was definitely lying on his couch. Yuri let out a long breath, pushing his hair back from his face and looked again. Yes, that was an Otabek-shaped shadow, sleeping peacefully under the blanket. He took another step towards him, stretching his neck just to make sure. “I’m still here, Yuri,” Beka broke the silence and sighed but he didn’t sound mad or impatient. If anything, he seemed to be slightly amused and Yuri was grateful for the darkness because he was undeniably blushing now, stopping halfway between the door and the couch. Shit, he really thought he was asleep.“Just checking,” he replied, but he still lingered there, thinking of something to say. There was one question he hadn’t yet brought up, one that didn’t have anything to do with the two of them. He wasn’t sure how, but he needed to talk about it with Beka and he didn’t know if he would get the chance to ask tomorrow.“Yuri,” Beka spoke again and although Yuri couldn’t see him, he could have sworn he was smiling, “it’s past 3 am, I’m not going anywhere. You’re tired. Go to sleep.”“Yeah, I’m going,” Yuri said, not going. “I just…” he looked around, eyes settling on the kitchen corner, “...need a glass of water.”Beka didn’t say anything and yet, Yuri just fucking knew he was smiling under the covers. “Do you need anything?” he asked him while he got a glass for himself. He wasn’t actually thirsty but at least he had something to hold onto.“No. Do you?” There was a sharp edge to his question, indicating that if Yuri wanted something then he needed to cut the bullshit and ask now. It wasn’t like Yuri didn’t know that, but it was easier said than done, especially considering the question on his mind. Regardless of how things were going to end between them, this was something he wanted to do with Beka by his side. He pushed away the thought for the last couple of days but it kept coming back, a constant, heavy presence that didn’t let him completely focus on anything else.Yuri lowered his hand and put the glass in the sink, then walked over to the couch. His eyes were starting to get used to the darkness and he was able to make out Beka’s figure under the blanket. He couldn’t see his expression but he heard Beka turn over so he would face Yuri as he sat down on the floor cross-legged, right in front him.He bit his lip, his fingers tapping on his own legs while he tried to figure out how to talk about this. He was hesitating because saying it out loud also meant that it was real, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that. It was hard to even think about it, but he needed to know and there wasn’t anyone he would have rather discussed this with than Otabek. Maybe their friendship was beyond repair, maybe they wouldn’t ever go back to what they used to be to each other but tonight they were still friends and he trusted Beka with everything, more than anyone else in the world.“Yuri,” his voice sounded a bit concerned now, because Yuri still wasn’t talking. He sat there, staring at his hands in his lap and Beka propped himself up on his elbow so he could look at him properly. “What is it? What’s wrong?”“Um,” Yuri looked up, taking a deep breath. He whispered his next words carefully, like somehow saying them quietly enough wouldn’t make them a reality because the universe wouldn’t hear him. “Did you know about Yakov?”If Beka was surprised by his question, he didn’t show it. He didn’t move, didn’t turn his head away, he was just silently watching him for a moment. Yuri knew exactly what he was going to say before he said it.“Yeah. I did.”Yuri pressed his lips together in a thin line, eyelashes fluttering against his skin as he squeezed his eyes shut, acknowledging Beka’s reply with a nod. So it was real, he wasn’t imagining it when Yakov looked at him so strangely and sent him to the ice, right after Yuri told him he’d still have plenty of opportunities to see him skate. It was real, this was really happening, and Yuri was suddenly angry at himself for not knowing about it sooner. He should have figured out as soon as Beka told him about Yakov’s retirement back in March when they first met. Yakov would never risk his skaters’ careers by leaving them right before an olympic season, not unless he had no other choice.“You should have told me.”Beka shifted, dropping his gaze.“He didn’t want me to.”Somehow that was the worst thing that Beka could have possibly said. Yuri felt a sharp pain tugging on his stomach, turning his insides and he pressed his hand against it, sinking his fingers in his t-shirt, letting his nails cut into his skin. He tried to breathe and forced himself to do it slowly, letting his lungs have their fill of oxygen as he dropped his head, hiding behind his hair falling in his face.“Why?”“Yuri,” Beka leaned closer, taking his hand and drawing it away from his stomach, “he didn’t want anyone to know. I only found out because, he… he had this seizure one day. I was with him when it happened.”“I don’t want him to die, Beka,” Yuri whispered, and his voice quivered, the words hanging between them.Otabek was quiet again, watching him while Yuri stared at the floor, unable to meet his eyes.“Come here,” he said, tugging on his arm to get him to stand up. Yuri went without a word. He laid down next to Otabek and felt his arm circling his waist, pulling him closer against his chest. Beka reached for the blanket, covering them both as soon as Yuri eased into the embrace, holding onto the hand hugging him from behind. He snuggled even closer and Beka let go of him to reach up, carding his fingers through his hair, brushing it down. Yuri felt a warm breath on the back of his neck.“I wish we had a say in these things,” Beka said, and his arm returned to Yuri’s waist, holding him. “Yeah,” Yuri whispered with his throat tight, his eyes still wide open, staring into the darkness in front of him. “Beka?”“Hm?”“I’m sorry.”Beka tensed up behind him but he didn’t move away. “You’ve already said that.”“I know. Just wanted to say it again.”He kept waiting for a response until he felt exhaustion overtake him and he curled up under the blanket, falling asleep to the steady rhythym of Beka’s heartbeat beside his own. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Yuri couldn’t remember the last time he woke up to the sweet, lingering smell of pancakes in the morning. He took a minute to just enjoy it, keeping his eyes shut, letting his sleepy mind awaken in its own pace, slowly clearing the haze of his dreams behind his closed eyelids. He turned to lie on his back, feeling the edge of a pillow uncomfortably dig into his shoulder blade, and he squirmed further under the blanket until he was comfortable enough to go back to sleep for a few more minutes. His brain vaguely registered that it was Thursday which meant that he had not only one, but two days off with nothing to do.Wait, pancakes? He slid further under the blanket and cautiously cracked one eye open, frowning at the wall of his living room. And then, everything from the previous day came back to him all at once, down to the last detail. He spent the night on his couch with Beka. His neck hurt like hell from sleeping on the one pillow he fucking hated because it wasn’t soft enough and he had to awkwardly crane his neck or rest his shoulders on it too. Overall it was just uncomfortable and he usually gave it to Polina when she crashed at his place because for some reason she seemed to like breaking her spine on it. This time though, Yuri slept soundly through the night. He couldn’t bring himself to care about the sharp pain in his neck when he remembered the feeling of Beka holding him, his chest flush against Yuri’s back, his arm circling his waist, locking him in a loose embrace. The ghost of his breath, nose buried in the nape of his neck, leaving every inch of Yuri’s skin that was touched by Beka tingling and now longing for that feeling again.He turned to his stomach and proceeded to sink his face in the pillow, letting out a muffled groan.He woke up alone but everything around him smelled like Beka. He recognized the faint traces of his cologne on the blanket where he pulled it up to his nose, felt it on the pillow under him and on his own t-shirt. He tried to stick his hand out from under the comforter and get ahold of his hair. Maybe he imagined it, but even that held the same scent, light and rich like a warming spice and he cuddled up against that horrible pillow, wishing he could go back to sleep with Otabek wrapped around him. They slept together. He needed to repeat it a few times to fully grasp the meaning of the words, because his brain was still on autopilot, trying to work through everything that had happened from the moment Beka showed up at the rink. He was just starting to wonder why he was alone on the couch when his ears registered a strange noise coming from the corner of the room and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. And then he stared. Hard. “Oh, you’re up. I hope I didn’t wake you.”Yuri stared some more and then dropped his head back down with another groan, louder this time. He heard a chuckle coming from the kitchen and the sweet smell of american pancakes found its way to his nose again, eventually making him sit up for a second time and swinging his leg over to tap his naked feet on the floor.He didn’t even try and cover his mouth and he let out a loud yawn, stretching as he stood up from the couch. He made his way to the kitchen table in the corner and plopped down to a chair there, not having the energy to do any more than that, and continued to stare.Otabek was standing in his kitchen, wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt, holding a spatula. Yuri didn’t even know he had a spatula. He watched as Beka casually threw a pancake up in the air, making it turn around before it fell back in the pan. He was making breakfast for them and Yuri’s brain was still slow and groggy but through his dazed, unfocused staring and his foggy thoughts he thought he could remember faintly that they were supposed to be fighting. Or talking. Or something that probably didn’t involve Beka making him pancakes like it was something he did every morning.He decided not to say anything though, not yet anyway. He walked over to the counter, eyes momentarily lingering on Beka’s shoulder blades that moved swiftly under his shirt as he pulled his hand back. He looked… fine, Yuri thought for lack of a better word. Relaxed. His eyes darted away from the frying pan, settling on him with a questioning raise of his brows when Yuri stopped next to him. He shrugged in response before he turned towards the almost empty bowl on the counter sticking his finger in the smooth mix and licking it clean.“That’s gross,” Otabek commented and Yuri looked up at him, scanning his profile.“Your face is gross,” he replied, voice still rough from the lack of use and he yawned again, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. He stretched and cleared his throat, watching as Beka focused on the pancakes a little too hard, only blinking in his direction once. “Well, me and my gross face made you coffee,” he replied, pushing a full mug in front of him before returning his attention to the stove. “I take it back,” Yuri said, grabbing the mug tightly and taking a careful sip. It was exactly how he liked it. Of course it was. “Your face is fine, I guess.” He turned to sit back down at the table but stopped when a sudden realization hit him and he raised his head again to look at Beka, eyeing him suspiciously. “I didn’t even have any milk.”Beka didn’t answer so Yuri narrowed his eyes and went on, stepping closer to him.“Or eggs. And you changed your clothes.”There was a small smile playing on Beka’s lips and Yuri’s voice lost its edge, his morning grumpiness turning into nothing more than light teasing. “So you did leave me here alone after all.”Otabek turned and with a single move, grabbed a piece of paper from the counter and pushed it against Yuri’s forehead with his thumb. “That’s why I left this,” he said, biting his lip in concentration as he smoothed down the edges with his fingers, brushing away Yuri’s hair in the process, “in case you woke up and didn’t find me here.”Yuri felt the glue of a post-it note sticking to his skin and he reached up to take it off. There were two short sentences scribbled on it and he recognized Beka’s handwriting, all straight lines and small gaps between the letters. “Don’t freak out. I’m coming back with breakfast.” “Fucking smartass,” Yuri muttered under his nose and went back to the table to sit down, putting one foot up, resting his heel on the edge of the chair. He fiddled with the note, smoothing down the paper absent-mindedly while he was watching Otabek.He could see the tension in his back, now that he took a longer, closer look at him. His muscles were tight, shoulders hunched, and he seemed to focus on the pancakes a bit too much, keeping his eyes strictly on the food in front of him, barely even looking in Yuri’s direction. Even when he gave him the note, facing him and touching his forehead he never quite looked at him.He recognized this particular posture of his, he’d seen it before. This was Beka when something bothered him and he wasn’t sure he was ready to bring it up. He always found a task to do to take his mind off of it, pretending that everything was okay until he decided to talk, and although Yuri usually saw through it, he had learnt to let him be. This time though he was a little short on patience and he stood up to help, as if he could speed up the process by setting the table.He took a moment to marvel at how normal this felt, how easily Otabek fit into his life, his apartment, making pancakes, standing in his kitchen and Yuri’s heart twisted painfully in his chest when he realized just how much he loved this and wanted to keep him by his side every day for the rest of his life. They could live like this, get up in the morning after spending the night together, make some breakfast, and Yuri would even help, do the dishes or set the table like he did now, moving around each other in comfortable silence. Sometimes he would make pirozhki for Beka and then they would head to work, saying goodbye with a kiss and a promise that their next day would be exactly the same. Yuri watched him silently and found it hard to believe that they didn’t belong together, that something this perfect and natural wasn’t supposed to be. “I could get used to this,” he heard himself say, and the next second he was horrified by his own words, rushing to correct himself, to fix his mistake before Beka got the wrong idea. Or the right one, for that matter. “Getting free breakfast.”No, no, no. He needed to remind himself that this probably won’t even last long enough for him to get used to it, because there was a good chance that after this, it will never happen again. Beka frowned, a confused expression appearing on his face.“Who said it was free?” “No, I mean, I just...” he tried to explain, waving with a hand as if that would make what he meant clearer. He was still flustered and hoped Beka didn’t misunderstand him. Or did misunderstand him, whichever made this conversation less awkward. He stopped talking, letting a frustrated sigh escape his lips and he scowled, a sudden wave of anger clouding his mind. “Whatever, forget it.”“I was joking, Yuri.” The small, apologetic smile on Beka’s face didn’t make him feel any better, and he propped his hand up on the table, resting his cheek in his palm. “Right.”It wasn’t right, nothing was right. Everything felt slightly off, their banter too forced, Beka too tense, Yuri too nervous as he kept waiting. They ate together in silence, and it definitely wasn’t the comfortable one Yuri would have preferred. It was the kind of silence he could hear in the doctor’s office or at university, right after a professor asked to speak with him. The kind of silence between messing up a jump and Yakov’s inevitable lecture. A silence full of anticipation, worry and half-imagined, half-real warning signs. Beka wasn’t looking at him. Instead, he examined his pancake like it was the most interesting thing in the world right now, and Yuri felt the weight of unsaid words filling him up, just waiting to get out in the open, laid between them.“Beka,” he starts hesitantly. I wanted to kiss you last night. I want to kiss you right now. At least fucking look at me if you won’t talk. Otabek glanced up, his expression shifting into something closed and distant and Yuri’s words died on his lips right away. “I… these are really good. Thank you.”“You’re welcome.” His eyes returned to his plate and Yuri wanted to scream, wanted to yell at him or punch him to just draw one small reaction, one word, anything other this forced politeness. He only wanted one tiny flicker of real emotion in Beka’s voice. He stood up, grabbing his plate and putting it into the sink, turning away.“Do you have to work today?” Yuri jerked his head up when he heard him speak, staring at Beka’s back. “No, no I don’t.”“And… any other plans?” Beka turned his head slightly but didn’t look at him. His eyes were fixed on the edge of the table, lowered so Yuri couldn’t read his expression hidden under the long black eyelashes. “With your boyfriend maybe?”Yuri clenched his jaw and remained standing behind him. He ignored the way his stomach tightened and replied through gritted teeth.“I think I’ve told you already that I don’t have one.”At that, he did see him roll his eyes.“That guy you go on dates with, then?”He couldn’t quite put his finger on it but something in Beka’s tone managed to piss him off even more, the coldness of his voice surprising him too when he answered.“That guy is called Misha and I’m not dating him anymore.”“Oh.”That was it. Beka turned back to his plate and Yuri glared at his back for a few more seconds, waiting for him to talk, to say something other than a simple ‘oh’. Once again, silence fell around them and Yuri felt like there was a huge invisible wall around Beka with the sole purpose of keeping him out.“I’ll go brush my teeth,” he muttered under his breath and if he shut the bathroom door a little too hard, he thought it was understandable. He stared at himself in the mirror, grabbing his toothbrush from the glass on the sink. “Fuck you,” he said out loud and he wasn’t sure if it was aimed at himself or at Otabek or maybe at this whole situation. Beka showed up on the pub’s doorstep yesterday looking like hell, gave him a ride home at 2 am, spent the night because Yuri asked him to, and he promised to tell him why. Yuri knew he was impatient, it had barely been an hour since he woke up, but still, Beka promised and then completely shut him off, not only avoiding the whole subject but even avoiding to look at him, like it pained him to do so. He was in the middle of furiously brushing his teeth when he heard three quick, loud knocks on the door. He stopped and hesitated for a second before he stepped closer to open it, revealing Otabek on the other side. He had his fists clenched, shoulders still tense and jaw tight, swallowing hard. Yuri didn’t have time to say anything before Beka spoke, loud and rushed like he only now gained enough courage to talk and wanted to get it over with while he could.“You said I didn’t deserve it. Why?” Yuri stilled at that, toothbrush hanging from his lips, his hands dropping from the doorknob. Out of all the questions he thought Otabek might have, this one took him by surprise.“What?” he asked and he felt toothpaste dripping on his chin. He quickly leaned over the sink and washed his mouth, taking a second to compose himself before he straightened up, looking at Beka again. “Yesterday, you said,” he started again slowly, clenching his jaw, “that you screwed up and I didn’t deserve any of it. I need to know what you meant by that.”Yuri stepped out of the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind him and walked back to the living room. He expected the familiar feeling of panic rising from his stomach to his throat, but it didn’t come. It made sense after all, he knew that sooner or later he would have to tell the truth, he owed it to Beka and their friendship. He was tired of keeping secrets anyway.Still, when Otabek came to stand in front of him, a light crinkle on his forehead telling Yuri that he, too was nervous, he wished he could just take one step forward and hide himself in his arms. To have Beka hold him, so Yuri could escape from this moment, to have that sense of belonging, the feeling of home, locked in Beka’s arms. He was only one step away but it felt like a hundred miles were between them, keeping Yuri from the only thing that truly brought comfort for him. Neither of them moved and yet, the distance seemed to grow with every second that passed by silently. Yuri imagined this conversation many times in the past, dreamt about the day he would gain enough courage and confidence to get his shit together and confess his feelings to Beka. He used to think it would happen after a competition, at the banquet or the hotel, taking comfort in knowing that the next day they would fly back to their own countries and he wouldn’t have to face him for weeks if he got rejected. He had an unlimited supply of carefully crafted sentences, every word chosen and planned in advance so that Beka would know how serious he was about this and it wasn’t just childish infatuation, but somehow still keep it from being too grand and romantic so they could forget about it if Beka didn’t feel the same. He couldn’t remember any of those words at the moment. But then again, he always hoped for a scenario in which Beka would confess before he had to, or just kissed him one day and Yuri would only have to respond, reassure him that yes, he did feel the same way. This always made more sense to him because as quiet and reserved Beka was, he was always straightforward with Yuri, better with words and feelings than him. He stayed quiet for a long time and Beka stepped closer to him, taking his hand and finally, finally looking up at him and Yuri forgot to breathe. “Yura. Please just tell me.”Otabek softly saying his name was what broke the barriers in the end and Yuri squeezed his hand, fighting the urge to close the distance between them. He lowered his head, not being able to return his gaze and the words slipped out of him before he could stop them. “You never did anything wrong, Beka, it was all me, I fucked up, I fucked up so badly. I was… I had…” He stopped to draw a breath, closing his eyes and letting Beka go to compose himself. It was only a few words, it really wasn’t that hard, was it? He had nine years to get used to the idea of telling him. Beka’s eyes refused to leave his now, not letting them betray his emotions. He seemed to be calmer now, like even asking the question, getting it out in the open helped him lose some of the tension building up in him. He held his gaze, patiently waiting for him and Yuri knew that now that he started talking, Beka would give him as much time as he needed. It was so painfully him that Yuri almost laughed when he realized it. Beka hadn’t stressed over whatever Yuri was going to say, he was only tense and distant until he worked through his own issues and asked his question. Then he visibly relaxed and knowing that he wouldn’t be able to change the answer he would receive from Yuri, he just braced himself against anything he might hear. Yuri held onto this familiarity, clinging to it as it kept alive the thought that this was Beka he was talking to. His best friend, other half, partner on ice and in crime, the one person who understood him like no one ever had before. The one person Yuri understood like he did no one else.His legs started moving on their own, serving as another anchor to the reality around him and he walked over to the kitchen, glancing out of the narrow window beside the counter. This was Beka, his best friend who had never made fun of his emotions, never downplayed their validity, believed in his dreams almost more than he himself did. Maybe he was going to hate him, but he would understand. He had to. He drew another breath and turned away from the window, eyes returning to Beka standing still in the middle of the room, waiting for him. “I was in love with you.”He swallowed hard, catching short, shivery breaths as he carefully examined Beka’s reaction, but he didn’t say anything. He saw his lips parting slightly but then closed his mouth again, a soft frown creasing his forehead, confusion and shock shadowing his expression. Yuri decided to keep talking.“So yeah. I was scared shitless and I couldn’t… I didn’t know how to handle it so I just didn’t handle it at all.”He could feel his palms sweating and he tugged on his t-shirt, still wearing the one he was sleeping in. Beka had gone pale, eyelashes fluttering as he blinked and he stood frozen in his place, too far away for Yuri to reach out and touch him. When he spoke, his voice was ragged like he was fighting to get the words out.“I- What?”Yuri scoffed.“You cannot seriously tell me that you never even suspected.”And then he saw something flashing in Otabek’s eyes as he gave him a sharp look, a moment of anger deepening the darkness in them before he replied, his voice cutting into Yuri’s skin like a blade.“Well, I didn’t. And…” Yuri knew that whatever he hesitated to say was going to hurt and he braced himself against it, pressing his lips together in a thin line. “That’s it?”So much for downplaying emotions, Yuri thought. Maybe it did sound like a ridiculous reason because it was so easy to put it into words but that didn’t mean it wasn’t to be taken seriously. It sounded like nothing, but those two short sentences summed up years of pining and longing and suffering, sleepless nights, doubts, wishes, daydreams and fears. Beka was just surprised, he told himself. He had probably had multiple ideas about what Yuri was going to tell him, and he just didn’t expect this. Caught off guard, he reacted without thinking. It didn’t make the disbelieving ‘That’s it?’ hurt any less. It didn’t make it sound less like Beka didn’t think it was a valid reason to leave. “Yeah, that’s fucking it,” he was scowling, crossing his arms as he turned to lean against the counter. He willed himself to stay calm, to not snap at Otabek. He had to remind himself that he had no right to do that, he wasn’t allowed to be angry at him for not being immediately understanding and forgiving just because it was what Yuri wanted. “I’m sorry if it’s something you didn’t want to hear or would have preferred not knowing but that’s it and I can’t change that.”“I thought you hated me,” Otabek spoke slowly, the lines on his forehead fading but remaining visible as he did his best to school his expression. “I thought I hurt you and I didn’t even notice. I kept replaying every conversation in my head, went through everything I’d said and done to try and figure out what I did wrong. I was convinced that it must have been something horrible to make you hate me so much and I felt like an asshole for not even realizing my own mistake. And then five years later you tell me that I didn’t deserve it.” Beka raked a hand through his hair, crossing the room in a few steps before turning back towards him. It was as close as he ever got to pacing and Yuri had never seen him like this, confused and upset, especially not with him as the reason. His stomach clenched in a tight knot when wide dark brown eyes found his again, hair sticking up where he carded his fingers through it, cheeks turning slightly pink with his anger slowly rising under the surface and Yuri once again found himself wishing he could kiss away that small frown sitting stubbornly between his eyebrows. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”He shrugged, making a face and turning his head to stare at his feet.“I guess I was afraid I would lose you.”It was a dumb response, he knew that. He knew it the second the words left his lips but still when Beka huffed out a small, bitter laugh, his entire body went ice cold and he felt a lump growing steadily in his chest, making it difficult to breathe properly. “But you lost me anyway,” he heard him say and then Beka winced, his hand flying up to rub the back of his neck in embarassment. He moved closer to him, quietly cursing under his breath. “Shit, Yura, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”“It’s okay,” he interrupted him, because the last thing he wanted to hear was Otabek apologizing to him, “I deserved that, didn’t I?”Beka didn’t disagree but he looked away with eyes filled with guilt, thinking for a few seconds in silence before he glanced back and started speaking in a low but unwavering voice. “Do you think I care for you so little that it would have made a difference? That I would have resented you for it? You wouldn’t have lost me, Yura, you had to know that.”“Oh, great,” Yuri replied in a dry tone, hoping to mask the tears that swelled in the corner of his eyes, “that would have been so much better. Sweeping my feelings under a rug and pretending that everything is fine, still being my best friend, talking to me everyday and shit, acting like it doesn’t matter. It fucking mattered to me, Beka, don’t you get it? What would you have done? Send me a cat video the day after I told you I loved you and you rejected me? Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference for you but it made all the difference for me. Seriously,” he said because suddenly he needed to know, he needed to hear it from Otabek, “what would you have said if I had told you back then?”“I don’t know,” he said without hesitation, “you never gave me a chance to say anything.”“Yeah,” Yuri whispered, “no offense but not knowing is a no.”Once again, Otabek didn’t disagree with him and Yuri felt a dull pain throbbing behind his ribs, taking his silence as confirmation that he was right. He thought it would hurt more, finally getting his answer after five years, but having been constantly reminding himself that his feelings were unrequited seemed to have prepared him for this moment, soothing the ache in his chest as he came to the realization that this was it. This was it, the truth had been said, with only one tiny detail that Yuri had been trying to push away, force out of his mind because he wasn’t sure he was ready to admit it. That he still felt the same way about him. He was torn between his fear of losing Beka and his fear of making the same mistake again by keeping it from him, but before he could make a decision, a painfully loud ringing drew his attention to the kitchen table where Beka’s phone was going off. He picked it up without thinking to hand it to him, glancing at the screen on instinct and his heart twisted again when he immediately recognized the caller. Beka shot him an apologetic look and answered his phone in a low, polite voice, speaking that strange mix of kazakh, russian and english that he’d heard him use many times before when he visited him in Almaty. Yuri glanced at his own feet, realizing that he was still wearing his pyjamas and he made his way to his room to change, giving Beka some privacy to talk. As soon as he closed the door behind himself he dropped down on his bed with a heavy sigh and then laid back to sprawl across it on top of his blanket.They called him from the rink in Almaty where Otabek had trained when he was still competing. Maybe he was going back to open his own skating school there. He really wouldn’t have been surprised if that were the case. Beka must have missed his family, and Yuri knew that he had a lot of friends there who would welcome him back with open arms. Not to mention that he would probably never be out of a job at his home rink, with all the kids lining up to have the Hero of Kazakhstan as their coach. There were absolutely no downsides to it, and it made so much more sense than staying in St. Petersburg where he barely knew anyone, training the few skaters who hadn’t left after Yakov announced his retirement. Yuri would probably never see him again. He stood up, dragging himself across the room to dig up some clothes he could change into. He tried to take his mind off of the idea of Otabek leaving, but he couldn’t make the bitter taste in his mouth disappear and the returning thought of not being good enough stubbornly settling in his mind. He wasn’t enough to keep Beka in Russia. It really shouldn’t have bothered him that much after the conversation they had just had, but it made him feel worse than him not returning his feelings. Beka didn’t want his love but his friendship alone wasn’t enough anymore.He stopped just outside the door, listening quietly to decide if he should go back. He understood mainly half of what Beka was saying but he didn’t want to hear any of it, not even accidentally catching a word. He knew he was imagining half of these things with no actual proof to support their truth but these ideas sent him spiraling into panic mode and he willed himself to calm down, catching the doorframe and holding onto it.He forced himself to snap out of it, slowly counting in his head to control his breathing like Yuuri showed him in Hasetsu. He felt more or less okay with his chest rising and falling steadily without shivering, but he still waited a good two minutes until he was sure he’d be fine. Beka wasn’t talking anymore, and Yuri went back to sit down next to him on the couch, as close as he could without touching him. He eyed the folded blanket and the pillow placed carefully on the other end of the sofa, and for a while, neither of them spoke. He felt tired, like all the energy had been sucked from the room suddenly and he remembered that he had no idea what time it was or how much he actually slept after his shift last night. He risked looking at Beka, quietly observing his face as he realized that he woke up well before him, which meant that he probably felt the same if not worse. He seemed drained, empty like all the anger and confusion had left his body and mind, leaving him to deal with everything Yuri had told him with a clear head. “Are you okay?” Beka asked him without sparing a glance in his direction, staring at his hands in his lap.“That depends,” he said after taking a moment to consider his answer, nervously fidgeting in his seat, “how much do you hate me right now?”That made Otabek turn his head towards him, his lips pulling into an impossibly small but warm smile that made his expression soften around the edges, brightening his brown eyes with a golden light that made Yuri’s heart sing in his chest.“Only a little.”“Good, that’s… good,” he decided after a short hesitation and he turned back, staring at the empty space in front of them before he added quietly, “I hate fighting with you. It’s exhausting.”Beka hummed in agreement.“Maybe because we’ve never done it before.”He leaned back, resting the nape of his neck on the couch and Yuri scooted a little bit closer to him, poking his arm with his elbow.“Of course we have.” Seeing his puzzled frown, he went on, feeling encouraged by Beka’s reserved, but visibly more relaxed attitude towards him. This was something he was familiar with, something he could handle and he was grateful for the temporary break even if he knew that Otabek would still want to talk about this. Or at least Yuri had hoped that he would want to because that would mean he was still fighting for their friendship just as hard as Yuri was. “One word, Beka. Eurovision.”“That wasn’t a fight. I wouldn’t even call it an argument. A disagreement, at best.”“Please, it was deadly serious. We were like this close to a friendship breakup.” He raised a hand to show him just how close he meant and then dropped it back in his lap lazily, risking another glance at the man next to him. He was dancing on dangerously thin ice using those words, but Otabek didn’t seem to be bothered by it and quietly answered him after a few moments. “I still think the polish girl should have won.”“Oh my god, I will fight you.”Beka chuckled in response and reached out for his hand, easing Yuri’s discomfort immediately. He’d been awkwardly trying to keep a physical distance between them and the light touch was enough reassurance that he didn’t have to. He pulled up his knees, shifting so he could sit pressed against his side and leaned down to rest his head on his shoulder. Beka squeezed his hand, his thumb drawing crescent moons on his skin.“I’m sorry I didn’t notice how you felt.”“It’s not your fault,” Yuri said and turned to curl into him, careful not to shatter the moment by moving too much, “I should have told you.”“You loved me,” Otabek repeated his confession and his tone became heavier, like there was a weight sitting on his voice, pulling him and his words down. “How could I not see it?”“I was pretty good at hiding it,” Yuri murmured, the cautious use of past tense making him feel like he was lying, “but it fucking sucked.”“I’m sorry,” he heard the reply and it made him roll his eyes because really, Beka kept apologizing for things Yuri had brought on himself on his own. “Stop saying that.”He desperately needed to change the subject and he remembered the phone call. The question was out before he could think it through. “Are you going to move back to Almaty?”He felt Beka turn his head and shift against him.“Why would I do that?”“Because your family is there. Because you loved training in Kazakhstan,” Yuri listed the possible reasons and he could feel Beka’s gaze on him but he didn’t look up, keeping his eyes on their entwined fingers. “Because it’s your home.”He didn’t mention the reason he feared to be true the most, that there was nothing for Beka in Saint Petersburg anymore. “Russia is also my home, you know,” he replied, “I spent most of my childhood here, training in Moscow.”“Yeah, I know that,” Yuri said, but he wasn’t completely satisfied with the answer, so he kept pushing. “But it would make sense. Your whole life is there.”“My skaters are here,” Otabek bumped their shoulders together, “you’re here.”Yuri ignored the way his heart swelled at hearing that, the memory of his stomach clenching upon seeing the caller ID overshadowing the relief he felt.“But they called you from your old rink just now, didn’t they?”“They asked me to participate in a seminar about jumping technique,” Beka told him, tilting his head forward to search for his eyes, as if he could sense that he needed more convincing. “I’m not going back. You would know if I planned something like that.”“Really?” he asked, unable to stop the words now, “because you have a habit of not telling me things.”He could feel him tense up and Yuri reluctantly pulled away to give him some space. Beka dropped his hand and stood up from the couch, turning to face him with his lips pressed into a thin line, and Yuri knew that the short, peaceful break was over.“You understand why, though, don’t you?” When Yuri didn’t reply, he sighed, eyes dropping from him for a second as he seemed to choose his words carefully. “I know that it wasn’t the right way to handle things. I wanted to move on, start again and put everything behind us, and at first I honestly thought I could do it. But I still had no idea what had happened back then, and I was walking on eggshells around you because I thought…” his voice faltered, the end of the sentence being swallowed by a light handwave, but he didn’t need to finish it anyway because Yuri suddenly understood.“You thought you’d done something wrong but you didn’t know what it was and you didn’t want to accidentally hurt me. Again.” The words tasted bitter on his lips and he welcomed the overwhelming guilt like an old friend, taking its usual place inside him, filling him up from his chest all the way down to his fingertips. It didn’t hit him with the same, destructive force as before but the unshakable thought of ‘my fault’ was flowing through his mind, steadily pushing down on him and he stood up too, as though he wanted to physically distance himself from it. Beka looked defeated, a sad smile forming on his lips.“Yeah. I was afraid I would say the wrong thing or do something and then you’d be gone again.”Feeling numb and tired, Yuri went to the kitchen to pour himself a second cup of coffee and the insistent voice inside his head followed him mercilessly. It even got louder, muting the noise of the apartment around him, his grandpa’s rusty, old clock ticking on the wall, the sound of his mug hitting the counter and the warm, unwavering voice of Otabek who was still standing by the couch, looking at him intently. “What?” Yuri asked because he couldn’t hear him over the growing noise inside his own head, one part of him persistently chanting ‘my fault, my fault, my fault’ while the other telling him to just drop everything and kiss Beka because what the hell did it even matter anymore. Otabek seemed to have a bigger problem with him not having been honest five years ago, than the fact that Yuri cut him off because he was in love with him. If he could forgive him for that once, maybe he could do it again and he wouldn’t have to spend five years wondering why Yuri had left. Of course he had come to accept a while ago that if he did confess his feelings, he would have to get used to the same scenario he described to Beka earlier. Pretending that everything was alright, staying friends, Otabek keeping a respectful distance while both of them acted like it didn’t change anything. It would be hard, but not as hard as not having him in his life at all. “What you said,” Beka tried to clarify, unaware that Yuri hadn’t heard him at all for the first time, “you were right.”He walked over, stopping right in front of him, and Yuri still had no idea what he was talking about. “It wasn’t just that I didn’t want to mess things up with you again,” he said, “You were right about the other thing. I’ve been acting like there was something wrong with you. I was trying to fix you and for that, I owe you an apology.”Yuri felt his breath stuck in his throat, his eyes widening as he realized what Otabek was referring to. Memories of him asking if they were friends at all came back flooding over him accompanied by words like guilt and progress as he recalled demanding an answer, demanding to know if Beka had even wanted him in his life. His mouth fell open but not one word came out and his lower lip was trembling slightly so he closed it again, gripping his mug tightly and forcing himself to take a sip of his coffee just to do something until he figured out how to respond. Beka was watching him, taking one more step until he was close enough to reach out and Yuri put the mug down on the counter to free his hand and meet him in the middle. “It wasn’t because I feel guilty,” Beka told him, holding his wrists close to his chest, “I need you to know that.”Yuri cast his eyes down and breathed in, his fingers curling into Beka’s t-shirt.“You once told me that I had the eyes of a soldier,” he said, and Otabek pulled him closer, bringing one hand up to cradle the back of his head, his other hand curling around his waist.“You still do,” he replied in a low voice, “you’ve always been fighting, I shouldn’t have forgotten that.”He shouldn’t have, Yuri agreed silently, only nodding with his forehead against the broad shoulder he was leaning into. He shouldn’t have forgotten, but he forgave him the moment he looked into Beka’s eyes and saw the remorse painted in their darkness, like Otabek had somehow failed him.“I’m not broken,” he said quietly, as much to himself as to Beka and he repeated it once just to make sure they both understood, “I’m not broken. But you treated me like I was.”Beka’s lips were at his ear, whispering soothing words and his breath danced across Yuri’s skin, leaving a cold trail after that made him shiver.“I know, I know you’re not. I’m sorry.”Yuri didn’t ask him not to apologize this time. He wrapped his arms around Beka, clutching the white t-shirt, clinging to him as he admitted something he hadn’t dared to say out loud before.“There were- there are days when I think I am, but I know it’s not true.”He held onto Beka with everything he had, all the emotions he’d been bottling up tearing him up inside and he tried, he tried to let them all go, to let himself be carried away with them but there was one last secret he had, one last thing he hadn’t said out loud that burned him up until he there was no way he could have possibly kept it to himself.His heart was drumming against his chest with such force that he was sure Otabek could feel it too, and Yuri squeezed his arms around him one more time, letting go of his t-shirt so he could brush his palms against his back, tracing the line of his muscles, savouring the moment in case it was the last one he was ever going to get.“Beka,” he whispered into his neck and Otabek hummed, combing through his hair where his hand rested on the back of his head, keeping him close.“Running away from you?” He closed his eyes, willing himself to stop shaking as he slowly let out a breath. He could always breathe easier around Otabek, his presence enough to lift some of the weight from his chest, to loosen the rope he felt had been tied around his lungs for the past few years. “It didn’t help.”For a long, agonizing moment there was only silence. Beka went impossibly still, holding his breath before he huffed out a small laugh, and it was so, so different from the earlier one, just a feather-like puff of air caressing the skin behind Yuri’s ear before he pulled him even closer, his fingers sinking further into Yuri’s hair, carding through the blonde strands. He let his head drop on his shoulder and buried his nose in the crook of Yuri’s neck, taking a deep breath before he took a step back to look at him.Yuri felt like his heart was going to burst if the silence stretched out any longer.“Will you just say something?” he blurted out and Beka brought his hand up to cup his chin, pressing their foreheads together.“I’m glad you told me,” he said and Yuri waited because that reply was giving him nothing and he was still shaking, feeling like everything inside him was tied up in a knot, “because this time I know exactly what my answer is.”The hand slid from his hair to softly trace the line of his cheekbone, fingertips dancing across his skin and Yuri was speechless, not daring to believe that he managed to comprehend the words, because that would have meant that Beka felt the same way about him and he wasn’t sure he could come back from the downfall of being wrong about this.“Is that a good thing?” he asked, surprised that he found his voice, even if it came out a little ragged. Beka bumped their noses together, smiling against his skin.“The best.”And then he was kissing Yuri, just a warm, gentle press of lips against lips, and Yuri's entire body lit up under the touch, hands flying up to sneak around Beka's neck, pulling him closer. With his last coherent thought he reminded himself to breathe and he sighed into the kiss, tilting his head for a better angle to capture Beka's lower lip between his own. He felt a hand dropping to his waist to wrap him in a tight hug and he went without hesitation, melting into the embrace. Beka held him in his arms and it was like the first time his blades touched the ice after years of longing, like the world around him had shifted, everything sliding into its rightful place where they were supposed to be.He was where he was supposed to be, where he belonged, locked in Beka’s arms, their lips moving against each other, fitting together perfectly. Otabek was his home and Yuri had finally arrived.He felt the impatient urge of wanting more, their kiss growing more heated and needy as Yuri tangled his fingers in the longer strands of Beka’s hair, bringing them down to rake his nails across the buzz cut on both side. Beka moaned into his mouth, a low, desperate sound from the back of his throat that sent jolts through Yuri’s body. Before he could realize what was happening, he was pushed against the counter behind him, the edge digging into the small of his back and Beka leaned over him, giving him another peck on the lips then pulling away, panting quietly against his mouth.While they were catching their breaths, Yuri’s brain had started to catch up with everything that had happened and he tapped on Beka’s shoulder, sliding his hand up to brush his thumb against his lips, marveling at how amazing he looked with his mouth kissed to a darker shade, a light blush on his cheeks and his hair tousled up where Yuri had buried his fingers in it.“You didn’t tell me,” he said, still breathing hard but wanting to get the first thing out that came to his mind after he was capable of thinking more or less clearly again, “you didn’t tell me either.”Beka was mouthing at his jawline, leaving a trail of kisses along the way and Yuri was almost ready to let the subject drop entirely when he got a reply, murmured into his skin.“I asked you to come back.” Beka leaned away, but not before he stole another kiss and Yuri felt dizzy from all the emotions swirling inside him. “I told you there was something I wanted to talk to you about. I asked you to come back after your exam, remember?”Yuri had a hard time remembering anything at the moment, but he nodded, the memory of that day not being an easy one to forget.“I assumed it was about the pictures.”“I told you, I only found out about them the next morning,” Beka said and he closed his eyes, placing yet another quick kiss on his lips. “Yeah, I wasn’t really in the mood to listen to what you were saying, so I kinda missed that part,” Yuri replied in between kisses, perfectly content and happy to stay like that forever, wrapped in Otabek’s arms.“Yura,” Beka whispered his name into the next kiss, his breath hot on Yuri’s lower lip and Yuri grabbed the nape of his neck, pulling him back in right where he belonged. “Make sure you don’t miss this part,” he said, opening his eyes, looking at him like Yuri was the center of the universe and he never wanted to look at anything else, ever. He brushed his knuckles over his cheekbone, tucking his hair behind his ear and bumped their noses together with a fond smile. “I love you.”Something swelled inside Yuri’s chest and it took him a moment to realize that it was happiness, the kind he had never felt before. He took Otabek’s face in his hands, pressing a kiss between his eyebrows, even though there wasn’t a single frown he needed to smooth down.“I love you too.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Yuri Plisetsky had this special talent to predict a bad day before it even began.And he was right every fucking time. The best part of these days was always that one second when the door finally closed behind him with a soft click, leaving everything that caused his bad mood on the other side. When he was finally just one step away from his bed, the darkness and the quiet of the night shielding him from the noise outside and he felt like he could breathe again. He leaned back against the door and closed his eyes, slowly exhaling before reached for his phone on the desk. His eyes hadn’t adjusted to the dark yet and he miscalculated the distance, banging his toe against his chair and dropping his phone on the floor. He cursed through his gritted teeth and picked up the phone, checking the time. 2:37 am He hadn’t even worked that day but his limbs were heavy and he was so tired he felt like he’d just had three shifts in a row. He moved around the room quietly, set an alarm for the next morning and thanked himself for taking a shower as soon as he got home, leaving nothing else for him to do but throw himself in his bed and pull the blanket over his head. He sat down with another sigh and dropped his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes and his temples. He was exhausted but his mind was still wide awake, head throbbing and ears buzzing with the noise he brought home with himself. He felt rather than heard the soft sounds of the blanket moving, a weight shifting behind him, a finger brushing against his skin below his waist, just over the hem of his pyjama pants.“Yura?” He straightened up and reached down to take Beka’s hand, turning around to look at him. His eyes started getting used to the dark and he saw him blinking slowly, expression still hazy from the last remaining bits of his dreams, one strand of black hair stubbornly sticking up on his head. Yuri let go of his hand to smooth it down absent-mindedly, humming in response.“What happened?” His voice was a bit raspy but he looked up at him with concern in his eyes.Yuri carded his fingers through Beka’s hair and his hand slid down to leave a trail of feather-light touches on his cheekbone. He followed his own movements with his eyes while Beka was watching him closely, waiting patiently for his answer.“She’s leaving.”Otabek pressed his lips together and gave a sharp nod, understanding flashing in his eyes. He shifted closer to circle Yuri’s waist with his arm, gently pulling him up to get him to lie down.“Come here.”Yuri didn’t need to be told twice. He got under the covers and practically draped himself across Beka, his arm sneaking around his middle, their legs tangled together under the blanket. He pressed a kiss to his shoulder before he put his head down, letting out a content sigh.“So she accepted the job in Moscow.”“Mm.”Yuri let his eyes fall shut, enjoying the warmth of Beka’s body against his, the weight of his arms around him that kept him close. His fingers danced in an endless line up and down his side, and Yuri placed his palm flat against his skin, feeling the steady beat of his heart underneath.He was wrong, he realized as he felt Beka’s chest rise and fall under his touch, a nose nuzzling his hair and a kiss on the top of his head, given almost instinctively. Shutting the door behind him after a rough, stressful day, the moment he always considered the best part was nothing compared to this. “How is Polina?” Beka asked quietly after a few moments of comfortable silence had passed between them, and he shifted under Yuri, turning to his side so they would lie face to face. He seemed to be more awake now, as opposed to Yuri who felt sleep slowly creeping up on him, dragging him down as he snuggled closer to him, chasing the warmth of his skin under his cheek. Beka stopped him with a finger under his chin, softly nudging him to lift his head and look him in the eyes. “Is she okay?”Yuri couldn’t stop a small huff escape his lips.“No. She’s passed out on our couch,” he said, “basically she drank until she couldn’t walk anymore and I had to call a cab to get her ass here. I am so making her pay for the ride tomorrow.”The end of his sentence was muffled by a loud yawn and Beka propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at him with an affectionate smile.“I think she deserves at least a free ride after the night she had.”“Like fuck she does,” Yuri replied in a flat voice, “she is miserable enough already, I’m not gonna make it worse by feeling sorry for her.” He tugged on Beka’s arm, curling his fingers around his bicep, pulling him down. “Now come here, I haven’t even had a proper kiss yet.”Yuri slid his hands up to place them around Beka’s neck, drawing him in a slow, sleepy kiss. He felt fingers gently gripping his waist and he arched his back to press himself against Otabek, lifting his hips up to let the wandering hand circle him, sneaking under his t-shirt to rest on his bare skin. Beka’s lips were soft on his, moving slowly and Yuri tilted his head to deepen the kiss, bringing his fingers forward to scratch his nails against the light stubble, following the straight line along his jaw. Beka breathed into the kiss and Yuri revelled in the small sound he made, unable to stop the smile spreading on his face. There were moments when he still couldn’t quite believe how Beka seemed to melt against his lips, how he, Yuri alone was able to make him fall apart completely under his touch. It felt like having a special power, the way he sometimes made this reserved, composed man lose the perfectly kept stoicism and shatter the cool exterior to let the fire in his eyes burn up his whole body while Yuri broke down every carefully guarded wall standing in his way.He grabbed his waist and shifted until Beka was lying on top of him and he was pinned between his chest and his arm around the small of his back. Beka freed his hand and used it to support his weight, resting it on the pillow next to him. Yuri had no intention to break down any walls tonight. He nipped at Beka’s lower lip once then let him go, leaning his head back and opening his eyes. “Hi,” Beka said with a smile, giving him a peck on his cheek, eyelashes fluttering against Yuri’s skin.“Hi,” he replied, letting out another yawn before he continued, “now that’s a proper kiss.”“Wait, let me take notes,” Beka pretended to move away and Yuri’s hands flew up to lock him in a hug around shoulders.“Don’t. Move.”Beka chuckled and settled down at his side, nose buried in the crook of Yuri’s neck. Yuri closed his eyes, making himself comfortable and resting his chin in Beka’s hair, despite knowing full well that he would soon start tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep until he squirmed his way out from under Otabek and lie on his stomach instead. It was still worth it, having Beka fall asleep in his arms. It was almost better than Yuri falling asleep in his. He’d just started to drift off when Otabek spoke again, his voice quiet but still perfectly audible in the silence of Yuri’s bedroom. “What do you think will happen to them now?”“They’ll be fine,” he replied, “we only have a year left until graduation, then Polina can move to Moscow too. Or maybe Tatiana can come back if they offer her a position at the St. Petersburg office after all.”“A lot can happen in a year.” “They love each other.” Yuri pressed his lips together and wondered if he was trying to convince Otabek or himself. “They will make it work.”Beka didn’t move and didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. Yuri could feel it nonetheless, that subtle change in the air around them, the way his words were hanging above them with a strange kind of heaviness that didn’t reach their shoulders to press down on them, but Yuri sort of felt like it should. It was in the unchanging beat of Otabek’s heart, the fingers lying still on Yuri’s skin, thumb resting on his collarbone. “Beka,” he started, and Otabek didn’t reply, just moved his head a little to show that he was listening. “I’m not going to leave again. You know that, right?”Black hair brushed against his cheek, lips pressing softly to the spot where a huff of warm breath was tickling his skin. “I know,” Beka said, and the slightly amused tone made Yuri’s heart clench, “will you ever stop asking me that?”He looked at him for a long moment, trying to make out his expression in the dark. It wasn’t like he needed to see him though, to know that something was off about his answer.The thing is, Yuri had learnt a lot about both Beka and himself during the last few months. He’d learnt that Otabek was an excellent cook but absolutely terrible at doing laundry, always mixing the colours and having no idea what program to use. He’d learnt that they both secretly liked watching talent shows but never rooted for the same person and that caused some intense arguments between them. He knew that Otabek always made sure the whole apartment was clean before a guest arrived, even if it was just Polina, but kept wearing mismatched socks, sometimes even at formal events and skating competitions. He’d learnt that Beka liked to express his affection with small, casual touches, a hand on Yuri’s hip as he passed by, a kiss on his shoulders when he went to stand next to him in the kitchen, making coffee in a comfortable silence. Fingers playing with his hair while they were watching a movie, a thumb resting lightly on his neck. Beka wasn’t particularly fond of kissing in front of other people, but it seemed he always found a way, an excuse to touch Yuri nonetheless, grabbing his hand to show him something, palm pressing against his shoulder blade to lead him across the street, an ankle hooked around Yuri’s under the coffee table, fingers fixing his hair for him when the wind had messed it up. In return, Yuri had learnt a lot about himself too and proved to be a cat in human form as he draped himself all over Otabek whenever he needed attention. He sat on Beka’s lap while they were playing video games and jumped on his back when he felt like it, demanding that Otabek carry him around the apartment. He wrapped his arms and legs around him when he felt particularly needy in the mornings and didn’t want Beka to leave the comfort of their bed. He kissed him greedily, passionately, because sometimes he still couldn’t quite believe that he was allowed to, and needed to remind himself that Otabek was there and he could touch him whenever he wanted to. He’d also learnt that whenever Beka wasn’t telling him the truth, there was a slight hitch in his breath just before he spoke, his voice shifting and the words too light on his lips like they weren’t supposed to be there, like they held no meaning, no weight at all. He’d learnt that most of the times Beka didn’t even notice this, because he wasn’t aware that he was lying. Yuri hated the word ‘lying’ but he couldn’t find a better one, because whatever the truth was, it definitely wasn’t what Otabek had just told him.“I will,” he replied, shifting on his side, “as soon as I hear an answer I actually believe.” He didn’t wait for an answer, just ran a hand down Beka’s side, tightening his hold on him. “Go to sleep, you have an early practice tomorrow. Have you set an alarm?”“Yes I have, mom,” Yuri could practically hear the eyeroll in the words, but then Beka was moving again. He pushed himself up on his elbows to lean over him, eyes roaming across his face, blinking sleepily before they came to rest on Yuri’s own, gazing into them. “Yura?”“What?” Beka smiled and reached up to card his fingers through his hair, brushing it aside, his eyes not leaving him for a second. “I’m getting there.”Yuri examined his expression for a few seconds before he nodded, approving. “I’ll take it.” He pressed his palm against Beka’s forehead, pushing him away and down to the pillow. “Now go to sleep, otherwise you’re gonna be grumpy as fuck in the morning.”The ‘I love you’ remained unspoken, but they didn’t need to say it anyway. Otabek never doubted Yuri’s feelings for him, however they knew that sometimes love wasn’t the answer, that there were times when loving someone just wasn’t enough to stay. Yuri was okay with that for now. He was willing to spend the rest of his life convincing Beka that he’s not going anywhere.The next morning, Otabek was grumpy as fuck. He wasn’t the loud grumpy type like Yuri, who kicked things and grumbled quietly, cursing at everything, but he was also impossible to talk to, forgot to give him his usual good morning kiss on his shoulder and there was no chance to get a little morning cuddling out of him so Yuri simply pretended to be asleep when his alarm woke them both. He only had to join him at the rink later in the afternoon, when Ilia was scheduled to have training on his own, so he pulled the blanket up to his neck and tried to fall asleep again to the sound of Beka moving quietly around the room, getting ready. He heard footsteps leading outside to the kitchen, the distant buzzing of the coffeemaker and he turned around, blindly tapping his palm around for his phone. He squinted at the screen when he found it, reading 6:57 am. At least Beka wasn’t late. He was half asleep by the time Otabek was about to leave, and he woke up again to the sound of his door opening, floorboards creaking a little before the bed dipped behind him. He felt a hand pulling back the covers, then a light kiss being planted on his shoulder. Yuri smiled with his eyes closed and fell back to sleep when the weight from the bed vanished again and he heard the soft click of the door closing.  “Take a picture of me.”“What?”Ilia came to a stop next to him, panting as he reached for his water bottle on the board. He was out of breath, the rink’s cold air leaving red spots on the tips of his ears and nose and he muttered a curse quietly as he leaned down to retie his skates.“A picture. Of me. I’m sure you’ve heard of the concept,” Yuri shoved his phone into his hands, and turned sideways, crossing his feet and cutting the toepick on his right foot into the ice. Ilia raised the phone with a begrudging sigh, not even trying to object. “Not my face, kid, just the legs. They don’t deserve to see this face.”“Lucky them,” Ilia rolled his eyes but actually did what Yuri told him, supporting his weight on one knee as he took a picture. He handed the phone back and Yuri immediately uploaded the photo with a black and white filter without a single detail that could have given a clue as to what exactly it was about. Although his bitter feelings towards his fans had somewhat faded in the last few weeks, he still hadn’t given up on messing with them. He figured it was a small price his fandom had to pay for leaking pictures of him and Otabek in that park, even if they weren’t responsible for the fight that followed. He found it strangely amusing, actively posting pictures while giving them absolutely nothing to work with, nothing to figure out what he did, where he lived or who he was and wasn’t friends with. He would have gladly kept this up forever, but pretty soon people were going to find out that he choreographed a program for Ilia anyway, and he didn’t want this to blow up in the kid’s face when Yuri suddenly appeared at a competition in person. So he tagged Ilia in the post, waiting for him to pick up his phone from the board to check the notification.The kid looked at him with the most bored expression he could possibly muster. “The Force Awakens? Really?”“Shut up,” Yuri told him, “It’s a great title. I could have gone with The Return of the Jedi, you know.”Ilia seemed to think for a second, narrowing his eyes before his face lit up and Yuri could practically see the lightbulb above his head.“Winter is coming,” he said and Yuri snorted. “Fantastic spins and where to find them?”“That’s lame,” Ilia stated. “Lord of the rinks.”“Shit,” Yuri swore when he opened his mouth only to find that he couldn’t think of anything. “I can’t believe you outnerded me.” Someone came to a halt next to them with an abrupt hockey stop, deliberately turning the blades towards Yuri and spraying snow all over his clothes. Beka didn’t say anything, just gave a pointed look to both of them, a disapproving frown crinkling across his forehead.“Oops,” Ilia said, “the Eye of Sauron is on you.” He sprinted away and Yuri turned to Beka, holding up his phone so he could take a look at the picture.“Still grumpy?” he asked, pushing the phone in his face. “Give me a better title, if you can.”“The Walking Dead if you keep distracting my top skater,” he said without missing a beat, but his mouth twitched, the hint of a smile playing in the corner of his lips. With one swift turn of his blades Yuri stopped right in front of him and cocked his head to the side, making a show of looking him up and down.“You’re gonna punish me for it?” Beka arched an eyebrow, like even reacting to a question like that was beneath him but Yuri saw the way his eyes darkened and considered it a victory anyway. “And now you’re distracting the coach,” he said in a low voice, lips pulling into a half smirk, and Yuri realized that his attempt had backfired because boy, was he distracted by the way Beka was looking at him. He skated a little bit closer, hooking a finger in the pocket of Beka’s hoodie but before he could do anything, he felt fingers digging into his side, pinching him. Hard. He yelped and jumped back, rubbing the spot between his ribs, his eyes narrowed at Beka. The man let out a laugh then turned away, following Ilia’s movements, his expression shifting back into professional. “Left hand!” he called out to him.Yuri returned to his earlier place by his side and Beka glanced over, nudging him with his hips.“Not in front of the kids,” he said with a fond smile, before he returned his attention to Ilia.“It’s just one kid, and I bet you he’s seen people kiss each other before.” Yuri argued half-heartedly, letting the subject drop after that. Beka reached out to rub the spot where he pinched him and Yuri caught his hand, putting it in his pocket with his own. Ilia straightened his arm, muttering a curse under his breath when he realized that he made a mistake in the choreography again and Yuri watched with Beka as he circled back to repeat the last few steps. “How long are you going to keep tormenting your fans like that?” he heard him ask quietly, eyes glinting with amusement even though he kept them on Ilia. “It’s fun,” Yuri shrugged and he remembered the last picture he posted, a photo of the view from Beka’s bedroom window. Just like the first time, it didn’t mean anything to anyone except the two of them and when he captioned the post with ’would love to wake up here everyday’, it sent the fans into a frenzy, trying to figure out where he was. He laughed at comments like ‘he’s probably on vacation’ and ‘well yeah this is obviously not in St. Petersburg you dumb fuck’ but there were a few who guessed right, writing ‘maybe he’s with someone you guuuys’ and ’i bet it’s altin lol’. These people were mostly shut down by others for being rude and making Yuri and Otabek uncomfortable which entertained Yuri to no end. “I don’t hate them if that’s what you’re worried about. But if they keep guessing and asking questions I might as well have some fun while they’re at it.”“Still the left hand!” Beka called out again, squeezing his hand in Yuri’s pocket. Ilia cursed loudly, throwing his arms up.“It’s a stupid move! Can I start with my right arm?”Yuri rolled his eyes, fishing his hand out and letting go of Otabek. “Ugh, fine, let’s see what we can do about it.” In February, Yuri accompanied Team Russia to the Winter Olympics. He was officially there as Ilia’s choreographer, even though he had skipped the earlier competitions of the season. The kid had done well in his senior debut, getting the silver medal at both the grand prix final and the russian nationals, then winning gold at europeans. Yuri watched him skate his way into the olympic team via shitty livestreams and for a while he settled for good luck messages and private congratulations instead of offering his support personally. By that time, news of him working as a choreographer had spread like wildfire, from the moment they officially announced Ilia’s programs for the season. He was aware that his fans were waiting eagerly for him to show up at some point, but he wasn’t exactly looking forward to being in the spotlight again. However, with the Olympics fast approaching, he realized that he wanted to be there. Not just for Ilia but for Otabek too, because this was just as important to him as it was to the skaters themselves. This was his first season as a coach and his future career quite heavily depended on the first impression he made internationally, which meant that if Ilia succeeded, Beka would probably have a few new skaters lining up and he could finally stop worrying about his coaching career. He liked to act like he didn’t even care about it but Yuri could see how nervous he actually was from the hard set of his jaw and the tension in his shoulders, and so he was determined to support him however he could, in every way Beka needed him to.Of course if Yuri wanted to be completely honest with himself, there was a tiny part of him that simply just missed it all. He was curious to see how other skaters were going to perform and he wanted to meet Yuuri and Viktor again. He wanted to stand by Otabek’s side at the entrance of the rink, watching Ilia from there and then sit with them at the kiss&cry, waiting for his scores to be announced. He wanted it more than he wanted to avoid the media, and so he decided that Yuri Plisetsky would return to the skating world at the Olympics. He ended up watching the men’s short program from the back, following the events on one of the monitors there. Beka was outside with Ilia, and Yuri chickened out last minute, the thousands of people in the audience, the cameras and phones flashing suddenly overwhelming him before he even stepped out from the backstage area. He couldn’t decide what made him more angry at himself, the fact that nothing had even happened to upset him that much or that on top of everything else, he made Beka worry about him too. Yuri did his best to not make a big deal out of it, quietly slipping away and telling him that he’d decided to stay behind, but he saw the distracted glances and the hesitation when Otabek left him there to join Ilia before the warm-up. Truth was, nothing had upset him. He was just afraid that it would happen right outside, in front of all the cameras and the other skaters. This was supposed to be the kid’s day, his big moment and he wasn’t going to ruin it with an accidental meltdown. So he watched alone in the back as Ilia took his place on the ice, taking a deep breath before he raised his head and turned around, facing away from the judges in his starting position. Yuri’s eyes flickered down to his own name listed as the choreographer and he couldn’t stop the small, smug smile that fought to appear in the corner of his mouth. They did a good job, he thought as he watched Ilia starting to move on the ice, drawing circles with his blades and turning to the rhythm of the music. The kid was clearly nervous, his edges could have been better and his posture wasn’t exactly perfect but the jumps were clean and rock solid, and his musicality was undeniable. Yuri examined the whole program with a lump in his throat, trying to focus on the elements like a professional to draw his attention away from his own nerves. Ilia landed all three of his jumps and Yuri saw a tiny, barely even there but definitely visible fistbump when he did. He would have to talk to him about that. He ended the program with an ear-to-ear grin on his face, claiming the 4th place after the event and Yuri decided that the next day, he wouldn’t stay away. Ilia was even more nervous than before, although he tried to pretend he wasn’t. Yuri watched him tapping his fingers on the skate guards at the end of the warm-up, then disappearing in the back while the first skater, one of Yuuri’s, took the ice. He glanced at Otabek next to him who stepped away from the gate to go after him but stopped when Yuri made no move to follow.“Go,” Yuri said, pushing him a bit, “he needs you.”Beka looked around, taking in the sight of all the cameras and reporters around them, the other skaters, coaches and the people in audience sitting close by.“Are you gonna be okay?” he asked, and Yuri scoffed, smiling.“Yes. Now leave.”He turned back towards the rink to show that he considered the matter closed and spotted Yuuri a few metres away, watching his pupil as he started skating to an overused piece by Chopin. Viktor was standing next to him and waved when he saw Yuri, but didn’t leave his husband’s side. Yuri remembered that he wanted to talk to him later, ask him about the Katsuki-Nikiforov children situation and made a mental note to take the time and buy Viktor a coffee the next day.He looked around again when the program started but no one seemed to pay any attention to him, their eyes glued to the skater on the ice who just landed a quad flip at the beginning of his program. He felt himself relax a bit, seeing that no one was whispering behind his back or pointing fingers at him. Sure, the internet had blown up over the pictures Yuri appeared in during practice sessions but no one had stepped over the line in the arena when they met him personally so it seemed he had no reason to worry.The japanese skater dropped to his knees in the middle of the ice and threw his hands up in a rather dramatic way, just when the song ended. Beka and Ilia appeared at his side right at that second, and Yuri examined the kid’s face closely, trying to see if he was okay. He looked a little pale but otherwise he was in a much better shape than before, and he stepped on the ice with confidence, handing Yuri his skate guards. “Any advice?” Ilia poked his arm from the other side of the board, looking up at him. He was trying really hard not to appear nervous but his eyes were bright and hopeful, lacking the sharp coldness Yuri was used to. “Don’t break your hip,” he replied. Ilia rolled his eyes and Beka snorted next to him, then tried to cover it up with a cough. Yuri just gave a helpless shrug because honestly, he was never really good at giving pep talks anyway, what did they expect him to say? “Okay, look. Just… don’t give a crap about the audience, okay? This is for your sister, for Anna alone. Skate like she’s the only one watching.”Ilia arched an eyebrow, looking back at Otabek for a moment and shook his head in disbelief.“Oh my god, you guys are so married.” Yuri heard Beka chuckle next to him. “He told me the exact same thing.”Beka stepped forward and put his hand on Ilia’s shoulder just as they announced him as the next skater.“You’ve trained hard,” he said, “and it’s about to pay off. You can do this.”Ilia nodded at both of them and Yuri watched him turn around, greeting the audience with his arms raised as he went to take his place in front of the judges. His smile vanished, replaced by a stern expression on his face and Yuri thought he looked like a man on a mission.“You know what?” he started quietly, drawing Beka’s attention away from the kid for a second, “I think he’s also a soldier.”Beka took his hand and gripped his fingers tight, nails digging into Yuri’s skin.“Yeah. He is.”Silence fell on the arena as Ilia cradled his arms close to his chest and looked down at his feet, closing his eyes. Yuri held onto Beka’s hand, brushing his finger over his knuckles in what he hoped was a reassuring way, trying to calm his racing pulse. The piano started playing softly and Ilia slowly lowered his arms, gliding across the ice in a circle.He seemed to take their advice and shut the world out, lost in his own thoughts as he prepared for the quad loop they had planned first. When he landed it, Yuri felt Beka’s fingers squeeze his and after that, he loosened his grip around his hand but didn’t let go. Yuri tugged on the leopard print scarf around his neck. He decided to wear it more as a good luck charm than to keep him warm, and so far, it hadn’t failed him. Ilia skated with ease, all the tension dropped from his posture and Yuri felt comfortable enough to watch the competition from the sidelines. His stomach was in a tight knot but he welcomed the familiar feeling like an old friend as he followed the kid with his eyes. A quad sal-double toe, better than Yuri had expected it to be, a quad sal that seemed effortless and earned loud cheering from the audience, then Ilia launched himself into a flying camel spin. His upper body turned towards the sky, palms up and fingers spread apart and Yuri’s breath hitched in his throat. Of course he’d seen the choreography countless times before but today there was something different about Ilia, like he had only just now connected to the song and realized what it truly meant to him. Yuri could almost, almost see his sister with him on the ice as he straightened up and started his step sequence. During his rocker turn he brought his arms down then lifted them up again, ending the move with his leg raised in an arabesque before the twizzles - a move suggested by Yuri who planned to include it in the choreography for his grandfather. He never got to perform that program and maybe he never would but parts of it were now ingrained in Ilia’s free skate for Anna, and Yuri thought it might be enough. The kid had done it justice after all. Beka tightened his hold on his hand when Ilia landed the triple axel-triple toe in the second half of the program. Yuri glanced at him from the corner of his eye and examined his expression, his lips pressed into a thin line and the tight set of his jaw, the way he didn’t seem to be breathing. He nudged him with his shoulder to get him to snap out of it, pulling him closer.“He’s doing great,” he said, turning his attention back to the ice where Ilia had just landed his quad toe and moved on to set up for the next combination. 3A+1Lo+3F, Yuri listed in his head as he watched him, and Ilia went through it like it was nothing. He also seemed to completely ignore the people around him and the deafening applause and ovation he received after the jump. For him, the arena was empty except for only one person.“Yeah, he is,” Beka replied after a moment of silence while he probably tried to process Yuri’s words and form a coherent answer. His eyes were glued to Ilia’s figure on the ice, his expression betrayed nothing but complete focus on the performance and aside from Yuri there was probably no one else in the entire arena who knew just how anxious he really was.Yuri looked up at the audience after the last jump, the triple lutz when Ilia started his choreographic sequence. He ran his eyes across the first few rows behind the judges and spotted Ilia’s parents. They were both crying. Yuri held Otabek’s hand, because he wasn’t sure what else to do. He figured he wouldn’t be able to do much more anyway, so he squeezed his fingers a little to remind him that he was there. Ilia did the fan spiral on the ice with his arms extended over his head and his posture was now perfect, just like Yuri had shown him months ago when they first met. He finished the program with his hands stretched out towards the sky, looking up and Yuri heard Otabek suck in a breath like he had just now become able to breathe again.The arena exploded around them, a standing ovation celebrating Ilia while he was showered with small gifts and flowers being thrown onto the ice. He waved around with a small smile, bowing politely and that was the last thing Yuri had seen before he was drawn into an embrace, one arm circling his neck, the other holding him around his waist, clinging to him.“He did it,” Beka whispered with a short laugh, burying his fingers in Yuri’s hair and Yuri held him as tightly as he could, his palms drawing soothing circles on his back. “He really did,” he murmured into Beka’s neck and closed his eyes, hoping, just hoping that he could make Otabek feel just as safe and warm as he felt in his arms.He sat in the kiss&cry on Ilia’s right side, and found that he was almost more excited to hear his scores than he used to be to hear his own. There was something different about sitting there like this, when he wasn’t exhausted and barely able to understand the numbers on the screen, without the rush of adrenaline slowly vanishing and leaving his body heavy and limp like a ragdoll. It reminded him of his first season in the senior division when he was forced to relearn everything about himself and his skating and this, this felt a lot like that because it was a whole new experience and he had something to learn again. It was a strange feeling, coming face to face with something new in figure skating after giving up on it for years. Maybe this is why, when later that evening Ilia asked him a question he knew immediately and without hesitation what his answer was.“So,” the kid turned to him, fingers tapping on the fancy glass in his hands before taking a sip of his non-alcoholic champagne. Yuri raised an eyebrow and finished his own glass, the alcohol in his drink burning his empty stomach. “So?”They were back at their shared hotel room with Otabek, standing around the table in the corner and he picked up the bottle for a refill. Ilia glared at him and Yuri got the feeling he was somehow supposed to know what he wanted without actually asking. “Will you choreograph my programs for the next season?”The answer was on the tip of his tongue without really thinking about it, but he swallowed it back, because it wouldn’t be them if Yuri just gave him a straight ‘yes’. Instead, he made a face and tilted his head, pretending to be hesitating.“Eh, I don’t know. You’re like, the worst student I’ve ever had.”Ilia rolled his eyes and Yuri glanced at Beka who was trying, and failing, to hide his smile behind his own champagne glass.“I’m the only student you’ve ever had, asshat.”“Still,” Yuri said, and his hand shot out to flick the medal hanging from Ilia’s neck, “you only got bronze.”He laughed when he saw the kid’s angry scowling and pushed his hand in his hair to mess it up as much as possible. He wanted to make sure that Ilia knew he was just joking because his accomplishment was actually nothing short of amazing, placing third at the Olympics in his first senior year at the age of fifteen. Maybe he would, one day, surpass Yuri’s greatness and Yuri wanted to stay and help him do just that. “Fine,” he shrugged and smiling at Otabek on the other side of the table, “if your coach is okay with it.”Beka was about to answer when he stilled, hands flying out to curl around Ilia’s arm reaching for the bottle.“That’s the alcoholic one,” he said, his voice serious but his expression amused and fond, “yours is over there.”“Oh come on, I’m fifteen, not a child!” Ilia was scowling and Yuri bit back his laughter because god, that sounded like a ridiculous argument. Fifteen was, indeed, a child, and he decided not to dwell on the fact that he had already had his first experience with alcohol by the time he hit the age of fifteen. “Just a little, I deserve it. I just got bronze at the Olympics.”“No,” Yuri said simply, not offering any other explanation. Ilia pulled his hand back, rolling his eyes again. “You guys are boring.”Otabek frowned like the mere thought of being considered boring offended him and Yuri couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped his lips.“This is your fault,” he told him, “you’re a terrible influence on him.”“Oh yes,” Beka replied in a flat voice, mocking him, “clearly it’s me.”“Fine, but it’s not the same like this,” Ilia said stubbornly, holding up his glass, “let’s drink to the free skate of my life!”“The short program was awesome too,” Yuri added after he lowered his hand, putting the champagne down, “you’re the next big thing, brat.”“It was a great choreography,” Otabek complimented him, his eyes bright and warm, never leaving him and Yuri thought he could do anything as long as Beka looked at him like that. There was a tightness in his stomach under the weight of his gaze, but it was nothing like he used to feel, nothing like the painful knot that hadn’t let him breathe and crushed him down. “Great music choice,” he said in return, a half smile playing on his lips and Beka took his hand to tug him closer, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Uh, hello? Great skater, anyone?” Ilia waved lazily, too tired to do anything more than that.“Yes, that too,” Beka agreed. He rested his palm on the small of Yuri’s back, just keeping it there as he talked, the casual touch warm and steady like everything else between them.“Thank you,” Ilia gave a pointed look to Yuri before he put his glass down, a muffled yawn hidden behind his arm. “Go to sleep, kid,” Yuri said, “you still have the exhibition tomorrow. Practice starts at 10.”“Yeah I know,” the kid replied, and his hands fiddled with the bronze medal in his neck, glancing down at it with a smile. He looked up, gathering his things and he turned back from the door one more time before he left. “Don’t be late.”“Hey,” Yuri frowned, “I should be the one telling you that.”“Yeah, right,” Ilia said in a flat voice, “‘night, guys.”The moment they were left alone, Beka’s hand was gone from his back and reached for the glasses and the bottle of champagne, cleaning up their mess. Yuri pushed himself up and flopped down at the now empty table, watching as Beka disappeared behind the bathroom door, leaving it open.“He’s so annoying,” he said fondly, glancing back to where Ilia was standing a minute ago.He heard the water running and he sent an unimpressed look towards the sound because Otabek seriously, honest to god started doing the fucking dishes. Okay, maybe it was just three glasses but still, wasn’t this what the hotel staff was paid for?Yuri called out again, waiting for any sound in return to indicate that Beka was listening to him. He gripped the edge of the table and forced his voice to work properly, to sound nonchalant as he went on.“If our kids end up like him, I’m putting them up for adoption.”The sound of the water running in the bathroom stopped abruptly, and Yuri felt his heart squeeze around itself, his stomach dropping when there was a short silence following his words. He braced himself against whatever Otabek was going to say, despite knowing that it wouldn’t change anything. Whether or not he wanted kids didn’t change the fact that Yuri was going to be with him for the rest of his life - or as long as Beka wanted him.He willed himself to take a deep breath and calm down. It was more of a half-hearted comment at the expense of Ilia than a serious proposal for their future together but he still couldn’t stop his blood from racing through his veins like it was running away from the answer.Footsteps broke the silence and then Otabek emerged from the bathroom, leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets, a smile playing on his lips as he ran his eyes up and down Yuri.“Our kids.” It wasn’t a question. Yuri waited until Beka repeated it one more time, like he was testing how it felt to say it, how the words sounded on his lips. There was a strange light in his eyes and Yuri swallowed the lump in his throat, his fingers clenching and unclenching around the edge of the table.“You want kids?” Beka asked, walking over to stand in front of him, his hands coming up to rest on Yuri’s thighs. Yuri glanced down, avoiding the intensity of Beka’s gaze on him and shrugged.“I mean, I guess? In the very, very far future, maybe?” He kept staring at Beka’s hands until one of them cupped his chin and lifted his head, thumb brushing his lower lip for a fleeting moment. He looked into Otabek’s eyes, warm, patient and smiling, not at all dark as usual, but almost golden and god, Yuri loved him so much he sometimes wasn’t sure he could bear it. He exhaled slowly and straightened his back, dropping his shoulders. “Yes. Yeah, I do. With you.”Otabek pressed his lips against his forehead, long black lashes tickling Yuri’s skin as his eyes fluttered closed. He pulled back a moment later to look at him again and out of all the emotions Yuri thought he was going to see, amusement was not the one he had expected.“I’m glad we established that it would be with me.” He was teasing him, and Yuri narrowed his eyes at the tone of his voice, fighting a smile. “I was getting worried for a second.”He leaned back in and dragged his lips down to kiss his temple, his cheekbone, the curve of his jaw. It successfully distracted Yuri and he was ready to the drop the whole subject because Beka didn’t freak out or looked at him like he was crazy and he considered that a win already. He was prepared to put this conversation on hold for the next two years until he heard a question murmured into his neck quietly, a warm breath dancing across his skin just below his ear.“How many?” Yuri hummed in response, his eyes closed, momentarily forgetting to reply when Otabek’s lips started making their way to his shoulder, occasionally stopping to taste the soft skin under them.“Just one,” he decided when he was able to put a coherent thought together, “a girl. And a cat, we’re getting a cat.”Otabek raised his head and Yuri felt his smile against his cheekbone before he moved to plant a kiss on his lips. “A little girl, hm?” Hands trailed down at his side to hold him at his hips as Beka pulled away to look at him, and Yuri grabbed the collar of his army green shirt to yank him back to the table. He put his hands on the nape of Beka’s neck, wrapped his legs around his waist and kept on talking.“We’ll teach her how to skate,” he said, stretching his arms behind Otabek’s head before bending them again to ruffle his hair. “We’ll take her to the rink all the time with us. But it’s okay if she doesn’t like it, she can try something else then.”“She’ll like it.” The answer made Yuri’s heart swell in his chest in the best way possible and he brought his hands down to cup Beka’s cheeks, pressing their foreheads together.“Yeah, but you can’t put that pressure on her, though,” he said, “I want her to do whatever she wants.”“You’re already spoiling her,” Beka laughed quietly and Yuri caught his lower lip between his own, drowning in his own feelings, melting against him. Beka’s hands were on his hips as he kissed back eagerly, and Yuri slid his own hands up, stroking the bristles of his undercut with his fingertips. Beka sighed into the kiss and leaned over the table, pulling Yuri closer to him. His fingers started wandering, tracing the curve of his spine, drawing the lines of his muscles under his skin until Yuri was practically shivering, tugging on Beka and pressing himself against his chest. “Tell me more,” Beka whispered the request in the crook of his neck, hands coming to rest around Yuri’s waist, keeping him close. He turned his head to nuzzle his nose against his neck, and when Yuri tilted his head down to see his expression, Beka’s eyes were closed. “Hm,” he raised his hand to brush the back of his fingers against Otabek’s cheekbone, thumb travelling up to follow the line of his eyebrow. “She’ll see the whole world with us. We’ll take her to competitions and everyone will get distracted during practice sessions because she’s so adorable. And when we’re both busy, Viktor will watch her. I know he won’t mind.”Otabek’s arms tightened around him, squeezing him as he breathed in, hiding his face in Yuri’s neck. “I see you have it all figured out.”“Beka,” Yuri replied, shrugging once, twice, three times to get him to lift his head from his shoulder and face him again. His voice was unwavering and he made sure that his gaze that met Beka’s was equally confident, firm and unshakeable. “I will never ever leave you unless you kick me out. Do you know that?”Otabek’s lips were pressed together but his eyes were smiling, bright and loving and Yuri thought he wanted to exist in that moment forever. He felt a palm cradling his cheek and he leaned into the touch, tilting his head but never taking his eyes off Beka, watching as he thought about his answer for a few seconds.“Yeah, I know.”To Yuri, it sounded more beautiful than any song, more important than any ‘I love you’-s they had ever exchanged.  The last day of July found Yuri at his usual place, behind the counter at the bar. The shift had been slow so far, with most of the university students gone for the summer and he propped up his elbows lazily, resting his chin in his palm. There were only two smaller groups of friends sitting in the far end of the pub, and Yuri rolled his eyes at them when he made sure none of them could see it. Since he had to work that day, he just assumed that anyone who had time for a beer at 3 pm was probably loaded and hadn’t had to work a day in their lives.It was probably far from the truth but it made him feel better because that was a valid reason to roll his eyes at them. He particularly hated that one loud, obnoxious blonde guy who sat across from him, gulping down drink after drink as he celebrated his graduation, and Yuri couldn’t not notice the way he sometimes looked at him, like he had already decided that Yuri was going to be his celebratory one night stand.He heard a chuckle from the occupied seat in front of him and he turned his head, raising an eyebrow.“What?”Polina nodded towards the guy while pushing her empty glass back towards Yuri which was her polite way of asking for a refill.“God, I hope he tries, I want to see you destroy him.”“Are you crazy? I would never do that,” he replied, “at this point i can buy new skates from the tips he leaves.”“Yuri!” Polina gaped at him, leaning forward to punch his arm. “Shame on you!”“Quality skates, Lina,” he paused for dramatic effect, “with golden blades that have my initials engraved in them. I haven’t had those since I stopped competing.”“It’s not funny,” she said but she laughed anyway. “You’re a horrible person. I don’t know why I’m friends with you.”Yuri handed her the glass back.“For the 10% discount on the beer, I assume?” “Yeah, that must be it.” Polina drank and then nodded happily before she realized something. “Goddamnit, I should have celebrated my own graduation here, it would have been so much cheaper.”“How was it, anyway?” Polina’s fingers were tapping on the glass and she shrugged, glancing down at Yuri’s hand.“It wasn’t the same without you there.”“Obviously,” Yuri grinned at her before he turned to the couple on his left, serving them quickly. There wasn’t many people to put on a show for, but he felt like it so he threw the glass in the air and caught it with his right hand before he poured their drinks. When he received a fair amount of tips he turned back, dropping down on his stool once again. “But it was better for me like this. I’ve been homeschooled since I was nine, Lina, I’m not cut out for university life.”Yuri really didn’t understand how he hadn’t thought of this before. He never really went to school properly, always studying during the off season and the few longer breaks at the rink between trainings. Last year when he started working as a choreographer, he took the first semester off then switched to studying part-time and not only did his grades improved significantly, he also felt a lot better, doing something familiar again, something he knew he could work around. Polina fidgeted on her seat again, and Yuri could see she was trying to find the right words to say something. “Still, it’s gonna boring, doing my master’s without you.”Yuri narrowed his eyes and dropped his hands from the counter.“You got in.”“I did.”“What did Tatiana say?” he asked, thinking that it’s better to rip the bandaid off than politely tiptoeing around the subject. Polina applied to do her master’s degree in St. Petersburg, not Moscow where Tatiana lived and she used to say it’s just because she wants options. Yuri hadn’t really considered that she would choose to stay.Polina pressed her lips together into a thin line, brushing her fingers through her long ponytail before she replied.“Not much. I don’t think she really cares anymore. I don’t think either of us do.”“I’m sorry,” Yuri offered and he wasn’t sure what else to say, so he settled for making Polina her favourite cocktail, sneaking in some extra alcohol and putting all the cheesy little fruit decorations on the glass with the horrible paper umbrella. “On the house.”“Wow,” she said when she tried it, flashing a grateful smile, “I should break up more often.”“I’d prefer if you didn’t,” Yuri arched an eyebrow before turning to another guest, a girl from the table in the back. She didn’t give him any tips and Yuri followed her with his eyes as she went back to the table and whispered something to the guy. “Oh my god,” Polina said, frowning, “he is going to make a move soon.”“I can’t wait,” Yuri told her, “‘I’ve been waiting for a chance to use this line for fucking forever.”“Aaaaand,” she waited, dragging out the word and sure enough the guy soon stood up, making his way to the counter. “Showtime.”Yuri heard his phone buzz with a new message, but he ignored it for now and crossed his arms on the counter, letting his wrists hang lazily from the edge as he tilted his head to look at the blonde walking up to him. “What can I get you?” he asked but made no move to stand up. The guy smiled and bit his lower lip, leaning over the counter to be closer to Yuri.“Actually, I was just wondering if you were free tonight.”“What for?”“For a private celebration.”He didn’t even flinch, Yuri noted but stopped himself from raising an eyebrow. It was amazing, the amount of confidence some people had, really. And then there was Polina, with the elegance of a newborn baby deer when she tried to flirt, or Yuri who basically yelled at people and cursed until they fell in love with him.“Dude, my dude,” he said, sitting up straight, “you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you. I have this perfect answer and I was waiting for the opportunity to use it.” Well, that seemed to break the guy’s carefully built confidence a little, and he looked at him like he was crazy. Yuri didn’t let him say anything and he shot a look to Polina who’s shoulders were shaking with repressed laughter.“Ready? Okay.” He cleared his throat and sighed.“My heart says yes,” he said, making a show of putting his hand over his heart. He brought his other hand up and unclenched his fist to show the simple, silver ring around his finger, “but my fiancé says no.”He burst out laughing at the same time Polina did. *** “Hey, Grandpa. So it’s been six years. Crazy, huh? I still miss you everyday. I wish I could show you where I live now. It’s a bit further from the city centre so you would probably fucking hate it and complain about everything, the grumpy old man you are. Well, maybe you’ve seen it, I don’t know if you can even hear me or see me from up there. I hope you can, because I’m really fucking trying and I want you to know what’s going on with me. Oh, I brought a picture of my family. I’m gonna leave it here so you have a photo of your great-granddaughter. Maybe when she’s older I will bring her with me. I’ve already told her all about you, but of course she doesn’t understand yet. That’s okay, I’ll tell her again. I’ll make sure she knows her great-grandpa.Hey, if you see Yakov up there… tell him that I think he would be proud of me. I know you are.”
10203350
Ill Quit Smoking
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Kujo Jotaro, Kakyoin Noriaki", "Fandom": "ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Frisky_Business", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "618", "Additional Tags": "sad stuff, Good", "Relationship": "Kakyoin Noriaki/Kujo Jotaro", "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 }
::Jotaro leaned up against the wall before placing another cigarette in between his lips. The smoke was pungent and the smell bothered Noriaki as he stood next to Jotaro, trying to ignore just how /much/ he hated the smell. "You know I hate it when you do that,“ he said, his eyes quietly tracing the man’s distinct frame. But he couldn’t blame him for needing a release. Traveling around the world, getting stalked by /crazy/ stand users, /was/ considerably stressful. It was probably close to midnight, judging by the misplacement of the moon. For some reason, Noriaki had chosen to join him on the balcony. He kept mostly to himself, resting his arms on the railing and peering over the sleepy city. His lovely red hair windswept across his forehead, and his emerald green eyes mournful for something he couldn’t even place. His lips tinged red in the pale moonlight, bringing out just how white his skin tone was. A playful grin crossed his face as he turned to meet Jotaro’s eyes, politely tilting his head to the side. "I want you to stop smoking,” his voice sounded sweet and innocent, betraying the look he had on his face. "Why?“ Jotaro’s voice sounded uninterested, the cigarette draping from his lips with the light flickering against his hand. "If you came out here to become my moral compass, I would suggest you give up." "Smoking kills.” The words simply came from Noriaki’s lips, sharing Jotaro’s glance for a prolonged second before watching the streetlights dance along the paved road. "I’m destined to die at some point. It doesn’t matter when, as long as we take Dio down first.“ His voice was hollow but unrelenting. "I suppose I don’t care much about logistics…” He hummed, peppering the ashes from his burning bud into the breeze. Noriaki let out a soft chuckle before shaking his head. “Spoken like a true main character,” stifling another chuckle despite Jotaro’s unamused expression. “I don’t enjoy the thought of you dying, Jotaro." "It doesn’t matter if it bothers you. If it happens, it happens.” "Stop trying to be so brave. Just tell me if you’re scared.“ "I’m not scared, Kakyoin.” That was a lie, based on the pause, barely audible in his speech pattern. Noriaki approached him, sweeping the still burning cigarette from his hand. He was going to protest, but he paused when he felt the man’s hand calmly take hold of his own. Noriaki’s locks hung right over his eye as he leaned in slightly. His skin was so perfect and soft, no cuts or bruises lined his hands unlike his own. There was a conversation being had, silent understanding in Noriaki’s unnatural green eyes. "If there is anyone who can stop Dio, it is you. You need to survive. I will do anything I have to do to protect you.“ Noriaki licked his lips, unable to calm the nervous expression lining his brow. It was Jotaro’s turn to laugh, cupping the male’s hand in his own. "You are always so flowery, Kakyoin.” He leaned in closer so that their noses were now touching. “I’ll keep myself alive, okay?" "Call me Noriaki,” his voice weakly spoke, closing the gap between them with a tender kiss. Jotaro’s hand held his waist close, one hand resting on Noriaki’s hip and the other in his cherry red hair. "Good grief Noriaki…“ Pretend annoyance on his face, pressing down on the male for another kiss. "I’m tired,” he grunted, taking the other man by the hand and slipping into the bedroom. Starlight danced along the curtains of the bedroom, the moon creeping into sight. The two men nuzzled together under the thick wool comforter. "I’ll quit smoking.“::
10203419
Amedot Bomb 7
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Amethyst (Steven Universe), Peridot (Steven Universe), Greg Universe, Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Pumpkin Dog (Steven Universe)", "Fandom": "Steven Universe (Cartoon)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Kujo1597", "chapters": "7/7", "completed": "2017-03-15", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "1,926", "Additional Tags": "Gregrose is the first submission, I don't wanna put this in the Gregrose tag because it was really just implied, Alternate Universe - Human, A couple of them anyway", "Relationship": "Amethyst/Peridot (Steven Universe)", "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 he and Rose left the temple, Greg saw Peridot sitting close to each other on the beach and giggling.He turned to Rose, “So, what’s their deal?”“Deal?” Rose quickly went through the vocabulary she’s learned on Earth. “Oh! They’re in a relationship. It’s wonderful how a quartz and a kindergartner can find love on Earth.”“Kindergartner?” Greg felt awkward. “That’s one of those words that have a different meaning to Gems, right?”“I don’t know, what’s an Earth kindergartner?”Greg looked over at Amethyst and Peridot who had started kissing deeply.“Uuuuuhhhhh… well, on Earth kindergartners are generally five-years-old…” Greg trailed off. “Oh, don’t worry, they’re both thousands of years old. But why would it be a problem if they weren’t?” Rose looked at Greg with those big curious eyes of hers.“I’ll… explain that later.”Greg’s face turned bright red when he saw Peridot’s fingers(?) floating all around Amethyst and then pressing into her soft yet firm body.“We should get going,” Greg said as he pushed Rose ahead.“Why? What they’re doing is beautiful.”“Yeah, but we shouldn’t watch. It’s rude.”“Okay,” Rose then called out to the other couple. “Have fun you two!”“We will,” They called back. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Amethyst arrived at the barn with easels and paint in hand she saw Peridot trying to put a bandanna on a squirmy Pumpkin.It wasn’t going so well…Amethyst put the supplies down and walked up to them. “Want help?”Peridot shook her head. “I got it.” She wrapped her legs around Pumpkin to keep her still enough to tie the bandanna.“So, what are we painting?” Amethyst asked.“We’re painting a picture of Pumpkin,” Peridot replied, holding her up with a grin. “That’s why she’s dressed up.”“You sure she’ll stay still long enough?”“Of course, Pumpkin always listens to me.”  Pumpkin actually did stay still for a while but got bored and started running around the table barking and also knocked over the sculptures Peridot had set up.“Stay still Pumpkin, we’re almost done,” Peridot’s scolding didn’t accomplish much. She gave Pumpkin a good firm look but that didn’t help either. Eventually Peridot’s expression lightened. “Aww, okay, you can leave now.”Peridot could never stay mad at Pumpkin so she helped her energetic pet off of the table.On her way back to her easel Peridot decided to take a look at Amethyst’s artwork.“Oh my stars Amethyst, that’s amazing!”“Yeah? Thanks,” Amethyst was blushing hard and tried to hide behind her bangs. “It’s just a sort-of abstract thing… I used to paint stuff like this with Vidalia.”“You’re really good, the shade of orange is eye-catching but not straining, her eyes, or I assume the yellow is her eyes, are really nice, the green spread throughout, her smile, everything.”As Peridot praised the painting more and more Amethyst started to feel pretty good about it.It was kind of weird being on the receiving end of so much praise.Nice, but weird.But Peridot’s expression was so genuine. She really meant it.Before Amethyst knew it she was smiling. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Hey,” Amethyst’s greeting lacked its usual energy.“Hi Amethyst,” Peridot returned the greeting with a small frown. “Is something the matter?”“Huh?” Amethyst was really out of it. “I’m just tired. Long mission, lotta running around after speedy little monsters.”“I think I know what we can do today,” Peridot said after some thought. “Do you remember the hill where we had that picnic with Pearl and Sheena?”“Yeah?”“We’ll go there today and just relax.”Peridot quickly gathered a few things from the barn and then they left.  Amethyst took a deep breath of the fresh air after climbing up the hill overlooking a field of flowers.She was feeling better already.Peridot held Amethyst’s hand. “I was thinking we could sit in the flower field and just relax. You need it and I know you like flowers.Amethyst leaned her head on Peridot’s shoulder. “Thanks Peri.”When they climbed down the hill Amethyst sat down and picked some flowers then started to weave them together as Peridot stalked an interesting bug.After the bug got away Peridot returned to Amethyst and looked at her girlfriend’s project with a cocked head.“I’m making a flower crown” Amethyst explained. “Steven taught me this, it’s kind of relaxing.”“Can you teach me?” Peridot asked.“Sure,” Amethyst replied with a shrug. She then showed a very attentive Peridot how to weave the stems together to make a sturdy crown.Amethyst slipped her finished crown onto Peridot’s head. Her thick sturdy hair kept it from sitting where it normally should. Amethyst couldn’t help laughing at both that and Peridot sticking her tongue out in concentration.Peridot smiled triumphantly when she finished her crown then put it on Amethyst. It was a bit too big however.They both laughed. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- With a grunt Amethyst lowered a hefty bag of soil. As it turns out, Peridot is an expert gardener and offered to help Amethyst set up a vegetable garden of her own.Peridot took stock of the seeds and plants Amethyst had picked out.“You have a pretty good selection, I think you should also consider growing some carrots too. They’re very versatile.”“Believe it or not, carrots are one thing I don’t eat.”“Huh, that’s funny… you always eat carrots when I make them,” Peridot said with a smirk.Amethyst blushed. “Yeah, well, you’re the only one to get them to taste good.”Peridot’s smirk turned into a full-blown smile. “So you’re saying that you’ll eat anything I cook. Aw, that’s sweet.”“Shut up,” Amethyst’s blush completely covered her face and she turned away.With a giggle Peridot decided to stop teasing Amethyst.As they planted seeds Peridot decided to start a (hopefully) less embarrassing conversation.“I noticed a lot of flowers in your back yard.”“Yeah, this is kinda embarrassing ‘cause it’s sort of an old lady thing, but uh, most of them’s mine.”“Liking ‘old lady things’ isn’t embarrassing at all, I crochet. Me and an old woman who’s my neighbour occasionally eat lunch and drink tea together. We talk about crocheting, gardening, making jam, lots of stuff. It’s nice.”“Sounds like it. Maybe I should find myself an old lady too.” Amethyst paused then her expression turned playful. “Then again, I already have one.”Amethyst stuck out her tongue then leaned on Peridot who laughed. “What can I say? I’m an old soul. Those things are just relaxing, you know?”“Yeah, tending to my flowers is really nice.”“And soon you’ll have a nice little vegetable garden to look after too.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Amethyst and Peridot ran inside of the barn giggling. While they were having their picnic a downpour started.“Wow, I’ve never seen it rain this much before,” Peridot said.“Yeah, kind of a shame about our picnic,” thoughts of the sopping wet buns sprang into Amethyst’s mind. Maybe she can ring them out…Peridot made some very excited noises. “On TV whenever it rains they play ‘board games.’ We should do that!”She ran to a pile of stuff and started digging around.“Aha!” Peridot exclaimed as she held up a colourful box with the word ‘Pretzel’d’ written on it. “I’ve been wanting to try this.”Peridot opened up the box and set up the game.“So who’s gonna spin the thing telling us where to put our hands and feet?” Amethyst asked a good question.That is when Lapis came into the room.  “Okay, right hand on red.”At Lapis’ instruction Amethyst stretched her hand to the other side of the mat.“Hey,” Peridot spoke between grunts, “no shapeshifting. It isn’t fair.”“Shoulda said something sooner Per,” Amethyst replied cheekily.“I thought it was obvious since it’s something I can’t do.”Peridot’s tone disappointed Amethyst. Apparently it was still a bit of a sore subject.“Aw, sorry Peri.”Peridot sighed. “No, it’s fine, shapeshifting is just natural to you. You can do it. I’ll just need to try harder to keep up.”“Nah, it’s cool, I got it. No more shapeshifting.”Amethyst mostly told the truth. Though she did occasionally change her face into goofy things to make Peridot laugh. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Peridot watched as Steven excitedly laughed as he entered the pen of the petting zoo. She felt a little envious.“You can go in if you want,” Amethyst’s voice caught Peridot’s attention.“I don’t know, would it be weird for a grown woman to go in there?” But Peridot really wanted to.Amethyst shrugged. “Nah. And if you want I can go in with you.”“Yeah, I’d like that.”And so they entered the pen together. Peridot decided to grab some of the crackers to feed the animals with.It wasn’t long until a sheep came up to her.“Hello Mr. Sheep,” Peridot said with a big smile, she gave it a cracker and a pat on the head. “Here you go.”The sheep walked away and soon after a large pig nudged Peridot with its nose. She giggled and gave it a cookie and a pat.A different sheep came up to Peridot, it went ‘baaa’ and she ‘baaaa’d’ back before feeding it.The first sheep came back for more.“I’m sorry Mr. Sheep, you already had one.” The sheep was determined however, it stuck its nose into Peridot’s pocket. She laughed and tried to get its head out of there. “There’s nothing in there for you.”Before Peridot knew it several animals swarmed her asking for treats. She fed them to the best of her ability but couldn’t keep up.The animals got pushier and pushier.“Ah, Amethyst, I need some help here,” Peridot was a little overwhelmed.Peridot looked over to where Amethyst was standing and saw her doubled over in laughter.Then the pieces fell into place.Steven and Amethyst didn’t get the crackers because they knew that would happen.   Don’t worry, Amethyst did eventually come to Peridot’s rescue. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Hey Stevey, check it out,” Turquoise shouted the second she burst into the house, her permanent grin was even bigger than usual.“Turquoise!” Steven was always happy to see her, even as Amethyst and Peridot fused more and more often. “So what do you wanna show me?”“Well, I was walking around, saw some performers, got in an argument with the fire breather,” Turquoise said nonchalantly. “Anyway! I learned that I have a power!”Turquoise flicked on a lighter and waved a couple hands around the flame, it grew and she shaped it into a star.She chuckled at Steven’s thrilled expression.“Pretty cool, right? I have fire powers!” Her grin got a bit smaller. “Can’t make fire,” the grin returned to its normal size, “but hey! I can control it!”“That’s really cool! Or should I say… pretty hot.”Steven and Turquoise did finger guns in unison. “Eeeeyyyy.”Turquoise went back to making shapes out of fire; a bird, a lion, a cookie cat at Steven’s request.Just as she started making a shape that resembled a diamond and a porcupine Pearl came out of the temple.Pearl screeched. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”She quickly darted across the room and tried to take the lighter away from Turquoise.“YOU’LL BURN THE HOUSE DOWN!”“No I won’t! I have full control over fire, it’s perfectly safe!”“You’re not the most coordinated gem, Turquoise!”“Yeah, I’m a klutz but I’m not that much of a klutz.”“Yes. You are!”This argument continued on for a while.Eventually Turquoise gave in and lighters were banned from the house.
10291028
BOY
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Steve Rogers, Tony Stark", "Fandom": null, "Language": "Español", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Flamingori", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2016-07-24T00:00:00", "words": "1,966", "Additional Tags": "Stony - Freeform, stony all the way, No Drama, Fluff, Fluff y sólo Fluff", "Relationship": "Steve Rogers/Tony Stark", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
----- BOY, noun BrE & NAmE: /bɔɪ/ [countable] a male child or a young male person.  Si buscas la palabra boy en un diccionario, ésa es la primera entrada que aparece, la del significado más extendido —aunque has comprobado que el resto de definiciones siguen la misma línea—, así que no había forma alguna de incrustar a Tony Stark en ella, en ninguna de ellas. Y, sin embargo, así era, porque Stark es poco más que un muchacho a tu lado. Un niño, un crío, de casi 40 años. Es un muchacho que se emociona con la tecnología, un niño que aún llora la muerte de sus padres, y un crío que se enfada cuando algo no sale de acuerdo a sus planes, todo a la vez, ¿no es asombroso que también fuera un hombre dispuesto a sacrificarse a sí mismo por el bien de la humanidad? Estos contrastes tan extremos componen al joven Stark —sólo “joven” cuando se compara contigo y tus más de 80 años—.Te sorprendes cuando sientes unos brazos rodearte desde la espalda, o al menos lo intentan, no es un abrazo, es una medición. El dueño de esos brazos cuenta en voz alta deslizando sus manos de tu omóplato derecho al izquierdo, sólo el propio Tony sabía qué andaría haciendo. Como mismo llega, se marcha, y regresa al sillón donde antes estaba sentado, recoge un bloc de notas en el cual dibuja… algo. Le sigues para descubrir qué es, no vas a negarlo, tienes curiosidad. Te inclinas un poco a su lado, lo suficiente como para apoyar la cabeza en su hombro y mirar el lápiz volando de un lado a otro del papel.—¿Qué haces? —optas por preguntar, no entiendes esa interminable lista de números y operaciones.—Calcular el ancho de tu espalda y la cantidad de metal necesaria para cubrirla, entre otras cosas —incluso sin despegar la vista del papel puede sentir tu mirada confundida—. Los tiempos están cambiando, Capitán, necesitas más protección que un escudo.—Confío bastante en el vibranium.—Que haya funcionado hasta ahora no significa que siga funcionando más adelante. Estira el brazo —obedeces y sus dedos vuelven a dar pequeños saltitos desde tu hombro hasta tu muñeca, sentiste más de un agradable cosquilleo en el proceso. Luego, tiene que usar sus dos manos para rodear tu bícep—. La obsesión por el cuerpo se llama vigorexia, ¿sabes? Sin duda la padeces, ¿cuántas horas entrenas al día?—Sólo las necesarias.—Estás enfermo.Ríes cruzándote de brazos, tu cabeza sigue apoyada en su hombro y decides no apartarla. Disfrutas en relativo silencio de esta cercanía y complicidad (relativo, porque la Torre Stark no es un edificio precisamente tranquilo), escuchando los trazos del lápiz sobre el papel, Tony incluso canturrea alguna canción que no conoces y sabes que ahora mismo es ese muchacho maravillado con sus propias obras hechas de metal, enchufes y cables de colores. En cierta manera, la situación es relajante y temes terminar con esta calma cuando hables, aun así, debes hacerlo.—Tony —le llamas apartando la cabeza, sabes bien lo difícil que es hablar estando tan cerca, debías alejarte un poco para garantizar una conversación seria—, no pienso usar tus armaduras de metal.—A ver, dos cosas: uno, no son simples armaduras metálicas, y dos, necesito tu mano un momento.—Di lo que quieras, pero no pienso llevar nada de eso —en un mensaje contradictorio rechazas su idea, pero obedeces y le tiendes tu mano derecha.—¿Sabes lo que dicen de los hombres que tienen las manos grandes? —no entiendes qué tiene que ver su pregunta con la conversación, y niegas confundido con la cabeza. Tony lleva sus ojos hacia tu entrepierna, sonríe logrando que tus mejillas se coloreen lo suficiente como para no poder disimularlo, y empiezas a entender la comparación—. ¿Debería hacer extra-grande también esa parte? No sería bueno si aprieta, ya sabes, la mala circulación puede mermar el flujo de espermatozoides e, incluso, causar la impotencia. No me gustaría que por mi culpa el súper-héroe favorito de América quedara impotente.—Tony.—De acuerdo, de acuerdo, usaré una alineación más flexible para esa zona, no te preocupes.—Tony, escúchame —y lo hace, gira la cabeza hacia ti para demostrarlo—: no voy a llevar tu armadura, no me hace falta —ah, sus ojos. Son los ojos del niño huérfano, sin quererlo sonríes con la esperanza de que desaparezca ese brillo tan desolador que los envuelve—. Soy un experimento, ¿recuerdas? Mi cuerpo está hecho para resistir los golpes.—Una bala no es un golpe, Steve.—Pero es algo que puedo repeler con mi escudo, ¿no es suficiente?—Tú y tu maldito escudo.Aprieta los labios —incluso escuchas cómo rechinan sus dientes— y se pone en pie, por más que le llamas no se gira y se marcha, cuaderno en mano, hacia el ascensor. Es el crío quien desaparece, farfullando algún insulto, todavía insultando desaparece de tu vista bajando un buen puñado de pisos en muy poco tiempo. No te queda otro remedio que suspirar llevándote la mano a la frente, otro desacuerdo, ¿no ocurrían demasiado a menudo últimamente? Siempre había sido difícil lidiar con un Stark, pero parecía que ahora lo era más que nunca, y a esto no ayudaban sus comentarios sarcásticos y extraño sentido del humor. Aun así persistes, te mantenías de lo más convencido en llegar a un punto de acuerdo, ¡debía haberlo! De lo contrario nunca se habría podido poner en marcha la iniciativa Vengadores.Decides sacudir la cabeza, no te cuesta demasiado dejar la mente en blanco y ponerte en marcha. Primero te pones en pie y después sigues los pasos de Tony por el edificio yendo al mismo sitio, sólo que él bajó en ascensor y tú a pie por las escaleras, un cajón metálico que sube y baja con un par de cuerdas no te parece algo del todo fiable, ni siquiera aunque lleve la marca Stark escrita a un lado. Después de unos minutos llegas al taller —¿a uno de ellos? ¿Cuántas salas tenía Tony llenas de cachivaches y extrañas máquinas?—, y le encuentras sentado en el suelo rodeado de artilugios a cada cual más extravagante, supones que él mismo los habrá creado.—¿Ocurre algo, Capitán? —su voz interrumpe tu vistazo a la sala, tienes que sortear un par de obstáculos (herramientas, piezas de metal, cables…) para llegar a su posición. Te agachas a un lado mirando lo que manipulaba—. Es un imán —responde antes de que preguntes—. Irá incrustado a un brazalete, también metálico, y atraerá a algo bastante peligroso. ¿Lo escuchas?Prestas atención y sí, lo escuchas, una serie de golpes constantes, uno tras otro. Sin embargo, desconoces de dónde vienen o qué los está causando.—Es el polo opuesto del imán. Y algo más, claro.—Tony, ¿qué estás tramando? —era imposible saber qué pasaba por su mente, su cerebro es distinto al tuyo o al de cualquiera, ¡y tan distinto! Pocas personas podrían comprender qué ocurría en sus neuronas. Sospechas que a veces ni el propio Tony logre comprenderlo.—Ten, póntelo —te acerca el brazalete y te diviertes viendo su mirada: impaciente y emocionada—. Más rápido, ¿es que debo hacerlo yo todo? Trae —tira de tu brazo y decide ponértelo él—. Ahora no te muevas, no te dolerá. No demasiado.Tienes que admitir que te preocupa verle armado con una especie de soldador, Tony no se molesta en cubrir sus ojos y maneja la llama azul a lo largo del brazalete, acoplando uno de sus cierres al contrario. Te explica que es un mecanismo de seguridad para que no se suelte por más que te muevas, pero estás demasiado ocupado sintiendo el calor del propio fuego rozando tu piel como para hacer caso a la explicación.—Camina, corre, salta, brinca, no sé, muévete —te dice apartando el soldador, apagándolo—. Tiene que venir hacia ti.—¿El qué?—¿Tú qué crees?Suspiras poniéndote en pie, mueves un poco tu brazo a la espera de que algo aparezca. Escuchas más golpes como los de antes, el ruido era ensordecedor, una pieza metálica debía estar golpeando otra con bastante fuerza para crear tal escándalo. Quizá fuera uno de los robots de la torre, conocías la enorme cantidad de metal que se manejaba aquí dentro. Un último golpe dejó en ridículo a los anteriores, Tony se pone en pie de un salto y mira expectante la dirección de dónde vino.—¡Ahí viene, prepárate!No te da tiempo a preguntar para qué —o quién— debías prepararte, contemplas atónito cómo tu escudo vuela hacia ti, no, hacia el brazalete. Estiras rápido el brazo y encaja como un puzle sin el menor de los problemas, ¿cómo era posible? Separas el escudo para examinarlo con más detalle, descubriendo los imanes perfectamente acoplados en la zona trasera del escudo y en mitad del brazalete.—Qué conveniente.—Por supuesto, unos imanes capaces de atraerse a cientos de metros de distancia y lo único que obtengo a cambio es un vago “qué conveniente”, nada de “muchísimas gracias por entregarme tan magnífica idea que ha tenido tu genio sobrehumano” —resopla negando con una de sus manos—. La gente mayor pierde las cosas con demasiada frecuencia, es un verdadero milagro que no hayas perdido el escudo en alguna parte.No puedes evitar reír al escucharle, volviendo a dejar el escudo contra el brazalete, lo que te permite tener libres ambas manos, algo vital en cualquier batalla. Esta idea era mucho más que conveniente, dadas ciertas circunstancias, como una emboscada enemiga, podría llegar a salvarte la vida. Miras a su creador todavía sonriendo, y aliviado descubres que te devuelve la sonrisa. El muchacho había vuelto, pavoneándose de sus habilidades en la mecánica, dejando atrás la tristeza del niño y las pataletas del crío, no por mucho tiempo.—¿Qué tal si te diseño un traje con los colores de la bandera? —el niño vuelve a mirarte, “otra vez no” es lo único que puedes pensar leyendo su mirada—. Seguro que tengo algo como eso en algún archivo, sólo necesitaré unas horas para revisa--—Tony —le interrumpes sujetando su brazo, llegando a tirar de él, sin contacto físico seguiría perdido en sus cavilaciones durante quién sabe cuánto tiempo—, con los dos imanes es más que suficiente.—Realmente son cuatro, no dos. De esta forma la atracción es más fuerte y corre menos riesgo de interrumpirse —el crío regresa ladeando la cabeza—. No tendrás problemas, el escudo te seguirá como un perrito allá donde vayas, sólo ten cuidado con la posición del brazo, sus bordes tan afilados hacen daño y--—Tony —le interrumpes una vez más—, no soy ningún temerario, sabes que tendré cuidado. Siempre lo he tenido.—Nunca es el suficiente —esa mirada, justo esa mirada y no otra tiene el poder de sacudirte por completo—. Joder, Steve, sabes que nunca lo es.Y ahí estaba, Tony Stark, no el niño, ni el crío, ni el muchacho, ni el hombre, sino todo él, absolutamente todo él desmoronándose en su inquebrantable palacio de hierro. Te acercas agradeciendo no llevar nada en las manos, ambas libres, le abrazas —y estrujas— con fuerza, con tanta fuerza que le entierras sin remedio en tu pecho. Con este abrazo el niño dejará de llorar, el crío se calmará, y el muchacho volverá a reír. ¿Y el hombre? Bueno, el hombre corresponde sintiéndote cerca, no quiere alejarse de ti y te lo demuestra acomodándose entre tus brazos.Te parecía una locura tras todo lo que habíais vividos juntos, algo de lo que Tony se burlaría más tarde, no había duda, pero tu corazón late a un ritmo más que acelerado, amenazando con ser un infarto de no ser por las fantásticas condiciones de tu cuerpo. Pero no podía evitarse, no cuando estás enamorado de Tony Stark, del niño, del crío, del muchacho, del hombre…Estás enamorado de todo él.
10220363
another year
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "James \"Bucky\" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Background & Cameo Characters", "Fandom": "Marvel Cinematic Universe", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Feather (lalaietha)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "3,008", "Additional Tags": "march tenth, bucky's centenary, bucky is officially old, recovery is a spiral, \"you're such a jerk\" means \"i love you\"", "Relationship": "James \"Bucky\" Barnes/Steve Rogers", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "(even if i could) make a deal with god [your blue-eyed boys related short-fic]", "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 just about impossible to get people to completely ignore a centennial. About the third time Steve catches an innocent look in someone's eye when they bring it up, in the week leading up to March 10th, he sort of gives in and accepts that. He still acts like he's trying, without actually getting pissed off at anyone - which is what he'd have to do if he really tried to get them to stop - but he accepts that this just means they're going to keep it down which is . . .probably the better option. When Bucky just gets cranky, over the first week of March, instead of winding slowly up into something that looks like a tripwire, Steve decides it's better. "How in the name of God to process the weirdness that is age in this case" isn't something that comes with a best practices, because it's not all that common as a problem. Steve's still wobbling on his own for that one, and at least he's got the actual option of just throwing up his hands and insisting the time spent as an icicle (and no Tony has not yet let go of "Capsicle" and Steve's given up doing anything but sighing and rolling his eyes) and thus unconscious and not physically experiencing time in any real way just doesn't count and count from where he was when he blacked out in 1945. Bucky can't actually do that. Just to start with. Last year the days leading up to Bucky's birthday had come with that slow winding up. It'd been okay, mostly - Steve thinks - because nobody but Natasha said a thing and Natasha's brief parting shot of a shove could be blown off, which is probably why she did it. Over about as many days afterwards Bucky'd wound back down as much as he ever does, so overall it'd been fine. But it had definitely come with the sense that there was a real, solid potential for something to get broken, probably mostly inside Bucky's head, that Steve doesn't quite get this time. He hopes he's not deluding himself. He's probably not deluding himself.  The other thing is, last year nobody but Natasha knew. Not because Steve hid it, but because he didn't mention it and neither did anyone else. And why would anyone know Bucky's birthday? Except for Natasha, who needs to know all this kind of stuff. ("She probably knows your saints-day," Clint says, once. Steve has to admit that's more than he does, off the top of his head.) This year somebody somewhere on the internet got caught up in caring that it's Bucky's 100th. Which is a bit odd to Steve, even though he has noticed that some of the conspiracy theories that are closer to the mark have become pretty mainstream-popular. Well, comparatively. He sort of wonders what Bucky thinks of that, seeing as Bucky spends a lot more time on the internet in the places where this stuff might come up than Steve does, but it hasn't seemed natural or important enough to bring up. But the side-effect is that as a historical figure (as weird as that sounds) he's getting more attention, and that means the internet cares when his birthday is. That means Tony knows, or noticed, or whatever. And that means everyone knows. "Do not throw a party," Steve does say, putting his foot down via the voice that says Tony this is not a joke-type no, you ignoring this won't even end up with aggravation you can laugh at, it'll just end with me being pissed off and ignoring you until I actually believe your apology shows some sign of believing you fucked up. He's picked up the technique from Elizabeth and Pepper, who're both pretty good at it. "Don't worry," Tony replies, aloof. "I know you hate fun." It does not escape Steve's notice at all that Tony has a "spontaneous" gathering in the lounge, with Indian food and with - in addition to everyone else Tony knows that Bucky knows - Janet Van Dyne, which more importantly means with Hope Van Dyne. Steve likes Janet, for all it's still a little weird to be eating and joking around with a Van Dyne and probably always will be. So far, Bucky's avoided her in the same way he's avoided Helen Cho, Tony's PA Janine and Pepper's PA who Steve thinks is named Harker, though he's not actually sure if that's a first or last name. He doesn't think they've even noticed, as such. But Hope has all the confidence you'd (hah) hope to see in a three year old who feels completely safe in the universe, and the second time Janet's at the Tower at the same time Bucky's feeling like he can handle people, Steve notices about halfway through desert that Hope's watching Bucky as she swings her legs under her chair and eats her chocolate-and-mandarin-orange mousse. Later, when Rhodey's explaining the new plans to integrate the re-designed quinjets into active service and Bucky's quietly retreated to one of the couches with coffee to watch everyone, Steve catches movement out of the corner of his eye. And watches as the little girl in the extremely fancy (to Steve's eye) blue satin dress totters over with her doll to pull herself up on the couch and sit beside Bucky. The doll is a boy doll, despite the flowered shirt. Steve'd heard her explaining this to Bruce earlier, and that Chaz - the name of the doll - could wear flowers if he wanted to. And pink. And have a purse. The doll's hair is a messy mat of plastic sticking out in a few directions, because apparently Hope carries him everywhere and that can be hard on plastic doll-hair. His head is made of plastic and his body's some kind of soft stuffing, and his eyes open and shut depending on whether or not he's upright. Steve's pretty sure nobody else can hear them, from this far away, but he can hear when Hope says, "Hi." "Hi," Bucky says. Steve pretends to pay attention to the other conversation for a minute, to get over the impulse to half-smile - not because there's anything awkward over on the couch, but because there isn't. Because Bucky'd watched her toddle over and climb up on the couch with the same kind of half-resigned half-amused look he always used to get when it got obvious a kid was going to come over and try to monopolize his attention. Which they always did, at least once he was older than about eleven. There was even a point where Steve kinda resented it, although it's long past. "This is Chaz," Hope says, after a second, holding out the doll. "Hello Chaz," Bucky replies, solemnly, actually reaching out to shake the doll's hand. Hope looks pleased and maybe Steve's just going to resign himself to hoping that Bucky doesn't look over here, because he's probably not gonna be able to even remotely pull off pretending not to watch for long. "Your arm's metal," Hope tells him, like she's afraid he might not have noticed. Or like she might be mistaken. And now Steve notices that Janet's watching too, out of the corner of her eye - or at least pretending it's out of the corner of her eye - and maybe looking worried. He tries to catch her eye, and when he manages it he shakes his head a little bit, with a small smile. Hopes he manages to get across that it's fine. Bucky actually moves his left arm over and spreads out his hand so that Hope can see. "Yeah," he says, as she leans over to peer. "Were you borned with it?" Hope asks, and Bucky half smiles. "No," he tells her. He turns his hand palm up and she pokes at the palm. "You had one like mine?" she asks, looking up. "Well, mine was a bit bigger than yours," Bucky replies. "You're pretty small still." It occurs to Steve that Janet probably can't hear what they're saying. He takes the few steps to move around behind Elizabeth so he can lean over and say, "It's fine." "She is absolutely sure all grownups love her," Janet says, half-apologizing and half-proud, "and no idea that she might be a pest." "Trust me," Steve tells her, and if his head's full of past-echoes of when her grandparents were still young (not that they were anywhere near where Steve and Bucky'd been at the time, but still: that's when it all happened), that's not a bad thing right now. "Kids always do this." "But it was made of skin and stuff," Hope asks, and Bucky makes an mmhmm noise of confirmation. "What happened to it?" Hope asks, tilting her head. "It fell off," is Bucky's reply, and Steve can't help the soft snort. When Janet gives him a concerned look he shakes his head. "She just asked what happened to his arm," he murmurs. "He told her it fell off. I have . . .extremely good hearing," he adds, by way of explanation. Janet raises her eyebrows, but it seems mostly sympathetic. "That must make neighbours awkward," she murmurs back and Steve's kind of glad that the nature of the not-quite-conversation means that he can just sort of skip explaining that he doesn't have any that actually share walls or a floor, because Tony has a special kind of issues. "When Chaz's arm fell off," Hope tells Bucky, "Mommy sewed it back on. She says that's harder to do with people, though." "She's right," Bucky replies, gravely. "I'm going to learn to sew," Hope announces. Tony actually asks Steve something at that point, so he ends up paying enough attention not to hear the rest of the conversation, but he's not actually surprised that when Janet goes to find Hope to get their coats and go home, Hope's asleep against Bucky's side. Bucky crashes the next day, but at this point they both kinda know that there are things that even if they can both predict it's going to end in a crash, it's still probably worth it. Steve kinda hates that, but that doesn't make it less true. Eustress is still stress is how Sam puts it, which basically means that even good things and sometimes especially good things take enough out of Bucky that he crashes the other side of them. Steve's working on accepting that. So far as far as he can tell Bucky just sort of ignores it, ignores the correlation as much as he can, and that's probably not a bad way of dealing with it. Steve doesn't think it's a coincidence that Janet is the only person who doesn't live at the Tower that Tony "coincidentally" arranges to have around on his totally-not-a-birthday-party-at-all on March 8th. This time Hope very politely demands to be read a book, which turns into three books. The food is all finger-food, stuff you can pick at a little bit at a time and - because the world would end if Tony Stark had to actually be subtle - all the desert bits are coffee flavoured except for the chocolate cake more or less just for Hope. "Oh good," Janet says, "because if you were going to feed her something with coffee in it I was going to send her to you when she's still awake at two am."The agitation starts just after they go back to their floor - almost exactly like something in Bucky's head's trying to rake him over the coals for having even a somewhat enjoyable time. Sometimes Steve can derail that kind of thing and sometimes he can't, but this time pulling Bucky over him on the couch to kiss him does work, more or less. Enough that later, Bucky actually sleeps. Elizabeth sort of unconvincingly disguises her gift as one for Abrikoska: a kind of cat-harness called a Kitty Holster that looks more like a vest and less like something made of nylon straps for a cat to get tangled up in. Especially since this one's done in a brilliant deep blue satin of some kind, and - the product tag boasts - is made with undyed cotton for the lining, apparently better for skin. The big thing, Steve thinks - and Elizabeth tells him later - is that a lot of cats that get more anxious in a normal harness get less anxious in one of these, and Steve's pretty sure Abrikoska counts as one of them. It's also definitely less likely to hurt her if she gets caught on something, he can see that. The pressure gets spread out. Elizabeth manages to present it enough like it's just a great idea she saw and thought would help that Bucky can pretend he's actually fooled, and that one slides past, too. Natasha just puts the new clothes she's found this time directly in the dresser, which is starting to count as just something she does. She still refuses to tell Bucky or Steve where she gets them and they have no tags, which Steve's interpreting as a sign either they come from somewhere far away and she's taking the tags out to hide that, or she's getting them outright made so they never have any. Steve's saving up to point out to Natasha that she uses the same technique as Tony - "I'm just going to do this thing and you can rage at me if you want but it's already done" - to the same effect for some time in the future he needs a good comeback. He's pretty confident there'll be one, one day.  And today, Steve comes home to find a Pyrex container with a lid on it on the doorstep. It's a big container, and he can see that whatever's in it is smaller than the container. There's a note on top and he crouches down to pick it up and read it. It says, Happy Birthday. Mom made the tres leche cake because I can't cook but I got everything ready and cleaned it up afterwards. =P Also don't worry I left it here on purpose. - Mercedes. Steve makes a kind of an effort at suppressing the smile, as he picks up the container and opens the door. He kicks off his shoes but goes to the futon to hand Bucky the container and the note before he gets rid of his coat. It's cold and miserable outside. It's been that way for the last few days, and it kind of looks like it's setting in for the weekend. It's kind of a pain in the ass, to tell the truth, but it's been that kind of winter. As Steve hangs up his coat, he hears Bucky open the container, and then the sounds of him putting it aside and picking up and unfolding the note. Then Steve hears him breathe, Jesus fucking Christ. He's sitting upright, one leg folded in front of him and one knee up, and when Steve comes around into the living room Bucky holds out the now-open container for him to take. Inside is something that looks kind of like sponge-cake with whipped cream and some other stuff on it, and smells really good. Bucky also hands him the note. "I read it," Steve says. Bucky scrubs his right hand down his face. "Might as well dish some out," he says and anyone except Steve might be fooled into thinking the way he says it is casual, instead of being the only thing he can find to say. Steve puts the dish down on the counter and then goes around the other door into the kitchen. "Congratulations," he says, raising his voice a little to carry as he pulls down a couple plates. "You're old." "Yeah fuck you too," Bucky retorts, sourly. He takes the plate Steve brings back out and doesn't say anything else. The pieces on it are small, really deliberately small, because Steve's got a hunch and as far as he can tell if he puts the cover back on - like he did - it'll keep okay and it is good cake, so it'd be a shame to waste it. And right now it probably will get at least a little bit wasted. Things are complicated. Even good things. Right now he's mostly okay with that, and he'll take what they can get. It's hard to tell if the couple bites Bucky takes are obligation, and three of them means he's past that line, or if he'd honestly keep eating and something stops him. Either way, after three he stops. He ends up frowning at the plate, and through the plate, fork barely scraping through the edge of the remnants of some of the whipped cream, over to the side, over and over almost like the physical version of a skipping record. Steve finishes his. He leans over and puts the plate on the floor, then reaches over and takes Bucky's as well, with the kind of half-hesitation you use to make sure someone knows they can stop you if they're not finished. He puts it on the side table, because there's still stuff on it and he figures it'll be a pain if either of them steps in it later. Bucky keeps staring through the space where the plate was, for a few seconds. With the frown that's not a scowl so much as it just means somehow he can't make what's actually happening fit with what something in him thinks should happen, and it's throwing him. Steve leans on one hand, knee touching Bucky's, and waits. Waits until Bucky looks up, still with the same frown, and says, "You're all fucking stupid," like it's the only stepping stone away from where he is. "You always say that," Steve replies and reaches over to push his hair out of his face, thread it behind one ear. "Yeah, especially you," Bucky retorts. "Especially you." Steve figures he's already won because Bucky's half-leaning forward to meet the kiss as it is, so he doesn't need to answer that one out loud.
10232591
His Thaumaturgy
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Prompto Argentum, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Sephiroth, Cloud Strife, Ignis Scientia, Gladiolus Amicitia, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Nyx Ulric, Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII, Clarus Amicitia, Ardyn Izunia, Gentiana (Final Fantasy XV), Cid Sophiar, Cindy Aurum, The Hexatheon", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by LadyMonotone", "chapters": "8/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "47,132", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friends to Lovers, Overprotectivedad!Sephiroth, Chocobros - Freeform, Adventure time with the Chocobros, Cloud is done with your shit Sephiroth, Fluff and Angst, Confused Noctis, Confused Everyone, Awesome dad Regis, Seph and Cloud are Gods, Astral!Prompto, Six bashing, Prompto is Sefikura's child", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum, Sephiroth/Cloud Strife, Ignis Scientia/Gladiolus Amicitia, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret/Nyx Ulric", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, M/M, Multi, Other", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
It’s not unheard of that histories became legends over the course of time. Some exaggerate accomplishments with little to no facts until it became epics tales of mankind and Astrals. Others seek to villainized innocent people or nation to the point that future children will learn to fear the monsters that humans themselves had created. Nations such as Solheim however, was far too great and important to be altered by time. Instead of legend or history, it became a sort of lesson to both the Six and humans that dwell on Eos about the fragility of balance. Solheim was the pinnacle of peace and mankind’s achievements in terms of technology and magic. With the ever bountiful blessing of the Six Astrals, the nation and its people flourished all over Eos for years and years. The great nation appeared ever powerful under the Astrals’ eyes but humanity had yet to learn the Scales of Balance; that where is peace, there is chaos and one cannot have without the other so that order may remain. Nothing in this world can ever be too much or too little. There is no life without death, no happiness without sorrow. Ifrit the Infernian, one of the Six, is said to be as fickle as fire for a reason. Fire could warm the hearth of one’s home and it could also unleash unimaginable destruction if left unchecked. There is balance in between so humans could tempered the flames. It was unknown why Ifrit betrayed his family and Solheim but his action will forever carry across time as a warning of the unpredictability of the Six to mankind. The Infernian’s betrayal evoke the very first war on Eos and the once harmonious and powerful nation of Solheim fell as a result of the great battle. The legendary betrayal however, was the first of the many despair to come. Along came what the future known as the Great War of Old was a plague sent forth by Ifrit upon humanity. A horrifying plague that corrupted humans into daemons and devour the light so that day gradually becoming shorter and night became longer. And thus, mankind learned just what kind of horror that came with the war. The Scales of Balance was heavily tilted to a side and it must be equal once more. And so Balance ushered Bahamut the Draconian who was leading the war alongside his brethren and mankind to restore the order. To purge the plague known as the Starscourge from the planet, the Draconian bestow divine gift to two mortal bloodline - An Oracle that represent the bridge between humans and the Astrals and a King that garners strength from his predecessors for strength and blessings of the Divine for power. And thus, the line of Fleuret and Lucis came to be. The rest however, is recorded in every books for over thousand of years since then. Bahamut gifted the Crystal to the humans and with it, the plague was kept at bay by the Fleuret and the line of Lucis was empowered by the Crystal to combat the daemons and in return, became its protector. Order was restored but peace did not came so easily and Balance was left distraught at the outcome of it all. At the end of the war, the Astrals retreated away from the humans and into their realms and the once great nation of Solheim was splitted into four kingdoms that governs the lands as how each ruler saw fit. The worst had came to passed and mankind eagerly began to carve a path towards the future but it wasn’t the happily ever after that Balance thought it would be; thought it should be. The Starscourge stills lingers and it was only with the strength of the Oracle that it remained docile; an Oracle who submits under the burden of mortality like all humans do. Not to mentioned a King that should had been revered by all for his selfless action was denied his rightful rest and instead, forced to roam the planet untouched by time. All because the great and powerful Astrals of the Six refused to aid the tainted man. Not all was as right as it should be and the uncertainty of it finally made the God of Balance and Rebirth to descend from the heavens to treat the remnants of the war in hopes that the peace that once came with Solheim could return once more. But a God could not walk on Eos without repercussion, could only disguise Himself as a human for so long. And the will and strength of a single human is not enough to mend the weary and preserve the line of Fleuret. Time, also, can be unforgiving to those who dwells within the cycle of life and death. You will become what you pretend to be over time and this does not escape even to a God said to be as old as time itself. . ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Noctis wanted to celebrate the end of their high school lives at Galdin Quay, no doubt wanting to go fishing, but what Prompto want is to sleep for the rest of his life after the chaos that were final exams and the graduation rehearsal/ceremony. “You can sleep all you want there! What do you think I’ll be doing over there beside fishing? C’mon Prom, it’ll be so boring if I just bring Gladio and Ignis. You know those two will either make me work out or review some foreign affairs papers from the Council when it’s suppose to be our vacation!” The Crown Prince of Lucis honest to Six whine, not matter how much said prince claim otherwise. Prompto seriously wish that he could record a video of his best friend acting all bratty and lazy whenever they are together and broadcast it all over Insomnia so he could witness the people’s reaction on how their beloved Prince truly is behind the public. Ignis would most probably murder him for ruining Noctis’ reputation with a teaspoon while Gladio laugh at his demise in the background if he ever do so. Prompto Argentum are many things - son, best friend and a super amazing photographer - suicidal, however, is not his thing. “Dude, how come you’re not a zombie like me? Like the rest of us normal people?” Prompto couldn’t help but asks as he lay on the plush couch, too exhausted to lift a finger. He could, however, narrow his eyes at his best friend. “I mean, I still have nightmares about Economics and it’s been three weeks already since finals were over. I see it now, Noct - It’ll haunt me forever!” The blonde gasp and press his face into the couch to stop the tears from falling. Noctis merely roll his eyes at Prompto’s theatrics. If the guys accuse him of being finicky like a cat, then Prompto can be such a drama queen. Ignis is basically their mum even if he’s just a few years older than them and Gladio is their stern yet casual dad/mentor at the same times. Talk about weird dynamics. “Look, I promise that we’ll watch that new romance movie that you want in cinema if you join the trip. Tickets on me.” Noctis coax but scowl when the blond refused to respond. He got up from his side of the couch to sit beside Prompto. Poking at his legs, Noctis sigh, “I know you’re not sleeping, Prompto; Don’t ignore me. What do I have to do? Beg?” The prince barely had enough time to flinch back when Prompto sat up so quickly as if he was electrocuted. His light blue eyes shines with mirth as he smile widely at Noctis. “Really? Oh, can I record it!? Pretty please!? just between us I swear! It’ll be a great memory to look back to when we’re older!” Prompto eagerly inquires, face mere inches from the other boy. Prompto may not notice the difference but Noctis is acutely aware yet is too frozen to do anything except for muttering an awkward, “Uuuuhhh…” which garner a loud laugh from the blond before properly sits up beside the red faced prince. “Alright, alright, I’ll go but it’s straight to the movies once we’re back in Insomnia, ok? Popcorns on me since you’ll cover the tickets” Prompto feels his spirit a little higher now that his best friend has promised to spend time doing what he likes. It’s a shame that Noctis holds no appreciation for romance movies. At least he and Gladio had something else in common beside their mutual joy of running though he draws the line on joining Gladio’s crazy intense workout regimen. “Anyway, is Iggy on the way with the pizzas already? I’m starving!” Checking the time on his phone, Noctis felt the taunt in his cheeks relax. Prompto tend to ignore the meaning of personal space as it comes with his friendly personality and the ability to make people at ease around him. It never meant anything more but genuine, harmless, free-for-all affection and that made it hard for Noctis to chide him. Nor did he want the blond to suspect just how he truly feels for his best friend. Pocketing his phone away, Noctis grab the TV remote from the coffee table in front of them before replying, “Ignis should be here in another ten minutes with Gladio. He mentioned about picking something up from Iris back home.” With a yawn, his feet are prepped onto the coffee table and the TV flicker to life. Prompto had suggested that all four of them have a sleepover as a treat for surviving high school during their long hours of graduation rehearsal and Noctis didn’t see any harm in it. Noctis added that they should spend the night with video game competitions, stuffing their faces with pizzas, sodas and other unhealthy junk food that had Ignis’ hands twitching and frowning so deeply that one has to wonder if it’ll ever become permanent on the man’s face and getting shit face with the alcohols that Gladio will graciously provide. So despite how exhausted he fell to the very bones, Prompto is looking forward to the sleepover at Noctis’ luxurious apartment. He had brought over a duffel bag containing his clothes, extra phone charger and toiletries in the afternoon after leaving a simple note to his adopted parents should they ever return to the Crown City from their business trip. The boys then spend the rest of the day either napping or playing King’s Knight. The clock hanging on the wall reads 8.30 PM and while waiting for Noctis’ Royal Advisor and Shield to show up, Prompto went to the kitchen to fix themselves a pot of hot coffee while Noctis absentmindedly went through several TV channels for something vaguely entertaining. True to the prince’s word and Ignis’ ever impeccable timing, the royal retinues finally arrive at the apartment. Noctis got up from the couch with a reluctant grunt when the doorbell rings for the third time since Prompto was still busy in the kitchen. “You both have the keys to my apartment.” Noctis said in lieu of greeting. He wanted to make it glaring obvious to the both of them that he didn’t appreciate getting up from the couch. Ignis raise an eyebrow at the rather grumpy prince but wasn’t at all bothered by his sullen tone. “While we certainly could, there is no harm that the owner of the apartment to personally greet his guests.” When Noctis was about to made a retort, Ignish breezes past him into the apartment with the boxes of pizza and added, “Take it as one of your etiquette lessons, Noct. Your royal - shall I say - charm could use the extra practice.” Noctis frown turn into a scowl when Gladio roughly nudge him, laughing loudly as he sauntered into the apartment after Ignis. “Iggy got you good there, Prince Charmless.” Gladio teases. He place the large brown paper bags containing bottles of liquors onto the dining table next to the tower of pizza boxes. Ignis had left for the kitchen where Prompto was; their conversations travel into the living room. The sound of the glass bottles clinking against one another made him curious. Shutting the door close behind him, Noctis peered into the bags to inspect what kind of beverages that Gladio had bought for the night. Said Shield was quick to stop Noctis from taking a bottle out. “Ah, ah, no peeking. Don’t want to ruin the surprise I have for you guys later tonight.” Gladio had his trademark trust-me-and-you-will-drive-straight-off-a-cliff kind of grin on his face that had Noctis’ suspicion meter raise above the average level instantly. “...Is it going to involve me climbing up a damn chimney in the middle of the night like last time?” Noctis ask, narrowing his eyes at the older man who had the audacity to grin even widely. “Nah, nothing like that. Just harmless fun is all.” “I should hope not. The last thing we need is another harrowing escape from the public officers for illegal trespassing and vandalizing private property.” “Dude, I still can’t believe that none of them managed to take our photos! I mean, we were like a bunch of headless chocobos at that time; running everywhere, screaming, crying! I thought it was crappy jail food and dangerous, creepy cellmates for the rest of my life!” “I’ll have you know, Prompto, that I did not scream. I was too busy trying to help our prince when he failed to warp down from that blasted chimney while Gladio was too busy laughing.” “You gotta admit something, Iggy. Prompto should’ve record the whole thing.” “What is this? Make fun of the Crown Prince night? You guys are my retinues! Shouldn’t you two be showing me some respect or something?” “I’ll show you respect when you could actually beat me in a spar, Noct. Until then, I’m gonna keep laughing whenever you screw up.” Gladio laugh once more when Noctis flips him off. Their sleepover begin with the two ravenous boys tearing into the food and sodas while Ignis and Gladio eat at a much calmer pace, asking about the others’ day. Their day had been uneventful as usual; Gladio had his training and Ignis was overseeing any informations regarding Noctis lessons in the Citadel and his own training with Gladio. The evening is pleasantly warm with the full moon hanging high above the starless sky. It was still early and people are milling about outside of the apartment, tending to their own lives and routines but since the King of Lucis had purchase the entire apartment for his son after a long and tiring discussion about his desire to live outside of the Citadel, none of the noises from down below could reach into Noctis’ penthouse despite the windows being wide open. After dinner and the cleanup at Ignis’ behest, the four of them retreat the living room where they begin setting up the area for their sleepover. They push several furnitures to the sides so there would be a large empty clearing in the centre of the living room. Afterwards, Prompto and Noctis cover it with pillows, thin mattresses and blankets - quickly making a mess of the once neat and pristine living room. The three of them - the prince, Shield and best friend - promise the disgruntled Ignis that they will clean everything up tomorrow morning before they left for the Citadel. As the hours grew late, the four of them change into their comfortable slacks before playing rounds after rounds of video games; Prompto increasingly becoming competitive which lead Gladio and Noctis to take the match seriously. It soon began a high stake game when a bet is declared after Prompto’s seventh executive wins - losers has to submit to the winner’s whims for an entire day. Noctis wanted a totally lazy day; free of all royal duties, lessons and training, Prompto wanted to take their pictures with his camera, posing in every embarrassing manner that he could think of and Gladio was as predictable as the boys suspected; longer sparring time for the three of them and a 3 vs 1 fight afterwards. In hindsight, they should have probably realize that none of them would end up as the winner when Ignis was oddly quiet during the entire intense gaming match. Cursing, shouting and laughter were thrown all over the place but Ignis remain impeccably quiet and cool. Needless to say that Ignis wins the final round against Prompto - in a first person shooting game. The guys stares at the Royal Adviser, eyes bugged wide open and mouths slack jaw. When Ignis said nothing and merely give the speechless trio a smug smirk, Noctis demanded a rematch while Gladio raise his palms out in surrender, grinning all the way. Prompto dramatically flung his controller away and fell back against the mattress and tower of pillows, crying out that he has lost his honour. Ignis made it a lot worse when he refused to state what he wanted them to do; the bespectacled man find it humorous keeping the trio on edge. “Now, now, Noctis, don’t pout.” Ignis nonchalantly chide the prince when he refuse to answer him. “It’s unbecoming for a young man of your status. Now then, shall we watch some movies? I’ve brought a couple that we might all enjoy.” “Heck yeah! I’ll go grab the popcorns!” Prompto exclaim excitedly and made a dash to the kitchen. “Is it a romance movie, Iggy?” Gladio curiously inquires him while Ignis was helping Noctis to dim the lights and shutting the windows close. It was known to the three of them how much the muscled man loves the romance genre. “Urgh, can we not watch a chick flick? I’m going to watch the new romance movie in the cinema with Prompto once we return from Galdin Quay and I’d rather you spare me from a premature death.” Noctis whine, settling back into the warm comfort of his blankets. Gladio was about to playfully made fun of Noctis’ lack of romance in his life but instead choose to tease him with the new tidbit. “Sounds like you two are going on a date.” Gladio smirk when Noctis’ cheeks are dusted in red. “It’s Prompto, Gladio; we’re just hanging out. Like usual.” Noctis hiss in defence, eyes darting towards the kitchen in case said blond suddenly pops out. “But you want it to be more.” Gladio presses, eyebrows wiggling suggestively that had Noctis’ blush deepens. Luckily, Noctis was save by Ignis. The man sighs and send a look to Gladio that said, ‘don’t push it, idiot.’ “Perhaps you two should not talk about Prompto behind his back? I’m sure you are aware that he has insecurities a mile long and it would not help if he finds out that you two are discussing about him away from his vicinity.” Ignis advises before returning his attention back to setting the video game console aside and hooking the necessary cables into the player. And just like that, the topic was drop. Which was a relief to Noctis when said blond return to their nest soon after, somehow managing to carry three bowls full of popcorns without spilling. Ignis warn them not to make a mess of their sleeping quarter after Prompto handed a bowl of hot buttered popcorn to Gladio and Noctis; he and Ignis are more than happy to share. With the mood sets right and everyone is comfortable - Prompto is situated between Noctis and Ignis while Gladio is reclining on the couch behind them - they began the movie marathon. The four of them watch every genres available, each of them satisfied with Ignis’ choice of movies. A mix of comedy/romance for Prompto and Gladio, mindless action for Noctis and a surprisingly two hour long of horror that had Prompto unconsciously cuddle close to Noctis, squeezing the life out of the poor prince who is torn between warping away and curling his arm around him to comfort his best friend/crush. Alas, warping would involve throwing his weapons and Noctis didn’t want to cause a scene or startle the frighten blond; Gladio would never let it down if that ever happens. Heaving a long sigh, Noctis send a quick mental prayer to the Six before daring to envelope Prompto closer to him. He internally cheer when Prompto didn’t pull away and instead, rested his chin on his shoulder; his eyes glued to the TV. Noctis heard Gladio snorted loudly behind him but was thankful that he didn’t say anything. It was almost early in the morning when they call it a night. Once the horror movie ended and the empty bowls were placed in the sink to wash when they woke up, the lights and TV were switch off. With a tired yawn from Prompto, he sleepily bid everyone goodnight and is the first one to doze off with a soft snore; exhaustion finally overwhelm him. Under the gentle light of the full moon flittered through the curtains, Prompto appears ethereal and beautiful despite his freckles. If anything, it made the blond a lot more magical to Noctis. He just can’t seem to tear his eyes away from his best friend. He quietly shuffle closer towards him for a better view. “Real subtle there, Noct.” Came a whisper from the couch. “Shut up, Gladio.” Noctis whisper back. Why couldn’t his Shield just fall asleep already? “It’s three in the morning and your father would like to spend some time with you before his daily sessions with the Council begin, Noctis. Please try to rest before you worry His Majesty needlessly.” Ignis interject, startling the two of them. Mumbling a quiet apology to him, Noctis closes his eyes; enjoying the warmth emitting from Prompto. At that moment, the night is peaceful and Noctis couldn’t be happier having his friends close with him. The long strands of hair in His chubby fingers are as soft as silk; almost liquid-like really. It fascinate Him so much so that He refused to release them and continue to tug as hard as He could. A deep, amused laughter rumble from behind Him. It send a wave of warmth and safety through His small body. Sitting on a sturdy lap with a strong arm securing Him in His place, He had never felt more safe and happy. The scene that They were in is picturesque. A wonderful and beautiful world as if taken out of a fairytale. Soft glowing trees that were devoid of leaves yet mesmerizing all the same. Tiny little orbs of lights dance all around Them - one even tickled His tiny nose, making Him sneeze. Soft lights from a faraway memory and life shine down from the open ceiling above. In front of Them is a large, clear crystal lake that reflects the light. There are threads of green carrying multiple muffled voices hovers in the air. The only sound that echos the realm is His nonsensical mumbling and the occasional chuckle from behind Him. He ignores the feather soft kiss deliver on top of His head, still in favour of the silver clumps of hair within His grasp. When the solid wall of chest lean slightly back, the arm around His stomach gently pull Him behind so that He is leaning comfortably. Here in this world hidden between reality and dreams, where life, death and time could not enter, nothing could ever disturb Them. “My Son, My world… We will be with you for all eternity. There is no where in this universe that you can hide from Us.” Nuzzling the wispy blond locks, He emits a loud, happy shriek. With some effort, He struggle until the arm around Him loosen only slightly so He could shakily stands up on the lap. When He hunch his back forward, a pair of short and plump arms wrap around His neck in an attempt to hug the God. The God hum in contentment, wrapping His own arms around the little body. “You are the symbol of Our Love in the flesh. Just like your Father, I will never let you stray away.” The God blinks when a sudden familiar presence send a warm tingle throughout His body. The little one on his lap, who also felt the presence, squeal once more and began fidgeting excitedly. He gingerly maneuvered His Son so that He faces the lake in front of them once more. They watch as a single white feather descend from the multi coloured sky and landed on the centre of the lake, causing a powerful ripple on the surface of the water. “Speaking of your Father…” The silver haired God murmur. That was when a giant shadow in a shape of a wing shade Them from the light. With a coo, He open his palm and the white feather floats towards Him. It was the softest thing that ever - and will forever - exist and the feeling of it brushing against His palm made him giggle. The shadow of the wing gradually grew smaller and They felt the presence approaching. He look up to see a pair of blue eyes staring down at Him with warmth and love that - Prompto startle awake not with a gasp or shout but with tears streaming down his face and his heart empty. He sat up, confused and disoriented. His body still feels weary and judging from the light emitting through the curtains, it’s still hours away from dawn. Despite the obnoxiously loud snores coming from Gladio, Ignis and Noctis are fast asleep. Prompto warily touch his wet cheeks, his heart is not racing nor his nerves jumpy. Rubbing the tears away with the hem of his sleeves, all traces of sleepiness had vanish. Much to his irritation. With a sigh, Prompto carefully got up, making sure not to rouse any of his friends from their slumber and made his way to the outside balcony. Shutting the sliding glass door without so much as a sound, Prompto lean against the steel railing and simply stare at the ground below. At such early hour in the morning, there was no one loitering about. The streets were completely empty. Insomnia is as silent as a cemetery; a thought that would have frighten the blond but instead, Prompto felt absolutely nothing. No fear, happiness, melancholy, sadness - nothing. It was a jarring experience as Prompto had never felt so devoid of emotion before. The night breeze is warm and the silence fills his world. If the moon did not accompany him at that moment, he would’ve feel so suffocated. A tap on the glass door had Prompto shift his attention to the living room. Surprised, there is Noctis standing there with a small smile on his face. “Hey.” “Hey…” The sliding door close behind him as Noctis stands beside him. The prince frown when he sees how red Prompto’s eyes are. Feeling a little self-conscious at his blatant stare, Prompto turn his gaze away from Noctis. “Are you alright?” Noctis asks, concern for his best friend. “Nightmares?” “I.. I don’t know.” Prompto admit after a brief hesitation. He figured being honest would placate Noctis somewhat. “I can’t remember though. Don’t worry about it, dude. You go ahead and sleep; I’ll go back in soon.” Noctis bit his lower lip. Without another word, he left the blonde alone in the balcony. Prompto did not expect him to return soon after with a bottle of clear liquid and two dessert wine glasses. He handed him a glass which Prompto accept wordlessly. “Gladio brought some alcohols earlier. Said it’s for a surprise but I think he got too caught up with the video game tournament and forgot about it.” Noctis explain. With a boyish grin he shrugs, “More for us then.” Prompto inspect the bottle while Noctis unscrew the cork. Prompto’s eyes widen after reading the name on the bottle. The shape of the bottle and colour of the liquid should have told Prompto just how expensive the drink is but the label written in large, elegant cursive finally sink into him. “Dude, this is Altissian’s made! Sultry Legacy?” “Yup.” With a final heave, the cork was finally pull out. “I’ve seen a bottle in my dad’s private cabinet; he only brought out the drinks there for Clarus and his closest friends. Dad explained it’s the most expensive red wine in all Eos and only seven of these has ever been put in the market. Not even the richest noble family in Insomnia could ever buy a bottle.” Prompto whistle, impressed. The two of them had never drank a drop of liquor before and their first time will be the most expensive wine on the planet? Prompto remind himself to thank Gladio as soon as the man wakes up for bringing it over. Noctis pour the drink into their glasses before carefully placing the bottle on the railing. “To us?” “To us!” The boys toasted and Prompto downed the wine in one shot while Noctis slowly sips. The moment that the alcohol hits his tongue, a mixture of light sweet and sharp spice fruit-like taste overwhelms him. The fruit wasn’t the only thing that Prompto could taste but it was the only thing that he knew off; the rest were foreign to him. It was delicious and he felt a warm buzz coursing through him. No wonder Noctis choose to savour the the wine. Personally Prompto thinks that the bottle certainly worth the gil. “Wow… I bet Ignis would love this!” Prompto exclaim, staring down in his glass. It was as if it contain bright, liquid ruby. “This goes right with his style!” Noctis hum in agreement. Cradling the glass, his head lower slightly and with a solemn voice, Noctis said, “Hey Prompto? I don't think I'd ever said it before but... thanks. For being my friend.” The blond tilt his head to a side; curious and a little worry at his best friend’s tone. He didn’t want to push - not yet anyway - about what’s bugging the prince. He recalled the sullen and withdrawn child he first laid his eyes on when they were still children and the teenager that stood so awkwardly and speechless when Prompto finally gain the courage to approach him. Their friendship strengthens over time as he became Noctis’ closest thing to a normal life. And so the best way Prompto could assure him is by always remind Noctis about one tiny fact: “Don’t even mention it. I’ll always be your friend, Noct.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Throughout his years of friendship with Noctis, Prompto had the pleasure of personally learning that king Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII, is an amazing monarch as well as a humourous and protective father to not just his son, but towards all three of his friends as well. If Prompto was brave enough, he would even admit out loud that their monarch could be a mother hen to those he deems are in need of fierce cuddling and doting. Even ‘till this day he has problem believing when Noctis told him how worried his father was when he heard that Ignis was bedridden for a week because of a fever and that he had even made a personal visit to the man’s home to check on him, much to Ignis’ horror. Despite the long, tiring war against Niflheim and their forces, the king remain strong and steadfast by maintaining the Wall that isolated Insomnia with the power of the Crystal. Making the capital city of Lucis the only remaining land free of the Imperial’s reign. Noctis had once told him of a price that his father pays daily in order to protect the citizens within the Wall. Using the Crystal eats away his life, making the king age rapidly as a side effects. Prompto could never forget the sad and frustrated look on his friend’s face that day. It was clear that Noctis felt hopeless as there’s nothing that he could do to help the king and he knew that one day, if the war doesn’t claim his father’s life, the Ring of Lucii will. That night when they were on the couch at Noctis’ apartment with his best friend’s head on his shoulder as they stare at the blank screen of the TV, Noctis quietly confessed that the thought of him ascending to the throne frightens him. The expectations of his father, his retinues and the entire kingdom on him to stand as strong and proud as his predecessors; to be a monarch respect by his people and with the power to protect them - Noctis just couldn’t see himself becoming a man that the world wanted. Every passing birthday serves as a reminder that the throne is one year closer, his father one step closer to death’s door and he could do nothing else but to accept his fate. As Prompto silently listen to Noctis’ secret thoughts and worries, all he could offer his friend was comfort by squeezing his hand throughout the night; giving him a silent assurance that although he couldn’t relate to the prince, he will always stand at his side for as long as Noctis would have him. In terms of hopelessness, Prompto suppose he could relate to his friend somewhat over situations completely out of their capability. Noctis wanted nothing more than his father to be happy and healthy while Prompto wishes that he could do more for Noctis instead of just being his best friend. Which is why the blond didn’t think twice when Gladio suggest that as the Crown Prince’s best friend, Prompto needed to learn how to fight. Not just for protecting Noctis but also himself. Prompto thought that Noctis would be proud of his decision but the hard and sad glint in his eyes when Prompto told him made the grin on his freckled face slowly slips away. Things were awkward between them for sometime after that - Noctis refused to explain to him why he was upset with Prompto’s training and no matter how much the blond tried to invoke some sort of answer from the prince, Noctis shuts down as tight as a clam. The tension obviously did not went unnoticed by Ignis and Gladio. Fed up with the boys tiptoeing around them, they decide to addressed the two separately; Gladio went to talk to Noctis after their spar while Ignis sat Prompto down, calmly asking him about the tiff with the prince. Making sure that Prompto was properly comfortable in front of him, it didn’t take long for the blond to spill his frustrations and worries over Noctis when there was a plate of Tenebrean desserts between them. From Noctis’ end, the prince admitted that he felt guilty. He would never regret his friendship with Prompto but it wasn’t until his friend began his training with the Crownsguard that he realize the danger that would follow Prompto just because of their association. And because of that, Noctis was left in a stalemate; he didn’t want to lose Prompto by ending their friendship but at the same time, he didn’t want to endanger the blond. Unlike Gladio and Ignis, Prompto is a normal civilian. It was a valid concern. Ignis and Gladio decide to switch the boys and tried to appeal them what the other truly felt. Gladio urged Prompto to try to put himself in Noctis’ position, of a person who never truly had the privilege to be with someone just because he wants to and Ignis coax Noctis to try and understand Prompto’s feeling of inadequacy when he is constantly surround by people of important status. When the duo arrive to check on the boys in the apartment and heard laughter from behind the door, they smile knowing that Noctis and Prompto had solve their issue. Unbeknownst to all four of them, King Regis was aware of the dark storm hanging above his beloved son’s head during the prince sparse visit to the Citadel; when he gave Prompto the cold shoulders. It may be short but it was enough for the concerned father to snoop into business that was not his matter. Coincidentally, that was how Prompto actually meet the King of Lucis for the very first time. Prompto was at a park near his house, trying to capture the sun sinking underneath the horizon behind Insomnia with his trusty camera. He had said goodbye to Noctis for the day, promising to hang out with the prince tomorrow and rather than returning to an empty home, he decided to spend some time doing the things that made him happy. It help staved off the loneliness that lingers in the absence of his adopted parents. There were a few people about in the park while Prompto was taking shots - there was a couple seating underneath a tree happily conversing with one another, a group of kids playing hide-and-seek, a lady enjoying herself with a good book beside the fountain and a jogger running with a dog beside him. Prompto certainly had fun in the liveliness of the park. Only when the sky is a canvas of bright orange hue with an approaching shade of black did Prompto decided to treat himself with some ice - cream before heading home. There was a vendor near the entrance of the park that sold various flavour of ice - creams at a cheap price. Not only were they cheap but tasty too, in the blond’s opinion. Giving the owner a small smile, Prompto requested for a cup of vanilla ice - cream sprinkled with dark chocolate chips. People were slowly exiting the park when the streetlights began to switched on. And that was when the most unlikely circumstances to ever exist in Prompto’s young life occurred. It’s been awhile since Prompto could indulge himself with eating unhealthy food - he had to watch out for his weight after all - and the last dessert he had was a fudge cake that he shared with Gladio and Noctis. And even then he struggled not to ate more than a slice. So you have to forgive him when Prompto was a bit occupied with his frozen treat to notice a man was suddenly standing beside him, holding his own cup of strawberry sundae with a wafer stick sticking out. “I’ve never seen a young man such as yourself enjoying his ice - cream so enthusiastically.” With the plastic spoon midway to his open mouth, Prompto froze before his eyes glanced to the side. A tall man with silver gray hair gave him a warm smile. Prompto made a quick note that he had a simple, wooden walking cane supporting him and that he was dressed in a set of casual clothing that somehow made him stands out as a silver fox. He’s vaguely familiar but Prompto couldn’t quite put his finger as to why. What bothered him the most is that Prompto itched for his camera; he wanted to immortalized this handsome stranger. It took him a full five minute for Prompto to realize that the stranger was talking to him. “O-Oh, yeah! Normally I don’t really eat ice - creams but… you know. A little treat here and there doesn’t harm anyone.” Prompto grin sheepishly. Scooping up the frozen vanilla in the cup, he quickly shove the spoon into his mouth before he says anything embarrassing. The man hums, as if in deep thoughts. Shifting his balance with the walking cane, he said, “Would you mind indulging this old man with your company? It’s not often that I’m on my own and yet, the absence of my dear friends feels a bit too melancholy for my taste.” He ended with a forlorn sigh. “Sure!” Prompto beams, the stranger seems harmless anyway. With a playful wink, he added, “If you don’t mind me taking a photo of you in return. I’m a professional photographer you see and I just can’t let a silver fox escape my camera.” The man blinked, startled at such bold and open compliment that it had him laughing heartily. Even the vendor owner cracks a smile. “Is that so? Young man, your words do wonder for one’s ego.” The stranger chuckle. “I’m happy to know that I managed to aged so gracefully in your eyes.” Once his laughter faded away, his mouth tilted into a sad smile. “Though I’m afraid my son will disagree with you. He tried his best to hide it but I can see the worried glint in his eyes whenever he visits me.” Prompto’s grin fell from his face. “Well…” He begins slowly. “It means that he loves you, right? I mean, I would be too if I see a few more wrinkles on my dad whenever I sees him.” Here the man huffed indignantly though there was a spark of amusement in his eyes. “What happen to ‘silver fox’?” “A-Ah, you’re still good looking even in your age though! Wrinkles? I can barely see them! You’re still handsome; trust me! Ack, don’t take that the wrong way! I’m not coming on to you! I just - shut it, Prompto.” Prompto cursed himself. His cheeks were burning hot and he couldn’t bear looking at the stranger. This time, the vendor owner let out a full blown laugh along with the silver haired man. “Is there a shovel somewhere? I’d like to bury myself now.” Prompto muttered, the tips of his ears were bright red as his face. Not even the cold ice - cream that he’s feverently shoving into his mouth could sooth his warm face. “Young man, I haven’t had the pleasure of laughing so freely in such a while.” The stranger told Prompto after wiping the tears from his eyes. “The last time it was when my son smack his face against a glass door because he was too distracted by a displayed bracelet in a shop.” The man shook his head at the fond memory. Prompto smile tentatively, relieve that the man was not offended by his blunders. After that, the pair moved to seat on a vacant wooden bench and continue their idle conversation there. The stars and moon were peeking out above them by the time their ice - creams were polished off and plastic cups discarded into a nearby bin. The man politely ask how Prompto was doing - is he happy? Healthy? Fatherly concerns that had Prompto feel warm inside. Prompto also learned from their interaction that the man’s pride and joy is his only child - the way how he grins whenever he recalled fond memories of their outing, the frustrated deep sighs of a father when his son landed himself in trouble and the wistful smiles for the times that he couldn’t be there for him. Now, Prompto doesn’t know a lot of people in a very open and familiar manner (sans Gladio and Ignis) but he does know Noctis and he knows how to handle the sullen prince thanks to their years of friendship. So whenever said prince is in a bad mood, Prompto would try his best to distract him from whatever that weighs him down; even if it’s only for a short while. And so Prompto applied what he has learned from being Noctis’ friend onto the man. When he deems that the silence was far too long between them, Prompto inquires - with what he hope is a comforting smile - if the man beside him would like a photo to give to his son. The man agrees with a grateful nod. “Should I stand in a particular pose or…” The man asks. “No, no, a candid shot is a nice photo to give to family or friends.” Prompto reply, switching on his camera, he stood a few feet away from the man. The gentle light of the street lamps and shadows beneath the man’s feet made him stood out spectacularly in the viewfinder. Prompto briefly wondered if he would ever meet a man as photogenic as the stranger seated in front of him. The man doesn’t even required Prompto to use a filter to make him look good. “It shows how you truly are and folks usually loved those.” Bringing the camera up close to his face, Prompto began taking a few shots. When he reviewed the pictures, he couldn’t help but whistle softly. “Were you a model when you were younger? You'd make a killer portfolio; like, seriously. No one should be this gorgeous.” The words flew out of his mouth before he could realize it but unlike earlier, Prompto didn’t feel embarrassed. Credits are where they are due, after all. The man shook his head though his smile never left his face. “You are much too kind, young man.” The man then requested to view what pictures Prompto had took earlier in the day once he sat down again. While he was holding the camera, Prompto noticed that the man wore a black ring. “My son has an album where he diligently puts away the photos that his friend gifted him.” The man said. “I saw him looking through them while I was passing the garden; I could never forget the gentle look on his face that day. It was an expression that I’ve never seen before and it made me terribly curious. My son is possessive of him you see; not once did he ever offer to introduce his friend to me. The only reason I knew his name is because of a slipped up he made during dinner.” “He sounds selfish.” Prompto commented with a raised eyebrow. The man snorted and handed the camera back to him. “Oh, he is indeed. But I would like to believe that he’s growing out of it for the sake of his friends. I’d imagine that he could be quite a handful to them.” Prompto snickered, thinking how Ignis and Gladio had to look after Noctis. Most of the time Noctis can be agreeable and calm to care for but there are days when he let out a full temper tantrum by silencing his phone and dragging Prompto to a diner that they had never been before and just spend their time there; ignoring Ignis’ frantic calls and Gladio threats to pick up his damn phone already. Prompto snap his attention back to the man when he speaks again. “I think that my son has been fighting with his friend recently. He would mentioned his name with a small scowl when we talk and refused to say any further when I had try to ask. It worries me as their friendship is one of the few joys that he has. What is a father suppose to do?” The man sighs and tap a finger on his walking cane. Prompto scratched his cheek, thinking of the best way to answer. “It sucks when friends fight; I mean, I had one with my best buddy but we managed to talked it out pretty well. So I guess you should just wait and see how it goes before you steps in.” The blond was surprise when the man smiled sheepishly; as if he was embarrassed. “Ah… I will consider your advice next time then. It seems I acted too brashly. Since my son kept refusing to discuss his grievance with me, I set up a plan where I could meet his friend while he’s visiting home. The poor boy must be so confused to find his father is missing.” He sniggered. Prompto nod and wondered if the man had already met the ‘mysterious friend’ of his son before coming to the park. He must’ve lived nearby if that was the case. It was rather sly of the man to meet with him behind his son’s back; serve him right for hiding him like some sort of a secret affair. Funny enough, Noctis is actually in the Citadel right now to meet with the king. Prompto remembered that Noctis had mention that it was rare of his father to request him to be in the Citadel after he had just visited in less than a month. A thought flitted through the blond’s head. A quiet ‘what-if’ echoes in his mind. It was so absurd that it just can't be... right? There’s just no freakin’ way that - Prompto immediately glance aside to studied the man closely. He used a walking cane which everyone in Insomnia knows that their king also relies on. But so does a million other people with a crippling foot. He has a black ring but for the life of Prompto, he couldn’t actually recalled how the Ring of Lucii looks like as he only saw a handful of it in the TV. But when Prompto tries to view the stranger in a younger face and with an open mind, he could actually spots Noctis’ features on him. “Hmmm? Is something the matter, young man?” The man asks when he caught Prompto’s mortifying stare. “Ummm… just… just give me a second.” Prompto shakily reply before taking out a phone and calling his best friend’s number. There’s just no way! Prompto’s panicked mind screams. There’s just no way that I’ve been having ice - creams with the freaking King of Lucis of all people! Ok, chill Prompto, you’re over-reacting like usual. There’s no way the king could simply walk out of the Citadel without the glaives or anybody knowing. Sure, he’s not wearing his trademark suit and cape but - wait. Has the king ever wear anything beside suits and cape in public? Shit, shit - “Prompto?” His call was picked up and Noctis’ voice came through the phone. The blond was about to attack his friend’s ear with a barrage of questions when he was quickly cut off. “Dude, this really isn’t the best time.” Noctis said absentmindedly. Prompto could hear voices shouting and footsteps running in the background. That just add more to his already frayed nerves. “My dad, he’s - ” A paused and then, “What do you mean you can’t find him!? How the fuck do you all lose him!? How long has he been fucking missing!? He’s the king for Astrals’ sake! He can’t just walk out of the doors without anyone noticing! Even his gold cane is still in the throne room!” Prompto wince when Noctis all but shrieked in his ear. Any other time or day Prompto would’ve laugh at how bewildered his friend sounded but with a man that he’s beginning to think is responsible for the chaos in the Citadel and the prince in full blown panic, he just couldn’t control his mouth. “Dude, I think I just hit on your dad.” A trembling breath and then, “Like… twice.” Prompto really didn’t like how quiet Noctis was. The sable haired young man didn’t stayed that way for long however and Prompto’s ear paid the price. “What do you mean you hit on my dad!? Why are you hitting on my dad!? Why are you with my dad!?” Noctis demanded. Prompto was beginning to feel overwhelmed when the background noises began to increase and his best friend’s shrieks began to give him a headache. “Prompto, where are - ” Prompto hit the end call button without thinking. His heart was beating against the ribcage so violently that he genuinely fears it would burst out of his chest and Prompto would be forced to stare down at his bloodied heart twitching on the pavement floor in front of him. That was the most morbid thought that Prompto had ever entertained and he prayed that he won’t throw up. He would’ve chuck his buzzing phone far away if it weren’t for the chortle that startled him. “I guess that’s my cue to return home.” The man - King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII - said in good nature, as if the frantic voice of his son amused him to no end, and stood up with the help of the cane. Turning to Prompto, the king gave him a heartwarming smile. “I had a wonderful time, Prompto. I’m happy to know that Noctis has such a kind friend like you and it lightens my heart that he will no longer be lonely as he was during his childhood.” Prompto could only watch, speechless and in disbelief awed, when Noctis’ father walk away. Prompto thinks that enough is enough; he just couldn’t have anymore heart attack in a single day! But the king stops and addressed him once more. “Be sure to inform Noctis when you have some free time. I would like to bring the two of you to my favourite ice - cream parlour sometime in the near future. They made the best sundaes in my personal opinion. Oh and don’t worry, it will be my treat.” With a wave, king Regis left. The walk back home was a blur but Prompto mentally pat himself in the back when he managed to safely lie on his bed before screaming into a pillow. He solemnly swore to himself that he would do his damn best to avoid Noctis starting tomorrow. Prompto’s training with the Crownsguard has been going rather slowly. Gladio had explained it’s because as a civilian, he wasn’t brought up with the importance of weapon training or taught of its’ importance. Though that didn’t stop the burly man from holding back during their one-to-one training. When they first began his training, the blond discovered that he had a knack for guns; it helps that he had a pair of good eyes for far away and moving targets. Not to mention that he was light on his feet from all the running that he does daily as exercise and since he was pretty knowledgeable in the subject of machinery and Science, Noctis had suggested that Prompto try his hands on them too. Who knows if it will give him an extra advantage against enemies and monsters? With his preferred weapons set and after Noctis had shared his royal magic with him, Prompto began his training as a member of the Crownsguard. The first month, however, was unpleasant to the blond in more ways than one. It was no secret that the Crown Prince’s best friend is a normal civilian since Noctis often brought him to the Citadel after his father had went behind his back to personally meet Prompto; without notifying anyone or bringing his phone with him. That was a night no one would ever forget and Noctis felt a vindictive satisfaction when Clarus refused to spoke to his father for nearly a month after that fiasco. In just a few weeks Prompto is already well-known among the staffs in the Citadel and even to a few Nobles according to Ignis’ remark while they were watching Noctis sparred with Gladio on a sunny afternoon. The gunner blanched at the thought of such attention. Even now he still feels a little uncomfortable when servants would open doors for him and attend to his questions instead of deftly ignoring him. Noctis assured him that he’ll get used to it but Prompto seriously doubt it when he saws the mixed reaction on the Crownsguards’ faces when he first joined them. Whispers of him trying to garner the prince’s favour and advantages never fails to follow him whenever he was in the training halls or arena. There were also suspicion due to the fact that Prompto is proficient with guns; something that is rare among them and it’s a fact that the Niflheim’s army uses firearms and machine-based weapons. For the first few weeks of his training sessions in the Citadel, Prompto could pretend that the not so subtle whispers or the judging stares didn’t bothered him. It was difficult but it went to the point that Prompto was isolated from the other Crownsguard due to their differences. While most of them were sons from Noble families or those who received training since their childhood, Prompto only enter their ranks at the prince’s Shield behest and that already made him stood out among them. For his peace of mind, if Prompto wasn’t training alongside Noctis, Ignis or Gladio, he would train by himself in the shooting range when it’s empty. And that’s how he found himself on a Friday evening in a vacant shooting range. The king had included Noctis in one of their Council session of the day. Noctis had grumbled to him that it was practice for him as he had to familiarize himself with the transition of status. A prince will one day becomes a king after all. Prompto had replied that once his training finishes, they would hang out in Noctis’ bedroom playing King’s Knights. That placated his friend somewhat and so with Ignis in tow, the two of them vanished behind the meeting room’s doors. Prompto was left all alone in the Citadel as Gladio went home to visit Iris. Without Gladio harping him, Prompto purposely waited until the Crownsguard went on a break before begin his own training. He perform better without the words and stares. With a shooting muffs slapped onto his head, Prompto loaded his gun and aim at the many targets in front of him, all in different range. With a gun in his hands and the silence around him, Prompto lost himself in his focus. He wondered if it’s therapeutic for channelling his frustrations onto the lifeless targets; Gladio seems a lot happier after a good round of spar when he’s in a bad mood. He was slipping a new loaded clip into the gun when a hand fell on his right shoulder. “Just a sec.” Prompto said. He placed the gun away and remove the muffs from his ears before turning. His blue eyes bugged wide when the Marshal is standing beside him with his sheathed katana in one hand. “S-Sir! W-Why are you - is there s-something you need?” The blond nervously stammered. He had never seen Cor before in the Citadel despite being an elite member of the Crownsguard so he was considerably jittery having this legendary man standing next to him. The man’s attention was on the spent targets, however. He was studying them - most of it had a single, precise shot on the head and others were between the eyes. “Come with me.” He finally said. “H-huh?” The Marshal nudge his head towards the door and went on ahead. Prompto followed him closely behind, unsure what else to do. The man in front nodded to those briskly saluted him as they walk out of the Citadel while Prompto would awkwardly smile when he caught their eyes. It was only when they were heading to a familiar, sand-filled arena did Prompto couldn’t help but blurted out, “Is this the Kingsglaive training ground!?” They only stop walking once they were standing in the centre of the arena. The wind was thankfully mild but that didn’t ease Prompto’s nervousness at all. At least he couldn’t catch any glimpse of a Glaive loitering about. He had just recently learn about the rivalry between the Kingsglaive and the Crownsguard and in Prompto’s unacknowledged opinion, it was purely petty from both parties and he had no intention of joining in the fray. “Prompto Argentum, is it?” Cor suddenly inquires. The blond clicked his boots together and straighten his back. “Yes, sir!” Gladio’s military teaching switch on to life. “You’re pretty handy with the gun despite only having a few months of training. It’s good that the prince has people of different skills to protect him.” Cor commented. Prompto grins but the Marshal wasn’t finish yet. “From the reports I’ve read, you mostly train with prince Noctis and his retinues so I bet that you’re pretty familiar with their fighting styles by now.” With a hesitant nod from Prompto, Cor continued, “And judging from the results in the shooting range, you have better eye sights then most people. With more training, you’d no doubt be a formidable warrior in your own right.” Prompto gaped. He seriously didn’t think that he would be getting praises by Cor the Immortal when he woke up this morning. Unfortunately, his flushed face turn dramatically pale when the Marshal suddenly drop the bomb on him: “Which is why for today, you will be training with me.” Oh dear Gods, Prompto is literally seconds away from calling Noctis or anyone really, to come and save him right now. “You will attack me and I’ll return the favour; take it as a lesson, Prompto. You never know just what kind of enemy you might face one day.” Cor added, completely ignorant of Prompto’s plight. “Fight me as if your life depends on it.” When the Marshal shifted into an attack stance, the blond scramble to summon his gun. “Whoa, whoa! H-Hang on a minute, sir! There’s no way I can beat you! I mean, you’re one of the three strongest fighter in Lucis! Cut me some slack!” Prompto protest weakly. He yelped and dodged back when the Marshal swung his sword straight at him without warning. Thankfully the blade remain in its’ scabbard. “Look alive, Prompto.” Cor simply said before gripping the hilt of his katana. Fuck it, Prompto thought and decide to forgo his worries and focus on surviving this impromptu and completely unfair match. He began by unloading rounds after rounds of bullets at the Marshal. When the man deftly deflected the shots with the side of his drawn katana, Prompto quickly summon another gun and aim at his feet to distract the man. Cor jumps back but it wasn’t enough for Prompto; while the man was in mid-landing, Prompto swipe his feet across the sand. With the help of the wind, it briefly raise a wall that obstructed the view in front of Cor. When the sand wall disappeared, Prompto was nowhere in sight. “Interesting…” Cor idly stated. With the scabbard in one hand and the katana in the other, Cor began his search for the gunner. From behind the large fragment of a shattered column, Prompto rub the sands from his eyes. The only sound that echoes around him is the flapping Lucis’ flags and the whistling wind. He gingerly peeks from behind his cover, watching as Cor inspecting every boulders and pillars at his leisure. Seeing that he was at a good distance away from Prompto, the blond instantly whips out his phone from his trouser pocket and began texting to Noctis rapidly. Me: By the time you read this I, Prompto Argentum, is most likely dead. My corpse will be in the Kingsglaive’s training arena. My will is in my locked drawer back home and I want you to read a speech during my funeral on how great of a best friend I am. Prompto hit the send button, pocketing his phone and reloaded his guns. It was after a fresh clip is slip into the chamber did he feel his phone buzzed. Noctis’ reply was almost instantaneous. Emo Prince: Dude, wtf? Wat did u do? Me: The Marshal is trying to kill me! Send help ASAP! Emo Prince: Otw. Feeling a little relief now that the cavalry’s coming to his rescue, Prompto gains a little confidence. He remembered Ignis’ advice on his style of fighting; “Since your choice of weapon are firearms, you are clearly suited for long-range assaults, Prompto. While me and Gladio could flank near His Highness’ sides to better protect him, you are able to concentrate on enemies that are out of our reach. And since you are physically the weakest amongst the four of us, use the environment as your cover often. That way you may able to protect yourself while fighting alongside us.” With Ignis’ words in his mind, Prompto left his cover and rapidly shoot at Cor. It didn’t caught the man off guard, which he had suspected, but Prompto didn’t stop there. Ducking behind a nearby cover, Prompto paused for a while before attacking again. It quickly became a game of hide-and-shoot as the Marshal deflect the bullets and would made a run towards Prompto only for the gunner to slowed him down by shooting at him before abandoning his post for a new one. Ensuring that there was a healthy distance between them. Cor decided to force Prompto to adapt to him instead. While Prompto hid behind a large rock and in the process of reloading, the man took advantage of that. He run towards Prompto once again and when his gun was trained at him, Cor suddenly jumped high with his sword poised directly at his head. Pure instincts overtook Prompto when he drop the guns and summoned a heavy, machinery weapon not to attack Cor, but to defend himself against the falling blade. A loud, resounding clash of metals rang in his ears. The force of the blade caused Prompto to kneel on one leg as he struggle to held the heavy machinery against Cor’s katana. “Oh shit!” Prompto gasp when his arms began to tremble at the weight. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t had the strength to shove the sword away and the longer he remain in this position, the more tired his arms will get and then the sword will slice right through him. “That’s enough for now.” Cor unexpectedly said. Prompto groan in relieved when he lifted the katana off his heavy weapon and sheathed it. Prompto’s weapons vanished in a sea of blue and he fell onto the bed of sands. Not caring that his hair will be a right mess once he got up. “I think I just lost five years of my life!” The blond cried out. He couldn’t feel his arms or legs anymore. “You had a great idea with hiding and shooting me but you need to work on your stamina.” Cor explain. “And that trick won’t work forever. Come up with new and better game plans for different enemies.” “Yes… sir.” The Marshal stares down him, unamused when Prompto gave him a defeated and self-conscious grin. He turn his attention to the side when multiple voices rushed towards them. “It seems that the prince is coming to your rescue.” Sure enough, Prompto soon heard Noctis calling out to him. He was running towards them while Gladio is walking behind the prince in a much calmer pace. “Marshal! What’s going on?” Noctis demanded. He knew that Cor wouldn’t actually hurt his friend but Noctis was worried that Prompto might have slipped and injured himself regardless that Cor was holding back. The blond is good with the gun but everyone knew that he’s prone to clumsiness here and there. “Just wanted to spar with Prompto to see if he could handle a new opponent.” Cor easily reply. “Since he will be in His Highness’ inner circle, fighting needs to be his second nature.” “So what’s the verdict, Marshal?” Asks Gladio. He was surprised when Noctis informed him that Cor Leonis had taken Prompto to the Kingsglaive’s training ground. So he simply assumed that the man most probably wanted to see what Prompto could do in an unexpected situation. And judging how Prompto is lying on the sand, breathless with Noctis valiantly trying to pull him up by the arm, Gladio just had to smirk. Some impression Prompto must’ve left on the Immortal. Sheathing the sword in one smooth practiced, Cor folded his arms. “He has quick reflexes and knows how to apply a tactic suited him best. All in all, not bad for a novice warrior.” Both Prompto and Noctis whipped their head towards the man, mouth gaping. The Prince had managed to sat him up but they were frozen when they heard Cor’s words. “Whoa… dude, I just got complimented by the Immortal.” Prompto had no idea why he was whispering to Noctis when Gladio and Cor could clearly hear him but he was too awestruck. “Don’t let it get to your head though.” Cor was quick to interject. “You still got a long way to go, Prompto.” “Yes, sir!” This time, Prompto is enthusiastic. The elite Crownsguard’s member spoke to the three of them for a few more minutes before departing. He suggest Prompto to spar with not just his friends but other people as well; be it Crownsguard or Glaives. He also added that there are a few friendly Glaives that will most probably help him with his training, such as Crowe and Libertus. He told Gladio to relay his desire to meet up with Clarus for a discussion if his father has some time to spare for him and lastly, he told Noctis to send his regards to the King. The trio watch as the legendary man left the dusty training ground behind him. “Do you think Iggy would believe me if I said that I fought Cor today?” Prompto broke the silence between them. “I still can’t believe that he actually went and find you just to see what you can do.” Noctis reply. The wind is making a mess of his already unruly hair. “Well, if you think about it, he has all the right reasons to be curious of Prompto. The guy gotta know if our blondie would be willing to protect you when the time comes.” Gladio added. Rubbing his chin, he said, “It’d be nice if the Marshal could train all four of us some time. I want to know if I can last five minutes against him.” “But Cor hardly stays in Insomnia.” Noctis reminded him. They were making their way back to the Citadel. “Dad usually asks him to patrol the borders outside of the Wall to protect the people there. It’s not just the Nifs that’s causing troubles; monsters and daemons too.” Prompto whistle lowly in admiration. “The Marshal sure is something…” The friends continue to converse with one another as they walk. Prompto still felt his knees weak with fighting Cor even after showered and dinner with all of them. As he was about to fall asleep on Noctis’ bed with his friend already snoring away beside him, Prompto internally admit that despite how scary the Marshal is, he’s a good teacher. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Uuuh… Ignis? Can you move aside? We’re a bit busy.” “Yeah, Iggy. I’m in a winning streak here. Noct sucks at this game.” “You take that back Prompto or I’ll poke you - ” Ignis promptly stop the bickering before it could even begin by switching the TV off. Placing his hands on his hips, the man gave the boys his most unamused and deadpanned stare as he stood between them and their precious video game. “Not cool, Iggy!” Prompto yelped as dove beside the man to switch the TV back on. By the time the screen came back on, a big, red GAME OVER hovers at the centre. Prompto sigh in defeat and switch off their game console. Noctis merely rolled his eyes and poke at the blond’s behind, urging him to sit beside him again. It was clear that Ignis wouldn’t leave them alone unless they pay attention to him. “What’s the matter, Specs?” Noctis ask with a yawn. He hadn’t had a decent nap at all today; and the afternoon sun is still shining brightly in the sky . Prompto came over to his apartment early in the morning, right after his morning jogging, to drag him along for breakfast at a new diner nearby. He suppresses a smile when he remembered how his friend struggle to pried the duvet off him and Noctis sure as hell made it an ordeal for the blond to push him towards the bathroom. Satisfied that he now has both boys’ attention, Ignis made a gesture to the kitchen. Noctis and Prompto simultaneously tilted their heads in accordance like puppies. “I’d like to inform you both that I’ll be leaving soon as there are matters in the Citadel that acquires my attention. Do you understand what that means?” Prompto scratches his cheek as he ponders. “Uhh… it means that you’re gonna be… super busy?” He answer with a bit of hesitation. Ignis nodded with a proud smile. At least Prompto was willing to humour him with an answer. Unlike the sleepy prince that had already made himself very comfortable on the couch; his arms folded tightly, feet tucked underneath his bottom and head snugged on the crook of Prompto’s neck. It was clear to him that the prince could barely keep his eyes open though Ignis hope that Noctis is at least listening to him. “Very good, Prompto. It means that you two would be left to your own devices for the entire day. So I’ve prepared some meals that would last until dinner and Gladio will drop by to check on you both later in the evening. If you two suddenly had the inexplicable urge to leave the apartment, please contact either me or Gladio before doing so. The emergency contacts is in the black notebook on the kitchen’s counter as well in Noct’s phone. So I expect that you two will behave somewhat while I’m away.” A pause and then Ignis inquires rather sternly, “Are you listening, Your Highness?” “I got it.” Came the bored reply. Prompto grins and poke Noctis’ cheek playfully. Noctis retaliate by quickly diving his hand underneath his friend’s loose t-shirt and running a finger down his side which cause Prompto to giggle. Ignish huff at their antics but he didn’t had the heart to reprimand them. It was adorable how comfortable and affectionate the two of them are with one another but Ignis wish that they would confess their feelings already. Noctis couldn’t hide his crush for Promto from him and Gladio and Ignis are fairly certain that the feeling is mutual on the blond’s side though he suspect that Prompto hasn’t come to terms with it. Or just haven’t realized yet. “Noct! Quit it!” Prompto giggled. “Not cool, man! You know I’m ticklish!” Ignis saw the prince smirk in triumph when the blond began to whine. He then relent his attacks and pressed himself closer to the blond and closes his eyes once more. Prompto sigh and snuggled close to Noctis in return. “Well then… any questions you two?” Ignis brought their conversation back on track. “I think we’re good, Iggy. Me or Noct will call you if anything happens.” Prompto assured the Royal Adviser. With a nod, Ignis went around the apartment to check everything is in order - laundry wash and folded, area suitably clean, garbage disposed and pantry and refrigerator stocked - for one last time before bidding the duo goodbye with a nod and warm smile. The moment the door closes behind Ignis, Prompto dash into the living room and jump onto the couch, rudely startling the sleepy Noctis. “What was that for!?” Noctis groused with a scowl. Rubbing his eyes, he groan when Prompto won’t stop squirming on the couch. “You can’t seriously be thinking of napping now! Dude, don’t you get it? Iggy’s gone; do you know what that means!?” Prompto ask the unamused prince with such enthusiasm that had Noctis rolling to the press his face onto the couch. “I get to sleep all day long?” Came the muffled reply. Prompto ‘tsk’ed and before he could reply, Noctis added, “Forget about whatever crazy things you’re thinking now, Prom. Beside, Ignis told us to behave right?” Prompto rolled his eyes. “I’m not planning to hold a party or anything wild like that, Noct! You’re so hopeless! I was thinking maybe we could hangout outside later. Take some photos, go to the arcades, cruise through the mall… stuffs like that! ” The blond suggest eagerly. “And beside, Iggy’s said that we gotta tell him or Gladio first before we leave the apartment; he didn’t exactly turned us prisoners here.” He reminded Noctis. Noctis knew a losing battle when he sees one. Plus, what Prompto said gave him a subtle insight - a loophole, if you will - that had escaped Ignis; and one that he was very eager to exploit. The prince rolled to the side to face Prompto as his eyes widen when a thought came over him. “Which means…. No curfew. Without Ignis or Gladio, we can hangout for as long as we want, Prom! No Ignis to tell us what not to eat - " “And no Gladio to haul our asses out of the arcades!” Prompto caught on quick. He was stoked that his friend is getting on board the hype train with him. “Noct, this is an once in a lifetime opportunity! We can have a day all to ourselves; do whatever we want! We just gotta tell Ignis that we’re going out to the mall to buy a strap for my camera or something, then ditched any guards or Glaives that might follow us and then it’s the nightlife for us, baby!” Both boys grins and high-five one another. They can totally deal with the consequences later. “Sounds like a plan. Oh! Though we gotta stay put until Gladio drop by to check on us.” Noctis recalled what Ignis had told them. “We’ll leave around dusk. Until then…” With a smirk, he grab Prompto’s arm and yank him down to lie on the couch next to him. Prompto squeal in surprise at the sudden attack. “I say we save up our energy for tonight by sleeping.” “No use trying to force you to change your mind.” Prompto sigh in defeat but was all too happy to snuggle closed to Noctis to bask in his warmth. He yawn and added, “I’m waking us up later for lunch. A hungry prince is a grumpy prince, after all.” “I’m not grumpy.” Noctis protest but when he tilt his head down, Prompto was already fast asleep. Seeing his friend’s sleeping face never fail to caught him off guard. With courage that he could never possess when Prompto was awake, Noctis embraces his friend tight in his arms as if to keep his close to him always. It wasn’t long until he join Prompto in his dreams. - True to his words, Prompto woke Noctis up around mid afternoon with the smell of meat and strong spicy broth wafting from the kitchen. Cracking a heavy eyelid open, Noctis was greeted with the sight of Prompto coming out of the kitchen carrying a tray with two huge steaming bowl. And judging from his clothes on Prompto, Noctis figured that Prompto recently had a shower after he woke up. Seeing the blond in his loose, black t-shirts and pants did hot wonders through his body. “Smells amazing.” Noctis said in a voice still thick with sleep but he made an effort to sat up. He loves being with Prompto like this in his apartment - just the two of them. Everything feels so domestic. Sure, Ignis and Gladio’s presence are always welcome but he had been around them for as long as he can remember and being with Prompto allows him to experience and live a life that he’s never known before. Astrals, Noctis wanted to tell Prompto just how much he means to him already. If Prompto had never approach him back during their school life, he would never knew the happiness that he had now. He would’ve remain as the withdrawn and sullen prince that no one would talk to with the exception of the royal staffs and his retainers. “It’s sure is! Ignis made your favourite! Meat stew and of course, with some greens but I’ll eat them for you if you just say the word.” Prompto slyly grins at him, fully aware of Noctis’ aversion to vegetables. Growing up did nothing to abate his habit of pushing vegetables away from his plates. “I’ll hold you on to that.” Noctis easily return his grin and got up from the couch with a stretch. Padding across the room, he sat down in front of Prompto and eagerly picks up a spoon. The two of them then digs in without further word. The breeze from the open window felt good and the silence in the apartment was a comfortable one. Noctis occasionally glance up from his food to study Prompto’s freckled face while the blond was fiddling with his phone in one hand while the other dutifully scooping diced meats into his mouth. His attention is clearly elsewhere from Noctis. Seeing Prompto wearing his clothes, in his apartment and eating with him scream at Noctis that Prompto was his; more than just a best friend. His to protect, to care for, to lov - Noctis cleared his throat and fought down the blush that was creeping on his face and not to mention the raunchy images flooding his brain. “H-Hey, Prompto?” “Mmm-hmm?” Noctis was torn between irrational jealousy over Prompto’s phone since it still held his friend’s attention like a ball chain and relief that the blond is oblivious to his warm, red face and shifty eyes. He played with the stew in order to distract the nervousness inside of him. Noctis send a quick and short prayer to the Six to grace him with some sort divine courage. Noctis trained his eyes away from Prompto and stutters, “I was w-wondering… if - well, it’s more of question really - that if y-you’re seeing - ” Noctis gasp out, feeling as if his blood had suddenly froze. He finally turn to see that Prompto had put his phone down on the table and place a concerning hand on his. “Dude, are you ok? You look sick. Is the stew that spicy?” Prompto ask worriedly. “Hang on while I’ll go grab us some milk.” He then got up and head back into the kitchen before Noctis could stop him. Noctis sigh angrily at himself. Hated how cowardly he is around Prompto. Hated that he couldn’t just confess already. Hated that despite Gladio’s constant provoking and Ignis’ encouragement regarding his affections to Prompto, he still couldn’t spit the words out. Part of him worried that his feelings would be rejected; that Prompto didn’t share the same emotions or worst, believing that their romantic relationship would be nothing more than a burden. Noctis didn’t think that he could bear hearing such things from Prompto and fearing the end of their friendship. He knew that it took a lot of Prompto to be his friend and Noctis just couldn’t ask him to sacrifice more of himself to someone like him. A prisoner of his birthright. “Man, I’m such a loser..” Noctis muttered under his breath, slumping against the chair. He wasn’t feeling as hungry as he was before. His pity party was cut short when Prompto return with two tall glasses of cold milk. “These should do the trick!” Prompto exclaimed but his expression soften when he saw the defeated look on the prince’s face. “Hey… c’mon, Noct. It’s not so bad. Here, drink up buddy.” Noctis accepted the glass of cold milk without a peep and drank it deeply. No use in making the blond worry over his inner turmoils. “Better?” Prompto ask after he puts the glass down. “Yup. Don’t sweat about it.” Noctis reply and gives him an assuring smile. With a pleased smile of his own, Prompto slid back onto his seat and resume eating. “Oh yeah! You wanted to ask me something, Noct?” He waited for Noctis’ reply. The phone all but forgotten on the table. “I was asking if…. If you’re staying over for the night.” Noctis answer, struggling not to outwardly show his frustration at his own inability to be honest with Prompto. Noctis console himself that now it’s probably not the perfect moment yet. He needed the right time and place before he could confess to Prompto. Somewhere where Prompto would love and it will be just the two of them like now. Only then would he finally be able to say it to his dear best friend. And there would be no Gladio to cheer and tease him for it in the background. Unaware of the dark clouds hanging above Noctis’ head, Prompto winced and his reply only thicken the looming clouds. “Ah, sorry dude. It’s been awhile since I slept at home. My folks might be away but somebody gotta look after the place. And beside,” Now it was Prompto’s turn to be nervous. Running his fingers through his blond bangs, he continues, “Don’t you think I’ve been staying over here for sometime now? I mean, Iggy and Gladio were nice enough not to say anything but I gotta be overstaying my welcome - ” Noctis decided to interject right there. “You’re not overstaying your welcome, Prompto. Trust me. You’re not.” Noctis said as firmly as he needed to be. “The apartment is nice and all but it gets lonely fast when you’re living here all by yourself. Trust me when I say that you’re not a bother, Prom.” “Well.. if you sure…” Prompto dubiously said and that’s another thing that he hated himself for. The inability to help Prompto conquer his insecurities. As humans, Noctis is aware that they all have one; even Ignis. Noctis could list down all of his insecurities onto stacks after stacks of papers but that would take him days so he opt to just try to overcome them as best as he could. Prompto’s insecurities, however, are different from his. He didn’t know just what plagues the blond or how to help him against them but as his best friend, Noctis expects that he could at least ease most of the insecurities but Prompto never failed to shy away whenever he tried to ask about it. So Noctis was left merely giving him comforting words of encouragement and reminding him how thankful he is of their friendship. Noctis hopes that one day Prompto might finally overcome his inner daemons and realize his own worth. But until that day arrives, he would always be there for Prompto. The two resume their meals until the bowls were polished clean. Keeping true to his words, Prompto ate Noctis’ discarded vegetables with minimal teasings and Noctis retaliates by lightly kicking his friend’s shin. They enjoy goofing off throughout the day until Gladio came by. “Looks like you two are having fun.” Gladio remark when he saw the boys were watching an action movie in nothing but their pajamas and loose casual attires. All in all, he could see that neither of them were up to anything mischief. Gladio guessed that Noctis must’ve persuade Prompto to have a lazy day with him. It makes his job a whole lot easier when the boys are staying put and Ignis would be happy to know that the apartment complex isn’t burning down to the ground while he was away. Everybody is happy all around. “We sure are! Wanna hangout with us big guy?” Prompto offer brightly. “We got snacks to last us a lifetime!” Gladio shook his head. “Gonna have to take a raincheck on that one, Prompto. I’m just dropping by to see how you boys doing.” “Got anything to do in particular?” Came Noctis’ disinterest question. His eyes were practically glue onto the TV screen. “Something like that. My old man want to see me about something. Can’t make him wait for too long.” Gladio answer. He quickly scan around the apartment before turning his attention back onto them. “Since everything looks fine, I’m gonna head out now. Don’t do anything stupid, got that?” Here, Gladio narrowed his eyes at the boys. Only Prompto nodded enthusiastically as ever while Noctis just couldn’t be bothered. “You got it, big guy! We’ll be fine; Ignis left us a bunch of numbers in case something happen.” Prompto promised with a thumbs-up. Nudging Noctis with his elbow, the prince reply by also giving a wordless thumbs-up. Gladio huffed. He waved at them goodbye before leaving the apartment. After five minutes passed, Noctis picks up the remote and switch the TV off. Both him and Prompto shared similar smirks as they turn to face one another. “So are you ready for tonight?” “Heck yeah! No Ignis or Gladio telling us what to do!” Prompto cheered. “Then we better get ready. I’m gonna head for a shower real quick before we leave.” Noctis said and got up. He went inside of the bedroom for said shower while Prompto went ahead to change out of Noctis’ clothes and into his own. It took the entire duration of Noctis’ shower for Prompto to styled his hair just right and slap on his leather bracelets. It was then that Prompto heard the doorbell rang. He frown, thinking of who could’ve want to see Noctis. He hopes that it’s neither Gladio or Ignis or their plans for tonight would be officially down the drain. “Coming!” Prompto called out when the bell rang a second time. Please don’t be Iggy or Gladio, please don’t be Iggy or Gladio, please don’t be Iggy or Gladio - When Prompto opens the door, he wish that it was Ignis or Gladio when he saw who was standing outside. “Good day Prompto. How have you been?” King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII greeted pleasantly. The monarch was wearing a casual set of attire - different from the first time when they met - with the same simple walking cane. He looks tired but otherwise, happy to be here. Still, the man might as well wore his royal raiment, cape and crown now that Prompto knew who he was. The memory of him flirting with the King of Lucis and his best friend’s dad to boot could never be erased from his brain. Prompto would carry that embarrassment down to his grave. “Y-Your Majesty!” Prompto squeak. This was a completely unexpected turn of events! How on Eos are he and Noctis suppose to go out now!? He can’t just shoo away the freakin’ King! “None of that now, Prompto. I’m here not as the king but as a father who merely wanted to see his son and dear friend.” Regis chided lightly. “You need not be so formal with me, rather treat me as you did when we first met.” “In all honesty, uh, Sire?” Prompto gulped. “I’d like to forget that night ever happened. Noct still wouldn’t let it go.” Oh Six, he hopes that he doesn’t sound impertinent or some other fancy words that Ignis like to use on a daily basis. Prompto would admit that King Regis is a pretty cool person once he shed his royal persona and although he might be cool with him befriending his son, Prompto still couldn’t help but worry he might push things accidentally and upset the king as a result. King Regis tilted his head in faux confusion. “Now why would you do such a thing? I was under the impression that you enjoyed our conversations. I certainly did. It was a breath of fresh air to be treated like any other citizen of Lucis instead of a king. You extend the same courtesy you gave to my son towards me and for that I am thankful.” He smiles widely (if a bit teasingly too) when the young man in front of him began to look torn between a tentative smile and passing out. Fortunately, the blond was saved with the sudden arrival of his best friend. “Prom? Who’s at the door? Is it Ignis or - ” Noctis stops dead in his track, clad in nothing but a towel around his waist - when he enters the living room. His eyes widen comically when he saw his father standing outside of the apartment and Prompto looking like he would rather hide under the couch than be at the door. “Dad!? What are you doing here?” He asks, confuse and surprised. Did something happened at the Citadel that required his father personal presence to be at the apartment? “Hello Noctis.” King Regis greeted his son. “May I come in?” Prompto hastily move away and bow when the monarch steps inside. He quickly close the door and move to stand behind Noctis a little. He firmly told himself that no, he wasn’t hiding from the king or anything. “Is something wrong, Dad? Did you tell Clarus or anyone that you’re here? What’s going in the Citadel?” Noctis rapidly inquires. He wasn’t expecting his father to drop by. He can only assume that it’s something important. Still, he wonders why his father was wearing civilian clothes instead of his usual black garb. Is it really important if his father had the time to change his clothes before coming over? “Nothing as dire as you imagined, Noctis, so you may rest easy.” Regis calmed his worried son. It was an interesting observation; when his son began to tense up, so does his friend but he quickly place his hand on Noctis’ shoulder to steadied him. His priority went to assured his son first before himself. It was one of the reason why Regis approve of their friendship. Anyone with a working pair of eyesight could see that Prompto is good for Noctis. Be it as a friend (Regis’ watchful eyes noted how Noctis’ shoulders unconsciously relax and Prompto moved his hand down only to have their fingertips brushes against one another) or something more. Noctis still have some long years before the issue of heir and children needed to be considered seriously. For now, as a father, Regis would like nothing more than his son to be happy. Regis made himself comfortable on the couch while the boys stood in front of him. “My impromptu visit is nothing of the serious sort. Or important for that matter.” Noctis and Prompto briefly exchanged confused glances. “Then why are you here, Dad?” His son asks once more. “Well… since I have cleared some workload to last me at least two days, I thought that I might treat myself by spending some time with my son. Of course, his dear friend too if he wouldn’t find the idea appalling.” Regis gave Prompto a small, comforting smile before adding, “I had already inform Clarus and the council of my decision to avoid any, ah, panic.” Regis explained. He patiently waited for the boys’ respond. Both Noctis and Prompto was taken aback at the king’s reason of visit. Noctis would always jump at his father’s offer to spend their time together as he was constantly busy dealing with the war and his duties to the people. But on the other hand, he was planning to head out with Prompto later. What to do? “Uuuh…” Noctis began with hesitation. There’s no point on trying to lie to his father now. Maybe he can change their plans a little. “Me and Prompto are gonna go out later.” He answers a bit lamely. Regis nodded. “That sounds like a splendid idea. We could eat dinner together at that diner you used to enjoy as a child. I’m sure Prompto would love it too.” His mouth twitches into a sniggered when the boys began to pale. Oh, he has a pretty good idea what a couple of boys around their age would want to do without the supervision of a responsible individual and so he wonders just how Noctis is going to weaselled out of this one. “How’s that going to work? I mean, good job on that scarf and sweater, Dad, but everyone will know who you are if we go out together. It’s going to be a circus.” Noctis rationalized with a hand on his hip. “Why with enough determination and enthusiasm, I can practically blend in with the walls! Or do you doubt your father skill to be incognito even with all of his years of ruling?” Regis cocked an eyebrow yet he smiles, pleased with himself, when Prompto giggle from behind his son. For some odd reason, the image of the Lucian King, clad in civilian clothes, plastering himself onto the wall just to blend in with the crowds had Prompto laughing. “I… don’t know… maybe we should just stay here?” Noctis began to mumbled. “I don’t like it when you have to walk for a long time, Dad, and - ” “My dear Noctis, do you not want to go out together with your father? Are you now in one of those teenage rebellion phases where it’s embarrassing to be seen in public with your parent? My son has grown too fast and is leaving me behind - ” “Ok, ok! We’ll go out together!” Noctis hurriedly cut his father’s tirade. “That’s totally unfair, Dad! You know that I love spending our time together! It’s just that…” Noctis huff and ran his hand through his still wet hair. “I don’t want you to be stress out when we go out later. It’s gonna be hell for our PR department if I have to fend off reporters and journalists with the Engine Blade.” He quips. Prompto laugh, finally at ease after witnessing father and son bantered to voice out, “I think we can think of something so that his Highness won’t be harassed. Maybe sitting at the far corner of the diner? It’d be better if the place wasn’t crowded!” It was sweet that the king adore and love his son. So he push down his nervousness and since the king wanted him to tag along? He’ll hop on for the ride. “We can have dinner together and grab some desserts later if you want, Noct. And beside, we don’t have to tell Ignis or Gladio since we have the king with us.” Noctis carefully studied his friend for any sign of reluctance or force pleasantries. It would be nice if he could spend time with his father and Prompto at the same time but he didn’t want to do so at the expense of Prompto’s unwillingness. Which is a relieved when Prompto nodded his agreement with a bright smile. Maybe there’s hopes that his friend wouldn’t be so intimidated around his Dad after this. “Alright. I’m sold. Let me find something to wear then we can go.” Noctis reply and head to his bedroom. Just as he was to step in, he quickly spun around and said, “No hanky-panky you two.” He might sound joking but he was secretly worried that his Dad would charmed Prompto before he could even had the chance! His father was so happy to meet his crush/best friend that it didn’t bode well in him. As ridiculous as he felt at that time. Prompto immediately flustered terribly and stammers a “N-Noct!” while Regis had his trademark polite yet vague smile. Noctis resolve to quickly get ready before anything could happen. “Sometimes…” Prompto began, cheeks still red from embarrassment and a bit of anger. “Sometimes I wonder why I even befriend your son, Sire.” Regis hums. “Noctis might be a little wayward but I love him all the same. Now then Prompto,” He decide that a change of topic is order. He still needed the young man to feel comfortable around him if they were to spend their time together with Noctis. “Did you took any new and interesting photos lately?” That lit up the light in the blond’s eyes. With eager yet still cautious demeanour, Prompto began showing the latest photos that he took to the king, regaling the tales and memories behind each any every one of them. While they were waiting for Noctis to get ready, the semblance of familiarity and amiable atmosphere return between them once more. - The drive to the diner was uneventful. Something that Noctis was grateful for. Seated at the driver’s seat with Prompto riding shotgun beside of him, Noctis glance up to check on his Dad through the rear view mirror. King Regis was busy texting in his phone at the back with a grin that was slowly forming into quiet snickers; Noctis could only guess what he had put his Shield through before he left the Citadel. He recalled, as he drive them off to the south residential area of the city, that his Dad had assured them that he had notified the royal staffs of his sudden plan to visit them but he never did explain just exactly how or what he told them. For all Noctis knew, his Dad could’ve simply wrote his decision to leave the Citadel on a piece of paper, placed it on his throne and leave with Gladio’s dad none the wiser. Noctis decide that it’s better in the long run to spare himself the headache and focus on spending his evening with his Dad and best friend instead. Clarus and the Council can deal with his father tomorrow. “Oh yeah, Dad?” Noctis piped up suddenly. A curious question suddenly pops in his head. “Yes, son?” “How did you came to the apartment from the Citadel? Did a guard drived you there?” “I took the train.” Prompto whip his head so fast to glance incredulously at the back while Noctis gape at the rear view mirror. Neither of them could believe that Regis would willingly - with a cane, no less - took the constantly busy train where people commute basically everywhere and walk further down to the apartment. It was hectic on a best day and absolutely chaotic on the worst day! Noctis blew a frustrated huff. “You could’ve ask Cor or anyone really to drop you off at the apartment! Seriously, Dad, it’s dangerous when you’re at the subway alone! You could’ve trip or worst, pushed around!” “Uhh, Noct?” “And what if your cane was broken in half or something? Oh dear Six, you would’ve been trampled to death!” “Noct - ” “No, no, no. You’re not taking the train anymore. I’ll come pick you up from the Citadel if I have to. Just, promised me that you’ll call first, Dad?” “Dude, you’re gonna crash the car - ” “Think about the people… and me! Astrals, we still need - no, I need you, Dad! Please, I don’t want to lose - ” “Shiva’s tits, dude!” Noctis suddenly felt the steering wheel in his grasp, yank to the side by Prompto and as the result, the car narrowly dodged the oncoming car that was heading their way. Horns blared as the car rushed by and they were back in the right lane. It was by sheer luck that there weren’t a lot of cars in the road or that could’ve gone bad. “Dude…. This is why Ignis looks like a dead man whenever you’re behind the wheel!” Prompto snapped, his heart is still beating violently. That was too close for comfort. Placing a shaky palm on his chest, he turn behind and ask, “Are you alright, Your Highness?” He was surprised to find the king the least bit frazzled by his son’s erratic driving. “I’m alright, Prompto. Although Noctis’ heart stopping driving is a threat on its own, I was prepared to warped the car before we collided.” Was Regis calm reply. “Wait, we can warp cars!?” King Regis wink at Prompto before addressing his son’s disbelief outburst. “Not we, Noctis; I can. Ask me again once you are able to drive without making your passengers feel like jumping out of the vehicle.” Noctis grumbled under his breath but otherwise focus on the road. “And on the matter at hand, I’m a lot sturdier than you give me credit for, son. The ring and this war has been taxing on me for years now but I’m by no mean helpless.” Noctis bit his lower lip, unsure how to properly convey his worries into words. “I… I know, Dad. I just wish that you’d think of how I feel if something happens to you…” He murmurs, knowing that his father’s grey eyes is staring at him from behind. “Noct…” Prompto began but shut his mouth when his friend shook his head. “...Practice what you preach, my son.” Regis sigh deeply. It doesn’t escape Prompto or anyone in Insomnia for that matter, how protective their king is over his prince. After losing the queen, the king refused to be parted from his son for even a moment. Noctis’ crib was located in his bedchamber until he was too old for it and when the king were making plans to have Noctis’ own bed beside Regis’, his Shield had put a stop to his Sire’s clinging behaviour. Both of the king’s Shield and Advisor had to work him through his paranoia until it dwindled down to a manageable protective hovering. Apart from ensuring that Noctis receive the proper tutelage in order to become a worthy heir and prince, never once did Regis stop doting his son as well as butted his nose into his affairs. Hence, the disaster at the Citadel when he left without informing anyone. All because to meet with his son’s best friend. “Well…” Prompto slowly chimed when the silence became awkward for him. “I think it’s sweet that Noct is worry about His Highness just as much as His Highness worries about him.” Noctis blush as a reaction and steps on the medal in order to reach the diner faster. “Whoa! Not cool, man! S-Slow this thing down!" Thankfully, they managed to reach the diner without anymore incident. The parking lot was empty except for a truck parked at the far left of the building. Noctis smoothly parked the car near the entrance of the diner and Prompto hurriedly exit the car and tumbled onto his knees. “We’re alive! Thank Astrals we’re alive!” The blond cried out in salvation. “Quit being so dramatic. It wasn’t that bad.” Noctis rolled his eyes at Prompto’s theatrics but went to rubbed a comforting circle behind his back. “...Your driving took five years off my life!” Prompto complain tersely. In a no nonsense voice, he added, “I’m driving when we’re head back unless you want me to throw up in your car.” Noctis promise easily, knowing that Prompto is actually a decent driver. From at the other side of the car, Regis observe the boys with a small smile. He then went inside of the diner in search of a secluded and quiet booth while Prompto wheezed, trying to settled his upset stomach. The owner of the diner knew Regis right away as soon as she greeted the new customer as he was her most loyal patron. Seeing the monarch in plain, civilian clothes and thick scarf, the owner nodded in understanding when he raise a finger to his lips. It was just in the king’s favour that her diner wasn’t as crowded as it used to be during the weekend. And so the owner went to grab some menus as the king made himself comfortable in a booth at the far back, his son and a blond young man follow soon after. After the menus were passed among themselves, they made quick work of their orders and the owner left soon after to prepared their food. It was a nice respite to be able to spend time with Noctis and his friend. Regis was pleased that Prompto is now comfortable enough around him to banter back and forth and teasing his son but other than that, he was happy just to watch the young men converse with one another. They made sure to include him in their conversations so that he wouldn’t feel left out; whatever topics that needed his opinion or even asking him for stories during his younger days. Something he recalled that Noctis used to love to hear as his bedtime stories. The longer he observe the boys, the clearer he could see the affection that his son held for his friend. The subtle glance when Prompto is looking out of the window, the way how Noctis tries to press his hand close to Prompto’s without making it too painfully obvious, shoulders brushing against one another… little details that made Noctis display his affection physically rather than verbally. Prompto soaks up the attention and touches without knowing the reason behind them whatsoever. Honestly, it was positively adorable in Regis’ eyes. It reminded him of his own courtship for Aulea’s heart. Staring at Noctis’ pinky attempting to entwine with Prompto’s, Regis felt a bit sorry that Noctis’ inherited his rather embarrassing romantic prowess. Regis was secretly relieve that Noctis had never once asked Clarus or Cor how he and Aulea got together. As they ate their meals, Regis silently decide that what Noctis needed is a little… push. And so, once they finished their meal and the hour had grew long,  he paid their bills - deftly ignoring the boys’ protest - and told Noctis that they should drop Prompto off at his house first before returning to the Citadel. At first, Prompto argued that they could easily drop him off at the subway so he could commute back home but Regis dryly countered by listing all the possible dangers that one could encounter while at the train station. Seeing how red the tips of his son’s ears grew sent both him and Prompto into a spiral of laughter. When Prompto deems that his friend was teased enough, he slid onto the driver seat and once both prince and king had buckled in (Noctis was sulking beside his father), he drove off towards his home. The distance between the diner and his district weren’t as far as Prompto thought and they arrive in record time. “I think Iggy would be proud of my mad driving skills.” Prompto smugly informed Noctis after he pulled the car at the curb. He unclipped his seatbelt to twist around. “Maybe he’ll finally allow me to drive his car now!” The blond gushes, excited at the thought. Noctis smirks. “Keep dreaming, blondie. So I guess… I’ll see you tomorrow?” Prompto stuck his tongue out and startled when he remember that the king was right beside his son. With a sheepish and apologetic smile to the king, he nodded to the both of them. “You bet, Noct! I had a great time, Your Majesty. Have a good evening!” “You too, Prompto.” Regis regally reply. The moment the blond exited the car, Noctis blink when his father suddenly grip at his arm. “Uh, Dad? What are you - ” “I think now is your chance to confess to young Prompto.” Regis stated bluntly. From the corner of his eyes, he only had a small window of opportunity before Prompto enters his house. He needed to encourage his son to finally man up and blurt his heart out or Noctis will never be able to do it on his own. Noctis expectedly spluttered in embarrassment and horror, his body immediately switch to defense mode and he look anywhere but at his father. His palms were beginning to sweat but Regis refuse to let release his grip. “Listen, Noctis, what are you so afraid of? Prompto is an admirable and kind young man. Not to mention pleasing to the eyes - ” “Oh my Gods, Dad! Don’t say that! He’s my best friend!” “And I believe that he harbours the same type of affection towards you.” Regis pressed on as if his son didn’t interrupted him. “You have my approval if that’s what you are worried about. There is still some time before you need to consider an heir of your own but until then, I would prefer you live your life as a prince and a young man to the fullest.” The king wisely advised his skittish prince. “B-But it’s Prompto! He’s the only friend I have beside Ignis and Gladio! I can’t screw our friendship up!” Noctis hissed. Doesn’t his father understand that everything will fall apart if Prompto rejects him and later finds their friendship awkward? He’ll leave him just to spare themselves the weird feelings between them! “Trust me, son. When have I ever desire anything else but your happiness?” Sure, there’s the ending of the war, the ring to stop draining his life away, the constant daemon problems outside of his city but for tonight, it’s about Noctis’ love life Or lack of, actually. Noctis had a serious, contemplation look on his face that Regis had never seen before. He briefly wish his son would look like that whenever he joined him during one of their council session. Oh well. His son greatly exhale, as if steeling himself for war, and said, “You’re right, Dad. I trust you.” He said resolutely. With a “Here goes nothing” under his breath, Noctis quickly exit the car before he lost his nerves. Regis watch eagerly as his son jogged towards Prompto and lowered the window to hear their conversation. “Hey, Prompto!” Prompto turns to see Noctis jogged up towards him as he was about to open the door. “Oh, hey. What’s up? Did I left something in the car?” He curiously asks. He rummages through his pockets for his wallet and phone just in case; all of his belongings are with him. He wonders what Noctis could’ve want. Though seeing how nervous and tense his best friend is, it made him worried a little. “I wanted to ask you this afternoon… while we were eating… about something but I… got scared.” Noctis slowly admitted. He couldn’t understand why his tongue felt dry and heavy; why the words are trap in his throat. He felt the beating of his heart skyrocketed when Prompto touch his arm gently. “Dude… you know you can tell me anything, right? I’m your friend.” Prompto assured him. Sensing his quiet strength and warm hand calmed Noctis. And suddenly, it feels as if it was just him and Prompto in this world; no one else exist. That this moment was just for them. “That’s the thing. You’re my friend, Prom, and that’s never gonna change. Even when we fought, I would never turn my back on you. If it wasn’t for you, I’d always live as a prince instead of a normal guy.” Noctis said solemnly. He wanted Prompto to feel what’s he feeling now; to understand how much he means to him. He wanted Prompto to be with him always. Meanwhile, Prompto’s eyes were beginning to get misty and his heart was beating so loud that he could hear it. It wasn’t often that he receive such kind words from people but it’s so worthwhile when it comes from his best friend. Every praises, encouragements and cheers from Noctis meant the world to him. To be acknowledge of his worth from his close friends meant a lot to him than the words of a stranger. “Noct, what…” “Let me finish or I’ll never be able to say it.” Noctis pleaded. He took a deep breath after a jerky and silent nod from Prompto. “I don’t know when but the time that we spend together started to mean more to me than usual. Like… I noticed every little things that you do unconsciously. How you nibbled your lip before you do something stupid and had Gladio pissed off at the both of us, how your eyes always shine whenever Ignis ask you to be his tester when he comes up with new recipes, how your pout is so damn… adorable when you want things to go your way. And also…” Another exhale and, “How hot you look whenever you spar with us… shirtless.” Noctis mumbled. Prompto’s face flushed bright red. “You… you think I’m hot?” He tentatively and shyly ask. Six, he sounds so small yet so adorable at the same time. Noctis restrain himself from crushing his friend through a hug. “Uh-huh. Basically… I like you Prom; like, like you… you know? As in… more than a friend and I… I was wondering if you maybe… like me back?”  Noctis couldn’t take it anymore. He stare at his boots as if they had the answers to the universe. He consoled himself that at least he did it; he finally did it. He finally managed to confess to Prompto. Prompto wasn’t silent for too long. It would be unnecessary cruel to leave Noctis hanging. And so with a playful punch to his shoulder, Noctis quickly look up to a brightly smiling Prompto with tears in his eyes. For a split second, he wonders if he said anything wrong. What if his father was wrong? “‘Like’ you back? Dude! I thought my feelings were obvious! I was so worried that I didn’t hide it well enough and you’d start thinking how weird I am for falling for you. Do you know how hard it is to hide from Ignis? That guy has a stare that can pierce through your soul!” “S-So… does that mean…?” “You know… once you put down your ‘princely’ mask and all, I think that was the moment that… I fell for you, Noct. You appear more… uh, approachable. More human like the rest of us and soon after, Iggy and Gladio seems a lot more approachable. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew, the four us became friends.” Prompto laugh, wiping his eyes. “You have no idea how happy I was that I’m not alone anymore.” Noctis’ heart tighten. He grab to squeeze Prompto’s hand and said, “We don’t have to be alone anymore. You have me, Ignis and Gladio now. You’d always have me. Your best friend and… I guess boyfriend now.” Prompto snickers wetly. “Boyfriend, huh? Oh boy… Gladio will never stop teasing us; I hope you know that. But… I think I like that.” Noctis beam happily and went closer to Prompto. Both boys stare at one another in silence, not sure what will the other do next. Noctis’s hand kept raising as if to cup Prompto’s cheek but chickened out at the last minute while Prompto was transfixed with how bright Noctis’ eyes up close. Neither of them did anything for a long while. “FOR ASTRALS’ SAKE, SON! JUST KISS THE BOY!” Prompto and Noctis instinctively took a step back in fright at the sudden loud hollered. When Noctis turn around, his father had the window down and his head was sticking out. No doubt that he was watching their entire conversation. Talk about dying of embarrassment thanks to your own dad. “Dad!” Noctis shouted in shame. Neighbours were starting to peek out from their windows at the loud noises; curious what was going on. At that moment, Noctis would like nothing more but to crawl underneath a rock with Prompto than showing his face in public. However, his heart fluttered lightly when Prompto simply laugh at their antics. Waggling his eyebrows, the blond inquires, “Well, Noct? Will I receive a kiss from the handsome prince?” He grins. “You’re such a dork, Prompto.” Noctis quips with a grin of his own. But in the end, they kiss for the very first time. It was short and sweet and most importantly, it had Noctis wanting for more and he pretty sure Prompto share the sentiment seeing how red his cheeks are and how his lips parted slightly. “Whoa…” Prompto murmur, a bit breathless. “I’ve never kissed anyone before… w-was it alright?” “It was perfect.” Noctis reply. With a tiny smirk, he continue, “If you’re unhappy with it, we can always practice.” He felt a rush of victory when his lover - Astrals, that sound so right - laugh once more. “I’m looking forward to it, loverboy.” Prompto winks and just before he went inside his house, he startle Noctis by giving a quick kiss of his own. “See you tomorrow then!” Noctis was left standing alone in front of the house. A whirlwind of emotions run through him but happiness was the strongest amongst them. He hurried back into the car when he caught glimpse of neighbours looking down curiously at him as they whispers. Slamming the door close, Noctis slumped against the driver’s seat. He finally did it. He and Prompto are now lovers. “What did I tell you my boy? Prompto loves you as much as you do him.” Regis said, proud of his son. “Thanks, Dad, but you seriously didn’t need to shout like that.” Noctis rebuked. He drove away from Prompto’s house and towards the Citadel. “It was humiliating.” Regis wave a hand to dismissive Noctis’ mortification. “I’m your father, Noctis. Embarrassing you are one of the perks in my life.” “Still… thank you for helping me confess to Prompto, Dad.” “You’re welcome, my son. May you two always be happy.” In a dimension hidden far, far away from Eos and the Astrals that governs the planet, two unmeasurable forces clashes against one another for at least a decade of millenniums. Whenever Their weapons met, colours burst and the most indescribable noise shattered space as if it was made of glass. A flux of chaos and power create and destroy the dimension simultaneously. Such immense power would have crumbled Eos into fine dust should it ever leak from its confinement. Humanity would be a memory of the past if even an echo of Their skirmish escaped from the isolated world. Time nor matter exist in that world. It was completely devoid of live except for the Gods that had been battling one another ever since the dawn of mankind. Both of equal power and strength - where victory is constantly indecisive. No language belongs to men could give word to how vicious and intense the battle is. The power of the Six pales humorously in lights of the Gods’ might for They are their creators. Their decree is absolute and could easily usurp the Draconian laws if They so desire. Yet, despite of it all, the Gods kept to Themselves. Finding the other’s company worthier and a lot more dangerous than anything else in the known universe. And beside, Their sheer godly presence would create untold havoc and destruction on Eos for the planet could not bear such unsaturated energy without falling apart at its seams. It was fortunate that the planet does not warrant neither of the Gods’ attention but that will soon change. The fight had been in state of stalemate for far too long. Neither of the Gods could overwhelm the other and thus, making victory to be near impossible. However, the God known as Calamity was vicious enough to exploit His Husband/Enemy’ momentarily lapse of weakness. Unfurling His single black wing - which is large enough to wrap around Eos and crush it like a tiny pebble - He chuckle darkly when it successfully smack the other God away as if He was a gnat. He eased His grip on His sword and tutted, “Getting sloppy… Champion.” The language was nothing like the one shared between the Astrals or anywhere remotely similar to men’s tongue. With a twisted smile, He watched in amusement as the other God balanced Himself with His own large, white wing. He felt a hot, burning sensation of lust pooling inside of Him when the God shriek a war cry that would shattered the sun and moon. He eagerly braced Himself as Their weapons clash once more. Both siphoned Their power and strength into Their weapons in an attempt to push the other back. “Yeah? Well I’m getting real sick of your smirk, Calamity.” Champion snarl, shoving His weapon and His eternal counterpart as hard as He could. His white wings transform into razor blades and dive towards the other God but only to be block by the black wing that was also transformed into blades. Champion growls while Calamity purrs in delight. Once again, They were locked in a draw. “I do so enjoy Our confrontation… My Champion.” Calamity drawls in a deep tone that both infuriate and spark lust in the other God. “But I’m afraid… I believe Our Son favours Me over You in this battle.” He nonchalantly said. Before Champion could react, Calamity delivered a brutal punch into the God’s stomach as He needed only to wield His weapon singlehandedly, unlike Champion. The other God heave violently at the pain and in a speed unlike anyone had ever seen before, Calamity direct His strength into His left leg to kick at the crumpled God which send him flying away. “I’ll send Your greetings to Balance, shall I?” Calamity raised His sword high up above His head and create a black hole to another dimension from behind the other God. It was too late for Him to do anything more except screaming out, “Calamity!” before being sucked into the black hole. Brandishing His sword in a one smooth fluid, The God dispel the black hole. Locking Champion in a world created by Him in which only He could release Champion from His prison. But of course, since they both are in equal in power, it won’t be long before the God manages to break out of His prison. Calamity estimated about two millennia before Their fight resume again. But for now, He has a Son to visit. A Son that He haven’t seen in awhile. One that He had sorely missed. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It was surreal how Prompto is now officially an adult according to Lucian laws. He doesn’t feel old and in fact, he doesn’t feel any older when he was still in high school. Apart how his body continue to grow and his face gradually shaped into adulthood, Prompto hardly sees himself as mature. He still adores chocobos, loves taking pictures, play video games, shop for leather bracelets and enjoys messing around with his friends. He bonded with Gladio’s little sister, Iris, over their fondness of cute critters and continue to eat ice - creams with Noctis and his dad whenever the King had the time for them. In short, Prompto doesn’t feel that he changed at all. He’s still the same person who has kind but extremely busy parents but his friends makes up their absence in his life. He’s thankful with what he has but the blond secretly wish that he could be a bit more. Be a bit stronger like Gladio or a bit smarter like Ignis. Heck, even a bit calmer like Noctis when his attention starts jumping around from one thing to another. One thing that had changed though, was his relationship with Noctis. Being lovers felt so natural when you’re in love with your best friend. Prompto had never felt happier surrounded by his boyfriend and wonderful friends. Apart from going on dates, nothing dramatic really changes between him and Noctis. Prompto realized that while he was helping Noctis out with his grocery run for Ignis, prior into becoming lovers, they already somewhat act like a couple. A few of his personal belongings were already in Noctis’ apartment long before they became a couple - some clothes, toiletries, his favourite snacks and drinks were alongside Noctis’ in the refrigerator, several electronic devices such as a music player, spare parts and bags for his camera and even a box of cleaning supply for his guns is stored away in his best friends’ accommodation. The first ever excuse that Noctis gave Prompto when the prince insisted that the blond stored his things in the apartment was because of school. Since his apartment was closer to their school than Prompto’s, it would be easier for the both of them if he have some spare clothes and uniforms over at his place so it won’t be such a hassle for Prompto to travel back and forth. With Ignis onboard with the idea, Prompto had relent without much of an issue. From there, things just escalated further and Noctis never once made a complain about it. Their casual touches had grew affectionate when the boys became a couple. Prompto would smile cheerfully when Noctis would hold his hand and in return, the prince would blush a little whenever the blond surprise him with a kiss. Gladio made fun of them constantly for being ‘lovey-dovey’ while Ignis would nodded at them fondly after smacking the Shield with a roll of newspaper like a misbehave dog. They had no problem with their prince being together with his best friend; Prompto’s presence and background help Noctis maturing into a prince who knows the taste of life from the common folks. And who were they to argue when even the king himself approved of their relationship? Noctis had no problem with making their relationship known to the public but Prompto was shy against the idea. Being the Crown Prince of Lucis, Noctis is constantly under the spotlight of media attention. Any news about the royal family are the most interesting gossip that would circulate the crown city thrice in a single day. The last time news about their prince blew the media away was when the paparazzi caught a photo of Noctis in a nightclub with his blond friend. Based on the image taken without the prince’s awareness, his friend was trying to teach the prince on how to dance amongst the crowd. The prince was wearing a loose t-shirt with a pair of casual black pants and boots while his friend were in a white tanktop and a dark blue sleeveless jacket with a pair of similar coloured pants like the prince; both of them were adorned in multiple glowing colour bracelets, necklaces and the prince even had a pair of sunglasses on, dark blue colour glowed along the frames. There were no sign of the prince’s retainers anywhere among the crowd and so the public instantly assumed that the prince and his friend went out clubbing without his Shield and Advisor or even the king’s knowing! How scandalous! The club that the prince and his blond friend partied at receive high popularity and advertising coverage when the news hit big time. In addition, the club also receive massive influx of people frequenting the place just to catch a glimpse of their usually reserved prince. Sadly, no sight of the prince or his friend ever return to the club but one could hope. Incidentally, that was the first time that the friend of the prince gained vast attention from the public and media. Words had been going around that Prince Noctis had befriended a commoner during their school years but before journalists or reporters could sink their claws into the blond, the prince had whisked him into his private lifestyle and before they knew it, the blond had seamlessly fit in with the prince and his royal retinues and already well on his way training to become a member of the Crownsguard. Currently, Prompto Argentum would always be seen around the prince or his Shield and Advisor in public. Such intense scrutiny from the media made Prompto uncomfortable and since Noctis has little patience with dealing the insistency of the public need of gossip-worthy news, the prince agree that their romantic relationship should be as discreet as possible. Though just in case, Ignis had prepared several plans should the paparazzi ever found out the extend of their relationship. With the backing of the king, it shouldn’t cause such a huge uproar. Other than his new found relationship with Noctis and the birthday that marked his adulthood (Ignis can make one mean cake!), Prompto’s life remain blissfully peaceful. “Do you think flooding is an issue in this city?” Prompto wonders as he watch the heavy storm raining down on Insomnia form the window. It had been raining since dawn and despite how early the time is, the sky is pitch black and heavy with thick clouds. Whenever lightning strikes, Prompto caught a glimmer of the Wall that protected the city. He, Noctis and Gladio are lounging in one of the receiving room of the Citadel. A roaring fire is lit in the fireplace, emitting a pleasant warmth and calming atmosphere against the cold storm outside. While Prompto was pressing his face against the window, Noctis had his attention split  into several books and journals that Ignis insisted that he went through them after their daily training and Gladio is lying on the sofa, reading a romance novel. “Unlikely.” Gladio scoffed as he turn a page. His free hand tucked behind his head while the other held the book up. “The city’s sewage system won’t be overwhelm anytime soon despite the Fulgarian’s temper. We’ll be fine.” “If you say so, big guy.” Prompto draws the curtain and went to make himself comfortable beside the fireplace. A table was between him and Noctis; a table cluttered with Noctis’ belongings and several stacks of books and documents. The blond conclude that it’s probably royal related business judging from the grimace on his boyfriend’s face. Prompto’s face lit up when the grand door swings open and enter Ignis carrying a tray of steaming mugs and a plate filled with biscuits. “Apologies for the delay.” Ignis said. When he saw just how much the large mahogany table had been reduced to, he sigh and requested Prompto’s help in clearing it a bit for the tray. Prompto eagerly did as requested. “The Royal Archives needed an extra hand in rearranging the records to the newly updates ones.” Putting down the tray, Ignis puttered around the table to sort out the books and Noctis’ items such as phone and stationaries into order. “Always working…” Noctis muttered before closing the journal with a tired sigh. “It can’t be help. We all need to do our part from time to time.” Ignis reply with a pointed look to the prince. Noctis frown and snatch a mug of hot chocolate before leaning back against the sofa. Prompto grab his own mug and went to seat close beside him. The books and journals were abandoned on the table for the time being. Outside, the howling wind rattled the windows and the chandeliers hanging above them sway delicately. “Storm’s picking up.” Gladio noted, glancing at the windows. “Indeed… such a rare occurrence for a storm to be raging down on Insomnia.” Ignis agrees before grabbing his mug of Ebony and occupy the vacant chair near Gladio. “You know what we should do!?” Prompto suddenly blurted out as an idea dawn on him. His hands are cupping his mug tightly to avoid spilling the hot chocolate. He tap his foot in excitement while Noctis quickly put down his own mug and pluck Prompto’s drink away before he could hurt himself. “We should totally tell ghost stories! It’s the perfect time!” “Ghost stories?” Noctis raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. “I’ve got nothing.” “I’m down for it actually.” Gladio piped up. He placed his novel down on the floor and turn towards the boys with an eager smirk. “Bet that I can come up with a story that will spooked you right out of your pants.” “Tch, you wish! I’m not scared of ghost.” Noctis rolled his eyes. It was then a fierce lightning strike near the Citadel and the fire sway dangerously in the fireplace. They felt the chamber rumbled slightly as it passed. Ignis cleared his throat loudly; Prompto was clutching Noctis hand in a vice-like grip while the prince’s somehow had his his arm loop around the blond’s waist  and Gladio instinctively sat up when they felt the rumble. “Perhaps we should postpone telling horror stories some other day. I propose that in lieu of the storm, we spend some quiet time.” “Quiet time? You mean… like in kindergartens?” Prompto furrowed his brows, unsure if that was what the Adviser meant. “Precisely.” Ignis nodded in confirmation. “I believe that it will do us some good since we all had a hectic day.” “What are we, preschoolers?” Noctis demanded. Gladio snorted. “With the way how you behave most of the time, you might as well be.” Noctis was about to retaliate by throwing a plush cushion at Gladio but with a stern glare from the Adviser, he scowl and opt to snuggle close to Prompto instead. Ignis could only shook his head; sometimes, it felt as if he was babysitting a group of toddlers instead of grown men. He told Noctis that he could take a break from studying for a moment. Since no one wanted to upset Ignis, the three of them took on his suggestion. Gladio picks his novel back up from the floor while Prompto got up to peruse the shelves of books and Ignis shift his attention towards his phone. Noctis ceased his grumbling and resume snuggling the blond when he return to their sofa. “Which book did you take?” The prince inquired, tilting his head to take a closer look at the cover of the book. “One of the Cosmogony series. This is the first installment, I think.” Prompto answered. “I don’t remember much about the first book.” “There’s not much to read for the first one. Luna and I used to read about these books when we were kids.” Noctis explained. The cover had a pair of large wings - white on the left and black on the right. “The Divine Pair… yup. This book came first before The Hexatheon.” “A rather interesting read.” Ignis suddenly joins in their conversation though his eyes are still on his phone. “It details the creation of our known world yet due to very little informations and facts regarding the legitimacy of the book, it’s consider more as a myth than a history. One could only wonder.” Prompto pondered over Ignis’ words before shrugging and flipping the book open. There were illustrations of two humongous creatures with veiled faces. They were facing one another with Eos between them. ‘...Before Men, Eos and even the Hexatheon, there were Them. Gods older than time and life itself. A pair of incomprehensible beings that hailed since the dawn of time and flew across the vast stars, carrying between Them a river of life. After eons of travel, the pair settled upon a planet and life gradually began to flourish upon it and soon, mankind were born. When peace and prosperity grew into abundance, the pair created guardians - later known as the Hexatheon - to oversee the affairs and well-beings of humans before retreating to the corners of reality, awaiting for the fateful day for the world to be destroy at the hands of Calamity so that the Champion may gather the souls of mankind back into whence they came from and together, the pair will leave the desolated planet behind and fly across the cosmos once more…' Prompto turn to the next page. Beside him, Noctis yawns. ‘...The Divine Pair is a counterpart to one another; Consort and Enemy together. Love and hate one another. But Their Matrimony birthed Balance once life was created. Balance ushered order that became a pillar to the world. While Champion and Calamity retreat away from reality, Balance remain to safeguard the world until the end of all that is known at the hands of Calamity. The Scales of Balance judges all fairly; Men, Eos and Hexatheon…’ “Huh, it does sounds something out of a myth.” Prompto remarked as the books ends there. “I think I’ve asked Luna about it but I don’t remember what she said.” Noctis said sleepily. The heat from the fire and combining how soft Prompto feels, all Noctis needed to sleep forever is a bed. “Speaking of Lady Lunafreya, did you… uh, have you told her about us?” Prompto asks in concern. Noctis had told him that he and Lunafreya are close friends since childhood but Niflheim made it near impossible for them to visit one another. They could only communicate with one another without Imperial surveillance through a pictured notebook carried by one of her dogs. “I did.” “So what did the good lady had to say?” Gladio curiously inquires. “She’s cool with it. I wrote about it in the notebook underneath a photo of us.” Noctis explains. Outside, lightning flashes once more. “She thinks Prompto’s cute and wish the best for us.” Prompto went to poke at Noctis’ cheek with an expression of dumbstruck. “Seriously? Man, Lady Lunafreya is the best! You know, it was her letter that finally made me work hard to lose weight and talk to you at school.” He sigh dreamily. He still kept that letter in his house as a reminder of the Oracle gentle words of encouragement. The veil of sleepiness instantly vanishes from Noctis when he heard Prompto’s admission. He remove himself from the blond and ask with narrowed eyes. “What’s this about a letter?” Noctis’ tone had the Shield and Adviser shift their attention to the boys. Ignis was curious while Gladio had a shit-eating grin on his rugged face. Prompto scratched the back of his head bashfully. “Oh… I’ve never told you? Back when we were kids, I took in an injured dog; I called him Tiny. I didn’t really have a lot of friends so I thought he would be a good companion but he left once he healed up. I was sad for a while but Tiny came back, bringing a letter addressed from Lady Lunafreya herself! I had a handkerchief with my name on it when I tied it around Pryna so that must be how she knew my name.” Thinking back, the letter was just the thing to push him out of his self-loathing pit and do something about it. The Oracle’s magic, it would seems, works in a mysterious way… Meanwhile, Noctis didn’t like the lovestruck look on his boyfriend’s face. Granted, Luna is an awesome person but Noctis didn’t need her to be his competitor beside his father. And why did Luna never told him that she knew Prompto? “It’s a shame that the Empire confined Lady Lunafreya in her own homeplace. It would be nice if we could see her…” Prompto added wistfully. Unaware of the jealously brewing in his boyfriend. “Better stop there Prompto or Prince Charmless might just pop a blood vessel.” Gladio interjects gleefully. Ignis sigh, expectating a verbal blowup soon while Noctis glare at his Shield. But Prompto was perplex. “Huh? I’m just stating one of the most known fact of the universe. Lady Lunafreya is amazing… and beautiful… and kind… and - UMMPH!” Prompto’s eyes widen in surprise when Noctis suddenly smothered his lips with his own. Their kiss deepened when Prompto yelped after Noctis bit his lower lip lightly and shove his tongue inside of the blond’s mouth. Prompto relaxes into the kiss soon after when Noctis wrap his arms around him and enthusiastically reciprocated. They could’ve gone on and on if it weren’t for a not-so-subtle-cough making Noctis pull back, cheeks flushes. Both of the boys were breathless from their fierce kiss. “Pardon my intervention, Your Highness, but there is a time and a place for such intimate display.” Ignis mildly reminded the boys. He was indeed happy that they two of them are comfortable enough to display their affection for one another but he would rather they won’t start making out in front of him and Gladio. “Meh, it’s pretty vanilla compared the stuffs we do.” Gladio commented airily. “Gladio!” Ignis hissed. “Wait - when did you two got together?” Prompto demanded with his eyebrows raised in surprised. He adjust his seating when Noctis lie his head on his lap. “Sometime before you two became a couple.” Ignis answered with a sigh. “Gladio asked me out to dinner after our training and since I held a burgeoning affection for him, I accept the offer. We continue to spend time together outside of tending to Noct and after we properly discuss about our duties to His Highness and mutual interests, I was not against romantic inclination with Gladio despite our busy schedules.” “We have a great chemistry and plus the sex is good.” Gladio added with crass. Noctis groan. “TMI, big guy! I don’t want to know all the nasty bits you and Specs are up to.” Prompto laugh at his discomfort and ran his finger through his sable hair when Noctis grumbled. “But that’s great news guys! I’m happy for you two.” Prompto beamed. Ignis, who was narrowing his eyes at the Shield for his crude mouth, turn to Prompto and smile. “Thank you for your kind words, Prompto. Please don’t assumed that I wish to keep our relationship a secret from you two. There never seems to be an appropriate time to inform of it.” Ignis explains ruefully. Prompto easily wave it aside. “Ah, don’t sweat it, Iggy!” His words were drowned out by the loudest thunder that they had ever heard. Lightning follows quickly after but this one was unlike the others. It was powerful enough to blackout the entire Citadel. And so when the rumbled finally settled, darkness would have engulfed the chamber if it weren’t for the crackling fire. “Dear me…” Ignis murmurs and got up from his chair. “That was a powerful one.” Gladio unnecessary pointed out and he too got up from the sofa. Outside, they could hear footsteps rushing back and forth as well as voices asking for the lights. The staffs and Crownsguard must be trying to switch on the lights in the Citadel. “I hope this storm isn’t some sort of omen.” Ignis said before heading out of the chamber to investigate, instructing Gladio to remain with the boys. The howling winds continue to beat against the windows and walls. Glancing at the fireplace, with Noctis now fast asleep on his lap despite the blackout, Prompto turn to Gladio and hopefully said, “Maybe now we can tell ghost stories?” His Son is missing. His Son is missing . Myriads of dimensions that He had once created from eons ago are destroyed in a single violent fit of fury; not a single one of them housed His Child. Outrage and disbelief consumed Him as dimensions were annihilated one after the another. Descending into the silent city of lights, He could not sense the presence of His Son in the world that He so dearly love as he hovers above the crystal lake; His great black wing unfurled to the fullest. This is the final world that finally dawn onto the God that His Son is missing. Not a single trace of His power or soul lingers in the air. It was as if He had vanished into the very air. Calamity restrain His anger to compose Himself; He needed to think. He began ruling out the impossibility - His Son is merely missing; not dead. He is eternal as His Parents. So which means that He is in within the known realities; within the world of Eos or the Astral planes. It’s the most likely answer and yet the God frown before planting His feet onto the ground. It wasn’t forbidden to enter the realities of Men but the last interaction He had with His Son was His promised to watch over the planet from the comfort of Their city. Calamity recalled that His Son was still a tiny thing in comparison to His Parents. He still would slumber peacefully within the warm embrace of His wing, would hold His Father’s hand as They flew together across the stars,  would always seek comfort, assurance and strength from Him. Why has He left the safety of Their realms for some backwater reality? The God didn’t linger for long. He has a Son to retrieve and despite His presence that would signal the end of the world, He summon His sword and cut through space with a destination in mind. Without glancing back, He folded His wing and enters the world of Eos. - The Astral Planes is always in a continuous state of stagnant and isolation. The realm is wrapped around a canvas of rainbow and shimmering air. The very realm is filled to the brim with the power of the Six as this is where the Hexatheon dwell and commute with one another away from the eyes of Men. Though it means nothing against the will and power of one of the Divine Pair. Calamity is incorporeal as He hovers the Astral Planes but his presence sent a red flag to every Astrals - regardless of their deep slumber - into disarray. They knew that one of their creators have enter their realm but they cannot identify which. As quick as the Gods had created the Hexatheon, They left soon after for their own hidden realms. A realm far beyond the reach of an Astral. However, neither of the Gods told of the Final Day but it was prophesied so and that left the Six wondering if that fateful day has finally arrived. Calamity could care less about the trouble that His presence had stirred amongst His creations. They meant nothing to him; only His Son. The God’s omnipotence encompasses reality and every history that passed by, every miracles and every interactions - no matter how tiny and insignificant they may be - are absorbed into Him. He was perplexed that His Son’s presence continue to elude Him and so He decided to learn the extend of ravages done by time. He saw what humans recorded as histories flashing through His mind. He witness what had transpired on the lands and seas of Eos. Felt the thrumming power of the Six through the world and their blessings onto humanity. And most importantly… discover that His Son had fallen onto the world as a mortal. The revelation both provoked his most wrathful temper since the initial of Champion’s rejection of His unification proposal. Along with the lack of reasons from His Son’s decision to dwell amongst the mortals that He could find, it only serve to fuel His ire further. The once colourful Astrals Planes turn pitch black with unholy coldness that would have snuff the life of the Glacian. The stars that the Astrals so dearly treasured and adored by humanity could not even pierce the darkness. The voices of the Hexatheon were silenced as they could only wait in meek submission against the displeased God. Calamity shift his focus to the state of the world now that He knew that Balance had abandoned His duties. Just as he suspected, the consequences of His Son’s departure is beginning to take a toll on the world. He would have no qualm in destroying the world and every known life without His Husband/Enemy’s acknowledgement but His Son is currently walking on the plains of Eos for some unfathomable reason. It would seems that the God had no other choice. In order to bring His beloved Child back home, He must dwell amongst the mortal. He needed to take form of His previous image from a past life and limit his power to avoid the planet crumbling underneath His strength. He needed to blend in the affairs of Men in order to locate His now human Child. ...He will need to form a truce with Champion as it seems that Their Son had become unruly in Their absence… ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- News of the unexpected visit of the Imperial Chancellor buzzed through the Citadel and because of that, there is a tense energy in the air. Niflheim's latests assault on the borders of Lucis had greatly weakened the country's resources and strength. So much so that the King now held sessions with his Council everyday; Noctis hardly ever see his father because of it. A lot of the Glaives were lost in the recent attack and a sombre curtain had fallen over the city. The only defence left standing against the might of the Empire is the Wall around the city and Noctis had informed Prompto and his retainers that his father could only hold it for another few years before the burden of the Ring of Lucii becomes too much for him. And when that time comes, Noctis is expected to ascend the throne as the new King and would continue upholding the Wall just like his father did. That was the only best course of action that they could think of in times of war; the council deems it so and Regis had no choice but to pass the mantle of King to his still young son sooner than he would've like. Well... that was the plan before Chancellor Izunia sauntered into the Citadel like he owns the damn place. When Prompto had left the training halls for the day, he wasn't oblivious to the heated whispers and hushed discussions between the maids and several staff members of the Citadel as he was heading to Noctis' bedroom. The Glaives that was stationed at the Prince's wing and corridor gave him a nod as the blond passed by; they knew of his close friendship with the Crown Prince. "Hey Nyx. Stuck guarding Noct again?" Prompto greeted the Glaive that was dutifully standing near the door of Noctis' bedroom. Nyx Ulric is a well-known member of the Kingsglaive for his masterful abilities to warp and his fighting skills were not to be trifled with either. The Galahdian man's reputation precedes him even amongst the Crownsguard and general public. But what Prompto knew of him during the few training sessions that he joined in with Gladio was that Nyx is a man with a warm heart combine with wit and attitude to boot. He was friendly to Prompto even knowing that he's training to be a member of the Crownsguard and the rivalry between their faction. The blond always wonder why though. Was it because of his association with Noctis? Prompto didn't think that Nyx was that shallow. The rugged and handsome man tilt his head to the side when he heard Prompto approaches. He gave him a roguish smile. One that still got him 'hot under the collar' so to speak. Hey, his many crushes doesn't magically went away just because he hooked up with Noctis though he would never betray Noctis' love and trust over mere crushes. "Yup. Got into a bit of trouble with some of the Crownsguard so Drautos thought I needed a 'time out' by babysitting the Prince." Prompto couldn't help but snorted. "I bet they had it coming." Prompto knew that most of the Crownsguard could be assholes and pricks to those they deemed to be beneath their boots. "Say... what's going on around here? Everybody seems to be freaking out." Nyx stares at him in surprise. "What? You didn't know? The Niffs send their Chancellor this morning. Word has been going around that no one saw him enter the Citadel and that they only saw him when he left the audience chamber where the King and his Council was in conference." He explain with a dark expression. Prompto was taken aback. The Empire send an envoy to an enemy country? It didn't sound good... Just then, the royal bedroom doors swung open and both Prompto and Nyx saw Noctis' head peeked out, curious when he heard voices talking right outside of his room. His eyes widen when he spotted his boyfriend chatting with a Glaive just outside of his room. "Prom! Are you done with training already" "Just a second ago. What's going on? Why did an envoy from Niflheim came to the Citadel?" Prompto ask worriedly. When the Prince began to usher him into the bedroom in quick hand motions, he bid the man a, "I'll see you around, Nyx." and went inside the royal bedchamber. "So what's up? I was at the shooting range so I didn't know anything and Nyx had to filled me in." Prompto began after he made himself comfortable on Noctis' large bed. He had showered before he left for his boyfriend's room so Ignis wouldn't pop a blood vessel if he laid about on the bed. Speaking of the Advisor... "Where's Iggy anyway? Shouldn't he be here with you?" When Noctis close the door and Prompto made a beeline towards his bed, he came around the bed to sat close beside the blond. "Specs got called away just before you arrived. One of Dad's Councilmen wanted to see him. No doubt it's about that whole Niff's envoy business." Noctis grumbled while ruffling his nest of a hair. "Clarus also came by for Gladio not long after Ignis left so no one is telling me anything!" He complained in miffed. Noctis was worried when news of the Chancellor's unexpected arrival shook the Citadel. His first concern was his father but he was prohibited to even wander near the audience chamber by Cor when he saw the Prince running to see the King. Noctis was left to fume angrily in his bedroom afterwards with Ignis and Gladio quietly conversing in the background. He was too antsy to be distracted by Ignis' suggestion for foreign lessons or Gladio's offer for a round of video game while they were forced to wait for the impromptu visit to end. Prompto didn't like how stressed his best friend and lover is so he nudges Noctis' shoulder lightly. Smiling comfortingly, he said, "Hey... cheer up, man! I know your Dad; Despite how bad the war is on our side, as if a Niff could force the King to do what he doesn't want. I bet that the King already come up with a plan on how to turn the tide!" He said optimistically. Noctis wasn't so convinced but he's grateful for Prompto's effort in cheering him up. His own little ball of sunshine. Being patient was never one of Noctis' strongest trait but in situation such as this? His hands are tied as much as his Dad's. Hours passed by as the boys remain in Noctis' bedroom. Prompto had suggested for a nap since he was tired from training and Noctis was all too easy to obliged, regardless how restless he felt. Prompto had wore one of his boyfriend's more loose fitting clothes and threw his own clothes onto the chair near the study table before enveloping Noctis in a hug when they lie down on the bed. Curtains drawn and with a warm duvet over them, the simple nap turn into hours long sleep and by the time Prompto felt a hand shaking his shoulder lightly, he was wide awake already. "Iggy?" Prompto yawn and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and frown when he saw the serious look on Ignis' face. Beside him, Noctis remain oblivious to the world. He had his arm thrown across Prompto's lap as if to keep the blond close to him. It was so adorable that Prompto couldn't help but running his finger through his dark hair absentmindedly as he regard Ignis in worry. "What's up? What's with the look?" "The King request you to attend dinner with Noctis at seven. I suspect he would like to inform you two about the business with the Imperial Chancellor. You best freshen up first while I try to wake Noctis up." Ignis said succinctly as he already move to the other side of the bed to rouse the sleeping prince. Prompto gave him a thumb's up and went into the bathroom to did as he was told. Under Ignis' stern glare, the boys got ready in an hour before dinner. Ignis fussed over Prompto's clothes, made sure that Noctis' hair look somewhat tamed and assured the both of them when the King had request for their presence during dinner, he only appear weary. Not upset. As they walk through the hallways of the Citadel, Ignis notify Prompto and Noctis that dinner would be serve at the gardens instead of the royal dining hall. Prompto murmur a soft, "Oh..." as he now understood the casual yet smart state of his attires. Ignis left them when they arrive at the gardens and Noctis went ahead first to greet the King. From behind him, Prompto noted that the King had step out of his royal suit and crown into a warm and comfortable set of clothes for their informal dinner. "Hey, Dad." Noctis muttered softly, eyes searching for any distress induce wrinkles marring his already tired face. King Regis gave his son a soft smile. "Now, now, Noctis. None of that. I'm not as exhausted as I look; I promise. No need to worry yourself so much." He gently chastised and turn to address Prompto who was hovering nearby. "Hello there, Prompto. I'm glad that you could join us for dinner. I made extra sure to have our pâtissier whip up that caramel pudding you enjoyed so much." Prompto's face flush a healthy shade of red. The blond had recently learn just how keen the King's eyes could be; no little details or habits ever missed so Prompto wasn't all that embarrassed that the man knew of his preference for sweets. Then again, Noctis did passed his cup of pudding to him when he realized that Prompto had basically inhaled his own dessert as soon as it arrive and the King most likely saw it. "Can't wait for it, Your Majesty." Prompto reply with a small grin as he approached the father and son. He took a seat beside Noctis and they dig into the food without prompting. Dinning here at the open gardens in everyday clothing with no Glaives or guards in sight, foregoing proper decorum and generally talking about silly little things that passed during their day, Prompto very much enjoy spending time with Noctis and his dad without the burdens of royalty on their shoulders. For just a brief moment, Regis set aside his duties and royal demeanor and Noctis shucks the public expectations of his status as Prince. A father and his son having casual conversation over dinner with Prompto as said son's best friend and recent boyfriend. It was all very pleasant and calming. Though Prompto knew that it wasn't meant to last. When the servants came to clear their empty plates and return with desserts, Prompto had a spoonful of soup midway into his mouth when Noctis unexpectedly dive straight into the issue. "So what did the Niff want from us?" Prompto spluttered into a series of cough and wheeze at how forthright Noctis was. King Regis hand him a glass of water which he grab it in gratitude and drank it in one go before casting Noctis an annoyed look. Noctis in the meanwhile, was rubbing Prompto's back in a soothing manner as apology. "Really now, Noctis. You've startled the poor boy. Let him enjoy his food before we discuss about the Chancellor's visit." Noctis at least had the decency to grimace in guilt for his tact. "Sorry Prom, sorry Dad. I just... don't want to drag it, you know? The suspense is killing me. You told the Glaives to make sure I stayed in my room while you and the Council talk to the guy so I have no idea what's going on." He confess with an irritated huff. "It's obvious that it can't be any good." "I'm afraid that you're right, my son." Regis sigh. "Which is why I chose to personally discuss the matter as it involves the two of you." Wiping his chin with a napkin, Prompto regard the king in concern while Noctis clenches his fists on his lap. The boys steeled themselves from whatever bad news that was about to be deliver. Regis didn't wasted anymore time and lean forward. "The unexpected appearance of the Imperial Chancellor caused some alarm to the council and I. Fearing for any sordid incidents, I ordered the Glaives to guard you until I was certain that your safety was guaranteed. However this time, the Empire came forth with a very direct message." The king ran a hand through his hair just how Noctis does whenever he's frustrated. "It's no secret that the might of the Empire is gradually overwhelming our forces and ever since their assault near our borders, I fear that Lucis would fall sooner than expected." "But, the Wall - " Noctis interrupted but the King raise his hand. "I'm able to maintain the Wall for a few more years, that I can assure you two, but plans have changed in regards you inheriting the throne, Noctis. The news that the Chancellor brought was a peace treaty. One with conditions. Niflheim will cease waging the war if I relinquish the lands outside of Insomnia - " "Bullshit!" Noctis spat and shove his chair back aggressively and stood up. Clenching his fists tightly, Noctis narrowed his eyes at his father. "That's complete bullshit! A peace treaty!? A blind person can tell it's a lie! The Niffs knows that they're winning and we're in a tight spot. Of course they expect you to accept anything they offer if it means ending the war. And what about the people outside of the Wall? What's going to happen to them? You can't seriously accept this bullshit of a peace treaty! It's a trap, Dad; you have to see it!" Prompto grab Noctis' arm and the action causes Noctis to slightly jump in surprise. When he saw how his blue eyes glimmer in worry and fright, Noctis forces himself to calm down. Breathing in and out, he needed to clear his head for a moment. "Thank you for calming my son, Prompto." Regis nodded and when Noctis manages to compose himself, he said, "I'm very well aware that it's likely a trap. It's a possibility that need to be considered seriously. But that wasn't all what the peace treaty entail, my son. For reasons that has me worrying, the Empire demanded that you are to be wed to Luna." Prompto felt his blood froze and Noctis' temper flare again almost immediately. "I'm with Prompto; I can't marry Luna! She's just my childhood friend and she knows about us! She's happy for us! I won't give Prompto up. Not for Niflheim and definitely not for their sorry excuse of a peace treaty!" When the King said nothing, Prompto felt his heart turn heavy and Noctis grew frantic. "I love him, dad! How can you expect me to marry Luna while I'm in love with someone else? It's cruel to Luna and Prompto! No, I won't agree to this..." "Noct." Prompto began, his voice oddly flat and devoid of emotion. It sounded strange even to his own ears. "It's ok." Prompto didn't know what else to say. He wanted to leave, wanted to hide under a rock. The food that he ate is beginning to churn unpleasantly in his stomach. Prompto wanted to leave before he threw up on the table. He couldn't even look at the King and Prince anymore. "No it's not 'ok', Prom! This is clearly a trap! I'm the only heir to the throne and isn't that obvious for the Niffs wanting to kill me so there wouldn't be anyone left to use the Crystal's magic against them!? They're clearly using Luna to do it! Why the fuck should we agree to those stupid terms!?" Noctis shouted lividly. He grab Prompto's hand but his eyes widen in hurt when the blond quietly pull it back. "Prompto, please... Please, don't leave me; you can't leave me. Look at me, Prompto. I love you; you can't just... leave after everything. You promised that you'll always be with me." Noctis rambled in desperation when Prompto still refused to face him. He didn't care how miserable he appear in front of his Dad; he needed to convince Prompto not to leave him. Noctis even surprises himself at how forthcoming he was despite the difficulty he has in expressing himself. But Prompto is important to him; the thought of him quietly turning away from him is enough to have Noctis reeling in worry and distraught. "I'm your bestfriend, Noct. Of course I'll always be with you." Prompto reply in a subdued tone, his eyes blinking rapidly as if to keep the tears at bay. "But this is bigger than the both of us. Trap or not, everyone have been suffering for so long, Noct." He really didn't want to have to breakup with Noctis as Prompto wasn't certain that he could remain with Noctis after having to go through that. It would be too painful to bear and Prompto was never an emotionally strong individual to begin with. "Why the fuck would the Empire suddenly decide to stop the war, huh!? Almost the entire Astral damned Eos is under their control. Why would they suddenly stop now? Prompto, you gotta see it!" Noctis pressed, he needed Prompto to understand. Seeing that his words alone were not enough to convince the blonde, Noctis couldn't help but felt hurt at Prompto's easy compliances. Why won't he fight for their relationship? Was Noctis being too selfish? Noctis was crestfallen when Prompto turn away from him to rub his eyes with a soft sniffle. "Prompto, please..." Caught up in their own dilemma, neither of the boys expected the loud snort coming from the King. "Noctis please, you're giving me a headache and Prompto, please stop crying; it's breaking my heart." Regis said in a mild tone and handed the sobbing young man an unused napkin. He sigh at how red Prompto's eyes were and the incredulous expression that Noctis wore almost made him shook his head in exasperation. "Honestly... you two are worst than those melodramatic Tv series that Clarus secretly watch when his children is asleep. No Noctis, I'm not mocking your affection for our Prompto here but please at least allow me to finish talking before jumping to conclusion." The King rewarded himself with a small smirk seeing how his son flush in embarrassment and that lead to the teary eyed Prompto to giggle. He gestured for Noctis to sit which he did so reluctantly. "Now where did I left it off to... Hmmm? You should be able to remember it, Noctis, since your outburst took at least more than five paragraphs worth of drama." Regis drawl playful. Prompto only giggle louder at how red the tips of Noctis' ears became. "You told us that the Niffs want me and Luna to get marry for the peace treaty." Noctis reply sulkily. "Which is stupid, in case I didn't make it clear enough." "I think we get the picture, thank you." Regis countered dryly. "Now then, as I was saying earlier before the impromptu soap drama that would have Clarus in a sobbing mess interrupted, I am not planning to comply with Niflheim's demands. I am aware that you hold Prompto in the highest regard and affection, which is why I took it as a serious factor when I held discussion with the Council. You two can breathe easily now, by the way." "Y-You won't?" Prompto gasp, stunned. "...Seriously?" Noctis added, also taken aback. Regis nodded. "Lucis are backed into a corner and only a fool would trust the words of the enemy. Regardless, our people are frighten and our forces grew weaker by the day, Noctis; as their protectors, we need to give them hope so that they may believe that tomorrow will come. Which is why we have no choice but to surrender our lands outside of the city so that we may be able to claim them again one day. However, I will not force Lunafreya or my own son into an arranged marriage under the guise of peace; for all we know, the Empire might have something insidious in mind for the two of you." The King reasoned. It was one of the possibility for Niflheim's insistence of their marriage. "So what now?" Prompto hesitantly inquires. He didn't snatch his hand back when Noctis grab it again though his palm was starting to sweat at how warm Noctis' hand felt. "I came up with a plan that if you and Noctis could execute well enough, the Empire would be none the wiser. You and your retinues will go to Altissia under the pretense of the wedding and bring Lunafreya with you into hiding; make it seems that your party encountered a misfortune on the way back to Lucis and wait until Cor or anyone else that can be trusted brings you word from me." Regis explain as clearly as he could. "But what about you, Dad? Won't the Niffs suspect something?" "Which is why you need to make the incident as believable as possible, my son. I'm certain that young Ignis could plan something out. I have faith in that brilliant Scientia." Regis reply. "As for me, I will play the part as a grieving father and King before proceeding to convince the Empire that without an heir to the throne and Crystal, Lucis is at its' last rope. Before the Empire could deliver an all out attack on me, you will countered them by ascending to the throne and push their forces back with the Wall that your grandfather had erected during his reign." Noctis was gobsmack at his father's plan while Prompto made an excellent impression of a goldfish. "You can't be serious, Dad! I-I'm not that strong! How could - " "Trust me when I say that you're a lot stronger than you think, my son. Far stronger than me or your grandfather." Regis assured him gently. "You may not be able to see it now, Noctis, but there is no doubt in my mind that you will surpass the predecessors that came before you one day. And when that day comes, you will become a great King. I never once doubt about this." Hearing such admission from his father, Noctis could only bow his head timidly. "I believe you, Your Highness!" Prompto suddenly chirped. He smile brightly at Noctis who stare at him in uncertainty. "Dude, we're still young! We'll totally be badasses by the time you get the crown. We'll train and stuff with Lady Lunafreya and kick the Empire's ass when they least expect it! I know you'll be a great King; think of it like a JRPG. We gotta gain some mad EXP and levelling up to at least 100 so that the Niffs won't know what hit 'em! We can go for 120 if you want too since the patch had came in. You'll totally be an OP King!" The blond explain so enthusiastically that his previous blotchy red eyes now shine with eagerness. Noctis rolled his eyes yet overjoy at how confident his boyfriend has in him. "Leave it to you to see our world as a video game. That's so crazy, Prom." He inched closer beside Prompto to gave his cheek a quick peck. "It would be super awesome though, Noct! You'll probably be on the front cover of the game disc with your Engine Blade while me, Iggy and Gladio will pose like a badass in the background." Prompto exclaim. Regis chuckle. Pleased that the boys are lively again. "As exciting as that idea is, I believe that you two understood the plan? I can go over it again if something is amiss." Noctis and Prompto both nodded in confirm. Once they got to Lunafreya at Altissia, they needed to fake their deaths, lay low for a few years to get stronger so that Noctis would be ready to become King before the Empire made an attempt to forcefully seize Lucis, treaty be damn. Regis resist the urge to coo at the serious expression on his son and lover's face. He was grateful that they knew of the importance of their duties but they're still barely adults in his eyes and their casual clothes didn't help at all. An image of a black and golden chocobo chick came into his mind. "Excellent. Now, in the next few days, I will have Ignis informing you two of every details regarding the ongoings of the peace treaty so that you may prepare yourselves. This goes without saying that our discussion tonight must be kept from others except for your retinues, Noctis. Behave as you normally do, take care of one another and we may turn the tide of war into our favour soon enough." "...Does that mean I get to have more desserts and less greens now?" "Noct!" King Regis guffaw when the boys fought over the last piece of dessert on the table; Prompto made Noctis drop the plate of sliced Ulwaat berry ice-cream cake by licking at the side of his face and the blond quickly grab the plate before the cake could fall off and ran to hide behind a tree with his prize. Laughter fill the air when Noctis scrambled to chase after him. The future is rife with uncertainty and fear but for now, Regis enjoys the simple pleasure that he shared with those that are important to him. - The peace treaty was announced to the public the moment King Regis accept the terms of the Empire. It had been several days after their casual dinner and both of Noctis' Shield and Adviser were in on the King's plan for the future. Gladio, who never did like the concept of losing to anything was eager to repay the Empire for everything it had done to Lucis while Ignis set out on preparing a masterplan for the 'tragedy' to befallen on them. Everyone continued on with their lives as much as they possibly could before Noctis would have to leave with his party to Altissia. Time marches on and before Prompto could registered it, Cor the Immortal came to him to personally announced that he is now a proud member of the Crownsguard. Unfortunately, his celebration was short lived as the King had informed them that Noctis is expected to head out to Altissia in three days time for the wedding. The monarch wanted to meet the four of them during the day of the departure for one last time. It was a solemn affair as Ignis and Gladio helped Noctis and Prompto with their packing; ensuring that all the necessities are brought, weapons are stocked and emergency supplies tucked away in the trunk of the Regalia. When the day arrived, Regis address them all as a King as they stood before him in the throne chamber and as Noctis and his party descend the stairs of the Citadel, Regis address them as a father for one last time. With the captain of the Kingsglaive at his side, Regis hobbled slowly down the stairs and Prompto forces himself not to run back up to help him walk down. The Shield, Adviser and Lover watches at the bottom of the stairs where the Regalia was parked as the father and son converse with one another. "...Take heed. Once you set forth, you cannot turn back." Regis voice carries a heavy weight that didn't escape Noctis. He wasn't smiling as they both knew that the chance of their reunion is slim. Regis could only pray to any Astral that would take pity on a helpless father to watch over his son and his friends. "You think I would?" Noctis quip with a small sad smile. "I need only know that you are ready to leave home behind." Regis insist. In his heart, he pleaded that no matter what may happen, Noctis would remain strong and never look back. That his beloved son will always face the future and leave the past as it is. "Don't know about you, but I'm ready as I'll ever be." Noctis assured as best as he could. "Take care on the long road. Wheresoever you should go, the line of Lucis goes with you." Regis grasp his son's shoulder tightly, closes his eyes and when he open them, the magic of the Crystal flicker ominously. "Walk tall, my son." Prompto suddenly shivers when those words were spoken. He couldn't understand why but it made him uncomfortable and fearful. As if the wheel of fate has begun to spin. The blond shook his head to dispel the strange emotions running through him and gave the King his brightest smile when Regis nodded at him, Ignis and Gladio. Noctis and his Dad shared one final hug before they all piled into the Regalia. "So Noct, ready to go on an open world roadtrip with your Japanese boyband?" Prompto grins when Ignis drove them off into the highway. "The fuck, Prompto?" Honestly, Prompto... the words that comes out of your mouth can be so strange sometimes." "I... uh... don't have a boyband?" As they passed through the city gates, It wasn't long until Insomnia faded behind them as they unknowingly head towards their destinies. With his son and friends safe and away from the city, Regis could properly focus on the tasks he needed to play. Smiles at the Nifflheim's envoy, ensure that the citizens could watch the signing live in every part of Insomnia and remain steadfast and alert in case of any unpleasant surprises. He believe in Noctis returning stronger than he could even hope to be and maybe, just maybe, his fate as the Chosen King would not have to end in sorrow. It was around in mid afternoon that Clarus inform him of the royal Imperial airfleets that would be arriving soon. The Citadel is buzzing with talks and hurried movements as Regis prepares himself to greet their guests. As he rest in the throne room with his Shield standing beside him ever faithfully, the first sign of trouble came barrelling through the door. A guard came in to announced that Lunafreya was seen amongst the Niflheim's envoy. "Are you certain?" The king demanded and Regis' calm composure nearly faltered when the guard confirm the news. Something wasn't right; the Oracle should've been on her way to Altissia just as his son currently is. The treaty did not involves the former princess of Tenebrae to be in Lucis on the day of the signing. What is the Empire up to? Regis send out a request to have the Oracle visit him at the Citadel as soon as possible and when she came into the throne chamber with a strapping young Glaive at her side, Regis couldn't help but saw so much of Sylva in her. It reminded him of his failures and guilt towards the Nox Fleuret and their country. "It's been a long time, Your Majesty." Lunafreya's voice was gentle but there is a sense of strength behind it. Here standing in the throne room is a young woman who have been living within the Empire's grasp for all her known life but still never loses her strong resolve. "Yes... far too long." Regis admits ruefully. It was truly good to finally see how much Sylva's daughter had grown. Like a blooming Sylleblossom. Regis hope in his heart that the Oracle is blessed with happiness - even for a short while - before her own fate claim her life. Lunafreya deserve to live a long life, just like his son but their birthrights made them into prisoners. Done with the pleasantries, Regis implore the former princess to leave the city with one of his most trusted men. The Oracle was supposed to be in the company with his son and friends so that they could better protect her. Maybe without the looming war and duties, perhaps the children could live as befitting of their ages instead of the young men and woman that they were forced to quickly grew into. Even for just a short moment. However, just like her late mother, Lunafreya proved to be stubborn to a fault. She spoke of her duties as an Oracle but left what it truly entails but Regis knew. Knew of the hardship that came to every Oracle that had came to pass. Lunafreya, as radiant and amazing as she is, will be no different. With a deep sigh, Regis resigned in defeat and accept the wave of anguish and helplessness that has become all too familiar to him. - After the evening party at Caelum Via resort came the day of the signing of the peace treaty. The civilians and representatives of every known media flock around the Citadel to witness the historic moment. Crownsguard were ordered to keep the people in line and to keep a watchful eye over anything remotely suspicious. As for the Kingsglaive, they were given a more discreet duty; hiding behind the shadows of the Citadel, observing the Niff's party in case the Empire decided to pull something sinister and quietly assassinate them as to not arouse attention. Everyone in Insomnia eagerly waiting for the war to finally ended. Standing beside one of the many windows of the throne room, the king watch as the Emperor and his Chancellor arrives down below. Regis tilt his head as he observes them; where is Lunafreya? Clarus, his dear old friend and Shield, approaches him respectfully to remind him that the signing will begin in just a few more hours. And that's when the second sign of trouble came into the throne room in a form of a Glaive sliding onto the floor to kneel at the foot of the stairs. He was speaking rapidly but Regis merely blinks, impressed at how smooth his movement was. "You?" It was the same handsome, young Galadhian man that escorted Lunafreya the other day. And if the king could recalled, the two of them had a pleasant conversations during the evening party. Lunafreya's small, genuine smile and the Glaive's roguish smirk did not went unnoticed by Regis. The king idly wonders if the Glaive could be one of Luna's form of happiness. Regis snap back into attention when the young Glaive gravely informed him that there are Imperial fleets just at their doorstep and the Oracle is among them. It was just as Noctis had angrily suspected; the peace treaty is nothing more but a farce. There was nothing else to do but to prepare themselves for an attack. He ordered Clarus to have guard post in front of the treaty room and when Clarus tried to remind his king and friend that it would be a sign of distrust, Regis would not be move. Turning his thoughts back to the Glaive, his name pops up in Regis' mind. "Nyx Ulric." Titus loves to complain about this one. When the hero of the Kingsglaive raises his head to him in silence, he continues, "How soon can the Kingsglaive be deploy?" "On your word; at once." Was the determined reply. Regis nodded. "Go then... save Luna." please. When the Glaive left to assemble the rest of his members, Regis and Clarus meet up with the Council and as they hurried through the corridor, Regis suddenly stops. He blinks once and turn his head to the side. "What is it?" Clarus ask in concern. "Did you hear it?" Regis inquires in bewilderment. "A faint chanting... words I've never heard before." He tries to search for the source of the unsettling chant... almost like a hymn really. It made the Ring of Lucii around his finger deathly cold and a wave of ominous vibe wash over him. Judging from Clarus confused expression, he had no idea what Regis is talking about. Shaking his head, Regis decide the drop the matter and they continue on their path. It was probably a trick of his weary mind. Noli manere... Manere in memoria... Noli manere... Manere in memoria... - The Nifflheim's party had already arrived in the treaty room long before Regis and his Council did. Emperor Aldercapt was already standing near the thrones with a small smug on his old, wrinkly face that would have Regis sneering back if it weren't for the fact that there are cameras everywhere and it would gave the public a heart attack if their King were suddenly act like a brat. Regis suppose he couldn't entire fault Noctis for behaving in certain manners. It certainly didn't came from his mother. On the far left side of the room, the Emperor's party stood stoically as if they were MTs. Drab in heavy, white uniforms, they couldn't blend in with the walls even if they try. Regis and his Council took their places on the right side of the room and when their monarchs sat down, they follow suit. Regis apologizes for their delay as respectfully as he could and later inwardly groan when the Emperor started talking, talking and just wouldn't stop TALKING. He rolled his eyes upwards at some point, silently wondering when can they get on with the signing already. He manages to spare Clarus a glance when his Shield kneel beside him to notify that the Kingsglaive had the Oracle with them. But instead of returning to his place, Clarus suddenly paused. Regis begin to grow worry when his friend winced and held his head in his hand. "Clarus? What's wrong?" Regis whispers in unease though his expression remains calm and compose. No need to give the old Emperor anymore reason to be so smug. "It's... nothing, Your Majesty. Just a mere headache..." Clarus assured. He shook his head and before he strode away, Regis caught his friend muttering under his breath, "Where is that song coming from...?" Saevam iram... Iram et dolorem... Saevam iram... Iram et dolorem... All of the sudden, a sharp burst of pain came from the Ring of Lucii that had Regis reeling; composure thrown off. Clutching his hand tightly and breathing heavily from the aftermath, Regis stare down at the ring in astonishment and dread; it felt as if his finger was slice off by a blade. The magic of the Crystal that connect with the ring was oddly subdued; cowered even. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the sense of primal fear vanishes with the chants. Regis didn't have the time to figured out what had just happened as Emperor Aldercapt got up to begin the signing procession. The King knew that whatever the chants were, it was no mere trick of the mind anymore. If the Ring of Lucii and the Crystal writhed in submission underneath the faints echo of the mysterious words, Regis could only assumed that it ties with the Astrals. The King was beginning to feel overwhelmed as he hobbled towards the table where the treaty is. At this moment, he needed to focus; they are all at the centre of a burgeoning storm and Regis cannot falter lest Lucis will pay the price. The affair of the Gods are something that is beyond his understanding, however, he still prays that should misfortune would occur, the Crystal will not fail him. The Emperor still continue talking about justice and the laws of his Empire and it caught Regis' interest. Apparently, they both holds different view when it comes to punishments that befitting the crimes. The crime of a thief sent Regis on a suspicious edge, temporarily confuse how the Empire would simply let the criminal escape freely should he avoid captive. King Regis soon realize the implications of the Emperor's sly words when he heard the first set of explosion outside of the Citadel. A flash of steel came from the corner of his eye and Regis instinctively summon his weapons the moment the Emperor held a gun to his face. Both parties raise their weapons against the other and prepare to attack at the signal of their monarchs. Screams can be heard outside, guards barking orders but the treaty room was tense in silence. In the midst of chaos and betrayal, no one notices that the sky above began to darken and lights began to form strange runes and symbols in a circle. - Everything fell apart so quickly the moment the Wall disappears when the Empire broke into the vault containing the Crystal that powered the city's protection. As they were in a standoff, MTs fell into the treaty room and before Regis could even react, the tin soldiers began slaughtering his party. With a quick raise of his hand, the King erected a shield to protect his people and watch in anger as the Emperor stroll out of the room without a care in the world with his envoy behind him. Once the Emperor left and the MTs were dispatch came the third sign of trouble that Regis fear to be too much for him to handle when he heard a familiar sound of engine whirring. General Glauca of the Niflheim army flew into the room and Regis knew that if he could not defeat his enemy when he was younger, he has no hope in his current state. He told Clarus and his Council to flee while they can but they stood firm to protect their king. To the very end. Regis closes his eyes to prepare himself to battle against the powerful General. Charging his magic into his hand, the king send a burst of Thundaga to startled the General and they move in for the attack. Just as Regis' feared, General Glauca proved to be just as formidable as he was during the assault on Tenebrae. If not even more so. How easy and without mercy the General butchered his Council and Regis soon found himself crossing blades with him. Clarus protected him as much as possible whenever Glauca backed Regis into a corner by aiming his sword at the General's weak points on the armour but the General would hurl his Shield away from him by the uniform and Regis would use that small window of opportunity by throwing magic at the General. It was an even fight but Regis knew that he and Clarus could only keep up for so long. It was when Regis cast a powerful Firaga at the General and flame burst into a series of explosion did he heard the pain-inducing chanting again. The King's eyes widen and called out to his Shield; it wasn't a faint echo, the hymn is booming around them now. Mi fili, veni... Veni, veni mi fili... Mi fili, veni... Veni, veni mi fili... Mi fili, veni... Veni, veni mi fili... Mi fili, veni... Veni, veni mi fili... Mi fili, veni... Veni, veni mi fili... "Clarus!" Regis bark and signal for his Shield to quickly stand at his side which Clarus did so without question. The Ring of Lucii felt like a knife stab through his finger and when Regis studied the flickering flames in his hand, it became dimmed despite his energy and will pumping into the Crystal magic. A sense of doom, bleakness and catosphere in the likes that he had never felt before enveloped the room like a fierce tidal wave. Regis could barely stood as his entire being wreck with fear and unknown horror. Beside him, Clarus was reduced to kneel while gripping his sword for support and even General Glauca was frantically searching around the room for an invisible enemy. Suddenly, the very roofs of the Citadel was obliterated by a blinding light that would've burned Regis and Clarus into ashes if it weren't for Regis quick timing in raising a shield to protect them. The King was taken aback at the sheer intensity of the light but he wasn't frozen speechless for long. When he tilt his head up - skyscrapers - gone he saw a circle of runes made of weird colour light and it expel another burst of magic only this time, it was less intense. Qui mortem invitavit... Poena funesta natus... Noli nomen vocare... Ille iterum veniet... No one was prepared for the being that appear when the light faded away. Kneeling on one knee, the being clad in black and leather slowly stood up and when he unfurl a large black wing, a distant memory tried to resurface in Regis' mind but an all consuming feeling of apprehensiveness, despair and terror create a single sentence screaming in his head. 'I am nothing. I am insignificant. I am the product of His apathy. I am a fleeting life against the eternal cataclysm.' When what Regis suspect to be Death incarnate stood tall between General Glauca and them, it did not utter a word nor move a muscle. It just... stand still. In fact... the whole world appears to be frozen in motion when Regis manages to quelled the impending dread from tearing him apart. The screams of the citizens were silenced and the very air is rippled with a kind of magic that is completely different from the Crystal. This magic feels... timeless... boundless... eternal... and above all... merciless. Regis quickly made an attempt to channel his magic but instantly became paralyzed with alarm when it fail to respond to him. He could only stare as the ancient being survey the badly damaged treaty room with an idle tilt of his head. His long, flowing platinum colour hair sway as he turn to finally face the exhausted King. Regis couldn't help but become fixate at the sight of the all powerful being in front of him. It was as if his features were personally crafted by the Gods and his seraphic green eyes glimmer in mild curiousity. The being was studying him as much as Regis is examining him. The King believe that without a doubt, the face of this creature will forever seared into his memory. "You have his soul..." The being suddenly spoke in a rich, baritone voice. "Noble... wise... compassionate... yes. He flourishes in this realm." He muses. "Who are you?" Regis inquires carefully. Who or what is this creature that could make him feel as if he was still a young and impulsive Prince from all those years ago and could block the Crystal magic so effortlessly? Make it squirm beneath him? His questioned didn't amuse the being nor did it upset him. Instead, he continue to appraise the world around him. As if reading a story that is only privy to him. Once he was satisfied, he turn to Regis with something akin to gratefulness and jealousy on his face. "Mortal King, I will grant you this boon." The creature declare. Still paralyze, Regis watch as the being lifted his magic and time marches on as if nothing had happened. "Your Majesty!" Clarus cried out - unaware of what had transpired - when he saw what was standing in front of them. He tried to hold himself together but the ominous feeling still clawed at him tightly. In a blink of eye and liquid-like movement, Regis saw the creature decapitate General Glauca and felt sick as his head clattered onto the floor in a pool of blood. He had never once notice that abnormally long sword in the creature's grasp. "Dear Bahamut..." Regis gasp, his voice small and timid. What had descend from the lofty heavens? "Not even close." Came a bored reply. The creature wrap itself with its wing and vanishes in a flurry of black feathers. The King and his Shield were the only ones left standing in the decimated room. The corpse of the General of Niflheim was a particularly gruesome sight given that his defeat was severely unexpected. "What was that?" Clarus demanded when the oppressing atmosphere was lifted. Regis felt like he could finally breathe after being forcefully submerged in underwater for days. "I don't know, old friend," Regis admits. "But whatever it is, it came from the realm of the Astrals and possess the same power as the Hexatheon... if not even more so." He exhale heavily. "More powerful than the Six? There is no such thing!" Clarus admonished but there was uncertainty in his battle hardened eyes. Regis would've shared the same sentiment if they weren't saved by a being that came from beyond the stars. Regis could only wonder why such being descend onto Eos. He suspect that it can't be good for any of them if the creature brought such ominous air with him. 'But that raven wing,' Regis contemplated. 'Why does it looked so familiar?' The sound of footsteps running caused his focus to shifted towards their unforeseen visitors. Lunafreya and Glaive Ulric appear battered and covered in grim but they were none the worse for wear which ease his troubled heart and mind even just a litte. "Your Majesty, we have to leave the city now. The Empire has the Crystal with them." The Glaive reported with a sense of urgency and Regis could understand him. The sun was setting and when night time falls, Insomnia would be a slaughter ground against the daemons without the protection of the Wall. "And the Kingsglaive is lost. Traitors the lot of them." Nyx Ulric said with steel and a hint of sorrow. Regis is aware of the tight bond that the Glaives had with one another - as they were all came from the same circumstances - which is why instead of being upset that the immigrants that he had took into his city had aligned themselves with the Empire, his heart breaks little more for the misfortune that continues to fall on the young Ulric's shoulders. 'Though perhaps,' Regis eyed how Luna squeeze Nyx's glove hand firmly as if to channel her strength into him, 'sorrow will not be all that accompanies the young Galadhian man.' "So be it." The King of a fallen kingdom rasped in grief. "Evacuate as many civilian as possible before the sun sets. There is nothing left in Insomnia to protect." In all the years since Insomnia was build from the smallest stone, the city that never slept became as silent as a cemetery. The last survivor of the Empire's assault flee an hour before the sun sinks beneath the horizon. All that was left of the once grand capital city of Lucis is now left in dystopia. Buildings and streets were in ruin and what became the final proverbial nail to the coffin is the aftermath of the attack at the Citadel. Gone were the tall, imposing skyscrapers and if one could view the city from afar, the building would be no different from the rest. Wisp of black smokes were all that's left coming from the desolated city. However, the terrors of the night did not came as how King Regis' feared or as the Imperial Chancellor promised. When the sun had set and the moon shines so bright in the night sky, there were no daemons prowling through the fallen city at all. No snarling, shrieks or daemonic scuffling within Insomnia. There was no one left in the city. Except... him. When all had flee Insomnia and the Empire's forces had made its retreat, Calamity remains. And it was because of Calamity that no daemon dared to spawn in the city. The God's presence is enough to force the daemons into killing themselves rather than approaching the being. As feral and mindless daemons are, they lived by their instincts. Instincts that recognizes the destructive maker of their known world through sheer presence alone. Daemons are savage but not suicidal. The sound of heavy boots were unsettling among the collapsed buildings and facilities. It didn't help that by the grace of the moon that illuminate the streets made the city even more in a sombre state. Calamity halt in front of what remains of a burned down house. Charred woods, furnitures and roofs stripped the building to its foundation. It serve as one of the many miserable reminders of the fallen city. Though the God could care less about that. This was Prompto's house. Calamity felt his son's mortal presence the strongest here. Because of that he could see echoes of the lives that his son had lived and grew within the house. The God witnesses the blond's (Calamity had to scoffed. Just why did his son had to have his husband's golden locks, untameable hair style and sky blue eyes? Silver is sexier and his emerald eyes are gorgeous, if he may say so himself) childhood, teenage lives and up until his current age. He watch every struggles, insecurities and happiness that Prompto's experienced and became the young mortal man he is now. "Prompto... Argentum..." Calamity tested his runaway son's mortal name on his tongue. The name felt... normal; utterly human. The silver haired God blew an annoyed sigh but restrained himself from becoming upset. The world is slowly but surely becoming apart the longer he lingers on Eos. Best not to hasten its destruction just yet since the Astrals had made a good job at that. "At least it isn't weather related..." He couldn't help but grumbled. Why does his son has to take from his other parent so much? Did he not care and love him too? Honestly, he was beginning to feel jealous again. When he descend onto Eos from the Astral Plane and freezes time so that he could assess the current ongoings of the mortal realm, he was indifferent to the wars that the humans waged against one another, the lives that they needlessly sacrificed. Nor did he particular care for the large, defective rock that the Draconian had gifted to humanity. What genuinely caught his immediate interest was the familiar soul that reminded him so much of a fond life long passed before his Godhood. A friend that he had dearly cared now reincarnate as a mortal King. How befitting. Through his slitted green eyes, Calamity saw how the mortal King had lived his life; from a young Prince to the King he is now. Memories, secrets and sorrows were all laid bare before him. However, his small fondness for the mortal king abruptly ended when he absorbed the memories of his son interacting with him. He was momentarily caught off guard; why does his son associate with a monarch? He watch every memories where the King cared for his son as if he was the King's own child - Calamity was grateful for his compassion yet jealousy brew underneath. His son already has a father; two in fact! He doesn't need anyone but him and Champion. Even if he doesn't remember yet - and how happy his son is whenever they are together. He wants to reclaim those precious moments. Which is why he killed the mortal King's would be executioner as repayment but no more than that. "A prophecy has been foretold..." Calamity murmurs glancing up at the moon. It would seems that the Draconian had create a prophecy several eons ago and only now did it bloom in motion. Waiting for the Chosen One to be born into the mortal realm. There is a peculiar pestilence that skulk in the corners of this world since ancient time and continues to haunt humanity. The Draconian's prophecy involved a human, the pestilence and the Six all together. Calamity frown. Why did Bahamut made the prophecy? What purpose does it serve when the Six could cured the mortal realm from the pestilence themselves? What the God understood that the plague came from the stars in a realm where the Astrals dwell. Why then, couldn't they prevent it from tainting Eos? Calamity began to growl at the arrogance of the Hexatheon. 'Why the need of a mortal to perform the duties I gave them?' The God wanted answers and he will have them now. Calamity left the mortal realm for the world of the Astrals, leaving a single black feather in ruined city. - Calamity levitate lightly in the air of the rainbow coloured realm, retaining his physical appearance. No use shedding it when he planned to lingers in the mortal realm until he could find his son. This world positively exude meekness, fear and everything else that screams submissive. It only furthers to angered the Harbinger of Apocalypse as he knew that the Astrals are very much aware of their own complacent in regards to the affairs of mortal. "Six guardians of the mortal realm appear forth before me!" Calamity thundered. The God was not amused that the Astrals were pathetically cowering from him. It was time to face his judgement. He open a palm and the Hexatheon were summoned on it in their true form. Glorious and unrestrained of their powers but their heads bowed at Calamity's harden stare; dwarfed in comparison to their gargantuan maker. Even Ifrit held his tongue lest their unmerciful creator choose to smite them all in an instant. "Why has the Six abandon the duties we entrust to them?" Calamity demanded in a booming and angry snarl in his baritone voice. "A prophecy was made in lieu of the plague that requires a mortal to banish it when it is your duty to safeguard Eos." Calamity stares at every one of the Astrals, the world around them gradually darken. "Why have you all left it unattended?" Bahamut carefully spoke up. "The plague was made by Ifrit during the - " "Did I inquire as to who brought down the plague on Eos?" Calamity harshly interjects. "I created the Infernian in the likeness of a companion; his betrayal and fiery rage were of no shock to me." The God cast a brief glance to Ifrit and saw a shadow of short, auburn hair and a familiar smirk before continue, "What I demanded to know is why have you not directly interfere in the mortal realm to rid the plague. You all have abandon your duties and created a prophecy so that the humans will become your scapegoats. Give me a reason why I should not annihilate every one of you for your arrogance and compliances?" With Masamune in his dominant hand, Calamity was ready to deliver a single fatal blow to the Astrals huddling close to another on his palm. Champion will no doubt be furious that he slay their guardians but to Calamity's logic, the mortal realm would be untouched by their deaths. It wasn't them that uphold the mortal realm, anyway. The Hexatheon are not Gods; merely overseers of Eos that had failed the very purpose of their existence. And Calamity has no use for servants that callously ignores their master's orders. "It is a gift bestow to the mortals to live without the ever guidance of the Astrals." Shiva reply demurely. "Mortals prospered by their own free will and continue so until this present. They are hardy, independent and resourceful without our direct interference." Unfortunately, it was a wrong thing to say as it infuriate the God of death even more. Shiva timidly lowered her head when she felt the crushing grip of Calamity's power around her shoulders. "The power of balance has disappeared and when the Hexatheon went into slumber, Eos is left uncheck for far too long. You have hasten the End of Days before its time." Calamity announced and let that sink in so that the ignorant Astrals realizes the gravity of their consequences. The Astrals gingerly look at one another and the God ask, "Why have you create the prophecy, Draconian? Did you wish terribly for our arrival?" The great dragon flinched. "I was requested by the Absolute Balance to restore order during the fall of the mortal's proudest civilization, Solheim." "And you weave a prophecy so that the humans would battled against the plague in your stead while you and your brethren slumbered for years." Calamity summarize with a sharp exhale of breath. The audacity of the Six! But that doesn't explain why did his son descend into the mortal's realm as a human rather than a... Messenger at least. Was he unhappy at how the Astrals left the mortals as they were? Calamity pondered for a moment before he came to a decision. He must find his little one but as a mere mortal, the plague is a threat to him. It needed to be dealt with once and for all. Since the Draconian made the prophecy, might as well bind the Six to it with heavy chains and muzzles. "Very well... As punishment for abandoning your divine duties given by your makers, I shackle the Hexatheon into committing the prophecy. Should the mortal foretold by the prophecy seek to forge covenant with the Six, you will all lend your assistance and power to him without a trial or struggle. You will protect him even from the most insignificant danger and serve the mortal as how a hound would serve its owner." Calamity said and flush with dark satisfaction when the Astrals valiantly try to masked their displeasure. Ifrit bristle but bit his tongue while Leviathan snarl quietly yet not daring enough to upset the God even further. Bahamut could only lowered his armoured head in deference and both Ramuh and Titan accept the punishment in silence. As for Shiva, the Glacian acquiesce to the punishment from her more destructive creator in shame and guilt. They brought it upon themselves. The great Hexatheon that the mortals reverently worship and extol -especially by their Oracle- were reduced to nothing more than mere dogs.  Without warning, Calamity crushes the Astrals in his gloved hand before leaving the dimension without another word and re-enters the mortal realm. He needs to find a way to make sure that the Astrals continue their duties once he send his little one home... His curiousity regarding the prophecy has been answered. Now all that is left is to find his son and learn the reason of his descended from a God to a human. It's been awhile since Calamity has something to do apart from fighting his husband; as enjoyable as it is, he was getting a bit bored. He idly wonders as he re-enters the mortal realm, if he should summon Champion into this world from the prison he locked his husband in. Since the Hexatheon already ushered Eos and all their creations towards the End of Days, might as well yank it forth if he couldn't find his child soon. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Fleeing from Insomnia is the second hardest thing Regis ever had to do.   As a King, being raised to be a monarch and holds the burden of many, he was firmly moulded to be a competent and strong King just like his forefathers. To be a King that serve and protect his people first before his own needs, his own fears. To never yield regardless how bleak and dreary the situations may be. Even after all these years, Regis could still remember the words spoken by his father when he was a mere fourteen-year-old boy. Still an awkward and lanky, young Prince.   “A King is the sword and shield of his people. A beacon of strength and protection. Which is why, my son, we must never falter in our reign lest the faith of our people will be shaken. We must be unyielding like the mountains; even to the very end.”   As a young boy, the words of his father barely registered on his shoulders but the moment that King Mors passed away and the Crown and Throne were left to him, Regis wondered for the very first time, could words spoken by a mere human be as heavy as the meteorite shouldered by the Archaean. Would it even be blasphemous to compare the burdens that were entrusted to him with that to a God?   What would his father think of him now, Regis couldn’t help but bleakly wondered. A King forced to flee from his own fallen city like a dog with its’ tail between his legs. His people perished and scattered and the very source of their legacy and power stolen from the enemies that they couldn’t even overcome after all these years despite it all.   So many efforts, so many sacrifices that Regis had performed as King… yet he fails in the end.   “I think we might be safe for now.” Glaive Ulric informed the party as he parked the Star of Lucis - Noctis’ car - behind a large rock in the desert of Leide. In the midst of chaos, failing buildings and an army of MTs, the four of them had run into the nearest, working vehicle which so happens to be Regis’ gift to Noctis on his son’s twentieth birthday and hightail out of Insomnia with the Glaive in the driver seat and Clarus beside him. As his city grew smaller and smaller as the car drove them away, Regis simply couldn’t tear his eyes away from it. It was only when he felt Lunafreya’s warm and dirtied palm over his hand that he resigned himself to the fate that has befallen on all of them.   Lucis and with it, the Crystal, are finally within the Empire’s grasp.   “Everybody alright?” Clarus inquires, Regis wonders how his voice could remain steadfast after everything that has happened. “Your Highness? Glaive Ulric? Lady Lunafreya?”   “A bit bruised but no greater injuries than a sprained arm.” Lunafreya reply with a strong smile, her face caked with grime and thin cut marks. Her immaculate dress and shinny blonde, braided hair is an absolute mess. It’s strange to see the beautiful Oracle in such a state. Then again, Regis really couldn’t say a lot for himself and his Shield.   But for some unexplainable reason that baffled Regis, Glaive Ulric’s handsome appearance weren’t a tiniest bit marred by his scorched and tattered uniform or ashen face.   If anything, his current appearance only enriched his roguish charm as Regis observe the man subtly checking Lunafreya’s injuries through the rearview mirror. Regis was even surprised when said Oracle sitting beside him gave the Glaive a beaming smile and receive a small smirk in return.   “Regis?”   Regis turn his attention to his old friend in a blink of an eye. He must’ve taken too long to answered because Clarus is now studying him in concern and worry. He looked exhausted as well.   “My knee was acting up after we left the city. Other than that, I’m merely tired from using my magic too much.” Regis said and his tone must’ve convey how exhausted he is with how deep his voice is heaving. He raised a hand to stop Lunafreya from using her magic to heal him seeing that it would only wore her out even more. “I don’t think it would be presumptuous of me to say that Glaive Ulric is the worst out of the four of us.” And it is true. The man beside Clarus sported some serious looking injuries that needed to be look into soon before they could worsen. Regis owed this man a great debt for not only rescuing and protecting Lunafreya, but staying loyal to them even when there is no city left to defend and an old King who have lost nearly everything.   The Glaive observed him for a few seconds. As if formulating a proper answer but he then shrugged and said, “With all due respect, Your Majesty, I’ve been worst.”   Lunafreya pull herself forward and her eyes widen when she saw the blood staining through his uniform. “Please, let me heal you - ” Her arm stretch to pressed her hand on the Glaive’s wounds but he quickly and gently grab her wrist to stop her. Lunafreya stare at him in annoyance and concern.   “It’s not as bad as you think, Princess. I just need some bandages and potion, is all.” He assured. When Lunafreya was about to protest, he added, “Save your energy and strength. The sun is going to set soon.”   Sure enough, Regis saw the sun is going to dip beneath the horizon in a few hours. Which means in their current, miserable state, the four of them are easy prey for the daemons.   “We need to figure out what to do for now.” Clarus said grimly. “Focus on our current situation instead of the bigger picture. None of us are in a state to fight or defend ourselves for that matter. We have no funds or supplies. So what now, Regis?”   Regis thought for a moment. “Well… I guess there’s no better time than to see how Cid is doing after all these years.”   -   When they reach to Hammerhead and stumbled out of the car, they were certainly a sight to behold. Luckily there weren’t many people loitering about around the outpost to cause a scene and for that Regis is grateful.   Nyx Ulric parked the car beside the petrol tank and that’s when Regis is greeted to a cheerful, feminine voice.   “Howdy! What can I do for - ” Words refused to leave her mouth when the mechanic saw who the guests are. As for Regis, he had to refrain himself from chastising the young woman how scantily clad she walks around in as soon as he laid eyes on her. The King refused to believe that her clothes actually gives helpful, protective stats to the wearer.   “Hello. It’s nice to meet you.” Lunafreya demurely said to the mechanic.   “Well bless my stars! I didn’t expect to see the Oracle herself in our little town when I woke up this morning!” She exclaimed brightly with her gloved hands on her hips. She then tilt her head and her blonde curls sway as she studied the three men. “Or the King of the country and his Shield and a Glaive - judging from the uniform - all at the same time. What a surprise! I’m Cindy, Cid’s greasy granddaughter.”   Regis ears perked at the woman’s introduction. So this young woman is Cid’s granddaughter? What a surprise indeed!   “I wasn’t aware that Cid had a granddaughter.” Clarus said with his arms crossed but he had a smile on his face. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. Your grandfather and us go way back.”   “Indeed and although you might know our names, I hope that Cid at least mention our adventures and friendship despite that we went off on our separate ways.” Regis said in a somewhat melancholic and sad tone. “Although I am proud how Cid managed to raise a fine, young woman.”   The blonde mechanic blushed. “Aww, shucks. Thanks for the compliment, Your Highness. Pawpaw taught me everything he knows and now I’m handling the family business for him. I’m still young so there’s still a lot of things I need to learn.” Cindy humbly reply with an easy smile.   Regis snorted. “My spoiled son could learn a thing or two from you.”   “Cindy can beat your son’s ass with a wrench before the Prince could even draw out his sword, that’s for sure.” Drawl a familiar and dear voice.   “Pawpaw! Check out our new guests!” Cindy chimed excitedly.   Regis felt how his heart tighten at the sight of his old friend. One that had accompanied him on his tour around Lucis while they were all young men. He couldn’t believe how old and weary Cid look. Still dressed in his casual mechanic gear and cap, the years had taken a toll on his friend in a way that is almost similar to how the Crystal had aged him.   Good Astrals, they are old men now. Cor is the only one left in their former group that still in his mid fourties. What a wistful realization.   “Cid! You’re a sight for sore eyes! Time hasn’t been all that great of a friend to you, huh?” Clarus teased and went to stand close to their friend and patted him on the back which Cid irritably shove him away yet Clarus wasn’t deterred. If anything, Clarus smirk  turn into a full blown shit-eating grin. “What was that? I could barely feel anything at all! You’ve gotten weak, old man.” Cid mumbled a series of unsavoury words which earns a chortle from Clarus.   Regis sigh at his friends antics, yet didn’t have it in his heart to reprimand either of them. They didn’t exactly parted in the best of terms but it would seem that the long years had soften all of them in a good way.   He ask the young mechanic if she could help treat the Oracle and Glaive’s injuries while they catch up. Cindy nodded and directed the two of them into the garage; Regis could hear Nyx asking the young woman about the outpost until the three of them were out of sight.   “So whose bright idea was it to give the Regalia to your spoiled of a Prince? Brat looked confused half the time when we talk.” Cid grumbled after he managed to free himself from Clarus crushing embrace.   “So Noctis had been here… that’s good to hear.” Regis exhale in relief. At least his son and his friends are safe. He choose to ignore that question about the Regalia though to avoid being smack upside on the head with a wrench. They all know how fond Cid is of the vehicle.   “Yeah…” Cid warily noted how bad his friends appeared. He cocked his head to the distance and didn’t missed the thin, black wisp coming from the Crown City. His attention return to the King and Shield and flatly said, “I’m willing to take a guessin’ that the whole peace treaty thing was a crock of shit, huh?”   It was as if the warm desert air had turn dreary all of the sudden at Cid’s question. Clarus grin drop into a thin, grim line and Regis could only joylessly smile. This wasn’t a reunion that he ever wanted with his old friend. Cid deserve better but the circumstances are out of their hands. He pressed a palm to his temple and felt his injured knee acting up again. His knees began to wobble without the help of a walking cane.   “Ah, Astrals, Reggie!” Cid hurried forward to steadied him before Regis could stumble. Clarus grip his shoulders to help too. “Look, let's patch you two up and the kids you brought along and then you can tell me what in Ifrit’s hell happened.”   “I’m… I’m sorry, Cid.” Regis wheezed. Dizzy and weary to the bones. The stress, fear and pain accumulated from a single, heartbreaking day finally caught up with him. It’s all becoming a bit too much.   Being forced to ran away from his own city, failing to protect his people, the sudden death of his long time enemy at the sword of a mysterious entity, the Crystal stolen by the Empire and the echo of his father’s words haunting him… Regis truly felt like the Archaean heaving the meteor on his back.   “The thing between us had happened, Regis. There’s no way to change that.” Cid solemnly reminded him. But then he sigh and shook his head. “But I won’t condemn you for it. We’re a bunch of old farts now. No point in dwelling about the past.”   Clarus scoffed. “Speak for yourself. I still look good for my age.”   “That’s because you Amicitia are nothing but walking muscles and bulky swords on your shoulders.” Was Cid quick rebuke.   Regis grip his hand around Cid’s wrist. Cid raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the sudden gesture. “I’m glad that I could still see you again after all these years.” He rasped, full of gratitude.   Cid’s mouth quirk into a grin. “The situation could’ve been better but I’ll take what I can get. Now let’s go see if we can do something to help that knee of yours.” Nodding to Clarus, the two of them help bring Regis into the garage where they could began treating him.   “By the way, I didn’t think that you had it in you to let your son leave the city with his pals despite the business with the Niffs.” Leave your protection , after Aulea’s passing , were unspoken.   “Believe me old friend… it was the hardest thing I had to do.”   -   The night is a lot quieter out here in Hammerhead than the city.   Which shouldn’t be a surprise given the population and location though Regis suppose he is still coming terms with everything that had transpire in a single day.   Once everyone’s injuries had been treated, bathed and dressed in a new set of clean clothes provided by Cid and his granddaughter, they need to decide on a course of action now that they had rested a bit.   Cid’s home might be modest but it’s warm and well-lived in and it brings immense comfort to Regis. After a hearty dinner and the table had been cleared, they all discuss on what they should now do. Cindy had excused herself, saying that there were some cars that she needed to work on and bid them good evening before she left the house. Lunafreya waved at the mechanic before she depart with a friendly, open smile. Regis is glad that she was able to strike a friendship with his friend’s granddaughter.   “No good. I still can’t contact Gladio or Iris.” Clarus said angrily and shove his phone away. It was clear that the Shield is boiling with worry and fear for his two children. Just like he currently is. The unknown fate of their children - especially Iris - is a fear that no parents should bear. Because unlike Noctis and Gladio, Iris was in the Crown City when it fell.   Unlike Regis who had the assurance that Noctis is old and mature enough to protect himself and is surround by those who love and will stay by his side, Iris is still too young to survive on her own. He couldn’t fault his friend for worrying over his daughter.   “Your girl is an Amicitia. Have faith in her as her father.” Cid said with a pat on Clarus’ shoulder. The man could only curtly nod. “I reckon you also can’t call your son, Reggie?”   “Unable to.” Regis reply with his hands balled into fists. “I pray to the Astrals that our children are safe out there.”   “So the Prince and his party can’t be contacted.” Nyx confirmed out loud. “So what do we do now, Sirs?” He asked with an air of a man ready to fight at this very moment. So much like Cor when he was younger. Just issued an order and they will fight to their very last breath without an ounce of fear. Or self-preservation in Cor’s case.   “I would like nothing more than to meet up with Noctis first… assured him of our well being once he learned that Insomnia has fallen but…” Regis trailed off.   Clarus picks up after him. “The Prince and his retinues would already be halfway to Altissia on a boat right about now. After all, the original plan was to rescue Lady Lunafreya and grow to be strong together so that the Prince could inherit the throne once the time is right.” Clarus paused for a moment and drummed his finger on the table as he ponders. “It’s most likely that they would continue the plan regardless after what had happen today. I think that we should still try to contact them to inform our situation.”   “Making your son into a trump card, Reggie? He’d turn out to be a wild card, if anything.” Cid commented.   “I admit that Noctis is his own man and can be unpredictable at times but he has the power and strength that I could never hope to posses.” Regis stops here and close his eyes in resignation. “Which is why in order to reclaim our home and the Crystal, I have no choice but to pass the Ring of Lucii to Noctis and step down as King.”   A heavy and grave atmosphere enveloped the dining room and it wasn’t until the Glaive spoke that it disperse.   “Not to question you or anything, Your Highness, but the Empire still pose a threat to you despite the help of the Ring and Crystal. How could Prince Noctis get back the Crystal from the Niffs with just the Ring?” It was a legitimate question.   “I believe it’s time for Noctis to forged covenant with the Hexatheon.” Lunafreya suddenly answered. She calmly hold the gaze of everyone around the table and elaborate, “The hour of the prophecy draws near. I can feel it. With the aid of the Gods, Noctis could surely reclaim the Crystal and defeat the Empire.” Seeing the confused expression on Nyx’s face, Lunafreya quietly told him that she would explain about the prophecy to him later.   “But Luna, the covenant - ” Regis began, recalling the words Sylva spoke off during her days as an Oracle herself. The burdens of an Oracle.   “I’ll be fine. It’s my duty as the Oracle.” Lunafreya had that smile that made her seem both wise and sad at the same time. She’s aware of her burdens and seems to have accepted them but that doesn’t mean Regis was happy with it.   “So we now have a plan that we must see through. Lady Lunafreya must awakened the slumbering Hexatheon so that Prince Noctis could forge covenants with them and once that’s settled, meet up with his group at Altissia so Regis could pass the Ring to him.” Clarus summarized. With a game plan in mind, Clarus felt like hope is not all that lost.   “It as good as any.” Cid shrugs. “Our glory days are over. It’s time for our kids to finish what we couldn’t.” The mechanic tilt his cap downwards to hide his grim face. “It’s a darn shame that we put them in this mess.”   “It’s no one's fault, Mr. Sophiar, and we would never begrudge our elders for it.” Lunafreya’s kind voice consoled him. “It’s the will of the Gods that spin the world and we must accept that. Everything happens for a reason.”   Cid’s grumble about the unfairness of it all and the Oracle smile patiently.   And with that, the impromptu meeting is adjourned. Regis and his two dear friends stayed in the dining room to talk about old times and the ‘what could have been’ while Lunafreya ushered Nyx to follow her to the outside porch so they could talk.   “So what’s this about a prophecy, Princess?” Nyx asks after he made himself comfortable sitting on the steps of the porch and groan as he stretch his back.   Lunafreya gives him an unimpressed arch of her fine eyebrow and Nyx snickers. “Alright, alright… Luna . So c’mon, you got me interest in this prophecy stuff and seeing how depressed the King look when you mentioned it, I feel a little out of the loop.”   “Very well, move over a bit please…”   Nyx made room for Lunafreya to sit beside him and she sigh. “Gentiana would be most suitable to explain to you about the prophecy but since she’s not here…”   “Who’s Gentiana?”   “She’s a Messenger of the Astrals and accompanies the Oracle from time to time.” Lunafreya explains to Nyx. “Though for some reason, I haven’t see her for sometime now… I wonder where she could have gone to?”     “Prompto, you’re up!”   “Got it!”   With a sharp eye and perfect timing, Prompto release a powerful shot with his gun at the monster running towards the group from the left and watch as its’ scaly appendage break off. With the monster distracted, Noctis quickly drove his Engine Blade through it. They managed to thin out the group that had surround them with little problem. What with Gladio at the rear to slice most of the monsters into halves, Ignis circling around to search for the enemies’ weakness, Prompto shooting those that broke out of the group to attack them from far and Noctis lending a hand - or sword - to everyone and generally providing back up. Now they only need to defeat the rest before they could cash in the Gil.   “Nice one, Prom!”   “You know it!” The blond gunner grin widely and slide beside his boyfriend to protect him. His keen eyes search for enemies that would close in on them.   The second hunt of the day had brought them to the south region of Duscae, more specifically around the area of Schier Heights. There were a series of monster that were beginning to cause problems for the local outpost and so hunters were welcome to eliminate the threats and be rewarded with some money and a few items. Since the monsters weren’t much of a problem for the four of them, they head out to the location to deal with the pests.   With a war cry, Gladio heave his sword downwards, killing the last monster.   “Alright! Done and done!” Prompto cheer. Beside him, Noctis crouch down with his hands on his thighs to catch his breath.   “I dare say that was our best performance yet.” Ignis proudly announced once he was satisfied that Noctis was merely tired, not wounded from the fight. The Adviser went on a quick round to check them for any injuries and soon they pile into the Regalia with the roof down and head back to the nearest outpost to deliver the news to the tipster. The feeling of sunshine and cool breeze on Prompto combine with the soothing music that Ignis played on the radio made him feel relax and almost sleepy.   It was a strange and inconvenient turn of event when the group arrive at Galdin Quay to hop on the boat only to be surprised when there were no boats at all to bring them to Altissia. What they do receive are cryptic words from an odd, tall man that had approached them, informing about the absence of boats near the pier.   Prompto had dubbed the man ‘walking pile of blankets with boots’ in his head after he left.   Despite the sweltering heat of the beach, the man wore layer after layer of clothes and a rather fancy hat on top of his curly red hair. The kind of shade that Prompto had never seen before and couldn’t help but wonder if they were even natural. After the man left them with a nonchalant flick of a coin at Noctis, they decided to linger around the restaurant to figure out what is the best course of action to do now that they had been delay.   Noctis wanted to laze around the beach, maybe fish for a while. Prompto wanted to take some pictures at the hidden fishing pier near the rocks on the far left side of the restaurant. Gladio wanted to do some workout to stay in shape.   In the end, it was under Ignis’ suggestion that they had to leave Galdin Quay.   The Royal Adviser brought up an important fact that their funds were dangerously low after the cost to repair the Regalia had taken more than a half of their money. They are in dire need of Gil for necessities such as basic supplies, food, medicines and for emergency circumstances. And so Ignis strongly suggest that they should took on various hunts in the region of Duscae while waiting for news of the boat to arrive so they could resume on their journey. Ignis refuse to trust the words of a questionable journalist that was lounging near the pier with his offer. Gladio approve the idea and so they hauled their gear into the car and left the beach.   Prompto had no real reason to complain. He was enjoying himself as they travel from places to places, snapping pictures that were interesting to him and was happy that he’s gradually improving in terms of his combat skills and reaction time whenever they fought monsters.   When the boys had arrived at the outpost and receive their rewards, they had lunch before resuming their hunts. It was only after their fifth hunt of the day that the sun was slowly setting and they had racked up their funds to an Ignis-approved level when they called it a day. Since driving to the nearest outpost takes at least two hours and the chance that they might run into daemons while on the road was a high possibility, it was collectively agree that they would rest at the haven in the woods. No matter how dark and scary the woods appear at night, daemons couldn’t touch them so long as they remain in the haven.   “Man, I’m beat!” Noctis groan as he slump on his chair. His arms dangling at his side and stomach full. Ignis had cooked a splendid meal as usual. Said man and the Shield are standing near Ignis’ cooking station, conversing quietly among themselves and Noctis was too tired to care.   Though the Prince was startled when Prompto suddenly appear beside him with his phone poise above their head.   With a wide grin, the blond said, “Smile for the camera, Noct!” A click and the picture was taken and automatically saved. Prompto easily dance away from his boyfriend when Noctis tried to snatched his phone.   “Prom, c’mon, I look weird.” Noctis whine but too lazy to actually get up from his chair.   “Who’s the photographer, again? Trust me, buddy, you look completely, uh, Prince material.” Prompto snigger and moved the image into his Favourite folder. Before pocketing the phone in his trousers, Prompto check for any recent text messages or calls but his inbox remain the same. “Phone signals here are really crappy.” Prompto noted when he check the signal bar on his phone was practically non existent.   “We are in the middle of the forest.” Noctis idly reminded him, yawning sleepily from his spot. He looks super cozy.   “Shall we turn in for the night then?” Ignis propose when he return to the campfire with Gladio.   “Princess looks all tuckered out.” Gladio watch in amusement when Noctis made an attempt to curl himself into a ball. He didn’t tease further, knowing that Noctis is too tired to retaliate his jab.   “You guys can go on ahead. I want to stay up a little longer. The stars looks so different here than in the city.” Prompto said and pointed at the night sky. They tilt their head up and were in awe at how beautiful the stars littered the sky and how bright the full moon is tonight.   “It is rather marvelous.” Ignis agreed in a gentle tone. “Though it is important that you get some much needed rest, Prompto. We don’t know what tomorrow may bring after all…”   Gladio made a humming, thoughtful noise. “How about a bedtime story, Iggy? You know, for the kids?”   Noctis bristle at the taunting but Prompto nodded eagerly. “That sounds fun!”   Ignis threw the smirking Gladio a pointed look but ultimately sigh and urge them to gather around the fire and make themselves comfortable.   “Since we are currently in the lands of Duscae, I might as well tell you the tale of Titan, the Archaean. The God that controls the very earth we step upon.” Ignis began. It wasn’t long before the three of them were hooked on Ignis’ every words. His deep, accented voice carries the story masterfully as he regale them the incredible feat of the Astral in bearing the meteorite on his back, his very wrath would shake the ground for miles after miles and the legends describing the giant sleeping at the Disc of Cauthess.   “Oh wow… that’s so cool.” Prompto breathed out in amazement. “I’ve read the books about the Hexatheon and the Cosmogony series back at Nocts’ place but now that we’re on the same land as the Archaean, do you think we can check the Disc out? See if Titan really there?”   “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Chocobo. There’s gotta be some sort of punishment for purposely disturbing a God, isn’t there?” Gladio interjects with a reasonable point.   “Still… it would be pretty cool to see the Archaean personally.” Noctis mumbled.   In a situation that none of them could ever predicted and Prompto wonders if Noctis’ words were some of trigger that tempted Fate, their hearth was suddenly joined by a fifth member.   It was Prompto that saw their visitor first. Shrieking in shock that quickly create a domino effect. The other three jump out of their chair and weapons were immediately drawn in a shimmer of blue lights. Gladio, in a fit on trained instincts, push the rest behind him with his broadsword pointed at the unexpected visitor.   With their hearts hammering loudly against their chest, the boys warily studied the… man.   He had an appearance of a man but is stocky build and tall. Taller than Gladio or the walking pile of blankets with boots that they met at the beach earlier. He was completely bare and bald but what sets him off and made Noctis and his friends uncomfortable for reasons unknown to them is the white pattern all over the stranger’s body and red eye. The other eye socket had thick crystal protruding out.   He was completely at ease despite the weapons drawn at him.   “Who are you?” Gladio growl angrily. “How did you get into this haven?” He demanded.   When the visitor open his mouth to speak, everyone was startled when Noctis scream as a sharp, burst of pain assaulted his had.   “Argh! It… hurts!” Noctis shouted and fell onto the ground. A series of images rapidly flicker in his mind but the pain made him unable to think of them for long. Cradling his head in his hands, Noctis could only bear the pain.   “Noct!” Ignis pressed a potion in his charge’s hand and help Noctis crushed it but was surprised and pale when it holds no effect.   Only when the visitor close his mouth that the pain disappear.   Noctis heaves the air around him greedily and shakily got up with the help of Prompto and Ignis.   Without prompting, Gladio lunges at the man with his weapon and curses when the visitor easily block his attack by grabbing the blade with a single hand. The Shield tried to yank his sword back but the visitor hardly budge from his place. Prompto narrows his eyes and with fast and clean movement, he shot at the man only for the bullet to bounce off from his body.   The four of them had no idea what to do.   The visitor spoke again in a language that they had never heard of, his booming voice pierce their ears like tiny needles. Once again, Noctis crumbled onto the floor as a wave of pain from the centre of his head washes over him. The same images from before run through his mind again.   “What.. do you… want?” Noctis asks through gritted teeth.   The visitor stops talking. The four of them held their breath, waiting for the man to attack them.   But he baffled them by observing Noctis for a long time and vanishes as sudden as he came.   “What the fuck was that!? Who was that!?” Prompto hoisted Noctis up and onto a nearest chair, his boyfriend hard breathing could be heard. Noctis was drenched in sweat and his face is flushed red.   “Noct?” Ignis gingerly ask.   “He… he said that he’s the… Archaean…” Noctis panted, his heart still beating rapidly in his chest.   “Say what?”   “The Titan? Are you serious, Noct?”   Ignis handed Noctis a bottle of water which he nodded at him in gratitude before taking a large swing of it. “He showed me some images.” Noctis began to explain after the bottle of water was drained. “It happened so fast… I was standing at the Disc… I think. I saw the meteor and… the Archaean. He had the same white lines on his body. Then a book; from the Cosmogony series.”   “Why would one of the Hexatheon suddenly appear before us?” Ignis wondered, looking at them with a troubled expression. “And in a form of a mortal man no less?”   Wiping the sheen of sweat on his face with a back of his hand, Noctis’ racing heart finally calm down. Enough for him to sigh out the sudden stress; all trace of sleepiness completely vanished. “I… could understand him when he spoke. He said something about a covenant being forged when I call out to him.”   “Call out to him? Dude. You only said that it’d be cool to see him in person!” Prompto couldn’t help but exclaimed.   “I know right!? I wasn’t being serious!” Noctis defended himself from Ignis and Gladio’s suspicious stare. “I was just joking!”   “Well joke or not, the Archaean heard and tied a bond with you.” Ignis crossed his arms, his mind racing to figure out what had just transpired. “A covenant, you say? A covenant with the Astrals themselves were documented in the Cosmogony series. It would appear that we must brush up on the legends of our world in order to make sense of what just happen to Noct.”   “I don’t like this…” Gladio grumble, his sword put away in a flash of blue.   “Noct, does your head still hurts?” Prompto sympathetically ask. His heart almost burst from the chest when Noctis started screaming.   “I’m fine… just seriously tired.” Noctis grimace but squeezes Prompto’s hand when the blond grab his gloved arm.   Ignis clapped his hands once and said, “Alright!” before ushering both Prompto and Noctis to clean up and went to bed in the tent. The two hardly raise a peep and did as they were told. They bid him and Gladio goodnight and was fast asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Prompto pressed himself closer to Noctis and in return, the Prince threw his arm around his boyfriend all the while as they dream. The crackling fire and cicadas in the woods failed to disturb their slumber.   “So what’s the plan, Iggy?” Gladio ask in all seriousness.   Ignis had his phone in his hands, fingers typing away. With a frown, he put his phone down and reply, “I was hoping that we could read the Cosmogony series in the internet but the phone service is quite atrocious. We could only head out to the nearest outpost, hope that they have a decent bookstore and purchase the books. I can’t help but wonder if something bigger is at play here.” He admits. Frustrated, he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.   “Yeah… I mean, why now... you know? I thought the Six was suppose to be sleeping according to the legends.” Gladio added, equally troubled as his lover.   “According to the legends written by humans , yes. Hopefully by the time we have solved this rather unusual predicament, we are able to resume our journey without trouble.” Ignis could only pray.   The couple stayed by the fire in a comfortable silence despite how the night had turned out. Occasionally, their eyes would shifted to the other couple sleeping in the tent when one of them jostled. The peace and quiet of the night may have return but an air of uncertainty and apprehensiveness lingers. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Damn Him. Not this shit again. Reunion. He’s planning for a Reunion again. He already has Eos cowering beneath Him… the planet will crumble completely if I try to leave home. I wouldn’t put it past Him if that’s what He’s planning. What’s going on? Why has Eos felt… unbalance for a while now? Why did He left home?   ….Alright then. If I can’t descend into Eos, I’ll interfere with the human world. My love and blessing are with you, my Son. I hope that you’ll come home soon.”   -   “Noct… help me. I-I can’t feel my limbs.” Prompto whimper weakly.   The morning sky is currently overcast by grey clouds; signalling an oncoming rain in the afternoon or maybe even in the evening later. The smell of greens, dirt and chocobos lingering in the wet air gave a strangely pleasant and nose-itching scent around the Wiz Chocobo Post. Some tourists with their children crowd around the chocobos pen, the little ones excited chattering and cooing over the large fluffy birds allow the parents to relax for a few minutes as the adult chocobos are gentle with them. There were also some hunters enjoying their downtime amongst themselves and a large truck that sells various weapons is parked near the entrance of the farm. The chocobo theme song can be heard playing in the background.   The atmosphere is a lot more relaxed and happy now that DeadEye - the Behemoth that was scaring the chocobos and by the extension, the tourists - had been dealt with.   “You can’t feel your limbs? I can barely move .” Noctis complain, his head lied on the round plastic table with his arms dangling limply. It was just him and Prompto at the table as Ignis and Gladio went to restock their ingredients and sell off a bunch of useless weapons that they pick up before their journey to the chocobo farm.   Upon arriving at the farm with an overeager Prompto brandishing his camera as if it was a weapon and nearly leaping out of the still-moving Regalia much to Ignis’ horror, the blond gunner was more than ready to pet, cuddle, snap tons of pic, gushed over every existing chocobos as far as he can see when disappointment creep into his heart. The pens were all empty and there were barely even any visitors.   It was as if they had entered a ghost town.   The ranch owner, Wiz, greeted them as friendly as a cautious as a wary man can be. It wasn’t hard for them to ask about the chocobos and the state of the farm. The boys caught a glimpse of a large monster bounty pinned on the centre of the board before Wiz approached them after all.   There wasn’t much to say in the end. A giant behemoth that the local folks had named Deadeye had been terrorizing everyone and the chocobos. Prompto had been heartbroken for the poor yellow birds and was determined to put a stop to it, much to the mild surprised of the others. They knew well of the blond’s love for chocobos and Noctis hated it whenever Prompto is upset. Gladio wasn’t hard to be convinced as he thought that the four them could take down a behemoth with a good strategy and teamwork; plus, it would be an interesting fight to measure their progress in combat. Ignis was a little harder to be roped into taking the hunt but the combination of Prompto’s watery baby blue eyes, Noctis insistence and Gladio’s unhelpful amusement made him sigh in surrender.   And so with curatives stocked and their stomachs full, Noctis tore Deadeye’s bounty from the board and the four of them went to hunt the behemoth.   The fight, as it turned out, consist of a series of screaming, orders being barked by a put out Adviser at Prompto to stop taking pictures for Astrals’ sake and the deafening roars of an enraged giant monster. But what was important was that they managed to defeat the behemoth, even if it means their clothes were mildly singed by Noctis’ Firaga, purple bruises adorned their body from being swatted all over the place by Deadeye and Gladio’s broadsword had a sizeable dent .   The reward from the hunt placated Ignis somewhat and the feathery storm of chocobos was a sight that healed Prompto’s anxiousness from their battle.   Both Noctis and Prompto’s interest perked when Wiz came over with a tray full of food and drinks.   “Here you go, boys! Just a little something I whip out as thanks for taking down old Deadeye.” The ranch owner said as he placed the heavy tray on the table. There were stacks of sandwiches, smoothies and chocobo themed custards as desserts. Upon laying his eyes on the custards, Noctis move as if a revived man and quickly work on polishing the bowl before Ignis would return to their table.   Prompto was still too tired to even rolled his eyes at his dork of a boyfriend but he gives Wiz a grateful smile. “Aww, you really shouldn’t have, Wiz. We’re happy to help and seeing chocobos happy is good enough for me.”   There was amusement in the man’s old eyes as Wiz laugh. “Folks like you are one of the reason why I build this farm from scratch. These oversized birds have a kind heart but they’re also strong and hardy despite being prey animals. It helps that they’re gentle to us people; even the wild ones.”   Wiz suddenly stop himself and now had a worry contemplate expression on his face. Noctis manages to stop himself after the second bowl of custard to gaze at him in question. “What is it?” The Prince asked.   “I’ve been hearing words about a wild chocobo. Injured one too. Locals says that they’ve seen it wandered into Deadeye’s lair after you boys defeated the beast. It’s making me worry for the lil’ guy out there.” Wiz explained with a tired sigh. “What say you boys help this old man out with a little favour?”   “On it!” Prompto exclaimed in all seriousness. The sandwich that he had been eating was quickly discarded for a more pressing matter. “We’re right on it, Wiz. We can’t just leave a poor hurt chocobo out there.”   “Uuh, Prom, but Ignis’ gonna - ” Noctis began but immediately shut his mouth at his boyfriend’s sudden fierceness. It was both hot and if Noctis dares to admit it, a little bit terrifying.   “Noct, the chocobo is out there, hurt and defenceless… we need to rescue it! We’re the good guys, right?” Prompto argued. The blond smile in appreciation when Noctis simply held his palms out in a gesture of peace. The duo turn to Wiz when they heard him chuckle.   “It ease my heart to meet such kind hearted folks such as y’all. I’ll be sure to prepare some rewards for your hard work.” With a nod, the ranch owner dismiss himself and went off to tend to some chocobos in their pen.   Not long after Wiz left, Ignis returned to their table with Gladio in tow. Their purchased items has been neatly stored away in the Regalia. Gladio stared long and hard at his Prince and their blond gunner when he saw their expressions. “Might you two want to fill us in on what just happened?” He asked. His raise an eyebrow when Prompto grip his arm with a rather firm squeeze.   Noctis let Prompto explain to the two older men about their new quest.   As expected, Ignis merely sigh while rubbing his temple. Now the rest of them wait for the Adviser’s response.   “Very well then. Since Prompto feel so passionately about this, we will search for that wild chocobo Wiz spoke of,” Prompto hooted in excitement but withdrawn quietly under Ignis’ glare. “But only after we all properly rest up. We’ll leave for Deadeye’s lair in the afternoon.”   With that ultimatum, the boys tucked into their meal and simply lounge around the farm.   When it was time to head out in search of the injured wild chocobo, the sky already rain lightly. Tourists and hunters seek shelter in the caravan and under the roof of the shop while the chocobos were left outside to enjoy the drizzle and would later be ushered into their own shelter if the rain became a downpour.   “Is everyone ready?” Ignis asked. They had gathered at the entrance of the farm. In lieu of the rain, the four of them had changed into a set of proper clothes that would keep them warm despite the rain.   “All set, Iggy.” Noctis reply for the rest and throws a glance at his boyfriend. Prompto is standing between him and Gladio, antsy yet eager. Gladio gives a big thumb’s up, relax yet acutely aware of their surrounding as always.   “Alright. Let’s us search for that chocobo then before the rain turns out even worse.” Mounting their chocobos, the four of them left the farm for Deadeye’s lair to settle the quest as soon as possible with Noctis leading the way.   It wasn’t hard finding the path towards the inner part of the rock covered enclosure now that they had defeated the behemoth. The chocobos brought them as close as they could without becoming spooked and then they dismount and continue the path on foot. Despite the death of Deadeye, a pack of Voretooth remain around the area; forcing them to confront the monsters. By the time the skirmish was over, the rain had became heavy and the sky darken considerably.   And they still haven’t even seen a yellow tailfeather of the wild chocobo.   Gladio’s sudden loud sneeze had Prompto’s skin nearly jumped out of his body. “Mayhaps we should return back to our chocobos and continue searching for the wild one after the rain stops?” Ignis propose, staring at the Shield before turning his attention to Noctis and Prompto.   “Nah, it’s fine. It’s just the cold,” Gladio assured his lover. He didn’t miss at how hesitant Prompto was. “Beside, we’re almost at where we found Deadeye. Might as well be done with it.” Gladio blink roguishly at Prompto who smile in gratitude. Ignis accept Gladio’s assurance well enough and they continue deeper towards their destination, weapons drawn incase another pack of monsters tried to ambush them.   The ground beneath their boots turn to mud and the coldness of the rain seeped deep into their flesh and bones. They were almost there yet Prompto couldn’t help but complain. “Urgh, I can barely see what’s in front of me.” He groused and wipe his eyes from the rain though it did little good. Beside him, Noctis was worst; the Prince look like a lost, wandering ghost with how wet his hair is. His bangs covered his eyes and no matter how many times Noctis tried to tuck his hair behind his ears, they would limp off and continue to obscure his view.   “I see the chocobo!” Ignis called out and Prompto whip his head to where the Adviser was pointing at.   Despite the faint misty air, Prompto spotted a chocobo curled into a small feathery ball underneath a large tree. It made a distressing ‘kweh’ noises that broke Prompto’s heart. And so he sprinted forward regardless how wet and slippery the ground is. The wild chocobo barely lifted its’ head when Prompto crouched down to examine its’ injuries.   “How is it looking, Prompto?” Ignis briskly inquires. Behind him, Gladio kept watch in case for any monsters while Noctis crowd at Ignis’ left.   Prompto bit his wobbly lip. “Not good, Iggy. The poor guy have a busted wing and some deep slash on its’ chest.” He ran wet fingers through the yellow feathers when the chocobo croon weakly.   “Noct, a curative, if you would.” Ignis instruct.   “Got it right here…” Noctis murmured and pour a potion onto the wounds on the chocobo. It merely watched the humans as they tended to its’ injuries. Now they wait for the potion to take its full effect.   “I think this rain might be even worse than the one in the city that day.” Gladio commented. His broadsword slung over his shoulder. He cast a thoughtful look at the black sky. “Remember how the entire Citadel blacked out? Just hope that there won’t be any lightning or we might be in trouble.”   “Since we’re directly under a tree, might I suggest that we remain optimistic as to not get struck by lightning?” Ignis mildly reply as he carefully lift the injured wing of the chocobo to check underneath. The chocobo nipped at the hem of Ignis’ sleeve in warning but otherwise was content to let him do as he please. Prompto tried to distract the creature from its’ pain by talking animatedly to it as if the chocobo could understand the blond.   And Noctis, ever the forgetful Noctis, decide to open his mouth and unknowingly shatter the already tension atmosphere.   “We’re gonna get sick at this rate. Sure is nice if the rain would stop before Ignis have to play bed nurse to us.” Noctis grunted in displeasure when the chocobos’ tail accidentally smack his face.   Ignis felt a sense of dread. But before he could say anything, a flash of purple lightning light the sky and strike down beside the tree.   Just mere feets away from where they were.   Gladio instantly shift into defense mode while Ignis brandish his daggers. Noctis and Prompto merely gape and their actions were quickly mirrored by their older friends.   There, standing near them is an old man with a long white beard and dressed in thick robes. A thick wooden staff is grasp in his right hand. The moment that the unexpected stranger appear before them, the rain stops but the black clouds remain in the sky.   The sudden situation reminiscent eerily with - “Noct! Noct, are you alright?” Ignis suddenly demand and whirl to his side but his Prince wasn’t in pain. He was merely staring at the stranger in mute horror.   “Dude… D-Did you just call another Astral?” Prompto whispered in shock. This was just like Titan all over again!   “I-I don’t know! I just wanted the rain to stop!” Noctis hissed in a low tone as if worried if he raise his voice, the stranger-suspect-deity would smite them.   “The Fulgarian is also known as the Stormsender.” Ignis reminded them cautiously. He then decided to put his daggers away. If this will play out just like with Titan, then they have no worry of angering the Astral. The others follows Ignis and continue to stare at the Fulgarian in awe and shock.   Unlike with the Archaean, Ramuh said nothing. The grandfatherly deity bowed at Noctis in a form of respect before vanishing in another flash of lightning. What the Astral left was a single book.   “Well, that’s a thing.” Gladio said after a while. The four of them are still soaking wet but at least the rain had stop and the storm above their heads were slowly starting to disperse. The burly man shove off the strange incident to took off his shirt and wring them dry.   “Noct, I think it’s time I highly insist that you do not even so much as mutter anything that has to do with the Six.” Ignis pressed. “I fear that we must investigate what is happening with Noctis and the Astrals before we leave for Altissia. Lest, the Tide Mother decide to make her presence known too…”   They suspect what the Archaean offer to Noctis is what Ramuh offers too. Another covenant has been forged.   “I seriously need a break from all these crazy shit.” Noctis bemoaned with a hand sliding down his wet face.   Unfortunately, Noctis spoke too soon.   The wild chocobo, that had been so quiet and docile throughout the entire ordeal, suddenly springs up with newfound vigor. The sudden flurry move of yellow feathers startled the boys so much that Noctis and Prompto landed on their butts with a yelp while Ignis almost instinctively got up and took a step wary step back from the creature. The chocobo ignore the four of them in favour of grooming itself.   “Looks like the potion did the trick.” Gladio remark with an thoughtful look.   The chocobo then surprises them by rewarding the four of them with a little dance. It fluff its’ wings and chirped brightly and cheerfully. It did a little twirl and hop, blessing the boys with a status boost. Almost instantly, the aftermath from fighting Deadeye melt away from their bodies like ice-cream on a hot day. The creature croon and chirped loudly, pleased with itself.   “I certainly didn’t expect that a wild chocobo could grant people helpful status effect just like its’ tamed brethren.” Ignis pointed out. He might be wet from the rain but his heavy shoulders from exhaustion and bruises from the fight with the behemoth had disappeared. In fact, he feels like he just had an eight hour of full, uninterrupted rest.   Prompto gleefully ruffle the chocobos’ feathers, its’ happiness clearly infectious. “You’re so awesome, buddy! You be careful from now on, OK?” He said after a quick snap of picture.   The wild chocobo nip at the blond’s ear affectionately and cuddle its’ fluffy head on Prompto’s chest before dashing off with a rather loud ‘wark!’ . Prompto sigh in content as the large bird rushed towards its’ home. He blink when Noctis gently bumped his shoulder against his.   “You’re good?”   “Better than good. Thanks, Noct.”   Noctis smile and kiss the blond lightly before he got up and grimace at how uncomfortable his soaked pants feel. “Alright losers, let’s head back to Wiz’s and change already.” The Prince’s face twist in frustration when he wiggle his toes and felt water in his boots. “I can’t deal with this. I call first dibs on the hot shower!”   Gladio scoffed. “You can try, Princess. I need it more than you. I got muds covering my boots and pants.”   Ignis massaged his forehead and pulled his lips when strands of his hair flopped down. “Gentlemen, please…”   Prompto laugh and saw above them, the sun is peeking out from behind the clouds. He felt good; really good . Helping the wild chocobos made him so happy and its’ cute dance gave Prompto a feeling that is both rejuvenate and strangely familiar. It made him feel stronger too.   The book that was left by Ramuh was picked up by the blond and when he read the title, he cocked an eyebrow. It was The Divine Pair.   Prompto just shrug away the unknown and went ahead to follow his friends, humming the chocobo song. They had a plan and a mission. They need to escort Lunafreya to the Disc of Cauthess to plead Titan into forming a covenant with Noctis.   King Regis and his little group were still in Hammerhead. Well rested and supplied stocked, they’re ready to head out on the road to their destination. Nyx busied himself by refuelling the Star of Lucis while quietly conversing with Lunafreya. In such dull colour, everyday clothes, the Oracle of the Astrals appear just like any other civilians around them. She even undid her braid into a simple low ponytail.   In the meanwhile, Regis and Clarus are discussing with Cid about the plans and what the future now entail. With the constant healing magic from Lunafreya, Regis could now walk and stand without pain for a few minutes; he could even run if the need be. But the pain will increase tenfold once Luna’s magic vanishes should Regis forces himself.   “You sure you’ll be fine, Cid?” Clarus questioned with his arms folded. A habit that is shared with his son. “Who knows what the Empire would do to the territories outside of Insomnia now that the city have fallen.” He was worried. That much is obvious and Regis couldn’t fault his friend. To the public, Niflheim has won the war.   Cid cast Clarus an unimpressed look. “I’ve been taking care of my family and friends out here just fine for years. That ain’t gonna change now.”   “Yes, but you’re old now.” Clarus rebuked rather rudely.   “Let’s not get into old arguments now.” Regis hastily interject. He was using a cane to support himself for now. He needed to conserve his strength for a fight later on. Turning to Cid, the King said, “We’ll try to drop by Hammerhead if we can. For now, we must aid Noctis in all we can in order for him to ascend the throne.”   Cid dipped his head and shook his head. “Not so fast, Reggie. You’re not leaving just yet.” At Regis confuse expression, Cid sigh and explain, “I got a call this morning from someone. Seems that Cor manages to escape from the city when it went FUBAR.”   “Cor’s alive?” Clarus echoes and beside him, Regis muttered a prayer of thanks to the Astrals. “Of course, he’s alive. Cor’s always have a stupidly high survival rate. That won’t ever change.” Clarus snorted yet deeply relieved that their friend is well and alive despite everything that happened in Insomnia.   “You’re telling me? Anyway, the kid said that he’s planning to drop by sometime today. I reckon it’ll be a surprise to find you two alive as well.” Cid said as he dusted his cap before placing it again on his head.   “You didn’t informed him that we managed to escape from the city?” Regis blurted in disbelief. Cor must’ve been devastated, thinking that Clarus and him had perished when the Empire invaded the Crown City.   “Where’s the fun in that?” Cid nonchalant scoffed. “You two better stay around for a few more hours if you want to meet with Cor.”   Clarus barked out a laugh at how sly Cid is while Regis simply shook his head fondly.   They can stay behind for a while still.   -   Cor Leonis arrive in the early afternoon with shoulders heavy and weary to the bone. His katana ever at his side.   Upon seeing Clarus, Regis and Lunafreya and even Nyx alive felt like a punch to his gut. He fell onto his knees and exhale deeply, hope and happiness fill his heart. Their heartfelt reunion transpire in the privacy of Cid’s garage where Regis quietly ask for his report. The status of the city and what happened to the fleeing civilians.   “It was chaos everywhere, Regis.” Cor said. There was no need for formality between old friends and Regis could hardly be address as a King when his country is now fully within the enemy’s grasp. “I’ve instruct the Crownsguard to help evacuate the civilians as much as they can during the attack but a lot of lives were lost, Regis… So many innocent people were killed.” Cor sigh and rubbed his face with worn hands. “Insomnia is a tomb now.”   Cid tipped his cap in silence while Clarus could say nothing at the moment. Regis merely closes his eyes for the lost of his people. People that were under his protection; people that he had failed spectacularly.   Cor then raised his head to observed Clarus. “I’ve managed to help evacuate your daughter as well a couple of people from your household before leaving the city. They should be somewhere where most of the refugees are.”   Cor’s news startle Clarus as his eyes widen but then his expression morph that into happiness and the worried lines over his eyes disappear. “Thank you, Cor.” The Shield whisper in immense gratitude. Regis squeezes his friend’s shoulder in sentiment before turning back to Cor. He knew that Clarus needed to reunite with his children more than ever now. And Regis needed to see his own child who is wandering somewhere out there in danger.   “It’s a huge relief to know that you two and the Oracle survive the fall of the city. It means that there’s hope for Lucis yet.” Cor stated and nodded to Luna. He then tilt his head inquiringly at Regis. “What’s your side of the story? I saw a glimpse of Glauca’s armour flying towards the Citadel. Did you killed him?” Ever the soldier. Cor sounded cold and detach.   Regis begin telling him about what had happened to the General of the Empire. He explain in a low voice how Glauca mercilessly butchered his council and how he would’ve killed him and Clarus if it weren’t for their saviour that blew up the roofs of the Citadel and easily dispatch the General.   Cor’s eyebrows flew up in surprised. “He took down Glauca? Blew up the Citadel? Who is this guy?”   Regis recalled flowing silver hair, a lone jet black wing, impossibly long sword and a set of black leathers but remembering those cruel and divine green eyes had Regis’ tongue heavy as lead. The primal fear that he felt made itself known again as Regis feel invisible hands around his neck in a chokehold. His lungs constricted and it felt like he couldn’t breath all of the sudden. A malicious chortle reverberate in his mind in that moment of dread and bewilderment.   It was then Regis realized that he was forbid from telling his friends about the entity.   When Luna gently place her hand on his that the dread vanished. “Your Highness?”   With widen eyes, Regis saw that his friends are staring at him in concern. Luna handed him a handkerchief and only then that Regis notices that sweat matted his forehead. The King quietly thanked the young woman and wipe his face in clear distress but Regis manages to push down the strange feeling.   “Who was it, Regis?” Cor parroted with narrowed eyes. Not liking how his King had pale in terror all of the sudden. Judging from his behaviour, their supposedly ‘saviour’ is a lot worse than Glauca.   “I… I don’t know. Please, Cor, I am not… uncomfortable discussing about this any longer.” Regis softly pleaded.   Cor reluctantly relent with a nod.   Composing himself once more, Regis change the topic into more pressing issue. “We are planning to accompany the Oracle in her duties to awaken the Hexatheon so that Noctis may form a covenant with them and reclaim the throne. Our glory days are over; it’s time for our children to take over our mantle, much as I loathe it.”   “I’ll join you.” Cor declare determinedly but Regis held up his hand.   “No, Cor. I need you to find Noctis and our other children to inform them that we managed to escape the city and escorting the Oracle around the lands. I have hope that we may be able to meet them as soon as possible.”   Cor wasn’t happy with his orders. “But, Regis - ”   “Please, Cor. I need to see Noctis again…” Regis murmured, with eyes beseeching. “This is not a request from your King. It’s a favour from your friend who is also a father.”   “I guess the Prince is not picking up his phone?” Cor grumbled.   Clarus shrugged. “None of them are answering our calls. Their phones must’ve been broken in a fight or the service is just bad out there in the open world.”   “Alright. I’ll search for Prince Noctis and his group. I’ll tell them that you’re fine and would like to meet with them.” Cor got up from his chair and is ready to set out. Everyone else did the same.   “Once you managed to find Noctis, I need you to join the hunters and find any surviving members of the Crownsguard and protect the people of Lucis.” Regis said as they left the garage. Nyx and Luna went inside of their car, leaving the three of them to said their goodbyes.   “As you wish, Regis. Take care of yourself.” Cor reply solemnly.   Regis smile, hoping to ease his young friend. “We’ll see each other again, Cor. Have faith.”   And with that, they went on their separate way. With the Glaive as their driver, they drove away from Hammerhead and head towards the Disc of Cauthess. Regis promise to keep his phone on so Cid and Cor could contact him at anytime. The Star of Lucis weren’t made for long travels in comfort unlike the Regalia but they made do. Luna did everything she can to calm herself as awakening the Titan won’t be an easy feat but she knows that she could do it. Nyx’s idle comments and questions serve as a welcoming distraction and soon Luna find herself able to relax somewhat. Behind them, Clarus tried once more calling either Gladio or Iris but the result remain the same. His calls managed to connect with Iris phone but the line soon discount before Iris could pick up. Regis meanwhile take the time to admire the passing scenery and the animals scattered all over the lands.   The distance from Hammerhead to the Disc of Cauthess was long but they managed to arrive as near as they could without any trouble. Though Nyx was forced to parked the car when they saw Imperial’s gates and sentry blocking their path. Once the car was safely hidden, they creep behind a large boulder to survey the area.   “Niff’s soldiers are everywhere. We have to sneak in by foot without them knowing.” Clarus said, eyes trained on the enemies surrounding the gate. A loud sound of thrusters roar above their head and Regis saw several Empire’s airships flew away from the direction of the Archaean. The soldiers on ground remain where they were.   “Is it just me or are most of the Imperial armies pulling away?” Nyx asked, confused but ready for a fight.   “It does appear that way…” Luna hummed.   “In any case, we must remain quiet and vigilant. We can use stealth to our advantage.” Regis said and they infiltrated the Empire’s blockade.   They were forced into a confrontation with a patrolling group of soldiers but they managed to quickly and quietly deal with the enemies. Regis only needed to support Clarus and Nyx by using Elemancy from a distance and spare his leg from further pain. Most of their enemies were ruthlessly taken down by the Glaive and it was clear to Regis that the man had taken upon himself to be the sword to their little group. Killing off their enemies as many as they could so that he and Clarus wouldn’t have to strain themselves in the fight.   Regis appreciate the gesture but he fears that he need to sit down with Nyx and talk about the burdens that he placed upon himself. Despite their old age, he and Clarus could still offer their strength and Magic.   Regis refused to be left helpless as others protect him.   “We’re almost there,” Luna breath as they arrive at a hill. “We only need to climb this hill and the Archaean will be standing in the centre with a meteor at his back.”   “Alright, Princess. Let’s get to it.” Nyx reply easily and begin helping her climb over the rocks. Clarus help Regis over the ones that are sharp and slippery. The climb was arduous and the heat of the magma underneath the ground is almost unbearable but they endure. Luna almost fiercely so with her trident in hand.   When they reach at the top, however, there was a surprise waiting for them.   “What on Eos…” Clarus panted in disbelief.   The meteor burn as intensely as it first fall onto Eos eons ago but there was no sight of a gigantic Astral anywhere . In fact, there was no living thing at the centre of the disc at all. Just a lone Royal Arm near the cliff where the meteor is at.   “Are you sure… that the Titan was supposed to be here?” Nyx asked the silent Oracle. The three men look at Luna for guidance.   Luna’s mind was in a whirlwind. She planted her trident into the ground to steadied herself. This doesn’t make sense. The Archaean was supposed to bear the weight of the meteor at the centre of the disc. He was suppose to be here.   What is going on? What happened to Titan?   “I need Gentiana.” Luna finally broke the silence. She closes her eyes and prayed for the Messenger of the Astral to aid her but her prayers went unanswered. Luna was shock; it was the first time that she couldn’t feel the connection to the Messenger. “I cannot feel my bond with Gentiana.” She admits. “It feels… empty.”   “So what do we now, Regis?” Clarus wondered, not liking how their plans had changed. How are they suppose to help Noctis if there are no Astrals to forge a covenant with?   Regis first thought was Noctis. His heart wanted him to find his son now that Luna couldn’t awaken the Archaean but he contemplate deeply. They needed to figure out what’s going on.   “I believe we must investigate on the disappearance of Titan. Not only is the Archaean missing but it’s also troubling that Lunafreya is having trouble contacting with her Messenger. We need to find out if the rest of the Six is also missing.” Regis decided grimly.   Their trip here wasn’t a waste of time. In fact, it led them to a mystery that may turn to something akin to a problem to all humanity. They needed answers before they could help Noctis.   With so many problems, so many uncertainties, Regis wondered if he have become a pawn in some cosmic scheme. He doesn’t know who to pray anymore so he simply pray to whomever willing to listen to protect his son and friends from harm.
10238852
Seven Minutes in Heaven
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Bluestreak, Jazz, Blurr", "Fandom": "The Transformers (IDW Generation One)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by dracoqueen22", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "3,194", "Additional Tags": "Trapped In A Closet, post-Truth in Advertising", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Bluestreak/Jazz, Starscream/Blurr mentions", "Series": "Truth in Advertising", "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 }
Jazz slipped behind the bar and snagged a bottle of mid-grade from the employee’s barrel, twisting off the cap and chugging half of it down in one fell swoop. He was absolutely parched, and his vocalizer was on the verge of crackling. He didn’t care how loud that noisy crowd chanted ‘encore!,’ he needed a fragging break. Even if it meant using said break to serve some ungrateful customers their special blends. Jazz dumped the empty bottle into the recycle bin and peered around the edge of the circular bar. Spinout was staffing it tonight, apparently. Thank Primus. Cycling a ventilation of relief, Jazz edged back toward the other side. Either Bluestreak was on the upper floor, or tonight was his day off. That would save Jazz a world of humiliation. “There you are,” Blurr said as he mixed one drink and served another, offering a great big smile to his customers, all seemingly effortless. “We’re out of tungsten shavings, and I’m swamped. Can you..?”“On it!” Jazz chirped. He hopped over the bar, sliding easily between two patrons trying to vie for Blurr’s attention, one of whom hadn’t taken his visor off Blurr’s aft all night. He didn’t seem to notice the Seeker staring narrow-opticked in his direction. If Starscream became any more tense, he’d rattle right out of his armor. Maybe Jazz ought to sashay over there and remind his old friend that murdering his mate’s customers was generally not good for business. They could look. They were allowed to look. And if they thought they could get away with touching, Blurr generally reminded them right quick that it was not a good idea. He didn’t need a Seeker defending his honor. Starscream had a bad habit of being a tad possessive. Reason number three-thousand four-hundred and fifty of the ten-thousand reasons he and Jazz would’ve never worked out anyway. But first, the tungsten shavings. Jazz made his way through the crowd, packed tonight – no surprise there, aiming directly for the supply closets tucked to the left and right of the elevator bank. Only a select few had access to the lifts, and so far, not a one drunken patron had mysteriously made their way to Starscream and Blurr’s penthouse. Jazz keyed in the code to the supply room and shimmied inside before an overeager customer could try to acquire himself a free handful of anything – supplies or otherwise. The door slammed shut behind him, maybe a bit too quickly. Perhaps they ought get Wheeljack to take a look at that. Mech could lose an arm that way. The lights were already on. Was someone…?“Jazz?” Bluestreak blinked at him, in the midst of reaching for a box on a shelf just above his head. Jazz froze, his spark thumping in his chassis, and a hot-cold flush taking over his entire frame. “I told Blurr I’d get the shavings,” Bluestreak continued as he finished shoving the box back onto the shelf. He had two small shakers tucked under one arm. “And it’s not like I’d ever forget, though someone obviously forgot to stock them this morning. I told Blurr it wasn’t me. It was probably Spinout. He’s always forgetting everything. Unless we’re out of something else. Are we?” Jazz worked his intake. This closet was small, he realized. Very, very small. Every wall was lined with shelving, all of it overflowing with backstock and overstock and regular stock. There was just enough room for a single average-sized mech to walk inside, get what he needed, and walk back out. Two mechs meant there was less than an arm’s length of space between Jazz and Bluestreak. They were so close Jazz could smell whatever wax Bluestreak preferred. It wasn’t anything special, just the standard ration. Jazz’s mouth watered. “Jazz?” Bluestreak prompted, his head tilting. He looked concerned. “Are we out of something else?” He shook his head. “No, it was just the shavings,” Jazz said, and threw a thumb over his shoulder. “But it looks like you’ve got that well in hand so I’ll just be on my way.” He spun and slammed his hand against the panel, cursing himself for acting like a dumbaft. He didn’t even know why all of the sudden being around Bluestreak turned him into a gibbering idiot. Something in the younger mech’s field perhaps, or the way he seemed to look right through Jazz, or the way he… he…“Why isn’t this door opening?” Jazz demanded, slamming his palm against the panel again. It beeped at him in a low tone, informing him that it was locked. Yes, you stupid door, he knew it was locked. He was trying to unlock it, frag it. “Did you try the code?” Bluestreak suggested. Jazz’s fingers jabbed at the panel. Leaving shouldn’t have required inputting the code again, but maybe the damn thing was glitched. It beeped at him negatively. Jazz swore the panel taunted him. “It won’t work!” “Maybe because I haven’t left yet?” Bluestreak said and leaned around Jazz from behind, his chestplate bumping Jazz’s backplate. Jazz froze. “Here. Let me try.” Bluestreak put in his own code, each quiet beep seeming to match the sudden pounding of Jazz’s spark in his chassis. His hands were trembling, frag it. And his ventilations doubled in oscillation cycles all of the sudden. The panel rejected Bluestreak’s code, too. “Huh,” Bluestreak said. “Think you can hack it? Or try calling Blurr? I’m getting static on my comms, which is really weird. Maybe the music is interfering or something.” “Or something,” Jazz echoed faintly. He was starting to suspect that this was not a glitch, but sabotage. Sabotage by the name of a smirking, smug Seeker who was going to need a new paintjob and quite possibly a new spike by the time Jazz was through with him. Jazz tried his comm, just so he could say he did, and wasn’t surprised when he heard nothing but static. The kind of static that meant all outgoing signals were being jammed. Shocker. “We’re stuck,” Jazz growled, and glared heat at the door, as though his visor could produce lasers which would cut them an exit, and free him to do damage against the mech responsible. Or mechs. Something told Jazz that Starscream wasn’t working entirely on his own. He and his partner were starting to behave a little too much alike. “Someone will come looking eventually,” Bluestreak replied with a roll of his shoulders, his field reflecting a wealth of optimism and patience. “Especially as busy as we are. We just have to wait.” Wait. Wait he said. As though his very nearness wasn’t sending Jazz nearly into spark-arrest, and wasn’t making his spark pound, and his glossa stop functioning, and his thoughts white out with static. Bluestreak made him glitch in a bad way, and Jazz didn’t even understand why. “Maybe I can hack it,” Jazz said, alarmed to find his fingers shaking as he slipped a small knife from subspace, and tried to ease the razor-thin tip under the edge of the panel. “By destroying it?” Bluestreak’s voice was rich with humor. “Wouldn’t it be easier just to wait?” Jazz huffed a vent. “That’s what hacking does, Blue. Gotta get to the meat of it before I can start to tenderize.” The knife slid a bit further, before the panel blatted angrily at him. Jazz eyed it. How rude. Why in the world would Blurr set up such a delicate and sensitive alarm system on a stockroom door of all places? “You know, sometimes I’m not even sure you’re speaking Cybertronian,” Bluestreak said with a chuckle. He reached over Jazz, however, fingers sliding over his hand. “But maybe ruining that for good isn’t the solution here, yeah? Boss might get mad, and then Starscream gets prickly and no one wins.” Jazz huffed and slid out from under Bluestreak’s hand like he’d been shocked. He backed up against a shelving unit, his fuel pump stuttering. Something rattled on a shelf behind him, and he threw out an arm to keep it from tumbling off. He failed. It crashed. Jazz winced. “Yeah,” he said, and had to cycle his vocalizer to clear out the static. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” His hand was tingling. Why was his stupid hand tingling? And Bluestreak was looking at him now, head tilted, optics bright and incisive. That look he got sometimes, one that hinted to there being more underneath than a friendly, chatty mech. It made Jazz shiver. Made him want to run and hide. Made him want to drop to his knees and beg, and he wasn’t even sure what for. Just that he needed and his mouth went dry and something deep inside whimpered, desperate for relief. “Besides,” Bluestreak continued as he leaned against the unit behind him, though there was so little room here that their knees jostled for space, “it can’t be that bad to be stuck in here with me, can it? I mean, I can be quiet when I need to be. Promise. Warrior’s honor.” He winked and crossed his hand over his chassis, something he had to have learned from Ironhide. Jazz folded his arms over his chestplate to hide his shivering. “Course it ain’t that bad,” he said. “I just don’ like small spaces, is all.” “Mm. That I can understand.” Bluestreak tilted his chin, his optics darkening, his armor plates juttering. His field loosed from his control a tad, and Jazz felt the echoes of something broken in it, before Bluestreak reined it in again. Small spaces. Dark spaces. Jazz had spent the war crawling in and out of them. It wasn’t the size of the space that bothered. It was the inability to escape that clawed at his circuits and quickened his ventilations. But Blue…Scuttlebutt had it that he’d been pulled from the wreckage of Praxus. That he’d been buried in an avalanche of crumbled buildings and dead frames, surrounded by rust and silence and decay. Two little vials clattered as Bluestreak dropped them to a space on a shelf beside him. Jazz nearly leapt out of his plating at the abrupt sound. The music beyond the door thumped loudly, but that tiny noise made him startle. What the frag was wrong with him?Bluestreak pushed out of his lean, the small motion putting him nearer than arm’s reach to Jazz. “I think, though, that it’s less that this room is small then it is you’re stuck in here with me,” he said. Jazz shook his head. “No way, mech. I like ya. Why would that be a problem?” Bluestreak’s expression wasn’t dark, not like Jazz thought of darkness, but it was intent. Focused. Kind of eerie actually. Eerie in a way that crawled down Jazz’s backstrut and pooled in his intake and made him flush from head to foot. He could have sidestepped. He could have ducked under and around and evaded, but Bluestreak took another step closer, and Jazz froze in place. His optics widened behind his visor, his ventilations catching. He thought about Earth and the hazards of driving on back country roads with barely lined lanes and foolish four-legged creatures that leapt out in front of unsuspecting vehicles. He thought about how the deer would stop in the middle of the road, ears perked, eyes reflected in a car’s headlights. How’d they freeze as if they didn’t realize their doom was bearing down on them. Suddenly, Jazz felt a kinship for those creatures. “You know, Jazz, I think you’re lying to me just a little,” Bluestreak murmured, his field lightly touching Jazz’s now, like it had tangible weight. “I think you do mind being here with me. And I think it’s because you’re not as blind as you’re pretending to be. So why keep playing the game?” Jazz’s vents hitched. “Ain’t got no idea what you’re talking about, mate.” “Really?” Bluestreak leaned closer, their armor within scant inches of touching. His hand pressed to the shelving beside Jazz’s head, bracing his weight, and effectively caging Jazz in between his arm and what barely counted as an escape – further into the storage room. Jazz counted ten different ways he could dismantle Bluestreak, all without causing permanent harm and half of which Bluestreak wouldn’t even remember, and a quarter wouldn’t harm him at all. Funny how he couldn’t seem to lift a finger to enact even the gentlest of them. “What ya doin’, Blue?” he asked, and Primus, his voice was shaking. Bluestreak was hot, venting heat that wafted against Jazz’s armor. His optics were big and blue, so intense, Jazz felt like drowning in them. “Testing a theory,” Bluestreak murmured, and his free hand reached for Jazz, and Jazz didn’t even try to stop him. Just rattled a vent as Bluestreak’s fingers held his chin and tilted his face up, causing a jagged lance of something to bolt straight toward Jazz’s array. “Tell me to stop, Jazz.” Jazz whimpered, which nowhere resembled a request for Bluestreak to stop, and Bluestreak capitalized on that. He leaned close, so close, his vents brushing over Jazz’s lips before his own followed. Bluestreak kissed him, their mouths coming together in a meet of wet heat, and Jazz moaned. He melted into the shelving behind him, electric fire blazing through his spinal strut at the first touch of Bluestreak’s glossa. His array pulsed, valve fluttering, spike throbbing, pushing insistently at his panel. His processor spun dizzily. Heat flushed his face. His hands hung there, like useless tools, and all he could think about was how sweet Bluestreak tasted and how much his array throbbed. Bluestreak pulled back, Jazz chasing after his lips, but not getting very far thanks to Bluestreak’s hold on his chin. Bluestreak’s thumb rubbed over his bottom lip, and Jazz struggled to cycle a ventilation. His spark pounded, cycling faster than seemed healthy. He wanted to pull Bluestreak’s thumb into his mouth. He wanted to suck on it. He wanted Bluestreak to hoist him up against this shelving, take him hard and fast, until he couldn’t think anymore. He wanted… He wanted…He wanted. “Think you can get us out now?” Bluestreak asked, his voice rich with humor, the arrogant little brat. Jazz’s visor dimmed as he grabbed at Bluestreak’s hips with clumsy fingers. “Thinking ain’t really happenin’ anymore, Blue.” His processor had melted into a puddle and really, all he could manage was ‘guh’. Bluestreak chuckled. “Good,” he murmured and leaned in again, kissing Jazz harder this time, more of a claim than an introduction. He leaned his weight against Jazz, pinning him against the shelving, a knee nudging Jazz’s thighs. Jazz moaned into the kiss, hands tightening on Bluestreak’s hips. His array cycled harder, heat pooling in his internals, need spiking through his sensory net. His knees wobbled, his ventilations stuttering, and all he could think about was how sturdy this shelving was and if it could take the force of Bluestreak pounding him through it. Through the haze, he heard beeping. Chirping. Like that of someone overriding a lock. Bluestreak ended the kiss and whirled away from him, leaving Jazz to stumble in the sudden absence of warmth and dizzying kisses. He leaned back against the shelving for balance, even as Bluestreak yanked a box off the shelf and took a single step, neatly concealing Jazz behind his frame. A very observant mech might notice Jazz’s legs peeking out from behind Bluestreak, but it was dim here. Which was good, because Jazz didn’t particularly want anyone to see how dazed he was. The door opened. “There you are.” Jazz recognized that voice, even with the hint of annoyance attached to it. “What are you doing?” Blurr demanded. “Sorry, boss. The door wouldn’t open,” Bluestreak said, tone absurdly cheerful and light and entirely unbothered. “I couldn’t get a comm out, and my code wouldn’t work and I got so flustered, I forgot what I came in here for and I’ve been trying to remember.” He gave the box a shake for emphasis. Blurr vented noisily. “Starscream changed the codes this morning. He’s paranoid about something.” He raised his volume to be heard over the thumping music. “I sent you for tungsten shavings, by the way. Did you find them?” “Oh. Right. Oops.” Bluestreak twisted around in very small circles, shifting the box from one hand to the other. “Um, I grabbed cobalt so...” Blurr vented again and Jazz imagined he was probably palming his face, too. “Grab the tungsten and come on. I’ll leave it unlocked for you.” “Thanks, boss!” “You haven’t seen Jazz, have you?” Blurr asked, and now his tone was less irritated and more… mischievous. Too much like Starscream’s, if you asked Jazz. Great. The two of them were conspiring now. Oh, that sneaky little Seeker was going to pay for this. “Nope. Sorry. I’ll keep an optic out for him though!” “Yeah, do that. See you at the bar.” Blurr left and the door slid shut behind him, a quiet click to indicate it hadn’t locked. Jazz didn’t believe for even a single moment that Blurr didn’t know he was in here. Bluestreak tumbled the box back onto the shelf and turned to face Jazz again, his lips curved in a smile and his optics bright and cheerful. It was as if he’d become a completely different mech, and both of them were enough to make Jazz’s knees wobble and his processor crumble. “Who are you?” Jazz asked as their optics met. Bluestreak cupped his face and leaned in for another kiss, one that Jazz met with an embarrassing amount of eagerness. A moan burbled up in his intake, only to be quickly swallowed, as the press and heat of Bluestreak’s field left him tingling. “I am who I am. Who I’ve always been,” Bluestreak said against his lips, and something in his tone, in the cadence of it, was very familiar. “I am Bluestreak, and you are Jazz, and after our shift, I want to grab a bottle of engex and take you for a walk somewhere. Can I do that?” Jazz licked his lips. He worked his intake. “Yeah,” he said. “Sure. I’d like that.” It never crossed his mind to do anything but accept. “Good.” Bluestreak’s thumb swept over his cheek, the tip of it brushing the bottom edge of Jazz’s visor. “Then I’ll grab a bottle of Tetrahex Sunrise, and you can meet me out back when you’re done. Deal?” “Deal.” Bluestreak grinned and let Jazz go, stepping back to give him what little ventilating space was available. He snagged two vials off the shelf behind him, twirling them about his fingers. “See you out front!” he said cheerfully, winked, and made his exit, the door clicking shut behind him without a care of the world, as if he hadn’t just thoroughly rocked Jazz’s with naught but a handful of kisses. Jazz cycled a ventilation, though rattled it was. He touched his lips with trembling fingers, swearing he could still smell Bluestreak’s cheap armor wax around him, and he still carried the weight of Bluestreak’s heat. Oh, Primus. Starscream was going to pay for this.
10218350
A Traitor Again
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Kamiki Izumo, Shima Renzou, Okumura Rin, Okumura Yukio, Suguro \"Bon\" Ryuuji, Moriyama Shiemi, Kirigakure Shura, Ukemochi (Ao no Exorcist), Miketsu (Ao no Exorcist)", "Fandom": "Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by gatesofeori", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "1,435", "Additional Tags": "I wanted to write short angst but this is longer, CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS", "Relationship": "Kamiki Izumo/Shima Renzou", "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 }
“No one can hurt you as badly as the ones you love.”Izumo clenched her hands into fists, biting down hard on her lip until she drew blood. The words that left Shima Renzou’s mouth stung, but she wasn’t about to admit that. She glanced to the left side, seeing Suguro and Konekomaru still being restrained by three Illuminati members. To her right side, Shiemi was knocked out and Rin was doing his best to protect her and Yukio. Shura is nowhere to be found, though she probably chased after the Illuminati members that fled. Just when she needed help the most, no one was there. It was just like back then, when she was kidnapped because of an experiment she was forced to be apart of. Just when she thought she could trust the pink-haired idiot once again, she was fooled all over again.“Hey, did you hear me, Izumo?” Renzou looked at her from where he stood a few feet in front of Izumo with a sly grin on his face. Yamantaka was surrounding him from behind, the black mist blocking off the other members so Izumo couldn’t see. “That face doesn’t suit you! Are you scared?”She wanted to move. To punch that sly grin off of his traitor face but she couldn’t bring herself to move. She couldn’t bring herself to lunge at him or even move her feet. Her hands were shaking and she looked over to where Rin was, watching him fall to the ground as one of the Illuminati members started a chant. She couldn’t hear all of it, but she was sure it had to be similar to the one Shura used back when they were in Kyoto. He screamed and Yukio tried to fight off the green-coated people, but they wouldn’t let go.“Izumo~ Why aren’t you talking? Are you really that surprised?” Renzou asked with a pout. He took a step forward, keeping his eyes on his former classmate. With his K’rik behind his head on his shoulders, he wouldn’t stop grinning. That only pissed Izumo off more. “Really, nothing? Come on! I’m a spy, you know! This was bound to happen sooner or later! Though, I am surprised Mephisto didn’t see this coming.”“... up…” Izumo mumbled, bringing herself to move her hands. She wiped the blood from her lips onto her thumb, smearing it on two pieces of paper she quickly pulled out of her bag. “Shut up, you stupid pink-head!”“Oh, so you can talk!” Renzou said, almost sounding amused. “Please don’t try to put up a fight, Izumo. I would hate to fight you again.”“We trusted you again and this is what we get!? Suguro and even Konekomaru… That’s an all new low for you, Shima!” Izumo snapped, regaining her courage to move her legs.Renzou shrugged, glancing over at Suguro and Konekomaru. “I had to do what I had to do. You of all people should understand that, right? Put those papers away and just let me go.”“As if!” she heard Suguro yell. Before he could call Karura out, an Illuminati member covered his mouth.Izumo muttered to herself, looking down at the two small pieces of paper she held in her hands. She payed no attention to Renzou, mentally cursing at herself for what she was about to do. She didn’t want to fight, but her life and the others were depending on her. After all, she was the only one able to fight. She slowly tore the papers up, watching as they were taken off into the wind.“Eh? Kamiki, what are you doing?” Yukio called to her from where he was now kneeling on the ground. “You won’t be able to fight without those!”Renzou whistled, signaling for the Illuminati guards to keep Yukio quiet. “So you’re not going to fight? Wise choice, Izumo.”Izumo shook her head. “I never said I wasn’t going to fight, pink-head.” She finally brought herself to look at him and her glare was a mix of anger and sadness. “I humbly call the Gods of Harvest. Follow my wishes, leave none unfulfilled!” she chanted out loudly. “Ukemoch! Miketsu!”“What, no way!” Renzou said, stepping back. “How’d you do that with the summoning circle?”Fully regaining her confidence, Izumo smirked. “Don’t you know by now? I’m the daughter of a shrine maiden. The fox spirits are loyal to those in the Kamiki family.” In front of her appeared her two familiars in a gust of wind, Uke and Mike.“Wow, you really are amazing.” Renzou whistled, impressed. “I love that about girls, you know. Why don’t you come and join me! I’m sure the others will understand.”“Like hell I will!” Izumo hissed. “Uke, Mike…”The two fox spirits looked up at her. “Girl, you have the nerve summoning us without a circle. Have you forgotten what happened when you fought with this boy before? He nearly destroyed us!” Mike said to her“He is right.” Uke agreed with his brother, nodding as he spoke. “He is out of our league with a demon like that.”Yes, Izumo was well aware of the power Yamantaka possessed so it was understable that Uke and Mike would be hesitant to fight against Renzou. “You will fight beside me.” she said with a harsh tone. “I don’t care what it takes. We’re bringing this idiot back home!”Renzou frowned, looking back at Yamantaka who was beginning to get impatient. “I’m not coming back, but I appreciate knowing you care about me.” His voice was cold for once and it wasn’t like him to be so serious.“Your heart doesn’t know what it wants. Your mind says to attack him but your heart doesn’t want it.” Uke said slowly, keeping his eyes on Izumo before switching his attention back to Mike, who only scowled.Izumo didn’t say anything and only ignored Renzou, knowing if she kept talking she would get sidetracked. She didn’t need that happening, especially when she was fully in control of her mind and body. She would never admit it out loud, but she really did care for him… more than she should. She promised herself so many times she would stop getting close to people, stop caring for them, even if it meant becoming distance to her friends she met at the Academy.“You’re my familiars, so back me up.” Izumo started walking towards Renzou, keeping her eye out for any other members that wanted to restrain her. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that though. She knew she was outnumbered, especially with her friends being so helpless. She stopped in front of him with Uke and Mike on each side of her.Renzou tilted his head to the side, “Gonna hit me again?” He pointed to his cheek. “I’d rather be punched with your lips instead! Right here!” He pointed to his lips with a grin. “What do you say?”Izumo was quiet for a moment. She was considering it to get him to finally shut up, but that was something she would never hear the end of. “Maybe when we bring you home.” she said softly. “I won’t forgive you if you leave again. Ever. And I sure as hell won’t give up saving you.”Renzou blinked, “What? You think I’m doing this against my will? See, that’s where you’re wrong, Izumo. In fact, being a spy is a lot of fun! You get to learn a bunch of interesting thin…”Izumo silenced him by pulling on his tie, pulling him down to her level. “Talk shit, get hit, pink-head.”“You can’t possibly be thinking of going against this guy!” Uke responded, shocked.“Why don’t you listen to us for once, girl!” Mike snapped at her. “Reinforcements should be here soon, so wait for them!”Renzou braced himself for her fist to connect with his face, but her lips were gentle. It wasn’t a kiss on the lips, but a soft one on his cheek. It was still a kiss and he would accept it, even in the situation he was in. His eyes widened when she whispered and he jerked back to look at her. Her grip was still tight on his tie, but he had no reason to complain after all.“Say it again. Please?” he asked softly, keeping his eyes locked onto hers.“Why did I have to fall in love with someone like you?”Renzou smiled, this time, an actual smile. If anything got him to change his mind, it were the words that Izumo spoke softly. “If I come back… it’ll be for you.”
10273937
Oops
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": null, "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-13T00:00:00", "words": "171", "Additional Tags": "Modern AU, jack and Davey are realy cute, its based off something I saw on tumblr", "Relationship": "David Jacobs/Jack Kelly", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken, Newsies (1992)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Davey had planned to come to his parents' house early. However he and Jack slept in and Davey needed to take a shower quick. There was very little water because Jack was doing laundry. Davey tried to wash himself using droplets of water. " Babe..." Jack opened the shower curtain. "OH MY GOD!"Davey yelled clutching the shower curtain. He fell on his butt, almost letting the curtain slip. " I was just asking if we have any cereal?" Jack said. Davey blushed and mumbled" It should be in the top left cupboard." Later that week when Davey told their fellow cast members , they couldn't stop laughing. "Why would you need cereal and open the shower curtain?" Katie asked Jack laughing. "Well I thought he was in his towel , but I don't get why he freaked out, I've seen him like that before." Jack blurted. "I thought you were a burglar because I didn't recognize your hair gelled and stuff." The cast started laughing. "We live near New York City okay!" Davey said
10220504
dancing
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Liz | Lissa, Olivia (Fire Emblem)", "Fandom": "Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by Madfalldyn", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "1,984", "Additional Tags": "FE Rare Pair Week, Vaginal Fingering, First Time", "Relationship": "Liz | Lissa/Olivia", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "FE Rarepair Week", "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 }
Lissa, with her penchant for pranks, could hardly bear not knowing what was going on. So, when she notices the shy, pink-haired dancer, who is still new to the Shepherd’s ranks, frequently slipping off alone at night, she follows. It is strange, following behind the woman as she walks through the forests around their camp, frequently checking behind her just in case she is being followed. Of course, Lissa wouldn’t manage to slip frogs into anywhere if she weren’t fairly skilled at sneaking, a surprising skill for a princess. Though it certainly serves her well, something she can’t help but think of as Olivia finally comes to a clearing, and Lissa lingers at the edge, watching eagerly. She can’t help but wonder what it is that brings Olivia out here, and is dying to find out. The nervous woman glances around her one final time, before taking a deep breath. Then, she begins to dance. Though Lissa has seen Olivia dance on the battlefield, this is different. There, it’s harder to catch the details, the intricacies of her movements. As beautiful as her dancing is, during battle, allowing it to dominate one’s focus completely could be disastrous. Here, however, that’s no concern at all. Lissa watches, unable to think of anything beyond how beautiful it is, how beautiful Olivia is. The dancer is always cute, especially with how shy she is, but seeing her like this is something else entirely. She’s so vibrant, bold, nothing like her usual timid self. If asked how long she crouched, watching Olivia dance, Lissa wouldn’t be able to say. But by the time the dancer begins to slow, Lissa’s legs are sore. And there is a different sort of ache between her legs, as well, one that Lissa isn’t entirely willing to admit to. It isn’t like it’s a surprise , that another woman was able to make her feel this way, but Lissa has always struggled against it in the past. But that was a crush on her best friend, with all the difficulty that entailed. She hardly knows Olivia, and suddenly, wants to correct that very badly. “Hey, Olivia!” she calls out, straightening herself and marching into the clearing. “That was amazing!” “Y-you mean you saw!?” Olivia asks, mollified. Her hand goes to her chest, and she looks down, as if the ground would offer some sort of help. “I’m sure it wasn’t all that good. I still need a lot of practice.” “I don’t know, I couldn’t look away for a second!” Lissa says, taking another few steps closer. “I mean, you’re so beautiful, it’s really entrancing!” “Please! Don’t say something like that, I’m… it’s kind of embarrassing,” Olivia says, and by now her cheeks are nearly as pink as her hair. “Besides, I’m sure a princess like you has seen plenty of dancers in her time! And there are plenty who are better than me.” “I don’t know about that, none of them ever made me feel li-” Lissa blurts out, before catching herself. “I mean, they never drew my attention that much! I hardly even noticed the time passing as I watched you!” “R-really? But I’m still… still working on that routine! No one was supposed to see it yet…” “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was that secret! Honestly, I only followed you because I was curious! But if you ask me, that routine is definitely ready. It was invigorating, and you looked so beaut- er, I mean, the dance was great!” Lissa finds herself overwhelmed by her feelings, and it seems to grow harder and harder for her to speak without nearly revealing those feelings. Of course, speaking with Olivia face to face has done nothing to abate the desires she feels, as the adorably shy dancer only charms her more with each word. (And, admittedly, with each stammer, as well.) Unfortunately, Lissa has little to no idea what she’s doing. As much as she wishes she could charm Olivia right back, to win her right then and there, it can’t be that simple! The dancer is so shy, she’d probably run away if Lissa tries to flirt with her. No, this will require a bit more planning. And with that, the prankster princess’ mind begins to whirl. How can she possibly bring the two of them closer together? It’s enough to distract her from her needs, but Lissa knows it’s only a temporary fix. Especially if she plans on spending more time around Olivia. And every plan she comes up with is for exactly that purpose. ~X~ Lissa never truly pranks Olivia. It would likely traumatize the poor timid dancer, but the princess is not above using whatever cheap tricks she can to bring the two of them closer together more frequently. It helps that, in battle, reinvigorating a cleric like Lissa is a sound tactical decision. The time they spend together grows more and more enjoyable for the both of them, until Olivia begins to think there’s something… off. Lissa always seems to be there for her, the cute princess always trying to cheer her up. Always offering a kind word, a friendly touch, and eventually Olivia begins to feel something more than friendship. It doesn’t help that Lissa is unbearably cute, but Olivia feels guilty nonetheless. The Ylissean princess is a close friend to her, and she shouldn’t try to make this into anything else. Of course, she has no way of knowing that Lissa is struggling against incredibly similar circumstances. But Lissa’s struggle will pay off before long. However, it isn't until later, when Lissa hears the now familiar voice calling from the entrance of her tent, that she begins to hope things are finally coming to a head. “Uhm, L-Lissa? Is it alright if I come in?” she asks, her voice shaky, nervous. “Yeah! Definitely, come on in!” Lissa answers, walking over to the tent’s entrance and helping to lift the flap. “I’m so happy you came by!” “I’m glad… I wasn’t really sure if you’d mind.” “Of course not! Even if you’re just here to chat, I don’t mind at all!” “Ah, well...  it wasn’t just to chat. I finished that routine, the first one you saw, that night… I thought you might want to see it now…” Olivia says, blushing. If Lissa had truly enjoyed it so much that night, perhaps it would be a good way to convey the feelings that have cropped up within her. “Are you kidding? That’s incredible! I’d love to see it!” Lissa says, practically beaming. After all, Olivia’s dancing is what won her over to begin with, getting a private showing all for her would be wonderful. “A-all right, then. Let me know when you’re ready!” “Whenever you are, Olivia!” Lissa stands off to the side, and Olivia moves to the center of the tent. The dancer takes a deep breath, trying her best to shake off her nerves. Naturally, that’s a difficult prospect, given the dull beginnings of arousal she feels at the idea of dancing for Lissa once more, so privately. Nonetheless, she begins to move, and her body takes over, as muscle memory guides her through the motions of her dance. Lissa, having seen the incomplete version, thought that she knew what to expect. But the movements are somehow different, more emotional , and Lissa feels her mouth opening in awe. Beyond that, she feels that familiar heat once more, as watching Olivia dance begins to excite her. She can’t bear to take her eyes off of the pink haired beauty, who has shed all traces of her usual timid self as she gets more and more into the dance. Even as Olivia gets closer and closer, as she routine comes to an end, Lissa cannot bring herself to move. Even as Olivia goes for her big finale, even as her lips lock with Lissa’s and she begins a passionate kiss, Lissa only stands in shock. That is, until her mind begins to catch up. Olivia is kissing her. And not just something playful, something friendly, or some strange custom she picked up; a full on, passionate kiss.  And as Lissa melted into that kiss, it only grew more intense. Neither of the women knew that the other had been hiding their desire, but now both of them were letting loose. Even as they kiss, Lissa’s hand works its between Olivia’s legs. The dancer whimpers softly, as Lissa brushes her fingers up her thigh, and against her entrance, feeling that the thin cloth of her dancer’s outfit is already damp with her arousal. The sudden touch is enough to break their kiss, and Olivia’s boldness seems to fade as her desire spikes. “I-I’m sorry!” she apologizes, though Lissa isn’t entirely sure why. Olivia can’t help but feel guilty, as if she forced this on the princess, in spite of the fingers which are still caressing her. “Don’t apologize, Olivia! I’ve… well, I’ve kinda wanted something like this since the first night I watched you. Uhm… is this… is this alright?” Lissa asks, her hand moving to the waist of Olivia’s bottoms. She begins to work her way under the cloth, but waits for approval from the dancer first. “Y-yeah… I’d like that…” Olivia says, and Lissa moves on, slipping her hand beneath the dancer’s clothing and pushing a finger into her damp folds, slowly, gently, coaxing a moan from the dancer. “C-can I… help you, too?” Lissa nods, and Olivia lifts the princess’ night-gown up, thankful that she had come at a time when Lissa was not in her cleric’s dress. She works her own hand beneath Lissa’s panties, and begins doing her best to mimic the motions Lissa uses on her. Before long, the two of them are working together, both trying to please the other as much as possible. Lissa and Olivia both are clumsy, awkward. With a shortage of experience, they have no idea what they’re doing, but also nothing to compare it to. In a way, their motions become almost like another dance. Though, this time, Olivia is not dancing alone. The two of them sync up their motions, playing off one another to discover what feels the best. By chance, Olivia brushes a finger against Lissa’s clit, drawing out a whimper. Lissa tries hooking her finger, just to see if it’s pleasant, and Olivia moans. They may be experimenting, but each new discovery brings them such pleasure, and it isn’t long until Olivia and Lissa are close to their limits. Neither of them want to break first, and both try their hardest to hold on just a little bit longer. It’s not only a desire to outlast, it is also a need to feel as much of this wonderful, euphoric feeling as possible. But, of course, nothing can last forever. Lissa is the one to discover this first, as Olivia begins focusing on her clit, rubbing it, teasing it, and suddenly Lissa is past her breaking point. She cries out, her legs tensing up as she comes, her face contorting into a delightful expression. As she comes, she tries her hardest to continue working her finger in and out of Olivia, making sure to hook it within her from time to time. That feeling, coupled with the face Lissa makes as she reaches her climax, is enough to push Olivia that little bit further, past her own limit. The dancer’s mouth opens, and she lets out a silent moan as her orgasm washes over her. For a moment, neither can bare to look the other in the eye. But, eventually, they calm down, and Lissa regains her outgoing attitude. “I hope you liked that as much as I did…” she says, smiling softly, hopefully. “I… I loved it, Lissa. I kind of… oh, no, I can’t say!” “Awh, come on, what is it?” “I’d love if we could… uhm, do more?”
10234355
Long Ago
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Sans (Undertale), Toriel (Undertale), W. D. Gaster, Marty, Sydna - Character, NurseTem - Character", "Fandom": "Undertale (Video Game)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by FlamingFlyingFoxOfDoom", "chapters": "15/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "20,821", "Additional Tags": "Lots of OCs - Freeform, Wartime, Human Sans", "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 }
The sun was slowly setting beneath the horizon, stretching out the shadows and dying everything bright orange. It was quiet, aside from the crunching footsteps of the young man walking underneath the eaves of the trees.To his side, a sword was clutched shakily. Its gleaming blade reflected the sun's light onto the ground with renewed vigor. Glancing about the treetops, eyes shielded from the light with his hand, he spotted the subject of his search. Nestled in the nook of a particularly thick tree branch and its trunk he slept."Sans!" the young man called up. Sans's eyes snapped open, shining blue in the low light. Upon finding the source of the voice, he jumped down from the perch to stand in front of him.Despite his terrifying reputation, Sans was not impressive to look at. He was shorter than most men with white fluffy hair that hung over his large blue eyes. His face was round, but not quite young. Bags were set under his eyes, engraved in his beige skin. Wrapped about him like a security blanket was something of an over-sized cloak."hey Phyllis." He greeted the solider. Phyllis gave a stiff salute, back straight and shoulders shaking. Sans laughed. "calm down buddy, I ain't gonna eat ya'.""Yessir." Phyllis said. "Sir, you're requested to return to the base camp and to stop sleeping in trees.""I can do one of those." Sans said with a shrug "okay, I'll get back to camp or whatever. What'd they need me for?""A mission, sir." The young soldier reported "You're to go ambush a moving squadrant of monsters."Sans yawned his acknowledgement, stretching his arms out in front of him as he nodded "got it. so. tree." He rubbed at his eyes a moment, before leaping off of the ground straight into the overhanging branches."Wait! Sir!" Phyllis called "You're supposed to report to camp first-!""tell 'em I'll meet 'em there!" Sans yelled back, already on his way across the canopy of branches. Phyllis was left snorting out his displeasure at the man's obscurities.Although he was true to his word. Before the sun was down, he had his team in sight. He jumped down to appear the one that seemed to be in charge."hey." He greeted casually. The man jumped, almost impaling his in the process. Upon recognition, he huffed angrily."So you must be Sans.""bingo." Sans grinned. He peered through their cover, separating the leaves with two fingers "so what can ya tell me about the group we're dusting?"The commander huffed but explained anyways "From what we're told, there's about five of them-""'five'?" Sans quoted. He snorted indignantly "y'need me to help take care of five stinkin' monsters? seriously?""Yes." The man growled "You see, these five monsters are supposedly in the monsters' 'Royal Guard', supposedly the highest rank they have.""eh." Sans didn't seem impressed but didn't complain anymore "what kind of monsters are they?"His commander huffed but described them for him "From our intel, we know one of them appears to be some sort of tortoise. Another one is made of fire, there's two dog-like creatures, and they're led by a warrior named Sydna-""woah, like, fish-lady Sydna?" Sans said. An unsettling grin stretched across his features "OH, this just got a lot more interesting." He coughed into his fist to clear his throat. A quick flick of his wrist and a large, jagged knife was in his hand, at the ready. He winked to the man "I'll take care of fish-lady. Don'tcha worry about her." The man opened his mouth to protest, but by the time he took a breath, Sans was already gone."Sir." Said another soldier, saluting the Commander "No disrespect intended, but you just allowed that man to completely disregard your authority-""He's not under my authority." The man huffed "One of the higher-ups hired him.""Oh!" Exclaimed the soldier "He's a mercenary?""Yeah. And a damn good one, from what I've heard. Dusted an entire troop of monsters by himself, apparently." He snorted "He'd be the best soldier we have if he followed orders."The soldier nodded sympathetically, and the pair was completely oblivious to Sans eavesdropping on their conversation. He snickered, covering his mouth with his hand."they think I can do that?" he whispered to himself, grinning in his pleasure "yeesh, I appreciate the praise but rumors are just rumors." He spent another minute or two chuckling to himself. Then he stretched out his legs and went on his way. His smile faded away into a frown. Sweat slicked the side of his face as he leapt through the branches."although I guess I kind of asked for it." he mused to himself "being so mysterious and such. of course rumors would start to circulate." He sighed "not to mention I grin like a psychopath whenever I'm told I'm going into a dangerous mission." The grin mentioned once again set on his face, though the sweat still prevailed "deception, thy name is coping mechanism."The sun had well past set when he was ready and spotted the ambush-ees. The fire man mentioned led the way, illuminating the path for the rest of the group. Sydna, the most feared of the monsters next to King Asgore, followed suit, eyes glaring about, magical spear in her claws, at the ready. After her was bipedal tortoise-monster, armed with a giant Warhammer that he carried over his shoulder like a baseball bat. He trotted along after Sydna, looking around seemingly without a care. At the rear were a pair of dogs. Both with executioner hoods, armed with axes. Their noses and ears were perked. Searching.Sans took a breath, steeled his nerves, and locked his eyes on his target. He found by taking down the commander first, it was easier to dispose of the rest of them. Although, this was a more advanced troop. So it may be difficult.He followed stealthily, quietly. Eyes locked on the neck of the fish-like warrior. Waiting for the best opportunity to strike. It took until near dawn. In near-silence and blinding darkness. Only the fire-man granting any light. But as the sky begun to gray, Sydna took the lead.At the small about of entropy, Sans launched for the woman's neck. He struck hard, knife lodging deep into her flesh, her howling out her pain and rage. As it was, apparently one strike wasn't enough.She responded frighteningly quickly, turned and lunging her spear deep into his torso. He spat out blood, quivering and shaking at the pain that overwhelmed his senses. Stumbling, he managed to evade the next swipe of her spear, as well at the impact of the tortoise's hammer. He wasn't so lucky in avoiding the flame from the fire-man.It seared his skin, causing his blood to boil, but his mind made him turn his wound to it. It seared shut lazily and painfully, but it kept him from bleeding out on the spot.Vision blurring and blood pulsing in his ears and filling his nostrils, he heard the following strikes of the rest of his group. In the chaos, he sprung back into the canopy. Clawing like a mad cat when he didn't quite make it, he dragged himself onto a branch. Breathing heavily but not taking in enough air.Sans was able to catch the sight of Sydna pulling his knife out of her flesh just in time to jab it into that of one of the humans'. Screams filled the air as the people's SOULs were pulled out, turned green, and they found themselves unable to flee.Adrenaline fueling his scramble, he fled through the trees as the sounds of the dying and abandoned cemented themselves into his heart. Long after they were out of sight, he still heard them. Throbbing in his SOUL like a thorn in his chest. Or maybe that was the pain of deep wound seared shut. Whatever it was, it caused him to miss the next branch and he plummeted to the ground.Sans yelped out in pain, tears brimming in his eyes and cascading down his face. At the base of the trunk he curled up in on himself, covering his head in his hands and bringing his knees up as far as he was able. Bloodied shreds of his cloak clung onto his wound, pulling uncomfortably at it with every breath he took. Pain coursed through his body. But he found himself without the will or the strength to do anything about it.Instead he stayed quiet, sniffling and sobbing to himself and drowning in his guilt and pain.It grew dark again.His stomach roared with hunger and his eyes stung with tears and his body was still burning.A wind picked up, rustling the branches overhead. In the distance, more battles raged on like echoes. Swords clanging, people screaming. Dying.But he couldn't move.At some point, he must've fallen asleep. As his eyes opened, dull with crust. Sunlight filled the clearing, bathing the bare ground with its glow. Where he slept, leaves kept the light from touching him. Sans curled in on himself, shivering.Though he felt numb.The screams and blood of the now deceased seemed little more than a nightmare now. And now that he was awake, and now that it was bright, it means nothing now.So he laid on the ground. Staring at the patches of light make their way across the clearing. His body felt broken and his mind was somewhere else. His vague stare seemed to focus on a blade of grass, swaying gentle in a small breeze.The sun began to set again.That was when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Faint at first. But as they grew louder, his heart began to beat harder. Despite his brokenness, a single thought brought him to his feet.Stay Alive Stay AliveClutching onto his side, his lungs heaving, he leaned heavily against the tree he had spent so long against. He had no weapon. No way of defense.Sans gulped, crouching painfully as he prepared to jump. But as he knelt, something snapped with a sickening crrreeck.He yelled in pain despite all logic, hitting the ground which rocketed renewed pain through his body. The footsteps hurried in his direction.Sans closed his eyes shut, tears slipping through the lids. He bit his lip and prayed that'd they'd kill him quickly.They were loud enough for him to know they were in the clearing. A light gasp was heard and they approached. Would he had opened his eyes, he could assume that their owner was standing right in front of them. Instead, he stiffened. Waiting for death.Large, warm hand cradled around his form and he let out another squeak of pain."I do apologize." Said a soft voice. Sans didn't respond as he was lifted into the air and off the ground. The voice continued to speak "So you are alive, correct? That is a relief…" still he offered no response. But the pain was…relieved somehow. Not entirely gone, but dulled. Something warm was drawn up against his cramped body. Arms wrapped about him, as if to shield and support him. Hair tickled at his nose.As curiosity finally won, Sans forced himself to open his eyes.The voice's owner was a monster. A long, white snout that was barbed with fangs. On her head, horns arched up into the orange-lit sky. Her fur was long, white, and quite soft. And she looked down on him with the most pure smile of relief."Are you well?" she asked.Sans stared at her a moment, then opened his mouth to respond. Hoarse coughs came out instead of words. He hacked for several moments, and he did, the female monster wrapped her arms tighter around him. He coughed up blood, speckling her white fur with red."oh- shi-" Sans swallowed, his mouth dry aside from the blood. "s-sorry-""Do not worry about it." she smiled "I am glad you are alive.""oh." Sans blinked. He forced a smile but found he hadn't the strength to say anymore. Instead he gave a light nod, went limp, and resigned himself to his fate. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- His eyes slowly opened to a low-lit room. A lantern illuminated the wooden walls. Flexing his hands, he felt coarse bandages wrapped about his fingers. Something soft was set beneath him, and wrapped above him. His body was filled with warmth.Sans closed his eyes again. He was far too heavy for him to try to move. So he settled into the bedding and tried to clear his mind. He listened to the fire from the lantern crackle and burn, he listened to the soft wind tossle branches outside.Something creaked. From deductive reasoning, he assumed a door. Once again, he laboriously opened his eyes and turned his head onto its side. Through his hazy vision, he saw the last moment of the door swinging shut. Sans blinked. He craned his neck slowly, looking about the room for whomever may have paid him a visit. Perhaps they left?The man dragged himself so he was sitting up. With a light shriek of pain, he slapped his hand over his side and grinded his teeth. Hissing, he curled his fingers in deeper to his flesh. As the pain subsided, it left him breathless and covered in sweat."HOI!" a very high voice shrieked. Sans screamed out in pain as something slammed into his stomach. Grimacing, he looked down to see….some sort of Cat-Dog…"HOI!" it yelled again, standing on its hind paws to place its forepaws on either of his cheeks. The Cat-Dog had dark, beady eyes and a cat-like smile. Brown hair draped the sides of its white face and curtained the sides of its head and thus the base of its two pairs of ears. On its head sat a white cap with a small, red, cross. It seemed to wear a short white gown of sorts. And the longer he stared, the more annoyed it looked. It slapped its paws on either side of his face again, hard."OW-SHI-" Sans screamed."PwoFANOITY!" The creature barked, slapping him again. "Us Ur MAnnERS!""What!?" Sans hissed "What are you even saying!?""UZE. UR. MAANNNEERSS!" it screamed again. It pouted, dropping from its paws and hopping back onto the ground, muttering to itself."yeesh." Sans mumbled, rubbing his cheek. "sorry."The animal nodded "Oi forgives u!" It bounced up and down in its delight, ears flopping every which way "Hoi Human! I'm Tem! Nurse Tem!""'NurseTem'…?" Sans repeated. NurseTem nodded its head eagerly."Yaya! NurseTem!" it bounced some more "Fwiend of Princess TORII! Fwiend ask NurseTem to Healp u!""uh…." Sans frowned "thanks. who's princess tori?""Wuuhhwhhaaaaaa!?" NurseTem gasped, eyes bulging out of its head "U dunno PrinCess TORI!?" its jaw somehow dropped to the floor "But PrincCOISS TORI brought u 2 NurseTem! PrinCoiss TORI pick-ed u UP! Brought 2 NurseTEM! NurseTem FIX-ITED-""okay, okay, stop." Sans interrupted, rubbing his temples "i need a moment. where am i?"NurseTem took a deep breath then explained in a way that makes more sense "Princess TORI brought u to old surv-oi shack. To heals u. NurseTem help.""all right. so…" he thought "she's the king's daughter?""NOPEE!" the strange Cat-Dog chirped "Princess TORI is King's FIANCÉ!" It nodded knowingly "Not moirried yet. SO. Not Queen Yet!""okay, i get it." Sans hummed. He gently massaged his side and stared at the Tem "so… YOU patched me up?"The Tem nodded. But slowly, the nod turned into a disappointed shaking of the head. "Uh…No…. But Tem keep EYEs on U!""noted." Sans muttered. Clearly him surviving was not a high priority. He winced as suddenly something sharp was jabbed into the crook of his arm. "Ow!" He hissed, throwing his arm out on instinct. The small cat-dog smacked against the wall. It hit it with a 'thump', fell onto the floor, and jumped backed up onto its paws. NurseTem shook itself up and trotted back to his bedside, picking up a now-used needle an tossing it into a nearby bin. Sans muttered to himself, rubbing his arm. "what did you just stab in me?"NurseTem had strange reaction to this. It hopped up and down, ears and hair flopping around every each way. Its eyes bulging out of its head, wide with excitement. Its small mouth smacked open and closed as it bounced faster and faster until it was practically vibrating."MWOORPPPHHIIINNNEEEEE!" It screamed happily.Sans blinked. His mouth folded into a confused frown. "what?"NurseTem took another breathe and barked out "Morphine!""morphine?" Sans blinked, still clearly confused.NurseTem tilted its head "u dunno wut MORPHINE iss?"Sans simply shook his head.NurseTem responded with a pout "srsly? U…duno what morphine is? Don't hoomans uze morphine for boo-boos and such?"Sans shrugged "i'm not very smart, sorry."NurseTem spat at him, though not in a way that seemed judgemental. Instead, it padded about in a circle three times, then trotted over to a small leather bag that Sans just realized was placed by the door. Sticking the front half of its body in its bag, it explained:"we uze Morpheens to help numb a wound, helps with surgeries. Steetches.""oh." Sans responded numbly, a light flush coming to his face as this strange, strange creature seemed to be smarter than he was. He then tensed his shoulders "wait-surgery-?""Yaya!" The Nurse bounced up and down "Tem perform SURGERRIIEEESSSSSSSSS!"Sans backpedaled, ignoring the pain that spread through his body like wildfire. His eyes wide, the whites taking up practically all of his face. He threw his arms out as if to shield himself."n-no, that's okay, okay?" he grinned nervously, practically drenched in sweat. "i'm feeling fine, really-!"The Nurse hushed him with a paw on his face, dropping a small bag of candies into his lap. Then, it sat back on its hind paws, coughed and reiterated "Sugaries." It motioned to the bag "sweets."Sans blinked again. Then awkwardly accepted the candies. "wait…uh…why the morphine, then?""CuZ u seem Eezily startled." NurseTem nodded "Morphine Halp calmz use. Also candies. Candies helps."Sans gave an awkward laugh which turned into a hoarse wheeze. A few deep breathes and he found that perhaps the morphine was a good thing. As he began to hurt less. He slouched as his body relaxed. NurseTem chirped its content, patting one of his hands with its paw. Then, with a tad of an exaggeration, the nurse tucked the human snuggly into the bed. With a loving kiss on his forehead and a hard candy shoved in his face, the monster returned to shuffling about in its things.And they were left in silence. For a little bit. Then, suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Sans tensed. NurseTem's eyes darted over to the door, small fangs bared. Armed with a pair of ….safety scissors, the monster pressed an ear against the door and scratched at it twice.Silence.Three knocks.The nurse scratched twice again.Two knocks.A pause.One more knock.Apparently content with this response, NurseTem let out a delighted squeal and threw the scissors into the wall (and it somehow stuck). Happily squeaking, it scrambled to open the door to allow the visitor in. It was whom Sans assumed was the princess.She smiled at NurseTem as she passed, closing the door gently behind her. The goat-like monster cast a glance over in his direction. Upon seeing the human was awake, her eyes widened and she quickly strode to his bedside. Her smile was large and genuine."You are awake!" She exclaimed happily "How are you feeling? Does your wound hurt?"Sans just stared at her "uh…..i'm not dead? so. yeah. i'd say i'm good.""That is excellent news-!""MORRRRRRPHHEEEEEENNNEEEEEEE!" NurseTem randomly screeched, holding a large syringe of the stuff over its head like a flag. Toriel snorted her annoyance, giving her oblivious friend a peeved glare."uh….yay?" Sans muttered."Excuse me a moment." Toriel said, gently picking up the cat-dog. She opened the door, set the small monster on the ground, and promptly punted it out the door."woah." Sans blinked "uh…rude?"Toriel shooked her head "Not at all. She actually enjoys being kicked out of places."Sans bit his lip. But found he was incapable of holding back "does she get a kick out of it?"She stared at him a moment. He stared back, sweat slicking the back of his neck. He half expected her to kill him on the spot. But to his pleasant surprise, she instead laughed. It was a soft thing at first, quiet and shrill but then it rose into a wild, chortling bleating. Sans grinned."do ya like puns, your majesty?" He asked.Upon the mention of her title, she stopped. "Oh… did NurseTem tell you about that?" She seemed upset.Sans shrugged, winced, and forced himself to relax. "uh…yeah. it- er, she did.""I see." The lady said, beginning to tidy things up about the cabin. She avoided looking at him "Yes. But I would prefer it if you would call me Toriel."Sans nodded even though she couldn't see it. So he settled with an awkward 'mmhmm'. So. It was quiet a moment, but Sans didn't have the sense to keep his mouth shut."y'know turning your back on me isn't all that smart." Sans said "it'd be pretty easy to stab you in the back.""But you will not." She said it calmly, as an observation. A fact.Sans rose an eyebrow, a toothy grin stretching across his face "won't i now? what makes you so sure?""Well, for one." Toriel said, back to him as if to emphasize "You would have done it by now. Secondly, if that was your intent, you would not speak it.""or maybe i made you think that on purpose." Sans said."Perhaps. But you are bluffing." She said. Again, calmly. He could tell she was royalty.After a few minutes of high tension, Sans couldn't help but laugh "eh. yer right. you kinda saved my life and all."Toriel gave a content nod. Then a disapproving look as she spotted the scissors lodged into the wall. She rolled her eyes, ripped them out and threw it out the window. A soft 'thank u' was heard. Toriel called 'you're welcome' and that was the end of that conversation. Sans blinked, staring. She caught it."Are you well?" she asked."uh…yeah." Sans said "…i…uh… was just thinking you monsters sure are strange."She simply tilted her head "Have you never chatted with a monster before?"Sans shook his head "nah. doesn't matter though. I mean….you're strange. you saved me for seemingly no reason." For the first time since she had picked him up, their eyes met. His gaze was dark but sharp "So what was the reason?"Toriel stared at him, shock crossing her features. Her red eyes were wide, their colors flickering with the dance of the flame. For a moment, her mouth simply moved with no words coming out. With a bit of a swallow, she said:"You were hurt."Sans growled "We're in a WAR. So that's a load of crap. What are you really going to do? Torture me?""What!?" Toriel gasped "Why on earth would I-""DO Y'NEED ME TO SPELL IT OUR FOR YOU? WE'RE IN A WAR! DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW WARS WORK!?" Sans snapped.Toriel took a deep breathe, straightening herself and folding her hands in front of her. There was storm behind the veil of calm in her eyes."I apologize that you are so wary. But please be assured that I have no ill intent." She explained.Sans laughed, loudly. Panting for breathe, he cracked a sinister grin. His left eye twitched "Hilarious. Really. So, why would the monster queen save a random, half-dead human? Hm?"She looked him dead in the eye. Red glare meeting blue. When she spoke, her voice was level. But it cracked with what would have been rage."Do humans really think such thoughts?"Sans's response was caught in her throat. He managed to choke out "W…what?"She seemed to pity him "Does your kind act in such a way that it makes you wary of kindness?"Sans grinded his teeth. But he didn't say anything. Instead, he simply looked away and put his hand gently on his dressed wound. He croaked out a dry laugh "heh….i guess so. …sorry, princess."She smiled kindly "What did I say?"Sans chuckled, throwing his hands up in the air in mock defeat "okay, okay. toriel." He folded his hands in his lap "sorry."She shook her head "No need for apologies-" She covered her mouth with one paw, her eyes widening "I just realized I do not know your name…"Sans winked "good." His gaze darted to the side "ya shouldn't name things. then you get attatched."Toriel opened her mouth to respond. Then she closed it, sighing softly. "Yes. I suppose you are right. We are in a war, after all."Another silent moment.Then."NURSETEM BOUGHT MORE MWWOOOOORRRPPHHHEEEENEEE!" The cat-dog returned, cheering loudly and throwing several syringes of the stuff into the air, letting them rain down like rose petals. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Things were going quite well until Marty had to screw everything up.In their Base Camp, there was a large quantity of jobs to be done. Ranging from tactical (Sydna handled most of this) to medical (NurseTem worked in this field) to organizational (her and her fiancé's field) and…then there was a field lovingly referred to as 'impractical'.The young princess saw little use to the current development of this field. However, Asgore had been swayed to allow and assist in their meddling experiments. The main duo of monsters who tinkered away in their tents all day were Doctor Wingdings Gaster, and Marty.Gaster had been the one to persuade Asgore to allow the pursuit of his activities. He was a tall and slender monster, although rumor has it the majority of his height comes from his legs. The lights in his tar-black eyes would flare like stars when he was excited, and his dark smile would bend and stretch to reflect his current mood. He was pale-faced and limber, and could often can be seen drifting about the camp like a phantom. A very excitable phantom. One with a tendency to screech like a child upon seeing something that catches his fancy. If the doctor wasn't quirky enough already, he also had a strange tendency to move in hands in a rather particular manner when he is speaking or even when he's not. Very few monsters understood these movements, and the few that did had only a very vague grasp of what he was trying to portray.With the exception of Marty.Marty was Gaster's peer, although he was more commonly called an assistant. He was a stout monster, yellow in color and resembling a bi-pedal lizard of sorts. He wore a crown of scaled fringes that pointed off from his head. In front of his eyes, which were usually narrowed in either a scowl or thought, were a pair of rectangular glasses that were constantly being re-adjusted. Although the small man was considered brilliant when it came to academics, most monsters found him…well, to be nice, annoying. It was in his nature to be blunt and straight-forward, often forgetting about a little concept called 'manners' in its entirety. This led to some angry or upset monsters and Marty being completely oblivious to their distress. Yet, despite all of these negative traits, he and Gaster had proven to be quite productive as a team.But perhaps the greatest fault of Marty was that he didn't know when to mind his own business.This was what led him to follow the young princess to a long-abandoned shack in the woods. Now, whether it was his intent to stay hidden was unclear. As it was, he walked behind her in plain sight, his footsteps syncing perfectly in time to hide behind the noise of her louder ones. He didn't say anything, simply watching through narrowed eyes and observing the way she moved, warily looking about and unknowingly staring right over her stalker's head. Marty wasn't dumb by any means. And just by looking at his to-be matriarch, he can tell she was hiding something. And he wanted to know what it was.So when she got to the shack, he finally spoke up."What's this, your Majesty?" he asked, raising one scaled brow skeptically. The princess spun on heel, staring down on him with wide and surprised eyes. She folded her hands in front of her, regaining her composure a tad too late."Marty. What can I help you with?" she said.The scientist responded with a short huff. He peered around her, eyeing the door. "I'll admit to a slight curiosity of your stalking off into the woods by yourself to a mildly suspicious shack.""I believe you might be paranoid." Toriel said curtly."I believe you might be full of shit." Marty responded just as curtly. He backed up a step, looking up at her and crossing his short arms over his chest.Toriel and Marty met gazes, their glares practically creating an angry wave of emotion that swarmed between mutual disgust."As I had said, it is nothing of importance." Toriel said, her voice strained as she struggled to remain calm."First, you never did say that." Marty pointed out, his voice level and calm much to Toriel's annoyance. He eyed her "Secondly, should I see this as a potential threat, I will not hesitate to mention it to Wingdings."Toriel couldn't stop her shoulders from rising. And from the smug smirk on Marty's face, she could tell he had noticed. She sighed in her defeat. Much to the lizard man's confusion, she knelt onto her knees to be eye-level with him."Marty, PLEASE, don't tell anyone about this." She all but begged. Marty blinked, tilting his head a tad and fidgeting with the alignment of his spectacles. He crossed his arms again."What is it, your majesty?" He threw her title at her as if it were a threat.Toriel sighed, stumbling back onto her feet and knocked on the door. It was returned with a soft scratch, to which Toriel responded with,"Please just open the door."Followed by a moment of silence. Then,"Okoi." And the door being slowly opened. NurseTem, half-hiding behind the doorframe, glared at Marty and bared her small fangs. "MORTY.""It's Marty." He corrected curtly, stepping into the building with little thought. Toriel sighed, rubbing at her snout, and followed the scientist in. He stared at the wounded human, who gave a forced grin and attempted to slide out of sight by throwing the blanket over his head. Marty shot Toriel a glare."What the hell is this!?" he snapped, motioning to the patient in an angry wave. NurseTem slammed the door shut, scrambling up onto a windowsill and staring intently into the wilderness."A human." Toriel said. "I found him injured and-""AND NOTHING!" Marty snapped "That's a HUMAN! Y'know, the species we're currently AT WAR with!?""hey, i told her that too." The human said with a shrug."No one asked you!" Marty hissed."rude." he chuckled."Marty, please-" Toriel began."PLEASE NOTHIN'!" He snapped. He took a deep breathe, forcing his voice to quiet but failing from keeping it from hissing out of his teeth "Your Majesty, with all due respect, this is a very, very, dangerous action. I understand your heart is in the right place, but this is a very bad idea.""your life was a very bad idea." The human said casually."oooOOOOOOOOHHHH!" NurseTem howled, raising her paws to frame the human. Toriel and Marty both shot the cat-dog a glare. She cowered under their gazes. The human gave her a friendly scratch behind one of her ears."hey, thanks buddy."Marty huffed, glaring back at Toriel "I'm telling Wingdings.""NOOOOOUUUUUU!" NurseTem barked "Don't Tell DOoocter Goister!""who?" the human asked, going ignored."Marty, please! He'd kill him!" Toriel said."GOOD! Better than having a SPY running around!" Marty hissed."c'mon, who's 'gaster'?""He's not a spy!""How the hell would you know!?""NU TELL GOISTER! NUUUU!""hello….?" The human mumbled "can someone tell me who 'gaster' is….?""SHUT UP!" The three monsters turned, snapping at him in unison. The white-haired man mumbled, slouching back into the bedding and settled for watching the three decide his fate. Yawning slightly, he threw the soft blanket around his shoulders and turned himself into a cozy little dumpling. Through half-lidded eyes he watched them argue. He felt the pressure of small paws on his shoulder and the barking of NurseTem brush against his face.Eventually, when it became evident this argument was going to be stuck in a never-ending loop, he interrupted with:"i say you just kill me."Toriel and Marty both stared at him. The young princess covered her mouth with her paws, eyes brimming with tears as she struggled to find something to say. Marty stared at him like he grew an extra head. Then snapped."WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN WE SHOULD KILL YOU?""like you said, there really ain't a reason for me to live." He shrugged "and really it just makes more sense to kill me, anyway."This left the scientist in an elongated silence. His mouth moved, although no words came out, and he stared at Toriel, then at the human, and gave a brief glance to the now-wailing Temmie who clung on the man while crying out 'Nnnuuuuuuuuuuu'.Marty snorted, turning his back towards the man. The tip of his tail twitched indignantly and he muttered."Y'know what? Fine. Keep the dumbass alive."Toriel stared at him, shocked "Wh….Really?""Yeah." Marty huffed. He shot a glare to the human, then looked back to the princess "I'm not going to tell Wingdings about him." He voice dropped to a growl "But I sure hope you know what the hell you're doing."Toriel nodded, straightening herself. A small smile was set on her face. "I believe I do. Thank you, Marty.""Don't get used to it." He snorted."YAYYYAAAAA I GET TO KEEP THE HUMAHN!" NurseTem cheered, rubbing her face affectionately against the said human's.Marty gave her a mildly annoyed glare "….So….The Nurse seems to have gotten attached.""Seems so." Toriel said with a slight nod."why the sudden change in heart?" the human asked despite himself. He completely ignored the affectionate Tem on his head.Marty growled, meeting his glare straight-on "When someone asks to DIE then that means they were never given a reason to LIVE. And that's just fucking sad."The human laughed, giving a slight shrug "wow. you monsters sure are something else.""Shut up." Marty hissed."after you." The human winked.Toriel chuckled softly "Well, it appears the human fits right in with us monsters quite easily.""Wut makes uze say dat, TORI?" NurseTem asked as the two men began snapping insults at eachother.Toriel giggled "He doesn't get along with Marty.""NO ONE gets aloing wid Maaaaoorrrttyyy." NurseTem dragged the name out through her teeth."Very true." Toriel nodded "Very true indeed." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Sydna strolled through the camp, her stride long and purposeful. Her red hair, pulled back in a messy ponytail, lashed about in the wind. A teeth-baring snarl was set on her face."MARTY!" she snapped, angrily pushing the flaps of the tent aside.The lizard man barely even glanced at her, his snout shoved deep into his current work. "What?""Tell Asgore I can go back out and fight!" She hissed, towering over the smaller monster.Again, Marty barely even acknowledge her. "No.""WHAT!? WHY THE HELL NOT!?" She snapped.Marty sighed, rubbing the side of his head. He finally set down his papers to point an accusatory finger to her face. Half of which was covered by thick gauze. He spoke in a matter-of-fact manner, although annoyance dragged the sentence into a growl "You need to fully recover first. Otherwise, you'd just slow everyone down."Sydna opened her mouth, ready to spit poison and threats when Marty interrupted again"Why don't you go visit your family?"Her retort caught in her throat. She sighed, leaning heavily on one hip and crossing her arms. "Yes, I guess I will." A big grin abruptly came to her "It's been SUCH a long time since I've been able to spend an evening with my daughter!" She blinked "Oh! Did I tell ya how the husband said she's doing in school?""About fifty times, yes." Marty muttered "Get out of my tent."Sydna snorted, blowing her bangs out of her face. "Alright FINE. See ya 'roud, Martin.""It's Marty. Bye." Marty waved her off. Sydna chuckled to herself, much the annoyance of the lizard man, and went along her way (after leaving word of her intentions with Grillby, of course).Since the war started, monsters have had to stay close together. Packed in tighter than sardines in a can, but with better-smelling company. The tents and temporary settlements were arranged in a circle. The military monsters (as well as Marty and Gaster) occupied the outer edges. Near the center were the civilian monsters. Those either too young to fight, or just too… unable to.Her husband fell into the latter category. And no one could judge him for it. Despite his large, intimidating stature, he was a very gentle man. His face, they were told, resembled the one of a fish called a 'barracuda'. He was covered head-to-toe in deep-green scales that shined when the sun hit them just right. His webbed hands were tipped with black, razor-sharp claws that he often kept filed down.And since he wasn't a fighter, she was.And her daughter.Sydna grinned, knocking on the door. She rocked impatiently on her heels as she heard the small pitter-patter of her daughter's feet. The door was thrown open, and Sydna's knees were immediately assaulted. Her young daughter bared he tiny sharp teeth, digging them into the leather of her leggings."NGEEEEHHH!" The small monster hissed."OH NO, YOU GOT ME!" Sydna gasped, dramatically buckling down to the ground and laying onto his back. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!""Did I really!?" The young monster grinned, yellow eyes gleaming. Sydna snorted good-naturedly, lightly shoving the girl."Oh give me some more credit, Undyne! I'm the leader of the Royal Guard.""Not forever you aren't!" The girl said, grinning in her ambition "When I grow up, I'LL be the head of the guard!""Hopefully we won't need one by the time you're all grown up." The girl's father said, helping his wife and child up from the ground. He embraced Sydna fully, nuzzling the woman's face in the bend of his neck."Hi sweet-heart!" Sydna grinned, returning the embrace in the form of a vice-grip. Her husband let out a wheeze, although he chuckled."H-hey-" he chuckled"Bleck!" Undyne gagged "You too are SO embarrassing!""Embarrassing?" Sydna repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Embarrassing?""Oh no." The male monster sighed. "I'll…I'll just go set the table. You two come in when you're done.""WILL DO!" Sydna grinned, picking up Undyne and throwing the girl onto her shoulders "You wanna see embarrassing, kid!? I'll show ya embarrassing!""I BET I CAN EMBARRASS YOU MORE!""CAN NOT!""CAN TOO!"Needless to say, the two of them combined managed to be incredibly embarrassing to their father/husband. Apparently running around the small village screaming 'NGEEEHHH' raises some eyebrows.Sydna slept there that night, but in the morning left again for the outer ring. She gave her husband a quick smooch and ruffled her daughter's hair. And with their wishes of luck (and Undyne's demand for her to 'KICK SOME HUMAN BUTT'), she was determined to keep them, and her kingdom, safe. She went back to the outskirts.Mumbling to herself, she scratched at the gauze around her eye. She hated having to keep that part of her face covered, but it needed to be healed and she needed to reserve her magic to fight, not to heal. Not to mention, it'd probably be a badass face-scar.If the human who gave it was still alive, she'd give him a high-five and a thank you.Then probably kill him.'Cause, you know, he stabbed her in the face.As the fish-warrior walked through the camp, her eyes caught on the pair of tall, white royals. She briskly walked up to them, keeping her back straight and her voice level."Your majesties." She said, bowing slightly at the waist."Oh no- No need for that, Sydna." Asgore said, beckoning her to loosen up. He smiled at her "So, how is your wound?""This ol' thing?" Sydna grinned, pointing to it "Well I can tell ya one thing, it's going to look BADASS when it scars over.""Oh my." Toriel chuckled "Sydna, please try to be more careful. Please do not purposely throw yourself in situations simply to get scars."Sydna laughed, giving a shrug "No promises, your majesty."Asgore laughed, caught himself, and awkwardly cleared his throat "But please, in all seriousness, take care of yourself." He gave a gentle smile "I don't know what we would do without you.""Yes sir." Sydna said with a nod."Well, I must go check in with Doctor Gaster." Asgore sighed "Who knows what problems he'd cause if no one keeps him in check.""That is the reason we keep Marty around, is it not?" Toriel giggled, tilting her head a but. Asgore chuckled deeply."Oh, yes. I suppose. But it won't hurt to make sure." He held his fiance's claws in between his own, nuzzling his snouts to hers. "Bye bye Tori!""Goodbye, King Fluffybuns!" Toriel giggled, blushing alight pink. She laughed as he pulled away and exchanged a smile and wave as he walked away. But, as his line of sight excluded her, she suddenly turned downcast.Sydna tensed upon seeing the princess distress. She took a step foreward, placing one hand on her shoulder."Toriel, is something wrong?" She spoke, quietly. Toriel sighed, looking after her to-be husband a moment, then glanced at the warrior."Sydna, would you please help me with something….personal?"Sydna nodded immediately "Of course. Anything for you, Toriel."She smiled "Thank you. I truly appreciate it." The monster princess laid a paw over the warrior's claw, giving it a light squeeze. "I am ashamed to ask, but…may you please keep this a secret, from the King?"Again, Sydna nodded immediately.Toriel smiled at her, beckoned, and led her off into the woods. They walked in silence, Sydna keeping her senses open, making sure she was aware of any potential ambushes and any attacks. The wound on her cheek burned, reminding her of the deftness of the human who's ability to sneak was underestimated. It just went to remind her to always be cautious.Following the princess, she was lead to a small, run-down shack. It was well hidden in vines and foliage, sheltering it from a casual glance. Toriel knocked on the door. There was a response of scratches. And then again, knocks. Then scratches. Then the door opened."Hoi!" Sydna was surprised to see Nurse Tem. She blinked, the Tem blinked. The Tem screeched. "TOOOORRRIIiIIIIIIIII!" She vibrated rapidly, arming herself with a pair of safety scissors."No, no Nurse. It's all right." Toriel said, fanning the feisty feline(dog) down. "I asked her to come here."The Nurse gave them each a skeptical look. "rly?""Yes." Toriel nodded. She turned to Sydna "Please, come in. I am ashamed to say I must ask for your help in keeping him safe.""Keeping WHO safe?" Sydna asked, following the princess as she walked into the room. NurseTem's lips parted into a warning growl. And while the Tem wasn't the best at fighting, Sydna knew from first-hand experience the little cat-dog can whip up a poison that put you out of commission for a week straight. So she'd take the warning to heart."Him." Toriel answered, motioning to a sleeping figure. She fidgeted slightly "A…a human I found in the woods. He was wounded and very close to dead, so I-"Sydna stopped her with a slight raise of her hand. She gave the princess a smile "You're too kind for this world, Toriel. Of course I'll help you protect the fleshbag."Toriel paused a moment before smiling gratefully "Thank you, Sydna.""Of course." Sydna grinned back. She tilted her head, scanning her new charge intently. She might as well. There was no way anyone was going to order her back to battle anytime soon, not when her bandages hindered her sight and hearing.And her loyalties lied with the princess, first and foremost."hhmmm…" The human groaned, stirring from his slumber."Oh." Toriel chirped "Well, I suppose now would be a good time to introduce the two of you. Excuse, Mr. Human?""mmf?" The human yawned, rubbing at his eyes. He gave a light stretch, as much as his bandaged torso would allow, anyway. Sydna's jaw dropped as she stared. "oh…heya, princess-" his eyes caught on the fish warrior. He seemed to pale considerably, scrambling back wildly.The Nurse leapt onto the bed instantly, putting herself between the human and Sydna.Toriel squeaked, covering her mouth with her paws "W-what's wrong!?""SHE FOUND ME!" "HEY, IT'S YOU!" The human and Sydna screamed at the same time, pointing to each other (in a rather comedic manner).Toriel looked between them, then bowed her head in a sigh."Oh my." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- "Perhaps this was a mistake…." Toriel mused to herself.Sans pressed himself against the wall, now not quite sure what his situation was. The monster that had killed him was in front of him and clearly angry. The small cat-dog, the Nurse, was in between him and her and looked about ready to spring into action. Although he appreciated the sentiment, he was fairly certain the fish-lady could just stomp her into nothing.Sydna was injured, he could see that much. Bandages were fixed around half her face, and her one lone eye glared though its scar and onto him. With a flex of her claws she materialized a spear. Sans gritted his teeth against the pain and prepared himself to leap-"Sydna, please calm yourself. You as well, Mr. Human." Toriel said coolly. The warrior responded, but hesitantly. Sydna dismissed her magic, although she didn't relax. Her lone eye locked onto him. Sans readily let his body rest. He massaged his injured side with his fingers, avoiding the gazes of the two taller women in the room. NurseTem sprung onto the bed next to him, venturing a concerned sniff to his wound."Need mworephine?" she asked. Sans forced a grin and shook his head."Nah, I'm fine." He said."Now….how might you two know one another?" Toriel asked, a light pink on her cheeks. Her voice was level, but way she evaded her eyes implied shame or embarrassment."He stabbed me in the face." Sydna reported bluntly. Toriel let out a slight gasp-"She stabbed my body." Sans shrugged, motioning to his bandages.Toriel was now covering her mouth with her paws, mortified "Oh my goodness-""Eh. Whatever." Sydna shrugged, interrupting Toriel's sentence. She hooked her arm around the woman's shoulders, drawing her in close so their sides touched "It's in the past. I stopped caring." She grinned, baring her long, sharp fangs. Toriel opened her mouth to respond, but Synda quickly interjected "Besides, it's not like I didn't get my PAYBACK, am I right?" She shot Sans a quick look. He shrugged as much as he was able to."Yeah, I mean, I almost died. So. Fair's fair." He said, casting a quick look to the princess. She seemed concerned still, looking between the two wounded people in front of her. Sydna's grin was too tight, Sans was breaking out in goosebumps, and Toriel was fighting to find words. Nurse Tem decided to intervene."R u TWOs teeming up to make TORI feel better?" She asked. The small cat-dog bounced up and down, tail wagging happily "O! O! NurseTem helps! Tori is SOOPER kewl! A+ kewlness! YayA!"Sans and Synda stared a moment, then Sydna spontaneously struck a pose, flexing her muscular arms for all present to admire."YEAH!" She yelled "TORIEL GETS AN A + ! MAXIMUM COOLNESS!""YAYA!""YEAAAH!""YAAAAYAAAA!""YEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHH!""YYAAAAAAYYYYyyyyyyAAAAaaaAAAA!"Sans blinked, watching as the Nurse vibrated her way onto Sydna's head, bouncing happily as the two had their exchange. Toriel slipped past them to Sans's side, frowning down at him."Well," she said as her friends continued screaming at each other "I understand Sydna's feelings well enough about the situation, but what are yours? Truly?"Sans shrugged again "Eh. She's better than Marty."Toriel giggled a moment, stifling her laughter with a deep breathe. "Yes, but then again, everyone is better than Marty.""Marty?" Sydna interjected, putting a hand on her hip. She would've been intimidating if she didn't have an overly-happy tem on her head.Toriel nodded "Yes, Marty knows about the human as well.""Woah, you told MARTY before ME?" Sydna asked, a frown creasing her face. Toriel sighed."He left me little choice, sneaking along after me and all of that." She explained."Oh." Sydna bared her teeth "D'ya want me to skin him?""YayA!" The Nurse was all for this."No." Toriel said. "Marty knows about this, and he had made himself clear he would not reveal his whereabouts-" She cut herself off, frowning. A very short pause, but long enough for a perceptive human to notice. Sans shrugged internally. So he might hafta slit a few throats. He'll admit, he didn't WANT to, oddly, but he'd do what he'd have to do-"Has the human tried to attack you, Toriel?" Sydna frowned."Not at all." Toriel said."He NU hurt NurseTem either!" The Nurse grinned, hopping onto Sans's head and rubbing her face against his hair "He MOI hooman! Moine!"Sydna grinned "See? No way I can want to stab him NOW. He belongs to the Nurse!""I don't really agree with that." Sans muttered."U-U DONTZ?" The Nurse whimpered, clearly distressed. She flopped over his head "But NuseTem LUVS UZE!""This is really weird." Sans muttered."WELL GET USED TO US, PUNK!" Synda roared, trapping Sans in a headlock. He instantly went to duck out of it, aiming to put as much distance between them as he could. Sydna backed off physically. "'CAUSE UNTIL YOU GET BETTER ENOUGH TO GO BE HORRIBLE, YOU GOTTA TOLERATE US!""Hooray for me…" Sans sighed."So what's your name?" Sydna asked.The human shrugged with a wink "'Hooman'.""YayA! NurseTem Name-ded him! He HooMAN!""Yaaaaaayyy." Sans cheered weakly.Toriel frowned "Um….Pardon the interruption, but, Nurse, you DO know he's not your…pet, right?""Well DOI!" NurseTem rolled her eyes."Oh, my apologies-""HE'S URS!""P-Pardon!?" ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Tap tap ttap tap…Tap tap tap tap…Tap tap tap tap"Okay, sit the FUCK down!" Marty snapped, turning sharply to glare at his partner."Wha? Oh, sorry Marty." Wingdings Gaster said, the corners of his dark mouth twisting downwards. With long, slow strides, he drifted over to the desk Marty was working at and dropped onto the vacant chair next to him. He peered over the lizard man's shoulder. "What are you working on?"Marty sighed "Checking up on the war effort." He pinched the bridge of his classes, resetting them straight on his face "With Sydna out of the main fight, we're floundering out there.""Then put her back INTO the fight." Gaster sighed "It's not that hard."Marty shook his head "We might have to soon, but we can't throw her back in right now. She's in no condition to fight.""Why? She got stabbed in the face, big deal." Gaster shrugged, He smiled broadly, pointing to a crevice in his face that snaked down from his eye "I got stabbed in the face and I'm fine!""First: you're not normal." Marty said, rolling his eyes "Secondly: Sydna has flesh. Third: You don't FIGHT."Gaster shrugged, crossing his arms "Valid point." He sighed, slouching a bit in his chair and drumming his fingers against his upper arms.Marty sighed "What?""What what?" Gaster asked vancantly.Marty shot him a glare "You're never this quiet unless something's up. So, what's up?"Gaster slouched more "I…I honestly don't know." If he had lips, he would've pursed them "Something's wrong, though." His fingers curled into the sleeves of his black coat. His leg began to shake "Something's giving me goosebumps…""You don't have skin." Marty pointed out."Metaphorically, Martin!" Gaster scowled."It's Marty." The lizard monster murmured.Gaster got up suddenly, almost upturning the table. Marty slammed his arms down on the desk, steadying it out again. He shot Gaster a glare that went unnoticed.The taller monster began to pace again. "Something's up." His face scrunched up, wrinkling slightly "Something is up, something is up…." He stopped suddenly, scowling deeply."….Wingdings?" Marty blinked, frowning. When Gaster didn't respond, Marty clambered down from his seat and shuffled over. "Wingdings, say somethin', you're freaking me out."Still no response. Marty circled around him, looking up at the taller monster's crinkled face. He still didn't offer a response. Marty propped himself up onto his tiptoes, leaning foreward to study the man's face. He waved a clawed hand in front of his face."ACHOO!" Gaster sneezed, startling the lizard man and toppling him over so he hit the ground with a harsh thump!"Sorry, Marty!" Gaster yelped, helping the man up. Marty swatted him away, scowling. Gaster chuckled, scratching the side of his face "Heh heh….you okay…?""YES." Marty snorted "Let's get back on topic here, what's bugging you?""Right now? The fact that my sneeze scared you.""Hilarious." Mart mumbled, scrunching up his snout "Wingdings, what is it?"Gaster sighed "I already TOLD you, I don't know! Something's…..something's weird. Different? No, no…." He began to pace again. He absent-mindedly scratched his fingers along the contours of his upper arms, digging into the cloth and bone alike. Marty settled back onto his chair, watching the tall monster patrol. The tip of his tail twitched."Windings-"He was hushed as the doctor held up his hand "It's all right Marty. I'm probably just….forgetting something." He murmured, eyes focused on something distant. Marty studied him a moment. Then sighed."Okay, Wingdings.""….what." The lizard man muttered.Marty, more due to curiosity than anything else, slipped away once again to see the Queen's human patient. The man was stout, he realized. Shorter than most human males, but just as broad in the shoulders. His skin was dark, but his hair was white. From what he knew of humans, that wasn't normal. Perhaps if he were an older human, it would have been. But that wasn't it. He was young.But not THAT damn young.The human shrugged, cringing as his body pulled against the bandages."I never learned how t'read. Big whoop."The corner of Marty's eye twitched. The Nurse's ears were down. Sydna scowled."You…don't know how to read?" Marty asked, his voice level.The human frowned "I…er…I just said that."Marty pushed the human to the side of the bed, clambering up along side him and opening a large book. "Lesson time then. Sit down and shut up.""Woah-what?" He stared. "Er…y-y'don't gotta teach me there, Marty. I don't really need to read or anythin'""I said shut up." Marty murmured. He shoved the book closer to the human "You can't know absolutely nothing, right? Do you at least know letters?""Er….some of them?" He said, sweat slicking down the side of his face while a faint blush crept across his cheeks."Point them out. The ones you know." The lizard man said. The human did, stuttering a bit and not quite getting them all right. Marty snorted, unimpressed. "Okay, we go a LOT of work to do.""B-but-" The human fought to find words to protest."Woah, Martin!" Sydna interjected."What?" he snapped."You can't start teaching someone to read with a book like THAT!"' She snapped back "That's like, PHD level crap!""I know that." Marty mumbled "But I don't have any other reading materials he could use. At least not without drawing suspicion.""How about we just DON'T teach me to read?" The human suggested meekly "Like, I dunno how it works for monsters, but for humans, readin' for the rich.""Listen," Marty said "There's a lot of things I have to deal with. Stupidity that can be avoided is not one of them.""Uh…""Dat his way of sayin' he theenk uze not as smert as u could be!" The Nurse translated, vibrating gently from where she was perched on Sydna's head."What?""Well, you're not DUMB." Sydna grinned "I can tellya that from experience! It takes more than just damn luck to get a hit on me!"Marty straightened his glasses. "So shut up and let's get reading-""Woah, wait!" Sydna interrupted again "Lemme grab some of mu daughter's book, alright? Those are better for people just staring out with the whole 'literacy'' thing.""Okay." Marty nodded "Get some pecils and paper too, would you? Maybe something about arithmetic…""Damn, sounds like you're planning on schoolin' me." The human sighed."That is exactly what I am planning." The lizard man said bluntly "You're not going to be a dumbass if there's something I can do about it."The human's head and shoulders dropped in defeat."And NurseTem teech uze 'bout BOI-ology!" The Tem vibrated happily at the thought.Marty nodded "Well, you are a doctor, so that'd make sense-""WOAH!" Sydna interrupted "The NURSE is a DOCTOR?""Yaya." The Nurse said with a slight tilt of her head."Then why are you NURSE Tem?" Sydna demanded."Nurse Sounds COOOTEERRRR!" The Tem answered excitedly, vibrating quickly enough to produce electricity if some sort of machine were to be hooked up to her."…Right." Sydna snorted."….So, anyway" Marty continued as if nothing strange had happened "Her majesty could probably teach you about social sciences, if she could find the time.""Y'mean Toriel?" The human said.Marty nodded "Right. And Sydna …." He thought a moment "Anyway-""WOAH, what can I teach him?" Sydna demanded."Most likely nothing." Marty said bluntly."Dude, FIGHT ME!""I don't think I will.""FUCK YOU, MARTY!""My, what would Ifrit think if he hear that?""LEAVE MY HUBBY OUT OF THIS!"They continued their spat, oblivious to the other conversation taking place."So…." The human murmured "Did someone tell him that Sydna knew…?""Nope!" The Nurse chirped "Morty pwobably just assoomed!""…Ok.." The human sighed. He wrung his fingers through his hair. His blue gaze distant as a light smile crept across his face "Well…learnin' a thing or two could be fun…." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- He took back everything he said about learning being fun.Sans groaned, rubbing the palm of his hand against his forehead. His eyes squinted, he struggled to focus on the letters swimming before him. Not that reading was too difficult, in fact he felt quite confident in his newfound abilities, but it was the sheer quantity of work that got to him.Marty hadn't wasted any time drowning the white-haired man in homework. Sydna was annoyingly supportive of all the work, claiming since he 'could'nt work his body, he might as well work his mind'. The Nurse offered support in the form of tutoring and excessive purring.Sans sighed, shoving his studying materials off his bed and onto his floor. Then he flopped onto his bed, palms stretched outwards, facing the ceiling.At the moment, he was alone. It would be easy to slip away, to sneak off and die somewhere. Toriel was doing her queenly-to-be duties, Sydna in the middle of some war meeting, the Nurse called off to her own chores, and Marty to…"What the hell does Marty even do?" Sans muttered to the ceiling. All he had to go off of Marty's occupation is the fact he's ridiculously smart and knows a doctor named 'Gaster'.Something snapped outside with a sickening CRUECK!Sans yawned. He rubbed his eyes lazily with one hand.The knob of the door began to twist and turn, unsure. Sans blinked. A frown creased his face as he pushed himself to sit up."Nurse?" He asked, feeling his skin crawl. The knob shaking stopped. Sans swallowed nervously, quietly getting to his bare feet and creeping to the door. Goosebumps broke on his skin, the hair on the back of his neck stood on edge.The knob began to shake violently, the person on the other side of the door rattling it in the process, as if with the intent of breaking it off its hinges. Sans's breath caught in his throat as he stumbled backwards. His chest began to ache, contracting in on itself as if being ensnared in a rope. Whoever was here started pounding on the door, almost madly. Shaking and shaking, rumbling the house.Sans threw out his hands, his fear pouring out of his palms and his fingertips and flooding the room. It shot outwards, crawling on the surface of wood and crashing down the door and walls. The force of the pulse threw Sans backwards and he smacked into the wall harshly. As his body slid down, he found himself held in the air. By a pair of disembodied hands.He let out a sharp cry, pulling against the ghostly restraints. His insides churned as his head spun and everything grew dark, darker, yet darker…The human's eyes widened as they locked on his visitor.A tall…thing. A pale mask with holes for eyes and tar for a body. Two hands gripped either side of the door, and its body was lugged slowly inside, it's gelatinous form sloshing through the open doorway.It smiled.Sans screamed."WAKE UP YOU ASSHOLE!"The human's eyes snapped open to a lizardy scowl. Marty had him by the collar of his shirt, dragging him up to be eye level. His teeth were bared and one eye twitched a bit too frequently."Uh…hey Marty." Sans chuckled, partly due to his awkwardness but mainly due to trying to regain lost breath. His throat felt like needles had been stuck into it….He must've been screaming.Marty sighed, dropping the human and leaving him be. The lizard set himself to picking up the scattered books and papers along the cabin floor. Sans rubbed at his eyes, then rolled his shoulders. Stretching his neck, he was rewarded with a soft crick! And with that, and the stiffness in his body, he came to the conclusion he must've fallen asleep."You should really be quieter." Marty muttered, snorting as he stumbled off the ground, his arms full. Sans slid off the bed and took some of the load from him. Marty rose an eyebrow at him but snorted his thanks. The two put the materials onto a table that Sydna had brought in earlier. Marty didn't let the subject drop, however. "So, I take it that was a nightmare?"Sans sighed "Listen, I don't want to talk 'bout it-""You don't want to talk A-bout it." Marty corrected. He crossed his arms over his chest "Listen, human, I mean it when I say you need to be QUIET. If you're too loud, you could attract…." He hesitated a moment "…unwanted attention."Sans sighed "Right, I know. But….well, I can't help it if I scream while I'm sleepin'.""There's ways to fix that." Marty said "Hypnosis, meditation, whichever you're comfortable with." He shot a pointed glare "Or you could just die.""Let's avoid that one." Sans said with a bitter smile."Right." Marty said "Well then….Suppose I should start teaching you some meditating techniques….""Yeah, I gotta question 'bout- er… about that." Sans said. Marty tilted his head, motioning for him to continue. Sans scratched his cheek "Er… what's meditation?"Marty's tail twitched. He sighed."Oh boy." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Marty groaned, folding his arms over his head."I just can't get a break from these morons, can I?" he mumbled."Did you say something, Marty?" Gaster asked, looking over his shoulder. Half of the man's face was plastered in soot, the result of a small explosion (which was the result of one of his experiments)."Yes." Marty sighed "I said, in short, there's no escape from idiots.""You offend me." Gaster said, bowing slightly with a hand over where his heart would be if he had one. A few steps and he was by Marty's side, leaning on him heavily as he pressed the back of his hand to his forehead. "Implying I am an idiot! Agh! My heart, my self-esteem…" he began to slide down Marty's side, putting his weight on the lizard man's head "they are shattered. Broken! Alas, my heart, my heart- ACK!" He yelped as Marty suddenly threw his head back, knocking him off and over.The lizard man turned to give the scientist a smug smirk as he laid on the floor. Gaster grinned, almost mischievously "Now, now MARTIN."Marty's expression dropped back to its usual scowl "It's Marty."Gaster slivered back onto his feet, propping his skull up on his arms and propping his arms up on Marty's head. "Okay, Martin."Marty snorted "Okay, Wingdings."Gaster's smile dropped into a pout "What, that's it?""You're just calling me that to make me mad. I'm not going to indulge your humor." Marty explained curtly, returning to scratching his pen along paper."But, MAAAAARRRTTTTYYYYYY!" Gaster whined, dropping his arms over Marty's face "It's more fun when you REACT.""Good thing I don't react then.""MAAARRTTTTTTYYYYYY!" Gaster moaned again, turning his body over so his back was on Marty's head.Marty's sort caught in his throat, diving into a low chuckle "Wingdings, I'm WORKING.""On what?" Gaster blinked, flipping back over and peering at the pages. His face scrunched up "Still looking over the war front?"Marty nodded with a sigh "Yeah."Gaster snorted "Marty, we're SCIENTISTS, not tacticians. Let the Guard handle this.""Our research would be pointless if we all end up dead." Marty pointed out. He eyed the smoldering remains of his partner's project "What were you working on?""Don't really know." Gaster said with a shrug "I think…" he frowned "Well, I lied." He stepped back, beginning to turn and pace, turn and pace "I was trying something out, with magic.""Elaborate." Marty said, crossing his arms."Well," Gaster began "As you know, I've been bothered by something I couldn't quite figure out for quite some time. But the other day, I felt something very, very, interesting. Something like…a wave." He flicked his fingers outward to emphasize. Marty rose an eyebrow, not impressed. Gaster pouted, cleared his throat, and then continued "A wave of MAGIC. BLUE magic."Marty blinked, eyes widening "BLUE magic? Are you-" He frowned "Are you sure?"Gaster nodded "DEFINITELY. No bones about it, that was blue magic.""Okay, okay…" Marty interjected, waving him down "Firstly, that joke was horrible.""Thanks." Gaster grinned."Secondly," Marty said, ignoring him "are you sure it was BLUE magic? That kind of magic is almost unheard of in monsters.""EXACTLY!" Gaster yelled, throwing his arms up in the air "Which is why I think that either there's a non-monster with blue magic around here, or…." He thought "Someone else like me."Marty frowned "Wingdings-""I know, I know." Gaster sighed "It's a ludicrous idea. Who else would be able to manage such a feat?""A bit conceited, but true." Marty muttered.Gaster nodded his head, accompanied by a short series of 'mmhmm's. He sat on the arm of Marty's chair, setting his chin on his balled fists "The point of my little explosive experiment there was to see if I could somehow track this other blue-user. I used some of mine as a reference, and then attempted to calibrate the coordinates to center on the strongest source of blue magic. Other than me, anyway." He sighed.Marty forced a smile, giving him a quick pat on his hand "Do you really need to find another blue-magic-user?"Gaster shrugged "No, I suppose not." He stared at his hand a moment before curling in his fingers "But I feel….drawn, Marty. Like I'm supposed to seek this out."Marty snorted "Like, fate?" he sounded skeptical.Gaster snorted too "No, like, I'm getting real fidgety here and I gotta make sure-""Got-to make sure." Marty corrected. Gaster waved him off."I feel obliged to see this other user of blue magic. Like it's…. something I gotta- got to, find."Marty sighed, massaging the spot between his eyes "I don't get it, Wingdings. But okay, I hope you find what you're looking for."Gaster smiled, his shoulders dropping as he relaxed "Thanks, Marty."Marty shrugged."MARTY!" a feminine voice howled, throwing aside either of the tent's flaps and storming inside.Marty sighed. Gaster waved."HI, SYDNA!" He greeted."Hey Gaster." She muttered back. The warrior strolled over to Marty, leaning on the desk while glowering down at the rather unimpressed male. "Marty, quick question, how's the frontlines going?""Horribly." Marty answered bluntly, moving aside to show her the charts he had made. "We're being pushed back way too far for my liking."Sydna snorted, glaring at the charts as if she could change them by glaring them down. "How long until I can go back out?"Gaster shrugged "Technically, right now."Marty shot him a glare, then addressed Sydna "It's not smart-""But I CAN go now, right?" She persisted.Marty sighed "Yes, you can, but-""I'm going, then." She said bluntly, her decision made."Great." Gaster chirped, folding his arms behind his back "Marty's been rather preoccupied with this. With you back out there, he can get to stuff we actually care about.""It's a very STUPID idea." Marty snapped "Sydna, if you DIE out there, we'll lose for sure.""We're losing right NOW!" Sydna snapped, turning on heel to tower over the man."But we still have the chance to win." Marty muttered "Sydna, you're the best fighter we've got. You're strong, and have half a brain to make some damn logical decisions." He frowned "…Think of your daughter."Sydna opened her mouth to argue, then closed it, then evaded her gaze. "….Okay. A little bit longer."Marty nodded "That'd be smart."Him and Gaster watched her leaved, her shoulders hunched and her stride losing a bit of its usual confidence. Gaster, standing straight up with his arms folded, frowned"….Marty…" Gaster said.Marty sighed "Just a little bit long, Wingdings. Then I'll stop monitoring what's going on out there and…then I guess I'll help you with your thing."Gaster put a hand on his shoulder "That's all good for then. For now, let me help you with these charts."Marty rolled his eyes "As if you have the attention span for that. Thank you, though.""Er….You're welcome.""Hello, my friend!"Sans blinked, looking up from his work to the new arrival."HOI, Tori!" The Nurse purred, hopping over to her. Toriel smiled, kneeling down to the ground to scoop up the Tem. They shared a hug before Toriel placed the Nurse back to the ground, and she strode over to Sans."Hello, Mr. Human. How are you feeling today?" She asked.Sans chuckled, shooting her a wink "Yeesh, it sounds like you're excited for me to leave."She tilted her head "Well I do hope for a speedy recovery." She pressed a hand to the side of her face "And I do so apologize I have not had the chance to come and see you. Things have been quite hectic…"Sans's grin tightened up a bit "Er, yeh, it's okoi."The Nurse jumped up, staring at the human with wide, wide, bulging out of her head, eyes. "….'okoi'?"Sans nodded "Okoi."The Nurse began to vibrate angrily "Dat MOI word!"Sans blinked, sweat beginning to slick down his face "Er….kay.""Okoi." Toriel chuckled.The Tem glared at her. Toriel chuckled, ignoring the angrily shaking Tem and addressing Sans."So, Mr. Human, Sydna tells me Marty has been giving you lessons?" she asked."Yep." Sans said with a nod "Was workin' on homework when you showed up.""I see." Toriel smiled "Might I assist you?""Er…." Sans chewed on his cheek a moment "'Assist' means 'help', right?"Toriel nodded "Right.""Left." Sans winked. Toriel giggled. The Nurse rolled her eyes and went back to…whatever she was doing. Something similar to dancing, he guessed. Sans shrugged "But yeah, I wouldn't mind a bit of help here.""Oh! Then allow me!" Toriel smiled, settling down on the bed next to him "So, what is troubling you?"Sans pointed out his questions, Toriel answered. The Nurse continued to ….rave, or something. With several bad puns and clever jokes thrown in, as well as wild laughing fits, time flew by. The day slid along, and before they knew it, dusk had arrived."Oh my!" Toriel gasped when she realized. She got to her feet, dusting off her skirts "My apologies, Mr. Human, I did not realize how long it had been. Nurse, why did you not tell me?"The Tem replied by yawning, stretching out her paws. Apparently she had fallen asleep. Toriel snorted. "Well, come along then, Nurse. You are probably missed as well.""Yaya." The Tem agreed sleepily, hopping onto the princess's shoulder. "OIN-ward!""Bu-bye." Sans waved, smiling. His chest was beginning to feel tight again. He watched them leave, locked the door, and curled underneath the blanket he was provided with.He yawned, closing his eyes with every intention to sleep. But none came to him. He'd doze off, slipping in between consciousness and slumber, but never quite settling. Whenever he'd approach sleep, he'd get jerked right back to the waking world. Panting, breathing hard.Eventually, Sans gave up all together.He kicked his blankets off and slid off the bed and onto the ground and began to read one of the books Sydna had brought him. A children's book, that much was obvious. From the brightly colored pages to the simple morals and the all-too-friendly writing choices. But it was the only thing he could read without help.Sans eyed another book Sydna had brought from her home, one that apparently her husband liked to read in his free time. 'Aero and His Space Adventures', it was called. The book was aged, but not old. And flipping through the pages one could find evidence of it being well used. There were small tears here and there from where claws would pierce the paper.Sans tossed the kid's book over his shoulder and flipped open the parchment-scented novel. Its older musty scent wafted its way to his nose, and the covers of the book fits comfortably in his hands. He settled back and began to read. Here and there, Sans would have to sound the word out to himself, and re-read the line to try and figure out what it meant. Some words he wrote down in his shaky hand on scrap paper, to ask Marty or Toriel or someone later.There were lots of parts he didn't get, but he understood the concept. A man named 'Aero' would board a spaceship, travelling through the stars to meet other people on other planets, zipping past solar systems and galaxies and fighting villains.Sans grinned as he read about Aero meeting the Princess of Stars, a kind woman who had pulled him back from the brink of death. Andit was this introduction that influenced what Sans imagined her to look like.A tall woman, with long fluffy ears and a dress made of moonlight. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- "What the hell am I looking at?" Marty muttered, standing in the doorway. Sans was sleeping on the floor, the book he was reading making a tent over his slumbering face. Several stray papers and a pencil or two littered the floor around his limp body.Marty rolled his eyes, striding forward and beginning to gather up the papers. But, as he briefly read some of the words written down so messily, he was pleasantly surprised.Words to ask about:-"Thermodynamic"-"Equilibrium."-"Odyssey"-"Diplomacy"…and several others like it. Marty couldn't keep small, bemused snort from escaping him. On his hands and knees, he circle around the human to read the title of the book he was so invested in."…'Aero and his Space Adventures." Marty mused out loud. He sat back on his tail, taking the time to scribble some of the definitions to the words the human apparently didn't know. Afterwards, he smacked his tail down on the human's face."GAH!" He woke with a start, lurching upwards and throwing the book a good distance away. Upon seeing Marty (and his rather smug smirk), he relaxed. Then yawned, rubbing at his eyes sleepily "G'mornin', Marty.""Good Morning." Marty corrected. He handed the papers back to him. Sans took them, blinking as he eyes flicked over them. Chewing the inside of his cheek, he nodded along to himself, whispering some of the definitions out loud.As he read, Marty set himself to closing the shack up, busying his hands and his mind. The concerns of Wingdings still lay heavily on his mind. The man was brilliant, although sometimes dense, so Marty found it difficult to disagree with him when he was so thoroughly convinced of something. But someone else with blue-magic….it was hard to believe.After all, the first documented use of blue magic came from the Doctor himself."Somethin' up, teach'?" The human asked him. Marty sighed, tail twitching indignantly."Nothing you need to concern yourself over." He muttered."…If ya say so." The human said after a moment."If you say so." Marty corrected. The human snorted, then bellowed out into laughter."If ya' say so, Marty!" he chuckled. Marty smacked him with his tail again."Well, now for today's lesson…." Marty muttered, dragging him back to the floor. The human sighed."I didn' even eat yet." He whined."You're lucky we feed you at all. Shut up." Marty said curtly. Sans rolled his eyes and sat with his ankles crossed next to Marty on the floor. As the lizard man began to lecture, the human's eyes began to slowly shut. Once or twice he'd shake himself awake, but that never last long before he dipped once again into an uneasy doze.In his dream, the hands were back. Reaching for him, fingers outstretched and holed palms apparent. He tried to run, tried to move, but he couldn't. He was frozen stiff, helpless as those hands crept closer and closer. One finger reached out, stroking down the bridge of his nose and sending a shiver down his spine. Then came the voice."There you are!" it chirped happily.Sans flinched away from the voice, straining against invisible restraints. He twisted his next, trying to pull his head away from the speaker. When suddenly, sharp thorns hit him on either side of his face. His yowled out, and-"WAKE UP YOU ASSHOLE!" Marty snapped, eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring.Sans blinked the sleep from his eyes, then granted the lizard man an uneasy chuckle "Er….Good morning?"Marty sighed, rolling his eyes "I take it you didn't sleep well?""Well, no." Sans muttered, crossing his arms over his chest "You just woke me up.""I meant last night!" Marty snapped at him, tail twitching."Oh. No." Sans said with a shake of his head.Marty rolled his eyes again "Great, so getting you to pay attention today is going to be a hassle-"Knock knock!Marty eyed the door, motioning to Sans to be quiet. Unlike most requests of his, Sans obliged. The lizard man slowly got to his feet and tip-toed over to the door. Holding his breathe, he slowly peered through the keyhole.Then he snorted, going back flat-foot and opened the door with a jerk."Oh- Hello, Marty." Toriel said. She slipped into the shack, gingerly shutting the door behind her. "Were you in the middle of a lesson?""I was in the middle of waking up your human from a nap." Marty snorted. Toriel giggled a moment, then cleared her throat. She turned her attention to Sans."…Did you sleep well?" She inquired "Or doze this shack make it difficult to?"Sans choked on his laughter, slapping his hands over his mouth and giggling profusely. The Princess joined in, laughing so her shoulders and her long ears bounced along with her giggles. Marty snorted, glaring at both of them in turn."WELL" he interrupted "If you would be so kind, your majesty, I was in the middle of attempting to teach him.""Yeah, Princess" Sans winked "And I was in the middle of takin' a doze.""Oh my…." Toriel laughed gently, covering her mouth with one paw "I could certainly use a….doze-en of those right now."Luckily, the word 'dozen' was one that Sans DID know. He laughed at the joke, wiping at the tears that sprang from one eye. He grinned up at her."Wow, Princess, your jokes are making great SLEEPs and bounds." He retaliated. The to-be queen chortled, trying to hide underneath her ears."Might I say-" She started."No you may not." Marty interrupted with a snort. The two pun enthusiasts shared a sigh of defeat as the lizard man crossed his arms, tapping one foot impatiently. "Your Majesty" he continued "what the hell are you doing here?""Eloquent, Marty." Toriel muttered, disdain dripping from her voice like tar on a stick. She cleared her throat, lifting her voice a tad "I came along to check on the Human." She tilted her head and looked down on the much smaller monster "I will be honest, I expected the Nurse to be here…"Marty sighed "No, she was needed at the infirmary today.""Goodness!" Toriel gasped "Who was harmed-""No one new." Marty said "And no one from the actual fight. Sydna was just giving the nurses trouble again.""Was she?" Toriel sighed, pressing a paw to the side of her face "I must speak with her about her manners….""Yes, and while I have you-"The two began to ramble off with their War-Talk. Sans, now freed from the cruel prison of Marty's lecture, clambered on top of the bed and dropped into it. He closed his eyes, letting the white noise of their voices wash over him.He didn't care about the War.He didn't even want to be in the War."Don't you want to do something important, Sans?" the memory of that young voice asked."Not really, no." he had replied then.A sigh "Well….Okay, Sans. I'll let you stay where you are. I'M going to go FIGHT.""W-woah, Phyllis, Pal, y'sure? Wars ain't no cake walk…..""How would you know!?" he had snapped, glowering down on him. It was then that Sans had truly realized how much bigger the fair-haired boy was. "You don't do ANYTHING!""P-phyllis, pal, I-""I'm GOING, Sans!"And he went.Sans grimaced, trying to push the memory out of his head. He curled on his side, trying to lose himself in the sounds of the monsters' voices. But that encounter with Phyllis rung like a gong inside his head, vibrating and going through each crook and cranny of his brain like a river.The paycheck was only an excuse to follow."Mr. Human?" Asked Toriel, leaning over him. Sans jumped a tad bit, looking up at her over his shoulder. A quick sniff and his eager nose picked up the scent of bread and cinnamon. He lurched upwards, trying not to drool and failing miserably. Toriel chuckled, offering him a generous bun drenched in cinnamon and frosting. "I take it you are hungry?" She asked, smiling as she watched the white-haired man shovel the food down his gullet as if he were a starved wolf. He grinned at her, mouth full and bits of the bread shoving through his teeth."A widdle bit, yeh." He said as he chewed. Marty scrunched up his snout. Sans quickly swallowed, fearing another lecture. The lizard man rolled his eyes."Well, I'm leaving." He muttered "Wingdings is probably wondering where I am anyway.""Farewell." Toriel said, waving one paw. Marty acknowledged the motion with a snort and left, closing the door with a soft click.Sans felt himself relax immediately. Apparently, the Princess caught this, as she giggled again."Does Marty get on your nerves?" she asked with a slight tilt of her head."Yeah!" Sans said with a grin "I take it he gets on yours too?"Toriel nodded slightly, not keeping the small smile off her face "He's quite….infuriating, at times-""Y'mean always." Sans corrected her. He shrugged "Though I 'preciate the lessons and such.""You do?" Toriel said. She muttered to herself a moment, covering her mouth with one paw as her eyes travelled about the room. Sans trained his focus on the cinnamon bread in front of him, enjoying the strange sensation that was monster food.Vaguely, he registered the princess was strolling about the room. She knelt down and picked something off the floor, and there was a small squeak of excitement. Sans, now finished with the delicious bun, watched her with much confusion. She smiled at him, turning about and holding the book he had been reading in between her paws."Have you been reading this?" She asked, shoulder risen and voice high in pitch. Sans, confused, simply gave a curt nod of his head. The Princess's smile grew, spreading across her snout. She dropped herself down next to Sans on the bed, staring him down "How far are you in it?""Er….Chapter five." Sans said, a bit abashed. Toriel frowned a moment, then opened the book up in her lap."Perhaps I can read it with you? Then you can get further faster." She suggested. Sans rose an eyebrow at her, not helping his wide, teeth-baring grin."Y'sound eager to have me read this, Princess." He said."Oh hush." Toriel rolled her eyes, pushing one of her ears out of her face. She smiled down at the book fondly "I quite enjoyed this book when I was younger. I would not mind re-reading it."Sans shrugged "Yeah, okay. I wouldn't mind reading it." He laughed at his own joke, though a blush quickly crept across his cheeks. He cleared his throat "Though yer gonna have to tell me what some of these words mean.""Can do." Toriel hummed with a small nod of her head. "Chapter five, correct? Let us get started…." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Sans propped his head up on his hands, listening intently to the Princess of Monsters as she read from the book. Her voice was a song, rising and falling and lilting and lifting. She read each character different, she read dialogue different from narration. She read of stars and adventures and space. Of beautiful swirling galaxies and the Milky Way.A beautiful voice interrupted only by his own. He hated it, how much he didn't know. So many of the words went right over his head, so he had to stop her and ask what they meant. No matter how many times he interrupted her, she remained calm and patient as she explained with a smile. After it was confirmed Sans now knew the meaning of the word, she'd go back to reading just to be interrupted again not too long after. There was certain harmony to it he found he couldn't ignore. How easily she'd explain, how she'd read, how even, eventually, his questions found a spot in the music.Sans stole glances. He stole quick looks of her eyes, of her shoulders, her claws. And he found her claws dissolved into paws that curled into the cover of the book as if they were cupping water. That her gaze was soft yet bright, gleaming when action picked up but still sparkling as it died down. Her shoulders were down, lax, and she was completely at ease.He could've killed her right then, he found; she was so invested in her own world. His stomach sunk at the thought, and the thoughts that followed. Her words began to fade away from his focus as his mind wandered.His wounds would be healed soon enough. And then that happens, what would happen next? He'd just go back to dusting monsters left and right? What if he had another run in with Sydna? With the Nurse? With Marty? With her? His throat went dry as his chest tightened.He wouldn't be able to kill any of them. Not even Marty. What would he do?"Excuse me, Mr. Human?" Toriel's voice shook him from his thoughts "Are you feeling all right? You look awfully pale…"Sans shrugged, shooting her a wink "Yeh, dontcha worry 'bout me."She smiled with a tilt of her head "Very well, if that is what you insist."Sans nodded, shuffling to reposition himself "I kinda zoned out there though. Mind re-readin' the last two pages?"Toriel rolled her eyes, flipping back to designated number. She cleared her throat, beginning to read again when the door was all but kicked down."Toriel!" Sydna howled, sprinting to her side. Disregarding the book in the claws of the Princess, she grabbed her arms and yanked her to her feet."Sydna? What is it?" Toriel sputtered as she stumbled to gain her balance."A group of humans!" Sydna reported quickly "Maybe twenty of 'em. Heading right to camp!""…I see," She said. She smoothed down her skirts, flexing her paws to summon spheres of flame. Snorting, she trotted away "Did you tell Asgore?""Yes Ma'am," Sydna said, following her stride for stride. There was no trace of the friendship Sans had gotten used to seeing between them. In its place was a disturbing distance, no longer two monsters, but a Queen and her Soldier."Mr. Human," Toriel addressed him. Her eyes were still bright, but no long a soft glow. Rather more like the glint of a knife."Yeah?" Sans said."I am going to ask you to be on your own for a short while," She said curtly. On Sans's nod, she turned and left, Sydna following along.And the music came to an abrupt halt.Sans swallowed, sweat running down the sides of his face. His heart marched in his chest. Heat came to his face in waves. Would he have to choose so soon? He shook his head and picked up the book Toriel had discarded. A few of the pages had become crumpled when she dropped it so he did his best to smooth it back out.Staring blankly at the pages, his heart sunk lower. Again he shook his head. Closing the book and tossing it to the floor, the human dropped to his side, curling up as much as he was able. His eyes squeezed shut. And eventually, he drifted off to sleep. To a memory."Sans! Sans!" cried a shrill voice. Sans woke with a start, all but falling off of the tree limb he had been snoozing on. A quick search and he found the speaker. A quick flick of the wrist and his knife was in his hand, and he was on the ground in front of the fair-haired child."What is it!?" Sans snapped, blue eyes blaring bright."W-wow!" Squeaked the boy. "S-sorry, Sans! I didn't mean to scare you! I just wanted to show you this!" Sans sighed, letting his body go lax before he turned to look down at his companion. A fair-haired boy with bright blue eyes, a splotch of freckles across his round face. He grinned up at him, presenting what appeared to be a rather lopsided pinecone. Sans grinned and ruffled his hair. "Well, you lose points for show, but it's a nice 'cone there, Phyllis." He said. Phyllis stuck his bottom lip out in a pout."Well if you didn't sleep in trees all the time, I wouldn't have had to yell." He pointed out with a shrug."Point taken." Sans said with a bit of a chuckle. He shoved his hand in his pockets, smiling fondly at the boy as he broke into a grin."Sans!" The voice broke the dream. "Toriel!?" Sans exclaimed, turning on heel to stare into the darkness. He stumbled back, bursting through Phyllis like he were made of fog. The grassy, sunny mid-day suddenly went black. Sans shook his head, clutching at his scalp. "No, that can't be Toriel, she doesn't know my name..." Blood splattered the ground in front of him. Sans jumped, his foot slipping and sending him plummeting into the ground. He scrambled, frantically trying to get back to his feet. But cold, clammy fingers interlocked his own, latching them to the ground. "Gah-!" Sans yelped, throwing his body back. But his hands stayed where they were, and when he jerked his fingers let out a sickening craaacck! Sans bit down on his lip to avoid screaming. Wincing, he looked through one eye. Beneath him was a smiling face. "There you are~!" It cooed. It's smile slipped down into a frown "Now if only I can find you in the real world.""….Who ARE you?" Sans strayed to ask. The face smiled, the corners of that ghastly grin curving inward at the corners of its eyes."I'm-""WAKE UP, ASSHOLE!""Gah!" Sans jumped, kicking out on instinct. The monster who woke him up ducked underneath his leg, straightening the glasses that sat on his snout. Sans rubbed his eyes "Marty? Goddam, dontcha think ya can wake me up with a bit more tact?""First, good job using that word correctly." Marty said with a curt nod "But that's not why I woke you up-""Shi-shoot, am I behind on my studies or somethin'?" Sans said."No." Marty snorted "Human, listen, this is important. The Princess and Sydna went out to fight off some invaders but there's a bit of a problem… That being, they haven't reported back to camp yet."Sans frowned "Why the heck would Toriel go out? Shouldn't she be in the camp givin' orders?""That's what I told her." Marty snorted "But that's not important. Human, NEITHER of them came back yet. Which means they're either dead or they need help.""And…you want ME to help?" Sans muttered, arching an eyebrow. Marty snorted, slapping his claws onto Sans's shoulder, steering his face so they were eye-to eye."Do you want them to die?" He scowled. Sans pushed him away."Of course not! But how d'ya know they need help? It could just be a long battle.""Intuition." Marty said "And mine is never wrong."Sans snorted "Intuition ain't a hell lot to go off of. Call me when its fact-""HOOMAN!" A new voice squeaked, barreling in through the door. The Nurse stumbled to her feet, covered in scrapes and twigs. She bolted over to him, slapping her paws on either side of his face. "TORI AND SYDNA IN TWOUBLE! SURROUNDED! TOO MANY OOTHER HOOMANS! HALP!""It just became fact." Marty muttered. He reached into a bag Sans just now noticed he brought and pulled out a large, jagged knife. The blade in between his claws, he handed it to Sans.The human stared at it a moment. A grin creasing his features. He took it "Oh, good ol' Knifey. Knife to have you back-""NU TOIME FOR POONS! HELP DA TORIS AND SYDNAS!"Sans flipped the knife into his hand, hopping to his feet "On it." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Sans leapt from tree to tree, his knife in hand and at the ready. He kept all his sense open, searching for any sounds of Sydna or Toriel. Luckily, Sydna was incredibly loud so it was more or less easy to find her.   Peering through the leaves of the tree he saw the To-Be Queen and the Captain cornered. Several piles of dust scattered about, marking the fate of monsters that had come to help them. Sydna was bleeding from an open wound engraved into her side. Toriel’s white fur was painted red in several places. The tunic she wore was torn, revealing the shine of armor hidden underneath.   The two monsters were pinned against a cliff face, sweating and shaking and looking ever so desperate. The humans had them surrounded in a semi-circle, all brandishing weapons of different sizes, all of them deadly.   Sans crouched, his blue eyes blazing as he watched. When one man wielding a sword took a step forward, Sans jumped.   He landed soundly on his feet, crouching as he made contact with the ground. The next moment, he was up in the air again, knife ripping through the exposed skin on the nape of the man’s neck. The first foe was down.   At his attack, several of the humans swerved to face him. One lunged at him with a spear. Sans jumped over it, landing squarely on the shaft. Balancing on it, he darted forward and swiped with his knife at his eyes. Blood welled from the cut, staining his blade and slicking down the spearman’s face. He screamed, dropping his weapon to clutch at his eyes.   At that same moment, another swordsman charged from behind him. Sans again jumped just in time to get out of the way as the swordsman’s blade slid into the torso of his companion. His eyes wide, he withdrew the blade quickly just so his ally could collapse.   An archer aimed from the brush, sweat slicking his face as he watched the newcomer take down a third man. Arrow tip steadily aimed at Sans’s head, he took a breath and shot-   A blue spear struck the arrow down. And in the next moment, the spear also took down its shooter. Sydna scowled, whirring around on one heel to throw her spear at another human, lodging it into his arm.   Toriel ducked underneath the head of an axe, avoiding it with just a sliver of fur cut. Growling, she summoned flames to her claws and swiped upward, cutting through metal and flesh alike. Her target let out an agonized scream as the fire ran deep in his flesh.   Sans jumped back into the trees, watching for another opening. Panting heavily, he gripped his side which throbbed angrily, bringing spots to his sight. Sweat was matting his hair to his face and he fought to breathe rhythmically. He wiped at his forehead with his sleeve, turning his attention once again to the battle bellow.   With a the opening Sans had created, Toriel and Sydna quickly gained the upper hand. Despite their wounds, they fought with all the force of a raging fire. Well, Toriel did as fire seemed to be her magic.   She avoided blades with swift movements and went right into the openings of their attack with her claws ablaze. Her wounds didn’t seem to slow her down at all.   Sydna faired very much the same. Except louder. She seemed to enjoy yelling taunts and threats at her opponents. And when they began to dodge a bit too much for her liking, she turned their SOUL green. And at that moment of confusion would drive a spear right in their heart.   It wasn’t long until the humans had either fled or died, and the two monsters stood victorious. Toriel struggled with her torn tunic a moment, pulling it up over her head. Carefully, she tore a strip of it off and began tying it around her wounds. Sydna flexed her claws out, placing them lightly on her side as a green glow began to ease into her injury.   Sans jumped down from his tree just to get a spear pointed at his throat. He held his hands up, quirking an eyebrow at Sydna. Upon recognition, she dismissed the spear and it disappeared into a shower of sparks.   “Hello, Mr. Human.” Toriel greeted, her voice strained “It was quite nice of you to join us.”   Sans laughed, then grimaced, clutching onto his side. Toriel’s eyes widened and she let out a slight gasp. “Are you all right-?”   “I’m fine.” Sans cut her off. He gave her one of his big grins “I think I just pushed myself a bit there. Don’t worry ‘bout it. How are the two of ya?”   “I’ll live.” Sydna reported, her eyes darting over to Toriel “Tori-”   “I’ll be fine.” The Princess said calmly. Her red gaze was soft as it fell back onto Sans “I apologize to be so direct, but you must go back as soon as possible.”   Sydna nodded “Yeah, we’re probably going to have reinforcement coming here pretty soon. So….Shoo.”   Sans snorted “Whatev’s, cap’n.” He gave a slight wave, and with that jumped back into the trees. It took a little while for him to get his bearings, and the pain in his stomach certainly didn’t help, but he found his way back to the shack without incident. He found no one was there at the moment and sighed. He closed the door behind him and locked it before going over to the table. There, several medical supplies were laid out. Sans selected a nice roll of bandages before setting himself down on his bed.   Grunting, he managed to get his cloak and his shirt off. Biting down on his lip, he resisted the urge to hiss out in pain as he ripped off the bandages. Red stained the white. Sans swore to himself. His wound must’ve reopened sometime during the fight.   He sighed again and began to redress the wound. Afterwards, he laid on his back and stared at the ceiling of the shack.   Killing people wasn’t new to him. He’s done it a lot. Well….not quite a lot, but he’s killed more people than he cared to count. So….anywhere past ten. Including that fight he just had. His heart sunk.   “No way I can go back to them now…” He hummed to the empty room. The humans that fled would surely tell them what had happened. And someone would probably put together who the white-haired man was. With that, there’d be no way he could return to the humans and there’d be no way he’d get the rest of his paycheck.   Sans sighed again. He didn’t care. He just wanted to sleep.   So he did.     “OW THAT HURT!” Sydna roared, pulling away from the small yellow lizard. Marty straightened his glasses, scowling.   “Well, perhaps if you hadn’t gotten yourself injured this wouldn’t have happened.” he said curtly.   “MWORPHINE!” NurseTem howled, holding a syringe of the stuff over her head. Sydna back-pedaled away.   “No! I hate that stuff! It dulls your mind and-” she was cut off by the Nurse jabbing the needle into the crook of her arm. Sydna swayed, scowling a little “That stuff acts way too fast…”   “Moi special recipe.” The Nurse chirped happily, tail a-waggin’.   Toriel sighed, leaning back in her chair and rubbing at the fresh bandages that coated her arm. Her eyes did a quick scan of the tent. Only them four were there, so she strayed a question.   “Do you think the human is okay?” “Which one?” Sydna muttered, her eyes half-closed.   “Go tu sleep, Sydnas.” NurseTem said, patting the fish lady on her arm.   “Maybe.” Marty answered Toriel’s question “He’s pretty persistent, whether he thinks he is or not. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”   “I hope so.” Toriel sighed. They all sat in silence a few minutes. Well, Marty and Toriel did. Sydna was mumbling around alligators on skateboards. The Nurse was muttering about how her special morphine may have too much of her special ingredient in it.   Then the opening of the tent was thrown aside, revealing King Asgore.   “Tori!” He howled, scooping his fiance up in a hug.   “Gorey!” Toriel chirped happily, returning the hug. Marty snorted, getting in between them.   “Your Majesty, put her down. You’re going to reopen her wounds.” he said.   “Oh. Yes, of course.” Asgore said, gently placing Toriel back on her chair. He shuffled his feet “Tori my dear, I was so worried! They told me what happened. Are you and The Captain all right?”   “‘Vrything’s fine, Gorey.” Sydna said, slurring over her words. Asgore stared.   “Oh my, she must’ve hit her head.” he murmured.   “Nu, nu, she foine.” NurseTem said, giving the king a dismissive wave. Asgore looked confused but simply nodded, trusting the Tem to her word.   “In any case” Toriel hummed “Gorey my dear, is everything all right around the camp? No humans?”   Asgore nodded “We did a thorough search around the camp. Not a trace of them aside from the ones you and Sydna fought.” He frowned “We also collected the dust of the others….”   Toriel nodded “That is good. We will throw a funeral for them at a later date. After we have all calmed down.”   “That sounds wonderful.” Asgore said with a small smile. His smile then dropped into a frown “Not the funeral thing, I mean- Well, yes we need to throw a funeral, but what I mean is what’s wonderful is-”   Toriel giggled “I understand what you mean, dear.”   Asgore’s small smile came back “Yes, of course, Tori.”   “GEEESH!” Sydna howled,throwing her arms up in the air “Why don’ y’two just KISS?”   “Defly tu much herbs…” NurseTem mused. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- NurseTem’s adventure: She landed on the ground, rolling a few times before jumping back onto her paws. She laid her ears back flat against her head and shoved her nose about 2 centimeters under the ground. Her nose wiggled a few times and she pushed her way forward through the dirt.“What are we doing, Nurse?” Toriel said, tilting her head as she and Sydna trailed after the Nurse. Considering the noticeable size difference, it was rather slow going for them. The Nurse would take several steps forward and the two larger monsters would take a single step forward.The Nurse’s nose kept to its wiggling, invested in whatever smell she smelled a moment longer. One of her pointy ears twitch back to them.“Oi’m lookin’ 4 da plot!” She said to them, snuffling around some more.“The….plot?” Toriel frowned, turning to look at Sydna (who was just as clueless as she was).“yayA!” The Nurse barked (meowed) as she trudged forward.“Uh. Okay?” Sydna said, her fin-ears twitching slightly. “What does the, uh, what does the plot look like?”“Loik character developMENTz & soofering!”  The Tem said as if it explained everything.“Uh…. Are we sure we wanna find that, then?” Sydna said.“WE GOTTAS! Itz ben 2 YRS!” The Nurse barked, jumping up and doing a one-eighty to vibrate angrily at her friends.“More like one-and-a-half years.” The white-haired human said through a yawn as he jumped down from the trees. He greeted the monsters with a ‘hey’ and they waved at him before the Nurse interjected.“STILL 2 LONG!”“I….I do not understand.” Toriel said with a bit of a sigh.“God, I wish that was me.” The human said through a chuckle.“NU THYME 4 ME-MEs, HOOMAN!” The Nurse said loudly, her vibrating becoming angrier. The human threw his hands up in the air in mock-defeat.“Sorry, sorry. I’ll stop referencing things I should have no way of knowing.” He said.“Can someone explain what the hell we’re talking about!?” Sydna scowled.“OI told U! We r lookinS for DA PLOT!”“Perhaps, should fate allow it, we shall some day re-discover it.” The human said with a smirk.“Wouldn’t it be smarter to actually write the damn story as opposed to this pointless thing saying the story should update?” Marty snorted as he pushed his way past branches, swatting at a bug or two. “Why the hell are we hanging out together right now, anyway?”“HOW MANY THYMES DO I REPEAT MOISELF!?!?!?” The Nurse howled. “WE IZ LOOKIN 4 DA-““The plot, yes, we know.” Marty said with an indignant twitch of his tail.“Maybe we’ll find it Saturday.” The human said with a shrug.“Doubtful. More likely Sunday. Across the Multiverse updates on Saturdays.” Marty said, rolling his eyes.“Ah yes, my bad. The story that re-uses OCs from this fic updates on Saturdays. So. Sundays are for this one, I guess.” The human smirked, winking.“OCs….?” Toriel blinked.“SERIOUSLY WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT!?” Sydna snapped, uprooting a nearby tree and biting it in half in her fury. So in short, Long Ago is going to continue either this Sunday or the next. (smiley face) “WHY AREN’T I IN THIS STORY!?” Papyrus said as he kicked down the (fourth) wall. Sorry Pappy. “I SUPPOSE I WILL FORGIVE YOU.” Papyrus mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest with a snort. Thank you, Papyrus. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Sans sighed, snuggling more underneath his blanket. It was cold today. Yet, for whatever reason, he couldn’t stop sweating? His body shivered at the same time his flesh burned and his eyes felt so hot and kind of stingy.He was pretty sure it’s been at least a day since he turned his back on his species. Or, at least, the ones trying to kill his friends-…Somehow, Sans found it in himself to smile. His friends. He….He decided he liked thinking of them that way.…Maybe not Marty.Sans snorted to himself then devolved into an almost hysterical giggle fit.Nah, Marty was his friend too. The guy was kind of a pain, but he goes out of his way to try and teach his dumb ass something.Sans snorted again, his laugh catching in his throat. That laugh choked him up and his body resisted it, coughing up spit and….blood, maybe. He couldn’t really tell but it was still just so funny to him he couldn’t stop giggling even after his lungs and his instincts began screaming at him to shut the hell up.That’s how you get killed! Stupid stupid stupid….Someone said something to him. Sans couldn’t make out what it was or who said it. His face felt kind of wet and slimy. It was so gross! And that was just so funny! How could he not laugh more?Somehow he had sat up. There was a hand on his shoulder. It was blue. So…. Sydna, most likely. She was blue. Heh heh. Maybe she could use some cheering up? Because she was blue?He’d have to remember to tell Toriel that one! She’d love it!There was a bunch of blurs moving around the shack. Sydna, he was pretty sure, still had her arm around his shoulders. A big white blur was standing next to a little white blur and a yellow one. The yellow blur came over to Sans and reached out, touching his forehead. It backed off quickly and said something- short, curt, kind of pissed off-“MARTY!” Sans grinned as he cried out like a child, flinging himself at the lizard monster and wrapping him up in a hug.Marty said something along the lines of ‘what the hell’ just as something sharp was stabbed into the human’s upper arm. Sans yelped and stumbled back. Was someone attacking him? What someone else here?Sans whipped his head back and forth, gritting his teeth. He tried forcing his eyes to focus.Someone was here. Someone with something sharp! They might hurt them-!“Shh, shh.” Someone hushed at him. Something warm and fluffy surrounded him. A blanket? Wait, who was picking him up-!?“It’s okay, no one is in danger.” The voice said calmly. Soothingly. Musically? Oh. It was Toriel! Well, if she said it was okay then it had to be, right? Toriel wouldn’t lie to him and she was smart. So if she said it was safe, he’d trust her.So Sans pressed himself against her chest, snuggling against her and let his eyes shut. She smelled like smoke. In a good way. Warm and toasty and comfortable. Like a campfire.She was comfortable.They were comfortable.They were safe. The human had fallen asleep in her arms.“Shit, he really is delirious!” Sydna sighed, grinding her teeth.“It’s not really a surprise.” Marty said as he cast a glance at the side table. “It looks like he tried to re-bandage himself.”The Nurse’s ears twitched as she dropped the syringe into a trash bin. She quickly sprung back over, clambering up Toriel to perch on her arm. The tem gave the human a hesitant sniff then recoiled, scrunching up her face.“Oh goodness….Nurse?” Toriel frowned, subconsciously tightening her grip on the human.The Nurse snorted out, whipping her head about. She made another grossed-out looking face. “Infected. Bad. Smellz bad.” She said between snorts.Toriel bit her lip, looking down at him. “Oh stars.” Her eyes teared up a bit “I should have come to check on him sooner….”Sydna frowned, gently prying the human away from Toriel. The future queen hesitated before withdrawing her paws and went to wipe at her eyes.“NU!” The Nurse snapped, swatting Toriel’s paw away from her face. The tem quickly conjured up a handkerchief and dabbed away the tears from her fur. “Nu tooch ur face right now. Germs.”“Ah. Yes, my a-apologies.” Toriel said, wincing at how her voice cracked. She watched on as Sydna held the human in one arm as she pulled off the sweat-and-blood covered sheets. Then the fish monster carefully lowered the man onto the bed.He was grinning. It was a delirious thing. She couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her friend’s- the human’s, mind right now.Marty gave the matriarch-to-be a flat look. The tip of his tail twitched and he sighed, making his way to the human’s bedside.“Nurse, I might need your help here.” He said curtly, eyeing the human’s blood-soaked side. The wound that incapacitated him to begin with had reopened. Not good. The tem made a small squeak of acknowledgement, giving Toriel a quick nuzzle before hopping on over to the human’s bed.Sydna pulled Toriel into an awkward half-hug, patting her arm as she offered some reassurance.The Nurse was blinking away tears as she examined the wound.Marty silently gritted his teeth. He narrowed his focus on what he knew of humans. Their anatomy, their SOULs, how to treat a wound. Wingdings told him a few times how they worked. Blood and bones and muscles and all the physical properties monsters just didn’t have.He supposed now was as good a time as ever to see how much he remembered. This….was beginning to get on his nerves. Quite a monumental task, considering he didn’t have those.Gaster stared at the wall of the tent, his eye lights glowing dim in the night. It was quiet, silent except for the chirps of crickets and the scratch scratch of pen on paper. Marty was still hunched over a map, his claws curling lightly into the top of his head as if his goal was to make his thoughts bleed out. He worked by the light of a lantern, intentionally kept on low for the sake of his partner’s sleep.Gaster was kind of annoyed. The lizard man had all but hounded him into sleeping, after coming back long after it had gotten dark, didn’t offer any explanation and decided just to be a hypocrite and stay up himself.Gaster craned his neck to look at Marty. It seemed he wasn’t paying much attention right now. His eyes were locked on the map and papers he scribbled and scribbled on, then scratched and scratched out just to scribble and scribble some more. The tip of his tail twitched a bit, how it would do usually when he was in such deep thought.He was working on the war. Doing what he can.Gaster…..didn’t really understand. He turned his attention back to the tent wall.It was true that their research wouldn’t see much use if they all died. But who cares if it was used? He just wanted to research! To do science! It was selfish and he knew that. He’s always been selfish. It was the only way he knew to survive.  Mostly. Considering his lack of flesh, he supposed it didn’t always work.Monsters were still strange to him, even after all the time he’s been one of them. So…. compassionate.Gaster found his eyes were back on Marty.He was beginning to worry about the lizard monster. Even the usual trick of slipping on a banana peel didn’t get the typical snort of amusement out of him. Marty had just grunted a bit in acknowledgement and went back to work.This war was taking its toll on him, no doubt. Marty had been so tired lately, so on edge, so unhappy, so…. Desperate? He didn’t often express his emotions so openly, but that was the only word Wingdings could think to describe those eyes. Those distant, almost scared, eyes.Gaster….Gaster didn’t like it.His eye sockets sparked purple.Maybe it was about time he showed the world what exactly he was capable of. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The human seemed a bit better. … Marty tried not to be too relieved. The man was scarfing down the stew Sydna had brought for him, paying no mind to the peeved look of his mentor. Marty rolled his eyes and decided to allow him to finish his meal without ridicule. The lizard man crossed his arms, looking about the shack. It was just him and the human at the moment, and said human was paying him absolutely no mind. In fact… he seemed relaxed. Marty had most definitely noticed that. Perhaps it was the influence of whatever remained of the man’s fever. Marty hmm’d to himself. He supposed he will soon, it was going to be inevitable anyway. … But there was something else picking at his thoughts. Wingdings….has been acting odd. And that was saying quite a bit. He hasn’t been as…goofy, as he usually is. He certainly tried to be, but lying was never his strong suit. The doctor would be strolling around the Camp, his arms folded behind his back with an eerily pleasant and calm smile on his pale face. He’d speak too quietly- meaning a reasonable volume- not at all his usual boisterous self. Everyone had noticed. Though not everyone knew that something was terribly wrong. Most monsters had rolled their eyes, exasperated. ‘Finally he’s taking something seriously’ or ‘He must be sick of Marty by now’, ‘Oh wow maybe he found his sanity’. All of those were wrong. … At least two of those were wrong. There was no coincidence that Wingdings had adopted this behavior the same time the number of human raids decreased drastically… and the number of human corpses found have gone up proportionately. That should be impossible, though, right? Wingdings Gaster was a monster, there was no way he could single-handedly kill that many humans, right? But Marty knew. And Marty knew full well why Wingdings hadn’t taken a single one of those SOULs. Because he can’t. Humans just…don’t know how. “Everythin’ a’right, Marty?” Said the human, snapping Marty out of his musings. Marty took off his glasses, massaging the spot between his eyes. “It is ‘everything’ and ‘all right’.” The human stared at him a moment. An odd, shaky smile crept up to his lips “Ya sure? I mean….Er, y’seem… upset.” Marty straightened his spectacles back onto his snout and gave the human a pointed glare. “Do I?” “…Yes?” Said the human. “That’s kind of why I asked, y’know?” “And you care?” Marty asked, cocking his head slightly to one side. The question made the human flinch. He took a sudden interest in the hem of his shirt, fiddling with the edge of it. Blue eyes stared into something only their owner can see. Then, a strange and timid smile stretched across his face. It widened into a grin and the human swung his gaze to lock onto Marty’s own. “Yeah. I do.” The tip of Marty’s tail twitched. “You’re a moron.” He continued on, but there was no venom in his voice “You shouldn’t care for monsters, just as you told us to not care for you. This is a war. You shouldn’t get attached.” The human just shrugged “Too late.” He shot the lizard monster a wink “Already stabbed a human or two for the enemy, y’know?” Marty snorted and shoved a thermometer into the human’s mouth. “Shut the hell up, I’m taking your temperature.” “Coolph.” Said the human through the utensil in his teeth “Whenf can I haf it bacf?” “Shame.” Marty deadpanned, giving the readings a look “You seem to be recovering.” The human laughed. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The human was recovering - which was great! She was glad! It was good he was getting better- it was good that he’d…leave. Soon. Ish. The Nurse snipped the bandage free from its roll and finished off the wrap. She gave a little sniff to the wound, just in case. Smelled…like blood, but not like infection anymore. Which was great! “Thanks, Nurse.” The human said with a grin. Always with the grin. NurseTem wasn’t the most well-educated on human anatomy, but isn’t grinning all the time painful? She thought this, but she just said: “Nu probLeM!” As was standard. She trotted back over to her bag, shuffling about and discarding things as necessary, cleaning, putting away tools. The usual. “Hey, Nurse?” Said the human to her back. One of her pointed ears twitched, twisting to point in his direction. “YaYA?” “Are you…. er, are you okay?” She stopped. Flat out froze. No. She wasn’t okay. There were very few people who took her seriously in any regard. Toriel, Sydna…. And this human. That was about it. The Nurse understood, she really did, why others would instantly disregard her. She wasn’t always the most formal, and she was….well, a tem. Most of her sub-species were all over the place. Mentally (and physically, in the case that a tem would randomly explode). But it still hurt, y’know? She had gone to Medical School for years just dealing with the constant ‘ha ha lolz’ of her peers. The only ones who had some serious belief in her had known her since childhood, and she would always be grateful for that. Sydna and Toriel were her best friends and she doubted they would ever not be. This human was different, at least to her. He…just got it. Of course, at first, he doubted her. Everyone would and does. This person, this human, didn’t take too long to start thinking ‘ey, she’s probably capable’. She was so, so very grateful for that. And it hurt her SOUL to think of him leaving. A reality that was approaching far too quickly. He was healing, and once he was better he would go, and once he goes, she couldn’t heal him anymore, couldn’t be there, couldn’t help. The Nurse didn’t want to lose him, lose this human- this - this - this friend- She got plucked off of the ground and squeaked in surprise, but her squeak was cut off by a high-pitched hic! The human turned her around, holding her to his chest and gently smoothing back her ears. The Nurse opened her mouth to say something, but nothing but a wail came out as tears just started pouring from her eyes. ….Whatever. She squished her face in between the human’s neck and shoulder, unsheathing her tiny little claws in an attempt to get a grip, to just… to just keep him with them all a little bit longer…. “It’s all right, pal. Shhh shhh,” the human said, sounding oh-so very unsure of himself. But stars, he was certainly trying. “Oi- Oi- I- EyE- hic! -I don’t- I-i- Oi- Oi don’t-“ she lost her sentence to her wails, and her so very persistent hiccups. The human slowly lowered himself, sitting on the ground with her while trying to sound reassuring. NurseTem laughed. “uR bad at dis.” She giggled, hiccuping and sniffling all the way. “Gee, thanks.” The human deadpanned. But he held her a bit tighter and the Nurse decided that whatever the future holds, her friend is still here. At least for today.
10214285
Take Care of Business
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Alfred Pennyworth, Lucius Fox", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by TheResurrectionist", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "2,436", "Additional Tags": "Crack, Inspired by Real Events, Batfamily, Batfamily Feels, Batdad, Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad, Damian v Tim: Dawn of beating the shit out of each other, Sibling Bonding, random buzzfeed reporters", "Relationship": "Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "Emmikus best finds on ao3, Justice League Suggested Fics, Emmas_Recs, Personal Batfam Collection, Ashes' Library, Best Fics From Across The Multiverse, Best of Fanfiction, Avidreaders Batman completed faves, Just.... So cute..., Done Reading(the Good Stuff), Social Media Fics, Hiraeth and Nostalgia, My Must Reads!!, super_fics, Stories to Read Again and Again, Shady Misc Fandom Faves, one shots wonder, Social Media AU, Why must you torture me with these good fics?, to escape the infernal perdition that is life, Lady Owl's Extras Library, Fics that I treasure cherish value and appreciate - absolute masterpieces, FTTN's Favorites, DC and stuff, Leymonaide fic recs, Mix of favourite fics, S.T.I.L.L., Fics_to_make_me_smile, Bee's Favourite Fics, forgiveness ( can you imagine? ), The favored oneshots, Favorite Fics That I Hoard, Fanfiction 𝑰 Deem Worthy Of The Name, Ripon’s Fanfic Recs, MyGayAss' Dcu Fics, Free Serotonin ✨️🧠✨️, an older sister's fav sibling fics, Works So Good Id Physically Buy the Hard Cover Version in Stores, the reason i'm an insomniac, WOO Insomnia Time, food for my soul, Magnolia's Favourite Fics, Damn Fine Romps and Shenanigans, Crack favourites, Why does Johnny have so many soaps?, Scrumptious Fics For When Hungry, Batfam Fics for the Soul, konokure's all time best, Purrsonal Picks, bitesize fics, *in the lego batman voice* batman im batman, They are vengeance. They are the night. They are the BAT CLAN, Psychologeek top picks, short fics i love, fics that made me cackle out loud, Gray_Choices, Batman/Superman; Bruce Wayne/Clark Kent, Amazing fics :D, ʚ dc ɞ, DC Fic Favs but prob mostly Batfam, Third time's the charm, the avengers///Justice League, fics that keep me up at 3am on a school night", "Fandoms": "Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types", "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 }
"I think if you look at the derivatives, that answer is very clear," Bruce said, tapping his pen against the legal pad. He looked up at the webcam, making sure his disagreement was clear. "We've seen a fifteen percent increase in that sector in the past year. Respectfully, Chairman, I don't see another option."The fifty-inch plasma displayed a high-resolution feed of the Wayne Enterprises conference room in New York. Two dozen international board members were nodding along with his statement, save for one. Bruce narrowed his eyes at the balding man, waiting for a response."Mr. Wayne," Hodges said, pursing a particularly wrinkled set of lips at him. "I don't mean to insult your data, by any means. But how can you suggest funding a section of the company that is hemorrhaging money annually? It just doesn't add up. In fact, the very suggestion that we should continue with this-"Bruce resisted the urge to look around the room in exasperation, far too used to volatile board members to bother interrupting. His office was purposefully devoid of any throwable items for just this reason. A mahogany desk, dark cabinets and shelves, and the requisite wet bar spanned the wall behind him.The Armani he'd thrown on a few minutes ago was spotless; his hair was slicked back, a Rolex glinting at his wrist. As much as he liked playing the part, today was an exception. It was 11 AM, and he was running on four hours of sleep. An annual committee meeting was the last thing he needed."Chairman Hodges," he said with a false smile when the man finished, leaning towards the camera. "With all due respect, I think the information bears review. If you re-examine the data in chart twenty-six on page fifty-""Father!"The sound of his office door opening cut him off. A quick patter of feet and Damian was suddenly by his side, a furious expression on his face."Tell Drake to stop taking my cellular device!" his youngest demanded, stamping his foot. He seemed oblivious to the camera or the boardroom, pointing a finger at the doorway. "I wish to use it, and lo and behold, it has disappeared. I know he is the one doing it, Father!""For the last time, Damian-" As if on cue, Tim poked his head in the office, then his entire body. He, too, ignored the webcam. "I didn't take your phone! Maybe you lost it like literally every other human being!"The boardroom was silent, staring past Bruce as Damian and Tim squared up on his Oriental carpeting. Hodges had a smarmy grin on his face, like this turn of events only confirmed his earlier point."Out," Bruce growled, low enough that the microphone wouldn't pick it up. "Now."Damian ignored the warning, narrowing his eyes at Tim. He clenched his hands into fists."I am nothing like you normal human beings.""Yeah, you got that right!" Tim said, pushing Damian back as he leaned too close. "Get away from me.""Give me my phone back!""I don't have your phone!"Bruce weighed his options as Damian shoved Tim back. Intervention? Throw them both out? Cut the feed and deal with it privately?Push came to sparring fairly quickly. The two boys began trading hits, yelling at the top of their lungs. Bruce turned back to the webcam just as Damian leapt on top of Tim's back, a high-pitched battle cry torn from his lips."Mr. Hodges," he said cheerfully, unflinching as Tim threw Damian into the wet bar sink. The fight was completely visible on the webcam, which meant he could see the entire thing unfold in the bottom right corner of his screen. "Have you had a chance to examine the chart I pointed out?"The other board members gaped at him in shock. A few were openly horrified, wincing as Damian shoved Tim into the bookshelves hard enough to send books flying. Hodges merely raised an eyebrow."Perhaps we should adjourn, Mr. Wayne, and reconsider this...later.""No," Bruce said immediately, irritated. "I don't think we should. I want to resolve this immediately. Do you have a problem with that?"Another crash sounded as Tim grabbed Damian around the waist, sending them both toppling to the floor. There was a sudden influx of grunting and groaning as both boys disappeared from the screen."The project proposals are due tomorrow afternoon, as are the required forms," Hodges said, the smirk from earlier returning. "Perhaps this can wait-""Project proposals are due tonight at midnight, CST," Bruce corrected. He folded his hands, watching out of the corner of his eye as Damian and Tim grappled on the floor. "I see no need to delay. Unless you disagree, Chairman?"Hodges' face began to flush, the skin at his neck mottling a dark red. The other board members whispered to each other, eyes locked on the TV screen. "Mr. Wayne-""Oh, Jesus Christ-"Dick came skidding into the office, panting. He looked down at Damian and Tim on the floor and smacked himself."This is where they went? Damian-what the fu-stop biting!" the taller man jumped over a leg sweep, balancing himself on one foot so he wouldn't stumble over them. "Oh my God-"Bruce sighed, exhaling through his nose. Dick had the decency to look ashamed, waving briefly at the camera."I swear, I was watching them," the teen explained with a huff, grabbing an arm on each boy and yanking. Damian grabbed a fistful of Tim's hair in turn, causing the other boy to shout. "Damian, I swear to God, I don't know who took your cell phone, but if you don't stop in the next ten seconds, I'm going to hide it for the next decade-""Can you control your children, Bruce?" Hodges snapped over the feed, finally growing impatient at being relegated to the background. "I have never seen such rude, awful, poorly-behaved boys in my life-""Hey, now," Dick interrupted before Bruce could reply, pointing a finger at the webcam. "First of all, you don't get to call him Bruce, you don't even know him. And second, they're actually behaving really well this week-""Fuck you, Drake!" Damian cried, clawing at Tim from Dick's hold around his neck. "Give it back!""Language!" Dick exclaimed. "I DON'T HAVE THE DAMN CELL PHONE!" Tim yelled, trapped in Dick's other arm. "You probably just left it somewhere and now you're blaming me for it!""Are you insulting my children, Chairman?' Bruce asked quietly, getting a snort from Dick (and from Lucius Fox, in the far back).Hodges paled slightly."Or is it my parenting skills?" Bruce couldn't help the small smile. "One of those options is far more risky.""Someone insulted Father?"Damian's head swiveled towards the screen, faster than the Flash on pizza Thursdays. Green eyes locked in on Hodge's face, narrowing instantly in disdain, his current predicament forgotten."I hope you know, peasant," the eleven year-old said harshly, "My Father is one of the most powerful, feared, respected men in this entire world-"Dick reached down and clapped a hand across his mouth. A half-second later he jumped, removing it."Did you just bite me?!""Bruce could replace you in a heartbeat," Tim warned the board members, expression grave. He squared his shoulders slightly, shifting in Dick's hold. "He's super smart, okay? You don't get to just insult him like that. He doesn't have to take it. Especially from some asshole in pinstripes."Bruce gave up, pushing back from the desk. Hodges was now a bright shade of puce, which complemented his pinstripe suit well. The rest of the board was shocked into silence.He ran a hand through his hair, unbuttoning the top of his shirt."I want a summary of the briefs on automation on my desk tomorrow morning," Bruce informed the board, removing his cufflinks. Behind him, Dick was pushing Damian towards the door, tugging Tim along behind him. "Funding will be approved for the aforementioned project as soon as possible." He fixed the board with a look, impassive. "Do I have a second?""I second," Lucius Fox raised a hand, a hint of laughter to his quiet voice. "All in favor?""Aye," the board voted, a chorus of agreement, save for Hodges. Bruce nodded, halfway through rolling his sleeves up."Thank you. Mr. Fox, if there's nothing else…?"The other man stood, walking over to the webcam."Have a lovely morning, Mr. Wayne.""You as well." Bruce clicked the webcam off, spinning around in his chair.The office was completely empty. Even the books knocked to the ground had been replaced. The Manor was conspicuously silent.Bruce picked up the phone, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the inevitable headache."Alfred?""Yes sir?" the butler answered."Get me some coffee-" Bruce sighed, considering. "And feel no obligation to feed Damian or Tim for the next two hours."Alfred, the blessing that he was, didn't question this."Certainly, sir." CEO FAMILY DRAMA GOES VIRAL: WATCH AS GOTHAM'S FAVORITE PLAYBOY STRUGGLES LIKE ANY OTHER PARENT BRUCE WAYNE, DAD OF THE YEAR? BILLIONAIRE IGNORES SQUABBLE IN BOARD MEETING: WATCH BELOW Clark frowned as his phone started pinging, eyes widening as he speed-read through the headlines. Someone in the cubicle across from him started laughing. Phones began ringing."Uh oh," Lois said, peeking over the divider at him. Like usual, she had no concern for his personal space. "Is hubby in trouble? He's trending on Twitter again."Clark looked up just in time to see one of the bullpen turn the TV to CNN. Suddenly, Bruce's face filled up the screen, seated in his office."Chairman Hodges, I think if you re-examine the data in chart twenty-six on page fifty-"Clark swallowed down a chuckle as Damian burst in, watching as the smaller boy completely ignored the meeting in favor of whining to his father. He couldn't help himself when Tim's head appeared in the doorway, and lost it, laughing into his hand.His laughter only grew as Dick scrambled into the room, obviously panicked. Bruce was wearing a completely blank expression, trying in vain to continue his meeting as his children tore the office apart behind him."Oh my God," Lois breathed, staring at the screen. "He didn't just tell Alder Hodges to fuck off. He let his kids do it. That's genius."If Clark could have stopped laughing at that point, he would have agreed. Watching the small tells in Bruce's poker face-the vein throbbing at his temple, the way his knuckles were white against the desk-was the most entertaining thing he'd seen all week."Article idea," Perry White said next to Lois, pointing at the screen. "'Kids: Just as Annoying When Rich: Daily Planet confirms.""Did you just bite me?" Dick exclaimed on the screen, sending a wave of chuckles through the bullpen. Clark bit down on his tongue, struggling to regain his composure. "Damian-"He couldn't keep it together any longer, stumbling out towards one the of supply closets and slipping in. Bruce picked up his phone immediately, sounding less than pleased."No."Clark frowned."You didn't even ask what I was going to-""If Lois Lane wants a quote, she can join the thousand different new agencies calling my house phone," Clark snorted as Bruce's voice rose, filled with exasperation. "Who even has a landline anymore, Clark? Why do we have a landline?""I thought you were used to being famous," Clark replied good-naturedly, struggling to keep the laughter out of his voice. "You're trending on Twitter, by the way."Bruce hung up on him. Clark felt his mouth stretch into a smile in the darkness of the supply closet. He opened his messaging app, fingers tapping at the keyboard.  Does this mean no family dinner tonight?  he texted to Bruce. The reply came instantly:  Damian grounded until bite marks heal. Tim has a large bald spot and refuses to leave his room. Dick went to Barbara's. Clark had to bite his hand to keep from laughing, his chest heaving silently in the dark.  Oh, is that all? His phone buzzed angrily.  If another reporter knocks on my door, I'm going to hit him with a batarang. Clark chuckled, quickly tapping out a reply.  Guess I'll have to fly then :/ A pause.  That would be acceptable. ;) Alfred's making chicken. Clark felt his smile stretch even wider, if that was possible.  For the record, I thought you looked like a very serious businessman. Bruce's reply was quick.  If there wasn't a camera, I would've thrown them out the door myself. In most circles, that's called child abuse, Bruce. He could almost sense Bruce's glare.  Buzzfeed's arguing with Alfred. I have to go. Clark raised an eyebrow.  Don't hurt them. Why do you care? I like their quizzes. You know what, I changed my mind. No more dinner. I've had enough of everyone. No, you're just mad that Alder Hodges is more terrified of your eleven year-old than he is of you. Bruce's silence was telling. The reply came a minute later.  Smartass. I try. Clark chuckled to himself, shutting off his phone. He grabbed the doorknob and stepped out of the closet, still laughing to himself."Sir. Sir-"Stephanie McNeal pushed the microphone closer to the man's face, stepping into his path."Are you a resident here? Do you have any comment on Mr. Wayne's viral video?"The man shifted his helmet under his arm, frowning. He wore dark red gloves, a jacket thrown across his shoulders. His hair, close to black, had an artful white streak in the front."Who the hell are you guys?""Buzzfeed news," she smiled hesitantly at him. "Do you have any-"The man raised an eyebrow at the name, stepping around her as quickly as possible. His lips were twitching as he made his way up towards the manor, close to a full-fledged smile. "What, we're not good enough for CNN anymore?""Any comment?" She tried desperately."On Bruce?" he man snorted, still walking. "Tons."Stephanie watched as the man knocked on the door, wiping his boots on the welcome mat. A moment later, the door was flung open, allowing him in."He's here!"A shout echoed down the hallway, paired with the sound of running."Jesus," Stephanie heard the man say distantly, "Is that a bitemark on your face? Damian-"The door slammed shut, cutting off the conversation. Stephanie turned to her cameraman, dumbfounded."Who the hell was that?"The cameraman shrugged, looking just as clueless as she felt. "No clue."THE END
10240988
Kiss me to sleep
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Miyuki Kazuya, Sawamura Eijun, nameless taxi driver, train people", "Fandom": "ダイヤのA | Daiya no A | Ace of Diamond", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Kpoplover12", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "1,257", "Additional Tags": "Romance, Bored Miyuki, Happy fanfic all the way through, Not too cheesy, Just right for romance lovers, tired miyuki, Just give it a chance guys, ; ), Comedy, Hurt/Comfort", "Relationship": "Miyuki Kazuya & Sawamura Eijun", "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 was just another night like any other night but for the last few nights Miyuki had found himself completely unable to fall asleep. He kept turning around trying to find a comfortable enough position to be able to fall asleep. He even tried all the sleeping poses he could think of but none of them seemed to help him at all. He had tried to lay down on his left side , then his right side , laying down face down and face up, fatal position etc. and yet nothing helped him! It had started to get on his nerve. He felt so exhausted he just wanted to fall asleep but his mind kept wondering around. Its gears kept turning around and around nonstop and made him unable to get any rest.    Finally one day he let out an exasperated sigh and hid his face in the pillow beneath him. During the whole last week he was nothing but a mess. He hadn't been able to catch any pitches , lost how many hits and even forgot to run to base when his hits weren't caught. No one had said it back then but they were all quite clearly  annoyed by him, it was evident in the murderous glares they send his way. No one wanted to do extra laps because they lost but they were forced to do them because of their captain's bad performance.  If this problem had occurred only just once he would have been excused but this "carelessness" ,or bad luck as he like to call it, had been stuck with him for a few weeks now. It had been impossible for him to land any good hits anymore; he kept producing failure after failure. Coach Hedge was beyond mad with him. Last evening he had had enough of him , he pulled him to the side and told him that, he would give him a week off practice to resolve whatever was muddling his mind right now.  By the end of the week he would have to be able to play like before again. If not he would be off the team for good this time".  Admittedly the first few days of his weekly rest Miyuki thought it was bad thing getting kicked out of practice but now he didn't mind it. It had been pretty long since he had last taken a small vacation from this overbearing schedule of baseball practice. Plus it would give him a bit of fresh air and he could even visit the city in the afternoon. After all he did need a few new basic clothe supplies which he had run out of so this would be a great opportunity for him to get them. Although if he was to be honest he was feeling pretty bored going on his own today, but there was no one available at this hour. It was 3 o' clock in the evening and everyone was sleeping soundly from their earlier baseball practice.  He slowly made his way to the station after double checking his bag again: Wallet….check, bag…it was obviously there right in front of him (stupid Miyuki),money…check, water bottle…check, emergency pharmacy…check, band aids…check, extra underwear…check, extra raincoat …check. It never hurt to be doubly prepared ,you never knew what could happen. A car might hit him or even worse, he could get stung by and army of ruthless bees. God, how he hated those nasty insects! Always buzzing around him and threatening him with their little, pointy tail thingies. To put it as plainly as possible they looked scary as hell and there was no way Miyuki would ever go near them alive or dead… All of a sudden he  remembered  that he had forgotten the most important thing in his list, the insect pesticide spray.  Miyuki's eyes widened worryingly when he noticed what the time was. He had to really hurry up if he didn't want to lose the train. Never mind the pesticide, he would buy one as soon as he reached the city (if he managed to reach the train platform on time to even go to the city). Otherwise he would have to get a taxi, and those were so damn expensive. Thankfully he made it right on time - after a short, marathon sprint  to the train station- and made it in time to find some place to sandwich himself between all the smelly, unkempt people of Seoul. Regretfully he couldn't change his seat as the train was obviously too busy that day. It was so extremely packed that you wouldn't even notice if anyone threw a needle on the floor. He felt suffocated, the guy beside him had shoved his smelly, dirty, full of sweat armpits straight into Miyuki's face and he couldn't get any clean air. They smelled just like over worn, wet, dirty socks; one of the most common smells he had to endure from his teammate's rooms. Due to Miyuki's always truthful words ( he never lied…cough, cough) you should trust him when he said that it wasn't a pleasant smell at all.  It seemed as if he wouldn't  have to endure this smell for long though, as his stopping station  had been reached a few minutes later. He  literally sprinted to the door, pushing the guy who was searching  around for buggies and avoiding that old, perverted grandpa who had been trying to fiddle his ass all this time and run all the way out of that damn station. Who cared about how expensive the taxi fee was? He would definitely get a taxi next time, he wouldn't suffer the same humiliation ever again.  After an eventful day of constantly  trying on and buying clothes  he was ready to drop asleep any time soon. Exhaustion had seeped all the way through his bones and  his body felt completely limp and floppy. His body gave out as soon as his back touched the taxi seat , falling into a deep slumber.  He wasn't aware of what happened after that at all. All that he remembered was somebody picking him up in his arms slowly and settling him into his gentle bed sheets. Miyuki tried so hard to fight the sleep off his tired eyes but to no vain. The only thing he managed his body to do was to open his eyes for just a few mere seconds. The sight in front of him was magical though; there was Sawamura, face glistening with a sheer layer of sweat and a wide smile gracing his full lips. Staring right down at him was one of the most magical facial features he ever laid his eyes on ,his lover's beautiful eyes. His eyes where shining with gentleness as they dragged Miyuki in their endless green skies; just like magnets.  Then there was the kiss. Miyuki loved the feeling of Sawamura' s soft lips on his own. I t was something  completely different than their usual kisses. It wasn't like the hurried kisses they shared during their passionate nights and there was no lust present. It was just a plain small, chaste kiss that expressed both of their  genuine love towards each other. This was one of those nights where he just loved everything about it. They were simply there, spooning each other and muttering sweet nothings to each other ears. They were happy loving each other like this and Miyuki honestly hoped that they would both stay together forever, just loving each other for as long as possible.
10285031
every high school
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Mac (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Dennis Reynolds", "Fandom": "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by biohazard (radiodurans_archive), radiodurans_archive", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-14T00:00:00", "words": "31", "Additional Tags": "Crack, Memes", "Relationship": "Mac/Dennis Reynolds", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Crack and Nonsense", "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 }
my naem is mak and wen i meet sum weerdo kid hoo isn;t sweet i stan up tall i take the leed if we all smoek i comp the weed
10242506
Unsaid Unanswered
{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Munakata Kyousuke (Dangan Ronpa), Yukizome Chisa, Sakakura Juzo, Tengan Kazuo, Background & Cameo Characters", "Fandom": "Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by cynamonowo", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "1,885", "Additional Tags": "Canon Compliant, Pre-Canon, Fluff and Angst, 5+1 Things, Established Relationship, Canonical Character Death, Kissing, Post-Coital Cuddling, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, Angst, Humor, Blood and Injury, Heartbreaking, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Munakata Kyosuke/Yukizome Chisa, Munakata Kyosuke & Sakakura Juzo, Munakata Kyousuke & Sakakura Juzo & Yukizome Chisa, Sakakura Juzo & Yukizome Chisa", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death", "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
i. There's this girl in Kyosuke's class, this outspoken and, as Sakakura puts it irritably, aggressively optimistic redheaded girl with a smile brighter than Shinjuku neon lights. This girl whom everyone immediately likes, this selfless girl, this hot headed girl, this girl whose joy shines more than the sun.This girl, who's now standing before Kyosuke's desk, her delicate hand with manicured fingernails outstretched towards him and a welcoming grin on her sweet face."Hi," she says cheerfully. "I'm Chisa Yukizome, but you can call me Chisa." Before he can reply, she proclaims, "And you must be our newest student council president, right?""Ah, yes," Kyosuke says belatedly, shaking her hand with a polite and slightly unsure smile. Yukizome's grip is firm but her palm is soft. "My name is Kyosuke Munakata. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Yukizome.""I told you, call me Chisa, like... Okay, not everyone does that yet, but they'll change their minds in no time!" She puffs out her cheeks, saying, "No, seriously, Chisa's fine.""Maybe when we get to know each other better," Kyosuke says with a small smirk and a nod. Despite himself, he's already growing to appreciate her."It's a deal, then!" Yukizome beams at him. Sakakura shakes his head from the other side of the classroom in mute terror, mouthing something akin to 'dude, she’s gonna eat you alive'. Well, he does so for only about three seconds, because Yukizome notices it, frowns and strides there to give him an excellent, huge lecture, complete with yelling and pointing. Their homeroom teacher walks in, looks at that, rolls his eyes, and mutters something about not being smashed enough for this (Kyosuke raises his brows, hoping he's misheard), then promptly walks out. He seems like a person who will do that on a daily basis.Huh, Kyosuke thinks, watching Yukizome jab her finger in Sakakura's solar plexus while other students cower in fear. She shakes her head, then smiles mischievously in Kyosuke's direction.He may have found a new ally.  ii. The second Kyosuke hears screams coming from the gym, he starts to both fear and anticipate the possibilities of what he may encounter. And, sure enough, he is right about that."Fight me, Juzo!" Yukizome boasts, apparently quite comfortable with trying her best to crush Sakakura's head between her powerful thighs."Did tha'... Now, will ya— stop— choking me— woman?!" the poor fellow groans, half-heartedly punching the mat beneath them."Shall I ask what I have walked into?" Kyosuke asks with little to no inflection. Yukizome waves at him gleefully."Hi, stranger! So, yeah, the Super Level Policewoman taught me this neat new trick, and I just had to try it out on this buttface." She pats Sakakura on the cheek, to which he responds with another groan, then releases him. As she stretches out, all lean legs and shapely arms in her tank-top-and-short-shorts combination, she chirps, "And look at how wonderfully it worked!""See, no, she came at me outta nowhere, I was busy minding my own stuff when she jumped at me like a fuckin' demon or something," Sakakura says, quickly rising to his feet, his brow scrunched in clean annoyance. "Almost had a heart attack there, Jesus."Kyosuke blinks at that. Then he starts snickering. These two dorks, he realizes, are my best friends. Unbelievable."It ain't funny," Sakakura says indignantly."It kind of is." Yukizome places her fists on her hips."The Ultimate Boxer defeated by the Ultimate Housekeeper. I'm sorry, Sakakura, but I simply have to agree with Yukizome." Kyosuke somehow manages to maintain a semi-serious tone, but then he sees Chisa high-fiving herself and bursts out with laughter."Now, it's prize time," she says after they all have calmed down (and Sakakura stopped glaring). "Call me Chisa!""Not yet," Kyosuke says nonchalantly. Yukizome punches him playfully, which almost topples him down."Bummer."Sakakura has the audacity to chortle at that.  iii. After she pulls away, he can only breathe out in wonder, a ghost of her warmth still lingering on his skin.It has happened. And he initiated it, additionally."Yukizome," he says blankly. "Why— How—?""Why didn't we do it before? Mm, I wonder." She shuffles closer to him, as her eyes focus on the gray vastness of the ocean laid out before them. Kyosuke instinctively puts his arm around her waist, and she rests her head on his shoulder. "We were kids, maybe that's the reason. And we were afraid. Not ready for this. Now, that we're all adults here...""I mean..." He licks his lips, tastes Yukizome's strawberry lipstick — just another reminder of what he has done, what he doesn't regret. "Are you sure I wasn't... imposing on you?" Pressuring on you, he almost says, you give me so much, and I want — need — even more. I need you, he almost says. You are my dream. There are so many things waiting to be said that they feel heavy in his throat. But he pushes them down. Not now. Not yet."Kyosuke." Yukizome's profile is serene, her fingers strong and sure where they're twined with his own. "I believe in you. Alright," she chuckles, "maybe I don't always agree with your choices, but you, ultimately, make the right ones. And this one," she squeezes his hand a bit tighter, "was no exception. There was no pressure. Only hope. I'm very glad you chose me.""Was there ever any other option?" Kyosuke's tone is serious. "It's you. It's always been you.""What about Juzo?" Yukizome asks with a small smile, meeting his eyes."A good friend and an outstanding partner," Kyosuke says readily, carefully refraining from scoffing. "Nothing else. Besides, he's not my type," he adds with a hint of laughter in his voice."Partner... It does sound kinda ambiguous." Before he can reply, she adds, dimpling, "Well, he'll be your partner, and I'll be your... partner." Her voice takes on sultry undertones with the last word. Kyosuke sighs quietly."Yukizome," he mutters tiredly."Chisa?"He leans down and kisses her again. She giggles at that, a sound of pure happiness."Another time, for sure."  iv. He can't find her."Yukizome!" he yells, knowing he makes a scene, but he doesn't care, doesn't fucking care. "Where is she?" he asks Tengan haphazardly, his eyes flickering from one survivor to another, searching for familiar face, and, god, she was so pale the last time he saw her, pale and bloody and was she even breathing— "Munakata." Tengan puts his wrinkled hand on Kyosuke's shoulder. His voice is sure, gaze unwavering, as he says, "Calm down. She is fine. Our medics are taking care of her. I suggest you also allow them a little checkup.""I'm alright," Kyosuke says firmly, even though there's this terrible pain in his chest and his breath is coming short (a rib, probably just a rib, not a punctured lung, he's fine, he's fine), because he needs to— he has to—"Where is he?"A familiar voice. Faint and weak, coming from the other side of the room. Kyosuke shrugs off Tengan and bolts there. Yukizome. She's covered in bandages, several stitched cuts peeking out from underneath the collar of her shirt, her hair is ruffled and matted. Her eyes are red, and there are dried out tearstains underneath them."Yukizome," Kyosuke breathes out and almost collapses down there, by her bed. She takes his hand and presses a kiss to his scraped knuckles, a shadow of her usual grin curving her chapped lips."It's okay," she says weakly. "It's okay. They're going to help us, and we're going to help them, we're not going back there." There being the streets, the ruins of the once blossoming city, the despair and the odor of her blood as she fell, down, down, red staining her shirt—"We're safe, Kyosuke, we're safe."Kyosuke does collapse, then, and silently cries as she embraces him, soft words and soft body so familiar, so close and so far away from normal."Yukizome," he finally says, each syllable threatening to fall apart, and feels her chest shake with quiet laughter."Even now?""Always," he says.  v. It's hot. The snow is falling, hundreds and thousands of grayish flakes covering every flat surface, wind whistling through cracks in the window frames, but here, there, underneath the covers, it's burning.Yukizome hums a senseless tune, tracing invisible patterns on Kyosuke's collarbone with her finger. He watches her through half-lidded eyes, then lazily reaches out to bring her closer for another kiss. She lets out a sound full of pleasure as he moves from her lips to her cheek, neck, shoulder. Her fingertips brush his bare chest."You look so cute like that," she whispers. "So adorable.""I fight despair every single day," he whispers back. "Not cute at all.""Mm," she agrees distantly, using her free hand to muss his already unkempt hair. "Not at all."He kisses her again. Intently. Hotly. With so much passion."Such a dork," she says, out of breath, after Kyosuke has moved away. "Cute dork. My cute, dangerous dork.""Whatever you say," he replies, sliding his hand to her hip, and frowns as he feels the faint outline of a month-old scar."Don't think about it," Yukizome whispers, closing her eyes. "Not now.""You were hurt," he says, and the memory makes his heart twist."So were you," she replies. "We all were. Are. But, for now, let's just... forget.""How?" he says hoarsely. "There is still so much to do.""We're going to end this, you know." Yukizome looks at him hopefully, a small smile playing on her kiss-swollen, apple-red lips. "Tomorrow or in a year, this nightmare will be over. I promise.""I will hold onto those words," Kyosuke says, daring to believe her. Daring to feel the greatest hope."For now, let's just..." She doesn't finish, just makes their mouths meet, cups his jaw and breathes out, alive and sound and hoping."Yukizome," Kyosuke whispers. She replies by deepening their kiss.And all is almost alright with their world.(There's a small box in Kyosuke's desk and a question to be asked, but that will wait. It will happen, tomorrow or in a year, but it will. He's sure of it.)  i. She doesn't look like the sun, now. More like the moon, pale and ghostlike and cold.Kyosuke looks at her for a moment. Just long enough to start aching all over again.The katana slides into her chest far too smoothly, and she doesn't even make a sound, doesn't open her eyes.Doesn't breathe.He's kneeling by her, watching. Waiting. Maybe she'll— do something. Anything. Smile, laugh, cry, shout, frown, or she'll stand up and kiss him again, maybe it's all just a dream.Maybe she'll kill him. After all, she was the one to lose the war before it had even started.It's so strange, yet fitting, to see her with only one eye. So unusual. But nothing about her was ever ordinary. Not the way she moved, or fought, or held onto his hand. Not the way she died.Finally, he stands up and turns from her. Nothing here to anticipate, no place here for hope.Who'd think despair is so serene? "Bye," Kyosuke says absently. "Chisa."She doesn't reply.
10293035
Kiss
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Daryl Dixon, Beth Greene, Aaron (Walking Dead)", "Fandom": "The Walking Dead (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by EmmyGreene", "chapters": "2/2", "completed": "2017-04-08", "published": "2017-03-14T00:00:00", "words": "1,054", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Daryl Dixon/Beth Greene", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Little Things.", "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 }
‘Something on your mind?’ Aaron asked Daryl after thirty minutes of watching him fiddle with the same piece of his bike.‘Hmmm’ Daryl responded.‘You seem kind of frustrated’ Aaron pushed.Daryl stood up‘Need a smoke. Ya comin’ with?’‘Sure’ Aaron didn’t smoke but he could sense Daryl needed the company. He’s pretty sure that’s why he’d invited himself over to work on a bike that was running perfectly fine.The two men sat down on Aaron’ back step and Daryl it up.They sat there in silence for a few moments before Daryl finally muttered something Aaron almost missed.‘She kissed me’‘What?’‘She kissed me, s’morning before she got up to the baby’Aaron looked a bit confused‘That’s not something that normally happens?’Daryl stared into the distance.‘She aint ever kissed me before. It’s not like that y’know’Aaron shrugged. He’d given up trying to figure out Daryl and Beth’s relationship. He knew they loved each other and were never going to be a traditional girlfriend and boyfriend, but who was anymore? He’d just assumed that if Beth slept in the same bed as Daryl then there was something more than just sleep happening...‘Oh’ Aaron sat on it for a moment ‘Did you want her to?’Daryl nodded then shrugged‘Jus’ been a while n’ never like this. Never really did relationships, never had anyone that stuck ‘round. Beth, she’s special y’know and I dun want things to be awkward. I just don’t know what to do from here’‘So you’re avoiding her?’ Aaron questioned.Daryl grunted in response.‘Did you kiss her back?’ Daryl nodded slowly.‘It was quick but yeah, I did.’He lit up a second cigarette and it was obvious how unsettled he was.He looked squarely at Aaron ‘Never really cared what people thought before but, don’t want anyone gettin’ ideas that I’m taking advantage of her, she’s young’.Aaron nodded ‘she is, but is anyone really young anymore? It’s not like you found her hanging out at the mall and lured her into your truck with candy.’‘Naw, I’m the guy who escaped with her, rescued her, she trusts me. I don’t wanna take advantage of that.’Aaron took a deep breath ‘I’ve seen you two together. You seem natural. Nobodies taking advantage of anyone else, you’re just going through a transition and that’s always strange but it won’t be weird or awkward. I know you love her and its obvious she feels the same way about you. You’ll figure it out together, the two of you.’He saw Daryl’s shoulders loosen a little.   ‘I guess’ he replied. He dropped the last of his cigarette to the ground and stamped it out with his boot.He stood up and nodded a thank you to Aaron.‘Best be off then’ he said.‘You going to go and talk to her?’Daryl nodded ‘and maybe kiss her again. I didn’t hate it’. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- He found her in her bedroom, reading. She slept with Daryl every night but she didn’t spend her days in that room. It was still his space and she wanted hers too. Especially today, she was confused and a little bit embarrassed after what had happened this morning. Once Carl had finished ‘school’ for the day and offered to take over Judith, Beth wanted to talk to Daryl but he was nowhere to be found. He was clearly avoiding her. Now she’d been reading the same page for the past twenty minutes but not a word had stuck. She couldn’t stop her mind from wandering when suddenly a knock on the door cut through her thoughts.‘Yeah’ she called out, not looking up. She assumed it would be Carl returning the baby, or Carol with washing.‘Can I c’min?’ she heard Daryl’s voice.‘Sure’ she called out.He entered the room tentatively; he’d never sought her out here before.It was awkward. She hadn’t felt this way around Daryl in a long time, not since before Judith was born but now she did. It seemed it was mutual, he hovered at the door, unsure what to do next.She sat up on the bed‘I’m sorry’ she whispered, ‘bout this mornin’He shook his head.‘Nothin’ to be sorry ‘bout’‘You sure, because I’m pretty sure you’ve been avoiding me all day’He nodded.‘I went to Aaron’s’‘Oh.’Beth started twisting the chain around her neck.‘Jus’ needed some space to sort myself out a bit’ he continued, ‘never had a girlfriend or anything before y’know. Been a long time since anyone kissed me’.Beth blushed.‘Sorry. I shouldn’t have. I just thought...’ she blushed harder and sort of looked away ‘I thought maybe you wanted to but jus’...’ her voice trailed off.‘I did jus’ didn’t wanna take advantage of ya... wasn’t sure that’s what you wanted’. He moved over to sit next to her on the bed.‘I’m no good at this’ he said.‘At what?’ Beth pressed quietly.‘Relationships’ he answered.A small smile broke on her face.‘Is that what this is?’ she asked.‘Isn’t it?’She nodded. ‘I guess so’‘Don’ want you calling me your boyfriend or anything though’ he warned gently as he placed his hand over hers. It felt natural again. This was them, this was how it had been for weeks now and he realised he was stupid to have avoided her.She placed her head on his shoulder ‘Yer a bit old for that anyway’ she teased.He shrugged her off him ‘Yeah well... you sure this is what you want?’‘To be with you?’He nodded.‘Yes’ she said ‘and I thought you did too. And now I know. So maybe next time I kiss you, you won’t go stiff as a board then run off to Aaron’s.’Daryl nodded.‘OK then’ Beth spoke slowly, with a little grin, ‘so now we...’Then she leaned over until her lips met his and this time he relaxed into it, opening his mouth to kiss her back. It was short and sweet and afterwards she kept her arms wrapped around him.‘We good?’ she asked.She felt him nod and tighten his hold on her as he pulled them back to lie on the bed.‘We’re good’ he whispered into her ear.
10237259
I Saw Two Shooting Stars
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Kimi Räikkönen, Sebastian Vettel, Original Female Character(s), Jean-Éric Vergne, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg", "Fandom": "Formula 1 RPF", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Reefgirl", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "530", "Additional Tags": "Fluff, Shooting Stars", "Relationship": "Kimi Räikkönen/Sebastian Vettel", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Saint Marie's Finest", "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 }
Sebastian had spent a week on Guadeloupe at the Street Food Festival and was itching to start experimenting on recipes he’d discovered; he’d stopped in the market on the way home and was now ready to show Kimi what he’d been missing in Caribbean street food.He bowled trough the door and stopped short as he spotted a woman bending over something, she stood up to face him as she heard his footsteps,“Hello, you must be Sebastian, my name is Delilah, Kimi’s a friend of my Aunt Laura’s and he asked me to help him with this” she pointed at the telescope “I think it belonged to the previous Inspector and he wanted to put it to good use again” she said has she held out her hand. Sebastian shook it warily; both of them looked as Kimi staggered in with a bit more of the telescope,“Ah, you’ve met, Seb, this is Delilah, she’s an astronomer at the observatory on Mont Claire and the Governor’s niece, Delilah, this is my boyfriend Seb” Kimi said. Delilah grinned,“So, was I right or was I right. Inspector Raikkonen” she replied with a chuckle. Seb visibly relaxed, Kimi had told him the story of how Governor Harlington’s niece had predicted their relationship by looking at his palm,Yes, yes you were right, I’ll never rubbish fortune telling again” Delilah took the last piece of the telescope and fitted it to the other part “Lucy here got left behind when Lewis’ stuff was shipped back to his family” Kimi said.“Lucy?” Seb and Delilah chorused“Lewis named his telescope Lucy, that’s what Jev told me, Jev was the DS before Susie” Kimi remarked. Delilah started to align the telescope with a certain point in the sky,“What is all this in aid of?” Seb asked.“Well tonight is the best night of the Perseid Meteor Shower and this is one of the best years to see them as it’s a dark moon tonight so there’s no light in the sky. Now you don’t actually need a telescope to see them but this is a great place to start and with a telescope you’ll be able to see more of them, see, you can see them already” Delilah beckoned the both over to have a look.An hour or so later, Seb was still looking in wonder at the Meteor Shower from the porch, Kimi was looking through the telescope at the wonder of Saturn’s rings,“Oh wow, look at that one, it’s huge and travelling really slowly” Seb remarked, Delilah followed his finger and suppressed a giggle,“I wouldn’t wish on that one if I were you, it’s the International Space Station” Seb blushed “in the words of Kirsty MacColl, it’s wrong to wish on space hardware” she grabbed her jacket. “Ok, so I’ll leave you boys to you exploration of the cosmos, I’m meeting Jenson and Nico for a drink...and other things” she said with a wink. Later, both of them were lying on the sand watching the meteors flashing across the sky, neither of them made a wish, they didn’t need to, all their wishes had come true anyway.
10275173
Imagine Obsession of
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Multi", "Characters": "John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Linda McCartney, Maureen Cox Starkey", "Fandom": "The Beatles", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by sherlocked221", "chapters": "3/3", "completed": "2017-03-16", "published": "2017-03-13T00:00:00", "words": "6,662", "Additional Tags": "Unrequited Love, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Choose Your Own Ending, Choose Your Own Adventure", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "John Lennon/Paul McCartney, John Lennon/Yoko Ono, Linda McCartney/Paul McCartney", "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 }
Paul liked John's new stuff. He brought 'Imagine' when it came out and left it spinning on the record player long after the song had finished, as though John were sitting at a piano, waiting for some kind of criticism. Then the tedious sound of static echoed into his ears and he was forced to walk over to the record player, shaking off his idle fantasy that John was there, playing to him.Often, he'd put the song on again and go about his business.Often, he'd stop in his tracks when John sung 'yoooouuu' because it was gorgeous, because John's voice sounded at the top of its game. Paul would let his eyelids slowly close just to feel the very essence of the tune rush over him as if it were a hand running over his body, as if it scurried along the floor and enveloped him from his toes upwards.  "You heard John's new one?" Paul asked, sitting across from his old friend, the only Beatle he'd kept in good contact with. Ringo was downing a plate of lunch beside his talkative wife, Maureen, looking smiley as ever. Across from her sat Paul's wife, lounging back on her chair with a soft hand on Paul's back as she listened. "Hasn't everybody?" Ringo replied through a mouthful of food. He chewed and swallowed it before continuing with, "Beautiful, though. I'm jealous he didn't have the good sense to write it when we were all together.""Oh no." Paul insisted, quickly, "It would've been too different if all of us had chipped in. It’s purely John." His voice descended into a dream-like absence, like he was on some kind of heavy drug and was slowly falling under the trippy affects. Where ever he felt he was, he consciously was certainly not where he sat. Ringo gave him a sideways look as though he were trying to remember something, but his train of thought was broken by Linda, who tucked her soft, blonde hair behind her slender shoulders as she leaned forward."This one's been playing it non-stop. I never get to play my stuff anymore. It's always 'Imagine' 'Imagine' 'Imagine.' Really puts you off good music when you know your husband loves it more than he loves you." She laughed, joined by Maureen, then re-positioned her hand on Paul's thigh to tell him that she didn't mean it. Paul smiled back at her, but his mind darted over her words again. It was not the song he was in love with, no matter how many times he'd told himself that it was. Taking each other's arms, Paul and Linda were about to leave when Ringo pulled the former to one side. Linda then took it upon herself to say a warm goodbye to Maureen, assuming that her presence was not needed beside the two Beatles. Ringo, in a low but less than discreet voice, asked if Paul wanted to come over. He added that they needed to talk about Imagine, which struck something in Paul. Ringo knew...Paul asked Linda if she wanted to go home or come with, then watched her leave in his car, blowing a short kiss to him as he got into Ringo's limo. At least she wasn't mad at him for ditching her.  Paul filed through record after record, feeling each one run on his index finger, then knock against the knuckles of his other hand. He studied each cover with a quick sweep of his eyes, but not one took his fancy. The room was too quiet and he needed something, the sound of someone's voice filling up the empty space. He was too used to it.He went through the singles huddled in a little black box, then found the very song that he'd been trying not to listen to. He had been trying to go cold turkey on Imagine, yet there it sat with John's faded face amongst a cloud-like mist and a blue tint to the whole image. Paul instinctively drew out the black record and impaled it on the turntable, dropping the needle right on the beginning groove. The familiar sound of a piano chimed in the speakers enveloping the room. At that moment, Ringo walked into his living room where Paul was standing, watching the record spin, holding the cover in a clenched hand."You talked to him?" Ringo asked, joining his friend and pulling up a dining room chair."No, I doubt he'd speak to me." Paul replied, matter-of-factly, as he walked around Ringo to perch on the back of a corner sofa."If you started with how damned obsessed you are with his song, he'd listen to you all day.""I don't want him to listen."Paul sighed, collapsing his weight entirely on the hard back two pillows of the sofa, lifting his feet off the ground and angling his butt so it was comfortable to sit. It was akin to taking the heavy weight of John off his mind, instead allowing his ex bandmate to linger in the air along with his new song. Ringo noticed the way Paul was subconsciously running his thumb over the image of John's fair hair as though he were comforting a sleeping lover, the way he shut his eyes when John sung ''yoooouuu' with beautiful ease. He smiled sympathetically and met Paul's eyes once they opened, but it was not returned. Instead, the latter man shook his head, looking away."I really fucked up, didn't I?" Paul muttered, looking utterly defeated."I think you're a better option, if you ask me. Compared to what he has now, I'd take you any day."Ringo was trying, really trying to be comforting, but Paul could see nothing except his own mistakes. They were dragging him down. He tossed the needle of the turntable off 'Imagine' with a violent scratch and went home, trying his best to be kind to his friend. He had done all he could, after all.  You talked to him?Was it really such a bad idea? Perhaps a phone call wouldn't be so bad.Paul was sitting in his own living room, lighting up a cigarette in the dark orange hue of the lights in his house against the evening backdrop. He was at an odd point between frustrated, angry and confused, each due to a reason linking back to John, John and that bloody song that soundtrack-ed his life at the moment. Once again, Imagine was playing. He both loved and hated it. He laughed at it and sung to it. He couldn't make up his mind if it was helping him, or irritating him more. So this time, he promised his self, this would be the last listen to it.The song finished, melted away like the wisps of hot smoke expelled from his mouth and for a good 30 seconds, there was silence.In that moment, Paul wanted something. He didn't want to put the song on again, he'd decided that it was like a bad addition he really needed to rid himself of (he thought, taking another drag of his cigarette, unaware of the irony.) But he wanted to hear John's voice. As though he'd heard John say these words to him before, he could hear him say "c'mon Paulie, give us a call..."And, for sure he thought he was going crazy, but he gave in none the less. The static started, low humming in the background of Paul's thoughts, which seemed to spark something within him. He didn't think twice, just picked up the phone and dialled John's number.As he did, Linda walked by. She was dressed for bed, looking tired, and she grinned at her husband when she saw him at the phone. She turned off the record player and pecked him on the cheek."Say hi to him for me." She whispered, before shimmering off to bed. Paul just smiled back, not really thinking about what his wife had said. His thoughts were on the dial tones that seemed to get louder, more intense, deeper the more he listened. Would John never pick up?  "Hello who is this?"Paul held his breath when the voice came through, but it was quickly exhaled when he realized who exactly had picked up. It was not John.“Yoko, hi. It’s Paul.” He tried his hardest to sound pleased, or at the very least, pleasant, through gritted teeth and a forced smile. He’d heard that, if you smile while you’re on the phone to someone, it makes your tone sound better. It did not seem to help. To calm himself, he looked over once again to his record, now dormant on its player. Any other day, it would have placed a genuine smile on his lips, perhaps just settle his nerves, but suddenly he could see Yoko all over it, as though she’d scrawled her name in thick scratches over the fragile black grooves. He flicked his eyes forward as her voice came back down the line.“Oh, Paul.” She sounded equally as disheartened, “How are you?” Her fake-ness made Paul feel utterly sick, after all that excitement built up to hearing John again and having her stand between them once again, it would never change. He garbled some quick reply, then without returning the pleasantry, he asked if John was there. She seemed only too happy to hand the phone over.“Of course, of course, Paul. He’s right here, hold on.”Paul felt butterflies flap against his stomach lining. There was a short shuffle on the line, then;“Alright mate?”Paul could barely breathe, but he managed to reply, “John?” His voice was full of excitement that he couldn’t hide, no matter how much he tried to tone it down, “Hiya!”“It’s been a while.” John said coldly. Paul wasn’t sure if his friend was pissed off because it had been so long or because they’d never quite got over the Beatles break up.Then again there was always the underlying problem between them. Both John and Paul had fallen in love with one another, only, not at the same time. First it was John, then it was sort of both, then neither, then Paul, then no one could keep track of it, if anyone could in the first place. It had fucked them both over several times.“Yeah. Too long, if you ask me. John, I was just calling to tell you how much I love Imagine. It’s…” Paul trailed off remembering his favourite bit again, “…beautiful.”John was about to spit angrily that he didn’t need Paul’s fucking patronising complements, until he heard how swept away Paul sounded. It was like the younger man was dreaming…Imagining…“Thank you.” John almost whispered, “I’m quite proud of it myself.”“Oh, you have every right to be.” Paul continued, feeling elated, “I’ve been completely obsessed by it.”There was a short silence. Not an awkward one, just a difficult one because they both wanted to say something, but kept stopping, not even opening their mouths to try. Paul wanted desperately for John to suggest they should meet up. John wanted… something similar. In fact, he wasn’t even sure what he wanted exactly, as he sat by Yoko’s side, stroking her long, black hair, fondly.    Ok, this is your choice. Either you can have John and Paul stay on the phone a bit longer, or they can say goodbye. For 'STAY ON THE LINE' go to chapter 2 For 'SAY GOODBYE' go to chapter 3 ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Obsessed?” John laughed, gently. He just couldn’t handle the silence much longer.Paul chuckled, awkwardly, “Yeah. I can’t stop listening to it. Oh, and Ritchie said that you should’ve had the good sense to write it when we were…” He stopped himself, realising what a sore subject the break up could be, “He really likes it too.” John didn’t take offence, he laughed again.“Yeah, yeah. I know, of course he’d be jealous.” Then they slipped into yet another silence. On their side of the phone, they were smiling, they were so glad to be talking… when they actually were talking, but even knowing that the other was on the other end of the line, even their breathing was so pleasant. They could pretend that they were sitting beside one another, never having feuded, never having broken up. As they sat there, trying to think up something else to talk about, as Imagine was not cutting it, someone else had picked up the receiver and was listening in. They were frustrated with the sound of silence and the pathetic attempts at conversing.“Will you please both just meet up and stop being so damn awkward!” They yelled, forcing the boys to pull their heads away from the speaker.“Linda?” Paul cried in embarrassment, but his loving wife had hung up before he had a chance to scold her. He heard a chuckle from John’s end and he prayed that John was not as humiliated as he felt. “I’m so sorry.”“No, forget it. She was saying what neither of us had the courage to. Tomorrow?”“Your place?”“If you want.”  Upstairs Linda lay in bed, swaddled by duvets and hugging a pillow, her eyes shut and all the lights out. Paul stood in the doorway of their bedroom, not buying the act, but he took that moment to think. For the first time, he hadn’t noticed the absence of music in the silent house. He didn’t feel the need to fall asleep to Imagine, subsequently forcing Linda to get up once he was asleep to turn the record player off. He whispered a thank you that she didn’t hear, then got into bed beside her, wrapping his arm around her slender body.“You little eavesdropper.” He spat, curling up so that his body cradled hers.“I don’t know what you mean.” She whispered back.Paul fell asleep easy with a smile on his face. He dreamt of John. He wasn’t sure what happened or if anything did, he just remembered a very young John looking back at him with a grin on his face.   At the front door, a brown-bristled welcome mat beneath Paul’s feet read ‘Peace.’ He drew his head upwards to stair squarely at the peephole as though it might be able to work both ways, but he was met with the disappointing sight of himself reflected in the rounded glass. He’d rung once and he was not going to ring again. Desperation was not an image he wished to give off on a day like today. It was too important. Instead, he stuffed his shaking hands into his jacket pockets, so not to be tempted to ring once more, and looked to a curtained window where shadows shuffled in the illuminated room. Butterflies had returned to Paul’s stomach, making him feel sick with excitement. The door could not be opened quick enough.“Hi!” Finally, John was there, standing in the door way, smiling in the same way he did when he was younger. Despite the longer hair and slightly thinner, aged face, he looked much like his younger self, so cheeky and ruggedly handsome.“Hi. Please come in.” John stepped to the side, allowing his friend to walk through. They wandered down a short corridor and came to a living room, a very open plan type thing with French doors leading into a garden. “Do you want anything? A drink? Something to eat? A cigarette?”“I’ve never known you to be so accommodating.” Paul quipped lightly, as his attentions were drawn to a beautiful, old piano where scrawled song lyrics written on sheets of paper rested on top.“Yeah, well, there’s going to be a bit we don’t know about each other. We haven’t quite kept in touch, now have we?” John didn’t mean to sound so biting. It seemed that there was still some frustration pent up within him that he mistook for anger at Paul. Paul’s head shot up and he looked apologetically at older man.“I know. I’m sorry, but it was such a shit… situation. I thought you were mad at me.”“Hey,” John said, trying to recuperate the jokey atmosphere they had before, “I wasn’t expecting you ever to call. It’s over now, right?”“Over.” Paul agreed. He idly ran his fingers over the sheets of songs, curious to see what masterpiece John had set up next, and felt the weighted piano keys beneath his fingertips, just because it was an intoxicating feeling. He then noticed Yoko’s name written on one of the sheet and felt an absence in the room- not a particularly taxing absence, mind you.“ ‘s Yoko not here?” He asked.“Oh, no. She went out. It’s nice, though, right? We can pretend we’re like kids again, just us two.”  John cast his gaze out the French doors as though Yoko had walked that way. His eyes sparkled with affection that made Paul feel utterly jealous. But he noticed how quickly John looked back at him, without changing his expression. Paul suddenly got the notion that whatever John had felt all those years ago for him, he was feeling it again. Love? Lust? Infatuation? They’d never been able to name it. “Linda’s still good?”Paul was brought back from the brink of his imagination by the mention of his wife, and thank God. He felt like he was just about to take a stupid chance on John. “Oh, you heard her. As good as ever.” He said. John laughed a little.They went back and forth, talking about their lives now, their songs, their music. They always seemed to get onto the subject of how things used to be, then one of them would yank the conversation back as though it were a tug-of-war and there was a line not to be crossed. As much as they both wanted to talk about… something, neither would allow themselves to be the first. They must’ve talked for hours like this before finally plonking themselves down on either end of a sofa and lit up a cigarette each to make themselves feel more comfortable. They also allowed a bit of drink to help them loosen up.“You still talk to the others?” John inquired.“Oh yeah. Ringo’s always around in some way or another. George not so much, but apparently, he speaks to Ringo a bit so…” Paul answered, spitting out smoke from his mouth and nose as he spoke.“But that’s what it was always like, wasn’t it? People always said ‘it’s John and Paul’s band, isn’t it? Who were the other two again?’”  John joked, permitting the smallest amount of nostalgia to seep through as he remembered old interviews and Q&A type things with a load of microphones shoved in their faces. Paul was also forgetting to censor all thoughts of ‘the younger days.’“Yeah, it was always us, wasn’t it? Lennon and McCartney.”“Is it strange to say I miss it?”“Not at all.” Paul hesitated before he had the courage to say, “I miss every bit of it back then.” He then looked directly into John’s brown eyes for conformation that he’d not gone too far and was glad to see a positive glow under those heavy, round lens glasses.“You, me, Georgie and Ringo.” John continued Paul’s trip down memory lane, “And George Martin and…”Paul finished his sentence, “…Eppi.” And a sudden silence came over them both. Yes, Brian’s death had marked the start of the downfall of the Beatles, but that was not the reason that they both paused. It was because that man had been more than a manager and a friend. He’d been their first confidante. He knew that John liked Paul and, when Paul decided that he may also like John, he knew that too. He’d taught them both that it was ok to like men, that there was nothing wrong with it, no matter what society told them. He tried his best to get them together, or at least keep the peace between them. He was central to what Paul and John had and might have had before, which was a touchy subject.“If it wasn’t for him…” John muttered, mostly to himself, but with Paul’s eyes on him, he couldn’t keep even his thoughts in his mind. He tapped his cigarette and placed it down in the ash tray on a coffee table that sat in front of them. He then sat forward and ran his eyes over Paul’s tense body. “I’ve missed you a lot.” He said, quite out of the blue. Paul shuffled rigidly, taking a quick sip of drink to steady himself.“I’ve missed you too.”“No, Paul.” John said, his voice lowed to a very hushed tone, but not a whisper, not anything so breathy, “I’ve really missed you.” He was trying to say something else, but it came out as the same words.“I know John, I know what you mean.” Paul tried matching his tone, but it kept shaking.“I’ve missed everything, everything. And when you called last night, I realised what we… fucked up.”“Well, the band was…”“Not the fucking band.” John hissed, “I’m surprised the band lasted as long as it did. I mean… we’ve never been good at saying things. Look at us, we can’t even now!” He was getting visibly frustrated, with his self more than anything. He looked at Paul as though he might provide some guidance, but Paul was in the same predicament. Everything he wanted, he stopped himself from doing.The only difference was, John was better at doing than saying. He threw caution to the wind and leaped at Paul, pressing a kiss on his lips with an intensity that Paul remembered from their days in Hamburg. There were these nights when they both wanted each other so bad that they’d push each other against hotel room walls or buckle the other onto a bed and they’d crush their lips together, getting what they felt they needed in that moment. In this one, they both remembered these days, the easy days when acts like this almost felt like nothing. Unfortunately, this meant all too much to Paul. He remembered who exactly had persuaded him to come here today and what he was doing to her. His wife…“John…” Paul cautioned, muffled by John’s lips, “John, you’re married.”John let up for a second, repositioning himself on the sofa. “Never stopped me before.” And it wasn’t going to stop him now.“John,” Paul managed again, “I’m married!” He exclaimed. John was about parrot ‘Never stopped you before’ when he felt that Paul was pushing against him, trying to fight him off. He slid back onto his side of the sofa, feeling Paul’s body one last time before he was totally rejected. He looked at the incarnation of Paul in front of him, the longer haired, barely aged, baby faced man and wondered if the rumours were true- had the real Paul, his Paul died long ago. Not in 1966, he wasn’t a bloody conspiracy theorist, but he did not recognise the man who he’d let into his house.“I’m sorry.” John murmured.“No… I am.” Paul said, quietly, looking down at his lap in disappointment, “I shouldn’t have been afraid when I was younger. We should’ve been together back them. I should’ve told you that I loved you when I first did.”John nodded his head, then looked out the windows again. It was getting dark already, they were way into that afternoon. He hadn’t even noticed time going by, not a single second. It was like Paul had only just walked into the room a second ago.“Yoko’ll be back soon.” John said, almost as a warning. Paul followed his gaze. He knew what that meant.“I should get going then.”“Well it was nice…” John wanted to say, nice to see you, but words failed him again.“Yeah.”“Don’t be a stranger.”“I won’t. I promise.”And then the door shut behind Paul, and his little moment of reliving every dream he’d ever had of John was gone, slipping out of his hands like the sun out of the sky. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Obsessed, hu?” John mused.“Yeah, I can’t stop listening to it.” Paul chuckled back. Oh, this felt torturous. There were silences after silences, piled up to seem so loud. Not being able to stand it much longer, he shut his eyes tight and continued, “Erm, I’m going to head to bed now. Talk some other time?”“Oh,” John sounded despondent, “Yeah, sure. It’s nice talking to you again. And I’m waiting for you to knock me off the charts with one of your masterpieces next.” He quipped.“You can count on it,” Paul ignored the feeling like all the butterflies he’d felt before had died and were plummeting to the very bottom, churning his stomach, when he heard the quietness in John’s voice. Was John truly sad that Paul had to go? He couldn’t quite believe that after all the shit they’d put each other through, they could fall into old habits of being brothers of a sort… or not brothers at all… something that rhymed with it perhaps. Paul said about a million soft goodbyes, then hung up the phone and wandered off to bed. Well, that could’ve gone better.   Sleep. It’s something most people do from the moment they’re born to the day that they die and yet it proved too difficult to some. Eyes refuse to say shut when it should be more comfortable. The mind forgets to turn its self off. The body does not want to rest.Paul probably stared at the ceiling for several hours, his mind swimming in the lyrics to Imagine, and making some up of his own. Imagine we’re together, it’s easy if you try. No one to judge or lie to…. He’d closed his eyes and tried to dream. He’d tried wrapping his arms around Linda and buried his face in her skin, feeling her warmth around him, but he couldn’t get comfortable. He tried addressing his feelings, but all that soppy crap wasn’t helping either. He wanted to listen to Imagine and fall asleep to it. If he could’ve muster up the energy, he would’ve set up shop downstairs in the living room, but he thought Linda might have a few things to say if he did so, so he spent one hell of a sleepless night, tossing over the duvet, wondering what he really wanted and why the phone call, left unfinished, was bothering him so much. “I called John.”Ringo’s head shot up in surprise. He looked at Paul with an encouraging expression, begging him to tell all. Paul sat across from him in an arm chair, slumped with some drink in his hand that he’d barely drunk any of. He was looking tired, very tired and reluctant to talk about the call, but Ringo noted that he would not have brought it up had he not wanted to talk about it.“He seemed a bit arse-y with me at first,” Paul admitted, “And Yoko picked up first. Exactly what I didn’t need.” Ringo understood, wincing at the idea, “But apart from that, it was really nice to hear from him again and he was happy to hear that I liked imagine and…” He trailed off, finally taking a sip of his drink. Ringo waited, expectantly for more to come, but Paul huffed, frustrated and shook his head.“Didn’t end well?” Ringo asked, sympathetically.“No, no. It was fine. I just ended it too quickly and… Richie! I wanted to see him, I really did. He sounded disappointed when I said I had to go, maybe he wanted to see me.” Paul’s voice had gone from quietly reminiscing to desperate and frustrated. He slammed down his glass on the side table to his left and met Ringo’s gaze, helplessly waiting for some kind of guidance.“Well of course he wanted to see you!” Ringo cried, equally as frustrated. He couldn’t bare being the caring one, the friend who sat there and said, ‘I understand.’ No. He couldn’t believe that Paul had wussed out, “Paul, he’s lost a great friend, a brother, like you. He’s not going to just write you out of his life. He may be good at writing songs but he’s not that good. He can’t do that with any one of us, least of all you.” Paul was going to reply, but everything Ringo had said was true. They sat there in more, painful silence until Ringo pushed himself up, out of his chair, and declared that they were “Going to lunch!” then added, “I’ll just be a minute.”  Paul wasn’t entirely sure where Ringo said that they were going to get lunch, but he was ok to just tag along for the ride. Ringo was a good friend. He always had been. A little hot tempered at times, but they all were.But Paul didn’t want to think about what they ‘were.’ What they had once been. Every time he thought of that, he thought of John.Ringo was a good friend and will be until the end of time.That was, until he made his car stop outside some café. It looked like any normal, pretty, little family business type thing. The type of place they believed they couldn’t go anymore for fear of press and fangirls attacking. Little did Paul know that the end of time looked a hell of a lot like toasted sandwiches and croissants.They walked in with the hoods of their jackets hiding their memorable faces and Ringo had a quick word with the young waitress behind the counter. “Oh, yes Mr Shears,” She said, gently, “There’s a table out the back.” She led us out to the garden area, which had a transparent, plastic cover and several tables with their chairs stacked up. The only table that sat properly made up was one that seemed taken by a familiar face. Paul staggered backwards when he saw John, writing something on a napkin.“Richie!” Paul hissed, his face turning deathly white right in front of Ringo. He wanted to run away, and he probably could’ve, before he’d said anything. However, John had heard his distinct liverpudlian accent and looked up, equally as taken aback by the sight of his friend. Paul smiled, awkwardly and looked back at…Ringo had escaped. Behind Paul, the waitress beamed, biting her bottom lip in apologetic guilt. Forced, Paul stalked up to the table and sat across from John, trying to look anywhere other than in those rounded-lens glasses that had become iconic to John’s image.The waitress took their order of any strong alcohol they had in stock and promptly left them with a sparkle in her eye. No doubt she was well aware of the three celebrities she’d just met. Perhaps she even thought she might have a chance with one of them, as when she came back in, the second button on her blouse was undone and her soft, caramel hair was out of the tight ponytail it had been pulled up in before.This had happened in perhaps 10 minutes and within those, neither Paul nor John had said a word to one another. They’d barely looked in each other’s direction.Then John did the only thing that he always felt comfortable doing. He brought out a packet of cigarettes and, finally, offered one to Paul. Relived to be interacting, Paul happily agreed, taking one and allowing John to light it for him.“I ended the call too quickly, didn’t I?” Paul chuckled, nervously.John burst out in laughter, smoke billowing out of his mouth, “Yes, that you did.”“I did want to see you,”“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I wanted to see you too, I was stupid…”They each took a sip of drink, one after the other, then grinned.“You haven’t changed,” John observed, looking fondly over his old friend. Paul wasn’t sure what to say. He glanced at his reflection in the cutlery and agreed, but he didn’t want to tell John that he’d changed so much he barely recognised him as anything, but the famous hippy who was a little up himself, and who wrote a song that was bound to go down in history. Paul hadn’t quite gotten used to John’s new image, probably because he was no longer a part of it. It had always been John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It had been the clean cut boys from Liverpool, then the greatest band in the world, then the strange Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with moustaches, then the guys who walked across the now famous crossing. Where John went, Paul had always followed.Remembering that, it seemed to be easy to talk to John. They talked about the past, how good it was back then. They laughed about their cheesy little songs and dug at the ones they didn’t like- even those that the other wrote. In fact, they especially made a point of talking about those songs they didn’t like of each other’s, and neither felt at all angry when they did. They talked about Ringo and George and George Martin and Brian Epstein, and then John made an interesting comment.“He did so much for us… Me and you, especially.”Paul nodded his head slowly, wondering in what context John meant the complement.Brian had been more than a manager and a friend. He’d been their first confidante. He knew that John liked Paul and, when Paul decided that he may also like John, he knew that too. He’d taught them both that it was ok to like men, that there was nothing wrong with it, no matter what society told them. He tried his best to get them together, or at least keep the peace between them. He was central to what Paul and John had and might have had before, which would have been a touchy subject.“I miss him.” Paul said, choosing his words carefully. As much as he wanted John, as he realised that he did actual love John, he would not be the first to talk about the past relationship- if you could even call it that.“Paul, I’ve missed you.”Paul’s heart stopped beating. The smile that had formed on his face throughout the conversation dropped in an instant. He couldn’t reply, because he knew what he’d say. He’d say something to really kill the mood, something stupid. I love you. “Paul?” John was trying to catch his friend’s eye, “I’m sorry for everything with the band and the break up and… the times I fought with you, but hearing you on the phone yesterday…”Paul couldn’t listen to the cliché lines he knew they’d probably put into a song several years ago, “John, this is ridiculous.” He sighed, “Let’s just say what we want from each other and get this shit over with.”John did not take being told what to do well. He sat back in his chair and demanded for Paul to go first. It took some thinking, but there was something Paul had wanted from John since the moment he’d heard ‘Imagine.’“What I want from you?” He parroted himself, then cocked his pretty head to the side and lurched over the table. His lips crushed against John’s and hands intertwined on the table. John suddenly pushed him off with a grin on his well-kissed lips.“Funny, I was going to say the same thing.”  There was a tiny hotel somewhere ‘across the road’ (which was actually a few blocks down, but John’s memory was not what it used to be due to drugs, drink and so many messy years, so Paul forgave him, he was no better after all) and the receptionist allowed the two men to borrow a room for a couple of hours- that was after John had announced that he would write a song in her honour if she did so. He turned to Paul, whose hand he was holding as they charged up the stairs, and whispered ‘It would be called Bloody Slut in a Shitty Job’ to which Paul remarked ‘It would still sell.’They found their room with ease and appreciated the old feel to it. It may not have been a nice room, particularly decorated or big, but it reminded them of the years that they would top and tail with Ringo and George, and the days when they would play in tiny, scruffy little bars. It also reminded them of these nights when they both wanted each other so bad that they’d push each other against hotel room walls or buckle the other onto a bed, getting what they felt they needed in that moment. They both remembered the easy days when acts like this almost felt like nothing.They kissed once again and John threw off his glasses. Paul stared into his eyes, laughing to himself as he thought of how blind John had always been without them. He just prayed that these famous ones would not be stepped on or destroyed in some manor like many had before. They removed what few clothes they could manage between kisses and manoeuvring themselves to the bed, then sat on the edge on the mattress with Paul almost sitting on John.It was just like they’d never stopped this. John was as confident and overpowering as he’d always been, forcing Paul onto his back and using his weight to keep him down. Paul fought back for the first few minutes, just to see if the thinner, slightly older man could be persuaded to let up, but as usual, he didn’t.Paul’s last properly conscious thought before he descended into the fantasy coming true was that this moment was missing something, a soundtrack, a final song…His mind played Imagine over and over until the lyrics were scrambled as his mind stopped functioning properly. John tended to have that effect on him.  Yet another cigarette was lit and the room filled with the smell of smoke. At least it might mask the other smells in the room. Paul gathered his clothes from the floor and threw the few he didn’t recognise over to John. In the bed, John began pulling on his pair of flares, arching his back with the cigarette in his mouth. He had an enormous smile on his face, bigger than any other he’d mustered that day, but it could not compare to Paul’s. His whole face was alight, beaming from ear to ear. Every time he caught John’s glance, he’d smirk even wider and look down at the floor.“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” John giggled.“Not so bad, but I do have to be getting home.” Paul suddenly got a sinking feeling. Home… to his wife. John noticed the drop in Paul’s expression and got up, partly to grab his shirt from off a chair, partly to tap comfortingly on Paul’s back.“You alright? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”“No, no.” Paul said quickly, “It’s just… Linda.” John looked away. He hadn’t even thought of Yoko, nor did he want to now.“They don’t have to know.”“No… They can’t know. John, this was fun but…”Paul trailed off.John gritted his teeth, “You have to go. You said.”Paul did up the last few buttons of his own shirt, then spotted John’s glasses sitting, hazardously on the ground. He’d completely forgotten John didn’t have them on. He picked them up and handed them to his friend.“This was really… really fun,” He said, his voice lost again at the last word. John nodded again.“Real fun.”And just like that, Paul left. He was pretty sure he said goodbye, but he wasn’t entirely sure and scolded himself as he turned a corner.
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{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale", "Fandom": "Teen Wolf (TV)", "Language": "Français", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by Tatsu", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "1,573", "Additional Tags": "Police Uniforms", "Relationship": "Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski", "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 }
Stiles était assis à son bureau, en train de revoir son cours d'anglais. Tout était calme dans la maison. Son père était parti en vacances la veille. Ce dernier avait vraiment besoin de souffler avec tout ce qu'il s'était passé dernièrement à Beacon Hills. C'était pourquoi Stiles lui avait dit d'en profiter pour aller voir la famille qu'il leur restait dans le Connecticut et qu'il n'avait pas vu depuis longtemps.Totalement absorbé par ses révisions, il sursauta et cria de surprise quand la porte de sa chambre s'ouvrit avec fracas.— Vous êtes en état d'arrestation, Monsieur Stilinski !Stiles regarda Derek avec un air ahuri. S'ils avaient été dans un cartoon, nul doute que sa mâchoire aurait traversé le sol. Le plus âgé portait un uniforme de shérif : la chemise beige, le pantalon noir et même les menottes qui pendaient à la ceinture. Avec de la fourrure noire, les menottes, s'il vous plait.Reprenant ses esprits, l'étudiant posa son stylo et ferma ses livres et cahiers avant de demander :— Et pourquoi donc ?— Vous êtes soupçonné de vol. Levez-vous et présentez vos mains devant vous.Stiles s'exécuta et tendit les bras auxquels furent scellées les menottes. Bon sang, il espérait que Derek n'avait pas prévu de faire trop durer le plaisir. Parce que rien que le voir ainsi, il était déjà dur et parfaitement prêt à passer aux choses sérieuses.Le plus âgé tourna autour de son prévenu, lentement, le détaillant et le dévorant des yeux, l'effleurant parfois. Puis, il s'arrêta derrière lui et approcha ses lèvres d'une oreille pour y susurrer :— Je vais devoir vous fouiller, Monsieur Stilinski. Je dois être sûr que vous ne cachez pas d'armes dans vos vêtements. Levez les bras.Tout en disant cela, il posa ses mains sur les épaules, les fit glisser le long des bras avant de remonter jusqu'aux aisselles. Il descendit ensuite sur les flancs, passa sur les hanches et repartit vers la nuque en longeant la colonne vertébrale de ses pouces. Il sentit l'humain tressaillir sous son toucher. Il savait où étaient ses points les plus sensibles et n'hésitait pas à insister dessus. Comme ce creux en bas du dos, ou celui entre les omoplates.Une fois les mains à nouveau sur les épaules, il poussa Stiles à se retourner pour lui faire face. Il se mit alors à genoux, peinant à réprimer un sourire à l'entente du battement de cœur qui s'accélérait. Derek commença par la jambe gauche, à la cheville, puis remonta jusqu'à l'aine. Il fit la même chose à droite mais ne s'arrêta pas et passa ses mains sur la bosse qui déformait le jean devant lui, arrachant ainsi un soupir d'envie.Il se remit finalement debout, tirant cette fois un soupir de frustration. Avec une parfaite dextérité, il ouvrit une menotte et ordonna :— Retirez tous vos vêtements. Ils sont trop épais pour que je puisse être certain qu'aucune arme ne se cache en dessous.L'étudiant s'exécuta, retirant d'abord son t-shirt, puis son jean.— J'ai dit tous vos vêtements, Monsieur Stilinski, le rappela à l'ordre le plus âgé.À nouveau, l'humain obtempéra et se retrouva alors totalement nu.— Mains derrière le dos, exigea le loup-garou en venant se placer derrière lui.Il attacha les mains l'une à l'autre, dans le dos, et fit avancer le jeune homme jusqu'au lit sur lequel il le poussa à se pencher.— Jambes écartées. Plus que ça.Stiles avait l'impression d'être en équilibre précaire dans cette position. Mais l'avantage, c'était qu'il était trop concentré à ne pas tomber pour avoir l'idée de déblatérer un de ses longs monologues dont il avait le secret. Même si, à bien y réfléchir, il avait rarement envie de parler quand Derek et lui faisaient quelque chose impliquant un lit. Ou même sans lit, en fait. Impliquant leurs deux corps emboîtés. Voilà, ça, c'était la bonne formulation.Il sentit d'abord les mains sur le bas de son dos. Elles descendirent tout doucement, empoignèrent ses deux globes de chair, avant de les écarter. Puis, il faillit s'étouffer en sentant une langue humide glisser entre ses fesses.— Oh mon dieu ! s'écria-t-il.Plusieurs minutes s'écoulèrent avant qu'un doigt ne vienne rejoindre la langue taquine. Puis un deuxième. L'adolescent commençait à avoir de sérieuses difficultés à rester en place. Pire, il avait l'irrésistible envie de saisir son érection et de se caresser jusqu'à la libération.— Derek… fit-il d'un ton bien plus suppliant que prévu.— C'est Shérif Hale pour vous, Monsieur Stilinski.— Shérif Hale…— Vous avez un problème, Monsieur Stilinski ?Tout en posant cette question, Derek enfonça d'un coup trois doigts et les bougea jusqu'à trouver la prostate de son amant.— Oh ! Oui ! s'exclama le plus jeune sous la surprise.— Et quel est-il ?En réalité, le "oui", n'était pas vraiment pour répondre à la question, mais plutôt pour signaler son approbation à ce que venait de lui faire Derek. Et ce dernier en était parfaitement conscient, à n'en pas douter. Mais peu importait.— Plus.Ce fut le seul mot qu'il parvint à articuler alors que ses nerfs étaient mis à rude épreuve.— Plus quoi ? Dites-moi ce que vous voulez exactement, Monsieur Stilinski.Le loup-garou s'était penché contre le dos de sa victime et avait murmuré ces mots à son oreille avant d'y passer sa langue. Ce simple geste suffit à arracher un nouveau gémissement. Stiles déglutit avec difficulté et se lança :— Plus de vous, Shérif Hale.— Vous parlez de ça, Monsieur Stilinski ? demanda le plus âgé en collant son bassin à celui de son amant.— Oui ! Oui, oui, oui !L'invitation était plus que claire. Pourtant, Derek retira ses doigts et fit un pas en arrière, au plus grand désespoir du jeune homme qui eut presque envie de pleurer. Il ne se souvenait pas avoir déjà eu autant envie. Fort heureusement, il n'eut pas l'occasion de se lamenter sur son sort : le loup-garou le redressa, libéra une main des menottes et le retourna. Il profita de l'occasion pour l'embrasser, mêlant leurs deux langues, avant de le pousser sur le matelas. Il le positionna pour attacher ses mains à la tête de lit.Ce fut à ce moment que Stiles percuta que son amant avait la chemise ouverte et le pantalon sur les chevilles. Mais quand diable avait-il fait ça ? Il regrettait de ne pas avoir vu les boutons être défaits, lentement de préférence, pour dévoiler ce superbe torse. Et ne parlons même pas du pantalon. Rien que fantasmer sur la braguette s'ouvrant petit à petit sur le membre érigé le rendait encore plus dur.Néanmoins, il fut rapidement rappelé à l'instant présent quand le plus âgé le pénétra. Nom de Dieu ! Ce sentiment de plénitude, d'être entier, de ne faire qu'un, jamais il ne s'en lasserait. Les mouvements se firent de plus en plus rapides. Il était proche de la jouissance. Mais tout s'arrêta tout à coup. D'accord, la frustration qu'il avait ressentie plus tôt, quand il avait pratiquement supplié Derek de le prendre, n'était finalement rien comparée à maintenant. Le loup-garou était toujours en lui, mais ne bougeait plus. Il s'était redressé et le regardait avec un petit sourire en coin.— Je pense sincèrement que vous êtes coupable, Monsieur Stilinski. De ce fait, je me demande si vous méritez vraiment de jouir.— Ne pas m'autoriser à jouir pourrait être considéré comme de la torture, Shérif Hale. Et la torture est interdite. Sans compter que ce serait contre toute éthique.Le sourire en coin s'agrandit.— Dans ce cas, vous n'avez qu'à vous servir vous-même, Monsieur Stilinski, dit-il en enroulant son poing autour de l'érection du plus jeune, sans pour autant bouger.Stiles se mit alors à bouger son bassin de haut en bas et de bas en haut. Ce simple mouvement lui permettait de se stimuler à la fois par la main autour de son sexe et le membre de son amant en lui. Le plaisir montant, il devint de plus en plus frénétique jusqu'à se figer avec un gémissement. Derek prit alors le relais et recommença ses coups de butoir. La vision de son amant en plein orgasme, l'étau de chair qui se resserrait par intermittence autour de son membre, et le fait qu'il se retenait depuis un moment déjà eurent raison de lui.Essoufflés, il leur fallut un moment pour se remettre de leurs émotions. Le loup-garou libéra finalement l'humain et le prit dans ses bras, savourant le silence et le bien-être post-orgasmique.Mais, bien sûr, le silence ne durait jamais très longtemps avec Stiles. C'était déjà un miracle qu'il ait si peu parlé pendant leur petit jeu de rôles.— Au fait, Derek. C'était quoi mon crime, au juste ? Tu m'as dit vol. Mais vol de quoi ?— De mon cœur, bien sûr.Derek Hale ne faisait pas souvent de déclaration d'amour. Et quand il en faisait une, elle n'était pas vraiment conventionnelle, comme celle-ci. Mais cela avait au moins le mérite d'être original et plutôt mignon. Ce fut pourquoi le plus jeune l'embrassa avec tout l'amour qu'il pouvait lui transmettre.Quand John revint de vacances quelques jours plus tard, il fut étonné de découvrir son uniforme de shérif froissé.— Stiles ! appela-t-il.— Oui ?— Tu peux venir, s'il te plait ?— Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ? demanda le plus jeune en arrivant dans la chambre de son père.— Tu peux m'expliquer pourquoi mon uniforme est tout froissé ?Stiles ouvrit de grands yeux et resta interdit quelques secondes. Non, Derek avait osé ? Il avait pris l'uniforme de son père pour…— Je ne parlerai qu'en présence de mon avocat, finit-il par répondre.
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cross the threshold have
{ "Archive Warning": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Craig Tucker, Kenny McCormick, Kyle Broflovski, Stan Marsh, Christophe \"The Mole\" DeLorne", "Fandom": "South Park", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by parishilton", "chapters": "7/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-15T00:00:00", "words": "54,971", "Additional Tags": "Virgin Sacrifice, Fuck Or Die, Barebacking, Gags, Demon Summoning, equal parts humor and horror, Alternate Universe - Hell", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Kenny McCormick/Craig Tucker, Kyle Broflovski/Stan Marsh", "Series": "exit", "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 only time craig truly has to himself anymore is when he’s doing laundry, therefore, laundry has become therapeutic to him. he likes to sneak off to the private laundry room around midnight, after his mom and ruby are asleep. he takes his sweet time separating colors, setting his motivational cleaning playlist to the right song, and taking selfies in front of the clothesline packed with dripping-wet bras to send to token and clyde. one of his new neighbors is a broad-chested seventy-year-old widower who lives with two siamese cats. she likes to leave her intimates hanging on full display every week. clyde says she must be trying to attract a new husband. token says she’s probably going senile. craig says she just doesn’t give a fuck, which he can relate to.  craig is in the midst of spraying stain remover on the sweat stains formed under the arms of his star wars tee shirt he’d worn during track practice earlier that week when he hears footsteps approaching. he quickly drops the cigarette he was smoking onto the tile floor and stubs it out with his slipper, assuming it was the landlord coming in to berate him for smoking indoors again. “jesus, not again,” craig mutters under his breath when he sees who it actually is.the door swings open and someone comes barreling through with a armful of dirty clothes, a pair of jeans falling in a heap to the floor. “lost another fucking sock by the side of the road,” kenny complains, chewing on a toothpick. craig resists the urge to call him huckleberry finn.“maybe if you'd put them in a rolling hamper, or at least your fucking backpack….” craig grits out. he hates it when kenny uses the apartment building's private laundry room.“speaking of fucking ,” kenny begins, toothpick bobbing up and down all the while, “ruby told karen that the real reason you guys moved here was because of an ashley madison scandal. you know, now that i’ve been promoted to assistant manager of city wok, i’ve been thinking of finding myself a sugar baby. so, what do you say, tucker? does a taste for tasteless affairs run in the family?”it’s hard for craig to believe it’s already been a month since the whole town had found out thomas tucker had cheated on his wife and then been kicked out of the house by her. although trolltrace had only been up and running for a few short hours, it had managed to do an irreparable amount of damage to many families in south park. craig’s parents had ended up having to split up the money from selling the house to both afford separate apartments, and craig and ruby had both decided to live with their mother, to show their loyalty.although kenny was getting more hours and probably had received a very small pay raise, craig couldn't imagine being kenny mccormick's sugar baby would grant you much in the department of free gifts besides free city beef and free city pork. not exactly on par with what gifts craig thought were usually given to sugar babies - stacks of cash, louis vuitton handbags, and new macbooks, all of which were just not possible for kenny to actually dish out when craig suspected most of kenny's salary was going to help his parent's pay their bills and to send karen to that new vocational high school. that's also disregarding the fact that if craig were to accept such a tragic proposal, he would have to be truly demented. as unfairly attractive as kenny was, craig preferred to keep his dignity intact over getting laid, probably only once, because kenny may as fucking well have adhd when it comes to sex. addicted to dicking humans in droves, that is. craig's not interested in being dicked down by kenny mccormick, then forced to wait in awkward silence by the bus stop with him for the rest of senior year, so kenny has nothing to offer him other than his unselective, and therefore dishonorable, dick. craig scowls. “you couldn’t afford me if mr. kim promoted you to king of shi tpa town," he says snottily, choosing smartly to pin his disinterest on kenny because of his lack of funds, rather than craig's extreme fussiness. “challenge received and accepted.” kenny winks. “something about a prude holding a spray bottle is just so sexy to me. hit me with that water, baby, i’ve been a naughty boy!” kenny says without a shred of sincerity.craig ignores him entirely and goes back to his cycle of laundry. it’s not until he hears boots being kicked off that he looks back, only to see kenny in the midst of undoing his belt and toeing off his shoes. “what the fuck are you doing, mccormick?”“adding these jeans to the washer,” kenny says offhandedly, “plus my apron. some fucking yelper was too busy rating us zero stars to pay attention to the fucking scalding hot tea in his hand. burnt the fucking shit out of my legs.”craig looks in distress down to the apron kenny is already untying and discarding onto the floor. kenny is left standing in front of him wearing only a pair of white calvin klein underwear that he must have either stolen or passed up on pop-tarts for the week by buying, and a white wife beater. craig tries to keep his eyes off kenny’s package. he grumbles in frustration, turning his back to kenny. of course his only downtime all week would be ruined by kenny-fucking-mccormick.after craig sets the timer to thirty minutes, he pulls out his phone to have something to do with his hands. all the girls craig followed on twitter from school were always talking about how hot cole sprouse was, but kenny made cole sprouse look like a fucking troll. with kenny’s freckles and full pillowy lips, his tan fucking skin from spending every afternoon in the sun, swinging a stolen golf club from the local walmart into his dad’s empty beer cans that littered the front lawn, trying to hit passing cars, he always looked effortlessly handsome, like a young river phoenix, though craig would never admit it.kenny was always riffling through his hair like he was digging for spare change under a couch cushion, mussing it up into an angelic white halo. when kenny’s sister first began classes at a vocational school for hairdressing, she had bleached his hair, but his roots were starting to come back in dirty blonde. cartman gave kenny shit about his hair every day now and almost exclusively referred to him now as slim shady. craig thought kenny looked almost too good to be real.for all kenny’s whining and moaning about not wanting to get stuck in south park for the rest of his life, craig thinks he should probably stop sleeping with every girl that blinks at him. for kenny, it could almost be a curse to look that good. every girl he sleeps with would probably love to trap the handsome son of a bitch into holy matrimony by means of an accidental pregnancy. kenny could fuck sarah jessica parker and still have kids that would probably blind the fucking sun with how pretty they were.“tucker,” kenny calls, “that growth spurt of your’s isn’t gonna keep me from reaching up there and decking you if you keep glaring at me.”craig isn’t about to admit he was admiring kenny and not actually glaring, so he snorts and flicks his cigarette idly. “my little sister has a step-stool in her room if you want to try.”“or ,” kenny begins, “i kick you in the nuts, you go down, and i start swinging.”“if you kick me in the nuts, i’ll bite.”kenny smirks, probing the inside of his cheek with his tongue as he mulls this over. eyes scanning craig up and down, he says, “is that a threat or a promise?”“i think all that bleach went to your head," craig snides.“sorry,” kenny says, “i tuned you out, but all i heard was something about you giving me head?”craig tries to hide his nerves by lowering his head and taking a puff from his cigarette. “you wish,” he replies lamely.“yes,” kenny grins, biting on his toothpick again. “yes, i do.” standing at the bus stop with kenny, craig grins and stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jacket. kenny pulls a can of aerosol hairspray out of his backpack, looks both ways to make sure nobody is watching him besides craig, and crouches behind a conveniently-placed sign advertising for the new whole foods market. the irony of using empty aerosol cans to hit o-zone-friendly hybrid cars is not lost on craig.kenny’s thighs spread indecently wide across the sidewalk, his knee knocking into craig’s shin, while he aims in preparation for his next target. a brand new, shiny hybrid prius comes to a halt at the stop sign just as an empty can of aerosol hairspray shoots out from under the sign, the only visible part of kenny being his ratty old work boots. it bounces off the driver’s side door, only chipping the black paint in a spot as small as a pinhole.“hey! knock it off, you fucking kids!” the owner shouts through the crack in his window, then speeds away.kenny springs up like a corkscrew, laughing maddeningly. “penis tap prius, no penis taps back.” he slaps craig in the groin, enough to send craig doubling over, but not enough for craig to bother trying to stifle a small laugh.“don’t tell me this won’t be the highlight of the rest of your boring-ass day, tucker,” kenny says, voice smarmy and eyes bright. “i bet the highlight of your day yesterday was seeing me in my calvins.”“kendall jenner has nothing on you, mccormick,” craig says in a monotone, “and that was definitely a highlight over what happened after that.”kenny frowns, patting the top of craig’s head patronizingly, as if he were a dog. “what happened? someone on reddit tell you that your star wars fan art was bad?”“i think my place is haunted,” craig says simply, twisting his fingers around the strings of his chulo hat to calm the nerves he always gets when he tries to confide in something with kenny that nobody else knows.kenny looks at him apprehensively. “who would want to haunt your boring ass? carrie fisher? maybe she’s mad you drew her hair buns like a set of hairy balls.”“my window kept opening and closing on it’s own. i lock it every night.”“are you locking your window every night to keep me out?” kenny asks, placing his hand on his heart. “that hurts, craig.”“can i crash at your’s tonight?” craig asks softly, kicking the toe of his sneaker into a rock and sending it flying into the road.kenny throws his arm gently around craig’s shoulders, looking at him sidelong, mouth pressed into a firm line. “you don’t want that. my parents would keep you up all night screaming.” he stares at craig intently, trying to read an expression on craig’s face that just isn’t there. “are you serious? you really think your apartment is haunted?” for once, kenny sounds worried about him. “i mean, this is south park. i guess anything is possible.”“yeah.” craig hates to verbalize more of his feelings than he absolutely has to, especially if he feels like he’s essentially begging for help like a baby.“alright,” kenny says, “i’ll stay at your’s.”kenny has never stayed at craig’s, not before he moved, and not since then. craig swallows hard, hoping kenny knows this isn’t some ploy to get kenny to hook up with him.when the bus finally pulls up to their stop, the door swinging open always on the wrong side of the street, kenny keeps his arm firmly around craig’s shoulders, leading him to cross the street as if he were a helpless elderly woman. when they board the bus, craig goes to sit by clyde and kenny goes to sit by butters.craig looks across the aisle to the seat across from his and clyde’s. all he can see is kyle’s back turned to him, his mass of curly orange hair, and his green-mittened hands pulling and prodding at stan’s face, which is sporting one truly horrendous black eye. his eye looks nearly swollen shut. craig thinks if someone had beat his face to a pulp, the last thing he would want would be clyde tugging his face around. then again, craig’s not in love with clyde.kenny is always telling craig how alike he and stan look, but craig scoffs every time. their physical similarities start and end with their black hair, and even their hair looks nothing alike anymore. stan has a mop of shiny and voluminous hair, like the top of a newfoundland’s head, that fell in front of his eyes constantly, and craig has an undercut, head shaved everywhere but at the top of his head, where the hair was slicked back and greasy with hair gel that ruby had bought off of karen mccormick.craig watches with raised eyebrows as stan’s good eye flutters shut when kyle tips stan’s head back again, one mitten holding stan steady by his chin. craig strains to hear their low voices. all he can make out is kyle angrily spitting out the words “fucking shelley!” and stan yelping out “kyle!”, sounding completely humiliated. what a fucking pussy stan was. he may as well ask kyle to protect him from shelley, considering he was too chickenshit to do anything about it himself.from beside craig, clyde is snoring, his forehead pressed against the window of the school bus as he slept. craig sighs heavily. he could hear butters and kenny laughing and joking behind him. it pained craig to even admit to himself how fucking lonely he was sometimes. the other day after school, he was so desperate for company, he’d actually sat in ruby’s bathroom on her stool, watching her talk on speakerphone to karen while she curled her hair, that is, until she flipped him off and told him to go somewhere else.  truth is, he could call stan marsh a pussy all he wanted, but at the end of the day, stan probably never got lonely. he had kyle, who adored stan so much he probably thought stan’s zits were cute, kenny, who hovered around the two of them like he was a paid bodyguard, and even cartman, who tolerated stan more than any other dickhead at their school.all craig has is his elderly, decrepit guinea pig, his extensive movie collection, and clyde, who has been harboring an unrequited crush on token since they were kids. craig hates himself for inviting kenny over, where he'll have to fend off kenny's advances all night. kenny is the only goddamn person who pays craig any attention at all, though craig’s flat-face and apathetic appearance in every social situation he’d been in since beginning in south park elementary probably didn’t help that cause, not that being aware of that made him want to make an effort, anyway. “you’re a hot commodity, you know that, tucker? if your ass was a luxury condo and i was your real estate agent, we’d have a bidding war on our hands.” kenny’s eyes remain locked on his red cigarette lighter, which he lights the flame to and lets it die out repeatedly, only to flick it back on again.craig heaves a pained sigh. “is this some weird method for you and butters to try to recruit me to be a prostitute? i thought butters stopped being a pimp after the fourth grade.”“he did,” kenny laughs, looking fond at the mention of the memory, “but i wouldn’t say no to kissing you behind the school for five bucks.” he winks.“aw, don’t take out a second mortgage on your house just for me.”kenny punches him lightly in the arm. “fuck you, dickhead. no, you just wouldn’t believe the shit people say about you.” he pauses, clears his throat, and begins speaking in a girly, high-pitched tone. “craig is so hot. like, he just doesn’t give a fuck!” craig wrinkles his nose. “who said that?”kenny shrugs. “does it matter?” not unless it was you, craig thinks. “nope,” he says.“that’s what i thought,” kenny smirks. “of course you’re not interested. you’re such a prude, tucker. i don’t know why every girl in school thinks you’re some kind of badass sex god. they clearly have the two of us confused.”craig glares at him. “shut the fuck up, mccormick. my mom is home.”kenny takes one look at craig’s open bedroom door and grins. “shouldn’t the open door policy only apply when you have girls over?”craig looks at him blankly. why would he have girls over?“oh, right. you see, girls are kinda like guys, except for the queefing. you would have probably seen one or two at school before, if you’d have ever spared a glance away from my chiseled, rugged body.”kenny’s body is anything but chiseled and rugged, craig thinks, trying not to visibly check him out. he is probably still a good two or three inches shorter than craig. plus, his arms were skinnier than most of the girls in their grade, his wrists as dainty as one’s too, craig notices as he watches kenny fiddle absentmindedly with his lighter. yet, kenny’s foolhardy and reckless behavior, coupled with his over-exaggerated flirtation definitely didn’t make anyone think of him as if he were a girl. if anything, the slightly feminine quality to the dip of his cupid's bow and his almost delicate wrists make girls go even crazier for him. he always looks one hug away from snapping in two, like he needs to be nursed to health, and girls love that shit. it doesn't exactly repel craig, either. craig considers kenny to be one of the most hyper-masculine guys he's ever met, body non-withstanding, on account of his abhorrently wanton personality and need to steer every conversation he has back to sex. despite having every reason on earth to find kenny unbearable to be around, craig finds himself longing for kenny when he's not around, simply because he misses the attention, but kenny teasing him about girls, when he knows fully-well that craig is attracted to him, is more than irritating. so, maybe it’d been a few years since he had so much as kissed a girl. or anyone, for that matter, as if he really needed reminding. glaring, craig retorts, “i know what a girl is, asswipe. you’re one to talk about it, when stan marsh and kyle broflovski are your best friends.” “hey, they at least talk to girls at school. you sit alone, not talking to anybody, with a blank expression on your face, while a seven hour loop of animals close-up with a wide-angle lens plays in your head.”craig scoffs. “that’s not what i’m thinking about.”“whatever it is that you think about, then. star wars, hamsters, my devilishly good looks….”“stripe is a guinea pig ,” craig corrects, nose in the air. his eyes flick over to where stripe’s cage is, sitting atop his computer desk.kenny picks up craig’s remote from his bedside table and turns his television on, flipping through the channels idly. “so, what ever happened to animals close-up with a wide-angle lens ?”“blew our budget for the show on cough medicine and little hats for the dogs, couldn’t afford to pay the station for our time slot.”kenny throws his arm around craig, shoving up close to him in bed. “but it was so... cuteeee !” he gushes, poking craig in the rib. “super cute !”craig knows kenny isn’t referring to him, but he feels his face heat up nonetheless. he elbows kenny lightly in the rib to throw him off. he doesn’t need kenny thinking that feeling craig up in his bed is going to become a thing .“hey, do me a favor tomorrow, will you?” kenny asks, “since i’m so generously doing you one tonight.”“i’m not doing your laundry again,” craig gripes, “you’re a dipshit for leaving a five dollar bill in your jeans.” if craig could get away with slapping kenny upside the head for blaming him for his torn-up money that had gone through the wash, without kenny retaliating, he would be so happy.“guess that’s why they call it money-laundering,” kenny surmises with a chuckle before continuing, “i was going to say, can you turn nascar on tomorrow so i can watch from my house, but throw in a load of my laundry too, and my bedside manner tonight will include something naughty.”craig snorts. “that’d be a great incentive if i were trying to collect venereal diseases like marsh collects black eyes from his sister.”“ooh, stop trying to turn me on, tucker!” kenny reaches over and pinches craig’s thigh from over his jeans. “stop reminding me of how pure and virginal you are! you know that’s my type!”craig wrinkles his eyebrows. “since when is that your type? i would hardly call the girls who give you blowjobs from behind a tree near stark’s pond pure or virginal.”“jealous?” kenny asks, smacking a kiss on craig’s cheek. “just so you know, the way to my heart and beating all the hussies is putting nascar on tomorrow for me.” he wiggles his eyebrows at craig, while craig looks at him, unimpressed. “c’mon tucker, you know you give me a dale earnhardt-on.” he watches as craig bites the inside of his own cheek, trying not to laugh. then, craig feels kenny’s hands jostling him around by his chest playfully. “just let me danica patyourdick!”“you’re so disgusting,” craig says between laughs and wheezes as he lets kenny manhandle him, still vainly trying to pretend to be disinterested in all physical contact with kenny, though he thinks kenny must be slowly starting to realize craig is attracted to him, despite probably not expecting that craig would ever give it up to him of all people, when craig was still a virgin, as kenny was right to think. craig would sooner cut off his own dick than let himself become another notch on kenny mccormick’s admittedly collapsing bedpost.nobody knows craig is actually a closeted romantic, in addition to being a closeted virgin, and closeted in general, so it's not his own reputation he would be concerned about if he were to sleep with kenny. craig doesn't give a fuck what people think about him, except if what they're thinking is craig is a total sap and wants kenny to be his boyfriend. kenny seemingly doesn’t have the ability to love any of his conquests, though he’s never breathed a bad word about any of them, no matter how shallow or inconsequential the experience. that hardly offers any comfort to craig. he'd much rather kenny date him and tell people that craig was a neurotic headcase than fuck him once and tell people that craig was a nice guy. sometime after craig dozes off, laying on his stomach with his face mashed into one of his pillows, while the background hum of some action movie comes from the television, kenny still awake and watching, is when the weird things start happening again. the television goes to static and it’s kenny’s rustling around, shoving the blankets off his legs to get up and go check on the wiring, that wakes him up.“why aren’t you asleep?” craig asks, voice hoarse and throat dry from sleep.kenny turns to look at him like he’s stupid, while kneeling on the floor beside the television. “you asked me here to keep an eye out for you.”“i guess i expected you to spend all night trying to grope me and then give up and fall asleep,” craig admits.“you’re a real dickhead!” kenny exclaims. “i might be a shameless flirt, but i’m no bad-fucking-friend and i wouldn’t promise to help you and then not do it!”“we aren’t friends!” craig clarifies, sitting up in his bed. “you’ve just desensitized me by grabbing my dick so much that i forget that!”kenny stands up, forgetting about the staticky television altogether. “fuck you, tucker! i’m your only friend and you’re damn lucky to have me!”it’s then that craig realizes his television has shut off. darkness floods the room as the only source of light has gone out and craig can’t even see the hand in front of his face, let alone kenny. “did you turn the tv off?”  he asks hoarsely.“fuck no,” kenny replies and stumbles around in the dark, knocking his hip into craig’s bedside table and rattling craig's alarm clock and empty soda cans, before rejoining him in bed. “scoot over, tucker.” craig’s body complies before his brain can even remind him that he’s still pissed off at kenny, who’s bare legs are now pressed against craig’s under the covers. “if any beasties come for us, i’ll use your body as a shield,” kenny says.“yeah, you’d like to use my body, alright,” craig mutters to himself, pulling the blankets back over to his side, so kenny can’t hog them.before kenny can form a response, the television turns back on from the other side of the room. craig looks over and sees kenny’s face illuminated in the soft light, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. but that’s not all he sees. stripe’s cage is suspended mid-air, levitating two feet above craig’s computer desk.kenny is back out of bed, with his hands on either side of the cage, standing in the middle of the room, eyeing craig nervously, when craig’s once open bedroom door, by his mother’s request, slams shut. “well,” kenny says, voice thick with nerves, still holding stripe’s cage, “it’s safe to say that the ghosts who are haunting you really want you to get laid, tucker.”turning to his group of overzealous, incompetent assholes, kenny holds up a brown paper bag, which clinks as he raises it high into the air. “i brought something to get us into the spirit of the ouija.” he pulls out a bottle of vodka. craig groans from beside kenny. these fucking idiots didn’t need any alcohol to get any stupider. he could see it now: cartman drunkenly trying to ‘exterminate’ ruby’s chinpokomon, which had been handed down from craig, kenny drunkenly trying to dye butters’ hair neon pink with some of karen’s manic panic dye, and stan and kyle drunkenly playing spin the bottle alone, with kenny’s bottle of vodka. no fucking thank you.“oh, boy,” butters says, pressing his knuckles together. “i don’t think i get the joke.”“it’s a spirit, get it?” kenny explains, holding up the bottle once more.craig groans. fucking idiots.“ken, do you really think this is a good idea?” kyle asks kenny quietly, leaning in with one hand resting gently on kenny’s shoulder. “don’t you remember that rumor that circulated once about the goth kids summoning edgar allen poe? they said it worked.”kenny gives kyle a look of disbelief. “you’re the biggest skeptic i know. you don’t actually believe that, do you?” when kyle says nothing, kenny continues. “don’t you think it’d be more realistic if they’d managed to summon some random dead guy, not their own personal hero? that would be like if you told me you just so happened to summon moses on the first try. kind of convenient, don’t you think?”stan nods before swigging back the bottle of vodka. “yeah, kyle. lighten up.”as soon as stan walks off, kyle turns to kenny and gives him a meaningful look. “oh, great. now we have to deal with craig’s loser ghosts and randy two-point-oh.”kenny snickers. “he’ll be fine. half that bottle is water.” he winks at kyle, while kyle looks on after kenny in astounded relief. “the rest is in a water bottle in craig’s fridge.”“you’re a lifesaver, ken.” kyle, who’s significantly shorter than kenny, reaches up and wraps his arms around kenny’s neck. “i owe you.”“you don’t owe me shit, broflovski,” kenny murmurs softly into kyle’s ear, while gently rubbing his back. craig almost doesn’t even catch the words, they’re spoken so low. he turns to look over to where all the noise is coming from on the other side of the room. marsh is currently in a headlock by cartman, though he’s staring at kyle even while his neck is in a sleeper hold. if that’s not dedication to being a fucking creep, craig doesn’t know what is. fucking pussy. god, he hates all of these guys, craig thinks as he looks back to kenny.“why are they here?” craig asks through gritted teeth. he really couldn’t stand these guys, especially marsh, not since peru. he didn’t care if people didn’t want to hang around him because he would hold a lifelong grudge if you so much as looked at him wrong - if anything, the fact that it kept people like marsh away from craig made him happy.“you’re supposed to use a ouija in a large group,” kenny explains, “never alone. the more people present, the less chance any evil forces have of overpowering you. technically, you’re not supposed to use one in your own home either, in case of a violent history with past owners, but since these apartments were just built last month...” he trails off, shrugging, as if to say ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’ despite distinctly remembering kenny’s idiot friends saying something similar to craig before convincing him to start a pan-flute band with them, craig wrinkles his nose in agreement. “fine, but if we accidentally summon satan himself, marsh is the first person i’m throwing his way.”kenny grins and wraps his arm around craig's shoulders. “duly noted.”“stan,” cartman begins sweetly, “are your hands always this fucking sweaty, or is kahl’s arm touching your dick making you nervous?”craig snickers. it’s definitely not a lie. stan’s hand, on top of everyone else’s on the planchette, which hasn’t moved in the twenty minutes they’ve been sitting around the board, is clammy with sweat. though they're all huddled closely around the board, craig hasn't draped himself over anyone's lap, mostly because he can't stand ninety percent of the people in this room.out of the corner of his eye, craig sees kyle pulling his arm away from stan. “actually, i think stan’s nervous that if a ghost possesses cartman's body and he jumps on us, he'll kill us all with his fat fucking ass,” kyle supplies.“aye!” cartman yelps. “let him speak for himself, you filthy jew!”kyle, with clenched fists from arguing with cartman, and cartman, with a neutral expression, both turn to look at stan at the same time. stan, who’s still not drunk, despite knocking back half the bottle of watered-down vodka himself, looks like a bear cub with it’s foot caught in a hunting trap. “oh, um. i was actually just worried that butters was going to piss himself.”craig turns to look at butters, who indeed looks like he’s about to be sick, staring at the ouija board plaintively. “it’s alright, fellas,” butters promises. “i promise i won’t -ah- piss myself.”craig groans once more. fucking pussies. from under his hand, craig feels something twitch lightly. “mccormick, knock it off,” he says.“i’m not doing anything,” kenny mutters, his eyes dark and strikingly beautiful when he meets craig’s. he licks his lips, looking nervous. “shit, i think it’s working.”everyone quiets down as the planchette finally slides from the word ‘hello’ down to the alphabet. it seems to hover for several long seconds over the alphabet before finally sliding down to the letter ‘v’ .“the letter ‘v’ mean anything to you, tucker?” kenny asks quietly.“no,” craig answers honestly. “maybe they’re going to spell their own name.”everyone seems to look back intently to the board. stan’s hands, if even possible, seem clammier than before, though that might be because kyle’s free hand is gripping stan’s knee so hard his knuckles have gone bone-white. the planchette moves to the letter ‘i’ .“victor maybe?” kenny mutters. “victoria?”the next letters becomes ‘r’ , then, ‘g’ , and then ‘i’ again. craig begins to get very confused because, well, it’s certainly starting to become obvious what the board is about to spell out for them. when the planchette finally hits the ‘n’ , craig can feel his face burning.kenny clears his throat. “is anybody here still a virgin?” he asks lightly, without looking up, like he doesn’t want to offend any of them. craig can't imagine that kenny doesn't know he’s a virgin, if not because he hasn't had a girlfriend for all of high school, then because his whole body has gone rigid. cartman seems ecstatic to take this opportunity to announce that he’s not a virgin. “i’ve boned so many girls in our grade, my nickname should be skeletor .”kyle scoffs. “you’ve boned heidi and that’s only because her parents split up after her dad saw on trolltrace that her mom had been cheating on him! you preyed on an innocent girl’s vulnerabilities!” craig sighs deeply. he can relate.“kahl, you’ve been preying on stan’s vulnerabilities all damn night! he’s drunk and you've still been up his ass like a bad wedgie!" kyle uses his free hand to punch cartman hard in the shoulder, and cartman responds by screaming out in over-exaggerated pain.“butters, what about you?” stan asks, ignoring the both of them.butters looks over to kenny briefly and winces. “well, no. i -ah- i’m not a virgin.”craig feels his chest tighten uncomfortably. kenny was deflowering so many fucking kids in their school, he may as well call himself a weed-whacker. if craig hadn’t already denounced the idea of sleeping with kenny, he would have chosen to denounce it now. like he wanted kenny’s dick to be anywhere near craig when it had already been inside butters of all fucking people. “broflovski?” craig asks, through gritted teeth, because like-hell does he want to speak directly to marsh.kyle shakes his head. “no, um, one of token’s parties…” he trails off, but seems sincere. although craig hates to admit it, he believes him. “stan?” kyle asks, pursing his lips.stan looks at kyle for a long moment while chewing on his lip before muttering out a feeble, “yeah, same. one of token’s other parties.” he takes another swig from the bottle of vodka.kenny clears his throat delicately once more. “craig?”craig can feel kenny’s, butters’, cartman’s, kyle’s, and stan’s eyes on him simultaneously. fuck if this isn’t one of the most humiliating moments of his entire life. he shouldn’t even give a fuck what any of these guys think of him, since he’s hated them since the third grade and all, yet he finds he does for some bizarre reason. call it the male ego or call it craig’s unfortunate attraction to kenny that’s seemingly not going anywhere, try as craig might to make it disappear, but craig does care what they think of him.  “let’s try asking what the spirit’s name is,” kenny declares, thankfully not forcing craig to admit his lack of manhood to his group of jackass friends.the planchette begins to rocket across the board with a mind of it’s own. kyle scribbles down each letter onto a scrap paper on his knee, while his other hand remains on the planchette, right below stan’s. when the planchette finally stills, it’s gone through eight letters in the alphabet. kyle throws the scrap paper down onto the table. it reads mephesto.cartman snorts loudly. “that retard who made the four-assed monkey? does he think if he can somehow give craig four asses from beyond the grave, craig might actually get laid? craig better hope mephesto doesn't try that around kenny. he might ask mephesto to grow him four dicks.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- craig wakes up after a fitful night of sleep, having been awoken from bed nearly five times by his bedroom door opening and shutting by itself, and his underwear drawer having spit out several pairs, which were now strewn across his floor. as somebody with strong convictions about tidiness, craig really wishes his ghost were more of a considerate roommate. he rolls to the other side of his bed to face his window, only to discover the curtains have been pulled back by themselves too. he grunts as he rolls out of bed and walks over to the curtains in only his boxers and an evil dead tee shirt.the windows are floor-to-ceiling, designed that way specifically to let in the maximum amount of light. craig also has a strong conviction about morning people - namely that they can’t be trusted. anybody who enjoys being blinded by light first thing in the morning isn’t a sane or rational person, and craig has enough irrational people to deal with from within his own home to start worrying about the inanimate objects in his apartment being out to get him too.   craig groans sleepily and presses his forehead against his window, closing his eyes. he thinks if he tries hard enough, he may be able to fall back asleep standing up. he wishes he could ditch school and just sleep all day. nothing paranormal has ever happened to craig in the daytime. maybe the ghost floats over to his mother’s room and empties out all of her drawers while she’s at work. at least having to clean her room every day would explain how she never has time for craig when she gets home. of course, that’s just craig trying to find humor in a humorless situation. his mom has yet to realize, despite hundreds of times craig’s door has opened and closed at night for the past week, that he’s being haunted. maybe she just thinks his bladder is becoming weak in his old age and that he needs to piss approximately thirty times a night. she has always called him an old soul. craig opens his eyes reluctantly after a minute and looks straight ahead, only to see kenny standing at his own bedroom window, just across the street. craig pulls his face back quickly, frowning. kenny’s bare-chested and, if craig looks closely enough, appears to be completely naked. his sharp hip-bones jut out menacingly, but move out of view as kenny walks closer to his bedroom window and presses his lips to the glass, giving it a kiss. craig’s stomach flips, so he stumbles backwards, clumsily trying to tug his blackout curtains shut. there’s a rough knock to craig’s door frame and craig turns around quickly. “hey, dick-for-brains,” ruby addresses him with a smirk, “you’re driving me to school today with mom’s car.” she leans against craig’s bedroom door frame, her pigtails frizzy and coming undone from sleeping in them. her pink pajama pants have strawberries on them and her black shirt features ghostface from scream . another tucker conundrum. craig looks like an expressionless hard-ass, but he’s actually insecure and just really good at putting up walls. ruby looks like an innocent girly-girl, but she’s stubborn as balls and willing to go toe-to-toe with people double her age. “no, i’m not,” craig says calmly and nasally, walking over to his dresser and going through his meticulously-folded band tee shirts. ruby comes up and punches him in the arm, her little fist connecting with the muscle hard. when he thinks of ruby’s outward appearance and how it contradicts with the demon inside, it makes him think of how people always assume pit-bulls are evil beasts and chihuahuas are docile little angels, when in reality, most pit-bulls are docile, and most chihuahuas have a napoleon complex, growl, bite, and just generally deal damage for the sheer enjoyment of it. “evil bitch,” craig says flatly, rubbing his tender skin. ruby rolls her eyes. “mom’s on the phone with gerald broflovski again and says she can’t drive me to school. he says she shouldn’t settle until dad agrees to give up his prius in the settlement. then, he told her this was the most interesting case he’s had since the sexual harassment lawsuits over ten years ago. i guess dad’s mistress from ashley madison was also some kind of fetish sex-worker from the deep web, or something.” craig frowns. “how do you know about the deep web?” ruby snickers. “where do you think i got all of my guns from?” “you don’t have guns,” craig says matter-of-factly. “just take the bus to school, like i do.” ruby glares at him. “i’m not taking the bus! shelley marsh dropped out of college and her first time doing our route is today, and i’m too young and pretty to die!” “shelley marsh is a bus driver now?” craig asks, wrinkling his nose. “what happened to our old driver?” “she’s suing the school for maltreatment. i guess eric cartman found out she was an anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist and he convinced her that he was vaccinated and if his bodily fluids ever touched her, she would spontaneously combust. then, he sneezed on her, and she drove the bus into skeeter’s bar. gerald broflovski is representing her too, but he says if suing the school over eric cartman’s behavior was feasible that he would have done it himself twenty times by now.” “fine,” craig grumbles, “just no more talking.” “one more thing,” ruby says, flashing her teeth wolfishly, “kenny is across the street wagging his dick at you.” craig pulls the blackout curtains more tightly together, without chancing a look himself. “jesus, ruby,” he berates, “don’t look !” “why? are you afraid kenny was actually trying to impress me ?” craig scoffs. “shut up, loser. if it takes you more than ten minutes to get ready, i’m leaving without you.” it takes her nearly an hour to get ready and craig is loathe to admit that he falls asleep sitting upright in their living room chair while he waits for her to get ready. when he wakes up, he has a crick in his neck and a desire to strangle every squirrel that darts out in front of them on the road for making him slow down and get to school even later. “why were you late?” clyde asks, his arms folded over his chest. ever since craig’s parents split up, clyde has been trying to parent him. being raised by a single father has done wonders for clyde’s desire to be a tough-love motivational speaker. if one day goes by without clyde lecturing him on his attitude, pessimism, and neurotic tendencies, it’s a day where clyde has gone without joy. with his transparent goggles on, though, which he’s using to protect his eyes, while he pauses from sawing away gracelessly at a block of wood, clyde manages to look about as threatening as one of the squirrels craig nearly plowed down on the way to school. token looks back and forth between clyde’s block of wood and his own. “what are you making?” he asks. clyde shrugs. “i don’t know. a smaller block of wood?” “so, craig’s late again this month?” kenny says from across the table, standing opposite clyde and token, “funny -  bridon gueermo’s little sister told me that after she greased my monkey.” craig makes a face of disgust, though he knows kenny is just kidding. he moves to tug his apron over his head, feeling swamped by the material, though he’s plenty tall enough to wear it, though wearing it well was enough thing. kenny is easily the only guy in their class who manages to make protective goggles and stained aprons look good. everyone else looks like they watched too much bill nye the science guy growing up and stole their mother’s apron she uses to bake cookies with. craig thinks it’s because the guys in his class have ironed aprons, which they take home to have their mothers wash for them. kenny’s apron is stained so badly that it’s original red hue is more of a washed-out pink and the neckline is fraying and droops down to reveal his collarbones. kenny has never bothered to wash his, either because his family doesn’t own a washing machine anymore, or because their’s might be broken. craig had gotten sick of looking at how dirty kenny’s apron was one day after kenny had tried shaking off the wood clippings from his apron like a dog, so he’d offered to take kenny’s apron home and wash it for him. craig never should have mentioned his building’s private laundry facility - it was his safe haven. if the laundry room was a person - so steadfast, dependable, and boring, craig would have married it by now. however, kenny had never met a restricted area he didn’t like and subsequently invite himself into. thus, his laundry room had begun an extra-marital affair with south park’s very own white trash james dean. kenny is also the first one to put his goggles on at the start of every class and has never complained like clyde that it would mess up his hair. craig thinks kenny’s paranoia might stem from the fact that he lives in a dilapidated wooden shack that his father and gerald broflovski built as teenagers that continued to fall apart more each year, which kenny must associate with the rundown shop classroom. kenny had claimed a wooden beam in their ceiling had fallen and nearly decapitated him once, but craig assumes he’s exaggerating. regardless, he’s the most paranoid guy in their class by a long-shot. the first day they’d had this class, mr. adler had turned on a chainsaw and kenny had jumped high enough to clear a mailbox had one been beneath him. it had actually been, dare he even say, cute to see kenny lose his smarmy exterior and display vulnerability for once. kenny wouldn’t even pick up any of the tools they’d been given until craig had checked, double-checked, and triple-checked that kenny was out of range should any of the tools magically fly out of craig’s hand and pierce kenny in the heart. ever since then, craig has been waiting for kenny to need him to do another safety check, but it’s never come. it’s been one of craig’s major disappointments this year. it was always weird for him to realize that, despite the fact that he hated being social, he longed to be needed sometimes in the worst way. clyde actually snickers at kenny’s joke, which is one of the many reasons clyde isn’t to be trusted on matters of any substantial emotional duress. token cringes like kenny’s humor is intruding on his well to-do dinner party, rather than fit for the situation, since making casual sex jokes in a room full of hormonal teenage boys is the norm. craig has always wondered what token has seen in clyde. token is well-mannered, clean-cut, and rich enough to pay clyde a wall street stockbroker’s salary to clean his room, which he did once in the fourth grade, but never did again, because clyde actually made token’s room messier by emptying the vacuum bag out on token’s carpet by accident. craig knows that token likes hanging out with him because craig has never given him shit about token having the perfect family, because craig more or less had one too before the divorce. craig can’t understand why token doesn’t mind when clyde whines about his dead mom every time the three of them get drunk in token’s indoor bowling alley. as far as craig’s ever been able to tell, token and clyde’s relationship would be defunct if not for craig holding them together like glue, since clyde's crush was seemingly unreturned.  “what the fuck, dude?” clyde asks token, looking at token’s immaculately sanded-down bust of a man. “how’d you do that?” token shrugs. “it was easy. do you want mine? i’ll make another.” “any of you got any wood i can have?” craig asks, looking around their table. kenny beams as if craig had just informed kenny that he’d won the lottery. “for you ? you know i’ve got wood. you need a good screw to go with that?” craig flips him off and stalks off. he walks over to mr. adler’s desk, where the man is playing solitaire on his computer and looking far less suicidal than usual, which might grant craig a little luck. “mr. adler, i need some wood,” craig says listlessly. “there’s no more,” mr. adler replies, his eyes glazing over into the abyss. you know how that one goes. you stare long enough into the abyss, the abyss throws your back out when you’re only twenty-five and causes you to fork over your construction company and become a woodshop teacher until the day you die. nietzsche. “you should have gotten here earlier.” craig grits his teeth. “my mom was on the phone with the divorce attorney, so i had to drive my sister to school.” “not my problem,” mr. adler says, moving his eyes elsewhere. craig flips him off. “hey!” he barks, sounding offended. “i saw that!” craig shakes his head as he walks back to his shithead friends. no shit, you saw that, craig thinks, i wanted you to. he walks away briskly because if he gives mr. adler any time to reflect, he’d probably wind up with another week’s worth of detention. he had a full week’s detention last month when some freshmen on the football team had made a dig at token for kneeling before the game to protest the anthem and craig had stuck his foot out on impulse, tripped the kid, and caused the kid’s nose to start gushing blood after it had made impact with the ground. he hasn’t been in a fist fight in years, but he’s hardly turned into a pacifist. he’s just usually out of shits to give, but his fists almost came out of retirement that day, between that kid’s big mouth, and what he saw when he learned who would be in detention with him all week. craig had waltzed in and threw his backpack onto the desk, not caring who he woke up from their naps. there were a few kids who were always in detention too - kids younger than craig who he couldn’t identify if he tried, but he liked it that way. they slept through detention, while craig tended to sneak his earphones up under his shirt and listen to music to pass the time. the guy beside him had his arms wrapped around his balled-up brown leather jacket and his face mashed into it. at the sound of craig’s bag slamming onto the desk beside his, the guy had looked up. of course , craig had thought. that kid was always coming up with stupid schemes that were dangerous and threatened his life half the time. he’s lucky to be in detention with craig and not in jail or in a ditch somewhere. every time craig has seen him orchestrating a scheme that’s destined to fail, or even partaking in one of cartman’s, he would get the urge to ask him, you live like this? “oh, hey, dude.” stan had smiled jovially, as if he and craig were good friends . “i’m glad you’re here. i thought i wasn’t gonna have anybody to talk to.” craig had glared, his silence causing stan to continue trying to fill the tension with nervous babbling. “i’m missing a study date with wendy to be here. she’s gonna be pissed at me when she realizes i’m not coming.” craig had just rolled his eyes. wendy probably broke up with stan every two weeks because stan blew her off for something stupid - whether it be to help kyle foil one of cartman’s plans or to hang out with the goth kids behind the school. craig had a sneaking suspicion that stan went back there every couple of days to feed them sad poetry about love that the goth kids would assume was about wendy, but was probably about kyle. he hadn’t asked stan why he still hung around the goth kids, though, because he hadn’t given a shit. when craig gets back to his table, he sees that kenny is catching craig’s friends up with their oujia experience. clyde looks like a kicked puppy. he has the unfortunate trait of getting insulted when he’s not invited to things he would have zero interest in going to. for instance, clyde is terrified of horror movies and hates anything spooky, and would have turned down the invite had one been extended to him. however, he clearly wanted to be asked just so he could have said no. “you wouldn’t have gone, anyway,” token says, reading craig’s mind. he turns to kenny. “why’d you invite cartman?” kenny’s grip on the hacksaw he’s brandishing seems to go tighter. “i thought he would pay for the booze. did you know that fucking asshole is still getting royalties off that faith + 1 record? he told me he made five grand last month off those. the denver christian stations still play those songs.” token nods. “yeah, my parents have been making me put that money into my trust fund. i can’t touch it until i’m eighteen. i doubt butters has seen a dime of it. his dad probably blew it all on strippers.” kenny puts the hacksaw down, but leaves his protective goggles on. “nah, he’s in full control of that money.” token and clyde look at him questioningly. craig would too, if only he gave a shit. well, maybe he’s a little curious if kenny helped butters, considering their sexual history. even in craig’s head, thinking about butters having a sexual history makes him queasy. kenny doesn’t try to explain how butters could have managed outwitting his father, or gotten his hands on the money while he’s still underage, and the awkward lull in conversation goes unnoticed by clyde, who has already latched onto another topic. “so, why were you guys using a oujia board?” craig leans forward and rests his forearms on the table, blowing out a harsh breath, due to stress. “turns out i’m being haunted by a dead mad scientist.” “actually, he’s not dead!” kenny exclaims happily. “i thought we could go visit him after school.” “he’s not dead?” craig grits out, raising his voice. he sees token’s eyebrows raise out of the corner of his eyes. he and clyde aren’t used to seeing craig express many emotions, other than listlessness, apathy, and an occasional stoic snort of laughter. “he was, like, a hundred goddamn years old when we were ten - how’s he still alive? that prick tried to destroy our entire town and he got to walk away unscathed?” kenny winces, but leans in closer to craig and lowers his voice. his eyes are still bright with excitement and craig is hard-pressed to want to take that away from him. “i know, but that was the only lead we got, so we’ve got to use it. he doesn’t even experiment on animals anymore - trust me. he’s not living out in the boonies on that hill, either. he lives in some apartment complex in town. turns out that mr. kim had his address. he had chinese delivered on new year’s last year.” craig looks at kenny blankly. “my apartment complex, mccormick. it’s the only one in town.” kenny’s expression falters. “oh, shit.” clyde looks back and forth between the two with confusion. “who are we talking about?” “mephesto,” kenny replies, looking at them hopefully. “that idiot who genetically altered donkeys into having multiple asses?” token asks, finally putting down his wood. “i thought he was dead.” he doesn’t seem to notice craig glaring at him. “that guy is seriously dangerous. don’t go anywhere near him.” “well, how else do we figure out who’s haunting craig if it’s not mephesto?” kenny asks. “that’s the only name the oujia board gave.” clyde’s eyes light up. “bug the place! set up cameras paranormal activity style.” “i don’t have the money to be setting up surveillance cameras,” craig says, scratching the back of his neck. “this could be settled so much more easily if you could just punch ghosts.” kenny pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and starts typing away. craig wonders if he’s trying to find out if there are any cheap surveillance cameras on ebay. without any wood to work with, craig watches token take clyde’s block of wood and begin carving it into a circular shape. “it’s gonna be a basketball,” token says, handing the circular wooden chunk back to clyde. “get some orange paint. i’ll ask wendy to make you a miniature jersey in home ec tomorrow and you can present it to mr. adler for the biographical woodworking project.” “wow, dude!” clyde exclaims gratefully. “you’re the shit!” “oh, here’s something. did you know that over two-hundred thousand surveillance cameras are bought by americans each year?” kenny asks suddenly, sounding shocked, “and can you believe that only fifteen thousand of those are the cameras i hid in craig’s bedroom last week?” craig lowers his head to hide his blush. if it hadn’t been for kenny’s voyeurism that morning, watching craig without him knowing, that comment wouldn’t have the back of his neck going hot. clyde busts into loud laughter just as mr. adler makes his way over to their table. “don’t screw around!” he bellows before walking to the next table, where jimmy has partnered with jason to create a large microphone made of wood. kenny leans in close to craig again and gently nudges craig’s side with his elbow. “think about it, tucker.” craig looks up at him, this close to touching noses with kenny, and grimaces. “think about you having bugged my bedroom to watch me undress?” kenny’s mouth twists into a saccharinely sweet smile. “i meant to think about coming with me to see mephesto later, but hey, if that works for you….” he looks down at his wrist, which is bare. “i’m free at about.... literally anytime-o’clock.” he flashes another smile. “i’ll buy the cameras, you buy the lingerie.” token makes a gagging sound and excuses himself to the back of the classroom to sharpen a pencil he doesn’t even need for the class, while clyde looks stricken with disgust, but hasn’t moved one inch, because that would mean he would miss out on something. if marsh’s biggest fear was his sister’s fists, then clyde’s biggest fear was not being present for something that would later be a story told without himself being featured in it. craig rolls his eyes. “i’ll think about it.” craig uses his free period to wander around the empty halls with his mind running through his options in a haze until he reaches a chair pushed up against a wall, beside a room with it’s door shut. he collapses into it, hoping whatever teacher inside won’t see him and ask for a hall pass. after a few minutes of uninterrupted silence, someone pokes their head out from behind the door and sighs heavily. “well, come on in, m’kay.” craig looks up, his eyebrows furrowing. mr. mackey is looking at him expectantly and holding the door open for him. craig’s eyes roam over to the door, which reads counselor in huge capitalized letters. he looks in confusion down at his seat. he came to a familiar place in the midst of his internal meltdown. “craig? do we have an appointment?” mr. mackey asks, sounding impatient. craig doesn’t bother looking up again. “no. just habit.” mackey eyes him suspiciously, then shuts the door. “ah, you boys must be here for the spiritual cleanse. did you bring beverages with electrolytes? i have some here for a small fee.” mephesto hasn’t aged well since craig last saw him. his skin is leathered and puckered and would probably feel like sandpaper to the touch. his hair had been gray, if craig remembers correctly, but now he seems to be completely bald from under his yellow hat, judging by the shininess of his upper forehead. craig disregards mephesto’s loaded statement and pushes past him to get into his apartment. he’s not interested in digging through mephesto’s disturbing philosophies, especially if it means he has to be in the same room as the guy for longer than five minutes. mephesto looks surprised, but nods towards kenny and gestures for him to come inside. craig looks around the apartment. it has the same exact layout as his, only backwards, since it’s on the other end of the building. “you didn’t bring sleeping bags either?” he asks in confusion. “you’re not very prepared, are you?” kenny shoots craig a look like he’s just had sour milk, probably because he, like craig, is imagining having a sleepover with someone as unsettling to be around as mephesto. “we’re actually here to find something out about my friend here.” mephesto glances back to craig appraisingly and shrugs. his watery eyes pierce through craig and make him uncomfortable enough to shuffle closer to kenny. mephesto looks back to kenny. “yes, i could give him another ass for you, but only if you signed a non-disclosure agreement. i’m not technically in practice anymore.” craig growls and lunges toward mephesto. “are you fucking insane?” he shouts, his body struggling to release itself from the grip kenny has gotten on him. “after everything, you’re still experimenting on people?” mephesto’s eyes go wide as he watches craig struggle to break free from kenny. “no, no! people ask all the time, you see. it’s a very arousing idea for couples who have lost interest in each other sexually. fewer people ask now that ashley madison went offline, but they’ve always gotten spooked by the paperwork and left!” craig huffs angrily, but lets his tense muscles relax, though kenny leaves his hands on either side of him, probably for safe measure. “we’re here because i’m being haunted!” “oh?” mephesto asks. “yes, of course. why didn’t you just say so?” mephesto begins to walk towards his sofa, where he promptly sits, looking like he wants to put as much distance between himself and craig as possible. craig has no issue with this, as he’s still seething. “well, this area is ripe for ghost activity. there’s a dense history of traumatic death here.” kenny frowns. “but these apartments were just built, like, a month ago. how is there any history to begin with?” craig clucks his tongue and leans closer to kenny. “this guy is a fucking lunatic. let’s get out of here,” he suggests under his breath. “this plot of land was actually an indian burial ground - in fact, some local boy was said to have been dug up from his grave and reburied here, and was reborn as something not entirely human!” kenny snorts from behind craig, finally letting his hands loosen from craig’s shoulders. “yeah, that’s a rumor that was started about my friend butters. it was basically a prank on his parents.” mephesto nods carefully, looking deep in thought. “yes, of course. even so, this plot of land was, in fact, an indian burial ground. there was even a pet store here once called the indian burial ground pet store.” “so, my friend’s ghost is either a pissed-off native american, or it’s some little ghost kitty reenacting pet sematary?” kenny asks, jerking his thumb in craig’s direction with a slight smirk on his face that will probably go undetected by mephesto, who seems to be taking this as serious as a heart attack. mephesto’s expression goes dark. “well, it certainly could be either of those things, but more importantly, the life force behind the pain and suffering of these unrestful spirits has a magnetic effect on the otherworldly dimension. it can open a door between one world and the next.” “when you say another world- ” kenny starts. mephesto shrugs. “any world - even hell itself. ghosts are one thing - demons are another.” craig scoffs and turns to kenny. “are you hearing this crap?” when he looks at kenny, his breath gets caught in his throat. kenny looks panic-stricken. his eyes are glazed-over and he’s staring straight ahead - at nothing. it looks like he’s seeing something terrifying, though, because his mouth is agape and his eyebrows begin to twitch. craig reaches for kenny’s arms and shakes him slightly. “mccormick, snap out of it,” he says firmly. kenny’s eyes look straight through craig, who has turned to face kenny on the sofa, his knees brushing up against kenny’s. craig is in kenny’s direct line of vision, but it’s like he’s somewhere else, his mind totally asleep at the wheel. mephesto stands and walks over to kenny slowly, leaning down and putting one hand on either side of kenny’s face. “how interesting,” mephesto says, “would you mind if i ran a few tests on him?” this time, there’s nobody to stop craig as he lunges at mephesto. his hands land squarely on mephesto’s chest and he topples down, taking mephesto with him. he thinks mephesto might have banged his head on the edge of the coffee table, but he isn’t sure. his fist has connected with the fatty skin at mephesto’s side, making the older man huff in pain. craig doesn’t even hear any movement behind him between the shrilly ringing in his ears due to his rage and mephesto’s grunts of pain, but he feels kenny’s hands yanking him upright. “tucker, for fuck’s sake! my scrawny ass can’t lift you if you’re still swinging!” kenny cries, pinning craig’s arms to his sides so he stops trying to land jabs to mephesto’s sides. craig finally stops swinging and shakes his shoulders to get kenny’s hands off him. “i’m ready to go.” after they’re on the other side of mephesto’s door, leaving mephesto panting and glaring at craig from the floor, craig heaves as he tries to catch his breath. kenny reaches over and claps craig’s back heartily. “you okay up there, tucker? do you need me to reach up there and give you mouth-to-mouth?” craig slumps back against mephesto’s door, ignoring kenny. “shit, that guy is a fucking psychopath. what happened to you back there?” kenny’s entire body language shifts, his mouth pressing into a firm line and his back going stiff as a board. “nothing. look - we broke one of the rules of using the oujia board. you’re not supposed to use a oujia in a place where there’s been a violent history.” “who cares?” craig asks and steps closer to kenny. “you don’t really buy any of that shit about demons, do you?” kenny looks up at craig and swallows roughly. “no, i’m not fucking retarded.” he schools his expression into an admittedly decent-looking grin that craig doesn’t actually believe is genuine. “remember when those herbalists came to town when we were kids? maybe if it’s a native american haunting you, we could barter some cherokee hair tampons for your safety.” craig snorts. “look, we need to try the oujia again. mephesto didn’t give us fucking anything.” “we’re not doing that.” kenny reaches forward and puts one hand on craig’s chest and pushes him back against the door, like he thinks craig is going to run off to do just that. “ you’re not doing that. we’ll just - have to figure something else out.”   this was so against craig’s entire character. craig has never been much of a risk-taker - his mother told him that when they were teaching craig to ride a bike, craig liked the feeling of being protected by his knee pads and elbow pads so much that he’d started wearing them to school. he doesn’t remember, but it sure as hell sounds like something he’d do. he’d briefly considered asking ruby to join him, but the thought of her rolling around the floor in hysterics when the ghost called craig a virgin again was plenty reason not to. he set up the candles, the oujia board, and the planchette on his bedroom floor. sitting cross-legged in front of the board, with his bedroom door closed, craig just hopes his ghost doesn’t blow the door open and alert his family to the fact that craig is trying to converse with something from beyond the grave. it wasn’t the first time this week or even today that craig wished he lived somewhere else - away from his mother who was never around to give him advice and his sister had no use for him and would likely never need him to do the things every brother was meant to do for their sister. ruby was so brave and self-reliant that she’d probably one day warn her own prom date to treat her well. was it such a crime to need to be needed every once in a while? was every single person in his life too prideful to ask him for help? god knows his mother needed it. kenny probably would like to stay over at craig’s, away from his own crazy parents, more often. craig knows, despite this, that kenny will never ask. some weird, morbid little part of him fantasizes sometimes about kenny sneaking through his window in the middle of the night crying and needing craig to reassure him that kenny will never end up like his parents. it won’t ever happen - craig will just have to stick with caretaking for stripe, the only living creature that depends on craig for anything. moving the planchette to hello , craig sighs deeply. he feels incredibly stupid for doing this alone. although craig has seen plenty of crazy shit having grown up in south park, his stance on ghosts has always been that they were merely a way for lonely people to pretend their dead relatives were still around. craig gets lonely too, but that’s what stripe is for. he hasn’t ever needed to stoop to such ridiculous levels of lunacy before now to feel companionship. “hello?” craig says quietly, knowing ruby won’t be able to hear him over the sound of the pop music she’s blaring through her speakers in the next room. he’s too embarrassed by his own trembling voice to raise it and attempt to sound more assertive. “is anybody here with me?” when nothing happens, craig clears his throat nervously. “am i alone in this room?” it takes several long, profoundly, and wonderfully boring seconds where nothing happens. then, the planchette skirts out from under craig’s hand and moves along the board without craig touching it at all. if craig were less of a sensible person, he would almost be willing to say that it appeared another hand, albeit invisible, had taken hold of the planchette, which rests now on the word no. craig inhales sharply and looks around his bedroom. nothing else has moved - not even his door has budged. “who else is here, then?” the planchette darts just as suddenly over to the alphabet, stopping on the letter s . moving one letter to the right, it stops yet again on t . craig frowns. would it spell out steven maybe? did he know any stevens who were dead? butters’ dad was named steven, but to his knowledge, the guy isn’t dead. the planchette moves backwards two letters to the r . then, it moves to the i , the p , and finally comes to a sudden halt on the letter e. “stripe,” craig says flatly, looking up to where stripe’s cage lay on his desk. “stripe is here with me. you must think you’re really funny.” the planchette flew up to the left corner of the board over the word yes . craig sat very still, glaring at the board. “i wish mccormick had decided to help - i’m sure he would have appreciated your astute sense of humor.” the planchette whipped clean across the top of the board to the word no. “no?” craig asks, horrified. “why not?” craig watches as the planchette quivers slightly, but doesn’t leave the word no . it’s almost as though whatever has taken hold of it is at a loss for words and can’t decide what to say. craig watches as the planchette painstakingly-slowly spells out the word ‘need’. “need what?” craig asks. ‘soul’, the planchette decides to spell. craig leans backwards in horror, not wanting to be sitting this close to the board any longer. “this is ridiculous,” he says, shaking his head. “you’re probably not even the one we spoke to last time.” the planchette slides upwards and lands on the word yes. “there’s no way you could even prove it,” craig says. “if this place really once was an indian burial ground, there’s no telling how many spirits could theoretically still be here.” the planchette begins moving again. craig waits with a sickening sense that he’s not going to like where this is going. ‘virgin’, the planchette says. craig laughs dryly. it would fucking figure that the first person to need craig for anything in the past year would be a fucking ghost. he’s always wanted to be needed, to prove his worth to someone, and now he can - by giving his soul to some otherworldly piece of shit ghost who likes to mock him. craig is beyond frustrated at this point. he’s at his max capacity for insanity, even after how short a conversation it’s been. kenny was right - he should never have done this alone. without bothering to say goodbye to such a resentful creep of a ghost, craig folds his board back up, blows out his candles, and sticks the oujia board back under his bed where it belongs. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- craig often feels out of place with his peers and even more-so with the social stratosphere of his entire generation. he had entered his teenage years among the onslaught of dating apps aimed at kids his age that chalked building a relationship up to finding someone who knew what their most flattering selfie angle was. worse yet, he’d seen the steady rise and sharp decline, and subsequent combustion, of dating sites aimed almost exclusively at married men. finding out his own father was incapable of monogamy, just like so many other thousands of men who’d been exposed as cheaters through trolltrace and ashley madison, had escalated craig’s fear of getting into a relationship tenfold, since he was into guys, and guys were all apparently as forgetful as a goldfish to the fact they were in a relationship if you so much as left them alone with a wifi signal for an hour.craig can remember growing up with his mother always asking him what kind of girl he wanted to marry one day. he’d fire off with a list of personality traits a mile long, a list of jobs that were acceptable for them to have, and even what brands of snow boots they could wear. from a young age, craig was extremely fussy about everything from the food he ate to the television shows he watched, and he’d never quite outgrown it the way most kids do.his mother told craig years later that it hadn’t struck her as strange until she’d asked ruby the same (grossly presumptuous) question about what kind of boy ruby would want to marry, and she’d simply answered, “nice.”craig couldn’t give a shit about his future spouse’s preference of snow boots now, though, and he thought about their career choice even less. for all he cared, his imaginary husband could rob banks, run the entire irish mafia, or sell kidneys through the black market, but as long as he was open-minded enough to tolerate craig’s compulsive need to meddle into his business and generally assist him in fixing any and all problems that likely didn’t affect him, craig would be happy.in fact, despite knowing kenny is not his boyfriend and probably never will be, craig would currently be balls-deep into a forty-step plan to save kenny from his parents, if not for the fact that his life is being threatened by a ghost. nothing made craig feel so productive, fulfilled, or happy as when he strategically planned out something to help someone that proved successful. it’s just that he doesn’t get the opportunity much anymore, since his friends and sister are mostly self-reliant. clyde was his only friend who frequently needed help solving problems, but those were math-related problems, which were better left to token. craig has always had more of a mind for art, particularly for developing television and film ideas, and sometimes entertained the delusion that he would graduate from high school and try to sell scripts to hollywood directors. these days, the thought of finishing his education seemed remarkably depressing. he couldn’t imagine doing much after graduating, other than maybe spending ten miserable years fleeing from one unreliable partner to the next, before finally settling down and becoming kenny’s personal atm machine.the thought scares him so much because it doesn’t sound nearly as depressing as he knows it should. it’s not that he thinks kenny couldn’t amount to anything - he knows kenny is incredibly strong-willed thanks to being brought up under unorthodox parenting styles, if one could even refer to kenny’s parents drunken shenanigans as a parental style. it’s scary because craig truly believes that he has nothing going for himself, other than his sheer reliability. he knows this trait of his will end up fucking him over big time. he can see his future now - some guy craig is interested in (translated: kenny, because craig is incredibly fussy about who he will date) will go fuck everyone else in south park for years before finally, begrudgingly, coming back to craig with his tail between his legs, and admitting that it would have been more beneficial for him to have been with craig all along.if someone had asked craig a few years ago if he would have thought it’d be worth it to wait around for somebody for years, just because they fit your bizarre, systematic criteria for a partner, he would have unequivocally said yes. he would have said 'if i could be the one to marry kenny mccormick someday and rub it in all his exes faces, i would be so happy’.”now, he has to say a resounding fuck no. fuck no, it’s not worth suffering in silence over. the unfortunate part is that he’s not sure he really has much of a choice, considering kenny is his only real option should he stay in south park forever.  “don’t you look chipper,” kenny says, yanking playfully at the strings of craig’s chullo hat until craig belligerently takes it off and whips it inside his opened locker. “what crawled up your butt?”  craig doesn’t think that complaining about the financial strain his family is currently under, due to his father’s unwillingness to pay child support, to someone who goes most nights without dinner is appropriate, so he can’t mention how upsetting it is that his father is so consumed by resentment for his mother that he neglects to send money to her that his children need. she’s going to be in meetings with gerald broflovski all day before her court session with craig’s dad, which, knowing the level of incompetence of all the adults in south park, could wind up taking all damn night. craig is terrified to go home and debates texting ruby to ask if she can crash with one of her friends overnight, so he can go stay with token or clyde, and not feel guilty about leaving her in a home full of angry spirits.before he became haunted, craig’s biggest worry was not knowing what to do to help his mom out. he’d offered countless times to get a job and help her pay for the groceries, even applying to work at the movie theater downtown where he, clyde, and token had seen asses of fire in the third grade. they’d offered him the job and his mother had suggested he not take it and instead focus on school.craig does well enough in school, minus his occasional behavioral slip-ups. his permanent record may reveal that his appearances in detention are well-into the hundreds by now, if one started keeping count in elementary school, but his actual grades are, well, great. he gets ribbed by the guys sometimes for managing to keep his grades so high in classes he legitimately sleeps through.though the idea of living on a college campus and sleeping through college courses sounds far more appealing than trying to sleep at home, on a bed that now levitates off his bedroom floor and shakes, craig has no earthly idea of how his mother will afford to put him through college. more than that, craig has never really wanted to go.he’d always imagined that by now he would have dropped out of high school, gotten an internship with a film production company, and been someone’s errand boy, running around taking coffee orders from producers double or even triple his age. instead, he’s worrying about not even making it out of high school alive.kenny is standing in front of craig with his hands shoved into the pockets of his low-rise, ripped jeans, looking concerned. “you know, when someone talks to you, tucker, it’s custom-practice to actually respond.”“what fascinating question about my ass did i miss?”kenny continues, unphased. “something’s bothering you. what is it?”craig still can’t see complaining about his family’s financial issues, nor is he ready to tell kenny that he broke another oujia rule by playing alone, and admit that it may have something to do with craig’s bed’s newfound ability to float mid-air, so there’s only one thing left to complain about. if all of this is real, if native american ghosts or dead pets need his pure, unblemished soul, that means craig has to screw some loser he hates in this town, just to survive, which makes his skin crawl.craig’s eyes flick up to kenny’s and he knows that kenny is absolutely not an option for him. craig would just wind up more in love with kenny than he is now, only while also knowing the intimate details of what it’d be like to be in a relationship with kenny, making the fact it won’t likely happen all the more painful.what other guys who even liked guys could craig approach with such a bizarre proposition? craig could probably fit all the potential guys who were options into a room the size of token’s mercedes-benz ’s trunk.the first couple of guys craig sees are butters and cartman, who are seemingly in cahoots, talking quietly about something down the hall. well, more like cartman was talking at butters and butters was cowering. craig could fuck butters and see if it made kenny jealous, only kenny would probably just walk up to him after, elbow him, and ask if sinking into butters’ ass still felt like fucking the kind of cloud that parts only for a rainbow.there’s marsh and broflovski, who are staring straight back at him and kenny. they’re probably waiting for kenny to get sick of craig and walk over to them. craig gives stan’s body a once-over. not bad - slim, but moderately toned. nowhere near as tall as kyle. he did clearly like guys, though, judging by his reactions whenever broflovski threw an arm around him, which bordered on the excitement level of an abandoned golden retriever when their sniper owner came back from war. craig could maybe sleep with stan, if he wanted stan to follow him around after, writing him poems about how the taste of his dad’s beer paled in comparison to the taste of craig’s semen.“what are you laughing at, weirdo?” kenny asks craig, looking hopeful, like he thought craig was thinking about dogs with little rainbow propeller hats on them.“you know, some schools in the bible belt still teach abstinence,” craig says factually, collecting gum wrappers from the top shelf of his locker. “they tell their students that sex kills. bet those retarded hillbillies would never believe i’m about to die because i haven’t had sex.”kenny shoves past craig and steps backwards until his back shuts craig’s locker for him. craig glares. he wasn’t done cleaning the gum wrappers out of his locker - which have really been piling up the last few days, thanks to the insurmountable amount of stress he’s under, which drives him to chew gum as fervently in school as he chain-smokes when he’s at home.“we can get that out of the way, no problem,” kenny says breezily, his back pressed languidly to craig’s locker, as if he owns it. “the janitor’s closet is right down the hall.”craig clucks his tongue and pouts slightly, like kenny has just told him some terrible news that craig doesn’t especially care about. “is that where your family’s living now? rent must be pretty good, though. tell karen i said hi.”kenny’s mouth drops open, but he looks more impressed than angry. “you know what, tucker? you keep taking cheap shots at me and everyone else in this school when you need to get laid to save your sorry ass and suddenly you’re gonna be balls deep in scott malkinson, because he’s the only kid this year you haven’t rejected.”“some people are smart enough to not bother asking,” craig says over his shoulder as he turns on his heels to leave for class, “and i’ll take my chances, mccormick.”“why, yeth, we can hath sex, you tall glath of wather,” kenny unabashadley shouts after him, impersonating scott, “but you hath to get me ith cream athter becauth my blood sugar droths athter i exert mythelf because of my diabeedith.”craig coughs to conceal the accidental laugh that bubbles up inside him and keeps walking as if he hadn’t heard kenny. he hears kenny continuing to chase after him and fights the obnoxious urge to stop and wait for him to catch up. kenny slides clumsily up beside craig and throws his arm around craig’s waist, starting to lead him in the wrong direction - towards the lobby where kids enter the building, which is lit up by the light that’s filtering up from beneath the doors. if kenny thinks they’re about to ditch, he’s got another thing coming. there’s nowhere to go except for home and craig feels much safer inside his painfully boring, ghostless school than he does anywhere else.the worst thing that’s ever happened inside their school is probably eric cartman taking a shit on garrison’s desk - which was more disgusting than frightening. thus, craig would rather continue milling about the empty halls than venture outside the building and risk his life any further.craig gets the peculiar feeling like this is how brides feel as they’re walking down the aisle with their fathers, who are sending them smack dab into the terrifying unknown. craig shrugs off kenny’s arm and stops short. “where are we going?”“we are not going anywhere,” kenny clarifies, dropping his arm from craig’s waist. “i’m going into the girls’ bathroom and you’re distracting the office administrator.”craig wrinkles his nose. “why are you going to the girls’ bathroom?”“let me ask you something, tucker. would you rather take a leak at a urinal with piss sprinkled all over it, or would you rather take a leak inside a stall that has triple-ply toilet paper and scented soaps and flowers on the sink?”“why do the girls have triple-ply toilet paper?” craig asks. “as student body president, shouldn’t wendy have already had, like, eight meetings about environmentally-friendly waste disposal? i’m surprised she hasn’t enforced a school-wide wipe-your-ass-with-your-own-hands rule.”kenny merely grins. “yeah, but think of what would become of their bathroom after each girl’s monthly hemorrhaging without any toilet paper. so, are you gonna distract the fruitcake or not?”craig looks over to the office, where the glass partition reveals a woman who could have and should have retired fifteen years ago standing behind the counter, a pencil stuck through the gray bun in her hair. “fine - just hurry up.”craig strolls leisurely over to the office door, hoping that if he takes long enough, kenny will have pissed himself and given craig an excuse to spend the entire night hiding in his apartment building’s laundry room and avoiding stepping foot into his own apartment at all.“hey, mrs. miller. can i apply for the morning announcement position?” craig asks, feigning politeness, folding his hands on the counter.“oh,” she says, looking at craig oddly, “well, usually one of us does the announcements. i suppose you could read a copy of yesterday’s announcements and we could see if you have an attention-grabbing voice. there’s no job application.”craig leans his hip against the counter so he can keep an eye on the bathroom door across the way. no sign of kenny yet. how long does it take to piss? “yeah, sure. mr. mackey says my voice has gravitas,” craig says as flatly as possible. if nothing else, the irony will perk him up. “he said i should take public speaking next semester.”she peers down at craig judgmentally from behind her clunky glasses. “are you sure that’s a good idea, honey?”craig glares. he glances back to the bathroom. well, what do you know? speak of the fucking devil. wendy testaburger is escorting kenny out of the girls’ bathroom, only she’s not kicking and screaming like she normally would be when faced with something not being to her liking, and he can’t imagine a universe where wendy wouldn’t mind the most depraved guy in their grade lurking around in her bathroom. she has one hand on his elbow as she guides him out of the bathroom. her expression is faintly amused while she speaks, like she’s playfully chasitizing her partially-blind grandfather for walking into the wrong bathroom.they stop outside the door, kenny grinning at her and doing a little dancing motion like he’s celebrating something. maybe the best piss of his life, before washing his hands with almond butter soap, or something. wendy suddenly throws her arms around kenny’s neck and kenny almost bows over from her strength. he hugs her back, even gently rubbing her back from over her heavy purple coat. craig had no idea they were so close. he’s sure marsh would love seeing his girlfriend draping herself over one of his best buddies. he and wendy could be on the rocks and she could be coming onto kenny, or wendy might just be thanking kenny for aiming well at the toilet and not making a mess. either way, craig is in even more of a sour mood than he was before. he takes off, though the unreasonable side of his brain tells him to stay and keep watching.when lunch period rolls around, craig does not even bother with his usual routine - spending at least half the period with his own friends, while ignoring kenny’s cat-calls to him from another table, before reluctantly getting up and joining kenny, storming right up to kenny and his retarded comrades from the moment the bell rings and plunking himself down beside him.cartman and broflovski are engaged in some tug-of-war match over an essay that has a laminated cover, which can only mean cartman is trying to steal ideas off broflovski. marsh, sitting across from kenny, does not even look up at the fight, dejectedly stirring a plastic spoon through cafeteria chili. his lower lip is slightly jutted out, reminding craig of how toddlers look when they’ve fallen off their bicycles. marsh looks like he’s been thinking about using his container of chili to collect fresh tears in. craig could not have gotten more lucky than if stan had produced a kleenex and started snotting into it.“what was with that heart-to-heart with wendy in the lobby earlier?” craig asks, knowing stan will hear. thank you to every shitty portrayal of scorned women in every male-directed movie ever, craig thinks, because virtually every dipshit at this table will think i’m implying that wendy wants revenge on marsh and intends to do so by letting kenny fuck her into next week. craig doesn't think it's the likeliest scenario if he's being honest with himself, but if kenny is only going to reveal the truth if he's accused of something, then craig will make sure that marsh makes that accusation. predictably, with the sound of angels beating off in the background, stan looks up from his presumably cold chili. “you had a heart-to-heart with wendy?” he asks with a small, heartbroken voice.kenny shoots craig the kind of look one would give a cat when it’s scooped the family goldfish out of it’s bowl and eaten it. craig tries not to revel too much in the satisfaction he feels from getting kenny into trouble. craig puts on his best who me? face and watches kenny shift around awkwardly in his seat. “i was trying to get her back together with you,” kenny tells marsh softly, reaching out and patting marsh’s arm.“that story smells a little fishy to me,” cartman says, clearing his throat.kenny looks to cartman without taking his hand off marsh’s arm. “your mom can relate.”smugly, cartman leans forward, looking around broflovski’s massive head of curls to appraise stan’s expression. “so, how are his chances looking, kenny?” cartman asks. “last week token and nichole broke up during first period and were making out again by sixth. how big of a chance does stan have of being half of the designated senior class couple to both break-up and reunite today?”  kenny winces, removing his hand from marsh’s arm. “smaller than most.”cartman snorts. “funny, that’s what i’ve noticed in the locker room.”marsh says nothing to defend the honor of his dick size, which craig is eternally grateful for. he’s sure that the conversation veering onto another subject entirely will be preferable until broflovski opens his trap. “if we’re all set on the dick jokes and your mom jokes, i’d like an update on craig’s situation.”“actually, i’ve got another contribution,” kenny interrupts. he stretches both arms out with his hands folded together, cracking his wrists like he’s about to write the next great american novel. “so, what do you call a porno about craig’s mom raking leaves?” craig groans. if he were with token and clyde, he’d have some authority to tell them not to encourage kenny.“we’re listening,” cartman says.“leaf it to beaver.”craig scowls. marsh is the only one at the table who doesn’t crack a smile, still too busy mulling over his bitch of an ex like they were ever compatible to begin with. craig actually feels a pang of sympathy for him; craig too understands the horror of realizing the person you love is an asshole who doesn’t love you back. only, marsh has two assholes who apparently don’t love him back.craig feels kenny’s thigh collide into his and ignores it in favor of focusing on his growing frustration at not having his questions about wendy answered truthfully. “fine, tell them all about how mephesto scared us straight.”craig holds his head high. “this isn’t a nineties d.a.r.e. psa. i wasn’t going to wait around and hope the ghost that’s haunting me gets bored of terrorizing me and ascends to heaven on good behavior.”kenny’s expression shifts dramatically. “what is that supposed to mean?”“i contacted the ghost again.” “alone?” kenny asks, raising his voice. “you broke the second oujia rule?”“if you ask me, this is what craig gets for moving to a place where indians were thrown into mass unmarked graves,” cartman says thoughtfully.“you knew that land was an indian burial ground?” kenny asks. “you could have said something at his place!”cartman trucks on, unphased. “at least we know why kenny lives like he does - his mom lost big-time on a game of mash as a kid and wound up in the shack she was destined for, while all the other little girls must have lucked out with mansions, apartments, and houses. but god must really hate craig to let construction workers desecrate the indian burial ground just so craig could go live there and get haunted.”“native americans,” broflovski corrects, folding his arms snobbishly over his laminated essay.cartman turns to look at him in disbelief. “they tried to kill you, asshole. what do you care what i call them?”“you’ve tried to kill me, dumbass!” broflovski shouts, socking cartman in the arm. cartman doesn’t even flinch. the bulky area of cartman’s upper arm that broflovski punched must feel like punching a wall. broflovski hisses with pain as he shakes out his likely throbbing hand.“kahl, as usual, your anger is totally misplaced. you’re just pissed because kenny wants to help stan get back with wendy, and you’ve been single all year.”“you’ve been single all year too, dipshit.”“i’m single by choice, not because i was waiting for stan to bend over for me.”broflovski smiles sweetly, like a psychopath. “by whose choice? your’s or everyone else’s?”the conversation continues to devolve due to cartman’s ego and broflovski's stubbornness, leaving craig with a pleasant, warm feeling inside that tells him that he’s in the clear. there’s no way anybody, let alone kenny, who had less of an attention span than most of the dogs in town that craig had filmed as a child, would be able to keep focus on anything over the sound of their squabbling. craig chances a look at marsh, who has been sitting and watching with rapt attention despite his previous depressed disinterest, with a glob of chili sauce on his chin. craig lets out a heavy sigh of relief, allowing a serene look to pass over his face.“sorry for getting my tits in a twist, tucker,” kenny says with a relaxed grin, interrupting craig’s smug inner monologue, “it’s not like you broke all three rules.”craig shifts his head slightly, becoming curious. “what was the third again?”kenny reaches across the table to swipe a french fry off cartman’s tray while he’s still engaged in his argument with broflovski. “you gotta say goodbye to the spirits. you can’t ghost the ghosties.”“huh,” craig says disinterestedly.kenny raises his eyebrow, having ceased chewing his french fry. “huh?”craig opens his mouth, then promptly closes it. he’s not entirely sure how to frame the question he now knows he needs to ask. “theoretically, what would happen if i didn’t?”“what happens if you broke all three rules?” kenny asks, snorting. he looks completely unconcerned. “you would know if you had, tucker. that ghost would be showing itself off like a thirsty bitch on the gram. spirits can materialize if all the rules have been broken.”craig clears his throat and thinks about how he’d spitefully cut the conversation he’d had with his ghost short and how the very next night he’d been lifted and shaken around while in his bed. he guesses that would be the spirit realm’s equivalent to a celebrity posting a selfie with surgically lasered and facetuned skin and advising fans to drink water to clear their skin. it was a little braggadocious to levitate someone and their bed. “yeah,” craig mutters, “it’s not like i broke all three rules.”kenny smiles and knocks his knee gently into craig’s. “tucker, you’re so hot that the only three rules i want you thinking about are stop, drop, and roll.”“and just like that, we’re back to our regularly scheduled program,” craig says with a cringe. the table has quieted down enough to where cartman has heard and started chucking broflovski’s fries at kenny for being so disgusting. broflovski complains loudly that cartman should be throwing his own fries, but nobody listens, and craig is already planning on sleeping on the floor of the laundry room later that night.“i’m not going anywhere, asshole!” ruby shouts, following craig down the hall with clenched fists. her cheeks are pink with rage and she looks positively murderous. “if you’re trying to get me out of the way so you can invite your boyfriend over, you’re shit out of luck!”craig’s face contorts into a grimace. “you think i’m some ditzy, big-titted babysitter in a horror movie trying to get laid instead of watching the kid?”ruby walks right up to him and jabs his chest with her pointer finger. “if it walks like a ditz and talks like a ditz-”craig ignores his seething anger in an attempt at being mature when all he really wants to do is chop off her ponytail with kitchen scissors, like he did when he was ten after she dumped all his favorite vhs tapes in the tub. “i’m responsible for you, ruby. if i tell you to go to one of your friend’s houses for the night, that’s what you need to do.”“so you kicking me out the apartment is you being responsible?” ruby asks, her voice having gone up several octaves. “i am way more responsible than you! wait until i tell mom you-”craig groans. “forget it!” he throws his hands up in the air. “go be responsible somewhere else. i’ll make you dinner later.” he heads into his bedroom feeling just as frustrated with ruby as he is frightened that they’re both still in their haunted apartment. he slumps against his door, contemplating crushing sleeping pills into ruby’s dinner, duct-taping her legs together, and calling token to pick them up when there’s suddenly a loud thump coming from the other side of his bedroom door like somebody had thrown their body up against it. he steps back and opens his door to find one sole ankle boot laying on the floor. fucking brat.he kicks the shoe away from his door and goes back into his bedroom, wondering if googling how many sleeping pills you’d need to knock out the future women’s wwe wrestling title-holder would look bad in his search history or not. another loud thump causes him to flinch, but this time, it’s coming from his window. he pulls back his blackout curtains to reveal none other than the lumbering quarterback boyfriend to distract the ditzy babysitter from her duties. only kenny isn’t much of a match for that particular trope and craig supposes that’s what attracts him to kenny in the first place.he slides his window open and kenny immediately throws one skinny leg over the ledge, moving like he’s being chased by something. “we need to talk,” he says, before stumbling into the room ungracefully.craig just stares at him. “if you’re breaking up with me, you could have just sent a text.” he knows he’s in deep shit when kenny doesn’t even crack a smile, much less produce the obligatory comment about sexting that craig had anticipated. “earth to mccormick.”“we don’t have a lot of time,” kenny says, “i just got off the phone with butters.”craig shoots him a disparaging look. “if he’s gotten you into something, you’ll have to deal with it alone. if i leave this apartment, ruby will hunt me down like the sociopath she is.”kenny makes prolonged eye contact with craig’s rosemary’s baby poster, as if it were talking to him. “butters hasn’t gotten me into anything,” kenny says slowly, “i’ve gotten you into something.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “first of all, what you’ve got to understand is that i would never do anything to intentionally hurt you,” kenny says, looking pained.craig stares. “is this the part where you tell me that you cheated on me with a raisins girl, or something?”“i’m being serious,” kenny says, and craig’s stomach drops because he’s never seen kenny look so unwell. “do you remember when manbearpig killed satan when we were in the fourth grade? do you remember how upsetting it was to watch?” he pauses to assess craig’s reaction before continuing. “well, i never got over it.”craig stares at him blankly. “so, you were a satanist? what does that have to do with butters?”kenny shakes his head. “nothing, but - with this haunting shit that’s been happening to you, do you believe that other shit could happen to?”“i mean, yeah, i guess.”“i’ve been to hell before - like, enough to know every street corner there as well as i know every street corner of south park. when i was a kid, it was like a second home to me, and i started seeing satan as, like, a father figure. he was always more encouraging than mine, you know? he really believed in me. that’s the thing, though,” kenny says, and looks away from craig, “he’s gone and he left me with all the fallout from - from fucking everything. can you imagine america without a president, without the supreme court, without the senate or the house of representatives? it’s been complete chaos there even since he died.”craig blanches. “i don’t understand. you’re saying…hell has branches of government?”“you believe i personally knew satan?” kenny asks, probably wondering why craig is hung up on the political aspect.craig nods. “didn’t we all pretty much personally know jesus? he was always hanging around like he had no friends and nothing better to do. he’s how i always imagined butters would be as an adult.”kenny huffs out a gentle laugh and sighs heavily. “hell’s branches of government have been completely defunct for eight years now.”“eight years?” craig asks. “how does that work?”“it doesn’t,” kenny says simply, “but it’s different there. when you’re a demon who’s been around for centuries, eight years is like a week to them, but it feels like an eternity to me. i’ve been putting all my time and energy into that shit for eight years of my life, neglecting everything else. i can’t balance my time between both places anymore. it’s not the same without satan, and what’s more, nobody has even been looking for him.”“didn’t he just go to heaven?” craig asks. “it can’t be that hard to find him.”“tucker, demons can’t just go knocking on heaven’s door like they’re guns n’ roses. hell and heaven are like islands completely inaccessible by ship or plane. if you’re damned to hell for all of eternity, you can only get into heaven by extraordinary sacrifice or compassion, and nobody in hell has any experience with those expressions of love or cares to. they’re happy living in the current political state and they don’t want him back.”“if they’re so inaccessible, how do you get there?” craig asks.“it’s different for me,” he says, “because only humans who can stay dead can be damned to hell for all of eternity. i can’t stay dead - i’m immortal, right? whenever i die, i go to hell. when i leave hell, i’m reborn in hell’s pass and i age back to normal overnight. have you ever heard urban legends about the gates to hell? we call them hellgates. hell’s pass is a gate.”craig crinkles his nose. “you had me up until here, mccormick. this is just some retarded buffy the vampire slayer joke, isn’t it? you’re telling me hell’s pass is a fucking hellmouth?”but the more craig thinks about it, the more it makes sense. hell’s pass has a reputation so bad for neglecting, infecting, and killing patients that everyone goes to native american herbalists for natural remedies when they get sick, preferring to take their chances with holistic medicine. he remembers when they infected cartman with hiv at hell’s pass, but he also remembers how broflovski almost died when his mom treated him only with natural medicine. craig could never decide who was stupider - the incompetent doctors in town or all his classmates’ parents. maybe craig should make a mental note to thank his mom for letting him wear his elbow and knee pads to school as a toddler while learning to ride his bike. if he’d shown up at hell’s pass with a scraped knee, apparently he would have either left with an amputated leg or crossed a portal over into hell itself.kenny shrugs. “so you can see why i’ve wanted a way out of this shit for years now, that’s what i needed you to know. i don’t want the responsibility i’ve got there. i want to be here full time, but the only way to ensure that was for somebody to take my place. butters knew about my plan.”“what plan?” craig asks, not appreciative of the fact that kenny had trusted butters with all of this information and not him.“i lied to you about why i got my job at city wok. it wasn’t to send ruby to her vocational school - she had a scholarship. it was to save enough to pay off some people to sacrifice someone else to take over my position in hell for me.” kenny shoots craig a frown. “don’t look at me like that, tucker. some people would kill to have the kind of power i was pushed into having. i targeted someone who would be happy with that kind of power, anyway. not that they knew. they would have loved it once they'd gotten there - if the plan had worked.”craig purses his lips. “who?”“cartman,” kenny says nonchalantly. “who else?”craig blows out a shaky breath. “how?”“i paid off the goth kids to kill cartman.”“fuck off,” craig says, immediately dismissing the idea as a bad joke. “we’ve all wanted to kill cartman, but really doing it is another thing.”“i wasn’t going to be the one doing it,” kenny says, as though it completed rationalized it. “i’m not a murderer.”“could have fooled me,” craig says, not finding kenny to be all that innocent. “not that i give a shit about cartman.”“nobody does,” kenny says callously. “i would be doing the world a favor, okay?”craig snorts. “purely out of the goodness of your heart, i’m sure.” he watches as kenny makes a face and looks away again. he can’t argue with craig, but maybe craig shouldn’t be judging him too harshly. he can’t even imagine the stress level kenny would have dealing with so many sordid types. it’s not as though savory people made their way into hell.“do you remember in shop class when i said butters was in full control of his earnings off the faith + 1 shit? i was wrong. cartman had given them contracts to sign when they joined the group, but purposefully gave butters one that stipulated he make significantly less than them. he figured that token’s parents would hire some big-time lawyer to look over the finer details and butter’s parents wouldn’t, and he was right.”craig would say he was bored to tears, but even then he wouldn’t shed a tear for butters. “okay?”“cartman noticed the goth kids trailing him a lot around school and complained about it to butters, who must have looked guilty because cartman automatically called him out on it and let him know that he had money put away for butters that would be going into cartman’s range rover fund unless butters told him what was happening, and butters needs that money to get away from his dad.”“shit,” craig says, “butters is a little fucking weasel.”kenny’s face hardens. “he’s not - cartman heard ‘virgin sacrifice’ and probably lit up like a fucking christmas tree. these things work in an antiquated way. for thousands upon thousands of years, it’s had to be virgins who get sacrificed. cartman’s story about banging heidi was a lie that he concocted because he was insecure after everybody kept hooking up with everybody else at token’s parties. i was with cartman almost the whole night he claimed he nailed her and that night heidi barely stayed long enough to take her jacket off. i remember because when she did take it off, her tits were sitting just right.” he smiles wistfully. “anyway, when cartman cornered butters in school, he said he’d pay the goth kids triple whatever i paid them, to specifically kill butters, so butters told cartman that we’d fucked.”craig winces. “well, problem solved, then.”“problem not solved, tucker,” kenny stresses, “because we never fucked.”“what the fuck are you talking about?”“that night we used the oujia,” kenny starts, looking rightfully ashamed, “i had to back him up while cartman was there. don’t you get it? i had to protect him. only, now we’re screwed. i had thought that you were for sure being messed with by some stupid, asshat ghosts. then, what mephesto said triggered something in my brain. they’re watching me and, by extension, you. they must be a demon. demons would have a reason to want to get someone like cartman in office to take over for me. he’s their kind of leader. whoever it was probably loved my plan and wanted to make sure it would be cartman. whatever demon was trying to warn you, they must have seen that the goth kids would target you.”craig inhales. “what?”“well, they never actually hurt you. they really did just want you to get laid so you’d be worthless to sacrifice. that’s why they slammed your door shut when i was sleeping here in your bed - so we’d bang.”“no,” craig spits, “not that. you came up with an elaborate lie to protect butters and never thought to do the same for me?”“it’s not like that,” kenny rushes, “i promise. nobody threatened you, least of all cartman, who has never had a problem with you. he never showed any sign of knowing what i’d planned the night we all used the oujia, but he must have. he got the confirmation that you were a virgin and must have ran with it. he’s probably paid the goth kids to go after you to get back at me for trying to have him killed. otherwise, he could just send them off on malkinson, or something.”craig grits his teeth. “how is cartman getting me killed his revenge on you?”kenny balks, looking affronted. “i don’t know if you’ve noticed, tucker, but we’re pretty close. there’s really nothing worse he could fucking do.”“except have butters offed,” craig mutters angrily.kenny is silent for a long, painfully uncomfortable moment, while staring at craig blankly. “why do you think i’m here to protect you, instead of with butters? cartman could have figured out that he lied and be targeting him instead.”“protect me from what exactly?” craig asks snottily.kenny’s posture changes, the muscles in his arms going tight like he’s trying not to close up his fists in anger. “cartman gave butters the money and let him know that the goth kids chose tonight to come for you. cartman is using a huge chunk of his own faith + 1 savings to buy the goth kids’ loyalty. butters double-crossed him and called to warn me that they’ll be on their way here soon. it could be a ruse that cartman’s doing just to pull a fast one over on butters, but with the oujia pointing to you, it can’t be a coincidence.”craig wants to strangle kenny. “you didn’t have a backup plan?” he asks through his teeth. “i did,” he says. “there was someone i thought maybe was power-hungry enough to agree on their own to take my place, someone who i would never sacrifice. someone i thought would sign the papers with full understanding of the ramifications. most people would never agree to such a thing, which is why i invested more time in the plan to sacrifice cartman. i was still working the angle for my backup plan, though, even up until today, and it was starting to work on them, but it was a delicate situation. being cautious was the only way it would have worked and i thought that time was on my side. i’m gonna get you out of this either way, tucker.”craig watches as kenny begins pacing back and forth, running a hand through his bangs, which are damp from the sweat beading on his forehead. the motion is frenzied and uncoordinated, but when combined with his perpetually tan skin, the dark roots creeping through his scalp, and his scowl, he looks about ready to walk a european runway. craig resents the fact that his heart hammers at the thought that he might have to ask kenny to fuck him.kenny stops pacing, coming to a dead stop so close to craig that the toes of his ratty converse ram into the toes of craig’s leather boots. “we can make a run for it,” he suggests, as if it’s that simple.“and do what?” craig asks flatly, “hitchhike to middle park and risk getting ass-blasted by some sixty-year-old redneck? hide in the woods and wait to be shot by marsh’s retarded uncles who will probably mistake us for deer? go uphill, off the trails, and hope a mountain lion finds us before the goth kids do?" he laughs without humor. “oh my god,” he groans in disbelief, “it’s like a game show. do i want to choose the death behind door number one, two, or three? goddammit, i could have produced this if i wasn’t about to die.”“you’re not going to die!” kenny shouts, putting his hands on craig’s shoulders. “we’re going to kick some major ass like we did when we were kids and beat them off.”craig slumps over, feeling his forehead brush up against the top of kenny’s head. “jesus, mccormick, we were never actual superheroes! we can’t do shit to stop this - they’re probably on their way here right now, with butcher knives and decapitated goat heads!”“okay, fine!” kenny shouts, throwing his hands up into the air. he looks like he wants to wring craig’s neck. “so go hitchhiking for some geezer and convince someone to devirginize you so the goth kids can’t use you for their ritual.”craig shrugs emotionlessly. “it would be the perfect solution if there was a way to make sure they were clean. i’d rather be dead without an std than alive with syphilis.”kenny winces. “syphilis can kill you, you know.”a nervous laugh bubbles out of craig’s throat. “oh, great, so i get to choose between dying from syphilis or dying from being ritualistically sacrificed to satan by the goth kids. i guess that’s what was behind door number three.”“maybe we shouldn’t pretend that there’s not an obvious solution to this problem,” kenny hedges, looking up to craig expectantly.“maybe getting pounded to avoid certain death wasn’t on my agenda today,” craig argues.“saving yourself for malkinson, smart-ass?”craig shrugs. “saving myself for someone a little more high-brow.”“fuck you,” kenny says with a hint of a smile. “you’d really rather theoretically screw some homeless guy or malkinson than me? if i didn’t know any better, i’d say you were trying to hurt my feelings, tucker.”“gotta have ‘em to hurt ‘em.”kenny scoffs. “i’ve got a feeling you’re running out of options, tucker. say the word and we run. i’ve got the cash in savings that would have gone to the goth kids after they completed the mission. we can stay gone as long as we need to.”“there’s no point,” craig says. “if the goth kids are smart, they’ll wait until it’s dark out to come, since they don’t know butters tipped you off, and they’ll want to ambush me. go find whoever was your backup plan.” craig looks over to the alarm clock on his bedside table. “sun usually sets in about an hour. you said you were getting close, right? you might be able to convince them if you hurry. i’m fucking pissed at you, but if anybody has the nauseating ability to charm someone into taking their spot in hell, it’d be you.”kenny just stands in front of craig, staring open-mouthed at him. “no fucking way. there’s no guarantee that would work and i don’t want to risk it. i’m only betting on a hundred percent odds where you’re concerned. your life is not expendable to me, okay?”craig doesn’t even want to say it, but he has to. “if they don’t voluntarily sign and i’m not a virgin anymore by the time the goth kids get here, you’ll have to keep going back to hell.”“it was a pipe dream, anyway,” kenny says, looking like he’s trying very hard to appear unphased. “whoever i chose would have had to go through a lengthy legal process that still could have resulted in them being deemed unfit for office and then i’d be back to square one.”“what would you have to do to be deemed unfit? it’s hell.” craig asks, expecting that kenny is trying to keep something from him. kenny had already implied cartman’s tyrannical tendencies would have been applauded there - meaning hell’s standards for those who hold office would have to be pretty low. he knows kenny is trying to placate him because he feels he needs to sacrifice his happiness in the name of craig’s safety. craig is torn as to whether that’s a good thing or not, since he could be doing it purely out of guilt.“the semantics are not important,” kenny says, which confirms craig’s suspicion. “what’s important is the time constraint we’re under. if we save your sorry ass, i’ll have more time to find a replacement after tonight.” he stops to look pleadingly into craig’s eyes. “you’ve got to let me help fix this. if you have any hang-ups that are gonna get in the way, you have to tell me now.”“you already know them," craig says, determined not to look away from kenny. it would be easier to look away than to stare him down as he implicates his own crush on kenny and kenny’s refusal to commit to anything other than his own hedonistic urges. it would be easier to win an arm-wrestling match with ruby. it would be easier to stick his hand in a blender and turn it on.“name one person i’ve been with besides butters, which he made up,” kenny instructs.craig shrugs again. “you never told me names.”“why didn’t i, tucker?”craig raises an eyebrow. “because i never asked?” the truth was, craig had never even wanted to picture kenny rolling around in bed with nameless, faceless tramps from school, which he often did. it would have been ten times fucking harder knowing it was the sophomore bitch from detention who snapped her gum all the time, or someone else craig would have had to face at school. craig had never asked and he’d assumed kenny never gave names out of some retarded delusion of gentlemanliness. “because i never wanted to give you a name and risk you waltzing your nosey ass up to them and asking them about it.”“what is that supposed to mean?” craig snides. he could die laughing at the thought of himself walking up to one of kenny’s conquests and asking how their cervix was doing or if it was a satisfactory experience for them.“they’re good stories, right?” kenny asks. “lots of detail, even some dialogue. she had freckles on her tits, he had a mole under his ass cheek. anybody with a little imagination or the pornhub app could probably come up with similar ones, right?”craig freezes. whenever kenny had alluded to getting pussy after school on some unaware father’s bed or getting head from some mystery guy at stark’s pond over the weekend, craig had been too busy doing the best he could to not openly scowl or pout about it to question the validity of the recountings, nor would he have ever had the balls to fact-check kenny by forcing him to reveal the names of his dozens of lovers. dozens of greedy dickpigs, all vying for kenny’s attention as if he were a character in a raunchy eighties college film. now that he could clear his jealous mind, potentially only a few minutes from sleeping with kenny himself finally, it was almost unbelievable how quickly craig was to believe everything kenny had said.“so,” kenny says, biting at his lip nervously and tipping backwards and forwards on his heels, “if those stories were going to be a hang-up for you-”“you’re insane,” craig says in stunned disbelief. “what is it with you and elaborate lies?”kenny has the decency to at least look marginally embarrassed, though he tries to mask it by unconsciously flexing his chest and arms like an insecure child. “we all have pathetic hobbies, tucker. you have star wars. that’s ten times lamer.”“why would you do that?” craig asks, ignoring the jab.“once i started, i couldn’t stop,” kenny explains. “i remember that it was in seventh grade when i told you the first one. i said i went under the bleachers with one of the cows cheerleaders and she let me get my hand up her skirt. you looked like donovan when that football hit him in the face in elementary school.” kenny’s face goes unexpectedly soft - it makes craig nervous. “nothing else had worked. you would barely look at me after peru. you looked at me all the time after that story.”craig knows he’s gaping, but how could he not? was kenny just pulling his pigtails all this time? figuring that getting negative attention from craig in the form of sneers and insults was the best he could hope for? did that mean that all of kenny’s stories were fabricated bullshit? did that mean that - craig grins. “kenny mccormick - a virgin. the world might actually stop turning."“bite your tongue,” kenny says, as if virgin were a dirty word.“is that a request?”“you’ve changed your tune awful quick, tucker. did i hit the nail on the head?” he teases.absolutely. that had absolutely been one of craig’s hang-ups. “absolutely not.” no way in hell was craig about to give some heartwrenching speech of his own just because kenny had. kenny looks skeptical, but relieved. “does this mean we’ve got a handle on this plan?”“yeah, this plan has lots of untapped potential.”“hilarious, tucker,” kenny says, his face coloring for the first time craig can ever remember. “make your little jokes. must feel nice to have the tables turned.”“it does, actually.” craig lets himself laugh. never did he think he’d see a day where he could poke fun at kenny for being inexperienced in bed.kenny peels off his white tank top and whips it at the floor, already tugging off his jeans like he’s entered a contest where the first one to strip completely naked wins a month of free cable. craig stares at the tank top on his floor, wondering if it’d help disguise what they’re going to be doing from ruby if craig used it to stifle the noise.“you’re really about to berate me for making your room messy during a life and death situation, aren’t you?” kenny asks, looking too stressed out to laugh. “i’ll pick it up after.”craig rolls his eyes. “i was going to say, maybe you should use it to gag me. ruby’s room is on the other side of this wall.” he points indelicately to the wall where stripe’s cage sits atop hs desk. “i don’t want her to hear anything.”kenny must blink a dozen times before what craig’s said has registered. when he responds, his voice is higher, like he’s inhaled helium. “yeah, i can do that. that’s not a problem.” kenny clears his throat, hands having gone back to shoving his pants down past his skinny thighs. craig isn’t sure what he finds more attractive - that kenny had lied about getting laid regularly and that craig would be his first too - or that craig had managed to scandalize the guy who he’d previously thought was unable to be scandalized.suddenly, everything is real. kenny is standing in front of him in black briefs, dirty blonde hair coming up past his navel from beneath them. craig inhales sharply, too busy staring to realize kenny picking up his white tank top and folding it over several times. when kenny stands on his tiptoes to throw it around craig’s neck, trying to raise it over craig’s mouth, craig bats it away.“not yet, dickweed. we haven’t started.”“sure, let’s let your sister hear what prepping someone should sound like.”craig makes a face. “don’t make finger-blasting sound so clinical. jesus, mccormick, are you feeling okay?”kenny tosses his tank top onto craig’s bed and looks at craig with a pained expression. he lets himself slump down onto the corner of craig’s bed, looking lost. “you’re sounding awfully nonchalant with us having no real plan here for someone who alphabetizes his movie collection. are you feeling okay?”shrugging, craig sits down beside kenny. his bare arms brush kenny’s, his denim-clad legs brushing up against kenny’s bare ones. “you’re not gonna be very good in the sack if you’re wrangling with guilt the whole time.”kenny turns his head to look at craig with disbelief. “how could i not be feeling guilty? this doomsday scenario is my fault. i should have anticipated that cartman would intimidate butters into telling and never trusted him with my plan to begin with. on top of that, i’ve been hitting on you for a solid year, knowing that you don’t feel the same way. now it’s like i’m twisting your arm here. you either sleep with me or you get whacked."“you’re not twisting my arm,” craig says casually, then cracks a smile, “you’re gagging my mouth.”“craig tucker making a lewd joke to distract from important conversations that need to be had?” kenny asks listlessly. “you’ve got some stiff competition for that kind of defense mechanism.”craig looks down into kenny’s lap, raising his eyebrows when he looks back up. “doesn’t look all that stiff to me.”kenny lets out a distressed noise that sounds like a cross between a pained laugh and a dry sob. “i’m sorry, man. this is starting to really feel like i’m forcing this on you.”well, shit. maybe he does have to give a heartwrenching speech after all. craig braces himself for the waves of nausea he's sure will flood his stomach the second he opens his mouth. being vulnerable has never really been his thing. what if craig's feelings were too much for kenny and he ran? sure kenny's speech had sounded like he might want more from craig than just a quick fuck, but craig couldn't bank on that. would kenny ever be able to be in the same room as craig once he learned how much craig cared about him? what would craig do if the goth kids showed up and kenny wasn't even there with him? “you remember that time we snuck into skeeter’s through the back door and stole two bottles of whiskey before we heard footsteps and had to leave?” craig asks softly, drumming his fingers nervously against his leg. kenny looks up at him like he’s crazy, gesturing outwardly with his hands as if to ask why the hell he’s thinking about that at a time like this. “you know when we were hiding behind those crates in the back alley for an hour, drinking in the dirt because we thought they’d hear us if we ran off? you drank half a bottle, told me we would be more concealed if i sat in your lap, and kept trying to kiss me.”kenny groans, dropping his head into his hands. “yeah, you’re not really helping. wow, i’m a creep.”“it was really, really hard not to just let you.”kenny stares at him uncomprehendingly. “i don’t understand.”“i always want you to kiss me. it almost happened that night; i was so drunk and i still couldn’t relax. i got so fucking angry with myself that i just started complaining about nothing and almost blew our cover. when i’m unhappy, it doesn’t even occur to me that someone else could make me happy if i just let them. it’s like my brain thrives on creating roadblocks that aren’t there, in front of anything good that comes my way.”kenny's face breaks into the kind of smile that makes craig's stomach flip like he'd feared, but in a good way. maybe he shouldn't have been so scared to tell kenny that. “thanks for the ego boost,” kenny says, grinning finally. “you could have just asked me to rock your world a year ago if you wanted me this whole time, instead of waiting until you were on death’s door.”“are we doing this sometime today or should i just get started on writing my last will and testament?” craig asks, pointing to his notebooks for school, which are stacked on his desk. “like i said, it shouldn’t get dark for another hour - that should give me enough time to sort out which movies clyde should get and which ones ruby should get.”kenny shoots craig a dirty look, shaking his head and clamoring from the end of craig’s bed up to the top, clumsily reaching over to craig’s bedside table. “you got any lube, or not?” his hand skirts past craig’s cell phone and ashtray as he reaches for the drawer. he snorts impolitely. “planning on having a smoke after, like in those old as shit movies?”craig sighs deeply. “hand me my cell phone, mccormick.”“why?” kenny ignores the request as he riffles through craig’s bedside drawer. finding craig’s pack of cigarettes, he takes one out and makes a big show of leaving it on craig’s side of the bed for afterwards.“i’m gonna phone malkinson and ask him if he’s interested,” craig says casually, reaching for his iphone, his body stretching out like a cat’s from his place towards the end of his bed. he can feel his black jeans riding down as he moves and hopes kenny gets the picture.kenny’s already laughing as he tackles craig, rolling him over and pinning craig’s bony hips down with his hands. when craig manages to almost knock his phone from his bedside table onto the floor and kenny catches it, craig knees kenny lightly in the groin and wrangles his phone away from him. craig lifts his phone to his ear, pretending he’s just accepted a call. “sorry, mom. i can’t make ruby anything for dinner on account of me being dead. if it’s not too much trouble, i’ve figured out what i want my tombstone inscription to say. here lies craig tucker: adequate son, belligerent brother -”“-and total tease,” kenny interrupts, knocking craig’s phone out of his hand. he rolls craig over onto his back easily, since craig doesn’t exactly mind being manhandled. kenny’s hands are pulling at craig’s jeans, which are so tight that they begin to take craig’s underwear off with them. instead of focusing on craig’s dick and making some crude joke, kenny’s eyes are still on his. “oh, and you better not call me mccormick while i’m dicking you down. like, what the fuck is this, the sopranos? i think we’ve known each other long enough now to be on a first name basis.”craig makes a face and thinks about arguing, but realizes that the more they bicker, the less time they have to do this. he’s pretty sure kenny has been fueling that fire because he’s just as nervous as craig, but craig would never accuse kenny of that. part of kenny’s charm lies within suspending one’s disbelief that kenny had never known fear and existed virtually free of worry or hesitation.“is that a no on lube?” kenny asks again, his hands having already shimmied craig’s jeans off and thrown them somewhere. craig’s underwear has valiantly remained on, albeit scrunched down far enough to look indecent. both of kenny’s hands rest on craig’s bare thighs as if he were accustomed to doing so regularly. he simply stares at craig expectantly, waiting on a response, and craig fights the urge to shake his head around like a dazed cartoon character who's just been hit over the head by an anvil.“yeah, bought some the other day. you bring condoms?” craig manages to ask.kenny balks. “you bought lube and no condoms?”“i was under the impression that you were doing more plowing than my dad's john deere tractor did during that blizzard last year. can’t imagine why i’d think that, though.”kenny blows out an uncertain breath. “okay, well, i’ve heard this old wives’ tale about saran wrap and olive oil-”“your dick isn’t a leftover casserole and my ass isn’t a microwave,” craig says flatly, “we’re not doing that.”“so…” kenny starts, looking moderately concerned. “we really don’t have time to make a trip to-”“i don’t care,” craig says, surprising himself. if this were happening under different conditions, like if craig still thought kenny had been spending the better part of the year getting enough pussy to put the town gynecologist out of business, he would never be suggesting it. as it was, the idea of kenny bragging about having largely imagined sexual prowess was almost endearing, in a morally bankrupt and vaguely pathetic way. craig’s dick perks up a little at the realization that he’d never heard of kenny actually hitting on anybody other than himself. sure, kenny had claimed to have dozens of intimate relationships - but never had craig seen kenny so much as kiss anyone in school.this meant that kenny’s standards were undoubtedly higher than craig had thought - and whatever they were, craig met them. kenny had presumably known craig would never have put out, but had chosen to waste the majority of his free time over the year with craig, anyway. it made craig’s stomach flip again knowing that kenny could have easily used his time on more receptive people, but for some reason prioritized hanging out with craig over actually getting laid.“you scripting an episode of close-up pets in there?” kenny asks, tapping the side of craig’s head.craig scowls. “scripting an episode of true crime: i let my neighbor give me syphilis so i couldn’t be used for an occult ritual.”snorting and waggling his eyebrows, kenny spreads his arms out like a bird. “well, i’m here, aren’t i? hunky, spunky, and not dead from syphilis.”  “i was just fucking with you,” craig says, “i know you don’t actually have syphilis. can we get this over with so we can go back to bickering and pretending we hate each other?”kenny scans his face carefully. “yeah, since we’re short on time, but we’re talking about that after,” he says pointedly, then dips in and catches craig’s mouth with his own, his elbows on either side of craig’s waist. it’s careful, soft, and remarkably gentle for someone so full of brashness and impulsivity.kenny’s tongue darts out briefly to swipe over craig’s bottom lip and craig finds himself getting lost in the kiss, opening his mouth on autopilot. he finds himself wrapping an arm around kenny’s neck and trying to tug him closer, not registering kenny’s hand moving to his underwear until kenny’s fingertips graze down through his meticulously trimmed pubic hair and over his shaft. craig becomes instantly embarrassed that he’d forgotten they even have a time constraint and breaks the kiss. “i’m not a girl,” he pants. “you don’t have to kiss me like i’m some chick from a nicholas sparks’ book,” he says snottily.kenny drops his head to kiss craig’s neck wetly, his mouth open. it should be a turn-off, to be licked at like a dog. should be. “now who’s pretending to be something they’re not?” he murmurs, as if kenny acting like he'd gotten his dick wet more often than hugh hefner was not a more measurable offense than craig acting like he didn't want a little romance in his life. craig tries to raise his leg to kick kenny in the shin, but kenny catches craig’s thigh and hikes it over his hip, pressing himself into craig, and breathing heavily into craig’s ear when it only succeeds in making craig more frustrated.something is on the tip of craig’s tongue - a comeback or an insult - but it’s quickly forgotten with the understanding of just how hard kenny is. craig shouldn’t feel so victorious when he’s not actively been working towards that goal, too preoccupied with the kissing, but he does. he tries to kick at his bedside drawer with his other foot, but misses. kenny looks back, confused, until he gets onboard and fishes through the drawer again, but coming up with lube.“still want to be gagged there, dita von teese?” he asks, reaching for his discarded tank top instead. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- craig sort of wishes he’d made a sluttier approach, had whispered some fabricated words about not being able to wait, about needing kenny right away. he’s ninety-percent sure kenny would have fallen for that, which would have left them struggling with zippers, sure, but craig wouldn’t feel so exposed now. he’d be lying here with his shirt rucked up and maybe, in this imaginary world, he would have had the foresight to wear boxers instead of briefs. he would have told kenny to stick it up the leg of his boxers, made kenny take him with his dick in his hand, pulling it awkwardly from the jeans craig would have made sure kenny was still wearing, to give craig some semblance of control.but that’s not where they’re at.craig is completely naked and flat on his back when kenny tries to steal the lube from him, so he slaps kenny’s hand like a nun in a catholic school would do to unruly students. like hell is craig going to let kenny open him up too, like it’s not bad enough that kenny assumed craig would bottom. he’d like to be asked, he thinks. not that craig wants otherwise, only it’d be nice to give the illusion that he does, or at least the illusion of having no real preference. instead, he apparently gives off the air of someone with a strong preference for taking it up the ass. he supposes his track record incriminates him further when he wets his fingers as sparsely as he can with his lube, showing kenny that he probably has done this enough to himself where he’s not afraid of the burn of it. the point of not letting kenny help was to give craig a shaky, mostly false sense of taking power back over his fate. he may not have a choice in whether or not he loses his virginity tonight, but he’s damn sure he’ll have some say in exactly how it’ll happen.he foresaw that he’d feel humiliated, sure. he didn’t foresee that it’d feel like this - too strung-out from the feeling of his fingers filling him up to be as embarrassed as he sort of wants to be. if he’s not embarrassed now, he’s apt to do something he’ll be twice as embarrassed for later. he’s hyper-aware of kenny’s reaction to watching him. there’s not much else to look at other than kenny’s face as he’s fingering himself - he can’t very well watch his own actions without a mirror. kenny’s face is better to watch, anyway.kenny keeps reaching down unabashedly to stroke himself, staving off his urges by petting at his dick to calm it down like it’s an attack dog that’s ready to spring forward at any moment. his whole chest is flushed pink, his dick just the same. he’s impatient, clearly, but he’s willing to play by craig’s rules. he should considering he got craig into this mess.craig presses his lips together to vainly try and stop a stilted moan from coming out, knuckles brushing past his prostate. normally this is where craig might keep doing that, fingers cramping from the angle, suffering through it until he could shoot, dick springy and painfully hard even when ignoring it to stuff his ass like a turkey on thanksgiving. that's not how he's going to let kenny see him, though, even if kenny’s watchful eyes are more flattering that he’d expected. it gives him the courage to move back to rest against his headboard, reaching for kenny’s wrist to pull him over him. kenny has his arms around craig’s waist instantly, kissing him languidly. his dick is hard as a baseball bat rubbing against craig’s navel, not to mention the time constraint they’re under, but he kisses craig like he’s got all the time in the world and not one impatient or domineering bone in his body.he’s grateful for something else - that kenny doesn’t suggest taking craig from behind, even if craig has fantasized at times about that. he’s thought about it plenty, even fell asleep thinking about it the night kenny had stayed over to keep watch over him. he remembers being half-conscious and imagining that the warm body radiating heat through the sheets just a few inches from him would push him over onto his stomach, weave one hand through craig’s hair and yank craig’s body back onto their dick by pulling at craig’s hair like he were a children’s pull-string, talking toy. of course craig would never admit this aloud to kenny, could barely admit it to himself even knowing that kenny wouldn’t judge him for wanting that. it’s a coward’s wish, though. not something craig would ever let himself have, along with vape pens and a blu-ray player. no use in getting accustomed to and spoiled by something dangerously good if you’re not going to be able to live without it, if you lose all free will and dignity where it’s concerned. he has appearances to keep up with, after all. can’t have kenny realizing that craig is so pliable, so willing to please.maybe just because of that, craig is more than happy to oblige to kenny slipping the rolled up tank top over his head and into his mouth, the fabric holding his mouth open and making him nervous he might start drooling. the sight of craig gagged, with his legs spread so kenny can lie between them, is apparently really wearing on kenny’s resistance. he looks at craig with wide eyes like he’s never seen anything like it, which craig doubts very much, seeing as kenny must watch copious amounts of porn to inspire so many juvenile stories.the slide isn’t very easy, which is mostly craig’s fault for not using as much lube as he probably could have. the feeling of kenny’s bare cockhead rubbing up against his fingers which are still working inside him, barely brushing his actual hole, is strange and exhilarating. craig is torn between wanting more of that feeling and less of it, not familiar with the rush of endorphins, as he’s never been much of thrill-seeker.craig has no idea what’d it feel like to have someone inside of him while wearing a condom, but he’s sure as shit it can’t be better than this, better than the warmth of kenny’s skin while he’s inside of craig. everything feels too hot, like craig’s body is burning up from the inside. he wishes he’d had the foresight to turn on his ceiling fan. it’s a heat that’s unforgivable, running through him like melting butter circling the inside of a skillet. it matches in intensity with the heat residing from between their chests and stomachs.the sensitive head of craig’s dick has been incessantly rubbing up against kenny’s pelvic muscles ever since craig tugged kenny on top of him, now making craig squeeze his eyes shut from the combined intensity of that paired with the feeling of kenny’s shallow thrusts inside of him, since he refuses to pull out. craig whines each time kenny brushes past his prostate, each time seemingly done by accident, and only for a second at a time. he gets his arms around kenny’s back, trying to tug him closer, hoping vainly that it’d give him the stimulation he needed to come.kenny moans close to craig’s ear, his forehead mashing into the pillow that’s beneath craig’s head, probably because he’s gone just a fraction of an inch deeper inside craig. he sounds like he’s struggling to keep it together, which craig finds himself happy about. he’d much rather kenny be this highly-reactive, inexperienced lay than have some stone-faced and unblinking porn star type, who fucked with indifference. despite the fact that he’s barely any deeper, having already bottomed-out long ago, craig keens like it’s much deeper than it is, the sound muffled by the gag in his mouth. he registers his hands squeezing kenny’s shoulder-blades, though he doesn’t remember moving them there.his noises seem to egg kenny on, whose dick is now resting unhelpfully against his prostate. kenny is fucking craig in such short, circular motions that he’s barely even moving. craig is starting to suspect it’s because kenny is trying not to come before craig has gotten off. the pressure not letting up on his prostate has craig feeling too stimulated, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut again. he knows kenny can’t see that it’s too much, what with him having face-planted into craig’s pillow, and he can’t very well tell kenny that since he’s still gagged, so he digs his nails into kenny’s back, and hopes he gets the picture.“shit, craig,” kenny bites out, and craig is regrettably too dazed to appreciate kenny calling him by his first name for once, like kenny is too fucked-up to remember to keep up the facade of platonic male comradery in calling craig by his last name. kenny’s hips snap harder, instantly, as if not of his own volition. craig digs his nails into kenny’s back again to stop himself from keening through the gag, knowing that he could easily become too loud for ruby to not hear from the next room over. kenny’s dick is no longer resting against his prostate like it’s got no direction and hours to spare, it’s dragging alongside it with clear intention. craig is coming untouched before he’s even realized how close he is, scrabbling for purchase with his nails digging into kenny’s back as the head of his dick spurts thick ropes onto kenny’s pelvic muscles. kenny snaps his hips a few more times before coming himself, making craig’s spent dick twitch and spurt once again weakly at the feeling of his prostate being abused.kenny rolls off of him, chest heaving from exertion. his chest is shiny from sweat, his hip bones and lower stomach coated with craig’s come. kenny watches with rapt attention as craig first pulls the tank top down from his mouth to let it rest on his neck, letting out a few much-needed breaths before yanking it up and over his head. craig drags the tank top over kenny’s chest and stomach to clean craig’s spunk off, letting kenny’s hand cover craig’s, though he doesn’t try to guide craig’s hand anywhere in particular. it’s more like he’d seen craig’s hand and liked the idea of holding it, which was a little too sappy for craig, who feels a little uncomfortable from the sensation of lube and spunk running down his thighs.he’d like to reach between his legs to mop up the mess with kenny’s tank top too but, even after baring his body to kenny and allowing himself that vulnerability, he’s still too embarrassed to do so. he wishes he were more like kenny in that way - uninhibited, laying on his back with his softening dick on display. craig isn’t even sure why he’s embarrassed of the mess between his legs - he thinks kenny would probably love seeing his own come sopping out of craig.craig watches as kenny tosses the tank top clear across the room, beside a heap of clothing that looks to be both of their pairs of jeans. “we should get dressed,” kenny says, looking reluctant to be suggesting it. he gives craig a measured look, eyes scanning over craig’s face like he’s looking for a sign of anger or disappointment there. craig tries not to let any of those feelings crop up, so there won't be a chance he’d look as such. kenny gets out of craig’s bed finally, probably having been running through the odds in his head of craig pulling him back down and forcing him to talk about their feelings, and having come to the conclusion that it wasn’t likely.craig takes the pillow out from beneath his head, now flatter than a pancake from craig being pushed back against it repeatedly, and sets it over his lap. he uses it as a shield while he looks around the floor beside his bed for his underwear. he sees it on the other side of the room and throws his legs over the side of the bed, moving to stand.“i’ll bring your stuff over.”craig just looks at him, narrowing his eyes. “what’d i say about not being a girl?”“humor me,” kenny says. when craig says nothing, kenny clarifies, “i think i’d be a little disappointed if you could walk.”craig scoffs and stretches his legs out, pointing his toes down like a ballerina. he does feel a little sore, sort of like coming back to school every september after spending the entire summer sitting on his ass playing video games and being forced to run the mile. the muscles in his legs tense when he tries to extend them, protesting. well, that’s only marginally humiliating. he hopes he and kenny aren’t going to be running for their lives tonight. he doesn’t think the goth kids will be very empathetic should craig get a cramp while running in the woods and need to break for some yoga-like stretching maneuvers.craig stands with the pillow braced over his dick with one hand, a poor attempt to preserve the modesty he’s already lost. he can feel kenny’s eyes on him as he walks up to him to retrieve his clothes. truthfully, walking is not the most pleasant feeling in the world. he’s determined not to let kenny see that, though.craig hides a wince when his muscles ache while pulling his pants on by turning his back on kenny to cast the pillow back towards his bed. when he turns back around, kenny has graciously half-dressed himself. his jeans are on, but the button is open, revealing a smattering of dark blonde hair. he's still bare-chested, but it’s more than craig thinks he could ask for. he wonders if he and kenny ever get to a point where they live together, like some warped version of a sitcom husband and wife, if kenny will insist on walking around naked all the time. kenny has forgone slipping the dirty tank top over his head. craig is thinking about how he’s going to hide it from within his hamper when he does laundry next, what with ruby usually trying to throw their clothes together to be washed while slipping his own shirt back over his head.he’s still busying himself with thinking over mundane, wonderfully boring things when there comes a relentless banging from outside craig’s window, harsh and unable to be ignored. whoever it was, they weren’t going to stop banging until they were let in, or until they broke the window. craig knows it’s the goth kids the same way he knows ruby will be tattling on him to their mom, thinking the noise in his room indicates throwing some kind of party, when in reality, he’s about to get bled like a pig.“shit,” kenny says, echoing craig’s thoughts, “they’re here.”“what do we do?” craig asks.kenny looks around the room, swearing again under his breath. “you grab the bedside table and i’ll drag the desk over. we’ll barricade ourselves in here. it’ll at least slow them down.”craig watches as kenny trips over his own feet on the way over to the window. “wait, is it locked?”“fuck,” craig says regretfully. “no, it’s not.” he hadn’t even spared one thought to that after letting kenny in, too distracted by his fight with kenny to arguably do the most important thing he could have done - locking the window to ensure that nobody could have snuck in while they were busy fucking to notice.kenny peers out the window before reaching for the latch, then does a double-take. craig watches with baited breath, imagining the goth kids prying the window open and several sets of hands reaching in to grab kenny and yank him out of craig’s bedroom. he wishes kenny would hurry it the fuck up, but he apparently has decided that it’s a good time to stargaze out of craig’s window, or something. then, kenny lets go of the latch and uses both hands to push the window open, much to craig’s dismay. “what the fuck are you doing?” craig hisses, but kenny ignores him.“you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” craig says flatly, watching as kenny extends one hand outside craig’s window to help pull marsh through it. he thinks he almost would have preferred the goth kids, wielding weapons, to pouty, whiny marsh.“how’d you know to come to the window, stanley?” kenny asks marsh, looking suspicious. “have you been trying to catch tucker undressing too?”“sick, dude!” marsh exclaims. “you told me the window across from your place is where he’s always at.”“excuse me,” craig interrupts, gritting his teeth, “but why the fuck are you here?” he knew by agreeing to lose his virginity to kenny within this time constraint that they wouldn’t have time to lay in bed after, basking in the afterglow and cuddling like characters in harlequin romance novels, but he also didn’t think he’d wind up being a third wheel in his own fucking bedroom, post-coital much less, playing second-fiddle to stan marsh.“i came to warn you,” marsh says earnestly to craig, “of this weird shit the goth kids are about to do!”craig begins stepping towards marsh, teeth clenched and hands closing into fists. “you’re involved in this?” craig is so blind with anger that he has to consciously tell himself to look to kenny first before launching at marsh, to make sure that kenny isn’t already aware of this. kenny looks just as surprised as craig is that marsh is here. well, maybe not just as surprised. if someone had told craig that stan marsh would be in his bedroom before the school year was over, he would have bet on his own life that it would never happen.“no, of course not! look, we were drinking in henrietta’s room like normal,” marsh stresses, as though getting drunk with the kids who’d summoned edgar allen poe once for fun could ever be considered normal. marsh’s idea of a good time is way more depressing than craig’s - at least when craig puts himself on informal house arrest in order to have uninterrupted movie marathons, he isn’t drinking himself into a stupor and reading excerpts from mary shelley’s frankenstein to get his rocks off to. talk about pathetic. “they said they had to go somewhere, so i offered to drive, until they said they were going to tucker’s place. they were loading up their trunk with weapons and shit!”“why’d you offer to drive if you were all drinking?” kenny asks, looking concerned for marsh’s well-being, like he was the one about to be slashed up in spectacular horror film fashion any minute now.“i wasn’t drinking,” marsh says, shifting from one foot to the other skulkingly, “just in case kyle called later. he can tell when i’m wasted.”kenny shoots marsh a meaningful look. “stan, we can all tell when you’re wasted.”marsh goes crimson red. “yeah, well, i pretended my dad called and asked me to bring his car home so i could beat the goth kids over here. they’re on their way.”“yeah,” kenny says, “we knew that much, but thanks for coming, man. maybe you can help us stack some furniture up against that window.”marsh balks. “wait, how would you know that? you don’t hang out with them.”“butters,” kenny supplies. “cartman is the one paying them to come after craig, but butters already called to warn me. he’s trying to get back at me. it’s a long story.”craig still has kenny’s come drying from somewhere between his thighs - the last thing he wants is to be losing kenny’s attention to marsh, who’s a total pussy, and butters, who isn’t even there. he wishes this had happened in a parallel universe where he really could have smoked a cigarette in bed after, with his head on kenny’s shoulder, who would have spent the night. now, who knows if they’ll even live through the night.he can’t help but wonder what someone like butters would be doing if he were in a situation like this - probably would be diving under his bed, eating dust bunnies to avoid facing the goth kids. of course kenny would have protected him, though. there are guys who wouldn’t have needed kenny’s protection, but craig assumes they were all telling the truth about not being virgins. broflovski would probably set up an elaborate home alone-esue booby-trap for the goth kids to fall into, then he’d send a swift punch to the nose of whichever ones happened to escape the trap. the goth kids wouldn’t stand a chance against him. marsh would probably play a reverse psychology game on them - convince the goth kids that his nihilistic views negated any real sense of fear in him. he would wax on about how his death would ultimately be just as meaningless as his life and get the goth kids to feel sorry enough for him that they’d just give up. poor kid, they’d say, his life is already so miserable. do we really need to add ‘easily persuaded into being murdered’ to the list of insults one might throw at him? at that point, it’s just assisted suicide. does that even count as a sacrifice, if the subject is willing?not that only guys would have been options for kenny. craig is just as sure that there’s plenty of girls who could outsmart the goth kids if they’d have found themself in craig’s position. take wendy, for example. she would probably filibuster the sacrifice, stand there in a blazer and pencil skirt like she sometimes wore to student council meetings, and prattle on about something inane until the goth kids fell asleep standing up, like cows do. then kenny, if he were there with her like kenny is here for craig now, he’d go cow-tipping on their asses, knock them over with one pinkie finger and then howl with laughter. wendy would chastise him with a wagging finger - she’s too much of a stickler for right and wrong to let even the world’s biggest cretins be messed with. even if she didn’t essentially function as the angel on the shoulder of south park’s body - wherein cartman would probably be the devil - her innate bossiness wouldn't let her step aside and follow kenny's instructions. maybe it's not fair to say that she's an angel simply because she's a woman. craig doesn't think being self-righteous should be a trait exclusive to know-it-all angelic types. she's certainly a big enough bitch to rival any theoretical demon.craig’s eyes widen and he blurts out, “it was wendy.” he watches as kenny’s expression shifts into something resembling guilt, before he schools it back into something harder. “the power-hungry person you thought might want to go - it was wendy.”“go where?” marsh asks, towards kenny. “what the fuck are you talking about?”kenny just stares at marsh, opening his mouth, with no words coming out. craig doesn’t know if he’s ever seen kenny speechless. craig knows then that marsh has no clue kenny is immortal, nor that kenny is tangled up in a tense, unfortunate political situation in hell. “go to-” craig starts, his brain searching for a place, any place he can substitute for hell. “north park.”stan turns back to craig, looking even more confused. “north park? why?”“she was thinking about transferring to north park’s school,” craig says. “their student body president stepped down and they wanted to poach either her or cartman. they’ve heard about all the ideas she’s had for the school that the staff shot down because of budgetary restrictions. cartman is angry that kenny and i wanted wendy to get chosen.”“she’d have more responsibility there,” kenny says, finally joining in on craig’s brilliant scheme, “and a better chance of getting into ivy leagues. you know north park has all those advanced-placement courses that our shithole school can’t offer because nobody signs up for them.”“why would you want wendy to transfer?” marsh asks, his face contorting like it’s especially painful for him to process new information. he must be badly out of practice doing so what with him always relying on broflovski to think enough for the both of them.“well, you two would finally have a good-enough reason to break-up, wouldn’t you?” kenny says, sounding suddenly very invested in this manufactured story. “instead of staying together out of necessity! she’s with you because you humanize her. you’re just her trophy husband, stan. when you’re on her arm, our school feels less like a prison and she seems less like a prison guard. you know it's not healthy, man."“did you actually tell her that?” marsh says, looking genuinely hurt. “did it ever occur to you that i like how passionate she is? who cares what the rest of the school thinks about her? they don't get to decide that our entire relationship is unhealthy for some stupid reason like that!" “there's more than one reason,” kenny amends, looking at marsh meaningfully again.“don’t,” marsh warns, shaking his head like it’s egregious that kenny would even consider implying whatever he’s implying.“maybe she wouldn’t have considered the idea if you’d have slept with her at token’s fourth of july party instead of kyle.”“you said you’d never tell anyone that!” marsh cries out, aghast. god, he’s such a little bitch. his mouth has dropped open comically large. craig wishes he had something to try tossing into it, like candy, or thumbtacks.“it’s just craig!” kenny says, as though craig were mute, or maybe that he may as well be, implying that he doesn’t have the ability to socialize at all, much less to gossip. craig is mildly offended until he realizes that kenny is mostly right. not that it’d be news to anyone in town that marsh would roll over like a trained dog for broflovski, that he’d let broflovski bend it like beckham. knowing broflovski’s mother and her habit of meddling into people’s personal lives, craig wishes he were there to witness the probable sex talk broflovski must have gotten once he’d hit puberty. craig bets the guy made marsh dunk his dick magic johnson-style into a vat of hand sanitizer before agreeing to touch it.“don’t downplay it!” marsh says angrily. “you clearly think you and craig have a better relationship than wendy and i - even though you’re not even in a relationship! you preyed on wendy's insecurities about kyle, didn't you? i can’t believe you would manipulate her like that!"  “you and wendy’s relationship was dead on impact!” kenny shouts, nearly heartlessly. craig would feel bad for marsh if he were anyone other than himself. it doesn’t mean kenny isn’t right, though. if wendy and stan’s relationship were a casket, all of the guys in school pretending the two of them have ever had chemistry to begin with are the suited funeral-goers carrying the casket around. it’s a total charade, whether marsh wants to admit it or not. “no manipulation necessary! just let her go, man! stop using your pathetic excuse for a relationship as a buffer between you and kyle!”stan lurches forward and shoves kenny, more forcefully than craig would have expected. he’s almost impressed - almost. the impact is immediately tampered down by the embarrassingly-evident fright in his eyes when kenny first looks at him in shock, before moving to shove marsh back, twice as hard.craig watches in disbelief as marsh actually has the audacity to look at kenny with betrayal, as though kenny has done something out of line, though marsh had instigated their scuffle. they seem to silently agree not to start swinging at each other in an unspoken language only friends who have known each other since their sandbox-days can, both guys glaring at one another, their breathing labored, but both looking unwilling to fight. “you both deserve all the shit that’s happening to you,” craig says, folding his arms over his chest, “unlike me, who’s done nothing this year but mind my own fucking business. you both think you’re untouchable, don’t you? the universe has always rewarded you two shitheads for all your poor choices, letting you guys get off scot-free no matter what fucked up shit you do. you have this retarded complex, like you think you’re immortal, or something.”craig ignores kenny’s pointed snicker and barrels on. “marsh drinks like he heard the olympics are implementing beer pong as an official sport and he wants a spot on the american team.” kenny’s lip quirks and he looks away, like he’s trying hard not to laugh.“don’t laugh, mccormick,” craig berates. “you do reckless, stupid shit like you think ryan dunn’s death left an opening in jackass that you’re looking to fill. you’re the reason the three of us are standing here with our dicks in our hands.”“feel better?” kenny asks knowingly, looking more amused than affronted.craig hasn’t let himself have a good long rant directed towards other people’s ineptitude since peru. he’s about to admit that he does, in fact, feel better, thank you very much, when he hears several heavy sets of footsteps outside his open bedroom window. “shit!” kenny shouts. “find your shoes, tucker. we’re leaving. stan can drive.”“i’m not going anywhere with him,” craig gripes, not even bothering to look for his boots.“now is not the time for petty elementary school drama,” kenny says as he pulls one of his dirty converse out from under craig’s bed and yanks it on, leaving the laces undone. he turns around and finds the other one having been left by the window.“jesus, what happened here?” marsh asks, looking around the room at all the clothing strewn everywhere.craig isn’t surprised that marsh hasn’t noticed until now - the guy isn’t exactly known for being the brains of his group. that’s broflovski’s role. kenny is the balls, the one with nerve. cartman is - well, who cares what cartman is? marsh’s sensitivity might make him the bleeding heart of his group by default - the emotional one, the faggiest role to have. one would think being the biggest fag of his friends, both metaphorically and literally, would make him more predisposed to see a room with clothing strewn everywhere and two half-naked guys standing around and think ‘gee, i think i know what happened here’. apparently not. “what does it look like, genius?” craig asks flatly.marsh doesn’t get the chance to guess, though craig assumes he would have said strip poker, or something equally as stupid. the guy really can't read a room to save his life. this time, there’s no banging on craig’s window. it’s still open from kenny pulling marsh through, leaving plenty of space for tiny firkle and a marginally taller pete to fit through together, elbows bashing into one another like they thought the first one inside would receive a lifetime supply of mystical crystals or woodsy-smelling incense.  kenny immediately yanks marsh over to craig’s doorway, leaving craig to back up until his legs hit the footboard of his bed. kenny clumsily opens craig’s door, fist still caught up in marsh’s shirt. he looks back to craig and holds his other arm out, motioning with his hand for craig to cross the room. pete and firkle walk up to them, brandishing knives.“your attendance is mandatory, mccormick,” pete says in a friendly tone, all while moving the tip of his knife closer to kenny’s chest with each word. “strict no-refund policy for ticket-holders attending human sacrifices, i’m afraid.”craig wonders what his odds are of successfully sneaking behind pete and hitting him over the head with his alarm clock, only he isn’t sure what he would do about firkle, who is small enough to suffocate with a pillow, sure, but unpredictable enough to where craig doesn’t feel it’s a good enough plan to work. it ends up not mattering anyway, as michael has climbed through the window, one long and spidery leg at a time, and made his way over to craig.michael has a big duckbill nose like morrissey, who is probably marsh’s idol, and looks like he self-perms his curly black hair, bangs bouncing around his forehead when he moves. pete has short hair and piecey bangs, the infamous ‘can i speak to your manager’ haircut, only with added red streaks, making it more likely that the business in question is a tattoo shop or hookah bar than a banana republic or ralph lauren. firkle has a tiny, doll-like face with eyeliner thickly smeared under the one eye that isn’t completely obscured by his side bangs.henrietta is the last to climb through the window and does so leisurely, so craig has only her combat boots to assess first, with dirt worked into the laces. then her hourglass figure emerges, hips wider than her pinched torso before her body opens back up like a flower to reveal her ample cleavage, which swells behind her black dress. she moves to stand at the center, looking like she’s cosplaying as nancy downs from the craft, hair teased and as wild as her eyes, with a cross necklace hanging provocatively between her cleavage. craig hopes his fate is not about to be on par with that of nancy’s enemy in the film, who winds up dying.“raven?” henrietta asks, frowning. “what are you doing here?”raven? craig thinks, and can’t prevent himself from scoffing aloud. he couldn’t have chosen a more obvious reference than if he’d just said ‘fuck it’ and called himself poe. so much for the goth kids supposedly being individuals for being immersed in a niche subculture group. there’s not one kid in america who hasn’t read that fucking poem in their english class.“thought i’d join you guys!” marsh says enthusiastically, his fake smile jarring when compared to the expressionless faces of the goth kids. doesn’t marsh know by now that not conforming to their standard of demeanor makes him a conformist? that he shouldn’t show it when he’s happy, like the mindless masses do? if roles were reversed and it was craig having to convince the goth kids that he could be trusted, craig would have no problem showing no emotion. “you would have driven us here if that were true,” firkle says squeakily, having to crane his head up to meet marsh’s guilt-ridden eyes the way tourists in new york city have to do to view skyscrapers.marsh ignores firkle completely to look pleadingly at henrietta, who is clearly the ringleader. craig already knows that marsh’s pleas won’t work. if henrietta had enough heart to become sympathetic to craig predicament, she never would have been bought off by cartman in the first place. “i know why you’re here,” marsh says softly, “to hurt craig, right?”“zoinks, scoob!” pete says, smirking. “i think they’ve got us!”“do you care?” henrietta asks, waving her gun around like it was a plaything. “you hate tucker!”“yeah, i care! one of my best friends wants to bone him and everybody knows that male-code dictates you play wingman for your best friend, not let their crush die!”to marsh’s credit, he doesn’t let the fact that craig and kenny had clearly lied to him before tempt him into joining them. marsh still shoots kenny a filthy look, which kenny seems rattled by, but says nothing. craig hates to admit it, but marsh is kind of right. though craig would rather wendy be sent to hell than have to go there himself, he can’t pretend like kenny didn’t hide his plans with wendy from marsh for a reason. marsh is pussy-whipped by wendy, even if he’d rather have his balls in broflovski’s vice grip. kenny must have known, as any half-competent person would, that marsh would have begged her not to go - whether it be going to north park or hell itself.then again, the plans were for craig’s benefit too. plus, craig isn’t and has never been morally opposed to any plan that pisses marsh off. finally, he gets a taste of his own retarded medicine after peru. now craig gets to be the one sticking marsh with bad news. sorry, asshole. your girlfriend thinks you’re weaker than a margarita made by a mormon, and she almost preferred the thought of going to hell than being in a relationship with you for even one more day.“you’re too late!” kenny interrupts, looking like he’s sizing up pete and debating whether or not he could take him. “the writing is on the wall, assholes. read it and weep.”the goth kids all seem to look around in the same fashion, eyes cast down to the floor where kenny’s shirt is and back to craig’s bed, with it’s rumpled sheets and sweat stains.“how do we know you haven’t just staged the room to look like you fucked?” henrietta asks.pete rolls his eyes. “how would they have produced the stink up in this bitch? eau de semen parfume?”“where’s the condom?” michael asks craig, his voice gravelly.kenny reaches down to find his discarded tank top that they’d used to muffle craig’s noises, as well wipe up their spunk with. he unknowingly flashes proof he hadn’t known he was sporting - faint pink scratch marks going down his shoulder blades. michael is already making an aghast face at kenny’s battle scars and flinching backwards, surprised, when kenny whips the soiled tank top at his chest. “we didn’t use one, jackass.”“what do you think?” henrietta directs only towards michael.throwing the tank top to the floor like it’s on fire, michael glares. “it’s covered in jizz! this is either the most elaborate set-up ever or mccormick needs to take tucker to the vet to get him declawed.”craig has managed to keep his face neutral up until the point where he catches marsh making gagging sounds from across the room. then, he can feel his jaw clench painfully. it doesn't matter to him that marsh doesn't understand the extent of this, can't fully comprehend why it is that the goth kids suddenly want to maim him. the anger is still boiling over inside craig. it’s as though marsh is a manifestation of all of craig's childhood insecurities - of never being cool enough for them, or more specifically, for kenny. it's why he agreed to join their pan-flute scheme to begin with, hoping vainly to become worthy in their eyes. maybe cartman really was right about jesus having it out for him - he’s letting craig get killed, having him humiliated and, worst of all, he’s letting it happen in front of the leader of kenny’s numbskull brigade of idiots.“this is ridiculous,” craig says, sick of letting his anger fester instead of just snapping like everybody else seems to. “chop me up or get the fuck out of my place. just know that if i’ve contracted anything, you’re gonna be giving it to the demons.”  he knows that kenny, having been a virgin too, can’t actually have any std’s, but the goth kids would never know that. using kenny’s reputation against him might be playing dirty, but if bluffing will save his life, he’ll do it. kenny will forgive him later, especially if craig now has the power to threaten withholding sex from him.michael walks closer to craig, pulling a knife from the back pocket of his black jeans. “we’re being paid to murder you, tucker,” he says with a smirk, “not lecture you about safe sex.”“you can’t sacrifice someone who’s not a virgin,” kenny shouts, predictably unfazed by craig’s insults. “haven’t you retards seen jennifer’s body? you’ll make a succubus!”marsh turns his head sharply. “is that how chef’s ex became one?” he seems to mutter to himself, looking miffed. everybody ignores him.“cartman doesn’t care whether or not tucker is a virgin,” pete says impatiently, falling in line with henrietta. “he knows that if mccormick here is the reason tucker goes to hell, while he’s free to stay on earth, it’ll eat him alive.”michael is giving craig a crazed look, complete with raised brows, disheveled hair, and undereye bags, as if he were daring craig to step forward to help kenny. craig looks down at michael’s knife and imagines it being rammed repeatedly into his torso. he watches, horrified, from behind michael’s shoulder, as pete brandishes a knife on kenny too.craig is so busy focusing on his own impending doom, and now kenny’s, that he hears marsh groan before he sees anything. craig looks down to see marsh doubled over, holding his stomach. tiny firkle, who must have been at eye-level with marsh’s stomach, must have either punched or elbowed him. firkle proceeds to backhand marsh with one tiny hand, like it’s nothing. marsh falls to the floor with a heavy thump like he’s been hit over the head with a metal fold-up chair by a wwe champion, instead of a five-foot-nothing kid with 2006 bangs. craig rolls his eyes. marsh had gone down like a slut for her boyfriend on prom night. what a pussy.michael takes the distraction as his opportunity to circle behind craig and tug craig’s arms behind his back. craig feels the cool metal of the knife at his adam’s apple and is revolted at the way his body backs closer to michael just to get further away from the knife. by the time craig looks up to meet kenny’s eyes again, he sees that pete has similarly restrained kenny, who looks furious.henrietta steps forward, inching towards craig. “you don’t have to worry about mccormick. the knives are just an insurance policy.” she smiles slightly at michael, craig feeling grateful that he can’t see michael’s face, because he’s sure it’d be terrifying. “i’ll make it quick, tucker. cartman doesn’t care how close we stick to occult ritual. that’s why i brought this.”craig is looking down the barrel of henrietta’s gun, wondering who would be standing here in his place if he and kenny had never become involved. maybe butters - fucking butters. craig sighs deeply, making henrietta’s eyes narrow like she’s pissed craig doesn’t seem particularly perturbed to be held at gunpoint. craig doesn’t find himself outwardly worked-up often and he’s certainly not going to allow himself to turn into a hysterical pussy now and give henrietta that satisfaction. craig is still having a staring contest with henrietta when his bedroom door bursts open again, the bang of his bedroom door hitting the wall making henrietta jump.“i’ve got the right to bear arms!” clyde shouts from the other side of the room, where he stands with both arms outstretched, his hands together and gripped around a small revolver. his body is shaking with nerves and he points from one goth kid to another, not seeming to know what to do with it. “i’ve been working out, bitch!” craig cringes at the bad joke. if this is the best defense craig has, he may as well draw a pentagram on his own bedroom floor and lay down on it, and save the goth kids some time.  “no, you don’t, you squirrely little fuck,” henrietta says, turning to face clyde, fixing him with an impenetrable look. “with that stance, there’s no way you’ve got a license.”“where the hell did you get that?” craig asks him, and feels the tight grip michael has on his neck squeeze tighter as a warning for speaking. he chances another look at marsh, who is still knocked unconscious from firkle’s backhand. his limp body lays in front of kenny’s feet, who is still being held back by pete and the knife in his free hand.“from me, shithead.” craig’s head whips around back to where clyde is standing in craig’s doorway, where ruby has now joined him, with a larger revolver in hand. craig’s body jerks back violently, pressing himself closer to michael and his cold skin. craig’s brain starts firing off random moments of ruby’s intimidation tactics until it lands on a throwaway joke she’d made a couple weeks ago. they’d been talking about their dad and his online indiscretions. craig had frowned. “how do you know about the deep web?” he’d asked her. ruby had snickered and nonchalantly replied, “where do you think i got all of my guns from?”“put it down, polly pocket,” henrietta orders. “you’re in way over your head here.”“shit!” ruby says suddenly, ignoring henrietta altogether, and looks in fear to the window. “there’s somebody else coming in!”“what?” henrietta asks, startled, and turns to check.ruby fires her gun off and the window instantly shatters, sending glass shards all over the floor. craig looks down to the floor, where little pieces surround his bare feet. fantastic. he looks back up in time to see henrietta glaring at ruby and ruby looking mightily pleased with herself. “oh, never-mind. it was just the reflection of your stupid face.”“if that was your attempt at getting anyone’s attention, you’re fucked.” henrietta takes a step forward, closer to ruby. “everybody who lives in this apartment complex will just assume it’s mccormick’s retarded father drunkenly firing off at stray cats again. we did our homework - there’s more noise complaints against mccormick’s father than anybody else in town.”“it wasn’t,” ruby says with calm assurance. her eyes flash down to the floor and then lock with henrietta’s again. “now, marsh.”craig barely looks down in time to catch the swift jab marsh makes, a broken shard of glass connecting with pete’s ankle. pete hollers out in pain, blood beginning to shoot out all over the floor, pooling slightly by his heel. craig could be knocked over by a feather with how shocked he is that marsh had been faking being unconscious. marsh, looking perfectly wide-awake, lets himself be tugged up by the back of his shirt by kenny, who quickly pulls marsh behind him to act as a human shield. fucking idiot, craig thinks, always playing hero like they were still little kids wearing homemade costumes.“fuck!” firkle squeaks, bending over to look at pete’s ankle, his screaming drowning out the shouting that has now started. pete has fallen to the ground, clutching his knife to his chest like a teddy bear, with his other hand moving to grab at his ankle.“clyde, eyes on the small one,” ruby mutters, not taking her eyes off henrietta.clyde suddenly redirects his gun in haste to firkle, who looks back to clyde in horror and raises his hands over his head.“get on your knees and put the gun down,” henrietta says to clyde, her voice low and dangerous, now training her gun at clyde. with henrietta occupied with trying not to get firkle hurt, ruby points the gun at michael, who is only a head taller than craig. there’s no way she could get a clear shot, craig thinks. he wishes he could just take his chances and duck down out of michael’s grip and reach for a broken piece of glass too, but his feet are bare, and luck has never much been on his side.clyde slowly descends to the ground, kneeling at craig’s bedroom doorway, beside ruby’s feet. craig frowns as he looks at ruby’s feet. she’s sock-footed on her left side, only her right foot stuck into an ankle boot. clyde’s hands are in the air, doing as he’s told, and craig wants to volunteer himself for sacrifice again, just to protect his sister.pete is still wailing as he curls up pathetically on craig’s bedroom floor, so loudly that craig almost doesn’t hear ruby’s mumbles. “clyde, plan b.”“copy that, boss-woman,” clyde says, cringing under the weight of henrietta’s glare, and doesn’t move one muscle to enact any kind of backup plan that ruby might have thought up earlier. well, so much for whatever plan b was, craig thinks tensely as he watches clyde drop his gun to the floor in front of his knees.“what’s plan b?” henrietta demands, shaking her gun around violently.it’s at this moment that kenny takes the distraction as an opportunity to kick the still screaming pete in the face, dislodging pete’s knife from his chest. still bent over, firkle makes a move to grab the knife, but kenny quickly kicks it over to craig’s direction. it skids and stops just short of craig’s bare foot, but michael grunts and stamps on the knife before craig can even comprehend what’s happening. craig looks up at kenny and silently thanks him for trying to help, wishing there was something he could have done to grab it.“fucking prick,” craig spits out, making sure michael knows he’s talking about him by jerking around in michael’s grip, trying to vainly escape. michael’s hand just squeezes at his neck again before coming around and covering craig’s mouth to prevent him from speaking any further.henrietta has been watching on as michael executed the move with his shoe, which he’d done at a frightening speed. she looks as though she’s about to smile at him earnestly. craig looks away from her when he notices that clyde is reaching behind him, one hand stretching awkwardly behind his own back and out into the hallway. craig has no idea what the fuck he’s doing, but he knows that if he doesn’t do something to distract michael, whatever it is will probably get clyde shot.craig bites down on michael’s hand, hard. michael groans and drops his hand from craig’s mouth. he elbows michael in the gut and drops to the floor. michael hunches over in pain, both hands dropping to cradle his stomach. craig sees pete’s knife handle sticking out from behind michael’s heel and wedges it out.“plan b, bitch!” clyde shouts enthusiastically. craig’s back is turned to clyde, but he watches with rapt, horrified attention as ruby’s seemingly forgotten ankle boot that she’d chucked at craig’s door earlier sails through the air almost in slow motion before smacking henrietta square in the face. she stumbles backwards, legs unsteady, and her back hits the wall behind her.craig quickly gets to his feet, holding pete’s knife in his sweaty hand and angling it out at michael, michael doing the same with his knife as though they were having a western-style stand-off. they circle each other like wild animals until craig has the better view. he watches as clyde fist pumps the air, proud of himself for knocking henrietta into the wall. he also watches as clyde idiotically leaves his gun unattended on the floor.craig’s mouth drops open as both firkle and kenny reach to grab the gun. firkle is a short kid, much shorter than kenny, so he should be able to get lower faster, but he accidentally steps on pete’s hand while his eyes are on kenny. pete wails once more, officially inducting himself into the punching bag hall of fame. firkle lifts his foot quickly, wincing, and kenny grabs clyde’s gun from the ground and, in one spectacular motion, uses the back of it to whack firkle upside the chin. while firkle has flopped over like a dead fish on the carpet, chin bleeding, kenny grabs the already bloodied piece of glass still stuck inside pete’s ankle and pulls it out before ramming it into firkle’s hand. it’s hard to tell which scream belongs to which boy.craig looks on in shock as firkle and pete lay crying and bleeding on craig’s bedroom floor. kenny moves to grab clyde roughly by his arm and tugs him over to where he and marsh are. kenny’s eyes meet his own, shining with rage-induced tears. he’s standing like he’s trying to find the right moment to jump into the eye of a hurricane, looking between michael and craig with a manic expression on his face, still holding clyde’s gun. michael is still circling around craig, forcing craig to once again turn his back on his friends. on the other side of his room, henrietta and ruby are back to pointing guns at one another.“tucker, what do you want me to do here?” kenny asks him, voice cracking.“it’s not registered,” craig hedges as michael’s arm slides out like a snake. the bastard had just tried to swipe craig’s torso with his knife. craig backs up until he's against the bed frame and michael comes at him like a maniac, his knife held out and still lashing out at him with seemingly random movements.craig looks over michael’s shoulder and kenny is just looking on in confusion and terror. clyde’s eyes widen and he points to the gun still clutched in kenny’s hand, who looks like he’s forgotten he was holding it. craig narrowly misses a swipe to his collarbone by falling backwards onto his bed, his legs shooting up in the air. michael lands a swipe to craig’s thigh. the fabric of craig’s jeans split open and the thinnest red line emerges on craig’s skin, slowly widening with the blood that trickles out.michael leans over craig, his knife moving to swipe across craig’s chest when the second shot of the night is fired. michael falls completely atop craig, his full weight pressing against him. craig heaves a gag as he sees all the blood all over michael that is now staining craig’s clothes. michael isn’t moving and craig wants to vomit. he can’t check if the kid is dead on top of him or he’ll have a full-on mental breakdown.“oh, fuck,” henrietta says as she looks at michael’s body, still backed up against the wall with ruby blocking her path. even if she wanted to wave a white flag, which craig highly doubted, she would have to first get past ruby, then beat off clyde, kenny, and marsh by the door. the three of them, as though hearing craig’s thoughts, advance on henrietta.“last chance, raven,” henrietta says while beckoning marsh over. her face is neutral, but the wavering to her voice betrays her. “they all failed the mission we were being paid to complete. that means if you join me now, we go to cartman and split the money fifty-fifty. twenty-five thousand each. just stab shirley temple over here. what do you say?”“i say you leave through the window ruby cleared for you,” marsh says angrily. “fuck you guys!”seeing marsh do something rational, probably for the first time in his pathetic life, is nearly more of a surprise to craig than the knowledge that all this shit could even really be happening. craig knows they could feasibly all take henrietta on together, but he’s willing to pray to whatever gods, demons, or ghosts that might be watching if it means that they won’t have to.“i’m not leaving until you call an ambulance for them,” henrietta says, gesturing towards her incapacitated friends.craig leans up on his elbows from his bed, struggling to do so while michael’s weight is still pressing down on him. he squints at henrietta dubiously. they clearly have the upper-hand. “the fuck we are. we could tie you up and wake your friends up so they can watch us dissect you both like frogs.”ruby crosses her arms over his chest, giving craig a measured look. “sounds good to me.” from beside her, clyde goes green, like imagining it is making him sick.firkle stands, the hand kenny had stabbed dripping blood down to craig’s floor, sounding like rain pattering gently down onto a window. “if we don’t make it back, cartman will know something happened.”kenny turns on him, grabbing firkle by the material of his shirt with his fist. firkle makes an aborted noise in surprise. “you know what? you’re right. you’re going to leave, but only so you can pass a message along to cartman,” kenny says, leaning so close to firkle that their noses almost touch, “but it’s not going to be a note or a letter. it’s going to be michael’s hospital bill. it’s going to be pete’s hospital bill. he can use the money he was going to spend on having craig killed to pay for the jello michael will be spoon-fed for the next year because the bullet i put through his stomach has eviscerated his digestive system.” kenny lets go of his tight grip on firkle’s shirt and uses the same hand to shove firkle away from him, like he's disgusted by him. “when cartman sees that, he’ll know what i’m capable of. he’ll know that if i’m willing to take out his grunts, i’ll have no problem doing the same to him.”“that was dark,” henrietta says slowly, like she’s coming to terms with their failure. “i can respect that.” she pulls out a lone cigarette from between her cleavage and plucks it inside her mouth. craig has to wonder if it’s been there this whole time, if she carried it around in there and forgot about it the way cartman’s crumbs found their way into his shirt when he ate like he’d been starved for a week. she and firkle leave, delicately stepping over the jagged edges of the window where parts of it hadn’t caved into craig’s bedroom when ruby has shot at it.“what do we do now?” marsh asks, almost before henrietta and firkle have made it out of craig’s window. he seems to revert back into his idiotic ways, already seeking out the next thrill. craig could reach out and strangle him if he weren’t stuck beneath michael, who he was starting to suspect might actually be dead.  kenny clenches his jaw and turns to marsh. “you can pull your dad’s car up to craig’s window and we’ll drag them out by their feet, bring them to the parking lot of hell’s pass. they can fucking crawl to the entrance. the doctors there will do a hell of a lot worse than we could.” kenny bares his teeth in a truly demented way that craig shouldn’t find nearly as attractive as he does. it must be his brain being hardwired to find beaten, bruised, and bloodied-up men attractive because of hollywood’s insistence on romanticizing violence. craig isn’t sure how kenny got blood into his bangs, but it’s there, and it’s damn near impossible to ignore. he wishes he could reach out and tuck kenny’s bangs behind his ears, at least. he looks like every character from every horror movie who’d lived long past their due date, too hell-bent on revenge on their perpetrator to be thankful to still be alive, still too hopped up on adrenaline to consider their other options.“right,” marsh says angrily, “and when he gets into his car tomorrow, and there’s blood soaked into the interior, what am i gonna tell him?”“tell him your period came early,” craig says.“fuck you, tucker.”ruby and clyde snicker from the sidelines, looking unconcerned now that nobody was in grave danger - except maybe michael and pete.“north park doesn’t even want wendy, do they?” marsh asks, pinching the bridge of his nose and scrunching his eyes shut.kenny looks up at him guiltily. “no.”marsh sighs, but says nothing.craig grunts, using the remaining adrenaline in his body to shove michael’s unmoving body off of him. michael slides down the side of craig’s bed and lands with a gentle thump on the floor. craig sits up straight, heart racing as he looks around at the fucking mess his bedroom has become. every person in the room is covered in blood. there’s puddles of blood everywhere, particularly at pete’s feet. thank god his mother didn’t have a security deposit, because this blood isn’t coming off his bedroom floor anytime soon. craig feels like he’s being powered by the world’s largest battery. his hands itch to clean. he fights the urge to tell everybody to strip and pass their clothes to him so he can go downstairs to the laundry room of the complex and wash them. he supposes it’s the irrational part of his brain taking the wheel, the same part that wasted time thinking about tucking kenny’s hair behind his ears when he had two bodies to deal with, one of whom could already be dead.“jesus, i don’t know what the fuck we’re gonna do,” kenny admits, walking slowly over to craig’s bed. he grimaces and uses the toe of his converse to kick at michael’s body, like he thought michael would suddenly snap back up and lunge at him.  craig looks down and feels like he might puke again. “is he dead?”kenny bends down to the floor and awkwardly tips michael’s slumped head over so he can feel for a pulse. he touches michael the way he touched the power tools in shop class - like they existed with the sole intent to sever his body parts off and he’d rather be doing anything else than existing in the same room as them. kenny puts on a brave face and looks back up to craig. “as a medical professional-”“please,” craig says, scoffing.“as a genital professional,” kenny clarifies, “he’s just passed out, probably from all the blood loss, like depressed mode over there.” he smiles for the first time since he saved craig’s life. “i’m a pretty good shot, right?” craig just rolls his eyes.“this is the worst party i’ve ever fucking been to,” clyde mutters to marsh and ruby with genuine annoyance. “first, we almost all get killed. then, five minutes later, and those two are back to flirting like it never happened. do me a favor and don’t text me the next time 'craig’s having a party' and doesn’t invite me.”“really?” ruby asks, surprised.clyde makes a noise like a scorned puppy. “no, please tell me if that happens again.”crowding michael’s body still, kenny’s face does something strange. “do you think guyliner here is a virgin?” he asks slowly. “it’d be a shame if his parents were to never see him again.”“he’s not,” marsh says matter-of-factly from the doorway. clyde gives him a pointed look and marsh glares. “they were all fucking each other,” he clarifies, clearly wanting to be left out of the equation, “like sister wives but gayer.”craig stares. “you cry watching that as much as you cry over chili, marsh?”“i have never cried over chili,” marsh says with a red face and folds his arms over his chest like he’s expecting an apology for that cheap shot. craig snorts, almost one-hundred percent sure that any apology he tries to give to marsh will just get filtered through as another insult, so there’s little point in trying. “i have cried over break-ups. i guess you would need to have actually dated someone to know what that’s like.” craig is glad he didn’t try to apologize to this prick. him coming to help craig doesn’t change what happened in peru.“stan,” kenny says with one palm raised to warn him from continuing. “shut up.”craig clears his throat, “so we’re not going to be able to sacrifice either of these assholes to help you. not that you would, right?” kenny had said before that the whole reason he’d hired the goth kids to do his dirty work for him was because he couldn’t murder anyone personally. craig warily looks back and forth between michael and pete’s bodies with a nasally exhale. “if you ask me, humans are shittier than demons, mccormick. cartman and these fucks are the real monsters."suddenly, a puff of smoke billows into the room. it’s barely the size of one of craig’s textbooks, but it’s steadily growing. as it becomes larger and denser, it begins to look as though a real cloud from the sky has descended into craig’s bedroom. it’s encompassed half the room before craig’s eyes have started to water from straining to see. when the density of it finally starts to dissipate, what’s left standing in front of them is a petite, big-busted girl with a massive heap of blonde curls masking her face.“sure,” kenny says, looking away from the girl and back to craig, “just like you wouldn’t break all three oujia rules, right?” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- the previous summer, on the fourth of july stan keeps his head down when he enters his house so that his dad won’t see how upset he is, so he won’t have to deal with his dad either cracking jokes about stan being as emotional as a girl, or worse, ask stan why he’s upset. going through those scenarios in his head and juggling between which outcome would be the worst proves unnecessary, as his dad is passed out and snoring with a few empty beer cans laid out on the coffee table. on his way upstairs, stan’s mind is still racing, and he can hear his own heartbeat in his ears, from inside his head. a european crusade? poland, italy, france? the auschwitz museum, the trevi fountain, the cannes film festival? the words have been going around in circles inside stan’s head ever since kyle spoke them, so many times that they’ve ceased to have any meaning. france doesn’t even seem like a real word anymore - it just seems like the sound a snake makes while hissing. they’ve always had an unspoken rule about college - namely that they wouldn’t talk about it at all. stan loathes change more than most things, would be perfectly content with them living out the rest of their lives the same way they are now - only older and while stan is suffering through marriage. he’s always known in the back of his mind that kyle wouldn’t stick around south park for long after high school, but he figured he’d at least have the summer after they graduate before he’d have to face the music. this changes everything, makes the likelihood that he’ll even talk to kyle ever again after high school slim. he’s already imagining it - the shitty cell service, the overcharged wifi in hotel rooms, the instagram photos kyle will probably post with the wifi he’ll claim he doesn’t have. kyle will come back from europe as another guy altogether - or maybe he won’t come back at all. kyle is whip-smart and more stubborn than anything. stan can see kyle deciding to go to college abroad, learning italian or french, and going out to clubs over there that will only require him to be eighteen to drink. maybe he’ll start chain-smoking and eating croissants. maybe he’ll never come home. maybe he will and he’ll bring home some girl he’ll be madly in love with. maybe he’ll come home engaged or married. maybe he’ll come home and stan won’t even know until he runs into kyle months later at whole foods. maybe kyle will have his arm around some girl and will try to kiss him hello on both of his cheeks like a european, or something. maybe he’ll toy with the idea of meeting stan for dinner and never follow up. maybe stan will never shoot hoops with kyle again after senior year, never ride shotgun again in his own dad’s truck while kyle drives them home in it because stan’s drunk, never feel kyle’s arms looping around his back and pressing his chest to stan’s back again as he guides stan up to his door while stan stumbles along like a puppet. maybe - kyle is inside his house - he knows this the same way he knows when it’s his mom who’s just gotten home from the way she sets her purse down onto the kitchen counter before dropping her keys into it, or the way he knows his dad is home by his clunky footsteps and booming voice, because he’s always walking in and saying “sharon?” with the same dopey, hopeful tone, like he expects her to not be home when it’s not exactly like she has much of a social life in their podunk town. kyle has this way of walking where whatever basketball shorts or trackies he’s wearing rub together to make a swishing sound like the kind teachers make while shuffling tests around. stan feels the same way now as he does before his teachers pass back their graded tests - terrified and willing to do anything short of throwing himself in front of a bus if it means avoiding the consequences. he’s about to face the consequences now of showing weakness in front of kyle. he should really know better - sometimes stan thinks that kyle can suss out stan’s moods before he can, although that might be because half the time stan isn’t sober, and alcohol clouds his ability to judge whether or not he’s hiding his facial reactions well. he certainly hadn’t hid his facial reactions well-enough for kyle, seeing as he’s just followed stan home. stan dreads whatever conversation kyle wants to have. he’s thought for a while now that kyle enjoys tormenting him with his ability to be so reasonable in the face of stan’s mood swings, as his dad would call them. sometimes stan loves the distraction of being lectured at during his emotional outbursts, or talked down from his bad moods before he can even have an outburst, but sometimes stan absolutely hates kyle’s reasonability and logic-driven way of addressing stan’s emotions, like they're talking about the weather, the economy, or something else that’s fact-driven and has little to nothing in common with stan's emotions. currently, stan is leaning more towards the latter, leaning in that direction so much that he could be the leaning tower of pisa himself. kyle won’t even have to venture all the way to italy to see something so poorly-held and barely-upkept, not when stan is right next door. the footsteps are coming quickly, like kyle is jogging, which could mean that he’s let himself inside without knocking, and stan’s dad has woken up and is attempting to follow kyle upstairs to berate him for it, which happens all the time, or it could mean that kyle is jogging because he’s trying to make it to stan’s door before he can shut it. stan is slumped on the floor, back pressed against his locked bedroom door when kyle’s hand begins jiggling the doorknob.“stan,” kyle’s voice says, sounding strained, “come on, man. it would only be for a few months.” kyle continues talking, rambling about the places he hopes to see, while stan’s vision goes blurry with tears. he’s thankful for being such a pissbaby and hiding behind his bedroom door because, otherwise, he’d have kyle standing in front of him, watching him cry. kyle only rarely takes this tone with him - it’s the tone of frustration and disbelief, like he’s embarrassed on stan’s behalf, for acting like a total girl. stan is used to hearing his father take this tone with him, like when stan drove over broken liquor bottles on ned and jimbo’s campsite last summer, while camping with wendy, and blew out a tire, and had to admit to his dad over the phone that he’d forgotten how to change a tire. when his dad gets fed-up with stan’s mood swings, it’s just another saturday. when kyle gets fed-up with his mood swings, it’s like there’s a boulder from his uncles’ campsite sitting in the pit of stan’s stomach, rolling around in there, and making him feel nauseous. “are you seriously giving me the silent treatment, dude?” kyle asks, heavily sighing from outside stan’s bedroom door. stan realizes that he’s missed half of what kyle has been saying to him. he hears a thump and sees a dark shadow from under the door shift, which means kyle is now stationed in front of his bedroom like a bodyguard. he’s sitting on the floor of the hallway, which is going to look weird if somebody else in stan’s house walks upstairs and sees. stan clears his throat carefully, making sure the lump there is gone before he replies, “no, sorry, i just - i was looking through my wallet for my fake id.” “so you’re still going to token’s tonight?” kyle asks, seemingly happy enough to believe stan’s lie about not answering because he was looking for something he carries around on him the way asthmatics carry around inhalers. “going to stop by one of the liquor stores in north park again?” “maybe,” stan says, carding through his hair with a shaky hand. he eyes the drawer of his bedside table, where a few nips are stored inside an old pencil case of his from the fourth grade, wondering if he could crawl over there and finish one off before kyle asks him another question. “i’m going to carpool with kenny. we’ll be at token’s later.”he expects kyle to stand up any moment now - dust off his trackies and be on his merry way. instead, it’s eerily quiet as they both sit slumped against either side of stan’s door. “look, man,” kyle begins, and stan’s stomach rolls again, the way it does four or five shots in, only he’s completely sober, “you know what part of the trip i’m looking forward to most?” stan presses his eyes tightly together so they won’t well up again. he doesn’t particularly want to ask, but he knows he needs to in order to convince kyle that it’s safe enough to leave him alone. he doesn’t want kyle thinking that the moment he walks away, stan is going to start pregaming alone in his room like a loser - even if that’s what stan has been planning on doing regardless. “what?” “the trevi fountain - it’s where tourists go to throw coins when they want to make a wish. that probably sounds stupid, right?”stan struggles to ever think of kyle as someone with stupid thoughts. “no, it doesn’t sound stupid.” “thanks, man. you know i’m more of a skeptic than, like, a person who believes that you can just manifest whatever you want into your life if you want it bad enough. i’m more of the rise and grind type, right? to me, you have to work hard to get where you need to be. i’ve gotten almost everything i’ve ever wanted just by putting blinders on and putting everything i’ve got into whatever it is i’m trying to get. there’s some things, though, that you can’t just charge towards and conquer. not everything in life works like school does. people are different than the classes they take.” stan isn’t sure what to say. while it seems verging on the edge of absurdity that kyle is only realizing now, at seventeen years old, that people don’t work the same way as predictable high school class curriculums do, and that people don't present you with rubrics at the start of a relationship to warn you of their flaws, he’s willing to play along. “different how?” “you can put all the time in the world into a relationship and never see it grow, man.” stan bites his lip, having the urge yet again to toss back anything that will make this conversation more bearable. he’s not sure what relationship kyle is referring to. it could be about kyle and one of the cows’ cheerleaders just as easily as it could be about kyle trying to help stan stave off of using alcohol as a coping mechanism, which he’s been trying to do for the past couple years. then again, kyle’s never dated one of the cheerleaders, despite having every opportunity too. he claims it’s because of his high standards, but stan expects it’s really because he doesn’t want a reason to be held back from moving on from south park after graduation.there’s a long break in the conversation before kyle speaks again. “i’m going to go there, toss some change in, and wish for the day when you’ll be ready to hear me say this face to face: i’m waiting for you, dude. just...let me know when it’s the right time.” kyle’s gently hits his palm against stan’s door to say goodbye in the same way stan’s seen guys do dozens of times in movies, to the top of a girl’s taxi cab, before wistfully watching them being driven away after a romantic date. the only difference is, kyle isn’t one for romantic movies, and might not be aware of the way things are coded in stan’s mind. if stan hasn’t completely lost his mind, he’d almost think that kyle was trying to tell him that he’s been wasting his time on wendy and that he could be with kyle if he wanted to be. stan feels his head start to spin with the ridiculous notion that kyle might actually believe that stan isn’t ready for that. stan has thought the only roadblock stopping them was that kyle didn’t want this, thought that kyle didn’t go to sleep at night wondering how many failed relationships they’d both have to go through until they’d finally just be together, and thought that the only thing keeping kyle awake at night were nightmares where his mother went on embarrassing tirades against the school like she used to every week when they were kids. if stan had ever thought that he could shake off wendy and just be with kyle, completely upturning his life the way that trees shake off their leaves every fall so winter can begin, he wouldn’t be getting hammered every other night, thinking that he’s got nothing to look forward to. maybe if he were to get his shit together before kyle’s trip - before graduation - kyle wouldn’t have to wish for that at the trevi fountain. maybe he’d be wishing for something else, like for world peace, or for something else that, coming from anyone else’s mouth, would sound empty and hollow, but behind kyle's mouth, sounds genuine and noble. that would give him a year. stan gulps and shakes out his now sweaty hands. if that’s all kyle is asking of him, it’s going to be easier than playing guitar hero on beginner mode. kyle thinks stan needs a year to figure out what he wants? it won’t take him more than a day.the sun is just beginning to set in token’s backyard when stan slips out the backdoor, a light and pleasant breeze blowing through his hair. he’s wearing a band tee and the non-prescription square clark kent-esque glasses that wendy just bought for him as a joke gift for his eighteenth birthday, after telling him he’s becoming an old man. he suspects, though, that she now loves when he wears them, as she’s bookish, and likes to pretend stan is as well. he gets more enjoyment out of doing things for wendy than he does doing things for himself, so he’s willing to embrace cartman’s inevitable mocking if it means wendy will be at his side all night, or, at least until he finds the right moment to break up with her. it’s definitely not the ideal time to end things with her, not when they won’t be able to turn a corner without becoming swarmed by at least five of their classmates and childhood best friends, which is saying something, considering the miniscule number of kids in their town. token’s parents are one of a handful of parents to not have had their lives disrupted by trolltrace and sites of their liking, so they often went on romantic weekend trips, probably leaving token to wander around his mansion talking to the plants and the paintings. at these parties, stan usually finds himself doing shots with kenny until wendy comes and finds him. he secretly loves when she does - it’s tangible proof that someone in his life is looking out for him, cares about his well-being, and misses him when he’s not around. wendy might be a hard-ass when it comes to going up against the school board, but she’s also the supportive, motivational presence in stan’s life that he’s always needed, when his parents have never fit that mold. his father is too selfishly-minded to spend time coaxing stan to achieve anything in life and his mother is far too soft and probably would be happiest if he lived with her until she died. wendy, though, wendy can put her foot down when need be, but usually she’s just there to encourage him. she doesn’t deserve to be broken up with, but he thinks she could likely get from another guy what stan provides for her, which is, namely, a calm and amicable presence in a person who can listen to her when she needs to vent, but who can also clue her in when she’s being too harsh towards other kids or too fanatical about her plans for the future. after all, she’s planned him into her future - they go to each other’s meetings with mr. mackey to talk about college plans - all to ‘test-run’ what it would be like to one day go to a house-closing meeting, an ultrasound appointment, or a parent-teacher conference together. stan has known for a long time that those things won’t be happening - he just always figured it’d be because she’d one day run out of uses for him. she could get a good-enough job to support herself and live alone and could easily be responsible enough to be a single mom. he never would have guessed that he would be the one calling everything off - it’s always wendy who’s dumping him and taking him back. wendy is sitting on the edge of the pool, up to her knees in water, talking to nichole and some of the girls stan recognizes from raisens. nichole swims to where wendy is resting and folds her arms over the edge next to wendy’s legs, which stop kicking water back and forth out of politeness for nichole’s proximity to her. wendy is easily the most modestly dressed girl outside - where most girls are wearing two-piece bikinis and sarongs, wendy is wearing a thick crochet tank top, long wide-leg jeans which look ridiculous pulled up to her thighs, and has kicked off a pair of wedges that look like they’re made of the straw that the cows eat down at the farm just past the town’s u-stor-it , which sit behind her. wendy pulls the elastic off the end of her sloppy braid, and starts to rebraid her hair while talking to nichole. stan knows that he should go sit down next to her, touch the inside of her arm like he does when he needs to ask her to drive him home from somewhere because he’s had too much to drink, and guide her somewhere a little more private. his foot taps anxiously down onto the footstones leading out to the pool a few times before he turns back into the house. he’d wanted to just rip the band-aid off as soon as he got to the party, but he can’t. he needs some sort of pep-talk. there’s a smattering of people gathered around token’s kitchen island, most of them stan knows as being from the grade below them, particularly because bridon gueermo is at the epicenter of the pack. he’s on the basketball team with kyle and clyde, but he’s nowhere near as good as either of them. he’s still got the hair, though, which is probably why all the girls like him. stan doesn’t get the appeal of bridon’s flat, bone-straight hair, so he looks around for somebody he actually gives a shit about. cartman, kenny, and kyle are sitting at three seats circling around the glass kitchen table, where they’ve pushed a vase of flowers to the side nobody is sitting at, along with a bottle of windex and several damp paper towels, like a drink was spilt and had already been cleaned. stan elbows through another group of kids, the seniors that just graduated and haven’t left for college left, and moves to sit in the last chair before he realizes there’s a set of pom-poms there. “sorry, kid,” cartman says, eyeing stan's band tee and eyeglasses. “this seat is reserved for our friend stan, not for the lead singer of pussy quiet. ” “it’s pussy riot,” stan says and rolls his eyes, “and there’s no guys in that band.” “then you’ll fit right in.” kyle leans across the table with his lean, freckled shoulders assaulting stan’s eyes, and knocks the pom-poms gracelessly onto the floor. kenny and cartman make some noises of faux-disbelief at kyle’s nonchalance. “watch out buddy,” kenny says, elbowing kyle, “nichole will smack you if she sees you let those touch the ground - and not in a naughty place - it’s, like, a cheer superstition that they’re not ever supposed to fall.”“that’s the spirit stick, dumbass,” kyle says.“bring her a drink,” kenny advises. “it’ll make her want to dribble your balls.” “i’ll get drinks,” stan interrupts, looking for an excuse to leave the table before he has to listen to the prospect of kyle and nichole hooking up again. kyle has been close-lipped about it, but implied once that the previous summer he’d been the reason for nichole and token’s weekly breakup. whenever kenny fishes for information, kyle sticks to his script of saying that trying to date nichole wouldn’t be worth ruining his friendship with token, which sounds like bull to stan, seeing as they’re not very close. it's possible that nichole hit on kyle, who didn't act on it, and token had found out. craig’s gang might tolerate kyle more than they do him, but they don’t bother talking to kyle much at token’s parties either. stan has always presumed that the reason kyle doesn’t go after nichole is that he has his sights set on bailing out of south park at his earliest convenience and tying himself down to anyone here would interfere with that plan. before kyle had told stan that he planned to come back to south park after his backpacking travels, stan had thought he was included in the laundry list of people that kyle wouldn’t think twice about leaving behind and never speaking to again. “alcoholics don’t make good bartenders,” cartman argues, “the same way that junkies don’t make good dealers. they’re just going to use all the product up for themselves.” “he’s closer to being a bartender than you are to being student council president,” kyle says. “we’d vote clyde in before you and he can barely spell ‘president’.” “wendy is due for a mental breakdown any day now,” cartman shrugs. “then, i’ll swoop in. perfectionists work themselves to death. that’s why you work smarter - not harder.” “what do you guys want?” stan asks, sighing heavily. “beer? shots? mixed drinks?” “what kind of mixed drinks are you going to concoct for us, faggy neutron?” “hang on,” kenny says, raising his hand to stop kyle from voicing what kind of drink he wants, “let’s see how well we know each other. i say stan will crack open a beer.”“because he’s a two-beer-queer,” cartman says with a snort. “he’ll shotgun one and start talking about kyle’s performance in his latest basketball game. two and we’ll need to separate them before stan starts foaming at the mouth.” “beer is overrated-” kenny starts, clearly trying to segway cartman away from the subject he’s on, probably to spare stan from deciding to dive into the pool with the intention of never coming back up.“and that’s coming from someone who can only afford it on a good day-” cartman interrupts. “-but to each their own,” kenny continues. “personally, i could always go for something rum-based-” cartman makes a face. “so kenny is a homo-jito, who’s surprised? he’ll fuck anything that can lift it’s legs.” “hey!” kenny shouts suddenly, rising out of his chair only enough so he can reach over and jab cartman’s chest with his pointer finger. “i’ve got standards, you know!” stan watches fondly as kyle balks, like kenny has just claimed to have discovered an undiscovered planet in their solar system made of cheese, or a species of animal that weaves baskets and has an arm made of celery. “i’m just fucking kidding!” kenny says while smiling goofily so all his teeth show. “i’m so knee-deep in pussy this year that i’m going to get trench-foot.” kyle sniffs like it’s impolite to talk about sex at a high school house party, though maybe it’s just the comparison between womanly juices and the muddy, dirty water inside trenches during world war 1 that he can’t tolerate. “those are all overrated drinks for people who drink to get drunk, instead of drinking to enjoy something that goes well with a nice lobster or steak dinner.” “mr. pretentious over here would like something he can sniff his farts out of when he’s done drinking,” cartman notes, “which is equally unsurprising.” “shall we go with chardonnay gay?” kenny asks, to which cartman chuckles and fist pounds kenny. “cartman, your breath stinks,” kyle says, and pushes the windex spray over to cartman so the label isn’t facing him, “here’s some breath mist.” cartman actually moves to raise the bottle to inspect it before realizing what it is, causing kenny to double over with laughter.“fuck, you guys are idiots!” stan looks to the ceiling to compose himself before he says, “everyone gets beer - just deal with it.” stan huffs and stumbles through the groups of kids hanging out around the kitchen as he makes his way to token’s enormous fridge. he takes the first few cold beers that he sees, stows them in the crook of his arm, which slightly freezes his bare skin, and slowly makes his way back to his friends. when he starts passing them out, before slumping down into the chair between kyle and kenny, he notices that cartman is already gearing up to complain about something.“this looks like a hippie drink,” cartman comments, turning the can over in his hand. “look at the picture - some stream in the middle of nowhere. it says ‘taste the ozarks’. who drinks this shit?” he sneers. “this is the future liberals want - society completely destroyed so we can all go back to living like cavemen. are you sure you didn’t bring this, stan?” “i’m not a hippie,” stan says fruitlessly. “to his credit, stan,” kyle says, “remember when you were drunk last weekend and kenny told you that you’re going to die without ever having seen nirvana live and you started crying?” “to his credit?” stan asks disbelievingly, wondering why kyle would be defending cartman. he looks to kyle questioningly and kyle grins back at him, then knocks his knee into stan’s from under the table. “of course token would buy this smarmy shit,” kenny says, agreeing with cartman. “piney river black walnut. what if someone here was allergic? aren’t walnuts the biggest nut?” “yeah, besides the nut you bust when craig tucker does your laundry, you fuckin’ pervert,” cartman says. “i’m a man of simple pleasures,” kenny says agreeably. “a simpleton, if you will,” kyle says with a grin. “fuck off, broflovski.” kenny lightly shoves at kyle’s arm while laughing. stan zeroes in on kyle’s arms, which are plenty toned from push-ups and planks, and how kyle’s summer haircut somehow makes him look older and more masculine. maybe he shouldn’t start drinking, he thinks, and then swings back his beer in less sips than the amount of breaths he takes in-between. stan remembers token’s first big party after his parents had built their pool and their pool house. they’d been in eighth grade and stan had never seen a pool house before and assumed it was what’s actually referred to as cabanas, due to his heavy consumption of television. before he’d gone to that party so many years ago, he’d been running back the sandals resort ads in his mind, with their breezy, sheer white curtains and huge beds left open to the elements with no walls on any sides of them. instead, the pool house has the same masculine, brown brick look as his parents’ house does, and looks big enough for someone to rent out. maybe if token’s parents weren’t so loaded, they’d have it listed on airbnb. or maybe that's not such a good idea, considering that token is storing extra illegal fireworks somewhere in the place. “what kind of boxes again?” kyle asks, opening up the kitchen drawers in token’s pool house. it has an open floor plan, with a bed somewhere on the other side of the room only partially hidden by floor length drapes that hang from a tension rod. that side of the room has brick walls while the kitchen area is more light and contemporary. “long and narrow, with a picture of a cartoon rocket on them.”“what, like, something out of the wile e. coyote and road runner cartoon? weird to market something kids want to buy with tv show characters that only our parents would recognize.” kyle shakes his head. “i can’t believe ned and jimbo, at their age, are still going all the way to mexico every summer just to get fireworks.”stan snorts at kyle’s comment, mainly because kyle has always reminded him of woody woodpecker, who, to stan’s admittedly shoddy memory, used to use his beak to knock on people’s front doors since it was so big. kyle’s nose is similarly huge, even when he’s not using it to butt into other people’s business, a trait he's presumably inherited from his mother. “they’re not,” stan says, leaning back against the stainless steel fridge, wincing when his back hits the dip where the ice maker is. “token bought them off tegridy incorporated. my dad figured out how to make them from home. you should see our basement - it’s like something out of breaking bad.” “that’s illegal!” kyle exclaims, ever the product of his father as well, who once watched a woman cut her finger with the local post office’s supply of letter openers and gave her his business card, telling her that they could sue for gross negligence for having letter openers that were too sharp. “you can’t sell those online! your dad could get arrested!” “my dad’s not selling them online - token came over a few months back asking if he could figure out how to make some. my dad dropped off a few boxes of them on his e-scooter a few days ago.” kyle rests his back against the matching stainless steel kitchen island, his forehead catching the light from the windows behind them. usually stan can’t see quite this much of his forehead, as his hair is too heavy to not be disrupted by gravity. “you think there’s anyone in this town that’s not completely insane?” “nichole?” stan asks, feigning disinterest as he looks down to their feet. kyle is still wearing his flashy balenciagas from earlier that afternoon. stan doesn’t know why he tortures himself with asking questions like these when he’d rather kyle just kick him in the gut with that shoe - it’d feel the same but be far less embarrassing. looking at kyle, stan can never decide what he prefers kyle’s hair to look like - when it’s long, it’s as dense as the underbelly of the most matted, feral cat in existence. that kyle appeals to stan’s nostalgic side, the longing he has for their childhoods. stan really has never been good with change. he supposes that’s part of the reason that he couldn’t bring himself to break-up with wendy. the way kyle has changed is another thing altogether. this kyle, this tall guy with toned arms and legs from basketball drills, with a freshly-shaved head - stan doesn’t know what to do with this guy. kyle looks at stan plaintively, like stan has just said something ridiculous. “she’s gotta be crazy to not have already committed to the only kid in town who has a pool house.” he pauses for a minute before continuing. “maybe i should just go this summer,” he considers.  great, stan wishes he could say, i love that . he’ll be getting robbed of even more time with kyle if he goes this summer. “yeah, your mother would love that.” kyle just grins like he’s not currently sticking the cows’ cheerleaders' spirit stick into stan’s chest and twisting it around in there. “did you know that in colorado, you only have to be fifteen to get emancipated?” kyle asks very matter-of-factly. “oh, yeah? where would you live?” “in your basement, with barbrady.” stan bites the inside of his cheek, trying not to laugh. the first time his mother had dealt with a menopause scare, she hadn’t exactly handled it well, and had decided to hold barbrady captive there for a few days after a complete mental breakdown. “that was a misunderstanding. barbrady never complained.” kyle makes a psshing sound, letting his body slide down the refrigerator. he looks up to stan from the floor with a smile. “-that you know of. do you have any idea of the amount of paperwork that goes into a lawsuit? especially when my dad is the only lawyer in town? maybe he’s still backed up with cases from a decade ago.” “so he’d be too busy to track you down if you split.” kyle’s eyes light up. “exactly, dude. wanna come?” “that depends. what’s the turnaround time for emancipation?” stan asks, gracelessly sinking down to the kitchen floor, and leaning his back against the island. he stretches his legs out so they run parallel to kyle’s much longer legs, and struggles to leave them pressed to kyle’s the way he used to do so easily when they were kids, before he knew what the nervous feeling that came from that meant. “with my connections?” kyle asks, referring to his father as he leans forward so he can rest his forearms on his knees. “virtually none.” “connections, plural?” stan asks. “how many connections do you have?” stan asks, thinking again of nichole, which is unfair of him to do, considering he’s with wendy. kyle shrugs, bringing his hand up to reach for stan’s glasses, the non-prescription ones that he wears strictly for wendy. sometimes kyle will steal them, put them on, and ask if he looks at all like his annoying cousin kyle, to which stan always says no, of course not. kyle isn't some dorky wuss - he's this tall giant who's every move and word makes stan's hands clammy. kyle folds the glasses back inwards carefully. “only one that matters.” stan blinks. when they were kids, sheila was such a strict parent to kyle that stan had always joked that in order for kyle to attend a sleepover, he’d need to ask gerald for a legal document, complete with a wax seal, and present it to sheila as if she were getting served with a court summons. she’d moved their family to south park because of how far removed it was from modern civilization, wanted to bring kyle up in a place with traditional values, and away from the morally polluted new jersey neighborhoods she’d been raised in. stan can’t help but wonder what sheila would think of kyle leaning forward and pressing his mouth to stan’s, some two thousand miles from where those people live with their total disregard for virtues taught by priests and rabbis. stan is too shocked to react until he feels the arms of his eyeglasses that kyle is holding pressing into his knee uncomfortably. stan moves to take the glasses from kyle’s hand, but kyle must think that stan’s hand covering his means that stan is trying to hold his hand. it really figures that the perception of stan as being needy and clingy is so powerful that even when he’s not vying for anything, kyle’s first thought is that he is. kyle throws the glasses aside and stan hears them slide along the wooden floor, but he doesn’t bother looking for them because he’d rather be leaving his eyes closed. he thinks he might be allergic to kyle, or at least to his mouth, because every time it’s pressed against his, his lips tingle like he’s been stung by a particularly nasty bee. if he opens his eyes and sees kyle’s hand cradling his own while it rests against stan’s thigh, he might go into anaphylactic shock. stan uses his free hand to reach for the back of kyle’s tank top, bunching his hand into the fabric and trying to tug kyle closer with it. if kyle already has the perception that stan is needy, there’s not much point in him trying to transform his image now. kyle must get the message because he takes stan by the hips and pushes him backwards, further from the island so stan won’t hit his head as he starts to fall back against the floor. kyle is right on top of him in an instant and seems to be smiling into a frenzied, somewhat awkward kiss that bumps their noses. it’s like their days of wrestling as kids, except stan’s objective isn’t to overpower kyle anymore. he’s pretty content with letting kyle get him on his back, decides to let kyle know this by spreading his legs only slightly indecently from beneath kyle’s groin. just as kyle makes a satisfyingly sharp inhale, like he wasn’t expecting it, stan hears a crunch from beneath one of his parted legs. kyle pulls back and looks down at stan, panting slightly. stan has one hand on his shoulder and the other on the back of his head, which sends a spike of chills down his back every time he runs his hand over kyle’s shaved head. it’s the glasses wendy bought him, he realizes just seconds too late. if he were a better person, maybe he would have pushed kyle off and grabbed the glasses to check and see if they were repairable. instead, he keeps his eye contact with kyle as he bares the back of his shin down, which makes another unpleasant crunching sound that stan hopes kyle will be happy to hear.  fuck the glasses, fuck suffering through a dissatisfying marriage with wendy, and fuck anybody that wouldn’t like what they’re doing. judging by the perverse smile on kyle’s face as he leans back down to catch stan’s mouth in a wetter, slower kiss, kyle likes what they’re doing, and that’s all that matters to stan.  “so,” kenny says abruptly, one hand raising from the wheel to make a convoluted gesture as his face twists into confusion, “i’ve got a pretty good idea of what i think happened last night. i’d rather not pry,” he says, drumming his fingers on the wheel for a few seconds before continuing, “but i figure if i wait around for you to tell me at your leisure, it’ll be over a rousing game of bingo at the old folks’ home when we’re eighty.” “cartman told me you were the one getting up to something interesting.” kenny purses his lips like he’s considering answering before he childishly says, “i asked first.”“would you believe me if i said i got sweet-talked?” “you know what i might call that? being ‘buttered’ up.” “what’s your point?” stan asks uncomprehendingly.  kenny takes his eyes off the road to look to stan, widening his eyes meaningfully and starting to smile. stan feels his head drop down of it’s own accord, letting his hair fall into his face. “you’ve got to be kidding me. how did that happen?” “mm-mm-mhhm,” kenny hums in disagreement, “now it’s your turn. what exactly did you mean by sweet-talked? did kyle promise you roses and rings and a big, pretty house to raise lots of rich, spoiled redheads in?” stan grimaces. although kyle promised him none of this, stan feels like kenny has has hit the nail on the head. what had happened at his house before the party had felt like a grand romantic gesture, if maybe a little vague compared to what kenny is picturing. stan’s stomach lurches as he thinks about repeating kyle’s words aloud - less so because it’s kenny he’s talking to and more so because he’s afraid kenny will flip a gasket when he learns that kyle propositioned a trade-off - a break-up with wendy for a get-together with kyle - and that he’d blown it. stan squeezes his eyes shut, ducks his head, and pinches the bridge of his nose.  “it’s private.” kenny says nothing, making stan afraid that he’s just insulted kenny’s feelings. he knows that kenny tends to interpret his words poorly sometimes, particularly where kyle is concerned. it’s something they’ve always had in common - the ability to feel like an outsider in an instant - with little justification needed for it. kenny seems to deal with it by having the closest thing to anonymous hookups one could have while living in south park - because there’s not enough faces in town to constitute misremembering them. stan deals with it mostly by following the goth kids around until the feeling of not belonging is overshadowed by the feeling of an impending migraine from trying to come up with too many synonyms for the word pain while writing shitty poetry. stan is gearing up to tell kenny that it’s not an issue of trust - there’s nobody stan trusts more than kenny - when kenny flips the right directional on and starts slowing down, when they’re still a few houses away from stan’s. “i only need to know one thing,” kenny says very seriously, bowing his head and lowering his voice like they’re in a crowded room rather than a totally discreet truck. “are you okay?” “is it a cop-out to say that i won’t know until i see him?” stan asks. “oh, stanley,” kenny says, and reaches out to reassuringly squeeze stan’s shoulder, “your heart is almost too big for this cruel world.”  stan can’t say he likes where this conversation is going, as he can see himself crying in five minutes if he doesn’t change the subject swiftly, and he knows exactly how to go about doing that in the best way for someone like kenny. “speaking of being almost too big-”  kenny lets out a huff of laughter. “i could have told you that.” stan looks questioningly to kenny, who’s starting the engine again, until kenny realizes he’s being watched. “if i was an artist, i could draw all the crevices and contours of kyle’s junk just by seeing him in those basketball shorts.” “nice!” stan says loudly and awkwardly, slapping his thigh to signal another change of subject. maybe he’s too good at distracting kenny. as they’re finally pulling into stan’s driveway, he asks more softly, “you won’t tell anyone?” “i won’t tell a soul,” kenny promises, shifting the truck into park, and holding out his pinky to stan. stan pinky-promises him back, then notices kenny is cringing at something outside of stan’s window. stan lets go of kenny’s pinkie and turns around to see that his dad is watching them from their mailbox, a stack of bills and flyers tucked under his armpit. he’s making a stupid-looking face, puckering his mouth and making kissy-lips, with one arm outstretched towards the truck, which is waving his pinkie around with. “did i tell you that yesterday morning my mom accused me of blowing guys to get petty favors? your dad and my mom should start, like, a pflag group, but for homophobic parents. how come nothing like that exists?” “it does - it’s called the westboro baptist church. anyway, he doesn’t mean anything by it,” stan says, rolling his eyes, and turning back towards kenny. “i could get married to brian boitano and the only thing he’d ask is if he could wear his tegridy incorporated tee shirt to the wedding to get some free publicity.” kenny cinches his eyebrows. “well, that’d be a good time to have some other questions. isn’t brian boitano, like, old as shit now?” “my point exactly - he doesn’t care,” stan says, while getting out of the truck. within earshot of his dad, stan says, “thanks for keeping my naughty gay secret, dude. ready to head to the basketball court?”“very funny, stan!” his dad chuckles cluelessly and moseys back towards the house with his mail.stan lifts both hands up as if to say ‘see what i mean’?.  the air feels heavy and sticky, making him feel like he’s sitting in front of a furnace when he’s just standing around outside with his friends. despite having these boiling hot few weeks in the summer every year since he was a kid, stan has never really gotten used to them. it feels more normal to him when he’s wearing a hat and a scarf and rubbing his hands together for warmth in front of the space heater in his bedroom than it does when he’s outside wearing only a tee shirt and shorts and wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. “i’m gonna wipe out, dude,” stan says to nobody in particular, yawning defeatedly. it’s nearing dinner-time and the sun will likely set within the hour, judging by the fog that seems to be creeping in. stan feels like he got no sleep at all last night, though he’d passed out shortly after his and kyle’s rendezvous in the pool house. every time kyle’s eyes would flit towards him during the game, he’d duck down and reach for whoever had the ball, like he was very invested in basketball suddenly, when he’s only ever cared about it when he’s been in the stands watching kyle play. he’s torn between badly wanting to talk to kyle after and badly wanting to run straight home after, claiming nausea or exhaustion. he'd told kenny a few of the more physically intimate details of what had happened the previous night on their walk over to the basketball court, purposefully leaving out the emotionally intimate details, and now he's really dreading the possibility of talking about those with kyle. “i think i’m still hungover from yesterday,” he says cowardly. “we’re done, right?” kenny asks, looking up at cartman and kyle from where he’s sitting on the pavement, a few yards away from the hoop, as he bends his face down so it brushes against his leg, his hand reaching and grasping for the toe of his worn-in converse. “stretching to improve your fuck-sessions with butters?” cartman asks, standing to his side with the ball in his hands. “you should try these exercises sometime, cartman,” kenny says, while letting go of his shoe and straightening his back out, “it might help you beat me next time.” “you beat me because you had the jew on your team, not because i didn’t do a downward dog first like you assholes.” “besides,” kyle says, “the first step to stretching is to weigh less than a beluga whale.” it’s a cheap shot, especially considering that cartman is not nearly as overweight as he once was, due probably in equal parts to football and wendy terrorizing the school board for several years before they caved and introduced healthier food options. still, stan cracks a small smile. kenny hides his face in the crook of his arm to muffle his laughter while cartman turns to glare at him. “the first step to puberty, my friend, is to grow leg hair, but that hasn’t stopped you from coming here.” he bends down and rests his hands on either of his knees while he squints down in the dark to look at kenny’s bare legs in his nylon shorts. in a voice that cartman claims he used while teaching inner-city kids how to cheat on their sat tests, he enthusiastically says, "¡yo quiero taco bell!""i'm not the fucking taco bell dog!" kenny snaps, pointedly not looking down to compare his hairless legs to a chihuahua's body. kyle laughs, so he reaches over to where kyle is standing on his other side and punches kyle’s leg. “laugh it up, man, just because you’re hairy and tall. i’m surprised you managed to fit into token’s pool house without busting out of it like the incredible hulk. when you throw a blanket on at night, does it look like a giant holding a dishrag?” stan tenses immediately. he doesn’t think kenny means to, but he’s about to ruin everything by mentioning the pool house in front of kyle. stan braces for the full impact of kyle’s rage, braces for kyle to turn around and start going off at stan for telling kenny. he’s just as afraid of what kyle might say as what cartman might say.“you know, my feet do hang off the end of my bed a little,” kyle admits. cartman snorts and shakes his head while kenny starts whooping with laughter. stan feels like he’s having an out-of-body experience. stan tries to remember who was around when token asked for volunteers to go search the pool house up and down for the extra fireworks, but can't remember if kenny had been there. is that why kyle isn't questioning kenny and asking him how he knows kyle even went inside token’s pool house? “you ever thought about upgrading and just sleeping in a truck bed?” kenny asks. “have you ever thought about downgrading and sleeping in a dog crate?” kyle asks thoughtfully. “hey stan, do you still have sparky’s?” “i’ve already tried it,” kenny says glumly, finally standing up, “but my dick was too big for it, so i had to park it inside your mom.” “shut the hell up or i’ll park my fist up your nose,” kyle says, and punches kenny’s arm in a non-threatening way. “yeah, yeah,” kenny says, using a loose hand movement to shoo kyle off, as he starts walking backwards. “stark’s pond tomorrow? maybe catch a movie after?” “yeah, sure,” kyle says, giving cartman the closest thing that cartman will ever get to a smile from kyle, his lips pressed together too tightly for it to be a natural result of comradery between two people. stan watches cartman jog to catch up with kenny, who’s already made it to the other side of the street.stan feels his breathing become more labored, air puffing out of his mouth like he had put far more effort into their game than he did. it feels like the moment where kyle begins turning back around to face him is happening in slow motion. he wishes he could disappear into the slight fog that the humidity has caused, melt into the damp air and never have to face kyle again, if only he thought he could truly live in the same town as kyle and never talk to him again. “so,” kyle says, tossing the ball from one hand to the other, “as far as token’s parties go, that was even better than usual.” stan scans kyle’s face warily, searching for any traces of regret or disgust, but finds none. kyle just sort of looks...unsure. it’s strange, being that kyle is almost never unsure about anything. he forms opinions quickly and usually sticks to them, even if he’s proven wrong. it’s not the worst quality to have - his judgement is usually sound, so he’s not proven wrong very often. kyle looks like he’s biting the inside of his cheek, maybe nervously. since when does kyle get nervous? “yeah, dude,” stan says, clearing his throat awkwardly. “i really loved the fireworks.”kyle frowns. he stops passing the ball back and forth between his hands and folds his arms over it instead, hugging it close to his chest. “the fireworks?” he asks, his voice going a little higher, but not quite shrilly like his mother's does, like a car weaving between two lanes that couldn’t quite settle on one. kyle isn't being hysterical like he gets sometimes - not yet, anyway. kyle’s posture shifts from stiff and refined to slumped-over and completely ungraceful. neither is his usual posture and neither is as complementary on him as his normal confident, casual stance. kyle is still hugging the basketball tightly to his chest when he continues, “is that the last thing you remember?” the whole night flashes before his eyes: spotting wendy poolside and not taking the opportunity to break up with her, drinking more than necessary with the guys, but not enough to have a spotty memory, and finally, letting kyle drag him into the pool house. he almost remembers the night too well - like how indulgent he’d been to kyle’s advances, how he hadn’t made kyle work for anything, not to kiss him, not even to get into his pants. he’d been eager. he wonders how the cows' cheerleaders would react to knowing that piece of information and hopes they'll never be privy to it. he ducks his head to avoid having kyle see his face coloring. the last thing stan has ever wanted was to let his best friend drag him into bed on a whim, though kyle may have been under the assumption that stan had already dumped wendy for him. that definitely wasn’t the case, nor had stan informed wendy after the incident with kyle that it’d happened at all. it’s unfair to hide so much information, to everyone involved, even to himself, but at least he can bear the brunt of the pain. it’s something he’s already more than accustom to. it's nearly a miracle that it's been so long since he's hung out with the goth kids, anyway. he could clearly do with a well-needed reminder of what he'll never have. “yeah, man.” stan looks back up at kyle and plasters an unconcerned look onto his face, holding out his hands for kyle to toss him the ball. “did i do anything stupid?” kyle’s face only very briefly flashes with something unpleasant before he looks perfectly composed again. stan is sure he’s made the right decision. kyle has always been the kind of kid who bounces back fast, or, at least faster than he does. he throws the ball slightly too hard towards stan, who catches it with the wind knocking right out of him. “nothing more stupid than usual.” stan forces a laugh and walks home with kyle. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- the previous summer, end of junior year “there’s a special place in hell for teachers who assign essays on poems that make no sense,” kyle says as school is letting out, reaching into his locker and angrily pulling his jacket on one sleeve at a time. ‘actually, there’s not,’ kenny wants to say, but doesn’t, because he’s not the ‘actually’ guy. the ‘actually’ guy gets his rocks off by correcting people’s poor judgements, with his nose stuck up in the air to present the lesser knowledgeable people below him with a nice view of the insides of his nostrils. kenny has never much cared for harping on the minor details in life, especially because doing so would endanger the few actual friendships he’s maintained over the years. kyle only gets away with being the ‘actually’ guy because arguing with him is futile. nobody in their group has the kind of patience for long-winded debates that kyle has - not even cartman, who purposefully pushes kyle over the edge for his own entertainment. “let me look at it,” stan says, holding out his hand. kyle turns slowly away from his locker to fix stan with a debilitatingly incredulous look. what little confidence stan may have had in analyzing poems has been squashed by kyle’s lack of faith in him. kenny tries not to snicker, as he usually does when he feels as though he’s stuck in the studio audience for the live tapings of the neverending sitcom that is stanandkyle, wherein they are constantly accidentally stepping on each other’s toes and then spending the rest of their day obsessing over each painstakingly dull detail of their perceived mistakes. “no matter how hard you try,” kyle says with the gentle tone he reserves solely for stan, though the way he scrunches his nose up like he’s speaking to a toddler makes it clear he’s about to say something harsh, kyle continues with, “spark-noting stephen king books to get into the goth kids’ good graces will not make you a literarian.”kenny whistles and looks to stan with wide eyes. “now, i don’t know what that word means, but it didn’t sound good, buddy.”  “shut up, kenny,” stan says. “when’s the last time you read anything that wasn’t a vice article on your snapchat feed?” “it’s better for him to read nothing but vice articles about dick tattoos and customizable sex dolls than read stephen king,” kyle says without so much as glancing in kenny's direction. when they just stare at him uncomprehendingly, he continues, “stephen king is a hack,” he says as though this is an obvious fact that they are overlooking.stan gapes like kyle has just said that he’s dropping out of school to become a full-time style consultant on queer eye. “how could you say that?” kyle shrugs, unzipping his backpack to pull out the offending textbook. “how could i? a fully-functional set of vocal cords and half a brain, for starters.” while they bicker, kenny jacks the textbook out of kyle’s hands, who just continues to argue with stan - well, it’s not exactly arguing. it’s more like kyle is arguing and stan is making endearingly pathetic faces instead of retaliating, doing his best impression of a kicked puppy. kenny opens the textbook up to where kyle has stuck the rubric from his teacher, eyes landing on a very long poem split into several columns spread across both pages. he skims and not much of it sticks out to him until -  “and like the cat, i have nine times to die. this is number three,” kenny mutters, his eyebrows knitting. he skips a few lines and then settles on, “the peanut-crunching crowd shoves in to see them unwrap me hand and foot - the big strip tease.”  he’s bombarded with dozens of memories then, of being a little kid and being toted around by his friends as some freak of nature. memories he wouldn’t have recognized as his own if he hadn’t read this first, one by one, all slowly surface. he was the poor kid who would do anything for a dollar - put himself into dangerous, disastrous situations, knowing that if he died, at least he’d come back one dollar richer. he knows his friends have no recollection of bribing him, nor of him dying far too many times as a result of their bribes, but it only makes his chest constrict tighter knowing he can’t ever explain it to them.  “the first time it happened, i was ten. it was an accident,” kenny reads, speaking faster than before. he doesn’t know whether to be sympathetic towards the narrator who clearly had a near-death experience, which had given them a preoccupation with death that had stuck, or to be annoyed that the narrator acted like there could be liberation in immortality, when kenny has never found it to be anything but inconvenient and isolating. the loneliness of it - the curse itself, and the ensuing inability to tell anyone, which came after - made him feel far from liberated. he’d grown to sometimes fantasize about one day not having to wake back up and have the responsibilities he has now anymore. “the second time i meant to last it out and not come back at all.”  the world has quieted in the time since kenny had started reading the poem and, when he looks back up, kyle and stan are staring at him curiously. kenny coaxes his face back into a dumbed-down playfulness, though his chest feels tight, and he feels that their eyes are boring into his soul. “what’s so complicated about someone having their gift exploited until the point where they start to view it as a curse?” he asks. he doesn’t like the puzzled looks he’s still receiving from kyle and stan. he sucks in a sharp breath and reaches over to drop the textbook back into kyle’s bag. when he straightens back up, he manages a strained smile. “well, i’ve got to go meet tucker,” he says while jerking his thumb across from them, over to where he’s spotted craig standing.“craig tucker?” stan asks, frowning. “why?” “he doesn’t know, but we have an outstanding appointment at his locker.” “for what?” stan asks in disbelief. “for flirtation.” stan’s face falls. “please don’t tell me that he’s your next target.” kenny sighs. at this rate, he’s not going to have any time at all today to harass craig. he’s been hearing through the grapevine that craig might be moving into the newly-renovated apartment building right across from his house and he’d like to inquire craig personally about it. well, if he hits stan and kyle with a one-two punch, they’ll be too busy criticizing him to even be able to remember how the conversation started.“his next target?” kyle asks. “why do we need to frame it like kenny is a serial killer?” “don’t step on my dreams, broflovski!” kenny grins. “maybe i aspire to be a serial killer.” kyle looks unimpressed. “didn't your results for the career aptitude test say you were destined to be an advocate for human rights, or something?” “yeah,” kenny nods agreeably. “i’m advocating for craig’s right to throw it back like a cadillac.” kenny watches as kyle’s mouth drops open and his tongue flops out like he’s about to puke. bingo, kenny thinks. kyle is always easier to distract. he hates overly-dirty innuendos and doesn’t get as tangled up in other people’s emotions as stan does. punch one, check. “i’d sooner believe craig was a serial killer,” stan says, still harping on the fact that it’s craig that kenny is interested in, “because of how weirdly quiet he always is. it’s suspicious.” “ooh,” kenny says, “serial killers in movies always have weird weapons, right? what was it that freddy krueger had?” stan gives him a look of disbelief. “knives for fingers?” kenny leans in closer to stan so he can whisper in his ear, “ooh, yeah! i hope he treats me like his own personal pincushion.” stan cringes and uses his hands to lightly push kenny away from him. kyle’s face looks paler somehow than it even normally does. kenny hopes he isn’t about to pass out, but it’s also a little funny. “ooh, here he comes!” kenny says, raising his voice again as craig begins walking past them, down the hallway. “if craig tucker kills me, don't prosecute! he caught me slipping!” craig’s head jerks over to them, but he just looks confused. kenny follows craig’s eyes as he scans the group of them. stan has stuck his head into kyle's locker to hide and kyle is fixing kenny with a death glare. craig barely even slowed down and is now briskly continuing to walk away. “why doesn’t he want to fuck me?” kenny asks, jerking his thumb back in the direction craig went. “is he homophobic?” “what the hell is wrong with you?” kyle asks, folding his arms over his chest like a disappointed and affronted mother. stan closes the door to kyle's locker and gives kenny this sort of appraising, skeptical look. “this was all a joke, right? i mean, you’re not actually into craig tucker - the guy who flipped us off every single day for, like, years.”kenny sighs. he wasn’t really looking to be mothered or psychoanalyzed today. he doesn’t especially feel like delving into all the reasons why he might find craig interesting either. they expect kenny to fall into a particular role, one that doesn’t include the prospect of kenny developing an emotional attachment to anyone, and he supposes he will have to fufill that role again. kenny wishes stan were a worse friend so he wouldn’t have to resort to this. “have you seen his mom since the separation?” he asks with a lewd wink. “i think she had her tits done. i need the deets on their split so i can gauge my chances.” with some inflection, like he’s still reading a poem, he says, “you’ve got to see tucker if you want to fuck her.” “ugh, i’m leaving,” kyle declares, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “stan?” stan’s cringe reemerges, but he looks mildly relieved. “why didn’t you just say that?” he asks, as though kenny had opened up about liking craig as part of some long, drawn-out scheme. well, at least stan is back to normal, and apparently so is kenny. punch two, check. completed in record time, nonetheless.kenny spins around on his heels and makes his way around the corner both so he can catch craig further down the hall, but also so he doesn’t have to witness the critiques he’s sure stan and kyle have for him. “they’re calling it a ‘war on heaven’-, ” he says, but with his accent, it sounds like he’s saying ‘war on evan’ and kenny is about to interrupt him and ask him why anybody would wage a war against evan peters - he’s not that bad of an actor - when he continues, “-little shits. when have we ever had the means to attack them? they wouldn’t know oppression if they had to live as we do - squatting underground in the filth, struggling to build a functioning society out of nothing but rubble and dust.” “who?” kenny asks. “who else?” christophe asks, his voice wearing thin from impatience, “the cocksucking angels.”  “ze cocksucking angels,” kenny mimics haughtily. “you know, worrying will give you premature wrinkles,” kenny says, raising his hand to childishly swipe it over christophe’s face until the man roughly pushes kenny’s arm away. it’s a moot point, anyway. the guy even had undereye bags when he was a kid. kenny suspects that as a baby fresh out of the womb, christophe had a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth, dirt in his hair, and undereye bags. “why don’t you leave this to the government?” “ah, so they can hand the task of researching down to you?” christophe asks incredulously, “their little lapdog?” kenny ignores the jab. “what’s to research? i don’t know who you think you’re playing telephone with, but i hope the overdraft fees will be worth it for these international calls. we can’t contact anyone in heaven and they can’t contact us . whoever your informant is, they’re blowing smoke up your ass. this animosity you’re so sure ‘ze’ angels have for us - it’s all hearsay.” kenny grabs christophe’s cigarette out of his fingers and stubs it out against the back of christophe’s glove, just to watch his expression harden. “you should really take the old mustang over to paradise and get a plastic surgeon to look at those undereye bags. how do you get so tired in the first place, sitting on your ass all day and complaining to anyone who’ll listen?”“it’s very tiring dealing with your shit.” “you’d be lucky to feast your eyes on my sheets , mole, but i have to ask - are you interested in the top or the bottom?” kenny asks lewdly. “you know perfectly well what i said,” christophe mutters indignantly, “and i would rather douse myself in holy water and do pirouettes in front of satan himself than have to touch your sheets.” kenny feels a hot rush of anger slide up his chest at the mention of satan, who christophe surely only mentions to hurt him. it’s been nearly eight years since he’s seen satan, and every day since, it’s been a struggle conversating with the very people who made his job, during the centuries he had it, so difficult. sometimes he zones out while deep in conversation with members of the government he knows satan hated and fantasizes about socking them in the face. this reminds him that he’s going to be late if he doesn’t leave soon. “thank you for once again reminding me of how i lost the only person here who was ever a comfort to me.” “which i could not possibly understand,” christophe says, his eyes narrowing. “tell me,” he continues, poking his tongue into his cheek so it protrudes, “has your little detective friend come up with any leads on damian’s whereabouts?” from the look on christophe’s face, kenny already knows the guy is expecting to hear no . “no,” kenny says simply, because he’d hate to disappoint christophe, who loves nothing more than being right. christophe hums. “and the seat of his in the legislative branch that has been empty for months now?”kenny grins. “off the record?” “of course not,” christophe says. “even with the statistics proving otherwise, my readers still seem to be under the misguided belief that exchanging one zealot for another will bring about change.” kenny snickers. “mighty convenient for you that your tabloid only thrives under a defunct government and you’re trying to teach your readers not to bother voting, wouldn’t you say?” “it’s a magazine,” christophe offers as his only form of rebuttal, which kenny finds even more humorous. “i will take your lack of comment on the state of damian’s seat as further confirmation of the government’s ineptitude.” “why don’t you fill it if you’re so concerned?” kenny asks. “holding a seat would impress your readers, right? plus you’d get more of them with all that attention. or would being part of the legislative process interfere too much with your plans to make it look like passing laws is easy and we’re just not doing it out of sheer laziness?” “i have no interest in campaigning, as i am not a politician.” “neither am i,” kenny says, “and i have a seat.” “i’m sorry,” christophe says evenly, sounding very unapologetic, “was this supposed to be an example of how the government is not inept?” kenny shakes his head in disbelief. it’s always the same with christophe. kenny could convince the other legislatures to pass a law requiring every inhabitant of pandemonium to buy a permanent subscription to christophe’s tabloid and the guy would just tell kenny that it’s a smear tactic to force demons into reading his conspiracy articles about visiting angels, all so they’d laugh at him. the guy is just never going to be happy, even if the legislatures were willing to hear kenny out about the laws he’d like to implement. “well, as thrilling as this has been, i’ve got high tea with the legislatures at six, and i haven’t picked up the floral arrangements yet.” kenny glances down at the demex on his wrist to check the time, a gift from satan on his tenth birthday he hadn’t grown into until he was a teenager. if satan were around to witness what’s happened in the wake of the entire government’s collapse - from the animosity between the parties to the absurdity of christophe’s rag, which purported the theory in which angels were liable for the poverty in hell, due to conspirings between them and god himself, he would be devastated.  christophe chuckles. “as spokesperson for them, do you get any privileges other than toting the title of glorified errand boy?” “i don’t know,” kenny begins. “as spokesperson for every moron in the regandrist party, do you get any privileges other than getting sent doctored photos of angel-driven chariots flying over hell?” kenny has seen the pictures christophe has included in his tabloid, always taken in terrible lighting, showcasing regal-looking white and gold chariots floating over various locations in hell, like something out of a children’s storybook where santa and his sleigh hovered over the houses of unsuspecting families. the fact that christophe published these photos and accounts feels no less underhanded than parents who use santa as an excuse to threaten their kids with a monetary punishment - no christmas presents - if they don’t behave. completely shameless, if you ask him. surely impoverished children, as well as the impoverished inhabitants of hell, deserve better than those lies peddled by people like christophe, who think they know better than everyone else. “you say this as though ufos don’t fly over your neighborhood on earth on a regular basis,” christophe says. “apples and oranges, christophe.” “don’t call me that,” christophe bites, pulling another cigarette out of his carton. he’s always been particularly snippy about being addressed with his own name. kenny guesses it’s because christophe de lorne sounds like the name of an effeminate french prince who wears six-piece suits and plays the harp and christophe couldn’t be further from that. kenny leaves christophe to his devices, taking off down the cobblestone paths of pandemonium, the oldest neighborhood in hell. christophe only lives a block from the capitol buildings, where the legislative buildings, courthouses, and satan’s mostly vacant executive buildings are. he side-steps several tri-colored pinto horses on his way that take up most of the narrow streets when they’re being ridden on. christophe’s mustang, unpredictable in behavior, cannot be ridden in the streets among other horses. he claims to have adopted the beast because it reminded him of himself - wild and brutish in nature. it roams christophe’s backyard, eating the ferns that manage to grow without sunlight there. of course, most earth plants couldn’t hope to grow in hell, but the ones that don’t need sunlight not only flourish in hell, but maybe even originated there and had spread to earth somehow. the idea peddled everywhere about hell being a dank and dismal place was only half true. however, those ideas are why it had taken so long for kenny to warm up enough to hell to take up another residence here. earth’s interpretations of hell were always so unfavorable. before satan had disappeared, the place wasn’t so bad. the flower shop he always goes to in pandema is a tiny stone building, with unfinished windows. vines weave out of the windows and merge with the trees. it’s been around since probably the dawn of time and has never been renovated, as most places in pandema haven’t. his bouquet is waiting for him in a square glass vase, like always. he leaves his money on the counter with a generous tip courtesy of his inheritance from satan and heads out the door. the neighborhood isn’t like the others in hell - most of the inhabitants of pandemonium are law-abiding citizens by nature. those who are human had once lived on earth as politicians, lawyers, journalists, or religious fanatics. those who are demons have almost always lived in the neighborhood for centuries and knew that breaking laws in the capital of pandemonium, where laws were born and also went to die, was unwise. neither was it wise to commit crimes nearby the capitol’s moats where crocodiles swam, where lawbreakers were often sent. kenny smells his bouquet. bromeliads and prayer plants - like always. both tropical and needing next to no natural light to thrive, they’re some of the most colorful bouquets he’s ever seen in hell. the bromeliads stand tall with bright orange, red, and yellow flowers. prayer plants wouldn’t be coupled with such flowers on earth, but here, they create a fuller bouquet, with their huge leaves and red vein-like stems. the bromeliads would probably succumb to heat rot if kenny weren’t bringing them inside, but both plants love the heat in small doses. when placed in the center of the enormous table with the legislatures, the stark stone room always seems less cold and impersonal. despite what christophe may thinks about everything else, he's right about the meetings never amounting to much. these demons, ancient and unbothered by the ticking of kenny’s watch, could sit for hours prattling on about things that happened before kenny was born before they’d even bother approaching and entertaining the possibility of passing new laws. instead of waiting patiently and biding his time by twiddling his thumbs, kenny often became impatient and began picking and prodding at the demons’ egos until the meetings descended into madness. it’s something he finds himself doing subconsciously, even on earth, like testing people’s respect for him or personal interest in his life would ever end with anything other than him feeling vindicated by his own awareness that nobody truly cared about him - not those who were happy satan was out of the picture, not his friends, not even his family. one might think that with dual citizenship, which even the richest and most powerful inhabitants of hell couldn’t buy their way into, kenny could find someone who gave a shit, but even across two planes of existence, he’s still not been able to find two tits or balls to rub together to produce a human being willing to love him. which is a shame, since he genuinely loves a half of a dozen people on either plane.this meeting goes just as terribly as every other one has gone since damian’s disappearance. it’s times like these where he wishes he still had damian, or even had someone like bebe here, if only to pass looks back at each other when things get out of hand. the shouting matches remind kenny of his home life more than he’d like to admit. despite the fact that hell is festering with demons, kenny’s life on earth mirrors his life in hell. he’s loathe to admit that even imagining having christophe occupying damian’s empty seat is starting to endear him. at least christophe would hear kenny’s ideas out before shooting them down, whereas the other legislatures won’t even allow him to voice them in the first place. damian was a great ally to have, even when he couldn’t help kenny make any positive changes. it’s a goddamn shame he’s not around anymore.  the previous summer, on the fourth of july kenny feels his stomach rumble, so he grabs a lone slice of white bread and sticks it into the toaster, deciding to avoid the tempting box of waffles in the freezer. his sister will want those when she wakes up and kenny isn’t going to be the one to deprive her of a halfway-decent meal. “hope you’re getting ready this early today for a shift at city wok,” his mother says, plopping down into one of their kitchen chairs. when kenny goes anywhere other than work, he’s being selfish. “you can buy a loaf of bread on the way back.” “i’m meeting stan and kyle to shoot some hoops,” kenny says, sitting down across from her. he watches her eye him warily. he’s wearing his oldest pair of jeans and a denver broncos tee shirt that stan had passed along to him in middle school. the hem barely reaches his navel, the top of his jeans riding low enough so his bony hips are exposed. “they dress like gentlemen,” she says, flicking a cigarette over her ashtray and blowing a smoke ring straight into kenny’s face. kenny looks on, unfazed and unimpressed. her pink terry-cloth bathrobe is tied sloppily around her waist and her hair is still setting, hair rollers all in mismatched colors and sizes. “why don’t you?” she asks. “you wanna lend me your bathrobe?” kenny asks, face neutral. “all my gowns are at the cleaner’s.”she ignores her son’s jab, eyes darkening at some realization she’s had, and then nods with sarcasm displayed clearly on her face. “the cleaner’s....right. that’s a formal way to describe thomas tucker’s kid. is that all he is to you - someone who provides you with a service? do you actually pay him or do you thank him in some other way?” kenny doesn’t like what she’s implying. he sticks a cigarette into his mouth, letting it hang there limply while he fishes around in the pockets of his ripped jeans for a light. “you’re asking if i thank him the way you thanked the plumber last week?” he asks out of the corner of his mouth. his mother snorts, her hair rollers bobbing as her head moves. “i make my sacrifices for this family - you shacking up with that kid doesn’t serve anyone but yourself. he must understand what it means to sacrifice, though - sacrificing his reputation to be seen out with you.” “thanks, mom.” kenny says syrupy-sweet, finally spotting his lighter. it’s been sitting on the kitchen table this whole time, half-obscured by his mother’s ashtray. he snatches it back from her, grabs the piece of toast that has finally popped up, and darts out of his house. kyle has spent every summer since kenny can remember complaining about his sweaty neck and how his curls mat down there until he gets so frustrated that he goes somewhere and gets it buzzed off completely. he must have gone to a walk-in salon earlier today because kenny saw kyle yesterday when they met up to shoot hoops and his hair was just as thick and bouncy as ever. he’d opened a water bottle and lifted it over his head, pouring it on himself like something out of late-night softcore cable porn. kenny had been opening his mouth to make fun of him when he had looked over his shoulder at stan to share a look of disbelief at kyle’s dramatics only to discover stan staring at kyle with a soft, pleading look. he must have been begging the universe to stop making kyle behave like a fuckboy posing for instagram pictures. over the last year, gerald started making even more money than before thanks to all the trolltrace-induced divorces and it’s showing in the way kyle walks. he’s got something most kids their age don’t: the awareness that there is life outside of their town and, therefore, something to strive for. his self-assuredness is probably stan’s nightly jerk-off material. kenny has the same awareness of life outside south park, only bunkering down and sticking his face in the books is unnecessary if all kenny wants in life is a job that comes with a meaty paycheck. he basically already has that and the stress doesn’t make it worth the money. he’d rather be at city wok, barely scraping by, but having the freedom to be with his friends than basking in power in hell, completely alone. kenny has slowly come to the conclusion over the past few years that money isn’t everything, something his childhood self would have balked at. “what’s the big plan, dude?” kenny asks him. “might fuck around and do a year abroad,” kyle says with a grin. stan’s hands fall from around the basketball, letting it drop to the blacktop and bounce back up, though stan doesn’t catch it. kyle darts out to grab it probably on instinct, not even noticing how the light drains from stan’s eyes the same way the sunlight is fading away as the night settles in, the sky going purple and pink at the edges. “what?” “i’m not going to keep busting my ass in high school just to graduate and immediately start doing the same fucking thing in college. there has to be a grace period, right?” he darts over to grab the basketball, his shoulders pale and freckly. he starts dribbling the ball and focuses on that instead of the truly tragic look on stan’s face. “do the whole europe thing - poland, italy, and france. see the auschwitz museum, wish for something at the trevi fountain, go see a bunch of independent movies at the cannes film festival.” “you pretentious fuck,” kenny says with an easy smile. rewind ten years and hearing kyle’s dizzying daydreams about a european vacation would have made kenny want to punch kyle in the nose, but if kenny really wanted to, he could see the same sights if he pulled a few strings with everyone in hell.“then,” kyle continues excitedly, unbothered by kenny’s comment, “take a train from france to spain and go party in ibiza.” “now we’re talking,” kenny says approvingly. he bends down to snatch the ball back from kyle and can’t help but snort at kyle’s fugly balenciaga sneakers being dragged along the blacktop mercilessly. with the way he treats them, you would think they were a pair of velcro sketchers from payless. kyle doesn’t offer to pay for their way, knowing that kenny has too much pride to accept an offer like that and knowing that stan would feel too embarrassed to accept. kyle will probably come back from europe all sophisticated, smarmy, and tan. he’ll be completely intolerable to be around, especially if he decides to wax on about all the overcrowded and overrun tourist destinations with a slight, unidentifiable european accent, and stan will probably cream his panties on the spot. kenny feels the pleasant warmth in his stomach from being around him all the same, just as he feels with stan. there’s that easygoing and comforting sense that he can be mostly himself around them, minus a few details. well, that coupled with the delight he gets out of mocking them. playing ball with them feels familial the way kenny imagines it feels to have nightly sit-down dinners at home if you have a stable family. these guys are his family as much as his actual family is, maybe moreso. even though he’s not infatuated with kyle the way stan is, he’ll definitely miss the guy more than he can imagine if kyle disappears for an entire year. kenny feels a guilty, unsettling feeling pool in his gut when he thinks about how stan will fair if kyle jets off to europe and kenny is stuck in hell. stan will really be miserable. he’ll have wendy, though. good old wendy - just as angry and as stubborn as kyle, but an entire foot shorter and in a skirt.  “so, what the fuck are we gonna do while kyle is off being a globetrotter?” kenny is asking for multiple reasons - one, because it’s the only basketball joke he can make that stan will understand, two, because he likes poking at stan, who is so good with evasion that he could probably get bitten by a shark, look someone dead in the eye, and claim nothing was wrong, all while having his leg spitting out blood like a geyser, and three, because kenny genuinely wants to know. he’s completely down for some input, however depressing stan’s input may be. he’s halfway expecting stan to suggest running a fanclub for kyle while he’s gone - maybe writing a travel blog for him featuring photos kyle will probably be posting online. stan ignores him and reaches for the volume knob - effectively drowning out kenny’s voice with the sound of some oldies station that stan’s dad must like. kenny probably should have seen it coming, but he’s still a little hurt by it. he’s long since come to terms with being tuned out - people have always said they can’t understand what he says half the time. it sounds mighty convenient to kenny, though people swear up and down they couldn’t make out his words until a few years ago. it’s not especially pleasant when the person tuning him out happens to be one of the only people in his life who’s always made him feel heard, especially when he’s come to expect it from everyone else except stan. people usually seem to actively hate him, like his parents do, or merely tolerate his presence, like his classmates do. sure, stan and kyle have given him plenty of attention over the years, but as time has gone on, kenny has begun craving it more and more from someone else, someone who’s harder to get it from. “answer the question, stanley. i was thinking we go full-blown stalker and hire paparazzi to get us proof of his whereabouts by paying some european chick to follow him around.” kenny is driving stan's dad's truck like he usually does, but this is the first time he's stealthily pressed down on a particular button on the left side of the wheel, next to the window switch, when he’s sure stan is looking away from him.“did you just put the fucking child lock on?” stan asks, startled by the locking noise.  kenny shrugs. “just being proactive.” stan looks up sharply. “you think i would try to jump out the truck to avoid this conversation? who do you think i am?” “i think you’re a pathetic, melodramatic fuck.” stan’s lip turns up. “why is it that when ladybird jumps out of a moving vehicle, it’s ‘complex’ and ‘sophisticated’, but when i do it, it’s ‘pathetic’ and 'melodramatic’ ?”kenny feels a warm rush of affection for stan. “why don’t you save this conversation for kyle, roger ebert?” “kyle only understands cinema-speak because of me, otherwise he’d think an aerial shot was a basketball thing.” “you know who knows this shit as well as you do?” stan rolls his eyes, shimmying down into the passenger side seat so his knees are at his chest and his feet are pressed against the dashboard. kenny would give him shit for hunkering down in his seat as if they’re about to embark on a cross-country roadtrip when they’re just driving across town if he didn’t know how sensitive stan was to criticism. “this shit is pathetic, dude.” “what is?” kenny asks, looking away from the road just long enough to shoot stan a dirty look. “you gassing tucker up like he’s some shy, insecure schoolgirl and not a totally pompous dick.” “it’s not my fault the guy can’t take a compliment!” “of course he can’t - he’s not even here!” stan throws his hands up and gives kenny a look of disbelief. kenny sighs as they pass the movie theater and takes the turn onto token’s street with a defeated expression. “you picked the one dude in our class who probably wears a chastity belt to school to try and get with and you’re surprised he’s not receptive to compliments?” “okay,” kenny says, “i changed my mind; you can jump out of the truck now.” stan snickers. “it’s my truck, not your’s - you know why? ‘a man with priorities so out of whack doesn’t deserve such a fine automobile’ .” “first of all, it’s your dad’s truck. second of all, you’re not some cinephile just because you can quote some retarded chrysler commercial.”  “it’s ferris bueller’s day off, dude.” kenny snorts. “the fuck do i care about some dude with a whack-ass name like that when i’m out here being a pimp?” stan shakes his head, grinning madly. “you’re not a pimp.”  “‘i’m a pimp in every sense of the word, bitch. better trust and believe ‘em’.”  “really, though,” stan says, “what’s the appeal? i mean, i’ve seen more facial expressions on the ants we used to burn with magnifying glasses when we were kids than i’ve seen tucker have in his whole life, and ants don’t even have faces.”kenny feels marginally annoyed that stan can’t see past his own tastes and realize that not everyone could be attracted to obsessive, perfectionistic, stubborn assholes. it’s more than just that, though. stan and craig have had bad blood since elementary school. their unnecessary tension should have gradually lessened through the years, but it hasn’t, mostly thanks to craig’s apathy.the theory kenny has been harboring lately is that craig sees stan as a walking, talking reflection of his own shortcomings, none of which he’s ready to face. stan has issues with shame and, on top of that, has piss-poor self-esteem. craig must hate to see stan coming - he must feel like stan is holding a mirror of craig’s own insecurities up to him - not that craig would ever voluntarily let anybody know that someone like stanley - who is perpetually in la la land - could make him feel insecure. which is apparently what bothers stan the most - that craig is able to conceal whatever emotions he has. maybe stanley is jealous that craig’s face is unreadable, while stanley’s is a point-by-point map that gives you the directions right to all his weak spots, latitude and longitude, and all. “is that the criteria you judge your love interests with, stanley?” kenny asks, “you judge them based on how many times a day they can become offended or outraged over something innocuous and provide you with a whole slew of gasps and snarls to really jostle your jimmies?”stan rolls his eyes, long past the days of pretending he doesn’t have feelings for kyle when it’s just him and kenny talking alone. “kyle doesn’t snarl.” “who said anything about kyle?” kenny asks, biting down on his lip so he doesn’t smile. “i was talking about wendy.” stan’s face reddens and he turns his face away as if he’s looking out of the passenger side window at something interesting, although it’s south park, so the most interesting thing you can expect to see outside your window is an amazon delivery being made or a bird shitting on someone else’s car. “i know,” stan says defensively. kenny feels a bit ashamed of himself. though it may be clear to their entire student body population that wendy was kyle’s female counterpart, it might not be clear to stan, who routinely slips in and out of reality whenever it suits him to do so. if kenny were able to live in denial of some of the harder truths of his life like stan could, he supposes he might occasionally choose to do so. kenny sighs as he realizes that he should let his guard down for stan a little, since he’d basically just hacked at stan’s defenses with a mallet. not wanting to endorse stan’s implication that craig was simply a boring individual who would serve no purpose in kenny’s life, but desperately wanting to take the only opportunity he’s had all year to lament how hard he’s been working to get craig to take him seriously, he says, “look, humor me, okay? picture you’re me, right? you wake up in the morning-” “-i wake up in the morning in bed with ashley aoki- one of butters’ elementary school prostitutes -, scratch my balls, go downstairs with her, and then hit on her mom right in front of her.”“that,” kenny says, holding up one finger to stop stan right there, “was a nasty rumor.” stan furrows his eyebrows. “that you slept with ashley or that you hit on her mom?” kenny ignores the question and pushes forward. “you wake up in the morning every day for years to the sounds of your overemotional, irrational parents having outburst after outburst. you try and intervene to stop them from fighting and they ignore you. you walk to the bus stop every day for years to find your friends bickering. you try and intervene to stop them from fighting and they ignore you.""eventually, craig tucker moves into the newly-built apartment complex next door, right? he’s mellow, he’s rational, he’s lived eighteen years on this planet without raising his voice once, and he listens to everything you say - even the shit he really doesn’t need to listen to.”kenny bites his lip for a second, not knowing if he should continue, but he feels the explanation crawling up his throat, and he thinks he ultimately wants to be understood more than he wants to keep his dignity. “i don’t have to work for his attention,” kenny says, realizing as he’s speaking that this is why he feels so happy when he’s with tucker. “i push his buttons and, instead of telling me to fuck off like everyone else does, he just feeds into it, and shows me more buttons i can press. his attention - it’s like a drug, man. i can’t get enough.” stan is quiet for a long, drawn-out moment. kenny figures that it’s a lot for the guy to take in. he was careful to not word anything in a way that would cast blame on stan for not giving kenny enough attention, but stan is a sensitive fuck, and may be blaming himself, anyway. then, he says, “i get it, dude. you know, my dad is totally emotionally checked-out of my life and my mom is too consumed with trying to fix his problems to notice mine. sometimes it’s nice when someone sort of... fusses over me...or shows me they’re willing to protect me.” stan shifts in the passenger seat like it’s making him uncomfortable to admit. he doesn’t specify whether he’s talking about wendy, kyle, or some bizarre combination thereof, and kenny knows better than to ask. “it never occurred to me that another hot-blooded idiot probably isn’t what you need.” “nothing wrong with a warm body every now and then,” kenny says casually, to finally, remorsefully, end the conversation that probably has taken a year off poor stanley’s life. “is that what you’re shooting for at token’s party?” stan asks, tipping his head towards the long line of cars parked curbside outside token’s enormous house. “as our dear friend jimmy always says when he’s commentating on kyle’s basketball games: he sh-sh- sh- shoots, he scores.” kenny frowns. “or, in this context, i guess it would be ‘he scores, then he shoots.’”“ugh, dude, just park the fucking car.” it’s getting later, or earlier depending on one’s outlook, and the skyline is truly beautiful. the slope of the picturesque green mountains, not covered in snow for once since it’s the summer, bleeds into the yellow and orange sunrise like an oil painting. token’s plushy patio furniture serves as more comfortable seating than kenny’s shitty, beer-stained upholstery at home. he’s sitting with his legs spread out, ‘manspreading’ as karen calls it, his knee knocking ever so slightly into craig’s knee. the sofa, comfortable as it may be, is small and mostly for show. the blacks don’t host any adult pool parties or barbecues - kenny suspects they bought the set to account for all the empty space in their massive backyard. craig is sitting indian-style beside him, his head tipped back all the way to rest on the headrest of the sofa, which is bound in wicker. he looks half-asleep and kenny wonders how many times he, clyde, and token have fallen asleep out here before on calm, quiet nights. “what’d you get for the career aptitude test?” kenny asks him, because he doesn’t do well with silence. there’s a long, heavy pause. craig sighs, rising from his lazed position, and looks down at his boots, toeing the wet dirt with them until the print of the shoe is molded into token’s backyard. “a public relations specialist.” kenny barks out a laugh, throwing his head back to the sky. “you? protecting high-profile celebrities, or something? what would you even have to protect in south park?” craig shrugs. “your balls every time you hit on some poor, unsuspecting girl and she tries to knee you in them.” “i’m telling you,” kenny says, “these tests need to start accommodating for the lackluster options available in the towns they’re testing. there should only be, like, three answers: cops, teachers, or members of the clergy.” “what’d you get?” craig asks, snootily, “a janitor?” “human rights advocate.” craig presses his lips together like he’s trying not to laugh. “doesn’t that just translate to being, like, someone who goes online to flex about their charity work? you better get a better instagram aesthetic and move to los angeles. i’m sure sugar bear hair and flat tummy tea will pay your way to building schools in third-world countries.”“fuck you!” kenny says, laughing. “you’re thinking of humanitarian work - this is, like,” he says, laughing easily and waving his hand around as he tries searching his mind for the right word,  “politics.” “this is ‘like’ politics,” craig quotes flatly. “that was very eloquent. sounds like you’re gonna need a pr specialist while you’re out there in the valley protesting on behalf of the mexican staring frog of southern sri lanka.” “you know what, tucker? you would actually make an amazing pr person. i can see it now: some teacher gets spit-roasted by two of her own students. it's the headline of the paper. you call for a conference and stand in front of everyone in town and read off their list of illustrious deeds with the same weight as the weatherman has while reading the daily forecast. people will say, ‘well, if this guy doesn’t think it’s crazy, then i guess i don’t either’”.  “the next time broflovski’s kid brother tries to bang a teacher, i’ll offer my services,” craig says out of the corner of his mouth, his eyes fluttering shut even as he’s still sitting straight up. “what if i become a politician and i need your help?”“it’s settled, then,” craig says, standing up and yawning in such an adorable way that it makes kenny want to squeeze him like a stress ball, “you become some big corporate fuck-up and i’ll stage your apology videos like those ones that aired after the gulf of mexico oil spill.” kenny remembers those ads like they were yesterday. he’d be willing to lay out naked on a bearskin rug for craig, repeatedly saying ‘i’m sorry’ while tweaking his own nipples, if craig asked him to. “how much are your services?”“to clean up your image? you couldn’t afford it.” “not those kinds of services,” kenny says lewdly, thinking of his conversation with his mother that morning, and making sure to wink. craig’s cheeks go pink as he’s turning his head away from kenny. he’s standing with his back facing token’s pool house. there’s shadows flickering from inside of it, the window showing movements, like people are wandering around in there. kenny wonders if it’s his eyes playing tricks on him. “fuck off. i’m out of here, man. i’m exhausted.” “where are you going?” kenny asks, disappointed. “upstairs,” craig says simply, as if it were obvious. “gonna crash here for the night.” kenny wants to ask if he’s invited to stay over too, but with his luck, he’d get stuck sharing a bed with kevin stoley or scott malkinson. he hopes craig will invite him up to one of the big, empty bedrooms token must have upstairs. he’d rather sleep on the floor at token’s, listening to craig’s breathing, than sleep in his own bed at home. “go home, mccormick,” craig says, and just like that, kenny has been shot down faster than a blind deer in an open field. some days disappointment feels like a comforting blanket he schleps around and wears like one of kyle’s hand-me-down north faces. other days, like today, disappointment just feels like being bitch-slapped across the face by the guy he spends all day thinking about. “what is it?” craig asks suddenly. kenny looks back, startled. he hadn’t realized he’d been staring off into the woods past the pool house. “what’s what?” “that misunderstood bad-boy scowl you’re giving me. it’s very riverdale.” kenny balks. “you watch riverdale?”“ruby watches riverdale,” craig clarifies, looking offended, “while i sit in the living room wondering what she would do if i hucked the tv into the dumpster.” when kenny does nothing but snort, craig fixes him with a weird look. “don’t be cryptic, mccormick. it only furthers this whole embarrassing, mysterious bad-boy thing you’ve got going on. is it your parents?”kenny cringes. he wonders how it’s fair that out of all of his friends, craig is the only one who sees through the bravado he uses to distract people with, and actually calls him out on his playacting, instead of just being polite and backing down like everyone else does. it’s not fair that craig gets to hold so many of kenny’s cards, when kenny never gave him his deck. kenny has never wanted anyone to have the knowledge of when he’s been fighting with his parents, or when he’s feeling like a sack of worthless shit, all just from looking at him. kenny weighs his options. if he blows craig off and walks away, craig might ignore him for the next few days, which would be unbearable for kenny. “do the characters on that show have shitty parents too?” craig raises an eyebrow. “i don’t know. i only pay attention to the young, brooding, misunderstood characters.” kenny squints his eyes until he can’t see shit and gives his best attempt at a duck-face until craig snickers. “well, you should start sobering up soon. there’s plenty of water bottles in token’s fridge. token’s parents usually come home from aspen pretty early in the morning.” “i am sober. i’m stan’s designated driver.” craig raises his eyebrows. “you better find him, then.” kenny stands to do just that, stretching his arms out over his head. he watches craig walk away and feels his mouth twist into something of a grimace. every time he’s lucky enough to get time with craig, they end up just shooting the shit. when craig is around, in his mind, he starts envisioning some wild shit, like reaching over and taking craig’s chin in his hand, and kissing him hard. sometimes he wonders if it’s worth it - wasting time imagining things like this when his future is so concrete. why bother picturing shit that’s never going to happen? it’d be even worse for him to actually put the moves on craig when he already knows how that would end. craig doesn’t strike him the kind to take being broken up with gracefully, especially if he’s being left because kenny has to go move to hell. that sounds like a great fucking excuse, almost as believable as when stan insists that he, kyle, cartman, and butters stowed a bunch of baby cows away in stan’s bedroom in the fourth grade. kenny has no such memory of this and, considering the level of crazy it sounds, he finds it hard to believe that he could have forgotten about it.  jesus, how can it be so hot for such a short span of time, barely even a month, before the season slips back into perpetual wintertime? he swears south park only has two seasons: winter and the few weeks leading back up to winter. he hears a rustling coming from token’s pool house. he frowns and steps closer, walking slowly along the stones surrounding the inground pool. there’s laughter coming from inside the place - drunken, euphoric laughter. as kenny steps closer, he sees several empty beer cans littering the stone walkway outside of the pool house. kenny uses one foot to kick a can away, sending it skyrocketing towards the wall. it bounces off the wall, just below the window, and then hits the stone pathway and rolls back towards kenny’s foot. kenny sidesteps it and walks closer to the window. bizarrely, there’s nothing to be seen. the house looks totally empty on the inside. he has a good view of the kitchenette, which could easily be featured on hgtv for its stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and wood floors. kenny has no idea what had come over him before when he’d thought he’d heard laughter. he turns back towards the pool, which has been empty of guests for at least an hour. the only light emanating from the whole backyard comes from the tiny pool lights and the light from inside the kitchenette in token’s pool house. maybe he stowed away party supplies in there - extra cups and silverware - and had forgotten to shut the light off before returning to the party. kenny shrugs it off and makes a move to walk away before a banging sound forces him to redirect his attention. kenny looks back towards the window, pressing his face up against it, and feels the pressure of the cold glass shrinking the size of his nose. there’s something small on the wood floor, beside the fridge, that wasn’t there before. it’s white and bulky for it’s size, but kenny can’t place it until another identical object is thrown straight into the fridge from out of frame - a discarded sneaker with an awkwardly bumpy heel. in black text, the word balenciaga is written along the side.kenny squints and raises his hand to hold above his face, trying to create enough shadow to allow him to inspect it closer. it’s so strange - kenny has never known kyle to do much more than flirt harmlessly with girls. it doesn’t make any sense that he’d be hooking up with one in token’s pool house. kenny jumps a little when something tiny is thrown clear across the kitchenette. it lands a few feet from the window kenny is standing outside of. kenny peers down, his forehead hitting the cold glass. it’s a pair of glasses - those stupid ones wendy had bought stan to make him look more scholarly. kenny turns on his heel in one swift motion, trying to get as far from the pool house as quickly as possible.in his efforts to escape, he runs straight into the pile of empty beer cans, making a loud metallic sound. when he hears stan reverently repeating kyle’s name, alongside heavy breathing coming from someone else, kenny nearly breaks into a jog. maybe in a few years, this will all be something they can laugh about, but at the moment, kenny knows they’re drunk as shit, and it’s not something he wants to get in the middle of. he scurries back through token’s huge backyard, passing the wicker sofa he and craig had been sitting on, and slips through token’s back door. there’s trash everywhere in token’s kitchen, not to mention several sets of car keys strewn over the coffee table in the living room. kenny swears under his breath. he has no idea how many people are still here and which room craig might be in. kenny slowly opens the first door at the top of the stairs - the home office. someone is slumped over the huge mahogany desk, fast asleep. the room is nearly pitch black, but kenny hears a distinct snoring sound that could only be cartman, and kenny cringes and backs out of the room, shutting it behind him. the next room must be token’s, because there’s magic johnson posters everywhere. there’s still a small desk lamp on at token’s desk, cascading just enough light onto the bed for kenny to see that it’s token and clyde. the bed is plenty big enough for kenny to fit if he really wanted to, since the two are sleeping so close, but he really doesn’t want to. he tip-toes down the hall to the next room feeling like a burglar, or something. inside, the ceiling spotlights are still on, pointing down to an exercise bike on the wood floor. there’s a leather sectional against the wall, opposite the bike, with someone sleeping on it, their back turned towards kenny. he crosses his fingers for it to be craig as he creeps over. worst case scenario is him curling up beneath the sectional if he can’t stretch out on it without waking craig up. the guy laying there is breathing deeply, with a blanket pulled over their head. kenny cringes once more and tugs gently at the blanket to reveal honey blonde hair. “oh, fuck you, butters,” kenny says in disappointment, then instantly feels bad. “sorry, man.”“don’t ground me again, dad!” butters says. kenny gets out of there fast enough to have impressed their gym teacher. once he’s back in the hallway, he presses his back into the door butters was behind, and exhales heavily. at this point, he’s afraid that the next door he opens will have a guy in a bearsuit blowing another dude, like in the shining. there’s only two doors left, but they’re at the very end of the hall, so far that kenny almost decides to double back and sleep on the floor, beneath butters. he imagines that he’ll probably only be able to get a couple decent hours of sleep anyway, what with token’s parents getting home soon, so it wouldn’t be so bad to have an uncomfortable spot for such a short nap. he scans down the side of the hallway he’d came from, then turns back around and scans down the side of the hallway he’s yet to explore. there’s two doors left and craig is behind one of them. he walks on. as kenny gets closer to the first room, he notices that there’s a light from under the door, so soft that it could be mistaken for the moonlight. he wonders if he should knock to be polite, just in case someone is still awake in there, but even the lightest knock could wake up half the house. his hand hovers cautiously over the knob before he takes a deep breath and turns it, peering into the room like a meerkat poking its head out of the sand. “kenny, what the hell?” wendy asks, leaning forward from the spot where she’d presumably been resting against a large stack of pillows propped up on an ornate-looking wooden headboard. there’s a soft pendant light on above the huge bed and a joint perched between nichole’s fingers. wendy’s feet are bare over the bed covers and the palm of her hand is facing up like she’s waiting for nichole to pass it. “sorry,” kenny jokes, “i thought this was the schfrophenberg bah mitzvah.”  nichole moves to pull one of blankets around herself like a shawl, covering up her body like kenny was genuinely there to perv on them. he wants to be offended, but he supposes it’s his fault people have those fears. after all, he’s the one with enough sex stories to rival hugh hefner. “have you seen stan?” wendy asks, interrupting kenny’s internal monologue, looking concerned. “i figured we would crash in a room together.”kenny balks. all the potential excuses flit from one wall of his brain to the other like an intense ping pong match. he cycles through his options at the speed of light. ‘no, i haven’t seen him.’ no, that wouldn’t work. there’s only so many people left in the house. she wouldn’t buy it.  ‘yeah, i drove him home.’ no, that’s stupid. she’ll realize he was here the whole time when she wakes up tomorrow morning and sees him walking out of the pool house.  ‘yeah, he’s with kyle.’ no, that’s your worst idea yet. imagine what would happen if you told her they were in the pool house and she just went marching in. plus, stan would wonder why kenny had been barging in on wendy in the middle of the night in the first place. oh, wait, that’s it. “yeah, of course,” kenny says, plastering a fake smile on his face, “why else do you think i’m here? stan told me to say goodnight to you for him. he’s throwing up his mom’s casserole dinner downstairs as we speak. he said in between chunks that he’s gonna sleep somewhere else so he doesn’t wake you up every time he has to race to the toilet.” nichole looks disgusted. “wow, that’s really... sweet of him.” wendy cracks a smile before elbowing nichole in the side, sending her further back into the stack of pillows. as they start giggling, kenny takes his opportunity to make a swift exit. kenny looks at the last door like he’s dying of thirst and that door is one of those overpriced, pretentious bottled waters kyle is always raving about. after all the trouble he’s been through and all the finagling he’s done to avoid certain disaster, all in the name of friendship, kenny thinks he deserves this. he deserves just a little more time alone with craig. he turns the knob and walks in. it’s absolutely pitch black inside - there’s not even the relieving small amount of light emanating from an iphone screen to let kenny know that craig could still be up. a sliver of moonlight slipping between the heavy curtains drawn over the window that’s just above yet another ornate wooden bed allows kenny to see the shadow of someone sleeping there. part of him wants to just slide under the sheets and fall asleep, mercifully not waking craig up, so he can avoid running the risk of pissing craig off for rousing him, but he knows that him being there would surely just scare craig come tomorrow morning. he sits on the very edge of the mattress, barely resting any weight on it at all so as to not frighten craig awake, and begins whispering. “tucker? hey, man, you up?” craig snuffles slightly in his sleep. obviously he’s not. kenny snorts to himself. “hey tucker, there’s a fire! you better stuff as many star wars dvd box sets into your arms as you can!” craig makes an unhappy noise at being awoken and his eyes just barely open. “mccormick,” he says. he doesn’t sound surprised. kenny wonders if he’s still asleep, just with his eyes open. “sorry,” kenny says, “i thought this was the peterson-schmidt wedding.” “wedding?” tucker asks drowsily, rolling over onto his back. “you’re not supposed to come see me the night before.” craig’s eyes dart over to where kenny is perched on the bed. “you came too soon.”kenny grins hugely and slides into the bed, and almost moans immediately upon discovering that it’s warm underneath the covers from craig’s body heat. “boy, if i had a nickel every time i heard-”“-shut up, mccormick,” craig groans, reaching over as if to slap kenny on the arm for his indiscretion, but his arm just sort of slumps awkwardly over kenny’s torso and stays there. kenny just stares at craig. the guy looks comfortable enough. well, no reason to move his arm and disturb him. “you don’t seem very surprised to see me,” kenny points out, wiggling around until his head is perfectly encased by fluffy pillows. craig’s arm has fallen to the side, but his hand has landed perfectly against kenny’s chest. kenny watches craig’s hand slowly close into a loose, relaxed fist like a butterfly folding its wings down. it almost encompasses the material of kenny’s tee shirt - almost. “i hoped you-” craig begins, voice hoarse from sleep. “-thought you might come in,” he says, correcting himself even in his grogginess.  kenny’s breath quickens. he looks back over to craig for any signs of life there - any embarrassment or shame like he assumes craig is feeling - but the guy’s eyes are closed again and he looks to have already fallen back asleep. kenny wants to press further, wonders desperately what the meaning behind craig’s slip-up was, but can’t seem to keep his own eyes from fluttering shut.  kenny wakes up to the sound of loud chatter happening downstairs. at least they’re speaking at a high volume completely incidentally, just because they’re mindless and immature teenagers, and not speaking at a high volume due to the need to participate in screaming matches first thing in the morning like his parents do.he can hear cartman’s booming voice the second he reaches the hallway and it makes him begin to rethink the idea of being awake. he swings around the corner into the kitchen with his hand on the doorframe, expecting to see everybody but cartman helping in cleaning the house up. instead, he’s met with a spotless room and hardly anybody left at token’s at all. token and clyde are sitting at token’s dining room table, drinking what kenny assumes is coffee. cartman is leaning over the kitchen island, blocking the view completely of whoever it is he’s talking to. kenny walks closer and nearly stumbles. he doesn’t know why he’s surprised, but he is. sitting at the island is a monster - a two-headed, four-armed monster. stan is sitting in one of the bar stools, with wendy lounging in his lap, with both her arms looped around his neck. “you guys sure look cozy,” kenny says, anxiety snaking like warm barbed-wire up from his chest to his head. what the hell is stan doing? “did you assholes not get enough last night?” cartman asks. stan’s eyes meet kenny’s and he looks horribly embarrassed. even if kenny hadn’t seen what had gone down in token’s pool house, he would have known from stan’s expression that he and wendy definitely didn’t hook up. he watches as stan diverts his gaze to wendy, who looks charmed by stan’s embarrassment. she clearly believes that he’s just this innocent, easily-flustered little flower. if only she knew, kenny thinks, feeling a little bad for wendy. “define 'enough’, ” wendy says, her thumb rubbing the skin behind stan’s ear. kenny thinks he could be knocked over with a feather. she’s really covering for him - and for kyle - without even knowing it. she’s trying to protect stan, all for nothing. kenny loves stan, loves him like a brother, loves him more than his brothers, but he could just about kill him. jesus, they’re dysfunctional. “enough to keep stan from fingerbanging you in the chair that token’s mom eats her wheaties at every morning.” “and on that note,” wendy says, already slipping off stan’s lap, “i’m ready to go home. drive me?” stan nods, like the good boyfriend he is. “yeah, sure. kenny, you coming?” kenny thinks he would like to scale token’s massive brick house with only his bare hands, get to the roof with bloodied palms, and proceed to jump off of said roof to his death, rather than drive home with these two. “you know what? i’m beat, man. i’m gonna stick around here for a little bit.” “craig can drive you home,” clyde interjects from the dining room table. “he said he would be ready to leave after his breakfast.” kenny turns to the left, then the right, wondering how in the world he could have missed craig, especially if he was wolfing down a waffle, or something. “his breakfast?” token nods, quirking his lip. “a cigarette.” as it turns out, craig is outside, back on the wicker sofa. when kenny opens the back door, he sees craig pulling out a cigarette. kenny watches him pat around the pockets of his jeans to no avail. kenny fishes his lighter out of his own back pocket, throws himself down to the sofa, and reaches over to light craig’s cigarette for him. craig hums in gratitude instead of thanking him. kenny wonders if craig isn’t speaking because he’s not much of a morning person or if he simply just doesn’t want to be the one to break the silence. “where are token’s parents?” kenny finally asks, unable to exist without filling the silence. also, he wants to know if craig’s voice is raspy in the morning. “church,” craig rasps. kenny just stares at him for several seconds before he remembers that craig had actually spoken. “church? no shit, huh?”craig shrugs. kenny is about to ask craig to bum one of his cigarettes when the pool house door swings open and nearly bounces off the wall behind it. kyle is squinting under the morning light, wearing only his jeans. his tee shirt is loosely hanging around his neck like he’d forgotten to put his arms through. he’s scanning the backyard like a lion looking for a gazelle. when he realizes that kenny and craig are looking at him, he straightens up and begins pushing his arms through his sleeves. “hey,” kyle says, looking nervous. “hey,” kenny says. kyle looks around again like maybe whatever it is he’s looking for will magically show up if he keeps looking. “where’s stan?” kenny feels that barbed-wire again, twisting around inside of him. would stan do that? up and leave on kyle without having a conversation with him about where they stand? kenny starts wiping his sweaty hands up and down his denim-covered thighs. he needs something else to do with his hands, something else to do with his mouth so he can buy enough time to think of something to say. he holds out his pointer and index finger towards craig. kenny feels kyle’s eyes burning a hole into him as kenny looks to craig, who pulls his pack out and rests a cigarette between kenny’s fingers. kenny waits until he’s lit it, inhaled, tilted his head up, and blown smoke up into the sky before he replies, “he headed out earlier. said we should meet back up later to shoot hoops again.” no he didn’t.  kyle seems to think this lie over, like the little analytical bastard he is. he must come to the conclusion that kenny wouldn’t lie to him, because he nods slowly like this all makes perfect sense, and then starts cutting across token’s perfectly manicured lawn in a jog, towards token’s gate. he must have parked out on the street too. “what was that about?” craig asks, puffing on his cigarette for the first time since kyle had come outside. kenny sometimes wishes craig were less observant. “tucker, you don’t even wanna know.”
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last train home
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Nishikino Maki, Yazawa Nico", "Fandom": "Love Live! School Idol Project", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by arcanine", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "16,290", "Additional Tags": "Post-Canon, Getting Together, Actual Years of Pining, Some angst, Canon Compliant", "Relationship": "Nishikino Maki/Yazawa Nico", "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 }
5. Maki’s studying in the corner of the Idol Research Club room when it happens. It’s one of those dull, grey days that drags on and on, where it’s far too cold and damp for rooftop rehearsals. Maki’s there as more of a formality than a necessity - mildly observing as Rin and Hanayo distract some of the younger girls by helping them with their lyrics (after all, they are the third years now). She's just about to give up on her homework and sneak off and play piano in the music room or maybe go home and take a nice long bath when the door swings open and Rin flings herself out of her seat.“Nico-chaaaaan!” she yells.Maki’s heart stops for a good few seconds.It’s beating again, fast and embarrassing, when she finally allows herself to glance up from her book for confirmation.It really is Nico.She hasn't changed much. She still looks like a little kid with her usual hairstyle and her fluffy winter coat. She’s grinning as Rin clings to her arm and Hanayo bounces beside her and every member of every new idol unit that's formed at Otonokizaka since μ’s disbanded stares in awe, because of course they know who Nico is.Maki drags her fingers through her hair and looks swiftly back down at her book. It’s not like she's being purposely obtuse. She’s just needs a moment to consider the best way to proceed. People leave often and she knows that. But that doesn't mean she knows how to react when they come back.“Maki,” Nico says, sharply. “It’s rude to ignore people.”Maki looks up and their eyes meet. A rush of warmth sparks in her chest.People look different than they do in memories. The human brain is fickle - lines blur, details fade - and yet Nico’s exactly as Maki remembered, with her hands on her hips and that little pout that used to drive her nuts. She’s so much more than she remembered too - sharper and brighter and so much more real.Maki stands. She’s never taken issue with being in front of an audience. She was six years old the first time she played piano at one of her parents' parties, and of course she’s been involved in numerous live performances since then. But somehow, the way everyone in the room is watching her, like they’re unnecessarily interested in her reaction, makes her want to melt into the floor and disappear. Or maybe take Nico by the hand and lead her somewhere private and greet her without the entire Idol Research Club passing judgement on her actions.Since neither of these scenarios seem particularly realistic, Maki does the only thing she can - she smiles.It starts out small and hesitant, but soon she can't help herself and it stretches, wide and embarrassing across her face, until she's sure she must be nothing more than pink cheeks and white teeth.Nico grins back and strikes a pose. It’s terrible and ridiculous and yeah, okay, a tiny bit cute. Her stomach flutters. She hates herself for it.“Welcome back,” she says, “Nico-chan.”***The four of them go for crepes, after Nico’s done greeting the newer members and offering them advice and even signing a few autographs. (Honestly. Like her ego needs inflating.) Maki’s sure her parents would disapprove, but she can easily catch up on a few missed hours of prep school. They stand together on the train, Rin and Hanayo hanging onto every word as Nico brags about her local performances and her rapidly increasing online following and that one time she totally appeared as an extra in an actual TV drama.They exit the station in a rush of people. Rin and Hanayo link arms and charge towards the promise of food. Maki trails behind.Nico waits for her.“You’re quiet today,” Nico says, as they fall into step together. “Stunned speechless because Nico’s so much cuter than you remembered?”“Gross,” Maki scoffs. “No way." And it's kind of messed up, the way she feels a warm rush of familiarity when Nico glares at her.There’s a tiny bit of truth to Nico's teasing. (Miniscule. Microscopic.) Mostly, Maki’s just worried that she might say something scary and honest like I missed you. The truth is, she’s not so sure where they stand without a common goal to charge towards. She's never been quite sure of what to say in the soft lull when they’re not passionately disagreeing.“So what’s new with you, anyway? You’re still doing the music thing, right?”“When I find time,” Maki shrugs. “I’m pretty busy studying.”Outside of school activities, she spends most of her free time at the most prestigious prep school her parents could buy her into. She’s right on track to fulfil the role they’ve had set out for her since before she was born, all minor musical deviations pushed neatly aside.Nico makes a yuck face. “Look, I know you’ve got an oversized brain and everything, but you’ve also got an amazing voice so don’t just waste it prescribing cold medicine, okay?”“Huh?” Maki replies, eloquently.“I’m a high school graduate now, and your senior, so take some advice from the great Nico-ni and... and just don’t forget about the music, okay? You’re way too good for that. Just, like, sing someone a song as you save their life or something?”Maki tries to imagine herself as the director of the Nishikino hospital, performing one of their old routines in a sparkly stage outfit and a lab coat. Yeah. Not gonna happen.“Do you only come back here to give out advice and act like you know everything?”“It is my duty, you know. I have to make sure you’re upholding the extremely high standards of the legendary Idol Research Club.  Besides, someone has to look after the three of you. You’re still tiny baby first years to me.”Maki smirks. “It’s funny,” she says, “because you still look like a tiny baby to me too.”Nico gasps and nudges Maki sideways with a shoulder barge that packs way more power than anyone should reasonably expect from someone barely five foot tall, enough that Maki stumbles sideways into a serious looking man in a suit. Nico snorts with with a disturbing lack of subtlety as Maki bows and splutters out an apology. The man walks away muttering about unruly high school girls.When she turns back Rin and Hanayo are waiting. And giggling. (So annoying.)“You two never change,” Hanayo chirps.Maki flushes. She was thoroughly mistaken. She didn’t miss Nico at all.“Everyone needs to hurry up,” Rin exclaims, in her loudest outside voice. “It’s time to go take pictures!”She grabs hold of Hanayo and Nico’s wrists and tugs. Nico reaches back for Maki. Her hand is cold. Her grip is strong. They stumble into the arcade in an uncomfortable mess of tangled limbs. They’re posed similarly when they make it inside, the four of them crushed inside one small booth. Hanayo’s head isn't in the picture and Rin’s making weird purring noises and Nico’s uncomfortably close. Maki complains loudly about all of these things.But truthfully, it's the most fun she’s had in a long time.She smiles so hard her cheeks ache.***The crepes are cheap and overly sweet, but they’re cute enough to make Nico coo in delight (and protest in disgust when Maki orders hers filled with crab and tomato.) They’re all full of sugar and happily window shopping and everything’s going perfectly well, and then Rin and Hanayo decide to make it weird. Hanayo announces her mother’s expecting her home at the exact same time Rin that yells that she has homework and - in a dramatic performance that could only be rivalled by the most ridiculous of comedy duos - they link arms and shuffle off into the sunset, sharing a series of entirely un-subtle nudges and winks.It’s irritatingly suspicious. Maki’s going to find out what they’re up to as soon as she gets home. But right now she has more important things to consider. Like being left alone with Nico.It’s not a new situation. It’s just shopping with a friend. Maki partakes in this kind of activity quite often these days. Nico’s entirely predictable, taking endless photos and fawning over cute things and asking why they didn’t hire her to model the clothes because she’d look so great in this style, don’t you think?So why does Maki feel so weird? Why does her mouth feel so dry?She tugs self-consciously at her skirt, wishing she’d had the chance to wear something more sophisticated than her school uniform and a thick plaid scarf.She never thought she'd feel young standing next to Nico, who even now looks fourteen at best, but it has been close to two years since she graduated. Maki’s seen pictures of her, posing with cute girls with perfect makeup, with her arms looped around supposedly up-and-coming talent acts. Maybe Maki seems like a kid to her now, just a boring reminder of the past she left behind.Maybe that’s why they don’t talk as often as they used to.“This is so cute,” Nico coos. She holds up a pink shirt with a soft white collar and pouts at herself in the mirror. “It’d look so good on me, right?”Maki wants to laugh. She’s clearly overthinking everything. However much time passes, Nico’s still just… Nico.“You should get it,” Maki nods. “It’d suit you.”Nico flips the price tag over. Her face drops. “Thinking about it, I already have at least three that are similar. No need to be greedy, right?” Nico laughs, but it rings out fake.Maki takes it from her. Before she can even think about it, she’s marching over to the cash register and smiling at the cute sales assistant.“What are you doing?” Nico hisses.“I’m buying this,” Maki shrugs.“Stop it,” says Nico, and the girl behind the counter hesitates. “I don’t need your rich girl charity.”“It’s not charity,” says Maki. “It’s a gift. It wouldn’t suit me, so you might as well have it.”“I’m sorry,” says the terribly confused looking sales assistant. “Do you want this?”“No,” says Nico, with her hands on her hips.“Yes,” smiles Maki, sliding a 10,000 yen note onto the counter. “Please.”But when she tries to hand over the bag outside, Nico refuses.“It's a gift,” Maki says. “Just take it.”Nico shakes her head. “This is too much. Just send Nico some fan mail like everyone else, okay?”“Nico-chan,” Maki grumbles. “What else am I going to with this?”“Consider it fashion advice,” Nico winks. “Maki looks cute in pink.”Maki’s entirely positive that particular shade of pink would be completely unflattering against her skin tone and that Nico, with her extensive knowledge of all things fashionable, must know this. She’s also pretty sure her bust would never fit into anything sized extra small. She sighs. Maki would pay good money for a textbook that would provide her with some insight as to what exactly it is about Nico that makes her behave like such an idiot.She plans to sulk all the way back to the train station, to prove how unreasonable Nico’s being.Things don’t exactly go to plan.The problem is, Nico’s funny today - charming, almost - and she always was so much more tolerable in the softer moments, without a crowd to play up to. When she laughs, it’s kind of hard to look away. Nico always did shine brightest when she wasn’t trying.It’s nice just to walk together like old times, occasionally bumping shoulders and hands, like that weird magnetism they could never quite shake off is out in full force.Maki's utterly disappointed when she looks up and realises that they're standing outside the train station.They linger outside the entrance. It’s already starting to get dark. Something about the thought of going home to a huge empty house makes Maki’s chest ache, though of course she does that most days without a thought.“You could just wait for my driver. We can drop you off, you know.”Nico hmphs. “I’m a busy girl, Maki. I don’t have time to sit in traffic.”Maki frowns at her, unconvinced. If there’s one thing she didn’t miss about Nico it’s how stubborn she is, how determined she is to do everything on her own.“You could ride the train back with me. We’re mostly heading in the same direction?”Maki bites her lip. “I've already asked to be picked up. I can't just cancel.”And so that’s it, a stalemate, and there's no choice but to part ways.“Well…” Nico says, “Then guess I’ll see you next time?”“Yeah,” says Maki. “We’ll work something out.”“Though you’ll probably see my pictures before that, right?”“Probably not,” says Maki evasively. “I mean, I don’t go online that much.”Nico hums, unconvinced.Maki freezes.It’s not like she’s looked at her profiles much. It was mostly that one time, and there's no way Nico could know about that, right? It’s not like she has time to check up on her often or anything.“W-Well,” Maki says, glancing at her phone, “Looks like my driver’s here so...”She hugs Nico as a distraction. (Because she wants to.)It's just a regular, friendly hug. She's hugged each and every member of μ’s multiple times, but her heart didn’t thud this hard against her chest when Rin had hugged her goodbye earlier. But she sees Rin all the time so it's probably just that. It's just context.Maki wants to ask when they’ll meet again.Her whole body is heavy with the weight of her own silence.All she can say is, “I’ll see you soon, okay?”   4. It's a hot and unreasonably sticky morning in Maki's first summer as a college student. She's shuffling home from an all-nighter at the library, squinting at the sun and dodging the morning rush outside the station, when someone slams right into her and shocks her out of her daze.There's an almighty shriek.Maki leaps back, scowling with all the grace of someone who hasn't slept properly in days. She looks up and her mouth drops open."Nico-chan?”Maki blinks several times to check she’s not experiencing a rare bout of fatigue-induced hallucinations, but it's definitely the same Nico she spent a good proportion of her high school life thinking about in one way or another. The same Nico that she hasn't seen in months.Her eyes are red and angry. They soften in recognition, widen in shock.“Maki?” she squeaks.They hover for a long moment, just staring at each other in disbelief, and then they both step forward and they're hugging and most likely aggravating the endless commuters by blocking the limited space outside the station.When she steps back, Maki notices how nice Nico looks with her shiny pink lip gloss and her wavy hair and oh - oh - half the contents of her iced coffee spilled on the front of her white blouse.“Nico-chan,” Maki says. “Y-Your shirt-”Nico looks down and gasps. “Ugh, are you kidding me? I have a meeting in like half an hour. Is it really bad? Is it totally ruined?”Maki glances down. Her gaze lingers. (Because she’s tired. Because her reaction times are impaired.) She grimaces.“Yeah,” says. “It looks terrible. But I live close by. I’ll let you borrow something.”“That would be amazing and you'd totally be saving Nico’s life,” Nico beams, her arms tangling around Maki’s. “How are you, by the way? Of all the people I could've crashed into, I'd never have thought it'd be you. Did you plan this? It almost seems too suspicious to be real -”***“Whoaaa,” Nico gasps, when she’s kicked off her wedge sandals in the entranceway. “Maki’s place is almost as big as Nico’s!”Maki feels herself blush as Nico’s eyes sweep the room. She wonders how boring her life looks from the outside - the textbooks and notebooks with neatly written formulas, the remains of her convenience store dinner still laid out on the counter beside a colour coordinated selection of unwashed coffee cups.“It’s not much,” Maki says.And really, it’s not. Of course, her parents had provided her with a private apartment with chic minimalist decor and expensive furniture and a large bed and more space than anyone could reasonably expect living in Tokyo, close to both her university’s campus and the hospital where she’ll likely do her residency. But after growing up with a four poster bed and a library and several music rooms, with a modest sized swimming pool and a whole team of household staff, it kind of feels just a little bit... basic. Maki never dreamed that a single room would one day function as her bedroom, study, kitchen and parlour all in one, but of course she’s gotten used to it. (Though she still thinks there’s something wrong having her bed in proximity to her kitchen. What kind of inhumane person invented studio apartments, anyway?)“Huh,” Nico says. “No piano.”“There’s hardly room,” Maki says, briskly. “My parents don't think it's a priority.”“So what, you don’t play anymore?” Nico’s voice is sharp. It makes Maki wince.“There's my digital one,” Maki says, gesturing at where it’s packed neatly away.  “Not the same, but I play my own when I visit my parents.” Nico's frown gets deeper. “I brought my flute," she adds weakly.Nico hands are planted firmly on her hips. “That’s not good enough.”Maki doesn't have the energy to protest. She actually agrees. She gets it so often - the itch in her fingers, the desperate need to play something. Playing on plastic keys feels so cheap and unexpressive, like trying to perform a live show using a tin can instead of a microphone. Piano used to be the only thing that stopped her being too restless to sleep. It probably explains why she's always so tired these days.“It’s not like it can be helped,” Maki says. “A-Anyway, don’t you have your meeting? Help yourself to whatever.”Maki gestures weakly at her closet. Nico narrows her eyes, but she take step towards it.Maki hangs back and glances at herself in the mirror. She looks exhausted. Her back feels clammy. The humidity has done unspeakable things to her hair. She drags her fingers through it, but that only makes matters worse, so she ties it back out of her face. She usually dresses so much better. Why do these things never happen on days when she's actually prepared?Her closet door creaks.“Oh my god,” Nico squeaks. “You have some of your μ’s costumes in here?”  “There was nowhere else for them.”“Sure,” she hears Nico mutter. “It’s not like your parents own fifteen houses.”“It's not that many,” Maki says defensively.Nico hums. “Maki’s style is pretty, but it’s also kind of serious.”“Yeah,” Maki says. “I guess.”Maki hears the rustle of clothing and she hears Nico muttering about designer brands and expensive tastes and she counts the textbooks on her shelf as as a much needed distraction, willing her brain not to consider Nico with less clothes. Nico in her clothes -“Maki! I’m in a hurry and I have places to be, so get over here and help me pick!”Maki’s fully aware of the circumstances, yet she’s somehow still surprised when she looks over and finds Nico standing directly in front of her closet in just a white lace bra with several bows and a tiny pair of shorts.It's nothing new really. How many times have they rushed costume changes together backstage? How many times has she seen Nico striking poses in overly revealing stage costumes or parading along the beach in a disturbingly frilly swimsuit...But all those times before, she'd been able to function like a normal person.Now she thinks it must been written all over her face, how gross and desperate she is, the way her heart still betrays her with that familiar ache that she can never quite put into words.God, Nico makes her weird.Maki moves so she’s standing close. Their arms brush, the lightest shiver of a touch, as Maki reaches into her closet.“Here,” she says.Nico's eyes widen as she pulls out the pink shirt with the soft white collar. Maki only brought a selection of her clothes from her parent’s house to her new apartment, but she just happened to bring this.“Ohhhh,” Nico says. “I’d forgotten all about this! The tags are still on too? Geez, it must be such an easy life being rich.”Maki had thought about sending it over, but in the end, she’d been too busy. In the end, she hadn't been brave enough.“It was always yours anyway,” Maki says.Nico hesitates, mouth twisted in a frown.“Consider it an early birthday present or something. Geez, just take it already.”“Well,” Nico says, “I guess I don't have a choice…”It feels weirdly invasive to watch Nico get dressed, so Maki averts her eyes until it’s safe to look, a thick strand of hair twisted tightly between her fingers.“Ahhhh, this is perfect!” Nico beams and twirls in front of the mirror. It looks cute. Of course it does. “Quick, get a picture with me!”Maki complies reluctantly, praying Nico will at least use a fancy filter to disguise the fact that she’s not exactly looking her best.“Add more sparkles,” Maki insists, as she stares at the result. She presses on the screen and drags some stars over her face.“Someone needs to watch my beauty videos and follow the advice about proper hydration and getting enough sleep,” Nico sing-songs.Maki huffs when Nico drags the sparkle away so Maki’s face is visible again.“Seriously,” Nico says. “Take care of yourself.”“I do,” Maki insists. Nico raises her eyebrows.“I’m not a little kid, you know.”“Yeah,” Nico says, “but out of everyone you’re probably the least capable of taking care of yourself.”“Hey! I'm way more responsible than some of the others-”“You're practically a princess. You've never had to cook or clean in your life. I’m actually super surprised your place isn’t a total disaster.”Maki bites her lip. She doesn’t mention their family housekeeper, who keeps dropping in. Just to visit, she insists, as she drops off meals from their chef and whips out the vacuum cleaner.“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” she insists.“Sure,” says Nico, in a patronising tone. “You're also waaaay too prone to overworking yourself and, like, no offense, but you don't exactly go out of your way to have fun-”“I have fun,” Maki says defensively.Maki has a bookcase crammed full of pristine paperbacks, enough bubble bath and scented candles to last a whole year, a whole balcony for stargazing and a stylistically varied collection of both jazz and classical music, thank you.“Do you?” Nico asks. “Does anything come close to how things used to be? Does anything make you as happy as µ's did back then?”Maki takes a step back. That’s not fair. “Of course it doesn't. But not everyone who has fun being a school idol gets to follow that dream in the real world.”“Okaaay,” says Nico, “and why not?”“Because it's not that easy. Some of us actually have responsibilities-”“Like I don’t? Like I don’t have a family who relies on me too?”She doesn't miss the flash of hurt on Nico’s face.“Wait,” says Maki, with a frustrated little growl, “I didn’t mean-”“I have to go,” Nico says flatly.Maki needs to sleep for three days straight and to stop saying everything wrong. Being around Nico is so unfair. It makes her chest ache for all the things she used to want - music, freedom, her friends, Nico -She’s far too exhausted to even contemplate the statistical probability of bumping into each other like this again, but she’s sure the odds are extremely unlikely. The chance of something like this even happening in the first place is ridiculously low, outside of the painfully optimistic thoughts Maki occasionally allows herself late at the night, where all nine members of μ’s forget all about the demands of real life and just exist together, the way they used to...Maki’s never believed in nonsense like fate, but sometimes life gives you opportunities you can’t possibly ignore. If she knows one thing, it’s that she can’t stand to wait until the next Nico just happens to come crashing head first into her life.“Nico-chan,” Maki says. She’s surprised her voice is even audible over the pounding of her own heart. “I-”The whole room fills with an ear-splitting chorus of Nico-Nico-Nis.Nico’s answers her phone in record time. “Hello? Yep yep, I’m super close-”She mouths “call me” at Maki as she steps back into her shoes. She smiles and blows a kiss. And then she’s gone.  3.The next time, they’re all there. The date of their next µ's meet had changed so many times to fit around all of their clashing schedules that Maki had just zoned out of the group chat and waited for someone to tell her when to turn up.They’d settled on a date eventually - after Christmas, before New Year - on an evening that turns out to be so cold that Maki’s teeth are actually chattering as she makes her way to the restaurant, even in her best boots and her thickest wool coat. She’s more dressed up than usual - her new favourite skirt, the expensive perfume her mama just gave her, her thick hair curled and held in place with a couple of tiny gold hair clips - and she looks good, if she says so herself.She’s also late.She'd decided to take the train, which had seemed like such a great idea, but Maki’s always unpleasantly surprised by how long public transport actually takes. All that waiting around and fighting for the luxury of spending twenty three minutes pressed worryingly close to a balding man with terrible personal hygiene…So she's the last to arrive, even later those µ’s members that are well known for their questionably poor timekeeping. It's embarrassing, walking in all alone. She wishes she’d messaged Rin or Hanayo to meet her outside first.Maki’s hit with a rush of warmth when she steps into the restaurant, and it’s not just because they’ve got the heaters blasting on full. It’s because she spots them right away, the best friends she’s ever had, a mess of bright colours spread across a long table at the back of the restaurant.Honoka spots her first. She bursts into a beam and leaps to her feet and Maki hovers by the edge of the table as a stampede of pretty, nice-smelling girls descend on her all at once, like she’s the star of some weird gay fantasy. (Not that Maki’s ever had one of those.)There's an elbow in her ribs and her face is dangerously close to getting lost in Nozomi’s cleavage and it’s way too warm and someone definitely just messed up her hair and Maki makes several weak protests about all of these issues, but mostly she’s so happy that she has to make a conscious effort not to cry, because that would definitely spoil her makeup. They stay crushed in a group hug until their waiter meekly asks them to stop blocking the walkway.Maki ends up on the edge of the table, next to Hanayo and opposite Eli, who’s next to Nozomi, who’s next to Nico... not that Maki takes any particular interest in this matter - they’ve already greeted each other, and it’s not like she particularly wanted to sit near to her. Her red dress is covered in stupid tiny reindeers. Her hair is pretty. Nico is pretty.Nico glances up and catches Maki staring and their gaze locks for approximately half a second and then Maki’s studying her menu intently and kind of hating herself, because things would be so much easier things if she was more like everyone else. If she wasn’t so awkward. If she could just smile.There’s some debate about how much food to order. (“Six baskets of bread is far too many,” Umi insists.) They end up with way more food than nine people can feasibly eat. (“We deserve it!” Honoka chirps.) Maki had forgotten how noisy everyone is. She always forgets how nice it feels, to be part of something so warm and chaotic and lively, with so many conversations happening all at once. She socialises with other people of course - she studies with her classmates and sometimes they get coffee or even go for drinks, and her parents are constantly introducing her to useful contacts. There are a whole range of people that she finds tolerable, if she’s honest.But nothing will ever compare to µ's. To the way they’d drawn Maki in when all she'd ever known is how to linger on the edges, the way they’d warmed her like sunshine - bright and blinding and hot on her face, even on days she'd wanted to sit alone in the shade with a book and a barricade to keep out the world.She's bad at expressing her gratitude. It's not like she can just blurt out something like that (way too embarrassing). She’d tried, when she was still a first year and everything was ending. She’d spent way too long hunched over the piano in the music room, trying desperately to compose something that could convey her feelings as their last moments as µ’s crept nearer. She’d come up with exactly nothing except a headache and a trashcan full of screwed up sheet music. She’d been just about ready to flop forward onto the piano and cry.And then Nico, of all people, had found her. Maki had expected a lecture, but Nico had dropped down beside her on the piano stool and wrapped her arms around her and said nothing, and then Maki had cried - ugly mascara-smeared-on-Nico’s-shoulder tears - and Nico had just held her, fingers soothing down her back and through her hair, the way Maki remembers thinking she must comfort her siblings after a nightmare.“You don’t have to try so hard, you know,” Nico said.And then she handed Maki a tissue and called her a crybaby and led her out of the music room, while Maki sniffed and dragged her heels like an embarrassing little kid.They walked out onto the roof together. Maki squinted at the brightness of the sun, and she fell into a messy, chaotic group hug, with the people who taught her how to love more than she ever thought she was capable of, and she didn't need some grand melodic gesture. All she needed, all μ’s had ever asked of her, was to give it her all and to be herself.***Maki’s finishing off her food and having a perfectly pleasant conversation with Hanayo when she hears someone say her name. She glances up, Nozomi and Nico are both staring at her with matching grins stretched across their faces.It’s honestly kind of terrifying.“What?” Maki asks.“Nothing,” Nico sing-songs.“Who can say,” Nozomi trills.Maki glares in their direction. “What is it?” she asks, more forcefully.Nozomi grins wider. “Nicocchi was just saying that your boobs have grown since high school.”“What? I was not!” Nico’s eyes dart down. They narrow. “Though, now that you mention it...”“They haven’t! Or, if they have then that would be perfectly natural and-” Maki folds her arms tightly over her chest. “Stop staring!”Nico flops down head first onto the table, only narrowly missing dipping her hair in her leftovers.“Life is so cruel,” she whines. “Even Maki got a growth spurt, and hers weren’t even small to begin with.”“There, there,” Nozomi says, patting her head. “If you ask nicely maybe Maki-chan will be let you touch hers-”Maki stands so abruptly that her chair almost falls backwards. “I’m going to the bathroom,” she announces.She’s ready to make a powerful departure from the table, so it’s perfectly clear that any further discussions of her breasts and Nico’s hands are completely off limits, only Rin announces she’s coming, and then Kotori, and then Honoka, and so Maki ends up leaving the table less dramatic and powerful and more like a mother duck leading her tiny children to safety. She fastens an extra button on her shirt while she's gone anyway. Sometimes small statements are all it takes.When she returns, the empty plates have been replaced with more drinks and Nozomi’s in Maki's seat. Maki shoots her a questioning look, but Nozomi just smiles sweetly. Maki hesitates for a long moment, then she slides into the spare seat next to Nico.“Hey,” Maki says.Nico carries on gazing at Kotori, listening to her talk about travelling.“Hey,” Maki says, a little more forcefully.Nico turns and fake gasps. “Oh,” she says. “It’s Maki. I didn’t even notice you were here since you’ve been ignoring me all night.”Maki rolls her eyes. “We just talked a few minutes ago.”“You stormed off when Nico was just being supportive and full of compliments.”Maki sighs. “You were being weird. And… I wasn’t ignoring you. That’s kind of impossible, you know?”Nico’s eyes go all big and sparkly, like Maki’s just gone and declared that she’s the queen of the universe.“Ahhhh,” Nico says. “I get it.”Maki swallows. She’s so obvious. Nico knows. “I should be more sympathetic. I mean, you’ve always been a little shy, and these days it’s even harder to look me in the eye since I’ve blossomed into such an elegant beauty-”“Nozomi,” Maki calls out. “I want my seat back.”Nozomi giggles and shakes her head.Nico wraps her hands around Maki’s arm and squeezes.“Don’t try give away the best seat on the table,” she says. There’s an alarming layer of menace underneath the saccharine sweetness.Maki tugs her arm back and takes a big sip of the drink in front of her. She crinkles her nose. It’s definitely not what she ordered - it’s alcoholic, if the sharp taste is anything to go by, and it’s not particularly enjoyable.“You look cute tonight,” Nico says. “Your hair’s pretty.”She tugs on a curl. It bounces when she lets go. Maki takes another long gulp of the mystery drink.“Right?” she says, “I mean, thanks. I mean… your makeup is nice.”“Adorable, right?” Nico winks. “Sparkles for Christmas! Wanna try the lipstick? It was a free sample and even though it looks super cute on me, when I first saw it I was like, whoa, this is totally Maki’s colour.”She pulls it from her bag and uncaps it. It’s definitely more Nico’s colour - just red enough to make her eyes glow all pretty and iridescent.“Thanks, but I don't have a mirror, so...”“Nico will do it for you. Like old times.”“When did we ever do this before?”“Shhhh,” Nico says.And Maki’s heart almost stops when Nico leans in close, although she’s fully aware of the perfectly innocent context. Nico frowns as she tilts Maki’s chin into position with her small, soft fingers. Maki’s certain she’s not currently at risk for any cardiovascular health problems, but her uncomfortably rapid heart rate suggests she might soon well be.“Stay still,” Nico tells her sharply.Maki complies reluctantly. The others are quieter now. She can feel them watching.“Your face looks stupid when you concentrate,” Maki says.“Shut up. Unless you want lipstick right here.”Nico flicks her nose. Maki huffs loudly. She hears someone giggle, and a murmured comment about how they never change. How completely mortifying.Maki tenses as Nico tilts her chin again. This is terrible. This is torture.“This is perfect,” Nico beams, what feels hours later. “I knew it’d suit you!”Nico lingers close for just a moment too long. Her smug smile fades to something softer.Someone clears their throat loudly.Nico laughs and leans back and whips out her phone and the smile is gone, replaced with a tight grin that’s just a little bit forced around the edges.“Here,” she says. “Smile! Nico Nico Ni~”Maki holds up her hand to match Nico's signature pose. It’s a cute picture. Maki wonders if her heart rate will return to normal now that Nico’s a safe distance away, or if that photograph will be the last evidence of her life on this planet before she promptly collapses onto the table from the sheer embarrassment of it all.Nico empties out the contents of her tiny bag, scattering makeup everywhere.She grins. “Who’s next for a Nico-Nico makeover?”Rin leans across the table in her garish cat-in-a-santa-hat sweater and insists Maki swaps seats with her.Maki’s lips feel sticky as she pouts down at the table.***Karaoke seems like an obvious choice. They hire a great big room for the nine of them and order drinks and dim the lights. They start off with the usual - score challenges for old time’s sake - and then Honoka types in µ's and they all start yelling because a bunch of their old songs pop up and that's kind of a big deal - they're karaoke famous! They queue up all of them and sing their own parts, passing microphones between them because there aren’t enough to go around. They stumble through their choreography, avoiding tables and sofas the best they can.It’s magic.When the last song fades, Maki's out of breath and standing on a sofa, posed between Rin and Hanayo.No one moves. No one dares to say anything.The next song plays automatically - some ridiculous English song about the colour blue. Honoka leaps over and grabs a microphone and starts singing. Her pronunciation needs work. Kotori joins in too, throwing in a few cute dance moves.Maki steps down from the sofa and sinks down onto it instead, her eyes fixed on the wall, fierce and unblinking because there’s no time to waste being sentimental, especially not with such an unreasonably poor soundtrack to accompany her thoughts. It’s unfair, though, that other people can just come here and sing the songs she’d written for her friends, with her friends. A lump forms in her throat, thick and overwhelming.Someone sits down beside her. Maki glances up. Nico's eyes are bright, even in the dark.“This is so fun, right?” Nico says. “Being all together like this?”Her voice is high and cheerful. Maki sees through it in a second. She moves her hand to cover Nico’s, softly and unsure. Nico links their fingers together and squeezes. They don't say anything, don’t move for pretty much the whole song, even when some of the others start dancing along and leaning over the screen to queue up the next songs. Nico’s thumb is soft and impossibly distracting as it brushes over Maki's hand. Maki’s extremely grateful that it's dark.The song fades out. Nico leaps up and insists that it must be time for her solo.Maki misses the warmth of her hand.***They leave when their time’s up, when the drinks have run out and their voices start to rasp. It’s dark outside, and even colder than it was before. They separate in small groups - it’s easier to do quick hugs and brief goodbyes than to deal with how tough it is to dramatically part ways all at once.Maki breaks tradition and hangs back with the third years (though, they haven’t been third years for a long time, she supposes). Rin and Hanayo are travelling back in the opposite direction, plus it’s not like she has anything but an empty apartment to rush back to anyway.Nico links one arm through Maki’s and the other through Eli’s.“I always knew BiBi were the strongest,” she says. “So, where are we going next?”“I’m still here, you know,” Nozomi calls out from behind them. “And it’s time for me to steal Elicchi away.”Nico protests loudly, and there's a certain level of bribery required before she allows them both to leave. There’s more hugging (Maki’s pretty sure she hasn’t been hugged this much all year) and then Nozomi murmurs “good luck” right by her ear, in this soft voice that kind of creeps her out.And then it’s just the two of them. Again. Why are Maki’s friends all so insistent on leaving her alone with Nico?“They’re all weak,” Nico grumbles. “Though I never thought you’d be the party animal that stayed out latest with me.”She laughs, or maybe shivers? It’s kind of hard to tell.“Yeah, you seem super up for partying,” Maki says, flatly. “I can hear your teeth chattering.”“Don’t,” Nico says, “Don’t even think about the cold. See, this is fine. Here, I’ll keep your hands warm.”Maki’s not sure it helps much when Nico clasps their hands together (they are both wearing gloves) but she doesn’t protest against it either.They start to walk.Maki’s pretty sure it’d ruin the moment to ask where they’re going, so she doesn’t. She just lets herself be led away from the crowds and the busy streets. It’s nice. Nostalgic, almost. Kind of reminiscent of that time with the summer festival and the fireworks where they’re walked around for what felt like hours with their clammy hands clasped together.It’s Maki that stops walking first when they turn onto a pretty street lined with rows and rows of trees, all of them illuminated with tiny twinkling Christmas lights.“What are you doing?” Nico asks. “We need to keep moving or we’re going to die. It’s super cold.”“Look,” Maki points up to the sky. “It’s starting to snow.”Nico looks up and her whole face lights up.“Whoaaaa,” she says. “It’s so pretty.”“Yeah,” Maki smiles. “Winter really is beautiful.”She lets go of Nico’s hand and steps back, so she’s leaning on an ice cold wall outside a closed bakery. It may be literally freezing, but she's perfectly content to just stare up at the sky and to try catch snowflakes in her hands the way she always used to when she was a kid.“I love snow,” Maki says, “But I wish you could still see the stars.”“I guess you’ll have to settle for just seeing one,” Nico winks, hopping up onto the wall beside her.“Do you have to ruin everything?” Maki asks. Her voice is soft and unreasonably affectionate. She's not even fooling herself.“Stop lying to yourself,” Nico says. “We both know you love it.”Maki scoffs and she opens her mouth to protest, but she looks at Nico, with her cold red nose and her warm red eyes, and she can't deny it. She can't.Maki knows she has feelings for Nico of all people. Feelings that twist in her stomach like butterflies, feelings that make her more nervous than that first daunting step out onto a brightly lit stage ever could. Tiring textbook teenage feelings that she always just assumed she'd grow out of.But Nico’s brave and self-assured and (mostly) honest. She's always ready to tell the world exactly what she thinks. So if there was a chance - the smallest glimmer of something - if she had time in her insanely busy schedule to even consider it, then surely, surely, she’d say something.“You’ve got snow in your hair,” Nico says.Her gloves are soft against Maki's cheek as they brush away snowflakes. She’s distractingly nice to look at under the glow of the twinkling lights.There's no one else around.There never really has been anyone else but Nico.It'd be so easy, Maki thinks, to lean closer and press her lips against Nico’s mouth or her cheek or the inside of her wrist, in some kind of desperate attempt to work out if she feels this too, to check if her pulse is also abnormally rapid, or if it's just thrumming, steady as ever, nothing out of the ordinary here.Maki shifts the tiniest bit closer. Their knees bump together. Nico opens her mouth like she might say something and Maki’s holds her breath like it might mean something and then a car turns onto the street, headlights bright and jarring, and Maki has no choice but to break eye contact.There's no way. Even supposing the ridiculous notion that Nico was somehow interested (highly unlikely) and available (even less likely) and actually in the same place as Maki for more than a couple of days (virtually impossible) there’s no way she could - she can't even consider -“My legs are going numb,” Maki says, hopping down from the wall. “Let’s head back. Get a hot chocolate to warm up or something?”Nico’s breath is a cloud of hot air. Her phone illuminates her face with white light.“Only half an hour until the last train. In this weather I definitely can’t afford to miss it.”Maki looks up at the thick flakes of snow swirling around them. It’s definitely getting heavier, shifting towards that point where snow stops being magical and becomes a total nuisance.“I’ll walk you to the station,” Maki says, and that's it, moment over.Why does her mouth always say the exact opposite of what she wants?***“Well…” says Nico, when they’re hovering outside of the station “I guess we’re going in different directions…”Nico's eyes widen as Maki taps her travelcard against the ticket barrier. She shrugs. A few more moments with Nico means way more than a couple of hundred yen ever could.They stand close together on the busy platform. Maki hears the familiar jingle - stand back, train approaching. “This was really fun," Nico says. "Let's do it again soon, okay?”Maki smiles. “Thanks for making time for us little people, even if we’re not idols anymore.”“Please. You’ll always be an idol to me. And if you ever change your mind about the whole medical genius thing, you know I’ll always have you as my backup dancer.”“Tempting,” Maki says flatly. The train draws into the station, already crammed full of people. “Whoa. I guess being so small will finally be useful.”“I don’t even have time to tell you how rude that is so just like… imagine it or something!”Nico presses so close that Maki’s damp frozen body starts to thaw, until she’s nothing but a rush of warmth and a steady dull ache.“I’ll miss you,” Maki murmurs, so quietly that she's taken aback when Nico actually hears.“I always miss you,” Nico says, softly. Maki inhales sharply. “I miss everyone!” The train doors open. “Crap, I really have to go!”Maki watches her comically squeeze her way on board. She finds a spot, crushed up in the doorway. Maki nods and turns to leave.“Maki!” Nico yells out, and several people flinch at the sheer volume of her voice. Maki turns back. Nico grins. “Happy new year!”Maki laughs and waves self-consciously.The doors close.The train pulls out of the station.Maki just stands on the platform.   2.  It’s a warm day just after summer break, and Maki’s stuck in the library, translating a journal article on a groundbreaking neurosurgical procedure that the authors had selfishly only published in English, when her phone buzzes. She’s expecting something boring. Her heart flips at least seven times a row when she reads the name of the sender.Maki blinks several times to check she’s read Nico’s name correctly, because they haven’t exactly spoken much recently. They’d both made a conscious effort after that night in the snow, and then there’d been clashing schedules and differing time zones and crazy amounts of work and all that other boring stuff that always seems to get in the way. Maki gets it. Nico’s busy. They both are. It’s not like they were ever even best friends to begin with.Maki tugs out her earphones and reads the message three times over. It's a desperate and drawn-out story about how Nico’s nearby and she needs a favour and Maki’s the only one on the planet smart enough to help so please can they meet up, and by the way, she has coffee. (Heart emoji, eyes emoji, stupid ugly bunny kissy-face sticker.)Maki sighs. It’s just so Nico to practically ignore someone for months and then suddenly call in a favour. But the first rule of med school is never turning down the offer of a caffeinated beverage, plus she’s been hunched over her laptop for way too long and regular breaks and exercise are essential for good health.And it's not like she's been the greatest friend either.Maki replies okay before she can even think about, because if she thinks about it, she'll talk herself out of it. She packs away her things in record time and allows herself a swift detour to the bathroom to check she’s looking good, not specifically because it’s Nico, but because she wouldn't want anyone to see her looking anything other than her best.Nico’s waiting on the steps leading up to Maki’s apartment building with two takeaway coffee cups beside her, typing furiously on her phone.Maki’s stomach flutters. She clears her throat.Nico breaks into a beam and bounces to her feet.“Makkii! Nico's been waiting for you,” she says in that disgustingly cutesy voice that always comes off as more spine-chillingly terrifying than sweet.It’s wrong and gross and it definitely doesn’t make Maki blush.“Nico-chan,” Maki says. Despite her best intentions to play it cool, her voice comes out all breathy and soft. “Hi…”Nico pushes a takeaway cup into Maki’s hand. Maki’s not sure what she's weaker to, the smell of coffee or Nico as she blinks up, all big eyes and fluttering lashes.“Invite me inside?” she coos.Maki's heart flips several times in succession.Nico really is the worst.***Maki regrets her life choices the moment she has Nico in her apartment, leaning smugly against the beautiful mahogany upright piano she'd convinced her parents to buy her as a treat for being top of her class a few semesters ago.“It was a gift,” Maki explains. “I don't play it that much. I’m used to a grand piano.”Nico hums at exactly the right pitch to grate on Maki’s nerves and imply she's being dishonest all at once.“So, uhhh, what’s new? Why did you drop by?”“To see your cute face, duh,” Nico says, like it's obvious. “Because Maki’s mean and she never posts new pictures and Nico misses it looking at it.”“Ahhh” says Maki. “Well… it hasn’t changed much.”“We’ve all missed you, you know. I still can’t believe you skipped out on your own birthday meet!”“Sorry,” says Maki, twisting her hair. “My parents insisted on that trip to Europe. Thanks for calling though, even if it was the middle of the night... Timezones, huh?”Nico chuckles. “You're so cranky when someone wakes you up.”Maki laughs too, but it rings out a little nervous, a little manic. She settles down onto her piano stool because it's the most comforting place in the room (except for her bed, but it's not like she’s about to invite Nico to sit there). She gestures at a chair. Nico drops down onto it.There’s a thick silence that lingers too long. Maki doesn’t like it one bit.“So, I didn’t even know you were back yet,” Maki says. “How was the concert?”Nico lights up. “Oh my god, so good. Like, sure, I was an opening act, but there were so many people there to see Nico, and next time I’m definitely definitely going to be the main event! What how about you? How’s life being a medical genius?”“Ahhh, it’s... busy. My parents are having me train at the hospital and take extra classes, and of course I can handle it. It’s just kind of crazy, you know?”“But you’re happy, right? It’s fun?”Fun isn’t exactly the term Maki would use to describe it, but she is fulfilling the expectations of her family and shouldn’t that be good enough? It's not like she has the freedom to pursue anything else. It's not that she even really wants to.“It’s fine,” Maki says. Nico squints. “I’m fine,” she adds, in what she hopes is a more convincing tone.Nico narrows her eyes. “Honoka said you looked totally exhausted the last time you had lunch together.”Maki raises her eyebrows.“D-Don’t give me that look," Nico says. "It’s not like I’m checking up on you. Just, you know, making sure you’re not dead or whatever, since you clearly have no time in your busy schedule to ever check in with me.”Maki winces. It’s so easy to keep up with the public trail of Nico’s quest to stardom, so easy to seeing a pictures of her and her family or her new friends or a stack of cute pancakes and forget that’s not the same as actually talking.But, of course, Maki doesn’t admit that. Instead, she mutters, “it’s not like you call much either,” and Nico glares. Maki’s strikingly aware of how childish she must seem - resenting Nico for not getting in touch but being too cowardly to try herself.She sighs and drags her fingers roughly through her hair.“So, you wanted my help, right?” Maki says, forcing out her most civilised voice. “A favour?”“Ohhhh,” Nico says, and just like that she’s flipped back into beaming idol mode. “Yeah, so - great news! I got a part in a movie.”“Seriously? Nico, that’s amazing.”“Right?” Nico beams. “It’s only one scene, but I’m the singer at the wedding where the love interest is getting married to someone else and then the main character shows up and everyone’s all,” she gasps loudly. "You know, idols really have to be multi-talented these days, and my manager thinks it’ll be, like, a massive career boost and I’m certain that I can capture hearts with my talent and beauty so next time I'll be in the leading role-”“And you wanted my help?” Maki asks, cutting her off firmly before she’s unstoppable.“Yep! I need you to teach me how to play piano.”“Okay...” says Maki, slowly. “Well I’m obviously not a qualified teacher, but I’m sure we could have a few lessons to cover the very basics-”“Perfect! I don’t have much time so if you could just teach me everything you know today then that’d be great.”She smiles winningly.Maki blinks several times.“You’re kidding, right?”“I know, I know, it’s super hard, but Nico's a quick learner so don't worry about all that stuff.”“Nico-chan, do you know how long it takes to master piano?” Maki asks, incredulously. “It takes years of practice and dedication, you can’t just show up and expect to learn everything in a couple of days.”“Whoaaa,” Nico says. “Relax, Maki. I don’t have to actually be able to play. I just have to look like I can.”“That makes no sense,” Maki says. “It’s offensive to people who have worked hard to learn-”“Yeah, yeah, it’s the worst,” Nico says, dismissively. “So you'll help me, right?”Nico flutters her long, pretty eyelashes and smiles.Maki sighs. “You’ll owe me.”Nico launches off her chair and flings her arms around Maki, nuzzling her face against her like a content kitten.“Anything you want. As many autographs as you can carry.”“They could’ve just hired someone who could actually play,” Maki mutters.Nico hums, nuzzling closer. “Maybe all the best piano playing idols are too busy pursuing medical careers.”“Maybe I should make a comeback then,” Maki says. “Since you think I'd suit the role better.”“Are you kidding?” Nico springs back into a classic hands on the hips I’ll-fight-you stance. “I’m gonna be the best non-piano-playing piano player the world has ever seen. My voice on the big screen is gonna sell at least billion copies of my album when it drops, just you wait-”***It’s not the worst afternoon Maki’s ever spent. She mostly plays piano, improvising effortlessly because she’ll never admit it but something about Nico just inspires her. Nico takes notes (and pictures, and videos, which sparks a long debate on the concept of personal space because she zooms in far too close). Maki also spends a reasonable amount of time correcting Nico’s form and moving her hands into more natural positions on the keys and insisting that no, it’s not possible to stand and perform a full dance routine whilst playing piano, and yes, Maki is the expert actually and her word is final.Nico is a quick learner, at the very least. Even if the thought of casting a piano player that doesn’t even play still abjectly offends everything that Maki believes in, she’s also certain that Nico probably deserves a break like this more than anyone in the whole world.So Maki plays and Nico practices and then suddenly it’s hours later and they're full of snacks and stretched out on top of the covers of Maki's bed with her laptop balanced between them, watching whatever videos Nico dictates to be the most important must-see developments in the idol world. The room is cosy and the lights are dim and everything’s kind of perfect.Nico starts humming along and Maki glances over and she’s so soft and pretty in the fading glow of the sun shining in through window that Maki’s heart promptly stops and her stomach twists and her whole body aches, so much that she can barely concentrate on the offensively low-quality recording of the five idols performing their perfectly-choreographed routine.She’s had months to dwell on this. Months to write multiple pros and cons lists and to draft out an apology letter to the rest of µ's for destroying their dynamic on the tragic occasion that Nico finds out about said pros and cons list and inevitably refuses to be in the same room as Maki again. She's had several mortifying conversations with Rin and Hanayo, where they disagreed that no, being (hypothetically) honest with your (hypothetical) feelings doesn’t always lead to disastrous results, and then they’d shared a sickening doe-eyed gaze to confirm that sometimes, things just work out perfectly.She’d also thrown herself into her studies, toured Europe with her family, took on an internship at a medical lab and gone to several dreadful meetups her parents had arranged with useful ‘contacts’ who had all turned out to be single, handsome young men. She’d even gone for more than one coffee with a pretty girl from one of her classes who had turned out to be an ex-school idol too and overtly obvious about where her interests lie.And despite all that, despite the fact that she'd lacked the time to even think about Nico, she’d still woken up one morning and stared up at her modest chandelier with a dull ache in pit of her stomach and the fading memory of a dream she’d rather die than repeat to anyone. She'd concluded with as much determination as she could muster first thing on a morning that enough was enough. That the next time she saw Nico she’d just be honest. But now she’s faced with the reality of Nico on her bed, jumping in a cab to the airport and booking a first class flight to literally anywhere seems so much more preferable. Right now, Maki would much prefer allowing one of her university friends the opportunity to practice some advanced medical procedure on her to honesty. Ideally something with a long recovery period - an amputation maybe? Maki’s a healthy girl, she’ll get over it - though, come to think of it, her parents would be angry if she had anything less than a perfect attendance record, so maybe something less severe? A mild virus, maybe. Yep, that would work out just fine.Maki’s just about dragged out an actual chunk of her hair when Nico stops humming and turns to face her.“What’s wrong?” she asks. “You're all weird and twitchy. Are you hungry? Is it cramps?”Maki takes a breath. She sits up to pause the video and shuts the laptop.“Hey! There were still at least eleven and a half minutes left of that one!”“Nico-chan,” Maki says, slowly. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about…”She takes a breath. There's no good way to say it. Maki's almost tempted to walk over to the piano and just sing it, but knowing Nico, she’d probably try record it and market it as a hit single and that’d just be beyond embarrassing.Nico rolls onto her side, pale legs in long socks stretched out across the bed. She looks uncharacteristically sweet, with her wide eyes and her hair spread behind her on the pillow.“My bra size is top secret,” Nico winks. “But other than that, ask away.”Maki sighs and flops onto her front so her face is pressed into her pillow. “I’m trying to be serious,” Maki says in a muffled voice.“Yeah, I didn’t catch any of that.”Nico prods her shoulder several times. Maki just grunts in response.“Okay,” she hears Nico sigh, “You don’t have to ask. I’ll do it. I’ll autograph your piano.”Maki gasps and rolls over. “Don't touch my piano.”“Honestly, it’s no trouble at all. You have a permanent marker, right?”Maki launches at Nico and grabs both her arms before she can even pretend to deface her not-grand-but-still-beautiful piano. There’s a giggle and a shove and then Maki’s on her back somehow and Nico’s leaning right over her with twinkling eyes and long hair that falls forward and tickles her shoulders, and Maki can’t think anything else except oh and God. “Maki's all red,” Nico teases. “Blinded by Nico's shimmering star quality?”“No,” Maki says, with a firm nudge of her hips. “I'm just warm because you're too close.”“There’s no need to be embarrassed. Good friends do this stuff all the time. You know, have sleepovers and lie around in bed drinking wine and watching movies in their underwear-”If Maki’s face was red before, it’s quite possible she's actually on fire now, because her heart starts racing in full-force at the word ‘underwear’, though it’s not a term she’d find particularly arousing by itself. But of course, arousing is completely the wrong word because it’s not like she - no, why would she even think-Maki detaches herself from Nico’s grasp with a firm nudge and a shuffles to the safety of the other side of her bed. She hates Nico for teasing her when she doesn't mean anything by it.She hates herself more for craving it.“Nozomi and Eli do that stuff all the time, you know?” Nico smiles, sweetly. “And they're like a shining example of close friendship, right?”Maki’s throat feels dry as her brain begins a loop of terrible thoughts - some tragically embarrassing scenario where Maki winks and drags off her shirt and opens a bottle of wine and makes some teasing comment about what good friends they are now and no - no - that’s far too hideously embarrassing to even imagine.“I suppose you don’t have time to be all cosy with your cute friends,” Nico says, and god, is she still talking? “I mean, since you’re dating now.”“Dating?” Maki splutters. “Who said anything about dating?”“News travels fast on the μ’s rumour mill, you know,” Nico sing-songs.“Well, it’s not true,” Maki huffs. “My parents keep trying to set me up with rich boys but there's no way that's gonna happen-”Nico crinkles her nose. “Boys, huh? That's not what I heard but, whoever it is, invite me to the wedding, okay? I promise I’ll try not to upstage you too much.”“It’s not going to happen,” Maki says, sharply. “Can you drop it?”Nico hums. “Now, now, Maki-chan. Don't get embarrassed. You have to be open minded about these things.”“Who made you the expert?”“Please. Everyone knows Nico-ni is descended from the goddess of love herself, sent to this world to be adored and-”“Right,” Maki says. “Got it.”“Just... get out there,” Nico nudges her arm. “Anyone would be lucky to have you. You're perfect.”Maki waits for it, for the not at perfect as Nico or a follow up remark about how nice Maki would be if only she fixed her entire personality. She waits for it, but it never comes, and Maki doesn’t know what that means.Maki rolls onto her side so they’re facing each other, gaze locked so it’s hard to breathe, and it's all weird and tense, like there's an electric fence between them, like she'll surely get shocked if she moves too close.“You really have grown up,” is all Maki can say.Nico’s cheeks flush pink. “I-I just thought it goes without saying that Nico’s the most perfect-”“Don't,” Maki says, yawning.And by some weird miracle, Nico stops talking. Maki closes her eyes, just for a moment, and wonders how it's possible to feel so on edge around someone, but so weirdly relaxed at the same time. Maki closes her eyes, just for a moment, and all she can hear is Nico's voice in her mind - you're perfect, you're perfect, you’re perfect. *** Maki wakes up to the sound of her phone buzzing. When she opens her eyes groggily, it's still dark. She groans and reaches out to make it stop, but when she picks it up, it's not making any sound. She frowns.She hears movement beside her and a cute little confused grumble and then she remembers. Nico’s face illuminates with the harsh glow of her phone. The buzzing stops. Nico gasps and bolts upright.“It’s almost midnight,” she hisses.Maki groans and reaches over to switch on her bedside lamp. She squints open her eyes and Nico's right there in her bed with messy hair and smudged makeup. She's cute, really cute.“We fell asleep,” Maki says, stretching.“Yeah,” Nico says, “And I need to go, like, now. The last train-”“Just stay over. I don't mind.” Maki’s voice comes out all slow and thick with sleep.Nico’s is the opposite, all fast and panicked. “I totally would but I’m travelling out for this shoot tomorrow and I haven’t even picked out my outfits yet-”Nico's already out of bed, combing her hair and rubbing at the mascara smudged under her eyes. Maki stretches again, forcing herself to sit up. She hears rain hammering against the window.“I can call a taxi. Isn’t that more appropriate for the number one idol in the universe anyway?”Nico's moving way too fast, scrambling around the room for her stuff.“I may be an up and coming super idol movie star, but do you know how much it costs to live alone and maintain such a fashionable look? I’m not paying for a fifty minute cab ride when there’s perfectly good transport available. And don’t give me that look, I don’t need your rich girl pity. I'll be earning way more than you soon enough.”“I’ll pay,” Maki offers.“No. I still owe you for that shirt. I’m not planning on spending the rest of my life in debt to you.”Maki rolls her eyes. “If you’d just stop being stubborn for one second-”“Get up and walk me to the station,” Nico says, sharply. “And lend me an umbrella too.”Maki sighs and gets reluctantly out of bed. What choice does she have but to agree?***Maki taps in through the barrier again.Nico twists the strap of her tiny bag around her fingers as they stand quietly on the platform.“I can't believe we fell asleep,” she mutters under her breath, for what must be the eighth time. “Stupid comfy rich girl bed.”Maki just rolls her eyes. She’s still kind of pissed that she'd jumped out of bed and rushed all the way down to the station in the rain, only to find that there’s a seven minute wait until Nico’s train anyway. She yawns again.“Oh, will you stop?” Nico snaps. “I know I woke you up but you don’t have to be all mopey and dramatic.”“I just yawned,” Maki says, defensively.Nico sighs and leans forward impatiently, looking for the lights of the train in the distance.“This was fun,” Maki says, quietly.Nico leans back and exhales and relaxes, just a bit. “Wasn’t it? Nozomi said they’re working on the date for the next meet so hopefully I’ll have time to grace you all with my wonderful presence then!”Maki smiles. “Sure. I want to hear all about the movie.”A smug smile tugs at the edges of Nico’s lips.“What?” Maki asks, fingers tightening around the handle of the umbrella they’d shared on the walk to the station.“I was just thinking that you’re weirdly straightforward today. I like it. It’s cute.”There's a loud voice announcing that the train will be approaching the platform soon that cuts Maki off before she can protest that she’s just the same as always.“I-I’ll try be better this time,” Maki says, since apparently she's so straightforward now. “At keeping in touch. I know it’s not something I’m particularly good at but-”“You are kind of terrible. But... I get it, you're the great Nishikino prodigy, and µ's is forever, right? We’ll always be there. Even if we can’t talk all the time, I know you love me.”It's just standard smug Nico, the kind of statement Maki should react to with a look of disgust and a scoff, but for some reason she freezes. For some stupid reason, the best she can manage is a mildly panicked expression and strangled noise in the back of her throat.The smug smile falters from Nico’s face. She nudges Maki’s arm as the station jingle sounds again. “Hey, we’re on limited time here, so here’s your chance to tell me I’m annoying or whatever.”Maki bites her lip. Her heart thuds helplessly against her chest.“I mean, yes, it's offensive, but you’re not Maki unless you get all embarrassed and make a fuss and you being quiet like this is kinda weirding me out so… just deny it already and say goodbye and everything will be normal, right?” Nico’s voice is a high pitch squeak. “Right?”Maki feels a rush of nausea. She feels all the selfish reckless words she shouldn't say in her throat and she tries to hold them in but -“I can’t,” she says, barely louder than a whisper.“Yes, you can!” Nico says, panicked. “Come on, it’s easy. Just be all, ugh, who’d love you, even though we both know that you’re actually just completely jealous of me and-” She shoots Maki a desperate look. “And-”“It makes no sense,” Maki says, in a small voice. “We barely see each other. We’ve always clashed. We were never even that close in the first place…”Nico takes a step closer. “W-What are you saying?” she whispers.“I miss you,” Maki says, her voice trembling. “All the time, in stupid ways… I miss you so much.”Maki feels a cold rush of air as the train speeds into the platform. Nico looks so startled and Maki's ruined everything and she has terrible timing and, god, even the song would’ve been less embarrassing than this -“Maki,” Nico says, with a helpless glance at her train, “Don't. I - I can’t... not now...”Maki's heart sinks and every little thing she wanted to say fizzes and dissolves on her tongue.“You have to go,” Maki says, twisting her hair round and round her fingers. “It’s fine. Forget I even said anything. I’m just being weird so just.. forget it, okay?”She takes one last look at Nico with her wide eyes and her brows all crinkled up in confusion, and she stutters out an apology and pushes through the crowd. She doesn’t look back, even when Nico calls out her name.She keeps it together as she makes her way home, the rain splashing down onto her umbrella, headphones pressed tightly in her ears. She keeps it together until she’s leaning against the closed door of her apartment and then she promptly falls apart, her whole body shaking because she’s so stupid and selfish and she’s ruined everything.Maki doesn't mean to cry. But she never meant to fall in love either.   1. “You could've waited inside, you know.”Maki glances up from her book to find that Nico has finally emerged from the back door of the dance studio, fully undercover in the most ridiculous pair of sunglasses that Maki’s ever seen, even though the sun has already faded to a golden glow. Maki’s stomach drops. She feels a rush of nausea. Her heart predictably elevates to at least four times its normal resting rate.She’s had enough time to psych herself up for this, but she still feels horribly unprepared.She resists the urge to leap up, so it’s clear that she’s been perfectly content sitting on a wall outside alone. That the brisk autumn breeze has been been refreshing rather than chilling, and that even if she has been checking her phone in trembling horror approximately every thirty seconds, that's not a relevant fact that needs to be brought to Nico's attention.Nico takes a step closer. “I would've given you a personalised autograph and everything.”Maki’s had over a year to figure out the right thing to say Nico at their first face-to-face contact after the train station incident. She’s had more than enough time to draft out an explanation, an apology, anything.She’s had more than enough time, yet the first thing she does is crinkle of her nose in disgust and say, “I don't want one. Keep it.”“You're act tough, but I know you've been waiting here for at least twenty minutes.”“Because you’re late,” says Maki, snapping her book shut. “By the time we get there, we’ll probably have missed half of the movie-”“Sorry, sorry. I tried to get out on time, but you know how it is...”Maki sighs. “If we miss the start-”“Don’t worry, I've seen it before!”“Well I haven't,” Maki grumbles.Nico extends her hand. “Come on,” she says, in an annoying baby voice, like she's trying to win over a grumpy child.Maki hesitates for approximately half a second before she reaches out and takes it. She feels that familiar rush of heat, that predictable tingle in her stomach. She’s had months and months to get over this, and yet her whole body still betrays her.There’s a brief moment where they just look at each other and it’s weird and wrong and so so obvious that they should talk about things like adults before everything erupts to the surface.But Maki came here with a single objective, and that involves watching a movie and saying little more than a wholesome and platonic congratulations when it's all over.“Let's go,” Maki says. “Before we actually do miss it.”It's been a long time, but Maki can still recognise Nico's big fake smile when she sees it.***Nico doesn't even take her sunglasses off until they're sitting on the back row of a reasonably empty movie theatre, just three minutes before the scheduled start time.Maki drums her fingers on the armrest. This wasn’t how it was meant to be. It was meant to be all of them. That was the plan - for the nine of them to meet and watch Nico’s movie together and shed proud tears at her four and a half minutes of screen-time before going out for dinner after.And then, over the last few days, Maki's watched in confused horror as, one by one, each member of μ’s sent grovelling apologies to the group chat about not being able to make it until, conveniently and suspiciously, it was just the two of them left.When Maki demanded that Rin explain what's going on, she only received a lecture on how Nico needs their support and, yes, things are awkward between them, but Maki’s their last hope!! And when Maki pressed further about the ‘terrible cold’ that was causing her to cancel plans four days in advance, Rin only sent cat stickers in response.So that's how Maki ended up sitting in the dark alone beside the person who she kind of confessed to at the worst possible moment the last time they were alone together. The person who rejected her so fast that even now she can still feel the raw sting of it. The person whose calls Maki's been dodging because thinking about talking about that night makes her promptly want to die.And now they're watching a romantic movie. And apparently going out to dinner after. And Maki’s pretty sure that Nico actively hates her (or at least she should). Maki may be too grown up for that whole lingering high school crush thing now (her trembling nerves are probably nothing more than side effects from the traumatic social embarrassment of their last meet up) but that doesn't mean she's overjoyed about the situation she's found herself in.Maki slouches down in her seat. Nico sits up straighter.“It’s starting,” she whispers.The first scene opens with a whimsical shot of the main actress stretching daintily and climbing out of bed with perfect hair and a full face of makeup. Maki resists rolling her eyes, but only out of respect for Nico.Nico puts her arm on Maki's and leans in close. “That's not her real hair,” she stage whispers. “It's a wig.”The middle aged lady in front of them turns around to glare.Maki shoots Nico a look. Nico leans back in her seat.Maki sips her drink and attempts to focus. She's doing a perfectly good job and then Nico’s arm bumps against hers and Maki’s skin heats up, just from the sharp pointed jab of Nico’s elbow, as though it's the most exciting tactile stimulation she's received in years.Maki takes a deep and shaky breath.She’s moved on. She's definitely over it. It's just nerves.The movie suffers from budget constraints and the musical score is a little bland and the plot where the kind-hearted woman in her twenties pines for her childhood friend who’s engaged to someone else is entirely predictable, yet Maki finds herself enjoying it anyway. She feels the anticipation building, even in the most mundane of scenes, because at every mention of the word wedding, she thinks of Nico.Maki’s pretty sure Nico’s on edge too, if the amount of fidgeting is anything to judge by. Nico has entered Maki’s personal space at least five times now - elbows bumping and arms pressed together, a gentle foot nudging against her shin and a hand that strays just a little far past the barrier of the armrest. Maki tries her best to brush it off like a regularly functioning platonic friend would.She tries and then the attractive love interest walks the main actress to her door, the night before his wedding to the entirely wrong woman, and there's a long lingering lean in that makes Maki's heart speed up and at that exact moment Nico’s leg slides over and presses all the way against Maki’s, and Maki can feel the heat of her bare thigh and it has to be on purpose. It has to be and it's so unfair, but Maki doesn’t shift away this time, she just presses her leg back hard until she can't breathe and she's about to escape to the bathroom and maybe hyperventilate mildly when Nico hits her arm multiple times as the shot changes to the first scene of the wrong woman in her wedding gown.Maki’s fully expecting Nico to appear on the screen, but it still kind of shocks her when she's there in a soft pretty dress, her dark curled hair and her bright red eyes a sharp contrast against the pure white grand piano.“That's a nicer piano than mine,” Maki whispers.Nico shushes her. Maki holds her breath as the camera zooms in and Nico starts to sing. The guests take their seats. It's a beautiful outdoor wedding and they've clearly spent a generous amount of their budget on flowers, and Maki can't decide what she'd rather look at - Nico in an actual movie, pulling off the fake piano playing with a softness to her voice that Maki can’t remember ever hearing before, or Nico beside her with bright shining eyes, mouthing along the words to the song.The wrong bride enters, smug and harsh and all wrong. Nico stops singing. The ceremony starts.The real Nico turns to Maki and grins, so wide and bright and beautiful that she lights up the room in the dark. Maki beams back and a rush of warmth and pride swells in her chest. Nico takes Maki's hand and draws her in and then she’s dangerously close and far too pretty, and Maki knows what's going to happen and before it registers in her mind, before she can try to stop it, she’s kissing Nico in the dark back row of the theatre.Maki feels a rush of heat and a soft exhale of breath against her lips and then an ice cold chill of panic. She hears a loud gasp and she springs back and it takes her a moment to realise that it’s not the middle aged woman in front of them protesting to her apparently uncontrollable gay desires, but the on-screen wedding guests reacting to the ceremony being interrupted. Maki turns back to Nico. Her eyes are impossibly wide.“Sorry,” Maki splutters out, so loud that several people turn to look. “I’m really-”The lady in front turns back to glare. Maki just about dies.She leaps to her feet and dashes down the stairs and out through the doors, only narrowly avoiding a head first collision with a child carrying an excessively large bucket of popcorn. She doesn't stop until she's outside, leaning forward in the fresh air and gasping for breath because that certainly was not part of the plan and she can’t believe that she just -“It's a good job my scene was over,” she hears Nico say. “I never would've forgiven you if you'd walked out during my performance.”Maki looks up. Nico’s voice is harsh, but her cheeks are pink. Her arms are folded tightly, but her hands are shaking.“I’m sorry,” Maki splutters out, “You don't want this. I- I don't know why-”“You like me,” Nico says, and it's a forceful, an accusation, so loud that two fashionable young girls stop walking to glance over curiously. One stares pointedly at Nico. She smiles a big false grin and waves, then pulls her sunglasses from her bag.“Come with me,” she hisses, sliding on the glasses though it’s already dark.She takes Maki’s hand and she tugs and then suddenly it's seven and a half minutes later and they're riding an elevator up to the fourth floor to find their karaoke room and Maki doesn't know why. She really hopes they're not going to settle this with a karaoke score challenge because, no offence, but Maki would win and wouldn't that just make Nico more angry?“I don't really feel like singing,” Maki says, weakly.It's the second time she's voiced this concern. Nico just shushes her and stares forcefully ahead.Maki steps cautiously into their room. The lights are already dimmed. She hears the people next door singing off key and white noise from the microphones and the door click closed and then nothing but the blood rushing to her head and her bag slipping off her shoulder as Nico nudges her back against the wall and kisses her hard on the mouth, all clumsy and fierce.She’s completely stunned for a good few seconds, and then her brain processes kissing and Nico and her whole body heats up and trembles all at once. It takes Maki a long moment to realise she’s allowed to kiss back, and another to realise that her hands exist, but she's soon able to demonstrate considerable dexterity, fingers brushing low on that soft spot on Nico’s waist that she’s always kind of wanted to touch. Nico makes a soft sound that Maki feels more than hears and Maki’s just about acknowledging that this is actually happening and then Nico's stepping back just in time to smile winningly at a young man in a waistcoat who enters with their obligatory drinks order. Nico hums and starts to queue up songs as their drinks are placed neatly on the table and then the door clicks closed and the man’s gone and Nico’s on her feet and all up in Maki's personal space again, nudging her back until she hits the wall -“W-Wait a minute-” Maki stops her with a firm press of hands on her shoulders. “I don't understand-”Nico takes a step back and shrugs, as nonchalant as someone who’s blushing and a little bit breathless can be. “Karaoke was the closest place I could think of where we could talk in private. My place is kind of far, you see.”“Okay...” Maki says slowly, and with the two rooms on either side of them performing loud and painful renditions of popular songs, she can't exactly disagree with that logic. “I guess that makes sense but,” she feels her cheeks get hotter, “That’s not the part I had trouble with?”“Oh,” Nico says, with an embarrassed little glance to the side. “That. You started it. Personally I’d have waited until the end of a date, but that's just me. I'm kind of traditional.”“D-Date?”“Please. Two painfully attractive individuals watching a romantic movie and going for dinner? What else could this be?”Maki pauses. “A group meet?”“Bzzzzt. Wrong. I mean unless everyone else is just hiding?” Nico makes a show of looking around. “Nozomi? Honoka?”Maki huffs and sinks onto the tacky red sofa. “You’re making fun of me. I can't believe you're making fun of me.”“Do you know why they’re not here, Maki? Do you know why everyone’s missing out on the chance to spend time with this priceless treasure?” There's a long pause. Maki just stares. Nico sighs in exasperation. “I asked them not to come.”“You set this up...” Maki says, though it doesn't surprise her one bit. She can't think of any other circumstances where Nico would allow everyone to skip out on such a big moment.Nico drops down beside her. “Duh. How else was I going to get you to meet me?”Maki crosses her arms tightly across her chest and pouts. “Well, you could've had the decency to tell me.”“You could’ve had the decency to, like, not avoid me. I had to do something.”Maki winces. She guesses that's a fair comment.“Why now, though? I don't understand. It's been so long and things were perfectly fine and then you... you-”Nico twists her hands together and hums thoughtfully. “I guess it was the movie? I took the kids to the premiere and it was completely amazing, then I got home and I,” her cheeks turn pinks. “Do you remember that song you wrote me for for my birthday? The first one after my graduation?”Maki feels her cheeks heat up. “N-Not particularly. It was a long time ago,” though of course she does. Of course.“I loved it. It was so hopeful. I listened to it so many times when I was first starting out, and... and anyway, I was thinking about you when I got home because of the whole piano thing and I listened to your song and I… I thought about how stupid it was that we weren’t talking. And I knew we needed to fix this, for μ’s if nothing else.”Maki shifts guiltily. “It’s been way too long since since we were all together.”“Right? So I thought there'd be this nice little icebreaker and I'd wow you with my talent and we’d talk over dinner and I'd maybe casually try work out if you were still into this, and then we kind of... skipped a few steps. ”She glances over to the doorway, and there's a moment of acknowledgement. They both start blushing like they're still in high school.“Let me make things clear," Nico says. "It totally pisses me off the way you’ve ignored me. That’s just not acceptable.” Maki opens her mouth. “Wait. My turn. It pisses me off that I’m pissed off at you, because I’ve kind of been doing the exact same thing. But, like, you can’t just confess to someone as they’re getting on a train and then ignore them when they try to talk to you about it. Who does that?”“I’m sorry,” Maki says, twisting her hair. “That was-”“Talking,” Nico says, sternly. “It’s also not cool that I’ve been alternately flirting with you and avoiding you for years now and... I'm sorry about that. That wasn't fair.” She stops to take a shaky breath. “It's just like... we have these disgustingly incompatible schedules and all we’re good at is pushing each other away, but I still can’t let go of this idea that we’re maybe kind of perfect for each other.”Maki’s heart starts to beat wildly.“I mean, of course, there’s not many people who even come close to being as hot and talented as me, but-”“Stop,” Maki says, quickly, holding up her hand before Nico gets carried away. “You - you say all that, but last time-”She still feels the harsh sting of rejection if she thinks about it. And Nico has the nerve to - after all this time she - “I'm sorry. I am. I-I should’ve reacted better, but I panicked, okay? You... surprised me. I’ve thought about it. What would’ve happened if I’d just stayed just a little longer and took your stupid cab money. If you’d picked up your phone and we’d talked about it.”“Nico-chan," Maki says, "I’m sorry-”“No more apologies” Nico says, sharply. “You were a stubborn, rich girl with a bad personality when I fell in love with you. It’s not like I’m expecting you to change now or anything.”Maki blinks rapidly as a rush of relief swells in her chest. Nico loves her. Nico loves her. “This isn’t something I’m good at,” Maki says, softly. “And there’s so much that could go wrong… we disagree and we don’t talk, I’m busy and so are you. There’s my parents and my future and - and you’re an idol, so what if we just hold each other back? Isn’t that why you... why last time...”“I don’t think we could hold each other back if we tried. I mean, who works harder than us? We push each other, but that makes things happen. And, like, there’s been times I’ve really wanted to ask your opinion on something, because no one knows music like you do, but everything was all weird and… isn’t that worse? Isn’t that holding us back more? This stupid limbo where we’re just too scared to try?”Maki takes a shaky breath.“You’re right,” Maki’s fingers curl softly over Nico’s hand. She laughs softly. “I hate it when you’re right."“Better get used to it,” Nico smiles smugly, “As the older and cuter one in this relationship, I’ll naturally be the source of wisdom.”“Geez,” Maki says, “Of all the people I could’ve fallen in love with...”The smug drops off Nico’s face and Maki watches as she’s slowly reduced to an adorable red-faced mess. It kind of makes Maki want to tease her more. She wants to see more of this side of Nico.“I love you, Nico-chan,” Maki says, and she laughs, because it’s kind of euphoric rush of relief just to say it out loud after so long. "I love you."Nico squeezes her hand and takes a soft little breath and leans in close, and Maki’s kind of taken aback by how pretty she is. They linger for a long moment, like time’s at a complete standstill, and this beautiful melody starts to form in Maki’s head, like they're the leading actors in some romantic movie and the soundtrack’s just kicked in. She wants to write it down, so she’ll never forget how it sounds. The urge to do so lessens when Nico’s lips are pressed against her mouth.It's easier this time, easier to appreciate that Nico’s lips taste faintly of lipgloss, easier to relax and appreciate how soft her skin is when Maki’s fingers graze over her cheek. And yes, Maki’s heart does still feel like it might actually beat out of her chest though of course that's not physically possible, and yes, she makes a little sound that's desperate and embarrassing, but Nico makes a soft noise too, and Maki’s not sure she’s even heard anything nicer and it's so sweet and gentle that Maki kind of wants to cry. Then Nico’s hand skims over her hip, a few daring fingers on the bare skin just under the hem of her shirt, and Maki feels heat low in her stomach and she thinks about all that stuff she’s tried not to think about, at home all alone in the dark. It's kind of dangerous, the way Nico's teeth tug gently on her lip, the weight of her body when she climbs into Maki’s lap, and it’s so completely wrong to kiss like this here of all places, but she's waited so long, so just a little bit more, just a tiny closer -They both jump as a horrifying screech fills the room. Maki realises it's coming from next door, a terrible attempt at a high note. They could really use her vocal coaching.Nico’s head drops forward onto Maki’s shoulder and she lets out an ugly snort of laughter and Maki’s shoulders start to shake and then she’s laughing too until she can’t breathe at the sheer impossibility of this finally happening, on the tacky red sofa of a low-budget karaoke place.“Let’s get out of here,” Maki says, nudging Nico gently off her lap. “Before we get arrested out for indecent behaviour or something.”Nico pouts. “But I thought you were going to serenade me. I didn't even get to do my solo!”“I’m sure we can fit a karaoke date in at some point in the future,” Maki says, and she’s already thinking of drawing up a schedule - a shared calendar, perhaps - something that’s going to make this realistically work.“Speaking of dates, did you still wanna grab dinner? I already have a reservation. I was gonna wait until we cosied up by candlelight to talk, but someone clearly couldn’t control themself around Nico.”Maki feels herself blush, but she lets that one slide. No need to dwell on past embarrassments when her lips are still tingling from Nico's kiss.“By the way, Nico-chan...” Maki says. “Is it really not an issue? The whole idol thing?”Nico hesitates. “It is still kind of completely against the rules but we’re both girls and I’m sure my adoring fans wouldn’t object to me having a super hot friend, right? Besides... I kind of always enjoyed those rumours about us back in the day.”“What rumours? There were rumours?”Nico cackles and links their arms together. “Oh my god, have you never read an idol gossip blog? Geez, you're so pure, Maki. We’re gonna have to work on that.” She raises her eyebrows. Maki blushes harder. “Anyway, we better get going! I wouldn't want to miss the last train.”Maki's face drops. She tugs her arm free.“I’m kidding,” Nico laughs. “Geez, your face!”Maki picks up her bag. ”I take everything back,” she says. “I don’t like you even one bit.”She swings opens the door. Nico catches her hand before she can stride out towards the elevator and sulk.“You've waited for me a long time, haven't you Maki?”Maki’s face heats up.“D-Don't make it sound like I've been spending all my time daydreaming about you like that girl in the movie. It's not like that at all …”“Thank you,” Nico says, softly.Maki shakes her head furiously and then her face crumples and she pulls Nico into a hug, at the exact same moment that a drunk man staggers past their room and stops to gawp at the minor celebrity hugging a girl who may or may not be crying in the doorway of a silent karaoke booth. He raises his beer and makes a noise of approval.Maki grabs Nico’s hand. “We’re leaving,” she sniffs. “Right now.”They walk out into the cold night air, but Maki’s heart feels light, like it’s the first breath of fresh air she’s had in years, and she wants to capture the warmth in her memory so she’ll remember it when they’re apart, wants to write down the way that sounds in her head - glimmering and iridescent, bright like the sun.It defies every ounce of logic, but haven't they always been a recipe for disaster?Maki knows with every certainty that she loves Nico, that nothing since μ’s has ever felt this right. She strides confidently out into the dark, though she has no idea where they’ll end up.Nico misses the last train home.
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Train Tracks and Baths
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Kim Namjoon | Rap Monster, Min Yoongi | Suga, Kim Seokjin | Jin, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Jeon Jungkook", "Fandom": "방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by MCrow01", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-14T00:00:00", "words": "1,411", "Additional Tags": "Fluff, lots of fluff, yoongi runs away, but namjoon gets him back, Canon", "Relationship": "Kim Namjoon | Rap Monster/Min Yoongi | Suga", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "BTS Dorm Room", "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 }
Late nights. Long practices. Little sleep. This was the type is life that Min Yoongi and Kim Namjoon were used to. This was how they lived. This was what they and their group knew. Today has been a little different than normal.Yoongi was used to living on minimal sleep. Wake up around 4 or 5 in the morning, shower, eat something really quick, then go to the studio. Spend a few hours there, then around 6 heading to practice for six hours, eight if they had a performance soon. After practice, shove some form of food in his mouth, then going back to the studio until son ungodly hour of the night. Only for this to be repeated again the next day.Namjoon was they same way almost. Wake up, shower, eat, studio, and practice for x amount of hours. Eat, meet with the manager, then head to the studio again. Except getting home at a somewhat decent hour. If you can call nearing 1 am decent.Today had been different though. Yoongi didn't come home at all last night. And there's is an unspoken rule between the members to always come home before sunrise, so that way it's known you are safe. And if you can't do that, then to at least call. But there wasn't even a single text from the elder. So when Namjoon woke to worried mumbling between Jin and Hoseok, he had an inkling as to why. With him being the klutz he is, he tripped over the rug making his way to the kitchen known. Jin looked up at the noise, seeing Namjoon holding his foot in pain. He would have snickered or something if a certain blond wasn't missing."Do you know where Yoongi is?" Jin asked, worry evident on his face. Namjoon went to answer but Hoseok cut him off."I already checked the studio and the practice room. He wasn't there." Namjoon thought for a moment. He remembered that Yoongi was stressed, trying to perfect a song to see if it'd be suitable for the next comeback. Namjoon tried to get him to come home last night, but he wouldn't budge. He said he would come home in a few hours at most. That was at 2 o'clock this morning. But Namjoon had an idea of where he could be."Give me a minute. I think I know where he is." He turned and went to his room, not without bumping into a wall or two on his way. He was going to go and find his Yoongi.***Namjoon followed the train tracks leading out to the more bare parts of Seoul. He found the clearing in just under a half hour. The track cutting through, with a few freight cars sitting there empty. Well, almost empty. Namjoon saw Yoongi was sitting in the car closest to the opening of the clearing. He slowly moved forwards, not wanting to scare the elder, knowing how he is when he's like this. When he got to the freight, he lightly knocked his fingers against the metal, gaining the blond's attention. Yoongi lightly smiled, Namjoon returning a small dimpled one, jumped into the freight and sat next to Yoongi."You okay. You dropped off the face of the Earth for a moment." Yoongi grinned at the dumb joke, but Namjoon didn't care. In fact he knew it was stupid so he did it on purpose."Yeah, I'm just really stressed out. I want to finish this song, but it's really kicking my ass." Yoongi was stressed. And if song were physical objects, then Namjoon would have said that he got in a fight with one. Yoongi was almost a sickly pale, making the bags under his eyes more prominent, and the redness of his cheeks and nose evident. His voice was rough, and he looked absolutely exhausted."You have all winter to do that. It's not like it needs to be done by the end of the week." He moved closer to Yoongi, trying to provide some form of warmth. Cause by the looks of it, he'd been out here for a while.Yoongi just sighed and closed his eyes. He knew he had until the spring to finish, but he just wanted to get it out of the way as soon as possible."Yoongi, come home. Please? I'll have Jin hyung make you something to eat, I'll run you a bath, and we can get you cleaned up. But you have to come home okay?" Namjoon wrapped an arm gently around Yoongi's shoulders as he spoke. He was truly worried. Yes, he cared for the elder, and the elder cared back. But they didn't declare their relationship. It just kinda formed. So yeah, you could say they're dating if you wanted.Yoongi thought for a second and let his body fall slack and lean against the younger. He nodded against Namjoon's throat before letting the freshly dyed brunet carry him to the opening of the clearing."How did you know where to find me?" Yoongi questioned after the taller placed him on the ground. Namjoon hummed as he grabbed hold of the other's hand."Cause I know you. I've known you for almost seven years now. I know where you go and what you do when you're stressed. And I know how to handle it to. It isn't that hard to figure out after a while."Yoongi was slightly appalled by that. Yes, they had known each other for quite some time, but even some of his closest childhood friends didn't know some of the things Namjoon did. Well, I guess they're not really that close then.Namjoon had learned to 'analyze' Yoongi's moods and what to do over the last few years. If Yoongi refused to leave the studio, Namjoon sat right there next to him. Even though the elder would tell him to go home, he would refuse and say 'Not until you are coming with me.' And that would make them both leave the studio somewhere around 1 am. When Yoongi was stressed, he would do one of two things. Stay in cooped up in the studio, or head for the tracks. It had always been like that."So, how about when we get home, I get Jin hyung to start cooking breakfast. Then we could shower and get you cleaned up." Namjoon dipped his head down and lowered his voice for the last part, gauging how Yoongi would react.Yoongi looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone around, but then again it wasn't even six in the morning yet. He turned his head and hummed in agreement. Standing a little straighter, he placed a light kiss on Namjoon's nose. "No funny business. But yeah, I like that.""Good."*****"Min Yoongi! Where were you? You didn't come home last night. And you didn't call or even text any of us. What happened?""Jin hyung, I'm okay. I needed a break. That's all. And my phone is dead." 'Wow, does he worry a lot.' Yoongi would never say that aloud, unless he wanted to face a certain someone's wrath, or possible death."How about you and Kookie start breakfast, and I'll wake the others?" Jin nodded and turned to get things together. Jeongguk was half asleep on the couch, but at the mention of food, he was up.Namjoon turned to go down the hall to an awaiting Yoongi. Standing patiently with a towel and sweats in his hand. The brunet got the hint and quickly woke up the '95ers and left to grab his clothes.By the time he made it to the bath room, the water was running and a shirtless Yoongi stood in front of him. He slid his slid his own shirt off and wrapped his arms around the smaller a waist."You know you are loved right? And if you don't, I'll gladly remind you." He said smiling as he pressed his mouth against the start of Yoongi's jaw. The latter hummed and leaned back."I know. But I'm too exhausted to do anything, at least right now." He said, then ridding himself of his worn jeans and getting into the shower."Wouldn't dream of it." Namjoon chuckled, following shortly after."Yah! No screwing around! I still need to shower."The two didn't pay any mind to Hoseok. They were in their own little world. And if the others didn't like it, well tough shit.
10224098
Fusillade
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Sherlock Holmes, John Watson", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by notjustmom", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "145", "Additional Tags": "alternative universe, return from Reichenbach, Post Season 2, No Dialogue, an itty bit", "Relationship": "Sherlock Holmes/John Watson", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Words, Words, Words", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
He had expected a fusillade of questions, demands to know why and how, and most importantly how could he. But instead, when he finally found the courage to look into John's dark blue eyes, he saw only relief and tears of, what, he couldn't say, because no one had ever looked at him in quite that way before.John reached up to push the overlong curls from Sherlock's face, thinner than he remembered, the cheekbones once sharp, were razors, and the darkness under his eyes made him shudder. He nodded, put his shopping down, and gathered his friend and old lover into his arms carefully, noting the ribs he could count, and his sharp cringe of pain as John touched his back. John kissed his feverish forehead softly, then shifted so he could carry his detective up the seventeen steps, the seventeen steps back home.
10270478
Heal Thy Wings
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Castiel, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by pherryt", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-13T00:00:00", "words": "10,443", "Additional Tags": "Destiel - Freeform, wing!kink, Wings, Heart to Hearts, Smut, 12.10 coda, mentions of 9.03, Feels, Top Castiel, Bottom Dean, Shipper Sam", "Relationship": "Castiel/Dean Winchester", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Invisible Wings, Supernatural CODA Collection", "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 }
“Is it true?” Dean’s words halted Cas in his tracks. Frozen in place, Castiel swallowed, closing his eyes. Without turning around, Castiel stood in the doorway of the kitchen. “Is what true, Dean? I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.” Please don’t, I can’t take it… “Is it really forbidden in Heaven to…to...” Dean stumbled over his words, wincing at his own cowardice. Castiel hoped this would prove too much for him and he’d drop the subject. No such luck. Dean plowed on, “You know, to have relations with a human?” Dean forced the words out in a rush. “Technically speaking,” Cas said reluctantly. “Technically? What the hell does that even mean?” Dean blinked, suddenly suspicious. “It means that the act of creating a Nephilim is forbidden. It is the most sacred law in Heaven.” Castiel’s voice was low, monotonous, devoid of feeling, though inwardly he quaked.   “Then,” Dean took a deep, fortifying breath and braced himself as if he expected a physical reaction to his next words, “hypothetically speaking,” hypothetical, my ass... ”if you and I were to uh…fuck…it wouldn’t be forbidden.” “What could possibly make you think that?” Castiel turned, rolling his eyes. “Because we’re both guys. We can’t create a Nephilim. It’s not exactly like either of us have the right equipment for that.” Dean stood up and walked to the fridge, grabbing 2 beers without asking if Cas even wanted one, handing it to him as the angel gave up and wandered back into the room. “Thank you,” Castiel said simply. Dean tilted his beer at the table and gave Cas a questioning lo ok. Cas nodded and they sat, so close they were almost touching. As close as Castiel dared without…he held in a sigh and cut off the line of thought before it could bloom, opening his beer with a quick twist of his wrist and raised it to sip. “So…?” Dean took a swallow out of his own bottle and waited. “So…what?” Castiel fiddled with the label, peeling at it and avoiding Dean’s eyes. “Jeez, Cas, it’s like pulling teeth to get you to talk And I thought I was bad.” Dean sighed, wiping a hand over his eyes briefly. “What do you want me to say, Dean?” “I’m just sayin’…if it was so forbidden, then what about Chastity?” The memory, though it had amused him also brought up a wave of jealousy that Dean had to push back down. Castiel blinked at him in surprise. He hadn’t thought of that night in ages, though it had often felt like a turning point to him. He’d never seen Dean laugh like that and it had been…exhilarating. “Oh.” “Yeah, oh. So?” “Dean, I was already exiled from heaven with a death sentence hanging over me. I’d already died once and I expected to be dead again by morning. I could hardly have made things worse.” Dean gave a thoughtful, conceding nod. Castiel could have left it at that, but he couldn’t help himself as the words tumbled out of his mouth, “Besides, I thought I did a fairly good job of making sure she wasn’t interested.” In the process of taking another sip of his beer, Dean wound up spitting it halfway across the table and coughing. “What the fuck?! You mean you did that shit on purpose? Why , man? If you didn’t want to – “ “Dean, you seemed so invested in ‘helping’ me, that…I didn’t want to disappoint you,” Castiel dared to look up at the hunter who was staring in a mixture of disbelief, awe and…relief. But also disappointment. Castiel carefully chose not to focus on why that could be. “Okay, fine, but what about Nora? And April?” Dean didn’t miss the blanch Castiel didn’t quite restrain at the mention of Aprils’ name. When Dean had learned that Cas had had sex with someone, the initial hurt and jealousy had drowned out the part of him that should have realized how wrong it had been…of April, who had taken advantage of 2 people that night, not just one. “I was human, Dean, did you forget that?” Castiel’s voice was small, almost defeated. “Meg – “ “Was a demon. Hardly the same.” “Daphne, then,” Dean should really stop bringing up each and every name, every possible almost fling Cas had, it was grinding his heart to dust, “You were an angel still. An amnesiac angel, but still an angel.” “But I thought I was human and even still, the marriage was one of convenience, for appearances sake. We weren’t actually married and we didn’t have that kind of relationship. She claimed me as her husband so she could get me medical help. Not that I really needed it, but seeing as I couldn’t remember who I was, she had me brought in for tests and I didn’t know any better.” “No but…Cas, Heaven’s most Sacred Law is bullshit ,” Dean protested angrily. As usual, he was getting turned around, following tangents he hadn’t meant to. Cas was a master tactician, and he was skilled at the art of deflecting. Not necessarily that of lying which was why Dean was trying to be as direct as possible. “Dean, it’s not – “ Castiel knew what he dreamed of, who he wanted, who he loved, but he saw no hope for them. Dean slammed his beer down on the table and leaned forward with a frown, “It is bullshit. You know it, Balthazar knew it, Gabriel knew it…and who knows how many other angels that got hunted down and reprogrammed? You’ve rebelled against heaven, against god’s own plans before. And you got his goddamned approval.” “That’s different –“ Castiel protested weakly. Dean didn’t notice. Instead, he seemed to stop and think about his last sentence before he shrugged and just kept going, “Each and every angel among you has had their mind fucked by Naomi, who knows how many times? God once gave the order to love humans and to care for them. The Old Testament is filled with accounts of angels coming down and interacting with humanity – until Chuck left the building and left the Archangels in charge. And then Heaven got put on lockdown, calling you all back, and changing the rules. They tried to jumpstart God’s word…others have subverted it. So yeah, I’m calling bullshit!” Castiel’s mouth opened, then closed again, considering angles he hadn’t given thought to before. He’d been so mired in the laws of Heaven, so steeped in the ways he’d been following for who knew how long, that he’d rarely stopped to question it. Yet, wasn’t that partially what had caused so many problems for the Angels all along? They never questioned their orders as long as they thought it came straight from God.  Yet so many of their orders had not been. Castiel himself had never realized God was gone , he’d just thought he’d been a bit too busy to mingle with lower angels. As he chewed his lip, a habit recently acquired, but Castiel thought might be a leftover body memory of Jimmy (the man had such chapped and beat up lips, Castiel couldn’t imagine anything other than that Jimmy was constantly chewing on them), he felt his mind shifting. Then Dean asked just one more question, “Tell me, Cas, what – exactly – is the wording for this ‘sacred law’?” “ In walking upon the earth, be you mindful of your vessel, for you are a guest in his house. Do not disrespect your host. Be conscious of any and all vows, both those he or she has taken and the ones that you have made. And Father not the Nephilim, the product of the union of Angel and Humanity, lest it prove your downfall.” Castiel quoted by rote, memorized long ago and not quite listening to himself. Dean let it wash over him and thought about it. “Cas, that’s like, wide open man. So open to interpretation and conjecture. Look, you don’t have a vessel. I mean, sure, you did once but, Jimmy doesn’t live there anymore,” Dean put a hand on Cas’s shoulder and squeezed, “This is your body now. You, of all angels, have this unique position. To use your own terminology, they’re all guests…you’re a host. Has there ever been another like you in all Heaven?” Cas’s eyes widened as he shook his head. “There ya go. Look, ah, I’m seeing this as a couple of things. It’s rules that God gave without explaining the root cause. Like…like bacon!” Dean scrambled for a second before settling on that. “Now in the bible it clearly states which animals you can eat right? The pig is one of them. But GOD eats’ bacon. I mean, either man got it wrong or…God changed his mind. Why did he change his mind?” “I…don’t know Dean, but humanity didn’t mess that up. God really did forbid bacon.” “Well, historians have theorized that bacon – I mean pigs and all the other outlawed animals – were forbidden because people were getting sick from ill-made food. That’s no longer the case, or at least, we can treat people if they get sick these days…So…bacon’s not so much of an issue any more. It was something set down for our own safety and later became outdated. God proved as much when he was here, for that brief time.” “Bacon is a long way from sexual relations, Dean. Your conjecture changes nothing.” “Cas, it changes everything . You’re not a vessel, we can’t father Nephilim, there’s nothing to prevent us…from…” Dean trailed off, eyes widening in horror at his running mouth. He’d gone from hypotheticals, to proving Cas wasn’t as constrained as he thought, to Dean nearly admitting everything without even knowing how Cas really and truly felt. The older Winchester was putting himself right out there and he didn’t know what he was going to get back... Okay, Dean just needed to calm down and not get ahead of himself, just back it up a step, or two. Finish the first conversation before they move into the next and the one that would inevitably follow that one. Dean still had to finish this before they could really ‘talk’ about everything a little closer to home, because if they didn’t clear up this whole mess first – well, as best as they could with the information they had anyway - then Cas couldn’t decide where they were going to go from here. “Okay, look at it this way. The whole rule is about consent. Angels are all about consent, right? You can’t even take a vessel unless it says yes. How did you feel when you had sex with April? Probably…probably pretty good, right? Maybe some mixed feelings?” Keep your own jealous feelings out of it, Dean told himself, there’s a lot more to what happened than that Cas had sex with someone who wasn’t me and we never talked about how he was about it all. I just kicked him right the fuck out of the bunker and didn’t help him deal with any of it. I’m a goddamn failure as a friend, but I can try to make up for that as much as I can. “Well…my newly human body was definitely…I mean the, the feelings were…overwhelming but I didn’t really want …” Cas fumbled over his words, looking mightily uncomfortable. “Your body felt good about it because that’s what bodies do sometimes. It’s all pheromones and shit, but you felt horrible because she had you cornered. It was an untenable situation. I get that…” Dean wasn’t about to say why…Castiel knew everything about his past anyway, he’d rebuilt him from the ground up. It probably wasn’t even necessary. “But then how did you feel when you realized she was a Reaper in a vessel?” Castiel looked sick and that was Dean’s answer. Dean edged closer to Cas, moving his hand from Cas’s shoulder and winding over and around both shoulders. “Whoever April's vessel was, you and I both know she probably didn’t consent to having sex with you, no matter how it felt. And I think that’s what God’s little riddle is really about.” “What about the Nephilim –?” Castiel’s voice held a tremor and Dean pulled the angel a little closer. They were going to start delving deep into chick flick territory here, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about that. Cas needed him and he needed Cas. “Well, way I see it, this riddle God’s posed the angels doesn’t actually say the Nephilim are inherently evil. ‘Prove your downfall’ is more like proof positive that you didn’t listen to God’s rule, his ‘word’. I mean, it’s kinda hard to hide that you had sex with a human when God can look behind you and say, ‘Huh, so what’s that then?’ It doesn’t mean the child is bad, it means the Angel was bad.” “But then that means…the order to KILL Nephilim…” Cas looked horrified, and Dean couldn’t blame him. They’d all done terrible things as long as it helped keep others safe, but to find out that it hadn’t even been necessary? Dean’s thrown up at the thought of some of the things he’s done before. Angel or not, Castiel didn’t look too far from it himself. “I’m sorry man, it’s probably wrong,” Dean sighed, “Cas, look buddy, this is just my take on it. The word is too open to interpretation. It’s your choice what to make of it, as it always is. Free Will – I mean, what did we fight for if I force you to accept my opinion as fact? I can only point out what I’m seein’ and let you decide.” “Dean…I…” Cas took in a shuddering breath, “I think you’re right. It makes sense. But…now what?” Castiel looked at Dean, his face so lost and yet full of hope, as if Dean held all the answers. God, what a weighty responsibility, this cosmic being who was older than Dean could comprehend, looking to him for answers. At the very least, Dean could be honest about himself, about his feelings. And hope that Castiel didn’t run screaming into the night. It was hard to hold back at this point anyway. The idea that Cas might have been holding himself back this whole time because of misplaced Heavenly duty had given Dean a hope he hadn’t thought to ever hold. Crash or burn tonight, they needed to talk. Dean just hoped that when everything settled, he still had his best friend. “Look, I don’t know if you’ll believe me, Cas, but…you and Sam are my whole world. You both mean too much to me. Losing either of you, it doesn’t matter which, it devastates me, each and every time. You’ve seen how I get about Sam. Well, you should ask Sam sometime what I’m like when you…when…” Dean took a shaky breath, closing his eyes and running his fingers through his hair, “God, Cas, I care for you, as much as I do my brother – not like a brother, and you’ve probably felt that lie and I’m so goddamn sorry I couldn’t admit just what you really meant to me before now - and I know I’ve been real shitty at showing that,” Dean stood up and started pacing the room, not able to look Cas in the eyes just yet as he poured his heart out to him. Dean wasn’t sure he’d have the strength to keep going if he looked and saw pity or a blank look on Castiel’s face. He didn’t see Castiel reaching out, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted in shock and hope. “I mean, I had my reasons, at first, for not saying anything. Looking back on it now it seems so fucking dumb. I’ve put us both through hell. At first, I just didn’t realize how I felt, then I was ashamed for thinking of an Angel like that. Like if you knew, you’d toss me back in hell without a second thought. I mean, I know better now, but still. And you gotta understand, I’ve never told anyone – not even Sam – that I liked guys too. Though you probably already knew that.” Dean huffed out a harsh, self-derisive laugh. “And just when I thought I would be brave enough to say something, the hits started and just kept coming and after a while I was just…afraid. You never said anything either and I began to believe that…that this,” Dean turned around long enough to point between them, “this was one sided and I told myself I’d deal with it. I could be happy with you as my best friend and nothing more.” “But I failed at that too. God, Cas, why you don’t hate me, I don’t know. I’ve made so many bad decisions. When you fell, I thought I was facing Sophie’s Choice. How the fuck was I supposed to choose between my brother, the only blood family I had left, who’d been with me through everything, and the love of my life? I tried to logic my way through it. One of the worst mistakes I ever made, kicking you out like that. I should have been upfront and honest, told you what was going on. We could have set things up better for you on a temporary basis. Checked in on you more often, kept in better contact. Been a better friend to you, goddammit!” Dean stopped pacing, closing his eyes and clenching his fists down at his side, “Instead, I…I turned you out just as you needed me most and I’ll never forgive myself for that. I don’t even know what I was thinking man except, human or not, you are the most badass, most capable, awesome guy I know. Of course, you could take care of yourself. There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that you could. But that doesn’t excuse what I did. I regretted it the minute the words were out of my fucking mouth, no the very second I said those damnable words.” Dean didn’t even realize he was breathing hard, that tears were running down his face, until he felt two strong arms grab him and pull him into a tight, squeezing hug. He nearly broke into sobs as he buried his face into Cas’s shoulder and gripped him back just as hard, just as tight. The hugs, the touches between the two men were never enough. And at this point, Dean didn’t know if Cas would stay or bail. Dean had just unloaded all his crap on him, all his feelings, full on chick flick, but he just hadn’t been able to hold back any longer. These things mattered. Cas mattered. And Cas needed to know that he mattered. Whether Dean hoped for this to go anywhere afterwards didn’t matter, because whatever Cas decided, he would abide. “Dean, this wasn’t all on you. I made my share of mistakes too. Just as many regrettable decisions. If I had stayed with you, after the angel tablet, if I had told you the truth then, would we have gone down this path the same way? I…you asked me what broke the connection, when Naomi had brainwashed me…and I lied to you. Again. I had just beaten you bloody, you flinched when I reached to heal you…I was afraid to tell you the truth. I knew also that I ran the risk of pushing you away if I told you that…” Cas’s breathing hitched, “that I loved you Dean Winchester, more than I had ever loved anyone before. Ishim was right, Hester was right. From the moment I saw you, I was lost. All I could see was you.” “Are you saying, true love broke the spell?” Dean pulled back to look at Cas with a smirk. Castiel rolled his eyes and huffed a laugh. The somber mood momentarily broken, both the angel and the hunter relaxed, though they didn’t pull away from each other. “So you love me, huh?” “I do, Dean. And though you have not said it in so many words,” Dean blushed and looked away, embarrassment markedly high as he let go of Cas with one arm and rubbed at the back of his neck. Cas continued to talk in a low and gentle voice, “I know that you love me too. I can feel it, I’ve always felt it. Though sometimes I’ve been confused by it.” Dean raised his head again, his green eyes meeting the angels mesmerizing blue ones. How many times had he gotten lost in those gorgeous orbs? Enough times for Sammy to give him crap about it, that much he knew. Still… He pulled the hand from behind his head and cupped Castiel’s jaw, sliding his thumb over the perpetual stubble that resided there. Cas’s eyes widened…and darkened. Dean gulped and leaned in slowly, sure that what he wanted was written all over his face, was screaming from his soul. Castiel gasped and lunged forward. Lips met lips in a rush of heat. The first kiss, the first few kisses were chaste, in a way Dean hadn’t done in…he couldn’t remember when. Yet it was perfect. Cas was perfect. The angel's’ hands slid away from Dean’s shoulders until he, too was cupping Deans face, the palms of his hand, his long fingers, gentle and warm. Dean closed his eyes and hummed his contentment. Cas wasn’t pushing him away. Cas loved him. Oh god, did this mean…would Cas stay? Castiel pulled away from Dean and the hunter let out a small whine, filled with fear that Cas was going to leave him, as he always had in the past. “Shhh, Dean…I’m not going anywhere. If you want me here, I’ll stay as long as you care to have me.” “Come to bed with me?” Dean whispered back, opening his eyes to stare into the angels once again. Cas froze for a moment, uncertain and Dean rushed to assure him, “I’m not meaning to start anything. We can take this slow or however we want to do this. I just…I was hoping that…maybe we could just…sleep…with our…arms around each other. Maybe a few good night kisses thrown in, just to get use to them, y’know?” Dean shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. “Dean, are you asking me to cuddle with you?” Castiel’s uncertainly melted away into fond amusement, his lips quirking at the corners and his eyes squinting in mock suspicion. Dean turned red again and stammered, “C-c-cuddle? Oh my god, Cas! Men don’t cuddle! They uh…um…they just…hug, really hard.” “Of course, how silly of me.” Castiel rolled his eyes indulgently and pressed another kiss to Dean’s lips. “Yeah…” Dean leaned back into Castiel’s soft kisses, slow and lingering. He sighed after a few moments of loving touches, “So, whattaya say?” “I would be happy to cuddle you while you fall asleep,” Castiel said earnestly. Dean grumbled but didn’t object to the term a second time. Cleaning up their beer bottles, Dean led Cas through the bunker and to his room. Shutting the door firmly behind him, Dean paused, then locked it for good measure. Moose-like creatures sometimes had this way of barging into places. Might have something to do with the fact that they never really had privacy when they were growing up. It still took some getting used to, realizing that in the bunker, they had just as much privacy as they wanted. Not sure if he should feel weird or not about it, Dean set about going to bed the way he normally would when going to bed in the bunker – which meant stripping down to his boxers only before sliding under the covers. Castiel stood there a little uncertainly, his eyes flicking around the room and back to Dean before becoming flustered at Dean’s near nakedness and away again. Dean laughed, “C’mere, angel.” Castiel shuffled forward and Dean sat up in the bed, holding his hands out and taking Cas’s hands into his own. “Remember, not gonna push you into anything. You have a lot to think about, to decide on. I don’t want you feeling guilty for any of this if you find some…merit in that riddle. Just, if you’re going to –“ Dean paused, a small, wry smile on his face as he prepared to use the word he’d felt such objectionable to, “ – cuddle with me, I really don’t wanna feel a belt buckle cutting into my back or my stomach.” Pushing his hands up, he slid Cas’s trench coat off his shoulders and down his arms, the suit jacket following at the same time. “You need to get comfortable. I know you’re an angel, and you don’t sleep but…just try it out, see how it feels, okay?” Nodding, Castiel unbuttoned his shirt and Dean had to restrain himself from drooling. All his life he’d wondered but never let himself dip into that end of the pool…nobody had ever enticed him far enough over the line to try…until Cas. But he was true to his word. Stripping down to his own boxers – Dean had half expected bumblebees, but they were actually simple and plain, perfectly serviceable navy blue boxers – the angel climbed into the bed and lay down facing Dean, who had finally laid down and relaxed as Cas did. A tentative touch to Dean’s face, and their lips met again. This time their mouths spread open and heads tilted slightly for a better angle, their tongues daring to slip out and run along their lips. When the tips of their tongues, brushed together, Dean let out a groan, letting Castiel slip inside and explore. Occasionally Dean would suck on Cas’s tongue and then the tables would turn and Dean would return the favor. Their tongues tangled together, a constant push and pull against each other, taking turns learning the ridges and bumps of the others mouths, warmth curled inside them. The kisses eventually petered out as Dean’s eyes grew heavy, barely able to note that Castiel had been combing his fingers through Dean’s short, almost spiky, dirty blond hair. Occasionally he scratched at Dean’s scalp and Castiel nearly laughed at the little rumble of content that ran through Dean’s body as he tucked his head under the angels’ chin. Angels didn’t need to sleep, but Cas was closer, in some ways, to being human these days. He still had all his powers – except the power of flight – yet, he felt things on a human level that he never had before. And soon he fell asleep too, though not before he thought of his and Dean’s conversation and making a decision. He’d tell Dean in the morning. Morning hadn’t even come when Castiel woke to something hard against his thigh, a grinding movement against his groin, a friction that felt, oh so good. He blinked, trying to get some semblance of thought or awareness going. Dean groaned and Castiel felt the groan quivering through his body. It was then that he realized that Dean was still asleep and was – what was it called? – dry humping Cas’s leg. For a moment, he panicked. Angels and humans were forbidden from associations of the kind he wished to have with Dean…but then remembered the decision he’d made before falling asleep and that panic eased off only to be replaced by another one. He was growing hard and Dean was sleeping. Dean had no idea what he was doing, what he was doing to Cas . Dean’s hand slid around Castiel’s waist and pulled him closer, the naked skin of their chests brushing together, sending tantalizing tingles zinging through him. Their legs tangled together, Dean’s hips moving and sliding, moaning…. Castiel whimpered, sweat starting bead along his temples (there were, apparently, some occasions where Angels do sweat. If Dean were awake, he’d be laughing his ass off) and slicking up his chest where it met Dean’s warmth. He had to wake him up, he had to…”Oooooooh….” Castiel groaned when Dean’s erection slid against his own, a delicious thrill coursing through him, the blood rushing south and causing him to thicken more, “De-aaan,” he tried to wake the sleeping hunter, but his voice cracked with yet another thrust causing more of that same fabulous friction. He tried again, “Dee-Ean,” this time the name broke in a whimper. Castiel grabbed at Dean’s shoulders and arched back against Dean as he pushed forward again. Cas tightened his fingers, “Please, Dean….” Cas gasped, “Please…please, wake up…” In the back of his head, Cas realized vaguely that he could always pull away, roll off the bed, cease any and all contact with Dean, but it was so hard to think while Dean rubbed against him, Cas’s whole body was awash in the pleasure. Also, there was the chance that if he pushed Dean away now…the hunter would feel rejected, and Castiel didn’t think he could take that look from Dean, not again as he had so many times before. Instead, Castiel redoubled his efforts to wake Dean, biting his lip against a particularly pleasant…“Oh, De- De-aaan…” A jolt ran through Dean and into him. Dean’s legs spasmed and the hunter’s body jerked back slightly, his eyes snapping open, taking in the overwhelmed, panicked and pleasure filled face before him. Dean abruptly stilled and Castiel took in a ragged breath, dropping his head to Dean’s shoulder. A tentative hand touched the angels sweat drenched hair, Dean whispering almost fearfully, “Fuck Cas, I’m so sorry! Are you alright? I didn’t mean to…to make you uncomfortable or push you past anything you wanted to do. Oh fuck, don’t be mad, please, Cas?” “Dean…” Castiel’s breathing was still hard but he managed to speak, “I’m…not mad and…it wasn’t unpleasant. I would be more than happy to do… anything you wanted…as long as you are an awake and  knowing participant.” Castiel’s body shuddered as he tried to refrain from continuing what Dean had started. “Yeah?” Dean shifted, suddenly bringing their still clothed cocks together once again, taking an immense pleasure as the Angel whimpered and rocked into the touch. They stayed that way for a few moments, slow, languid rolls of their hips, Dean’s mouth seeking Cas’s, swallowing the angels beautiful, eager sounds. Cas’s hands, his long fingers, still clutched at Dean’s arms, at his shoulders, flexing with each roll, every grind. He slid his right hand up till he met the place on Dean’s left shoulder that had once born his mark. What Dean didn’t know was that it still did, a flare of leftover grace sitting just beneath the surface of his skin, still in the shape of a handprint, connecting them always. Dean jolted, his lips pulling away from Cas’s warm and chapped ones and throwing his head back with a cry as the connection sealed in a way it never had before. The full body shudder running through Dean caused an answering one to echo back from the Angel. Gasping, Dean started shoving, desperately trying to push their boxers aside, to get flesh to flesh contact with his – “Oh god, Cas……” Dean groaned at the first slide of his cock against Cas’s, both leaking and hard and hot , so fucking hot. Dean grabbed them both into his fist, spreading the pre-come to ease the way and jacked them together. The sounds Castiel made, gasping, mewling – if the Angel had needed to breathe, Dean would have been worried, but the breathless, desperate sounds Cas made merely drove Dean closer to the edge. Hips rocking, thrusting in a sweaty grind, cocks sliding in Dean’s hands, he lunged forward, taking advantage of Cas’s arched neck, the long expanse of his throat so inviting that Dean couldn’t wait to get his lips on it. Sucking, trailing kisses and gentle bite marks along the angel’s throat from the bolt of his jaw, down to the junction of his shoulder, Dean burned from the inside out, Cas’s body just as hot beside him. The strokes grew faster and Dean soothed his other hand over Cas’s side, down his flank and then around and up, kneading the fleshy globe of his ass, pulling him in tighter against Dean. The angel’s hips stuttered as he cried out again, an explosion of light causing Dean to close his eyes, Cas spilling over his hand with another whimper, Dean following so closely behind, back arched, his cock pulsing in his hand. Breathing hard, their bodies relaxing, slumping against each other, covered in sweat and come, it took a while before Dean could manage to make his eyes cooperate and look at Cas. Dean’s mouth opened, intending to check if the angel was okay with what they had done, when he saw, just over the angel’s shoulder, a mass of blue black protruding from his back. Cas’s eyes were still closed, breathing slowly returning to normal and seemingly unaware of the change in the room. Even in the dark room, the broken wings shimmered with an otherworldly light. ”Holy crap, Cas! I can see your wings! I thought, I thought that was impossible, that they existed on another plane of existence or some shit?” Dean’s voice was awed. Even devastated and broken, the wings were impressive. “No, Dean, don’t look at them,” Castiel started to shrink away, ashamed, his voice breaking, “They’re not what they once were, they’ve been destroyed. The only part of my true form you can even comprehend, and, and I’m hideous.” His low, gravelly voice cracked and wavered with self-loathing and it broke Dean’s heart. “God, Cas, no, you’re not hideous, your beautiful,” Dean breathed out the words reverently, so goddamn beautiful. Dean shifted to free his hands, using them to gather Cas back in an embrace. The angel was rigid and shaking, no longer suffused with the pleasure that had been there only a moment before. Dean tried to sooth him, pressing kisses against his head as he tucked Castiel into his neck, his hands running up and down his back – only to stop when they contacted the broken wings. Dean hadn’t expected that. Seeing was unbelievable enough, but being able to actually touch Castiel’s wings? He’d never imagined that it was something he or any other human could do. Dean’s fingertips tingled as he touched the base of Castiel’s ruined wing. An inhaled breath made Dean freeze, “Cas, did you…did you feel that?” A shaking, shuddering nod was his answer. Dean trailed his fingers along the bony ridge where scattered, bedraggled feathers clung tenaciously. The hunters’ fingers seemed to disturb the shimmering light that encased the wings, the glow intensifying slightly in their wake. The tingling in Dean’s fingers grew more pronounced and Castiel’s breathing more ragged. Dean paused, fingers hovering but not touching, “Cas, are…are you alright?” Still tucked against Dean’s neck, Cas’s chapped lips moved on bare skin, causing Dean to shiver as he spoke, “It feels…so strange. I’ve…no one, human or angel, has ever touched my wings before. They’ve never manifested this way before.” “Does it feel bad or good?” Cas hesitated, “Good? It’s hard to explain.” Dean gently settled his hand upon the main part of the wing structure and stroked his fingers down the ridge again. This caused Cas to gasp again, words almost strangled, “It’s almost a painful, tickling sensation but it…brings warmth in its wake and that feels…so good. Like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I…I don’t understand?” “Sounds like pins and needles, like your wings are waking up,” Dean suggested with a shrug, never ceasing his ministrations on the wings. If it made Cas feel good, Dean wanted to do it. Anything to make up for all the harm he’d done before, all the neglect that angel had suffered because of him. Without realizing it, Dean started humming. After a few seconds, he stopped with a little huff of laughter. He’d been humming John Cougar Mellancamp “Hurt So Good”. It was a good thing Cas neither knew or cared much about music, because if it had been his brother, well, Sam would never have let him live it down. “That doesn’t make sense, Dean…” Castiel had been quiet as Dean hummed, mulling over the hunter's’ words. Dean just grunted, but his fingers didn’t pause, Cas melting against him like a cat. “Cas, your wings are glowing…” Dean said softly in both daze and awe. Cas groaned and Dean froze for what felt like the umpteenth time that night. “Shit, do you want me to stop?” “N-n-no, don’t stop. I…Dean…it feels strange, I feel strange…” “Dude, are you sure you don’t want me to stop?” Dean tentatively ran his fingers along the top of the long bone of the angel’s wing. Cas whimpered. Dean blinked and tried to get a closer look, but he was already pressed in as tight against Cas as he could get and he couldn’t see the wing clearly. Pulling away, despite Cas’s protests and grasping hands, Dean sat up, ignoring the stickiness between his legs and across his stomach. “Cas, roll onto your stomach, I think…something’s happening. I need a closer look.” “Dean, no, they’re broken, I’m broken.” Castiel’s hands scrabbled to grab at Dean again, and though the angel had more than enough strength to break the hunter in half without trying, he was unwilling to use it against Dean for anything less than a life or death situation. “Cas, babe, you’re not broken, you gotta believe me. You’re no more broken than me. We’re just…you know, a bit beat up, maybe, but that doesn’t mean we’re broken. Trust me, Cas…please…just, rollover?” With Dean’s help and long sigh, Castiel maneuvered reluctantly onto his stomach, turning his face away and closing his eyes. Straddling Cas’s hips with his naked legs – a position he’d love to be able to enjoy more at some point – Dean leaned down to look at the spot on the wing he’d been touching. The only place he’d been able to reach. It looked different than the rest of the angels’ neglected wings. Dean ran his fingers over the bone again, the tingling returning, intensifying, a trail of sparkling light hovering briefly in their wake. “Cas…” he breathed, eyes wide, “I don’t understand what’s going on but…if what I think is happening is, then it’s…wow…” “Dean?” Castiel twisted under him, “Just tell me what’s wrong!” “Not wrong. Far from it I think. I think, it’s something right , for once.” Dean didn’t stop now, using both hands he more firmly pressed and stroked each bone, each fragile, clinging feather and watched the light that surrounded it all very carefully as it moved with him. Every time it receded, he was that much more certain that the feathers already there were growing healthier and that new ones were growing in. And the longer he did it, the more Cas’s groans changed from uncertain, breathy things to longer, drawn out sounds of contentment, and eventually graduating to aroused. “Dean, what – what’s happening? Ooohhh...Why does this feel so good?” Cas’s body twitched slightly. “Dude, your wings are beautiful.” “Dean, are you blind?” “Fair enough, I suppose, but not this time. You’re wings – they’re growing back in.” “What?” Cas gasped. Dean looked at the wings critically for a second, then nodded and sat back, getting off of Cas’s legs. “Sit up.” Though he was thoroughly confused, Cas didn’t argue. “Now move one of your wings so you can see it.” Before he finished speaking both wings shifted forward, Cas reaching out a trembling hand to touch the nearest feathers. Dean knelt behind the angel, pressing flush against his back, peeking out over the wing to see Cas’s face, watching his reaction carefully. The angel gulped as he ran a finger down the length of the longest feather, tears started to gather in his eyes. “It’s…this isn’t possible…how is this possible?” “Watch what happens when I do this,” Dean whispered, placing his hands next to Cas’s and carefully sliding through each black and blue feather he could reach, each soft and shimmering plume. The angels’ eyes widened as he watched the sparkling light dancing around Dean’s fingers, as he watched his own feathers fluff out becoming thicker and fuller, as disbelieving, watery eyes watched small puffs of down appear. “How?” Castiel choked out. “Hell if I know. Think I know anything about angels that you don’t? But if my touching your wings brings back something you lost because of me – “ “Dean, no, it was my own fault Metatron tricked me and the angels fell,” Cas turned in Dean’s arms, the intensity of his blue eyes boring into Dean. “Why do you take everything on yourself, even when it is clearly not your fault?” Cas reached out to cup Dean’s face. Dean’s eyes fluttered closed under the feeling of Cas touching him, the warmth of those long fingers that caressed his face, of those eyes that bore into his soul. He leaned into the touch, a touch he had pretended not to crave for so long. Dean’s breathing hitched and his voice cracked, “Cas, it is my fault. After what happened in the crypt, I knew those dicks were messing with you, I could see you felt guilty for hurting me, that you felt ashamed for what you had done and you just…you ran, you couldn’t face it. I don’t blame you. How many times have I done the same? The next time I saw you, you were injured, you had clearly been through the ringer and you came to us for help, to me! And what did I do? I was so upset I pushed you away. Tell me, if I hadn’t done that, would you still have left the bunker and fallen prey to Metatron’s lies?” “How could you have known?” Castiel’s thumb rubbed away the tear that started to track down Dean’s face. “How could you ?” Dean opened his eyes again and stared at the angel before him. Who was drawing nearer to him, whose kisses peppered Dean’s face, tickling him and making him squirm in Castiel’s arms – when had the angel pulled him into an embrace? Was Dean that lost in blue and wandering kisses that the rest of the world fell away? – “What are you…Cas, that tickles, what are you doing?” “I’m kissing your freckles, Dean. I heard it said that freckles are angel kisses, and I want to find each one,” Castiel methodically moved across Dean’s face, over the bridge of his nose and down the other cheekbone. Dean wrapped his arms back around Castiel, fingers finding purchase in the newly shown wings. “I don’t want any other angel kisses than yours,” Dean murmured, tilting his head to give Cas better access to trail down his throat, following the freckles that were spattered there. It wasn’t long before Castiel was tempted to alternate kissing with licking and sucking, the desire to taste Dean’s flesh overwhelming him. He made note of the sensitive points and paid particular attention to them, enjoying the rocking motion that it caused in Dean. Dean gasped, Cas’s lips burning hot against his throat, down to his collarbone and he groaned. Getting hickies had always been enjoyable but sweet Jesus, Dean hadn’t ever realized it could feel quite that good. Cas’s hands soothed down Dean’s back pressing him closer before sliding down his ass and pulling Dean against his body, their hardening members brushing together. “Fuck, Cas…” Dean moaned the words, the grip of his fingers tight on the angels’ wings. Dean was being pressed back, down to the bed, Castiel moving to lay on top of him, sweet kisses peppering his skin, still following a freckle trail, bodies grinding together. Dean whimpered, thrust up and groaned again, eyes sliding closed against the near constant light that now permeated the room. Dean was hot, so unbearably hot as he moved restlessly under Castiel’s body, sliding his hands up and down the feathered wings, to Castiel’s shoulders and back, but always drawn back to the wings, those soft pieces of Cas that no one but Dean had ever touched. “Dean…I want…can I…” Castiel moaned and licked at Dean’s nipple before drawing it into his mouth and sucking on it. Dean cried out and arched into the angel, trying to push the pace but Castiel removed one hand from Dean’s ass to hold him down, his wings arching above him and dragging out of Dean’s hands. Dean made a sound of protest but when a warm sensation enveloped his cock he let it die. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” he whispered desperately. Dean’s fingers – bereft of the soft and beautiful plumage, settled for tangling in the dark, messy hair that had taunted him from day one. How he’d longed to run his fingers through that hair, feel the strands slide between his fingers. Dean’s legs fell open, Castiel settling between them like he had no plans to go anywhere else, ever. His lips and tongue worked over Dean’s erection with fervor while the hand on Dean’s ass shifted ever closer to his hole. Dean’s eyes rolled into his head, breath coming out in gasps, a whine released from his throat when a thumb pressed over that sensitive flesh, never touched by anyone else before. The thumb teased his rim, dipping in slightly and out again and Dean’s hips stuttered, the idea of being penetrated for the first time ever, something he’d always lacked the courage to try but had always wanted… Fuck, he wanted this. And not just from anyone. Only Cas, only ever Cas… The thick thumb pressed in more firmly. Dean expected it to hurt, but surprisingly it didn’t. He hadn’t heard Cas rummage in his nightstand for lube but he must have because Cas was having no problems. He switched from his thumb to two fingers and slid easily into Dean, stretching him out. Overheating, Dean cried out in broken, gasping sounds, “Cas – Ca-as, fuck yeah, just…..oh god, yes…don’t stop…please?” Hips driving up as much as the angel would let him, lips teasing, tongue tracing the sensitive veins, the tip of Dean’s cock leaking profusely, then down again, all while being speared open by gently moving, but firm, long fingers. Another finger joined the first two and twisted, Dean howling at the sensation, fingers scrabbling at Cas’s body. “Up…up…” Cas let go of Dean’s dick with a pop and shifted up again, his hands leaving Dean empty as he pushed at Dean’s legs to make room for the angel. Deans legs were hooked over Cas’s arms as he lay down on top of Dean, mouths  coming together in a heated kiss. Cas rocked and his erection slid against Dean’s exposed hole. “Please…” “Can I…?” “Oh fuck yeah,” Dean breathed, grabbing two fistfuls of Cas’s hair and pulling him into another kiss, his hips moving the whole while, writhing, “Oh god, Cas, please…inside, need you…need you so bad…” the kisses broke off, Castiel taking himself in hand to line up with Dean’s hole. They both let out a long groan when Castiel pushed in slowly. Each small thrust bringing him deeper inside Dean’s warmth. Before Cas knew it, he was flush against Dean, his cock hot and twitching inside Dean’s ass, the tightness pressing in on him. It was so glorious, so overwhelming that Castiel had to stop moving briefly. Neither of them could breathe properly, both gasping, hovering in this small moment of time before Dean’s hands shoved down to grab Castiel’s’ ass and…and yanked . “Fuck, c’mon, not gonna break, just…just…do – oh fuck, oh yeah, that’s…that’s….” Castiel was buried so deep into Dean’s warmth he couldn’t believe it. He pulled out and thrust back in, rocking their sweating bodies together. Deans hands moved across the angels’ flesh, not able to stay still. Dean finally could touch Cas and he was going to touch every part he could reach. Clutching the angel to his body, their hips moved in tandem, thrusting and grinding. Fingers groped asses, chests slid tantalizingly against each other, Cas’s lips moved back to Dean’s neck and mouthed and licked and sucked every bit he could reach, the moans Dean made with every thrust of Castiel’s hips driving him mad. Castiel felt like he was about to burst, spontaneously combust, his body moving without thought, operating on the purest of instinct. “Oh Dean, I…” Thrust, “I can’t…hold on…” Thrust, “I’m…I’m….” Castiel became incoherent, hips speeding up, pushing Dean’s legs, bending him in half, the angel changing his angle just that little bit to reach that special place inside Dean. With the hit against his prostate, Dean wailed and whimpered and shoved himself down onto Cas’s dick as hard as he could. Feeling this full, this good, just couldn’t be possible. “F-f-fuck, harder…” Castiel whimpered, Dean’s fingers having abandoned Cas’s ass to slide back into the feathers, yanking and stroking until he felt a wet space along Castiel’s back and his fingers pushed through it. The tingling sensations on Dean’s fingers every time he touched even the smallest feather spread throughout him, every nerve flaring with warmth. Castiel groaned and bit at Dean’s neck as Dean gasped at the overpowering sensations, the feelings. Dean couldn’t believe he and Cas were here, together, in a way he’d only dreamed of for years. Dean opened his eyes – when the fuck had they closed? – wanting to look into Cas’s gorgeous blue eyes only to find himself drowning in the emotions he found there, echoed in his own heart. The love shining through incandescent eyes, unconditional love and pure wonder radiating from the angel made Dean choke out a sob.   Cas slowed, concerned, “Dean?” “It’s, I’m okay, just…don’t stop, please?” Dean begged. Castiel nodded, but didn’t pick up the pace again, didn’t return to the desperate thrusting from before. Instead, his pace slowed, each stroke long, deep and deliberate. “Are you sure?” Castiel rumbled out low against Dean’s lips. Dean nodded furiously, wet green eyes staring up at him. “Fuck, Cas, how’d I get so lucky? Why do you love me so much?” With the whispered words, tears streamed down Dean’s face and Cas reached out a hand to wipe them away, hips still moving, Dean meeting each thrust. Dean didn’t give Cas a chance to answer, but lifted his head up enough to kiss Castiel again, Dean’s fingers still gripping the angels’ wings, flexing and stroking. Cas whining at every touch of Dean’s fingers, his thrusts growing sharper and hurried once more when Dean’s fingers made their way to the wing base again. “Yeah, baby? Does that feel good? I wanna make you feel good too. God Cas,” Dean groaned and writhed under him, “What you do to me…what you’ve always done to me. I…I love you…” For the first time that he could remember in a long damn time, the words left his mouth, uncaged, free. He wished he’d said it sooner, so much sooner. “Dean…Deaaaan…” Cas’s mouth slipped from Dean’s with each word, each moan, each thrust. He buried his face in Dean’s neck, his body pressed as close as it could go, even as he buried himself in Dean, in his heat, heat that seemed to be spreading through Cas’s body, through his wings. His heart ached, ached with love and need and want and wonder, his wings spreading out, arching above him, curling inwards, cocooning them gently. “I’m…I’m….” he gasped into Dean’s neck. “Yeah, me too, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuu-uck,” Dean’s voice rose in pitch with every word, his hips moving desperately before he arched upwards with a silent cry, mouth gaping open, fingers spasming in their holds on Cas’s feathers. Dean came and Cas gasped as Dean clenched around him. His wings flapped out powerfully as Dean’s fingers dug in with his climax and after a few last thrusts, Cas came too, filling Dean with a cry. For the second time that night, light flared powerfully in the room. Light so powerful, even the angel had to shield his eyes while collapsing on Dean, still buried deep within him, both of their bodies shaking with the aftershocks, both gasping and clinging to the other, reluctant to let go. The light died and Dean dared to open his eyes, blinking against the sparkles left in his vision. Cas’s scruff rubbed into Dean’s neck, and he trembled lightly. Dean ran a soothing hand down his back. He twisted to drop a kiss in Cas’s messy hair – messier now, Dean thought with some pride – before dropping back to relax into the bed, to bask in the comfort of Castiel’s arms. He blinked as his eyes adjusted and he realized…it was really dark. Had he been blinded by the light? He blinked again and ignored the part of his brain that wanted to make a joke about the song reference. Cas probably wouldn’t get it anyway, or he’d feel guilty, thinking he’d blinded Dean. And Dean didn’t want Cas feeling guilty. The darkness around him moved, shimmered and he realized something. “Holy fuck – if that’s not your father’s blessing, then I don’t know what is…” If Dean had been in awe before, it was nothing compared to now. “Hmm?” was the only reply he got. Happy, sated and more than a little out of it, Dean huffed out a small laugh, his body shaking Cas in his amusement. For a being older than time itself…Dean let that thought trail off with another laugh. Disgruntled about being disturbed, Cas lifted his head some, and the darkness above them shifted again. “Dean, what?” “Did you hear what I said, angel? Cause, you should really look behind you. How you don’t feel that, I have no freakin’ clue.” Dean gently pushed at Cas’s shoulders, noting that his hands were slick with something. What the hell…? He could only imagine one thing and he shoved at Cas more frantically, trying to get him to sit up and let in the light so Dean could see what he had done, do what he needed to fix it. Abruptly, Cas sat back, finally slipping out as he did, Dean feeling the loss. There was a hurt look on his face, until he saw the panicked one on Dean’s. “What is it?” “Dude, I…I’m not sure?” Dean stared down at his hands. They were wet but he couldn’t see anything on them except that there was something there. Whatever it was, it was a colorless substance. Definitely not blood. Or any type of supernatural goo he was used to. He rubbed his hands together, his fingers. It was oily. He raised his hands to sniff and nearly groaned. It smelled like Cas. It smelled like Cas in a more pure and potent way than he’d ever smelled him. He looked up at the angel who was watching the hunter with confused eyes. So concerned was he in whatever was bothering Dean, that Cas still hadn’t noticed the change in wings. Castiel slowly reached out and took Dean’s hand in his. At the first touch of the oil, Cas tilted his head. “What is it?” he asked again. “I don’t know but…it came from your back…from your wings. Is that normal?” “I don’t know. My wings have never manifested on this plane in this fashion before. Maybe it’s a side effect of the fall? Of the damage they’ve taken?” At that, Dean grinned and shook his head. With shaky legs, he stood from the bed and pulled Cas up with him, drawing him over to the small mirror he kept over the dresser. “Look, Cas,” he whispered. Castiel looked – And couldn’t believe what he saw. The same blue and black feathers he saw earlier, all bedraggled and worn, clinging to the bone of his wing had…had…were these the same wings? He leaned closer to the mirror, the disbelief clear in his eyes. His wings flared forward, allowing Cas a better look at the healthy, full wings that adorned his back. “How…?” “I dunno, Cas, but goddamn, am I happy for you,” Dean beamed at him, a hand reaching out to card through the feathers. Cas hummed and leaned into the touch. “That really feels good to ya, don’t it?” “Very much so. It’s at times soothing and arousing. I…don’t know what the difference is,” Castiel blushed, looking at Dean through the mirror. Dean’s hands paused and he stepped back, and back again till he could center himself behind Cas’s wings. “What is it?” “I think I found the oil that’s on my hands. Your feathers are practically glistening with it,” Dean answered. He moved his hands through the feathers and noted how they seemed to reach for the oil, how they soaked it up. There were some uneven globs on the feathers and he instinctively reached to smooth them out. “How’s that feel to you right now?” “It feels…it feels good. Warm and soothing. It’s comforting and…it’s like, like I’m home.” Castiel leaned into the touch, eyes slipping closed, wings stretching out to give Dean as much access as he wanted. Dean stepped closer, resting his forehead between Cas’s shoulder blades, between the wings that sprouted from them and whispered, “You are home, if you’ll stay. With or without me, this is always your home, you got that?” Tears pricked the hunter’s eyes. From the sound of Castiel’s voice, they had also filled his, “Always, if you truly want me, Dean, I’ll stay. It’s all I ever really, truly wanted. I never dared believe that I could have this, even as a human, I thought you were so far beyond my reach…” “Beyond your reach? So says the one of us that has wings ,” Dean laughed, his hands resuming their petting. He hit a knob at the base of Cas’s wings he remembered from his earlier – ahem – explorations . “Huh, this is the source of the oil, and your wings seem to like it, so I guess it’s natural?” “A preen gland is a natural part of most avians. I suppose if my wings are to manifest in this fashion, it only makes sense that the anatomy of my wings are similar,” Castiel said. “Huh…but, if they aren’t supposed to…to exist on this plane, will they still work the way they’re supposed to?” Dean wondered. It was kind of cool when Cas still had his wings. Because no matter how far he wandered, he could always be home in an instant. Though, it had also been nerve-wracking, because when Castiel was far away, if something came after him that Castiel couldn’t handle, Dean wouldn’t necessarily be able to come to his rescue - not even in a timely fashion, but also for pure accessibility. How do you follow a creature who can fly to the other end of the galaxy? Or sit inside a volcano? “I suppose there’s only one way to find out,” Castiel mused. Dean tensed without even realizing it. “But that can wait. Castiel turned carefully, taking care not to hit Dean with his wings. “Right now, I’d rather be here, with you.” Dean’s face brightened, “Yeah, Cas, me too. C’mon buddy, let’s – “ Dean paused for a second and looked down between them and laughed, “Y’know what? Let’s go take a shower, get ourselves cleaned up. Then we can figure out how we want to waste the day from there.” “As long as it’s with you, I don’t care what we do,” Castiel beamed, his wings come to wrap around the hunter and caressing his skin.  Dean leaned in for a kiss, soft and sweet and lingering before he finally pulled away and grabbed up a couple pairs of clean boxers and a few towels. With great reluctance, the two of them put on their old boxers and grabbed up Dean’s robe and Cas’s trench coat (Dean would have to look into getting him his own robe) and unlocked the door, sneaking down the hall to the bathroom. “The shower pressure here is unbelievable. And the hot water never gives out. You’re going to loooove this,” Dean grinned at Cas and Cas beamed back happily, walking hand in hand down the hall. Behind them, a door creaked open and a tired Sam shuffled out of his room yawning and pawing at his eyes and hair. He looked up, coming to an abrupt halt and blinked. Then blinked again. He rubbed his eyes and his jaw dropped. “Huh…” Sam grunted, surprised, unnoticed by his nearly naked brother and the equally nearly naked angel, “When’d they finally get over their crap?” He watched them stroll down the hall, stopping once for a leisurely kiss. He shook his head with a fond grin and turned to go back to his room – no way was he heading for the bathroom with them at the same time. He had this uneasy feeling he’d burn out his eyes in a very unangelic way if he did – and froze just as he shut the door behind him. Why had Dean been stroking the empty air behind Cas’s back? No, you know what? No, I don’t want to know. It’s probably some sort of kinky angel aura thing and I’m just not going to ask, Sam resolved with a firm nod to the empty room. Yeah, that would be best. As long as Dean and Cas were finally happy, Sam was going to just keep his mouth shut about certain things. He really didn’t want to know about his brother’s sex life. 36 years of near constant contact and lack of privacy meant that he already knew more about that than he had ever wanted to know. There were some things that could never be unseen. Still, Sam couldn’t stop smiling like a fool. This had been a long time coming. His eyes fell on his phone and he wondered if it was too early to text Claire. She owed him some money now, after all, and it was time to collect. Sam’s smile turned into a grin and he snatched up the phone, his fingers flying over the buttons. Yup, he’d been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and Claire wasn’t the only one who would owe him some money now.
10225256
To Binge
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Pidge (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron)", "Fandom": "Voltron: Legendary Defender", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by noodlerdoodler", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "1,754", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - College/University", "Relationship": "Keith/Lance (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 }
As soon as Keith got the text, he was on his feet. He didn't waste time grabbing his jacket, reasoning that this was more important, and didn't explain anything to Allura before he closed the door behind him. He had been waiting for a text from Lance for weeks and now that it had finally come, he couldn't wait for a second to see him. The air outside was warm, not sweltering hot but a pleasant early spring warm, and he could only hear his footsteps against the sidewalk and the sound of himself breathing steadily. Walking fast, he thought about the first time that he'd ever seen Lance from across the room back when they were just in middle school. How he'd seen dark eyes set in a determined little stare and the innocence of a kid that had been raised in a normal way. He looked like everything that Keith used to be and that was what had originally drawn Keith to him. Their love wasn't meant to be however; they'd had an ongoing rivalry throughout middle school that had ended until their freshman year of high school. Only then had they been reduced to frenemies. He'd just always assumed that Lance was straight, even though that was a weird assumption to make, and restricted himself to just being friends with him. That was what Keith was best at, after all, setting rules and restrictions for himself when he didn't need to. If he hadn't stopped himself, maybe he would have asked Lance out in freshman year. He had fallen in love with him all over again on the first day back when he'd seen Lance tanned from the summer with his hair starting to curl from how long it had been since his last haircut. But in the end, Lance made the first step. In the summer between freshman and sophomore year, when their friends had been busy so it had just been the two of them, elbowing each other and making jabs at each other in the summer sun. They'd been lazing outside, Lance tanning like he always did in the sun and Keith at risk of being burnt to a crisp. It was a hot, sweaty summer and Lance's skin had been slick with sweat, his shirt sticking to him. And Lance had just been talking, Keith had been throwing blades of grass at him, and then suddenly they'd been kissing. Lance's mouth was pressing into his and he tasted like popsicles. They had made out for a long time after that, rolling around in the grass of Lance's backyard underneath the sweltering sun, before Lance gave up and laid sprawled across the grass. They talked after that. Needless to say, it turned out that Lance wasn't straight at all and Keith had been waiting all those years for no reason at all. They started dating the very next week, though things were shaky at first as they treaded the careful line of firsts in relationships. Neither of them had dated anybody before but Keith was scared, though he didn't want to admit it. And Lance was just an idiot when it came to dating. That didn't change. It had been a whirlwind romance of sorts, hot and quick and moving at the speed of a freight train. Things like holding hands and kissing and taking stupid photos came easily to Lance but not so easily to Keith. He felt like the whole thing was being rushed when it didn't need to be and that was what their first fight was about, on the night before they went back to school. Lance said that Keith was being ridiculous and non-committal and demanded to know why he was digging his heels in desperately to slow them down. Keith said that Lance was making him go faster than he was comfortable with and that maybe he wasn't ready yet. Both were hurtful but in the end, it was Keith that had to walk away and sit out on the porch of Lance's house. Lance came outside after ten minutes and held his hand and said that he was sorry, he was new to this. They were both new to dating, both of them fumbling uncertainly in the dark for how they were supposed to do it. In the end, they didn't break up and on the first day of sophomore year, they showed up as a couple instead of two individuals. Keith even walked to school with Lance, begrudgingly because his boyfriend was always late, and they showed up to school just as the bell rang. Hands grew clammier as they stepped inside the building and Keith had to swallow his fear. He was sweating, like he did when he was anxious, and his shirt was sticking to his shoulders. Lance joked about, lightening the situation. Everything turned out to be fine and they settled back into regular life; but this time as Keith-And-Lance instead of Keith and Lance. It felt like a friendship sometimes and a relationship sometimes and the whole time, it felt like something strong was pulsing between them like a heartbeat. It made Keith's head spin just thinking about it. Becoming a couple was different to being one person standing alone; it was being two people joined at then hands and the hips. They didn't kiss around other people still. Keith wanted things to private. Their bond was just for them, not the whole school to ogle at between classes. Kissing became snatched moments between classes when they could slip into empty classrooms or broom closets. They were long, lingering memories late at night when they were supposed to be studying but Lance was too wired to concentrate on anything. It was the taste of somebody else blossoming on his tongue and the feeling of his boyfriend's hands tracing down his arms and his spine and coming to rest on his knees. Kissing was the two of them sitting with their sides pressed together against the wall of Keith's bedroom and breathing each other in like cigarette smoke. Keith used to smoke then. It helped with the shaking anxiety. He stupidly thought that they'd always be together effortlessly. Because most things seemed to come easily to Lance and after a while, dating seemed to be one of those things. Keith thought that their lives would be intertwined like that forever but he hadn't understood that after a while, all relationships are tested. They started to get irritated with each other again but they couldn't just fall out of it and back into love. It was during their senior year of high school that they started to fall apart when the pressures of college and exams started to create cracks in their relationship. Their disagreements seemed to matter so much more now. Keith took up smoking again, leaning out of his bedroom window so that the smoke would escape outside and puffing on a cigarette. He always prayed that Allura- his foster mom- wouldn't find out because he knew that she wouldn't like it and that she'd worry about him. When Lance found out, he nearly tore out his hair in frustration and their relationship finally hit the bricks for good. It was Keith who had sighed, his throat sore from arguing, and said in the calmest voice he could manage that they just weren't working, were they? And Lance wanted to know if they were breaking up. And Keith just looked down.It was Lance that had walked away, in the end, and left him standing there. Keith hadn't been mad at him because he knew that it wasn't either of their faults that things just weren't working for them. Instead, he'd stood there for hours and sifted through his memories to try to work out what he could have done. He hadn't gone home until it was dark and he was ready to move on with his life. Things had been awkward for the last few months of senior year as the two of them avoided eye contact and tried to act like nothing was wrong between them. Seeing Lance every day was like being kicked in the stomach repeatedly but the summer was worse. The summer after senior year had been dragging on and on. Keith had stared at his phone, waiting for Lance to call or text or something, before they both went off to different colleges in the fall. Nothing. It had been complete radio silence since the last day of school and he hadn't so much as caught a glimpse of Lance in public. And he tried to content himself with the fact that Lance moving on from him was good and that they'd both be better now. That was before he'd gotten the text tonight. Something simple. Lance wanted to meet him. He was coming up to the place now, an old park for kids that was halfway between their homes, where they used to shove each other around in middle school. He could see Lance's lanky form from here, his skin tanned from the summer and his hair desperately in need of a trim, and he was sitting on one of the swings with his feet trailing across the ground. Instantly, his heart jumped into his throat and he had to stop himself from running over. Taking deep breaths, he walked calmly and sat down on the other swing. They exchanged "hey"s and then Keith waited. He waited for Lance to say something. The toes of Lance's shoes were digging into the dry dust underneath them, smudging dirt all the way up the front of his sneakers. His breathing was uneven, nervous, and he couldn't look Keith in the eyes. He just kept his gaze fixed on somewhere in the distance like if he looked hard enough, he could see into the future. His future. Keith watched him steadily, trying to catch his eye. Would Lance really call him out here without planning what to say? Maybe Keith was supposed to know what to say. The evening was cold but his hands were clammy. In the end, Keith had to give up on getting a response. He was so stupid to think that Lance even cared about him anymore or that he even had any reason to care about him. Their relationship was in the past, it didn't matter anymore- and then, Lance caught hold of his wrist and gently pulled him back. Their eyes caught. And Lance spoke.
10209065
What You Left Behind
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Tora Ziyal, Elim Garak, Kira Nerys, Corat Damar", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by angled", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "4,358", "Additional Tags": "Cardassians, Complete", "Relationship": "Damar/Tora Ziyal", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
AN: This is meant to be situated right after the happenings of Tacking into the Wind, and some time before The Dogs of War. Garak, Kira, Odo and Damar have just finished retrieving the Dominion ship with its Breen energy dampening weapon and brought it back to DS9. References to 'Return to Grace.' ---- The door comm beeped. Damar looked at it briefly, and hesitated, his brow set in its now habitual frown, before he said, with some reluctance, ‘Come in.’The door opened to reveal Garak, whom Damar had not been expecting. And yet his appearance did not come as a surprise. Damar jumped to his feet, and looked Garak in the eye, half defensively, to mask the shame and surprise he felt. Garak inclined his head slightly in return, his clear blue eyes gleaming in that unsettling way that, in Damar’s experience over the past several weeks, always predicated mischief of some sort.‘Can I offer you something to drink?’ he asked, remembering his manners and crossing the room.‘Some red leaf tea would be nice,’ Garak said. ‘Extra hot, if you don’t mind.’Damar replicated two cups of the stuff, although he himself had never been a great fan of it. He brought it over to the table where Garak was sitting. The latter nodded his thanks, and both sat there, not speaking. Damar’s frown deepened as he sipped at the tea, which was far too hot for him to gulp down, as had been his wont with other beverages. Such as kanar.He had no idea what Garak wanted to see him about. They had not spoken since the altercation in the Breen-Jem'Hadar ship, which had culminated in his killing of Rusot. In fact, they had not really spoken very much, even before that. Their conversations had mainly been about the resistance, tactical analyses, and then that one time in the runabout, when Garak had walked in on him right after he received the news about his family’s slaughter. There was too much between them – Ziyal, Dukat. He didn’t know where to start, and was not sure he had the strength to hear what Garak had to say about all this unfinished business, either. He felt that he’d had enough truth and revelations in the past 24 hours to last him quite a while. He briefly wondered if Garak was going to attempt to assassinate him, but decided that Garak had had plenty of opportunities to do so already, so he was probably safe, for the time being.‘I must say,’ Garak said, breaking the silence, ‘red leaf tea tasted much better in Cardassia Prime, brewed fresh from the pot. Replicator rations are a poor facsimile of the real thing.’ ‘Unfortunately replicated tea is the best I can offer,’ Damar said, a bit more roughly than he intended to. ‘If you want some properly brewed red leaf tea you can always go to that Ferengi’s bar on the Promenade.’ ‘Oh, I am well aware of that,’ Garak answered, with another of those enigmatic smiles. Damar grunted, and took another sip. ‘I must say,’ Garak said, ‘there were times when I .. doubted whether you had it in you.’ Damar stiffened. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ ‘Oh, but of course you do,’ Garak answered. ‘That whole business on the Breen ship. It was touch and go there for a moment – I really did not know whether you were going to kill me or not.’ ‘I did what had to be done.’ ‘Precisely,’ Garak said, his eyes gleaming. ‘Who would have thought – Legate Damar, formerly so opposed to the Bajorans and all they stood for – would kill one of his own fellow Cardassians, to save the life of a former Bajoran terrorist.’ Damar did not know what to say in reply to this, so he held his silence. What did Garak know of the burning shame that he had carried for the last two years, of how much blood was already on his hands, and how much more blood was going to be shed in his name? But then he remembered what he knew of Garak and his own past as an Obsidian Order operative. He wondered how much blood Garak himself had on his conscience, and if Garak ever thought about the men and women who had died by his hand, or for his cause. ‘You know,’ Garak said, watching him, ‘she was in love with you, before she ever met me.’ Damar’s melancholy mood was temporarily forgotten for a moment as he started in genuine surprise, bewilderment flooding his features. ‘Who was?’ ‘Ziyal,’ Garak said, with another of his smiles, still watching him closely. Damar’s features were unsure, his eyes flickering wildly with emotion. Guilt, shock, sadness, and even something akin to happiness, if Garak didn’t know any better. ‘Nonsense,’ Damar managed gruffly. ‘I can assure you, she most certainly was,’ Garak said. ‘She told me all about your time together on the Groumall. She said that you were one of the few Cardassians she’d met who could see beyond the ridges on her nose, and that the time she spent with you and her father on that decrepit freighter was probably amongst the happiest she’d ever been in her entire life.’ ‘She was my commanding officer’s daughter,’ Damar said. He did not want to think about that, the young girl whom he had been instinctively drawn to, whom he had once watched over and protected, who had been a friend of his during simpler times. The girl who had gradually metamorphosed into someone whom he disliked on principle. And finally, the woman whom he had killed. ‘It was my duty to see to it that her wishes were attended to.’ ‘She cared about you very much,’ Garak said. ‘She thought that you made her a better person, and that maybe she made you a better person, too. She could never understand why that all changed, when you first returned from your guerrilla war against the Klingons.’ Damar said nothing, his face as if it had been carved from stone, his jaw set and stern. The cup of the red leaf tea lay abandoned. Garak took another sip from his own cup. ‘You have no idea,’ Garak continued, his eyes shining with a keen light, ‘how devastated she was that day when you told her that you were married with children. She never really forgot the pain of that day and that moment..’ ‘Is there some point to all of this?’ Damar asked roughly. He did not want to hear any more, nor did he want to be reminded of all that he had lost. Not now, not when he had managed to shut himself back into oblivion to concentrate on the task at hand. ‘In a manner of speaking, yes,’ Garak said. ‘We may not get a chance to speak so candidly about this again. After all, we leave for Cardassia Prime in 5 hours, on a mission in which none of us may survive.’ ‘Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing,’ Damar said quietly, picking up his cup of tea again and wishing, for a moment, that it was kanar instead. ‘You may be wondering,’ Garak said, ‘why I am telling you all this. After all, I cared for her deeply as well. The truth is, Damar, I thought that you had a right to know.’ ‘Know what?’ Damar asked, rising from his seat and turning away from Garak to hide the anguish he was feeling. ‘That the woman whom I killed in cold blood – who died hating me – once loved me?’ He began to laugh mirthlessly, and he crossed to the replicator and ordered a kanar. Garak watched him, his eyes glinting. Damar raised the glass of kanar and was about to drink it, then he paused, his shoulders slumped, and he threw the glass and its contents into the waste reclamator. He spun around on his heel and returned to the table, and poured himself another cup of red leaf tea. He needed some time alone to himself, to process this. There was one last question that he needed to know the answer to, though.. ‘Does Commander Kira know?’ Damar asked, his voice subdued now. ‘Oh, the Commander is more than aware of Ziyal’s feelings for you,’ Garak said. ‘In fact, she was the one who found this amongst Ziyal’s possessions.’ He drew from his tunic a sheathed knife in leather, and Damar’s hand went instinctively to the phaser at his waist, but Garak said nothing, only put the knife upon the table and laid bare the blade. Damar recognised it immediately. It was the d'k tahg that he’d taken from one of the Klingon soldiers on the Bird of Prey, shortly before the Groumall’s destruction. With a pang, he remembered how Ziyal had approached him in the mess hall, asking him to teach her some combat moves. He'd improvised with the d'k tahg, reckoning that a Klingon weapon would be good practice for her, as this certainly would not be the last Klingon foe she would encounter. They’d spent the better half of that afternoon wrestling and rolling around the Klingon engineering room, giggling. A rather compromising position for a married glinn in his late twenties and the teenage daughter of the erstwhile chief military advisor, for sure. An involuntary smile lit up his face at the memory of that day. They’d gone back to the mess hall to have dinner together afterwards, and laughed about how glad they were that no one else had walked in on them. ‘I don’t know what my father would have said about me rolling around Engineering with his first officer,’ Ziyal had said, looking flushed and happy. She had tried to give the d'k tahg back to him, but he'd refused, telling her to keep it as a souvenir of the very first Klingon ship she'd captured. He felt a horribly hollow sense of emptiness as he thought about how she had kept it with her, all this time, all throughout the years of hurt. And I called her a traitor.. He thought of how she had never thrown away the knife, even when Dukat had brought him and his newly minted hatred for all Bajorans back to DS9, a scorn that he had not been shy about sharing with Ziyal, who had recoiled from this vicious, thuggish version of him. A version she had been unable to reconcile with the warm, kind young officer who had taught her self defence and freighter operations, who had thrown himself in front of her and fought a gang of bloodthirsty Klingons hand to hand, and shouted at her to stay behind him so that he could protect her. All this time.. With another dull sensation of loss, Damar remembered how infectious her joy had been, and how much she had always looked forward to the training sessions he would give her on self defence and basic engineering during his time off. How much he had looked forward to spending time with her, too, and the pleasure he derived from seeing her smile and hearing her laugh. The smile faded from his lips, and his face grew stony again, masking the deep, terrible sense of grief and loss that he would never see her smile again, or hear her melodious laugh, and for a moment he felt as if that black, overwhelming fog of misery would consume him there and then.‘Is there anything else I can help you with, Garak?’ he said coldly, draining his cup of red leaf tea and rising from the table. ‘Not at all,’ Garak said, rising with him and bestowing another of those horrifying smiles upon him. ‘I have everything I need.’ ‘Then I will see you at airlock 5,’ Damar said. Garak bowed his head, and exited the door. Damar looked back to the d'k tahg that he had left on the table. Those had been simpler days, he thought, bitterly. He wondered how much more the commander knew. How much Dukat knew of all this. Had his commanding officer ever known that his daughter had once harboured an unrequited love for him? He reached out and took the d'k tahg, and closed his eyes as he wrapped his fingers around the blade, and thought of all the people that had died. His wife and son. The massacre of Septimus III. The men who had given their lives at Rondac III. Rusot. All the people that had died during the Bajoran Occupation. Especially the Bajorans.Ziyal. Unbidden, the memory of the last time they’d eaten together on the Groumall sprang to the forefront of his memory. His fingers tightened around the blade and it bit into his fingers. Damar did not care. Anything was better than the pain of Ziyal, of their shared memories together, and the fact that she was now gone and would not be coming back, and that it was he who had killed her. * It was Ziyal’s last night on the Bird of Prey. Damar was rather sorry that she was leaving, not that he’d ever admit it, but he had gotten used to her bright, cheery presence on the ship, and seeing her after work. She’d asked him to coach her on everything she would need to become an asset to her father and to aid Cardassia in its cause. He’d been happy – more than happy – to oblige her. He was a long way from home and it had been months since he’d seen a friendly face, and Ziyal had the unique ability to brighten every room she was in. He liked having her around – he felt that he was a better person for being in her presence, and everything seemed a bit better when she was there. He ordered some hasperat from the replicator, which he’d specially programmed into the computer as he knew how much Ziyal liked the strongly flavoured Bajoran dish. He had recalibrated the replicators on the Groumall too on her first week aboard, after she’d let slip about not having had any since her mother passed away. There was still a lot of fine-tuning to be done – he needed to eliminate the remaining 50 courses of gagh to free up the replicator memory storage, for one thing – but at least they’d be eating food that wasn’t raw and wiggling around, for a start. Ziyal came into the mess hall, wreathed in smiles. Damar immediately straightened up when he saw her, and hurried over with the hasperat and yamok sauce. ‘I didn’t realise that you’d already reprogrammed the replicators to produce hasperat,’ she said in delight. ‘This is so thoughtful of you, Damar!’ ‘If you weren’t leaving so soon I could further programme it to produce soufflé,’ he said. ‘As it is, we’re operating under a rather tight schedule here.’ ‘I know,’ Ziyal said, and she placed her hand upon his, her eyes sparkling. ‘I’m really going to miss you, Damar. I don’t even know how to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. That first night when I’d just arrived, and you came to help me recalibrate the temperature settings, and then helping me fix the phase compensator, and all those lessons on engineering and navigation. Not to mention self defence and hand to hand combat.’ ‘I was just doing my job,’ Damar said awkwardly. He’d always found it difficult to accept compliments, not that he came much in the way of them. ‘I really appreciate it, and so does my father,’ Ziyal said. ‘He says that you’re the best first officer he’s ever had.’ He smiled a bit, and dug into his hasperat. It wasn’t a dish he’d ever actually tried back on Cardassia Prime, but he had been surprised to find that he rather liked it – again, all down to Ziyal and her unexpected but welcome presence. He was halfway through his meal when he realised that Ziyal wasn’t digging in with as much relish as she should be, and that she had a sad, pensive look in her eyes, most uncharacteristic for her. ‘Ziyal?’ he said. ‘Is there anything wrong? Does the hasperat taste bad? Or is there something wrong with the yamok sauce?’ Ziyal laughed a little at that, and Damar felt himself relaxing slightly as the familiar light of happiness returned to her eyes, if not in full. ‘No, no. The hasperat is fine, at least the half that isn’t gagh..’ She laughed in merriment as Damar’s eyes widened with horror, then when he realised she was joking, he sat back and laughed with her. ‘It’s just that,’ she began, after their laughter had faded, and then the look of sadness returned, and she allowed her sentence to trail off. ‘Tell me,’ Damar said. ‘Have you ever secretly been in love with someone, but just can’t tell them about it?’ she said, letting it all out in a rush of words. Damar frowned. ‘No. Not really, I’ve never had that experience before.’ Ziyal looked very disappointed and bit her lip, and poked at her hasperat. ‘Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind,’ Damar offered, feeling very much out of his depth nevertheless. Advising his Gul’s daughter on affairs of the heart certainly wasn’t in his job description and he had never been one for moping over love. He’d married his wife, a girl he’d grown up with, when he was more or less Ziyal’s age. There hadn’t been much dawdling over it. Their families were friends and they’d found each other reasonably attractive, although they never really had much to say to one another. A lot of the relationship was purely physical, but he certainly wasn’t going to share that particular detail with his commanding officer’s daughter. ‘Well , hypothetically speaking of course, suppose that you met someone, and then you decide that you really like them, and might even want to marry them one day,’ Ziyal said. ‘What would you do?’ ‘Tell them how I feel,’ Damar said simply, in his characteristically blunt manner. ‘It’s not that easy,’ Ziyal protested. ‘What if you’re close friends with them and that ruins the friendship?’ ‘Then don’t tell them,’ Damar said, unhelpfully. ‘Find someone else to marry.’ ‘But what if that person is special.’ ‘There are eight billion Cardassians in the sector,’ Damar said with a chuckle. ‘It’s no stretch of the imagination to say that you could find someone else you like.’ ‘Damar, it’s not funny,’ Ziyal said with a frown. ‘I’m trying to ask you a very serious question here.’ ‘I know you are,’ Damar said, soberly. ‘It’s just – I don’t really know how to help.’ He paused, as it dawned on him. ‘There’s someone you like?’ ‘Yes,’ Ziyal said, her ridges flushing dark. ‘Is he Cardassian?’ Damar asked, his interest piqued. Ziyal nodded, and Damar felt a odd sense of gratification at that. ‘Then I see no problem,’ he said briskly. ‘You are beautiful, Ziyal. Any Cardassian man would be lucky to have you as his wife.’ ‘You think I’m beautiful?’ Ziyal asked. ‘Well – yes, you are, but don’t tell your father I said that,’ stammered Damar, his entire military career immediately flashing before his eyes. Ziyal dropped her gaze to her hasperat and yamok sauce, then looked back up at Damar. ‘You know,’ she said quietly, ‘you’re the first Cardassian man who’s told me that I’m beautiful.’ ‘Maybe the other Cardassian men haven’t been looking properly,’ Damar said. ‘Maybe they only see my nose ridges,’ Ziyal said. Damar looked up at her, uncertainty in his eyes. He had gotten so used to her that he’d almost forgotten that she was half Bajoran. Of course. That was, after all, the entire reason why Gul Dukat and Ziyal were now on this clunky old cargo ship. He began to apologise awkwardly, but Ziyal shook her head and smiled. She did not seem to be offended – on the contrary, she put her hand upon his again and squeezed it gratefully. ‘I wish you were coming with me,’ she said. ‘Where will I find someone else like you?’ ‘I hear there’s a Cardassian aboard Deep Space 9,’ Damar said. ‘He’ll never be anything like you,’ Ziyal said immediately. ‘I should hope not,’ he said, ‘there’s only one Damar.’ Ziyal laughed at that. She did not withdraw her hand, and sighed. ‘I wish I could let him know how I feel, but I’m terrified that it’ll ruin things between us,’ she said. ‘Also – I might not see him again for quite some time. It’s complicated.’ Damar frowned in thought. ‘He’s not on this ship right now, is he?’ Ziyal nodded, her ridges darkening again. Damar grinned. For some reason he found this situation absurdly funny, more so than he probably should. ‘Let me take a guess. Glinn Kovar. I noticed him helping you recalibrate those inertial dampers the other day.’ ‘Kovar has always been nice to me,’ Ziyal conceded. ‘And he’s only a year or two older than you, I believe,’ Damar said, slathering the rest of his hasperat with yamok sauce. ‘The two of you would make a good match. I don’t believe he’s married yet.’ ‘But he would still be off fighting with my father, and I wouldn’t be able to see him for a long time,’ Ziyal said. ‘That’s what happens when you fall in love with a soldier,’ Damar said. Ziyal did not reply, and he reached forward and clasped her hand. ‘Ziyal. If you like I can speak to Kovar for you. I know him fairly well and he’s a good man.’ ‘No, don’t!’ Ziyal said hastily. ‘It’s not Kovar I like.’ ‘Well then, who is it?’ Damar asked. ‘Maybe I can help.’ ‘I can’t tell you who it is,’ Ziyal said, her ridges very dark now. ‘Then I will ask no further,’ Damar said, releasing her hand and returning to his hasperat. They finished the rest of their meal slowly, talking amicably about some of the other glinns on the ship. It wasn't till an hour later when Damar noted with alarm that he needed to return to duty, and he hurriedly took his tray and threw it in the dispenser. ‘I’ll come and see you off tomorrow, of course,’ he said. ‘Please do,’ Ziyal said, and then, much to Damar’s surprise, she hugged him. ‘I might not get a chance to do this again,’ she said softly, when she finally let go of a rather astounded Damar. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, then,’ he managed, before hurrying off to the bridge. * Damar let go of the d'k tahg, which was now drenched in blood. How cruelly ironic that a captured Klingon blade, of all things, was all that he had left of her, all that he had left to remember her by. He hollowly remembered the blood that had oozed out of Tora Ziyal’s body as she lay there dying in the arms of Dukat. He remembered all the harsh words he had said to her, how he had sneered at her during his time on DS9, and his heart contracted painfully as he wished dearly that he could somehow turn back time and change all that he had done. He would give his life for her a thousand times if only it meant that she could come back. How much he had hurt her, and how she had kept the d'k tahg, hoping against hope, and he had killed her. He hated himself and what he had done, and the fact that he could not change anything. He wondered what Ziyal would make of him now. Him and the resistance front. He thought that he had managed to put all that behind him, forcibly suppress all memories of her and what he’d done, and for a time there, he had succeeded, but those memories would always be there, close to the surface. Would she have approved of him and his cause, and what he was doing now? Somehow, he knew that she would. He had to win this for her, he had to succeed, and re-forge the new Cardassia that others like her would be able to live in, freely and from care.The comm link rang. ‘Garak to Damar,’ the erstwhile spy’s voice said. ‘Please report to airlock 5.’ He had not realised that it was time already. ‘Acknowledged,’ he responded dully, and rose. * Damar was surprised to find Commander Kira also waiting for them in the runabout. The memory of Ziyal and his meeting with Garak was still raw, but his voice was steady, as he addressed the commander. ‘I thought you were going to stay on the station with Odo until he gets better.’ Kira shook her head. ‘I think the liberation front has a greater chance of succeeding if I come along, and Captain Sisko shares my sentiments.’ Damar inclined his head in thanks, and his eyes met hers. She met and held his gaze, and something passed between them. Her gaze dropped to his bandaged hand, and then to the d'k tahg which hung at his hip, then she looked back at him, and gave a small nod, and turned away. ---- AN: I always imagined the events of Tacking into the Wind to take place several months before Dogs of War. It was heavily implied that there was a sizeable window of time between the rebel trio’s initial journey to Cardassia Prime, and the final uprising. I also felt that they didn’t go straight away to Cardassia right after their return from the Breen mission, and that the ill-fated rendezvous with Gul Revok happened a month or two after they had left the station. They are trying to run a rebellion, after all, and those don’t happen overnight. I hope you all enjoyed this fanfic, and I'm working on a sequel which will explore the dynamics between Kira, Garak and Damar during their journey to Mila's house and the time they spent in the cellar. I still maintain that the DS9 production team should never have cut out that drunk scene in the cellar where the three of them get hammered.
10223567
What do you really want
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Erik Lehnsherr, Raven | Mystique, Charles Xavier", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by OneWithoutAName", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "1,327", "Additional Tags": "One-sided Erik/Raven, One Shot, Crack, Silly, First Class, Don't Take This Too Seriously, Light-Hearted, Raven is great, Erik is not amused, Charles has no idea what is going on", "Relationship": "Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)", "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 }
Erik looked only mildly amused as he entered his room and saw smiling Raven in his bed, naked under the covers. “Get out.” The metalbender told, but Raven wasn’t ready to give up so easily. “Why?” She asked, still smiling. “Not interested. Maybe if you were older.” Erik said as he moved to the window to close the curtains. The day had been long, he just wanted to rest. When he turned however, he saw how Raven’s skin rippled and she looked couple years older. He didn’t understand how he hadn’t seen that coming. “So, what about now?” She asked, somewhat smugly when he saw Erik’s lifted eyebrows. Her confidence decreased however when Erik pinched the bridge of his nose. “Doesn’t count.” He said and Raven let out a sigh. The German man obviously wasn’t interested. It was a shame really, she had really hoped that this would have worked out.She was surprised when Erik continued speaking. “Besides, if you want someone in bed with you, you should be there as real Raven.” He said. There was truth in his words, if she wanted to be with someone, she should be comfortable. She turned back to her younger self, but Erik shook his head. “I meant real Raven.” The shapeshifter frowned in confusion, until hesitatingly shifted to her blue form. No one had ever asked her to use her true skin before and it felt slightly alien at first. “Perfection.” Erik smiled at her and Raven felt how she mirrored the expression. For the first time in her life she felt truly accepted.The moment was broken however when the metalbender turned and walked towards the bathroom, speaking over his shoulder. “But I’m still not interested. Nothing personal, Raven.” And with that he entered the bathroom. To Raven’s surprise he didn’t close the door though. Maybe he wanted to make sure that she actually left, or maybe it was a habit to make sure he could escape quickly if needed. Raven watched the door thoughtfully. She had been so sure that this would have worked. At least that was what she had thought, considering how many times the man had interrupted her and Hank. But apparently he was just a douchebag. Or maybe... a sly smirk appeared to the shapeshifter’s face. Maybe Mr. Lehnsherr had his eyes on someone else.A plan formed in Raven’s mind as she climbed out of the bed and walked to the open bathroom door. She leaned her shoulder to the doorframe and held her arms crossed. Erik glanced her from the mirror, but didn’t stop brushing his teeth. “Wrong door.” His voice sounded a bit muffled because of the toothpaste. “I know. I was just wondering…” Raven said slowly, stopping completely as Erik spit toothpaste out and rinsed his mouth. “If there was someone else you would like to have in your bed tonight.” She watched the older man’s expression carefully, but it didn’t give away anything. Only thing she got was an unimpressed eyebrow. “Oh don’t be like that. There must be someone.” She said teasingly and shifted her appearance to Moira, still keeping an eye for any possible change on Erik’s expression, but the man’s face kept plain. So no, not their own personal CIA agent. She tried Angel next, but no change there either. The next one, she felt, was a bit far-fetched, but she tried anyway and took a form of Emma Frost. This time, Erik’s expression changed, but into disgust. Definitely not she then.Raven tilted her head slightly to right, trying to figure if she had forgotten someone. “Are you done? I’d like to call it a day.” The shapeshifter could hear an annoyance in the man’s voice and knew that there was no long way to the anger from that. So, she sighed dramatically and let her arms fall. “Fine I’ll go. But you should be glad that I didn’t try use my brother’s bad pick-up lines.” She joked and shifted into Charles, imitating him. “Oh, what groovy auburn hair you have there. Are you aware that it is caused by a mutation in this and this gene?” She laughed, but stopped when she saw Erik’s expression. There, just couple of seconds, the mask he had worn gave away and she could see something like surprise and alarm before the plain mask was on its place again. For a moment they just stared at each other. Raven didn’t know how she hadn’t seen this coming. Apparently her woman’s instinct was rusty, but now that she thought about it, Erik and her brother had been acting rather cozy towards each other. Again, she felt how a smug smirk appeared on her lips and watched as Erik realized that he had been caught. “Well, this was an unexpected turn.” She said with Charles voice, making it flirty, and stepped closer to the older man, who seemed to brace himself. “Though, I should have seen it. You want to consider your decision again?” She was now almost touching the metalbender and made a show as she licked her lips. Erik swallowed and Raven noticed that she enjoyed teasing the usually stern man. She blinked her eyes and traced one finger along Erik’s turtleneck covered chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat. “We could have some fun.” She whispered and leaned a bit closer.Erik moved faster than Raven thought was possible and pushed her away, breathing little unsteadily. The impact made her yelp and change her form back to her blue scales. “Get out.” The older man snarled and Raven knew that it was better to back off now while she still had a chance. “Okay, okay, I go! Gosh!” She said as she backed away from the bathroom hands up, but couldn’t help but smile while she did it. “But if you change your mind you know where to find me!” She called when she reached the door, but screamed as a metal nail flew just beside her head and straight to the wall. She made the rest her escape as fast as she could and ran away along the hall, snickering.…Soon in Charles’ study…Charles was surprised to see Raven that late at night in his study. He was even more surprised to see that she was in her blue form, naked. “Raven! Please, put some clothes on!” He pleaded and tried to look anywhere else but her sister. Raven didn’t seem to care though and walked to his desk, where he was currently working. “I’m quite comfortable now, thank you.” She said and leaned against the desk. “You realize that we have the house full of other people right?” Charles tried to reason. “I’m just proud of what I am. Like we all should be.” She argued and the telepath rubbed his eyes. It was way too late for this. “Can’t you be proud and still wear some clothes?” He asked, looking finally up to Raven who rolled her eyes. Her skin rippled and soon she was wearing white dress that had two long slits on its hem, white boots and gloves and a belt made of… small skulls? “Better?” She asked, spreading her arms. Charles felt that he was totally lost what exactly was going on. “Interesting choice, but yes, it’s… better.” He said slowly. “Good, because I had something I wanted to say to you.” Charles looked at his sister, nodding her to continue. “Go fuck with Erik if you haven’t already, because if I can’t sleep with him you better make sure that you do.” She told with strong voice, before she turned on her heels and walked towards the door and left Charles gaping in confusion, blush rising on his cheeks. “What?” He asked when he finally got his voice to work, but Raven just walked out of the door, a smug smirk on her face. “Raven what did you do?” A slightly panicky shout didn’t get an answer either.
10249529
Late for the love of my
{ "Archive Warning": "Major Character Death", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Matt Peake, Adam Kovic, James Willems, Elyse Willems, Lawrence Sonntag, Adam \"Bones\" Brouillard", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-12T00:00:00", "words": "1,613", "Additional Tags": "Soulmate AU, Major character death - Freeform, its sad, I have no soul", "Relationship": "Adam Kovic/Matt Peake", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF, Funhaus, fh - Fandom", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
It takes Matt a long time to come to terms with the fact, that even at 22 his world is still black and white. No bright ‘reds’ or ‘greens’, as his friends described. It took years of anger and wallowing for him to comes to term with the fact he might not have a soulmate. That his world will never be bright and...and colorful. And Matt was okay with that. Having or not having colors wouldn’t change who he is. He’s quite, an editor, a health freak, and a little snide- none of these things would change if he had colors. It takes him a long time to comes to terms with it- but it’s okay. It’s okay not to have a soulmate. Honestly. - Adam never really put much thought into it. Sure, he wished he knew what the fuck his friends were talking about when they described the ocean, or the park during fall. But- having a soulmate, wasn’t something he needed . Granted- it would be cool to have another person around, someone that the universe decided would pair with him. Someone to be his other half- even platonically. But, at 23- he’s mostly a lost cause. 98% of people find their soulmates before age 19. He’s an outlier. And that’s fine. Really. - It’s lucky- them meeting. Then again, the best things happen due to luck it seems. - It’s the most stereotypical college party Matt has ever witnessed. There’s 3 kegs in the kitchen alone, Solo cups forgotten and littering the floor, and the music is starting to hurt Matt’s head. Matt had been dragged to the party- unwillingly, but his friend, Jess, is a force to be reckoned with. So, somehow, he ended up in a house (he doesn’t know where), pressed to a wall- and spending more time looking in his drink than around the room. Which is why- when Jess tugs on his sleeve- yelling over the music to introduce him to her friend Adam- he feels truly blessed. Because the second he turns his head to say hello, to turn away from staring into the solo cup for the first time all night- his eyes burn for a moment, and after blinking it away. Everything is...so… Colorful. “Hey.” The other man says, Adam - he remembers, and it comes out as a breath. And Matt feels flushed- all the way down to his toes, and holy fuck- he’s lucky. This guy is fucking beautiful. Holy Fuck. “Hi.” - They don’t start dating, they don’t flirt. They never really talk about it- they know they’re each other soulmates- and that seems to be enough. Both seem to think that the other wants a platonic connection- and both being too complacent to risk changing anything. - Matt ends up taking a job with Adult Swim, and Adam starts his own crazy adventure. They should start spending less time together during this, but instead they spend even more time together. Adam learns what foods Matt likes, Matt memorizes Adam’s allergies. Adam spends an entire Tuesday night listening to Matt explain Star Trek. They still live in separate apartments, but 5 out of the 7 days of the week- they’re together. Usually bunched together on the couch, laughing at whatever stupid movie Adam rented off Netflix. It’s good. Simple. - Adam and Matt both end up at Machinima. And the number of days spent together goes from 5/7 to 7/7. They work together on projects, and therefore learn how to work through fights. Adam learns more weird editing tricks, and Matt learns a bit more about the producing side of their set up. It makes them appreciate each other more- in the long haul. - They all move to Funhaus- and it’s never been better. They make the content they want, talk about what they want, it’s better. It’s got a new energy, a new spirit. Even when Matt moves into the bungalow, with the rest of the editing crew- Adam feels more relaxed than he has in years . They all joke about Funhaus being the ‘accidental’ child of Roosterteeth, the ‘biggest mistake’ Matt Hullum has ever made- but Adam knows- Funhaus is the best choice any of them has ever made. ~ “Oh my God, can you just shut the fuck up about Matt for like- 20 seconds?” Adam knows Lawrence is joking- but he still flushes red and stops talking. He hadn’t been talking about Matt that much had he? “Oh, Larr. Let the boy live.” Elyse yells over James who was in the middle of yelling ‘just fuck h-’. Adam sees out of the corner of his eye, where Elyse is sitting on James’ lap- a hand over his mouth. Preventing him from finishing his comment. “Yeah, Larr. Let me live.” Adam says, he knows he’s still red- but he also knows his friends well enough- Yon’t go down without a fight. “I still don’t get this. They’re soulmates- why aren’t you banging?” James asks, somehow moving out from where Elyse had put a hand over his mouth. And Adam hates how fucking blue James’ eyes are. Adam sighs, they had been over this, “He never really seemed like he wanted to take it any further.” Adam shrugs, “Let’s be honest. I’m lucky to have him in any capacity. Romantic or platonic.” There’s a lull in the conversation- like there is every time. And Adam thanks God for Bruce Greene- his ever saving grace. “Alright, enough about Adam’s sad sex life-” Bruce takes too much joy in saying that, it makes Adam level a glare at him, “We got shit to record.” - They’re in the middle of Demo Disk- and it’s been tough. His computer doesn’t seem to want to load anything . 13 fucking disks- none of them working. And Adam loves his friends, but this is already stressful enough without the banter being aimed at him. “C’Mon Adam.” James jabs, and Adam wants to reply- but fuck , why won’t it work? It’s a new-er disk, it should load. He takes a deep breath. “Oh, it’s not his fault, his fancy computer won’t work.” Bruce says and Adam pauses to rub at his eyes- he feels a headache coming on. It’s when he drops his hand, he instantly feels sick. The screen, which had been a bright orange fanart desktop background- was now a light grey. Adam tries to still his heart, and takes a deep breath closing his eyes- and slowly opens them again. The background, is the same fanart, but is a very muted orange. It starts to fade in and out of the dull orange and grey. “Adam what’s wrong?” Adam knows Bruce is worried, but he can’t look away from the desktop- he can’t.   Oh God. “Adam?” That’s Elyse voices and fuck he’s shaking. “Something’s wrong.” His voice is broken, and oh. He’s crying. “What’s wrong? It’s just a Demo Disk, we can refilm.” And Bruce doesn’t get it. Fuck, no one knows, no one understands why this is so fucking bad . “Something’s wrong with, Matt.” And Adam feels sick, “My colors are fading.” Adam goes to add more, because the panic is setting in now- but as he goes to elaborate there’s a siren wailing from the street and Oh God. The sound seems to restart him and Adam needs to find Matt- needs to check on him- but he only gets as far as standing up, before Lawrence is catching him. Both of them ending up on the floor. Nobody seems to know what to do- no one moves, and it’s only when the door slams open that everyone seems to restart. And standing in the doorway is Bones- chest heaving and looking so fucking scared , if Adam wasn’t already on the ground- he woulda been. Is that fucking blood on Bones’ shirt? Oh God. “What’s going on?” Bruce asks, no one comments on how his voice wavers. How their leader seems to be cracking- even if it is ever so slightly. Adam wants to yell out- to stop Bones from talking. To not say or confirm anything. “Matt fell on our walk back from lunch- and-” Bones adjust his eyes to where Adam and Lawrence are on the floor, “And a car hit him.” Bones is shaking, and so is Adam and fuck-  Nothing is flipping anymore, the room is just settling into black and white. No gentle hues or anything.   "Oh god, please, no no no on." And poor Lawrence is having to hold him, as Adam is shaking on the floor. They hear the ambulance siren stop- mid wail and that’s when Adam breaks. Breaks completely apart. He gives up on trying to hold himself up any longer, and stops trying to control his crying. Adam lets the worries of self control go- he knows his friends won’t hold this against him. "Not Matt, not Matt. No, please." Adam doesn’t know who he’s talking to- what he’s trying to gain by saying this. But he can’t seem to stop. He can see the worry in all their eyes- all their colorless eyes. “ Please. ” And Adam thinks he might be screaming- but he’s really not sure anymore. The only thing he can focus on- is how empty everything feels. How his chest feels hollow in a way he didn’t even know he could feel. His entire existence seems too big, too much for just one person to live alone. “Not Matt.” He’s not breathing enough, he knows that- but he can’t calm down. He can’t . This isn’t fucking fair. Matt Peake is everything Adam wants to be as a person- kind, generous, smart, loving- perfect.   Everything Adam wanted to be.   Wanted.   Past tense.
10210964
Enough
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Mulan (Once Upon a Time), Merida (Once Upon a Time)", "Fandom": "Once Upon a Time (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Leni", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-10T00:00:00", "words": "325", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Merida/Mulan (Once Upon a Time)", "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 }
Mulan shifted to lie on her side, drifting her fingers over Merida’s shoulder in a lazy attempt to connect the freckles on her skin.Merida turned her head toward her, seeing through the attempt at levity. “You’re not afraid of men with swords or monsters that breathe fire,” she said softly, smirking a little, “so why have you spent the whole night building up the courage to tell me you’re leaving.”Scooting closer, Mulan let her hand move to cradle her lover’s cheek, then leaned in for a slow kiss. “Because I also want to ask you to come along,” she confessed, “and I know no good ruler will leave her people behind.”Merida set her jaw rebelliously.“It’s all right,” Mulan reassured her. “I’ll come back.”After a long beat Merida nodded in acceptance, but she still didn’t look as content as before she’d raised the subject of Mulan’s departure. “Sometimes I wish my father had named one of the boys as his heir.”Mulan’s laugh came in a loud burst. “Your father was a wise man. He knew any of the triplets would have abdicated and given you the crown anyway.” She bopped the tip of Merida’s nose. “You were born to be Queen, Merida. I always knew it.”“And you still wanted this?” Her accent thickened with frustration. “The few weeks while you pass through Dunbroch, and then nothing but a letter or two for another season?”Mulan met the other woman’s eyes. “Yes.”Merida’s mouth fell shut, and her eyes widened.“I have learned that love must be seized where it springs, or it will never grow. You are here, Merida. For as long as I can, I’m yours. That will be enough for me.” Mulan suddenly looked unsure. “Can it be enough for you?”Huffing with a little anger that the question even needed to be asked, Merida gave an emphatic nod.Mulan smiled. “Good.” The End10/03/17
10219616
Kisses dont matter
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "soulmates - Fandom", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Bikeyy", "chapters": "2/2", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-11T00:00:00", "words": "3,520", "Additional Tags": "Abitofanime", "Relationship": null, "Character": "Kim Hana Kai Ariyes Julie Tina", "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 was nothing more than an ordinary day. A lazy afternoon with a cloudy sky staring down at us. It was the perfect day to sleep cuddling all the pillows you have all curled up in your bed. Pillows being only for singles -those who were not lucky to have found their soulmates. Or unlucky. Depends on how you look at it. It had been torture seeing those three dates written there in black and white on my wrist. At the age of 7 I saw my dates appear. I had been waiting so long for it. Mummy always told stories about soulmates and destiny. She often talked about meeting dad for the first time , so unexpectedly yet so real and precious. Even at the age of 7,  I was captured away by the fascination of soulmates and the fate entwined together. I strongly believed in the power of the dates written harmlessly across the skin. But when my 7th birthday rolled by I lost both my interest in soulmate and my precious angel mum. After a huge fight Dad left me and Mum all by ourselves to rot alone. No matter how much my mother begged him not to leave he didn't care . he left us. He left us for someone else. It was too much of a shock that Mum died before the date written on her wrist. Just before the day I was to be imprinted with my fate Mum left me. Not just alone. But with despair to keep me company. But that was not all. Despair and hurt  washed over me all over again when I saw that all three dates on my wrist were of the same day with a minute difference between each of those wretched moments. " Mum can you see this?I am not meant to receive love in this world. You were wrong ,not everyone find their soulmates. Not every one get their happy ending. This is a lie! Mum ! How can you leave me when I want you the most?! " The deep dark pit I had fallen into had no other way of exit except the conclusion that this was all a fraud. A lie. Ever since then I despised the day I would meet my soulmate. I never had a goal I wanted to achieve someday. It became a practice for me to constantly cover my wrists with a band .I had made up my mind, hardened my heart. I was not going to live my life according to a bunch of numbers written on my wrist.Apparently enough not everyone shared my opinion. Passing through middle school and coming to high school was a nightmare. Every girl  I met had stupid fantasies about meeting their soul mates. Some who had already met them. Every time they asked about mine I would blatantly say " I don't believe in soulmates" .At highschool things got easier . The people there had matured enough to not obsess about the numbers written on their wrists. The friends I found there began to accept me who I am with my opinions. They knew that I disliked to talk about that topic. And they respected it. Apart from mild teasing about it. "Hey earth to Hana." Tina waved her hand in front of my face. She and I had been joint by hip ever since pre school. She was probably the one who understood the most. "Oh come on, don't tell me you weren't listening to anything I said right now!" I smiled ruefully, and did my best puppy eyes  "sorry my darling friend"She rolled her eyes knowing too well about it.  "So anyway what I  was telling was that Lucy found her soulmate ! And guess who it was ? It was Natsu! Can you believe it? They were best friends since forever ! Isn't that cute?!"I narrowed my eyes. Why was she telling me this?Tina noted my look and sighed." Look here , I know that you don't believe it. But you can't just forget the fact that there are numbers written on your wrist. You will find him. I don't know whether it will work out or not. But you will have to face him"“But what if I'm dating someone else during that time?” I pointed out. After entering highschool I might be the only girl who had dated so many guys in school. I strongly believed that there are no ‘The Ones' or ‘Other halves’ .You just find the person most compatible to you . Through dating or…well dating is all I know.Tina looked shocked. “How can you say something like that?! He would be devastated!” “Tina! Stop it OK? It doesn't matter to me! can you please stop talking about it." I felt bad. I hated getting angry with Tina. But oh gosh sometimes I would like to strangle her . "Whoa! Look here! trouble in paradise!"Oh well. Then there is Julie the prettiest girl in out school. Really stupid at common stuff but pretty smart when it comes to relationship problems. Also one of my closest friends. Ever since she learned the word homosexuality she had been teasing me and Tina as if her life depended on it. Apart from all that she's a good kid. Most of the time.  "OK OK you know I hate to interrupt  family problems like that but you have to see this OK?. This is epic! I mean everything here is so cool! Do this quiz OK!! Come on !" She excitedly waved a piece of paper in front of our faces. She hurried us to our seats and got us all ready with pen and pencils.1. What is greatest goal in your life?    “Hey! Jule what the hell?” I glared at her. What is this thing? She's probably trying to make me create a goal so that I could fulfill. ( I considered the fact that if I never have a goal in my life I wouldn't be able to  achieve it right? Therefore the 1st date on my wrist would be useless)“Oh come on ! Dont think too much about it. Its just a quiz" Tina who was sitting right in front me  told . "But-" "If you don't believe in ‘some numbers’ on your wrist why would you worry about this?" Julie asked wittingly. She got me. "Fine!" I huffed. And then took a pen and wrote down my answers. I actually started to enjoy it 1. What is greatest goal in your life? Hmm..It would be eating noodles in the rain without getting my noodles wet. Ha! As long as I right stupid goals it wouldn't count anyway. 2. What are the 'must haves' if you date a guy? OK. First of all he should be an Otaku. Most guys I dated didn't even know what anime was. That was the main reason we never made out well. He should also have a nice name with a meaning to it. Like something related to sea. Maybe Poseidon?. Haha.  3. How would you want your guy to react at  a critical situations! Oh. I want him to be cool and carefree. (There aren't guys like that. Not on this world anyway.) Like if I said I'm dating someone better than him I want him to be all serious and say that's impossible I'm the best guy for you . Like he should not take it too seriously but think rationally. ( yeah. You can't find them in this world) 4. What is your favourite colour?  Random. I like all colours. 5. Where would you want to meet your soulmate? Oh there it goes. Stupid quiz. Take this. Near a volcano. 6.His would you want your soulmate to react when he meets you? Haha. I want him to dance around me holding an umbrella. Preferably ballet. Haha. I'm enjoying this. Ooh last question .Lucky 7. 7. What would be the words you want to hear from your soulmate? I want to hear "You are an Otaku? Good that's all I want from you!" The immortal words.  I handed over my paper to Julie . She frowned at my answers.I shrugged "oh come on! Admit it. They are funny. Funny answers to Stupid questions." Tina and Julie looked at me. Pityingly. I wasn't in the mood for that. " Come on guys! Let's stop this ! Look teacher is coming anyway!" As soon as I said it Miss Linda walked into the classroom to begin the lessons. All throughout the period I felt too distracted to concentrate . Miss Linda's words flow through my ears like wind but making no sense at all. Something was troubling me.                                     ***There was a Carnival starting today. All of my friends have been psyched to go there. Even I who hates crowds was excited by the thought of going. Soon after school just before the sun sets we went ( me, Tina , Julie) delighted for being allowed to go alone. As soon as I entered I knew it was perfect. People were everywhere and for once I didn't mind it. There were big yellow and red tents, stalls with delicious food and music was blaring from everywhere.  The food smelled amazing and everything else was a red yellow green blur.I could hear people on rides screaming making it such an enviable position. Not.Apparently only I thought so. Because the next thing I knew was that Julie was dragging me and Tina toward the Monster Ride. There was no way I'm getting on that. I needn't say it. It was obvious from my face. Julie was like "oh come on!" I shook my head . Nuh uh. I could see people throwing up  in to ugly green bags after riding it.So I was  like "no thanks I'll pass" Tina was also excited to go so Julie gave one stare at me and dropped my hand . Then Tina and Julie climbed onto the ride.I was starving by that point. So I took some noodles from a nearby stall and went near to watch my lovely friends scream. Thug life.No sooner did I go there I felt something fall on my face . Water? Rain. It started raining all of a sudden. I was too busy trying to protect my noodles to notice that my friends were getting soaked up there. I quickly took a spoonful of noodles without getting my favourite food wet, thinking that I have to go find them and help them out as the ride stopped due to the sudden disaster.  I took one step forward. And came to a halt. Why? It felt as if someone was slicing my wrist. A burning sensation was felt and it was unbearable. I looked at my wrist. Nothing was there. Then I checked the other. It was still closed by the blue wristband. I slowly removed .I felt something cold grip my heart. It felt as if all the Oxygen was removed from the place. The first date written in my wrist had vanished. Instead of it was a timer . Ticking for one minute. 56..55..54..53..52..51..50.. My mind ran over to that stupid quiz. 1. What is greatest goal in your life? ……It would be eating noodles in the rain without getting my noodles wet…I  felt as if I could die. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- 43..42..41..40..39..  This can't be happening. No way. I refused to believe that after all this time I had finally come to that moment. I took some hurried steps forward. Staggering , my hair wet and clothes drenched. I was losing my balance .I quickly held on to a nearby red stall board. That didn't do me any better. Not to my heart any way. I was too scared to look at my wrist, not with my time ticking I tried to tell myself ‘no this is just a fake. A lie. It has to be ’Things were happening too fast . For a moment everything was silent to my ears. I could only hear my heart beat and the clock ticking. I wandered my eyes around ,seeing the grass being showered with pearl drops of rain, people hurrying out to the safety of shelters, some others carrying colourful umbrellas ,the red stall next to me and a fake volcano like thing next to it… Wait. A volcano. No way.  23..22..21..20..19..5. Where would you want to meet your soulmate? Oh there it goes. Stupid quiz. Take this. Near a volcano.Near a volcano. Oh my God. Please no.I felt a lump rise in my throat. My tears threatening to fall. I closed my eyes and tried to calm my self down .  14..13..12..11..10 Where was Tina and Julie? I opened my eyes to search for them.  6..5..4..3..2  At once several things happened.  The rain stopped. Stopped? No, it stopped raining on me! I looked up and saw a huge black umbrella cover me. That was held by a hand . A hand which belonged to a person.Then the piercing pain ran through me again. My wrist felt as if it would explode. But that was bearable compared to the pain of my heart.I risked a glance at my wrist. The 2nd date was gone. "Hey". A voice.  Just one word . And I was breaking down. His voice. It was so deep. I was terrified, but I knew I had to. I slowly turned and looked up to meet my soulmateJust one look. And my breath went away. There he was staring at me with his kind brown eyes and grinning with a smile so strangely familiar to a box. Excitement lit on his face. His  short well cut black hair fell to his eyes. He had a sharp jaw with light skin tone. ‘Otaku for life’. It was written on his black shirt. 55..54..53..52.. I met his eyes. And I broke down . Fresh tears sprang into my eyes. So many thoughts ran through my mind. After years of despising soulmates and refusing to believe in the fate written on my wrist , I was trapped in to the final situations .I wanted to run away but at the same time I felt like I was glued to the ground.  49..48..47.. Our eyes still locked. As if we will never look away. He was opening his mouth. " So your my soulmate?" His voice sent chills through my body …so deep and lilt. I had no idea how to answer. I kept silent. 43..42..41..  I saw a flicker in his eyes. Scared .Maybe hurt.  No. Its not fair. It's not fair on him. He doesn't know what he has to look forward to. He doesn't know that in seconds, just seconds his soulmate will die. He probably waited all his life to meet me. Its not fair. I couldn't do this to him. I can't waste this precious seconds because of my own stubbornness. I owe it to this boy .This boy who I just met and to whom I would willingly give my life for. So this is a soul  bond.  So I nodded. The smile he gave me after hearing that could light up the whole world , no the whole universe.  He started talking excitedly  " Its amazing to meet you. I can't believe it. Its you. You look beautiful. I knew my Soulmate would be this beautiful. I can't wait to tell you all about me. I love anime by the way are you an Otaku? That's all I want from you." 7. What would be the words you want to hear from your soulmate? I want to hear "You are an Otaku? Good that's all I want from you!" The immortal words. 39..38..37" Sorry I talk too much don't I? Many people say so but I like it. This is the best isn't it. How old are you anyway? Oh wait! What's your name ? My name is Kai. Kai Ariyes" Kai . Ocean. It means Ocean.2. What are the 'must haves' if you date a guy? He should also have a nice name with a meaning to it. Like something related to sea. Maybe Poseidon?Something gave me strength to speak.  "My name is Hana. Kim Hana""Wow!! That's amazing !! I always loved flowery names! Hana, it means flower doesn't it?! Wow I can't believe it!" Believe it or not he started dancing. Still holding to his Umbrella.6.His would you want your soulmate to react when he meets you? Haha. I want him to dance around me holding an umbrella. Normally I would find it embarrassing or funny if a guy danced around me. But this was Him and time was running.(He looked adorable anyway) I realised that there was a reason I was fated with such short time to be with my soulmate. I always took my time not caring what will happen , I hid my feelings , I took the liberty of adjusting mind and feelings so that I could avoid hurt or sadness. I didn't accept my reality. There was someone else getting hurt because of this. The person I least wanted to hurt. I had to do something. He had to know. 29..28..27.. I tool steps closer to him. Quickly . The umbrella fell from his hands. With no warning or anything what so ever I put my arms around him and took him to a bone crushing hug. I felt the warmth run over me like fire. I felt like was having a hot water bath after a sweaty day of hard work . Like I was engulfed with happiness , content, peace and all the good things in the world. He stiffened at first but then slowly hugged me back .Both of us oblivious to the rain, held on as if our lives depended on it . Maybe it did.  24..23..22.. Time was running. I had to let him know. I loosened my grip but I didn't let go of him. I looked straight in to his beautiful eyes. I wanted to say it, but the words wouldn't come out.So I showed him my wrist.His expression changed from pure happiness to hurt. To tell that it broke my heart would be a great simplification of what I felt.  His tears were falling thick and fast on to my hands . "No. No. No. This can't be happening...Kim Hana you can't leave me like this.." I had to be strong . For him.  But at that moment all I wanted to do that moment was to hug him hard and cry my heart out. But I had to tell him.  "Kai, listen. Promise me ..you won't cry forever..no..wait you can cry..I just.. I just.." I couldn't form the words ..how can I express my emotions to him when I can't understand them myself. 19..18..17.. Time was running so fast. Why ? "Kai..my love look at me . I'm sorry you have to go through this . But I won't leave forever" He looked at me with his devastatingly beautiful eyes which were filled with hurt now. "You won't ?" He asked with a voice filled with remorse to the core. It was barely more than a whisper bit it carved through my heart piercing like a knife. I took a deep breath. "No. Someday once again we will be together.."  As cliché as I thought these words were , I strongly believed it. The gods gave me  this fate. I didn't believe in it. I didn't believe in soulmates. I didn't believe in him. Because of this I lose him. I could see he was gathering his strength. It broke my heart to see him try so hard for me. He took a lol at my wrist. 13..12..11.. " Hana..you have to know this.." He was talking fast , he knew the time was so close." I wish we would have more time together..to watch anime together.. To eat , to drink , to go on dates…there were so many things I wanted to do with you when I met you....not anything perverted of course.."I gave a weak giggle. Even at a moment like this he could make me laugh. My adorable baby "I wanted to show my dancing ..I wanted us to go karaoke…sing together ..look at the night sky together.."   10..9..8..  Kai was whispering now" I'm scared ..I don't know what to do...Hana what should I do?..."  His voice was breaking. 7..6..5..  Our faces was just inches away.I whispered "Let me go." "I love you…Kai Ariyes" At once I felt something catch my lungs..as if the oxygen left the room. But it was quite different to what I felt before. I started coughing uncontrollably, gasping for air and I fell down to the ground but still in Kai's arms. The next time I coughed, I coughed blood. He held me close. 4..3..2.. And whispered in my ear. 1.. "I love you..Kim Hana.."
10360914
Waverlys Grab Bag
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Waverly Earp, Wynonna Earp, Willa Earp, Xavier Dolls, Doc Holliday, Nicole Haught", "Fandom": "Wynonna Earp (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by skillzyo", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-19T00:00:00", "words": "3,834", "Additional Tags": "The YouTube AU nobody asked for, but y'all are getting it anyway, Youtube AU, No Revenants, but the Earp Family History is still pretty hecked up, I've never read a youtube au in my life, Champ and Waverly are a thing, but I swear they don't last long", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Xavier Dolls/Wynonna Earp/Doc Holliday, Willa Earp & Peace of Mind", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, Multi", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Music Mash Monday The scene opens on Waverly's bedroom, a supposedly organized mess. Unmarked boxes are stacked against the wall behind her and a bookshelf can be seen beside them, overflowing with books and papers. A world map covers the wall and multiple pins poke out from different countries. Strings of different colors connect different pins. Waverly sits in a worn office chair in the center of the camera, her hair loose, a bright smile on her face, and an old guitar in her hands. WAVERLY: Good morning, Earpers! It's a beautiful Monday and you all know what that means. Waverly strums the guitar strings as she spins in her chair. When the chair stops, she leans forward towards the camera. WAVERLY: That's right. It's Music Mash Monday, so prepare to have your socks rocked off. People still say that, right? If not, I think we should bring it back. She clears her throat and strums the guitar strings again, this time playing an actual chord rather than random noise. A soft, slow melody resonates from the guitar and Waverly takes a deep breath. She eyes the camera for a moment, then starts to sing. WAVERLY: Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep dreaming about the things that we could be. But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard. No more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars. Yeah, we'll be counting stars. She pauses and grins at the camera. Then her fingers are flying over the strings of the guitar neck as she quickly strums with her other hand. As her voice rises, growing more powerful with each word, her grin widens and, unable to hold the energy from the song within her, she stands with the guitar and dances around the room while she plays. The song is nearly over when the door to her bedroom creaks open, revealing a lanky, dark-haired woman in a leather jacket and tight jeans. Her gaze drifts to the camera before shifting back to Waverly. She subtly tries to get her attention by waving her hand and hissing Waverly's name, apparently trying not to interrupt the video. She fails miserably. When Waverly spots her, she's mid-twist in her dance. She shrieks and stumbles backwards. The guitar strings twang harshly beneath her fingertips. WAVERLY: Wynonna! WYNONNA: I just need to know where we keep the Vegemite. WAVERLY: What? WYNONNA: The Vegemite. Where is it? WAVERLY: We don't have any Vegemite. WYNONNA: Well... Shit. Why not? WAVERLY: Because this isn't Australia, Wynonna. Wynonna seems to think that over, then scowls. She mumbles something about Australians 'hoarding the good shit,' then disappears into the hall. Waverly stares at the empty doorway for a moment before she turns back to the camera. There's a nervous smile on her face as she sets down the guitar and comes back to the desk. WAVERLY: Well, that was Counting Stars originally by One Republic with a special guest appearance by Wynonna. Thank you to TheMcFelon for suggesting it. Be sure to leave me some more cover suggestions in the comments for next week's Music Mash Monday. Have a great week, Earpers! She smiles and waves at the camera. The video cuts out. Tactical Tuesday The scene opens on Waverly's bright face. She steps back, revealing the field she's standing in. Patches of snow dot the yellow grass, but Waverly looks warm enough in her jean jacket and t-shirt. In the distance behind her, Wynonna stands near a wooden fence, setting tin cans and glass bottles up on the fence posts. A red cooler can be seen several yards away from the fence and a shotgun is propped up against it. WAVERLY: Hey there, Earpers! It's a little brisk today, but it's the perfect time to introduce a new segment. Wynonna promised she would join me in a gun safety video once the snow melted and— The sharp crack of a gunshot echoes through the vast field. Waverly jumps and jostles the camera. The bright blue sky is all that is seen for a moment before Waverly readjusts it and settles it back on the tripod. Wynonna can be seen in the distance, twirling a revolver on her index finger. She smoothly slides it into the holster on her hip. WYNONNA: Whoo! Did you see that, Baby Girl? Damn near shot the cap off that one! WAVERLY: I wasn't ready yet! Of course I didn't see it! Waverly shakes her head and turns back to the camera. WAVERLY: She's here because she's better with handguns than I am. It's the only explanation she gives before she slips a pink pair of protective earmuffs over her head. WAVERLY: Alright, first lesson, Earpers! Always protect your ears during practice! Shit gets loud! She taps the thick earmuffs, then gives a thumbs up to the camera. She jogs towards Wynonna, who has conjured a beer bottle into her hand and is currently working on chugging it. Waverly crosses her arms and whatever she says makes Wynonna groan, but she pulls the bottle away from her lips and jogs over to the fence to settle it on one of the posts. Once she's back at Waverly's side, she smoothly pulls the revolver from its holster, stretches out her arm, and levels the long barrel of her revolver at the bottle. She doesn't blink as she fires. The bottle shatters and the leftover beer splatters the cans around it with foam. Wynonna twirls the gun again, then blows the smoke from the tip of the barrel. WAVERLY: You're such a show off. Wynonna shrugs and holsters the gun. Waverly grabs the shotgun from beside the cooler and pulls the butt of the gun up so it rests at her shoulder and the stock end is level with her cheek. She pulls the trigger in rapid succession and takes out three of the four remaining bottles and cans. Wynonna throws her arms up beside her and cheers. After Waverly flicks on the safety and lowers the gun, Wynonna traps her in a headlock. WYNONNA: That's my baby sister! Total rock star over her! WAVERLY: Wynonna! The video cuts off. When it comes back on, Waverly is in her room again. The shotgun is propped against the wall and Waverly has a mug of steaming coffee in her hands. WAVERLY: So now that we've proven we know what we're doing, I hope you'll all tune in for future segments of Tactical Tuesday and learn all about how to safely handle firearms if you absolutely have to have one. She smiles at the camera and waves. WAVERLY: See you next time, Earpers! The video cuts out. Let's Play Wednesday The video opens on the dull grey starting screen of Tomb Raider. Waverly's face fills a small box in the corner and a bulky black headset covers her ears. A rumble of thunder can be heard coming from the game in the background. WAVERLY: What's up, Earpers? Starting on today's Let's Play Wednesday, I'll be taking Tomb Raider for a spin. I always enjoyed the earlier games and all its puzzles and adventure, so I'm interested in what this reboot has to offer. While she loads up the game, Waverly rambles about her last Let's Play of Portal. Then, the introduction starts, and she immediately shushes herself. It's easy to tell from her expression that she's engrossed in the opening scene on the sinking ship in the storm. When it's finally over and Lara is hanging upside down in a cloth cocoon beside another wrapped body, Waverly looks at the camera while Lara is swinging back and forth. WAVERLY: I don't know about you, Earpers, but my heart is certainly pumping. Oh. Shit. Lara's on fire. When Lara falls and lands on the long length of rebar, Waverly winces and furiously mashes the 'x' button to remove it. As she plays through the rest of the beginning, Waverly gasps several times and yells a few more whenever a strange man grabs Lara by the feet and nearly gets her crushed by falling rocks. Most of her commentary consists of the word 'Shit!' as Lara runs through the collapsing cave. It isn't until Lara sits near the safety of a warm fire on a cliff that Waverly calms down. WAVERLY: You know, I really appreciate the effort this game puts into the total immersion experience. The shaky camera, Lara's comments, the water splotches on the screen. Her shivering looks a little weird, but I can forgive that. Oh! She's starting up the camcorder! Before the scene can start, the creaking of a door is heard and Wynonna's familiar voice comes from off-screen. WYNONNA: Waves, are you alright in here? There's a lot of yelling going on. WAVERLY: I'm fine, Wynonna. Wynonna appears in the small square in the corner of the screen, a bottle of Jack in her hand as she leans over Waverly's shoulder to see what she's doing. Waverly grimaces, presumably at the smell of alcohol, but makes no move to pull away from her sister. Both are entranced as the scene plays out before them: Lara being filmed as another woman—Sam—talks to her. Waverly's mouth curves into a wide smile when Sam calls Lara 'Sweetie.' The rest of the conversation carries on and Waverly can't help the 'aaaw' that escapes when Lara says 'Thank you' to Sam for believing in her. WYNONNA: They seem like good friends. Waverly shushes her. The next cut-scene revolves around Lara arguing with a colleague about which direction they should go. Waverly glances at the camera and grimaces when the captain takes Lara's side. WAVERLY: Yikes. After the cut-scene wraps up, Waverly is back in the game and hunting down deer with a conveniently placed bow and some arrows. Wynonna cheers her on occasionally, sloshing whiskey over the rim of bottle as she enthusiastically points out deer for Waverly to hunt. Waverly decides to call it quits after the next checkpoint, which comes soon after Lara makes contact with the captain over the walkies. WAVERLY: So... That was intense. Consider me hooked in for the ride. I hope all of you Earpers out there are as excited as I am to see the story unfold. See you all next time! She smiles and waves at the camera. Wynonna tips her bottle in the camera's direction. The video cuts out. Trivia Thursday The scene opens on Waverly's bedroom. Still an organized mess. The pile of boxes seems to have grown since the last video. Waverly sits in the office chair in front of the camera and a box rests on her lap. Her loose ponytail hangs over her shoulders as she scrounges through the box's contents. When she looks up, she gives the camera a smile. WAVERLY: Hey, Earpers! It's Thursday, and I have the best trivia day planned yet. She rummages through the box a little more and her face lights up as she presumably finds whatever it is she's searching for. WAVERLY: Here's a riddle for you all. What do the king of the Greek gods, famine, and rabies all have in common? There's a pause before she holds up a medium-sized figurine: A wolf-man baring its teeth. WAVERLY: Ta-da! They all add to the origin of the lycanthropy myth! She shoves the figurine closer to the camera and snarls. She makes a show of using her other hand to force the figure away from the camera, adding in the sounds of a harsh struggle, which include growls, snarls, and shrieks. WAVERLY: Sorry, he's a little feisty. Anyway, you may be asking, 'Waverly, what do those three things have to do with bad-ass werewolves?' And I am happy to demonstrate! A picture of a statue of Zeus appears in the bottom left corner of the screen. WAVERLY: Let's start with the big guy himself. King of the gods. Most people are smart enough not to cross him, though sometimes he screws things up just because he's in a mood. A mortal king by the name of Lycaon, however, was arrogant enough to believe he could best the king of the gods. Not quite sure what he was thinking, but he invited Zeus to dinner—as you do—and served him his own grandson on a platter. Waverly shakes her head. WAVERLY: Because Zeus wasn't born yesterday, he knows exactly what Lycaon did, and he isn't too pleased. After all, he's the only one allowed to murder his own family members. Rather than smite Lycaon though, he turns him into a wolf and kills off all fifty of the king's sons. I guess that preparation to ensure his family name was passed on didn't really work out. The figure in her hand shakes and snarls. She places her hand over it and smiles at the camera, only to yelp a moment later. She glares down at the figure, then sets it on the desk. She holds up one finger, moves the box from her lap to the floor, then leaves the room cradling her hand. When she returns, her hand is wrapped and a plastic dog nose covers her real nose. WAVERLY: Sorry about that. Where was I? Oh! The whole 'famine' thing and how it lends a hand in the werewolf legend! She picks the figure up again and sets it in her lap. Meanwhile, the image of wheat appears in the middle of the screen. WAVERLY: See, when people are hungry, they'll eat damn near anything. And back in darker times, people were starving. Often. So, they ate whatever they could eat whenever they could. Unfortunately, sometimes the wheat they would harvest would have some not-so-fun fungi growing on it. The image of the wheat morphs until some of the wheat stalks are stained black. In the background, near the open door, Wynonna is seen passing by, a bottle in hand. WAVERLY: Ergot. Your not-so-friendly neighborhood hallucinogen. Wynonna's head pops back into the door frame. WYNONNA: What about hallucinogens now? Waverly rests her forehead on the desk and groans, but it's too late. Wynonna is already heading for the desk. She moves the discarded box out of the way and pulls up another chair from off-screen. WYNONNA: So what kind of hallucinogens are we talking about here? WAVERLY: Ergot. WYNONNA: Nice. WAVERLY: It was also a poison. People died, Wynonna. Wynonna shrugs. WYNONNA: At least they died having a good time. Waverly lifts her head from the desk and Wynonna startles at the sight of the dog nose on her face. WYNONNA: What the shit, Waves? WAVERLY: As I was saying, ergot is a fungus that grew on wheat, but that doesn't really matter when you're starving, so it often got eaten anyway. The hallucinations could have led to people believing their neighbors were wolf-people, especially since rabies was such a widespread problem at this point. A picture of a snarling wolf appears in the bottom right corner of the screen. Meanwhile, Wynonna cautiously reaches out her hand and grabs Waverly's fake dog nose. She pulls on it, only to have it snap back and hit Waverly in the face. Waverly glares at her as she readjusts the prop. WAVERLY: A big issue with rabies was how aggressive it made the creatures it infected. That, and, you know, the whole dying thing. Plus, it's spread through bites, so that adds to the myth of how werewolves spread their curse. It's kind of terrifying, really. One day your friend could be perfectly fine, then they get bit by some weird dog, and a few days later, they're snarling and trying to bite you, too. Ultimately, they have to be put down like Old Yeller. Sniffling can be heard and Waverly turns towards Wynonna to find her wiping at the corners of her eyes. WYNONNA: Why'd you have to bring up Old Yeller? WAVERLY: Wynonna, it has been at least ten years since you watched that movie. WYNONNA: Well there's a reason for that, isn't there?! Wynonna turns away from the camera, but the sniffling can still be heard. Waverly sighs and wraps her in a hug. WYNONNA: It wasn't his fault, Waves! He was a good dog! WAVERLY: I know, Wynonna. I know. In the background, another figure appears and watches as Waverly comforts Wynonna. Her expression is blank, but something about the way she stares at the scene is unsettling. Waverly, apparently feeling her gaze, looks up from Wynonna. WAVERLY: Um... WILLA: You have something on your face. It's all she says in her monotone voice before she leaves the open doorway. Waverly sighs and turns back to the camera. Wynonna is still sulking beside her. WAVERLY: I guess that's it for the day, Earpers. Hopefully you're not feeling too wolfish after all of that. WYNONNA: He was a good dog, Waverly! Waverly's quiet laugh is nervous and her smile strained as she waves goodbye. The video cuts out. (Fan)tastic Friday  The scene opens on Waverly in the worn office chair of her bedroom. The map in the background has a new pin in it. WAVERLY: Hey, Earpers! It's my favorite day the week. Fantastic Friday! If you're just joining this channel, Fantastic Friday is my favorite day because I get to share some of my favorite comments from viewers like you and show off some of the stuff you all have sent to me, whether it was through the mail or something online you thought I might be interested in. She bends to the side and pulls a box onto her lap. The first thing she removes is a slip of paper and a package of three guitar picks. She holds the small package up to the camera, showing off the picks. Each is a swirl of colors, one blue and black, one red and black, and one pink and purple. When Waverly places them on the desk, there's a bright smile on her face. WAVERLY: The first package is from Caroline. She sent a sticky note with these fancy new guitar picks. She says she would really appreciate if I put these picks to good use and did a cover of Ex's and Oh's on my next Music Mash Monday. I think I can make that happen, Caroline. She winks at the camera and rummages through the box again. The next object she pulls out of the box is a red and white cap that reads 'Keep On Truckin' on the front. Her mouth forms an 'o' and her eyes widen. She immediately shoves it onto her head.  WAVERLY: Oh my god. I love this one. It comes from Tucker, who says I'm always a bright spot in their week. What a sweetheart. I'll keep on truckin' if you keep on Tuckerin'.  Waverly displays several other gifts that have been mailed to her from fans all over the world. They range from statuettes to action figures to art pieces. Each one she gives a little kiss and a shout-out to whoever sent it. Once the box is empty, she turns to comments and messages from her viewers. She's gone through several sweet messages and answered a couple questions about herself—such as why she's such a trivia nerd—when she finds a link one of her viewers sent her.  WAVERLY: So this was sent by JusticeSeeker99 and according to their message, someone actually gave me a shout-out in a video and they thought I should see it. Thanks, Justice! Let's take a look.  The amplified sound of a click can be heard and a screen pops up in the video. Waverly can still be seen in a small square in the corner as another YouTube video starts. A woman with bright, red hair appears on the screen, a guitar on her lap, and a cowboy hat on her head. The sleeves of her blue and black flannel have been rolled up to her elbows, revealing pale skin. The title of the channel reads “Haught Hits with Nicole.”  NICOLE: Hey, folks! Good to see y'all again, and have I got a treat for you.  Waverly tilts her head to the side as she watches.  NICOLE: Now, you long-time subscribers know this already, but for you newbies, I love showcasing different musicians I've stumbled on. This week's discovery comes from a channel called 'Waverly's Grab Bag Experience.' I dropped a link in the description for anyone who wants to hear more. Trust me when I say you'll want to hear more.  A grin spreads across Nicole's face, and Waverly mirrors the expression, though her smile is smaller, almost shy. As Nicole's video plays the one Waverly uploaded earlier in the week, Waverly's smile starts to grow. She glances at the camera, and wiggles in her seat as she listens to herself perform. The clip ends and fades back to Nicole's smiling face.  NICOLE: Waverly, thank you for sharing your passion and energy with us. I'd like to return the favor and play a little something for you, too.  Waverly looks at the camera again and mouths a silent 'Oh my god,' but she returns her gaze to the screen when she hears the strumming of the guitar. It's an uplifting tune, and Nicole whistles softly before she starts to sing in a sweet voice.  NICOLE: Woke up in London yesterday. Found myself in a city near Piccadilly. Don't really know how I got here. I got some pictures on my phone, new names and numbers that I don't know. Address to places like Abbey Road. Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want.  Waverly settles her chin in her hands as she watches and the smile never wavers. After the song winds down and Nicole whistles the last few notes, Waverly shifts in the chair to get more comfortable, but doesn't move back from the screen. In the video, Nicole lowers the guitar and ducks her head before she tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. When she looks up again, her smile is soft.  NICOLE: Waverly, if you're watching this, I want to say thank you for sharing your passions with the world. And to all of my lovely subscribers who aren't tuned into her channel, check it out. You won't regret it.  She winks at the camera, and Waverly blushes as Nicole gives her closing line. Nicole's video cuts out, and Waverly's video returns to full screen. She clears her throat several times before she looks at the camera again.  WAVERLY: So um... That was really good, and would definitely explain the flood of subscribers I've gotten recently. Thank you, Nicole, for the shout-out, and thank you Justice for sending me the link. That was very sweet.  Her cheeks turn red again, and she adjusts the 'Keep On Truckin'' hat on her head.  WAVERLY: That's it for today, Earpers. Thank you all for the lovely messages, gifts, and comments. Continue to be kind, and I'll see you again on Music Mash Monday.  The video cuts out.
10316123
Tonsil Hockey
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Maggie Sawyer, Alex Danvers, Nick (OC)", "Fandom": "Supergirl (TV 2015)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Adlerre", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-15T00:00:00", "words": "1,125", "Additional Tags": "Nick is Maggie's work partner, I love him, Gives me a Pete from Warehouse 13 vibe, kiss cam is a thing", "Relationship": "Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer", "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 }
Hockey had never been her thing. Well, sports in general, that is.Surfing is different. Surfing is waves and salt water. It is seeing how far you can go with the waves to guide you; Not seeing how far you can go before a body collides with you, or a puck is taken from you, or whatever. Surfing is going with the flow, both literally and figuratively; Not fighting to the death or whatever the scuffling players below are doing.Maybe not to the death but-A crunch reverberates through the stadium, two players left in a pile over the cool ice.Yeah, no, maybe to the death is right.Sufficient to say, if it weren’t for the woman by her side, hockey would stay a vague concept of razor blade shoes, oversized jerseys, far too much spitting, and –stereotypically- Canada.So, no, Alex had never entertained the idea of watching a hockey game, much less attending one. But here she is, snuggly settled into a stadium seat beside her girlfriend, learning far too much about how right she was on the spitting notion. Her medical mind tries to figure out the why’s, or how’s, or ‘good god why, please stop’s’ of the spitting fixation, as the human part of her mind tries to ignore the queasiness it creates.She moves her focus back to the woman at her side who, though wearing a jersey herself, seems about as interested in the game as Alex.  “Why are we even going if you hate hockey?” Alex had asked the night before, cuddling up to Maggie’s side after her dramatic, defeated sigh of annoyance “Nick loves it. It’s been tradition since we started being partners.” “Why-” “Does he like it?” Maggie finished Alex’s question as she shimmied under the covers. At the feeling of Alex’s nod she had continued, “Something about not being distracted by the cheerleaders. If you ask me, cheerleaders are the only poin-” A scoff interrupted her teasing “Don’t worry, I think I found myself a cheerleader. She is always right there when-” “Oh my god, I told Kara not to bring out the karaoke machine last night!” “You don’t like my singing?” “I love your singing; However,” A kiss. “I can think of some other things we could do with that mouth of yours.” The kiss that followed left them breathless, Maggie pulling back with smirk as Alex leaned forward in a desperate effort to chase her lips. At Alex’s frustrated sigh, she openned her eyes, only to quickly roll them internally as she was met with Maggie’s teasing look. “What?” A sigh. Alex’s roaming hands. “Are we going to make cookies?” “I mean, I guess we could,” Cue Maggie’s rolled eyes, “What?” “You just said use my mouth- Never mind, Hun, never mind.” Alex’s furrowed brow and questions were immediately forgotten as she becomes lost in Maggie’s darkening eyes. Then lost in her kiss. Then lost in her arms. Then lost in- Stop blushing! Stop blushing! Alex’s mind yells, as she feels her face burning against the cool air of the room. How about we not think about that in front of Nick?Steading her breathing she swears she sees Maggie’s signature smirk.“Doing alright there, babe?”A stinging glare is her only response.“Whoa, save those glares for the bedroom.”Before Alex’s face can pull down into full disgust, Maggie’s arm has whipped to her other side causing a loud ‘oof’ to cut through the air.“Hey!”“What did I tell you about being a creep?”A pause.“Not to be a creep.” Is mumbled in fake upsetMaggie’s stoic nod has Alex falling into silent laughter“How do you two get anything done?”“I do all the heavy lifting,” Maggie replies with the dimpled smirk Alex has always loved, “Pretty boy, here, is only there for the arm candy.”Nick leans over Maggie’s side only to nod his head, teasing innocence painting his face. “Completely. All the perps get mesmerized by these orbs of cuteness!” He comments, gesturing to his wide brown eyesA slap greets him again.“Ow! So, violent today, Mags!” He yelps, earning concerned looks from those surrounding them. “Be nice, we don’t want your girlfriend thinking you’re violent.”“I’ve seen her take a lead pipe to the back of an alien’s head, I think that particular ship has sailed.” Alex replies with a winkMaggie’s teasing glare has her smile growing at the same time as Nick’s, pride shining in both of their eyes.“You should’ve seen what she did when a suspect pulled a gun on me a few years-”“She does not need to hear that story.” Maggie’s tone piques Alex’s interest, while causing Nick to lean further back into the safe embrace of his seat“I’m just-”“No.”“Why-”Their arguing is drowned out by the cheering of the crowd.Confused, Alex nudges Maggie’s turned shoulder to get her attention.Noticing the change in atmosphere (as well as the not so subtle nudge to her side), Maggie sends Nick a parting mock glare before switching her attention.“What’s going on?” Maggie can barely make out Alex’s words as the cheers continue.Glancing up, a sigh escapes her lips before nodding her head to the screen hanging above the ice.At Alex’s quirked brow, she continues. “Kiss cam.”Biting the inside of her lip as she watched the camera scan from couple to couple, Alex tries her best to contain her laughter. The hooting and gestures coming from Nick as he roots on the couples in good fun, bring embarrassed chuckles to both women.Maggie’s light shove and bright smile at Nick is seen by the entire stadium as the camera lands coaxingly on them.Nick’s face does a very realistic imitation of a tomato as Maggie’s chuckles continue. Shaking her head, Maggie does her best to signal that a kiss would definitely not be happening.The camera man and Alex had different ideas.The pull in was swift and graceful as Alex meets their lips with a smile and slight blush. Immediately the cheering of the crowd slinks into background noise as they fall into the comfort of the kiss.Pulling back with twin smiles, twin blushes, twin thoughts, they’re greeted once again with the loud applause. Nick’s loud hooting taken up a notch as he watches with humor at the blush it brings to his best friend.His smile stays glued to his face even as the game begins again.A quick nudge to Maggie’s shoulder has her looking from the ice to him in confusion.“What?”“I like this one.” He whispers, nodding his head to Maggie’s other sideImmediately, Maggie’s face brightens in a dimpled grin. “I do, too.”
10337070
Sweet Afternoon
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Hunk (Voltron), Lance (Voltron)", "Fandom": "Voltron: Legendary Defender", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by angelsaves", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-17T00:00:00", "words": "1,061", "Additional Tags": "Brownies, Friends to Lovers, Podfic Welcome", "Relationship": "Hunk/Lance (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 }
"These," Lance says, "are the most incredible brownies I have ever tasted." He leans across the island to get his face closer to Hunk's. "Seriously.""Thank you, Lance!" Hunk cuts him another one, still gently steaming, the way he likes them. "I thought you'd appreciate them.""I do," Lance says soulfully. He bites into his new brownie and moans with pleasure. "You're the best.""Thanks," Hunk says, only it sounds a little different, and he turns away.Lance frowns and stuffs the rest of his brownie in his mouth. "Hey," he says, trying not to spray any crumbs wastefully, "are you okay? You don't think I only love you for your brownies, do you?""No," Hunk says, "I'm fine." He's still facing the sink and not Lance, though."Buddy!" Lance comes over and winds his arms around Hunk's neck from behind. "I love you for so much more than that!""That's nice," Hunk says, squirming. "You can let go of me.""Never!" Lance digs his chin into Hunk's shoulder, hoping it'll work like some kind of Vulcan pinch and make Hunk accept his hugs, and glances down, and -- oh. Hunk is pitching a tent right through his apron. "Oh," he says out loud."I'm fine," Hunk repeats, shoving Lance away. "You don't have to --""Wait," Lance says, holding up one hand. "I just have to recalibrate some things in my head, okay?" He rewinds the past year of their friendship, mentally, and plays it back with Hunk's boner in mind. "Oh my god, do you have a crush on me?"Hunk's face is fondly exasperated. "Yeah, bro," he says. "Since forever.""Whoa," Lance says. "This opens up -- dude, whole worlds of possibilities!""Worlds," Hunk says, and Lance is pretty sure that's hope flickering in his eyes."Worlds," Lance agrees, and grabs two fistfuls of Hunk's shirt and kisses him.Hunk makes a soft, pleased sound and cups the back of Lance's head with one big hand, kissing him back. It's amazing. Lance is a pretty good kisser, if he does say so himself, but this leaves all of his previous kisses in the dust."So, we're going to do this all the time from now on," Lance announces."Okay by me," Hunk says, grinning."Also, we're going to do something about this," he adds, laying a hand over Hunk's boner."I assume you have a plan?" Hunk braces his hands on the counter behind him."I definitely want to put it in my mouth, but I might be a little hazy on the details," Lance admits. "I thought I'd start on my knees, though.""Okay, cool," Hunk says. He takes off his apron, and his sweatpants make his boner even more obvious, especially this close. "I can walk you through it.""Yeah, that might be good," Lance says, and swallows. He's watched plenty of porn, and pictured himself in this position, but Hunk is -- Hunk."Let me get these out of the way." Hunk pushes his pants down, and wow, there's his dick. It's big, and cut, and big, and Lance finds himself leaning in to taste it."Not bad," he decides, and does it again, taking the head into his mouth and running his tongue around the smooth crown."You're a natural," Hunk says. "If you want, you can put your hand around it."This part, Lance is fairly confident about; he licks his palm and wraps it around Hunk's shaft, jerking it a few times to get the feel of it. "Like that?" he asks, just to check."Harder would be -- yeah, like that." Hunk lets out a deep, controlled sigh. "And --"Lance sucks the head of his dick into his mouth, and Hunk stops talking. He takes as much as he can comfortably -- he's pretty sure deep-throating is a more advanced skill -- and it's pretty awesome, actually. Hunk smells clean and tasty, and he's making these little noises, and his belly is gently shuddering like he's really into it."That's -- oh, God, Lance --" He takes one of his hands off the counter and pats Lance's cheek. "Don't stop -- where do you want me to come?"Lance digs a wad of tissues out of his jeans pocket with his free hand and holds them up, raising his eyebrows."Okay, awesome. Oh, I -- oh -- Lance --" He pulls out of Lance's mouth with a slick pop, takes the tissues, and comes into them neatly.Lance watches his face. He thought he knew all of Hunk's expressions, pretty much, but his O-face is new and awesome, screwed up almost like he's in pain -- and then he opens his eyes, and that soft, happy look is new, too. Lance wants to keep it forever."Thanks," Hunk says, and reaches down to touch Lance's face again. He leans into it like a cat. "Can I do something for you?""Mmm," Lance says, nuzzling his hand. "You can jerk me off, if you want. I love your hands, dude.""Oh yeah?" Hunk sits down on the floor and tugs Lance into his lap. "What about them?""You do so much with them," Lance says, "and they're big." Right now, Hunk is using those hands to undo Lance's jeans. Then he wraps one around Lance's cock, and it feels so good that he has to arch his back, leaning back into Hunk.Hunk kisses his neck, and Lance makes an embarrassingly loud noise at how good that feels. "You like that?" he asks."Heck yeah, I do," Lance says, so Hunk does it again while he jerks Lance's cock. IT feels incredible, Hunk surrounding him and kissing him and God, touching him -- he knows he's not going to last long. "Dude, I'm out of Kleenex.""Don't worry about it," Hunk tells him, so Lance gives himself over to it and comes all over Hunk's hand. Then -- is this real life? -- Hunk actually licks it off."Wow," Lance says. "This is, like -- the best study break ever."Hunk laughs, and Lance can feel the way his chest vibrates against his back. "I'm glad," he says."So, we're totally boyfriends now, right?" Lance goes on. "Because, like, I want to do this again. And other stuff. Lots of other stuff.""Whatever you want," Hunk says, kissing his neck again."Totally boyfriends," Lance says, and laces their fingers together. He can feel Hunk smiling against his skin. It's awesome.
10382565
Accidental love
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Dan Howell, Phil Lester, PJ Liguori, Chris Kendall", "Fandom": "Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by ikkimensi", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-20T00:00:00", "words": "1,106", "Additional Tags": "Phanfiction, Daddy Kink, Oops, Accident", "Relationship": "Dan Howell/Phil Lester", "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 }
This morning, I woke up, and it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the sky was clear. A perfect day to go to the beach. I called my friend PJ, and asked him if he wanted to come with me. Me and PJ have always been very close, and one day we were playing truth or dare with our other friend, Chris, and they asked me about my kinks. I honestly told them I had a daddy kink, that's how close we are. Since then PJ, Chris, and I have been joking about it. I've called them both daddy, they've called me baby-boy, but when I did this, I knew they wouldn't have a "response". They were always teasing me, also out in public, which had been annoying at some moments, but we just laughed it off. PJ answered my call and we talked for a moment about random things, and deeper things. After about 5 minutes of talking I asked him, and he said yes. Chris wasn't able to come with us because he was in America for something. At the moment I called him, it had been 11 am, and we decided to meet at 1 pm in Brighton at the pier. We were going to the beach today. I packed everything I needed to bring with me, and left my apartment (incredibly empty for a guy in his twenties) to go to the train station. I got the train very early, so I could just quickly go by Zoe(Zoella). We talked for a bit about our love lives, mine non-existent, hers very active. At 12:30 she went to drop me off at the pier, and I waited for PJ. And I waited. And I waited. No messages. Nothing. I watched the sea for about half an hour. I was leaning over the little fence, staring into nothing, until someone walked up behind me. I expected the person that walked up to me to be PJ, so when he reached up to my hair and pulled it, I moaned daddy in response. It was a reflex, but at the moment it left my mouth I knew I had made a mistake.I slowly turned around to be greeted by one of the prettiest faces ever seen. Hair as black as my soul, eyes as bright and blue as the sky with some specs of sun in it.After about ten seconds of staring, I realised something.I knew this face.Oh GOD.It was Phil Lester.It was the face of the guy me, PJ and Chris were best friends with. It was the face of the guy I had a crush on for years. It was the guy that ran away after a fight, and never was seen again. He smirked and said ‘I was just taking this piece of paper out of your hair, didn’t know that was also a kink of yours.’ Oh. Yeah. He was also there the night I spilled all my kinks. I tried to save myself by saying I was expecting PJ to stand there, and that we joke around with things like this, but before I could say anything, he kissed me. The guy I had a crush on for years KISSED ME, OUT IN THE OPEN. He swung his arms around my neck to deepen the kiss, but at the moment that was about to happen, someone decided to show up. It was PJ, looking at us in total shock. Phil pulled away but kept his arms around me.  I was the first one to say anything. I told PJ the story, and he laughed. He walked up to Phil and said to me ‘I’m happy my plan worked, you two were always so cute together, but after the fight you never spoke again. Last week Phil added me on Facebook and asked for us to meet. This morning you called me so I immediately sent him here. I’m happy things worked, although a little different than expected.’ Then he hugged Phil, saying ‘I’m glad you guys didn’t choke each other yet.’ I responded with ‘yet…’ We went onto the pier and we sat down for lunch, and after 45 minutes PJ had to leave again. Phil and I decided to also go back to London. We went back to the train station, and once we arrived in London, I started saying goodbye to Phil, and he shook his head. He said ‘I’m coming with you, we need to finish what we started.’ We came back to my apartment, just got inside, when Phil kissed me again. It was even better than the first time. His lips were so soft agains mine, his tongue asking for access to my mouth. I granted him access. Things started to heat up real fast, a few “daddy”s had left my mouth, when he pulled away. He said to me ‘I love you, and that has never changed. I loved you back then, and I love you now.’ I whispered ‘I’ve missed you’ and the day went on. We went to my bedroom and things happened. After things happened, we went to the lounge and watched some anime until about 7 pm. He asked me if he could stay for dinner. I said yes. We made some stir-fry. We cuddled on the couch. We did this for about three days, just catching up, kissing, watching anime, eating. We realised things hadn’t changed. We were still those dorks that secretly loved eachother, but now it was no longer a secret. After those three days, Phil asked me ‘What are we? We’ve been living together for three days and I want to live together forever but I need you to want that too. We could become boyfriends.’ I responded with ‘Of course I want to live together. Becoming boyfriends sounds great, do you want it too? Philip Michael Lester, do you want to be my boyfriend?’ He said ‘Yes’. After five more years of living together, with me being 30, Phil being 35, he dropped the question. We were out for dinner with our parents, and once we finished dessert, he got to his knees and asked ‘Daniel James Howell, what started as a wrong assumption ended with a relationship I want to continue for the rest of my life. Do you want to continue our relation ship for the rest of our lives? Daniel James Howell, do you want to marry me?’ I squealed and said whispered ‘yes’. We got married later that year. This was an accidental happy ever after.
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Partial Heritage
{ "Archive Warning": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence", "Category": null, "Characters": "Dan Howell, Phil Lester, Nathan Sharp, Mark Fischbach, Tyler Schied, Will Stronghold, Warren Peace, and more", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by AngelicaSatan", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-20T00:00:00", "words": "21,445", "Additional Tags": "the violence isn't super graphic, it's mostly powers but some injuries are described, there are lots of other YouTubers mentioned, probably a bit OOC, No Romance, Just Friendship", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Dan Howell & Phil Lester, Dan Howell & Nathan Sharp, Will Stronghold & Warren Peace", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Sky High (2005), 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 }
Will was sure his sophomore year at sky high was going to be far less exciting than his freshman one was. For a start, he already had his powers and knew what they were. His once best friend was now his girlfriend, so nothing new was likely to come up there. He didn't have an arch enemy any more. Well maybe he did but Royal Pain was in prison. He would be in class with his girlfriend (she got transferred to the hero class shortly after homecoming last year), and would spend lunch and after school with Warren and his hero support friends. Yep, he figured he had a pretty relaxing year ahead of him, well as relaxing as it could be given that he was returning to Sky High.He was wrong. Of course he was wrong.First day back to classes was exciting to say the least. There was an extra bus when he landed. Maybe there were more freshmen than normal this year. Everyone was buzzing about something, and again Will felt completely out of the loop. He was missing something."What's going on?" He asked as he reached Zach's locker."You didn't hear?" Zach asked looking shocked. "Royal Pain broke out of prison in June. She was on the loose for a month before they caught her. In that time she kidnapped a bunch of kids with partial heritage." Zach paused at Will's confused expression."It means they have some supers in their ancestry but not enough to necessarily result in natural powers," Ethan explained."I knew that," Will said defensively."Sure you did. Anyways, she was trying to trigger natural powers in them, figured she could make an army of villains from scratch another way. Apparently she succeeded before they picked her up, so there's a pile of new sophomores and juniors this year as well," Zach finished."Eight sophomores, six juniors, and two freshmen. Freshmen are going to be placed this morning with the other freshmen and then the older kids are getting placed in the afternoon. They'll be joining classes tomorrow," Ethan added."Well this should be interesting," Will said."I think it will be fun," Layla smiled, kissing Will on the cheek."I'm with Stronghold on this one," Magenta frowned. "How do we know this isn't all a part of Greyson's plan?""I don't think she had them for long enough for that. The longest she had anyone was a couple weeks and apparently they were all pretty shell shocked when they were freed," Layla added calmly."That sounds horrible. I can't imagine having to listen to her talk for a whole week. No way to run away, or get free. Horrible," Warren drawled. "I can't imagine being subjected to her, let alone willingly doing so. Hey," he grunted grabbing his ribs where he'd received an unnecessarily aggressive elbow from the super strong teen."Ha-ha, absolutely hilarious.""Alright, we gotta get to classes, see you three at lunch," Magenta said.***Dan was fucking terrified. First he and Phil had been kidnapped by some evil madwoman, and then fourteen others had been kidnapped, including some of their friends. Then suddenly they all had fucking super powers. Well maybe not quite in that order. Then a bunch of American super heroes showed up and saved them. Then they were told that since they have fucking super powers now that they had to go to a new fucking school. Sure he was happy to be going to the same school as Phil, but his friend was a year older than him so it's not like they'd be in any of the same classes.The adults had explained the basics. They would be going to 'Sky High'. They would be sorted into heroes and hero support, so he wasn't even guaranteed to be in the same class as PJ, and then join the existing classes in their age groups. They also explained some basics of the community.Now they were here. Mark, Tyler, Jack, and Matt all looked fairly calm, almost excited. Chris was obviously suspicious, PJ was curious, Phil looked worried. Dan was, as previously stated, fucking terrified. He would never admit it of course. He put on his best bitch face to hide his anxiety and tried his best not to literally hide behind Phil and Nate.Fuck.***At lunch Will noticed a couple of very tight groups of new students. Some of them looked his age, some of them looked Warrens. Only two were freshmen, so these must have been the partial heritage kids. Some of them were looking around suspiciously, some of them seemed to be shrinking in on themselves. Some of them were smiling to each other and whispering. Each group seemed to have at least one of each. That was as much attention as Will paid them. He figured the last thing they needed was people staring. He was sure he'd meet a few soon enough. He turned back to his friends and their conversation, putting the strange new occurrences out of his mind for now. They did seem odd though.***People kept staring. They were some new spectacle to be observed. They were new and exciting and, fuck Dan really wanted to disappear. Ethan and Sophie, the two youngest in the group, had been 'placed' that morning. Both in hero support. To be fair, Ethan could talk to lady bugs and Sophie could change the colours of things. But still, Dan was now very nervous for his own placement. He tried not to think about it and to enjoy his lunch but he didn't really have any appetite.All too soon lunch ended and they were off to power placement. The freshmen had all been taken off for some sort of orientation, Sophie and Ethan with them. So now there were fourteen of them to be 'placed'."We'll start with you," Coach Boomer announced, pointing at (Dan thought he'd heard him called J-Fred or something). "What's your name? What's your power?""Joey, and I can see infrared light.""I'd ask you to show me, but I really don't care, sidekick. Other Frederick brother, you're up.""I'm Matt, and I'm also going to be a sidekick, because I can see ultra violet light," the blonde said sarcastically as he reached the raised stage."You are correct. Probably a dancer, you're next.""Lilly, and I can shape shift.""Shift it."She transformed and was dubbed a hero. This continued through several more, Jack (Sean apparently) Amanda, and Stephanie were all placed in hero support. It was entertaining watching Stephanie attempt to explain Brain Bleach to Coach Boomer. Tyler, Mark, and Matt (he said to make it easier they could call him MatPat ('cuz his last name is Patrick), as opposed to the other Matt's choice of Matthias) were placed in the hero class."Tallest emo kid," Boomer shouted after Tyler walked off the platform.Dan nearly cursed aloud as he slowly walked up onto the platform. "Dan, and I can put things in people's heads.""Show me."Dan nodded. Okay, he could do this. Deep Breath. Just a hallucination, those were easier. He focused on Coach Boomer and painted an image in his head. He was in a London Cafe, one Dan had loved when his family traveled to London before, and it was perfectly serene. The cafe was filled with every beautiful celebrity Dan could think of. He made Boomer feel calm and self assured and like everyone was there for him. He figured putting the man in a good mood was probably a good idea. He released the coach then, after a minute or so. "Tall emo kid, Hero!" Dan smiled briefly and stepped off of the stage. He was much calmer watching Nate make hero as well by creating an actual tornado. He even high fived the punk boy who'd be in his class. His mood was slightly dampened when Chris and PJ were both assigned to Hero Support. That meant Dan would have classes with Mark, Tyler, and Nate, which was definitely not the worst case scenario."Last emo kid." Phil stepped up onto the platform and made Hero easily. Dan had never doubted Phil would be a hero.Okay, so maybe power placement was not the worst.***Mad Science first thing in the morning on his second day back at Sky High was not something Will was looking forward to. Sure there was going to be save the citizen that afternoon, expose the freshmen (and the new kids in other grades he supposed) to the gym, and give the older students a chance to show off."As we have so many new sophomores this year we will be having a review class to catch them up. Don't worry, I will be testing those of you who are returning in the process. I will ask questions, you will answer. We will see how much the new students know and how much the old students retained. You will not be graded on this but it will strongly affect my opinion of you, so be warned," Mr Medulla stood at the front of the room. Will looked around and saw a few pockets of new faces. There was a tall boy with brown hair and eyes sitting silently at the back of the room, looking all for the world like he wished he were invisible. Next to him sat a shorter boy, roughly Will's height if he had to guess, with similar hair and eyes. Both boys were wearing all black, had their ears pierced, and seemed unsure of their surroundings. Ahead of them sat another pair of boys, both fairly average in height and muscular looking. One had brown and curly hair with grey eyes, the other dark brown hair and eyes. These two looked much more confident. It was then Will realized he had completely tuned out Mr. Medulla and been staring at the group for at least a minute. He turned quickly and tried to focus on the class.Mr Medulla quizzed around the room. Will would be proud to say later that he knew at least half of the answers. He was fairly certain Layla knew most of them but she was always a little smarter than he was. The newbies weren't completely lost either. The tall one, he thought Mr Medulla had called him Mr Howell, had successfully answered the difference between a beam and a ray (If Will were to bet he'd say it had been a complete guess). Mr Fischbach, the dark haired one in front, had gotten his answer half right. His bench mate, Mr Schied, had gotten his wrong but was on the right track. Mr Sharpe had correctly answered the frequency of sound required to break glass, seemed pretty confident in the answer too.When the bell rang for lunch he followed behind the small, makeshift, group to the lunch room. The group met up quickly with three others from Warren's class and took over two tables, the tables were quickly filled out with the hero support kids and Will looked away to rejoin his group."The four newbies in our class seem alright," Magenta commented. "We spent the class catching up, reviewing, and doing stupid 'getting to know you' games but it wasn't absolutely horrible.""Yeah, PJ seemed pretty cool, he can create tiny little monsters about the size of a shot glass. They're pretty cute, can't do much though," Zach continued. "Sean can talk really fast, like insanely fast. Probably could have a pretty decent rap career ahead of him.""Amanda and Joey were decent too. Amanda can whistle at a frequency only dogs can hear and Joey can see infrared radiation. Pretty cool, hard to prove, not super useful. They seem nice enough though," Ethan finished."We had a 'review quiz' for the entire class. I think Medulla was just looking for a way to torture us all," Will explained."The newbies tried, seemed alright to me," Layla added."I heard the freshman hanging on the half Asian kid-""Mr Fischbach, according to Mr. Medulla," Layla interrupted."Okay I heard the freshman hanging on Fischbach's every word can speak to ladybugs," Zach commented."I heard one of the juniors, I think they said his name was Chris, is a literal cheese magnet. He can draw cheese toward himself," Magenta added."Hey, don't judge too harshly. I mean it's a little pot calling the kettle black isn't it," Layla chided."What on earth could you possibly mean. Our powers are awesome," Zach puffed out his chest."Whatever you say, human glow stick," Warren laughed."So... how are the new juniors in hero class Warren?" Will asked, changing the topic."Patrick, Lester, and Singh? Their fine I guess. No real introductions so I don't know a lot about them," he answered, sounding bored with this line of questioning."Okay..." They ate and chatted quietly for the rest of lunch before making their way to the school gym. Save the citizen was going to be awesome.***Okay, he made it through the morning. The quiz was stressful but when it was his turn he was proud to say he actually knew the answer. He wasn't sure of it, but he remembered seeing the difference between a beam and a ray on TV at some point. He sat beside Nate, partly because they had a lot in common, partly because he felt it would be impossible to separate Mark and Tyler. They like the same music, are both very physical people, had read a lot of the same books, and had watched a lot of the same things. Nate got his question right as well. It was an okay morning.At lunch they met up with the other Heroes and saved seats for the rest of their group. Dan sat happily between Phil and Nate, chatting animatedly about the upcoming afternoon. They were going to be watching some of the older students play 'Save the Citizen.' Basically it meant they could all sit together and just observe, things Dan did best.They took their seats in the bleachers of the gym and stared down at the main area. Coach Boomer announced the beginning of save the citizen. He explained the basic rules, heroes save the citizen, villains immobilize the heroes, not too complicated.***"Everyone who wants to participate in today's skill show has submitted their partnership this morning. Now those pairs will be drawn out of this hat. There will be no whiner babies, who you fight and whether you're the heroes or the villains are not your choice, accept them as they are," Coach Boomer announced, shaking a hat from his perch. "First pair of heroes, Ice Chick and Laser Eyes, and first set of villains, oh this will be entertaining Little Larry and Acid Spitter."The fights went on in random orders. It was entertaining to say the least. Will had entered his name with Warren's, since Layla wasn't really fighting, and wasn't even nervous for when his name came up, just excited. He laughed as Freeze Girl froze Larry's hand to his partner's face and when Carbon Copy Kid became one of his opponents and got him knocked out flat. When their turn came up they fought a pair of seniors as the villains. It was an odd victory, to watch the mannequin be destroyed and then cheer, but still a victory and that's what matters.Will glanced up at the new kids every so often, curious. He saw most were watching closely. Some leaned forward with rapt attention. Some leaned back and watched passively. They all sat together though, as though their own little group was safe, could be trusted, and everyone else was dangerous. As the next group after him and Warren started leaving the arena he looked at the group. The tall one from hero support in his year was whispering to the freshman girl. He watched as she smiled, nodding, and turned to Howell and Sharp in his class and touch their gym uniforms, turning them black. Both smiled, looking a little relieved, and thanked her. There was a brief conversation in which, Will guessed, they asked why and she pointed to the first boy. Then his attention was drawn back to the arena."Alright, we've run out of names in the hat. So now, for the rest of this afternoon I will be picking teams and competitors, because it entertains me," Boomer announced, laughing. "Don't worry, I'll make sure it's a fair fight."***"Fischbach, Schied, you're up. You'll be the heroes to Peace and Stronghold's villains."Mark smiled, as did Tyler. They had just said minutes before that they were a little frustrated that they couldn't participate. Now they'd get the chance, together. After watching Peace and Stronghold fight earlier Dan was glad he wasn't in their shoes. They'll probably be fine. They're powers are pretty bad-ass after all.As they were taking up their positions on their side of the arena Mark handed Tyler his shoes. People looked confused, including their opponents. At that point Dan realized that Mark and Tyler had the advantage. No one else there knew what they could do. They couldn't prepare. Tyler hefted one shoe and nodded. He gestured to Stronghold and Mark nodded in return. Dan figured their plan would work pretty well. He just really hoped he didn't get called on next.The buzzer went and Tyler beaned Peace in the face with one of Mark's shoes, immediately drawing his, literal, fire. Dan couldn't help but laugh at the stunned look on the older boy's face. Like he was astounded that he had just been hit in the face with a shoe of all things. The second shoe knocked him flat to the floor. He was quick to get back up and run at Tyler, who was now out of shoes. Mark on the other hand looked completely dazed, like he had no idea how he had gotten there, and watched as Stronghold, after struggling to take off, flew up and saved the citizen. Peace was stopped in his tracks, mid fiery punch, by his partner doing his opponents job for them. The game ended there, as quickly as it had begun. Mark returned to his body, high fived Tyler, and then began collecting his shoes."What the hell was that!?!" Peace shouted turning to Stronghold, who still looked incredibly dazed."I don't know, one second I was over here, the next I was over there watching myself save the citizen," the strongman responded."Actually you were watching me save the citizen in your body. I'm a body switcher," Mark explained as he slid on his shoe and stood up straight. "Oh," Will frowned. "Why did you give Schied your shoes though?""He has perfect aim, and a pretty fucking insane arm, he needed projectiles and I wasn't going to be moving around so I gave him my shoes." As the heroes left the arena Boomer selected a few more upper-class-men to fight."You know, if you want to fight, you just have to say it out loud. Apparently Mr. Boy is listening for people who want to compete and passing the information on," Tyler said as he a Mark returned to their seats."Seriously? 'Cuz I am so in," Lily answered. "I could totally take any of these chumps.""Fuck yeah! Me too," Chris cheered."Chris, you control cheese. You aren't going to be beating anyone on your own," PJ laughed."True, but maybe I could confuse them long enough to win.""Ah Chris, always the optimist," Phil laughed. "At least about yourself.""Very true. Hey maybe Ethan and I should be a team. Cheese and ladybugs, fucking terrifying," Chris fell out of his seat laughing."I think I'm perfectly happy just watching," Dan commented quietly."I'm with you on this one Dan," Nate agreed from beside him.In the end Lilly wound up winning her match with the help of another junior. The unicorn was pared up with a telekinetic girl and was able to win easily.Chris got his chance after all. It was an incredibly comedic match between him and PJ, and a pair of sidekicks from Dan's year (Ethan and Zack he thinks). The match between the cheese magnet, monster creator, human popsicle, and human glow stick was a mess. It was hard to tell who was winning at any given point until the match was over and the citizen had not been saved.Overall Dan enjoyed himself. Some of the matches were funny, most were impressive, and very few were boring. As they left the room he asked PJ a question that had been pushed to the back of his mind by Boomer's announcement."Hey, not that I'm complaining but, why did you get Sophie to change the colour of our gym uniforms?" He asked gesturing to himself and Nate."I figured you'd both be happier in black than primary colours, and I wanted to see what would happen. Some of the older students have personalized their uniforms in one way or another, I figured this was an easy way to test it out, and you both are far better suited to black than bright red and yellow." PJ smiled. "Also I wanted to give Sophie a chance to use her powers. It's not like there's a lot of call for colour changing around here. Made everyone happy in one fell swoop.""Awww, best boyfriend ever!" Nate laughed before gesturing to Sophie, "don't even try to deny that you two are dating man.""I would never," PJ responded indignantly. "I'm not ashamed of my girlfriend. She's the best freshman hero support there will ever be.""Hey!" Ethan shouted from just behind them."Sorry Ethan but he's a little biased," Phil answered."True.""Fair."At least, if nothing else, this whole experience had given Dan a whole new group of really great friends.***Will was still a little stunned as he left the room, apparently having your body borrowed leaves you dazed for a while. Layla was cracking up, talking about how he deserved to be taken down a peg or two. Warren was no longer annoyed and mostly just amused that he had been taken down by a pair of shoes."The new kids seem pretty decent. I mean Fischbach figured out your powers pretty quickly, Singh turns into a unicorn, and they seemed pretty nice," Layla said as they walked out of the gym."I don't know. They still seem a little sketchy to me. I still feel funny after having my body stolen," Will frowned at the ground. He didn't like them. End of discussion."Hey, maybe Warren can get that freshman girl to turn his gym clothes black the way she did for those other two boys," Ethan laughed."Ha Ha Ha," Warren enunciated every syllable of the fake laugh, stepping closer to Ethan. Ethan ducked behind Will, and he couldn't help but chuckle. ***The next few days were uneventful, which is saying something since they were at a school for super heroes. Dan found himself hanging out more with Mark, Tyler, and Nate by merit of being in the same class but everyone still hung out. They all lived in apartments on the same floor of the same building. They said it was to protect them, and make sure their needs were taken care of. Dan figured they just wanted to keep track of them and make sure they weren't in on their kidnappers plan. Like they even could have been. Or would have been. Who the fuck was stupid enough to believe they'd help that bitch after she kidnapped and tortured them to 'give' them powers.Dan shared a four bedroom apartment with Phil, PJ, and Chris. Mark, Tyler, Sean, and Ethan were in the room across the hall. Nate, MatPat, Matthias, and Joey were next door. And finally The girls (Sophie, Amanda, Stephanie, and Lilly) were across from them.They, as a group, liked to meet up in one of the four apartments to hang out and do homework and shit. To be honest, they were all a little out of their depth. They were far from home, suddenly in a new school, surrounded by strange people with strange powers. It was beyond stressful. Dan noticed a large portion of them were anxious, more so than normal, and those with anxiety disorders were getting worse. Actually, to be realistic, everyone's mental health was deteriorating. It was easier to hide at the start, when they were trying to get away from a mad woman, or being saved, or moving in to the apartments, or spending their first couple days in classes and trying to catch up. Now it was more obvious. Mark and Sean were struggling to concentrate on anything. PJ, Nate, Lilly, and Dan were struggling period. Even the most level headed among them like Phil, MatPat, and Tyler were trying and failing to be strong and stable for their friends.It didn't help that people were avoiding them like the plague at school. There seemed to be a consensus that they must all be evil. It was the only explanation for their powers. For why they were there. Obviously they were all in cahoots (who the hell still uses that word anyways) with Royal Pain. They were villains in their classmates minds and there was no changing their minds. All for something they had no control over whatsoever.Sophie had helped everyone out with decor on the first day, changing wall, furniture, etc colours for everyone. Dan's room was in shades of brown, black, and grey. Phil's was done up in whites, blues, and greens. Not exactly surprising. It was a small comfort being surrounded by familiar and preferred colours.They were getting to know each other better as time went on. They had known some things before meeting, some of them had known each other very well. Mark, Tyler, Ethan, and Sean had already been friends. Mark, Sean, and PJ had met at some camp. Dan, Phil, Chris, and PJ were friends. Matthias and Joey were brothers and had met MatPat, Nate, Mark, and Tyler before. PJ had previously been dating Sophie, MatPat: Stephanie, and Matthias: Amanda. Lilly had met Mark at some point but neither of them could remember where. They learned new things about each other too. Like that Mark, both Matts, Amanda, PJ, Nate, Lilly, Dan, and Phil all enjoyed singing; were pretty good too. That most of them enjoyed video games in some capacity. This discovery was immediately followed by massive game nights. That Tyler, Joey, Matthias, Ethan, and Mark were all fairly athletic. Ethan was actually a pretty damn good at gymnastics. Everybody had shared music interests with at least one other person. Everyone liked similar movies, and movie nights were easier than expected. They learned a ton of tiny things about each other too. The kinds of things you only really learn when you really spend an excessive amount of time with someone.At the moment Dan was sitting in his living room with Mark, Tyler, and Nate working on that day's homework. In the kitchen Lilly, Phil, and MatPat were working on theirs. It had been decided o the first day that the hero class would meet in one apartment, and hero support in another, so that they could help each other out with problems. It was slow going, they were all distracted and stressed out. They just needed to get this done. Then it would be fine. But they had been working so hard to catch up to their classmates, that keeping up was incredibly difficult."That's it, everybody needs a break," Phil announced suddenly, closing his textbook."I say we go get food, we can pick it up to go and come back and surprise everyone else," Lilly said."That is a plan I can get behind," Mark replied, closing his book as well."Agreed," Nate added.It was decided. They all threw on jackets and made their way out of the building. They decided as they walked on the nearby Paper Lantern. They ordered more than enough food for everyone and waited for it to be ready."Hey, you guys waiting for food?" Peace asked while adding the cash from his last table to the till."Yeah, needed a break so we figured we'd pick up some food," Phil answered."How's catching up going? You guys were kinda just thrown into the middle of a lot of classes.""It's a struggle.""Yeah, I get that. My shift's over in ten minutes or so, if you guys wanted some help. I won't really be able to help the hero support, unfortunately, but I should be able to help all of you catch up.""That would be amazing actually, but why would you?""You seem pretty cool, I feel bad. You guys are being treated like criminals because you were kidnapped by one. It's not like it was in your control. I get that. Want to help make things a little less awful.""That would be amazing man," Nate said. "Thanks.""Hey, it's no problem.""Seriously, thank-you. I'm pretty sure you're the only one in class that doesn't treat us like we're tainted," Lilly added."My dad's a super villain, I know what you guys are going through 'cuz I've been going through it for years. I get it, and it sucks. I'm sorry the rest of our classmates are tools."When their food was ready Warren, he told them to call him by his first name, helped bring it out and left with them. They walked back to the apartment building, chatting amicably about random shit. As it turned out, Warren was pretty fucking cool. They chatted about music, movies, video games, comic books, anime, T.V. shows, everything. In the end Dan decided he didn't really care how helpful Warren ended up being with catching up, he was glad he was getting the chance to hang out with him.When they arrived at the apartment they decided to walk in singing the word food in harmony. It was Phil's idea, he looked so excited by it that no one would have argued even if they wanted to. No one really wanted to though. It wound up being a pretty decent harmony, and sounded really cool. They were cheered by their friends, though whether the cheer was for the singing or just the food remains unknown. Food was passed around and everyone ate their fill before the leftovers were thrown in the fridge and the heroes returned to their designated study space.The remainder of their homework and catch-up work wound up taking about an hour with Warren's help. They finished far more than they thought they would and did it in less time than they had planned to spend. Warren was incredibly helpful.When they were finished Lilly decided she was going to bed, even though it was only 8. Mat went to go spend some time with Stephanie. Tyler decided he was going to go for a run to work out some of the stress, only Tyler would find running a relaxing activity. That left Mark, Nate, Dan, Phil, and Warren. They decided on Disney movies. Those were safe and calming and didn't really require a lot of processing. They watched Mulan first, by the end Tyler had returned from his run and joined them. As they started up the second, Nightmare Before Christmas (it was a unanimous decision to be fair), the other apartment had finished their homework and Sean joined them. The rest had gone off in other directions. After the second movie Warren left to return home and everyone else separated off to their own rooms. Maybe things were starting to get a little better. For the first time since the whole mess went down Dan fell asleep within a few minutes of putting his head on the pillow.***Will hadn't seen Warren that morning. It was unusual for the pyrokinetic to be late, heck it was unusual for him to be on time. He was usually early, by a lot. Thinking about it Will wasn't sure how. Sure there were multiple buses and they ran at different times , but he couldn't imagine one showing up that much earlier than his own. Regardless, Will didn't see Warren anywhere before his classes started.Then at lunch he didn't meet up with them. It wasn't incredibly rare for different classes to get out at different times, so they went and found a table. Then Warren walked in, surrounded by the Pain powers (someone came up with the nickname for the group at some point and it stuck) and chatting. He glance over and nodded at Will before continuing on with the group to go get food. When they returned he nodded goodbye and came over to sit with Will and co."Since when are you friends with them?""Since when is it any of your concern who I'm friends with Stronghold?""Hey, fists away. We were just confused," Layla said, elbowing Will in the side. "We've never seen you willingly talk to someone new before.""Whatever."That should have been the end of the conversation. It really should have. Will should have dropped the subject there. But Will was never very good at taking a hint."Seriously though, the Pain powers? For all we know they're evil. If nothing else, they're really weird. We don't even know what half of their powers are."Warren's response was to stand up and walk away. He took a seat on the opposite side of the room next to Sharp and Fischbach. A couple people glared over at their table after Warren finished explaining what had happened. Not only had Warren befriended them, he spoke more around them than he ever did with him.He was not jealous. Nope. Warren was still his best friend. He was just worried about his friend's judgement and safety. That was it. Not jealous.***Dan felt bad for Warren. No matter how much he claimed it didn't bother him, Will's comment had obviously struck a nerve. Based on what he had been told about the hero, he doubted Will even knew what he had said wrong. Dan felt it was partially his own fault. They were driving a wedge between their new friend and his best friend. Warren swore it wasn't their fault, that Will's prejudice was just showing through again. People don't really change.Warren told them not to feel bad. It didn't matter anyways. He and Will had just become friends by default after the whole Royal Pain incident. They were never very close, Will had simply declared them friends after the whole mess. It was bound to become an issue sooner or later. They had never really gotten past the fact that Warren's dad was a villain. Will had never really dealt with it. Warren had been struggling with it for a while. He knew Will didn't really think about it, but it was an ever present prejudice in the back of his mind, Warren was sure of that.Dan figured it must be a challenge, having someone call you their best friend out of nowhere and then treat you like someone you aren't. He hadn't had a best friend until he met Phil. Every one of his friends cared more about someone else than him, and few of them bothered to find out more about him than his name and the fact that he likes malteasers. They weren't bad people, just didn't really get him, they all had better friends already. He figured it was similar with Warren and Will, Will had already had a close friend group when Warren was dragged along.***Will had no idea what Warren was thinking. Suddenly he was social and hanging out with a group of could be villains. Had no one learned anything after the Royal Pain incident last year? Had no one learned what trusting the wrong person can do? These people were trouble. He didn't buy the innocent, traumatized victim story. Royal Pain was too good at manipulating people for him to trust she had failed. She was up to something, for sure. No doubt about it.He just needed to figure out how to show everyone else he was right. Well maybe not everyone else, just Warren. Everyone else at school avoided that group like the plague. They felt it, they knew that these people were trouble. It was just Warren that needed convincing.Maybe he didn't need to do anything. Maybe all he had to do was wait.***Several days later Dan started to realize how bad being a pariah in a school full of super teens was. Clicks were bad enough, but when everyone thought you were evil, it tended to cause problems. To start with people just avoided and ignored them, whether it was out of fear or discomfort or what he wasn't sure. The first few times people became aggressive it was just words. Yelling 'freak', 'half breeds', and 'psychos'. You'd think these people would be more creative. He was sure they could come up with better names than that. Earlier day it had gotten physical. Someone tripped Phil and he fell straight into MatPat, knocking the pair of them to the floor. Nate and Tyler had caught Warren and Dan and Mark had helped the pair up. It hadn't escalated from their but it had been close. Warren had almost retaliated. He had shouted for the better part of an hour that night about how they didn't deserve any of this, how they'd done nothing wrong. Dan was afraid Warren wouldn't get the chance. His only thought the moment Phil fell was how to hurt the person hurting his best friend. How to stop him in a way that would prevent further action. Dan was afraid that if it happened again he would make everything worse, and he wouldn't be able to stop himself. Phil tried to talk them both down. Explained he was fine, that MatPat was fine, that no harm had been done. Nate seemed worried as well. That things were going to get worse. That he wasn't going to be able to help his friends. PJ and Chris were pissed they hadn't been there to help. Everyone was afraid. Afraid this was only the start and that eventually they'd end up snapping. They knew it wouldn't help but part of them wanted to show the rest of the school just how strong they could be. Mid argument everyone was distracted by falling flower petals."Phil! What are you doing?" Dan asked as he watched several petals hit the floor and disappear."It was the first thing I thought of to get everyone to stop," he explained shrugging. "I thought a roaring lion would be overkill.""You made these?" Warren asked looking around."Oh, right. Yeah. I can make things appear. They can even withstand being touched if I focus on them," Phil smiled, a little proud. Apparently he took that as an opportunity to show off because the flower petals stopped falling and were replaced with floating stars moving in swirling patterns around the room and through the people. They were joined shortly by small galaxies of planets orbiting stars. "Has everyone calmed down now?""Dude, we're in space. You brought space to us. That's so fucking cool," Mark said, walking over and touching one of the planets, impressed when his finger didn't move through it."That's nothing." Oh yeah, Phil was showing off. Dan figured it was doing exactly what Phil wanted it to. Everything he created would simultaneously prove he wasn't powerless (didn't need them to defend him) and distract everyone from the issue at hand. The room almost seemed to zoom out as the galaxies disappeared in the middle of the room. A lion then entered the room from the open door to Phil's room, it roared before pouncing on PJ and licking his face repeatedly. It was followed by a monkey which began climbing Chris. A house cat came after and began winding its way through MatPat's legs. A large puppy bounded up to Mark as a koala began to climb the tree that is Dan. The animals disappeared and everyone stared at Phil expectantly. He did not disappoint. A pair of ninjas jumped from somewhere in the ceiling and began fighting. It was like watching a movie, but so much better. When one ninja had defeated the other they both vanished and Phil took a bow. The room applauded and the mood had been lifted. Sure, they all remembered exactly what had happened. They were all anxious for what the next day would bring. But for now, they could celebrate their friend and his kind heart.***Warren was quickly reasserting himself as unapproachable. This was a problem. He was associating himself with probable villains, and reminding everyone that he was once as feared and ostracized. Will had shut down a few rumors about Warren going villain but he wasn't sure what else he could do. He could only really hope that Warren would see sense. He said as much to Layla who proceeded to scoff and walk away. What her problem was he had no idea.***As it turned out, their kind hearted friend was the first to snap. To be fair, he didn't hurt anyone. Just scared the actual shit out of them. Nate and Dan had been the last to leave mad science that morning as Mr. Medulla had picked groups at random to collect their last assignment. As they were walking to the lunch room they'd been cornered by a handful of heroes from their class."I think I know why we've never seen these villain freaks use their powers.""Why is that?""They don't have any. They don't belong in hero class. I bet they'd even make really shitty villains.""I mean, they're already in all black. Villain scum. No wonder daddy's boy Warren hangs out with them."They were getting closer. Dan really didn't want to start a fight if he could avoid it. He and Nate were outnumbered and , though they could probably manage it, didn't really want to give them any more reason to hate them. Both hoped the group would just taunt them and walk away. They were disappointed.The first punch hit Dan square in the stomach. It was also the only punch. All at once Phil was shouting and growling wolves were surrounding the group, pushing them away from the pair. Dan doubled over and Nate supported him."What the hell, which one of you punks is doing this?""I am," Phil answered and the wolves lunged, backing the boys up even further."Phil, stop, I'm okay," Dan tried to say. His voice fell off with the final words.Nate had to adjust his hold as he took on more of the taller boy's weight, "shit. What's happening Dan? What's wrong?""Who hit him?" Warren asked, his hand burning. A few of the attackers pointed to one, smiling, "Grant got him, he's done for.""Shit.""What's that mean?" Phil asked, turning to Warren."Grant induces illness. I have no idea what he gave him. I don't know how to fix it.""Fuck, what the fuck can we do?" Nate asked."Hang on," MatPat said turning to the now cornered attackers. "What did you do to him?""Pancreatitis," Grant looked confused why he told them."Can you fix it?""Yes." His buddies looked at him like he was insane."Fix him then!" Phil shouted."Why should I?""Because if he dies, you die," Warren bit out, growling."Ooh, big bad guy up in here.""I'm not the one who grouped up to corner a couple of heroes to try to kill one of them, now am I. Are you sure you're pointing that villain tag the right direction?""Fine, I'll fix him. But you're going to have to call off your dogs, I have to touch him to fix him."Phil looked suspicious, but moved the wolves to allow Grant to leave the wall. He walked over to Dan and placed a hand on his shoulder, then backed off. Dan slowly straightened up, still holding on to Nate for support but no longer putting any weight on him."You okay?" Phil asked, still looking worried. Dan nodded slowly."Did you fix everything?" MatPat asked, never taking his eyes off Grant."Yes.""Get lost," Warren sneered as the wolves vanished. The group took the hint and ran."I can't believe they went that far," Lilly frowned."I'm so glad you were, but why were you guys down here?" Nate asked as he shifted to rub Dan's back while the taller teen leaned against his shoulder. "Don't worry, I've got you," he whispered."We just got out of class down the hall and heard the scuffle," MatPat answered."What were you guys still doing out here? Where are Mark and Tyler?" Warren asked, looking around."We had to hand in assignments in Mad Science and Medulla was collecting them individually so he could ask a few questions. Ours was the last to be collected," Nate answered. Dan was glad Nate was doing the talking. His stomach still hurt and all he wanted to do was sit down. As if Nate was reading his mind he added, "we should find somewhere to sit down.""Yeah, Dan probably needs to get checked out, maybe we should take him to the nurse just in case," MatPat added. Dan shook his head, he didn't want to try to explain what was wrong."Okay, there's a door outside over here with a table near it that no one really uses. You two," Warren gestured to Phil and Nate, "get him to a table. We'll go get some food and let the others know where we are so no one worries."Everyone agreed and stepped to Dan's other side and slid an arm under his. Between Phil and Nate, Dan was able to make it to the table. They were sitting for a handful of minutes before Warren returned with food. "MatPat and Lilly stayed to explain," Warren explained."Ah, makes sense," Nate said. "And your tails?" he asked gesturing to Mark, Tyler, and Ethan."We wanted to make sure you two were okay, and to apologize for not waiting for you after class," Mark answered. "I feel like it's partly my fault you got hurt, if we'd waited..""Stop," Dan interrupted. "It wasn't your fault. We are not fucking helpless. Even if Phil and them hadn't come along we'd have been fine." Dan really hoped he was right. It was silent for a while. No one wanted to say anything. No one wanted to think about what would have happened if Phil hadn't come along. Whether Dan would still be there with them. Whether they would have attacked Nate too. No one wanted to think about it, but they all did. They all knew something had changed. A line had been crossed. There was no going back now.***Will saw Warren walk into the cafeteria looking particularly pissed off. In fact, Will was pretty sure his hands were glowing. The pair walking with him had taken seats at the table as Warren stalked off to get food. He saw Fischbach and Schied jump up from the table and follow Warren out of the cafeteria, with the freshman trailing behind.He wasn't sure what had happened but judging by the anger, the anxious looks coming from the table of Pain powers, and the rush to leave, it wasn't good. He just hoped Warren hadn't made things worse for himself. He knew their classmates had been getting more brash in their dislike of the partial heritage heroes, especially the ones in hero class, and was worried. Really they hadn't done anything worthy of violence, and the other heroes should be above such things. They should be avoided, yes, maybe even treated with a healthy dose of suspicion, but certainly not outright attacked.If he was honest with himself, Will had noticed how none of them retaliated. Even prevented Warren from doing so. Sure it was probably to stay under the radar until Royal Pain's plan came to fruition, but still. They never fought back. They just took it. Maybe they weren't completely evil.On his way to class after lunch Will noticed the group walking very close together. Warren and the other junior were walking protectively close to Howell and Sharp, as were Fischbach and Schied. They all walked together to the entrance of the classroom before the older pair split off to attend their own class. It seemed like Howell was struggling to stay upright.When he got into the room Howell was seated in the back corner surrounded by the remaining three. Fischbach and Schied seemed to be glaring around the room, especially at Grant and his friends, as though daring anyone to mess with them. So something had happened. Somebody (probably Grant and crew) had attacked Howell. He remember Howell and Sharp being among the last groups to leave. That wasn't good. Not only were heroes stooping to unfortunate levels, but they were antagonizing a group of possibly evil people. Even if they were working for Royal Pain, they still didn't deserve to be attacked unprovoked.It didn't look like anyone else was injured, he was sure he would have heard if any of the Pain powers had done anything to hurt anyone. Will felt a little strange. On one hand, he didn't particularly like these people, in fact he was pretty sure they were evil. On the other hand he was angry on their behalf because it seemed they were being attacked unjustly. He wasn't sure how to feel.Maybe he needed to talk to Warren.***Dan felt it was overkill. He didn't need to be protected. Sure, he'd gotten hurt, but he was fine. He wasn't some damsel in distress. He understood the point, he understood it was more for their own peace of mind than it was to protect him. He got that. It just made him feel like they thought he was fragile. Like they thought he wasn't strong enough to take care of himself. They hadn't done this when Phil and MatPat got hurt. Sure this was a bit of an escalation but still. He could take care of himself just as well as Phil could.After lunch Warren and Phil had walked the four of them to class. Then he took his seat in the back corner of the room and was immediately surrounded. Mark and Tyler looked like they were trying to make up for not being there before with the sheer power of their glares, and Nate kept glancing over at him, as if assuring himself that Dan was still okay. He appreciated that they cared, he really did, he'd never had so many people care so much about his well being before. It was just a lot, and he was a little sensitive about his own powerlessness at this point.At the end of the day Phil, MatPat, Lilly, and Warren came to meet them as they left the room. Phil wrapped an arm around Dan's back, which Dan had no doubt was just as much about comforting himself as it was helping Dan. He swore he was fine, multiple times, and no one listened. He wasn't like Phil. He couldn't distract everyone at once the way he had. He could make them believe he was fine, he could put it in their heads, but he couldn't really. He really didn't want to use his powers on his friends. He didn't want to have to use them much at all. He didn't want to have to try to figure out what was real with his friends when they didn't know themselves.When they got back to the apartments Dan disappeared into his room immediately. He couldn't deal with the pity, or protectiveness. He couldn't do it. He was already embarrassed, he already felt stupid and powerless. He couldn't deal with everyone else knowing it. He heard people calling to him from outside but didn't respond. He just slid down the wall next to his bed. He couldn't fucking do it. He didn't know what he could do to convince everyone else because he couldn't convince himself. He wasn't sick, and the after effects had faded out at that point. It was his pride.He couldn't deal with it at this point.***Will decided he needed to talk to Warren. He roughly remembered Warren's work schedule. He was pretty sure Warren was working today so the easiest way to find him would be to go to the Paper Lantern. He arrived around 8, he was pretty sure that was when Warren was going to get off work. He wasn't certain, because the time of Warren's shifts changed all the time, but his instincts suggested he was right."He hasn't come out of his room since we got back. He's paced some, I heard him mumbling to himself, but his door is locked and he won't talk to anyone.""Shit, okay, my shift's almost over, maybe we can lure him out with food.""He does enjoy food.""It'll be okay, I'm sure his pride is just wounded. He probably can't deal with everyone's pity and protective behaviour. It's probably just overwhelming. He's already feeling helpless, especially after you guys were all kidnapped, and this is just making it worse."If Will needed further proof that Warren was deeper than he seemed, and incredibly smart, there was some. But now he wanted more than before to know what had happened earlier. He walked over to the two taller boys, who fell silent as soon as he approached."What happened today?" he asked, cutting straight to the point."I woke up, went to class, went home, came to work, now I'm talking to you," Warren deadpanned. "Or did you mean the part where Grant and his buddies cornered Dan and Nate in the hallway and attacked them. The part where Phil, Mat, Lilly, and I walked up as Grant hit Dan in the stomach and gave him pancreatitis. The part where Phil cornered them with wolves and Mat figured out how to fix it and I threatened Grant until he fixed it. That part?""Oh," Will looked straight down."My best friend almost died today because the entire school thinks that a group of people who were kidnapped by a villain are now also villains, because that logic follows," Phil said, obviously holding back vivid anger. Will couldn't bring himself to look up at either boy's face."The school has some really fucking stupid ideas about reasons for people to be evil," Warren added.It was then that Will understood why Warren was pissed. It started to make sense. Damn, he was really stupid. "I'm so sorry Warren, I never meant to... I'm sorry.""Finally pulled your head out of your ass stronghold?""I'm sorry Warren. I didn't even realize I was insinuating that you were evil, I'm so sorry. I'm also sorry that that happened to Dan. No one should be attacking anyone in the hallways, there's no reason for it.""No, there really isn't," Phil frowned."I'm sorry, is there any way I can help?""I'm going to be honest, I doubt it, but you're welcome to try.""I'll see you guys tomorrow, I need to come up with something," Will nodded to the pair and walked out the door. If he was being honest he felt pretty stupid. Phil was right, there was no real logic to his argument. In fact, it was the opposite of logic, it was based in pure fear and suspicion. He had to come up with something.***Dan was back on the floor after the last hour of pacing. He knew he'd been in the room a while. He also knew he was probably only making his situation worse by hiding away, but he just couldn't fucking deal with it. He heard knocking again. It was the first time someone had tried in over an hour so he listened for the new plea."Hey Dan, it's me. I brought food, I have your favorite. It's just Phil, Nate, and I out here. Everyone else is in one of the other apartments or has gone out for dinner. Seriously, come save me from this unnecessarily intimate setting. I cannot handle an evening of conversation with Phil and Nate, certainly not any more of Phil worrying about you like a mother hen. Come on out man," Dan heard Warren on the other side of the door. It must be later than he thought if Warren was off work.The food did smell good. Maybe coming out for food wouldn't be so bad, at least if Warren was telling the truth he didn't have to face everyone all at once. "Alright, I'm coming."Dan opened his door slowly and stepped out. True to Warren's word, only Nate, Phil, and Warren were there. Phil looked relieved and Nate smiled. Warren looked a little smug, "thanks for coming out here man.""Well I couldn't, in good conscience, subject you to Phil's worrying.""Hey," Phil faked hurt, pushing on Dan's arm."He's not wrong you know," Nate added, laughing."I see how it is, let's pick on Phil now," Phil frowned."You said food," Dan said, changing the topic."Yes, food, right here," Warren said gesturing to the coffee table."How about a movie?" Nate suggested. Everyone agreed and they decided on Silence of the Lambs, really Dan suggested it and nobody argued.The other chairs had been taken to another apartment, so the group all crammed onto one couch. It was easily wide enough, Phil leaned against one arm rest, and Warren leaned against the other. Dan sat in the middle and Nate took the floor between Warren and Dan's legs, leaning his head against the latter's knee. After the movie, all four boys began to yawn. They decided to call it an early night. Warren left to return home and Dan was about to walk back into his room when he was stopped."I'm really glad you're okay man. Seriously," Nate said before pulling the taller boy into a tight hug."You know how I feel about it already, but me too," Phil added, hugging him as well once Nate had let go.Dan didn't respond, he just hugged his friends back in silence and then went to bed. He heard Phil whisper "I don't know what I would have done if he had died. I honestly don't know." and Nate reply "I know what you mean. I'm afraid of what I might have done." He heard Nate leave and Phil go to his own bed before he gave in to exhaustion and collapsed on his bed.***Will had a plan, he knew exactly what he was going to do. He just had to wait until save the citizen that afternoon. It was challenges today, and he had made sure he was first on the list. This was going to work. He was going to make this up to them. First he needed to talk to Layla."Hey Will, you're in a good mood," Layla said as Will walked over to her."I am.""Did you and Warren finally make up?""Wh.. Well yeah, but why is that the first place you go?""Just an educated guess. You've been pretty down since he left and now you're not, so something must have changed.""Fair, you always were better at people than I was.""True. So what happened?""I went to the paper lantern to find out what happened yesterday, and we talked, and I figured out I was being a terrible friend and apologized, and now I have a plan to make it up to them.""Okay, slow down," Layla put up her hands as though she was going to physically stop the words pouring out of Will's mouth. "First, something happened yesterday?""Yeah," Will frowned. "Warren was late to lunch, and his hands were smoking, and then he and Fischbach and Schied left with food. Then in class Dan seemed hurt and the rest seemed protective. I went to talk to him and find out what happened.""Wait, why didn't I notice any of this? Why didn't you mention any of this? What happened? Since when do you know Dan's first name?""I don't know why you didn't notice. They told me that Grant and his friends cornered Dan and Nate when they were coming out of class, apparently Grant hit Dan and gave him pancreatitis. Warren, Phil, and Mat happened to be walking past and saw this and stopped them, got Grant to fix it," Will couldn't help the venom in his tone every time he said Grant's name. That asshole deserved everything that was coming to him."Oh. Wow. That's not okay," Layla frowned at the floor."I know.""So what's your plan exactly?"***Dan was trying to make it through the day, that was all. He already had mild agoraphobia and pretty sever anxiety before any of this had happened. Now it was justified. As much as he was annoyed at how protective everyone was being, he was taking a little comfort in the way that Mark and Nate stood a little too close. The way Phil looked conflicted when he had to leave to go to his own class was a little saddening, but also felt warm because he cared. Dan was trying to fly under the radar, as much as he could being 6'3" and dressed in all black, and make it through the day.He decided at lunch that he didn't want to deal with the crowds of the cafeteria. He didn't want to keep anyone else from their lunches, but there was no way to slip off on his own. He tried to talk them out of joining him, saying he would be okay sitting outside on his own, it's not like anyone else came near that table anyways. Eventually Warren, Phil, Nate, Mark, and Tyler stayed, refusing to leave him alone no matter how much he swore they didn't have to. Again, Dan was oddly comforted by how much his friends cared.Walking into the gymnasium for Save the Citizen was a little intimidating, especially since today's matches would be challenges so he had no way to be sure whether or not he'd end up fighting."Alright, first challenger it Will Stronghold," Coach Boomer announced once everyone had taken their seats. "Who do you want for your partner Stronghold?""Dan Howell."All eyes turned toward the boy in question and Dan wished now, more than ever, that his power gave him the ability to disappear. His stomach turned. He didn't know what this boy wanted but he doubted it was going to end well. He turned to Phil who, oddly enough, smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Warren nodded from the other side of Phil, whispering, "I think he's trying to help." As Dan stood up and walked down to the arena."Okay Stronghold and Howell, you want to be heroes or villains?""Heroes.""Well there's a shocker, and who will you two be challenging?""Grant, and whoever he wants as a partner.""Okay.""What are you doing?" Dan whispered."I want Grant to pay for what he did to you, but I want to do this the right way, take the high road, while also showing everyone else they can't do whatever they want," Will explained, words coming out in a rushed jumble."Okay." Dan was still a little tentative. It was a good idea but his powers were a little bit more likely to convince people he was evil. He really didn't like using them after everything that had happened before. It was worth a shot though."They're going to attack me first because I'm the more obvious threat. Use that to your advantage. I don't know what you do but I'm sure it's good, you are a hero after all. Do you want to take Grant?"Dan thought it over for half a second before nodding. Even if he was invulnerable, Will still had to touch people to fight them. Dan, on the other hand, did not. It would be harder for Grant to get the upper hand fighting Dan."Alright, we got this man, no worries. I've got your back this time."Before Dan had a chance to respond the match began. Will was right, both their opponents ran at Will, completely ignoring him. He took advantage and focused on Grant. He thought briefly about what to plant before deciding on something both comedic and justified. It took him a moment to flesh out the delusion and memories enough to take hold, but within seconds he let go and watched."Dan, I'm so sorry, please forgive me. Please."Dan gave a relieved sigh when it worked."Please, I don't know what came over me. I never meant to hurt you.""You did though," he answered calmly. He had to play this right."I know I did. I know it's unforgivable. What can I do to even begin to make it up to you?" By this point Grant was standing directly in front of him, pleading."Why do you care now?" The look in Grant's eye told him he had the boy right where he wanted him. The illusion had taken perfect hold."I love you so much and I just want to make this up to you. Please. What can I do?"At this point all eyes were on Grant. His friends looked like he had just declared he was actually an alien with eight breasts and a black hole where his anus should be. Even Will and his opponent were staring, having forgotten their own fight. "Why don't you save the citizen for me, it would be a start at least," he tried to look bored.Grant's partner immediately started trying to talk him out of it, to stop him, to convince him he didn't love this boy he'd tried to kill only the previous day. It all fell on deaf ears. Dan was too deep in Grant's head for anything short of Dan himself to stop him. He knocked his own partner out cold before saving the citizen and handing her to Dan.He knew he'd let this go on too long. If he waited much longer he might not be able to pull the idea back out. He handed the citizen off to Will as their victory was announced and removed everything he put in. He was worried, Grant's brain had changed slightly since he put the original thought in, but he figured he probably made it in time to prevent any permanent damage. He hoped he had. He didn't want a repeat of last time.Grant looked a little dazed as he walked out of the ring, like he knew what he'd just done but couldn't wrap his head around it. Will just looked impressed. Lots of people did actually. Some looked frightened, rightfully so.Dan thought he should feel smug, or at least proud. If he was honest he just felt nauseous. He was afraid he'd done permanent damage. He was terrified people were suddenly going to care. He was afraid he'd proven everyone right. Maybe, about him anyways, they were. Maybe he was evil, destined to be some sort of villain. Maybe, in the end, Grant was right about him. Fuck.***Well that hadn't been what Will was expecting. He hadn't known what to expect, if he was honest, but he certainly hadn't expected that. Not only did Dan prove he deserved to be in the hero class, he also proved that he was scary powerful. Will was actually a little afraid. He wasn't entirely sure where to go from here. He started with following the other boy out of the arena. He saw Layla had followed the plan and gotten seats next to the group Dan was headed for, so he followed him right back and sat next to her, directly in front of Phil."Is he?""No, I think I pulled out in time.""It looked like it was in there pretty hard.""It was."The conversation ended before he had a chance to ask what they were talking about. He'd have to ask later. For now he focused on the rest of the matches. The seniors they'd fought the first Save the Citizen of the year challenged Will and Warren to a rematch and lost. Will was glad for the distraction. Working with Warren had not changed, despite their recent fighting they were still in perfect sinc.Then a couple of Grant's friends challenged Nate. It appeared they had planned of challenging Dan as well, but were undecided if it was still a good idea. Unfortunately they were still incredibly foolhardy and challenged him anyways. They made the pair of darkly dressed boys the villains. It made sense now. They wanted to prove that these two were as evil as they had claimed."Fuck. I don't think I can do that again," Dan was visibly shaking. It was obvious his powers took some sort of toll on him. Will wasn't sure what it was exactly. Then Dan added "they already know. It will only make it worse." It was so quiet Will wasn't sure he heard it correctly.Nate and Dan made their way down to the arena, Nate throwing his arm around Dan's back (he couldn't really reach the much taller man's shoulder) in a comforting and supportive gesture. He looked like he was trying to hide his discomfort.The match began with Dan standing back as a wind began to swirl through the arena. Well then, apparently Nate could control air. That was terrifying. He was glad he wasn't in that arena, that was for sure.Dan seemed to be avoiding joining in, as Nate batted away any approach the other team made toward the citizen. Then one of their opponents (Mike, Will thought) caught Nate in the side with his laser vision. The wind slowed as Nate collapsed to his knees before he regained his concentration and the wind became stronger than before. Dan looked between his friend and Mike as the latter prepared to take another shot. One second Mike was aimed at Nate, the next he was firing wildly into the air, like he was seeing opponents that weren't there. His partner (Katie, no Emily) was struggling to block her own partners attacks and the wind at the same time. The clock ran out and Mike stopped firing, the citizen was mulched, and the wind stopped. There hadn't really been a question who was going to win that fight, but as Dan and Nate made their way back up to their seats it was obvious it had taken a toll.The day ended without anyone else in the group having to fight. Will was glad for that, he may not know these people very well, he may not have liked them much up until that point, but he was starting to and he didn't want to see anyone else getting hurt, or any more negative attention drawn to them."Hey, if you two want, you could come and hang out," Phil said as they were splitting up near the buses. "Some of us were going to go bowling and then get some dinner.""That would be awesome," Layla answered smiling before Will could say anything. Warren put a hand on his shoulder and guided him to the new bus. There was no arguing if Layla had made a decision. Definitely none if Warren agreed with her.***Dan wasn't sure why Phil had decided to invite Will and Layla along to bowling, but everything seemed to be going okay. They had three lanes side by side to bowl in. Will, Layla, MatPat, Stephanie, PJ, and Sophie were in one lane; Chris, Lilly, Ethan, Tyler, and Sean were in another; and Warren, Phil, Dan, Nate, and Mark were in the last. Well they were bowling in them, people were sitting everywhere. They probably would have played wherever they felt like if so many of them weren't so competitive. In the end Tyler beat everyone with three perfect games. It was decided he wasn't really in competition though, so Mark, MatPat, and Will each won a round overall. Dan beat Phil two out of three rounds, which was really his only goal, and even managed to beat Nate on one of those rounds. He was quite proud.They went for pizza after, all crowding into the party booth near the back (made for 10-12, not 16, but no one really cared all that much). After dinner large portions of the group split off and only Warren, Will, Layla, Dan, Phil, Nate, Mark, and Tyler were left. They walked back to the apartments, chatting amicably, and Phil invited Will, Warren, and Layla in. "Let's play truth or dare," Mark suggested, grinning in a way that could only be described as sadistically."I'm in," Tyler responded."What are we, twelve?" Dan asked, sarcasm sharp as ever."I think it'll be fun," Phil said. He gave Dan puppy eyes and he couldn't help but cave. If Phil wanted to play the childish game, he'd join in."I'm game," Nate said, taking a seat next to Dan on the couch."Sounds like fun," Layla said, taking a seat on the arm of a chair as she pulled Will into it."Fine," Warren said when everyone looked at him, taking the remaining empty arm chair.Mark pulled an empty pop bottle out of the recycling and placed in on the coffee table. "I'll go first," he said, spinning the bottle. It landed on Warren and Mark turned on the older man. "Truth or Dare Warren?""Dare," Warren grinned. He actually looked as sadistic as Mark."I dare you to crank call coach Boomer.""Easy," Warren grabbed the phone off of the counter and dialed. No one knew what he actually said because it was exclusively in mandarin. To be fair, no one said he had to speak English, and it was probably even more confusing for coach Boomer. If the resulting shouting wasn't proof enough of that."Mandarin? Impressive," Mark admitted, taking his seat. Warren spun the bottle, which landed on Phil."Phil, truth or dare?""Truth.""What is the most embarrassing thing you believed when you were a kid?""Oh that's hard," Phil said thoughtfully. "There are so many, it's so hard to choose. Maybe believing if you hugged someone wrong you could get them pregnant, or that women gave birth through their belly buttons, or that my grandmother was some sort of fire demon and that was why she smoked."That earned a good laugh from all around the room."Alright, my turn," Phil announced. Standing up he spun the bottle, which landed on Layla. "Layla, Truth or Dare?""Truth, I think," she answered shifting forward."Would you rather eat a cat or fuck a duck?""What kind of question is that? Also did you just swear?" Mark asked laughing."My question, and yes because it wouldn't rhyme if I didn't," Phil answered, looking a little proud of himself. Dan couldn't help but smile at his best friends antics."I don't know, I really don't want to do either. But eating a cat seems slightly less traumatizing so I think I'm going to have to go with that," Layla answered. She then got up and spun the bottle herself."Dare," Tyler said the moment the bottle landed on him."I dare you to put five ice cubes into your underwear and let them melt.""Shit, you're hardcore Layla," Tyler said as he got up. He went to the kitchen and filled a glass with some ice before coming back. He picked out five and dropped them down the front of his pants. The high pitched noises he made as the ice melted in his underwear made everyone laugh. Once the ice had all melted he took his turn spinning the bottle. "Truth or Dare Will?""Dare.""Wear Layla's lipstick for the rest of the night.""Easy," Will said as Layla handed him a brown lipstick out of her purse. He applied it poorly and then took his turn spinning. "Alright then, Dan truth or dare?""Truth," Dan answered. "I don't feel like moving.""Alright, how did you do whatever you did to Grant."Dan frowned briefly, then hoped nobody noticed. How to answer that. Vague, vague will work. "I can put things into people's heads, so I planted love in his head and then the kind of overwhelming feelings of guilt that would go along with being responsible for the death of a loved one.""Wow, that sounds really complicated. How did you get so good with your powers so quickly?"Dan knew it was an inevitable follow up. It didn't change the fact that his chest got tight and he started to feel nauseous. He could do this, it was going to be fine. Will, Layla, and Warren were going to figure out sooner or later that Dan was a monster. It was a little too late to turn back now."You know how Royal Pain abducted us, right?" Will nodded. Phil noticed the changes in Dan's voice he was trying to hide and wrapped an arm around the back of the couch, just low enough to touch Dan's shoulders. It was a little comforting. "Well it wasn't all at once. She collected us one or two at a time, and triggered powers before collecting the next. She wanted to make sure he machine worked and that we weren't all going to end up too weak to be worth the effort. Phil and I were the first people she took." He paused, that was the easiest part of the story, now came the hard bit.Nate seemed to sense Dan was having a hard time and filled in a chunk of the story, "she collected people in order of likelihood of success, at least that's what she told us, so she picked up Dan and Phil first, who each had a grandparent with powers, then Mark and I a couple days later, we had a pair of great-grandparents each, then Tyler, Lilly, and MatPat a few days after that, each have one great-grandparent, then the hero support all had a generation or two farther back and were picked up at roughly the same time a week or so later.""The first day we were there she strapped us into this machine," Phil continued. Dan tried to breathe deeply, he knew he was going to have to tell the next part. "I don't really know how to describe it. It was excruciating, it felt like I was being ripped apart and sewn back together all at once, like burning and cold and knives everywhere. I'm not sure how long it lasted but it felt like forever, then I blacked out. When I woke up I was in a bed and Dan was in another on the other side of the room but something felt off, like there was something in my head that wasn't there before."Dan took over, "her machine told her what power was activated, so she told us what we could do and then told us to practice. She wanted to see if the powers were up to standard. Phil's was easy, he just practiced making things. Mine was not, I needed someone to practice on, so she brought in one of the guards." Dan paused again looking down. This time Nate placed a hand over his and Mark moved behind him to put a hand on his shoulder. "We got good quickly, apparently we still got the inherent awareness of how to use our powers that people who manifest normally get. What we didn't know was the extent of them." Dan's voice got quiet."What happened to the guard?""He... he lost his mind. Severe psychosis. The brain is incredibly plastic, if something stays too long it will adapt to it, depending what I plant it takes different amounts of time, hallucinations take the longest, then feelings, then memories, then delusions. He wound up with problems, because I couldn't take out something I didn't put in," Dan stared at his lap. That wasn't the worst of it but it was pretty bad. When the first guard had lost it she'd just brought him a new one."oh.""When we woke up Dan and Phil had finished practicing, she had them help us, then tested all of us before she went to get more subjects. Phil and I had it easy because we could use our powers in an empty room to show her how we'd progressed," Nate continued."Dan had to plant something in a guard's brain and leave it there while I body switched with the guard," Mark added. "It stuck, even when the guard was in my body. Dan's really good. Also his power is impossible to use if you don't know it inside and out." At the confused looks he clarified, "I had to switch bodies with all three of them at one stage to see if I could use someone else's powers by borrowing their body. I could make things but they were never corporeal as Phil, I could get a wind going but with nowhere near the precision Nate can, but I couldn't successfully use Dan's. Everything I tried to plant got rejected by the mind because it didn't fit properly.""After the test Dan stopped using his powers, it made him uncomfortable," understatement of the year award to Phil. " The four of us got pretty close in those first few days.""Tyler, MatPat, and Lilly showed up the next day so the focus was on them. They took a little longer to train up, but when they had it down and had been tested the rest got collected," Mark continued."A few days later we got our chance to escape. We heard the fighting, so MatPat asked what was happening and we found out the Commander and Jet Stream were there. That they were going to try to save us. A couple of guards starting trying to move us at Stitches' orders. We figured it was our only chance, so we fought back," Nate said. "Refused to move. Phil blocked us in. The Commander and Jet Stream arrived and were fighting with the guards when..."Dan continued where Nate paused, "I saw Stitches get the jump on Jet Stream. He had some sort of ray pointed directly at her and was about to fire. I don't remember exactly what I shoved in his head, it was a lot, he lost it. Too many things all at once. We were pulled away before I had a chance to take them back." Dan mumbled the last bit into his lap."I remember hearing about that," Layla said suddenly. "They said he finally snapped. When he was returned to his prison cell he started muttering and screaming and pacing.""Yeah," Dan said, not looking up. "He scratched off large portions of the skin on his arms within a couple of days and died after about a week.""Oh.""Hey," Phil whispered, bumping Dan's shoulder. "You are not a monster. You're not evil. It was an accident, that's all." Phil was wrong, it was definitely Dan's fault and he was dangerous. He wished he could believe the things Phil said, but they simply weren't true."He's right you know," Nate added. Dan shook his head and frowned. "He is.""They're right, you are no more evil than any of the rest of us," Mark hugged Dan around the shoulders from behind the couch. "So stop arguing about it.""Do you think I'm evil?" Warren asked suddenly."No, of course not," Dan answered, looking up at him."I hurt a few people before I got a handle on my powers. A couple kids in middle school were trying to beat me up when I got my powers, all of them wound up in the hospital with severe burns, one of them needed donor skin grafts from his brother. If I'm not a monster, then you certainly aren't.""I... I'm sorry," Dan stared back down at his lap."You have nothing to be sorry for.""I'm sorry you guys went through all of that," Layla piped up. "I never really thought about how hard it would be to learn to control some powers.""I'm sorry. I should have listened before judging. I'm sorry for making you use your powers today Dan," Will added."You didn't know. I just hope I pulled it out in time. Love is hard because there are a lot of components, some of them attach faster and deeper than others." Fuck, Dan felt like there was a ton of Bricks on his chest, he needed to change the subject now. So he leaned forward and spun the bottle. Warren put a hand on his forearm and nodded as he pulled back. The hand was warm and oddly comforting. Maybe Warren was right. "Okay, truth or dare Nate."***Everything was different that morning. Now, not only did he understand the new students better, but everyone else had gained the knowledge of what Dan and Nate could do. The usual birth given to the 'Pain powers' (Will was going to have to come up with something else to call them now) was now wider, rumors were swirling of every variety.At lunch Layla and Will sat at a rather large table next to Warren. When Magenta, Ethan, and Zach came in to the cafeteria they looked at Will like he'd grown another head, but took seats across (well, on a bit of a diagonal really) from him (next to Tyler) none the less. The five of them got more looks from the rest of the school, Will swore everyone was judging him one way or another. He wasn't sure if he actually cared. He did, because he didn't like being watched. He hated feeling judged. He desperately wanted to be liked and fit in."Everyone's staring aren't they?"Will wasn't entirely sure who spoke, he wasn't paying enough attention. Whoever it was spoke exactly what Will was thinking. He nodded, more to himself than anyone in particular, and sighed."They're giving the table a wider berth than usual too," Warren was speaking this time. After he said it, Will noticed it. Apparently, for all his attention to the people staring he had missed that they were walking well out of their way to avoid getting to close to their group.On an impulse Will reached across the table and placed his hand on Dan's. He didn't know what drove him to do it, he just did. Dan looked up briefly, gave Will a smile so small it hurt his chest, then looked back down. He didn't pull away his hand though, so that was good."This school is full of people with powers. No one avoids Grant, even though he could kill them with a touch. No one avoids me, even though I could accidentally crush someone. I don't understand what all of their problems are," Will frowned."It's the fact that the threat is now openly powerful. It's no different to the people who avoid me," Warren answered. It was matter of fact but contained a hint of resentment and sadness. It was at that point Will remembered, Warren had always been sitting alone when Will arrived at sky high. Even in the gymnasium people would give him a rather wide berth. It was no wonder Warren had become friends with the group. They were just like him."If they can't see that you're awesome, that's their loss."It would have likely been a better comfort if Grant and friends hadn't walked into the cafeteria in that moment. Dan tensed right up and pulled his hands off the table, staring straight at his lap. Will immediately changed the topic, to the first thing that popped into his head."So, cheese is good hey?" Well that was just plain stupid, but it made Phil laugh, which then made Dan huff out half of a laugh. Okay maybe this could work. "I like cheddar myself, maybe Swiss too, how about you Phil?""I hate cheese," Phil answered, still laughing."How can you hate cheese?!?" The response was incredulous and came in a few voices, including Zach's which made Will smile at the normalcy."It's disgusting. It all tastes like feet," Phil answered, crossing his arms defensively."It's official, British people are nuts," Zach said."Hey, don't lump all of us in together, I like cheese just fine. Phil's just weird," PJ argued."He is," Dan added quietly. "Very.""Hey, I'm not the weirdo who started a conversation around a terrible footy food," Phil said."True, Will, was that really the best you could come up with? Cheese?" Magenta jumped in."Hey, I thought it was a perfectly fine topic of conversation," this time it was Will crossing his arms defensively."My point exactly," Phil looked smug."Okay, so both of you are weird," Warren deadpanned. "Is this really new information?""No, it really isn't," Layla laughed.***Dan was hoping for a normal, unassuming day. So far he'd been stared at and avoided. It was more than normal, but not by enough to make him additionally uncomfortable. Okay, maybe it was. He wasn't just a curiosity anymore. He just really hoped there were no permanent effects from his use of power the previous day. As his luck would have it, there was only one."Yo, freak. Where the hell are you going?" He'd been on his way to the washroom when he heard Mike shouting from behind him. Shit. He should have known better than to go alone. He should have listened when Phil offered to come with him, but here he is. He knew there was no point in running. Mike had laser vision and Emily had energy shields, there was no way he was getting far. Maybe he could pretend he hadn't heard them and keep walking normally."Hey!" Fuck. Emily had thrown up a shield directly in front of him. "Mike just asked you where you were going, freak."If he weren't afraid, he likely would have chuckled at their terrible word skill. Freak was not even the tiniest bit original, and where are you going isn't exactly the most interesting question. They clearly had little to no practice at picking on people. As it was, he really just wanted them to leave him alone. He wanted Phil or Nate or Warren or someone to be there to help him. He desperately didn't want to have to use his powers, but he also didn't want to end up a victim. He wasn't really cut out for Martyrdom."Answer him," one of the other's said. Dan didn't know his name, but when he was hit with a quick shock of electricity he decided he would need to learn it. The boy was pretty much a human tazer, that was painful."I was going to the washroom. Why? Do you need directions?" Damn his tongue. That sarcasm was going to get him killed by the worst group of villains ever."What the hell did you do to Grant yesterday?" back to Mike, it seemed he was in charge of the little group. Interesting, it hadn't crossed Dan's mind that Grant wasn't the leader type before but he definitely wasn't. Huh. The things you notice while being cornered."What does it matter?" Okay, not answering their questions was definitely not a good idea. Being sassy wasn't a good idea either. That answer had earned him another shock. "I put things in his head, and then took them back out. That's all."Dan figured he had three options: 1) let them do whatever they came here to do and hope something would prevent them from killing him, 2) use his powers and hope he didn't make things worse (unlikely), 3) try and get someone's attention to come and save him. He couldn't figure out how to pull off number 3, he was too far from the cafeteria to shout and too far from the nearest fire alarm to pull it. He really didn't want to use his powers if he could help it, especially since they'd likely only make things worse. He really hoped they only planned to talk to, and taunt, him, but he doubted it. He would wait it out and only use his powers as a last resort. That seemed like the only reasonable plan. Okay, maybe not reasonable, maybe just the least insane."So, was making him love you just some sick fantasy? Do you have a thing for being hurt, freak? Or are you just so unloved that you had to make someone love you by force?"Dan considered denying it, claiming he had no idea where the declaration of love had come from, claiming he'd only planted the guilt. Then he thought better of it. They were definitely going to trust Grant over him, a comment like that wouldn't help his case. He wondered himself, for a moment. It had just struck him as the best solution, he had no idea why. Sure, it was less likely to drive the other boy insane if he couldn't pull it all back out than most other things, but that wasn't really the reason was it? He realized he'd been thinking for too long, the group had moved closer. In that moment he decided keeping his mouth shut was worth the risk. There was no way any answer was going to help his case, his best bet was not to give one. The next shock was longer, he clenched his jaw against it. If he was going to let them hurt him he certainly wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of letting them see it. When he didn't speak or react he was shocked again, harder this time. He held fast. There was no good way out of this, there really wasn't.The next shock was severe enough to leave his mouth tasting of iron. If the human tazer was going to be the only person attacking him, he might make it out of this one relatively unscathed. Unfortunately, that was incredibly unlikely. That might be an understatement.Someone got tired of waiting for a response and punched him, hard, in the stomach. He bent slightly, before forcing himself back upright. He set his jaw and forced back the taste of bile in his throat. He could deal with this. Let them get it out of their systems. Maybe this would be the end of it. He could hope, even if he didn't believe it himself."What? Too good to fight back? or too weak?" He didn't hear whatever else was said as another shock ran through his body, causing his ears to ring.Three more hits came in quick succession, knocking him to the ground. This was followed by several kicks to the stomach, chest, back, and arms (which he, fortunately, had the presence of mind to put up in front of his face. He was, he had to admit, a little proud he had managed not to make a sound.He was pulled up to his knees by his arms, and punched square in the face and chest by Mike. He felt his lip split and his cheek start to swell. He unconsciously reached out for anyone with his mind. The first brain he found that didn't belong to his attackers wasn't too far away. This might work. He planted a suspicion that something was happening nearby that was worth investigating and then let go. He hoped desperately that whoever it was would help.He was distracted by another shot to the face that left him sprawled on the ground again. He heard a crack as he took another kick to the chest, just as he saw a familiar face turn the corner. It was Zach. He still had the presence of mind to pull the plant out of Zach's head. After that he wasn't quite sure what happened. Zach started shouting, and most of the group ran off. Grant paused to bend and touch his face before following. Then there was nothing but pain. It felt like he was burning from the inside out. He wasn't sure he'd survive this one.***Dan was on the ground when Will caught up to Zach. His breathing was weak at best and was bleeding from his lip and a split in his eyebrow. There was also blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Well that wasn't good. Will stood on instinct to catch Warren before he could run off after the group."Dan first, then we go together." It was brief and exactly what Warren needed to hear. They needed to get Dan taken care of first. Then they could make them pay. But first, Dan.Dan wasn't responding. Zach had returned with backup. Nothing Warren or Will said garnered any change. Phil had staggered back and was currently trying to focus enough to make a stretcher. His hands were visibly shaking and he looked like he was holding back tears. Nate was holding Dan's head and ensuring air was moving in and out of his lungs, while also being careful not to make any of his injuries worse. Phil finally got a stretcher to work and took one of Dan's hands as Tyler and Mark shifted him to it. Nate took the other hand and continued to focus on Dan's breathing. Mark and Tyler lifted the stretcher, declaring it made more sense for Will and Warren to act as guards and make sure they all made it to the nurse.Zach had run ahead to the nurses office and let her know they were coming. When they arrived the door was already open and they were ushered into the room. They set the stretcher on the bed and Phil let it go. The nurse began scanning him immediately. He had three broken ribs, but the rest of the bones were just bruised. His organs showed some swelling and bruising which concerned the nurse, but her attention was quickly drawn by whatever Grant had done before running."His immune system is killing him from the inside out. I can give him immunosuppressant's but it's being caused by some sort of virus, I can't tell what, so they might just make it worse." The nurse was looking thoughtfully at the boy on her table. "What happened!" Principle Powers, Coach Boomer, and Mr. Medulla were in the doorway.Zach explained what he saw as calmly as he could manage. He may not know these people, but Will was sure his friend was still angry. Nate was still focused on helping Dan breath so Mark added the information about the previous attack. The nurse then explained the illness. By the end Warren's hands were smoking, Phil was crying, Tyler and Mark were clenching their jaws, and fists, and most of the adults in the room looked ill."I have an idea, it's incredibly dangerous but we don't really have time to try to catch Grant and force him to reverse his actions," the nurse said, staring at Warren's hands. "How precise is your control Warren?""What do you mean?" "That might just work, if it's quick enough," Mr. Medulla muttered."What might work?""Then again, he didn't get his powers naturally, he may not be able to handle it," the mad scientist argued with himself."Handle what?""Mr. Sharp, have you got any lasting damage from the laser you took to the chest yesterday?" The nurse obviously understood where Mr. Medulla was going. Will had no idea if he was honest."None," Nate answered quickly."It just might work. If nothing else it won't kill him any faster than whatever's already happening," Mr. Medulla nodded. "As long as Mr. Peace can get his temper under control.""What might work? What does this have to do with me?" Warren was careful to keep his tone neutral."People get a fever when they're sick because their body is trying to kill the virus, which is temperature sensitive. We think you might be able to burn the virus out quickly before it can do any more damage," the nurse explained. "It has to be quick, you will have to burn the virus out of his blood, while trying to prevent the fire from doing further damage. You won't have long.""I can help a little," Nate added from his spot by Dan's head. "I can limit the oxygen to his blood for a minute or so, try to prevent anything else from catching. Hold the carbon dioxide directly at the edges of the veins and arteries.""You have that specific of control, individual molecules?" Mr. Medulla looked impressed."I had a lot of time doing nothing but practicing and honing my power," he responded quietly."How hot does it need to be?" Warren asked.The nurse collected a small amount of blood on a swab and had Warren burn it. "There, that temperature. It's all gone.""Okay," Warren walked over to Dan, still frowning. "You sure this won't just kill him faster?""No, but it is the only chance of keeping him alive."Warren frowned again before placing his hand on Dan's chest. Both Nate and Warren were concentrating. Warren's jaw was clenched and Nate's eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Dan had stopped breathing, and it seemed the room was joining him in holding their breath. The moment stretched on as the only noticeable change was the shift in Warren and Nate's muscles as they worked. Will would later swear it had been hours, certainly not seconds. Everyone was staring, watching closely, praying to whoever would listen that it would work. Dan had to be okay, he just had to. Will swore, mostly to himself, that if he didn't make it through, maybe even if he did, he would make Mike and Grant and everyone else in that group pay. They would suffer the wrath of Stronghold, and he had no doubt that he would not be alone.After what felt like an eternity, but was likely less than a minute, Warren removed his hands from Dan's chest. He stayed close by but did back off slightly. Dan started breathing again, with Nate's help. Nate and Warren both looked worn out, but remained vigilant none the less. The nurse began checking Dan over. She placed several ice packs around and on the unconscious boy, and then began wrapping a bandage around his chest to set the broken ribs. She made quick work of his chest and then set up an IV (since when did the school nurse have an IV? Seriously, had she always had it? Had it been used before?) with anti-inflammatory medications and saline, she said it was to keep the fever stint from leaving him dehydrated. "It looks like it's all gone, and it doesn't look like there's further damage yet, but only time will tell for sure. Whether or not he wakes up will all depend on how he heals, there are too many problems crossing each other at the moment for me to tell for sure.""We'll need to collect his attackers," Will had almost forgotten principle powers was there until that moment. "I know it's a lot to ask, but please don't use more force than necessary, I'd hate to have to punish you as well." With that she left the room, followed closely by Coach Boomer. Mr Medulla left shortly after, nodding to the nurse before he went. They had just been given permission, sure it wasn't to exact vengeance per say, but they were responsible for collecting their friend's attackers, bringing them in for their punishment. That would have to be enough."Go ahead, I have an oxygen tank and mask, I'll get him hooked up and he'll be fine. Just try not to get yourselves killed. If he wakes up and you're hurt because of him, he won't forgive himself." No one commented on the double meaning of the if.Warren briefly placed his hand on Dan's shoulder, before turning toward the door, jaw set. Nate ran a hand over Dan's hair before following Warren out of the room. Mark squeezed Dan's arm on his way past and out the door with Tyler. Phil paused, sliding a hand over the side of Dan's face and whispering something Will couldn't quite catch, before giving his hand one last squeeze and walking out the door. Will watched as the taller man set his jaw and wiped the tears from his cheeks as he walked. "You better wake up, these people love you and need you, so you better wake up. I may not know you very well but I know that much. I'll make sure they come back if you make sure you're okay, deal?" Will wasn't really expecting an answer but he felt he needed to say it anyways."We'll keep an eye on him dude, you go kick some ass," Zach said quietly from his spot in the corner. Will smiled and nodded before following the rest of the group.Lunch had ended while they were in the nurse's office, so they started by checking the class they were supposed to be in next. The class was half empty, none of Mike's crew were there. They did a quick search of the school and found nothing."They must have left, where could they have gone?"Will had an idea, so he led the group out to where the buses parked. "Hey Ron, did you see a group of students leaving? It wouldn't have been too long ago.""I did, they were talking about some place safe, something about Pat's parent's mansion. Why? Did something happen?" Ron looked concerned."They tried to kill a friend," Will answered as calmly as he could."Get in," he gestured to the bus behind him. "I know where that mansion is and it will be faster.""Thanks Ron.""Anything for you Will Stronghold."The six of them piled into the bus and Ron flew it off the edge of the school. It was ten minutes or so later when the bus landed, followed by another ten minutes drive to pull up in front of Pat's mansion. It felt so much longer. No one spoke. They didn't really need a plan, and none of them trusted their own voices. "Good luck, I'll be here," Ron said while opening the door."Thanks Ron."The odd and mismatched group stepped off of the bus. They didn't speak, but all moved in unison. Apparently they had developed enough of an understanding of each other to be in perfect step.They were surprised to find there was nothing preventing them from entering the house. No traps, or guards, just an open pathway to the front door. Sure, they hadn't had a lot of time to prepare, but it was odd that they hadn't done anything. Maybe they weren't really here. There were no other leads, so the least they could do was check."What do we do? Walk into someone's house, without announcing ourselves, at the risk of the group not being here. Taking the chance of breaking into someone's house, which may well be occupied, for no reason. Or, ring the doorbell at the risk of alerting them to our presence," Mark asked.Will shook his head, there really wasn't an answer to this. They just had to take their chances with one option or the other. "Ring the doorbell, give them a chance to give up. It would be worse to break in for nothing than alert them. Besides, if we give them a chance, they're more likely to fight back," Warren said, ending with a smirk.Will couldn't help but chuckle. Warren was absolutely right, but it was still funny. The matching grins on several other faces within the group were so perfectly timed that they could have been scripted.Will was voted as the one to go ring the doorbell. It made sense. He was the one least likely to raise suspicion. He walked up to the front door and rang the bell. There was no answer, then some shuffling, then some shouting, and still no answer at the door. They were definitely here. They definitely weren't going to come out with their arms up. Guess it's time to go in.Will tried the door once, it was definitely locked. Of course. It would have been too easy. He was about to shove harder, but then Phil put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. He held on to the door handle for a moment before a key appeared in the lock. He turned it with a click and the door swung open easily."Wow, gotta remember that one. Way less clean up," Will laughed, clapping Phil on the shoulder."Not exactly something I advertise," Phil said calmly.Will nodded. It made sense. He turned and walked through the door, immediately followed by the remaining five. They walked forward and toward the nearest source of noise. They reached a door. It sounded like there were people behind it but they didn't know who, or how prepared they were."My turn," Mark said. He went 'dazed' for a few seconds before returning. Apparently, if he's fast enough, the person he possesses won't notice, it just feels like a bit of a dizzy spell. The more you know. "It's just Emily and the human tazer back there. The rest must be somewhere else. They can't hear us out here. Something about protecting the room from the sounds of the front hall. Emily was worried about people sneaking up because of it.""Alright, we need a plan of some sort.""No shit, we can't get past Emily if she sets up a shield but I don't think any of us are tazer proof either," Warren said, looking around."I could take one of them, but which? Also you guys are going to have to deal with them in my body if they figure out what's going on," Mark pointed out. "There is some residual of the person that travels with them, so they will still be able to use a very small portion of their own powers.""Emily, I can hold you back easily, but not if Brady is in there shocking me. Take Emily, she won't be able to block us," Will responded."Okay, I'll keep him in the room as best I can," Mark said as he and Will stepped to the side of the hall, out of the way. "Try not to damage the body, yeah?""I will."Mark was gone again. Emily seemed pretty out of it to start with, easily held in Wills arms. It wasn't until the rest had entered the room that she figured out what was going on. She struggled against Will's grip, but it was useless. Even with Mark's added muscle, she had no chance at escaping. Will heard a scuffle in the room, a shout, and then a thunk that Will dearly hoped was Pat. Then Mark was back, tapping Will's arm calmly."Phil, are you okay?" Will could hear Nate calling across the other room."What happened to Phil?""He took a shot from Brady, Warren caught the edge of it but most of it hit Phil in the chest," Mark explained as they ran into the room. Brady was on the ground a few feet from the door, he had a few minor burns in his clothes, but had a growing bump in the middle of his forehead. There was a bookend on the ground next to him, so Will could only assume Tyler had gotten in the final shot. On the other side of the room Emily was out cold. It looked like Nate had knocked her out as soon as Mark left her body, judging by his position in the room and her lack of bruising. "I'm good guys," Phil said, pushing up off the Wall. "I'm fine." He looked a little unsteady, which was understandable. Will had been on the receiving end of one of Brady's more powerful shots before, it hurt."What are we going to do with them. It's not like we can leave them here to sneak up behind us when they wake up," Tyler said."Hang on," Phil said. A few seconds later there was a bubble floating in the middle of the room. "Sound proofed and ready to follow. Just shove them in and we can keep going."Will took that as instructions for him. He picked up Brady's unconscious body and pushed him into the bubble. He then moved across the room and collected Emily as well.Nate paused and touched the bubble for a moment, "I'm adding a bit of nitrous, keep them unconscious so they can't cause problems." At a look from Will, he amended. "It's not enough to hurt them, just to keep them knocked out. They'll be fine."They continued through the open door towards the quiet shuffling further into the building. As they got closer Will could hear whispering. "What if they go a different way? Or Brady and Emily can't stop them? What if it's The Commander and Jet Stream? Or Principle Powers came?""We don't even know that anyone came in, they might just have wrung the doorbell and then left when no one answered.""What if Peace comes and just burns this place down around us?""All of you need to calm down. If the place was on fire the alarms would go off, and we haven't heard anything yet so I doubt they've even reached Brady and Emily. Everything's fine."Will caught Warren's smirk as he walked up to the nearest smoke detector and held a burning hand under it until it started screaming."Shit, Warren is here!""We're fine. He can't take all of us."This time it was Nate who smirked. He nodded to Warren and then a wind started winding its way through the house. It was slow, then it was whipping around (ignoring them, Will's amazement at Nate's control was never going to cease) at noticeable speeds, moving curtains and even some of the shelves and tables slightly."Shit, the other emo kid's here too. Fuck, what if they're all here?""It's fine. Stop panicking."Mark held up five fingers and pointed at the door ahead of them. So the other five were in there. This would be the last of it. Phil nodded and turned to the door. This room wasn't sound proofed from the hall this time, they couldn't really plan. They were just going to have to go in and try their best. At least with Brady and Emily down, they had the numbers now. Phil tested the door slowly, it was locked. He used the same key trick he had on the first door. Will stepped forward to stand directly in front of the opening door, he figured he could comfortably take whatever they could throw at the newly opened door.He was glad he did, full strength laser eyes straight into the chest was not something a lot of people could walk towards. He heard someone cursing as he continued to walk straight towards Mike, paying no heed to the laser that had put a hole in the front of his shirt. He was flanked by a pair of lions as he continued to walk forward, both of which leapt towards Mike, forcing him to avert his attention from Will. He saw someone move to attack him at the edge of his periphery and immediately be hit in the side of the head by a flying object. (Will wasn't looking closely enough to see precisely what it was.) He continued forward. He reached Mike as Pat was pinned against the nearest wall by Nate. By that point the lions had disappeared. The first punch put Mike into the wall. He could hear Grant trying to fight off snarling animals, Phil was not holding back, if the sounds coming from that side of the room were anything to go by. Mike dislodged himself from the wall and was immediately knocked back into it with another punch. Will saw Pat fall to the ground unconscious. Then Mike followed. Will turned in time to see Grant knocked out by a boa constrictor. Damn, Phil really was angry. Will looked around the room to see there wasn't anyone left standing. Wow. That took a lot less than Will thought it would. Seriously. Brady and Emily took more effort than the entire rest of their group. Why the heck did they all split up anyways? How did that make sense? Now they've lost, at least in part because they didn't take advantage of their own numbers. If they'd stuck together they might have presented even the tiniest of challenges. Wow.***The first thing Dan noticed when he woke up was that he was incredibly thirsty. The second thing he noticed was that everything hurt. The third was that he was in the nurse's office, hooked up to an IV and oxygen mask. Fuck."He's awake!"Fuck, that was too fucking loud. Fuck. Everything hurts. Fuck. Obviously he visibly flinched, because Nate suddenly got much quieter."Hey Dan, how are you feeling?"Fucking stupid questions. They're fucking stupid. Fuck off with the fucking stupid questions. Dan doesn't even want to move, let alone speak. His throat hurts so much he's not sure he can actually speak at this point anyways. He really just wants a glass of water, and then to be shot so everything will stop hurting."Hey, it's okay. I'm going to grab you a glass of water, okay?"Dan was amazed that Nate somehow knew what he was thinking. Not only that he was irritated by the question, but also that he needed water. When did Nate learn to read minds."Dan, you're awake. God I was so worried. I'm so glad you're awake. Oh my god," Phil sounded like he'd been crying.Nate brought over a glass of water and helped Dan sit up to drink it. That's when Dan realized that the room was full of people. Phil, Nate, Mark, Tyler, Warren, and Will were all in the room. Fuck. He had worried all these people, he had inconvenienced all these people. He was touched that so many people cared, but fuck he wished he could stop being weak and needing to be worried about. Fuck."Hey, it's okay. Don't worry about us. We're all here because we want to be." Seriously, when did Nate learn to read minds. Seriously. What the actual fuck. He sipped at the cold water. His throat felt a little better."When did you learn to read minds?" His voice was still rough but the question brought a smile to most of the faces around him. At least he could still do that much."I just pay attention," Nate laughed. "Also I figured I'd be thinking the same things." Dan nodded."He's right though. Don't feel bad, we are all here because we want to be. We're just glad you're okay," Mark added.Dan stood up slowly, everything still ached but he didn't want to be pitied anymore. He didn't want people to worry anymore. He didn't want to be weak anymore. He was fine. "What exactly happened after you guys showed up?"The story was retold quickly. He frowned and sighed and laughed and generally tried to remain calm. He couldn't believe how much these people had cared. That they had not only saved him, but also fought on his behalf. He was also incredibly angry that Grant had outright tried to kill him. There was no forgiving that. None at all."I... thanks," Dan looked down at his hands."You'd have done it for any of us. Have done it for some of us," Tyler replied."I don't think I ever saved anyone's lives directly.""As I recall, you stopped a pissed off guard from killing Mark, you saved everyone from the tornado the first night Nate had a nightmare, you got us all out of that place. Those are just some examples," was Phil's response."Those weren't big deals," Dan mumbled quietly toward the floor. He didn't see why they were making a big deal out of it. Literally anyone would have done it. Anyone could have done it. He just happened to be the first to act. They had done some pretty extreme shit to save him."They were big deals to us," Dan couldn't help the flush across his face at Nate's response.***"Where were you guys? You disappeared at lunch yesterday, where have you been for the last 20 hours?" Magenta's confusion was understandable. Layla and Ethan were paying close attention, clearly an explanation was necessary."I was in the nurse's office," Zach answered. Will could have sworn it was Warren answering from Zach's body, it sounded to matter of fact and bored."What happened? Where were you two? Why didn't anyone tell us?" Will picked out a few questions, but everyone was shouting at once. It was, at least partially, a game of estimation."I'm fine, I wasn't the one who got hurt. I just did all the running for help. And stayed behind to help the nurse, didn't think I'd be much help catching people," Zach had his hands up defensively. Will shook his head, he definitely raised more questions than he answered."Grant and Mike tried to kill Dan, Warren and Nate saved him. We went after the group, fought them, caught them all, then brought them back here, where they are now in the detention room. Then Dan woke up late last night." Will tried to keep it as concise as possible. He tried to keep everyone as calm as possible. Warren was still radiating heat, had been since the whole thing had started, but at least he wasn't smoking, or openly burning."That's... that's," Layla seemed to be lost for words."Fucked up?" Warren offered."That sounds about right," Magenta said."How did no one notice they were... how did they get away with...""No one noticed Royal Pain either. In this case, everyone was too happy to believe Dan and friends were evil, leaving Grant a victim." Warren answered calmly. "Even now there are going to be people who claim Dan's somehow at fault, that he made them do it to avert suspicion for Royal Pain." How was Warren remaining so damn calm? Sure he had a lot more practice, but that shouldn't make that much difference. He was so matter of fact it was actually disconcerting. "Which is why we need to speak up for them, and defend them. Dan is a hero, nothing less," Will was a little surprised Zach was the one to speak up. He wasn't any less right though.***"You wanted to speak with me Principle Powers?""Yes Mr. Howell, come in. As you know, the people who attacked you are being tried today, you and your friends are required to attend.""I thought so.""Don't worry Mr. Howell. The trial is mostly a formality, there is no real question as to their guilt.""Okay.""I wanted you to be prepared, they face life in prison.""About that, I had an idea."***The trial was quick. There was a pile of evidence against Mike and friends. There were several witnesses, camera evidence, blood samples, it was perfect proof. Everything went exactly the way Will expected it, right up until the end."You have all been found guilty of attempted murder of a fellow student, aggravated assault, and reckless use of power. You should be sentenced to life in prison, however, you will be offered a choice. Choose wisely, you may either spend the rest of your life in prison, or, you may give up your powers and knowledge of sky high and heroes to return to a normal life."What? 1- since when could anyone do that? 2- why were they giving these monsters a choice? 3- how on earth could the latter be accomplished?"You are fortunate that the student you attacked is not only powerful, but also merciful."Dan. Dan had made the offer. Dan was looking straight ahead at Principle Powers and nodding. Dan had given his attackers, the people who almost killed him, a second chance. Dan was too good for his own good."Have you all decided?""Yes, we would all like to select the second option.""Okay, you will all be returned to your holding cells to await further action. That brings us to the end of today's proceedings."Will thought about it. It would have been a hard choice. Choose between freedom and power. Losing something that is inherently a part of your DNA or spending the entirety of your adult life in prison. In the end, Will thinks he would have chosen the same. He still wasn't sure how this was going to happen.***Dan took his time with each person. He built up the memories slowly, covering his tracks as he went. He made sure each delusion, each memory, each thought took completely before moving forward. Slowly but surely he convinced each of their brains that they had never had powers to begin with. That they had been stories, made up as a kid on the play ground and then dreamed about. He convinced their brains so deeply that power had never been present, that the connection with their power was severed. It took a while but he had to be thorough. Better to be too careful than risk the brain rejecting the plants.Finally he was done. He was also exhausted but that was neither here nor there. By the time he had finished the last one, the first one's brain should have started changing to account for the new information, so he went back to check how everything was sitting. It was perfectly clean.The next test was to have Mark possess them and try to use their powers. He knew they should be there and would be able to tell if they had a chance of reconnecting, if there was still a connection left. Every person passed that test with flying colours as well. Dan had convinced the brains that the powers didn't exist, so they ceased to exist.Finally, Stephanie came through and soothed their brains. Prevented any panic or maladjustment for their return to the real world. Their parents were warned that if they mentioned powers, or sky high, their children would believe they were delusional. They were also warned that their children may seem a little 'out of it' for a few hours. Most of them were so happy to be keeping their child that they were happy to comply with any rules given.The last anyone saw of the six, now powerless, children, were their parents leading them away from the courthouse and towards their own cars.Dan felt a brief twinge of pride. He had taken the high road, saved these kids (that's what they were really, still kids) from having their lives ruined by this mistake, but also prevented them from ever hurting anyone else the way they hurt him. He had proven he was neither powerless, nor evil. Perhaps that was enough."Hey, remember what we said about saving lives? How you keep doing it? Was proving us right really worth all that effort?" Mark asked as they walked back to the rest of the group.Dan smiled, "it really was.""Okay, who's getting sappy now?" Nate laughed."Seriously though, remind me never to piss you off. You are scary powerful dude." Dan laughed at Will's comment. "So what now?""I don't know, how about some pizza?"
10333202
The Glass Wall
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock Holmes, Eurus Holmes", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by lumixedia", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-17T00:00:00", "words": "2,050", "Additional Tags": "Mycroft Being a Good Brother, Mycroft-centric, POV Mycroft Holmes, Big Brother Mycroft, Mycroft Feels, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Issues, Siblings, Sibling Love, Canon Compliant, Angst with a Happy Ending, Post-Episode: s04e03 The Final Problem, Episode: s04e03 The Final Problem, The Final Problem, Post-The Final Problem, Story: The Final Problem", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Mycroft Holmes & Sherlock Holmes, Eurus Holmes & Mycroft Holmes, Eurus Holmes & Mycroft Holmes & Sherlock Holmes", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Cold.Hard floor.Strange tingle in the neck.Harsh light. Sherlock pointing that gun at his chin and counting down from ten. Eurus shouting "Stop that at once!" Dizziness, then nothing, then--glass wall, violin case in the corner, this is her cell. Nobody else here. Tranquilizer dart. She must have hit him too, she must have stopped him too, she said she would and she still wants to play with him, there's no way she could possibly have allowed him to die, either accidentally or deliberately. Is there? Mycroft slowly maneuvered himself into a sitting position, then a standing one.Obvious stupid thing to try, number zero: check the locks on the cell doors. They were, in fact, locked. One of the locks had had a vulnerability once, but he himself had found and fixed it.Obvious stupid thing to try, number one: scream."SHERLOCK!" Mycroft howled. Pause. No response. "DOCTOR WATSON!" Pause. No response. "ANYONE!" Pause. No response. "HELP!" Pause. No response. I was supposed to die while Sherlock and Dr. Watson moved on to the next phase of the game. I am not dead, but presumably everything else is proceeding as planned. But what could her plans be? Whatever they are, I'm not part of them. There's nothing I can do. The moment he thought there's nothing I can do, the video screen on the wall turned on."Good morning, Mycroft, you're up early!" Eurus sang. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"Mycroft spun around. The video feed was shaky and filled with background noise; Eurus appeared to be calling from a helicopter. "Where are Sherlock and Dr. Watson and what are you going to do with them?" That was obvious stupid thing to try, number two: ask."They're not at Sherrinford anymore," Eurus said, smiling. "It's back to the mainland with them. You're all alone here.""Where are you taking them?" Mycroft persisted."Why does it matter?" Eurus laughed. "Your job is to sit here and wait out the rest of the game. There's nothing you can do.""If there's nothing I can do, why don't you just tell me?""Oh, you're right," Eurus said. "That's how the stories go, isn't it? I'm supposed to tell you all about the horrors you can no longer stop, to torment you. But I don't think that's necessary. I trust your imagination will do a fine job of that all by itself." She cut the connection. Alive, but not at Sherrinford. Back to the mainland. Where? What is this all about? Sherlock. This is all about Sherlock, and the childhood they almost had together. They must be going to Musgrave. For what? Sherlock and Dr. Watson. Sherlock and Victor Trevor. Help succor me now the East Winds blow, sixteen by six and under we go. That damned well. How can it be that we went over every inch of the property with the police and never found that damned well? But of course nothing gets found if Eurus doesn't want it found, especially if she's allowed to talk to the people who are looking. I wonder if anything would be different now if I had found the well. I wonder if that would have fixed anything. Mycroft paced back and forth through the cell, waiting."Hello again, Mycroft!" The video screen turned back on. The helicopter had landed, and Eurus was exiting. "The boys are still asleep. I'm bored. Are you bored yet?"He took a deep breath. As long as she kept talking to him, he had a chance. He just had to try a different tactic. "Eurus, I'll play with you. Why not play with me? Sherlock is so slow, anyway. He'll never be clever enough for you. You might as well leave him alone.""Oh?" Eurus said, clearly unimpressed. "And what would you like to play?""Anything you want."She shook her head, sighing. "But I don't want to play with you, Mycroft. You're not like Sherlock. You're no fun.""Why not?"She sighed again, dramatically. "You just aren't. You're too afraid. Always thinking about safety, never about life. You know when you're fun? When you're locked up and helpless and you want to interfere like you always do but there's absolutely nothing you can do. Then"--a small giggle--"then, at least, you're entertaining. Your nails are going to cut your palms if you keep clenching your hands like that."Mycroft belatedly noticed the pain in his hands and forced them to relax, grimacing. "Can I at least convince you that you'll have more--fun--in the long run if you don't do them irreparable damage?"Eurus rolled her eyes. "Oh, what do you care? Sherlock was about to kill you for John Watson." She mimed a gun at the camera with her free hand and jerked it up. "Bang.""What does that have to do with anything?""Maybe it means you should worry about yourself instead of them. Just for a few minutes. I could leave you there for weeks, you know. I could leave you there forever." And with that, she cut the connection again.Mycroft rubbed his temples. There were so few things in the world that he couldn't figure out. Why, just why, did one of them have to be his only sister? Where did I go wrong? What should I have done better? Should I have paid more attention to her? I tried, but she always pushed me away. Should I have told Sherlock to pay more attention to her? Impossible, she scared him so much. Should I have been stricter? Should I have found the well earlier? He continued pacing the cell, tapping his fingers against the glass wall, re-examining all the locks. According to Sherlock, it was Eurus who'd gone to all the trouble of having the cell remodeled so that the wall could be slid aside, then installing new locks on the sliding mechanism so that it would still keep Mycroft in. All, apparently, to make some kind of convoluted point he didn't understand. Should I have risked letting her see Mum and Dad, after what she almost did to them? Impossible. Should I have transferred her away from Sherrinford, when it turns out even Sherrinford can't hold her? Impossible. Should I have denied her Moriarty, given the alternatives we were facing at the time? Impossible, impossible, impossible! He contemplated the glass with unspeakable frustration."Are you sick of it yet, Mycroft?" The screen flicked on once again. "Are you sick of being lost in the middle of the ocean?"Mycroft stared at the background of the video, at the section of wall in a long-abandoned yet still-familiar room. Eurus was at Musgrave. And her mood had changed. She looked--was it possible?--anxious. Frightened, even. It was true, she had not been happy at Musgrave all those years ago--none of them had been, once she started slipping away. Still, what could Eurus Holmes, of all people, possibly be afraid of?"This is it, Mycroft," she said, her brows pinched with nervousness. "It's all up to Sherlock now. If he fails, John Watson will drown, and the little girl will fly through the sky forever and never find land."Forever. Forever? Mycroft blinked. "You mean--you. You're the girl in the plane.""Yes!" Eurus shouted, angrily, as if he should have gotten it earlier. "I'm the girl in the plane, and all you've ever done for me is try to crash me into the ocean, away from other people who might get hurt! Well, it didn't work! People got hurt anyway! So you, you can just go rot in the little box where you left me until you sink beneath the waves! What goes around comes around!""Eurus--Eurus--" Mycroft stared at the lines of distress on his sister's face, feeling his frustration curdle into a sharper, deeper pain. He had never seen her like this, and it hurt beyond imagining. "You gave me no alternatives! You must know how hard I looked for alternatives! You must know I would have locked myself here in your place if I thought it would help you! I tried--I tried"--he was becoming slightly hysterical--"you know I tried!""I don't care if you tried!" Eurus shrieked. "That's just your problem--you always had to try! I don't care how many Stradivariuses you buy me or how often you come to my cell to pester me or how much time you spend arguing with the administrators about my comfort! You aren't the brother I want, you aren't the brother I need, and no amount of trying will change that!" The screen went black."No, no, come back! Eurus, come back!" Mycroft cried. "Please!"No response.He groaned and slid to a sitting position, leaning his side against the glass wall. It was no use shouting. She was right, anyway. Whatever it was she needed--whatever it was they needed, both of them--he didn't have it. Jailer. Archenemy. Iceberg. Reptile. Whatever he was, he was no brother. There's nothing I can do. There's nothing I've ever been able to do. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. An indeterminate amount of time passed. He leaned back, wiped his face, and closed his eyes. "Sherlock, please," he whispered to the cold ocean air. "You were always the good one."And the video screen turned on again.Eurus was standing in the middle of a forest. There were unidentifiable people making hurried, urgent noises in the background, but she looked--better. Still anxious, still lost--but in the lines of anxiety there were traces of hope."He solved it," she said, softly, wonderingly. "He said he can help me."Mycroft was instantly on his feet, his heart pounding. "Sherlock and Dr. Watson--""They're fine." She looked down, away from the camera. "I'm sorry.""What?""I'm sorry for always being angry with you. It's not your fault we were born on opposite sides of a glass wall." She raised her eyes again. "Don't stop visiting me."It was hard to speak, hard to think, with the jumble of emotion--relief, and worry, and the old, still-harsh pain--bouncing around in his mind. "As much as you want," he managed. "But you said you didn't care.""I was lying," Eurus said, almost affectionately, and hung up for the final time.  Several weeks later. "Write something for us next time," Sherlock said.They were on the beach at Sherrinford, having slipped away from their parents in the dining hall. The wind whipped across the sand like it always did, and the waves crashed orchestrally against the rocks."What?""I'm not going to waste my time trying to convince you to play with us. I wish you would, but it's not your style. But I know you can compose.""How--do--you--know--that?" Mycroft sputtered."Because I found the music room in your basement!" Sherlock giggled. Standing beside the sea, with the wind tossing his hair, he looked somehow more the part of a pirate than ever. "It was so well hidden, I thought you were keeping bodies in it. And I've never seen such good soundproofing.""For a reason!" Mycroft groaned. He should never have invited Sherlock into his house. He should have made him sleep on the street until Baker Street was rebuilt. To let Sherlock break in on occasion was one thing. To let him have the run of the place for weeks was, evidently, quite another."I've already photographed your most promising drafts," Sherlock continued happily. "Eurus and I are going to expose your embarrassing little secret the next time we're here no matter what you do. But if you'd like us to play something a little more…polished, just say the word." He spread his arms wide, embracing the wind and the sky. "Join us, brother mine! Let the music out!"Mycroft opened his mouth to object, but nothing came out. The problem was, it was hard to focus on arguing with Sherlock when the first few bars of a new piece were already playing in his head. They were sweet, and fierce, and full of joy that burned like pain and pain that sang like joy, and they sounded like a glass wall shattering.
10311971
Manslaughter
{ "Archive Warning": "Major Character Death", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "The Flash (TV 2014)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by TragedyUndertheSky (orphan_account)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-15T00:00:00", "words": "279", "Additional Tags": "Suicide", "Relationship": "Barry Allen/Leonard Snart", "Character": "Barry Allen", "Relationships": null, "Series": "Coldflash Oneshots", "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 }
Barry Allen stood at his grave. The cat and mouse games had finally drawn to an end. Leonard Snart was dead and it felt like Barry was the only one mourning him. The Flash was the only one to attend his funeral. Lisa Snart and Mick Rory were in the wind. Probably never to return.“I’m sorry Lenny. I can’t do this on my own.” Barry said pulling out the revolver he had bought earlier that day. Leonard Snart hadn’t only been his biggest adversary, he had also been his lover. His confidant. The only person that saw the scared little boy left behind after his mother’s death. Barry didn’t have anyone left, his father had died in a prison riot two years ago and both Joe and Iris had disowned him after learning about their relationship. Even Cisco and Caitlin had distanced themselves from Barry for reasons unknown. Len had been his lightning rod, the only thing keeping him on this world. And now he was dead, killed by Joe West while walking down the street to meet Barry. He hadn’t been armed, hadn’t even been facing Joe. There had been no warning, Joe had simply seen the opportunity and taken it. The hearing had been yesterday; he had taken a deal for manslaughter, a deal that Barry felt shouldn’t have been offered. With shaking hands Barry loaded the gun. One bullet. One bullet and they would be together forever. He was still wearing the Flash suit.“I’ll be there soon Love.” Barry said and right before he pulled the trigger be faintly felt the brush of a kiss to his forehead. Just like Len had always done.
10384299
Guan-Yin is Not Dead Art
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by ImNuckingFuttsToni", "chapters": "4/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-11-06T00:00:00", "words": "250", "Additional Tags": "Fanfiction, Fanart", "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 }
I hope you guys like it. I really do.I think I'm going to shy away from coloring my art from now on. I like how it comes out waaaay better (and quicker) hahaha. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- This is a WIP of a scene from the first chapter of my Fanfiction also posted on AO3; Guan-Yin is Not DeadCharacters: Mei Xinyi (Original Female Character) Timothy (Original Male Character)I will continue to post updates to this as more work is done. WIP Date: 3/19/2017   WIP Date: 10/5/2017 I've changed quite a bit in regards to illustration. I am much happier with it now though!  WIP Date: 10/6/2017 Voila some more color~ WIP Date: 12/3/2017I've given up on coloring these, haha I'm too indecisive.  I will continue to post updates on this WIP, please feel free to follow this if you are interested.Critique is much appreciated! ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- I've finally finished the second chapters art. I did it rather quickly so there were no WIP uploads. I'm not sure if this is still a WIP or not I may do more work on it, I don't know 12/17/2017 ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- This is a WIP of a scene from the eighth chapter of my Fanfiction also posted on AO3; Guan-Yin is Not DeadCharacters: Mei Xinyi (Original Female Character) Sam Winchester (Supernatural Male Character)I will continue to post updates to this as more work is done. WIP Date: 10/28/2017   That face though!!  HAHAHAHAH!
10368888
My Precious
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Labyrinth (1986)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Sithis10756", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-19T00:00:00", "words": "453", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": null, "Character": "Jareth (Labyrinth)", "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've been around for centuries and not once did my cold, dead heart flutter until I spied her sitting in a park.Avoided by the other humans and left alone with but one companion for company. A great shaggy beast of a dog. She hid her pain well, but nothing can hide from me.Everyday I flew to see her in the form of my guardian animal: a barn owl. Everyday I felt her loneliness and longing for something new. Soon, when the sun starts setting it is time for her to head home.I watched her reenact plays from various scripts; sing in a voice so pure; and dance to a tune only she could hear.At first she merely intrigued me, with her obession of fearie tales of long past and mind of a old soul yet filled with childish thoughts. It wasn't until she spotted me sitting in a tree watching her as she cried that I felt feelings for her.She poured her heart out to me, like no one ever did before, and I found myself drawn to her sorrowful, sparkling brown eyes. I noticed the way her long brown hair would tint red in the sun and how her lovely smile never reached her eyes, except once.I had left her a peach flower after she had fallen asleep. When she woke up and spied the blossom, her lips graced me with the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. It was then that I knew that I loved her.Years went by and soon she gained a new mother who, as I was told one day, didn't like her and that she now had a spoiled baby brother. So I decided to send her a useful gift. A red leather bound book with a story of my Labyrinth written unto it. I had hoped she would read it and find my surprise.Sadly, it would be nearly a year before she figured it out. But it was no matter. I finally got to see her in my true form. She was frighten by me but stood up for her brother and challenged my Labyrinth to win him back.When she faced me at the end, I offered her the position to be my Queen, but at last, she refused and broke my heart. So I sent her and her brother home.Even now, five years later, she still makes my heart skip a beat. Though she torn my heart asunder, I shall never stop loving her. One day she shall grace my life with her presence once more and take her place by my side. Only then can I truly be happy with her.My Precious.
10315532
An Opportunity Taken
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Supernatural Fan(s), Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles", "Fandom": "Supernatural RPF", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by twizted_dezirez", "chapters": "2/2", "completed": "2017-04-02", "published": "2017-03-15T00:00:00", "words": "3,808", "Additional Tags": "Salute to Supernatural Jacksonville Convention", "Relationship": "Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki", "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 }
This was Kyle’s first convention...ever. He’d been saving nearly two years just to comfortably afford it. He is a second year college student who didn’t have any love and support from either parent, so saving this much money in only two years’ time was no small feat.He was more reserved than the other fans, and that made him more observant to what was going on at all times. However, he wasn’t a total stick in the mud either. He enjoyed laughing with the crowd during the morning panel. He loved listening intently to the stories his idols were telling on stage. Then it happened.It all started simple enough and with an innocent question no less. “Do you foresee Sam ever having the possibility of a love interest?” What Jared should have stuck with was a simple “yes” or “no” answer. However, what Jared chose to do is go into an exaggerated explanation of why Sam could never have a ‘serious’ relationship with anyone—it just didn’t make any sense from Jared’s POV. During which point, Jensen seems to be demanding his attention. It almost screams, Here’s your love interest, I’m right here! Jared continues without paying much attention to Jensen. Jensen lets it go at that until Jared begins to speak of the newest love interest for Sam... “Like yea, I’m sure they could have….” Jared couldn’t quite get the word out. Did he really want to go THERE?! Without missing a beat, Jensen pipes up.  (He’s not playing Jared’s savior here.) “You mean sex?” Jared couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Almost immediately the fan states “I’m 14, guys”. Jared’s mind is blown, “14”.  Jensen eyes the fan, one eyebrow raised, “Do you need me to explain what sex is to you?”   Without much hesitation, the fan screams, “Yes!” As Jensen is inviting her to see him after the panel, Jared is mumbling a concession, “I probably should have just said no”. The fan isn’t caught up with the invitation, just yet. She’s smart, and she continues to digress what made her question so important. It goads Jensen into a fuller response concerning the prior character Jo. Jared then must mention Ruby. Jensen completes the question that was meant for Jared.The fan was satisfied with her answer. She sat there the while gears were turning in her head. Jensen Ackles had purposed his ‘services’ to her directly. He did snark the comment right into the mic instead of keeping it to himself, and he was looking directly at her. He didn’t immediately brush her off either. Once she had offered further explanation of her question, Jensen remained engaged in giving her an answer. In this fan’s mind, that was the “all is a go” que to catch up with Ackles following the panel. Common sense be damned!Mid-morning finds Jared and Jensen in a cozy corner table of the commons area. They are far enough away from the crowd, so not all the attention is on them for once. There are a couple of people in the small crowd that are keeping an eye on their table, but not so obviously, it grabs their attention.Kyle watched as the young girl that threw the curveball to Jared on the stage cross the floor towards their table and stop. She paused for a long moment, drinking in the sight of J2, took a deep breath, turned 50 shades of red, and bolted. Jensen’s mouth hung half open before he chuckled at the sight of the overwhelmed girl tearing away. That was her loss Kyle thinks to himself as he stood up and made his way over to the table where the main attractions of his many jerkoff sessions were sitting. Kyle had picked up a few tricks this year in college, and he would wager that neither J had seen them yet. He had this in the bag if Jim’s constant late night visits were anything to go by.“Hi, I’m Kyle--doesn’t look like she needed that explanation after all." He said jerking his head in the direction the girl had fled. Jensen doesn’t drop his gaze from the visitor, “Do you?” Kyle’s eyes dart back to Jensen, “Nah, but I’d like to have it. Couldn’t let your offer go to waste” Jensen is suddenly speechless. Kyle smirks, as though he just bested him. Jared is watching while the two grown men in front of him stare one another down. Jensen looking like he is at a loss for a witty retort, and Kyle (yea that was his name) is smirking at Jensen in a way not many people can get away with.“Ya know Kyle, the last time he looked at me that way, I got laid”. Kyle looked back at Jared as to say if only. Jensen seems to find his voice somewhere, “Why don’t you pull up a seat?” “Sure, I’d like that”Jared begins the pleasantries, “Where ya from kid?” Kyle responds “Boston”. “You’re a long way from home, aren’t ya?” Jensen asks. Kyle could go into a lengthy explanation here about how he’s originally from Boston, but he’s been attending Georgia Tech since writing his parents from his life two years ago. He may be far from home, but not quite that far. “No, I’m attending college more locally than Boston, but it’s where I grew up and I guess in some crazy way it’ll always be home” The three sit there swapping stories. Kyle does most of the talking because his story is the one everyone doesn’t know. Jensen brings a halt to their idle chatter.“So, about the explanation you’re looking for…” Jensen begins. “Hey if you weren’t serious on random fans approaching you, maybe keep it out of the mic next time” Kyle interrupts. Jared chokes on his coffee with an audible sound. “Kids right Ackles. If you had any qualms about complete strangers taking you up on it, you shouldn’t have said anything. Either way I feel more comfortable with Kyle here than I did with a 14-year-old girl”Jensen meets Jared’s eyes for the first time since Kyle approached them, “Who wouldn’t?” “Then, what’s the problem?” Jared retorts then chokes back a laugh, “You not feeling up for it?” This draws another smirk from Kyle and a relaxed response from Jensen. “No problems here, I was just going to simply ask the boy what kind of explanation he would prefer. He’s probably got plenty enough ideas rolling around in his head already without my interference.”“Actually, I was looking for something more along the lines of a demonstration”, Kyle interjects looking to Jared, “If you two wouldn’t mind that is.” Jared’s stare is smooth, and Jensen eyes Kyle like a predator, but Kyle doesn’t look to Jensen. “No, we wouldn’t mind at all” Jared replies as he’s pressing his key card into Kyle’s hand. “Be there say, around 9?” Kyle accepts the key card, “Can’t wait” is the only reply he mummers as he stands to leave the table. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Kyle felt a certain sense of hesitation as he approached the room with the key card in hand. He wasn't sure what to expect when he opened the door to the J's suite. He was filled with trepidation now, and not this morning. Had he known feelings this intense would be in his future he would have never approached j2 this morning. This was misery. Yea he could run away, but what good would that do? He knew he would then be filled with regret, so he took in a deep breath and unlocked the door. He immediately relaxed at the sight before him. Jared was seated at the table, alone, looking much less intimidating than both of them."Heya" Came the smooth greeting from Jared. "How's it goin?" "Good I guess, Where's Jensen?" Kyle was feeling much braver than he was 30 seconds ago. He could totally handle this."He'll be back shortly." Jared motioned to the foot of the bed. "Why don't you come have a seat with me over here?"Kyle didn't need to be told twice. He'd wait all his life for something like this. He shucked of his shoes and made his way over to sit on the foot of the bed with Jared."If I didn't know any better, I would say you're nervous.""Not as much as you may think, but moreso than I want to admit." Well yea Kyle was nervous, he never dreamed in a million years that he would actually be sitting here. This was a dream come true. That's always the problem with life ain't it? Once your dream comes true, what do you do then? You live it, and then make up a new one! Duh, everybody knows that, but I digress. "Why don't we make you more comfortable then?" Before Kyle could even register what was happening, Jared was pulling at his shirt and working his way down to his jeans. Kyle started to protest, but thought better of it. Jared eased him on his back by placing a firm hand to his chest. Kyle felt a breath he didn't know he was holding escape his lungs as Jared finished undressing him. Jared was jerking Kyle's jeans off by the ankles as though this was the most natural thing in the world, and Kyle was loosing his mind. He had no idea what to expect next. His mind was threatening to perform a total shutdown and coldboot without his permission. Jared started placing butterfly kisses to his skin, barely allowing the tip of his tongue to touch. He began at his thighs and was working his way up Kyle's stomach and to his chest. He didn't miss the way Kyle sucked in a sharp breath, so he moved to the side of Kyle's neck and started mouthing at him there in hopes of getting the poor kid to relax into it. Kyle couldn't hold back the moan he released as Jared began kissing and sucking at the tender side of his throat. He felt himself grow harder almost immediately. "Well looook at you" The deeper voice interuppted his thoughts. He had to open his eyes to glance up into a pair of green eyes. When had he even closed his own? "Wha..." "Shhhh," Jensen cooed, "I've got just what you need right here." He pulled a single ice cube out of the pail he had sat down on the table next to the bed, "This will help cool you off." Jensen's eyes never left Kyle's face, but Kyle's eyes were following the ice cube on its way down to his bare chest. Kyle's reaction to the touch was instantaneous. He had watched the cube on its descent, but he had no idea it would feel like this. His hips bucked wildly off the bed. "Awww look Jay, I think he likes it" "So much for cooling him off." Jared's words ghosted against Kyle's skin. Kyle could only nod weakly and murmmer as Jensen took the cube over his bare nipple. Without missing a beat Jared moved to place the rock hard nipple in his mouth to warm it back up. Kyle's body took on a mind of its own. His body bucked up harder this time. He needed friction and couldn't find it in the empty air. "Whoa there," Jensen said as he placed a firm hand to Kyle's waist. "Oh no allow me," Jared interuppted, "I've got him." He laid his right arm over Kyle's waist to hold him down while Jensen continued to play in the ice. His first piece had melted already. "My arm trumps your hand any day. You do that, and I'll do this." It's always so amazing how the speak without actual words Jensen grabbed another cube without missing a beat and placed it directly to Kyle's stomach. Kyle wanted to jump, but couldn't with Jared holding him in place. He barely got his head off the pillow. Jared had moved his arm. He was now licking and sucking like his survival depended on it at where Jensen was gliding the ice. When he felt the drop of water at his belly button he thought he may lose his mind afterall. Then he felt Jared's hot tongue dip into his belly button to retrieve the droplet he knew he was going to lose his mind. He bucked up again against Jared's head on his stomach, "Please" was the only tangible word he could utter. "Aaaattt" came Jensen's reply, "You wanted this remember? Now lay back and enjoy it. You can't rush perfection princess." All Kyle could do was throw his head back against the extra plush pillow and moan his protests. Before he knew what hit him, Jensen had moved lower with a third piece of ice. He was so thankful he had the presence of mind to shower first. He felt the tip of Jared's nose against the base of his cock. Jensen was rubbing the ice over his pubic region and Jared was trying like hell to catch the water as it was sliding down. Jared still had a forceful arm laid across Kyle's waist. Jensen had been right. There was nothing Kyle could now, but lay there and accept what he was getting. Without warning Jared was licking and sucking at Kyle's balls. The ice and water hadn't even better there. Kyle moaned louder. Out of shock? Out of pleasure? He didn't know. Then just as quick as it had came the warm feeling of Jared's mouth was gone, and there was the cube. Kyle tried desperately to draw his legs together. He hadn't even realized Jared was holding them apart. There was nothing left for him to do but scream like a bitch. Jared immediately placed his mouth back over Kyle's balls to bring him the intense pleasure he knows it brings. Kyle relaxed on the bed. His muscles were no longer fighting to move upward. Then he felt Jensen's hand over his mouth. It felt surprisingly warm. He had to look up just to make sure it was in fact Jensen's hand. He found Jensen's hard green eyes looking down at him. They looked darker than before, and Kyle wasn't sure what to make of it. "Shhh." Jensen's voice was light and reassuring, "We're not going to do anything to you that you won't like," He fell to his knees beside the bed so his mouth was at Kyle's ear, "and I'm not above gagging you to make you take it. You asked for this, remember?" Kyle shook his head in what he could only hope was a 'yes' response. Then he felt what he could only describe was the best feeling in the world. His dick was in Jared's mouth fully. He hadn't even noticed Jared taking him down, and Jared's mouth was cold. He had apparently sucked on a whole cube to get it that temperature before he decided to put the head of Kyle's dick in the back of this throat. Kyle gave a deep sigh of satisfaction. He tried in vain to nudge his hips upward. He was hoping for a little leeway here because he fought and won against the urge to give an all out thrust in that direction. Instead he felt bruising fingertips at his hip, and Jared removed his mouth only for Jensen to replace it with a single piece of ice. He didn't stop at the base of the cock either. He rubbed it across both testicles cooling them completely. Jared's mouth returned as if it were sent by Chuck himself. Kyle pushed his head as far back as it could go and pushed up at the hip. Jared was now using both of his hands to hold Kyle's hips down while his mouth continued to work at catching all the melting ice. The tip of his nose was right back at the base of Kyle's cock, and he could tell the kid above him was losing his mind. He remembered when he got to experience the delirious feeling of Jensen's mouth against him. They of course didn't have the luxury of a third to pin Jared to the bed while Jensen worked. Jared snapped himself back into the present. "Jen, I think he's had enough." Jared was looking directly at Jensen, his hand had a firm grip against the base of Kyle's dick this time.Kyle had to open his eyes again to see what was going on. He barely caught the subtle nod of Jensen's head. Before he could register what was happening, he felt Jensen turn him over with Jared's help. He was repositioned on the bed face down with his ass in the air. He felt totally exposed, and helpless. There was a hand at his lower back holding him in place, and before he could give any sign of protest there was ice placed at his most sensitive area. As soon as the ice was replaced with a hot mouth he moaned right into the pillow. He tried and failed to push his ass further back or up in the air. He was being held too firmly in place for any kind of movement with his lower body.Hands were starting to trail up and down the backside of his thighs, and soon he was lost in the sensation. The ice returned once again and he jerked at the unexpected feeling. The hot mouth replaced it once more and the hands began rubbing at his sides. The second time the ice returned, he felt it breech his hole. The sensation was different, but not at all unpleasant. A hot tongue followed the melting ice inside the channel and began working him open. He moaned even louder into the pillow, his eyes were squeezed shut.A hand moved from his right side and began pulling and rubbing his balls lightly. Kyle was fighting back the urge to get off on it, and apparently it was obvious because he felt the mouth stop and heard Jared's warning. "Jen, not yet," It was only whispered, but there must have been some authority behind it because the hand that had been fondling him was promptly removed. Kyle took this opportunity to grind into the mattress in hopes of seeking any kind of friction."No way, get back up here." Jensen's voice was soft but firm all at the same time. Kyle didn't dare disobey. He raised his hips up further and could feel his cheeks being spread apart wide. He drew in an anxious breath just before feeling a slicked finger breech his channel. The feeling was overwhelming and the finger left him no time to adjust. It slid easily all the way in, and then began moving around in and out. At the same time he was being fingered open with one finger that wasn't quite enough, hands were rubbing his back, shoulders, and sides almost in a rhythmic manner. Kyle kept trying to push himself back harder and harder on the finger, but the sole hand place on his lower back still left him without the ability to move. He tried groaning and grunting out his frustrations, and then a whispered, "Sh" came to his ear. "Mmmrrr," was all Kyle could respond with. He heard Jensen smiling when he said, "I think he wants more." Without further ado there was a second finger added and they were working in unison, faster and faster, and then they crooked. Kyle let out another wild moan, and the fingers were removed. Jensen had moved from his spot on the bed to directly behind Kyle. He could feel what had to be Jared's head moving between his legs. Kyle bit his inner cheek to stop himself from screaming with excitement. He knew what was coming and he knew it probably wouldn't last that long, but at least he would get to feel it.Jensen spoke from behind him, "See Jared didn't open you up all the way did he? That's because I want to finish opening you up on me. You're going to feel me for days boy." Kyle had no protests there, he braced for the worst. As Jensen was slowly sinking into him, he felt Jared swallow him down again. Kyle did everything he could to remain perfectly still because he knew if he moved even a hairs' breath, this would be over. He felt Jared grip the base of his cock again, once Jensen was fully seated. He wasted no time with pulling back out and then diving in again slowly, literally working Kyle open. Jared removed his hand from around the base of Kyle's cock and began caressing everything he could reach. Kyle felt his hands on his chest, his sides, and back in a set pattern. Jared wasn't bobbing his head, he was simply holding Kyle tightly in his mouth. Any movement in or out was only driven by Jensen working his way in and out of Kyle. Jensen started building up the pace, and Jared had to adjust the angle of his head to keep from choking. Kyle now had the freedom to move which ever way he liked. The hands on his hips didn't seem as though they were holding him firmly in place anymore. The only problem was Kyle couldn't decide which way he wanted to cant his hips. Jensen made that decision for him. As he was driving into Kyle he would pull Kyle back. As he was pulling out of Kyle he would push Kyle down into Jared's waiting mouth. Kyle was desperate and growling for release. Jared could tell he was getting close because his balls were drawing up tighter and tighter. Instead of staving off the orgasm, Jared raised his head on Jensen's next dive inside and allowed Kyle to release down his throat. Jensen knew the instant Kyle had came. He could feel the channel clenching around his own dick. He pushed even further inside of Kyle to release his own load. Kyle came so hard he saw nothing but white and promptly blacked out. Jensen had already pulled out of him, and Jared had to position him on the bed comfortably. Kyle didn't know it, but his whole body was trembling with what just happened.Jared climbed on the bed next to Kyle and began caressing his arms, chest, and face trying to offer some form of comfort to the poor lad. When Kyle woke the next morning, the room was empty. He knew that he would need to gather his own things and leave soon too, but he held no regrets in what he had just done. This would be a memory worth cherishing for a lifetime, and a mistake worth repeating ever given the chance.END
10332863
You Are My Sunshine
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Ray Palmer, Mick Rory", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by ami_ven", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-17T00:00:00", "words": "102", "Additional Tags": "Community: writerverse, Established Relationship, Fluff", "Relationship": "Ray Palmer/Mick Rory", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "DCU, DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“Not every cloud has a silver lining, you know,” said Mick, scowling. “Some of ‘em are just rain.”“Maybe,” Ray allowed. “But rain can be good, too. It lets things grow.”“It must be exhausting to be such a damn ray of sunshine all the time.”The scientist grinned. “Well, it is my name.”“It’s exhausting just listening to you,” Mick grumbled. “You don’t get your hopes up, you don’t have so far to fall.”“Poetic,” said Ray, dryly. “Maybe I’ll just have to take all my optimism someplace else…”Mick pulled him in for a kiss, “Don’t you dare.”THE END
10322141
Angel VS Devil Cake
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Castiel, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by BirdBoneGirl", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-16T00:00:00", "words": "606", "Additional Tags": "Fluff, fried green tomatoes throwback, Kissing, Laughter, this is really silly and i love it, Destiel - Freeform", "Relationship": "Castiel/Dean Winchester", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Pie Ficlets", "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 }
Even from the map room he could hear the commotion. Sam dropped his shopping bags on the table and pulled out his gun, ready for anything. A hundred possibilities ran through his mind all more horrific than the last as he wound his way through the bunker following the noise. He could smell something burning. He heard a lot of grunting and a loud crash. What he wasn't expecting is what he was ultimately confronted with as he slid around the door to the kitchen.Dean and Cas sat slumped against the cupboards, shoulder to shoulder. Cas was covered in chocolate frosting and Dean was covered in flour and whipping cream. As Sam lowered his gun in confusion Dean reached bowl of frosting he had next to him and dug out a large handful. Cas glared at him and moved in to kiss the hunter. Dean swayed away from the kiss and smeared the chocolate stuff across Cas's face with lazy malice. Cas licked some chocolate off his lips, laughter bubbling out of him like a mad man as he waggled his tongue around unnecessarily. The former angel had tricks of his own up his sleeve though and he threw a handful of flour at Dean. Dean laughed with equal insanity and they pawed at each other like idiots, completely oblivious of him. Smoke was pouring out the oven and the kitchen was spattered brown and white, there was a carton of broken eggs on the floor and the stand mixer was on full adding to the spatter.They were starting to wrestle, holding each other by the hands to prevent further retaliation, their feet scrabbling on the messy ground."What the hell, guys?" Sam huffed out, stowing the gun in the back of his pants."Sam!" Dean greeted drunkenly, his laughter still coming out in spurts as he settled back into the cupboards again. "We were making cake!""I was making cake, but Dean" Cas giggled, "Dean wanted Angel," his whole body clenched with the force of his laugh, and he clutched at his chest "Food-""And Cas wanted Devil's Food!' Dean added shoving Cas and laughing even more when the dark haired man just fell over."Seriously?" Sam yelled trying to get their attention.The two drunk fools exchanged a look, grinning up at him. "Help us up," Dean commanded holding out his hand. Sam rolled his eyes at them, but closed the distance bent over to help them up, clutching Dean's hand firmly.He wasn't expecting was Cas sweeping his legs out from under him while he was focused on his brother. He fell with loud thud right on his ass. Before he could asses the damage he had a metal bowl of angel food batter unceremoniously dumped on his head. While Dean and Cas clutched at each other laughing till they cried."Sam your face!" Dean managed to say through his laughter. His voice five octaves too high.Cas just continued to giggle as Sam wiped the sticky stuff off his eyes, ready to murder them both.Dean looked over at his angel and licked off a stripe of chocolate from his cheek. "You taste pretty good, angel."Cas's laughter settled down under Dean's stare, but he was still grinning. "Yeah, what do I taste like?"Dean leaned in and kissed him soundly, both of them closing their eyes and losing themselves in each other.Sam took the opportunity to reach up to the counter and grab the bowl of devils food cake batter and dumped it over both of their heads. "I don't care what anyone says, you are both devil's."
10362777
Broken Wings and
{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": null, "Characters": "Prompto Argentum, Ardyn Izunia", "Fandom": "Final Fantasy XV", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by Oronir_Caragai", "chapters": "1/2", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-19T00:00:00", "words": "527", "Additional Tags": "Gore, Violence, Broken Bones, Updated as we go", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death", "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Prompto heard the sickening crack as he landed, but didn't immediately realize what it was. His entire body cried out in pain. He tried to collect himself, figure out what happened. Noct pushed him, but it had to have been an accident! He couldn't have meant to...Ardyn...oh gods Noct was alone with Ardyn. He tried to sit up, nauseous with pain and adrenaline, his back ached, his arm...he brought his arm to his chest, and held it, limp in his grip. He couldn't move his hand without crying out. He couldn't tell if it was his wrist, or arm. The entire limb emanated with intense, searing pain. Tears welled in his eyes. He heard footsteps approach, and carefully hugged his arm to his chest. Prompto tried to roll over, and run. His legs gave out under him, hard ground meeting his chest, and injured limb. He gasped, momentarily blinded by the pain. His breath steamed the air as he panted, trying to regain his breath, trying to get away from the approaching steps. Kicking and scrambling with his good arm, he made it to a tree. He carefully rolled over and kicked himself back against it. He drew his gun, and looked towards the sound of the footsteps.He saw the imperial chancellor, and lifted his gun in a shaky, non-dominant hand. "S-stay away from me!" The gun quivered in his hand. "You shake so...Ah!" Ardyn eyed the arm clutched to the young man's chest. "It appears our baby bird has a broken wing."The man approached, and Prompto fired. The chancellor phased away from it in a dodge he had seen his friend use many times. "What...what are you...?" Ardyn leaned over, and grasped the boy's injured arm. Prompto cried out, and the gun dissipated from his grasp. "I am a man of no consequence. Rest now, little flower." Ardyn grasped the injury, and crushed the thin bones within his grasp. Prompto made a tiny squeak, before losing consciousness from the white hot pain.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Prompto woke, lying on a table. He was nude, and realized very swiftly, immbolized. He looked over to his injured arm. His jaw dropped, aghast in horror. His arm lie cut open, the skin flayed down the center, and folded over like some grotesque note book. Blood coated the table underneath. Fine robotic machinery worked in his arm, setting the bones he had broken. Moving tendons, resetting bones, testing the tendons to make sure the fingers all worked accurately. He felt removed. He felt sick. It felt unreal. He turned his head the opposite direction, and again was met with the imperial chancellor."Oh my...you weren't supposed to quite wake up yet." Tears welled in Prompto's scared eyes. He felt no pain from his arm. What if the robot intended to cut it off? What if he it didn't heal? What if...Ardyn grasped the boy's chin between his fingers. "Close your eyes, little flower. Rest again." He held a mask over Prompto's nose and mouth. The gas was sickeningly sweet smelling. His stomach turned. He thought of his friends, as the world went black again.
10319435
Scars
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Grant Ward, Cidney Allan", "Fandom": "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by queenofthemoment", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-17T00:00:00", "words": "1,557", "Additional Tags": "Scars, Couple, stories, Kissing, Undressing, Foreplay, Pancakes, Fluff", "Relationship": "Grant Ward/Original Female Character(s)", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Queens to You", "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 }
Ward lay on his side watching his fiancé sleep, memorizing every detail. The curve of her nose, the sharpness of her cheek bones, the way her eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks in her sleep, her steady breathing with the little puff of air she’d let out after every few breaths. It was rare for him to have some time at home in the morning and he wanted to take full advantage of it whenever he could. Ward enjoyed watching her sleep, when she was awake she was always keeping busy and he liked seeing her relaxed. When she was asleep he was able to take in every detail without her knowing or growing self-conscious when his eyes fixed on what she considered a flaw. The morning light sifted through the curtains lighting her face and the sunlight playing upon Cidney’s hair reminded Ward of autumn. His eyes drifted over the small scars on her hand from when she was bitten by a dog as a child. Over her abdomen his fingers ghosted her most recent scar from when she got her appendix removed. Cidney began to shift as she awoke and Ward’s hand came up to gently caress her cheek. “Morning” she sighed as she lay blinking.“Hey gorgeous.” He felt her cheek twitch under his hand. “I thought you had to leave early this morning.”“Nope, I’ll be home all day.”A huge smile crossed Cidney’s face. “Really?” “Mhm. Do you have a lot you need to get done today?”“Nope. I have a few days to breathe after this past week.”“Good. We can finally have a day off together.”Cidney snuggled closer to him enjoying his presence. While she wasn’t a clingy person she did enjoy having some down time with him, as it didn’t happen often. She turned pressing her back into his chest and laced her fingers in his. Ward began to play with her hand and trace over her small scars. His hand ran over her arm as she lay resting beside him. On her wrist was a white line from when she cut herself when her hand broke through a glass door. From that accident she’d also broken her wrist. Over both hands she had small burns from cooking and baking. Cidney never understood why Ward liked to look at her scars; they were something she never paid much attention to or looked to show off. Ward told her every scar had a story, which she agreed with…she just hated that Ward would never tell her his.“Grant…how’d you get your scars?” her eyes drifted over several scars on the arm that was exposed to her.She felt him stiffen behind her and his hand stilled, “Let’s go make some breakfast.” He kissed her head before getting out of the bed. Cidney clutched his hand but he slipped out of her grasp and went out to the kitchen. Padding softly after him Cidney watched as he rummaged through the fridge to find something.“Do you want pancakes?” he asked over his shoulder. Cidney bit her lip in frustration. She knew he hated it when she pushed him…and nagging was something she always tried to avoid. “Sure.” She began pulling ingredients from cabinets as Ward got what they needed from the fridge. Often Ward tried to buy her pancake mix but Cidney always insisted on making her pancakes from scratch so he finally gave up, although he did have to admit that hers always tasted better than the ones that came out of a box. He was always amazed that no matter how busy or tired she was she always wanted to cook or bake something for them or friends. “I’ll fix the pancakes and you get started on the bacon.” Ward didn’t argue, the kitchen was her dominion and she often kicked him out if he got in the way and he wanted this time to be spent together. Cooking breakfast flowed smoothly with few threats of being kicked out from Cidney. When the meal was finished and the kitchen cleaned to Ward’s satisfaction they decided to walk around downtown and enjoy the weather. Cidney pulled a mint colored tunic over her head and slipped into dark skinny jeans. Pulling her hair into a low ponytail she caught Ward staring at her smiling slightly. “What?”“Nothing,” his eyes roamed her body “You just look beautiful today.”She rolled her eyes but her smile told Ward all he needed to know about what she thought of the compliment. He caught her in the door as she tried to slip by him.“Why don’t we just have a lazy day? Stay in and play games.”“If it was raining I’d say absolutely but it’s too pretty out to stay in.”Ward pouted and pulled her tighter to him, “We’d have fun.” He kissed her neck and felt her quiver.“Why didn’t you suggest this when we were still in bed?” she ran her fingers lightly through his hair. Ward placed a kiss on her forehead; “Because” He kissed her cheek “I was” moving to her mouth he kissed her deeply leaving her out of breath when he finally pulled away. “Hungry.” He stated breathing heavily. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him over to the bed, reaching up she placed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him down to her. Ward lowered her onto the bed and began laying kisses down her neck and over her collarbone. His hand wandered to the hem of her shirt, pulling it up his hand ran over the scar on her abdomen. After he pulled her shirt over her head Ward worked his way down between her breasts and over her stomach, when his lips reached her scar he felt her hands in his hair still and slip down to the sides of his face. “Grant?” she tilted his chin up so he was looking at her. “Why won’t you tell me?” she begged. “I’ve told you about every single scar I have and you never tell me about yours.”Ward sighed hanging his head, “Well that killed the mood.” He muttered as her fingertips gently caressed his face and he leaned into the affection.“I can’t tell you about all of them.”“Can’t?” Ward looked at her with hurt eyes and her tone grew softer. “Okay, I want to know about five of them. No, Grant.” She said firmly as Ward began to interrupt. “I want to know you. And that includes the scars.”Ward sighed. Most of his scars were from his childhood, those he could tell her about…it brought back memories that he didn’t want to relive but it was better than explaining the ones he acquired from being a spy.Ward stretched himself out on the bed beside her “You know that scar on my shin?” he continued when she nodded, “I got it when I was four. I jumped off a wood stack into a pile of leaves and I caught the edge of a cement block.”“I already knew about that one.” Cidney admonished, “That doesn’t count as one of your five.”Ward sighed inwardly. He’d forgotten she already knew about that one. He tapped on the flesh between this thumb and pointer finger. “I cut myself a couple weeks ago with a butter knife. You can see the scar.”“How did you cut yourself with a butter knife?”Ward looked at her sheepishly, “I was trying to separate the thin mints you froze and the knife slipped.” Cidney began laughing uncontrollably. When it happened Ward had been thoroughly embarrassed and thankful no one was around to see.“Grant, that doesn’t count you can barely see a mark.”“It’s there.”“If it’s still there in a couple months we’ll count it.”“It counts!” “Nope,” Cidney said still giggling. She finally sobered and traced a line along his wrist and forearm. “You’ve never told me how you got this one.”“This…this is when I pulled Thomas out of the well after our older brother made me push him in.” Cidney’s eyes misted as she remembered him telling her about that day. “And these…these are when my mom put out her cigarette on my arm.” Tears spilled over as Cidney gently touched the scars “I always made sure she wouldn’t do it to Thomas…she only did it if she was really angry.”Cidney rolled into his chest and buried her head in the crook of his neck throwing her arm over his side. Ward wasn’t sure if he was trying to comfort him or herself. He held her tightly and lay kisses on her shoulder. He felt her body shake but he wasn’t sure if it was with anger or sadness. “I’m sorry.” Her voice muffled by his shoulder.“Why?”“I shouldn’t have pushed…. you should never have had to go through that.”“You have nothing to be sorry for. Besides… I’m not with them anymore. I have you now.”Cidney pulled away and Ward watched as she quickly wiped away her tears. His thumb rubbed against her hip as she situated herself. Cidney took in a calming breath and looked at him with eyes so full of love it made Ward want to stay with her forever.
10325882
Hunting Season
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Oswald Cobblepot, Edward Nygma, Fish Mooney, Hugo Strange, Court of Owls - Character, Hallucination!Oswald - Character, Barbara Kean, James Gordon, Harvey Bullock, Hallucination!Kristin, Hallucination!Edward, Tabitha Galavan", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by a_bit_of_foolish_hope", "chapters": "9/9", "completed": "2017-04-12", "published": "2017-03-16T00:00:00", "words": "21,658", "Additional Tags": "Non-Graphic Violence, Graphic Description of Corpses", "Relationship": "Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Gotham (TV), Nygmobblepot - Fandom", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Edward Nygma sat at the mayor’s desk furiously tapping the eraser of his pencil on an empty legal pad. As standing mayor he was responsible for all of the duties Oswald had handled prior to his “mysterious disappearance". Well, not all of the duties. Just the pointless ones. When working as chief of staff Edward had been conscious of the fact that Oswald’s role as the underground kingpin of Gotham took up far more time than his role as mayor. It was not just because of Ed’s ability to pick up details that most wouldn’t realize existed. Ed had also been in personally responsible for organizing Oswald’s schedule on both ends. The trouble was that he had been too distracted by the happenings in his personal life to realize just how disproportionate the responsibilities truly were. As it turned out, the life of the mayor was dull and largely uneventful. Government work was not the strenuous job politicians made it out to be.Ed had finished the day’s paperwork before noon. He spent a few hours after his lunch break sitting in his office feeling claustrophobic and terribly underutilized. A mind like his shouldn't be trapped in a room and assigned menial tasks. Only one thing had amused him in his week of mayor-hood: a budget increase request for the Gotham police department. The request had been sent in by Nathaniel Barns before he had gone homicidal. As both a police chief and a serial killer, the man lacked any sort of common sense. Without a second thought, Ed had denied the request and filed the paper away.Edward glanced at the time. He had one more hour in the day and not a single thing to keep himself distracted. Now, as the tap tap tap of his pencil beat exactly double time to the ticking of the desk clock, his mind was focused on one thing and one thing only. It was what he always drifted back to these days. The one thing that he wished he could forget about all together.The door to his office opened and Ed jumped, graciously jolted away from his thoughts.“A little jumpy, are we?” asked the woman who had entered, closing the door behind her. “Still shaken up from your little lovers quarrel?” Barbra Kean strode into the room as if it were hers.“I’m not shaken up about anything,” Ed retorted in a flat tone. “Oswald is dead because I wanted him dead. Also, you’re not allowed in here without an appointment.”“Oh?” Barbra’s eyes widened in mock innocence and confusion. Her spread fingers hovered in front of her open mouth as she looked side to side, gasping sharply at each turn of her head. Ed’s expression remained indifferent.“What do you want, Barbra?”Barbra’s face dropped from her playacting childishness to a smile fitting for a viper.“I just came to visit my favorite little man in the green suit.”“I’m wearing grey. I only own one green suit.”“Yeah, but I like that one. It brings out your bold side.” Barbra brought one leg up and sat on the edge of the desk, leaning in to give Edward’s tie a flirty little tug. Ed readjusted his tie, unflustered, and repeated his question.“What do you want, Barbra? I’m busy.”Barbra cocked an eyebrow and looked down at the empty legal pad. “I can see.” There was a loaded pause as each waited for the other to speak. Finally, Barbra dropped her grin and slid off the desk, turning so that she could place both hands flat on its top and look Ed in the eyes.“You’ve been at this job for…what…six days?”“Eight.”“Whatever. I’m sure you’re getting tired of kissing babies and cutting ribbons by now so I wanted to remind you not to get any ideas.”“And what kind of ideas would I be getting?”“Don’t be coy, Eddie. You know what I mean. You’re standing in for the mayor, but I don’t want to let that go to your head. You may run Gotham, but I run Gotham. Understand?”“Seeing as how you disposed of all of the crime families last week, I can understand why you would believe that.”“What’s that supposed to mean?” Barbra asked, a violent spark flashing in her glaring eyes. She tensed and pulled back slightly from Ed, eyeing him as though he had threatened her.“When you killed the crime families you killed the foundation of Gotham’s underground. You hold the top position for now but you created a power vacuum. People are going to be scrambling to fill vacant roles. You’ll be able to enjoy your reign peacefully for three weeks maybe while the peasants fight among themselves but once the lower layers have been reestablished, the people will come for your seat. I would increase security at your club if I were you.”Barbra’s manicured hands balled into fists and she held her breath for just a moment, a calm before the storm, choosing which scornful words she should hurl in her defense. It intrigued Ed how emotion driven she was. She’d made it impressively far for someone who acted almost exclusively on arrogance and rage.“Listen, you over glorified secretary. I was coming here to give you a helpful bit of information but since you’ve brought this terribly important warning to my attention I suppose my focus should lie elsewhere.”“That would be the most beneficial to you, yes. By the way, you knock on me to say hello but lock me right before you go. What am I?”“No one is impressed by your stupid games, Ed.”“The answer is a door. Which you may use. Now.”Barbra stood up straight, her flustered glare thinly veiling itself behind a self important grin. “Someone’s coming for you, green man, and they’ll find you much faster than your made up mobs will find me.”“There’s no way the police would suspect me in Oswald’s murder. I made sure of it.” His dismissive tone was emphasized as he turned his attention away from her and began tapping the pencil eraser again.“Oh, you’ll wish it was the police,” Barbra scoffed. When she received no reply, she added, “just remember. I run Gotham. If you want to stay safe, you’d better keep yourself on my good side. Take care, Eddy.”With those words, she left, allowing the heavy office door to swing and bang shut behind her. Ed’s eyes darted to the clock. Four fifteen. Forty five minutes until he could leave without unwanted notice. His pencil stopped, and he looked down at the blue lines on the empty pad before. Quickly, he flipped the pencil around and pressed graphite to the paper. He began to scribble, his hand just barely keeping up with his mind. If there was a power vacuum in Gotham, he needed to stay two steps ahead of everyone else. As they came to him, he scribed the names of those like to vie for the throne. Jerome followers Falcone family New red hood Fish Mooney   Ed continued to go over names in his mind during the car ride home. With Oswald’s disappearance still fresh and Ed carefully avoiding suspicion, Ed still had the privilege of living in the Cobblepot mansion as he had before everything had turned sour. The Russian maid kept a careful eye on him whenever they were in the same room, but in large the stay was comfortable. In fact, it felt especially pleasant now that he had the whole place to himself. Didn’t it? Of course it did. He had everything he wanted. Solitude. Freedom. Power, limited thought it may be. And he could bask in satisfaction of his plan to murder Oswald having been successfully carried out. Yes, everything was better this way. Satisfied with this conclusion, Ed turned his thoughts back to the impending war. Trying to figure out who would end up on top was quite the puzzle indeed. Most of the biggest threats were either dead or behind bars. Indian Hill was gone. Red Hood copycats seemed to be in no short supply but their success would depend on whoever stepped up to lead this time around. Falcone? Probably not. He was by far the most respected and the most capable. He already had Gotham in his pocket, but he had seemed intent on staying in retirement. However, with the recent death of his son and the current state of the city…Mooney was next in line as far as cunning and experience went. She didn’t carry nearly as much influence as Falcone but she had five times his determination. After all, Falcone had never come back from the dead.Come back from the dead…that’s right! Her most recent reanimation had left her sick. Ed had deduced that Oswald hadn’t killed Mooney despite his assertion otherwise, but if she hadn't found a cure to her condition she was probably long dead by now.Corrupted police could try. Bullock maybe? Gordon? No, those two had tunnel vision. They put out the fires but they could never control the source of the flame. That left Jerome. The boy was surprisingly intelligent. Combine that with the sheer number of those who followed him…he might just stand a chance. Barbara, Tabitha, and the gorilla wouldn’t even be able to go into hiding if Jerome’s group set their sights on them. It was an amusing thought.Then, of course, there was the Court of Owls, the secret society that had run Gotham since it’s founding. Ed knew very little about them, but they didn’t seem to be the types to step forth from the shadows. Then again, with things as they were…Ed frowned and let out a sigh. None of these options seemed ideal, but that was generally the way Gotham worked.As Ed continued to calculate probable moves, his eyes drifted lazily out the window and came to rest on a figure standing on the sidewalk.“Stop the car!”Following Ed’s abrupt command, the driver slammed his foot down on the break pedal, causing the black vehicle to jerk to a halt. Ed stared out the window in confused horror. Standing on the sidewalk in the middle of a city block was Oswald Cobblepot. His lanky figure was dripping wet and bent forward slightly, both hands gripping the side of his abdomen covering an unseen wound. He met and held Ed’s stare but his eyes and face showed no emotion. Glancing down for a fraction of a second to simultaneously unlatch his belt and open the door, Ed jumped out of the idling car. When he looked back at where Oz had been, he found that the man was gone. The line of cars building up behind Ed’s ride began to honk, but Ed ignored them. He looked up and down the street. There were no alleys or doorways that Oz could have darted into so quickly. The place where water had previously been pooling beneath Oswald was bone dry. No trace of the man remained.Shakily, Ed got into his car, oblivious to the ever-growing shouts and honks directed his way. “My apologies. Back to the mansion.” Ed was relieved when the driver asked no questions. For the rest of the ride home Ed stared forward, his eyes not leaving the back of the seat in front of him.Back at the mansion, Ed tried to steady himself by placing his hands on either side of the bathroom sink. The cool feeling of porcelain beneath his palms was grounding. He focused on his breaths. In…2…3…4…5…6…out…2…3…4…5…6…“That wasn’t real,” Ed told himself out loud. “I am real. This bathroom is real. This mirror is real.”With his words, Ed looked tentatively up into the mirror. He half expected to see Oswald standing behind him but he was met with nothing but his own reflection. A sigh of relief escaped Ed’s lips. He was used to hallucinations by now. Pulling himself back together afterward became easier each time. Besides, the sight of Oswald hadn’t really shaken him up. Not truly. It wasn’t like with Kristin. Seeing Oz was…it was a reminder victory. He had destroyed Oswald exactly according to plan. There was nothing more to it. Oz’s body was cold and blue and frozen in the wintery cold river and that was where it would stay. Ed could go on with his life now. Everything was as it should be. Everything.Ed took a few more deep breaths, straightened up, and made his way to the dining room where a hot meal and quiet emptiness awaited him. He began to eat, the clinking of his silverware awkwardly audible in the silence. He took a few bites before shaking his head and standing. The quite was too overbearing for him to handle. Normally solitude was something Ed longed for but today he felt restless. Perhaps it was his week of nonstop nothingness at work. Leaving the full plate and untouched glass of wine abandoned on the table, Edward grabbed his coat and walked out of the mansion. He wasn’t sure where he was going. He just needed to go.Where could he get to on foot? There weren’t many destinations nearby other than restaurants and clubs which he had no desire to visit. One club especially. Someone’s coming for you, green man, and they’ll find you much faster than your made up mobs will find me. Barbra’s sad attempt at a threat appeared at the forefront of his mind. You’d better keep yourself on my good side. Maybe visiting Barbara’s club was a good idea after all. He didn’t put any weight on the warning she had given him, nor did he believe that an alliance with her would benefit him greatly in the days to come. However, Sirens was the current meeting place of what remained of Gotham’s elite. There might be important information to be gleaned from a drink or two at the establishment.Pink tones of sunset in the sky struggled to break through the ever present smog that settled in Gotham city as Ed made a sharp right toward the direction of the Sirens nightclub. His footsteps were drowned out by the last dredges of rush hour traffic. So were the footsteps coming up from behind him.A sharp pinprick of pain stung the side of Edward’s neck. His hand shot up to the spot, his fingers meeting the smooth plastic of a syringe. Before Ed could look around and see his attacker, everything went dark. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Edward’s eyes fluttered open. He felt no connection to his body as he dizzily tried to make sense of his surroundings. His vision was blurry but he could feel something hard and cold under his right arm. Metal? His head lulled heavily to the side and he looked down at an arm that didn’t feel like his. It was resting on a the side of a steel chair. Just resting there, not tied. Odd. Slowly, Ed began to fall back into himself and he assessed his situation more deeply. The room was brightly lit. Florescent lights gleamed harshly on tables and instruments that matched his chair’s surgical steel. His neck was sore from being drooped over onto his shoulder for too long which told him he had been out for at least an hour or two. Sensing a small amount of pressure on his left arm, Ed turned to see a pair of fingers holding a cotton ball against the crook of his elbow.The sight of another person snapped Edward back into reality. Once recognition set it, his heart began to pound. Eyeing Ed with caution, one hand on the cotton ball and the other holding a medical syringe, was Doctor Hugo Strange. Ed yanked his arm out from under Doctor Strange’s fingers and snatched the wrist of the hand holding the syringe. Ed’s grip was not as tight as normal thanks to the drugs, but Strange opened both his hands in a move of complaint innocence. Ed noticed as the syringe fell from Strange’s hand to the cement floor below that it was empty.“What did you drug me with?” Ed demanded, tightening his hold on Strange’s wrist as much as his still woozy body would let him.“Narcan,” the Doctor said. “To reverse the effects of the etorphine.”Ed’s grip was slowly becoming stronger.“Why am I not tied up?” he asked.“To show you we come in peace,” said a smooth, sultry voice. From across the room, Fish Mooney stepped into Ed’s field of view. Ed had never met her in person but there wasn’t a man or woman in Gotham who didn’t know of the infamous Fish Mooney. She didn’t look like Edward had imagined her, though. She looked haggard. It was obvious that she had attempted to give her appearance the same flair it had in her days of power, but the dye in her hair was faded and her dual colored eyes looked exhausted.Ed tensed, ready for a trap. “You attack me on the street with a fatal sedative, haul me into some kind of lab, and expect me to believe you want to play nice?”“The etorphine was diluted. You won’t experience any long term side effects,” offered Strange as if this address all of Ed’s concerns. Mooney took a few steps closer.“We are willing to negotiate peacefully,” she said. “We just had to make sure you were as well. That’s why we brought you here. We couldn’t have you whispering about the location of our hideout to your little friends.”“You’re insinuating that if I refuse you’ll let me just leave?”“We may not dilute your next dose as much, but we’ll happily deliver you to your front door.” Mooney did not smirk as she spoke, but held a cold stare on the confused Ed. “Now if you would be so kind as to let go of my partner’s wrist, we can discuss terms.”Ed paused, glancing back and forth between the Doctor and Fish. Finally he released his grip. Strange picked up the empty syringe, placed it on a standing metal tray and went to stand beside Fish Mooney. Ed stood as well, his height giving him a small feeling of advantage as he stared down his kidnappers.“What exactly is it that you are wanting to discuss? Considering the lengths you went to bring me here I assume it must be some significant kind of trouble.”“Oh, we’re not the ones in trouble,” Mooney replied. “We made an agreement with some very powerful people, and that agreement involved you. You messed it up. You get to fix it.” She flipped a coin in the air toward Ed who caught it easily. He examined it wearily. It appeared old. On one side he could make out what appeared to be a crude depiction of an owl.“Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed. Speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send the Talon for your head.” Mooney recited the poem as if she were chanting a curse. “Strange tells me you’re familiar with this organization. I shouldn’t need to explain the gravity of the situation, then.”“I know they exist. I learned as much on Indian Hill. What do they want with me? What did they want with you?” Ed turned the imprinted coin over and over in his hand as if it would provide him some kind of answer.“As you know,” Strange began, “I was employed by the Court when I was—” Edward cut him off.“Experimenting illegally on inmates and creating monsters? Yes, I’m aware.”Strange raised his eyebrows and lowered his head for a moment, his hands wringing together. After recomposing himself, he continued.“They employed me to find the secret to bringing the dead back to life. Which,” he gestured toward Mooney, “I did. Indian Hill may be gone, but my knowledge and subject ended up being valuable enough that they allowed me to continue my research under certain conditions.”“Subject meaning Miss Mooney, I assume?” Ed asked. He still idly played with the coin in his right hand. What did this have to do with him? He listened intently, trying to piece together the bigger picture that his captors didn’t seem to want to reveal.“Don’t be so crass, Edward,” Mooney chided. “His subject was far more simple than the masterpiece that is me. You see, just because we’re in hiding doesn’t mean I stopped sending little birds out into the world to gather information for me. When Oswald became mayor, of course I needed to keep tabs on him. I couldn’t send someone directly to him, though. He’d suss me out in no time. My target needed to be stupid. That’s where you came in.”Ed’s eyes narrowed at the insult and his fist clamped tightly around the coin. “You might want to rethink your recruitment methods,” he replied through gritted teeth. “It’s not favorable to behave so rudely to potential partners. Besides, the Penguin has gone missing. It’s a shame you’re stuck in this cement pit or perhaps you would have gotten the memo. Now that you’re done wasting my time, if you could direct me toward the exit?”Ed turned slightly but was abruptly cut off by Fish who stepped directly in front of him. Even in her heels she was shorter than him by a handful of inches but she didn’t seem notice. Rather, she leaned in toward him menacingly, her face inches away from his chest, and glared up at him with such malice that she more than compensated for her lack of height. Ed bristled and looked down at the woman, refusing to cower.“Apparently we chose perfectly,” Mooney said in a cold, mocking tone. Her head twisted slightly as she leaned up even closer to Edward’s face. “We’re not looking for you to sign on. You were recruited weeks ago.”“What do you mean?” Ed asked, his imposing stance diminishing slightly. Mooney grinned and stepped backward, no longer needing proximity to feel in charge. She had gotten the reaction she wanted.“Did you really think that someone so perfect for you would just appear out of the blue at a wine store?”Ed faltered. Any emotional distance he attempted to maintain vanished as Isabella’s bright, smiling face flashed in his mind. “What do you mean?” he repeated, this time more insistent.“I’ve been in this game for a long time,” Moony explained. “I’ve learned some very clever tricks and created even cleverer ones. With the help of my new comrade,” she gave a quick nod toward Strange, “I was able to step my game up to a whole new level. Didn’t your little girlfriend seem a bit too familiar?”“What are you talking about?” Ed stammered. His mind put together pieces in disbelief. “Miss Kringle…Kristen…I killed her. Chopped her into pieces.”“Recovering the body from decay wasn’t easy,” Strange said with an acknowledging shrug, “and the scars were very difficult to conceal"“That’s not possible. She was dead for too long.”“With the proper funding, anything is possible,” said Mooney, once again stealing the expository spotlight. “Once a certain someone caught wind of our plan to plant a spy near Cobblepot, we had everything we needed.”“But why give the job to you? If they’re as powerful as you say they should have spies of their own.”“Creativity has its perks,” Mooney replied. “It makes everyone’s job a little bit easier and a lot more fun.”“It gave the Court an easily manipulated set of eyes in the government,” said Strange, “and it allowed them a chance to see the full extent of what I could achieve.”“The fool, the lovers, and the emperor penguin. All of our cards were on the table,” continued Mooney. “Except the fool was more of an idiot than we thought.” With that last sentence, she lashed forward and shoved Ed into the metal chair. He toppled back easily. His head felt light and his whole world was spinning. This time it had nothing to do with the drugs. None of this was right. Isabella was Kristin? Even if that were true, she had loved him. Hadn’t she? Had she known that she was a part of this plan? Or was she an oblivious victim? He couldn’t figure out which would be worse.“We don’t live under a rock, whatever you may think,” Mooney hissed, jabbing her finger into Ed’s chest. “I send my birds out and my birds come back to me. We know you tried to kill Oswald. We need to know where he is.”“Wait,” Ed blinked, his thoughts of Isabella’s betrayal vanishing momentarily. “Tried? I shot him on the docks. His body fell into the river. I saw him die.”“Then get new glasses String Bean, because that body you saw in the river was spotted walking the streets two days after your little assassination attempt.”“You must have wrong information. I saw—”“I don’t give two shits what you saw!” Mooney shouted, pulling Ed by the collar so gruffly that their foreheads nearly cracked together. This was not a part of her power game. A facade had broken. This was an act of desperation. “Dead or alive, you will find that good-for-nothing umbrella boy and bring him to us, do you understand?”Too many thoughts flooded Ed’s mind at once. He stared at Fish, her jaw clenched, teeth bare like a rabid animal, her face so close to his that heavy breaths caused a thin layer of condensation to build on the lenses of his glasses. For an infinite moment they stayed that way, both too lost to their own version of chaos to break the tension. Finally, a calm hand came to rest on Mooney’s shoulder. Ed felt her grip loosen and watched her posture relax under Strange’s touch. She returned to her previous, controlled self and allowed Strange to step between them.“Mr. Nygma, I think we can all see the benefit of working together. Whether you succeeded in killing Mr. Cobblepot is not the issue. We simply need the body so that we can return him to the mayors chair. If you can do this for us then everybody wins. I maintain my funding, Miss Mooney regains access to her medication, you maintain a position of power and respect.”“Medication?” A light clicked on in Ed’s mind. “That’s what all this is about, isn’t it? I’m not a part of his at all. You can’t find Oswald and you need my help or else,” a childish grin spread across his face, “you die.”Mooney made to lunge toward Edward again but Strange blocked her path. “That is one way to see the situation, certainly. However, you must keep in mind that we were able to track you and bring you here without allowing you to become aware of our presence. What do you imagine we would be able to do if we decided to become your enemies?”“Nothing for very long,” Edward giggled. Knowing her condition, Fish’s weariness was now all the more apparent. The sulk in her shoulders. The heavy bend in her knees. Even standing was a chore. “On another note, aren’t you supposed to have super powers? Be able to control minds? Why not just use that?”“We have been unable to study the full potential of Miss Mooney’s gift as of yet. The duration of her influence is yet unknown. It would be easier if you stood along side us willingly. Be reasonable, Mr. Nygma. We are being upfront and more than patient. We only ask that you work with us for a short period time. Surely that isn’t an unreasonable request. I’m certain that the Court would be quite pleased with your work, as well.” Doctor Strange raised an eyebrow enticingly and cast his glance down at Ed’s hand where the forgotten coin remained clenched in his fist. Ed lifted the coin to get a better look, the light in the room gleaming on the owl’s carved eyes. They seemed to stare at him, through him. Was Strange bluffing? Would such a small act matter to the Court of Owls? He barely knew of their existence but Strange seemed to be very close to their inner circles. That would make it very easy to lie. Then again, what did he have to lose?“Very well.” Ed said finally, pocketing the silver disk. “I’ll do my best to find Oswald’s body. But how do I contact you if I do?”“You won’t have a hard time finding us,” Doctor Strange smiled charmingly. Mooney’s face remained sour. “We are so pleased to have you as a part of our team Mr. Nygma.” Strange extended one arm, motioning to a door across the room. Ed stepped forward and Strange followed close behind. In a respectful gesture, he opened the door for Ed. Revealed was a small room and an elevator. “I can’t follow you up,” said Strange, still holding the door politely. “When you find what we need, simply come back down this elevator and slide the coin under this door.”A bit confused but set to his path, Ed stepped through the door and Strange shut it gently behind him. Just before it closed completely, Ed saw Fish slump heavily against a table and was filled with a small bit of satisfaction at seeing her in such a weakened state. Even in death, Oswald was powerful enough to make her crumble. Ed smiled in admiration before realizing who he was admiring. He shook his head as if physically attempting to force any thought of that limping traitor out of his mind.The elevator ride up took much longer than he had expected. There were only two buttons on the inside: up and down. When he finally reached what he assumed to be the only upper level, the doors opened to an alleyway. Cautiously, he stepped out into the open air and looked around. Behind him the elevator doors closed leaving no sign of an entrance aside from a small, disk shaped indent barely visible in the concrete wall. Ed eyed the cryptic keyhole for a moment before allowing his gaze to drift upward. His mouth fell open. He was standing at the base of Wayne Enterprises. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Edward walked swiftly away from Wayne Enterprises. He wanted to put enough distance between himself and the building that his driver wouldn't be able to connect his pickup with that location. As he walked along the dry pavement he assessed his situation. He had agreed to find Oswald, but how? He couldn't go digging around at the bottom of the river. And if what Fish had said was true, if Oswald was still alive, that would make the search even harder. He might not even be in Gotham for all Ed knew. He would need to use all of his resources on this one.A sliver of moon forced its feeble light onto the city. The clouds had cleared up but but the streets were dark. It hasn't occurred to Ed how hungry he was until he noticed how late it actually was. His eyes scanned the mostly empty sidewalks illuminated by lonely streetlights. His work at The Siren's would have to wait until tomorrow. He needed food and a good night's rest. Surely the Court could be patient for one night.Gears clicked and turned in Ed's mind as his thoughts returned to the most efficient way to locate a maybe-dead Oswald. He couldn't go searching for a body without drawing attention to himself so maybe he should entertain the idea that he had survived. But if he had survived, why wouldn't he have gone to a hospital? The police? His return would have been immediately noticed and celebrated. He wasn't a popular public figure--Ed had seen to that--but he was still the mayor. What confused Ed the most, though, was why the Court cared about any of this. They didn't just care, they were involved. Invested. To the point where they had set him up and turned him into a pawn. They'd used Kristin. They'd used him. They'd used Oswald. He wasn't used to being outsmarted and he wasn't about to let this sort of treatment go unpunished. Ed's steps quickened and he shoved his hands in to his pockets, clenching his fist around the silver coin. They wanted Penguin? They would get Penguin. Penguin and Ed and their combined wrath. Then maybe they'd think twice before toying with the kings of Gotham.Wait.No.Oswald wasn't the king of Gotham. He wasn't anything. He was a traitor and a failed leader of both the city and the underworld. They weren't a team at all. They were enemies. Ed stoped and ran his fingers over the coin still hidden safely in his pocket as he tried to realign his thoughts. It frustrated him how easily his brain slipped back into old patterns of thought the past few days. This had never happened to him before. He just needed to find Oswald, deliver him to Fish and Strange and be done with this whole ordeal. That would get him back on track.Ed took his hands out of his pockets and brushed the front of his jacket as if to punctuate his final thought."One silver piece?" a voice asked from the darkness. "Even Judas needed more than that."A shiver ran down Ed's spine and his body locked in place as he listened to expensive shoes approaching from behind with an uneven gait."I suppose I'm no Jesus, though. I'm far better dressed. We do seem to have the same affinity toward purple, however."Inhaling sharply, Ed spun around but the street behind him was empty."You're not faster than me anymore, Ed."Oswald's voice came from behind him again, startling him and causing him to jump around. This time he was greeted by Oz's freckled face a foot away from his own."You're not real," Ed said in a breath. His heart was racing."Aren't I?" asked Oz, opening his suit jacket and lifting his shirt to reveal a sick, black scar on his abdomen. "Reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. That's what Jesus said, wasn't it? Sorry, I'm just trying play the role properly."Ed had no words. He opened his mouth but nothing but half choked syllables escaped his lips. Finally he managed to speak, "Mister Penguin...""Don't you 'Mister Penguin' me!" Oswald barked. "Don't even speak my name. You betrayed me!" His whole body was tensed in anger and the stress caused his stitched bullet wound to reopen. A small trickle of blood began to drip down his side. Ed opened his mouth again to bring attention to the damage but Oswald yanked his shirt back down before he could."I loved you. I loved you more than anyone ever could." Oswald's face was still contorted in anger but his eyes were blurry with tears. "I loved you and you betrayed me. How could you?"Ed was shaking. He felt like the foolish, quiet forensic scientist of his past again. At loss for words. Unable to communicate. No idea how to portray they overwhelming emotions he felt. He needed to find sanity. His mind refused to believe what he was seeing. Was this really Oswald?"No," Ed said, both to himself and the shorter man before him. "You're not real. I shot you."Oswald reached out and yanked Ed's wrist, forcing Ed's hand into his side. Ed felt his thumb press into Oswald's wound causing blood to ooze out onto Oz's shirt and Ed's hand. Oswald didn't flinch."Trust me," Oswald said, his piercing gaze drilling through any facade of strength Ed had managed to display. "I know. I said I would die for you. I just didn't expect you be the one doing the killing."The blood on Oswald's shirt turned black."You said you'd do anything for me. You said I could always count on you. You said you were my friend!"A single drop of water appeared from beneath Oswald's bangs and ran down his nose. Another followed. And then another."You will make this right."Oswald's skin began to grow pale. A glaze grew over his eyes. Ed felt Oz's grip on his arm become slimy and cold."You will make this right or you will never know happiness again!"Then, as quickly as he had appeared, Oswald vanished. Ed stood on the sidewalk with his shivering hand extended into empty air. His stomach clenched painfully and his throat felt tight. Ed had been right; I t hadn't been real. He was safe. He was alone. And yet sight of Oswald's tear filled eyes and the feeling of his blood against his hand hung in his memory as vividly as if it had actually happened. For eight days he had been telling himself he had done the right thing by killing Oswald.He was wrong.A hole drilled its way into Ed's chest. It was an ache he had only felt once before as he had held the body of the woman he had loved and murdered with his own hand. Before Indian Hill. Before the dark side of himself had taken control. Before he had sworn never to let his heart control his mind again. This was an emptiness that was pure and dark and all encompassing.Those bastards. Those fucking bastards! This was their fault. Oswald would have been alive if it weren't for them. He and Ed would have still been together. They would have been happy. Edward pulled the coin out of his pocket and threw it as hard as he could into the street.Then, with a panicked jolt of realization, he dashed into the street toward where he heard the coin land. That was his only key to getting Oswald back. Until he was completely sure that Oswald was alive he couldn't afford to let that coin out of his sight. He found the little disk sparking in the center of a streetlight's glow. He pocketed it and pulled out his phone. He wasn't as far from Wayne Enterprises as he had wanted to be but he didn't care. He needed to get out of this street. He needed to go home. He needed to find Oswald Cobblepot. From the rooftop above the spot where Ed paced impatiently waiting for his car, a masked figure glowered down at him. A quiet beep came from his side and he pulled a walkie talkie off of his belt without breaking eye contact with his target."Is he going to comply?" a woman's voice asked through a staticky connection."I'm not sure," the masked figure replied. He still held the knife he had drawn when he had seen Edward throw the coin, but his grip on it had now lessened. "He seems to have had an episode. If he is as unstable as he seems he might not be as reliable as we'd hoped. I'm going to keep an eye on him.""That won't be necessary," the woman replied. "Return to your primary roost. I'll send you periodically to check up on Nygma but our attention is more essential elsewhere.""Understood. Talon out." The masked figure lingered on the rooftop a bit longer until a black limo pulled up to the curb. Once Edward Nygma was inside, the figure watched the car turn the corner and vanish. He knew he had orders. However, something didn't seem right about leaving such a wild card unattended. Nygma's home wasn't that far away from where he had been assigned. Maybe he would take a detour just to assure himself that everything was rolling smoothly. Without a sound, the masked man leapt from rooftop to rooftop, following the red tail lights of the black limousine. The mansion seemed haunted as Ed stepped inside. Rather than feeling like a beautiful piece of stollen treasure it felt like a prison. Before tonight Ed hadn't noticed or hadn't cared, but as he made his way to his bedroom he realized that Oswald was on every inch of this home. The couch where they had shared tea. The office where they had organized meetings and press conferences. The dining room where Oswald had waited alone with an important, heartfelt message while Ed had spent the night with the zombie of his former lover.I'm in love with you.A painful twist in his stomach quickly rid him of his apatite and he rushed past the rest of the mansion without looking at any features of the rooms. Once he reached his bedroom he hastily changed into his night clothes and climbed into bed without turning on the light. The soft mattress and thick covers offered no sanctuary, however. The bed felt cold. Empty. In the back of his mind Ed wondered what it would have been like to share this bed with Oswald. The love of a man was something he never anticipated receiving or even fathomed reciprocating.But now he wondered. Oswald had always been a sort of hero to him. Smart. Powerful. Determined.Sweet.Caring.The hole in Edward's chest grew unbearably large and he wrapped his arms tightly around himself as if trying to keep himself from physically crumbling. How had he let things get so out of control? How had he gone so wrong? Edward stared for a long time at the empty half of his bed. After what felt like an eternity, he fell into a restless sleep. Outside the window, a masked man vanished from his hiding spot in a nearby tree. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Morning came and went without mind. Despite it being Saturday, Ed had meant to wake early but the events of the previous evening had left him so exhausted that when he finally rolled out of bed it was quarter past two in the afternoon. The sun spit daylight onto Ed’s face and he blinked into waking, his eyes protesting painfully to the brightness of the room. The curtains were open. That was odd. He must have forgotten to close them the night before. Shakily, he pulled himself out of bed and slid the curtains shut before changing into the days clothes. Even though he was certain no one would be able to see him, Ed refused to undress in a room that wasn’t completely private. The vulnerability of nudity was never something he had quite grown comfortable with.Now it was time to get to work. He had already wasted too much of the day already. Penguin was missing and the Owls were looking for him. Ed noted that he seemed to be a magnet for troublesome birds.Dawning a brown suit and a patterned tie, Edward downed a large meal with fantastic speed and left the mansion, this time by car. Walking alone for long distances somehow didn’t feel as appealing as it had the night before. When the driver pulled to a stop in front of the Gotham Police Department, Ed instructed him to wait and walked up the stone steps into the old, familiar building.This was not Ed’s first return to the precinct since his termination, but when he walked through the wooden doors into the dimly lit central office he felt unease. This was the place where his true self was born. He had hidden Kristin Kringle's body here and gotten away with it. He had set up detective James Gordon and successfully brought on the innocent man's incarceration. Now with his governmental influence he had the whole department under his thumb, and yet somehow he sensed a trap waiting to be sprung. It was as if he could feel watching eyes burning into his skin. Not eyes of suspecting officers. There would naturally be at least a few but Ed had no fear of them. He was certain that even the most committed detective would’t be able to find evidence to connect him to the missing mayor. If he hadn’t been he wouldn’t have come here in the first place. There were other eyes, though. Ones he could not see. Hiding somewhere in the shadows, glowing dimly, never looking away. Ed tried to logical shoo away the idea that anyone was watching him, but those silver eyes on the coin in his pocket felt like a homing beacon. His memory flashed back to his open curtains. Were they following him? It unnerved him how little he knew about this organization and how much they might know about him. Internally, he shook. Externally, he straightened his posture and walked across the room toward the desk of Jim Gordon. Speaking of committed detectives...The previous plans of subtle, covert investigation into Oswald’s location had been tossed out the window. Everything seemed much more urgent now. As incompetent as they could be, the GCPD was the most likely to have reliable, up to date information regarding this situation. As for Gordon, he had almost certainly requested to be put in charge of Oswald's case. Publicly, he displayed a disdain for anyone associated with Gotham's underworld, but Ed could clearly see an unrelenting, hidden admiration Jim had developed toward Oswald specifically. Not that Ed could blame him. That just meant that he was unlikely to trust anyone else with finding Oz and returning him to safety.Gordon was staring down at an open file on his desk, his hand halfway raked through is hair and his mouth slightly agape in exasperation. Ed approached the desk and rapped twice on the wood with his knuckles.“Knock knock,” he sang cheerily. Gordon looked up and sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair. He appeared at his limit for stressful situations for the day.“Afternoon, Mr. Mayor. What brings you in today,” Jim said in flat sarcasm as he closed the file on his desk.The words tumbled from Ed's mouth as if he had been waiting to say them all day.“I can never be stolen from you. I am owned by everyone. Some have more, some have less. What am I?”“A stupid riddle.”“Knowledge. I’m here for knowledge. Specifically in regards to Mr. Cobblepot.”“That’s a open investigation, Ed,” Jim sighed. “You know I can’t tell you anything.”“Mr. Gordon, Oswald is my colleague and my friend. I, more than anyone, am desperate for his safe return. I simply want to know if there are any leads.” The conversation was an act of course, but the statement wasn't exactly a lie.“Yeah,” Jim said, his eyes narrowing, “I’m sure you’re terribly concerned. Having all of Penguin’s money and power to yourself must be really hard for you.”“I’m insulted that you would believe—““Cut the crap, Ed. I have a lot of work to do. There’s nothing I can tell you that you don’t already know. You want updates? Read the paper.”Ed’s jaw tightened as Jim flipped open the file he had been examining before. A forced, annoyed grin spread across his face as he attempted to keep his composure. He was a man of power now. He would not be dismissed by some petty detective. Before he could push the issue further, however, a boisterous voice echoed from behind him.“Well if it isn’t the man of the hour!”Harvey Bullock, Jim’s former partner and current acting police captain, came trotting toward the two men waving a manilla folder above his head. Despite his temporary promotion, Bullock has apparently seen no need to update his appearance from the usual dirty jacket, messy beard and long, unkempt hair. “We were just about to call you in for questioning but it looks like you’re two steps ahead as usual, Ed.”“For questioning?” Ed replied, genuinely confused.“Yeah,” Bullock quipped. “You a fan of Stephen King?”Ed was taken aback by the randomness of Harvey’s question.“Not particularly,” he answered. “I’ve always found his writing to be dully predictable.”“Yeah, well you’re not that hard to figure out yourself,” Harvey replied, slapping the contents of the folder on the desk between Jim and Ed. “I gotta say, though, you’re sneaky clue skills are slipping a bit.”Ed looked down at the full page printouts of photos taken by the docks. In sloppy, red-brown letters, the word REDRUM was spelled out on the concrete. Ed picked up one of the photos to examine it closer.“We found this a few days ago. Analysis just came back. The blood was confirmed to be Penguin’s.”“What makes you think I would do something like this?” Ed asked. Despite his steady voice, his heart was pounding wildly. It would have taken a lot of blood to make those letters.“Uh, maybe because you're the number one criminal in Gotham who likes to play stupid games with the cops?"“Where did you find this?” Ed demanded, ignoring Harvey as he spoke.“About a mile downstream from the pier,” Harvey said slowly, raising an eyebrow. The tone in Ed’s voice was angry, almost frantic. If he didn't know better, he would have thought Ed's concern was actually genuine.Without another word, Ed turned on his heal and walked out of the department. Shouts from Harvey about “that photo is police property” and “we know you’re mixed up in this” followed him to the exit and were silenced with the heavy bang of the front door. This was a message from Oswald. There was no doubt in Ed’s mind. This was meant for him. He just needed to figure out what the message was.On a hunch, Ed went directly back to the mansion and walked into Oswald’s personal library. There among a few other of the authors works was a hardcover copy of Stephen King’s The Shining. A part of him was slightly repulsed that someone he admired so dearly would read this sort of grovel until he remembered that the mansion had previously belonged to Oswald’s departed father, Elijah Van Dahl. Oz was a spectacularly sentimental man. Perhaps the book was a favorite Mr. Van Dahl. Ed could only hope.Redrum. The first interpretation that came into Ed’s mind was simply “reverse the murder”. Oswald was never good at riddles so the answer to this one had to be fairly simple. “Reverse the murder” was too vague, though, and if Oswald was alive when he wrote this there wouldn’t have been a murder to reverse in the first place. Ed opened the book to the copyright page. First edition, naturally, printed 1977. Could the date have something to do with it? An address, maybe? No, that was too minute. He would have to think broader. Larger details. Bigger picture. There must be something major here that Oswald had been referencing.Taking a seat at the desk, Ed began flipping through the pages of the novel. Gotham had no Overlook Hotel. Torrance was not a name that rang familiar with him, either by family or location. He could think of a few hotels in which rich men would meet and dress each other as dogs but he preferred to believe that Oswald was not holed up in one of those waiting to be found. However...Fish had treated Oswald like a dog more than once during his days working as her umbrella boy. If Ed remembered correctly, on one occasion she had even forced him to drop to all fours and kiss her feet. The thought made Ed’s hands tighten into fists around the book, causing one of the pages to tear. It had all taken place at Fish's club, Oswald's club since Fish had been ousted by Falcone from the mob. That must be it. What had become of that place, he wondered. It had been so long since Oswald had time for something as meaningless as a nightclub. Still, it was worth checking into. Ed grabbed his briefcase, tucked the book inside, and was off once more.When he arrived at the club he wasn’t at all surprised to see it boarded up and empty. The illuminated letter’s that had at one point spelled “Oswald’s” were shattered and the only sign that remained of the club’s signature neon umbrella was an uneven sun bleaching on the wall. Someone must have taken the actual light as a souvenir. That or it was trashed with the rest of the place.Ed worked his way around back until he reached the rear entrance. Here, like at the front, the door was boarded shut. Upon closer inspection, however, he saw that the nails holding the wood in place were just barely doing so. Pinching one between his fingers, Ed slowly slid one from its resting place as easily as if he were removing it from butter. These boards had been removed and reapplied a number of times. His heart began to flutter. Could this really be the moment? Was Oswald behind this door waiting, praying that Ed had found his clue? Had deciphered it? It was in this moment that Edward realized he had no idea what he was going to say when he opened the door. The hallucination of Oswald was direct and demanding, but that was not going to be the case now. Oswald was hurt both emotionally and physically and Edward had been the one who hurt him. Even if Oz had somehow forgiven him, what was Ed supposed to do? Was he to rush in and apologize or let Oswald speak first? Should he reveal how much of a hole losing Oz had left in his life or was it too early to confess such emotions without seeming insincere? Ed could solve puzzles, manipulate numbers, and plot great and terrible schemes. Logically, he was always four chess moves ahead of his opponent. But Oswald was no longer an opponent, and the heart was never as straight forward as the mind.All of these thoughts tumbled around in Ed’s brain as his increasingly sweaty hands pulled the nails from their beds one by one and laid them next the the boards as removed them from the door. Finally, there was nothing left to stall his reunion. Taking a deep breath, Ed took the doorknob in his hand and turned. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The door opened surprisingly quietly. The hinges must not have yet begun to rust. There were no windows on the walls and Ed had not thought to bring along a flashlight. Using one of the boards he had removed from the rear entrance, he propped open the door as far as he could to let in as much sun as possible. Dust particles danced in the stream of light that fell into the room and Ed allowed his eyes to adjust to the dimness before stepping inside.The empty club was eerily quiet and his footsteps echoed loudly off the walls with each step he took. Overturned tables and chairs lay scattered along the floor and a thick layer of dust covered every surface. There were some empty liquor bottles still sitting on the shelves behind the bar but anything that might have still contained alcohol had been removed. By the broken glass that crunched under the soles of Ed’s brown Oxford’s he supposed that a good majority of it had been drunken and discarded before the looters even left the premises. As he set his briefcase on the bar he tried to picture what the place would have looked like in it’s hay day. A grand destination with pleasantly dim lighting, fine food, and live music playing on the now-empty stage. He would loved to have seen it.A muffled cough caught Ed’s ear and he stopped in his tracks, listening hard into the darkness.“Oswald?” he asked in a loud whisper. There was no reply. Ed listened harder and heard rustling behind the stage curtains. “Oswald!” Ed cried louder before dashing forward, dodging chairs, tables, and lamps as he went. Using one hand to hoist himself up, he clambered to the stage surface and yanked back the curtains.“Os—!”A man looked up at Ed with wide, terrified eyes. In his arms he held a young girl, her head buried in his chest and her hand’s hiding her face. She was shaking.“P-please,” the man stuttered, “please, don’t kick us out. My daughter, she’s sick and—”“Where’s Oswald?” Ed demanded in a low voice.“Who?”“Oswald Cobblepot. Where is he? He should be here?”“The mayor?” asked the man, holding his daughter closer. “He’s not here. No one is. Just us.”“How long have you been hiding here?”“A month. Maybe longer. Please don’t kick us out. The shelters are full and if my daughter stays out there in the cold…”“You’ve been here a month? Has anyone else been here? Has anyone ever passed through?”“No. We haven’t seen anyone but you since we arrived. The place was already looted when we got here. Please don’t…”“I’m not going to kick you out,” Ed said through gritted teeth. “So there has been absolutely no one?”“No.”“I don’t believe you.”Ed stepped quickly past the man and his daughter to the small area backstage. “Oswald!” he shouted into the emptiness. When no reply came he began to open doors, knock over racks of old wardrobe pieces, and toss aside already toppled pieces of furniture. The man and the girl watched trepidatiously as Ed covered every inch of the club, becoming more and more frantic with each area he checked. He had deciphered Oswald’s message. He had solved the riddle. He was here. Why was Oswald still hiding? He looked behind every door, under every booth, knocked along the walls to find some kind of hidden crawlspace. He found nothing.Eventually Ed circled back to the bar of empty bottles. The mirror behind the liquor display reflected a man covered in sweat and dust, wisps of hair falling in front of his face. Then, his reflection became blocked by himself. A much tidier, much more confident Edward leaned on the bar from the server’s side and grinned.“Not as smart as you thought you were, huh?”The real Ed snatched up a stool, gripping it so hard that his knuckles turned white.“Shut up!” he cried, hurling the stool through the air and sending it crashing into the glass display. Glimmering shards rained down to the floor as Ed stood panting and furious. The girl let out a whimper. Ed’s eyes snapped up and for a moment he contemplated threatening to call the authorities on her and her father’s presence. Breathing heavily, he stared at the frightened pair for a long, loaded moment before snatching his briefcase up and storming out the back exit, kicking away the wooden doorstopper and letting the metal door swing shut with a loud clang!Once in the privacy of the alley, Ed took deep breaths. There had to be a logical explanation to all of this. Obviously he missed some key detail. He would just have to try again.Opening his briefcase, Ed removed the novel and began flipping through its pages, speed reading, searching for anything he might have overlooked.“It really is sad,” said the hallucination of himself to his right.“Truly sad,” replied the hallucination of Oswald to his left.“Watch him search.”“So desperate.”“He’ll never figure it out.”Ed kept reading, doing his best to block out the voices he knew only he could hear.“Maybe there’s nothing to figure out at all,” laughed Oswald. “Maybe my dying act was to try and tell the police it was you. Maybe I’m out there rotting and oozing and cold. Maybe I died alone and afraid and hating you.”“If you were trying to reveal me as your killer you would have written my name,” the real Ed replied, “not a line from a book.” They’re not real, he had to remind himself. Stay focused. Ignore them.“Perhaps he was trying to tell you your future,” said a woman’s voice. The mirage of Kristen now stood before him completing the trifecta. Ed brought the book closer to his face.“'The Shining'. The story of a man who brags about his intellect,” said the fake Ed.“So proud but so fragile,” chimed Kristen.“Until one day he snaps,” Oswald added, “becoming a murderer and slowly…”“Drifting…”“Into…”“Madness!” They all sang the last word together with glee. Ed pulled the book so close to his face he could barely decipher the words. Block them out. Solve the riddle. They’re not real.“I never wanted you to find me.” Oswald appeared directly in front of Edward pushed the book down, forcing Ed to look into his eyes. “I just wanted to let you know how hopeless you were and I wanted to make sure you heard it from me.”Ed couldn’t take it anymore. He shot up and flung the book through Oswald’s grinning face. The image of him vanished like smoke. Grabbing the briefcase he swung it through Kristen who disappeared as well. “Leave me alone!” he screamed, making a final swing toward that cruel, laughing artificial projection of himself. Instead of being whisked away like the others, the fake Ed simply stepped back and dogged the blow.“You lost your chance,” he chided. Another swing.“He’s gone and it’s you’re fault.” Another dodge.“You won’t find him. It’s too late.” Ed swung the briefcase one last time, this time letting go of the handle and sending it careening through the hallucination’s head. Fake Ed vanished and the briefcase hit the ground with a crack, breaking the latch and sending papers flying everywhere. Ed scrambled to his feet and gathered them as fast as he could, tossing them haphazardly back into the briefcase. The latch was broken beyond repair and the corner had impacted with the ground in just the right way to make the hinges on the bottom bend slightly, making it impossible to shut the case properly. Holding it closed under one arm, Ed wearily made his way to where he had flung the book. It lay open near an overflowing, blue dumpster. Ed contemplated leaving it or tearing it to bits but it was too valuable. Just like the coin, this book was simultaneously a burning reminder of his mistake and one of the only items tying him to the possibility of uniting with Oswald once more.Resigned, Ed squatted and reached for the book. Before he picked it up however, he froze, hands millimeters from the tattered pages. Ed reread the line that had caught his eye and then picked up the book. He raised it carefully, afraid that if he moved to fast the words would vanish all together.“Now it stood revealed, an incongruous splash of green in all the eye-watering whiteness.”Green. The color Ed had worn on that regretful night. The color of the clues he left at his crime scenes.The color of a riddler.Ed read on. The passage told of a boy in a cold yard surrounded by green he thought to be safe. Lion shaped topiaries. Harmless plants. And then the lions start to close in. The boy tries to tell himself it’s not real until it’s too late. “Bellowing, angry roar.” “Smell of blood and evergreen.” It was such a small connection, and yet the passage was so powerful. The fear tangible. How must Oswald had felt when he realized the one person he thought the safest was the one who sought to destroy him. How must he have felt when he was attacked by the green?Ed’s stomach twisted painfully, the hole reappearing in his chest. With great difficulty, he tried to imagine what Oswald would have meant by sending this message. The boy had been playing in the garden…Could it possibly be Giordano Botanical Gardens? There were no animal shaped bushes but the place was famous for it’s selection of plants from around the world. Behind it was the railway, a known location for homeless and runaways. It would be the perfect place to blend in and go unnoticed. Ed didn’t have enough faith in himself to be confident of his conclusion but any lead was better than none. Using the sleeve of his suit, he wiped away the buildup of grime on his face and ran his fingers through his hair to straighten all the runaway wisps. He had no mirror to inspect himself with, but when he felt thoroughly tidied he walked out of the alleyway and hailed a cab.    Ed trod slowly through the park. Dusk was beginning to fall and not too far ahead of him he could see trash fires being lit to give those sleeping on the street some tiny source of warmth. He ignored the judging and curious stares he received from the ragged huddles of people as he walked through the shanty town, his eyes dancing around the tracks looking for a familiar face hiding in the shadows. He walked until the street folk were long behind him and alleys began to appear to his left. He peered only half expectantly down each one until he came to the spot directly behind the Botanical Garden’s property line. Eyes straining in the darkness, Ed saw him. Crumpled on the ground in the back corner, back propped up against the wall, was a figure with dark, matted hair and and a black suit. Ed’s heart stopped. Was this a trick again? Would the figure jump up and and laugh once he approached? Would he just vanish?One step at a time, Ed moved slowly, cautiously, his body tense and ready to run at any second. It wasn’t until he was feet away that he believed that this was no hallucination. He was looking down at the sleeping form of Oswald Cobblepot.Ed hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath until he exclaimed “Oswald!” and all of it left him at once. Casting his broken suitcase aside he dropped to his knees and took the man’s face in his hands.It was cold.Too cold.Slowly, Ed pulled back. No. No! This was another trick. His cruel mind only wanted him to believe Oswald’s skin was like ice. If he could trick his eyes and his ears, why not his other senses?Ed reached out and and examined the sleeping Oswald. He ran his hand over the man’s eyelids. They didn’t open. He touched his arm and found it to be stiff and unmoving as well. There were splotches of red on his hands and face. His lips were blue.Ed began to shake. There was another explanation. If Oswald had been hiding here too long he could just be unresponsive from the cold. A glance at his abdomen showed bright red skin peeling back around the bullet hole Ed had put there. Infection. It was just the infection.Gingerly, Ed unbuttoned Oswald’s shirt to examine him further. Pockets of puss filled the open wound. He placed his hand beneath it and leaned in for a closer look when…“Ed….”The sound was barely a whisper. Edward gasped and looked up. The lift of fear from his shoulders happened so suddenly that he felt lightheaded.“Oswald! I’m here. It’s ok.”But the body was unresponsive. Ed looked back down on the hand on Oswald’s abdomen. Oswald hadn’t said anything. Ed had simply pushed out gas build up from inside the body causing a post-mortem moan. There was no denying it anymore. Oswald was gone.But there was still redness around the gunshot wound. That meant Oswald had been only been dead for hours. Ed fell backward, his pelvic bone cracking hard against the concrete. Quickly, he whipped himself around on all fours and retched. Hours!! If Ed hadn’t slept in, if he had solved the puzzle the first time, if he had been more clever, Oswald would still be alive. He would have been able to save him. Now, his own blindness had killed his truest friend twice.But why had Oswald stayed hidden? If he’d been alive for nine days he could have gone to a doctor, even a back alley doctor and gotten healed. He could have gone to the police as soon as he climbed out of the river. Why hadn’t he?Ed didn’t need to ask these questions. He already knew the answer. If he had gone for help he would have put Ed at risk of being found out. Instead, he had counted on Ed to find him before it was too late. After everything, Oswald was still willing to sacrifice himself and put all of his trust in his hands.  “Ed, I love you. I know that you believe that now.” Ed retched again, the vomit splattering off of the cement onto the sleeves of his suit. Then, he wept. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Shhhhhink.The sound of metal against concrete echoed slightly in the expanse that was Doctor Strange’s lab below the basement of Wayne Enterprises. Casually, he strolled over to the room’s only exit, the door that led to the elevator, and stooped to pick up a coin that had been pushed into the room from underneath it. The door was code locked from the other side. When Moony and Strange had recruited Nygma to their cause, Strange had thought it best not to reveal the code to Edward lest he prove to be disloyal. Now, the sliding of the coin at least demonstrated Ed’s commitment in a time of mutual benefit.Strange opened the door to reveal a  disheveled Edward Nygma, his suit filthy and his long arms cradling the corpse of Oswald Cobblepot. Strange stepped aside calmly as Nygma rushed in, looking for a place to lay the body.“You can set him there,” Strange said in a low, authoritative voice. He gestured to a hospital gurney. Ed followed direction and released Oswald’s body delicately, making tidying adjustments to the dead man’s suit once he had been laid out. Ed was trying to comb his fingers through the matted mess that was Oswald’s hair when Strange finally interrupted.“I’m impressed. We weren’t expecting to see you back so soon.”“I had help,” Edward said, his eyes not leaving the body. Strange’s eyebrow raised when he saw that Ed had wrapped his fingers around it’s hand.“All the better for us,” said Strange and slowly began to pull the gurney away from Ed. Ed kept hold of Oswald’s hand and Strange stoped.“You’re going to bring him back,” Ed said. It was not a question.“That is part of the plan, yes.”“How? This room has nothing. It looks like a standard medical examination room.”“It is,” Strange replied. “This isn’t the room where I’m going to work.” He glanced down at Ed’s hand again and Ed finally let go. Strange then wheeled the gurney to a thermostat on the far wall and flipped it up to reveal a finger print scanner and a keypad. He typed in a code and placed his thumb on the scanner. The wall next to him which had appeared solid moved to reveal a large doorway that opened slowly into a conjoining room. Ed followed Strange inside and looked around. Everywhere there were machines and computers that Ed couldn’t hope to recognize, let alone decipher their purpose. Strange wheeled the gurney next to an operating table and looked at Ed expectantly.“Are you going to help me move him?”“Ye…Yes. Of course.” Ed took Oswald’s stiffened legs in his hands and hoisted him to the table a few inches away. It had taken Ed a while to bring the body back to Strange after his initial discovery of its location. Once he had recomposed himself, he had to call his car only to take the driver home and come back himself to retrieve Oswald himself. Since Os would be alive again soon, Ed no longer had to worry about having witnesses tie him to suspicious locations. However, he still knew better than to allow anyone see him transporting a body. In too much of a hurry to clean or change, Ed immediately took the keys from his driver upon their arrival at the mansion and made his way back to the alley behind the Botanical Gardens.Usually a body would go in a trunk, but that seemed insulting and unfitting for his friend after all he’d suffered. Ed had lifted Oswald’s body and laid him carefully along the back seat of the car, buckling him in at both ends. The freckled man was short and fit perfectly on the seat without Ed having to bend his knees too much. The time it had taken Ed to go home and return had allowed the rigor mortis to set in deeper and all of Oswald’s joints were becoming stiff. His suit was soiled and he smelled of human waste. Ed would worry about cleaning that out of the car later. Even if he had to replace the car, he had the funds. Right now, Oswald was his number one priority.Now, Ed watched nervously as Strange began to undress Oswald. Ed understood it needed to be done but it felt indecent. Hadn’t Oswald been through enough? Could he not keep his dignity here? It pained Edward even more that Strange was using a knife to cut through the fine fabric of Oswald’s suit. It was one of Oswald’s favorite. Now it was being slashed into nothing but scraps of dirty fabric.“Are you going to be doing this alone?” Ed asked, his gaze still intently fixed on Strange’s work.“Of course not,” Strange replied. “Like I said, we simply didn’t expect you back so soon. My assistants should be here shortly.”Strange continued to remove articles of clothing one by one, making the view more horrendous and heart wrenching by the second. Ed had never realized Oswald was so tiny. So frail. His impulse was to go to him, take his hand again, but he stayed rooted in his spot. Half of the reason was because he knew better than to interrupt. The other half was due to the immobilizing guilt that ripped at him from the inside.“Where’s Miss Money?” he asked, trying to stay present.“She’s resting in her room.” Ed must have looked surprised because Strange paused, stooped over the corpse, and looked up at him. “You didn’t think we lived in that cold, concrete room, did you?”“Of course not,” Ed shot back. To be honest, he hadn’t really given it much thought. Compared to everything else, a detail like that seemed meaningless.Strange began the arduous task of cleaning the body. For this, Edward offered to help. He felt it to be an obligation. However, Strange instructed him to stay where he was. Then, four individuals in medical coverings appeared from yet another hidden door. How many layers did the complex go before doors just became doors? Their aid sped up the cleaning process considerably. Finally, Oswald’s head was propped up on a block and Strange placed a scalpel tip against the center of Oswald’s collar bone.“What are you doing?” Ed barked, stepping forward. The four masked assistants quickly moved between Ed and Strange, looking far more intimidating than they had before.“You were a medical examiner,” Strange reminded Ed, holding the scalpel in place but not yet cutting into the exposed flesh. “You know this is part of the job.”“This isn’t an autopsy,” Ed said, flustered. His palms were sweating. “This is the opposite of an autopsy. You’re brining him back to life. Remove the bullet and do your job. We know how he died.”Strange sighed and set the small blade on a stainless steel tray next to the rest of his tools. “Would you like our mayor to awake with a ruptured liver, Mr. Nygma?” he asked, referencing the area in the abdomen Edward had sent the bullet. “Would you like him to have decayed organs? Infection still running through his blood? Brining a man back from the dead is a dirty job, Mr. Nygma. You are welcome to wait in the other room if this is too much for you to handle.”Ed looked back and forth between Oswald’s cold, exposed body to Strange’s stern face. To his own surprise he said, “I think it would be best if I waited outside.”“Very well,” replied Strange. “We will call you back in when the job is done. Depending on how much damage our friend has incurred, reanimation shouldn’t take more than a few hours.”Strange’s use of ‘our friend’ made Edward feel violated. His fists clenched, but he said nothing as he walked away.Once he was back in the familiar, drab room that connected to the elevator, he began to pace. He was exhausted but his heart was pounding too wildly for him to sit still. There were so many horrifying and wonderful possibilities that lay ahead, and for the next few hours Ed had nothing to do but consider them all.The first thing he would have to do is find away to keep Oswald safely out of Strange and Mooney’s reach. Now that he had a glimpse at the internal operation a man of Ed’s intellect could achieve this quite easily. As unpleasant as the duo was, they were essential to the task of bringing Oswald back to this world, but Ed held no deal with them beyond delivering the body. Even that detail was more beneficial to Ed than it was to the others. Thanks to Strange and whatever obsession the Court had with him, Edward would get a second chance. Without them…There were other things to consider. First, a cover story. People would want to know where their mayor had disappeared to after his grand return. His first thought would be to blame Butch. He certainly wouldn’t be difficult to frame. The ape of a man had put a target on his own back when he had formed a fake Red Hood gang to get Oswald’s attention. After Ed exposed him publicly, anyone would believe any rumor they heard about Butch trying to harm Oswald again. That may be too obvious to someone like Gordan, though. Then again, no matter how obvious the lie, without evidence belief was superfluous. With Oswald alive, a little smoothing talk and few PR stunts would set everything back on track. Oswald would return to his rightful place as King of Gotham and Ed would be by his side. They would be partners.Partners.Ed licked his cracked lips futilely with his dry tongue. Their public relations would be easy to restore, but what would happen privately? Ed hadn’t navigated those waters before. His mind flashed to the cold, empty half of his bed at the mansion. He imagined a warm, smiling Oswald lying there. So grateful to be reunited. So glad to finally have his expressions of love reciprocated.Love.There was still the burning question in the back of his mind. Did he love Oswald? Was he ready to accept a relationship together as a real, influential part of his life? The thought was frightening but even so, he already knew the answer.Ever since Ed had heard of the Penguin he had been inspired. The first time they met at the precinct, back when Oswald was a powerful stranger and Ed was still a nobody, it was like meeting a super hero. When Ed had begun to embrace his thrilling life as a murderer and criminal, Oswald had been the first person he told. They celebrated together. Shared a home. Even after he had been forgotten by the world in the hellish pit that was Indian Hill, Oswald still remembered him. Thanks to Oswald’s influence he had been released and allowed to stand as his number two in the city. No, not number two. Perhaps by title, but he understood now that Oswald had never seen it that way. They were equals. They shared everything: a home, meals, schemes, secrets. Once they were reunited once again, they would share even more.True clarity hit Ed for the first time. He, without a doubt, was in love with Oswald Cobbelpot. And in a few hours, he would finally be able to tell him.   “You can come in, now.” It was Doctor Strange who beaconed Ed into the laboratory. “He’s about to wake up.” Rather than send an assistant, he had characteristically taken on the role of proud host. Ed was somewhat relieved to see Oswald covered in a medical gown and not naked on a slab like he had been before. There were tubes and wires connected to him everywhere, but at least he wasn’t exposed. Mooney wasn’t present. Another bit to be grateful for. Ed liked to think that without her medication, she was too weak to join the rest of the team for the miracle of science that was about to occur.“Ready?” asked Strange. There was a hint of excitement beneath his usually expressionless voice. A switch was flipped. A jolt of electricity ran through Oswald’s body, visible as it caused the muscles it passed through to twitch. And then…Oswald opened his eyes.The man looked around, blinking in what must have felt like blinding light. His expression slowly morphed from confusion to fear as he became aware of his surroundings. People in masks. Machines. The crazy Doctor Strange. Then his eyes met Ed’s.“Edward Nygma. It’s you!”These were the words. The words Ed had been longing to hear for the hours he had sat in the cold, lonely room. Yes, the words were there, but the eyes. The eyes were all wrong.Oswald’s stare burned into Ed’s soul. His jaw was clenched, teeth bared, and he was breathing heavily through his nose. “You!” he shouted again. He jerked his arms but his limbs and torso were restrained tightly against the surgical table. He fought them anyway.“You! You monster! You cretin!”Ed realized he was running. Out the door. Into the cold lab. Up through the elevator. Out into the dark alley where his car waited, still running. Ed had forgotten to turn off the ignition. He was amazed it was even still there. He jumped into the drivers seat and slammed the door shut like a child diving under his comforter to hide from the monsters in the dark. His hands hurt. He realized he was gripping the steering wheel with all of his strength. He didn’t let go. Instead, he sat in his car and gazed at the dashboard, panting, trying to catch his breath. It must have been his imagination, but he could have sworn that even all the way up here he could still hear Oswald screaming.“Edward Nygma, I’ll kill you!” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Once Ed could breathe again, his mind steadied. He was on his own with no company but the enemies hiding in the shadows. This situation was so comfortable to him it felt like home. He wasn’t sure what the time table was between coming back from the dead and getting a physician approved medical release but if Ed had to guess he would say he had, at worst, two days to put together a plan before Oswald was set free into the world. Plenty of time. He would go to the mansion, change, and pay some pawns a visit to get everything set as it should be. Edward Nygma would not be toppled by one unpleasant day.And love. Why would a man desire love? It did nothing for a person but create easily targeted weaknesses. Ed had forgotten that lesson, but he would be sure to remember it from now on. Ignoring the cold feeling in his gut, Ed drove home.The other thing that came into Ed’s awareness as he regained his calm was the stench that filled the car. He didn’t know how much of it was him and how much was from the back seat but he was definitely regretting not transporting Penguin in the trunk. Upon his return home, he found Olga cleaning in the front parlor. He approached her and hung the keys from his forefinger in front of her face.“I picked up a stray and it shit in the back seat. Have someone take care of that. I’ll be using the second car tonight.”Olga looked offended at Ed’s oder and appearance and her expression only worsened upon hearing his statement. Even so, she took the keys and tucked them into her apron pocket.  Once Ed had left the room, she mumbled something to herself in Russian.“I know you speak English!” Ed’s voice echoed back to her from the hall. She scowled and went back to her work.Upstairs, Ed locked the door to his suite and pulled the drapes shut over his window. Hadn’t he done that earlier today? Olga probably opened them when she had come to remake his bed. Having a maid could be such an annoyance. Ed then discarded his surely ruined suit into the hamper and walked into his private bathroom to shower. Three times he washed his hair and body and still he felt dirty. He could still feel the grit that covered his skin and the fetor of death and alley trash still hung over him. Ed washed a forth and a fifth time until his scalp felt raw and red, dry blotches began to appear on his body. Though still convinced he was not entirely clean, he turned off the water and grabbed a towel. After carefully styling his hair and wiping down his glasses, Ed returned to the bedroom and retrieved a suit from the closet. Not just any suit, though. Tonight, Ed was wearing green.   The Siren’s was busy as always when Ed walked through the front door and into the gleaming club. Everything shined in tones of gold or silver, casting an inviting mix of color along slick black booths and tables where guests could sit and enjoy their drinks. A band was playing, a bit loudly for Ed’s taste, on the stage at the far end of the club in front of a floor to ceiling window. The club was on the highest floor of the building so one could look out this window and see the skyline of the entire city. Whether the act of seeing all of Gotham at once brought awe or disgust, the view from this hight made a person feel powerful.Well-to-do’s laughed and drank and rubbed elbows with one another across the first floor and the balcony up above. All of them drifted repeatedly toward the centerpiece of the club, the high end bar illuminated with a bright white pillar that threw light on bottles and crystal glasses and made them sparkle. At this bar, enjoying the view of her small kingdom, was Barbara Kean. Ed made his way through the crowd of the well-dressed wealthy and slid up next to her, leaning against the bar but not sitting down. He didn’t need to announce himself. As soon as he got near, Barbara jumped out of her seat, nearly splashing her champagne on her satin peplum dress, and threw her arms around him.“Eddie!” she cried loud enough to make sure everyone nearby heard her. When Ed did not reciprocate the hug she squeezed him a bit tighter.“Hug me back, you moron. People are watching,” she hissed into his ear. Ed gave Barbara a small pat on her back and she released him from her perfumey clutches.“Why don’t you follow me back to the VIP lounge? I have so much to tell you!” Making a grand gesture of it, she took Ed’s hand and led him through an upholstered door into a quiet area with dim lighting and a single round table in front of a curved booth. Tabitha, Barbara’s business partner and sometimes-lover, sat at the booth wearing a black corset style gown with the leather waistline synched tightly. To match, she wore leather gloves over her hands. One of those hands, Ed knew, was fake. It had been him that removed it after all. She did not look happy to see him. Once the door was shut, Barbara took Ed off guard and pushed him forcefully against the wall.“What the fuck is going on, Nygma?”“Excuse me?” Ed was more aggravated than startled at her forceful behavior.“I got attacked by a man with eyes on his fingers today.” Barbara threw her crystal champagne glass at the wall and held her now empty hand in front of Ed’s face to emphasize her point. “Eyes. On his fingers. In my own home!”Ed lightly placed his palm against Barbara’s extended fingers and lowered her hand away from him, simultaneously sidestepping out of his position between her and the wall. Tabitha stood.“When I tried to follow you and get answers, some asshole threw this into one of my tires.” She held up a short, white blade with a design Ed couldn’t make out on the handle. “You hiring muscle now, Ed? Don’t trust us?”Ed raised an eyebrow. “Are you expecting me to apologize that someone threw a knife at you while you were trying to hunt me down?” he asked.“I thought I made the pecking order clear,” Barbara spat. “I rule Gotham. Me! If you think I’m going to let you get away with sicking some knife flinging lunatic on us—”“I didn’t hire anyone,” Ed cut her off. “What makes you think I’d be behind any of this. I’ve been…preoccupied with my own work. I don’t have any desire to put my efforts into plots against you.”“Because none of this happened until after your little threat on Friday. About Gotham coming to get me.”“An accurate prediction of human behavior is hardly a threat.”“You cocky mother—” Barbara turned toward Tabitha to grab the knife but Tabitha pulled it away before she could snatch it from her.“Easy, kitty cat. We can’t kill him quite yet. Remember what we discussed?”“Yes. Right.” Barbara turned back to face Ed, her expression returned to the beaming smile she had displayed on the club floor. “So if you didn’t send the creepy mutant man, where did he come from?”“There was a mass of crazy mutant men that came out of Indian Hill,” Ed said. “Don’t you think it’s possible that one or two stayed hidden until now?”“And the knife?” asked Tabitha, displaying it once more.“I already told you I haven’t hired anyone,” Ed answered, but his throat caught when he looked at the knife again. He could see it more clearly this time. An ivory owl was perched on the tip of the handle. Ed made sure his surprise did not show on his face as he continued to address the women. “I came here for a reason. We have a problem.”“We?” asked Barbara. “We’re a ‘we’ now?”“Unfortunately, yes. Penguin is back.”Barbara looked from Ed to Tabitha and back again. Laughter exploded from both of them.“You’re kidding, right?” Barbara asked through giggles.“I can’t tell you why or how, but he’s back. If I stay with you for a couple of days, we can work together to lure him into a trap that will turn the Penguin into our little canary. I have a plan.”“Wait,” said Barbara slowly, a sly grin on her face. “You want to stay with us?”“I don’t think ‘want’ is the proper term, but it would be in our best interest if we worked together privately. My coming and going from your home would attract attention.”“He’s afraid to go back to the mansion,” Tabitha jeered, putting her arm around Barbara’s waste. “He’s worried the Big Bad Bird is coming for him.”“I’m disappointed that you think so little of me,” Ed said, appearing unfazed. “Then again, thinking isn’t your strongest asset.”“Eddy, the only reason you’re allowed at this club is for public face,” Barbara stated simply. “We don’t want you. We don’t need you. And even if we did, why on earth would we trust you to take down Penguin if you couldn’t even kill him properly the first time? You,” she bounced her finger off the end of his nose, “are just going to have to take care of this mess on your own. I have my own problems to deal with.” She eyed him up and down. “But I did notice that you dressed up in my favorite suit to come see me. You’re sweet. Bye now!” She giggled and waggled her fingers at him. It was clear that Ed was not going to get any further with the women tonight. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, Tabitha was right. He was scared to go back to the mansion. Not just because Oswald would surely come there when he regained his freedom, but for all the other things Ed was worried were waiting to greet him. Those feelings held deep in his stomach that hung there like a weight…“You’re right,” said Ed, determined to have the final word. “And I’m sure you both with be able to outsmart every man and woman in Gotham who will be coming for your head. Have fun with that, won’t you?”Before either woman could reply, he exited to lounge. He allowed himself to linger in the club a bit longer, though, treating himself to a glass of champagne before leaving the establishment. He was in no rush and he wanted to make sure Barbara and Tabitha knew they couldn’t intimidate him. Mostly, though, he just didn’t want to return home. Finally, after a carefully calculated amount of time, Ed left.    For the second night in a row, Ed’s sleep was restless. He awoke multiple times throughout the night, heart racing from nightmares he couldn’t quite remember. After the third time, he trudged to the bathroom and drew himself a hot bath. He had no sleeping pills on hand but he hoped the comfort of the water would relax him enough to allow him rest. When the tub was full, he submerged himself as deeply as he could and let the heat encompass him. Slowly, he moved his hand beneath the surface of the water and listening to the sound of the small waves he created. After about an hour of this, his body began to relax and his head to droop. Deciding to finally try sleep once more, Ed reached for the plug. When he looked down into the tub, however, a familiar face with black hair and dead eyes looked back up at him. Ed cried out and leapt from the bath, slipping on the tile floor and slamming his upper arm painfully into the side of the sink as he tried to catch himself. Naked and dripping, he ran to his room, dove face down back into bed and covered his head with his pillow.“You’re alive now,” he whimpered into the mattress. “Why are you still haunting me like this?” Ed felt a tear slide down the bridge of his nose and drip down onto the sheets. Ed curled up on his side beneath the blankets and pillows and allowed himself to cry quietly until, finally, his mind drifted into a dreamless sleep.When he woke, he was in the same childish position, but he felt a dip at the edge of the mattress next to him as if something heavy had been placed there. Slowly coming out from his plush cocoon, Ed looked at the spot expecting to see a breakfast tray or some other intrusive item left behind by Olga. Instead, he was greeted by Oswald’s smiling face.“Good morning, my dear friend. You look absolutely worn. Did you have trouble sleeping?”Ed yelped and made to jump out of the bed. Then, remembering his state of undress, he merely shot to the other side of the mattress and gathered the covers around him. Oswald stood with a smile and put his hands in front of him as a gentle apology.“Now now, no need to get up. I didn’t realize it had been such a late night for you. There are some matters for which I desire your aid but they can wait. It’s Sunday, after all. The day of rest! Take a few more hours to yourself.”“Are…are you real?”“Of course I am, you silly bug! Now, I’ll let you be. I took the liberty of closing your curtains. They were open all night but I didn’t want the sun to disturb you.”Ed’s jaw hung open as he watched Oswald limp out of the room and wave before closing the door behind him. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- What was happening? Ed walked slowly down the stairs in his pajamas, half expecting whatever or whoever had been at his bedside moments earlier to jump out of the walls and attack. Surely this wasn’t the same Oswald who was spitting and screaming and fighting against his restraints in Strange’s lab.Oswald was sitting at the dining room table scribbling on a notepad as Olga gathered his breakfast dishes. The maid looked up when Ed entered the room, rolled her eyes, and picked up an empty tea cup. Oswald on the other hand seemed thrilled.“You’re awake!” he exclaimed. “Please, sit.” Oswald turned to Olga, seemed to contemplate something deeply, and then pointed at the plates she was holding. “More food please.” He emphasized his words as if saying them loudly and slowly enough would magically translate them into Russian. He mimed spooning food into his mouth for added effect. Keeping one eye on Oswald, Ed asked the Olga, “You can see him, right?”“Zadrota,” was her only reply. Ed took it to mean yes.“I see you didn’t get dressed,” Oswald observed as Ed slowly lowered himself into a chair a few seats away. “That’s quite alright. You don't need a suit for your brain to work and we have nowhere to go today. Just busywork here. I’ve been gone a while so I’ll need you to catch me up on what I missed.”Ed gave no reply. He just sat, dumbfounded, trying to make any sort of sense as to what was going on.“Are you feeling unwell?” Oswald asked.“I think I might be coming down with something.” Ed wasn’t completely lying.“I do need your help with these papers, but please, don’t push yourself too hard. And as soon as we are finished it will be back to bed!”Oswald slid some paperwork in front of Ed and continued without missing a beat.“There are a few different requests for road repair. Has the budget changed much while I was away or am I ok to approve these?”Strange must have gotten to him. Done something to his brain to make him compliant. The scientist was fantastic at psychological manipulation. Maybe he had put him in a trance somehow.“The budget has room for the repairs. If you want to approve all of them, though, you’ll have to deny the education board’s request for extracurricular expansion.”“Hmmm…perhaps I can find a way to balance the two. All the roads in this city are garbage anyway. Keeping a few that way won’t cause too much of a fuss, I’m sure.”Ed mechanically answered Oswald’s benign questions while the active part of his mind analyzed his every move and word. Every pitch change in his voice. Every gesture and glance. Where was the tell? The subtle sign that this Oswald wasn't his Oswald? As hard as Ed looked, he could find nothing. By all outward appearances, this was the real, unadulterated Oswald Cobblepot. Ed felt dizzy.“My, you seem to be getting worse. Maybe you should go back up to bed. From what I understand, you had quite a bit of prolonged contact with my corpse. There is a lot of bacteria in a dead body. You should relax. I can finish this on my own. I’ll have Olga draw you a bath.”“No bath,” Ed replied a bit too quickly. “But, yes, I do think some rest would do me good. I’ll be upstairs, then.”“Good choice. I’ll send you breakfast up to you.”Ed backed slowly away from the table toward the staircase. Oswald was too caught up in his own work to notice. When he reached the base of the steps, he felt confident enough in his safety to turn his back on the alien being in the dining room. Climbing the stairs at twice his normal speed, he reached his room, closed the door, and locked it from the inside. He stood frozen inside his room, his hand on the doorknob, his head resting against the smooth wood of the door. What was happening? He was dreaming. Or drugged. Hallucinating. Maybe Barbara had hired Basil Karlo. Ed had worked with him to help take down Oswald. The man could transform his face and his voice to impersonate anyone. But, no. There was no faking the genuine, lightheartedness that embodied Oswald’s being. It was a purity he rarely displayed, and only in front of his most trusted. Ed was one of the only people to ever witness it in person. Thinking of this caused his heart to flutter for just a moment before it was forced to drop heavily back into reality. Something was obviously off, he just couldn’t place the source or the reason. It would take some time, but he would figure it out. He was Edward Nygma after all. His genius was unparalleled.“Unless it involves reading,” said Ed’s own voice from behind him. The real Ed squeezed the doorknob harder and refused to turn around.“Please leave me alone,” he growled through clenched teeth.“If you break me I do not stop working. If you touch me I may be snared. If you lose me nothing will matter, and you’ve definitely lost yours. What am I?”“Hope,” Ed replied to himself, though he regretted the word as soon as he said it. There was still hope. Ed was not yet defeated. There was a way to get on top of any situation. Think. He just had to think. His mind was so tired.“Maybe you’re tired because it’s so bright in here all the time,” the hallucination pressed on.“What?”“A golden treasure that never stays; The coin whose face gives wealth to all.”“The sun,” Ed thought, then glanced to the side. There was sunlight flooded in through the window. The drapes were open. The bed was still a tossed pile of blankets and pillows so Olga had not come though yet. Ed turned around and looked around the room."Who's here?" he asked aloud. There was no reply. Not even Ed's hallucination was present anymore."I know you’re watching," he said, his volume raising. "I know you can hear me. Who is here?” Still nothing."You think I'm not on to you?" he asked, nearly shouting now. "Your signature is pretty obvious. An open window? Want to remind me that you're watching? Here. Watch as much as you want!"He stormed to the window and yanked on the open drapes. It took a couple hard pulls, but eventually they came crashing down to the floor. Almost immediately after, there was a knock at the door."Ed?" came Oswald's voice from outside the room. The door handle jiggled and he knocked again. "Ed? Are you ok? Please open the door. Is everything alright? I heard a crash. Ed?"Ed looked at the crumpled pile of fabric. What was wrong with him? This was not who he was. He was a man if intellect. Calculated. Calm. He didn't yell at windows. Ed squeezed his eyes shut. He felt like he was losing his mind."Ed?" The knocking came again. Ed went to the door, unlocked it, and whipped it open."Yes, Oswald. I'm fine."Oswald looked taken aback and a bit intimidated at Ed's abruptness. With a sheepish smile, he offered forward the breakfast tray he held in his hands. Upon it was displayed a cup of tea and two pieces of toast."I wasn't sure how your stomach was feeling so I thought maybe a small breakfast would be appropriate. I can certainly make something more hearty if you like."Ed eyed the tray but did not take it. Oswald craned forward and peered into the room.“Ed, your curtains…”“I tripped.” The excuse was feeble but it had to be made up on the spot.“Oh…well…we must get that fixed.” Oswald looked down at his the tray as if he had forgotten it was there. He offered it forward again. “Your breakfast?”It was clear that he wasn’t going to leave until Ed accepted the meal. Resigning, Ed lifted the tray from Oswald’s hands and backed into the room to close the door with his foot. Unfortunately, Oswald took the sidestep as an invitation and walked inside. He glanced around the room awkwardly as if he felt like a stranger in this corner of his house that was Ed’s private space.“I’m proud of you, you know,” he said as Ed set the tray on his bed which was still wet with bath water from the previous evening.“You’re…proud?” Even from this wrong Oswald, the praise made something inside Ed light up. His Oswald had been a mentor. An inspiration. Ed had worked every day to make his Oswald proud. If only this was his Oswald.“The clue I left you,” Oz explained. “I thought it might be too obscure or that maybe you wouldn’t find me, but you did. I apologize for every doubting your genius. You really are the world’s greatest detective, aren’t you? I had hoped you would have found me sooner, though. You know, before I died.” The glowing warmth the compliment was gone. Oswald eyed Ed, waiting for a reaction or response and jumped when Ed stormed angrily toward him. The force and speed of Ed's movement caused him to unconsciously back out of the door and into the hall.“Thank you for breakfast. I need some time alone.” With this, Ed swung the door shut and locked it again. Wearily, he walked to his bed and sat down. The little teacup jiggled on it’s saucer and Ed put his elbows on his knees, burying his head in his hands. He had wanted Oswald dead so badly, and once it had happened he found his life and his mind in a state of ruin. He had thought everything would be better once Oswald was back but somehow it was all so much worse now. But was he truly back? Whatever it was wearing Oswald’s face, whatever had come back from the dead in his body, it wasn’t him. It wasn’t his Oswald. His Oswald was at the bottom of the river along with every beautiful chance they would have had for a happy future together.Ed couldn’t take it anymore. He was done. Done. No more playing these stupid games. No more trying to untie this impossible knot. It was time to take the sword and cut the rope completely.Ed didn’t have any luggage in his room so he took the blanket from his bed and laid it on the floor. He started filling the center with just enough to last him a week until he could find a place to start over. Once he was packed, he would take as much of the funds from the treasury as he could and vanish. He didn’t need Gotham. He didn’t need Oswald. He didn’t need this insane cycle of darkness. There was a fresh start waiting for him somewhere. He would just have to find it.But the opportunity was stolen as a shadow fell across the floor. With a sigh, Ed looked up at the man who now stood on in his window frame. The stranger was clad in black from head to toe and wore a hood that covered his face entirely. Even his eyes were hidden from view behind small, dark lensed goggles. In addition to two large swords the man carried on his back, he had a bandolier that held at least a dozen knives to his chest. They were all small, white, and had the same intricate carving at the tip of their handles. No guns, though, Edward noted, unless they were hidden somewhere under his cloak. It was possible. Ed would keep it guard up. He stood next to his half prepared bundle of clothes and toiletries as the man opened the window and stepped into the room.“So you heard me after all?” Ed asked.“I’ve heard everything,” the man replied, slowly stepping closer. “I’ve seen everything.”“I’m aware.” Ed nodded toward the drapes. “You’re not exactly subtle. Is there something you need from me? I thought I was done being the Court’s errand boy when I brought you your pet penguin.”“Do you know who I am?”“Do I need to?”“Most people are frightened when they meet a Talon.”“Most people aren’t me.”There was a moment of silence. Underneath all the spandex and cloth, Ed couldn’t tell if the intruder was taken off guard by his indifference or angered by it.“You’re thinking of running,” said the intruder.“Observant. I take you don’t approve.”“It is not my decision to make.”The man handed Ed a cellphone. Ed eyed it for a moment before taking it and putting it up to his ear.“Hello, Edward Nygma,” came a woman’s voice.“Who is this?”“Someone who has been keeping very close tabs on you these last few days. I do so appreciate your help, even if you were recruited through…unconventional means.”It was obviously the leader of the Court of Owls, or at the very least a high ranking member. A call from her was likely not something that many people received, so why him? The old poem ran through his head. Beware The Court of Owls that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadow perch, behind granite and lime… “What do you want from me?” Ed asked. “Why do I matter? Why does Oswald matter? What could we possibly mean to you?”“Normally nothing,” the woman replied, “but right now you mean quite a bit. Or, Oswald does at least. You are far less essential to our plans. The Court controls every piece of Gotham and fits them together like a puzzle. Every leadership role must be accounted for. The Whisper Gang heads smuggling in and out of Gotham’s rail system. Hugo Strange fronts our scientific research. The Ghost Dragons control the drug trafficking to keep the public appeased. Each family of wealth, the families of influence, are either members of or protected by the Court.”“The heads of most of those families are dead now. Was that a part of your plan, too?”“Unfortunately no, but we have recovered from bigger setbacks than this. We will deal with the wild card Barbara Kean in our own way. In the mean time, we need to make sure that the pieces we have in play stay in their proper place. That includes the mayor.”That would explain Oswald’s behavior. If he knew about the current gravity of his position…As if reading his mind, the woman went on.“The Penguin does not know of any of this, and he will continue not to know. By all intents, you shouldn’t be privy to this information either. None of our pawns should. However, since Strange and his counterpart introduced you to our little secret I had no choice but to contact you directly. Make sure all the loose ends are tied up.”Ed gritted his teeth. The arrogance of this woman was infuriating.“I am not a piece to be controlled by your games,” Ed growled into the phone.“Oh, Edward, don’t be so childish. Everything you’ve become is because of us, and we could take it all away in an instant.”“Is that a threat to make me stay in Gotham?”“It is a threat to make you keep your lips sealed. Now that you have returned Oswald to his place your task is complete. You’re worth nothing to us. If you wish to leave you may leave, but know that we have eyes everywhere, and they are not so courteous as to leave signs of their presence. Did you know you are the only person outside the court to see a Talon and live?”Ed flashed a glance at the masked man. He only had one more question.“Did Strange do something to Oswald?”“You know all you need to know. Now I suggest that you forget it all immediately.”The line went quiet. Slowly, Ed handed back the phone. The Talon pocketed it and turned.“Power doesn’t last forever,” Ed said to the man’s back. A sad attempt at a show of strength. The man gave a condescending glance over his shoulder.“Heh.”He leapt from the window ledge and was gone. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Ed stood rooted in place staring at the spot where the man had left. The cool autumn breeze that came in through the open window sent a chill across Ed’s skin. Outside, tree branches waved lazily. Sun filled the room.Not quite leaving his trancelike state, Ed’s head rolled slightly to the side and he gazed down at the neatly collected pile of run-away supplies at his feet. He was ready to go if he wanted. He was allowed to go if he wanted.What was it that he really wanted?Ed didn’t know. He didn’t like not knowing.After a few more moment’s of consideration, he decided to walk the middle ground. For now, he would go downstairs and play along with not-Oswald until he could get his head in a steady enough place to make a balanced choice. He would keep this bundle ready so that he could leave immediately if the need arose. It wasn’t exactly a plan, but it would do for now.Ed extracted this toiletries and folded the the blanket carefully around the rest of his things, creating a tidy little bundle of fabric with two corners tied on top to act as a handle. He hid the bundle under his bed and went to the bathroom to shower.Only a few suits remained in his wardrobe. Out of the corner of his eye, Ed saw the green suit he had worn the day before draped over the chair. He had only worn it for a few hours and since he had laid it so neatly on the chair there were no wrinkles. He considered it. For some reason the color made him feel more self assured. He could certainly use some extra strength right now. Ed slipped into the green suit, checked himself once in the mirror, and left his room.Oswald was not in the dining room. The library and the study were similarly empty. It wasn't until Ed wandered into the sitting room that he found Oswald sitting in a large, plush chair by the fireplace. He was staring into the flames in deep contemplation with his chin resting heavily on one hand. He absentmindedly scratched lightly at his knee in an almost anxious way. When Ed realized Oswald didn’t know he was there, he gave a loud cough to announce his presence and Oswald jumped, looking up at Ed as if he was staring at a ghost. His surprise faded quickly away, though, exchanging itself for an inviting smile."It looks like you're feeling better," Oswald said and then gestured toward the chair opposite him. "Please, sit. How did you enjoy your tea?""I didn't drink it," Ed said as he took his place on the opposite side of the hearth. Oswald looked disappointed. Then he did a double take and looked Ed up and down."What are you wearing?" he asked with a tone Edward couldn't read. He looked down at his suit."I've been told this color makes me look like a man of power," Ed said defensively."It certainly does make a statement," Oswald said and looked back at the flames. Ed raised an eyebrow, confused by Oswald's distaste. He had seen him wear this suit before. Why then…?Ed's chest tightened as he realized his mistake. Oswald had seen this suit before. In fact, it was the last thing he had seen Ed wear before Ed had put a bullet in his gut. How could he possibly have forgotten? He thought about to rushing back upstairs to change but Oswald began to speak before he had the chance to stand."This is where my father died, you know," he said abruptly."Oh..." Ed had no idea how to reply."'You are loved and you are not alone and the sun will come up tomorrow'. Those were the last words he said to me. Then we toasted and he died." He looked at Ed. "I was just thinking about his words and about how I felt on the pier and then again when I was fading away in the alley. I knew I was going to die and that I wouldn't ever see the sun rise again. Both times I was alone and nobody loved me. The world was the exact opposite of everything my father thought it was. But I also thought, maybe it's ok. Maybe, if this is the way the world really is, then it's best to leave it and be at peace with my father. His body isn’t in piece, of course. That’s in a landfill somewhere. But I'm sure his spirit is happy. My single fear was that I had too many sins on my shoulders for my spirit to join him. He was a good man."There was a long silence. Ed fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair."Oswald," he said slowly. "I was wondering if I could ask you some questions.""By all means.""I was just wondering...what you remember.""About when you killed me or when I woke up?" The nonchalance in Oswald's voice was more unsettling to Edward than the words themselves."When you were brought back.""Let's see..." Oswald leaned back in his chair, pondering deeply. "I remember seeing Hugo Strange first. A terrifying feeling, I'll have you know. I don't have a very good history with that man.""I would imagine not," Ed replied awkwardly."Then I saw you. Oh, I do apologize for scaring you off the way I did. I hope you can excuse my less than dignified behavior. It's difficult to think straight after coming back from the dead. And you ran so fast. I'm honestly impressed. I never took you for a sprinter.""And after that?”"Dr. Strange explained to me that you had sought him out to save me. He did some tests to make sure I was ok and then let me go. Well, 'let me go' is perhaps the wrong phrase. 'Had his cronies put a bag over my head and deliver me to the mansion' would be a more accurate description. It was all a little disorienting but it did feel good to be home again.""Did Strange say anything else?""No. Only that it was you who saved me. I will admit that I was quite cross with you when I initially woke up but it seems that you came around in the end so it's all better now."Ed couldn't help but feel all of his evil deeds being laid out before him. Despite Oswald's reassurance, self loathing began to weigh on him like lead and he wondered if Oswald had truly forgiven everything as quickly as he claimed. Oswald had mentioned Strange did tests. Perhaps that was how he could talk about the events of the past so calmly. Was it possible to remove someones emotions? Ed looked away from Oswald as the thought crossed his mind.It was definitely time to run. Ed had confirmed that Oswald didn't know about the Court, but he didn't need to. They would protect him regardless. He was valuable to them. Ed, on the other hand, couldn't bear to spend another moment with this Oswald. He wanted his Oswald. He wanted the Oswald who would rushed to embrace him. Who had made him tea for his sore throat. Who, more than anything, wanted to be loved and give love. That was the Oswald he remembered. Living with this knock off brand of the man he loved was worse than being alone. Ed had to leave.He stood quickly, but Oswald followed suit."I have an idea!" Oswald exclaimed, again cutting off Ed's escape. "Let's go for a drive. We still haven't done any catching up and this house feels so stuffy. Come."He took Ed's hand and lead him to the front door. Ed felt sick.As the driver took them down into the city, Oswald chatted on in the worst possible way. With a juxtaposed cheeriness he described the cold nights on the streets, the pain of the infection as it grew, and the shame he felt living among the gutter trash of Gotham. Ed didn't say a word. He pretended to listen but his internal dialog fear and guilt was louder than anything Oz was saying. It was so distracting, in fact, that Ed didn't even notice when the car began to drive into the abandoned, dilapidated part of the city. It wasn't until the car came to a stop in an empty parking garage that Ed realized something was terribly wrong."Oswald, where are we?"Oswald replied with a satisfied smile. Then, Ed's car door was yanked open and a large man with tattoos on his neck grabbed a thick handful of Ed's hair and dragged him from the vehicle. Ed cried out and fought to free himself as the man pulled Ed across the garage floor to a chair placed at the base of the ramp to the next level. Suddenly there were two more men tying his legs and torso to the chair while the first man held him firmly in place. The pressure of the ropes caused his bones to ache and his torso was bound so tightly he could barely breathe. His upper arms were tied to the back of the chair as well, but his hands were left free."Oswald, what’s happening?”Oswald tottered over, grinning as he appraised the work of the three men who now stood behind Ed’s chair."Why the long face?" Oswald asked innocently. "You love mind games! Honestly, I expected you to see right through me. I thought you'd figured me out when you didn't drink the tea I drugged for you, but apparently I'm a better actor than I thought.”The three men chuckled. Ed stared in horror."What are you going to do to me?"“I'm not going to do anything. I wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine, but I'm not nearly as cold hearted as you. So instead of just killing you outright, I'll let you decide your own fate. It's much more fun that way."Oswald revealed a small grenade that he had been hiding behind his back. Walking over to Ed, he pulled the pin and placed the explosive carefully in Ed's unbound hands."Careful now. If you loosen your grip that last safety will fall out and," he threw his hands in the air, “BOOM!" He began to laugh and his henchmen joined in.Ed gripped the grenade as tightly as he could. his knuckles white and his arms shaking. Oswald and the three strangers walked up the car ramp far enough that they were out of the blast area but still close enough that Oswald could see Ed clearly."Oswald, why are you doing this?" Ed asked, but he already knew the answer."Why?" Oswald asked. He make a noise that sounded like a mix between a cough and a laugh. "Do you really have to ask? You took everything from me. You tried to kill me!""But...but the clue.""I left that so you would find me and I could take you here. I had this whole thing planned out from the very moment I crawled out of that cursed river.""And when days passed? When you got sick?""What I told you back at the mansion wasn't a lie. By the time I knew it was all going to end I was more than ready to die. I didn’t think I’d ever get my revenge. But lucky me, you brought me back! Now, let's play our game, Nygma."Ed looked down at the grenade. His hands were growing slippery with sweat. He gripped the explosive harder."You have two options,” Oswald said. “You can give up everything and leave Gotham forever with nothing but that disgusting green suit on your back, or you can drop the grenade and end it all. Either way you're out of my life for good so I win. What will you decide?"Ed's thoughts flitted back to the tidy bundle under his bed at home. He should have left when he had the chance. He should have, but...What would leaving really do? He could run as far as he wanted but nothing would take back what he did. What he'd lost. What he's destroyed. He'd become a monster. Not a villain or an evil mastermind, but a thoughtless, depraved killer. There was no running from that.“The clock is ticking, Ed. Better hurry up before I get bored and make one of these three decide your fate for you.”Ed’s heart was hammering in his chest and the world around him became fuzzy. With determined finality, he opened his hands. The grenade fell through the air, landed on ground with an echoing clank, and rolled beneath the chair. Ed closed his eyes tight and waited. He waited longer. Nothing happened.“You…you dropped it,” said a dumbfounded Oswald from above. Ed opened his eyes slowly.“It didn’t go off,” said Ed with an equal level of shock. “It was a dummy?”“Of course it was a dummy!” Oswald rushed to where Ed sat and picked up the grenade off the ground. “You were supposed to leave,” he said, shaking the empty weapon in Ed’s face. “You were supposed choose to run away. Why would you drop it?” Oswald’s voice was shaking. Tears threatened to stream down from his eyes.“Why did you give me a fake grenade?” asked Ed, staring in bewilderment at the hysterical Oswald.“Because I love you, you piece of trash,” Oswald spat, throwing the fake grenade across the empty garage. “Because I would never hurt you. Because even after all of this I still care. I had hoped against hope that you would come to your senses when you found out I was alive, but you didn’t. I don’t know how much Strange paid you, but you ripped me from a peaceful sleep back into a world where I meant nothing to you. You brought me to him and then you left. I finally had to accept that I mean nothing to you.”“Oswa—”“And now, every time I see your face it’s like getting shot over and over again. I can tell how much you still hate me. You run every time I get close.”“Os—”“Why, Ed? Why did you drop the grenade? Why would you choose that?”“Oswald, because I love you too!” The words came out much louder than Ed had intended, but finally saying them felt so right. Oswald stood completely still, staring wide-eyed at Ed with his mouth slightly agape.“What did you just say?” he stammered. Ed looked sincerely up at him.“I love—”His words were cut short by Oswald’s lips crashing against his. Oswald kissed him with a mad ferocity, pressed so tightly against each other that their teeth occasionally clacked together, but neither of them cared. After a moment, Ed pulled back just slightly.“Oswald, the ropes.”“Oh! Oh, yes.” Oswald turned toward the three men lurking in the background. Each of them looked exceedingly uncomfortable. “Cut him free!” One of the men approached with a large knife and sliced thought the ropes as quickly as he could. Once free, Ed stood and wrapped his arms around the smaller man tightly, practically lifting him off the floor as he drew Oswald in as close as he could. Their lips met again just as passionately as before as if making up for lost time. Fingers tangled themselves in hair and brushed softly against cheeks. Finally, the two faces parted, arms still holding each other close, and smiled at one another.“I missed you,” Ed said. Oswald’s face was streaked with happy tears.“I missed you, too,” Oswald choked through a sob of joy.For the first time since he could remember, Ed felt truly whole. Finally, everything fit. This was his Oswald, and he was his Edward, and together they could do anything. The Court, Strange, the war for power in Gotham…none of that mattered. In that moment, Ed knew that whatever was to come next, he could conquer it, and he would do so with Oswald at his side.
10310771
Colors that are Real
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Multi", "Characters": "Stiles Stilinski, Stuart Stilinski, Stuart Twombly, Malia Tate, Lydia Martin, Jackson Whittemore, Danny Māhealani", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by elsi_archive (Prince_of_Elsinore)", "chapters": "3/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-15T00:00:00", "words": "16,298", "Additional Tags": "Stuart Stilinski is Stuart Twombly, Sibling Incest, Twincest, Stilinski Twins, Sibling Rivalry, Sibling Bonding, Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, First Time, Road Trips, Future Fic, Bisexual Stiles Stilinski, Slow Burn, actually only takes place over a couple of days but slow as in tens of thousands of words", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Stiles Stilinski/Stuart Stilinski, Stiles Stilinski/Stuart Twombly, Stiles Stilinski/Malia Tate, (background), Lydia Martin/Stiles Stilinski, Neha Patel/Stuart Twombly, (past)", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Teen Wolf (TV), The Internship (2013)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
“Remind me why you’re doing this again?” Malia’s eyes narrowed, her nose scrunching up the way it did whenever her boyfriend did something her bluntly logical mind couldn't process.Stiles heaved a long-suffering sigh as he tossed another couple of socks into his backpack, not bothering to check if they matched. “Because, he’s my brother.”“That’s not an answer, Stiles. That’s a statement of fact. That says nothing about why you’re postponing our trip by another two days to help him. Stuart. Remember who we’re talking about here? Evil twin Stuart? Your brother that you hate?”“I don’t—I mean, hate is pretty strong—”“Your word, Stiles, not mine. Your word from all the millions of times you’ve told me how much you hate your twin brother. How much you and your dad both hate him!”“Well—yeah, okay. Your point?” Stiles grabbed the pillow from his side of the bed, straightening out its moth-eaten pillowcase.“My point is, you don’t owe him anything. And now you’re putting off the plans we made together, again, for him of all people. Are you that desperate for an excuse? And you really need to let me buy you new pillowcases because that one is disgusting, Stiles.”“It’s my favorite,” Stiles mumbled with a frown. “Anyway, he’s still blood, okay? I have to go. He asked me to.”“And if he asked you to jump off a bridge, would you?”“If it meant getting away from this conversation, I might,” he muttered.Malia ignored him, charging on. “And why is blood so important, anyway? Just tell him to go bleed on someone else so he can rope them into carting his shit all the way back to Beacon Hills just because his girlfriend dumped his pathetic ass.”Stiles licked his lips as he checked his phone distractedly. “I don’t think—don’t think it works like that, Malia. Aaand my Uber’s here.”Without waiting for acknowledgement from his girlfriend, Stiles ducked out of the room and trampled down the stairs, backpack and pillow in tow.“Stiles, wait!” Malia caught up to him at the front door.Stiles threw her a cheeky grin. “Change your mind about that goodbye kiss? Or uh, y’know, that goodbye roll in the hay? Horizontal hula? Beast with two backs—”“You’d have to beat your own record time for most disappointingly premature ejaculation, considering your ride is already here.” Her eyes narrowed.“Or, I could pay him to wait—”“I’m still pissed at you, Stiles! Ugh, just—don’t take any longer than you have to. Don’t let him weasel any more favors out of you, okay? He doesn’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it! I don’t deserve any of this!”“Yes, dear, I know—” Stiles reached for her shoulder only to have his hand swatted away.“Just go!”“How much will you miss me? That much? Aw, how sweet,” Stiles muttered under his breath as he hauled the pillow up under his arm and opened the door. “You know I will, too, sugar pie. Chickpea. Love dove. Light of my life.”Malia scoffed in disgust and slammed the door behind him.…Despite the fact that for the past year he had been living less than an hour away in San Francisco, Stiles had never visited Stuart in Palo Alto. He lounged in the back seat and relied on the Uber driver to find the address, wondering idly just how outrageously overpriced the condos they passed on the tree-lined streets were.“Here?” the driver asked over his shoulder.Stiles sat up straight and glanced out the window. Before he could spot the street number to confirm the location, he saw him. Same pale face with the wide mouth and upturned nose, only his was bespectacled with a pair of black-framed nerd glasses. Same dark, spiky hair, only his was partially tucked away under an insufferable hipster beanie. Same stiff posture, arms crossed high on the chest, that radiated self-conscious unease, only his slim torso was hugged by a form-fitting cardigan Stiles wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. And, Stiles thought with a hint of smugness, there was no way his own face could ever adopt that uniquely him expression that said ‘I just threw up in my mouth and don’t want to swallow it again but can’t spit it out either.’“Yeah,” he sighed. “Here.”“You’re late. I wanna be out of here by the time Neha gets back,” Stuart stated in a monotone as Stiles approached him across the parking lot. Stiles couldn’t tell if his twin’s narrowed eyes were due to the sun beating down on them, or if he was glaring.Stiles made no effort to disguise his own glare as he shot back a “Nice to see you too” with faux sweetness. “And you’re welcome, by the way, for taking forty-eight hours out of my life, which I will never get back and can’t hope for any form of recompense for, to help your homeless ass get your shit out of your ex-girlfriend’s apartment. Really, just, don’t even mention it.”Stuart’s bored features didn’t so much as twitch, and for some reason that annoyed Stiles even more.“How much was it?”Stiles blinked. “What?”“The ride, how much?” Stuart snapped, as if it were obvious.“Uh…” Stiles’ hand went reflexively to the back of his neck, his stomach and mouth twisting simultaneously. He hated asking for money from his closest friends, let alone from his estranged, asshole brother.Stuart sighed impatiently. “Suck up your pride, Stiles. It’s hardly cheap coming all the way from the city. Plus I know you’re like, dirt poor and living in a house you really can’t afford because you’re actually just a glorified pencil pusher at the FBI. Do you know how much Google pays me?”The words shot by so quickly Stiles barely had time to process his anger at the pencil pusher comment—it was true, dammit, that was what made it sting—and he was left spluttering in the way that told him his cheeks would be an embarrassing, splotchy red just about now.“That’s not—”“Do you know how much?” Stuart repeated flatly.Stiles tongued his molars in irritation. “No, no I can’t say I do.”“A fucking lot more than you make. That’s how much Google pays me. So how much was it.”Stiles rolled his eyes. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered.Stuart was apparently done waiting for an answer because the next moment he cut in: “I’ll Venmo you an even hundred and you can keep the change, yeah?”Stiles narrowed his eyes further. “What’s Ven-mo?”It was Stuart’s turn to roll his eyes and mutter under his breath. “Fine,” he spat, pulling out his wallet and counting out five twenties. “Here.” He practically flung the cash at his brother.Stiles’ chest burned, but he caught the money and stuffed it in a pocket.“Thanks. What a gentleman. You know, I almost forgot what a real charmer you are.”“Yeah, runs in the family.” Stuart turned on his heel and made for the door. “Come on, let’s load up.”Stiles stared after him for a moment, shaking his head.“Malia, you were right. I do hate this asshole.”…“That’s it?” Stiles asked as he stared into the open trunk of the hatchback rental, arching an unimpressed eyebrow.“What do you mean ‘that’s it’?” Stuart frowned.“I mean where’s all your stuff? You had to ask for my help with this? You couldn’t handle a few boxes and suitcases yourself?”Stuart pursed his lips and pointed to the flat screen TV lying in its box across the folded down backseat. “That thing’s heavy.”Stiles glanced skyward for patience. “I cannot believe I let you talk me into this. Give me one good reason I shouldn’t just order another Uber right now and go back home. At least then Malia might consider forgiving me for—”“Can we just go?” Stuart’s voice was tight.Stiles glanced sidelong at his twin, noticed the pinched look on his face and the way his long fingers pressed against the sides of his phone so hard the tips were white. Stuart was staring fixedly down at the device as if consulting it, but Stiles had always been able to recognize when his brother was only pretending to look at his phone. He did it more often than most people realized.Stiles felt like pointing this out, making a jab—God knows Stuart deserved it—but something held him back. Maybe it was the way Stuart’s tense shoulders reminded Stiles of his own at the onset of a panic attack—an occurrence that Stiles hadn’t been plagued with in years, fortunately, but which he still couldn’t shake from his muscle memory.Instead, Stiles licked his lips and set his jaw. “Fine. You owe me, so big time.” He slammed the trunk shut.“’So big time’? That doesn’t even make sense. That’s not grammatical.” Stuart scowled.“Just shut up and give me the keys.”…“What the fuck kind of name is ‘Twombly’ anyway? Sounds like some Connecticut WASP shit to me,” griped Stiles, clutching the steering wheel a little harder than necessary. He pitched his voice so he was speaking from the back of his throat, his mouth turned down at the corners. “Oh, look at me, I’m Stuart Twombly and I eat caviar and would you like to see my yacht—”“That’s fucking British, you moron, not New Englander.”“—and I know the difference between an English accent and a New English accent, how could you not, you philistine—”“No one asked for your opinion on my name, Stiles! I wasn’t gonna bring it up.”Stiles tried not to acknowledge the sick satisfaction he felt at finally getting his brother to raise his voice. He seemed to have hit a nerve.“It’s not your name. You’re a Stilinski. At least until Dad finally decides to just disown you and be done with it.”“Very funny.”“Uh, no it’s not. I swear, he gets closer with every year. And honestly? It’s like you’re doing everything in your power to convince him to. I mean, a legal name change? What the fuck, man? Were you really that desperate to rid yourself of any association with us?”Stiles hadn’t meant to get so worked up; he really hadn’t. He’d told himself he could go forty-eight hours without flying off the handles at his brother for any of his countless (by Stiles’ estimation) transgressions against the family.But the name change was a sore point. Stiles could still remember clear as yesterday the wounded look on his father’s face when he’d found out. It hadn’t even been from Stuart’s own mouth; he was too much of a selfish coward for that. No, it had been a piece of mail sent accidentally to an old address on record, rather than forwarded to Stuart’s shiny new Silicon Valley abode. Addressed to one Stuart Twombly.Stuart at least had the decency to look chagrined as he shifted lower in his seat, his eyes fixed on the darkening landscape out the window.“You don’t know what it was like, man.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Ninety percent of interns were coming from Ivy Leagues, Stanford, MIT, and before that from fucking Andover and Exeter: you know, places where people still make Polak jokes and actually think they’re funny. It was just for the job, but now that I’m in, it would be a hassle to change it back.”Stiles thought of contesting the point—seriously, it was a stupid excuse considering the diversity of names in the tech world, and surely there were more than a few Poles among them—but for all his defensiveness, there was a note of apology in Stuart’s tone. Stiles let his shoulders sag with a sigh. It wasn’t good enough, not by a long shot, but it was the best he was going to get from his brother. Arguing wouldn’t change anything.A tense minute passed before Stuart spoke up again.“Stiles…” He sounded almost timid.Stiles grunted, not sparing his brother a look.“You uh, didn’t tell Dad, did you? About why you were helping me out this weekend?”Stiles snorted. “You mean did I tell him that your girlfriend dumped you and kicked you out so you have nowhere to live or even put your stuff?”Stuart made an uncomfortable sound in his throat that made Stiles smirk.“No, I did not. I just said I was helping you move. It’s not like he knew you were living with your girlfriend, anyway. Or that you even had a girlfriend. Hell, the only reason I knew is from Facebook.”Stuart quirked an eyebrow. “So you stalk my Facebook?”It was Stile’s turn to make an undignified sound that was most definitely not a squawk. No freaking way.“I do no—look, it’s not my fault if the Facebook algorithms make it a priority to let me know when my brother changes his relationship status, okay?”“You could get rid of our sibling status on Facebook,” Stuart pointed out.“If only it were that simple in real life,” muttered Stiles.“Actually, I should just unfriend you. I think I will. The thought of you creeping on my timeline makes me feel unclean.”“I do not—” Stiles nearly growled as he cut himself off. Stuart was just trying to get a rise and Stiles wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.“Why haven’t you already unfriended me?” he challenged instead.“Why haven’t you?” Stuart deflected.Stiles’ mouth scrunched up in frustration. It was a reasonable question, actually. He wracked his brain.“Well, someone has to keep an eye on you. Given the penchant that evil twins have for wreaking havoc. You could go dark-side any day. Actually, pretty sure you already have, you’re just pulling a Two-Face and not everyone's caught on yet.”Stuart looked at him like he was crazy.“You know, Two-Face? Batman?” Stiles’ head jutted forward in incredulity. When Stuart’s blank stare didn’t become any more comprehending, he shook his head. “Fuck’s sake. Hopeless. How are we related. How are we twins.”Stiles frowned to himself, tapping on the steering wheel, before finally voicing something that had been playing on his mind ever since getting Stuart’s terse call asking for help (and the guy sounded so hopelessly uncomfortable on the phone it was no wonder he usually insisted on texting. Not that he ever texted Stiles).“Why did you ask me, anyway?”“What?” Stiles could tell Stuart was only feigning ignorance as to his meaning.“Don’t you have, like, Google friends you could have asked? Or did you just want an excuse to torture me all weekend. Y’know, in line with your evil twin proclivities and all. Pleasure from my pain, et cetera.”Stuart was silent for long enough that Stiles risked a glance at him. His brother looked surprisingly awkward, which only intrigued Stiles further.“They’re all sort of… Neha’s friends, too,” Stuart admitted at last. He was slouching so low in his seat it looked as if he were trying to sink straight into it and disappear.The gears clicked together in Stiles’ mind. “A-ha,” he said slowly. “And let me guess; you, being you, were an asshole about her dumping you, and they all took her side.”Stuart muttered something so quietly Stiles found himself leaning in.“You’re gonna have to speak up louder than that, Mumbles McMumbleface.”Stuart gave a frustrated sigh. “She didn’t dump me.”Stiles blinked and sat upright. That was… unexpected.“Wait, so you…”“I dumped her.”Stiles shook his head as if to clear it. “Wow. So, you really were an asshole. And a stupid asshole, because you couldn’t let it wait till you had somewhere new to live. And, because of your assholery—Neha-related and otherwise, I can only assume—none of your friends will talk to you, let alone drive your stuff halfway across the state as a favor.”“…Something like that,” Stuart grit out through his teeth.“So…” Stiles’ eyes narrowed. He shouldn’t care, he really shouldn’t, but he could feel the morbid curiosity tugging at his brain. “Why did you dump her?”Stuart shrugged noncommittally. “I dunno. There was just… something missing.”“What, that’s all you got? That has to be the least convincing, most asshole cop-out answer you could possibly give. Y’know, I may expect nothing but bullshit from you, Stu, but I’ve actually come to expect at least a certain grade of bullshit. Your finely-aged in an oak barrel bullshit, if you will.”“Why do you care?” asked Stu defensively.“I don’t, for the record. But right now I’m stuck in a small, enclosed space with you, amped up on Adderall, and in desperate need of some entertainment. Some Shadenfreudic entertainment, and lo and behold, here you are to provide. So, provide.”“You want to talk about Schadenfreude? Only one of us here is making six figures, okay, and it isn’t you.”“So is talking about your salary the only thing that makes you feel good about yourself? Because you know you’ve got nothing else? That is truly pathetic, even for you—”“Shut up—”“Okay, don’t wanna talk about that? Then spill about Neha. Why’d you break up, man? You just, get bored or something?”“Maybe,” sneered Stuart.“Seriously, dude? That’s a real low, even for you, Stu.”“Since when are you calling me Stu?”“Since—what? I’ve always called you Stu.” Stiles squinted at the road. “Don’t change the subject.”“Not in a long time, you haven’t,” Stuart continued.“Yeah, well, I haven’t exactly spent much time with you in a long time, have I? And it’s coming back to me why that is. Hey, I’m talking to you.”Stuart had pulled his phone back out and was fiddling with it.“Yes, unfortunately you are,” he said distractedly.Stiles grumbled to himself. “Fine, ignore me. See if I care. Asshole.”…“Are you serious?” Stuart glanced at the garish neon sign of the motel as Stiles pulled into the parking lot. “I really don’t feel like getting axe-murdered in my bed tonight.”“Oh, really? Because your behavior for the past several hours has sort of been screaming ‘please axe-murder me.’ I was seriously thinking of complying, too.”Stuart cast him a withering glare.“Anyway, you’re welcome to walk to the nearest hotel,” Stiles suggested amiably. “But I’m done. Driver makes the rules on when to stop.”“We should just keep on going to Beacon Hills.”“We’d get there at like, one a.m. And as much as I am enjoying your pleasant company and lively conversation, right now I am in need of some well-deserved R&R.”He hopped out of the car with his backpack and pillow and glanced around. His brow furrowed. “Y’know, I think I’ve been here before.”“To this shithole? What, is this the type of luxury accommodation the FBI reserves for its lowest level security clearance employees?” Stuart scoffed as he grabbed a suitcase from the back.“Fuck yourself,” Stiles muttered, looking up at the sign again. Motel Glen Capri. It jogged something in his memory.“Yeah… No way. Track meet, back in high school. Dumb thing ended up getting cancelled, but we got a free night in this fine establishment out of it. Anyway, if I survived a night here before, I can survive one again. Can’t really speak for you, though.”He headed towards the reception lobby, Stuart trailing grudgingly behind.The clerk with the tracheostomy tube in her throat did little to inspire confidence in either of them, but Stiles blithely ignored Stuart’s mouthed “Seriously?” when the woman turned away to find them a key. He merely drummed his fingers against the counter and let his brother glower at his phone.“We only got one room open, darlin’,” croaked the woman, holding up a key marked 115.Stiles’ eyebrows shot up. “Really? Only one room? Business is swingin’ at the ol’ Glen Capri, huh?” His mind flashed to the near-empty lot. “Lemme guess, word of mouth? Reputation precedes ya? The Yelp reviews must be truly effusive.”The woman cast him an unimpressed look. “Most of the place’s closed down. For remodeling.”“Oh, remodeling. Can’t imagine why. What could you possibly improve on in this… state of the art… auberge,” he finished with his whole face pinched and cleared his throat.“It’s a double, you want it or not?” she asked tersely.“Double, as in…”“We got one bed open. Take it or leave it.”Stiles could feel Stuart’s seething gaze boring into him, and so it was on principle that he grit his teeth and gave a sweet smile. “We’ll take it.”Stiles ignored his brother’s low groan and continued tapping his fingers, peering behind the desk as the clerk put them on the books.“What’s with the numbers?” he asked, jutting his chin at the hanging display of the digits ‘236’ on the back wall.The clerk’s eyes practically lit up as she followed his gaze. It was an unsettling look on her.“Well, you may think we’re not much to write home about here, but we do carry one particular distinction. Highest number of suicides since opening out of any motel in the state.”Even Stuart looked up at that, the ‘throw-up in the mouth’ look back on his face.“Ah,” said Stiles pleasantly. “So, you keep a running tally. On prominent display. Naturally. Because you wouldn’t want to turn away any potential customers. Especially not the… suicidal ones.”“Make sure to look inside the Bible in the dresser. There’ll be newspaper clippings on the incidents specific to your room.” The woman positively grinned.“I hate you so much,” Stuart muttered just loud enough for Stiles to hear.“Well.” Stiles smiled chummily at the woman as he slapped down the deposit on the counter and snatched up the key. “If you’re lucky, you might just have two more to add to the count by the end of the night.”…“‘The siblings are suspected to have formed their suicide pact following a scandal in the family. According to an unnamed source, the brother and sister were recently discovered to have been—’ Oh. Oh.” Stiles sat up straight, holding the clipping out at arm’s length.“What,” sighed Stuart. He reached over from where he was lounging on his side of the too-narrow bed and snatched the paper from his brother’s hand. His eyes scanned the page. “‘…discovered to have been in an incestuous relationship spanning years,’” he drawled. “‘Following the shocking revelation, the pair were disowned and reportedly threatened by family members for refusing to end the illicit affair.’ Seriously, who publishes this crap.”He flung the article onto the nightstand and glanced at Stiles. “What, you squeamish or something?”“Uh, disturbed, I think, would be a good descriptor. And slightly concerned that you’re not?”Stuart merely shrugged. “After a year with Neha not much would faze you either.”“What. Does that—No, scratch that, I don’t want to know what that means.” Stiles shifted on the bed. “I feel unclean.” He pulled a face. “I’m gonna shower.”Stuart shrugged again and returned his attention to his phone.The towels smelled vaguely of nicotine and smoke, but at least the water was hot. Stiles would count every blessing he could get at this point. After all, it was his own damn stubbornness that had landed them here in the first place.He had stepped out of the shower and was reaching for one of the cigarette-scented towels when the bathroom door swung open and Stuart barged in, toothbrush in hand.Stiles yelped—in a low, manly way, of course—and clutched the towel to his chest.“Dude! There’s this handy social convention called ‘knocking’—heard of it?”Stuart just raised an eyebrow at his twin's reflection as he uncapped the toothpaste. “Not like you’ve got anything I haven’t seen before. As in, every single day of my life. In the mirror.”Stiles fumbled to wrap the towel around his waist. He joined his brother at the sink to brush his teeth.“Okay, now I can’t get it out of my head that I know exactly what you look like naked, because I know what I look like naked. I don’t wanna know what you look like naked. I never asked for this, God.” Stiles glanced heavenward and began brushing.Stuart managed to look contemptuous even with a toothbrush sticking out from between his lips. “You never reawized tha’ befowe?” he asked through a mouthful of toothpaste.“Never reawy though’ abou’ it,” Stiles responded. Maybe it was true, maybe it wasn’t. It had been a long, long time since the thought had crossed his mind, at least. “An’ I’ like to unthink ’bout it now.”Stuart just shook his head and rinsed his mouth before beginning to strip off his own clothes. Stiles nearly choked on the water he was gargling and was out of the bathroom before his brother could get too shamelessly indecent in front of him.Stuart had caught on to Stiles’ discomfort, though, and seemed determined to make the most of it. That was the only way to account for his suddenly adopted exhibitionist streak, because before Stiles knew it his twin was strolling out of the steam-filled bathroom, towel slung over his shoulder instead of around his very naked hips.Stiles, blessedly clad by now in his typical pajama ensemble of oversized t-shirt and sweats, found it was his turn to pretend to be absorbed in his phone as he lay sprawled on the bed. If a reaction was what Stuart wanted, Stiles wasn’t going to give it to him.But Stuart paid him no mind as he leisurely sorted through a suitcase, pulling out a set of sleepwear not dissimilar to Stiles’. And if Stiles took advantage of Stuart’s apparent indifference to study him just a little longer than necessary, no one had to know that. Considering Stiles’ recent epiphany, he was simply curious to know how he looked naked, from the outside, to other people rather than in the mirror. And it was with a slight narcissistic thrill that he came to the conclusion he didn’t look bad at all. In a slightly twink-ish sort of way, but still. Broad shoulders and torso that tapered to slim hips in a pleasing inverted triangle. Round, taught ass—okay, enough. It was still Stuart, after all.Stiles felt his face redden as he averted his eyes. “Quit picking lint out of your belly button and put your clothes on,” he snapped. “You trying to prove a point or something?”Stuart shot him a bemused look as he finally pulled his pajamas on, in no hurry to cover himself. “Are you one of those weirdos who like, doesn’t even like looking at themselves in the mirror nude? I would’ve thought, seeing how well acquainted you got with your right hand in high school, you wouldn’t have that sort of issue with your body, but.” Stuart cut off with a shrug before flopping down on the bed and picking his phone up from where it was charging on the nightstand.“Please, like you weren’t constantly walking around with chafed dick back then. Not like you had any more luck with girls than me,” retorted Stiles.He braced himself for his brother’s comeback, but Stuart simply set his phone down on his sternum and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling.“You have a boyfriend these days?” he asked, apropos of nothing.“Boyf—she’s a girl, Stu. A girl. Malia. And I’ve been dating and living with her for nearly a year. You can’t even be bothered to remember the gender of the person I’ve been cohabitating with for the past eleven months?”Stuart’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you were, like, gay now, or whatever.”“Oh my God—” Stiles practically rolled his whole head in exasperation. His hands gestured wildly as he spoke. “It’s called bisexuality, Stu, and it’s a thing. That is real. ‘Bi’ as in two, as in both genders, as in boys and girls. It’s not that hard to grasp, really.”Stuart merely hummed and frowned at the ceiling.Stiles fluffed his pillow and reached towards his lamp. “Okay, I’m gonna—”“Shh!” Stuart’s hand shot up to silence his brother.“What?”“Do you hear that?”Stiles listened; he did hear it. The faint creak creak of bedsprings and the high-pitched gasps of a woman in pleasure. Stiles clapped a hand over his face.“Oh, for the love of—”“Think it’s the clerk from the lobby?” Stuart smirked.Stiles looked at him, horrified. “Oh God, no.”Stuart chuckled. “You’re right. Voice’s too high. Not croaky and toad-like enough.”Stiles wrinkled his nose. “Aw, dude, why you gotta put these things in my head. And you are enjoying this way too much.” He was beginning to wonder if his brother had always had an exhibitionist and voyeuristic side, and he had simply never been aware of it prior to tonight.“Eh, not really. You can tell just by the sounds they’re making that they’re a fugly pair. I mean, beautiful people do not come to a place like this to make love. It’s just fact.”“You are horrid,” Stiles said weakly.“Just listen and tell me I’m wrong.”“I’d really rather not—”“Listen to those grunts. Not hot. Guy’s probably got a neckbeard and three chins. And a chode.”Stiles snorted in spite of himself. “You really are an asshole.” But now he was grinning, glancing up at his twin, whose eyes sparkled with a rare mischief. Without his glasses, he looked more like Stiles than ever.“Well, they keep this up—” Stuart jerked his head at the wall, “you might just get your heart’s desire.”“Which is?” Stiles quirked a brow.“I might just have to smother myself with my pillow. You’ll be an only child at last.”Their eyes met, and neither could help the amused smiles that tugged at the corners of their mouths.Just then, the noises in the other room came to an abrupt halt.Stuart’s brows drew together. “Hm. Anticlimactic. Literally, for her, I suspect.”“Guess you get to live to see another day. Darn,” Stiles said without malice. “Now seriously, I gotta get some sleep if you don’t want me driving into oncoming traffic tomorrow.”The switched off their respective lamps and settled under the duvet with their backs to each other.Then, just before too many seconds of silence had passed for it to feel appropriate, Stuart spoke quietly: “’Night, Sti.”Stiles was so caught off guard he almost forgot to answer with a hasty “’Night, Stu.”Stuart was the only one who ever used that shortened version of his nickname. Stiles hadn’t heard it since… well, he couldn’t remember when.Soon enough, Stuart was snoring softly beside him, but Stiles was still tossing and turning. Maybe he’d overdone it on the Adderall. It helped with long drives, but tomorrow perhaps he ought to lay off.He was convinced Stuart was taking up more than half the bed. Probably on purpose. Doing anything he could to annoy Stiles, even in his sleep.Stiles snorted. Yeah, that seemed like his brother.When Stuart rolled towards him, a hand and knee brushing up against Stiles’ side, Stiles was close to shoving him off. It would only be fair that Stuart couldn’t sleep if Stiles couldn’t, after all. But when he caught sight of his twin’s face, only a foot away on the pillow, something held him back.Stuart looked peaceful, his usual scowl smoothed off his features. He almost looked… innocent, like this. As if he could be a good person. A good brother.Stiles could almost forget all the things about his twin that made his blood boil when he was like this. He sighed and closed his eyes.Almost. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Called it.” Stuart nodded to Stiles over the roof of the car, leaning on the passenger door. “Neckbeard, three o’clock.”Stiles turned to his right.“My three o’clock, idiot.”Stiles rolled his eyes. “Then you say nine o’clock, moron.” He glanced to the left and, sure enough, there was a heavyset man emerging from room 116: the culprit of last night’s auditory entertainment. And he happened to fit Stuart’s hypothetical description quite well—at least as far as Stiles could tell. The accuracy of his guess on dick size was, however, impossible to gauge.“Congratulations,” muttered Stiles, squinting his eyes. “That is actually… pretty impressive. Disturbingly so. Sure you weren’t spying, you pervtastic voyeur?”Stuart gave a mocking smile. “Sorry, between the two of us I’m hardly the one who deserves the title ‘perv’. I remember what you had saved in your porn folder in high school—”“Oh, and remind me again why you were looking in the first place? ’Cause you actually had to hack into it, so it’s not like it was an accident—”“—swear to God, scarred me for life—”“—don’t try to tell me there’s nothing voyeuristic about snooping through your brother’s porn collection, probably jacking off to it, too—”“Uh, excuse me?” cut in a new voice.Stiles turned and balked at the sight of Neckbeard himself not three feet away.“Heyyy, how you doin’?” Stiles drew out the words, hand raised in an aborted attempt at a wave before going to the back of his neck as his face contorted into a vaguely ill expression. “Doin’ good, right? I bet you are. What a night, huh. At least, for you, sounded like. Not that we were listening,” Stiles rambled.The man shot him an alarmed and affronted look, his face beet red.“Do you mind?” he huffed, gesturing to the car reverse-parked next to Stiles. His eyes looked ready to pop from his head.“Oh, this yours, buddy? I in your way? Righto, we’re just leaving—” Stiles noticed that Stuart had already sunk down into the passenger seat in mortification. “Fact, we’re already gone.”With a quick wink he hopped in behind the wheel and they were peeling out of the parking lot in record time.“‘What a night’?” Stuart repeated incredulously, his ears still tipped in pink.“Hey, I’m not the one who was describing the man’s genitals in detail last night.”Stuart snorted. “I did not go into detail.”“Well, you still started all this. Take some responsibility, man.”“Riiiight. I’m not the one who can’t help but shoot my mouth off in front of a complete stranger. You forget your meds today or something?”“Okay, for the record, I do not have to take my meds every day. Which is a good thing. I get to choose when to take them, and I chose not to today.”“Lucky me.”“Mostly because last night I couldn’t get to sleep, though that might have had something to do with the fact that you were hogging the blankets, and the bed, and basically trying to crawl all over me in your sleep—”“Was not.”“Oh really? Because I swear to God you tried to smother me with your body more than once and ohmygod pancakes.”Stiles swerved so quickly Stuart had to brace a hand on the dashboard.“Dude! The hell are you doing?”“IHOP, man. Gotta fuel up for the road.” He pulled into the parking lot and lurched to a stop in front of the International House of Pancakes.Stuart’s long thumb and middle finger wrapped over his eyes to massage his temples beneath his glasses. “I think you ought to reconsider laying off the meds, because I cannot last the day stuck in the car with an insufferable spazz.”“Dude, that wasn’t the ADHD,” Stiles insisted, mocking offense. “That was simply my deep and abiding love of breakfast foods.”“You just had a continental breakfast at the motel.”“One white-bread wannabe bagel does not a happy, sated Stiles make.”Stuart opened his mouth again, but his brother cut him off with a raised finger.“Ah-ah, no arguing. You will thank me once you’ve tasted the artificial syrupy goodness that awaits you.”Ten minutes later, they were seated and had ordered. Stuart was absorbed in his phone while Stiles busied himself drawing patterns in the pile of salt he’d poured onto the tabletop.Stiles saw his brother’s eye twitch and wondered how long it would take for him to make some snide comment about Stiles’ chosen method of entertainment.Sure enough, not ten seconds later Stuart’s mouth opened, though he didn’t lift his eyes from his screen.“I doubt this establishment appreciates patrons using table condiments as their own personal Etch-a-Sketch.”“And I doubt a multimillion dollar corporation based around the 24/7 marketability of breakfast foods is concerned about absorbing the costs of a little excess spilled salt.”Stiles smirked to himself, satisfied by his brother’s grudging silence, though he did manage to look sheepish when the waitress eyed his handiwork disapprovingly while setting down their plates.A minute later, however, all shame was forgetten as his taste buds reveled in a sugary explosion.“So, how long you taking off, anyway?” Stiles asked around a mouthful of chocolate chip pancake.Stuart shrugged as he pushed his eggs around with his fork. “I dunno.”Stiles narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, you dunno? You put in for some personal time, right? So when do you have to be back?”Stuart sighed and rested his cheek in his hand. “I got two weeks, but… I don’t know if I wanna go back.”Stiles’ eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “What? Dude, this is like, your dream job. You said you wanted to work for Google when we did those ‘where I’ll be in ten years’ presentations in ninth grade.”“Well, maybe it’s not all I hyped it up to be in my head.” Stuart didn’t meet his brother’s eyes.Stiles shook his head. “No. No way, man. You’re not doing this to yourself again. It’s the same fucking thing you did back in high school. The reason you didn’t get into Harvard or MIT like you wanted. Because you were definitely smart enough, you just—I dunno, hit the self-destruct button or something. You sabotaged yourself and you’re fucking doing it all over again. In fact—” Stiles stabbed his fork towards his twin’s perturbed face, triumphant at his epiphany—“that’s what the thing with Neha is about, isn’t it? That’s why you dumped her. Self-sabotage.” He leaned back with a smug smile.Stuart rolled his eyes and glared at Stiles. “That is not why I dumped Neha. Don’t try to armchair-psychoanalyze me, Sti. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”“I think I have a pretty good idea, because I know you, Stu, and I know that you’re incapable of admitting any blame—”“No, you don’t have an idea, and you don’t know me. And it’s not like you’re one to talk.” Stuart’s nostrils flared in the way Stiles had only ever seen when his twin was truly incensed. “You wanna talk about self-sabotage? Wanna talk about fuck-ups? How about the loser who never had an independent idea in his life so he just decided to follow in Daddy’s footsteps and join the FBI—”“Dad isn’t in the FBI, fuckwad—”“—or in McCall’s daddy’s footsteps, because yeah, let’s get Freudian, there’s some weird displacement shit going on there, not a surprise considering how you trailed that poor kid like his own goddamn shadow for years, just like you followed me around when we were little, because you are incapable of doing anything on your own!” Stuart spat the words out, eyes narrowed to slits. “Only I’m smarter than McCall, so it didn’t take me all the way until college to figure out how to shake you off! No fuckin’ wonder he made sure to escape to a school across the goddamn country from you.”Stiles was cold. Hollow. His voice sounded distant in his own ears when he spoke.“Is that right? Well, at least I’m not the one burning every single fucking bridge I cross to make sure I end up alone, every fuckin’ time. At least I don’t pretend I hate everyone and everything because really, I just hate myself. At least I don’t act like I’m better than everyone and only interested in my fucking phone to hide how pathetically alone I am because the fact is, Stu, no one cares about you, because you only care about yourself. And now your so-called friends at Google have finally wised up to that, because why else would you be stuck with me now instead of someone who actually likes you? But—news flash—no one likes you, Stu. No one gives a fuck about you, not even your own family. You made sure of that.”It wasn’t until Stiles had finished that he realized how loudly he’d been speaking, and how silent the diner had fallen around them. Stuart just sat, staring at him expressionlessly. Stiles could feel heat creeping up his neck, some sickening mixture of self-consciousness and gloating and maybe just a touch of regret, and he was stuck there hardly breathing, just waiting for something to happen—Stuart pushed out his chair with an abrupt grating sound against the tile floor that made Stiles flinch. Without a word, he stood and walked out of the restaurant.Stiles sat hunched over his plate, feeling the eyes of the other diners on him like the crawling of a thousand ants over his skin. He swallowed dryly and looked up.The man at the table next to him was too slow to drop his eyes and ended up caught in Stiles’ furious gaze.“What the fuck you looking at?” Stiles spat.The nearest waitress seemed to jerk out of her shock at that, and scurried over.“Excuse me, sir, I’m going to have to ask you to—”Stiles stood before she could finish, digging a twenty out of his pocket and throwing it down on top of his half-eaten pancakes. He’d lost his appetite anyway.“I’m going,” he muttered, and stalked out after his twin.Only, once he was out in the parking lot, he realized he didn’t know where Stuart had gone. Stiles had the keys to the car, and Stuart wasn’t standing there expecting to be let in.Stiles sighed, annoyed but also relieved to have a bit of space. He unlocked the car and sat inside, waiting for Stuart.A full fifteen minutes passed before the passenger door was finally yanked open and a stony-faced Stuart buckled in next to him. Neither said a word as Stiles started the engine pulled out onto the road again.…The buzzing of Stiles’ phone punctured the tense silence of the car for the third time in as many minutes. Stiles, who had been pointedly ignoring it, finally relented and glanced at the screen. He cursed under his breath and changed lanes to take the turnoff.Stuart glanced sideways at him but said nothing.Stiles pulled into the nearest gas station and hopped out to fill the tank, phone pressed to his ear. He didn’t spare a look for his brother as Stuart got out and headed into the convenience store.When Stuart returned, iced coffee in hand, Stiles was in the parking lot next to the car, still on his phone and running an agitated hand through his hair.“No, I don’t—I don’t know, Malia, okay—Yeah, I know, but—I will. I won’t! I said I wouldn’t, didn’t I? And he isn’t—” Stiles turned and caught sight of Stuart on the other side of the car. “Uh, I gotta go, Malia. No—babe, can’t talk right now,” he muttered through his teeth. “Right. Sorry. Yeah, I promise. Fine. Okay, lov—” Stiles pulled the phone away from his ear and frowned at it before shoving it in his pocket with a disgruntled eye-roll.He pointedly avoided meeting his brother’s appraising gaze. “What’re you looking at?” he grit out as he fumbled with the door handle.Stuart merely arched his eyebrows by way of answer before getting into his seat.Stiles had the keys in the ignition when he noticed that his brother was struggling to pull on his seatbelt. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Stuart pulled at it awkwardly with his right hand, coffee in the left. He cursed softly to himself and switched the beverage to his other hand, only to lose his grip and drop the cup into his lap, spilling its contents all over his front.“Oh fuck, shit! Fuck, fuck!” Stuart shoved the cup onto the floor and brushed ice off his lap.Stiles covered the laugh bubbling up his throat with a cough. Normally he wouldn’t have bothered sparing his brother’s pride, but it felt too distasteful to break into riotous laughter before their post-argument frost had thawed, even for Stiles.“Shut the fuck up,” Stuart snarled nonetheless.“I didn’t say anything,” Stiles said reasonably, only earning a death glare for his troubles.“I need to change,” muttered Stuart. “Grab me something from my suitcase, pants and shirt.”Before Stiles could object and tell him to get his own damn clothes, Stuart was out of the car and storming towards the bathrooms, his stride so bowlegged to accommodate the wet crotch of his pants that Stiles allowed himself a smug snicker.He grabbed the first wardrobe items he found at the top of his brother’s suitcase and headed towards the restroom after him, not bothering to check if his picks matched. He secretly hoped they didn’t.Stiles glanced down. Gray chinos and a white button down. Dammit, no such luck.He faltered at the door to the men’s room. The hand dryer was running inside. He lifted a tentative fist and knocked.“Uh, Stu? I got your—”The door yanked open and Stuart tugged him inside by the wrist before closing and locking it again.He had already stripped off his jeans and… was apparently in the process of drying the front of his underwear.Stiles failed to suppress his snort this time. He couldn’t resist the perfect opportunity. It was too awkward not to say anything, anyway.“Didn’t realize caffeinated beverage spills was what did it for you, bro. Lemme give you a tip I learned in, oh, 8th grade; wait till you’re in the shower, or at least over a toilet. Doesn’t leave such a mess—”“Ha, ha,” Stuart deadpanned. He peeled off his t-shirt and went to the sink to run water over the stain.Stiles waited by the door, stomach suddenly rolling nervously as he shifted from foot to foot, wondering where his eyes should rest. Stuart wore really tight boxers. Stiles wanted to make a wildly inappropriate comment, fill the silence with the sound of his own voice and force the discomfort back into his brother’s court, but he could still feel the frosty barrier between them, putting ice in his gut and apparently freezing his tongue.“What?” Stuart was looking at him in the mirror.“What?” Stiles responded automatically, his face going red.Stuart shook his head. “I don’t get it. Didn’t you spend like, your entire high school career in the boy’s locker room? You saw dudes in underwear all the time. And less.”Stiles grimaced at how easily his twin had read him. “Well, yeah, but no one on the lacrosse team wore…” He made a vague gesture in Stuart’s direction.“Wore what? Underwear? That concerns me.”Stiles snorted. “They wore underwear, just not, like, hug-my-body catwoman wetsuit booty shorts. Except Danny, sometimes. But… that was Danny.”Stuart looked at him like he was crazy. “First off, these are boxer briefs. They’re really pretty common. Second, didn’t you see them all naked in the showers?”“Well, I didn’t look in the showers. That is not locker room etiquette, man.”“But… you’re looking now?”Before Stiles could give his indignant response, Stuart cut him off. “Look, you are making this way more weird than it has to be,” he said, coming over and stuffing his wet clothing into Stiles’ arms so he could grab the spares. “I’m a guy. I’ve got what you’ve got. Like, exactly what you’ve got. And I’m your brother. Just, chill out.” He pulled on the button down.“Exactly, you’re my brother!” spluttered Stiles. “And that… that sort of came out wrong. What I mean is—” He scratched his eyebrow, wracking his mind. “I’m not very, uh, open. With that sort of thing. I got used to it in the locker room and I knew the guys on the team, so I didn’t mind there so much.” His eyes were still determinedly looking everywhere but at Stuart. He wet his lips nervously. “But I haven’t seen you… like this… since, like, middle school? I dunno man, but it’s like, a private thing, and we don’t… we don’t share private things,” he finished, the blush hot in his cheeks.Stuart just looked at him blankly. He’d stopped dressing and stood there in his open shirt and boxer briefs.He heaved a sigh and took the bundle of clothes from Stiles’ arms. “Button this for me,” he muttered.That finally forced Stiles to look at his brother. “What? No.”Stuart set his jaw. “I can’t button it, my fingers are janked up. You chose a button down, so you gotta button. Unless you want to go get me a different shirt.”Stiles frowned. “What’s wrong with your fingers?”“It’s nothing.” Stuart rubbed the knuckles of his right hand. Now that Stiles was looking, he could see they were red and maybe even swollen.“Dude, that’s the hand you dropped the coffee cup from. What’s up with it?”“I said, it’s nothing,” Stuart insisted, but Stiles wasn’t having it.“No way, dude. If I gotta button up your goddamn shirt for you, you better believe I’m gonna goddamn know why.”Stuart jutted his jaw out, his eyes focusing on the ceiling in his most recalcitrant expression. “I… sort of… jammed it.”“…How?”Stuart barely moved his lips as he spoke. “Punching a wall.”“Punching—what? Punching a wall? What—When did you do that?”Stuart was silent a moment before finally lowering his eyes to glare at his brother. “After I walked out of the restaurant.”Stiles blinked. Oh. Now that he thought of it, their earlier argument had induced the desire to punch a wall in him, as well. And considering the things he had said to his twin…Stuart grimaced, and Stiles realized he was bracing himself for Stiles’ laughter.But he didn’t laugh. Instead, he looked at his feet and nodded. He swallowed, straightened himself up and very carefully didn’t look at his brother’s face as he reached for the top button of the shirt.Only to be bewildered and slightly ticked-off when Stuart immediately batted his hand away.“Not the top button, Jesus Christ. You wanna make me look like some fucking choir boy?”Stiles rolled his eyes and dropped his hands to the next button.“Not that one either! I’m not some middle-aged suburban dad!”“Oh, okay, so you just wanna be hanging out of your shirt, flashing man boob everywhere. Got it.” Stiles started on the third button down.Stuart scoffed. “I don’t have man boobs, thanks very much. And for your information, usually I wear a t-shirt under these things, but this is what you brought me so we gotta work with it.”“Oh, so it’s my fault?”“Obviously.”Stiles rolled his eyes, but a soft smile tugged at his lips as his fingers moved deftly down the shirt. It may have been a weird situation, but it was better than the stony silence between them before.“I am so not doing up your pants for you,” said Stiles when he was finished.Stuart pursed his lips and stuffed the wet clothes back into his brother’s chest, grabbing the chinos and pulling them on in irritation. He struggled with the zipper and button while glowering at his brother, but Stiles simply smiled blithely and made no move to help. Stuart got it in the end and crammed his sneakers back on his socked feet.“Hey, but uh,” Stiles said as they exited the restroom, “you should really ice that hand. I’ll get something cold for it,” he offered, handing the soiled clothes back to Stuart.Stuart nodded and went to wait in the car while Stiles jogged to the shop door.When Stiles returned with a bag of frozen peas, Stuart was absorbed in his phone. Rather than his usual bland expression, though, he looked contemplative. Stiles tried to steal a glance at the screen, but all he could make out was that Stuart was looking at a photo.“Y’know, having your hands in the same position on your phone twenty-four seven puts you at high risk for carpal tunnel later in life,” said Stiles conversationally. “Just wait, couple decades it’ll be like an epidemic for our generation, and you, sir, are a prime candidate. What’s so interesting on there, anyway?”He reached over and snatched the device from his brother’s fingers before Stuart could stop him.“Hey—” Stuart was cut off by the bag of peas being tossed into his lap.Stiles squinted at the photo, holding the phone up in one hand and pushing back on his brother’s shoulder with the other as Stuart made a swipe at him.“Give it back!”“Who is that?” Stiles’ eyes flicked over the smiling faces of a group of people. Two middle-aged men, Neha, whom he recognized from his twin’s previous Facebook profile picture, a couple guys roughly Stuart’s age, and Stuart himself in their midst. Stuart, Stiles’ grouchy, apathetic and often antisocial twin, actually smiling—maybe even laughing?—with his arms slung over the shoulders of his neighbors, mouth open and dark eyes crinkled in mirth. Looking genuinely happy. Happier than Stiles could remember seeing him in a long, long time. Since before their mother died, most likely.Stiles felt something twist in his stomach, like he’d intruded, seen something he shouldn’t have. We don’t share private things. He swallowed against the suddenly sour taste in his mouth and handed the phone back without struggle. Stuart snatched it away to stow it in his pocket and return to nursing his hand morosely.“Those your Google friends?” Stiles asked quietly.“So-called,” Stuart huffed.Stiles felt a pang in his chest, recalling his own words at breakfast. “Nah,” he said, struggling to keep his voice light. “They look like real friends.”“They were. Probably hate me now, though.” Stuart looked out the window.“Because of Neha?” Stiles ventured hesitantly.Stuart nodded.Stiles sighed, his hands going to the steering wheel on reflex. “Look.” His fingers lifted outwards in a shrug-like gesture. “They don’t… hate you. They might be pissed right now, but... just, apologize, man. Be their friend again. And be nice to Neha. She might not be ready to hear it, but it still counts to try. Just, don’t be an asshole. So, yeah, might be sorta hard for you. Impossible, actually—”Stuart snorted, but he was smiling, just barely.Stiles chuckled and thumbed at his nose before continuing. “No, but really, an apology can go a long way.”Suddenly his throat felt thick. His brow furrowed as he swallowed through it. “I mean, I’m sure things were said, on both sides… hurtful things. And it can feel just about fucking impossible to say sorry, and maybe you wouldn’t even believe her if she said she’s sorry too, but the truth is, when people are angry they say some really stupid shit.” The words were rushing out now, tumbling over each other as Stiles stared at his hands on the wheel. “They say things they don’t mean, because they just wanted you to hurt, and they know what will hurt, so they say it, but that doesn’t mean they really think those things, and they’re probably even really—ashamed, of what they said.”He had to stop and clear his throat, gain control over the slight tremor that had appeared in his voice. “So.” He licked his lips. “Would you… If she. Apologized. Would you accept her apology?”Finally, Stiles risked looking at his brother, lip caught nervously between his lips.Stuart was staring at the bag of peas pressed over his hand, eyes unreadable behind his glasses.“Only if she would accept mine.”Stiles let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He turned back to the steering wheel and nodded, the shadow of a smile on his lips.“Yeah,” he breathed, like he’d just run a marathon. “Believe me, she would.”He turned the keys in the ignition and took them back out onto the road.Silence filled the car once more, only it was content this time. There was no need to fill it.Neither spoke for a long minute, until Stuart held up his injured hand. “Thanks for the, uh, peas.”“No prob, man.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It felt strange to Stuart, walking the streets of Beacon Hills once more. He hadn’t given much thought to his hometown—not really his hometown anymore, just the place he had grown up—since he’d left it for college. He’d been back a few times, of course, for the mandatory holidays, but not in the past couple years. He didn’t have to go through the motions of being a dutiful son once he’d been assured of a steady income from Google, at which point he’d asked his father to stop paying towards his tuition. He could pay off the loans himself within a few years, and most importantly, he didn’t have to feel guilty anymore.At least, that was what he told himself.When it came to his father, there was plenty Stuart felt guilty about, but even more he felt resentful for. Then again, the guilt and resentment had been so wrapped up in each other ever since his mother first fell ill so many years ago that perhaps he was incapable of distinguishing them from each other at this point. He knew Stiles blamed him for making things harder on their dad since their mom died, and worse, Stuart knew he was right. It felt too late to admit it now, though. Things with Stiles would pretty much patch themselves up if Stuart ever reconciled with their father, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Not yet, anyway. Which was why Stuart had specifically chosen one of those rare weekends when the sheriff of Beacon Hills was away to make his trip back home.There was really only one place in his old town that Stuart missed, and it wasn’t the house he’d once called home. It certainly wasn’t the high school, where he’d counted down the hours till his freedom: freedom from his teachers, who couldn’t teach him anything relevant to his future because he was going to be a programmer, goddammit, and he didn’t need to know the fucking chemical equation for cellular respiration or the dates of Supreme Court cases that happened over a century ago; freedom from his classmates—not friends, as the only real friends he’d had at that age were confined to the virtual sphere of the internet—and their insufferable social cliques; freedom from his family, who made him feel increasingly like an unwanted interloper in his own house (and if that was thanks mostly to his own stubbornly antisocial behavior, Stuart refused to recognize it).No, the one place Stuart still felt occasional nostalgia for was the pizza shop on 4th street that served a better pie than any he’d yet to find in Silicon Valley (and if the nostalgia had more to do with his memories of coming there as a family, happy and whole with a still-living mother, than with the taste of the pizza, Stuart refused to recognize that either).And so it was that Stuart found himself retracing old, familiar sidewalks as he walked from the parking garage to the pizza shop to pick up dinner for himself and Stiles, whom he’d left at the house after making a short job of the unpacking.It was uncanny, seeing how much was exactly the same as six years ago but noticing how many little things had changed at the same time. A vacant lot turned to a construction zone, the drycleaner’s boarded up with a for sale sign out front, the old diner rebranded as a chic, vegan-friendly café. More than once, Stuart thought he caught sight of an old familiar face crossing the street and nearly did a 180 just to avoid bumping into a high school acquaintance, but it turned out he was just being paranoid.Take now, for instance: he could swear he knew that tall, long-faced boy with the athletic build and olive skin, and that petite redhead with the plump lips coming towards him on the sidewalk—Oh shit. He did know them.And he was making eye contact. There was no getting out of this.Two large eyes widened in recognition. “Stuart? Stilinski?”Danny Mahealani flashed him half a blinding-white grin, apparently confused, or maybe just surprised.Lydia Martin furrowed her perfectly plucked brows and glanced between them. “You know him?” she asked her companion, unconcerned if Stuart heard her.“Yeah, remember, the Stilinski twins? From high school?” Danny said, making a valiant effort to keep the words under his breath. Lydia simply squinted at him as though he’d started speaking in tongues.Danny looked back at Stuart. “Hey, is Stiles around?”Stuart’s eye twitched in annoyance, because why did everyone always assume that where one twin was, the other had to be lurking around some nearby corner? He and Stiles hadn’t even been close back in high school, when Danny had known them—or more accurately, known Stiles, from lacrosse, which made the fact that Danny remembered Stuart at all somewhat surprising and, actually, mildly flattering.“Uh, no, he’s not. Around. He is in town, though. At home. We just drove in together today.”“Oh.” Danny looked even more surprised at that detail, so maybe he did remember that the Stilinski twins weren’t close after all. Stuart supposed the guy’s reputation as socially savvy and universally likable was well-earned.“What are you doing back in town?”Which, of course, didn’t save him from asking inconvenient questions.Stuart’s hand went to the back of his neck. “Uhh, I’m just, in the middle of a move. Stiles was helping me haul some stuff I don’t need back home.”“Oh, you guys both in the Bay Area now?”Stuart blinked. He was fairly certain he and Danny were Facebook friends, but that didn’t mean he knew a single thing about what the guy had done since graduating from Beacon Hills High. He tried not to feel embarrassed about that. Really, it was just weird that Danny remembered personal details, like where he lived, so well. And, yes, just a little flattering.“Yeah, yeah, we are. He’s at the FBI in San Francisco; I’m at Google.”Lydia, who had been twirling her hair and checking her nails, not even pretending to be interested in this spontaneous catch-up session, perked up at that.“You work at Google?” Her eyes practically lit up as she took a step forward, appraising Stuart in a way that made his mind abruptly jump to the fly of his pants, fervently hoping he hadn’t somehow forgotten to zip it up. Not that there was a high likelihood of that, but he would have checked had there been any inconspicuous way to do so.“Uh, yeah,” he responded, and he was beginning to think his vocabulary had shrunk down to those two words alone.“What do you do for them?”Stuart was fairly certain Lydia had no idea who he was, or who his twin was, despite his brother’s infamous crush of nearly a decade. Why she was taking such sudden interest in him at the mention of his employer had him nonplussed.“Um, I’m… an engineer. Programmer.”Lydia tilted her head, eyes doing one final scrutinizing sweep of his body before apparently reaching a conclusion. Her face broke into a smile made for the cover of a magazine.“You should come to the party I’m hosting tonight.”Stuart blinked.“Just a few from the old high school crowd.” As though Stuart had been a part of that crowd. “It’s at my house. The address is—”“Ah, no, that’s okay—” Stuart cut himself off, realizing the words ‘I know where you live’ might sound a bit odd to a girl who hadn’t been aware he existed until just a minute ago. “I remember where your house is. From one of your… birthday parties,” he tried, hoping that didn’t sound suspect. It didn’t even occur to him to turn her down. Somehow, that didn’t seem like an option.Luckily, his answer appeared to please Lydia.“Good. Dress is semiformal. Ties for men, no jeans. Be there at nine.”Before Stuart had a chance to respond, Lydia was speaking to Danny again.“Come on, you have to help me pick out a new dress. It’s going to take a while.”She brushed past Stuart and Danny started after her. Glancing back over his shoulder, he added, “You should bring Stiles, too.”“Who?” Lydia asked distractedly. “Whatever, sure, he’s invited too,” she said with a dismissive wave of the hand.Stuart watched them go, Lydia charging ahead, high-heeled sandals be damned, Danny stumbling to keep up despite his long legs. Looking at him from behind, Stuart was suddenly reminded of what Stiles had said about Danny and hug-the-body booty shorts. With that unsolicited image in his mind and two very pink ears, Stuart continued on his way to the pizza shop.…“Y’know, it’s actually… it’s not going as bad as it could be.” Stiles readjusted his grip on the phone as he allowed himself to slide back over the arm of the couch till he was lying down, feet dangling in midair.“Oh no. No, don’t tell me that. I knew this would happen,” Malia’s accusatory tone cut through the speaker.Stiles frowned. “Knew what would happen? Isn’t that a good thing? Aren’t you glad to hear I’m not on the verge of committing a murder-suicide?”“No, I’m not! Because this is what always happens, Stiles! And it’s what I warned you not to do!”“What are you talking about?”“You’re letting him weasel his way back in with you. It’s what he does, Stiles. He convinces you he’s not really so bad so he can get what he wants before he goes and screws you over again. And you never even see it coming, but he always does, it’s always something, you always think he’s changed but he hasn’t, and only then do you remember why you hate him so much.”“What? What—okay, that is not true—”“I remember you telling me how good the Google internship was gonna be for him, and maybe he’d finally apologize to your dad—and then boom, name change. Didn’t see that one coming, did you?”“That was, like, two years ago,” he mumbled defensively, neglecting to mention that yeah, that one still rankled him.“And then he cancelled going home for Christmas that year because he wasn’t taking any more of daddy’s money, so just, fuck you guys, I guess? He had Google, who needs family?”Stiles sighed through his nose. “Okay, but that was just his thing with Dad, that doesn’t really have to do with us—”“Oh my god, you’re doing it again! You’re defending him! You’re actually defending him, Stiles. You ranted to me for over an hour after he cancelled that Christmas. Even if you have selective memory when it comes to your brother, I don’t.”“Well, what do you want me to do?” Stiles couldn’t help but raise his voice. He wriggled around on the couch in agitation. The corner of a throw pillow was digging into his neck. “Is it so bad if we actually get along for once? I mean, it’s not exactly like we’re braiding each other’s hair and making friendship bracelets, but c’mon, just being able to sit in the car together and not want to bite each other’s heads off—it’s an accomplishment! You want me to sabotage that, or something?”“If it means getting you home faster, then yes! Just watch, he’s gonna try to drag this out, ask some other favor or something.”“Yeah, well, at this point I’m beginning to wonder why you want me back so quick. You seemed eager enough to push me out the door.” The words were past his lips before Stiles could catch them. He raised a fist to his mouth and waited with bated breath for the blowback.When Malia spoke, Stiles could tell it was through clenched teeth. “That’s because I didn’t want you to go in the first place, Stiles. Do I need to remind you that you agreed to help him without consulting me? That you agreed to postpose the vacation we’ve been planning for months for a second time without even asking me first?”“I’ve said I’m sorry! What do you want me to do? What should I have done differently, huh?” Stiles sat up properly, shoving the offending pillow onto the floor to make room. “The first time was because of work, you know that—”“And I said I understood that! Work, I understand—”“—and this time was because my brother needed my help! You should have heard him on the phone, he really needed me—”“Keep telling yourself that, Stiles—”“—he was counting on me, and he’s family!”“Yes, Stiles, he is, and I think that means something pretty different to him than it does to you.”Stiles tugged the pillow back onto his lap, hugging it to his chest as he tried to ignore the tightness in his throat. He didn’t trust himself to speak just yet, so he let Malia continue.“So, if you want to let him keep taking advantage of that, be my guest. But I’m getting pretty sick of saying ‘I told you so.’”Stiles swallowed, fidgeting with the corner of the pillow. “No one’s taking advantage of anyone here, okay? There isn’t going to be an ‘I told you so’ this time. It’s not like—it’s not like I’m letting him get close, or something. Okay? I know who I’m dealing with, here. I just think he’s… He’s in a rough spot.”“So, what, if you’re there to pick up the pieces he’s gonna suddenly want to be your best friend? He’s gonna be grateful? Is that what you think? It’s pathetic, Stiles.”Stiles’ nails scratched at the fabric of the pillow. “I don’t want him to be my best friend,” he grit out.“And yet you chose him over me this weekend! I can’t believe you actually chose him over me.”Stiles opened his mouth and closed it again. His eyes stung and he could smell saline in his nostrils. “You wouldn’t und—” He sighed, closed his eyes. “Never mind. I gotta go.”“Oh, you gotta go. How convenient—”Stiles hung up the phone and tossed it onto the coffee table. He hunched over, clutching the pillow, and stared at his shoes.She was wrong. She had to be. Yeah, so things had been rocky getting started. They always were. There were issues to work through after barely speaking for a year, and there were plenty of things about Stuart that just rubbed Stiles the wrong way; it was their personalities, plain and simple. They were different. Or maybe they were too much the same. He wasn’t really sure; all he knew was that they didn’t mix well.But Stuart did seem grateful. He had been desperate when he’d first called Stiles up, would have to be to call Stiles at all. But now that they’d made it to Beacon Hills some tension seemed to have gone out of Stuart, like he’d unpacked more than the physical burden of his suitcases and boxes. He’d even offered to go get them pizza. Stuart didn’t do things like offer to pick up pizza from their favorite childhood pizza shop. And yet, here they were. You always think he’s changed, but he hasn’t. Stiles gripped the pillow tighter. You never even see it coming. Pathetic. Stiles dug the heels of his palms into his eyes and rubbed hard.Just then the front door swung open. Stiles jumped; he hadn’t heard the car pull up.“Pizza!” Stuart called out in a singsong voice. “Get it while it’s hot!”He strode through the living room towards the dining table, stopping short when he caught sight of Stiles on the couch.Stiles stood and straightened himself out rapidly, hoping his face could pass for normal.“Dude, everything okay?” Stuart asked hesitantly.Stiles licked his lips and stared at the carpet. He swallowed twice before attempting speech. “Yeah, just. Malia.”Stuart nodded, as if that one-word explanation was enough for him. Maybe it was.Or maybe Stiles was seeing what he wanted to see. His fingers rubbed the hem of his shirt.“I got your favorite,” Stuart blurted out, holding up a pizza box. “Uh—” His ears went pink. “Sausage and onion. It is still your favorite, right?”Stiles blinked and looked at his twin. It occurred to him Stuart was asking because it had been that long since they had had pizza together. Stiles couldn’t even remember the last time. In fact, he was surprised Stuart remembered his favorite toppings at all.“Yeah, yeah it is.”Stuart nodded, visibly relieved.He was silent a second before adding, quietly, “Same as Mom.”Stiles’ lips parted, dumb. He’d forgotten that those had been their mother’s favorite toppings, that that was the reason he had grown to love them in the first place. How could he have forgotten that? Every detail about their mother he tried to keep locked like a treasure in his memory. He couldn’t believe he’d let this bit of information—even something as trivial as pizza toppings—slip through.But Stuart had remembered.“Yeah,” Stiles breathed at last. “Same as Mom.”There was a silent moment between them. It was broken when Stuart resumed course for the dining room, shrugging a shoulder.“Well, all for you. I haven’t been able to eat sausage since we watched that video in tenth grade health class. You’re probably eating cow colon, so, enjoy that.”Stiles rolled his eyes, but was all too happy to follow his brother to the table. “I will, thanks, because I have erased everything about tenth grade health class from my mind, and I especially don’t think about it just before eating, because I’m not a masochist.”“Shut up. It’s not a personal choice. That shit was traumatic.”Soon, their mouths were too full of melted cheese and hot crust to gripe at each other. It wasn’t until Stuart was on his fourth slice that he took a break from chewing long enough to say to his twin, “We should wait till tomorrow to head back.”Stiles eyed him warily. “I thought you wanted to get out of Beacon Hills as soon as possible.” The plan had been to drop stuff off, get food, and hit the road again. They could make it to San Francisco the next morning.And as much as Stiles didn’t want to admit it, Malia’s words were still buzzing around his head like mosquitos he couldn’t swat away. He’s gonna try to drag this out. Ask for some other favor. He didn’t want her to be proven right.Stuart shrugged. “There’s a party tonight.”Stiles looked at his brother like he was crazy. “Who the hell in Beacon Hills is throwing a party you would want to go to? Or be invited to in the first place?”“Lydia Martin,” Stuart responded casually.Stiles nearly dropped his slice of pizza.“Lydia—like, the Lydia Martin?”“I’m only aware of the one.” Stuart glanced up nonchalantly. “Catchin’ flies there.” He tapped his chin.Stiles closed his gaping mouth indignantly and narrowed his eyes. “Lydia doesn’t even live in Beacon Hills anymore.”“Well, either she’s moved back, or she’s visiting; but she’s definitely in town. And throwing a party tonight.”“How do you even know that?”“I saw her downtown. With Danny Mahealani.”“Danny? What, are Beacon Hills High’s Most Popular having their five-year reunion or something?”“If they were, I don’t think we’d be invited, bro. Sorry to break it to ya.”“Mm.” Stiles shrugged in agreement. “Which also begs the question, why would you even want to go to a party with those people? You’re not the one who harbored an epic crush for a decade.”Stuart chewed thoughtfully. “It’s true I kind of hated that whole clique back in high school. But, that’s sort of the point. Back then I was the loner nerd, now I work at Google.”“…Where you are still a loner nerd,” supplied Stiles.“Shut up,” said Stuart without inflection. “The point is, now’s my turn to laugh about whatever they’re doing with their pathetic lives. Revenge of the nerd kid.”“That’s your idea of an entertaining evening? You know, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: you are an asshole.”Stuart shrugged. “I figure it could be cathartic.”Stiles snorted. “Well, that’s nice, but I don’t consider your search for catharsis quite important enough to put off getting back to San Francisco by nearly another whole day. Malia’ll kill me. Like literally, first-degree murder me.”“Lydia said you’re invited, too.”Stiles’ eyes snapped up to his twin’s face. “What do you mean—I mean, I figured I’m invited de facto, but like, did she say I was invited? Me?”“She said you’re invited.” Stuart seemed more interested in rolling bits of crust up into dough balls than making eye contact.Stiles’ tongue darted out to wet his lips. “Well—whatever. That doesn’t mean anything. I don’t care. She’s still with Jackson fucking Whittemore. And—shit. What I meant to say is that I’m with Malia, so, doesn’t matter anyway.” He cleared his throat.Stuart eyed him. “Sounds to me like there’s trouble in paradise.”“Paradise? With Malia?” Stiles snorted, then caught himself. He coughed. “Um, that’s not—I don’t want to talk about Malia.”“Then don’t. Don’t even think about her. Just blow off some steam tonight. Sounds like you could use it. You deserve it, driving me all the way down here—”“Oh my God, you bastard. Stop trying to manipulate me.” Stiles thought again of what Malia had said, and brushed it off. Surely it didn’t count if he knew he was being manipulated, if the manipulation was this transparent.Stuart shrugged noncommittally. “Tell me you don’t want to be manipulated. Look into my eyes, and tell me you don’t want to be talked into going to a party at Lydia Martin’s house, which she invited you to.”“I have a girlfriend!”“And, given the chance, you wouldn’t make out with Lydia Martin?”Stiles glared. “Irrelevant. Not gonna happen.”“Oh, I think it’s highly relevant. You can’t honestly tell me you wouldn’t make out with Lydia Martin, given the opportunity. Maybe do even more.”“Stu!”“What? Don’t be such a prude. Is this Malia’s doing? I don’t remember you being like this before.”“Like what?”“A prude. Uptight. A blushing virgin in some respects, yes, but very eager for experience sorely lacked and none too shy about his excessive masturbatory practices—”“Okay, dude, you’re one to talk. I’m not the one who spent all his time locked in his room jacking off to anime porn or whatever—”“Okay, first of all, it’s called hentai, and second of all, I did not jack off to that stuff in high school.”“Wait, so. Does that mean you have… since high school?” Stiles squinted suspiciously.Stuart’s ears went bright red. “It’s not—I mean, I’ve seen—Neha was into that stuff, okay? So, naturally…”“Neha? Seriously?” Stiles blinked and sat back in his chair. “Wait, it’s all starting to make sense now.” He nodded slowly. “She’s the one responsible for unleashing your inner, closet perv—thus all the sexualized talk and behavior—”“Sexualized? Dude, you’re the only one here sexualizing his brother being undressed for entirely functional purposes—”“Oh, it is not me. You’re doing it on purpose—”“—and for your information, just because I didn’t talk to you about sex stuff when we were younger doesn’t mean I was some sexless teen—”“I think you were pretty sexless, if you know what I mean—”“Well you can’t have it both ways! Was I a shamelessly horny teenager who spent all his time jacking off in his room or did I only recently undergo a belated sexual awakening with my kinky ex-girlfriend?”“The answer is both, because you may have been a horned up virgin then, but now you’ve actually gotten to live out your degenerate fantasies—”“You know, I think you have a really skewed idea in your mind about how much of my time shut away in my room was spent on self-gratification, which I can only assume is based on your own personal habits. You know only one thin wall separates our rooms, and you never bothered keeping too quiet—”“Augh! God, enough with the sex talk!” Stiles ran an agitated hand through his hair, his face red. The idea of his brother listening to him jack off, intentionally or not—and still remembering it years later—was making him highly uncomfortable.Stuart leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest smugly. “So. We going to this party?”Stiles glared. “You know, I’m really tempted to say no just because you seem to want to go so badly. Which I still don’t really get, by the way, but that’s besides the point.”“You’d only be hurting yourself, bro. Lydia Martin. Don’t kid yourself. If you say no it’s only because Malia’s got you on such a tight leash.”Stiles crossed his arms in turn. “Relationships are built on respect, compromise, and communication—something I doubt you understand, given your pathetically selfish reasoning behind dumping your own girlfriend.”“Hm. Respect, compromise, communication: yeah, that sounds a lot like Malia,” drawled Stuart.“You don’t even know her,” Stiles spat back.“Two words: Lydia. Martin.”Stuart held Stiles’ irked gaze unflinchingly, until finally Stiles had to look away.“…But,” he admitted quietly, “Malia has been… an especially sanctimonious pain in my ass recently, so… I’m not going to let her unreasonable standards ruin my only chance to catch up with some old high school friends.” He could feel the blush rising in his cheeks.“And share some spit with them.”Stiles bit back a growl. “I am not a free man, Stu.”“No. No, that you most certainly are not.”“Shut up.”…“These. And… this.” Stuart pulled a pair of khaki slacks and a navy button down from his suitcase and handed them to Stiles.Stiles hesitated. It wasn’t that he actually minded changing in front of his brother—he was a normal, functioning human no matter what Stuart probably thought of him by now; it was just that after all their talk about various states of undress, Stiles felt like it had become a thing and Stuart was going to comment on it, whether Stiles stayed or insisted on taking the clothes to his own room to change.That would be too much, though. There wasn’t anything weird about changing in front of his brother, given the situation, after all. Stiles felt he needed to prove he knew that, now, and if it hadn’t become such a damn stupid thing he wouldn’t even be standing here overanalyzing it.Before he could think himself into a new dilemma, Stiles was tugging off his shirt and wiggling out of his pants. He grabbed the slacks and pulled them on before Stuart could make any teasing remark.But his brother was merely sitting on his bed, looking slightly bored, eyes only occasionally flicking over to check Stiles’ progress.There was something oddly… nice, about that, Stiles concluded. ‘Comfortable’ wouldn’t exactly be right—not when Stiles’ heart was still pounding abnormally hard in his bare chest and he could feel the heat in his cheeks every time his brother’s eyes swept casually over him—but there was something about it. Maybe because it simply seemed like something brothers did, should be able to do. Hadn’t that been Stiles’ earlier complaint? That they didn’t share private things? And now they were. It wasn’t a big deal. It was just… nice. A marker of closeness, of familiarity, of intimacy. Just of an emotional sort, of course. Stiles did not sexualize this type of situation, despite what Stuart said.Still, he did feel slightly relieved once he had the shirt buttoned. He turned to examine himself in Stuart’s full-length mirror.“Dude, why are your shirts so tight? Aren’t we the same size?” Stiles frowned at the way the fabric pulled over his chest and shoulders.“It’s called a fitted shirt,” Stuart remarked patronizingly, pushing himself off the bed to come get a better look at his twin. “Which I know you’ve never heard of, judging by the awful over-sized things you call formal shirts that look straight out of a 1991 men’s catalogue.”“Hey.” Stiles scowled. “I’m afraid I’ll tear this thing if I reach out too far.”“It’s stretch fabric. And beggars can’t be choosers. Not my fault everything you brought for the weekend looks like a frat boy’s casual Friday.”“Dude. What’s with the jabs at my wardrobe? We need to talk about this?”Stuart rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m doing you a favor. Shows off your biceps.”He stepped behind Stiles and gave the mentioned muscles a quick squeeze.Stiles twisted away, feigning annoyance, but snuck a glance at his arms in the mirror, wondering if Stuart was right.“Now,” continued Stuart, assessing his own reflection, “luckily, due to my earlier coffee mishap and your no doubt entirely unwitting and unintended tasteful selection of clothing for me, I’m already dressed for success.” He preened, smoothing the front of his shirt.Stiles rolled his eyes. “Oh my God. You are so vain.”Stuart shrugged. “You should be flattered if I like looking at my reflection, twin of mine.”Stiles blinked, unsure if his brother had actually just paid him a compliment.Rather than parse it out, he cleared his throat and diverted. “Well, you’re not keeping that fucking stupid hat, that’s for sure.”Stuart glared at him in the mirror but grudgingly removed the beanie and fell to artfully disheveling his hair.“I’m only taking it off because Lydia said semiformal dress. And it is not fucking stupid, for your information.”“It screams douchebag.”Stuart scoffed. “It’s a personality marker. The glasses say I’m smart but the beanie says I’m laid back.”“It says you’re a douchebag.”“Shut up. As if I’m going to take fashion advice from a guy who still wears plaid cargo shorts.”“What—what is wrong with plaid cargo shorts? And I only have, like, one pair, anyway. Two tops.”“The shorts—actually, all cargo shorts—plus the short-sleeve plaids, plus your whole ridiculously extensive collection of zip-up hoodies might as well come with a sign saying ‘I have zero fashion sense and am so aggressively heterosexual I can’t come within ten feet of another male, give me pussy or give me death.’ Like, are you trying to scare away the gay guys?” Stuart turned to rummage through his closet.Stiles’ face was skewed with incredulity. “What? First of all—girlfriend. I am not trying to scare or attract anyone, guys or girls.”“But, you’ve always dressed like that, regardless of relationship status.”“Second—where do you get off using phrases like ‘aggressively heterosexual’? I’m not the straight twin, remember? And, y’know, why are you so concerned if I scare away the gay guys? You—” Stiles huffed in laughter. “You’ll make up for it. You oughtta watch out; your collection of cardigans gets any bigger and people are gonna think you play for the other team.”Instead of a response, Stiles got a tie thrust in his face.“Put this on.” Stuart sounded pissed off.He didn’t really want to aggravate his twin too much, so Stiles took the tie obligingly. Pushing each other’s buttons was just what they did; there was something almost enjoyable in the nearly forgotten familiarity of it for Stiles. He didn’t want to ruin that, as so often happened, by stepping over one of the invisible lines they each had drawn in the sand.So he fumbled with the tie in silence.Stuart had his own on in no time, adjusting the length in the mirror. It struck Stiles that despite their identical features, the effortlessness with which Stuart could pull off a slick look was entirely foreign to him. Stuart could have stepped off the glossy pages of a fashion spread, while Stiles, even in his brother’s clothes… could not have, he felt certain. He wondered if it was the sophistication added by the glasses. Or the maturity of the slightly longer sideburns? Maybe just the confident, I’ll-treat-you-like-shit-and-you’ll-love-every-second-of-it attitude?Stiles quickly dropped his gaze when Stuart turned to him.“Oh my God,” groaned his brother. “You still haven’t learned to tie a tie?”Stiles glanced down. Even he had to admit the lopsided knot he’d made was a lost cause.Stuart sighed and stepped forward, tugging the tie from Stiles’ neck.“How do you live without me?” he muttered.Stiles’ heart skipped a beat. He didn’t respond as his brother moved behind him to rearrange the tie. He swallowed, wondering if Stuart felt as awkward about that question as he did.He attempted a weak chuckle. “Well, it was rough for those college years, but… actually I get Malia to do it now,” he said lightly. Even in high school, when they hardly spoke to each other except to argue, Stiles had always had to ask Stuart to tie his ties for him.“Hm. Figures.”Stuart was standing close behind Stiles, his arms encircling him to reach the tie at his throat. He looked over his brother’s shoulder in the mirror as his long fingers nimbly manipulated the strip of silk.His breath was tickling Stiles’ neck. Stiles shifted slightly, feeling goose bumps spread up his scalp. Stuart seemed unaware.Stiles cleared his throat loudly. “Jesus, could you breathe any louder?”Stuart raised a dubious brow at him. “Just breathing, dude.”“I swear, it’s like attack of the mouth-breather over here.”Stuart’s eyes narrowed. “I was breathing through my nose.”“Well, do it more quietly.”Stuart’s other eyebrow joined its partner high on his forehead. “You want mouth-breather? I can give you mouth-breather.”Without warning, Stuart opened his mouth wide next to Stiles’ ear and let out a long, heavy exhale.Stiles yelped and pulled away. He laughed along with his twin to cover his alarm at the sudden wave of heat that surged through his body from the sensation of warm breath against his skin.“C’mon, let me finish that thing,” Stuart chuckled, pulling Stiles around by the shoulders to face him.Suddenly, Stiles wasn’t sure if he liked all this new closeness. Getting changed in the same room was one thing, but the physical proximity, the breathing and touching—warm, firm hands on the shoulders, knuckles skimming down his chest as Stuart straightened out his tie—was another. It was making him nervous, in a throat tight, stomach queasy, skin crawling sort of way, though he wasn’t sure why.His fingers itched. Maybe that was what made him reach up and pluck Stuart’s glasses from his face. Nerves had made him do stranger things before.He licked his lips. “Hey, if you wear contacts we could go as each other and see if anyone notices.” He grinned.Stuart looked at him, unimpressed. “You mean the Twin Game we played in fourth grade? It would never work now. Anyone who knows anything would immediately tell us apart by who has the better hair.”Stiles’ grin faltered. “Why do I have the feeling you’re not going to say it’s me?”Stuart finished with the tie and patted Stiles condescendingly on the cheek. “I didn’t bring my contacts with me anyway.”Suddenly, he leaned in close. Stiles froze, unsure of his brother’s intentions. His hand was still on Stiles’ cheek, fingertips grazing his ear and jaw. The fresh scent of his aftershave was thick in Stiles’ nostrils.Stiles’ heart was in his throat. In reality it was only one second, but it felt like much longer before Stuart’s free hand closed around the glasses still in Stiles’ grasp. Realization and relief flooded through Stiles’ system.“So, I’ll be needing these.” Stuart smirked.He started to pull away, but Stiles’ hand caught his brother’s wrist. Stuart glanced at him questioningly.“Uh.” Stiles licked his lips. He wasn’t entirely sure what he’d intended to say, but what came out was, “You smell good.” His face heated and he rushed to add, “Can I borrow your aftershave?”Stuart’s ears were definitely tipped pink as he looked at his brother in wary surprise. “Um, sure.” He tugged his arm gently from Stiles’ grip. “It’s on the bathroom counter; knock yourself out.”Stiles nodded. “Thanks, man.”He stood there for an awkward second before realizing that was his cue to go. He brushed past his brother and out into the hall.Once in the bathroom, Stiles leaned on the counter and let out a deep sigh. He hadn’t realized it before, but it felt much easier to breathe without Stuart in the same room.He glanced suspiciously at the aftershave sitting on the counter. Maybe it was responsible for interfering with his respiratory system. He put some on his hands and gave his jawline an experimental pat.Immediately, the smell of Stuart washed over him. It wasn’t unpleasant—just the opposite, in fact—but Stiles found he was incapable of separating the scent from its association. To him, now he just smelled like his brother, which was sort of weird.He went back to Stuart’s room, keeping his distance in the doorway as he asked, “Ready?”Stuart glanced up from where he was lacing his shoes on the bed. “Yeah. You got a decent pair of shoes?”“Yeah, I think there’s something lying around my closet.” Stiles went to check.He met Stuart at the front door a minute later, in a pair of somewhat worn but still presentable brown loafers.“I ordered an Uber,” said Stuart, lounging against the door.Stiles blinked. “We’re not… taking the car?”Stuart raised his eyebrows. “Being designated driver at a party populated with all the cool kids from high school is a fate I wouldn’t wish on my very worst enemy. We’re both going to need alcohol to get through this.”Stiles nodded. “Point taken.”Stuart fiddled with his phone as they waited, slouching with his shoulder blades pressed to the wall. It was silent between them until he pocketed his phone and asked out of the blue, “What’s the most awkward boner you’ve ever gotten?”Stiles spluttered. “What?” He could swear he caught Stuart grinning for a moment before he composed his features into an innocent stare.“What’s the most awkward boner you’ve ever gotten?” he repeated.Stiles squinted at him. “Again with all the sex stuff. What is it with you? See, I’m not making it up, it’s like—has the breakup left you that sex-starved it’s all you can think about?”Stuart shrugged. “Or maybe I just keep bringing it up because I’m enjoying how much it bothers you,” he said matter-of-factly.“I knew it. Asshole.”“So, was it from Lydia Martin?”“Hey, I had—and still have—a great deal of respect for Lydia, okay?”“And you can’t get boners from people you respect? That’s pretty sad.”Stiles rolled his eyes. “I have an idea. Instead of grilling me, why don’t you tell me your most awkward boner story.”“Okay,” Stuart agreed readily. “Doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, though. Anyway. Remember the chemistry teacher who died in that freak accident junior year?”Stiles frowned. “Mr. Harris?” Suddenly he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear this story after all.“Yeah, him. Well—I remember this because it happened, like, just a couple days before they found his body. It might have even been his last day at school, I dunno. Anyway. I was sitting in his class and got this raging boner completely out of nowhere. He wanted me to come up to the board to solve some equation or some shit, and I wouldn’t do it. I mean, there was no hiding this thing. So I just flat out refused. He ended up giving me detention. So I got detention because of a boner, basically.”Stiles snorted.“It’s actually not that funny, to me,” Stuart continued. “I was just thinking, about high school, you know, and I remembered Mr. Harris, the poor bastard. Now whenever I think about him, I can’t help but think of boners. And death.”Stiles stared, unsure if he should feel sympathetic or merely horrified. “Wow. That’s really fucked up.”Stuart shrugged and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Car’s here.”Without another word, he was out the door.For the whole ride to the party, they didn’t speak a word to each other, and Stiles’ thoughts were left to meander from boners to Stuart, to Mr. Harris, to grisly deaths, and back again.
10397049
I Called Him Mine
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "James \"Bucky\" Barnes, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Tony Stark, Steve Rogers", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by vdova", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-21T00:00:00", "words": "6,619", "Additional Tags": "Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, BuckyNat Mini-Bang, BuckyNat Mini-Bang 2017", "Relationship": "James \"Bucky\" Barnes/Natasha Romanov", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "#BuckyNat Week 2017 Mini Bang", "Fandoms": "Marvel 616, Marvel (Comics)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
Having coffee by herself in the cozy café near base was a weekly occurrence for Natasha. Even if the espresso machines scattered throughout the SHIELD base made fine cappuccino, nothing really beat people watching in the little hipster joint Sharon had turned her onto. The tech that obscured her identity certain didn’t hurt. Most days saw her leaving with a smile on her face and a light hop in her step, but certain things were sure to twist her stomach. It was the couple in the corner booth that had her leaving an hour earlier than intended and in a foul mood. They barely registered on Natasha’s radar until the black haired woman combed her hair over one shoulder, the back of her hand showing some kind of mark. Natasha glanced up from her coffee in time to see the man brush his fingers over the mark and smile, spelling out a name in an elegant cursive. Dammit. The coffee shop was her happy place, but she was out the door before the barista even noticed her move. Soul marks. That was the standard term for them, though most cultures called them something else. In Russia, they’d referred to them as ‘soul identifiers’, working off a less romantic notion. That they would find their true partner, their other half, someone to complete them. The reality was the same around the globe however- the name found on your skin was your true soul mate. End of story, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Some people were less lucky than others. Circumstances (distance, health, whatever) would keep some apart. One would die before finding the other, leaving one half of a soul reading an obituary before they even met. Sometimes, especially before modern technology, people settled down with non-soul mates. Sometimes, their mate would show up and complicate things. Then there were the unluckiest of all: the ones who didn’t have a mark. Uncommon, but it happened, leaving a person a blank slate for their life. Natasha’s hand instinctively flitted up to her left shoulder, brushing over fabric that hid her own mark. The words in all caps read the name of her soul mate, James Buchanan Barnes. The name of a dead man. She was one of the unlucky ones, but it was what she’d expected as her life progressed. The name of an American hadn’t made sense to the young Russian, leaving Natalia with a sense that her soul mate would be lost to her forever. She’d lived her life with that thought, deciding that soul mates were for the weak. Ivan had appreciated the sentiment, as it only made her stronger in his eyes. Too consumed in her thoughts, Natasha wasn’t paying attention where her feet were taking her until she finally looked up through the haze of memories. Her own anxious energy had taken her to one of the area museums, one that specifically had a large, permanent exhibit on Captain America. Natasha continued inside, flashing her membership ID at the waiting attendant, even if the girl didn’t look up from her Teen Vogue. The Captain America exhibit was large and expansive, detailing parts of Steve’s life that he would likely rather forget. She’d taken Steve to the museum a grand total of once, and after seeing the look on his face, decided to sneak him out a side door and never speak of the incident again. But there was one room that always held Natasha’s attention for a little too long. The video was about half an hour long, mostly of on-base interviews with the Howling Commandos, mostly the propaganda pieces they played back home to inspire the troops. It was, of course, mainly Steve, but there was always someone in the frame with him. Sometimes in the back talking to others, but often right in the middle of the frame on Steve’s right. A man that she’d once called her soldier, her American… her’s. A man she called her dead soul mate. They weren’t normal circumstances, but Avengers and SHIELD agents didn’t get normal soul mates. They were often other agents, making the perfect pairs to send on missions. Steve was even part of a set, with him and Sharon the pinnacle of success in the organization. After a while of watching the old footage, Natasha texted Steve and asked to meet up. “His eyes crinkled differently when he faked laughed. Other people couldn’t see it, but it physically hurt me to see him like that,” Steve said, leaning back in his chair. The pair were sitting in one of the more secluded SHIELD break rooms, nestled into a pair of overly stuffed chairs. “I kept telling him inside jokes during that filming. I didn’t want it to be a lie, even if only I knew it was.” “I’m glad you did. I wouldn’t have anything else to remember him by, otherwise,” Natasha responded quietly. Steve’s jaw almost audibly snapped shut, but she hadn’t meant anything by the comment. Natasha and Steve had the odd relationship of knowing Bucky at different times in his life. Steve had known him as the child, the sidekick, the soldier who died too young. Natasha had known him as a fellow weapon. -- Natalia often felt like a completely different person to Natasha. The young girl in the red room hadn’t even been a ‘girl’ at nearly 30 years old, but the training had made her feel like a child at times. Especially when it came to her trainer, a strict and strong man they only called the Winter Soldier. He’d been the one to recruit Natasha, offering her the serum and explaining most of the effects. Only one made her pause- by taking the serum, her link with her soul mate would be severed. The name would remain, but the sense of belonging the first time they were to touch wouldn’t exist. It would take seeing both names to have the warming sensation she’d been told about. It was a risk, but one she was willing to take. A number of the other girls had marks that were more visible. It was easy to pick them out, considering the odd clothing choices. One of the older girls was less ashamed of her mark, proudly pulling her hair back to show the name across the back of her neck, the name of a prince about to take a throne. She was used to take him out of the line of succession; then she was beheaded. Soul mates were a weakness in the red room. Natalia found comfort in her own lack of a connection. Her life had been a series of traveling and battles that seemed unwinnable before the red room. The training was brutal and often saw her passing out in bed at the end of the day. There was one bright spot in all of it, though. He called her Natalia. She called him her soldier. It was a cheeky nickname to begin with, poking fun at his serious attitude. But it went from being said during training to being whispered while pressed impossibly close to each other. Her name had never sounded as sweet as when it was coming from his lips, whispered against her neck in the heat of the moment. There was one moment that had been burned into Natasha’s mind. Her soldier had been pressing kisses along her back when he froze, lips hovering a breaths distance from her left shoulder. The time they’d spent together had caused Natalia to forget about the mark on her shoulder, but his hesitation caused her to stiffen. “Something wrong?” she murmured, twisting around to look at him. A moment of hesitation, and he looked up at her, “Nothing. Lost in thought.” The kisses quickly turned into bites, distracting her mind from his moment of what had seemed like panic. It wasn’t the mark itself that had made him pause – which is what she’d written it off as, given the stigma against non-soul mates – but the name. The name had stirred something within the soldier’s heart, like he’d carelessly pressed his fingers against a flame and recoiled a moment after the burn began. But the sensation was gone almost immediately, and he wrote it off as a fluke. -- “Nat?” Hearing her name caused Natasha to twitch out of memory lane, blinking at Steve for a few seconds before remembering where she was. “You alright?” “Yes, sorry,” she responded immediately, wiping a hand down her face. “I was just thinking. It’s ironic- I was with my soul mate for weeks, but neither of us knew who the other was. Not exactly a normal match.” Steve smiled, “You and him? Weren’t exactly normal.” It was odd, having a person who knew both of them over such long periods of time. Steve had known her soldier before everything, before the Russians got to him and corrupted him, when he was still young. Natasha had known him as a weapon. Yet Steve still heard the stories and wasn’t surprised when Natasha had showed him her soul marks years prior. She still remembered what he’d told her: “You two would’ve been perfect for each other.” Would’ve been. Past tense. And yet all she had was a super soldier who could tell her stories of youth. But the world had a funny way of showing Natasha grace. A few weeks later, while on a solo recon mission, she received a text from a contact that was hesitant to reach out. It was only a link to a news article. Captain America Dead Natasha felt like the ground had fallen out from under her. But then, why would someone like her be allowed to be happy? Tony’s idea for her to guard the shield felt more like a burden than an honor. The weight was familiar in her hands. While on missions in the past, Steve had trusted her to catch and use the shield properly. While the distraction trucks got ready to leave, Tony caught Natasha brushing her fingers along the straps and back of the shield. He watched her for a few moments before asking, “Where were you?” It was an accusation she’d expected the moment her boots walked into SHIELD HQ after the so-called ‘civil war’ that she’d avoided. It was also a question she hadn’t wanted to deal with, not while mourning the loss of her friend. Not while she was in the midst of planning his funeral. “Tracking some B list baddies. Someone had to be out there while the rest of you were…” she waved her hand in a non-committed motion, not willing to finish the sentence. At least not to Tony’s face. He opened his mouth and immediately shut it, setting his jaw in the manner Natasha had once loved- now she just thought it was annoying. “I was going to ask if you’d be willing to fill the role, but never mind.” The first truck took off, Natasha turning to watch the vans leave instead of watching Tony. “I would’ve turned you down, anyways. There are men – people – out there who are willing, able, and qualified to carry the shield. I’m none of the above.” Another speechless moment from Tony followed, just long enough for Natasha to hop into her car and peel out of the warehouse. The other trucks were out of sight, leaving what looked like a straight shot to the holding area for the shield. It was supposed to be an easy trip, but she wasn’t expecting a ghost to slam down onto the hood of her car. Natasha swerved hard to the right, the car slamming to a halt against the side of a nearby building. She was out of the car with the shield on her back and guns in hand in a flash, ready to shoot her assailant down. But one look at him, and it felt like the world had tilted sideways. “Natalia?” her soldier said, the gun in his hand lowering slightly. All it took was the one word to take Natasha back to their time together. Back to when he’d sneak into her room late at night, back when he was the spot of perfection in her life. Back to when she’d go into a panic over a mission and he’d wrap his hands around her face, press a kiss to her forehead, and tell her there was nothing to worry about. Back to when he was her’s, before he was pointing a gun at her. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she managed, holstering one of her guns. Had it been anyone else, there would’ve already been a bullet between his eyes. The shield meant too much to too many people, but the man looking like he’d seen a ghost meant too much to her. “I was about to say the same thing,” he responded. There was a beat where they both inhaled, waiting, but he made the first move. The lunge at her took Natasha off guard enough to throw her backwards, but she countered by swinging the shield at him. His confliction at the fight read on his face, but she was too distracted with him being alive. In one moment of close combat, she got a hold of his flesh wrist and jerked it to the side, pulling the two of them far too close together. They froze in the position, noses nearly brushing. His eyes still looked the same to her- distant and lonely. His cheeks were gaunt, his lips twisted into a scowl. He clearly hadn’t been eating right or taking care of himself. He was scrutinizing her face in a similar fashion, given the broken, “Natalia,” he managed. He sounded so far away, like he was decades out of time. “This isn’t Russia,” she responded hoarsely, “and you’re in my way.” Her other arm jerked around to punch him in the gut, but his metal arm was too fast. A solid strike across the face and Natasha went down, blacking out before she hit the ground. Natasha woke up minutes later, though it felt like hours in her head. Tony’s voice was screaming in her ear, so she ripped her comm out and threw it a few feet away. Her concerns should’ve been on the fact that she was laying out in the middle of a ruined street, but all she could think of was her soldier. Her James. Clearly someone had to have known he was alive and those someones hadn’t told her a damn thing while she’d been out of the country. Her heart told her Steve had known, but that was likely wishful thinking. Getting his Bucky back only for Steve to die- cruel irony. On second thought, that sounded about right. Finally picking herself up off the concrete, Natasha retrieved her comm and turned the mic on without checking if someone was talking first. “A ghost stole the shield. I’ll debrief at base,” she said before pocketing the comm. Her car was totaled; it was going to be a long walk back to base. But her soul mate wasn’t actually dead. Barely alive and hell bent on having Steve’s shield for some reason, but alive. Her hand brushed up to hold her left shoulder, a small smile on her face. For decades, she’d thought her actions had caused his death. Though given the current circumstances that might’ve been better. -- The red room had figured out a way to fake a soul mark. It involved science she barely understood, but she got enough- the name they wrote on her arm was to be her husband. Her soldier had been out that day, training some potential new recruits that didn’t make the grade. When he returned, Natalia was curled up on her bed, looking at the script on her forearm. “You didn’t have that before.” It wasn’t a question, though there was a twinge of fear and jealousy in his words. “What did they do?” “I’m supposed to marry him.” Her voice was quiet, lacking the confidence her words tended to convey. “A test pilot, I believe. I haven’t been completely debriefed. They said the mark takes a few days to heal right, I’ll get… information…” she trailed off, lost in her own thoughts. Her soldier brushed a hand along her jaw, gently turning her head to look up at him. It wasn’t until her head moved that Natalia realized she was crying. “We can find a way out of this. I won’t let them do this do you.” Her hand moved up to gently wrap around his fingers, “I have no say in this; neither of us do. You always said this place would tear us apart, but I didn’t think it would be this soon.” The confliction was evident on his face. Both of them knew the power of those above them; they would be torn apart. But neither of them were willing to let what they had go. -- The fake mark with Alexei’s name was long gone, the name dissipating after she’d defected. But the memory of the mark was still present. It’d spelled the beginning of the end for the two of them. Maybe life was giving them a second chance, though it wasn’t making it any easier. Tony was chewing her out the moment she walked into headquarters, apparently pissed off at too much and yet not enough. It took him grabbing Natasha’s arm for her to react, grabbing Tony by the front of his shirt and backing him back into his office. She kicked the door shut behind her and slammed him against the opposite wall, all her pent up emotion spilling out as anger. “How many people knew he was alive?” There was no context, no reference. Tony knew what she was talking about. “Steve. He wanted to keep it quiet and handle it on his own, but getting Barnes back didn’t go as planned.” Tony was relatively calm for having a pissed off Russian threatening his life. Of course Steve had kept it quiet, and of course it was the one person she couldn’t be angry with who hadn’t told her. He’d probably thought he was saving her pain. “And you, in your infinite wisdom, thought keeping this information from me was a good idea… why?” Tony opened his mouth to respond, but Natasha barreled forward. “I’m good, the best at what I do, but having my soul mate thrown in my face is a curve ball I could never expect!” ‘Soul mate’ clearly threw Tony for a loop, since his mouth fell open in horror. “Your what?” Natasha had always assumed Steve told Tony about her soul mark. It was highly classified information- even her level 10 access folder said she had no soul mark. Still going strong on her tirade of anger, Natasha jerked her uniform down and turned, showing the mark on her shoulder, “You don’t know everything about me, Stark. If you bring him in, you’d better let me talk to him first. And you’d better bring him in alive.” There wasn’t anything else to say after that, Natasha storming out while pulling her suit back up. One of the doctors tried to stop her, saying something about a concussion, but she had too much work to do. Tony was going to send people after her soldier, and she had to be the first one to get to him. It wasn’t the easiest of missions, especially with so many other government agencies looking for the man. But the chase eventually came to an end, with Natasha looking down at an unconscious Bucky while her back up hovered overhead. The trip back to base had her watching over him, the pilot of the helicopter too nervous to leave him to his own devices in case he woke up. With no one else in the back, Natasha couldn’t help but run her fingers through his hair. It wasn’t as greasy as she’d expected- he’d at least been bathing. Bucky stirred, but he simply rolled over in his drunk addled state. A small smile twitched onto Natasha’s lips. If Tony had seen her do that, then he probably would’ve tried something about sentimentality and pulled her off his case. Oh, but she’d like to see him try. Once back at base, Natasha didn’t let her soldier out of her sight. Tony tried, multiple times, to pull her away, but it wasn’t until she knew he was secured that she took her eyes off him to turn on the director. “The arm removed from him- short circuit it. That’s not the arm he had last I knew him, but even then it had a system built in to deal with tampering.” Tony opened his mouth to respond, but Natasha pressed a finger to his lips to silence him. “I’m talking to him in five minutes. Argue and I’ll electrocute you. Say yes.” A part of her would have been all too happy to get used to the speechless Tony the entire endeavor was bringing out. But he managed a meek, “Yes,” before turning to leave, barking orders at some poor agent. Natasha smiled to herself. She had five minutes to collect her thoughts. -- Natalia had thought they would have weeks to get her out of the arranged wedding, but the mental reconditioning started almost immediately. The first few memories were ground work, memories of parents she never knew and siblings that had actually lived past Natalia’s first birthday. Days after the fake soul mark was tattooed on her, her soldier found her sitting in the corner of her room, still wearing her training uniform from an earlier session. “You shouldn’t be here,” she said quietly, not reaching for him like she normally did. Even with the marriage looming over their heads she had been affectionate and close. Something had broken inside her. “You and I both know neither of us is good at following that rule.” He crouched next to her, brushing fingers along her arm. She jerked her arm back and away from him, eyes still trained on the ground. “They gave you your cover today, didn’t they?” Natalia nodded slowly, tilting her chin to gesture towards a pile of clothing next to her bed. “I’m to be a ballerina with the Bolshoi. It covers the muscles and structure from my training. They started implementing the memories today, but…” she trained off, her voice cracking on the last word, “I can’t tell what’s real anymore.” He’d thought he’d recognized the faraway look in her eyes. It was the look of someone who couldn’t tell if their reality was real- he’d seen it enough on his missions and with other operatives. The woman he’d fallen in love with, his Natalia, was slowly slipping away. “I’m real,” he finally said, reaching down to hold her hand. “I’m real and I’m here. We’ll figure this out.” Natalia turned to look up at him, eyes wide with a mix of horror and wonder, “Why couldn’t it have been you? Why couldn’t the name on my back been you?” It was wishful thinking on her part; her soldier had no soul mark, not that she’d seen. Of course the red room would recruit men who naturally had no marks. “I don’t know, Natalia,” he responded, gently tugging her arm so he could hoist her up into his arms, “But be thankful that isn’t true. They would have used us in any way they saw fit.” “And weapons don’t get happy endings,” she murmured against his neck, voice sounding far away and broken. He swore in the back of his mind. Their handlers had managed to break the one good thing in his life. There had to be a way to make them pay for it. He set her down in her bed, not releasing her until she was under the covers and sleeping quietly. Maybe there wasn’t happiness for them at the end of the day, but damn if he wasn’t going to hold onto what he had. -- When Natasha first entered the holding cell, Bucky looked startled. He’d clearly been expecting someone else, given that he was speechless until she sat down in the chair across the table from him. “I didn’t hit you too hard, did I?” he finally said, sputtering slightly. “If by ‘too hard’ you mean ‘I’m not dead’, then sure. Mild concussion and a few minutes of napping on the cement, but otherwise, no, I’m fine.” Her words came out in a deadpan she normally reserved for Tony, but then it had been a hideously stupid question. Just like Steve use to ask. Her heart ached; she needed to focus. “I thought you’d be dead by now.” At least one of them was on topic, though the question made Natasha’s eyebrows rise for a moment, “It’s been decades. I guess their serum did work on all of you.” “No real ‘all’ any longer. To my knowledge, and to SHIELD’s, there are only two widows left. Apparently I was such a success, they couldn’t find many others who could stand up to me. Especially after I defected. But we’re not here to talk about me, we’re here to talk about you.” Natasha leaned forward, hands clasped together on the table, and met Bucky’s eyes with an icy look. “So tell me, James- why steal the shield?” Bucky’s eyes widened at his name, though the look only lasted a moment. She recognized the look on his face; he wasn’t sure if he could really trust her or not. She couldn’t blame him, of course, given their current circumstances. He could have seen her as the enemy and she wouldn’t have given it much thought, even if it hurt. “Answer my question and I’ll answer your’s,” he returned, flesh hand moving to peel back the layer of his shirt, “Why is your name on my ribs?” The question made no sense to Natasha, until her eyes trailed down his chest to rest on his then bare ribs. There, in her signature cursive, was Natalia Romanova, written across his torso. Her name was scrawled along his lowest rib, neat and tight, the way she wrote on narrow surfaces when needed. It took a lot to leave Natasha without words, but seeing the soul mark of her name had certainly turned all her thoughts to nothing but static. There was an odd sensation in her stomach, like she’d just drank slightly too warm hot chocolate. Her finger tips felt as if she’d pressed them against a warm oven. It was the same feelings Sharon had described upon seeing Steve’s soul mark for the first time. The mark was real, but it almost raised more questions than it answered. “Why did I never see that in the red room?” she asked, tone slightly more accusatory than she’d intended, “We were certainly naked around each other enough. I likely ran my lips over that very spot. I would’ve remembered seeing my name on you.” Bucky lowered his shirt, hand returning to lie palm up on the table, “They found a way to burn the mark off. It normally returned after a few days, but it worked well enough. They had to have known we were soul mates; it’s why they kept me away from you until you got the serum that severed the tie. There’s no way they were willing to lose their Winter Soldier or their most promising Widow because of something as silly as soul marks.” His voice was full of bitter anger and malice, his tone spitting poison. The very same emotions Natasha had felt after putting together who the man she’d been so in love with was. “I don’t have a soul mark.” The lie came from Natasha before she even thought it through. There was no point in lying, but hell if something had made her do it. The sentence made Bucky’s face fall, whatever glimmer of hope in his eyes extinguishing. “I don’t know where you got that idea. The reason they picked me to marry Alexei was partially due to the lack of a soul mark. That’s all.” Part of her wanted him to call her on the lie, to lash out and prove her wrong, to mention seeing the mark on her shoulder. Her mark felt like it was on fire, as if had just been seared into her skin with a red hot poker. The physical pain paled in comparison to the look of betrayal and disappointment on Bucky’s face, though. “It’s only a one sided mark,” he said, more a statement than a question, “Sorry to have brought it up.” Natasha knew she had more to ask him, but seeing his soul mark had rattled her too much. “Tony has something he wants to talk to you about,” she managed, pushing away from the table and turning to leave without waiting for a response. The only thing she registered on her way out of his holding cell was the strangled, “Natalia!” as the door slammed shut behind her. -- Of course their superiors found out what was going on. Natalia was only surprised it took so long for them to figure it out. She’d thought they’d always known and let it go to see what happened. They were lying in her bed with her asleep on his chest when the agents burst into her room, dragging the two of them apart and marching them to an office Natalia had never been in. They started electrocuting him before any questions were asked. The shouts in the office were clearly putting the blame on her soldier, something about corrupting an ‘asset’ and overstepping boundaries. No matter how she begged, though, they refused to let her take the blame. “He didn’t do anything wrong!” she pleaded, struggling against the men holding her still, “It was my fault! I did this!” But a strike across her face kept her silent, watching in horror as her soldier was tortured for something she blamed herself for. Finally, they let up, the men stepping away from her soldier and letting him breathe for a few moments. Then the commander who hadn’t spoken through the entire event finally stood and stared between the two of them. “Wipe him. Sentimentality is not a weakness our assets can afford. As for her,” he glared at Natalia, lips twitching into a frown, “She’ll forget him soon enough. Keep an eye on her until then.” Natalia was too numb to the words to even react, going limb as she was drug away. Her eyes stayed trained on the man crumbled on the floor. Even knowing they were going to take her memories of him away from her, she wanted to engrave him in her mind. Until the moment they tore everything away from her, she wanted to remember the man that reminded her she was still human. -- Tony found Natasha in his office, curled up in the horribly uncomfortable chair like it was actually her office. He scoffed, “Nice show you put on in there. Almost had me believing you, except the part where you were lying through your damn teeth.” Natasha glared up at him, sitting back up in the chair, “I panicked and did what I thought necessary. You know what that’s like, right? Making the hard decisions? Lying to make yourself feel better?” She let out a short laugh, “Oh, right, you’d rather take the road of least resistance than actually make up your own mind.” There was a reason Natasha and Tony’s attempts at working together seemed to blow up in their faces more often than not. They were both too stuck in their ways, seeing the other as nothing but an obstacle. Tony’s lips turned up into a sneer for a moment before settling into a smirk, moving to lean against the desk a few feet from Natasha. “Your soul mate is an internationally wanted terrorist and criminal who’s in SHIELD custody. That feel good to you?” Natasha sighed heavily, pushing the chair away from the desk and standing. She picked up the piece of paper sitting in front of her, shoving it into Tony’s chest as she walked away. “James might be those things, but he’s also weighed down with a guilty conscious over the death of his best friend. A man you had a hand in killing.” Tony started, turning to yell an insult at Natasha, but she silenced him by continuing, “Don’t argue with me, Stark. Steve’s death is on a lot of hands, but you’re the most public face of that merry band of misfits. Thanks for keeping a copy of Steve’s letter; gave me a heads up on what you were planning to do.” Tony’s eyebrows bunched together in confusion before looking down at the paper she’d shoved on him, seeing the letter Steve had written about Bucky taking up the mantle of Captain America. Oh. “He wants to do it. Who am I to stop someone who wants to make amends with the government he’s wronged in the past?” Already half way to the door, Natasha flinched and turned on her heels, shooting an accusatory look at Tony, “I’d thought you were a better man. Taking advantage of someone like James isn’t like you; if something happens to him, know that I’ll be blaming you first.” He couldn’t get another word out before Natasha had stormed out of his office, slamming the door. -- No matter how hard they had tried, Natalia’s superiors hadn’t been able to completely scrub her memories. She felt some of her more cherished memories slowly being sucked away, though, and she knew it was only a matter of time before they completely took her soldier from her. She managed to get away from the guard set up to keep her in her room one night. A short cut through a vent, and Natalia was in the basement area they kept some of their more ‘prized’ possessions. The place was stuffed, floor to ceiling, with all manner of weapon and tool. There were boxes lined across one wall, likely filled with black mail. It was the underbelly, a place where things not needed that would one day be necessary were stored. Natalia wasn’t sure where to go. The recruit that told her about the place had mentioned seeing something odd, and with time running out, any lead was worth it. She hadn’t seen her soldier in two weeks. All she wanted was confirmation of his whereabouts. At the end of one of the aisles, Natalia found what she was looking for- a large glass tube that had a sickly green glow to it. Confused, she slowly approached it, hand out stretched like it was about to bite her. The figure inside the tube became clear as soon as her fingers pressed against the glass. There, floating in the liquid, was her soldier. Her initial thought was they’d found a way to put him in a coma and store him, but her hope crashed around her as she looked harder. His eyes were open and glassy, his mouth hanging open slightly, and his metal arm was gone. “What did they do to you?” she murmured quietly. Tears started to spill from the corners of her eyes, and Natalia crumbled to the ground, sobbing. They’d taken away the one good thing she had and killed him. Worst yet, she had no power to seek her revenge. They had finally broken her. -- Bucky’s start as Captain America had been shaky at best, but Natasha wasn’t about to let him go barreling into the jaws of death without her at his side. The feeling between them was tense at best, though they learned to work together quickly. Even decades apart couldn’t shake the fighting chemistry they naturally had. They started training together at Tony’s suggestion. After all, it was a pity to not put the nice training facilities to use. It didn’t take Bucky long to notice Natasha always wearing some kind of tight fitting shirt, unlike her usual sports bra look she’d trained in. He never said anything about it, knowing that she was unlikely to respond anyways. After one of the more public Captain America outings, Natasha walked into the training area with a lighter shirt on that flowed around her. Bucky could barely keep his eyes off her, only tearing his gaze away when she spotted him. He could tell she was making a beeline for him and his face flushed; had she caught him staring? Her tone wasn’t one of anger, though, as she touched his bicep to get his attention. “Lift the back of my shirt up,” she said, voice serious. It wasn’t the oddest request he’d heard in recent weeks, but it was strange coming from his field partner. Natasha turned, tugging her hair out of the way, making him realize she was dead serious. With slight hesitation, Bucky lifted the shirt up with his flesh hand, careful to not drag his thumb across her skin. That impulse changed when he saw her left shoulder, however. Without even thinking about it, Bucky brushed his hand across the soul mark of his name. A wave of emotions crashed into him. She’d lied to him, but that paled in comparison to the fact that she was his soul mate. That the woman who had been torn away from him had been destined for him all along. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he finally said, dropping her shirt. Natasha turned around, smiling sadly. “The mark on your ribs- it says Natalia. When I defected, I changed my name to Natasha Romanov. When I saw the mark, I thought you’d be marked for who I was- not who I am.” Bucky smiled, brushing his flesh hand along Natasha’s jawline, “Your mark doesn’t say ‘Winter Soldier’ on it; it has my name. We’re not the same people we were then. We’re not the weapons they shaped us into being.” She nodded slowly, hand moving slowly to rest under his shirt. He lifted his hands, giving her permission to pull his shirt up. Her hand gently tugged at the cloth, hesitating for a moment, but her eyes lit up a moment later. Confused, Bucky leaned down to look at his ribs. The soul mark he’d held as a comfort had changed somehow; instead of Natalia Romanova, it said Natasha Romanov. The script was the same, but the sentiment was certainly different. “I think the marks agree that we aren’t the same people,” Natasha whispered quietly. She flattened her hand against his stomach, moving around to wrap him into a hug, “It only took us a few decades to get together, hm?” Bucky grinned, hands moving to cup Natasha’s face in his hands, “Only took us a few decades to find each other again.” She leaned up to press a kiss to his lips, slow and sweet, savoring the taste of him. There was a different feeling to it than before, given that the fear of anyone finding out was lesser and not life threatening. The worst thing that could happen wasn’t nearly as close to what they’d gone through. But Natasha couldn’t let the moment last. With her hands around him, she managed to throw Bucky to the side and to the mat, following after him and pinning his arms down with minimal effort. He let out a breathless laugh, choking slightly. “You’ve still got it, I see,” he laughed, looking up at Natasha with adoration in his eyes. “And don’t you forget it,” she responded, leaning down to kiss him again. Not much training happened that day.
10398609
The Dream is over
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Mewtwo (Pokemon), Kasumi | Misty, Takeshi | Brock, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Gangar | Gengar, Sakaki | Giovanni, Nyarth | Meowth", "Fandom": "Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by JacobPhoenix34", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-21T00:00:00", "words": "1,669", "Additional Tags": "A new Pokemon world, Mewtwo is Ash's friend, Brainwashed Pikachu, Ash was dreaming the other seasons of the Anime", "Relationship": "Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum", "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 }
Disclaimer: I don’t own the Pokémon series. Warning: MAJOR disruption in the Pokémon timeline. Mewtwo looked at Giovanni in disgust and mused, ‘Was he the best example of humanity?’ It decided to free himself of Team Rocket but for now he’d watch him.As Mewtwo mused he looked at his armour and looked confused, was he just a tool? He didn’t want that, he wanted something else.Mewtwo looked up and he saw the three beings that he knew they were idiots, Giovanni barely tolerated them but they had something in their hands, a small yellow Pokémon. ‘A Pikachu?’ He mused as he reached out with his mind and he saw in Pikachu’s mind: joy, happiness and now deep sorrow. Pikachu cried out as he saw the leader of Team Rocket and tried to shock him. Giovanni blinked and said, “This is what you have been following that boy for almost an year? A Pikachu?”“But boss,” Jessie said, “It’s powerful.” Meowth nodded and said, “Yeah boss, it even beat its own evolved form of Raichu.” The Pikachu suddenly spat at Giovanni who shrugged and said, “Interesting, I’ll take it.”“Hmmm and it’s spirited,” Giovanni said suddenly smiling, “Now take it to the lab and you three, I want you to go to the Sinnoh region.” They nodded and Mewtwo looked at the Pikachu and said mentally, “How did you get captured?”An image formed, apparently these idiots used their brains after months of failure, they had snuck into the group after they had used sleeping powder of some sort to keep them asleep. Pallet town, the image came to Mewtwo’s mind and Mewtwo looked at Pikachu and said, “I am sorry.” “Chuuuuu!!” Pikachu said sorrowfully as Mewtwo heard the cackles of the three, he knew the laugh.The memories of that Pikachu showed a partner; this boy never saw them as a tool but as friends and Mewtwo mused, he would find that boy and perhaps he would see the power of this bond himself. As the three left Mewtwo also vowed that he would see that Pikachu again and save it.Giovanni smiled and said, “That should keep them out of my hair for some time.” Months passed and Mewtwo heard nothing about that Pikachu but it thought of those memories of joy and love and he began to wonder, what if he was meant to be more than a mere weapon? Giovanni used him as a tool, even stated that the armour was to keep his great power contained but he knew it was to keep him contained. One day he heard a scientist say something that intrigued him, it was about the Pikachu. The scientist smiled cruelly and said, “That Pikachu is something, even after months of tests it still thinking of escaping.” Mewtwo looked up and thought, ‘Really? To get back to that boy?’“So,” the Scientist said, “The boss sent the word down, we’re gonna use an Alakazam to erase its mind and see if we can’t bond it to the boss.” Mewtwo looked up in shock and thought, ‘That’s cruel but they were cruel humans,’ and it would watch.A few hours later Mewtwo heard it’s screams and Mewtwo reached out and began to grow angry, it’s tube began to vibrate and Giovanni roared, “Mewtwo, enough!! We’re busy here but I might let you play with the new addition later if you want.”Mewtwo reached out and took the Pikachu’s memories into itself and vowed there and then to find this boy and help him as well as these memories, these sweet memories and it would avenge this Pikachu!!That night Mewtwo escaped out of the base and he thought to himself, ‘This Pallet town will be his first stop.’ As Mewtwo flew towards Pallet town he found that it was relatively close by and he wondered if the boy was there?Mewtwo flew down and saw two people leaving with sad eyes and he heard one say, “Misty, it’s alright, Ash will get better.” “But Brock,” the girl said, “Pikachu and Ash were best friends, what if he never recovers?” “Then,” the boy said, “The world will have lost one of its greatest Trainers, I mean it, we gave Ash a hard time but he has incredible potential Misty.” Mewtwo mused, ‘Potential? The boy’s name is Ash?’ And then he sensed it, a deep and profound sorrow. Ash’s misery was so great that it seemed to taint the whole town but Mewtwo would see if this boy was the one that Pikachu loved so much.In a little house outside the town proper was cheerful and yet the source of the misery. Mewtwo floated out and saw a woman looking at a Mr. Mime who said, “Mime, mime, mime.”“Oh Mr. Mime,” she said sadly, ‘He just sleeps there all day and night now and he eats so very little.”Mewtwo floated and looked into the boy’s room and saw a boy sleeping deeply, it floated in and he realized the boy was living in a dream world. The boy was eternally young in this dream, travelling to all the regions of the world and yet never winning as if he was sabotaging himself for losing his Pikachu. “Awaken,” Mewtwo commanded, “Now!!” But the boy didn’t wake, he just dove deeper into the dream and Mewtwo mused, that isn’t acceptable, he wanted to see this boy wake up. He saw in the memories of the Pikachu a trio of ghost Pokémon from Lavender town, they had befriended Ash and Pikachu so Mewtwo flew like a jet to Lavender Town and its tower. The tower loomed in front of Mewtwo, he floated in front of the tower and yelled mentally, “Gengar, Gastly.” The two came out and Mewtwo looked at them and said, “Gengar, do you know Dream Eater?”“Gengar, gen gengar,” it said happily. Mewtwo explained what had happened and Gengar quickly agreed to come with him and it flew off with Gastly flying close by.The two of them reached Pallet town by dawn and entered the room. Gengar looked at Ash sadly, it looked at the Mewtwo and said, “Gengar?”“He is shielding himself from his pain,” Mewtwo said, “If he ever wishes to avenge himself of the loss of his friend he must awaken.”Gengar began to use dream eater.In Ash’s mind Ash felt odd, the winds were cold and unpleasant, he felt the winds cut at him and Ash held Pikachu to him and he yelled, “I’ll protect you Pikachu!!” “Pi, pi pika chu,” it screamed and then Ash heard it, a voice commanding him to wake up from the dream.“Wake up!!” the voice said, “The dream is over.” “No!!” Ash yelled, “Don’t make me!!”“The dream is over and your new day has begun,” the voice roared, “Now, WAKE UP!!” Ash woke up and he looked blearily at a large ghostly image and he yelled, “Gengar!!?”The ghost Pokémon looked at him and said, “Gen-Gengar.” “Look at me,” the voice said. As Ash looked around he saw a Pokémon that he had never seen before. “I am Mewtwo,” it said, “And I have come to see you.”Ash looked confused and said, “Why?”“Because your Pikachu’s memories compelled to find you, Ash Ketchum,” Mewtwo said, “But instead of finding you trying to find your Pikachu I find you buried in regrets and self-pity.” “I lost my best friend,” Ash said, “It was so stupid, we had just set up camp and next thing I know we had been asleep for almost two days.” Mewtwo nodded and said, “I know, the Pikachu had been brought to Team Rocket headquarters where it was experimented on.” Ash started to sob and Mewtwo frowned and said, “Don’t start crying Ash Ketchum, it still lives but they used a psychic type to erase its memories of you.” Ash’s eyes widened and said, “Really? How do you know that?”“I was kept by the boss of Team Rocket: Giovanni, he told me were partners but I was a tool Ash Ketchum and your Pikachu was brought in and I shared its memories and adventures with you Ash Ketchum,” Mewtwo said, “Now I want to see this bond so you and I shall go on a journey together Ash.”“Why?” Ash sobbed, “I couldn’t even stop Team Rocket and they were the biggest losers I know of.”Mewtwo suddenly slapped Ash and said, “They had a good plan, something I understand is a rare event for them. now Ash Ketchum, you must grow up and I will help you on this journey and your life will be more than a dream.” “Gengar, gengar gengar,” the Gengar yelled joyfully. “You want to help me?” Ash said, “Really Gengar?”“Gengar,” it said with a wide smile. “It believes in you Ash,” Mewtwo said, “And I want to see if Pokémon and humans can be more than what Giovanni has shown me.”Ash blinked and said, “Did I really go to those other regions?” “That was the dream,” Mewtwo said, “This, this is real life.” “I’m hungry,” Ash said rubbing his stomach, “And I can’t rescue Pikachu on an empty stomach.” Mewtwo felt the hope surge from Ash and said, “You are not ready for this yet, even with my aid. Giovanni has several countermeasures against my power but you will learn Ash Ketchum.” Ash’s eyes had an odd gleam and he suddenly yelled, “I see my lucky stars!! I guess we’re going to have to get a pokeball for you Mewtwo.” Mewtwo frowned and said, “I will be your partner but I will not ride in those things, the Gengar will need one of course.”“Oh,” Ash said, “Ok but c’mon.”Delia heard a loud crash, she ran upstairs and saw Ash hopping about and he said, “Mom, I’m hungry. I’m going on a new Journey.” She began to cry and she hugged Ash and said, “Not before you get your strength back.”
10342836
Born of Stars
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Zarkon (Voltron), Alfor (Voltron), Original Characters", "Fandom": "Voltron: Legendary Defender", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Beastrage", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-18T00:00:00", "words": "1,824", "Additional Tags": "Description of a birth, Pre-Canon, Way beyond before Canon, Blood, Crack-ish", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Alfor (Voltron)/Original Character(s), Alfor/Allura's Mother (Voltron)", "Series": null, "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 }
He wakes to voices loudly clamoring in his ears. “ -rkon? Zarkon? Are you awake?” “Oh no, what if he didn’t survive? What if he’s dead!?” “Calm down, Heffr’y. I’m sure he is alright.” “Yeah, that Galra survives anything you can throw at him.” The Galra in question barely holds back a grunt. He taps at his helmet, checking for any cracks or breaks. Seems whole enough. He takes a moment to compose himself, before speaking. “I’m alive.” “I knew he was alive, Heffr’y.” “Jeta, You did not know for cert-” Alfor’s voice at this point cuts in. “ How injured are you, Zarkon? How is the Black Lion?”   Zarkon examines the cockpit around him. Many of the screens glow only dimly, not the overly-bright Altean levels of light he’s gotten used to. He tries the controls with no success. Dead. As for himself, no pain except for a slight throbbing in his shoulder. Paladin armor seems to have taken most of the impact, thin cracks running down the casing. Really, there are worse situations he’s been in, than this. “The Black Lion is down.” Alfor stays calm despite this new revelation. Of course he does, Alfor always stays calm. “ We are unable to come to your assistance at the moment, the defenses here are really quite impressive.” “Destroy the ones in the center first. Those are the most powerful anti-aircraft weapons.” Powerful enough to take the Black Lion down in one hit, is what Zarkon doesn’t say. But Alfor can read between the lines on that one. He’s clever enough, he won’t get hit. The Galra rises from his seat, carefully making his way towards an exit. “Zarkon...” Zarkon pauses in his scraping at too-stuck handle. Hesitant and almost too quiet for even Galra ears to hear. Not like the Altean King at all. “Yes?” “ The Blue Lion is down as well. Coritas is alive but injured.” “I’ll do what I can to help.”   Zarkon has almost opened the manual exit when he at last gets a reply. “Thank you.”   A rumble in his mind, unease coming off the Lion at the thought her Paladin leaving her to face possible/probable danger alone. “Be calm, my heart. I will return shortly.” He runs a gloved hand along her side. Reluctantly, the growling dies down, leaving a firm assurance that if her Paladin got himself hurt, she would be coming after him, low power levels or not. A smile. “I don’t doubt it.” The barest gleam of a particle barrier covers the Black Lion as second skin, protection against any foe who may attempt to steal her. Zarkon pities the fool who dares.   The planet is rocky, which is not a problem. What is a problem is the condensation in the air all around him. The dark greyish form of this...wetness makes it difficult to see clearly. Some time passes before he can finally make out another Lion in the distance. Cautiously, he makes his way across the slippery stones. The Blue Lion stares blankly in his direction, yellow eyes barely glowing. Tuning his comm to Coritas’, he asks, “Coritas, are you there?” Sparks and buzzing. “ -m here. Come in.” Weak, clearly injured in some way, judging by the level and tone of voice. “Quiznak,” he curses, picking an old favorite of Alfor’s. “I’m coming. Don’t move too much.” “ Trying not to. Argh, it hurts.” “Can your Lion open to let me in?” The clicking of buttons in the background. “Sorry...no power.” Zarkon growls. “The hard way, then.” The grinding and twisting of metal announces the Black Paladin’s entrance loud and clear. When he comes into the cockpit, a blue-and-white armored figure lays curled up her side, on cold metal ground. The Blue Paladin gasps for breath, clutching at her lumpy midsection. Zarkon squats next to her. “The injury,” he prompts. From underneath her visor, he can see huge watery pink eyes looking at him. “No-oo, it’s, it’s the baby.” The baby. Of course. “You told Alfor you weren’t due for at least fifteen quintents.” Coritas looks at the Galra sternly, only wincing here and there in pain. “We needed Voltron. You know he would have insisted on me staying behind had he known.” “True enough. But you’ve risked yourself and everyone else, coming in with such a weakness.” “My baby is not a weakness!” Coritas shoots back, fire in her eyes. Zarkon bares his neck slightly in apology. “Still, it’s dangerous.” “You think? I’m the one lying here, about to give birth in a mechanical lion.” The Black Paladin considers his options. To be honest, there aren’t many available to choose from. Options that don’t end poorly for everyone, at least. He reaches forward, carefully lifting Coritas’ helmet off her head. Her long yellow-white braid trails out, against her back. Pointed ears twitch slightly, as pink eyes narrow at Zarkon. “What are you doing?” “Keep still,” the Galra orders her. “How far along?” Before Coritas revealed she was heavy with child, Zarkon and other Paladins had known next to nothing about the Altean birthing process. Now...well, Zarkon still didn’t know very much, but he knew enough to know it was disgusting . “My water broke. Earlier. I can feel the baby. Moving.” Coritas’ breath quickens. “Oh no, I can feel the baby... ” “Focus. Breathe, in and out. In and out.” The Altean obeys, breathing in and out on the words Zarkon sets out for her. Thick claws carefully remove armor, the last thing he wants to do in this dangerous environment, but what he has to do, if Coritas is to give birth.   Night, it’s moving. Her lump is moving. Yellow eyes quickly avert to a flushed face. There is a wetness, on some of the armor he removes. He supposes that’s the ‘water’ Coritas spoke of. Her body shakes and moves with each contraction of muscles. He struggles to recall anything that may be of use, after so many quintents of Alfor bringing every possible safety precaution up, Heffr’y helpfully offering even more. Now, all he remembers is Coritas’ outrage at the idea she can’t protect herself and Jeta cackling. “You would think there would more information on birth-assistance...” Zarkon grumbles under his breath. Under his breath, but not quiet enough to escape Altean ears, apparently.   The peal of laughter takes him by surprise. “Oh, please don’t- ever- tell- my cousin,” Coritas pants out. “He -would -real-ly make a -video.” Zarkon does not picture that mentally. Not at all. (Really.) “Your cousin is a blight on the universe. Him and his nose-fur,” Zarkon growls. A shaking hand pats his own hand sympathetically. “Still -bit-ter about -the -Web-lum -incident, -huh?” The contractions are closer together now. Her eyes widen, fear bright in them. “I -don’t know. If -I can - do -it.” “You are the Blue Paladin. Nothing is beyond your reach,” Zarkon says firmly, her hand still in his. “Yeah, -but -what -if?” “You will be fine. Your child will be fine. And,” he adds, faintly remembering something , “Don’t struggle. Don’t fight it.” Coritas says nothing more, focusing on breathing. And birthing the child, he supposes. It’s been hours since this first begun. There are body fluids all over the floor. Like Coritas is bleeding to death. Do Alteans bleed to death giving birth, dying in the process of welcoming new life? He doesn’t know. His hand tightens around hers. “You will live,” he hisses, a promise and a threat against the world should she not, all together. The Blue Paladin lying on her side, Black Paladin beside her and watching, when the head at last can be seen. “There it is.” Zarkon stretches out a hand, before hesitating. “Go-head,” Coritas nods at him. His claws are not meant for this sort of delicate work. Not meant to handle life tenderly, in a way that will not end it. It’s difficult work, but he manages to guide the head, and the little body coming after it, out safely.   He can’t help but stare at it. It’s...tiny. Crumpled up and wrinkled. He hears that Alteans consider their offspring ‘cute’ but the thing looks closer to being unnatural than adorable. It’s not breathing. A flash of anger, at first. All this effort, all this time, and the thing can’t even make an attempt to live? But anger quickly wears away to concern, of what Coritas will do, if her child dies. Using the back of his hand, Zarkon rubs at the thing’s chest. A loud sob and the breathing starts. “How...is....the...baby?” Coritas wheezes, curling up even further. “Alive. You did well.” He takes a moment to examine the new child further. The purplish shade its skin was before now looks more brown, browner with each new breath. Strands of white fur come from its head, over pointed wide ears. No yellow-white hair, no pale skin. It looks like... “Alfor.” “What?” “Your child takes after Alfor.” Coritas sighs in relief, head tilted up from the floor. “Thank the stars. Which is it? Male? Female?” A quick examination (which causes a small sob to erupt from the mouth) leaves Zarkon confident of his answer. “Female.” “Give her.” The Blue Paladin holds her hands out, sitting enough to lean against her chair. Zarkon carefully places the child, covered in bloody fluid, in its mother’s arms. “Oh, she’s so beautiful... I love you. I love you so very much.” Underneath their feet, the floor thrums. Lights flicker back on. After so very long, the Blue Lion has at last reawakened. A happy growl echoes around the tw- no, three of them. Coritas smiles, patting awkwardly at the chair she leans against. “Good to see you too. Love you, Blue. You have to see Allura.” “Allura? Is that its name?” Zarkon asks, eyes on the child. “Yes, isn’t it beautiful? Allura, of the stars.” The Galra sits there silently, patiently while Coritas chatters happily to both newborn and Lion. She seems healthy enough, safe enough.   “ -re you there? Come in, Black Paladin.” Alfor, of course, sounding as panicked and anxious as ever. “We’re alive and safe.” “ We? So Cor- the Blue Paladin is fine?” Zarkon doesn’t even attempt to stop a fond rumble coming out as he answers. “Yes. Perfectly fine. Her and her daughter.” A moment of silence and then the comms erupt. (Between Jeta and Heffr’y, as usual.) “ You mean Coritas had the baby?! That’s pretty fire-hot!” “That seems rather unsafe, is she alright?” “Didn’t you hear, Heffr’y, they’re fine!” “Excuse me, Jeta, for exp-” Alfor at last speaks up over the squabbling pair. “ She had the baby? That’s...that’s....” “Amazing,” Coritas finishes for him, quietly. “ Yes. ” A claw stretched out, Zarkon only means to touch one last time. But eyelids open faintly, a gleam of pink behind them, and the Galra freezes. Freezes and a tiny fist reaches out, gripping the claw tightly. “You’ll do great things, Allura,” he says quietly. “Great things.”
10383306
Wei Yong Yong Li Chuan
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1 一直到大奖赛过去很久以后，勇利才同意维克托的过分要求。当然对维克托来说，这个要求是非常合理的。 “我喜欢勇利，想和这样那样的勇利上床，有什么不对吗？”维克托振振有词，“勇利在冰场上那样用尽全力地诱惑我，向全世界宣告对我的爱意，作为被诱惑和被告白的对象，对那个样子的勇利心生遐想，不是很正常的事情吗？” 勇利觉得维克托说得也很有道理。 “再说，既然勇利FS的衣服设计成了那种样子，不跟穿成那样的勇利上一次床，人生根本就不可能圆满……” 于是，在维克托的强烈要求、死缠烂打之下，勇利最终还是同意了。 因为是在大奖赛的中国站后第一次发生关系，维克托决定回到中国和勇利重温旧梦。当时居然没有在勇利还穿着那套衣服的时候就上了他，一直等到晚上洗完了澡，换上了睡衣，才半哄半骗地把他推倒，实在是太遗憾了！ 于是，在难得的假期，二人来到了中国，又回到了当初入住的那一间酒店，非常好运地订到了同一间房。 这一天是除夕。来自俄罗斯的维克托·尼基福罗夫对中国的节日不感兴趣（事实上对任何节日都不感兴趣），来自日本的胜生勇利倒是兴致勃勃。 “日本有些地方也会过农历的春节呢！在明治维新以前我们用的也是旧历，之后才改用新历！”勇利这样说。 冬天太阳下山早，很快夜幕降临，街上张灯结彩。街头巷尾已少见行人，很多小店都已经关门闭户，回家过年去了。还有开着的，从橱窗外看进去也能感受到喜气洋洋的氛围。 大红灯笼高高挂起，门边都是新贴的春联，路过小巷子还能看见几个小孩捂着耳朵丢炮仗。很快也被大人叫回家里去了。 维克托和勇利在夜色中牵着手，回到酒店里。 …… 电视里传来春节联欢晚会的声音，维克托听不懂，也看不懂，只觉得一片花花绿绿。索性关掉电视，安静地等待着。 勇利在浴室里。 已经洗过澡了，现在的自己穿着浴袍，坐在床边的沙发上。旁边的墙壁上是一整面镜子——维克托对这样的设计非常满意。 水声已经停了一段时间，特意强调过不用穿dance belt，光是想象勇利现在可能在做的动作，维克托就觉得血液沸腾起来了。 2 浴室的门终于开了。 维克托在听到门响的那一刻就站起来，等到勇利因为热气蒸腾而显得红扑扑的脸从门后露出来，他大步地走过去。 勇利穿着FS的那一套衣服，甚至连脚上都好好地穿着冰鞋，当然也戴上了刀套。 “不要动，勇利。”维克托站在他面前，眼睛注视着他自V字领口露出的锁骨，形状和线条都非常完美。这样看了一会儿，维克托才把目光转向勇利的脸，“今天晚上，勇利什么也不要做。就由我来支配，全部都交给我，好吗？” 在勇利点头之后，维克托一手扣住他的腰，把他压向自己。紧紧的拥抱，维克托在勇利嘴角印下一吻，才弯腰把勇利抱了起来。 他要做什么呢？勇利也有些紧张和期待。虽然知道是要做那种事，可是让自己穿成这个样子…… 这要怎么做啊？维克托真是的。 维克托把勇利轻轻放在床上，不知道是不是勇利的错觉，总觉得他的动作非常郑重。 维克托弯着腰，浴袍因为这样的姿势而衣襟大敞。他爱怜地在勇利额头亲了一口，再在脸颊、脖子和锁骨各印下一吻，然后站起身，自上而下看着勇利的目光无限温柔。 “我爱你，勇利。” 冷不丁被深情告白的勇利有点莫名其妙，好端端的说这种话…… 勇利觉得自己应该开口说点什么，还没想好台词，维克托就已经单膝跪在地上，双手托起自己的右脚。 勇利大概知道他要干什么了。 果然，维克托把勇利的右脚放在自己的膝上，解开鞋带，把戴着刀套的冰鞋脱下来，放在一边。接着雪白的袜子也被脱下。 “我早就想这么做了……”维克托说，“臣服在勇利脚下，请求勇利赐予恩泽。我一直是这样，热切地渴求着。” 维克托低头吻在勇利光洁的脚面上。 非常虔诚的、礼拜的一吻。 勇利觉得脚面肌肤和嘴唇的触感在一瞬间抵达心脏，心跳停了一拍。这个人…… 维克托抬起头：“我可以……享用你的身体吗？勇利。” “……” “求你。”维克托把脸颊贴在勇利的脚面亲昵地磨蹭，再次亲吻，卑微地乞求，“赐予我吧，勇利。今夜，把你的身体赐予我……” “要、要做什么维克托随便做就好了，干嘛要说这种……奇怪的话……” “什么都可以吗？” “嗯。” “如果我让你疼痛呢？” “为什么会痛啊？一定要做到那种程度吗？？”总觉得今晚的维克托有点怪怪的，“别太过分的话……随、随便你好了……” 忍一忍也不是不可以。 “yes，your highness。” 3 另一只鞋也被脱下来。维克托保持着单膝跪地的姿势，双手从勇利的脚踝沿着小腿和大腿一路摸上腿根，身体也顺势覆上去，把勇利压倒在柔软的床上。 勇利的眼睛睁得大大的，和他鼻尖对着鼻尖。 维克托笑起来，稍微错过脸，在他鼻尖吻了一下：“真可爱。” 他的吻顺着脸颊和脖子的线条向下，在两边的锁骨逡巡。色情地舔舐。 一只手早已从上衣的下摆探进去，隔着里衣抚摸小腹和腰部的肌肉，揉捏细嫩的乳头。 因为里衣是一层单薄贴身的网纱，肌肤和肌肤之间似触非触的感觉撩得人心痒难耐。勇利忍不住发出细微的呻吟。 勇利的两条长腿还垂在床边，维克托把锁骨吻得濡湿一片之后，又从勇利身上起来，再次跪了下去。 他跪在勇利跟前，双手放上他的腰，作势要去脱他的裤子。 勇利一把按住他的手。 “不可以吗？勇利？” 不是不可以，而是实在太…… 勇利别过头，松开了手。 维克托把勇利的裤子脱了下来。赤裸的下身双腿修长，肌肉匀称，肌肤在煽情的灯光下显露出迷人的光泽。 维克托轻轻地抚摸，指尖一寸一寸地量度。红润的嘴唇在大腿内侧留下一个又一个吻痕。 …… …… …… 这一篇会收录进本子《微笑符号》里面去，在本子出来之前，抱歉就先只放这么多啦。
10362741
Logic and Emotion
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"Logic and Emotion"By darthelwig++++Vision was, above all else, a creature of emotion. Certainly, it didn't seem that way to most people. His every word and mannerism spoke of control and logic. He was born to love, though. To care about life, to sustain it. How could he wish to save the world without caring about it at all? He wasn't a being of simple protocols and equations. He wasn't a machine. He had transcended his beginnings, gone far beyond what his creators had intended, thanks to the mind stone. That powerful gem in his forehead had granted him a real, valid life. He had a heart, a mind, a soul, and a depth of purpose. He felt things strongly, yes, but he was strong in his determination to not let his emotions control him. Human beings were very susceptible to that, and he could see no good coming from it. At first, control was not something that came easily. He dared not let go, even for a moment. He wondered sometimes if his emotions were stronger than those of a human, or if he was simply unused to them, and so they were overwhelming to him. There was no way for him to really know. He had no way to measure the emotions of others, and the mind stone's power was definitely capable of having granted him emotional extremes. So he used his logic to balance his emotional turmoil, and usually it worked. Sometimes he was saddened. Having to destroy Ultron had affected him deeply. Here was this unique being, in pain and alone, much like himself, but they couldn't let him go on living or everything else would die. It was a difficult choice to make. It was an even harder task to complete. But Vision loved life, and there was nothing he would not do for what he loved. It hit him hard, though. He had needed to take some time away from everyone else in order to deal with his grief. He did not want to show them his weakness, his tears. His emotions were private, and his alone to deal with. It was after rejoining the Avengers aboard the helicarrier that he realized there was a person aboard with grief to rival his own. Miss Maximoff grieved her brother with a ferocity he was intimately familiar with. It was only that grief, he realized, that had prevented her from picking up on his own extreme emotions as he carried her from the ruins of Novi Grad. And that memory stuck vividly in his mind. The softness of her body as he cradled her to his chest, her face so close to his own... The experience had, even in the heat of battle, stirred lust within him. It had been unexpected, to say the least. Completely inappropriate timing, and he still didn't know what to do about that. He didn't act on it, of course. She was grieving, and he wasn't a monster. But if his eyes lingered sometimes, well, he was only a man, after all He discovered anger when his new teammates refused to acknowledge him as more than a robot. He spent a great deal of time at that point perfecting his "poker face." It would definitely not do to glare at anyone with the full force of his fury. He disappeared at times, going off on his own so that he could give vent to his frustrations in private. At first, his anger was violent. It raged. He grappled with it until he became its master, refusing to let such a human weakness make him into a danger to those around him. He would not abuse his strength. He would protect life, even from himself. Slowly, it became easier, and his anger became less of a burden. He realized then that he was getting better at controlling all of his emotions. He was becoming more human every day, and that pleased him. Happiness is what kept him balanced while he dealt with controlling his negative emotions. He discovered what it was to smile. He sought out things that brought him pleasure. As the others gradually began to accept him, he even started to find enjoyment in their company. He participated in more group activities, and was pleased to find that doing so improved their treatment of him more quickly. He found friendship among them, and his love and protectiveness for them grew. None more so than Miss Maximoff, who insisted he call her Wanda. She had accepted him first, and had accepted him fully, just as he was. He took pains to help her through her grief, as he felt a strong desire to be near her, and was rewarded with his first friendship. Her open, compassionate heart made him want her even more. He was careful to keep that from her, though it became the most difficult of his emotions to hide. The more time they spent together, the more he cared for her. The more he cared for her, the greater his lust grew. The more time they spent together, the more she touched him, as she was a rather tactile person, and the greater the chance that he would slip. Logic dictated he should limit his time with her. Emotion refused to let him. It wasn't until he held her in his arms as she lay injured on the ground that he realized what the emotion was that had been building inside of him. He was used to his emotions starting as extremes and slowly being tamed. This one had crept up, taken him by surprise, and as it blazed forth in his chest he wondered if she could pick up on it. He wondered if she felt the surprising depth of his love. He stared into her eyes, for once unaware of the chaos around them, overcome by the strength of it. He felt the hot lick of anger as his attention was drawn away from her by Rhodes. He wanted nothing more than to keep gazing at the beautiful woman in his arms. He impatiently completed his task to shoot Sam Wilson out of the sky, ignoring the fact that doing so would probably kill the man. It had been ordered of him, and he complied so that he could turn his attention back to what was really important. And he discovered horror as his shot missed and hit Rhodes instead. He left her there, then, consumed by guilt. A new emotion for him. He had to check on Rhodes. The disbelief and horror on Mr. Stark's face made him feel even worse, and he realized that he had done exactly what he had feared. He had let emotion overwhelm him, and no good had come from it. He had, in his moment of human weakness, become the monster. It was then that he began the process of learning control all over again. Horror, grief, misery, loneliness, guilt...he struggled to control the potent combination. And still, inside of him, was love. He couldn't rid himself of it. It lingered and colored everything else inside of him, and he discovered the truth of it. Love was both pleasure and pain. But he could not bring himself to regret.
10328966
Artful
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Taehyung’s birthday was at the horizon and in his (almost) 19 years of life, he never really understood what caused this feeling every time this day approached. He decided, a few years back, it was some sort of self crisis– that maybe he was getting older which meant responsibilities, higher expectations and a change in priorities.But that’s how everyone felt as they grew older–scared. It was just him who holed himself up in his room until the day came– everyone wasn’t so ecstatic but they didn’t cry themselves to sleep (granted he ever slept), people didn’t feel sensitive to a point they doubted others around him– it was just him. The question as to why he felt so…depressed and in need to cry frustrated him.In his room, he had the window wide open; the only thing comforting him was the sound of the occasional car driving by and the crickets painfully reminding him of the late hours and the silence that it thankfully drowned out. He sat at the edge of his bed, eyeing the wooden chair in front of him– studying every curve of the handle, the hourglass shape of it’s legs and–most importantly– the rings that had been preserved by glossed paint. He recalled reading somewhere that these rings represented how old a tree was. He swallowed thickly and clenched his teeth– counting; mouthing each number quietly to himself.Nineteen rings– the poor tree. He wasn’t sure how fast a life of a tree passed, but he knew for a fact that there have been trees that lived past one hundred and that this one (or perhaps more butchered trees pieced together) had been cut short by someone who decided that by killing the living and recreating it; it becomes art. With a saw, sandpaper, hammer, nail and some paint– a preconceived notion is created, that the chair was just made for the purpose of looking pretty and sitting on; customize it if you’d like!It wasn’t art. It’s manipulation, degradation and murder. Digging deep, he wonders what art truly means– what it is exactly. But no matter what he thought off– paint, canvas, brush, camera, paper– they are made of the once living.A familiar jingle dragged his numb gaze from the chair to his side, the screen of his iPhone lighting up with a green notification before completely blacking out. He picked up the device, entering the code quickly and swiftly before reading the message. The corner of his lip twitching up in a grin. His tongue dragged on his bottom lip, then looked up at the ceiling, his lips parted only slightly but enough to let out a dark rumble in his chest. He dragged his hand through his hair, looking back down at his cell phone begrudgingly clutching it in his palm, shakily bringing the hand to his chest and drops the phone, the thud and light coming from it mockingly calling for his attention.With a heavy sigh he hunched forward, his elbows digging above his knees while another bitter laugh passes his lips. His nimble fingers ran through his hair again then gripped at it, tugging it roughly and finds sick comfort from the pulsing pain of his nerves crying out for him to stop.Kim Taehyung was a fool. Jung Hoseok was a stranger he had let into his life– the man the teenage boy had believed would give him solace. But Hoseok wasn’t a stranger in a sense Taehyung had just met him (they had known each other since they were kids), but a stranger that never really knew Taehyung. What he feels as opposed to what he shows; how he thinks to how he acts… Hoseok has no idea what made Kim Taehyung tick. This, the boy realizes, just now.Hoseok knew of Taehyung. The rumors that weren’t far from the truth, the attitude the boy had, the reputation he shamelessly carried. But he knew there was something more. Hoseok wanted to know what was inside Taehyung’s box that he’d kept in the gaping hole in his chest; it was open to him, and only him.And he’d plan on showing him.The attraction was there. Hoseok craved Taehyung for more than just his secrets– he wanted the boy. He wanted to wreck him and embody the boy completely. Taehyung, though subtly, felt the same way. Their feelings were mutual.However, Hoseok lacked self control. After taking the boy out for a movie, they stumbled into the man’s home– despite Taehyung’s obvious love for him; he wasn’t ready. And passed the shrills and cries that ripped Taehyung’s throat, Hoseok was long gone. and he’d gotten what he wanted– he’d ruin Taehyung.In a frantic state, Taehyung tried to run but the man stopped him, desperately telling him it was because he loved him so much he’d gone overboard. He pleaded the boy that his love was uncontrollable and the desire he had for Taehyung had become unfathomable.Taehyung wasn’t ready to give in, at least not yet. He wanted to know if Hoseok actually cared or thought he cared.Now this is where the plot thickens.If Hoseok had really known Taehyung, he’d know to act– and soon. He’d given the man hints– only to be fair; he man knew him long enough to know how he felt when his birthday came up every damn year.“Do you know anything about art?” Taehyung had asked a few minutes prior. He had it all planned out– the window wide open, for the man who could create something beautiful with him.Taehyung stood up, glancing back down at the God forsaken phone–“I don’t, I’m sorry.”Then at the chair– for a man who could destroy everything by exiting.Who knows?Maybe he created some sort of artistic short story of a boy who just couldn’t help but create his own masterpiece.
10310813
Long day rough night
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The day was long, someone had messed up paperwork so bad that it had set the entire base back by about 4 hours, than some new recruit drops a gun! It shot one of the fire alarms so, any paperwork that wasn’t covered up, had to be re-done. You walk your tired ass back to your room, Gabe was probably still chewing out the entire unit of new recruits for even having a functioning gun.Tapping in the code to your room you zombie walk straight to your bed… hopefully Gabe’s shirt is still on the floor. You would love for your alpha to be here, but to be honest, you were glad he was yelling at that little shit and all his friendsYou peeled off your clothes as you walked, thankful to find his shirt was still where he left it on the floor this morning. Crawling into bed on Gabe’s side felt like heaven, most of the tension left your body, and cozying down into the sheets, pulling the blanket up to your nose melted the rest of it away so you could drift off to sleep in no time.…You felt something gently drag across your cheek and then over your ear, it didn’t stop there, very slowly it ran over your hair and down your neck. Taking a deep breath, oh god he smells great, you pull the blanket back over yourself, you asleep, lol, bye.“Despiértese, mi amor” his lips kiss the shell of your ear, you snuggle your way further down into the covers.“¿Por favor?” one of his hands creeps under the blanket.You feel a hot wave rush over your body, his pheromones had worked their way through the blanket, he smelled unbelievably strong right now. You wanted to sleep, just cuddle and sleep.“Mmmmm!” you whine.You attempt to pull him into bed with you to cuddle and of course he willingly followed. Underneath the blanket both of your scents built and stirred around one another, you found yourself buried in the nape of his neck and your legs around his waist. He was grinding into you while playing with your nipples.“¿Qué tal tu día?”“Wet”“¿Como tu?” you took the pillow from behind your head and hit him with it. His laugh was warm and bounced off the walls. When he stopped laughing he just looked at you, with a smile on his face that could melt the ice caps. His right hand caressed your cheek, his thumb nudged against your lips, and then run through your hair.“¿Qué necesitas de mí?”“You.”He brought his lips and hips to yours and gave himself to you.…Your nails dug into into his back and with each of his thrusts, and the headboard made another dent in the wall. He was biting your neck and shoulders like crazy, all you could do was hold onto him and moan. One of his arms was wrapped around you at the small of your back keeping you as close to him as possible, while the other roamed your body squeezing, pinching, and feeling you up. His knot started forming and quickly began locking you both together.“Di mi nombre!”His thrust became shallow but more powerful, nipping at your earlobe he says it again.“Mi nombre!”You bit your lips together, your face felt red hot and sweat streamed down your face, you wanted to say it but you needed more. The arm on the small of your back became tighter and his other arm went behind your shoulders supporting you. He lifted you just barely off the bed so he could hit your g-spot, his knot was huge, probably as big as its ever been. “Nombre!!”Finding just the right angle he leaned over your body to bite at your neck, which is exactly what you needed.“Papi!” your grab onto his beautiful brown curls, pushing him harder into your neck. “Harder Papi, please, harder!” wiggling your hips and smacking his ass with your free hand earned you one hell of a growl and also one hell of a thrust. His knot was stupidly swollen, you had never felt so full in your entire damn life. It was stretching your walls to their limits, it felt wonderful, heavenly, you felt wave after wave of pure pleasure. You were so fucking close, your vision was blurring with tears.Sobbing you turned to beg right into his ear “Papi please, fill me, breed me! Fill me full, give it all to me!”He finally laid his full weight into his thrusts, grabbing you by the hair to pull you out of the way so he could probably mark you. The headboard was probably inside the wall at this point, and you probably wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow, but that didn’t matter as your finally reached your climax. Arching off the bed, screaming his name over and over again, you tighten your legs to bring him closer to you. All you want is for him to fill you with is cum, to be as swollen as his knot right now, it felt like it was on fire!“Papi please cum- cum inside of me, give me your all!” you weren’t even sure if he could hear you over his own damn growls. His knot had to be at its peak, there could be no way it could grow any larger! It dragged against your walls repeatedly, he kept hitting your sweet spot, dear god you were gonna cum again. You did, again, and again and again, until you couldn’t even tell if what was leaving your mouth was English, but Gabe’s knot was pushing you beyond your limits.He must’ve stated a rut or something, he still hadn’t cum yet and refused to let you move from underneath him. He had littered your neck and chest with marks, licked, and scented every part of your body he could. You needed him to cum, now!“If you don’t cum right now Papi! I swear Ima-” he shut you up with a kiss, you could see his eye’s clouded with lust, yep, definitely started his rut.“You don’t tell me what to do!” he held your jaw in his hand and licked your neck slowly.“I’m higher ranked than you, you do what I tell you to do!” fuck he had you cumming all over again. You weren’t gonna complain, you both knew how much you loved it when he did that. It also seemed to be his tipping point, you could feel his knot twitch inside of you.“Are you gonna fill me up, is my commander going to fill me with his cum?” hoping that would finally give your alpha his released you kept saying whatever came to mind.“Is my Papi going to mark me, is my Papi goin-” he covered your mouth with his hand and thrusted into you like it was the last chance he was ever going to get. His entire body was on fire, when he hit his climax it was all but quite, you’re pretty sure they could hear him all the way on the top floor. God bless your well timed climax, it had you going cross eyed and holding onto him for dear life.….When you finally came to, you were leaning against his chest sitting up right. Before you even opened your eyes you could feel how swollen you were, choosing to keep them closed you gently nudge the bottom of his jaw for a kiss, which he so happily gave you.“I was… was I to rough?” he held onto to you gently, rubbing your back.“Rough, but not to rough.” he let out a sigh of relief, his body relaxed against yours.“So..” leaning back a bit, he still held onto you “about this…” you were so swollen with his cum there was a bump.“Ya… a-about that, I-”“Hit your rut? Gee, I couldn’t tell.” giving him your famous shit eating grin you kiss his jaw gently.“Just need to get this out before you knot me again, I don’t think I could physically hold anymore.”“Agreed, its gonna be a bit longer until I can pull out, will you make it amor?”“Of course I will, as long as you promise to replace it later?”He tightened his grip on you and rolled his hips, eyes dilating.“You shouldn’t talk like that, we might just have to see how much more you could hold.”
10381293
Duet
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Lem King, Emmanuel", "Fandom": "Friends at the Table (Podcast)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by confidencealive (dazzler)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-20T00:00:00", "words": "734", "Additional Tags": "Spoilers", "Relationship": "Lem King/Emmanuel", "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 }
He’s still not exactly sure how he made it out of Nacre.He remembers the explosion and being trapped in the bakery and then, after the Ordennan soldiers slashed and burned their way through the city, he remembers looking up and seeing the panther flying overhead, dark black silhouetted against the smoke. Maybe he followed it out. He didn’t see the towers go down for himself, but he still dreams about watching them fall like cresting waves.He learns upon his arrival to the refugee camp that the last remaining heir of Tristero is no more-- may her illustrious soul rest in peace. Thankfully, Emmanuel is nothing if not adaptable.At his cafe job in the Canyon, he dreams up new recipes while the city moves around him in a comforting cacophony. It’s not home, not yet, but it’s not bad. And he’s getting by, until one day (night?) at work when bright eyes lock with his, and Lem King, as per his reputation, arrives to ruin everything. Emmanuel has to duck back into the kitchen to catch his breath, fix his hair, and try to keep the broad, foolish grin off his face when he brings the group their crepes.--“Join me for a smoke?” Lem asks. The balcony of his room at the Rose and Crown is built for halflings, not an orc and a man, and the two of them have to crowd together to watch the skyline.A large hand curls around Emmanuel's as he lights Lem’s cigarette. He looks up (and up and up, Lem has about a foot and a half on him) and Lem smiles down. It knocks the wind out of him and he leans back, turning his gaze to what remains of the stars. No sunrise this time.“I heard about something like this in an old song once,” Lem says in that soft, eager voice of his. “Well, that is, it reminded me of the situation, not that it was specifically about, you know--”Emmanuel interrupts. “Would you sing it for me?”“I don’t really-- it’s more of a--” he stutters and blushes a dark green.“You don’t have to.”“No, I should. It’s my job to preserve these things, so I should share them with as many people as I can.” He winds a finger through his hair, nervous. “That isn’t exactly how the archive looks at it, but who gives a damn what they think?” You do, thinks Emmanuel, watching him crush his cigarette on the railing, but Lem’s bravado is endearing so he lets it slide.Taking care not to elbow Emmanuel in the head, Lem takes his violin off his back and removes it from its case. He plucks a few notes, then begins to sing, a little halting at first but growing more confident with each verse.Emmanuel listens to him sing about an endless winter and a lover returning from war, with Lem pausing occasionally to remember the lyrics or strum at his violin. The melody is a little sad but the words feel so gentle. He finishes the song, and Emmanuel claps.“You have a nice voice.”Lem puts his violin away, avoiding eye contact, still flushed. “Surprising for an orc, I know.”“I didn’t say that.”“Haven’t met many orcs?”A smile tugs at the corner of Emmanuel’s lips. “Can’t say I have.”They both fall silent for a moment, the din of the Rosemerrow all around them. Somewhere nearby, a light goes out.“It might have gone differently,” Lem says, “if it had been any of the other archivists in Nacre. You might still--”“No.” Emmanuel pulls him closer and kisses the bottom of his chin, the highest he can reach by standing on tiptoe. "I’m glad I met you."For a brief second, Lem looks startled, and Emmanuel wonders if he's been wrong about everything, but his fears quickly prove undue as Lem bends down and presses their lips together, both arms wrapping around his waist. He tastes of cloves and smoke and all other worries fly from Emmanuel's mind.When they break apart, Lem sucks in a breath. “Oh, wow.”Emmanuel laughs. “Want to go back in?” he asks and tips his head toward the room.“Sorry it’s no Hotel Tristero,” says Lem, but huddled up against him and feeling warmer than he has in months, Emmanuel can’t quite bring himself to mind.
10312619
Where Do We Go
{ "Archive Warning": "Major Character Death", "Category": null, "Characters": "Willow Rosenberg, Tara Maclay, Xander Harris, Anya Jenkins, Rupert Giles, Dawn Summers, Angel (BtVS), Cordelia Chase, Buffy Summers, Spike (BtVS)", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by womanaction", "chapters": "9/9", "completed": "2017-04-29", "published": "2017-03-15T00:00:00", "words": "12,560", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Spike/Buffy Summers, Tara Maclay/Willow Rosenberg", "Series": "Where Do We Go - S6 AU", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel: the Series", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, F/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
We can tell the end is near… She doesn’t sleep.Maybe it’s because she misses Tara’s warm arms. She won’t even look at her, for Goddess’ sake. Maybe it’s because she keeps replaying the night over and over again, seeing that bitter look of resignation in Buffy’s eyes. But where do we go… Maybe it’s because she still has that song stuck in her head. Seriously, is it some sort of extra-demon-y aftereffect? Because it’s been hours now and she can’t get it out.She rolls over again and tries to remember what Tara had sung her yesterday. She’d been so bright and shining and…enthusiastic, it was hard to make herself believe that it had all happened so quickly. That she had screwed everything up so quickly.But she can fix it. She knows this. Tara will forgive her, and Buffy will forget – in time.Damn that time. If there was just an easier way…“Sweetie?”Tara sounds tired, frustrated. But not angry. Willow turns toward her with maybe a little more eagerness than is strictly called for. Her girlfriend (still, she hopes) regards her with something like distrust. “I can’t sleep,” she says, trying for a cute pout. It’s a weak effort, but Tara’s eyes soften slightly. “It’s just…”“Buffy,” she supplies.Willow nods. “I just – I can’t stop thinking of her up there, or out there, or however it works. Not here, happy not being here, in Heaven or Valhalla o-or whatever,” her voice starts doing that thing that she hates, but she can’t stop it now. “A-and she’s in so much pain, just living in that, that constant pain and I can’t fix it! It’s my fault and I just…wish I could make it go ‘poof’. You know, like ‘poof’, Buffy. ‘Poof’, happy Buffy. But...” she trails off as she finally realizes that maybe the magic terminology is less than ideal.Sure enough, Tara’s lips are pursed and she scoots a little further back on the bed. The look in her eyes is stern. “Willow, sweetie, I know. And it’s not bad to feel that way, to want to take away her pain. But – you know you can’t, right? No more magic.”“No more magic,” Willow agrees quickly. No more bad magic. No more back-from-the-dead life-changy sort of magic. But…good magic, Glinda the good witch magic, how could that be so bad?“She needs to find her own happiness here. We just need to give her time, a-and maybe some space and support wouldn’t hurt. Let her know that we’re here for her.”Happiness. If she could just give Buffy happiness again…then she wouldn’t want to leave. Wouldn’t want to…die. And that was unequivocal goodness, right there. What couldn’t be good about giving the champion of the human race a little spring in her step?Tara’s still watching her closely. She fakes a yawn. “Thanks baby. I guess I cried myself tired,” she says lightheartedly. “Night night.”She rolls back over, but this time it’s not sad lump-on-a-log Willow. Now she’s (wo)man-with-a-plan Willow. All she needs to do is find out what would make Buffy happy and give it to her. Then everyone will feel better, including Tara. And things can go back to normal… Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. This story archived at http://dark-solace.org/elysian/viewstory.php?sid=5315 ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “If I was a Buffy, what would I want?” she says aloud in a sing-song voice, staring out the window. Hey, if it works when I’m missing something…only in this case she’s the one missing something, and it’s kinda her will to live. Okay, down that road the bad thoughts live.“What’s that, sweetie?” The soothing noise of note-taking stops.Oh. Tara. Right. Her brain scrambles as she turns around. “Just…thinking about what to get Buffy.”Tara frowns. It’s pretty cute. “Her birthday isn’t until January.”“Well, you know, gotta be prepared!” she says. “Plus, you know, Christmas.”“But you don’t celebrate Christmas,” Tara points out.“Yeah, but…Buffy does! And – and I want to do something nice. You know, because the whole…heaven thing.” She finds herself lowering her voice on the last two words, as if saying them quietly will activate some sort of magic undo button sending everyone back to last spring. Nope. Didn’t work. Although…I could probably…the sacrifice would be immense though. And I’d hate to lose everything I’ve learned… Tara smiles a little. “Maybe you should just…talk to her? Not necessarily about…unless she wants to. But she might not be ready.”“Oh, duh. Yeah. And maybe I could figure out something to make her happy again.”“I don’t think a Christmas present is going to make up for that,” she says quietly. Willow swallows nervously.“No, of course not! I meant happi-er. Not expecting presto, brand new Buffy, just…maybe I can help lighten the load somehow.” She tries for her most sincere smile, which should be easy since she means every word. Just maybe not in the way Tara thinks.She doesn’t look entirely convinced, but after a minute she starts writing again and Willow breathes a silent sigh of relief. Now for the fun part.  Talking to Buffy was a bust.She was all quiet and sulky and distant. Whenever Willow had tried to make a joke and lighten the mood, Buffy had only smiled absently. She didn’t seem mad, exactly, just very, very sad, and not bothering to hide it as much as she had to have been for months now. She left the Espresso Pump $7 lighter, a large coffee and a yummy pastry heavier, and with exactly the same amount of answers she’d come in with. Okay, new tack. Hmm, is that short for tactic or is it like a horse tack thing? Ooh, or hard tack. Alright, focus, Willow. She sneaks a peek at Tara in the bed next to her. Sound asleep. She sort of wishes she could be disappointed – they haven’t exactly had a lot of alone time what with the singing and betrayal – but Buffy is the priority for now. She pulls the notebook out from under the bed, this gorgeous, solemn piece of craftsmanship Giles had given her a couple of birthdays ago. Of course, he would totally disapprove of her current use. He seemed to disapprove of an awful lot these days. But he’d see, when his Slayer was all spiffy and new again. Buffy’s pep would put the Buffybot to shame.If she could just figure out what would make her happy…She could always cut out the middleman and do a spell for Buffy’s happiness, but that wasn’t the best plan. The spellcaster’s own opinions had a way of bleeding into the magicks, meaning that Buffy would be a fake-happy caricature. Or worse, a carbon copy of Willow herself! Too risky.She could do some sort of mindreading spell, but that could take forever to find out what Buffy wanted, assuming Buffy even knew. Those sorts of things skimmed the surface. Good for gift-buying, not so much for giving someone a reason to wake up in the mornings. Even Cordelia probably needed something more than a cute new pair of shoes to give her life purpose. (“Unless they’re designer, duh!” she can hear her saying.)Wait…surface. She remembers something about this…deep soul travel. If she remembers correctly, it’s based on a technique indigenous to some demon species. The “soul” part is a bit of a misnomer, since apparently one of those isn’t necessary to have this done. It’s like diving into someone’s psyche, the deepest parts of them. Way invasive, but hey, it’s for the greater good, and it’s not like she hasn’t been in Buffy’s brain before.She reaches out with her magic and feels the book. The leather cover (at least, she hopes it’s leather) is warm, soft, and a deep, deep red. It’s still in the Magic Box, in the very back. Controlling her breathing, she extracts the book into another dimension and drops it back right into her lap. It lands with a soft thump.Tara doesn’t stir.She flips to the page immediately, but before she has a chance to reread the spell, she hears a window creak. Buffy must be back from patrol.Well, there’s no time like the present.The spell calls for direct laying-on of hands by the less experienced practitioner. If everything goes as planned, Buffy should immediately lose consciousness and not remember the last few minutes when she wakes.If not…well, she’ll deal with that if it happens. But it won’t. She’s dealt with way more serious magicks and pulled them off beautifully.She walks to Buffy’s room quietly, taking care not to wake Dawn or Tara. Buffy is sitting on her bed, shoes off but otherwise fully dressed. She’s staring vacantly at the wall and Willow’s stomach drops for a second. Good thing I’m here to fix things, she tells herself sternly and walks in.Buffy starts. “Willow! I…I didn’t see you there.”“Good thing I’m not a vampire, huh?” she says, faking perkiness. Buffy smiles weakly.Willow sits down on the bed next to her. She can tell Buffy wants to pull away, but before she has a chance, Willow reaches up and brushes her forehead with one hand. “You look tired.”“I’m fine,” Buffy sighs, letting her eyes close a little.Willow puts her other hand on the other woman’s forehead, then under her breath begins to chant. “Fac me introire. Animum secretis, fac me introire. Fac me introire.”She thought before that maybe she would see Buffy’s eyes roll back or something. Instead, all of reality seems to bend and narrow until she finds herself in what looks like a very large room. It’s gray all around, with no apparent ceiling or walls, but she’s definitely standing on something. Hopefully that something is the base of Buffy’s being and not, say, some freaky other dimension where she’s trapped now. She takes a few cautious steps forward.Up ahead is something that looks important; it’s darker than the grey around her and slowly pulsing, which is a good sign. Movement means life. And this looks familiar – like a heartbeat.She reaches the pulsing thing more quickly that she would have expected – it seems to only take her a few steps when it had looked yards away at least. A rational, Giles-y part of her brain cautions her not to reach out and touch it, but a much more undeniable part of her (if it’s even coming from inside her) forces her forward. When her fingers touch it, they sink in. The pulsing matter feels like a viscous liquid. Soon, her entire arm is immersed. She sort of wants to pull it out and look at it, but finds herself sinking into the gooey cloud before she has a chance to experiment.After a few seconds, she emerges on the other side. She looks down and finds herself still dry. Also, barefoot. Huh.Inside the pulsing thing, things are still pulsing, but now she sees that it’s not uniform at all. Some parts are swirling, others congealing, and something in the corner seems to be bubbling up again and again. Nearly everything is drenched in gray, with occasional tinges of color appearing as they metamorphose. Working on pure instinct, Willow steps toward the nearest shape and confidently plunges her face in.Whoa. The sensory experience is immediate. Herbs, cologne, and blood fill her nose the same instant her vision completely disappears. She is aware of a constant movement, a wave ebbing and flowing, but she can’t tell if it’s a physical movement or something she just knows. “Death,” says a voice uncomfortably close to her ear. “Death is your gift.”Wrong emotion, wrong emotion! She hears a laugh that might belong to Dracula. She doesn’t like it. Willow starts running forward and the steady pulse slows to a more sickening pace. She stumbles, losing her footing, and her stomach drops out again. Big as a billboard, Dawn’s eyes stare back at her silently. I don’t like this one either! Something uncomfortably like a hand grabs at her bare ankle and she stumbles again. This time, she falls.Willow tumbles forward into a sudden mist. It’s still mostly gray, but there are tinges of red – what she realizes after a second are little bolts of electricity. She climbs back up to her feet and feels a jacket suddenly drop onto her shoulders by a familiar presence.Angel. Of course! She mentally berates herself for not thinking of him sooner. Still, Buffy hadn’t seemed any happier after going to see him in LA. Maybe because nothing had changed for them – they still couldn’t be together.But she could probably fix that…make that soul a bit more permanent. If she could re-soul him at seventeen, she should definitely be able to get rid of that inconvenient no-sex clause now.She finds herself opening her mouth. “What do you want?”Definitely her lips moving, but Buffy’s voice coming out. A little freaky, but not killing-deer-with-bare-hands freaky. She can deal.She can see Angel now, through the mists. He frowns but says nothing. Buffy-as-Willow (or is it vice versa?) replies as if he had. “No, you don’t want me. If you wanted me we wouldn’t be here like this. Like strangers.”Angel’s expression doesn’t change. He looks pained and sad, but not sorry. Finally, he leans in as if to kiss her on the head, but she doesn’t feel it. When she looks back up, he’s gone.Well, okay. Message received. Deeper issues going on. She wonders if that was a dream or a memory, or maybe some combination of both. Angel is probably not the best plan.Still, the romantic idea was a decent one. Maybe she could bring Riley back somehow. They’d been happy together, right?She hadn’t noticed there was wind, but now it was picking up. It feels below freezing, little frozen water droplets stinging her face. She closes her eyes and tries to struggle forward, not sure how long the spell will last and still without a viable path to Buffy-happiness.And then she hears it and she stops in her tracks. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “I died too many years ago.”Willow stops in her steps. Buffy had said that Spike sang, but…she still hears herself and the others singing inside, although “outside” is still so blustery that she wouldn’t know where she was if she didn’t, y’know, know already. This has to be…a reprise? But Buffy is singing too, unfamiliar words to a tune she can’t place.Still frozen, Willow watches Buffy slowly walk forward. “This isn’t real,” she sings. Vaguely, Willow wonders why she isn’t Buffy again, but – if this is going where I think this is going, I’m kinda okay with that. “But you make me feel – ” “But I just wanna feel – ”The music swells and for a second all that Willow can think is – oh, that’s what that line was about! as the pair begins to kiss each other bruisingly. She wants to look away, but something (horror? intrigue? pure confusion?) keeps her eyes glued. It’s not exactly like the kisses she’d witnessed between them two years ago – less with the ooey-gooey smoochies and more with the, well. Animal lustiness.The sight of Buffy and Spike…embracing is soon drowned out by another gust, carrying something like snow with it. She blinks it back and mutters a countercurse under her breath, but either she had exhausted her magicks or they were no good here. Instead the wind seems to get stronger and stronger until it finally knocks her to her knees. She hears distant fanfare as she loses consciousness. “Sweetie? Willow, can you hear me?”Oh…Groggily, she opens her eyes, which could only be slightly harder to do if they’d been superglued together. “What…?” she manages, sounding more like an eighty-year-old smoker than a college junior. She coughs weakly. The snow must have…Oh Goddess.She sits up, ignoring the pain. “Tara, what – how?”Buffy is there too, she suddenly realizes, expression inscrutable. Did she wake up? Did they know? Head whirling, she tries to stammer out an excuse. “I, I was…and Buffy, she…”“Were you sleepwalking?” Tara asks gently. “Buffy found you on the floor.”She looks at the Slayer, who nods. “You were passed out. No idea how long you’d been there. I didn’t even hear you come in.”“I…I don’t remember,” Willow says weakly. “I don’t normally…”“It was probably the stress,” Buffy says shortly, not meeting her eyes. She’s still mad, Willow realizes. But maybe…“You should go back to sleep,” Tara says firmly. “Both of you. I-I can take care of Dawn. Just – rest.”She’s still exhausted, so not really about to break out the Resolve Face. Tara and Buffy exit, leaving Willow alone in the bed and alone with her thoughts. What she’d seen in Buffy’s psyche…could it possibly be real? Buffy had been gone when we stopped singing…and Spike did save her, in his weird fucked-up way. If it wasn’t real, then it had been a dream or a fantasy. And all of those were equally damning. Whatever Buffy’s feelings toward Spike, she definitely had a strong reaction to his presence judging from the Blizzard from Hell ™. Strong feelings are of the good, even if the target is definitely of the bad. Maybe it’s just something she needs to get out of her system.She scrunches her brow. Doing a spell to make Buffy happy was one thing, but having her happy-making be with a demon was another. Plus there was the whole tie-you-up, say-you-love-me thing. She could just imagine what her Women’s Studies professor would say to that.If only I could talk to Tara about this, she thinks desperately. But one hint of spell-castiness and she’ll be gone. I need a second opinion, preferably from someone with experience dating someone sorta evil and crazy. But where will I find someone like that? Oh, right.  “So how’s the wedding planning going?” Willow asks, chipper as can be. She takes another long sip of her Chocalicious Mocha-Locha Flavor-Filled caffeine thing. Xander watches her warily.“Sure you need more of that, Wills?”She shrugs.“And it’s…fine. Anya’s doing all the work. Well…I’m doing the work of making sure we have enough money for everything, since her family’s been dead for oh, about a thousand years.” He raises an eyebrow.“I’m surprised she’s not suckering Giles out of his money,” Willow observes. Xander snorts.“She’s been badgering him for another raise, but so far he’s staying strong.”She takes another sip, then asks, “What was it like when you first started seeing Anya?”He frowns. “What’s with the sudden interest? Not that I’m complaining, but you two have never exactly been braiding-each-other’s hair types. Which I’ve come to live with, because I think that’s the first step in you turning someone gay.”She points her straw at him. “Watch it, mister. I seem to remember someone being way better at French braids than I ever was. Remember when my mom would let you eat breakfast with us if you’d do my hair every day?”“That was a sacred, unspoken deal. And it’s not my fault that you suck at braiding.”She glares, and Xander chuckles. “I kinda missed that look,” he says softly. “Uh, but, Anya…I don’t know. It was weird, I guess. Weird because I couldn’t believe I was into her, and that she was into me, and weird because…I didn’t know where things were going. And a little scary.”“Scary?”“Well, the whole vengeance demon curse-your-penis-off thing. Plus, you know. I wasn’t sure what you guys would think. It was bad enough just going to prom with her, but it becoming a whole thing? A little freaksome.”She nods slowly.“But I mean, you’ve got to get that, right? Probably felt that way with, uh, Tara. You know, unexpected attractions…not sure what friends will think…”“Yeah,” she says, remembering that long period of secrecy. It was exciting…but yeah, a little scary. “She wasn’t a demon though.”“Ex-demon,” he corrects quickly, sounding a lot like his fiancée. “And…yeah, but she thought she was, right?”“Right…” That’s it. If she is…whatever, with Spike…she’s got to be worried about us. Maybe I should just tell her it’s okay? But there’s no way Xander and Giles would be with me on that. I could put a spell on them so they’d like him. That would be way obvious though. And also those spells tend to overestimate so I’d probably end up making Xander fall in love with Spike instead. Which could be pretty funny. But maybe, instead of making them approve, it’d be easier to just make it so she doesn’t care. She snaps her fingers. “Yes,” she breathes.“Uh, Will?”She blinks, suddenly guilty. “Oh, um – sudden breakthrough in, uh…math. I have to go. Good talk! Bye!”She can feel Xander’s eyes on her as she walks briskly away, but she can’t worry about that right now. She may have just figured out the key to Buffy’s happiness. It’s a really simple spell. A little sage, a bit of wormwood, and a pinch of good intentions! What could go wrong? The herbs are mixed and she’s looked over the incantation. All that’s left is the doing of it.The name is a little silly, really: Follow Your Heart. How very Disney. Still, it’s supposed to help the target “chase away shyness, anxiety, and other barriers to happiness” and let them “make their dreams come true on their own terms.” She grins, imagining an old-timey salesman in a striped hat rattling off the pitch and whistling a jaunty tune. It sounds a little snake-oil-adjacent, she has to admit, but everything makes sense and looks right on track. She holds her hand above the bowl of herbs and slowly moves it, feeling the magic flow from her hand and soak into the herbs. “From my hand to the herb, from the herb to the heart. Tomorrow day, her blessings will start. From the heart to the herb, from the herb to the hand. Strike down the blocks in her path that do stand. Let it be done.”A soft glow encompasses the bowl, then fades. “Well,” she says, satisfied as she scoops up the herbs into the sachet, “at least I know it worked!” Willow of two years ago would certainly have been excited to see the visual evidence of her magic at work, but now…well, after you’ve stood up to a god and raised a Slayer from the dead, it’s kinda hard to get excited by a little bit of whoosh and woo.Sneaky as a cat, she slips into Buffy’s now-empty room and hides the sachet under the pillows and sheets. Hopefully the Slayer will be too tired to notice the vague smell of magic tonight, and tomorrow she’ll be too busy taking on the world and getting whatever she wants (even if that is, okay, Spike, which Willow isn’t pretending to understand). It’s too bad I didn’t know about this spell a few years ago, she thinks suddenly. It really could have helped Tara stand up to her family. I wonder why she never tried it? Tara was always so careful like that. She loves that about her girlfriend, but sometimes it’s time to do something.Like Willow had, just now.She smiles a little to herself as she fluffs Buffy’s pillows back up, and a thought crosses her brain that she would never admit out loud. I am the best friend ever. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- She wakes up with a smile on her face. Giving back feels so good. I should do something else! Something like…donuts! Today is a donut kind of day. She feels so good walking to the store she almost wonders if she somehow cast the spell on herself instead. But hey, I guess there was nothing standing between myself and happiness in the first place, huh?At breakfast, Tara gives her a sidelong glance. “Sleep well?”“Oh yeah,” she says, almost bouncing up and down. “Hey, you wanna do something today? No class! Ooh! We could go to the zoo! The zoo is always a good time…well, except for when hyena spirits possess your classmates. But I’m sure that won’t happen again.”Before Tara answers, Buffy appears. “Mm, donuts,” she says, grabbing one immediately.“Buffy!” Willow exclaims, with more energy than probably necessary. “How are you feeling?”But Buffy is already heading out the door. She watches her go, a little bemused but still pleased. “She’s eating,” she says happily. “And – did you see those pants? Those weren’t depression pants!”Tara looks at her with a mixture of understanding and…pity? “I know you want her to feel better, sweetie, and so do I. But you can’t push her, you know. I-I mean…sometimes getting better isn’t just a straight line of recovery. It’s hard and exhausting and there’s a lot of backtracking.”“I know,” Willow says, a little put out. “But…donuts! And pants! I just…I know she’s getting better. I can feel it. Call it…witch’s intuition.”Tara raises an eyebrow but says nothing.“So…zoo?”“I have studying,” Tara protests weakly.Willow sighs dramatically. “You know I think smart is sexy, but you really don’t have to work that hard to get my attention,” she says teasingly, hoping that some good old-fashioned flirting will banish some of the weird awkwardness between them.Further proving the goodness of the day, it works. “Okay,” Tara allows. “Cute fuzzy animals today, studying tomorrow.”The coy smile she sends Willow’s way still makes her heart skip a beat.The front door opens again and at first she thinks it’s Buffy coming back, maybe with smiling and gratefulness. Not that she’d know to be grateful to Willow.“Mm, donuts!” Xander says immediately. His hand pauses before he picks up the pastry. “Wait…these aren’t apocalypse-time research donuts are they? Because if so, I want no part of them.”“Nope!” Willow says cheerfully. “Just happy Saturday donuts.”“Where’s Anya?”“Inventory,” Xander says around a mouthful of donut. He swallows. “I tried to tempt her away but I think we might have found the thing she likes more than sex.” Ew. “Anyway, I’m supposed to meet Buffy and the Dawnster. Something about winter clothes shopping.”“Buffy,,,left,” Tara says slowly. “She didn’t say where she was going.”Xander shrugs. “Probably some Slayer emergency. DAWN, YOU READY?” he yells in the general direction of the steps.“Like two more minutes!” she shouts back. Oh, the joys of teenagerdom.“Just enough time for another donut,” he says with satisfaction.Tara opens her mouth hesitantly then shuts it again. Willow catches on instantly. “Uh, or you could take one to Anya!” she suggests brightly. Tara shoots her a smile and she feels a little better. Not that she’d been feeling bad.Xander looks at her oddly. “I could, but I’ve been exiled from the Magic Box during inventory. You know how I mentioned she likes it more than sex? Well, if you combine the two…”“Gross,” Dawn comments, walking down the stairs. “Mm, donuts!”“Better be careful with that, Dawnster, or you won’t fit in your shiny new duds,” Xander teases as she eagerly digs in.She scoffs at him. It’s a little less condescending than she probably intends, considering her face is covered in powdered donut dust. “Duds? Time travel much?” She looks down slightly. “Besides, mom always said we should pig out before shopping so we wouldn’t buy clothes that were too small.”“A-and you need the calories. For the walking,” Tara puts in quickly before the atmosphere can get too awkward.“Yeah,” Dawn says distantly. “Calories.”It gets awkward anyway. She yawns. It seems like forever since she’s felt like this – warm, snuggly, post-coital. Tara is already fast asleep. It’s a perfect moment.Except that she’s really, really thirsty.I could just summon it in here, she muses. She steals a glance at her sleeping girlfriend. But if she wakes up…Not wanting to ruin the moment, Willow creeps out of bed herself.She’s heading back up when she hears voices. Not in a concerning psychological or supernatural way, but still – voices. She pauses for a second, trying to make them out. It’s Buffy and Dawn, talking in the living room.“- got denied,” Dawn says quietly. “It’s not a big deal or anything, Xander took care of it but…I thought you should know.”“Thanks,” Buffy replies briefly. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”“Buffy, you know…I’m not a kid anymore. You don’t have to lie to me.”“I’m not,” she says confidently. “I’ll take care of it, and I’ll pay Xander back. No problem.”Willow thinks about this as she goes back up the stairs. Is Buffy getting a job? Is that where she was today? A slight pang of guilt. Maybe I should get a job, too. But I’m in school and…she seems pretty sure she’s got it handled. I’m sure she’ll ask me to help out if she needs it.She finishes her water quickly and crawls back into bed. The darkness seems to swallow her up, and within minutes that feel like seconds, she’s asleep. Willow is bored.As promised, she’s not bothering Tara while she studies for her big test. I’m so bored I almost wish I had a big test, she thinks mournfully. It’s Sunday afternoon and everyone is off doing their own thing. She’s toyed with the idea of trying out some new spells, but on the off-chance someone catches her, she’d rather be bored than yelled at.What do people do with their time? What do vampires do with their time? She wonders suddenly. Maybe that’s why Spike watches so much daytime TV.Spike. Huh. Is Buffy there with him now? She tries to picture it. Well, not it – she really doesn’t want to, although their passionate post-musical make-out had given her some idea of what it might look like. But – them. In a together-y way. It kinda hurts her brain.Still…she remembers how he was. Before her fall, he seemed to be softening up, like an old picture that had gone fuzzy. And after…he’d been so sad and empty. Lifeless. I’d probably be the same way if I hadn’t been able to get Tara back.She takes a second to process that she even made that comparison. Because I’m a human with a soul and he’s…so not. Still, he’s probably less evil than Anya. How many horrible curses equal a person killed? And does it count as much if it’s for food? But then he killed Slayers for fun, which has to be as bad as killing like a dozen normal people at least, since they’re all champions of good and whatnot. But she was around so much longer… Lost in contemplation of their relative evilness, she’s startled when Buffy walks in.“Hey!” she says. Buffy turns and looks at her, acknowledging her only with a nod.“How are things? I haven’t seen you. Did you get a job, because -  ”“Have you seen Xander?” she interrupts flatly.Willow blinks. “No, not today. He was here yesterday but - ”“Okay.” Buffy turns to leave.“Are you mad at me?” she asks, steeling herself for the Slayer’s response. Maybe she just needs to let it out and yell at me. If it makes her feel better…But Buffy doesn’t yell. She simply says, “I don’t want to talk to you.”Willow is left in stunned silence as Buffy closes the door again. You know, I might have felt better if she’d slammed it. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Have you noticed anything…different about Buffy?” Willow asks quietly. They’re sitting around the Magic Box, waiting for some sort of important announcement from Giles.Xander thinks. “Well, she did pay me back some money she owed me, which is pretty unusual,” he says jokingly.“Okay, but…does she seem happier?” she asks again, voice still quiet. Tara, paging through a book, doesn’t seem to notice.“She seemed sort of avoidy when I saw her, but I guess she didn’t have that dead look in her eyes.” He pauses. “Uh…verbal backspace. Bad choice of words.”“I know what you meant,” she reassures him.“Maybe she has a secret other job,” he suggests. “One that’s paying a lot of money.”“Or maybe she’s having sex with someone,” Anya adds loudly. Damn, I really thought she wasn’t listening. Also, her voice is so grating you could make lemon zest out of it. Tara looks up but doesn’t say anything. Xander seems interested in the possibility. “Ooh, I’ll take secret boyfriend for 500, Alex.”“Although it wouldn’t explain the money,” Anya notes.“Unless he’s also her sugar daddy.” Xander grimaces. “Bad images. I’m batting a thousand today.”Willow just tries to stifle her laughter at the thought that Spike could be anybody’s sugar daddy.Giles finally comes in from the back. “Er – what are we talking about, exactly?”“The weirdness that is Buffy,” Xander says immediately at the same time his fiancée says “Buffy’s secret lover.”Way to tact. Maybe they really are meant for each other, Willow thinks glumly.Giles clears his throat. “Yes, well – I don’t suppose any of you have seen her today, then?”Before they have a chance to answer, the Slayer in question appears.“What’d I miss?”“Nothing yet,” says Giles, quickly recovering. “But I do have something important to…disclose.”Willow expects a quip, but Buffy merely stands there and folds her arms.Is that what a happy person would do? she wonders suddenly. Maybe…maybe it didn’t work at all. That hasn’t happened to me in a while. Or maybe… Maybe she found the herbs and put two and two together. That has to be it, that’s why she was so mad at me when she’s been normal to everyone else! Oh, Goddess…what am I going to do? She’s so caught up in her thoughts that she misses most of what Giles says until “— leaving Saturday.”Anya is eyeing him suspiciously. “Is this permanent or are you just doing this to torture me? Because frankly, I don’t enjoy being on this end of the torturing!”Xander cringes ever-so-slightly.But wait, Giles leaving? Her brain whirls. On the one hand, he’s useful for apocalypse-y stuff. On the other…I could probably be that useful if he’d let me and stop yelling at me for every little thing. On the other, other hand…how will Buffy take it? She sneaks a look. The Slayer is still standing there stonily. “You can’t leave,” she says firmly. “I want you to stay.”Giles looks down, something like guilt crossing his face. “I- yes, Buffy, I understand that. And if my sole concern was what I wanted…rest assured I would never think of leaving. But, well…I rather think it’s best if I go.”“What can I do to make you stay?” Buffy asks, setting her jaw.He frowns. “Buffy, this isn’t so simple.”She stares at him for a second, eyes narrowed. Then she shrugs. “Okay. Sure.”Buffy turns on her heels (ooh, nice heels) and leaves.Everyone is silent for a few moments until Tara hesitantly asks some minute question about England. The four of them fall into a lively, if still somewhat awkward, conversation, but Willow is still too distracted. I’ve never seen Buffy act that way, except – last year. Right at the end. But we’re all safe, right? No big baddie out to suck and/or drain our blood for ritual purposes. Maybe I’m just paranoid… She has classes and a test that for once in her life she wasn’t ready for until the night before. Tara makes her some tea and she studies until her eyes feel like they’re about to drop out of her skull. Any mention or thought of Buffy barely registers on her radar, and she sure as hell doesn’t see her. By this point, she’s pretty convinced that her best friend hates her.And maybe that’s a little justified, she thinks shortly before falling asleep. I mean…she doesn’t know that I was just doing a spell on her for her own good. Who knows what she thinks I was doing… I did bring her back from heaven after all. Maybe she thinks I was trying to send her back? Her test is solidly okay, which usually counts as utter failure in Willow-land. But her head hasn’t been in the game school-wise all semester. She just doesn’t get that incredible, exciting rush of excitement anymore. It’s just…school. Is this how Buffy and Xander felt all those years? Tara has back-to-backs, so she heads off-campus to go eat lunch by herself. She’s halfway through her yummy panini, sitting outside of the café, when she spots someone who very definitely also has back to back classes.“Dawnie!”Her shoulders freeze up as Willow’s voice registers, but she obviously knows she’s been caught out.“Hey,” she greets casually, the epitome of “playing it cool.” “Ooh, is that pesto? Yum.”Willow frowns. “Hey, listen…missy. Don’t think I don’t know it’s a school day. I’m in school, remember?”“We had a half day,” she said breezily.Off Willow’s look, she adds, “Because…I had…cramps. And a temperature.”“Aren’t you a little young for senioritis?”Dawn sighs and, giving up, collapses into the other chair at Willow’s table.“Does Buffy know?” Then, suddenly realizing, “Have you been cutting class a lot?”“I’ve barely seen her. So…pretty much no.”Willow raises an eyebrow but doesn’t repeat her second question. “Dawnie…”“I know, I know. Spare me the lecture.”She has a sudden flashback to Giles yelling at her in the kitchen and cringes. “Nope, no lecture today! I’m actually done with my classes and, well, there’s no reason for you to go back when you’re already cutting. Just make the most of today, you know, and…don’t do it again.”“Really?” Dawn asks suspiciously.Against her better judgment, Willow nods.“Cool. Hey, can I have your pickle? I have one of those little hot sauce bottles and a really great idea.”Willow passes it over, immediately regretting everything. She spends the afternoon with Dawn, browsing shops, making light conversation, and showing off a couple of spells-in-progress. It’s nice to be around someone who thinks what she’s doing is cool instead of acting concerned when she uses a ball of sunshine instead of a flashlight. Isn’t renewable energy supposed to be in? She kinda likes getting to feel like a big sis, although it does remind her of how little time she spent with Dawnie over the summer.It wasn’t because she didn’t want to. It was just…she was always with Spike or someone, which was weird. She had never really gotten their friendship, but Buffy seemed mostly okay with it. And seeing Dawn just made her think about Buffy and made her feel bad all over again. If she’d just practiced more, learned the right spells, she could have prevented the whole thing. And if Buffy had never died, I would never have had to bring her back. And she’d be happy…er, at least. And, bonus - she wouldn’t totally hate me. Maybe if she hadn’t been all guilt-wracked she wouldn’t have worked so hard to bring Buffy back quickly, and they would have found out for sure where she was.She refuses to consider if that would have changed things.Anyway, fun aside, she’s totally ready to turn into Authority Figure Willow as soon as they walk into the house. Like a Transformer.Unfortunately, the world has kept on turning without them.“Willow!” Xander exclaims when they come in. She opens her mouth to tease him about the fact that he doesn’t actually live there, but before she has a chance he claps his hands together. “Just the witch I was hoping to see.” Uh oh. He only does that when he’s nervous.And usually when he has bad news.Before he has a chance to split it out, her gaze shifts to behind him.Beside her, Dawn quietly says, “Shit.”Willow concurs. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Sitting there in the living room are two people. One of them looks so assured that she could almost swear that she never left town. The other looks distinctly uncomfortable.Willow immediately turns around again just to check. It’s still day. “How did you…”“I drove,” Cordelia says helpfully. “Angel hid in the back with blankets. Although somehow he still managed to be a backseat driver.”She rolls her eyes, but fondly, somehow. Angel scowls a little. “Willow,” he says seriously. “It’s about Buffy.”“Well, yeah. Kinda figured.”Xander speaks up. “After what you said - and then Anya said the thing about Buffy having a secret and, I kinda thought I’d try to talk to her about it. So I came by to talk to her today and she wasn’t here, but I just couldn’t shake the idea that something was off. So I looked around a little bit…and then I found this.”He holds up the item and she catches her breath.“It’s a lighter,” he says triumphantly. “More specifically, a lighter belonging everybody’s least favorite bleached blonde menace.”“We-we don’t know that!” Willow protests weakly. “It could be anyone’s!”Xander scoffs. “Right, anyone’s ancient lighter that we’ve all seen a thousand times. I don’t like the implication just as much as you do, but…”He lets it hang in the air for a second before continuing. “So I had a flashback to Thanksgiving a few years ago, the whole vision-about-Buffy thing, and I thought it was worth a shot. I called LA - ”“Found out I was the current vision-haver,” adds Cordelia, looking at Willow pointedly.“ – she blabbed to Angel, and here we are.”“So no vision?” Willow asks.“No vision,” Angel confirms. “But we do have a suspicion. What Xander said about Buffy’s odd behavior…it sounds like a spell of some sort.”Uh oh.“So we were like, who would want to put a spell on Buffy?” Cordelia says.Double uh oh.“And the obvious culprit was Spike,” finishes Xander. Oh…well, okay. I mean, on one hand, he totally didn’t do it, but on the other…there will be majorly bad consequences if they find out it’s me. And besides, he is evil. And, apparently, banging Buffy. Which is all thanks to yours truly, so I’d say he owes me this one. “Are you serious?”Willow had almost forgotten Dawn was there.But she is, and she’s got her hands on her hips like she’s Buffy’s Mini-me. “Spike would never do that,” she says with authority. “You guys are cracked. I mean, a lighter? That’s your evidence? Come on. I’ve seen Law and Order.”Angel looks uneasy. He’s never really known how to deal with Dawn, now that she thinks about it. “I’ve known Spike over a hundred years. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do.”Dawn snorts. “Oh, when was it you two were getting to be so buddy-buddy? Was it when you got all soul-y and ate a bunch of rats or was it when you came back to Sunnydale and started doing Drusilla right under his nose?”“Dawn!” Willow scolds automatically.Cordelia, for her part, looks pretty darn amused. Angel gives her a betrayed look.“Okay, what’s with the debate over what Spike would or wouldn’t do?” Xander asks, perturbed. “In case you forgot, he’s soulless. Evil. I mean, if I had a dollar for every time the guy threatened to kill me, I wouldn’t have any dollars because he would have stolen them.”Dawn’s glare intensifies. “You guys didn’t seem to have a problem pawning me off on him all summer when Buffy was – ”But Willow misses Angel’s instinctive cringe and Xander’s escalating argument because out the side window she sees a flash of something bright.Something really blindingly, platinum bright.A blanket-shrouded Spike is posed outside. He presses his face to the glass and they make eye contact. His eyes, always prominent, are the size of dinner plates. Spike jerks his head in the universal sign of “I need to talk to you in private.”As if this situation needed to get more complicated, she thinks tiredly, but nods covertly. Thankfully, Dawn hasn’t noticed her buddy, too busy in her ardent defense of him. Angel’s brow has somehow become even more furrowed, but he doesn’t seem to have noticed his...former friend? Grandson? Vampire relationships are weird. “I have to…” she says vaguely. Nobody seems to notice as she slips out the back. Normally, that would bother her – attention is kinda nice, after all – but right now the high school Invisi-Girl routine is doing her some good.Spike is lounging in a shaded part of the back porch, looking cool as a cucumber and definitely not like he’d risked life and limb dashing through killer sunlight just to have a little chat. His eyes are still wide, though, and he seems almost jumpy, like a hunted animal. He’s smoking nervously, hands shaking. Did he drop his cigarette earlier? she wonders, noticing the burns on his hands. “Red,” he greets. “I, uh – well, it’s about Buffy.”Before she can respond, he continues. “I’ve no idea what’s happened but it’s either a spell or complete psychological break and I’m leaning towards the former.”“I thought you’d be happy,” she says, a little put out.“Well, I was, at first, but – hang on. What do you mean, you thought I’d be happy?” The cigarette has dropped from his mouth and he stomps it out absentmindedly. “It’s your bloody fault, innit? You and your fuckin’ goody-goody – and don’t think I didn’t hear everyone in there blaming it on old Spike and there you are, sitting pretty on the knowledge that you’ve driven a Slayer completely barmy.”He takes a step toward her, almost into the sunlight. She stands her ground. “Okay, I thought it was crazy, too, but she’s…whatever with you and she’s got some sort of job and she’s standing up for herself! To me, which kinda sucks, but I want her to be happy, unlike you, Mr. Selfish! I mean, what the hell is your problem?”“My problem?” he chokes out disbelievingly. “Your Slayer, the champion of all that’s good, saver of all the bloody little kittens up a tree, is out there smashing up her Watcher’s car and extorting money and you think I’m the one with a bleedin’ problem?”“She’s – what?”Somehow he gets even closer, nostrils flaring. In a quiet, pinched voice, he says, “Buffy is out of her mind. She’s actin’ like a bloody fledge – only in the moment, not thinkin’ about any consequences. And maybe I could look past it if she was happy but she’s still fuckin’ miserable. You can see it in her eyes. I’ve barely slept because I’m trying to make sure she doesn’t get back to Heaven the hard way because she thinks for a second that it’s a good idea. I only left because I thought you’d be some help, God only knows why. Whatever you were trying to do with that spell, you bollixed it up. Again.”“I saw you kissing!” she blurts out. He freezes. Well, a lie of omission never hurt anyone. What’s that thing Obi-Wan says that Xander’s always quoting? “It’s true…from a certain point of view?” “I saw you kissing and…I thought maybe you could make Buffy happy, but there was no way that she’d be okay with it because of the judgment.”“The judgment,” he repeats.“From, well…us. Not me! Mostly. So I just put a spell on her so she would get her heart’s desire, basically, and not care what everyone else thinks.”Spike’s already shaking his head. “Like hell. You better reread that fine print or maybe you used...toad legs instead of frogs, I have no bloody idea. But this is not a Buffy who is getting what she wants.”“So you didn’t…?”His eyes flick away from hers and she feels a rush of triumph. “I knew it was too good to be true,” he says quietly. If she didn’t know better, she would swear he sounds a little guilty. “That it was a spell or some business like that. That she wasn’t in her right mind.”“But…”“But yeah, whatever coy innuendo you’re building up to. We did that, and the other, and ten times more. But we have to get real Buffy back, even if she hates me.”“And me,” Willow says. Wait… “She destroyed Giles’s car?”Spike clears his throat. “There’s still bits and pieces. Caught up to her and managed to stop her, then I cuffed her to what’s left of it.”“And you think that’ll hold her?”The look on Spike’s face answers that question pretty easily. He starts forward, but she puts a hand to his chest. “I’ll go. You can explain to the others and get them ready to be backup.”“Really rather not,” he mutters, but he stays in place as she whispers a teleportation spell. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The spell finds her immediately and Willow opens her eyes to the sigh of Buffy. Her gaze drops to her wrists. One wrist is still cuffed, but the other hangs loosely. And the car… Or rather, the ex-car… From the looks of it, Buffy had broken the cuffs and immediately resumed her destructive activities. The car is definitely useless at this point.“Buffy?”She doesn’t turn around. “I don’t want to talk to you.”“Buffy, you’re under a spell,” Willow says, not coming any closer. I mean, I can totally defend myself but…not really with the wanting to.The Slayer snorts a little and turns around, arms cross. The ex-car creaks. “Yeah, and let me guess – you’re here to put another one on me. Upgrade me to Buffy…4.0? 5? I’ve lost track.”“It’s not - ” She tries to remind herself that Buffy is mostly saying these things to hurt her, make her leave her alone. But on the other hand, on some level, she has to believe it. That I’m doing all of this for some personal kicks instead of just…wanting my best friend back. “Why’d you even have to bring me back? I’m sure the Bot wouldn’t have minded you mindfucking her on a regular basis. Was that not enough of a challenge?” she asks, tone acerbic. “Didn’t have to sneak into her room to change her personality.”“I didn’t – wait. You did know,” Willow says, realizing. Of course, that was the first spell, but I don’t think mentioning that is going to help my case.“I’m the Slayer,” she says joylessly. “Duh.”“So why didn’t you…”Buffy finally meets her eyes. “If it’s defective, send it back.” She doesn’t mean… “No. No, I wouldn’t do that. How could you even think that?”“Yeah, too merciful, huh?”Buffy’s words hit her like – she’s too upset to think of a simile right now. Something terrible and pointy and incredibly painful and shame-inducing.“I put the spell on you to try and make you happy,” Willow says helplessly. “It hurt to see you so miserable.”She seems genuinely surprised by this. “Happy? That’s what you were aiming for? Because I’m feeling a lot of things but happy definitely isn’t one of them.” She waves her hand at the wreckage of the car. “It’s like I don’t have my soul, like…”“Spike?” Willow supplies.“Angel.”“But Angel has his – oh.”He’s standing there in the shadows, a bruise starting to flower on his left cheek. I guess that’s what I get for telling Spike to get backup, she thinks glumly, looking around for the others. But they don’t seem to have caught up – even Spike.Is it weird that she sort of wishes Spike were here? He sorta owes her, for one, and he already yelled at her, for two, so if everyone else is going to find out and do the whole intervention thingy at least there would be one person (well, kinda) who would be – in the corner snickering at her, most likely, or glowering at her for hurting Buffy like this. But she remembers that guilty look on his face. So maybe not. If wishes were horses, etc. etc. “Buffy,” Angel says in that soft voice that somehow carries easily in the sunlight. “Buffy, it’s okay.”The Slayer screws her face up and for the first time spell!Buffy has a look of hesitancy. Her hands ball into shaking fists as she stares over at her vampire ex. “Angel,” she says equally quietly, but makes no move toward him. Her eyes are a little needy, or maybe just wanty.Willow somehow manages to feel even more uncomfortable than she did before. The pair are just staring at each other, and she finds herself with a new fear – oh Goddess, what if Buffy also doesn’t care about the curse anymore and just jumps him? Unless Angel actually stops her, we’d be in world-endy territory again and that wasn’t fun for anyone. Except me, a little. With the spell. “It’s okay,” Angel says again, and something in that makes Buffy’s expression harden.“It’s really not,” she responds firmly. “And you need to leave.”The vampire looks hurt. “I’m here to help you.”“I know. You’ll help. And then you’ll leave and it’ll hurt worse than before.” She looks straight at him. “I’m not one of your projects, Angel. Either be with me or leave me alone.”He bristles. “I don’t know what Spike did, but he’s obviously been messing with your head.”“Oh, back to that macho vamp pissing contest I love so much,” she says sarcastically.Maybe I should leave, Willow thinks desperately. I don’t think there’s a big danger of soul-losiness. All I have to do is burn the herbs and the spell should go ka-plooey. Some part of her is a little scared that if she lets Buffy know of her plans, the Slayer would stop her. She doesn’t seem to be enjoying it, per se, but uninhibited Buffy is definitely unpredictable. Reminds me a little too much of Faith. Like she might get all stabby any second now. “Do you love him?” Angel presses further as Willow starts slowly backing away. She doesn’t think they’ll notice her absence, but she’s not going to push her luck with a teleportation spell. Not against two beings with super-speed, anyway.She doesn’t hear Buffy’s response. The others are gone when she gets back to the house. She silently thanks whatever powers are still on her side as she slips into Buffy’s room.“Come on,” she mutters, pawing under the sheets. She definitely remembers putting it right there, and if Buffy had found it she would have said something. But she thought there was only the one spell, when she got caught “sleepwalking,” which means…“Looking for this?”That bitch, she thinks for probably the millionth time. Cordelia dangles the sachet from a single finger which is – hmm, not as well-manicured as it used to be.Maybe people do change.“Hey, give that back!” Willow protests. It feels exactly like a scene that had played itself out a thousand times in kindergarten and elementary school.Only this time, I have the upper hand. She closes her eyes and makes a grabbing motion, trying to tug the sachet from the other woman’s hand.Cordelia’s grip tightens. “Oh, no, you don’t. You think you’re the only one who’s gotten a little superhuman?”“Ooh, visions,” Willow says mockingly, gritting her teeth. “So impressive.” That’s right, distract her. Unfortunately, all the emotional draining of the last few hours has sucked a little of her power and focus, and as much as she’d like to wipe that smirk off Cordelia’s face, she doesn’t want to actually hurt the other woman.Much.She finally succeeds in ripping the sachet away and it flies into her palm.And the smirk? Damn. Cordy still looks somewhat…triumphant? “What?” Willow asks, perturbed.“I know something you don’t know,” she says in a sing-song voice, but doesn’t seem to take a lot of joy in it. Cordelia crosses to the bed and drops down on it, patting the other side.Willow frowns, but sits gingerly.“I lied,” Cordelia says conversationally.It takes a lot to keep back the snarky comments, but she’s a little interested in where this is going.“I did have a vision.”Oh. “About Buffy?”She shakes her head. “No. About you. And I have to say, evil glowing eyes? Not a great look on you. Which is a shame, because you seem to have finally figured out a style that doesn’t make you look like an overgrown toddler. Who’s also blind.”“Evil glowing eyes?” she repeats, raising an eyebrow. I’m choosing to ignore that last part. “Are you sure it was me and not your good buddy Angel?”“No, he makes evil look way better.” She waggles her eyebrows a little.Ew, she thinks, suddenly remembering high school Cordelia’s weird crush on the vampire. She would have thought it had dissipated completely by their senior year, but maybe not. “So what’s your point?”“The point is that I don’t really think any of us needs more death in our lives,” she sighs, looking distant for a second. Wonder what that’s about. “And I really, really don’t think Buffy wants to kill another of her friends. So maybe try not to be evil, okay?” She flashes that big, fake grin that always used to make Willow shudder.“What, you think I’m just going to wake up and come over all evil because Dawn drank all the milk for my cereal?” Willow asks.“I don’t know how it happens,” Cordelia says simply. “But I know you can stop it. Maybe by going cold turkey on this whole magic thing. Your girlfriend looked pretty worried when Spike said this was, you know, all your fault because of the spell. Also, I can’t believe I’m really saying that sentence.”“That I have a girlfriend?” Willow says dully, imagining Tara’s face when she heard the news. Probably won’t for much longer.“That you guys are friends with Spike.”“I don’t know if I would say…” she trails off, not sure what her defense would be. We don’t really like him? It just kind of happened? “Yeah, okay.”“Okay as in no magic okay?”“I have to undo this spell,” Willow protests, gripping the sachet a little tighter.Cordelia gives her a look. “Just tell me what to do.”“You’ve got to be kidding me.”“Hey, Wesley taught me a few things! Give it.”“Not really increasing my confidence,” she deadpans, remembering the clumsy former Watcher. Still…Could Cordelia be right? That wasn’t a thought she even enjoyed entertaining, but it did happen sometimes. And she’d seemed serious underneath the teasing. Serious, and even concerned. Plus, what she’d said about Tara…I’m screwed. She hands the sachet over reluctantly. “It’s a simple countercurse. Just repeat the incantation I give you and…try not to burn the house down.”Cordelia’s smile grows wider. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Cordy had sworn up and down, round and round that she could be trusted with this. “Pshh, I’m totally experienced with fire. You should have seen me after you and Xander – well. You know. I burned a lot of stuff.”Somehow, that hadn’t made Willow feel any better.She finally leaves, though, because she really needs to do the damage control thing. Three people know the truth now – Buffy, Spike, and Cordelia. And she trusts two of them about as far as she can throw them minus magical assistance.As for the other…she hopes no throwing of any kind will happen, but only TPTB knew what Buffy would do when she was back to herself. Or maybe less of herself. Her regular, socially restricted self who doesn’t destroy private property. Ooh. Private property. Giles. He’s probably seen the car by now and he’s not going to be happy. And when he finds out who’s to blame, he’s going to be several times more unhappy. Well, Giles is probably a lost cause. Besides, he’s going back to Ye Olde England, so she didn’t really need to worry, unless this whole thing made him change his mind. Anya would be pissed.She doesn’t care about Anya, though. And Xander will always be on her side (except maybe against Anya, although even then, she isn’t sure). And Buffy…Buffy will forgive her. Once she feels better.Tara, though. Tara, the stable axis around which Willow’s whole world turns. Tara, the reason for getting up in the morning and going to bed every night and everything in between. If she leaves… She clenches her fist and refuses to think about that anymore.What Cordelia doesn’t know won’t hurt her, she thinks with one last look back at the house as she sends her spirit back out to materialize near her love. The Magic Box. Maybe, if she’s lucky, she’ll be away from the others and Willow will have a chance to explain herself a little before Cordelia finishes the countercurse. She isn’t lucky, of course. If I were lucky, she thinks bitterly, I would be a fairy tale good witch, the kind where everyone applauds when she appears in the room. Instead, everyone’s acting like I’m Maleficent. She appears a few feet back right as Tara says, “I-I don’t know that this is a good idea.” Her voice is hesitant, but she presses on with more certainty. “I think if we go after her, she’ll feel – attacked. And that’s no good.”Giles sees her first and sets his jaw. Her heart sinks. His expression portrays more distinct disappointment than she’s ever seen. She feels like a kid bringing home an F, or how she imagines that feels, anyway. A kid who brought home an F and accidentally ran over a dog. And then kicked it. “Willow!” Xander says, relieved. She looks at Tara, who resolutely stares forward. “Buffy’s gone, Angel’s on the phone trying to finagle a cure from his friends in LA, and Spike’s gone after her. Please help me convince them that’s a terrible idea.”She blinks. “What?” She had been prepared to disagree with Xander for the sake of getting back in Tara’s good books, but wasn’t expecting… “No, the cure isn’t – that’s dangerous. The countercurses could overlap. I-I’ve got a handle on it. Tell him to stop so we don’t end up with double Buffies or something.”“And Spike?” Giles asks quietly, looking like he would rather hear anything but her opinion. Which, fair.“I, um,” she gulps, suddenly feeling very much like sixteen-year-old Willow. Sixteen-year-old fraud Willow, wiping her sweaty palms on her ugly skirt and wishing she was anyone but herself. She takes a deep breath, trying to quell the sudden onslaught of anxiety, and she looks at Tara again. “Tara’s right, you guys should stay here. But I need to go.” She thinks of their earlier conversation. “Spike might just make this whole thing worse.”“Thank you,” Xander says, exasperated, at the same time his fiancée ventures, “Couldn’t you, you know, also make things worse? I mean, this whole fiasco is pretty much your fault.”She pretends not to hear her as she reaches out for Buffy’s energy and closes her eyes again.  Much more of this and I won’t be able to float a pencil, she thinks, a little grateful that Cordelia is taking on the countercurse. She pauses, feeling out her body. Actually, I don’t feel that tired, but I haven’t done this much in such a short period since the spring. I wasn’t that tired after the raising either, now that I think about it. She emerges into the space and blinks. The place had felt familiar, but not so much so that she could pinpoint it. Wherever it was, it was cold, dark, and wooded. She whispers and a ball of light appears.Buffy feels nearby.And she has a creeping feeling that she’s made the wrong call. She shakes it off and reaches back to the house (not an easy thing when she’s not entirely sure where it is from here, and she’s not exactly attuned to Cordelia’s reflective energy – can you imagine?). Is she done with that damn counterspell? she sends, words (and expletives) translated into bumps and shocks of energy. The magic responds with tactile sensations; a rope under her fingers, taut until it suddenly coils at her feet.“Never that easy, huh?” she mutters, gathering the woven band of energy. She can feel Cordelia’s energy in it still, sharp and red, so it hadn’t run out of juice. Something else is going on.She’s suddenly, and very ungracefully, yanked up into the tree branches.“What the – ” she manages before Spike’s cold hand is clapped over her mouth.“Shut up, you dull bint,” he hisses, wiping drips of blood off his face with his free hand. Oh, Spike, always so pleasant and misogynistic when he’s worried, she thinks sarcastically. “She’ll hear you.”“Mmph,” she protests.Grudgingly, he uncovers her mouth. “Doin’ that in case you have something important to say, not for your wordplay and blather. And not for any more bleedin’ spells. You try that shite, I kill you myself. At least my pain will be temporary.”“Where’s Buffy?” she asks, trying to resist the urge to take a little vengeance on him. Not the first time he’s threatened me, but the first time that I could get back at him.“She’s gone completely out of her head. When we showed up, she and Broody’d had a fight. Saw us and ran off. When I caught up to her she was a mess, crying, carrying on, dead set on ending herself. Figured the only way to keep her alive was to distract her.”“Did it work?”Spike points at the gash on the side of his face. “Little too well.”“I have to go to her,” she says, dropping one of her legs and letting it dangle.“Like hell,” he growls, grabbing her arm. “I’m not about to be responsible for Buffy snapping the neck of one of her lil’ Scoobies.”“I’m the only one that can undo the spell. Cordelia did the legwork but for some reason it’s not taking. I’m the one who has to bring the spell to her, in this rope.”“There’s no rope,” he says blankly.She sighs. “It’s magic.”“So it’s a metaphor then?”For some reason, Spike talking like he’s in her freshman English class strikes her a little funny. “No, it’s real, it’s just not on this pla – ”She doesn’t get to finish her explanation. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Willow watches for a second, stunned, as Spike disappears down from the branch. “Shit,” she says before remembering: Duh. Witch. She replaces it with a much more useful curse and freezes his descent.“Relax,” says Buffy, in tones much different than she’d used before. Too calm. “I’m not going to hurt him. Right now, anyway.”Spike slowly sinks to the ground, still under the influence of the spell, and Willow follows him warily. The Slayer stands, arms crossed, eerily silent. Patient, not unlike a cat waiting for its prey. Which was adorable on Miss Kitty Fantastico (may she rest in peace), but not so much on an angry lioness.She can still feel the warmth of the rope, heating more feverishly now that the Slayer is near. I should have felt that, she thinks. If I were a better witch…But better witch reminds her of good witch reminds her of what Cordelia says. She blocks that thought. “Buffy,” she says instead, trying to sound chipper. “I have something for you.”The other woman doesn’t acknowledge she’s spoken. Her hair is limp and there are tear tracks on her face, but she shows no inclination to cry again now. She says, “I thought about killing you, you know?”“Oh?” Willow says, feeling that edge of anxiety creep into her voice. Her grip on the rope tightens.Buffy shrugs. “Then I thought about killing myself. Maybe get an all-expense-paid trip back up to Heaven.”“Buffy – ”“Right, I know. Suicide is not the answer, don’t do drugs, kids, and remember that father knows best.”Willow realizes that she’s addressing her words to somewhere above Willow’s right shoulder, instead of the crazy intense eye contact of before. Maybe it is working. Maybe just being close to it is enough. Keep her talking. “Or you could let me take the curse off. That would be a little bit like dying.”She really hopes that Spike isn’t conscious enough to hear what she’s saying.“Would it?” Buffy asks dully. “I don’t think so. More like being buried alive. That was always my worst fear, you know. Of course, thanks to you, I got to live it. Not every girl can say that.”Willow takes her pain and funnels it into the existing rope. She swears she can see it glow for a second – not with her magical eye but with her actual eyes. “You were dead when we buried you,” she says, as levelly as possible. “I saw you. I touched you…”Buffy takes a step forward, and there’s the eye contact again. But her bottom lip is trembling. “You put me in a box. You put me in a box and then you woke me back up. And then, just when I think maybe I’m starting to get the hang of things – starting to remember – you take my soul again and you put it in another box.”“I…what?” she says, so surprised that the rope slips through her fingers.“You put it in a box,” Buffy says emphatically, voice shaky. “It’s like – I can see it but I can’t touch it. Instead of putting me in the ground you put me in a museum.”That can’t be true…there’s no way the magick I did was dark enough to remove a soul. She reaches out without thinking and receives the equivalent of a psychic slap. She withdraws, startled.“What are you doing?” Buffy hisses.“I was just going to check – how did you do that? Nevermind,” she says quickly. Something is niggling at the back of her mind. The slap. The spell. Buffy’s never had the power to resist her magick like that before.She’s lost in thought, trying to recall the dusty treatises and tomes on the nature of the soul, life, death, and the Slayer that she’d pored over all summer. Was it possible that somehow Buffy had tapped into some deeper power in her death and resurrection?“Make me forget,” Buffy says suddenly, desperately.“What?”“Make me forget. I…I can’t trust you, and I hate that. I can’t trust anyone, not even myself, because I want the things I shouldn’t want and I don’t want the things I should want. But if I forget…I won’t know.”She remembers her conversation with Giles and cringes. Rank, arrogant amateur…his words still sting, but after this complete snafu she can’t deny a little of their truth. “No, you don’t want that.”“Right, I forgot. You’re the fucking expert.”She flinches, both at the unexpectedly harsh language and at the cold tone that’s retaken the Slayer’s voice. Subtly, she feels around for the rope with her foot. It’s scorching hot - were it a physical heat, the brush under their feet would definitely be on fire. How can I convince her? She thinks about Tara, her gentle power. Guidance sure and steady but never overreaching; carrying her along like an ocean wave. She takes a breath, feeling the calm wash over her. She feels Tara’s presence, closer than she expected (in proximity, not relationship – she suspects that will be kaput after tonight). The others must be waiting, watching through means magical or mundane. She does not take from her lover, but she mimics.And she understands.“You’re right, I’m not an expert. I can’t even undo this curse,” Willow admits.“What?”“I can’t do it. You can do it, if you want to. If not…there’s nothing I can do.”“But you put the curse on me,” the Slayer objects, and she must have been close to giving in already because her unearthly calm seems to have broken entirely. “I don’t know much about magic, but I know that much.”“I don’t know why, Buffy, but you don’t seem to want the curse to be broken. On my end…it already is. But you’re holding on.”Buffy stares out for a minute. Now that she’s looking for it, she feels that power, the enormous power she’s wielding. Before the summer, she’d always sort of thought of her best friend as a separate person from her Calling, and maybe on some level they were. But now…the power is shining out from every part of her.And Willow had been the one to try and take some of that power away.“What do I have to do?” Buffy asks finally.“Just reach out and take it. It’ll…break the glass, I guess. Free you.”She regrets that last sentence the second it leaves her mouth, but if Buffy has any smart comments about death, she keeps them to herself. Looking distinctly uncomfortable, Buffy closes her eyes and reaches her physical arm out.(Willow almost thinks something a little condescending about beginners, but then she remembers – Duh. Slayer. The magic and physicality are probably inseparable.Tara is going to love this.)The rope moves at her command, coiling itself around her arm, pulling her down to the ground, and burning white-hot until it seems to disappear into her skin. Buffy doesn’t open her eyes.Spike does.Suspended animation finally broken, he moves to Buffy’s side immediately, disregarding his injuries and Willow’s presence. He’s murmuring something but she can’t hear it over the pounding in her head. She sits on the ground, suddenly dizzy. The pounding is soon accompanied by voices: Giles, Angel, Xander, Anya, Cordelia, Dawn. Blurs of movement around Buffy.But she doesn’t need her barely-functioning eyes to see them. Some fragment of the sustained spell-connection remains. She sees their worried faces, their proffered hands. She feels Buffy stand on her own, but not alone. Accepting Dawn’s hug, taking Spike’s hand. A brush of fingertips on her shoulder –Oh. Not Buffy’s shoulder. She turns, head aching, and meets Tara’s eyes. She’s been crying. Maybe they both have been – she’s so tired she can hardly feel her face. She must say something like “I’m sorry,” because Tara is shushing her, brushing away her hair, soothing her. “It’s okay. She’s going to be okay.”Funny enough, in this moment, that’s the thing Willow is the most sure of.She is going to be okay.
10334816
Eye of the needle
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She let out a deep, frustrated sigh.She couldn’t believe she wasn’t able to sleep. She felt so tired and yet, there she was, lying on her back, scowling at the ceiling, her brain restless.She rolled on her side slowly, curling on herself, and pulled some of the covers between her arms to hug it, leaning on it, sighing again. She forced herself to stop thinking, to try and empty her mind. As she did, she wondered if it could be possible to really stop thinking. Technically, the subconscious mind is always working, even when one is sleeping, making dreams and nightmares and-She grunted in exasperation, shoving her face in her pillow. She hated those nights, where sleep seemed to be a luxury she couldn’t have, leaving her alone with her thoughts, weak with fatigue, vulnerable to her emotions. She felt her eyes prickle, and let out a shaky breath, rubbing at her eyes to not let the tears fall.“I just want to sleep” she whined softly, barely above a whisper.She didn’t know to whom she was saying that, but a light snore answered her, and she glanced over her shoulder. The tall, blonde woman beside her was sleeping on her stomach, her hair sprawled around her like a cape, one arm up under the pillow, the other curled against her side, lightly resting on it, her face turned in her direction. The blonde mumbled, shifting slightly, and resumed her snoring. She smiled softly, rolling on her other side to face the sleeping woman, resting her head on her hand, her elbow planted in the mattress.She couldn’t sleep anyway. Might as well look at her sleeping, she thought. Her left hand raised in the air, ghosting her fingers over the blonde’s shoulder, brushing the strands of hair off the blonde’s face as she shifted closer, feeling her warmth. The moonlight was filtered by the curtains, but still it enveloped the woman in front of her in silver, making her skin look paler and giving her hair a shining she didn’t usually have. The blonde was always beautiful to her eyes, but caught in the moonlight like this… it was a sight she never wanted to forget.She rested her head on the pillow again, her fingers tracing in a slight touch the blonde’s features, trailing along her jaw, ghosting over her lips, running up her nose, keeping her fingers light and soft. Trailing her fingers along the blonde’s spine, she leaned over, kissing her shoulder gently, hearing a soft sigh in her ear as the woman shifted slightly. Grimacing guiltily, she looked up as the blonde opened lazily one eye, taking a deep breath as she woke up slowly.“Hey” the blonde breathed, her voice raspy, and she blinked a few times. “G’morning”She smiled softly, kissing her shoulder again, as the blonde glanced to the window, her brows furrowing.“It’s not morning”, her tone was half-questioning, half-noting as her eyes fell to the woman beside her.“Well, it’s really early in the morning” she chuckled quietly against her skin. “I’m sorry, Yang, I didn’t mean to wake you.”The blonde hummed, closing her eyes as she shifted, trying to be comfortable, before frowning slightly again.“What’re you doing, Weiss?”The white haired woman snuggled closer, brushing her fingers softly through blonde strands.“Can’t sleep” she answered simply, nuzzling her shoulder, her fingers drawing patterns on the blonde’s skin.The taller woman hummed again, eyes still closed, her face scrunching up slightly more.“You alright?” she asked, her mumble low and rough with sleep as her hand inched blindly towards her, Weiss taking it gently.Weiss smiled again, resting her cheek on the blonde’s shoulder, hugging her gently.“Yeah” she sighed, the larger hand in hers squeezing lightly.“You sure?”She nodded against her shoulder, and Yang opened her eyes again, looking down at her, a small smile tugging at her lips.“You like watching me sleep?” she teased, her fingers lacing with Weiss’s.The smaller woman snorted, leaning over to gently brush her nose against Yang’s.“One of my guilty pleasures”The tall woman laughed softly, shifting to wrap an arm around the smaller woman and pulled her close to her, tucking her head under Weiss’s chin.“You should sleep” the blonde mumbled on her neck, her breath tickling her skin.“It’s not like I didn’t try” Weiss sighed, sliding her fingers through blonde hair. “I just can’t.”The blonde hummed, shifting slightly closer, nuzzling her collarbone.“Maybe take a hot shower?”“I don’t want to get up.”Yang nodded, sighing, starting to roll over.“I’ll make you some tea.”But before she could sit, Weiss grabbed her shoulder, gently pulling her back in her arms and kissed her forehead.“You go back to sleep. If I want tea, I’ll make some myself. I want to hold you while you sleep” she murmured on her skin, kissing her forehead again as she shifted to make both of them comfortable.Yang sighed, resigned, content, and pulled the smaller frame closer to her, hiding her face in the crook of Weiss’s neck.“Weiss?” she called, already half asleep.She could feel the vibration on her cheek as Weiss hummed, questioning, and she smiled softly, kissing the underside of her jaw, then her neck sleepily.“I love you. Good night.” She sighed, almost inaudible.And her breathing started to slow, deeper already. Weiss envied that, the ability of falling asleep instantly like Yang had. But she smiled softly, breathing her scent as she nuzzled in her hair, holding her closer to her as she felt her breath on her neck.“I love you too.” She murmured, closing her eyes.She felt her breathing slowing, her head finally calm and quiet as the hours passed, content to just feel the blonde against her.As the sun rose slowly, she fell asleep to the sounds of chirping birds and quiet snores.
10388991
too much not enough
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“Ninian, I love you. That will not change, no matter what may come.”No, no, no. You can’t love me. She didn’t look at him. She looked at her hands, running her fingers over her knuckles, over and over and over again. No, no, no. Wrong, wrong, wrong.But Eliwood came closer, and she stopped breathing for a heartbeat when he held her anxious hands in his. “I don’t care what your secret is – I will still feel the same. If something troubles you, let me sweep it away.”If only he could. If Eliwood could make her born again, born as a normal girl who could love him without heartache, who didn’t have to hide from him what she was.His hands were warm, and the small comfort of that made her begin to weep.“Please, don’t cry anymore,” he told her. He tilted to meet her downcast gaze with cerulean eyes. Everything was quiet, save for the whisper of her tears, and she forced herself to stay with him. For him, for his sake. “I would do anything to see you smile again. You are the first woman I have ever felt this way about, Ninian.”And he was the first person she felt that way for. Love. A word full of promise, of light bubbly feelings that burst in her heart and melted like sugar on her tongue.It hurt.She’d fallen in love with a mortal man knowing she would never be able to give him the happiness he deserved.   Life, love. Death, life. Love once again, and perhaps as the purpose of that life she was granted.Death and love and life and Eliwood.She was dying.She’d lived long enough, anyway. Her last years, however many, were best spent with him, but the way manakete lifespans lingered, who knew? A hundred years was nothing but a vapor.There was no way she’d make it that long. Wishful thinking, that’s all it was.But it didn’t matter. They were together now. Their time, their lives, their happiness… they would make of it what they would.Eliwood asked her to marry him. She said yes.She was living.He married her in Pherae, a grand affair. She danced again – she danced with him, waltzing and laughing and spinning across a polished ballroom forever. Falling in his arms. Stealing kisses.Loving. Living. Loving and loving and loving with all she had.   Morning light and sweet whispers were what she awoke to.She laid on her side, her hair falling on the white sheets, looking at him and catching glimpses of the previous night on him: disheveled red hair where her fingers had been, pink marks on his collarbone where she’d forgotten to mind her slightly sharper teeth. His eyes shone pale blue on her.“Ninian? Are you okay?” he asked.She smiled. “I’m fine.”“Just… fine?”A laugh, quiet and short. “More than fine. I’m… I’m happy.” Because she could still feel the memory of his hips pressed against hers, their bodies intertwined. Because she was with him.“That’s good.” He took her hand in his and pressed it against his chest. Her skin was pure and milky-white against his, freckled and sun-tanned. “I worry, sometimes… Ninian, do you… do you ever regret it?”Regret giving up her life for the sake of loving him.It was a question she knew he wanted to ask her every day, just to make sure she was happy with him.“No,” she whispered. “Because my happiness isn’t bound to my life, Eliwood. I’ve lived long enough. My joy is in you, in loving you… I chose you. I’d rather… I’d rather spend a measly day with my love than an eternity without.”He was still. And then he smiled, warm and mellow like the sunrise.“I’ll love you every moment, then. For every heartbeat, know I love you more than anything else.”She spread her delicate fingers on his chest, beneath his hand, and felt his heart beat against her palm. There was a little part of her that was jealous of it, a little nagging voice she kept as silent as she could, reminding her that he would keep on. He had a strong, human heart, one that would likely outlive her, that would see their children grow, that would break when she inevitability died. He pulled her hand in closer, up to his lips, and began gently kissing at her fingers. She felt it in each peck, each nibble, each breath: I love you. A dozen I love you's, a million I love you's, more I love you's than she would ever know what to do with.And she wished she could stay like that forever, wrapped in Eliwood and his love, without hourglass that hanging over her head, her life trapped within and slipping to the bottom.It touched all their rose-colored moments, that blackness around the edges of her mind’s eye. It would be worse if she hadn’t come live with him, she thought. The blackness would be regret, and it would devour her.The blackness was death, and was only the natural side effect to life.           Red hair, blue eyes.Blue hair, red eyes.She wondered if the child within her would be the mix of the two, all red or all blue, all fire or all ice.All human, or all wrong.   Roy looked almost exactly like his father and Ninian thanked the gods.He’d grow up a normal boy. He’d live a normal life. He’d live happier than his father and longer than his mother.It was a miracle he’d been born healthy in the first place.So when she first met him, she kissed his forehead, and cried endlessly.   It was springtime, and Roy was a year old. Rebecca was the wet nurse who tended to him and her son, Wolt, in the nursery, but Ninian spent as much time as she could with him. As much time as she had.Today, it wasn’t Rebecca with the children, but a maid. She made small talk with Ninian – how nice the weather has been lately, how Roy and Wolt were growing well, and did you go out to town with Lord Eliwood yesterday?And Ninian said she didn’t know that her husband left the castle yesterday. That she didn’t see him for most of the day but assumed it was because he was busy with official matters, as the marquess.But no, he went to town with Sir Marcus. To a fortune teller, apparently, but what sense did that make? Those silly young servant girls spreading baseless rumors. What use did their marquess have for an oracle?Ninian laughed it off and said he probably just wanted to get away from the castle for a while, but her stomach tied itself in a knot. She felt ill.Mages and healers were one thing. Witch doctors and fortune tellers were another.Healers visited on the days when Ninian’s body weakened. Healers tried their best and promised she’d improve, that the dizzy spells and fatigue would lessen with time even though she knew it was a lie. They were kind, at least.Witch doctors and fortune tellers were not. They knew more than they should and used it to their advantage. They pretended to do good, but caused more trouble than they were worth with black magic and potions and transfigurations and enchantments. Ninian had lived long enough to see this. She knew this. She knew better than to turn to fell arts when one was scared.Eliwood did not.Eliwood was a knight, he was her knight. And he would do anything if it meant giving Ninian a chance at life and happiness.   “Eliwood… you didn’t go see a witch doctor yesterday, did you?” Ninian asked him that evening when he returned to their quarters. She waited for him, not curled up in bed but sitting in the lounge, her hands folded in her lap.Her husband sighed as he took a seat beside her on the sofa. “I did.”“Why?”He took her hand in his own. Warm. His hands were so warm against hers, cold and dry and fragile. “I asked about us, that was all – about what the future has in store.”“…Eliwood, you know… that I’m not… I’m not going to get better, and so there isn’t…” And she stopped herself there, because she didn’t like reminding herself that there was no future for them, only now, only whatever measly days the gods decided to allow her. “Just promise me you won’t go to black magic for some solution to it. I’m happy, Eliwood. It isn’t worth it to turn to them for help – the doctors are doing well.”He opened his mouth – as if he didn’t expect it – and then settled into a smile. “Ninian, no… that’s not why I sought out a fortune teller. I only asked about us because I was curious… about our children. About Roy’s siblings.”Even though they were alone, Ninian blushed.“Do you want to? Make Roy a big brother, I mean.”“I…” She met his eyes, slowly, shyly, as if he was still courting her. “I’m not sure this sofa is exactly comfortable for it…”And so Eliwood laughed. “You’re right,” he said, and scooped her up into his arms, which made her giggle against his ear. She curled up against him as he carried her to bed, her arms around his neck, her cheek against his chest, absorbed in love.   That was the first and only time that Eliwood ever lied to her.   Ninian had another dizzy spell in the next week and was prescribed bed rest again. “I’m fine,” she told Eliwood, again and again, though the distant look in his eyes told her he didn’t believe her. He knew, and she knew, that her condition wasn’t improving. That her fragility was permanent. That she was deteriorating.He disappeared after that.While the castle staff was in a panic, Ninian remained calm. He was probably off to Etruria to ask upon their gifted healers, or to Araphen to ask their old friend Lucius about her condition, to see if there was anything they could do. That was Eliwood, warmhearted and noble.Three days later, he returned with a flower.So he hadn’t gone for help at all, but for a token.“I know that white lilies are your favorite,” he said, bringing the snow-white blossom to her bed. “And though they grow in the mountains… I wanted to see you smile again, Ninian.”And she did smile, taking the flower gently in her hands and looking into its circle fine-spun petals. “Thank you,” she told him. For a single breath of joy, he’d done so much, gone so far. “I love it. I… it means so much to me.”He covered her hands with his and leaned over to face her. She looked up at him, over the lily blossom and into his eyes, blue like starfire.In that moment, time stopped.“I love you, Ninian,” he said.And in the next moment, Ninian realized that his words were not words, but an incantation.Because the flower in her hands burned up in sky blue flames and swallowed her arms and body and melted into her skin and it felt so hot and then warm and thennothing.It was done.Her body no longer felt weak, as if the vitality she’d lost years ago was suddenly imbued back into her heart.And as a consequence, Eliwood’s was gone.His face turned ashen as he collapsed on the bed and rolled off onto the floor while Ninian screamed. She leaped from her spot – so mobile now, so capable – and fell down over him, her silken hair spilling onto his limp body as she hovered over him.“Eliwood… Eliwood!” she sobbed, choking on her own words. “What… what did you do?”He didn’t reply. Didn’t stir.And she knew.He’d lied about the witch doctor, because someone had to have enchanted that flower. Charmed it into handing whatever was left of Eliwood’s life over to his wife on the word of love.“I didn’t… I didn’t want this!” She could barely see anything, her vision blurred with tears. “Why… Eliwood… why did you give…”Because he loved her, he’d sacrificed everything so she might live.No.No no no no no.That wasn’t how it was supposed to be, they were supposed to make what they could out of what they had, she’d already prepared herself to die. Already accepted it.And now she would live.Noble Eliwood, taking matters into his own hands to save her when he realized she wouldn’t last another year… but miracles always came at a cost. Equivalent exchange. A life for a life.What was the point?She chose to live with Eliwood because she loved him, but he…He gave her an entire life at the cost of their love together, without considering she preferred the latter.All ice, no fire.Death and life and no Eliwood and no warmth and no love.   He gave his life to her, and so Eliwood became a part of her, the fire that kept her heart beating, that kept her functioning after his sacrifice.It was Eliwood that gave her the strength to arrange her husband’s funeral. It was Eliwood that gave her the strength to accept her right by marriage and take on the title of Lady Ninian, Marquess of Pherae.He gave her the strength to put the golden crown on her head and face the other members of the Lycian League as their peer. In particular, the broad-shouldered man with cold, midnight-blue eyes that seemed ready to cleave the castle in two.Hector pulled her aside after the ascension. “Ninian… I’m sorry.”His gaze was pensive, caught between emotion. He didn’t say any more than that.“…He loved you very much, Lord Hector,” Ninian told him. “He loved… he loved so much.” She stopped herself. This was a formal affair, and anything in the way of a catharsis would be inappropriate.Ninian wasn’t much for reading emotion, but by the way Hector’s fist clenched at his side, she could tell something about it angered him.“…It was sudden. I never thought… he would just leave us like that.” Not a lie, but not the whole truth, either, she told him. Something to console a broken heart.But Hector reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a note and unfolded it before Ninian. “He explained everything to me,” he said, and she noticed the familiar handwriting on the paper. “He said he felt that I deserved to know why he chose to die. I was halfway here… I was in a village in Caelin when word already spread that Marquess Pherae had died. I wasn’t able to stop him.”The fire burned at Ninian’s chest, at her eyes. If only you could have stopped him. That was what he wanted to confess.“I didn’t want…”“Eliwood loved. He loved everyone, but what did he choose in the end?” I didn’t want him to make that choice. “He loved you more than anything.”Red, puffy eyes slid up to him over her husband’s note between them. “I know. He told me… when he did it. That was the spell: ‘I love you’. And then it… he gave… he gave me what I desired least in the world. A life without him.”Hector frowned, his lips tight, his gaze stone-cold. “He sacrificed himself out of devotion to you, Ninian. Don’t waste his gift, or I’ll never forgive you. I’ll never forgive you for taking his life.”   There were still remnants of Eliwood in this world.He was in her – his life had gone to her.And he was in Roy.So she spent every moment she could with him, every moment she didn’t spend tending to the duties Eliwood left behind as the late marquess. She told him stories of her homeland, sang to him songs in the dragon tongue. She taught him to dance. She told him of his father, of the man he was and how much Roy resembled him and how one day, Roy would be a great hero like him.She saw him in his ginger hair, in his freckles, in his bright blue eyes. In his gentle spirit. In his nobility. In his fortitude. Roy was growing up to be like his father, the father he barely met, who was little more than stories on his ears.She missed him more than anything. There was a hole in her life now, a gap that wouldn’t be filled as long as she lived.But Roy, the son they had together… he was here. He was living.Perhaps that was the consolation, that she got to watch their son grow up.So as much as she ached for Eliwood every day, when she saw the young boy who flung his arms around her waist and called her “mama”, she smiled. And she was happy.
10343874
Inhibition
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Pidge | Katie Holt, Allura (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron), Coran (Voltron)", "Fandom": "Voltron: Legendary Defender", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by elfenphoenix", "chapters": "2/2", "completed": "2017-03-18", "published": "2017-03-17T00:00:00", "words": "6,517", "Additional Tags": "accidental underage drinking, Fluff/Comedy, then angst, then fluff again, this wasn't supposed to be an angsty story, but then season two happened, and I suppose any story with Keith Kogane as emo as he is is gonna end up angsty, missing shiro, post season two, klance", "Relationship": "Keith/Lance (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 }
“Oh, they’re back!” Pidge announced as the Red, Yellow and Blue Lions flew toward the castle, heading toward their docking bays.Allura had sent Hunk, Lance and Keith out on a fight-and-rescue mission to a planet that had sent out a distress signal, since the castle was still too damaged to be dependable in a fight. Pidge had stayed back, to help with repairs. It wasn’t like they could form Voltron, anyway.Pidge ticked off the seconds until she could tell that they were in the castle. It didn’t take long. Five… four… three… two… “This is all because you were trying to look good in front of some weird alien girl!” That would be Keith .“Correction-- I was pretty cool, and she’s a fish alien girl. Aw man-- Mermaids, fish people-- I really was meant to pilot the Blue Lion! Put me in the water any day!” And Lance .“You were so focused on doing backflips in your lion that I got hit with debris!”“ You were the one who charged out of your lion like a madman, swinging without thinking!”“Hey, hey, guys-- chill out! We got back in one piece, right? And the Lilirians are safe!” And that would be Hunk, trying his best to keep the two from killing each other. “Tell that to my left eye!”“Well, you know, they say that the ladies like battle scars,” Lance offered, just when they got to the control room doors. Allura and Pidge glanced at each other, then rolled their eyes and waited for the trio to walk in.“You’re the only one who cares about that,” Keith rebuked.The doors slid open, revealing Hunk standing between Keith and Lance, looking exhausted. All of them were pretty banged up, but Keith had a HUGE blue-purple bruise around his left eye that made him kind of look like season three Prince Zuko.“I take it the mission didn’t go as planned,” Allura remarked flatly, crossing her arms.“Does it ever?” Hunk answered with a shrug, but Keith was covering his bruise with a hand and glaring at Lance through his fingers.“The Galra attacked at a bad time,” Keith grumbled. “Normally the Lilirians would have been able to defend themselves against a force that size pretty easily, but there was this weird firestorm going on that apparently comes from the moon.”Allura sighed. “I’d thought that might be a possibility. As I said before you left, Liliria is an aquatic world, but its fiery moon, Liliara, is almost half of the size of the planet and its gravitational pull causes problems. It’s because of that interaction I thought it best to send the two of you . I suppose that may not have been the best idea, even with Hunk as balance.”“I dunno-- Keith and Lance did most of the work, since my lion really is bad with water.” Hunk yawned, stretching. “Maybe we should all just relax. I’m gonna go eat some space goo.”Hunk left the room, and Pidge could hear him whistling as he strolled off down the hallway. Keith and Lance, meanwhile, were left in front of Allura, who was staring them down like a stern mother. Pidge, meanwhile, did her best to pretend she was invisible.“Without Shiro here, I’m going to be relying on you two more than ever. That means you have to stop squabbling and start acting responsibly. Keith, you must stop acting rashly. Lance, you have to stop getting distracted during missions!”“Alright, we get it, Princess. But it’s hard for me to think clearly when my head’s pounding,” Keith mumbled sheepishly. “I’m gonna go use one of the healing pods.”“Afraid not!” quipped Coran, stepping cheerily through the control room doors, wiping his hands off with a towel. “With the castle still all banged up from our fight with Zarkon, using a pod could be a bit risky until we know all of what is and isn’t fully functional. Sorry, but you’ll just have to deal with the bruise for a while.”Lance, meanwhile, started sliding toward the doors. “So… I’m gonna… go hang out with Blue, my best. Buddy, and, you know, connect and all that stuff. Since last time we went to a water planet, she got a cool new power. See ya.”And then he was gone.Keith grumbled, still holding a hand over his eye, “well, do you at least have some kind of painkiller?”“As a matter of fact, we do! Volarian nuffleberry juice is the best way to dull the pain and still stay alert! Here, give it a try.”Coran snapped his fingers and a tray popped out of the floor, holding a cup of some purplish-red liquid.“Can’t say how good it tastes, since it’s been in storage for over ten thousand years, but it should clear your head. Anyhow, I’m back to check on the castle’s defense system. Good luck!”Then Coran, too, disappeared through the doors, leaving Pidge, Keith, and Allura alone in the room.Keith looked hesitantly into the cup. Pidge didn’t blame him for his uncertainty. They hadn’t exactly had good experiences with the food or beverages Coran had given them so far.“Allura, you’ve drunk this stuff before, right? Is… it good?”Allura scrunched up her nose. “On Altea, all medicine tastes like nuffleberries. It has bad memories.”“So like grapes, back on Earth!” Pidge offered. “Or at least, in the States.”Keith sighed. “Well… bottoms up, I guess.” He gulped it down in one swallow, wincing.But when he set the cup down he had a surprised but delighted look on his face. “This stuff is good ! This is the best drink I’ve had since we went into space! Is there more?”Pidge eyed him warily as another tray came out of the floor, holding a jug of the same purplish-red liquid. “I wouldn’t drink too much Altean medicine, Keith. We don’t know how different our biology is from theirs, so it could have some pretty nasty side effects… aaaand you’re not listening to me. Oh, brother.”Keith flopped into his chair, still drinking the nuffleberry juice. “It looked like hellfire, there on Liliria. It’s hard to believe that’s normal to the Lilirians.”“Yes, I did warn you about that when you left, didn’t I?” Allura commented, still looking at the castle screens. “Because of the relative size of Liliara, the gravity is unstable, causing the moon to eject fire and rock every decapheeb or so, much of which hits Liliria. I admit, I hadn’t expected you to arrive right in the middle of it, but that does seem to be our luck,” she sighed.“It was different to see it. And even convincing most of the Lilirians that the Galra were a serious threat-- they just kept saying, ‘oh, it’s just the fire-rain; it’ll pass. No big deal.’ And Lance wasn’t helping, since he met this Lilirian girl named Miraeya.”Keith took another sip of his juice and then pointed at his bruise with his other hand. “Do you know how I got this? I was down fighting the Galra on one of the Lilirian cities that sticks out of the water, and Lance was supposed to be covering me from the air so I didn’t get hit with any hellfire, and he was doing just fine, but then he started showing off, and one of the rocks exploded and a big chunk hit me in the face. We were just lucky that his lion’s ice powers cooled it down. Otherwise I’d probably be dead.”Pidge spun in her chair, raising an eyebrow. “Um, Keith, you’re… uh… feeling pretty talkative today.”It was then that she noticed the weird way Keith was slumped in his chair, and that his usual direct way of talking was slipping-- slurring, even.“And what is it with Lance and alien girls, anyway?” Keith continued, seeming to not even have heard her. “Is it just alien girls? I mean, he’s flirted with every girl we’ve met, except for you, I guess, Pidge. But is that because you’re a human, or because he thought you were a guy? Even though the rest of us figured it out…”At this point, even Allura seemed to be feeling like something was off , because she left the control panel and walked over to Keith. “Are you alright? Perhaps your head injury is worse than we thought…”“No, I think he’s drunk ,” Pidge supplied, getting up to snatch the cup out of Keith’s hand. “Allura, do you know if there’s any alcohol in nuffleberry juice?”“What’s al...cohol?”“Oh quiznak.” Pidge lifted the cup to her nose and sniffed the liquid, immediately grimacing. “Oh man, there is definitely alcohol in here. No wonder, since it’s been sitting for ten thousand years.”“Pidge, Pidge,” Keith groaned, grabbing Pidge’s sleeve. “Do you think Lance doesn’t flirt with you because he thought you were a boy?”“Ummm… maybe? I guess? To be honest, I haven’t thought much about it, Keith. Let me just help you back to your room, okay?”Keith’s head drooped in disappointment. “I thought so. He’s only into girls.”Both Pidge and Allura froze. “Umm… Keith?”“This is so frustrating…” he whined, flopping forward onto his podium. “He’s a total idiot and a lousy pilot. And he makes stupid jokes all the time and movie references I don’t get, but then he smiles and I get a little crazy. His stupid, uneven grin. Piiiiidge, why do I like his stupid smile so much?”Allura and Pidge locked eyes, both realizing . “Keith… do you… have a crush on Lance?” Allura asked, hesitantly.“Of course not! I mean… maybe… a little.”He continued muttering to himself as Allura grabbed Pidge’s arm and yanked her over to the other side of the control room.“Is this alcohol some kind of poison that twists your mind?” Allura whispered, “making you hallucinate and say impossible things?”Pidge bit her lip. “Not… exactly. Actually, what it does is lower your inhibitions. You know, what makes you stop yourself from doing what you know you shouldn’t. Alcohol makes that go away, which is why people often do crazy things they wouldn’t do otherwise. Don’t Alteans get drunk?”“Certainly not! And not on nuffleberry juice!”“That stuff is ten thousand years old! Juice ferments ! Even I know that !” Pidge whispered back furiously.“Juice doesn’t go bad , otherwise even Coran wouldn’t have made him drink it!” Allura hissed.“You mean to say alcohol has no effect at all on Alteans?”“I don’t think so… But wait… if alcohol makes people say what they normally wouldn’t… that means that they have thought that way, just normally stop themselves from saying so?”“Yeah, pretty much.”“So Keith…”“Really does have a crush on Lance,” Pidge finished.Both girls abruptly spun to face the drunk Keith, trying to hide the grins that were ghosting across their faces.Allura strolled forward, toward the door. “Well, I should go… help Coran with repairs, maybe make sure Lance isn’t doing anything destructive,” she added with a wink to Pidge. She disappeared through the door, and Pidge’s head spun. What was she supposed to do with a super drunk Keith?“Well, first, how about you not drink any more juice, okay?” she suggested, prying the half-empty jug out of Keith’s fingers.He slumped sideways, looking up at her with his uninjured eye. “I lied about not remembering him from the garrison, you know. Of course I remember him. Him and his stupid dark skin and blue eyes and sideways smile.”Pidge rolled her eyes. “Oh good God.”“But everything keeps happening around me and I try not to think about it. It’s nothing, compared to Zarkon, and finding out that I’m… I’m somehow Galra, and now… now Shiro’s missing, and everyone’s looking at me like I can be a leader but I… I can’t. I’m not Shiro. I can’t even control myself , let alone Voltron.”Pidge swallowed hard at the mention of Shiro and pulled away. “Look, Keith… if you keep it all bottled up, you’re just gonna go crazy. To be honest, I don’t know how you hid it this long, since I couldn’t even hide that I’m a girl. Especially with all the mental bonding we’ve had to do for Voltron. Unless… you didn’t even know it yourself…”“You think so?”“Look, I’m no expert. But telling everyone the truth felt a lot better than keeping it to myself. So maybe… you should just tell him?”Keith jolted upright. “No. No no no nonono.”He got to his feet, stumbling a bit. “I can’t do that. It’ll ruin everything. It’ll ruin Voltron.”Pidge froze. “Keith. Keith , calm down.” ~~~~~ ** Allura ***On her way to go spy on Lance, Allura encountered Hunk taking a plate of food from the kitchen to his room. Naturally, she told him everything, which is how they came to be huddled together on the floor of the hallway just outside Hunk’s room, watching the video feed of a camera Hunk had attached to one of the Altean mice.“This is taking forever. Can these little guys go any faster?”“Shush, Hunk! It has small legs.”“Oh wait, hang on! He’s in the Blue Lion’s docking bay!”The mouse scurried down the wall to get a better look at Lance, who was sitting on one of Blue’s paws, playing with his bayard.Lance set it down, looking up at Blue’s expressionless head. “It’s not like I try to screw up, okay? Not everyone can be as cool as Keith without trying,” he was saying-- to his lion, Allura supposed. She had to admit, even in the past she hadn’t quite understood how paladins’ bonds with their lions worked. She was pretty sure it was different for each lion.She huddled closer, trying to hear better. “I can’t believe this!” she squeaked, urging the mouse just a bit closer with her mind.“Hang on, I wanna see, too!” Hunk complained. Good thing the camera had a one-way sound feed.Lance activated his bayard, looking down at the mid-sized gun. “And no one even comes close to Shiro. Blue, you remember that time I saved Slav from the Galra warden by shooting the robotic arm off? And Shiro called me ‘sharpshooter’? That was the best I’d ever felt. Man, compliments from Shiro are the best . Except maybe from Allura.”He paused, setting the gun down. “I still feel like the weak link sometimes, you know? Shiro disappearing, Keith getting hurt. I know one of them’s my fault, so why not both?”The lion, to Lance's surprise (and Allura and Hunk’s), actually moved, crouching down so that her head was to the ground, answering Lance with a low grumble.Lance blinked, then laughed. “Thanks, Blue. I knew you would have my back. You’re right; maybe I do just need to focus on what I’m good at. I’ll keep Keith safe next time.”The lion growled again, and Lance quickly added, “and of course you’re gonna help! You’re my best buddy!”Allura scoffed, getting to her feet. “Why don’t they just say these things to each other ?!” She spun on her heel and began to trot off-- a woman on a mission. “That’s it. I’m going to fix this.”Hunk scrambled to his feet, trying not to drop his tablet. “You’re not trying to get over the loss of Shiro by getting Lance and Keith together… are you, Allura? ...Allura? Hey, wait for me!”Just then, Pidge’s voice erupted from the intercom in the Blue Lion’s docking bay, which Hunk could hear through the camera.“Hey, Lance, can you come up here? We have a bit of a… situation.” She sounded out of breath, and there was muffled shouting in the background.“Why? What’s going on?”“Keith drank some weird Altean juice and now he’s having a meltdown in the control room!”“Why me ?!”“Uh… the others aren’t responding for some reason. Yeah. C-can you just come up here, please?!”“Alright, alright, I’m comin’! Just keep him calm until I get there!”Hunk and Allura looked up from the video feed at each other, nodded, and then hurried off down the hallway. ~~~~~ **Pidge**Unfortunately, Pidge wasn’t making up Keith’s meltdown. He really was having a meltdown, flailing about drunkenly with his Galra sword. Well, Blade of Marmora sword.“I can’t tell him, Pidge. I ca-can’t! Thaat… would be a waste! Why did I… why did I hold back all this time? You… you know why? Because… we’re a team! Team… Voltron! And we have to… stick…” His voice weakened, and Pidge groaned internally to see that he’d started to cry. There was no way she knew what to do with someone who was crying.“We have to stick… together,” he finished, voice shaking. “It’s better if we’re arguing all the time than if he were to actually hate me.”“Lance wouldn’t hate you-- he’s not that kinda guy,” attempted Pidge.“I know that! But it would make it… hard… to be on a team. And I’m supposed to be… a leader.”He dropped onto the floor, his sword clattering to the floor next to him as he covered his face with his hands. “I can’t be head of Voltron with these kinds of feelings, Pidge.”Just then, Lance burst into the control room, looking around frantically. He jolted when he saw Keith on the floor, too stunned to say anything.“I didn’t take Shiro seriously when he said he wanted me to be the next leader. It was if something happens to him. But nothing was going to happen! He’s Shiro ! I can’t replace him. If I had accepted it… if I was stronger, more in control… maybe he wouldn’t have disappeared.”Lance stepped forward, his expression softening. “Look, man, it’s not your fault Shiro’s gone.”Keith looked up, his voice cracking as he blurted, “Lance?”“Hey, we still don’t know what happened!” Lance continued, “Shiro’s gonna come back and be head of Voltron again, and we’re gonna find Pidge’s family, clean up the universe, and go back to Earth as heroes.”“You make it sound easy,” Keith chuckled, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes, but Pidge could see the way his shoulders relaxed, even as she slowly snuck out of the room to give the two of them some “alone time”.“Well I mean, it’s not gonna be easy , especially without Shiro, since if you do become the Black Lion’s paladin, then we’ll have to find a new red paladin. Which might make Red a bit sad since she’s always running out into space to go save your butt.” He paused, trying to gauge Keith’s expression. “But it’s cool. We’re cool,” he quickly backpedaled, then plopped down on the floor next to Keith. “We all miss Shiro, man. Don’t blame yourself. We’re all blaming ourselves right now, and it’s only making everything worse. Why don’t you just blame it on me , like you always do? That’ll make you feel better… right?”Keith looked up at Lance’s face, as if searching his eyes for details. Scanning, focusing. And then, he suddenly crumbled into Lance’s chest, wrapping his arms tightly around the other boy’s abdomen.Lance turned into a statue. His arms were petrified in a permanent outward state, the overall body language one of “what am I supposed to do what is going on this is really weird he really IS drunk oh quiznak” -- all at once.Keith, meanwhile, clung tighter. “Don’t go anywhere.”“Uh… I’m... not… going to?”“Not you, too.”“Okay, okay, just calm down and--”“No, listen!” Keith urged, burying his face inside Lance’s jacket. “...do you hate me?”Lance paused. “Nah. I mean, you make me look bad and make fun of me all the time, which is, honestly, pretty annoying, but I think hate is a bit too strong a word. But seriously, what did you drink ?!”“Nufleflle… Nufflller… nevermind. Do you… hate me because I’m Galra?”“Nah, I think purple would look good on you.”“You’re stupid.”“Oh, and who’s the one who ignored Pidge and drank mysterious Altean medicine?!”“Hey, my head feels better. So it worked, didn’t it?”“Okay yeah, for now . But you’re not gonna think that way tomorrow. So… can you… let go of me? This is really freakin’ me out and I’m trying to stay calm because I don’t want to make things worse and have you rampaging again.”“No. Don’t want to.”“Um… okay.” He paused. “Why not… exactly?”“I like you, stupid.”“What.”“I liiiiike you, Lance,” Keith grumbled, unwrapping himself from Lance and looking up at his face again.Lance, this time, was past the “turning into stone” phase and was now crumbling into dust, blowing away through the ventilation ducts.“You’re drunk,” he finally said.Keith blinked, reaching up and touching Lance’s face with the tips of his fingers. “You’re an idiot.” And then he was leaning upwards, his eyes unfocusing as they were hidden behind his eyelids… ever closer, until…Lance stopped him with a hand against his forehead, but his face had lost its shocked expression. “Woah… hey… I don’t want you to do anything you’re not gonna remember tomorrow, okay?”Keith looked hurt, but slowly nodded… and then promptly passed out in Lance’s arms. ~~~~~ With no one else in the control room, Lance figured that he’d better take Keith back to his room, and so he draped Keith’s arm around his shoulders, and hauled him to his feet, half-dragging him toward the doors.Seeing him do so through the soundless camera that she, Allura, Hunk, and Coran had been watching them the entire time with, Pidge scrambled to move out of the way. “He’s coming, you guys! Abort!”The group had been sitting just outside the doors so they could hear what was being said, making as little noise as they could through every development, and now, as Lance dragged Keith toward the door, were panicking as they scattered in all directions. They froze as the doors slid open. Hunk was pressed against the wall, pretending to be invisible. Coran had disappeared completely down the hallway, and Pidge had tripped on her shoelaces in her attempt to escape. Allura, though, was standing in full view of the door, looking confident.“Oh, Lance, I didn’t know you were here,” she faked, in her usual terrible acting that would probably fool no one except Lance. “I was just going to check the main computer for an update on the castle’s condition, hahaha…” she paused, “noticing” Keith leaning against Lance’s shoulder. “So he fell unconscious. Do you… need help carrying him?”From his position against the wall, Hunk aggressively shook his head, but it was too late-- the words were spoken.Lance looked at Keith, his unconscious form slouched toward him, and then looked back at Allura. “No… I got it. But can one of you bring his sword to his room later? He’ll probably freak out if he wakes up and doesn’t have it.”“Sure,” Allura breathed, watching as Lance pushed past her, hauling Keith along with him, stepping over Pidge.They all waited until he was out of sight, and then started breathing again, meeting in the center of the hallway.“Ten bucks says Keith doesn’t remember any of this tomorrow,” Pidge suggested with a grin.“Hey now, that would just be awful,” Hunk answered. “...But what if he does remember? Is-- is that better? Or is that-- is that worse? Guys?” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Allura, Hunk, and Pidge were awake and performing their morning rituals loooong before Keith or Lance moved from their rooms. They were far too curious to see how the previous day’s events would play out. Especially since Pidge had ten bucks riding on this. Allura stood in front of the control room, impatiently tapping her fingers against her control panel. “Neither of them are coming. I’d expect this from Lance, but what is taking Keith so long?” “He’s probably got a huge hangover, Princess,” Hunk explained, “maybe we should let him sleep it off.” Just then the door slid open, and Keith walked in, an even more sour expression on his face than usual. “‘Morning,” he grumbled, his eyes barely open. The others glanced at each other, then watched as he made his way to the front. “Any updates on the healing pods, Allura?” “What? Oh! The pods… right! Well, Pidge and Coran were going to be shutting off some systems today so they can get them fixed… weren’t you, Pidge?” “Huh? Oh, yeah! We’ll try to prioritize the pods, though, okay Keith?” He grumbled something sounding vaguely like confirmation, then walked back out the door, followed by everyone’s eyes. When the doors closed, they all looked back at each other for a few seconds, then simultaneously, without speaking, jumped out of their chairs and began to follow after him. ~~~~~   **Coran** Coran hadn’t slept much while he tried to fix the castle, so he was already awake and attempting to repair the ship’s deep-space scanner when Lance strolled into the room, dressed in his usual day-to-day wear but still wearing his skin-care mask. “Oh, Lance, good to see you up and about.” Lance paused, looking around the room. “This… isn’t the kitchen.” Coran shook his head, hiding a grin under his mustache. “No no, that’s not even close to here. But Hunk made breakfast, so you should go eat something.” Lance nodded slowly, then started to leave the room, but turned and walked into the wall instead. Coran raised an eyebrow. “You alright, Lance? You seem a bit out of sorts today.” “Me? Oh, I’m fine. I think maybe I’m tired from the fight on Liliria. Anyway, see ya, Coran!” Coran watched him go for a moment, tempted to follow after him, then shook his head and went back to his repairs, musing to himself, “Ah, I remember when I was a cadet that age. Had a big crush on the supervising officer, but that was certainly pushed away when she had me wash a Jarkorian Vollmar as punishment when she found out. Well, the crush stayed, but I didn’t feel like pursuing it. Hmm… I wonder what would’ve happened if I had…”   ~~~~~   Hunk, Pidge, and Allura peeked around the corner as Keith headed to the sinks, noting the way he stared at the water running out of the faucet for like ten seconds before actually splashing it across his face. He splashed his face about eight times, aggressively scrubbing it after each time, before grabbing the towel and wiping it dry. “So… you think he remembers, or not?” Hunk whispered. “I dunno. He hasn’t given any indication either way,” Pidge answered. “Shush, you two!” urged Allura, who pushed them over when Keith turned around to look back toward them. This time it was Hunk who lost his footing, jumping to his feet before Keith could walk into him. “Oh hey, Keith. Just gonna brush my teeth. I made breakfast, if you want some.” “Hmph.” “R-right! Well, I hear that eating light food helps a little! With the headache, you know. Or you could ignore me. That’s fine, too.” Again, the trio waited until Keith headed off down the hallway, then followed behind at a distance. “Is this behavior normal after drinking alcohol?” Allura asked. “Yeah, it’s a hangover,” Pidge supplied. “My dad says it feels like your head’s getting pounded in by a hammer and your mouth tastes like you washed it out with sand. Not that I ever saw my dad drunk.” “Have you not felt it yourself?” “What? Of course not!” Hunk interrupted, waving his hands. “We’re too young. Keith’s too young. We’d get in serious trouble if this happened back at the garrison. You’re not allowed to drink alcohol until you’re twenty-one years old.” “Then how old is Keith?” “Not twenty-one!” “Shhh, guys, I think Lance is in the kitchen!” urged Pidge, and they all fell silent as they excitedly looked around the corner to watch the inevitable drama play out. But Keith turned around first, seeing Pidge, since the others had ducked around the corner in time. “Pidge, are you following me?” “Huh? Who? Me? No! I’m… on my way to go help with repairs,” she blurted, stepping out into the hallway. She began brisquely walking by, mainly to make sure that Lance was , in fact, in the kitchen. Then she stopped, her curiosity overflowing. “Soooo… how you feeling, Keith?” Keith didn’t answer, just grunted and turned back to the kitchen. Pidge used the opportunity to run back to their hiding spot, just as Lance came out of the doorway of the kitchen, holding a tray of Hunk’s specially-made post-hangover food, almost running into Keith. “Oh… you’re awake.” The trio watched as Keith’s face went from hangover-pale to a red that rivaled the color of his lion. “Oh yes. He remembers,” Allura remarked smugly, followed immediately by Pidge groaning in disappointment and handing Hunk a ten-dollar bill. Keith backed up quickly, stammering, “I-um… I’m gonna go fight with the gladiator. Training-- yeah, training. Maybe I c-can exercise the headache off.” And then he quickly ran off down the hallway, his face still radiating heat. “Hey, wait, aren’t you gonna eat?” Lance called after him. “Hunk made this stuff for you , you know! Keith?!”   ~~~~~   **Coran** The door opened again, and Lance walked in once more, this time holding a plate of food and looking mystified, if a bit hurt. Coran also noticed that he was no longer wearing the face mask. “Hey Coran, what exactly was in that weird juice you gave Keith?” “Pidge says it’s just something you Earthlings call alcohol. Should be alright in a while, but he might not remember anything that happened yesterday. It might be best that way, if he forgets that he confessed to you and all that.” “I don’t know if he would… wait, how do you know about that?” Coran whitened, turning around with an “oh quiznak” look on his face, stumbling over his words. “Well-- it wasn’t my idea, you see… Allura just loves gossip, and…” Just then the doors slid open, dumping Hunk, Pidge, and Allura into the room with a collective “OOF!” They all got to their feet, looking guiltily everywhere around the room except at Lance. “I suppose the secret’s out,” Allura announced, sighing. “We saw everything.” The three of them started explaining at once, to which Lance listened as best as he could in shocked silence. “You mean you guys knew the whole time?! All of you set this up?!” “Well, not exactly,” Pidge interjected, “we didn’t know what would happen. Keith said and did all that on his own. We were just… curious.” “Still not cool!” “Alright, we acknowledge that it was wrong to listen in, but you still have a problem,” Allura noted. “Me?” “What is your response to Keith’s confession? Since you didn’t actually give him an answer yesterday, it’s no wonder he’s flustered.” “Yeah, that was pretty smooth, though,” shrugged Hunk, which was answered by a glare from Pidge. Lance set his tray of food down and then leaned against the wall. “I… I don’t know. To be honest, I thought he’d want me to forget it happened.” He looked down at the floor, falling silent. The rest of them exchanged glances, and finally Pidge broke the tension by sighing and stepping forward. “Look, we’re sorry for being nosy. I guess we just wanted to get our minds off of… things. But for now on we’re all gonna stay out of it.” She turned to the rest of the group. “I’m going to stay with Coran and help with repairs. Seriously , this time.” “I’m, uh… I’m gonna go look at the main engines and see if I can re-route the damage,” Hunk supplied, looking at Allura, who nodded. “Of course. We all have work to do. Lance, you and Keith should… just rest for a while.” They all scattered, leaving Lance alone again.   ~~~~~   **Lance**   Lance didn’t really know where he was headed when he got on the elevator. He didn’t really have anything to do, since he wasn’t a tech-head like Pidge or a mechanic like Hunk. He always felt pretty useless at times like this. Maybe he’d just go to the pool. The doors opened shortly after he stepped in, revealing Keith, looking a bit out of breath from training. The other boy’s face immediately reddened again, but this time he looked away and stepped into the elevator. “What floor?” Lance asked cautiously. “Third.” They stood in silence for a while, waiting for the elevator to move. Awkward, awkward, awkward! Lance thought, trying to look everywhere but at Keith. And then the elevator lights went out. “Aw, come on!” Lance cried out, glaring up at the elevator shaft. “Do you guys have something against letting me use the pool?!” Pidge’s voice rang out over the intercom. “Hey, are you guys in the elevator right now?” “Yes,” Keith answered angrily. “Woah, sorry man!” -Hunk, this time. “It looked like the life support system was damaged in the blast, which is, you know, kind of important, so Pidge and Coran had to cut some non-essential systems until I can fix it.” “Just sit tight for a bit, okay?” Pidge asked. “Fine. Just… hurry up!” Lance shouted back, then leaned against the wall of the elevator. “ Man , not this again.” More awkward silence followed, to such an extent that Lance would have felt relieved if it had even been punctuated by the ticking of a clock or the chirping of crickets-- just something, ANYTHING to fill the silence. Then, finally, he asked, “So… um… how’s your head?” “Kind of makes me miss the trials of the Blade of Marmora.” “I don’t really know what that means, but I’m gonna assume it’s not good.” Keith’s lips twitched upwards. “Right. You weren’t there.” More silence. “Hey, I’m sorry for showing off on Liliria. It’s my fault you got hurt.” Keith looked up, eyes wide. “Really?” “Why’re you so surprised?” “Nothing. I just… didn’t expect you to admit it.” “Not everyone can be as cool as you are all the time, you know. But I have my moments.” Keith coughed a laugh. “You don’t mean that.” “No, I do, I do. I mean, you fought an evil Galra witch by yourself, spent a bunch of time out in the desert looking for ancient alien weapons, flew into an asteroid field, and turned your cool alien knife into a cool alien sword. That’s pretty awesome. That’s like… over the top with awesome, and I think you need to tone it down.” “You were pretty cool, too, when we were in the Balmera,” Keith replied. “I was just going to run in, but you had a plan. And when we first found the Blue Lion, and you tried to blow up a Galra battleship just to get it away from Earth, and then flew through a wormhole without hesitation? That was all pretty cool.” “Didn’t you call me ‘the worst pilot ever’ back then?” “Still true.” They both laughed, and then Keith leaned against the elevator wall next to Lance, crossing his arms. “We’ve been through a lot, huh?” “Yeah. It’s a long time to be jealous of you,” Lance sighed, closing his eyes. “Huh? Of me ?” “Well yeah! I mean, you’re even part alien! How cool is that?!” “You’re jealous of that ?!” Keith remarked incredulously. “Yeah. You’re just too cool, Keith. Galra and all.” More silence, and then Lance added, peeking at Keith with one eye, “since I always did have a thing for hot alien babes.” Keith didn’t seem to get it at first, but then realization slowly dawned across his face, followed by a pink, then red tint spreading across his cute cheekbones as he looked up at Lance. “Wait, you mean me ?” The tension snapped, and then the two of them were laughing and laughing, doubled over with it, the sound of it echoing up through the elevator shaft. When they finally stopped, Lance tried to stay calm and cool as he leaned over and, very gently, gave Keith a light kiss, ghosting across the surface of his lips. He pulled away, heart hammering. “You’re not gonna forget that one, right?” “Nope,” Keith answered, before grinning up at him. “And I’m not gonna forget this one, either,” he announced before grabbing Lance by the jacket collar and pulling him down to his lips, kissing him much more fiercely, his face still warm to the touch and scrunched up and focused and way too cute. But Lance could get used to this. He could definitely get used to this.   ~~~~~   **Pidge** “Aw, man, what do you think is going on in there? It’s not… it’s not anything weird, right?” Hunk asked nervously. “We can’t know, since Pidge had to cut the cameras,” Allura complained accusingly. “Come on, guys, I promised Lance I’d give him some privacy. I already broke that promise by cutting the power to the elevator.” “Well, to be fair, I really did have to fix the life support system,” argued Hunk. “ Anyway ,” Pidge grumped, “I had to have some human decency. They’ll figure it out on their own, I’m sure of it.” They waited a while, all focusing on their respective tasks, and then Pidge decided it was time. She hit the “power up” command on her computer, then turned on the intercom to the elevator. “Sorry for the wait, guys! I’ve rebooted the system, so you should be able to come out now. I’ll meet you on the third floor.” Without waiting for a response, Pidge got up and hurried down, arriving just in time to hear Lance and Keith’s voices rise to greet her. “Fine-- we can both use the pool, but you are not using my rubber ducky!” That would be Lance . “Where did you even get a rubber duck? And why would I want to play with it?” And Keith . The whole crew was waiting there as the pair got out of the elevator, still squabbling. “Thanks, Pidge,” they said in unison before brushing past her and continuing down the hallway, still arguing. “Blue Paladin’s all for water anyway, and I’m gonna prove it in the pool!” “Oh, you’re on.” Their stupid argument elevated as they continued past, the rest of the crew following them with their eyes, trying to piece together what had happened in the elevator. “I don’t think it went well,” Allura whispered to Pidge. Pidge just smirked, pointing down the hallway. “Nope, they’re not fooling anyone . Look. They’re holding hands.” Everyone looked, to see if Pidge was telling the truth. Sure enough, even as they argued, Keith and Lance were walking hand-in-hand, their fingers intertwined. Pidge crossed her arms, feeling satisfied. “Glad that’s over with.” “But what now?” Hunk asked. “Now, we’re going to fix this ship, and not get distracted,” Allura commanded. “And after that, we’re going to find Shiro. He’ll want to see this.” Pidge turned, still smiling to herself, if a bit sadly. “Yeah. He will.”
10330028
Paddys Day Jail Time
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Waverly Earp, Wynonna Earp, Nicole Haught, Champ Hardy", "Fandom": "Wynonna Earp (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Darthweenie235", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-16T00:00:00", "words": "1,457", "Additional Tags": "bros, Bar Fight", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, wynonna nicole brotp", "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 }
Wynonna was sat in Nicole’s office waiting for the officer to finish her paperwork so he could get a ride home instead of walking. The sheriff’s deputy could feel the elder Earp staring a hole into her. She dropped her pen and looked up, startling Wynonna.“What.” Nicole raised her brow.“You know how its saint paddy’s day?” Wynonna questioned.“Wynonna, just because I am ginger does not mean I am Irish.” Nicole answered, silencing Wynonna and her stereotypes.She picked up her pen and continued her work. After a moment,“Are you sure?” Wynonna questioned again“Dammit Wynonna, I’m trying to work, what it is you want?” the redhead sighed sitting back in her chair.Wynonna put her feet up on the desk and her hands behind her head. “I’m just saying, its saint Patricks day, you have red hair, from what I’ve heard a lot of Irish people do too, so we should go celebrate your national holiday.” Wynonna reasoned.“For god’s sake Earp I’m not Irish! Being ginger is just another stereotype like the English drink tea! I bet there are a lot of lactose intolerant people who can’t drink tea there!” Nicole snapped back, frustrated by her sister in laws shenanigans.“Whatever you say Haughtpants, but as far as I’m aware ginger equals Irish now let’s go drink to Irelands patron saint!” the older Earp stood and grabbed her coat walking out the office.Nicole sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to get any more work done, stood grabbing her bag and coat, thankful she changed out of her uniform earlier into jeans and a shirt and sent a text to Waverly. The wife <3 (19:34) Your sister is something else. She thinks I’m Irish because I’m ginger, so she is dragging me to shorties to “Drink to Ireland’s patron saint.” Does she know Ireland is a good 6,000 miles away? We’ll be back later, I love you baby. N x Nicole managed to catch Wynonna up and they walked the short distance to purgatories watering hole.2 pints and a round of shots later, Nicole and Wynonna were feeling positively buzzed. They were laughing and joking about something when champ the chump hardy walked over to the bar where they were seated, positively drunk and rowdy.He took one look at Wynonna and shoved her out the way. “Move Earp.” He spat her last name as if it was an insult leaving a nasty taste on his already intoxicated breath.Wynonna turned glared. “I think it’s about time you went home to momma, don’t you hardy?”Champ stood up straight and set his shoulders “What are you gonna do about it? Get your little sister’s wife to beat me again?” He was mocking her know but the mention of her youngest sibling cut the only cord that was holding her temper at bay.Champ didn’t even see the right hook coming let alone move in time to block it. The punch sent him stumbling into Nicole who was lent over the bar.“Don’t touch me.” Nicole sent champ back the other way as she punched him square in the face, causing an almighty crack and the chump to hit the deck with a thud out cold.By this point the bar man, a newbie, had called nedley who walked through the swing doors to see his deputy and Wynonna looking down at the figure on the floor.Wynonna looked up. Nicole looked up.“shit.” Nicole sighed, knowing full well where this was going.“Oh haught Waverly is gonna kill you.”“Why me?!” Nicole protested.“Well you’re married to the girl and this isn’t my first bar brawl my friend. You. Are. Stuffed.”“Earp. Haught. Wrists out let’s not make this difficult.” Nedley’s voice was stern and authoritive, but also Nicole could hear a tang of disappointment.Both women held out their wrists and one of the other deputy’s snapped a pair of cuffs on them. It was 3 am and Waverly was woken to the sound of her cell phone on the bedside table. Groggily she flicked the green circle to the right and put the phone to her ear.“Hello?”“Hello Mrs Earp-Haught, its nedley.”“What’s Wynonna done this time?”“Well she got in a bar fight as well as Officer Haught-““Nicole too?!” Waverly slapped a hand over her forehead, why did she think it was a good idea to allow them to go drinking together?“They are in the cell now.” Nedley sighed.“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Waverly sighed and hung up. Her wife was in so much trouble. As for Wynonna, Waverly has done that walk of shame too many times to care.Waverly pulled the covers aside and climbed out of bed into the mid march cold. She trudged through the snow to her truck, cranking the heater all the way up, if she was gonna be doing the walk of shame, she was gonna be warm. Waverly was escorted down the row of all too familiar empty cells to the bottom, and stood arms crossed an unamused look on her face when she reached the end cell. Nicole was led on the camp bed one leg up blowing on her harmonica, while Wynonna sat up against the cot tapping away to the jail time blues on her spoons.Wynonna looked up. Nicole looked up.“Shit.” Nicole sighed.Wynonna looked up at the redhead. “It’s ok Haught I got this. You can bet your lucky charms I’ll get us out safe and alive.”“I’m not Irish!”“Thank god you’re here waves do you know how long we’ve been sat here, this floor isn’t the most comfortable.” Waverly glared at Wynonna, her jaw set and her boot tapping the hard concrete beneath her feet.Wynonna looked at Nicole again as an officer unlocked the cell door. “Yeah no you’re on your own there.” Wynonna stood and walked out, running past Waverly to the door, however not quick enough to evade the slap to the back of the head as she passed.“Wynonna! Truck! Now!” Waverly shouted after her, her stance still firm and her voice angry.Nicole gulped. “Wave-““No. Don’t wave me. Truck. Now. Go. We will have words when we get home.” Nicole dragged her feet and hung her head low. She might have been 4 inches taller but Waverly was scary when she’s mad. So Nicole played it safe and climbed in the back seat with Wynonna in silence.Wynonna was sat in the dark and when Nicole buckled in she looked over and dragged her finger over her throat, making a choking noise, sticking her tongue out and flopping her head forward when she reached the other side. Nicole gulped. She’d never been in trouble with Waverly before.When they were driving, Waverly spoke, “Wynonna you’re in the barn until further notice-““Aww what! It’s like minus 10 out-““No arguing.” Wynonna shut up. “Nicole you’re on the couch.” Wynonna laughed and lent over “Someone’s in the dog house!”“Wynonna shut it.” Once again Wynonna was silenced by her younger sibling.The rest of the drive was in an eerie silence. They pulled up to the homestead and Wynonna jumped out and grumbled all the way to the barn, slamming the door behind her.“Child.”Nicole followed Waverly inside, removing her shoes and dropping her bag as she grabbed a pillow and stood in the middle of the living room like a lemon, waiting for Waverly to say something. However, she didn’t. She grabbed a glass of water and went upstairs without a word.Feeling like a kicked puppy, Nicole sighed and tried to get comfy on the couch.Just as she was nodding off, someone climbed under the duvet with her and snuggled into her side.“Nicole?”“Yeah waves?”“That was stupid.”“I know and I’m sorry-“Nicole said rolling to face the younger Earp.“No just listen. It was stupid but I’m not saying you shouldn’t have done it. Did you at least make it a good punch?” Waverly raised a brow in question, this time her expression softer.“I sure did, broke his nose enall baby!” They were giggling, when Nicole lent down and captured her wife’s lips with her own in a soft sorrowful kiss.“Wave I love you, I’m sorry.” They were kissing again and Nicole moved herself between Waverly’s thighs and slipped her tongue into Waverly’s mouth.“I love you too.”Nicole’s phone buzzed from the coffee table, but she ignored it. Wynonna (04:32) I bet your already shagging on my couch. Gross. Happy st paddy’s day you Irish leprechaun! Wynonna (04:33) Wait that doesn’t make sense you’re taller than me.
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Squamas et Pinnulas
{ "Archive Warning": "Rape/Non-Con", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prompto Argentum, Titus Drautos | Glauca, Ignis Scientia, Gladiolus Amicitia, Iris Amicitia, Leviathan (Final Fantasy XV), Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Umbra (Final Fantasy XV), Pryna (Final Fantasy XV), Orthros | Ultros (Final Fantasy VI), Ultimecia (Final Fantasy VIII), Ardyn Izunia, Ravus Nox Fleuret, Nyx Ulric, Tidus (Final Fantasy X), Squall Leonhart, Cloud Strife, Cecil Harvey, Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Axel (Kingdom Hearts), Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Kuja (Final Fantasy IX), Vaan (Ivalice Alliance), Reks (Ivalice Alliance), Zidane Tribal", "Fandom": "Final Fantasy XV", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by MilayaMilenZeal, Night_the_Dragon", "chapters": "34/34", "completed": "2018-03-18", "published": "2017-03-20T00:00:00", "words": "157,551", "Additional Tags": "Mer!Noctis, Mpreg with a twist, Angst, Slice of Life, Alternate Universe - Merpeople", "Relationship": "Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum", "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 }
“Your Highness, please, we need to return to the Citadel.”Noctis sighed as he swam along the multi-colored reefs, his black tail propelling him forward with expert ease. He was getting so tired of Drautos’ meddling. Well, not so much meddling; it was more of him trying to keep Noctis from getting too far from Insomnia, which he was not in the mood for. Now he didn’t hate Drautos, but he would appreciate a little bit of time to just swim on his own. Had Ignis or Gladiolus been here, heck, even Cor, he would’ve been fine as long as he didn’t stray too far from the Corale.Drautos, however, seemed intent on having him stay within the Old Wall. Which was far from enjoyable… especially with all other Mers trying to either interrupt his swim or to attempt to join him on his trip. Neither of which he was looking forward to.He sighed as he snapped his tail out and coiled himself around a nearby reef, watching as the few fish that lived there came out to watch him swim. Most of them there were already well used to him swimming around to not bother him much. Some of them would still occasionally greet him (since he was still royalty, after all), but many of them had learned early on that he came here to be alone for a while, and to escape from his duties for just a brief moment. Of course, there was no way he could escape forever, and he had no desire to, but that didn’t mean he didn’t need the break every so often.“Your Highness—”“Oh, would you please be quiet for a while, Drautos?” Noctis groaned out, snapping out his tail furiously, swimming further away. “I came here to relax! Just leave me be!”“Your Highness! Wait!!”Noctis couldn’t even care anymore; he was now swimming away at top speed, ducking and weaving between the reefs in an attempt to lose Drautos. He wasn’t even paying attention to where he was going now; he just kept swimming as fast as he could, his tail snapping out behind him as Drautos’ voice gradually faded away. However, he still spent a long time swimming along the coral reefs, ignoring the anemones that snapped their tentacles back inside of them.By the time he stopped to collect his energy again, he soon realized that he had no idea where he was at. He looked around slowly, his hair swaying around his head. The reef he was in was beautiful; there were far more colors here than he had ever seen, and the kelp swaying around with the currents whistling through them created a beautiful melody unlike any he’d ever heard.With a small smile, Noctis moved further along the reef, and, on impulse, opened his mouth and began to sing as he spiraled around contently, his tail lightly moving through the kelp and along the rocky terrain. He was well aware his singing would likely draw in Drautos, but if he could stay here for just a little longer, he’d be content for today.As he reached the highest point of the reef, he moved to lay himself along the rocks, resting his chin on his arms as he regarded the scenery ahead of him as his tail swayed in the water above him, before he rolled onto his back. Noctis blinked twice to get used to the much brighter light from above. He’d always looked up to the ‘surface’ with a hint of curiosity, but he wasn’t a fool, either. He knew of the dangers that lurked above the water, knew that above there was nothing but death that awaited their kind, and as the prince of Insomnia, he really couldn’t afford to get too close.As curious as he was about it all, he wasn’t stupid enough to risk the safety of himself or his kingdom.With a small hum, Noctis shut his eyes, allowing his tail to coil along the rock he was on, before resting his hands on his stomach, allowing the faint heat from that large white circle (what was that called? The ‘sun’, he believed Ignis had called it…) to beat down on him. He didn’t get to do this often; it didn’t often reach down far enough for it to reach them.Had he not been as annoyed with Drautos and the whole situation, he might’ve wondered just how far out he’d really gotten, but at this point, he just couldn’t care.‘May as well rest here… just for a bit…’ Noctis wasn’t sure what woke him, but when he blinked his eyes open, the surface above him was much darker than it had been last time he’d looked. His first thought was ‘Is it night already…?’ but as he moved up, he almost yowled as a sudden current almost threw him off his perch, making him flip onto his stomach to cling to the rock.Looking around, it didn’t take him long to spot the heavy currents that caused the kelp to wave about violently, as if the current was attempting to rip it out by the roots. And then he realized what was going on.‘A storm…! How far away did I get from the Corale?!’Storms underwater didn’t reach Insomnia often, and even when they did, they were never very heavy. This, however, was much heavier than anything Noctis had ever experienced. The currents were pulling and pushing at him, trying to get him to let go and throw him around, but Noctis curled his fingers around the rock and pressed down his tail as firmly as he could, trying not to be swept away, something that hadn’t happened to him for years.‘Dammit! I gotta hang on…! At least until it passes… then I’ll get back to Insomnia and—’Noctis yowled as something suddenly snagged onto his tail and almost ripped him loose from the stone if he hadn’t been holding on as well as he had. Snapping his head around, he spotted something he’d never seen in person before, but he’d heard the horror stories of them; a net. It was curled around his tail, and the current was pulling on it and it felt like it nearly tore him in half from the force. He tried to pull his tail back down, tried to move it near him while shifting his hand to the side to try and reach his fin so he could tug it loose, but the current was just so damn powerful he could barely lift his fingers without being tossed aside.Just as he was able to reach it, though, something slammed into the side of the rock he was on, and the tremor had him crying out in alarm – and his fingers instinctively slackened enough for him to be swept away. A half-scream ripped from his throat as he tried to swim back down to the seafloor, but the current tossed him around like a starfish traveling on the lighter currents to get anywhere.And then his head slammed into a rock and he knew no more… ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- As the door clicked shut behind him, Prompto inhaled deeply once he was out of the car he’d gotten a lift from. The sea air smelled amazing, even after that storm from a few hours ago.“You gonna be okay going down to take them shots, hunny?” Cindy, his old friend, asked as he stood there, stretching.“Yup! Just gonna take a few shots, and then I’ll be right back,” the blonde grinned lazily.“All right, but if ya need me, just holler, k?” she said, and Prompto nodded.“No sweat! I’ll be back soon, Cindy,” he assured her, and then headed off towards the rocky path that led down to the beach, his camera bouncing a little from where it hung around his neck. He was here to take some beautiful shots of the beach and its surroundings for his resume, in hopes of getting a good job as a result.As he moved around the edge of the fenced off cliffs, the scent of the calming storm invaded his nostrils. It’d been a few hours since the storm that had tormented the shores of Cape Caem had settled, but it was clear that its remnants hadn’t completely gone just yet. Which was good; because, in Prompto’s opinion, the scenery of the seaside after a storm was one of the most beautiful sights imaginable. He didn’t see it often, but it was more than worth the trip to the seaside to snap the shots he wanted.On top of that, Cape Caem had a history of many sightings of the “merfolk”, something that Prompto wasn’t sure he believed or not. Sure, he’d seen plenty of supposed photographic evidence, but as someone who took photos on a regular basis, it wasn’t difficult for him to recognize a photoshop when he saw it. So, yeah, he wasn’t convinced (yet).Of course, if he were to come across living proof himself, then sure, he’d believe it. But until then? No. Definitely not. Would he take a picture? Hmm… maybe. Depending on the situation.Shaking the matter aside for the moment, Prompto immediately went to a good perch he’d spotted from the back of the car, and pulled out his camera, starting to snap some shots of the surrounding area. Whether he caught one of the merfolk on camera or not, Cape Caem was always a good place for beautiful shots of the seaside. Especially after a storm like the one they’d had a while ago.As he took his pictures, however, he happened to notice something down on the sand of the beach, and he lowered his camera, squinting to try and figure out what it was before he gasped.It was a person! He couldn’t see much; just the person’s bare upper body, topped by black, messy hair, as the rest of their body was entangled in what looked like a broken fishing net and some other filth that had ended up in the ocean.As the situation fully dawned on him, he quickly hurried over to the person, knowing he needed to help. Noctis groaned slowly as he blearily blinked his eyes open, before he hissed and pinched them shut again. He wasn’t sure what his eyes felt like now, but he didn’t like it… and good lord, why was his body so HEAVY?!Slowly, he pushed his arms under him, but the limbs trembled as he tried to push himself up. He blinked several times, and when his eyes got used to the sudden brightness invading his optics, he stared in surprise at the light-colored sand below him… and then to the particles that were sticking to his skin. Moving over to push it off didn’t help; his hands were also covered in the particles, and the moment he dragged it over his arms, it hurt so badly that he immediately stopped with a hiss.Once he could move, he slowly looked around… and then his eyes widened in realization.He was on a beach!While he’d never seen one before, he’d heard enough from Ignis to know what a beach looked like. But nothing he’d heard could’ve prepared him for the heat that was pushing down upon him, nearly choking him. He didn’t mind a little heat below the surface, but THIS was definitely overdoing it.As he tried to move to get back into the water, though, he found that his tail just wouldn’t move. And when he looked over, he tried not to curse when he saw that damn net clinging to the limb, along with some other stuff that Noctis didn’t even know well enough to name. Sadly, as he tried to reach over to pull it off, his other arm slid out from under him and he yowled (the sound sounding SO weird out of the water) as he fell back down on the sand.Hissing, he tried to push up… but his body was just SO heavy…!‘Damnit… is… is this it…? Am I… going to die here?’He laid himself down with a heavy breath. Now that he thought about it… even BREATHING was hard and heavy… There was NO WAY he was going to last out here… he had to get back into the sea before he dried out…‘…I… have to get away… before… before THEY find me…’No sooner had the thought finished, or the blonde human ran over, calling out: “Hey! Are you all right?!”At the call, the brunette snapped his head up in surprise, before he froze, terror filling his gaze as he realized what was happening, and he tried to scramble away. Unfortunately, with his body feeling as heavy as it did, he could barely muster up enough energy to even roll onto his side.When he got close enough Prompto braced his hands against his knees, breathing heavily. “Are you okay?” he asked breathlessly from the running he’d just done. He hadn’t actually run that much in quite a while, so he was kind of out of breath.Noctis didn’t say anything; he just looked up from under his bangs as he continued to try and scoot away despite his heavy limbs.“Hey, sorry if I scared you,” Prompto murmured, and moved over to remove the netting from the raven-haired male’s lower half.As his fingers touched his skin, though, the brunette’s hand snapped out almost on instinct and swatted the blonde’s hands away. As the man tried to speak, though, the only sound that came out was a strangled cough as he flopped onto his side, gasping as he clutched his throat.“Holy shit, man, hang on, lemme get out my knife…” Prompto growled, before fishing out his pocket knife and quickly cutting through the netting with great efficiency. And once cut, the netting (and the filth attached to it) was much easier to remove. But what Prompto certainly hadn’t counted on finding under it was black scales…“Oh my god…! …Okay, I’m getting you back in the water, now,” Prompto said determinedly, realizing what this guy really was, and why he was coughing and everything like he was thirsty. He needed to be in the water to survive! Once he’d gotten all the netting and filth removed, he began to carefully push the merman into the water.Which wasn’t as easy as he’d initially thought. Pushing the brunette along the sand made him gasp and whine as the tiny sand particles bit into his bare skin, with the large black tail that was his entire lower body tried to move and propel him forward, which wasn’t working at all.“This isn’t working…” Prompto grunted. “Gonna have to carry you, sorry. ‘Sides, it won’t hurt so much.” He then bent his knees and hefted up the merman with a huff, before carrying him to the water and wading in a bit so there was enough depth for the raven to swim away. Letting him into the water, the blonde murmured, “There you go.”As soon as his head disappeared under water, Noctis gasped and inhaled deeply, before his tail instinctively snapped out (accidentally hitting Prompto in the stomach) and propelled him further into water’s depths.The smaller male yelped and huffed as he was smacked in the stomach by the merman’s  powerful tail, falling back and soaking his ass in the process.Once Noctis was back in the safety of the water, where he could actually breathe and where the heat from the sun (that’s what it was called, right?) was much more subdued, he knew he had to get out of there immediately. He knew he couldn’t stay there and risk being captured…And yet he stayed.From below the water’s surface, he watched this… human? This was a human, right? He (or she? Noctis wasn’t even sure…) was moving on two legs on dry land, and everyone said that was how humans moved, so he assumed him (her?) to be. He couldn’t leave yet, because his innate curiosity made him wonder why this human had just… put him back.“You okay now?” Prompto called, standing up again when he saw the raven watching him in the water up ahead. “Just be careful going home. I highly doubt everyone would be as kind to save you like I did, so be careful, a’ight?”Noctis wasn’t sure what was going on, since he didn’t understand a word this guy was saying, but he was definitely intrigued. He made no attempts to get close to him again, and it seemed like he was prepared to let the Mer go. So, yes, his curiosity was peaking. But was he intrigued enough to…?After a moment more of thought, his curiosity got the better of him and he swam toward a rock he’d spotted earlier and used it to pull himself halfway out of the water. After shaking his head to get his hair out of his eyes (man, that was annoying!) he turned to Prompto and spoke, but he almost winced at how… weird his voice sounded.//Why did you… do that?//Prompto frowned, confused. He didn’t understand the merman’s speech at all, but he shook his head. “Don’t worry, just avoid the boats. I gotta go. Just be careful!” he called, before grinning and heading off.Noctis watched the human as he started to walk away, just as confused as Prompto was about his speech, when he noticed something he hadn’t initially paid attention to. Curious, he pushed off again and, instead of doing the smart thing and swimming away, he hurried back toward the human and, before he could get out of the water, he grabbed onto the back of his pants leg.“What the-?” Prompto yelped, nearly falling over from the grab. “Hang on, don’t! Those aren’t supposed to come off!” he protested when he realized what was happening; the Mer likely thought that his pants were some form of net, and he was trying to get him out of them in turn.Noctis hissed a little when the ‘net’ wouldn’t come off, tugging a little harder in his attempts to get it off and at least make it easier to move for him.“Stop! Those are supposed to be there!” Prompto wailed, trying to pull away. The merman wasn’t deterred, though, and somehow managed to drag his body up along his legs in an attempt to figure out where his pants started in the first place. Finally, Prompto was fully embarrassed, so with a strong push, he managed to get the merman off, and scrambled to his feet, his cheeks crimson with embarrassment.The sudden shove made Noctis yowl in surprise just before he hit the water again with a splash. Growling a little, he pushed up on his hands so that his upper body rose out from the water and looked up at Prompto crossly from under his wet bangs that were half-obscuring his vision.Prompto was breathing quickly, his gaze watching the merman almost nervously, his cheeks still burning crimson as the blush began to spread along his neck.Noctis blinked at the sight, tilting his head curiously. He’d heard of some octopi that could change colors on a whim, and a few jellyfish, but he hadn’t been aware that humans could do that, too.//How do you do that?// he asked, pointing to the human’s face. //How do you change colors?//“I don’t understand…” Prompto told the raven, shaking his head.Noctis sighed in annoyance as he dropped his hand, before he quickly looked around, searching. He soon spotted what he needed and he ducked under the water and swam off quickly to pick it up. Once he had it (wriggling) in his hand, he swam back and popped back out, this time balancing his weight back on his tail.//Your face,// he said, tapping his own face with one finger, //it’s red, like a starfish.// As he finished that, he held up the wriggling red starfish he’d snagged and pointed to Prompto’s face.“Ah…! It’s…called blushing…” Prompto told him when he realized what the merman was trying to say.Noctis, of course, didn’t understand what Prompto was saying. However, just then, the starfish tried to snap at him and he glared at it, before he abruptly threw it away again, watching it splash in the water with a small scoff.This drew a chuckle from the blonde, who was amused by the merman’s antics.As he caught the sound, Noctis looked back to Prompto, his expression asking clearly “What’s so funny?”“You’re pretty funny,” Prompto chuckled, pointing briefly at the raven. He then pointed at himself. “Prompto. That’s my name.”Noctis blinked, twice, before he frowned. He had a feeling he understood what the human was trying to say, but…“…Promp…to…?” he tried, but the vowels felt so weird rolling off his tongue.“Yeah,” the blonde nodded, smiling kindly.The merman hesitated, his fin moving slowly in the water behind him. If this human had just given him his name, then it was common courtesy to return the favor, but he hesitated (obviously). Was it really so smart to just give his name to a random human? Names had a lot of power among the Mer… so he couldn’t just give it all away.…then again, what was this human going to do with it? And if he didn’t give his full name, surely it’d be fine, right?“…N… Noctis,” he managed to get out.“Noctis, huh? Nice meeting you,” Prompto smiled a bit wider.The Mer definitely had no idea what to do about this situation. What was he supposed to do? Well, aside from swimming away in the opposite direction, of course…Prompto gave him an understanding look. “Go on. You need to get home, and you won’t be able to if you stay here.” He said this while pointing out to the sea, hoping to get his message across.When Noctis’ gaze followed his fingers out to sea, Prompto was sure that he had understood that much at least. And yet, the Mer seemed to hesitate, still.Prompto’s gaze became sad as he noticed the raven’s hesitation. “I’ll be okay. Just go home, where you belong.”Noctis looked over, considering what he was assuming were the human’s words. In normal situations, he’d never even consider leaving without being able to at least do something in return for someone assisting him, but this wasn’t a normal situation. And so, after a long moment more, the Mer turned and ducked into the water, before he swam away without ever looking back.Sighing out of relief that Noctis had finally left to go home, Prompto looked down at himself, realizing he was still pretty damp, to say the least. Hopefully, he could figure out an explanation for Cindy, and she might have a towel for him. At least his camera didn’t get damaged, and he’d gotten his shots. Giving another heavy sigh, the blonde began the trek back to the car. Despite the unfamiliar territory initially, it didn’t take Noctis all that long to find a familiar area, and from there, he swam off for Insomnia as fast as he could. He was sure his father was worried sick, and the other Mer were probably already looking for him, with Drautos, probably, at the helm, if his father would allow it. And if not him, then surely Gladio.Thankfully, there were no more storms coming in, allowing him to make his way to Insomnia relatively unscathed, if not completely exhausted by the time he reached the Corale. As he approached, though, his speed gradually slowing down until he was barely floating, there was a familiar cry of his name.“Noct!!”Noctis sighed in relief as he looked up. He’d never been so relieved to see Ignis and Gladio swimming over, their green and red tails propelling them both toward his side as he moved a little more forward. “Hey, guys… sorry I’m late…” he got out.“Where were you?! Why didn’t you come home after that storm passed?!” Gladio asked immediately, moving to help Noctis to swim back to the Citadel.“Oh, I uh… I got lost… guess I swam too far ahead… sorry,” Noctis offered with a small half shrug. It wasn’t really a lie; he had actually gotten lost before coming home. He just hadn’t given them all the details of what had happened in between the storm and getting lost.Ignis hummed, and he was sure the advisor had a feeling there was more to it, but he thankfully didn’t say anything about it. “At least you’ve returned. His Majesty will be pleased to hear that.”“Yeah… I’m glad to be home, too…” Noctis admitted as he was guided along.As they went, though, Noctis couldn’t help but think back on the human who’d saved him back on the beach (“Prompto”… right?) and wondered absently if he hadn’t made a mistake in giving his name.‘Oh well… nothing to do about it now.’ When Prompto returned to the car, he saw Cindy waiting for him. As he got closer, however, she noticed him and frowned.“How did you get all wet, hunny?” she asked, furrowing her blonde eyebrows in confusion.“I, uh…fell while getting some shots and the waves came in…” he lied easily, fiddling with his camera. Cindy accepted it, though, and sighed.“Just you, huh?” she giggled, shaking her head in amusement. “All right, no worries, I had a feeling that might happen. Come on over, I got a few towels in the trunk.”“Thank god. You’re a lifesaver, Cindy. I was afraid you’d make me freeze my ass off on the way back,” Prompto admitted.“Nah, can’t have you catching cold if you get a job offer, right? How’d the shots go, by the way?” she asked, pulling a towel from the car’s trunk.“I got some good ones, so I hope they’ll work for anyone who’s interested,” the photographer grinned, feeling hopeful.“I’m sure they will,” Cindy smiled, handing him a towel. “Now dry off, and I’ll give you another for on the way back.”“Sounds good. Thanks,” Prompto nodded and dried off with the given towel as best as he could, before switching for a fresh one once he was done.“Now let’s head back, k?” Cindy smiled, and the photographer nodded.“Yeah,” he agreed, climbing into the passenger seat of the car while Cindy took the driver’s seat.As they drove off, though, Prompto’s thoughts went back to the merman he’d rescued before, and he realized something.‘DAMMIT!!’ he thought irritably. ‘I should have snapped a picture of him…’ ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It was about a week later that Prompto decided to go to Cape Caem again for some more shots. Despite all of the others’ compliments on the earlier photos he’d shot while there, he still didn’t feel they were up to par with his usual work. So, he asked Cindy for a ride again, and she took him there, not even questioning it. She understood his self-consciousness, so she wasn’t going to say no or demand answers.When they arrived, the blonde male waved to her, and began to seek out a different perch near the beach than last time, hoping to get better shots as a result. While he walked along the sand, though, he couldn’t help but hope he just might see Noctis again, but he highly doubted it. After all, the merman would have no reason to come out here on his own; he’d just end up beached again, probably.The beach was mostly empty by the time that Prompto arrived, as was normal at the current time of day. Cape Caem wasn’t a big place, and there were even less people there to enjoy the sunny summer weather. Which, in turn, made it a much better sight for beautiful shots.Finally, the blonde found a good perch for some nice shots, and made his way up there before setting up. From there, he got some really nice photos, in his opinion, and was satisfied with these ones, compared to his last trip here.As he finished taking the shots, though, a voice suddenly spoke up. “Yo there, bud. Lookin’ to snap some shots of the Mer?”“Wha?” Prompto uttered, lowering his camera. It then clicked what the guy was asking, and he looked at him, playing dumb. “What do you mean?”“Heheh. That’s what most people are here for,” the man quipped cheekily, one hand in his pocket as he flicked his hand to the sea off to the side. “We got a lot of tales going around ‘bout the Mer, and we got a looot of people coming by to try and snap a shot. Figured you’d be the same way.”“I’m just snapping shots for my resume,” the smaller male replied, sitting back to take a small break.“That so, huh?” the man chuckled. “So no interest in snapping some shots of Mer at all, huh?”“No, but I’m guessing you mean merpeople, then? I didn’t realize they had a short version of their name, considering they’re myths,” Prompto said.“Well, gotta name ‘m something, right? And it’d be considered sexist to say merman or mermaid, ya get my point?”“True… How do you know much about them, anyway? Seen any yourself, or something? I can’t imagine you wouldn’t if you’re approaching me about them.”The man laughed lightly. “Ain’t seem ‘m in person, no, but I got my sources to tell me just what I need to know. In fact; if you’re interested in a really good shot, I might be able to arrange something for ya.”“What? How can you manage that if you’ve never seen any?” Prompto frowned, confused.“Like I said,” the man laughed, “I got my sources, and I ain’t gonna rat ‘m out.” He let that sink in for a minute, before he quipped: “So? You interested?”The smaller male thought about it briefly, before giving in. Really, the worst that could probably happen was that he wouldn’t get a shot of the Mer and had to settle for scenery shots. Which wasn’t so bad. “Sure. I’d like to think it’ll get me a job, then.”“Nice,” the man chuckled as he walked over. Holding out his hand, he said: “Name’s Dino. Pleased to meet ya.”“Prompto. Prompto Argentum. Nice to meet you, too, Dino,” Prompto said, taking his hand and shaking it. A few days later found Prompto (once again) back at Cape Caem, but this time for a different reason than the earlier trips. This time, he came to join Dino and a small handful of tourists on a boat ride out unto the open sea. The guise for the trip was that it was going to be a slightly more scenic route toward Altissia, while, in truth, it was an attempt to catch sight of the “Mer”, as Dino called them.And even if Prompto couldn’t get a shot of them, he could likely get a few nice shots of Altissia once they arrived.The blonde prepped his camera as the boat continued out further into the ocean, making sure the lens and camera itself was clean, he had enough battery for it, and enough memory on the SD card inside. Everything looked good, so he decided to go over and check with Dino.“So…where do they usually show up out here?” he asked.Dino chuckled as he looked over from his perch, before he gestured out ahead. “You see that over there?” he said, pointing off toward a set of seemingly random spires that had been said to mark the optimal route to Altissia. “There’s been lots of rumors going ‘bout that they live in that area. And that they regularly come up for a bit of fun in the sun. So that’s gonna be our first pit stop.”“Okay…” Prompto conceded, highly doubting the “fun in the sun” part. He remembered how Noctis had been suffering in the harsh sunlight over a week ago, so he knew that they wouldn’t come for any “sun fun”.“Oh, by the way,” Dino said, taking Prompto’s hand and dropping some thin items in it. “Try tossing these out there. They’re attracted to shinies, too.”“Uh, okay?” the smaller male uttered, quirking a brow, before doing as told and tossing what appeared to be some old rings out into the ocean. “Noct, will you slow down?” Ignis called out, and Noctis sighed softly as he moved to the top of the reef, where he proceeded to lay quietly for a little bit. Once the advisor had joined him (though he remained floating by the reef), the other Mer spoke again. “You’ve been rather distracted lately. Is everything all right?”“Yeah,” Noctis said as he unfurled himself entirely along the rock, letting his black tail move along the reef, briefly moving the fin along a piece of coral. “Everything’s fine.”Not a lie; things were fine. The only thing not okay was the fact that he couldn’t get his mind off of Prompto, and he kept wondering if he was okay. He was sure he was, and yet he couldn’t help but wonder…Ignis hummed softly, but he said nothing else, even as Noctis closed his eyes to rest quietly. Ever since the last time, it had been decided that only Gladio or Ignis were to accompany Noctis whenever he went out, given the prince’s friendship with the two other Mer. And Noctis was perfectly fine with that. At least they knew not to bother him too much when he needed to think.And suddenly something hit him in the forehead. “Ow!” he yelped as he sat up, looking around, before his eyes fell on the objects that had hit him in the face. He took the item in hand and turned it around. It was round with a hole in them. He’d seen these before; they were “rings”, he believed, but where’d they come from?“Hm… looks like they’ve come back…” Ignis murmured, and Noctis looked up curiously. What he saw, was the bottom of what appeared to be the underside of a whale… or no, it was one of those “boats” everyone told him he had to stay away from.“…Humans, huh?” Noctis murmured.Ignis hummed. “We should return.”“…I’m staying for a little longer,” Noctis murmured.“Noct…”“I’m not staying for long. Just a little longer.”“…Very well.” As the trip continued, there was very little to see aside from, well, the endless ocean ahead of them. Which wasn’t necessarily “bad”, but it was certainly not what Dino had been aiming for with this trip, Prompto was sure. The blonde snapped a few nice shots of the surrounding area, and then he looked at Dino. “How much longer until we get to Altissia?” he asked.“Shouldn’t be much longer, now,” Dino admitted, though he seemed more than a little disappointed over not getting the “scoop” he was obviously after.Prompto sighed, but then, when he looked up, he noticed some incoming clouds in the sky. Dino noticed it as well and he cursed. “Dammit and they said it was gonna be a nice, sunny day… Welp, guess we’re gonna have to move a little faster than planned.”Prompto sighed heavily, before looking at Dino. “So much for this trip,” he grumbled.“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that, man,” Dino apologized sincerely. “Shows ya can’t trust the weather report, eh?”Before Prompto could respond, though, something suddenly slammed into the side of the boat.“Wah!” Prompto wailed, very nearly dropping his camera.“The hell?!” Dino yowled as he grabbed hold of the railing. “The devil just hit us?!”There was no time to respond as there was a second hit to the boat.“What is it?!” Prompto demanded, clinging to the railing as well.Dino couldn’t even get a word out, as thunder rumbled ominously from the clouds above them.When the thunder began to rumble, Prompto jumped, before his camera fell from his hands into the watery depths of the ocean below. “No! My camera!” he yelped. “Hm… it would seem Lady Leviathan is annoyed with the humans,” Ignis murmured.“…looks like,” Noctis said in agreement.“We should be going. Before we get dragged in as well.”Noctis sighed as he moved off of the reef (though he did pick up the rings that had been dropped on his head to keep). “May as we—…huh?” The prince blinked as he spotted something that had fallen from the humans’ boat. An item that he actually recognized.“Noct. Let’s go!” Ignis called out when he realized that the other Mer wasn’t following. But Noctis didn’t respond at all. However, before Ignis could try again, the prince suddenly swam off in the opposite direction. “Noct!!”Noctis didn’t listen to the call as he reached out and caught the item in his hand as it came into range. While he didn’t know what it was called or what it did, he did recognize the item itself. He’d seen it hanging from a strap before… around Prompto’s neck.“Noct!” Ignis said as he joined the prince. “We have to go now! Come on!”But Noctis immediately shrugged off Ignis’ hand and then, without so much as a word said, he snapped his tail out and swam upward toward the surface.“NOCT!!” “Oy! Dude! C’mon!” Dino called out, grabbing Prompto’s arm and beginning to drag him away. “We need to get below deck!”“But…my camera!” the smaller male protested.“C’mon, Prom! I’ll get you a new one when we reach Altissia!”“Okay, fine!” Prompto conceded, before starting to go with Dino. However, just as Prompto made to step down the stairs, something heavy smashed into the boat’s side, throwing the blonde sideways and into and then over the railing. “SHIT!!” Prompto cried out as he fell into the water.The moment he went under, the salt water assaulted his eyes, forcing them shut in pain. Once he was able to open his eyes, the bubbles surrounding him were just fading away, and he could just barely make out the blurry outline of the boat above him. Trying to get back to the boat, Prompto started to swim up, in the boat’s direction. Unfortunately, the more he tried to swim up, the more he was instead dragged down by the currents caused by the rapidly approaching storm.‘NO! It can’t…end like this!’ the blonde thought in a panic as he realized what was happening, bubbles of air slipping out from his lips as he tried not to panic from the way his lungs were starting to burn for much-needed oxygen.Suddenly, there was a firm touch that encircled his waist. Startled, Prompto looked to see the familiar face of the one he’d saved over a week prior. His eyes widened in shock, as he had DEFINITELY not expected Noctis, of all people, to be there.Noctis regarded him briefly, before he turned his head upward and snapped out his tail fiercely, immediately propelling them both upward to the surface. In less than a minute, they broke through the surface, and Prompto gasped as he gulped in air to ease the pain of his burning lungs, before looking at Noctis.“Thank you!” he panted, unsure if the raven would even understand him.Noctis didn’t say anything in response, but he did nod his head, so he likely understood what Prompto was trying to say. Suddenly a wave of water washed over them and Noctis gave a small cry of surprise.“Dammit!” Prompto cursed, trying to help keep them afloat by giving a small kick away from Noctis so as not to hurt him.//Dammit, Leviathan!! Would you calm down?!// Noctis shouted out over the roaring waves. Of course, there was no response, and he wasn’t surprised that his words were ignored. Looking around for a moment, Noctis spotted a large outcropping, which (unbeknownst to Noctis) humans used to find the way to Altissia, and began to beat his tail, swimming over to it with his arm still wrapped around Prompto’s waist.Prompto let himself be carried to the outcropping, beyond grateful to the Mer for helping him. With the seas raging around them, it took much longer than was normally needed to reach the rocks, but when they finally did, Noctis curled his other arm around a rock and pulled Prompto up onto the outcropping. The blonde pulled himself further up on there, and looked at Noctis once he was fully seated on the rocks.“I’m glad you made it back okay,” he told him, relieved. “I’m glad to see you’re okay.”Noctis was quiet in response to the words, before a wave hit him in the back and he yelped. He snarled as he looked back, shouting something that Prompto couldn’t quite hear (not that he could understand it to begin with), before he, too, pulled himself up onto the rocks. After grumbling something, the Mer looked up and held up one hand… or more specifically, the item in it.“My camera!” Prompto gasped, and he took it from the offering hand. “Thank you, Noctis!”The Mer nodded his head again, before he turned back to the seas again, watching as the waves continued to rage and roar as the winds picked up and thunder rumbled in the distance. Meanwhile, Prompto shook some of the water from his hair, hoping to get it a little less drenched, before smiling at the raven. He wished he could tell him how happy he was that the Mer was here and was the one who had saved him, but he knew it was impossible. As if sensing the human’s gaze, Noctis turned back to face Prompto, tilting his head curiously.“I’m happy to see you again, is all,” the blonde explained, despite knowing Noctis wouldn’t understand.Naturally, the Mer didn’t respond, though his tail did sway slightly along the side of the rocks. However, suddenly there was a loud roar as a wave suddenly rose up in front of them, making Noctis look over with a glare.“OH SHIT!!” Prompto shrieked, terrified by the large beast before them.The best way to describe the beast was some sort of large water dragon--emphasis on LARGE. Its face, which was hovering high above them, was larger than the outcropping the pair was sitting on, and its neck stretched down far down under the water. It snarled as its large, yellow eyes narrowed in a clear display of fury.//Leviathan!! Stop it!!// Noctis shouted up to the beast.Prompto merely cowered at the sight of the gigantic water dragon, his bright blue eyes wide with fear.//What nonsense is this, little prince?// Leviathan growled out. //You would defend one of them?! A human that would rather see you enslaved or dead!?////He is not like the rest, Leviathan!// Noctis shouted (since the sea was still raging around them). //I assure you; he’ll not cause us any harm!//The dragon seemed less than impressed as she snorted. //And you’ve proof of this, little prince?!////I am the proof, Leviathan!// Noctis nearly screamed. //I would not be here if not for him!!//Prompto listened, of course not understanding, but it seemed almost like the dragon and Noctis were communicating, based off the shouting from the Mer and the growls from the aquatic beast. The shouting/growling session between the Mer and dragon continued for a long time, before, finally, the dragon scoffed, the breath ruffling both their hairs from the force.//You are naive, little prince…// Leviathan growled, //but just this once, I shall humor your request.////Thank you, Leviathan,// Noctis said with a bow of his head.//Just see that he does not trespass again…// the dragon snarled, before she turned and ducked back into the sea, the water barely moving around her massive frame.“Holy shit… What the hell was THAT?” Prompto wondered aloud, exhaling shakily. Noctis looked over to Prompto at the words, curiously watching him. “Whatever you did, thanks for saving me again, sheesh!” Prompto sighed, shuddering.There was no immediate response from the Mer. The black-haired male merely sat on the rock, his tail lightly wading through the water below, which was steadily calming down again, even as the thunder continued to rage. The blonde looked up at the sky, his expression concerned as he watched the lightning streak across it and listened to the rumbling thunder.//Noct!!//Noctis blinked at the shout and snapped around, scanning the water, before he spotted the source and groaned. He then turned to Prompto and tapped him to the arm. Once he had his attention, the Mer pointed to Prompto, and then to the rock, twice, before he slid off and dove back into the water.Prompto sighed once the raven was gone, hoping he would somehow see him again. It was good to know Noctis was well, though. As Noctis swam back under the waves, Ignis soon came swimming over. “Ignis, I--”“I heard.”“…oh.” Noct wasn’t sure what else to say to that, so he remained silent.Ignis regarded the prince for a moment more in silence, but finally, he spoke again. “It would be wise to get him away from here. Before Lady Leviathan changes her mind.”At those words, Noctis stared for a moment, confused and surprised, before he smiled. “Right… thanks, Ignis.”“Just hurry up… your father is probably worried sick.”“Right, right…”Noctis nodded, before he turned and swam back up. Prompto blinked in surprise when he saw Noctis resurface, and smiled, despite his confusion, when the raven came back over. Noctis swam over closer, and then waved Prompto over. Nodding, Prompto carefully slid into the water, holding on to his camera still, and paddled over to the Mer.Once he was by the Mer’s side, Noctis moved the blonde’s arms around his neck, and began to swim, his tail moving against Prompto’s legs as he went. Prompto blinked in surprise, before allowing Noctis to take him back to the boat.As the boat steadily righted itself, Noctis moved over to the side, looking for a place from where he could drop off Prompto, until he spotted the ladder on the back and moved over. When they got there, Prompto reluctantly let go, before wrapping his arms around Noctis’ neck from his front.“Thank you again. And take care, okay?” Prompto murmured, before letting go and taking his camera in his teeth by its strap so he could climb the ladder. Before he reached the deck, though, he smiled gratefully down at Noctis one last time before climbing onto the boat’s deck.Noctis watched him go quietly, his head tilted to the side, before he opened his mouth. “…Take… care.”Prompto grunted as he got onto the boat, flopping onto the wooden deck tiredly. “Dammit…! That dragon’s massive, and definitely packs a punch against a boat!” he complained.As he moved to the area below deck, though, there was a splash off to the side, and just as the blonde whirled around, it was just in time to see Noctis jumping out from the water briefly before he dove back under, disappearing from sight once again.“Goodbye, Noctis. I hope you and I meet again under better circumstances someday…” he murmured sadly. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Finally, Prompto was in Altissia. He had managed to find his way to the hotel, thanks to Dino, and was checked in to his hotel room. Mercifully, Dino had gone in half for his stay there, which was a relief, considering the blonde didn’t have too much gil to his name at the moment. He had already showered to get the salt water off of him, and was in some spare clothes while his were being washed as he was on the phone with Cindy.“Yeah, I’m fine. Trying to find out if my camera is, though,” he told her as he toyed with his camera, as it was already dry from its own drop into the sea.“And if it’s not? Hunny, I know that camera wasn’t cheap, and it’s your life. It ain’t gonna be easy to replace,” Cindy told him worriedly, and Prompto sighed.“I know, but I backed everything up on my laptop before going out for this trip, so that’s a relief. Besides, Dino promised he would buy me a new one if this one’s busted,” he shrugged, feeling the buttons and pressing them to make sure they didn’t stick and that they still worked.“As long as you’re okay with that, hun,” the blonde woman on the other end murmured.“Yeah, it’ll be fine. I only got a few shots before the storm hit, anyway,” he told her.“Well, as long as they were able to be spared, then that’s fine,” she relented.“Yup, so no worries. I’m gonna go check on my clothes, Cindy, but I’ll keep you posted, k?”“Sounds good. Talk to ya later, Prompto,” she smiled, and then the call was ended.Standing up with a grunt, Prompto sighed. It seemed like the camera still worked, but it definitely needed to be cleaned from the salt of the ocean water. Which was simple enough. The blonde then pocketed his room key and headed down to the laundry room, where his clothes were now waiting for him in the dryer. As he collected them out, though, he couldn’t help but think about Noctis.He really hoped the raven wasn’t in trouble for helping him, as he would think the Mer would try and normally steer clear of humans. Even though Prompto DID save Noctis’s life over a week ago. He clearly remembered the Mer’s fear when he had approached him, but now Noctis was fine with him. It had to be just him, otherwise he’d probably flee at the sight of another human.‘I hope we can see each other soon, Noctis,’ he thought to himself. “…Ignis?” Noctis asked as they swam through the Citadel’s halls.“Yes?”“Why didn’t you say anything to Father?”Ignis hummed as they arrived at Noctis’ room. “It wasn’t my place to say,” he said finally.“…I see…” the prince murmured.“Noct.”“Hm?” Noctis hummed as he looked over.“You do need to tell him someday.”“…I know…” the raven murmured, before he swam inside. “I’ll think about it…”Ignis merely hummed as Noctis shut the heavy shell door to his room, and he sighed as he moved over to his bed and rested down upon it.Now that he was back in Insomnia, and more importantly his own room, Noctis couldn’t help but think back on Prompto. Despite the fact that he had now been able to return the favor to the blonde by saving his life from the ocean (or Leviathan, more like), he couldn’t help but worry if the human was alright. He knew that humans were supposed to be things to be avoided if you wanted to continue living, but he just couldn’t see it in Prompto. Was it just him or were there others who wouldn’t try to entrap the Mer or attempt to kill them?He didn’t know… but his curiosity about the human was definitely peaked, now.With that in mind, Noctis swam over to his large window and looked around cautiously. When he was sure no one was around or watching, he swam away. He knew it was stupid, knew he should be telling saying he was leaving, but he wasn’t thinking properly at the moment. Besides, he wasn’t going to be gone for long. As the sun gradually set along the horizon, Prompto found himself wandering around the city, snapping some shots here and there of the city in all its glory as he ventured his way to the docks for some extra nice pictures. Surprisingly, they were practically abandoned at the moment, though that might’ve had something to do with the time. As he was walking around, though, there was a sudden splash from off to the side, which made him look up. However, when he did, there wasn’t anything to see… except he could see some ripples on the water that shouldn’t have been there, that led to under the dock.Curiosity piqued, Prompto got on his knees at the edge, and started to look under the dock itself: As he did, his eyes soon locked with another pair of blue eyes framed by soaked black hair.“Noctis?” Prompto gasped, startled by the Mer’s appearance.The Mer remained there for a moment more, before he swam and moved to the edge of the dock. Once there, he reached up and pulled himself up to hang from the side by his arms.“What are you doing here?” Prompto asked, puzzled.When Prompto spoke, Noctis began to realize he might not have thought this plan through all the well. There was still that whole “language barrier” to deal with, so how was he supposed to communicate with him?As he thought on that, though, he recalled a phrase that Prompto had used a lot during their initial meeting. And given the circumstances, he was pretty sure he had the meaning right in his head.“…are y…you al…alright?”Prompto blinked, surprised by the (fluent) question. “Yeah,” he nodded, smiling. “Are you? You’re a long way from home, right?”Noctis frowned a bit in concentration, trying to figure out from the blonde’s face what he was trying to say. Which was definitely not as easy as he had expected it to be. But he assumed him to be returning the question back at him, so he just nodded his head.“Good,” the blonde smiled in relief. “I’m happy to see you again.”The Mer cocked his head curiously as he rested his head on his arms, his tail absently moving to keep him in place.Shaking his head slightly, as he knew Noctis wouldn’t have understood, Prompto decided to change directions. “Thank you again, for saving me before.”Those words again… Noctis was starting to believe they were meant to express gratitude. So…//…You’re welcome,// he said in his own tongue, since he had no idea how to say it in the human language.Prompto tilted his head curiously, before realizing the Mer was telling him ‘you’re welcome’ in his own language. He then smiled and reached to take one of Noctis’ hands in his. “If only you and I could understand each other…” he murmured, his gaze saddening a bit.Noctis blinked at their joined hands. He hadn’t noticed before, but Prompto’s skin felt so different from his own, or that of other Mer. He wasn’t sure why; maybe it was because of the lack of water on it, but it certainly had him intrigued as he moved up a little more and took hold of Prompto’s hand in both of his to move the thumbs over the back.The blonde smiled in slight amusement at Noctis’ curiosity, letting him do as he pleased. Tilting his head, Noctis let out a curious sound that no human would be able to make, as he brought the hand to his face and began to sniff at it.“It’s just soap,” Prompto chuckled as he realized what the raven was smelling. This was met with a confused look from Noctis, of course. “You’re pretty interesting yourself, ya know,” the blonde smiled, moving his free hand to Noctis’ wet locks. They were surprisingly soft for living in the ocean.Noctis regarded Prompto as he ran a hand through his waterlogged hair, not really caring much. The only thing that really annoyed him was that it was so heavy on his head now. Why’d everything get twice as heavy above the surface, anyway?“Your hair’s really soft, even though it’s wet,” Prompto murmured.Noctis looked up at Prompto silently, before he pushed up and began to run his own hand through Prompto’s blonde hair. This drew a light shiver from the smaller male, and he smiled softly at the raven. Of course, Noctis noticed the shiver and blinked, tilting his head before he poked at Prompto’s cheek.Prompto chuckled. “Your hand’s a bit cold from the water,” he told him.Noctis, of course, didn’t understand a word, as the frown on his face said. After a moment though, he groaned as his arms started to complain about holding up his weight and he dropped himself back in the water.“Are you leaving?” Prompto asked, feeling somewhat disappointed at the move.Noctis briefly disappeared underwater shortly after the question… and then he suddenly jumped out with enough force that he managed to get on the dock, though he almost slid off again when he tried to sit up. Prompto quickly helped the Mer to steady himself, before sitting on the dock with him so he wasn’t kneeling anymore.“You’re crazy,” he laughed lightly, before his expression became worried. “I just hope no one comes over…”Noctis tilted his head, before he snorted and said: //You do realize I can’t understand you, right?//Prompto sighed, realizing that the raven was probably saying he didn’t understand. “Sorry…” he apologized. He did, however, look around worriedly, hoping Noctis would understand they needed to remain careful.Of course the prince noticed him looking around and he knew why that was. He wasn’t that stupid. He was, however, very curious about Prompto’s legs and the ‘netting’ that covered them, so he poked at it pointedly. The blonde perked up at the poke, before he laughed quietly, so as not to draw attention.“They’re called ‘pants’. I need them,” he explained.Noctis looked at him oddly, before he curled his fingers along the material and tugged on it curiously.“Hey, those are supposed to be there!” Prompto chuckled, before his gaze moved to the raven’s tail. Tentatively, he reached out, and gently ran his hand along the surprisingly smooth scales.This caused the Mer to jump briefly, before he settled and let Prompto move his fingers along the scales. The pads of his fingers felt a little rough, but the water dripping from his tail made it a little better. //Just don’t go against the scales…// he mumbled.Prompto glanced at the raven briefly, hoping he was okay to do this, and smoothed his fingers all the way to the end of Noctis’s tail.As he reached the end, though, Noctis smirked and suddenly snapped his fin up, splashing Prompto in the face.“Gah!” the blonde yipped, startled by the sudden splash. He then pouted at Noctis when he saw the smirk.The sound and the pout made Noctis laugh, which made his shoulders shake. Prompto rolled his eyes at the Mer’s antics, before shaking the water from his hair and wiping it off his face. And Noctis chuckled, before he noticed something. Reaching around, the Mer poked Prompto’s camera from where it rested against his chest.“This? It’s my camera. It takes pictures,” Prompto told him, before pulling up some of the pictures he’d taken on it that day to show Noctis.This definitely had the Mer’s attention, as he scooted over closer to look over Prompto’s shoulder properly, his blue eyes transfixed on the screen.“They’re nice, huh?” he chucked, scrolling through the pictures, until there were the pictures from yesterday.One of those pictures was from a field of flowers that he just so happened to walk by, and this made Noctis’ eyes widen in awe. Before Prompto could move to the next one, the raven tugged the camera a little closer so he could look at the picture a little better.“Like it?” the blonde asked, smiling happily.Noctis didn’t reply immediately. After a little bit of awed staring, he pointed to the flowers and turned to Prompto. //What are those??//“Flowers,” was the simple answer.“Flo…wers…?”“Yeah, flowers,” Prompto nodded, smiling again.Though the word was clearly alien to him, when Noctis turned back to the picture, there was no denying the wonder in the Mer’s eyes. Prompto watched the raven’s expression, and he was quite proud that he’d managed to be the source of that look on his face.Noctis spent a few more moments look at the picture, before he reached out in an attempt to figure out how to move to the next picture.“Like this,” the blonde murmured, guiding Noctis’ hand to show him how to change the picture.Noctis blinked once, before he repeated the motion, smiling when he got it work. The smaller male watched the Mer in amusement as he flipped through the pictures, pleased to know the raven liked them.As he reached a particular picture, Noctis blinked, before he pointed to the picture on the screen. When Prompto looked over, he realized it was a shot he’d made of Cindy as she was washing her car.“Car,” Prompto said, keeping it simple.“Car…?” Noctis repeated curiously.The blonde nodded. Nodding back, Noctis then went back to look through the pictures.Prompto watched him, simply enjoying him looking through the pictures.Eventually, though, Noctis’ eyes widened and he pointed at the picture. //Beach!//“You like it? It’s where you washed up at, and the day we met,” Prompto told him, chuckling.Noctis smiled with his tail moving about briefly.“I’m glad I found you that day, Noctis… I know for a fact not everyone’s that same as me, though,” Prompto sighed.The Mer cocked his head curiously at the words. While he didn’t understand what was being said, he could tell there was something weighing on the human’s mind. And while he had no idea how humans would comfort each other, he definitely knew how Mer did. He didn’t even hesitate with it as he moved back slightly, right before he wrapped his arms around Prompto’s shoulders from behind and nuzzled his face against the blonde’s shoulder blades,The smaller male looked back at Noctis, surprised, before relaxing in the Mer’s hold. As he did, though, an unfamiliar sound began to rumble from the Mer’s throat, filtering into his ears steadily. The blonde listened as he realized the raven was singing, much like he’d heard in myths from when he was a kid.While Prompto couldn’t understand a word of whatever Noctis was singing, it immediately served to ease his worried mind, even from worries he hadn’t even been aware of initially. He relaxed completely in Noctis’s hold as a result, feeling incredibly calm now.Once Prompto had calmed, Noctis slowly ended his song, and then moved back. //Better?//“I feel so much calmer now,” Prompto smiled softly, nodding to whatever question Noctis had asked.Noctis smiled -- right before his head snapped up as he heard some sort of wail from the seas, and he flinched sharply. //Uh-oh…!//Prompto looked at the raven, surprised, before he asked, “What’s wrong?”Noctis bit his lip, before he looked to Prompto. //I… I have to go…// he said, beginning to move toward the edge of the dock.“Will I see you again?” Prompto questioned, understanding that the Mer had to go, so he began to carefully help him to get closer to the dock’s edge.One glance from the Mer showed that Noctis didn’t understand what he was saying, he did take note of the fact that the human was upset. Before he let himself slip into the water, Noctis moved over and hugged Prompto again. “Take… care…”“You, too,” Prompto smiled sadly, hugging him back.Once they pulled away, Noctis pushed off from the dock and, with one smooth motion, he disappeared beneath the water’s surface once again. And as soon as he was gone, Prompto sighed heavily, already missing the Mer. He hoped he didn’t get the raven in trouble for being with him… ‘Damn damn damn damn damn!’ Noctis thought as he swam as fast as possible. He knew he shouldn’t have left… he knew it’d been a bad idea… and yet he still went! What was he thinking!? ‘Dammit! Father is going to be furious!’And sure enough, as careful as he was in getting back, he was quickly swooped up by some of the guards and brought before his father.“Noct,” Regis said when Noctis was brought before him, and the prince could tell the king wasn’t sure how to feel just then. His emotions were clearly fluctuating between relief, anger and worry, and Noctis instantly felt bad for swimming off without a word to anyone. “Where did you disappear to? Do you have any idea how worried we were?”Noctis didn’t dare to speak, so he kept his mouth shut, his gaze aimed at the ground. He knew he was in the wrong, and no amount of words was going to make up for that, and so he figured the best course of action would be to remain silent. Let alone, there was no way he could tell him… he couldn’t say he’d left just to meet with a human…“You don’t have the leisure to just swim off as you please. You are a prince. You have responsibilities. Do you understand this?”“…yes sir.”Regis was frowning, he knew, even if he couldn’t (or didn’t dare to, really…) see his father’s face. “You are not to leave the Citadel under any circumstances. Are we clear?”“…yes sir…”“Good. Gladiolus. Please escort my son to his room.”Noctis would’ve normally said he didn’t need an escort, let alone to his own room, but he was in enough trouble already, so he remained silent and merely swam alongside Gladio as the older Mer guided him away.“What were you thinking? What if some men saw you?!” Gladio growled softly, but Noctis didn’t answer.He couldn’t tell him… he couldn’t tell anyone.And as he moved into his room, this time with his window locked and secured to keep him inside, he immediately went for the bed, curling up under his blankets and breathing steadily, even though his chest felt tight. He’d never kept a secret this big from anyone; had never seen the need, but this was something so great that he couldn’t possibly tell anyone. Everyone was too fearful of humans to even consider them to not be a threat to anyone.Even if he told them that Prompto had saved him, it wouldn’t be enough. Even if he told them he’d just had a pleasant… well, it wasn’t really a “conversation”, but he supposed “meeting” was a good way to put it, with Prompto, no one would reconsider their ways. There was simply no way it could happen.Absently he wondered if he could change things when he was king, but… nah. Probably not…‘…why am I getting so worked up about this?’ he thought with a small groan. ‘It’s not like I’m going to see him again… so stop worrying about him…’And yet worry he did, and it was a wonder he managed to get any sleep at all that night. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It had been roughly a week and a half since Prompto had seen Noctis, and to be completely honest, he was worried about the Mer. He hoped the raven wasn’t in trouble or something. However, he had to focus on more important things, such as his latest photo shoot for a client that had taken an interest  in his pictures.Sighing quietly, he adjusted his camera on its tripod, and then looked at the client and his family, a look of concentration on his face. He politely guided them into the perfect positioning and poses for the picture, and then snapped a few, hoping they would work for the family’s mantle. It was a simple job, really, but the client was paying him a hefty amount to get it right.Once he was finished, he showed the client the pictures, and the man was definitely pleased. Prompto was paid well for his work, and he promised the client he would have the pictures emailed to him by the end of the day. The man smiled happily, and they parted ways. Prompto definitely followed through, though, and emailed the pictures as soon as he got back to the hotel room. He smiled slightly as he did, but that smile soon fell as his thoughts drifted back to Noctis.Even though they barely knew each other, he still wanted to consider himself the raven’s friend. After all, he wouldn’t keep seeing him, right?Suddenly, there was a bark from outside the window. Surprised, Prompto went to the window, and was surprised to see Umbra outside. He quickly headed to see the canine, and chuckled when he saw him.“Hey, buddy, what are you doing here?” he asked, crouching in front of him.“Bark!” the black dog barked happily, wagging his tail as the blonde man began to pet him.“Prompto?” a familiar voice called out just then.“Luna?” Prompto blinked, surprised to see the familiar blonde woman. “Hey! How have you been?”Lunafreya giggled as she walked over. “I’ve been okay. What of yourself?”“Pretty good, just trying to get some photoshoot jobs here and there, the usual,” he shrugged.“That’s nice,” Luna said with a smile. “So, have you had any good jobs?”“Got one earlier for a family photo session, so that was nice,” he grinned. “What have you been up to?”“Ah, Ravus said I needed a vacation. Said I was working too hard. So…” She paused to giggle. “Here I am.”“Still the overprotective brother, I see,” he chuckled. “Well, I’m glad he did it. It’s nice seeing a familiar face here.”Luna giggled. “That it is. Would you like to walk around for a bit?”“Sure! We can catch up, too. It’s been a while, it feels like,” Prompto nodded, petting Umbra again before he stood.Luna smiled with a giggle as she patted her thigh, urging Umbra to follow as they started walking. Meanwhile, Noctis was resting on his bed, quietly counting and rearranging his large collection of seashells. He hadn’t even realized just how many of them he’d collected over the years. They didn’t really serve any real purpose, either, but he just ended up getting them because they looked nice. With a small groan of annoyance, he pushed up and moved to his window, looking out through the small crack he was still allowed now. He still wasn’t allowed to go outside, and he supposed it was only natural, with his earlier actions, but it still left him with a case of serious boredom.Absently, he wondered if there was a chance for him to sneak out somehow…The longer he thought of it, the more he actually wanted to get out. And so he moved over to his closet and pulled out a simple black bag as he headed for his collection again. He picked up a few shells of each color, putting them into the bag, not even thinking twice about what he was doing. After a moment, though, Noctis frowned and moved over to the near wall, grabbing one more item to put in his bag.With everything in place, he pulled his bag along his shoulders and swam for the window. After briefly looking out and not seeing anyone, he reached out and around. He hadn’t done this in ages, but no one had bothered to adjust this part of his window, which allowed him to undo the latch that held his window shut. And then, with a small smirk, he slipped out and swam off before anyone could see him.It was foolish and would probably get him in even more trouble than he already was, but, at the time, he couldn’t bring himself to care about it.He didn’t even notice the solemn gaze following his departure for the city of Altissia. As they walked, Prompto asked: “So, how’s the work been lately? I know Ravus made you take a vacation, but is the work getting that rough?”“Ravus seems to think so… I personally don’t agree,” Luna said calmly.“Eh, to each their own, I like to say. No harm in taking a break here and there, after all,” Prompto shrugged.Luna smiled warmly at the words, as they walked across a bridge. “I won’t deny that… though I feel like something’s changed in Altissia recently…”“What do you mean?” he frowned.“I’m not sure… it might have to do with the people coming here in an attempt to see the merfolk they say live around here,” Luna admitted with a shrug. “It’s almost like their numbers have doubled, if not tripled, over the past few weeks…”“What? I’ve… heard of the merfolk, but I didn’t realize people were swarming to see them…” Prompto frowned.“Well, it seems that these people seem to think very strongly that they exist… even if no one’s seen them before…” Luna sighed out. “Me personally, I’m not sure I believe anything of it. You?”“Well, if something’s rumored to exist, there’s got to be a grain of truth to it, right?” he shrugged nonchalantly.“I suppose you have a point…”Suddenly Umbra whined as he sniffed at the air. And suddenly he barked and ran off.“Ah! Umbra!!” Luna shouted as she hurried after.“H-hey! Wait up!” Prompto yelped, and then took off after them.After a short chase, Umbra ran out onto the dock, barking loudly. Shortly before the two blondes joined him, they caught the sound of something splashing into the water.“Umbra! What did you do?!” Luna demanded as she hurried over.“Hang on,” Prompto said, frowning curiously. He then got on his knees and ducked down to look beneath the dock.As he looked around, he didn’t spot anything. But as he was sitting back up, he did catch sight of some sort of bag, clinging to one of the dock’s poles. Curious, the blonde pulled it off from the nail that had caught it, and looked inside. The black bag contained numerous different colored seashells, of varying shapes and sizes, and some in colors that Prompto didn’t even know existed.“What did you find?” Luna asked as she moved over.“They’re seashells,” he told her, and then realized Noctis must have brought them. ‘Dammit, Umbra, you scared him off!’ he thought irritably.“Seashells?” Luna asked, as she crouched down next to him. “Oh! Those are really pretty…”“Yeah, they are,” Prompto smiled at her. Looking out to the water, he thought: ‘Thank you, Noctis.’Nodding, Luna reached over and took one of the pale yellow seashells, turning it over curiously. “I wonder who left them here… maybe some child who’s gone to the beach and saved these up?”“I dunno, but I’ll try and find out, hold on to them for now,” Prompto offered.“Okay,” Luna agreed with a nod as she stood up. “So I guess you’re staying here for a while longer, then?”“Yeah, until Dino’s finished with trying to get info on the merfolk, I guess. He’s the one who got me a ride here, and has helped me out with my stay at the hotel,” the blonde male explained.“Alright. Perhaps we’ll see each other later, then,” Luna said with a smile. “I should be heading back before Ravus starts to worry… again.”“Oh, he’s here with you, huh?” Prompto asked, standing as well.“Of course. He’s convinced I won’t relax if he’s not here to keep an eye on me.”This drew an amused laugh from Prompto. “I understand. I’m gonna head back soon myself, but it was nice seeing you, Luna,” he smiled, and then pet Umbra. “And nice seeing you, too, Umbra.”“Bark!”Luna giggled as she began to walk off, waving her goodbyes, with Umbra hurrying to catch up.Once she was gone, Prompto looked out at the water, wondering if Noctis was still there, watching. It didn’t seem that way, however; the water remained as still as possible for the seas. But, before Prompto could sigh and begin to walk away…“…Prom…pto?”“Noctis?” the blonde gasped, and then looked back over, an excited grin on his face.And sure enough, a little further away, peeking out from behind one of the boats moored at the docks, was the Mer in question. Once he was spotted, the Mer smiled a little, briefly disappearing under water, before he came back up by the docks, pulling himself up onto the wooden boards.“It’s good to see you,” the smaller male smiled warmly, sitting on the dock with him.Noctis tilted his head, taking in the words before he said slowly: “Good… to s…see you…”Prompto smiled a bit wider, happy to know his words were coming through to the raven. His expression then became concerned. “Are you okay? I haven’t seen you in over a week…”Those words made Noctis frown slightly in what seemed like annoyance, but in the end he nodded his head quietly.“I was worried about you,” Prompto murmured, placing his hand on one of Noctis’.At the touch, Noctis looked at their hands curiously. After a moment, though, he put his other hand over Prompto’s.“I’m glad to see you’re okay,” the blonde whispered, smiling.Noctis wasn’t sure what he was saying, but there was a sense of… relief? Yeah, he was pretty sure that was relief, in the blonde’s expression. But why would it be there, he wondered. Had he been worried?That was the only reason Noctis could think of, but it didn’t make a lot of sense as to why.“Oh!” Prompto exclaimed, before pulling over the bag of shells. “Thank you for this, they’re all really beautiful.”When he brought out the bag, Noctis blinked, before he looked to Prompto with a look of concentration. “Beau…ti…ful?” he tried to say slowly.“Yeah,” the blonde nodded. “I like them a lot.”Again, Noctis wasn’t sure what was being said, but he supposed it wasn’t anything bad, given the look on Prompto’s face.After a moment, Noctis suddenly reached for the bag and tugged it closer. Once he had it in his reach again, he began to rummage through it. Prompto watched him curiously, not even bothering to ask this time.Finally, Noctis gave a small sound of what Prompto assumed was victory, and he pulled out a horn-like shell, colored in various shades of blue and green. Oddly enough, there also appeared to be holes poked into it. Seemingly satisfied, Noctis held up the shell to Prompto in a way that was almost expectantly.“What?” Prompto asked, taking the shell in his hands.When Prompto just turned the shell in his hands oddly, Noctis groaned before he put his hands by his mouth and blew into them.“Oh, I understand,” Prompto nodded, and then found what he assumed was the mouthpiece at one end, and then blew into it. And sure enough, the shell produced a sound that was much like the sound of a normal horn, but it did have its own unique, specific sound to it, likely because it wasn’t initially from the surface. “That’s awesome!” Prompto grinned, looking at Noctis in amazement.Noctis smiled at Prompto’s obvious excitement, before he gestured for Prompto to hand it over. When he did, Noctis pulled himself up a little better on his elbows, then put the horn to his own mouth and blew, while his fingers moved along the holes that were punctured into the side, creating an almost otherworldly melody.The blonde listened and watched in awe, loving the almost eerie melody it created. It was somewhat enchanting to listen to it. And while it wasn’t a very long song, when it ended, Noctis seemed to consider something for a brief moment, before he handed the horn back to Prompto.“I don’t think I’ll be able to play it like you, but thank you. I’ll treasure it always,” Prompto murmured, smiling again as he accepted it.Noctis smiled as he leaned on his arms on the dock again. He hadn’t been sure if it’d be a smart idea to hand Prompto something like that, but it wasn’t like he used it himself. It was just something he’d picked up on a whim long ago, and no one would look up if it just up and disappeared. In the end, the expression on Prompto’s face was well worth it. Humans were really interesting with their varying facial expressions and very unlike other Mer he’d met.//You’re welcome,// he said calmly.The smaller male noticed the calm tone to Noctis’ speech, and relaxed.“I really wish we could understand each other,” he told him, sighing longingly.Noctis cocked his head for a moment. He didn’t realize this, of course, but, like Prompto, he was wishing they could somehow understand each other better. He wondered if there was a way to do so…An idea popping up in his head, the prince considered it for a few moments, before he suddenly prodded Prompto’s arm. “Prompto,” he said, glad that he got the word out in one time for once. //Human.// Then he pointed to himself. //Noctis. Mer.//Prompto blinked, surprised, before he understood what the raven was doing. He was trying to teach the blonde some of his own language.//Hu…man?// he tried.Noctis nodded as he pointed to Prompto to show what the word meant.“Human,” the smaller male said, understanding where this was going.“Hu…man…” Noctis repeated slowly. Then he pointed to himself again. //Mer.////Mer,// Prompto repeated, smiling softly.This made Noctis smile with a small chuckle, before he tilted his head.“Mer,” the blonde said, chuckling as well.“Mer,” Noctis repeated, the ‘r’ rolling slightly off his tongue.Looking around, Prompto tried to think of something to have Noctis say so he could learn it. Then he thought of something, even if it seemed silly. Taking a lock of his own hair in his hand, he said, “Hair.” He remembered their last encounter, when he was curious about the raven’s own soft, silky locks, which was what gave him the idea. He then gently took a damp lock of Noctis’s hair in his other hand, and repeated the word. “Hair.”Noctis blinked a little at the touch, fingering his own hair, before he seemed to get it. “Hair…” he repeated slowly, before he said with a smile: //Hair.////Hair,// Prompto repeated, and let go of the raven’s hair. Looking down, he placed his hand in the water, and looked back up at Noctis again. “Water,” he said.Looking down at the water, Noctis smiled as he repeated: “Wa…ter,” right before he said: //Water.////Wa…ter,// Prompto repeated, almost stuttering out the word this time. He wished he knew how to tell Noctis thank you, but he wasn’t sure how to figure it out…Unbeknownst to the human, Noctis was thinking around the same thing. While he normally didn’t say much himself, he felt it necessary to at least express his thanks. Thinking back to their earlier conversations, though, he found the answer soon enough.//Thank you,// he said suddenly, startling Prompto. And then he said, doing his best to articulate it properly: “Th…ank…y-you.”This drew a pleased smile on the blonde’s face, and he repeated back with a nod, //Thank you.//Noctis smiled in return, his tail swaying along the water’s surface almost lazily.Prompto then frowned in thought, wondering how he could ask the Mer if they were friends. He had no way of knowing how to ask, other than in his own language. ‘Damned language barrier,’ he thought in frustration.Noticing his frustration, Noctis frowned and poked him in the leg, cocking his head sideways in question.“I don’t know how to ask if we’re friends,” Prompto sighed, knowing Noctis wouldn’t understand.The Mer, of course, only looked at him oddly, not understanding what Prompto could be talking about that could make him look both frustrated and sad. Noctis wasn’t even aware a combo like that was a thing…Since he had no idea what he could say (since it wouldn’t be understood, anyway), he merely reached out with one hand and placed it on Prompto’s leg.The smaller male smiled sadly at Noctis. //Thank you, Noctis,// he murmured.//…You’re welcome,// Noctis said in return, his tail curling around in the water in thought. Then, as an afterthought, though he would likely regret it later, he added: //We’re friends, after all.//Prompto tilted his head curiously. “Wish I understood that…”Noctis merely smiled in reply -- before he yelped and almost leapt in the blonde’s lap before he whirled around. //Dammit, Ignis!!//“What?!” Prompto yelped, startled by the raven’s yelp.Noctis snarled softly, before he looked to Prompto and grabbed hold of his hand. Before Prompto could ask, Noctis squeezed his hand firmly, and then he pushed off from the dock, diving backwards into the water again. Prompto watched the ripples from Noctis’ dive into the water, hoping everything was okay. When Noctis swam down, he wasn’t surprised to see the sandy blonde Mer waiting for him, looking as serious as ever, of course. “Why are you here?” he asked with a slight growl.“I believe I should be the one asking you that very same question. What are you doing here again?”‘Again… so he knows I’ve come here before…’ That news didn’t really surprise him, but he’d secretly been hoping he could’ve come out here without being spotted. But then again, this was Ignis he was talking about…“…seeing a friend,” he finally admitted and this news seemed to actually surprise Ignis. Any other time he’d be laughing at the fact that he had managed to surprise Ignis, but this wasn’t the time for it.“A… friend? Surely, you’re joking…”“I’m not.”Ignis was now frowning, obviously not pleased with the words, before he looked up to the surface.And Noctis recognized that look. “…what are you planning?”But Ignis didn’t respond; he merely shot up with a snap of his tail.“IGNIS!! STOP!!” Noctis shouted as he hurried after. After almost five minutes of the Mer being under, Prompto caught motion from under the water. Blinking, the blonde leaned forward, watching the water’s surface. And the next thing Prompto was aware of was a hand reaching out and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and then abruptly pulling him down into the water.Prompto gave a startled yelp, not knowing why Noctis would yank him into the water. The yelp immediately caused water to fill his mouth, which had him gargling instinctively as he tried to swim back up, though the bubbles around him made it difficult to see where he was going. Thankfully, a firm grip around his waist quickly pulled him up to the surface again. The blonde spluttered once he was at the surface, looking around wildly and very confused now. One of the first things he saw was the worried look on Noctis’ face as the Mer held him up with one arm around his waist, still.“Why’d you pull me in?” he asked after spitting out some of the salt water in his mouth.Noctis blinked twice, before he shook his head, and then pointed angrily over Prompto’s shoulder. Prompto then looked over his shoulder, and was quite surprised to see another Mer behind him.The other Mer regarded him with a half frown, and it wasn’t sure if he was displeased or simply thinking deeply about something. //Seriously, Ignis! What’s the big idea?!// Noctis demanded.Prompto looked between them, seriously confused now.//Noct, you realize that this is a fool’s errand, correct?// Ignis asked simply, completely ignoring the prince’s question.//What’s your point?// Noctis growled angrily.Ignis frowned at the evasion, before he snorted. //My point, Noct, is that he is a human, and you are a Mer. There’s simply no way for our worlds to coexist.////…Yeah right,// the raven snorted. //I bet they can.////Don’t be a fool, Noct. There’s a good reason why our races do not come into contact.//Noctis merely snorted, clearly not convinced by the words.Prompto’s frown deepened, as he had no idea what was being said. He caught the words ‘human’ and ‘Mer’, but he didn’t understand the rest.Ignis rubbed at his temples briefly when he realized his words were not getting through to Noctis, before he aimed his gaze at Prompto silently. The blonde met his gaze, his bright blue eyes curious, but he remained where he was in Noctis’ grip.//…I assume you’ve no intention to stop this, then?// Ignis said solemnly. Noctis didn’t even bother to respond, and it made the other Mer shake his head lightly. //I’ll not stop you… but I’ll have to insist you not leave alone again.// The sandy-blonde waited until the words sank in, as Noctis’ eyes widened slightly, before he asked: //Agreed?////…yeah.//Prompto still didn’t speak, knowing this was something the two needed to work out, based off their tones. He was curious to know what was being said, but he knew he wouldn’t find out anytime soon.//See him off,// Ignis said firmly. //Before your father sends Drautos after you.////…yeah, okay…//Ignis merely nodded, before he dived back under. Noctis regarded him for a moment, before he swam over to the edge of the dock with Prompto behind him.“Who was that?” Prompto asked once the other Mer was gone.“Ignis,” the Mer said as he looked around for a place to help Prompto get back up.“Ignis? What did he want?” the smaller male inquired as he also looked around.Noctis, of course, didn’t understand what was being said, so he wasn’t sure how to respond to that as he continued to look around. Finally, though, Noctis sighed in annoyance as he briefly let go of Prompto so that he could jump up onto the docks. And once there, he turned and pulled Prompto up out of the water.//Thank you,// Prompto smiled once he was out, and then he slid out of the Mer’s lap and onto the docks.The Mer nodded briefly as they sat there… before he blinked and reached for Prompto’s hair.Prompto reached up and felt his hair, before realizing the gel had come out from being in the water for a while. He then groaned, knowing it would look weird on the way back, but there was nothing he could do until he showered.Noctis tilted his head curiously, before he reached out and tried to get Prompto’s hair to stand up the way it had been before his sudden dunk in the water.“Don’t worry about it,” Prompto smiled slightly, shaking his head a bit.Naturally, Noctis looked at him oddly. Just then, there was a sound much like a shout, and the Mer groaned. //…I need to go…// he said solemnly.“You gotta leave, huh?” Prompto guessed, sighing.Realizing that Prompto knew what he’d meant, the Mer frowned sadly, before he moved over and hugged the human. “Take… care.”Prompto hugged him back firmly, whispering, “You, too.”Noctis nodded briefly, before he pulled away, and then pushed off from the dock and dived into the water again.“I’ll see you hopefully soon, Noctis,” Prompto murmured, watching the water for a bit before getting up and beginning his trek back to the hotel. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Surprisingly, Ignis never once mentioned where Noctis had gone during his little ‘excursions’, saying it wasn’t his place to talk of it, and while Noctis was glad with that, at the same time, it somewhat hurt. Maybe it was because he was forced to keep the whole thing a secret for so long, but whatever the reason was, he needed to talk to someone about this. But he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it with his father just yet.So… he went for the only person aside from Ignis and Gladio that he could trust to not judge him.He wasn’t allowed to leave Insomnia, still, but at least he was allowed to leave the castle again. As long as he stayed in the area and in another Mer’s presence, of course. And thankfully, the Mer he had in mind for this was actually part of the staff at the castle.As he swam through the halls, Noctis looked around for a moment, before he spotted who he’d been looking for and he swam over. “Hey, Iris?”“Oh, hey Noct! What’s up?” the brunette asked, turning to face him.“Listen… can I talk to you… in private, for a little bit?” the prince asked solemnly once he’d made sure there was no one around.“Of course,” Iris nodded, noticing something was eating at the raven.Nodding his head briefly, Noctis swam ahead, leading Iris out of the castle walls. Initially, the guards almost stopped him, until they realized Iris was with him and they let him go into the garden silently.Once they came there, Noctis looked around slowly, just to be sure they were alone, before he turned to Iris. “Can… can I trust you to keep a secret, Iris?”“Well, sure! As long as it’s nothing deadly, of course!” she giggled. “But seriously, I’ll keep any secret you tell me, Noctis.”“…Promise? You can’t tell anyone… especially Father.”“I promise, Noct. I won’t even tell Gladdy.”“…Thank you…” Noctis murmured out, his black tail slightly swaying as he kept himself in place along the slight currents. “…I’ve… been to the surface.”“What?! Were you seen?” Iris gasped, her eyes widening as her pink tail stiffened briefly.“I… well, yeah.”“But how did you get away? Did they try to capture you?”“No… the thing is… well, you remember that heavy storm? When I swam out too far and got lost finding my way home?” Noctis asked, figuring the beginning was the best place to start.“Yeah, I heard Gladdy complaining about it. Why?” Iris nodded, tilting her head curiously.“I… might not have told the whole truth then…”“What really happened?” she asked, before gasping. “Is that when you were seen?!”Noctis took a deep breath, the water filtering through his throat to extract the oxygen, before he exhaled and said; “…I got washed ashore… my tail got stuck in a net and… I got stuck on a beach.”The brunette’s hands flew to her mouth, stifling her gasp. “But how did you get away?”“…One of the humans… cut the net and he… put me back in the water.”“Wait, what? A human, who would have normally killed or captured you, freed you from netting and put you back in the water? Why?”“I don’t know… but he just picked me up and… put me back.” Noctis ran a hand through his hair. “I couldn’t ask him about it… well, I could… but we don’t speak the same language.”“Really? That’s strange…” Iris murmured, surprised. She then looked at him again worriedly. “Noctis, have you been going to see him? Is that why you’ve been sneaking out lately?”“…” Noctis flinched at the words, but rather than answer, he reached up and rubbed at his shoulder, something he did when he was nervous.“But humans are dangerous, Noctis! Why have you been going to see a human?” she questioned, concerned for the prince’s well-being.“I know, okay!?” Noctis said, trying not to shout and attract attention to themselves. “But even if that’s true, he did save me! So, yeah, I probably shouldn’t have, but it’s only fair to at least return the favor, right?”“I’m sorry, Noctis, I just don’t want you to get hurt or anything… but I understand, sort of. Did you return the favor yet?” Iris murmured, her gaze curious.“Well… yeah, but…”“But…?”“…I… did meet with him afterwards…”“Why? And don’t get me wrong, Noctis, I’ll keep this a secret, I’m just trying to understand the big picture, is all,” she told him.Noctis wasn’t sure how to answer that initially, before he shrugged his shoulders a bit. “I guess… curiosity? I wanted to know why he was so… different from what the stories tell of humans. And somehow I… I consider him… to be a friend.”“Well, I’d be happy for you, considering he’s someone other than a Mer here at the castle, but he’s a human, Noctis. I won’t tell anyone, but if or when you go see him again, please be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt…” she sighed, lowering her gaze. “Probably a stupid question, but in case anything does happen, can I at least know his name?”Noctis wasn’t entirely sure if it was a good idea to tell her, but he’d already told her this much, so might as well. “Sure… his name’s ‘Prompto’.”“Prompto, huh? …Okay, now you’ve got me curious!” she whined, pouting. “What’s he look like?”Noctis nearly flinched at the suddenness of the question, before he relaxed a bit. “He’s… well, his hair is this really bright yellow… and, this is really weird, but he can get it to stand up on end,” he said as he moved some of his own hair up in an attempt to simulate Prompto’s hair.“Really? How?” Iris asked, smiling curiously as she started to become almost… excited about this human. For some reason, despite her instilled fear of them, she wanted to know about this exception to their stories.“I don’t know… but water makes it stick to his head again, so maybe it’s something that’s normal above the surface?” Noctis admitted with a shrug.“Who knows?” she shrugged as well. “What’s he like?”“He’s… nice,” Noctis admitted as he moved over to one of the benches with Iris following after. “I’m not sure what he’s saying half the time, but… last time we ended up teaching each other.”“He learned some of our language? That’s pretty good, for a human,” the brunette giggled.“It’s not like his language is any easier… you know how we say ‘water’?”“Yeah,” she nodded.“Well they pronounce it as //water//,” he said, the word rolling off his tongue at the end.“That’s so weird!” Iris gasped, a smile still on her face. “Humans are weird, but at least he seems like a good one, based off of what you’ve told me. What else can you tell me?”Noctis thought for a moment, before he remembered something. “Oh yeah! He has this… I dunno what it is but it’s this… this square rock… well, I’m guessing it’s a rock anyway. But it has one side where it can show an area you have been before. It was so weird; we were at the edge of his Corale and it showed the beach where he found me before.”“That’s weird, but cool! What else can you tell me? I like this so far,” Iris grinned.Noctis thought for a moment before he grinned. “Did you know humans can change colors?”“What?! That’s so weird! What colors do they turn?” she exclaimed.“I don’t know how many colors they CAN turn… but Prompto’s face once got as red as a starfish! It was sooooo weird!”The brunette giggled at Noctis’ exclamation. “That’s too funny!”Noctis chuckled at Iris’ words, before a thought came to him. “…you wanna meet him?”Iris blinked, surprised by the offer. “Won’t you get in trouble for leaving again, though? Even with me?”“No. As long as Ignis comes along, at least.”“Do you think he’ll be okay with it?”Noctis chuckled softly. “I think he knows that, even if he doesn’t come, I’d still go.”“Okay, then I’d like to! Besides, I’m starting to see why you’re becoming more curious about him,” the brunette smiled. Prompto was excited, to say the least. He’d been hired to take pictures of the Chocobo Water Race in Altissia, and he was incredibly eager for the event. He made sure his camera was completely squeaky clean, with full battery and plenty of space on the SD card so he could take a bunch of pictures.It had been at least a few days since he’d last seen Noctis, but hopefully the day’s event would provide enough distraction to keep him from moping. He missed being in the calming presence of the Mer, despite them not being able to understand each other completely yet.He headed out of the hotel, making his way to the race course, where he was already seeing several Chocobos and their riders there, preparing for the races. There were even merchandise tables out already, and some early shoppers there, too. Deciding to browse a little, Prompto looked around, before spotting a small Chocobo statue at one of the tables. It caught his eye, and he decided to buy it for Noctis, since the raven had given him that beautiful shell that could be played. Fortunately, it wasn’t too much, and he had enough gil left for later on. He hoped the Mer would like it.Soon enough, it was time to head to the race course, and the blonde took a good perch where he could get some amazing shots during the race.As the riders were getting ready to start, though, no one noticed as two figures moved slowly and carefully below the docks…Noctis looked around cautiously, before he murmured: //Wow… there’s so many of them now…////Yeah… I wonder what those things they’re on are, though…// Iris hummed curiously.//I don’t know… they’re riding them… so maybe these are like giant seahorses for them?////I guess so,// she shrugged. //Where do you think Prompto is?//Noctis looked around for a moment, moving up a little bit and looking around. //I don’t see him yet… c’mon…// he whispered, ducking under the water and moving along the docks carefully.Iris merely nodded, and followed after the raven.The two Mer slowly moved around, taking great care to avoid the large creatures that the humans were riding. It was pretty interesting to see them going around and around though. //It looks like they’re racing… kinda like the annual seahorse races back in Insomnia,// Noctis murmured thoughtfully.//Yeah, almost,// Iris agreed.//Maybe…ah! I see him!// Noctis hissed pointing briefly before he moved up to the surface, making sure he remained hidden, still.//Careful, Noctis!// Iris warned. //Don’t get hit by those things the humans are riding!////I know,// Noctis assured her, as he moved slowly.Iris followed closely, staying beneath the prince since her tail color stood out more than Noctis’.After a little more moving, Noctis stopped and pointed to the other side of the water. //Over there. You see ‘im? He’s got the rock-thing up by his face.////Yeah, I see him now!// Iris nodded. //It’s such a weird thing, that rock.////It is, huh?// Noctis chuckled as he watched Prompto from a distance.//I wonder what he’s doing with it, though…// Iris commented curiously.//Maybe he’s putting the places into the rock…// Noctis murmured thoughtfully.//Maybe he can show us when we see him?// the brunette suggested.//Yeah… but there’s too many humans now… we should wait until the race finishes.// Finally, the race was over, and it had ended up being a photo finish, which Prompto had managed to capture on his camera. He was currently checking out the pictures while at the docks that evening, and the people had all left, heading back to the Leville for some rest or celebratory drinks. In the back of his mind, he was hoping to see Noctis while there, but his hopes weren’t too high, considering it had been a few days.No sooner had he thought that, though, something suddenly hit him in the foot, and when he looked down, there was a small yellow seashell lying on his boot.“Noctis?” the blonde called out, leaning down and picking up the seashell.As he moved over to the edge of the docks, peeking over the edge, Noctis came out from under the dock with a small smile. “Prompto.”“Hey,” the smaller male smiled back, happy to see the Mer again. He then remembered the Chocobo statue in his bag, and he held up a finger to the raven, telling him to hold on. Once he fished out the statue, he held it out to Noctis, handing it to him. “It’s for you. Since you gave me the shell that time.”Blinking curiously, Noctis reached out and took the statue, turning it around between his fingers. He could tell it was a “rock”, but it looked just like the beasts that the humans had been riding on during the race earlier that day. After a long moment of turning the statue around several times, Noctis smiled and looked up to Prompto. “Thank you.”“You’re welcome,” Prompto grinned. “I missed seeing you.”Noctis smiled a bit, before he looked under the dock and made a gesture as if to say “Come on over.”Prompto blinked, surprised, as a brunette mermaid joined Noctis at the dock, appearing a little nervous.“Hi,” he smiled warmly, and she looked at Noctis, almost as though for a bit of guidance. The blonde knew she wouldn’t understand him like Noctis did, but he would still try. After all, no one gets anywhere without trying, right?Noctis reached out and placed a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder, before he said to Prompto while gesturing to the smaller Mer: “Iris,” before he gestured to Prompto as he looked to the girl; “Prompto.”“It’s nice to meet you, Iris,” Prompto chuckled, and the brunette smiled at the sound. She then pointed at his camera, and he looked down at it briefly before he understood. “You guys want to see today’s pictures, huh?” he asked, picking his camera out of his lap and pulling up the first picture of the day.Noctis chuckled as he ducked under water briefly, before he jumped up onto the docks, pulling himself up with practiced ease. Once he was seated, he held out his hands to Iris. //C’mon, Iris.////Okay!// she nodded, and tried to copy his movements, but needed Noctis’ offered hands to help her up onto the wooden surface.Prompto smiled warmly at the sight, and then leaned over, showing the two Mer his pictures from the day. Since Iris was shorter than Noctis, the two Mer were easily able to look at the camera while sitting on the same side of Prompto, with Noctis looking over Iris’ head. And some of the first pictures were, naturally, of the Chocobos at the starting line. As they progressed, though, the pictures showed the Chocobos racing through the water course, and eventually, the photo finish.When they finished with the pictures, Noctis hummed in thought, before he put his fingers along the edge of the camera, and turned it around, tilting his head as he regarded it. Turning to Prompto, he asked: //How does it work?//“What?” the blonde frowned, a bit puzzled, before it clicked, and his expresion became understanding. “Oh… Well, it just takes a picture. Here…” he said, and showed Noctis the button to actually take the picture, before he aimed the camera out at the setting sun, and pressed the button. It wouldn’t be the greatest picture, but it set a good example. Once it had been taken, he then pulled it up and showed the two.//That’s so cool!// Iris gasped.//So it’s just…?// Noctis murmured as he reached over and pushed against the button on top of the camera.“Yeah,” Prompto smiled, glad he’d kept the flash off. God forbid if the flash startled the pair…Curious now, Noctis brought forth the small statue Prompto had given him and held it in front of the lens of the camera, while pushing the button with his other finger.Once the picture had been taken, Prompto gently took the camera, and pulled up the picture and showed them. “Looks good!”//That’s a good one, Noctis!// Iris giggled.Noctis laughed as he regarded the picture for a moment. //That’s almost ridiculously easy,// he said, but he was still smiling. //Why can’t we have rocks like this?////Maybe because they can’t work underwater?// the brunette shrugged, but she was smiling, too.“Here,” Prompto said, before going back to the pictures he’d taken the day he’d first shown Noctis his camera. He then pulled up the flower beds, and showed Iris. “Noctis liked this one.”Iris looked at the picture, pleasantly surprised by how pretty the things in the place were, before looking at Noctis. //What are those?////Prompto says they’re called “flowers”,// Noctis said calmly.//They’re so pretty…// Iris murmured, awed, looking back at the picture.“Do you like it?” the blonde asked, chuckling, and she looked at him, a bit puzzled by his words, before smiling as she looked at the picture again. “I’ll take that as a yes.”Noctis smiled at Iris’ obvious enjoyment of the smaller Mer. //See? I told you he was nice.////I see now~ I just wish we didn’t have to keep him a secret…// she sighed. //If only the others could understand he’s not a danger to us…////Yeah… but you know that’s not gonna happen anytime soon…// Noctis said, a hint of sadness in his voice.//Unfortunately…// Iris mumbled.“Are you okay? You sound sad,” Prompto murmured, noticing the change in the pair’s tones.Noctis looked up at the words, recognizing them, before he nodded his head, though his expression didn’t change. He tried to think of a way to explain what was on their mind, using the few words he and Prompto had exchanged before. In the end, he had a bit of an idea on how to approach it.Pointing to the ocean, Noctis said: //Mer,// before he pushed his finger to his temple, //think,// then he pointed to Prompto, //humans,// after which he reached over and pretended to try and strangle Iris, //are evil.//“Ah… Mer think humans are bad, huh?” the blonde sighed. “Well, I’m not like that, obviously. It’s hard to change the minds of the majority when they almost all think the same. Especially after a long time…” But then he smiled. “I have hope, though. I think if more Mer knew there are some good humans, then things might change.”Noctis tilted his head curiously, his tail swishing a little through the water below the dock, blinking at Prompto a few times.“Don’t worry about it,” Prompto assured him, waving his hand dismissively.//It’s times like this when I wish there wasn’t a language barrier,// Iris pouted.//You’re telling me…// Noctis murmured softly. //Maybe if we could convince the others that humans aren’t all bad, we can work on that…////I guess we’d have to see…// Iris nodded.“Noctis?” Prompto said suddenly, gaining the raven’s attention. “…Are we friends?”“Fr… friends…?” Noctis repeated slowly with a small frown. He wasn’t sure what the word meant, but it seemed to be important to Prompto somehow.“I just…I feel happy around you, Noctis… And after all the time we’ve spent together, I’d like to think we’re friends, y’know?” Prompto murmured, his gaze lowering to the water.Spotting the depressed gaze, Noctis frowned as he pushed himself a little back. With Iris watching curiously, Noctis moved along behind her back and then wrapped his arms around Prompto’s shoulders from behind, once again resting his head between his shoulder blades. Iris smiled softly as she watched, knowing Noctis was trying to comfort his friend. Prompto however, relaxed a bit at the contact, even if the raven’s skin was damp.Noctis held close for a moment longer, before he sat back a little and asked: //Better?//“Yeah,” Prompto smiled slightly. //Thank you.////You’re welcome,// Noctis said as he squeezed Prompto’s shoulder. //That’s what friends are for, right?//“Wish I knew what you said…” the blonde replied. Iris wished she knew what Prompto was saying, just so she could help.Noctis looked ready to say something, but then…“Bark bark!”Snapping his head up at the sound, Noct’s eyes widened in alarm, before he abruptly grabbed Iris’ wrist and dragged her down from the docks and into the water. Prompto was quick to scramble to his feet, surprised when both Pryna and Umbra ran over, their tails wagging at the sight of the blonde.“Hey, guys! What are you two doing here?” he laughed as Pryna jumped up, licking his face.The white and black dogs barked happily as Prompto petted them, their tails wagging happily. And shortly after, he caught a familiar giggle.“I was wondering what had them so hyper all of a sudden,” Luna got out amidst her giggling.“Hey, Luna,” the blonde male greeted. “What were you doing out with these two? I thought Ravus would have kept you close.”“Well someone has to go on walks with them,” Luna giggled as she moved over. “And you know Ravus does not like doing that.”“Fair enough,” Prompto chuckled. “I know, Pryna!” he laughed as she pushed her head against his hand. “It’s been a while, huh girl?”Pryna barked with her tail wagging and her tongue hanging out. “I guess she’s still trying to thank you for helping her way back,” Luna giggled.“True,” Prompto smiled, scratching behind her ears.Suddenly, Umbra whined curiously and began to lick at Prompto’s shoulder.“Umbra, what’s wrong?”“It’s just water, buddy,” Prompto soothed, knowing the canine could smell Noctis.Luna blinked as Umbra barked curiously. “How did your shoulder get wet, Prompto?”“Oh, just a fish splashed me at a little while ago, and the water hit my shoulder,” Prompto lied. Well, it wasn’t a COMPLETE lie. Noctis is technically part fish, he guessed.Luna didn’t seem to believe that entirely, but she didn’t question it any further. “So I guess you were here for the races, right?” she asked, switching the topic for a the moment. “Her again…” Noctis murmured as he and Iris watched the conversation from below the water.“Hmm?” Iris hummed, looking at the prince curiously.“She was here last time, too…” Noctis explained. “I think she’s a friend of Prompto’s…”“Based off that smile, I’d say so,” the brunette agreed. “Those creatures scared me, though. That noise they made was loud!”“I know… they’re fast. too…” Noctis mumbled. “That black one ran almost faster than I can swim.”“At least we got in the water before they got here,” she murmured. “I wonder what Prompto was asking you before, though?”“I don’t know… but it seems to be important,” the prince hummed, watching as the two humans told each other goodbye, after which the woman left, with her two beasts following after her. The black one stopped momentarily, though, to bark at the water, before the woman got it to follow. “…Right, let’s give it a few more moments, kay?”“Okay,” she nodded, and looked at Noctis. He almost seemed…jealous? But that couldn’t be right. Why would he be jealous of the woman?Noctis didn’t spot the look and instead only waited for the woman to be completely gone, before he snapped out his tail and got up to lean onto the dock again with just his arms. Iris was quick to follow, leaning on the dock as well.“Hey, sorry about them,” Prompto apologized once he was sitting again after he noticed the raven’s and Iris’s return.Noctis tilted his head curiously. He wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure if it’d be understood as well as he would like it to be, before he pointed in Luna’s direction. //Friend?// he asked, choosing to keep the question as simple as possible.“Huh? Oh, she’s an old friend of mine,” the blonde said. He then blinked, wondering if Noctis had said ‘friend’ in the Mer language.“Fr…friend…?” Noctis repeated slowly. It was similar to the earlier word, only it didn’t last as long. Maybe it was the same word? He wasn’t sure…Prompto then smiled brightly, finally knowing how to ask the raven if they were friends. //Prompto, Noctis, friends?// he tried.Noctis blinked at the sudden “question”, before he frowned with a sly smirk. He pushed up and lightly punched/pushed his fist against Prompto’s shoulder. //Yes, we are,// he confirmed with a nod and a laugh.Prompto pouted, but he was relieved. “I wasn’t sure!” he exclaimed, still pouting. Iris laughed as well, glad that the pair seemed to be on the same page now, for the most part.//Noct! Iris!// a voice suddenly shouted, making the two Mer look over in surprise. Of course, it turned out to be Ignis. //It’s gotten late. We need to go.////Dammit…// Noctis hissed out in slight annoyance.“It’s that time, huh?” Prompto sighed, hearing the shout. “I’ll see you soon, right?” he asked, placing his hand on one of Noctis’.Noctis looked at the hand on his own, before he looked to Prompto. He was sure he’d said those words before, and with the hopeful look on his face, it probably meant something like ‘see you soon’.“See you… s-soon,” he repeated with a nod.The blonde’s expression brightened, and he smiled warmly at the Mer. “Take care, both of you.”Iris smiled at Prompto, before waving and dropping back down beneath the water’s surface. Noctis nodded his head as he let himself lower down, though he was still holding onto the docks. “Take care,” he said then, before he ducked below the water to join the other Mer. “You know, that was fun! Prompto really is nice, just like you said, Noct!” Iris giggled as she and the prince swam over to Ignis.“I told you so,” Noctis laughed softly.“Are you done?” Ignis asked solemnly. “Let’s be off, now.”The two younger Mer nodded before they followed after, with Noctis’ hand holding tightly to the Chcocobo statue he’d been given by Prompto. However, what none of them realized, was that their movements were closely followed.“Did you see that?”“See that, I did, for sure!”The two voices sounded almost eerily similar, as the two ‘Mer’ watched the three others swim away. Unlike the trio of Mer swimming away, with their sleek fish-like tails, their tails were sharper, and there was a sharp fin protruding from their backs just above where the tail connected to the torso. On top of that, their skin was darker and matched their greenish-black tails.“This is interesting!/Very interesting, this is!” the pair said at the same time, before they turned to each other. “We must tell the sorceress!/Tell the sorceress, we must!”With that said, the pair took off swimming, their tails snapping from side to side as they propelled themselves forward. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It was a quiet day that found Noctis in his room, for once not because he had to be there, but because he wanted to be. He was lying on his bed, arms above his head and his fingers playing with the small statue that Prompto had given him about a month ago. It was a small, silly little thing, and he had no idea what the creature it represented was called (he probably should’ve asked), but that wasn’t even that important. What was, was that it had been a gift from Prompto.Sure, it was probably in response to Noctis’ earlier gift, but it just felt… different. Then again, he’d never really been given a “gift” without some sort of ulterior motive behind it. Any gift he’d received prior to that, had always been with the intent of gaining favor from the royal family. Prompto, however, had no idea he was even royalty, so he had no other reason to give him something other than just wanting to give him something.Something about that… just made him feel good.Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Noctis almost yowled as he shot up and shoved the statue under his pillow and looked to the door. “Yeah?”“Hey Noct,” Iris greeted, poking her head into the room. “Whatcha doing?”“Ah… nothing, really,” Noctis said with a shrug as he relaxed somewhat.“Thinking about Prompto?” she asked once she was inside and the door was shut behind her.Noctis flinched sharply at the question, before he took a small breath. “Huh? Where’d that come from suddenly?”“What? I just thought you were thinking about seeing him again soon. You just seem distracted some days, that’s all,” the brunette told him.Noctis tried to keep himself from twitching his fingers along the bed, but it wasn’t easy. “Well, can you really blame me? He’s… interesting, and if I’m going to break down the barriers between our races later, I need to learn about his world, right?”“I think there’s more to it than that, Noct,” Iris murmured, moving to sit beside him.“Wh-what makes you say that?” Noctis got out, his fin twitching slightly.“I’ve never seen you so interested in anyone, even though he’s human,” she replied.“Y-yeah, so?” Noctis asked, fingers curling in the blankets.“Noct… Why are you getting so nervous? I’m not trying to interrogate you or anything,” the brunette murmured, concerned.“I’m not nervous!” Noctis said pointedly.“Then why were you stuttering? Look, to be blunt, I think you like him,” she said, looking at him seriously.“Wha…?! D-don’t be silly! He’s a human! As kind as he is, that’s impossible!” Noctis pointed out, but, somewhere, that knowledge made him feel really weird… and it was almost painful.“Noctis, there’s nothing wrong with that, I think. In fact, I’d be happy if he feels the same,” Iris replied calmly. “He’s a great guy.”“But… it just… even if that was the case… it wouldn’t work…” Noctis pointed out with a heavy exhalation. “I mean, I couldn’t stay above the water, and Prompto can’t stay below it. Either way you slice it, it just won’t—it can’t work.”“There’s gotta be something that would make it work, though!” Iris pouted, becoming frustrated. “Don’t give up hope, ‘cause I’m sure there’s something that would make things work.”“Well it’s not like I can just split my tail in two and suddenly I can breathe above land and walk like humans can…”“I know that,” she sighed. “Still…don’t give up hope. Just think on it, kay?” And with that said, Iris got up and left, leaving Noctis alone with his thoughts.Noctis watched as the door fell shut behind her, before he groaned and flopped back on the bed. Absently, he reached under his pillow and pulled out the statue again.‘… “like”… huh?’ It had been about a month since Prompto had seen Noctis and met Iris, but he wasn’t too concerned about the lack of the raven’s presence. After all, Noctis had said he would see him again. However, the blonde just couldn’t stop thinking about the Mer. Even as he walked the streets of Lestallum, the raven wouldn’t leave his thoughts. Not that he wanted him to.He had to admit, even though Noctis is a Mer, he had an attractive aura and quality to him, and it drew Prompto in sometimes. He knew they were friends now, but it still would be impossible for them to be together ALL the time. After all, Prompto lived on the land, and Noctis in the sea. Despite this, Prompto couldn’t help but hope.However, he had to focus on the job at hand today. He was only in Lestallum for the day for a quick job taking photos for the power plant workers, since it was an anniversary for them in however many years they’d been operating for. Once he got there, it was easy work to snap pictures of the event for the women there, and he assured the owner he would email her the pictures once he was back at the hotel. As he left, however, he was pleasantly surprised to hear a familiar voice.“Prompto!” Luna’s voice called out, shortly followed by a familiar set of barks that came closer and closer.“Oh, hey Luna!” Prompto greeted, and then looked at her furry friends. “Hi Pryna, Hi Umbra.”“Bark bark!”Luna smiled as she walked over. “We seem to be running into each other a lot these days, aren’t we?”“Nothing wrong with that,” Prompto chuckled. “After all, we hadn’t seen each other in months before Altissia.”Luna giggled as Pryna hopped up against Prompto’s leg with a hyper bark. “True… so what brings you here?”“Just another job, this time taking pictures for the power plant,” he replied while petting Pryna.“Well, you’ve certainly been busy, haven’t you?” Luna smiled.“Gotta earn money to live,” Prompto pointed out with a laugh.“True, true,” Luna agreed with a smile, before she put her hands. “Sooo…”“What’s up?” Prompto inquired, looking at her curiously as he paused in petting the white dog.Luna allowed a small, bemused smile as she asked: “Who’s the lucky one, hm?”“What are you talking about?”“Well, you were walking around with a look on your face like a lovesick puppy, so… who’s the lucky one?” she asked with a warm smile.“It’s no one, really!” Prompto said quickly, blushing.“Then why are you blushing?” Luna giggled.“Luna!” he whined.“C’mon, Prom,” Luna said with smile, “you know I won’t judge you, right? Maybe I can help you.”Prompto had a torn look on his face, before he finally sighed. “Okay, I’ll tell you. But let’s go to the hotel, where we can talk in private, please?”Luna blinked in surprise. She wasn’t expecting Prompto to be this unsure about talking on what was clearly on his mind. “Yes, of course,” she said with a small nod.“Thanks,” he sighed, relieved. Once the two got to the hotel, which was, fortunately, dog friendly, they headed to Prompto’s room and the pair sat on the bed.“I’m not exactly sure where to start, to be honest,” the blonde male admitted, rubbing his upper arm nervously.“Take your time, Prom,” Luna offered as she placed a hand on his. “Whenever you’re ready.”“O…okay…” he murmured, and then took a deep breath before starting. “Okay, so, probably about two months ago now, I was at Cape Caem, shooting pics for my resume, but I found someone on the beach, who was tangled up in netting and garbage. When I went to help him, he was really nervous, and I found out why. He was a Mer. I freed him and helped him back into the water, and even then, he didn’t seem to want to go… I gave him my name, and found out his name is Noctis. He also doesn’t speak the same language. The Mer speak their own language. Finally, he did go home, but he saved my life and retrieved my camera when I was knocked off the boat to Altissia by a huge water dragon. He then brought me back to the boat, and we’ve met on occasion at the docks in Altissia since. Last time, I even met one of his friends. But I’m not sure if Pryna or Umbra like the Mer much, since they scared Noctis a couple times.” At this, he sighed. “And that’s about it…”Luna had remained quiet for the duration of his explanation, but it was clear she was surprised with the turn of events that Prompto was describing. After letting the information sink in, she asked: “Prom, I don’t want to sound skeptical… but are you sure you weren’t just dreaming? I’m not trying to be cruel, but…”“Remember that bag of seashells?” he reminded her, becoming a bit upset that she was doubting him. “That was Noctis. And that’s why Umbra took off that day, he knew it was Noctis. Not only that, but remember the last time we were at the docks when my shoulder was wet? That was because Noctis had hugged me.”“Calm down, Prom,” Luna hushed, noticing he was getting actually upset. “I’m not trying to be mean or anything… but I’ve never met a Mer before, you know that. So I have a little trouble in just believing it, though, believe me, I do want to.”“…What if I brought you with me to meet him? Would that help?” Prompto asked softly.Luna blinked. “Well… I suppose. But do you think he’ll come when I’m there with you?”“Maybe. If so, though, would you want to meet him?” Prompto insisted.“Yes, of course,” Luna said with a smile. “I’d love to.”“Awesome,” the blonde male grinned. Noctis sighed as he swam along the halls, bored out of his mind. Iris was too busy working to keep him entertained, or to join him on a potential trip to the surface. He knew it was a bad idea to keep doing this, that he couldn’t just keep meeting with a human, just because of a bout of curiosity…But was it really that anymore?Maybe it had been once… but now? In the hours he’d spent laying in his room after Iris left, he’d come to the realization that, no, it definitely wasn’t just a matter of simple curiosity anymore. He found himself wishing he could spend more time with Prompto… but staying above the surface too long was dangerous, he knew. There was no way for him to stay above the surface for longer than an hour, at the very least, without going back under to ease his lungs.And that thought was actually very depressing to him…Shaking his head, Noctis swam around to the kitchen, where he knew Ignis would be.“Ignis?” he called out.“Hm?” the other Mer hummed as he glanced over from where he was working. “Yes, Noct?” he asked, until he noticed the look on the younger’s face and he gave another hum. “That time again, hm?”“…am I that obvious?” Noctis asked slowly.“If you know where to look, yes,” Ignis confessed, before he frowned. “Have you mentioned this to your father, yet?”The silence that followed was answer enough and Ignis sighed. “…I do not intend to have you stay long today, Noct.”“…That’s fine.”It’d probably be better if he told his father and confessed what was on his mind… but he was afraid… afraid of what might happen if he did. He’d take what he could get for now, and then he’d figure out what to do after. As night fell, the two blondes found themselves walking along the streets of Altissia. It was a quiet summer’s day, and while the streets were far more crowded than usual, the closer they got to the docks, the less people they saw.“It’s a nice night, isn’t it?” Luna hummed softly as they walked.“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, hoping Noctis would show up, even with Luna joining him.As they walked out to the docks, Umbra and Pryna whined softly as they looked around, before Umbra sat back and scratched at his neck, making his collar rattle.“Good thing you leashed them, otherwise I don’t think they’d take too kindly to him,” Prompto murmured.“I doubt they’d try to hurt him… but it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Luna agreed with a nod as they stopped along edge of the dock. “So this is where you usually meet him?”“Yeah. I don’t know if he’ll come for sure, as it’s usually random, but whenever he’s able to is fine,” Prompto explained, before sitting at the dock, letting his legs dangle over the water.Luna hummed thoughtfully as she sat down next to him, urging Pryna and Umbra to do so, too. “So… what’s Noctis like? As in, what does he look like?”“He’s got black hair and a matching tail, and he has dark blue eyes. They kinda match the ocean, when I think about it,” the blonde male replied with a smile.This comment made the other blonde giggle. “Wow, you really have it bad, don’t you?”“Hey!” he pouted.“I’m just teasing you, Prom.”“Still… But I guess you’re right. He even loves my pictures. I showed him them the first time we met here,” he told her. “He especially seemed to love the flowers here in Altissia.”“Well, I guess there aren’t really any flowers underwater, huh?’“Good point,” Prompto chuckled. Looking out over the water, he hoped Noctis was coming, if not already there and just hiding. Suddenly, there was a small tug on his foot, and immediately, Prompto looked down through his legs hopefully.As Prompto looked under the docks, it took him only a moment to spot Noctis, even if he was still mostly beneath the water.“Hey Noctis,” Prompto smiled in greeting. “It’s okay, I have a friend with me.”Noctis seemed a little nervous, biting down on his lip and not moving just yet.“I promise, she’s okay,” the blonde murmured. Pointing to Luna, he added, //Friend.//While Luna looked at him oddly, the word seemed to calm Noctis down enough that he swam out from under the dock, As soon as he came out from under the dock, Luna stared openly for a few moments, before she smiled politely. “Hello there.”“Noctis,” Prompto said, gesturing to the Mer, and then he gestured to Luna. “Luna.”Noctis regarded Luna for a moment, a small frown on his face, before he said slowly: //Hello…//Though Luna didn’t understand what he’d just said, she still smiled warmly at him. “Hello, Noctis. It’s nice to meet you.”“She’s like Iris, Noctis. You can trust her,” Prompto promised.The Mer tilted his head briefly, frowning as he tried to make sense of the words, before he nodded softly… and then ducked back under the water.“What is he—”But before Luna could finish, Noctis jumped out of the water, snagged the edge of the dock, and then easily snagged himself onto the dock, briefly adjusting his tail. This sight, of course, had Luna staring at the Mer’s lower body, before she swiftly shook it off, trying desperately not to stare.“Hey,” Prompto smiled at the raven, chuckling at Luna’s reaction. “Where’s Iris?”Noctis blinked once, before he realized that Prompto was probably asking where Iris was at. He briefly considered how to reply, and then he finally settled on: //Work, back home,// while pointing in the basic direction of the Corale.“Home, huh?” Prompto guessed, and nodded. “That’s okay.” Looking at Luna, he said, “When you heard me earlier, I was speaking Mer. Noctis has taught me a bit of his language, and vice versa.”“Ooh,” Luna said with a nod. “I see… that’s interesting.”Suddenly, before Luna could stop him, Umbra barked and almost jumped over Prompto’s lap toward Noctis. But before the Mer could leap away in alarm, the dog jumped up against him and abruptly licked his face. Which had the Mer yelping in surprise as he tried to get the dog off of him.“Umbra!!” Luna choked out in alarm, tugging on the dog’s leash to get him back. “Bad dog! Stop that!”Prompto quickly pulled Umbra back by his collar, and laughed. “Seems Umbra likes Noctis after all,” he snickered, highly amused by Noctis’ surprised expression. “Looks like we were worried for nothing.”Noctis was blinking at the beast in slight confusion as he rubbed at the cheek that had just gotten licked. It hadn’t been bad, but it was definitely unexpected. He’d initially assumed the creature to want to bite him and possibly eating him if it got to him, but, given the current situation, it seemed more intent on making friends than anything.“I’m so sorry, Noctis,” Luna said as she tried to hold back Umbra, who was panting happily, still trying to get to the Mer again.“Umbra, it’s okay, he’s not going yet,” Prompto soothed, petting the black dog’s ears. Turning back to the Mer, he smiled. “Umbra wants to make friends, it looks like.” At this, he chuckled.The Mer took note of what Prompto had just done to the dog’s ear, and how the creature—Umbra, was it?—seemed to enjoy it and he briefly wondered. After a brief moment of consideration, he moved forward slightly reaching out with one tentative hand toward the dog’s head. Spotting this, Umbra’s tail wagged as he barked once, bumping his head into Noctis’ hand. This made the Mer retract for a moment with a brief gasp, freezing up, before he reached forward again and lightly petted his head, making Umbra pant happily.Luna giggled at the raven’s cautious touch, watching as Noctis smiled softly as Umbra pushed into the touch happily.“He likes that,” Prompto chuckled, happy to see that Umbra just wanted to be friends with Noctis. After all, the poor Mer had been scared off twice already by the canine.Pryna merely watched curiously from Luna’s side, but she didn’t seem as interested as Umbra, and she, instead, rested her muzzle in Luna’s lap. And Umbra, eventually, barked once before he rested along Prompto’s lap sleepily, still panting lightly from the attention he was getting from Noctis, who was now using both hands to ruffle the area behind his ears with great amusement.“Not so bad, huh?” the smaller male asked when he noticed how happy Noctis was just petting Umbra’s ears.Noctis briefly looked up at the words, blinking, before he turned back to Umbra, until it became clear the dog had fallen asleep, and he sat back a little bit. Once he had, though, he looked to Prompto while pointing to Umbra curiously.“Dog,” Prompto told him.“D…dog?” Noctis repeated slowly, making Luna smile softly.“Yes. His name is ‘Umbra’,” she said, before pointing to Pryna. “This is Pryna.”“Um…bra… Pr-Pryn…na?”“Yeah,” Prompto nodded. “Do you like them?”Noctis remembered those words, and he was starting to get a basic idea for what it meant. So he nodded his head, a small smile playing on his face.“Good,” the blonde male chuckled, sighing contently. He was glad he’d told Luna about Noctis now, and that she got to meet him. Even Umbra had made a new friend in the process.After a moment more, Noctis stretched his arms over his head, groaning a bit at the heavy motions of his arms. He’d probably never get used to how heavy his body felt once he got out of the water.“Are you okay, Noctis?” Luna asked, concerned.He caught the meaning of those words, and he nodded before he paused with an explanation on his lips. How was he supposed to explain this? Eventually, he settled on //Heavy,// as he made a motion with his arms as if he was trying to lift something of great weight.“Ah, you feel heavier on land, I get it,” Prompto nodded. “Makes sense. Everything feels light weight in the water.”“True… I often get the same feeling after swimming. It’s really awkward…” Luna agreed.Noctis wasn’t sure if he understood what he was trying to say, but he liked to believe they did. As he continued to sit there, though, his gaze eventually shifted to Prompto and Luna’s legs, before shifting to his own lower half, and the black scales that made up his tail. And, not for the first time, he wondered what it would be like to be just the same… to be able to walk…“You okay?” Prompto asked softly, noticing his almost…longing gaze.“Y…yeah,” Noctis got out, trying the word out for the first time, but he was sure Prompto would notice something was off.“Noctis…” the blonde murmured, placing his hand on the raven’s comfortingly.The Mer almost tensed, but he managed to hold it in as he tried to keep his breath even—because he’d need to get back under sooner if he breathed in too much of the heavy air, because there was just too much oxygen in it—and he nodded. “I’m… o-okay…” he got out.Prompto knew something was off, but he decided not to push it. After all, he didn’t want to upset his friend. “Okay. I’m here for you, though,” he smiled softly.Luna watched the scene for a moment more, looking back and forth between the pair, before smiling warmly. Even if the pair didn’t notice, it was pretty obvious that not just Prompto, but both of them had it really bad. She, of course, didn’t mind this at all; in fact she was happy for her friend… the only problem was, obviously, the difference in race.Noctis blinked when he noticed her look and he frowned at her, almost darkly, but Luna merely smiled and shook her head, assuring him quietly it was nothing.Prompto smiled softly as he idly scratched behind Umbra’s ears, before looking at Noctis. “I’m glad you came tonight. I missed you.”Of course, Noctis looked at him oddly, before he frowned in concentration as his tail moved along the water’s surface. He’d heard those words before, but he still wasn’t sure what they meant. They could mean anything, really.Knowing Noctis didn’t understand, Prompto waved his hand dismissively. He would be content to hang out all night long with the Mer, but unfortunately, his body had other ideas, as he gave a yawn.At that sound, Noctis actually stared at the blonde in awe, before he moved closer to look at Prompto’s face properly. //What did you do that for??// he asked curiously, and Luna laughed at the Mer’s obvious intrigue.“I’m just getting tired, sorry,” Prompto chuckled.Noctis cocked his head, about to ask something else – when there was a loud, almost wailing sound that made his head snap up in alarm.“What? What’s wrong?” Luna asked worriedly.“You gotta go home, huh?” Prompto guessed, noticing the look.Before Noctis could respond, though…//Noct!!// the (by now) familiar voice shouted as the other Mer appeared above the surface. //They’ve returned! We need to go! NOW!//Noctis nodded swiftly before he turned to Prompto and Luna. //I have to go!// he said urgently, moving toward the edge of the dock.“I’ll see you!” Prompto said hurriedly, helping Noctis to the dock’s edge.Noctis merely nodded. “Take care,” he said swiftly, before he pushed off and disappeared under the water with a graceful dive.“And he’s gone…” Luna murmured.“I hope everything’s okay… It sounded like something’s wrong,” Prompto frowned.“That doesn’t usually happen?” Luna guessed.“No, not like that,” the blonde male answered, watching where Ignis had disappeared beneath the water with a frown.Luna frowned in worry, before she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure it’ll be okay.”“Yeah, I just hope he’s careful, whatever it is that’s the problem,” Prompto sighed, before getting to his feet. “We’d best head back to the hotel. I’m tired as hell…”“Right. Umbra, let’s go,” Luna called, tugging Umbra back up.“You did good today, boy,” Prompto smiled at the black dog, petting him briefly as the small group headed off to the hotel. Noctis didn’t remember there having ever been a time where he swam as fast as he had then. Even during that first time he’d hurried home after secretly meeting with Prompto he’d not swam this fast. He hadn’t even known he could swim this fast, but he wasn’t about to question it as he rushed after Ignis and swam into Insomnia before the heavy barrier that his father would summon around the Corale slammed into place, simultaneously protecting the inhabitants and trapping them within it.Sure, it wasn’t ‘impossible’ to get out, but it was considerably more difficult now. But if they had really returned… if Niflheim was back on the currents of war… then it was only natural that his father called up the barrier.Noctis breathed a little heavily once they were back in the Citadel, and he leaned back against the wall with a heavy breath.“Are you alright, Noct?” Ignis asked worriedly.“I’m fine… I’m fine…” Noctis breathed. “Just… just gimme a minute.” Once he’d collected his breath, he exhaled and turned to Ignis. “Do you… think they’ll try something?”“I’d certainly hope not,” Ignis admitted. “But we can never be certain… however, it would be wise for you to stay in Insomnia until the matter flows over.”“…right.”‘Yeah… yeah, that’d be smart… it wouldn’t do if… if something bad happened…’It wasn’t like him, but he was suddenly thinking of all kinds of doom scenarios of what could happen. There was just so much that could go wrong, and he shuddered to think of what would happen.While the Mer definitely ate fish and smaller shellfish, they weren’t real ‘predators’ of the sea, as they could fill themselves on just seaweed and algae, though that was certainly not the most optimal way to do so. The Wyf of Niflheim, however, did not share that taste. They were known as true predators, and back during the Great War, they had even devoured any Mew soldiers defeated in battle, and this very notion filled him with a cold sense of dread.Supposedly, the Wyf also attacked human vessels for no other reason than sport… and this thought in particular made him feel sick. What if they attacked one of the boats that Prompto was on? He knew Prompto had to use the boats to travel from the place he’d found him to the Corale they continued to meet at, so what if the Wyf attacked the boat he was on?What if… they came for him…?“Noct.”Noctis jumped at the call and he looked up at Ignis. “Huh?”“Let’s go. Your father will likely want to discuss things with you.”“…right.”‘Right… of course… just… just breathe. Just make sure they don’t attack anything… and it’ll be fine…’He swam after Ignis, to meet with his father, to discuss what to do about the Wyf before they could be attacked… and before the Wyf could cause any damage… ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It had been a week since news of the Wyf’s return had been brought to light, and the royal family of Insomnia had been extremely busy in thinking of a proper plan to tackle the situation. It was on the morning of the seventh day that Iris headed to Noctis’ room, to wake him up for breakfast. Once she got to his door, she knocked a few times before calling out.“Noctis, it’s time for breakfast!”Surprisingly, there was no response from the other side of the door.“Ugh, same story, different day,” she grumbled, before calling out: “I’m coming in, Noct! Better get up!”When there was no response, again, the younger Mer moved into the room. But as she moved to the bed to wake Noctis, she was surprised to see he wasn’t actually in bed.“Noctis?” Iris called, before spotting him at his window, fast asleep, his head resting on his folded arms and his tail curled around the chair he was sitting upon. Her expression became one of concern when she saw this, before she went over to him and gently shook him awake. “Noct, you gotta wake up. It’s time for breakfast.”The prince groaned as he wearily blinked his eyes open, looking up at Iris lazily. “…Iris…?”“Hey,” she smiled, before frowning in worry. “Why were you at your window?”“I was…” Noctis started before he frowned, rubbing at his temples. “I was… I… what was i doing?”“Were you thinking about Prompto last night?” Iris asked curiously.“…yeah…”“How’d it go when you saw him last week?” she asked.“He… brought that girl over…” Noctis groaned as he rubbed at his eyes. “The one with the creatures…”“Oh? Was everything okay?”“Yeah… they just wanted to be friends, apparently…”“That’s good,” Iris giggled, before her expression turned concerned again. “Are you going to be okay? You still seem really out of it…”“I’ll be okay…” Noctis sighed as he pushed up from the window.“Okay,” the brunette nodded, still unsure. “Were you dreaming?”“…I guess I was…”“You guess? What was it about?”Noctis thought back to his dream for a moment, before he shook his head slowly. “I’d rather not talk about it…”“I understand,” she nodded. “Let’s at least get you to breakfast before the King starts to worry.”“Right…” Noctis murmured as he quietly swam out of his room.Iris sighed once he was out, before following after, hoping that someway, somehow, the prince COULD be with Prompto.Once they got to the dining hall, Regis looked up from the reports he had been going over, before he nodded to his son, clearly worried about his apparel, though he only nodded in greeting, as he always did. Noctis merely returned the gesture as he moved over and took his own seat quietly.“Noct,” Regis said once their breakfast had been brought over, “did you sleep well?”“…well enough, given the circumstances…” Noctis admitted, briefly prodding at his food before he began eating.As the royals ate, Iris listened in quietly as their breakfast was eaten, simply cleaning up in the dining room here and there. She was worried about Noctis, mostly about his mental state, but she couldn’t say anything with Regis right there.Noctis, meanwhile, was at a loss. His secret was eating away at him from the inside and he realized he’d kept this going for FAR too long, but he knew he couldn’t bring it up now. His father – and he as well, to be fair… – had much more pressing issues to deal with, and he couldn’t possibly go to see Prompto at this point… at least not until all of this had been settled. And lord knows how long THAT would take…He sat down the fork. Suddenly he wasn’t very hungry.“Noct,” Regis said firmly but kindly.“I’m sorry… I… I’m not hungry…” he murmured, before he abruptly swam out of the room, not looking up when his father called out to him.“Noctis!” Iris called, starting to follow.“Iris,” the King’s voice suddenly called out.“Hmm? Yes, Your Majesty?” she asked, pausing. She really hoped he wouldn’t ask what was wrong with the raven, because she was scared she wouldn’t be able to keep the secret or think of something as a lie.“I need to speak to you privately for a moment,” the old Mer said, certainly not at all unkindly, but there was no doubt that, whatever he had to say, it had to be big.“Yes, sir,” she nodded, going over to him.The King let out a heavy exhalation as he regarded the pink Mer, before he asked her: “You are my son’s friend… would you happen to know what is eating at him so heavily?”Iris tried to keep her nerves at bay as she said, “I wouldn’t actually know, Your Majesty, I’m sorry…”“Iris,” Regis said, again, not unkindly, but he was definitely worried, she could tell. “Please, I’m well aware you’ve gone with him when he snuck out before.” When Iris tensed, Regis allowed a small smile. “So… what happened?”“I… We went out and met with a human he’s friends with,” she admitted, speaking softly, worried about the king’s possible response. When the silence stretched out, she looked at him, immediately attempting to explain. “He’s not a bad human, though, Your Majesty! I promise! Noctis told me he was saved by him after that storm two months ago! Please don’t be mad at him, please…! He really enjoys spending time with him…”“Yes… he does appear to be more at ease…” Regis murmured softly. After a moment of careful consideration, the King then asked: “You’ve seen this human, haven’t you? What is he like?”“He’s blonde, and has bright blue eyes. He’s really nice, and even when I met him, he was so kind. He has this rock, Noctis told me, and it has places he’s been to in it, and he showed us the places, and they’re so cool,” Iris told him, relaxing slightly as she told about the prince’s human friend. “His name is Prompto, and Noctis and he have even taught each other how to speak their languages. Apparently, humans don’t speak the same language we do, so it’s a bit tricky, but Noctis is always happy around Prompto.”“Is he now?” Regis murmured, a small smile on his face.“Yeah, and Prompto seems really happy with Noctis, from what I saw when I met him,” she murmured. “But I know keeping this all from you is really hurting him, Your Majesty…”“I can only imagine… he’s never been very good at it,” Regis murmured, shaking his head. “Iris, would you mind fetching my son for me? I believe we need to talk…”“I’ll try, sir,” she said, before swimming off to Noctis’ room. Biting her lip nervously as she arrived at the room, she knocked on his door, calling out: “Noctis? Your father needs to talk to you.”However, there was no response from inside the room.“Noctis? I’m coming in,” the brunette said, and then went into the raven’s room, but was surprised to find it empty, with Noctis nowhere to be found. “Noctis?!” Iris yelled out his window, now very worried.Sadly, no matter how much she squinted, she couldn’t spot the prince anywhere.“Dammit,” she hissed, before quickly swimming off to the training halls, since she knew that would be where she’d find Ignis and Gladio. When she got there, she noticed the pair talking. “Ignis! Gladdy! I need your help to find Noctis!”Startled at the shout, the two Mer looked at her strangely, before worry set in. “Why? What happened, Iris?!” Gladio demanded.“The King needs to talk to him, but when I went to his room, he wasn’t there! Look, I’ll explain everything later, Gladdy, I promise, but we need to find Noctis,” she pleaded.Ignis frowned in concern, while Gladio snarled, before nodding and following after the girl. While that was going on, Prompto was on the phone with Cindy, giving her his weekly update. As he spoke with her, his mind kept drifting to Noctis, despite listening to the curly-haired girl.“Hunny, you sound really distracted,” Cindy’s voice said suddenly. “What’s going on?” This drew a sigh from the photographer.“…Will you promise not to judge me or anything?” Prompto asked.“Prompto, I won’t judge you at all. What’s been going on?”“I… I’m in love… with a guy…” he confessed. He wasn’t about to dare tell anyone else about Noctis, since Luna already knew, so he decided not to reveal too much.“Well, congrats, Prompto! I’m happy for you!” she told him, a grin evident in her voice. “How long have you two been together now?”“That’s just it, Cindy. We’re not, I haven’t told him, and it’s never gonna work out between us,” he sighed heavily.“Oh, I’m sorry, hun… I didn’t know…” Cindy apologized. “Well, why wouldn’t it work out?”“He’s…not gay, and his family is incredibly homophobic,” the blonde male lied.“That’s still ridiculous. I think you should tell him anyway. You’ll never know for sure if you don’t, right?” she pointed out. “Look at things this way: if he doesn’t feel the same, it wasn’t meant to be.”“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, his voice thick. He felt like crying his eyes out over this whole situation, to be completely honest.“I gotta go, hunny, but you keep your chin up, kay? And try to tell him soon!” Cindy advised, and Prompto nodded, even though she couldn’t see it.“Thanks, Cindy. I’ll talk to you in a week or so,” he said.“Sounds good. Talk to ya soon, Prompto,” she replied, and then they ended the call.Prompto put his phone on the bedside table before flopping back onto the hotel bed with an almost mournful noise. There was NO way he could tell Noctis how he really feels about him, or else the raven would end up hurting, too. And besides, they couldn’t be together anyway, unless Noctis became a human or Prompto a Mer. It simply wouldn’t work… Noctis sighed heavily from where he sat at the edge of the Corale. He knew it was stupid and incredibly irresponsible to sneak out of the Citadel, especially with the current situation they were in… but he just needed a moment to think. A moment away from all the hustle at the castle.And right now, this was as far away as he could get.Noctis took a breath and exhaled, pushing himself further into the crevice he’d hidden in. He hated hiding like this, but he just wanted to be alone for a while. Thinking of his father, he hoped he wouldn’t be too angry, before his thoughts began to wander.‘Prompto…’He breathed in deeply and curled up, wrapping his arms around his tail and resting his forehead on the cold scales, as he recalled his dream from the night before. It had been a very vivid dream, one that had left him feeling unnaturally warm. He’d never realized how cold it was underwater until he found himself remembering how warm Prompto had been when he’d hugged him firmly. It was just… so nice…His dream had started simple enough, and for a while, he’d been sure he’d been awake. For once, they’d met at the beach where they met the first time, and they just talked (or tried to talk) with each other, but then it’d shifted. Maybe he’d mentioned something about home, and he’d been worried about his father (nothing really new given the situation), and suddenly Prompto had come up to him and embraced him in the same way Noct had done twice before already. He wasn’t complaining, certainly, but it was… so warm…It had changed then, and he wasn’t even sure what had caused the change… but at some point, he’d turned around, possibly to speak (maybe to thank him), and then Prompto had pressed close to him, holding him closer still as their mouths had connected, and he’d frozen up, as he’d lost his balance and they fell back into the water. His arms had instinctively curled around Prompto’s shoulders, as his eyes slipped shut, as his body felt so unbearably hot.And absently, he’d wondered ‘How is Prompto breathing under water…?’ but he’d shook it off… and then he woke up.Noctis groaned as he bonked his head against his tail. It couldn’t happen. There was no way… no way for them to be… like that…‘Dammit… Iris was right… I got it real bad…’ he thought sadly. ‘I… I wish I could be with him… I don’t care if it’s only for a little while… just… I want to be with him…’“Kekekeke~”Noctis almost swam up into the rock at the sudden sound, looking around in alarm. When he saw nothing, he frowned in question, before there was a sudden tap on his shoulder and he yelped as he propelled himself away while turning to the source.And then he saw a dark, purple tentacle that beckoned him to follow, that same freaky laugh accompanying it. Frowning, Noctis slowly swam over, remaining cautious despite his curiosity. When Noctis looked around the rock, he almost screamed at the sight of the massive octupus that was curled around the rocky cliff just outside of Insomnia. Now he didn’t have a problem with octopi in general, but this one was just freaky! Its entire lower face was lined with large teeth arching up along its head, and its eyes were almost eerily flat, as if someone had squashed them against its skull.“Kekekek~” it laughed with an eerily distorted voice from beyond the wall keeping intruders out. “Having some troubles in love there, princey boy?”Noctis glared dangerously at the octopus, before he snarled out: “Who are you?! What are you doing here?! Leave before I call the guards to remove you by force!”He hated having to rely on his title to get things done, but he was willing to make an exception here. This freak had to go!“Oooh~ scary~” it cackled. “And here I was about to share a secret on how to get yourself a pair of sexy legs~” Noctis’ eyes immediately widened in shock at the words, but the octopus was already turning to leave. “Oh well; bu-bye~”This was a bad idea… this was a TERRIBLE idea…! And yet he shouted out without thinking twice.“Wait!!”“Yeeeeess~?” “Noctis!” Iris called out as she led the way for Gladio and Ignis to find the prince.While Gladio was curzing as he looked around in a combination of annoyance and worry, Ignis was able to keep his cool as they swam in search of Noctis. Suddenly he spotted something from his peripheral vision and stopped in his spot, whirling around.“…! Noct!!” he shouted, even though the prince was much too far away, and getting further away still."Noctis!" Iris called out to the raven."Iris! Get to the Citadel! Warn the King!" Gladio shouted, before he and Ignis rushed off. "We'll get him back!""Right!" Iris nodded, and swiftly took off to the Citadel to warn King Regis. Noctis had promised himself he wasn’t going to ask questions, but the further he got from Insomnia, the more he began to worry that he was making a big mistake. He’d swum through the hole in the barrier, just big enough for him to swim through, and was now following after the giant octopus. The area around them was dark, hauntingly so, and he wanted nothing more than to head back…But one thing kept him going…‘Can I… really have legs…? Can… can I… be with him…?’“Aaand we’re here~” the octopus suddenly called out, and Noctis blinked, before he looked up.“…here…?” he asked slowly, regarding the large, ominous and spiked seashell like structure. He wasn’t sure what kind of structure was, but it was definitely not a pleasant looking place.“Yep~ Go on in, Princey~”Noctis took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself, before he slowly moved forward, through the long hallways, trying not to swim into the very creepy weeds that covered the floor. Was he seeing things or were those faces he saw along their leaves…? He certainly hoped not…He tried to not pay attention to it, as he swam on, until he reached an entryway to a large, circular room, with a large rocky outcropping with a large hole placed in it at the end of the room, a large gaping maw-like ‘table’ in the center of the room and several long cabinets along the entire walls. It seemed to be empty, so Noctis felt a bit unsure about entering, but he was here already, so…After taking a large gulp of water, he moved a little further and called out: “Excuse me… I am… looking for Miss Edea…?”No sooner had he finished the words, or there came a calm, quiet chuckle from the rocky outcropping, and then a long, dark purplish tentacle slipped out from the hole. “Well… you’ve at least more manners than some others who’ve come before,” came a calm, composed voice as its owner slipped out from the hole with great ease.She was a Weiz; the upper body from the ribs up of a human, the lower body of an octopus, although much of her lower half was as slender as that of either the Mer or even humans. She had short, black hair that was held back with what he assumed to be the rib bones of fish, and she had her eyes half-shut almost continuously, showing the dark black skin of her eyelids and making her eyes seem a much darker purple than they probably were.“Come,” she said as she curled her fingers. “Come in. Let us talk business, Prince of Lucis.”Noctis almost hesitated, but, slowly, he moved further into the room, as the woman—Edea, if the octopus from outside was to be believed…—moved along to her table.“Now… there’ve been rumors, Prince… that you wish to see the world above the surface. Correct?”He wanted to ask how she even knew that, because he was pretty sure he’d not told anyone (not even Iris), but he shook it off. He’d never really met a Weiz, but they were said to get around and very knowledgeable. They were also known to be extremely treacherous, now that he thought about it, but as long as he was careful, things would be alright… right?“I suppose there’s no denying that,” Noctis said instead. “I’ve… developed a curiosity for the human world. A foolish thing, maybe… but it’s happened, and there’s little I can do about it.”Edea hummed in thought as she used a number of trinkets off to the side to adjust her hair, possibly so it wouldn’t get in her way. “So… you desire to leave the water then?”“Not… permanently,” Noctis corrected. He couldn’t leave forever; his father was old, and he needed Noctis to be there. Without him, Insomnia would surely collapse and crack. Even if he wished to, he couldn’t afford to stay above the water forever. He just couldn’t. “Yes, I am curious about the human world, but I cannot stay there forever.”“I see… a wise decision for one of your standing,” she said, sounding almost impressed. Suddenly she waved her hand as she turned and the table in the center glowed as colored wisps emerged from them, forming an image that, at first, didn’t make sense to Noctis, until he realized it was a Mer, of which the tail was splitting to turn it into a pair of legs. “But I must warn you; my services are not cheap, and even granting you legs for a short time is not an easy feat. Should you desire to continue this course of action, the price will be most steep indeed.”‘I don’t like the sound of that…’“…what kind of price do you mean?” “It should be here…” Ignis said as he and Gladio arrived at the large, ominous structure.“What’s that idiot thinking?” Gladio snarled out, but Ignis could tell that the other Mer was just as worried as the advisor felt at that point. Still, neither said anything else as they hurriedly swam inside, anxious and worried for the prince’s safety.“…if I cannot provide you with the item you wish for?” they heard just then, catching only the tail end of the conversation.“Oh, I’m certain you can provide something of greater or equal value in case that happens.”Panic rising, the two Mer swiftly swam over in an attempt to cut off whatever was happening. However, just as they turned the corner with Noctis’ name on the tip of their tongues, something suddenly out from the darkness, and in the span of a second, their mouths were covered and they were tied up back to back.“Ah-ah-ah~ None of that, now,” a cold, cheeky voice nearly cooed out. “Let’s not interfere with business, now, shall we?”Ignis tried to see who was there, but he couldn’t see anything, while Gladio was still struggling to get loose. It would definitely take a while to get out, even with Gladio’s strength, but they had to try, anyway. Noctis almost thought he heard something, but he didn’t have time to look back, as Edea spoke again, drawing his attention once more. “You are, of course, free to say no,” she said as she moved along the ‘table’, and she waved her hand to make the wisps shift around its shape. And when it solidified, Noctis’ eyes widened in shock as he recognized what she had just brought up. “But this does mean you will not be able to speak to him on a more personal level…”‘Prompto…’He had to resist the urge to reach for the image of the blonde’s face, trying to keep his head together… but he found himself unable to do so…“…If I cannot provide what you want, then we will work it out when I return… correct?” he asked, trying to be as cautious as he could be, with his head already miles and miles away.“Of course. I am sure we can work it out fairly simply.”It was a stupid idea… it was the stupidest idea he’d ever had… but…“…Alright…” Ignis’ eyes widened as he was now actively trying to help Gladio to break free, while simultaneously trying to scream out for Noctis. But the bindings were holding vast, even though Gladio’s strength was steadily tearing it up. The sandy blonde tried to shout out as the Weiz produced some form of contract that Noctis was supposed to sign to agree to the terms Edea had just stated.Noctis was hesitating, he could tell, as he read through the contract, as he should… but once he finished reading, his expression steeled itself as he grabbed the pen and after taking a deep breath, he signed it, the words seeming to glow in the darkness of the room. Noctis Lucis Caelum The moment the prince had finished that, Edea took the contract, with a cold, almost eerie smirk/grin as she giggled. Noctis had no time to respond or question, as a burst of energy suddenly slammed headlong into him and he almost screamed in agony as pain shot up from the tip of his tail to the very center of his stomach, making him want to curl up to try and suppress the pain. The pain didn’t stop, though, and the pain made him cry out as the pain tore through his tail – and then he choked and gargled as his cry was swallowed in the water and his throat and chest began to hurt!Gladio roared as the two other Mer saw what was happening, before he finally managed to break them free. Immediately, without thinking twice, the pair shot toward Noctis, grabbed him by his arms and shot up with him through the open roof of the structure, ignoring the icy cackling haunting them the whole way. Noctis was trying to help by kicking out at the water below him, but it was clear it wasn’t helping as much as he would’ve liked.And then they broke through the water’s surface and Noctis gasped and coughed and hacked as the air filled his lungs as he coughed up the water that had been there previously, his weight hanging off of Gladio and Ignis’ shoulders.“What the crap, Noct!?” Gladio demanded of the prince. “What were you thinking?!”“Gl…Gladio…” Noctis gasped out amongst heavy gulps of air. “I… I’m… I’m so…”“Don’t,” Ignis interrupted. “What’s done is done.” Gladio obviously didn’t agree, but he didn’t say anything of it. “We need to get you out of the water. Gladio, let’s move.”“…Right…”Noctis couldn’t even bring himself to say anything, as he let his friends carry him away along their shoulders. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- By the time the two Mer came to humans’ Corale, Noctis’ body was shuddering heavily, and he was barely holding onto consciousness.//Hold on for a little longer, Noct,// Ignis murmured softly, and Noctis slowly nodded his head, but he was starting to doze of regardless.The Corale was large and seemed almost filled to the brim with humans, making it difficult for the two Mer to find a proper spot to get Noctis on land. Eventually, though, they were able to find a small dock that was relatively low to the water’s surface and seemed to be abandoned at the moment. While it was definitely not the best place, it was the easiest to reach for them at the moment, which was most important.//Noct, c’mon,// Ignis murmured as he and Gladio pulled Noctis up onto the wooden planks. Noctis nodded as he scrabbled up along the planks, despite his obvious fatigue, and he managed to get up with his friends’ help, before he fell forward on his stomach, shivering and shaking from the cold. Ignis cursed quietly, as he looked around. When he spotted an old blanket of some kind, he reached out and tugged it over the shivering prince. //Noct, stay with us…////I… tr-trying…// Noctis choked out. //S… so cold… I-Ignis, it’s…////Calm down… just stay awake. Stay awake.//Gladio growled as he watched the prince as he struggled to do as Ignis was telling him, but it clearly wasn’t working. //We need to get him some place safe!// he snarled out.//Well aware…// Suddenly, the sandy-blonde’s head shot up and his eyes widened. //Someone’s coming…! Get down!//The two Mer didn’t waste a moment and ducked under the water. As the sun settled high above in the sky, half hidden behind the softly billowing clouds, Ravus Nox Fleuret sighed heavily as he walked along the streets of Altissia. While he didn’t normally walk around aimlessly, he’d really just needed some fresh air for a moment. He, admittedly, had been getting tired of remaining in the hotel most of the day, and also needed a small break from Umbra and Pryna. He didn’t have a set destination in mind, but he ended up walking along the gondola docks.As he got closer to one of the currently empty docks, though, he spotted something… out of place. And it took him a moment to realize, but as he walked closer, he soon realized there was someone lying out on the dock, seemingly passed out.“Ah…!” the pale blonde gasped, and hurried over to the person, realizing it was a young man, covered in an old blanket that had been used to protect a gondola from the rain. The man smelled like the sea, so Ravus figured him to have been ship-wrecked, and a brief touch to his forehead told him that he was freezing, as well. Because of this, Ravus didn’t remove the blanket just yet, as he had a feeling the man wasn’t exactly well-dressed (plus he hoped it would help warm him up a bit on the way). Ravus carefully picked up the youth, and then took off to the hotel, knowing he needed Luna’s help for this one.The man in his arms grunted a little at the sudden motion, but he didn’t wake just yet.But as Ravus hurried off, he never noticed two pair of eyes following him quietly. Once back at the hotel, Ravus hurried up to his and Luna’s room, where he surprised his sister by the young man’s presence. “Lunafreya, he needs some help,” he said urgently, setting the raven-haired young man on his bed, not caring if he was getting the blankets soaked because of the water still clinging to the man.“What are you…! Ravus, what happened?” Luna asked as she hurried to the younger man’s side, blinking at the pale face topped with messy black hair. If she hadn’t just seen her brother carrying him in and seen the pale legs dangling along Ravus’ arms, she could’ve sworn it was Noctis. But that was just ridiculous… after all, Noctis was a Mer, so there was no way this could be him.“I found him at the gondola docks, completely unconscious,” Ravus explained, standing back. “But he’s cold. Freezing even. He needs to be warmed up.”“Right… can I borrow some of your spare clothes, Ravus? It might be a bit big on him, but it’s better than nothing…”“That’s fine,” her brother nodded, and went to the closet, pulling out a set of fresh clothes for the raven that he likely wasn’t going to be wearing anyway.Luna, in the meantime, grabbed a towel from the bathroom and started working on drying the brunette off. He was shivering and definitely in bad shape; hell, his lips were still slightly blue from being undercooled. Once he was dry, which took about five minutes, she tucked him gently under the blankets temporarily to warm up.Just as she finished doing so, there was then a knock on the door, and Ravus went to answer it, since his sister was beginning to struggle with his old clothes. He was a little surprised when Prompto was at the door, appearing concerned, until he remembered Lunafreya mentioning she’d been planning to go out with the blonde photographer.“Hi Ravus. Is Luna here?” the blonde asked.“Yes. She’s tending to someone, though,” Ravus informed him.“What?” Prompto frowned in question, walking in when Ravus stepped aside for him. And when he stepped into the room properly, he stared in surprise. “Luna, what happened?” he asked, seeing a raven-haired male on one of the beds that was shivering under the blankets. The moment he saw him he couldn’t help but think that this guy looked like Noctis, but that wouldn’t be right. After all, the Mer wouldn’t survive for long out of the water like this… He would’ve been coughing and hacking and struggling to breathe… let alone neither Luna or Ravus would’ve gotten him into the room.Luna looked up at Prompto walked in and she frowned apologetically. “Hey, Prom… sorry, we may need to reschedule our trip. Ravus just brought this young man in.” She gestured to the man as she unfolded the clothes she’d been handed. “We need to get him warmed up before he dies of hypothermia.”“Yeah, no problem. Is there any way I can help?” he asked, looking at the young man worriedly.“Well if you want to, can you help me get these clothes on him?” Luna asked as she passed Prompto the trousers.“Yeah,” the blonde nodded, and gently got the raven-haired man dressed in the clothes, which would hopefully warm him up.Once they’d gotten the raven into the clothes and he was once again tucked in, there was an almost pitiful whining from the bathroom door, accompanied by light scratching. Frowning, Prompto went over to the bathroom, and cracked open the door, surprised to see Umbra in there.“Hey boy, what’s wrong?” he asked, letting the dog out.Luna sighed as Umbra happily greeted Prompto. “He was causing some problems for the hotel’s employees, so I had him on timeout for a moment…”“Ah, okay. Sorry I took him out…” Prompto apologized.“It’s fine. I think he’s learned…”Just as Luna said that, though, Umbra’s nose twitched and he whined curiously. After a few sniffs at the air, though, he suddenly barked happily and dashed for the bed where the raven-haired youth was lying.“Umbra!!”“H-hey!” Prompto yelped, hurrying over. He then paused, however, when he saw what Umbra was doing.The black dog had jumped onto the bed with his front paws and was now in the process of licking the man’s face, who actually groaned and squeezed his eyes shut firmly. After a moment of Umbra barking and licking, however, one dark blue eye slipped open and regarded the dog wearily.And then…“…Um…bra…?”Immediately, Prompto’s eyes widened in shock, and he gasped. “Noctis?!”At the sudden cry, Ravus looked at the blonde, puzzled. “You know him?”“It’s a long story, and I’ll explain later, but not right now,” Prompto said firmly, before moving closer to the raven. “Noctis, what…?”Luna was staring in shock as much as Prompto was as, upon the call, the raven looked up slowly blinking both eyes open, before he managed to get words out again. “Prom…pto…” he got out… right before he suddenly hacked and coughed, reaching for his throat.“Hang on, lemme get you some water,” Prompto murmured, going and grabbing a glass from the little kitchenette and filling it with water. He then brought it over to Noctis, helping him to sit up a bit so he could drink. Once Prompto pressed the glass to his lips, he said gently: “Here.”Noctis gasped and wheezed, as his fingers moved to clumsily grasp the glass and tilted it backward with a deep breath – which resulted in him coughing even harder as he instinctively got the water out of his lungs as fast as it’d come in.“H-hey, you’re supposed to swallow it, not inhale it!” Prompto yelped, rubbing Noctis’s back soothingly.Noctis continued to cough harshly, taking big, heavy gulps of air. He didn’t understand what Prompto was saying, but trying to breathe in water seemed like a terrible idea, despite how his brain was telling him he had to. The air was heavy in his lungs, and it felt so strange to not feel the filtration of water through his throat that he almost whimpered as he tried to move his tai—And suddenly he froze, eyes wide as he looked down at the blanket covering his lower body.“Noctis, hang on. You need to drink it, not inhale it. You’re human now,” Prompto murmured, his brows furrowed in his own confusion. It seemed as though the raven just realized he had legs instead of a tail now.And because of that, Noctis didn’t seem to be paying attention, as he reached down and abruptly pulled the blankets off of himself, after which he proceeded to stare at his legs – legs, not a tail – and tried to move them slowly. It was a little weird; he was so used to only one limb, and for it to split into two was almost awkward… but not at all bad.Curious, he leaned forward as he curled one legs towards himself, running his fingers experimentally along it. Even through the material that covered it, he could feel the pale skin under it, and when he pressed down on the very bottom of his foot, it felt really weird. It was also exceedingly odd to see the tips of his feet being able to curl like he was making them do now.“What in the world is going on?” Ravus finally demanded, his expression reflecting his complete confusion.At first, Prompto wasn’t sure if he should say anything about it, but he supposed that Luna’s brother had every right to know. Especially since he’d helped in getting Noctis here. “Like I said, long story, but Noctis here is a Mer, but he’s somehow human now…” Prompto told him, making Ravus blink in surprise.He looked at Luna incredulously, who hadn’t said a word since the raven had regained consciousness. “Is this true, Lunafreya? I saw how you were looking at him when he said Umbra’s name,” he asked.“Y-yes, it’s true,” Luna admitted with a nod, as confused as the other humans there. “I’ve only met him once, but he was definitely a Mer last I saw him.”If Noctis was aware of the conversation, he certainly didn’t show it, as he was a little too focused on trying to move his legs and feet properly.“Noctis… How did you become human?” Prompto asked, resting his hand on the raven’s leg to gain his attention.Noctis blinked up at Prompto, tilting his head to the side. //…I only caught the “human” part of that, Prompto…//As he spoke, Ravus frowned, confused. “Does he not speak our language?”“No,” Prompto replied, before turning back to Noctis. He then gestured to Noctis’s legs, and gave him a confused look, silently asking him how.That helped and Noctis’ expression became one of understanding… before just as quickly shifting to confusion as he looked down. How was he supposed to tell him? At least, how could he tell Prompto in a way that he could understand what Noctis had done? And the price he would eventually have to pay for his trip to the surface…However he tried, he couldn’t figure out what to say or how.Slowly, he shook his head, hands clenching in the fabric of the trousers covering his legs.“It’s okay,” Prompto murmured with a small smile. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”Noctis merely nodded, understanding the last part (mostly), before he coughed again and he growled a little.“Here,” the blonde soothed, and gave Noctis the glass again. “Swallow, don’t inhale.”Noctis looked up at Prompto briefly, not sure what he was supposed to do, before he sighed and let some of the water fill his mouth. Once he had it there, though, he wasn’t sure what to do… until his body seemed to respond instinctively and he gulped the water down, instantly soothing his aching throat. Which, of course, had Noctis blinking in surprise as he put a hand to his throat.“Better, huh?” Prompto chuckled.Noctis nodded slowly, still a bit confused, before Umbra suddenly barked and demanded the raven’s attention. Which he didn’t mind giving as he allowed a small smile and began to pet the dog’s head gently.“He recognized you, ya know,” Prompto smiled, finally sitting on the bed with Noctis. He was incredibly happy to see Noctis like this, as a human, and he wanted to make sure he could take advantage of being with the raven as much as he could now. After all, he was in love with Noctis, and he wanted to somehow get the raven to understand that at some point.Noctis, meanwhile, looked at Prompto oddly, his head tilted even as he continued to pet Umbra, until the dog hurried over to Luna’s side again.Luna, of course, caught on to that and turned to her brother, whispering quietly that they should leave for a little bit. Ravus nodded, and looked at his sister as though he expected her to explain while they were gone.Once they were gone with both Umbra and Pryna, Prompto continued his earlier train of thought. “Umbra knew it was you. I didn’t think it was you when I came in, since you’re human now,” he admitted, knowing Noctis wouldn’t understand, but he tried anyway.“…human…” Noctis murmured softly, glancing back down to his legs and pulling one up slowly.“Do you like having legs?” the blonde asked.Noctis didn’t reply to that, though he did lean back on his hands and lift up one leg curiously.Prompto chuckled at the raven’s curiosity. “Want to try walking?” he offered.Of course, Noctis only looked at him strangely, not understanding what he was saying.The blonde smiled, before standing up. He gave the raven a questioning look as he walked around the room a bit, hoping to get his point across. And after watching him do that for a moment, Noctis finally seemed to understand and (carefully) scooted to the edge of the bed and let his legs slide off the edge of the mattress. For about a minute, he hesitated, before he pushed himself up – and immediately stumbled forward with a cry.“Careful!” Prompto gasped, darting forward and catching him. “You need practice, that’s all.”Noctis breathed heavily for a moment, clinging to Prompto’s arms, his legs shuddering below him as he tried to stay standing. Which was not as easy as Prompto had made it seem.“Easy,” the blonde murmured, carefully helping the raven to straighten up. “Take it easy, Noctis. It’s gonna take some practice.”Once he had his legs firmly planted under him, Noctis shifted his hands to cling to Prompto’s shoulders, a slight hiss escaping him. //He…heavy…//“I know, you’re heavier out of the water,” Prompto soothed. “We’re gonna take it slow, okay? Baby steps.”Once his legs could stop shaking, Noctis exhaled softly in relief and he tried to stand up straighter (still holding onto Prompto).“There we go,” Prompto praised. “Just hold on to me, and I’ll help.”Noctis looked up at Prompto in obvious question from under his messy bangs.Prompto patted Noctis’s hands on his shoulders, and said: “Hang on to me.” He then decided to see about them starting to move. He began to carefully guide Noctis into taking a step, sticking close to his friend.The Mer-turned-human gasped as he stumbled after, almost falling right up against Prompto again. Thankfully, he managed to keep himself standing, but only barely.“It’s okay, you’re doing good,” Prompto murmured, managing to keep them both standing. “It’s okay.”Noctis adjusted his stance carefully, before he cautiously lifted a foot, which he quickly set down when all his weight was suddenly balanced on a single leg.“There you go,” Prompto smiled. “You’re doing really good.”While the Mer didn’t understand what was being said, he didn’t ask about it and instead focused on trying to walk along with Prompto. It was weird to constantly feel the floor along the bottom of his feet, but he found himself getting used to it fairly quickly.“Good job, Noctis,” the blonde grinned, seeing how his friend was adjusting quickly enough.Noctis briefly looked up, opening his mouth to say something – only to let out a yowl as he tripped over his own feet and fell forward.“Shit!” Prompto cursed, falling back as Noctis fell on top of him.Both of them grunted as they hit the floor with a heavy thud. //Ow…// Noctis groaned painfully as he tried to push up, only to freeze in alarm as their position dawned on him entirely.“You okay?” Prompto asked, wincing from where his head hit the floor.“…”Noctis didn’t respond, even though he obviously knew what was being asked of him.“What’s wrong?” Prompto asked, surprised when the raven didn’t answer.“…”“Noctis…?”Startled, Noctis suddenly bolted up and scrambled away from Prompto, swiftly curling up into a ball and wrapping arms tight around his legs, hiding his face in his knees.“Hey, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare ya!” Prompto apologized, getting to his knees and slowly approaching the raven.Noctis didn’t speak up; he didn’t even look up as Prompto approached.“What’s wrong?” Prompto asked softly, and once he got close, he tried to tilt Noctis’ chin up so he could look at his face.But Noctis shook his hand off and curled up even tighter, his body shuddering subtly.“Noctis, it’s okay, whatever’s wrong…” the blonde soothed, moving to sit beside him.Noctis shook his head swiftly, still not looking up.“Please tell me what’s wrong so I can help,” Prompto pleaded softly, wrapping a comforting arm around the raven’s shoulders.The touch around his shoulders actually made Noctis tense sharply, and his fingers curled into the material of his trousers. The reaction was almost instinctive, and Noctis was struggling to not start gasping for breath; he couldn’t understand why he felt so warm, or why his body seemed to be almost hypersensitive to any and all touches, even through the material clinging to his frame.But most importantly of all, he didn’t understand the reaction from his lower body at all…“Do you…want me to leave you alone?” Prompto asked quietly, retracting his arm when he felt the tension.At the quiet words, Noctis finally raised his head slightly, peeking out from over his knees cautiously.“I’ll… I’ll just leave for a bit…” the smaller male mumbled, starting to get up.However, before Prompto could stand completely, Noctis grabbed hold of his wrist.“Huh?” Prompto uttered, looking at his friend curiously. His heart hurt at the thought of leaving Noctis of his own accord, even briefly, so the thought that Noctis does want him around still had him hopeful.//…w…warm…// Noctis choked out softly.“I don’t understand,” Prompto sighed, but sat back down next to Noctis anyway.Noctis opened his mouth to speak, but it took him a few tries before he was able to get anything out. //It’s… warm… I… I don’t…// he got out, his hand curled around Prompto’s wrist, still.“You’re really warm, huh?” the blonde realized, noticing the raven was starting to sweat.Noctis didn’t respond, but if the sweat pouring down his forehead and the sweaty palms was anything to go by, then Prompto was most likely spot on.“It’s okay, Noctis,” Promtpo soothed. “Come on, Let’s get you cooled down, okay?”The raven slowly looked up a little more, clearly not understanding what was being said, though the tone seemed to make him feel somewhat better.“Come on,” the smaller male smiled, lightly tugging Noctis up when he spotted a fan by Luna’s bed on top of the dresser.Clearly confused, Noctis stumbled after, watching his feet carefully as he did.“There we go,” Prompto told him, and gently sat him on Luna’s bed once they were close. Once the raven was seated, Prompto moved over and turned her fan on low, so as not to freeze Noctis with the sweat he had on his body.When the wind hit him, Noctis visibly jumped, staring at the machine with wide eyes before he tried to reach for the fan.“It’s okay, it’s called a ‘fan’,” the smaller male chuckled, sitting beside him again.“F…fan…?” Noctis repeated slowly, looking at Prompto curiously.“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, still smiling. “It helps to cool people down.”Noctis tilted his head curiously, before he turned to the fan, moving his hand and obviously interested in the wind as it played along his hand and face.And Prompto merely watched him, amused by Noctis’s curiosity. “A bit better, huh?” he asked after a few minutes, noticing the sweat wasn’t forming on his forehead anymore.“…y…yeah…”“Good,” the blonde smiled, before leaning against Noctis a little. “I’m glad you’re okay. If Ravus hadn’t found you… You could have died…and I wouldn’t have known…” At this, Prompto lowered his gaze sadly, unable to keep the dark thoughts from his mind.Blinking at the sudden somber tone, Noctis turned to look at Prompto. He wasn’t used to that tone of voice from the blonde, and it didn’t sound right. So, he moved back slightly and moved around on his knees to settled behind Prompto and wrapped his arms around the blonde’s shoulders, resting his forehead between his shoulders once again.Prompto gave a weak smile, leaning into the comforting hold. //Thank you,// he whispered. “I missed you.”Noctis frowned. Prompto’d said those words before, but he couldn’t figure out what they meant. The last word, though, he did catch the meaning of. “…missed…me…?”“Yeah,” the blonde murmured. “I don’t like when we’re apart…”The raven moved his head over to rest it on the blonde’s shoulder, clearly curious.This drew a soft chuckle from Prompto, before he looked at Noctis and said softly, “I’ll be honest, I…I want us to be more than friends…I want to be with you… Even though you probably don’t get what I’m saying right now, I hope you feel something similar.”//…I didn’t understand any of that…// Noctis admitted.Prompto knew Noctis was probably saying something like he didn’t understand, which the blonde knew couldn’t be helped right now. He just hoped Noctis would be able to understand with time. With a sigh, he simply remained in the raven’s hold, hoping for the best between them. As Ravus and Luna walked along Altissia, Ravus finally said, “So, explain to me what you know about Noctis.”“From what I was told, Prompto’s apparently saved Noctis while he was washed up on shore,” Luna explained quietly, keeping her voice down in case someone was listening. “And then, after Noctis returned the favor a little later, they’ve been meeting up regularly, it seems…”“Interesting,” Ravus hummed. “They seem rather close, too.”“They are…” Luna admitted with a nod, before she giggled. “In fact, I believe they’re both quite smitten with each other.“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Ravus chuckled. “Besides, they seem good for each other.”Luna smiled softly, before she frowned in worry.“What’s wrong, Lunafreya?” her brother asked, concerned.“I’m just… Noctis was a Mer last time… of that I’m sure… so why is human, now?”“That…I’m not sure of. We can at least be supportive and help where we can, as I highly doubt this is permanent. If Noctis was born a Mer, he will more than likely have to back to being a Mer at some point, I would think,” Ravus murmured. “But let them enjoy the time they have, however temporary it may be.”“Right… Let’s help them however we can.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- After some time of practicing Noctis’ walking in the hotel room, Prompto looked at his friend’s attire, which was way too big on him and made him look a lot smaller than he really was.“We’ll need to get you some clothes of your own,” he commented. “Can’t have you wearing Ravus’ stuff the whole time.”Noctis cocked his head curiously at the words, before he looked down at the pants and shirt hanging off of his hips and shoulders.“Don’t worry, I’ll help you with getting some stuff that fits you better,” he blonde chuckled. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll feel better in proper-fitting clothes.”“…?” Naturally, Noctis didn’t understand what Prompto was saying, as was obvious by the look on his face.“It’s okay,” Prompto said, waving a hand dismissively. “Come on, let’s head back to my room and get you a pair of shoes or something so we can go out. I don’t think Ravus’ shoes will fit well…” Once he finished speaking, he stood, offering the raven a hand.Noctis looked to the hand in question, before he reached out and took hold of the blonde’s hand.Prompto then led Noctis out of Luna and Ravus’ hotel room back to his own, where he opened the door and brought Noctis inside. “You’ll stay with me while here. It’ll be easier that way,” Prompto told his friend. “Hope you don’t mind sharing the bed…”As they walked into the room, Noctis looked around curiously, before he started walking around the room to explore. And Prompto merely watched him in amusement, leaning against the wall as he followed the raven’s movements with his bright blue gaze.Suddenly, Noctis spotted something on the bedside table and he walked over, where he picked up Prompto’s camera (carefully).“Remember my camera, huh?” Prompto asked, going over to him. “I’ve taken some more pictures since I last saw you.”Noctis blinked as he looked over to Prompto. “…cam…era…?”“That’s what it’s called,” the blonde smiled.The raven tilted his head, before he turned to the camera and turned it around a few times, trying to see how it worked, because he couldn’t see anything on the screen.“Here,” Prompto murmured, and gently took the camera from Noctis’ hands. He then showed him the power button, and pressed it, turning on the camera.Noctis’ eyes widened in awe as he watched its screen flash to life, stepping up next to Prompto to look at the camera again. The smaller male smiled at Noctis as he pulled up some of the recent pictures he’d taken, and sat on his bed, gesturing for the raven to sit with him. And the raven did just that, moving over and letting himself drop next to Prompto on the bed – though he yelped as the mattress dipped under his weight.“You okay?” Prompto asked with a small chuckle.“Y-yeah…” Noctis got out as he sat up a little better.“Okay, now you get to see my recent pictures,” Prompto said happily, pressing close to the raven as he pulled up the first part of the pictures.Noctis immediately scooted closer to look over Prompto’s shoulder at the pictures, clearly curious. The blonde then showed him some pictures he’d taken in Lestallum when he was last there. As he scrolled through the pictures slowly enough for Noctis to take them in properly, the ex-Mer suddenly frowned and the  pointed at the current picture, which showed the Disc of Cauthess from the outlook at sunset.“It’s called the Disc of Cauthess,” Prompto explained. “It’s a good one, huh?”“Di…Disc o…of Ca…Cau…” Noctis frowned as he tried to pronounce it properly, and found himself failing.“Disc. Of. Cauthess,” Prompto said slowly, kindly helping his friend.“Disc… of… C-Cauthess…”“There ya go,” the blonde smiled in praise. He then looked back at the picture. “Do you like this one?”Noctis nodded his head to the question. However, as he reached out to move to the next picture, his shirt slipped down from his shoulder.Prompto laughed softly as he moved the camera out of Noct’s reach. “We’ll check out the rest later, Noctis. For now, we gotta get you some clothes.”“…?” Noctis looked at Prompto strangely as he stood up and set the camera on the bedside table again, before he looked up to Prompto questionably.“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” the blonde assured him, going to his closet and looking for a pair of shoes. He soon found a pair that was even a bit large for him, and returned to the raven. “Here we go,” he murmured, and gently took Noctis’ feet, one by one, and slipped the shoes on each foot. “There. Now we can go out and get you some clothes.”The raven looked at his feet curiously, moving them a few times before clicking the toes of the shoes together with a cocked eyebrow.“They’ll protect your feet from the ground,” Prompto explained.Naturally, the Mer-turned-human merely looked up at Prompto curiously.“No worries, you’ll get it with time,” the smaller male assured him. Holding out a hand, he said, “Come on, let’s go.”After looking at the hand for a moment more, Noctis eventually reached out and took the blonde’s hand.Prompto then tugged the raven to his feet, and led his friend out of the hotel to the nearest clothing store he liked. As they walked, Noctis looked around almost continuously, watching the other humans walking around curiously. No one even looked at them, even though Prompto was still holding onto his hand."You okay?" Prompto asked after a moment of the other not saying anything. This made Noctis blink as he looked over, before nodding his head.This drew a small smile to Prompto’s face, and soon after, they arrived. “Come on,” he murmured to the raven. “Here we are. Now we’ll get you some proper fitting clothes.”When they stepped in. Noctis’ mouth actually opened in awe as he saw all the racks lined with different types of clothes.“Do you like it?” Prompto asked with a chuckle.Noctis didn’t even respond as he continued looking around.“Let’s find you some clothes,” the smaller male smiled, leading Noctis further into the shop.The raven stumbled after, a bit startled, before he managed to catch up.“Here we go! These should be your size, but you’ll have to try them on to be sure,” Prompto told Noctis once they got to a particular section.“…?” Noctis obviously wasn’t sure what had just been said.“It’s okay. I’ll choose some stuff, and you tell me yes or no,” Prompto assured Noctis. Naturally, the raven didn’t respond to the words. This made the blonde chuckled, as he then put together a couple outfits before showing Noctis one of them. “Like it?” he asked.The Mer looked at the clothes for a moment, before he looked up again, confused.“Here, let me show you,” Prompto chuckled again, and guided Noctis into the changing room. He then looked at the raven questioningly when he began to reach for the hem of the pants, silently asking if he could take them off. While Noctis didn’t say anything to him reaching for the pants, he certainly didn’t look away from Prompto at all.Prompto waited for a moment for the raven to protest once he grabbed the pants, but when he didn’t hear anything, he gently pulled them down, and then grabbed the pair of black pants from their hanger. “Here, let’s get these on instead,” he murmured, helping Noctis out of the pants and shoes so he could get on the black pants.When he said that, Noctis tilted his head to the side, not sure what he was saying, but he moved his legs into the pants when Prompto urged him to.Once Noctis’ legs were in the pants, Prompto pulled them up, and then zipped and buttoned them once they were on. “Better?” he asked.“…??” Noctis tilted his head as he reached for the edge of the pants and tugged on it experimentally, trying to tug it off.“Looks like a good fit to me,” Prompto smiled with a soft laugh.“…good… fit…?”“Yeah, so it fits appropriately without being too tight or too loose,” the blonde explained.//…I don’t understand.//“It’s okay,” Prompto murmured. “Now, let’s get the shirt.” He then grabbed the steel gray shirt from its hanger, and removed Noctis’ current shirt. Prompto gently guided Noctis into the shirt, trying desperately to ignore the slight abs the raven had. Sure, he’d seen him shirtless as a Mer, but while human, this made it different.When the shirt finally passed over his head, Noctis blinked, before he shook his head to get his bangs out of his eyes, and then looked down at himself curiously.“Much better,” Prompto smiled softly.“…bet…ter…?” Noctis repeated slowly.“Yup,” the smaller male nodded. He then grabbed the black jacket, and helped Noctis into it before looking him over. “One last thing.” Finally, Prompto grabbed the pair of black boots he’d found in the shop, and helped Noctis into those. Once the raven was fully dressed, he looked Noctis over and grinned. “You look good.”Noctis looked himself over in slight confusion. He really couldn’t understand the humans’ obsession with putting these ‘nets’ over themselves, but he supposed it wasn’t “uncomfortable”. As he looked down to the heavy material weighing down his feet, he tapped them against the floor, listening to the almost satisfying sound of it hitting the floor.“Damn, I’m good,” Prompto laughed lightly. “We’ll pick up a few more things, and then head back.”And of course, Noctis only looked at him oddly.Prompto merely gave Noctis a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.” And with that said, the blonde left the changing room, gathering up some additional things for Noctis. Some sleeping clothes, boxer briefs, socks, and some extra shirts and pants for him. Once finished, Prompto returned to the changing room. “Noctis, I’m done. Let’s go,” he told him.At the call, Noctis looked up from where he was looking in the mirror and suddenly frowned, as if displeased.“What’s wrong?” Prompto asked, concerned.“Noct.”“Huh?”Noctis pointed to Prompto, then to himself and back again. //Friends.// Then he pushed his finger against his own chest as he said: //Noct. Friends say ‘Noct’.//“Ah, you want me to call you Noct since we’re friends, right?” Prompto guessed with a small smile. “I can do that. C’mon, Noct. Let’s go.”Noctis smiled at the words, before he followed Prompto out of the changing room. As he walked, though, a thought seemed to come to him and he hummed.“What’s up?” the blonde asked, hearing the hum.“…Prompto.”“Hmm?” Prompto hummed, pausing and turning to the raven.“Prompto… Promp… Prompt…” Noctis paused with a slight groan, scratching at the side of his neck before he said/asked: “Prom…?”“You can call me Prom,” Prompto nodded with a smile. “I like it. Not everyone calls me that. Just my friends.”Of course, Noctis didn’t understand that very well, but given the smile on the blonde’s face, he assumed his last bet was fine. For which he was glad. And this definitely showed as a small, content smile played over his face, his eyelids slipping a little over his eyes when he did.“You like calling me Prom, huh?” the blonde asked with a grin. “You’re one of few who has.”Noct tilted his head curiously, but he said nothing more as he hurried after Prom… only to grab hold of his hand. And Prompto looked down at their joined hands, glad he had been able to manage everything he was going to get in one arm now, and then smiled, pleased, at the raven.And Noct merely smiled back as he followed after.They soon got to the counter, and Prompto, unfortunately, had to remove his hand from Noctis’ so he could get out his wallet to pay for everything. He then looked at the cashier and said: “Sorry, his other clothes were a bit big. Can he just wear these out once you scan ‘em?”“Of course,” the cashier nodded, and went over to Noctis with her scanner.“It’s okay,” Prompto whispered to his friend, hoping to keep him from being too suspicious or anything.Noct regarded the cashier in question, but he didn’t say anything.Soon enough, the girl had scanned the price tags on Noctis’ clothes before removing them, and then scanned each item Prompto had in his arm. Once she told him the total, the blonde mentally winced, knowing he’d have to REALLY make up for it somehow…but he handed her the gil anyway. And after everything was bagged, Prompto thanked her, before turning back to Noctis. “Let’s head back, Noct,” he smiled, taking the raven’s hand in his again before heading back to the hotel.As they walked, Noctis looked at Prompto curiously, before he squeezed his hand. “Prom… you… okay…?”“Yeah, I’m fine,” the blonde assured him. “My wallet hurts, but it’ll live.” At this, he laughed.“…??”“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Prompto chuckled.Just as Noctis looked at him oddly, seemingly prepared to say something, a familiar bark came out, right before Umbra suddenly came running over and hopped up against Noctis.“A-ah!” Noct blinked, before he smiled and reached down to pet Umbra’s head, making the dog pant happily.“Oh there you are!”“Hey guys!” Prompto greeted. “Sorry we left like that, I wanted to get Noct set up with some proper-fitting clothes.”“Yes, we can see that,” Luna giggled as she regarded Noctis briefly. “You look good, Noctis.”Noctis merely regarded her for a moment… before his gaze shifted to Ravus, as if he had just really noticed him.“Don’t worry, Noct. That’s Ravus, Luna’s older brother,” Prompto soothed, before looking at the pale blonde. “Thank you for finding him, Ravus. I’m glad no one else did.”“I’m glad that he was found in general,” Ravus pointed out.“…” Noctis didn’t say anything, though he did tilt his head quietly.“We were just heading back to the hotel. I take it you two were as well?” Prompto asked.“Yes, it’s getting late, and the sun is starting to set so we figured it was about time,” Luna said as she nodded to the horizon.When Noctis looked over to see what was so interesting, he tensed when he saw the sun dipping below the horizon, his fingers clenching around Prompto’s almost painfully.“What’s wrong?” Prompto asked, noticing the tightening grip on his hand as he looked at Noctis.“……”“Noctis?” Luna called worriedly, but the ex-Mer didn’t look up from where he was looking.“Noct, what’s wrong?” Prompto asked, looking at him in concern.Noctis looked over at the call, but he didn’t answer, as he looked down to the ground… or more specifically, his own feet. And that was when Prompto realized what had to be wrong.“You have a time limit before you have to go back, don’t you?” Prompto guessed softly, his gaze saddening.“……”“Noct…” the blonde murmured, not understanding the lack of response.When Noctis still refused to respond, Luna frowned sadly. “Maybe we should go back to the hotel…” she offered, as Umbra whined unhappily as he pawed at Noct’s leg.“Yeah…” Prompto sighed, and Ravus led them back to the hotel as Prompto’s gaze became miserable. He had an inkling that this wasn’t permanent, but he couldn’t help but be hopeful since he hadn’t gotten an actual confirmation on the matter yet. All he’d wanted was to be with Noctis like this, but now that he knew there was (likely) a time limit… he wanted to make the most of it.Noctis remained silent as he followed after, not looking up at Prompto or anyone else as they went. However, the closer they got to the hotel, the more firmly he curled his fingers around Prompto’s.Finally, they got to Luna and Ravus’ room, where the group parted ways, Prompto softly bidding the siblings goodnight before guiding Noctis to his room. Once the door was shut behind them, the blonde felt extremely torn. He wanted to hide from everything and cry, but knew he needed to be there for the raven. When he turned to look at him, the other was still looking down at the ground.“Noct… What’s wrong? Please tell me,” he finally pleaded quietly to the former Mer.Noctis looked up at Prompto quietly, giving a slow blink, before he slowly shook his head. //I don’t… understand…// he got out, but his voice sounded… strained.“Noct…” the smaller male whispered, feeling tears start to form. He hated this language barrier, and wished for nothing more than for them to understand each other right now. Despite trying to communicate through it, Prompto couldn’t help but hate it.When he saw the tears, Noctis blinked in a combination of surprise and shock, before he stepped up and, without thinking, put his hands against the blonde’s cheeks, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears.Prompto gave a small, humorless laugh, placing his hands over Noctis’. “I just want to help…” he mumbled.Noct tilted his head in question, as he tried to understand what Prom was saying… but it was just so hard…Prompto sighed, his gaze becoming downcast. He wished they could understand each other better…“Prom…?” Noctis spoke quietly, sounding unsure and almost as down as the blonde did.Suddenly, Prompto dropped the shopping bags and reached forward, hugging Noctis firmly as the tears flowed freely. He just wanted to be with Noctis, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to tell him how he loves him more than anyone or anything, not without confusing the hell out of the taller male. He almost felt like he was mourning a relationship that hadn’t even occurred, which hurt so badly.“…!!” And Noct, in response, froze up, eyes wide in alarm as he was hugged. He didn’t hug back, but he wasn’t pushing him away either. However, his breathing did pick up.Prompto whimpered when the hug wasn’t returned, about to pull away. At the sound, Noctis blinked, confused, before he slowly reached up and tugged a little on Prompto’s arms. This made the blonde look up at the raven, tears flowing freely from his eyes still.Noctis looked like he wanted to say something when he saw the look, but in the end he decided better of it and grabbed Prompto by his shoulders. Before the blonde could ask, though, he was suddenly spun around so his back was facing Noct, and then the raven pressed up against his back, arms around his chest as his forehead pressed between his shoulders.Prompto leaned slightly into the comforting embrace, grateful Noctis was trying to comfort him. He exhaled shakily, trying to calm down, but only managed to when he focused on Noctis’ warmth pressed against his back. Just as he did, though, a peculiar but somewhat familiar sound entered his ears. It took him a moment to realize what it was, though, and he soon traced it to Noct singing softly against his back.Prompto relaxed in the raven’s hold at the soothing melody, almost to the point where he felt his legs beginning to give out. And as the song continued, that was exactly what happened and Noct, not expecting it, yelped as he was effectively dragged down with the blonde.“S-sorry…!” Prompto apologized quickly, getting onto his hands and knees as he moved to give the taller male a little space.Noct groaned as he sat up, before he looked at Prompto’s legs in question, before he scooted over and poked at them, which made Prompto smile a bit. Maybe he thought they hurt?“Got a bit too relaxed, that’s all,” the blonde explained.“…?” Noctis, naturally, didn’t understand the words, though he did move closer and curled his fingers along his right thigh and began to firmly press and rub at the muscle, in a firm yet gentle massage.Prompto chuckled at the gesture, but knew it couldn’t go on for long, otherwise he’d probably get hard. And God forbid how he would explain THAT…“Come on, let’s get to bed. I’ll bet you’re tired, right?” Prompto murmured, pulling away so he could stand again.Noctis looked at Prompto curiously, about to say something… when his stomach gave a painful clench and he let out a groan instead, hands immediately flying for his stomach. It was at that point that he realized he hadn’t actually eaten anything since breakfast… and he hadn’t even finished that.“But first, food,” Prompto laughed lightly when he realized his friend was probably really hungry, based off the grab at his stomach. “I’ll have something brought up.”Noctis didn’t say anything as he climbed to his feet, still holding his stomach. How come he hadn’t noticed that he was starving? Normally, he had like a mental clock in his head to inform him when it was time to eat. Had his time with Prompto just… thrown it all out the window in favor of staying with him?“Let’s get comfortable, and I’ll call down for a fish dinner for us,” Prompto suggested.//…I don’t know what you said, but if you’re getting food, I don’t care…// Noct murmured.“Let’s get changed. Come on,” Prompto urged, and got to his feet, gently pulling Noctis up with him. He headed over to the hotel phone, and then for room service, asking for a couple plates of good fish dinners, whatever was reasonable in price. He then nodded, thanked the person on the other end of the line, and hung up. “It’ll be up soon.”Noctis, however, wasn’t looking at him and was instead looking at the phone curiously.“It’s called a phone,” Prompto told him when he saw the curious look.“…phone?”“Yeah,” Prompto nodded. “It lets me contact people from far away.”Naturally, Noctis didn’t understand what was said and he, instead, turned back to the phone and picked the horn to put it to his ear like Prompto had done.“Don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s get into some sleep clothes,” the smaller male chuckled.When Prompto tugged him along, Noct begrudgingly put the phone down again and followed the blonde to where he’d dropped the shopping bags. Noctis wasn’t sure what to expect when Prompto then moved to the bed and proceeded to pull out some more of the ‘netting’ stuff.Setting out some sleeveless shirts on the bed, along with some shorts and pulling out a pair of boxer briefs, Prompto said, “Go ahead and pick a shirt and shorts. I’m gonna get changed in the meantime.” With that said, the blonde grabbed a red tank top and black shorts from the dresser, and peeled off his vest and shirt, sliding the red tank top on in its place. He paused, however, when he thought about Noctis watching him change into the shorts.And when he looked over to Noct, he quickly realized that, instead of looking at the clothes, the former Mer was just standing there watching him.Prompto blushed faintly, before kicking off his boots and joining Noctis by the bed. “Here, it’s fine. We’ll get you into this,” he said, picking a gray shirt and black shorts for the raven. He then proceeded to pull off Noctis’ jacket, quickly followed by his shirt.//…I just put these on,// Noctis pointed out as he gestured to the shirt and vest Prompto had just pulled off of him, clearly confused about why he had to change clothes so suddenly.“This is so you can sleep comfortably,” Prompto explained. “That’s why I’m changing, too.”“…??” Of course, Noctis just looked at Prompto strangely in response.“Here,” the blonde murmured, pulling the sleeveless shirt onto the raven with some help from Noctis. “Now let’s get the shorts on.” He then had Noctis sit on the bed and gently pulled his boots off, quickly followed by his pants. Once Noctis’ lower half was exposed, however, Prompto’s cheeks tinted pink as he quickly but gently pulled the boxer briefs onto him. They were quickly followed by the shorts, and when he had Noctis stand again, he then pulled up both garments so they rested comfortably against his waist. “Better?”After looking himself over (still not understanding the need for different netting), Noctis looked up and blinked. Then, before Prompto could ask, Noct poked at his cheek. //Red,// he said simply.“Wha?” Prompto uttered, before he realized he was still blushing. “Don’t worry, I’m okay,” he said, waving a hand dismissively.Before Noctis could question it any further, though there was a knock on the door.“Ah, that’s our dinner,” Prompto grinned eagerly. He then went to the door, and thanked the hotel employee for the food once he had the tray in his hands, before shutting the door and locking it. Once that was done, the blonde set the tray on the bed, and looked at Noctis. “I hope you like this, Noct,” he smiled hopefully before uncovering his own plate by removing the silver dome over it.Noct, of course, looked at him oddly before he sat down on the other side, following Prompto’s example by removing the silver dome. And under each dome was a tasty-looking plate of herrings, the smell making Prompto’s mouth water. “Didn’t realize how hungry I was until now,” he laughed when his stomach growled.With his eyes slightly wider than normal, Noctis reached out and picked up one of the fish, and then regarded its boneless insides through the even cut along its stomach.Prompto picked up his silverware and began to cut into the herring, taking off a bite-sized piece and eating it, very nearly moaning at the taste. “Geez, this is better than I thought it’d be,” he said once he swallowed the bite.As Prompto moved to cut another piece off, Noctis regarded the blonde, before he snorted. Then, without a moment of hesitation, he tilted his head back as he brought up the herring above him. And then he opened his mouth wide, let his tongue hang out and, effortlessly, let the fish slide into his mouth before he chomped down.When the blonde saw this, he stared for a moment, before laughing softly and deciding to copy the raven with his own herring. The Mer watched as Prompto let the fish slip into his own mouth, even as he chewed on the fish, letting the taste fill his mouth, before swallowing it down.Prompto then smiled at Noctis. “Didn’t think I could eat it like that,” he admitted.The raven allowed a small smirk at the other’s amusement, reaching for another herring, before he blinked and spotted a small bowl of crispy fried fish, cocking his head.The smaller male watched Noctis out of the corner of his eye as he picked up one of the fish and bit into it. Tilting his head curiously, Noctis reached out for a piece as well – and immediately retracted with a yowl of pain.“Jeez! You okay, Noct? Sorry, I shoulda warned ya they’re really hot!” Prompto apologized quickly, setting his down and looking at the raven.Noctis hissed painfully as he held his fingers tightly, mumbling something under his breath that was likely quiet cursing in Mer.Prompto gave his friend a sympathetic look. “Sorry ‘bout that… I shoulda warned you…”//Ow… why so warm?!// Noctis hissed out.“It’s really hot, huh? They’re meant to be served really hot,” Prompto explained. “I’m just used to it, I guess…”At those words, Noctis looked up at Prompto crossly, obviously not pleased with the lack of warning.“Hey, I said I was sorry!” Prompto defended himself. “Here, all you gotta do is blow on them. Like this.” He then proceeded to blow on the crispy fish, cooling them a little. “It takes a bit, but keep blowing on them until they’re cool enough for you.”Noctis watched him for a moment, before he reached out carefully, using only the very tips of his fingers, and lifting it up. He regarded it with a cross look as though it was to blame, and then blew on it quietly.“There ya go,” Prompto smiled ashe watched.Once he had blown on it to cool it down significantly, Noctis brought the piece of fried fish to his mouth and (cautiously) bit off a piece. “Better?” the blonde asked.Noctis carefully munched on the piece in his mouth, before he swallowed, tilting his head curiously and looking at the piece of food in his fingers.“It’s even better with the sauce,” Prompto pointed out, gesturing to the little cup of sauce by the fish.The Mer looked at the cup curiously, before he looked back to Prom with a quirked eyebrow.“Here,” Prompto chuckled, and picked up his half-eaten piece of crispy fish and dunking it in his sauce, right before popping it in his mouth.“…?” Noctis frowned, before he dipped his own fish in the sauce, and then bit off a small piece.“Good, huh?” the smaller male asked with a small smile.Instead of responding to the words, Noctis dipped the rest of the fish into the sauce and then popped it into his own mouth. This drew a pleased look on Prompto’s face, and he returned back to his own dinner. Once they had finished eating, Prompto sighed contently as he reclined against the bed’s headboard. “That…was good.”Noctis watching him quietly, before he moved over to rest along the bed, stretching lazily.“Was it good for you, too, Noct?” Prompto asked with a tired smile.The Mer-turned-human didn’t respond as he curled himself up on the bed quietly.“Let’s get some sleep,” the blonde murmured, getting up briefly to set their tray from dinner outside of the room door so the staff could pick it up later, and then peeled back the covers on his side so he could get under them. “Noct, you need to move so you can sleep under the blankets.”“…hm?” Noctis hummed as he looked up quietly.“I don’t want you to get cold again, so get up. That way you’re under the blankets tonight,” Prompto told him, tugging a bit at the blankets beneath the raven.The raven hummed a bit, before he pushed up quietly.“Get under them,” Prompto instructed once he’d peeled back the blankets.The other male briefly looked up from under his bangs, before he moved over… and promptly dropped down on the bed again, eyes shut before his head actually hit the pillow.Prompto rolled his eyes in amusement, snorting softly before curling up under the blankets and pulling Noctis’s half over him. “Goodnight, Noct,” he whispered once he’d turned off the light. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When morning finally came, Noctis grunted in annoyance as there was a sudden blinding sensation against his closed eyelids, and he gave a small, muffled grumble, before he turned around and buried his head in the first thing he encountered. He didn’t care what it was; as long as it got the brightness away from his eyelids. Prompto, on the other hand, subconsciously snuggled closer to the sudden warmth against him, humming contently in his sleep.Noct grumbled something as the brightness persisted, before he moved even closer and buried his face against Prompto’s neck, exhaling sharply in his annoyance.This caused Prompto’s eyes to snap open, and he looked down at the source of the sudden heat against his neck in surprise. His surprise was clearly visible when he saw Noctis curled close to him, trying to use the blonde to block out the morning sunlight. Prompto nearly stiffened at the realization, but forced himself to remain relaxed for Noctis’ sake.“Good morning, Noct,” he murmured, unable to resist curling a bit closer.Noctis grumbled something in annoyance, which he couldn’t quite catch, but he assumed him to be saying something along the lines of either “It’s too early” or “It’s too bright”.“Come on, sleepyhead, we gotta get up at some point,” the smaller male pointed out with a yawn at the end.But Noct only gave a single sound of displeasure as he kept his eyes firmly shut and pressed against Prompto’s neck, breath coming out in slow, steady exhales.“As much as I’d love to sleep more, we can’t. We need to get some breakfast,” Prompto chuckled, sorely tempted to run a hand through Noctis’ hair.Again, though, Noct simply refused to move.“Noct, I don’t like doing this, but…” Prompto trailed off, and then forced himself to sit up, dislodging Noctis’ head from his neck.Noct whined unhappily, before he peeked out through one eye at the blonde.“Sorry Noct, but we gotta get up,” Prompto chuckled, resisting the urge to ruffle the raven’s ebony locks.Noctis grumbled something… before he rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow without delay. This made Prompto pout, before he smirked. He didn’t give Noctis a moment to enjoy his new position as he got up, and then yanked the blankets off the bed, and Noctis. And immediately, Noct yowled in surprise, before he turned to glare at Prompto.Prompto merely gave a cheeky grin, before he smirked. “Gonna get up now?”That question was met with a small growl – right before he got a pillow to his face.“Oh, I see how it is,” Prompto chuckled darkly once he’d pulled the pillow from his face. He then chucked the pillow at Noctis, aiming for his face in retaliation.Noct yelped in alarm, before snarling and whacking Prompto upside the head with the pillow.“You’re being ridiculous,” Prompto grumbled, tossing the pillow off to the side, before sitting by Noctis and smirking. “You knew you had to get up at some point.”Noctis glared at him and then shoved him against his chest. The raven was obviously NOT a morning person…“Sorry, Noct, but we do need to get up, get some breakfast, and then I need to check out a potential job…” the blonde sighed, giving the former Mer an apologetic look.The only response he got was a huff.Prompto pouted. “I’m sorry, okay? I really do need to check out a job offer for today, so you’ll be alone for a bit… Will you be okay?”“…?” As if just catching on to the emotion in the words, Noctis blinked and tilted his head in question.“Here, let’s get dressed for the day, and I’ll head out, but I shouldn’t be too long,” Prompto suggested, standing up and gathering Noctis’ clothes from the day before. They were barely used from the day before, so it would be okay. “Come on, let’s get you dressed in some day clothes.”//…again?// Noctis asked, sounding almost annoyed, but he didn’t question it any further as he began to tug off his shirt.“I know, it seems stupid, but humans wear different clothes for night and day,” Prompto sighed, catching the annoyance in his friend’s voice.The raven looked up briefly at the words, before he scooted off of the bed. Of course he hadn’t understood a word Prompto just said, but whatever. If it was normal for humans to change this ‘netting’ so often, then he might as well blend in. It’s only natural, after all, to adjust yourself to the Corale you live in.So Noct didn’t even bother as he pushed at the material hugging his hips, shoving it down his legs.“Ah, wait, hang on!” Prompto yelped. He quickly hurried over and pulled Noctis’ underwear back up, saying: “Those need to stay. The shorts come off, but the underwear stays.”//…? Why??//Prompto’s face flushed crimson, unsure of how to explain it. “It won’t exactly be…comfortable, if you don’t wear the underwear,” he mumbled, embarrassed.Noctis regarded Prompto for a moment… and then poked his cheek again.“Just…awkward. Never had to explain that before,” Prompto muttered, knowing Noctis was questioning his blush.This answer, of course, didn’t mean much to the raven, and he just continued to look at Prom like he was being all weird.The blonde looked away as he adjusted Noctis’ boxers, before removing the shorts. He then got Noctis’ pants, shirt, and jacket, helping him into those without a word. What was the point? Noctis wouldn’t understand him much anyway…“…Prom…?” Noctis suddenly asked.“Hmm?” Prompto hummed, looking into those dark blue eyes briefly.“…you okay?”“I just…wish we understood each other better…”It was clear from Noct’s expression that he didn’t understand him, but the tone of his voice obviously told him enough. So Noct did the one thing he knew to do in this situation; he made Prompto turn around and hugged him again.This drew a soft laugh from the blonde, as he relaxed in Noctis’ hold. “I hope we can understand each other properly someday…” he murmured.Noct didn’t respond to the words (since he didn’t understand them), but after a few moments, he asked: “Better?”“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, even if he wasn’t completely. //Thank you.////You’re welcome,// Noctis said as he finally stepped back.Prompto smiled softly at Noctis, despite missing his warmth already and feeling a small pang in his heart when the raven pulled away.Once he had stepped around Prompto, Noctis asked: //Now what do we do?//At the inquisitive look and tone, Prompto said: “I need to get ready for a job opportunity, but I can’t bring you with…”Noctis caught the undertone, and while he didn’t fully understand it, he did frown in question.“Don’t worry about it. First, breakfast,” Prompto assured him, and headed over to the hotel phone again. He then decided to order something different than what Noctis could have ever had, and called down to place their order before hanging up. “It should be up soon,” he smiled at the raven.//…food?// Noctis questioned curiously.“I got something special for us, so I hope you’re hungry,” Prompto chuckled, shedding his tank top for a similar shirt to the day before.While Prompto was changing, Noctis eventually decided to wander around the room a bit more and explore. He didn’t get the chance last night, so he figured he may as well take advantage of the small break. And the blonde watched him out of the corner of his eyes as he changed, eventually pulling on his vest and finally, his boots.By the time Prompto had finished, Noctis had already seen most of what there was to see. Which wasn’t a lot, since the hotel room was still incredibly impersonal. And this, naturally, left the former Mer rather confused.//…this is your room, right?// he asked as he gestured around the room.“Huh? It’s nice, but I don’t live here. I’m just here for jobs, and it helped so I could see you often,” Prompto told him, shaking his head.While Noctis didn’t understand everything that was being said, the headshake told him enough for the moment, which left him even more confused than before. Humans could stay in a room that didn’t belong to them? That was almost bizarre…A sudden knock on the door had Prompto going to answer it. He thanked the hotel employee for the food, and then brought the tray over to the bed so they could eat. “Hope you like ‘em,” the smaller male grinned, pulling off the domes on both of their plates and revealing their breakfast to Noctis.“…??” The first thing Noctis did with his ‘food’ was poke at it cautiously with a finger. Probably to test it for its heat after last night’s fiasco. And shortly after that he tilted his head before looking to Prompto in question.“They’re called pancakes, and they’re really good,” Prompto informed him, before sitting down and spreading some butter on each pancake, then pouring a bit of syrup on each one before cutting off some and eating it. As he began to eat, Noctis watched Prompto for a moment more, and it was clear he was hesitating. His nose was also twitching a bit, which Prompto assumed was because he was trying to take in the smell of his food first before digging in.In the end, though, Noct reached out and picked up his own silverware to start eating as well.“What do you think?” Prompto smirked once Noctis took a bite.As he chewed on the pancakes, Noctis’ frowned in slight question, tilting his head as if trying to figure something out. Finally, as he swallowed, he hummed a bit, before cutting off another piece.“Wait, it’s better with syrup,” Prompto said, nudging his cup of syrup towards him.“…? Sy…rup?”“Here, pour it over your pancakes,” the blonde instructed.When Noct continued to stare at him blankly, Prompto picked up the cup and poured the syrup over Noct’s stack of pancakes. This made the raven cock his head in question, before poked at the syrup – and blinked when a string of syrup stretched between his finger and the pancakes as he pulled back.“It’s sticky ‘cause of the sugar,” Prompto laughed lightly. “Taste it. I’m sure you’ll like it.”Noct tugged his finger further away until the string snapped and then he looked at the syrup that was now stuck to his hand, making a face. And Prompto, unable to help himself, laughed at Noctis’ expression. And this, of course, made Noct turn to him crossly.“What? You were making a funny face!” Prompto laughed.Noctis only continued to glare, obviously not amused by whatever the blonde found so entertaining. Prompto rolled his eyes with a smile, before returning to his own breakfast.The raven on the other hand, glared at Prompto for a moment more before he put his fork down and began trying to ‘tug off’ the syrup from his hand. Which worked about as well as one would think…Noticing this, Prompto chuckled: “You can eat it, Noct. It won’t hurt you.”Noctis looked up briefly, before he went right back to what he’d been doing.“Here, like this,” Prompto said suddenly, sticking his finger into his own syrup cup and getting some on there. He then licked the syrup off until it was gone, and then looked at Noctis.Blinking, Noctis looked at the syrup that now covered the palms of both his hands. After a moment more, he brought up his hands and began to lick up the syrup from his palms, his eyes slipping half-shut instinctively.As Prompto watched, his eyes began to widen as he felt a wave of heat course through him at the sight. Damn that unintentional teasing! To make matters worse for the blonde, the sweet taste of the syrup actually made Noctis hum pleasantly as he licked up the last of it from his fingers and palms.At the sound of the hum, Prompto stiffened, feeling himself begin to harden. ‘Fuck…!’ he thought in a panic.Almost as if he’d heard the thought, Noctis looked up from licking up the last drops of syrup and regarded Prompto with a small frown. //…what?//“Nothing,” the smaller male tried to assure him, praying to whatever higher powers there were that Noctis wouldn’t try to push it.Unfortunately, that was exactly what Noctis had in mind, as he raised an eyebrow and cocked his head, making his messy bangs slide along his forehead. //…why’re you so tense?// he asked, even though he knew Prom couldn’t understand what he was saying.Prompto growled in his mind. ‘Please don’t ask what my problem is,’ he thought in frustration. The last thing he wanted to do was explain how he was hard to his friend, as Noctis was the one who had made him hard in the first place. “I’m fine,” he insisted, about to turn back to his food.Noctis, however, moved over and poked him in the shoulder, even as he thought briefly. “Wh…what’s… wrong?” he got out, finally.The blonde mentally cursed; how was he gonna explain it to Noctis when the raven wouldn’t understand?!Noct continued to watch him quietly, but it was clear that the raven was starting to get worried.“I’ll…be right back, hang on,” Prompto mumbled quickly, and hurried to the bathroom, snapping the door shut and locking it behind him. “Fuck…” he hissed as he tried not to touch himself. That would only make it worse.Sighing shakily, the blonde turned on the sink on cold water, and splashed some cold water on his face. Oh, how he wished he could take a cold shower or jerk off right now. But that wasn’t happening any time soon. Not with Noctis outside in the bedroom. Finally, he managed to regain his composure and calm down enough to rejoin Noctis.When Prompto came back, Noctis had already gone back to his own food, but as soon as he caught sight of the blonde, he looked up in obvious concern.“I’m okay, just had to use the bathroom,” the smaller male told him with a smile.“…?” Noctis cocked his head in question at those words.“Never mind,” Prompto chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. “How’re your pancakes?”The raven obviously didn’t understand the words, but in the end, he gave a small exhale and went back to his breakfast.Prompto sighed internally. Damned language barrier… He ended up sitting back on the bed again and finishing his own pancakes, and once he’d eaten them all, he groaned softly as he stretched his arms over his head until his elbows popped.At the sound, Noctis blinked and looked at Prompto’s elbows oddly.This made an amused look appear on Prompto’s face. “I just need to stretch. Don’t your joints sometimes get stiff as a Mer?”“…???”Prompto merely laughed softly. “It’s okay.” He then looked at the time on his phone, before sighing heavily. “Damn, I gotta go, but I’ll be back soon. Will you be okay here?”Noctis wasn’t sure he’d gotten the meaning of everything Prompto said, but he had a feeling he knew what the last part was. //…why are you asking me if I’ll ‘be okay’?//“I need you to stay here,” Prompto said firmly, pointing down at the bed in a sort of ‘stay’ gesture. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.” And with that said, the blonde hugged Noctis briefly, before pulling away, grabbing his camera, and then grabbing his room key and leaving, Noctis left alone.Noctis could only stare at the door for a long time, before he frowned in confusion. Why had Prompto just… left? He didn’t seem to have wanted to leave, and yet he had anyway.Looking down at the emptied plates, Noctis frowned angrily, before he stood up again. As he looked around, his gaze fell on the room that Prompto had just gone in for a bit, and he hummed in question, before he walked over and stepped inside. As soon as he did, he frowned at the darkness around him. He was sure the room had been brighter before…Thinking back to when Prompto came out, Noctis recalled Prompto moving his hand along the wall. As he moved his fingers along the wall to his left, he soon found sort of button. And the moment he pushed it, he yelped at the sudden brightness invading his eyes, making him cover his eyes. //Gah… WHY so bright?!// he hissed, before he blinked against the brightness. //…what is this room for?// he wondered as he walked further inside.He wasn’t sure what everything was, but everything was in white and it all looked very smooth. There was what looked like a large rectangle bucket of some kind, a smaller one of those that was attached to the wall at waist level and a chair that had a hole in the center with water in it. Really? What was the point of any of this?The two ‘buckets’ had these handles next to it, but Noct had no idea what those were for. So, as curiosity demanded; he turned one of them. And he was pleasantly surprised when water came flowing from the thing in the center.It took him a bit of fiddling to figure out the blue handle gave him cold water and the red one gave warm water (eventually)… but what was the point of any of that?//Humans are so weird…// he murmured when he also realized that the water smelled… odd. So unlike the water he had grown up in for so long.Shaking the matter off, Noctis eventually slipped out of the room again, and looked around, expecting Prompto to have returned during the time he’d been busy.…which he hadn’t.//You honestly expect me to stay behind?// he snarled softly and without so much as a second thought, he walked to the door to the room.He’d seen Prompto open it before, so he knew how it worked, and he opened it with no difficulty, allowing him to leave the room behind. He did make sure to close it behind him, before he started off to try and figure out where Prompto went. Prompto, meanwhile, was at the job site he was shooting photos at, which was a birthday party for a woman who had just turned 21, but all Prompto could think about was Noctis as he took the photos. Granted, the pictures were still perfect, but he was worried about Noctis. He couldn’t help but think about how the raven probably left the hotel room instead of staying like he’d asked him to.Suddenly, one of the women at the party tried to grab at him, as she’d been trying to flirt with him throughout the entire party since she’d started drinking. The poor blonde had made it clear he wasn’t interested, but the girl didn’t care. When she tried to grab him, however, he growled.“Stop it,” he snapped, becoming frustrated. “I’m not even straight!”“I think you’re just confused,” she slurred with a drunken grin, making Prompto glare at her.Now effectively pissed off, he stalked away from her, and then took a few deep breaths before approaching the birthday girl’s father, who had hired him.“I think one of your daughter’s friends is a bit too drunk,” he advised, discreetly pointing at said drunken woman.“I’m sorry about her, Prompto,” the man apologized. “She’s a bit of a lightweight, and doesn’t realize it.”“It’s…okay, she just keeps flirting with me, and I’m not interested,” Prompto explained, and the father nodded.“No worries, it’s understandable. If you’d like, I can pay you your full amount for the trouble, and let you go early. After all, it seems you’ve taken plenty of pictures,” the older man smiled.“That would be nice, but are you sure?” Prompto asked, frowning slightly.“Of course, my boy. Here’s your pay, you’ve earned it,” the father chuckled, and placed a thick wad of gil in his hand. Prompto’s eyes widened in shock at the amount, but the man laughed. “Don’t you worry about it, my boy. Enjoy yourself, and I look forward to seeing your pictures later.”“Y-yes, sir!” Prompto grinned, and then began to leave, but waved in farewell before heading to the docks, just in case Noctis had somehow gotten there on his own. Noctis, meanwhile, was actually walking along the marketplace, more than a little curious about the numerous stalls set up. The humans at the stalls were calling out to those walking around, possibly to try and get them to buy their wares, which was a familiar sight even to the ex-Mer. He’d seen that happening in Insomnia, too, whenever he went into the market to get some things with Ignis.Sometimes they also seemed to call to him, tempting him to come buy something, but he was always quick to shake his head as he held up a hand with a small smile, something he’s always done in Insomnia. That is, until he came to one particular stand and his eyes widened in awe as he actually approached it.The girl behind the stand giggled as she likely caught the look. “Do you like flowers, sir?”‘These are… flowers…?’ Noctis wondered as he reached out cautiously and rubbed the petals of one of the flowers between his fingers. He’d never felt anything like it before; it was soft, and yet it felt perfectly smooth, nearly making him shiver at the feeling of the petal along the pads of his fingers. On top of that, there were SO many of them! So many different ones! And Noctis found himself carefully examining each and every one of them.The girl giggled, and Noctis looked up curiously at the sound. “Which ones would you like, sir?”He recognized that tone; she was likely asking him which ones he wanted. And as much as he would’ve liked to get some, he didn’t have any of whatever humans used as currency, so even though he REALLY wanted to get some, he couldn’t.He regarded the flowers for a moment, before he sighed and shook his head as he stepped back, hoping that she understood what he meant by that.“Ah, wait!” she called out as he made to leave. And when he looked over, she was going through something behind the counter. “Here,” she said then, holding out a single red flower to him. “You can give this to a girl you like.”Startled at the sudden offering, Noctis almost didn’t dare to take it. In the end, he did take it with almost trembling fingers. “…T… thank you.”“You’re welcome~”As Noctis walked along after, he continued looking at the flower he held curiously, turning it between his fingers slowly. As he breathed, though, he suddenly blinked as he realized something. Bringing the flower to his face, he took a deep breath through his nose, and the scent that invaded his nostrils almost had him moaning.‘I… I never knew such a powerful scent could even exist…’Suddenly, there was a familiar whistling sound and he snapped his head up. After a few moments of looking around, Noctis finally hurried off toward the sound, which had come from the docks.And sure enough, when he arrived at the abandoned docks, Ignis and Gladio appeared from below the water. //Ignis! Gladio!////Dammit, Noct! You got any idea how worried we were, you little idiot?!// Gladio snarled out as the prince walked over.Noct flinched at the words, as he dropped down to his knees. //Sorry… I was… that was dumb…// he admitted.//You bet it’s dumb!! What the hell were you thinking?! What do you expect this to accomplish?!////Gladio,// Ignis interrupted. //Enough. We have other things to worry about.// While Gladio glared at Ignis, Ignis kept his gaze on  Noct. //Are you all right?////Yes, I’m fine…// Noct admitted. //I’m sorry to have worried you.//Before Ignis could say anything else, though…“Noct!” Prompto’s voice called suddenly, and the blonde hurried over, a look of immense relief yet worry on his face. “I’m sorry! I got out early, but I figured you must have left anyway, so I decided to check the docks…”Noctis blinked in surprise at the blonde’s sudden appearance, before he glanced to the two Mer still in the water. While Ignis looked at Prompto with his usual solemn expression, Gladio was actively glaring at him. Noct was sure Ignis had informed Gladio by now, but the older Mer was obviously less than impressed with Prompto.When the blonde noticed the other two Mer, he looked at them curiously before looking to Noctis in question. Gesturing to them, he asked: //Friends?//That actually made Gladio look at Prompto in slight surprise, while Ignis merely hummed curiously.//Interesting… you’ve taught him our language?// he asked.//It… gets kinda hard otherwise, really…// Noctis said with a half shrug, before he looked to Prom with a nod. Then he gestured to the sandy blonde in the water. “Ignis,” he introduced and the advisor merely nodded his head to Prompto. “Gladio,” he said as he gestured for the guard, who snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.Prompto smiled slightly in greeting to the pair, feeling a tad intimidated by Gladio. He then looked at Noctis with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry for leaving earlier… I had a job I needed to do…” he sighed.Noctis regarded Prompto for a moment, before he shrugged a little.“Noct,” Ignis suddenly said, making the raven look up. //How long will you be like this?//The prince hesitated for a brief moment, not even sure why, before he resigned himself to the questioning. //Two weeks.////I see…//When no new questions followed, Noct decided to ask his own. //Is… is Father upset…?////No… just worried.//That somewhat eased Noct’s mind, but certainly not entirely. He was probably going to be grounded for life when he came back.//Hey.// When Gladio spoke, Noct almost jumped. //What price did you pay?//‘…! Oh damn…!’//Noct?// Ignis asked when Noctis looked away.Prompto listened to the exchange, definitely confused, but he frowned, concerned, when the raven looked away from his friends. “Noct? What’s wrong?” he asked softly.Noctis took a heavy breath, before he mumbled something that Prompto couldn’t understand. But whatever it was, it made both Ignis and Gladio stare at him in shock.//You did WHAT?!// Gladio demanded, and Noct flinched sharply.//Noct, do you realize what you’ve done?// Ignis asked, and while he sounded as calm as possible, he could tell he was just as perturbed as Gladio.//I know! Okay!? But…// Noct took a deep breath to calm him down, before he explained. //If I can’t provide it when I return… then I just need to find something of equal or greater value. That’s it.////…That’s it?// Ignis repeated, a deep frown on his face.Noct only nodded.Prompto watched his friend in concern, wondering just what hey were talking about.//Noct…// Ignis said finally, making the Mer-turned-human look up. //Just watch yourself… understand?////…Right…// Noctis sighed. //I’ll… I’ll come straight home when I’m done here. I promise.//Ignis nodded softly, before he turned to Prompto with a frown.Prompto frowned back, before speaking, despite them not understanding. “I’ll take care of him,” he promised, as he knew they were worried about their friend. As he spoke, he took Noctis’ hand in his to, hopefully, reassure the other two Mer.While Ignis obviously didn’t understand what he was saying, the human’s tone was apparently enough for him and he nodded. He then turned to Gladio and said: //Let’s return.////…Right,// Gladio grumbled.With that said, the two Mer ducked under water and disappeared from sight.Sighing once the pair was gone, Prompto looked at Noctis worriedly. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.Noctis nodded his head, reaching up with the hand not held by Prompto’s to wipe his bangs out of his eyes.That’s when Prompto noticed the rose Noctis held. “Hey, where’d you get that?” he inquired, pointing at the red flower with his own free hand as he tilted his head curiously.Noctis blinked at the question, before he looked to the flower he still held. Realizing what he Prom was probably asking, Noctis turned a little and pointed toward the marketplace.“You went through the market, huh?” the blonde said, and then looked at the raven. “It’s really nice,” he murmured, smiling softly.Noctis smiled back at him, before he turned to look at the flower again, turning it between his fingers.“Do you want another flower?” Prompto asked suddenly, seeing the taller male’s fascination with the rose.“…?” Noctis blinked as he looked up curiously.Prompto simply smiled warmly at the former Mer, and then led him to the marketplace, eventually finding the flower stall. As they arrived at the stall, Noctis blinked curiously just as the girl noticed them. When she saw him, she smiled.“Oh hi again! I see you brought a friend this time.”“I take it you gave him the rose, huh?” Prompto asked with a small chuckle.The girl giggled, as Noctis regarded Prompto for a moment, not sure he understood what was going on. “Yeah. Figured he left his wallet by accident so I thought… yanno,” she offered with a warm smile.“It’s okay,” the blonde nodded. Looking at Noctis, he gestured to the flowers and asked: “Which ones do you like?”This caused Noct to stare at Prompto for a moment, before he looked to the flowers again. Prompto merely smiled and waited patiently, watching the raven to see which ones caught his eye. After a long moment of looking around at the flowers, Noct finally pointed to an ensemble of various shades of blue flowers.“I’ll take one of each shade of the blue ones, please,” Prompto told the girl, glancing at Noctis very briefly.“Sure thing!” the girl chirped as she moved over to collect the ensemble.Noctis watched her curiously as she took the flowers and then proceeded to wrap them up in something really thin, securing it with what he assumed was a ribbon.“There you go,” she quipped as she passed the flowers to Noct, who, after a moment of hesitation, them from her slowly.Pulling out his wallet, Prompto looked at the girl. “How much for them all?” he asked.“Normally it’s 30 gil including the wrapping… but let’s keep it at 20 and leave it for next time, kay?” she giggled with a wink.“Thanks,” the blonde told her, and pulled out 20 gil, handing it to her before helping Noctis tuck the rose into the bouquet and taking his free hand. “Let’s head back,” he murmured.Noctis blinked curiously, before he smiled and followed after Prompto quietly.Once they got back to the hotel, Prompto kicked off his boots as soon as they got into the room. “Ahh, much better. It’s hot out there…” he sighed in relief. Looking at Noctis, he said, “Let’s get some water for those, that way they don’t dry out.”“…?” Noct, of course, didn’t get what he meant.The blonde chuckled, and gently took the bouquet from the raven, before turning to the kitchenette to put the flowers in a deep bowl with water. However, he happened to notice the bathroom light was on as he went.“Hmm? Why’s the bathroom light on?” he wondered aloud, moving towards the tiled room instead. “Coulda sworn I turned it off earlier…”When he saw Prompto heading for the bathroom, Noctis moved after him curiously.Prompto looked around inside with a small frown, but then shrugged. “Guess I left it on accidentally,” he mumbled. He then resumed his trip to the kitchenette. “Right, there should be a vase or something for them in here…” he muttered, digging through the cabinets.Noctis wasn’t sure what Prompto was looking for, but rather than say anything about it, he copied Prompto’s actions and started rummaging through the cabinets.Prompto, hearing the noise, looked at Noctis before he let out a laugh.“…?” Noctis blinked as he looked over.“You don’t know what I’m looking for, Noct, so why are you looking through the cabinets?” Prompto asked with another laugh.Of course, Noct’s only response was a blink, before he went back to looking through the cabinet… and then he gave a curious hum and pulled out a fairly old looking vase.This made Prompto blink, before he closed the cabinet he was looking in and went over to the raven. “This is perfect,” he smiled. “You’re good, Noct.”The raven looked over oddly, but didn’t say anything as Prompto took the vase from his hands. Prompto then went over to the sink with the vase and filled it to a good place with water, and then placed the bouquet in the vase on the counter.“There. They need water, or else they’ll die sooner,” he explained to Noctis.“…water?” Noctis questioned oddly with a tilt of his head.Prompto nodded. “Flowers need water to live.”“…?” Noctis frowned. He understood the first part (mostly), but he couldn’t understand the last part. What was the blonde talking about?“It’s okay,” Prompto assured him. Taking Noctis’ hand, he guided him to the bed, where he sat them down. “I missed you earlier. Couldn’t stop thinking about you while I was gone…”Noctis cocked his head at those words. Prompto’d said them before, but he still didn’t understand the meaning well enough. “…missed… me?”“Yeah,” Prompto nodded. “I didn’t want to leave, you know.”Noctis didn’t say anything, but he continued to watch Prompto quietly.Taking a deep breath, Prompto tried to calm his nerves as he exhaled. He really wanted to tell Noctis how much he cares for him, how much he loves him, but would Noctis understand? Probably not…“…Prom…?”“Hmm?” the blonde hummed, looking at Noctis curiously.“…you… okay…?”“…Sort of…” Prompto admitted, sighing.“…? What’s… wrong?”The smaller male hesitated, before exhaling softly. “I want to tell you how I feel about you, Noct, but I know you won’t understand me much…”Naturally, the raven merely watched him in question, though his expression seemed to be extremely worried. Prompto’s bright blue gaze focused on Noctis’ dark blue one as he took one of the raven’s hands in his.“I love you, even if you don’t understand everything I say. I want to work through it all, even though it’s tough…”Noctis looked at the joined hands curiously, before he regarded Prompto quietly.Prompto gave a heavy sigh, trying to keep his frustrated tears at bay. “I care about you so much, and when I was gone earlier, I worried about you the whole time… I was so relieved when I found you at the docks, because I don’t want to see you hurt…”“…Prom?” As Prompto looked up, Noctis reached up and moved his thumbs along the blonde’s cheeks, confused. “…water…?”The blonde gave a soft, watery laugh. “They’re called tears,” he whispered.“…tears?”Prompto nodded. “They happen when I’m sad or upset…” he explained quietly. “And right now, I’m sad because I want you to know how much I love you, but you don’t understand…”Though the words clearly meant nothing to Noctis, the tone clearly said enough, as he frowned sadly at his friend. Before Prompto could say anything else, though, Noct moved around to his back and hugged him from behind, resting his head against the blonde’s shoulders gently.Prompto relaxed in Noctis’ hold, as usual, even though he simply wanted to cuddle with him. Instead of being held by Noctis, he wanted them to be holding each other and even kiss on occasion. As Prompto thought that, though, a familiar sound began to fill the air again, as Noctis began to sing softly.Fortunately, this time they were sitting, or else Prompto knew his legs would have given out on him again. He leaned back lightly into the raven’s hold, sighing contently, even if it was temporary.As Noctis continued to sing, though, Prompto was sure he could get the basic rhythm and lyrics to it…“Ieyui… Nobomeno… Renmiri… Yojuyogo… Hasatekanae… Kutamae…”The blonde tried to look back at Noctis so he could see him, but gave up when he couldn’t. “I love you, Noctis,” he whispered almost silently.As Noctis finished singing, Noctis regarded him from over the blonde’s shoulder, curious. “…love… me…?” he asked slowly, obviously uncertain what the word meant.Prompto nodded, turning his head to look at Noctis as best as he could in their current position. “I care about you very much, Noct, and I want to be with you.”“…” Noctis watched him for a moment longer, before he sighed softly and rest his head against Prompto’s back again. //I really don’t understand you… but… I wish I could stay here… with you… forever…//The smaller male shifted in Noctis’ hold, turning so he was kneeling in front of him. ‘Maybe…’ he thought, looking at Noctis with his emotions basically bared. He hoped the raven would be able to tell how he felt looking at him, because he didn’t know what else to do other than kiss him. And he didn’t want to scare Noctis away by doing that.Noctis tilted his head when he looked into Prompto’s eyes. There was something in the blonde’s eyes that he hadn’t seen before, and he wasn’t entirely sure if he was seeing what he believed to be seeing. Of course, he’d like to hope he did, but when was he ever that lucky?“…Prom…?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.Instead of responding verbally, however, Prompto thought, ‘Fuck it,’ and moved in, pressing his lips to the raven’s own.And Noctis just… froze in response, startled into immobility, his eyes wide in alarm as he gasped – completely forgetting Prompto’s mouth was over his.When Prompto felt Noctis freeze up, he began to pull away slowly, thinking the taller male didn’t want it.But just as their lips disconnected, Noctis instinctively gave a small whine-like sound, whispering a word that Prompto didn’t understand, before the raven grabbed Prompto by the back of his head and pulled him in. The blonde gave a small, startled noise of surprise before kissing back eagerly, moving his lips smoothly with Noctis’.The raven moaned softly as he wrapped his arms around Prompto’s shoulders, tugging him closer, still. This made Prompto whimper into the kiss, groaning as he wrapped his own arms around Noctis’ shoulders as well, keeping the taller male close.After almost ten minutes, oxygen became an issue and the pair slowly broke apart again. Noctis was breathing heavily, looking at Prompto from under his bangs… but his eyes were not blue anymore; they seemed to be almost glowing a dark violet.Prompto’s breath caught in his throat before he lightly touched under Noctis’ eyes. “Noct…your eyes…” he breathed.“…?” Noctis blinked as he tilted his head, his eyes slipping open further, but they continued to glow an almost fierce violet hue.“Your eyes are a different color…” the smaller male whispered, before smiling happily in relief at the realization that Noctis felt the same about him. Pulling Noctis close, he couldn’t help the happy tears that flowed down his cheeks.Noctis blinked at the sight of the tears, before he reached up and began to gently wipe them away. “…Prom…?”“It’s okay, Noct,” Prompto soothed, taking the taller male’s hands. “I’m happy, I really am.”Noctis didn’t say anything immediately, as his eyes slowly returned to their normal color again. After a moment, though, he reached in and placed another, light kiss on the blonde’s lips.This drew a content smile to the blonde’s lips, and he pulled Noctis close, merely wanting to hold him.Noctis breathed softly against the blonde’s lips, before he pulled back and placed his head on Prompto’s shoulder. As he held onto the human, though, he began to wonder… and began to realize what Prom had been trying to say.“…Prom?”“Hmm?” Prompto hummed.Noctis lightly pulled back and looked Prompto in the eye, foreheads touching and making sure that Prompto could see into his eyes when he spoke. //I love you.//Prompto knew what Noctis had said, despite the language barrier, and he smiled softly before whispering, “I love you, too.”Noctis smiled gently, kissing the blonde one more time before hugging him close.And like that, they stayed, just breathing softly and holding each other close. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- In normal situations, Prompto would’ve been tempted to stay in Altissia for as long as he could possibly afford, in hopes of catching up with Noctis again. But since Noctis was now right here with him, he didn’t really see the need to do so. And that’s why, two days later, this found the both of them on a boat that was on the way to Cape Caem. Prompto was a little nervous about bringing Noctis to his home, but eventually shook it off, since Noct didn’t actually know just what this would mean in human culture, even if he’d begun to pick up the language ridiculously fast.He still wasn’t perfect, but he was learning fast.“Nnnrgh…! There yet?” the raven asked after stifling another yawn as he walked over to Prompto across the deck, rubbing at his eyes.“Not yet, but soon,” Prompto chuckled, pecking his cheek once the raven was close.Noctis regarded Prompto for a moment, before he brought up a hand to cover his yawn. “Too early…” he pointed out through it.“I know, but we can rest once we get to my home,” the blonde promised. “Sound good?”“Hmm… hmhmm…”Prompto merely chuckled, and eventually, they arrived at Cape Caem, where the smaller male lightly nudged Noctis. “We’re here, Noct.”“Hm?” Noctis hummed, before he looked up… and then blinked. “…That is beach!” he said as he pointed to the beach to the side.“Yep, that’s where we met,” Prompto smiled. He then looked around to see where their ride was at, and then spotted her. “Come on, you get to meet another friend of mine. She doesn’t know you were a Mer, though, okay?”The raven looked over curiously, before he blinked. As they started walking over, Noctis’ eyes widened and he pointed at their ride and the person waiting by it. “She in car picture.”“Yeah, her name is Cindy,” Prompto smiled, glad Noctis remembered. “Hey Cindy!” he called in greeting to the curly-haired blonde as they approached.“Hey boys! Ready for the drive to Lestallum?” she asked with a grin.“Yeah, but first…” Prompto said, and gently pulled Noctis forward. “This is Noctis. He’s my boyfriend.”“I thought you said there was no chance with this cutie?” Cindy teased. “Well, congrats. Nice to meet you, Noctis.”“N… nice to meet you,” Noctis said, hoping he didn’t sound as unsure of his speech as he often felt he did when speaking to anyone who wasn’t Prompto.“Pleasure’s mine, hun,” Cindy smiled brightly. “Now, let’s get going before it gets too hot out.”“Right,” Prompto nodded, and helped Noctis into the back seat of the car before climbing in behind him.As the car started up and pulled away to head to Lestallum, Prompto took Noctis’ hand in his, smiling softly at the raven. At the touch, Noctis briefly looked over to their joined hands, and he allowed a smile, before his gaze went back to the outside world, more than a little curious about the scenery as it whizzed by. Prompto merely watched him in amusement, knowing his boyfriend was fascinated with the world above the water now, despite his lack of showing it often. It was almost an hour later that they finally arrived, and Prompto climbed out of the backseat, helping Noctis out behind him.“Thanks, Cindy. I’ll call you sometime, okay?” Prompto told her, and she smirked.“Don’t you worry about it none, Prompto. Just call me if you need me,” she assured him before driving off to Hammerhead. Prompto chuckled, and then looked at Noctis.“Ready to see my home?” he asked.At the question, Noctis looked over from his sightseeing, before he nodded with a small smile.“Then let’s go,” the blonde said, and led Noctis along the paths of Lestallum to the residential area, where he lived.As they drew closer to the correct building, Prompto began to get nervous. What if Noctis didn’t like it, or wasn’t impressed? It seemed stupid, but he couldn’t help it.“Prom…?” Noctis asked as he noticed the blonde’s anxiety.“It’s okay, Noct. Just… a bit nervous about showing you my home, I guess…” the smaller male admitted.“…? Why??”“I keep thinking you won’t like it or anything, I guess,” Prompto confessed as he stopped by his home.Of course, the raven just looked at him oddly. While he understood what he said, the look was mostly because he didn’t understand the reasoning behind it.“I know, it’s stupid,” Prompto sighed, lowering his gaze.“…” Noctis didn’t bother to respond verbally, and instead reached out and took hold of Prompto’s hand.Prompto blinked, before looking up at Noctis in slight surprise. “Thank you,” he murmured with a small smile, kissing him briefly.“You’re welcome,” Noctis said softly. “Go inside?” he asked finally.Prompto laughed lightly, before nodding. “Yeah, let’s go inside.” With that said, the blonde pulled out his key ring, and then unlocked the door before going inside. “Here it is. Home, sweet home.”As they stepped inside, Noctis looked around the first room curiously, immediately noticing the difference between this one and the hotel room they’d been in before. The room was a lot more personal, with various trinkets and photographs hung up along the walls. It actually somewhat reminded him of his room back home.‘…home…’And not for the first time, Noctis’ expression fell as he remembered his own home, and more specifically, his father…“You miss your home, huh?” Prompto asked softly, seeing Noctis’ down expression.“…I… I miss Father… more than home…” Noctis admitted softly.Prompto sighed, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry…” he mumbled.“…? Why?” Noct asked, confused as to why Prompto would feel sorry.“Because you somehow became human just to be with me,” Prompto explained. “You left everything behind back home, including your family.”“Not… your fault… I choose… do so,” Noctis said, the sentence a bit broken as he tried to form the correct words“But still…” the smaller male insisted weakly, lowering his gaze again.Before Prompto could get too far into his own anxiety, Noctis lifted his head and kissed him gently.Prompto kissed back lovingly, wrapping his arms around Noctis’ neck to keep him close. He then slid his tongue along Noctis’ bottom lip, silently seeking entry. Noctis tensed for a moment, before he relaxed and opened his mouth, letting his tongue slip out to play with Prompto’s. The first time Prompto’d done that, he’d actually pulled back in slight alarm, not understanding what had just happened, but Prompto had been patient, teaching him that it was nothing to be scared of. So Noctis slipped his arms around Prompto’s waist, tilting his head a little to the side.The smaller male moaned softly, curling his tongue with Noctis’. He had felt the very brief tensing in his boyfriend, but knew it was only because he wasn’t used to kissing like this, so he wasn’t as concerned as he had been the first time he’d tried that.After about five minutes of kissing, they broke away again, foreheads touching gently as they continued to hold each other.“Love you, Noct,” Prompto whispered, smiling softly.“Love you, too, Prom…” Noctis echoed softly, shutting his eyes lightly.“Let’s get some rest,” Prompto murmured, before, regretfully, pulling away to guide the raven to his bedroom.Noctis nodded, following after the blonde into the bedroom.Once inside said room, Prompto dropped onto the bed, laughing a little. “I’m more tired from the trip than I first thought,” he admitted.Noctis laughed at the words as he moved to join Prompto on the bed, getting himself as comfortable as he could on the much smaller bed (compared to the one at the hotel, anyway).Immediately, this had the blonde cuddling closer, practically tucking himself into Noctis’ side. At this, Noctis smiled softly, before he reached out and poked Prompto to his cheek. //Starfish,// he quipped cheekily, which was something he’d gotten around to calling the blonde affectionately because of how often he’d glue himself to the raven’s side.Prompto rolled his eyes, but chuckled anyway. Still smiling, Noct settled a little better along the mattress and shut his eyes quietly. And Prom, unable to resist, kissed Noctis’ collarbone softly, before closing his own eyes and settling in for a nap. When Prompto blinked his eyes open, he quickly realized that it was dark, and upon looking up, he saw that Noctis was standing by the window, leaning on the sill and just staring outside quietly.“Noct…?” he called sleepily, rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out of them.The raven hummed softly, before he slowly turned around… which revealed that his eyes were glowing violet again.“N… Noct?” the smaller male stuttered a bit when he saw the violet.The Mer-turned-human quietly straightened up as he turned around to lean back against the windowsill, the lights of Lestallum framing him through the window. Prompto swallowed hard, the tiniest of whimpers escaping him as he realized just how… amazingly beautiful Noctis looked right then.If Noctis was aware of the thoughts going through Prompto’s head, he didn’t show it, as he tilted his head slightly to the side, black bangs framing his glowing eyes. “…What’s wrong?” he asked slowly, voice almost a whisper.Prompto almost looked away, but found he couldn’t. “You…look amazing…” he whispered.He wasn’t sure if Noctis understood, but the tone might’ve helped, as the raven slowly pushed off from the window and stepped up to the bed again. Shakily, as soon as Noctis was close enough, Prompto practically lunged up, unable to help himself, and pulled his boyfriend in for a searing kiss.The sudden kiss, normally, would’ve made Noct tense… but for once he gave a deep, throaty moan as he settled on his knees on the bed, resting his hands on Prompto’s shoulders. The smaller male shivered lightly, before moaning as well, keeping Noctis close to him.Noct’s mouth slipped open them as he began to lick at Prompto’s lips, urging him to open his mouth. Prompto complied very willingly, parting his lips and allowing Noctis entry with a moan.As their tongues mingled with deep moans, Noctis gently pushed against Prompto’s shoulders, moving him to lay down again without breaking their lip lock.The blonde shivered lightly at how Noctis was taking control. In the back of his mind, he thought, ‘How does he know what he’s doing here…?’ But the thought was quickly dismissed when he felt himself becoming hard.Noctis briefly pulled away from the kiss, only to begin kissing a trail down Prompto’s cheeks to his neck, moaning as he licked and sucked on the exposed skin. And at the same time, his hands began to slide along the blonde’s bare arms. Prompto whimpered and moaned at the teasing and caressing touches, wanting more.Moaning from the back of his throat, one of Noct’s hands slipped down his sides, toward his front as he breathed out against the heated skin. “Love you, Prom…”“Love you, too, Noct,” Prompto moaned out, shuddering.And then, Noct’s hand pushed down against Prompto’s crotch, as his teeth closed softly around his pulse.The blonde choked on a pleasured cry at the touch and soft bite, and he dug his fingers into the sheets to have a grip on something.“Prom…” Noctis murmured softly as he pulled away. Before Prompto could respond, though, Noctis reached for his shoulder and shook him slightly. “Prom… Prom, wake up!”“Huh…?” Prompto uttered, opening his eyes again.When he did, it was a lot brighter than he recalled it having been moments ago, and when he looked up, he quickly spotted Noct sitting over him, a worried expression on his face. “You okay…? Sounded like… in pain…” the raven said, clearly worried for his blonde boyfriend.“Ah, um, I’m fine, I promise,” Prompto said, before he started to sit up, but then stiffened when he realized he was hard. And this time it was VERY real. “I’ll be right back, Noct. Gotta use the bathroom,” he told the raven quickly, before slipping out of bed and hurrying to his bathroom.“Prom…?” Noctis asked in worry, before the door almost slammed shut, making the raven flinch at the sound. ‘What’s wrong…? Did he… have a bad dream…?’ he wondered to himself as he moved to the edge of the bed quietly to wait for Prompto. Once in the bathroom, Prompto was unable to calm down. There was only two ways out this time: masturbate or a cold shower. And he KNEW Noctis would hear the former, whereas the latter would be easier to explain.Shakily, he undressed completely, before cranking on the cold water for a shower to get rid of his aching hard on. He very nearly yelped at the cold when he got in, before turning up the temperature just a bit so he wouldn’t get hypothermia with a damn boner. Once the water wasn’t freezing him, Prompto waited, trying to wait until his aching cock calmed down, but that didn’t seem to happen at all. In fact, the damned thing was being incredibly stubborn.“Fuck it,” he hissed, and turned up the water to a comfortable heat before beginning to jerk himself off to thoughts of his poor, confused, sexy boyfriend out in the bedroom.Finally, he managed to get his release, whimpering out Noctis’ name in the process. Once he’d rinsed the cum down the drain, he turned off the water and stepped out, pissed at himself for letting a stupid wet dream get to him so badly. When he had finally dried off, he redressed in his clothes before stepping out to meet Noctis.Once he stepped out, Noctis looked up from where he had been looking at the ground, his gaze worried. “You okay?” he asked finally.“Yeah, sorry, I had to use the bathroom and felt gross, so I showered afterward,” Prompto lied easily. “Sorry I worried you, Noct…”“…kay…” Noctis murmured, clearly a little more at ease. “Bad dream?” he asked as Prompto walked over again.“Yeah,” Prompto fibbed, though the dream was more disappointing than bad. He wanted Noctis in that way, but he didn’t want to scare the raven.Noctis nodded softly, breathing a little easier. “Okay… want talk?”“Eh, it probably won’t make much sense, unfortunately… didn’t make much sense to me. I just know it scared me,” Prompto lied, hating himself for doing so.“…Okay…” Noct murmured, though it was obvious he was still worried about Prompto.“I’m okay, Noct. Promise,” the blonde assured him, sitting with him on the bed and leaning against him lightly.Though Noctis blinked at the sudden move, he didn’t complain and only tilted his head to rest it against Prompto’s. After a moment, though, he murmured: “Love you.”“Love you, too,” Prompto whispered, sighing contently. “What that?” Noctis asked as he pointed out to the power plant on the other side of the fence they were currently standing in front of.“The power plant,” Prompto told him. “It powers the city so it stays lit in the dark and at night.”“Power plant…?” Noctis repeated slowly as he turned to the building again. “So big…” he murmured softly.“It’s massive, I know,” Prompto chuckled. “Wanna get some lunch? I know some places around here with some good food.”Noctis nodded briefly, before he turned to walk after Prompto.As they walked, Prompto took Noctis’ hand in his own, and the pair walked together to the marketplace, where the hustle and bustle had, surprisingly, quieted down for a bit.“This way,” Prompto smiled, and led Noctis to a set of tables and chairs where they could eat once they got some food. “Wait here. I know you’re gonna like this.” With that said, the smaller male had Noctis sit at one of the tables before going to a food cart. Not even five minutes passed before Prompto returned, an eager grin on his face. “Here you go,” he smiled brightly, placing a plate in front of the raven.Noct tilted his head as he lifted up the small stick with the pieces of meat and vegetables speared on them, turning it around curiously. Smiling, Prompto got Noctis’ attention, and then bit off one of the pieces of meat from the kebab he had.After watching Prompto for a few moments, Noctis brought up his own and took a careful bite off of the kebab (after blowing on it to cool it a bit).“Well?” Prompto asked with a smirk as he watched the raven.After swallowing, Noct nodded and quipped: “Good,” before he took some more bites from the kebab.Prompto chuckled, before taking a few bites more of his own. As they finished their lunch, Noct licked the sauce from his fingers, before he said: “Was good.”Prompto grinned brightly. “Told ya you’d like it.”Noctis nodded his head briefly, before he reached for his drink and downed it in one go.The smaller male then began to get up once he’d finished his drink, and smiled at Noctis. “Is there anything that caught your eye around here?” he asked.Noctis thought for a moment before he seemed to remember something. “Can go to the market?”“Sure, Noct,” Prompto smiled warmly.Noctis smiled as they stood up and headed for the market. And as they went, Prompto still held Noctis’ hand, a content smile on his face. When they reached the market, the blonde looked at his boyfriend. “Where did you want to go here?”Noctis took a few moments to look around, frowning in question. Eventually, though, he smiled and began to walk, tugging Prompto after him. The smaller male chuckled as he followed after, wondering just what the raven was leading him to.Finally, Noctis stopped in front of a small stall that sold all kinds of little trinkets such as statues, decorative beads and even some jewelry. After a moment of glancing around the items, Noctis reached out and picked up a small statuette. When he held it out for Prompto to see, the blonde could see it was some form of fox/cat creature, dyed in light green, with a single red gem placed upon its forehead and two onyxes serving as its large eyes.“I think it’s cute,” Prompto smiled. “Do you want it?”The raven smiled back and nodded quietly.“Okay,” Prompto nodded, and pulled out his wallet before buying the statue. “It’s all yours, Noct,” he said, handing the statue to him.Noctis laughed softly as he held the statue carefully between his fingers, before he moved in quickly and briefly pecked Prompto on his lips.The blonde smiled brightly, before taking Noctis’ free hand. “What else did you see?”Noctis shrugged his shoulders absently. “Nothing… want walk around? Looking?”“Hmm…” Prompto hummed thoughtfully. “Ah, I know! Here, come on,” he grinned.Noctis blinked as he walked after Prompto, unsure if he liked that look on his face.When they got to the street where Cindy had dropped them off earlier, Prompto led Noctis over to the Chocobo Rental spot, and pulled out his wallet again. “You’re gonna love this,” he grinned at his boyfriend as he paid for three days of rental for the two of them. Once he had, a small whistle was dropped out of the machine, and the blonde took it and placed the item to his lips before blowing, calling over two Chocobos.Noctis almost leaped back with a cry, until he realized what had happened and he stared in slight awe as the large birds stopped beside them.“They’re called Chocobos, Noct,” Prompto told the raven, petting his bird’s neck happily.“Cho…co…bo…?” Noctis said slowly, regarding the large birds with a hint of caution in his gaze.“Yep. They’re really nice, and love to give people rides,” Prompto nodded.Noctis remembered the large birds from when he brought Iris to meet Prompto, but now that they were right in front of him, he wasn’t so sure if it was a good idea to be near them. They seemed a lot more dangerous than the seahorses back home now that they were so close to him.Noticing Noctis’ nervous expression, Prompto gained his attention before climbing into the saddle of one of the Chocobos. “You can ride them, see?”“…” Noctis remained where he was for a moment more, though, watching the other Chocobo with a hint of trepidation.“Kweh~” the Chocobo chirped, watching him calmly.“Come on, Noct! They don’t bite,” the blonde urged.For a long moment, the ex-Mer watched the Chocobo cautiously, before he slowly approached, keeping a careful eye on the bird.“You can pet him, Noct. Just pet his neck,” Prompto soothed.Looking back to Prompto for a moment, Noctis then looked to the Chocobo and, slowly, reached for the neck and moved his fingers along the feathers, almost jumping at how soft they were. The Chocobo chirped happily at the touch, closing his eyes happily.As Noctis slowly moved his hand along the neck, making sure not to go against the feathers, he said as he looked to Prompto: “Soft!”“I know, right?” Prompto smiled. “Now, think you can get into his saddle?”Noctis looked toward the saddle for a moment, a little unsure, before he stepped up to the bird. He tried to remember how Prompto had gotten on, but he can’t for the life of him remember how he’s supposed to do this.“It’s okay,” Prompto assured him, before dismounting. “Climb on like this,” he instructed, and showed Noctis how to place his foot so he could pull himself on.Despite the guidance, though, Noctis remained a little unsure still, as he reached out, placing his hands on the saddle, but he didn’t dare to pull himself up just yet.“And now, just pull yourself up,” Prompto urged. “I’ll help you if you want.”Noctis swallowed heavily, before he curled his fingers around the saddle and pulled himself up. As Noctis pulled himself up, Prompto helped the taller male into the saddle by pushing him up.With Prompto’s help, Noctis managed to set himself down on the saddle, and once he was up there, the raven was finally able to breathe a little easier.“Better?” Prompto asked as he climbed back into his own Chocobo’s saddle.“Y-yeah…”“Wait until they start to run,” Prompto laughed, and then urged his Chocobo onward, starting at a walk to ease Noctis into it.Noctis wasn’t sure he wanted to know, before he looked at the Chocobo he was on. After taking hold of the reins, he lightly tapped his heels along the bird’s side, which made the bird follow after Prompto calmly. The walking wasn’t too bad, but the almost constant motion felt really weird. It was so much different from riding a seahorse back home, which would just propel you forward through the water. The Chocobo, however, was in constant motion and Noctis wasn’t too sure he if he liked it or not…“Nice, huh?” Prompto asked, looking back with a smile. “Are you ready for them to go faster?”“F…faster?”“Yeah. We’ll go at a run, but I want you to be ready for it, so hold on, okay?” Prompto warned.“O-okay…”And with that said, the blonde gave a laugh as he leaned forward and nudged his Chocobo into a run, making Noctis’ follow after with a loud, “Kweh!”And the sudden speed actually had Noctis yelping in slight alarm, as he held on to both the reigns and the saddle as a wave of panic suddenly gripped his chest. He was used to a little bit of speed on the back of a seahorse, and the speed wasn’t really the issue, but the constant motion damn well was. It actually made him fearful that he was going to fall off at any moment and that was why he curled himself up as best as he could while clinging to the saddle, trying so desperately not to move or make a sound.Prompto didn’t notice this initially, though, as he led Noctis along a trail to Old Lestallum, laughing joyously. When he looked back and noticed Noct’s position, though, his laughter quickly died down. “You okay back there, Noct?” he called back to the raven.Noctis tried to say something, but in the end, all he managed to get out was a slight shake of the head. “Okay, we’ll slow down,” the smaller male said, before slowing down, and having his Chocobo go over to Noctis’ so he could make speak to him properly. “Sorry, Noct…” he apologized when he saw the raven’s expression.Noctis was shaking slightly as he tried to breathe properly, not looking up at the blonde, his fingers still curled around the saddle to the point where his knuckles were turning white..“Noct…? I’m really sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you…”After a few moments, Noctis managed to calm himself down somewhat, and he breathed in heavily, before he exhaled slowly. “It… it’s… o-okay…” he got out slowly.“Are you okay now? Or do you still need a bit?” Prompto asked softly, putting a hand on the raven’s shoulder.“I… I’m… okay…”“Okay. We’ll go at a walk for now, until you’re ready to go at a run, or we can head back. Which would you prefer?”Noctis thought about his options for a moment, obviously uncertain, before he shook his head. “Don’t… want go… back yet…”“All right. Again, I’m really sorry, Noct. I love you,” Prompto murmured apologetically, leaning over and kissing his boyfriend’s cheek.The raven looked over from the corner of his eyes at the kiss, before he nodded softly and looked back down again, his breathing still a little bit uneven.Prompto watched Noctis for a moment more, obviously worried, before he nodded to himself. “Let’s go back. It’ll take a while to get to Old Lestallum if we go at a walk instead, anyway. We’ll try again tomorrow if you want, kay?”“…” Noctis didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he raised his head, looking up to the sky as if there was something there that only he could see.“The daemons will be out if we take too long, and I’m not exposing you to that without my gun, and even then, I’d rather not,” Prompto said firmly, seeming to realize what the raven was thinking.“…?” At that, Noctis turned to Prompto in question. “Dae…mons…?”“They’re evil monsters that attack humans at night in the dark,” Prompto explained.“…oh,” Noctis murmured softly.“It’s okay, I promise. Let’s head back for the day, and we can try again tomorrow,” the blonde soothed with a smile.“…kay…”With that said, Prompto lightly nudged his Chocobo into a walk, and the pair headed back. Since they were going at a walk, it took them a little longer to get there, but they arrived back into Lestallum right before the daemons were to come out.“Aww, thanks, buddy,” Prompto smiled at his Chocobo, patting her neck once he’d dismounted. He then went over to Noctis, helping him dismount, since the raven was clearly struggling with getting out. As he stood on his own feet again, he stumbled a bit and Prompto grabbed him by his shoulders to keep him upright. “I think we should head home with some dinner, and then get some sleep. What say you?”“…” Noctis didn’t look up, but he nodded quietly in silent agreement.“…Are you mad at me, Noct?” the blonde asked softly, noticing Noctis’ quiet demeanor.Noctis shook his head.“Then what are you thinking about?”“……”The smaller male sighed heavily, feeling guilty. He hadn’t intended to scare Noctis, but it seemed like he’d pretty much traumatized him with the Chocobos, which certainly hadn’t been his intention. He’d been sure the Mer-turned-human would’ve liked it, but instead he ended up what Prompto believed to be scared speechless. And absently, he hoped he hadn’t just ruined everything…Noctis didn’t say anything at all as he followed after Prompto, back to the blonde’s house, keeping his gaze on the ground as they went.Prompto led Noctis back to his home, deciding to have dinner delivered… should they even eat in their current state. Eventually, they arrived back at his house, and once inside, Prompto looked at Noctis with a guilty look.“I’m sorry…”Noctis slowly looked up, regarding the blonde, before he dropped his gaze again. “I… s… sorry…”“Wha…? What are you sorry for?” the blonde frowned, puzzled.“Don’t… don’t want to… waste time… but… I… I’m…”“Noct…” Prompto murmured, before pulling his boyfriend into a firm yet comforting hug. “I promise, going to Old Lestallum isn’t a big deal. You’re not wasting time, okay? I know you’re on a time limit, but we’re making the most of it, despite what you think. It wasn’t a waste of time turning back, I swear.”Noctis tensed a little, his breath hitching for a moment, before he slowly relaxed and he placed his arms around Prompto’s waist, resting his head on Prompto’s shoulder.Prompto hummed contently as he held Noctis close. “Even when your time’s up…we’ll work it out somehow. I know we will,” he promised.“…how?” Noctis breathed softly.“I’m not sure yet, but I know we will. I still want to be with you, even when you have to go back. Still not sure how it’ll work, but something has to make it possible. There has to be.”Noctis didn’t respond to those words, but his arms held vast to the blonde. He wanted to believe that. He really did… but he wasn’t so sure if they could make it work like Prompto obviously thought. But he didn’t mention this… he didn’t want to ruin everything. He’d already caused enough of damage today with the Chocobo riding…“…love you…” he whispered after a moment of silence.“I love you, too,” Prompto smiled back softly. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The next morning, Prompto woke up earlier than usual, thanks to the alarm on his phone. As soon as it went off, he turned off the alarm so as not to wake Noctis too rudely. The blonde yawned widely as he sat up, stretching until his joints popped, and then looked at his sleeping boyfriend.“Noct, time to get up,” he murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking him gently.Noctis groaned as he buried his face in the pillow, obviously unwilling to get up as early as he had to.“Sorry, but we need to get an early start. I promise, I’ll make it up to you, and we can stay in all day either tomorrow or the day after,” Prompto promised, kissing Noctis’ cheek.Noct peeked out through one eye, still half asleep, before he groaned and reached for his eyes and rubbed at them. “Why early…?” he groaned out.“It’s a surprise, but I’m sure you’ll like it,” the smaller male smiled.“…” Noct obviously wasn’t any more convinced than he had been, but he sighed and pushed up slowly, sitting up on his knees and rubbing at his eyes, still.“Thank you,” Prompto whispered, kissing his cheek again. “Want to get some breakfast before we go? Or when we get there? It won’t be a long drive.”The raven glanced at Prompto for a moment, before he shrugged, to show he didn’t really care.“All right. We’ll eat when we get there. They have good food where we’re going,” Prompto told him, hugging him briefly before sliding out of bed. He began to get dressed, definitely eager to show Noctis their destination for the day.Noctis slipped out of the bed slowly, and after picking up his clothes, he moved to the bathroom, to splash his face with water as he did whenever he had to wake up early. Once he was dressed and a little more awake, he joined Prompto at the door.“Ready to go, Noct?” Prompto asked with a warm smile, taking the raven’s hand in his.Noctis nodded quietly, quickly smothering a yawn with his fist.“Then let’s go,” the blonde chuckled, and then they left, Prompto locking the door behind them before leading his sleepy boyfriend to the street where he hailed a cab for them. When it pulled up, he looked at Noctis, before helping him into the backseat and climbing in after him. Once inside, Prompto told the driver: “Wiz Chocobo Post, please!”The driver nodded, and then they were off.As he realized fully what Prompto had just said, Noctis actually tensed in a combination of alarm and surprise, before he looked at his boyfriend cautiously.“It’s okay, Noct,” Prompto soothed. “Wiz is really nice, and he’ll help us with this, okay?”Naturally, the Mer looked less than excited about the trip now, even if he did nod his head slowly. When they got there, Prompto helped his boyfriend out after paying the driver and led Noctis over to the older man standing by the pens. “Hi, Wiz!” he called, waving with the hand that wasn’t holding Noctis’.The elderly man looked up curiously at the call from where he’d been feeding the Chocobos, before he laughed as he turned fully. “Well hello there, Prompto,” he greeted as the couple walked over. “How have you been, then?”“I’ve been great, Wiz. I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Noctis,” the blonde grinned, casting Noctis a reassuring look.“Boyfriend, eh?” the man chuckled lightly as he turned to Noctis. “Nice to meet you, Noctis. I’m Wiz.”“N…nice to meet you…” Noctis murmured.“How was the hatching season? Any new chicks?” Prompto asked after smiling softly at the raven and lightly squeezing his hand.Wiz laughed at the question before he allowed a smile. “Oh yeah, we got quite a lively bunch this time. Might have our hands full there.”“Mind if we see ‘em?” Prompto asked eagerly, nearly bouncing in place as his eyes became wide and shone with his excitement. Pausing, he looked at Noctis. “Wiz here helps to raise the Chocochicks once they hatch and makes sure they get socialized enough to be ridden as adults without problems.”Noct wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that. He could tell Prompto was excited about these ‘chicks’, but he couldn’t help but remain anxious regardless. So in the end he just nodded his head.“You’re gonna love them. They’re adorable,” Prompto promised as he started to follow Wiz to where the Chocochicks were.This didn’t seem to convince Noct, though he kept up the pace with Prompto. His fingers curled firmly around the blonde’s hand as he tried to not start breathing too fast, because he’d figured out quickly enough that that would make his head spin. In response to that, Prompto gave his boyfriend’s hand a light squeeze as they walked, wordlessly reassuring him that it would be okay. Once they reached the pens with the Chocochicks, Prompto grinned as Wiz stepped aside to reveal them to the pair.“Awww, they’re as cute as ever this year!” Prompto practically squealed, watching the little yellow chicks as they toddled around inside the pen.Noct looked at Prompto in slight surprise at the near squeal, having never heard Prompto make such a sound before, before he turned to the pen as well. He wasn’t entirely sure what to think of the small creatures, but, okay, yeah, he supposed they were… ‘cute’. In a way…That didn’t take away his anxiety in full, though.Wiz noticed as Noctis remained close by Prompto, watching the Chocochicks. “Never seen a chick before, have ya, boy?” he asked with a chuckle, making Noctis look over curiously.“No, this is a first for him,” Prompto informed Wiz, before lightly tugging his boyfriend over to the pen and opening it so they could get in. “Come on, Noct. They’re young, so they won’t bite or anything,” he smiled softly.The raven had no choice but to stumble after, much to the amusement of Wiz as he closed the fence behind them. Once in the pen, Noctis bit his lip as he looked around at the Chocochicks as they chirped while toddling around their feet. Being this close to them made them seem much more real than he had initially believed them to be, and it made his anxiety spike , though he did his best to keep it hidden from Prompto. He didn’t need Noct’s fears getting in the way of his own enjoyment.“Hey there,” Prompto cooed at the chicks, bending down so he was almost squatting, gaining their attention.“Kwih kwih!” the chicks chirped as they started to crowd around Prompto.Noct didn’t follow Prompto’s example just yet, remaining standing silently. Noticing this, the blonde looked up at Noctis curiously. “They’re babies, Noct, so they won’t bite or anything,” he said with a small smile.Noct, however, didn’t move, even as a few of the chicks began to waddle around him.“Noct…” Prompto murmured, before picking up a Chocochick and bringing it over to Noctis. “Here, go ahead and pet it.”Noct almost backpedaled when the chick was held out to him, but he managed to keep himself standing. He did, however, look to the small bird cautiously, and Prompto could still see a hint of fear in the raven’s eyes.“Noct… it won’t hurt you. Trust me, please?” Prompto pleaded softly, meeting the raven’s gaze.It looked like Noct was about to say something, but whatever it was, he bit it down as he looked to the chick, which was watching him curiously in turn. When it gave a cheery “Kwih!” Noct slowly raised a hand, reaching for the little bird’s head. However, it was easy to see his fingers were trembling.“Take a deep breath, Noct. Just one,” the blonde urged softly, knowing Noctis would get dizzy if he tried to breathe deeply too much.After taking a breath, Noct slowly reached out completely to lightly pet the chick, which chirped happily at the attention.“They’re so sweet, especially when they’re this young,” Prompto chuckled as he watched.“O-oh…” It was all Noct was able to get out as he lightly petted the chick, which crooned contently as it settled in Prompto’s hands.“…Do you want to hold it?” the smaller male offered, looking at his boyfriend with a smile.“Uuuhh…”“It’ll be fine, I promise,” Prompto soothed, before positioning Noctis’ hands to hold the Chocochick and gently placing the small bird in his hands. “Be careful not to drop it, okay?”As the chick chirped in Noct’s hands, the raven bit his lip to keep himself from making a noise. He knew it was silly to be afraid of something so small; how could it possibly hurt him, after all? And yet his body was shaking subtly, even though the chick wasn’t even moving or even making much noise, aside from its head tilting curiously and the occasional chirp.‘It’s okay… it’s okay… it… it’s not going to hurt you… it’s okay…’ he kept telling himself.“You’re doing really good, Noct,” Prompto murmured, giving his boyfriend a reassuring smile.Noct opened his mouth to speak, but…“KWIH”The raven yowled instinctively as he pulled his hands away almost immediately when the chick chirped that loudly.“Ah!” Prompto yelped, and then caught the chick before it could hit the ground. Straightening up, he looked at Noctis with a sympathetic look. “You okay? I didn’t think it would have that loud of a voice,” he said, before setting the chick on the ground again.“I-I’m… I’m okay…” Noctis got out amidst quiet gasps, even though he was clearly trying to calm his breathing down.Wiz noticed, of course, and he frowned before calling out: “Prompto, might want to get him out of there for a bit.”“Okay,” Prompto nodded, and gently guided Noctis out of the pen.The raven didn’t look at his boyfriend as he was led out of the pen, keeping his gaze on the ground instead.“It’s not your fault, Noct. Neither of us expected the chick to chirp that loudly,” the smaller male soothed, rubbing his back to calm him down.“…”As Wiz closed the fence behind them, he asked: “Want me to fetch ‘im something to drink for his nerves, Prompto?”“Probably a good idea, Wiz, thank you,” Prompto murmured, sticking close to the raven.Wiz nodded as he headed off to do as he’d just offered. Once he was out of sight, though…“…s…sorry…”“Noct, don’t be sorry, okay? You can’t help it, and we’re here to help you get better with the Chocobos,” the blonde comforted his boyfriend. “I promise, it’s okay.”“But…”“No buts. You take all the time you need to adjust, okay? That’s why we left early.”Noctis didn’t say anything else as Prompto guided him to sit down at a table, still rubbing his back soothingly. When Wiz returned, it was with a cup of steaming liquid. “Here ya go, boy,” Wiz said as he held it out. “Careful; it’s hot.”Recognizing the last phrase by now, Noctis reached out and carefully took over the cup from Wiz. “Thank you…”“Thank you, Wiz. We went Chocobo riding yesterday, with it being Noctis’ first time, but I had us start running on them too soon, and scared him…” Prompto explained, hanging his head in shame.“Aah, I see,” Wiz murmured, regarding Noctis as the raven blew off the steam from his drink before taking slow sips from the liquid.It was pretty clear from the way he was sitting there that he was afraid, even if the boy wouldn’t admit to it himself. His hands were wrapped securely around the cup he’d been given and he was actively trying to make himself appear as small as possible, as if this would somehow keep him safe from the world around him. Wiz had seen plenty of people (though mostly kids) who were afraid of Chocobos for one reason or another, and they had all shown similar signs as Noctis was just then. And while most others had grown out of it fairly quickly, sometimes it took years to get them over it. Wiz hoped Noct wouldn’t be one of those cases, though, since he knew how much Prompto loved Chocobos. It’d be a pity if Prompto had to curb his love for them just to make sure his boyfriend wouldn’t feel left out.After a moment of thought, humming, Wiz allowed a small smile. “Well, if he feels up to it, I could probably give him a few lessons.”Noctis blinked curiously at those words. He understood most of the sentence, but he didn’t get the last part too well.“That’d really help, I think,” Prompto smiled. “Thanks, Wiz. You’re the best.”“No prob, kiddo. I’ll go get one of the quieter Chocobos ready for him. Meet me at the training grounds when you’re both ready, a’ight?”“Sounds good. We’ll be there in a bit,” the blonde nodded, and once Wiz had left, Prompto looked at Noctis. “Wiz is gonna help us with your fear, okay?”“O… okay…?” Noctis murmured, sounding less than sure about it.“Trust me, Wiz is an expert, and knows what he’s doing. I’ll be with you the whole time, I swear.”Noctis slowly nodded  his head in response, but his expression didn’t change much. The smaller male merely rubbed Noctis’ back soothingly, leaning his head against the raven’s shoulder. Despite his own words, though, he couldn’t help but worry… After Noctis had finished his drink and they’d gotten something quick to eat, Prompto led his boyfriend over to the training grounds, where Wiz was waiting for them.As they arrived, Wiz was patting the neck of a pale white Chocobo, who seemed a bit on the sleepy side. Once he spotted them, he smiled and nodded his head. “Ah, there you are. Good.”“Just needed a bit of mental preparation, is all,” the blonde explained, lightly squeezing Noctis’ hand.“Yes, I can only imagine,” Wiz murmured, “Come on; let’s get you set up, shall we.”“Come on, Noct,” Prompto urged softly, guiding the raven over to Wiz.Noctis bit down on his lip, but he quietly walked along with Prompto toward where Wiz was standing.“Alright, now before we start,” Wiz said gently as he passed the raven a helmet. “Put this one on.”“…?” Noctis warily took the item and regarded it for a moment, unsure.“It’s a helmet, Noct. It protects your head from getting hurt if you were to fall off, which is unlikely with Wiz here,” Prompto explained.Noctis looked over to Prompto, before he turned back to the helmet and, after a moment of hesitation, slipped it on his head.“Right. Can you help him secure it, Prompt?”“Sure,” Prompto nodded, and took the little clasp for the helmet and adjusted it properly before clicking it together, securing the helmet in place. “There we go.”Even as the helmet was clicked shut, Noctis remained looking unsure, especially as Wiz gestured for him to get over to the Chocobo’s side.“Don’t worry, kid,” Wiz assured, rubbing the Chocobo’s neck. “Lizzy’s really gentle. She’s perfect for your lessons.”“…” Noctis didn’t say anything, as he regarded the large bird cautiously, still. The Chocobo was watching back lazily, and didn’t seem at all impressed.“Do you want to pet her first?” Prompto offered.“…”“Trust us, Noct. We won’t let anything bad happen, okay?” the smaller male murmured, kissing Noctis’ cheek.Despite the reassurance, though, Noctis was less than thrilled as Lizzy yawned lazily.“I’ve ridden Lizzy before when I first started riding, Noct. She’s the perfect Chocobo for you for lessons,” Prompto told him, before lightly tugging his boyfriend closer.Noctis still didn’t seem convinced, but he allowed Prompto to help him climb on the Chocobo’s back and into the saddle. Once he was seated, Wiz attached a long rope to the bit of the reins. “Right, Prompto, you mind sticking with him?”“Not at all,” the blonde smiled, staying enough away that he wouldn’t get his feet stepped on, but close enough to keep Noctis calm.“Right, just relax, a’ight?” Wiz told Noctis. “I’m just going to have you walk in circles.” He gave Noct a moment to take that in, before he asked: “Ready?”Noctis bit his lip, before he slowly nodded his head.Once they started moving, Prompto stuck close, keeping Lizzy’s feet in mind so he didn’t get his own stepped on as they walked.Wiz wasn’t kidding; Lizzy was very gentle. In fact, she seemed to move even slower at a walk than the one Noct had ridden previously. This made it easier for Noctis to handle the whole thing, and he managed to relax somewhat, even though he refused to release the saddle.Prompto noticed this, and smiled up at his boyfriend. “Much better, huh?” he asked Noctis softly.Noctis only nodded his head softly, trying to keep his breathing as steady as he could. Which wasn’t easy, still.“Alright, I’m going to make your circle a little bigger,” Wiz called out, letting the rope slip through his fingers and giving Lizzy some more space to walk, even if she just kept walking in a circle.Prompto looked up at Noctis, giving him a reassuring smile as the circle became a little wider.Gradually, Noctis relaxed enough that he wasn’t holding the edge of the saddle in a death grip, though he remained less than thrilled about the whole ordeal.“Okay, get ready, Noctis; we’re going to move to a light trot,” Wiz warned.“I’ll keep up as best as I can, Noct,” Prompto told him.Noctis almost – almost – whimpered, but he held it in and nodded his head, his fingers curling around the saddle once again. And once Wiz was sure he was ready, he gave a short whistle.Lizzy blinked at the sound and then began to walk slightly faster. It wasn’t a full out run, yet, and it was still easy to keep up with on foot, but it was certainly faster than a casual walk. Which had Noctis tensing up as he almost curled in on himself.Prompto then placed his hand on Noctis’ thigh, since he couldn’t hold his hand, and murmured, “Noct, it’s okay, I promise.”Noctis didn’t answer, but he was now clenching his eyes shut firmly, struggling to not breathe too hard. Thankfully, though, Wiz noticed this and called out a firm “Whoa!” which made Lizzy slow down to a stop entirely.Prompto stopped in time with Lizzy, looking up at Noctis worriedly. Seeing his expression and how scared he was, he felt incredibly guilty. “Noct…we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to…” he murmured.There was no immediate response from the raven as he tried to speak, but the words just wouldn’t come out properly.“It’s fine, I swear. I don’t want to push you into doing something that scares you,” Prompto insisted.As Noct struggled to keep his breathing as even as possible, Wiz watched the whole thing for a moment, before he hummed. “I think that’s enough for now. We can continue later if he still feels up to it.”“That’s fine. Thanks anyway, Wiz,” Prompto thanked the older man, before helping Noctis off of Lizzy’s back.The blonde could actually feel Noctis trembling as he finally set foot on solid ground again, and the raven refused to meet Prompto’s gaze at all. Nor did he say anything as he just stood there, his hands along Prompto’s upper arms.“I…I’m sorry, Noct… I really am…” the blonde whispered, the guilt in him increasing.Noctis didn’t even respond to the words, though he clung to Prompto’s arms with almost enough force to leave bruises.“I’ll get Lizzy back to her pen,” Wiz said as he walked over, gently rubbing Lizzy’s neck, who was looking at Noct in silent question. “You just go ahead and take it easy, okay?’“We will, Wiz. I think we’re actually gonna head back to Lestallum, but we’ll stop by again sometime,” Prompto said. Once Wiz had left with Lizzy, the blonde returned his attention to his boyfriend, pulling him close. “I know you want to make the most of your time here, Noct, but please, please don’t feel bad because of this. It’s my fault you got scared in the first place…”“…” Noctis didn’t say anything, but he did wrap his arms around Prompto’s waist, resting his head on the blonde’s shoulder and just breathing in deeply.Remembering how scared Noctis had become, all because Prompto had assumed Noctis would be okay with riding at a fast pace on the Chocobos too soon, the blonde couldn’t stop the wave of guilt that filled him to the core. The smaller male squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to cry out of said guilt.“…I’m… s-sorry…” Noctis mumbled out softly. “I… I don’t… I…”“Don’t be sorry,” Prompto choked out, cutting him off. “It’s my fault. I…I went too fast…”Prompto could feel Noct’s mouth moving against his shoulder, briefly, but no further words came out. Instead, the raven remained absolutely silent, his arms remaining curled around Prompto.The blonde whimpered, whispering “I’m so sorry” repeatedly as he continued to hug Noctis.Noctis bit his lip, his fingers curling into the fabric of Prompto’s jacket, as his trembling became slightly more pronounced.“…Let’s take a small nap before we go back to Lestallum, okay? That way we won’t be so tired later…” Prompto suggested softly once he’d managed to calm down a bit. “We can nap in the caravan nearby…”“…kay…” the taller male managed to get out through labored breathing.“Noct…please don’t feel bad, please?” the smaller male pleaded quietly, before pulling away to look at Noctis properly.“…” Noctis didn’t say anything, and it was quite clear that, even though Prompto had just told him not to feel bad, he still did.Sighing sadly, Prompto led Noctis to the caravan so they could nap for a bit.Even they were inside the caravan, Noctis didn’t speak or look up at his boyfriend, though his trembling had, thankfully, stopped.“Noct…” Prompto murmured, before pulling the raven in for a chaste kiss. “I love you.”For a moment, the raven looked like he was going to flinch away, but in the end, all he did was rest his forehead to Prompto’s. He didn’t speak for a long time, but eventually he did mouth “Love you” without a single sound leaving his throat.“…Let’s get some sleep,” the blonde said softly, sitting on the bed.And Noctis followed shortly after, still refusing to make eye contact. Prompto felt guilt wash over him again, even as he pulled Noctis close after lying down on the small bed, hoping the raven wouldn’t feel so bad after some sleep. Any other day, Noct would’ve had no issues falling asleep. But at that specific moment, sleep was eluding him, keeping him awake even though he knew he should be resting and getting rid of the anxiety filling him. Sadly, his body had other plans, and even when he could feel Prompto’s body relaxing against his back to the point where he was clearly asleep, he found he just couldn’t get to sleep.He took a heavy breath, held it, and then let it out slowly. He knew he was being a coward, knew that his fears were (likely) completely unfounded.Unfortunately, the fear was very real, and he couldn’t just dismiss it so easily.“…”After what felt like an hour of lying in the bed, unmoving and silent, Noctis slowly pushed up from the bed, and then, without so much as a peek, slipped out from his boyfriend’s hold. Once he’d slipped into his shoes, Noctis regarded Prompto for a moment, contemplating, before he turned around… and then walked out the door, shutting it lightly behind him. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Noctis walked along the slightly muddy path, taking deep, even breaths. He knew it was a bad idea to be out without Prompto, not because it wasn’t safe, but because he’d just worry him. However, Noctis had a purpose to do, and he was going to see it done.It took him only a few minutes to make his way to the dirt path that led to the Chocobo pens, and as he passed them one by one, he actually hesitated as the large birds watched him. Instead, he merely put some distance between himself and the Chocobos, for the moment. After only a little bit, he found who he was looking for.“…Lizzy…?” he called out softly.The white Chocobo looked up from where she had been preening her plumage, curious about who was calling her, before she spotted Noct. Once she recognized him, she chirped and walked over to where he stood by the edge of her pen. And when she stopped there, Noct almost backed away, but he forced himself to stay where he was, and lifted a shaky hand toward the Chocobo.And Lizzy, as if sensing his underlying fear, chirped as she ducked her head, allowing him to pet her. And, after a moment of hesitation, he did just that. His fingers still trembled subtly, but Lizzy cooed softly in response to his touches, and this calmed him down somewhat.//…I wish I wasn’t so afraid of you… or your siblings…// he murmured, switching back to his native tongue on instinct. He was alone anyway, so what did it matter. //I don’t even know why I’m so afraid… just that I am…//Lizzy, oddly enough, chirped in response to the words, and Noctis cocked his head.//Do you understand me…? …no, that’s just silly. Of course not…//“Kweh~”And now Noctis openly stared as Lizzy raised her head slightly and bumped her beak lightly to his chest.//…You can…? …If you do understand, can you walk back and turn in a circle?//Lizzy chirped, stepped back, and then turned in a full circle, and then looked expectantly at Noctis.//…you can understand me…// he breathed in awe, and Lizzy chirped as she came back over. //I… didn’t expect that…// he admitted as he reached over and gently ran his hand along her neck, making her croon happily. He smiled at the response, before he murmured: //It’s not bad, though…//“Kweh.”He smiled at the simple sound, before he sighed. //I wish I could just… stop being so afraid…//“Kweeh…”A soft sigh escaped Noctis then as he rubbed his hand along Lizzy’s beak. //I’m such a coward…// he murmured.“Kweh.”Noctis remained there for the longest time, just petting Lizzy, before he took a heavy breath. What he was about to do was probably a bad idea, in fact it was probably the worst idea he’d ever had to date… but he was prepared to do what he had to.//Lizzy… will you help me with something?//“Kweh?” Figuring out the door to the pen took a little bit, but he managed. Getting Lizzy out was much easier, since she followed after when he asked her to. Instead of going to the training pen again, though, Noctis led her to the forest just outside the outpost. She wasn’t wearing the saddle now, so getting on her back was a little harder than usual, but not undoable.Lizzy chirped once, and Noctis took a heavy breath, before he nodded and lightly patted her neck. The bird gave one more chirp, and then began to walk.Noctis almost cried out at the motion, but he held it in and positioned himself a little better, in an attempt to assure he didn’t fall off immediately. Thankfully, Lizzy wasn’t going too fast, so there wasn’t really the fear of falling off (yet), but the terrain was only making adding to the difficulty. Not to mention the lack of saddle…Suddenly Lizzy stopped.//…? What’s wrong?// Noctis asked as looked around Lizzy’s neck. It didn’t take long for him to spot the problem, though; there’s was a small pit up ahead of them, and while it wasn’t gigantic, getting around would certainly take a little bit. //Oh… that’s what.// He sighed softly, before he considered his options.This actually reminded him of his first lessons on seahorse riding. While there wasn’t the fear of falling underwater, it was still important to stay away from the undertow, lest you be dragged along it. His father had been there with him the first time, and it’d been a bit scary the first time he went over the undertow, but in the end, it’d actually been a thrill to taunt the undertow.//…Can we go over it?// he asked slowly.Lizzy chirped as she turned her head to regard him curiously, almost as if she was asking if he was sure.//I’m sure,// he said with a nod.“Kweh.”The white Chocobo took a few steps back, and once Noctis gave her the okay, she ran for the pit. The sudden motion almost made Noctis cry out, but he bit the sound back as he focused instead on staying balanced on her back. And then Lizzy jumped and the motion made Noct gasp as, for a moment, he felt completely weightless, like he did underwater.It was over far too soon, though, and when Lizzy came down, the sudden weight made him cry out – as he lost his balance and fell sideways off of Lizzy with a yowl of surprise/pain.“Kweh?!”Lizzy immediately came to his side, nudging him gently as he groaned, shakily pushing himself up. His limbs were shaking, and his back stung, though it wasn’t that bad… it was just annoying, really.“…Kweh?” Lizzy chirped, nudging his shoulder as his body trembled a little further.However, after a moment, the raven snorted and then he laughed. Lizzy chirped in question, but Noctis shook his head as he climbed back to his feet. //I’m okay… I’ll be okay, I promise. C’mon,// he said softly, moving over to her side again. //Let’s keep going.//“Kweh~” It was much later that Prompto woke up, and, immediately, he knew something was very wrong. It took his sleepy mind a moment to realize why, though. But as soon as he realized that Noctis wasn’t in his arms, he began to panic.“Noct?!” the blonde yelped, sitting up quickly. As the blonde looked around the caravan, he quickly noticed that the raven’s shoes weren’t where they had been when they’d gone to bed. “Dammit,” Prompto hissed, before quickly slipping his boots on and hurrying out of the caravan to find his boyfriend.As Prompto came out from the caravan and looked around, he quickly spotted his boyfriend’s footprints in the mud by the entrance… which led back toward the training grounds.Upon that realization, the smaller male followed the footprints to the training grounds, frowning in confusion. When he got there, he didn’t actually see his boyfriend anywhere, but the footprints continued along the muddy trail until they hit the path that would eventually lead to the pens. Now more than a little curious, the blonde continued along the trail, wondering what Noctis was up to.Once Prompto reached the Chocobo pens, he still couldn’t see his boyfriend anywhere. Initially, anyway, because when he passed by what he knew was Lizzy’s pen, he briefly glanced toward the older Chocobo as he walked by, before backpedaling.It had nothing to do with the fact that Lizzy was curled up and napping quietly, but more so with who was lying against her side, muddy streaks along his face and dirt on his clothes.“Noct?” Prompto called softly, hoping to wake the raven.No such luck; Noctis remained fast asleep where he was, breathing light as his head rested along Lizzy’s feathered back, one of his hands in close proximity of Lizzy’s beak, palm up from where he had been petting her before sleep took him.Smiling softly, Prompto went into Lizzy’s pen, before sitting by Noctis. Placing his hand on the taller male’s knee, he said, “Noct, wake up.”“…mm…” Noct groaned, turning his head the other way and moving his leg out of the way. As if that would somehow help.This drew an amused chuckle from the blonde. “Noct… time to wake up,” he said, this time a bit louder as he moved closer.“Mmm… no wanna…”“I know, but I want to tell you how proud I am,” Prompto chuckled.Noctis groaned in annoyance, eyelids quivering, but again, he didn’t wake.“Noct… I love you,” the smaller male told him, leaning over and kissing his boyfriend’s cheek.Noct whined a little, before he lazily blinked his eyes open. “…Prom…?”“The one and only,” Prompto chuckled, before his expression became worried. “How come you left to try and ride by yourself? You had me worried.”“…” Noct didn’t say anything, and instead he bit his lip and looked down at his shoes – which were just as covered in mud and dirt as the rest of his clothes.“You could have told me, but I’m just glad you’re okay. I’m proud of you for being able to get over your fear,” Prompto smiled, hugging his boyfriend.Noct tensed briefly, before he relaxed and settled in Prompto’s arms. “…I’m sorry…”“It’s okay, Noct,” the blonde soothed. “I love you.”“…I… I love you…” Noctis echoed softly, resting his forehead against Prompto’s shoulder.“…How was it, riding Lizzy?” Prompto eventually asked softly.“…was… I… I don’t know…” Noctis admitted. “Was… different from… from…” And here the raven frowned. “What word…? //Seahorse//,” he said, as he made the general shape of a seahorse in the air.“From what?” Prompto frowned, puzzled. He then shook his head, dismissing it. “It’s okay. What matters is if you liked it. Did you?”Noct wasn’t sure how to answer that, somewhat conflicted. Yes, it’d been ‘fun’ to ride on Lizzy and jumping around, feeling weightless and so familiar. But at the same time, it only made him think more and more of home, making him feel nostalgic, and had him wishing wistfully he was home. Yet at the same time, he still wanted to stay here, with Prompto. He was torn; what was it he really wanted here?In the end, however, he nodded slowly in response to Prompto’s question.“Good,” Prompto smiled, before noticing Noctis’ conflicting thoughts. “What’s on your mind, Noct?”“…Nothing…” Noct mumbled. He really didn’t want to talk about his thoughts now. It’d only make Prom feel bad, he knew.“Noct, you can talk to me. I’m here for you, you know that…” the smaller male pressed.“…don’t wanna talk about it…” Noct mumbled softly.“Okay,” Prompto nodded in understanding. “Love you…”Noctis breathed a little easier when the subject was dropped, before resting his head along Prompto’s shoulder again. “Love you…” he murmured softly.As they rested there for a bit, Prompto then perked up, before looking at Noctis. “Do you want to go for a ride together?” he asked.At those words, Noctis looked up in slight surprise, before he frowned in thought.“We’ll go slow, just in case,” the smaller male added.“…kay…”Prompto then smiled, kissing Noctis’ cheek again. “Then let’s get ready.”Noctis nodded and let Prompto pull him to his feet again, before leaving the pen. Though not before Noct moved back to Lizzy and lightly petted her along her neck.This made the blonde smile, seeing that Noctis was doing so much better now around Lizzy than he had earlier. Prompto then got his Chocobo ready while Noctis watched, the yellow bird almost dancing in place with excitement to be ridden.Noctis regarded Prompto for a moment, before he turned toward the other Chocobo that Prompto had rented the day before. The bird was watching him curiously, probably remembering the events from the day before. After taking a deep breath, Noctis reached out and petted the bird’s beak, and the bird cooed happily at the touch.“Better today, huh?” Prompto asked when he saw Noctis petting what would be his Chocobo for their ride.After a moment, Noctis nodded, before he stepped up to the Chocobo’s side. The smaller male smiled softly, waiting to see if Noctis would need help before he decided to mount his own Chocobo.Finally, though, Noct took a deep breath and reached up for the saddle. And then, after sticking his foot in one of the stirrups, he pulled himself up onto the bird’s back.“Good job,” Prompto praised, before pulling himself into his own Chocobo’s saddle.“Th…thanks…” Noctis managed to get out as he took a deep breath, before he reached out and took the reins in his hands, curling them around his knuckles.The blonde then took his own Chocobo’s reins, wrapping the reins around his knuckles, too, before nudging the bird into a walk, leading Noctis’ Chocobo to follow him.Noct tensed briefly as they went, but after a moment more, he exhaled heavily and managed to relax in the saddle properly.“We’ll keep it slow until you’re ready, Noct,” Prompto called back to the raven, hearing the heavy exhale.Noct nodded his head as he followed after Prompto. The Chocobos easily scaled the slightly uneven terrain around the outpost, and while the pace was slow, it wasn’t a bad thing.Prompto hummed a tune as they went, easily content doing this. Despite his slight desire to ride faster, he wasn’t about to dare push his luck.When he heard the humming, Noctis blinked and looked over. “…? Prom?”“Hmhmm?”“You sing…?”Prompto blushed at the innocent question, before saying: “Not really. Nothing like you, of course. It’s just something small.”“What song?” Noctis asked, obviously curious about the tune.“It’s just a little tune I came up with, is all. Doesn’t even have a name,” the blonde shrugged.The raven hummed softly in thought. “…How go?”“Ah…” Prompto’s blush deepened before he decided to give in to his boyfriend’s request. Clearing his throat, the smaller male then hummed his Chocobo riding tune.And Noctis listened as they continued to ride along, a look of intrigue on his face as he took in every note. Once Prompto had finished humming the tune, he looked back at Noctis, curious.“…Sounds nice,” Noct said with a small smile.“It’s something I hum while riding Chocobos,” Prompto admitted with a smile.Noctis smiled, before he seemed to think for a moment.“What are you thinking?”Rather than respond verbally, though, Noctis took a soft breath… and then started to sing. And this nearly made Prompto laugh as he heard Noctis basically recreating his Chocobo riding tune in his own voice. Instead, he ended up chuckling softly.If Noctis had heard the chuckle, then he didn’t react to it. He just kept singing as the Chocobos continued their leisurely pace along the dirt paths. And Prompto remained quiet for the rest of the song, an amused smile curving his lips.As Noctis finished, he fell silent, looking around quietly for a moment.“I didn’t think you’d make your own version of my tune,” Prompto told the raven. “It’s just something I sometimes hum while riding Chocobos.”Noctis blinked at Prompto, before he smiled again, not saying anything else on the matter.“What are you smiling like that for?” the blonde asked suspiciously, noticing the smile.As he asked that, though, Noct’s mouth quirked up into a smirk. “Try keep up!” he quipped – just before he gave his Chocobo a light kick, which immediately made the bird squawk before taking off at a run.“Wha?! H-hey!” Prompto yelped, before quickly nudging his own Chocobo into a run after Noctis.Noctis laughed at the call, briefly looking back before he turned back ahead, guiding the large bird off the beaten path to rush into the woods.Prompto then growled softly. ‘I will NOT be beaten!’ he thought determinedly, before yelling, “You’re being a stinker!” as he pushed his Chocobo into going faster.This only made Noctis laugh again as he ducked under a branch, his Chocobo squawking in excitement as it jumped over a large rock.A certain thrill and warmth spread through Prompto at the sound of his boyfriend’s laugh, but he wasn’t about to give up. Keeping an eye out ahead for any dangerous creatures, Prompto surged forward on his Chocobo, quickly passing the raven.“Ah…!” Noctis gasped, before he clicked his tongue, making his own Chocobo rush to catch up.“Having fun, Noct?” Prompto called with a laugh.The raven’s only response was a laugh, right before Noctis’ Chocobo suddenly leapt up and passed Prompto with a loud “KWEH!!”“Oh shit!” Prompto hissed, before his eyes widened in alarm as he saw some daemons ahead of them. “Noct! Stop, come back!” he yelled in a panicked voice.Noctis didn’t seem to notice the panic lacing Prompto’s voice, as he chuckled while briefly looking back.As soon as he looked back, however, one of the daemons lunged at him with a snarl, drawing a panicked cry from Prompto as it knocked the ex-Mer off the Chocobo and then pinned him to the ground. Prompto then urged his Chocobo onward, before he pulled his gun out from where he’d hidden it in the back of his pants. Taking quick aim, he fired, the force of the bullet hitting the beast knocking it off of Noctis.The remaining daemons roared as they tried to lunge for Prompto, but the blonde was able to take enough of them out that they quickly wizened up and ran off. Noctis, however, didn’t move from where he’d been thrown, unconscious.“Fuck!” Prompto swore as he quickly went to his boyfriend’s side, dismounting before checking him over. When he realized the raven was only scratched up and knocked out, he sighed in slight relief. Scooping up Noctis in his arms, he whistled for the raven’s Chocobo, and then got into his Chocobo’s saddle with Noctis in front of him as he had the yellow bird hurry back to the Chocobo post. Prompto wasn’t sure how much time had passed since they’d returned to the outpost. It could’ve been an hour, maybe two, but however long it had been, the blonde hadn’t moved an inch from where Noctis was resting on the bed, his head wrapped up in bandages. Wiz had helped him to check the other for a potential concussion and any real damage, but he seemed to be fine, aside from the small cut along the back of his skull. This didn’t lessen the blonde’s worry, though…“I’m so sorry…” he whispered, as guilt began to tear through him. Tears began to form in his eyes as he remembered the attack, and he felt it was his fault for suggesting they go riding in the first place.While there was no immediate response from Noct; though his mouth slipped open to let out a small, quiet breath. Prompto whimpered at the lack of response, even though he knew he shouldn’t have expected it in the first place, before pressing his lips to Noctis’ softly, hoping that even while unconscious, the raven would feel how sorry the blonde was.As Prompto moved back, Noctis’ eyebrows scrunched up briefly as he groaned softly, before his eyes slowly slipped open. “…Pr…om…?”“Noct?!” Prompto gasped, before he whimpered as he gently hugged the raven. “I’m so sorry… You got hurt because of me.”“…?” Noctis blinked, disoriented, as he tried to move his arm to wrap it around Prompto, but it was more difficult than he remembered it being.“Take it easy… You got hurt by the daemons out in the forest…” the blonde told him softly.“…h…hurt…?”“Yeah…” the smaller male nodded. “It’s all my fault…” This was choked out as Prompto began to cry against Noctis.“Pr…Prom…” Noct got out slowly, reaching out and trying to properly hug the blonde. “I…it’s o… o-okay… don’t… cry…”Prompto trembled against Noctis as he cried, unable to help it.Noctis blinked slowly, as he slipped his arms around Prompto’s shoulders, holding him as well as he could. “Pr…Prom…”Eventually, Prompto’s crying quieted down to choked sobs, and he held Noctis close. “You got hurt…because of…me…” he whimperedBefore he could say anything else, though, Noctis curled his fingers in Prompto’s jacket and tugged softly. When Prompto had pulled back, Noctis tried to move up to kiss him, but he groaned as he flopped down, shutting his eyes as his head spun.“Noct… Take it easy, please…” the blonde pleaded softly. “You got knocked out when you were attacked…”The Mer-turned-human groaned, before his eyes opened slowly, as he then tugged on Prompto’s arms, trying to pull him in. Smiling softly at the tugging, Prompto moved in and kissed Noctis, whispering: “I love you so much…”Noctis murmured softly, the words sounding a little distorted, but it didn’t take Prom to figure out what he was saying. “Lo… love… you… too…”Pulling away, Prompto then crawled onto the bed next to Noctis, and pulled him close. “Just rest. I’ll stay with you.”“…kay…” Noctis murmured softly, shutting his eyes as he rested his head against Prompto’s chest.Prompto curled around Noctis, sighing in relief as he held him. As they settled there, Noctis let out a sound like a mix of a hum and a purr, sleepily tucking himself into Prompto’s body, exhaling softly against his neck. The unconscious move made the blonde smile softly, unable to resist pressing his lips to the top of Noctis’ head softly.“…mmmhh….” Noctis’ eyebrows scrunched softly, as he moved closer still against Prompto, until their bodies were pressed tightly together. But as their lower bodies touched, Noct almost flinched as a soft gasp escaped his lips.“Noct? You okay?” Prompto asked, hearing the gasp and feeling his boyfriend flinch.However, there was no response from the raven; his eyes remained shut even though his breathing gradually picked up. Before Prompto could try to wake him, though, Noctis shifted his lower body again… and this time Prom felt what was wrong.Smirking softly, Prompto trailed a hand down between them, knowing the poor raven needed relief, which the blonde was more than happy to provide. As his hand pressed against the front of Noct’s pants, the raven tensed sharply, a gasp escaping him, before he moaned softly and instinctively bucked into the touch, even in sleep.“Noct…wake up. I wanna help, but only if you’re awake,” the smaller male purred into Noctis’ ear.Noct whined softly as he buried his face in Prompto’s shoulder, muttering something in Mer that Prom didn’t understand.“Noct…” Prompto repeated, kissing his cheek.“Mmmh…” Noct groaned softly, blinking his eyes open again.“Hey sleepyhead,” Prompto whispered. “Do you want me to take care of this?” As he finished the last word of his question, he lightly applied a bit of pressure to Noctis’ crotch.Noct’s eyes snapped open at the touch, startled as another gasp tore itself loose from his throat, before he shut them and, shockingly, tried to push away from Prompto.“Noct, I wasn’t meaning anything other than giving you relief,” Prompto said, defending himself when he felt the push. “I don’t even want to go too fast.”Noctis shook his head and opened his mouth, before he whined and held his head in his hands, the world spinning all wrong on its axis as he tried to curl up into himself, murmuring in Mer instinctively.“Noct…I won’t hurt you, I promise…” the blonde soothed, pulling Noctis close. “I know how painful it gets when left alone, is all…”However, Noct vehemently shook his head then, despite how it made his world spin, and shoved at Prompto’s chest weakly in an attempt to get away.“Noct…I’m only trying to help, I promise…” Prompto swore. “I won’t do anything else, I swear.”Despite the words, Noct didn’t seem to want hear it, as he covered his ears and began to murmur… though it almost sounded like he was chanting in his own tongue.Realizing that Noct wasn’t listening, Prompto leaned in, pressing his lips to Noctis’ forehead softly, sensually, before he began to smooth his hands along Noctis’ arms slowly, attempting to calm him and show that he wasn’t going to go too fast. “Trust me…” he whispered against the raven’s pale skin.The touch helped calm Noct down (somewhat), but he continued to whisper the same chant over and over, refusing to open his eyes at all. Even as Prompto’s hands slid along the bare skin of his arms, making him shiver with a barely suppressed whimper, he tried to keep Prompto back (which wasn’t working as well).Prompto gently pulled Noctis closer, trailing his lips from his boyfriend’s forehead along his temple, to his cheek, and to his jawline. And Noct, in response, gasped softly, before he whimpered as his body began to tremble from the barely suppressed pleasure he was obviously feeling. And yet, despite that, when his fingers grabbed Prompto’s arms, they weakly pushed back, a quiet gasping murmur in Mer escaping his mouth.Despite this, the smaller male continued to trail kisses along Noctis’ face before moving to his neck.As the touches moved lower, Noct gave a sound like a pathetic mewl, his fingers clenching around Prompto’s arms, whispering and gasping. “Pr-Prom…!”“Shhh, it’s okay,” Prompto soothed, lightly nipping at Noctis’ neck before suckling.In response, Noct gasped sharply and almost curled in on himself. And as his fingers tightened, they were no longer pushing, though they weren’t exactly pulling him in, either. The blonde lapped at Noctis’ pale neck, even as his fingers trailed along the raven’s back, before slipping under his shirt to tease his bare skin.“Ah!!” Noct gasped as his back instinctively arched at the touch, causing their chests to bump together.Prompto chuckled lowly, unable to help himself. He then slipped a hand between them and palmed Noctis’ clothed erection again. This had Noct tensing in what almost seemed like alarm, as he tried to push away again. Sadly, all of Prompto’s earlier teasing had drained most, if not all, of the fight from his limbs.“Easy, Noct,” Prompto whispered, moving to his collarbone and nipping, suckling, and lapping at the skin there.“Pro-a-aaahh…!”“I’m just gonna make you feel good,” Prompto murmured, before he began to gently massage the bulge in Noctis’ pants.Noctis looked like he was about to say something, but all that came out were gasps and barely contained moans as the raven pushed his face into the pillow.“Feels good, huh?” Prompto asked with a chuckle as his hand unzipped and unbuttoned his boyfriend’s pants…right before slipping his hand into his underwear and gripping the raven’s cock in a teasing grip.And as soon as he did, Noct’s eyes flew open, unseeing, and he gave a choked cry, with his fingers scrabbling to hold onto Prompto. The blonde didn’t mind the almost painful grip Noctis had on him. In fact, he enjoyed being gripped like that. Soon, the smaller male began to move his hand, dragging it out“A-aaah…!” Noctis bit his lip as he clenched his eyes shut, trying to keep himself quiet, but not succeeding very well.Prompto smeared the pre-cum from Noctis’ leaking cock along the raven’s shaft, allowing him to increase his speed a bit. Noctis moaned and whined, his trembling growing more and more prominent as he tried to keep still. His hands were now grasping at Prompto’s shoulders, as his toes curled up in the sheets beneath him.Finally, the blonde decided to give Noctis the release the poor raven desperately needed, and gave a firm squeeze to his boyfriend’s cock while pressing his thumb into the slit teasingly. And that was all that was needed, as Noct choked on his own breath and a cry at the same time, as he arched into the blonde’s hand as his climax hit him, and not lightly either.Prompto bit his lip to stifle his own moan as he listened to his boyfriend’s hot reaction when he came. He proceeded to then milk Noctis of his cum, before removing his hand from the raven’s soiled underwear, and then licked the residual cum off with a purr.Noct, for his part, didn’t even seem aware of this, as he’d slumped back bonelessly on the bed, gasping for breath.“Better?” Prompto asked as he gently pulled Noctis into a warm embrace. He was relieved he wasn’t spooning him, otherwise Noctis would feel his own ‘problem.’Noctis tried to speak, but his words came out as a jumbled mess. His eyes were half-shut as his trembling gradually slowed down, and he looked ready to fall asleep at any moment.“It’s okay… Now get some sleep,” Prompto shushed him gently with a smile, kissing his forehead.A slow nod was all Noct could manage, before his eyes slipped shut. Gradually, his breathing evened out again, until it was clear he was fast asleep.This time, Prompto settled with his boyfriend, knowing the raven would be okay. He just hoped the same could be said for his currently aching cock, but he wasn’t about to make Noctis return the favor or leave him just to take care of himself.As he slept, though, Noctis suddenly murmured a single word…“…can’t…”“…Huh?” Prompto uttered quietly, puzzled by Noctis’s sudden word.Of course, no response came, and Noct finally settled in sleep, breathing deeply.Prompto decided to dismiss it for now, before snuggling into the bed with Noctis in his arms. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It was three days later that Prompto had decided to take Noctis to another beach, one that the former Mer more than likely hadn’t been to before. He chose to tell Noctis the night before that they were going to Galdin Quay, which, of course, had confused the raven, so Prompto told him it was a fancy place where they could hang out by the ocean. Sure enough, once they got there in the cab, Prompto inhaled deeply once he was out of the cab, enjoying the lovely salty sea air. He then turned and helped Noctis out of the cab, smiling at him eagerly.Noct flinched a bit at the harsh sunlight, shielding his eyes with the hand not held by Prompto, before he looked around curiously.“Welcome to Galdin Quay, Noct,” Prompto told him happily. “I know it’s bright out here, but it’s better than rain right now.”Of course, Noctis didn’t say he’d prefer the rain, and instead he merely regarded all the people having fun along the beach. And he couldn’t help but be confused.“…? Why everyone underwear?” he asked, genuinely confused about what he was seeing.“They’re actually wearing swimsuits, Noct. Humans wear them when they go to any water that they don’t clean themselves in,” Prompto explained with a chuckle. “I know it’s strange, but it’s how humans are.” At this, he shrugged.Noctis tilted his head in question, but he didn’t ask any further. Instead, he turned to regard the people walking and running around. “…What they do?” he asked finally.“They like to hang out in the sun, or even go and play in the water for fun,” Prompto explained. “I’m not as much of a sun bather, but I do enjoy cooling off in the ocean sometimes.”“…they swim??” Noctis asked, surprised. He hadn’t expected humans to be able to move in the water, given the difficulty Prompto had displayed when Leviathan had attacked the boat he’d been on.“Yeah, but not as good as Mer,” the blonde chuckled. “I had a hard time back during that storm when you saved me, but the waters were rough, which was why.”The raven nodded softly, in awe, before he turned to watch the other people again.“…? Why girl have those things on arms?” he asked as a small girl with floats secured around her arms hurried after her mother with a laugh.“They’re called floats, and they help kids who can’t swim just yet to stay floating in the water,” the smaller male told him.Nodding in understanding, Noct just watched for a few moments, just taking everything… before his gaze fell on a large structure in the distance.“That’s Angelgard,” Prompto said. “I’ve never gone out there myself, so I don’t know too much on it.”“…An…gelgard…?” Noct repeated slowly.“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, before checking the time on his phone. “Geez, it’s already the middle of the day? How about we get some lunch, and then we’ll take a walk along the beach?”“…Okay,” Noctis said after a moment, though he did regard Angelgard in question one last time before following after Prompto.The blonde led Noctis to the restaurant, where they got a table in the shade near the water. “They have really good fish here, so we’ll get something good,” Prompto suggested.This made Noct smile a bit absently, even as he began to look around the restaurant curiously.Prompto chuckled at the sight of his boyfriend’s curiosity. He was glad they’d come here for a day. When it was time to order, the smaller male ordered the sea bounty risotto for each of them. Man, was he glad he’d gotten such a good pay from that last job at the birthday party, even with that drunk girl.As they sat and waited for their orders to be brought in, Noctis eventually turned back around and took a sip from his water.“Hey Noct?” Prompto asked suddenly, gaining the raven’s attention. “What’s it like, where you live?”Noctis blinked at the sudden question, before he frowned in thought. “…Home is… Insomnia is… big. Like Altissia… but less people living,” he started, lightly shrugging. “Only so much of us… don’t have many little ones. Lost many long ago… still trying get back old numbers.”“I’m sorry to hear that…” Prompto murmured.“Is… okay,” Noctis murmured. “We get by. Just need time.”“True,” the smaller male nodded. “I just hope things go well for you all down there.”Noctis nodded with a smile, before he looked out toward the ocean quietly.“You miss home, huh?” Prompto guessed softly as he watched the raven.A nod was the only response he got.“What’s your father like, Noct?”“Father…?” Noct repeated, before he looked down. “Father is… kind. He is good parent but… worries a lot.”“I’m glad he’s a good parent, and I know parents always worries about their children,” Prompto smiled softly. “Good parents can’t help but worry.”“Yeah…” Noct murmured, before he looked to the ocean again. “…must be worried now, too…”“I’m sure Ignis and Gladio told him you were okay, though,” Prompto soothed, taking his hand.“…yeah…”Soon after the agreement was said, their food was brought out, and the blonde’s eyes lit up at the sight of the food.Noctis regarded his own food curiously, though he did thank the waiter before he turned back to the food, poking at it a bit.“Try it, it’s really good,” Prompto grinned as he took a bite.After a moment, mostly to let it cool, Noct scooped up some of the fish and popped it into his mouth. Prompto watched Noctis as he took another bite. The raven spent a few moments to try and get a feel for the taste, as he always did when trying something new, before he finally swallowed and dug in properly.“Good, huh?” Prompto chuckled.“Hmhmm,” Noctis hummed with a quick nod, before taking another bite.The blonde smiled as he continued to eat. “Different, eh?” he asked after a bit.“Uh-huh… different from Ignis food.”“Oh, Ignis cooks?” Prompto asked, surprised.“Yeah. Always making new recipes.”Prompto chuckled. “That’s cool. I can’t cook to save my life.”Noctis allowed a small smirk, before he focused on his food again.“Okay, stupid question. How can he cook underwater? Don’t you need heat to cook?” Prompto finally asked after a few minutes.“…? We have warm ground under Insomnia,” the Mer-turned-human said. “Warms up food well enough.”“Ah, I get it. An underwater volcano,” Prompto realized. “Never thought of it that way.”“Vol…cano??”“A volcano is normally something that sometimes shoots fire and lava on occasion, but when they’re underwater, they don’t,” the blonde explained.“…?”“Lava is like liquid fire, basically,” Prompto elaborated. “It’s really hot.”“Oh.”Prompto laughed lightly before taking another bite. “Yeah, it’s different from your home, I’m sure.”“Yeah,” Noctis agreed with a small nod.“What do you think of the human world, though, Noct?” Prompto asked, waiting a few minutes before asking the question.At those words, Noctis paused with his fork halfway to his mouth   before he lowered it. “…different… I like but… just… so different…”“If you could…would you stay here?” the smaller male asked softly.At that, Noctis looked up to Prompto in a combination of surprise and alarm. For a moment, he didn’t say anything, but then, his expression fell and he looked down. “…I want but… can’t…”“I know you can’t, but if you could, would you?” Prompto elaborated, watching his boyfriend curiously.For a long moment, Noctis remained silent, poking at his food. Of course he would if he could. The longer he spent there, the more he didn’t want to be away from Prompto, but he knew it was a foolish thought. Much as he wanted, he couldn’t stay… he still had his responsibilities.But if he really could…?“…yeah…”“I’m glad,” Prompto smiled. “I know you can’t stay on land forever, but I’m glad to know you would if you could.” He then reached for Noctis’ hand and squeezed it lightly.Noctis blinked for a moment, before he smiled and squeezed him back.The blonde then withdrew before taking the last few bites of his food. “That was so good,” he chuckled.Once Noctis had finished his own food he let out a small exhale before he looked to Prompto. “We go walk now?” he asked curiously.“Yeah, let’s go for a walk,” Prompto smiled warmly, before he left some gil on the table to pay for their meal and tip, and then he took Noctis’ hand in his as he led the way to the beach.Noctis smiled as he followed after. As they got onto the beach, though, Noctis almost yelped as the sand caved under his feet.“Easy, it’s okay, Noct,” Prompto said. “It’s a bit harder to walk on, but the sand is easier to walk on when it’s soaked. Here, let’s walk along the shoreline.”Once they were on the wet sand, Noctis breathed easier as he found the sand better able to support his weight.“Better, huh?” Prompto asked with a chuckle.“Uh-huh.”“Good,” the smaller male smiled, lightly squeezing Noctis’s hand.Noctis blinked at the sudden squeeze and looked up curiously.“Love you,” Prompto murmured, smiling.The words made Noctis smile softly, before he moved closer to Prompto, murmuring back: “Love you, too.”As they walked, even Prompto was getting warm. Suddenly, he perked up when he noticed an ice cream cart, and he grinned at Noctis. “Noct, this is something you gotta try,” he said eagerly.“…?” Noct blinked curiously, with his head cocked to the side in question.“You’ll see,” the blonde laughed, before leading Noctis on over to the cart. He then ordered them both his favorite ice cream, one he hadn’t had in quite a while, before paying and handing the raven his ice cream. “It’s called ice cream, and this one’s flavor is sea salt. You’re gonna love it.”“Ice… cream…?” Noctis repeated, before he looked at the treat he was holding. With a small shrug, he put it to his mouth and tried to bite off a piece, only to cry out at both the cold and just how hard it was as he pulled it out. He then proceeded to glare at the object crossly.“You lick at it, Noct. Don’t bite it until it gets a bit softer,” the blonde told him, holding back his chuckle. He felt bad for almost laughing.“…?” The brunette silently looked at him, obviously confused about what he meant by that.“Watch,” the smaller male smiled, before beginning to lick his ice cream, humming pleasantly at the sweet and salty taste.Noctis watched this for a moment, before he turned to his own ice cream. After a moment of thought, he brought it to his mouth and licked at the pop briefly. The blonde watched him as he did, still lapping at his ice cream. As the taste dawned on him, Noctis blinked and looked at the pop in surprise. “…Water?” he asked.“A bit sweeter than the ocean though, huh?” Prompto laughed, unable to resist.Noctis tilted his head, but, in the end, he just went back to his ice cream.This drew an amused chuckle from the blonde, and he took Noctis’ free hand in his own as they resumed their walk.Noctis didn’t look up as he walked after, silently licking at his ice cream as they went, while also keeping an eye on his surroundings.“Good, huh?” Prompto asked after a few minutes once he’d eaten about half of his pop.Noctis nodded with a hum… before he yelped as the steadily melting pop touched his fingers.“Quick, Noct, eat it, or else it’ll fall off the stick!” Prompto warned with a laugh.This made the raven look over in confusion, before he regarded the pop. After a moment, though, he groaned in frustration and put the whole thing in his mouth in one go. Which resulted in a slightly muffled yelp as the cold treat hit him almost immediately.Prompto snorted on a laugh, unable to contain it this time. “You okay?” he asked as he took a bite of his softened ice cream.Noctis breathed through his nose a few times before he nodded, keeping a hand to his mouth as a stream of molten ice cream began to dribble down his chin. The smaller male’s eyes widened at the sight, before he quickly swiped his thumb across the raven’s chin, clearing away most of the ice cream, and then licking it off his thumb.“…?” Noct blinked at him, confused as to why he did that.“It would have gotten all over you,” Prompto shrugged, and besides, he’d wanted to. He would have preferred to lick it off his chin, but he’d take the next best thing.Though Noctis obviously didn’t believe that that was all, he didn’t say anything of it. Mostly because he still had his mouth full, as he swallowed on occasion to the get molten ice cream down his throat.Prompto chuckled as he watched Noctis, still eating his own ice cream, and now hurrying to finish it before he had to do the same as his boyfriend had.Finally, Noctis swallowed the last part of his ice cream, pulling the stick out from his mouth again.Prompto quickly finished his, before he smiled brightly at Noctis. “Good, eh?”The Mer-turned-human nodded his head with a small smile. As they continued further down the beach, Prompto then spotted an area a little ways away from all the people on the bright sand, and knew it would be a good spot for Noctis and himself to wade around in the water for a bit. Smiling at Noctis, he said: “Let’s go over here,” before guiding the raven over to the spot.Tilting his head, Noctis seemed curious as to why they’d need to go there, but he didn’t question it and instead followed wordlessly.Once they reached the spot, Prompto pulled off his boots and socks, tucking the latter into his boots and rolling up his pant legs to his knees. “I figured we could hang in the water a little bit,” he smiled at his boyfriend.Noctis regarded Prompto for a moment, before he moved to copy what he had just done. Which wasn’t as easy as he’d expected, since he still had some difficulty with standing on one leg. Thankfully he had a loving boyfriend there who helped Noctis keep his balance by placing his hands on Noctis’ sides to help.Once he’d gotten his shoes and socks off, Noctis turned to Prompto, as the blonde took his time in removing his hands.“Let’s go in the water,” Prompto murmured, smiling softly, before taking Noctis’ hand and leading him into the water.As they stepped into the water, Noct briefly tensed in surprise at the chill, but then he smiled as he relaxed, curling his toes in the sand beneath his feet.“Feels good, huh?” Prompto chuckled.Noct nodded quietly, lightly kicking at the water. The blonde laughed softly at the almost childish act, leaning over and kissing Noctis’ cheek.The sudden gesture made Noct look over curiously. However, after a moment of obvious thought, he smiled and stepped up, kissing Prompto right on the mouth without a warning. Not that Prompto was complaining, and he smiled as he kissed back, wrapping his arms around Noctis’ waist to keep him close.Purring softly, Noctis brought his hands up and curled his fingers in Prompto’s hair, pulling his head further in as he licked at his lips. With a quiet moan, the smaller male parted his lips, allowing the raven entry.Smiling against Prompto’s lips, Noctis adjusted his head as their tongues mingled…“Kekekekekeke~”“…!!” Suddenly Noctis pulled away from Prompto and snapped his gaze toward the ocean, a look of alarm on his face.“What’s wrong?” Prompto asked worriedly, seeing the alarmed look on his boyfriend’s face.Noctis didn’t respond; he just kept looking out over the ocean, scanning the horizon. He finally settled, though certainly not entirely, and he breathed heavily before he shook his head. “N-nothing… nothing wrong…”“Did you want to head back? After all, it’ll be night at this rate if we don’t leave soon, and I don’t want to encounter any daemons,” Prompto said.“…Y…yeah…” Noct murmured, reaching down to pick up his boots from where he’d accidentally dropped them.“Okay,” the blonde nodded, kissing the raven’s cheek again as he snagged his own boots and slipped on his socks before putting his feet back into his boots.Noctis didn’t bother with putting his footwear back on, though. He just followed after Prompto once the blonde started walking again. As they went though, he couldn’t help but look back again. He’d recognized the laugh, of course… but he didn’t want to think of what it belonged to. Because if it did, it meant he was being watched… and that only meant he had to be more and more wary of everyone around him… Once their cab had arrived, which only took five minutes, Prompto sat close to Noctis in the vehicle as it drove them back to Lestallum, cuddling with his boyfriend a bit. “Love you…” he murmured, pressing his lips to Noctis’ briefly.Noctis hummed softly as he settled against Prompto’s side, head on the blonde’s shoulder as he murmured: “Love you, too…”“Did you have fun at Galdin Quay?” Prompto asked with a small smile as he looked at the raven.“Hmhmm…” Noct hummed lazily.“Good,” the blonde smiled a little wider.By the time they got to Lestallum, it was almost completely dark out, and Prompto sighed in relief once they were in the safety of the well-lit city. The couple got out after Prompto paid the driver, and then headed for Prompto’s home. Noctis hummed softly as he followed after, briefly stretching his arms before scratching the back of his neck.When they got inside of his home, Prompto turned to Noctis before kissing him lovingly, pulling him close by his waist. The sudden kiss made Noct gasp a bit, but he didn’t object as he shut his eyes and rested his hands on Prompto’s shoulders.The smaller male purred softly as he ran his tongue along the seam of Noctis’ lips, seeking entry. A soft moan fell from Noctis’ mouth as he opened his mouth, curling his tongue around Prompto’s as his hands moved around to the back of the blonde’s neck.As they continued to kiss, Prompto slid his hands up from Noctis’ waist to his neck as they kissed, before tangling his fingers in those soft, ebony locks, and the touch made Noctis hum pleasantly, his fingers tickling at Prompto’s hairline teasingly. The blonde moaned a bit louder at the teasing, before pressing his hips to Noctis’ teasingly.However, that caused Noct to tense in alarm, before he broke the kiss and pushed away from Prompto.“What’s wrong?” Prompto asked, concerned.“…S…sorry… b-bathroom…” Noct choked out, before he abruptly turned and hurried for the bathroom.Prompto frowned, his brows furrowing together as the door snapped shut behind the raven. Was it because he’d tried to make a move? He had a bad feeling it was… ‘Dammit…!’ Noct groaned as he covered his face with his hands, trying not to hyperventilate as he leaned back against the door. ‘Too close… too close… I can’t… can’t let it get any further…’He knew he’d probably worried Prompto with his sudden departure, and that was the last thing he wanted, but he just couldn’t let things continue any further. He couldn’t do it, whether he wanted to or not; he just couldn’t afford it.And it hurt…He really wanted to be as close to Prompto as he could be for the short time they had left, but he just couldn’t do it… the circumstances just wouldn’t allow it.Breathing deeply for a moment, Noctis walked toward the sink, turned open the faucet, and then splashed his face with the cold water, gasping briefly at the ‘refresher’.‘Right… just… be normal. Just don’t act weird and… and we can get through the rest of the week…’After shutting the faucet, Noct managed to calm himself, before he headed out again.Prompto looked up at Noctis from the bed when the raven came out, his expression clearly worried. “I’m not gonna ask if you’re okay this time, because I know you’re not…” he murmured.Noct almost froze at the words, but he managed to keep his expression neutral. “…? I’m fine…” he said after a moment, before he moved over and sat down next to Prompto on the bed, though there was at least a foot of empty space between them.“Noct, please don’t lie to me… You’re keeping space between us now, so something’s wrong…” Prompto mumbled, lowering his gaze.This made Noctis flinch, as he tried to say something, but he quickly shut his mouth again when nothing came out. He didn’t mean to put space between them; it just happened because of the thoughts still rushing through his head. But he knew he couldn’t tell him that…“Why won’t you tell me…?” Prompto asked quietly.“Prom… I…”The blonde waited, worried about Noctis. He just wanted to help, after all. The former Mer continued to try and speak, but he didn’t even know what it was he wanted to say, and, in the end, he ended up shutting his mouth and looking down to his lap.The smaller male sighed heavily, before mumbling: “I’m here if you want to talk, okay?” And then he curled into a ball on his side, facing away from Noctis. He was hurt the raven didn’t seem to want to tell him what was wrong, so he was going to give Noctis some time.“…Prom…” Noctis called out softly, before he moved over to lie down behind him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and resting his forehead between the blonde’s shoulders.Prompto nearly tensed, knowing Noctis was trying to comfort him. He would rather his boyfriend tell him what was wrong instead, though. Exhaling shakily, the blonde whimpered as he tried to keep himself from crying.“…I’m sorry…”At those two words, the dam broke, and he began to cry, turning in Noctis’ hold so he could be closer to him. He’d been trying so hard to be positive and considerate of Noctis, but now that that emotional dam had broken, and he sobbed into Noctis’ chest, wrapping his arms around him tightly.“A-ah…!?” Noct blinked, twice, before he frowned sadly and held the blonde close to him, beginning to hum softly.Prompto trembled in the raven’s hold, continuing to cry, even as his ears picked up the sound of Noctis’ humming. As the ex-Mer continued to hum softly, he let his hands smooth over his back and through his blonde hair. As Prompto’s sobs and cries eventually began to quiet down to whimpers as he shivered in his boyfriend’s comforting hold.Noctis didn’t stop moving his hands along the blonde’s back or through his hair, though, and he continued to hum softly as he held him close to him. He knew he couldn’t keep doing this, though; he had to say something, if only to let his boyfriend know that there was nothing wrong with them… that it was just ‘him’, and not them…He just wished he knew how…Eventually, Prompto stopped crying, even his whimpers stopping, and he slowly relaxed in Noctis’ hold as he started to fall asleep, still clinging to the raven.“…Prom…?”The smaller male blinked his eyes open, looking up at Noctis tiredly, but he was determined to stay awake if it meant Noctis telling him what was wrong.Noctis didn’t speak immediately, taking a long moment to just breathe, before he murmured softly: “I’m… sorry… I just… //dammit how do I…?//” he grumbled, before he sighed. “…I… I just… I can’t…”“Can’t what?” Prompto asked softly.“…can’t… I can’t…” He tried, but he just couldn’t say it. Noct exhaled in aggravation as he rested his head on Prompto’s. “…I want to…” he murmured softly, arms wrapped firmly around Prompto, “but I can’t… just… I’m… I’m not… ready… I’m sorry…”When the words finally filtered through his weary mind, Prompto blinked slowly, as he realized what the raven was saying, or trying to say. “I understand, Noct… I’m sorry…” he whispered.“Not… not your fault…” Noctis murmured, rubbing Prompto’s back. “I… was scared… so… ‘s my fault… I’m sorry…”The blonde was quiet after that, the soothing rubbing to his back lulling him back to sleep.When Noctis realized that the blonde had fallen asleep, he smiled lovingly and placed a soft kiss on Prompto’s forehead. Quietly, he settled on the bed as well, holding Prompto close as he shut his eyes, deciding to take a small nap of his own until dinner.“…love you, Prom… love you… so much…” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- At the dawn of Noctis’ tenth day as a human, the couple was resting in Prompto’s bed, still huddled together. The sun wasn’t even up yet, and normally neither of the two would be up, but, shockingly, Noctis found himself wide awake for some reason he couldn’t explain. Groaning heavily as awareness hit him full in the face, he blinked his eyes open, finding himself looking at Prompto’s sleeping face as his boyfriend slept, unaware of Noctis’ state of awareness.Smiling softly, Noctis moved in and gently, though briefly, kissed Prompto on his lips, as he reached up to wipe his hair out of his eyes. The blonde wrinkled his nose a bit at the tickling from his own hair, before he inhaled deeply through his nose, his eyes blinking open to see that his boyfriend was kissing him. He kissed back lovingly, his eyes sliding closed again, before he chuckled as he pulled back.“That was a pleasant ‘good morning’,” he smirked.Noctis shrugged his shoulders softly, a small smile on his own face.“Good morning, Noct,” the smaller male murmured, leaning in and kissing the raven again.Noctis hummed a bit as he kissed back, before he pulled back. “Morning…”“Want to get some breakfast?” Prompto asked with a small smile.“Hmm… sure,” the raven murmured.The blonde smiled a bit wider, before sitting up, stretching his arms over his head and making his back and shoulders click. Noctis rolled onto his back and briefly stretched as well, before he climbed out of the bed, rubbing at his eyes.Prompto slid out of bed himself, before starting to change into his day clothes. Meanwhile, Noctis collected his own clothes, yawning behind his hand, before he sleepily walked toward the bathroom.The smaller male waited until the door was shut behind Noctis, before sighing. He wished that they could be intimate, but Noctis just seemed too scared. He wasn’t sure if it had to do with the differences in culture or if there was something else entirely about the whole thing, but it was getting more than a little… well, ‘annoying’ was too strong a word, but it was definitely becoming a bit unbearable.He just hoped they could find common ground, soon… As Noctis showered (with fairly cold water, since it felt much better to him), the raven tried not to think on how little time they had left, but there was just no avoiding it. He really had only four more days to spend with Prompto, and that thought hurt.He knew there was no way they could meet after this, because he would surely never be allowed to leave the Citadel ever again, and he wanted to make these last days count. But he just didn’t know how……Well there was one thing… but he couldn’t do that. No matter how much he wished he could, he just couldn’t do it… Prompto, on the other hand, wanted to make every second with Noctis count, even if they didn’t have sex. The thought of not being with Noctis like that alone hurt, though. But he knew he couldn’t force it on Noct. He could only hope that the former Mer would come around soon.Just then, Noct stepped out from the bathroom, tugging his shirt properly over his head as he walked over.The smaller male then looked at Noctis, a bright smile in place. “Ready for some food?”Noctis smiled at the words, nodding his head as he approached.“Good,” Prompto nodded, before leading his boyfriend out of the house and to a food stand for some breakfast, where the blonde ordered them their food before they sat down to wait for their food to be brought out.Once they were in their seats, Noctis stretched out his arms again, suppressing another yawn as he got comfortable.“Still tired, eh?” Prompto chuckled.Noctis shrugged his shoulders a bit at the question, before he sat back in his seat and looked around the area. Prompto merely smiled in amusement, watching Noctis. Upon spotting the look, Noctis turned to him with a quirked eyebrow.But before he could say anything about it, their order number was called, and Prompto merely smiled at his boyfriend before going and getting their food and bringing it to the table. He handed Noctis his plate before beginning to eat his own food.Noctis continued to look at Prompto for a few moments longer, before he merely snorted and turned to his own food. As he did, though, he was picking out the vegetables from the dish wordlessly.And Prompto laughed lightly when he saw this. “You’re gonna hate vegetables for life, huh?” he asked with an amused grin.The raven merely scoffed as he said: “Too dry.”The smaller male simply chuckled, before returning to his own food. Once they’d finished their food, Noct turned to Prompto and asked: “What we do now?”“Let’s go somewhere for a nice view,” Prompto suggested.“Okay,” Noct said with a nod as he stood up.Prompto then stood as well, before taking Noctis’ hand in his and walking them to the outlook of Lestallum, so they could look at the Disc of Cauthess at a good vantage point. And the former Mer trailed along quietly, squeezing Prompto’s hand briefly. As they approached the outlook, though, he suddenly stopped.“What’s wrong?” Prompto asked, looking back at his boyfriend.Noctis didn’t answer immediately. However, before Prompto could ask again, Noct pulled his hand free and hurried on ahead.“N-Noct, wait up!” Prompto yelped.But the raven didn’t wait as he descended the steps to the outlook two at a time. And then he hurried to the railing, where he leaned against it to stare out across the plains toward the Disc of Cauthess. Pausing, Prompto saw a good photo opportunity, and quietly turned on his camera, before zooming in and snapping a few pictures.Noctis wasn’t even aware of what Prompto was doing; he was too focused on the Disc of Cauthess, as he regarded it as the sun gradually rose over the horizon from behind it. While it wasn’t the first time he’d seen the Disc of Cauthess, it was the first time he’d seen it right as the sun rose, which added an extra layer of mystique to the sight. And as he stood there, the wind blowing through his bangs, a small smile spread over his face.Beginning to smile himself, Prompto took a few more shots, focusing on Noctis’ smile, before lowering his camera and powering it off so he could save its battery before joining his boyfriend.“Good view, huh?” he asked with a soft smile.“Hmhmm… “ Noct hummed as he leaned forward on his elbows.Prompto pecked Noctis’ cheek, before leaning on the railing as well.Noctis briefly looked over at the kiss, before smiling and reaching for Prompto’s elbow. Prompto looked at Noctis at the touch, smiling. And Noct’s smile, if possible, brightened even more as he turned back to the Disc of Cauthess.Prompto took Noctis’ hand in his as they stood there, simply enjoying the closeness with his boyfriend.“Ah, do pardon me,” a casual voice suddenly said from behind them, making them look up in question. “Would one of you fine gents be willing to lend a poor old man a hand, hm?”“Hmm?” Prompto hummed, frowning slightly in question as he looked at the man.“See, I fear I’ve gone and gotten myself lost,” the man said with a soft sigh as he adjusted his fedora. “How does one get to the power plant, exactly?”Noctis frowned softly at the man’s words. It was faint, but he’d swear he heard an almost familiar accent lining the man’s speech. He just couldn’t place it.“Oh… Just follow the path all the way up the steps, and you should be able to find it easily,” Prompto told him.“Ah, that simple, is it?” the man asked, a smile playing on his face. “Thank you for your assistance,” he said as he tipped his hat. “Feel free to carry on as you were. Kuut tyo.”And Noct froze. He knew those words…But if the man noticed, then he didn’t show it as he turned and left as swiftly as he’d appeared.Once the man was gone, Prompto was frowning, too. Looking at Noctis, he said, “That sounded almost similar to Mer. Do you know him…?”Noct shook his head. He knew most Mer in his own Corale; there weren’t that many left, after all, and this guy was certainly not one of Insomnia’s inhabitants. Which meant he was either a Weiz… or a Wyf. Either or was a bad thing.But… how did he get on land…?“That’s so weird…” the blonde murmured. “What did he say? Could you tell?”“…He say ‘Good day’,” the raven translated.“Hmm… Nothing weird about what he said, but still, that guy gave me the creeps,” Prompto muttered, shivering lightly.Noticing this, Noct reached out and wrapped his arms around Prompto’s shoulders and rubbed along his arms.“Thanks, Noct,” the smaller male smiled, leaning over and kissing him.Humming softly, Noctis kissed back softly before he pulled back, frowning as he looked back to where the man had gone.“I wonder why he wanted to find the Power Plant, though,” Prompto frowned as well. “Only women work there, so he can’t have anything good planned…”“……” Noctis was silent in response to the question, a deep frown beginning to play on his face.“Maybe we should head back, just in case he comes back,” the blonde suggested.Noct blinked in surprise at the sudden offer, but in the end he nodded and followed after Prompto silently.As they walked back to Prompto’s house, the smaller male couldn’t help but worry about that strange man. He was clearly bad news, based off the vibe he got from him and Noctis’ reaction and words. Something was definitely off about him… When they finally returned to the apartment, Noct took a heavy breath, running his hands through his hair, worry appearing in his eyes.“Noct? You wanna talk?” Prompto asked softly, kicking off his boots by the front door.“…I… I don’t know… who he is… what if… what if…” the former-Mer mumbled softly under his breath.“I’ll keep you safe, Noct,” Prompto promised, hugging him as he kissed the taller male. “I won’t let him near you from now on.”Noct briefly tensed at the hug, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, before he relaxed and hugged back.The blonde frowned when he felt Noctis tense, pulling back after a few seconds. “Noct, I didn’t mean to scare you…” he murmured, lowering his gaze.‘Dammit! I gotta stop that!’ Noct thought to himself before he sighed softly. “It… it’s okay… just… hugs in Insomnia… always from back… so is… strange to… to…”“I understand,” Prompto nodded. “Sorry…”“It’s… it’s okay…” Noct got out, trying to sound slightly more sure of himself than he felt, but it certainly wasn’t easy.The smaller male smiled kindly at Noctis. “Did you want to go back out at all?” he asked. “If not, we can do something here, like watch a movie.”“…? Mo…vie…?”“I’ll show you,” Prompto chuckled, before leading Noctis to the living room and sitting him on the love seat. Once the raven was sitting, Prompto went to his DVD case, where he looked for a good movie for them to watch.Noctis watched him curiously, his head tilted to the side as the blonde skimmed over the cases.Finally, the smaller male made a noise of triumph as he found an appropriate movie for them, something that would probably keep the raven’s attention, and his own. Popping the disc into the DVD player, Prompto curled up with Noctis on the love seat before turning on the TV and starting the movie, “March of the Chocobos”.Blinking in question, Noct regarded Prom for a moment, before he turned to the TV as the numerous logos of the companies working on the movie flashed by. None of which meant anything to the brunette. But then as the logos were all dealt with, the movie started with a very imposing shot of a sunrise.“…?”“Just watch,” Prompto murmured with an amused smile.As Noct focused on the screen, his head lightly tilted in his confusion, he wasn’t sure what he was looking at… until a familiar shape appeared amidst the sunrise.“…! Chocobo!” Noct proclaimed in awe.“Yup,” Prompto chucked, snuggling into Noctis’s side.As the narrator began to talk over the footage, with the pack of Chocobos rising with the sun before beginning their migration to their nesting grounds, Noctis was staring in awe at the screen, instinctively settling himself against Prompto.Prompto was definitely happy with this. He leaned his head against Noctis’ shoulder, sighing contently in the slight quiet of the apartment. And as the movie continued on, Noctis’ attention was completely transfixed on the screen, and he almost didn’t blink, which was kind of funny… in a way. And for the majority of the movie, Noct was silent.That is until they reached the nesting grounds and the ‘competitions’ began.“…? What they doing??” Noctis asked as two male Chocobos started screeching and attacking one another.“They’re fighting for a female Chocobo, so one of them can have her as a mate,” Prompto explained.“…mate…?”“Like a girlfriend,” Prompto elaborated.Noct gave a small “ah” of understanding, before he turned back to the TV.The blonde smiled at Noctis’ focus on the screen, amused by his boyfriend’s response to the movie.But as the movie continued on, an odd look came over Noct’s face as the female Chocobo settled in her new nest. As she remained there, with her mate bringing her food, the look only intensified and Noct’s fingers curled into the couch cushions.“…”“You okay, Noct?” Prompto asked softly, noticing the look.But the raven didn’t respond, as he kept his gaze on the TV while the female Chocobo stood up and fussed over her eggs. And throughout it all Prompto watched Noctis rather than the movie (he’d seen it at least 10 times before, anyway), concern written all over his face.When it was finally time in the movie for the eggs to hatch, Noctis blinked, twice… and a single tear slipped down his cheek.“Noct…?” Prompto murmured, reaching over and wiping the tear away.The touch made Noct jump before turning to Prom. “Wha…” he started, before he realized what was happening and he reached up to wipe at his own eyes as more tears gathered there.“What’s wrong, Noct?” the blonde asked, worried.“I… I don’t…” his boyfriend got out, his breathing starting to pick up as more and more tears began to escape from the corners of his eyes.Prompto turned off the movie, since it was clear it was depressing his boyfriend (though he wasn’t sure why), and gently pulled the raven into a hug, shushing him quietly.Though Noct didn’t reject the hug, he did continue to try and stop the now almost constant flow of tears. And at the same time he took long gulps of air to calm himself, before he ended up hyperventilating. Which, sadly enough, didn’t appear to be working as well as he would’ve liked.“Easy, Noct,” Prompto soothed, rubbing his back to calm him.Noct tried to speak – but only a brief hiccup escaped him.“Ssshhh…” the smaller male shushed him gently, kissing his cheek.Breathing heavily, Noctis clenched his eyes firmly shut with one hand covering his mouth to keep whatever sounds he made in check. Not that it stopped his tears, but he was at least making a valiant effort.Prompto merely held Noctis close, comforting him as the raven tried desperately not to bawl, it seemed. Eventually, the blonde whispered: “Noct, it won’t get better until you let it out…”A shake of the head was the only response Noct could manage, even as his shoulders trembled under Prompto’s arms.“It’s okay to cry, Noct… I’m here for you…always…” the smaller male promised.The former Mer tried to talk (without removing his hand) but it just didn’t work. Because just as he lifted the hand to say something, a harsh, broken sob escaped from his constricted throat and he whimpered, before he buried his face in Prompto’s shoulder, sobbing. And Prompto merely held him close, comforting him as his boyfriend sobbed.And for almost five minutes, Noctis sobbed and cried, clinging to Prompto tightly as hot tears fell on the blonde’s shoulders. But when the raven’s tears finally abated and his sobbing had stopped, he didn’t move from where he was.The smaller male remained still except for the slow rubbing along Noctis’ back. He wanted to wait for Noctis to be okay, mostly. Obviously something was really upsetting for him, but he wouldn’t ask unless it became too much on his boyfriend’s mind, or unless he was ready to share.Finally, the ex-Mer’s sobs stopped entirely and he merely rested there, breathing deeply and heavily, fingers clutching at Prompto’s back through the material of his shirt.Even then, Prompto kept himself as he was, soothingly smoothing his hands along Noctis’ back as he held him. Despite how he had clearly calmed down enough, Noct didn’t move away from Prompto. If anything he actually held on tighter.Finally, Prompto turned his head to kiss Noctis’ cheek softly. “Feel a little better now?” he asked quietly with an understanding tone.“…” Noct merely nodded his head softly.“I’m here whenever you want to talk about it, okay?” Prompto promised, pulling back slightly to look his boyfriend in the eyes. “I love you.”Noct blinked slowly, his eyes slightly red from crying, before he nodded softly and put his head back against Prompto’s shoulder. “…love you too…” he breathed out softly.“I’ll be here, always,” Prompto whispered, nuzzling Noctis’s neck in a comforting gesture.Noctis didn’t answer; he just breathed in Prompto’s comforting scent for a long moment, holding vast. However, as he did, he whispered something under his breath.Surprisingly, Prompto heard him, but couldn’t make out what was said. “What was that?” he questioned gently.“…nothing…”“Okay,” the smaller male murmured, not wanting to push his boyfriend too much.Noctis breathed a little easier. He really shouldn’t have said that, albeit in his own tongue. If, under any circumstances, Prom figured out what he’d just said…He shook the thought away. He didn’t want to think on that anymore.“Did you just want to go lie down for now?” Prompto inquired softly, still rubbing the raven’s back slowly.“…no… dun wanna…” Noct murmured softly.“Okay. We can stay like this as long as you want,” Prompto whispered with a soft smile.Noctis hummed softly at the words, pulling his legs up onto the couch and curling closer to Prompto. And the blonde merely kissed Noctis’ cheek again, before nuzzling his neck softly as he continued to hold his boyfriend.After a while, though, Noctis suddenly pushed himself up on the couch. However, before Prompto could ask what he was doing, he turned around and then let himself fall back against the blonde.Prompto’s breath escaped him in a huff, but he laughed lightly as he wrapped his arms around Noctis’ waist. “Better?” he chuckled.“Mm… much,” Noct murmured, as he brought up his hands and linked them with Prompto’s lazily.“Good,” the smaller male smiled, nuzzling Noctis’ upper back in between his shoulder blades.Noct hummed a little, but he didn’t move, aside from his thumbs moving over the back of Prompto’s hands. And then, after taking a small breath, he began to sing softly. Prompto began to relax even more than he already was at the sound of Noctis’ singing, giving a soft, content hum against Noctis’ back.For the longest time, that was how they staid; content and half-asleep on the couch, with only Noct’s singing filling the otherwise dead silent apartment. And throughout it all, Noct’s thumbs continued to rub in circles along Prompto’s hands,After a while, Prompto raised his head and rested his chin on Noctis’ shoulder, before asking, “Hey, Noct?”Noct paused his singing at the question, humming curiously as he turned his head to face Prompto.“What do you normally do for fun back home?”Noct hummed for a moment, thinking, before he said: “Riding… searching shells… just… swimming around, really…” He shrugged. “Sometimes I go see Levi… when she not in bad mood.”“‘Levi’?” Prompto repeated. While the name initially didn’t mean anything to him, it didn’t take long for realization to hit him. “Wait, do you mean that sea dragon that nearly killed me the time you saved me?!”“Hmhmm… Leviathan. She look after us. Protect us from fishers. But… very distrustful.”Remembering how Leviathan had seemed intent on drowning him, despite Noctis’ arguments that time, the blonde could see that. “Hard to change her mind, huh?”“Yeah… but she not bad. Just easy angry.”Suddenly, Prompto’s phone rang, making him jump, before he dug it out of his pocket and answered it. “Hello?”“Hey Prompto. Do you have a moment?” came a familiar voice from the other side.“Uh, yeah, sure! What’s up, Luna?” the blonde asked.“Well, we haven’t seen each other in a while, so I was thinking we could meet up in Altissia in two days. Are you boys free then?”“Yeah, we’re free,” Prompto nodded. “Just meet in front of the Leville, then?”“Actually, let’s meet at the arena. Oh and Prom?”“Hmm?”“Make sure you boys bring your swimsuits.”This drew a laugh from the smaller male. “Will do, Luna.”Noct, of course, cocked his head at the laugh, curious.“Okay. See you there.”“See ya,” Prompto smiled, before hanging up and looking at Noctis. “Luna asked if we wanted to meet with her in two days, and I told her yes. Sounds like we’re going swimming, though.”At those words, Noct’s eyes widened in surprise. “We are?”“She told me to make sure we brought our swim trunks, so yeah,” the blonde chuckled.At the confirmation, Noctis smiled as he settled back against Prompto. But then he turned a bit worried. “…is hard? For human to swim?”“Nah, but it’ll be definitely different from how Mer swim,” Prompto replied, holding Noctis close.Noct hummed curiously, but he said no more on the matter.As he got himself comfy, though, he murmured: “Love you…”“Love you, too, Noct,” the smaller male whispered. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It was early in the morning when Noctis and Prompto made their way out from the small hotel room at Cape Caem to take the ferry to Altissia. They’d decided to go to Cape Caem the day before so that they’d be on time to catch the ferry to meet with Luna, so they didn’t waste the whole day. Noctis hadn’t been that opposed to the idea initially… until he had to wake up in the morning.“Nrgh… why so early?” he whined as they walked along the docks toward the ferry, rubbing at his eyes.“We gotta make sure we get to the ferry on time, Noct,” Prompto reminded him with a chuckle.Noct grumbled something under his breath, but he said nothing else as they got aboard the ferry.As they headed to Altissia, Prompto pressed himself close to Noctis, smiling softly. This made the raven hum softly as he rested his head on Prompto’s shoulder, eyes falling shut for a small nap.Sensing that the raven was trying to nap, Prompto chuckled quietly, wrapping his arm around his boyfriend’s waist to keep him close.“Mmm…” Noct hummed softly at the touch, moving closer to Prom instinctively.When he did, Prompto decided that tonight, he was going to try to make love to Noctis, that way, their time together would be even more precious and valuable. Nothing could replace that. He would do his damnedest to ensure the raven wouldn’t become too scared, too. Once they got to Altissia, they took the gondolas around the city until the arrived at the arena, which was one of the few places Noctis hasn’t seen yet.“What they do here?” Noct asked as they were walking down the halls.“People place bets on daemons in the arena, just to see which one will win,” Prompto replied, still unsure why Luna wanted to meet here. He didn’t exactly like the idea of the arena, even if daemons ARE evil.“…so why here??” Noct asked.“You got me there, Noct. Luna said to meet her here, so… yeah,” Prompto sighed.It didn’t take them very long to figure it out, though. As they headed up the stairs to the stands, instead of being greeted by a large open arena, the building was filled up with water, turning it into a massive swimming pool.The smaller male’s eyes widened in shock, and his jaw dropped. “What the hell??” he uttered, wondering how this had happened.“Water…?” Noct asked, surprised.“Prompto! Noctis!” a familiar voice suddenly called out, and when they looked over, they spotted Luna, already in the water, along with many other people who were happily enjoying the water, waving at them with a bright smile.“Now I see why she said to bring swim trunks,” Prompto murmured, and then waved back before guiding Noctis to the swimming pool to greet her.Noctis blinked as he walked after, as Luna swam over.“Good morning,” she quipped with a giggle.“Good morning to you, too. How’d you manage this one, Luna?” Prompto inquired.“Oh it wasn’t me,” Luna admitted with a giggle. “The Secretary had it arranged because the summer was turning to be unbearable. They considered it to be too dangerous to go swimming in the sea around Altissia, so they had to think of something else.”“Ah, okay,” the blonde nodded. “Well, we’ll get our trunks on, and be right back.” With that said, Prompto led Noctis to the nearest men’s room so they could change into the swim trunks he had packed in a duffle bag for them.“Prom?” Noct as they were in there. “What is Secretary??”“She’s kinda like the… leader, I guess, of Altissia. She makes sure the people are kept safe and comfortable here,” Prompto explained.Noctis gave a small “ah”, nodding to show he understood.“Let’s get changed into our swim trunks,” Prompto said, and then guided Noctis to a large stall where they could change together without being seen. The smaller male pulled out a pair of midnight blue swim trunks for Noctis, while Prompto had his own pair of black ones. “Get completely undressed, and put these on, okay?” Prompto told Noctis.Noct cocked his head, before he shrugged and began to tug off his shirt. As he did, the blonde smiled, and pulled off his own shirt, before removing his boots and socks, tucking the socks into his boots. Once those were off, Prompto pulled off his pants and boxers, before quickly slipping on his trunks.As he looked over, he saw that Noctis was also finishing pulling the trunks on, though he seemed a bit confused about the whole thing, still.“There we go,” Prompto smiled. “I’ll keep our clothes in here so they stay dry and together.” As he spoke, he tucked their clothes into the duffle bag, and then took Noctis’ hand in his before leading him back to the pool, and setting their bag by the wall so it wouldn’t get wet.Noctis nodded his head as he followed his boyfriend back to the pool.“Hey, Luna!” Prompto called as they got close, the blonde moving to sit at the edge of the shallow end so Noctis could learn to swim as a human.“Hey guys,” Luna said with a smile. “Looking good.”That made Noctis cock his head curiously, but he didn’t say anything initially.“I need to teach Noct how to swim as a human. Wanna help?” Prompto questioned.“Oh yeah, sure. No problem,” Luna said with a smile as she moved over.“Thanks,” the blonde smiled, before having Noctis sit beside him. “We’re gonna help you, Noct, okay? Just trust us.”“…?”“You need to know how to swim like a human for now,” Prompto elaborated. “So, Luna and I are gonna teach you.”“…Kay,” Noctis murmured as he moved over and let himself slip into the water after Prompto.“Okay, so humans swim by kicking with our feet. I’ll show you, and we’ll go from there, kay?” Prompto said, beginning to head into the deeper part of the pool.“…?” Noct blinked curiously as he watched Prompto go, head tilted to the side.“Just watch me, Noct!” Prompto called, before beginning to swim around the deep end of the pool.Noctis didn’t speak as he watched Prompto moving through the water, using his arms and legs at the same time. The movement of the arms was actually fairly similar to when little Mer would start to swim on their own, trying to keep up better to their parents because their tails wouldn’t propel them as fast. But the leg movement looked a little weird… then again, he was used to a single limb below the waist, so he supposed he couldn’t talk about that.“Do you think you can manage that, Noctis?” Luna asked then, making Noct look over.He blinked, twice, before he looked down at the water quietly.“Noctis?”“You can do it, Noct,” Prompto encouraged.The raven seemed to be thinking of something, before he suddenly took a deep breath – and abruptly dived under water.“Wha?!”But before Luna or Prompto could say anything, Noctis kicked off from the ground, moving himself forward with one sweep of his arms, with his legs kicking behind him. And while it was nowhere near the speed he’d get with his tail, it was definitely not bad.Prompto laughed, but he was glad Noctis had taken to swimming like a human like…well, a fish to water.After almost five minutes, Noctis came back above the water to take a gulp of air, breathing only slightly heavier, before he wiped his bangs out of his eyes.Luna giggled before she said: “Well that took barely any time.”“Good job, Noct!” Prompto praised, paddling over and kissing his cheek.Noctis blinked before he shrugged, very easily keeping himself afloat by just kicking with his legs. “Not so hard… just different with two.”“True,” the blonde shrugged, smiling.“…Why swim above water?” Noct suddenly asked. “Faster under.”“Not all of us can hold our breath as long as you can,” Prompto replied teasingly.Noct rolled his eyes, before he took another breath and went under again. The smaller male watched him curiously from above, wondering just what his boyfriend was doing. Barely a minute later though, there was a sudden pull on his legs.Prompto yelped, before looking down at his legs. When he did, he quickly spotted Noct, smirking at him – before he was pulled under.The blonde quickly sucked in some air as he was pulled, just so he wouldn’t run out of it, and then looked at Noctis once he was under, quirking a brow at him curiously.Noct merely smirked, before he suddenly swam closer and abruptly kissed his boyfriend. Prompto, although surprised by the kiss, didn’t pull away. In fact, he responded eagerly, pulling Noctis closer by wrapping his arms around the raven’s waist.Noctis smiled into the kiss as he placed his hands along Prompto’s cheeks, pulling him in closer.The smaller male slipped his tongue out to trace Noctis’ lip, attempting to deepen the kiss… but then the burning need for air hit and he was forced to pull away and quickly swim to the surface, gasping for air when he reached it.It took a little longer for Noctis to come back up as well, and he was chuckling as he did. In response to that, Prompto actually pouted at his boyfriend, unable to speak just yet as he tried to catch his breath.“Having fun, boys?” Luna laughed as she swam over.“Just… trying not to… drown… Luna,” Prompto huffed, still breathing heavily.Luna laughed at the quip. “Well, shall we just swim around for a little bit?” she offered.“Sure,” Prompto nodded, before moving and pecking Noctis’ cheek.Noctis chuckle a bit as he began to swim backwards, with almost no difficulty.“Hey, wait for us, Noctis,” Luna quipped as she swam after him.Prompto was quick to follow, taking in a breath before slipping beneath the water and darting after Noctis, and then poking him in the back from beneath him. This made Noct hum, glancing over, before he smirked and spun around, diving under after taking a breath.The blonde quickly swam off, excitement coursing through him. He would have laughed, had they been above the water, just from the thrill. Before he could get too far, though, Noctis was suddenly right below him, smirking up at him, before he kicked at the water and shot ahead of him.‘This is what I get for trying to swim with a Mer, even if he’s human right now,’ the blonde thought, rolling his eyes. He then had to surface, and the need for air became too great.“Hahah. Having fun, Prom?” Luna quipped as she swam after.“Definitely,” Prompto smiled. “Didn’t think he would learn this quick, considering when he learned to walk, but then again, swimming is second-nature to him.”“Of course,” Luna said with a smile as Noctis briefly came back above the water, taking a gulp of air, before he went back under, perfectly in his element.“Oh yeah,” Prompto said suddenly. “Where’s Ravus at, anyway?”“Ah, he passed on coming out. He’s not much into swimming,” Luna said with a small shrug as she swam along.“He doesn’t strike me as much of an aquatic guy, so I can understand,” Prompto smirked, laughing.Luna giggled, watching as Noct once more came up and then went under again. “So…” she said suddenly. “How are you two holding up?”“We’ve been good,” Prompto replied, smiling brightly. “Got to take Noct to see the Chocobos at Wiz’s place.”“Ooh. How did he do with Chocobos? I’m assuming that must’ve been different, right?”“Yeah. He was scared at first, but it seems Lizzy helped him to get over the fear,” he told her.“That’s good to know,” Luna said with a smile, before she turned serious. “How much longer do you have?”“After today, only two…” Prompto sighed, lowering his gaze. “I’m trying not to dwell on it, for his sake, but I know it’ll be difficult to keep our relationship going after he goes back…”“I can only imagine…” Luna murmured, before she smiled. “I’m sure it’ll work out in the end, though.”“I know, just hard to figure out how, though…”Just then, Noct came back up, and this time, he actually staid above the water for a moment more, wiping his hair out of his face.“Having fun?” Prompto asked, smiling at Noctis.Noctis smiled with a nod of his head, as he waited for the two blondes to catch up to him. Prompto chuckled as he paddled over, getting close enough to the raven to kiss his cheek again. Luna giggled as Noctis blinked curiously, before he returned the favor, not seeming to care that Luna was watching them. She couldn’t help but think they were really cute together.She hoped that they could find a way to stay together. After hours of just swimming around and having general fun, they were forced to get out before they’d end up turning into the prunes. Noctis seemed to be most resistant to it, but that wasn’t really unexpected. Once they’d dried off and redressed, the group of three walked around Altissia to enjoy themselves around town, munching on a light lunch as they went.And before they’d even noticed, it was already time for dinner. Which they had at the Leville together, before they each went their separate ways again. “Good night, boys. I’ll see you in the morning,” Luna said with a small wave.“See you in the morning, Luna,” Prompto smiled as he wrapped his arm around Noctis’ waist.“Good night,” Noctis repeated, waving as well as Luna headed to her own room.“Let’s go to our room,” Prompto murmured once his friend had gone into her room.“Okay,” the ex-Mer said as he followed after Prompto.Once they got to their room and had settled in the bed for the night, Prompto pressed himself close to Noctis, kissing him lovingly. Noctis hummed softly in confusion at the sudden kiss, but he didn’t protest as he kissed back with a soft hum.Prompto slowly wrapped his arms around Noctis’ waist, smoothing his hands up and down along the raven’s back as he kissed his boyfriend tenderly. However, the touch to his back immediately had Noct tensing, and he broke away to push at Prompto’s chest.“Noct… Trust me, I won’t hurt you,” Prompto whispered, a hurt note to his voice.Noctis looked up at Prompto, startled, before he frowned sadly. “I… I trust you… but…”“I love you so much, and I want to show you just how much you mean to me…” the blonde murmured.“I…” Noctis tried to talk, but his words got caught in his throat.Refusing to let this go, Prompto pulled Noctis close again, kissing at his neck sensually.“A-ah…!?” Noct choked out, before he feebly pushed at Prompto’s chest again. “Pr-Prom…!”“I want to make you feel good,” the blonde insisted, his breath ghosting hotly over Noctis’ pale skin.The ex-Mer choked as his fingers instinctively curled into Prompto’s shirt, before his bit his lip and tried, once again, to push Prompto away from him.However, the smaller male persisted, lapping at his boyfriend’s neck and suckling gently.“Pr-Prom… n-no… st-stop…” Noctis choked out, even though his body was instinctively responding to the stimulus.Prompto didn’t seem to hear him, though, as he continued his ministrations, trailing along to Noctis’ collarbone. His hands slid up and down along Noctis’ back sensually, slowly relaxing the tense muscles there.Whimpering from the back of his throat, Noctis’ entire frame trembled, but it wasn’t clear if it was because of pleasure or fear, or maybe a combination of the two. He couldn’t get any words out anymore, as his fingers helplessly clawed at Prompto’s shoulders, only managing to wail pathetically.Prompto softly shushed his boyfriend, kissing at Noctis’ throat now, and he slipped his hands beneath the raven’s shirt, still rubbing at his back.“Ahh!!” Noct gasped out, before he choked on a whimper. “Pr… Prom…!”“I love you so damn much,” the blonde growled softly, nipping at the pale skin of Noctis’ throat.Noct tried to speak – only to cry out as Prompto’s fingers pinched his nipple. “A-aahhh…!”Prompto shivered at the cry, feeling himself hardening in his underwear from the sounds Noctis was making. He was glad he’d chosen to go with just his boxer briefs as his bottoms tonight; that way things could go more smoothly. The smaller male then slid Noctis’ shirt up, exposing his stomach and chest, and he moved his head so he could tease the raven’s nipples, which he did by closing his lips around one.Noctis cried out at the tingling sensations that made his entire body tremble. The pleasure was almost suffocating him, and he whimpered as he tried to grab Prompto’s head, with every intention of pushing him away. But his body refused to do as his mind was telling it, and instead curled the fingers in Prompto’s hair, tugging and pulling as he whined.Prompto swirled his tongue sensually around the nipple in his mouth, humming pleasantly at the slightly salty taste.“Pr…Prom…” Noctis gasped out, eyelids flickering with his fingers clutching at Prom’s scalp as his back instinctively arched into the touch. And as Prom looked up, he spotted the now glowing violet irises staring out unseeing from under hooded lids.The blonde shivered at the glow in Noctis’ eyes, and even then, he continued to pleasure his boyfriend, switching to his other nipple while his hand teased the first. Noctis gave a pathetic wail as his fingers clawed at Prom’s scalp, the glow in his eyes growing more intense.Prompto finally released Noctis’ nipple, before trailing heated, wet kisses down his chest and stomach and to his pants line.A sliver of panic flashed across Noct’s face then, and he choked out what could’ve been Prompto’s name, as he tried to push at the blonde’s shoulders.“Sssh…” Prompto shushed softly, fingers trailing along the raven’s sides to the edge of his pants. “It’s alright… let me love you.”“N-no…!” Noct gasped out, and – with a sudden burst of power – shoved Prompto away from him and scampered back until he was almost at the edge of the bed, where he curled up swiftly. //No no no no no no…//Startled by the severe reaction, Prompto scooted over carefully. “Noct…” he whispered, reaching out and touching his shoulder.Noctis flinched at the touch and tried to scamper further away – only to yowl as he almost fell off the bed, if Prompto hadn’t grabbed him and pulled him up against himself. As he realized this, the former Mer tensed and began to try and push back against Prompto, but the blonde held vast despite his smaller frame.“Noct… it’s okay,” he shushed, beginning to plant gentle kisses along Noct’s face as he rubbed his back, repeating over and over that it was okay. Once he had calmed somewhat, he murmured: “I love you, Noct… I love you…”“Pr-Prom…” Noctis choked out, just before Prompto kissed him deeply. Whimpering, he tried to push Prompto away again, because he couldn’t do this… he couldn’t…!But then Prompto’s hand pressed down along his crotch and all thought was thrown out the proverbial window as he gasped and arched into the touch. Smiling into the kiss at the honest response from Noct’s body, Prompto moved his hand aa little firmer along his clothed manhood. As he nipped at Noct’s bottom lip, he moved his finger along his boyfriend’s cock, pressing firmly, which had Noct mewling and bucking into his touch.“Pr…om…!”“I love you, Noct,” Prompto whispered against his boyfriend’s lips, as he gently rolled Noct onto his back, never ceasing the movement of his hand along Noct’s hardening manhood. “I love you so… so much.”Noct tried to speak, to say no or even push him away, but every time he tried, Prompto touched him just so that all reason fled from his mind and the only things escaping his mouth were moans and whimpers of Prompto’s name. He couldn’t even muster a complaint when Prompto pulled back to tug off his shirt, only managing a low moan as the blonde suckled and licked at his nipples again, one by one.“Pro…om…”Prompto gently shushed him as he moved back temporarily to pull his own shirt off, before moving in and once again his way down Noct’s chest, licking along the pale skin, as one hand continued to rub and tease along his cock through the material of his pants. Noct’s hands were on his shoulders, and though they were pushing, they lacked the force they once had. And the fact that Noct was whimpering and moaning only served to urge Prompto on, licking the skin just above the hem of his pants.“I love you,” Prom murmured against Noct’s skin, the vibration of the words making Noct mewl softly. The smaller male moaned from the back of his throat as he worked on the button and zipper of Noct’s pants. Noctis whimpered and choked out a word he didn’t understood, in Mer, he believed, but whatever he said, he didn’t listen as he linked his fingers around the hem of his pants.“F…fyed…” Noct choked out, barely, switching to his own language instinctively as Prompto tugged the pants away. “Pr…om… h-hu… bmayca hu…”The words were alien to Prom, and so he didn’t react to them as he pulled the pants down to his thighs. And then, just as Noct’s fingers tightened around his shoulders, he moved and mouthed the raven’s half-hard cock through his underwear.Noctis almost howled at the surge of… he wasn’t sure what that was, but his body knew one thing for sure; it wanted more!“P-Prom…!” he managed to gasp out pathetically, his hands moving from Prompto’s shoulders to his head, nails dragging along the scalp.The blonde caught the hint of desperation in the single exclamation and he smiled softly, as he continued to place hot, open mouthed kissed along the clothed flesh. A groan of his own slipped out from his mouth as he felt the raven’s cock hardening further under his ministrations, until it was straining against the silk fabric. And with Noct’s fingers digging even harder into his scalp, pushing him further against him rather than away, he knew he had to move on.Moving back slightly, despite the pathetic whine coming from Noctis, Prom curled his fingers around the edge of his underwear, tugging it down and away as well. The sight of Noct’s heavy, throbbing cock, Prompto almost moaned, his mouth watering to the point where he fear he’d be openly drooling. So, after licking his lips (just to be sure he wasn’t), he opened his mouth wide and ducked his head down.Noct wasn’t sure what kind of noise he made then, but he was pretty sure it was not a sound he’d ever made as his body arched off the bed into the tight, wet heat of Prompto’s mouth. He also knew his eyes were open, and yet he couldn’t see anything. He felt his fingers coiling in Prompto’s hair, and his fingers curling against the mattress. Was he whining? He wasn’t sure, but he was making some sort of noise, for sure… but lord knows if he knew what it was; his brain wasn’t working as it should.Prompto, meanwhile, moaned helplessly at the combination of desperate tugging on his hair and the sounds Noct was making. The poor raven’s body was trembling and was no longer fighting against him, which allowed Prom to slip off the taller male’s pants and underwear fully, letting his fingers trail along the pale skin of his thighs, teasing gently. As Prom moved back slightly while licking along the base, Noct released a sound almost like a wail as his hips snapped up, nearly choking Prompto, but the blonde relaxed his throat as best as he could, letting his boyfriend fuck his face almost desperately.As he did, though, he reached down for his own pants and struggled to undo his own pants, shoving them off as fast as he could without actually pulling away from what he was doing. A choked moan (muffled as it was) escaped him as his own, by now painfully hard, erection was released from its restraining clothes. He gave himself a few quick, messy strokes to take the edge off (just a little), coating his fingers in the precum dripping from it, before he put his hands to Noct’s hips, pinning them to the bed, and then paused his movement, pulling away with a shameless plopping sound.“A…ah…?” Noct blinked wearily, trying to move to look at Prompto with his irises glowing a deep violet hue, but he could barely lift his head, let alone move his body. And when Prompto moved in to kiss him again, all he could do was mewl pathetically as his eyes slipped shut again, his arms curling around the blonde’s shoulders as he kissed him back, moaning at the subtle taste that Noct didn’t want to think on for too long.His head was screaming at him that this had to stop and that it had to stop now, but his body just wasn’t responding as it should. It wasn’t listening to anything other than its own instincts… that primal urge that demanded more…Groaning heavily into the kiss, Prompto moved his hands down Noctis’ sides, rubbing his thumbs along the sharp hipbones, to ease his boyfriend’s nerves further. And only when Noct moaned heavily into his mouth, arching up into the slight teasing touches to his thighs did he reach for the raven’s cock, curling his fingers around the throbbing flesh.Noct wailed as he broke away from the kiss, gasping out what almost sounded like the blonde’s name, but it broke before the first syllable had left his mouth. And as Prompto began to move his fingers firmly but slowly, he choked on a cry as his hips snapped up instinctively, indistinguishable words tumbling from his mouth as he bumped into Prompto, making the blonde groan at the sensation.“F-fuck… N-Noct…” Prompto gasped out, ducking his head to bite and nip along throat. Noctis whined at the nips, tilting his head to the side to give him more room to work with, while his nails dragged along the blonde’s back. Moaning at the scratching and the by now almost constant bucking from Noct’s hips, Prompto finally let his other hand slip down, still coated in precum, and slowly pressed forward, forcing his eyes to open and watch Noct for any discomfort.“Aaah!” Noct’s eyes snapped open at the prod, and his body tensed briefly, but because Prom was still rubbing along his flesh and suckling on his throat, the sound quickly turned into a wanton moan, as his eyes slipped shut halfway, irises flickering between blue and violet like a strobe light.When he was sure Noct was okay, Prom slipped the finger further in, listening carefully to any sounds of discomfort. But Noct was moaning and whimpering, the words sounding jumbled and unintelligible. In fact, he even pushed up his legs and moved them further apart, arching into the probing finger, and all the more when Prom slipped the second in.“Pr…Prom… bmayca… hu suna… E… E lyhhud…” he choked out, as Prom scissored his fingers gently, just before he pressed in deeper and he cried out, arching up, eyes wide and unseeing. “A-ah…?!”Smirking softly, Prom repeated the motion again, and Noct mewled pathetically, bucking almost desperately, a jumble of unintelligible words slipping from his throat, and his entire body trembled as his nails dragged along Prom’s back harshly.Once he was sure the raven was ready, he pulled his hands away and moved closer, turning Noct’s head and kissing him deeply as he lifted one of his legs by the knee.“Just relax, Noct… it’s okay…” he breathed against his lips as he settled there.“H-hu… Prom…” Noct moaned heavily, nails digging into the blonde’s shoulders. “Bmayca… cd…cdub…”“I love you, Noct…” Prom whispered against his lips, before he moved in.Noctis choked on what could’ve been a scream, but it came out garbled and completely unrecognizable, as his body tensed so sharply that it was a miracle he didn’t pull a muscle. ‘N-no…! N-no no… a-ah…!’Prompto groaned as he held as still as possible, for Noct’s sake, despite how his body demanded he start moving into the tight heat surrounding his cock. He had to bite his lip to keep his head screwed on straight, before he opened his eyes and looked at his boyfriend… and was shocked to see tears gathering in the paler man’s eyes, a choked sob escaping him as his body trembled. He shushed the raven gently when he began to gasp for breath, tears rolling down his cheeks, and then began kissing him along his face to lick them up and murmuring soft words of comfort and taking hold of one hand firmly, rubbing his thumb along the side.Once he had managed to calm down, Prompto smiled softly at his boyfriend, kissing him again, before he slowly – so slowly – began to move. Noct gave a sound akin to a mewl at the movement, squeezing his eyes shut as he continued to gasp for air, clawing at Prom’s back while the other clung tightly to Prom’s. But then Prompto shifted his angle (just slightly), and his eyes shot open with a cry of pleasure, irises alight as the pupils contracted to mere pinpricks of black in a sea of violet.“Pr-Prompto…!” he got out amidst his gasps, and Prompto groaned at the desperation in Noct’s voice. “Ykyeh… bmayca… ykyeh…!”Though he didn’t understand the words, the desperation behind it, and the pull along his back from Noct’s arm was enough of a hint to Prompto. So, after nodding once, he began to move faster, striking the raven’s ‘feel good’ spot over and over again.Noctis cried and moaned as pleasure rushed up his spinal cord, his body arching in tandem with Prompto against his will. He wasn’t even sure what he was saying (if he was saying anything, at all), but it didn’t matter. Especially when Prompto reached out and began to stroke him in time with his thrusts, making him want to scream in pleasure, but his voice cracked and broke off, his nails tearing through the skin of Prompto’s back. He recognized the feeling coiling in the pit of his stomach, and he tried to warn Prompto, but it didn’t work out that way. He barely got out a strangled cry, just before his release hit him, hard.Prompto choked as the raven tightened around him, and he whimpered at the sound, barely managing two more thrusts before his own release hit him, filling up his boyfriend.Noctis gasped at the heat filling him, and he gave a small, pitiful whine… before his eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp, arm slipping off from Prompto’s shoulders and his fingers unclenching from around his hand.Prompto pulled out carefully, hoping he hadn't hurt the raven, before pulling Noctis close to him as he settled back down in the bed. He kissed Noctis' forehead tenderly, whispering: "I love you..." to him before falling asleep after pulling the blanket over them. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Once morning arrived, Prompto was the first to wake, and he wasn’t too surprised to find Noctis still fast asleep in his arms. However, he knew they needed to get up for breakfast, so he tucked his head into the raven’s pale throat, nuzzling him gently.“Noct…time to wake up,” he murmured.Noctis groaned softly at the words, shivering slightly, as he struggled against awareness. It was quite clear that he had NO desire to wake up.“Come on, Noct. We need to get some food,” the blonde whispered, moving his head and kissing his boyfriend’s chin.“…nnngh…” The ex-Mer groaned in annoyance, before he slowly blinked his eyes open. “…wha…?”“Good morning, Noct,” Prompto smiled softly in greeting.“…mor…ning…?” Noct mumbled, a hint of confusion in his gaze, as if he wasn’t aware where he was.“Yup. We need to get dressed after a shower, and then get some breakfast,” Prompto chuckled.“…” Noct blinked sleepily for a moment, before he groaned and rubbed at his eyes, grumbling in annoyance… before he suddenly froze and his eyes snapped open as something suddenly dawned on him. “…!”“What’s wrong?” Prompto asked worriedly.//…oh god… no…!// he choked out, covering his mouth as the little color he had drained from his face. He began to tremble then, choking out things in Mer so fast that Prom couldn’t differentiate one word from the next.“What…what’s wrong, Noct?” the smaller male frowned, now very concerned for the raven.But Noct didn’t appear to have heard him, as tears began to gather in the corners of his eyes.“Noct…?” Prompto whispered, reaching up and placing a hand on his cheek.The moment his hand touched him, though, Noct’s gaze snapped up in alarm – before it hardened and he abruptly slapped the hand aside, shouting: “DON’T TOUCH ME!!”Immediately, Prompto’s expression was incredibly hurt as he withdrew his hand, not understanding.“Why… Why did you… I told you STOP!! Why did you… WHY!?” Noctis demanded, his eyes flaring from blue to violet – and then brightening further to border on red.“Noct… I…I’m sorry… I just…” the blonde mumbled, pulling away.“Just WHAT?! How hard to understand ‘NO’!?” Noctis demanded, his tears slipping out from his eyes as he shouted.“…I wanted to show you how much I love you…” Prompto whimpered, tears of his own beginning to form.Noctis watched him for a moment, his eyes flickering briefly, as if he was calming down… but no. “…that your excuse?!” he hissed icily.“I’m so sorry, Noct…” Prompto whispered.Noct bit his lip sharply, then, stopping himself from saying anything else, before he rolled out of bed and, without looking back, snagged up his clothes, after which he almost sprinted to the bathroom. Before Prompto could say anything else, the door was slammed shut, and then clicked into the lock.Once he was inside, Prompto shuddered heavily as he inhaled deeply…right before a heart-wrenching sob escaped him. And it wasn’t the last one; he laid himself down again, burying his face in the pillow as he cried, feeling like his heart was being crushed in his ribcage. He didn’t want to lose Noctis… especially over something like this…But it looked like he might just… Little did Prompto know, though, that Noctis was on the verge of crying as well, biting back sobs as he leaned against the door, his entire frame shuddering as he squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears at bay. However, they kept slipping out from under his lids, and his breathing was starting to pick up, too.The raven tried to take several deep breaths, to keep himself calm (which wasn’t working), as he dropped his clothes on the ground and moved to the shower. He didn’t even wait for the water to heat up as he stepped in, before he lowered himself down to his knees, settling on the ground under the spray.‘Why…?’ Noctis’ breath picked up as his thoughts wandered, salty tears rolling down his cheeks, washed away by the water of the shower. ‘Why did this have to happen…? Why? I was… we were… doing so well… Why…? Why was it not enough…? Why…?’ Eventually, Prompto managed to stop crying, though he still sniffled as he got dressed, feeling like a complete ass. He had never intended to hurt Noctis, and didn’t realize the raven would be so angry and hurt by what he had done. Sighing shakily, he ordered them some breakfast, forcing himself to put up the cheerful facade, and then decided he should try to get Noctis out of the bathroom so the raven could eat.Knocking on the door, he called: “Noct…? Breakfast is going to be up soon… And I know you need to eat…”“…” No response came from the bathroom, though. In fact the only thing he could hear was the running water of the shower, and nothing else.“Noct?” Prompto called, a bit louder this time.“…”“Noct…I don’t know what else to say other than I’m so so SO sorry… I never, ever intended to upset you last night, and I don’t want to lose you, especially not like this… We only have today and tomorrow until you have to go back… Can we please make up, somehow…?” Prompto pleaded against the door, hoping his boyfriend would hear him.“…go away…”“Noct, please…I’m truly sorry…” Prompto whimpered.“…leave me alone…”“Okay…” Prompto sighed miserably, stepping away from the door and giving Noctis some space. He just hoped they could get through this… When Noctis was sure the human was away from the door, he took a deep breath and pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping them around the knees as he’d often done with his tail when he was upset at one thing or another. But this was so much worse than any of the times before. None of those times had any real consequences… not ones that would come to haunt him later on. This did, though, and as the realization of this hit him (and hit him hard), he buried his face in his knees, sobbing quietly.‘What am I going to do…? I… I can’t… I can’t do this… I can’t…’ Then there was a knock at their room door, so Prompto went and answered it, discovering their breakfast had arrived. He quietly thanked the hotel worker, closed the door, and then set the tray on the bed before trying to get Noctis out of the bathroom again.“Noct…? Breakfast is here…” he called softly.There was no response, though; the only sound that could be heard from beyond the door was that of the shower running… initially.Concerned, Prompto pressed his ear to the door. As he listened carefully, he could hear soft, muffled sobs, hidden mostly by the sound of the shower running. Instantly, immense guilt pierced through Prompto’s heart. He never wanted this to happen…Worried about his boyfriend, Prompto grabbed a coin from his pocket and stuck it into the wedge of the lock to try and unlock it from the outside. Finally, with a bit of patience, he managed it, and opened the door.The first thing he noticed was that it was shockingly cold in the room. Noct had clearly not turned the warm water on when stepping into the shower. Because of that, it didn’t take long for Prompto to spot the raven… sitting against the wall with his legs pulled up to his chest and his head buried into his knees.“Noct…?” Prompto called softly, not wanting to anger the raven further.“…!” Noct tensed in alarm at the call, but he refused to look up. If anything, he tucked his head even further in his knees.“I’m honestly, truly sorry… I don’t want to lose you, especially like this…” Prompto murmured, taking a couple of steps closer.“…j…just go away…”“Noct… I can’t… Knowing it’s my fault you’re this angry with me…it hurts so bad, and I never wanted to hurt you…”Noct didn’t say anything in response; though he did try to stifle a whimper against his knee. Which didn’t work as well as he’d hoped.“Noct… what can I do to make this a little better?” Prompto asked, despair in his voice.Noct didn’t speak. He only shook his head briefly, mumbling something in Mer that Prom didn’t catch.“Noct… you’re going to freeze to death if you continue to sit under the cold water like that…” Prompto murmured, going over and turning off the shower. “You need to eat, or else you’ll starve, too… Please come eat…”“…I don’t want any…” the Mer whispered without looking up.“But…”“…just leave me alone…”“Noct, I already told you, I can’t. Not when it’s my fault you’re this upset…”“…please just… just leave me a… alone…” the raven choked out amidst his barely contained sobs.“I won’t…”The raven didn’t say anything else. He did, however, start to tremble as his grip on his knees tightened considerably.“Here,” Prompto said softly, grabbing a bath towel and carefully placing it over Noctis’s shoulder. “You’re going to freeze at this rate…”“…” Noct refused to speak or even look up, though he did huddle under the towel a little bit.“Noct… What can I do, other than leave you alone?” the blonde asked quietly as he sat on the toilet lid.“…nothing…” Noct whimpered out. //…nothing… can’t do anything… nothing can be done… nothing… nothing…//Biting his lip nervously, Prompto then got up and quickly stepped into the shower, carefully seating himself behind Noctis and gently pulling him close, pressing his forehead against the raven’s back between his shoulder blades.Gasping in surprise, Noct tensed in alarm, before he tried to break free. “L-let…go…!”“I’m just trying to comfort you, Noct…” Prompto murmured, not letting go.Noct whimpered as he tried to get out of the hold, but he was just too exhausted from all of his crying earlier.“Noct, I’m so sorry… I never intended to hurt you…” Prompto whispered, tears beginning to flow from his own eyes as well.Eventually, Noctis stopped struggling, but he still refused to look up or turn around to face the blonde.“I understand that you’re mad at me… But I can’t afford to lose you… Not like this…”“…”“I can’t stand it if you were to go back home…and you’re still this mad at me… I would understand…but it would break me, Noct…”Noctis didn’t say anything in response, his body still trembling, as his hand curled into a fist against the tiles.After that, Prompto remained quiet, simply holding Noctis, despite his own soft sobs into the raven’s back.“…why…?”“…I don’t have a good reason, other than I wanted to love you physically…” the blonde breathed. “It’s a shit reason, I know…”“…why was not enough what we had? …why?”“I…wanted to make our time together special and memorable, you know?” Prompto sighed shakily, hoping he wouldn’t upset his boyfriend further.“…” Noct merely breathed heavily for a few moments, before he hiccupped. “…I can’t… go back…”“But… What about your time limit? Don’t get me wrong, I’d love for you to stay, but I don’t want you to get in trouble or be in danger…” the smaller male frowned slightly, holding Noctis a little closer.“…can’t… I-I need to… but I can’t… I can’t… I can’t…”“You need to go home, though… Your father’s worried about you, and I’ll bet all of your friends miss you…” Prompto whispered, nuzzling Noctis’ back gently.“…but… I can’t…” Noct choked out, as he slipped his hand around, to rest along his stomach, trembling.“Why not?” Prompto asked softly.“…can’t… I… I can’t…” Noct choked out, his trembling growing more profound as another sob escaped him.“Noct… I’m so sorry…”The raven in his arms didn’t respond; he only whimpered as he curled up even further (if that was even possible), quiet sobs escaping his throat.Finally, Prompto let go of Noctis, before gently turning him around and pulling him in for a proper hug. For a moment, Noct looked like he was about to push away again… but in the end he took in a shuddering breath and broke down, bawling into the blonde’s chest. Prompto merely held Noctis close, rubbing his back and soothing him as best as he could.After what felt like hours, but what was really just a few minutes, Noct finally calmed down enough to stop crying. However, he never once removed his hand from where it rested along his stomach. Not wanting to upset him further, however, Prompto never once questioned him about it. In his mind, it could be just something Mer do, and he wasn’t about to question that.Even though Noct’d stopped crying, though, the man refused to say a word, or even lift his head. Taking his chances now, the smaller male lightly tightened his grip on Noctis, simply keeping him close. And while the Mer didn’t say anything, he didn’t move away from the blonde’s hold.“Noct…? Would you like me to get our breakfast?” Prompto finally asked gently, resisting the urge to nuzzle Noctis’ cheek.“…dun wan…”“You need to eat though, Noct,” the blonde whispered, giving in and resting his chin on the raven’s head.“…” Noctis bit his lip, before he sighed heavily and slowly nodded his head once.“Good,” Prompto smiled. “I’ll go prepare some fresh clothes while you dry off, okay?”A nod was his only response.Hesitantly, Prompto slowly let go of Noctis, before getting to his feet and leaving the bathroom to retrieve his boyfriend’s clothes, keeping the door open just in case. It took a few moments, but, finally, Noct walked out of the room, keeping his gaze aimed at the floor and keeping the towel secured around his waist.The smaller male exhaled quietly in relief when he did, before going over to him with his clothes. “Let’s get you dressed, hmm?” he murmured, smoothing his hands over Noctis’ arms soothingly.Noct almost jumped back entirely, but he managed to hold back, though he still refused to look up.“I’m so sorry, Noct…” Prompto whispered, noticing the restrained jump as his gaze saddened. “I… I hope that somehow… you can forgive me, even if it takes time…”“……” Noct didn’t speak up. He merely stood there as he got dressed slowly.The blonde sighed miserably, the guilt of the situation hitting him once again, hard. Instead of speaking any more, however, he grabbed their breakfast tray, and set it on the bed so Noctis could at least eat his fill on the bed. As an afterthought, he snagged his phone so he could text Luna and tell her that today wasn’t exactly a good day, and that Noctis and himself were going to stay in for the day.As Noctis ate quietly, he still refused to look up… or remove his hand from his stomach.Finally, since Prompto was becoming more worried about the raven, he paused in his text to Luna and asked: “Noct? Does your stomach hurt?”“…” Noct quietly shook his head.“…Then how come you have your hand on your stomach like that?”“……”“Sorry, I won’t pry…” the smaller male mumbled, as he didn’t want to further upset Noctis.Whether Noctis appreciated the thought or not wasn’t entirely clear. He just ate in silence, his bangs effectively hiding his eyes. Sighing shakily, Prompto finished typing out his text to Luna, and then sent it, before moving to sit by Noctis.As he did, Noctis still refused to look up, as he finished off his breakfast in total silence.Sighing quietly, Prompto then decided to tuck into his own breakfast, even though he really wasn’t hungry at the moment. Noct, of course, didn’t respond as he scooted back and rolled over onto the bed, facing away from Prompto.As Prompto ate, he hoped Noctis would eventually forgive him, especially before they had to part ways when the raven returned home. When the blonde finished his breakfast, finally, Noctis was still lying on his side, completely unmoving.Prompto was sorely tempted to lie with Noctis, just to comfort him, but had a strong feeling his boyfriend wouldn’t like it. Sighing shakily, he remained where he was.As he sat there, though, he picked up a quiet humming sound, coming from the ex-Mer. Prompto perked up, listening carefully and as he slowly turned to Noct, the humming shifted into quiet singing, but it was different from all of the other songs Noct had sung until then.The smaller male frowned sadly as he listened. As he watched his boyfriend, though, he realized that, even as he sang, Noct kept his hand placed upon his stomach. The blonde wasn’t sure why Noctis kept his hand on his stomach like that, but had a feeling that if he asked, he’d either get silence or he’d upset Noctis further.Eventually, the song seemed to end, but instead of leaving it at that, Noctis began the song again.“…Noct…? Can we talk?” Prompto finally asked quietly.Noct stopped singing almost immediately, but he didn’t speak right after, nor did he turn to face Prompto. “…what about?”“About last night…”“…don’t wanna…”“I’m honestly sorry about it, though… And I want you to know that,” Prompto sighed.“…what that going to change?” Noct murmured.“What?”“…won’t change… I can’t… if I go… I…”“What will happen if you go home, Noct…?”“…” Noct shook his head as he curled up into himself. “Drao femm dyga res yfyo vnus sa… E lyhhud…”“Noct…”Noct didn’t seem to have heard him, as he instead curled up into a ball, continuing to mumble in Mer almost endlessly.Furrowing his brows in concern, Prompto reached out, and pulled Noctis close, hugging him in a comforting manner. While Noctis tensed at the hug initially, he didn’t pull away, though he refused to turn around.Feeling a stab of guilt, Prompto placed one of his hands over Noctis’ stomach, trying to help him. This actually had Noct freezing up entirely and he even stopped mumbling. Before Prompto could say anything, though, Noct’s fingers slowly moved to rest over his, trembling.The blonde lightly tightened his grip on Noctis, and murmured, “I love you, no matter what.”“…I know…” Noct breathed out, his fingers curling around Prompto’s.Prompto merely held Noctis close, not saying anything more.“…Prompto…?”“Hmm?”“…sorry…”“It’s okay, Noct,” Prompto murmured.There was no immediate response from Noct. After a few moments more, though, he entwined his hand with Prompto’s. And Prompto smiled softly at the gesture, pleased.After what felt like ages, Noct then took hold of Prompto’s other hand with his other hand and held it firmly, pressing it close as his body trembled subtly.“Shhh…” Prompto gently shushed his boyfriend, attempting to calm him down.Noctis took a trembling breath… but halfway it broke into a choked hiccup.“Hey…it’s going to be okay,” Prompto soothed, pulling Noctis a bit closer while lightly tightening his grip on the raven.But Noct shook his head swiftly, disagreeing silently as he brought Prom’s fingers to his mouth. Wondering what Noctis was up to, Prompto let him do as he pleased. Which wasn’t even much; he merely pressed a kiss along the digits… and that was it.“I love you,” Prompto whispered.“…love you, too…” Noct whispered, his hot breath ghosting over Prom’s fingers.This drew a small shiver from the blonde, but he remained still, for Noctis’ sake. Noct didn’t seem aware of it. Or if he was, he didn’t show it.“…Are you still mad at me, Noct…?” Prompto finally dared to ask.“…yes,” Noct admitted.This caused the smaller male to sigh heavily, but he didn’t say anything else.“…but…”“Hmm?”“…don’t hate you…”Prompto felt a bit of relief at the words, before hugging Noctis a bit closer.The Mer closed his eyes as he laid there, trying to keep his breathing even despite his turbulent thoughts. And as he laid there in silence and thought, he slowly realized that no one had to know this had happened. If he played this right, no one would know…He just had to plan this properly… because he was NOT going to give up what he knew was already forming within him. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Noct wasn’t sure if he’d dozed off or if he just closed his eyes to think for a few minutes, but when he opened his eyes again, the once firm grip Prompto had had on him had slackened, and the deep, even breathing against the back of his neck indicated that the blonde was asleep. When this knowledge hit him, Noct realized that this was a good time.Carefully, he moved Prompto’s arms away from him and then scooted off the bed, taking care not to wake his boyfriend. He had to fix this before the blonde woke up and could figure out what was wrong.So, as quietly as possible, Noctis moved toward the door, where he tugged on his shoes. Once he had them secured and he looked (mostly) presentable, he walked out the door, closing it softly behind him. He didn’t need Prompto finding him early, and while he knew he couldn’t open the door without Prompto’s help, it was fine. He’d just wait in the… it was called the lobby, was it?… he’d wait there when he was ready to go back up.When Noctis arrived in the lobby, it was, thankfully, mostly vacant. That was good; because he certainly didn’t feel like talking to anyone.“Noctis?”Upon the call, Noctis froze and bit back a groan at the call. He knew he couldn’t ignore it, too, because he’d already been spotted. So, he took a deep breath and turned around from where he had been on the verge of opening the door.“Luna,” he said as the blonde woman walked over.Luna smiled at the greeting, before she turned serious/worried. “Where are you going? I thought you and Prompto were staying in today…”Noct didn’t answer immediately, as he tried to keep his expression neutral. And at the same time, he was cursing at Prompto for somehow getting that message to Luna. After almost a minute he was able to get the proper words he needed out.“Just… need some air…” he said, speaking slowly so that he gave off the impression like he was trying to find the proper words, so that, hopefully, she’d leave him be. He needed the space right now.“Oh, I see… do you want me to go with you?”“No!” The word was out before he could stop it and he tensed sharply before he corrected himself. “N-no… no, is okay… I… not take long.”Noct didn’t give Luna the time to reply to those words, as he turned and swiftly exited the hotel. And the second he came to the streets he took off running. He had no doubt that Luna would go to inform Prompto that he’d left alone. Which meant he had only a short while to do what he had to before Prompto caught up to him.‘I have to hurry… have to hurry before…!’ Despite the fact that Prompto was fast asleep, mostly due to his anxieties with Noct, when there was a knock on the room door he was awake almost instantly. And as awareness caught up to him and he looked around, he came to the realization that Noctis wasn’t with him anymore.“Noct?” he called out, but, as he’d kind of expected, there was no answer. Then the knock on the door sounded again, and he frowned before getting up and answering it. And when he opened it, he was a little surprised to see Luna in the doorway. “Hey Luna. What’s up?”Luna gave his slightly disheveled appearance and red-rimmed eyes one quick look, before she focused back on her reason for being there and said: “Prom, I just ran into Noctis leaving the hotel alone. Did he tell you he was?”“What?! No, I just woke up, and he wasn’t in bed with me! Did he say where he was going?” Prompto asked worriedly.“No, I asked, but he just said he was going to get some air.”“I have a feeling I know where he went,” Prompto murmured, before he looked at Luna again. “I’ll go look for him, I just need to grab my shoes.”“Okay… do you want me to go with you?” Luna asked, even though she knew what he was going to say.“No, that’s okay,” was the almost immediate response as Prompto hopped into his shoes, grabbed his hotel key and then walked out. “I think it’s better if I did this alone. Sorry to bother you, Luna.”“Don’t worry; just go.”Prompto nodded swiftly, before he took off running. And knowing Noct, he’d probably be at the docks, possibly to see his friend (if they were around).He just hoped he’d still be at the same dock as usual… Noctis wasn’t sure how long he’d been walking, but by the time he’d manage to locate one of the docks (one he’d never been to before), his stomach was already roiling and he knew what was coming. Somehow he managed to keep his discomfort from showing on his face as he ducked through the alleyways and settled upon the dock’s edge. Breathing deeply now, with his hand on his stomach, he closed his eyes in an attempt to keep his expression as neutral as possible.Once he was sure he’d be able to keep himself in check, he opened his eyes and let out a small whistling sound from the back of his throat.He didn’t let the sound draw out too long, because he didn’t want Prompto to find him too early, and afterward, he waited.It took a while, but finally, something broke through the water’s surface. However, as Noctis locked onto the source, he blinked and then frowned in question.//Drautos…?////Your Highness,// the Mer said in solemn greeting.//Where’s Ignis and Gladio?// Noct asked immediately, eyes narrowed in question and slight worry.//I apologize, Your Highness, they are back at the castle,// Drautos said with a small inclination of his head. //They were requested to watch over your father.//Immediately, panic hit the Mer and his eyes went wide in alarm as the news registered properly. //With Father…? Why? What happened, Drautos?! Is he--////Please, calm yourself, Your Highness,// Drautos urged solemnly. //Your father is alive… but the Wyf’s activities have increased over the course of the last week. They have been attempting to break through the Wall almost continuously. The Wall holds… but I cannot say for how long.//Noctis wasn’t sure how he was supposed to calm himself down. His father was suffering in keeping the Wall up to protect Insomnia and here he was worrying about his own problems. As troubling as those were, they paled in comparison to what his father was going through now.//…is he alright?// Noctis asked finally.//Yes, Your Highness,// Drautos said firmly, and this made Noct relax (minutely).//Good… that’s good…// Noctis murmured, settling a little better on his knees.As he sat there, though, his thoughts wandered as his fingers curled in the material of his shirt, and worry again filled his mind. He knew this had to be said before he returned to Insomnia, so that they could properly prepare a plan, but he’d rather discuss this with Ignis, because the sandy blonde was always quick to come up with good plans. But with Ignis aiding his father at the castle, there was little he could do about that…Meaning he only one option…//Drautos.////Yes, Your Highness?////…can I trust you?////Yes, of course, Your Highness.//His stomach was rolling almost violently now. He couldn’t waste any more time…//…I need you to get a message to Ignis… and my father.// “Noct!!” Prompto shouted as he ran along the docks, ignoring the dirty looks he was getting from people; he was well beyond caring. “Noct! Where are you?!”He’d been hoping to find the Mer at the dock where they’d always met before he’d traded his tail for legs, but when he hadn’t found him there, he’d gone to the dock where Ravus said he’d found him. Unfortunately, that one had been empty as well, which left Prompto with no real idea where he could possibly be. Sure, the docks was an obvious hint… and it’d be a lot easier to go off of that if Altissia wasn’t located in the middle of the sea!!Prompto’s mind was a frantic mess, though he tried so very hard to hold it in. He was pretty sure Noct couldn’t have just left Altissia, but the possibility still existed. What if he’d already turned back and had gone home without telling him? He certainly hoped not, but if that was the case, he wasn’t sure what he’d do… because he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he couldn’t make up to Noct somehow…He didn’t want there to be bad blood between them; even if they ended up never seeing each other again, he wanted them to part amicably, with little to no regrets if at all possible. But if he couldn’t find him, he would never be able to set things right again…“Noct!!” he yelled again, feeling the familiar burn of panicked tears behind his eyes as he ran further and further into Altisia. “Come on, where are you?!”By the time an hour of frantically running back and forth had passed, Prompto just so happened to catch a sound that he recognized; that of Noct speaking Mer. And Prompto, with his curiosity piqued, walked over to the source of the sound rather than rushing over, wondering who Noctis was speaking with.As he peeked around the corner, he quickly took notice of Noctis almost immediately, sitting on the dock on his knees, speaking in a hushed voice to what had to be another Mer. One that wasn’t Ignis or Gladio. And this one held himself far differently from either of the others Prompto had met. In fact, he somewhat acted as if Noct was a commanding officer of some sort.As Prompto watched them, he started to get the faint idea that Noctis wasn’t just a normal Mer. He had to be very important if this other Mer seemed to be listening like Noctis was in charge of… well, everything.Finally, the other Mer bowed his head with what was likely parting words, as Noctis nodded once. And then the Mer dived under water and was gone, leaving Noctis alone at the docks.And still, his hand was placed along his stomach.Prompto sighed internally, wondering just what their conversation was about. Whatever it had been, though, it seemed to have been weighing on Noct’s mind heavily. He didn’t get long to figure it out, though, as just then, Noct gave a short cry and curled up on himself, hands clawing at his stomach as he whined in pain.“Noct? You okay?” Prompto called out worriedly when he saw and heard this.Upon the call, Noct tensed sharply, whipping around toward Prompto. However, before he could say anything, he hissed as he curled up again.“Noct, what’s wrong?” the blonde asked gently, going over to the raven.The Mer shook his head quickly, whimpering, with his fingers curling into his shirt.“Shhh… It’s okay, Noct, just relax…” Prompto soothed, carefully wrapping his arms around Noctis in a comforting manner.Noct whined pathetically, as he reached out with one hand to hold onto Prompto’s, while at the same time trying to move into the hug better.“I’m here, it’s okay now…” the smaller male murmured, lightly pulling Noctis closer. He’d expected Noct to pull away, but the Mer didn’t so much as flinch, for which he was grateful. But at the same time, it worried the blonde. If Noct was in such pain that he didn’t mind the intrusion of his personal space after last night, what kind of pain was he actually going through?For a long time, that was how they stayed, and Noctis took several heavy breaths in an attempt to get himself back together. That, however, was not an easy thing to do…“Just try and relax, Noct… Easier said than done, but I know you can do it,” the blonde whispered.Noctis nodded shakily, his hand clenching on Prompto’s as the fingers of his other hand continued to claw at his clothed stomach. And Prompto remained quiet after that, merely holding Noctis close before pressing a chaste kiss to the raven’s temple, praying that this was okay.Thankfully, it seemed to be, since Noctis didn’t react aversely to it.Finally, Noct was able to breathe easy, and his grip on Prompto’s hand slackened until he was merely holding it gently.“Better?” Prompto asked softly, holding the raven close and rubbing one of his hands over the raven’s shoulder.“…” Noct nodded his head quietly, shutting his eyes with a soft exhalation.Glad that Noct seemed to be okay with him being there again, he breathed a little easier. Despite this, however, he waited for a while longer before speaking again.“Who was that you were talking to?” he inquired finally, once he was sure Noct was completely with them talking again.“…mm? …oh… Drautos…”“Is he a friend of yours? Like Gladio and Ignis?”“…no…”“Then who is he?” the smaller male frowned, curious about the connection between his boyfriend and this new Mer.“…works for Father…”“Oh? Just who are you in the Mer realm, Noct?” Prompto finally asked, hoping not to upset his boyfriend.“…?” At that question, Noct looked up with a small frown. “What you mean…?”“You’re really important there, huh?” the blonde guessed.“…” Noct didn’t answer that immediately, before he lowered his head and rested it against Prompto’s neck. “…don’t wanna talk ‘bout it…”“Okay… But will you sometime? When you’re ready?” Prompto asked quietly, lightly tightening his grip on Noctis.“…yeah…”“Thank you,” he whispered, kissing the raven’s temple softly. “Wanna go back to the hotel?”The Mer thought on that for a moment, before he shook his head. “…dun… wanna go back yet…”“We can stay here for a bit, then,” Prompto smiled softly, nuzzling Noctis’ neck.“…thank you…” Noct murmured, scooting closer to Prompto.As they sat there, Noctis breathed softly, but despite what he knew would be coming, he felt better than he had upon awakening that morning. Because it would all work out fine; once Ignis knew what was going on, he could inform who he deemed needed for the task (and his father, of course), and they could make this work.It would be okay… it would definitely be okay… As the sun set hours later, Drautos finally reached his destination, and he wasn’t surprised at the two figures waiting for his return. He didn’t bother to wait for them to speak up and ask what had happened before he spoke up. “Seems the young prince will be able to pay your mistress when he returns, still.”“Hihihihi!/Hehehehe!”“This is good news~”“Good news this is~”Drautos merely snorted at the almost cheery cries, but he still waited for them to cease their celebrating before speaking again. “If you’ve time to celebrate, then inform your mistress to prepare for tomorrow.”“You are right.”“Right you are.”The two of them looked at each other, before exclaiming: “To the sorceress, we must!/We must, to the sorceress!”As the two figures left again, Drautos merely watched them go, before he soundlessly swam away again. He had a mission to do, after all. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Prompto’s alarm went off the following morning, Noctis groaned from where he was cuddled up against the blonde human, before he cracked open one eye. After a moment more, he slowly pushed up, rubbing at his eyes with a small whine. Prompto groaned softly as well, before blindly reaching over and turning off the alarm. Once the sound had stopped, he opened his eyes to look at Noctis.“Good morning, Noct,” he smiled softly.“…mm… morning…” Noct mumbled sleepily.“How’s your stomach?” Prompto asked in concern, remembering the pain his boyfriend had been in yesterday.Placing a hand on his stomach, Noct held it there for a moment, before he nodded his head softly. “…it’s good…”“Good,” Prompto smiled gently, leaning in and kissing Noctis’ lips softly, before pulling away and nuzzling his throat affectionately. And while Noctis didn’t immediately respond to the gesture, in the end he sighed softly and nuzzled his head along Prompto’s shoulder, breathing quietly as if he was taking it all in.“I won’t do anything more, I swear,” came the soothing voice from his neck.“…I know…”“I love you, Noct,” Prompto whispered.“…” There was a moment of silence that followed those words, before Noctis smiled, which Prompto felt against his own neck, and the Mer murmured: “…I… love you, too…“Thank you,” Prompto breathed, before, regretfully, pulling back. “We should get up and eat…”“…yeah…” Noct agreed quietly.“Anything in particular sound good this morning?” Prompto inquired, smiling lightly.At those words, Noctis frowned in thought, as he moved his bangs out of his eyes. Finally, though, he said: “…pancakes?”At that, Prompto laughed. “Sure, Noct, we can absolutely do pancakes,” he chuckled.The chuckle made Noctis tilt his head. It was quite clear he didn’t understand what was so funny.“I just didn’t expect you to suggest something like that,” the blonde explained, noticing the head tilt.“…?”“It’s something simple, is all,” Prompto smiled, kissing Noctis briefly.“…simple is good… right…?”“In this case, it really is,” Prompto chuckled.Noct frowned lightly in question, but he said nothing more on the matter.“Here, I’ll order breakfast, and you can hang here, or get dressed, either way,” Prompto offered.Noctis nodded softly, and he sat there to consider his options for a bit as Prompto moved to the phone. Finally, though, he stood up and picked up some clothes before he moved to get changed.Meanwhile, Prompto placed their order, politely thanking the employee on the other end of the line before hanging up. “It should be up soon,” he smiled at Noctis.“Kay,” Noctis said with a nod as he pulled his shirt on. Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Prompto answered it, thanking the hotel employee for delivering their food before taking it and closing the door.“Here we go,” the blonde told his boyfriend, smiling as he set the tray on their bed.Noctis smiled softly as he moved over, sitting down across from Prompto. Once they were both seated, Prompto pulled the covers off of their plates, inhaling deeply the warm scent of the pancakes.“Good call on pancakes this morning, Noct. They smell amazing, and I bet they’ll taste just as great.”“Yeah…” Noct smiled softly as he picked up his utensils.With that said, Prompto smiled back before tucking into his breakfast, hoping Luna would be able to help him with a surprise for Noct for his last day in the human world. Thankfully, Noctis didn’t seem to notice the blonde’s worried thoughts, as he ate quietly.But as he was halfway through, he looked up and asked: “What we going do today?”“Well, I was thinking we could walk around Altissia for a bit, then go swimming again,” Prompto answered, keeping his possible surprise for Noctis to himself.“…okay. Sound good,” Noctis said with a small smile.“Good,” Prompto chuckled, before he resumed his breakfast.As Noctis went back to his own breakfast, though, he almost tensed as his stomach roiled up again, but he swallowed another bite to force it down. He just had to bear with it for a little longer… he wasn’t going to ruin this last day… he couldn’t… Once they had finished their breakfast, Prompto got dressed himself before joining Noctis at the door. “Anywhere in particular you wanted to go today, Noct?” the blonde asked as they left.The question made Noctis hum in thought at the question, his head tilted a little to the side, before he said: “Market…? Want see… if can get some… something for Father… to ap…apologize…”Prompto’s expression softened at the words. “Of course we can,” he smiled kindly. As they headed to the market, Prompto asked: “You and your father are pretty close, huh?”This caused the Mer to pause mid-step, before he allowed a small smile and nodded as he continued walking. “…yeah… Don’t… don’t remember Mother well… but Father was… there always. Even though busy often…”“I’m glad you have family, though. I don’t remember my real parents at all, to be honest,” Prompto admitted, shrugging.Those words made Noctis frown in question as something dawned on him. Prompto mentioned this before, but now that he thought about it, he’d been very young when his mother had passed on, so if Prompto didn’t remember his parents, how old had he been when they’d gone? And more importantly… “…if no parents… then who take care of you?” “Ah, yeah, it was actually Cid, Cindy’s grandfather—her father’s father,” he added upon the confused look Noct gave him at the word, “who took me in. That’s why Cindy and I are such good friends.”.“Ah… is he nice…?”“Yeah, he is, despite being a bit grumpy at times,” the smaller male chuckled.“Grum…py…?”“Cranky, irritable, you know,” Prompto elaborated.“Oh… like Gladio,” Noct chuckled out.“Yeah, like Gladio,” Prompto agreed with a laugh.And Noct laughed with him, though he quieted down when they came to the market. “Ah… so many people…”“Just stay close to me so you don’t get lost, okay?” Prompto advised, taking the raven’s hand in his.Despite his best intentions, Noct jumped at the sudden touch. He tried to play if off by squeezing Prompto’s hand. “Yeah, okay…”“I won’t do anything, Noct…” Prompto sighed, noticing the jump.“I-I know… I know, but… it… it just… happens… sorry…”“No, I should be apologizing…”“Prom…”“It’s my fault, Noct…”Noct frowned at the words, biting his lip before an idea suddenly hit him. Despite them being together for the past two weeks, Prompto had been teaching Noctis so much about the human world (which Noct greatly appreciated), but he’d completely forgotten to teach Prompto in turn about his own world. With a small smirk playing on his lips (for a split second) as he made up his mind to fix that, he stepped up to Prompto, pressed their foreheads together and then rubbed their noses together.Though he was obviously surprised by the gesture, as obvious by his rapid blinking, Prompto merely chuckled and returned the gesture, loosely wrapping his arms around Noctis’ waist, high enough up that it wouldn’t upset the raven.“That… how we do. That how show affi… affa… aff…” Noct cut off his own sentence when he wasn’t able to find the correct word with a frustrated groan, accidentally knocking their foreheads together. //Ow!//“Ah!” Prompto yelped, startled by the sudden knock as he held a hand to his forehead. Once he recovered, however, he looked at Noctis and asked, “Affection?Noct rubbed his own head briefly, before he nodded softly.Smiling when he understood, Prompto gently pulled the raven closer. “Thank you, Noct…”“You’re welcome…” Noct murmured softly.“Let’s find your father something good, shall we?” Prompto murmured, pecking Noctis’ lips briefly before moving the hand at Noctis’ waist to his hand so they could be linked as they walked.With a small nod, Noct followed after as Prompto led the way along the marketplace. As they walked, Prompto occasionally paused to ask Noctis if anything caught his eye. Nothing seemed to have yet, though. There were definitely some things that he seemed to think were interesting, but they were apparently not interested enough to warrant a purchase for his father.Like this, they spent several minutes just lazily strolling, but as they passed by a particular store, though, Noct paused curiously. “…? Why those flowers on paper?”Humming, Prompto looked over to see what Noctis meant, before he smiled as he saw the pressed flowers that were up for sale. Somehow he wasn’t surprised that Noct would instantly be drawn to flowers. “They’re pressed on the paper like that to preserve them, in a way. Some people like to collect flowers like that so they can always see their beauty,” Prompto explained.That definitely intrigued Noct as he turned back to Prompto with wide eyes. “Pressed flowers… don’t lose color…?”“Nope. They keep their color,” the blonde smiled.As that registered in his head, Noct’s mouth curved into a warm smile. “So I can… show flowers to Father?”“Yeah, as long as we get one that’s plasticized. That way the water won’t ruin the paper,” Prompto replied, his smile warm.Though Noctis clearly didn’t understand the part about plasticization, the fact that he could actually take a flower with him overrode his natural curiosity on the matter. “Can I…?”This drew a laugh from Prompto. “Of course, Noct. Pick your favorite,” he urged.Smiling like a child being told he could have however much candy he wanted, Noctis moved over to the store and began to look through the various pressed flowers. And Prompto merely followed after, watching Noctis with a special warmth in his heart.After going through them a few times, Noctis lifted up two different flowers; a blue sylleblossom, and a red poppy. And given how he kept looking back and forth between them, it was obvious he was unsure which to pick.“How about both?” Prompto offered. “You deserve to have one, too, and you can still show them both to your father.”Startled, Noct looked to Prompto with wide eyes, before he frowned in worry. “But…”“What’s wrong?” the blonde inquired, tilting his head curiously.“I… don’t… I mean can’t…”“If you’re worried about me paying, it’s fine. I have enough to spare,” Prompto assured his boyfriend. “Besides, I want you to be happy.”“But—”Without saying a word, Prompto snatched both from the raven’s hands and promptly bought them from the shopkeeper. “There. Problem solved,” he grinned, handing Noctis the purchase.Noctis proceeded to stare for a few moments more, before he allowed a small smile and took the two flowers. “…thank you…”“Anytime, Noct,” the smaller male smiled back.Noctis held the flowers close to him as he asked: “Explore… little more?”“Of course, Noct,” Prompto nodded, taking Noctis’s free hand in his.Noctis smiled as he squeezed Prompto’s hand gently, following him quietly. Later on, Prompto and Noctis ended up at the pool again as Prompto had promised earlier. And of course, the blonde was losing miserably to Noctis in just about everything they did competition-wise in the water, whether it was holding their breath or racing (above or below the water’s surface).And Noctis merely laughed as Prompto finally caught up to him after their last race at the other side of the pool. //Seasnail~// he said teasingly.“What did you just call me, huh?” Prompto pouted.//Seasnail,// Noctis repeated with a chuckle. “Small creature. Really slow. Crawls over ground.”“I’m not a snail!” Prompto protested as the meaning caught up to him, his pout deepening. “I’m not THAT slow!”The pout only made Noct laugh harder, though.“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up…” Prompto grumbled, rolling his eyes. “You’re literally a fish in water right now anyway.”Noctis smirked cheekily, before he took a deep breath and ducked back underwater again. Ducking underwater after taking his own breath, Prompto stuck his tongue out at Noctis beneath the water, making sure the raven saw him. This gesture made Noct cock an eyebrow at him, before he smirked and kicked out his legs, propelling himself down with both legs at the same time, as he coiled around several times like he was performing a show of some kind.“Show off!” Prompto shouted into the water, his voice sounding heavily muffled and gargled.This made the Mer smirk almost cheekily, before he kicked off against the bottom of the pool and swam right back up to the surface again.Prompto returned to the surface as well, feeling his lungs starting to burn, and then looked at Noctis curiously. “So, which is better, swimming as a Mer, or as a human?”Noct considered that for a moment. “…Mer. Movement is faster. Fin helps, too.”“Good point. I bet you can move much easier, too, huh?” Prompto guessed.“Yeah,” Noct admitted with a nod. “Easier to jump, too.”“Nice,” Prompto grinned, before it faded. “Hey, Noct? Do you miss being a Mer?”Noctis blinked, a bit surprised at the question, before he frowned softly. “…yeah…”“Well, I’m kinda glad, because I wouldn’t want you to be forced to be human if you didn’t want to,” Prompto murmured, lowering his gaze. “I want you to be happy, ya know?”The quiet admission made Noctis frown softly, before he looked down at the water. Or more specifically, at Prompto’s legs as they kicked at the water to keep him afloat. He was doing it too, with both legs moving in opposite direction every time. He’d almost forgotten what it was like with a tail, but he knew the thought process required for it was a lot less complex.And absently, he wondered…“…what about you?”“I want to be with you, no matter what. That’s what makes me happy,” the blonde told him. “Even if that meant becoming a Mer.”Noctis frowned sadly, before he swam over and wrapped his arms around Prompto’s shoulders, pressing their foreheads together. The blonde returned the gesture, leaning in and lightly kissing Noctis. Then a thought dawned on him.“Maybe I can someday. If you’re able to be human for a while, I’m sure I could somehow become a Mer, right?”The Mer didn’t respond immediately, but the look on his face was solemn. He didn’t want to admit out loud that he’d secretly been hoping for that to be possible, but he was pretty sure it’d be almost impossible. Finally, though, he said: “Possible… but…” He sighed softly before finishing his thought. “Back home… I think only Weiz can do… but it’s… not safe… they’re not safe.”“I’d do anything to be with you, though, Noct…” Prompto argued.“…” Noctis watched him for a long moment, before a fond smile played over his face. “…I know…”“We’ll figure it out somehow, I know we will,” the blonde promised.Noct smiled softly as he moved in to kiss Prompto softly. “I trust you… love you…”“Love you, too, Noct,” Prompto whispered, kissing him back.Noctis merely hummed softly as he settled against Prompto, simply enjoying this precious moment with his boyfriend. He didn’t want this to end; he knew it had to, but for now, he just wanted to indulge in this one, precious moment in time.“…How about we head back?” Prompto suggested after a bit.“…already?”“Yeah, I’m getting a bit tired, to be honest,” the blonde fibbed.“…kay…” Noctis sighed softly.“Don’t worry about it, Noct. Everything will be fine,” Prompto soothed, smiling softly.Noctis nodded softly, before he pulled away and began to lazily swim back to the ladder. The smaller male followed after, and after changing back into the clothes, the pair soon headed back to the Leville. As they walked back, Noctis looked over to the horizon, watching as the sun steadily descended, until it nearly touched the water.“You okay, Noct?” Prompto asked as he noticed.Noct jumped a little at the words, before he turned back. “Nothing ‘wrong’… just… time go so fast…”“Yeah, it does…” the blonde agreed with a soft sigh.“…is bad… wishing time would stop…?”“If only, huh?” Prompto nodded. “I’d love it if this could last forever.”Noctis didn’t say anything in response, but given how he squeezed Prom’s hand, he likely agreed.“Oh hey, Noct,” Prompto said suddenly, looking at him with a warm smile. “I have one last thing I wanna do. Come on.”Curious, Noct cocked his head as he silently followed after.Prompto led them off towards the Leville, however, what was surprising to Noctis was that they ended up in a gondola on the water.“…? Why boat?” Noct asked as he sat down.“You’ll see soon,” the blonde chuckled.Noctis didn’t seem convinced, but he didn’t say anything as the gondola began to move to the middle of the lake.As the gondola started to move, Prompto hurriedly texted Luna to have her start things up.The response he got shortly after was a single cheering Chocobo emoji, the noise of which drew Noct’s attention. “…?”“Hang tight, Noct,” Prompto smiled.Noct frowned in a combination of confusion and suspicion, before a whistle pierced the air and he blinked, turning to the sound. Prompto lightly took Noctis’ hand in his as the sound was emitted, grinning at the raven.But before Noctis could question it or even turn to him, the whistle faded away before a loud bang filled the air, accompanied by a burst of vibrant colors. The sound made Noct jump in alarm, but the burst of colors didn’t let him look away or even think about the sound for too long.“There’s more,” Prompto murmured, chuckling at Noctis’ reaction.Noct didn’t have any time to question it as multiple other whistles filled the air. This time the Mer could see the colored streaks zipping through the air before they exploded into more burst of color.“Ah… what is….?”“They’re fireworks. It’s a little surprise for you I had arranged with Luna to make our last day together special,” the blonde smiled softly.“Fire…works…?” Noct breathed out, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away as the fireworks continued, filling the sky with color.Prompto didn’t say anything more, merely watching the show with Noctis as he held the raven’s hand. However, he did lightly lean against Noctis. Noctis didn’t even seem to notice; too engrossed in watching the fireworks with awe shining in his eyes.As the fireworks continued to fire off, Prompto couldn’t help but idly wonder what was going on with Noctis from the day before, considering that pain he’d suffered. When he looked over, he noticed that Noctis had his hand resting on his stomach again, though the gesture seemed to be almost instinctive. Not wanting to ruin the moment, however, Prompto kept his thoughts and questions to himself. He didn’t want to ruin things between them by prying, after all.“…ah!” Noct suddenly exclaimed, pointing up. “Chocobo!”“Looks kinda like Lizzy, huh?” Prompto chuckled, a small, amused grin on his face.Noctis briefly looked at Prompto, about to say something, but he was distracted as several more fireworks exploded in the sky, drawing his attention back to the sky.‘Thanks, Luna,’ Prompto thought gratefully as he watched Noctis’ awed expression. Totally worth the effort and begging.As the show continued, Noct’s hand squeezed Prompto’s hand firmly, a warm smile on his face.The smaller male snuggled up to Noctis as he was already leaning against him, merely enjoying the moment. And Noct, instinctively, leaned up against Prompto as well, squeezing his hand and rubbing his thumb along the back of his hand.Finally, the last of the biggest fireworks went off, creating huge bursts of color and light in the night sky, and even drawing an awed sound from Prompto while Noct’s breath caught in his throat, the burst of color reflecting off of his eyes as they turned a faint violet hue, but only for a brief moment. When the show was finally over, the blonde looked at his boyfriend and asked, “What did you think?”Noct smiled as he turned on Prompto and kissed him firmly, giving him his answer like that instead of with words. The smaller male kissed back lovingly, relieved and pleased that he had been able to pull off the surprise.When they finally pulled back, Noct whispered: “Thank you…”“You’re welcome,” Prompto murmured. “Anything to make you happy.”At those words, Noctis’ smile actually faded for a moment, as something seemed to come to him just then. And he looked down momentarily. Or more specifically, to his own stomach.‘…what am I doing?’ he thought to himself. ‘This… this isn’t just about me… It never was to begin with.’ Noctis almost sighed as he lifted a hand and rested it lightly on his stomach, fingers prodding at the skin beneath the cloth of his shirt. ‘Even less so now… this concerns us both… and he…’ He squeezed his eyes shut as he bit his lip. ‘Prompto… he has every right to know…!’Making up his mind, Noctis opened his eyes and lifted his gaze to meet Prompto’s “…Prom?”“Hmm? What’s up?” Prompto asked, watching the raven curiously.“I…” Noct started, only to bite his lip worriedly. “I’m…”“Take your time, Noct. But if you don’t feel comfortable talking about it, I understand,” the smaller male soothed with a small smile.Noct immediately shook his head in response. “No, I… I need to… but… I…”“What is it?” Prompto asked worriedly.“I—” However, before Noct could say what he was about to say, he gave a cry of pain as he fell forward, one hand clamping down on Prompto’s arm and the other reaching for his leg.“Noct?! What’s wrong?!” Prompto yelped, pulling the raven close to comfort him.“T…time…!” Noct hissed out, his legs beginning to shake and tremble. “Time is… is up…!”“Ah!” Prompto gasped, realizing that he needed to get Noctis into the water, and quick.“H-hey, you boys okay?” the gondolier asked worriedly as Noct pressed his legs together and struggled not to cry out in pain.“We’ll be fine,” Prompto growled. “Just get us to the docks!” As he spoke, he quickly pulled out his cell phone and called Ravus.“Prompto?” the pale blonde’s voice said, confused.“Time’s up, Ravus. I need your help. We’re heading to the docks behind the Leville now, so meet us there!” Prompto told Ravus urgently before hanging up, not giving the man the chance to agree or decline. He then tucked his phone back into his pocket before holding Noctis close. “Hang in there, Noct, you’ll be okay…” he murmured soothingly.“Tr-trying…!” Noct whimpered out, his fingers curling in the material of his jeans as the gondolier swiftly got them back to the docks.As soon as they reached the docks, Ravus and Luna were already there waiting for them, and Ravus scooped Noctis up, which almost made Noctis cry out again from the pain, but he ground his teeth together and forced himself to bear with it. As Prompto began to lead them to the open water where no one would see them, Luna ran beside her brother and placed a hand on Noctis’ shoulder.“We’re almost there, Noctis!” Luna called to him. “Just a little longer!”Finally, they reached the docks leading to open water, and Prompto set to work removing Noctis’ boots, jeans and shirt. Once those had been dealt with, he told Ravus to place the raven in the water. And as soon as he had, the blonde jumped in himself after dropping his bag on the docks.“I gotta take off the underwear, Noct, or you’re gonna be in trouble,” Prompto explained hurriedly, before ducking into the water and quickly removing said article of clothing. Once Noctis was completely undressed, Prompto surfaced again, supporting his boyfriend as they floated in the water, making sure he didn’t sink prematurely as he turned back into a Mer.Noctis whined pathetically as he clung to Prompto, burying his face in the blonde’s neck as he felt his legs beginning to spasm and coil in a way that shouldn’t be possible.“It’s okay, Noct, I’m here…” Prompto assured him, holding Noctis close.Noctis whined as his hands clamped down on Prompto’s shoulders, breathing picking up in his pain – just before he broke out into a coughing fit and he reached for his throat. For a moment, panic filled his head, until he realized that the feeling was a familiar one and so, after releasing Prompto, Noct let himself fall back into the water, disappearing beneath the surface.Prompto realized that Noctis needed to be beneath the water now, but he remained floating where he was, waiting for the raven.“Is… is he okay…? Luna asked as she kneeled down on the dock.“He should be fine, right?” Ravus echoed.“He’s gonna be okay. We just need to wait,” Prompto replied, watching the depths of the water with furrowed brows. Below the surface, Noctis choked and whined, clawing at his throat with both hands. He almost believed he’d made a mistake – but then he instinctively inhaled and the water rushed down his mouth and through his throat, where the oxygen was filtered out to fill his lungs. Relieved, Noctis exhaled heavily, and then took deep gulps of water, as his lower body curled around at what should’ve been an impossible angle for humans… but not for Mer.Slowly, Noctis opened his eyes again and curled forward as the pain faded, and looked down silently, unsurprised at the black scales that greeted him. His fingers lightly grazed over his tail, as he lightly moved his fin. After a moment more of regarding his own lower body, slowly getting used to the fact that he had just lost the legs he had used to move around these last two weeks, he unfurled himself and swam back to the surface.He still had something to do, after all… After what had to be a full five minutes, Noctis finally resurfaced, immediately shaking his head before moving his sopping hair out of his eyes.“You okay?” Prompto asked, concerned as he watched the raven.Noctis nodded his head, his breathing having calmed considerably. “Yeah… I’m… I’m okay…”Luna breathed out in relief at those words. “That’s good…”“You had us all worried there,” Ravus admitted.Prompto gave Noctis a sad smile, before he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, hugging him. “I don’t want you to go…even though I know you have to…” he whispered.Noctis briefly jumped at the sudden hug, before he relaxed and the whole situation caught up to him. Biting his lip, he wrapped his arms around Prompto in turn. “It’s… it’s not the last time… we see each other…” he promised softly, and Prompto felt the Mer’s long tail against his legs as it moved slightly to keep him above the water.“I know, but I know I won’t see you for while…” the blonde mumbled.Noct sighed as he pulled back briefly, after which he put his hands on the sides of Prompto’s head before pulling him in for a kiss.Prompto kissed back lovingly, knowing it would be a while before he got to experience this again. Pulling back, he breathed: “I love you so much, Noct…”“I love you, too…” Noct whispered, pressing his forehead to Prompto’s… before a whistle-like call made him look up toward the horizon.“I don’t want to get you in more trouble…” Prompto sighed. “I’ll come here every day after a week, but if I don’t see you then, I’m gonna worry about you, okay?”Noctis turned to him again, a small sad frown on his face. He leaned in then and briefly pecked him on his lips. “I’ll be back… soon as I can… promise…”“I know you will,” Prompto nodded, before reaching into his bag on the dock and retrieving the pressed flowers. Handing them to the Mer, he said softly: “Be careful, okay? I want to see you unharmed when we next meet.”Noct smiled as he took over the two flowers from Prompto. “I know…” he murmured. “I’ll be careful… but you need be careful, too.”“I will,” the smaller male promised. “Now get going before you get in more trouble, okay?” At this, he gave a sad smile.Giving the human a smile of his own, Noctis nodded as he swam back a bit. “Yeah… Drautos gets annoyed quick,” he chuckled out. But before Prompto could try to climb back out onto the dock, Noct suddenly darted forward and gave him one last peck on his lips. //Goodbye, Prompto… I love you.//And then he ducked under the water.“I love you, too,” Prompto whispered once Noctis was beneath the water. He then clambered out of the water, watching the horizon once he was out.“And he’s gone,” Ravus mumbled quietly.No sooner had Ravus said that or there was a sudden splash as Noctis jumped out from the water in a graceful arch, before he effortlessly dived into the water, his large fin giving one final wave before he was gone. Ravus’ jaw dropped when he saw Noctis’ tail, as that had been his first time seeing the raven’s black scaled tail. Prompto, however, smiled faintly before the look faded as he turned away, struggling to keep his tears at bay.“Prom…” Luna frowned sadly, before she scooted over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “It’s okay… it’ll be okay…”“I know, I know… I just miss him already, though…” the blonde sighed.“I know, Prom…” Luna murmured. “Come on; let’s get you dried up before you catch a cold, kay?“Kay…” Prompto nodded, and allowed himself to be led back to the hotel by Luna and Ravus. True to his own words from earlier that very day, swimming as a Mer was so much easier and faster. On top of that, it just felt so good to be back in the water after so long, to just be free to move wherever he wanted to without the fear of losing his balance and falling to the ground because of… ‘gravity’, was what Prompto had called it, but Noctis still had difficulty grasping the meaning of the word.Noct groaned when his thoughts almost immediately went back to Prompto, and he shook his head violently before snapping out his tail. He couldn’t think of that right now; he had to focus on getting back home, before things spiraled out of control.Nodding his head once, he propelled himself forward, toward where Drautos was waiting.“Welcome back, Your Highness,” Drautos said immediately when he was in range, bowing down respectfully.“Drautos,” Noctis said with a small nod in greeting. “Is Ignis not here?”“No. With the tension rising around Insomnia with the Wyf, he believed it better I escort you to Insomnia through a less direct route,” the other Mer said firmly. “For your safety, of course… both of you.”Noctis didn’t respond to immediately; he merely brought up a hand and placed it along his stomach. “…right…” he whispered after a moment of thought. “…right, of course…” He takes a long breath and nods his head. “Okay… let’s go. Lead the way, Drautos.”“As you wish, Your Highness.”The young prince silently followed after Drautos as he swam off. He didn’t even think of keeping track of where they were going, as his thought were drifting to what he would tell his father upon returning to Insomnia, and if not that, he worried about the state he would actually find his father in. If things were as bad as Drautos had said, then his father had to be suffering from the strain the Wall had put on him. And if it was really bad, there was a good chance that he would have to take over… to protect his people.It was a heavy thought, and not one he liked thinking of, but it was a necessary one. One that, he knew, would mean he wouldn’t be able to meet with Prompto within a week.‘Aaaand I’m thinking of Prompto again…’ Noctis realized, a small sad smile on his face. ‘I haven’t even gotten back to Insomnia yet and I miss him already…’Noctis allowed himself one last chuckle, before he focused on following after Drautos.“…you shouldn’t be here, little prince…”The sudden voice made Noctis stop in alarm, before he turned around toward the source of the voice. It didn’t take him long to spot it either; there was a Weiz leaning almost casually along the reef, tentacles coiled around the rocks to stay in place and a madly squirming shrimp held between delicate fingers. This one was different from Edea, though; whereas Edea had been as black as the depths of the ocean, this one was as white as the sun when it reached high noon, perhaps even more so. This Weiz also had much longer hair than Edea, which matched the pale color of his tentacles perfectly.“This is not a place for one of your standing…” the Weiz said simply, as he popped the madly squealing and squirming shrimp in his mouth, chomping down and grinding it to mush before swallowing it without a hint of remorse showing on his face. “You should leave now…” he said then, as a cheeky smirk played along its pale-colored lips as amusement sparked in dark purple eyes. “Lest something happens… that may prove to be quite unfortunate…”‘Wait…’ Noctis frowned as a thought suddenly came to him. ‘Why… is there a Weiz here…? There… shouldn’t be any Weiz this close to…’“Your Highness,” Drautos suddenly called out, drawing the raven’s attention. “Please, we need to hurry…”“A-ah… coming…!” he called out, snapping out his tail to follow after the other Mer. However, his earlier thoughts wouldn’t let him be any longer.Weiz were a neutral faction in the war between the Mer and Wyf, sure… but they always kept to themselves. They never really went out of their way to travel into either Mer or Wyf territory, Noct was pretty sure. And Weiz territory was pretty far away from Insomnia, so why would a Weiz—And then it hit him.‘No way…!’Noctis swiftly curled his body and snapped out his tail, halting his momentum immediately. It took a moment for Drautos to notice this, but when he did, he stopped swimming and turned to the prince.“Your Highness, please—”“Drautos…” Noctis interrupted, but his tone was cold and his eyes were glowing violet-red. “Where are you taking me?”Maybe it was because of Noctis’ heightened awareness due to the sudden realization, but he was acutely aware of the how the older Mer’s muscles tensed around the shoulders, the subtle twitch of his tail, and the brief widening of his eyes. Small changes in posture that he should not have picked up on in normal circumstances, but with the current state of his mind, it was almost childishly easy, and he recognized the symptoms. Anxiety “Why do you ask me that, Your Highness?” Drautos asked, but Noctis caught the subtle hitch in his voice, no matter how much he tried to hide it. “We are going to Insomnia. Where else would we be going?” He’s lying “…Why does that take us through Weiz territory?” Noctis demanded, and even though he couldn’t possibly see his own eyes, he knew they had to be burning red just then.And Drautos seemed to have finally taken notice of it as well, as the signs were becoming more and more apparent. Noctis could now feel the hatred and rage that burned behind his own eyes, as he realized what was happening, and likely had been happening for a while now.“…I see…” Noctis said as he shut his eyes, his voice a deadly whisper on the currents as he feels energy he’s never truly touched upon coiling around in his chest, spreading out along his torso to his arms and the tips of his fin. “…so that’s what it is…”“Y-Your High—” Drautos’ words were cut off as Noctis’ eyes snapped wide open, the pupils tiny pinpricks in a sea of piercing red.“Traitor…”The energy burst from his fingertips, forming a crystalized blade that, until that very moment, the Prince of Insomnia had never had a need for. Noctis had neither time nor the state of mind to question how, but when he snapped out his tail behind him, he was right in front of Drautos, when normally it would’ve taken him at least five times the motions. But Noctis was beyond caring as his arm moved without his consent, and the blade slices through the water with such ease that Noctis almost feared the blade would fly from his hand.The blade caught that of Drautos, who’d barely been able to bring up the weapon to block the sudden assault. Not that it helped much, as Noctis moved so swiftly that the other Mer had no time to consider whether to attack front on or counter. In a matter of seconds, Noctis was on his left side and snapping out again, and this time the blade bit into skin and the other Mer cried out in pain as he backed away, immediately reaching out to staunch the wound.Every fiber of Noctis was screaming at him that he needed to keep at it, but at the same time, the little bit of rationale he had left told him not to.‘Father… I need to get back to Father… this can wait… I need to go!!’With one powerful beat of his tail, Noctis spun around and took off as fast as he could possibly go, dismissing the blade he had summoned to reduce the water’s resistance. There was no way he could stay here any longer; he had to go home…!“Release~”“Wha—AHH!!” Noctis screamed as a net suddenly came down from above and pulled him down toward the bottom of the ocean, pinning him there. “Wha-what is?!” The netting was heavy, and no matter how much he pushed, he couldn’t move it or even lift it off of his tail enough to move it around. ‘How even?! Who would use a human’s tool like this under water!?”“My, my, how interesting,” a voice suddenly called out drawing Noctis’ attention to the side, though he was barely able to move his head.“…! You…!” he got out, panic hitting him all anew.The redheaded Mer—definitely a Mer, not a Wyf  or even a Weiz!!—merely smiled down at Noct, but it wasn’t a nice smile; not in the least. This smile sent shivers down the prince’s spine down to the very tip of his tail. This guy was dangerous…! Very dangerous!!“Surely, you weren’t thinking of leaving already, were you?” he said, almost casually, like he didn’t have someone pinned by his fin to the bottom of the ocean floor. “After all, you have an appointment with the sorceress Ultimecia, correct?”“…!!”‘No way…!!’Ultimecia… the rumored sea witch that was banished by the very clan she was a part of!?“So…” the man’s voice brought him back to his current situation, “let’s not waste any more time… before your eggs start to rot, hm?”‘No…!! Please no…!!’ Panic struck him then for an entirely different reason, and while he wanted to scream and beg, his voice wouldn’t work properly. And if he was still on land, he was certain there’d have been tears in his eyes. ‘Please… no no no no…! Please… don’t take them away from me…!’ ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Ignis wasn’t sure what it was that tipped him off first. The last few days had been increasingly hectic, and he’d not had the time for any proper sleep, let alone the time to worry about anything other than assisting the King in keeping things running, that it took him several days to realize that it’d been well over 16 days that Noctis had traded his tail for legs…And that was alarming, because that meant it should’ve been two days since his legs should’ve been taken away from him again so that he could return to the sea once more. Noctis had sworn he would be back as soon as his time was up, and yet he hadn’t seen hide or scale of the prince. This knowledge immediately buried a seed of worry in Ignis’ mind, despite how he tried to keep his head on the task at hand.A lost case as he thought back on the situation, and so, he huffed in frustration and slammed down the tools he’d been using, before swimming off to find Gladio.He had a bad feeling about this… As they arrived at the humans’ Corale, Ignis and Gladio quietly looked through the water’s surface toward the docks, frowning as they regarded the humans walking around. //So remind me again, why are we here?// Gladio grumbled.//Don’t start,// Ignis said firmly. //You’re as worried about Noct as I am.//Gladio didn’t say anything in response, but it was obvious that Ignis had just hit the snail on its eyes. As they remained there a moment longer, though, Gladio growled and hissed: //Is he even here!?////As a matter of fact…// Ignis said as he adjusted the item in his right hand. //He just came by…// It had been two whole days without Noctis in his daily life, and Prompto was sad to admit that he simply didn’t have the funds to remain in Altissia to wait for Noctis’ return any longer, as much as he wished to. So, with a heavy heart, he packed his things with every intention of returning to Cape Caem on the ferry and head home so he could build up the funds with random photographing jobs so that he could come back. As he headed to the docks, his mind stuck on Noctis (once again), he felt something suddenly hit the back of his head, making him yelp in slight pain and surprise. Once the shock had faded somewhat he turned to look for the source.When he did, though, he realized with a start that it had come from the sea. And upon looking down to the docks, he quickly spotted a pale yellow shell, still wet from the water from which it had come. However, there didn’t appear to be anything worth seeing out there…Which was when a whistle-like sound resounded from his right, towards a nearby bridge.“Huh?” Prompto uttered, curious. He then headed over to the bridge, wondering if it could possibly be Noctis. Though, really, this early?Initially, he didn’t see anything, but as he stepped under fully and out of everyone’s immediate sight, two figures broke through the water’s surface. Once the water cleared somewhat, Prompto was definitely surprised and confused to see Ignis and Gladio, Noctis’ friends.“Ignis? Gladio? What are you guys doing here?” he asked, frowning in concern.While Gladio seemed less than pleased to be there, Ignis regarded Prompto in silence for a moment, his expression mostly blank, except for the drawn eyebrows. After a moment of just staring at one another, Ignis finally spoke up.“Noctis?”“What’s wrong with Noct? Why isn’t he here?” Prompto asked, worried now.Ignis grunted a little, his eyes darkening in worry, while Gladio growled softly. The sandy blonde considered what to say, given that they, unlike Noctis, had zero practice in human tongues.Finally, he settled on keeping it simple. //Noctis is not home yet,// he said, gesturing first to the sea and then holding his arms in a cross in front of him, shaking his head for good measure. //Is Noctis with you?//“He’s not here, if that’s what you’re asking,” Prompto said, shaking his head. Thinking, he then pointed out to the sea and then held up two fingers and finally pointed at the sun. “He left two days ago…”At those words and gestures, the two Mer looked at each other, and now the worry was evident on both their faces. They spoke in hushed voices for a moment (as if they expected Prompto to understand them), before Ignis turned back to him.//With who?// he asked. He then pointed to himself and shook his head as he added: //Not with me,// and then he repeated the gesture for Gladio. //Not with Gladio. Then who?//“He mentioned Drautos,” Prompto told the sandy blonde Mer, becoming more worried by the second.As soon as he said the name, though, both Ignis and Gladio’s expressions turned positively livid (which was a very strange sight on Ignis), and Gladio exclaimed what Prompto assumed to be several loud curses.“What’s going on?” Prompto demanded, frowning deeply as he spoke.//Gladio, return to the Corale and inform the Kingsglaive,// Ignis ordered, and the other Mer nodded and dived back under immediately. Ignis remained, though, as he turned to Prompto again. //Noctis gave you a horn, correct?// he asked, bringing up his hands and blowing through his hands.“Oh, that shell? I always keep it with me…” Prompto murmured, pulling the item from his bag and showing Ignis.Ignis nodded. //If Noctis comes to you,// he said, pointing at Prompto, //blow it,// he paused to repeat the blowing motion from earlier, //loudly. Understand?//“O-okay,” Prompto nodded, understanding for the most part.Ignis nodded his head swiftly, before he made to turn away as well.“Wait, Ignis!” Prompto called, making the Mer pause. “What’s going on?”Ignis didn’t respond immediately, as he frowned deeply. Eventually, he admitted: //We don’t know… yet.// His expression turned serious then as he added: //But Noctis… is missing.//“Wait, he’s gone?!” Prompto yelped, a flash of panic coursing through him.Ignis didn’t say anything to confirm or deny the words, but the serious expression was answer enough as Ignis turned and without delay dived under water to follow Gladio.“No…!” Prompto whimpered once Ignis was gone. He was terrified for the raven’s safety, especially since he’d thought Noctis had gotten home okay. Standing up, he quickly called Luna. “Luna, I need help. Noct went missing. He never made it home.” “Man… sooo bored…” a light blonde Mer with a dark blue tail mumbled as he stretched himself along the reefs of the Kingsglaive quarters. “I almost wish the Wyf would charge us or something… if only to give us something to do…”“…idiot…” came the annoyed grumble of a dark haired Mer with a dark orange-brown tail, a large scar streaked across the bridge of his nose. “…careful what you wish for…”“Aw, c’mon, Leon,” a redheaded Mer with a matching fiery red tail smirked. “Live a little.”“I’m with Leon,” a smaller blonde Mer with an ocean blue tail snorted.“…whatever…” the Mer called ‘Leon’ mumbled.The other blonde merely chuckled, before he turned to the others. “So, when do you think the next mission will pop up, Ax?”“Not a clue, but it better be good. It IS getting rather boring around here…” the Mer called ‘Ax’ shrugged.“I just hope whatever it is, we’re not fighting for our lives…” the smaller blonde murmured.“…don’t jinx us, Roxas…” Leon mumbled in annoyance -- right before there was a loud wailing sound that had all four of them bolting up in surprise. “…! That was…!”“Well…” the taller blonde Mer smirked. “Guess we got our wish for some action, eh?”“Shut it, Tidus!” Roxas snapped, before he and Axel looked in the direction it came from.“…hmph…” Leon snorted, before he snapped out his tail and launched himself for the Kingsglaive building.“Hey dude!! Wait for us!!” ‘Tidus’ shouted as he hurried after the dark-haired Mer, with both Roxas and Axel darted after them, easily catching up. As they four Mer arrived, they weren’t surprised as the entirety of the Kingsglaive swam in right after and before them, though what did surprise them was the lack of their captain in the room.“Wha…? Wait, where’s Captain Drautos?” Tidus mumbled as he looked around the room. “Shouldn’t he be the first to show up here?”“He hasn’t been seen at the Corale for five days, almost…” came a solemn voice from beside the entrance, which brought their attention to the blonde Mer with a dark green, almost black tail, by the entryway with his arms crossed over his chest, who seemed the least impressed of all of them.“Five days…?” Leon repeated, frowning in question.“How can he have been missing for five days?” Roxas questioned.“…dunno…” was the blonde’s only response.As Roxas looked around them, though, he frowned. “Wait… Where’re Sora and Riku?”“Probably having ‘fun’,” Axel snickered.“Wait, again?” Tidus mumbled, tilting his head.“Ahh!! Hang on, sorry! We’re here!” came the familiar voice of a brunette Mer with a slightly lighter blue tail than Roxas’, and a silverette Mer with an aqua colored tail following close behind him.“…you’re late…” the blonde by the door said without looking up at all.“Sorry, Cloud… We were, uh…” the silverette trailed off, struggling to think of an excuse.“You two were having your ‘fun’, admit it!” Axel cackled.“Axel!” Roxas hissed, elbowing him in the side.Leon snorted dismissively at the quip, while Tidus was laughing at the redhead’s words.“Jerk,” the silverette growled.“Riku, just ignore him…” the brunette sighed.“Sora…!” Riku protested.“He’s not worth it, seeing as there’s more important things to talk about, remember?” Sora pointed out.“He’s right, Riku,” a calm voice said from behind Axel, drawing attention to a pale-haired male with a light gray tail. “If the Captain really is missing, then something bad must have happened…”“…Hey, Cecil,” Tidus mumbled to the Mer. “If the Cap’s missing, who’s in charge?”“…Nyx is, probably…” Leon mumbled.“So…what exactly IS going on, anyway?” Sora asked, tilting his head curiously.Just then, though, there was a familiar shout from the back of the room.“Everyone, listen up!!” As the group turned, they immediately spotted the Kingsglaives’ SiC, Nyx Ulric, swim up a little higher to be properly seen by all those in the room. “We’ve got a serious situation on our hands. Now I want you to keep calm and hear me out here, but Prince Noctis has been captured by the Weiz.”“What?!/No way…!!” came the collective shout of the Kingsglaive.“The prince is…?” Cecil choked out in alarm.“No… no way…” Tidus got out.Axel growled lowly, as did Riku, while Sora and Roxas gasped.“But…how could that have happened?!” Roxas demanded.“While there’s no concrete evidence to collaborate this…” Nyx continued firmly, “it is believed that the Prince was lured into their territory under false pretenses…” At this point, the dark-haired Mer paused and breathed in deeply to prepare himself for the most damning news of them all, given their status and rank. “…by Captain Drautos,”“…what?” Leon said coldly, his expression darkening dangerously, while Cloud’s expression barely shifted, though his eyes darkened in silent anger.This time, neither Axel nor Riku held back their furious snarls.“Why the hell would he do that, though?” Sora questioned.“Seriously, what motivation would he have?” Roxas added.“We don’t know,” Nyx admitted. “Right now, it’s pure speculation, but given the circumstances as they are, I must ask all of that, should you run into the Captain on this mission, to ignore all orders he presents you with. Retrieving the Prince is our highest priority. Understood!?”“Yes sir!” came the chorused shout from the Kingsglaives.“Good. Everyone get your weapons and prepare for immediate departure!”Roxas and Sora touched their summoning charms that rested around their neck, summoning their Keyblades to their hands, Sora’s Kingdom Key appearing in the brunette’s hand with a flash of light, while Roxas’ Oathkeeper and Oblivion appeared with a white light and dark light respectively, one in each hand. As Riku touched his summon charm, and his Keyblade, Way to Dawn, appeared in his hand, Axel, meanwhile, summoned his chakrams to his hands without actually touching the charm, a menacing glint to his eyes once their familiar weight settled in his hands.Leon snorted as he snapped his finger along his own summon charm summoning Lionheart before he rested it above both his shoulders, while Cloud hummed non-committedly as he brought up his hand, summoning his massive Buster Sword and resting it across his back. Tidus growled softly as he adjusted his own charm, bringing out the Brotherhood and flipping it between his hand, as Cecil brought out the Lightbringer.At the same time, as the summon charms activated completely, the magic contained within them coated their tails, turning them a pitch-black, to allow for them to blend into the darkness of the sea when they went out.“Let’s go, guys!” Tidus called out as he swam ahead toward the seahorse pens.“Right behind you,” Riku nodded, and he followed with the others.As they arrived at the pens, the Kingsglaive split themselves up into units of eight, which was their usual setup, getting on the seahorses that had already been prepared by the attendants. However, before they left, Nyx called out to them once more.“Once we reach their borders, we’ll travel by fin. We have a rough estimate of where the prince is kept, but keep yourself to the darkness until we’re absolutely sure where he is! Understood!?”“Sir!” came the chorused cry.Nyx nodded once more, before he pulled on the reins of his seahorse, making the creature whinny before he shouted: “Move out!!” and it took off with a burst of speed.And the rest of the Kingsglaive was not far behind. Noctis was pretty sure about one thing; he had never felt this shitty in his entire life than he did at that particular moment. Left alone in the darkness of the massive building’s dungeon, his wrists and tail secured with heavy chains to the far wall. He was hungry, though not starving; they couldn’t afford to have him die on them, but it wouldn’t do to have him at full strength, either.His stomach was roiling worse than ever now, and he knew that it was almost time… and he knew that that was what they were waiting for.And that hurt…‘I can’t let them take my eggs…’ he thought to himself, holding his hands to his stomach, just above where his torso ended and his tail began. ‘I can’t let them take them… I won’t let them…’ He took a deep gulp of water and oxygen, and he curled up protectively.He had to protect them; had to keep them safe. He’d never be able to forgive himself if he failed to do so… and even if he managed to escape somehow, he’d never be able to look Prompto in the eye again.‘Prompto…’ He bit his lip and pushed down gently. ‘I’ll protect them… I won’t let them take our children… I promise…’At the same time, though, he prayed that help would come soon… “Prompto, please! You’re going to hyperventilate at this rate!” Luna chided her friend as she grabbed her pacing friend by his shoulders.“I can’t help it, Luna!” Prompto cried, tears streaking down his cheeks. “I feel like it’s my fault since I didn’t make sure he got home okay somehow!”“Prom, there’s no way we could’ve known this would happen!” Luna told him firmly, before she turned to her brother and gave him a look that said ‘Help me out here!!’“Prompto, you had no way to ensure he got home safely,” Ravus pointed out. “You can’t breathe underwater, so you couldn’t have escorted him or anything.”“But…” the blonde protested weakly, knowing Ravus was right, but unable to prevent the feelings inside of him.“C’mon, Prom; sit down, kay?” Luna murmured softly as she tugged him over to the couch of their hotel room.Prompto allowed himself to be guided to the couch, his heart clenching painfully. If anything bad happened to Noctis or he got hurt…Prompto would never forgive himself. Umbra and Pryna both whined at Prompto’s obvious anxiety, as they came up to him and bumped into his knees (Pryna) and hop up to lick his tears away (Umbra).Luna sighed heavily as she ran a hand through her hair, thinking for a moment. “What can we do…? Do we even know where his home is?”“I…I know from the guy who got me here the first time that his home is around the waters of Altissia, but…there’s Leviathan to worry about if we go out there looking…” Prompto mumbled, a glint of determination in his eyes. Looking up again, he asked softly: “Will you help me?”“Prom, do you have to ask?” Luna countered, smiling warmly. “Of course we will!”“What’s Leviathan?” Ravus frowned, curious.“Ah, Leviathan is a huge sea dragon, and it nearly drowned me the time when Noct saved me,” the smaller male explained.Luna frowned a little bit in worry, but she quickly shook it off. “Then Noctis knew this dragon, right? I’m sure if we can explain that we wish to help Noctis, it will let us through.”Ravus appeared skeptical, but nodded anyway. “As long as it listens…then we’ll help,” he agreed.“Thank you, both of you…” Prompto murmured gratefully, his voice soft. “Okay, are we all ready?” Luna asked once they were all on the boat, life vests secured (per Ravus’ “request”) and Umbra and Pryna down below deck.“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, eager to hopefully find Noctis.“Then let’s go,” Ravus said.As the boat took off from Altissia, Luna moved over to Prompto, watching him worriedly, before she placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Prom…” she promised him.“I know… I just want to find him safe and unharmed…” Prompto sighed.“I know, Prom… we all do…” Luna murmured as the boat sped along the waters, in the direction where Prompto had had his first encounter with the sea dragon he now knew rested beneath those waters. The thought of going back there to meet her again was not a pleasant one, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to take a risk for Noct.“Over there, by those rocks!” Prompto called out as they got closer. “That’s close to where Noct saved me.”“I would not go over there, if I were you…” came a voice suddenly from behind them, making the three humans give their own respective shouts of surprise before whirling around to the source (with Ravus shutting off the engine, just in case).Sitting on the far railing, one pale, slim leg thrown of the other and face supported by a dainty hand with sharp, bluish-white nails, sat a man (or so they believed…) with long, silvery-white hair and dark purple eyes that were surrounded by a deep blue shade, dressed in some sort of long, white robe-like garment, with its lower half sliced into eight large ribbons.The man watched them with an almost disinterest look as he said simply: “Poor Levi’s got her scales in a tizzy right now because she’s heard of her dear prince’s situation, after all…”“But…we’re trying to help find him!” Prompto protested, before he realized what the guy had said. He hadn’t actually noticed initially, but did this guy just say…? “Wait… What do you mean, ‘prince’? Do you mean Noctis? And how do you know about him?” By this point, the blonde was frowning suspiciously, not sure about this guy.The man didn’t respond to the litany of questions, though. Instead, he threw his leg back around to step onto the deck, and then calmly stepped up to Prompto, ignoring both Luna and Ravus’ cries and demands to know who he was as well, as he grabbed Prompto by his chin and lifted his face up to regard him up close. Prompto stiffened at the unfamiliar touch, glaring defiantly at the stranger as alarm bells went off in his head.“…huh, and here I was hoping for something a little interesting…” the man said in a bored drawl as he released the shorter male’s head and flicked a finger to Prompto’s forehead. “How disappointing… I would’ve expected the little prince to have some taste, at the very least.”“Who are you?” Ravus butted in as Prompto growled.The man silently regarded Ravus from the corner of his eyes, barely even turning his head, before he snorted and turned away. “I would suggest you give up your search while you can,” he said instead, completely ignoring the demand for his identity as he walked toward the back of the ship, his feet slapping wetly against the deck. “After all… you won’t find the poor prince within Insomnia’s borders…”Upon hearing the wet slap of the man’s feet on the deck, Prompto blinked. “Are you…a Mer, too?” he asked calmly before the man could get too far.“…” At that, the man actually paused in his steps, before he scoffed and turned to look over his shoulder. “How rude… you would lump us all together in the same pile, dear?”“Then…what are you…?” Prompto frowned. However, before the man could reply, he suddenly remembered Noctis telling him in passing about another group from below the ocean that he called the ‘Weiz’. “Wait, are you a Weiz?!”“Oh?” the man said, and this time his lips curled up into a small, cheeky smirk. And as he turned again, he said as he tucked some loose strands behind his ear, “So you do know a little more of the world below… Impressive.”Luna frowned in thought, before she whispered to Prompto: “Weiz…?”“Noct mentioned them in passing,” he said quietly. “Told me they can become human, and said they’re dangerous…”Before Luna could ask more, the man actually chuckled (though it bordered on a giggle). “Dangerous, hm? Well, I’ll not blame the poor Mer for thinking so…” he said simply.“…So you do know of the Mer… are you allies?” Luna questioned.“Oh please,” the man said with a wave of his hand. “We’ve no intention of involving ourselves in the petty squabbles of the Mer and Wyf… it’s not our style.”“The Wyf?” Prompto repeated. “I only know of Mer and Weiz. What are the Wyf?”“Oh, only the Mer’s mortal enemies. No one in particular~” the man said with a giggle, as if the news was no big deal whatsoever.Prompto frowned darkly. “Do they have Noct?” If they did, he would do anything to save him.“…Maaay~beeee~” the man chimed.“…” Prompto snarled dangerously, hoping beyond hope that he wasn’t in the clutches of the Wyf. “You can turn Mer into humans, right?” he asked cautiously.The Weiz didn’t say anything for a long time, before he asked simply in return: “What if I can, hm?”“Then you can turn humans into Mer, too, right?”“Prompto!?” Luna cried out in alarm. “What are you—?”“Luna, I won’t hesitate to do ANYTHING to save him, no matter what,” the blonde male told her firmly, before looking back at the Weiz. “Can you make me a Mer? I want to help Noct.”“…” The white-haired man regarded him silently for a long moment, expression blank. But then a smirk passed over his face. “And what will you give me in exchange, hm?”“What do you mean?” Ravus demanded, not liking the expression on the man’s face.“You cannot expect me to work for ‘free’, now do you?” the man chuckled coldly. “If you have a wish to be granted by a Weiz, be prepared to offer something in return to have it be so.”Prompto narrowed his eyes in suspicion, before his eyes widened in horror as he realized something else. Given how the white-haired male spoke, that rule had to be universal for all Weiz, which meant that Noctis must have had to give something up as well in order to become human when he did. This made him briefly wonder what the Mer had given up, but he quickly shook it off. “What do you have in mind?” he asked carefully.“What do you have to offer?” the Weiz asked instead, still smirking, before the expression sobered up. “However, I must warn you… it would be impossible to make you a Mer indefinitely. Eventually, you will need return to your original form. The most I could offer you is a week.” After giving Prompto a moment to take those words in, though, he added: “Unless, of course, you’d be able to link yourself with them, of course.”“What does that mean?” the blonde questioned. However, he quickly shook his head to dismiss the question as he said: “Never mind. I’ll do anything for him, even give up the most valuable possession I have.”“Prompto!” Luna warned, but the Weiz merely chuckled.“Oh? And what would you be prepared to offer me, then?”Prompto ignored his friend, instead pulling out his camera from his bag. “It’s my camera. It’s the most precious thing I own, and it carries a lot of precious memories for me…but I’d give it all up to be with Noct,” he told the Weiz.The Weiz regarded Prompto in silence for a long time, his expression solemn and calculating. This silence stretched on for almost five minutes, before the Weiz sighed, shutting his eyes and permitting a smile. “Perhaps I was wrong about you, boy,” he said calmly, before he opened his eyes again. “Very well…”The Weiz waved his hand in the air, pale silver energy flowing around his hand before he snapped it down and a scroll appeared before Prompto, hovering in midair along with some sort of pen seemingly made of the skeleton of a fish. “If this is the path you wish to take, sign the contract to formalize our agreement.”“Prompto! You can’t be serious!!” Luna hissed softly as she tried to pull Prompto away from the scroll. “You don’t know what this guy is capable of…”“I said it once, and I’ll say it again, Luna: I would do ANYTHING for Noctis, especially to be with him,” the blonde male said in a firm, finalizing tone. The way he said it left no room for argument.“But—”“I’m signing!” Prompto snapped, before he snatched the pen and signed his name on the contract without hesitation. Prompto Argentum Luna gasped in alarm, but the Weiz laughed at the action. “Well, then…” he said, just as a white octopus-like tentacle came up and abruptly snatched his camera from him. And as they looked over, they realized that the man’s garb, in the moment they’d been looking away, had turned into 8 long tentacles, with no sign of human legs beneath. “It’s a deal~” he said as energy formed in his hand and another tentacle snapped up the contract. “Fair warning, dear…” he said as the energy around his hand. “This… is going to hurt~And then he threw the energy forward to smash into Prompto’s chest, throwing him backwards.“Shit!” Prompto swore, landing with a thud on the deck, before he tried to get to the water before it was too late.“Prompto!!” Luna cried out in alarm as she hurried to try and get him up to his feet. However, when she did, his legs crumpled beneath him as pain shot along the blonde’s legs, and it was almost as if the bones were trying to break themselves and then realign in a way that shouldn’t be normal, making the blonde howl in pain – before he began to hack and cough as the amount of air surging into his lungs began to overpower him. “Oh no…! Ravus, help!!”Ravus rushed over, and quickly picked Prompto up before hurrying to the edge of the boat. “Sorry, Prompto, but you’re going to need this!” he apologized, and then let him go into the water. The moment his head disappeared beneath the surface of the water, the blonde instinctively gasped in alarm and surprise… and as the water rushed down his throat it passed through something in the back of his throat, almost like some kind of filter, separating the oxygen from the water and filling his lungs with the much thinner air, giving him almost instant relief. But that didn’t stop the pain in his legs as he, on instinct alone, kicked them out in an attempt to escape it.Struggling to think amidst his panic, Prompto realized he needed to get his pants and boxers off, and yanked them down and off as fast as he could in his pained state. Even his shirt and vest were beginning to weigh him down, it felt like, so he slipped those off, too.And just as the shirt came off, his legs curled at such an angle that he knew he should have broken his bones in 7 different places all at once… and yet just as the thought registered, the pain was gone.“Ah, fu…” Prompto started to swear, before looking down at what used to be his legs and were now fused into a beautiful, crystalline blue tail. “Holy shit…!” he gasped, shocked to see that he was now really a Mer. Granted, it might not be permanent, but he already liked this. He flicked the end of his new tail experimentally, and was pleased when he found himself swimming like a natural. “Like a fish to water, I guess…” he smiled softly.//Having fun, dear?// a familiar voice cooed from somewhere above him.“You’re letting me understand Mer? I couldn’t very well before…” the blonde asked curiously. “Will I be able to speak it fluently, too?”“In normal situations, no…” the Weiz murmured before he smirked. “But there is a way~”“And that would be…?”“I like you, dear… so I’ll give you one on the house~” Before Prompto had the chance to say anything, or even move, in response to the words, the Weiz was right in front of him, lips locked onto Prompto’s.Horrified, Prompto quickly backed off, glaring. //What the hell, man?!// he demanded, before his eyes went wide as he realized he had just yelled at the Weiz in fluent Mer.And the Weiz merely giggled. //You’re welcome~// he chirped cheekily, before he sobered up. “Now, I suggest you bid your friends goodbye… your prince will not be able to wait forever.”//Right…// the blonde nodded, before heading for the surface. As soon as he popped out of the water, he could feel the heaviness of the air as he breathed, and he began to realize why Noct would end up coughing when he stayed above water too long. “Luna! Ravus!” he yelled, gaining the siblings’ attention.“Prompto!” Luna cried out in relief. “Oh thank goodness! Are you all right?!”“Yep! Check it out!” he grinned, before diving down, and then launching himself up out of the water, high enough that his entire body, tail and all, was visible. He landed with a loud splash before surfacing again. “Thanks for everything, guys, but I gotta find Noct.” However, he paused as he was about to dive back under, thinking, before looking at Luna. “Hey Luna, can you dig out the shell from my bag, please? I have a feeling I’ll need it.”“Shell…?” Luna repeated, confused, before she hurried to the blonde’s bag and digging through it. When she found the shell, she hurried back. “This one?”“Yeah, that’s the one,” he nodded, holding his hands out to catch it.Nodding, Luna tossed the shell down toward Prompto. Once he caught it, she said: “Be careful, Prompto!”“I will!” Prompto grinned, moving the strap he had attached to the shell around his shoulder so he could swim without having to worry about holding it.“Good luck,” Ravus told him, and the blonde nodded.“Thanks, Ravus,” he smirked. “Bye, guys!” And with that, he darted beneath the waves, heading back to the silver-haired Weiz. “Now, where do I go from here?” he asked.“Seeking your beloved prince, I would assume,” the Weiz said off-handedly. Before Prompto could complain about the lack of help though, he smirked and said: “As for me… I intend to meet with an old friend of mine… I heard rumors circulating she was expecting royal visitors~”Initially, that sounded like a stupid bit of information to give… until Prompto actually dissected the words properly.“Mind if I tag along, then?” Prompto asked, hoping the silverette would agree.“Do as you wish, dear,” the Weiz said as he turned around to leave. “The sea’s big enough, after all…”And with a curl of his tentacles, the Weiz took off like a bullet shot from a gun.Prompto snorted, before he yelped as he began to give chase, swiftly catching up like he was a pro. The Weiz didn’t even seem to care, swimming along as if he was merely enjoying an everyday outing.“Can I at least know your name?” Prompto asked after a bit, the curiosity eating at him.The Weiz briefly looked back over his shoulder, seeming to consider it, before turning away again. Before Prompto could ask again, though…“Kuja.”“…Thanks, Kuja,” Prompto murmured, hoping everything would work out in the end. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Meanwhile, within Weiz territory, things were almost as silent as the grave. With one obvious exception; that being the massive black castle that was located right in the center of the area. What made it stand out from all other buildings there, aside from it being the tallest and most ominous building around, was the amount of creatures swimming around it.Creatures that weren’t Weiz…“…those are Niffs…” Leon mumbled softly from where the group of eight was hidden.Tidus growled softly. “Damn… what are they doing here?!”“They couldn’t have joined forces… right?” Sora frowned, concerned as he looked at Riku.“…seems like it…” Cloud mumbled softly.“Shit…” Axel hissed.“How do we get inside, then?” Roxas asked.“…Carefully,” Cecil whispered. “Let’s get closer… see if we can find a way in. Stay to the darkness.”The group nodded, before they swam closer to the Weiz castle. There were several moments where the group was almost discovered, but, thankfully, they were experienced enough to be able to avoid actual detection. But even then, it took them at least 20 minutes before they were close enough.“Look…” Cecil whispered, pointing. “That looks like a waste disposal chute…”“Are you kidding?!” Tidus hissed softly.“When does Cecil joke?” Axel snorted.“…never…” Cloud mumbled with a snort. --“Hey, there’s an open window up there,” Riku said suddenly, pointing at it. “Maybe we can split up to find His Highness faster.”“Good point! How ‘bout it Cecil?” Tidus quipped.Cecil frowned softly in worry, but in the end, he nodded. “Alright. Roxas, Axel, Tidus, Cloud. The four of you go up.”“…understood,” Cloud said with a small nod.“Riku, Sora, Leon, with me.”“No stinking like waste for us,” Axel snickered as he swam up with his group. Shortly after the quip, there was a quiet thunk as Roxas knocked the redhead on the head.“Axel, shut up,” he grumbled.Cecil shook his head briefly as he watched the four Mer move along the walls quietly, before he turned to the remaining members of the unit. “Let’s go.”“…right.”“Hopefully this will be quick…” Sora mumbled as he followed closely to Riku, who nodded. It was cold, and that was putting it mildly. Noctis was shivering, and that wasn’t something he was used to doing below the water. The only time he recalled ever doing so had been because he swam too deep to the point where the sun’s warmth was unable to reach them. He’d never gone back there again, fearing the cold.This was possibly even worse; the chains were only adding to it, as their cold seeped through the material into his wrists and through his tail.And as if that wasn’t bad enough, his stomach was churning violently now, and he was really pushing his luck with holding things in as much as he was, but he knew he had to. He couldn’t afford not to.He just had to hold out until help arrived……just a little longer…“Ooh?” The sudden voice made Noctis flinch in alarm, but he said nothing and didn’t bother to look up. “Still not ready, hm?”Noctis could barely see the other Mer’s scale color in the darkness of the cell, but he didn’t have to, because he’d already seen it. However, he didn’t want to believe what he’d already seen, because he didn’t want to think of the implications that brought with it. Black… He was pretty sure the guy was expecting a response, but Noctis wasn’t going to give it to him. He wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing him break down.“Nothing to say, still, hm?” the other Mer said in that same, calm voice that felt cold and haughty at the same time, making Noctis even less eager to answer. So, again, he didn’t. The other Mer hummed after almost a minute of getting no response, and Noct was half-tempted to look up, but he forced himself not to move. “You know what I think?”Noctis, of course, didn’t say anything in response. He wasn’t interested in this guy’s thoughts, anyway.That changed, however, when a large hand suddenly clamped down on the prince’s throat, squeezing tight and making him struggle to take in the required gulps of air as he was dragged up. He couldn’t even reach for the arm keeping him up, because the chains weren’t long enough to give him that movement. Not even his tail was able to move more than a few feeble wags of his fin.“I think… that you’re holding out on us,” the Mer said, but Noctis could barely hear it, as the lack of oxygen was making his head spin and had his eyes rolling up. “I suppose there’s no helping it, then…”Even if Noctis had been able to think , he wouldn’t have had the time to respond or react… as a blinding pain ripped through his entire being and he choked on a scream that barely managed to get out around the hand on his throat. However, as his brain caught up to where the pain was originating from, the feeling was accompanied by a powerful wave of panic.“N-no…!”The word was barely a choked whimper as he tried to reach out to stop the pain and also to stop what was happening, but the chains wouldn’t let him move at all. His muscles were all bunched up, in an attempt to make the pain stop, but it didn’t work. The pain was continuous and tore through his entire body like it was being ripped in half right down the middle.“Now, now…” Noctis could barely hear the voice over the pain that overrode everything else. “We can’t keep the host waiting, now can we?”He tried to object, because somehow he registered and understood those words, but his throat couldn’t formulate a single syllable. His eyes were burning, and it was a familiar feeling, even if its effect was lessened under water.‘Please… no…! Don’t… don’t take them away from me!!’The pain suddenly stopped then and, for a moment, he was able to breathe again, but only momentarily, before it returned, more violently than before and, this time, a scream of agony made it past the vice on his throat, strangled and choked, and he tried to fight somehow, to bunch up his muscles and stop it. But nothing he did worked and all he could do was scream and cry, broken sounds as the entire thing dawned on him.‘No…! Please… don’t…. don’t take my children away…!’ “My goodness… Ulti’s brought quite some new friends over, hasn’t she…?” Kuja mumbled to himself as he regarded the Wyf that were swimming around the large castle.Prompto watched how they swam, with their tails flicking from side to side, which was the exact opposite how he knew the Mer to swim with their up and down motion of their tails. Given this knowledge, he realized that these had to be the Wyf that Kuja had been talking about earlier.“They’re gonna attack me on sight, aren’t they, Kuja?” he asked quietly.“Most likely…” the Weiz sighed out, a pensive expression on his face. “Gosh… I wonder if they’ve come to help her fix that hole in her walls to the reef’s side…” he suddenly mumbled thoughtfully as he looked in the direction of said reef. “Would be a shame if her royal guests suffered a draft in their room, after all…”Taking the rather cryptic hint, the blonde streaked off towards the hole near the reef, managing to avoid being spotted by the Wyf drifting about around the castle.‘Thanks, Kuja. You’re something else,’ he thought in amusement.As Prompto moved along the walls, it didn’t take him long to spot the hole that Kuja had mentioned. It wasn’t very big and could easily be missed if you weren’t aware it existed, but it was large enough for Prompto to fit through. Once he was sure no one was around to see him, Prompto slipped through the hole with ease, being careful and quiet as he made his way through.‘Hang in there, Noct, I’m comin’ for ya,’ he thought determinedly. “Huh… only two?”The voice sounded so far away, but Noctis couldn’t focus on it properly. He couldn’t focus on anything other than the pain that tore through his body and soul, penetrating his heart and leaving him a sobbing, weeping mess. There was a mild sense of relief from his body, but it was that very relief that tore him apart, because he knew what it meant…“Hm… well, I suppose there’s nothing to do about it, then,” came the casual voice again, and Noctis could only watch with half-lidded, weary eyes as the large clam was closed, cutting him off, permanently, from its contents. “Perhaps it’s due to their human origins… but it doesn’t matter. You’ve done your part, prince. Well done.”The words were empty to Noctis, and even if he wanted to, there was nothing that could be said as he watched the two Wyf swim away, their cold, heartless cackling echoing along the halls. His tormentor had disappeared already, and whether that was good or not, he wasn’t sure.But he did know one thing for sure……he failed…‘…I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry… I couldn’t protect you… I’m sorry…’He curled up, pulling his tail up against his chest and pressing his face against the cold scales, and he cried. He sobbed and wailed, unable to do anything else.‘Prompto… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…’ Despite the ease with which Prompto entered the hole, it took him much longer than he’d thought to get to the other side, but he managed. Just as he was about to come out on the other side, though, two voices were heard cackling from down the hallway, coming closer. Immediately, the blonde froze, and then backtracked further back into the hole again as he waited for the source of the cackling to pass by.“That was easy~” cackled one of the voices.“Easy that was~” echoed the other, though the order of the words seemed a bit off. “Foolish prince~ Holding on he thought he could~”“Foolish indeed~”The voices continued to cackle as they moved further and further away.‘I wonder what they’re talking about? It has to be about Noct, whatever they mean…’ Prompto thought worriedly.After several agonizing moments of deadly silence, it was clear that Prompto was now (virtually) alone. Meaning it was safe to get out from his hiding spot. Satisfied with that knowledge, the human-turned-Mer finally slipped out, and then looked around the area he was now in. It appeared to be the dungeon…which meant Noctis must be here somewhere.With his resolve in place, Prompto began to search for the raven, remaining silent as he did so as not to draw attention to himself. Most of the cells that Prompto past were dark and empty, not a single light source to be seen, making it difficult to see inside. Sometimes there would be skeletal remains, but little else aside from that could be determined.However, as the blonde moved further down the halls, he caught a sound from one of the cells in the very back. And it was a sound he recognized… and one he’d hoped to never hear ever again; Noctis crying.Prompto immediately darted over to the cell, whisper-shouting: “Noct! It’s me! Prompto!”The noise hitched just then, and silence filled the hall. It made the dungeon seem much more intimidating than it actually was already. However, after a while, a soft, familiar voice choked out a single word;“…Pr…Promp…to…?”The blonde grabbed the cell’s bars, looking in to seek out the raven, but the darkness was making it difficult. “Noct, it’s really me! Come on, get over here! I came to save you!”“…ah… heh… ahaha…”Before Prompto could say anything, a cold, broken laugh echoed from the very back of the cell.Realizing Noctis thought it must be some kind of dream, Prompto sighed. “Noct, I made a deal with a Weiz, and I’m a Mer now… even if it’s only temporary. I would do anything to see you smile again, I swear on my life! Remember how I said I would do anything to make sure you’re happy? You’re not right now, obviously, and I refuse to leave until you’re safe and I see you smiling again! Please, Noct, believe that it’s really me, please…” His voice became soft as he pleaded with his love. “…pimmcred…” Noct’s voice breathed out. “…you can’t be here… it’s not possible…” His voice hitched then and a whimper escaped him. “…it’s coz I couldn’t hold on… isn’t it…? I should’ve… should’ve been able to hold on… should’ve been able to protect them…! But I… I wasn’t…” A broken cry escaped the Mer. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry…”“Noct, please, I gave up my camera as my price so I could find and save you, and I refuse to let this chance go to waste… I’m not leaving until you believe that it’s me, even if it costs me my life,” Prompto insisted, his voice wavering as he struggled to keep himself from crying.Noctis didn’t appear to be listening, murmuring a litany of apologies over and over again.Finally, Prompto looked around, before snatching up a bone from the floor and throwing it in Noctis’ direction, hoping the raven would realize this was real.“Ow!” Noctis yelped as the bone hit him (probably in the head), putting an end to the Mer’s apologies. “…ah… Prom…?”“It’s really me, dammit!” the blonde huffed, pouting. “What did you think I was saying?!”“…n… no way…” Noctis choked out, and then there was movement from the back – only for the Mer to let out a cry and a curse that was accompanied by the sound of clinking chains. “D-dammit…!!”“Shit, they chained you to the wall?!” Prompto snarled. “These guys are stupid!”“Pr-Prom… I… I’m sorry… I--”“Don’t be. I’m gonna go look for the key so I can get you outta here, and get you home,” Prompto said firmly, before he turned and started to leave in order to look for the key…However, the moment he turned around, the blade of a sword was suddenly pressed right at his throat from behind.“Don’t move…”“Gah!” the blonde yelped, unable to move.“Be silent or I will cut you down, traitor…” a cold voice hissed out.Prompto obeyed, swallowing nervously and feeling the tip of the sword’s blade barely touch his Adam’s apple.“No… Leon! Let him go!!” Noctis shouted out, and the blade against the blonde’s throat tensed briefly. “He’s not with the Weiz or the Wyf! Release him, now!!”“…As you wish, Your Highness…” the Mer said firmly, before the blade was removed.“Wait, what?” a brunette Mer frowned, confused.“If he’s not with them, who is he, Your Highness?” a silver-haired Mer asked.“Geez! Way to scare a guy!” Prompto huffed.“Both of you, enough,” a pale-haired Mer called out. “Sora, open this cell door, please.”“Right,” the brunette, Sora, nodded, and then raised his key-shaped blade at the cell door, before a small beam of light shot from the end into the key hole of the cell’s lock, and then the door swung open.“Noct!” Prompto very nearly cried, darting into the cell before anyone could stop him.“Hey you little—” the Mer who’d held his blade to his throat before began, but there was no time for him to do anything as Prompto nearly swam smack into the black-haired Mer, who almost yelped as this threw him back, the chains clinking together loudly.“Noct! I was fucking worried out of my damn mind about you!” the blonde whimpered as he got close.“Just who is this guy?” the silverette demanded, confused as can be.“…whoever he is… he’s got a lot of nerve to address the Prince so informally…” the taller brunette snarled softly.“…I believe there may be something more to this than we’re aware of, Leon,” the pale-haired Mer said firmly as he swam into the cell. “Your Highness,” he called as he approached, making Noctis look up. “Are you injured? Would you be able to swim with us?”Noctis didn’t say anything immediately, before he slowly shook his head. “I’m… I’m fine, Cecil… I can keep up if… if I must…”“Good,” the Mer—Cecil—said with a nod, before he moved over. “We’d best get you out of these chains then. Riku!”“Yes sir,” the silverette, Riku, said quickly, before using his own key-shaped blade to unlock the cuffs from the chains on Noctis’ wrists. As soon as they unlocked, Prompto caught them before they could hit the ground, preventing the potential for loud noise. Once he had set them softly on the ground, he was quick to wrap his arms around the raven in a firm hug.‘Screw the usual Mer stuff right now. This is what feels right to me,’ he thought. “I missed you…”“Ah…” Noctis hesitated for a moment, before he also decided to just screw the Mer customs and curled his arms around the blonde human-turned-Mer.“…hmph…” Leon scoffed as he turned away solemnly. “We should leave… we found what we came for…”“…! N-no, wait!!”“Noct? What’s wrong?” Prompto frowned, concerned as he watched the raven’s panicked expression.“Your Highness, don’t you want to go home?” Sora asked.“Sora’s right. We need to get out of here, soon,” Riku agreed.“I… I can’t… can’t leave yet…”“Your Highness, it’s too dangerous, here,” Cecil pointed out as he swam over. “Please; we need to leave.”“I can’t!!” Noctis nearly screamed, startling the other Mer and making them stare at the raven in alarm. “…I… I’m sorry… I just…”Seeing how upset his lover was, Prompto furrowed his brows before asking quietly, “Noct… Just what did they take from you?”At those words, Cecil frowned in question, before something seemed to register with him. “…I see…” he murmured, as he moved down somewhat, into a makeshift bow. “Nevertheless, Your Highness, it is important for you to escape this place.”“But…!”“Riku,” Cecil called out. “You and I will continue into the castle to continue the search. Sora, Leon, escort the Prince and his companion out of here.”“…understood.”“Not until he gets back what they took,” Prompto growled, glaring at Cecil, and Sora and Riku stiffened in shock at the blonde’s defiance.“…this is nonnegotiable, young Mer,” Cecil said firmly. “Sora, Leon.”“…yeah, got it,” Leon scoffed, right before he swam over and snagged Prompto around his waist.“Hey!” Prompto protested “I can swim myself outta here, dammit!” Meanwhile, Sora drifted over to Noctis, holding out his hand.“Come on, Your Highness. Let’s go home,” he smiled soothingly.“Ah…” Noctis tried to object, but when he looked to Cecil and saw the pale-haired Mer’s serious expression, he relaxed somewhat and he nodded, allowing Sora to assist him as Leon swam off again.“…right, Let’s go, Riku.”Prompto grumbled as he was literally carried along, but kept his voice down nonetheless as Sora helped Noctis along. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- While black was considered to be the national color of Insomnia, it was not a color that was considered to be overused. If anything, because of its ties to the royal family, it could actually be considered a color to be underused. The Weiz, on the other hand, seemed to use nothing but black in their interior designing, and it made the castle seem that much more foreboding than it already was.“These guys need better interior decorators…” Tidus hissed softly as the four Kingsglaive members moved through the halls, sticking to the shadows and dark crevices in the walls with as limited motion as they possibly could.The halls were dark, barely lit, and to make it even less appealing, the few lights that were there, used the skeletons of various fish to line them.“Yeah, it’s depressing,” Roxas agreed quietly.“Definitely makes you nervous,” Axel nodded.“…hm…” was Cloud’s only add-on to the situation.Tidus suddenly stopped swimming and frowned darkly. “…you guys hear that…?” he whispered.“Cred, Wyf,” Axel growled.“…this way,” Cloud hissed, pushing open the nearest door and ducking inside.The others were quick to follow inside, and Tidus shut the door behind them (quietly) before pressing his ear against it. “…closing in…” he whispered.Roxas tensed as he listened keenly to the approaching Wyfs’ cackles.While the cackling was still mostly indistinguishable, there was no denying that they were coming closer. Which was what prompted Cloud to hiss out “Hide,” making all four of them scatter to different corners of the room. Regardless of their hiding, though, Roxas continued to listen with his sharper hearing.With all of their breathing reduced to slow, soundless currents of water, it was easier for Roxas to distinguish the voices and what they were saying.“The sorceress will be most pleased~”“Most pleased the sorceress will be~ Eggs of the Lucis Line she has now~”“Revenge against Lucis is now ensured~”“Ensured her revenge will surely be~”As soon as Roxas heard the words, and they clicked, his sapphire eyes widened in horror and his jaw dropped open. “No…!” he gasped almost silently.The cackling soon dissipated, though they were still audible in the distance, finally allowing the Mer to get out of hiding.“Whew! Too close… Guess we know which way we’re NOT going…” Tidus mumbled softly.“We NEED to follow them, guys!” Roxas insisted, making Tidus look over in surprise, and even Axel frowned.“Rox, what are you talking about?” the redhead asked, confused.“They have His Highness' eggs!” the blonde very nearly yelled.“They have WHAT?!” Tidus choked out in alarm, and even Cloud was showing actual shock, for once.“…Roxas, you’re sure?” the taller blonde questioned.“I heard them talking about how the sorceress has the eggs of the Lucis Line,” he whimpered.“Then we have to get them back,” Axel said firmly.“…” Cloud frowned dangerously, before he scoffed. “Then we follow… quietly. Go.”“Gotcha,” Tidus hissed.Both Axel and Roxas nodded determinedly, before following Cloud and Tidus out into the hallway and after the two cackling Wyf.It took them only a short while to catch up to them, and it was easy to spot one of the Wyf carrying what looked like a hefty clam. However, as they followed Cloud frowned as he realized that the two would be getting into the castle’s main area soon. Which meant that they would lose their chance to retrieve the eggs.“…Axel…” the blonde hissed.“Gotcha,” the redhead smirked, before hurling his chakrams at the two Wyf, one chakram per Wyf, and knocking them out cold.“Tidus,” Cloud said immediately as the clam was flung forward because of them being knocked forward.“On it!!” the blonde hissed and snapped out his tail rapidly, shooting forward with speeds unmatched by his teammates, catching the clam before it could collide with anything. “Got it!”“We should make sure they’re okay,” Roxas said worriedly.“Right,” Tidus mumbled as he came over and carefully undid the clasp that kept the clam shut, flipping it open cautiously.Inside, within its soft cushions, rested two orbs about the size of a child’s fist, a deep black in color, and yet through its surface, one could faintly make out the shapes of two miniature figures, curled up within the orbs in silent slumber.“They look good, thank god…” the smaller blonde sighed in relief, leaning slightly against Axel.“…good,” Cloud murmured as Tidus closed the clam up again. “…we should leave.”“But what about the Prince?” Tidus questioned.“…they will be expecting the eggs to be delivered soon, no doubt…” Cloud pointed out. “…if we spend too much time here, we’ll be discovered and we’ll likely lose them again… then how will we face His Majesty?”“Good point,” Axel nodded.“I’ll bet Cecil and the others have found him by now, anyway,” Roxas pointed out.Cloud hummed softly… before he suddenly turned his head. “…speak of the seadevil…”“Did you guys find him?” Axel inquired, noticing the lack of Leon and Sora.“The Prince is safe,” Cecil confirmed. “However, we have other issues to worry about…”Cloud regarded the pale-haired Mer for a moment, before he snorted and said: “…if it’s about His Highness' eggs, it’s been dealt with.”“…what?”“I overheard two of the Wyf talking about them, so Axel knocked them out with his chakrams. And Tidus caught them before they could be damaged, though,” Roxas explained.“Nice work,” Riku smirked.“So we got everything, right?” Tidus questioned, a small smirk on his face. “Let’s get on outta here, then!”“Agreed. Let’s—”However, before Cecil could finish, a piercing wail echoed throughout the castle, shaking the walls and making causing the currents in the halls to jostle them around.“…! They must’ve noticed the Prince’s disappearance…”“And if not that… the delay in the egg delivery will have tipped them off…” Cecil added to Cloud’s words, as he looked down the hall on the other side. “Tidus, you’re the fastest of all of us. Take the eggs and go.”“Right!”“Axel, Roxas, cover his escape route to prevent any from chasing him.”“Gotcha,” the pair nodded firmly, and took off with Tidus.“Cloud, Riku… they need a distraction. Let’s go!!”“…right.”Riku merely lifted his Keyblade slightly, preparing to do whatever it took to make sure everyone made it out and back to Insomnia alive. “Foolishness…” a cold woman’s voice said from within the depths of the pitch black castle. “Did they truly think they could get away with taking him away?”She was a powerful Weiz, but at the same time, she had been cursed by those around her, as the deep markings in her skin told. Cast out by all other Weiz, yet still holding as much power as she did, she was someone that most wouldn’t dare to cross paths with. Anyone seeing her would agree; this woman was dangerous…“Hello, Ultimecia, dear, how have you been?”Upon those words, the woman looked up icily, her sharp yellow eyes glaring solemnly at the intruder… and yet it did nothing.“Kuja…” she said as the Weiz lazily made his way into the room. “Why are you here?”“How rude, dear… can’t I even visit an old friend nowadays?” the silver-haired Weiz pouted unhappily, before he quickly shook it off and moved further into the room. “So, dear, I’ve been hearing all these nasty rumors swimming around… about you aligning yourself with the Wyf, for instance.”Ultimecia merely regarded the other for a moment, before she snorted. “That is not your concern any longer.”“Aww, don’t be that way, dear,” Kuja nearly whined. “Are you really so devoted on your silly little ‘revenge’ you’d willingly align yourself with someone like that? That doesn’t sound like you at all, dear…”“There’s no reason for you to concern yourself with this matter, Kuja.”Kuja regarded the other Weiz silently for a long time as she moved around the room, his expression solemn and dark. ‘You are a fool, Ulti,’ he thought to himself, a dangerous glint in his eyes. ‘Your revenge will only destroy yourself, rather than those you wish to see come to harm. It will not bring you solace… it will not bring you retribution… it will only bring you your own premature death… foolish woman…’“Also…” Kuja said, his expression lightening as he hummed thoughtfully. “What’s this I heard about you having royalty over? One not hailing from Niff-territory…”“This does not concern you, Kuja,” Ultimecia said again. “I request you leave.”“How cruel you are, Ulti…” the male Weiz sighed out. “So cruel… And here I thought you’d be at least happy to see a familiar face…”“I’ve moved past that,” she said firmly. “I suggest you do, too.”Kuja regarded the woman, who still refused to face him properly one more time, before he turned away with a cold smirk. ‘Foolish indeed… you don’t even realize… the key to your revenge… has already been snatched away from you… Foolish woman…’ Meanwhile, Leon and Sora were bringing had just reached the edge of the Weiz’s borders, carrying their respective charges along with them. There’d been several moments where they’d almost been spotted, but thanks to the pair’s training, they’d miraculously managed to stay within the shadows. And now that they’d reached the border, they were (relatively) safe.“…we should be far enough away now,” Leon said firmly as he finally released Prompto.As Leon spoke, Sora kindly helped Noctis rest against a rock, and Prompto drifted over worriedly.“You okay, Noct?” he asked, his tone heavily laced with concern. Sora watched the exchange, and despite Leon’s suspicions, he knew this strange Mer had a good heart. The taller brunette watched the exchange with a dark frown on his face, even though Noctis seemed to be just fine with being addressed the way he was by the blonde merman.“…yeah… I’m okay… I’m okay…” the raven murmured softly.“Hey, Noct?” Prompto said, gaining the raven’s attention. “…How come you never told me you’re a prince?”Noctis blinked, before he smirked softly, though it seemed a bit weary. “Does it matter? Like it would’ve had any significance up there,” he quips cheekily.“Still, I had no idea you’re freaking royalty!” the blonde pouted.“Again, does that matter?”Rolling his eyes, Prompto then smiled in relief. “I’m just glad you’re alive and safe now…”“Okay, I gotta ask. Just who are you, anyway?” Sora finally piped up.“Eh, long story right now, and I’d rather not have to repeat myself. Can it wait for just a bit?” Prompto asked, giving a sheepish grin.“Sora,” Noctis said solemnly, drawing the brunette’s attention, even as he took Prompto’s hand in his own. “It’s fine. Don’t worry.”The brunette nodded, but smiled brightly when he saw the gesture.Just then, a distant wail-like sound from the direction of the castle, drawing everyone’s attention back in its direction.“…ch… looks like they’ve figured it out…”“Busted…” Prompto growled.“We need to go,” Sora said urgently.“But…what about the others?” the blonde questioned.“If we could alert them that the prince was found… then Nyx would surely sound the retreat…”Blinking in realization and remembering what Ignis had told him before, Prompto quickly grabbed the shell that he was glad he had Luna give him before. Placing the pointe tip to his lips, he then blew into it.Despite having heard the sound of the horn before, when it was played under water, it was suddenly a lot deeper than it had been on land. On top of that, it went on for much further as well, even though Prompto himself wasn’t aware of exactly how far. “…! That’s…!” Nyx breathed out as the horn’s sound reverberated through the waters around them. Smirking in relief, he shouted out to the other Kingsglaives; “Mission accomplished!! Everyone move!!”“Sir!!” “What…?!” Ultimecia choked out as the sound penetrated the walls of her castle, but Kuja merely hummed, a small, curious smirk on his face.“My, my… someone’s making a lot of noise… aren’t they?” he murmured with a chuckle. ‘Very good, dear… let her know that she’s already lost.’ He said nothing as he regarded Ultimecia from the corner of his eyes. ‘This is what you get… when you break the laws, after all.’ “…where did you get that?!” Leon demanded icily once the sound had faded.“Noct gave it to me a while back, but Ignis told me to blow it if I found him alive and safe,” Prompto replied, blinking. “Why?”“Leon,” Noctis said before the brunette could say anything else, “not now, please.”“…As you wish, Your Highness.”“Hmm?” Sora hummed suddenly, perking up. “Hey, it’s Tidus!”Just as the four Mer looked up, it was just in time to see Tidus swimming into range, and then spinning himself into a backflip to stop his forward momentum completely, and for a moment he just hung in place, gulping up the oxygen he so desperately needed, before he quickly bowed. And all that while clutching a large clam to his chest.“I… I apologize for my tardiness, Your Highness,” he said swiftly, before he swam closer and held out the clam as if the shell held all the secrets to the universe and he was offering it up the prince. “I believe that… these are yours, Your Highness.”Noctis stared in shock at the large clam for a moment, his eyes wide and a hand covering his mouth. Because he recognized it, and he knew what it held. “…you… you got them back…?”“What is it?” Prompto asked curiously, watching Noctis.But Noctis wasn’t able to answer as he reached out with trembling fingers and undid the clasp of the clam, carefully opening it up to show the two dark black orbs inside. And as he laid his eyes on them, Prompto was shocked to see the look of utter relief in the prince’s eyes. “Thank god…” he breathed out, almost sounding on the verge of tears (if it’d been possible to shed tears under water). “Thank god… they… they’re okay… they’re safe… th… thank you…”“Noct… what are those…?” the blonde asked softly, sounding very hesitant to break whatever state Noctis was currently in.“That can wait,” Leon said immediately. “Your Highness, with all due respect, we need to move before we’re discovered.”“…right… you’re right…” Noctis got out, moving his hands back and allowing Tidus to close the clam again.Snorting softly, the scarred brunette turned around and then released a powerful whistle-like shout from the back of his throat. And ten seconds later, eight massive seahorses shot out of hiding and stopped right by the group of Mer with loud whines and whinnies. And Prompto jolted, shocked by the presence of the huge creatures that had suddenly appeared seemingly out of nothing.“Hey, wait up!” Roxas’ voice shouted, and he and Axel joined them shortly after.“Who’s that?” the redhead frowned when he saw Prompto.“That can wait,” Leon pointed out. “Where’s Cloud?”“Should be here in a sec,” Axel mumbled.And no sooner had the redhead finished those words, or Cecil, Cloud and Riku swam down to them. “Good, everyone’s here,” Cecil said firmly with a nod. “We need to go, hurry! Leon, take His Highness with you!”“…understood.”“Roxas, take his companion with you.”“Uh, okay?” Roxas said, quirking a brow, but, nevertheless, he guided Prompto onto his seahorse, getting on right behind him, right before they all took off.The moment they did, though, Prompto became acutely aware of the likely reason why Noctis had been so afraid of riding Chocobos back on land. Unlike the Chocobos, the seahorses barely moved as they shot through the water with only their tails coiling behind them, whereas Chocobos shifted their weight from left to right with every step. Though this certainly didn’t mean their speed was any less than Chocobos; they swam and weaved almost effortlessly through the reefs and corals with practiced ease, whinnying and neighing as they went.As the seahorses rushed through the reefs, however, a loud whinny drew Prompto’s attention to the side, just in time to see even more of the same seahorses catching up by use of the undertow off to the side, each one ridden by a Mer as well. One of the Mer, clearly the leader of the group, took in the entourage that the group had with them, and he smiled in relief, before he took the lead of the pack.And as the ride continued on, Prompto began feeling the thrill as the water rushed past his face like the wind would on land when riding the back of a Chocobo, and he looked at Noctis with a grin. As though he was feeling the look thrown his way, Noctis glanced over, and, upon seeing the grin, allowed a small smirk of his own.“Hey, just how do you know His Highness, anyway?” the blonde behind Prompto asked, and the human-turned-Mer merely gave a mysterious smile before he spoke.“I’ll explain soon,” he shrugged.Just as Prompto said that, the seahorses shot up and over a hillside, and the moment they were over, he was greeted with the sight of an underwater city with buildings that were higher than anything he’d ever seen before, even on land, its radius as wide as, if not wider than, Altissia, or even close to Lestallum. And the way the sun from above glinted off of the silvery-black surfaces made it seem even more surreal than it already was.“Whoa…!” Prompto breathed, awed by the majesty and regality of the entire place.“Heads low, everyone!” the Mer up front shouted out. “We’re about to pass through the Wall!!”When Prompto failed to lower his head as ordered, though, Roxas was quick to shove his head into ducking, drawing a yelp from the taller blonde.And then, the seahorses slammed into, and then through some sort of barrier that bent under them, opening briefly to allow them through, before falling shut behind them once again. Once beyond the “Wall”, as the leader had called it, the seahorses slowed down and then altered course, moving toward one of the nearby buildings, where, one by one, the Mer dismounted and passed the seahorses to the attendants.As Prompto dismounted with Roxas, Noctis smiled at the blonde’s awe, before he said; “Welcome to Insomnia, Prom.”Prompto smiled brightly at Noctis, before saying, “It’s even more amazing than Altissia could even hope to be…”Noctis merely smiled, before the leader of the group came over.“Your Highness,” he spoke, and Noct solemnly turned to him as the Mer bowed. “It is good to see you unharmed, Sire. I apologize for our tardiness.”“It is fine, Nyx,” Noctis spoke firmly, in a tone that Prompto had never heard from Noctis before. “It is done with. There is no need to worry any longer. You’ve all done well.”Nyx briefly looked up, before he (and all other Mer within hearing) bowed even lower. “Thank you, Your Highness.”Prompto, not sure how to react, merely remained where he was, watching the scene unfold.Finally, the Mer all straightened up and Nyx turned to the others. “Roxas, Tidus, escort the Prince to the Citadel.”“Yes sir,” Tidus said, adjusting his grip on the clam he still held.“Wait, what about me?” Prompto frowned.“Do you have to ask?” Noctis chuckled, taking Prompto’s hand. “You’re coming with.”“Well, I didn’t hear anything about your ‘companion’ coming with,” the blonde snorted.Noctis merely chuckled, before he tugged on the blonde’s hand as he began to swim after Roxas and Tidus. And Prompto followed eagerly, an almost dopey grin on his face. He felt drunk on happiness right now. As they swam on, higher above the “streets” to stay out of everyone’s way, Noctis’ hand squeezed the blonde’s firmly, even though he kept his gaze ahead of him, on the Kingglaive members as they swam ahead. It didn’t take long for Prompto to realize where they were going; to the very center of the large underwater city… the “Citadel”, he believe they called it. It towered over all other buildings with ease, and its entire surface seemed to sparkle from a distance.He wondered what it was even made of…As soon as they arrived, a pink and brown blur shot from inside out and practically tackled Noctis in a hug.“Noctis!!!” the blur wailed. “I was so worried about you!! You’re okay, right?!”Prompto watched for a moment more, before realizing it was Iris who’d just swam into the prince, and he laughed.“Iris! Calm down!” Noctis chuckled out, patting the girl’s head. “I’m okay. I’m home, now.”“Thank god…” she breathed. As she pulled away finally, she then happened to look at Prompto, before openly gawking. “Wait a sec… PROMPTO?!”“That’s my name, don’t wear it out,” the blonde grinned.“But… how did…?” she trailed off, confused.“Later, Iris, okay?” Noctis said as he ruffled the girl’s hair. “I’ll explain everything later, promise.”“Oh… all right,” she sighed. “I’m holding you to it, though!”“We will, Iris!” Prompto laughed.“You Highness, we should move,” Tidus called out politely, and Noctis nodded.“Right… I apologize, Tidus. Let’s go,” Noct said, as he began to lead the way further into the massive building.Prompto was quick to stick close to the raven as they swam inside, and he looked around in awe as they headed in. while black appeared to be a recurring color here, it wasn’t overwhelming, and the place gave off the vibe that it had been well-maintained and cared for.As they moved along the halls, it wasn’t long before they ran into another familiar face. Though this one was a lot more reserved than Iris had been.“Noct,” Ignis said as he came over, carrying a small stack of scrolls under his arm. As he came into range, he put one hand to the prince’s shoulder and said firmly: “You caused us all a lot of grief. You know this, right?”“Yes, I know… I’m sorry…” Noctis apologized sincerely to the advisor.“Hey Ignis!” Prompto grinned suddenly.Upon that call, Ignis looked over curiously… and his eyes widened almost comically. “Wait… aren’t you… Prompto?”“In the living flesh and tail!” the human-turned-Mer laughed. Oh, the usually stoic Ignis’s expression like that? Priceless!“How did—” Ignis started, before he shook the matter off and quickly composed himself. “…We can discuss this later… Noctis, His Majesty is in his chamber… resting.”Noctis tensed sharply at the news, and even his tail stopped its light motions that were to keep him in place. “…is… is he…?” he choked out.“He is well. Just tired,” Ignis assured him. “The Wall has been taking its toll on him.”“…I see… thank you.” Noctis sighed softly, before he turned to the two Kingsglaive members. “Thank you for taking me this far, Tidus, Roxas. Tidus, please give the clam to Prompto.”“Yes, Your Highness,” Tidus said with a polite bow, before he swam over to Prompto and passed him the clam. However, before Prompto could take it over entirely, Tidus, held it tightly for a moment and hissed softly: “Be. Careful with these,” before he released it.Prompto growled as he took it, before he spat: “These obviously mean the world to him. I would never cause him pain by being careless.”Tidus glared briefly, but one look from the prince made him back off. “You can tell Nyx I’ve returned safely. I’m sure Father will call on you once he’s recovered.”“Yes, Your Highness,” Roxas nodded, before ushering Tidus out of the area.Once the two were gone, Noctis nodded to Ignis, and then turned to Prompto. “Prom, this way,” he said, before starting down another hallway.“Okay,” the blonde smiled, before following him as he held the clam close almost instinctively. He wondered what exactly the orbs inside were, and why they meant so much to Noctis. He didn’t dare to ask just yet though. He would wait until the right time to ask Noctis about their origin and meaning.The trip takes him up some sort of spiraling tower (it wasn’t really a “staircase” since there were no “steps”), up to the higher levels, and Noctis eventually moved over to a large doorway at the end of the hall. For a moment, he hesitated in front of the door, biting his lip, before he reached out and pushed it open slowly, not bothering to knock.“…Father?” he called out as he swam inside slowly, wincing as there was a heavy groan from the center of the room.“…Noc…tis…?”Noct bit his lip again, before he swam further inside.Prompto, however, hesitated, nervous to face who he realized was the King of the Mer. He waited outside, not sure if he should follow, though he did peek inside around the door. He could just barely spot the Mer resting in the room; an elderly, gray-haired male with shoulder length hair and a matching beard, giving him a gentle appearance, though Prompto was sure he could just as easily look very stern if he had to. He couldn’t see the man’s tail from under the blanket (how did those even stay on in the water?), but he assumed it to be the same as Noct’s; black-scaled.Noctis didn’t notice Prompto staying behind initially, as he settled beside the large shell shaped bed, holding his father’s hand as Regis wearily pushed himself up to sit upon the mattress. “You’re… back…”“Yes, I am…” Noctis said, squeezing his father’s hand worriedly. “I’m sorry for worrying you… I was… I was an idiot… I-I shouldn’t have…”To his surprise, Regis merely laughed, after which the older Mer reached up to ruffle his son’s hair. “You’re young, Noct,” the King said kindly. “When you’re young, you’re prone to do things that you may regret later in life. We all go through such phases at one point.”“…really?” Noctis wondered, blinking his eyes at his father. He’d never actually heard him speak about things like this, and it made him wonder. “…then… did you…?”Regis laughed kindly. “Yes, even I did some stupid things in my youth. And yes, I gave your grandfather quite a bit of grief, too.”Noctis stared for a moment more, before he was able to crack a smile and was able to laugh as well. “I… I see. I wouldn’t have guessed…”Regis smiled warmly, before he tugged his son closer, and Noctis didn’t fight him as the older Mer hugged him close, wordlessly returning the hug with a content smile. The blonde smiled softly at the sight, but he was still anxious. This is like when a guy meets his girlfriend’s dad for the first time, sheesh! Except things are totally different in this case.Just then, the gray-haired Mer peeked over his son’s head and noticed Prompto in the doorway, and he hummed curiously. “Oh? Who did you bring with you, Noct?”“Huh…?” Noct blinked, before he turned to the doorway. Upon noticing Prom in the doorway he frowned and straightened up. “Prom! C’mon in here!”“S-sorry!” Prompto stuttered, hurrying inside. “Wasn’t sure if I was supposed to come in or not…” he mumbled.Noctis snorted softly, and the King chuckled. “Oh? This is this ‘Prompto’ boy Iris mentioned?”The Prince spluttered for a moment as he whirled on his father in alarm. “Sh-she told you…!?”“Under pressure, I assure you,” Regis assured his son. “She was very determined to keep it a secret, Noct.”“…I see…”Regis merely smiled, before he turned to Prompto. “Though I am surprised… I was informed you were not one of us, lad…”“Eh, yeah, I’m technically not…” Prompto admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I… exchanged something precious to me to a Weiz so I could be a Mer, even if it’s just temporary…” He then added quickly: “But he said if I link myself to the Mer people, then I’ll be able to stay as one!” He paused, biting his lip nervously. “Even though I don’t understand what that means…I’d like to stay with Noct—I mean Noctis, sir…”“‘Link yourself to the Mer’?” Regis repeated, a curious glint in his eyes, but Noct’s eyes widened in realization, before he chuckled.“Oh… I see…” he got out amidst his chuckles.“What does that mean, anyway?” Prompto frowned. “The guy was cryptic as hell!”“Before that… Father…” Noctis said, turning to the King. “I… I have an admission to make…” he said, sounding almost unsure, suddenly.Prompto fell silent then, keeping his own curiosity in check as Noctis spoke, adjusting his grip on the clam a bit.“Oh? What kind of admission, son?”“Prom?” Noctis said as he looked to the blonde. “May I…?” he asked, gesturing to the clam.“Uh, sure,” the smaller male nodded, passing the clam to the raven.“Thank you,” Noctis said with a smile, before he turned to his father, moving down and placing the clam along his father’s lap, reaching out and undoing the clasp. After that, he briefly took a deep breath, before he pulled the shell open once more.Upon seeing the contents of the clam, the King’s eyes went wide in surprise, and, for a moment, he seemed struck speechless, before a small smile came on his face. “These… are yours, my son?”“Yes… they are…” Noctis admitted, keeping his gaze aimed down as his father reached for the black pearls and gently ran the pad of his finger along them.Finally, Prompto couldn’t hold in the question anymore. He had to know. “Noct, just what are those?”Noctis looked up for a moment, before he sighed and straightened up. This was going to hit the blonde hard, he just knew it, but he knew just as well that it had to be said. He had every right to know. After a moment longer, he turned to Prompto. “They’re… they’re eggs. Specifically… my eggs…”“W-wait…what?” the blonde breathed, shocked, and his eyes went almost comically wide. Those words didn’t make sense; Noctis was male, he’d witnessed that personally, and he was pretty sure that Noctis hadn’t actually been with a female Mer during the time he’d been with Prompto on land. So… “But…how…?”“Due to our dwindling numbers,” King Regis answered instead of his son, “our kind has been forced to adapt. To ensure our race is able to survive, all Mer became capable of carrying eggs.”“…Yeah…” Noctis added softly with a small nod.The news was a lot to take in, and it took quite a few minutes before Prompto had fully wrapped his head around the knowledge. But when it finally dawned on him that male Mer could give birth (or lay eggs, to be specific) he suddenly remembered Noctis’ reluctance and then anger towards them having sex back when the raven was human, and as that sank in completely, he paled as he understood exactly why that had been now.“Oh my god…” he whimpered, his voice quivering and he could feel heat gathering in his eyes, and though he couldn’t cry tears under the sea, he was pretty sure that’s what was happening now. “You mean that the price for you becoming human was to give up your eggs…? Then that means I… I… Oh god…!”As it all hit him, and hit him hard, he gripped his hair tightly, almost tearing his hair out. “It’s all my fault…!”“Prom, it’s okay…” Noctis said as he moved over and pulled the shorter male against him. “It’s okay, it’s okay… shush…” he soothed, running a hand through the blonde’s hair.“No it’s not, dammit! It’s my fault you were captured and you suffered because of me!” Prompto sobbed. “All because I was fucking selfish!!”“Prom… sshh… calm down…” Noctis continued to soothe, still running his hand through his hair, with the other rubbing his back. “Sssh… it’s okay… I’m okay now… we’re all okay…”The smaller male shook with the force of his sobs, continuing to choke out apology after apology.Noctis frowned sadly at the constant apologies, and he briefly looked to his father, but the old Mer merely smiled in understanding and nodded his head. Nodding his thanks quietly, Noctis secured his arms firmly around Prompto, and then lightly snapped out his tail, pulling the boy up higher into the room, before he coiled them around the room, gently spinning them around as he did.Eventually, this tactic seemed to work, and Prompto ended up settling into a sniffling, hiccupping mess. “I… I don’t deserve you after this, Noct…” he whispered, looking at the raven with emotional turmoil evident in his eyes.“Ssshh…” Noctis shushed, placing their foreheads together and rubbing their noses alongside each other. “It’s okay, Prom… it’s o-kay.”“How can you forgive me after something like that, though? I had no idea…” he asked quietly. “I hate myself for it…”“Prompto,” Noctis said firmly, making the blonde look him in the eye. “Look at me; I’m here now, and I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Yes, things were bad for a while… but we got through it… and we’ll do this together. I swear… we’ll get through this.”Prompto gaze into the raven’s eyes, and saw that Noctis was being completely honest with him, and still loved him, even after… that.“…I believe you,” he murmured, finally managing to smile slightly. He then gave an almost watery laugh from the crying before asking, a bit hesitantly: “We’re gonna be parents, huh?”“Yes… yes, we are,” Noctis said with a warm smile, pulling the blonde close to him.“…I want to be with you forever, Noct,” Prompto whispered after a while. “Whatever it takes, I want to stay.”Noctis allowed a soft chuckle, a knowing glint in his eyes, but rather than bring that up, he murmured: “Do you want to see them?”“Absolutely,” the blonde nodded eagerly.Smiling warmly, Noct took the blonde’s hand and tugged him back to where his father still sat, watching with a small smile of his own. As they came into reach, he turned the clam so that Prompto could have his first, proper looks at Noct’s—their—eggs.The smaller male gazed at their eggs in awe, his eyes reflecting the feeling easily. Carefully, he reached out and ran his hand along one, then the other, before feeling pure joy swell in his heart. The eggs were warm when he touched them, especially compared to the cold of the sea around them. And as Prompto looked even closer at the eggs, he could see the shapes of two tiny figures curled up within them, sleeping peacefully as they awaited the day they would be big enough to come out.“H…how long until they hatch?” he asked softly, unable to look away.“Three months,” Noct said softly as he placed a hand on Prompto’s shoulder. “The shells are soft and will grow with them, until they can break through with their nails.”Prompto looked at Noctis with a content expression, and knew that if he could shed tears right now, he definitely would. And pretty quick, too.“I love you so much, Noct…” he murmured. “And I’m gonna love these little ones just as much.”Noctis smiled softly as he squeezed Prompto’s shoulder, whispering a gentle “I love you, too,” before King Regis spoke.“Noct, why don’t you take your eggs to your room? I’m sure you boys have much to discuss. Don’t worry,” he added when Noct was about to object. “I’ll be fine. I just need to rest these weary scales for a little while. I’m not as young as you boys anymore, after all.”This made Noctis smile softly and he nodded. “Alright… thank you, Father… and rest well.” As he nodded his head politely, he gently shut the clam again and lifted ir up, turning to Prompto. “Let’s go.”“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, and then followed after, eager to be alone with his only love. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Once they were out of the King’s chamber, Noctis led Prompto further down the same hall to a smaller doorway, which he pushed open silently, before he turned to Prompto and smiled at him. Upon that gesture, the blonde gave the raven a shy look before he slowly entered the room first.The room was smaller than that of the King, but still very large. There was a large shell-shaped bed at the back end of the room, a hefty “bookcase” filled with a variety of objects aside from the scrolls it had probably been meant for. There was also a small table in the center, but there were no chairs around it, but given how low to the ground it was, that was likely the point. The walls were adorned with various different shells at seemingly random locations, and on the other side was a large “window” that was currently sealed off with a huge shell.“It’s not as fancy as yours… but I usually don’t stay inside much…” Noctis offered with a small shrug as he followed Prompto inside and shut the door.“Hey, I like this much better than my place,” Prompto huffed, smiling at Noctis.“…really?” Noctis asked as he looked up from where he was placing the clam on a small table in the center of the room. “Why?”“It makes me think of you and that I’m with you now. If I’d ended up going back to my place, I wouldn’t have had anything to remember you by,” Prompto pointed out. “Other than memories, that is.”“…” The Mer just watched Prom for a moment more in silence, before he sighed with a small smile and moved over, silently pulling Prompto into a hug.The blonde hugged him back, before pulling away. “‘Sides, I don’t have any pictures of us anymore,” he confessed. “I gave my camera up in exchange to be a Mer…”“You what?!” Noctis got out, pulling away to look at the blonde. “Why did—I thought that was important to you!”“It was, but not as important as being with you,” Prompto murmured, lowering his gaze. He then looked up at Noctis with his resolve plain to see in his gaze. “Like I told that Weiz, I would do anything to be with you and make you happy.”Noctis could only stare at him for a long time, before his mouth curled into a small smile and he sighed. “Idiot…” he mumbled, moving in and gently locking their lips together.The smaller male kissed back happily, relieved that Noctis wasn’t mad at him for his decision.After a long time spent enjoying the kiss, Noctis pulled away and pulled Prompto over to the bed. “Here,” he said. “See if you can lie down.”“Uh, okay,” Prompto nodded, and then tried to lay down in Noctis’ bed, but still found himself unable to stay still. “Kinda hard when I feel weightless, Noct…”Noctis laughed softly, before he swam down as well, settling on the bed with his fin lightly waving, before going still along the bed. “You have to use your fin to push yourself into place.”“Easy for you. You’re used to it,” the blonde pouted, but copied Noctis’ actions anyway before finding himself staying in place by the raven’s side.“See?” Noct chuckled. “Not that hard, is it?”“No…”And then, without any sort of warning, Noct moved in and kissed Prompto again.Prompto’s pouted vanished at the contact, and he kissed back tenderly, simply enjoying being with his lover.When Noctis pulled away again, he frowned in slight question. “…hey Prom?”“Hmm?”“How did you learn to speak Mer?”“Oh, uh… Don’t kill me, but…the Weiz that I made the deal with kissed me so I could…” Prompto mumbled, looking nervous, before his eyes widened as he babbled. “But I didn’t know he was gonna! I swear, I had no idea! It felt so wrong!”“…” The look on Noct’s face was dark and dangerous, watching the blonde with a deep frown, his tail slowly moving along the bed.“…Noct…?” the smaller male asked, his tone scared.“…”“Don’t hate me, please? I swear on my life I didn’t know he was gonna…” the blonde whimpered. “A-and it’s because of him that I even found you in the first place without getting caught, too…”Before he could say anything else, though, Noct’s tail suddenly snapped out and propelled him forward, and then he was pinning Prompto to the bed with a startled yelp, before he abruptly started kissing him in a way that was almost possessive. A startled squeak escaped the blonde at the force with which Noctis was kissing him, but rather than fight it, he kissed back, trying to silently reassure Noctis that he was only the raven’s, and no one else’s.Noctis growled from the back of his throat as he curled one hand in the blonde’s hair, as his tail coiled around the blonde’s firmly, all while he lapped and sucked at Prompto’s tongue. The smaller male slowly buried his fingers in the raven locks as he curled his tongue around Noctis’, shivering lightly.However, that was before his body began to grow warm, almost unbearably so, with the heat curling around his waist and seeming to center on what should’ve been his crotch area as a human. Startled, Prompto broke away with a gasp, his eyes wide as he looked at Noctis, his face flushed.“Prom…?” Noct murmured, frowning.“Getting warm…” Prompto mumbled.“Warm…? …ah, I see…” Noctis chuckled softly.“Is this like the Mer version of being turned on or something?” the blonde frowned, pouting at the chuckle.“Yes,” Noctis said cheekily, before he kissed Prompto to his nose. “Now you know how I felt that first day.”Prompto sighed, before looking away. “I’m sorry…”Before he could say anything else, Noctis suddenly moved over and began to run his teeth along the blonde’s throat, releasing a loud purr-like noise that vibrated through his skin. The blonde shuddered at the pleasurable feeling, moaning softly.“You poor thing…” Noctis murmured softly as he nipped at Prompto’s ear. “Let me help you…” he purred, his hand slipping down along the boy’s sides.“Ah…” Prompto groaned, his mind fogging from all of Noctis’ teasing.And then his hand touched along the scales of his tail and he dragged the nails along them, creating a steady vibration wherever his fingers went. Prompto whimpered as the teasing touch, his hands gripping the prince’s shoulders tightly.“Ssh…” Noct breathed, moving his fingers slowly but firmly, searching. “This’ll feel good…” he murmured, just as his forefinger pressed in between the scales along Prompto’s crotch area.Prompto gasped, his eyes snapping open as he shuddered. Noctis continued to shush him as he gently kissed the shorter male’s cheeks, tightening his tail around Prompto, as his fingers gently peeled away the layer of scales. If Prompto’d had all his brain cells in order, he might’ve made the connection that it was like opening the flap of a pair of pants. As it was, however, that was the furthest thing from the smaller male’s mind, as he lay there shivering and moaning in anticipation, his eyes closing again.Chuckling softly at the sounds the boy was making, Noctis slipped his fingers past the scales, searching only briefly before he gently pulled the newly-turned-Mer’s cock out from hiding. Immediately, the blonde gave a long, drawn-out moan as he tightened his grip on Noctis’ shoulders.Smiling softly, Noctis moved over and kissed the blonde firmly, even as he started to move his hand along his flesh. Prompto kissed back hungrily, wanting more of his lover’s touch. And he got it, as Noctis adjusted his grip briefly, before picking up speed as he purred loudly into the blonde’s mouth. Prompto panted as he was touched, moaning and whimpering as his hands buried themselves in those raven locks.And Noctis let him do so, adjusting his head to get a slightly better angle, while his hand shifted around his cock and he moved his palm along the head, moving teasing fingers along the tender skin.“Fuck…” Prompto gasped as he pulled back slightly. “Not gonna… last long… Noct…!” He moaned out his lover’s name, his eyes squeezing shut.“Then let it go…” Noct purred out, nipping at his lover’s throat again. “Let go… I love you…”Prompto choked on a cry as he did as told, shuddering heavily.Noctis smiled as he worked the blonde through it, before he stilled and, after tucking his lover away again, he asked: “So… how was that?”“That… was amazing…” the smaller male breathed once he caught his breath. “I love you, Noct…”Noct smiled lovingly, briefly kissing the breathless Mer, before he murmured: “I love you, too… so much…” as he settled himself by the blonde’s side.Prompto held Noctis close to himself, more than just happy since he was with the raven again. However, before he could start to doze off, he remembered something. “Hey, Noct?”“…hm?”“How do I link myself to the Mer? You never told me before…”Noctis regarded the smaller blonde through lazy blue eyes for a moment, seeming to consider how to answer, before he smiled. “You just have to make sure you can’t turn back…” he murmured, resting a hand along Prompto’s stomach. “Because if you did… you’d lose something precious to you…”“Wait… so you mean I’ll have to lay eggs, too?” the blonde guessed.“Close; you need to be holding the eggs inside of you, forming them, when your time is up. If you’ve already laid them, that won’t help.”“Oh…” Prompto murmured, before he gave a determined smile. “Well… I’m more than willing to do that, if it means staying with you…”“Good,” Noctis murmured, moving forward and kissing him gently.The smaller male smiled softly into the kiss, giving a content noise. Then there was a knock at the door.“Noctis? Prompto? You guys in there?” Iris’ voice called through the door.Allowing a small smile, Noctis easily disentangled from the blonde and moved off the bed. “Yeah, we’re here. You can come in, Iris.”Prompto pouted at the lack of contact, before Iris came in, closing the door behind her. Noticing the blonde’s pout, she giggled. “Did I interrupt?” she asked.“Hmmm… maybe a little,” Noctis chuckled out softy.The smaller male blew a raspberry at Noctis teasingly in response, making Iris laugh. Once she stopped, she asked: “So, what happened, Prompto?”“Long story short, I traded my camera to a Weiz so I can stay with Noct, and I plan on staying forever,” the blonde answered, grinning.“How, though?” she questioned, tilting her head curiously, but Prompto then gained a shy look, unable to word his answer the way he wanted to.“Before we get to that, actually…” Noctis said, a small smile on his face. “I think there’s something you need to see first…”Iris blinked, curious, as Prompto was quick to follow Noctis to the clam. And after waving Iris over as well, Noctis undid the clasp and opened the clam, turning it her way so she could see its contents. The brunette, being a Mer herself, immediately realized what she was looking at and gasped audibly, before she looked at them in surprise.“Are they both of yours?” she asked softly, despite knowing the answer.Noctis nodded silently as he wrapped his arm around Prompto’s shoulders.“Eee! I’m so happy for you guys!!” she squealed, hugging them both tightly. Prompto laughed, despite knowing how they even came to be, but he pushed the negative feelings away, ignoring them.The prince allowed a warm chuckle as he ruffled Iris’ hair. “Thank you, Iris. And I’m sorry for worrying you…”“It’s okay, Noct,” she assured him. “You’re all here and safe, and that’s what matters.” Prompto nodded once, agreeing with the words. Iris then let them go from her hug, and then giggled. “Oh! Gladdy needs to see you as a Mer now, Prompto!”“Oh, if his reaction is anything like Ignis’, then that’ll be hilarious,” the smaller male snickered.This made Noctis laugh softly. “Oh yeah…” he agreed. “Let’s go. …ah, actually…” he mumbled with a frown, as he closed the clam and went over to his window.“What’s up?” Prompto asked, tilting his head cutely.Noctis didn’t respond to the question and, instead, opened the window before letting out a sharp whistle from the back of his throat. And barely a minute later, two Mer (clearly guards) swam up.“I want you to watch the window and make sure no one comes near. Understood?” Noctis ordered firmly.And though the guards seemed a bit startled by the suddenness of the order, they didn’t question it and bowed. “As you wish, Your Highness,” they said.Prompto, somewhat surprised by the authority in Noctis’ voice, smirked when they left to find Gladio. As they went, he teased: “Glad you don’t need to use your ‘princely tone’ with me.”Noctis looked at Prompto for a moment as they swam, before he smirked and said in human tongue: //Watch what you say… before you give me ideas.//Prompto blushed at the words, and Iris frowned. “How come your face still turns red like that? Since you’re a Mer, that shouldn’t be possible,” she questioned.“Uh…I’m not explaining why I’m blushing…” Prompto muttered, tossing a playful glare at the raven. //You are officially a pervert in my mind now,// he huffed at him.“A wha…?” Noctis questioned, tilting his head in question, just before they reached the training rooms.Prompto blinked, but then said quietly with a sneaky smirk: “You enjoy yourself with me in private a bit too much.”“Gladdy! I brought Noctis!” Iris called out to her brother, purposely keeping Prompto out of it for now. She gave the blonde a sly grin and a wink to make sure he caught on, which he did.Noctis snorted softly, but whether it was to Prompto’s explanation or Iris’ words wasn’t entirely clear as he followed after the mermaid into the room. He wasn’t surprised when he saw that Gladio had been busy trashing the training dummies. He’d probably been doing that since he figured out what had happened.He was also expecting to get whacked upside the head for his earlier fiasco, but he was surprised when Gladio merely grunted, dismissed his sword and waited for Iris and him to approach. Normally Gladio would’ve been throwing a hissy fit (to put it bluntly), and now he didn’t make as much as a peep.“Well, I hope you’re happy, Noct,” he said then. “You had everyone swimming around like a pack of headless eels.”“I know… Sorry…” Noct mumbled. “Not gonna fix things… but I am sorry…”Gladio watched the prince for several long moments, before he sighed heavily and then, unceremoniously, dropped his heavy arm along the shorter’s shoulders, almost knocking him to the floor. “Whatever… just don’t go pulling those kinda stunts again. Got it?”Noctis laughed a little at his old friend’s words. He knew the big lug had been just as worried as everyone else, but hell if he was gonna show that. And as fun as it would be to mess with him, Noct just wasn’t in the mood for that. Not right now, anyway.“Yeah, yeah… won’t have to, anyway,” he said with a chuckle.“Hm?”“Oy! Prompto!”“Hey Gladio!” Prompto very nearly shouted, as he popped out from behind Iris with a wide grin.“The hell?!” Gladio nearly shouted, almost going for his sword again, when the other Mer’s laughter reached his ears and he snarled. “The devil did you get down here?!”“Same way I got up there, of course.”Prompto snickered. “And I ain’t leavin’!”At those words, Gladio frowned in question. “Wait what?”“Yeah, you mentioned that before. How do you plan on staying?” Iris asked, looking at Prompto curiously.“Well…I was told I have to link myself to the Mer,” Prompto shrugged. “Already know what I need to do, so I’m good to stay!” As he spoke, he smiled knowingly at Noctis.Noctis snorted, but he returned the smile quietly, not bothering to elaborate on the subject.“How does that make any sense?” Gladio snarled.As it dawned on Iris, however, she suddenly giggled. “I get it. Well, this place is gonna get lively, then,” she smiled, and Prompto nodded.“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’d do anything to be with Noct,” he said seriously. He then smirked. “And as much as Noct looks good with legs, I’d prefer him being happy here.”“Hey, I don’t have much of a choice, really…” Noctis mumbled, but there was a hint of… something in his voice that made Gladio and Iris frown sadly, even though Noct’s expression didn’t change.“Noct…?” Prompto murmured, noticing the undertone as he got closer. Noctis shook his head. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry. …Anyway,” he said, changing the subject. “Shouldn’t dinner be ready soon?”“Oh yeah… thought I saw Iggy heading for the kitchens earlier…” Gladio mumbled thoughtfully.“Based off of what you’ve told me, I’m sure I’ll enjoy his cooking,” Prompto smiled.Noctis smirked. “Only one way to find out, right? Let’s go.” As the group of four came into what Noctis explained was the dining room, Prompto was a bit surprised at how small it was. At least compared to the royal dining halls he’d always seen on TV. There was barely enough room for 50 people… but that was already pushing its limits.“…? What’s wrong?” Noctis asked, catching the look.“Don’t laugh, but I thought that it would be a bit bigger…” Prompto muttered.“…why would it be?”“I just thought, like, for a large amount of guests, I guess…”At those words, Gladio snorted. “Right… ‘guests’…”“We don’t… get guests, anymore,” Noctis said solemnly. “That’s how few we are in number.”“O-oh…I didn’t realize…” Prompto mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.“Don’t worry about it,” Noct said, shaking his head.“Well, I see everyone’s here.”“Hm? Oh, hey Ignis!” Prompto smiled in greeting.Ignis hummed in greeting. “Yes, hello,” he said. “Take your seats. Dinner should be ready momentarily.”Prompto followed Noctis to the raven’s spot, but then hesitated, unsure if he was allowed to sit next to him.“What are you waiting for?” Noct asked with a chuckle. “Take a seat.”Those words made the blonde relax with a relieved smile as he sat next to Noctis.As Ignis swam off to finish preparations, Gladio turned to Noctis, arms crossed along the table, and asked: “Hey, Noct, you been holding up alright up there?”Noctis hummed curiously, before he chuckled. “Yeah… you’d probably have fun up there. Would be good exercise.”“Hm?”Prompto stuck out his tongue playfully before chiming in. “Noct earned his land legs for a while there. ‘Sides, I took good care of him.”That made Noctis laugh softly, but he didn’t expand on that.“So, Noct, what was it like up there?” Iris asked, genuinely interested. Prompto looked at the raven expectantly, wanting to leave the answering to him.Noctis chuckled softly. “Well… it definitely takes some time to get used to the fact that… well… you basically have to keep touching the floor or you’ll fall.”“Really?” Iris said, her eyes wide with surprise. “That’s so different. What else?”The prince hummed for a moment, thinking back on his time as a human. “…consuming water was pretty weird… probably the weirdest thing ever.”Prompto chuckled, knowing it had to be definitely different.“Wait, you needed to consume water? Why?” Iris frowned, definitely confused at the very idea.“Humans need to drink water to keep themselves hydrated, or else we can get pretty sick,” Prompto explained.“Weird…” Iris mumbled, wrinkling her nose a little.“Yeah…” Chuckling, Noct added: “Also, not a smart idea to try inhaling water as a human.”“Or else you choke,” Prompto chimed in.“Geez! That’s crazy,” Iris said. “What else?”“Hmmm… oh yeah.  You remember those yellow creatures, Iris?”“Oh yeah!” she nodded, remembering when she had gotten to meet Prompto that day.“Well, they can understand us.”“Really? You never told me that one,” Prompto said, furrowing his brows in surprise. “You spoke to Lizzy that day in Mer?”“Yeah, I did.”“That’s actually pretty interesting,” the blonde murmured, before shrugging. “Well, I guess there was no way to know before.”“Prompto’s right. That’s cool, though!” Iris smiled brightly.“Yes, all nice and well,” Ignis said as he returned with several other servants, “but I would appreciate leaving the rest of the conversation for after dinner.”“Yes, sir,” Noct chuckled softly.Prompto watched as their dinner was served to them, and he blinked at the unfamiliar food. He honestly had no idea what it was supposed to be. It looked like seaweed, though its color was much lighter than it was above water, and it had pieces of pale white blobs in between. He had no idea what he was in for with this stuff.“What’s wrong?” Noct asked as he watched Prompto’s expression cautiously.“Don’t laugh at me, but…what exactly is this?” he questioned.Noctis blinked in surprise, before he smiled as he realized that Prompto, of course, wouldn’t know any of the foods available to Mer, same as with Noctis not knowing human foods. “‘Chariot spaghetti’,” he said as he picked up the fork. “It’s kelp with crab meat. Try it; it’s good.”“I’ll take your word for it,” Prompto replied, picking up his own fork before taking a bite. Surprisingly, he did like it, all things considered. “You were right; it is good,” he smiled at the raven.“Told you,” Noctis laughed, as he rolled the kelp around his fork and stuck the whole forkful in his mouth easily, sucking the small remainder into his mouth, too as he chewed.“Hey, you weren’t used to human food, but I steered you right, didn’t I?” Prompto pointed out with a smirk as he took another bite of his own.Noctis shrugged his shoulders, since he had a mouthful of kelp, still, before he swallowed. “And I’m returning the favor. Deal with it.”“I wasn’t complaining in the first place,” the blonde retorted after swallowing his next mouthful.The prince merely smiled as he turned back to his own food. Finally, dinner was over and done with, and Prompto found himself back in Noctis’ room for the night even though it was very difficult to tell that night had fallen. He was glad to be alone with the raven again. He liked Noctis’ friends, sure, but he loved having the prince to himself.Noctis, though, seemed a little preoccupied as he moved back to the clam where their eggs were at, flipping the large shell open again. And then he just staid there, watching the two black eggs in silence.“You okay?” Prompto asked as he joined him, wrapping his arms around his lover’s waist from behind.There was no immediate response, as Noctis continued to stare at the black eggs, before he nodded. “Yeah… just thinking…”“About…?” The blonde rested his chin on Noctis’s shoulder.“…we can’t keep them in here…” he said slowly, gently scooping one of the eggs into his hands. “They’ll never fit after three months…”“Then where should we keep them where they’ll be safe?” Prompto inquired, watching the egg in the raven’s hands.“…can you let me go?” When Prompto did just that, Noctis turned around and whispered: “Hold up your hands.”The smaller male complied, his bright blue eyes reflecting his curiosity. Without a word said, Noctis gently let the egg roll into Prompto’s open hands. And Prompto tilted his hands forward ever so slightly so it didn’t fall out of his hold, gently wrapping his fingers around it, before looking up at Noctis curiously.“It’s customary for the eggs to remain close to the parents,” Noctis explained, as he moved to scoop up the second egg. “They’re small, but they can already sense those around them… being around the parents allows them to identify them upon hatching.”“I get it,” Prompto murmured, looking back down at the egg in his hands. After a bit, he asked softly in an embarrassed voice: “How many do think I’ll end up laying?”“Hard to say…” Noctis admitted. “Most Mer lay between 3 and 7, since our numbers have dwindled as they have… Our bodies have been instinctively attempting to repopulate.”“Not that I’m complaining, but how come you only laid two, then?” the blonde inquired, before hastily adding: “Believe me, I’m glad you even had them in the first place!”“I’m not sure… Apparently it had something to do with me being human when my eggs were fertilized…” Noctis said, as he moved over to the bed, cocking his head to make Prompto follow. “Does that make sense?”“Yeah, it does,” Prompto nodded as he complied with the wordless request.As he settled on the bed, the egg still held securely in his hands, Noctis asked: “Is two eggs normal for humans?”“Actually, human children grow and develop for nine months inside their mother,” Prompto explained, joining Noctis on the bed. “And human women only give birth to one child at a time, two being less common, but it happens.”“Just one at a time? But… there’s so many of you…”“Let’s just say sometimes humans like having lots of kids,” Prompto chuckled. “And besides, there aren’t natural enemies to take out humans to keep the numbers low,”“…You’re lucky, then,” Noctis said with a small chuckle.“Yeah, but I’d rather be here, with you,” the blonde smiled softly. Looking at the egg in his hands, he added: “And I wanna make sure I can stick around to be with these ones.”Noctis allowed a laugh. “Yeah… actually…” he murmured, gently setting the egg down on the bed gently. “I’ll be right back. I need to get something.”And then he moved out of the room.Prompto blinked, wondering what Noctis was getting, before gently curling his tail around the egg on the bed, a warm smile curving his lips as he gazed at the two eggs. As he sat there quietly, he became aware of something else; the eggs almost felt like they were lightly pulsing. And then it suddenly clicked that the blonde was feeling their heartbeats, and his gaze softened. It was almost surreal, the fact that he was going to be a dad to twins with Noctis as a Mer himself. Never in his wildest dreams would he have even thought this was even a concept.“Prom?”The smaller male perked up at the call, before looking to see Noctis had returned. “Hey,” he murmured. “What were you doing, anyway?”Noctis smiled as he swam over, carrying what looked like a large pillow and blanket in his arms. “Had to get something from Father’s room.”“Oh?”“Move your tail.”Once Prompto’d done so, Noctis scooped up the second egg and set down the pillow in the center of the bed, after which he set the egg on top of it.Prompto watched, surprised, but then he smiled at Noctis.“Place the other one next to it.”The blonde nodded, before complying. On the heavy pillow, the eggs looked even smaller than they already were, and it made it… somewhat more real, as the two of them merely watched their own eggs in companionable silence, before Noctis gently secured the blanket he’d brought over the pillow.After a few minutes, though, Prompto said quietly: “I’ll be honest, Noct… Everything feels kinda surreal right now… I never even imagined I would be a dad as a Mer with you, or even a Mer in general, but…” He then gazed at the raven with a loving shine to his eyes. “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”The raven regarded him for a few moments, his expression not giving anything away, before he smiled and tugged Prompto in for a soft kiss. “I’m glad…” he murmured when he pulled away. “Very glad… that you’re here with me…”“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Prompto murmured. He then chuckled. “I’m just glad Kuja stopped us before Levi found out we were there.”“…? Kuja?” Noctis repeated.“Oh, the Weiz that I made the deal with. I had Luna and Ravus take me out by boat to where Levi almost drowned me that time, but Kuja stopped us before we got too close,” the smaller male explained.“…Wait, why was he on your boat?” Noctis questioned, confused. “Weiz make it a point to stay out of anyone’s way… humans especially.”“I dunno why he chose to stop us, but I guess he wasn’t exactly impressed by your choice in me,” Prompto grumbled, pouting. “I’m not a bad person…”That actually made the raven chuckle. “Yeah, I heard they can be very picky…”“Apparently. But once he seemed to realize how dedicated I am to you, he seemed to change his mind.”Noctis smiled, before he moved to secure the blanket he’d brought around the pillow and, effectively, the eggs. “In any case, we should get some rest.”“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, feeling the events of the day finally catching up with him.“C’mon…” Noct whispered, tugging Prompto to lay down on the mattress, maneuvering them both so that the pillow with the eggs was right between them.Prompto hummed contently as he settled down, kissing the prince softly.“…don’t freak out, kay?”“Why would I freak out?” Prompto questioned, honestly confused.Noctis didn’t answer immediately, and, instead, he pushed up on his arms and moved over to the headboard -- where he slammed his fist against the large shell that formed it. This caused the shell to groan, before it began to tip over. The smaller male gave a startled yip at the action and reaction it caused, looking at Noctis in slight alarm.“Sssh,” Noct shushed him as he settled back down, as the shell came down and then, eventually, stopped, leaving them with more than enough space to move or push up on their arms. “Our beds are designed like this… to protect the parents and their eggs.”“Geez, coulda warned me that was gonna happen…” the blonde pouted. “Well, if it’s to keep us all safe, then I shouldn’t complain.”Noctis merely smiled as he reached out and linked his hand with Prompto’s. This gesture had Prompto smiling back as he lightly squeezed the raven’s hand.“Good night, Prom…” the raven murmured. “I love you…”“G’night, Noct. I love you, too,” Prompto whispered, closing his eyes.Noctis watched him for a moment longer, smiling, before he shut his eyes as well, following the blonde into the realm of dreams. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Morning in Insomnia was different in more ways than one. Back on land, even with the curtains drawn, there’d always be that one annoying ray of light that came peeking through and hit him right on the eyes. Plus there were also the sounds of the city waking up outside. That was not the case here. There was no light that came down this far, and the few sounds that could be heard from outside were mostly muffled by the shell that covered them. Prompto woke up first, blinking his eyes open, initially confused before he remembered the events from the day before. He then looked beside him to see Noctis, still sleeping peacefully. A content smile curved his lips, and he leaned in, being mindful of their eggs’ pillow, kissing him softly on the lips. “Good morning, Noct,” he murmured. Noctis groaned sleepily, before he slowly opened one eye and looked up at the blonde. “…why so early?” he mumbled softly. “It’s not that early, is it?” Prompto chuckled, smiling at the raven. “Is for me,” Noctis complained, abruptly rolling over to bury his face in his pillow. “Noct… We should probably get up,” the smaller male pointed out. The prince merely grunted and refused to move aside from an agitated flick of his tail. This made the blonde laugh softly, moving closer and nuzzling the prince’s neck. The only response that got him was a sleepy groan and not much else. Then Prompto kissed the pale skin there softly, humming happily. Whether it was in response to the kiss or not, Noct’s tail lightly swayed along the bedcovers, as he breathed deeply, seemingly asleep again. This made the smaller male more determined to wake the raven. Pressing his lips to Noctis’ neck again, he began to suckle and tease at the skin, lapping at it occasionally. “Mmm…” Noctis hummed, his eyelids quivering, but he refused to wake, still. “Time to get up, Noct,” Prompto purred, nipping at the spot he had been kissing. And yet still, Noctis refused to stir, aside from his tail moving occasionally. Finally, Prompto moved his hands to the taller male’s sides, running his fingers along his ribs and sides teasingly. That touch did something; Noctis tensed briefly, a small gasp escaping him, but not much else. “It’s me, Noct… I love you~” the blonde whispered, his lips against the raven’s neck still. Noctis grunted sleepily, before he finally got both his eyes open and turned his head to face the blonde sea devil. “If you did, you’d let me sleep.” “Nope. Can’t do that, or I have a feeling Ignis will wake you up, anyway,” Prompto chuckled. “Iris, actually.” “Really? I would think Ignis would, considering how uptight he is,” Prompto snickered, before going back to teasing Noctis with nip to his shoulder. “Used to… but Iris took over few years back… and will you stop already?!” he growled softly. “Why? You’re gonna fall back to sleep if I do.” “So?” “But then you’re gonna have to deal with Iris,” the smaller male pointed out, suckling lightly on Noctis’ shoulder. Noctis groaned in annoyance, but aside from that, he didn’t make a move to get up. “You’re so stubborn,” the blonde chuckled, but eventually ceased his teasing, simply cuddling up to his lover. “Have it your way~” “Took you long enough…” Noct grumbled softly. “Sorry, I can’t resist you, that’s all,” Prompto purred as he settled down. That made the prince snort, before he shut his eyes again, giving a heavy sigh. Prompto, catching the sigh, frowned slightly. “You okay?” “Fine… tired…” “You weren’t this tired back when we were human,” the smaller male pointed out. “What’s on your mind, Noct? I just want to help…” “Bite me…” Noct grumbled. “Haven’t slept in two days, a’ight?” And it wasn’t until Noctis said that that Prompto made the connection with Noct’s exhaustion now and the current situation, and it made his worried expression turn to one of genuine pain and guilt. “Sorry… I didn’t… I wasn’t thinking…” Prompto mumbled apologetically. There was no way the raven would have been able to sleep while trapped in the dungeon like that. Before he could start to worry, Noct’s hand reached out and took hold of his. “It’s not your fault… it’s fine…” he mumbled lazily. “Still… If I’d known, I would have tried harder to get you out of there sooner,” the blonde sighed. “It’s my fault you got stuck there in the first fucking place…” The guilt of everything was starting to come back against his will and he couldn’t stop it. Noctis peeked out from under one eyelid as he heard the guilt clawing its way into the blonde’s words, before he sighed and dragged Prompto around to hug him close firmly. “Stop that.” “Can’t exactly help it when it’s true…” Prompto mumbled, accepting the hold. “Prom. Stop,” Noctis said again, pulling Prompto around so that he could kiss him firmly. The blonde kissed back slowly, as though he needed more reassurance from the raven that it wasn’t his fault. And Noctis was more than happy to comply to the wordless request, curling his hand in the blonde’s hair and the other resting along his spine, right where his tail began, letting the fingers play along the scales there. The kiss was soft and deep, and lasted for much longer than Prompto would’ve thought possible, but finally Noctis breaks away. “Stop beating yourself up over it,” he whispered. “It’s over…” Prompto nodded slowly, gazing into Noctis’s eyes, and seeing how the raven didn’t want him to continue blaming himself anymore in that dark blue gaze. “Are we clear?” Noctis asked firmly. “Yeah,” the smaller male whispered. “Good,” the prince murmured, moving closer and resting his head along the blonde’s shoulder. “…How did I get so lucky to have you…?” Prompto said softly as he held himself close to the prince. “Don’t question it,” said prince murmured, curling his tail around Prompto’s. “Can’t help it. Had shit luck growing up, so I can’t be blamed for wondering,” the blonde chuckled softly as he curled his tail along with Noctis’s. “Hmhmm…” Noctis hummed softly. However, before he could go back to sleep, there was a knock on the door. “Morning, guys! Time to get up for breakfast!” Iris’ voice called through the door. “Oh for…” Noctis groaned in annoyance. “I tried to tell you,” Prompto snickered, unable to prevent himself from saying it. “Better get up, or I’ll make you, Noct!” Iris warned. Noctis threw Prompto a small glare, before he sighed and reached up, pushing the shell upward. “Alright! We’re up!” “That’s what I thought,” the brunette giggled. “I’ll see you guys in the dining room!” And with that, she left. Prompto sat up once the shell was upright again, stretching his arms over his head. Noctis groaned as he pushed against his neck, making the joints crack as he coiled his tail around, before he swam off the bed and did a quick somersault, making his back crack in numerous spots. “Nrgh…!” “Better?” Prompto asked with a smile as he got out of the bed, too. “Yeah,” Noctis mumbled. “Let’s go get some breakfast. May wake you up a bit,” the blonde chuckled, linking his fingers with the raven’s. “Maybe…” the prince murmured, and after shutting the shell again, to keep the eggs safe, he headed for the door. The smaller male followed closely, and as they made their way to the dining room, he wondered how he was going to explain who he was and how he ended up down here to everyone that had been asking. After all, more than one of those guys from yesterday had questioned it. “What’s wrong?” Noctis asked, clearly noticing his worries. “Just…wondering how I’m supposed to explain everything to everyone, I guess. After all, those guys from yesterday kept questioning who I am, though that Sora guy seemed to get it at one point,” Prompto shrugged. At that, Noctis chuckled. “Sora doesn’t really bother with people’s backgrounds too much, actually… Leon, on the other hand…” “He’s the one who pointed his sword at me, right?” “Yeah, him.” “He’s a hard-ass, so I can see him wanting to know every detail,” the blonde snorted. The raven merely chuckled at those words. “Well, you may not see them too much… hopefully…” “Who are those guys, anyway?” “The Kingsglaive. They’re… well, I suppose you can call them an ‘army’, of sorts… but they’re very few in number these days.” “Due to the low number of Mer, right?” “Yeah…” “Well, I’m sure the numbers will increase with time, especially since we’re together,” Prompto smirked, casting Noctis a sly look. “If the Wyf back off, finally, yeah…” Noctis murmured softly. “Then we’ll be careful, but I gotcha,” Prompto sighed.  As the pair arrived at the dining room, they were somewhat surprised when they saw who was already there, speaking to Nyx. “Father,” Noctis said, sounding both surprised and confused. “Are you sure you should be up?” “I’ll be all right, Noct,” Regis assured his son with a small smile. Prompto placed a reassuring hand on his lover’s shoulder, smiling at him as well. Noctis hesitated for a moment more, before he nodded quietly and he swam to the table, even as his father quietly thanked and then dismissed Nyx. The Kingsglaive SiC bowed politely, before he left the room. Prompto joined Noctis, taking his seat beside the raven. “You okay?” he asked quietly. “Yeah,” Noct murmured softly with a nod. As the two settled, Regis smiled at his son’s obvious ease when around Prompto. He didn’t mention this to the pair, deciding it better to leave them to their own devices. “Did you sleep well, Prompto?” the King asked of the blonde then. “Yeah, surprisingly, considering how new this is for me,” the blonde answered politely. “That’s good to hear,” Regis murmured with a friendly smile, just as Ignis and a few servants came in with breakfast. Prompto watched as their breakfast was placed in front of them. He at least recognized the shrimp, and then realized the rest was pieces of anemone and a starfish…center? That was how he was able to describe it, anyway. Noctis didn’t seem the least bit surprised (obviously), as he picked up one of the shrimps and slipped it in his mouth, biting down on it silently. Somewhat surprised that Noctis didn’t need to peel it like back on land, Prompto mentally shrugged before copying the prince. As he bit down, the shrimp easily gave way under his teeth and was easily crushed to mush. And as he looked to Noct, he noticed that the prince was quietly popping the shrimps in his mouth, remaining silent as he ate, which wasn’t really anything new. “Hey, Noct?” the smaller male finally said after a few more bites of his breakfast. “Hm?” the prince hummed around a piece of anemone. “What are we gonna do today?” At that, Noctis blinked, tilting his head, before he hummed quietly, thinking, before he looked over to his father. Seeing the question in his son’s gaze, the King chuckled. “Given the current situation, there’s not much you can do… but perhaps you could assist Aranea at the pens.” “…Oh yeah… it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” “Huh?” the blonde uttered, confused. Noctis gave Prompto a mysterious smile. “You’ll see after breakfast.” “Man, I hate when you do that,” Prompto whined, pouting. Noctis merely laughed.  “This way, Prom,” Noctis called out as he swam ahead, leading the way along the higher outskirts of Insomnia. “Coming!” the blonde called back, quickly catching up to the raven. As they swam, they passed by very few other Mer; most seemed to stick to the lower paths, despite being able to go wherever they wanted. This didn’t seem to surprise Noct one bit, even as he turned and then swam down toward what appeared to be a large building that seemed to go underground for most of the way. Prompto followed easily, looking around curiously as they got closer. As they reached the building, Noctis swam in through the doorway, and, immediately, Prompto was greeted by the sound of loud whinnies and neighing of the seahorses. “Never got to say it yesterday, but these guys are huge compared to what I saw in pictures,” Prompto remarked as they made their further in. “I thought seahorses were tiny.” Noctis laughed. “Well, these ARE giant seahorses,” he said with a smile. “So yeah, they’re bigger than normal.” “Makes sense,” the smaller male chuckled. Noctis smiled, before he looked around. “Okay, where is… ah, there she is.” As he said that, he swam further into the building. “Aranea!” Upon that call, a silver-haired mermaid looked over. “Well, there’s a face I haven’t seen in a while,” she said with a chuckle as Noctis and Prompto swam over. Prompto watched the exchange, wondering what he was going to be doing here. “So… who’s your new boytoy, princey?” the silver-haired woman asked with a smirk. “Very funny, Aranea,” Noctis mumbled. “This is Prompto. Prompto, this is Aranea. She works here.” “Nice to meet you,” Prompto smiled, bowing slightly. Aranea chuckled at the gesture. “Not from around here, are you?” “You could say that,” Noctis said with a smirk. “Should I even tell her?” the blonde asked the raven. Noctis shook his head, before he turned his attention back to Aranea. “Aranea, are the tracks free?” “Sure are. Not many people coming by today. Guessing you want to us them, hm?” “Tracks?” Prompto looked at Noctis curiously. “If you don’t mind,” Noctis said rather than respond to Prompto. “No problem, princey. Go have fun.” “Thanks,” the prince said, before he turned to Prom. “This way,” he said, as he swam further along. The smaller male followed after, still puzzled. And not long after, the pair reached what resembled the Chocobo pens on land. And then, Noctis moved to one pen and gave a small, whistling sound from the back of his throat. And a little later, there was a whinny, as a large, dark gray seahorse moved over. “Hey, Caela,” Noctis said with a chuckle as he reached for the seahorse, rubbing the side of the neck, as the seahorse gave a pleased noise and pressed its head against Noctis’ chest. Chuckling softly, Noctis turned to Prompto. “This is Caela,” he explained. “She’s… well, mine, I suppose you could say.” “Should I be jealous?” Prompto teased, laughing lightly. Noctis laughed. “Maybe a little,” he chuckled, before he waved the blonde over. “Come here.” The human-turned-Mer complied, joining Noctis to hover by his side. Caela looked up as Prompto got close, giving a small curious sound. “Go ahead,” Noctis said. “She doesn’t mind.” Calmly, Prompto reached out, gently petting her neck like Noctis had done. “Hi Caela,” he murmured with a small smile. Caela snorted a bit, before she leaned into the touch and made another pleased sound. “You like that, huh?” Prompto chuckled, increasing the pressure a little. Noctis laughed as Caela gave a small clicking nose from the back of her throat. “Yeah, she’s very touchy,” he said with a smile. After a moment more of Prompto petting Caela, he asked: “So… do you feel up to going a few laps around the tracks down here?” “As long as you don’t mind giving me lessons. It’s not like riding a Chocobo, after all,” the blonde pointed out. “Of course,” Noctis said with a chuckle, before he looked around. “Hm… let me see…” he murmured, briefly swimming around. “Ah. Prompto, here,” he called out. The smaller male was quick to join the prince with a flick of his tail. “Here,” Noctis said as he gestured to another seahorse, this one dark blue in color. “This is Caligo. He should be easy enough for you to start off on.” “Sounds good,” Prompto nodded, reaching out and petting Caligo. The seahorse snorted, and allowed Prompto to pet him, as Noctis moved to get both of the seahorses ready. “So, how do I start?” the blonde questioned as Noctis went. Once Noctis had finished with arranging everything, he pulled the reins over the head of Caligo, passing them to Prompto. “First we have to get them to the tracks.” Once Prompto took over the reins, Noctis went to get Caela. After petting her on the neck, Noctis swam along down the hall. “This way.” Prompto led Caligo after him, following Noctis and Caela with ease. After opening a small gate, Noctis led the way onto what appeared to be a gigantic underwater racetrack. “Alright,” Noct murmured as he moved Caela’s reins over her neck, patting her neck once before moving over to Prompto. “Okay, do you think you can get in the saddle on your own?” “Should be pretty easy, right?” Prompto guessed. “I would assume so.” With that said, Prompto flicked his tail, moving him enough so he was seated in the saddle. “Right, so link your tail here and… here,” Noctis instructed, adjusting Prompto so that his tail was secured around two handles to the side, which allowed the limb to stay in place. Once Noctis was sure he was in place, he moved over to Caela and got into his own saddle. As he sat there, though, he realized something, “Oh, right… you don’t know how to make that sound…” “What sound?” Rather than explain, Noctis opened his mouth and released a peculiar sound, like a whistling clicking, which immediately made Caela start to move (slowly). “Mind teaching me?” Prompto asked, looking at the raven eagerly. After stopping Caela’s movement, Noctis rubbed the back of his neck, thinking about how best to explain. “Never had to explain that before to anyone… nor did I have it explained, so bear with me,” he warned, before he began his explanation. “It’s… basically like pushing out air from your lungs to move along the filters in the back of your throat,” he said, gesturing from his chest to his throat. “Definitely different,” Prompto hummed, looking down thoughtfully. He then decided to try it. Inhaling slowly to calm himself, and hoping he would get it right first time, the blonde tried what Noctis had explained, and was pleasantly surprised when it worked, as Caligo began to move slowly. Smiling, Noct gave another whistling sound, and Caela once again began to move, keeping pace with Caligo. there was a hint of motion as the seahorses swam, but compared to Chocobos, it was very minimal and could be easily missed if you weren’t paying attention. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was still very different. “And here I was used to riding a running Chocobo,” Prompto laughed. “I still remember when we raced that day when you got used to them, y’know.” Noctis laughed a little at the memory. “In my defense, it’s kinda hard to fall off and hurt yourself on a seahorse. If you fall from a Chocobo… well, I think you know what happens.” “Fair enough,” Prompto chuckled, before sobering. “Kinda feel weird without my guns, to be honest. Those were my only weapons against the daemons back on land, and I don’t have them here.” Noctis allowed a small smile as he realized why Prompto brought it up. “Yeah, but we don’t have any of those here… not in the immediate vicinity of Insomnia, anyway. So don’t worry about it.” “Well, yeah, but how am I supposed to fight if anything happens around here?” the smaller male sighed. “I just don’t want to be seen as useless, I guess…” “We’ll think of something, I’m sure,” Noctis said as he made Caela move over so he could reach over and squeeze Prompto’s shoulder. “Hope so. I’m not exactly a sword guy, after all,” Prompto admitted. “Never fought with one or learned how to wield one.” “It’s never too late to learn,” Noctis pointed out, before he smirked. “So… think you’re ready to go a little faster?” “Sure,” the blonde smiled. Chuckling, Noctis released Prompto and moved Caela a little bit away -- and then he released a sharp pitched whistle and the seahorse neighed loudly, immediately snapping her tail out and propelling herself down the track. Prompto blinked, before he copied Noctis, and Caligo was quick to follow the pair. Caligo managed to catch up easily enough, and if it hadn’t been for the water moving along Prompto’s face or the rapidly moving scenery around them, he wouldn’t have known they were moving as quickly as they were. And Noctis was laughing as they went, taking the turns at angles that would’ve been impossible to take on land with a Chocobo. Prompto grinned at Noctis’s happiness, laughing with him joyfully. Just as they went around another bend, though, Prompto almost choked on his laughter as he realized that the track ended in what looked like a circular room with a number of pillars scattered around. But before he could try to stop Caligo from rushing into the wall, Noctis altered Caela’s course and then, with no hesitation whatsoever, rushed at the nearest pillar. and as soon as he came in range, Caela snagged onto the pillar with her tail and, essentially, spun herself up and around the pillar with a loud whinny. Prompto’s eyes widened in surprise, and his jaw dropped at the sight. He didn’t realize the seahorses could do something like that. However, no sooner had the thought finished processing or Caligo reached the pillar as well and coiled his own tail around the pillar. And then it was him and Prompto spinning around the pillar toward the top of the room. The blonde ducked closer to Caligo’s neck, making sure he wouldn’t slip off, and tried not to get dizzy. As they reached the top of the pillar, Noctis seemed to notice this. And as Prompto came into range, he reached out and took hold of Caligo’s reins, stopping both him and Caela. “Hey… you okay?” he asked worriedly. “Yeah, just a bit dizzy now,” the smaller male replied, shaking his head a little. Nodding, Noctis lightly tugged Caligo to the side. “Do you want to take a break?” “Nah, I’ll be fine. Wasn’t expecting that one, was all.” Nodding, Noctis released the reins again, allowing Prompto to lead when he was feeling better. Soon, Prompto’s dizziness cleared, and he smiled reassuringly at the raven. “Ready?” “Yep!” Smiling, Noctis gave another whistle, and then took off again. And Prompto copied him, before Caligo took off after them.  It was several hours later when they finally stopped their ‘race’. and they spent several minutes after merely laughing and catching their breath while Caela and Caligo moved along at a much slower pace. “I never knew that riding like this could be so smooth,” Prompto commented as he looked at Noctis. “I was always used to riding the Chocobos, and never thought anything of it until now.” Noctis smiled as he moved off of Caela. “Not going to lie; it’s definitely different.” “Can’t argue there,” the blonde chuckled, getting off of Caligo as well “C’mon; let’s get them back to their pen and get them some food.” “Sounds good.” Noctis led the way toward the pens, and Caela whinnied happily as she followed after. And Prompto followed them, leading Caligo as he went. As they reached the corresponding pens, Noctis patted Caela’s neck, before he moved to collect two small containers that looked like barrels of some kind, “Here,” he said as he passed one to Prompto. The blonde took the barrel, asking, “What is it?” “Food,” the raven said as he swam over to Caela, popping open the container and holding it out to her. The seahorse whinnied happily as she came over and stuck her nose into the container, beginning to munch on whatever was inside. Shrugging, Prompto swam over to Caligo, and opened the container in his own hands before offering it to the seahorse. The seahorse snorted at the offer and moved over as well, beginning to munch from the container as well. The easy acceptance drew a chuckle from the smaller male, and he smiled at Noctis. Noctis allowed a chuckle as he reached out briefly to stroke Caela’s neck. And Prompto did the same with Caligo, a content smile curving his lips.  After the seahorses had eaten their fill, Noctis set the container away and began to work on removing the riding gear. “Think you can handle taking care of Caligo’s?” “Think so. If it’s similar to a Chocobo’s, anyway,” Prompto replied, putting his container off to the side. “Alright, cool.” Nodding, Noctis undid the clasps of the saddle and moved to carry it to the room he’d gotten it from initially. The blonde then copied Noctis’s actions, unclasping the saddle from Caligo, and then hurried after the prince. After dealing with the reins as well, Noctis hummed in thought, wondering what they could do now. “Thinking about what we can do next?” the smaller male guessed, noticing the pondering look on Noctis’s face as he put up Caligo’s reins. “Yeah… like I said; little we can do with our current situation.” “True…” Prompto nodded, sighing softly. “Well, maybe we can head back to your room and just hang out?” “I guess we could do that…” Noctis murmured, shrugging his shoulders. “Hey, while we’re there, we can figure out how to just tell everyone who I am, and what happened in one go, that way I’m not explaining it multiple times,” the blonde offered. Noctis hummed softly, nodding, before he led the way out of the building, briefly nodding goodbye to Aranea as he went. Prompto waved to her as he followed Noctis out. He wondered how everyone would take the news, though. Especially that Leon guy. Hardass.  As they returned to Noct’s room, the first thing the prince did was open up the shell and check up on their eggs. “They look okay?” the blonde questioned, looking over Noctis’s shoulder at them. “…Yeah,” Noctis murmured, moving his fingers along the eggs softly, before he covered them with the blanket again. “Eager for when they hatch?” Prompto asked, wrapping his arms around the ravens waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. “Hmm… maybe a little,” Noctis chuckled. “Awww, come on, don’t tell me you’re just a little eager. You’ve got to be excited, right?” the smaller male teased. “Maybe~” “Party pooper,” Prompto laughed. Noctis merely allowed a chuckle as he moved over to lay down on the bed. The blonde followed after, joining him in bed. “…Hey, Noct?” “…mm?” “If I hadn’t become a Mer, would you have ever told me about the eggs?” Prompto asked softly. “…I was going to… after the fireworks…” Noctis admitted. “But then…” “You had to go back… Right…” the smaller male murmured. “But would you have told me after, if that crap hadn’t happened, and you got to visit me?” “…yeah, of course…” “…Good,” Prompto smiled. “After all, I would have liked to see them, if I’d stayed human. But now I’ll be able to see them throughout their lives, and watch them grow up.” Noctis smiled softly at the blonde, but the longer he laid there, the more his eyes began to slip shut. “Get some rest. I’ll be here the whole time,” the human-turned-Mer chuckled, moving closer so he could cuddle with the raven. “…yeah… kay…” Noctis murmured lazily, before his eyes fell shut entirely. Smiling softly at the sight, Prompto then reached up with his free hand, and mimicked the prince’s actions from the night before, slamming his fist against the shell so it would cover them. Once they were covered, the blonde curled up close to Noctis, wrapping his tail loosely around the raven’s. Noctis murmured lazily at the motion, his fin hitting the bed lightly in time with his even breathing. And Prompto merely closed his eyes, falling asleep alongside his lover. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Prompto woke again, he was alone. Or seemed to be, initially, anyway. Upon looking around, he realized that the shell was raised again, and Noctis was sitting in the back of the room at a desk that Prompto hadn’t noticed earlier. seemingly thinking.“Noct…? Whatcha doing?” the blonde asked, moving off the bed and swimming over to the raven.Upon the call, Noct almost jumped, before he calmed and looked up. “Ah… I’m just reading through some things…” he murmured, turning back to the scroll he had in front of him.“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Prompto apologized as he joined him. “What’s this about?”“They’re plans to deal with the Wyf situation… don’t worry about it,” Noctis said softly.“How am I not supposed to? After all, they’re natural enemies of the Mer, right?”Noctis looked over briefly, before he turned back to the scroll he’d been going through. “Yeah…” Noctis admitted. “But it’ll be fine…”“Kay…” the smaller male murmured.“…ah right,” Noctis said suddenly as he put the scroll aside for a moment and turned to look at Prompto properly. “I actually have to be at a meeting with my father and the council today. So I… I can’t actually spend too much time with you today.”“Aww…” the blonde pouted. “What am I supposed to do while you’re at your meeting, then?”“I actually asked Iris earlier… and she said she was thinking of gonna see Blitzball practice.”“The hell is Blitzball?” Prompto asked, confused.“Blitzball is Blitzball,” Noctis supplied unhelpfully with a shrug. “It’d take too long to explain… would be easier to just go and see it for yourself.”“Well, I don’t exactly know where I’m going, ya know… Would Iris come and get me, then?” Prompto guessed.“Yeah… she had some things to do first, but she should be dropping by soon.”And no sooner had he said so, or there was a knock on the door.“Hey guys!” the brunette’s voice chirped through the door. “Can I come in?”“It’s open, Iris,” Noctis called out.The door was then opened, and Iris swam in, a smile on her face. “Ready to go, Prompto?” she asked.“Yeah, guess so,” the smaller male shrugged.Noctis chuckled. “Well, you two have fun, kay?”“I guess I’ll see you after that meeting, huh?” Prompto sighed. He didn’t want to be separated from Noctis at all, but understood why. Still didn’t make it easier, though.“Yeah,” Noctis confirmed with a nod. “It shouldn’t take long… but you never know.”“Fair point,” the smaller male agreed softly.“Come on, Prompto, or else we’ll be late!” Iris giggled, grabbing the blonde by the wrist and dragging him off. “See ya, Noct!”Noct laughed as he quietly waved the pair off. Unlike Noct, Iris chose to swim closer along the ocean floor and the ‘streets’, greeting several other Mer as they went. Because of that, it took a little longer than it likely would’ve to reach the area they were heading to. It was a wide open area, and there were several mermen and mermaids swimming around and tossing what appeared to be balls with dulled spines at each other.“What are they doing?” the blonde asked, tilting his head curiously.Before Iris could respond, though…“Iris!” a female voice called out, drawing the shorter Mer’s attention to another mermaid with short brown hair off to the side, who was waving at her with a smile.“Hey Yuna! Come on over!” Iris grinned, turning to face the new mermaid. Prompto merely watched them curiously.The mermaid—Yuna—smiled as she swam over. And as Prompto got a good look at her face, he realized she had two different colored eyes; one blue and one green. “You managed to get some time off of work at the Citadel, huh?”“Yeah, well, Noctis has a meeting, so I’m bringing Prompto here along to keep him busy,” Iris giggled, before tugging Prompto forward to introduce him. “Yuna, this is Prompto. Prompto, this is Yuna.”“Nice to meet you,” the blonde smiled.“Nice to meet you, too,” Yuna said with a warm smile.No sooner had she said that, though, Prompto suddenly got hit with one of the balls.“Gah!” he yelped, and knew that he’d been on land when that happened… he’d have fallen on his face. “What the hell…?”“Woops! Sorry, dude!” came a familiar voice, as a blonde Mer came swimming over. As he spotted Prompto, though, he blinked, before he allowed a small smirk. “Oh hey. Been a while, huh?”Yuna blinked as she tilted her head. “You know him, Tidus?”“Well… kinda.”Prompto narrowed his eyes very slightly, remembering Tidus from yesterday. After all, the guy had not been the kindest to him. It was thanks to Roxas and Noctis that a fight hadn’t broken out, though.“I was there during Noct’s rescue yesterday,” Prompto explained.Yuna’s eyes widened a bit at Prompto’s words, but before she could say anything, Tidus quickly tugged her aside and whispered something in her ear. That seemed to help and she blinked and nodded briefly.“Anyway… you two wanna join us for practice?” the blonde Mer asked. “We could use a few extra fins.”“Never played before, to be honest, nor do I know the rules,” Prompto replied.Tidus looked at him oddly, before he grinned. “No big deal! It’s not that hard.”“Just behave in showing him, Tidus,” Iris warned. “Otherwise you’ll be hearing from Noctis.”“Esh, gimme some slack, Iris,” Tidus laughed, before he picked up the ball he’d thrown at Prompto and gestured for the shorter Mer to follow. “C’mon, let’s go.”Prompto followed after, albeit a bit hesitantly, but he hoped he would take to it like he had when he was turned into a Mer in the first place: like a fish to water. Once they were a little further ahead, Tidus turned and tossed the ball at Prompto with a well-aimed lob. “Lesson one; try getting some power behind a good toss.”“Uh, okay?” Prompto said, quirking a brow as he caught the ball.The human-turned-Mer then threw the ball back to Tidus, managing to put some power behind it, despite being underwater.Tidus caught the ball easily, allowing another grin. “Hey, not bad! Okay; so try this.”And then he released the ball and suddenly spun backwards, snapping his tail out at the ball and sending it zipping back at Prompto. And on pure instinct alone, Prompto whipped around, smacking the ball back with his tail. The only downside of that was that he angled it wrong and the ball flew over Tidus and upward.“Whoa…!” Tidus yelped, blinking, before he abruptly snapped his tail out and rushed after it with the same speeds with which he’d rushed out from the Weiz’s castle, snagging the ball before it could be lost. “Might need to work on your aim a bit,” Tidus laughed as he swam down again.“At least I managed to hit it, though,” Prompto pointed out. “That was quick, and I reacted on pure instinct.”“Well, matches tend to be pretty quick,” Tidus pointed out, as he spun around and threw the ball back toward Prompto.“Fair enough.” Prompto caught the ball again, and then nearly hurled it at Tidus, a bit more strength to it than before.Tidus laughed as he caught it again. “Okay. How ‘bout we try throwing AND moving, huh?”“Kay. Just show me, I guess,” the smaller male shrugged.“Try to keep up,” Tidus laughed, before he beat his tail, sending him backwards along the tracks.“Ah…!” Prompto gasped, before darting after him“Catch!” Tidus shouted as he turned and tossed the ball at Prompto, not stopping his momentum at all.And the shorter blonde managed to do just that, before throwing it back as he pursued Tidus. As the taller Mer swam and maneuvered around the others, he tossed the ball back around a different Mer.As Prompto caught the ball again, however, a somewhat familiar pair of faces to Prompto appeared.“Hey guys!” Sora chirped, stopping them. The suddenness of his appearance startled Prompto, and he stopped in his tracks, nearly dropping the ball.“Sora, you can’t scare people like that,” Roxas chided as he joined him.“It wasn’t on purpose, Rox!” the brunette pouted.“Sora and…Roxas, right?” Prompto asked, remembering them.“Yeah, I never got your name yesterday, though,” Roxas pointed out.“Name’s Prompto,” the human-turned-Mer smiled in greeting.“Oh hey,” Tidus said as he came over. “Decided to join us in training, huh?”“Yeah, we were watching,” Roxas nodded. “And then Sora decided to interrupt, of course…”“Hey!”Prompto laughed at their exchange. “You guys are brothers, huh? Because you certainly argue like you are.”“Yup!” Sora grinned. “Actually, I was gonna suggest you guys that we compete!”“Sora, seriously?” Roxas sighed.“What? Nothing wrong with friendly competition,” the brunette shrugged, folding his hands behind his head.Tidus laughed. “Don’t see why not. You up for that, Prom?”“Um, sure, I guess. Still not that great at this,” Prompto replied uncertainly.“Aww, you’ll be fine!” Sora grinned.“Sora’s right. You’re pretty good so far, from what I’ve seen,” Roxas agreed. “Have you played before?”“No, this is a first,” Prompto said.“Well, then you catch on pretty quick,” the shorter blonde smiled. “You’ll be fine. Just let Tidus kind of show you the ropes, and you’ll be great.”“Alright then; let’s move to the next field to get some space, shall we?” Tidus said as he gestured off to the side.“Sounds good!” Sora grinned, and Prompto followed after them, trailing after Roxas.“So, we never got to hear your story yesterday,” the smaller blonde said as they went. “How do you know His Highness?”“Eh… it’s a long story, to be completely honest,” Prompto admitted, rubbing his neck a bit.“Rox, it’s fine, I told you!” his brother laughed. “Why can’t you just go with it?”“Can’t blame me for being curious,” Roxas huffed. “After all, we never saw Prompto until yesterday. And he’s so at ease with His Highness.”“Eh… I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Tidus pointed out. “As long as His Highness is fine with it, who are we to question it?”“Fine…” Roxas groaned, but he smiled nonetheless.“I’ll be able to explain at some point, I swear, but I don’t wanna have to do it multiple times, y’know?” Prompto chuckled.“Yeah, we understand,” Sora nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.“Like how you had to explain multiple times why you and Riku have been late to meetings?” his brother teased.“Rooooox!!” Sora whined.“Riku?” Prompto repeated, confused.“He’s one of the Kingsglaive, and my boyfriend,” Sora explained. “He unlocked His Highness’ cuffs yesterday.”“Oh yeah, how’d he do that, by the way? I’ve never seen a weapon like that,” Prompto questioned.“Well, Sora, Riku, and I each use a weapon called a Keyblade, only I wield two, but they can unlock any lock,” Roxas told him.“That’s awesome,” Prompto commented, his eyes wide with surprise.Tidus laughed at the awe on Prompto’s face. “Yeah, we all got something we’re best at. Which is why we’re all in the Kingsglaive.”“Yeah, and Tidus is the fastest swimmer of us all,” Sora added.“I kinda noticed,” Prompto chuckled, remembering the taller blonde’s speed he’d witnessed so far. “What’s Leon’s specialty?”“Leon’s our infiltration specialist,” Tidus explained. “He’s usually the one coming up with good routes if we ever need to get in anywhere.”“Ah,” Prompto said. “Who else is there? I never really got everyone’s names yesterday.”“Well, there’s Cloud,” Roxas started.“And Cecil and Nyx,” Sora added.“And of course, Axel,” his brother finished.“Well, that’s everyone of our Unit anyway,” Tidus said with a chuckle. “There are others… but eh. We don’t mingle with them too much.”“True,” Sora nodded.“What are their specialties?” Prompto inquired, genuinely curious.“Axel is the long-ranged fighter of our Unit, since he uses chakrams instead of a sword, and he can throw them,” Roxas answered.“And he’s your boyfriend,” Sora chimed in smugly.“Sora, shut up. Riku’s yours, so don’t act smug,” his brother retorted, rolling his eyes.Tidus laughed at the bickering, but he didn’t say anything else about that. “Cloud’s the powerhouse of the bunch, and Cecil’s our unit commander,” he explained with a small grin.“And what about Nyx?” Prompto said.“Hey, Riku and I got you two together in the first place, so don’t complain!” Sora laughed, as Roxas swatted him over the head, drawing a yelp from his brother.The argument made Tidus chuckle before he turned to Prompto. “Nyx is the Kingsglaive second-in-command; he’s been in charge of our training mostly…” Just then, though, his expression darkened. “Though if the rumors are true… Nyx might be going up in rank, soon…”“Why’s that?”“…The rumors are that Captain Drautos betrayed Insomnia.”Immediately, Roxas and Sora stopped their arguing, and stopped swimming to look at Tidus.“We don’t know why he did, if the rumors are true, though,” Roxas mumbled.“Wait, I thought Drautos was supposed to escort Noct home?” Prompto frowned, confused. “You mean he was the one who got Noct caught by the Wyf?”“…what did you just say?” Tidus asked, a dark frown on his face.“Um…” Prompto mumbled, realizing he’d slipped up. “Okay, I’ll spill, just don’t be mad that I kept it from you, okay?”At this, both Sora and Roxas frowned, almost suspicious.“Can I at least tell you guys where we won’t be eavesdropped on?” Prompto pleaded.The three Mer looked at each other for a moment, silently communicating about what to do, before they nodded and Tidus led Prompto off to the side, away from the actual fields.Once they were alone, Prompto sighed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.“Where to start…?” he wondered to himself. “Well, I’ll start with who I am. My name is Prompto Argentum, and I was human when I met Noct.” “You wha…!?” Tidus got out, staring at the blonde in surprise.“But how are you…?” Roxas frowned.“I’ll get to that, I promise,” Prompto interrupted, before he took a deep breath to prepare himself. As he talked, explaining to the three Mer about how he first met Noct and them rescuing each other, before their almost nightly meetings began. He tried to gloss over everything so he could finish it quickly, but for some reason the words just kept coming and he couldn’t make them stop, as he talked about Ravus suddenly coming back with Noct after he’d been given his legs, and how they’d actually gotten together during those short two weeks. He did skip out the portion about the fact that he had (essentially) raped the prince, because that was not something you want to tell the ones who are sworn to protect the future king.Finally, though, he finished his explanation with Kuja turning him into a Mer in return, and he sighed in relief with getting that off his chest. “And from there…you guys know the rest, I guess.”Tidus regarded the blonde for a moment, before he turned to his two allies with a quirked eyebrow.“I believe him, as weird as it sounds,” Sora shrugged.“You believe just about anyone, Sor,” Roxas pointed out. “But I agree. As impossible as it all sounds, I can’t not believe it, especially when I’ve seen His Highness and you so close and at ease with each other.”“I do have a question, though,” Sora said. “If you and His Highness are together, are you the father of his eggs?”“Sora! You don’t ask something like that!” Roxas groaned.“I won’t lie, I am,” Prompto confessed, smiling slightly.“Talk about invasion of privacy…” Tidus chuckled softly, before he frowned in slight worry. “Though… there is one other thing I’m curious about…” he murmured. “You said Captain Drautos was going to escort him home, right? Didn’t His Highness seem… worried that it was him rather than either Scientia or Amicitia?”“No, he didn’t, actually,” Prompto replied. “That’s why I was shocked when I found out, and worried out of my mind.”“Hmm…” Tidus hummed, crossing his arms across his chest.“Definitely concerning, and I think it confirms the rumors,” Roxas commented.“So…you guys aren’t suspicious of me or anything?” Prompto asked uncertainly.Tidus regarded him for a moment, before he shrugged with a smirk. “Nah. His Highness seems to be fine with you… and I’d hate to get on his bad side.”“You’re good with us!” Sora chirped in agreement, as Roxas smiled and nodded. Prompto sighed in relief, smiling at them.“I told you it was a long story, though,” he chuckled.“Anyway!” Tidus suddenly exclaimed, his earlier grin returning. “Are we still on for that competition?”“Sure,” Prompto laughed, and followed them off to the field they had been heading to before. Once they were on the field, they quickly decided it would be Tidus and Prompto versus Sora and Roxas, and after a very brief explanation of the rules, the match was on.“All right, Tidus, hit it off! You start the game best!” Sora called.Tidus smirked briefly, briefly wriggling his fin, before he abruptly backflipped and snapped the ball up with a powerful flick of his tail. And immediately, Roxas and Prompto shot up for the ball in an attempt to grab it for their team.Prompto snagged the ball first, darting for the goal, but before he could reach it, Sora blocked him, and he quickly threw the ball to Tidus. Tidus easily caught the ball mid-dash, rushing around Roxas as he tried to block him, his speed allowing him to do so easily. However, as Sora rushed him from the other side, Tidus spun around and threw the ball back to Prompto.Prompto caught the ball with ease, and then swiftly swam to the goal before scoring.“Nice!” Tidus laughed as Roxas moved to collect the ball.“Dammit!” Sora complained, but he was grinning nonetheless.“I try,” Prompto chuckled.As Tidus and Prompto moved a little bit away from the goal, Roxas tossed the ball to Sora, and then they were rushing for the other side of the field.Prompto was quick to intercept, however, and managed to get the ball in mid-toss between the brothers, darting back to the other goal.Tidus laughed as he followed after, catching the ball as it was tossed his way -- before he tossed it upward. But he didn’t give anyone the time to do anything about it as he shot up and spiraled around before he backflipped and stuck the ball with his tail with more force than he had previously. The high speed didn’t even let Roxas or Sora reach it before it flew through the goal.“Oh come on! Tidus, no fair!” Sora whined. “You’re the only one who can pull that one off!”“All’s fair in love and war,” Prompto laughed. It was almost 2 hours later before they finally decided to call it quits. And, no surprise, Tidus and Prompto crushed the two brothers.“You’re a freaking natural at this, Prompto!” Sora crowed as they swam along.“Tidus is the pro, though. I just helped,” the human-turned-Mer shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck.“Dude, it’s a TEAM sport,” Tidus laughed. “If one person’s sucky, the whole team suffers.”“Tidus is right,” Roxas chuckled. “Like Sora said, you’re a natural. You sure there’s nothing like this where you’re from?”“No, definitely not,” Prompto chuckled.“They don’t know what they’re missing up there,” Tidus laughed out as they approached the two mermaids, who had spent the time talking and watching everyone else practice.“Hey,” Yuna said as they approached. “You guys look like you had fun.”“It helps that Prompto’s awesome at Blitzball,” Roxas chuckled, and Prompto ducked his head shyly, not used to the praise.“Well, I’ll bet Noctis is done with his meeting by now,” Iris smiled, giggling when she noticed Prompto perk up at the words. “Want to head back and see, Prompto?”“Sure,” he nodded. “Thanks for teaching me, Tidus. No hard feelings about yesterday, right?”“Hm?” Blinking, Tidus seemed to wonder what he meant, before realization hit him. “Oh ‘bout THAT. Don’t worry; we’re cool,” he said with a grin.“Sweet,” the shorter blonde smiled. “See you, guys.”“See you soon!” Sora chirped, and Roxas ruffled his brother’s hair teasingly, drawing an indignant squawk from the brunette. Prompto merely laughed, before he followed Iris back to Noctis’s room. As they arrived at the Citadel, the pair split up, since Iris still had work to do, and as Prompto entered the prince’s room, it took him only a moment to spot Noctis, as he was sitting on the bed, his tail propped up to support some sort of clipboard that he was writing on.“Hey Noct,” he called, gaining the raven’s attention.“Hm?” Noctis hummed as he looked up. “…Oh, hey,” he greeted solemnly.“You okay?” the blonde asked, concerned.“Yeah,” Noct murmured as he went back to the clipboard, working quietly.“Whatcha doing?”“Just some reports I need to go over…”Prompto swam over, sitting by Noctis on the bed, and once he settled, he wondered how to tell Noctis that he’d told Tidus, Sora, and Roxas about himself. Noctis didn’t appear to notice the blonde’s worry, as he lightly tapped his ‘pen’ against his bottom lip, fin flicking along the bedcovers a bit absently.Finally, Prompto couldn’t help it. “I told Tidus, Sora and Roxas.”“…huh?” Noctis blinked as he looked over.“I told them about me,” the smaller male murmured. “They were talking about these rumors that Drautos betrayed Insomnia, and I slipped up, saying that I thought he was supposed to escort you home, and I wasn’t supposed to know that… So I had to tell them so they wouldn’t be suspicious of me.” He paused, before adding hastily, “But they took it pretty well!”“…” Noctis watched him for a moment, before he snorted and chuckled. “That doesn’t surprise me… they’re pretty easy-going.”“You’re not mad? I thought you wanted to wait,” Prompto frowned.“Would’ve been better… but at least you told the ones who aren’t going to spread it to other people.”“They won’t even tell Leon?” the blonde blinked, surprised.“I doubt it…”“Oh… I just can’t help but feel like he won’t trust me when he does find out,” Prompto grumbled.“That’s very likely, yeah,” Noctis chuckled.“Maaaaan…” the smaller male groaned.Noctis allowed a smile as he reached up and ruffled Prompto’s hair.Prompto yelped in response, swatting the raven’s hand away. When the offending hand retreated, though, he said, “Tidus actually taught me how to play Blitzball today.”“Yeah?” Noct murmured as he leaned back, setting the clipboard aside. “How’d you do?”“Surprisingly, during a small match with Sora and Roxas, Tidus and I crushed them,” Prompto laughed. “Sora and Roxas said I’m a natural, but I’m not so sure.”This made the prince laugh. “Well they’ve been playing longer than you have, so if you managed to beat them, maybe you are.”“I still think Tidus did most of the work.”“Well he’s also the captain and ace of the Zanarkand Abes, so not surprising.”“I take it that’s one of the teams?” the blonde guessed.“Yeah. One that originally came from Zanarkand – another Corale further to the south. Unfortunately their Corale was destroyed a long time ago.”“That’s horrible…” Prompto murmured sadly.Noctis shrugged softly. “There used to be a lot of different Corales… but now Insomnia’s the only Corale of Mer left.”“Shit, I had no idea…”Noctis merely sighed as he leaned back against the headboard. “Not many humans would…”“Well, considering humans barely know anything about Mer, it makes sense, but still…”The prince nodded his head, before he scooted down a bit so he could lay down on the bed properly.“Still tired, huh?” the blonde guessed, smiling softly.“A little…”“Then let’s get some rest,” Prompto smiled.“Hmhmm…” Noctis hummed, shutting his eyes quietly. “…just for a bit…”Prompto gave a soft laugh, before cuddling up against Noctis with a pleased smile, closing his eyes falling asleep soon after. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Prompto woke again, it was to a heavy weight laying on top of him. And when his consciousness returned fully, he realized why; somewhere during their nap, Noctis had moved over and, essentially, had Prompto pinned to the bed. His head was resting on Prompto’s chest, with his hands placed along his shoulders and his tail coiled around Prompto’s.The blonde smiled softly at the sight, coiling his tail around the raven’s as well, and wrapping his arms around Noctis’s waist. In response, the prince hummed softly and snuggled his face closer against him.‘Almost reminds me of a cat,’ Prompto thought in amusement, before reaching up with one hand and lightly running his fingers through the ebony locks.“…mmm…”“Feels good?” the smaller male chuckled softly.Noctis didn’t respond with actual words; he just settled a little better. And Prompto merely smiled in response, continuing to basically pet his lover’s hair. Noctis eventually hummed softly, eyelids quivering, before he blinked his eyes open… revealing them to be glowing a light violet.This caused Prompto’s eyes to widen as he remembered his dream back before he and Noctis had had sex, and he stuttered out: “N-Noct… Your eyes…”The prince cocked his head curiously, before he curled his hands properly around Prompto’s shoulders and pushed up a little bit. “…what about them?” he asked finally.“They’re violet,” the smaller male said.“…are they?” Noctis murmured, though he didn’t sound too surprised.“Why does that happen? I remember it happening back when you were human, too…”Noctis hummed as he thought on an answer for that, before he shrugged his shoulders and suddenly pressed closer until their foreheads were touching. “Does it matter?” he asked softly, before abruptly kissing him. Prompto merely kissed back lovingly, a content purr escaping him.With a soft purr slipping from his own mouth, Noctis finally moved back, right before he moved to Prompto’s throat, beginning to nibble along the skin there.“Ahh… Besides…” the blonde moaned softly, “it’s pretty hot…”“That so…” Noctis murmured in amusement, as he coiled his arms around Prompto’s waist.Prompto smiled contently, holding Noctis close to him. “Yeah.”Noctis chuckled softly, as he moved his hand around to Prompto’s front – at which point a jolt of energy shot through the blonde from the point of contact.The blonde’s breath hitched, and he whimpered with need as he felt the stimulation warming him. Noctis chuckled softly, the sound vibrating along Prompto’s throat, as he let his fingers skitter along his skin. And every little touch felt electric, as if the taller Mer was part electric eel.And all Prompto could do was whimper as his grip on Noctis’s shoulders tightened, wondering just how the raven was doing this. If the prince was aware of those questions, then he didn’t show it, and he was definitely not inclined to answer them. He merely continued to move his fingers slowly, teasingly, across the blonde’s bared skin… and then he pressed his fingers down onto his nipples.This caused the smaller male to jolt and moan, his eyes snapping wide open.“Hm?” Noctis hummed softly, a sneaky smirk on his face. “Something wrong?”The blonde whimpered as he pouted up at the prince. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but it feels a bit too good,” he mumbled.“That so?” the raven murmured, his smirk seeming to grow, as he flicked at the hardened nubs again. This time, Prompto shuddered heavily, squeezing his eyes shut tight from the pleasure.With a soft chuckle, Noctis moved in and firmly kissed the blonde, while at the same time pinching his nipples and at the same time pressing the rest of his fingers along his skin. The blonde kissed back, still shivering as he moaned into Noctis’s mouth. And the moment the moan ended, he felt Noct’s lips curl up – right before a jolt rushed out from his fingertips and into Prompto’s skin.“AH!” Prompto gasped, pulling away to throw his head back against the pillow from the shock of pleasure.“Good?” Noctis asked with a small chuckle.“Y-yeah.” Prompto could barely piece his head together at the moment, thanks to Noctis’s torturous touches.Chuckling, still, Noctis moved his mouth to Prompto’s ear as he moved one hand down, moving it along the blonde’s tail. “It’s about to get better…”And then another jolt shot through him.Immediately, Prompto gasped and shuddered heavily into the mattress, a loud moan escaping him as his fingers sought purchase to grasp something, anything. This time, Noctis actually laughed softly, as his fingers slipped slowly along the scales, releasing several smaller jolts before he gently pushed the scales aside. Prompto gave a needy whine, looking at Noctis pleadingly. He felt hot all over now, and just needed release.“Sssh… it’s okay…” Noctis purred softly, coiling his tail around Prompto’s as he slipped his fingers past the scales… but instead of reaching for the blonde’s cock like last time, he slipped them further down.“Fuuuuck…” the smaller male whimpered, shivering lightly.Smirking, Noctis slipped his fingers further in, before he let loose one last burst of energy.And with that, Prompto came undone, a choked cry tearing from his throat as his body clenched up beneath his lover.Smiling, Noctis slowly pulled his fingers back, his eyes losing their violet glow as he settled next to Prompto. “So… how was that?”“Amazing,” the blonde whispered. “How did you do that, anyway?”Noctis chuckled softly. “Weiz aren’t the only ones who know magic,” he murmured.“Apparently,” Prompto snorted quietly before cuddling closer. “Love you, Noct.”“Love you, too…” Noctis murmured, wrapping his arms around Prompto’s shoulders. The blonde gave a content hum before settling in the raven’s hold, soon drifting back to sleep.Smiling, Noctis reached over and gently ran his fingers through Prompto’s hair, shutting his eyes to do the same… until there was a familiar knock on the door.“…mm?” Frowning, he sat up slowly, making sure to not wake Prompto. “It’s open, Ignis,” he called, and the sandy blonde silently swam inside. “What happened?”“His Majesty has called for an emergency meeting. He wants you to be there.”Noctis’ frown darkened in worry. “…Right.” Before Ignis could leave though… “Iggy?”“Yes?”“Could you stay with Prompto? Just in case…”“…Very well.”“Thank you.” After gently disentangling from Prompto, he moved away and headed out. “I’ll be back soon. Thanks, Ignis… I owe you one.”“Just go.”Noctis nodded, and then headed out. “Mm…” Prompto groaned as he woke up, but as he did, he realized Noctis wasn’t with him. Sitting up with a frown, he called: “Noct?”“Good morning,” a familiar voice suddenly said, drawing the blonde’s attention.“Huh?” the blonde uttered, before noticing Ignis was there in the room with him. “Oh, uh, hey Ignis,” he said, and then asked: “Where’s Noct?”“He was summoned to an emergency meeting,” Ignis said calmly. “It may take a while longer.”“Oh… Is something wrong?”“Hard to say…” Ignis admitted.“Do you at least know what’s going on?” Prompto asked hesitantly. “Just…worried, I guess…”“I believe it was about the Wyf. That is all I know, I fear.”“Damn… I hope they don’t try anything…” the smaller male sighed.Ignis merely hummed a little in response. Rather than continue the subject, though, he asked: “Are you hungry?”“Yeah, sure,” Prompto murmured. “What about Noct, though?”“I’m afraid he’ll have to wait; I cannot enter the meeting this late lest I disturb them,” Ignis pointed out.“Fair point,” the blonde chuckled. “All right.”As Prompto rose from the bed, Ignis moved to the door ahead of him.“Ah, right,” Prompto murmured as an afterthought, before closing the shell to the bed. He then joined the sandy blonde, nodding to him. “I don’t want anything to happen to them.”Ignis hummed softly. “I sincerely doubt something will… but I suppose it pays to be careful.”“Yeah, it does. ‘Sides, Noct’d wouldn’t be happy if I left it open, anyway.”To that, Ignis didn’t respond with words; he merely nodded as he led the blonde down to the lower floors again. And Prompto followed closely, not wanting to get lost. Granted, he was starting to sort of memorize some of the paths, but he wasn’t ready to go on his own yet. Before long, they arrived at the dining hall, which was virtually abandoned by now. “Take a seat and I’ll fix something up.”“Thanks, Ignis,” the smaller male said, before suddenly asking: “I take it everyone’s at that meeting, huh?”“Mostly His Majesty and Noct with the council,” Ignis said with a small shrug. “The other servants try to keep themselves busy in the meantime.”“Right…” Prompto murmured. It felt strange to be alone with Ignis like this, as he wasn’t quite used to it. Then again, since he was going to live here, he would have to get used to it. However… “Hey, Ignis?”“Hm?”“I know this is random, but, what did you and Gladio think of me when you guys first met me?”“…” Ignis didn’t reply immediately, before he sighed. “I cannot speak for Gladio, though I believe I can make a proper assumption, I must admit I was… surprised with Noct’s decision to make a friend with, of all things, a human.”“Did he tell you how we even met in the first place?”“I heard him speak of it to Lady Leviathan, yes,” Ignis said firmly. “However, that does not change the eons of disconnect between the two worlds.”“True… I’m just glad things have turned out the way they have. I’ve never been one to turn down someone who needs help, no matter who or what they are,” Prompto admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “Even though that can be a fault sometimes, it was the right thing then.”“Yes, and we’re all grateful… otherwise our nation likely would have crumbled with Noct’s death…”“Oh, speaking of Noct… How come he’s an only child? He told me Mer can lay between 3 and 7 eggs, but he doesn’t have any siblings… Why is that?”At those words, Ignis paused in what he was doing. “…There was… an incident,” he finally admitted. “That is all I’m permitted to say. It would be best if you heard directly from Noct.”“Right, sorry… Didn’t mean to pressure you or nothing…”Ignis merely hummed as he finally finished and moved back over to Prompto. “Here you go.”“Thanks,” the smaller male smiled slightly, before beginning to eat. He wasn’t going to question the taller male’s cooking, and maybe it’d be better if he didn’t know what half the stuff was anyway. He had a feeling most of it was stuff he wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole back on land.Ignis didn’t say anything else in response to the word, as he solemnly went back to some of his other duties while staying in the area to keep an eye on the human-turned-Mer.“Morning, Prompto,” Iris’ familiar voice greeted as she joined the blonde.“Mornin’, Iris,” he smiled back once she was seated. “How are you?”“I’m good,” she giggled.Ignis looked up upon hearing her enter and hummed briefly. “Good morning, Iris.”“Good morning, Ignis,” the brunette smiled. “I take it everyone’s still in that meeting?”“Yes, and it may take a while longer. Now, I assume you came here to eat something, correct?”“Of course! Thanks, Ignis,” she said, before looking at Prompto. “So, Prompto, how long do you have?”“You mean until the deal is over? A week, but you already know how I’m staying,” the blonde chuckled.“Good, because I don’t think Noctis would be able to hold out for too long with you,” she smirked as Prompto nearly choked on his breakfast, leaving him in a coughing fit.“Iris, please don’t tease him like that,” Ignis pointed out as he swam over. “Wouldn’t want there to be an accident and upset Noct even further.”“Just having fun, Ignis,” the Mermaid giggled. “You okay there, Prompto?”“Y-yeah, just didn’t expect you to say that,” he wheezed.Ignis snorted softly, but he did have a small bemused smirk on his face as he passed Iris a plate of the same food he’d given Prompto.“Ooh! Eel, my favorite,” she smiled brightly. “Thanks again, Ignis!”And with that said, she began to eat, but the words caused Prompto to pause briefly before he resumed eating his serving. It was good, so he wasn’t about to complain. Though, yeah; definitely would’ve never tried that one on land.Just as he took another bite, though, there was a sudden flash of light from beyond the window high above them, making Ignis and Iris look up in slight surprise, before they frowned.“What was that?” Prompto questioned worriedly, noticing their frowns.“That… was something colliding with the Wall,” Ignis supplied as a second flash followed shortly after. “It would appear this meeting may just be cut short…Prompto narrowed his eyes as he watched the flashes through the window, as he recalled the barrier that the Kingsglaive had passed through before that their leader—Nyx, was it?—had called the “Wall”, wishing he had his guns or something similar to help defend everyone, especially Noctis and their eggs.“It will be fine,” Ignis said, catching the look on Prompto’s face. “As long as the Wall holds, they cannot reach us.”“It’s that powerful?” Prompto said, and Iris nodded, choosing to let Ignis explain.“That it is. It can withstand any attack thrown at it, so they may try all they want; it will not do them any good.”“What’s the catch, though? There’s gotta be a drawback,” the blonde frowned, furrowing his brows in confusion. There was no way that something so powerful could be erected without a cost of equal or greater value.At that, Ignis frowned in slight concern at the question, his fin flicking about lightly. “…The drawback is that the Wall draws its power from the Crystal… which in turn draws its energy from the line of Lucis.”“The line of Lucis?”“That’s the royal family,” Iris told him.At the explanation, Prompto realized that one day, Noctis would have to become King when his father passed, and that would mean that the Crystal would eventually draw from him, too. He lowered his gaze to his breakfast, almost nauseated at the thought of Noctis being drained by this Crystal. It was a given; the King was definitely not young, though he wasn’t sure how old he really way, and it would probably not be that long until the crown was passed on to Noctis. And with Noctis being the only heir, there was no way this could be avoided.Ignis frowned softly and looked like he was about to say something, when his gaze was drawn to the entrance. “Morning,” he said solemnly.“Hey…”This drew Prompto’s attention to the source, and he saw Noctis in the entrance to the dining room. “Hey,” he murmured in greeting, not sure what to think now. He was worried for his lover, and didn’t want him to be in danger…“Gah… that took forever…” Noctis half-whined half-groaned as he took a seat and dropped his head on the table with a heavy thunk.“No one said it would be easy,” Ignis pointed out, already working on getting the prince some food. Once he had scooped up enough, he set it down on the table. “Eat up. You look like you need it.”“Feel like it, too…” Noctis groaned as he pushed up and began on his own (belated) breakfast.Prompto watched Noctis for a moment, before asking (though he wasn’t sure he wanted to know): “What was the meeting about?”Noctis hummed around a mouthful of eel and kelp, before he swallowed. “…about my father’s abdication.”The news made Prompto tense, and he lowered his gaze, biting his lip worriedly. Even Ignis seemed somewhat startled by the revelation, though he managed to mask it (mostly).“I see… the council must be quite concerned to bring it up so soon.”“Yeah…”“What’s the big deal?” Iris asked.“They’re worried Father’s health may fall before the war with Nifflheim is brought to an end… so they want to ensure the Wall can be maintained until we can end the war.”“Understandable… if we cannot keep ourselves safe, no amount of battle plans will save us,” Ignis said solemnly.Prompto couldn’t bring himself to say anything; he was too worried about Noctis, and he didn’t want anything to happen to him.“Has a date been decided yet?” Ignis asked after a while.“No… that’s what they were arguing about when they attacked again…” Noctis grumbled, before he stuffed another forkful into his mouth. After swallowing, he said: “But my guess… between now and four days. Five, max.”‘So soon…’ the blonde thought miserably. ‘Fucking hell…’“I see…”Noctis merely sighed as he poked at the remainder of his food, supporting his head on one hand.“Prompto? You okay? You’re pretty quiet,” Iris suddenly piped up, and the smaller male shook his head, not sure what to say, if he was being honest with himself.However, upon the words, Noctis’ attention was also drawn to the blonde, and if he’d looked worried before, it just got worse. “Prom?”Prompto felt heat gathering behind his eyes again, and knew he was going to start crying soon. He really didn’t want to be around the others like that, though…Noticing how the human-turned-Mer was becoming upset, Iris looked at Ignis pointedly, silently signaling to him for them to give the pair some privacy. Catching the look, Ignis nodded, and followed Iris out of the room as Noctis pushed off from his seat. Once they were out, Noctis moved to behind Prompto and wrapped his arms around his shoulders from behind.“Prom… what’s wrong?”“…I…I don’t want to lose you because of the Crystal…” Prompto whimpered, biting his lip so he wouldn’t start crying.Though Noctis briefly tensed when Prompto mentioned the Crystal, he figured Ignis or Iris had brought it up, so he shook that off and instead ran his fingers through the blonde’s hair, shushing him softly as he tugged him close. “Sssh… it’s okay… don’t worry…”“But I saw what it’s done to your dad…! I don’t want the same thing for you…!” the smaller male choked out.“Prom… my Father’s been supporting the Wall and Insomnia for years…” Noctis murmured. “For it to have the same effect on me… it would take at least a decade… maybe two…” Moving over and kissing the blonde’s temple, he said: “It’s not something that just happens overnight…”“But… I don’t want to lose you… Not again…” the smaller male whispered, still struggling not to cry.“You won’t… I promise…” Noctis murmured, curling his arm around the blonde’s shoulder a little firmer.“Still…”“Enough, Prom,” Noctis shushed him gently, turning his head and kissing him. “You won’t… I swear.”Prompto kissed back, a somewhat distressed noise escaping him as he did, before he relaxed a bit in Noctis’s hold. After pulling back, Noctis held his lover closer again, resting his head along Prompto’s.“…S…sorry…” the smaller male mumbled eventually.“It’s okay…”“I’m just worried, since I finally get to be with you properly, and I don’t want to lose you ‘cause of this…” Prompto rambled.“Sssh…” Noctis shushed him softly, resting one hand on his shoulder.“…Why does it have to work like that, though?”“The Crystal, you mean?”“The whole Crystal draining the line of Lucis for the Wall.”“…” Noctis sighed. “I don’t know why… it just does. It’s always been that way… kept us safe…”“Right…” Prompto murmured, before looking back at Noctis. “Thank you…”The prince merely smiled as he briefly kissed Prompto to his temple. “…wanna go back up?”“Yeah, if you don’t mind…” the smaller male nodded.Nodding, Noctis moved back, allowing Prom to get up and taking his hand gently. And the blonde accepted the offered hand with a small smile before the pair headed back up to Noctis’s room. Once there, Prompto thought of something.“Hey, Noct? Is it something private, when the abdication happens? Or can I be there?”“It’s… a public event,” Noctis murmured as he opened the shell again. “Everyone in the Corale is permitted to be there.”“Geez, lotta pressure, then, huh?” Prompto commented.“Ugh… yeah…” Noctis mumbled as he settled on the bed.“Well, I’ll try and get as close as I can to watch so you can see me. Maybe that’ll help with keeping your nerves down,” the smaller male offered.“Thanks…” Noctis murmured.“Anytime,” Prompto smiled as he joined Noctis on the bed. He then remembered Iris’ comment before for some reason, and chuckled. “Iris nearly made me choke on my breakfast earlier.”“Hm? How so?”“She knows about how I’m staying, and basically heavily hinted how you’re not going to hold back with me when my time’s almost up,” the blonde told him. “I didn’t expect it, which was what caught me off guard.”Noctis regarded him for a few moments, his expression not changing, before he snorted and then laughed. And Prompto couldn’t help but join in, even though knew Iris was right. After all, if the tables were turned, and Prompto was to top Noctis down here, he wouldn’t want to hold back, either. The raven was too damn sexy.Once Noctis had managed to calm down, he moved over to the pillow with the eggs and unhooked the blanket from it so that he could look at the eggs.“…How are they?” the smaller male asked with a small smile as he looked at them as well.“…they look good…” Noctis murmured with a small smile.“Good,” Prompto nodded, idly wondering what their genders would be. He was hoping for one girl and one boy, to be honest. Then again, they might have more than that with his eggs once they’re laid and do eventually hatch.“What are you thinking of?” Noctis asked, spotting the look.“Just wondering what they’ll be when they hatch,” the blonde shrugged. “Kinda hoping for a girl and a boy, to be honest.”“Heh…” Noctis chuckled. “It’s going to be difficult to tell, I’m afraid… not until they’ve already hatched.”“Figured as much,” Prompto nodded. “I just remember back on land, humans have a machine that lets doctors check on a mother’s baby or babies before they’re born, that way both mother and baby are okay. The machine also lets the doctor check the gender or genders.”“Really?”“Yeah. Obviously never experienced any of that myself, I just know about it as sort of…common knowledge, I guess, as a human.”Noctis hummed curiously tilting his head, before he secured the blanket along the pillow again.“There’s a lot of stuff I didn’t get to show you, but it’s okay. Besides, you’ll have a lot to show me down here,” Prompto smiled, chuckling at the raven’s curious expression.“Haha, I suppose so,” Noctis agreed.“Is there anything I could at least tell you about, if you have questions?” the smaller male offered.“Hmmm…” Noctis frowned for a moment, considering that.“You can think on it, no worries. I’m not going anywhere, after all,” Prompto chuckled.That made Noctis laugh briefly, before he thought of something. “Do humans sing normally? I haven’t heard them do so a lot…”This caused the blonde to chuckle. “Technically, yes, but skillfully? Not always. Like I can’t keep a tune for shit.”“Huh? But you sang pretty good before…”“Oh, that? I was just humming a small tune I’d made up. But I can’t sing lyrics or anything like that. If I try, I just sound like some dying animal,” the blonde laughed.Noctis just watched Prompto with a look that clearly said he didn’t believe a word of that.“Okay, maybe not that bad, but still. Humming and actually singing are different.”“I don’t think they are.”“Maybe to you. It is for humans, though.”“Uh-huh…”“What else do you wanna know?”“Don’t change the subject,” Noctis suddenly said, poking Prompto to his cheek. “Sing something.”“Like what? I can’t think of something off the top of my head like that. And that tune I hummed then, it has no lyrics.”“Yes it does; I made them, remember?”“Aw, geez… Yeah, I remember when you did, but I don’t remember how it went…” the blonde admitted, embarrassed.Noctis rolled his eyes, sitting back a bit, before he took a deep breath and then began to sing Prompto’s Chocobo song.“Hang on,” the smaller male mumbled, stopping the raven halfway through the first verse. “There’s one song I remember, but we’ll see if I can get it right…” Taking a breath, Prompto paused before beginning to sing an old song he’d heard on the radio years ago.“I know that you lied to meUsing gentle words, to shelter meYour words are like a dreamBut dreams could never fool meIt’s not right to me…”Noctis remained silent throughout it all, pulling up his tail and leaning his head on one hand as he watched the blonde as he continued to sing.“I’m acting so distant nowTurned my back, as you walked awayBut I was listening…That you fight your battles far from meIt’s not right to me…”“‘Don’t you worry cause I’ll come back…’I could hear you speaking as you walked to that doorI acted strongTo hide that back, when I turned back the pagesCrying might have been the answerWhat if I shed my tears and begged you not to leave?But now I’m not afraidTo do what’s in my heartThose thousand wordsHave never been spokenSo far away,I’m sending them to you wherever you areSuspended on shining wingsThose thousand wordsHave never been spokenThey’ll cradle youMaking all of your pain seem so far awayAnd hold you forever…”As the blonde concluded the song (or at least the first half of it), Noctis continued to watch him quietly, his fin lightly flicking along the bed. After what felt like forever, he tilted his head with a small half-smirk. “And you say you’re horrible…”“Aw, come on, I’m not as good as most!” Prompto whined, embarrassed. He didn’t really like to sing around other people, and never felt he was that good. Especially when one customer once berated him for singing in the first place at Cid’s garage. The idiot hated seeing others happy, in Prompto’s opinion.“I think it was nice,” Noctis said firmly as he moved over to sit right next to Prompto.The blonde merely shrugged, before saying, “Now that that’s settled… What else do you wanna know?”Noctis hummed, thinking. As he was about to speak, though, a powerful wave caused the water to lurch almost violently and slam against the “window”, making it slam against the outer wall with a bang.“CRED!! The hell?!”“What the fuck was that?!” Prompto yelped, worried for their safety now.“Stay here! Keep the eggs safe!” Noctis said as he moved away toward the window. Halfway there, though, he stopped and swam back. “Here,” he said, raising his hand and summoning an intricate dagger. “I doubt you’ll need it… but just in case,” he murmured as he passed it to Prompto.“O-okay…” the smaller male said, taking the dagger. “Just be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt or caught again…”“Don’t worry about me…” Noctis whispered, swiftly kissing his lover. “They’re on our turf now… and like hell am I going to let anyone get away with this.”“I know, but still, I won’t be able to help it until you get back safely,” Prompto sighed, unable to help it.“I know, Prom… I know…” Noctis murmured as he moved back and then up to the top of the shell. “Mind your head…” he warned, as he pulled on the shell to get it down to cover the bed.The blonde complied, moving to curl up his tail protectively around the pillow and blanket with their eggs. He wished he had some sort of shooting weapon right now…“I’ll be back soon,” Noctis promised before the shell could close fully. “I love you.”“I love you, too,” Prompto murmured, his worrying flaring up further once the shell closed completely. If anything happened to Noctis again, the Wyf were going to pay dearly, and at Prompto’s own hands, if he had anything to say about it.Once the shell had closed, Noctis briefly laid his hand on top of the shell, taking a few long gulps of water and air, trying to push aside his worry. He knew he wouldn’t succeed entirely with that, but at least to a reasonable degree. That took him much longer than he would’ve liked, but when he was able to lift his hand without it shaking from worry, he swam for the window and, once he was sure it was okay, he shot out through the window. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Once outside, it took Noctis a few moments to figure out exactly what had happened. The Wall was still up, and yet somehow the enemy had gotten inside. Not a lot from what he could see from his current angle, but there were enough for them to pose a problem.He could hear the Kingsglaive’s horns calling out the orders that he didn’t understand in its entirety, but he knew enough to know what was happening. Or at least figure out the plan. And right now, it was to ensure the safety of the people, and at the same time safeguard the Crystal and his father.After a brief look around, he spotted a pair of familiar faces. “Axel! Cloud!” he shouted as he moved over. “What happened?”“…You Highness,” Cloud greeted firmly as he noticed the prince. “It seems the Captain’s treachery ran deeper than initially believed…”“Some of the Kingsglaive turned on us and let some Wyf in,” the redhead added, growling.“Dammit…!” Noctis snarled. “Where’s Nyx?!”“Gone to secure King Regis…”“You need to get to safety, too, Your Majesty,” Axel told the prince urgently.“Hell no!” Noctis hissed. “I’m not letting them get away with this!”Axel looked like he was about the say something else, but when he cast a look at Cloud, he noticed the blonde looking at him in a way that told him he’d be wasting breath and time if he tried. “…Just be careful, then, Your Majesty,” the redheaded Mer cautioned, nodding to the raven.“I intend to… Cloud, can I ask you to keep watch at my window?”“…Understood, Your Highness,” Cloud said simply, swiftly moving to the prince’s window.Glad to have someone watching Prompto, Noctis turned to Axel. “Where are the others?”“Roxas is nearby us, seeking out any stray Wyf. Sora and Riku are around the Citadel, as are Tidus and Leon,” Axel informed Noctis.“Right…” Noctis murmured, nodding, looking around briefly. “…Do we have any idea how many are there?”“Around 20, but since they’re somewhat scattered, that’s why Roxas is seeking out the stragglers,” the redhead answered immediately.Nodding once more, Noctis turned toward the top of the Citadel. “…They might try to reach the Crystal from above…” he growled, before he launched himself upward.“I’ll follow you,” Axel nodded as he swiftly followed the prince.Noctis didn’t object as he went, rushing for the Citadel’s top floor. Once there, he looked around, and he breathed out in relief when he realized no one was there. “Good… they haven’t gotten here yet…”“Maybe we should stay, just in case they try to,” the redhead suggested, lightly spinning his chakrams in his fingers.“Yeah… better… I’d rather not risk it…” Noctis agreed.Axel nodded, keeping his guard up, just in case. However, he was a bit worried about Roxas, considering the blonde was on his own as he searched, but he knew his boyfriend could handle himself quite with his two Keyblades. “Roxas! Behind you!!” Tidus’ voice screamed out suddenly, as one of the Wyf suddenly lunged for the small blonde with its jaws opened wide.“Ah…!” the Keyblade-wielder gasped, before whipping Oblivion around and slashing the Wyf’s face with the dark Keyblade.The Wyf screeched in agony at the lash, right before Tidus was right there and buried his blade into the Niff’s side, making it gargle on blood.“Thanks,” Roxas nodded to the taller blonde.“No prob,” Tidus quipped as he pulled his blade out.“Where’s Leon? I thought he was with you.”“We split up for a bit! He should be heading toward Sora and Riku by now.”“Sounds good. Mind helping me find the stragglers?” Roxas asked.“You got it!” Tidus quipped with a grin.“Thanks,” the smaller blonde smirked, before he led the way to seek out the stray Wyf. “Come on, Sora!” Riku called back as he and the brunette hurried to join Leon.“Coming, Riku!” the smaller male nodded, and soon, they found Leon.“Leon, you holding up okay?” the silverette asked a they got close.“…Fine,” Leon snorted out.Sora looked around, confused. “Where’s Tidus?”“Supporting Roxas,” the scarred Mer said solemnly as he cocked his blade over his shoulder.“Then Rox is okay, good,” Sora smiled, relieved. Despite his brother’s strength, he’d still worried about him.“Have any of them come this way?” Riku inquired.“A few… think I got most of ‘em.”“And with Rox and Tidus seeking out the remaining stragglers, then we should be able to keep the Citadel safe,” Sora nodded.Leon merely snorted in response – just as there was another wave that almost threw them into the walls. “The hell?!”“What was that?!” Riku gasped.“…Ch.” Snarling, Leon rushed off in the direction the wave had come from.“H-hey! Wait up!” Sora yelped, as he and Riku darted after him.As they swam along, though, a sudden scream caught their attention and the stopped midswim to look down. And when they did, they it took them only a moment to take notice of a pair of Niffs, pressed up against a wall just a little bit away from a third, dead Niff that was floating a little over the ground. The smallest of the two was covering a fairly nasty wound to keep it from bleeding him out, and the other was clearly trying to help him.“Ch… we missed some,” Leon hissed out.“Then let’s finish the job,” Riku growled.“Let’s…” Leon snarled, readying his blade.However, just as they were about to rush forward, the taller of the Wyf noticed them from the corner of his eyes and snapped his head around in alarm. “Cred!!” he hissed, before he turned to the smaller Wyf and pushed his back. “Vaan! Go!”“Wha…!? But I--”“Just GO!!” the taller Wyf shouted as he reached out and grabbed one of the Mer’s blades that had been dropped in the scuffle, before he rushed to meet the Mer head-on.“Guys, look out!!” Sora screamed in warning. “He’s trying to protect the other one!!”“Then you take that one,” Leon hissed as he lashed out at the Wyf, who swiftly blocked it and then darted aside to avoid Riku’s blade.“Right,” the brunette nodded, swiftly darting after the fleeing Wyf with his Kingdom Key poised for a fight.While Leon and Riku kept the taller Wyf busy, Sora almost easily caught up to the injured one. Not that he’d managed to get very far, since his injury didn’t allow for that, and Sora found him in one of the alleys, panting as he tried to keep moving while also covering his wound. Which wasn’t working as well as he would’ve liked.As kind-hearted as Sora was, he knew he couldn’t let the Wyf escape, or else it would cause problems later. So, he raised his Keyblade, prepared to strike.As the Wyf noticed him, though, he quickly grabbed a rock from the ground and lobbed it at Sora.Sora was quick to block it with his Keyblade, before bringing it down on the injured Wyf to finish it off.However, just as Sora was about to lash out, the Wyf raised up his hands – summoning a lance that blocked the keyblade before it could strike him.“What?!” Sora gasped, shocked. “How did you—?!”The Wyf didn’t respond, as he was struggling to both keep Sora away and to keep himself from reaching for his wound, teeth ground together to keep his cries in. However, because of Sora’s confusion, he was able to knock the brunette off and then rush off as best as he could.“Oh, no you don’t,” the brunette growled, before pursuing the Wyf at a swift pace. He soon caught up, and then used his Keyblade to make a cage of light, capturing the Wyf.“Ah?!” the Niff choked out as he swam right into the bars, hissing, before he turned and glared at Sora.“It’s your own fault, so don’t glare at me,” Sora huffed, before looking back at Riku and Leon.Just as he did, it was right in time to see Riku knock the other Wyf backwards to slam into a wall with a pained grunt. The smaller Wyf also barely caught sight of that, and he gasped in alarm. “REKS!!” he shouted, panicked.“Pipe down, would ya? They’ll be quick,” Sora grumbled. “They won’t make him suffer like you do to us.”“…if you do that…” the Wyf said suddenly, and when Sora looked over, he noticed the blonde Niff now had a dagger in his hand, and had it press against his own throat with a venomous glare.“Damn you,” the brunette spat, before looking back to Leon and Riku. “Guys, don’t kill him!! Just knock him out or something, but don’t kill him! I’ll explain in a sec!” he yelled to them.“Sora, are you kidding me?!” Riku demanded.“Just trust me, Riku!”Leon glared in annoyance, but rather than question it, he slammed his elbow against the Wyf’s neck, which immediately knocked him out. “…Riku…”The silverette nodded, and then used his Keyblade to wrap the unconscious Wyf in a chain made of light. “What’s this about, Sora?” he questioned once the chain was secured.“This one summoned, and he threatened to kill himself if we kill his little friend,” the brunette growled, throwing the caged Wyf an annoyed look.“He’s not my ‘friend’!” the Niff snarled. “He’s my /brother!!/”“And we’re supposed to know that how?” Riku snorted.Leon frowned as he regarded the glaring blonde for a moment. He supposed the two Wyf DID look alike somewhat, but like Riku said, that didn’t say much. To most Mer, all the Wyf looked the same, after all, and very few really cared much either way. What was interesting, though, was the dark mark that seemed to circle the area just above his tail.“Let’s take them to the cells before anything else happens,” Riku suggested.“Let’s…” “Noct!!” a familiar voice shouted then, and Noctis whirled around, he allowed a small sigh of relief when he saw Gladio swimming over with Tidus and Roxas in tow.“Gladio,” he said in greeting.“Looks like they didn’t get up here yet, huh?” Tidus murmured.“No, thankfully. Have you seen the others at all?” Axel asked.Roxas shook his head. “Haven’t seen Sora, Riku, or Leon since we split up earlier,” he answered.“I’m sure they’re fine,” Tidus pointed out.“Yeah,” Noctis agreed as he looked out across the rest of Insomnia. ‘I hope everyone else was able to get to safety…’“You doing okay, Rox?” Axel asked, concerned for his boyfriend.“Yeah, once Tidus showed up to help, we found all the stragglers,” the blonde assured the redhead.“Thanks for helping, Tidus,” Axel told the taller blonde.“No prob,” Tidus said with a small grin.Gladio snorted as he regarded Insomnia as well. “Looks like things are calming down…”“Yeah…” Noctis said firmly, a frown on his face. “…you thinking what I’m thinking, Gladio?”“Yep,” the Shield snorted.“Huh wha…?” Tidus got out.“What do you mean?” Roxas questioned, as Axel frowned curiously.“Get your weapons out,” Gladio said rather than answer the question, summoning his broadsword as Noctis brought curled his fingers around his own sword.And the moment they had, Noctis shouted: “Behind!!” making them all whirl around to block the weapons of the Niffs that had (somehow) managed to get behind them without anyone noticing.Axel snarled as he caught one of the weapons in his chakrams, before flicking the spiked weapons just right to send the weapon flying from the Wyf’s grasp. Roxas, on the other hand, blocked with Oathkeeper before lashing out with Oblivion to slash into the Wyf’s flesh.Gladio, in the meantime, was knocking back each and every one of the Wyf rushing at him, and Noctis was almost easily warp-dodging to the side to avoid them before dealing an almost instant deathblow with his sword. It was a bloody mess and the water around them turned a dark red because of it, and he was sure that if the Wall hadn’t been in place, any and all predators would’ve come rushing at the scent of blood.“Goodness, what a mess it’s become here, hasn’t it?”Noctis almost froze at those words, but his training allowed him to spin around to avoid the nearest Wyf and slice its back open with one well-aimed swing of his arm. Once that was dealt with, he turned around, and then he snarled, as his eyes began to glow a vicious violet. “You…!”The others were far too much invested in their own battles to notice the maroon-haired male, and in a way, that was for the better. After all, Noctis had a personal score to settle with this guy. He didn’t even realize that guy’s summoned his own weapon before he was rushing in, anger overriding everything.He just wants the fucker to die!! Meanwhile, as the battle outside continued to rage, Prompto remained curled around the pillow holding the eggs. As he looked at the blanket carefully, though, he realized it seemed to be lightly moving, but only very slightly.“It’s okay, little ones…” the blonde whispered soothingly, curling a bit tighter around them. “I’ll keep you safe.”Just as he finished those words, there was a menacing cracking sound from outside, at the doorway. Immediately, Prompto tightened his grip on the dagger, tensing as he stared in the direction of the door. He couldn’t leave, not without his and Noctis’ eggs.The sound grew louder until he could identify it as that of the door being broken open. And what followed that almost sounded like the slithering of tentacles. Prompto narrowed his eyes dangerously at the noises as he curled even tighter around the pillow, for he was hell-bent on protecting the eggs.Steadily, the sound grew closer and closer, until if stopped right outside the shell covering the bed. The blonde’s muscles were coiled like a spring, ready to attack the intruder as soon as the shell opened, his lips curling back in an involuntary snarl.He didn’t have to wait long, as something curled around the shell from below, and then forced it upward. However, because it was being forced, the shell actually refused to move back on its own. Not that it mattered as a black tentacle curled under the shell’s edge and inched for the pillow holding the eggs.Immediately, Prompto sliced the end of the tentacle off, a warning growl escaping him. This drew a pained screech from whatever was out there as the tentacle retracted, the shell dropping back as it was released.‘That’s right, back off,’ the blonde thought furiously, a wicked smirk curving his lips.As the scream faded, it was followed by a growl of fury, before the shell groaned as it was forced up again. And as it was, Prompto braced himself again, ready to defend his and Noctis’ eggs with his life if he had to. The moment the shell was forced open, though, several large tentacles shot in and for both Prompto and the eggs.“Ah…!” Prompto gasped, before slashing at them swiftly, cutting all of them in a few quick swipes. “Leave them alone!!” he snarled.However, just then, a single tentacle curled around him and snagged Prompto up, trapping his arms to his sides.“Fuck!” the blonde swore, struggling to break free, despite the tight grip.“Foolish boy…” came a chillingly haunting voice. “Did you truly think you could stand in my way?”“Don’t you fucking touch them, you bitch!!” Prompto spat, glaring at the source lividly.“Or what?” the Weiz murmured, her expression deathly cold as her tentacles tightened dangerously around him. “What do you think you can do to stop me?”The blonde snarled, unable to do anything to stop her, even as he continued to struggle against the firm grip. The Weiz chuckled icily as she easily kept him suspended, with one of her slippery limbs circling the pillow with the eggs.“NO!!” Prompto screamed, trying to whip her with his tail in an attempt to stop her.That shout actually got him a smack across the face from the Weiz’s tentacle. “Be silent, welp,” she hissed. “I am here to take back what I’m owed; I’ll not have you disrupt me.”“You’re not owed a fucking thing! You’re a rotten bitch!!” the blonde shouted furiously, desperate to stop her.“How pitiful—” she began, only to scream as both the tentacle that had grabbed Prompto and the one reaching for the eggs was sliced clean through.As soon as he was free, Prompto hurried to the eggs, making sure they weren’t damaged in the slightest by that damned Weiz. Once he was sure they were okay, he looked to see a tall, blonde Mer poised between him and the Weiz, his massive sword raised for a fight.“How dare you…?!” the Weiz snarled furiously as she regarded Cloud, but the Kingsglaive didn’t even bother to respond to her demand. Instead, he said solemnly to Prompto: “Stay back…”“Right,” the smaller male nodded, moving to cover the eggs with his body.Once he had the blonde’s confirmation on the matter, Cloud snapped his tail out and launched himself at the Weiz as she screeched with energy coiling around her arms. As she threw it at him, though, Cloud almost easily knocked the energy aside and lashed out with the massive blade he carried. The witch screeched as the blade cut through her skin, drawing blood.Prompto watched, amazed, as the taller blonde wielded the hefty blade with ease, but still remained hunkered over his and Noctis’s eggs protectively.Despite the Weiz’s best attempts to get at Cloud, the Mer was undeterred and easily knocked her backwards. And as she slammed into the wall, he didn’t even hesitate as he plunged the massive blade through her gut, making her wail in agony.And Prompto nodded once firmly, knowing the bitch was getting what she deserved.“Y-you… h-how dare y—GYAAAHHH!!!”Cloud’s expression didn’t even twitch as he twisted his blade in ways that had to cause excruciating pain to the Weiz. It was obvious that the blonde Kingsglaive didn’t have an inch of compassion for the woman as she screeched and writhed.Prompto continued to watch, honestly just wanting the Weiz to die already. Then again, for everything she’d done, she deserved to suffer. And Cloud seemed to agree, as he wordlessly twisted his blade once more, before he removed it from her gut and then slammed the weapon through her chest.‘Hopefully that’ll do it… I’d be horrified if it didn’t…’ the smaller male thought as his eyes widened.Thankfully, that was all it took as the Weiz stopped screaming, finally, and then went slack completely.“…Is it over?” Prompto asked hesitantly, as though afraid she would suddenly spring back to life.“…yes,” the older Mer said solemnly.“Thank god…” the smaller blonde sighed. “Thanks for coming in when you did. I tried to stop her, but…”“…” Cloud wordlessly turned to face Prompto, his expression still not changing at all.“You’re Cloud, right?” Prompto finally asked after a few moments.The only response he got to that was a small nod.“Well, thank you, Cloud. You saved them from being taken again,” he smiled faintly, briefly looking down at the eggs.Cloud said nothing in response as he regarded the blonde as he concerned himself over the eggs. Whatever was on his mind, he kept it to himself.“At least the eggs are safe,” Prompto murmured, finally relaxing for the first time since the attack had started. He was still worried about Noctis, but had to trust his lover to come back unharmed.“…” Cloud regarded him for a moment more, before he moved to retrieve his sword, not caring as the Weiz floated to the ground.“…How are things outside?” Prompto asked quietly, worried for the others, especially Noctis, despite his faith in the raven.“…fine,” Cloud said solemnly.The smaller blonde nodded, the short answer somewhat easing his mind.Rather than say anything else, Cloud merely dismissed his blade and moved over to the window, leaning against the windowpane with his arms crossed.And Prompto mentally sighed, hoping Noctis would be back soon. Noctis had never been in any real battle before then. He’d only ever trained with Gladio to get some basic experience, and even that had always been in a controlled environment, where he had unlimited access to the Armiger. Sure, he could still reach into the Armiger now, but that didn’t make it any less dangerous to use it.And to make matters even worse, this guy – whoever he was – could also reach into the Armiger. He didn’t know how or why, but in the end, it didn’t matter; this guy was in league with the Niffs. And that was all he needed to know… not even counting the fact that he was also responsible for taking away his children originally.All the more reason to want him dead!As their blades clashed with a metallic clanging, Noctis growled dangerously from the back of his throat. The force behind the swing forced him back momentarily, but he shot forward just as quickly, and this time with not one but five different blades rushing for the other Mer. They were caught by the man’s own blades, but Noctis wasn’t finished.With those blades blocked, he reached out once more and released a sixth blade at point blank. It struck his mark and the other Mer actually gave a small cry of pain. And that was enough for Noctis to get past his guard and drive his own blade into the man’s flesh. Sadly, he missed his gut, since he moved aside, but at least he got it through his shoulder.However, because it wasn’t a deadly blow, the other Mer was to lash out with his own blade, nicking Noctis on the shoulder in turn. Though Noctis was able to hold back his cry of pain, he couldn’t prevent himself from reaching for his shoulder as he backed up quickly.“Well now…” the other Mer chuckled, not even bothering to reach for his own shoulder, despite how Noct’s blade had gone right through it earlier, and the expression on his face was still as smug as it had been earlier. “That was interesting… but, I’m afraid I’ve lost interest in this scuffle.”Those words made Noctis freeze up briefly, before he snarled. “Don’t you dare--”“Ta-ta.”And then he was gone and Noctis was left cursing furiously while he staunched his bloody shoulder. When he looked back, though, he began to see a reason as to why the other had suddenly left; the others had just taken out the remainder of the Wyf. Blood everywhere, and it was definitely less than pleasant currently. They’d have to get rid of it soon…Still, a cursory glance around revealed that, yeah, everything else was also quieting down, and this made Noctis sigh in relief. “Right… good… that’s… that’s good…” he got out, as he felt his own injury mend under his fingers. One of the good things of being born in Insomnia; you heal quickly.As things finally quieted down, though, Noctis thought of only one thing; he had to get back to Prompto… It felt like an eternity before things outside seemed to have finally calmed down, and Cloud hummed as he glanced outside. “…it’s over,” he stated simply.“Really?” Prompto blinked, a bit surprised, but then he sighed in relief. “Thank god…”“…hmm…” Cloud hummed as he wordlessly pushed open the shell to the window, before he moved over to the corpse of the Weiz and snagged it up.Prompto honestly didn’t even want to know what Cloud was going to do with the corpse, so he kept quiet.Of course, the Kingsglaive said nothing to explain himself, and instead swam out of the room without a word. But before he could disappear from view, he said: “His Highness should return soon…”This had the smaller blonde perking up, and he nodded to Cloud in acknowledgement, despite the older Mer more than likely not seeing it.Sure enough, barely 10 minutes after Cloud had disappeared from view, Noctis swam down into the room from above, holding a hand against his shoulder as he did. As soon as he noticed the shell open, though, his eyes widened in alarm. “Prom…!”“It’s okay, we’re okay!” Prompto said quickly to reassure the raven. “A Weiz tried to get the eggs, but Cloud killed her. I tried to defend them myself before he came, but she snared me with one of her tentacles… I’m sorry…”Noctis sighed softly in relief, before he moved over and wrapped his arm around the blonde’s shoulders, pulling him close. “I’m sorry…”“It’s not your fault, I just can’t believe I couldn’t protect them myself…” the blonde sighed.Noctis quietly shushed him, rubbing his head soothingly and kissing his temple softly. “Don’t worry… it’s over now…”“Yeah, it is,” Prompto smiled slightly at Noctis. “Are you okay, though? I know what you said, but I was still worried about you.”“I’m fine… they’re just minor injuries…” the taller Mer murmured.“Better be,” Prompto huffed. “I’d rather be worried for nothing than something major.”Noctis merely smiled as he settled on the bed a bit better. “Sorry for worrying you…”“It’s okay, but it shouldn’t happen again with her dead now, right?” the smaller male asked, glancing at the eggs.“Hopefully…”“I hope so, too…” Prompto murmured, pressing close to Noctis’s side.Noctis smiled as he held the blonde close, resting his head against Prompto’s as he reclined back against the bed a bit.And Prompto hummed contently, simply happy to remain with Noctis like this for as long as they could.“I’m just… gonna rest for a bit… kay?” Noctis whispered after a moment.“M’kay,” the blonde nodded. “I’ll rest with you.”“…cool…” Noctis murmured, before they both settled down quietly. Later, Prompto woke to a knock on the door, followed by Iris’s voice calling through it.“Noctis? Prompto?” she called to them.“…mmm…” Noctis groaned lazily, before he sighed. “Enter…”The brunette came into the room, and looked at the raven. “I was asked to bring you to the King, Noctis,” she told him.“…I see…” Noctis murmured. “I’ll be right there.”“What about me?” Prompto asked, confused.“…Did he say anything about Prompto?”“No, but Gladdy and I can watch the eggs if he wants to go with,” Iris offered, and the blonde looked at Noctis, hoping everything was all right.“Sounds good…” Noctis agreed, before looking to Prom. “Shall we go?”“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, before following Noctis out of the room.As they swam along the halls, there were several people swimming around, hurrying to seemingly fix the damage that had been done when the Weiz had infiltrated the Citadel. This sight made Noctis growl softly, but he said nothing else.“It’s over, Noct. We’ll be okay,” Prompto reminded him quietly when he heard the growl.Noctis sighed softly, before he nodded his head. Finally, the swam into a room that Prompto hadn’t actually been to before. And when they entered it, he swiftly realized why that was;It was the throne room.The blonde looked around in awe, his jaw nearly going slack as a result. The room was gigantic; at least twice as big as the dining room, with long spires curling around the walls, supporting the ceiling, and numerous sculpturesNoctis, however, continued swimming straight ahead, up toward where King Regis was sitting, a thoughtful look on his face. “Father,” he called out then, causing the older Mer to look up.“Ah, Noct. How are you feeling?”“I’m fine… my injuries have already healed.”Nodding, King Regis then turned to Prompto. “And you, Prompto?”“More worried about Noct, but I’m fine,” Prompto smiled politely.The King nodded in obvious relief, even as Noctis and Prompto swam over to the King’s side.“What was so urgent, Father?” the prince asked, just as there was a knock on the door.Then Sora, Riku, and Leon came in, Sora guiding a cage made of light with a Wyf inside, and Riku carrying another Wyf wrapped up in chains made of light. Prompto’s eyes widened, before he frowned, confused.As the three Mer stopped some distance away from the throne and bowed, Prompto finally had a better chance to look at the two Wyf. Their skins were tanned, like they spent a lot of time in the sun, and their hair was a pale corn-blonde color. Their tails were much darker and, like he had already noticed earlier, the fin was placed vertically, so that they had to move their tails from side to side in order to move forward.“…Oh… now I see…” Noctis whispered softly.Regis nodded briefly, though it wasn’t easy to tell whether it was in response to his son’s words or the three Mer’s arrival. “At ease,” he said to the three Mer. “Now… please explain to us what happened.”“Your Majesty, this Wyf,” Sora began, gesturing to the caged one, “managed to somehow summon a lance when I was about to strike him. When I captured him, he threatened to kill himself with a summoned dagger if we killed his brother.” At this, he pointed to the unconscious Wyf Riku carried. “We don’t know how he is able to summon.”“Hmm…” The King frowned in worry, as his hands tightened slightly around the armrests of the throne.“…he could summon?” Noctis murmured softly.“Summon?” Prompto repeated quietly to Noctis, his brows furrowed in confusion.“Mer can summon a weapon of their choice… but only when the Line of Lucis grants them that ability,” Noctis whispered back. “So as you can imagine, Wyf shouldn’t be able to summon weapons.”“Weird…” the blonde murmured, frowning.“Yeah…” Noctis murmured, frowning softly.“Noctis,” Regis suddenly said.“Yes sir?” Noctis asked solemnly as he turned to the King.“What do you make of this?”“…Hard to say,” Noctis admitted, turning to the two Wyf. “He doesn’t carry a summon charm… so I’m not sure how he could’ve learned how to summon…”Sora shook his head a little in confusion. Riku, however, looked as though he had a question, before he finally voiced it.“What should we do with them, Your Majesty?” the silverette asked.The King hummed, his tail slowly moving along the bottom of the throne as he rubbed his beard in thought. The blonde Wyf in the cage was glaring up at the King, but he was keeping quiet, probably to keep himself out of further trouble. However, that look made the older Mer frown deeply.“…Noctis.”“Yes sir?”“…Does this boy not remind you of someone?”“…pardon?” Noctis questioned, before he regarded the blonde with a frown of his own.Even Prompto was confused, as were the Kingsglaive before them.Eventually, Noctis shook his head. “I can’t say he does, sir.”“Is that so?” Regis murmured, lightly tapping his fingers along the armrest. “…Very well. Let us think on this properly. Sora, Riku, Leon. Take them to the dungeons.”“Yes, Your Majesty,” Sora and Riku said in unison, bowing slightly before carting the brothers off with Leon.Once they were gone, Prompto looked at Regis. “Your Majesty, what did you mean before?” he asked.“Hmm…” Regis shook his head softly. “I’m not sure…” he admitted. “There was something… familiar about him…”“…Do you know from where, Father?”“That, I do not…”“Definitely strange…” Prompto sighed.“…Ah, right, Prompto,” the King said suddenly.“Yes, sir?” the blonde said, perking up and looking at the older Mer.Regis smiled kindly at the blonde Mer and said; “There’s no need to be so formal. Just call me Regis.”The smaller male blinked in surprise, and then smiled. “Thank you, Regis,” he murmured.Noctis smiled at the exchange, before a frown came over his face. “Father, how’s the Wall holding up?”Regis frowned at the words, before he sighed. “It holds, don’t worry. It won’t fall so soon.”“I see…”Prompto listened to this, before asking, “Has the Wall ever fallen before?”Noctis regarded the blonde for a moment, before he turned back to his father.“Once… when the Crystal was taken from us by force,” the older Mer admitted. “But that was ages ago… and it will not be likely to happen again.”“That’s a relief,” Prompto smiled.Noctis nodded to show he shared the sentiment, before he frowned in thought. “Father, has a date been decided yet?”This caused Prompto to perk up, curious as well.Though Regis looked a bit surprised that his son had asked the question, he shook it off quickly enough. “As of now, not yet. Though I’m sure the council will certainly attempt to push it forward as soon as possible.”“…Maybe we should.”Even Prompto frowned in concern at the suggestion. “Noct…?” he murmured questioningly.Regis looked at his son in question, seemingly more curious than concerned. “Why do you think that, Noct?”“I can’t say for certain, but what if Nifflheim’s staging all these attacks because they know you’re running out of energy to supply the Crystal?” Noctis pointed out.Regis didn’t seem offended that his son had just (basically) told him he was getting old, which likely had to do with the fact that he was, and instead focused on his son’s argument. “So you’re saying that upon the abdication, they’ll likely cease, because there’s less risk of the Wall falling if you support it.”“Yes. I can’t say for certain if this will work, but the chance of them calling the attack off should definitely be taken into consideration.”Prompto nodded, understanding, but he still didn’t like it.“Hmm… you have a point…” Regis murmured, putting a hand to his chin. “…The only downside is that the council will likely try to speed everything along then…”“…Is it really?”“What do you mean?” the blonde asked, confused.Regis, however, seemed to understand what Noctis meant, and he hummed. “I see… because the time is running out, of course…”“Yes.”“How long do you have left, Prompto?”“Four days,” the smaller male answered automatically.“Hmm… then we may just have to hurry, hm?”“Yeah…”“What does my time limit have to do with it?” Prompto questioned, confused.“It’s traditional after an abdication for the new monarch to seek a mate, if they don’t already have one,” Noctis explained.“That makes sense now,” Prompto nodded, smiling. “I’ll be with you every step of the way, Noct.”Noctis allowed a smile, and Regis chuckled softly. “Yes… the council might have something to say about his origins, but in the end, the choice is yours, Noct.”“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Noctis chuckled.“Same here,” the blonde grinned, but it faded as he asked: “Do they already know?”“They don’t know all of it… but they will definitely have something to say about you not being from Insomnia…” Regis murmured, before he shook his head. “However, they will not be able to talk Noctis out of it.”“Then that’s what matters,” Prompto smirked.Regis nodded. “Alright. We’ll discuss this later. Both of you may return to your room.”“Right. Thanks, Father.”“Thank you, Regis,” Prompto smiled, before following Noctis back to his room. As they reached the room, Noctis sighed. “Well… that was a thing…”“Everything alright, Noct?” Gladio asked as Iris adjusted the pillow with the eggs carefully.Prompto looked to Noctis, wanting him to explain.“Yeah, everything’s alright,” Noctis said solemnly. “I’ll explain later, alright?”“Right…” Gladio said with a nod, before gesturing for the bed. “Got some guys to patch things up in here. Shouldn’t be necessary… but hey.”“Thanks, Gladio.”“Thanks for watching over the eggs, guys,” Prompto added.“Anytime, Prompto!” Iris giggled.“No prob,” Gladio chuckled. “Right; let’s give these boys some space, Iris.”“Right behind you, Gladdy,” the smaller brunette nodded with a smile, and she followed her brother out, closing the door behind them. Once they were gone, Prompto went over to the eggs to check them. Ever since they had almost been taken away again, he wanted to make sure they stayed safe.Noctis came up behind him and gently wrapped his arms around the blonde’s shoulders.And the smaller male looked back at him with a smile. “I’m glad things are starting to move along, ya know?”Noctis smiled as he rubbed his fingers along the blonde’s shoulders. “Nervous?”“Maybe a little, but I’m looking forward to a future together,” Prompto replied, his smile softening.“Hmhmm…” Noctis hummed. “Shall we rest for a bit?”“Yeah,” the blonde nodded, moving to settle down in the bed.Noctis chuckled as he moved to lay down beside the blonde, the eggs in between them.“I love you, Noct,” Prompto murmured as he reached a hand out and took the raven’s hand in his.“I love you, too,” Noctis murmured softly, squeezing Prompto’s hand gently.The blonde smiled warmly, before he slightly curved his tail so it partially wrapped around the eggs’ pillow.Noctis smiled at the gesture, wrapping his other arm around the blonde’s shoulders. However, as he rested his head, though, his thoughts went back to the two Wyf that they had captured. Eventually, though, he shook it off and rested his head. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Dad! I wanna go see Levi!” the young prince Noctis called out as he tugged on his father’s fin. Regis laughed at the young Mer’s “demand”. It wasn’t so odd for the young prince of Lucis to want to see Leviathan. The guardian of their seas had taken a shine to the young boy at an early age already, and the boy wasn’t any less enthralled with the giant sea serpent. “Alright, Noct; I’ll call Cor and ask him to take you, okay?” “But I wanna go with you…” the smaller Mer whined, pouting. Regis sighed softly at the words, before he turned around and pulled Noctis up to his level. “I know, Noct, but I need to speak with the council about some important things. I promise I’ll catch up once I’m done here, okay?” “…kay…” Noctis said with an unhappy pout, which he kept on his face even as Cor led him to Levi’s home. He knew Cor would stick around a bit more, but he wouldn’t come with the Prince inside. Levi didn’t like him as much, after all. When Noctis arrived, though, he was a bit surprised when he heard Levi shouting/roaring in anger, and she was trying to get to something behind a rock formation that had a hole too small for her to fit through. The small Prince tilted his head, wondering what that was about, but decided that he’d let her try and get it first before saying anything. Maybe a fish got in somewhere and she wanted to eat it? But as she pulled back her muzzle and tried to shatter the rock, Noctis caught a terrified scream from behind the rocks, and that made him swim back in surprise, before he shot forward. “Levi! Stop!!” he shouted. Noct didn’t remember very well what he was saying then, but he thankfully got her to stop. Which allowed him to go over to the rock and peek around it. “You okay?” There was no immediate response, but eventually, a small boy, maybe a little younger than Noct peeked out from behind the rock. He had light sand-colored hair, lighter than Iggy’s, and his eyes were the color of the rocks, which was a pretty weird color for eyes, but Noctis didn’t say anything about that. When he looked at Noct, he actually frowned, ducking a bit behind the rock. “…who are you?” he asked warily, obviously not trusting the Prince, despite him having saved the blonde. “You’re welcome,” Noctis grumbled out. “I coulda let Levi eat you, yanno?” The boy bit his lip, and Noctis noticed the sharp teeth, but he didn’t think anything of it, really. He didn’t seem like a bad guy, so Noct wasn’t too worried. There was one thing he did remember his dad telling him, though; names shouldn’t be given away lightly, so he shouldn’t give his name willy-nilly. “I’m Nox. What’s your name?” The other boy seemed to hesitate, before he mumbled, still as warily as before: “Vaan…”  As the dream/memory slowly came to an end, Noctis woke up with a start, shooting up into a sitting position – abruptly bumping his head on the shell. “Gah!”“Noct…?” Prompto mumbled, opening his eyes as he woke up. “You okay?”“Yeah, I’m okay…” Noct hissed as he rubbed his head. “Ow… that smart.“Were you dreaming?” the blonde asked.“Remembering… to be honest…”“What were you remembering?” Now genuinely curious, the smaller male sat up a bit so he could watch the raven as he spoke.“That Wyf from yesterday… the one that can summon… his name is ‘Vaan’,” Noctis murmured. “I met him years ago at Levi’s home.”“Wait, what? How did you meet him without him attacking you?” Prompto frowned.“One moment,” Noct mumbled, pushing the shell open. “Better… Anyway, because we were both really young, I guess…”“Really? How long ago was this?”“About… 13 years ago, I think,” Noctis murmured.“Wow… I’m surprised Levi let him in, though, considering he’s a Wyf,” Prompto commented.“She almost ate him, actually, but he managed to stay out of her jaws for long enough for me to find him.”“And what, you told her to leave him alone?”“Kinda.”“More like yelled at her, huh?” the blonde chuckled.Noctis laughed. “Yeah.”“Figured, especially when I remember how you had to yell at her to not drown me back then,” Prompto snickered.The prince allowed a small smirk, before he sobered up as he pushed up from the mattress.“So, what happened during your encounter with him?”“…well… I taught him to summon.”“What? Why?” the smaller male frowned, confused.“…because?”“Well, I hope you don’t get into too much trouble for it…” Prompto sighed.“Not much to do about it now…” he mumbled, moving to the door. “You stay here, for now… I need to check something. I’ll be back soon.”“Okay,” the blonde nodded, curling himself around their eggs’ pillow once the raven had left. “Sorry to bother you guys, Sora, Riku…” Noctis mumbled as he swam after the pair of Mer.“It’s fine, Your Highness,” Sora assured the prince with a small grin.“It’s not like we have anything major going on,” Riku agreed with a chuckle.Noctis nodded his head briefly as he followed after them. And finally, they arrived at one of the cells.“…Are you sure about this, Your Highness?” Riku asked, pausing.“Yes, Riku, I’m sure,” the prince said with a nod as he moved over to the bars. As he looked through the bars, he spotted the two Wyf in the back of the room, chained to the wall, to ensure they wouldn’t be able to escape. Noctis had a feeling the pair would’ve been able to escape if they really wished to. “…Vaan?”At the call, the youngest of the Wyf blinked, as he looked up curiously. “…huh?”Sora frowned, curious, as he didn’t know how the prince could know the name of the summoning Wyf.The Wyf watched Noctis with a small glare, as if expecting the Mer to suddenly attack them.“…how do you…?”“I’m assuming Levi let you go that day without any real problems, huh?”“…!!”Now Riku was confused, and he and Sora exchanged puzzled looks, wondering what was going on.“Wait… you’re… Nox…?”“Yeah… been a while, huh?”“Your Highness? You know him?” Sora blurted out, unable to help it.“Yeah, I do,” Noctis admitted. “We’ve met before…”“Wait, what?” Riku uttered this time, his expression confused as hell now.“I’ll explain later,” Noctis murmured, before he turned back to Vaan as the Wyf swam up slightly from where he’d been ‘sitting’. “You got pretty good at summoning, huh?”“Uh yeah,” Vaan mumbled, reaching up to scratch at his chin. “Wasn’t easy, though…”“I can imagine… and I suspect that that’s why they got you enlisted, huh?” Noct guessed.“…yeah, more or less…”Sora and Riku watched, both bewildered at this point and a bit concerned for the prince.“And this guy…” Noctis started, gesturing to the other Wyf, who still seemed to be asleep. “I assume he’s your brother, right? …Reks, was it?”“Yeah… good memory…”“I try.”And even then, Sora and Riku kept quiet, despite all the questions they had.“Sora,” Noctis said suddenly. “Can you open this door for me?”“Um, sure, Your Highness,” Sora nodded, before summoning his Keyblade and unlocking the cell door.“Thank you,” the prince said with a nod, before he quietly moved into the cell toward where Vaan was at.Riku nearly moved as though to ensure Noctis’s safety, but Sora put a hand to his chest, stopping him with a look.As Noctis came into range of Vaan, the Wyf tilted his head curiously. The prince murmured something that the two Mer weren’t able to catch, before he moved down into a crouch, and Vaan did the same thing, reaching out to the other Wyf and shaking him by the shoulder. The taller Wyf groaned briefly, before he blinked awake, a bit confused – until he seemed to realize Noct was there and he almost cried out if Vaan hadn’t stopped him.Sora watched intently, wondering just what the prince was doing. And he wasn’t alone, as Riku was wondering the same thing.Once the other Wyf – Reks – had calmed down, he, too, settled in a crouch and the three of them became engrossed in a quiet conversation, as if they weren’t on two completely different sides of a war.“What do you think is going on, Riku?” Sora asked his boyfriend quietly.“Not sure, but it sounds like…His Highness knows something about the summoning ability of that one Wyf,” Riku murmured back.It took at least an hour before Noctis nodded his head, and the two Wyf returned the gesture, before the prince got back up and came back out from the cell.“Are you all done in there, Your Highness?” Sora inquired.“I am,” Noctis confirmed.“Shall we escort you back, then?” Riku offered.“Yeah. I need to speak to Father…”“We’ll take you to him, then,” the pair nodded in unison.“Thank you,” Noctis said with a nod as Sora shut the door. After splitting up with Sora and Riku, Noctis finally entered his father’s work room, a floor lower than their own actual rooms, and absently Noctis realized that, one day, this room would be his to use. Which was a weird thought; he’d only ever seen his father work in this room, and the first few years of his life he wasn’t even allowed in there for fear he’d keep his father from getting any work done (Ignis’ fault, by the way).His father was hard at work when he entered, and that wasn’t a big surprise. There was a lot of stuff going on, after all, especially with the two Wyf in their captivity.Which brought him to the issue at hand…“Dad?”Regis looked up in surprise. He probably hadn’t heard him come in, which wasn’t that weird; his father tended to get really absorbed in his work sometimes. That, and Noctis didn’t call him “Dad” often anymore. Mostly when he knew they were alone, otherwise he tried to be as polite as possible.“Noct? What brings you here, son?”“Well… funny story there…” he started, even though there wasn’t anything really funny about it.He took a heavy breath, and then, as he sat down on one of the seats, he began to speak about what he had recently remembered, starting from when he’d first met Vaan. His father didn’t interrupt and instead only listened as the Prince spoke of the young Wyf and explained just how Vaan had actually learned to summon. Noct was already prepared to be yelled at, because teaching the art of summoning to a Wyf would be considered high treason to many others.Thankfully, his father wasn’t the same as ‘many others’.“I see…” Regis murmured thoughtfully as he rubbed his finger along his beard. “So that’s where he’s from… and how he’s learned to summon…”“Yeah…” Noctis admitted with a nod, as he curled his tail around the seat. He could tell his father wasn’t pleased with the fact he’d taught Vaan that, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. The only thing he could do now was to move on and deal with the hand they’d ended up with. “I know he’s a Wyf… and I know we’re enemies… but I don’t think he’s bad, Dad…”Regis hummed softly, deep in thought. However, Noctis was fairly certain that his father agreed with him. He’d met Vaan (albeit briefly) when he had come to pick up Noct. And while he had completely missed Noctis teaching Vaan to summon, he had spoken to him before they’d gone back home… and he’d not been opposed to Noct making friends with him.Unfortunately, they hadn’t actually met up again afterward, and Noctis had never realized until then that Vaan had been a Wyf. He just hadn’t made the connection back then, and he hadn’t thought of Vaan in years.“Yes. The little I’ve seen of him did not give the impression that he is a threat.” That was a relief… “…there is one problem, though…”“…the council, right?”“Precisely… we’ll need to consider how to ensure his survival… his and his brother’s.”“Right…” Noctis sighed heavily. “I hope this will work out…”“I’m sure it will…”  Regis nodded. “Anyway, there’s something else we need to discuss…” When Noctis regarded him in question for a moment, the King clarified. “The abdication.”“Ugh… right… I almost forgot…” Noctis mumbled. “Do we have to talk about this now?”“Much as you don’t want to, Noct, you know it’s inevitable.”“…yeah, I know…” Noct sighed. “But… can we talk about this later? I promised Prompto I’d be right back…”Regis hummed, considering it, but then he smiled. “I understand,” he said before he turned serious. “However, this needs to be addressed now.”“Huh?”“The council has already been preparing to locate a ‘proper mate’ for you.”“What?! But I already—”“I know, Noct… hence why I believe it may be better to not allow them the time to plan it in.”“…Wait… you mean you… want to do this as soon as possible?”“Yes. However, I wanted to discuss this with you before bringing this up at the meeting later today. If possible, I want you two to be there, to make a statement with the council.”Noctis frowned at those words. As much as he didn’t want to think about it, he knew this had been coming and, given the recent events, it was only logical for things to be pushed into motion so quickly. And if the council was really aiming to control things from the sidelines, which wouldn’t even be that strange, then yes, he’d have to take that advantage away from them.“…right. That… would be best,” he agreed quietly. “When is the meeting?”“It should begin shortly after breakfast… but it should allow you some time for training.”Noctis nodded in understanding. “Right… we’ll be there.”“Good. You may go.”“Thank you…” While all that was going on, Prompto was still coiled around the eggs’ pillow, watching over them. As he stared at them, he absently wondered what they would look like when they finally hatched.“You’ll probably look more like Noct,” he murmured quietly. He was assuming they would be based off the color of the eggs matching their ‘mother’s’ tail and hair color. “Wait until you have your younger siblings, though. They’ll probably be like miniature versions of me.” At this, he chuckled. He had to admit, he was a little nervous of having to lay eggs, but he knew it would be well worth it in the long run.Just then, the door opened and Noctis swam back into the room. “Hey.”“Hey,” Prompto greeted, before pouting. “You took a while. Thought you’d be right back…”“Yeah, sorry… took a little longer than expected,” Noctis apologized.The blonde huffed a little, before he propped himself up on his elbows. “What happened?”“Had to speak to my father about Vaan and his brother.”“And what did he have to say?”“Well, he obviously wasn’t too thrilled about what I did… but he knows Vaan isn’t a bad guy, really,” Noctis explained as he settled on the bed.“So, what, are Vaan and his brother just stuck here, then?” the smaller male questioned, looking up at his lover. “After all, it’s not like they can be released, right?”“Yeah… that’s the tricky part… can’t stay here, but if we let them go, they’ll be executed as traitors,” Noctis admitted.“So what’s gonna happen to them?”“Still up for debate… but we’ll think of something…”“I hope so. If you say Vaan’s not a bad guy, then he doesn’t deserve to be executed,” Prompto murmured.“Yeah…”Prompto placed a hand on Noctis’s tail where his thigh would have been if he’d had legs. “I’m sure everything will work out somehow.”“I sure hope so…” Noctis murmured as he moved to lay down on his back for a moment. The blonde was quick to cuddle up to him, his tail still curved around the pillow, though. It took a bit for Noctis to notice this, but when he did, he smirked. “Well someone got protective all of a sudden…”“Hey, ever since that Weiz tried to take them again, I don’t want anything to happen…” Prompto pouted.Smiling softly, Noctis turned on his side and wrapped his arms around the blonde.The smaller male hummed contently in his lover’s hold, before he spoke up again. “I did manage to slice some of her tentacles, though. Thanks for the dagger.”That made the prince laugh softly, pressing his forehead to Prompto’s. “Anytime…” he murmured, rubbing his back.The blonde remained quiet for a few moments, before asking, “So, how long will it take for me to form eggs and then lay them? I’m curious.”“About 3 days,” Noctis said calmly.“So it’s gonna be a couple days before you have your wicked way with me, huh?” Prompto snickered.Noct chuckled. “Problem?”“Nah. I just hope you can wait that long,” the smaller male replied with a cheeky grin.“You worry too much,” Noctis murmured, tapping Prompto to his nose, before he shut his eyes with a small sigh.“You okay?”“Yeah…”“Still tired, huh?”“Mmm… little bit.”“Then let’s rest for a bit. After all, I’m not going anywhere. Don’t exactly have this place memorized, anyway,” Prompto chuckled.“Mm… kay…”The blonde snuggled a bit closer, wrapping his arms around Noctis so they were holding each other. “Love you,” he murmured.“…love you too…” Later on, there was a knock at the door, waking the pair, followed by Iris’ voice calling through it.“Morning, guys! Time for breakfast! And Noctis, Gladdy’s gonna be working with you afterwards,” she told them.Noctis groaned as he pushed himself up, rubbing at his eyes. “Yeah, okay…” he called out.Prompto grumbled as he sat up as well, mumbling: “Too tired to be woken like that…”“Sorry guys, but otherwise you’ll hear it from Ignis if you’re late for breakfast,” Iris giggled, before she left. “She’s got a point, there,” Noctis chuckled out.“Yeah, yeah,” the blonde sighed. “So, you gotta train with Gladio after breakfast, then?”“Yep.”“Mind if I watch?”“If you want, sure.”“Yeah, I do. Never seen you use a sword,” the smaller male pointed out. “I’ve only seen you with it, but not using it.”Noctis chuckled. “True… Alright; let’s go.”Prompto smiled as he started to follow Noctis, before he paused. “What about the eggs?”Noctis gestured for the window, which was shut. “If you close the shell, it’ll be okay. I highly doubt they’ll come again so soon after.”“Okay,” the blonde nodded before closing the shell, and then rejoining his lover. “Let’s go.”Nodding, the prince led the way down toward the dining room. Prompto followed, and once they were there, he took his usual spot beside the raven. Once he was seated, Noctis stretched his arms briefly above his head before leaning back in his seat.Prompto smiled at Noctis, wondering idly how he got so lucky to have encountered such an amazing person the way he did.“Morning,” a familiar voice called out, and Noctis smiled as Ignis came over.“Hey,” he greeted.“Morning, Ignis,” Prompto greeted.Nodding, Ignis passed the two boys their breakfast. Looked like it was that eel thing again from the day before, which wasn’t bad, really.“Thanks, Noct said with a nod as he quietly got started on his breakfast.“Thank you,” the blonde added, beginning to eat as well.They spent most of breakfast silently; the Mer didn’t seem very inclined to speak during mealtimes, as Prompto had noticed not just with Noctis, but Gladio, Iris, and even Regis. As Noctis speared another piece of eel, though, he did seem to be lost in his thoughts somewhat. Deciding to wait until breakfast was over to check on Noctis, Prompto left it alone for now.Breakfast took maybe a total of ten minutes. It was hard to tell, since the Mer didn’t appear to have any sort of clocks anywhere, but it felt like ten minutes.“Right… let’s go, then,” Noct said once they’d both finished.“Hey, Noct?” Prompto murmured as they got up. “You okay?”“Hm? Yeah, why?”“You looked deep in thought at breakfast, is all,” the blonde remarked.“I’m just…” Noctis paused the sigh as he began to swim, Prompto close behind. “Just thinking about the future, I guess…”“Oh? Wanna talk about it?” Prompto inquired.“Just… everything, really,” Noct admitted. “I always knew I’d eventually have to take over for Father… but now that it’s here… well… everything’s just going so fast.”“I know, but I’ll be with you every step of the way, so at least you have support,” the smaller male pointed out.Noctis smiled. “I know…” he said, before they came to the training room that Prom remembered from when he’d first met Gladio as a Mer.“Yo, Gladio!” Noct shouted.“You’re late,” the burly Mer chuckled.“Aw, lighten up! Breakfast is important!” Prompto laughed. He then looked at Noctis. “I’ll wait on the sidelines.”Noctis snorted, but he was definitely smirking, even as he swam further into the room, summoning an intricate sword in his hand.The blonde watched from the side, his eyes wide with interest.Gladio chuckled as he readied his own broadsword. Anyone seeing this setup would worry for Noct’s safety; the prince was much smaller in stature than Gladio, and there was really no doubt that Gladio could probably mop the floor with anyone if he’d been on land. However, in the span of a second, Noctis launched himself at Gladio and their blades connected with a loud clang.Prompto’s jaw dropped, and he was suddenly very interested in seeing how this would turn out. Because despite how much force was behind Gladio’s swings, which definitely would’ve shattered the arms of anyone else trying to block them, Noct parried and countered them almost easily, darting around the taller Mer with well-times swings of his tail. There were definitely times that Prompto was sure Gladio had Noctis cornered, but every time Noctis seemed to warp out of range and appeared next to Gladio.Wondering how the raven did the warping thing, Prompto made a mental note to ask him afterwards. As Noctis warped once again, he was barely able to lift his sword to block the incoming swing, before he parried and knocked the sword right out of Gladio’s hand.“Hah!”Prompto gave a pleased grin, happy that Noctis had won.“Heh, not bad, kiddo,” Gladio quipped as Noctis dismissed his weapon. “Looks like being up there hasn’t done anything to ya, huh?”“If anything, it’s easier here…” Noct pointed out. “My body was so heavy on land it was difficult to move properly sometimes.”Prompto rolled his eyes a little, but had to admit Noctis had a point. And Gladio laughed as he smacked Noct on the back, sending the prince forward a bit, though Noct was laughing just as hard before he went over to Prompto.“How’d you do the warping thing?” Prompto asked once the raven had gotten close.“Huh…? Oh that? I just so,” Noct offered with a shrug.“Pretty cool,” the smaller male chuckled. “Kinda jealous, actually.”Noctis chuckled as he swam off down the halls.“H-hey! Wait up!” Prompto yelped, before darting after him.Noctis laughed as he paused so that Prompto could catch up before moving ahead again. And the blonde was quick to follow, not wanting to get lost.“…hey,” Noct suddenly mumbled. “Been meaning to say this… but it might be best for Father’s abdication to be held tomorrow.”“Really? So…what does that mean for us?” Prompto asked as he looked at the raven.“…what that means is…” Noctis said as he stopped outside a door that Prompto had never been to before. And as he pushed it open, he finished: “That we’re meeting the council,” after which he grabbed Prompto’s hand and swam inside.“Wait, what?!” the smaller male yelped as he was dragged inside.The moment they were inside, the conversation that had been underway ceased and all eyes were immediately upon them. Noctis didn’t seem to care about this, as he ignored the looks and just swam to the far end of the room where his father was sitting, and had apparently been waiting.Prompto felt a bit nervous, to say the least, as he was led over to Regis, and didn’t exactly enjoy all the stares on him. As they moved through the room, Noctis lightly squeezed his hand, even though he didn’t look over. When he finally stopped by his father, he nodded briefly, before he turned to face the remaining Mer in the room. And as they settled there, Prompto remained where he was by Noctis’s side, unsure of what to do when surrounded by so many people. In the end, he just chose to be quiet and listen.“I assume training went well, Noctis?” Regis began calmly, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary to Noctis coming into a meeting so late with someone that the council had never seen before.“Yes, Father,” Noctis said with a nod.“Good,” Regis said with a nod.The blonde didn’t say anything, as he wasn’t sure if he even should say anything. He was getting a bit worried about the council’s looks at him, though.“So…” one of the Mer to Regis’ right said, “this is the boy Gladiolus spoke of?”Noctis nodded his head quietly, and Prompto perked up, knowing he was being talked about.The man hummed softly as he regarded Prompto for a moment more. “Hmm… he does seem to have seen some combat, certainly…”The smaller male kept his mouth shut, knowing he really shouldn’t correct the older Mer about his stretch marks from when he was younger. If the Mer interpreted them as “battle scars” and this was accepted, who was he to correct them?Noctis looked over to Prom from the corner of his eyes, as if sensing the blonde’s insecurity and anxiety, lightly squeezing his hand softly.“Be that as it may,” one of the other men said suddenly, a dark frown on his face, “it’s unthinkable to expect the people to accept a Mer from unknown origins as the Prince's Consort.”Prompto immediately wanted to protest, but wisely managed to keep quiet, despite frowning irritably. Noctis, similarly, said nothing, as he moved to interlace their fingers.“I see no reason for it to pose a problem,” another Mer said, “after all, he’s already aided us in returning Prince Noctis safely to Insomnia. I would consider that to make him worthy of consideration.”This caused the blonde to relax slightly, but he was still a bit on edge.“This is not merely about what we find acceptable,” the Mer from before stated with a small snarl. “The people will surely not accept one such as him.”Frowning, Noctis squeezed Prompto’s hand, and from the way he was clenching his jaw, it was clear he was itching to speak up, but, like Prompto, he held his tongue.‘Fucking bullshit,’ Prompto growled in his mind, becoming frustrated with the stubborn Mer.“So you say, but…”At that point, the other members of the council finally began to join the conversation, and it ended up being a mish-mash of sound. Noctis sighed as he looked to Prompto with his head slightly tilted. The blonde, however, copied the motion by sighing quietly.“Didn’t think there would be this much trouble,” he whispered.“It happens…” Noctis whispered back with a small sigh.“What do we do?”“Right now? We wait and see if they can reach a conclusion… without interference.”“Let’s just hope they approve,” Prompto muttered bitterly.“Like that’s gonna stop us…” Noct murmured softly.“True, but still…”Noctis didn’t say anything in response; he merely squeezed the blonde’s hand softly but firmly. The smaller male squeezed back, returning his focus to the council.Unfortunately, as they waited and watched, the council seemed unable to reach a unanimous decision. After a moment more, Noctis sighed softly and turned to his father. Regis regarded the council in silence as well, before he looked to his son as well. Neither of the two royals said a word, but it seemed like they were conversing silently.Finally, though, Regis turned his attention to the council. “Whether they accept his origins or not,” he said calmly, causing all council members to fall silent, “they will not be able to change my son’s mind.”Prompto resisted the urge to firmly nod in satisfaction, instead waiting to hear the council’s reaction. And Noctis remained silent as well, even as the council (half of them, anyway) were less than receptive about the idea. However, before they could say too much else, Regis had already interrupted them.“Also, it would inconsiderate to force Prompto to break off all contact with the other parent of their children.”Prompto stilled, hoping the news wouldn’t bring everything to chaos.However, that was exactly what happened, as the council began to talk and shout over each other, both for and against the situation.“Go figure…” Noctis murmured.“Man… Why can’t things just be simple?” the blonde grumbled.“If only…” Noct mumbled.“Well, now what?”“Just let Father handle it…”“Kay…”Regis waited for a while longer, before he leaned back and, without warning, slammed his hand down on the table, instantly silencing everyone in the room. Even Prompto jumped a little, startled by the sudden noise.“Enough,” Regis said firmly. “This is not a matter that is up for debate. It was your wish to speed things along. Therefore, you have no reason to not accept my son’s choice in a life partner.”The blonde resisted the urge to give a smug grin, grateful for Regis’s words. And he could tell that Noctis was just as grateful, despite how he had likely expected the words from the King.While half the council seemed less than pleased about this news, those that were in favor of Prompto staying nodded in agreement, which included the man who had spoken up first upon their entry. Once Regis was sure there would be no more arguments against, the King hummed firmly and said: “Now that we are in agreement on this, I believe it’s time to close this debate.”The smaller male glanced at Noctis, pleased by Regis’s firm decision. And Noctis gave him a small smirk in return, though he dropped it soon after.“Now then,” Regis began, “I have already discussed this matter with my son, but it is our belief that it is better to hold the abdication tomorrow evening.”“Oh?” the man from before asked. “And His Highness is in agreement?”“…I am,” Noctis said solemnly.Prompto mentally braced himself, hoping nothing bad would come of the suggestion.As expected, there were several people who disagreed with the notion, but they seemed to realize that it was useless to object to the King’s words, especially since the Prince seemed to have no problem with the swift abdication. Something that neither Noctis or Prompto had any objections to.“…Very well. If there are no further points to be made, then this meeting is adjourned.The tension in the blonde’s shoulders melted away at the words, and he slumped forward a little in relief.With that said, the council quickly disbanded, aside from the man who had spoken up first.“Well, I must say,” the man said once all others had left, “that may have been the most divided I’ve ever seen them.”Regis laughed at those words. “Yes, I would think so.”The man allowed a cheeky smirk before he turned to the Mer at Noct’s side. “Your name is Prompto, correct?”“Yes, sir,” Prompto nodded, turning a bit to face the older MerThe man nodded with a chuckle. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Clarus. I’m sure we’ll meet more often in the future.”“Thank you,” the smaller male smiled back, feeling a bit more at ease with this council member.“Anyway,” Noctis said after a moment, “I’m assuming Ignis is already busy preparing for tomorrow?”Regis chuckled. “That he is, yes.”“Not surprised.”“What are you gonna have to do to prepare, Noct? Anything?” Prompto asked.Noctis hummed in thought before he looked at his father. The old Mer nodded his head solemnly, and Noct returned the gesture quietly. “We’re gonna have to do some stuff to prepare, yeah. C’mon,” he said, proceeding to tug Prompto along.The blonde chuckled as he was practically dragged after his lover, wondering what they were going to do. As they went, Noctis completely ignored the servants that were swimming around rapidly, probably on orders of Ignis to prepare for tomorrow. He just continued to guide Prompto along down the halls into an area they’d not been before.“Where are we going, Noct?” Prompto asked after a bit of silence between them.“You’ll see.”“Aww! I hate when you keep it a secret!” the smaller male whined with a pout.Noctis merely laughed as he continued along. And finally, they entered a large, circular room, filled with what looked millions of little fish, as well as a number of huge anemones.“Whoa… What is this place…?” Prompto breathed in awe.“This is… …you know what? You try it!” Noctis laughed as he pushed Prompto further into the room.The blonde yelped as he was pushed, causing a bunch of the fish to scatter. However, barely a few seconds after, the fish all came swimming back and started moving along Prompto’s skin with their tiny mouths.Immediately, Prompto burst into a giggling fit at the tickling sensation of the fish basically cleaning him. Noctis laughed as he joined the blonde, the fish going to him as well and starting to nibble along the dead skin, though his laughter was in response to Prompto’s, rather than the fish nibbling along the skin.“H-holy shit, that t-tickles!” the blonde laughed out, and he knew that if they’d been on land, he would have fallen on his ass from laughing so hard“Really? I couldn’t tell,” Noctis chuckled out.Prompto tried to pout at Noctis for the teasing remark, but couldn’t stop laughing long enough to do so.After what felt like a short eternity, the fish finally let up and began swimming away from them.“Phew!” Prompto sighed once he’d caught his breath. “Jeez, you coulda warned me first, Noct!” he pouted, but then smiled anyway.“Where’s the fun in that?” Noctis laughed out.The smaller male rolled his eyes before grinning. “I gotta admit, it felt good,” he chuckled. “So that’s basically a Mer’s shower, huh?”“Basically, yeah,” Noct confirmed, before he moved down to the anemones.“And what do the anemones do?” Prompto questioned as he followed.“One way to find out, huh?” Noctis quipped as he moved down, allowing their sinewy strands to move along his tail.The blonde lowered himself as well, and let the anemones do the same as the fish had, only with his own tail this time. And fortunately, it wasn’t a ticklish experience like with the fish. Noctis hummed quietly as the anemones cleaned their tails, lightly swaying the limb to keep himself in place.Prompto copied Noctis’s movement, before he asked: “What else do you need to do to prepare, Noct?”“Well, for us, we mostly have to prepare mentally. Ignis will likely take care of the actual preparation himself,” Noctis said calmly.“Prepare mentally?”“Well, it won’t do to be a nervous wreck when going through the abdication or the bonding, right?”“Oh, there’s a bonding ceremony or something?” Prompto asked, blinking in surprise.“Yeah,” Noctis said as he finally moved away from the anemone. “It’s meant to introduce the new King or Queen’s partner to the people of Insomnia. Normally it takes place a few days after the abdication or coronation, but I’m going to assume Iggy’s gonna plan them back to back, to prevent the council from getting me out of bonding with you.”“Ah, okay,” Prompto murmured. He wasn’t really sure about everyone’s eyes on him, as he was never fully comfortable with being the center of attention, even back as a kid.“It’ll be okay,” Noctis said calmly, as he tugged Prompto up. “For all everyone knows you’re a Mer as much as anyone else. It won’t matter to anyone where you’re from.”“I know, just nervous of being the center of attention,” the blonde mumbled. “Never been a fan of that…”Noctis smiled as he moved over and briefly kissed Prompto. “You’ll be fine, don’t worry.”“Thanks, I’ll probably be nervous regardless, but as long as I’m with you, I’ll be okay,” Prompto smiled lightly.“C’mon; let’s head back up for now, kay?”“Sounds good,” the smaller male nodded, swimming after Noctis to his room. And the raven just smiled as he moved along the halls ahead of the blonde.As they went, Prompto wondered just when the news would come out about his origins, because he really wasn’t looking forward to the council ever learning the truth, as he was nervous of any backlash it would bring.Noctis didn’t seem to notice the blonde’s worries, as he headed into their room, moving over to the bed quietly.Once the smaller male had joined him on the bed with their eggs after the shell was lifted again, he murmured: “…Hey, Noct? Do you think I’ll eventually have to tell everyone about my origins?”At that, Noctis hummed softly, even as he opened up the shell and moved over to settle next to the eggs. “I don’t think so… there’s not really a point, is there?”“True, just curious since I told Tidus, Sora, and Roxas about it, is all,” Prompto admitted as he curled around the eggs’ pillow.“It’ll probably be on a need to know basis,” Noctis said. “It’s not important,” he murmured as he laid down as well.“Good,” the blonde sighed in relief, settling down. “I’d rather not just announce it to everyone, anyway.”“Hmhmm,” Noctis hummed, curling his tail along the pillow’s edge as well.“So, you ready for tomorrow, then?”“I am, are you?”“Of course. I’m ready to be with you until the end of time, and even then, you’re not got get rid of me that easily,” Prompto grinned.Noctis smiled warmly as he reached out and wrapped his arm around the blonde. And Prompto snuggled closer, keeping his tail around the pillow.“…you’re really attached to them already, huh?” Noctis teased.“Can’t blame me. Never thought I’d have kids at all before this,” Prompto shrugged.Noctis smiled softly as he rested his forehead against Prompto’s. “If you say so…”“I do say so,” the blonde chuckled, humming happily at the contact.“Hmmm…” After a moment, Noctis murmured, “Let’s rest up for a bit, kay?”“Kay,” Prompto nodded, settling further in bed. “Love you, Noct…” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The rest of the day passed by in somewhat of a blur, with Prompto and Noctis mostly just lazing around in the prince’s room. There were, however, instances where they were up for long enough to consider the events of the morning after, and the day of the abdication… and incidentally Noctis’ coronation. Ignis dropped by at one point to drop off some documents for Noctis to look over, and the prince did this without a word of complaint.And when morning came, finally, Noctis was actually awake well before Prompto, quietly reading through those same documents in silence at his desk.“Reading through them again, huh?” the blonde commented as he pushed himself up on the bed.Noctis briefly looked up, before he nodded and turned back to reading.Prompto pouted a little at the lack of a verbal response, before swimming over to his lover. “What is all this stuff, anyway? You never really told me before.”“Just looking through the Crystalline Melody…” Noctis murmured. “I’ve never actually heard it performed before…”“What’s the Crystalline Melody?” the smaller male inquired, curious.“Ah, the new ruler’s required to sing this song upon their coronation to prove their worth both to the Crystal and to the people of Insomnia,” Noctis explained calmly. “The Crystal reads the ruler’s feelings through the song to determine if they’re worthy of leading Insomnia.”“Geez… Sounds tough,” Prompto remarked.The prince hummed softly, before he turned back to the scroll again.“I’ll let ya focus,” the blonde smiled slightly, before returning to the bed and curling around their eggs’ pillow with a content noise.Noctis looked back briefly, watching Prompto as he settled around the eggs. A small smile spread over his face as he turned back to the scroll. He had to make sure he got it right, after all. “Man, I’m not sure how I feel ‘bout this one…” Tidus admitted as watched the scrolls to check their planned positions for the abdication.Roxas looked at him oddly. “What are you talking about?”“I dunno… it’s just kinda weird, yanno?” Tidus mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. “I grew up here knowing only King Regis as ruler… it’s just… weird to see him hand things over to Prince Noctis… yanno?”“…idiot,” Leon mumbled softly.“Hey!”“Now what are calling him an idiot for, Leon?” Sora asked, quirking a brow.“It’s stupid to think one ruler will watch over Insomnia forever… sooner or later the mantle will be passed on…”Cecil sighed softly, shaking his head, but he chose not to involve himself in the conversation at this point.“Well, Tidus has a point. Definitely gonna be different,” Riku commented.“But Leon’s right. ‘Sides, I highly doubt that much would change with Prince Noctis taking over,” Axel shrugged.“…hm…” was Cloud’s only response to the entire thing.“Well… at least we won’t have to worry about the next line, huh?” Tidus chuckled softly.“Definitely,” Roxas and Sora chuckled.“So hey…” Tidus murmured, his tone getting slightly conspiring. “You guys think it’ll stay at two or…?”“No way. The way they are together, I know there’s gonna be many more to come,” Roxas laughed.Cecil coughed a little at the words, before he murmured: “Perhaps we should focus more on the actual planning rather than speculation…”Tidus regarded him for a moment, before he smirked. “What do you think, Cecil?”“Pardon…?”“How many more do you think they’ll have?”“…I am not joining this conversation.”“Aw, come on! Don’t be a downer!” Sora snickered.“Hey, we should all place bets on how many there’s gonna be!” Tidus suddenly said, causing Cecil to splutter in alarm.“Good idea!” Axel cackled. “I say at least eight, including the ones they have now!”“Definitely thirteen,” Roxas chimed in. “They’re really close, after all.”“I’ll say…eleven,” Sora giggled.“Oh, fine. I’ll say fourteen,” Riku chuckled.“I’ll go twelve,” Tidus said with a grin, before he turned to Cloud. “What do you think, man?”“…not interested.”“Aww, Cloud! Come on!” Sora pressed.But the tall blonde refused to say anything else, and Leon snorted, obviously not about to join the betting, either.“What are you doing?” a familiar voice called out, and the group of betters jumped in alarm as they turned to Nyx.“Nothing!” Tidus said swiftly. “Nothing at all!”“We’re just checking out the plans for later today,” Axel lied smoothly.Nyx regarded the group for a moment, taking in their behavior, but he didn’t seem to find anything out of place, so he just hummed. “Alright. Just make sure you don’t overexert yourselves. Understood?”“Yes sir!”Nyx nodded briefly, before he swam off to check on the others.Roxas and Sora leaned against their respective boyfriends, all four sighing in relief that they hadn’t gotten caught.“Maaaan… that was close…” Tidus breathed out.Cecil sighed softly. “Now then… shall we continue as we were, then?”“Yeah, sure…”“Fine…” Sora groaned, squealing when Riku ruffled his hair playfully and making his brother and the redhead by his side laugh. While all that was going on, the Citadel was a bustle of activity, with servants rushing around to prepare for the upcoming abdication and coronation.“Iris, would you mind assisting me with this?” Ignis asked of the shorter Mer as he adjusted his hold on some of the decorations.“Sure thing, Ignis!” the brunette smiled brightly, swimming over and taking some of the decorations from the sandy blonde’s arms.As they moved to position the decorations into their required position, Ignis asked: “Have you spoken to Noct, yet?”“No, not yet. He’s been in his room with Prompto this whole time,” she answered with a small shrug. “Why?”“No reason in particular,” Ignis admitted. “I’m merely worried that Noctis might be thinking too deeply on things.“Why do you think that?”“You know he tends to worry too much on things sometimes… even if he tries not to show it much.”“Do you think one of us should talk to him, then?” she asked, concerned.“That might be wise, yes.”“Which one should talk to him, then?”“Perhaps you should go. I still have to oversee some things here.”“Sounds good. Mind if I go now?” Iris asked a they finished putting up the decoration.“Go ahead,” Ignis confirmed.“I’ll be back soon!” she smiled, before swimming off for Noctis’s room. Noctis, by now, was humming softly in a tune that Prompto had never heard before, but he didn’t sing. Possibly because he wanted to save his voice for the coronation, which was fine. But at the same time, Prompto was a bit sad he wouldn’t get to hear the other Mer sing until later that day.Just then, though, there was a knock on the door.“Hm? Enter.”“Hey Noctis,” Iris greeted as she came in. “Hi Prompto.”“Hi Iris,” the blonde smiled from the bed.“Hey,” Noctis said as he turned to face her properly. “Something up?”“Can I talk to you alone?” she asked.“Hm?” Though he was a bit surprised at the question, the prince shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, sure.” As he got up, he turned to Prompto and said: “I’ll be right back, kay?”“And you know where I’ll be,” the blonde chuckled, settling back down.Noctis chuckled as he headed out of the room with Iris. Once the door had closed behind them, Noctis asked: “Is here okay?”“No, let’s go somewhere a bit more private,” she replied, shaking her head a little.“Huh… okay, sure,” Noctis said as he followed her down the hall. Once they were in one of the empty rooms, Noctis asked: “So… what’s up?”“Are you nervous?” the brunette asked.Noctis regarded her for a moment, before he sighed softly. “Maybe a little… but I’m sure it’ll be fine…”“Everything will be just fine,” she reassured him with a warm smile. “The people will definitely accept you as the new monarch.”Those words caught Noct off guard for a moment, before he smiled warmly. “Thanks, Iris.”“Anytime, Noctis,” she giggled. “Figured you could use some words of encouragement.”Noctis laughed softly, a small smile on his face. “Yeah… I probably did,” he chuckled. “I should get back to practice, though… See you at the abdication, okay?”“I’ll see you then,” she smiled, before leaving back to Ignis.Noctis smiled as he went back to his and Prompto’s room. As he entered, he said: “I’m back.”“Hey,” Prompto smiled, before tilting his head curiously. “What did Iris have to say?”“Ah… just some things about the abdication’s planning, that’s all,” Noctis said with a smile as he moved over.“All right. Going back to your practice, huh?” the blonde guessed, resting his head on his arms.“In a moment,” Noctis murmured as he placed a hand on one of the eggs hiding under the blanket.This caused Prompto to perk up a little, watching the raven curiously. After a moment, Noctis smiled and grabbed Prompto’s hand, placing his on the other egg. When he did that, Prompto watched their hands on the eggs, wondering what Noctis was thinking.Just then, though, there was a sudden push against his palm.The smaller male nearly yelped, before his eyes widened, and he looked at his lover in awe. But Noctis merely smiled softly, lightly squeezing the blonde’s hand.“They’re already moving?” Prompto breathed.“Yeah…”That word was followed by another push.“Wow…” the blonde whispered. “I know in human pregnancies, the baby doesn’t start kicking until almost halfway through it.”Noctis merely chuckled as he removed his hands. “It’s not so weird here,” he pointed out, before he moved back to his desk.“True. Just pleasantly surprised, I guess,” Prompto shrugged, curling back up with their eggs once he’d also removed his hands.And the prince merely chuckled softly, before he went back to practicing. “You’re sure you’ve got the melody right?” Ignis asked as he helped Noctis in securing the gem-studded necklace around his neck.“Yeah, I’ve got it,” Noctis murmured as he secured the dark gauntlets around his wrists.Prompto watched, admiring the look the accessories provided to the raven. The gauntlets he was wearing appeared to be made of some sort of metal, but the color was definitely off, and Prompto wasn’t sure if it really was a metal anyway, given the lack of corrosion on them. Added to that, they were also studded with gems that Prompto had never seen on land, making him wonder if they were exclusive to life underwater, and if so, how had they been able to shape them into the shape they wanted?Once the gauntlets and necklace were in place, Noctis picked up a pair of fin-like ornaments of the same material, and carefully attached them to the shells of his ears, making it seem like he had actual fins for ears. They weren’t real, but they certainly looked real. On top of that, it also made him look good.Ignis nodded his approval at the prince’s look once he had properly secured the fins. “Good. I will send Leon and Cloud for you once we’re ready.”“Sounds good,” Noctis said with a nod, before Ignis left.“Doing okay?” the smaller male asked once Ignis was gone.“Yeah,” Noctis said as he turned the gauntlets briefly to get used to the feeling of them around his wrists.“I’ll be honest, you look good with that stuff on,” Prompto admitted with a chuckle.“Ah… thanks,” Noctis said as he rubbed the back of his neck.The blonde then gained a nervous look. “I’m kinda nervous still, though…y’know, for when I’ll be up there with you…”Noctis was quiet for a moment, before he moved over and abruptly kissed him softly. “It’ll be fine, don’t worry.”“Kay,” Prompto nodded, smiling slightly.As Noctis moved back, there was a firm knock on the door. Noctis looked over, recognizing the pattern, before he called out; “Enter.”And sure enough, as the door opened, Cloud and Leon were on the other side of the door… as well as Roxas and Tidus.“Hi Prompto,” Roxas greeted with a smile. “Tidus and I are here to get you ready.”“Ready?” Prompto repeated, a bit confused.“Yep. Can’t go to a ceremony without the proper gear, right?” Tidus said with a small grin.Noctis chuckled softly, looking at Prompto. “You’ll be fine, Prom.”“I know. I’ll see you soon, right?” the smaller male asked.“Of course,” Noctis said with a nod, before he quietly swung his tail, following Cloud and Leon as they led him off without a word.Tidus chuckled as they left, before turning to Prompto. “Ready to go, man?”“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, and then followed the other two blondes out.As they went along the hall, Tidus suddenly turned to Prompto casually. “You doing okay, dude?”“Yeah, a little nervous, but that’s to be expected, right?” Prompto replied.“I’d say it is,” Roxas agreed.“No kidding…” Tidus murmured, before they ducked into a different room. “Here we go.”“So, what are we doing?” Prompto questioned of the two Kingsglaive.“You’ll see,” Roxas smirked.“Oy Rox! Catch!” Tidus called out as he tossed a pair of gauntlets over toward the smaller Glaive.Roxas caught the gauntlets with ease, before slipping them onto Prompto’s wrists. The human-turned-Mer noticed these ones were thinner than Noctis’s, and were studded with light green gems, but they were still made of the same material. Which, for the record, felt very smooth as it moved along his skinAfter a bit of searching through the items there, Tidus swam over and easily slipped on a disc-like necklace with a number of gems with various shades of green around the human-turned-Mer’s neck, which effectively covered the majority of his collarbone. This made it bigger than Noct’s, and at the same time, there were thin veils that were shaped like fins that floated down along his back. Those kind of tickled.While Tidus made sure the necklace was secured properly, Roxas went back to where Tidus had retrieved the accessories, grabbing a pair of earfins and then returning to Prompto’s side, helping him put them on. As Roxas worked on those, Tidus grabbed one more item, which looked like another gauntlet, but it was much bigger than the others. But before Prompto could ask, Tidus clipped the item shut around the end of his tail, near his fin, before he slipped it up so it fit snuggly around the scaled limb.“There we go,” Tidus said with a grin.“So…this is traditional, I take it?” Prompto asked, and Roxas laughed a little.“For Insomnia, yeah,” Tidus chuckled with a grin. “Back in Zanarkand, we were a lot flashier with these kinda things.”“Really?” the smaller male blinked, surprised. “Mind telling me about Zanarkand while we wait?”“Hm?” Tidus cocked his head, before he seemed to consider it. It took a few minutes before he actually decided to speak up about it, though. “…Well, not much to say… it was always moving; never sleeping. There was always something happening, so it was a bit difficult to sleep sometimes…”“Sounds like a busy place,” Prompto remarked. “Reminds me almost of where I had my place.”“Yeah, it was pretty busy…” Tidus admitted.“What was it like where you lived, Prompto?” Roxas asked, genuinely curious.“Oh, Lestallum? Kinda like Zanarkand, but a bit less busy. It was mainly women who did a lot of the manual labor there, but I found my niche doing other stuff,” Prompto told them.“Really?” Tidus asked, curious. “Huh… that’s new.”“Yeah,” Roxas nodded. “What did you do there?”“Ah, I did work for people by taking pictures,” the human-turned-Mer explained. “I had a thing called a camera, and I could use it to take still images, or pictures, of things to preserve, then give them to people, and they would pay me for them. Sometimes pretty good, too.”“Huh…? What’s a camera?” Tidus asked with a frown.“It takes the images and freezes them, almost like preserving memories for others to see,” Prompto elaborated.“Wow… Sounds pretty cool,” Roxas admitted, before something seemed to click. “Wait, you said you ‘had’ it. What happened to it?”“It was what I traded to the Weiz to become a Mer. It was special to me, but Noct means much more,” Prompto smiled slightly.“Huh… cool.”Suddenly, there was a gong-like sound that seemed to pulse through the Citadel, and both Tidus and Roxas looked up in surprise.“Ah… looks like it’s starting,” Tidus mumbled, before he turned to the others. “Let’s go!”“Yup,” Roxas nodded, and they escorted Prompto out. It took them a little while to reach the throne room, but when they did, the entire room was filled up with Mer. Prompto couldn’t be certain, but it did look like the majority of Insomnia had indeed come to watch the abdication.As he looked around, he also noticed that the Kingsglaive were floating in key-locations, clearly to keep a close eye on the entire ceremony and make sure everything went according to plan, as well as several others that didn’t appear to be part of the Kingsglaive, but were still there as guards. Upon looking over, he also soon spotted Regis, seated upon the throne, wearing similar accessories as Noctis had earlier, though his were much more elaborate than those of Noct, probably because he was still King.“Huh… full house, looks like…” Tidus murmured.“Not every day this happens, though,” Roxas pointed out quietly.“Yeah…” Tidus murmured, glancing around the room, before he grinned and suddenly waved. And when Prompto looked over, he noticed Yuna a little further in the crowd… with one hand pressed to her stomach.“Congrats, Tidus,” Roxas chuckled when he noticed as well, and then Prompto realized Yuna was forming Tidus’ eggs.Tidus merely chuckled, rubbing the back of his head a bit, before there was another gong-like sound, which caused everyone in the room to fall silent.As silence fell over the room, Prompto then looked around quietly, seeking out Noctis. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to spot the raven among the other Mer. He didn’t have long to look around, though, since Regis then chose to speak up.“Everyone… We thank you all for coming on such short notice,” he said calmly, his voice kind and regal as the King he was. “Much has happened over the course of these last few days, and much trouble has befallen the Kingdom of Insomnia. However, today, we wish to bring to you a moment of calm, a moment of respite from the war that has ravaged our home for too long.”Prompto listened intently, Regis’s words keeping his attention.“As your King, it has always been most important to consider first and foremost the safety of the people. Thus, it is with this in mind that we have decided to pass on the Crown, to best protect our land from those who would seek to bring chaos to us and tear down our home.”There was a quiet murmuring from the crowd, and it was clear that many were somewhat worried about this, but as Prompto listened carefully, he realized most were more worried for the King’s health rather than who was to be his successor.‘At least they’re not worried about Noct becoming King…’ he thought in relief.“Looks like they got enough trust in His Highness…” Tidus murmured softly.“Which is good, especially since this is so sudden,” Roxas mumbled in agreement.Regis then shut his eyes, and he brought up his right hand – which was when Prompto noticed that the King had a dark ring around his ring finger.“What’s that ring?” Prompto asked in a quiet whisper to Tidus.“Huh…? …Oh! That’s the Ring of the Lucii,” Tidus whispered, as the King fisted his hand, causing a bright light to emanate from the ring to encircle his and entirely. “It’s the symbol of the Line of Lucis and allows them to communicate with the Crystal… or so the stories goes. I dunno if the talking thing is legit…”“It’s probably true, though,” Roxas pointed out softly. “Considering the Line of Lucis is the only one capable of commanding the Crystal to form the Wall.”“Well, I guess…” Tidus murmured.Before the other blondes could respond, though, there was a sudden, loud click from above, causing everyone to raise their heads to look up to the ceiling. And when they did, the spiral-like ceiling unfurled itself slowly, revealing a piercing blue gem that floated high above them, glowing an ethereal light. Prompto wasn’t even sure how it could be this blue under the sea, but that was the only color he could possibly associate with it. He couldn’t say how big it really was, but if he had to guess, it was likely as big as Gladio was tall, at best.“…speak of the seadevil…” the tallest of the three blondes whispered.“That’s… the Crystal?” Prompto breathed in awe.“Yeah,” Roxas nodded.“Now…” Regis said, drawing everyone’s attention once more as he moved out his hand out as if he was throwing something into the crowd before him. “Let His Royal Highness approach the throne.”And as he finished those words, a group of Mer that Prompto hadn’t even spotted brought up familiar-looking seashells, shaped like horns, and blew on them, filling the room with a mysterious music, as everyone turned their head to the back. And as Prompto followed their gaze, it was just in time to see Noctis swimming overhead, flanked by Cloud and Leon, though the both of them remained at a respectable distance. As he swam underneath the Crystal, its glow bounced off the dark gems embedded in his accessories, causing them to cast dark lights across the room.The human-turned-Mer watched in awe as his lover went, now enjoying the sight of Noctis with those accessories. However, as the prince approached the throne, Prompto picked up on something else; excited whispering.“Oh my gosh…! I’ve never seen the Prince with the Royal Armaments before! So awesome…!”“I know, right~ He’s so cool!”“Do you think he’s already decided on a mate, yet? Would it be to late if we were to…?”“Oh don’t be silly! As if he’d every even consider you!”“Hey, that’s mean!”Prompto suppressed a jealous growl, despite knowing that Noctis already chose him. Still, it didn’t stop the feeling from manifesting.Tidus suddenly reached out and put a hand to the shorter’s shoulder. “Easy, there…”“Sorry…” the smaller male mumbled.“It’s fine, they just don’t know. We all know, though,” Roxas assured him.Tidus merely smiled and squeezed his shoulder, before dropping his hand again, just as Noctis reached his Father’s side and crouched down before him, his head aimed down as Regis rose from the throne.“Prince Noctis,” Regis said firmly, gazing down at his son with a look that was both firm and loving, “since you have been given victory over the seas for the greater honor of the Crystal, we would welcome you as our successor to this crown and throne.” Noctis said nothing, and he did not move, even as Regis paused in his speech. Which seemed to be the good thing to do, as Regis asked of him: “Will you now swear fealty to the Kingdom and populace of Insomnia?”And then Noctis finally spoke, saying only two words in a firm voice that could easily be heard by all. “I will.”‘Hope he doesn’t use that voice on me later,’ Prompto thought idly.A warm smile passed over the King’s face, before it faded as he lifted up his right hand. And before the eyes of the people, a magnificent glaive materialized in his hand, similar, but more intricate, than Noctis’.Noctis soundlessly rose from his perch and then placed his hand over his father’s. And as he did, Regis said firmly: “Speak your Oath, Prince Noctis, and swear allegiance to your hearth and home.”Prompto watched with interest, his eyes focused on Noctis.The Prince took a small breath, his shoulders heaving slightly, before he spoke firmly. “Here do I swear by mouth and hands, fealty and protection, to the Kingdom and populace of Insomnia. To uphold the Laws of the Kingdom, to speak and to be silent, to do and to let be, to strike and to spare, to punish and to reward, in such matters as concern the Kingdom. In need or in plenty, in peace or in war, in living or in dying, until I depart from my throne, or death take me, or the world end. So say I, Noctis Lucis Caelum.”As Noctis finished speaking thenoath, Prompto felt a shiver run through him. And he wasn’t the only one; the people of Insomnia were staring at the two Royals in awe, some of them more so than others, as Regis released his hold on the sword, letting his son hold the sword as he soundlessly removed the Ring of the Lucii from his finger. And as he did, Noctis raised his right hand in silence, holding it out and allowing his father to slip the ring onto his own ring finger.As the ring settled, though, the Prince winced sharply, though it was still subtle enough that it was easily missed by most. Though not by Prompto, and the blonde frowned a little, worried when he saw the wince.Before he could worry too much, though, Regis reached out and placed his hand upon the younger Mer’s shoulder, offering him a warm smile, nodding softly. Noctis returned the nod as he waved his hand slightly to dismiss the sword he still held, before he turned and moved slightly further forward, looking up to the Crystal as it continued to float high above them.“…this is it…” Tidus murmured. “Moment of truth…”Prompto glanced at Tidus briefly, before refocusing back on his lover.Noctis took a deep breath as he shut his eyes, and Prompto could see the slight sway of his tail as he held himself in place. And then, he opened his mouth and his eyes and began to sing. An ethereal song unlike any Prompto had ever heard the Prince sing before then.A chill ran down the blonde’s spine at the sound, and he watched and listened, amazed.And all other Mer in the room watched, just as enthralled as Prompto, as the prince sang out, his voice spreading out across the room, filling all with a feeling of serenity and tranquility. And high above, the Crystal pulsed with a vibrant light, as if it, too, was enjoying the Mer’s singing as well as everyone there.And as Noctis finally finished, the Crystal gave a single, final pulse, and then, the ring on Noctis’ ring finger pulsed with the same light, and Noctis tensed briefly, before he allowed a small smile.“People of Insomnia,” Regis said then, gesturing for Noctis as the younger Mer brought up his right hand, “I present to you your new monarch; King Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV.” He paused for a moment more, before he said: “Long live the King.”And then, as one, the crowd began to repeat the words, chanting them like a mantra over and over.“Long live the King! Long live the King!”Prompto smiled at the chant, relieved at the acceptance the people had for the raven. Soon, though, it would be his turn with Noctis, and half the people had no idea he even existed.Noctis remained silent throughout the chanting, as he instead merely waved his hand to the crowd, watching them in silence… until he shifted his gaze and he caught sight of Prompto, as was obvious when his eyes widened marginally, before he allowed a small smile.The blonde smiled back, proud of Noctis for being able to sing to the Crystal’s liking, and proud to be with such an amazing person.As the chanting finally died down, Noctis turned to face his father, and the former King smiled fondly at his son as he moved away from the throne just enough for Noctis to take the seat. However, before he did, Noctis said kindly but firmly: “You have served our Kingdom well. You have our leave to depart.”Regis allowed another warmer smile, and he nodded his head in silent thanks, before Cloud and Leon guided him away as Noctis moved to the throne properly. He seemed to hesitate there for a moment, before he finally moved to sit upon the throne.This, in turn, was met with another round of cheers from the people of Insomnia.At this point, Prompto grinned, though he was still nervous about being shown to the whole kingdom, basically.Finally, as the crowd calmed down again, Noctis took a brief moment to breathe in properly, before he addressed the crowd. “People of Insomnia, we thank you for your support, and we swear to you that we will do all that is within our power to protect all within our care.”The crowd murmured in appreciation to the words, and it wasn’t hard to spot the few Mer in between that were swooning over him. And again, Prompto had to squash down the swell of jealousy that rose within him.Once the murmuring had settled, Noctis continued to speak. “We are aware that there may be those who may have their doubts about our reign, despite the support that you have shown us today. Part of this, we know, is in regards to the continuation of the Line of Lucis, so that the Wall may be upheld and our bond to the Crystal maintained.” He paused briefly to let those words sink in, before continuing. “For those of you who have worried about this, we ask you not to fret; for we have already found a suitable mate to remain at our side.”“There we go…” Tidus said with a small grin.The human-turned-Mer noticed the disturbance in the crowd at the words, and felt his own nerves increase.“Easy, dude…” Tidus murmured, patting his back.“It’ll be fine,” Roxas assured him, smiling encouragingly. And Prompto nodded.This time, Noctis didn’t wait until people had calmed down before speaking again. “Now…” he said, raising his hand in the same way as his father had before when he’d summoned him over. “Let the Royal Consort approach the throne.”“That’s your cue, dude,” Tidus said softly.“We’ll be right behind you,” Roxas added in a whisper, and Prompto nodded, before beginning to move to the throne.Like Roxas said, he and Tidus were right behind, though at a reasonable distance. It was obvious even without looking that there were more than a few people who were shocked and/or confused about Prompto’s appearance, but it was pushed to the back of Prompto’s mind as Noctis rose from the King’s—his—throne, and held out his hand for Prompto to take.The smaller male accepted the offered hand, giving Noctis a faint smile. And Noctis smiled back at Prompto, curling his fingers firmly around Prompto’s, before he took the blonde’s other hand in the same fashion. Prompto lightly squeezed Noctis’ hands in response, allowing the raven to guide him through the bonding ceremony.If Noctis was aware of the people’s hesitance, shock and/or confusion, then he surely didn’t show it as he said firmly: “Prompto, while not of Insomnian blood you may be, our trust and our heart you have won for yourself, for now and forevermore. Will you stay by our side as our bonded mate through sickness and health, throughout all our troubled days, until the day that the coils of these mortal lives have torn and snapped and death do us part?”“I will,” Prompto said clearly, allowing everyone to hear him.Noctis smiled at the two simple words, as he adjusted his hands so that their fingers were linked, and he lightly tugged Prompto closer until their foreheads were touching together. “Then before the Crystal’s radiant light and the gaze of the populace of Insomnia, we swear to hold you close to us, to love you and guard you with all the power entrusted in us, so that our lives be entwined until the end of our days.”And Noctis finished those words, Prompto felt the power pulsing from the ring on Noctis’ finger, and the light of the Crystal seemed to pulse in time to that surge, almost as if the Crystal was approving of and blessing their bonding. The blonde shivered lightly, too subtly for anyone but Noctis to notice, pleased by the Crystal’s apparent approval.As the pulsing finally stopped, Noctis moved his head slightly to rub their noses together affectionately, before he released him with one hand and tugged him around to face the crowd of Mer. “People of Insomnia,” he spoke firmly, “we present to you your new Prince Consort; Prompto Argentum.”There was a moment of hesitation from the crowd, obviously, but only for a moment as the crowd then broke out into cheers, once again.Prompto noticed the obvious hesitation, nearly feeling hurt by it, but understood it was because hardly anyone knew of him, let alone their relationship before this. And Noctis said nothing in response to the brief pause, either, but he did squeeze the blonde’s hand, wordlessly telling him that it would be okay.And the blonde squeezed back lightly, wordlessly thanking him for the reassurance. It was several hours later, after the ceremony had ended and the Kingsglaive and council had sworn their fealty to the new King, when Noctis and Prompto returned to their room. Noctis had held himself with all the grace that was befitting of a King throughout the entire event, but the moment the door fell shut behind them, the whole façade came tumbling down and he let out a breath of relief that it was finally done.“Ugh…! I’m SO glad that’s over with…” Noctis groaned once the door had shut behind them.“You’re telling me,” Prompto agreed with a sigh. “Seemed to just go on forever, no offense.”“None taken…” Noct mumbled as he moved over and laid himself down on the bed after opening the shell.The blonde followed after him, lying down with his lover and curling his tail around their eggs’ pillow as usual. As he looked up and noticed this, Noctis smiled softly, but he said nothing of it. And Prompto smiled back, glad to finally be alone with Noctis after the day’s events. Without distractions.“So…” Noctis murmured as he rolled onto his side and faced Prompto properly. “What are you thinking of?”“I’m just glad we’re finally alone now. And you’re not gonna be distracted by any documents Ignis drops off,” the smaller male chuckled.Noctis laughed softly at those words. “Don’t say that too loud…” he warned.“Fair enough,” Prompto snickered, before sobering up. “…I’ll be honest, I got jealous earlier.”“Hm?”“When the people saw you during the abdication, I could hear some of them wanting to try and court you,” the blonde explained. “Tidus and Roxas had to calm me down.”That made Noctis chuckle. “Not surprised… I’ve had to deal with that whenever I went out into Insomnia, so I’m used to it.”“Why am I not surprised?” Prompto muttered, before smirking. “Then again, you are amazing, even without royalty involved.”“Oy,” Noctis chuckled, reaching over and shoving Prompto to his shoulder.“What?” the smaller male laughed. “It’s true! I fell in love with who you are, not what you are. ‘Sides, I didn’t even know you were a prince until I came down here.”The new King smiled warmly, before he reached out and pushed Prompto’s hair behind his ears -- and the fin-clips attached to them, still. “…you look good like that,” the Mer whispered softly.Prompto lowered his head a bit in a shy gesture. “You really think so?”“Yeah,” Noctis murmured, curling his fingers around to move to Prompto’s neck, pulling him in to press a kiss to his mouth. “You look really good.”The blonde hummed happily, gazing into Noctis’s eyes. “So do you,” he replied softly.Still smiling, Noctis pulled Prompto up against him, kissing him again, this time much deeper.And Prompto gladly welcomed it, kissing back eagerly. He shifted slightly to get closer, but the movement reminded him of their eggs on the pillow. Pulling back slightly, he asked in a quiet voice: “…What about the eggs?”As the question seemed to register in his head, Noctis moved back slightly and then reached for the pillow, gently pushing it further down onto the bed, well out of the way but still far enough on the bed that they wouldn’t fall off.“Didn’t want anything to happen to them,” Prompto whispered, scooting closer and pressing himself against the raven.“I know,” Noctis murmured, curling his arms around the blonde’s waist, kissing him once more.The smaller male wrapped his own arms around Noctis’ upper back, kissing back lovingly. He was eager for this, and had been since learning what would be required for him to stay with his lover.Purring from the back of his throat, Noctis pulled him closer, curling his tail around Prompto’s, as his fingers played along his skin firmly but gently, teasingly. Prompto shivered at the touches, his own tail coiling with the raven’s, and he gave a soft moan. At which point Noctis, still purring loudly, rolled them over until he had Prompto pinned to the bed.The blonde continued to kiss Noctis, enjoying the feeling of being pinned by him. Yeah, he’d topped Noctis back when they were human, but it was only because he felt he was doing something special with him… until the morning after. But with how things were now, he was glad to be the submissive one. He’d always considered himself a bottom in the bedroom, after all.After what felt like hours, Noctis pulled away from the kiss, and then began to lightly bite and nibble along the blonde’s bare neck. It felt like so long ago that the roles had been reversed, when this had been the last thing he had been prepared to do. But now, he felt almost giddy, wishing this could last forever. And as his fingers moved down to the blonde’s waist, running them along the edge of his tail, where skin shifted into scales, he could feel the blonde’s body beginning to heat up.This caused Prompto to shiver instinctively as he became warmer, moaning a bit louder at the teasing bites and nibbles. The noises made Noctis smile against Prompto’s skin, pressing and rubbing gently with both his tongue and fingers… before something came to him and he pulled away slowly with a soft kiss pressed to the blonde’s throat.“…Why’d you stop…?” the smaller male panted a bit as he looked up at Noctis.Noctis didn’t respond immediately, as he reached out and cupped Prompto’s face in one hand. “Because,” he said, his tone of voice shifting into one that was both different and familiar, “we wish to know what it is you want us to do, Prompto.”The tone change drew a submissive whine from Prompto, and he shivered. “…I want—” he began, stopping to swallow the sudden lump in his throat. “I want you… to fuck me.”At those words, Noctis moved his fingers to Prompto’s chin, his face shifting into a frown. “What foul words you use before your King,” he murmured, almost thoughtfully. “Have you no shame, Prompto?” he murmured, as he tightened his hold on the blonde’s tail with his own.‘Not with you, I don’t,’ the smaller male thought, before correcting himself. “I want you to…make love to me…”This made Noctis smile again, as he gently rubbed his fingers along Prompto’s chin. “Such a pleasant expression you make…” he murmured, moving in and kissing him softly. “We are glad to have you here with us… loving us.”“I’m glad, too,” Prompto whispered.A deep purr emanated from the raven’s throat, as he once more began to nip along Prompto’s neck, as his hands wandered across the bare expanse of his chest. The blonde shivered and moaned softly at the teasing touches, wanting more. And as if sensing that (which wouldn’t be that odd), Noctis smirked softly against the skin, gently running the pads of his fingers along the blonde’s nipples. This made Prompto arch into the touch a bit, squeezing his eyes shut.“Does that feel good, Prompto?” Noctis purred softly into the smaller Mer’s ear.“Yes, Your Majesty,” Prompto purred, choosing to join in on the roleplay Noctis had started.Though the words initially startled him, Noctis swiftly went along with it as he smiled. “That is good… that pleases us greatly,” he murmured, moving his right hand down toward Prompto’s tail.The smaller male gave a small whimper in anticipation.“What is it you wish us to do, Prompto?” Noctis breathed heavily.“M-make love to me, Your Majesty…” the blonde moaned.Smiling warmly as his irises began to glow violet once more, he let his hand settle on Prompto’s crotch, as a small current of energy flowed from his hand and into the Mer below him.“Ah…!” Prompto gasped, a loud moan escaping him.Noctis allowed a chuckle as he moved his fingers lower, dragging them across the scales before beginning push them apart gently. The blonde shuddered and trembled, eager for more. Sadly, all Noctis did was move the fingers along the outer rims. He refused to touch him where the blonde wanted to be touched.“Your Majesty, please…!” Prompto whimpered.The King hummed softly as he continued to tease the blonde, letting tiny jolts of energy run along the tips of his fingers.“Ah-hah…!” the smaller male panted, moaning from the pleasurable touches and jolts.Chuckling softly, Noctis moved closer and whispered in Prompto’s ear: “Tell us, Prompto… tell your King what you desire…”“I…I-I want you…to m-make love to m-me…Your Majesty…” Prompto stuttered out, finding it hard to speak due to the teasing.Noctis allowed a small smile as he removed his hand entirely. But before Prompto could complain, the King covered his mouth with a fierce kiss, while taking hold of Prompto’s hand and moving it across the black scales of his tail. And the blonde kissed back passionately, idly wondering where Noctis was going with this now.As the King lapped at Prompto’s tongue, he made Prompto’s fingers move further along the scales, until they caught onto a few and slipped past them. The smaller male’s breath hitched a little as he felt this, realizing Noctis was basically showing him how to pleasure him as a Mer.Chuckling at the hitch in breath, Noct moved Prompto’s fingers further inside as he nipped at the blonde’s bottom lip. And then he made the blonde’s fingers curl up which and the pads of his fingers moved along a familiar shape. Prompto shuddered as he touched Noctis’s flesh, grateful to get a second chance at pleasuring the raven, and this time with full, willing consent.As Noctis pulled away briefly, he breathed: “Is this what you wanted?” as he helped Prompto to release his throbbing need from amidst the scales of his tail.The smaller male whimpered, nodding.“How much do you want it, Prompto?” Noctis purred softly, kissing at his temples and moving back to his ear.“I want it so bad…no, I want you so bad, Your Majesty,” Prompto breathed, shivering.Smiling, Noctis took the blonde’s hand and gently pinned it to the bed, while the other turned his head to face him, rubbing his thumb over his cheek while he moved himself closer. Prompto gazed at Noctis with lust-darkened eyes, needing him more than he had ever needed anything before.And then, as he pulled Prompto up into a deep kiss once again, Noctis pressed forward and inside of the shorter male in a single smooth thrust. The blonde gasped into the taller male’s mouth at the smooth entry, and shuddered at the new, filling sensation.For a moment, Noctis held perfectly still, his only movement being his tail as it curled tighter around Prompto’s. At the same time, his hand curled tighter into his hair, holding him close as he continued to kiss him deeply. Prompto’s eyes, which had opened when he was entered, fluttered closed again as he moaned in his lover’s mouth, wrapping his arms around Noctis’s neck to keep him close.Finally, Noctis broke the kiss slowly. “Are you alright…?” he asked softly.“Y…yeah,” the smaller male whispered.In response and out of consideration, Noctis remained completely immobile aside from where he was running his fingers through Prompto’s hair. While he had no experience with this as a Mer (as confident as he was able to appear every time they’d done this before), he didn’t doubt that that initial push had to be less than pleasant for anyone. And so he waited silently until Prompto told him it was okay.Prompto lay beneath Noctis, adjusting to the raven’s girth. After a few minutes, he looked into the King’s eyes and nodded. Smiling softly, Noctis kissed him one more time, before he began to move slowly. The blonde gave a soft moan into Noctis’s mouth at the movement, already beginning to enjoy it and find the pleasure through that initial pain.And Noctis, in turn, purred deeply from the back of his throat, and the sound rumbled from his throat. As he pulled back, he moaned out heavily: “Does it feel good, Prompto?”“Yes, Your Majesty…!” Prompto answered in a breathy moan.“Mmm… we are… glad to… hear that,” Noctis groaned as he struggled to keep his motions slow, for now. However, it was certainly not easy, because the blonde felt so good…And yet somehow he kept on moving slowly, lightly kissing Prompto every odd thrust.The smaller male knew they needed more to finish, and that would have to be started by increasing the pace. “F… faster, You Majesty…” he stammered before moaning again.“Mmm?” Noctis moaned, and somehow he managed to make it sound like a hum. “Is that an order?” he purred out.“Please…go faster, Your Majesty…!” Prompto whimpered out in a plea.Smiling, Noctis lightly pecked him on the lips, purring out: “Better,” as he picked up his pace.The blonde moaned louder this time, wrapping his arms around the raven’s neck and pulling him closer. Purring heavily as he nipped at Prompto’s lip, Noctis smirked softly, before he leaned back – and then began to sing.“Ah…!” Prompto gasped, moaning loudly upon feeling the new (unknown) sensation of Noctis’ flesh vibrating inside of him as he sang.Though Noctis was smiling, he never stopped either moving or singing, as he curled his fingers into Prompto’s hair, dragging the pads of his fingers along his scalp. And with every note he sang, his flesh pulsed and thrummed perfectly in tune with his song, as breathless as it was at times. The smaller male gasped, moaned, and cried out with every pulse and thrust, becoming hotter and hotter as Noctis continued to move inside of him.And as the song faded into a wordless crescendo, Noctis pressed their foreheads together, almost slamming into the blonde, his body arching slightly to strike a spot Prompto had never known existed within him. Immediately, Prompto very nearly screamed with pleasure, a choked moan following the noise.Noctis briefly bit his lip as this caused the blonde to tighten around him, before he focused back on singing, even as he hit that spot over and over again. The blonde continued to cry out with pleasure, shuddering with delight and continuing to tighten around Noctis with every other thrust. He felt his release rapidly approaching, and knew that he wasn’t going to last much longer.As his breath began to run out, Noctis was forced to stop his singing, his motions beginning to lose their steady rhythm. Hissing softly under his breath, the King forced Prompto’s head up and he breathed: “Let go, Prompto… Come for your King…” before he locked their mouths firmly together once again.And with a scream muffled by the raven’s mouth over his, Prompto did just that. His release hit him hard, and a choked noise escaped him when he tightened up around the King.Groaning heavily, Noctis’ fingers tightened in the blonde’s hair, before he stilled as his own release washed over him and filled up the smaller Mer beneath him. Ans as the King finally stilled, the heat of his release flowing through the smaller male, Prompto whimpered quietly, shivering when he was filled, the heat spreading through his entire body and making his skin tingle. His grip around Noctis’s neck loosened, before his arms fell to his side, his energy spent.Noctis remained where he was for a moment more, before he slowly pulled away from the kiss, and then moved away, with Prompto’s scales slipping into place almost immediately, as if to keep the other’s semen inside. “You okay…?” he asked after he’d laid himself down beside the blonde.“Yeah,” the smaller male breathed, shifting closer with a content noise.Smiling, Noctis wrapped his arms around the blonde’s waist, holding him close. “Good…”Prompto’s eyes slipped shut, feeling drained. He gave a tired smile before whispering: “Love you, Noct…”Noctis chuckled as he kissed the blonde’s temple, before he curled his tail, lightly tugging the pillow with the eggs closer as he hit the shell to make it close again. “Love you too, Prom… g’night…” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When morning came (as far as Prompto could see, anyway, Noctis was curled around him as he was curled around the pillow with their eggs, still fast asleep. And it was only then that Prompto realized they’d never removed their accessories. Not that it bothered the blonde, anyway. Noctis had looked really good with them on, and the raven had liked his own, too. So there was no harm in it, in his mind.Noctis groaned a little, before his arms curled a little more firmly around his waist. This made Prompto chuckle softly, as he loved this cuddly side of the new King. He decided to see about getting a bit more sleep himself, settling back down for more rest.Which was exactly when his stomach began to roil, causing more than a slight discomfort.“Ah, shit…!” Prompto hissed, his arms moving to cover his stomach. “What the fuck…?!”The sudden motion immediately woke Noctis, and the King groaned before he turned to Prompto. “Prom?”“My stomach hurts…!” the blonde whimpered, his eyes squeezing shut against the sudden pain.Though Noctis almost began to panic, he quickly calmed down as he realized what was happening. “Prom, easy…” Noctis murmured. “Just relax… c’mon, deep breaths… it’s okay…”The smaller male complied, taking several deep breaths as he tried to relax. Eventually, it worked, the pain fading, and Prompto exhaled quietly as he pressed back against Noctis. “That…came outta fucking nowhere…”“Yeah, sorry… should’ve warned you, but I wasn’t expecting it that early…” Noct murmured.“That’s from the eggs forming, huh?” Prompto guessed, looking back at the raven.“Yeah…” the taller Mer confirmed softly.“Geez, now I understand why you were in so much pain back then… Sorry…” the blonde mumbled apologetically.“It’s fine… it happens…” Noctis murmured softly, resting his chin on Prompto’s shoulder.Turning his head, Prompto kissed Noctis’s cheek. “Well, at least we both know what’s going on this time,” he smiled.Noctis chuckled softly, returning the gesture quietly.“Do you think the early pain is a sign of how many eggs I’ll end up laying?” Prompto asked suddenly.“Hmm… maybe, I’m not sure… may have to ask Father about it…” Noctis admitted, lazily moving his fin along the bed. “…How many are you hoping for?”Prompto shrugged a little, the motion a bit awkward, before answering quietly: “…I wouldn’t complain if we had seven…”“Hmhmm… you do realize that’s going to be at least 9 names we’ll have to think of, right?” Noct pointed out with a small smirk.“Yeah, but still. I’ve always been good with kids, and even before we met, I had considered a surrogate for when I got into a good relationship so I could raise at least one,” the blonde explained.“Hmhmm… I do have one request, though…” Noctis murmured softly. “Do you mind if we name one of the girls, if any, ‘Aulea’?”“No objections here, but why that name?” Prompto asked, curious.“…It was my mother’s name.”“Then I have absolutely no issues,” the smaller male smiled in understanding.“Thank you,” Noct murmured, kissing the blonde’s temple.“Anytime, Noct,” Prompto whispered, nestling closer into Noctis’s hold.The King hummed pleasantly, briefly squeezing the blonde’s waist, before he sat up and pushed the shell open.“Do we have to get up? I’d rather just stay here all day…” Prompto whined with a pout.“Unfortunately, I’m going to have to…” Noctis groaned as he stretched. “Downside of being King, I’m afraid.”“You’d think they’d give you a ‘honeymoon period’ since you got your mate officially now,” the blonde grumbled, sitting up and stretching as well.“‘Honeymoon’??”“It’s something that couples do after they’re married. They go on a trip, called a honeymoon, and usually, they have a lot of sex during said trip. Sometimes it can be at least a week, depending on the circumstances,” Prompto explained with a chuckle.“That sounds so weird… but kinda relaxing all the same…”“It would be nice, you gotta admit,” the smaller male smirked.“I suppose…” Noctis admitted. “Shall we get something to eat?”“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, moving off the bed with Noctis and covering their eggs with the shell.Before leaving the room, though, Noctis reached up and unclipped the fin-accessories from his ears, hissing slightly. “Gah… should’ve removed those before…”Prompto did the same, cursing a bit once they were off. “Well, it was in the heat of the moment,” he shrugged.“Hmhmm…” Noctis hummed as he set the items on the table. After that, he began to remove the rest of his accessories.And Prompto copied him, even removing the bracelet on his fin and setting them all on the table, too. After stretching once more, Noctis nodded to Prompto and led the way out of the room. The blonde followed after, hoping Noctis’s day wouldn’t be too full of stuff that Prompto wouldn’t be able to be present for. Then again, he’d rather be allowed to have some ‘fun’ with his lover all day instead of anything work-related.As they arrived in the dining room, Noct blinked briefly, before he smiled and moved over. “Morning, Father,” he said calmly.Regis hummed as he looked up, before he chuckled. “Morning, you two.”“Morning, Regis,” Prompto greeted with a smile as he sat by Noctis.Once they were seated, the former King asked; “So, did you sleep well after all the hassle from yesterday?”“As well as possible…” Noct mumbled. “I’m just glad no one made a huge fuss about Prom…”“Yes, that’s always a good thing.”“I would like to think no one would hate the idea of me being with Noct,” the blonde snorted.“Sadly, there’ll always be those who will have something against such things…” Regis murmured.At those words, Noctis frowned in worry. “…Was it the same for you and Mom?”“It wasn’t bad… but the council was certainly divided about it.”“Kinda like with me, huh?” Prompto asked.“I suppose you could say that, yes,” Regis said with a chuckle.The smaller male shook his head a little in disbelief. “I’m surprised you would have had any trouble, to be honest.”“Sadly, it’s been known to happen more often than not.”Before the conversation could continue, Ignis and a few servants came over with their breakfast.Prompto waited until they left and everyone had their own plates before beginning to eat, not even questioning what it was anymore. As they ate, though, his stomach churned lightly. It didn’t hurt, but it was definitely noticeable. Which also made Prompto realize why Noct had been holding his hand to his stomach the whole time back on land; to ease the pain and/or discomfort.The blonde felt a bit of guilt for having put Noctis through that pain unknowingly, but right now, he just hoped he wouldn’t get sick, if that could even happen as a Mer.Once they were done with their breakfast, Noctis hummed in thought, before he turned to his father. “Was a decision made about Vaan and Reks, actually?”“Not yet,” Regis said with a shake of his head. “You may have to move in on that soon, lest they decide to make the decision without you.”“Might be smart, yes…”Prompto frowned a little, concerned, as he listened. He really hoped they wouldn’t get killed. While he had no idea what they were like, if Noctis was sure that they didn’t pose a threat, he would trust his mate.Once the plates had been brought back and the three of them had gotten up, Noctis turned to Prompto. “Prom, this might take a while… and I highly doubt you wanna be there for the whole thing. Do you mind…?”“Nah, it’s fine. I understand, royal duties,” Prompto chuckled.“I could take him to visit Tidus and Yuna,” Iris offered as she swam over.“…Oh right, Yuna was forming, wasn’t she?” Noctis murmured, nodding. “Well, if you don’t mind, Iris… Prom?”“I’d like that,” Prompto smiled.“Then it’s settled. We’ll see you later, Noctis!” Iris giggled, before dragging Prompto off.Noctis laughed, shaking his head as he watched the blonde be dragged off. When they arrived at Tidus and Yuna’s home, it was near the edge of Insomnia, and Prompto immediately found himself admiring the cozy house. It was as sleek as the rest of the city – or “Corale” as the Mer called it – and while it was nowhere near the size of the Citadel, it seemed big enough for two people to live in… as well as a number of potential kids.“Hang tight, Prompto,” Iris told the blonde, before swimming over and knocking on the door. “Hi Yuna, Tidus! Prompto and I came to visit!”It took a moment, but finally, the door opened and Yuna was behind it. When she saw them, she smiled. “Oh hi. How are you two?” she asked, her hand once again resting on her stomach.“We’re good,” Iris smiled as Prompto joined her side. “Doing okay so far with the forming?”“Feels like it,” Yuna giggled, before she moved aside to let them in.As he came inside, Prompto saw it was fairly basic, much like Noct’s room, so he figured it was likely a Mer thing to not be very materialistic. Once Yuna had shut the door, Tidus swam down from the floor above, which was connected to the bottom floor with what appeared to be a simple hole in the ceiling.“Yo,” he said with a grin as he righted himself. “‘Sup?”“Not much, you?” Prompto asked with his own grin in place.“Same. Just preppin’ for Blitzball season to come around,” Tidus laughed with a grin.“When does that start, anyway?” Prompto inquired, curious.“Next week,” Yuna said with a giggle. “Will you be joining them, Prompto?”“Maybe, just depends on my own situation,” the blonde admitted, a slight grimace coming over his face as he felt another flash of pain in his stomach, his hand resting there instinctively.Upon noticing that, Yuna’s eyes widened in surprise, as her own fingers twitched against her stomach. “Prompto… are you…?”“Well cred,” Tidus laughed. “You guys definitely didn’t waste any time, huh?”“Couldn’t really,” Prompto admitted, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. Iris squealed at the news, before hugging Prompto briefly.“Things are definitely gonna get lively now!” she giggled.Yuna giggled, before she moved over and offered the blonde a hug as well, which Tidus didn’t even seem to mind one bit. “Congratulations, Prompto,” she said with a smile.“Thanks,” Prompto replied kindly. “I have a feeling Iris is right with things becoming lively at the Citadel, though.”“Well, what with Noctis having had two, and you’ll have more, then things are going to be exciting!” Iris grinned.“One thing, though,” Tidus said suddenly. “You mind letting us know how many you’re having later?”“Yeah, I’m sure we’ll be telling just about everyone later,” the smaller male replied easily. “After all, if we’re having more than three or four with this, I’m sure everyone would want to know, huh?”Yuna giggled. “Actually, the boys have a bet going on about how many you boys will be having.”“Hey! Don’t go telling him that!”“Oh come on!” Prompto groaned. “Seriously, Tidus?”“I’m not surprised, since they’ve seen how close you two are,” Iris snickered.“Well why not?” Tidus said with a shrug of his shoulders, making Yuna giggle.“…Okay, gotta ask, who bet the most?” the shorter blonde asked hesitantly.“Rox did. He bet 13, including the two you have already.”“Geez! I didn’t think he would bet that much…” Prompto muttered, looking away awkwardly.“I’m sure it’ll get to that point eventually, but obviously not in one go,” Iris laughed.Yuna giggled softly – before she yelped, reaching for her stomach with both hands.“Yuna!” Tidus cried out as he swam over to her.“Yunie? You okay?” Iris asked worriedly, swimming to her side as well. Prompto hung back a little to give her a bit of space.Yuna tried to speak, but she ended up whimpering as her fingers clawed at her stomach. However, this was enough for Tidus to figure out what was going on and he cursed. “Cred…! C’mon, Yuna; let’s get you up,” he said firmly but gently, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and carried her up to the next floor.“She must be about to lay them, I guess,” Iris frowned, worried about the pain she’d seen on her friend’s face.“It’s that painful, huh?” Prompto asked.“Not sure, since I’ve never formed or laid, but I can only imagine,” she murmured. Prompto sighed quietly, now a bit worried for himself, but he was also feeling a pang of guilt again for having not been there for Noctis when he’d laid his eggs. Despite the female Mer’s earlier cries, Yuna wasn’t actually crying out from the floor above. Though it did still take several long minutes anything to be heard. Eventually, after almost 30 minutes, Tidus peeked back out from the hole, and then waved for Iris and Prompto to come up.The pair complied, going up one at a time, first Iris, and then Prompto.Upon coming, into what appeared to be the bedroom, they quickly spotted Yuna sitting on the bed, quietly resting on the bed, while her tail was secured around 4 pale blue eggs.Iris resisted the urge to rush over, not wanting to startle her friend, but went over at a slower pace. “Congratulations, Yunie,” she smiled softly. Prompto looked at the eggs, a bit in awe himself.Yuna smiled lazily, half laying, half pushed up on the bed. “Thanks…” she murmured softly.“Are you okay, Yuna?” Prompto finally asked, remembering the pain she’d been in before.The brunette allowed a small giggle, before she answered. “I’m okay, Prom; it just hurts a bit when it starts, but after that it gets better.”“Really?” the smaller male blinked, surprised.“Don’t worry; you’ll be fine,” she assured, lightly patting his arm as Tidus moved over to beside her.“I’ve just heard horror stories of when women would have children before…” he mumbled, before pausing and glancing at Tidus as though to ask permission if he could tell her.“Wait, what…?” Yuna asked, but Tidus merely nodded his head, telling the blonde it was okay.“Well, okay. So, Tidus already knows, along with Sora, Roxas, Iris, Gladio, Ignis, and Regis, but I’m originally human, Yuna,” Prompto told her. “I met Noct when he was stuck in a net on a beach once, and freed him before putting him back in the water.” He then went on to explain about the events leading up to his current situation, and then finished with: “And that’s why we needed to have me forming eggs by now. That way I can stay here with Noct.”Obviously, Yuna seemed a bit shocked by the news, but at the same time, she didn’t seem to think any differently of the blonde. “Wow… you two must be real close, then, huh?” she asked with a smile, and Tidus chuckled at the words.“Yeah, we are,” Prompto smiled warmly, relaxing from her reaction. “But what I meant before is that only human women can have kids, and they carry only one or two at a time for nine months before giving birth. And I’ve always heard about how agonizing it is… Clearly never experienced or seen it, but I’ve heard.”“That is so weird,” Yuna got out amidst her giggles, while Tidus let out a small whistling sound.“Yeah, compared to here, it is,” Prompto chuckled. “Then again, a lot of stuff is different here than back on land. Not that I mind. I love it here.”Tidus laughed at that. “Sure there’s not more down here you ‘love’?” the blonde asked cheekily, which made Yuna snort on a laugh.“Hey, Noct is a given,” Prompto retorted, and Iris laughed as well.“He’s got a point, Tidus. But Prompto should be happy with Noctis, wherever they are, so it’s good he loves it here,” Iris giggled.“It’s a joke, Iris,” Tidus laughed… before he suddenly frowned.“What’s wrong?” Prompto asked, noticing the frown.Tidus didn’t reply right away, keeping his gaze aimed at the window, before he rose from the bed. “…You guys wait here,” he mumbled suddenly, before he abruptly swam out.Prompto swam to the window anyway, looking out to see if he could spot anything. Narrowing his eyes a little, he soon spotted a familiar figure, and his bright blue eyes widened in shock before he raced after Tidus, ignoring Yuna’s and Iris’s calls.However, since Tidus was much faster than Prom, following was one thing, but catching up was another thing altogether. Thankfully, though, it wasn’t so far away that he completely lost sight of the other blonde, so he was able to spot Tidus stopping and summoning his sword while confronting the figure there.“Tidus, wait!” Prompto yelled as he hurried over. “Don’t!”At the yell, Tidus turned toward Prompto in surprise, before he shouted: “I told you to stay back!”“And I’m gonna tell you this one more time, don’t! I know him!” the smaller blonde snapped as he finally caught up.“You wha…?” Tidus started.Before Prompto could explain, though, the figure allowed a chuckle/giggle. “Hello, dear. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”“Yeah, it has been, Kuja,” Prompto said. Looking at Tidus, he added, “This is Kuja. He’s the Weiz I made the deal with to become a Mer.”“…this guy?” Tidus mumbled.“Yep,” Prompto confirmed. “He also led me to where Noct was being kept, and basically pointed me in the right direction to find him.” Turning back to Kuja, he murmured: “I never got to thank you for that, though I suspect you helped us out more than I first thought, huh?”“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, there, dear~” the Weiz chuckled, a cheeky expression on his face as he adjusted his position on the rock he’d been sitting on.“I figured as much,” Prompto chuckled, before frowning a little. “What are you doing here, though? Tidus was gonna kill you…”“Hey, I’m not THAT hot-headed…” Tidus mumbled.“Oh, no reason, dear,” Kuja giggled, before he added; “Though, I am curious to see if you shouldn’t be hurrying back upward soon enough…”“Nah, I’ll be fine. I’m staying for sure,” Prompto smiled slightly, resting his hand on his stomach. “Noct helped me figure out what you meant, so now it’s set in stone.”This made Kuja chuckle. “Good to know… fairly sure there’d be some other people in Insomnia who’s like the same, but oh well,” he said with a shrug as he got up silently.“What do you mean?” Prompto frowned, confused, before his eyes widened. “Wait, are you talking about Vaan and Reks?”“Hm? Am I?” the Weiz murmured.“Can you ever just be straightforward for once?” Prompto sighed. “Seriously, though. What do you mean by them wanting the same? Do they want to become Mer, too?”“Oh I wouldn’t know, dear,” Kuja chuckled. “Though I’m sure they’d enjoy being able to stick around, hm?”“And you just answered my question,” Prompto snorted, but then paused, hesitating. “…I know you’d want something in return if they were to be changed by you, Kuja, or any Weiz, really. What would you want this time? I gave you my camera before.”“Well, I don’t know, dear; what do they have to offer, hm?”“That, I don’t know…” the smaller male murmured. “If I find out, where can I find you?”“Oh, I’ll be around,” Kuja chuckled, before he waved and began to silently move away.“Kuja, wait!” Prompto called, drawing the Weiz’s attention again. “Thank you. For everything.”Kuja remained silent as he watched the blonde, before he smirked and waved his hand over his shoulder dismissively as he turned around, disappearing out of view after only a few minutes.“…That guy was weird…”At the remark, Prompto chuckled. “Yeah, he’s something else. But he really was a huge help for me. I wouldn’t be where I am now without his help.”“I guess…” Tidus admitted, dismissing his sword.Prompto snorted. “Next time, just trust me, okay? I know you’re not a huge hothead, but I usually know what I mean if it’s something urgent.”“Okay, if you say so…” Tidus said with a shrug. “Anyway, let’s go back, alright?”“Yeah. I’m sure the girls are freaking out because I took off after you the way I did…” the smaller blonde admitted, feeling a bit guilty.“Most likely, c’mon,” Tidus said with a chuckle as he led him back to the house.Prompto followed after, and when they came back inside, Iris looked at the human-turned-Mer worriedly.“Why’d you leave like that, Prompto? You could have gotten hurt!” she questioned.“Sorry, but I saw a familiar face,” Prompto replied. “It was the Weiz I made the deal with, Kuja.”“Really?” Yuna asked in surprise as Tidus moved over to settle beside her. “What did he want?”“Well, he claimed to be checking to see if I was gonna be hurrying back anytime soon, but he knows I’m here to stay now,” the blonde shrugged. “But what’s interesting is that he seemed to be offering to make our Wyf guests into Mer, in exchange for something of value to them, of course.”“He can do that…?”“I’d think it’d be easier than turning a Mer into human or vice versa…” Tidus pointed out. “…Though would it be forever?”“Not sure,” Prompto admitted. “But I guess we’ll have to somehow find out.”“Well, it would prevent them from being executed or locked up for the rest of their lives,” Iris pointed out.“That’s true…” Tidus admitted. “Though would the council allow it? I know the King has the final say and all, but…”“I’m sure Noct would be interested, at least,” Prompto nodded. “I’ll talk to him about it when we get back.”“Good idea,” Iris agreed.“Definitely,” Yuna agreed. When Prompto and Iris returned to the Citadel, Prompto managed to find his way back to Noctis and his room on his own, hoping the raven would be there when he got back.Thankfully, he was, though he was looking through some documents quietly.“Hey, Noct,” Prompto greeted with a smile as he swam inside, closing the door behind him quietly.Noct hummed as he looked up, before he smiled. “Hey.”“Sorry we took a while, Yuna laid her eggs, and she had four,” the blonde told him as he went to Noctis’s side.“That so? Cool,” the King chuckled as he rolled up the document and put it aside for a moment.“Yeah,” Prompto smiled, before hesitantly adding, “I also saw a familiar face while we were there.”“Hm?”“Kuja.”At that, Noct’s expression turned into a dark frown. “…what did he want?”“He initially seemed to be checking if I was staying, and how that was going, but he seemed to hint that he could help with the situation with Vaan and Reks,” the smaller male explained.“What…? How?”“He hinted that he could make them Mer, but they’ll obviously have to exchange something of value to them,” Prompto replied. “Not sure what they could offer, but it’s worth a shot, right?”“…I suppose… but…” Noctis frowned slightly. “How long would it last?”“That…I don’t know…” the blonde admitted.Noctis hummed softly, his tail swaying a bit as he thought.Prompto sighed. “He said he’d be around, but nowhere specific was mentioned, so maybe we could try asking for details,” he suggested, before pausing. “…Then again, he hardly ever gives a straight answer.”“You mentioned that, yeah…” Noctis chuckled softly.Prompto shrugged. “Still. What do you think, though?”“Well… it’s a better alternative to what the council has in store…” Noctis admitted. “Though first it may be smart to see Vaan and his brother before we start making deals on their behalf.”“True,” the smaller male agreed. “Wanna go now?”“The sooner the better, I’d say.”“Sounds good,” Prompto smiled.Nodding, Noctis rose from his seat and led the way out of the room, after they’d shut the shell once again. It barely took them long to get down to the cells. The one thing that took a little longer was finding a few members of the Kingsglaive to escort them.“Thanks for taking us, guys,” Prompto told Roxas and Axel as the group headed to Vaan and Reks’ cell.“Of course, Prompto,” Roxas smiled. “We’re happy to help. Right, Ax?”“Definitely,” the redheaded Mer smirked.Noctis didn’t say anything initially, as he merely followed along in silence. But then again, that wasn’t so strange for him. Eventually, they reached the corresponding cell and as they looked inside, they could spot the pair of Wyf in the very back, seemingly asleep.Prompto let Noctis go ahead of him once they reached the cell, that way he could address the pair himself. Meanwhile, Axel hung back a little while Roxas summoned Oathkeeper to his hand, just in case the King needed in.“Vaan,” Noctis called out. “Vaan, get up.”Vaan grunted briefly, blinking, before he raised his head and looked up. “Oh, hey,” he got out as he stretched as well as he could.Prompto went to the raven’s side then, hoping he wouldn’t upset Vaan or Reks with his presence.Vaan didn’t seem too upset, though he did seem a bit curious about him, as his nose seemed to twitch briefly. “Sooo… any news on what’s gonna happen?” he asked, rather than address the blonde’s presence.“Well, as you can likely guess, the council isn’t too fond of both of you…” Noctis began.“Yeah, I’m not surprised…”“However, there might be an easy way out that doesn’t involve execution or exile…”“Eh?”“Want me to tell?” Prompto asked.“Go ahead,” Noctis said solemnly.“I know a Weiz that can make you both Mer, as long as you have something of value to offer in exchange,” Prompto told Vaan simply.Vaan blinked in surprise at those words, as he regarded Prompto, before looking to Noctis. The new King nodded his head, silently confirming the words.“…ookay… that why you smell like Weiz?” Vaan asked casually.“What?” the blonde blinked, surprised by the question.“You smell like Weiz magic,” Vaan pointed out.“Oh…” Prompto uttered, before sighing and looking at his lover, silently asking if he should explain.Noctis sighed before he looked back to Axel and Roxas. Axel frowned, confused, until Roxas moved to whisper in his ear, and then the redhead’s emerald eyes widened in shock, before he nodded in understanding to the small blonde.Once Axel seemed to be just as informed, Noctis turned to Prompto and nodded.The blonde then took a breath, before saying, “The Weiz I’m talking about helped turn me into a Mer from a human. I was born human.”“…okay?”“You’re not surprised? Everyone I’ve told has been shocked,” Prompto said, furrowing his brows in confusion.Vaan shrugged his shoulders. “Weiz can do some funky stuff… so eh. I’m not that surprised with what they can do, really.”“Well, color me surprised,” Prompto chuckled. “But anyway, the Weiz who I made the deal with is named Kuja. He never gives a straight answer, but he heavily hinted that he could make you and your brother each a Mer in exchange for something of value.”“…Something like… what?” the Wyf asked slowly.“Not sure, but it would probably have to be something personal. I had to give something precious of mine up for the deal, but it didn’t matter in the end, as long as I’m here,” the blonde answered.“…well in case you hadn’t noticed… we don’t really HAVE anything on us…” Vaan mumbled.“I know, but I’m sure something can be done… I still think it’s worth a shot,” Prompto replied.Vaan hummed a bit, frowning, with his tail swishing a little bit.“Would you be interested, if it could be done?” the human-turned-Mer questioned.“…do we really have a choice?” Vaan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’re stuck here either way… but if there’s a way to get out of here… sure.”“Then, Noct, we should find Kuja,” Prompto murmured, looking at his lover.“Problem is I can’t really leave…” Noctis mumbled. “Not anymore anyway…” Shaking it off for the moment, he turned to Vaan. “We’ll be back soon, alright?”“Yeah, kay.”Noctis nodded his head, before he turned and began to head off.Prompto was quick to follow, Roxas and Axel trailing behind them. “Sorry, wasn’t thinking… So, how should we go about this?” he asked.“Hm…” Noctis frowned for a moment. “…Tidus saw him, right? He should be able to find him fairly quickly…”“Good point,” he nodded, and then he remembered the conversation from earlier at the taller blonde’s home. “Speaking of Tidus… Roxas, I was told you and some of the guys placed bets on how many Noct and I would have, including the two we have now.”Roxas froze, before groaning, embarrassed at having been caught, but Axel laughed, unashamed. “Did Tidus seriously tell you?”“No, Yuna did,” Prompto answered. “But Tidus told me you bet 13.”“No harm in it, it was just innocent betting!” the smaller blonde said hastily.“I bet eight,” Axel chuckled.“…Seriously, guys?” Noctis sighed out, regarding the pair of them solemnly.“It was Tidus’ idea originally!” Roxas yelped as Axel snickered.“We just chose to join in,” the redhead shrugged.“You can’t really be mad, Noct,” Prompto said. “They’ve seen how close we are.”Noctis sighed softly, but he didn’t say anything else on the matter as he continued on his way.Prompto followed closely, with Roxas and Axel trailing after the couple. Once they left the cells, the blonde and redhead split off to go to their own duties, while Prompto went with Noctis back to their room. Once they were back in their room, Noctis sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.“You okay?” the blonde asked softly.“Yeah…” Noctis murmured as he moved open and opened the shell again.“What’s on your mind?” Prompto questioned as he joined the King on the bed. His expression twisted in one of slight pain as he felt the by-now familiar pain of the eggs forming inside of him, and his hand covered his stomach automatically.Glancing over at the motion, Noctis moved over closer and placed his hand over Prompto’s. “You okay?”“Yeah, just the eggs again,” Prompto murmured, smiling slightly at his lover.Noctis allowed a smile of his own as he laid down, pulling Prompto down with him.The smaller male complied, cuddling close to the raven with a warm smile. “You never answered me. What are you thinking about?”“Political stuff…” Noctis chuckled, lightly prodding the blonde’s forehead. “Don’t worry. I just have a lot of things to think about and consider for Insomnia…”“If you say so…” Prompto snickered, sticking his tongue out teasingly.Which, in turn, had Noctis moving in and closing his lips around his tongue. The blonde yelped, startled, before settling back down and kissing Noctis. Purring, Noctis reached over and pulled Prompto up against him, wrapping his arms around the blonde.Not that Prompto was complaining, as he wrapped his arms around the King’s waist in return, kissing Noctis eagerly. As Prompto kissed back, Noct’s fingers moved across his back, teasing and rubbing softly but firmly.The smaller male moaned quietly into the kiss, enjoying the rubbing and teasing motions of his lover’s fingers on his skin. After a moment more, Noctis pulled away and began to kiss and bite along his throat.Prompto was more than receptive, tilting his head to give Noctis more room to work. Purring deeply, Noctis reached down with one arm, slipping his hand along his front gently.An eager noise was emitted from the blonde’s throat, and he shivered lightly in anticipation. And just as the sound died down, Noctis pressed his fingers along the scales and moving slowly.Prompto whimpered, wanting more, and wordlessly pleading for it.Chuckling softly, Noctis pulled away slightly. “Are you going to make me do all the work here?”Prompto rolled his eyes a little, but didn’t reply verbally. Instead, remembering the night before, he slid his hand down to the front of his lover’s waist, slowly running his fingers along the scales there. Purring heavily, Noctis allowed a small smirk, before he kissed the blonde again, firmly, as his fingers pushed past the blue scales.The smaller male gasped with pleasure into the King’s mouth when that happened, before copying Noctis and pushing his own fingers past the ebony scales. This caused the taller Mer to groan, the sound muffled because of the kiss, even as his own fingers moved slowly, teasing his lover. Prompto, however, wanted to see Noctis come undone, so he wrapped his fingers around the raven’s flesh, moving them sensually along the heated length, despite his own pleasured whimpers and moans.This caused Noctis to gasp as he pulled back briefly, before he moved to latch onto Prompto’s throat, nipping and licking. The blonde moaned louder in response, before beginning to tease Noctis by pumping him in random patterns, leaving Noctis unable to predict the smaller male’s motions.Noctis moaned heavily, his tail twitching briefly, before he smirked as he curled his own fingers around Prompto’s cock, moving only the pads along his flesh. A loud moan escaped Prompto at the touch, and he shuddered, nearly losing track of his own hand’s motions before resuming, hoping to bring Noctis closer to his climax.And while it did just that, Noctis wasn’t about to leave Prom behind, as one hand slipped around and began to toy with one of his nipples as the fingers of his other hand massaged just under the head of his cock. This caused the blonde to tense briefly, before he gave a cry of pleasure as he came, barely managing to make Noctis cum along with him following a few sensual strokes to his cock.Which he did with a muffled cry against Prompto’s throat, his teeth sinking in a little further, though not far enough to draw blood.Once they had both calmed down, Noctis pulled back with a small sigh. “Better?” he quipped cheekily.“Definitely,” Prompto smirked, settling against the King with a content hum.Smiling, Noctis pulled the blonde up against him, humming a quiet song from the back of his throat. The smaller male instinctively curled his tail around their eggs’ pillow as he closed his eyes, idly wondering what the song was.If Noct was aware of the thought, then he certainly didn’t show it, as he continued to hum softly, his hand running through Prompto’s hair. And the blonde merely gave a pleased noise in response, before beginning to drift off to sleep.The King smiled as he saw the blonde drifting off, and then rested his head on the blonde’s. He wasn’t sleepy yet, but he wasn’t going to leave the blonde yet. He’d dealt with everything he had to do today anyway, so it wasn’t like he was skipping out on his responsibilities. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Prompto woke up a few hours later, it was to a familiar feeling, but not a pleasant one: hunger. He grumbled quietly as he felt and heard his stomach growl from the lack of food, just wanting to sleep some more. However, before he could go back to sleep, there was a tap on his head.Looking up, Prompto pouted at the source of the tap. “Noct…” he whined, giving his best puppy dog eyes.“Yes?”“Can’t we just stay here for a bit longer?”“Sure… if you want to starve.”Prompto thought about it, but when his stomach growled again, he sighed. “…Dammit…” he muttered.Laughing softly, Noctis untangled from the blonde and got off of the bed.The blonde got off their bed as well, stretching a little before wincing briefly at the pain from his eggs forming again.“You okay?”“Just the eggs again, it’s okay,” Prompto assured his lover.Nodding, Noctis wrapped his arms around the blonde’s shoulders, hugging him briefly from behind. The smaller male, although a bit surprised by the reaction, gave a pleased sound at the affectionate gesture. He turned his head to kiss Noctis softly, wordlessly thanking him.Smiling through the kiss, Noctis returned it just as softly, before he pulled away. “C’mon, let’s get some food before we get Kuja over, alright?”Though initially surprised by the suggestion, Prompto nodded, before they left to the dining room.Upon arriving, they asked Ignis to fix them something for them, who didn’t object and headed for the kitchen to do just that. And once they had sat down, Noctis gave a small sigh.“You okay, Noct?” Prompto asked, concerned.“Yeah…” Noct murmured. “Just thinking…”“What about?” the smaller male asked, tilting his head curiously.“Well… everything, I guess.”“You gotta be more specific with me, Noct,” Prompto chuckled.Noctis merely smiled, before he shook his head. “I’m just trying to adjust to everything resting on my shoulders, really…”The blonde’s gaze saddened when he heard that, knowing that in reality, Noctis shouldn’t have to feel the weight of the Corale on his shoulders, especially when he wasn’t even that old.Upon catching the look, Noctis hummed as he looked over. “What’s wrong?”“I just feel bad that you’re pretty much bearing the weight of the Corale on your shoulders, and when you’re still young,” Prompto admitted. “You shouldn’t have to…”Before he could finish, Noctis reached out and took hold of his hand. “Prom, it’s fine.”The smaller male blinked in surprise, before lightly squeezing the raven’s hand in wordless thanks. Thankfully, Ignis returned shortly after with their food.“Thanks, Ignis,” Prompto told the sandy blonde, before beginning to eat.Noctis nodded in thanks and started to eat as well.As Prompto ate his meal, he couldn’t help but think about possible names for their children, however many they ended up having. He already knew they would name a girl Aulea, per Noctis’s request, but he couldn’t help but want the name Regina for another girl.As they gradually finished eating, Noctis seemed to notice the thoughtful expression, and he looked over curiously.“Thinking of names for when the eggs hatch,” Prompto answered the silent question with a chuckle.Noctis allowed a chuckle as he nodded. “I suppose that makes sense… the sooner we have them ready, the better.”“Honestly, I was considering ‘Regina’ for another girl,” the blonde admitted.“Oh? Any reason in particular?” Noct asked.“It would fit a little girl with a King for a dad,” Prompto smirked.That made the other Mer laugh. “I suppose you have a point,” he said with a chuckle as he rose from his seat.“Did you have any other names in mind? Besides Aulea?” the smaller male inquired, getting up as well to follow Noctis back to their room.Noctis hummed as they moved along the hall, before he stopped Prom as he tried to head down the hall to their room. “Other way,” he said, moving the opposite way, toward the throne room. “And not really… I hadn’t really considered it yet.”“Well, maybe you should,” Prompto snickered, before his expression became curious. “Why are we going to the throne room?”“Well I did say we were getting Kuja over, didn’t I?”“Yeah, but won’t we need Tidus to find him?”Rather than respond to that, turned to one of the guards by the entrance of the throne room, and firmly told him to go find Tidus, who was to bring Kuja to them. Though the guard seemed a bit confused on who the latter was, the Mer didn’t question it and merely bowed, before he swam off to do as the King had ordered. And Noctis didn’t say anything else as he went into the room.Prompto shrugged, following after his lover into the room.Once inside, Noctis solemnly moved to the throne and sat himself down there. And Prompto was sorely tempted to practically sit in his lap, but he resisted and swam over to merely just… float by the throne.“…Prom.”“Hm?”“Get over here,” Noctis said as he grabbed Prompto’s wrist and pulled him into his lap anyway.The blonde yelped in surprise at the pull, before he looked up at the King with an amused smirk. “You a mind reader now or something, Noct?” he teased.“Hm?”“I was tempted to sit in your lap, but you pulled me on anyway,” Prompto snickered.This made Noct chuckle softly, but he said nothing as he pulled Prompto closer to rest along his chest so his head was on his shoulder. The smaller male hummed contently at the hold, and in fact, he pressed a little closer to the raven with a pleased sigh.And for at least 15 minutes, they just sat there, not even saying anything, as Noctis ran his fingers gently along the blonde’s back.Finally, Tidus entered the room, with Kuja soundlessly following after. When Noctis saw him, though, his eyes briefly widened in surprise, as he recognized the Weiz from when he’d returned to the ocean, before he managed to school his expression into a neutral one.Prompto remained where he was, figuring he should keep comfy in Noctis’s lap.After Tidus had bowed to the King, not even seeming to be surprised at Prompto being in the King’s lap as he was, he moved back slightly. Kuja soundlessly regarded Tidus for a moment more, as if considering something, before he turned to the Mer sitting on the throne again, his expression solemn, as it had been the first time Prom had seen him.The human-turned-Mer kept quiet, though, not wanting to speak before Noctis should.For several long moments, the room was silent, before Kuja allowed a smirk and bowed deeply. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty,” he said calmly.Noctis hummed softly, but he didn’t say anything just yet. even as Kuja rose again. And neither did Prompto, but he had a random, fleeting thought that Noctis just might bring up that kiss Kuja had given him in order to allow the blonde to speak Mer fluently. And that thought made him just a bit nervous.Especially after Noctis’s reaction to the information before.Thankfully, Noctis chose to not bring the matter up, as he instead focused on more important matters. “So… you are Kuja, correct?”“Ah, very true, Sire,” the Weiz chuckled, tucking some hair behind his ear, though it helped very little under water, of course.Prompto relaxed a little at the noticeable ignoring of the subject, thankful Noctis wouldn’t mention the incident.Noctis hummed softly at the simple words, keeping his expression as empty as possible. Which he was doing pretty well, as he said: “Prompto has informed us that you spoke of a way to turn Wyf into Mer. Is this true?”“Ah, yes, I may have mentioned it in passing, yes,” Kuja chuckled out. “I certainly won’t deny it’s impossible…”The smaller male looked up at Noctis, wondering just what was running through his lover’s mind.Whatever was going through his head, he kept it from showing on his face. However, if you looked closely, you could actually see that he was more than a little annoyed at the Weiz’ evasion. Yet somehow he was able to hide as well as possible.“Is that so…?” he murmured softly, before speaking louder. “However, how long would this spell last? How much time would there be before they will return to their true form, should they choose to accept?”Prompto then looked to Kuja, hoping that the Weiz would be a bit less evasive this time in his answers.“Hmm… well I suppose that would depend on what they have to offer in return,” Kuja said with a small giggle.Internally, Prompto groaned. He was afraid of that one…“…So it all comes down to what they offer, huh?”“Quite so, Your Majesty.”The blonde tensed slightly, the reaction barely visible except to Noctis since the raven was holding him in his lap. What the hell could they offer, since they had nothing?Noctis said nothing to the tensing, though he did lightly move his fingers along the blonde’s spine. He did hum softly in thought, though. “…Is it something that needs be offered by themselves, or is there a law amongst your people for others to pay for them?”This caught Prompto’s attention, making him look up at the King curiously. What was Noctis planning…?Kuja didn’t respond immediately, though his amusement faded briefly, But then, he allowed a small smirk. “There certainly isn’t a rule that says it’s prohibited… but it’s certainly rare to see it happen.”Prompto was definitely intrigued now. If there was a way to help the brothers, he was sure Noctis would be all for it. And that was definitely on his mind, as he hummed from the back of his throat, letting his fingers trail along Prompto’s back.And as the taller male ran his fingers along Prompto’s back, the smaller male shivered ever so slightly from the teasing touch.“…Ah, by the way, Your Majesty…”The blonde perked up a little, hoping Kuja wouldn’t give any bad news.Before continuing, one of the Weiz’ tentacles curled inward slightly, and then curled up again. “I do believe these are yours, hm?”This time, Noctis couldn’t stop the surprised/startled expression from appearing on his face as the Weiz now held up two pieces of plasticized paper.“The pressed flowers?” Prompto uttered, before realizing that Noctis had to have lost them back when he was kidnapped while coming home. How did Kuja get them, though?“Quite the interesting souvenir you picked up, I must say,” Kuja murmured as he took the two flowers from his tentacle. “These are certainly not something you see this far down…”Noctis didn’t respond immediately for a moment more… before his lips twitched momentarily. “Is that so…?” he murmured. “Then, perhaps you would be interested in taking one as payment?”The blonde looked at his lover, surprised by the offer.“Oh?” Kuja certainly seemed interested in the offer, though, as he regarded the King solemnly. “Well, I certainly would not be opposed to the idea…”Noctis didn’t respond to the words immediately, as he instead lightly pressed the pads of his fingers along Prom’s back. Prompto gave a light shiver at the touch. He really hoped Kuja would accept.Kuja hummed as he regarded the two pieces of paper between his fingers, before he reached out and took one of the pressed flowers. “In that case… I shall take you up on your offer, Your Majesty,” he said simply, while he flicked his fingers to send the paper he’d just pulled out zipping toward Noctis.And the King somehow managed to catch it as it came into range.“…Tidus.”“Your Majesty?” Tidus said in response, bowing quietly.“Please go retrieve Vaan and Reks. Ask Roxas and Sora to assist if need be.”“As you wish, Your Majesty,” the blonde Kingsglaive said, before he headed out.Prompto smiled softly at Noctis, glad that he’d gotten at least one of the pressed flowers back. He’d been tempted to ask sooner, but chose not to so as not to upset the raven. Noctis chose not to say anything else for the moment, though he did pass the pressed flower to Prompto for the time being.And the blonde took it in his hands, settling a bit better now.Noctis remained silent as they waited, his fingers continuing to move slowly along the blonde’s back, while the other hand rested on his tail. Prompto gave a pleased hum at the touches, simply enjoying being with his lover. If Kuja noticed the touches, then he didn’t mention it. And Noctis didn’t seem to be prepared to speak of it either.That was when Sora and Roxas entered the throne room, escorting Vaan and Reks along with them. Prompto perked up a little upon their entry, but stayed where he was otherwise.Both Wyf had their wrists cuffed together, which was, in turn, secured to a manacle around their throat as well as the hefty chain used to guide them over. This didn’t stop Vaan from looking around the large room in what appeared to be awe, though Reks bumped his side roughly to shake him out of his staring fest. Vaan then grumbled something with a small half-pout, before he looked ahead -- and then he stared up at Noctis in slight surprise.Suddenly, Roxas pushed Vaan down into a bow, looking at the Wyf pointedly.“Gah!” Vaan yelped, glaring at Roxas from under his hair, while Reks chuckled, having already bowed down before, so Sora didn’t have to do the same to him.Kuja hummed softly as he regarded the two Wyf, lazily turning the pressed flower between his fingers.Roxas merely shrugged at Vaan, not really bothered by his glare.“Well aren’t we pleasant,” Kuja suddenly said with a soft chuckle underlining his voice, drawing the attention of the two Wyf, and when Vaan took note of what he was looking at, his eyes widened in realization, and even Reks looked a little surprised. “Though I do suppose it’s rather uncomfortable with those chains, hm?”Vaan glared up at the Weiz, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. When Noctis briefly waved his hand, though, Roxas finally allowed Vaan to lift his head again, and he immediately reached for his hair with an annoyed grumble.“We can’t unlock them, though,” Sora frowned.“Or else we’ll be letting Wyf swim around the Citadel,” Roxas added with a nod.“Well that’s a pity…” Kuja murmured… before he smirked. “Suppose we had better fix that, then, hm?”“What?” The brothers spoke in unison, both equally confused.Vaan and Reks, however, exchanged a look quietly. It was Reks who spoke, though.“We… don’t have anything to offer in return…” he said solemnly, and Vaan bit his lip, clenching his hands into fists in worry.“Oh, no need, dear; I’ve already been paid for my services today~” Kuja giggled out, startling the two Wyf.“Wait huh…?” Vaan got out.Prompto chuckled softly, but didn’t speak, even as Sora and Roxas exchanged curious looks.Kuja, of course, didn’t bother to elaborate as he put away his newly obtained prize wherever he kept the treasures he collected from his ‘deals’. “Either way, dear, since this has probably already been discussed with you beforehand, I’ll just skip over the formalities,” he said as he snapped his fingers down in a way that Prom was very familiar with, and, shortly after, a single contract appeared before the pair.The blonde in Noctis’s lap watched the two Wyf curiously as they looked at the contract. And the King solemnly regarded them in turn, lightly tapping his fingers along Prom’s tail, as Vaan and Reks began to quietly discuss the situation with each other.However, after almost ten minutes, Reks reached out for the ‘pen’ that had appeared along with the contract and then silently wrote his name on the scroll. Vaan didn’t say anything in response to that, but he did accept the pen as his brother handed it to him, and then moved to write his own name on the contract.This caused Prompto to relax further, as well as the touches to his tail. He looked up at Noctis with a pleased smile, glad the pair had chosen to sign. Noctis merely gave a small hum, though there was a small smile of his own playing on his face.As Vaan finished with his own signing, Kuja allowed a smirk as he cracked his fingers and moved over, his tentacles easily dragging him along the floor. And as he came into range, familiar white energy spiraled around the Weiz’ arms, and then he snagged the contract with one of his tentacles. “Well then,” he nearly purred out, “it’s been a pleasure, boys~”And then he slammed both his hands against their guts, the energy rushing into them both and making the pair of Wyf scream out in alarm.Prompto watched, almost motionless now, as they were changed. Roxas and Sora, on the other hand, backed up a bit in their surprise.And Kuja didn’t even bother with the Wyf’s screaming, as he merely curled his fingers while watching as their tails flailed like crazy, as they seemed to arch in ways that, for Wyf, were impossible. And then, with an eerie bone cracking sound, their screams finally ended, though they echoed for a while longer.Roxas’ and Sora’s eyes were wide with their own horror from the screams, before they relaxed slightly as they looked at the pair. Prompto continued to watch from Noctis’s lap in the meantime.As the screams finally faded, Vaan groaned as he blinked his eyes open -- at which point he yelped. “Whoa!” he got out as he curled his tail around, wagging his fin curiously… which had now turned a full 90 degrees and had become slightly see-through. In other words; it’d become the tail of a Mer.Prompto chuckled softly, remembering his reaction from when Kuja had changed him. Sora and Roxas, however, openly gawked, before they looked at each other and shrugged.Reks watched his brother, before he looked down to his own tail, watching as it swayed in a way that, to him, was probably very different from normal.“Sora,” Noctis said then, “would you mind removing the chains?”The brunette blinked in surprise, before nodding. “Yes, Your Majesty,” he said, summoning his Keyblade. He then unlocked the chains from both Vaan and Reks, catching the metal pieces before they hit the floor.As their hands were finally freed, both Vaan and Reks spent a few moments rubbing at their wrists, before Kuja chuckled. “Well then… I shall take my leave, then, Your Majesty,” he said with a chuckle, before he turned and silently moved away.Prompto was tempted to call after Kuja, just to thank him, but decided against it. Obviously the Weiz had his own interest in helping them, and the deals were just part of it.Vaan watched Kuja leave as well, and he seemed just as tempted to say something, but in the end he kept quiet. Once the Weiz had gone, Vaan brought his hands up and put them behind his neck. “Okay… sooo…” he started slowly, “Now what?”“That’s up to you, Noct,” Prompto said, finally speaking up as he looked at the King.Noctis was silent for a while longer, lightly swaying his tail, before he finally spoke up. “…While you now have the appearance of Mer, there will be those who will be suspicious of your presence…”“That’s only reasonable…” Reks murmured.“As such, it would be most wise to not give the populace reason to worry or accumulate concern…”“Wait… how does that work?” Vaan asked curiously.“The most simple way, is for you both to remain with the Kingsglaive, until you have been able to gain the trust of the populace.”“The wha…?”“The Kingsglaive,” Roxas chimed in. “We protect Insomnia, but most importantly, we protect our King to the very end.”“Oookaaay…” Vaan murmured, while Reks looked mildly interested.“It… would be the safest, I assume…”Noctis nodded his head silently. “Sora, Roxas,” he said then. “Escort our new allies to the Kingsglaive quarters and introduce them to Nyx.”“Yes, Your Majesty,” the aforementioned pair nodded, bowing respectfully before leading Vaan and Reks out of the throne room. Once they were gone, Prompto smiled up at his lover.“That went better than I thought it would, don’t you think?” he asked.“Definitely…” Noct murmured.“Feel better now that they’ll be okay?” the blonde questioned, shifting a little in the raven’s lap so he was more comfortable.“Hmm… yeah,” Noct admitted, rubbing Prom’s back.“Good,” Prompto smiled softly, leaning into the touch.The King smiled as he moved closer and lightly kissed the blonde’s temple.The gentle gesture made the smaller male give a pleased noise, turning his head and capturing Noctis’s lips with his own. This was answered with a deep purr, as the King rested a hand on his shoulder, before pulling away and resting his cheek on top of Prom’s head.Prompto blinked, surprised by the response, before settling and resting in his lover’s lap, giving a content sigh. By the time the day came to an end, the couple returned to the young King’s room.“Whew…” Noctis breathed out.“Tired out, huh?” Prompto guessed as he swam to their bed, lifting the shell to check on their eggs.“Hmhmm…” the King hummed, as he joined Prompto on the bed, curled around the pillow with their eggs.“Then let’s get some sleep,” the blonde chuckled, managing to cuddle close to Noctis while still curling his tail around the pillow.Noctis smiled as he wrapped his arms around the blonde’s shoulders, keeping him close.Not that Prompto would ever complain about the closeness. He would never get tired of being with the raven. He hummed happily as he wrapped his own arms around Noctis’ waist, happy to be like this.Noct briefly stretched out his tail, before he curled his tail around Prompto’s as he hummed sleepily. However, as they settled in, there was a sudden pain that shot through the blonde’s tail.“Ah…! Son of a bitch!” Prompto swore, flinching harshly from the pain.“Prom!?” Noctis cried out as he almost shot up from the mattress.“My tail…hurts…” the smaller male hissed out, shuddering.Frowning in worry, Noctis sat up and reached for the blonde’s tail, settling them there and allowing some of his magic to siphon into the tail.Prompto whimpered and whined as the pain continued, until it began to fade.“You okay…?” Noctis breathed softly as he moved over.The blonde nodded. “I think…my body was trying to change back…” he mumbled.This made Noctis frown in worry, before he curled around Prompto protectively.Prompto smiled softly at the protective response, before murmuring, “I’m not going anywhere, though.”“I know…” Noctis murmured softly.The smaller male hugged his lover, beginning to settle down again. “Let’s get some sleep,” he whispered. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”Noctis nodded softly, before he reached over and hit the shell, causing it to close over them, and he then proceeded to hum as he held the blonde closer.Prompto snuggled into the raven’s hold, closing his eyes as he listened to Noctis’s humming and heartbeat while he rested his head on his lover’s chest. “Goodnight, Noct. I love you,” he murmured.“Hmmm… love you too…” Noctis whispered lazily as they both began to doze off. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Despite Prompto’s reassurance that he wouldn’t be leaving and he’d be able to stay, there was still a few moments of uncertainty in the two days that followed. There were a few moments where Prompto did feel like his tail was about to tear open, but it would pass just as fast. And thankfully, as the second day after that initial pain came to an end, the pain had finally seemed to have gone entirely.Prompto gave a relieved sigh as the pain finally vanished, having a good feeling it was finally over.Noctis hummed as he looked over from where he was working. “You okay, Prom?”“Yeah,” the blonde smiled. “The pain’s finally gone, and I have a good feeling it won’t come back.”The King smiled as he set his work aside and swam over, quietly kissing the blonde when he was in range.Prompto kissed back, glad that he was now permanently a Mer. “Looks like you’re stuck with me for good now,” he chuckled when they parted.This made the raven chuckle softly. “Wouldn’t have it any other way…” he murmured as he sat himself down beside the blonde.The smaller male cuddled close to his lover’s side, a content noise escaping him. “…Do you think I’ll lay the eggs soon?” he asked softly, looking up at the taller male.“Should be soon…” Noctis noted. “You might’ve been accidentally holding them back because you were fighting your tail splitting. That’s possible.”“Good point. Then I’m glad it hasn’t happened yet…” Prompto mumbled, the mere thought of things going wrong scaring him.“Yeah…” Noctis curled his arm around Prompto and briefly kissed him again. “Hey, I need to finish one more thing, okay? Should take me only a few moments…”“No worries, I’ll be right here,” the blonde chuckled, curling his tail around the pillow with their eggs on it after the raven got off their bed.As Noctis moved back to his desk, his tail wrapped around his chair, the raven quietly hummed to himself. It wasn’t a particularly happy or sad song, but it certainly filled the silence in the room. And this made Prompto smile to himself, glad for some relief of the quiet. He’d never liked too much silence, so for Noctis to be humming was nice. It also served to help him start dozing off, and he was pretty sure he would end up falling asleep before Noct finished his work.…that is until his stomach roiled violently.“Ah…!” the smaller male gasped, his hands immediately moving to grasp at his stomach. “Fuck…!”Immediately, Noctis stopped humming and spun around toward Prom in alarm, before he rushed over to his side. He looked like he was about to ask what was wrong, but when he saw him clutching his stomach he stopped that question before it could form. “Prom, it’s okay; c’mon just breathe… easy…”Prompto whimpered as he tried to follow Noctis’ advice, inhaling deeply as he clenched his jaw tight from the pain. And as Noctis continued to shush him gently, he ran his hand through the blonde’s hair. “It’s okay… just relax…”The smaller male tried to relax, he really did. The pain was intense, though, and worse than the pain he’d felt with his tail.“It’s okay… you just need to relax…” Noct murmured. “Deep breaths… c’mon…”At the repeated words in that soothing voice, Prompto finally managed to, albeit slowly and steadily. Whimpers still escaped him, though, despite his best efforts to keep quiet.“It’s okay… I’m here…” Noctis whispered, kissing his forehead. Once he pulled away, he reached for Prom’s crotch area and slowly, carefully, pushed the scales aside. “Okay, breathe in and hold it for a moment… then breathe out, while contracting your stomach… can you do that?”The blonde nodded shakily, following his lover’s instructions, doing as he was told.“Okay… again.”Prompto complied, doing it again.“Right… that’s good…” Noctis murmured, running a hand through his hair. “Just keep doing that…” he whispered, his other hand gently moving the fingers along the scales.The smaller male continued the pattern, focusing on trying to breathe evenly, despite his mind also focusing on Noctis’s gentle touches in order to distract himself from the pain.Thankfully, as he breathed out, contracting his stomach muscles like Noctis had told him to, the pain slowly faded away entirely. Once it had, though, he felt the muscles along the bared skin of his tail moving apart, as heat slowly moved along the slight twitching muscles.Prompto gave a small gasp at the foreign sensation, his bright blue eyes snapping wide open as he felt his first egg emerging from him.“Sssh… easy…” Noctis murmured, as the first egg slipped out finally, and he caught it gently between his fingers. “You’re doing fine. See?”The blonde looked at his first egg, which was as black as their first two, in his lover’s hand, and he gave the raven a small smile before refocusing back on his breathing, as he knew there were more to come. He wasn’t sure how many, but there would be at least two or as many as six more he had to lay.Noctis briefly moved to the pillow with the other eggs, and placed the third egg with the others, before he moved back to Prompto. And as he moved his fingers along the scales again, the next egg slowly slipped out, just as black as the last one.Prompto shivered at the feeling, but he was grateful to have Noctis with him for this. A flash of guilt ran through him as he thought about how the raven had been alone when he’d laid his eggs, and he looked up at Noctis apologetically.“It’s okay… don’t think about it…” Noct whispered, as he placed the egg with the others.The smaller male nodded once, once again refocusing on his breathing and the next egg moving through him.And the King remained by his side, running a hand through his hair softly as the next egg slipped out to rest in his hand as well. Prompto continued this pattern, and as he felt the fourth egg moving to follow the other three out of him, he wondered if he was really going to lay seven eggs. The cycle continued like that for what felt like ages, but finally, a sense of relief filled the blonde’s body, as the pain faded away entirely. Once the pain was completely gone, Prompto gave a sigh of relief, before slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position and looking at Noctis.“…How many did I lay?” he asked softly. He honestly hadn’t been able to keep track after the fourth one due to the pain and focusing on his breathing.“See for yourself,” Noctis chuckled out, helping Prom to look at the pillow with their eggs.When Prompto looked at the pillow once he was sitting up better with his lover’s help, his bright blue gaze became shocked as he saw a total of eight eggs on the pillow, six of them a bit smaller. His jaw dropped, and he stared in awe at all of their eggs, almost amazed by the fact that they were going to have eight children now.Smiling in turn, Noctis hugged the blonde and kissed his temple. “You did well.”The smaller male snuggled into the hug automatically with a soft thanks, and then he laughed softly at the next thought that crossed his mind before he voiced it. “Looks like Axel won the bet the guys had,” he snickered.“Hahah. I suppose so,” Noct murmured, rubbing the other Mer’s shoulder softly.Prompto leaned against the raven, enjoying the closeness and the soothing touches. “…I still can’t believe I laid six for my first time laying eggs,” he admitted.“Well, I did tell you ahead of time, didn’t I?” Noctis said with a chuckle.“Still, I would have thought I’d only lay the minimum since I wasn’t born a Mer,” the blonde explained. “Guess that fact didn’t make a difference.”“Well, you were a Mer when you were to lay, so that probably helped.“True…” Prompto nodded, his eyes starting to drift closed. All the pain he’d been experiencing lately had finally worn him out, and the exhaustion was catching up to him. He curled closer against the King, just wanting to rest now.And the King merely smiled as he adjusted the blanket along the pillow. “Get some rest,” he murmured. “I’ll be here…”The smaller male mumbled his agreement, before allowing himself to fall asleep in his lover’s hold. While the King and his lover relaxed in the Citadel, outside of Insomnia, a familiar Weiz was simply relaxing in his little cavern-like home, white tentacles holding him in place easily as he rested there, uncaring about whatever it was that might have been going on outside. The Weiz hummed softly in his half-asleep state, moving some of his hair out of the way instinctively.Unfortunately, the world had other ideas.“Yo, Kuja!!” a familiar voice shouted from the entrance of the cave, which made the Weiz groan in annoyance.“…what do you want, Zidane?”“Wow, aren’t we grumpy today?” the same voice from before chuckled out, as the presence from the entrance moved inside. Kuja sighed as he opened his eyes and glanced over to the blonde Weiz that had made his way inside. “Oh hey, I see you got some new stuff… so what’ve you been up to?”“…hmm… same old, same old,” Kuja murmured, clearly uninterested as the blonde moved to examine some of the trinkets he’d recently obtained from his contracts. “So… why are you here?”The blonde pouted a bit as he looked over, setting the camera he’d been holding down. “C’mon, can’t you at least act like you’re happy to see me? Or maybe even curious about Miko. Anything, really…”“You’re both still swimming, aren’t you?”“Oh come ooooon,” the blonde whined in annoyance, before he sighed and moved over. “Whatever… anyway, you hear ‘bout the Niffs?”Kuja hummed as he reached out into a nearby pot, pulling out a shrimp and popping it in his mouth to munch on. “Can’t say I have… nor do I care, mind you…”“Well you’re no fun,” Zidane complained. “This involves all of us, yanno?”“Does it?” Kuja mumbled softly.After rolling his eyes, Zidane shook his head and finally said: “Fine, dude. I’ll just get to the point. Ulti’s granddaughter’s been seen in Niff territory.”As those words, Kuja actually frowned and finally sat up, his interest awakened at last. “…what?”“Yeah,” Zidane sighed. “We dunno what she’s planning there, but my guess, it ain’t good.”“…certainly not…” Kuja snarled. “That little fool… what does she expect to achieve?”“Dunno… was thinking of going to figure it out… but didn’t want to go out there without someone knowing where I was heading. Sooooo… here I am.”Kuja regarded him briefly, before he sighed. “You never change, Zidane… always sticking your tentacles in places they don’t belong…”“What can I say? I dun need reasons to help people.”“Yes, and that will end up getting you killed one day…” Kuja watched the blonde for a moment more, silently, before he sighed heavily. “However, I know I won’t be able to stop you… just make sure you stay alive.”“Hah! Always! You just keep your eyes open, alright? Dunno what’s gonna happen, but it’s gonna be a big one once this blows up…”“Speak for yourself, dear…”Zidane chuckled once, before he solemnly turned and swam out, disappearing from the cave once again with a flick of his tentacles. Kuja sighed heavily as he sat there, frowning in thought. ‘…and just when you think you’ve seen the last of trouble… it rears its ugly jaw once more…’ Ever since Prompto had laid his eggs, time almost seemed to fly (or swim) by almost ridiculously fast. Once they had deemed the surrounding area safe again, Prompto had finally managed to return to the surface briefly to meet with Luna and Ravus to let them know he’d be okay. Of course, Noctis hadn’t let him go alone and had sent the Kingsglaive with him to protect him, just in case of.Thankfully, that had turned out to be unnecessary, but Noctis hadn’t been prepared to take the chance after everything that had happened. And Noctis, in the meantime, had adapted fast to his role as King, and everyone loved him as much as they had clearly loved Regis. There were still those who looked at Prompto with some disdain, but Regis had already said that it was something that would likely never go away, so it’d be better to get used to it, much as he hated it.Vaan and Reks had also adapted to life as Mer quickly enough, and despite their fears,, they didn’t appear to be changing back anytime soon. Perhaps it was because they had already been creatures of the sea from the beginning, but as long as they didn’t change back, they would remain in Insomnia as part of the Kingsglaive. They were able to earn the trust of the other Kingsglaive before long, even though Leon had been less than receptive about them joining the team. However, with Nyx having accepted them in the ranks, he had little choice in the matter. And in the end, he didn’t even seem to mind as much.If anything, he and Reks seemed to be getting along almost better than Reks did with his brother at times.And before Prompto had even realized it, 3 months had passed them right by. The blonde was curled around their eggs as best as he could, considering their size now, as he had been doing more and more lately, watching the largest two of the eight closely for when they would hatch. He was excited to meet them, to say the least, and he honestly didn’t want to miss a second of it. He knew his six would hatch probably in a week, after the pair Noctis had laid would. However, again, he didn’t want to miss a second, which was why he spent most of his time in their room nowadays. He’d even spend dinner in the room more often than not, just to stay close to their children.Ignis didn’t mind, and sometimes, if Noctis wasn’t too busy, he’d join the Prince Consort there.As Prompto moved his hands over the two largest eggs. He could both feel and see the two children inside moving slowly and lazily inside the slightly see, their fins moving along the soft shell of the eggs.“Any time soon, but I know you’ll come out when you’re ready,” he whispered, a warm smile curving his lips.However, just as his moved his hand along one of them, there was a sharp pain that suddenly pricked his finger.Prompto jolted a little at the sudden prick, before he realized what was happening. “Ah…!” he gasped as he spotted the small point sticking out from the egg he’d just been caressing; the child’s nail trying to break through the eggshell. ‘Noct, hurry back!’ he thought in a panic, not wanting the raven to miss this.Thankfully, just as the blonde thought that, the door opened and Noctis swam in, rubbing his head tiredly.“Noct!” the blonde called to his lover, a relieved yet excited grin on his face. “They’re hatching!”Upon those words, Noct’s weariness immediately faded and he swiftly swam over to the bed as well, settling beside his lover. And as he did, the pair watched as first one, then two, and then five nails poked out through the shell, tugging and dragging at the shell.Prompto sidled up to be pressed against Noctis’s side, keeping his tail curled around the remaining eggs as they continued to watch for the first child to emerge from its egg.Noctis smiled as he settled properly, watching quietly as the nails tore through the shell. And then, as they continued to watch, they realized that the second egg was also hatching slowly, as the child’s nails tore through the shell as well. They didn’t get long to do anything about it, as the first egg’s shell tore away, and a pair of small hands reached out and tried to pull their owner out.The King smiled softly, as he reached out and gently placed his fingers between the small fingers, while the other hand tugged at the shell. And as he tugged with the finger held in the small hands, the small Mer was pulled out from the egg, a small whistling-whine coming from its small mouth. The little Mer had a black tail, which tried to wag slowly behind it, large, blue eyes that were half-shut and blinking over and over, with a small mop of light silvery-blonde hair on its head.Prompto smiled as he reached out to the second egg when similar small hands emerged, helping their second child out of their egg after tugging away some of the shell to make a large enough opening for it. He gave a tender smile at the sight of their second child as he gently pulled the little Mer out, already in love with their two newborns. This small Mer, unlike its sibling, had darker blue eyes and a small mop of black hair, though the tail was the same black color as it tried to wiggle about.Noctis smiled as he tugged up the small Mer he had helped out of its egg and held it close to his chest. “Hey there, little one…”And Prompto did the same with the other, sitting up a bit better and holding it close. “Hi there…” he whispered, excitement evident in his voice.The two kids gave small, curious mewling sounds, almost whistling as they settled against their parents. And Noctis allowed a small smile, before he turned serious as he carefully moved his fingers along the Mer’s tail and then gently pushed the scales away. The small Mer gave a mewl of surprise, tail wriggling, but that was it as Noctis did this.“…Ah, this one’s a girl.”Prompto blinked up at Noctis, pleasantly surprised. “What about this one?” he asked, glancing down at the little one in his arms.Noctis moved over and gently moved his finger along the scales of the tail. After repeating what he’d done with their first child, he said: “Another girl.”“Looks like you get your wish,” the smaller male chuckled. “You choose which one gets the name Aulea.”Noctis hummed as he looked between the two little girls for a moment, before he smiled and looked to the one in his arms. “This little one; she looks closest to what Mother looked like…”“Then, can we name this little girl Regina?” the blonde asked eagerly.“Hahah, of course.”“Thanks,” Prompto smiled softly, before looking down at their second daughter. “Hi Regina…” he greeted, holding her closer.Regina gave a small mewl as she curled up along the blonde’s chest, snuggling her face close.Noctis allowed a warm smile as he held Aulea, who reached up for her eyes and mewled as she rubbed at them. “Still sleepy, Aulea?” he murmured softly.Prompto chuckled at Aulea’s apparent sleepiness, before he felt a swell of emotion as the reality of the scene hit him. He was really with his family, and a parent now, first to two daughters, and soon to be eight children. And the best part? He was actually going to be able to spend his life with them, instead of only being able to see them from land during visits.Noctis smiled when he noticed this, and he moved closer to the blonde, resting his arm around his shoulders as the two girls settled quietly in their arms. Prompto looked up at Noctis at the contact, a pleased hum emitting from him.Suddenly, Regina made a sound, and when they looked over, they noticed the little girl was reaching out for the other eggs. “Regina? What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Noctis asked softly.“They’re not just quite ready to come out yet, sweetie,” Prompto murmured.Noctis regarded Regina for a moment, before he looked over to the eggs.“…You sure, actually?” Noctis asked.“Wait, really?” the blonde uttered, looking at Noctis with wide eyes.“Look,” the King said, gesturing for the eggs, and when Prompto looked, he noticed that at least one of them had been punctured by small nails from inside.The smaller male’s jaw slackened a bit at the sight, and he couldn’t help but panic a little. He’d thought his eggs wouldn’t hatch for another week or so!“Maybe these two realized the others wouldn’t hatch for a week and decided to actually wait for them.” Noctis murmured, as he gently set down Aulea by the pillow. The small Mer mewled as she pushed up lightly to watch as the King began to assist her siblings in getting out of their eggs.Prompto copied him, setting Regina down by her sister by the pillow and helping the hatching newborns out.And as they gently pulled the children out from their eggs, the two parents hugged them briefly before placing them down by their siblings. The little girls immediately began to dote on their younger siblings, even though Aulea still looked like she was about to go to sleep at any moment.It took them almost half an hour before all eight children were settled on their bed, cuddling together and mewling, after their parents had checked their genders and had spent a few moments naming them. Thankfully, despite them all having the same parents, it wasn’t difficult to tell them all apart, as they all had something that set them apart from the others.Aulea was the only one with silvery-blonde hair, while her eyes were a deep blue that seemed a mix of her parents’ eyes, Regina had dark silvery-blue eyes that she didn’t share with any of her siblings, with her hair being a similar shade of black as Noct’s, Amalia had light corn-blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes, and Maeryn seemed born with Noctis’ solemn frown already on his face, though he had light blonde hair.Shixona had bright blue eyes like Prompto’s, and dark brown hair that appeared almost black outside the right lighting, Daisuke had dark eyes, almost black in appearance, with just a hint of blue to them, and his hair was as dark as his father’s, Haruto had golden blonde hair and aqua-colored eyes, while Ryou had sky blue eyes and pale blonde hair.Noctis allowed a smile as the kids all scrambled along each other, before settling together in a mewling heap where they proceeded to nap. “Well… at least we won’t have any troubles telling them apart, hm?”“Thank god for that. I was a bit worried about any of them being identical, to be honest,” Prompto admitted. “Then again, we would have figured it out.”“I’m sure we’d have been able to…” Noctis chuckled as he pushed up from the bed. “I’ll be right back; I’m going to ask Ignis to prepare some food for them, alright?”“Sounds good,” the blonde smiled. “You know where we’ll be.”Noctis smiled, briefly kissing Prompto, before he headed out of the room.“…miiiyuuuu…?” Regina called out sleepily, looking out through sleepy eyes.“Don’t worry, sweetie,” Prompto soothed, stroking her hair a little. “Daddy’s just going to get you all something to eat.”“…myu…” she mewled, before she settled against Maeryn’s back, the smaller boy mumbling softly but otherwise remaining silent.Prompto chuckled softly, watching their eight newborns as they slept. He was so happy to be able to be with them, and that he had the opportunity to be with them and Noctis when they hatched. Granted, Daisuke, Shixona, Haruto, Ryou, Maeryn, and Amalia wouldn’t exist if he hadn’t become a Mer in the first place, but he was still incredibly happy to be able to experience this.The children continued to sleep quietly, even as Noctis returned with what looked like a bag of some sort. “Still sleeping?” he asked cheekily.“Yup. Seems they like to sleep as much as you do,” Prompto teased.“Very funny,” Noctis chuckled out as he moved over to sit beside his lover.The blonde merely laughed softly, before looking at the bag in Noctis’s hand curiously.Noctis didn’t say anything as he picked up Aulea, who had been laying on the outer edge of the small group, as he set the bag down in between them.“What are those, Noct?” Prompto finally asked, pointing at the bag.Noct didn’t reply immediately as he moved to get Aulea comfy along his arm. Once he was sure she was, he finally reached into the bag and pulled out what looked like some sort of cucumber, only the outside was clearly covered in kelp. The blonde, meanwhile, watched his lover curiously, still unsure.“We call these ‘karago’. These have everything these little ones need to grow,” Noctis explained, as he brought the item to Aulea’s face and gently tapped her nose with it.The small girl whined curiously, opening her sleepy eyes to see what was going on. As her dad lightly moved the karago in front of her, the little one’s eyes followed it, with her tail flicking slightly at the water. And then she reached out to grab it, which Noctis let her do after two futile tries. Once she finally caught it, she stuck it in her mouth and began to nibble on it with soft crunching.Prompto watched, a bit surprised, before he sat up properly so he could try with one of the others. Scooping up Regina in his arms, he then looked at Noctis. “How come you kept her from grabbing it at first? Just curious,” he asked as he took a karago from the bag.“To train her survival instincts,” Noct pointed out. “In case something happens and she has to hunt for food.”“That makes sense,” the smaller male murmured, before doing the same with Regina as Noctis had done with Aulea. Once the little raven was eating, he smiled down at her.For a few blissful moments, the only sound that filled the room was the girls’ quiet crunching as they practically devoured the karago. Once they’d finished, the two parents set the girls back down and began to pick out the other kids to repeat the process for each of them. Once they were finished and the newborns were sleeping again, Prompto looked at Noctis with a warm smile. “I’m glad to actually be here for this,” he told the King, voicing his earlier thoughts.Noctis regarded Prompto curiously, before he smiled and pulled him into a gentle hug. “I’m glad you’re here, too…”The blonde hugged back, a content sigh escaping him. “…I don’t think I could have handled occasional visits from land…” he mumbled, gazing at their children with a distant look in his eyes.Noctis frowned, before he sighed and gently kissed his forehead. “Don’t think about that… it’s not necessary.”“True…” Prompto murmured, smiling softly at the kiss to his forehead.“Good,” Noctis said before he let go of Prompto momentarily so he could reach into the back again. “Here,” he said as he pulled out a slightly larger karago. “These are ours. Iggy figured we probably wouldn’t be coming down for dinner tonight.”“Good thinking on his part, then. I don’t wanna leave these little ones for anything,” Prompto chuckled, looking at their children fondly.That made the King chuckle as he reached into the bag for another one, which he almost immediately bit into.Prompto took one of the larger ones, and bit into it, finding the taste rather nice. “Reminds me of something called sushi back on land,” he told Noctis once he’d swallowed.“Sushi??”“Don’t know who thought of it, but it’s basically like this, just sliced into pieces. It consists of raw fish, rice, and usually seaweed most often,” the blonde explained. “I never introduced you to that one, though.”The raven hummed curiously, before he went back to his food, even as he moved to lay down around the eight sleeping kids.Prompto smiled at the sight, before moving so he was lying on the other side, but still facing Noctis. This made the King chuckle, but he said nothing else as he ate and watched the children sleep quietly. And the smaller male did the same, even as that same swell of emotion and now pride washed over him. He was so happy now, and wanted this to last forever.As the two parents finished their own dinner, Noctis reached up and hit the shell, making it close again. Once it had, he settled back on the bed, quietly watching the kids as they cuddled together while they slept.And as they slept, Prompto found himself thinking back to when he’d first encountered Noctis on the beach near Cape Caem months ago. If he’d never gone there that day to take photos in the first place, he wouldn’t have met the raven, and Noctis wouldn’t be here today. He shuddered at the thought of this, and was so glad fate had brought them together.“Hm?” Noticing the shudder, Noct looked up curiously. “What’s wrong?”“Nothing, really,” the blonde assured him. “Just…reminiscing, I guess. I was thinking about if I had never found you that day on the beach, and I’m just glad that I did.” He then paused, before adding, “Actually, I’m not glad. I’m incredibly grateful that I did.”“Prom, seriously…” the King sighed. “Stop thinking so much. It’s not good for you…”“Sorry, sometimes I can’t help it,” Prompto admitted, lowering his gaze a little.Which earned him a tap on the nose from the raven-haired King. The blonde blinked in surprise as he looked back up at his lover.“Just get some rest… Father will probably come by tomorrow to see his grandchildren,” Noct pointed out.“Kay,” Prompto smiled slightly, reaching over to link Noctis’s fingers with his own.Noctis smiled in return, lightly squeezing his hand. “Love you, Prompto.”“Love you, too, Noct,” the smaller male murmured, before closing his eyes, drifting off to sleep with his family. Morning came slowly for once, and the first thing the King was aware of was something being pressed up against him. And when Noctis opened his eyes with a small groan, he was a bit surprised to see Aulea, Regina, Ryou and Maeryn huddled up against his chest. And when he looked over, he smiled when he saw Amalia, Shixona, Daisuke and Haruto cuddling with Prompto, who had instinctively wrapped his arm around the four of them while he slept.Chuckling, he called out softly: “Prom… wake up.”“Mmm… huh…?” Prompto mumbled, his bright blue eyes, still murky with sleep, opening slowly. They soon focused on the four little ones in his hold, and he blinked in slight surprise before smiling warmly.“Guess they went looking for some more warmth,” Noctis chuckled softly, as he gently rubbed the four kids’ heads in turn.Prompto did the same, laughing lightly. “At least they know where to go,” he chuckled.The chuckle made Amalia mewl a bit, before she blinked her sleepy eyes open and looked up at Prompto, as if to ask why he woke her.“It’s okay, sweetie,” Prompto soothed, kissing her forehead. “Go back to sleep.”“…meh,” the little girl said, before she closed her eyes and settled down again, much to the amusement of her parents.Once she was asleep again, Prompto looked at Noctis, and asked seriously: “Who should be the mom to them? I know I had six of them, but I’m still making sure so there’s no confusion for them.”Noctis regarded him in question for a moment, before asking: “Should one of us be, then? From what I know, in cases like ours the parents are just called two variants of ‘father’.”“Makes sense,” Prompto murmured. “I just wasn’t sure.”The King didn’t say anything in response immediately, though he did smile as he wrapped his arm around the four kids curled up against him. “Kinda funny they actually split up evenly, hm?”“Yeah, but I won’t complain,” the blonde said softly, holding the four he had against him a bit closer. “Besides, we shouldn’t hear anything about more brothers or more sisters to even things out in the future.” He snickered a bit after he made the comment.“Very funny… However, that’s likely not going to happen any time soon, anyway…” Noct mumbled.“What? Why wouldn’t it?” the smaller male frowned. “We could try for more later on, couldn’t we?”“Mer become infertile for at least ten years after they’ve laid eggs… hence why other Mer haven’t been tried before to grow our numbers before.”“Oh…” Prompto uttered. “I had no idea…”Noctis didn’t say anything else to that; he just reached out and took hold of Prompto’s hand, squeezing softly. The blonde squeezed back lightly, before looking at him with a small smile. “It wouldn’t hurt to try again in ten years, though,” he pointed out.“What? You want your own Blitzball team?” Noctis joked softly.“Nah, I just like kids. And soon enough, these kiddos are going to grow up,” Prompto replied with a quiet laugh. “I told you before, I’ve always been good with kids.”Noctis merely snorted, before there was a firm knock on the door. “…Ah, that’s Father,” the King murmured, as he slowly sat up and pushed the shell back up.Prompto smiled, almost eager to introduce Regis to his grandchildren.Once Noctis had gotten his “half” of children to let him get up properly to join their siblings with Prompto, he sat up and called out: “Enter.”Once the okay was given, Regis entered the room, something he hadn’t actually only done once during the time Prompto had been there (which was when he’d laid his eggs). After nodding to his son in greeting (which was solemnly returned), the older Mer turned to Prompto and smiled fondly at the sight of the children. “They all hatched already?”“Yeah… just minutes after each other.”Prompto lightly pushed himself up so he was partially sitting up, and said: “Noct thinks our first two waited for the rest of their siblings to catch up before hatching themselves.”“That so?” Regis asked as Noctis gestured for him to take a seat.“Yeah… it seemed a little TOO well-timed to be anything else…”“I think it’s nice, though,” Prompto smiled, his tail curling around the little ones a bit.The older Mer allowed a smile of his own, as he turned his eyes to the small kids. “Still sleeping, hm?”“Yeah,” Noctis chuckled.“They definitely take after Noct in that aspect,” Prompto snickered, casting his lover a teasing look.“Very funny,” Noctis grumbled.“You know I only tease, Noct,” Prompto chuckled.While Noct grumbled in annoyance, Regis merely chuckled. Which was enough for Aulea to whine softly as she slowly blinked her eyes open.“Hey sweetie, sorry we woke you,” Prompto murmured, reaching over and stroking her hair gently.The small girl mewled at the touch, but she didn’t go back to sleep as she looked around, possibly to figure out who else she’d heard just then. This made Regis smile as the girl blinked sleepily up at him.Noctis smiled as well, as he sat down and gently lifted the little girl up. “This little one’s the oldest,” he said as he held her up, while the girl mewled and curled her tail around her father’s arm. Before he finished, though, he gave a fond smile. “Her name is Aulea.”At that news, Regis’ eyes actually widened in surprise. Prompto watched Regis’s expression, and was glad they’d named their oldest after Noctis’s mother. Rather than say anything else, Noctis held out the small girl to Regis. Aulea blinked curiously at that, before she turned her head sleepily toward Regis, who then gently took her over from the King.“Miyu…?” the girl mewled softly.“Hello, Aulea,” Regis murmured softly with a smile as he ran a finger along the girl’s cheek.“…mew.”“Still tired, by the sound of it,” Prompto commented, amused.“Not that surprising…” Regis said, smiling. “Most children spend a good few days sleeping unless they need food.”“Good point,” the blonde nodded.“…miru…?” came from by Prompto’s hands, and as he looked down, he realized that Regina had also woken up and was rubbing at her eyes.“Well good morning, sweetie,” Prompto smiled in a soft greeting.Regina only mewled, which made Noctis chuckle. He reached over and lifted up Regina. Her tail immediately curled around her father’s arm, making a small curious sound as she was settled against his chest. “This is Regina,” he said as he rubbed her cheek softly.“She’s the second oldest,” Prompto chimed in.Regis smiled as he reached over and lightly ran his finger along her chest. “Hello, Regina,” he murmured.“Myu?”Prompto laughed softly at the little raven’s response.Aulea, meanwhile, was watching quietly, her tail lightly swaying lazily. “Miruu…”“Mikyu,” Regina ‘said’ in response.Prompto looked back and forth between the girls, blinking in surprise, before he chuckled. “Sounds like they’re talking to each other.”“Can they do that?” Noctis asked.“It’s happened before, yes,” Regis murmured, adjusting his hold on Aulea.“Then they’ll be having their own conversations for a while, huh?” Prompto guessed, laughing a little.“That’s very likely, yes,” Regis chuckled.Noctis smiled as he looked to Prompto. “You mind taking Regina while I get them some food?”“Not at all,” the blonde smiled, taking her from Noctis’s hold and holding her close.Noctis chuckled as he got up and started out of the room. Once Noctis was gone, Regis turned to Prompto. “While we wait… would you mind introducing the others, Prompto?”“Of course, Regis,” Prompto nodded, smiling almost proudly as he started. “We’ve got Daisuke, Haruto, Shixona, Ryou, Amalia, and Maeryn.” He gestured to each respective child as he said their names as they slept.While they were introduced, the other six didn’t seem inclined to wake up just yet, though they did cuddle up closer to each other quietly.“Interesting… are they names that are native to land?”“Yeah, they are,” Prompto admitted. “Noct and I agreed on them together, though.”“I’ve no doubt about that,” Regis chuckled softly, as he gently rubbed Aulea’s cheek, who finally decided to just settle down and sleep with a sleepy sound. “I’m glad you’re here, Prompto,” Regis said suddenly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Noctis this much at ease with anyone else…”“Really?” the blonde said, blinking in surprise. “Not even with you?”“Not even with me,” Regis confirmed, though it obviously hurt to say so. “It may have been because he’s not had his own siblings to fill in the gaps… but he’s never been too willing to open up to anyone.”“…If you don’t mind my asking…what happened to Noct’s siblings, anyway?” Prompto asked softly.“…I see… He’s never told you?”“No, he hasn’t. I asked Ignis about it once, but he only told me there was an accident,” the blonde admitted quietly.Regis didn’t respond for a while, as he lightly caressed Aulea’s cheek, and watched as Regina fell asleep slowly against her dad’s chest. Finally, though, he said: “That’s what people once believed, yes… but with recent events, there are those reconsidering what happened.” He paused then to sigh softly. “When my mate died, it was considered an accident due to tensions between Insomnia and Niflheim. When she died, she was laying… However, when she was found, only one of her eggs was left unharmed. The others…”Prompto’s eyes widened in horror. “You mean…she never finished, and died before she could?” he asked quietly.“…no, she laid them… but they were crushed.”“Oh my god…” the smaller male breathed. “I’m so sorry… I had no idea…”Regis shook his head quietly, but he said nothing else as he lightly rubbed his thumb over Aulea’s cheek.“…I’m glad we named our first daughter after her, then,” Prompto murmured, looking at Regis. “It helps to keep her memory alive for you, at least, I’m sure.”“Yes…” Regis said with a soft smile, as he rubbed Aulea’s head, who mewled happily in her sleep and curled closer.Just as she did, though, Noctis returned. However, he wasn’t alone when he did.“Oh, hey Iris,” Prompto greeted in a soft voice so as not to wake the little ones.“Hi Prompto,” she smiled. “Noctis brought me to meet the new additions.”“You would’ve tagged along either way even if I didn’t,” Noctis laughed as he moved over to the bed and passed Prompto the bag he’d been carrying.“True,” Iris giggled as Prompto opened it to reveal more karago.As Prompto pulled one of them out, Regina’s nose twitched, after which she sleepily blinked her eyes open. “Myu?”“Hungry, huh?” the blonde chuckled, gaining her attention by waving it a little.Regina frowned sleepily, as her eyes followed the piece of food slowly. However, even when it came into range, she refused to reach for it. But the moment Prompto stopped moving it to ask Noct if that was normal, Regina suddenly lunged forward and grabbed hold of the karago with both hands and teeth with a loud growling-yowl.Prompto nearly jolted at the sound, watching their second oldest daughter with wide eyes.But Noctis laughed as he watched Regina dig into the karago hungrily, nails buried in the food as she bit and chewed and swallowed rapidly.“Well, she’s caught on quick,” Regis chuckled.The blonde looked at Noctis, still a bit caught off guard by her reaction.“That’s her instincts kicking in, Prom,” the King chuckled, even as he pulled out a few more karago and passed them to Regis and Iris.“Apparently!” Prompto said, even as Iris came over to pick up one of the others to feed. She ended up with Amalia, and began to tempt her with the karago she held.Amalia seemed a little less tempted by the food (possibly because she was still tired), but in the end she did reach out for the food and nibbled on it sleepily. Regis smiled as he moved his karago in front of Aulea, who was very quick to grab the karago, chewing slower than Regina, but still eating very fast. Prompto watched as Aulea and Regina ate theirs quickly, still a little surprised by how their instincts had kicked in.“What’s wrong, Prompto?” Noct asked as he looked up from Shixona, who had crawled over at one point and snagged onto the karago to munch on it as well.The blonde shook his head a bit. “It’s fine. Just caught me off guard earlier,” he admitted.Noctis merely hummed softly, as the girls munched away at their breakfast. That is, until he caught the sound of munching by his tail. “Hey!” he called out as he reached out and pulled Ryou out from the bag, where said boy had been munching away at a karago that he’d snagged from the bag.“Little sneak,” Prompto laughed.“Mrph?”Noctis sighed as he put the boy along his tail, where he continued to munch on the karago.“Naughty little man,” the blonde chided with an amused smile.Ryou seemed unimpressed with the words, though, as he kept on munching quietly.“I get the feeling this one’s going to be a problem,” Noct mumbled as he lightly tapped the boy’s head.“Only time will tell for sure,” Prompto shrugged.Regina, in the meantime, finished her karago, after which she settled back against Prompto, mewling a bit.“Better?” Prompto asked, smiling at her.“Myew.”“I’ll take that as a yes,” the blonde chuckled.Aulea gave a small mewling sound of her own as she finished her own karago, before she wriggled a bit, until she was laying on her stomach on Regis’ arm.“Hm?” the former King murmured as he watched the small girl get comfy.“That’s new,” Prompto commented.“Myuw…” was the only thing Aulea said as she snuggled her face against Regis’ arm.“Heh…”As Amalia finished, she gave a tiny mewl, before she moved to snuggle against Iris’ tail.Iris giggled softly, loving the little girl’s reaction.“Already loving their family,” Prompto smiled.“So they do,” Noctis murmured softly, as he reached over and picked up Haruto, who had been beginning to wake up.Prompto smiled as he set Regina down, before picking up Daisuke to feed him, too.The boy gave a small mewl as he settled against Prompto, chomping down on the karago.Iris smiled as she picked up Maeryn, and tempted him with a karago as well. Maeryn, however, merely watched quietly, his eyes half-shut as his tail swayed a bit.“Hm?” Noctis frowned as Maeryn didn’t seem prepared to eat. “What’s wrong, Maeryn?” he murmured as he moved his finger along the back of his head.“…mm…”“Maybe he’s still tired?” Prompto offered, unsure, even as Iris tried to tempt him again.“I’m not sure…” Noctis murmured, as the small boy actually tried to wriggle away,“…myur?” Amalia mewled as she looked over.“Easy, Maeryn,” the blonde murmured soothingly as the little Mer squirmed in Iris’s hold. “You need to eat, sweetie.”“Mrrrr….!” the boy growled, now squirming almost violently.“Here, let me have him for a sec, Iris,” Prompto said, setting Daisuke down so he could hold and feed Maeryn if the boy allowed him to. Iris did as she was told, and then the blonde tried tempting him with the karago.This time, Maeryn grabbed the karago almost immediately.“Okay… Guess he’s just picky with who feeds him…” Noctis sighed out.“Sorry, Iris,” Prompto told her with a sheepish look.“It’s fine, sometimes kids are picky,” she assured him.“I’m just glad he’s actually eating in the end,” the blonde smiled as he watched Maeryn eat.“…mrruuu…!” Amalia suddenly mewled as she patted her hands on Iris’ tail.“You wanna be held, huh?” Iris guessed, picking her up with a laugh.“Myu!” Amalia chirped, snuggling against Iris.Regis allowed a chuckle at the sight. “Meanwhile, his sister has no problems with others.”“Someone’s gonna be social,” Prompto chuckled as Iris held Amalia.“Very,” Noctis agreed with a small chuckle of his own.Like that, the group of Mer staid, merely enjoying the peace and quiet as the children continued munching away on their breakfast.And they all couldn’t help but wish that this would last forever… ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “…Regina… REGINA!! GET YOUR LAZY BUM OUT OF BED THIS INSTANT!!”The shout alone would’ve been enough to wake her, but added to that the fact that the blankets were yanked off as they were resulted in both that and Regina hitting her head solidly on the floor. “OW!! DAMMIT, AULEA!!”Aulea huffed as she dropped the blankets on her sister’s head. “Then you should have woken up on your own. Now go get ready; breakfast is almost ready.”Regina grumbled in annoyance as she sat up, rubbing the back of her head as the silvery-blonde haired woman left her room. It still took Regina several moments before she was able to get up and do as her sister had said. Sometimes she wondered how the two of them were even related.For one, they didn’t look anything alike; Aulea had hair that was a silvery blonde in color that she let hang down her back in elaborate braids, while Regina’s was a pitch-black with minor hints of deep blue (or so everyone said) and was cut short to prevent it from getting in the way. Aulea was serious and studious, always giving everything her full attention whenever it was needed of her, but Regina was content to just wing it most of the time, and only give it her all when it actually interested her enough to do so.Also, if anyone were to ask about it, many would agree that Aulea was the most feminine of the two, whereas Regina could be confused with a boy from afar. And Regina couldn’t care one bit.Once she was ready for the day, she went to join her sister downstairs. She was the only one there, no big surprise there. Still, Regina saw fit to ask anyway. “Where’s Auntie?”“Off at work. You know that well enough,” was the curt response.“Would be nice if she could stick around once… or at least Uncle…” Regina grumbled as she took her seat, accepting the plate her sister handed her.“You know that they’re both busy. Plus, you’re not a child anymore.”“That don’t mean I don’t wanna see them… esh…”“‘That doesn’t’, Regina.”“Oh for…! I don’t care!” Regina growled, stuffing her mouth with a forkful of food to keep herself from saying anything nasty to her sister. That was the last thing she needed; getting in an argument with her big sister. She never won those, anyway…They ate in silence, with the only words being exchanged being requests to pass some items from across the table. By the time they finished, Regina was finally awake enough to work on a plan for the day. So while Aulea took the dishes off to clean them, as she always did, Regina headed off to get just a few more things to get ready. And once she had, she went for the door.“I’m heading out with the girls to get a hunt in!” she called to Aulea, who looked over curiously, before she snorted.“Again? You’ve just completed a hunt last night!” the eldest pointed out.“Hey! It keeps the money flowing, alright?!” Regina argued. “Be happy I’m doing something to help us stay here!”“We do not even pay rent.”“Doesn’t mean we can’t pitch in! I’m leaving!”“Regina!!”The brunette stopped with her hand on the door with a groan before turning around. “What?”“I just want you to be careful. And stay--”“Away from great bodies of water. I know alright!? I ain’t about to get myself half-drowned again!”“…Alright.” Aulea moved over then and pulled the younger girl into a hug. “Good luck.”Regina sighed softly, but she smiled as she hugged her sister back. “Yeah, yeah. Luck comes to those who make it.”Aulea merely snorted when she let her sister go, and then she watched the noiret walk out the door and then run off, using her whistle to call the Black Chocobo she’d raised over the years—whom she’d called ‘Dia’—leaping on its back and then taking off running for Lestallum. She sighed softly at her sister’s obvious excitement to go hunting, but she shook it off to head back inside.She still had some things to do around the house, after all. Lestallum was blistering hot when Regina hopped off her Chocobo, which was expected, and she groaned as she stretched out her limbs a bit. “Right… now then!” she said, as she pulled out her phone and moved to the group call she’d have set on speed dial, before putting it to her ear.And one by one, her friends answered.“Good morning.”“Heyo!”“Morning, dear~”“Hey girls! I was thinking of going for a hunt in the Slough. Wanna join me?”
10355259
Finally
{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Lily Rhodes, Rufus Humphrey", "Fandom": "Gossip Girl", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by muldersanatomy", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-18T00:00:00", "words": "1,380", "Additional Tags": "OTP Feels, Fluff and Angst", "Relationship": "Rufus Humphrey/Lily Rhodes", "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 month had passed. They hadn’t seen each other since they met for coffee, two days later after their gallery meeting. Lily and Bart were over, she decided she just didn’t want to be in a relationship at the moment. At least, that’s what she told Bart. Maybe, deep down, she wanted to be available because a certain someone had entered her life again. Maybe she expected something would happen with Rufus but she would swallow poison before she admit it. She tried not let that sensation of hope in her chest take over her. She tried to keep herself busy with decorating the penthouse and her kids. But it seemed that everything and everyone she looked at reminded her of him. The music played by cars that passed by her on the streets, the smell of his cologne as she passed someone in a shop, his son. She saw his son a lot now that he was dating Serena. He was good for her, she noticed. Just like Rufus was for you, she thought. She had to see him. Lily heard Dan telling Serena that he and Jenny would spend the week in Hudson, with Allison. It was Friday, they had probably gone. She knocked on his door twice, not giving that any second thoughts. They had to speak eventually. Right? He opened it, and looked surprised “Lily... What happened?” he said, assuiming that if she came to Brooklyn something bad must have occured. “Uhm, nothing. Nothing, I just thought I’d stop by. If you’re not busy. I... I brought wine.” She was a little embaressed. What did happen? God she shouldn’t have come. To her relief he managed that awkward situation very well. “Oh, well. Come on in.” He gestured with a smile. “I was just thinking on making some food. You can join me.” She thought on saying no, but something caught her from it. “Okay, I’d like that.” She smiled. After an hour and a half of laughing, cooking, eating and reminiscing, they were at the couch still drinking Lily’s wine. “God, I can’t believe you remember that.” He said between laughs. She admired the wrinkles next to his eyes and remembered how, over twenty years ago, his laugh would be the best think that she heard somedays. His goofy grin that could make her day a hundred times better, Just like now. She couldn’t help but smile at the memory. “Yes well, I would never let myself forget.” She said before she could think. She was flirting with him and they both knew it. After a moment of silence, he looked away. She thought she saw glimpse of sadness in his eyes but maybe it was nothing. He finished his glass with one gulp and looked at the floor. For some reason, he could no longer look at her in the eye, which was very, very strange to Lily. “A-Are you ok? Did I say something...-“ He stopped her before she could say anything else. “Why do you want from me?” He glanced at her, the admiration no longer in his eyes. This time she saw hurt, anger. She was not prepared for that question. What could she possibly say? Why did she want? Him, Lily, you want him, a voice in her head said. “What? Rufus, I...” She trailed off. “Why did you leave? Back then. Why did you leave me? What did I do?” His voice was firm but not raised. He did not sounded happy. On the contrary, he sounded hurting, irritated. Heartbroken, even. “No. You don’t get to do this, Rufus.” Her shock had passed. “Do what? Wanting to know why is it that I was left out from your life out of nowhere? I’m not letting you do that to me again, Lily. You...” he shaked his head. “You have no idea what I went though after you left.” She scoffed. “Oh please, you screwed a bunch of with women after I left and the worst part is that you married one of them.” She got up from the couch with anger. Why didn’t understand that it wasn’t exactly a fun time for her either? Lily barely finished her sentence when Rufus spoke sharply: “No, you wanna know what the worst part is? The worst part is that you didn’t even say goodbye. You just didn’t show up the next day or the next day.” He too stood up and looked at her in the eye. “The worst part is that you didn’t even tell me you were leaving. You were just gone.” He whispered those last words. Their gaze never broke. “If you leave someone you have to at least tell them why, because what’s more painful than being left is knowing you’re not worth an explanation”.Lily tried to speak, holding back tears but Rufus didn’t let her, he was going to say to her everything that passed on his mind in the last twenty years. “And I waited for you for a while. I thought that maybe you were just taking a break, maybe you would come back. But you never did.” His voice softened as he said those words but became full with rage again. “So don’t try to make me feel guilty for moving on with my life when you were the one who walked away. Lily felt a pain in her chest as soon as the words left his mouth. She should be mad at him, she thought. She hated to see him like that but she also hated him for not knowing why she had left. How could he anyway? She knew that what she was about to say wasn’t fair but she could not help it. “Why didn’t you come look for me then?” She said, a hint of rage in her voice. “If you loved me so much like you are saying why didn’t you come look for me?” her voice raised. She didn’t know what to do anymore, the pain she was feeling was the same as 20 years ago. He looked at her as if she was insane. “What?” he asked, incredulous. He came closer to her and narrowed his eyes. ”Every night I fell asleep with the thought of you and what I would say if you were there. I wanted to be angry but I couldn’t, all I could think of was how much I missed you and what on earth I had done to make you leave.” He had tears in his eyes, as did she. “Every morning I woke up in misery because you weren’t there anymore. Don’t you dare suggest I never loved you, Lily.” A tear scaped Lily’s eyes but she quickly wiped it off. “I had to leave, Rufus. You have to understand.” She didn’t know what to say anymore. “And you have to understand that I couldn’t wait my whole life for someone that would never come back.” He yelled. “But I did! I’m here now.” She sounded almost desperate. “Exactly, and how can I be sure you won’t walk away again?” Rufus said looking deeply in her eyes, trying to find an answer in them. “You can’t.” she whispered. “And I can’t either. But we have to try, Rufus. We have to try.” He broke their gaze and sat down on the couch again, defeated. There was nothing he wanted more than her, he knew that. He was just scared. He hadn’t meant to be so harsh but that was how he felt. All the things he had told her were the result of twenty years without her. Then, he realized. He couldn’t let himself go through that again. Lily was now sitting in the couch too, looking at him expectant. Then, she saw him slowly look back at her. Anger no longer in his face. It was almost as if their argument minutes ago hadn’t happened. She saw the loft around them turn black. It was as if there was the two of them, like it used to be. He leaned over and pressed his lips on hers. God, she had missed him. His soft lips, sucking on hers was a feeling she thought she would never experience again. All Lily could think of was finally. Finally you’re here.
10358505
Skin in the Game Stay in
{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens", "Fandom": "Hamilton - Miranda", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-03-18T00:00:00", "words": "1,845", "Additional Tags": "Sunny afternoon, Baseball, alex tries to learn how to play, john is a pretty alright teacher, lots of falsettos references", "Relationship": "Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "King's College", "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 }
John had known Alex was bad at sports. Alex had sworn by that fact every time they had even walked by something even vaguely relating to sports. John had definitely been the more athletic one in high school, he had even considered becoming part of the Columbia Lions and joining the university’s baseball team, but he never really got around to it when tryouts came and went. Besides, his schedule was way too busy. He had brought along most of his gear despite that fact, though, having a feeling it would one day come of use. That afternoon though, sunny after a gruesome winter, was a perfect opportunity to take a walk that had brought them around to a vacant baseball diamond, and not too far from their dorm. John’s eyes lit up a little bit and he grinned. He had really missed that. Alex noticed the strange enthusiasm, cocked his head and put his hand on his hip. “Why are you so excited about this?” He questioned softly, brows knit. “It’s just a baseball diamond.” “It just brings back memories, I didn’t know we had one so close to home.” He chuckled a little, walked over and nudged the dirt with his toe. “You’ve never played?”“God, no. I don’t even know if there was a league where I grew up.” There was clearly more that lingered unspoken on his tongue, but he kept it inside. Instead, he turned and smiled. “Teach me to play?” John’s eyes lit up, beyond excited about the opportunity. “Of course!” He grinned, bounced on his heels. “Wait here, I’ll go get my equipment!” Alex watched as John nearly sprinted back to his dorm, then leaned against the cage of the diamond. It was nice to see John that happy about something, strange as it may have been to him. John really enjoyed this for reasons beyond Alex’s understanding, and he wanted to be a part of it. 

By the time John had returned, Alex was lost in his thoughts, having migrated to the bleachers and relaxed back against them. His eyes had fallen shut, and he was nearly dozing off in the sun. John barely resisted cooing at this, instead just dropped his bag by the dugout and went to wake him with a soft kiss. “Wakey wakey, Mr. Hamilton.” He cooed softly, nosed at his hairline. “Still wanna learn how to play ball?” “Yeah, yeah, gimme a minute…” He murmured, eyes still squeezed shut. He was, though, doing everything in his power to lean in closer to John’s touches. When he finally opened his eyes, he was met with quite the beautiful sight: The sun glowed through John’s curls, which bounced just slightly in the subtle afternoon breeze. He had a sweet smile on his lips, a sparkle in his eyes. He leaned down to press a soft kiss to Alex’s lips, then leaned back enough that Alex could sit up. 
Alex did so after stretching for just a second, then he toon a moment to look John over. He was no longer in his t-shirt from earlier, or the torn up denim, but instead in a loose fitting workout tank and a pair of tighter fitting pants, hugging the curve of his hips and ass just enough that it got Alex’s attention immediately. His eyes went over every bit of John that he could, stopping to admire the way John’s muscles moved as he stretched his arms up over his head, twisted his torso and popped his back a few times. He glanced back at Alex and gave another smile, as bright as the afternoon sun he was basking in. How in the world did Alexander get so lucky? He shook himself out of that internal revelry, then sucked in a deep and slow breath. Well, he thought to himself. Here goes nothing. 

Alexander really was never one for sports. He would always choose the shade of the trees and a nice book over the sounds of he rowdy children where he grew up. That had, of course, resulted in him getting clocked in the head with soccer balls on more than one occasion, but in the moment it seemed better for him to suffer through the pain, That would always be better than physical activity with a bunch of other prepubescent boys. 

With that thought in his mind, he realized he had always been a bit of a cynic. Anyway. 

He walked over to what he was sure was “home base”, kicked at the dirt around it, watched as John re-situated himself at the pitcher’s mound, dusted his hands off on those pleasantly too-tight jeans, then struck what looked to be a proper position. John tossed the ball from hand to hand, then as high up in the air as he could, just to catch it again as it fell. Alex did whatever he could to not let John distract him again, which was proving to be quite the challenge for him. 
Finally, appearing ready, John stretched one last time and dropped the baseball back into the bag at his feet. He came back over to Alex, the hefty wooden bat in his hand, and offered it over to him. “You realize I don’t know what I’m doing, right?” “Oh, I know. I’m gonna show you, don’t worry. Hold the bat. How do you think it should be held?” Alex knit his brow, stared at the object in his hands and quietly lamented to himself about the splinters he was sure to get. Oh well, it was worth seeing John this happy. He readjusted his hold of the bat, hesitating just a little bit, but he wasn’t too far off of the accurate hold. John placed his hands gently on Alex’s, readjusted them just a little. “There. Good.” He smiled, kissed his cheek. “Now, your stance.” His hands trailed down Alex’s sides, positioned his hips properly as his foot nudged at his calves to get them properly placed as well. “There, better. Okay. Now…” John sucked in a breath, stepped behind Alex and wrapped around him. His chin rested on Alex’s shoulder, and he let out a soft breath. “Now, I’m gonna teach you how to swing. Keep your head in the box.” John mumbled, trailing his hands along Alex’s arms after setting him into position. “Don’t think of anything else, just keep your head in the box. Got it?” Alex nodded a little, stabilized his stance and fiddled with the bat for a moment before gripping it again. “Eye on the ball.” Another nod. “Take a breath, then let it out, and…” John’s hands were on his elbows, guiding him through a motion. “Swing. You think you can do it?” He asked softly, grinned and nosed at the side of Alex’s neck. “Yeah, I think so.” Alex sounded more nervous than he should have, but he didn’t want to back down from this. “Let’s give it a shot.” John grinned and kissed his cheek before he ran to the pitcher’s mound and picked up one of the baseballs, tossing it into the air a few times and catching it, just to get the hang of the weight again. It had been a few years, but… “Take it easy on me.” Alex called over to him, tapped the bat into the dirt a few times and grinned. “I will. Promise.” John chuckled and stretched out a little, tossed the ball from hand to hand. “Now remember what I told you, remember how to move. Eye on the ball. I’ll do my best not to hit you, okay?” Alex couldn’t help but laugh at that. How reassuring, “trying his best.” He was going to get hit with the ball, he knew it already. Both took their proper position again. Alex forced himself to watch the ball and not John. John reared back, shifted positions just a bit before throwing the ball to Alex. It was obvious that he was holding back. Without thinking, Alex flinched away from the ball, and it hit the cage behind him. He knit his brow and whined a little. Fuck.“it’s alright. We’re gonna try again. I won’t hit you, just focus on the ball and swing the bat. Even if you miss, swing the bat, okay?” John called, grabbing another baseball from his bag. Alex knit his brow and nodded, stable once again in his spot. John smiled and threw the ball again.Alex missed.At least he followed through this time. “Good! Great! Okay, swing it a little sooner, alright?” “Yeah, okay.” Alex sighed. He wasn’t so sure if he liked this, but he could hear pride in John’s voice. He wanted to hear that again. John threw another ball, Alex managed to clip the end of it and send it rolling back towards John. He grinned and went to go get it, dust it off. “You doing good? One last try?”“You think I can get it?” Alex frowned a little. He didn't like being bad at things.“I know you can get it.” John assured, hurried over and gave him a quick kiss. “Just.. Take a breath. Exhale as you swing the bat. Focus is key, you can do it. I know you can do it. You wanna try again?” “Okay. One last try.” Alex agreed, nodded his head then bit his lip. He caught John in one last kiss before he ran back to the pitcher’s mound. Alex took his position again. Closed his eyes, swung the bat a few more times to get the feel of it. Opened his eyes again and looked at John. “Okay.” He called. John smiled, nodded to him and sucked in a breath of his own as he got ready. Head in the box. He saw John get into position. Eye on the ball.
John was ready to throw. Take a breath. Here it comes. 

Let it out.Nearly there. Swing. Alex swung the bat as hard as he could, and he heard something unfamiliar; the strike of the ball against the bat, the whoosh as it rushed away, and John cheering, running towards him. Alex watched as the ball flew away, out of his sight. Had he really done that? John was wrapped around him, grinning and kissing all over his cheeks. “I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you!” Before their festivities could continue, they heard the ball finally come back to earth with a crash. John jumped, glanced back with wide eyes. Alex was tense, and they both looked to each other with juvenile, embarrassed grins. Alex had hit the ball. Someone’s window was lost along the way, and they would definitely have to go pay for that, but Alex hit the ball. A feat he never thought he could accomplish. “I’m proud.” John murmured, squeezing him again. “But let’s go check that out before someone calls the cops." That wasn’t the ending they had expected to their sunny afternoon, but there it was. Hopefully, whoever owned that window would go easy on them.